Around a campfire, Ruby, Qrow, Jaune, Ren, and Nora sit on four logs positioned in a square. You were sitting on a boulder behind Qrow; you were holding your broken chain, remembering how much force you placed on it. Qrow has just finished telling the story of the Maidens. There is silence, and Qrow takes a swig from his flask. He has a bandage wrapped around his abdomen over his clothing, "Really? No questions?"
"Of course, we have questions. This is just... a lot to take in."

"Of course." You sigh.
"So these... Maidens... They're powerful fighters that don't need Dust to use magic."

"Yeah."

"And there are four of them?"
"Yup. Always."
"Which means that, whenever one of them dies, the power transfers to someone - a female - that they cared about?"

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

"And that's what you were trying to do to Pyrrha... the night the tower fell. You were trying to turn her into one of them." You turn your attention to Jaune as he looked at the ground.

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

"So, you forced it on Pyrrha." Jaune angerly turned to you. "We didn't force anything. We explained the situation and gave her the choice, and she chose. You were there with me at the tower."

Jaune hangs his head for a brief moment before getting up and walking several feet away from group. Qrow watches him go, "That guy, Tyrian - why was he after me?"

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

"Well, then, why not just travel with us? It seems like that would've been way easier." Ruby looked at you. Jaune answers her loudly enough to be heard, but with his back still turned to everyone. "They were using you as bait."

"Jaune, we wanted to make sure all of you made it to Mistral. Tyrian was an obstacle we didn't expect. I don't want any more accidents." You spoke out. "So, Pyrrah was just an accident?"
"Don't put words in her mouth." Qrow quickly defends you. "You have no idea what she went through after-"
"Qrow, stay in line." You muttered.

Jaune turns back to face you, "What is all of this? Ruby's being hunted; the schools are being attacked, all for what?! What is the point of all of this?! Will you just tell us what's going on?!"

"There are a few things we can not speak to any of you yet. Everything needs time to comprehend; it's not easy to explain everything right off the bat."

Qrow stares at him then slumps over with a sigh. "Would you sit down? You're stressin' me out, 'kid."

Jaune sits back down on his log and crosses his arms. Qrow starts to take another swig but changes his mind before the flask reaches his lips. "Not many people are super religious these days."

Qrow caps and sets the flask down, "This world's been around for a long time, long enough that people have created dozens of gods. But if you believe Ozpin, two of them are actually real." You hop off the large stone. Qrow glances at you as you sat down next to him "(Y/n) here knows this story like the back of her hand. Almost as if she was there." Your eyes widen a bit; you knew the stories because, like Ozpin, you were there. However, you were not allowed to tell them anything; that was a promise you made to Ozpin.

You nodded, closing your eyes, "They were two brothers. The older sibling, the god of light, found joy in creating forces of life. Meanwhile, the younger brother, the god of darkness, spent his time creating forces of destruction. As you can imagine, they both had pretty different ideas about how things should go. The older one would spend his days creating water, plants, wildlife. And at night, his brother would wake to see all the things that the elder had made and become disgusted. To counteract his brother's creations, the god of darkness brought drought, fire, famine, all he could do to rid Remnant of life. Life always returned. So one night, the younger brother went and made something - something that shared his innate desire to destroy anything and everything." You summoned Ajin, "The creatures of Grimm." Ruby looked up at Ajin. You nodded, "The older brother finally had enough. Knowing that their feud couldn't last like this forever, he proposed that they make one final creation... together, something that they could both be proud of, their masterpiece. The younger brother agreed. This last great creation would be given the power to both create and destroy. It would be given the gift of knowledge so that it could learn about itself and the world around it.
And most importantly, it would be given the power to choose, to have free will to take everything it had learned, and decide which path to follow - the path of light or the way of darkness. And that is how Humanity came to be."

Ruby slightly opened her mouth as to say something but quickly shut it. "Sounds familiar? I told you this long ago." You smiled at Ruby, she turned to you, taking notice that you seemed sad as if you wanted to cry.
"But... what does that have to do with us?" Ren asks.
"Well, that's the kicker. See, the four gifts to mankind - knowledge, creation, destruction, and choice - aren't just metaphorical. Each of them exists in a physical form, left behind by the gods before they abandoned Remnant, and each of them is extraordinarily powerful." You stood up as Qrow was speaking, slowly walking to the fire a small distance between you and the flames. "If someone were to collect all four, they'd be able to change the world. That's exactly what the enemy wants. I can't let them get a hold of them, not now, not ever."

"The Huntsman Academies were created to train generations of Humanity's protectors, but they also serve another purpose - guarding the Relics. When Ozpin's predecessor founded the schools, he built them around the Relics to act as a fortress. That's why Ozpin was always standing with (Y/n) she knows where they are located and is the only one to be trusted with them. Not only would they be easier to defend, but trained warriors would constantly surround them. The hope was that hiding them would keep mankind from using them against itself... and, of course, keeping them out of her reach." Qrow leans forward, "So yeah, there's that."

"Her. You mean Salem?" Everyone faces Ruby, "That's right. Not much is known about her. Quite frankly, that's not what matters. What matters right now is that she wants the Relics, and if she gets them, it's not going to end well. By far (Y/n) is the only one who has ever crossed paths with her." You quickly add on. "That was many years ago; she is someone not to take lightly. Salem and I are the reality of the blessing and the curse; sometimes, I don't know who's cursed."

