Chapter 14

'Kchak!'

Sage closes her locker and turns toward the other participants for the Huntress and Huntsmen initiation test. All the cast of the characters are present, albeit a little different due to her interventions.

After meeting Jaune, Sage didn't do much to interrupt their interactions. Jaune and Ruby chat awkwardly for the first time while Sage watches silently. After reaching the hall, they listen to Ozpin's speech, and it goes as normal as it can be, which is not normal at all.

Weiss was sending Ruby these weird looks with a smug smile. It was strange, but luckily for Weiss, Ruby has zero experience being flirted with. Yang was talking with her friends, but her eyes constantly scanned the room for a certain faunus girl. 

Jaune was silent most of the time since Weiss was distracted by Ruby. Sage would've focused on wooing the ever-so-lonely Phyrra, but she decided to leave her to Jaune. Sage didn't want to disturb their development after all.

'But I have no idea what happened at the sleepover since I was not there…' Sage thought inwardly.

Sage has to return to Glynda's suite every night since that was her promise to Glynda. Glynda, nowadays, returned daily to the suite since she wanted to keep her eye on Sage. It dampens Sage's plans, but she can't help it.

'I shouldn't have made that promise…' Sage thought inwardly.

Flashback.

"I'm going to let you go, okay? Please don't do anything rash…" Sage says slowly.

"..." Glynda kept her silence.

Glynda has been unresponsive ever since Sage kissed her cheeks. Sage was quite worried since the poison that she used was still in development. Not to mention, the poison maker is Tyrian, an unstable man. 

'I have no clue if there are any additional effects he might have forgot to mention on purpose…' Sage thought inwardly.

'Pluck!'

Sage grabbed a bottle in her pocket and removed the lid. She then brought the bottle close to Glynda's face and ensured that Glynda inhaled its fumes. Seconds passed, and then suddenly, Sage was thrown to the wall.

'Crash!'

Before Sage can comprehend her situation, Glynda moves on top of her, and suddenly, from the kitchen, a few knives come flying through the house and position themselves right above Sage. Glynda grabbed one of those knives and brought it to Sage's neck.

"Halt!" Sage shouts.

The atmosphere turned deathly silent. Time appears to stop as the tension in the rooms increases. Underneath Glynda, Sage was lying on the floor with a sharp knife held right to her neck, breaking into her skin and causing her black blood to flow.

Glynda stopped when Sage shouted, but not because of Sage's orders. Instead, she stopped because she felt countless sharp objects dragging through her skin, barely breaking it. She looks downwards, and she only sees Grimm monsters.

Grimm insects would be a more appropriate description since most of them appear to be some kind of bug, and their size is not larger than a pinky. But despite their small size, all of their mandibles or stingers appear to be razor sharp.

Three of those Grimms are at her neck with their stingers aimed directly at Glynda's throat, while countless others surround Sage and Glynda like a barrier. Glynda can't help but shudder in fear at the sheer volume of Grimms in this place.

"Get back to your stations!" Sage says slowly.

"..." Neither the Grimms nor Glynda moved.

"I said, get back to your stations!" says Sage angrily.

At first, there was no reaction, but slowly, the countless Grimms dispersed, and soon, they were in an awkward situation with Sage on the ground and Glynda kneeling on top of her. The three Grimms at Glynda's throat are still in their place, brandishing their stingers.

"I'm okay! She can't hurt me. Get back to your stations." Sage says slowly to the Grimms.

"What makes you think that?" says Glynda with a voice laced with anger.

Glynda pressed the knife deeper into Sage's neck, and more black blood started flowing out. Glynda was barely restraining herself. The only thing stopping her hands from pushing it deeper is the Grimms on her neck.

"Because if I die, all those Grimms will start a rampage. I doubt anyone can survive their onslaught, Mommy." Sage says nonchalantly.

Glynda suddenly stopped to think for a while before looking at Sage with eyes full of hatred. She realised the gravity of the situation after hearing Sage's words. Her mind comprehends a few truths all at the same time.

'How did they sneak up on me?'

'How did they manage to get past the Grimm sensors?'

'How many of those Grimm are there in Beacon?'

"You are evil incarnate!" screams Glynda after comprehending the situation.

"Evil? No, Mommy. I'm the Princess of the Grimms." Sage clarify.

"You…!" Glynda says while gritting her teeth.

"Just like humans who will defend their loved ones, the Grimms will defend me, the one whom they adore as a collective!" Sage says slowly.

"Is that a threat?" asks Glynda angrily.

"No, I'm just telling the truth! I can even order them to stay still after you killed me, and they would still follow my orders. That is how deep their love for me." Sage says with a smirk.

