Chapter 18: Unravel

Chapter 18: Unravel

Taylor

"I release your souls, and by my shoulder, protect thee."

A hundred pinpricks of information burst into bonfires as my connection to the bugs on my skin heightened like never before.

I had been right; it had been bugs with unlocked Aura that had felt off to me. My Scroll still couldn't detect their signatures. The amount of Aura each had was dismal at best; even under a microscope, there was no visible color.

What I had discovered was that I could flare my bugs' Aura, just enough to activate a Dust crystal. I couldn't control the effects, but I would be able to set off uncontrolled explosions with them without needing to have an enemy attack the Dust or find a way to forcibly make the Dust react.

I sent my newly awakened swarm back and prepared for the next batch to sneak their way into the Beacon gardens, but stopped when I noticed a familiar figure strutting down the path toward me.

"Hey, hotshot," I heard from behind me. I turned to see a pair of shaded aviators being pulled down to let their wearer give me a once over. "What happened to the stuff we got together?" Coco asked, a mix of appraisal and vexation in her voice.

"It's been a while, Coco, and 'hotshot'?" She took the seat across from me.

"Where did you get this anyway?" Coco continued, ignoring me in favor of my outfit. "I don't recognize the brand or style…" she mused, more to herself than to me.

"I made it."

"You made it?" She leaned forward and took off her sunglasses with a smooth flourish, her face morphing into an almost predatory expression. "I wanted to talk with you, but now I need to talk with you," she stated with rapacious intensity.

"'Hotshot'?" I reiterated.

"Hey, you're the one making waves, miss 'first-ever-liaison-for-all-the-first-year-teams'."

"It's how things turned out, miss 'leader-of-the-number-one-ranked-team-at-Beacon'." I hadn't known that Team CFVY was famous at Beacon until a few weeks after school had started. They had earned a reputation for successfully completing every mission they went on.

Coco smirked as she slipped her sunglasses back on. "Touché."

"Actually, I'm glad you're here. I want your opinion on something." I flipped through my Scroll to bring up my sketches for the designs of spider silk outfits I was spinning for everyone. The composition of Remnant's spider's silk hadn't agreed with the usual dyes I used, which was holding my production back. "I wanted your opinion on these. I know Aura is easier to use through outfits the person likes, so I wanted to make sure these were… fashionable, I guess." I passed my Scroll over to let her skim through the sketches.

"Hey! There she is!" a new voice announced loudly.

Bugs had marked the pair casually strolling toward us, but I hadn't expected them to be looking for me.

The speaker was a blond boy with an open shirt that showed a muscular physique, pointing at me with excitement. A monkey tail that poked out from a hole in his jeans swayed with his steps.

Beside him was a light-blue-haired boy with a smile that tried to ooze charm. A white button-up and tie hid under a red coat, and yellow-tinted goggles sat comfortably on his brow. Both boys were taller than me, the blond by maybe an inch while the other boy by a couple of inches.

"Can I help you?" I asked. They're students from another school… No uniforms. Posture doesn't fit the military training Atlas students received. Most likely from Shade or Haven then.

"Well, yeah. No. Kinda?" The spiky-haired Faunus scratched his head. "We just heard about some awesome drill sergeant that Beacon's first-year students have who beat up a bunch of those White Fang creeps! So, we came to meet her."

Coco smirked amusedly, enjoying the show. "Drill sergeant?"

I'm not that bad.

"Sorry, we didn't get introduced. Name's Neptune." His white smile seemed to sparkle for a moment. "May I ask you two lovely ladies for your names?" His partner rolled his eyes.

"Coco."

"Taylor." I guess everyone has heard about the White Fang takedown by now. Then again, a spot in the paper of us being presented medals wasn't exactly inconspicuous, though Pyrrha got almost all the focus of the media.

"Oh, and I'm Sun," he added, pointing to himself.

"Nice to meet you," I said.

Moments went by as Coco returned to her silent judgment of my clothing designs while the two boys waited there with smiles on their faces.

"Was there something else you needed?" I asked.

"I was kinda waiting to see if you would go do something cool, like bust up a crime ring or something. Vacuo was pretty intense, and Mistral usually has some kind of funny business going on, but you don't get the spy stuff like that in either," he said nonchalantly.

