Ozpin's Office
The atmosphere inside Ozpin's office was tense, thick with unspoken words and clashing emotions. The soft hum of machinery from the walls did little to break the oppressive silence.
Onyx stood before Ozpin's desk, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. To his left, Ruby stood beside him, shifting slightly, clearly uneasy. Across from them, Qrow, Glynda, and General Ironwood listened intently, their eyes locked onto Onyx.
Ozpin sat behind his desk, fingers interlocked, his emerald gaze sharp yet contemplative.
It was Qrow who spoke first, his tone a mix of frustration and expectation.
"Alright, kid. You dragged us in here. Start talking."
Onyx exhaled, his amethyst eyes flickering slightly. "It's Cinder."
Ironwood frowned. "Cinder Fall? The Haven student?"
"She's not just a Haven student," Onyx said flatly. "Her scent… it's the same as the woman who tried to hack the CCT. The same woman Ruby and I stopped that night."
Qrow's eyes narrowed. He knew better than anyone—Onyx's sense of smell was unnervingly sharp. If he was saying this with certainty, then there was no mistake.
"You sure about that?" Qrow asked, though he already knew the answer.
Onyx met his gaze, his voice carrying the weight of his conviction. "You know I am."
That was all Qrow needed. His jaw tightened, and his grip on his flask became almost crushing.
Ironwood, however, remained skeptical. "A scent alone isn't enough to accuse a student of treason."
Onyx's expression didn't change. "It's not just her scent. Her fire—" He paused, as if recalling the sensation. "It felt different. The first time, when she attacked the CCT, it felt… raw. Almost unnatural. Today, it was controlled, precise, but… still the same."
Ozpin's fingers tapped lightly against his desk. His face betrayed nothing, but Onyx could feel the weight of his thoughts.
Then, Ozpin's voice broke the silence.
"Then there's no doubt about it."
All eyes turned to him.
"There's magic in that courtyard… I can still sense its lingering presence. There was something unnatural about Cinder's flames. Something familiar."
His gaze sharpened. "She has the other half of the Fall Maiden's power."
The room froze.
Qrow's grip on his flask tightened, his knuckles turning white. Glynda's eyes widened in shock. Even Ironwood, for all his composure, stiffened at the confirmation.
Cinder Fall—A Haven student—was the enemy they had been searching for.
Qrow exhaled sharply, his voice dangerously low. "So, the damn thief was right under our noses this whole time." His fist clenched. "Damn it."
Ruby shifted uncomfortably, but she squared her shoulders. "Then that means Emerald and Mercury were the ones that helped her steal half of the Fall maiden's magic." she said, her silver eyes hardening. "We need to inform the others."
"Absolutely not!" Ironwood said, his voice firm. "This is already a delicate situation. If word gets out, it could create a panic."
Onyx's expression darkened. "Keeping them in the dark is a mistake. We're dealing with a Maiden, and Cinder isn't working alone. Ruby's team, JNPR—they need to know what they're up against."
Ironwood folded his arms. "And what happens when fear spreads? When students start questioning who they can trust? We cannot afford that risk."
Onyx's jaw tightened. "They're already fighting. Today proves that. Whether you like it or not, they're involved."
Before Ironwood could argue further—
"I agree with Onyx."
Ironwood turned sharply to face Ozpin, eyes widening. Even Glynda and Qrow looked momentarily stunned.
"Oz," Qrow muttered. "You sure about this?"
Ozpin nodded, his gaze unwavering. "Cinder's team already knows who Onyx and Ruby are. They won't stop targeting them, and that extends to their friends. If we leave them uninformed, we leave them vulnerable. That is a mistake we cannot afford."
Ironwood's fists clenched at his sides, but he didn't immediately object. Glynda, though still visibly uncertain, seemed to be processing the decision carefully.
Qrow sighed, rubbing his temples. "I hate to admit it… but Oz has a point." His crimson eyes flicked to Onyx. "Still don't like this, though."
Onyx met his gaze. "I don't either."
Silence hung between them all.
Then Ozpin leaned forward slightly, his voice carrying a quiet weight.
"We will tell them. But we will do so carefully."
His gaze swept over the group. "No more half-truths. No more shadows. We prepare them. We end this game Cinder is playing before she gets the chance to strike again."
Onyx nodded. Ruby, standing beside him, looked to the others, her grip tightening on Crescent Rose.
It was finally time.
---
2 hours later
The air inside of Ozpin's office was thick with tension. The faces of eight young Huntsmen and Huntresses-in-training were filled with varying emotions—shock, disbelief, anger, and confusion.
Ruby and Onyx stood together as Ozpin, Qrow, Ironwood, and Glynda finished explaining everything. The truth about Salem, the Maidens, the Relics, and the centuries-old war that had been waged from the shadows.
For a long moment, silence reigned.
