This is my first attempt for a 3rd person story. My writing style favors 1st person but this story requires 3rd person to have it's desired impact on the readers.
The following takes place between volume 1 and volume 2
Act 1: The Shadow Zone
Everything is grey, the soil, the grass, the sky, even the sun. A shadowy figure walks in the distance. His black, ankle long overcoat blowing in the wind as he approaches a tent. He walks with a black orthopedic grip cane. As he enters the tent he looks at a wooden board. It is marked with hundreds of scratches. The man grabs a knife and scratches on one more.
"Ten years." His dead, gravely voice speaks.
A growl can be heard outside the tent. The man looks in the direction of the noise. He puts the knife down and grabs his cane, before leaving the tent.
Team RWBY are running through a forest.
"Whoa!" Ruby shouts as she dashes across the beaten path. "Last one back cleans the dorm!"
"That's ridiculous!" Weiss responds. "You're only doing this because you know your semblance will give you an advantage!"
"It actually sounds fun!" Yang says.
"Fine." Weiss says convinced by the excitement on the sisters' faces. "But I don't intent to lose."
Weiss smirks and used her Glyphs to give her a boost and increase her speed. Ruby uses her semblance to pass Weiss. Yang and Blake struggle to keep up. Ruby lead is interrupted by a loud screeching. Suddenly a black shadowy portal opens in front of her. Ruby can't stop in time and speeds inside. By the time any of Team RWBY caught up the portal had shrunk to a size too small for any of them to fit.
On the other end of the portal everything looked the same as before, but everything was grey. Ruby turned around to see the rest of her team confused and worried as the portal shut. Ruby walks to them.
"That was weird." she says.
But Team RWBY can't hear Ruby.
"Hello?" She waves her hand in front of Yang's face.
Team RWBY can't see her either. She realizes she can't hear her team either, despite their mouths clearly moving. Ruby takes out her scroll and calls Yang but the call fails. Ruby tries to call the other members of Team RWBY with the same results. Ruby looks around and realizes she is creating footprints. She tries to grab a twig but her hand goes through it.
"Huh?" Ruby questions.
Instead Ruby uses her finger to write in the dirt; I'm here but you can't see or here me and I can't hear you. Weiss noticed the dirt moving first and informed Yang and Blake of it. Once the message is written Yang writes in it; Stay here, we'll find a way to help. Weiss runs back towards Beacon to find help their while Yang and Blake think about ideas. Ruby hears a growl. She turns to see what looks like three Beowolves made purely out of black smoke. Ruby grabs her scythe and swings at one. The blade goes right through the creature, just like her hand and the wood. She turns towards Yang and Blake who are looking in the direction but don't seem alarmed. Ruby realizes this is something only she can see. The shadowy Beowolves charge at Ruby. She dodges and tries to climb up a tree. Ruby passes right through it.
"Figures." She says.
One of the creature swing at Ruby and scrapes her side. The attack cuts through her cincher leaving 3 bleeding cuts on her waist. Ruby looks at the wound in both pain and confusion, her aura would normally protect her from such an attack. She begins to run realizing wherever she is must be a place where aura is ineffective. The shadowy Beowolves chase her. One catches up and lunges at Ruby. It pins her to the ground with it's feet and claws on her arms and legs. The shadowy Beowolf opens it's mouth to bite Ruby's head when it is shot through it's own. Ruby looks to where the shot came from. On a hill is the man in the black overcoat. Underneath was a black turtleneck and black pants. He has dark spikey hair with heavy stubble and burning crimson eyes. The man fires two more shots from his cane, each killing the shadowy Beowolves. He walks towards Ruby and picks her up, carrying her like a child.
"Who are you?" Ruby asks.
"The name's Onyx, and yours." The man responds
"Ruby." She says.
"Rest now Ruby, you'll need it." Onyx tells Ruby.
Onyx arrives at his tent. He enters it and places Ruby on the bed. Onyx grabs a first aid kit. He removes Ruby's cincher and rolls up her blouse to above the wound. Onyx cleans and bandages the wound before redressing her.
Ruby wakes up, slowly gets out of the bed and looks at her wound. She notices the bandages revealed by the tears in her clothes. She exits the tent to see Onyx sitting on a rock tending to a fire in the cold, dark night.
"Your awake." Onyx states.
"When did you...?" Ruby asks as she gestures towards the bandages.
"While you were asleep." He interrupts.
"You didn't...?" Ruby starts.
"No." Onyx answers.
Ruby sits on a rock nearby the fire. She places her hands over it to warm them.
"You feeling better?" Onyx asks.
"A little. I have..." Ruby begins.
"Questions. So do I." He says.
"Can you stop that?" Ruby asks.
"Fine. First off, why and how are you here?" Onyx questions.
"It was an accident, I ran through a portal." Ruby answers.
"A portal? First one in nearly four decades." Onyx states.
"What is this place?" Ruby asks.
"It doesn't have an official name because only a handful of people know about it. I call it the Shadow Zone." Onyx answers.
"The Shadow Zone." Ruby repeats.
"It's a parallel plane of existance. Animate objects are the only things that exist on both plane. In Remnant we can't be noticed in any direct method. But, all non living things can be modified in both dimensions." Onyx explains.
Ruby shook her head to show she understands.
"Aura works strangely in this dimension. In Remnant our aura will protect items close to us from being influenced by those in the Shadow Zone. But in the Shadow Zone aura stops working almost entirely. With one exception, mine." Onyx continues.
Ruby looks at Onyx with a confused expression.
"My semblance not only allows my aura to function here, it allows me to create portals into and out of this dimension." Onyx states.
"So you can send me home?" Ruby asks to confirm.
"Yes, but not right now." Onyx answers.
"Why not?" Ruby asks.
"I haven't made a portal in ten years, I don't think it'll be strong enough to send you through." Onyx explains.
"You've been here for ten years?" Ruby questions.
"Yes, I've been living here to learn more about this dimension in order to implement it into my fighting style." Onyx says.
"Last one, what were those things that attacked me?" Ruby asks.
"Shadowolves. They appear as shadowy versions of Beowolves, but they are so much more. Shadowolves have the ability to make their bodies intangible. With one exception, their head." Onyx states, "You should get some rest. We'll try to get you home first thing in the morning."
Ruby gets up and goes back inside. And Onyx stares at the fire. His eyes widen. Beneath his breath, he whispers,
"Summer."