Chapter 57: Dawn of a new future

"Aaaahhhh!"

"Aarhhh!"

Amber and Cinder both let out battle cries as the charges toward Howard, weaving in front of one another to keep the older man guessing. And once they got in striking range, they made their move!

With Amber in the front, the girl spun her staff, racking the dust tip across the ground before swinging it up, several feet away from Howard, creating a massive gust of wind that blew a huge amount of dirt and dust in his face, completely blinding him.

Immediately upon finishing this, the dark skinned girl peeled away, rushing to the side before the old man could counter.

At the same time, Cinder leapt into the dust cloud, flying high above where one would have to strike to hit Amber. Her goal, landing a blow while the old man thought he could knock Amber down.

However as she plunged down from the dust, swinging one of her blades down where his head should be, the deafening clang along with the heavy wall she hit, giving her a reality check as she found herself pitched against Howard's tonfa, which he had raised to block.

But before he could beat the girl in midair senseless, Amber raced around the side, her spear now fitted with fire dust. And the second she saw her partner's situation, she rushed in, aiming to stab him in the neck.

At the same time, Cinder slammed her other blade into the first, changing it into bow form as she nocked an arrow at the same time, using the tonfa as additional support as she drew the weapon.

Their pincer assault was perfectly timed, and with one going high and the other going low, most opponents would undoubtedly be feeling the pressure. Most likely retreating and giving them both another chance to attack.

But Howard was no ordinary opponent.

"Too slow!" He roared! And the next second, Cinder let out a scream as she was thrown backwards as the old man created two positive magnetic fields inside both her weapon and his.

At the same time, his free hand lashed out, fist posed to smash into Amber's head, forcing the girl to stop her attack and leap back to avoid the hit.

However the old man had planned for that and while the girl didn't realize it until it was too late, he had magnetized his glove and one of the many piles of junk lying around. Then, once he had sent the metal flying in the way he wanted, he had undid his semblance so after his opponent dodged, the metal was still following its original trajectory, right where she was!

"Aaahhh!" Amber screamed as the metal slammed into her, sending her flying backwards into a rolled car, knocking the wind from her as she fell to her hands and knees.

Gasping for breath, the girl slowly tried to stand back up, her entire body screaming in pain. She was still exhausted from the rest of the battle. Her aura was well below half, meaning if she wasn't careful, it wouldn't matter what she wanted. She'd been joining her parents very s-.

"Look out!"

Cinder scream made the dark skinned girl look up just in time as another car flew toward her, drawn by the other vehicle she was next to.

Acting instantly, Amber slammed her staff into the ground and used the wind dust to launch herself up, just barely avoiding being turned into a pancake as the two cars smashed together, crushing each other completely as she landed safely behind one of the vehicles.

Or that's what she thought.

Suddenly the car shot apart as the polarity changed to match each other. Moving at the same ridiculous speed, catching the girl off guard letting it ram into her sending her flying back with the mangled vehicle pressed against her chest.

"Amber!" Cinder screamed as she saw her partner come to a stop as she hit with enough force that the car bounced off her before flying and landing a few feet away, completely crushed beyond any form of recognition.

"Now for you!" Howard bellowed, immediately shooting towards the dark haired girl without moving his feet, flying as if he had been shot from a cannon.

Thinking fast, Cinder slammed her fist into the ground as she activated her semblance, creating a massive steam bomb hiding her from view.

But despite this, Howard landed his power kick against her chest, sending her flying back where she crashed into a pile of junk where, before she had even finished coughing up her lungs, the top half of the pile came crashing down, burying her beneath it.

"Hiding is pointless." Howard said as he lowered his arm, which he had used to bring the pile crashing down. "As long as you have metal on your person, I can find you, crush you. If you want to win, you must rid yourself of all metals. If not, you can't escape me. Remember, back in my prime, not even Qrow would be able to face me without going all out."

With that, he calmly spun and reached out, grabbing Amber's spear as she tried to stab him in the back of the head.

"Also, I've mastered the power of sensing aura. So unless you can distract me, sneak attacks are pointless too." He said, then effortlessly pulled the girl in, slamming his forehead against her face before dragging her around and throwing her right into the same pile he had just used to bury Cinder.

But Amber wasn't done!

Spinning midair, Amber released a blast of wind from her staff, slowing her before launching her right back at Howard. Meanwhile, as she flew, she began firing fireballs at her opponent, forcing him to raise his arm to shield himself from the blasts.

At the same time, a huge burst of flames shot out from the pile of scrap, burning it away revealing Cinder underneath, roaring as she emerged. Immediately grabbing one of her arrows, she fired a shot right at the old man's feet.

With that in place, Amber, using her momentum, swung her staff at Howard's tonfa blade, cutting the fire crystal in two against the sturdy weapon and sending the girl flying off to one side.

"Now!" She screamed, and Cinder reacted immediately, activating her semblance, detonating the arrow and causing the volatile dust to go off completely engulfing the old man in an explosion!

But the battle was far from over.

Landing several feet away, Amber took two more dust crystals from her pouches, one in half the other whole. Quickly as she could, she ripped the wind crystals out from the end of her staff and stuck in the split fire crystals. Then she stuck the half crystal, a lightning crystal, into her staff, with the other whole one, an ice crystal, in between the two have.

Now armed with four elements, Amber spun to see Cinder had been firing into the smoke, covering her while she changed her blades.

Which proved to be vital as a second after she looked over, Howard shot from the smoke, flying at the dark haired girl, his fists raised blocking any ranged attacks.

Seeing this, Amber immediately spun her staff, blasting herself toward Howard with the fire and wind half, while shooting at him with the ice and lightning part, forcing him to readjust his guard to block her attacks.

Taking advantage of this, Cinder slammed her hands onto the ground and activated her semblance, heating the ground to the point where some of the metal on the ground began to melt, which she detonated the second Howard was in range.

But it wasn't enough.

Neither Amber attacks, nor Cinder's explosion stopped the man. And as he shot from the smoke of the dark haired girl's attack, he brought his hand down, striking her atop the head, ripping her neck down as it followed her skull.

Without giving her the time to recover, Howard attacked again, punching her in the stomach with enough force to lift her several feet off the ground before clasping his hands and bringing them both down on the girl, sending her crashing to the ground with so much force she bounced off the hard surface at his feet, her aura flickering.

Seeing this, Howard raised his foot, ready to finish the fight and kill his opponent in the same stroke. But before he could, Amber slammed into him, driving her spear into his ribs, forcing him back into the blast area of Cinder's attack where he regained his footing.

"Ahhh!" Amber screamed, releasing a volley of fast attacks with her staff, dancing and twirling around to try to get around his guard to no avail. Try as she might, he effortlessly blocked each and every one of her blows, his massive frame not even budging.

Calmly, the old man activated his semblance, magnetizing both his weapon and a large slab of sheet metal behind the girl. Immediately, the metal was ripped from the ground, flying toward Amber from her blind spot, aiming to knock her off balance so he could land a finishing blow.

However, things didn't go that way.

"Behind you!"

Reacting immediately to her partner's warning, Amber backflipped over the metal approaching her from behind, sailing gracefully over it as it slammed into the old man, forcing him to take another staggering step back before he regained his balance, sending a glare at Cinder.

"You little-!" He began, but was cut off as a blast of ice and lightning rained down on him from above, forcing him to throw his tonfa up as a guard against it.

Amber, landing next to her partner, continued to rain attacks down on her opponent from a distance, keeping him locked in place. Beside her, Cinder raised her hand as she squeezed her eyes together in concentration, activating her semblance.

Immediately, the area around Howard began to glow as small fragments of glass and fire dust were activated.

