After they’ve filled one cartridge with ground-up or rather, small splinters of time dust, Schwartz takes the rest of the dust crystal and stores it in his shoulder bag.

“Huh? Shouldn’t we fill up at least two cartridges?” Weiss points at him with her screwdriver.

“I will hold onto the crystal, if we have no other choice, we can travel with it again.”

“You think we’ll have time to scrape some off if we’re mid-combat or something!?”

Schwartz shakes his head.

“Will it be just this one time? Will you seek time dust again if you fail? Or when you run into another setback in your life, will you turn to time dust as an answer?

A crutch to always repair your mistakes?”

Weiss ruminates the words.

“I will live my life after this like I had not known it existed. But... if we fail to save Blake, I will time-travel again. I will fix this mistake.”

“You say that, but are you really sure you wish to do this?”

“Of course, I’ve come so far already, that’s why I’m here.” Weiss wags the screwdriver at Schwartz again as she hands it to him.

“We might get separated and you could end up so far in the past, that you may not even live long enough to save Blake. We really don’t have any certainty what will happen.”

Schwartz packs the screwdrivers and then looks at the motorcycle.

“You might as well end up in your ancestor's time, than yourself.”

“I am aware,” Weiss says with some irritation, could Schwartz stop with this nonsense of questioning her conviction already?

“Have you stopped to consider, if this is what Blake wants? What your friends would want? You are messing with the very fabric of reality.”

Schwartz takes off the worker uniform and starts putting on his usual clothes which he had packed away. Weiss quickly turns to look the other way.

He keeps on preaching through his changing:

“What makes reality so important, and ‘real’, is that it cannot be changed once it's done. Every mistake, death, and departure of a loved one, is permanent.

Only through arduous labor and trials, can you try and ‘change’ your reality, by making amends and rectifying your mistakes in the future. And yet...”

Schwartz stops as he ties his cloth belt around his waist, and a leather belt on top of it.

“Blake, your friend, at this moment, she's at peace, in blissful oblivion. Why do you wish to take that away from her so badly? What if she’d object?

Though it’s not like you can have any wants when you’re dead, I suppose.”

“Don't you dare...” Weiss instantly turns around to the fortunately fully clothed Schwartz. “Death, it's not blissful or peaceful.

It's like you said, if you're not aware, don't exist...

You can't be anything.

You can't be stressed, hurt, or afraid. But you also can't be happy, and definitely not 'at peace'. Oblivion, non-existence, is not peaceful, it’s tragic.”

Weiss stares at Schwartz intently, and he takes it without flinching.

“What if death is a better fate than what would await in her future?” Schwartz looks away and into the distant skies.

“The things I saw... I am certain there will be many... many hardships in your future, even if you succeed in saving her.”

“Death is never... it's never better than any other fate. There is no hope, no chance beyond that.

Even the most terrible circumstance, the most horrific fate, is better than death. As long as you are alive, there is hope for the future.

Death, is literally, the end. A permanent tragedy.”

Weiss holds onto the time dust cartridge and inserts it into her rapier, furrowing her brow hard at Schwartz.

“Now that there is a chance to change that, I will do all that I can to change fate, to defy death!”

He doesn't seem impressed by Weiss' speech. After a moment of silence, he continues.

“Do you really know what will happen if you go through with this?

Time dust is powerful, and as they say, nothing comes for free.

Are you ready to pay the price?” He levels his gaze back at her.

“What do you mean?

I may no longer be an heiress to SDC, so as long as it doesn't take Lien, I can pay any price.

I know in my heart I have to do this. Blake doesn't have the right to die and end Team RWBY.

I don't care what she'd say, it's my choice to make for her as she's not present to voice her opinion. You can call me selfish, reckless, whatever you like, but I'm not changing my mind.”

“You do sound like you have steeled your resolve, but... tell me, what do you plan on doing after you’ve saved Blake? Have you thought about that?”

“I... I’ll get to live with my friends again... I’ll...” Weiss falls silent, like she’s realizing something. Like she’d forgotten to account for something extremely important.

“Listen to what I’m about to say, and listen well.”

Schwartz pauses, Weiss feels the pressure building inside, had she missed something? What had she not taken into account?

“If you save Blake, the other Weiss won’t disappear anywhere. Because she won’t use the time dust, she won’t become you. There will be two of you instead.

You won’t be able to wait for her to leave, and take your place where you left your past behind.”

She tries to swallow the terrible feeling away, that stuck in her throat like a bone. Lodged in the localized desert that had manifested inside her.

No way...

The logic is sound, irrefutable.

“I...”

“So, will you still go through with it? You said that Death is always the worst fate, but you did not consider this possibility, did you?”

“Even if it must be so... I would gladly give up my own life to prevent her death. And, give it up I will, my future, my life with team RWBY.

