Breathe Chapter 76: After Party

Breathe... Keep it steady. Life originates in the lungs and is circulated through the body by the heart. Master your breath and you master your life.

Someone... Someone was talking. Who–

Feeling something cold slip down my throat, my eyes snapped open. Rolling onto my side, I let out a spluttered cough. A pile of powdery snow crunching under my hand.

What was going on?

Pressing a hand against my chest, I slowed my breathing and began to take stock of my surroundings. I was covered in snow, in the middle of a forest with what looked to be a storm on its way.

Okay, what?

How the hell did I get all the way out here? The last thing I could remember was confronting Cinder in the Amphitheatre, where she tried to steal my Semblance. Then my Semblance started–

...
Ping!

System has successfully been Rebooted.
Warning! Virus has resisted System Purge.
Quarantine Protocol is in full effect, limiting mental space to 1% of its original size in order to prevent further infection.
Antivirus Protocol has been activated.
World Eater Protocol is on standby and will activate in 10 minutes if the Virus persists.
 ...

“World Eater Protocol?” That didn’t sound good.

Feeling something shift in my hand, I looked down to see a sword that, while resembling my own, felt different. Grabbing the sheath, I clicked it open, revealing a white blade that glinted under the light.

I was starting to understand. I hadn’t gone anywhere... Not physically at least. This was all in my mind. My Semblance brought me here to manually get rid of whatever it was that Cinder used.

Fastening the sword to my belt, I pushed myself up and began marching through the snow, keeping an eye on my surroundings. I had less than 10 minutes to find and kill this thing... And I knew just where to start.

Jogging through the forest, I soon found what I was looking for. A tree with an arrow scratched onto it. Following it, I made my way over a small snowy hill before finally catching sight of a small cabin sitting out in the middle of nowhere.

The place where it’d all started.

It was different from how I remembered, looking more decrepit and run down. There were scratch marks on the steps. The door smacked against the frame, no longer able to close as something had broken the lock and the windows were covered in a thick black sludge.

It looked like I was in the right place.

“Home sweet home.”

Walking up to the cabin with one hand on my sword, I knocked the door off its hinges and stepped inside. The first thing I noticed was how dark it was. Every window had been covered in a thick sludge, severely limiting the light.

Glass and bits of debris crunched under my feet as I slowly made my way into the cabin. It wasn’t particularly large, being big enough for maybe two people, but there were more than a few places for something small to hide.

Taking a step towards the kitchen, I unsheathed my sword and brought it up, cutting into a small body that scurried across the ceiling.

Letting out a pained screech, it threw itself to the side of the room, hiding behind Maria’s old arm chair.

“wAiT!”

So it could talk... That didn’t change much.

Bringing my sword down, I hacked through the chair, landing another cut on the Grimm as it darted to the side. Running on all fours, it made its way to the bathroom. It was surprisingly quick, but that wouldn’t amount to much now. There was only one way in or out of that room... It was trapped.

“I OnLy WiSh To TaLK, CoAl CaLaVeRa,” The thing said, holding the door shut. “We HaVe A MuTuAl EnEmY... SaLeM.”

“Your creator?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“My CrEaToR... No... I WaS a MaN BeFoRe ThIs... ShE BrOuGhT Me BaCk... To UsE Me As A ToOl... To StRiP YoU Of YoUR PoWeR. NoT KnOwInG ThE TrUtH,” It chuckled darkly. “ThErE Is NoThInG FoR ThEm To HaVe... YoU Do NoT ReLY On A CrUtCh.”

I see. So I was dealing with another person Salem had resurrected, only this time, without a body. The fact that he was this conscious meant that there was still hope for Summer.

There was, however, one thing that was bothering me. The way this thing was talking... Its power to steal Semblances. There was only one person on Remnant with that ability. “Marcus Black.”

“My NaMe... It’S BeEn An AgE SiNcE I LaSt HeArD It.”

The bathroom door slowly creaked open as an elongated body stepped out. He was gaunt and his features were warped as a black, tar like substance off him, giving him the appearance of something that had crawled out of the grave.

