Chapter Text
When they arrive back at the Library, Yang feels no less disconcerted, but at least she doesn’t feel physically exhausted anymore. Are they being used by Ozpin too? Is Ozpin truly the one in control here, or is it the Library? Are they one and the same?
Is it possible to separate themselves from the Library now that they’ve been entangled in it?
Well, Yang knows it is. Uncle Qrow left — it took him longer to leave, but he left. So it’s not a job Yang has to keep working until she dies.
(But she might die before she can leave if this goes too much further. Would it be worth her time?)
(…maybe it would, if Blake was there.)
“I see you’ve made it back safely with the lamp,” Ozpin says. “Where was it?”
Blake looks over at Yang. She sighs. “I don’t really want to talk about it.”
Ozpin almost certainly knows who Raven is — Uncle Qrow doesn’t enjoy talking about her, but Yang knows she still sometimes comes up, and they knew each other for a while. So Ozpin probably knows who Raven is. If he knows that she’s the Spring Maiden, though, he doesn’t let on.
“Well, what’s done is done,” he says. “I will go put the Lamp away for you both so that you may begin your research on the Fall Maiden.”
“...right,” Blake says. “Ugh, this is going to be difficult. I’m not even sure where to start. There are so many people that it could be.”
“...if the cult is searching for the relics too, then why can’t we try to look for any information they have?” Yang sits up on the table, looking down at Blake. “We could find where they are, break in, grab the intel they have, and get out. Or we could infiltrate them more long-term to find out what they’re up to. Either way — they’ve been looking for longer than we have. They definitely have more information.”
“Right,” Blake says, still uncertain.
“It’s a whole group. They’re bound to be easier to find than just one person,” Yang says.
Famous last words, it seems, because even with rumors of the cult continuing to float around, they still can’t pin down any specific location or headquarters.
Yang brings in a flier one day from on her way to work. “This looks promising.”
“Learn the truth of this world…” Blake squints. “That looks like Salem iconography, yeah. So they’re holding a public event?”
“Maybe we can tail whoever’s running the show back to their base,” Yang says. “Sound okay?”
“Are you sure you should be doing this?” Blake asks.
“...what, you think I can’t?” Yang responds. “I’ve got you with me. Worst comes to worst, I know you do a pretty good job at acting, and I can just stand by your side and nod along with you.”
Blake laughs. “Okay. I’m still not…sure about this, but…this is the closest we’ve had to a lead in a while. So…let’s go.”
The place is dark and dingy. Yang’s dressed down a little tonight, wearing a beaten-up hoodie from her college days under her jacket. Blake’s dressed casually tonight too — at least, casually for her, the sleeves of her cardigan rolled up.
The crowd is fairly thin. Most of them look like regular goths — Ruby would probably fit right in, aesthetics-wise. Yang wonders if that’s just how it is with Salem, until a woman takes the stage.
She has a commanding presence, Yang can’t help but think. She hasn’t even said anything, and the room fell silent at just the click of her heels. Which…sounded different, come to think of it. Metal, maybe? That doesn’t sound particularly comfortable.
“Good evening,” she says. “And welcome, one and all, to a very…critical presentation. When you leave tonight, you will have knowledge beyond your wildest dreams. However, it will come at a cost. Once you possess this knowledge, you cannot go back to believing the world is right as it is. If you feel as though you must leave now, you may. No one here will attempt to prevent you from doing so. But if you choose to stay…this is a choice that will bind you to knowledge and truth forevermore.”
Yang can see why someone might be suckered into this. Someone particularly curious, someone already prone to conspiracy.
The crowd bursts into a few murmurs, but no one leaves. Yang looks around. It looks like no one wants to be the first to break — the first one to shy away.
The woman at the podium clears her throat. All attention in the room falls back on her.
“You may recall the Grimm,“ she says. “You know them as creatures of darkness that have long been dying, since before you were born. You only know the Huntsmen as relics of a bygone time. Humanity no longer needs as much protection, since its people are no longer under the constant threat of death by monsters that are unknown to most scientists. However, this is not true of everyone. The Grimm once had a master that commanded them. And she wielded no less than pure magic.”
A ripple of surprise across the crowd — Yang would probably be just as surprised if she weren't already aware of the fact that magic is real.
