A Legend's Truth! A New Generation!
General Jaune Arc calmly walked towards an enormous castle and cut down any Grimm that was foolish enough to get too close. His white armor, once marked with the golden Arc insignia, was now tattered and blood-soaked. The handsome young man of seventeen had long blonde hair that covered his deep sapphire eyes. He had a noble air that surrounded him and the legendary blade beside him that had cut down thousands of the infernal Grimm.
"Jaune, I know where you're going and why you're going alone." A boy with black hair and silver eyes stood in front of the knight, holding a greatsword out at him.
"Then you know why I can't have you stopping me here Ozpin. Those men have given up everything already and I won't have any more blood on my hands." Jaune pulled out his blade and rushed Ozpin. The blond quickly slashed and jabbed, trying to force his way past the young silver eyed warrior. His results were fruitful as his opponent was forced on the defensive. Ozpin could see Jaune was holding back a great deal, even with the relentless attacks.
"Get out of the way Ozpin! This will end tonight! I will defeat her!" Ozpin pushed against the knight to no avail, before jumping back and landing several jabs with his cane.
"Jaune, you are a general and leader to these men and they will need you tomorrow for the final attack! If you run off only to fail, then we could lose everything we've been fighting for!" Jaune knocked the cane away and kicked Ozpin to the ground. "You can't do this alone… please, old friend…"
Jaune held his sword to Ozpin's throat and stared at his defeated opponent's eyes. Jaune sighed as he put his blade back in its sheath and held his hand out to his oldest friend. "Come on then. If you're really that adamant about stopping me, then the least you could do is come with me and end this witch once and for all. With the two of us, she won't even stand a chance." Ozpin nodded and grabbed his hand, glad that his friend accepted his help. As they traveled ahead, Jaune spared a glance at the young raven-haired man. "Ozpin, you once said that there was only one way to beat this witch and I hope you will be able to do it. To see a world free of the Grimm, could you imagine a place like that?"
Ozpin looked away and nodded. "Right… I will be able to end her, but you need to hold her off. A world where people can be safe is all you have always wanted, right?"
"Yes, I would give anything for that." Ozpin stared at Jaune and nodded at his resolve as they approached the castle, silently killing any Grimm that stood in their path. Ozpin thought of the centuries that he had lived on Remnant and throughout them all he had never met someone as dedicated to eliminating the Grimm as Jaune. The boy had cheated his way into the army and was quickly given the chance to show off his rather unorthodox way of strategy. It was him that made it possible for the Remnant United Army to finally fight their way to the castle of Salem herself. They entered and floor after floor of Grimm fell as the warriors slaughtered Beowolves, Death Stalkers, King Taijitu, Ursa Major and the occasional Minor, and even new kinds of Grimm; but each fell all the same. They reached the top of the tower as daybreak began.
At the top of the tower, a tall figure stood facing away from the two males. When the figure turned around, Jaune was appealed at the sight. The witch's skin was a deathly pallor, covered with deep red and purple veins that ran up her arms and face. The sclerae of her eyes were jet black and her irises glew red. She also had a black diamond-shaped marking in the center of her forehead. Dressed in a very long black robe with red designs resembling eyes. The witch also wore a ring resembling an insect on her right index finger and has white hair formed into a bun with six offshoots from which ornaments are suspended. She sneered at them as they approached.
"Generations of mortals have attempted to climb my tower but only you two have ever made it. I heard of you, the greatest of the Remnant's United Army and its last hope. The white knight, Jaune Arc. Then there is you." The Queen of the Grimm, Salem, said as she faces Ozpin. "You have led countless mortals to their deaths, how much more blood will it take for you to give up?" Jaune had heard enough and ran at her.
