Hooray for a 3k+ chapter! I find it so hard to write sometimes. Onwards!
Light streamed in from the small gap between the curtains, casting a beam of light across Yang's eyes. She awoke, lifting an arm to shield her eyes from the glare. She sat up, yawning as she shook off the last vestiges of sleep, looking around the room. Weiss was still asleep, snoring quietly. Yang would wake her later. A single arm was visible, hanging over the edge of Ruby's bed. Yang frowned. Ruby didn't wear black nail varnish. Standing up as quietly as she could, she picked up her scroll and crept over to her sister's bed. There, she found that the arm belonged to Blake, and the pair were cuddling together, still sound asleep. Stifling her giggles with a hand, she snapped a few photos before hastily dressing and leaving the room. She returned ten minutes later, sliding the photos into a black envelop and leaving it on Ruby's designated desk space. She wrote a small note and placed it on top of it before picking up Ember Celica and leaving the room again.
One hour later, at twenty past eight, Ruby's alarm went off, rousing the remaining three team members. Weiss almost fell out of bed, slamming a hand on the scroll to turn it off before gathering her clothes and trudging off to the bathroom to have a shower. Blake watched her go with one eye, opting to keep her blue eye shut until she put her lens back in. She disentangled herself from Ruby's embrace, the small girl moaning as she did so, making a grab for Blake.
"Nooooo, don't leave me pillow..."
Blake pulled away, jumping and landing on the floor, stretching slowly. She waited outside the bathroom for Weiss to emerge.
Ruby eventually mustered the energy to get out of bed, landing with a thud and wiping her eyes. She scanned her desk, noticing the note with Yang's scrawl on it.
Morning! I got up early to go to the gym before class. See you soon!
P.S- You know what this is, Ruby.
Ruby lifted the note, gasping when she saw the black envelope underneath.
"Oh no."
"What is it, Ruby?"
She held up the envelope so Blake could see it.
"Since Yang makes puns, what do you think this is?"
Blake thought for a moment before her eyes widened.
"Blackmail?"
"Yup."
Ruby tentatively opened the envelope, lifting out the photos inside and blushing brightly. Blake sidled up to her, slowly taking in the nature of the photos.
"Well, they seem incriminating."
Blake moved away, walking into the bathroom as Weiss walked out. Ruby quickly dropped the photos into the envelope and hid it in her desk. Weiss did not need to know.
Minutes later, Blake emerged, and Ruby took her shower. Soon, the three girls were ready for the day ahead of them. Their first port of call- Yang.
-Gym, One Hour Ago-
After dropping off the blackmail, and ensuring she had a copy for herself, Yang had headed straight for the gym where she wanted to practice her technique. Even when using Ember Celica, she ran the risk of shattering every bone in her hand with each punch. The Celica merely reduced the chance of that happening by making sure that her fist was not the first thing that hit a target.
She reached the gym, warming on some of the machines with some lifting, before taking a short run on one of the treadmills. She then took out her Scroll and granted herself access to the Simul. The Simul was a relatively recent addition to Beacon, requiring registration and subscription to use. It utilised swarms of tiny robots to allow students to generate specific numbers of enemy 'shadows' to fight against, providing some semblance of reality. She entered the glass room, walking up to the glowing control panel. Quickly selecting Beowolves and setting the counter to twenty, she stood in the centre ring while the simulation started. Black particles coalesced into the shape of a Beowolf, and Yang got to work. She fired behind her, boosting herself elbow-first into the Beowolf's jaw, staggering it. She snapped upwards, knocking it over, before punching its head, destroying it. She heard more shadows approaching from behind her, and she fired down, flipping over the three and firing flares at them. They tore through the Beowolves, destroying them. Four down, sixteen to go.
The Simul began to produce Beowolves faster, black particles emerging from the vents in swarms, obscuring Yang's vision. She slammed her fists together, a wave of heat pushing back the wolves around her, giving her chance to follow up with a lethal combo of kicks and punches. Sweeping the legs from under the Beowolf behind her, she rolled out of the way of a set of claws, firing a flare at the offender and destroying it. She returned her focus to the one she had knocked down, punching it in the head and destroying it. She worked her way through the rest of the pack, flurries of kicks and punches making quick work of them, until the final five simulations stood around her,
Nasty machine, trapping me like this.
