The following days passed like a dream Sapphire never knew he could have.
Taiyang and Summer supervised his daily training, helping him adjust to his Semblance. Even though Sapphire already had full mastery over his **Authority of Aeons**, built through countless lifetimes, he allowed them to guide him—grateful for their concern. There was something... healing in letting others care.
Ruby and Yang, meanwhile, often spent time playing with him. Sometimes, that meant tugging his wolf tail or teasing him mercilessly.
"Waaanggg... eehhlp... eee…" Sapphire whimpered dramatically, his cheek being pinched endlessly by Ruby.
Yang raised a brow, pausing her training with Taiyang. With a sigh, she walked over, tapped Ruby on the shoulder—and for a fleeting moment, Sapphire thought salvation had arrived.
Then, *pinch.*
"Why…?!" he cried out, betrayed, as Yang replaced Ruby with the same mischievous grin.
The three of them laughed until tears formed—not of pain, but joy.
Their routine settled into something simple, almost magical: breakfast, cartoons, training with Summer and Taiyang (while Ruby watched with awe), snacks, more training, then dinner. It was mundane. Normal.
And to Sapphire—who had lived countless lives of war, tragedy, and loneliness—it was the most *precious* thing he'd ever known.
---
**🌙 The Night Before**
That evening, after dinner and a bedtime story, Summer gently kissed each child on the forehead and whispered her goodnights.
As soon as the door shut behind her, Sapphire opened his eyes. Ruby and Yang were already asleep.
He summoned a creature—a massive shadowy **werewolf** with glowing blue flame eyes. It emerged from the darkness beside him like a guardian.
"I command you," Sapphire whispered, "hide in my mother's shadow. Alert me if anything dangerous happens."
The werewolf nodded silently and sank into the floor, fusing with Summer's shadow far from the house.
Sapphire turned to the window. He watched Summer's figure fade into the darkness, her Huntsman cloak flowing behind her as she headed toward the forest.
But this time, he didn't wave goodbye.
"…This won't be the last time I see you, Mom," he murmured. "I swear it."
---
**🌄 The Next Morning**
Life went on like normal.
Taiyang trained Yang. Ruby lounged with Sapphire, not asking why Summer hadn't returned—she knew her mother's job, after all. She fought Grimm. She was a hero.
Heroes always came back. Right?
Sapphire trained as usual, but his eyes flicked toward the trees every few minutes, dread gnawing at his gut.
Then, a voice called from the distance.
"Well, well… what do we have here?"
"Uncle Qrow!!" Ruby and Yang shouted in delight, running over to him.
"Hey, kiddos," Qrow smirked. "Still causing trouble?"
He paused, eyes narrowing as he noticed Sapphire standing off to the side—tail swaying slightly.
"…Wait, who's the Faunus? Don't tell me Tai actually had a secret affair—"
"*Hey!*" Taiyang snapped. "Do I *look* that reckless to you?"
"You *look* like someone who'd lose an arm rock-paper-scissoring a tree."
"We adopted him," Taiyang muttered.
"Right. Cool." Qrow shrugged, clearly not caring. "So, kid. I'm Qrow. Your new favorite uncle. The badass one."
Sapphire tilted his head, scanning the man up and down.
"…You look like a broke drunk who only visits to ask for money."
Taiyang fell over, wheezing with laughter.
Qrow twitched. "Heh... haha… cute kid." His smile cracked. "*Real* cute."
A second later, Qrow had Taiyang in a headlock, growling and choking him out while the kids jumped in, thinking it was a game.
Sapphire chuckled.
But then—
**Something changed.**
The air turned cold. Heavy. Wrong.
Sapphire's body tensed. His heartbeat spiked. He dashed into the open field, eyes glowing.
"**Ascend.**"
A **massive glyph** lit up the sky above them, pulsing with celestial energy.
A brilliant **white flame** burst forth. From it, a majestic **dragon** emerged—armored in white and gold, radiating divine pride. Behind it, a **cavalry of knights** appeared, bearing matching armor and lances, their presence holy and unshakable.
Everyone froze.
"DAD! UNCLE!" Sapphire shouted. "**Mom's in danger!**"
Taiyang and Qrow didn't hesitate. Whatever doubts they had were buried by instinct—they leapt onto the dragon's back without a word.
Sapphire turned to the golden knights. "Protect Ruby and Yang. Keep them safe."
The knights saluted and marched into position.
Before he could climb up, he felt a tug on his jacket.
Ruby.
Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. Fear. Worry. Love.
He froze—until Yang appeared behind her, placing a reassuring hand on her head. The silent message: *We'll be okay.*
Yang then looked at Sapphire and gave a nod. *Go.*
Sapphire returned the nod, eyes serious.
He climbed onto the dragon's back behind Qrow and Taiyang, gripping the reins as they rose into the air.
Below, his siblings watched him vanish into the skies—stars reflecting in their eyes.
---
**"Hold on, Mom. Please…"**
**"We're coming."**