The Vault Beneath Beacon
Three days had passed since Pyrrha made her decision.
Despite Jaune's worries, and despite the dangers ahead, she had chosen to take on the responsibility of the Fall Maiden.
And now, they stood in the vault beneath Beacon.
The air was heavy, charged with an ancient power that radiated from the glowing golden door in front of them. The Fall Maiden's Vault.
Ozpin, Qrow, Glynda, Onyx, Team RWBY, and Team JNPR stood together, surrounding Pyrrha as they prepared for the transfer.
Amber lay in a separate chamber, her Aura fractured but her body intact.
Ozpin turned to Pyrrha, his voice steady. "Once the process begins, there is no turning back."
Pyrrha inhaled deeply, then nodded. "I'm ready."
Jaune, standing just behind her, clenched his fists. He wanted to stop this. He wanted to keep her safe. But this was her choice.
Onyx's amethyst eyes were narrowed, his gut twisting. Something felt wrong.
Then—
A distant tremor.
Faint, at first, but growing stronger.
A deep rumbling from the stone walls.
"Did you hear that?" Blake asked, her ears twitching.
BOOM.
Dust rained from the ceiling.
The ground shook.
Then, before anyone could react—
THE WALL EXPLODED.
A massive section of the vault collapsed inward, stone and debris crashing down like an avalanche.
Through the dust and smoke, figures emerged.
And Beacon's defenders froze.
A monstrous grin gleamed in the darkness—Tyrian Callows, his golden eyes wild with madness.
Beside him, a towering figure stepped forward—Hazel Rainart, his arms flexing as dust crystals gleamed in his bracers.
But that wasn't all.
Through the gaping hole in the vault, Grimm poured in.
Not just any Grimm.
Centinals – Centipede-like Grimm, their sharp legs clicking against the stone as they crawled forward in swarms.
Creeps – Reptilian monstrosities, their glowing red maws snapping hungrily.
King Taijitus – Massive, twin-headed serpents, their black-and-white scales reflecting the dim vault light.
And then—
A low, guttural growl reverberated through the air.
A nightmare stepped forward.
A towering Grimm unlike any other.
It was tall, with a tar-like body that dripped Grimm liquid. Its long, wide snout revealed jagged, overlapping teeth. It had no eyes—only twitching, canine ears and spine-like quills protruding from its back.
But that wasn't the worst part.
On the back of its neck, a second jaw—lined with even sharper teeth—slowly opened.
Its presence alone made the air feel heavier.
A chill ran down the spines of everyone in the room.
Then—
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?!" Weiss screamed.
Her voice echoed through the vault.
Tyrian's deranged laughter rang out. "Oh-hoho! I was hoping for a warm welcome!"
Hazel cracked his knuckles. "We're here for the Maiden."
Onyx stepped forward, eyes locked on the Hound.
The beast tilted its head, almost as if studying him.
"Not on my watch." His Aura flared.
The moment was frozen in time.
Then—
The Vault erupted into chaos.
Tyrian lunged first, a manic blur of motion. His claws extended toward Ruby, who barely had time to react—
CLANG!
A blade intercepted him.
Onyx stood between them, his dark axe clashing against Tyrian's claws. The Faunus's amethyst eyes burned, his Aura flaring with raw intensity.
"You'll have to try harder than that, freak." Onyx snarled, pushing back against Tyrian's initial assault.
Tyrian's grin widened, his golden eyes glowing with a malevolent purple tint. "Oh-hoho! The infamous Onyx Thorn! The prodigy of darkness!" He lunged again, his glowing hands reaching.
"Oh, what fun this will be!" As his clawed fingers grazed Onyx's arm, a visible shimmer of Aura dissipated, leaving the bicep briefly exposed. This was his semblance, Aura Disruption, stripping away defenses with a touch. Onyx quickly pulled back, the sensation of his Aura being momentarily nullified an unsettling one.
BOOM!
Hazel charged forward like a juggernaut, his semblance, Pain Nullification, allowing him to absorb the impacts of his Dust-powered strikes, making him a living battering ram. He slammed his fists into the ground, sending shockwaves.
Ren and Nora met him head-on, their weapons clashing against his monstrous strength.
"Ren, left flank!" Nora shouted, her hammer, Magnhild, crackling with raw electricity as she activated her semblance, High Voltage. She absorbed the electricity from Hazel's next blow, channeling it into a devastating counter-swing that slammed into his chest with explosive force. He grunted, but held his ground.
