Author's note:

I saw you people liked Timor. I completely blanked and forgot to say this, but it's another OC of The Baz's. Thanks The Baz.

And always, do the review and blah blah blah follow. yeah.

Ozpin's eyes widened, and his mouth hung open when he was woken from a peaceful sleep with the news of a tragedy. Menagerie had been lost, and just in a single night. If that was a possibility, what chance did the rest of the world stand? They had to get ready. It was obvious to him now that he had to rise to the occasion, and bring as much strength to bear against this enemy as was possible.

Not everything had been lost, though. There had been people who had escaped. Huntsmen and Huntresses, as well as a few regular civilians. He had arranged to speak with as many of them as he could, and had told Ironwood to do his best to get things kick started in the military department. If they wanted to save their world, they would need to do it aggressively, and not give even the slightest opportunity for these demons to make their way to the other kingdoms. They spread like a plague, and could easily consume the whole world, if they had the opportunity.

He hoped that he had been wrong when he estimated that students would have to be used in the combat. That was a fate that no one deserved. But it was a risk that they had to take. If it was a choice between losing them, and losing the whole world, he was afraid that they would have to make the ultimate sacrifice. They had trained to become the mightiest protectors in the world, after all. In times of desperate need, good people often had to die. He would not be above the call himself, of course. If his students had to go, he would fight by their sides. He would die with them, if need be. He had made many mistakes in his life, and he wasn't about to let this be another one.

Also something that he had to deal with, the divine power generators had finally come to Vale, and other cities had received them as well. He had ordered the thing set up on campus for Beacon, and all Hunters who weren't already on missions, and a large number who were. The deliverers from Naze had explained the process of infusing a weapon with the divine power. One only needed to place the weapon inside one of several large trays that would then be exposed to the divine power, and it would then be infused over a short amount of time.

He could only hope that divine power would make as much of a difference as Naze had said it would. If it didn't, he knew that there would be serious problems in their fighting demons. Not like there wasn't already, of course. No one had any experience in battling foes like that, so they would need every chance they got. Divine power was like acid to them, according to Naze. He looked forward to seeing how well a hail of blessed bullets served their enemies.

He couldn't escape the looming feeling of guilt, though. The thought of sending children to such a horrendous war was one that he could not dispel. Never again would he feel right, something that he already had experience with. He already sometimes awoke with the faces of those he had send to their deaths surrounding him, he didn't need to add the faces of children.

He readied himself for the interviews, and put out the command for every Hunter to bless their weapon. They would be dispatched soon, and the undead guard would take over protection of the city as well as domestic issues usually handled by the hunters. He had not heard from any kind of leadership in the matter, though. This worried him, as he had expected to be contacted shortly after resurrection had begun. He had not, though, and now he was left mostly in the dark on the matter of security. If this kept up, it would only be a matter of time before the Grimm made another one of their attacks on the city or its outskirts, and if there was no resistance, Ozpin didn't want to think about what would happen.

The whole situation was a mess, but he knew he would be a fool if he had expected fighting for the world itself to be a clean kind of fight. He had expected chaos, but not so soon. Organizing would be important.

He received a small notification in the form of a ring from his desk, and he looked over to see that the first of the Hunters who had escaped Menagerie with their lives and, to some degree, their sanity, intact.

With a heavy heart weighing in his chest, he sat down, and prepared himself to try and be as sympathetic as possible. It would going to be a painful experience to talk about for the both of them, and he wanted to be sure that he knew the importance of everything that was said.

Yang ran her hands through her long, messy blonde hair. This was awful. She not only couldn't believe that this had happened, but she was also worried about how she would tell Ruby, and Weiss, and Blake. Blake could take it the hardest, no doubt. It was going to be hard for her to hear, but Yang had to be the one to do it. She didn't want them finding out through some news broadcaster or something. That just wouldn't be right.

