Grimm Ascension

An: Hello guys! Here's the renewed version of my Grimm Ascension story! Just know that it's a lot different from the original. As stated in the author's note on Sept. 4th, this is one of three RWBY themed stories I am posting in celebration of RWBY vol. 5's release! The others are Breaking Expectations (formerly A Rose with a Dash of Coco) and Taken, but Returned (A RWBY multicross).

Sadly, Roosterteeth's video player ain't loading on my computer, so I have to wait a week, as I'm not a member, but that's ok! I've waited this long, I can hold off another week!

But please note that this story will be updated slowly, as the chapters are going to typically long so it will take some time to write so please be patient with it. Now without further ado, let's get started!

Chapter 1- Ascensions

"Enough!" The sharp, annoyed tone came from behind Cinder as she fell to her knees in exhaustion. The once beautifully alluring woman now had an ugly scar over her ruined left eye and short hair that covered her eye patch. She wore a red dress with no right sleeve, black boots, and a long grey sleeve on her right arm capped with a gold ban.

The woman behind her wore a white dress under a dark cloak as she walked up to Cinder. She had stark white skin and had the eyes of a Grimm; amber-red eyes with black sclera. This was Salem.

"I thought you were the girl who wanted power?" she asked the Fall Maiden. "Tell me, did you lie to me?" Cinder gritted her teeth in frustration as she turned to Salem and shook her head. "Then quit holding back," she continued. "You won't-"

She was cut off when the doors of her castle were thrown open, causing the two women to turn to see who was entering. Soon, Tyrian, the Scorpion Faunus working under Salem with Cinder, soon strolled into the room, an ominous chuckle escaping his throat occasionally as he walked into the room. Behind him, he dragged a red cloaked body by his tail.

"Tyrian," Salem greeted. "Did you complete your assignment?" Tyrian chuckled maniacally.

"I did," he answered his goddess, and swung his unwilling passenger over his shoulder and in front of Salem. The person, a young girl, cried out silently as she hit the ground with resounding thunk on the stone floor. Cinder looked shocked at the red cloaked girl. Was that really…?

Tyrian soon began chuckling again as Salem smiled and knelt to the girl. Cinder looked to the mad scorpion Faunus, and he opened one eye wide and pointed to it. "An eye for an eye!" he chuckled quietly. Cinder's eye widened and looked to the girl.

Salem paid them no mind as she slowly reached to the figure and lifted girl's head, revealing the bruised face of one Ruby Rose, the area around her right eye was bloodied and mangled. She smiled wider.

"Did I do well, my goddess?" Tyrian asked in trepidation, hope lacing his voice. Salem simply turned to him.

"You did well, Tyrian," she said. "You've brought me what I asked for. My thanks." Tyrian began smiling in delight as his chuckles grew more maniacal. This also had Ruby groan weakly, her left eye fluttering as she fought off pain to wake up. Salem smiled wider as Ruby opened her eye and stared into her red ones. The girl gasped painfully.

"I'm glad you're awake now, child," Salem greeted, still smiling creepily at the sixteen year old girl.

"W-Who…" Ruby croaked out. "Who are you?" Salem looked pleased as she stroked the girl's cheek.

"My, my, child, you seem to be quite demanding," she chided lightly. "Surely your parents taught you better than to demand answers from others, yes?" Ruby tried to glare at the woman, but the pain in her right eye prevented her from holding it long. Salem chuckled at the attempt. "But I suppose it won't hurt for me to introduce myself: My name is Salem, child. And you must be Ruby Rose, correct?"

Ruby looked shocked that she knew her name until Salem chuckled again. "Oh, my dear, sweet Emerald told me all about you after what you did to Cinder over here," the dark witch explained, motioning to the new Fall Maiden. Ruby's good eye whirled towards the woman in question and looked shocked at the sight of her wounded face, but at the same time looked quite vindicated at the girl's wounds.

"Admiring your handiwork, child?" Salem questioned, regaining Ruby's attention. "You did that to her. Ruined her eye, damaged her voice box, and even mangled her arm. For someone so untrained in their power, you certainly can unleashed a good amount of it."

"I…I did all that…?" she asked, eye attempting to widen but the pain prevented her from doing so. Salem smiled again.

"Yes, child," she confirmed with a nod. Ruby fought her pain and glared at the amber eyed woman.

"S…She deserves worse…" Ruby said roughly, making Cinder sneer her way. She tried to attack her, but Salem held up her hand, stalling the Maiden.