"On it!" Ren replied, his Stormflower pistols spitting precise gunfire, slipping past Hazel's wide, sweeping attacks and landing rapid, focused blows on his joints and vulnerable spots, though Hazel's Aura absorbed much of the force.
Nora brought Magnhild down like a hammer of thunder, the force sending shockwaves through the vault, but Hazel barely flinched.
"You think that's enough?" Hazel growled, his voice deep and rumbling, knocking Nora away as his gaze locking onto Ozpin, who was now moving to join the skirmish. "You're not stopping me. Not when my sister, Gretchen, suffered because of Ozpin's negligence." He injected more Dust into his arms, making them glow ominously, a furious scowl marring his face as he looks at beacon's headmaster. "She was just a student, Ozpin! A child, sent to die on your misguided missions! She trusted you, and you let her be consumed by the Grimm!"
Ozpin, his cane, The Long Memory, extended, met Hazel's charge with surprising agility. "Hazel, what happened to Gretchen was a tragedy that I regret with every fiber of my being! But this path, this revenge, it will only lead to more suffering! Salem manipulates your grief!"
"Manipulates?!" Hazel roared back, his eyes burning with a vengeful fire, swinging a Dust-infused fist that shattered a section of the wall, Ozpin barely dodged it. "She showed me the truth! You lie to everyone, Ozpin! You send children to fight a war they can't win, just like you sent Gretel to her death!"
Meanwhile, Centinals swarmed from the walls, their centipede-like forms darting toward Team RWBY and Jaune.
Creeps and King Taijitus slithered forward, their monstrous roars echoing through the stone chamber.
"Weiss, cover Pyrrha!" Ruby shouted, Crescent Rose unfolding in an instant as she activated her semblance, Petal Burst, allowing her to zip through the Centinals like a crimson blur, leaving trails of rose petals in her wake as she carved through them with blinding speed.
"I'm on it!" Weiss yelled, her rapier Myrtenaster gleaming with Ice Dust as she formed a massive glyph, conjuring a towering barrier of frost between Pyrrha and the incoming Grimm. While conjuring a series of smaller glyphs that launched barrages of sharp ice shards at the encroaching Centinals, puncturing their chitinous hides.
Yang and Blake tore into the creatures, Yang's Ember Celica roared as she unleashed explosive punches, her semblance, Burn, absorbing the impacts from a charging Creep and converting them into raw power, causing her next punch to send the monster flying into a wall with enough force to crater the stone. While Blake using her semblance, Shadow, created multiple clones of herself, allowing her to outmaneuver the massive King Taijitus. Her clones acted as perfect decoys, drawing the serpents' attacks while the real Blake, a phantom of motion, delivered precise, devastating slashes with Gambol Shroud, severing scales and piercing vital points.
Amidst the chaos, Glynda Goodwitch joined the fray, a formidable force against the surging Grimm. Her semblance, Telekinesis, flared to life with powerful precision. With a wave of her hand, shattered pieces of the vault wall levitated, twisting into sharp, aerodynamic projectiles that she hurled with incredible velocity at the incoming Centinals. They impaled the creatures, pinning them to the walls with sickening thuds. She then slammed her riding crop down, sending a focused wave of concussive force that crushed a group of Creeps instantly, turning them to black mist. Her movements were graceful yet devastatingly effective, showcasing years of masterful combat.
But then—
The Hound finally moved.
It didn't lunge.
It didn't roar.
It stalked forward, its grotesque second jaw slowly opening as it studied them all.
Onyx saw it
The moment the Hound locked onto Pyrrha—
Onyx vanished from his fight with Tyrian–who was now fighting Qrow, In an instant, he was between them.
The Hound's jaws snapped.
Onyx threw up his arm, summoning a massive greatsword of darkness.
CRASH!
The impact sent a shockwave through the chamber.
The Hound pressed forward, its monstrous strength matching Onyx's own.
Its head twisted unnaturally.
Then—
Its second mouth opened.
A sickening, inhuman scream tore through the air, a pulse of Grimm energy exploding outward.
Onyx's eyes widened—It was trying to overpower his Aura.
But Onyx gritted his teeth.
"Not today."
His Amethyst Eyes blazed.