The sun had barely peeked out of the horizon when her friends started to stir, and she hoped that they would stay asleep. She needed more time to think about what to say. She couldn't just bluntly state it, no, there had to be some kind of finesse to soften the blow. She wasn't good at watering things down, though. She was used to speaking straight.

She looked down, and found that she was half-mindedly conjuring small flames in her hand that danced around her metal fingers for a few seconds before disappearing into the air. A small smile came across her face. It wasn't much comfort, but the little magical embers did lighten her mood slightly.

There needed to be something better, some victory that they could claim to make this better. She recalled yesterday, when Naze had said something about finding Summer's corpse, and an idea flit into her mind. If she could get Naze to allow the four of them to go on that little quest, than it would be very good for them. Ruby especially, but they could all feel better by getting to know Summer better along the way. That would be a good thing to do in the wake of such a calamity, but it wouldn't do Blake much good, and she was the one Yang was most worried about. She had never talked much about her home, so it was a fairly large assumption on her part that she would take it hard, but Blake cared a lot about the Faunus people, and that was where the majority of them were.

She shook her head. She didn't need to think about this, she needed to think about how she would break the news. She sat back down on her bed, and tried to focus as best she could. Even while being dead made one surprisingly sharp, she was having trouble focusing like this.

She could pull Blake aside when she woke up, and take her into the bathroom. That way, she could already be in privacy, if she wanted it. But if she wanted the comfort of her friends, it would be better to do it in front of everyone. Doing it in front of everyone would also have the benefit of only having to say it once. Even so, maybe Blake would want to be the one who told the others about the tragedy. If that was the case, it would be better to pull her aside.

She sighed. It seemed more likely that Blake would want to find out in a secluded place, so that was what she would do. It would be hard, though. There was a lot that she didn't know about how she would react.

Ruby turned under her covers, and faced Yang. She could see her sister's peaceful sleeping face over the side of the bed, through the small tent-like thing that Ruby had managed to construct over her bed. She hated to think about what she might look like when she found out. Another idea came to her, and she quickly explored it. If anyone else woke up before Blake, then she could tell the in private first, and they could support her if she needed it in telling Blake.

It was a loose plan, and didn't really offer much help, but she just took that as meaning that it was versatile, and open to easy change. She only had to wait now, but she hated waiting. It was boring, and she always felt that there was something better she could be doing. In the current situation, though, all she could do was read her book.

As she did this, she couldn't help but wonder about what it must've been like to be in the city when it got captured. She had been able to see a little bit through shades, but none had been up close, in the streets. She bet that she could've done some significant damage to those attackers, even the demons, without any divine assistance. No matter how strong they were, her punches would do damage. And they wouldn't be able to corrupt her, on account of her already being dead. Her soul was protected, "fortified", as Naze had put it. Very resistant to change, and even harder to make keep those changes.

But for a normal person, or even a Hunter, it must've been terrifying. All around, people would be losing their mind, and turning to tag along with the people who had corrupted them to begin with. She couldn't begin to imagine the things she would feel if she were in that situation and vulnerable to all the same things. Angry, probably. She would fight the invaders with every bit of strength she had, both physical and not. She remembered the few times since dying that her body had suffered major damage, broken bones and snapped tendons. She tried to imagine what that would feel like if she were still alive, but she couldn't.

It seemed like so long ago that she had actually had any physical sensations. Sure, she could feel the bed beneath her, and the covers rubbing against her legs, but there was no punch to it. It was merely a fact, nothing else. The sheets were soft, but they weren't comfortable. It was strange, now that she thought about it. This little shift had mostly taken place without her knowing, and she had found herself in increasingly odd and would-be uncomfortable positions when simply doing something like sitting down. No one had told her that she was doing this, so there was no way to know otherwise. She wished that someone had, as it would've explained why teachers had started to give her weird looks.