Eyes widening, Howard realized what had happened. Cinder had broken up and hidden some of her arrows in the dirt. So if he walked back into the blast area, she could launch a massively powerful counter attack without any set up! An explosion of this magnitude might shatter even his aura. Or at least put a sizable dent in it.

And somehow Amber had picked up on that! Even adding in her endeavor. Pushing him back into a death trap while having faith her partner wouldn't just blow them both up. That was gutsy. Gutsy and very unexpected.

Back when he had first met the two, he hadn't expected them to be able to work as a team, or at least not an effective one. Between the two's complicated relationship and their own mental trauma, he expected them to completely fall apart the moment things started going south.

And to an extent, he had been right. Adelaide had predicted they would fall apart if enough pleasure was applied, which had happened. But the way they were fighting now, you'd never have guessed that they had ever been at odds. Almost managing to land a killer blow against him!

Too bad almost wasn't enough.

Immediately Howard planted his feet and while still blocking Amber's barrage, brought his hands together as if in prayer, as the ground around him began to shift, blowing outward as if being picked up by the wind. Steam started to pour from his body as it began to heat up and the area around him began to distort as the air itself became dense and heavy with his aura.

The next second, the entire area around the old man disappeared in a huge fiery explosion. Shooting skyward in a massive heat that made the previous explosion look like a firecracker in comparison.

Flames from the dust licked at the sky and formed a mushroom shape as they went, heat radiating off it carried by the shockwaves.

Immediately both girls were forced to dig their weapons into the ground to stop themselves from being blown away, both shielding their eyes from any loose debris that flew past them.

"D-did we get him?" Amber asked as she watched the explosion die out. "Even with his massive reserves of aura, no way he survived that, right?"

Beside her, Cinder slowly stood up, her blades tightly gripped in his hands, eyes fixed on the smoke still trailing from the blast, obscuring their opponent. She had seen Howard clasp his hands and recognized that move. And while an attack from below was very different from a front on one, she had a bad feeling that this battle was far from over.

Suddenly, the sound of grating metal perked the girls' ears. Immediately they both throw themselves out of the way as several metal objects shot from behind the smoke, slamming into the metal piles behind them.

"Humph. You're good, too good. I had hoped that would have finished you off. This is getting tiresome." Howard said calmly stepping out of the smoke, not a scratch on his from the attack causing both girls to bite their lips.

This was bad. That had been their most powerful attack with the least amount of setup. Combining that with their perfectly timed attack told them that not only were they not fast enough to land a decisive blow, they didn't have anything powerful enough to break through that barrier.

Nervously, both girls took a step back, eyes flicking around in case Howard launched another attack while Amber tried desperately to formulate a plan before it was too late.

But while they might not have realized it, Howard was just as desperate.

The old man let out a grunt of annoyance as he glanced up at the sun. Its position was noticeably different from when the fight had started, meaning a significant amount of time had already passed.

"Damn it!" He thought angrily to himself, tightening his grip on his weapon. "I don't have time for this. I need to hurry and finish this so I can capture that stupid singer. I still have Bobby in play. So I can still make the deadline if I finish this fast."

Slowly, his eyes shifted back down, fixing on Cinder as she began circling him. The fact that she was here told him something must have happened to Adelaide, and most likely Igor too. Meaning everything was currently riding on him. If they're goal of having a kingdom safe from the tyranny of Atlas was to be achieved, he would have to win it here.

"So be it." Howard grunt, calmly attaching the two halves of his weapon.

Immediately, both Amber and Cinder shifted into defensive stances, their gaze fixed on the old man as he pulled his weapon back and shifted his front foot forward.

"You're good. Too good." Howard said again as he glared at his opponents. "Under these conditions I doubt I'll be able to defeat you in time to continue our plan. Which means I can't afford to take things easy anymore. So I'm sorry, but this is where you both die."

With that, he hurled his weapon into the air, the boomerang flying high into the sky well above both girls' heads causing them to look up after it in confusion.

What was he doing? That was way too high to hit them and given the nature of the weapon, it wouldn't come down on either of them. So why on Remnant was he basically just throwing away his own weapon? It didn't make sen-!

Suddenly, the air was filled with a rumbling sound that immediately drew both girls' attention to their surroundings. All around them, the metal of the scrapyard began rising into the air. Everything from small utensils to massive cars were being lifted up toward the boomerang as they were drawn in by an unseen power.

It was like watching a magnet move over iron sand, everywhere the boomerang went, the metal underneath it was scooped up and dragged after the weapon, trailing just behind it. Even Cinder's swords felt the strong pull of the magnetic force on them, making the girl take a staggering step as she desperately tried to keep hold of her blades.

"Powerful, isn't it?" Howard called as she stood there, arms folded as the sky above the scrapyard darkened as the metal blotted out the sun. "This is my ultimate attack. Normally I use it to decimate armies or destroy fortresses, I've actually rarely used it against normal opponents. But given the time-sensitive situation at hand, I really don't have time to be choosy."

Above them, the entire worth of the scrapyard now hung suspended in the air, completely blocking out any light casting the three in darkness. Immediately, Amber took a faltering step back, her limbs shaking in terror as she looked up at the mass of metal.

This was ridiculous! She knew Howard was strong, but not this strong. No way one man had enough aura to pull something like this off. It was impossible. Surly stuff like this existed only in story and video games, right?

Yet here it was, happening right before her eyes. An entire scrapyard's worth of metal blotting out the sun, flying wildly around as the boomerang circled the area, picking up every last piece of scrap that it could.

Suddenly, Amber felt a pull from her bracers and the spaulder on her shoulder. Taking a staggering step back, she found herself trapped in place as her metal armor felt the pull from the magnet above them, trying to add them to its collection.

Beside her, Cinder's blades were raised into the air as the girl struggled to pull them back down, rendering her immobile as well.

"You feel that? Good. It means that everything is working." Cinder and Amber both turned at the sound of their opponent's voice to see he had his hand extended toward them, finger open but strained as if he was squeezing something. "This attack not only is unblock-able, but also tricky to dodge. Only a select few have even seen it and of them you two are the youngest. It's almost sad how much potential dies here."

Calmly, he took a step forward, watching the girls take another staggering step as they fought to keep themselves on the ground.

"Still, it bodes well for the strength of this generation. It means we're well on the right track to restoring things to their rightful place. It means Vale is starting to heal." He said as he raised his other hand towards the sky in the same position. "So take what solace you can in knowing that as you die!"

With that, the metal suddenly broke from formation, shooting down towards Amber and Cinder as the polarity suddenly changed, turning the metal on them into the new strongest pull that drew the airborne metal. And with the momentum they had built up following the boomerang around, they had enough speed to impale a train, let alone a human body!

As the metal shot down, Amber glanced over at Cinder. This was bad with her current aura level, she wouldn't be able to block this! Hell, she wasn't sure if she could in her current state as she could literally see the metal heat up and start to melt from the speed alone.

And if that much metal moving that fast got through their cloak, it would kill them without question.

And as the metal came down, the girl squeezed her eyes shut, turning her head away as she braced for impact. Her life flashing before her eyes.

Her time playing with her family and friends back in her village, her first meeting with Whinny, training to be a huntress, her parents leaving for the war, the point where everything had gone downhill, the destination of everything she knew, her time as a prisoner, her fight for freedom and waking in the military transport, the general's family when he had introduced them to her, the years of working to atone for her sins, her acceptance letter to Beacon, her first night at the school where she had first seen Adam, Eric and Cinder, the entrance exam, meeting and fighting with the girl she would soon call partner, and everything after that.