But it’s fine, my other self will be there to live it for me—to live it with them.”

“They won’t know what you did, what you sacrificed. You’ll miss your whole life.”

“It’s better they don’t know. That reality is what I’m trying to protect them from in the first place.

Besides, you know, somehow I trust the Ice Queen with all my heart to make the most of it...” Weiss chuckles. “Weird isn’t it?”

Schwartz nods and lets out a single consonant of laughter, sounding more like a grunt. “It sure is.”

“As long as I know Blake is safe, happy... and has a future, that’s enough for me. That’s my part done.

It may take time for the wounds to heal after Beacon, but I’m certain no matter what hardships they’ll encounter, it’ll all be for the better in the end.”

“Are you sure, you can live with that?”

“I won’t have a choice, will I?”

“No, you won’t,” Schwartz answers bluntly.

“Even if you say you’ll go back to your team and explain it all, and somehow form ‘RWWBY’, I wouldn’t accept it.

You’d have to kill me first.

That’s tantamount to just announcing that a method of time-travel exists.”

Weiss’ head sinks low, in deep thought.

“If hiding that is your objective, destroying the dust along with the mine, why’d you help me?”

“That’s a good question. I’m not sure if even I know.”

Despite his answer, Weiss feels like she could read the truth from within his words.

She goes over all the information in her head, but one thought lingers, giving her pause.

“Isn’t it also possible that I’ll just disappear once I’ve saved Blake? Since I would have lost my reason to have traveled to the past?

It wouldn’t be too surprising if this sort of paradox would resolve itself by... erasing me. The current me, anyway.”

That's how it always goes in fiction I've read...

“It’s possible, and thanks to you, we don’t know for sure which it will be, since you stopped me from killing my younger self...

That if something, would have been a paradox.”

Schwartz nods towards Weiss’ weapon. “Unless you want to track him down and test...”

“Don’t even joke about it...”

“Or I could blow up the mine now and see what sticks.”

“Stop! I can’t believe you were ready to kill your past self in the first place! What if you really had disappeared due to that?”

“In a way, that would have made things more simple…” Schwartz sits on the motorcycle’s seat, facing away.

“Death is called the easy way out, after all, that is, only for the person who’s gone. Continuing to live, is the harder part.”

He fiddles with his watch.

“Ain’t that the truth! Blake has caused us no end of trouble and grief... by just being gone.”

Weiss grips Myrtenaster hard and spins the chamber to the time dust capsule’s spot.

“Are you ready?”

Schwartz stands, picks up his riding scarf, checks his shoulder bag, and then nods.

Then, he walks up to Weiss, and plants his yellow hard hat on her head, to replace the one she left in the mine.

This finishes her worker look again as she is still wearing the outfit like they agreed during their small-scale mining operation.

“Best that you won’t be recognized.” And then puts up the scarf around Weiss’ neck, hiding her even further.

Weiss pulls down the scarf wrapped around her head, which hides her entire face, “Thanks, but I have to see for this!”

Schwartz takes a step back, as Weiss draws a circle in the air with her rapier, following the movement, a black glyph starts to become carved on the red-brown cliff wall.

Once she completes the circle, lines start to snake and shoot around towards the middle, forming a geometrical pattern.

The areas formed by the lines begin glowing white. She twists her wrist, like turning a key in a lock, and the time dust sparkles out of the tip of Myrtenaster, streaming into the glyph.

The shape starts to rotate, generating wind, blowing Weiss' hair out from inside of her overalls as she keeps her stance steady.

Its edges start to glow in the colors of a rainbow until the middle part seems to almost break off, dissipating into nothing.

The shape is still, apart from the whirring of the edges, a calm white portal entrance in the middle of it, subtly rippling and shifting like water.

“Phew... it worked!”

She sighs relieved, tucking her hair back into hiding.

“After you.”

“Yeah, yeah... S-see you on the other side.”

As Weiss approaches the portal, she thinks back on that day, on the Fall of Beacon. Just what had happened, where she had been at the time.

What would be the best time to arrive for them to have the best shot at saving Blake.

As she steps up even closer to the portal in her loose worker boots, it blows gentle winds towards her. The wind carries strange smells from her past.

The smell of explosions, the dust of collapsed buildings, but also positive scents, the scent of flowers they grew indoors back home, the homely feeling of their bunk beds, the perfumes and shampoos that her team used.

Also, things she feels that she cannot place, deception and betrayal, something that would upend her whole world.

Then, the sounds of a great rushing of water with a screaming chorus, fill her with an unprecedented feeling of loss. Something that Penny nor Pyrrha’s deaths could even begin to compare to.

A feeling of falling and despair hits her hard, almost dropping her to the ground. However, she manages to keep steady, walking onward, though with shorter steps.

She almost gets lost in the whirlpool of emotions and memories, but shakes off these ominous feelings, returning her mind to her objective; back to the Fall of Beacon, as she steps through the portal.