She shook her head again. Focus was not coming easy tonight. She had gotten her plan, but it couldn't hurt to try and iron it out a little more. As it turned out, she wasn't too great at coming up for plans about these types of things. Ruby was much better at it. Yang simply didn't have the kind of foresight required to pull something like that off. She knew that if she spent the time making an intricate plan, it would only fail. With a deep sigh, she returned her attention to the text, resolving to simply wait until somebody woke up. The first to do so would be the one who got the news, and the one who helped her tell the others.

It was a few more minutes before anyone woke up, and when they did, Yang felt almost relieved that it was Ruby. At least it was going to be someone that she knew as well as her own sister. She still didn't want to cause the emotional distress, but she had to know.

Ruby's eyes opened, and she gave a small groan as she sat up before yawning widely and rubbing her eyes with her knuckles. "Morning, Yang. How are you?" Yang didn't know quite how to respond. Instead, she stood, marking her page and setting it aside, and walked to the side of Ruby's bed. "Ruby, listen, something happened overnight, and I think you should hear about it before anyone else. Can you just come into the bathroom with me for a second?"

Ruby gave Yang an odd look, raised eyebrow and a slightly suspicious gaze, and said, "Why, what happened?"

Yang waved her hand in the direction of the bathroom and said, "Just come on! I'll tell you when we get in there. This is important."

Ruby rubbed her eyes some more, and slowly clambered down from her top bunk. Yang tried to make sure that Ruby was quiet, but there was nothing that she could really do to make her any quieter. She did start to fall and one point, and Yang was quick to try and place herself between her sister and the ground. It turned out that she didn't need any help, though, and was able to catch herself before hitting the ground. Yang stepped back, and Ruby didn't seem to have noticed, so they both started to walk.

As they did, Yang put a hand on Ruby's back, wanting to try and make her as comfortable as she could. She could feel Ruby shift under her arm, but she knew that her sister could tell that something bad had happened.

When they got into the bathroom, Yang closed the door behind them, and turned to Ruby once she was sure that it shut. "Alright, Ruby, you have to be quiet when I tell you this, alright? I don't want you to wake up the others. After I tell you, I'm going to need you to help me with a little something here in a while. Can you do that for me?"

Ruby gave Yang another nervous look, then nodded. "Yeah, I think I can. What happened?"

Yang closed her eyes, shook her head, and took a deep breath. "Menagerie got attacked, and is basically gone. I mean, the city is still there, but all the people are with the demons now. You know what happened to Nora? It's pretty much that, except different in a few ways. I can't really say how, but you get the picture. Menagerie got more or less taken over."

Ruby only stared back at Yang, face completely blank for a few seconds, before she started to react at all. Slowly, her expression started to break into a frown, and her mouth started to twitch. "Yang, I don't…" The wheels turning in her brain started to lead her to some bad places, and her eyes started to water. "You aren't serious, right? I mean, a lot of people live in Menagerie, and…" her voice trailed off again, and the extent of Yang's words started to hit her. "They're like Nora now? Like, crazy? How did that happen? Wasn't there someone to protect them?"

Yang looked to the floor, not wanting to make her sister feel any worse, but she had to keep talking. "Well, the Hunters and army and stuff were there, but they weren't ready for it. I don't think anyone really understood how dangerous they could be, if they got into a good position. They didn't really stand a chance." Tears started to flow faster from Ruby's eyes, and her body started to shake. Yang immediately tried to backpedal what she had said, and make it not as bad. "It's not hopeless, though! I mean, a ton of those people are still alive! See, they can get fixed. It's just going to be a little difficult. But hey, that's what we train for, right? I think that everything is going to turn out fine. It's just going to take a little elbow grease. Those people can be saved, and we've still got thousands of Hunters who can lead the attacks. They can do it for sure, you know?"

