-Weeks Earlier-
Tap. Tap.
Tap. Tap.
Tap. Tap.
The sound of finger nail tapping smooth metal quietly echoed around a large, empty classroom. Irene Belserion was wrapped up in her long cloak save her one arm that was tapping the large desk in front of her that matched the cold, white color of the rest of the room.
Tap. Tap.
Tap.
It bothered her. The room felt like a prison. Each desk had a built in scroll pad for students, an insurance that no one could 'forget' their material. Its brilliant in that regard, however it also takes autonomy away from students and the teachers as well.
No more hand checking notes or checking someone's handy work by walking around. Now its all done from the front of the classroom, less interaction with students. And Irene hated it.
Beacon gave autonomy back to the student by forcing them to take initiative. They could bring what they wanted, to a degree, and sometimes people would bring more than necessary, and sometimes people would bring less.
But it was their choice to do so.
If they wanted to research on their own, they could get up and go to the library to read physical copies or from any of the many computers there. Atlas did have a vast library, however many of the books were under lock and key for higher ranked Huntsmen. Beacon had all but a handful of books under that same vein. It may have been old school, but it was effective.
Irene, Acnologia, Oobleck, Port, Anna, Glynda, and even Ozpin prior to the fall knew nearly every students name. Student's weren't just numbers or blank faces, they were their students. People in their own right, not just soldiers in an army.
Thinking on it made Irene realize why the teams would do their best to stand out in their combat gear. Its the only time they had the ability to choose how the looked. At least for the most part.
Tap. Tap.
Tap. Tap.
Tap.
This place was not Beacon, and that fact only grew more true with each passing moment Irene spent staring at the cold interior of the classroom which somehow felt even colder than the icy tundra outside.
"Irene? Irene."
The Dragon Slayer was knocked out of her thoughts by Ironwood's voice,"Hm? Oh its you James. What brings you this way?" The General of Atlas stepped into the classroom, over the passed few weeks since the fall of beacon the man had been so enraptured in his work that he hadn't taken the time to properly shave his beard or even rest as the bags under his eyes had grown since last Irene saw him.
"I just got through speaking to Jacques Schnee and I heard a few people mention you were walking through the classrooms. Are you looking for someone?" Ironwood asked. "No not particularly. I guess I just miss Beacon is all."
Ironwood just nodded,"I understand. That's how I felt about Atlas when I arrived at Beacon for the Vytal festival."
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Silence ensued for a few moments before the former Spriggan let out a sigh,"You said you were talking to that Schnee fellow. Did you happen to see Weiss? How is she doing?" Irene asked the general, curious on how one of her former students was doing.
"She seemed alright. I didn't talk to her for very long, but she looked alright." Ironwood told her causing Irene to lean back slightly, a little concerned for what she believed could be going on behind the scenes. "And her father?"
At this, the General rolled his eyes. "A pain in the rear as always. He can't see the bigger picture, he only sees what benefits him and his company." As he said this, he rubbed the bridge of his nose as even recalling the conversation seemed to bring back a headache.
"It brings me great joy to not have met this man yet." Irene said with a snicker. "Hopefully you can keep it that way for a little while. Anyway, since your not to busy, can I show you something?" Ironwood asked the Dragon Slayer.
Irene raised an eyebrow,"Show me something? General that's quite brash of you." The commanding officer of all of Atlas suddenly grew very red,"That isn't what I.....Just follow me."
Holding her laughter back, she did as she was asked and she stood up and started walking after Ironwood. Once again, Irene felt eerily cold as they stepped out into the hallways.
Not a single soul in sight, just as it had been for since Irene arrived in Atlas. She let out a sigh of discontent, obviously unhappy in the change of scenery and lack of people. Being a teacher, a figure for others to look up to, it felt as if it helped her move on from her past actions.
Seems it did more to help her.....sensibilities than even Anna expected. Then again, look what it did for Acnologia.
Most of all, she just missed Beacon and everything she had there even if was for a short time. Everything she was thinking about were just lists of things that she kept building up in her mind, reasons to go back or maybe just reasons to dislike the cold nation she found herself in.
Or maybe it was just a little something to distract her from those very things she was missing.