“I suppose I should let you all get your surprise out of the way now.” She kindles a flame in her hands. “But the extinction of the Grimm has not benefited all. Grimm are just as much a part of the environment as anything else, after all. The goal should never have been total eradication, but control. And I know of the one being who is capable of controlling the Grimm. They were a critical part of our world and its environment. However, since they no longer walk this world, they cannot contribute any longer where they did. They served as critical predators. They must be brought back.” She extinguishes the flame in her hand.
“Blake…is she the Maiden?” Yang whispers.
“It could be her Semblance,” Blake answers.
“Who unlocks their Semblance anymore?” Yang responds. It is still a fair point, though — and she knows people who have their Semblance unlocked. Weiss went through the effort of all that training. So it's not as though it's impossible for it to be her Semblance, but still…Yang is awfully suspicious.
“Her name is Salem. And just as her name suggests...she will be the one to bring peace to humanity. If that means we must first unleash chaos for balance's sake...we will do what we must to bring her back. But for that, we will need your help. The help of as much power as we can muster. Many years ago, Salem was sealed inside a prison that has not been broken to this day. We will need as much power as we are capable of mustering to free her.”
The crowd cheers. Yang joins in the cheering. It sounds like most people are already on board — she supposes maybe they were already predisposed to falling into that sort of thing, especially since they responded to a poster that was hung around the city, but…Yang would like to think most people wouldn't want to bring back the Grimm. Maybe some of these people are just here to watch the world burn or whatever, but she doesn’t think most of the people here are like that.
Benefit of the doubt.
The woman walks off the stage, heels clicking on the wooden planks just as before. The crowd starts to disperse, but Yang and Blake follow her backstage.
Now the real task of their mission begins: obtaining as much information as they're capable of getting.
“Now we shall see how many of them will take action,” she says. The backstage is much more brightly lit compared to the outdoor area — probably for the maximum effect when she lit the fire. Yang knows Blake probably didn’t have any trouble seeing, so she probably knows what the woman looks like better than Yang does. “And how many of them will choose to return, when the time comes for it.”
“What do you need an army for anyways?”
A man’s voice.
“Atlas will be protecting their maiden closely,” she answers. “They have always been especially…defensive of what belongs to them.”
Yang turns her prosthetic, articulating the joints again. She’d checked over and over for anything indicating that it might be a trap — it had been paranoia driving her, for a bit, that things were worse than they seemed.
“So what, you want to launch a civilian invasion?” he asks. “That’s suicide. I’m not subjecting anyone I recruit to that.”
“I do not expect to win,” she says.
“So you’re trying to get them killed.”
“We must do what we must, Roman,” she says. “No cost is too great for what we must do. Our task is clear. Whatever it takes — Salem must be freed. Remember your place. You are just as expendable as any of the ones recruited tonight.”
“Whatever,” he says. “If you want to get a bunch of people killed…”
“I will have the power in the end,” she says. “That is what matters. And all I truly need is the Staff. She said the Staff is what imprisoned her — and the Staff will set her free.”
…if all they needed was the Staff, then why are they on a quest for all four?
“I obtained the wrong power for it,” she says. “And I deeply regret that. But the crown is mine, at least, and it has shown me that I am on the right path. The path towards victory and greatness.”
“Could I get some of that?” he asks.
“I suppose there wouldn’t be any harm in allowing you to wear the crown, if only once,” she says. “Everyone has a decision to make in their lives. I suppose yours comes down to…are you with me, or against me?”
“There’s a third person in the room,” Blake whispers. “I can hear them breathing.”
“Really?” Yang whispers back. “Oh, right, two sets of ears.”
Blake doesn’t say anything in response, continuing to press two of hers against the wall.
“Go ahead. Why don’t you try it on? See how it feels to be king of something besides your pitiful little empire.”
“This is our chance,” Yang whispers. “We can get the crown. Before she stashes it back in the dimension. Come on.”
“I’m not sure it’s a good idea—”
Yang bolts into the room and kicks Roman Torchwick in the face. She snatches the crown and tucks it into the large pocket on the front of her jacket, and then turns to take in the rest of the room. It’s small, as she had already figured out — close quarters. There are two other people — the woman who had given the speech (the bigger threat, probably, when taking into account her powers) and another, smaller woman. Blake comes rushing in afterwards.
“You’re the Librarian,” the Maiden says. “I don’t know who she is, but…”
“That’s correct,” Blake confirms.
“What use does the Librarian have for the crown of choice?” she asks.
“Confidential,” Blake answers.
“You have no intention of awakening Salem,” she says.
“Of course not!” Yang argues. “That’s ridiculous. You can’t— are the Grimm really necessary for the environment, or was that all just a bunch of bullshit? Because they’re more a danger to humanity than anyone else. Good fucking riddance.”