"Is that so?" the dark witch asked, tiling her head to the side. "For her part in the destruction of Beacon? For killing that Pyrrha girl? For killing the previous Fall Maiden?" Ruby looked ready to retort until Salem mentioned the Fall Maiden. Wasn't that a myth? Salem caught her look of confusion and chuckled a little louder.

"Ozpin never told you of the Maidens? The one person who could have been his best defense against a Maiden should she use her powers for ill?" Her chuckling increased. "Somehow, I'm not as shocked as I should be. Oh, Ozpin, you fool. Allowing such potential to pretend she was just a mere child. So like you really."

"W-What are you talking about…?" Ruby tried to demand, and it was pissing Tyrian off. How dare this little wench demand things from his goddess! She should be cowering at her feet and be thankful she hadn't been turned to Grimm fodder yet!

He kicked the girl, causing her to yelp as his foot connected with some bruised ribs. "You little bitch!" he screeched. "You shouldn't demand things from her!" He kicked her again, making the girl whimper in pain.

"Tyrian!" Salem barked. "Enough!" But Tyrian didn't listen as he ranted to her.

"You deserve nothing more than to keel over and die! Just like Qrow will!" he hissed. Ruby froze and looked up at Tyrian in shock, making him smile madly. He laughed crazily. "That's right, little girl! All your attempts to save him were in vain! Even though you lost your eye trying to save him, I still cut him! The venom will kill him soon! He'll die, despite all your efforts to save him! AAAhahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"

He had said it to break her, hoping that someone she seemed to care for was dead. Truthfully sound logic, if the girl he was taunting was not descended from the silver eyed warriors.

Ruby's mind blanked, thinking back to the fight her Uncle Qrow, Jaune, Ren, Nora, and herself had had against this scorpion Faunus. She remembered how useless she felt after her new team RNJR (Ranger) fell against him and how Qrow had to fight the battle for them. She remembered trying to help him and the numerous times her uncle had to alter his fighting style to save HER. She remembered how she saw Tyrian's stinger had aimed for her uncle's blind spot, and, rather rashly, jumped in the way of it, piercing her eye.

She remembered crying in pain as the stinger dug into her eye socket, as she was dragged away by a grunting Qrow. She hadn't seen how the stinger was removed from her eye, only that when she was finally able open her left eye through the pain, Qrow was on his knees away from her with Tyrian's stinger next to him.

The thought that her uncle, the man who trained her how to use her beloved scythe, was dying, and she couldn't do a thing about it, it started to enrage her. Her mind blanked as an unbelievable swell of power rushed through her accompanying a burning sensation in her lone eye as she screamed loudly.

Salem had sensed it even as Tyrian defied her calls and gloated on apparently killing Qrow. Knowing the girl's power would be difficult for her to curtail now, Salem simply moved away from the girl swiftly as she moved to cover Cinder from the inevitable explosion that was soon occur.

And occur it did. A loud scream was all the warning they had before the tower was engulfed in a dazzlingly silver light. Tyrian's pain filled scream reached the ears of the two women in the room, and as the light died down, Salem looked towards the girl responsible. She was on her knees, panting loudly in exertion, and Tyrian lying on the ground, a pool of blood forming under him. Salem knew she had to act fast in case the girl's power resurfaced.

Ruby's vision blurred. She couldn't see anything and the pain in her right eye socket intensified. She whimpered in pain as she tried to force her eyesight to clear. However, as the harsh light faded from her eye, the first thing she saw was Tyrian, lying down in a steadily growing pool of blood. Her heart plummeted. Did she…?

Her thoughts were cut off when a sharp pain in the back of her neck rendered her unconscious. Salem watched as the young girl fell to the ground. She couldn't have her unleashing that power again so close to her new Maiden. She was already wounded enough.

The dark woman walked over to the fallen Tyrian and knelt by him. She placed a pale hand on his neck to check for a pulse. Nothing. She sighed. One of her most trusted…dead. How disappointing. However…Salem hummed in thought. The girl's power was impressive. To be able to wound Cinder to such an extent (even if the Maiden's power was weak against the power of a Silver eyed warrior) and now to kill Tyrian. Coupled with the strong will she sensed from the girl, she might just be…

She heard Cinder's heels click against the stone, and immediately guessed what she was up too. "Stop Cinder," she said, causing the amber eyed woman to freeze and look up at her. "You are not to harm the girl."

