The Knights of Grimm - Act 4 - Whispers of Arkhonex

Chapter 104 - The Final Maiden

Pyrrha

The fire crackled around her eyes, embers of green shone endlessly as everyone surrounded her. Cinder crouched down beside Pyrrha, and they both looked at each other. There was once a time where Cinder would have killed Pyrrha for this power – now they were both in the same boat once again. Cinder gently squeezed her shoulder, and Pyrrha sat upright as she then extended her hand to pull her back up.

Hazel limped over to them, growling from the pain he suffered from Salem's claws and blades that slashed him, and the hold left behind when the Dark Queen stabbed her. Oscar limped across the ground with Emerald supporting him and he sat down on one of the broken chairs, looking at Pyrrha. "You did it... you got her..." Oscar chuckled in awe, looking at her large burning eyes.

"I saw her... Cynthia..." Pyrrha softly said as she stared at her hands, closing her eyes as she remembered that vision that hit her the second the power threw itself into her.

"Cynthia?" Jaune asked her as he held his shoulder in pain, whilst Cinder set Crocea Mors down on the ground after she took it from where it was left behind.

"Just before Salem must have passed completely... she was still in there... the old Cynthia, not the monster that she became. Not the monster that her Curse transformed her into..." Pyrrha softly explained, for whatever reason she felt herself becoming more and more emotional as she thought about it. "It was like it was her last chance, to actually try and make things right. All the wrong she did... she gave the power to me... because she believed I could do better than she ever could." Pyrrha explained, and Oscar sighed, closing his pained eyes as he rolled his bleeding shoulder, being wrapped up still by Emerald, using bits of cloth from his own sleeve.

"She was still in there, despite it all, there was still part of her there." Oscar sighed.

"But not enough, that damn stone that was in her head did far too much damage to who she once was. I mean hell, look at the Knights of Grimm, they are still in there. But these curses change people into monsters, the opposites of who they once were. Like some kind of cruel irony." Cinder explained as she started to cauterise Jaune's stab wounds. He strained from the pain, but he took it, nonetheless.

"Well, she at least she had the chance to try. It's all any of us can hope for, right?" Hazel asked them as he knelt down, pressing his hand against his shoulder.

But as they spoke to Pyrrha, Ozpin landed behind them, walking back inside of the Fortress, and he saw the destruction left behind – and the Burning Eyes of Pyrrha Nikos. She looked at the Professor who looked at her.

"I guess... you've gotten what you wanted... six years later..." Pyrrha said to the Professor who gently bowed his head.

"Forgive me, Miss Nikos... I..."

"No... it's okay. I stopped believing in all these... pre-decided Destinies... after what I went through with Umbra... I didn't want to believe in it anymore. Cynthia trusted me to take this power after she died, it was her last wish after being freed from Salem once and for all. I will do whatever I can to make all this death and sacrifice worth it. Not just all the people we lost in this battle... but for Cynthia... for Herakles... for Ares... Vyrryk... for everyone." Pyrrha promised as she stood back up, and Ozpin nodded his head.

"Selflessness... that was the reason I chose you for the power of the Fall Maiden Powers all those years ago. Did you know that?" He asked her, her eyes widened, and she looked down at the floor. He then looked at Cinder and chuckled. "I think the biggest surprise was... you... showing you were more than just a killer."

Cinder shrugged and chuckled. "I have all these idiots to thank for that. They helped me join this crazy fight of yours." Cinder admitted, rubbing the back of her head.