Author's Note:

Almost to one hundred... c'mon guys... we can do it.

Anyways, leave reviews, as always. All of you.

When Cinder felt the last of the airship's stalwart defenders give themselves over to the torrents of ecstasy that flooded the ship, she knew that she had won. There was no opposition now, they would do just as she said, just like the others who had pledged themselves. There was no time to accept allegiances or swearing, they had to go. It was high time that she showed the rest of the world what she could do for them.

The demons ordered the ship to land, and it started to come down to the earth, loading bay doors open and waiting. Some of the people of this small town would stay behind, but most would be taken with her. She was going to blaze a path to Menagerie, and from there to the rest of the cities in which misery and displeasure grew. It was the least that she could do. She would drop others, acolytes who would also try to spread the word to places that they passed, every village and town would feel their touch as well.

It wouldn't take long for the airship to touch down, but they had to hurry. They had not taken the airship instantly, and had likely called in for assistance before giving in. More soldiers would be coming soon, and Cinder had to outrun them. As much as she hated to think it, she didn't know if she could handle it if they came in greater force.

It would be much easier to simply outrun them. If they needed to, they could use several demons to slow their pursuers down. She wanted to save most of them, though. They would make the work of converting the average person easy, and were powerful in a fight.

Cinder looked back to the building in which the rift between her world and the demon's world writhed. If she left, the rift would likely close, but that was something that couldn't be avoided. They could open up new portals, expand their power, and make the world see what a wonderful light they could have, if only they would believe in them.

Cinder's mind flicked to the topic of the undead who would undoubtedly oppose them, and a bitter taste entered her mouth. Them and their need to understand. They would no doubt pick apart the feelings that her master gave her, why couldn't they simply accept that it was better than the cold, pathetic existence they had now? They toiled endlessly, chasing an impossible goal. And worst of all, they seemed to think that they could achieve it. Cinder didn't know which was worse, the way they dispelled delusions habitually, not allowing for rest or fun, or the delusion that they had somehow managed to pull over themselves.

And at the center of it all was a lich, someone who had been human once. Cinder couldn't possibly think what kind of a person would forgo the feeling of living for the repugnant void he'd placed himself in. He was a fool for doing so, ironically enough. All the intelligence that he could gather over those years, and she was ahead of him in every way in terms of existing. She had a goal, she felt better than she ever had, and she was perfectly suited for making herself happy. He couldn't even be happy.

She tried for a moment to imagine what it would be like, feeling nothing in the way that Naze must've, and then immediately stopped. She would rather feel the warmth of her blood, and the tickle of the slightest breeze. She would never deaden herself to those things. Such would be a fate worse than ceasing to be.

The voice of her master in her head shook her from these thoughts, and she made herself focus on every syllable of her master's words. "What do you need before you go?"

The voice was masculine, but there were undercurrents of a feminine tone, making it seem very attractive. She felt it awaken parts of her mind that had previously been occupied by thoughts of planning, and of spite. She started to feel her body react, feeling softer, and more vulnerable. Her lord was disarming, to say the least.

It was hard to think about what it had asked, but she managed with some small part of her mind. It was phrased in a way that made her think that her master expected to give her something. It was not a question of if she needed something, it was a question of what it was she needed. The best of her thoughts didn't get very far, given the distractions that she felt. The only thing that she really could say was "More power."

The voice in her head gave her an amused chuckle, now sounding like a woman, then said "You certainly do. You can't be expected to battle a lich without a little more."

The word snapped her mind back slightly, and she asked "Battle a lich? Me?" She didn't know if that was truly what she would be expected of her. She would love to end Naze's existence herself, but she didn't know if she could. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, he was powerful, and would likely blow her away with the briefest of effort before simply continuing his plans as if nothing had happened.

All of that thought happened in a brief second before she recalled how great her master was, and felt their power pour into her. A sharp inward breath, and the loss of the ability to focus signaled that she was becoming even more powerful. Her blood started to boil in her veins, and she felt another level of energy that she never had before. She was sure that she physically changed this time. She didn't see any change, but her eyes closed on their own under the feeling, and she couldn't pry them back open. The feeling of wonderful burning seemed to focus in her arms, and her legs. More specifically, it was in her wrists, and in the backs of her legs.

When she opened her eyes again, her could feel that her master was again gone. What it was doing, or planning, or whatever it did when not focused on her, she didn't know, but she didn't want to ask. She didn't need to know. All that she needed was the assurance that they would come back.