Ozpin had made a plan when they were coming up the tower. The plan was to wear down the queen by switching out whenever one was knocked away, giving her no time to rest. The plan fell into motion as a minute after engaging her, Jaune was knocked aside and Ozpin jumped in the moment that happened and knocked her back. The fight went on with Salem becoming more desperate with her attacks and Ozpin and Jaune slowly losing their energy. Two hours of continuous battle passed with Salem using every Grimm ability she had in her arsenal, just as Jaune was preparing for the final attack. He was bleeding from a gash on his head and his right eye was shut tightly, His left arm was completely useless, his armor was nearly broken in two, but he still held his sword back and ran at Salem.
Ozpin watched as Salem summoned dozens of sharp veins and they all tore into Jaune's boy, but the boy ran through them. It had to be now! Ozpin slammed his cane into the ground and closed his eyes, concentrating all of his aura and power into his eyes. Jaune shouted as he stabbed into Salem's chest, but earned a hand through his own. Ozpin opened his silver eyes and focused his power to the tip of his cane, which he aimed at Salem. An enormous blast of white hit the weakened queen and a layer of white crystal encased her and Jaune. Ozpin fell to his knees and stared at the imprisoned demon in satisfaction, but with regret and sadness at his closest friend.
"I'm sorry Jaune… I won't let the world forget…"
. . .
"And so it was nearly a millennium ago that the last of the huntsmen, Jaune Arc, used the legendary Crocea Mors to slay the Queen of the Grimm and bring peace to the land of Remnant." Ruby yawned as she looked around the classroom of her history teacher. Ruby had always loved the story of the last knight, but hearing it also made her sad. She remembered her mother telling her the story and wishing that she could be a hero like Jaune, but there was no need for heroes anymore. The Grimm no longer were able to be created without Salem and were nearly extinct.
"What happened to Jaune?" A common question that Ruby had asked when she was little.
"No one truly knows as all records of him stop there, but it is said that the wartime was too much for the boy and he went on to fight more of the Grimm alone. Jaune Arc and the brave men and women of the United Army were able to ensure us a peaceful future where humans have expanded and flourished in all fields."
"Except in military might." Ruby stated as she ate a cookie her mother made her.
"While I would appreciate Ms. Rose to raise her hand, I agree with her statement as with peace comes laziness. The United Army was disbanded and now each kingdom trains their soldiers for fighting against each other."
The class bell rang and the students made their way to the buses, but Ruby decided to walk and think about things. Ruby Rose was two years away from attending her sister's school of Beacon, but she still didn't see the point as she still wanted to be a huntress. Those very few that did train in weaponry and tried to be huntsmen found that there was barely any work for them, other than mercenary work, but Ruby wanted to fight the evil Grimm that was still out there. She decided that she should just enjoy the peace and hurry home to her father and mother. Ruby unlocked her door and found a note that said that her parents would be gone for the weekend.
"Well, I hope we still have cookie dough." Ruby whispered to herself as she couldn't cook to save her life, but she found she had amazing skill for baking. She had just finished her first batch when her sister entered looking proud. "Y-Yang?! What are you doing here? You are supposed to be in Vale!"
The older blond pouted at the welcome. "I wanted to visit my lil' sis and make her an epic deal!" The young rose deadpanned at her sibling as she took off her oven mitts.
"I'm not doing your homework." Yang jerked back in surprise, before waving her hands in the negative.
"No, not that kind of deal! I have made some friends and I want you to come to Beacon for the weekend to see everyone and join in for something fun we planned."
Ruby bit her lip and looked off to the side. "I don't know. I'm not so great with strangers and what if we get caught and I get sent home alone?"
"It would give you the chance to use Crescent Rose." Yang said as she chewed a cookie. Ruby disappeared and returned in a flash of rose petals holding her pride and joy. The scythe was one she made with the help of her Uncle Qrow as he was one of the only ones that carried a weapon in day and age that weren't soldiers or police. Ruby called her uncle 'the last true huntsman' because he hunted Grimm and protected the people, but everyone else in Patch called him a crazy drunk. "Come on then, the bullhead will be here soon."
"So, what is this grand plan that allows me to use my baby?" Ruby asked as she changed into her favorite outfit and took her cookies. "I thought Beacon gave up on fighting."