Cinder looked shocked, betrayal was evident on her face as Salem stood and turned towards her. "I know you hold a great deal of anger towards her for what she did to you," Salem explained. She gave the woman a sinister smile. "And please take solace in knowing that with what I have planned for her, she'll suffer worse than you did, my dear."

That did little to appease Cinder, as she wanted to be the one to make the girl suffer. But she knew she couldn't fight against Salem. She just nodded and gritted her teeth. Salem smiled at her.

"Do not worry, Cinder," she said, kneeling to the young red cloaked Huntress. "Her pain is only beginning…"

Jaune

The mood was somber as Jaune, Ren, and Nora sat on the other side of a bonfire listening to Qrow Branwen explain to them just what the hell was going on with the Scorpion Faunus, and why he would want their friend. The three listened intently as Qrow rambled on, wincing occasionally from his wound.

When he finished, Jaune couldn't take it anymore. "That's it?" he demanded. "You knew Ruby had some sort of special power, yet you and Ozpin, and Ironwood didn't help her harness it because 'she wasn't ready?'" His voice was cold and laced with venom as he addressed the scythe master.

Qrow grimaced. "We weren't about to destroy her childhood just because we were desperate," he said calmly. "Plus, I didn't want to see Ruby suffer like her mother. Summer truly exemplified what it meant to be a 'Silver Eyed Warrior.'" He sighed miserably. "I never want to see that burden on Ruby."

"Still, when you began to think that, maybe, something big was going to happen, it might have been more helpful to tell Ruby this shit BEFORE she watched PYHRRA DIE!" the blonde shouted angrily.

"Jaune!" Ren admonished. Jaune snapped his mouth shut, but still glared at Qrow. Qrow just sighed in depression.

"Believe me, I've begged Ozpin to leave Ruby out of this," he grumbled. "And even when he didn't, I at least asked him to make sure she was prepared. But Oz held too much faith in that our enemy would sit idly by and let the world go by as it was." The Branwen male snorted. "A foolish hope, but Oz was crazy like that."

"But why would this Salem woman want Ruby?" Nora asked seriously.

"Who knows? Her typical Modus Operandi with those with silver eyes is kill on the spot," Qrow explained. "Perhaps she wants to make an example out of her…" he mumbled darkly. His eyes narrowed greatly as he continued, "…Or maybe Cinder wanted to kill her herself. I've seen the power of silver eyed warriors, and I can only guess that if that Cinder woman ain't dead, then she's in a pretty bad way. She may want revenge."

Jaune gritted his teeth. He couldn't let another friend die on his watch, yet his first friend was gone and possibly being killed and he couldn't do a damn thing about it! "Then what do suggest we do to save her?" he almost growled.

Qrow sighed again. "We go to Mistral, like you guys planned," he said. "Then we talk to Lionheart. Hopefully, that will be a good starting point. Not to mention, we may find some clues as to where Ruby is."

Jaune frowned at the scythe master, but didn't say anything because he knew it was their only option. He nodded stiffly.

The sooner they found Ruby, they quicker he could leave the presence of this drunk.

He just hoped Ruby was safe.

Ruby

Ruby's eye fluttered open as she winced at the dull pain erupting from her body. She tried to move but her arms and legs felt restrained. She looked to her arms and saw she was strapped to a table, in nothing but her bra and her leggings. She blushed in embarrassment as attempted to break free, but her restraints held strong.

"Ah, I see you are awake," a smooth voice came from her left side. She turned her head to see a distinguished man staring at her. "Good evening, Miss Rose."

"W-Who are you?!" she demanded shakily. "W-Where am I?!" She tried harder to break free of her restraints, but to no avail.

"Ah, yes, my apologies. Allow me to introduce myself," he said calmly. "My name is Arthur Watts, and as of today, I'm your personal physician."

"P-Personal physician? Why?" Ruby asked.

"Why, you were quite injured when Miss Salem brought you to me," he explained. "Not to mention, she believes you will be a perfect candidate for our little project."

"P-Project?"

"Alas, this is not the time to talk of such things. Your body is still not prepared for the procedure, and while Miss Salem wishes you to take part of it of your own free will, nothing is stopping me from preparing your body to withstand it. I've already given you a replacement eye for the one Tyrian took from you."

"Huh?" With a jolt, Ruby did in fact realize she could see things on her right side. Eyes wide, she looked around frantically, straining her right eye to prove it was real and she wasn't in an illusion. Watts chuckled.