“So what exactly is it that you want?”

“It’S NoT WhAt I WaNt, BuT WhAt I CaN Do FoR YoU,” He said, pointing one of his long limbs towards me. “MoRe So, WhAt I CaN OfFer... My SeMbLanCe. I CaN UsE It To HeLp YoU... StEaL FrOm SaLeM’s CiRcLe. YoU WoUlD BeCoMe EvEn MoRe PoWeRfUl... PeRhAps EvEn StRoNg EnOuGh To KiLl HeR... PeRmAnEnTlY. OpEn YoUr SoUl To Me AnD YoU WiLl HaVe EvEryThInG ThAt YoU NeEd.”

“Yeah, I’m not doing that.”

Checking my status screen, I saw I had a little over one minute left. I needed to finish this soon.

“I SeE... ThEn PeRhApS A DeMoNsTrAtIoN Is In OrDer.”

Stepping back, his form began to swell, absorbing furniture and debris, before breaking through the ceiling, shattering the cabin.

Letting out a roar, he swung a clawed hand down, generating large gusts of wind that toppled a few trees, before hitting the ground, causing it to shake.

“Do YoU SeE NoW! ToGeThEr We WoUlD Be UnStOpPaBlE... We WoUlD TeAr ThE ImMoRtAlITy RiGhT FrOm SaLeM’s BoNeS... If YoU WoUlD JuSt LeT Me In. I CoUlD GiVe YoU ThE PoWeR FrOm ThE OnE WhO SeEkS To StEaL FrOm YoU. ThErE ArE So MaNy SeMbLaNceS We CoUlD TaKe. We CoUlD BeCoMe A GoD.”

Fifty seconds left... I’d only need one.

Gripping my blade tightly, I tensed my legs and took off in a sprint, shattering the ground below me. Watching as he brought one arm down, I jumped off the ground and used it as a stepping stone, propelling me towards the head and torso that sat in the center of his bulk.

Landing a little in front of him, I sank my blade into his chest.

“YoU WoUlD ThRoW It AlL AwAy?! We CoUlD HaVe BeEn InFiNIte.”

“I am enough.”

Bringing my blade up in one sudden movement, I flicked it to the side as Marcus’ body began disintegrating.

...
Ping!

The Virus has successfully been destroyed.
Quarantine Protocol has been Deactivated
Antivirus Protocol has been Deactivated
World Eater Protocol has been aborted.
 ...

...Breathe...

Slowly coming to, I found myself in the Amphitheatre once more, only it was far more empty with only Ozpin and Ironwood present... Oh, and I was in a hard light cage with Cinder who was grabbing at my hand which was around her throat, trying to break free.

I must have unconsciously latched on when I was in my mind. Dropping her, I instead opted to look at my hand. There was a blackish purple sludge splattered across it, giving off a burning sensation. It seemed that, despite getting rid of Marcus, there was still some of Salem’s magic lingering.

“Coal...”

“I’m fine,” I replied, glancing towards the two headmasters. “Just a little disorientated. She tried to steal my Semblance... It didn’t go so well. How long was I out?”

“Nearly ten minutes,” Ozpin replied.

So it was about the same amount of time as I spent in my mind... That was good to know. Hearing a click, a portion of the Hard-Light Dust cage opened, giving me enough room to leave.

“You had us worried for a moment,” Ironwood commented. “If it’d been any longer, we might have had to call in a specialist. That being said, we should probably get you checked out... For cautions sake.”

That would probably be a smart idea... So long as it didn’t take too long. Taking a step forward, I shifted to the side, letting Cinder’s arm sail over my shoulder as she collided with my back. Both Ozpin and Ironwood seemed ready to step in, but stopped when I held my hand out.

“I’ve come too far to fail.”

Catching her hand with my own, I turned around to see her desperately trying to activate Marcus’ Semblance and failing.

“Trying to steal my Semblance again? It won’t work this time. I’ve already gotten rid of your little parasite.”