Dark energy erupted around him, his own power pushing back against the Hound's influence.
He kicked off the ground, twisting in midair—
And SLASHED his sword across the Hound's side.
The Grimm shrieked, staggering backward.
Onyx landed smoothly, eyes still locked on the Hound.
Across the battlefield, Qrow pressed his attack against Tyrian, his blade locking against the assassin's claws. Qrow's semblance, Misfortune, caused objects around Tyrian to subtly fail or falter – a loose floor tile shifted, a small piece of falling debris veered unexpectedly towards him – but Tyrian's manic agility and Aura Disruption kept him dangerously effective, forcing Qrow to constantly adapt.
"You're a slippery bastard, aren't ya?!" Qrow snarled, Harbinger transforming into its scythe form for wider, more unpredictable sweeps.
Tyrian, grinning, attempted to touch Qrow's leg, his hands glowing purple, but Qrow skillfully parried with the blunt edge of his scythe, keeping the dangerous contact at bay, and quickly dodging the psychopath's stinger.
Grimm continued to pour into the vault, slithering, crawling, and lunging at Team RWBY, Jaune, Nora, and Ren who fought desperately to keep them at bay.
But amidst the chaos—
The Hound moved away from Onyx.
And its directive was no longer to take the comatose Fall maiden and the maiden candidate.
It was now to kill the maiden.
Its grotesque, dripping form blurred forward, ignoring Onyx entirely as it charged toward the unconscious Maiden.
Ozpin's eyes flashed with realization.
"NO!"
He tried to intercept—
But Hazel intercepted him. His massive fist, reinforced with dust-infused power, smashed into Ozpin's ribs, sending the headmaster skidding back, impacting the stone wall with a heavy thud.
BAM!
Ozpin barely dodged the second punch, the force of the attack shattering the stone wall where he had stood.
"You will not interfere," Hazel's voice was grim, unwavering, his eyes burning with a cold, determined fury.
"Hazel, please! this isn't the way to honor her memory!" Ozpin pleaded, quickly dodging a earth dust-powered left hook, and then retaliates, striking with Long Memory, but Hazel simply absorbed the blows.
Onyx's heart pounded. The Hound was going to kill Amber. He didn't hesitate. His body moved before he could think.
"NOT ON MY WATCH!"
A dark flash.
In an instant—
Onyx was there.
The Hound's jaws snapped downward, inches from Amber's throat—
CLANG!
A massive greatsword of darkness slammed against its teeth, holding the beast back, Onyx gritted his teeth, pushing forward.
The Hound twisted, adapting instantly.
Its second mouth snapped open, aiming for Onyx's side—
He barely dodged.
The beast was learning.
Adapting.
Every strike, every movement Onyx made—it adjusted.
Its body became fluid, shifting to dodge his blade.
Even his Dragon Blasters—the powerful skeletal dragon heads that once obliterated Grimm—
The Hound dodged them.
It was fast. Too fast.
Onyx's amethyst eyes narrowed.
This wasn't a normal Grimm.
It was something else.
And it was getting stronger by the second.
Across the battlefield, Qrow pressed against Tyrian, his blade locking against the assassin's claws.
"What the hell is that thing?!" Qrow yelled, his eyes flickering toward the Hound.
Tyrian grinned wildly. "Ohhh, Qrow~! That, my dear bird, is a gift! A prize! A masterpiece! Our Queen's finest creation! The Hound!"
Qrow's grip tightened on Harbinger.
"Damn it."
They had to stop it—NOW.
Onyx gritted his teeth.
He couldn't let this thing reach Amber.
And it was too fast for his usual attacks.
That meant—
He had to outthink it.
He had to be unpredictable.
As the Hound lunged again, Onyx dropped his weapon entirely.
The Grimm hesitated.
And in that moment—
Onyx moved.
Faster than before.
A feint. A trick.
He blurred beneath the Hound's bite, twisting his body—
And with a flick of his wrist, his shadow weapon reshaped instantly into a massive scythe.
The blade swung upward—
SLASH!
The Hound roared as black ichor splattered across the ground.
It stumbled, its form twitching and shifting.
Onyx didn't stop.
He wouldn't stop.
Not until this thing was gone.
He steeled himself.
This was it.
One final attack.
His Amethyst Eyes flared, his Aura igniting in a dark inferno.
He raised his scythe—
And swung with everything he had.
