The air was heavy, far heavier than their high altitude should allow. Something tense and dangerous hung in the atmosphere, the pressure growing as the airship descended, shaking its occupants to the core far more than the roar of the engines.
With the door wide open the four person crew stared out at the horizon, the sun peaking out, rising above a massive forest that swallowed up the light like a black hole. The warm rays of sunshine flowed into the cabin of the vehicle, shimmering in the mirror-like eyes that were fixed firmly down on the woods below.
"Three-hundred meters before we reach the exclusion zone landing strip alpha, sir!" A deep voice shouted from the cockpit, barely able to rise above the powerful jets.
"We're almost there, are you ready?" A rough and worn out older man with graying hair and beard spoke softly, so that only the woman beside him could hear him.
Still, the figure clocked in crimson red didn't speak or flinch, her eyes never straying from the tree line that separated the forest from the world outside.
"I think that should be enough of an answer, General Ironwood." The distant voice of his second in command, Winter Schnee, spoke, sitting directly across from him. She too was fixated on their destination, her fists clenched, one at her side, and one around the hilt of her sword.
"I suppose it was a foolish question. After all, this is what she's been preparing for." Ironwood's hand was shaking, he could feel it too, he could feel a repulsive force, like a warning shaking through his aura.
"I suppose I should mention that you have some friends that will be meeting you once we land." He compelled his voice to sound as optimistic as he could make it.
"... Friends?" The figure spoke, her voice smooth but hard as metal, deeper and more mature than how it sounded the last time she looked upon those trees.
"Yes, don't worry, they won't be going in with you, they're just here to see you off." Ironwood willed his hand to stop its trembling so he could rest it on her firm shoulder, giving her what little reassurance he could. "Ru-"
The airship banked steeply before he could finish! A wave of unnatural turbulence rattled and shook the military grade war machine like a rag doll. Everyone clung on as gravity pulled them towards the open door.
"Get it stabilized now!" He screamed to the pilot with his teeth bared. Quickly he looked around the cabin, making sure everyone was accounted for, but by the time his attention turned from Winter, the woman that was beside him had stood up. Before he could move, she took a single step… and plummeted towards the ground.
"Ruby!" He couldn't do anything and the airship was lurching into a roll that would send them all crashing to the ground.
BOOOOOM!
A roar that could deafen thunder exploded from outside sending a gale of wind and rose petals slamming into their vehicle, the face of the gust knocking the ship upright!
"Damn it, she's just as insubordinate and impatient as the day she left!" He growled over the ringing in his ears caused by Ruby's sonic boom.
"Cut her some slack." Winter composed herself, drawing in a deep breath of the unnatural air. "She's been waiting seven years for this."
There was nothing he could say to that, it was true, no one had more reason to be impatient than Ruby. Everyone that was there to see her off had a part to play in getting her ready for this day.
"Sir, we've stabilized and are preparing to touch down." The pilot's voice was shaking but his tone carried a heavy note of relief. Still, Ironwood knew that relief would be short lived.
After another minute of descent, the legs of the airship touched down on the large slab of concrete and the engines slowly lurched to a stop. In the absence of the powerful jets, an ominous silence creeped in. Ironwood and Winter disembarked, stepping onto the manmade platform they took in the scene before them.
Ruby stood in a shallow crater, earth and stone blown away by her landing. Rose petals slowly floated down, pooling in the wound she carved into the ground. She was there, at the threshold of the impenetrably dense forest.
A massively militarized border stretched as far as the eye could see around them, severing the trees from the outside world. Troops, tanks, robots, turrets, airships, missiles and monitoring instruments all poised against a terrifying force they stood no chance against.
"It's gotten bigger…" Winter's words left her lips as cold as her namesake as she stood at the edge of Ruby's crater.
"Nearly every attempt to halt the growth has failed. Bulldozing or cutting the trees released a toxin into the air, killing my men in minutes. What's worse, the toxins in question were spores that grew from inside their bodies. We had to return the corpses here to keep new patches from taking root outside the quarantine zone. Even burning didn't help. We've managed to only slow its growth by directing high energy electromagnetic waves and radiation into the trees." The general's skin was pale and he could feel his heart rate climbing just from looking into the tangled mass of branches, leaves of vines.
The once ferocious gales had subsided, waning into a disarmingly warm and gentle breeze, so soft that it was almost inviting, tempting them towards the trees. A chill of dread crawled over his skin, he couldn't move, he couldn't look away as leaves swayed rhythmically and enticingly. Then… the air became deadly still, and everything stopped moving, as though frozen in time.
"It knows we're here." Ruby muttered while she stepped out from the crater, her hood and cape still fluttering despite the deathly still air. Her body moved without hesitating, walking forward in defiance of the fear the gripped the general and Winter. She radiated a ferocity and fury that, just for a moment, eclipsed even the forest.
"Are you just going to leave without saying goodbye? Heh, that's family for you." A cool and cocky voice from behind them broke the silence and brought Ruby to a dead stop.
