As team leader, Minato saw it as his responsibility to keep the members of team Embark on top of their grades. The classes taught by each of the teachers held a wealth of knowledge and as the saying went 'knowing is half the battle.' Furthermore, if Ruby failed any of her classes… well Minato had a feeling he would get a few angry letters from a certain father and uncle. Thus, Minato urged his team to attend class and study, ignoring the protests of a certain fox Faunus the whole time. Yet even as Ruby's head dipped, eyes struggling to keep open, Minato didn't have the heart to reprimand her. Professor Port's lectures had a knack for causing students to sleep after all.

"So there I was, facing down hundreds of Beowolves and-" Minato zoned out the rest of the professor's exaggerated story in favor of copying any pertinent information from the diagrams behind the teacher. He decided that he would have to share his notes later, seeing as both Kira and Ruby were slowly succumbing to sleep, and Blake had found her novel much more interesting. Just as he jotted down the last few details, Port finished his long-winded account. "Oh, would you look at the time, the class is almost finished!" Port declared, taking a look at the mounted wall clock. "Well then I have an assignment for you all. By next class I want a full report of the Grimm you find to the most dangerous, except a living one of course." The attempt at humor was met with silence except for a few snores here and there. Dismayed at the lack of a reaction, Professor Port cleared his throat and dismissed the class.

"Thank god that's finally over," Kira announced as she woke from her short snooze. "We don't have anymore classes for the day, so what should we do now?"

"Go to the library," Minato replied instantly rising from his seat. "We have a report to write, and knowing you two, you're going to procrastinate till the last second." This last point was emphasized with a look to Ruby and Kira who were both giving dejected expressions.

"But the paper isn't due till next week," Ruby whined. "Can't we do this tomorrow?" She flashed him a pair of puppy dog eyes, but the action had long since lost its effect.

"Fine, you can work on it tomorrow." Minato replied with an eye roll. "Know that I won't be giving you any help with the report if you choose to do so." His teammates deflated at the mere prospect of completing their assignment without their leader's help. It was only the second week of school and the amount of homework was already staggering. Their only saving grace was Minato, who usually studied beforehand and helped with any project best he could. Dispirited, the two girls grudgingly agreed to work.

"I would suggest we get to the library then," Blake announced closing her reading material. "We don't want all the reference books to run out." Thus, the group of four slowly made their way to the school's library.

"So what Grimm are you going to look up?" Kira asked as they turned another corner. "The biggest Grimm out there? Or maybe something with crazy powers?" There were a few moments of silent pondering before someone spoke.

"Beowolves, actually." Ruby was the first to answer. "I am not particularly afraid of them, but they are some of the most common, especially around Vale. I suppose they are some of the most dangerous due to their numbers." While the response was delivered with a smile, Minato noted how Ruby's grip tightened on her uniform. She must still remember the time Yang dragged her out in the wagon, Minato realized. Though she held no real fear, the subconscious scare from the attack still hadn't faded.

"It would probably Deathstalkers for me," Kira piped in. "I mean, their so big and fast and… and…" She trailed off as the words died like ash. Minato held no illusion of what she was thinking and quickly put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She smiled, the gesture quickly elevating her mood. "What about you Blake? Probably some type of dog Grimm, right?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Blake hissed shooting Kira glare. "There aren't any dog Grimm." At the team's silence Blake expression changed to one of worry. "Wait is there? Come on, don't keep staring at me like that." At her increasingly frantic voice, Kira began to laugh, and Ruby let out a small snicker. Even Minato gave a small smile. Blake flushed, realizing that she had been tricked and huffed in annoyance, turning away from the group.

"What about you Minato? Which Grimm are you going to research?" Ruby asked once the laugher had died down.

"The Apathy." Minato's answer was met with a few confused looks. "They are a group of Grimm discovered in Anima." He quickly explained. "They are a slow-moving humanoid type of Grimm, that drain a person's will power with their screams."

"That doesn't sound too dangerous," Kira said. "I mean, if they are slow moving, wouldn't you be able to kill them quickly?"

"I suppose that's one way to look at it." Minato gave a small smile in response. He had first read about such creatures when he was only a child. At the time his stomach had clenched violently. It was if it was a walking spreader of Apathy Syndrome, taking the strength of others forcing them to die and slow death. It made him wonder if there were other parallels in this world. The ideas surrounding that of Persona were close to that of aura and semblance after all. He shuttered to think that something like the full moon bosses could be lurking around in the land of Remnant.

