[Ruby]

All I saw was grey. Metal chains were almost burrowing into my skin as bruises and wounds covered my body. From what I remember, Weiss was in the hospital.

"Weiss..." Her name escaped from me as a whisper. What was she thinking, trying to save me, even after knowing what I've done? Still, my desire to see her intensified. As I stood up and began to pull on the chain fruitlessly, memories begin to fill my mind.

A door was broken open. Five men broke into the room. Weiss tried to wash the blood off of me. Everything started to get clearer from here...

"Ruby Rose?" I froze in fear. "You're under arrest for the murder of Jacques Schnee! Come out with your hands up!"

The washcloth fell on the floor with a wet slap. Weiss's mouth was agape. I could've swore she mouthed "What the fuck?", but I'm certain I'm remembering that wrong.

"Father? You killed my father!" Weiss pushed me away, jumping out of the shower. She threw her clothes on and sprinted out of the bathroom. Snapping back to reality I scrambled for my clothes, and followed.

"Ms. Rose, this is your last warning!"

In what I'm assuming was shock, Weiss stood in the main room, staring in amazement at the quickly devolving scene, and saying something under her breath all the while. Meanwhile, I ran past her and snatched up Crescent Rose, clutching it tightly around my hands. I wasn't going to be taken down easily, if at all. Not here. Not now.

I stamped my leading foot down in defiance, and one man came charging, pointing his blade at me for a thrust. I blocked, and slashed at his head, cutting his throat open. I kicked him into the other four men and quickly flanked them in the small room. I tripped one guard trying to break from the main group, and slammed Crescent Rose into his chest, breaking his rib cage and crushing the organs underneath.

As blood began to cover my body, I felt a chuckle escape my mouth. My roses turned black as the voice of my master muffled any and every other sound with its own.

"More await beyond this room. Do not delay, my little petal."

My vision grew red, and I had a murderous smile. Raising my scythe, I begin hacking at the other men, dismembering them with joyous aplomb. I turned my head to look at Weiss, who I realized just now was screaming in sheer horror. It was a sobering sight that broke my concentration, and returned me back to reality.

"Oh, Ruby, what- what is this?" Her gaze was transfixed on the dead guards, whose limbs were strewn about the floor.

"Weiss..." My voice trailed off. She stared at me in confusion.

"Ruby, why?"

"I..." I sighed. "There's more out there." I walked towards the window.

"I hope you can forgive me after this."

I sat there in the dark room, suffering in silence. The chains grew heavy and cold the more I struggled to think and remember...

I leaped out of the window, and my memory receded to the muddy darkness of insanity that held me before. I saw what seemed to be an near-army of men and women, some from Beacon, some from the other 3 kingdoms, all with their eyes trained on me.

There was only one way that could've ended.

I felt like a whirlwind, spinning Crescent Rose wildly, using the leverage of its heavily weighted head to cleave through armor and flesh like butter. I took out at least fifteen or twenty of them before I began having trouble. Soon, several huntresses and hunters surrounded me, keeping their distance cautiously. They all begin to fire and those who didn't have guns, expertly dashed towards me. I shifted priorities, and started cutting a bloody swath in them, dispatching five of them with fierce, disemboweling strikes.

I felt alive, seeing the blood of my enemies wash over me, and even after seeing the teachers, I continued on my path of destruction. One came bolting at me like lightning and slashed at me with his claws, lacerating my thighs. I winced in pain as I clumsily countered with my scythe, which he dodged with ease. My footing faltered for a moment, but that was all they needed as two other teachers wrestled Crescent Rose out of my hands and pinned me down.

My vision blurred. I feared this would be the end. I felt the judgement from within, and the shame that overwhelmed my mind.

Sounds approached me slowly, breaking my concentration. Footsteps? Or my imagination? I stood and tugged at my chains, letting out a blood-curdling cry that rang for what seemed like forever against the darkness.

No reply.

I fell to my knees and let tears escape me. All I could do is remember, remember and reminiscence...

"Ruby!"

Out of nowhere, I saw Weiss. She came charging in, freezing one teacher and, in a move that surprised me, fatally thrusting Myrtenaster into the other one's abdomen. Pulling me away, she blasted three others away, buying me time.

I felt a pang of guilt overshadow my gratitude. "Oh, Weiss -"

"Run. Run! You're lucky I came to help at all!

"Weiss, wait, don't -"

"I swear, you can be so stupid! Just go, I'll take it from here!"

At this point I barely remember registering images. I felt my eyes turn white as rage filled me. Lunging at the first person I saw, I gouged his eyes out, and tried ripping his entire forearm apart before scratching and beating his face into a barely registerable pulp. I got up and attacked two others in a similar frenzy, biting and scratching with the precision of a starved animal.

I managed to grab Crescent Rose from the person who took it from me, striking at their throat and leaving them to bleed to death. Witnessing more teachers of Beacon directly running towards me, I shot one in the skull with the large-caliber weapon, sending the victim flying back with her head splattered on the ground. Then I swung the Rose the other way around, shoving the bloodied blade into the last teacher's neck (Was he even a teacher? I could care less by then), decapitating him.

People everywhere - both trained fighters and citizens - ran for their lives. As I looked, my bare skin was soaked in blood and gore. I knew I looked like a true monster, a creature of legend given flesh and form.

Weiss, looking nauseous and concerned, ran towards me.

''Wait! Ruby, watch out!"

Weiss flung her body in front of me, taking a bullet to her chest.

"Weiss, no!" Her body slumped onto the ground. By then I started feeling pain. The pain of my wounds, and the pain of seeing my love on the ground, hurt because of me. It almost made me feel human again. Almost.

I turned my head. In the near distance, a figure in black glared with bared teeth and sharp, golden eyes, standing in tranquil fury.

It was Blake - Blake Belladonna.