"Here," he said, pulling up a hand mirror. "This will help prove your eye is, in fact, real." He held up the mirror to her face, and Ruby gasped. She did indeed have a right eye again, but what stared back at her wasn't two bright silver orbs.

The whites of her eyes were now a crimson red; her irises a bright yellowish color. Eyes like these she had only seen on one creature. One she had fought numerous times before.

They were the eyes of a Grimm.

"I see you like them?" Watts asked, a dark smile on her face. "You should feel lucky. Normally, we kill all with silver eyes before they become a problem, but Miss Salem has other plans for you. I took your other eye and implanted those Grimm eyes in their place. It will be interesting to see what happens; will your new eyes keep your power bottled up?" He moved towards her with a needle. "Or…" he continued as he lowered the syringe to her arm. "Will the power recognize their presence and attempt to expel them from your body?" He chuckled again. "Either way, it proves to be an interesting experiment for me."

He stuck the needle into her arm. "This will only hurt for a moment, Miss Rose," he said comfortingly, injecting something into her bloodstream. "What comes next, however…more so." He took the needle out and walked away.

Ruby felt something warm race up her arm. It was uncomfortable at first, but soon, it began to burn. She felt like something was burning her from the inside out. Soon after that, she arched her back and let out a loud, blood curdling scream of absolute agony.

Jaune

Jaune bit back a curse as he dodged a massive Grimm's claw. Things couldn't have POSSIBLY gotten worse! First, the remnants of team RNJR woke up to find Qrow was badly poisoned by that Faunus that took Ruby. Then, for Ruby's sake only, they dragged the man along, hoping to make it to Mistral before he croaked.

After that, they came across a fork in their path, and Jaune had to guilt trip Ren and Nora into going to the abandoned city of Kuroyuri to hunt for medical supplies to help Qrow (again, for Ruby's sake, as Jaune knew she'd be destroyed if the old drunk died). He then learned the city was Ren's old home town before a very old Grimm devastated it and killed his parents. Their search was going well, until the very same Grimm that destroyed Kuroyuri made its appearance, separating them from each other.

Ren was struggling to stand from near an old trench in the ground, while Nora attempted to steady her breathing against a ruined clock tower, leaving him to battle the massive Grimm. Jaune steadied himself as he glared at the monstrosity-which was in the likeness of a horse with a demon looking rider on top.

It threw its ridiculously long arms at him again, and Jaune raced forward and slammed his shield against one of the arms, before slicing the other, making the Grimm screech and retracted them. Jaune raced forwards, but the Grimm growled and unexpectedly sent its claw back at Jaune, hitting him square on the chest. He gasped in shock and pain as he flew into a ruined building. The decrepit walls gave from under him as he landed hard on a knee.

The Grimm turned around and stalked towards Nora, but Ren viciously appeared in front of it and slashed at it with Storm Flower, hacking away at its bone mask. The Grimm screeched in fury and head butted the young huntsman, making him cry out as he flew away from the beast.

"Ren!" Nora screamed and began firing grenades at the beast. The Grimm cried out loudly, but didn't otherwise appear to be in pain. It sent its arm at the girl, but she jumped over it and continued firing grenades at it. The Grimm sent its claw back at her, but before it reached her, it retched it back and sent it's other at her. Nora was stunned by the change in tactics and cried out in pain as her Aura dropped to zero from the blow. She flew into Ren, who caught her deftly.

"Nora!" he cried out and held her. She moaned in pain as the Grimm stalked towards them.

Jaune stumbled out of the rubble of the building he was thrown in to see the Grimm go after his team. Eyes widening, he raced forward and, by sheer luck, was able to jump onto the back of the monstrosity and stab it through one of its shoulders. The Grimm screeched in pain and attempted to throw him off. Jaune however, held strong and stayed low to avoid the massive claws waving around. However, one hit true and clipped his shoulder and sent him tumbling off its back.

Jaune gasped in shock and pain as he attempted to grab the beast to keep himself from falling, but the Grimm grabbed him and threw him into Ren and Nora. They grunted as they collided. Jaune attempted to stand as Ren gathered Nora in his arms again. Jaune shakily took up a defensive stance in front of his friends as the Grimm stalked towards them.

"I-It's too strong!" Nora coughed.

"We need to take Qrow and run!" Ren told Jaune.

"This thing's not going to let us get very far!" the swordsman retorted. He raced forward again, but the Grimm just slapped him back to the others. Jaune cried out in pain as he landed hard.

