The next day after the thunderstorm, Marigold's room was silent not a single foot step on the floor was heard. Not even the rustling of the curtains being pushed open, Marigold's bed was a mess as it seemed there was a struggle during the night. A pillow was on the other side of the room, a picture frame that was hung up by the closet was on the floor shattered and the Beowulf plushie was torn to shreds.
By the bedroom door, the dresser was knocked over as it was blocking any access to the room and out of the room. A bullet hole was in the wall by Marigold's bed and lastly there was a cleaver stuck into the laptop Marigold would use for homework.
Nightmare used the shadows to enter the bedroom as her eyes shrank and eyes widen. She seemed to shake, her legs gave out as she fell to her knees. She covered her mouth with both of her hands as she was silent, the silent broke however as she yelled loudly and started sobbing. Tears rolled down her face, she reached into the shadow behind her as she pulled out her musket and shot the side of her head, she didn't even think about summoning her angel either. A clone appeared from the floor as she didn't look or say anything to her clone.
Kurumi's clone understood what was going on without having to hear any words from Nightmare, she nodded as she hated seeing her break down into tears. She vanished into the shadows as she left the bedroom and appeared in Shido's living room/kitchen, her eyes locking onto a sleeping Kotori who was slowly waking up.
Kotori's eyes opened as she was still half asleep. "Mmm.... S-Shido? W-What are you doing out of bed so soon?" She sat up as she stretched and smacked Kurumi's leg. "Hmm? Wait..." She felt around as her hand moved down the clones leg. "N-Nightmare!?! W-What are you doing here?"
"Ara ara, look who finally woke up." Kurumi smiled a bit but she turns her head to the side before walking away from the couch. "I need your help Kotori... Gather Shido and the other spirits. This is urgent, no delaying anything."
Kotori looked over at the clone as she noticed the tone in her voice. "You're not really here are you? You sent a clone to deliver a message... If it's that urgent, then why not contact Scarlet? Why us and why not her?" The flame spirit got up from the couch as she seemed fully awake now.
"Because I can't get in touch with her, I tried." Kurumi said as the clone turned to gaze at Kotori. "Someone on her end is cutting contacts off. Please Kotori, just get everyone and meet me at my place." The clone turned to the door as she heard Shido fumbling to his feet and running down the stairs. Kurumi turns around as she looks at Kotori once more before dipping into the floor and vanished.
Shido busted into the room in a panic as he was sweating and panting. "Kotori, are you alright? I heard you yelling." He glanced around as he saw Kotori was completely fine. "Uh..."
~~~~
Queen sat in her throne as Marigold sat next to her on the floor, she looked up at Queen in a confused look thinking of what to say. But couldn't place her finger on it, Queen looked back at her as she had a small smirk on her face.
"What's the matter child?" Queen asked as she leans over to her her eyes looking down on her as her blue clock eye ticked.
"M-Mama... w-why are you acting so scary? And w-why did you change your appearance?" Marigold asked mistaking Queen for Kurumi. Which was hard for her to tell the difference between the two.
Queen was about to say something as she opened her mouth but thought of a clever lie. "Oh my poor baby, I'm sorry I'm spooking you. Mommy just needed a change of pace and style, I didn't want anyone to come and kidnap you, so I had to act rude and mean towards you."
Marigold blinks as she tilts her head. "S-So it was all an act? But you shattered the photo of the three of us."
Queen seemed puzzled when she meant three of us. She had to think for a bit as she remembered hearing the rumors and legends of Scarlet from some of her royal subjects. Clearly she couldn't be real, but the photo that was shattered was a bit of enough proof for her to believe the legends. "Oh that.... I didn't mean too."
"So... why are we here... in a different place?" Marigold asked as she looks at Queen in the eyes. "Why did we have to come to a new place and not stay at home?"
"It's simple. You want power's don't you? You want to be like me and the others.. so why not pick a perfect place to help you." Queen said as she stood up from her throne. "Now I make have said no to it, but I gave it some thought and decided... you should be a all powerful spirit."
Marigold was confused now, she was wondering why she was being told this all of a sudden and not during the night. "But I thought you said even if I don't have powers I'm still special?"
Queen nods a little as she held her hand out. "I did, but come with me. And I'll be sure that you get powers, trust me."
Marigold hesitated as she slowly stood up and grabbed Queen's hand. "Okay mama..."
~~~~
Kotori and the others met Nightmare at her place, as they all sat in Mirgold's empty room. Tohka wasn't pleased as she crossed her arms and was oddly in her inverse form, she scoffed and gritted her teeth.
"What sicko comes in during the night to kidnap Marigold?!" Tohka barked as she looked over at everyone. "I say Marigold ran away because she couldn't get any powers like us."
Shido gave Tohka a stern look. "Tohka, that wasn't very nice, why are you even in your inverse form anyway?"
