Chapter 11: Silver Eyes

To some Beacon, had continued on as if nothing had happened. Nothing that could have chased team RWBY away, but to others, they felt a light being snuffed out the day after that mob formed. Team JNPR felt it most, as they were the only ones to actually interact with the victims of the incident.

"Don't worry Nora. We choose the right team this year. You didn't miss an opportunity." Nora felt Ren's semi-corporeal form put a soothing hand on her as another shockwave of pain went through her. She could feel it every time somebody's light was snuffed out, that fading of a soul.

"I'm not worried about my job Ren, I'm worried about them. You know how bad it gets out there, and I feel every single one within this whole friggin' kingdom." Nora whispered back.

Ren cracks a half smile, all the years with Nora having left a major impact on his character. "Somebody has to worry for you, since you don't do it yourself."

Nora spins around putting a finger through her friends face on accident. "Shush you~" as the two resumed bickering in their dorm, Jaune decided to turn on the news in the commons.

"Hey guys, you may want to come see this." Jaune said, running into the doorway of the bedroom. Excited, the trio returned to see a shocking scene unfold.

"Recently, the White Fang had made an attempt on a the Theatre of Vale but were interrupted during set up by a fledgling team of huntresses in training. We were unable to locate this team, but some witnesses had gotten the opportunity to chat with two of the girls as they were escorted to safety. It would seem they were students assigned to a mentorship under a teacher from Signal. No names were ever mentioned but photos were taken and security cameras caught what looked like the main brawl."

The image of team RWBY in the upper left corner took up the entire screen, before swapping over to a video clip of Weiss and Ruby working in perfect harmony to disarm and apprehend two individuals that looked to be in charge.

"Whoa look at Ruby go! How does she keep her wings from getting hit like that?" Nora asks, her bubbly behavior back in place, before noticing the cameras had somehow bypassed her glamour. 'Crap this won't go over well.'

"What kind of wings are those anyways? Her tail doesn't seem like any faunus' I've ever seen before either." Jaune asks, more confused than disturbed by what the footage was showing.

"Doesn't matter really, we should probably brace for round two of Cardin and his gang of jackwagons!" Nora shouts distracting Jaune from Ruby's unique anatomy.

"Yeah, maybe we should let Glynda and Ozpin know in case they try to break out of their dorm arrest." Jaune reaches for his scroll to message the Professors about what was shown on the news.

"So why did the news show you with wings and a tail earlier, when it looks to me that you don't have any?" Tai asks Ruby in his living room. The rest of the group had gone to sleep in various spots at Tai's after Qrow tried taking them out drinking, much to Taiyang's disapproval.

Ruby curls into Weiss, who along with Yang had crashed after about an hour of family time, learning about each other as best they could. "Well…" Ruby lets her barely functioning glamour finally drop completely. "It's a genetic thing from mom. I kinda suck at hiding my wings on camera. That's a bit tougher than merely hiding them from a pair of eyes."

"But… Since when could a Faunus hide a trait physically like that?" Tai was finally beginning to crack under the night of secrecy and obvious diversions.

Ruby, catching on to his unease, does her best to explain the situation. "That secret I've been trying to keep all night, the one about mom vanishing and why Weiss and I are tied at the hip, it's because of this. It's because I'm not human, nor am I a Faunus. I'm a demon."

"Uh-huh, yeah sure, that makes complete sense." Tai's skepticism is nearly music to Ruby's ears, especially after all the trouble it has caused Weiss, but her exhaustion had long ago caught up with her so instead of joy, she felt an annoyance settling into her gut. Deciding to just resolve it now while it was fresh, Ruby entered Tai's mind and showed him her life.

After revealing the truth behind her scarred eye and tendency to vanish, Tai began to realize she was being honest. 'See, demon. Now I'm beat, g'night Mr. Xiao Long.' Finding it much easier to think than say, Ruby nods off into Weiss, finally passing out.

Blood and ashes, smoke and flames. Ruby couldn't make out much, her surroundings a maelstrom of chaos. Noise was non-existent in this distorted realm of grey, same for her sense of feeling. Ruby just kept wandering through the mess, unfazed by all of it.

Suddenly a shape arose from the miasma of emptiness, an almost recognizable figure if it weren't for the obsidian skin and Nevermore talons for fingers. Ruby felt the being's approach before seeing it. Prepared for what she knew was coming, Ruby spun about, manifesting Crescent Rose and Myrtenaster in her hands, catching the talons as they reached for her throat.