Growling angrily as heat began to pool in her hands, Cinder suddenly smirked. “You might have taken care of that... But what about the other one?”

Bursting from the back of her hand, a small Grimm beetle bit into the sludge on the back of my hand, rapidly growing larger as it siphoned Salem’s magic.

Cinder smirked victoriously. “Yes... I can feel the power. It’s...” Seeing something behind me, she suddenly froze. “What... What’s that?”

What’s what?

Looking back, I caught sight of a flicker of darkness standing behind me, before a familiar shadowy hand passed through my chest, slowly reaching towards Cinder. Feeling her trying to break free, I tightened my grip.

“Let go!”

“What’s the matter, I thought you wanted my Semblance?” I asked. “You didn’t think that it would come that easy, did you? That there wouldn’t be some price?”

Freezing as the Shadows hand passed into her chest, Cinder’s eyes widened dramatically, before she finally slumped forward, falling to the floor. Breathing rapidly, she stared up at the ceiling.

The enlarged Beetle Grimm on the other hand, let out a shriek as it detached from Cinder, leaving her behind in an attempt to save itself, it managed to scurry a few feet away before dropping to the floor, twitching as it slowly turned from black to grey.

Waiting a few short moments for its body to begin breaking down, as all Grimm did when they died, that moment never came. It hadn’t so much as died as it had simply ended.

Looking between Cinder who was still staring up at the ceiling, the now dead Grimm and the two headmasters in the room who stared at the dead Grimm warily, I sighed. This was going to be difficult to explain...

Tomorrow.

I had other arrangements for tonight and come Salem or the brothers themselves, I wasn’t going to miss out on tonight.

On the upside, my hand felt a lot better.

...Breathe...

Making my way towards the ballroom, part of me felt that my time would be better spent talking to Ozpin and Ironwood... Not that I knew what I would actually say. I needed to tell them something after what’d happened. Grimm didn’t just die... Not like that.

It seemed the more I learned about the shadow, the less I knew. There was at least one upside to all of this, I had proof that it actually existed... That I wasn’t just crazy... Although, Maria would probably say otherwise. Correlation doesn’t imply causation and all that.

Turning down the hallway that led to the ballroom, something felt off. There was no music. Picking up the pace, I quickly made my way over.

With Winter handling the White Fang alongside a few of the professors and myself taking care of Cinder, the dance should have been completely safe. If anything managed to get through, Pyrrha would have been more than enough, but...

Opening the door to the room, I briefly scanned the room, before letting out a sigh of relief. Nothing had happened, the band was just taking a break while Weiss talked to them.

It seemed I was still a little jumpy from earlier.

Despite the lack of music, the party was as lively as ever. Groups of friends got together, talking with one another. I could see Pyrrha standing arm in arm with Yang, laughing while Nora grinned proudly. Blake and Ren chatted in the background.

Looking around, there were a few others I noticed. Jaune and Cardin were standing by the drinks table, keeping others away, oddly enough.

Penny was still dancing despite there not being any music while her partner, Ciel, stood to the side with her arms tucked firmly behind her back. And then there was Oscar who was being fretted over by a few of the other girls as a much larger, darker skinned girl kept them from getting too close.

The only ones that didn’t look to be enjoying themselves was Team CFVY. Their leader, Coco, seemed to be arguing with one of the catering staff who looked more than a little clueless. Yatsuhashi stood by the door to the outdoor balcony while Fox stayed by the stairs. Velvet however, remained by the reception and looked like she was on the verge of a panic attack.

Wanting to find out what was going on, I took a step towards her before stopping when something collided with my back and latched on.

“Hey there,” Ruby greeted, leaning her head over my shoulder. “Oh, where are my manners… You must be thirsty,” She hummed, shoving a half empty cup against my mouth.

Taking an accidental sip, I almost choked as the fluid burnt my throat on the way down. That wasn’t regular punch... It tasted more like something Qrow would drink. They were serving that here?!