"Jaune!" Ren and Nora shouted and helped him up. The blond swordsman groaned as he stood and shook his head of his dizziness. He growled and raced at the Grimm again, sword raised high as Ren and Nora tried to stop him. The Grimm threw its arm at him, but Jaune blocked it with his shield and continued on. However, it sent its other arm quickly and hit him square in the chest, making him cry out again and fly back at his two teammates.

They caught him again, but this time held him strong. "Jaune, you can't win this!" Nora cried. Jaune didn't listen and tried to charge back at the Grimm, again successfully tearing away from them. Again, the Grimm knocked him back, but this time it knocked his sword and shield out of his hands.

Jaune caught himself and pushed up on his hands and knees shakily. Ren and Nora raced up to him and grabbed hold of him. "Jaune enough!" Ren shouted. "It's no use!"

"N-No!" he groaned, reaching for his sword. It couldn't be enough. He couldn't lose here! He wouldn't lose another teammate! He wouldn't lose another friend again! He grabbed it again and once more, broke free. The Grimm, growing tired of its prey's foolish approach, threw its clawed hand back at Jaune. Its claws broke through Jaune's armor like tissue paper and stabbed him in the stomach. Jaune gasped in agony as the Grimm flicked him off its claws, sending him back to Ren and Nora.

"JAUNE!" they cried as they caught him. He coughed up blood, and the ground began to be soaked as his blood flowed out of his open wound.

"YOU…IDIOT!" Nora cried as she ripped his armor off and attempted to apply pressure to his wounds. "YOU'RE SUCH AN IDIOT, JAUNE!"

"We need to get him out of here!" Ren shouted, but was interrupted when the Grimm screeched. The two hunters looked up to see the Grimm standing a few feet away from them. A loud, scraping sound erupted around the area, and Ren noticed with some shock it was coming from the Grimm itself.

It was laughing at them!

Ren found himself being eight years old again, watching this behemoth murder his father right in front of him. Unbidden, he began shaking, suddenly realizing that they had no means of getting away now. Nora stared up at the beast in terror, her mind returning to the time it killed her entire family. Her attempts to save Jaune died as she subconsciously tried to pull both the wounded Jaune and terror struck Ren closer to her.

Jaune simply stared at the Grimm with rapidly fading eyesight. Was this it…? Was he going to die here? His vision darkened as he watched the Grimm seemingly laugh at them. He never felt like such a failure. Nothing, not even being able to save Pyrrha seemed to reach this situation. He felt his consciousness fading.

'S…Sorry…Ren…Nora…Mom…Dad…Sisters…Ru-'

A bright, light hearted chuckled resounded in his ears. "Aren't you the guy who threw up on the ship?" a snickering voice resounded through his head.

'Wha…?'

"You're a leader now, Jaune. We both are," the voice sounded again, but this time, the visage of a black haired girl with silver eyes accented it, giving him a smile.

'Ruby…'

"Hehehe…you're such a dork, Jaune," Ruby snickered, and suddenly, Jaune was seeing a scene of Ruby and himself after one of their classes. "That's good. It means I'm not the only one here!"

"You can do it, Jaune!" Ruby cheered. She sat in-between Nora and Yang as Blake battled him after classes. "Don't give in!"

More and more images…more and more memories…all of them came racing at him all at once.

"We can accomplish anything, as long as we're together," she told Ren, Nora, and himself after they defeated the Geist.

Memories of her losing to Tyrian finally came to the forefront of his mind. How the Scorpion Faunus toyed with them. Played with them. MOCKED them!

How he TAUNTED them!

"I have what I came for! Just you wait, blondie! I'll come back for you! Maybe my goddess will save some of this girl's corpse to mock you! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

'NO!' His thought came suddenly. The strength that came with it was welcomed. The sight of the Grimm raising its arm, preparing to throw it was angering. With tremendous effort, Jaune gasped in pain as he pushed himself up. 'R-Ruby's still out there! I-I n-need to save her!'

"No, Jaune!" Nora cried out again, but Jaune pushed her away, and flipped onto his hands and knees. He spat out more blood as he pushed himself off the ground. Grabbing his sword, he shakily stood and turned to face the Grimm, sword held level at it. 'She was always smiling at me,' he thought. 'A-Always laughing. S-She was always happy to be friends with me. I…I don't want to miss that! I WON'T miss that!'

"Jaune, it's no use!" Ren shouted at him, but Jaune wasn't hearing him. Blood rushed to his ears as he forced his eyesight to stay steady. He gasped for breath.

