AN: Please note that I haven't read the Guardians of Childhood books, so this story is going to be mainly based on the movie-universe. I know some things from the books though, so it won't be completely different.
To give some details, this is based a couple of years in the future from Volume 4/5 of RWBY, and slightly after the events of the Rise of the Guardians movie.
Chapter 1: Moon
Weiss had never believed in an afterlife. She had always been taught to believe that death was final - an inescapable truth, that nothing waited for her beyond.
People always said that as you died, your life would flash before your eyes, and you would finally be put to peace. In her final painful moments, Weiss accepted the future nothingness with all her heart. After all, 'nothing' was far better than the pain and suffering she would go through if she stayed in this world. And so she closed her eyes, falling into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.
Her life did not, in fact, flash through her mind. Instead she simply fell asleep, the pain from her many wounds dulling to a stop, all worries leaving her. And, with one final breath, she accepted the fact that she would cease to exist.
Only, that wasn't the case.
When she finally regained some semblance of consciousness, it took her a small while to figure her bearings. The shock of still feeling, of still being alive, was pushed away by a warm, almost comforting feeling.
She felt as though she were floating, a gentle stream of warmth beating into her skin, almost pushing her back to sleep. Weiss felt surprisingly calm for someone who died just moments ago, and, as if feeling her thoughts the floating stopped, and she was lowered to the ground.
Beneath her back the ground was soft - grass, she imagined, a stark contrast to the rough ground she was on earlier. Willing herself, Weiss opened her eyes widely, taking in the beautiful sight.
She stared directly at the moon, bright and full, warm and calming. For a moment she stilled as words filled her mind, as if that moon was talking to her. 'Weiss Schnee', it had said, 'You are the spirit of Valour.'
Soon the grogginess faded, and her mind began working properly again. Her eyes widened, if at all possible, at the sight in front of her. Though the moon speaking to her was an extraordinary feat all on its own, the fact that it was so large and so full surprised her.
The familiar sight of a shattered moon went through her mind, yet this talking moon was full, in tact - fully spherical. Panic began to grip her as she took a deep breath, the shock of everything returning to her.
She had died. There was no feasible way for her to have survived the wounds she had received, and the fact that she felt no pain indicated that the wounds disappeared, somehow, from her body. Yet here she was, awake, alive, staring at an unbroken, talking moon, on a bed of soft grass.
Perhaps this was the afterlife, maybe Heaven really did exist. It would explain a lot, but then the words spoken by the damned moon replayed in her mind.
Spirit, it had said she was a spirit. Was she reborn as a ghost, left to wander until she could be at peace? And what had it meant, Spirit of Valour?
Growling at all the unanswered questions, Weiss chose to stop wondering and start finding the answers out for herself. She pushed herself up to a sitting position, her heavy limbs difficult to move at first. With one more push, she was up, standing on her wobbly feet. Surrounding her was a forest, the green reminding her of the Emerald Forest from back when she attended Beacon. Wherever she was, it was not Vacuo or Atlas, and certainly not the Realm in which she died. Maybe she was back all the way near Mistral, or perhaps even Vale.
Well, wherever she was, she will find out.
Looking down at herself, Weiss realised she was still in the outfit she had died in. The blue dress was clean, unblemished from the dirt, blood and rips that she had obtained in the battle. Her wounds, like she had felt earlier, had disappeared, as if they never existed in the first place. Strapped on her waist, thankfully, was her trusty weapon. Myrtenaster's dust cartridges were full. Removing the weapon from her waist Weiss stared, wondering if her death had affected her abilities in any way.
Placing the tip on the ground, she smiled happily when a glyph appeared beneath her feet. The familiar tug of her semblance soothed her emotions, just a little, for at least she had some things familiar in this unfamiliar place.
She stood there for moments, relaxing her muscles as the calm wind blew her hair back. The temporary heaviness of her limbs reduced to nothing as she regained her full mobility. Placing Myrtenaster back on her waist, Weiss stretched her arms above her head before walking forward. Her first step would have to be to find civilisation, hopefully avoiding Grimm and bandits along the way. From there she could find out where she was, and what was happening.
She wandered aimlessly, making sure to mark her way so she didn't end up walking around in circles. As usual, her heels slightly restrained her ability to walk through the forest cooly, and with a soft laugh she remembered her initiation, all that time ago. She was glad she wasn't stumbling around like that right now, as she was far more experienced in rough terrain now. Perhaps heels weren't the best idea for an outfit, especially when one would be fighting, but she couldn't deny the slight advantages she got from them. Also, they were quite fashionable.
With her mind still slightly hazed from the whole dying experience, Weiss wasn't aware of exactly how much time passed before she found a path. The strange moon still hung high above her, meaning it thankfully didn't take too long.