Ruby wasn't as calmed by this as Yang would've hoped, and she pulled her sister into a hug, whispering into her ear, "Its all going to be alright. Now, we can't just focus on this. You told me you'd help me after I told you, so here's the problem; I have no idea how Blake is going to react to this news. I don't know if she had any friends there, or if she will take it no problem. I need you to help me come up with a way that I can tell her that won't make her go crazy. Can you do that?"

Ruby seemed like she was still a little far-off, so Yang gave her shoulder a gentle shake, which seemed to get her attention back. She answered in a now timid voice, saying, "Yeah, I'll try. Just give me a minute please. I need to…"

Her voice trailed off again, and Yang pulled her in tighter for a hug. She hated to see Ruby like this, but she had to find out. And it felt worse to ask her for something after that. Still, she needed someone to help her with Blake. She just didn't feel like she could do it on her own. Ruby didn't seem to be able to think very well with the introduction of the news. Maybe she shouldn't have told her first. The two exited the bathroom, and Ruby made a beeline to Yang's bed. When she got there, she sat on the covers and pulled her legs up to her chest, back against the wall.

Yang sighed, and crawled onto the bed next to her sister, and tried her best to comfort her. She put an arm around Ruby's shoulders, and pulled her head close. The two stayed like that for a while longer before Ruby's head drifted down again, and she snored softly against Yang's leg as she fell back into sleep.

Yang pet the back of Ruby's head, smiling as she saw Ruby peaceful again. She was glad that she could sleep even after being told something like that. It was something of a mercy, really, she was sure. But she would still have to help when Blake woke up, Yang would be sure that she had her help.

Until then, she would let Ruby sleep. Maybe her dreams would yield some new ideas about what they could say to Blake, maybe not. Either way, it wasn't time wasted. Ruby started to shiver, and curl closer to Yang's legs. Yang smiled, and summoned up a small flame in her hands. If she was going to be there, she may as well help Ruby out. The fire warmed her up, and she stopped shaking. Yang was glad to see that, and waited for Blake to wake up.

When the Faunus did start to stir, Yang gently started to bounce Ruby head on her knees, trying to covertly wake her up. Ruby gave a somewhat humorous little sound as her head hit Yang's legs again, and she jerked awake. Before she could say or do anything, Yang put her hands on her head, holding her down, and gave a small point at the bunk above, whispering, "Alright, are you ready?"

Yang heard Blake start to sit up in her top bunk, and closed her fingers around the flame, killing it, then gently slid Ruby off of her. Ruby gave a small nod, and pushed herself tiredly off of the bed. Yang stood up too, ready to follow whatever lead Ruby took in the matter. Both girls looked up to Blake, who was wriggling her way out of a ball of covers that she had wrapped herself in during the night, and tried to think of the best way they could start this conversation.

Yang hated to beat around the bush with something like this, and wanted Ruby to just come out and say it. Not very tactful, she knew, but that was alright. She had been rough with Blake before. But that was different. That was far different.

Ruby started to speak, saying, "Hey, Blake, I think we need to talk about something.."

Blake looked back down at her, eyebrows raised, and said blearily, "What? Can't I get ready first?"

Ruby shook her head ,but before she could say anything, Yang stepped forward, a new courage burning in her veins. "Blake, you really need to come down now. This isn't really the kind of thing that can wait."

Blake blinked a few timed at Yang, then started to get herself out of the bed. She climbed down to the floor, then looked back at the two. "What is it? You two look anxious."

The two sisters looked at each other, drew in deep breaths, and Yang grabbed Blake's hand. "Come on, I'm telling you in here."

The two walked into the bathroom, and Ruby stood around awkwardly. The door closed behind them, much the same way that it had when her and Yang had gone in, and there were several moments of silence where she was sure that Yang was preparing to tell her. The muted sounds of speaking drifted through the door, and Ruby sat back down on Yang's bed. It was a lot to take in.