"Should I know you?" Ruby asked, barely a whisper as the humanoid creature continued its reckless assault that Ruby barely could keep pace with.

The creature snarled, baring ivory fangs to Ruby's eyes. "We are what you should have been. We are what's left after that witch destroyed me." Ruby was knocked back physically and mentally at that statement, offset as she was, she didn't react fast enough as the claws ripped at her throat, only instead of ripping it open the dissolved into her flesh, trying to retake the vessel for its desires. "We will have you!"

"No, you won't." A monotone voice stated from behind the creature attempting to possess Ruby. Neither Ruby nor the creature could react to the statement before a silver blade skewered them both. "Ruby, I need you to wake up. These creatures can only attack you in your sleep where your mind is free to roam."

"Who are you?" Ruby asked the female figure, only able to make out her jet black hair and crimson armor.

The woman radiated a motherly aura as she sheathed her sword and the dream began to fade out. "You already know the answer Ruby, you just need to remember." She reached forward and tapped Ruby's forehead seconds before the dream faded out.

Ruby felt well rested the next morning when she woke up, the dream a fading memory. Turning around Ruby noticed Weiss wasn't on the couch with her, worrying the girl, until she heard her love in the kitchen helping Mr. Xiao Long with breakfast. 'Why is it so awkward calling him dad? Maybe I just need to find common ground with him. Not today though, today we plan for that raid. Better be quick about it so that we have the element of surprise.'

"Good you're awake. Qrow is outside, he wants to talk with you Ruby."

"Thanks Mr. Xiao Long." Ruby exits the room quickly before Tai gets a chance to protest about not being called dad.

"Dolt, eat first!" Weiss shouts, knowing full well why Ruby is fleeing the kitchen.

'I will, but I'd rather wait until the others are awake.' Weiss rolls her eyes at Ruby's awkwardness but doesn't argue, having been kicked off the couch last night from Ruby flailing in her dreams. Fortunately Weiss got back on without the demon knowing.

'That girl is haunted enough, I'd rather she didn't punish herself for her nightmares too.' Weiss continues to help Mr. Xiao Long with breakfast as Ruby and Qrow discuss the upcoming job.

"Good your up, I want to go over what you've got for the headquarters. The sooner we do this, the better." Qrow says, taking a swig from his flask.

"Out here? Wouldn't it be better to discuss inside with everyone else?" Ruby asks confused at Qrow's planning.

"See that would be better if I weren't hoping to teach you how to multitask, girl. I noticed you are delayed sometimes when mentally distributing information, I'd like us to fix that, so I figured why don't you give me a run down while fighting me hand to hand, this also allows you to practice infiltrating minds and keeping your thoughts organized. Tell me the information you gathered from brute-cicle yesterday." Qrow rambles while getting into a basic stance, not really appearing all that fired up.

"I'd rather not infiltrate people, it feels like I'm turning into something else whenever I do that." Ruby says with a sigh preparing herself as well, putting her right leg a bit forward and raising her arms. "Well come at me Qrow." Ruby says eager to get moving at the least.

Qrow closes the gap without breaking form, attempting to offset Ruby from her feet only for the girl to leap up and use her wings to propel herself over him with a flip kick. 'The camp is a few loose tents in a clearing.' Ruby delivers the information as well as the images she got from the brute at the theater as she attacks hoping - and failing - to stun Qrow.

'So the big wigs are there, what about all their little pawns?' Qrow catches the leg and uses his arm to send Ruby spinning off balance, but the girl rights herself mid air thanks to her wings before landing.

'Scattered throughout the surrounding area as Grimm bait or so the man thought, but of the over a hundred tents for multiple purposes, they are spaced to a degree that large Grimm packs actually won't take notice.' Ruby closes the gap this time with a heavy roundhouse kick hoping to offset Qrow, even if just a little.

'Smart leader, any chance we will be trapped if we go in too deep?' Qrow does his best to block the aura enhanced blow, but it sends him skidding back enough for Ruby to press her advantage with a follow up kick.

'There was another person there yesterday, she escaped before we could stop her. I couldn't get in her head either so I'd say yes there is a high chance they will funnel us into an ambush.' As Ruby goes to deliver the news with her kick, Qrow ducks, catching her leg and tossing her to the ground.

