Chapter 3
What Everyone Fears
Ruby was close, so close to regaining her awesome and terrible power! It all ended when three mortals decided to intervene, traversing the depths of the cathedral, eliminating her demonic minions, and now facing off against her.
Ruby felt her blood dripping from the wounds caused by the Warrior's sword, arrows still embedded in various parts of her body from the Rogue, and still feeling the effects of the Sorcerer's spells. Ruby will not let these mortals live, not when victory was within her grasp. Ruby let out a war cry, shaking the pillar and walls, and charged. The sorcerer fired off a spell from his staff that hit Ruby directly, the girl felt her joints and muscles freeze up as she felt the deadly chill. The rogue fired a flurry of arrows at her legs, causing her fall to her knees, Ruby's wounds taking their toll. Once down, the warrior cast aside his heavy shield, gripped his enchanted sword with both his steel plated gauntlets, swing upward with all his might.
Ruby didn't feel the blade, but she saw and felt her blood gush out of her body, coating the warrior in her ichor. Ruby was fading back to her soulstone, this mortal body dying. Ruby fell back, her large body causing a low rumble. Before she could was completely faded back into the red crystal, she felt the despair, anger, exhaustion, and fear from the three mortals. With the last of her power, Ruby subtly inflamed these emotions, and called out to the one who slew her.
Once she felt herself become tethered to her soulstone once again, she could faintly hear the mortals arguing among each other, her spell going through its motions. Ruby smiled as she couldn't feel the power of either the rogue or the sorcerer, their minds slowly breaking, their souls blacking with corruption, leaving her and her prey.
The warrior approached the fallen body, and drew his dagger. He knelt down, digging his blade into the body's skull, quickly prying out her soulstone. Once he removed it, the shell immediately rotted to bone, which collapsed and disintegrated to dust, leaving the broken, naked, and insane body of the youngest prince, the warrior's, Prince Aidan's, brother. However, Aidan didn't spare his sibling a glance as he gazed on the soulstone, his mind hearing her faint whispers. Aidan knew what he had to do, he could do it, he was strong enough. Aidan gripped the red crystal tightly in his palm, the young prince, sensing what his elder brother was going to do, desperately reach out to him, before merciful death would take him, but Aidan paid him no mind. Aidan plunged the soulstone into his skull, confident that he can contain the soul of the Prime Evil.
Oh, how this mortal was dearly mistaken.
Searing heat, damning voices, and unfathomable fear filled his body, mind, and soul, as the soulstone disappeared further into his skull, until it could no longer be seen. The warrior screamed, feeling her presence in his soul. Ruby laughed within the foolish prince. Another body to corrupt, another opportunity to conquer this land! However, this host is resisting her, but no matter. This one will fall, this will be one battle he cannot hope to win. Ruby maybe weak from her defeat, but she will overpower this mortal, in time.
After leaving the accursed cathedral, and walk out to the sight of the setting sun, and a small crowd gathered in front of the decaying building. When the Prince told the news of Diablo being vanquished, the remaining townspeople cheered and celebrated. Ruby didn't care about the attention and focused on corrupting the warrior's mind. She filled his thoughts full of paranoia, shattering any dreams, and haunting all of his nightmares. Overtime, Prince Aidan became aloof and depressed. Ruby whispered to the warrior to head to the mythic lands, where he can find a way to be free. One day, he believed her whispers, wanting to be rid of this accursed burden.
On he marched east. Always to the east.
/
Ruby fluttered her eyes open as she felt sleep leave her. She sat up and look at her clock. It was very early in the morning, dawn was not to be expected for another few hours.
The black and red haired girl flopped back onto her bed, her mind trying to make sense of her recent dream. How long has it been since she had these dreams? She could not say. They were odd to say the least, and cannot recall much of them. However, what she can remember, she remembers well. Ruby felt powerful, fighting creatures of intense light, commanding underlings, seeing strange beings that she felt a kinship to, but also fighting these beings. These could be a normal and regular thing for dreams, right? However, no matter what, Ruby felt something was bugging her, something being on the tip of her tongue, the edge of her mind, but she couldn't place it. It always frustrated her.
'No sense in thinking about it now.' Ruby thought, her mind going to a more positive thought. Today is the day she will go to Beacon Academy. Her bags are packed, her scythe sharpened and cleaned, and her papers completed to the letter. All she has to do now is sleep for the last hours of the night.
So, Ruby laid in her bed, under her blanket, cozy and warm, her sleep mask shielding her eyes from the glow of the shattered moon. There she laid, waiting in silence for sleep to take her once again. But it never did.
