Never Change

Chapter 19

Percy sat upright in his bed, checking the time again. He hadn't been able to get much sleep, with too many thoughts on his mind. The only thing he had achieved was tossing and turning in his bed.

It was half past four. He grunted quietly, sliding himself out of his bed and putting on his clothes. His teammates were still sleeping peacefully.

He moved to his desk, checking the designs for his suit again. Not designs, so to speak. The only things he'd asked for on that end were sea green highlights on black, and maybe a little bit of silver if needed, and he'd asked them to be creative with it. No, what he was checking were the wards he drew, on paper this time. He'd put them on various areas of the body; unsight wards on the hands, parrying and blocking wards on his forearms, blocking wards on his chest and back, impact wards on the palms and boots to augment raw, blunt force, and even a deployable shield that mechashifted from a watch that had piercing wards on the edges and a massive blocking ward in the center. He'd given instructions for wards to be put all over the suit, and all of it to be subtly laser etched onto the material. The problem was, would it work? Hypothetically, yes, since he'd done that exact same thing to a smaller extent with his skin, except, well, he didn't actually carve the wards on, he drew them before putting a certain amount of aura into it, before it ran out and dissolved. In actuality? No one knew. He sighed softly, running his hand through his raven black hair as he turned off the lamp, moving towards the door. He needed a breath of fresh air.

He opened the door, quietly slipping out and closing it gently, as he made his way towards the sparring rooms. The night air was cool, and refreshing, soothing his troubled mind like a gentle lullaby.

Remnant's pale, shattered moon shone brightly even in the dark tenebrousity of the night, unhindered and strong like a silvery claw in the night sky. The blanket of stars stretched to infinity, dotting the sky.

"Bob says hello..." he whispered.

If only Bob could see the stars right now... He scoured the starry night sky for the Huntress, Zoe, but she wasn't there, of course. None of the past ever was.

"Hello, Perseus," a voice behind him said.

"Hello, Headmaster," Percy replied evenly, having already sensed him.

"What brings you out so early?" Ozpin smiled warmly, his eyes crinkling slighty.

"I... couldn't sleep," Percy admitted, turning to look at the stars again, "I just... I'm doubting myself. I don't know if I've made the right decision."

"In convincing Miss Nikos to take the mantle of the Fall Maiden?"

Percy shot Ozpin a look, and the headmaster responded with an amused smile.

"I have made more mistakes than any man, woman, or child on this planet. I feel the burden of those mistakes every day. But when you make a mistake, and you will, never let it control you or weigh you down. You must accept those mistakes and keep moving forward. Now, was convincing Miss Nikos to take the Maiden power a mistake? That remains to be seen."

"I-" Percy sighed, "I know... I just can't help but worry. What if she does become a different person because the quarter of Amber's soul merges with hers?"

Ozpin sighed, sipping his heavenly coffee, "We all have worries and concerns, Perseus."

"I know... this is different. It was solely because of my words that she chose to take up the Maiden powers... if Pyrrha changes, it is because of me. I told her to do her duty, her responsibility. Don't you get it? She's made up her mind not because of the others, but because of me! I am the reason she might get hurt!"