Oriana
Thankfully, the Night Terror did not rear it's ugly head again, and Oriana woke up to the peaceful chirps of birds outside her window. Although her head was hurting badly, and she felt her skin be drenched in sweat. "Ugh..." She groaned, slowly sitting upright, only to get dizzy, pressing her hand against her head in pain. "Ow..."
Her vision was blurry, and she grumbled, still feeling shaken up by what she saw in that nightmare. She breathed slowly, then sighed, shaking her head. "Every single time..." she groaned, then she heard a knock on her door.
"Honey?" Pyrrha's voice appeared.
"Hey..." she groaned.
"Can I come in?" She asked.
"Mhm..." Ori groaned, barely keeping her eyes open. Pyrrha walked in and sighed, almost like she was fully expecting to find Oriana in this condition.
"Same symptoms?" She asked.
"Yep... horrible headache, sweating, dizziness, feeling sick... the works." She mumbled, shaking her head and sighing. "Every single time I've had one of those nightmares, I end up like this... it doesn't make sense." She sighed.
Pyrrha walked over to her and sat down beside her, and she lovingly put her arm around her daughter, holding her close. "Well, why don't I whip you up something nice?" She asked her. "Got some bacon ready. Can make some pancakes too. With Uncle Ren's home made syrup." Pyrrha suggested, making Ori chuckle.
"I'm surprised that Uncle Ren managed to send us any, considering Auntie Nora is such a sugar junkie." Oriana giggled, making Pyrrha laugh as well. She looked at her mom and smiled, nodding her head. "Thanks."
Pyrrha saw that Oriana still felt awful about last night, and so did she. She then gently squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry. Last night really got out of hand... I shouldn't have..."
But Oriana just hugged her mom as an answer, burying her head into Pyrrha's shoulder. Pyrrha wrapped her arms around Ori, kissing the top of her head. "It's okay mom... I know now... and I understand." Oriana promised, which made Pyrrha smile, even if thinking about Athena always hurt... it hurt less knowing that her daughter didn't hate her for that argument. That would be the worst possible scenario for her and Jaune.
"By the way..." Pyrrha said, looking at her daughter. Oriana released her mother, sniffling and wiping her snotty nose. "... you didn't say much about your nightmare. Was it the same as usual? Can't remember?"
Oriana was quiet for a few moments, then she gripped her duvet tightly. "No..." she revealed. "I remember all of it this time... and I wish I didn't." She shuddered. Pyrrha raised her brow at that.
"That's new..." Pyrrha said. "Every single time before you could never remember them... this might be the first one you seem to remember."
Pyrrha helped Oriana stand up, and got her dressing gown around her daughter, then taking her downstairs into the living room where she comfily plopped down on the sofa. Pyrrha walked into the kitchen, telling Jaune about this detail. Oriana started taking some medication they had stored away in case she had another one of these night terrors, although all these did were manage the symptoms afterwards, since it was like she had a fever. She leant back against her sofa, fiddling with her scroll and messaging Misty.
Ori: Hey, you okay?
After a few moments, Misty replied.
Misty-Boo: Morning! Yeah... have things... y'know... calmed down?
Ori: Yeah, everything's okay now. Although I had another one of those night terrors last night... worst one yet, actually.
There was a pause.
Misty-Boo: WHAT?! ARE YOU OKAY?!
Ori: YEAH YEAH I'M FINE! Just feeling rough, again... like always.
Misty-Boo: Wait, so you actually remember it this time?
Ori: Man, you're echoing the same convo I just had with my parents about it, spooky. XD
Misty-Boo: I'm a spooky little ghost hanging out in your room :3
Ori: XD
Misty-Boo: But really... what happened?
"Hey hon... you ready to tell us what you saw?" Jaune asked softly with Pyrrha beside him, and her eyes widened.
"Oh yeah, one sec." Oriana stumbled.
Ori: Sorry, they're back. I gotta explain them. Tell ya later!
Misty-Boo: WAIT DON'T LEAVE ME HANGING!
Oriana closed her scroll and set it down beside her, then she tucked her legs in close, wrapping her arms around her knees. She had a habit of making herself look even smaller when she felt nervous about something, especially when it came to something personal, like these nightmares. Pyrrha came over and gave her a plate of delicious pancakes, strips of bacon, and a hot chocolate. Then her parents sat down, both sat on each side of her, making her feel comfortable.
"Take as long as you have to." Jaune assured. Oriana took a small nibble from her bacon, then she sighed, setting it back down on her plate. She then looked at him.
"I thought it was morning, at first. It felt so normal, but when I called for you, for both of you... neither of you answered. I felt that was weird, especially since I woke up later than usual, so I knew you would be up." Oriana explained, hugging her knees tightly. "I walked downstairs and I swear I felt something brush the back of my hair, like a hand of something, but I didn't really notice it."
Jaune and Pyrrha glanced at each other, since that feeling felt very familiar... just like an Abductor.
"Then when I walked downstairs into the kitchen..."
She paused, but Pyrrha gently held her hand. "It's okay." She promised. Oriana glanced at them both with tears filling in her eyes.
"I saw you both... covered in blood... stabbed to death on the floor..." she revealed. Both of them did not look overly shocked by the gruesome scene, but this was definitely an understandable thing to scare her.
"That's why you looked so relieved when you saw us..." Pyrrha remembered, nodding her head. It surprised Oriana to see them so calm over this detail, even if it was just a dream.
"But before we came in, I heard you screaming get off me." Jaune commented. Oriana shuddered as she sat there, closing her eyes before looking at her dad.
"That's... when the nightmare got worse." She revealed, so the two parents stayed quiet and let her tell them what she saw. "I heard this horrible... sickening... sound coming from behind me. From my bedroom, and when I looked back, I saw this... monster..."
"A monster?" Pyrrha asked.
"A shadow... almost... but... it had loads of arms and legs... and the sound it made... it was horrible..." Oriana stammered, her hands beginning to shake. "And its eyes... piercing purple eyes..."
Pyrrha and Jaune glanced at each other with a shared concern.