Tohka scoffed again as she leaned against the wall. "I'm just stating the facts."
"That's enough Tohka!" Shido barked as he kept his gaze on her.
"I don't have time for this, my other self can take things from here." Tohka said as her inverse form switched over to the normal Tohka.
Shido sighs as he looks over at Nightmare. "Sorry about that."
Kurumi was silent still as she was rubbing her fingers over the picture that was in the shattered picture frame, Natsumi carefully stepped around the room as she looked under the bed for anything helpful. The little witch had used her powers to give herself a Sherlock Holmes type outfit, her magnifying glass to search for small clues.
"Where's your clone at?" Origami asked as she sat next to Nightmare. "Kotori told us you've had some clones try to get in touch with Scarlet, but is there any other way we or you can try too?"
Nightmare stopped rubbing her fingers over the picture as she looked at Origami, she didn't know if she should be angry at her or if she should give Origami the silent treatment. Natsumi bumps her head on the bottom of the bed as she crawled out holding a piece of paper.
"Ouch... that hurt.." Natsumi said rubbing the back of her head. "Hey, I found something under her bed." She walked over and carefully as she didn't want to step on any broken glass, she handed it to Nia as it was written in code. "Can you decipher this?"
"I could try, but I can't use Rasiel you know that right?" Nia asked as she took it from Natsumi. She adjusted her glasses to decipher the code.
Yoshinon noticed something on the back of the paper as the puppet tapped Yoshino's hand. "Hey, hey. I see something on the back. It looks like a logo or something."
Yoshino tilts her head as she squatted down to look at it. "You're right, it kinda looks like Zafkiel but... with wings."
Hearing this Nightmare stood up as she knew exactly who. "....Queen...."
Everyone in the room looked at Nightmare when she said that. Origami was starting to remember the name as she rubbed her chin thinking on it for a bit, Nightmare's clone appeared from the wall as the clone whispered in her ear.
Nightmare lightly nodded as she noticed everyone was looking at her still. "She's coming back." She didn't seem to thrilled but deep down she was, who was she talking about?
"Who's coming back?" Miku asked as she grunted and yanked the cleaver out of the bed.
Kurumi's clone looked at Miku and the others as the clone snickered a bit. "Scarlet."
Kotori froze up as the lollipop she had in her mouth fell out. "S-Scarlet's coming back? O-Oh boy..." Kotori felt something wet trickle down her leg as she looked down. "O....Oh. I peed....."
Nia knew everything about Scarlet from Rasiel, but she was puzzled on why Kotori froze up like that. She glanced at the other spirits and Shido to see them pale as a ghost. "Is she really that bad of a person to get you all scared stiff?"
"She freaken ate us at one point!" Kaguya barked as she shivered at the thought of being eaten again by Scarlet.
Nia blinked as she needed time to process what she heard. "Oh....Oooooh!"
~~~~
Far away in the world of Remnant, Scarlet growled angrily. She broke free from her holding cell on the Atlas prison ship as the sirens blared loudly, General Ironwood had sent the Ace Ops to the holding cells. Qrow and Jacques cell was next to Scarlet's both of them watched her break out, and hear the running foot steps of the Ace Ops coming.
"Are you nuts? You're going to get us all killed!" Jacques said as he stood up.
"Mmm, such power." Watts spoke from his cell as he clapped slowly. "So much power all within that single body of yours Scarlet."
Qrow scoffed as he looked over at her. "Look, don't listen to them. You still have a chance to get out of here, don't worry about us."
Scarlet wasn't listening as she glared over at the door and once it opened Elm stood there with Timber in it's rocket launcher form. "Get back in your cell, under strict orders from the General. You're not able to leave this place."
Scarlet snarled as her shadow stretched out from under her and attached to Elm's shadow, a pair of hands reached up and grabbed her. "Get out of my way!" She dashed over and rammed her elbow into Elm's gut and chopped her on the back of the neck knocking Elm out.
"ELM!" Harriet yelled. "Why you.."
Winter stopped her as she put her arm in front of Harriet. "She's not dead, she's still breathing." The Schnee looks over at Scarlet as she didn't say a word to other members of the ace ops. "Go."
"The hell Winter?!" Harriet shouted. "She's a killer, just like those three over there. Did you forget Qrow killed Clover?"
Winter glances at Harriet as she pushes her back. "I'm letting her go, it's just a strange feeling I got. She has something she needs to take care of."
Harriet scoffed as she grits her teeth. "You're dead, you hear me? Once I report you to the General, you'll be locked up for letting a murderer out of their cell!"
Scarlet had vanished into the shadows when no one was looking, she still had some of Nightmare's powers to use. Which was coming in handy for a situation like this. The sheer anger coming from her could be felt from the others in Remnant, all that was left now was for her to return to Tengu City to help Nightmare find their daughter.