I think I got why CFVY weren’t enjoying themselves. Being the ones that planned the party, they were responsible for what was served here and if the entire student body got drunk... Let’s just say it wasn’t a good look. If Glynda found out about this, there’d be hell to pay.

Pushing it away, I swallowed heavily and took a haggard breath. “Ruby, what–”

“Good right?” Ruby hummed. Struggling to take a sip from her cup, she ended up spilling some of it on the floor. “It can take some getting used to though... It gets pretty hard to aim for your mouth, you know what I’m saying? So, where were you?”

“I was talking with Ozpin... I’ll tell you about it later, but for now, I think you’ve had enough to dr–“

“No, that’s not what I meant,” She whined, shaking her head. “I meant back when... When... Ah, fudge it. I’m just glad that you’re here now. Just don’t die, okay… I can’t do this by myself…”

“Sure thing, Ruby…”

Letting go of her cup, she wrapped her arms around my neck while her legs circled around my waist... It seemed she’d lost her shoes sometime during the night. “Good… Not again… Okay. I still want…” Yawning, she slumped against my back. “Rubber duck gun.”

Okay, drunk Ruby wasn’t making any sense... At least she dropped her cup, so that was one less thing to worry about.

Hearing a familiar tune, I turned towards the stage and found Weiss standing in front of the microphone... Correction, a drunk Weiss was standing in front of the microphone.

Oh, this couldn’t end well.

“Hey Coal, you’re finally back I see,” Yang called out, walking across the dance floor. “And you even managed to catch Ruby... Nice.”

“It was more the other way around with Ruby who caught me,” I hummed, gaining a tired giggle from said Huntress in training. Taking in Yang’s appearance, she still seemed pretty sober.

Smirking as she caught me staring at her for the second time tonight, Yang grabbed onto my arm and began pulling me across the dance floor. “C’mon, there’s some people I want to introduce you to.”

Passing by the stage, I briefly locked eyes with Weiss who smiled and waved as the beat continued to build. Maybe this wouldn’t be too bad.

“I’m back,” Yang said, making her way towards Pyrrha, Nora and Ren. “And I’ve brought company. This is–”

“The guy Yang’s always talking about,“ Nora blurted out. “I didn’t know you were that Coal Calavera!”

That Coal Calavera?

Ren could only sigh. “Which one did you think he was, Nora?”

“The one that writes songs for Weiss of course,” Nora replied, drawing a long-suffering sigh from her ‘not’ boyfriend. “You’re not going to tell me that they’re the same person again, are you?”

“No... I’ve come to accept that as an impossibility,” Ren murmured.

Giggling, Pyrrha held a hand in front of her face, clearly enjoying this. In the background I could hear Weiss begin to sing, slowly increasing the volume of her voice until it was a scream that caused everyone to wince.

Wait, I recognized this song.

“Geez Weiss, what the heck?” Yang muttered, covering her ears. “Any idea what she’s singing?”

Slapping the microphone stand to the side, Weiss stepped forward. “I do not need... A microphone... My voice is fuckin... Powerful...”

“Master Exploder,” I replied, a grin slowly making its way to my face.

“Master what now?” Pyrrha hummed.

Never in my life did I expect Weiss to choose this song. Funnily enough, I didn’t remember writing this one down for her... But I did have it on my old Scroll, but that one was completely fried. I guess Dr. Pietro managed to transfer some of my old files... And then I sent them to Weiss.

Oh... Oh no.

There were some pretty bad songs on that Scroll.

“Well whatever it’s called, I like it,” Nora said excitedly.

Somehow, that wasn’t surprising. Nora would probably like a lot of this kind of music. Whether Weiss was ever willing to sing it while sober was the question. Either way, she was giving one hell of a performance.

Finishing the song, Weiss breathed heavily into the microphone, her face slightly red from the exertion. “Now that I’m all warmed up, we can start the next one,” She said, staring down at the stunned crowd below. “But I’m going to need a partner... Coal,” She said, flinging her hand forward.

Noticing something flying towards me, I snatched it out of the air only to find myself holding a microphone. Come again?