"I tried to get away from it, but when I got to the door, the handle disappeared... and outside I saw flames. Vale was on fire... everyone was screaming. It was like the end of the world..." Oriana explained as she gripped her plate tightly, her lip trembling. "I kept trying to get away from the thing, but all the doors started disappearing and hands started growing from the walls. Until I was stuck to the floor, and all the hands kept grabbing and touching me... covering my mouth so I couldn't even scream. Then that... thing... it stared directly into my eyes, and it said Make. Us. Whole."
Oriana explained, before she set her plate down on the coffee table in the middle of their living room. "Then it devoured me... and everything went dark... but I could still feel those hands... touching me everywhere... they wouldn't stop..." She began to tear up, shaking erratically, until Pyrrha wrapped her arms around Oriana, holding her tightly. She kissed her cheek, then looked at Jaune. He reached his hand to his eyes, feeling his hand tremble fearfully.
No... it can't be... that's impossible...
... he's gone...
He exhaled softly, then lowered his hand to his side. "It's okay sweetie... thank you for telling us." Pyrrha said. "Okay... so this is what we're gonna do today. You're gonna eat up, get your strength back, then we're gonna take a quick trip to Dutch's around lunchtime. If anyone can help us get a better understanding of what these night terrors are and how we can treat it, he will. Or even just ways to help you sleep. The man knows plenty about this kind of thing, and we know we can trust him." Pyrrha promised, and Oriana nodded her head.
Then she grumbled. "I hate going there." She sighed.
"Dutch is kind to you, though." Pyrrha said.
"No, he's fine. I like Dutch... just... that place it's so cold and... it feels wrong." Oriana shuddered, and Jaune nodded his head.
"I know what you mean. Heimdall's Lab has a weird atmosphere." Jaune agreed, getting up and lightly stroking Oriana's hair as she snuggled up against her mother. Pyrrha stroked her hair as well. It was always an effective way to calm her down when she was agitated or scared. And like always, it was working wonders, calming her heart rate down immediately.
Then she heard her scroll buzz again. "That thing's been going crazy." Pyrrha chuckled.
"Oh, I was talking to Misty. I kinda had to pause when I started talking to you. She's probably yelling at me." Oriana chuckled, sniffling and opening her scroll.
Then her eyes widened in fear.
Misty-Boo: Alright you asked for it, I'm on my way.
"OH SHIT!" Oriana yelped.
"Whoa, what is it?" Pyrrha gasped, jolting at Oriana suddenly bolting upright.
"Misty! She's on her way here. Oh gods, I can't let her see me looking like this. I'm a mess!" Oriana panicked. Pyrrha and Jaune both started laughing. "Don't laugh! C'mon look at me. I look gross!"
"You look beautiful, honey. Don't worry, it'll take her time to get he-"
Ding Dong
Everyone looked staggered. "Wow, that was fast." Jaune chuckled, legitimately impressed by that.
"Uuuuuuuh." Oriana felt like she was a computer which just crashed, not sure what to do.
"Don't worry, I'll shoo my future daughter-in-law away." Pyrrha assured, smirking cheekily as Oriana started blushing bright red, hiding her face behind a cushion.
"Mooooom!" Oriana wailed with embarrassment.
"Oh damn, not even denying it?" Jaune asked, cutting slices of bread from the loaf, smirking at her.
Oriana just shoots him a look, which he just winks back at.
Pyrrha
Misty was standing outside, nervously tapping her foot as she stood there, arms crossed as she looked around. Then the door opened, and Pyrrha swiftly exited and closed the door behind her. "Hi Mrs Nikos, I'm sorry I came back immediately after last night I..."
"Misty... have you already forgotten what we talked about last night? About you always being welcome and being family?" Pyrrha asked her, and Misty froze.
"Uuuuuh no I... I..." Misty stammered, and Pyrrha smiled. "I'm worried about Ori. She told me she had another night terror."
"Yeah..." Pyrrha answered, hanging her head and sighing. "That was pretty scary hearing her scream like that."
"Is she okay? I know she's always fallen pretty ill after one of those." Misty asked.
"Same as usual, fever-like symptoms. In fact, she's resting right now, so, not really in a talkative mood today." Pyrrha explained, walking over to Misty, cushioning her shoulder. "By the way, how did you get here so fast?" Pyrrha asked curiously. Misty turned to her bicycle laid across their driveway. "But still... you were really fast..."
Misty just shrugged as an answer.
"Alright, keep your secrets, then." Misty laughed at that.
"But... c-can I see her? I just wanna make sure she's okay..." Misty asked, but Pyrrha winced, not liking the idea of lying to the girl her daughter has a crush on, but at the same time, she didn't want to embarrass her daughter.
"I think she needs some time to rest, okay? You can come by later when she's feeling better. How about that?" She asked her, walking her back to her bicycle. As Misty stood by it, she started to get agitated, and Pyrrha walked away from her. "I'll let her know you came by."
"Did her eyes turn purple when she woke up?"
Pyrrha froze, her hand stopping just before reaching for the doorknob. Her eyes widened, and she felt her blood run cold at that.
The nightmare was one thing... but... what the hell is she talking about?
Pyrrha slowly turned and stared at Misty, and seeing that expression scared Misty more than she could have expected. "What are you talking about?" Pyrrha asked her, and Misty bit her lip nervously. She wrung her fingers, then she exhaled.
"I never told Ori about it... I didn't wanna frighten her, but I haven't been able to get it out of my head. You remember that time a few months ago when Ori had a sleepover round my house, and she had a night terror? And I called you to come see her?" Misty asked, her foot bouncing nervously, a tell Pyrrha noticed, and she immediately calmed by walking up to Misty and holding her hands reassuringly.
"Yes, I remember." Pyrrha answered.
"It was only for a brief second... during that terrible storm. I could barely sleep, but Ori did. I was watching the storm when I heard Ori start crying in her sleep. I went over to her to make sure she was okay, and she started crying more and more, and I could tell she was having another night terror. I gently tried to wake her up, or be there when it ended, so she wasn't alone. And I was looking right at her when she did... and it was only for a brief second... but I saw her irises were glowing purple. Once she blinked, they went back to normal... but I know I didn't imagine it, even if I can't explain it. I started searching on the internet for any explanation for it, but nothing came up." Misty explained to Pyrrha. She looked at the Spartan and saw the very serious look in her eyes.