When the door opened again, Blake walked out slowly, her eyes wide, ridged. Ruby was about to ask if she was alright, but withheld when she saw how absent Blake was. She had simply checked out, and didn't seem to be aware of much around her. When she came to the side of the beds again, she blinked a few times, shook her head, and looked down at Ruby again. "I…" she sucked in a shaky breath, and started again, "Sorry. I think I need to be alone for a while, if that's alright."

Ruby nodded, and said, "Yes, of course! Just do whatever you need to! If there's anything that we can do, please, just let us know! We'd do anything for you, you know."

Blake nodded, and spoke softly, "Alright, thank you. I know you're there for me, but I just need to be alone."

Ruby nodded, and stood, stepping aside and letting Blake get back up to her bed. She climbed up the side, grabbed a few objects from the sheets, and walked back towards the bathroom. If she was going out to be alone, that was fine. None of them would try and stop her, and they didn't think any less of her. They just hoped that she would be able to deal with the loss well.

It wasn't long before she was out the door, and Ruby had made note of Gambol Shroud at her side. She hoped that Blake wasn't going to do anything rash, but if she did, there was nothing to be done about it. She watched her friend go, and tried to suppress the desire to follow. She had to do this on her own, at least until she needed help.

Ruby closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She just had to calm down. That was all there was to it.

When Summer had toured enough of the ziggurat to be satisfied, she returned to Naze without hesitation, and spoke loud, disturbing the quiet of his personal chamber. The lich was situated at the far side of the room, his back to her, tattered robes barely concealing the bones of his spine. "Naze, I want to see my daughter again!"

Naze did not jump in surprise. He didn't even react for what felt like several minutes, but was really only several condensed seconds. When he did, he turned slowly to face her, looking at a book instead of her face. "I presume everything was to your liking, yes? It usually is."

Summer got the feeling that there was a reason he had not responded to the request of seeing her daughter, and said again, "I want to go see Ruby and Yang!" Her tone was demanding, and the part of her that was still concerned with logic told her that speaking to her new master in such a way was not a good thing to do, but the motherly instinct overrode that voice. She didn't care what Naze thought of her too much, she just needed to see her children.

His response came in the same monotone his voice always took, the kind that would probably be physically painful if she were still alive. "No, not yet. You may not return to Vale until you have a body. You have said that you would prefer your own, and so we must know where that is located. Have you remembered?"

Summer stopped, and thought as hard as she could. She had been trying to recall where her final earthly moments had played out, but only figments and small details had revealed themselves. "It was somewhere cold… and…" her voice started to trail as her memory failed her, and she pulled her fingers into an ethereal fist. "Why can't I remember? This is important!"

Naze beckoned her closer, and she responded without thought. She was too busy considering what else might have slipped away from her while she slept her death away. Before she knew it, she was within arm's reach of her new master, and he was looking her over with penetrating, glowing sockets. "You seem relatively un-faded, if that's your concern. I would estimate you've still got around ninety five percent of your living memories. That which you've forgotten is the least important. Your death could certainly be one of those, but I highly doubt it. Now, time is running short, and waiting is beginning to be inconvenient. I could retrieve these memories, if you wish. It is not a pleasant experience, though."

Summer hesitated. If Naze was telling her that something was going to be unpleasant, than it was something that she was sure she'd be better off running away from. But he was right, time was running out, and options were growing thinner and thinner. With one ghostly breath, she steeled herself, and said "Alright, we'll do it."

She was just about to ask what kind of procedure this would take when the world flashed around her, and suddenly she was somewhere else. A snowy mountain range, hunting the Grimm that lived there. The mission had seemed simple, but it was the fact that there were reports of a special kind of Grimm that had really gotten her on her toes. A few civilians were with her, ones who she had been able to evacuate, but she didn't have any team. It was just her out here. Typically this was a very bad way to carry out a mission, but she was confident that she could manage.

It was only a brief moment that she was able to take all this in, before something massive blotted out the sun behind her. The civilians screamed, and by the time she turned her head back to look at it, she was back before Naze.