'I…I w-won't stop here…' he thought. 'N-Not until I see her smile again. Not until I can hear her laugh again!' He glared at the Grimm before him, and gritted his teeth.

'P-Please! J-Just one shot! That's all I need!' he mentally shouted. "G-God…p-please! L-Let me save them! M-My friends! LET ME SAVE THEM!' He called upon his Aura, only to find he was scraping at the last of his reserves. His frown deepened as he tried to find something…anything…to help him when he felt it. It felt like his Aura, but far more potent and much, much stronger…making him shake with barely contained energy.

Like he was on a massive sugar high or something.

He shook his head of random thoughts as he raised his sword over his head. A mad idea rammed through his head, and he began to force whatever he was feeling into his sword. Corcea Mors seemed to vibrate as the power built up within it, and Jaune let loose a fierce, angered battle cry and swung his blade down with all his might.

White. White was all Nora and Ren could see as Jaune swung his sword. They were forced to shield their eyes, lest they be blinded.

For Jaune, on the other hand, it felt like time had ceased to flow as the bright white light illuminated the world around him. The Grimm seemed stuck in a state of utter pain before it seemed to be split in two and become engulfed by the light.

Suddenly, time seemed to start back, and the energy from Jaune's sword was released, and a massive cut appeared on the ground, sending two massive waves of earth sailing miles into the air, with the cut not stopping until it sliced one of the mountains surrounding Kuroyuri in two.

Salem

Salem gasped in shock, clasping her hand over her heart as one of her most powerful 'children' died.

Normally, this would never affect her this badly. The Creatures of Grimm died all the time. And she knew well enough that humans and Faunus were capable of astonishing feats when they were given the chance. She had felt many of her oldest Grimm die before, and none had ever affected her too badly.

However, this was different. One of her most powerful Grimm in Anima, the one hailed as 'The Mistral Demon,' the Grimm who took the form of the fabled Nukevalee, had just been slain. And not just by some any old Faunus or human, no. The Aura that had felled it, the power that destroyed it utterly, Salem had felt it before. Once before, but once was enough. After all, one never forgot…

"The Vale King," she murmured under her breath. The Vale King's descendant's power was awakened. This was not good. Especially since the descendant was most likely near Haven. She gritted her teeth as she was forced back another curse. She really didn't need this right now.

"Miss Salem, how are yo...M-Miss Salem?!" Watts called out, only to be shocked to see his employer in some sort of pain. "Are you well, Miss Salem?!"

"Y-Yes, Watts, I'm well," she told him, steeling herself. "I just learned something…unsettling, is all." Watts didn't look like he liked the sound of that.

"What do you mean, Miss Salem?" he asked. Salem looked to him and shook her head.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with at the moment, Watts," she said. He looked unsure, but she continued speaking. "How is Ruby Rose faring?" she asked in a stern voice.

Watts was shocked at the sudden change of topic, but quickly recovered and straightened his tie. "Better than what I was expecting," he admitted reluctantly. "Her strength of will is…impressive. True, it's only been a few days at the most, but I do see why you believe her to be the one who can survive the process."

Salem nodded. "How long will it take you to complete the process after she agrees?" she asked.

"With my calculations, it would typically take two years," he explained. "However, I am currently prepping her body to withstand the strain of the procedure, so if she breaks soon, I believe I can finish the process within a mere year and a half."

"Do your absolute best to make sure she agrees to the procedure soon, Watts," she ordered. "I need her ready within the year, do you understand me?"

Watts blinked at the order, but quickly composed himself and nodded. "Of course, ma'am."

Ruby

Pain.

That was the only thought she could even process. Nothing else seemed to penetrate her mind anymore other than pain.

She wasn't sure how long she had been trapped here. Days? Months? Years? She couldn't tell anymore. All she knew was that the anguish never ceased.

It was worse when she was alone. Her pain riddled mind had long since affected her vision to the point everything was a blur and numbed her hearing, but she could tell when she wasn't alone. Murmurings and blotches of color told her that much. With someone in the room with her, she could focus on their presence and the pain seemed to lessen. Or at least dull. But when she was alone, the pain seemed to intensify. It was like it thrived on solitude.

She didn't like it.

"…How are you faring, child?" a soft voice asked, somehow breaking through her hazing mind and registering clearly in her ears. A cold, but soft hand reached forward to caress her face. She whimpered for a moment before realizing the hand wasn't hurting her. It actually felt…nice. She attempted to lean into the hand, making her visitor chuckle.