She stood, and was immediately aware that something in her legs had changes. They moved effortlessly, and with a smoothness that she had never known before. It was disorienting at first, but then started to become more manageable. In fact, Cinder even found herself liking it, being able to move more exactly then before. This didn't distract her for long, though. The airship drew closer to the ground, and started to kick a cloud of dust up in every direction around it. She knew that they had to go, and started to walk towards her vessel without hesitation.

The air being blown out of the engines was strong, but she also found that her legs were more than elegant. They supported her even in the face of an air force that would have knocked anyone else over. A smile came across her face even wider, and she walked up one of the loading ramps, entering the ship that was now hers. The engines started to die now, so that others would be able to board. They ran up the same ramp, and entered before her, making sure that everything was safe for their mistress. She did not worry, though. She had seen the storming of the airship herself, and knew that there was no threat. The only threat was that which had been called. It would not be long before they arrived, and Cinder gave the command to "Get out of here, now! We fly to Menagerie!"

Her command was met with roars of approval, and after a few seconds of the engines firing back up, the ramps closing, and various other mechanisms making the innards of the ship vibrate and growl, the mass of steel and Dust lifted off the ground.

She knew that her followers would do their best in every way they could, but there was still a small amount of doubt. They could only perform so well. She, on the other hand, felt her mind and body growing more capable every day. There was nothing that they could do better than her, and that included flying.

She started to make her way to the cockpit, her followers moving from her way without even being asked. She was pleased to see not only faces from the town, but also of the military personnel that had been commandeered with the ship. Some still had their armor on, a few even had their helmets, but all looked like these things had been pried off of their bodies. It didn't surprise her, she knew that her followers could get rater zealous at times. She could too. And besides, none of them were complaining now, so there obviously wasn't a problem.

She nodded welcomes to them as she passed, enjoying the reverent looks she got as she walked. One might've thought that they had never seen a woman before by the way their eyes traced her figure.

When she reached the cockpit, the man at the navigational controls barely knew what was happening before Cinder brought her lips barely an inch away from his ear, and whispered "Get up." The man did so immediately, and was barely able to clear his chair before Cinder sat down in his place, looking over the controls. She had never piloted something this large, but it couldn't be too hard. She took the throttle up, and the engines wined even louder. She started to move them forward, and smiled as the town that they had previously been confined to fade behind them. It felt good to be free of the little place. She couldn't say that she disliked it, but the world opened up before them now.

She eyed the readouts of data, looking for any sign that they were being pursued. She didn't doubt that there were tracking devices in the ship, alerting anyone who knew what to look for to their exact location. With any luck, though, the people of Menagerie wouldn't know exactly what to look for until it was too late. She doubted that this would be the case, though, and knew that she would have to be ready for anything. Nothing was ever easy, especially trying to help people who didn't know what they were missing.

It felt good to fly. Granted, nothing ever really didn't feel good anymore, but still, it was a nice feeling of being suspended in the air. It wasn't quite as free as the Seducer demons were, but it was as close as she could get without sprouting a pair of wings herself. That thought started to roll around in her head for a while. She had been given better legs, and something having to do with her wrists, why not wings? It would help, after all.

She started to imagine what she would look like with them. It was an elegant, imposing and beautiful picture that presented itself to her mind. That was all she really wanted for herself. That, and power, of course. But she couldn't let the power go to her head. That was a mistake that she had seen plenty of people make. Overconfidence was a better killer than anyone.

Somewhere on the ship, music started to bounce off of the once-sterile walls, turned up to an extremely loud volume. Despite the fact that Cinder's senses had become more acute, it wasn't painful to be assaulted by the sensation. In fact, the sudden stab of sound into her eardrums felt somewhat good.

Cinder had tried to understand the logic of her changes for the most part, but she simply couldn't anymore. It felt wonderful, and that was enough.

Far below her now, unbeknownst to anyone, her two missing comrades made their way back to the small village, intending to rejoin her. Roman and Neo had just pushed their way out of the thick tree line, entering the outskirts of the town. He was about to simply start walking towards the center of town when Neo elbowed his thigh and pointed up at the sky. He looked down at her, an eyebrow raised, before following her finger and seeing the airship hanging in the sky. It was flying away from them. Roman looked up at the ship blankly for a few moments before a smile cracked across his face, and he gave a nonchalant shrug, snapping his fingers in an insincere gesture of regret. "Damn. I guess we missed her."