"I don't have any plans to do something like that right now."

"Not right now… but you're planning on doing it later! Right on." He pumped his fist in excitement. "I can't wait!" Can't wait for what? "We'll see you then! Come on Neptune, let's check out the rest of the school," he declared before heading off.

"Hope to see you two later," Neptune stated smoothly with a wink before following Sun.

"I'm not sure what just happened," I said.

"Seems like those boys invited themselves to your next crime date," Coco remarked. I doubt that's what they meant. "Also, these are… fine. They're just boring. You have a problem with showing a little skin or something?"

"I've never been a fan of having openings that scream 'stab here' on them," I remarked dryly.

"That's what Aura is for. Nothing wrong with making them cute if you can." Coco didn't wait for my permission and began editing my sketches. "People's outfits can tell you everything about them. That's why you can't trust a person who doesn't fit their fashion."

"I was worried they were a bit bland. Designing for looks isn't really my thing."

"Well, you came to the right girl." She handed my Scroll back. "There, simple changes. I'm more of a shopper than a designer, but most of the time, all you need are the little touches to make an outfit."

"Thanks for the help." At least, I hope everyone will like them.

"Consider it payment for what you did for—well, speak of the devil."

Velvet Scarlatina had been timidly waiting for a group of other students to pass before she continued her hurried pace toward us. Blake was making her way from the opposite direction, ignoring the surprised stares she got as she went.

Lately, Blake had been forgoing her usual disguise. No one on the team said anything, only giving their silent support, except for the times I caught Yang threatening someone who made a remark. I'd seen Weiss doing the same a few times too, maybe trying to make up for her earlier behavior. Although, she hadn't advertised her help or used it to try and get closer to Blake, so it seemed she had given Blake's word some thought.

"Coco, there you are—" Velvet froze in surprise when I turned my head, then she glared at Coco with uncharacteristic anger. "Coco, I said that I was going to talk to her."

"It's not like I planned this. Besides, you were taking too long, and I haven't said anything yet."

Velvet frowned before turning to me, and she instantly shifted to a more nervous stance—a habit I had noticed she did with anyone that she didn't know. "Thank you for stepping in before, in the cafeteria. I know it's long overdue but… thank you." There was a subtle resentment that hid behind a curtain of sincere gratitude.

"I should have handled it better than I did. I'm sorry for bringing that kind of attention to you," I said.

Her ears drooped for a moment. "No, it's fine, I—Thank you again."

She looked like she wanted to say more, but she was stopped short as Blake arrived.

"Taylor"—Blake glanced between Coco and Velvet—"I didn't know you knew Team CFVY."

"I met Coco just before school started, and I'm technically only meeting Velvet for the first time now." I turned to Velvet. "I wouldn't count our last interaction as an introduction. Anyways, this is Blake, a friend." Blake gave a small wave.

"Of course we know who she is, everyone in the school was watching her holding that spitfire between her legs"—Coco's smile twitched into a teasing smirk—"as they swung across a canyon to save you," she finished.

I hadn't known Beacon's initiation was live-streamed for the rest of the students.

Velvet stood speechless, transfixed on Blake's cat ears before she looked at Blake with an understanding gaze.

"Anyway, Weiss wanted me to grab you so that you could help plan for our trip to town later," Blake said, not amused at Coco's phrasing.

"She wants to do an itinerary?" Blake nodded, and I sighed. "We'll see you around Coco, you too, Velvet." We waved them goodbye before heading off to join the rest of our team.

The students from other schools had arrived earlier that week.

The other Huntsmen-in-training were… interesting. There were many overtly weird characters in Remnant, apparently.

One group from Mistral had gone as far as to check their room for listening devices and cameras. Their leader had ordered them against any discussion until they were done. So far, they had checked with two different devices that I guessed picked up microphones and cameras before they got to work making sure their Scrolls were secure. A little too paranoid, but understandable if they suspected Ozpin would spy on them. He did watch his students through the school cameras.

In Vale, the hazy outline of the Amity Colosseum had finally appeared on the horizon. It was barely a dot above the water, but the floating structure must have been immense to be seen from so far away.

