A Changed World

A/N: Just a reminder, the release of this chapter means a new chapter over on P atreon as well, where my patrons are voting on the future direction of the story!

-x-X-x-

"I'm sorry Ozpin, but my hands are tied on this. If the Mistralians want a fight, I won't have any choice but to give them one. If I don't, the Atlesian Ruling Council was simply have me replaced with someone who will."

Slamming his fist down onto his desk, the Headmaster of Beacon Academy and secret immortal wizard snarls in a rare, uncharacteristic display of real anger.

"And what of the threat that even now waits for us to lower our guard?! Surely the Grimm must continue to take precedent! This latest ploy is only that… a ploy! She's waiting for us to overextend, or worse, start a war that none of us will win! You MUST make the Council see reason, General, as I have here in Vale!"

The digital version of General James Ironwood stands with his arms clasped behind his back, his shoulders squared, and his head held high. Staring Ozpin dead in the eye, the General shakes his head slowly.

"You know my influence is far more limited than your own, old friend. The Council has bent me their ear quite a few times these past few couple of years, and they've listened to me far more than I would have expected. But now… with Mistral encroaching on our borders and making noises about annexing more of our lands, Atlas is being moved towards a war footing. The Atlesian Council will not allow us to be conquered by the enemies at our gates just because of an ephemeral might-be enemy lurking in the shadows."

Before Ozpin can blow up again, Ironwood raises a hand and cuts him off.

"Those are not my words, Ozpin, but the words of my superiors. I know the threat to be real, but without more concrete evidence of what we're truly facing, I can't convince anyone of anything. Even telling them the truth as we know it at this point will probably have little effect. The Council has to deal in facts these days, and the facts are what they are… Mistral is pressuring us, making demands for our technology and land. Atlas won't take that lying down, you know we can't."

After a moment, Ozpin's shoulders slump and he leans back in his high-back chair, nodding reluctantly. Looking sympathetic and somewhat pained, Ironwood lets out a sigh, about to speak again before something off to the side calls his attention.

"I have to go, Ozpin. Talk again soon."

And with that the connection is terminated. After a beat of silence, Ozpin speaks in a soft, almost broken voice.

"It's barely been two years and we're already back at each other's throats…"

One might think he was talking to himself, but in truth the office wasn't as empty as that. Stepping forward, Professor Glynda Goodwitch looks upon her superior with concern and worry, sharing his sentiment.

"I can't believe the Mistralians would be so foolish, so… power-hungry. Do they truly think that this is the best path forward? Even if… even if the Grimm WERE gone…"

Ozpin slices a hand through the air, his face momentarily transforming into a rictus of hatred and loathing.

"But they're NOT, Glynda. We both know they're not. This… it's all just a ploy. It has to be."

Indeed, it had been two years since a single living soul on all of Remnant had laid eyes on a Grimm. After centuries upon centuries of the Grimm being a known entity, of them constantly nipping at the edges of civilization, consistently destroying villages and settlements and crashing up against the walls of the Kingdoms of Humanity… they were just gone, vanishing seemingly overnight from all occupied lands.

No one understood what was happening. At first, no one had even noticed. It'd taken weeks before they'd started to actually catch on to the sudden complete cessation of Grimm attacks. It'd taken a full year before they'd deigned to hope. And then… and then there'd been a mad rush as everyone got greedy. Suddenly, expanding their borders didn't seem like such an impossibility anymore. Suddenly, pushing out and mining Dust from what had previously been Grimm-infested territory was a viable and altogether low-cost option.

It was the greatest economic boon that Remnant had ever seen, and Ozpin should know, he had lived through much of the planet's history. But at the same time, Beacon's Headmaster knew it HAD to be a trap. And now, in these past few weeks as they'd hit the two year anniversary of the Grimm's disappearance, the trap had made itself clear, based entirely in human greed and ambition.

Mistral, the largest of the four Kingdoms, rather than expanding outwards into former dangerous territory, was instead eyeing up its neighbors and apparently sensing weakness. In spite of Atlas' technological advantage, Mistral had a population advantage that none could possibly rival. Indeed, they clearly believed they could bully their neighbors into submission without the Grimm getting in the way.