“Salem needs to be freed,” she says. “I owe her everything for who I am now.”
She sounds just as suckered in as she’s trying to do to everyone else.
“I don’t know about all that,” Blake says. “I’m just doing what has to be done. Just like you. Nothing personal.”
And then she kicks the woman in the face.
The other woman — the one who hasn’t said anything this whole time — then attacks Blake with a parasol. She’s surprisingly fast — this’ll be a hard one for Yang to take care of. “Roman” — the man — groans from the ground. Looks like all they’ll have to worry about is the two women.
The maiden, in a flash of light, is holding a pair of swords. Yang decides — she can always block with her arm. Blake’s a lot more vulnerable. She goes for the maiden first, still with the crown in her pocket. It makes bending harder, but at least she knows she still has it. She tries to keep the fight close — it makes it harder for her to use her swords, which are fairly long. Now, if only Yang had her knife, then she could end it here and now by giving her a wound that she’ll regret. As it is, Yang will just have to settle for whittling down her Aura. And maybe getting her hands on one of those swords — even if the Maiden can make another, Yang knows what she’s doing with one. Enough to stab.
Blake seems to be holding her own alright against the other woman — outclassed for sure, but enough to keep up for a bit. Yang can trust her. Everything will be fine. Everything will be just fine.
Yang keeps fighting. Blake slams into her back.
Well, there goes that.
Yang slings Blake over her shoulder as best she can — she’s fairly strong, but Blake is still pretty heavy. She hears the fireball more than feels it — it hits her directly in the back, and she tries her best to drive through the pain just enough to get out. To get somewhere else. To get anywhere else…
“Yang,” Blake says.
Blake is holding onto her hand. Really tightly, actually. Yang is lying face-down on some kind of bed. She doesn’t think it’s a hospital, but it looks sorta like one. Does the Library have a clinic or something? How many rooms does this place have?
“You can turn onto your side if you want, but not on your back,” Blake continues. “We’re at the Library. I called a cab to take us there after you collapsed. Your back got pretty messed up from the fireball — the burns were bad. Your clothes protected you a fair bit, but…”
“And the crown?” Yang asks.
“It’s…in storage,” Blake says. “Ozpin took it afterwards. I guess that means we did it, then. We got all the relics.”
“See?” Yang offers, squeezing Blake’s hand. “If you hadn’t listened to me, then we wouldn’t be here right now.”
“And you wouldn’t be injured,” Blake answers. “I helped patch you up as best as I could. I think everything is going to heal. It’s not going to be that fun, but…I’ll help as best I can.”
“Gonna apply lots of burn cream to my back?” Yang quips.
“As much as is medically necessary,” Blake answers dryly. “And no more than that.”
Yang can still sorta feel the pain, but… “Did you give me any painkillers?”
“Yeah,” Blake answers. “I didn’t want you to wake up before you were ready.”
“What do we do now?” Yang asks.
“I suppose we’ll have to figure that out,” Blake answers. “I managed to get identification on the people there that night. The maiden’s name is Cinder Fall. Not much is known about her, but she’s been spotted around before, and she does have a legal identity. She’s working with Roman Torchwick and Neopolitan.”
Those names, Yang knows. They’re notorious around Vale — Roman Torchwick runs the streets, controls the criminal enterprises. And Neopolitan is his most trusted partner. Silent but deadly.
“What’s in it for them?” Yang asks.
“I don’t know,” Blake answers, flicking an ear in frustration. “And I don’t know why Ozpin wanted all four Relics, either. If she only needs the Staff to free Salem…”
“The Staff was what sealed her in,” Yang says. “So it makes sense that they would only need that much to free her…”
“Yeah,” Blake says. “So…Ozpin might be lying to us. But I don’t want to talk about that in the Library. The Library has been…well, him and the Library are entwined. We both know that. He’s been around as long as it has, even if it does have a mind of its own. They’re friends, at the very least, and that means…”
“Any conversation we have here is risky,” Yang says. “I’m…”
“Don’t apologize for getting hurt,” Blake says. “You were right. It was the fastest way to get the relic, even if I still think that since we figured out who the Maiden was we could have found another way to get the crown. The only thing you need to apologize for is putting yourself in the position to take that.”
“It was you or me,” Yang says. “And you were already injured.”
“Mildly.”
“That’s not what I remember,” Yang says.
“I got you out of there afterwards.” Blake sighs.