While none of it had been easy, most of it hurting like hell in fact, she remembered it fondly. A memory she thought she would cherish for the rest of her short life. And now that it was at the end, a new thought flitted into her head, one she hadn't thought of before now. One that she never thought she'd ever have.

She wanted to live with them for just a little longer.

Selfish as it was, it was what she wanted. Her new lease on life, the one her partner had promised to her.

So, if she could have just a little more power, just enough to save that future, or at least her partner. Then maybe, she could find a new meaning in life once, one not free, but baring her pain, her trauma alongside those who loved her.

"Mom, dad, Whinny. I know I don't have anything right to ask this, but if I could stay here a little longer, would that be okay?" She thought, half hoping to see them through her closed eyes. "I know I'm selfish, but I…I want to live with them more. I want to-."

Suddenly, Amber felt a pair of warm arms wrap themselves around her neck, pulling her into a tight hug as a soft voice whispered in her ear.

"Dear, you have nothing to apologize for." A woman breathed, her warm, gentle breath on the girl's ear, her familiar scent filling the girl's nose making her eyes widened in shock and surprise.

That voice, that smell, it was her mother's! She'd recognized it anywhere! She had thought she had forgotten, but even after all these years, the moment she heard it, felt it, she knew. She didn't know how, but she just knew. This feeling, the feeling of being loved, of being safe, this was what she always felt when within her mother's presence.

Yet despite knowing who this was, she did not dare look back. Afraid it would vanish if she did, or she'd be greeted with the horrific, nightmarish distortion that haunted her dreams. She didn't want her mother's memory to be tainted anymore then it already was.

"My love, you have carried this burden all your life. Suffered years for something that wasn't your fault. That is more than enough penance for any perceived wrongdoing." Her mother said. "Me and your father want you to be free, want you to be happy. If you wish to stay here, go right ahead. We will wait patiently for you and the day you do eventually join us regardless of if it's now or in seventy years. We will always be with you. So good, and take what little we can give you to make the future yours."

As she said this, Amber felt her warmth wash over her, engulfing every part of her body in unconditional love, making her heart swell.

"This is-." She began, but stopped as she felt her mother nod.

"This is our last gift." She murmured, her entry now indistinguishable from the dark skinned girl. "We can help you here and now, doing what we should have all through years ago. I'm sorry you've had to endure so much, but now you're not alone anymore. Remember they live just as we do, so don't push them away. After all, they will be your new family."

At this, a single tear ran down the girl's face. Her heart felt both full and empty at the same time. She didn't even know what to say, so instead she lowered her head and activated her semblance, this time to its fullest.

"Mom, thank-."

Before she could finish, the mass of metal came crashing down on her, slamming her to the ground with so much force, two massive mushroom clouds shot up from the impact. One for her, the other from her partner. Creating a deafening boom that drowned out the sound of the metal bending or disintegrating on impact.

Calmly, Howard stood there, watching the dirt and debris come raining down as he looked up at the destruction. Before him were two massive craters where his opponents had once stood, smoke from the impact still rising up blocking his vision.

However, he had no doubt of the outcome. Nobody had ever survived a direct hit from that move. Pockets of people if he was aiming for a fortress or something, maybe. But not when he was aiming directly at them. With his magnetized guidance and their restrictive movements, he had just buried the last of the Alsprings line.

"I'm sorry, Silver. I know this isn't what you wanted." He murmured as he opened his hand, catching his boomerang as he called it back. "I won't ask for forgiveness, just know her sacrifice wasn't in vain. I'm sure many lives will be saved from her death."

With that, the old man turned and began making his way out of the scrapyard, slinging his weapon over his shoulder as he went.

"I am truly sorry it had to come to this." He said softly. "I pray you both rest in peace for all eternity. May your demons never haunt you again, and the ones you lost greet you on the other side. I hope that-."

Suddenly a sound behind him broke the old man out of his prayers. Slowly, he turned around eyes wide with shock and disbelief. No way. It was impossible. It was inconceivable! There was no chance those kids had done what millions of dollars worth of plate armor had failed to achieve!

Yet there it was, happening right before his eyes! Amber, slowly rising to her feet, her body covered in dirt and dust, but not a single wound as despite her aura flickering, it had somehow held against his attack.

"No. That's impossible." Howard breathed out, eyes fixed on the girl. "This can't be. How on Remnant did you block my attack? Not even the generals of the Atlesian monarchy could do that? So how-?"

A groan silenced the man, causing him to look over at the second crater, his confusion growing even more as he saw what it held.

There, slowly rising from the center, was Cinder. She too was covered in dust and debris, but ultimately unharmed as well, her light blue aura flickering as well, before going out.

Wait…

Blue aura? That wasn't right. Her aura was red, wasn't it? Red or gold, Howard couldn't remember, but he definitely knew it wasn't supposed to be light blue. Something was definitely very wrong, but he didn't know what.

Looking back at the dark skinned girl, he saw that it wasn't just Cinder who's aura had suddenly changed color.

Amber had an aura cloak of bronze that looked strangely familiar to the old man, covering her, flickering out right before his eyes. A color very different to her normal yellowish brown. Closer than Cinder's shift, but definitely still noticeable.

Wait a moment, he recognized that color. It was Silver's! Her aura was incredibly distinct. He could recognize it from a mile away. How many times had he seen her using it to heal others? How many lives had it saved when serving the healing huntress? He had lost count of the people that woman had helped or treated over the years. And every time, he could see that bronze aura radiating off her like the sun.

But that was impossible! Silver was dead! Had been for years. And even then, her semblance let her close alter the effects of time on a very small scale, effectively letting her speed up a wounds natural healing process. But to do that, she needed to maintain a constant, precise amount of aura. There was no way she could be here to gift her power to someone else. Let alone have them keep it for years on end.

So how did the dark skinned girl call upon her mother's protection? It didn't make any sense! Neither had that kind of power, so what had happened? How had Amber done the impossible and gotten aid from beyond the grave? Surely there was some logical explanation for this, yet he couldn't come up with one! Not once had he seen something like this before, nothing even close! So how had an eighteen year old depressed kid cheated death?

As the old man dwelled on this, his two opponents were staggering to their feet, something completely different on their minds.

As she had watched the metal flying toward her at dizzying speeds, Cinder had thought for sure she was about to die. Yet right before the metal came down, impaling her completely, she had felt the familiar warmth of Amber's semblance wash over her. But this time stronger, more potent, and different.

This time, it wasn't just her mind that was opened, it was her whole being. Every part of herself was split open, letting her partner worm her way in, taking in all her fears and insecurities. And all the secrets she tried to keep. They were all laid bare through the link, leaving her completely exposed to her partner. And she in turn, felt all of Amber's.

The crushing guilt, the pain, the burden, all the things she wanted to say to her parents, her friend, all of them just…shared. Shared to the dark haired girl through the link with neither words nor explanation. She just…knew.

Slowly, Cinder turned to her partner, seeing herself in Amber's teary eyes. This, this was the full blast of her semblance. She could feel the warmth of the dark skinned girl's hands just below her eyes as she rubbed them, feel the ache in her heart and the hope that had blossomed in it too. She could smell the girl's scent, taste her ragged breaths, feel everything ache and bruise on her body, and embrace the warmth of her mother's aura that wrapped around her.

She didn't know what had happened, but this level of closeness, she knew it wasn't just for free. By doing this, Amber had entrusted her with the burden of baring her soul. All her most secret thoughts, and personal feelings, creating a special bond that was for them and only them. And now, Cinder would have to not only live with the pain and guilt Amber carried, but also the knowledge that this pain and grief would never go away.

And despite the daunting task placed before her, Cinder actually felt a twinge of happiness in her heart.