But Pyrrha couldn't find the words. "Mrs Nikos?"
"Thank you for telling me this... y'know what? I think you should come in. I know Ori will be embarrassed, but... I need to tell my husband about this. We're gonna go see our therapist, a man named Dutch. He's an old friend... you may have just given us more information about her condition that would interest him." Pyrrha explained.
"A-Are you sure? I don't wanna embarrass Ori." Misty stammered.
"Honestly, it may go better having you there with her. Someone she loves... I have a feeling Jaune, and I are gonna be talking to Dutch for a while concerning what you just told me." Pyrrha explained. Misty's eyes widened, then they shrunk with guilt.
"I'm so sorry I never said anything sooner... I should have, I've been sitting on this for so-" Pyrrha crouched down and held her hands.
"It's okay, honey. Really. Believe me, I know how crazy it sounds, and thank you for not telling Oriana. I don't want her to worry, either. It could be nothing... but in my experience, you should never just assume something concerning is nothing." Pyrrha reassured with a smile, and Misty smiled back, nodding her head. Pyrrha got up and walked with Misty to the door, then sighed.
"What is it?" Misty asked.
"Ori is gonna die inside." Pyrrha chuckled, then she opened the door. Ori stared at the door with nervous anticipation, then her eyes widened in disbelief to see Misty rushing inside.
"Are you kidding me?" Ori groaned, hiding her ill face behind a cushion and rolling off the sofa to hide.
"Is that how you greet your B.F.F?" Misty asked her with a smirk, hopping over the sofa to cuddle Ori on the floor. "You really think I'd not wanna see you even if you look all gross? I've seen you worse!" She teased.
"Ouch." Ori grumbled.
"What can I say? She's very persuasive." Pyrrha said, hiding the truth as she walked over to Jaune and took his hand, walking into the garage with him.
"Whoa, hon? What is it? How did Misty out talk you?" Jaune asked.
"She just told me that Oriana's eyes turned purple when she had that previous night terror, Jaune." She immediately revealed. His eyes widened, and he looked in there, then back at Pyrrha.
"What?" He asked.
"She said that for a very brief moment she saw her eyes turn purple when she woke up from that night terror she had at that sleepover a few months ago. Misty isn't a liar and even if she was, what are the odds that it would be that detail specifically?" Pyrrha asked him and he grabbed his wrist as he felt it shake in fear. "Could it be him?" She asked.
"No, it's impossible, surely. Thaddeus Rex is dead. He died when you killed me, and the Brother of Darkness brought me back. Just me. Dutch confirmed it. All that's in me is the residual power he had. Nothing else." Jaune explained, absentmindedly touching the scars around his eyes.
"And how do we know that for sure? Nobody understands Dark Magic, not even the Gods did. Not really. The stuff is beyond our understanding, and Dutch has spent years trying to figure out how to counter some things Salem and Thaddeus did, like at the Atlesian Wildlands. And then her most recent nightmare had a shadow with piercing purple eyes attacking her? Tell me I'm crazy, please." Pyrrha begged, holding out her arms, panting.
But Jaune could not disprove what she was saying, not really.
"I don't know... Dutch may know something. He and Ruby have spent a long time collecting Salem's artefacts and trying to undo the things that dark magic has done to our world. To stop the spread of the Cryo Storms before they inevitably swallow the world in thousands of years' time." Jaune explained.
"So it's all on Dutch... I really hope he has an explanation for this. Thaddeus can't be alive... but what he said to me when I... it still haunts me." Pyrrha stated, Jaune then held her hands in his.
"We will figure this out. I " Jaune assured.
But Thaddeus' last words... they were still lingering in her mind.
Nothing... ends...
I... cannot... die...
Thaddeus Rex Arc... is eternal... and when I walk this world again...
I will be wading through...
A sea...
... of blood.
Oriana
It felt like she had been waiting forever to get going to Dutch's for this examination. Whenever she had to go, it filled her with dread.
She knew they were just nightmares, but still... going to such a high security location about it always felt like overkill. But she always reminded herself that Dutch was an old friend of her parents, so they'd rather get it from a trusted source who wouldn't just tell them what they want to hear.
She had just finished telling Misty about what she saw, and she sighed. "I hate talking about it... and I know I'm gonna have to go into detail about it with Dutch soon." She groaned.
"I'm sorry." Misty apologised.
"Huh? Oh no, it's not your fault. It's just... y'know." She shrugged.
"Hard to relive it, huh?" Misty replied.
"Yeah." She sighed. Misty looked at her knees for a moment, then she shuffled over to Oriana's side. "How about this? Your mom said I could hang out all day with you today. It's the weekend, after all. How about we have some fun later?" She asked her.
"I mean... I'm not really in any condition to go out." Oriana shrugged.
"Screw going out. I mean, having fun here." Misty clarified. "I just wanna make sure you don't have to go through this alone."
Ori smiled. "Thanks."
Misty smiled back, cradling her hand. She sat back against the sofa, then Pyrrha walked back inside, entering the kitchen. "Okay, we're gonna head out soon." Pyrrha informed.
"Hey what were you guys talking about after Misty came in? You kinda just... dragged dad away." Ori commented, clearly noticing how weird her parents were acting right now.
"Oh, don't worry, it's fine, just making sure everything's set. Dutch is a busy man after all, and with that terrorist attack last night, we wanted to make sure he was still available. Luckily, he's not too bogged down with paperwork." Pyrrha assured.
"Gods, I completely forgot about that attack..." Oriana stammered with wide eyes.
"Because you were busy breaking the law?" Pyrrha teased with a cheeky smirk. Both Misty and Oriana's eyes widened in fear at that, then they both slowly turned to look at Pyrrha.
"Uuuuh..." they both stammered.