It would still take another month and a half to arrive above Vale due to how slowly it moved, but the fact that Remnant had created a man-made flying island just to host a tournament was impressive.

"We agreed on Mistralian cuisine!" Weiss argued, her voice carrying over the sounds of the many pedestrians we passed on the sidewalk.

"But that's what we got at the last movie night. We should try something else," Ruby protested.

My bugs caught a couple walking toward a nearby park before they abruptly turned down an alley and began circumventing the park entirely. It wouldn't have been notable except both were discussing going to the park, and neither seemed to notice their change in direction. Odd, but I supposed they wanted to take longer on their walk.

"I'm down for anything," Yang said.

"I wouldn't mind some sushi," Blake chimed in.

"See, Blake agrees with me!"

Three different groups turned away from the park as well, as though they hit an invisible barrier that they couldn't pass. None seemed to notice.

A Stranger effect?

My bugs moved to investigate.

"That's only because she wants fish!" Ruby objected. "Taylor, what do you think?"

"I wouldn't mind trying somewhere new—" My entire world narrowed to one person.

My bugs couldn't land on her, but they could fly through three figures behind her, even though it felt like moving through molasses. Even if it gave me a headache, I tried to get a view through my bug's hazy, kaleidoscopic vision and saw shimmering colors, as if the three figures were made of faded light. They stood around a shorter, blurry figure, probably sitting.

Glaistig Uaine.

This couldn't be a coincidence. The fucking Faerie Queen had come for me. Across from her was an empty chair with a teacup ready.

There was nothing I could do. No one could possibly do anything against her, and I would need a lot of Huntsmen with specific abilities working in tandem to even be considered a nuisance to her.

Glaistig Uaine was more dangerous than anything on Remnant.

"Taylor? Is something wrong?"

Is she here to kill me? Or… is she here to take me away?

"Yo, coach, what's up… Taylor, seriously, you have a scary look on."

Am I going to be taken from my friends again? Can I even say goodbye? No, they would either try to come with me or stop me… I won't be the cause of their deaths.

"I've changed my mind." I did my best to keep my voice as collected as possible. "Let's get some Mistralian food. There's that place by CCT tower, right?"

"That's a bit of a walk," Yang stated, studying me as though trying to find something.

"Good, we'll get to see what other attractions are being set up."

"I'm glad that at least one of you looked at my schedule for today," Weiss huffed.

"You all go on ahead." I'm sorry. "I want to pick something up quickly. I'll catch up to you," I lied.

"Alright then, we'll meet you there, I guess," Yang said.

Ruby gave me one last look of concern before walking off with the others.

Each step I made echoed another lament. It was a cold kind of peace; after all, some things were just inevitable. Whatever Stranger effect Glaistig Uaine had didn't register for me.

Only have my Stinger in my wrist, and enough bugs for basic scouting at best. They're mostly fruit flies anyway, and I don't have any time to prepare. Fuck.

I didn't tremble or hesitate. I felt guilty that I didn't. I wasn't sure if it was because I was resigned to whatever was going to happen or not. There was no time to think it over anyway.

Sunlight slipped through partings in the leaves where she sat alone in the middle of the park.

Glaistig Uaine looked older than I remembered, around my own age instead of the young teenage appearance she wore before.

How she was able to seemingly age several years in a matter of months wasn't a real surprise. She was one of the most powerful beings in the multiverse, at least, out of all the worlds I had seen through Clairvoyant.

She wore a lacy sky-blue summer dress and her thick, braided hair tumbled down her right shoulder. Seeing her wear something so mundane and normal was unsettling.

There was no mistaking it was her though, not with the three ghostly specters that shimmered behind her. Each infringed on the natural order with their very presence. Two of them I recognized immediately, and then, I knew there truly was no chance to escape.

One was Gavel, possibly as a show of force. A wispy, broad, giant specter of black and browns that slowly faded before pulsing with new color. Sparks danced along the ethereal hammer held in his grip.

The other was Doormaker, who looked rather plain, almost human, for one of Glaistig Uaine's specters. Small patches of energy spread along his skin and followed the paths of his fingers, the same color as his portals.