This bond that was being shared, it gave the girl a look inside her partner's heart. A look that for the longest time, she had wished for. Now, Amber was finally opening up, sharing her pain with her, a gesture that didn't go unappreciated by the dark haired girl. And right here and now, she swore would use this to help life whatever burden the girl faced and be the one to ease her pain when she needed it. From now on, she wouldn't leave the girl's side anymore.

After all, the person who had saved her life had asked her to look after his daughter. And she had replied that was what she intended to anyway.

And for less than a second, the dark haired girl had thought about telling her partner of the specter, but stopped when through the link, the entire interaction passed through. As well as a bit more as the man gave Amber a much more personal message.

"Cinder…" Amber began, but stopped when she couldn't find the right words. But despite that, her gratitude to the girl for being willing to stay by her side came through the link, letting Cinder feel every ounce of the emotions. And in turn, letting Amber feel Cinder gratitude for being allowed too.

"Amber, there's no need for that." The girl replied, walking over and pulling the girl into a tight hug. "You don't need to thank me, I just want you to be happy. You deserve that. And while I know you still don't think you do, I do. So, thank you for letting me be by your side. I promise you won't regret it."

Amber stood there for a second, being drowned in the sea of emotions from her partner. Then, slowly, she returned the gesture, pulling the girl against her and relishing her warmth. The feeling of her mother's arms around her had all but faded too fast. And while this was no replacement, it still filled the void in her heart that, while not completely gone, was finally beginning to heal.

There was more they both wanted to say. The things they wanted to put into words for each other's sake as much as their own. But before they could, a loud clang forced them to part as they turned to face Howard.

"Interesting." He grunted, eyes narrowed as he pulled his weapon apart. "It seems that somehow both your parents rushed in to save you. I never would have thought something like that was even possible, but it seems like this was a miracle brought in by both the unique properties of both your mother's semblance as well as yours."

Calmly, the old man slid back into a fighting stance with both blades raised and leveled at his opponents. "On your documents, it says you can create a hive mind between yourself and two other people, but perhaps that's not entirely accurate. Maybe your power is something far greater than even you realize."

His words made the dark skinned girl's ear perk up. Her ability wasn't to create a hive mind? What was he talking about? Surely he couldn't mean there was more to her semblance, could he?

"While I'm not a hundred percent sure, it definitely seems that it's not mind merging. Otherwise you'd be dead right now." Howard said, eyes flicking between his opponents, being careful not to let them out of his sight for a second as he continued. "I don't know exactly what you did, but it seems that you can share aura between anyone you're linked with, and receive or store it from others. Quite an impressive ability indeed."

At this, Amber's eyes widened in shock. The power to send or receive aura? She had never once thought she could do something like that. When she first awoke it, she had always assumed she could just link senses. And when she had lost her village, she had cursed her power and only ever thought of it as a burden.

But if so, then that meant…

"But with that said, it means you just used your last safety net. Meaning from this point in, no more miracles." Howard said, as he began walking towards them, slowly picking up speed as he went. "You will get no more second chances, no more outside help. From this point onward you are both on your own with nobody to protect you."

His pace picked up and now he was approaching at a comfortable jog, picking up speed with each passing second.

"Now with no more shields and no more hope, I can kill you both easily! So say your prayers and die already!"

Taking a step back as the man changed into a full sprint, both girls tightened their grip on their weapons.

But this time, neither felt the same overwhelming fear as before. While true it would be foolish to believe they'd get a second miracle this fight, they knew they wouldn't need it as Howard was wrong about one critical thing. They weren't alone!

Planting her feet, Cinder felt Amber move behind her as Howard shot towards them. Calmly, the dark haired girl charged forward, meeting the old man halfway where she swung both blades at him, forcing him to throw up his arm as a guard blocking her attack and knocking her off balance at the same time.

Seeing his opening, Howard shifted his weight, planning to punch her in the gut and send her flying. But as he threw his fist forward, a smirk crossed the girl's face. He had taken the bait.

Immediately she twisted, spinning out of the way as Amber thrust her spear forward, catching him by surprise as her partner's body had blocked his view of her closing distance.

But despite being caught off guard, Howard still reacted quickly, shifting his weight to roll out of the way of the thrusting point. And while it put him off balance for a second, neither girl was in a position to take advantage of it, letting him regain his footing before Amber launched a volley of fast attacks, forcing him to hold his ground as he blocked and dodged the stabs and strikes.

Seeing her partner struggling to land a hit, Cinder leapt into action, jumping out from behind Amber and going for an aerial assault, swinging both swords at Howard's head.

However as the blades came down, she felt the familiar feeling of her opponent's semblance push the metal weapons away with so much force, it carried her over Howard's head and deposited her on behind him, forcing her to do a flip in the air to avoid falling flat on her face.

But she wasn't done.

The second she landed, she slammed her swords together, forming her bow as she spun around, immediately firing an arrow into the old man's back, exploding on contact and knocking him off balance for a split second.

But that split second was all Amber needed.

Shooting forward, the dark skinned girl timed her attack perfectly, letting her stab her staff into Howard's gut before releasing a blast of fire and wind from the crystals in the center, blasting the old man back toward Cinder.

Reacting immediately, the dark haired girl stabbed both of her blades into the ground as she ducked, letting Howard fly over her before shooting back and grabbing his foot with both hands and smelting her heels into blades that dug into the ground, letting her stop the massive man's flight. Then, planting her feet, she began to swing him around in a large circle.

"Eat this!" Cinder screamed as she threw him high into the air, completely redirecting him from his original trajectory and right into the line of fire where Amber was already aiming.

Without a moment's hesitation, she began blasting huge shards of ice at the airborne man, forcing him to throw up his tonfas to create a shield to protect him from being impaled.

How, as the shards of ice broke against the metal weapon, Howard let out a scream of pain as electricity shot through his entire body, causing both girls to smile.

Amber had encased the power of lightning dust inside the ice dust, giving her a way around her opponent's seemingly impenetrable guard. Now, while they weren't out of the woods yet, they weren't completely helpless either. As together, they just might have a chance!

But Howard wasn't out of tricks just yet.

"Little brats!" He bellowed. Immediately, he activated his semblance, pulling himself to the ground where he landed on his feet, his hand shooting out towards Amber.

From behind her, some of the metal that was still intact shot from the creator, flying toward the said girl from behind. At the same moment, Howard charged forward, moving toward the dark skinned girl, using his magnetism to draw himself in at remarkably speed forming a pincer assault.

But Amber saw all of this from Cinder's eyes, and immediately formed a counter plan which appeared in her partner's mind at the same instant, effectively not just informing her of what she needed to do, but also exactly how to do it.

Spinning her staff, Amber kicked up a huge cloud of dust, blocking Howard's vision and making him swing his arm with enough force to blow the smokescreen away, and playing right into her hands.

As Howard swung, Amber shot forward, leaping into the air and spinning her body so she landed on the old man's weapon right as he swung. And by kicking off the weapon combined with the swing, Amber shot high into the air, well out of the path of the metal debris behind her. And leaving her opponent right in it.

But as the metal was about to crash into him, suddenly it deflected, as if hit by some invisible force that knocked it off course, causing it to sail to either side of him and land harmlessly on the ground.

"His semblance again?" Amber/Cinder thought. Neither was sure which had the idea, but it came to both of them at the same time thanks to the link. "No matter, I can work with this. We continue with our ware him down strategy. We can't afford to let him catch his breath!"

Taking aim, Cinder fired three arrows into the air, letting them land in three distinct points surrounding Howard. Immediately causing the ground to start to glow as they fumbled heat into it.

Seeing this, Howard spun, swinging his weapon down to smash the arrows, bellowing, "Too slow!" as he went, his tonfa dragging across the ground as he swung.

