Chapter XI: A Minor Hiccup; Calm Before the Storm
Flashback - Mercury's Fragmented Memory
The scene shifts to a hazy, dreamlike sequence - fragments of memory playing out in Mercury Black's subconscious as he slept in the temporary Haven Academy dormitories. The images were disjointed, like pieces of a puzzle that refused to fit together properly.
A younger Mercury, perhaps twelve or thirteen, stood in what appeared to be an underground training facility. The walls were stone, carved from living rock, and strange symbols glowed faintly along the corridors. His legs were whole then, strong and unbroken, carrying him through combat drills with deadly precision.
"Again," commanded a voice from the shadows - not his father's harsh bark, but something else. Something that spoke with authority born of ancient power rather than mere brutality.
Mercury's younger self moved through a complex kata, his movements fluid despite his age. But he wasn't alone. Another figure moved in parallel - a girl with fushia hair and eyes that seemed to shimmer with an otherworldly quality. She was graceful where he was precise, flowing like water where he struck like steel.
"Mist," the voice called out, and the girl with silver hair paused in her movements, turning toward the instructor with respectful attention.
Mercury's present-day sleeping form stirred restlessly as the memory fought to surface fully. In the hazy recollection, he could see his younger self watching the girl - Mist - with something that might have been admiration, or perhaps simple curiosity about someone who could match his skill.
The memory flickered, jumping forward in time. Now they were older - perhaps fifteen or sixteen. They stood side by side in what looked like a ceremonial chamber, surrounded by figures whose faces Mercury couldn't quite make out in the dream-fog of imperfect recollection.
"The bonds forged in training shall not be easily broken," the same authoritative voice intoned. "Remember always that strength shared is strength multiplied."
Young Mercury had looked at Mist then, and she had met his gaze with eyes that held depths he was only beginning to understand. There had been no words between them, but something had passed in that look - a recognition, an understanding, perhaps even the beginnings of something deeper.
The memory shattered like glass, fragments scattering into darkness as Mercury jolted awake in his dormitory bed. His breathing was quick, shallow, and his artificial legs felt cold against the sheets. Around him, his sleeping teammates remained undisturbed.
For a long moment, Mercury stared at the ceiling, trying to grasp the wisps of the dream before they faded entirely. There had been a girl. Fushia colored hair. Eyes like starlight. A name that felt familiar on his tongue: Mist.
But why couldn't he remember more? And why, when he had seen that same fushia-haired girl among the dragon faunus at Beacon, had every instinct screamed that he knew her from somewhere far more significant than a simple chance encounter?
Mercury pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes, trying to force the memories to resurface. There had been training, he was certain of that. But not the brutal, punishing sessions his father had subjected him to. This had been different - disciplined, yes, but with purpose beyond simple violence.
And Mist had been there. Had been... what? A friend? A rival? Something more?
The fragments refused to coalesce into anything coherent. Whatever had happened in that stone facility, whatever connection he had shared with the silver-haired girl now walking Beacon's halls with the Sanctuary faunus, it was locked behind barriers in his mind that he couldn't break through.
But as Mercury finally began to drift back toward sleep, one certainty remained: when the time came for action, when Cinder's plans reached their culmination, he would need to be very careful about how he dealt with Mist Dragonblade. Because something deep in his fractured memory whispered that harming her would be a betrayal of something sacred - something he had sworn to protect long before he had ever heard the name Cinder Fall.
Chapter Continuation: Echoes of the Past
Haven Academy Dormitory - Early Morning
Mercury's eyes snapped open to the pre-dawn darkness, his breathing ragged and uneven. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead as the remnants of another fragmented dream slipped away like smoke through his fingers. The artificial legs beneath the covers felt heavier than usual, a constant reminder of what he had lost – though lately, he was beginning to suspect he had lost far more than just his limbs.
Across the room, Emerald stirred slightly but didn't wake. Cinder's bed was empty, as it often was these days. Their leader had become increasingly secretive about her nighttime activities since arriving at Beacon, though Mercury suspected it had something to do with her unexpected family reunion.
