Screams filled the air as the Grimm and White Fang flew through Vale City like fire, destroying everything in their path. The students of the four academies of Remnant battled against them, desperate to save the Kingdom of Vale's capital and Beacon Academy from annihilation.

One of these students was Blake Belladonna, a cat-Faunus and an ex-White Fang member, and a member of Beacon's first-year Team RWBY. And she was in trouble.

In Beacon's burning cafeteria, Blake faced her old partner from the White Fang, Adam Taurus. He was her mentor, her teacher, so she stood no chance against him in a contest of skill. His presence also sent terror into Blake's mind, clouding her judgement and hampering her efforts to defeat him.

Adam, on the other hand, almost had his skill sharpened by his rage. His rage at Blake abandoning him and the White Fang and his rage at her constantly fighting against her old comrades and their less-than-noble effort to destroy humanity entirely for some of the less-kind humans' intolerable efforts in subjugating the Faunus.

Soon, Blake was lying on the ground on her back, her golden eyes wide as her ex-partner crouched down next to her.

"As I set out upon this world to deliver the justice mankind so greatly deserves, I will make it my mission to destroy everything you love." He assured, the tone of his voice sincere. No... Not just sincere. It was determined.

"BLAKE!" A voice shouted, and it was followed by a series of powerful blasts. Adam and Blake looked up to see Blake's partner from Team RWBY, Yang Xiao-Long, firing her shotgun-gauntlets, Ember Celica, in an effort to get past White Fang members and Grimm just outside the cafeteria, her lilac eyes wide and desperately searching. "Blake, where are you?!" Adam noticed Blake's expression of horror and smirked.

"Starting with-" Adam paused as a dark-turquoise and teal vortex appeared in the air behind him, looking back as his expression lit up in surprise. "What?!"

Out of the swirling image stepped a figure wearing a shallow-cut black dress, five necklaces with an assortment of black beads hanging haphazardly around her neck, a dark-blue girdle-belt, and a pair of matching gauntlets. Over these gauntlets rested silver bracelets thats looked just like the collapsed-form of Ember Celica.

An object that looked to be made from black feathers hung from the right side of her skirt. She also wore detached black leggings with a dark-blue splatter pattern, and black leather boots beneath them. She appeared to have a large mass of feathery black hair with some dark-blue highlights (held back slightly by a dark-blue bandanna that peered out from under her hair), and from what could be seen of her skin-tone, it was light.

Her most distinctive feature was a fearsome, full-face mask that resembled the face of a Creature of Grimm. Except, instead of white and red, it was white and dark-blue. The mask had four eye slits, further enhancing the figure's inhuman appearance.

She was armed with a strange dark-grey sheath, and as Blake and Adam watched, she gripped the hilt of a blade. Blake's eyes widened as the sheath seemed to rotate, and she realized that it had a rotary chamber filled with different types of Dust blades, reminiscent of the Dust-vial chamber of Weiss Schnee's Myrtenaster.

The figure drew a long-bladed, single-edged ōdachi, or "great sword", that appeared to be made of some dark-blue material that Blake didn't recognize. The sword's blade was telescopic, as it instantly grew to be approximately twice the length of its sheath as the figure lowered it, appearing to challenge Adam.

"Who..?" Blake stared, sitting up as Adam stood to face the figure in dark-blue. Adam gave a small scowl, placing a hand on the hilt of his own blade: Wilt.

"What are you doing, here?" He asked coldly. The figure tilted her head to the side, and Blake wished for a moment that she could see her rescuer's eyes. Then, the cat-Faunus shuddered at what such a person might look like.

"Is that any way to greet your old friend, Adam?" The figure replied coyly. The figure's voice surprised Blake. If the cat-Faunus didn't know any better, she would think that the person under that mask was her age, and even more startling: if she didn't know any better, she would think that the person under that mask was Yang.

A colder, less-kind Yang.

But wait... Why had the figure referred to Adam as their friend? Sure, she wore a Grimm-mask, but Blake had never seen a White Fang member with a mask that large and she couldn't pick up the scent of or see any animal-trait. It could have been the smoke, but Blake was almost positive that the figure was human.