“Well you heard her, get up there,” Yang grinned, pulling Ruby off my back.

“I think I’ll sit this one out, if that’s alright,” I called out.

Swaying slightly, Weiss steadied herself with the microphone stand. “That’s fine too. I guess we’ll just have to move onto another one.” Staring at me for a moment, she winked and turned towards the crowd. “This next one’s called ‘Fuck H–.”

Oh hell no!

Taking a quick breath, I held the microphone in front of me. “Right here, right now. I put the offer out.”

As much as I didn’t want to sing, I wasn’t about to let Weiss embarrass herself. Outside of knocking her out or cutting the power, this was the next best alternative.

Gesturing for the band to begin playing, Weiss’ eyes sparkled with excitement when I stepped on the stage. “Okay, my friend, you want to cut me in.”

Singing at each other in a back and forth fashion, the rest of the song passed in a bit of a blur. Before I knew it, we’d reached the end and I found myself standing in front of Weiss who was slowly overbalancing.

“Woah there,” I said, grabbing onto her arms to help steady her. “I think that’s enough excitement for one night.”

“Well maybe I could stand a little more... Before I lose my nerve.” Standing on the tips of her toes, she briefly pressed her lips against mine, before collapsing into my chest. “There... I’m satisfied.”

Blinking, I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Let’s get you to your team.”

“That might be a good idea... I don’t feel so well,” She groaned.

Nodding, I helped walk her over to the rest of her team, leaving the band to take over once more. There were a few people openly staring at us, but most went back to their own dates.

It was starting to get pretty late now. It wouldn’t be long before the dance finally came to an end. Good thing it was set on a Friday night because a lot of people were going to be waking up with a hangover tomorrow.

“You two sure seemed to have fun up there,” Yang commented, grinning mischievously. “It’s almost enough to make a girl jealous. So, any chance we might get to hear that other song... The one Weiss was originally going to sing when you declined.”

Groaning, Weiss shoved her face in my chest.

Taking a closer look at the Schnee heiress, Pyrrha hummed softly. “Are you... Feeling alright?”

“M’fine, I just need a...” Weiss’ face looked green and clammy. “B... Bathroom.”

Nodding, Yang took Weiss under her arm. “Alright, let’s get you to the bathroom... Nora, you mind lending a hand?”

“Sure thing,” Nora grinned. “Quick, Ren, evasive manoeuvers. Get her one of your smoothies.”

“Nora, that doesn’t even make sense,” Ren sighed. “But I do think that could help with how she’s feeling. Algae is great for reducing inflammation and helps aid in detoxification.”

Groaning, Weiss’ face took on a new shade of green.

“Ren, too soon. Wait until we’re in the bathroom before talking about your green sea sludge.”

Taking Weiss’ other arm, Nora and Yang all but carried Weiss to the bathroom as Ren followed closely behind.

“I hope she’s alright,” Pyrrha said, watching as the four disappeared from view. “With how nice the night’s been, I wouldn’t want something like this to spoil it for her.”

“She should be just fine... She’s got Yang and Nora looking out for her after all,” I replied.

Humming softly, Pyrrha nodded. “That’s true... You know, given everything that happened tonight, I thought Yang would have been the one to make her move... But I guess Weiss beat her to it.”

I’d kind of expected the same. That should be an interesting conversation with Winter tomorrow. Hopefully Weiss wasn’t too awkward about it.

Spotting a head of blonde hair, Yang marched through the crowd, appearing as if she was looking for something.

“Hey, I just realized I forgot something here,” Yang said. Glancing at Ruby who was slowly falling asleep next to Blake, she smiled. “Do you think you could help me find it?”

Yeah... Right. She totally wasn’t up to something.

“Of course.” Pyrrha nodded. “Just tell us where it is and we’ll be happy to help.”

...You know, I wasn’t sure if Pyrrha was just playing along or if she truly was this trusting.

“Let’s see,” Yang hummed, tapping a finger to her lips. Walking closer, she looked up at me with a small smirk on her face. “I think I left it... Right here,” She said, grabbing my tie.