The ground shook with the impact.
Onyx's scythe tore through the Hound's body, its dark energy slicing into the beast's very core.
A guttural, inhuman shriek erupted from the Grimm as it stumbled back, black ichor spraying across the stone floor.
But then—
Something happened.
The Hound's form began to shift.
Not like a normal Grimm.
Not like something dying.
But something… changing.
Its shadowy body convulsed, warping, twisting, bubbling—
And then—
Its chest split open.
Onyx took a sharp step back, his eyes narrowing as the Hound's tar-like flesh peeled apart, revealing something beneath.
Something horrifying.
Something human.
The vault fell silent.
As the black liquid dripped away, a tormented, broken figure was revealed inside the Hound's chest cavity.
A man.
No—
A Faunus.
His once-pale skin was now horribly scarred, twisted beyond recognition.
His right eye was covered by a mass of pulsing, vein-like white flesh, extending across his face like a grotesque mutation.
His remaining eye wept black liquid, the same ichor that coated his body.
His canine ears—once a mark of his Faunus heritage—were twisted, barely recognizable.
Boils and rotting flesh covered his form.
A being trapped in endless suffering.
A living nightmare.
A twisted mockery of what he once was.
The Hound—this monstrous Grimm—had once been a Silver-Eyed Faunus.
And Salem had turned him into this.
A weapon.
A slave.
A twisted experiment.
For a moment—no one moved.
No one spoke.
The weight of the revelation crashed down upon them.
Weiss's face paled, horror written in her expression. Blake's fists clenched, her cat ears pressed flat against her head. Ruby's breath hitched, her Silver Eyes wide with shock. Yang, Jaune, Nora, Ren, and Pyrrha froze, unable to process the abomination before them.
Even Qrow, in the middle of clashing blades with Tyrian, stopped for just a second, his usual composure breaking.
Ozpin, who had been fighting Hazel with fierce determination moments before, now stood utterly still, his posture stiffening. His eyes, usually so full of weary wisdom, were wide with a profound, almost ancient horror. A low, ragged gasp escaped his lips, barely audible amidst the dying echoes of the battle. He knew the depths of Salem's depravity, but this… this was a new level of monstrousness. His grip tightened on Long Memory until his knuckles whitened.
Glynda, who had been telekinetically crushing a Centinal, faltered. The Grimm she had been controlling dropped inertly to the ground. Her eyes, usually so sharp and unwavering, were fixed on the tormented figure within the Hound, a single hand rising slowly to cover her mouth. A tremor ran through her body, and for a fleeting second, her professional composure cracked, revealing a deep, almost visceral revulsion and despair. "By the Gods..." she whispered, her voice barely a breath. The sheer violation of it was almost too much to bear.
And then—
Laughter.
A low, sickening, deranged laughter.
Tyrian Callows.
The madman grinned, his golden eyes gleaming with twisted delight.
"Oh-hohoho! You should see the looks on your faces!"
His tail twitched with glee, his voice dripping with amusement.
"Beautiful, isn't it? A masterpiece! The Queen's greatest work yet!"
He spread his arms wide, as if presenting a work of art.
"A Silver-Eyed warrior… twisted, reshaped, reborn! A fate worse than death! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
The room shook with his laughter.
Onyx's hands tightened into fists.
His Amethyst Eyes burned.
His Aura surged, dark energy crackling at his fingertips.
His voice was cold.
"You turned him into this."
Tyrian grinned wider. "Oh, we didn't do anything. The Queen merely showed him the truth! And now?" He gestured toward the Hound.
"He serves! He obeys! He is… perfection!"
Onyx gritted his teeth, rage boiling beneath his skin.
For a fraction of a second, everyone was frozen.
The horror of the Hound's true nature had stunned them.
And that was all it needed.
A blur of black ichor and snapping jaws.
Before anyone could react—
Before Onyx could strike—
Before Ozpin could move—
The Hound lunged.
Straight toward Amber.
The comatose Fall Maiden, still lying defenseless in the chamber.
"NO!" Ozpin surged forward—
But Hazel intercepted him once again.
A massive fist, reinforced with dust-infused power, smashed into Ozpin's ribs, sending the headmaster skidding back.
The Hound forcefully opens the chamber, it's second jaw unhinged—
And it struck.
Its jaws clamped down on Amber's throat.