"They did, but my friends and I decided that Beacon has to have some dirty secrets out in its forest somewhere. This place was back in that knight's time where it trained kids to be fighters, I bet that there are some Grimm or something." Ruby wasn't fully convinced, but she thought that it could be fun to explore.
"Who are these friends?" Ruby said as they boarded the Bullhead.
"Blake Belladonna, Nora Valkyrie, and Lie Ren. Blake is a quiet, a little mysterious, and always reading a book. Nora is loud, weird, a little out there, and a huge lover of pancakes. Ren is her best friend and is the opposite in every way but the pancake thing, I think he is some kind of ninja."
Ruby nodded and they caught up as the ride ended in the city of Vale. They boarded one more Bullhead and were standing on the path to Beacon, recognized by the statue of Jaune Arc in front of the school. They waited for a few minutes and three people came walking towards them, each had a color scheme going for them and had weapons! Ruby ran over and, with stars in her eyes, asked if she could see their weapons in action. Nora happily showed off her grenade launcher, 'accidently' shooting into the forest below, and her hammer. Ren had something more simple, but just as deadly with twin pistols that had blades attached. Blake's was a grappling hook and a knife, but before she could show more Yang grabbed her sister and led everyone to the top of a cliff.
"Yang, why are we here?" Blake said as Yang moved everyone to certain spots that she had marked with chalk.
"You see my dear Blakey, Nora and I discovered something about this here cliff from back when this place taught huntsmen. I think this must have been some kind of test and the game is to simply find each other."
"What do you think you're all doing?" Two girls came walking and the one who spoke had her arms crossed. Yang groaned as she recognized the voice and attitude.
"Schnee, we are just trying to have some fun something I don't think you could have if you tried." Weiss glared and took one more step towards them, right onto a chalk marker. "Oh Pyrrha, could you step onto that square for me?" Pyrrha nodded and listened as Weiss ranted about not ignoring her. "Nora, if you could do the honor." Yang and Nora smirked as Nora pushed a button on her scroll, launching everyone into the woods. Ruby felt amazing as she flew and used her scythe to land safely.
The forest was filled with life, but unlike Patch, they also held the scars of the Grimm had lived there. Ruby was impressed as she explored the woods and found a cave. A strange feeling inside pushed her to enter and inside was a grey door that had the Arc symbol in the middle. Ruby tried to attack it with her scythe, but the blade and the bullets didn't as much as scratch the door. She was about to leave and find everyone else to show her discovery, but it was as if the wind spoke to her.
"Touch the door…" Ruby looked at her hand and touched the metal as it glowed silver and opened. The cave was empty, except for the statue in the middle of two figures fighting. Ruby walked closer to the statue and realized that one of the fighters seemed to be a demon woman and the other a knight. The statue seemed to be alive in a way as if it were real. Ruby reached towards the knight and touched his chest, where the demon woman seemed to have stabbed him through with her hand. The moment she touched the crystal, it began to dissolve and vanish before her eyes.
"Oops…" Ruby stepped back as the knight breathed and fell to the ground. The demon woman screamed and threw the offending blade to the ground before turning into black smoke and escaping. Ruby rushed to the fallen knight and saw that his wound wasn't healing, he hadn't awakened his aura. "Damn, what were the words Uncle Qrow used for me?" She thought back to her as a child and her uncle saying that all you have to do is trust that you'll know the words when you need them. She breathed deeply and spoke from her soul.
"For it is in each other's hearts that we achieve immortality. Through triumph and pain, we become pillars of hope and saviors to those that need us. Through each other, we reach our destinies and more. I now bind your soul to mine and free you from the grasp of death…" Ruby finished as Jaune glowed and the aura began to heal the boy. She felt drained and fell next to him as she allowed herself to drift off to sleep.
. . .
The sound of shattering glass echoed through the Beacon tower and Ozpin fell to the ground in shock, his eyes wide in disbelief.
"She's back…"