But right before he could shatter even one arrow, Amber shot down, slamming her staff down in between him and his intended target, stopping him from reaching it.

There was a short pause as Howard looked up to see Amber standing on her weapon as if it was a balance beam, her stance completely different to any he had seen her take before, causing him to freeze for half a second as he wasn't sure whether to go on the offensive or not. Giving the dark skinned girl an opening.

Immediately she cartwheeled backwards up her staff, kicking Howard in the chin as she went to the very edge of her staff where she released a burst of power from the crystal making a spine of ice shot out, slamming him in the gut and pushing her out of the area of Cinder's attack.

Which was a good thing as the next second, Howard disappeared in an explosion of flames that sent dust and dirt flying high into the air from its devastating power.

"Gah!" Howard screamed, staggering out of the blast. His eyes squeezed shut in pain and smoke trailing off his body as his blue aura flickered, catching both girls off guard. They had expected him to have a lot more than that. Was his age finally catching up to him? Or had he used it all up with that finisher move from earlier?

Either way, this meant they had to finish this fight now!

Acting immediately, Amber spun her staff around, propelling herself back toward the fight using her fire and wind dust crystal. She couldn't afford to wait. She had to end this before he regained his senses as if he did, she had no idea if they would-!

Suddenly, Howard's eyes shot open, fixing the charging girl with a death glare as he planted his feet and swung his arm wide, knocking Amber's attack aside and slamming his fist into her stomach, completely knocking the wind from her!

"Gah!" Amber wheezed, spit flying from her mouth as she struggled to breathe. The force behind his punch was so great, she knew without aura, it would have ruptured her organs.

But before she could dwell more on the subject or regain her breath, she felt something on the old man's fist shift, then a deafening bang resounded from her stomach as it was hit by something that felt like a freight train, sending her flying back and skidding into the dirt before coming to a stop several feet away, her aura flickering.

Coughing, Amber struggled to her elbow, doing her best to ignore the burning pain in her stomach as her blurry vision began to clear. Looking down, she saw Howard had somehow discharged his gauntlet, turning it into a type of railgun which explained the loud bang. And why Amber felt like throwing up.

But the girl held it in, focusing instead on breathing, she felt herself suddenly being cast into shadow.

Through Cinder's eyes, she saw Howard had jumped into the air and was swinging both tonfa down at her head. Reacting immediately, the dark skinned girl rolled out of the way, just barely managing to dodge as the old man hit the ground, sending debris flying everywhere.

"Amber!" Cinder screamed, rushing in to help her partner. Knowing her blades would be useless, the dark haired girl decided to try a different strategy this time, smelting her sharpened heels into blades that flowed blue with heat and driving them right into the small of his back, causing him to cry out in pain as they burned into his aura.

Seeing him temporarily stunned, Amber immediately tried to get to her feet to capitalize on the situation. Only for Howard to kick her in the stomach, sending her flying away as he wheeled around to fight Cinder.

Now facing his full attention, Cinder launched a full barrage of kicks, slashing and stabbing at the man with her heels, forcing him to block with his tonfas.

"What an irritating ability!" Howard snarled as he swung at the girl in an attempt to make her back up. But Cinder agilely spun out to the side, out of the way and landing another kick to his back side. Hitting the same spot as her first.

With that, she began dancing around the old man, landing painfully kick after kick, working his aura down as he swung wildly around trying to catch her. But due to his massive size and her speed, whenever he did manage to face her, she would just duck around him and reposition herself behind him again.

"Come on, come in!" Cinder thought desperately. "He has to be running low! I just need to wear him out a little bit more! He can't keep moving like this forever! He has to start feeling exhausted at some-!"

But before she could finish, Howard slammed his weapon back together, turning it into its boomerang form which he raised high above his head before slamming it into the ground.

Immediately a shockwave ripped Cinder off her feet and sent her spinning into the air. Howard had kept the blast low, so instead of being carried away like normal, she had just been flipped like a coin and was spinning helplessly only a few feet from the man. Who proceeded to wrench his weapon from the ground and spin around to face the girl, swinging it like a bat as he went.

Having no choice, Cinder drew her blades off her back and threw them in front of her, desperately trying to block incoming attack she knew could very well end her completely.

And sure enough when Howard hit her, the weight behind the strike slammed Cinder's own blades into her chest, immediately knocking the wind out of her and sending her flying backwards, unable to breath, but at least safely out of range.

Or that's what should have happened.

Instead, her arms got a painful jolt as her body was forcefully pulled to a stop, both her blades stuck to Howard's boomerang, and with that, she had yo-yoed out before she was pulled back in, now completely glued to her opponent by her own weapons.

"You are-!" Howard yelled, pulling his head back as dragged the girl back in. "Such an annoyance!"

With that, he slammed his skull against her, snapping her neck back and shattering her aura.

Blood poured from her nose as she cried out in pain right before she felt the old man drive his fist into her stomach right below her ribs, fracturing them.

"Gah!" Cinder gagged, blood coming up her throat and out her mouth, dripping onto the man's fist that was still dug deep into her body, making her feel every slight shift in his palm as it pressed up against her bone, slowly digging deeper, worsening the fracture with every passing moment.

"Humbling, isn't it?" Howard said, looking the girl right in the eyes. "We rely so heavily on aura that oftentimes we forget what it's like without it. How frail we really are."

Calmly, she pulled the girl in closer, letting her raise her head as he slowly split her ribs. "In your schools, you fight until one aura depleted to a certain level, at which point the match is called. But I've seen real battle, real war. There, the fighting doesn't stop until one lays dead. There, it doesn't matter if you have an aura or not, the enemy will kill you all the same."

Howard's voice was now a snarl, filled with nothing but bitterness and rage. His eyes completely overtaken by the darkness that devoured his every waking moment.

"I've seen huntsmen kill auraless soldiers, I've seen ships send planes crashing to the ground, I've seen tyrants order the death of thousands in order to protect their power and influence, all without batting an eye at whom has what capability." The old man paused for a second, eyes staying locked on Cinder's.

"Many think aura is a form of ultimate power, but that simply isn't true. There is no such thing as ultimate power, just those who gather so much of it, they can do whatever they want and fear no repercussions."

"Like ordering the death of civilians?" Cinder gasped, blood now dribbling out of her mouth in a constant flow. "Like your son? Yeah, I heard your story and I've got something I wanted to say to you. Something really important."

Doing her best to Ignore the pain, Cinder slowly pulled herself forward, looking the old man straight in the eyes as his fist dug ever deeper into her stomach. But the dark haired girl refused to stop or show any signs of the pain. She wouldn't admit defeat now, now with so much riding on this fight. She wouldn't give up.

And as she stubbornly pushed throughout, a smirk slowly spread across her face.

"Grow. Up." She spat, her voice carrying strength she didn't even know she had. "You're not the only person to lose something precious. Thousands of people lost homes, families, lovers. They are all suffering just like you, yet I don't see them jumping on your little bandwagon. Because unlike you, they want to move forward, not cling to the past like a worthless, little parasite."

At her words, the dark haired girl saw Howard face twist, any mask of calmness he might have tried to keep slipping right off to reveal the pure uncontrollable hatred underneath. He was livid and Cinder could see that clearly. But she chose to push on, even as speaking became painful.

"How many lives are you going to destroy because you can't escape your past?!" She demanded, her voice rising as she spoke. "How long are you going to push the past onto the future? Drag others into your sorrow?! This world doesn't revolve around you! You can hide from the world if that's what you want, but don't go forcing others to join you! You could have done so much with your life, but instead you cling to your lost loved ones instead of letting them rest! Live your life the way you want, not trying to fill some fantasy where they're still with you. They're not! And while it took me a pathetic my long time to understand this, you're four times my age! You have no excuse for not learning to let go of the past! So why, even now with your own daughter going to prison, why can't you just stop lamenting in self-pity and learn to move forward!?"