/
"I can't believe my baby sister is going to Beacon with me!" Yang said for the hundredth time this month, as she awkwardly hugged her sister, after the two boarded the large airship transport heading for the academy. Ever since Ruby revealed the news to her family, Yang was the most excited and proud. Her sister, jumping two years, talking to the Headmaster directly, managing to be accepted to the most prestigious of Hunter Academies, would make anyone proud. For Ruby, on the other hand, the feeling wasn't mutual.
"Please stop." Ruby said, sounding tired.
Yang released Ruby from her hug. "What's with you? Aren't you excited?" she asked. Ruby did her best to rub the grogginess from her eyes, though she's not sure if it's working.
"Of course I am! I just didn't get enough sleep last night." The younger sibling answered.
"Another one of your dreams?" Yang asked, crossing her arms, "Was it weirder that the one where you popped out of a gigantic head?" she teased.
"This is why I don't tell you about them anymore. You get like this." Ruby hissed, fuming. Yang felt a chill run up her spine, her heart slowly increasing its pace. The blonde did her best to calm down without her sister noticing.
"Sorry." the blonde apologized, "So, what do you think people will say about you jumping two years? I imagine they'll say you're awesome." Yang asked, quickly changing the subject, and to keep Ruby talking. The news was blaring in the background, but neither sister took notice of it.
Ruby shrugged, "I just hope they don't treated like some special case. While normal isn't an option for me anymore, I don't want to be treated like this was handed to me. I earned this, I studied and trained hard, just like everyone else." she said, silently adding to herself that she also didn't want to be treated like a creepy, loner girl again.
Right after the red and black girl said her piece, the holographic display changed to the blonde Huntress Ruby meet a month ago, Ms. Goodwitch, her appearance silencing the conversations among the new students.
"Hello, and welcome to Beacon." the holographic projection said in a very professional tone. "My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Hunters and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it.
"You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide the knowledge and training to protect our world." Goodwitch said, finishing her little speech, the hologram fading away. Ruby then approached the window at a steady pace, and looked down on upon the city.
"Look, you can see Signal from up here." she said in a rather somber tone. Looking at it, it reminded her of all the times she studied alone in the library, all the lunches in the courtyard with no one to talk to, how she was regarded as the creepy girl with weird powers. Other thoughts invaded her mind, thoughts of rage, hate, and resentment, but Ruby pushed them from her mind, her sister joined her in gazing out the window. "I guess home isn't too far after all." the younger sibling said, finding something to say.
Yang hesitantly put an arm around her sister, "Beacon's our home now."
The two share a rather uncomfortable moment, then notice a blonde boy running off, hand to his mouth, and looking like he was very close to hurling.
"I suppose the view isn't for everyone." Ruby said, Yang chuckling at that.
/
Thirty minutes pass before the airship touched down. The blonde boy from earlier was the first to rush out, going to the nearest trash can and emptied the remains of his stomach. The rest of the new students exited the airship right after him, clearing away from the puking lad, whispering among themselves, stifled laughter and giggles being thrown his way.
"I hate airships." Ruby managed to hear the boy say as she and Yang passed him. Now the red hooded girl feels a bit bad for making fun of him earlier. However, that sentiment faded when she beheld the magnificence of the Academy, its size and scope enough to put her in awe. Her eyes wandered to all the weapons being carried around the grounds before her, never seeing such variety before. However, Ruby stayed her feet, unsure how to approach people without frightening them off.
"Hey," Yang said, nudging her little sister, trying to encourage her, "Go talk to people, and try to make some friends."
"I don't know." Ruby replied, uncertainty and nervousness laced in her words, then looked to the older girl, "Besides I have you, right?" Yang looked away at that.
"About that, I was going meet up with some old friends, so... Yeah." Yang said as she started walking. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll make at least one friend!" she called out behind her, holding a hand up as a sign of goodbye.
Ruby stood where she was, feeling like she shouldn't be surprised that even her sister doesn't want to stick by her side. The red and black girl took a few steps back, looking up at the sky. 'Why am I so scary?' she asked herself. It was a question she kept asking herself and others. Nobody really knows the answer, she just is. It infuriates her so much. Ruby knows she can't be normal, but can't she be abnormal with someone to talk without them being terrified out of their wits?
Ruby felt herself trip on something, and fall right on her behind, bright white cases and bags scattered around her.