"Don't worry about it, although... I am about to go motherly lecture mode on you two." Pyrrha warned.
"Oh, here we go." Oriana sighed, rolling her tired eyes and burying her face into the sofa.
"It wouldn't feel so constant if you actually listened to my wisdom, y'knoooow." Pyrrha sang sarcastically.
"Mhmmm." Oriana groaned from within the sofa.
"You can't just keep trespassing on protected property. Just because you're my daughter doesn't mean you're safe from law enforcement. Believe me... I definitely wasn't when I was younger." Pyrrha assured.
"You broke the law?" Misty asked with a furrowed brow, in which Pyrrha just stared at her in disbelief at that question.
"Um. Inhumane Necessity?" She asked her.
"Oh... yeah... that." Misty nodded.
"Hey, I never claimed they were just laws." Pyrrha shrugged. "And besides, we kinda... broke the law again before that... and got in a lot of trouble with Professor Goodwitch... actually come to think of it, we were real troublemakers." Pyrrha realised.
"Ha! So the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!" Oriana squeaked.
"Anyway!" Pyrrha raised her voice, but in a funny way this time, which both girls ducked behind the sofa, fully expecting a slice of bread to be thrown at them. "You're both good girls and shouldn't be committing crimes so young. I won't be able to rely on Dutch to protect you from punishment forever, y'know. Try being like your Auntie Ruby. She always upholds the law and never gets arrested for something as silly as trespassing."
Suddenly, her scroll started ringing, and she picked it up, furrowing her brow.
Speak of the devil.
"Hello..." She paused, and both girls looked at Pyrrha with curious faces. "I'm sorry what?" She asked. Then she sighed, her face changing to disappointment. "Yep... we'll pick you up in a few hours." She sighed.
Her face did not change from that completely disappointed expression, slowly lowering her scroll from her ear and closing it with her finger, sighing even louder.
"Who was that?" Oriana asked.
"Your Auntie Ruby." Pyrrha answered.
Misty's eyes widened in awe, but Oriana furrowed her brow. "Why do you look so annoyed, then?"
"She's been arrested... for trespassing..." Pyrrha answered, her both barely moving as she spoke.
Oriana and Misty snorted.
"Not a word out of you two." Pyrrha snapped her fingers as she stomped off, her lecture completely ruined by that awful timing.
Both Oriana and Misty just exploded into laughter as Pyrrha walked away. But hearing her daughter laughing that hard after hearing her so scared last night and seeing her look so traumatised this morning?
That cured that annoyance very quickly.
Dutch
An hour later...
Dutch was sat in his office at Heimdall's Lab, waiting for the Nikos family to arrive.
He held a stress ball in his hand, squeezing it repeatedly, keeping the muscles in his hand occupied. He no longer found his impaired vision in his eye to be much of a bother anymore, although that took him a long time to get used to it. In fact, the hardest part was some of the other side effects of being shot in the head like that. The big one being his hand locking up and sometimes going completely numb.
In truth... he got lucky.
If Killian's aim was only a millimetre closer to the centre of his skull, he'd most likely have been instantly killed on that day. He sighed, looking at his scroll and at the many sent messages pending at Ruby, waiting for her to respond, unaware that Amara's forces had already arrested her. His foot bounced as he thought about what he saw last night, needing to speak to someone about it.
Weirdly talking about Oriana's nightmares felt like a good distraction from what he was looking at. Even if he knew he was going to have to go back there.
Finally, there was a knock on the door, tearing his attention away from his stress, and he smiled. There they were, Pyrrha Nikos, Jaune Nikos, and the lady of the hour, Oriana Nikos. "Ah, welcome everyone." Dutch greeted as he stood up. Jaune and Pyrrha smiled as they saw him.
"Hey Dutch, how're ya doing?" Jaune asked as he walked over to him, giving the old man a warm hug.
"Tired after last night. I can tell ya that much." Dutch chuckled, and they could tell he was exhausted.
"Hi Dutch." Pyrrha greeted, hugging him and giving him a kind kiss on the cheek. They both stepped aside and revealed Oriana stood between them, looking tiny as she held her hands together nervously, with Misty stood beside her.
"Hello Oriana, remind me, I got the right sweets this time, right?" He asked, opening his drawer and revealing her favourite brand.
Mistraalian Sugar Sticks.
They were long, crunchy and sweet sticks, in a multitude of colours, and Oriana adored how tasty they were. Her eyes lit up when she saw them, and it even made her smile, although she was hardly bouncing with joy. Of course Dutch didn't expect her to do that, especially considering how ill she looked.
Dutch then turned his attention to Misty. "Hello there, I don't believe I've had the pleasure, Miss?" Dutch asked her.
"Oh, I'm Misty. Ori's best friend." Misty answered, smiling brightly.
"Ah, well, very nice to meet you, Misty. I'm happy to see Ori has plenty of people here to support her today." Dutch said, gesturing to the sofa that Ori could lie down on to relax herself. He walked over and gave her the bowl of her favourite sweets, and everyone else took their seats as well. "So then, how's class been for you, Ori? Haven't had any problems?" He asked her.
She shook her head. "No, but exams are coming soon..." she groaned.
"Ugh. Exams. I always hated those when I was a kid. Could never memorise the correct answers." Dutch chuckled. Her parents always appreciated his skill at easing the tension for Ori. Of course, he had plenty of experience with cases like this before he became Killian's Right-Hand Man. "But you though? I bet you blast through those." Dutch chuckled.
"Well..." Oriana humbly stumbled. "... I try my best." She shrugged.
Pyrrha smiled supportively at her. Then Dutch rolled across from his desk over to Oriana's side on his chair, slapping his notebook down on his knee. "Okay then, so you had another Night Terror, I'm hearing? Your father said it's the worst reaction you've ever had to one." Dutch asked her. Oriana nodded her head, closing her eyes as she sat upright and started hugging her legs again, wanting to take up as little space as she could.
"Yeah." she softly answered.
"Okay, okay..." Dutch said as he noted it down. "Do you remember what you saw?" He asked.
