Alucard: A RWBY Story

Chapter Twenty Seven - Into The Fold

As Ozpin sets out to find the new guardian, Pyrrha Nikos makes her way to Ozpin's office. She had been called up with no reason given. When Pyrrha enters Ozpin's office, she finds Alucard and Walter were standing beside him. Qrow soon appears in the room as well.

Ozpin: What is your favorite fairy tale?

Pyrrha: I'm... sorry?

Ozpin: Fairy tales, stories from your childhood. Surely you must remember some of them.

Pyrrha: Well, there's The Tale of The Two Brothers, The Shallow Sea, The Girl in the Tower...

Ozpin: What about The Story of the Seasons?

Pyrrha: Well, of course! A callous old man, who refuses to leave his home, is visited by four traveling sisters. The first understands his reclusive nature and urges him to use his time in solitude to reflect and meditate. The second brings him fruits and flowers, tending to his crops and revitalizing his garden. The third warms the man's heart, convincing him to step outside and embrace the world around him. And the fourth and final sister begs him to look at all that he has, and be thankful. In return for their kindness, the man grants the maidens incredible powers, so that they may continue to help others all over the world. They graciously accept, and promise to share their gifts with the people of Remnant 'til the end of days. Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall; the four maidens. My mother loves that story.

As Pyrrha finished telling the story of the Maidens, Ozpin pauses as he takes a sip from his mug.

Ozpin: Would you believe me if I told you that one's been around since I was a boy?

Pyrrha: You're not that old, Professor.

Walter: You would be most surprised, Miss Nikos.

Ozpin: Well, would you believe me if I told you it was true?

Pyrrha became confused as Alucard smirked.

Alucard: What if we were to tell you that there were four maidens existing in this world, that could wield such tremendous power, without Dust? Magic. A long forgotten power the world has not seen in centuries.

Qrow: Yeah. First time hearing it's pretty crazy.

Pyrrha: You're....you're serious?

Ozpin: Do we look like we're joking?

At this point, Glynda and Ironwood enter the room. They take Pyrrha and lead her to the Vault. As they boarded the elevator, Pyrrha grew nervous.

Pyrrha: Where are we going?

Ozpin: The vault. Under the school.

Glynda: I'm sure you must have questions.

Pyrrha: Maybe one, or two...I still don't understand. You said I was next in line to receive the Maiden's power. What do you mean by that?

Glynda: The Maidens have existed for thousands of years. But much like in nature, the seasons change. No two summers are alike. When a Maiden dies, her power leaves her body and seeks out a new host, ensuring that the seasons are never lost, and that no individual can hold on to that power forever.

Upon hearing this, Pyrrha was in shock. Alucard continued to smile throughout the entire silent trip.

Pyrrha: So, how does the power choose?

Qrow: Through a series of stupid and convoluted rules.

Glynda: Qrow.

Qrow: Hey, don't get mad 'cause I'm right.

Alucard: Qrow is right. The process of the powers choosing another host is rather inconvenient.

Glynda: At first, the only thing that was certain was that the powers were specifically passed on to young women. But as time went on, it was discovered that the selection process was much more...intimate.

Pyrrha: Intimate?

Walter: As we understand it now, when a Maiden dies, the one who is in her final thoughts is the first candidate to inherit her power.

Qrow: Unless it's a dude or some old hag. Then the power goes to someone random, and our job gets a lot harder.

Pyrrha: Why tell me all of this now? Why not wait until I've graduated?

Qrow: Honestly, we've run out of time. I don't know if you've noticed, but things are getting a lot scarier out in the world. Tensions are high. Grimm are growing stronger, more prevalent. And it's not going to be much longer before the peace we've been enjoying so much goes out the window.

Alucard: There are evils out there that does not sleep. Evils that have waited patiently to unleash Hell upon Remnant. While time might be a....luxury for some of us, the rest are not so lucky.

Soon enough, they reached the Vault that lay beneath Beacon. Ozpin's inner circle soon led Pyrrha to the stasis chamber where Amber was being held.

Pyrrha: Is that...

Ozpin: The current Fall Maiden, Amber.

Pyrrha: She's...she's still alive.

Ironwood: For now. We're using state of the art Atlas technology to keep her stable. But there is a lot about this situation that is...unprecedented.

Pyrrha: What do you mean?

Ozpin: Well, we don't know what will happen if....when she passes.

Pyrrha: Won't her powers transfer to the next host?

Ironwood: Under normal circumstances, yes. But this is a delicate situation. It's not uncommon for the last thoughts of the slain to be of their attacker. And to make matters worse, no one's ever seen the power split like this before. For all we know, it will seek out its other half.

Walter: It's clear that whoever attacked Amber aimed to inherit her power. We couldn't take that chance.

As Pyrrha assessed the situation, it became clear that something bad was happening and it was happening behind the scenes. Pyrrha then spoke.

Pyrrha: If all of this is true, why keep it secret!? If this girl is so important...if we're truly on the brink of war, why not tell everyone?

Glynda: From what we understand, it used to be common knowledge.

Pyrrha: Excuse me?

Qrow: How do you think legends and fairy tales get started? Even the craziest ones come from somewhere.

Ozpin: It would cause panic. And we all know what that would bring to clawing to our Kingdom's walls. Which is why we would like to...

Pyrrha: I'll do it. If you believe that this will help humanity... then I will become your Fall Maiden. That's what you wanted, isn't it?

Alucard: We cannot force you into this. The decision has to be yours and yours alone. It has to be made of your own freewill. So make the choice, Pyrrha Nikos.

In that moment, Pyrrha Nikos accepted the heavy responsibility of becoming the Fall Maiden. What they didn't know is that their plans would soon come to a sudden stop.