I had drained his passenger's power dry, but Glaistig Uaine must have killed him and fixed that… or maybe he was another casualty of Khepri. I thought I had let him go, but my memories of who I had commanded, controlled, or gotten killed was muddied by my degrading state, in the end.

His presence explained how she arrived.

The last was most likely a Stranger. Sections of what looked like miniature orange walls lifted off her skin and around the ragged skirt she wore. Her legs ended in spikes instead of feet. I hadn't a single clue of who she was.

I took in a sharp breath and wiped away the thoughts of my friends and Beacon. I remembered how she had acted, seeing the parallels to when I had talked with Nilbog.

And so, the curtains opened, and we began the scene.

I moved, posture straight, and in the open. Safe, unthreatening, polite. Seeing her in person had my bugs squirming as I pushed down my feelings.

She remained the picture of poise and presence. Palpable confidence that bled sophistication as she drank a cup of tea.

That image muddied as she glanced behind me, eyes narrowing in what was either suspicion or surprise. Something with my Passenger?

My bugs didn't find anything or anyone, and I didn't dare turn away.

"Faerie Queen," I greeted politely with a slight bow.

Pride, anger, spite—they didn't matter to the Faerie Queen. She knew my abilities, and I knew hers, and there was nothing I could do against her if she decided to end me. All I could hope to do was to mitigate whatever fate she had chosen for me.

Her brow knitted. "Greetings. Though, I have abandoned the title and duty of 'Faerie Queen', as well as set aside that of 'Glaistig Uaine'," she stated, the announcement stunning me for a short moment.

"I apologize." Manners were paramount when dealing with her. "What shall I call you then?"

"Let us set aside titles at this juncture. You may call me Ciara." Is that her real name?

"Then you can call me Taylor," I replied, feeling unsteady on my feet.

Her smile was small and didn't seem comfortable for her, like a gemstone that was never displayed, dusty and dulled.

She gestured to the seat across from her. I noted that she was the one who made the motion instead of one of her ghosts. I sat down.

The Stranger ghost picked up the kettle and filled my cup.

"I was wondering when something like this would happen, though I had suspected that Contessa would be the one that showed up," I stated, taking a sip from the cup. There was no reason to poison me when Ciara could kill or incapacitate with a touch.

Black tea with milk and honey, exactly as I liked it.

"That is curious, why would you have thought the Champi—Contessa would be the one to greet you?" she asked inquisitively.

I frowned. "Aren't you here at her request?"

"No. Nor am I beholden to her call," she stated, failing to stifle a small scoff.

"Sorry. I just thought that she would arrive at some point to tell me why she left me on this world."

She blinked twice at me, the only indication of her surprise. "Contessa was not the one that left you here. I was," she explained.

What?!

"No, wait. That—Ruby arrived just in time to save me. That couldn't have been a coincidence," I insisted.

I was left here for a reason, wasn't I?

"I was given a second chance in the new world. A kindness I passed forward," she said, looking pointedly at me. "After I had found you and chosen this world, I consulted Contessa to guarantee your survival once left here."

There had to be a reason.

"So, what? You just left me here on a whim?" I gaped at her. "There had to have been a reason for placing me here." Had I been wrong? Was there really no Path or purpose for why I was here?

"I chose this world for you because I thought it was beautiful."

Doormaker raised his hands, the lights along his skin blinking and beaming rapidly as the first portal opened next to us. A hexagonal window that showed a never-ending forest of blood-red leaves that fell like gentle rain; Forever Fall, just outside Vale. Another portal revealed a misty forest with vibrant hues of green and blue, the trees spiraling around one another to corkscrew into gargantuan towers that blocked the sky. The next was of a dark cavern with luminescent violet and magenta crystals that lined and ripped through the brown and steely stone.

More and more portals opened up, showing skylines of impossible colors and beauty, scenery of fantastical nature, and other wonders around Remnant that were bewitching in their perfection.

I had seen some photos on my Scroll of Remnant, but none could have done it justice.

But that beauty couldn't be the reason for why I was here, right?

"Is that really it? I'm here because you liked how this world looked?" I questioned with disbelief, my voice quiet and frail.

"My warriors indicated that you would be either killed or permanently imprisoned if you weren't sent to a world where no one knew you."