Already knowing what was coming, I decided to surprise. Leaning down, I pressed my lips against Yang’s own, gaining a surprised squeak from the normally boisterous blonde, before she relaxed into it. Closing her eyes, she wrapped an arm around my neck and pulled against her, leaving no room between the two of us.

Coming back up for air, Yang pulled back, her lips quirked in a small smile. “Found it... Thanks for the nice night, we should do this again sometime. I’m gonna go check up on Weiss now... Keep an eye on Ruby for me.”

“Sure.”

“Thanks.” Stepping back, she ran her hands over her dress, flattening the wrinkles. Shooting me a quick wink, she headed off “I’ll see you later.”

“I’ll come with,” Pyrrha volunteered. “Weiss seemed pretty out of it. I’m worried about her.”

Blinking, Yang nodded. “Alright, let’s go.”

Smiling, Pyrrha pressed a kiss against my cheek. “I’ll be back a little later. Don’t have too much fun while I’m gone.”

“I’ll try not to,” I hummed.

Nodding, she left alongside Yang, chatting with the blonde as they made their way to the bathroom.

Somehow, I felt, life had just become that much more complicated... But in a good way this time. Sitting down next to Ruby, I let out a sigh as I checked the time. It was starting to get late... So late that it was becoming early.

“Busy night?” Blake asked, not bothering to look up from her Scroll.

“You could say that.”

“Same.” Blake nodded. “But it has been somewhat enjoyable.”

“I’ll drink to that,” I joked, glancing towards the punch bowl.

“Please don’t, two drunk idiots in one night is enough… I don’t think I’d be able to handle you on top of everything else.”

It sounded like she’d had her hands full keeping Ruby and Weiss safe tonight… I’d have to do something nice for her tomorrow.

“You know, I don’t think I can get drunk anymore,” I hummed, rubbing my chin thoughtfully.

“Good,” Blake deadpanned.

...Breathe...

Having taken longer than she’d expected with the report for the White Fang’s attempted attack, Winter eagerly pushed the doors to the ballroom open, only to be met with silence.

Stepping foot into the room, she looked around. Chairs sat empty, lining the room, cups were abandoned on tables, there were a few articles of clothing placed here and there... Most of them were blazers that’d been hung over a few chairs along with a few ties and a pair of red high heels oddly enough. One thing that was missing, however, was the people.

It was painfully clear what’d happened. She’d missed the dance.

Checking the time, she found it was a little past 2 in the morning and sighed. “I’m late.”

“Only by an hour.” Leaning over the balcony, I dropped down, landing in front of her. “But the end kind of dragged on a little. People were starting to get tired and the band left around midnight.”

It had still been a fun night though, all things considered. A lot of people were going to be waking up with hangovers in the morning.

Removing her hand from the sword on her waist, she nodded. “I see. That is a pity, I think I would have liked to see what it was like earlier. Although... That begs the question of why you’re still here.”

“Because you said you’d be here,” I replied. “The team running this event was planning on locking up, but I got them to give me the keys instead... Since you weren’t here yet.”

Smiling prettily, she unconsciously pressed a closed fist against her chest and looked away, her hair covering one eye. “I’m not really sure what to say to that. Thank you comes to mind, but they don’t feel like the right words.”

“I think that, sometimes, words aren’t necessary... Oh, I almost forgot.” Grabbing my Scroll, I quickly swiped through it. Hitting a few keys, the speakers suddenly came to life. Playing music from my Scroll wasn’t as good as having a live band, but it was good enough for now. “Since we’re both here... Would you like to dance?”

Taking my hand, we made our way to the dance floor, but, seeing as there wasn’t anyone around, it didn’t really matter where we went.

Humming softly, she leaned her head on my chest. “You’re a surprisingly good dancer. I’m almost glad that I arrived so late.”

It was pretty nice, there wasn’t anyone to bump into, and there weren’t any crowds. It was private... Intimate almost.

“Thanks, I had a lot of practice.”