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Chapter 26: Changes We Didn't Want (Part 1)

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*pant*pant*pant*

Taking a vial out of her jacket, Summer gulped down the greater elixir. Upon swallowing, her aura returned and her wounds closed. As she was investigating in the hideout she had just discovered, an unknown person had somehow snuck up behind her and engaged a fight. She was not born yesterday, so reacting to the attack was no problem. It was what happened after that that caused her to sweat.

Unlike anything she's ever seen before, the man's weapon treated everything it came in contact with as if it was water. It cut through everything without trouble. Summer had not expected this, and she raised her sword to intercept the man's own. Without even clashing, the man's sword cut her main weapon in half and would've ended her life then and there if she had not been trained as a Dark Hunter for so long.

She leaned to the side to avoid the slash, but it was simply traveling far too quickly. Not because his sword was fast. No, it was because she couldn't react since the sword has begun slicing her weapon without the tiniest bit of resistance.

Her hand which gripped her sword had not even felt contact. Because of her late reaction, the man's sword sliced both her weapon and right arm completely off. Even if wounds healed, lost appendages were still gone. It was only thanks to her semblance and skill that she got away so far. Upon rounding a corner, Summer cursed at the information that was displayed.

Jack Ripper (Lvl 78)HP:1675/1675Aura:1506/1725

= Ten levels lower than me, and yet I'm on the verge of getting killed. There's no way someone like him, who has some kind of ability specifically for killing, would be placed as a guard for an abandoned hideout. They must have known I was coming, and placed an assassin to kill me! =

Reaching for her communicator, Summer spoke into it.

“Qrow!! Come in! This is Summer! I need backup now!”

“*static*”

“Shit! They jammed the signal!”

At this moment, a short sword sliced across the wall in front of her. Even if she was faster, the enemy knew the hideout inside and out, so they caught up with no trouble. In fluid movements the wall was sliced to pieces and a kick sent the rubble flying towards Summer.

As she backed away, a shadow flew out and swung his sword at her. She could not retaliate well with the backup weapon of a combined dagger and gun form since she could not let them even touch the blade or the result would be the same as her other weapon.

Then, the assassin kicked her and sent her flying backwards to collide with a wall. At this moment, Summer's remaining hand was stabbed with the sword that was thrown from Jack the Ripper. Summer knew then and there that her time was up.

= I'm sorry girls, I won't be able to raise you like a good mother should. Ruby, remember to always hold onto your beliefs. You have such an innocent and straightforward soul. Yang, please take care of your sister. Her naivete can sometimes get the better of her, but don't forget to take care of yourself as well. Your emotions can run a bit too wild. =

“My, my. I was told I needed to kill some Dark Hunter, but man what a letdown this is.”

= Raven, I'm so sorry you aren't able to grow up with your sisters and parents like any person should, and I'm so sorry that I cannot be with you even after promising to be there when you need me. =

He grabbed his other sword and leaned down closer towards her.

“So what kind of scream will you give me? Will you cry? Scream with hatred? Curse my fate? Come on. Give me some kind of reaction here.”

= Everyone, please forgive this mother who could not help you when you needed her most. Qrow, I'm always asking you for advice, and I can't help but rely on you one more time. Please let them live a normal life. =

“What? That's it? How boring.”

= Taiyang, I'm sorry I can no longer be the shoulder for you to lean on. =

With a swing of his sword, the head of Summer Rose left her body, but not before one last thought was sent for her family.

= I love you. =

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After completing his mission to murder the woman, he was so unmotivated he just left it there to rot. A few days had past before two figures rushed to the scene. Qrow had become anxious after not hearing a report from Summer like normal, and Raven had insisted on coming with him. A feeling of dread had come over her the past few days.

Upon discovery of her corpse, Raven broke down into tears. She reached for the head of her step-mother. Holding it to her chest, the tears kept flowing. Qrow also could not stop his own tears. Twice. Twice had he been too late. Because he was too slow, Raven is cursed to never be a normal human again. Because he was too slow, his sister-in-law – no, his teammate who he fought countless battles with – was gone forever.

At that moment, white petals filled their vision. They danced and fluttered in the air before forming words on the wall Summer laid against. It was Summer's semblance White Blossom. It left a message capable of being seen only by the targeted individuals. That was the main reason why she was such an outstanding Dark Hunter. Now, the words that formed were the same ones she had thought about right before her death.

Next to her final message, the petals formed the figure of a man, and they provided a detailed image of his face. Below the image was his name. Raven burnt it into her memory. The only ones she ever knew to treat her with such sincerity was Summer and Qrow. Her past relationships were nothing more than a facade. Summer was the one of the two people who treated her like her own daughter. To treasure her as if she was something irreplaceable.

= Jack Ripper. Enjoy your last moments while you can. Justice will be served. If the law cannot do it. Then I WILL. =

Sorry guys originally, Robin's timeskip would be shown immediately after this, but I figured this is something that needs to stand by itself, so I split it up. I'll be back tomorrow to finish what I started. Rate, comment, tell me if I got the message through. I can't write anymore tonight.