She nodded her head. "Hmm... that's a development. Usually when people suffer night terrors, they don't remember them, especially not when they're younger, like yourself." Dutch explained as he looked at his notebook, checking the past sessions he's had with Oriana's strange case. "Okay then, did you get a lack of sleep the night before? Stay up a little late when it happened? Any stress problems?" He asked her.
"I mean, I was up a little later than usual. I had a sleepover round Misty's but... well... it kinda went a bit wrong." She admitted.
"Ah, your little escapade into Beacon." Dutch chuckled.
"I had a feeling you'd know about that." Oriana nervously chuckled.
"My boys told me you and a friend of yours were caught exploring late last night, but don't worry, waving any severe consequences away was real easy." Dutch reassured, then he turned and looked at Misty. "Was it you, by any chance, who was with her?" He asked.
"Um... maybe?" Misty answered nervously.
Dutch chuckled. "Keep it up and I may have to hire you to help Ruby when exploring these ruins." He chuckled, then he raised his hands. "I'm kidding. Please don't go into those ruins again. They're dangerous." He clarified, mainly to avoid Pyrrha's glare.
"I'm sorry." Oriana apologised.
"Ah, no worries, nobody was hurt." Dutch assured. "But anyway, back to the topic at hand. Did you touch or take anything from Beacon? Anything at all?"
"Um... no? I mean, sure, we touched some stuff, but we didn't steal anything." Oriana answered, confused.
"Wait, what's that got to do with her nightmare?" Jaune asked with a furrowed brow.
"Well, she's not the first person to explore the ruins of one of the Academies and I've heard lots of stories about them being haunted. Cursed even. And nine times out of ten people who have explored and especially taken things from the ruins would have horrific nightmares the same night or the one after." Dutch explained, which made Oriana's eyes widen.
"Wait... that kind of thing is real?" She asked.
Dutch turned to her. "Believe me when I say that most comfortable lies hide frightening truths." Dutch said.
"Well, after the things I saw when Salem was in charge, hauntings and curses are most certainly real." Pyrrha agreed. Suddenly Oriana and Misty felt terrified to ever go back to those ruins.
"Do you think my night terror could... be linked to it?" Oriana asked.
"Possibly? But I lack any factual evidence to connect the two. It's just theories. I'll be able to come up with a better analysis after we're done." He assured. Ori continued to munch on her sweets, helping her cope.
"Okay, so let's loop back to the night terror itself. You said you remember what you saw? Why don't we start there? Can you describe to me what happened?" He asked her. "Take your time, of course."
"Well... I didn't realise I was dreaming at first. I thought it was morning. It all seemed so normal. But when I called for mom and dad, they wouldn't answer me, so I looked for them." Oriana explained.
"And everything looked normal? Everything was exactly where you remembered it?" He asked.
"Yeah." She answered. Dutch nodded his head, writing everything she said. "When I went downstairs... I found them... covered in blood... stabbed to death by someone." Dutch looked at her when she said that, writing it down. Oriana started panting, shaking her hands as she remembered the horrible sight.
"Hey... it's okay, it's okay." Dutch assured, gently squeezing your shoulder. "Remember, it was just a nightmare. It wasn't real. See?" He said, pointing to Jaune and Pyrrha, who smiled as she looked at them. "They're okay."
"Yeah..." she stammered, breathing out to come herself down.
"If you want to stop, just say the word, I won't force you." He promised.
"I'm okay... I'm okay..." she replied. Then she continued. "After I tried to wake them up... there was this... sound. I can't even begin to describe what it sounded like... best I can come up with is... a raspy, croaky groaning noise, coming from behind me on the stairs. And when I turned I saw... this thing..."
"A monster?" He asked her.
"It was... black all over... like a shadow... it had loads of arms and legs... but it didn't have a face, not really. Just glowing purple eyes... and a grinning mouth." Oriana explained, shaking as she pictured the nightmarish creature.
"Hmm... Night Terrors tend to have some sort of shadowy figure..." Dutch said as he noted that down, but he clearly caught onto the detail of its eyes.
"It chased me. I tried to get away, but the handle of the door vanished just as I reached for it, and everything... everywhere... was on fire. I could hear people screaming in pain..." Oriana explained, still able to see that horrible visual in her mind. "Then hands started to grow through the walls, all of them grabbing me, touching me..."
Dutch continued to listen to this poor girl's traumatic episode. "And then the... shadow... it attacked me, and all the hands pinned me to the floor, dragging me down, covering my mouth so I couldn't scream. And that shadow... it stared right at me and it said Make. Us. Whole. Then it attacked me..." Oriana explained. "Last thing I remember... was what that thing wanted when it went into me..."
Pyrrha and Jaune raised their heads. Ori never mentioned this bit.
"What did it want?" Dutch asked.
"To kill..." she answered quietly.
"To kill you?" He asked.
"Not me... everything else." She answered. Dutch raised his head when he heard that. The way she said it sent a frigid chill down his back. He could see on the faces of Pyrrha and Jaune that his first thought was running through their heads as well.
Is this Thaddeus?
But Dutch was older, calmer and more rational than Oriana's parents were, especially concerning their only child. So he ran through everything in his head.
Thaddeus is dead and gone, Jaune's been back for twenty-five years and there has not been even a single hint of Thaddeus returning beyond him, still having traces of the power Thaddeus had and his purple eyes whenever he gets angry.
Oriana had stayed up late and went to Beacon Academy, so it is entirely possible the residual energy that lingers there could have affected her sleep.
And... well... she is Jaune's daughter... perhaps... part of the residual elements of Thaddeus' power has passed down to her?
Hmm... quite the interesting development.
After they were done, Dutch comforted Oriana and let her stay outside of his office with Misty whilst he spoke with Pyrrha and Jaune about the finer details of this situation. "So, what do you think? Is it him? Is it Thaddeus?" Pyrrha asked with fear in her voice.
"In all honesty? No, not at all." He answered.
"Not at all?" Jaune asked in disbelief.
"I understand your concerns, believe me I do, hell even I had that thought when she described that shadow to me, but he's gone. And end of the day you've experienced similar hallucinations and nightmares since." Dutch explained, gesturing to Jaune.