A heavy silence fell between the two as they stared at each other, neither moving nor speaking. A complete and true silence, one that is rarely heard, and even rarer completed.

Then, Howard let out a sigh, his eyes closing before fixing the girl with a hard glare.

"You speak out of turn." He snarled, slamming his boomerang into the ground, trapping her in place. "I know I shouldn't hold it against you, youths these days are so innocent and don't understand the concept of war. But with that said, after running your mouth on subjects you clearly don't understand, I really don't feel that bad about this."

"You know, I'm getting really tired of hearing that line." Cinder fired back, unflinching as the old man's free hand tightened into a fist. "Your generation just doesn't understand. You're raised soft and gently. How about instead of puking up excuses, you start take responsibility for fucking everyone but yourselves over, and actually try to fix the mess you created!"

As metal scraps shot like bullets towards Cinder from behind, the girl smirked. She might not be able to move, or have any aura of her own left, but she knew that this fight was far from over!

Right before she was torn apart from behind, Cinder released her blades and backflipped over the incoming attack, sailing high above the shrapnel, safely watching it slam into her opponent's magnetic shield.

"Running away now?" Howard asked, raising his hand toward the airborne girl. "You must know how futile that is. If there's even a scrap of metal on you, I can just call you back in. You can't escape that-."

But he broke off as he got blasted by a whirlwind of both cold and burning air from behind. Taking a staggering step forward, he spun around to Amber firing bolts of lightning and ice from her staff. But this time, instead of forcing them into physical form, she was shooting it as pure elements, making a blizzard that had lightning dancing in the ice.

Swing her staff at the off balance man, she quickly created a vortex that trapped him inside, bombarding him with a barrage of both lightning and freezing wind with tiny crystals shards of ice.

Planting his feet, Howard raised his hand to shield his face as he tried to pull himself toward his opponent, grabbing onto the armor she still wore. However, Howard found himself unable to resist the powerful wind that pushed against him. His aura reserves were too low! He couldn't muster enough force to pull either of them to the other!

With a snarl, he changed tactics. Grabbing his boomerang with both hand, he throw it out of the vortex, (Cinder blades still attached,) aiming it in such a way that the arc of the weapon would make it fly at Amber from the side, catching her off guard and forcing her to stop her attack and dock to avoid getting sliced in two.

But that was what Howard wanted, and in a heartbeat, he ran towards his opponent, recalling his weapon as he went, catching it just in time to throw it at Amber again, this time straight on.

Seeing this, Amber rolled to the side, dodging the attack again! But right as she got to her feet, she found Howard right in front of her, halfway through a punch aimed at her head.

She didn't have time to react, causing her to take a direct hit, knocking her back and shattering her aura at the same time.

Dazed, the dark skinned girl clumsy tried to regain her footing to go on the counter attack, only for her stab to be effortlessly sidestepped by the old man as he reached up and caught his boomerang and swung it straight toward her as it came back around.

Unable to get out of the way in time, Amber raised her staff to guard against the attack. She knew she couldn't take the weight behind the hit, but if she went with it instead, taking a knee instead of trying to overpower it, she should take minimal damage and be in prime position to-!

Crack!

Immediately the girl's eyes widened as her staff was cut in two. The metal boomerang effortlessly slicing through the wood before racking across her chest and slamming into the ground right between her legs.

There was a second of stunned silence from the girl as she stared wide-eyed up at the man, before slowly looking down at her broken staff, then to the weapon that was dug into the ground, blood dripping onto it from her chest.

Her blood. She was bleeding from a massive wound that stared at her shoulder and went all the way down to her hip. Blood already leaking out like water.

"Wha-?"

Before she could even comprehend what had just happened to her, Howard shot forward, slamming his fist right onto her chest where the gash was, knocking her back causing her weapons to slip from her hands.

Skidding across the ground without any aura was extremely painful, even with adrenaline pumping through her body. And as she came to a stop, she gasped, immediately feeling the wound on her chest expand, causing pain to pulse throughout her entire being.

A wound like this could be fatal if untreated. And everyone knew that.

"Amber!" Cinder screamed, rushing forward to cover her partner, immediately attacking Howard with her still sharpened heels, kicking a twirling as fast as she could, trying to keep the old man's attention on her.

It was unfortunate Howard knew better than to let a stunned enemy get back up.

The first opening he got, he launched forward, stepping on the girl's foot breaking the heel off before backhanding her with his one gloves hand, ripping her cheek open and sending her to the ground. Letting him drop an axe kick onto her spine.

"Aaaahhhhh!" Cinder screamed as she felt her back pop, something definitely sliding out of place. Crying out in pain as she spasmed on the ground, she struggled to get up or even move her legs as they went numb. Blood spilling into her mouth making it hard to breathe. Whatever was happening to her right now, it hurt worse than anything she had felt before.

Above her, Howard ripped his weapon from the ground and raised it above the dark haired girl, ready to plunge it into her chest. His eyes held neither mercy nor hesitation, only contempt as he looked down at his opponent.

Then, wordlessly, he plunged the blades down toward the girl.

"NO!"

Amber screamed, blood still pouring from her chest as she ran towards her partner, her entire body shaking as she went. Moving like this would only hasten death, but she refused to let Cinder die. Come what may, she knew she had to do something.

Lounging forward, she drove her elbow into the man's knee, praying it would throw him off balance just enough to cause him to miss. Or do literally anything to stop his next blow.

But to her surprise, Howard did something completely unexpected.

"Aaaahhhhh!"

The old man let out an ear piercing cry of agony, immediately stumbling to the side, slamming his boomerang into the ground to use it as a crutch, his eyes squeezed shut in pain. At his side, there was a dull clanging sound as Cinder's weapon detached from where they were stuck, the man completely losing focus as he reached down and clutching his leg, leaving Amber and Cinder dumbfounded.

What had just happened!?

Then it hit her.

Cinder remembered Summer's story about the battle of Hercules' peak! Howard had been shot through the leg during that mission. He must have never been able to recover fully. Which made sense given how old he was when it happened. And that meant…

"Amber! His leg is still injured from an old battle!" Cinder screamed, scrambling to her feet. "He's vulnerable there! Right now, that might be our best and probably only chance to-!"

But before she could finish, Howard's fist shot out, Slamming into the side of her head sending her crashing to the ground, blood leaking from her head as the entire world seemed to spin on its head, making the girl dizzy.

"Cin- Gah!" Amber began, but was cut off as a massive hand shot out, fastening around her throat, cutting off her airway and stopping blood flow to her head. Immediately, the girl began hitting the man's arm with all her strength, trying to wiggle out of his grip.

But try as she might, she found herself unable to get free. And with each passing second, her struggles became weaker and weaker until she could barely raise her arms.

"That was close, too close." Howard grunted as he rose to his feet. "Had you found that sooner, you might have been able to turn things around. Too bad you're just as exhausted as me. Otherwise you'd probably be able to dodge an attack like this."

Beside him, Cinder began crawling towards her blades, hoping to reach them in time to save Amber. But the moment she got within grasping distance, Howard extended his hand, creating a powerful positive pulse between himself and the metal blades, sending them skidding away.

"No-! Aahhh!" Cinder's scream was cut off as Howard brought his foot down on her back, pinning her to the ground and crushing her stomach in the process, making it difficult to breathe.