He sat up carefully, running a hand through his silver hair as he tried to piece together the fragments that haunted his sleep. There had been stone corridors again, carved with symbols that seemed familiar yet incomprehensible. A voice speaking words in a language that felt like it should mean something to him. And always, always, there was the girl with fuchsia hair and golden eyes that held depths of ancient wisdom.
Mist Dragonblade.
Even thinking her name sent an odd pang through his chest – part recognition, part longing, and part inexplicable guilt. When he had first seen her among the Sanctuary exchange students, something had stirred in the depths of his memory like a sleeping dragon awakening. But every time he tried to grasp those memories, they scattered like leaves in a storm.
Mercury swung his legs over the side of the bed, the mechanical joints responding with their characteristic soft whir. He needed air, space to think without Emerald's unconscious worry or Cinder's calculating gaze. Slipping on his clothes with practiced silence, he made his way out of the dormitory and into Beacon's sleeping corridors.
Beacon Academy Grounds - Pre-Dawn
The academy was peaceful in the hour before sunrise, mist rolling across the courtyards like ethereal fingers. Mercury found himself drawn to the training grounds where he had watched the dragon faunus demonstrate their abilities the day before. The space was empty now, but he could still feel the lingering traces of their power in the air.
"Can't sleep either?"
Mercury spun toward the voice, his body automatically shifting into a defensive stance before his mind processed who had spoken. Mist Dragonblade sat on one of the stone benches at the edge of the training ground, her fuchsia hair catching the first hints of dawn light. She was dressed in simple training clothes, and her golden eyes held a knowing quality that made Mercury's chest tighten with inexplicable familiarity.
"Something like that," Mercury replied carefully, forcing his posture to relax. "What's your excuse?"
Mist smiled, and for a moment, Mercury could swear he had seen that exact expression before – gentle, understanding, tinged with sadness. "Old habits. I've always been an early riser. Plus, I find the dawn hours peaceful for reflection."
She gestured to the empty space beside her on the bench. "You're welcome to join me, if you'd like. Sometimes talking through troubled thoughts can help organize them."
Mercury hesitated. Every instinct told him to maintain his cover, to play the role of the arrogant Haven student who had no connection to anyone at Beacon. But something deeper, something that felt carved into his very bones, urged him forward. Before he could second-guess himself, he found himself sitting beside her.
"You seem familiar," Mist said quietly, her gaze focused on the slowly lightening sky. "I know that sounds strange, but... have we met before? Perhaps during one of the inter-academy exchanges?"
"I don't think so," Mercury lied, though the words felt wrong in his mouth. "I would have remembered someone with your... distinctive appearance."
Mist turned to look at him directly, and Mercury felt his breath catch. Those golden eyes seemed to look straight through his carefully constructed facade to something deeper, something he wasn't even sure existed anymore.
"Distinctive," she repeated with a soft laugh. "My siblings would probably use a few other words. Though I suppose standing out isn't always a bad thing." Her expression grew more serious. "Sometimes the things that make us different are the same things that make us strong."
"And sometimes they make us targets," Mercury replied without thinking, the words carrying more weight than he had intended.
Mist nodded slowly. "True. But that's why we need allies. People who understand what it means to carry burdens that others can't see." She paused, studying his face with an intensity that made him want to look away. "Your eyes, Mercury... they hold shadows. Old pain. I recognize it because I've seen it before."
"You don't know anything about me," Mercury said, his voice harder than he intended.
"Perhaps not," Mist agreed calmly. "But I know what it's like to lose pieces of yourself. To have fragments of memory that feel important but remain frustratingly out of reach."
Mercury's artificial legs suddenly felt like they were made of lead. "What are you talking about?"
Mist was quiet for a long moment, her gaze returning to the horizon where the first rays of sunlight were beginning to paint the sky in shades of gold and pink. "There are techniques – dark ones – that can alter memory, steal away pieces of a person's past. Usually, they're used by people who want to reshape someone into something more useful to their purposes."
"That's... that's impossible," Mercury said, but his voice lacked conviction.
"Is it?" Mist turned back to him, and now her golden eyes held genuine concern. "Mercury, I need to ask you something, and I want you to really think about your answer. Do you remember your childhood clearly? All of it? Or are there gaps, periods that feel hazy or disconnected?"