Neo looked from the ship to Roman, wondering what he was planning to do about this. It would be impossible for them to not get back to Cinder, they couldn't do what they had said to Naze they would do. Roman didn't seem too concerned, though, and reached for the scroll in his pocket. Neo watched as Roman started to flick through his contacts before finding the icon of Cinder's face and selecting it, then picking the "call" option.

Holding the device up to his face, he turned away from the airship, and looked to the ground, a large smile on his face. Neo could tell that he thought something was amusing, probably the ridiculousness of the situation. She couldn't blame him. Calling their supposed demon mistress like a child that had missed a school bus was certainly an odd thing to do. He waited for the tone to start playing, indicating that the call was going through, then when the other end picked up, said, "Hey, Cinder, darling! Look, we just got back to the little village where we were staying, and I just saw your foot out of the door! I don't imagine you want to turn the huge airship around, so you'll need to tell us where you're headed if you want to have us there in any reasonable amount of time."

Neo could make out a few of the words that came over the phone from Cinder, the sultry, sexual voice whispering in Roman's ear, but him remaining as unchanged as he had ben when he started the call. "Oh, you know, taking care of business for a while. Nothing too out of the ordinary, just the usual. Anyways, where are you headed? I'd love to meet up and chat again sometime."

Again, Cinder's voice emanated from the device, and he nodded. "Alright, Menagerie? Yeah, I'll get there as quick as I can. Alright, you be careful flying now! Wouldn't want to crash!"

He took the device away from his ear again, and looked to Neo with a slightly irritated expression. "Alright, we've got to get there ahead of her. Maybe we could tell Naze about this, and he could warn them before they get there?" Neo gave him a small nod, and he continued talking. "I mean, not that I care all that much, but you know, if we're going to be sabotaging her, we've got to try, right?" Again, Neo nodded, and Roman turned back to the town. "Is the Bullhead still here? We could use that, but I don't know if it's got enough fuel to make it ahead of her."

Neo pointed at the far end of town, at the alcove where they had hidden the vehicle, and Roman saw the glint of the metal from the sun. He said, "Ah, right, thank you. Alright, well, I guess we had better be on our way, then. Let's go."

Roman motioned for Neo to follow him, and she did so happily. She could tell that he was actually somewhat excited about sabotaging Cinder. She couldn't deny that there was some degree of fun in the activity. Cinder had often displayed that she thought she was better than others, so perhaps it was what she had coming to cut out a few levels from beneath her. Neo felt some of Roman's excitement in her as well. It was something that she could certainly get behind.

The body of Naze's puppet got quite a few odd looks as it walked through the streets with Nora, unconscious, slung over his shoulder. He had reached the hospital without too much issue, though, and walked into the building without hesitation. He also walked past the desk without saying anything, stepping into the elevators and selecting the floor that the rest of team JNPR was occupying. The doors slid shut, and Nora started to awaken again. He didn't put her back to sleep this time, instead allowing her to wake. It would be better if she was conscious when she was returned. Things would be uncomfortable for her friends, though, because Naze was sure that there was no way they were prepared for what they were about to receive. There was no way they could be.

He walked through the halls as Nora started to shake, and readjusted his grip on her so that she would not be able to wriggle free. Her twisted body could outmatch the puppet's strength easily, but he doubted that she would use her full strength. She was in too much emotional distress to know quite how to use her body.

He came to the door of their room, and without waiting to knock, opened the door and stepped in, tilting his body slightly so that Nora didn't hit the sides of the wall. When he came in, he found exactly what he had expected to find. Jaune and Pyrrha were asleep in each other's arms, breathing softly and squeezing each other to be comfortable. On the bed a short distance away, Ren lay flat, various needles and sensors strapped on him, monitoring his condition.

As soon as Nora was in the room, she could feel Ren's very presence. Her crying stopped, and she gave a small, weak struggle against Naze before he allowed her to swivel around so that she could see him. There was only one word, a squeak that was barely audible, but Naze caught it easily. "Ren."

He set her down on her feet, and watched her carefully to ensure that she didn't do anything rash. She took a few unsteady, shaking steps towards the bed, her arms reaching out slowly for him like he was some kind of medicine without which she could not live. Naze followed a short step behind her, ready to intervene if he needed.