"My, my," the voice chortled, "So affectionate. What has brought this on?" She didn't answer. She couldn't. She was reveling in the nice feeling. She whimpered a little more in contentment.

"Well, I must say that I didn't expect this of you," the voice continued. "But I suppose it cannot be helped. Watts certainly wasn't kind to you, child."

She simply whimpered again at the name. That name meant more pain. She didn't want more pain. The voice chuckled again.

"I take it you don't like Watts, child?" the voice asked. "Even after all he's done for you?"

"…N…'ame muns p-p-pai," she slurred terribly, her voice ragged and dry. "D-Dun' wa pai."

"Is that so?" the voice asked curiously. "You want the pain to stop then?" She nodded minutely, her neck muscles straining to confirm the voice's question. "Well, the pain can stop soon, child; but for it to end, you need to go through an excruciatingly painful surgery."

She whined pitifully.

"However," the voice reassured, "I can promise you child; that after the procedure, you will no longer feel any pain. In fact, pain will no longer affect you. It will only ever be a passing sensation for you…if you agree, of course."

She tried to look towards the voice in confusion, but could only see a white blur. Fortunately, it seemed the voice sensed her confusion, and spoke again. "This process is dangerous, child, and I cannot allow you to take part in it, unless you agree to it." The blur seemed to stare down at her and continued, "Will you agree, child? To withstand such a difficult task, to never feel this pain again?"

"Y-Ys!" she babbled incoherently. "Ys!"

The voice chuckled again. "Very well, child," she said. "I'll have Watts begin at once. And then, soon after, the pain will stop." The hand receded, and she began to panic more.

"N-Nu!" she slurred. "D-Dun' gu! D-Dun' gu! Pluese!" The presence halted and appeared to turn back to her.

"'Don't go?'" the voice asked. "And why is that, child?"

She sniffled. "D-Dun' wunna…b-be a-alune!" she cried. "P-Pai w-wurse a-alune! Dun' l-lueve m-m-me! P-P-Pluese!" She tried to strain towards the voice. "D-D-D-Dun' lueve m-m-me alune agein! I-I-I-I…" She sniffled again. "I…I dun' wunna b-be a-alune agein!"

She broke down into miserable sobs, misery settling in as the voice died down. Suddenly, the voice chuckled again, and the hand returned to her face. She was startled by this; however, she soon began leaning into the feeling again, taking as much comfort as she could from the feeling.

"I see," the voice said in a softer tone. "Very well, my dear, I won't leave." Her heart fluttered in elation. "I may have to leave your side sometimes; I still have duties I must attend to; but I promise you my dear: I won't abandon you. I'll always be here. You won't have to be alone for this."

Her heart thudded against her chest agonizingly. "P-Promuse?" she asked weakly.

"Promise, my dear," the voice affirmed, making a pain-filled smile form across her blood-stained lips.

Watts

When Watts arrived in the operating room, he was surprised to see Salem sitting next to his patient, said patient seemingly at peace in her presence.

Salem looked up to him and gave a vicious, Grimm-like smile. "She's agreed," she said curtly. "Begin the procedure at once."

Watts was a tad shocked, but he was able to conceal it quickly and bowed to Salem. "At once, miss Salam," he intoned.

Ruby

It was painful.

The voice had confirmed it would be, so she had tried to prepare herself. Knowing the pain would be nigh excruciating, however, couldn't prepare her for just how agonizing it truly was. The pain from before was insignificant in comparison.

However, she refused to lose. It was different now. She had something to hold onto. The voice promised she wouldn't leave her, and it hadn't yet. In fact, just before the agony began, she heard the voice again telling her: "You are very brave, dear child. This process is not easy on anyone. But you are different, dear child; I have confidence that you will overcome this."

The voice was confident. Confident in her. She wouldn't disappoint the voice. She wouldn't fail!

The agony continued for longer still, yet she endured. She held onto her resolve with like steel trap, refusing to quit. The fear of disappointing the nice voice was too much to bear otherwise.

The voice stayed. The voice would whisper words of comfort and encouragement.

Finally, miraculously, gratifyingly, the pain began to recede. It began to dull and lessen, and soon, she was able to sleep without pain.

Pure…bliss.

Soon, however, she was aroused from her slumber. "…It's time to wake, dear child," the sound came. She recognized it. It was the voice! "Wake up," the voice coaxed.

With great effort, she strained to open her heavy eyelids. She squinted instinctually at the blurry scene she saw, however, her vision became clearer; and soon she was face to face with a pale skinned woman with red eyes. She gasped abruptly, only to begin coughing, her throat apparently still very dry. The voice, no woman, chuckled.

