You are at the Opera! (ON HIATUS)

The Next piece within Volume 5 featuring Edwin! Within this point of the story, Edwin's confrontation with The Changeling causes him to doubt whether or not, on an emotional level, if he has the courage and kindness that he believes makes a man.

Jasper's encouragement, that Edwin will always been his son and the greatest man that he ever had the privilege to raise, is what gives Edwin the courage to finally slay the Changeling and free his Family's name from its grasp.

So this is going to be the second to last piece within Volume 5! And if you've paid attention you'll notice that I havent written a full little blurb. I feel like that it would be easier to just show the art itself and link to the proper story for the full context.

Lyall Merrick was a man born to nothing but struggle.

Growing up in the slums of Mistral, Lyall and his family were indentured into servitude under the SDC. As a child, Lyall was branded as nothing but property by the Company. The harsh environment shaped the young wolf faunus, hardening him with a burning hatred of one thing - Humans. Lyall was only helpless to the SDC as they took everything from him, his family, his identity, his ability to hope.

And when Lyall broke free from the chains of the SDC, he left nothing behind. By escaping, Lyall went to the one group he knew he could retaliate - The White Fang. And the group welcomed him with open arms. Lyall rose through the ranks and helped carry out many attacks and operations to cripple the strangehold humanity had over Faunus kind. Sienna Khan's dreams of humanity fearing faunus would be achieved, there was no doubt in his mind. Through his time with the White Fang, Lyall came to be placed under the command of one Idina Kawaguchi, as well as working with Merletta Balasco and Alban Virtunen.

Come the fall of Beacon, Lyall's view of the White Fang and the world around him shifted. When split off, he followed Idina with a group of refugees out into the wilds of Sannas until settling in an abandoned military centre. There, they waited and waited, hoping that their distress signals would reach the Vale faction of The White Fang and come to rescue them.

But instead, they get four little huntsmen, one of whom is a faunus girl. Immediately, Lyall wanted to use them as bargaining with the Vacuo authorities to get into the kingdom, but what struck Lyall as the most surprising was when the four huntsmen - Rosi, Tanner, Birdie and Pierre, all willingly offered their help to guide the refugees to the Vacuo border. At first Lyall objected to the idea of letting a group of humans help them, but after finding himself outvoted, he caved in.

The journey itself was gruelling, but Lyall couldn't help but admit feeling... unusually more calm with the provided support. It killed him to think that humans weren't just what he saw growing up. Even with the presence of grimm trying to attack them, they still stayed, fought with them and protected them. They defended them when they came begging for sanctuary in Vacuo.

Upon her departure from her team and friends, Rhea only had one objective in mind after her falling out - Return home to Vacuo, and rejoin her fellow Rose Pirates to resume the life she wanted. Rhea was sure she had been taught what she needed to know to be stronger, to be the queen of the sea, but upon the discovery of a small home in the middle of the woods, Rhea's life would change once more.

Oletta Anacardo was a woman that Rhea couldn't wrap her head around. First meeting the woman with a rifle between them, Oletta confusingly took in Rhea to shelter her. At first Rhea kept to herself, but was taken aback when despite recoginising her branding as a member of The Rose Pirates - the intricate tattoos adoring her right arm in a sleeve - Oletta served no ill or resentment to her. In Remnant, those with knowledge of the Rose Pirates are almost guaranteed to show hostility on sight. While the Rose Pirates enact their own form of justice outside of the government, they are labeled as criminals.

The truth is, Oletta is a woman who punished herself to a life of loneliness. Losing her husband, her three sons, and estranging herself from her remaining daughter, she sought to isolate herself in the middle of the Sannas forest. She was once a skilled and respected huntress, but now she is merely a shell of a woman. If there was anything Oletta could do, it was to just give Rhea one request - to not walk the path of loneliness.

Someone like Oletta proved almost too perfect of a person for somebody like Delaney Atlan. Rhea watched as Delaney made the offer - 2 million lien for her house. The last thing that Oletta held onto from her life. Even if Oletta defiantly told Delaney no, the businessman insisted, citing that the money could get Oletta out of the gutter and into a better life. And it was a tempting offer for Oletta. But Rhea convinced her to go back on that thought, citing that the house is not just a remnant of Oletta's failures, but her achievements too. She built a life in this house, even if it isn't what she wanted, it's a testament to how she has survived for so long despite everything.

The two women both knew that Delaney wouldn't take no for an answer though, and thus, they prepared to fight for what they had left. Deep down, Oletta was proud of Rhea, and she knew that Rhea was heading on the right path after all. When Delaney returned to make the final offer, his tactic of forceful removal upon no deal would be met by fierce resistance. The mercenaries that Delaney came with were quickly disposed of, but when Oletta came out to warn Delaney never to take what belongs to her - he had other plans. If he couldn't have Oletta's house, then she couldn't either.

With a quick shot, Delaney would ignite the gas cannisters, erupting the house into flames. And in the enusing confusion and chaos, Rhea would just manage to escape. All in a blur, she saw Delaney raise his gun, and shoot Oletta in the stomach. In Rhea's mind, if she fired the shot quicker, she could've saved her. Delaney got what he wanted, in a way. If he couldn't have what he wanted, then the next best thing he can do is cause as much pain as possible. The money was just gonna be wired back to him in the end.

Nobody knew what sinister evils came to the Cobalt Family Manor before it was too late.

Only one survived, a young boy who escaped the wrath of a grimm who was once thought to only be of myth - one that can take the form of anything it has consumed.

In the aftermath of The White Whale’s eventual crashing thanks to an unfortunate Grimm encounter, The OPRA Coalition now remain stranded on the beaches of Sannas with seemingly no way forward. But for Ophelia, that is seemingly no matter compared to what she has come to learn about her teammate. 

Another secret to be kept, another lie upheld and for what purpose?

Rhea La Roja was a girl born to nothing. No parents and no home. Having grown in the orphanages left the girl disillusioned with the state of the kingdom of Vacuo. And while the guttersnipe orphans brought her some shelter, there was something that Rhea desired more than ever: Freedom.

And the rumor of The Rose Pirates ignited a fire in Rhea. It became a call to action for her. At the docks of Vacuo, Rhea waited and waited until finally the day arrived after almost giving up hope. And while her stowing away led her to almost being thrown overboard, Rhea was quickly adopted by the ship’s fearsome captain, Nicholas Blackbeard.

Now being granted the freedom she so desired, Rhea knew the next step was Haven, and while Nicholas was apprehensive to send his adopted daughter so far away, Rhea knew to hide herself from her true allegiance.