Slowly, she came to the side of the bed, and put her hands around Ren's face with the most careful motions that Naze had seen her use. He stepped forward, too, to the side of the bed, but he didn't intend to join Nora in her mourning. Instead, he reached for his pocket, and drew out Ren's soul.

The thing glimmered again, like it had before, but Naze didn't waste any time admiring it. Instead, he quickly brought it towards its owner, pushing it into his chest. The reaction to this wasn't immediate, but it was clear to Naze what was happening. His heart started to beat harder and faster, his eyes started to move beneath their lids, and his fingers started to twitch in a rather unpleasant manner. The soul was relaying the information that it had been exposed to back into the body, and the body was doing the same into the soul. It would take some time for the two to establish a stronger link again, but he knew that so long as nothing else tried to steal it, the boy would likely make a full recovery.

Naze turned towards the door again, not intending to stay any longer than he had to. There was nothing for him in the room now. His bargain had been fulfilled, and whether or not they chose to continue serving him was their choice. He started to walk, and was soon not thinking of what was in the room at all. Instead, he was thinking of the heroes who were starting to rise from their graves all over the world. He could feel their minds joining under his power, and was pleased to see a wide range of variance among them. It was good that they be different, and be made strong by their passions. They all had one general goal, though, which was to protect their beloved, whether they were people, lands, or ideas.

He was due to go and attempt calling Summer Rose's soul from the void, a task that was going to be nothing if not interesting. Transportation had been arranged to Patch, and he, Ruby, Yang, and Taiyang had all agreed to go to the memorial site, where memories would likely be the strongest of her. From what he had come to understand, the experience would be taxing for all three of the living guests, on account to the memories attached to the woman, as well as the place. He didn't quite care, though, making the point that, if they couldn't face that pain, than she would simply stay dead.

He left the room, not saying a word to its occupants. The sleeping pair could use the rest, Ren would take time to recover, and Nora needed to come to grips with what she had done. There was nothing left for him to do there.

Through Yang, he could see one of the guests that would be instrumental to the plan. Ruby, looking like she was either about to burst into song or vomit forcefully, was standing by the side of a translocation rune linked to Patch, nervously rubbing her hands together and looking at Yang with the same nervous expression. She had just finished receiving a partial explanation of how the rune worked, and was now worried about how the process would feel. Yang assured her that she wouldn't feel anything extraordinary, only a sudden jolt and a spinning sensation. This hardly helped the girl, though, as she was starting to breathe faster, and beads of sweat slowly rolled down her face.

Yang explained that it was time to go, and that they wouldn't want to be late and, "keep mom waiting." This did make sense to Ruby, but it still did little to quell her fear. Yang promised to go with her, and the two stepped onto the rune together. Yang activated the thing as quickly as she could, not wanting to force Ruby to endure the anticipation of waiting. There was a crack, and with what felt like a tug in every direction at once, their dorm room disappeared, and was replaced by a much more open environment.

It took several moments for Ruby to adjust to the sudden change, but she felt a light, cool breeze glide across her skin that she was very familiar with. It was the same breeze that came off of the ocean near her house, and made hot summer days perfect for playing outside in.

She opened her eyes, not realizing that they had been closed, and took in the sight of the gently undulating sea that she was facing. She had seen that many times, and the shore before it, and the winding stairway leading up the rather steep drop to the shore, and the grassy hill, at the top of which lay…

Her eyes went wide when she saw the house, as big and wonderful as it ever had been. Wooden siding and shingles stood firm in the salty air, and seemed to be inviting anything to stay inside, so long at it behaved itself. Memories flooded back to her about the many things she had done, the hours spent swimming, playing in the yard, and making use of the tire swing around the back. Almost everything that made her happy. It hadn't been longer than a year that she had been away, but it felt like a lifetime. She was so different now, compared to how she had been when she left. She knew more about the world, and wasn't that little girl who had spent hours pretending to live out her greatest fantasies of being a Huntress, Yang generously offering to play the part of the Grimm. She was sure that if she asked, Yang would do that again for her, but she knew that she wouldn't enjoy it like she used to. It wouldn't be the same, there was too much that weighed on her mind now that would keep her from truly losing herself in the fun. At least, in a situation like the one she was in now. Maybe if she returned under a different goal, she would be able to do those things, but not now.