A sickening crunch.
A gasp of pain.
Amber's eyes shot open for the first time in years—only to be filled with terror.
She tried to scream.
Tried to move.
Tried to fight back.
But her aura was broken.
Her body was weak.
The Hound lifted her into the air, shaking its head like a rabid beast.
Black ichor and crimson blood sprayed across the floor.
And then—
Silence.
Amber's body went limp.
Her golden eyes faded.
And the magic of the Fall Maiden rippled through the air.
The ancient power, passed from one soul to another, now had no vessel.
A golden mist, shimmering with energy, rose from Amber's corpse.
It hovered for a moment—uncertain, lost.
Then—
It moved.
Toward the hole in the wall.
Toward the one who had inherited the other half.
Cinder Fall.
Even across the battlefield—even miles away in Evernight Castle—
Cinder's eyes snapped open.
She felt it.
The missing piece of her power.
And she welcomed it.
The magic rushed through the vault, slipping past Onyx, past Pyrrha, past everyone—
And vanished.
Into the night.
Into her.
Cinder Fall was now whole.
And Tyrian Callows howled with laughter.
"OHHH, WHAT A PERFORMANCE! A SPECTACLE! AN ARTISTIC MASTERPIECE!"
He clutched his sides, his cackling echoing through the ruined vault.
Then—he spun on his heel.
"RETREAT!!"
Hazel immediately disengaged, leaping back toward the hole.
The Grimm—**still swarming, still hungry—**immediately turned and followed.
The Hound, its mission complete, released Amber's corpse.
The ruined body collapsed lifelessly onto the cold stone floor.
Then—the abomination leapt back, slinking into the shadows with eerie silence.
Tyrian gave a mocking salute.
"It's been fun! Do give my regards to the dearly departed!"
Then—he was gone.
The Grimm vanished back into the tunnels.
Leaving only silence.
A suffocating, heavy silence.
Amber's lifeless body lay motionless on the stone floor, her golden eyes forever dimmed.
The vault, once brimming with an ancient, powerful aura, now felt empty.
Cold.
And then—
A shudder.
A tremble.
Not from the earth.
Not from the crumbling stone.
But from him.
Onyx Thorn stood frozen. His fists clenched so tightly that blood dripped from his palms.
His head was low, his shoulders shaking.
Then—
It came.
A sound none of them had ever heard from him before.
A roar of pure, unfiltered rage and grief
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"
The vault trembled.
The torches flickered, their flames shrinking away as if afraid.
Inside his Amethyst Eyes, his Grimm roared and screeched—mirroring his fury.
Wuffles howled.
Monsieur Pancake let out a mournful bellow.
And from the depths of his being—his darkness surged.
The shadows around him twisted violently.
His Aura flared, unstable, raw.
For the first time since he was a child—since he was that lonely orphan who swore never to be weak again—
Onyx Thorn was in tears.
Not silent ones.
Not quiet sorrow.
Tears of frustration. Of rage. Of helplessness.
Amber was dead.
And they had failed.
They had fought with everything they had—and still, it wasn't enough.
The Fall Maiden's power had been stolen before their very eyes.
He had failed to stop it.
He had failed to protect her.
A gentle touch.
Soft arms wrapped around him.
Ruby.
She held him tight, pressing herself against his shaking form.
Her own eyes were wet with unshed tears, but right now—she was here for him.
"Onyx…" she whispered.
He didn't speak.
He couldn't.
His voice would break.
His heart felt like it was being crushed.
Around them—
Pyrrha stood paralyzed, her hands trembling, her face pale.
Jaune stared in horror at Amber's body, his mind refusing to accept what had just happened.
Nora's hands were clenched at her sides, her usual energy gone, replaced by a solemn quiet.
Ren lowered his gaze, his jaw tight, his fists shaking.
Blake swallowed, her ears flat against her head, trying to suppress the emotions raging inside her.
Weiss, usually the one to remain composed, had a single hand over her mouth, her ice-blue eyes wide with disbelief.
Yang stood rigid, her fists trembling, her breathing unsteady.
Ozpin's expression was unreadable, but his hands—his hands were shaking.
Qrow let out a shaky exhale, his fingers tightening around the handle of his weapon.
Glynda, who had always been a pillar of strength, was struggling to keep her composure.
And Amber…
She was gone.
Just like that.
And Salem…
Had won.