"Here, dear child," the red eyed woman said, holding a tall circular object with liquid in it: a cup? And water? She didn't question it as she, hesitantly, reached out for the glass. She grasped it, and nearly dropped it, but the woman chuckled and helped her hold it steady. The woman helped her to a sitting position, and she downed the water in one gulp. The woman chuckled again.

"How are you feeling, my dear?" the woman asked. She frowned and tried to contemplate the question. However, memories of pain fluttered through her, making her hiss and grab her head with both hands, the cup falling to the ground and shattering.

"Ruby?" the woman asked again. Ruby? Was that her name? She hissed again as she fought through the pain. Ruby. Yes. That was her name. Ruby. Ruby Rose. The pain began to intensify slightly, but Ruby gritted her teeth.

"I-I…" she rasped, her throat still sore. Odd. "I'm…fine."

The woman tilted her head and regarded her. "Are you sure?" she pressed. Ruby frowned at her, trying to concentrate. The pain hit her again, and she hissed again. "Please, dear child, don't lie to me," the woman said. "What's wrong?" Ruby regarded the woman again despite the pain.

This woman was the voice she heard through the pain. The one that said she wouldn't leave her alone. That said the pain would stop. And it did.

Hesitantly, she mumbled, "Headaches. T-Trying to…r-re…member, but then…head begins to hurt." The woman's face softened a bit, but before she can speak, another voice does.

"Interesting," it mused. "An unusual side-effect. I'll have to evaluate her later to discover the problem."

Ruby tensed. That voice triggered memories. BAD memories. Memories of pain. She didn't like that pain. A peculiar instinct rose up from within her, and she growled savagely as she began to turn to identify the voice.

However, the woman beside her chuckled and placed her hand on Ruby's face. She tensed up, but soon the sensation began to feel familiar. She leaned into the hand, feeling a sense of contentment course through her, making the woman chuckle.

"It's ok, my dear," she said silkily. "Like I told you, the pain has stopped." Ruby sighed at that.

"T-Thank you," she mumbled. "F…For stopping the pain." The woman smiled at her.

"It was nothing, my dear," she commented. "It was the least I could do…since you decided to become my daughter." Ruby's eyes snapped up at this.

"…What?" she asked, as another voice from somewhere behind her forced back a startled choke. The woman smiled and motioned for someone behind Ruby. Before she could turn around, a large man came into her view and held a full length mirror.

The woman smiled and held out her hand to Ruby. Confused, she nevertheless grasped it, and felt the woman pull her off the table she was lying on with a surprising amount of strength. Ruby stumbled slightly as blood began to flow to her unused legs, but after a few seconds, she was able to stand tall. Still smiling, the woman led Ruby over to the mirror. Ruby allowed her to pull her over to it, and found herself gasping at what she saw.

The being staring back at her with yellowish pupils and red sclera was breathtaking. It stood tall, just barely at the height of the woman next to her, with long, flowing black hair with patches of red highlighting certain areas of its head, particularly near the tips and the roots. Pale white skin stretched over its emaciated skeleton, and the nails of the entity's fingernails and toenails were elongated into claws.

However, the biggest things to stand out were the plates of bone that covered the front of its lower legs, collarbone, elbows, and the back of its hands and the heel of its palms. Slight protrusions jutted out from its head, however she noticed if you weren't explicitly looking for them, they were hardly noticeable. She turned to the woman, who simply smiled at her.

"You, Ruby, are the first, and only, one to ever survive," she told her. "You have become the first ever human, Grimm hybrid, my daughter for all intents and purpose." Ruby's heart sped up at that.

"W-Who are you?" she asked in a quiet tone. "Who…or what…am I?"

The woman smiled again, though it felt much colder. "My name is Salem, Ruby," she spoke. "And you, are my greatest creation. My Knightmare. The perfect amalgamation of human and Grimm. And should you desire it, from this point on, you may refer to me as 'Mother.'"

Next time:

"Ruby's still out there, and I'm not going to rest until she's back with us. Safe and Sound."

"Salem knows his power is awakened. She won't stop until he's either dead or on her side."

"Beacon, the White Fang, Ruby gone, the siege of Haven?! We've stopped being kids a long time ago, so quit treating us like that!"

"You have more power than anyone in this room, baring myself, Ruby. All you need to do now, is embrace it."

Chapter 2-Embracement

"When can I start?"