Whatever happened next is now completely lost to me. All I remember is blacking out after the experience. I was awakened very suddenly by an icy cold touch against my cheek. It was like being slapped across the face by an invisible hand.

My eyes shot open as I looked into the eyes of Weiss Schnee. She was someone I had trouble connecting with when I first arrived at Beacon. It was hard to believe that I would end up considering her my best friend.

"Ruby!" Weiss said. "You're awake!" She had this goofy looking smile that I would have teased her over if I hadn't been so shaken.

I started to speak and immediately felt a throbbing pain in my jaw. It felt like there was a ball of muscle stuck in there and it made speaking difficult.

"W…Wei…Wei—"

"Don't worry," said Weiss, placing her hand against my mouth. "I understand you."

I blankly stared at her, afraid that trying to make an emotion would hurt just as much.

Weiss seemed to understand what I was thinking because she immediately started answering the question I had in my head.

"You seemed to have had a sort of stroke," said Weiss. "At least that's what you're showing symptoms of. Keep in mind that I'm not a doctor and my diagnosis could be very wrong."

I gave her a weak smile. Weiss had clearly been spending some time watching over me. I could see a glyph floating above her head and the glow of a summoned Grimm keeping watch from the doorframe. She only took those things out during fights or when she was working very hard on something.

Weiss bent over for a second and came back up with something in her hands. I turned my head to get a better look at it. The object appeared to be a small device, smaller than a scroll but bigger than a dust vial.

"This is a monitor that Yang and I worked on," said Weiss, placing it on my forehead. I twitched a little as I felt a light spark in my head. "It'll allow us to monitor you for some time until we can find an actual doctor. The nearest city is pretty far from us, but I'm sure we can find someone who can help us."

I raised my arm and poked the monitor. There was a strange feeling in my head that made my vision blur a little.

"The monitor has been wirelessly connected with Yang's arm so that she knows if you're having another…experience."

Hearing her mention the experience made me feel uncomfortable again. I had no idea of knowing whether or not that thing would come back again. The last two times were completely random and meant that I would have to keep my guard up at all times. My stubborn self hated the idea of having to stay alert at all times. The reason I came back to the base was so that I could get some relaxation in between Grimm hunts.

My thoughts came to an immediate halt as Weiss's summon found itself being hurled out of the doorframe.

"Does she really have to break something every time she enters a room?" Weiss groaned.

I didn't even need to ask who had just come in.

"RUBY!" Yang squealed, running over to me with her arms open.

She picked me up from the bed and squeezed me with a bone-crushing hug.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she said in a strained voice. It sounded like she'd been crying for some time. "I was so worried about you. You were on the floor with your eyes closed…for a moment I really…I really thought you were…"

"Well she's not," said Weiss sharply. "And I'd appreciate it if you made some effort to knock or at least say something before throwing my summons around like that!"

Yang snapped her head at Weiss as her arms continued to strangle me.

"Can't you Schnee that I'm having an emotional moment with my sister?" Yang snapped.

"That has got to be the worst pun you've made all day," said Weiss. "Than again, that shouldn't be surprising with your track record."

I could feel Yang's arms tighten around me. She really underestimated her own strength, or maybe she overestimated how much of her grip I could handle.

"You know I would have probably knocked out your teeth," said Yang. Her grip around me loosened before she spoke again. "But…I really am thankful that you were able to help Ruby."

"As you should be," said Weiss with a smile.

"So she told you all about the monitor, right?" asked Yang, turning her focus back on me.

I nodded.

Yang held up her arm and pointed at a blinking light on its wrist. "This little thingy will blink a lot and make lots of noise if you're in trouble again," said Yang. "This way I'll know if anything happens to you."

Knowing that Yang had my back did reassure me a little, even if that thing seemed to exist in its own dimension.

I opened my mouth, forgetting about the pain, and immediately regretted it.

Yang frowned at me. "Still can't talk, huh?" she said. "Poor thing."

"She should be better after a full day's rest," said Weiss, looking at an old lien card with a sulky expression. "It's a shame these are worthless now. I could have probably purchased some better equipment."