Mercury opened his mouth to dismiss her question, to tell her that of course he remembered everything. But as he tried to form the words, he realized with growing horror that he couldn't. His earliest clear memories began around age ten, when his father's training had become truly brutal. Before that... fragments. Images without context. Voices without faces.
"I..." Mercury began, then stopped, uncertainty creeping into his voice.
"There was a place," Mist continued gently, "hidden deep underground. Stone corridors carved with protective wards. A sanctuary where children with special abilities were trained not just in combat, but in understanding their gifts. Their heritage." She paused, watching his face carefully. "Some of those children had dragon blood. Others had different gifts – speed, strength, the ability to manipulate aura in unique ways."
Mercury felt his world tilting on its axis. "How do you know about...?"
"Because I was there too." Mist's voice was barely above a whisper. "And unless my own memories have been tampered with, so were you."
The admission hung between them like a bridge neither was sure they should cross. Mercury found himself studying Mist's face with new intensity, searching for any trace of deception. But all he saw was the same confusion and fragmented recognition that had been plaguing him.
"If that's true," Mercury said slowly, "then why can't I remember? Why do I only have pieces?"
Mist's expression darkened. "Because someone didn't want you to remember. Someone who needed you to be loyal only to them, without the complications that come from knowing your true origins or the people who cared about you before."
Mercury thought of his father, Marcus Black, and the years of brutal training that had shaped him into a weapon. But now, for the first time, he found himself questioning whether that training had been about making him stronger, or about breaking him down until only the parts his father wanted remained.
"This is insane," Mercury said, standing abruptly. "You're talking about mind control, memory alteration... that's the stuff of fairy tales."
"Is it?" Mist rose as well, moving with the fluid grace that Mercury had noticed during the training demonstrations. "Look at what we can do with aura, with Dust, with the various bloodlines that flow through Remnant. Is it really so impossible that someone with the right knowledge and power could reshape a person's memories?"
Mercury wanted to deny it, to laugh off her suggestions and walk away. But deep in his chest, something was stirring – a sense of recognition, of rightness, that he couldn't ignore.
"Even if... even if what you're saying is true," he said finally, "it doesn't change anything. I am who I am now. I have my mission, my loyalties."
"Do you?" Mist asked, and there was something almost desperate in her voice. "Or do you have someone else's loyalties, implanted so deeply that you've forgotten they aren't really yours?"
Mercury turned away from her, looking out over the training grounds where the morning sun was now casting long shadows. "What would you have me do? Abandon everything I know on the word of someone I can't even remember?"
"I'm not asking you to abandon anything," Mist said, moving to stand beside him. "I'm asking you to consider the possibility that there might be more to your story than you've been allowed to know."
She reached out as if to touch his arm, then stopped herself. "Mercury, if we really were friends once... if we trained together, learned together, grew up together in that hidden sanctuary... then I failed you when you disappeared. I should have looked harder, fought harder to find you."
"You don't owe me anything," Mercury said, but the words felt hollow.
"Maybe not," Mist replied. "But I owe it to the boy I remember – the one who used to challenge me to races through the training corridors, who shared his rations when I forgot to eat because I was too focused on perfecting a new technique, who promised we'd always watch each other's backs."
Mercury closed his eyes, and for just a moment, he could almost see it – a younger version of himself running alongside a girl with fuchsia hair, both of them laughing as they raced through stone passages lit by crystalline formations. The image was there and gone in an instant, but it left behind an ache of loss that threatened to bring him to his knees.
"I don't know what to believe anymore," Mercury admitted quietly.
"Then don't believe anything yet," Mist said. "Just... stay open to the possibility that there might be another path. Another choice."
Haven Academy Dormitory - Later That Morning
Mercury returned to the dormitory to find Emerald sitting up in bed, her dark eyes immediately focusing on him with concern.
"Where were you?" she asked, her voice still thick with sleep. "I woke up and you were gone."
"Couldn't sleep. Went for a walk." Mercury began changing back into his day clothes, trying to project casual normalcy.