"Yeah, but you said that's likely just P.T.S.D." Jaune remarked.
"And it may just be that, but the fact she is suffering from very similar experiences that you went through, I think that maybe it's something else. Something still concerning but not as concerning as Thaddeus somehow being reborn in your daughter." Dutch explained.
"Wait... there's something Misty told me that you need to know. Something Ori doesn't know and... well... honestly, I don't think she needs to know this. It'll scare her too much." Pyrrha revealed Dutch nodded his head and picked up his stress ball.
"Alright. I'll bite." He replied.
"So you remember a couple months ago when we brought Ori to you about her most recent Night Terror before this one?" Pyrrha asked.
"Yeah, it happened when she was at her friend's house?" Dutch asked.
"Yeah, well that was Misty, as you now know her." Pyrrha revealed. "Early today she told me about something she saw. When Ori woke up, she said her eyes were glowing purple for a brief millisecond." Pyrrha stated.
"Misty wouldn't lie. And even if she was a liar, I still would believe her on this. What are the odds that she'd mention something as specific and relevant to our family as purple eyes?" Jaune asked, and Dutch nodded his head in agreement.
"Okay, I can understand your concern, but in truth, this still lines up with my current hypothesis." Dutch said. "I think that some of your power has passed down to Oriana, and it is beginning to manifest itself. Her eyes glowing purple may be the defining proof of this." Dutch explained.
Pyrrha and Jaune both sighed, hoping that he was right. "Okay... let's say this is true. What kind of things can we expect to see?" Pyrrha asked.
"Similar to what Jaune has experienced, except it could be more acute due to her inexperience with the power and her age. She could lash out, have mood swings. Her strength could suddenly increase from out of nowhere." Dutch explained. "Of course, I am still learning. Using every bit of knowledge about Dark Magic and Salem's methods, I possibly can to try to find a way to cure you, Jaune, and perhaps Oriana. The more we understand the things Salem did, the better we can undo some lingering aftereffects." Dutch explained.
Both Pyrrha and Jaune were quiet. "It never ends..." Jaune sighed, closing his eyes.
Dutch stopped squeezing his stress ball, then he set it back down on his table. "Look, I know you're scared of him coming back, especially with what he said to you. But the Brother of Darkness was the one who brought Jaune back, remember? And Thaddeus hasn't appeared in the past twenty-five years. He's gone." Dutch assured with a smile.
"I don't even know if we can be certain of that, Dutch. You told me a few years ago when reading some of the things that belonged to Salem that she said that Dark Magic predates the Gods. That the reason they were so scared of it was because even they didn't understand it. If the Brothers Grimm couldn't control or understand it, then neither should we believe we can." Pyrrha explained.
"Perhaps... but as someone who promised to protect Remnant from all threats... I feel I have to try." Dutch stated.
"Well. You've done a great job so far." Jaune assured with a kind smile.
"I try... I guess that's the best any of us can do, right?" Dutch asked them. He then turned to his scroll as it started buzzing. He was about to turn it off when he saw it was President Amara Zure. "Ugh, the President. Gimme one." He said. The parents nodded, and he answered. "Yeah?"
Suddenly, he bolted upright. "The hell is she doing in your office for?" He questioned. "Oh, for... yeah, I'll be right over." He groaned.
"What is it?" Pyrrha asked.
"Ruby. Amara's forces arrested her when she was helping me with my work. Now I gotta go bail her. Again. Better go before Ruby starts a diplomatic situation. You know how stubborn that woman is." Dutch said.
"Well, you're in luck. I promised to help Ruby out as well. Looks like this is gonna be a juicy day, after all." Pyrrha chuckled, getting up and joining Dutch, walking with Jaune outside.They opened the door, then the two girls stood up with wide eyes.
"Where are we going?" Oriana asked.
"To go bail your Auntie. Looks like the President aims to handle this matter personally." Pyrrha revealed.
"The President?" Misty gasped, eyes wide.
"Ruby Rose is a very important woman. And Amara loves trying to keep her on a leash." Dutch groaned.
"And failing." Jaune added.
Ruby
At the Legion's Headquarters...
President Amara Zure took advantage of the rise of the Legion's Forces and their financial gains after the Deacon acquired what remained of the Schnee Dust Company, and made a deal with him. To make the Legion be linked with the Government, however, such a deal was only finalised when the Deacon had one condition.
That only he and people of his choosing would decide what the Legion would do, when and where they would do it, and not let the Government and the ambitions decide their actions. For the Legion were made to protect the people from bad things, and not to defend the corruption of people in power. Amara may not have full control over the Legion, but the Deacon gave her something thanks to her position.
Her own division of forces, ones that still reported to the Deacon but would also report to her. A small division, but still a show of good faith.
The other two members of the Legion's Inner Circle were Dutch and Sienna Khan.
Amara was sitting in her chair, signing documents that were sitting on her desk, speaking to Ruby, who was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed and foot pressed back against the nice paint.
"If I've said it once, then I've said it a thousand times. You and Dutch's pleas to get the Academies up and running again? I do not share your optimism." Amara stated. Ruby scoffed.
"Well then, you can say that a thousand and one times then." Ruby retorted with a smirk.
"Hmm. Well, should I remind you then that it was your dear friend Cinder Fall who lead the first attack on Beacon all those years ago?" Amara asked her. Ruby turned to the painting of Cinder on the wall and she approached it. "The Academies are simply a target, once built for a purpose, but that purpose is long gone."
"I'm gonna pretend you didn't talk about Cinder like that. For both our sakes." Ruby stated.
"Cinder–"
"Don't. Say. Another. Word." Ruby warned, glaring at the President with anger in her eyes. Amara sighed through her nose, standing up from her chair.
"Fine. If that's your wish, then I won't argue." Amara stated, walking to the window of her office, her hands behind her back.
"Gods, how can you and so many others seriously still hate the Academies? Wasn't your brother a Huntsman?" Ruby questioned.