She blinked, and shook her misty head, saying, "What was that? Where was I?"

Naze responded by bringing his orb up and gazing into it, replying, "Your final moments. You never saw what killed you, apparently, and weren't around long enough to feel what it did. This is bad, because anything could've happened to your body, and we may be wasting time looking for it. I would hate to simply waste time. But that little information should be able to show us where that event happened, at least. There is no guarantee that your body will be present, but we will check."

Naze looked her up and down again, seeming to take stock of her, then said, "You may go with the retrieval team, if you wish. In fact, it may be more useful if you do. Some memories may return, and be able to guide you to the place. Is that what you wish to do?"

Summer hesitated. Her head was still spinning from that had just happened, but she was fairly sure that she was able to grasp everything that Naze said. Some of it seemed a little fuzzy, and didn't quite make sense, but she was able to push through that, grabbing the information and keeping it in her mind.

"Yes, I think I would like to do that. Thank you."

Naze nodded, and said, "Very well. You will be informed when the team sets out. It should be dispatched shortly."

Naze turned away from her, seeming to believe their business concluded. It was, for the most part, but Summer still had a few questions that she wanted to ask him. "Naze, what will happen if the demons win?" It was a childish question, and seemed to communicate that she didn't know much about their foe, but she was alright with that. It was true anyways.

When Naze responded, Summer thought that she could feel some kind of difference in his voice. The tone was the same, but she wanted to believe that there was something more there. "That depends greatly on which demon wins. There are two that I am aware of, and possibly more that have yet to reveal themselves. The first, Cramus, seems to draw power from pleasure and lust. Being undead, we are overall unaffected by the majority of its tricks, and so it feels threatened by us. I believe that it will attempt to destroy us, once it feels that it has sufficient power. Once we are gone, it will take all of Remnant as its own perverse domain, and use it how it sees fit."

Summer felt her spirit drop a little at this. She couldn't let that happen. Naze couldn't let that happen. With all the innocent people whose lives would be utterly destroyed, they couldn't simply stand by. She knew that there were already plans to help the living, but now they seemed petty and small.

Naze continued, "The second is more enigmatic at this time, although seems more open about itself. It has contacted me directly, and has stated that it does not wish the same as Cramus, but instead wished Remnant to stay the way it is. Whether or not this is true, I have no way of knowing, but demons will rarely outright lie. It is likely that it wants to draw warriors from this world to use elsewhere in its Great Games."

Summer raised an eyebrow, and said skeptically, "Great Games?

Naze replied without looking up at her, saying, "Yes, a term used before my time to describe the eternal quarreling of the demonic lords. Although little is known about them, it is known that they compete with each other over power and souls. This can hardly be called a war, as they have always done it, and will likely never stop. Thus, it is deemed their "Great Games". Each demon lord is a player, and must abide by certain rules if they wish to play. The universe is their field, and most anything in it is fair play."

Summer raised an eyebrow again, and asked, "If they must agree to rules, than how can everything be allowed?"

Naze gave a noncommittal shrug of his skeleton shoulders, a stiff, unnatural looking motion for a lich, and responded, "I'm afraid you must forgive me, dear girl. As I said, all of this reach was done before my birth, and I have had no way to back it up. We've only a small grasp on how these creatures of Hell function, and unfortunately, when the demon lord contacted me, our single test subject was destroyed. Anything I say beyond this point is unverified, but it you would like to hear the ancients' opinions on the matter, I could share."

Summer was wary of the strange way he phrased it, but nodded. Of course she wanted to hear more about their foes, even bogus information was better than none at all.

Naze started to speak, and she was reminded of an elder telling a story. Of course, Naze managed to make it as impersonal and disconnected as possible, but she knew that he did that on purpose. "Scholars used to believe that the rules of the Great Game were simple. So simple, in fact, that only a demonic lord could understand them. The most important of these rules was; none could win. Victory in the game was nothing short of a colossal failure."