"Bad dreams again?"
Mercury paused in the middle of pulling on his shirt. Emerald was the closest thing he had to a friend – if someone like him could even have friends. She had been with him through the worst of their missions, had watched his back and trusted him to watch hers. If anyone deserved honesty, it was her.
But looking at her now, Mercury realized he couldn't be sure if even Emerald's loyalty was genuine, or if she too had been shaped by Cinder's manipulations. The thought made him feel more alone than he had in years.
"Yeah," he said simply. "Something like that."
Emerald studied his face with the perceptive gaze that made her such an effective infiltrator. "Mercury, is everything okay? You've been... different since we got to Beacon. Distracted."
"I'm fine," Mercury replied automatically, then caught himself. "Actually, Em... have you ever had the feeling that you're missing pieces of your past? Like there are things you should remember but can't?"
Emerald blinked in surprise at the unexpected question. "I... yeah, actually. My earliest clear memories are from when I was living on the streets in Mistral. Before that, it's all pretty hazy." She tilted her head. "Why do you ask?"
Mercury felt a chill run down his spine. If Emerald's memories were fragmented too, then maybe Mist's theories weren't as far-fetched as he wanted to believe.
"Just curious," he said, but his mind was already racing. How many of Cinder's followers were like them – people with missing pieces, shaped into weapons without fully understanding what they had lost in the process?
A soft knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. Cinder's voice called from the other side: "Team meeting in five minutes. We have new developments to discuss."
As Mercury and Emerald prepared to face their leader, Mercury found himself wondering if this would be the day everything changed. Whether the fragments of his past would finally surface, or whether he would be forced to bury them even deeper.
But one thing was certain: his conversation with Mist had opened a door in his mind that might never close again. And on the other side of that door lay either salvation or destruction – he just wasn't sure which.
Haven Academy Common Room - Moments Later
Cinder stood by the window overlooking Beacon's grounds, her posture radiating the controlled intensity that Mercury had learned to associate with her more dangerous moods. When she turned to face them, her amber eyes held a fire that made the air in the room feel charged with potential violence.
"There's been a complication," she said without preamble. "My dear cousin has been asking questions. Making connections that could prove... problematic."
Mercury felt his chest tighten. "Skye?"
"Indeed. And it seems she's not the only one." Cinder's gaze fixed on Mercury with laser focus. "I understand you had an interesting conversation with one of her associates this morning."
Mercury's blood ran cold. Cinder had been watching him. Of course she had – he should have expected as much. But the realization that his private moment with Mist had been observed felt like a violation that cut deeper than he wanted to admit.
"It was nothing," Mercury said carefully. "Just casual conversation with another student."
"Was it?" Cinder moved closer, and Mercury could feel the heat radiating from her skin. "Because from what I observed, it looked remarkably like someone trying to recover lost memories."
Emerald shot Mercury a sharp look, clearly picking up on undercurrents she didn't understand.
"Cinder," Mercury began, but she held up a hand to silence him.
"Let me be very clear about something," Cinder said, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "The past is dead. It died the moment you chose to follow me, to embrace the power I offered you. Anyone who tries to resurrect it, to convince you that you were somehow... different... before, is attempting to undermine everything we've built together."
Mercury wanted to argue, to demand answers about what had really happened to his memories. But looking into Cinder's eyes, he saw something that made his artificial legs lock in place: she wasn't just threatening him. She was threatening Mist.
"I understand," Mercury said, his voice steady despite the turmoil in his mind.
"Good." Cinder's smile was sharp as broken glass. "Because our timeline has accelerated. The preparations are almost complete, and soon we'll move to the final phase. I need to know that I can count on your complete loyalty."
"You can," Mercury replied, hating how easily the lie came to his lips.
But as Cinder began outlining their next objectives, Mercury found his thoughts drifting back to golden eyes and a voice that spoke of friendship, of promises, of a boy who had once existed before he became a weapon.
Something deep within him – something that felt older and more fundamental than his conscious thoughts – was screaming warnings that he couldn't quite decipher. It was as if every cell in his body recoiled at the idea of standing against the dragon and balrog faunus. Not out of fear, exactly, but from something that felt almost like... betrayal. As though the very concept of raising a hand against them violated some sacred oath he couldn't remember taking.