She blinked, and the tinted filter of the past disappeared from her eyes, allowing her to see perfectly well again. Something that she had overlooked at first now stared her right in the face, and she felt horrendous that she had not seen it. Taiyang, her father, the big, burly man with hair the same shade as Yang's, splaying out in almost all directions from his scalp, was staring at not only her, but Yang as well, with some of the most emotional eyes that Ruby had ever seen.

She couldn't stop herself, and rushed forward to hug him. She moved faster than she intended, accidentally making use of her semblance while she did so, but when she collided with him he remained sturdily upright. Rose petals fluttered to the ground behind her, and she felt her father's big arms wrap around her, too, in a comforting way. Yang walked up from the rune and also embraced her father tightly, saying, "It's good to see you again dad. Real good."

Ruby broke away first, then Yang did the same, turning back slightly to the rune. She glanced at Ruby, and the two knew that they had both seen tears starting to run from the man's eyes. It took a lot to get that man to cry, so they knew the weight of their presence. He spoke, his low voice almost seeming to roll back off the waves and across the yard, "It's… it's very good to see you, again, too."

Neither of the girls wanted to make their father any more uncomfortable then was necessary, and thus Yang said, "Dad, you're ready for this, right? I mean, I know you took the news really hard, and when my little accident happened…"

She only meant to make sure that her father was willing, and knew what he was getting into, but the tone of her Father's response made it clear that he thought she was asking if he wanted to stay home. "Yang Xiao Long, we raised you to have faith in your family, and your friends, because that was what we thought the best way to live life was. I would expect you to have a little more faith in your own Father." He stared at her sternly, and to Ruby's amazement, Yang started to wilt under the gaze.

She said, "Yes Sir… I mean, Dad. I'm sorry that…" her voice trailed off, and she looked embarrassed as her gaze went to the floor.

Ruby looked between the two in confusion. What had just happened? Had they been through something that she didn't know about? She stepped back towards her sister, putting her arms on Yang's shoulders and saying, "Hey, that's not fair! She was just-"

Before she could say anything else, Taiyang swept forward in an energetic motion, grabbing the two of them up in a great bear-hug. His laughter boomed out across the landscape, and he said as he squeezed them almost hard enough to break bones, "I was only testing you, Yang. People say that that "Naze" fellow changed you when he brought you back, and I just had to see for myself. I thought I knew before, but now I'm sure. It's you." He moved both of them to an arm's distance, and looked Yang straight in the eyes. "I'm sorry, but I just had to know. You can't blame an old man for being cautious, can you? I hope you'll forgive me."

Yang stared back at her Father blankly for a few moments, then lunged forward to hug him again. He laughed again, then pushed her off, turning his attention to Ruby. "Now Yang, give your sister some time, too."

He looked to Ruby again, and his eyes grew softer. "Summer would be so proud of what you just did, Ruby. It warms my heart to see that." He continued to stare into his daughter's eyes for a few moments before he cleared his throat and straightened up, saying, "Anyways, I'm very glad you're here. I'm sure that you want to see your mother again just as much as I do. So, when is Mr. Naze coming?"

As his embrace with Ruby broke, Yang put a hand to her face and said, "Please, Dad, don't call him that. Just call him Naze, alright?"

Taiyang laughed, and clapped Yang squarely on the back. "Don't want me embarrassing you in front of your friends, eh? Alright, Naze it is. When is he getting here?"

Yang sighed and shook her head, trying to hide the smile that worked across her face, saying, "He'll be here soon. Like, less than a minute, probably. I don't know. Once he gets here, he isn't going to want to chat, though. All he's really going to want to do is get to The Plate and do the whole "séance" thing, alright?" The Plate was what the family called Summer's memorial, named after a toddler Ruby's observation that it bore a plate of metal on the front, where its words were located.

Taiyang nodded, saying, "More of a "down to business" kind of guy, eh? I think I can handle that." He smiled again at the exasperated look that came across his daughter's face. He enjoyed pushing her buttons, but he knew her limits well. She knew that he was joking, anyways. He had no intention of doing anything bad that she thought he would.

As if she heard a voice, Yang's head tilted to the side, and she turned slightly away from them, listening. To the voice that only she could hear. After a few seconds, she went back to her family, slightly pushing them away from the rune and saying "Alright, he's coming! Give it some space, and get ready. You know what happened last time you guys saw him."