Summer tilted her head to the side. "What? No one can win? Then what's the point of playing?"

Naze put a hand out towards her, as if to indicate that she had proved a point. "A simple rule, and the hardest to understand. Decades upon decades of research was put in to this, and their best conclusions came to be that if the game was ever won, it would end. The demons would have nothing more to do, and simply fade out of existence. If one were to ever win the game, the process would entail eliminating every conscious being in the universe, thus choking them of their power. There are lesser rules, such as no lord may attack another lord directly, or that a lord cannot purposefully create, or by indirect action, create another lord. The list goes on, but that is the general outline. Now, as I said before, none of that is verified, and mere speculation."

Summer's blood would've boiled, if she had any. It was outrageous to think that all of them were just pieces to those lords, in a game that couldn't even be won. It was insulting, on a base level that she didn't even know that she really had, to know that her life was worth so little to something. And by the way that Naze spoke, it sounded like they had always done this, not just to humans, but to everything. That had ever lived.

She had fought against what she had considered "evil" for a long time, but if there was ever something that really deserved the title, it was demons who did things like that. She wasn't going to be fighting them, though. She reminded herself that her job would be to protect the livings' territory, not to fight the demons. She wanted to, though. She would gladly give her life to combat such a force, several times, if she could. She wondered if Naze would allow her to do something life that, if she were to act independently. She knew that the chances of getting permission for something like that was slim, but if she could make it clear that she wasn't acting on his behalf, maybe he would be more willing. She would have to make it clear that she was independent to the public first of all, then maybe she would be able to lead some kind of force against the demons.

She didn't know if it was possible. And if it was, she was going to need more than just herself to pull it off. But she remembered the advice she gave her kids when they started to feel overwhelmed. "One step at a time. Just take one step at a time."

She hadn't meant to speak out loud, but she did. Naze replied to her musings with words that seemed more personable than she had thought him capable of being. "Quite. One must learn to walk eventually, however. I will do what I can to support you, but you must be the one to do the work."

Summer wasn't sure if he meant what she thought he meant. Would he help her act independently? Or was that simply an odd quip? She had been talking to herself, after all. She resigned to ask Yang about what she thought later, and started to leave. She couldn't wait to get her body back.

General Ironwood did not consider himself particularly prone to anxiety, but this was certainly stretching his limits. He had spent all morning scrambling to deal with the leaders of the three remaining kingdoms, and already felt himself drained. He had studied what records there were of the attack, ordered every man, woman, and child under his command to ready themselves for battle, and dispatched the bulk of his forces to containment. Thousands of people, and hundreds of thousands of androids, Atlesian Knights. They wouldn't give in to the demons' tricks. They didn't know the emotions that were manipulated. All they knew were the commands that they were given.

Not all androids were like that, though. He often wondered about the girl he considered his daughter. She wasn't one of the androids that he dealt with on an everyday basis, she was something different. They were sleek, obedient as dogs, and acted without any human action. Sure, they had been made to emulate human behavior better, but that was simply hollow programing. Penny acted with real heart, a soul burned in her chest, as real as any. She might not be a human, but she was every bit a person as anyone.

He worried about her more than he did anything else. The security footage he had seen from the airship as it was captured gave him horrible visions about what might happen to her if she was ever placed in the demon's grasp. She would likely feel things she never had before, but he didn't think that she could handle something like that. Not just in her soul, but her brain as well. She hadn't been tested for extreme emotions like what the demons provoked, and if her little discovery about death was anything to judge by, she would not take it well at all.

If he wasn't fighting for the world as a whole, and every live that would be taken if he didn't, then he fought for Penny. The pure, innocent soul, whom he loved with all his heart. She had to remain unsullied. She was bound for great things one day, but she just wasn't ready yet.