"Your lost in thought again aren't you?" The Red headed mage turned her head sluggishly as she came out of her thoughts,"H-Huh? Did you say something?" Ironwood chuckled to himself,"Is the lack of students really bothering you that much?"
Another sigh escaped Irene's lips before she looked towards the empty rooms that they were passing as they walked down the long hallway,"It.....Yes, it does bother me but its not just that. I had a clear cut reason for being a teacher, or at the very least it was a purpose for me. A way to distract myself. After I became accustomed to the layout of this place and after you introduced me, there wasn't much for me to do. Our magical network is as strong as its going to get and I am lacking far to much in this worlds knowledge of weaponry to help ready your defenses. I just.....I had things to do at Beacon, clear cut things. I don't really have that here."
"...Are you telling me your bored?" The General asked. "If that's all your taking from this, its no wonder your single." Irene responded,"I kidd....sort of. I know you haven't had anything to do, but I've been a bit busy with the board and the Council and Jacques to come and....ask you about what I'm going to show you."
"Your not trying to give me busy work are you?"
The General shook his head as he set his arms behind him,"No of course not. Asking you to do busy work would be like asking Ozpin to grade first year student's papers. No I have a very serious matter that I believe could benefit from your involvement."
"Well that's one way to tell a woman she's needed. Very gentlemen of you." Irene said in a slightly humorous tone which just made Ironwood sigh,"Do you insist on making these passes at me?"
Irene put a hand over her mouth as a small grin came to her face, "You think I'm making passes at you? Come now James, I'm far more direct than that. If I were making a pass, you'd know." Ironwood looked over at her, unsure if that was meant to be the directness she spoke of, or just another humorous pass. "Your not going to tell me which that was are you?"
Another sigh came from Irene before she just turned her head away with a grin present on her face,"Just show me what your going to show me General." Ironwood just shook his head and kept leading the red headed mage down the hallway.
While Irene was finding a new purpose in Atlas, others would be finding their purpose elsewhere.
-Salem's Castle-
Cinder sat at Salem's table, silently. She was still recovering from her injuries, voice and all. A new Grim like hand sat on the table where her left hand would have been lying, just barely visibly under a long sleeve that she was obviously using to hid it.
Her two lackies, Mercury and Emerald, stood nearby with the latter seemingly more eager to help her dear leader if necessary.
In the seat at the head of the table, the seat right next to Cinder, Salem sat with a rather impassive look on her face. In seat across from Cinder sat the head of the Grimiore Heart, Hades, whom also had a passive look on his face, one of his hands sat closed on the top of the table, purple and orange light shining through the small spaces between his fingers.
"Are you done testing our new Maiden's magic, Sir Hades?" Salem asked the Dark Mage, ready to see what the elderly wizard could do to help speed up Cinder's training and maybe even enhance her Magical abilities.
"Not yet. Your world's magic is not like my own, while they can be entwined and the two are compatible, working around its differences are still a hassle." Hades said as he opened his hand, the two lights formed a single sphere that was equally split between the two colors, spinning in a violent vortex of magical power. "Have you nothing say about this?" Hades asked, looking up at the new Fall Maiden.
She glared him down, a weak and very pained growl came from the back of her throat. He knew full well she could not speak, however failure in any form is something that Hades did not tolerate.
Since he appeared in this world so many months ago, his former passion for the return of Zeref and his death at the same Wizards hands turned into a rapture of anger and loathing for said man. However, with Salem he had found new power. New and powerful magic of the primordial sort, and even more magic yet to be discovered. A way forward to the utopia of magic he had sought under Zeref's return.
However, he also developed a few new and nasty ticks with his death. His own failure to see the truth, coupled with the overconfidence he had against his former Guild, Fairy Tail, had led him to develop and intense hatred of failure. It was that very failure that led to the 'luck' of Fairy Tail and Grimoire Heart's defeat at their hands. Or at least that is what he thought led to his early demise.
"You are still a guest here Hades, so please mind your tongue. Cinder accomplished the goals she set out to accomplish, with the added benefit of killing Ozpin, I see no need to mock her or punish her for her accomplishments." Salem said, slightly praising the girl.