"Don't be so whiny," Yang said with a loud pat on Weiss's back. "You managed to help Ruby even without the best technology available. I'd consider that an accomplishment."

I smiled as Yang and Weiss continued to bicker back and forth. They had a strong understanding of each other that grew from years of friendly rivalry. It made me happy to know that my sister and best friend were so close with each other and supportive of me at the same time. Seeing them argue brought back old memories of Beacon. It was far from perfect and the information I know now sort of left a taint on its memory, but there was no denying that times were indeed simpler then. Maybe this is nostalgia talking, but I actually started to miss when Roman Torchwick was our biggest enemy. Years of ruthless Grimm and scummy Huntsmen only made me increasingly jaded over the years.

My fifteen year old self may have hated to see what she grew up to be. When did Ruby Rose become so pessimistic? I hung my head in shame, as if my old self were looking at me now.

"Uhhh, Rubes?" Yang asked. I saw her looking at me with her head cocked. "You okay?"

I nodded.

"She's just taking everything in," said Weiss. "I don't blame her for feeling worried. I would too if I felt light-headed over nothing the way she did."

"You mean like you did with Neptune?"

"WHAT!?"

I left the room before something big happened. It was nice to know my friends could somehow keep their old banter after everything we'd been through.

I walked around the base a little hoping to find Blake. She was always the person to talk to when you wanted a quiet but thoughtful conversation. Of course, Blake was nowhere to be found. She disappeared as frequently as I did and reappeared when you least expected it.

There was nobody around to talk to at the moment, so I went back into my room and sat on the bed. The monitor on my forehead would give off a pulse every couple of minutes that made me squirm a little. Sleeping with that thing on was going to be a challenge.

While on the bed, my mind wandered once again. I didn't really mind this time, especially since I had all the time to think now that I was practically bedridden for the time being. Unfortunately, giving anyone that much time to themselves will almost always lead to the darkest thoughts. I looked at my arms and almost gasped at what I saw. They were cuts and scratches from previous fights, but something else on them scared me even more than that. Wrinkles. I was getting old. How many years had it been? It was hard to keep track.

I continued to obsess over this detail, oblivious to the arms that extended from the head of my bed. They were long and gangly. You could see every protruding vein in them. The hands were even worse. Each finger looked like a bone with skin barely staying attached to it. The nails were long and grimy. You could smell something foul emitting from underneath them.

My body quivered as the sickly arms reached around me and pressed against my face. I felt leathery skin brushing against my cheeks, taking their time to feel every corner of my face. I hated this feeling. I was Ruby Rose, a silver-eyed warrior and hero of Remnant. How dare this creature make me feel so vulnerable and cowardly. I attempted to move and found nothing but pain in all my joints. Something wet landed on the top of my head as I continued to struggle moving. It was sticky and smelled like a rotting carcass. I winced at the stench and looked up.

The creature had returned. It gave me a wide grin that made me shiver. The corners of its lips were wet with drool. My eyes darted back to the hands touching my face.

I opened my mouth, and to my surprise, something came out: "Who are you?"

The face smiled at me once again.

"I'm your future," it said. The face leaned forward and revealed itself. It was my face, but much older and damaged. My face had become very wrinkly with age and my hair was nothing more then strands on the top of my head. The white in my right eye had become dark red, seemingly from the blood vessels that had burst. My skin was beginning to peel off, giving me glimpses of the bony interior behind my skin.

"Stop it," I said in my strongest voice. Even I could tell that I was scared, despite how I wanted to come across.

My older self smiled back at me again, her grin even wider.

"Is the reality of your future really that scary to you, fearless warrior?"

"Stop it!" I shouted, hearing my voice crack.

My older self disappeared at my words, leaving no traces of her appearance behind. Only I was left, along with a puddle of sweat. My monitor was beeping furiously.

"I'M COMING FOR YOU, RUBY!" I heard Yang shouting from down the hall.

Yang wouldn't be able to save me from this. I really wasn't sure if anything could.