"Don't overextend yourself, just because there is an opening doesn't mean it's genuine. Know a trap when you see it, and know when you are outmatched. Knowing your enemy is key to victory, if you don't know them then I recommend caution. Better to live to fight another day than die fighting a lost battle and losing any insight on that foe you may have gathered." Qrow helps Ruby back up as he continues lecturing the girl to the rising sun. 'Keep that in mind with what we are walking into tonight, okay kiddo? I lost two sisters, don't want to put a niece on the list too.'

Ruby nods at the heartfelt thoughts flowing into her head as she stands. "Will do Qrow, now then, I feel everybody awake in there, let's go eat."

Weiss quickly rushes back to the kitchen having secretly watched Ruby and Qrow's spar with childish glee, seeing Ruby so full of joy and springing around until Qrow somehow caught her and slammed her to the ground. Assuming them done after that Weiss went to wake up Yang and Blake, who were still asleep in the main room.

Weiss could tell as soon as she entered the room that the two were both faking sleep at this point. "Ugh, get up you two, Qrow already is drilling Ruby, so don't worry he won't be torturing you just yet."

Blake rolls over to stare down the heiress with a doubtful gaze through bloodshot eyes. "I highly doubt that, that man is twisted."

"Nooooo, he's just drunk." Yang says, deciding that it'd be best if she got warmed up before Qrow comes in to start drilling her too. "May as well get up Blake, cat's out of the bag that we are it seems."

"Fair enough, but I need-"

"Foooooooood!" Weiss points to the kitchen as a starving Ruby flies by, having smelled the chocolate chip pancakes Weiss made just for her.

"… What she said." Everybody filed into the small kitchen area barely large enough for all six people to get something without hitting another.

"Okay," Qrow hits the wall as they all file into the living area to eat. "Now that we are all up, let's discuss tonight's mission."

As Qrow begins talking, Yang notices Blake start to stiffen up. "Ruby and I discussed the layout of the place and what I want to do is simple, we are to get in, take a few important looking documents and leave. Tai, I want you to take Yang and Blake to form a distraction that will focus their attention away from the center of camp."

Blake's eyes flared up as her job was assigned but Qrow ignored it and continued. "Ruby, you and Weiss are with me on infiltration duty. You two share abilities, which means getting what we need shouldn't be too hard for you girls."

"Shouldn't I be on infiltration though? I used to work with them, I know where the important information would be!" Blake's outburst shocked everybody as her body began vibrating with barely contained fear and nervousness.

"Blake-"

"Ruby, I'm not you I can't see into anybody's mind if I choose to. Those people, they once were good. I can't fight them, at least I don't think I can…"

"That's actually why I want you on distraction. It'll lure out a lot more, because they'll either want at you for leaving, or just wanna watch."

"But-!"

Taiyang cuts Blake off with a stern look, "Blake I know how this is, trust me, my team always threw me where it was best not where I wanted to be. I still don't understand all this demon stuff, but if Summer kept me alive no matter what she was, then Qrow and Ruby will surely be doing the same for you."

Blake sighs, accepting her fate although her eyes say otherwise. "If you say so, I'll try and trust you Mr. Xiao Long."

"For the love of all that is holy, please quit calling me that! I'm sorry, but please. Tai. Is. Fine. Makes me feel old..." The tension in the air fades into light laughter with Tai's outburst, leaving everyone to finish eating in peace before they prepared for their night raid.

Darkness blanketed her skin in its cool, corrupting embrace as she moved around the encampment that was under her command during Adam's absence. The woman walked up to the main tent, opening it to a rather elegant office chair that she quickly went to sit in.

Cinder admired how the White Fang all worked like clockwork, every instruction done down to the letter. 'You know, there are some rather nice perks to being your partner, Adam.' The dark embrace around her condensed onto her back forming a pitch black rose, stem and all standing out from a rose bud shaped tangle of thorns.

'Of course, they are my men after all. They wouldn't be around if they couldn't behave themselves.' Cinder could feel the darkness flowing around her and could tell where every little thing was.

'Speaking of our men…' Cinder felt one of her personal recruits enter the boundary of their camp. 'What's she got?' Cinder could feel Neo's emotion-based thoughts through the miasma that was Adam's security system, but unlike her demonic partner, she could not enter another's mind.

'It seems some lost prey from my past has returned, and she brought a demon with her. One demon master has been hunting for quite some time. We may get our dream soon it'd seem. That girl holds the power to ending this wretched world.'

'Oh? So if say they are coming right now…' Neither entity released the thought as they felt a new presence break through the miasma. After it came two others at a rapid pace, straight at them. 'I'm feeling rather peckish, let's have some fun before we do our jobs.'