"Yes, yet here she sits. Well I speak to boldly, here sits what's left of her. I do not speak ill of her success, I speak ill of her inability to see one of the greatest threats to her newfound power. It was her who unlocked that little girls power was it not?"
At the mere mention of Ruby, Cinder slammed her still human hand onto the table and stood up in one quick motion all while sending a glare that could kill. But instead of being intimidated, Hades didn't even widen his uncovered eye.
After a moment, Salem spoke up once again. "Cinder." Authority dripped from her voice, a tone of which the Fall Maiden knew well. She took a few deep breaths before sitting back down. "Sir Hades, in my inner circle, I do not punish those who are derailed by the unseen. Cinder did well, and will continue to do well with your help so please, show some respect."
The magic swirling in Hades palm slowly began to mix as he looked over at the Queen of the Grimm and allowed the magic to fully combine before closing his hand around the newly formed magic. "Respect is earned. If you want me to lessen my critiques of the Maiden, she must earn it." As he said this, leaned forward and opened his hand, the magic shining a little brighter than it did earlier, before putting his entire hand on top of Cinder's new limb.
Like a stream of water, the magic flowed into the darkly colored arm shining as it made its way through her arm and into the center of her chest where a single burst of light glowed fiercer than it had at any point during their sitting before it slowly died down. The entire time, Cinder had jittered and shook as the magic had a strange affect on her body. The feeling was similar to her receiving the Fall Maiden's power, yet it was much more vile and much, much colder than fiery warmth that came with said Maiden's power.
"I take it that you figured it out?" Salem asked,"Indeed. A small sliver of my own magic, tainted with the magic of the Maiden, should mix and begin to produce more viable ethernano in her body given some time. She will have the magic of this world as well as my own, however like any power it must be practiced and honed. Seeing as Mard Geer works of curses and Zero would likely slaughter you in the midst of training, it will be up to me to teach you the ropes little girl."
Salem grinned slightly,"Your help is greatly appreciated sir Hades. I assure you, Cinder will be a dutiful and diligent student." Cinder nodded politely towards her master, even though she did not like the arrangement, though even she knew it was the best option and her greatest chance at gaining new power.
"We shall see. Prove your mistress right girl....and see if you can earn my respect." The Master of Grimoire Heart told Cinder coldly as he stood up from his seat and walked away,"I'll be in the library should you need me. A strategy to defeat Acnologia is one that will take all three of heads of the former Barum Alliance time to develop, if a strategy of such magnitude even exists."
The doors to Salem's throne room shut loudly behind the Dark Mage, leaving the heavy silence that usually filled the room to fill in the gap left in his wake. After a moment Cinder turned to Salem, an obvious look on her face, a look that was well interpreted by Salem.
"Do not fret Cinder. Your body will be healed soon, and while Tyrion may have not been able to best the girl who did this to you, with Hades training I'm sure you will have more than enough power to do it yourself." The Queen of the Grimm told the Fall Maiden with a soft smile.
Cinder looked to her new hand, anger and a hunger for both the promise of both power and Ruby Rose's demise welling in her chest. "Go ahead and return to your chambers. You will need all the rest you can get if Hades plans to teach you their world's magic."
At her ladies request, the Fall Maiden stood and gave a bow, one copied by her two lackies who had sat and watched the entire process in utter silence, before leaving. As they walked out of the room, Watts walked in after her. He was going to make his usual snide comment, but Cinder was to enthralled by the promises made to even acknowledge his existence.
"Well whatever that Mage did sure put her in a....interesting mood." He said aloud as he bowed towards Salem,"Cinder is simply in the middle of attaining a long awaited desire of hers. Nothing more. What is it you've come to see me about Dr. Watts?"
"An issue has come up in Vale. Since that Acnologia fellow took the reawakened Grimm out of the city before killing it, the more common Grimm were less able to get a solid control on Vale since there were less of them in the area. Vale and the Beacon area are much harder to investigate for the relic that Ozpin hid there. Additionally, we've been getting reports from the seers of strange individuals appearing out of thin air and decimating any Grimm we can get to that area. They apparently are being summoned via magical means by another recent one of Ozpin's hires, a Anna Heartfelia. She apparently had some kind of tie to Acnologia according to Cinder's lackies."