"Sorry… Raven." Finally, for the first time since they boarded the airship, Ruby's voice carried a hint of her old self a spark of warmth and caring that reflected in her eyes as she turned to face her aunt.
"I spend two years training your ungrateful ass and that's all I get after not seeing me for over a year?" The bandit shoved both Winter and Ironwood out of her way before stopping in front of her protege. "Good, I trained you well then."
"Don't think I can't tell I rubbed off you too, otherwise you wouldn't have come out here to see me off." The faintest smirk lit up her face as she reached for her hood. Long and lustrous dark, crimson tipped hair flowed out. The sunlight revealed a woman beneath the cloak, grown and strong, every detail of her face showing age and experience mixed with overflowing youthful energy and intensity. She was in her prime, and stronger than ever.
"Maybe I just have a morbid fascination with people walking into certain death." Raven quipped, placing on hand on her hip, staring down her protege from the other side of the little crater.
"After I beat you, you still have no faith in me? That hurts." Ruby mirrored Raven's pose, her face glowing with playful enthusiasm and gratitude.
"I just know how much of a slacker you are, I bet you've gotten rusty spending a year without me forcing you out of bed on time." She knew it wasn't the case, if anything, Ruby seemed even stronger to her now… a terrifying but reassuring thought to the Spring Maiden.
"Don't go turning into my sister now, kid. You won't be able to keep a husband when you get back." A raspy voice strained a sarcastic tone. A man in a wheelchair with tubes running through is throat and chest wheeled himself towards them.
"Uncle Qrow… I didn't think-"
"Didn't think I'd come to see you off? Now who has no faith? Heh-he- *cough!*" Through his weak smile, the once fearsome Huntsman coughed, his dry throat straining and his face wincing from the pain. He was a shadow of his former self, broken, missing three out of four limbs leaving only his right arm and covered in scars all over his body.
"Take it easy old man, the last thing our girl needs is to be worrying about you falling apart while she's in there." A big, burly, muscular dog faunus woman that dwarfed even General Ironwood spoke as she joined the growing reunion around Ruby. She had curly black hair and floppy dog ears atop her head.
"Cobalt!" Ruby's lit up with surprise and happiness.
"Look at you, you've grown. Sure hope you've been taking care of that weapon we forged together, it's my masterpiece you know?" The world renowned weaponsmith let out a deep, hearty laugh, playfully smacking Ruby's side hard enough to nearly topple the Huntress.
"Hey, leave my big sister alone, she's mine!" The moment Ruby registered the very girly voice, she felt two arms wrap around her waist.
"B-Bianca! You're um… here too huh?" Ruby's lips contorted into an awkward half smile while her cheeks tinted slightly pink.
"I wouldn't miss a chance to see my honorary big sister and favorite student off!" An all too excited and bully girl no older than fifteen looked up at Ruby. She had short, platinum blonde hair and brilliant Silver Eyes that shined like liquid metal.
"I begged the General to let me come with you, I mean, I tried to teach you as much as I could about your Silver Eyes but I only had two years with you and you've been gone from me for three since then! Having another Silver Eyed Warrior on your team would just make sense! But that meanie-face said I'm too young to go in!" Bianca puffed out her cheeks and stared pleadingly at Ruby, holding the older girl as tight as she could.
"I'm happy you came, and I wouldn't be able to do this without everything you've taught me, but General Ironwood is right, this place… it's too dangerous for anyone else." A gentle and loving smile replaced her awkward grin while she rested her warm hand atop the young girl's head.
"Ruby, I know you want to leave right away, but we're only going to get one shot at this. I'd like to run a diagnostic scan to make sure you're ready." General Ironwood stepped forward, pushing aside Raven while he pulled a high tech device from his coat pocket.
"Yes Sir, I understand." With soft sigh, she held out her arm. "Penny, open port Alpha and prepare a diagnostic report for General Ironwood."
Yes Ma'am! Initiating global systems check! A voice spoke to Ruby inside her head from beside her own consciousness, a familiar and optimistic voice that gave her a sense of relief. A moment later, the synthetic skin on her arm retracted, opening a small port which the General tapped a wire into from his device.
"Oh, and don't think I came here to see you off empty handed ya little thorn in my butt." Cobalt snickered, reaching into her bag and returning with two belts loaded with unique dust cartridges. "This should last you. That weapon is a marvel ya know, all the technological resources of the Altisian military combined with my keen eye and unparalleled talent, you better come back with it in one piece ya hear?"
"Heh-heh, don't worry, I'll take good care of Smoldering Rose… and myself. Thank you." Returning the caring gesture with a deeply grateful nod, she accepted the cartridges with her free hand.
"As for me, I didn't bring you anything as useful as that but I- *cough*- I figured you need to eat right?" Rolling up as close to Ruby as he could, Qrow held out a small shopping bag heavy with snacks. "Make sure you eat those strawberries quick okay kid?"