In a blink of an eye, she’s elsewhere. She’s back at the Vytal festival, standing a few meters behind herself, behind Weiss. Next to whom, sitting on the bar stool of the noodle shop is Blake.

It really worked! She takes a few steps back in shock and wonder.

“What was that sound?” Blake looks to the left and right, but thankfully not behind her.

Weiss quickly hides her face with the scarf, only leaving her eyes exposed.

She glances around, and it appears her arrival went mostly unnoticed, at least the fairgrounds are almost completely deserted as everyone's at the arena.

“What sound?” The past Weiss asks.

Swoosh!

“That sound!”

“Oh!”

Schwartz's large frame appears right in front of traveler Weiss, his back to her.

I dare not think what would have happened if I hadn't moved a few steps back...

“Huh? Who are you?” The other Weiss asks, with a grating and high-pitched voice.

Is that really how I sound?

“Excuse me, but why were you standing right behind us?” Blake asks.

“Apologies if I scared you, I’m just a... teacher from Vacuo and I was simply watching the tournament on this fine establishment's TV screen.

Please, do carry on like I wasn’t here.”

“Right, sorry but if you want to watch, could you move to the side of us instead?” Blake says.

“Yeah or sit by the counter like everyone else, instead of creeping around behind our backs!” Past Weiss joins in.

“Duly noted… But I think it’s best I’ll be on my way to check up on my students.” Schwartz nods at the two.

“But the next round is just starting?” Past Weiss exclaims.

“Suit yourself.” Blake shrugs.

Blake and past Weiss turn around to watch the TV.

“Looks like our first contestant is... Penny Polandina from Atlas. And her opponent will be... Pyrhha Nikos, from Beacon.”

“Let’s go.” The Weiss hiding behind Schwartz’s frame whispers to him. “We gotta hurry before all the Grimm arrive.”

Schwartz agrees silently, and they leave the two alone, though she still keeps to his shadow.

Weiss cannot help but peek back towards the two enjoying their meal. They talk about something and laugh, then attentively look at the TV screen again.

Oh, Blake...

They go through the mildly crowded Vytal festival venues, these ones thankfully bound to the ground, unlike the floating arena itself.

When they arrive at the edge of the area, Schwartz asks: “What now?”

“Follow me, let's get as close to the Academy as we can before all hell breaks loose.”

As they get into the city, all monitors in shop windows, and the few large billboards around, flicker on, as Cinder starts her tirade.

Among the great Atlesian fleet, flying at low altitudes are the aircrafts of the White Fang. They start to flock into the city's airspace and all around it.

Weiss and Schwartz run through the city streets, taking turn after turn, trying to make as much headway as possible before their path is blocked.

A long street they were making their way through, is cut off by a white fang ship that drops down an Ursa, before flying off.

“Darn it.”

The Grimm sniffs the air and quickly turns to look at them, charging at them with all its grizzly power.

“Uhh… Schwartz? Can you do something about that?”

Weiss steps backward.

“No. My semblance doesn’t even work on Grimm.”

“W-what? Now you’re telling me?!”

Weiss looks around frantically but doesn’t spot anyone. Since they were alone... would it be okay for her to fight?

The Ursa’s steps quake the earth, leaving pawprints on the asphalt, as time is running out to decide; try to outrun the Grimm, or fight and risk-

Swoosh!

The moment Weiss is about to brandish Myrtenaster, somebody flies past her like a gale wind. A glimpse of a red tattered cape is all she sees, though that’s enough to allude to who they are.

As she lifts her gaze, whirring and clanking sounds as the large sword changes into a scythe. It scrapes along the asphalt and shoots up splinters as it's dragged along.

The benevolent wind spirit turns out to be Qrow, he and the Ursa charge at each other, sure to collide any second now.

The Grimm goes for a pre-emptive strike, but he deftly dodges it to the side, sliding underneath its paw, before bouncing up and lopping its head off.

Qrow transforms his weapon back into a sword and throws it onto his shoulder. He turns around.

“No need to be so scared, um... Miss or are both of you blokes? Either way, the way’s clear, get out of here, seek shelter inside a building or something.”

He approaches them, and future Weiss, clad in her disguise, does her best to hide behind Schwartz.

“Thanks for the help, we’ll do just that,” Schwartz answers and they start to briskly walk toward Qrow.

Weiss does not dare to say anything as they are passing Qrow, just watching her from the corner of her eye, while holding onto Myrtenaster tighter, sticking it close to her side on the other side, to not allow him to see her weapon.

Her other hand grasps her scarf, making sure it doesn't have any chance to fall from her face.

Qrow looks at her with narrowed eyes and is about to say something, but the screams of citizens from the way they came take his concentration away.

“Just stay out of trouble, will you?”

