Destiny No More

Chapter 44

Salem couldn't be killed. Pyrrha still struggled to fully understand the idea, the thing that was behind Cinder's attack on Beacon, the root cause of her own death, was unkillable. The idea that there wouldn't be an end to the conflict terrified her, as it clearly had everyone else who learned it. The fact that the Headmaster had kept it a secret for so long only helped to reinforce that idea.

The question now was what to do next. The Headmaster had let her leave after telling her, for the same reason that he had told her friends to go. She thought she had gotten past the feeling of world shattering revelations, but clearly she'd been wrong. Now she was wandering the halls of Beacon trying to figure out what it meant. If Salem couldn't be killed, could they even win?

As bad as Cinder was, she could still be killed. Once Pyrrha was strong enough, she would be able to fight her and win, removing the person responsible for the attack on Beacon and Vale. As much as she hated to admit it, Pyrrha knew she would take satisfaction in that act, but that was just one battle. If they won at Beacon, then what?

Her knowledge of the future would be gone, and they would be forced to act without any idea of what was coming next, and there would always be something else. If Salem was truly unkillable, then there would be another attack at some point, and then another, and another. Maybe it wouldn't happen soon, perhaps not for years to come, but it inevitably would. Possibly one day when Pyrrha was unable to fight back, Salem would strike, because if she couldn't die, then time was always going to be on her side.

The news was devastating, knowing that their war would never be over, that everything would never return to what it had been when she had first arrived at Beacon. What was she supposed to do now? Her entire reason for fighting had been to try and get things back to the way they were, and while she didn't know if she would be Jaune's partner this time around, she was determined to be honest about her feelings this time around.

What was the point now? Salem would come for her, eventually, and if she got close to Jaune, then he would be in danger too. If he ever learned the truth it would be worse, all of her friends were safer as far away from her as possible, and she had just told Team CFVY about Salem. How was she supposed to tell them the truth now?

She'd roped them into an impossible to win war, just like the Headmaster had with her.

Pyrrha stopped where she stood, looking down the hallways in the direction of Team CFVY's dorm. She hadn't been certain why, but after she had learned the truth she had started heading towards them, agonizing over how to tell them what she had learned. She had taken the longer path through Beacon at first, deciding to circle the dorm building itself a couple times before entering. Even with all the time that she had bought herself, she was no closer to figuring out how to tell them.

Turning around, she set her mind on something else. Telling them the truth would have to come another time, whenever she could clear her head. Besides, they had enough to worry about as it was. She knew how much they would struggle with the little bit they had been told already. With her secret finally revealed, it would take time for them to process it... time that she could use to figure out what to do next.

She at least understood now why Ironwood had been so different, he had somehow learned the truth. Judging from the way he had glared at the Headmaster, it hadn't been from him either. How would the General respond? Would he lose hope as the Headmaster feared she would? Or would he turn towards Salem like Lionheart had?

Remembering his request to speak with her, she considered doing so, but quickly decided against it. She trusted him, he had never given her any reason not to, but she wasn't of sound mind at the moment and she doubted he was either. Whatever he wished to discuss could wait, it would give them both the time they needed.