66 Fragments 1: Summer Awakening

"The third warms the man's heart, convincing him to step outside and embrace the world around him." – Ozpin, from Episode 'Fall'

Cinder felt… cold.

A shiver, her eyes were still closed when she felt the chilling breeze of darkness swallow her in her unconsciousness. So cold and yet so… empty. So hollow. The young woman had never felt so physically upset until this very moment. Hypothermia? No, there was a clear lack of other symptoms that would suggest that. Her heartbeat increased at the inability of determining what was going on with her. If there was something she hated the most, it was being left in the dark about something like that. Her father might have given her the tools to discern situations she was clueless about from little hints left around her reach of understanding, but right now she couldn't find anything worthwhile, or at least of the telling kind. A sigh, at least she was capable of moving. No restraints, but she was still paralyzed by the cold in most parts. Where was she? Wasn't Emerald giving orders to get her out of Vale? This didn't feel like a bullhead and… the cold could be actually the result of a crash landing. Did they actually crash on the trip to reach Atlas?

No. At this point, if this was indeed the case, she should be either wounded or sore but… she didn't feel either. So she lacked a proper reasoning as to why she felt so weak and… so numb. It wasn't normal, it wasn't genuinely physical. It came from within, she ultimately realized, and it was possibly connected to… what happened with the Summer Maiden. Her dad mentioned something about a Maiden's power being inherited not by genetics, but by something tied to magic. The last thought of a young enough woman which could harbor this powerful magic within her. Cinder was quite sure the dying maiden's last thoughts were aimed at her, hateful ones, but still more than enough to fit with the requirements needed for the passing of that torch. The issue she was currently feeling annoyed about? Her dad wouldn't have lied to her about this kind of issue when obtaining said power, so he actually wasn't 100% aware of what happened within the process. Which was reasonably acceptable since he didn't see one firsthand, and perhaps those that experienced it never brought up this nasty aftereffect.

Cinder was still suffering, and she didn't like being in pain. Sure, many wouldn't want to be in pain, but she had a rather unpleasant attachment to pain. One that generally had her lash out with more aggression when it came to real fighting. A good way to drive her mind back in combat, but also detrimental to her chances of survival if she ended up being too aggressive about it. She thought about mother and how she told her that the greatest quality a strong woman could really feel superior about was patience. If one knew how to handle anger, then they would achieve the ultimate goal of never having to worry about suffering from personal flaws. And Cinder's original goal in life, the one that ties up to her peak performance in a fight, is to never suffer again.

Thinking of this, the young woman did what she could to muster all her strength to pull herself up. It's futile to allow these limitations to hold her back. She was stronger- much stronger than this. And she had people to get back to. She couldn't allow this to stop her, not this- not the aimless sense of being lost, not the fact that this cold was leaving her the most nervous she could get. But as she did so, something else happened. Warmth appeared and started to approach, she couldn't pinpoint the origin of it but… she also heard footsteps. Soft, echoing all around and once more leaving her clueless to where this was coming from. She remained quiet, but still kept trying to call forth her own might, ignoring the quiet voice of letting this happen since… this wasn't a voice she wanted to hear. Not when it ruined her father in the process. Sure, John was her dad but he was the first to say that she shouldn't be obliged to forget the past. The only reason for her to try to do so is if she didn't want to look back at the pain. And she wanted to, because, through the pain, she could see… the memories that led her to joy. That shaped the first idea of being a good person. The very first concept that allowed her to then grow thanks to her adoptive father's teachings, his patience, his kindness and… his sense of duty.

Cinder Bukharin, Leader of the White Fang's Vale Branch, had a duty upon her subordinates. As a leader, she was to lead by example and truth. She was supposed to be the strongest even when she was the weakest. She had to pull her own weight if she wanted to truly show her true self, to show through her action that she was a true leader. And right now, she tried to fight off the restraint… only to be stopped by a warm hand pressing by her right shoulder. It grasped softly, almost nervously but in a caring way.

"You don't look well," The unknown figure stated, her feminine voice highlighting an upbeat girl with an outgoing personality. Similar to Nora but… more bubbly, less nervous. "Here, let me help."

The warmth increased and Cinder spent a few seconds to realize what this new unknown factor had done. Her head was set on a warm lap, she could feel skin but also some fabric tied to short pants. The hand shifted, not longer by her shoulder, but by the right side of her head. It stopped by the cheek, ignoring Cinder's visible unease as it tried to softly mellow out the tension by treating the young woman to a state of calm and quiet care.

"This is really unexpected. I never had any of my… Well, Winter calls them descendants, but I guess we're not related, so I would say… heirs? Yes, that would work," The girl hummed, thinking about the details rather than the general topic. "Still, you are the first of the many users of my powers to reach this point. And I guess it's quite odd since you are stuck in a weird line between life and death."

W-What?

"Wait no, this is- I didn't mean to make it sound so bad, it's… it's more like you are still really alive, but your conscience is tapping that line, just enough to draw me here and… And I really think Winter would make a finer job at this. I'm not really the 'brain' of the group. Or was."

What is she… talking about?

"Still, you are here. I think… Your name is Cinder Bukharin, right? Curious last name, let me check on a couple of things so we can chat properly and… Oh my!?"

Cinder tensed up, her mind picking up a probe or something like that. A nudge, a soft push to enter inside her-

"S-St- St!" Her lips finally bowed to her command, but not enough to let out a word. Only a letter or two even if she tried her best. Yet, her attempt wasn't left unnoticed as the woman's humming stopped.

"Oh? Oh no, I wasn't trying to be too pushy about it. Just getting a quick look about the situation. And I'm surprised by… your dad, right? John Bukharin… he sure has Dad's magical pattern. And Mom's. How… How does a single individual have two magical patterns?"

Her words stopped making sense to Cinder. What was she talking about? Dad and Mom? Who were they? And how did those connect to her father?

"Hmm, this is quite the puzzling situation. I really don't know what is going on here but… Yes, I think this will do. Now… let's talk~!"

The world shifted, this time drawing Cinder out of the darkness and cold and into a warmer location. She finally could open her eyes as her own posture changed, no longer lying and being given a lap-pillow, but now sitting on a soft-pillowed couch that left her in a state of unnatural peace. In front of her, a girl stood with the brightest smile possible. She had long dark-pink hair and eyes of the same shade. She wore a white sleeveless shirt and short pants with suspenders. All in all, she looked younger than she was. Maybe around the age range between her and Nora.

"So," She spoke with an incredibly excited voice. "Let's talk about your dad~!"

What?

"I mean- not that way. The one with creepy daddy attachments is generally Spring, I'm normal. I swear!"

...WHAT?!