"We're here," Blake's announcement dragged Minato back to the present. Beacon's library was by no means small. Not only did it have multiple floors, but it had articles spanning all interests. It held books ranging from the history of the four major cities to the children stories Minato had heard as a child. It also had several computer terminals to access digital information. Ruby had even discovered a section of comics for those less… research inclined. However, most importantly, it held information related to Grimm and their attributes.

The group split, each focusing solely on their task and Minato began at one of the terminals. A quick search brought up a multitude of sources. His eyes landed an article labeled "The Monsters of Anima." He quickly opened the link, trying to decipher if it would be useful for his assignment. To his relief the article was relatively new, having been published only a few years prior. That in mind, Minato scrolled to the table of contents. To his surprise, the article had used the term 'monster' quite loosely. There were sections on Grimm, but also past corrupt Mistral officials as well as famed criminals and bandits. What caught his attention was the section labeled, The Ten Epitaphs. Curiosity winning out, Minato quickly skipped to the section and began to read.

Chapter 25: The Ten Epitaphs

The Ten Epitaphs are known as the ten most powerful criminals on the continent of Anima. They are genuinely feared and respected, many choosing to ignore their deeds just to avoid conflict with them. In the past this even went as far as the government of Mistral giving them free reign in some areas. In reality, the group actually has humbler origins. Prior to the Great War, Mantle abolished the arts and enforced the repression of self-expression, and required its ally, Mistral, to comply. It did, however they complied only selectively leaving the outer cities to suffer while the central cities continued their normal lives. Many saw this as hypocrisy, and eventually ten fighters rose up to combat the injustice.

These were first Epitaphs, that fought for the people of Mistral and against the bias laws. While their individual talents and semblances were notable, their greatest advantage was teamwork. Due to their communication, collaboration and trust with each other, they repeatedly overcame insurmountable odds. Some historians have argued that their efforts and sabotage played a major role in weakling Mistral so that Vale and Vacuo could eventually overcome them. It is also popularly cited as the reason huntsman and huntresses are placed on teams, though this is up to debate.

After the Great War, the Epitaphs stayed together acting as a pseudo police force for the more inaccessible areas of Mistral. Over the years, members left and were replaced with new fighters eager to join the cause. However, the acts of the group slowly started to shift from freedom fighters to criminals. Actions were soon taken against the group, however due to their fighting prowess and uniqueness of their abilities, Mistral's efforts were soon called off due to their lack of effectiveness.

There are only two known ways to join the group. The first is to be specifically chosen when a member of the Ten Epitaphs either dies or retires. The other is to kill a current Epitaph and provide proof of doing so. The former of the two options is the far more common choice though there have been cases of the latter happening.

As can be inferred, knowledge on these individuals is varied. Some live very secretive lives, while others flaunt their identities. Regardless of such each had been given an epithet and a number. The order is usually based not on strength but overall importance within the group.

The following list contains the most recent members as of the publication of this article.

1: The Thief, known semblance of "Steal." Can steal any physical object from a specific radius from himself. The item is transported to the him instantaneously regardless of any objects blocking the line of sight or path of travel. He is the current leader of the Ten Epitaphs and easily the most dangerous. He is known for stealing the eyes, and even the heart of opponents just to make a fight short. His range is known to have a limit, but an exact distance has never been recorded.

2: Third eye, with the debated ability of Precognition. While this is one of the more debated members of the Epitaphs, her ability on the battlefield is unquestioned. She has correctly identified the semblance and abilities of hundreds of huntsmen and huntresses. Even more, they are almost impervious in battle, dodging attacks with inhuman reaction time. The main reason for the debated ability is due to several confirmed surprise attacks being successful. This has brought up the validity of the semblance and other abilities have been proposed.

3: The Lizard, known semblance of Regeneration. Can heal from any known wound, from simple extremities, to the entire body. The regeneration is relatively quick, the only limiting factor is that an excessively large wound can take several minutes to heal. It has been assumed that regeneration of the head is impossible but there had never been a confirmed case of a successful attack on it.

4: The impersonator, an unconfirmed semblance of Copy. Due to the nature of her assumed semblance, there are varying reports on the impersonator's true semblance. She has been known to mimic the semblances of both huntsmen and Epitaphs alike and only needs to see the semblance once to copy it. However, her skills with the borrowed semblances are subpar. This can be attributed to trying to learn a new semblance from scratch, but others posit that due to their copied nature the semblance will never be as perfect as the original.