"Then why this one?! I saw the other Earths; why pick this one and not one that was like Earth Bet?!" I was shouting now, but I didn't care about restraining myself for Glaistig Uaine, not right now.

"Would you have been satisfied on a world where you couldn't go out and help others?" A disappointed furrow formed on her brow.

…No, I wouldn't have.

So many of the worlds I saw didn't have the level of threats that I would have been used to. They were… peaceful. And because of that, I didn't think I would have been happy living on them.

God, I'm fucked up.

"I… I just thought… that there was something more for me to do." I took a few steadying breaths. "I apologize for my outburst." My Scroll buzzed; I ignored it.

"There is no need. It was a very… human reaction," she said.

Had I still held onto the hope that there was some higher purpose for me out there? Something more important for me to do? How arrogant am I?

"I enjoy it here. There are no agents haunting the people here." The way she said that, it was like she was admitting to being disturbed by seeing other's passengers. Then again, I could only imagine what kind of nightmarish visage she must see behind every parahuman she had encountered, if they were anything like her ghosts. "No, they exude a radiant spectrum that rivals the most beautiful of sights."

"The people have lights?"

"Some do, many don't. You have one. Your agent as well."

"...My passenger is glowing?"

"Yes. Your light is a somber gray, like the ashes of a brilliant blaze. The Queen Administrator bursts with a starry silver. I haven't seen such a phenomenon before."

My heartbeat doubled.

Ever since Ruby unlocked my Aura, my powers had been different. No change in range no matter what I felt. I had thought it had been because of how I healed.

Like ice spreading across a lake, a wave of dread ran down my back.

My passenger's Aura had unlocked with mine.

What does that mean? Was it even possible to unlock Aura through the dying connection I had with my passenger? Or had it—she—they? Had she learned it by observing me? What could my passenger even do with Aura?

I had one of the few Rapier Wasps I brought with me land on the back of my wrist.

"Did she glow just now?" I asked before I noticed the shocked expression on Ciara's face.

"How are you doing that?"

"What do you mean?"

"I was surprised to see the Administrator at all. Your connection to her almost entirely severed, you should not have her power. She should not be able to give it to you. I can see that the connection is all but gone. Yet, she follows you, clinging on, and you still have her power. How? Why?"

"What?! I had just thought Contessa had destroyed whatever part of my brain that had changed my powers, so afterward, they reverted back."

Doormaker broke into fragments that faded like dust in the wind, only for another to take his place. A blue specter with red bands of ghostly glass along their limbs and covering their eyes.

This ghost I did recognize from old videos in the PRT's PR classes. Fragility was a hero whose personality was apparently similar to their power, which made them an example of how not to interact with the public.

They were a Thinker/Striker who could see and specifically attack the insides of their opponents. They could crush your heart without damaging the rest of your body.

"Blemished Sight, show me," Ciara stated and her eyes flashed blue in one eye and red in the other. Fragility could grant others their power?! "No, your gemma is still crippled… Though part of it looks healed… recently healed—"

Like stars vanishing from the night sky, my connection to my bugs vanished. It was all just… gone.

I staggered in my seat, bracing myself on the table as a wave of nausea crashed in my head.

The Rapier Wasp on my hand went ballistic, writhing and stinging my hand in a berserk fashion. My Aura shielded me, and I tossed the insect away.

Ciara grabbed her head in pain. Gavel disappeared and a different shade quickly took his place—a small child with long hair that reached the ground, her face a cracked porcelain mask set in a concerned frown.

The child lifted her hand and an eerie turquoise light erupted from it. As Ciara was enveloped, her strain visibly eased, and the Rapier Wasp stopped moving as well.

Instead, it froze in place and took up an unnatural stillness. It wasn't dead, it had just stopped moving entirely.

I was ready to bolt despite there being no way I would escape.

Then, all at once, a piercing spike of concrete information lanced through me. My metal arm clamped even tighter onto the table, bending the metal around each finger with my grip.

My connection to my bugs snapped back into place along with a dull pounding headache.

"What… the fuck?" I was gasping for air, letting the sudden pain slowly fade.

Ciara righted herself, an echo of discomfort still on her face. "So much information. So, that is the other side of the coin," she muttered, still shaken.