"Thank you uncle Qrow… I really appreciate it." It had been so long since she last saw him, just looking at the uncle she admired so much growing up in such a state nearly brought her to tears… But I still admire him. He's the strongest man I know.
"Ruby-Ruby-Ruby-Ruby-Ruuuuubyyyy!" Bianca violently shook her honorary big sister to steal her attention.
"Damn it, Bianca! Stop that! I'm trying to run a very important scan!" Ironwood snapped before looking back to the screen on his device, grumbling under his breath.
"Ruby! I need to make sure, since you left me three whole years ago, I need to know if you remember the Silver Verse!" Her exuberance was gone, replaced with desperate impatience and worry. "Please tell me you at least haven't forgotten that…"
"I haven't." Giving her youngest teacher a reassuring smile, Ruby took a deep breath, and closed her eyes.
"Purity is our strength.
With righteousness we stand separate from the world mired in corruption.
With eyes of silver we purge the darkness in our sights.
We are truth and light, rending falsehood and restoring order.
With our power we pledge to protect those who cannot protect themselves for the impurities that plague the world.
Purity is our Strength,
Light is our virtue
and…"
Ruby slowly opened her eyes as violent wind howled from the forest reeking with the smell of blood. A stellar light of silver flowed out, washing over everything and casting a holy radiance over them all.
"Silver is our birthright."
As the light faded, so too did the wind and odor of death and the air again fell deathly still. Everyone around her stood in awe, save for Bianca, who just smiled so, so proudly.
"Here, I want you to have this, I just needed to make sure you were serious about being a Silver Eyed Warrior. I can tell you've been practicing a lot." Bianca finally let Ruby go from her warm and tight hug, only to free her hands so she could reach into her back pocket.
"A necklace?" Ruby raised an eyebrow dubiously at the trinket. A simple, thick disk of silver with a hole bored in the middle.
"It's special." She assured, carefully placing it over Ruby's head. "It's mined from a sacred in the west and forged using a traditional method that dates back before the era of Dust. It will resonate with your soul and keep you safe."
"Thank you, Bianca. I-"
"Don't thank me!" The child stomped her foot down, her eyes almost overflowing with tears. "You have to come back safe! You have to! You're my big sister now so you have to come back to me!"
"I…" Ruby was stunned, staring down at this innocent little kid who was again holding onto her as tight as she could. Ruby's lips pulled gently into a wistful, loving smile as she wrapped her arm firmly around the kid. "I'll come home… I promise."
"All your systems are operating at optimal capacity." Ironwood sighed, unplugging his device from Ruby. "You're cleared to begin your mission."
"Thanks General, none of this would have been possible without you putting me back together." She balled her hand into a fist, closing the port as though it were never there.
"You can thank me when you come back safe. The world might need you to go in, but everyone here needs you to come back out, don't forget that." He was as stoic as ever, but she knew his words were genuine… and that he counted himself among the people that wanted her to come home safe.
"I won't let you down… any of you." Looking around at all the faces shining with love and worry for her, it made her heart feel something it hadn't felt in seven years… I feel at home. I have to do this, for this family… and the ones I'm going in to save!
"Communication will be impossible after five-hundred meters in but we'll monitor you for as long as we can. Penny will record everything and send back the data, once you're beyond the Dark Threshold of five-hundred meters, she'll record and store everything you see and hear." He didn't say it out loud, but most of them understood what that meant. A black-box, in case Ruby didn't make it out alive.
"Understood. I'll see you all again as soon as I can." Giving a firm nod, Ruby stepped back, parting from the family she cobbled together over the last seven years. The people that meant so much to her that she would die for them, gave her the impetus to return home at any cost. She turned and began walking to the edge of the woods, her eyes burning with the fierce and deadly conviction.
"Wait." Raven's voice whispered from behind her and as soon as Ruby turned to face her, she was pulled into a tight trembling hug. "I- I'm sorry. I know I should go with you, my daughter is in there but…"
"You don't need to be sorry." Ruby returned the hug with an embrace of her own, pulling Raven as close as she could. "You're the Spring Maiden, if I don't come out, I need you to keep everyone safe, especially Bianca. Only someone with Silver Eyes can make it to the center. Train her like you did for me, if I fail… she may be the world's only hope."
"That's a terrifying thought, heh-heh." A shaky, nervous laugh left Raven's lips as she slowly pulled away. "Just… make sure you don't fail."
"You won't get rid of me that easily." With a confident declaration, Ruby took a step back… and turned around, walking slowly into the forest. "I'll see you soon… I hope."
With those parting words, Ruby disappeared into the dark, tangled growth of supernatural trees. Her family gathered at the border of the forest, any smiles they wore quickly fading into bleak despair.
"Angel's Way… the massive forest that appeared seven years ago, a place so terrifying and vile that all but the most powerful Grimm won't even enter the outermost circle. No one knows what's deeper in." Winter's hand quaked around the hilt of her sword as she spoke to softly to herself.
"That's why it's called Angel's Way… because no one who has gone in, has come back alive."