Yellow Hope

V:4 C:8 The Past World

(Yo.)

(3rd Person)

Around a campfire Qrow, Ruby, Ren, Nora, and Jaune are sitting on four logs positioned in a square. Qrow has just finished telling the story of the Maidens. There is silence and Qrow takes a swig from his flask. He has a bandage wrapped around his abdomen over his clothing.

"Really? No questions?" Qrow ask after a quick sip.

"Of course we have questions. This is just... a lot to take in." Jaune told him.

"I know the feeling."

"So these... Maidens..." Ruby said. "They're powerful fighters that don't need Dust to use magic.

"Yep."

"And there are four of them?" Nora asked him.

"Always."

"Which means that, whenever one of them dies, the power transfers to someone - a female - that they cared about?" Ren asked him.

"Whoever was in their thoughts last. Important distinction. Best option is someone we can trust. Regardless, their souls become combined, in a way."

"And that's what you were trying to do to Pyrrha..." Jaune said to him, in a tone they haven't heard before. "The night the tower fell. You were trying to turn her into one of them."

"The previous Fall Maiden, Amber, had been attacked. She was young, inexperienced. And her assailant, who we now know is Cinder, somehow managed to steal some of her power, but not all of it. We were afraid that if we didn't do something, the rest would go to her as well."

"So you forced it on Pyrrha." Jaune said in a much clearer angry tone.

"We didn't force anything. We explained the situation and gave her the choice, and she chose. You were there, you heard her." Jaune hangs his head for a brief moment before getting up and walking several feet away from group. Qrow watches him go.

"That guy, Tyrian - why was he after me?" Ruby asked Qrow.

"Well, you definitely painted a target on your back with what you did at Beacon. As well as your eyes, their sliver. A very rare trait. And the fact that you were able to use them seems to have upset some very powerful people. Not many people know about the silver eyes. Those that do aren't very happy that one has surfaced. That's why I've been keeping an eye on you in order to make sure you were safe. All of you."

"Well, then, why not just travel with us? It seems like that would've been way easier."

"He was using you as bait." Jaune said out loud.

"I wish it was that simply."

"What is all of this? Ruby's being hunted, the schools are being attacked, all for what?! What is the point of all of this?! Will you just tell us what's going on?!" Qrow stares at him, then slouches over with a sigh.

"Would you sit down? You're stressin' me out, 'kid." Jaune sits back down on his log and crosses his arms. Qrow starts to take another swig, but changes his mind before the flask reaches his lips. "Not many people are super religious these days." He sets the flask down. "This world's been around for a long time, long enough that people have created dozens of gods. But if you believe , six of them are actually real. It all started with the Goddess of Life, and the God of Death, and even though they were both very different, a spark happen between them, and out comes 4 gods. The older out of the four was the God of Creation, took a lot from his mother, next comes the twins, Goddess of Knowledge and the Goddess of Choice, and finally comes the God of Destruction, took a lot from his old man." He quickly looked at the party. "Keep notes, there will be a quiz at the end of this. Now I won't be going over the twins right now, but the brothers I will. The older brother was getting praised by both of their parents, so one night, the younger brother went and made something - something that shared his innate desire to destroy anything and everything. Can anyone guess?"