And Mist... every time he thought of her potentially getting caught in whatever destruction Cinder was planning, something inside his chest twisted painfully. It wasn't just attraction or curiosity – it was something far deeper, more protective. The idea of being the instrument of her pain, of seeing those golden eyes filled with hurt because of his actions, felt like it might actually destroy whatever remained of his soul.
Mercury pressed his artificial legs more firmly against the floor, using the physical contact to ground himself as Cinder's voice continued to outline strategies and targets. He nodded at appropriate intervals, made the right sounds of agreement, but internally he was at war with himself.
The logical part of his mind insisted that Cinder had given him power, purpose, a place in the world. She had taken a broken boy and forged him into something formidable. He owed her everything.
But that deeper voice – the one that spoke in half-remembered whispers and fragments of ancient loyalties – whispered that he owed her nothing. That everything she had "given" him had been stolen from someone else first. That the boy who had made promises to a fuchsia-haired girl in stone corridors lit by crystal formations would be horrified by what he had become.
"Mercury." Cinder's sharp voice cut through his internal struggle. "I asked you a question."
"Sorry," Mercury replied smoothly, falling back on practiced deflection. "Just thinking through the tactical implications."
Cinder's amber eyes narrowed slightly, and Mercury felt that familiar heat that meant she was reading far more into his behavior than he wanted her to. "The tactical implications of what, exactly?"
Mercury's mind raced, trying to reconstruct what she might have been discussing. "Of... moving against targets who have such extensive combat training. The dragon faunus aren't typical opponents. We'll need to be smart about how we approach them."
It was a safe answer, tactically sound and properly respectful of their enemies' abilities. But as the words left his mouth, Mercury realized they felt wrong. Not because they were strategically incorrect, but because referring to Mist and her family as "targets" made his stomach clench with revulsion.
"Indeed," Cinder said, though her gaze remained uncomfortably penetrating. "Which is why eliminating potential complications early is so important. We can't afford to have anyone on our side who might... hesitate... when the time comes for decisive action."
The threat was as subtle as a blade between the ribs, and Mercury felt it keenly. Cinder wasn't just questioning his loyalty – she was reminding him of the consequences of divided allegiance.
"Of course," Mercury replied, meeting her gaze steadily. "When the time comes, I'll do what needs to be done."
But even as he said the words, that deep, primal part of his consciousness was screaming in protest. Whatever connection he had to Mist, whatever promises had been made in that half-remembered sanctuary, they weren't gone. They were just buried, waiting for the right moment to surface and demand their due.
The war was coming, and Mercury was beginning to realize that the most important battle would be fought not on any external battlefield, but within the fractured landscape of his own memories and loyalties.
The question was: when the moment of truth arrived, would he be strong enough to choose who he really was over who he had been programmed to become? And could he find a way to protect Mist from the consequences of that choice?
Because one thing was becoming crystal clear – the thought of her golden eyes looking at him with betrayal and pain was more terrifying than any punishment Cinder could devise.
Vale Streets - Same Afternoon
Mercury walked through Vale's bustling streets with Emerald at his side, both of them maintaining the casual facade of visiting students exploring the kingdom. But Mercury's mind was elsewhere, still processing his conversation with Mist and the growing certainty that his memories had been deliberately fragmented.
"You're distracted again," Emerald observed, her perceptive gaze noting how Mercury's attention kept drifting to the crowds around them. "Ever since we got to Beacon, you've been..."
"Different," Mercury finished. "Yeah, you mentioned that."
They paused at a street corner as a commotion erupted nearby - the sound of running feet, shouting soldiers, and what might have been a vehicle collision. Mercury's enhanced hearing picked up fragments of conversation from the gathering crowd.
"Did you see that girl's strength?"
"Lifted a truck with her bare hands..."
"Atlas soldiers were chasing her..."
Mercury felt something stir in his chest - a protective instinct that had no logical explanation. Someone was being hunted by Atlas military, and every fiber of his being wanted to intervene. The feeling was so strong it took physical effort to remain where he was.