He bolts into a run, her sword forming into a scythe mid-run once again. Sounds of fighting and struggles start emanating behind them as they start running again.

“I hate this... I feel so useless...”

“Welcome to my world.”

They run around the winding streets, as Weiss is about to turn left, she sees a figure further ahead, quickly identifying it as Ironwood.

He’s fighting against the turncoat Atlesian robot army, his clothes tattered, landing kick into a pistol shot, into a robotic arm punch breaking through their ranks.

All the while shouting and growling in anger. He's going all out, resembling a berserk wild animal rather than the stern but well-mannered general Weiss has had limited contact with.

She can’t help but stare at him for a moment, something about him... it feels almost frightening. Weiss shakes her head, and gestures for them to move again.

“Let’s go around...”

They arrive at the front of Beacon and run across the stone path. The very same Weiss had her first encounter with the clumsy disaster that was Ruby Rose at the time.

“This way-” But Weiss’ words are cut short, as a roaring Grimm charges them from the side. The Boarbatusk is on collision course, but as Weiss is about to draw her sword.

A purple circle is conjured in the air that shoots an energy projectile at it, flinging the Grimm away.

The light show repeats multiple times, as the hoard of black boars that tries to ambush them are demolished with incredible speed.

Heels clasp against the stone, as Glynda steps towards them, with a proud gait.

“Students-! Are you even students?” Her eyebrows raise as she sees the strange-looking people she saved.

“Y-yeah...?” Schwartz says.

“Well, that doesn’t matter now.” She whips the riding crop against her hand and points at them. “Seek shelter or fight, either way, it’s not safe here at the Academy.”

“Noted. Thanks for the help, we’ll take the first.” Schwartz and Weiss run past her, toward the school.

“Wait- where are you going!? I just told you-!”

Glynda shouts after them, but a horde of Beowolfs fall from the sky, from the White Fang vessels, and she’s thrust into yet another fight.

Weiss finds the side of the school, where the fateful battle happens, and they hide in the bushes near the large windows that extend almost to the ground.

A sparse forest edge started right after the school on this side, gradually becoming a fully-fledged woods, but it didn't really help her in differentiating the location.

She shifts through her memory for all it’s worth, making sure that this is the right window, the right location.

Soon enough, Grimm show up, which break through the windows and parts of the wall, sending the students and faculty who were taking shelter inside, contrary to Glynda's instructions, into a panic.

They try to run away, but not all make it.

Weiss grits her teeth, for not helping them. Schwartz looks away from the scene.

The carnage quiets down eventually, and the Grimm disperse, they keep low and manage to evade them as the monsters spread out.

They continue waiting and Schwartz speaks up once the coast seems clear: “So, you know what happened here before, right? What’s your plan on stopping it?”

“Well... I haven’t actually seen for myself how the fight went, just heard Yang’s account on it.

Adam was simply too skilled, too fast for her. She couldn't control her feelings, and she charged him.

Immediately, he sliced one of her arms off, but even then, she tried to fight him together with Blake who was already badly injured, but they couldn't keep up with him.

And, as her other arm was cut off too, Blake blocked a fatal strike for her which cost her life...”

Weiss hangs her head low, looking at the ground, hugging her knees.

“Right after, me and Ruby showed up to find them because they were taking too long, and drove Adam off.”

“I see... How are you going to stop this Adam?”

“That’s the question, isn’t it?

I’ve thought about it a lot and wondered how I could do it. Assassinating him before all this begins… but I wouldn’t be a match for him let alone know where to find him.

Thought about somehow luring myself there earlier to help, but... who knows what could happen then... I- my past self could very well die there too if she goes there.

And if I change the events too much, there’s no telling what could happen, maybe Yang dies with Blake then... or something even worse happens...

If I bring me and Ruby there too early, what if... we all die?”

Schwartz who sits next to her, in the darkness of the evening, behind this slightly thorny bush, crosses his arms.

“We need some discreet method to help them.”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I’ve been thinking myself. And I have been training in that regard.

I cannot directly interfere, if this is to be the timeline, where I save Blake… I cannot make the mistake of being in two places at the same time.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Even if I was to disguise myself, my fighting style or weapon would surely bust me.”

Schwartz averts his eyes, briefly looking elsewhere, before returning his gaze to Weiss.

“I’m no fighter, best I could do was to act as a messenger to get others here, since nobody would recognize me, but if we’re not doing that, I’m afraid, I cannot help.”

“Yeah… the White Fang also do wear masks… so even your semblance can’t affect Adam.”

“That’s true. But you do have some way in mind to save her without relying on me, don’t you?”

“Yes, I have been experimenting with my power.

First, I tried to make my glyphs invisible, to be able to affect Adam’s movement mid-fight, without exposing my influence, but I haven’t managed that.