That was why he had been forced to lie to her, and to manipulate her in the ways that he had. It was despicable, he knew, but there was no other choice. Evil born of necessity. Nothing would have made him happier than simply stopping these processes, but he could not. It was never that simple. If he told her about all of it now, she would probably never forgive him for it, and he didn't blame her. If he were in her position, he wouldn't either.

He had been speaking to the leaders of the different kingdoms, helping to organize what defenses they could manage. All kingdoms had standing armies, but not all had generals with as much experience as him. But that was taxing work, and he needed to take a break if he hoped for his brain to continue functioning throughout the day instead of burning out.

He leaned back in his chair, applying pressure to his temples with his fingers, then winced as he felt a stab of pain shoot up his arm. He let the limb drop, and the stab faded to a slow, grinding ache. He knew that it would probably hound him all day now, and stood. He had been told several times that he had a tendency of overworking himself, but in the face of the alternatives, his health didn't matter. Maybe there was some truth to it, though. He wouldn't be able to perform his duties if he was only half awake.

He stood, and gave the arm a few rolls in its socket, trying to alleviate the pain. It didn't do anything to help, though, and he started to walk out of the room, away from all the screens. The heavy door shut behind him, and he breathed deep. "Don't let it get to you, James, just keep going." He didn't often talk to himself, but sometimes he needed the company.

He started to walk again, down the hall and past the guards who had been stationed outside. They saluted as he passed, but he didn't reply. All the politicking he had been doing had somewhat dimmed his patience for military procedure like that.

At first he didn't know where he was going, but as he walked, the mental image formed in his brain, and he knew that he had to speak with her before he went back. He hadn't taken time out of his day to talk to her in far too long. She was probably starting to feel neglected. He wished that she could understand the scope of the things that had been happening, that the whole world was teetering on the precipice of disaster, but he could not tell her. He did not want her to know, really. It was better that she didn't. Childhood was something that he wouldn't see ripped away from her. Not while she didn't know what a blessing it was.

Guilt started to cascade down on him. The memory wipes, the failed programs, all of it. He had given her dreams, then had to take them away. She had experiences, and did thinking, and he had been forced to steal them back from her. Was it really right?

His face darkened, and his old injury ached harder. He knew what the answer would be if she were a biological child.

It couldn't be said that there weren't excuses, of course. For her memories, some were dangerous, and could corrupt her systems. And as for the dreams, that program had turned out to be the equivalent of a virus. But what was she without those things? Were she biological, they would've killed her. A chill ran up his spine at the thought.

Then she would be fair game for Naze. He still didn't trust that corpse, everything about it seemed a little too convenient, but there was no alternative. Ozpin trusted him, but Ozpin wasn't so free of mistakes either. But he insisted that Naze could be trusted, and Ironwood had no other option but to trust him. That didn't meant that he liked him, though.

Eventually he found Penny in her room, an old looking book in her hands. She could read at incredible speeds, but seemed to be taking her time on each page. As he opened her door further, Penny looked up, and stood from the side of her bed, placing the book behind her. "Oh, Mr. Ironwood! I didn't think I'd see you today."

Ironwood let out a sigh, trying to clear his body of the tensions he still felt from his duties, and focus only on his little girl. He might not have been her creator, but he certainly felt fatherly towards her.

He smiled, and put an arm out towards her. "I'm sorry, Penny. I've been busy lately, and haven't had much time. I just got a break, though, and thought I'd like to spend it with you." The smile that immediately came over Penny's face told Ironwood that he had made the right decision, and the high-velocity hug that he received around his lower torso reinforced that notion.

Penny squeezed him a little too hard, though, and he found himself winded. When she let go, he ruffled the bow on top of her head. She couldn't be called weak, that much was certain.

As the two of them walked out of the room, Penny looked over her shoulder at the tome left on her bed. She didn't want Ironwood to see it, Naze had said that he wouldn't react well. He hadn't seemed to notice though, which made Penny happy. She would have to be sure to hide it as soon as she got back.