After Ryder got back to Shade Academy, he immediately went to his dorm room to not only clean off the blood from his gauntlet and hand but to also be alone. He can't believe he killed someone. He shouldn't have done that. His family back on Earth always frowned upon killing so having killed someone makes him feel like he let his family down. That and killing someone is just traumatic, especially if you've never killed anyone before. He's never properly prepared himself for the day he would have to take a life. There had to be a way to justify it.
That's what Ryder was hoping for anyway. The Rogue Huntsmen had killed numerous innocent people, so maybe taking him out was an act of Justice. At least, that's what Ryder was trying to convince himself. He then thought about the village he failed to save. It reminded him of the many people who died during the Fall of Beacon.
Especially Pyrrha. Had he have known she was in danger; he would have helped her. He could've saved her. He probably could have saved the other people who died during the Fall. If he was faster, he could've saved at least someone from that village. If he was stronger, he wouldn't fail. He realizes his mind is spiraling out of control, so he goes and sits down on the bed in the room. As he sat there on the bed in his thoughts, he begins to think about something. Is he too much of a pacifist? Is that why he couldn't save those people? Because he was a pacifist?
Maybe if he wasn't, he could've acted sooner and taken out the bandits. But killing is wrong, he's been conditioned to believe that for years. Are his beliefs wrong? His mind is just spiraling out of control, and he can't stop it. He needs something to draw his attention away.
But he can't find anything to draw his attention away. His anxiety begins to stir up as he begins to think about what his friends would think about him when they learn he killed someone. He hears a knock on the door and his eyes snap to it. Finally, something to distract him. He gets up and walked towards the door and once he opened it, he saw Theodore standing on the other side.
"May I come in?" Theodore asks.
Ryder nods, still a little shaken and Theodore can tell. The headmaster walks into the room and Ryder shuts the door. Once the door was closed, Theodore got on with it.
"So, did you find another Dragon Ball?" Theodore asks.
"I did. That makes four dragon Balls." Ryder said, trying to hide the turmoil going on inside.
Theodore could tell what he was doing so he decided to press him about it.
"What happened out there?" Theodore asks. "You seem... shaken."
Ryder hesitated but he eventually spoke to the headmaster. He explained what happened in the Village, especially the part when he killed someone. To Theodore, Ryder sounded effected by this event as he kept referencing the Fall of Beacon. Theodore could tell there was a lot going through his head right now. Ryder now sat on one of the beds while Theodore sat on the other as they faced each other.
"Yeah, that sounds like a lot." Theodore commented. "But you've never killed anyone before?"
"No." Ryder answered, clearly shaken by it.
"Well, welcome to the Huntsmen world. While it's not ideal, there will be foes you face that can only be defeated through killing them." Theodore. "Some people are just far too dangerous to be left alive. Salem is a good example."
Ryder looked at the floor taking in his words. Maybe he is too much of a pacifist. Perhaps that's why he failed to save that village. Theodore could see the turmoil going on in Ryder's mind and wished he could do something to help more.
[Unknown Location]
A land covered in darkness and dark pools stretched for miles. From the dark pools, Grimm arose and took form. Purple crystals covered the land as sharp ridges and rock formations dotted the landscape. Amongst this hellish land was a large fortress-like structure, inside of this structure was Emerald and Mercury. It had been some time since the Fall of Beacon and Cinder took some damage. Right now she was getting 'healed' but the two didn't know what was really happening. Emerald was pacing back and forth while Mercury stood in place. They stood outside a door that led to the room Cinder was in.
"If you keep pacing, you'll leave a mark in the floor." Mercury said.
"Cinder took extensive damage, how am I not supposed to be worried?" Emerald asked.
"I never said you couldn't worry." Mercury said.
Emerald stops pacing and turns to Mercury.
"How about you stop worrying." A voice said.
The two turn to the voice that was approaching. Approaching them was a man in a bright cyan parka winter coat, navy blue jeans and white boots. Underneath the parka was a white shirt. The man had black hair and blue eyes and looked to be in his early twenties. The man also had white and blue armor on his calves, followed by fingerless gloves on his hands. He sported a slicked back with a fade hair style and a cleanly shaven face. He was also quite tall too.
"Easy for you to say, Frost." Emerald said.
The man, now named Frost, crosses his arms once he came to a stop.
"It is easy for me to say, isn't it?" Frost asked sarcastically. "What i was trying to say is there is no need for concern."
"I'd say losing an arm and missing an eye is a cause for concern." Mercury commented.
"Salem can do a great many things. You're just too inexperienced to realize that." Frost said. "Besides, at least she didn't fight the person with the Evolutionary Semblance."
"About that, we couldn't even use your advice to handle them since well... we didn't fight them. That new Grimm knight thing did" Mercury said, referring to the Greater Warden.
"From what I heard that new Grimm lost." Frost said. "What was there name?"
"I think Ryder Falcone." Emerald said.
"You knew someone with an Evolutionary Semblance, and are not positive on their name?" Frost asked.
"She's right. His name is Ryder Falcone. But there's another. Kairos Hawthorne." Mercury said.
Frost glared at them.
"And why wasn't I told this before the Fall of Beacon? I could've gone there and helped you defeat them!" Frost said, angrily.
Frost was mad at their actions, plain and simple. But before Emerald and Mercury could answer, a voice interrupted them.
"Because revealing our best card, wouldn't give us the advantage." a voice said.
Frost turned around and saw Hazel.
"Besides, the two they named are unknown. We know little about them." Hazel said.
"that's true." Frost agreed, before turning to Emerald and Mercury. "Sorry for my burst of anger."
"Eh, bygones be bygones." Mercury said.
"With that being said, we'll need to know everything we can about our new enemies." Hazel said.
Emerald and Mercury looked at each other.