All I could do was to make them silent, and not emit any glow if I kept them small enough, but... well, you’ll see what I have planned.”

“Can’t wait.”

Much to her chagrin, Weiss cannot tell if he’s being sarcastic or not. Maybe in reality he came with her just to be entertained by her struggles?

Or perhaps he’s just being his usual flavor of rude, it's hard to tell.

Weiss feels that she has grown to understand Schwartz a bit better after the mines, but it is still difficult to grasp what he’s thinking. Or even, in what way his words should be interpreted.

As they wait, they can hear the fight against the large mechs of the Atlesian army Weiss and Blake were engaged in before.

In the latter part of that, Adam eventually shows up too, jumping up through the broken window into the school.

As he walks around, whacking at the rubble, and checking bodies, Weiss takes out Myrtenaster, starting to conjure a glyph, by waving the end of the rapier in a circular motion.

But the resulting glyph misses Adam, and ends up on the wall, being too big to boot as well.

Weiss quickly erases the glyph.

She sighs deeply, gets on her knees, and sits on her calves, like in some sort of meditative pose. She lays down Myrtenaster next to her on the ground.

“What are you doing?”

“Shh…” Weiss lifts her right hand and starts making the same motion but this time with her outstretched finger.

Her eyes track Adam’s every move like a hawk, and as he finally turns sideways to her, Weiss’ fingertip glows slightly and she completes one circle.

A small black glyph appears before her hand, faintly touching her fingertips.

“Yes!”

“What did you do?”

“You probably can’t see it from here, even I can barely make it out myself only because it's my power, but Adam’s right-hand side jacket sleeve has a small glyph embedded into it now.

Good thing Adam’s fashion sense is horrible enough to wear all black.”

Weiss stretches her fingers out and then brings them closer together again, testing her connection to the glyph.

It seems to be holding out well, as the shape responsively changes sizes with her finger’s movements.

“So that's what you're doing...”

“I just need to get a glyph to his other sleeve too, and we should be good to go.

Admittedly, the glyph’s power is directly related to their size, but I think these will be enough to throw him off balance when I need to.”

Adam finds a man who is still hiding inside the room and throws him to the ground. He spouts some White Fang nonsense at the man, before knocking him out cold.

As he presses his foot on top of him, Blake runs past the window and notices him.

Oh no, I haven’t embedded the left-hand glyph yet, this is too soon!

Blake averts her gaze.

“Running away again? Is that what you’ve become my love? A coward?” Adam taunts her.

“Why are you doing this?” Blake turns back toward Adam, standing between him and the hiding time-travelers.

“You and I were going to change the world remember? We were destined to spark the flames of revolution.”

Adam stomps on the chest of the beat-up civilian and draws his sanguine blade.

“Consider this—the spark.”

Blake springs into action and practically tackles him before he can stab his victim, causing them to fly momentarily before crashing onto the ground.

They both recover quickly and immediately collide into fierce combat, metal resonating against metal, martial blows being blocked and deflected.

“I’m not running!” Blake shouts as their blades collide and are held together, both trying to overpower the other.

“You will.” Their blades crash and spark over and over again, but Adam has the upper hand, and she kicks Blake in the stomach, sending her flying through tables, until a wall stops her.

Dramatically, Adam slowly walks his way to Blake on the left.

This is my chance!

Weiss conjures another glyph now using her left hand and just about manages to land it on his cuff.

She tests them both by moving her hands backward in a pulling motion and the sleeves flap towards her like a sudden burst of wind shakes them.

Now I’m ready!

A Grimm jumps through the window towards Blake, Weiss is about to use the Glyphs reactively to try and get Adam to do something, but Adam shoots it down himself.

“But not before you’ve suffered for your betrayal, my love.”

He draws his blade.

“This could have been our day, can’t you see that!”

“I never wanted this!” Blake starts shooting him with Gambol Shroud’s pistol. “I wanted equality! I wanted peace!”

Adam absorbs all the bullets with his blade and is now dangerously close to Blake, who struggles to move away from him on the ground.

“What you want is impossible!” Weiss is ready to interrupt his left hand’s sword strike, but instead, Adam’s right hand slaps Blake on the cheek.

“But I understand, cause all I want is you, Blake. And as I set out upon this world and deliver the justice mankind so greatly deserves, I will make it my mission, to destroy everything, you love.”

Weiss hears steps, and Yang runs along the side of the building.

Okay… deep breaths, here it comes.

Save Blake… Save Yang…

Piece of cake...

“Blake!” Yang spots her inside the building.

“Starting with her.” Adam takes his blade to both of his hands and begins a stabbing motion toward Blake's abdomen while keeping an eye on Yang's reaction.

“Get away from her!”

Weiss harshly pushes forward with her hands, and Adam’s strike misses Blake, the blade hitting the concrete floor instead. Blake rolls away from near him.