The path she found was simple, a small dirt walkway void of much vegetation. Though it was not paved, it was definitely used to travel somewhere - hopefully, it was connected to some civilisation.
Choosing a direction quickly Weiss followed the path, keeping her eyes out for any movement or signs. Surprisingly she had not caught sight of any Grimm yet, and she hoped that would continue. Having no food or water with her made it much more dire if she did have to fight. However, despite walking for what she assumed was a few hours, she didn't feel hungry nor thirsty. Perhaps whatever this 'spirit' thing is, didn't have to eat. Either way, she didn't want to take any chances.
Her worry was for naught as she spotted lights in the distance. Speeding her walk to a run, Weiss rushed towards the light - as ironic as that sounded. As the town came into view, Weiss rushed further until she stood at the edge of the forest, facing towards it.
Her glee at finding civilisation turned to apprehension, however. For such a large village - no, this wasn't a village. For such a large town there was absolutely no security at the border, what would happen if the Grimm were to attack? Perhaps the town huntsmen were asleep, but that wouldn't explain the complete lack of protection during the night. The next thing she noticed was just how... Primitive everything looked. Yet, despite that it also looked so advanced. Completely different to the villages of Mistral or any town or city she had seen before.
Electrical lights framed the streets, very unlike the sleek design of the lights she saw elsewhere. Choosing to further explore the strange town, Weiss slowly walked through the streets. She didn't see anybody outside, probably since it was the dead of night. However after ten minutes of walking she finally spotted a small group of people, walking and talking down the opposite end of the street. Thanking her luck, Weiss quickly crossed to hopefully greet the group and get answers to where exactly she was.
It didn't take long for her to reach them. "Excuse me?" She asked as they came close, "I'm a bit lost."
If the group had heard her, they made no mention of it. It was as if they completely ignored her presence, the sheer dismissal sending a jolt of annoyance down her spine. Gritting her teeth, she once again called for their attention, stepping directly in front of them. "Excuse me?" She asked again, this time her voice higher and more agitated. She patiently waited for any indication that they heard her, standing with a glare.
Only to have them walk straight through her.
With a gasp, Weiss clutched her chest in utter shock, her breathing deep and sharp. What was that? She swung around, facing the groups direction. Perhaps her earlier theory was true, maybe she really was a ghost? The thought left her frustrated, after all ghosts didn't exist, right?
She tried to call for their attention again, this time avoiding stepping in front of them. The unpleasant feeling of someone walking through her was something she never wanted to feel again.
Despite her tries, the group didn't see or hear her. She stood still, rooted on the spot - she was invisible. It was like she didn't even exist. Was this death?
Her earlier thought of heaven sprung into her mind, but she shook her head. No, if this were the afterlife, it would be hell.
Shaking, she averted her eyes from the now distant group and glared up at the moon. The comforting feeling she felt from the orb earlier dissipated, leaving her with a sense of suspicion and disgust. With her hands tight in fists at her side, she directed all her frustration, anger and confusion at the only thing to have spoken to her since she woke.
"What is going on?" She yelled up, "What is all of this? Why can't they see me, what is this place?"
Silence answered her. Typical, she thought. This wasn't the first time important information would be excluded from her. Yet this was about her, and being thrown into wherever she was with absolutely no information about it, it angered her. What was she supposed to do? What was she supposed to be? It's always the same, questions without answers. The only difference this time was that she was alone.
With that thought some of her anger dissipated into sadness. She wondered what her team was doing, back home, she hoped they were okay. She wondered if they were grieving, if they had noticed she had died yet. Since they were so far away at the time, she had no idea if they even knew she was gone. Would they find a body?
Shaking her head from these thoughts, she frowned determinedly. She was Weiss Schnee, member of Team RWBY, former heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. This wasn't going to stop her, she will find a way back to them. No matter what.
"Fine." She whispered to the moon, "Be silent. I'll find my own way."
Turning away from the orb, she began to walk in a random direction when she felt a cool breeze nearly knock her off her feet. Snow started falling from the sky, coating her with white specks. Being raised in Atlas, the cold rarely bothered her even in such a state of dress, but she couldn't help the shiver from the sudden onslaught. Turning to the direction of the wind, her eyes focused on a man above her, standing on the opposite side of the road.
He stood nonchalantly, leaning against a wooden staff with a soft smirk on his face. His eyes glinted with mischief, and his feet were bare against the cold concrete. His white hair reminded her of her own, but she knew from the instant she was him that he wasn't a Schnee. Another thing she noticed instantly was the fact that he was attractive, his confident demeanour reminding her of Neptune. She had long since gotten over her crush on the boy, especially after deciding that romance wasn't worth it when fighting against monsters and people who wanted to destroy the world.
The man looked directly at her as he grinned, and the thought that he could actually see her made her confused. His voice, too, sending a shiver down her spine. "There's no point in trying to talk to him." He spoke, "He won't answer."