A few seconds after the warning was issued, the rune blazed brightly again, and the mood of the place changed drastically. All of the warmth and comfort seemed to simply drain away, being replaced by a creeping dread; the fear of death, and Ruby and Taiyang took steps closer to each other.

Out of the bright flash of the rune appeared the figure that both had been expecting, but neither one were prepared. Naze, floating about half a foot off the ground, was now in front of them, ornate staff in his right hand. It was about the size of him, and his robes covered his nearly skeletal body, blue light shining mutedly through the robes, and brightly out of his eye sockets. Ruby and Taiyang both were taken aback, but Yang didn't seem affected at all.

The hovering corpse stood still for a moment, peering at them, before its jaw dropped, and it said in a voice that was like a knife against their brains, "Hello, Ruby." He looked to her father, and bowed his head slightly, "Hello, Mr. Taiyang. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Taiyang looked back, stuttering for a moment under the sudden pressure before saying, "Y-yes, and yourself as w-well." His children looked at him in surprise. It took an awful lot to get him to stutter. They'd never seen her do it, but apparently the only thing that really had accomplished something like that was Summer getting angry at him. He ploughed on, though, not letting his speech impediment stop him. "B-but anyways, w-would you like t-to go now?"

He motioned in the direction of The Plate, and Naze nodded in a small motion. "Yes, please show me the way." Yang saw by their reactions how just how much his voice affected them, and suddenly felt bad about bringing them along. Her father was fine, he could deal with it, but Yang didn't want to expose Ruby to this again. She had already suffered enough because of the things that she had seen, she didn't need the air of terror that hung around Naze.

Taiyang nodded his head vigorously, and said, "Yes, yes, of course! It's this way, let's go." He motioned, and started to walk, pulling his daughters close as he did so. It was obvious that he didn't want them to be put into any risk by getting close to the lich, and Ruby appreciated the comfort that his big, strong body could provide. Yang, on the other hand, was slightly irritated. It made sense that he wanted to protect her, and she appreciated the sentiment, but she was actually, literally dead already. There wasn't much that could happen to her by just being exposed to Naze. She didn't try to push him way away, though. That would be very rude, and she didn't want to offend her father.

It was like this, clustered together and somewhat cramped, that the family led the lich to the memorial site for their lost beloved. They had to traverse about forty five minutes of terrain to reach it, going through a dense forest on a thin, winding path before coming to the cliff on which Summer's memorial stood. There was no small talk along the way. Taiyang and Ruby kept looking back over their shoulder to make sure that Naze was still following every now and again, but neither spoke a word. She wanted there to be speech, discussion between the two parties, building metaphorical bridges and making friendships, but her father was too scared, and Naze was Naze.

As they emerged from the trees, both her sister and her father stopped worrying so much about the lich behind them, and more about the memorial ahead. Yang could tell the kinds of questions that were running through their heads, but that they were too afraid to ask. "So" she asked, "Will we be able to see Mom, or is she going to be invisible?"

Her voice broke the silence like a glass shattering, and she felt her Father tense up when he heard it, but she didn't regret asking. It was something that she genuinely wanted to know anyways. The silence lingered for a few second before Naze answered, grating voice again making her family flinch. "Perhaps. If she lingers in this place, it is likely. However, if she has faded, she will not have sufficient power to be detectable to your senses."

The group continued, and Yang rolled her eyes. Conversation was determined to keep a wide berth, it seemed. She gave up trying to get them to speak, instead just going along with the silence. It felt wrong that everyone simply shut down like this in the presence of Naze's true form, but he didn't seem too perturbed by it. He was probably used to reactions like that from the living. Still, though, it was something of a letdown.

As they came even closer, Naze started to move faster, and the family moved slower. Her pace didn't, though, and soon she was out of her Father's arms, accompanying Naze all the way to the corpseless grave. She motioned for Ruby to come too, and waited for her, taking her in a comforting hold around her shoulders and walked her along to.

As they drew within a few feet of the thing, Naze stopped, and looked down at it, reading. He didn't say it out loud, but they all knew that he was looking at the line "Thus kindly I scatter." After he finished he looked back at Yang and asked, "Did Summer write this?"

Yang shook her head, and told him the origin of the line. "No, it was from a poem that she really liked. I don't remember what it was called, though." Naze made no indication that he had heard her, but she knew that he had. He stared a few more seconds at the grave, then turned back to the living. "Her soul does not linger, but I believe that there was a time when it did. Stand back, I am going to attempt conjuring her back from the void."