Then—
"This is a joke, right?" Yang finally broke the stillness, her golden eyes narrowing. "You're messing with us. This is just some elaborate test, isn't it?"
Ozpin sighed. "I assure you, Miss Xiao Long, this is no test."
Blake crossed her arms, her expression unreadable, but her fingers twitched—an old habit when she was tense. "So… the world's greatest enemy is some ancient, immortal woman who controls the Grimm, and you've been keeping it from everyone for centuries?"
Glynda nodded, though there was no pride in the admission. "For the sake of keeping the world from falling into chaos, yes."
"That's insane," Weiss muttered, arms crossed as she shook her head. "Everything we've been taught about Grimm, about the Huntsmen… It's all built on a lie?"
Jaune, sitting beside Pyrrha, leaned forward, his face pale. "And Cinder… she's part of all this?"
Ironwood answered this time. "She possesses half of the Fall Maiden's power. We suspect Salem is backing her, though we don't yet know her full plan."
That piece of information seemed to hit Pyrrha harder than the others. Her hands clenched into fists as she processed the revelation.
Then Yang exhaled sharply and turned to face Ruby and Onyx, her eyes burning.
"How long did you two know about this?"
Ruby stiffened at the question, while Onyx's expression remained calm but unreadable.
"A while," Onyx admitted first.
Yang's brows furrowed. "A while?! What does that mean?!"
Ruby hesitated, but then sighed. "Since the Breach. After the CCT tower incident, Ozpin told us. It was… a lot to take in."
Yang's fists clenched. "And you didn't think to tell us?!"
Onyx finally looked her directly in the eyes, his voice firm but calm. "We wanted to. But you think they would've let us?" He gestured toward Ozpin and the others.
Yang turned her glare on the older Huntsmen. "So what, you just ordered them to stay quiet?"
"It was for their protection," Ozpin said simply.
"For their protection?" Ren, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke. His usually calm voice was tight with emotion. "You mean like how you protected the rest of us by keeping us in the dark?"
"Ren…" Nora looked at him worriedly, but she didn't disagree.
"I didn't like keeping secrets from you," Ruby said softly, her silver eyes downcast. "But if we had told you, and Cinder found out, she could've gone after you first."
Jaune ran a hand through his hair, exhaling. "So… now that we know, what happens next?"
Onyx's amethyst eyes darkened. "Now?" He glanced at Ozpin before looking at the group again. "We fight back."
---
The tension in the room remained thick, but before anyone could voice another concern, Onyx spoke up.
"There's more."
Everyone turned their attention back to him. His arms were crossed, and his expression remained unreadable, but there was a sharp glint in his amethyst eyes.
"While I was fighting Cinder in the courtyard… I planted something on her."
Ironwood straightened, his usual stern expression sharpening. "What do you mean?"
Onyx uncrossed his arms and let a faint smirk tug at the corner of his lips. "A Grimm spider."
Silence.
Then—
"WHAT?!"
The room practically erupted.
"A Grimm spider?!" Weiss repeated, eyes wide with disbelief.
"You can do that?!" Jaune looked just as stunned.
"Wait, wait, wait," Nora held up her hands. "You mean to tell me that while fighting one of the most dangerous people in Vale, you just casually slapped a Grimm tracker on her?!"
Onyx shrugged. "Pretty much."
Yang blinked. "And it worked?"
A faint glow flickered in Onyx's amethyst-colored eyes. He raised his hand, and a dark tendril of energy weaved through his fingers, forming a small, glowing Grimm symbol in the air. "Right now, that little Grimm is feeding me her location. It's subtle, completely undetectable. She has no idea."
Blake stared at him. "That's… terrifying."
Onyx smirked. "Good."
Ozpin, who had been silent, adjusted his glasses. "Where is she?"
Onyx's eyes briefly flickered again before he answered.
"She's in Vale, in an abandoned warehouse near the outskirts. And she's not alone—Emerald and Mercury are with her, of course, but there are others."
The room fell into a deadly silence.
Qrow was the first to react, his usual sarcastic demeanor nowhere in sight. His hands clenched into fists. "Then that settles it. We know where they are. Let's move."
Ironwood, however, shook his head. "Not yet. We need a strategy. If we rush in without a plan, we risk exposing our knowledge. Cinder still thinks she's in control."
"But we have an opportunity!" Yang protested. "We can hit them before they hit us!"
"Ironwood's right," Onyx said, crossing his arms again. "Cinder thinks she's untouchable. If we move too soon, she might go underground. We need to catch her off guard."
"But for that," Ozpin said, looking at the young Huntsmen before him, "we'll need all of you to be ready for what's to come."
Pyrrha, who had been mostly silent, suddenly spoke. Her voice was quiet but steady. "Then prepare us."
Everyone turned to look at her.
"If we're going to fight, then we can't afford to hold back," she continued, meeting Ozpin's gaze. "We need to be strong enough to win."
Onyx smirked. "Now that's what I like to hear."