"We should check that out," Emerald suggested, her thief's instincts always alert to potential opportunities or threats.
"No," Mercury said quickly, then caught himself. "I mean... it's probably just some street dispute. Nothing to do with us."
But even as he said the words, that deeper voice in his mind was screaming at him to act, to protect whoever was being pursued. The intensity of the feeling was almost overwhelming, like fighting against a fundamental part of his nature.
Emerald studied his face with growing concern. "Mercury, what's really going on? You've been acting strange ever since we ran into those dragon faunus students. It's like seeing them triggered something."
Mercury's artificial legs suddenly felt heavier than usual. Emerald was right - seeing Mist and the others had awakened something in him that he couldn't control or understand. And now, every situation that involved someone being hunted or threatened made that same protective instinct flare to life.
"Have you ever felt like you were living someone else's life?" Mercury asked quietly, the question slipping out before he could stop it.
Emerald blinked in surprise. "What kind of question is that?"
"The kind that someone with missing memories might ask," Mercury replied, meeting her gaze directly. "Em, what's the earliest thing you actually remember? Not the stories you've been told about your past, but actual, clear memories."
Emerald was quiet for a long moment, her expression growing troubled. "I... living on the streets in Mistral. Maybe eight or nine years old. Before that..." She frowned. "It's all pretty hazy. Why?"
"Because I think someone's been playing with our heads. Reshaping us into what they wanted us to be."
The words hung between them like a challenge to everything they thought they knew about themselves. Emerald's hand instinctively moved toward her weapons, a defensive gesture that spoke to how deeply the suggestion unsettled her.
"That's impossible," she said, but her voice lacked conviction. "Cinder saved us. Gave us power, purpose..."
"Did she? Or did she take us from somewhere else and convince us that we owed her everything?"
Mercury gestured toward the direction of the earlier commotion. "That feeling I just had - the need to protect someone I don't even know from Atlas soldiers - it's not the first time. Every time I see someone being hunted or threatened, something inside me reacts like it's my duty to intervene. Like I swore an oath to protect the innocent, even though I can't remember taking any such oath."
Emerald's expression was growing more troubled by the minute. "Mercury, if what you're suggesting is true..."
"Then we've been living a lie. And the people we think are our enemies might actually be the ones trying to help us remember who we really are."
The conversation was interrupted by the appearance of Atlas soldiers moving through the crowd, clearly searching for someone. Mercury watched them with growing tension, his body coiled for action despite his conscious mind telling him to stay out of it.
"We should go," Emerald said nervously. "Before they start asking questions."
But Mercury found himself studying the soldiers' faces, noting their expressions, their movement patterns. Something about the way they were conducting their search felt wrong - not like law enforcement pursuing a criminal, but like handlers chasing down escaped property.
The realization hit him like a physical blow. He recognized that kind of hunt because he had been on the receiving end of it. The memories were fragmented, incomplete, but the emotional imprint was clear: the desperate flight, the fear, the knowledge that capture meant losing himself completely.
"Mercury." Emerald's voice was sharp with concern. "We need to leave. Now."
He nodded, forcing himself to turn away from the soldiers and follow Emerald deeper into Vale's commercial district. But with every step, that protective instinct grew stronger, and he found himself wondering how many other people were out there living with fractured memories, shaped into weapons for someone else's war.
CCT Tower - Communications Room
As Weiss finished her call with the Schnee Company operator, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. The communications room was busy with students making calls to family and friends, but something felt off about the atmosphere.
She gathered her Scroll and the downloaded files, her mind already racing through the implications of what she might find in the corporate records. But as she stood to leave, a familiar voice made her freeze.
"Miss Schnee."
Weiss turned to see Cinder Fall approaching, flanked by Mercury and Emerald. The supposed Haven Academy student smiled warmly, but Weiss noticed that the expression didn't reach her amber eyes.
"I hope you don't mind the interruption," Cinder continued smoothly. "I couldn't help but notice you were conducting some research into Dust company records. As a fellow student interested in corporate logistics, I was wondering if you might share some insights."