They were probing Atlas' borders and had even started doing the same with Vale. So far, Ozpin had been able to use his immense political influence to keep the Councilors of Vale from taking the bait and provoking all out war. But how much longer he would be able to do so, he did not know. Indeed, if Mistral decided to continue their provocations…

"Glynda, I have need of you. We need… we need proof. We need evidence that can be disseminated throughout the Kingdoms."

Straightening up, Glynda pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose, causing them to glint as she looks at the Headmaster with a serious expression on her face.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Wincing, Ozpin nods and pulls open a drawer in his desk, removing a device and setting it out in front of him, between them.

"Yes. This should… this device should allow you to send back images, hopefully even video. I need you to go to the Land of Darkness and hunt HER down. Find her, record her, and send the proof of her existence back to me."

A low sigh leaves Ozpin's lips as he looks down at the long-distance transmitter, a device that will attach to Glynda's scroll in order to boost the signal even all the way out there, in a wasteland that no human has traversed and come back from in centuries.

"It should be me… but I dare not leave Humanity completely undefended. I… I know what I'm asking of you. If I had the choice, I would leave her existence hidden forever. But this latest plot of hers… it threatens to cause the Kingdoms to destroy each other. No doubt, she will come in afterwards and wipe the last humans from existence. Our only hope of saving anyone is to convince the Kingdoms that they have to unite against their common enemy… sentient Grimm, capable of long-term thinking and strategy."

Reaching out, Glynda Goodwitch takes the device from his desk and nods resolutely.

"I understand, sir. I won't let you down."

Slumping back in his chair, Ozpin smiles wanly.

"I know you won't, Glynda. But… you don't have to leave today. Take a day or two. Say your goodbyes. And then… go save the world, my dear girl."

One more sharp nod, and then the Professor turns and walks out of the office at a crisp pace, no doubt off to make preparations for her long and perilous journey. It's a Hail Mary to be sure, and Ozpin doesn't even know if it'll pay off. But if anyone can manage to penetrate to the heart of the Land of Darkness and locate Salem, then it will be Glynda.

He can only hope she'll succeed… otherwise, he doesn't know what will happen next.

-x-X-x-

"My daughter is a Champion! Not some common soldier!"

"Of course, Lord Nikos, of course. Which is why we're here to offer her an Officer's Commission. The Mistralian Army could use someone of her talents higher up in the ranks. A Lieutenant to start, with room for advancement from there."

"Well now, that does sound more like it…"

As her father and the recruiter hash out the details of her eventual deployment, Pyrrha clutches at the top of her legs, not able to look either of them in the eye. The young woman hadn't thought things would turn out like this, but it seemed her dreams of escaping Mistral to attend Beacon Academy had gone up in flames. Indeed, she wouldn't be attending ANY Hunter Academy now… instead she would be joining Mistral's newly formed Military Academy for the express purpose of being fast tracked to an officer rank in the enhanced and enlarged Mistralian Army.

… Was it just her, or did this all feel a little bit fast? Really, it was great and all that the Grimm were seemingly gone. For the first time in living memory, they could live without fear of the monsters made of bone and shadow. But at the same time… Pyrrha had been excited to become a huntress. She'd been excited to protect innocents from the Grimm monsters that preyed at humanity's borders.

The young Mistralian Champion was not quite so excited at the prospect of fighting the war that Mistral was so obviously gearing up for. She could read the writing on the wall, after all. It seemed incredibly obvious that the increased conscripting of Mistralian citizens into the increasingly mobilized Mistralian Military wasn't just to 'deal with the enhanced bandit threat plaguing Anima'. No, there was no way that was the truth.

But… what could Pyrrha do about it? With the Kingdoms closing their borders to one another, or more specifically, Mistral closing its borders to Vale and Atlas and them doing the same to it, her escape plan of attending Beacon was off the table. And her father… her father was all too interested in the further glory she could earn their family name from within the Mistralian Military Apparatus.

Pyrrha Nikos was stuck, and she didn't see a way out of the bleak, dark future she found herself staring into.

-x-X-x-

It's only when the insistent knock comes the third time that Jacques Schnee lets out a low sigh and sets down the scroll he was reading, looking up at the door of his office.

"Come in."

When his middle child walks into the room with a determined look on her face, her hands balled into fists, and purpose in her every step, Jacques sighs again. As Weiss Schnee comes to a stop in front of his desk, he holds up a hand, cutting her off before she can do more than open her mouth.