All five moved at once, leaping into the air to deliver an unavoidable rain of claws. She fired, forcing herself downwards and across the floor of the Simul. She left the simulations to land before standing and rushing forward, delivering many punches in just a few seconds, her eyes lapsing into their red state. She took a hit, but ignored it completely, using the energy to fight back. All five simulations were destroyed, and the Simul shut down, the particles disappearing into their vents. Breathing heavily, she turned towards the exit and noticed she had an audience. Ruby, Weiss and Blake were stood outside the glass room, and Ruby waved at her. Yang opened the door, letting herself out to allow someone else to use it, ignoring the scorch marks that were present on some of the surfaces.
"Morning Ruby!"
She embraced her sister, leaning in and whispering in her ear.
"I know what you did."
Ruby blushed. Blake laughed quietly, her heightened hearing picking out the words clear as if they had been spoken. Weiss remained oblivious.
"Come on, class starts in half an hour."
Weiss had taken it upon herself to alter the team's timetable so that Blake could catch up on the work she had missed. Ruby also had to catch up, since she had vehemently refused any suggestions that she should study of go to class. While Yang and Weiss revised what they already knew, Blake and Ruby took notes, desperately trying to keep awake in Port's class and desperately trying to keep up with Oobleck's caffeine-fuelled ramblings.
The hours ticked by, both girls filling several pages of their notebooks before the bell ring for the end of the day. The door to the RWBY dorm was thrown open, and the four girls crashed, undoing buttons and removing ties. Blake nursed her aching hand while Ruby just stretched out on her bed.
"Ugh, one day's catch-up done... Only four more..."
Yang just smashed her fists together.
"Well lucky you, since two of those days were nothing but combat training. Unfortunately for you, the other two days were entirely Oobleck's essay, the founding of Vale and Mountain Glenn. Shouldn't be too hard."
Ruby and Blake groaned. The latter stood, sliding her scroll into her pocket and picking up a bag. Ruby could see the faint bulge of a book inside.
"I'm going to the library."
"'Kay."
The Faunus walked out, and the room was silent for a few minutes, save for gentle breathing. Ruby quickly changed, hurrying out of the door. She followed the halls to the library, searching for Blake. The librarian glared at her as she entered; Ruby had been told to leave on multiple occasions for causing too much noise. As a result, she was not very popular. Trying to make as little noise as possible, she searched the various seating areas, searching for the Faunus. She soon spotted her, sat by herself. Ruby crept up behind her.
"What'cha reading?"
Blake immediately slammed the book shut, turning to Ruby.
"How long have you been there?"
"Less than a minute."
Blake let out a sigh.
"Good. Yang would kill me if you read some of this."
"Oh, okay. It's one of those books. I knew you read them!"
Blake just blushed.
"Please leave."
"But this is boooooring! Come and spar with me! You need the extra training."
Blake considered it for a moment, before standing.
"Fair point. Alright. I'll spar with you."
Ruby beamed, sending a quick message to Yang and almost tearing Blake's arm off as she set off. Blake couldn't keep up with where they were going. Only when they arrived outside the gym did Blake realise that something was up. Yang was waiting for them outside, Crescent Rose and the Gambol Shroud tucked under her arms.
"This isn't the arena."
"Nope! Yang said we could use her scroll to access the Simul. I'm not gonna fight you now! You have tomorrow for that."
"You two be careful. The Simul is just a machine. Don't overdo it, because it'll keep going unless someone stops it."