If Summer was hanging around the place, she was doing a very good job of hiding. Chances were, of course, that she had faded away, or that her soul resided elsewhere. He doubted the second option, though, because if she were anywhere, it would likely be with her children.

He brought his arms up, and the tear between worlds started to open. He needed no glyphs or wards to control it, his own power was enough. With a crack and a rip, the two living individuals behind him got the best look at what death truly was of any mortal creatures in recent history. What they saw, though, he did not know. He was able to divine what the swirling yet stagnant, repulsive yet beautiful eddies and streams meant. He could see the faces, hear the voices, and even speak back to death itself. They, however, could do none of these things.

He heard a struggle behind him, and knew that Ruby was trying to escape her sister's grasp. Her natural instincts were commanding that she flee before she joined in those wells of chaos.

First, Naze directed information about their location out into the void, seeing if it would rouse any from their slumber. A few lone spirits responded, but there was nothing that would indicate that they had a strong link or memory of the place. Next, he communicated the location nearby, the house, the beach, anything that warm memories would be attached closely to.

The number of responses that came were predictably larger, as many were awakened by the fondness they felt for such a place. Yet still, none seemed to be connected directly. If they were, they would fight tooth-and-nail against the other spirits, who only drifted, in an attempt to reach the source of the feeling.

No such feelings arose, and Naze looked again, not wanting to be wrong. Only souls drifting lazily towards them approached, and he was sure to keep them at a distance. This was why the children had been brought. Memories might not be attached to the places they happened, but the people they happened with. He could have, of course, used a mental image of the children, but them actually being there would be a much more intense and reliable method of finding Summer.

With a thought, he commanded Yang to bring her sister and herself in front of the rip. She hesitated, knowing that she would have to force her sister, but upon thinking of the outcome that this was have, she knew that she had to. Ruby kicked, elbowed, and even bit like an animal, but Yang managed to place her in front of Naze, standing behind her and holding her in a bear-hug grip.

Naze projected their image across the vast expanse of souls, and waited. First it was one second, then it was two. Suddenly, with a roar that no human could ever produce with their bodies, one soul exploded into action, charging through any others in its way. The sound was like something had recalled something vitally important, and was going to resume doing it no matter what. Naze eyes the thing, allowing it to draw closer and closer. It was a human soul, yes, but he knew little about what Summer had actually looked like. As such, it was difficult to positively identify it as her. The zeal with which it tore to the children, though, was difficult to confuse with anything but maternal instinct.

The soul grew truly close now, and Naze knew that if he was to let it through, it would be difficult to force it back before it was able to do any damage. He was safe, of course, as was Yang, but the two living individuals would be at significant risk. No other spirits had responded however, and this one was his only option. Even if it was dangerous, this was the best way to check.

As it started to pass through the rip, Naze knocked Yang to the side with a small jolt of magic, taking Ruby with her. The soul, in whatever frenzied state it was, did not stop moving towards him. As it came through into the material world again, Naze took an iron hold of it with his mind, not allowing any action he did not permit. The soul stopped, and he took in its appearance. It was a woman, yes, but its features were faded and obscured. Whoever this woman had been, she had tortured herself with grief for a long time, as evidenced by the fading identity. She was losing herself to whatever she had done, or had failed to do.

Luckily, however, the damage was not extensive, and as with most damage of that nature, only sped the fading process, not causing it. If he were to give the soul power, it would remember more of itself, and probably cease the bestial behavior.

He did so, siphoning energy into it slowly. It struggled at first, but when it realized that Naze was giving it something that it wanted, it stopped. Slowly, the figure returned to what it had once been, and Naze started to see the familial resemblances.

The woman had dark hair, almost black, but one shade of red too much for that. She wasn't short, but she was not particularly tall either, perhaps half a foot shorter than Taiyang, and several inches taller than Yang. Her eyes were non-colored, but that was because she still had not regained her full power. She didn't look at Naze, but instead to the side, at Ruby and Yang, who were picking themselves up from the ground. Further back, Taiyang looked like he was trying to ready himself for battle, despite not having a weapon on him.

This reminded Naze of the fact that the living would not see what he saw. They probably saw some beast, shrouded in mist or smoke. A ghost was a difficult thing for a mortal to truly make out, even if in life the two had been close. Being dead cleared things up significantly, but study was the most contributing factor to clarity.