"Did you really think I'd let you do that?" The man asked, his eyes narrowed as they remained fixed on Amber, who was now seeing dark spots in her vision. "I'm not so inexperienced as to let you catch your breath. I know the weakness my age brings, but I also know its strengths. You fought well, but unfortunately the time has come to end this."

Drool was leaking out of Amber's mouth as Howard pulled her close. Below him, he felt Cinder squirming reach an all time desperation as she too must have reached the end of her air supply.

"You are strong, but strength isn't enough. Sometimes knowing when to call it quits is far more important than knowing how to fight." He said, pulling Amber's face next to his. "Shame you didn't have that. You could have been such an amazing leader if only you could think beyond what you know. See the bigger picture, if you will. Shame that your journey ends-."

"Oh shut up already!"

With that, Howard felt a burning pain in his injured leg. Immediately he let out a howl, dropping Amber and falling to his knees, hands flying to his injury as he turned to face Cinder, eyes burning with fury.

But the dark haired girl didn't care. Immediately leaping to her feet and lunging at the old man, hands tightly gripping the broken halves of Amber spear as she swung them like her duel blades, releasing a volley of fast attacks against her opponent, forcing him to throw up both arms to guard.

But Cinder anticipated this. Reacting immediately, she thrusted one of the halves in between his arms as he raised them, effortlessly sliding them through his defenses and using her extended reach, jabbing him right in the eye.

"Aaaahhhhh!" The old man screamed, stumbling back as his hands flew up to his face, clutching his eye as he cried in pain. Seeing her opportunity, Cinder shot forward once again, this time landing a flurry of stabs to the man's chest and stomach, forcing him back even further.

But after taking just one step, Howard planted his feet and reached out, catching the girl by her arm and stopping her in her tracks.

"Annoying pest! Why won't you just die already?!" He roared, pulling her in and punching her in the face, ripping her head to the side and making her take a step back.

But Howard didn't let go, stopping her in her tracks and keeping her in attack range. Something she learned very quickly as he punched her again, this time on the bridge of her nose, breaking it and making her see stars.

Yet despite this, Cinder, while barely being able to see, refused to give up. Digging her heels into the ground, she began to slash and stab at the old man trying desperately to force him to let go and put some space between them.

But it didn't work.

Moving like a professional boxer, the old man effortlessly dodged around all her strikes, landing several of his own while he was at it. Hitting her each time at a weak spot that opened up when she swung, bones cracking with each heavy blow.

There they stood, Howard punching Cinder over and over again, slowly but surely wearing her down. Blood now completely covered the girl's face as she was bleeding from the temple, lip, and right above her right eyebrow. Her legs were trembling and her breathing was ragged and uneven. Just a few more rounds and she'd be fin-!

Suddenly, Howard saw Amber changing towards them, launching herself into a sliding kick aimed for his injured leg.

With a snarl of frustration, the old man delivered one final punch to the dark haired girl before spinning to take on her partner. Extending one hand, he prepared to blast her away with double positive attraction. This time he'd use enough force to send her flying. A blow like that combined with the gash on her chest should be enough to kill her once and for all!

But right as he was building up the blast, he felt Cinder shift in his grasp. Then, suddenly the spear half was thrust forward, Stabbing him in the arm, knocking it up instead of at the dark skinned girl, letting her slide in, and throwing her entire weight against his bad leg.

Snarling, Howard took a step back, biting his lip to try to dig off the pain. This was getting ridiculous! It shouldn't be taking him this long to deal with a couple children! Clearly he had underestimated them. He couldn't afford any more games. If they wanted him to treat them as equal opponents, fine. He already knew how to deal with this bothersome pair. After all, it didn't take a genius to know their teamwork was the problem.

Digging in, he fought against the pain long enough to throw a counter punch at Amber, one aimed to crush her leg between his strike and the ground, effectively snapping it in two. That should put her out of the fight long enough to kill one of them and free him of their team attacks!

But right before impact, Amber suddenly spun, dodging around his blow before (and much to his surprise,) slashing him across the chest, forcing him to take yet another step back.

Amber, in lieu of having her weapon destroyed, had grabbed Cinder's dual blades and stuck them together, turning them into a bow form which she was swinging around like a staff. And while nowhere near as long, she still was still able to follow Howard and land two more direct hits to his chest before he finally got outside her range.

And this time, they were ready.

Before he could even think about regaining his footing, Cinder spun, using his own arm as support to lift herself into the air and drive her sharpened heel into the temple, making him stagger to the side, letting go of her arm.

And that was what Amber was waiting for.

Immediately, she rushed in, driving the tip of her weapon into his shoulder, knocking backwards with enough force that he had to roll over his shoulder to land in a defensive position, looking up at the two girls from on his knees. And there, both parties saw something.

The heavy breathing, the strained bodies, the injuries suffered by one part vs the age finally starting to show on the other. They were rapidly reaching their limit. One way or another, this fight would be settled in the next few moves!

Immediately Howard raised his hand, recalling his boomerang to his side as the two girls charged, ripping it in two letting him defend as they rained down all they had against his guard. Their lightning fast attack clashing with his heavy shields, forcing him to move and shift several times a second to keep them at bay. Using his semblance now would be too risky now. He had to force an opening and take one down!

And sure enough, one of them found themself unable to keep pace with the fast battle.

Lightheaded from blood loss, Amber struggled to stay focused, combined with her now diminished range, it was only a matter of time before she made a misstep.

And sure enough, it came.

With one swing, the dark skinned girl missed the old man's guard, her weapon to slice through the air harmlessly, causing her to stumble when she didn't meet the heavy weight she had expected.

Seeing this one slip up, Howard immediately lunged forward to capitalize on the situation, knocking Cinder off balance to keep her off him for a second in which he punched Amber in the temple, staggering her and opening a wound on her head.

"Aahh-!" The girl screamed, only to be cut off when Howard's metal boot slammed into her arm, catching it between her chest, bending it with a sickening snap as he sent her flying into the air, his blow intensified as he used his semblance to increase its speed several times over.

"Aaaaaahhhhhhh!" The girl screamed as she flew through the air, her arm slumped by her side, all feeling in that hand completely disappearing before she hit the ground, tumbling several feet before coming to a stop face down in the ground, no visible movement from the girl.

"AMBER!" Cinder screamed, her entire being wanted to rush to her friend to make sure she was okay. But before she could even take a step, Howard rounded on her, immediately blocking her path with a swing from his tonfa, forcing the girl to retreat farther away from her friend.

"One down, one to go!" The old man yelled, charging at the girl, the entire ground shaking with each massive step he took, reaching her in less then a second where he released a barrage of lightning fast punches immediately putting his opponent on the defensive as she desperately tried to block and dodge his relentless attacks.

But she wasn't fast enough.

As one blow swung past her head, the tonfa scraped against her cheek, cutting it open and sending blood flying into the air, momentarily distracting the girl. Which was all the time Howard needed to throw his head forward, headbutting her with enough force that she was sent crashing to the ground.

"Damn it! I can't win like this!" Cinder thought as she rolled onto her shoulders before flipping back onto her feet. "He's too strong! I just can't keep up! At this rate, we'll both be killed for sure!"

She was pulled out of her thoughts as Howard launched forward again, throwing more punches, forcing her back even father, his tonfa ripping into her whenever she dodged even half a second late.

"I need a plan to finish him now, but what?! I don't have any aura left and I can't use my semblance! What should I do? What can I do!? I'm not strong enough to-!" Suddenly the girl broke off, her thoughts intruded by what she saw happening behind her opponent.

There, on the ground, Amber was slowly getting back up, using her one good arm to pull herself into a sitting position as she slowly reached for the fallen bow.