Yang ushered the two into the gym, using her scroll to unlock the Simul, the heavy doors sliding apart. Ruby stood in the centre circle while Blake put in the Grimm she wanted to fight. Ruby waited, tensing up as the swarm of robots emerged, taking the shape of three Ursai and five Beowolves. The simulation started as the eyes of the effigies lit up red, the swarms acting like the beasts they took the image of. The Beowolves immediately charged forward, attempting to swarm Ruby. She swung her scythe, the blade landing behind on of the wolves. It looked like she missed, but Blake knew better. She pulled the trigger, the force of the recoil, pushing the blade straight through the Beowolf, killing it. The next two met their fate with a few well-placed shots from Blake, the bullets piercing skulls and shattering spines. Blake closed the distance, but was forced to ghost out of the way of a massive swipe from one of the Ursai. She turned to the offending beast and leapt forward, slicing at it with both her sword and bladed sheath. It blocked, and as Blake landed, reared up to smash her. She saw an opening and moved, delivering a fatal shot to the underside of its skull. The Ursa dissipated, leaving just two more. Ruby had dealt with the Beowolves and was running over to join Blake. That was when Blake noticed the white mist pouring out of the vents, enveloping the arena. The second thing she noticed was that Ruby and the Ursai were not moving. Looking outside the Simul, she could see Yang pressed against the Simul, watching intently, also not moving. At some point, Weiss must have joined her, as she was stood beside her, again not moving. She started to move towards Ruby, but was stopped when she heard a familiar, infuriating voice.
"You are mine, Blake."
Sighing audibly, she turned, and there it stood, regarding her with cold, blue eyes, a faint frown on its dead face, the grey flesh stretching oddly.
"I'm not interested, if you're making an offer, no."
"I am not here to bargain, Blake. I'm here to persuade you, Blake."
It walked to the wall of the Simul, passing through as if it was air. Pale fire gathered around its hand.
"Tell me what you value most, Blake."
"I'm not playing your games."
"Is it the Heiress, despite her father's racism, Blake? The brawler, with her violence and burning anger, Blake? Or the lover? The innocent, the child prodigy, Blake?"
It walked back into the Simul, the pale fire never leaving its hand.
"Shut up."
"Choose one, Blake. Surely I don't have to persuade you, Blake."
"Shut up!"
Blake ran forward, seeking to behead the demon. She leapt into the air, bringing down the Gambol Shroud in a killing arc. Yet, as she grew close, it threw the flames at her, and Blake was paralysed, the pain stopping her thinking clearly and dropping her weapon. She hit the floor hard, moaning in pain.
"You are a foolish girl, Blake. You had a choice, and now I will decide for you."
Blake could only watch as it walked over to Yang, raising a hand wreathed in flame. Blake's eyes went wide as it turned, discharging it at Weiss instead. The fire curled about her face, leaving a strange mark on it. The deed done, the angel walked to where Blake lay, standing over her.
"You belong to me, Blake. I will have my way."
It became like the fire it controlled, the flames enveloping Blake and absorbing into her. She screamed in pain, the mist vanishing and time continuing. She looked up and realised that she was underneath one of the Ursai. Ruby was too busy parrying another's claws to help. The Gambol Shroud was out of reach. Yang was looking at her sister. Weiss was holding her head in pain. She could not be helped. Above her, the Ursa swiped, shadowy claws whistling through the air. It swiped again and again, pinning her to the floor with a hail of slashes. Blake could feel her aura depleting. There was already too little to repel the beast, and soon her defence thinned. Desperation took her, and she threw her arms forward, the pale fire of the angel bursting forth and forcing the Ursa away. Blake rolled, scooping up the Gambol Shroud and delivering several strikes, watching as the mass of robotics recoiled and fell. It hit the floor, and Blake took its head. The swarm broke apart, disappearing into the vents while Ruby stared at Blake.
"What was that?"
Blake looked at her hands. Pale fire danced around her left, flickering in the bright light of the Simul. She flexed her arm, the flames flaring up; she threw her arm out again, eyes widening as a ball of blue flame flew away, striking the transparent wall and exploding, leaving a scorch mark. She turned to Yang and Weiss. The former was staring, jaw almost touching the floor. Weiss was holding a hand to her head, in obvious pain. Blake pushed the door open, approaching Weiss.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, just a headache."
Blake could see the otherworldly mark floating around her head. Blake watched it spiral around her, snapping back to reality when Weiss waved a hand in front of her.
"Why are you asking me if I'm alright? You were shooting fire out of your hands with no Dust."
"It's really cool! Or should I say... Hot?"