"Wha—you—you took my powers?"

"No. I did not, yet I felt like I did. The Administrator… gifted them to me somehow, yet she didn't leave your side."

"What do you mean?"

"The Administrator glowed brightly, and somehow granted me your power. Agents should not be capable of that," she stated seriously.

It isn't possible for parahuman powers, but maybe a Semblance could do that.

"Fuck."

"You understand what happened?"

No point lying to her, I'm sure she has ways to know if I'm not telling the truth.

"On this world, there's a thing called Aura. They say it's made of a person's soul." I displayed my undamaged hand. "It can shield a certain amount of harm. It can also manifest into what they call a Semblance. A unique ability that can range from telekinesis, memory manipulation, or anything really. It's very similar to parahuman powers."

Does that mean my passenger's Semblance is to give people the powers I had? Why? Did it somehow make sure that its Semblance would manifest in that way? Was it because of how we were connected as Khepri right before its Aura was unlocked? Why hadn't it transferred my powers onto anyone else so far?

"So, the Administrator developed an ability that lets others mimic your previous powers, yet she has only used that ability on you?"

"I don't know why either." If it is my passenger's Semblance, then I could lose my insects at any time. Just like that… gone.

I let out a heavy breath that hissed through gritted teeth.

"I will have to see then," she stated.

The child ghost dissipated. In her place was a spindly, tall shade, hunched over, reminding me of an old crow. Its unnaturally long arms ended in elongated fingers, and its dark gray form was in constant flux as thousands of overlapping ripples washed over it. Empty eye sockets stared at nothing and everything.

No, not a crow. Some kind of demonic crone.

Ciara blinked, and the white of her eyes was devoured by the same dark gray of the crone.

I didn't know who the new ghost was or what Ciara was doing. The silence grew along with my heart rate, but I hoped Ciara would have some insight into what was happening with my Passenger.

Finally, the color in her eyes slowly melted back into their original brilliant green.

She frowned, the melancholy look reverberating through her posture as she leaned back. Even the crone had its fingers interlocked, empty eyes downcast.

Ciara opened her mouth and—

I was standing, my chair lying on the grass a few feet behind me. There was a ringing in my ears and spots in my vision, and my movements felt dull and uncoordinated. It felt like I had been hit with a stun grenade. My bugs surrounded us—I must have called them closer to me at some point. The blade in my wrist was out, already cooling in the air.

"Whawu?" I babbled. I had to open and close my mouth to force blood to flow back through my cheeks. "What happened?" I spoke slowly, making sure each bit of punctuation came out correctly.

I was… in a park? Fighting? Where were the others—Wait, Remnant. I was in Remnant. Shouldn't I be with—Glaistig Uaine.

I blinked away the haze and turned to the former Faerie Queen. "What did you do?" I snarled.

"Maybe the most human thing I've ever done," she stated, almost unsure of herself. She hadn't moved from her seat. "...Your epilogue has become a sequel. One that, I hope, will not become another tragedy." She sounded like she didn't trust the words.

The crone had been replaced by an androgynous ghost made of violet waves that crashed against the air around it. Their facial features smoothed over like a mannequin.

"What happened?" I asked again, more controlled but still furious.

"We had a... discussion. One that forced you into a role that was… not something you should have to be." She took a drink of tea, and I saw how tightly she was gripping the cup. "Thus, I expunged the memory."

"You erased my memories?!" How fucking dare she?!

"I have. A vulgar, selfish deed, but one I believe is a necessity." She pursed her lips in thought. "It feels oddly human to do this selfish thing. "

"You think that you can toy with my memories just because you want to play at being a shitty person?!"

"Fate has spun consequences to your deeds, so very ironic and mocking that it truly justifies a story. Before, I chose not to act for reasons I did not know, and now I act with reasons I can not justify." She met my eyes. "I did what feels right."

"Whatever it is you told me, I'll be the one to choose how I deal with it. Not you," I ground out.

Her lips pursed. "This issue was above you, and you deserve to live your life as you have without it. You will come to know it in time, but this world is your second chance, and it should not be rotted by your own doubts."

My own doubts? FUCK! Whatever it was, it was enough to make me consider attacking fucking Glaistig Uaine.