And as her fingers tightened around it, she looked up, the two girls' eyes meeting for a split second as the dark skinned girl used the very last of her aura, the aura she had recovered during the fight, to convey a message to her partner. Her last plan to end this here and now!

And without a moment's hesitation, before the connection was broken, Cinder sent her affirmative.

Planting her feet, Cinder spun around Howard's punch, landing to his side where she lashed out with the lightning/ice crystals, aiming to tear his leg open once again and hopefully create another opening.

But with a single move, the old man slammed his weapon into the ground, completely shattering the crystal and the wood that held it.

"How many times do you think I'm falling for that, you little brat!?" He bellowed, ripping his weapon out of the ground, taking a swing at the girl's body from her hip up.

Using all her strength, Cinder threw herself out of the way, landing to the side of the old man once again. But this time, she wasn't unscathed. Blood poured out of her calf that had been slashed open, rendering her mostly immobile.

But that didn't stop her. Reaching into her quiver, she yanked out all her remaining arrows and thrusted them forward, the tips aimed for the old man's neck, the last of the girl's strength put into this last ditch attack!

But without so much as looking, Howard raised his other tonfa, blocking the attack and shattering the arrows against the metal before throwing it out, slamming into the girl's face sending her flying back, her face cut horribly from her own broken glass.

Turning, Howard fixed Cinder with a hard glare as she hit the ground and began rolling away.

"Not bad, but not good enough." He grunted. "You fought well. Now die. You've wasted more than enough of my time. So while I can't say this wasn't personal, I won't hold it against you either."

With that, he gave chase, running after the girl to finish the job before she could even come to a stop.

But right as he was about to be right on top of her, Cinder spun, slamming her hand into the ground, digging her nails into the dirt to stop herself as she took aim, then, hurled the fire/wind half of the staff right at the old man's face, sending it as one last desperate attempt to take him out.

"Humph, pathetic." Howard thought, planting his own feet to come to a stop. Then, raising his tonfa to block the incoming attack with the hardened metal that was covered in crushed dust from-.

"!"

Immediately Howard threw his weapon out of the way, opting instead to throw himself off balance to get out of the way of the makeshift weapon. Letting the highly volatile thing sail harmlessly past his head as he let out a sigh of relief.

"That was close. Another second and I'd blow myself up." Howard thought, his gaze traveling back to Cinder who had fallen face first onto the ground and seemingly couldn't move anymore.

"Cleaver, almost had me there. Too bad you already used that trick once before." He thought as he regained his footing and made his way over to the barely conscious girl, raising his weapon right above her back. "Now, to end this once and for-."

But before he could, Cinder launched forward, digging her broken heel into his injured leg, immediately drawing a scream from the old man as he dropped to one knee, hand grabbing her's and ripping it out of his injury.

"You stupid brat! Why won't you just die?!" The screamed furiously, crushing her wrist before his other fist shot out, slamming into her face sending her skidding backwards. The blow dug the glass shards in her face deep as well as tearing open her lip.

But even with this, the girl still managed to pull herself up onto her hands to glare at the old man who was now kneeling in pain several feet away. There she spat out some blood between them as she locked eyes with Howard. Her gaze, for all the blood covering her face, remained strong and unwavering.

"Because unlike you, I don't want to be stuck in the past anymore. I want to move forward with my life, not be held back by the pain of my past." Cinder gasped, wiping some blood from her mouth. "And while I can't say I'll never waver again, I know that no matter what comes, I will look forward to it! No more hiding in the past! Now the only thing I wish to see is the glorious future we will achieve! One without you in it."

Howard's eyes narrowed in confusion. What was she talking about? He still had more than enough aura to kill her. Surely she knew that, right? So why was she talking like he was-?

Wait…we?

Immediately, Howard spun around, his eyes wide as he saw Amber, aiming Cinder's bow with her feet as she used her one good arm to nock her broken staff and draw back on the string.

"Issac Howard, you need to be stopped. And like it or not, that responsibility falls to us. We won't let you stain our future with your past any longer." Amber proclaimed, her eyes fixed on the old man's, not a drop of hesitation or fear anymore. Now simply baring fierce determination. "And now, while I can't say what the future holds, I know that you won't be a part of it anymore! So I thank you for your service to building this world. But now, your era is over! It's time to step aside and let us decide what this world shall become. One that will shine so brightly, it will illuminate the hope that you have closed your eyes to. I just hope you will one day see it."

With that, Amber closed her eyes for one second, the soft memories of everything that had happened since coming to Beacon playing in her mind. It felt so long ago compared to now, she almost felt like a different person now. Yet those memories still made her smile, even as she saw them slowly disappearing.

"Thanks for everything." She thought as she opened her eyes, gaze still fixed on Howard. Yet her fierce determination was replaced with a gentle, soft one. Not lacking in strength, but carrying much more kindness than before. One of simple acceptance she gave the old man one final word.

"Goodbye."

With that, she fired the broken staff into the dust covered tonfa blades, immediately detonating them and making Howard disappear in an explosion of all four elements.

A beautiful array of colors painted the two girls as they watched the explosion with wide eyes. Adrenaline pumping through their bodies was the only thing keeping them awake as they watched Howard fly out the top of the smoke cloud! His aura had completely shattered and they could see he had sustained heavy damage as his clothes were torn to pieces and his body was badly burned. A sight that caused waves of relief and joy to flow through their veins.

It was done. This long, grueling battle had finally reached its end and its victor had been chosen. Now, the new future could finally begin to progress as it moved away from the eclipsing shadow of the past and into one bathed in the beautiful light of forgiveness. A future of hope.

For as Howard hit the ground, it could finally be proclaimed that the Bane of Atlas had been defeated.

/////////////////////////////////////////

And so, the dark cloud of the past has been lifted and now a new future can take flight, one which values more than just the old hatred and bitterness that completely consumed the past.

I know it's a bit rough in some spots, but consider I'm still just completely burned out on Rwby right now, it could be worse. Just look at the Beacon arc and what a mess that was.

But more importantly, I want to talk about semblances, and namely Amber's. Because I've been itching to talk about and I'm so excited to explain it as up till now, I couldn't without giving away massive spoilers.

Amber's semblance is called soul link. She's able to link her soul with up to two other people at a time and when connected, they can share everything. Plans, feelings, senses, and even aura! Effectively turning three people into one, with all the benefits and none of the drawbacks.

However, it can't let people use other the semblances of other people in the link. Nor can it be used to as a one way effect. Anything given, must be reciprocated. So in other words, she can't see another person's deepest thoughts without exposing her's.

Honestly, in my humble opinion, it's the strongest custom semblance I've created in this series. And yes, I'm counting Igor's and the Phantom's because with it, she can effectively make three strangers become a team with perfect synchronicity. Something that takes even the best teams years to achieve.

Now obviously it has it draws. Namely it's useless when alone and there's a range. She can't link up with someone miles away and she can't take aura without asking. It must be given. And yes, that's exactly what happened to save her and Cinder from Howard's ultimate attack.

Basically, when her parents died, a small portion of their soul latched onto the link, letting Amber store them within her own soul without even realizing it. This allowed a one time use where their souls emerged and protected their daughter from a fatal blow. Something she can't repeat unless someone equally as close to her dies while linked. And quite frankly I thinks she's been through enough loss for right now.

As for why it triggered now, or why she still had it after her aura had broken in other fights? Plot armor. I'm not even going to defend it. They stood no chance against Howard and I needed a way for them to survive. But if anyone wants to pull a Game Theory and make up a lore reason for why it worked, feel free to pm me. I'll give you credit for the idea. Wish I could offer a better prize, but I really don't have anything.

Anyway, that's enough rambling from me. I hope to see you next week for the final chapter of Music Fest