“W-what?” Adam looks at his hands confused for a moment, and in that time, Yang has closed the distance and lands a blow to his shoulder that he only partially manages to dodge.

He rolls his shoulder, but that's all he has time for, as Yang starts exchanging further blows without giving him a further chance to recover.

Her armored fists explode against his blade again and again, and the redness builds up.

“Yang! Don’t hit his sword!”

“Huh?!” Adam releases the energy, and Weiss pulls his hands down, the power mostly hits the ground, Yang’s aura and her blocking managing to take the brunt of the blow.

Adam seems visibly confused, but he has no time to wonder about it, as Blake rains down bullets and then closes the distance wielding her weapon in both hands. “Go away! I never want to see you again!” Adam blocks with his blade, but Blake avoids hitting it.

Weiss tries to break his block, by moving his arms, but it seems less effective than before.

No way! She spots holes in Adam's left hand's sleeve, her glyph is partially broken.

If I dispel it, both of them go, and I’ve gotta start all over again! This technique requires two linked Glyphs at all times to work...

Hang in there! I- I’ll do what I can!

Adam starts responding to Blake’s strikes with his feet, was this his solution to counteract something being wrong with his arms?

Yang charges toward Adam from the sidelines, “Get over it creep! She’s over your ugly mug!” Her hair flows in a fiery glow, as she leaps to land a big hit.

No, Yang! Don’t do it!

Adam kicks Blake away and faces Yang with his blade at the ready. A confident smirk emerges on his lips.

He holds the sword with both hands, and Weiss isn’t confident that she can react in time to the upcoming lightning-fast movement, so she per-emptively starts pulling his sleeves down with all his might.

As Yang is coming to range, Adam pulls his sword, but he has trouble getting it up.

He has to dodge backward to move with Yang's motion, during which he loosens his right hand from the grip, and swings his sword with his left successfully.

No!

Crimson splatters in the air, as Yang’s outstretched right hand is sliced in two. She tumbles to the ground violently and stays limp.

Adam lands crouched on his feet and laughs with joy. “I don’t know what that was, but I got you. How does it feel, Blake? This is only the beginning!”

“Yang!” Blake ignores Adam’s comment and runs towards her friend.

“Tsk. Have it your way.” Adam dashes towards Blake, to intercept her, to skewer her from the side.

To Weiss’ terror, he’s using a one-handed grip with his left hand, and no matter what direction she tries, nothing works.

The blade sinks entirely into Blake's body.

“Goodbye, my love.”

As Blake’s lips turn into a painful frown, her clothes, and her very skin become stone.

Oh my... I almost got a heart attack...

Weiss sees Blake in the background pick up Yang as Adam is stuck in the stone clone of her semblance and makes her escape.

“Rrrgh!” Adam twists the sword inside the stone statue and it explodes in red energy.

He moves to pursue after them.

“Schwartz!”

“W-what?”

“Quickly! Take a dust cartridge out of Myrtenaster and sprinkle it on my hands!”

Schwartz starts to fumble with the weapon, as Weiss wrestles with Adam, wildly twisting her hands any which way, to make it difficult for him to run.

“W-which one!?”

“Doesn’t matter!”

Schwartz screws the canister open and throws its contents into the air, around Weiss' hands.

She closes her fists, and the dust is sucked into the glyphs before her knuckles. As she opens her palms, Adam’s sleeves explode with ice, freezing him stuck to the window he's trying to climb out from.

He looks around and breaks the ice after a few moments of struggling. Seemingly ending his pursuit, he walks back, towards them.

Weiss dispels her Semblance and ducks down prone behind the bush. Schwartz follows suit.

“Who’s doing that!? I’m going to kill you!” He stomps towards them and sends a wave of force that was stored in his blade flying, it completely cuts down the bush next to them.

A few Grimm perish behind it as the wave continues further, and another few jump at him, alerted by the noise. He fights them off in a flurry of stabs and cuts.

“Show yourselves, you cowards!” Adam laughs spitefully and sends another energy wave that cuts down a tree. Then another, and another.

“Stay hidden, and you will perish!” Another energy blade is sent forth, the air is rife with the sound of them swishing to every which way.

Windows break, walls shatter, and nature is further violated by his power.

Then, silence falls.

“Rrgh... guess I did scare them off after all...” Adam’s steps echo as he leaves in another direction.

Weiss and Schwartz remain lying on the grass, still hugging the ground.

“Phew…” Weiss gasps, finally letting herself breathe.

“Was that… a success?”

“I… I don’t know. I did save Blake, but… Yang still lost an arm...”

“While that is regrettable, it’s a much better result to lose only one arm.”

“You’re right... She can bounce back from that, Yang is strong. Strong enough to overcome this, now that Blake’s alive.”

Weiss smiles, and cries tears of joy, moisturizing some lucky blades of grass.

