The Bird and the Garden 3: The Final Adventure

Chapter 22: Abomination

"Salem!"

"Salem!?"

"Saaaalem!"

They called into the forest, following the footprints. Salem had gone farther than they expected. Sasha groaned, scratching her head as she looked up at the clouds that had begun to cover the sky. "... That ain't good..."

"What's not good?" Pyrrha asked curiously. Sasha pointed at the grey clouds.

"It might start snowing soon..."

If it started to snow, Salem's tracks would be covered, Yin realized. If that happened, they wouldn't be able to follow her. Finding where she was going would become much harder. Just how far had they walked? The sun was high in the sky; it had to have been hours by now. By now, Ozpin was probably freaking out that they had disappeared.

Yin stared at the snow-coated forest, recalling the deadly attack from the strange man who looked like his older brother. He could almost see the blood staining the snow red. Of course by now the battlefield had already been covered by a fresh coat of snow in the months it took for them to recover, but it was still a sight he'd never forget - a sight permanently burned into his memory.

He could never forget that laugh, either. That voice that sounded identical to his brother. That undeniable nyahaha. That unmistakable, unique accent. In fact, everything about that strange man fit Vao perfectly, aside from being batshit insane. His sleek, jet black hair, his bloodred eye, and while his skin was much more pale and covered in scars, it was still the face of Vao.

... Had he seen that man before? Something about it was starting to feel familiar to Yin - that same man, talking to himself in the snow of a strange city that had been set ablaze, monsters he had never seen before tearing through the people.

His head began to hurt. He could see a room filled with corpses, feel the fear of being chased. Vaguely, he saw an image in the back of his mind. An image of an older Yin, begging to be freed from a prison cell as a war raged on outside. Sasha turned back to him, raising an eyebrow.

"... You okay?" She asked. "You look like you're about to freak out."

Yin jumped when she spoke, staring at her in confusion. "... A-Atlas...?"

Pyrrha looked up at him curiously. "A map book?"

Sasha stopped walking, turning to face the healer with her hands planted on her hips. "Look, if you're feeling sick, you can go rest. We can find Salem."

Yin shook his head lightly. A headache was beginning to form. "N-no, I'm... Fine, I think..."

Sasha stared at him for a few more moments before shaking her head, continuing their walk. "... Whatever, man. If you suddenly black out, I'm totally leaving you there."

Yin ran a hand through his blonde hair, staring at the ground. He watched as his feet crushed the snow with each step, his breaths becoming more shallow. Why did the vision feel so familiar? Had he seen that man before? Did they know each other?

He felt someone touch his other hand, looking down to see Pyrrha holding it gently. "... Do you need to sit down?" She asked worriedly. "You look bothered..."

"I'm fine... Just leave me alone for a while... I need some time to myself," he muttered half-heartedly.

The first snowflake floated past, causing Sasha to grit her teeth in annoyance. "Shit... At least it seems light. We still have ti..." She trailed off. She could have sworn she saw someone duck behind a tree. But when she stared, she didn't see anything move.