Sage slowly moved her free hand and slowly caressed Glynda's cheeks. Glynda wanted to avoid Sage's hand, but the Grimms were still on her neck. Glynda can't help but reluctantly let Sage caress her cheeks.

"And my love for you, Mommy, is even deeper than that…" Sage says sincerely.

"You cra…" Glynda tries to speak, but Sage cuts her off.

"From now on, none of you can do anything to Mommy or the academy, even if she hurts me!" says Sage loudly.

After giving her orders, Sage then took Glynda's hands that were holding the knife and plunged it deeper into her neck. The deeper the blade of the knife goes in, the more Sage's black blood flows, and the harder she starts breathing.

"See… you can… kill me... If you want to, Mommy…" Sage says slowly with a manic smile on her face.

True to Sage's words, Glynda didn't feel the Grimms on her neck moving at all, even though half of her knife was already into Sage's neck. Glynda also sensed the sincerity in Sage's words, and that sincerity was the thing that scared Glynda the most.

"F***!" Glynda cursed.

Glynda quickly pulls the knife out of Sage's throat and throws it away. She then pressed her hands on Sage's neck, keeping constant pressure on her wounds. Meanwhile, a first aid kit flies through the air and lands beside Glynda.

"This is madness!!" Glynda screams in anger.

'Each one of them is insane! Ozpin, Salem, and this girl! How can they live like this? Are they not afraid of dying?!' Glynda thought inwardly.

Blood keeps flowing from Sage's neck as Glynda tries to stop the bleeding. Glynda grabbed the floating first aid kit and quickly pulled out a bandage from its inside. She tries to wrap it around Sage's neck, but Sage stops her.

"I'm okay, Mommy," says Sage slowly.

"Shut up! You are not okay! You have a hole in your neck!" Glynda says with panic.

'Shit! I misjudged her insanity!' Glynda thought with regret.

Just like the majority of the Huntsman and Huntresses, Glynda has never condoned killing innocents. Sage might be an evil Grimm, but Glynda has never personally seen her do anything heinous.

She attacked, intending to cripple Sage and to escape from her current situation. How could Glynda have guessed that Sage would jam her knife even more into her own throat? Now, Glynda has to try to save Sage.

'I need the emergency team!' Glynda thought with panic.

"Mommy…" Sage says slowly.

She then suddenly grabs Glynda's hands and stops Glynda's frantic movement. Glynda was stunned and found herself in shock. She was going to start criticising Sage when suddenly she saw black dust forming around Sage's neck.

In an instant, Sage's white skin continues to form again at an alarming rate. It was a blasphemous occurrence as if Sage was defying the rules of life itself. Glynda can't help but stare in shock as she slowly sees Sage's wounds heal.

"Although I'm not immortal like Mom or Ozpin, I do have some perks that are only special to me. My regeneration capabilities are 'Godly' in Mom's words." Sage says with difficulty.

Soon, Sage's wound healed as if she had never hurt herself in the first place. Her blood evaporated into nothingness, and her complexion seemed to return to a far more normal state for Sage.

"You…" Glynda says with fear in her eyes.

"Mommy…" Sage says as she slowly brings herself up.

Glynda couldn't help but back away from Sage but was pulled into a hug before she could comprehend her fear. Sage starts snuggling into her chest, which is weird and creepy for Glynda at the same time.

"Help me end this war, Mommy…" Sage says resolutely.

"What?" Glynda asks with confusion.

"Mom's ambition is to destroy herself, and Ozpin wants to stop her from destroying the world. But both are playing right into the hands of the Gods, and it's stupid!" Sage starts her explanation.

"What? Salem wants to destroy herself?" Glynda asks inquisitively.

"Of course, she also wants to drag the world down with her, but that is an entirely different issue!" Sage says nonchalantly.

"Wait! What do you mean when you said, 'Salem wanted to destroy herself'? Is that a joke?" Glynda asks slowly.

"No? Mom wants to die, but she can't because she is immortal! Ozpin too! Don't you know this?" Sage asks knowingly.

Glynda looks as if her entire world has fallen apart. Of course, telling her the truth is part of Sage's plan to turn Glynda to her and her mother's side. She needed to win Glynda's trust, and telling her the truth was the fastest way.

'Immortal? What does that mean? Salem is unkillable?' Glynda thought inwardly.

"Mommy?" Sage loudly says as she lifts her head away from Glynda's chest.

Sage's voice shakes Glynda off her stupor, and she can't help but take a second look at Sage. She wasn't sure if Sage's words were honest or just a bunch of propaganda instilled into her by Salem.

"Is everything you say true?" Glynda asks Sage slowly.

"I can't lie to you, Mommy. I will probably hide something from you, but I will never lie. That is my promise." Sage says resolutely.