"What are you doing?!" a voice yelled, obviously upset. Ruby looked up to see that she tripped on a trolley. A girl stood in front of her, hands on her hips, ice blue eyes narrowed, mouth thinned in distaste. Ruby thought this girl could easily blend in a snowstorm, what with all the white she was wearing, white-blue dress skirt, white boots, and small white long sleeve jacket draped on her shoulders, red within the jacket, visible from the high collar.
"I-I'm sorry." Ruby apologize, not use to being yelled at, not right in her face at least. The girl in white picked up one of the case that opened from Ruby's tumble, it was missing a vial. "Do you know what these are?! The damage you could have caused?!" she demanded, holding up a vial for Ruby to see, "This is Dust! Mined and purified by the Schnee Company. This isn't some toy for a child to play with. What are you doing here anyway? Aren't you a little young to be attending here?!" she ranted at Ruby, putting the vial right back in its slot.
Ruby felt herself start to boil. She was careless and she sorry for it, but this girl is just yelling at her for little reason. "Hey-!" she tried to say before she was interrupted.
"This isn't some run of the mill combat school, you know. It isn't all practice and sparring, we're going to fight monsters! So watch yourself!"
"Oh just shut it!" Ruby snapped, the girl taken aback, "I said I was sorry, you stuck-up princess!"
"That would be 'stuck-up heiress' actually." said a new voice, the two girls turned to see a third. This girl wore mostly black and white. A white shirt adoring her chest, under a black vest, white short shorts, and black stockings, golden eyes looking at the both of them with disinterest, the missing Dust vial in her hand. A deep violet bow topped her dark hair, though it seemed out of place for a girl like her.
"Weiss Schnee, heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers and exporters of Dust and energy." the new girl said, the girl in white, Weiss, puffed her chest with pride.
"Finally some recognition." she said, forgetting the girl's earlier stuck up comment as she grabbed the vial, "Thank yo-" she started before she was interrupted.
"The same company infamous for its shady practices, controversial labor forces, and questionable business partners." the girl in black said in the same disinterested tone. Weiss' face went red with anger and embarrassment.
"Why I-! The nerve-! How dare-" she stuttered, trying to retort to the girl's claims. Ruby snickered at the display. Weiss then turned around leaving with a huff, Ruby watching her go, and noticing some men in suits gathering her things. Then Ruby said something ludicrous.
"I'm sorry! I'll try to make this up later." she yell to the angry heiress. Ruby don't really know why she said it, she should be angry, despise her and want to never see the 'high and mighty' girl again. However, Ruby didn't feel that way, which was odd. Perhaps it's because Weiss was the first person she meet that wasn't scared of her, that she interacted with Ruby with something other than fear. Despite them arguing, it felt different and rather nice.
I am a weird girl after all, Ruby thought to herself. "Well, at least I'm not the only one getting off on the wrong foot." she said, turning to the other girl, "Hey, than-." she started before realizing that the girl with the bow was walking away, leaving Ruby alone.
Blake let out a sigh, and tried her best to steady her racing heart. She kept a steady pace, despite her instincts telling her to run, run as fast and as far as she can. Why was she so afraid? Blake was able to keep fear from the Schnee witch, not wanting her to have the satisfaction of knowing that Blake was afraid of her. However, she should have been filled with righteous anger, and feel satisfaction from seeing the spawn of that bastard sputter, but all she felt was fear. There was no way she could be afraid of that girl. Was it the other one, the one in red and black? No, couldn't be. She looked so nonthreatening. Blake just shove the fear aside, she had to be somewhere.
Meanwhile, Ruby collapse to her knees, this definitely not being her day, she thought as she laid on her back and looked at the clouds again. Maybe she could stay here all day and not bother anyone.
"Hey." Ruby heard, something blocking the sun, the being offering a hand to her. Curious, Ruby grabbed the gloved hand and was hoisted up, looking to see the blonde boy from earlier, the one who was airsick. "Name's Jaune." Ruby looked at him, a smile on his face, and not a sign of him being scared in any way.
"Ruby," she introduced herself slowly, "You're not scared?" she asked, causing his smile to disappeared, replaced by a confused look.
"Uh..." Jaune looked around him, as if looking for some kind of cue, "No? Should I be?" he asked.
Someone her own age not afraid of her, and seems pleasant? Ruby wasn't going to let this pass by her, "Never mind, it's nothing." Ruby said, a big smile on her face, "You alright? You sure didn't have a fun trip here, right?" she continued, wanting to have a proper conversation.
'Maybe today doesn't have to be too bad.' Ruby concluded.