"Yes, and my brother was taken from me by an Abductor when I was just a child. We live in a fragile peace, Ruby. The Grimm may be gone, but the Tar Pits remain covered in that crystal. What if bringing back the Academies sparks enough negativity in the people who don't like the Huntsmen and Huntresses that the Grimm awaken once again?" Amara questioned.
"We don't know if that's possible. I've seen how strong those crystals are. Even some of the most powerful mining equipment in the world couldn't even scratch the stuff. You seriously think that reinstating the Academies would change that?" Ruby questioned, scoffing.
"Then tell me this, what purpose would it serve? The Relics, bar the one still dangling from your hip, are all safely contained under Heimdall's Lab, alongside the Horn of Darkness. The Grimm are gone, the very prey you hunted. Why should we put millions of lien into a system which would serve no other purpose than for lavish fight shows for people to watch on their T.Vs?" Amara questioned.
"Look at the past twenty-five years, Amara. The remaining Grimm were never our only enemy. The Feral Ones, the Followers of Salem, crime being on the rise when we were still building a new Government and Lavinia being dead? If it weren't for the few of us who survived the Inhumane Necessity and the Legion, it would have been chaos." Ruby explained, walking towards the President. "We don't need the Grimm to exist... because we have to contend with each other."
"Then why do you think we have the Legion?" Amara questioned.
"And Ironwood had the Atlesian Military. Killian had the Black Gallows. Were either of them good choices to keep the people safe? Militaries are strong in war... but in peacetime? Huntsmen and Huntresses were the ones keeping the peace, keeping people safe from Grimm, but also each other." Ruby explained, glaring at Amara. The President glared back. She never was a fan of how Ruby was never afraid to talk back to her.
Then again, she was one of the few who had the balls to stand up to Salem.
Why would she be intimidated by a President when she yelled at literal Gods?
"You know Amara? I knew a man who spoke a lot like you." Ruby said as she walked away from her. "A man who hated the Huntsmen and Huntress Academies and wanted nothing more than the Military to take their place. You don't want to have him be your idol." She warned.
Ruby picked up her cloak, which was resting on the back of one of the chairs in front of Amara's desk, throwing it over her shoulder and clipping it on. "Would that be all?" Ruby asked her, tilting her head.
"I want you to stop going to Evernight. That was the real reason I had you apprehended." Amara stated.
"I don't take orders from you, only Dutch. Because he and I want the same thing, to keep Remnant safe." Ruby stated.
"That place is dangerous. I don't want the two of you riling up the things that Salem did over there. Let it all fade away." Amara stated.
"And if we don't learn from it, how can we stop it if it ever returns? Dark Magic isn't gone, and if the wrong people find Salem's research into those arts... I don't want to imagine how bad things could go." Ruby stated. "We can't just leave it to time, because someone will find it. I literally encountered Treasure Seekers out there, Amara. What if one of them found that book?" Ruby asked her, and Amara's eyes danced around the room.
Ruby nodded her head. "You know I'm right." Ruby said. "So... may I go now? Madam President? Because I'm sure my wife is gonna be worried that I haven't been able to return my calls." Ruby stated.
Amara sighed.
"Go." Amara conceded, then Ruby turned and walked away, opening the door and letting it slam shut behind her. She walked through the Legion H.Q, passing by some soldiers, and even seeing Sienna Khan on her scroll talking to someone on the other end. When Sienna spotted her, she smiled and gave Ruby a wave, one that Ruby returned as she walked on. Sienna was getting old, now on her last life, but she looked happier now than she ever did, both before and during the Inhumane Necessity.
Although... she knew Sienna definitely preferred being on the front lines rather than being stuck in an office like this.
But she was willing to do whatever she had to do for her people.
She entered an elevator and passed down the many floors, then exited, walking out the exit, picking up Crescent Rose and her Scroll, which were waiting for her next to a soldier. "Thanks, didn't spill ya coffee on it, did ya?" she asked him, making the soldier chuckle.
"I was very careful." He assured Ruby nicely patted him on the shoulder.
"Good man, keep up the good work." Ruby said, exiting the building. She looked around for Pyrrha, since she said she'd be here to pick her up.
"AUNTIE RUBYYYYYYYY!" Suddenly Oriana shot towards her from the left and grappled onto her arm. Ruby raised her arm with her expression remaining unimpressed, looking at her niece dangling from her arm. Even though she was ill, it was like seeing her Auntie would instantly give her bouts of energy. "Aaaaah! It's so good to see you! Did you miss me? DID YOU MISS ME?!" Oriana squeaked.
Ruby smirked.
"Nope."
Ruby gave her a ruffle on her head, then Oriana started coughing, her sickness rearing its ugly head again. "Aw damn it ." She groaned, then Ruby carefully set her down.
"Whoa, you okay, kiddo?" Ruby asked her, lifting Oriana's head up by the chin with her thumb. "You sick?" She asked.
"Had another Night Terror." She shrugged, Ruby sighed, then gave her a warm hug.
As she hugged her, she saw Misty stood nearby, bouncing up and down, clutching something close to her chest. "Who's that girl over there?" Ruby whispered into her niece's ear.
"Oh! Misty! Come over here!" She called Misty nervously, but excitedly approached Ruby. "Auntie Ruby, this is my best friend I've told you about! Misty!"
"So this is the famous Misty Ori told me so much about. You never told me she was so pretty." Ruby said with a smirk, making Misty blush immensely.
"Ha! By the gods... um... um..." Misty stammered. Oriana was blushing too, moving some of her hair from her eyes as she looked up at Ruby.
Ruby knew she could tell from the way Oriana was acting. The Ruby tilted her head curiously. "Although... what's that you're holding, Misty?"
Misty gasped. "Um... I'M A HUGE FAN OF YOURS!" Misty exploded. "You've always been my hero and I've always wanted to meet you, and... this... I drew this for you." She said, giving her the picture. It was an absolutely beautiful drawing, extremely detailed and adorned with gorgeous colours of Ruby, stood fighting a Beowulf with Crescent Rose, looking like a hero, surrounded by rose petals.