As Yang lifted herself and her sister to their feet, Naze attracted her attention, and asked, "Is this Summer Rose?"

Yang turned, and when her eyes met the face of the phantom, Naze could feel the pure emotion in her soul. "Yes! Yes, that's her! Let her go, please! Let her go!" Her pleas were impassioned, but the ears it fell upon were not. There was still reason to be cautious. He gave the spirit more power, returning it almost to full, and drew it closer to him, asking "Are you Summer Rose?"

The dead heard his voice differently than the living. To them, he was commanding, not outright frightening. Her focus shifted from her daughters to the lich before her, and she looked at him, confused, for several moments before saying "Y-yes! Please, are those my children?"

Naze let his head tilt to the side slightly, but his gaze stayed steadily on Summer. Yes, they are, but you need to cooperate with me if you want the chance to interact with them. Now, your children have agreed to help me raise you from the dead, so that you may protect the world of Remnant from destruction. You served this goal during your life, now they wish for you to serve it in death. Do you accept?"

Summer looked back at him, still confused. The two children had by this point started to stare at what was going on, but Yang was the only one of the two who could make out that the spirit was her Mother. She stepped forward towards her, and said "Mom! Mom, it's me, Yang! Just trust me, say yes! Say yes and we can talk about this!"

Ruby looked from her sister to the floating thing that she spoke to, looking just as confused as her mother. "Wait, Mom?" She asked incredulously. "That… that thing is Mom?"

Summer looked again at Naze, and the look in her eyes made it clear that she was starting to panic. "Please, I don't know who you are, or where I am, but you have to let me speak with my daughters!"

Naze considered her request. It wasn't extreme or illogical. In fact, it displayed that she had more sense about her than most retrieved spirits, given that she was seeking council with someone. He valued good sense and reason, and did not want it to seem that he punished it. He also did not want to give her any more power without an agreement, however, despite the fact he could simply take it back.

He considered the request for a second more, then decided on his course of action. "You may speak to one of your children. You may speak to Yang."

There wasn't really any ploy or plot there, it was simply that Yang could communicate with the spirit without him having to give it anything else. Summer, despite the obvious distress she was in, nodded readily, and said "Thank you! Please, just give us a moment, and we'll sort this out."

He nodded, and gestured for Yang to lead the confused spirit away. Yang did so, motioning for her Mother to follow, and said, "Come on, this way. We can talk over here." Her Mother followed, mostly keeping her eyes on Yang, and not looking anywhere else. Naze took this as a sign that she wasn't too aware of her situation. It was possible that she didn't even know that she was dead. Or that Yang was dead. That little fact was sure to have some impact on her, there was no doubt. He wondered if it would occur to Yang to bring up.

He didn't listen in, though. The conversation they were having was a private one, emotion filled and difficult to gauge well. Yang was the one whom he had appointed to deal with such matters, so he didn't quite care, so long as she served. Of course, "serving" wouldn't mean convincing her Mother to join them, it would be informing her accurately as to what was going on.

When the conversation started, it was in hushed tones. It slowly escalated, though, until in a single smooth, fast movement, Summer flew back to Naze, almost engulfing his head, but stopping just short. She spoke in a newly frantic voice, saying, "Is it true? Is all of this really going to happen?" Yang quickly communicated everything that she had told her, and Naze approved of most of it. Not as impersonal as he would have liked, perhaps, and a little skewed, but passable enough for Summer to make an informed decision.

He nodded, and replied, "Yes, this could be the end of the world you know. You've been dead for years, but I doubt your desire to save innocent lives has faded much. You can do your part to help, if you accept my deal. And, in addition, you may speak with Ruby again as well."

Summer straightened herself, floating back to the ground, her incorporeal body reforming below her face. She looked like she was coming to her senses now, and doing a much better job of comprehending what was going on around her. Her face became more resolute, and she nodded, saying, for the first time confidently, "Yes, I will serve you, so long as I am serving good."

Naze nodded, and started to give the spirit more power. As he did so, her form became more concrete, and her mind was restored even more. As she became more powerful, whatever thing that Ruby saw actually transformed into her mother. The joy on her face of seeing the one who she had lost so long ago was instantly clear.

Naze didn't care for that, though. He readied himself to leave, his initial goal having been accomplished. He would later talk to his new employee about arrangements for her body, but he would allow her time with her daughters, and her husband, first.