5: Sanctuary, with a known ability of Barrier. Can erect an impenetrable shield to any attack. Due to her ability, she plays a supportive role among the Epitaphs. The major downside of this ability is that upon use, the user cannot move from their position. Furthermore, attacks cannot pierce any side of the shield thus all oncoming attack and outgoing attack will be stopped. Though there are known exceptions such as the aforementioned Thief, who can steal even if a barrier is in place. Consumption of aura is known to be quite large and when created it has never lasted more than ten minutes.

6: Wasp Queen, a confirmed semblance of manipulation. While her semblance is known, the way she places her victim under her influence is still speculated. While many have guessed that her alluring looks play a role or perhaps her voice acts like a pseudo siren's song, there are confirmed cases of both blind and deaf individuals falling under her spell. While under her influence, any order she gives are obeyed without question and no memory of said actions is retained upon release. Gender and sexual orientation does not matter in her targets and there have been no cases of successfully resisting her effects. However, she is limited to controlling two people at a time. Any more and previous victims will awaken from her effects.

7: Metal Man, an established semblance of Metal Manipulation. Not to be confused with magnetism, metal manipulation is complete control of any metal that is touched for an extended period of time. As opposed to magnetism, which can only attract and repel nearby metal, metal manipulation can change a metal's shape freely, and can even change it into a molten state for easier forming. Due to his exceedingly slow movement speed, theories suggest that Metal Man holds metal underneath his skin, so that he is ready for any attack and can counter at any time. It is also noted that his thought process seems to be sluggish as well, though if this is due to his abilities is unconfirmed.

8: Beast, an unofficial semblance of strength. While not highly rank among the Epitaphs, his strength is argued to be the highest. He had performed feats of strength that even a group of huntsmen could never hope of achieving. Lifting vehicles and boulders several times his weight is a common occurrence. He has even thrown a large boat at opponents nearly 400 meters away. An oddity of his is that he is always hungry and constantly eating. He has been known to carry multiple bags containing exclusively meat onto the battle field and eats as he fights. It is unknown if he simply is keeping his energy up as his semblance burns so much or if the act of eating gives him strength.

9: Null and Void, with a confirmed semblance of negation. A former huntsman that was specifically scouted and then recruited to the Epitaphs due to his ability. It is theorized that at least six of the ten Epitaphs could be easily apprehended or killed if their semblance was negated. Therefore, it is assumed that Null was recruited out of necessity, due to the potential danger to the current Epitaphs. As his ability does not assist them in battle, Null is a highly trained swordsmen and is on par to some of the top huntsmen worldwide.

10: Unknown. As the nickname implied, almost nothing is known about this member. Gender, age, appearance, and semblance are all unknown. What is known it that they joined upon killing the previous 3rd Epitaph due to suffocation via an unknown method (see previous Epitaphs section for further details). However-

"This is why all Faunus are so-!" Minato's reading was interrupted by a familiar voice. Glancing up from his terminal, Minato was met with a disturbing sight. Weiss was glaring at Daryl who was returning the look with equal intensity. The rest of team WYND was nearby, looking torn between stepping in and hiding behind the bookshelves.

"All I asked was to see that book when you were done!" The cheetah Faunus snapped.

"And I told you, you can keep your dirty paws off my resources till my paper is complete!" The argument was starting to draw attention as more and more people began to peek out from behind the shelves. Minato saw the remainder of his own team appear, and to his dismay it seemed Kira was about to burst.

"Why are you always like this!? Why are you treating him like he is some sort of animal?" Kira broke into the quarrel, ignoring Blake's frantic gestures for her to stop. Weiss' attention quickly flipped to her.

"Why don't you mind your own business?" She snapped back. "Or do all you animals poke your noses where they don't belong?"

"WHAT!" Kira nearly leapt at Weiss before Minato's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Enough!" His declaration cut through the yelling like a knife through butter. Minato rose from his seated position and made his way to Kira's side. "This is a library, if you can't keep your voices down, then I suggest you leave." Though Minato only looked at Kira, the statement clearly included Weiss as well.

"It's not my fault that you're such a sorry excuse for a team leader," Weiss retorted. "You should keep your teammate on a shorter leash."