I vibrated in rage, letting my swarm bite and flail about as an outlet for my fury.

In for four. Hold for seven. Out for eight.

Okay, I don't think Ciara would lie to me. She's very cryptic and nonsensical at times, but not a liar. She genuinely believes that not telling me is for the best and that it won't change anything even if I did know. It's possibly something that would make me undermine myself or become self-destructive? Damn, there's not enough to narrow anything down.

"So, I'm just supposed to accept what you did to me and that's it?"

"It is your right to be angry or distrustful. A natural reaction." Well, great. I'm allowed to be angry with her but can't fucking do anything about it. "Would you be willing to sit with me once more?" she asked carefully and somewhat uncertainly.

I debated leaving. From her question, I didn't think she would stop me, but there were still things I wanted to know.

The sliding metal of my Stinger hissed as it retracted back into my arm. I took my time going back and grabbing my chair before sitting back across from Ciara. My Scroll buzzed again in my pocket.

"Thank you," she stated. "Now, do you know why I came here?" Her tone was subdued now, almost hesitant.

"That's it, we're just going to ignore what just happened?"

"I will not speak on the matter any longer, and you, naturally, do not have the power to change that." Her voice resonated through the air and her ghosts looked ready to pounce forward at me.

Fine then.

"Then no. To answer your question, I don't know why you're here. Not anymore."

"I wanted to examine how you moved on, what you decided to do."

"What?"

"You are the only one who has had such a deep connection to their agent and managed to come back from it. The only one whose perspective has been merged, yet remains human. All the others, like Sleeper or the Ash Beast, were consumed by their bonds. My other half is calmer, more obliging toward myself, which has allowed me to retain some manner of ego. We have both been given opportunities to continue on, despite what should have been the end."

"You want perspective?" That's it? She nodded.

My jaw worked slowly, dozens of things rising to the back of my throat. Threats, dismissals, questions, demands, but none of them really mattered. For Ciara, I was possibly the one person who understood the loss of humanity, the weight of death, and trying to begin again. I would try and give her answers, then I would get my own.

"I don't know if I… I'll try to answer," I said.

She gave the slightest bow of her head. "You chose to continue fighting." An observation, not a question.

"I did… I needed to." Or maybe it was the only thing I could see myself doing. "Did you?"

"In a way, yes. As a part of the Wardens—the Protectorate's successor." Wardens, huh? I hope they do a better job than the Protectorate did.

"Why?"

"I had always known what I would do at the end. Guiding the dead was my duty. Yet, I turned away from that. I have a... responsibility to make up for all the lives I ended that got me to that point."

"Redemption?"

"Or a sibling of it, I suppose."

"I guess I'm doing the same, in a way," I started, unsure of the destination. "I don't know if there'll ever be forgiveness"—for myself or from others—"but I want to do things differently. Better. Do it right this time around. I'm… still learning, but I hope I can change so that I don't end up where I did."

Ciara nodded, a controlled motion that gave nothing away.

"May I ask some questions of my own?" I asked.

"Of course. As repayment... and recompense."

"How are things, after Scion?"

"The worlds are scarred but starting to heal. The Endbringers have gone dormant"—thank god—"and for now, and for years to come, humanity will limp toward retrieving its previous status. Though, there are new obstacles. It will take time."

"The Undersiders, my old team. Tattletale, Imp, Rach—Bitch—they might still be calling her Hellhound, and Grue? Do you know how they're doing?"

"I have heard of their actions from the Wardens. While they act on separate worlds at times, they are known to be companions." They're all on different worlds now? Some of the portals are still up then. "Tattletale centers herself in many things, as both informant and mastermind." I couldn't help but smile; it was obvious what Lisa would be up to. "Imp leads a group known as the Heartbroken, a collection of children from Heartbreaker." So Imp's still with them. "I hear little about the one called Bitch." She did mostly keep to herself, but I trusted that no news was good news for Rachel. "And I do not know one called Grue," she finished.

So, he stayed in retirement? Or is he just not making waves?

"He produces black smoke that blocks the senses, and he gets a version of the powers of any parahuman in the smoke. He retired during the battle with Scion though. I guess it's good that he hasn't drawn any eyes."