"... What do you want?" Adam demanded, not denying the claim. The figure lightly gestured with her sword to Yang, who was still fighting Grimm outside the cafeteria.

"She predicted your next move here, Adam." She announced, her tone brimming with rage. "And I cannot allow it." Adam's frown deepened, then his expression fell.

"Oh." Was his reply. Blake looked between the two, still sitting but collecting her weapon: Gambol Shroud. "I see."

"So." The figure continued, her blade still raised. "Will you allow me to remove her before you enact your vengeance, or-?" Adam shook his head.

"That girl is part of my vengeance."

"... I cannot allow you to harm her, Adam." The figure spoke quietly, her grip on her blade tightening. "The Tribe's laws are absolute. You know this, and you know that I have chosen. You must grant me my Right of One."

"I am no longer associated with the Tribe. You know that."

"Oh well, then. That, combined with what you are trying to accomplish here, means that there's no reason for our forces to play friends anymore, yes? I suppose that, now, you and Sienna Khan's forces are trespassing in Mistral." The figure's voice suddenly sharpened to the point where it could have cut Hardsteel, and she stepped forward. Adam immedietly drew his blade and aimed it at her. "... And you know what we do with trespassers."

"Go on, then." Adam shot back, his blade still raised to fend the figure off. His tone was... Mocking. "Tell Raven about what I am to do, here. She won't do anything to the White Fang and risk going to war-"

"Raven isn't in charge anymore, old friend." The figure chuckled darkly, Adam's expression falling into disbelief, borderline horror. "I lead our people, now. We dueled for the Tribe last autumn, and I won." Wilt shook on his hand. "She is now my second-in-command, and she is restrained on a VERY tight leash... Choose your next move wisely." The figure's voice softened slightly. "I don't want to hurt you, Adam. But you know why I will have to, if you harm the girl."

The two were silent for a long moment, then Blake's eyes widened as Adam actually sheathed Wilt. The figure seemed to relax, lowering her own blade slightly.

"That's two you owe me." Adam glared, livid. "And I will collect." The figure nodded in agreement, then looked over as Yang finished a Beowolf. She looked back at Adam.

"You don't have much time. She will be coming this way, so you must either kill this one silently or spare her and make her suffer another day."

"... Very well." Adam glared down at Blake. "Do not mistake this as an act of mercy. Believe me... You will wish that I killed you, tonight." Adam looked up at the figure, and they gazed at each other for another long moment. "... So, you have finally succumbed to her plan for you?"

The tension in the air could have broken Gambol Shroud if Blake attempted to cut it. Blake's eyes widened at how much emotion seemed to flow through the air, even though those who had to be conveying it were wearing masks. What had Adam been hiding from her while they were partners? Who was this person? Why-?

"... You left me little choice." The figure replied quietly, looking down slightly, and Adam's expression flashed with surprise. Blake stared at him as his hands seemed to shake at his sides the longer he gazed at the figure. Then, Adam shook out of it, turned away, and ran from the cafeteria.

Blake stared as the figure in dark-blue watched him go, then the figure gave a small sigh and turned and slashed a new vortex into the air with her blade, turning and walking towards it silently. Blake stood, her eyes narrowing.

"Why?" She asked, suspicious. The figure paused. "Why call Adam old friend? Why protect Yang?" The figure remained silent. "Who is Raven?! How did she know this would happen, why does she have to be kept on a tight leash?! What is this Tribe, why is Adam a part of it and why would it side with the White Fang?! What is this Right of One?! What did you mean, you have chosen?! Who are you?!"

"Be silent!" The figure snapped, turning and glaring at Blake through the slits of her mask. Blake couldn't see her eyes, but she could feel the glare in the chill that went down her spine. "You live to see your next encounter with Adam because of me, and your partner goes unharmed! Do not question an act of mercy, unless-!" The warrior raised her blade slightly, and Blake tensed. "You wish it to be revoked."