Salem's eyes rolled as she propped her head up on one of her hands,"Of course there would be more people from our guests world. Find one of them and see what you can find on this woman and whatever magic she uses. Was there not another one? Another person who we also did not account for?"
Watts titled his head to the side, trying to recall the multiple 'recordings' he watched via the seers that were present at the fall of Beacon. "There were a few of the seers that caught sight of another woman with red hair. She also used rather strange abilities to wipe out Grimm trying to get into the main plaza of Beacon. I believe her name is Irene, or something along those lines. Irene....Bele.....Belserion I think. I will double check the notes I took and will also have one of our....guests help me figure out who she is."
"Very well. Let me know what you find. Our plans will need to be adjusted again to compensate for all the new information we have been receiving." The Queen of the Grimm told the Doctor who simply bowed,"As you wish, Mistress Salem."
As the doors closed behind Watts, Salem shut her eyes and let the whole weight of her head on her hand. She never thought she would miss silence. Between planning the fall of the schools, acquiring the relics, new mages appearing at her and Ozpin's door step, the Queen of the Grimm had heard nothing but noise.
She stood from her seat, taking a moment to enjoy the sweet silence before walking towards one of the many wall to ceiling windows in the room. The Queen of the Grimm looked out over the sickly plains before her, watching a few freshly born Grimm crawled out from the various puddles of darkness sprawling about the land.
They looked so tiny from where she stood. 'I wonder Ozpin, did you ever look out the windows of your meager office and think the same thing about your tiny little students? Did you ever look down at them and think twice about sending them to meet their doom? No, no, of course you didn't. You wager all of you bets on smaller souls, hoping they can make up for your lack of power.' She mused to herself, making fun of Ozpin's tactics.
The thought of her newest obstacle, Acnologia, came to mind when she thought of Ozpin's dwindling powers. 'Perhaps you have hedged your bets on him, this Dragon King I've heard so much about Ozpin. Surely you know better than to believe that this unknown factor could really turn the tide in your favor. After all-'
-In a small farm house out in the country side in Mistral-
'-you should know I have secret weapons of my own."
A young boy in overalls quickly jerked his head up from pumping water into a bucket from a spout, believing he heard something whisper in his ear. The mere action sending chills down his spine and causing his rather tanned skin to pale out of surprise and a little bit of fear while his forehead broke out in a little more sweat than it had been a few moments ago.
He turned his head, looking around to see if someone was around him or if he was simply imagining it. The boy was of average build for his age if not a little more stout due to the hard work that his ragged and patched clothes seemed to suggest. He had large, greenish yellow eyes and unkept brown hair with spots of freckles on his cheek.
After a moment, he shrugged off what he heard as he grabbed the sewn together rag on hanging from his waist and wiped his forehead of sweat. "Huh, it must of been the wind."
With that he turned back to his work and, in a few short minutes, he had a bucket full of water. As he went to pick up the bucket, he took a short glance into the still settling water only to find a new, yet familiar face staring back at him. Then, as the water settled and he leaned in to look closer at this face, it flashed to a face, one clouded and hazy except for glowing green eyes that caused the boy's heart to skip a beat out of fear.
"AH!" The boy jumped back, covering his mouth from the scream he let out. After a little while he looked back at the more settled water to find his reflection looking back at him with the same wide eyes, his heart slowly calming back down. 'What is going on with me today? Did I get to hot?'
"Oscar! Are you alright out there?" A feminine voice called from the large barn nearby. "Yes ma'am, I'm just taking a little break!" The boy named Oscar called back to the woman, his aunt. "Okay, don't over work yourself!"
"I won't!" He replied as he pushed the strange sounds and sights he experienced out of his head and got back to work.
-Back in Atlas-
"I can't believe you've kept this of all things from me since we arrived here James."
"You needed to get acclimated to the area, and I was waiting to have you officially meet Winter. You will be spending a lot of time together if you agree to teach her for when....." The General trailed off as he looked away from the window they were staring through.