Ciara sat straighter for a moment and her brow furrowed. Her eyes reflected something that I couldn't make out.

"...I collected such an individual during the Gold Morning."

My breath hitched. "What do you mean?" My tone was calm and quiet, like a wall of ice holding back a flood.

"He joined the dead at the battle on the oil rig. You were there, did you not see?" Slight curiosity in her polite voice.

Everything was white noise except for the thunderous, painful beat of my heart.

They wouldn't have lied to me… would they?

"You're lying." I left any attempt at placating her behind, venom bleeding into my voice.

If this is some kind of sick joke, I'll kill her.

Ciara gave me a pitying look, closed her eyes, and Fragility vanished. "I am sorry, Taylor."

Black smoke poured out from nothingness and coalesced together, forming into a humanoid shape. Tall and bulky, a skull-like head obscured behind the infinite torrent of midnight smog that moved around him.

Brian.

The world fell away.

They lied to me… because they knew what it would do to me. Just like how I avoided learning about my dad's fate.

My laugh was short, bitter, and full of self-hate.

Brian had tried to leave, and I made him fight.

"I believe it would be best if I took my leave. Farewell, Taylor. While you may not remember it, I will keep my promise," Ciara stated before Doormaker appeared once more.

It was my fault.

I tried to speak, but all that came out was a hollow breath.

Ciara stepped through a portal, and I was left alone.

I leaned back in my chair, letting my head slump back to look at the canopy of trees and the bits of sky speckled in it.

Even as Khepri, I had enough sense to spare my friends. To save them from me.

Sounds droned in the background, and my hair shifted with a slight breeze. I didn't feel it, I was already too numb.

But all it took to kill Brian was Taylor. The girl who chose to throw away her friends. Who was willing to sacrifice everything for her goals. Who chose to become a monster. Not Khepri, me. I was the monster.

I sluggishly stood up, knocking over my chair as I stumbled toward the bushes.

Who's the next person I care about that I'm going to hurt?

I put a hand against a tree for support and vomited, spewing bile and then empty heaves when I didn't have anything left to puke.

There was always the chance that Brian could have been hurt or killed, but there was a fraction of a chance he could have helped, and I judged that as being more important than my friend's life. The same reasoning I used to kill a toddler.

Skitter, Weaver, Khepri. I was trying to be better as Taylor. What a joke.

People began to make their way to the park. Their voices echoed amongst the trees.

I need to get away.

I walked aimlessly, heading anywhere but there.

There's nothing for me to do here. Nothing important, nothing with meaning.

My footsteps fell harder on the concrete as I began to jog.

I don't even have full control over my powers. My passenger can just give them away to someone else on a whim.

Buildings and people blurred by me as I moved into a sprint. The pounding of my heart and my haggard breath felt dull in my chest. The noise of the city faded away.

I need to be alone… just for a bit.

I wasn't sure where I was, but I didn't care.

My Passenger played a hand in what I did as Khepri, in my degrading mental state. I don't have that excuse for killing Brian.

I finally reached a dead-end in some back alley. I ran to the end and slammed my hand against the brickwork before slumping down to the ground.

I thought I was doing better, opening up and maybe even moving forward. But how could I be better to the people I care about if I throw them away for my own goals? As if everything was fine if the end was good enough to balance it out.

Everything else faded to nothing except for the single damning thought.

I'm still the monster I've always been.

Chapter 18 End

Author Notes:

Praise be to Juff, Breakingamber, ccstat, Sigravig, Majigah, TheBiggerFish, TheSleepingKnight, and garneredAcrimony (:D) for their help. I shall prepare the baby goat slathered in mustard for each of you, as promised.

A thank you to Twei as well for offering to let me spitball ideas at them.

Finished RWBY After the Fall. I found it… remarkably unremarkable. Anyway, we learn about Team CFVY, mostly that Velvet was way better friends with Team RWBY (Specifically Ruby and Weiss) than shown, and that they're apparently pretty famous and implied that they're one of the strongest teams at Beacon. Also, Velvet is pretty sassy to her team, which was interesting to see.

Mistral cuisine? Mistralian? Mistralese? Whatever.