Yang accompanied her statement with a wink, which was received with death glares from Blake and Ruby, and a groan from Weiss.
"I'm just going to see Goodwitch. Magic's her speciality."
Blake wrapped a bandage around her hand and almost set off before she realised the material was burning.
"Well, that's annoying."
After traversing Beacon again, attempting to hide her burning hand with a cloak with large sleeves, she soon reached the massive clock that served as Ozpin's office. Goodwitch was usually inside, rarely leaving the headmaster's side.
Raising her left hand to knock, she mentally berated herself for her mistake before knocking with her right instead. The response was instant.
"Come in."
She entered, the sounds of clockwork filling her hearing as the enormous gears shifted endlessly. Ozpin was sat behind his desk, hands steepled in front of his mouth. Glynda stood just behind him, arms crossed.
"Miss Belladonna. I assume you haven't just paid a visit for the sake of it. Now, what could possibly have transpired for you to come all the way up here?"
Blake lifted the sleeve covering her left hand, revealing the pale fire wreathing it. Ozpin's expression changed to a look of fury, and Glynda's expression darkened similarly.
"Oh dear."
Ozpin stood, stepping around his desk and placing a hand above hers. He took hold of her hand, quickly snatching his hand away as the heat almost burned him.
"Glynda. Do you reckon it's one of them?"
"It looks very similar."
"Then we shall work on the assumption that it is."
"Should we tell her?"
"Yes."
Ozpin took a folding chair out from under his desk and propped it up in front of it. Sitting behind the desk, he motioned for Blake to sit.
"Professor? What's happening to me?"
"As you have undoubtedly worked out, something is trying to possess you. However, this is not the first time this has happened. Glynda, the scroll, please."
Glynda left the office, leaving Blake alone with the headmaster. Taking a long drink from his mug, he started his story.
"For as long as humans have had sentience, we have strived to develop, to improve. We created weapons to push back the Grimm, to defend the first settlements. We discovered the uses of Dust to fortify the settlements, giving way to the four kingdoms. As we developed, we used Dust in new ways, integrating them with weapons and technology to do almost anything. However, the one thing that was never mastered was instantaneous transport.
"Dust, in either crystal or powdered form, lacks the precision to deconstruct a living being, transport it large distances and reconstruct it, still living. All experiments failed, and any matter sent always emerged mangled beyond recognition. A new way had to be found.
"At one point, twelve years ago, there was a breakthrough. Dust magi found that by using a specific combination of Dust, a relay could be created using a world that exists besides ours. This underworld caused Dust to react far differently than it does in this world. It became stable, allowing living beings to be sent through and reconstructed with 100% efficiency. But, this world was not uninhabited. Intangible beings existed there. They had no form, composed purely of energy. As the third human test subject used the relay, one of these beings interfered with the reconstruction process, binding to his cells and taking control. He slaughtered many personnel, scorching them with the pale fire that you have been afflicted with. The host body was killed, and it was suspected that the being would die off, as it had been cut off from its world. However, that was not the case.
"Six years later, it took control of another person, demonstrating that it could infiltrate a body when its Aura had been suppressed- we suspect that this may have been the case with you."
The door to the office opened, and Glynda walked in, carrying a scroll. Not the technological scroll that Blake was accustomed to, but a rolled-up parchment scroll inside a protective metal shell. Ozpin unrolled it on his desk.
"These being have been known to infiltrate this world from theirs in several points in time. They state that they appear for a short time, possessing a person and causing as much emotional suffering as possible before returning, host included, to their world." Ozpin sighed. "Every case is different. Some hosts were killed before the parasites could take control, some died as a result of possession, and others vanish into their world. We don't know what will happen to you, until it happens. The best we can do is keep you restrained as the parasite takes over. We don't know how long it will take until it takes control." He pointed to a line of glyphs on the scroll. "This line of text suggests that the mental fortitude of a host affects the time until total possession. We're unsure as to-"
He was interrupted by a ping on Glynda's Scroll. She read the alert, her eyes narrowing. Moments later, the alarm sounded.
"It appears we have a problem."
Please keep reviewing. Tell me whatever's wrong so I can fix it.
Aura, out.