"Besides, you can just ask Ozpin about the truth. I'm sure Ozpin will be truthful, seeing that you are his followers." Sage says knowingly.

'Let's break your trust for Ozpin first, Mommy.' Sage thought inwardly.

Sage looks towards Glynda, trying to elicit some sympathy from her. Glynda, of course, was weirded out by Sage's strange strategy. Glynda didn't understand what Sage wanted and why the look that she gave was uncomfortable for her.

"What are you doing?" Glynda asks.

"Mom said she can never hold eye contact with me since I'm too 'cute' for her. Is it working?" Sage says slowly.

"No…" Glynda says awkwardly.

"Great!" Sage says happily.

"That means I can't manipulate you like my Mom, and you won't fall for her charms. She does look like me after all…" Sage explains.

"What do you mean by that?" Glynda asks.

"I want you to be the opposite of me and my Mom. If I am 'evil incarnate', I need you to be an angel. An angel that will swoop down and save my mother from all of her bad choices." Sage says slowly.

"And why would I need to do that? Can't you just choose somebody else?" Glynda asks.

"I have someone neutral and someone who is just as bad as Mom is. Now, I need someone who is the opposite of her," says Sage.

"Like before, I'm still a tool to you and your mother. You want to use me as canon fodder that you can throw at your mother when she's angry, right?" Glynda says with annoyance.

"No, you are a tool I will use to counter my mother's opinion. After all, I can guarantee my ideals align with your vision of peace, even if I don't have the correct moral compass!" Sage says with certainty.

"What do you mean by that?" Glynda asks.

"You want the world to be at peace, right? But you can't with the Grimm and the conflict between the Kingdoms. Wouldn't it be better if everything is under one banner?" Sage says knowingly.

"I don't like what you are implying…" Glynda says with anger laced in her voice.

"Just listen to me first, I…" Sage explains her plans to Glynda, of course, only a part of it.

And so, they sat in front of each other as they continued to argue about Sage's plans. Glynda sometimes refutes Sage's idea, and they continue to bounce off ideas of each other until the sun shines with the morning light.

While arguing with Sage, Glynda found great interest in Sage's views of the world around her. Her views on this world almost seem fairytale-like, while her curiosity about everything around her is endearing.

'But…' Glynda thought inwardly.

Not even once did Sage mention anything about herself. She speaks of grandeur views and cares for the world, but Sage never mentions the life after her plans. All of them involve her mother's life, but never her life.

"What about my plans? It's good, right?" asks Sage naively.

"It's naive, and all your plans depend on the chance that your Mom would do anything for you! Can you be sure her love for you is as boundless as you said?" Glynda asks with suspicion.

"Of course!" Sage says confidently.

'In fact, it's her love for you that you should be worried about! I will mould you to her ideal image and make sure that she will never be able to let you go!' Sage thought inwardly.

"Then I will keep your mind in plan…" Glynda says slowly.

"Really?" Sage asks excitedly.

"But!" Glynda cut her off.

Glynda then grabbed Sage's mouth and dragged her closer to herself. The atmosphere then turns dangerously cold, and Sage can't help but feel like her life is on the line. The aura that Glynda is emitting will surely kill anybody else but Sage.

"I will need some proof of your words, and as such, you will be following every one of my orders! If I catch you disobeying any one of them, I will make sure that you die!" Glynda says with such force that Sage feels scared of her.

'Shit! Even Mom is not this scary!' Sage thought inwardly.

"Ummm suwhe!" Sage tries to agree.

Glynda then lets Sage go and removes herself away from Sage's hug. Sage fell to the floor with a loud sound and back pain. When Sage sits up, she sees Glynda standing at the entrance with her back turned to Sage.

"From now on, you will spend every night here and your day at the academy. If you ever leave Beacon, I will inform Ozpin of your plans. And after that, I will kill you! Got it?" Glynda says without looking at Sage.

"Yup!" Sage says happily.

'Kchak!'

Glynda says her last word and leaves Sage alone in the suite. Sage didn't try to chase Glynda since she was sure Glynda wouldn't rat her out. Her plans should have intrigued Glynda to at least put some temporary trust in Sage.

'Which I will turn into undying trust!' Sage vowed inwardly.

"Follow her, but don't agitate her. Make sure she is safe!" Sage says slowly.

As if in a queue, the three Grimm insects on Glynda's neck reappear and nod obediently to Sage. They then escaped through one of the windows in the suite. Sage was now truly alone in this room.

"Now, what should I do…" Sage says as she looks around the empty suite.

Flashback End.

"Hey, Sage? Hello?" says Ruby, trying to get Sage's attention.

'I hope Ruby didn't undo my efforts with her nervousness!' Sage thought inwardly.

"Sage!" Ruby screamed.

"Huh?" says Sage.