The three individuals were no more than shadows as they weaved through the camp, unaware of being monitored by a higher power. Ruby was the first to stop, her mind suddenly trapped in a hallway that seemed to stretch on forever. As she ran, it only stretched on more until Ruby realized that the hallway was the one from her dream. 'Weiss? Qrow? Anybody? I'm scared…

Weiss watched as Ruby and Qrow suddenly crumpled to the ground as if falling comfortably asleep. "You dolt, now is not the time! Wake! Up!" Weiss emphasized each word with a stomp only to watch a black mist rise from the ground and envelop her.

"Ruby! Wake Up!" The redheaded girl didn't budge as the fog began to penetrate Weiss' lungs, causing her to gag on the odorless smog. "RUBY!"

As Weiss screamed and fought to breathe, Ruby's equally alabaster skin began to turn grey, slowly blackening to the obsidian of both girls' nightmares.

"RU-" Weiss coughs uncontrollably unable to breathe regularly anymore. "...by…" With that last breath Weiss' vision goes black as the obsidian entity rises to its feet.

Ruby kept running. As long as she kept hearing Weiss, she kept running, this hallway had to end at some point. "RUBY!"

Hearing the fear driven scream Ruby, continued her sprint kicking her semblance to full gear and adding glyphs of haste to reach her Weiss. "I'M COMING WEISS, DON'T WORRY!"

Ruby tried even harder to increase her speed, feeling her legs start the tear under the strain, unable to bear it she swapped to leaping, putting all her speed into a jump that she could ride out to rest before the next pounce. "I swear I will make it back with my heart and soul."

As far as Blake could tell, Qrow and Tai were right, her as bait was working well. The White Fang appeared to all want her dead, it was as if their minds had been taken over and they only had one single goal, remove the traitor.

At first it looked like only some of them knew how to fight, but then a dark wind swept the area and the whole encampment arrived in a fervor, craving the feel of spilt blood.

"This isn't natural, why are they fighting like Grimm?" Yang asked as she ducked under one grunts sword and uppercuts another who was charging her.

"Umm, I wouldn't mention Grimm dear, they seem to have heard you…" Blake turned and saw Tai facing off against two Ursa with his deactivated gauntlets.

The fighting only grew worse as the White Fang set upon them again in another bloodlust filled rage at the sight of the Grimm reinforcements. "How much longer until we regroup?" Blake asks between dodges of wildly aimed swords that were quickly disarmed.

"Oh, you won't be reuniting with your friends Blake, soon they won't even exist." Blake turned to catch another blade only for it to dissipate into smoke and reappear above her, removing gambol shroud from her grip. "I know your tricks girl, don't think I forgot my best student. I had so much planned for you and how do you betray me? With a blinding light-"

"Back! Off! My! Partner!" Each word was punctuated by a shotgun blast and a flaming fist passed Blake's head. Once Blake was able to retreat and retrieve her weapon, she finally got a glimpse at her newest assailant through her weary eyes. Her heart skips a beat as she looks into the eyes of her old mentor.

Adam didn't hesitate to take advantage of Blake's sudden horror and rushed forward, only to be intercepted by a burning Yang. Her aura flared up so much he had to take a step back to better assess the situation.

Yang used the pause to charge him feinting left, sliding under his sword, and following with a solid hook between his wings. Adam, mildly annoyed, quickly adjusted swinging backwards and downwards, severing Yang's arm clean from her body.

"I'll leave this as a message. DON'T! COME! BACK!" The demon then turned around and flew off towards the center of camp.

"RUBY!" Yang ignored the pain from her severed limb, as she was more afraid for her sister than herself. She knew the wound would heal but she didn't know Ruby's fate yet, so she ran off to find out.

The hallway began to change, no longer were the halls the familiar ones of Beacon, but rather they were a fleshy substance that looked as if it were beating. Deciding it best to ignore the change in scenery, Ruby kept moving ever forward, ever towards the sounds of her friends and family screaming for help.

As she ran, the darkness began to close in and try to grab her, but she was too fast. She wouldn't stop moving, she had to reach them, she had to save them.

'Ruby…' Ruby felt a presence in her mind. It felt foreign yet familiar at the same time and she knew she could reach it. 'My daughter, can you hear me…'

'Mom?' Ruby nearly stopped at the surprised sound of being called some bodies daughter.

'You must keep moving child, the Dark is desperate now. A warrior able to stand against them is about to rise, and with her, so shall you.' Heeding the warnings of the second voice, Ruby continued on out of breath and near unconscious from the strain on her body.