Weiss's tactical training kicked in immediately. This wasn't a casual encounter - it was an interrogation disguised as friendly conversation. "I'm afraid it's just homework," she replied carefully. "Nothing that would interest someone from Haven."
"Oh, but I think you'd be surprised by what interests me," Cinder said, taking a step closer. "Particularly when it involves patterns of theft and the organizations that might be behind them."
Mercury stood slightly behind and to the left of Cinder, his posture appearing casual but ready for action. But Weiss noticed something odd in his expression - a tension that seemed directed not at her, but at Cinder herself. As if he were fighting against something.
"I'm sure the authorities have everything well in hand," Weiss said, beginning to edge toward the exit.
"Of course they do," Cinder agreed. "Though sometimes private citizens feel compelled to... investigate matters themselves. That can be dangerous, don't you think?"
The threat was subtle but unmistakable. Weiss felt her hand move instinctively toward Myrtenaster, but forced herself to maintain a diplomatic facade.
"I think private citizens should focus on their studies," she replied evenly.
"Wise advice," Cinder said. "I do hope you and your teammates will keep that in mind. It would be... unfortunate... if your investigation led you somewhere you weren't prepared to handle."
As Cinder turned to leave with her companions, Mercury caught Weiss's gaze for just a moment. What she saw there surprised her - not hostility or threat, but something that looked almost like an apology. As if he wanted to warn her but couldn't.
The encounter left Weiss with more questions than answers, but one thing was clear: Team RWBY's investigation had definitely attracted the wrong kind of attention.
Beacon Academy Grounds - Evening
Skye found Cinder exactly where she expected to - in one of the more isolated training areas, practicing forms that crackled with barely contained fire. The Storm Balrog Empress approached with deliberate calm, though lightning sparked more visibly around her fingertips than usual.
"Cousin," Skye called out, her voice carrying the rumble of distant thunder.
Cinder paused mid-strike, slowly turning to face her relative with that familiar cold smile. "Skye. I wondered when you'd come to continue our earlier conversation."
"Oh, we're going to finish it right now," Skye replied, stepping closer until they were within arm's reach of each other. "I heard about your little encounter with the Schnee heiress at the CCT tower. Making threats, are we?"
Cinder's amber eyes flashed with amusement. "I merely expressed concern for a fellow student's safety. Vale can be such a dangerous place."
"Cut the act," Skye snapped, lightning beginning to dance along her arms. "We both know what you're really here for, and we both know it's going to put innocent people in danger. But let me make something crystal clear, dear cousin - if you so much as breathe wrong in Mist Dragonblade's direction, you're going to have bigger problems than you can possibly imagine."
Cinder raised an eyebrow, her expression shifting to one of mocking curiosity. "Oh? And what problems might those be?"
Skye's golden eyes blazed with inner fire. "Her brother Max. The Holy Dragon King Faunus."
For the first time since their reunion, Cinder's confident facade flickered slightly. The title clearly meant something to her, dredging up memories or warnings from whatever dark sources had trained her.
"You remember the stories, don't you?" Skye continued, pressing her advantage. "The bloodlines that carry the essence of the great dragons themselves. Most of us inherit fragments, echoes of that ancient power. But once in a generation, someone is born who carries the full legacy."
Cinder's hands began to glow with heat, but her voice remained steady. "Fairy tales, cousin. Myths to make the old families feel special."
"Is that what you think?" Skye laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Max Dragonblade isn't even fully grown into his power yet, and he can already channel divine flames that burn hotter than anything your Maiden abilities could produce. When he reaches his full potential..." She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper that somehow carried the weight of an avalanche. "He'll be able to reduce entire armies to ash with a thought."
Cinder's mask slipped further, revealing genuine uncertainty beneath the arrogance. "You're bluffing."
"Am I? Tell me, cousin, in all your research into the ancient bloodlines, did you ever wonder why the Holy Dragon King line was considered sacred? Why even the Grimm themselves avoid territories marked by their presence?"