“It’s my job to protect you,” Yang argues. “I’m literally the Guardian.”
“I already said it before,” Blake says. “I thought…I thought I didn’t need your help because I can hold my own in a fight. But…I did need you there last night. I wouldn’t have survived if I had done it on my own. It doesn’t mean you were right to do it, and I’m not sure I would have done the same, but…”
“That might be what I’m here for,” Yang says. “To balance you out.”
She musters the strength to lean upwards and kiss Blake again. Blake closes her eyes and leans into it, tangling her fingers in Yang’s hair.
“Do you want to go on a date?” Yang says. “I know it’s a bit out of order…”
“I’d be happy to,” Blake says. “But only when you feel better. Not now.”
“I’ll hold you to that, then,” Yang says, the last thing before she falls back asleep.
“Good afternoon, Miss Xiao Long.”
Now this is not the conversation she wanted to be having right this moment.
“Congratulations on retrieving the Crown,” he says. “Blake told me you prioritized her safety over your own. This is precisely the duty of a Guardian. I suspect you will fit in well here.”
Yang thinks that what Blake had left out of that report is that she hadn’t enjoyed it very much. Or maybe he’s just not talking about it to emphasize the point that it’s her duty.
“Are all four relics really needed to free Salem?” Yang answers.
“...the four relics, when merged, summon a being more powerful than any other. If they were to utilize their power to free Salem, then…yes. The Sword does not work on the prison, and the Staff cannot create a key. Only the force of a god could destroy it, and that is precisely what the relics summon.”
“Then why not just keep one of them here? The most important one.” Yang sighs. “I just don’t understand. Are you going to try to summon them at some point?”
“It is…in some ways, my duty to do so eventually,” he says. “This is why I built the Library. It is…meant to be a uniting force.”
“Uniting? Against what?” she asks.
“When all humanity is united, that is when I will be freed. When we will…both be freed, hopefully. I suppose in some ways, Salem and I both want the same thing — a peaceful retirement. Unfortunately, our definitions of that are…very different.”
“I can imagine,” Yang says. Just from Cinder’s description of Salem. She doesn’t seem like the most pleasant person to be around. “And the Library?”
“It will remain with this world,” he says. “A last bit of magic for the world to touch on as it becomes more and more mundane. An archive of the powers that once were. Even to this day, that is what it is.”
“And what about you and the Library?” she asks. “Are you like…”
“The Library will go on without me,” he says. “Someone else may be selected to maintain it in the future, but…if that happens, I will hopefully be enjoying my retirement rather than that being my next incarnation.”
“Right,” she says.
“The Relics are some of the few magical items that were not contained in this Library,” he says. “I thought, perhaps, they would be safe with the Maidens. Safer than putting them in any physical location.”
“Well, you were wrong,” Yang says.
“That much I can admit,” Ozpin says, nodding. “I believe it is important to admit one’s faults.”
“...I find that hard to believe,” Yang says. “By the way…did you know that my mother was Summer Rose?”
He raises an eyebrow. “I do not choose the people who work for the Library. Summer Rose was the only person I ever attempted to choose myself, and after that disaster I found it best to merely trust the Library’s judgment in these matters.”
“She was…sort of like a Guardian to Uncle Qrow, wasn’t she,” Yang says. It’s not really a question.
“It was a part of her design to protect,” he answers. “That much…if you have been raised to do the same, then I consider that a success for you. It…I see parts of her in you. Some for the better, some for the worse. The Library may have selected you for that connection, or it may have selected you for some other reason. I am not privy to its whims.”
“...thanks,” Yang says. “Good talk. I appreciate it.”
He raises an eyebrow. She can’t tell if she means it or not either.
They finally get their date a few weeks later — it’s just lunch. Nothing they haven’t done before, but it feels different. Now that everything is over — and now that they’ve had some time to really settle into their relationship, into what it means to love each other.
Because it’s true — Yang does love her. She wouldn’t take those injuries for just anyone. She doesn’t know if it’s permanent or anything — but she hopes she manages to make it last.
But maybe it was a set up all along.
“Did you know?” Yang murmurs, touching one of the walls of the Library. Blake still has a couple tasks to finish up before she leaves. “Did you do this for us?”
She knows the Library can’t speak, but she thinks if she could see its face, it would be winking right about now. She rolls her eyes. Typical.
“Okay, I’m all set now,” Blake says. “Ready to go?”
“I am,” Yang answers. She takes Blake’s hand. They leave together.