"With all due respect Ms. Schnee, a team leader is supposed to effectively utilize and nurture each member of their team, regardless of skill or background." Minato's words caused Weiss expression to twist into a scowl.

"Are you suggesting that I am failing in my duty as a team leader?"

"No," Minato shook his head, "I am telling you that you are failure. At this rate your team will fall apart, and you will have no one to blame but yourself."

"And how did you manage to reach such an inaccurate conclusion?" Weiss hissed dangerously. Minato thought about revealing that it wasn't his conclusion but Glynda's but decided against it. He doubted that Weiss would believe him and putting blame on Ms. Goodwitch probably wouldn't end well.

"If you believe my analysis to be inaccurate then let's make a bet. Next week Monday, we are having our first team battles. I will speak with Ms. Goodwitch so that our teams battle one another. If your team wins, I will give you formal apology for my comment. However, if my team wins, then you will have to take my suggestions to heart. Do we have a deal?"

"Yes, and I can't wait to here your apology on Monday." Weiss quickly sent a look to her team. "We're leaving to train, we have a match to win." With that the ice princess departed and Daryl soon followed with a scowl on his face. Yang waved her apologies and Nazo shrugged his shoulders in exasperation. Once team WYND had left, Ruby nervously drew up next to Minato.

"So…what do we do now?" The uncertainty in her voice was clear. No doubt she was worried about fighting her sisters' team in combat.

"We still have a paper to finish." Minato responded casually returning to his previous seat. "I still intend to finish it before the day is finished.

"What about the battle?" Kira questioned her voice rising. "Don't we need to get training? Aren't they going to wipe the floor with us?"

"No, I think we are going to be just fine." Minato replied. "If I know the Ice Queen as well as I think I do, then we have nothing to worry about."

-Ω-

Weiss gave one final yell as she charged Nazo. He brought up his sword to block but was too slow and was sent flying backwards as Myrtenaster struck home. He gave a groan as he lifted himself into a sitting position but was otherwise unharmed due to his aura.

"Your reaction time still needs some work, but you've improved Nazo." The only response he gave was panting as he tried to regain his breath.

"Weiss, we have been at this since morning, it's about time that we took a break." Yang called from the sidelines. "Come on, a small amount of rest won't kill us." Weiss hesitated slightly before nodding. It would do no good to run her team into the ground, especially before such an important fight. As WYND reclined in a small circle, Nazo finally broke the silence after he recovered his breath.

"Training is good and all. But we do have a plan right? Minato is no pushover. It won't matter how hard we train if we don't have a plan of attack."

"Of course I have a plan." Weiss countered. "Both teams have four members (well three members and a pet, but who was counting?) so we don't have a numerical advantage, but we have the advantage in experience and strength." She pointed at Yang. "Yang knows her sister well enough and can definitely wipe the floor with her." Yang gave a guilty smile but nodded all the same. "Furthermore, while Blake is agile, Nazo's wind manipulation places you on par with her." Nazo took the compliment with a shrug. "And finally, the two Faunus can keep each other occupied." Daryl expression twitched but he held his tongue.

"What about Minato," Yang cut in. "Can you handle him by yourself?"

"I can," Weiss declared confidently. "I was caught off guard with his originality with his semblance, but I won't be making the same mistake. As soon as you finish your individual fights, back me up and the battle will be ours." Yang pumped her fist while Nazo gave a small smirk.

"But what if-" Daryl began until Weiss cut him off.

"What if what Faunus?" Another glare crossed Daryl's expression before he gave a huff turning away. "That's what I thought." It was simple math really. Each of her individual members were better than Minato's, thus her team would be victorious. Nothing complicated about it.

-Ω-

"What do you mean we need to talk strategy?" Ruby asked incredulously. "Team WYND has been training for the past several hours and we have yet to lift our weapons." Much like their opponents, team MBRK was seated in a circle, but as Ruby had pointed out, they had yet to train.

"Ruby, even if you trained for the entire day, do you think you could beat your sister on Monday?" Minato countered, freezing the young girl.

"Well no…"

"Kira, Blake, do you two believe you could defeat Daryl and Nazo individually?" The two exchanged a look before Kira responded.

"Maybe? It would come down to a variety of factors." Kira shrugged unable to give a more concise answer.