Inside was what looked similar to a hospital room where Winter was and an elderly woman sitting up in a hospital bed with several monitors around her, a machine similar to the one the kept Amber in back at Beacon was built into the wall in the corner of the room. "When Miss Schnee becomes the next Winter Maiden." Irene said, finishing Ironwood's sentence.
The mage leaned closer to the window, tilting her head as she took stock of the situation both Agent Schnee and the Winter Maiden were being placed in. "What your doing is cruel, but it is effective."
"Fria's memory isn't.....it isn't what it once was. Even if I did allow her to have visitors she wouldn't remember them. Winter is my best operative, she is trained and capable. If anyone deserves to be the next Winter Maiden, its her." Ironwood told the Dragon Slayer in front of him.
"But your not the one who decides that, are you? The previous Maiden does, and then the magic itself if that isn't an option. Even if you special agent is well trained, we known someone who can take that power away just as quickly as she would have received it. It will take more than having magic to beat this Salem woman and her little puppets."
"Does that mean you'll do it? You'll train her?" The General asked, a bit of hope in his voice. "I want to test her abilities first hand to see if she's truly as well trained as you claim." I'll be waiting in the arena for you and her. Tell her to bring her best, otherwise this will hurt." Irene said as she turned to walk away, a slight mischievous grin on her face.
Ironwood watched as the door automatically shut behind her, leaving Ironwood alone to watch Winter and Fria talk. Their conversation was slowly muted out as he began to dwell in his own thoughts. He took out his scroll from his back pocket and stared at it, almost tempted to use it to talk to Acnologia to ask more about Irene's history.
After a moment he put it back, deciding that he didn't want to risk having to explain Fria to Glynda and the others as well as not wanting to pry into Irene's privacy. He looked back up at Fria, watching her slowly sip tea from her tea cup. 'They wouldn't understand why this is necessary, especially Glynda. Anna And Acnologia would likely take her side and Qrow already doesn't understand what must be done for the greater good.'
Inside the room, Fria looked as if she was growing tired, prompting to help her prepare for bed. Ironwood only turned away and began to exit the room, his eyes seeming to steel over a little as he made his internal decision. 'The others can't know about this until Irene teaches Winter more about magic.'
As he walked out into another room where Winter exited Fria's room. When she saw Ironwood she quickly saluted,"Sir." She said, a little quieter than she normally would as she didn't want to chance interrupting Fria's rest, even though the walls were well thick enough to prevent that.
"At ease Winter. I have a new assignment for you." The special agent's expression changed slightly out of curiosity,"A new assignment sir?" Ironwood nodded,"Follow me, we're heading to the arena. Miss Belserion will meet us there."
"The teacher from Beacon? The one like that Acnologia fellow?" Winter questioned as the two began to walk. "That's the one."
"What does she have to do with my assignment....sir?" She asked her commanding officer,"She will explain, should you pass what ever tests she has." The special agent's expression changed considerably, a slight bit of confusion mixed with shock and more curiosity. "Tests?"
The General didn't say anything else as they walked down the hallway which in turn had Winter quiet as she pondered what these so called tests could be. Their journey came to an end as they reached the entrance to the arena. "I'll be in the view booth. Good luck."
With that, Winter was left alone to enter the arena. She looked at the door for a moment, a feeling of uneasiness came over her for reasons she couldn't understand. She had briefly meet Irene at Beacon before she returned to Atlas, she didn't have this feeling then. Then again, she wasn't about to be tested then.
Steeling her own resolve she walked through the door and into the arena where Irene stood calmly in the mildly of the empty room. Up top, Ironwood had just reached the balcony overlooking the entire arena.
"Miss Schnee, its good to see you again. You look well." The Mage told the special agent as she approached her,"I prefer agent Schnee, but thank you. I see Atlas life suites you, I thought you would have found it a bit to distasteful after being in Vale for so long."
"Oh Atlas is doing its best to accommodate me. Something I hear you've been doing with the resident Winter Maiden." Winter's eyes widen,"You know?"
"Did you think I was being kept out of the loop? Why would I be here and not Vale if I wasn't in the know? For a special agent you don't piece information together well. Your not staring your test of very well." Irene told her as she began to tap her staff on the ground.
Tap. Tap.