“Should we still check up on them, one final time?”

“Y-yeah... Let’s.”

They move in the shadows to the front of the school, where citizens are being evacuated.

They see Ruby and Weiss look in terror upon the hurt Yang, who’s lying on the ground, with Blake kneeling in front of her.

Blake is hurt but looks to be doing alright, and Yang should live. She did after all survive last time, with injuries twice as severe.

Weiss’ eyes get misty, even if she’s been through this once before.

You all made it… I’m so, so happy… but why, why, am I still crying such bitter tears?

I- I did it… I achieved the impossible, I changed the future.

She looks at her hands, which appear to be fading for a moment, but as the tears vacate her eyes for a moment, she realizes it's just the liquid smearing her vision.

“Looks like you’ll be sticking around,” Schwartz says with a neutral tone but pats Weiss on the shoulder.

“Right... I can’t tell if I should feel relieved or disappointed.”

“Fading away due to the will of the world would have been easier, that’s for sure.”

Weiss doesn’t want to agree with the sentiment, so she stays quiet.

“Now then, let’s go,” Schwartz says.

“Huh? Where?”

“Anywhere that’s not here.”

They retreat from the shadowy foliage, and take a direction towards the nearest settlement Weiss thinks is still safe, and far away enough, to not run from anyone she knows from Beacon at least.

They decide to walk through the forest instead of the roads available.

“So... Weiss, what will you do now?”

“I... I don’t really know. I could just change continents and start a new life in Vacuo or somewhere else.

Right now, I can do anything. I am the most free I have ever been in my life.

And yet it feels like I've never been so restricted. It's a false freedom, an existence where I have to watch over my shoulder and be careful of every word and action I do.

Knowing what I know... I have no real place in the world anymore. A normal life somewhere else, starting over... it all feels pointless.

“If you’d like, you can come with me back to Vacuo on a mission instead, and we’ll destroy the dust mine this time.”

“Are you still going to blow it up with everyone inside, including your past self?”

“Well, this time, I was thinking, we could do it at night, when nobody’s around.”

“Really now? What about the Faunus slaves, do they live on-site? Can we save them too, while we’re at it?”

Schwartz sighs. “Yes. They have their own couple of buildings in the area.”

Weiss beams. “Thank you, for being so forthcoming, but… What’s gotten into you to change your mind about all this?”

Schwartz stays silent for a moment, looking ahead as they keep on walking through the gloomy forest.

“Do you want to know the real reason I had you lock the workers in the building, my younger self included?”

Weiss nods cautiously.

“I was harboring thoughts similar to yours, that after all this time, I could reclaim my life. I’d make it right, and live it to the full without regrets.

I... wanted to get younger me killed so that there wouldn’t be another time travel, and so, that I could...”

For the first time, Schwartz hesitates, his confidence, and his words waver. Even for Weiss, it was plain to see how he struggled.

“I was going to go back to my wife. Shock her with my old-man appearance, explain everything.

The accident, time dust, my time travel, and that this was me now. Hope that she’d accept me as I am now.”

“You have a wife!?”

“I have a kid too... But, that’s not the point. For them, I was willing to throw caution to the wind, even gamble with the very world itself.

If anybody found out I had time traveled, which would be quite likely, there would be a rush to search for whatever method I did it by.

I cannot know, that this mine is the only source of time dust...”

Schwartz trails off, and only the nighttime birds and movement of nocturnal animals around them can be heard.

“That all changed when you stopped me from blowing the mine up. At the time, I was furious that you ruined everything and prevented my easy way out, the easiest chance to kill my past self.

You did after all stop me from being with my family!”

“Oh, sorry about that...”

“No... I was in the wrong. You made me realize, that since my younger self would now live, he’d go back to her, and they’d still be a family without me.

That would truly be the best outcome for everyone.”

“Except for you,” Weiss says solemnly.

Schwartz looks back at her. “Except for us.”

“That’s true...”

Weiss thinks for a moment.

“What do you say, should we travel the world together from now on?”

“Fine by me, but we’ll have to change our names, our appearances. Old us have to disappear. What should your new name be Weiss?”

“Oh… I don’t-”

“How about: ‘Valkea?’”

“Ugh... I have a strange feeling about that one, but sure, we can bank that one for now. Until we figure out something better.”

Weiss says disappointed, but continues with a grin: “But what about you, how about… ‘Musta ‘n’ Puhuva’?

“What does that even mean? Besides, I don’t need an alias, just don’t call me Hill. ‘Schwartz’ is not my real name.”

“Wait, wait, wait! Really?! You- you were lying to me from the start!” Weiss hits him on the shoulder.

“I mean... it was an extempore decision, I wasn’t exactly planning on helping you. I just wanted to know how much you knew and if you were a threat...”

“You’re horrible, you know that right? What’s your real name then?”