'Ruby use her aura, use your shared soul.' Ruby could barely understand the words as she ran but she reached out her mind trying to find a body to share, unable to search beyond the tunnel herself.

'My precious Rose listen to me. You are not cursed to a demon's servitude, you are free. Let your soul free and you will find her.' Unsure what to do, Ruby kept running, determined to leave this living hallway. 'Quickly child, or you all will die."

Cinder stood over the bodies of two unconscious intruders and a bird, ready to finish them off when she felt the cold embrace of Adam on her burning flesh. As she let him consume her she reached out to him to figure out what was going on.

Lost in the mental ecstasy, Cinder quickly lost interest as she felt the blood of the many wash over the land. Wanting more, she raised her hand, manifesting a jagged black scimitar to kill the humans with.

As the blade descended upon the white haired girl, her right eye flew open to glare a blazing silver onto her. The left slowly opened to show a regular blue eye that was more befitting of Cinder's first victim, filled with fear and death rather than that silver determination.

The sword struck ice a centimeter from impact with the girl's throat before bouncing off harmlessly. "I am not whole, you stole my soul as you have hers. Know that we aren't dead, and we will be back, Adam!" The ominous voice sounded like two girls talking in harmony and was disconnected from the body before Cinder's fiery black eyes. "Now begone demon's slave."

Cinder back pedaled as a wall of ice rose from beneath her only to be shattered from a kick sending a gust of ice at her.

Tired of playing defense, Cinder drew forth from the powers she stole before binding herself to Adam. With fire in hand, she instantly shattered the blizzard sent her way and returned fire with her own spells.

"Child, who do you think you are to be able to tell me begone?" Cinder asks almost rhetorically, continuing her attempts to burn her.

"You aren't talking with the child whom this body belongs. As I said earlier, begone." The silver right eye on Weiss' body flares with a flash of silver light, expelling Cinder from the vicinity. With a quick look around, the silver dissipates from her eye, leaving the light blue as Weiss collapses once more.

Qrow arrived too late to save Yang's arm, but in the mess he related enough of his own mess jumping in and swinging his scythe about, severing many Grimm and knocking out multiple White Fang. "Damn this isn't right. Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something."

When Qrow awoke, he was in a clearing surrounded by tents, unaware of his situation. As it slowly came back the last thing he recalled was seeing tents on the horizon before it went blank in his head. Unsure what to make of it all, Qrow decided to regroup with the others thinking something happened that they had to leave him behind. Hearing the sounds of battle, he hastened his pace to get there, only to hear Yang scream.

Yang had run a good distance and fortunately for her, her adrenaline, aura, and fiery presence had stopped most of the bleeding quickly from the suddenly severed arm. Qrow caught her before she breached the encampment, Not knowing why that mattered, Qrow listened to his gut and rounded them up.

Since then the four had been fighting to escape, unsure of Ruby and Weiss' safety but forced to worry about themselves first. The whole time, Qrow kept feeling an itch that something was seriously missing. 'Why was I separated from them, and where are they now?'

Concerned, Qrow tried re-entering the encampment only to hit a solid, invisible wall, 'Yeah, this ain't right.'

Qrow began began pummeling the barrier, only to be joined by the other two, hoping to not have to leave the others behind, they kept trying for over an hour to no avail.

With a sigh, Qrow sheathes his scythe and looks to the others, only seeing Tai and Blake still actually conscious. "Yo Tai, help me grab Yang. Let's go to Beacon, that's closer… Get her some proper medical attention."

Notes: Sorry this took so long I was struggling to figure out how to build up to the raid and the rate was roughly a paragraph a day so it took forever. Also sorry if this chapter feels sloppy and that last part gets rather messy and hectic, it's meant to be the chaos of the battlefield so uncertainty of where things are and what's really happening seemed like it should reflect in the writing. I don't know I'm just making excuses really.

So fav, follow, review, let me know how poorly this chapter is written, throw me some pointers, maybe it'll be a second chapter 5 incident.

Ps. I know that n the description I thanked BlakJakXXI for the cover art but I feel I didn't give him a shoutout in story for thanks for the way to adorable art that's just too cute. So thank you for the cover, you did an awesome job with it.

Pss. There's an app called amino mtg, it's basically magic the gathering specific tumblr. You can find me there as archer1eye and profile picture of this story's awesome cover art, and can chat with me over there. It doesn't have to be mtg related but thought I'd let you all know where to find me on social media.