Skye circled Cinder slowly, like a predator sizing up potential prey. "Max doesn't just inherit power - he inherits purpose. Divine mandate. The protection of the innocent isn't just his calling, it's written into his very DNA. And Mist..." She paused, meeting Cinder's gaze directly. "Mist is more than just his sister. She's his heart, his anchor to humanity. Touch her, and you won't just face his anger - you'll face the full wrath of a power that was old when the kingdoms were young."
"And what makes you think I can't handle one overgrown dragon boy?" Cinder asked, but her voice lacked its earlier confidence.
Skye's smile was sharp as lightning. "Because unlike you, cousin, I've seen what he can do when he's truly angry. Remember the reports of that Grimm incursion near the Sanctuary territories last year? The one where an entire pack of Goliaths simply... vanished? That wasn't a military strike or some new weapon."
She let the implication hang in the air before delivering her final warning.
"That was Max having a bad day. And he was holding back because there were civilians in the area." Skye's lightning flared brighter, casting dancing shadows across both their faces. "So ask yourself this, dear cousin - if you hurt Mist, if you make her brother truly angry for the first time in his life, do you really think your stolen Maiden powers will be enough to save you from a Holy Dragon King who has nothing left to lose?"
Cinder was silent for a long moment, her calculating mind clearly working through the implications. When she finally spoke, her voice carried a new note of caution.
"Your point is noted."
"Good," Skye replied, the lightning around her beginning to fade. "Because I'd hate for our family reunion to end with me having to explain to our parents why I had to help scrape you off the training ground walls."
As Skye turned to leave, Cinder called after her. "This doesn't change anything, you know. My plans will proceed regardless of your dragon prince's temper tantrums."
Skye looked back over her shoulder, her expression almost pitying. "Oh, cousin. You still don't understand, do you? This isn't about your plans anymore. The moment you set foot on Beacon grounds, the moment you started threatening people under the protection of the ancient bloodlines, you stopped being the hunter."
Her golden eyes flashed with prophetic certainty. "Now you're just prey that hasn't realized it yet."
Beacon Academy - Dragon Faunus Dormitory
Mist sat on her bed, staring at her hands as she replayed her morning conversation with Mercury, unaware that her protectors were already moving to safeguard her future. Around her, her siblings were engaged in their usual evening activities - Hon'oh reading ancient texts, Yukikaze practicing meditation forms, and Toshiro maintaining his weapons.
"You're troubled, sister," Hon'oh observed without looking up from her book.
"The silver-haired boy from Haven," Mist replied quietly. "There's something about him... something familiar, but wrong."
Yukikaze opened her golden eyes, her meditation interrupted by concern for her sibling. "Familiar how?"
"Like someone I knew long ago, but... changed. Broken." Mist's voice carried a note of deep sadness. "I think someone has hurt him, shaped him into something he was never meant to be."
Toshiro looked up from cleaning his blade. "The Haven students have been asking questions about our abilities, our background. It might be wise to be cautious around them."
"No," Mist said firmly. "Whatever he's become, whatever he's been told to do, there's still something good in him. Something worth saving."
"You sound like you care about him," Hon'oh observed with gentle curiosity.
Mist was quiet for a long moment. "I think... I think I might have made him a promise once. A long time ago. And if I did, then I have to try to keep it, even if he doesn't remember."
The room fell silent as her siblings processed this revelation. They had all heard the stories of the ancient sanctuary, of children with special gifts who had been trained together before being scattered to the winds. If Mist was right, if Mercury was one of those lost children, then the implications were staggering.
"What kind of promise?" Yukikaze asked softly.
Mist closed her eyes, reaching for memories that felt like wisps of smoke. "That we would always protect each other. That no matter what happened, no matter how far apart we were, we would never let the darkness claim each other completely."
She opened her golden eyes, and they held a determination that made her siblings' hearts clench with both pride and fear.
"If Mercury Black is who I think he is, then someone has stolen his memories, his identity, his very soul. And I'll be damned if I let them keep it."
The war was coming, and the battle lines were more complex than anyone realized. But in that moment, Mist Dragonblade made a silent vow that would shape everything to come: no matter what it cost, no matter what dangers it brought, she would find a way to bring her lost friend home.
Even if it meant defying fate itself.
To be continued in Chapter 12: Echoes of the Past & Fractured Reflections