“I’m not going to tell you. It’ll only be a hindrance, since now, you cannot accidentally call me it when we’re living our ‘fugitives of time’ -lives.”

“Hmph! I’ll find it out, somehow. You’ll slip up! I know it...”

They walk further on, breaking into small plains being lit up by the broken moon.

This far out, the sky is already clear from the dark ominous clouds brought by the Grimm’s presence, even if Beacon Academy itself is still infested.

“Hey, the mine thing is still months away, right?” Weiss asks.

“We’ll ideally want to blow it up even sooner, so that time dust is never discovered and your father never gets the sample, but yes, it is.”

“Well, in that case, I’ve got an idea of what I want to do first.”

“Somehow, I don’t like how you're so excited about this sudden idea of yours.”

“I want to go see your sisters. Tarrot is in Vale, right? So she’s right around these parts. We should go and see that she’s fine.”

Schwartz looks surprised.

“They both sound interesting, but we can go and see Nerol after we’ve destroyed Vacuo’s mine.”

And… Robyn is fine in Mantle anyway… not that I probably should ever set foot again into Solitas…

“But...”

“You were going to throw the world away for your wife and kid, are you telling me you won’t even want to check up on your sisters now that you can?

Surely, you can trust them to keep a secret even if they happen to see your thirty-something-years-older-than-them face?”

“Tarrot is the worst person to ever keep a secret, remember? Whenever she lies, everyone in the room can see it. And besides, it’s not even that long ago that she left in this time.”

“That’s true… But isn’t that even more reason to meet her, to fix up your relationship as soon as possible?

And if you’re afraid she recognizes you, I can meet her in disguise first, and we’ll go from there okay?

You can lie to me all you want about other things, but it’s clear to me how much you still care about them.”

Schwartz sighs loudly and shakes his head.

“Fine... We’ll go see her, but, we’ve got to find her first, and I doubt that’s going to be easy. I know as much as you do by now, that she lives in Vale, and that’s not a small area...”

“Well, we’ve got time to look, wouldn’t you say?”

“Very funny... But, thanks, Weiss.”

“Who knows, maybe they’ll want to join the Timekeepers too and we can all roam the lands in search of any traces of time dust and destroy it together.”

And they’ll definitely know what your real name is.

“Seeing my sisters, and already naming our ‘group’? Are there any other spur-of-the-moment decisions I should know about?”

“I think that’s all for now. But I’ll let you know if that changes.” Weiss smirks.

“Great…”

Schwartz shakes his head.

“And besides, I was thinking more along the lines of Dust Destroyers.”

“That’s way too broad, and on the nose! We’re not destroying ALL dust!”

“Time Dust Destroyers?”

“Did you even listen to half of my argument? That’s even worse! Let’s just announce to whoever is asking the very existence of Time Dust!”

“Yeah, well, Timekeepers, ain’t exactly subtle about it either. How about… Future Fighters?”

“No.”

“Future Fugitives?”

“No!”

“Future Fulfillers?”

“What does that even mean?”

“Future-”

“Just give up on the Future prefix already!” Weiss shouts, and they both erupt into laughter.

Through the dark forest, towards an even more enshrouded future, they walk.

The two without a place to call home, who are fated to be outside of time, for all time.

Bravely, putting foot after foot, to step towards a future that for them, was even more uncertain than most people’s.

However, they had accepted their place and made peace with the sacrifice to put the world before themselves, to put their other selves before their own happiness.

No glory won in combat or diplomatic incident solved can sometimes compare to the efforts and sacrifices made in secret.

Sometimes, the heroes who are never seen are the source of the most notable changes.

***

Weiss struts along in silence, after their argument of a group name having passed over fruitlessly. However, there is a nearly unnoticeable pep in her step.

I am already outside of reality, my time with my Team is over...

Ruby, Yang, Blake... and Weiss...

I hope you succeed in reuniting now, achieve your dreams, and save the world from whichever threat surely looms on the horizon.

From this... Salem.

And... even if you don’t...

“You must be tired, I can carry the bag for a bit,” Weiss says.

“Fine, if you insist.” Schwartz doesn’t look directly at her as he hands the shoulder bag over but keeps an eye on her with his peripheral vision.

“Thanks. We should find some place to camp, or stay the night soon. All we’ve eaten is just the breakfast this morning. We need rest and to find something edible.” Weiss says to which Schwartz responds with just an acknowledging grunt.

Weiss flips the bag over her shoulder and places a hand against its side. Pressing against the bag’s bounds, she feels a reassuring hard surface, with a faint vibration and warmth against her palm.

Even if you fail…

I’ve got the remedy right here.

The path may be thorny, it may hurt, and perhaps you will at times wish you had never even taken the responsibility onto your shoulders.

But, I know, in the end, you will win.

Fight on, Team RWBY.