"Weiss, if you're here to try and convince me to send you off to Beacon again, the answer remains the same. I can't in good conscious send my heir, the SDC's next CEO, off to a foreign Kingdom for schooling. Not at a time like this. Relations between Vale and Atlas haven't broken down to the point that they have between us and Mistral, thank god, but that doesn't mean it's safe. Especially when the SDC has never been stronger, never been more powerful. We're on the rise, and any moment of weakness will be pounced upon by our enemies."

To her credit, Weiss lets him speak his piece, not interrupting him even once as Jacques patiently and calmly explains to his second daughter exactly why she cannot go to Beacon Academy for Hunter Training. While part of him does feel a little bit of pity over it, a far larger part of him is relieved. After all, it's so much easier to say no to her now with such legitimate and overwhelming reasons for her to stay by his side, in Atlas.

Unfortunately, his daughter is as stubborn as he is. And it seems, her goals have changed.

"Father… I appreciate your points. Which is why I'm not here today to talk to you about Beacon."

Raising an eyebrow, Jacques waits for the other shoe to drop. It does in short order.

"Is it true? The rumors that Mistral might attack any day and Atlas is gearing up for war as a result?"

Stiffening, Jacques presses his lips tightly together, his eyes flashing as he narrows his eyes at Weiss.

"And where did you hear a thing like that?"

Sniffing delicately, his Heir waves a hand through the air as if to dismiss his question.

"Unimportant. Your reaction is enough to tell me that the information is actionable. In which case… I formally request your permission to enroll in the Atlesian Military, like my sister before me."

"Denied! Your sister joined the Atlesian Military against my direct wishes! It's why she's no longer my heir! Weiss, your place is here, continuing your lessons and preparing to take over the SDC when I'm gone!"

For the first time since the conversation began, Weiss' calm, cool, and collected countenance falls away. She reddens and seems one beat away from stomping her feet in a fit.

"That's not fair! How am I supposed to focus on my lessons when Winter is going to be out there risking her life on covert ops for Atlas?! How am I supposed to think about running a business when we're going to soon be at WAR with another Kingdom! Atlas needs all the help it can get! I can be just as much a boon to them as Winter has been, and when it's all said and done, the SDC will have greater ties to the Atlesian Military then ever before because of it! Father, can't you see what a boon this could be to our family?!"

"… Or I could lose you. The SDC could lose you. No, Weiss. It's too great of a risk to take."

"You would still have Whitley."

"Weiss… don't talk like that. And no more talk of this idea in general. I don't want to hear any more about you joining the military. Now, unless there was something else…?"

His second daughter and heir is quiet for a moment, mulish in her silence, before turning on her heel and practically stomping her way out of the office. Jacques watches her go before letting out another sigh. Something told him that wouldn't be the last of it. Not by a long shot.

-x-X-x-

"Don't you worry, Rubes! I'll be sure to message you on my scroll every night, kay?"

"K-kay…"

"And besides, you'll have dad and Zwei still, right? How can you be lonely when they're around?!"

Doing a valiant job of holding back her tears, a silver-eyed young woman hurriedly wipes the condensation from her eyes with the back of her hand, her lip wobbling as she looks at her sister.

"I-It just won't be the same without you!"

Yang Xiao-Long groans and pulls her little sister Ruby Rose into another big hug. Unfortunately, there's nothing for it. A year older than Ruby, Yang is going to Beacon now. Ruby will be going to Beacon next year. It sucks, but that's just the way it is. There was always going to be a year where the two inseparable sisters were… well, separated.

Still, that didn't make it any easier, standing on the docks waiting for the airship to Beacon to arrive and having to say goodbye to Ruby when the other girl was clearly not taking her departure well. Ever since they'd lost Summer, Ruby had been clingy. To be fair, Yang had been too. But they couldn't be at each other's side forever, unfortunately. No, rather… this was always inevitable, wasn't it?

Could be worse though, Yang can't help but think. Ruby might not be aware of it, but Yang is old enough to be keeping up with snippets of international news. What she's hearing about what's happening in Mistral… it makes her blood run cold. Some might say that there's no real need for hunters anymore, with the Grimm seemingly up and disappearing one day two years ago.

