Scorching White

My name is Silva Branwen, and currently, I am enjoying lunch with my extended family. As I ate, my thoughts wandered to how Weiss was doing against whatever test Willow had set up for her; maybe she failed and would attend Atlas instead Beacon. I can only wait to hear back from the Schnee matriarch for now. Only two months left until the next semester at Beacon starts, and by now, Cinder should have started her hunt for the Fall Maiden.

The Fall Maiden is probably the easiest for the fiery woman to track down; Spring's status is mostly unknown due to the fact Raven has been lying low for years, and unless Salem told her pawn about my connection, there is not much to go off. The Winter Maiden is under lock and key up in Atlas still, which would require a lot of planning and resource to get to the old woman. And tracking down the Summer Maiden through the deserts of Vacuo is not easy, if not next to impossible, without local help.

Thinking of Vacuo, I recalled the Crown organization, which might be a long overdue visit. Letting that group run around would prove to be a nuisance, especially with that delusional man-child Jax Asturias running the show with his brainwashing Semblance. Of course, Vacuo can probably take care of itself and would probably ask Beacon for help if backed into a corner. I decided to leave that debate for later as I had more immediate concerns. In contrast, Cinder will be acquiring the Maiden Powers purely for herself, as Salem is not out to get the Relics anymore.

I have Emerald with me so that she may find a replacement for the mint-haired girl, and Mercury should soon kill his father, Marcus Black. I then remembered that the assassin had a Semblance that could steal other Semblances. While I have no interest in collecting Semblances, Marcus' ability could open some new doors in my studies on Souls. As I finished up my lunch, I made a quick trip to my underground vault to grab the Lamp, and I called out.

" Jinn."

The exotic woman appeared and greeted me with a friendly smile.

" Hello, Silva, your off to acquire Marcus Black, correct?'

" Yes, Jinn, any questions?"

" Always."

Jinn and I shared a smile, and she asked.

" What comes to mind in what you hope to achieve with that assassin's Semblance?"

I considered the genie's question for a few moments, then told her.

" For starts to identify the part of the Soul that Semblances derive from and possibly what other parts constitute a Soul. Plus, if I can identify Semblances within a Soul, there is a chance I can possibly learn to edit Semblances through Magic!"

One thing I have learned from the combined knowledge of Salem and Ozma is that Magic could recreate the effects of Semblances with enough know-how and practice. My first thought was to Uncle Qrow; I could maybe edit his Semblance to allow him to turn off his Misfortune at will and make his life easier. My plans to catch and experiment on Marcus gained new vigor. I already knew where he was in case I felt the need to deal with Mercury early on or lie in wait for Cinder.

Regardless I have an assassin to catch. I opened a Portal to the outside, and Jinn followed me as I started to freefall from the sky as I made my way to Marcus Black and his son. With time being stopped, it did not feel long as I reached the assassin's residence and found him outside training his son or, more accurately, beating on him, seeing the bruises on the guy's face with a bloody lip. Marcus looked like an older meaner version of his son, and I opened a portal under the assassin to send him to my lab.

I soon followed and started to place restraints along with blinds and a gag. I turned towards Jinn and thanked her.

" Thank you, as always, Jinn, for answering my call."

" It's my pleasure, Silva, and I look forward to what new knowledge you discover in your experiments."

The genie returned to her Lamp, and time moved forward again. I could hear Marcus's muffled cries as he had no idea how he winded up here and went to work on him by starting with Soul Archive to understand how his Semblance worked for him. Hmm, I am going to need to catch some criminals that have their Semblance unlocked to run the necessary tests on developing the Magic Spell I have in mind.

***

Cinder left Junior's club with a satisfied smile at gaining the information she wanted, namely how to find or contact with the various assassins, mercenaries, less than reputable Huntsmen/Huntress, and other criminals for hire. At the top of her list was Vale's best assassin Marcus Black. As she walked to her next destination, she passed by a mint-haired girl with dark skin, and she did not give her a second look as the fiery woman planned to get the power she felt she always deserves.

Days went by quickly as Cinder went to find Marcus Black to make her team for hunting down the Fall Maiden. The fiery woman found the assassin's abode to see a young man with gray hair napping on the porch, and she called all.

" Excuse me."

The young man just kept on snoozing away and Cinder called out more loudly to rouse him as her patience ran thin quickly.

" WAKE UP!"

The young man woke up with a start and asked with an annoyed look.

" What!?"

" Is this the residence of Marcus Black?"

" Yeah."

The young man curtly replied as he stretched, and Cinder asked.

" Is he in?"

" Nope."

The young answered by popping the P and quickly guessed why the fiery woman was there.

" You need someone killed?"

" In a matter of speaking. Do you know when he will be back?"

The young man held his chin in thought before answering with a shrug while saying.

" Probably never."

" What do you mean?"

Cinder asked with narrowed eyes, and the young man answered.

" One moment, he was here "training" me, and the next, gone without a trace and I haven't heard from him since."

The fiery woman started to reconsider her options and then looked at the young man before her more closely and had an idea.

" Tell me, when you said Marcus was training you, how would you compare yourself to him?"

The young man narrowed his eyes and stayed silent for a moment before answering.

" If I had the chance, I would kill him."

" Hmm, in that case, I have a proposition for you."

Cinder said with an alluring smile, and the young man said.

" I'm listening."

" I have a need for people with specific skillsets for a certain endeavor of mine."

" Go on."

" If you are as good as you suggest you are then I would like to invite you in place of Marcus Black."

The young man considered the offer for a moment, then said casually.

" Sure, why not? I have nothing better to do right now."

" Excellent; now then, since we are going to be working together, what is your name?"

The young man smirked as he introduced himself.

" The name's Mercury. Mercury Black."

" Well, Mercury, shall we leave?"

" One last thing."

Mercury entered the house, and not long after, he exited as smoke came out the windows and door with a rucksack in hand. Cinder arched an eyebrow but didn't say anything as she left to find her next pawn in her hunt with the young man following her.