Blake knew that, for some reason, the figure was working hard to keep Yang from seeing her. And all Blake would need to do was scream, and Yang would come running. That, and the figure seemed to have some moral code, and she had promised Blake's life to Adam. Blake's resolve to get answers steeled. The figure wouldn't dare strike.

"... How do you know that Yang is my partner?" Blake asked, her grip on Gambol Shroud tightening. "Who are you?!" The figure growled and raised her blade, probably attempting intimidation (why may have worked, Blake decided, given time), only for both she and Blake to turn as they heard the priming of two shotguns.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Yang yelled in fury, her hair on fire and her eyes glowing red, leaping out of the doorway and slamming her flaming fist into the figure's stomach. The warrior in blue was set flying back into a wall, landing on her feet as the vortex she had been just about to enter vanished. The figure and Yang faced each other, Yang's eyes narrowed in rage as she clenched her fists, baring her teeth. "Raven!"

Yang yelled and ran in, the figure gracefully stepping aside to dodge an attack before raising the flat of her blade to block a punch from the blonde's right hand. Yang growled and punched with her left, the figure ducking under it and leaping back to avoid another swing from the right. The figure in blue's tactic seemed to be blocking and evasion, not counterattack.

Yang tried to hit the figure with an uppercut, but the figure leapt up, somersaulting in the air over Yang before landing on two feet and turning to the girl, drawing a blade of ice-Dust and stabbing the ground, creating an ice-slick. Yang punched the ground and created a shroud of steam, and Blake quickly grabbed her gun and fired, dispersing it.

Yang was looking around, confused, and her eyes locked on the figure. She was standing across the room from Yang, gazing at her silently, her blade sheathed with her right hand wrapped around the hilt and her left resting on the sheath.

Yang roared in rage and charged again, rearing her right fist back and loading a round into Ember Celica, punching down... Only for a silver and dark-blue version of the yellow and red gauntlet to lift up and meet it head-on, firing a round of ice-Dust and sending Yang flying back, crashing into the ground next to Blake.

"Yang!" Blake helped the Blonde Brawler up, the both of them staring with wide eyes as the figure lowered her left fist, the gauntlet quickly turning back into a silver bracelet and softly clinking against the armor of her dark-blue and black gauntlet. Yang's jaw fell open, her body shaking.

"Y-you're not-" She stuttered, stunned. The figure raised her dark-blue blade and lightly slashed it through the air, summoning a vortex and turning to it. "W-who..? Who are you?"

The figure paused, then slowly bowed her head and let out a small sigh as she sheathed her blade.

"I am bound by the rules of my people." She announced quietly. She spoke with that same tone, and Blake did not think that Yang was able to realize how similar their voices were. "They believe that the strong survive, and the weak die. Those are the rules, actually. Rules that I have tried to change, but tradition is a powerful thing..." Yang raised an eyebrow. "I was told, when I learned of your existence, that I had a Right of One. It was my right to save you once. Raven has already used her Right of One, so when she told me what would happen to you, I saw little choice."

"She knew this would happen?" Yang asked, her eyes narrowing. Then, she frowned. "But why? Why would you go through all of this to save me from... Whatever you saved me from?"

"I saved you from losing your right arm." The figure announced simply, maybe even arrogantly, Blake and Yang's eyes widening in shock. "And as for why... It hardly matters, now. I completed the Right, so I must return to my people, for if they learned of you and why I did this before I can change things-"

"Why? Why did you do this?" Yang demanded, stepping forward. "Who are you?!"

"... I was not spared the pain of knowing that you existed." The figure spoke with a weariness, like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. "It would be best if you were left with this unanswered question, at least for now, rather than knowing what I know and having to live with what she decided for us weighing your heart and mind."

"She?" Yang asked, clenching her fists. "You mean Raven?" The figure didn't reply. "You know where she is? She's one of your people? ... Why did she leave me?!"

"Yang-"

"Why?!"

"Please, I have to-"

"That's it!" Yang marched up and grabbed the figure's mask, tearing it off and throwing it aside. The figure was so shocked by this that she didn't even think of going after it or trying to hide her face. Yang's lilac eyes met a pair of sapphire blue, and everything seemed to go quiet.