Yang disagrees. Not only because she lost an adoptive mother to the Grimm and finds it hard to grasp that they could ever truly be gone, but also because from the look of things, even in their absence, the Grimm were causing fucking problems. Or rather, the distinct lack of Grimm was causing problems and making the greedy fuckers at the top of the pile want more for themselves.

If it wasn't Mistral, Yang figures that it probably would have been Atlas. Even when the Grimm WERE around, it hadn't stopped the former Mantle and Mistral from teaming up to try and conquer Vale and Vacuo eighty years ago in a brutal ten year long war. Now with the Grimm gone… yeah, shit was about to hit the fan.

The things Yang would hopefully learn at Beacon would help her be ready for when that happened. The skills she would learn as a huntress wouldn't just make her a better fighter against the Grimm after all, but also against her fellow human. Her and Ruby… they would both need to be ready if fighting ever came to their doorstep.

A sudden loud horn startles Yang out of her thoughts and she and Ruby reluctantly pull apart, turning to see the airship that Yang is scheduled to get on in the next five minutes to make her way to Beacon Academy. The two sisters say their final goodbyes and it takes all of Yang's willpower to keep walking forward, even when she hears Ruby's quiet hiccupping behind her.

It would be hard… but Yang refused to let the world take anyone else from her. She would grow strong enough to protect her family… no matter what.

-x-X-x-

"With the Grimm gone, this is our chance! We don't have TIME to meddle in the other Kingdoms, not any longer! We've got ourselves an opportunity to turn Menagerie into a powerhouse of industry and commerce!"

"And what, leave our brothers and sisters to suffer in the SDC work camps? Just because we're free doesn't mean that all of them are! They deserve a chance just like we do!"

"Can we afford to risk it? Without the cover of the Grimm, with the Kingdoms all mobilizing for war…"

"Bah! War is exactly what we want to see the humans bring upon each other! That way, we can swoop in and free our brethren while they're killing one another."

As the back and forth fills the large room, Blake Belladonna sits quietly in a corner, her cat ears flicking back and forth as she bites her lip nervously. Honestly, she probably shouldn't even be here. This is a meeting of the White Fang's upper echelons, their higher leadership. Lieutenants and up, only. And Blake is not a Lieutenant.

What she is, is a trophy, and she knows it too. Her father, Ghira Belladonna, was the original High Leader of the White Fang. He and her mother, Kali Belladonna, had built the original White Fang from nothing. And then, through their own weakness and their lack of a willingness to do what needed to be done, they'd ultimately lost control of the White Fang.

Blake had joined up in direct defiance of her father's wishes, and that made her somewhat special in the White Fang. While ostensibly she was just another grunt, in truth her presence added a degree of legitimacy thanks to her lineage. It was some messed up nepotism to be sure, but when Adam had dragged her into this meeting, no one had so much as batted an eye.

Now though, now Blake was sitting alone while Adam argued for the plight of Faunus everywhere, sparring verbally over the length of the room with one of the more moderate White Fang Lieutenants, one who thought they should focus more on building Menagerie up now that the Grimm were supposedly gone, rather than provoking the other Kingdoms like they'd been doing.

Blake… Blake wasn't sure what she thought. Although, part of her couldn't help but think that the White Fang's current High leader, Sienna Khan, had already come to a decision. After all, why else would the Bengal Tiger Faunus call them all back to Menagerie? Why would she order every single White Fang cell to retreat to the unofficial Faunus Kingdom a month ago?

Returning home had been… well, not easy. Blake still hadn't gone to see her parents. She wasn't sure she would, at this point. She definitely didn't want to. D-Definitely didn't miss them…

Either way, Sienna was keeping her true thoughts close to the chest at the moment. The Tiger Faunus was sat back on her throne, watching with sharp eyes as Adam and his opposite among the Lieutenants argued their points. Others would interject, offering their own opinions, but never Sienna. Sienna was watching them all like the predator she was, while Blake in turn watched Sienna. But… not like a predator. She watched the White Fang's High Leader carefully and cautiously, trying to gauge which way the Bengal Tiger Faunus would ultimately fall.

Remnant was changing. Blake didn't quite know what her place in it would end up being. All she knew was that she was loyal to the cause, and Adam was right, he had to be right. With the Grimm pulling back, the SDC had ramped up their mining and production of Dust like never before. And as always, it was the Faunus who were the vast majority of workers in their mining camps. Only the White Fang could save those poor impoverished souls…

-x-X-x-

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