"Exactly," Minato nodded. "At first glance, our members are either individually weaker or less experienced. However, this is not four 1 vs 1 battles but 4 vs 4."

"What's the difference?" Ruby cocked her head to the side.

"Teamwork." Blake spoke up realizing where Minato was headed. "Is this what you meant by 'knowing Weiss as well as you think you do?'"

"That's right," Minato smiled. "Over my years here at the academy, I have seen numerous teams formed. A common mistake among them is believing that team fights are just multiple one on one fights simultaneously. If you fight that way, then it comes down to basic mathematics."

"So, your saying we should think of it as two 2 vs 2 matches or potentially a 3 vs 3?" Kira questioned.

"You're halfway there," Minato chuckled. "This is why we need to talk strategy."

-Ω-

"Team Embark and Team Wind, please come to the arena." Glynda announced as CRDL and JNPR left the grounds. The eight fighters descended onto the battlefield, Minato and Weiss stepping forward to exchange a handshake.

"Hope you have that apology ready," Weiss smirked as she shook Minato's hand. "I will be expecting it by the end of this match." Minato's only reply was a smile as he ignored the prebattle talk. Handshake finished, the two returned to their respective sides. Weiss drew her rapier, and Minato responded by drawing his own weapons.

"If both teams are ready, you may begin." With a moment's hesitation, team WYND shot forward, each member targeting their designated opponent. In stark contrast MBRK stood motionless, waiting for their opponents. Weiss' eyes narrowed, warning bells going off as she began to slow her attack. It was too late though. Once Nazo passed Minato's semblance threshold, their opponents took action. A shadow claw formed and leapt out grabbing Nazo and dragging him out of formation. Tossing the wind user behind him, Minato erected a shadow wall blocking any of her teams attempts to rescue their stolen comrade. Weiss immediately sent a glyph to Nazo's location, but Minato fired a round of bullets at her causing her to abandon her attack in favor of defending. The three on one match ended quickly as Ruby, Blake and Kira made quick work of the single opponent. Nazo's aura dropped into the red and Minato dropped the wall.

"Stay back, use ranged options." Weiss ordered immediately. Minato had turned the fight to his advantage within the first few minutes of the battle. Clearly close combat was not a viable option. Even as Yang readied her Ember Celica, Weiss realized the problem. Daryl didn't have a long-range option. Still his semblance could change the tide of battle. "Daryl, let's hold them in place." Daryl responded quickly and Weiss made a gravitational glyph beneath team MBARK. Immediately their opponents faltered due to the strain. Minato gritted his teeth as he was unable to raise his weapon. Blake and Kira's shoulders slumped due to the intense strain. Ruby was forced down to almost her knees, Crescent Rose the only thing keeping her slightly upright.

"Like shooting fish in a barrel." Yang laughed as she unleashed a barrage of bullets. Minato quickly brought up a wall, but it was only delaying the inevitable. Even if Minato held the wall, his aura would eventually run dry and then it would be easy pickings.

"Solitare." Minato's word made no sense to Weiss, but apparently it was an order. Blake immediately used her semblance escaping the gravity prison and Ruby used her weapon to follow suit. Upon their escape, they launched themselves at the Daryl who dropped his semblance in order to defend himself. Due to the lack of extra gravity both Minato and Kira stood upright and left Weiss' glyph. Weiss readied herself while Yang finished reloading her gauntlets. Minato and Kira rushed forward and Weiss and Yang responded in turn. If it was only a standard two on two then Yang's close combat skills would give them the advantage.

"Shadow Flare!" Minato shouted another order. Kira leapt back against expectations, gathering a ball of flames in her palms. It grew and grew until it almost blinded Weiss and Yang. Weiss stood ready, but the immense fireball was never thrown. Why? Weiss squinted into the light, only to realized that Minato had sheathed both his weapons. She paled as the reason for the fireball dawned on her. It wasn't meant as an attack, it was made to create more shadows.

"Get back! Weiss leapt away but the order was too late. Even as the words left her lips a myriad of shadow weaponry emerged from the floor. Like a terrifying tornado, the weapons spun and quickly swallowed Yang who was unable to react. A quick look at the status screen showed as Yang aura quickly dropped to zero. Weiss looked back to Minato and Kira only to find Ruby and Blake had rejoined the pair. Daryl had fallen in battle as well it seemed.