Ruby smiled, even blushing to see that someone was a fan of hers. Even after twenty-five years of people being in love with her, seeing her as a hero, she still didn't feel like she deserved it. "It's perfect..." Ruby barely got the words out, then she walked over to Misty and have her a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek. Misty was exploding on the inside.
SHE'S HUGGING ME!
THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER!
She looked at Oriana and seeing that loving smile on her face was the icing on the cake. Ruby released her and smiled back at her. "I'm gonna make it my mission to see more of you, Misty. You hold on to her, Ori, you've struck gold here." Ruby chuckled, making both of the nervous girls giggle nervously.
"Why am I not surprised that you broke out on your own?" Pyrrha asked with a smile, crossing her arms. Ruby chuckled, then she walked over to Pyrrha, giving her a warm hug.
"Hey, Pyrrha. How've ya been?" Ruby asked her.
"Been good, stressful with the shows, but... good." Pyrrha assured, then she turned to Jaune, and they shared a long, warm hug as well.
"How's teaching? Kids driving you up the wall yet?" Ruby asked.
"Nah, most of the kids are nice because they have a crush on Pyrrha... or me." Jaune admitted, making Ruby laugh.
"The perils of beauty." Ruby laughed.
"And here she stands, defiant and leaving the President probably a sobbing wreck no doubt. And here I came to rescue Amara from you." Dutch said as he emerged, smiling at Ruby.
"I wish you did. I swear if I have to put up with any more politics..." Ruby groaned, walking over to Dutch whilst Oriana and Misty stuck to Jaune like glue. "But boss, I'm afraid I got something important to tell you."
"Do you? That makes two of us." Dutch said with a smirk. "I was up all night after I received a call. I didn't even realise a Follower of Salem attacked whilst I was out. It was that important." Dutch explained, that got both Pyrrha and Ruby's attention. He then turned to the housing estate on the nearby hills. "Something happened in Emerald Overlook."
Both of them looked up at where he was talking about.
"Come. I'll show you."
Pyrrha
Oriana and Misty stayed behind with Jaune, who took them back home, whilst Pyrrha and Ruby joined Dutch as they went to Emerald Overlook, a housing estate just bordering the Emerald Forest. With the Grimm extinct, the Emerald Forest was now a viable location for housing, and was indeed... very valuable.
They approached one of the houses which overlooked Vale, a beautiful view indeed. They saw lots of people on sight, Police and Legion, alongside some scientists from Heimdall's Lab. "As you can see, this is a very serious situation." Dutch said as they walked to the front door, which a Legion Soldier opened. They walked in and saw the family living here were sitting together in the living room. They followed him outside into the garden, seeing where most of the scientists were, examining the area, but most surrounding a specific point underneath a tree.
Dutch stopped them and turned. "Last night during that storm, the family were woken up by a terrible howling sound. At first they assumed it was the wind, or their dog. But... as you can see... it most certainly was not their pet canine." Dutch said, pointing to the doghouse, which was only a small dog, and it looked terrified. But thankfully, it was unharmed. "They went back and rewound the footage from their rear security cameras that watched the garden, and much to my dismay when they heard the howl, not only was the sound recorded... but they also saw... that." Dutch said, turning their attention to what had all the Scientists so fascinated.
Ruby's, and Pyrrha's eyes widened in disbelief.
It was a Beowulf, rising from a crystallised Tar Pit, and it was completely covered in the purple crystals. The grass that surrounded the tar pit was dead, and the frozen Beowulf was reaching out, like it was mid roar. "We left everything exactly as it was." Dutch promised, then Ruby approached it with Pyrrha. The Scientists stood aside for the Huntresses to examine the beast, since they knew the Grimm better than anyone.
Their faces reflected in the crystal as they stared at it. "Have you ever seen anything like this before?" Pyrrha asked.
"Never... this is the first time I've seen a Grimm try to form, despite the pits being sealed. This is bad..." Ruby said. She turned and looked at Dutch. "The security footage. Do you have it?" She asked.
Dutch nodded, and he took her inside to the living room where the family was. "I'm sorry to disturb you all, but this is Ruby Rose and Pyrrha Nikos? They need to see what your camera recorded that night." Dutch requested.
"Of course... and may I say... it's an honour to meet you." The father said with a smile.
"Truly it is..." the wife agreed, holding her little baby in her arms. They were a young couple. They most likely were born after Salem's death, meaning it was incredibly likely that they had never encountered a Grimm before.
"I just wish it was under better circumstances." Pyrrha kindly replied to them, smiling. Dutch picked up the remote and reset it, and he let the recording play. The storm was heavy that night, luckily for only a few hours. But as it raged on, they saw the camera feed lag for a few moments. Then, they saw the crystals on the tar pit ripple, and suddenly... it burst open, and the Beowulf climbed out, only for the crystals to swiftly form again, sealing the pit and completely covering the Beowulf, freezing it solid.
Then the howl echoed.
"It broke through but the crystals froze it before it could escape..." Pyrrha said, but Ruby caught onto something else.
"That wasn't a Beowulf's howl..." she said. The entire room fell silent and everyone stared at her.
"What do you mean?" Dutch asked.
"Play it again." Ruby said, and Dutch did exactly that. Just as the Beowulf froze over, the howl echoed. She narrowed her eyes. "The howl came after it was frozen, not at the same time... and... gimme." Ruby said, taking the remote. She rewound it again, then paused just as she heard the howl. There was a flash of lightning at this point, and in that split second... she noticed it.
A shadow...
... of something flying in the sky. Ruby looked out the window and saw a scorch mark on the ground. "You all got scared by the lightning, I imagine?" Ruby asked her.
"Yeah, scared the hell out of us." The wife answered. Ruby looked up and realised.
"There's another Grimm out there still... a Hound." She revealed. "That howl didn't match with a Beowulf's howl, and I've heard the Hounds howl. Salem made plenty of them with the victims that the Abductors took. They weren't strong... but they were smart... and this one is at least thirty years old... meaning it's smarter... and strong now." Ruby explained.
"That means..." Pyrrha gasped.
"We're dealing with The Last Grimm on Remnant."