"Alright. So, let's say we believe all this. There really is this crazy evil being behind these attacks, not just some thugs trying to become powerful. Why doesn't the world know? Why isn't Atlas going after them? Or Mistral?"
"And why aren't we in more of a hurry to get to Haven? Shouldn't we be getting them a message? What if they're next?"

"The headmaster over there saw what happened to Beacon. He's not dumb. He'll be on his guard. Besides, it takes time to mobilize forces like that. Do you really think they planned out that attack on Beacon overnight?"
Qrow points at Jaune, "And to answer your question, it's the same reason we keep quiet about the Maidens. If the whole world knew about the Relics, about Salem, there would be chaos. There'd be another Great War on our hands, and this time, you'd have to fight."
"More Grimm will appear more powerful than before, with more Grimm we may not have enough huntsmen and huntresses to send to the front lines. History would repeat itself. I will not go through that again." You say to yourself as you stared at the broken moon.
"Again?" Nora asks. "(Y/n) has been in the field for a long time now, she's seen what it's like." Qrow pushes a few strands of hair behind your ear.

Jaune turns away, "Look, I had the same questions, too. But ol' Ozpin would always put his foot down. "We can't cause a panic." Heh, can't tell you how many times I've heard that. Salem's smart. She works from the shadows, using others to get what she wants so that when it comes time to place the blame, we can only point at each other. She's trying to divide us - humanity, and so far, she's done a pretty damn good job."

Leaning back, Qrow looks up at the broken moon. "Alright, so what should we do?"

"I want to get all of you to Mistal. With that, I need to speak with the headmaster about the relic of knowledge. I have to stay put there until I am received."
"Until received?"
"A certain someone will have to find me until we continue." The teens nod with a bit of confusion.

Qrow stands, but grabs at where he was cut, "Alright, I think it's time you kids got some sleep."
"Uncle Qrow?"
"Yeah?"
"This is a lot to take in, and it all sounds crazy, but... I'm willing to do whatever I can to help because I trust you. But why couldn't you trust me? Why couldn't you travel with us, instead of this secrecy, and, and-"
"Look, this has nothing to do with trust. I-- It's a long story, okay?"

"Seriously? Now you're tired of telling us stories?" Nora asks.

He stares at the fire in silence before speaking. As he talks, he kneels down next to you, picks up a stick and pokes at the fire, "Did you know that crows are a sign of bad luck? Old superstition, but it's how I got my name. See, some people can absorb electricity, and some people can burst into rose petals, and some people are just born unlucky. My Semblance isn't like most - it's not exactly something I do. It's always there, whether I like it or not. I bring misfortune. I guess you could call me a bad luck charm. Comes in handy when I'm fighting an enemy, but it makes it a little hard on friends...and family." Qrow turns to you as you were focused on the flame, the light of the fire in front of you casting a large shadow in behind you. Ajin was behind you aimlessly wandering around.

Getting up, he still holds his side, "Well, you are just a real bundle of help, aren't you?" Ruby and Nora turn to glare at Jaune.
"Yeah." Qrow walks away from the campfire, slowly. "Where are you going?"
"Taking a walk."
"You should rest, Qrow; I'll watch over them." You say, finally facing him.
"There's nothing else you want to tell us?"

A red-eyed raven lands on a tree branch with a quiet caw. Qrow looks at it, and it cocks its head, looking at him, "Not tonight."
A black feather floats in front of you, and without much thought, you catch the feather.

Qrow continues his slow walk away, leaving the four teenagers to themselves for a bit. The log he had prodded earlier rolls out of the campfire. Ruby watches Qrow, concerned, "I'll go after him; get some sleep." Ruby nods as you followed him.

"Qrow." You catch him as he stumbles, "I told you to rest, why are you taking a walk?"
"Why haven't you healed your cut?" Qrow places his hand on your forearm; he slides your sleeve upward, seeing the wound. You flinch in pain, "He got you too?"
"I'll be fine, let's focus on you." You roll down your sleeve, "The bleeding stopped, I'll heal in no time." Qrow softly places his lips on yours, "You better." Qrow takes hold of your broken chain, "You broke your weapon."
"I'll get it fixed when we get to Mistral and when Oz comes back." Qrow smiles at you, "Will you be okay?" "I have Ajin; in a way, I don't need a weapon, but it's fun to use a weapon."

It is morning time at the campsite, and the birds are a-tweeting. All four teenagers are in their sleeping bags; the campfire burned out in the middle. Qrow sits up against the base of a tree, facing the group. Ren sits up with a sigh, "We should probably get moving."
"Yeah, yeah."

Both turn at the sound of Qrow coughing, which grows louder and sounds worse with each cough. Nora and Ruby sit up, and Ruby quickly goes to her uncle's side.

Purple staining is visible on Qrow's bandage, which he is holding his right hand over. He lifts his left hand to his mouth as he continues to cough. Qrow pulls his hand away with a groan, and the whole palm, including up over the wrist and his fingers, is covered in the purple stain.

Ruby's eyes grow wide, and she gasps. Qrow looks at his hand. "(Y/n)!" Ruby quickly gets up and runs to find you. You jump down from a tree, landing in front of Ruby, "Ruby, what's wrong?"
"It's uncle Qrow." You follow Ruby as she leads you to Qrow, "Well..." He turns his palms upward to show you the purple stain. "That's unfortunate."

End of Vol. 4 Ch. 8

{Unedited}