The girl standing before Yang was seventeen, approaching eighteen. Her facial-structure was identical to Yang's, save her lighter skin-tone and her higher eyebrows. She also wore eyeliner that made her eyes looks sharper, adding to the slowly-growing belief in Blake that every part of this person was designed to intimidate.

"I..." The girl took a step back, she and Yang staring at each other with wide eyes. Yang slowly reached out, stunned.

"Y-you look like-" She managed to speak. Suddenly girl in dark-blue activated her right gauntlet and fired at the ground, coating the floor in ice. As Yang and Blake slid, the girl ran across the ice without effort and grabbed her mask, placing it back on her face before turning and running toward the vortex. Yang fired her right gauntlet at the ground to reduce the ice to steam, and she ran after the girl. "Wait, stop!"

The girl was six feet from her portal when a grey, black, and red shape knocked her aside, ripping a large silver blade through the vortex and disbursing it. The girl stood, glaring and drawing a blade of ice-Dust as Qrow Branwen stood there, his eyes narrowed as he stared at the girl.

"Stand. Down." He ordered, Yang pausing as she and Blake watched with wide eyes, but the girl got into a fighting-stance. "You screwed up, IceCube. Give up... She deserves to know the truth." The girl lowered her blade slightly.

"Uncle Qrow, who is this?!" Yang demanded, her eyes narrowing and tinting red. "Why does she dress like Raven?! Why does she look like me?!" Qrow sighed, shaking his head, then looked at the girl.

"You always said how much you wanted to meet her."

"That was a long time ago!" The girl in blue snarled, the sharpness of her tone causing Blake and Yang to flinch. Qrow didn't bat an eye. If anything, he grew concerned.

"A year ago. Kid... Just tell her." Qrow was pleading, now. "This little Firecracker's tough. If you don't tell her now, she'll just hunt you down later. And if the whole Tribe tries to attack, you won't be able to protect her." The girl in blue tensed slightly. "The strong survive, the weak die: those are the rules. You know that."

Qrow and the girl stared at each other, then the girl sheathed her blade, bowing her head and removing her mask with both hands, attaching it to her belt so that it rested on top of her weapon's sheath.

"... Who are you?" Yang asked, stepping forward. The girl sighed, then turned around and faced Yang, managing a small smile.

"My name is Rhea Branwen." She replied, and Yang's eyes widened. "Yang... We have a lot to talk about."


To the fans of "A Tale of Twin Dragons":

I know what you're thinking: "should we kill IceWarrior13?". And the answer may surprise you-

*screams and runs away from a crowd of rioters in fear*

I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I-!

*dies*

...

Just kidding!

Guys, I'm going to be completely honest with you: I love "A Tale of Twin Dragons". I really do, it's one of my greatest creations and I fully plan on continuing it. But with the arrival of Volume Four, I began to regret certain choices I made and began writing this - a darker, less-kind story that focuses more upon Rhea's character, her backstory, and her interactions with others than how cool she can be.

I was a far more amateur writer when I first began working on "A Tale of Twin Dragons", but I've learned a lot over the summer. I've even began working in my first real novel, but even that's being shoved aside a bit now that the new school year's started.

But just because real life is beginning to push this to the sidelines doesn't mean I'm going to stop. I love writing these stories, I love seeing your comments, and I love the stories themselves. They're my babies, and every time I post a new chapter it's like I'm watching them grow up.

Consider this story "A Tale of Twin Dragon"'s younger but more mature twin-sibling, like Rhea is to Yang in both stories. Both stories will be continuing, but this one will be following a separate, independent path.

Don't misunderstand: certain elements will remain the same. I'm just going to tweak certain relationships and outcomes, and Rhea's not going to be as strong as she is in "A Tale of Twin Dragons". She's going to be powerful, of course, as she was raised by someone as strict and disciplined as Raven appears to be, but I'm going to have aura play a much bigger factor.

I know how much a lot of you love the original story, but please: bear with me in this little experiment and just give it a chance. I promise, it won't disappoint you.

I only own my OC. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)