"A test? Is that's happening right now?" Winter asked Irene,"That's right and I'm afraid to say that the way your starting has me....unimpressed." The Special agents eye twitched a little, but she kept her composure.
Tap. Tap.
"And what pray tell am I being interviewed for?" The sound of Irene's staff tapping the floor getting just slightly loud enough for Ironwood to hear it in between the short silences between the two.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Irene let out an amused sigh,"A number of things, and right now your not really hitting the marks I was expecting." Winter's eye twitched again, slightly more pronounced this time.
Tap. Tap.
Ironwood watched everything like a hawk, trying to see what the purpose of Irene's goading was other than to annoy Winter. "How can I do anything when I don't know what this is?"
Tap. Tap.
"You know what this is agent Schnee. You said it yourself-" Irene lifted her staff higher than she had before,"Would you quit with the tappi-"
SLAM!
Winter flinched a little at the unexpected noise, her words cutting off in mid sentence. She quickly refocuses from the staff to Irene's face where she realized, with great shock, that the mage's eyes was glowing red and her expression had hardened greatly from the sly, mysterious grin that was present before was replaced with a cold dead stare.
"-This is a test."
Out of instinct, Winter quickly grabbed the handle of her sword and held it up in a defensive stance, blocking a hit from Irene as she had crossed the arena and swung her staff at the girl. However the special agent wasn't expecting such strength from the woman as she began to be pushed backwards, her heels scrapping against the tiled floor.
"Your instincts are acute. That's good, because your misjudged my strength, I am much stronger than I look." The red headed mage told her, noticing how the girl wasn't prepared to have herself pushed back. Winter's expression shifted to anger as a glyph formed under her feet, bringing her to a stop.
"There you go." Irene said as she pushed her staff up into the air, forcing Winter's stance to be broken as the agent's hands went into the air. Before Irene could strike with the bottom end of her staff, Winter's glyph spun and propelled her to the side where another glyph had formed.
As Winter prepared to strike back, Irene suddenly shot toward as her just as quickly as she had moved to her glyph, preventing her from gaining any ground. Just as before Irene could strike, she was propelled to a different glyph that had formed, only this time she quickly rebounded back towards Irene.
The mage used her staff to deflect Winter to the side where the special agent rebounded once again and shot towards another glyph, and then another, and another before she was moving from glyph to glyph like a pinball in a machine.
"Impressive display, but a predictable one." Irene quickly pointed her staff in between where Winter was and one of her glyphs. The top of the staff began to glow before the air where she had pointed suddenly exploded and sent Winter to the floor, where she quickly rolled ot her feel and used her sword to come to a stop.
Another glyph, a much larger one, formed under Winter as several tiny Nevermore flew up and out of the glyph before shooting towards Irene. "That's cute." Irene tapped her staff on the ground. The tiled floor suddenly seemed to come alive as it shot up and formed a wall that stopped the first wave of tiny frozen Nevermores.
Winter just smirked and had the Nevermores go up and around the wall. A moment after, a small white explosion of dust came from out from behind the makeshift wall but instead of feeling satisfied that she got a hit on Irene, her bodies natural instincts screamed to dodge.
She listened to them as she was jumped up and over Irene as she was swinging at her feet. The Dragon Slayer had gotten out from behind the wall and the Nevermores and behind Winter before she could even see her.
Thinking this was her chance to get a hit, the special agent went to swing her blade down on Irene, but the mage just pointed two glowing fingers at Winter. Suddenly, the girl was sent flying backwards by another explosion. She landed on one of her glyphs in mid air.
Irene slowly retracted her hand and stood back up right in a normal, almost casual position. Winter on the other hand was nearly kneeling down on her glyph, breathing a little harder than she was a moment ago. The Dragon Slayer on the other hand hadn't even broken a sweat. The longer Winter stared down at her from her Glyph, the more Irene's eyes and body seemed to be emitting this ominous red glow. Her eyes more so than anything else and that only was messing with Winter.
This one woman had defied every prediction and every expectation that Winter had of her in less than thirty seconds. She expected a tough fight but she couldn't even see what the mage was doing to cause the explosions and manipulate the ground. She just pointed at or touched something and things happened.