"Kira, throw it." Minato ordered, and the giant fireball dropped like a meteor. Weiss countered by sending a flurry of ice-based attacks at the projectile. She achieved her desired results as the attack exploded causing both sides to cover their eyes against the eruption. As the blast ended Weiss lowered her arms trying to track the other team. Minato, Blake and Kira were standing before her, weapons at the ready. But where was Ruby? A yell from behind her answered the question. Like a twister, Ruby spiraled at Weiss using her semblance. Though Weiss was fast enough to block the blow with Myrtenaster, the force alone knocked her off her feet. As she landed on her back Minato called out to his team. "The enemy is down! Time for an all-out attack!" The match was soon finished after that.

-Ω-

"I can't believe you all ganged up on me at the start." Nazo complained albeit with his usual calm. "I didn't even get to do anything." Ruby laughed at his mock disappointed face.

"Sorry, but Minato said he would take the first person who got the closest." Ruby apologized. "While we had some back up plans, we figured you would be the fastest."

"That's thinking ahead." Daryl complimented giving a low whistle. "Did you also anticipate the double gravity? Or was that on the fly?"

"Well, we did know about your semblance, so we planned accordingly." Blake responded quietly. "Though the double gravity was certainly a surprise. I suppose we were lucky getting out of it so quickly."

"Sounds like you guys did some serious planning." Yang chuckled. "But what is with those team attack names? Shadow Flare? Solitare? It sounds like a two-year-old made them up. You guys couldn't do any better that that?"

"We didn't exactly have time to spare." Kira responded, "Besides I like 'Shadow Flare.' It has a certain charm to it."

"That's because you thought of it," Blake commented causing the others to laugh.

"Still that was on heck of a match, I would mind going another round with you guys." Nazo announced. "Maybe this time I can do something." The six members continued to discuss the battle while Minato and Weiss looked on from afar.

"Did you know it would end like this?" Weiss asked watching as Yang put Ruby in a playful headlock. "That this would be my complete defeat?" Minato rolled his eyes at the dramatic wording.

"Hardly, I simply based your potential actions on what I have seen countless times from other team leaders here at Beacon. Taking your pride into account, I was certain that you would attempt to tackle this fight like a game of numbers." Even he had faced the same problems as the field leader of SEES. It helped that the shadows were relatively mindless, but a few close calls had opened his eyes to the reality of fighting as a team.

"If you had utilized Daryl's semblance of gravity, you could have mimicked our technique with ease." Minato continued. "Have him draw a person in while you make a wall of ice. Nazo's mobility makes him an excellent supporter as well as a frontline fighter and only a few people in the school can match Yang with her semblance. You have an amazing team Weiss, and it's your job to make that come to fruition."

"How?" Minato looked to her then and he could tell she was lost but determined. She wanted to make team WYND great, perhaps even legendary, but she didn't know the first step to do so.

"I told you in the library remember?" Minato replied. "A leader leads by example. If your team sees you giving your all so they can improve, they will respond in kind." A wistful smile came to his lips as he saw Kira and Ruby laughing as Blake smiled. "Mine certainly has."

"I see…" She responded. "Thanks for the…advice." With that Weiss departed. Perhaps that was all she needed, Minato thought as he watched Weiss bow before a started Daryl. A nudge in the right direction. Perhaps the future was looking just a bit brighter.

"So, I suppose that ended well," Ruby smiled as she stepped up beside Minato. "Hopefully they will get along better."

"We better be prepared then," Minato replied. "Now that their team dynamic is recovered, they will certainly be a force to be reckoned with."

"I say bring it on," Ruby cheered. "There's no way that can beat Team Embark that easily. We just need to think of it as a little extra credit." Minato blinked.

"Speaking of credit, you did finish that paper, right? I was so distracted by the looming fight that I completely forgot to double check with you." Minato expression fell at Ruby's sheepish grin.

"Yeah about that… I still have more than twenty-four hours to finish." Minato could only sigh. Perhaps he should focus on fixing his own team before helping others with theirs.

-Ω-

I just missed the new year for the new chapter, but I tried. Originally I had planned to update, both Embark and New Beginnings, but time is something that I can never seem to get enough of. I will admit that my new release with probably be for New Beginnings though, so the next chapter of Embark might take a bit.

A huge thank you to my beta Mingyu. He looked over this chapter is record time.

And as always thank you to everyone who favorited followed and reviewed. If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave a review or send me a private message. I will answer them as soon as I can.