"Should we take a break? I see your out of breath." Irene asked Winter, who began to grow red faced out of anger. "I do not need a break?"
"Is that so? We'll add stubborn to your growing list of qualities." At the blink of an eye, Winter shot back down at Irene but her sword was stopped by a movement of the Mage's staff. "Your also impulsive it seems. Is this what Qrow did to start that fight at Beacon? Did he ruffle your feathers?"
Winter's face redden even more before she clicked a button in her blade, opening another compartment that shot out another smaller sword, more of a dagger in reality, and went to stab Irene in an open spot at her stomach.
However, the agent didn't even get close as the Dragon Slayer caught her hand. Irene leaned in towards Winter, her eyes narrowing. "You'll have to try a little harder than that." Irene's eyes flashed with red light, shocking Winter before sending the white haired girl flying backwards towards the ground with such intensity that it shattered her aura.
"If this had been your enemy, you would be dead and the Maiden's power would be gone maybe even taken from you." Irene told Winter as she slowly got to her feet,"Is-is that what this is about? Me becoming a Maiden?"
Irene shook her head, letting go off her staff and walking towards Winter leaving the staff balancing upright. "Its not about becoming a Maiden, anyone can get power. This is about seeing if you'll be worth anything once you've been a Maiden. Its about what you will do, not what you can do."
Ironwood tilted his head at her words, not expecting this out of the Mage. "W-What do you mean 'What I Will do'? I'll be doing the same thing that I'm doing now-"
"Will you? Or will the responsibility, the power, change you? It won't just be what your doing now. It won't just be protecting people, protecting Atlas, it'll be more. There is always more." Irene told Winter,"What do you mean there's always more?"
"There are always consequences to power. Power brings responsibility, responsibility brings about honor, honor brings about more responsibility, more responsibility brings about pressure, pressure brings about worry, worry brings about stress, stress brings about vulnerability, vulnerability brings about abuse, abuse brings about immorality, immorality leads to cruelness, and cruelness.....cruelness leads to insanity. It may not seem like it, but when you are unprepared for power and what it can bring, you'll be brought to the brink of madness."
Both Winter and Ironwood looked confused,"B-But you can't be sure that will happen to me."
"And why not? You are not infallible....no one is." The Dragon Slayer said, putting a hand on the scar that ran across her stomach. She shut her eyes for a moment before she outstretched her hand and her staff floated back to her hand,"If you are to become a Maiden, you must be able to resist the power it brings, otherwise you risk becoming the very thing that you hate the most. A monster."
Silence ensued for several moments before Irene turned around and looked up at Ironwood,"If you are truly James's best candidate, then you have a lot to learn."
"Wait....What do you mean-" Winter began to ask Irene only for her to turn back to her,"At least your catching on." The red haired Mage interrupted,"I will have much to discuss with James, but as the only other person in Atlas with any knowledge on magic and how it works it will fall to me to properly teach you how to use magic.....and to keep you from becoming a monster should that be how things fall."
Winter looked up to Ironwood as Irene started to walk away, probably to go up and meet with the General so they can speak in private. The special agent went down on one knee once Irene left the room, using her sword to prop her up. The few hits that Irene managed to land felt like being hit by a truck.
"Winter, are you alright?" Ironwood asked his best soldier,"Yes sir, just exhausted. I was expecting.....any of that from her. Is this what the other two are like? That Acnologia fellow and the other woman from Beacon? Is this how strong the Maidens are?"
Ironwood looked down at the spot where Irene changed the ground and used it as a shield,"I cannot speak for Irene and Anna Heartfelia or even for Acnologia on this matter, but the full power of the Maiden's is enough to rival the strongest weapon ever developed by mankind. As for those three, the one's from the place called Earthland.....I don't know how strong they are, but you've just seen a glimpse of Irene's abilities. And from what I've heard from Irene, Acnologia is stronger than her."
The sword in Winter's hand felt heavier than it had just five minutes earlier. She had a lot to learn if that was the power she was supposed to inherit. If anything Irene had said rung true, it was that power came with a heavy burden. And this power......This power she was bound to inherit was more than anything she had ever imagined.
And it was going to take a lot of work.