Hello everyone, it's the final chapter of the second arc of 'Almost One of a Kind', and possibly the end of this story. Instead of explaining that now, read the authors notes at the bottom for the future of this fanfiction. At the end of the last chapter, Dragon is revealed to be none other than David Xiao Long, our previous protagonist who now has to kill the Grimm Dragon, Epsilon has turned evil and killed Amber, and it's up to Ultra to stop his brother. Can Ultra stop Epsilon? Can David defeat the Dragon? Who will survive? FIND OUT NOW!
Chapter Twenty One - Everybody Lies
"Legends. Stories scattered through time. Mankind has grown quite fond of recounting the exploits of heroes and villains, forgetting so easily that we are remnants, byproducts of a forgotten past..."
Beacon Docks...
"That's it! Everybody on board! This is a mandatory evacuation!" Port announced.
"A safe zone has been established in Vale! Please, remain calm and listen to Atlas personnel!" Oobleck added. Weiss stared in front of her in disbelief, failing to notice as Ruby ran up to her, only to notice when Zwei barks at Ruby.
"Ruby!" Weiss greeted happily.
"Oh, I found you!" Ruby responded.
"Ruby, where have you-"
"Don't worry, I'm fine!" Ruby cut off her teammate. "What's going on?" Weiss, unable to answer, simply lowered her head. "Weiss? What is it?" Weiss stepped aside to give Ruby a clear view of Yang and Blake on the ground, bandages covering their wounds, Yang unconscious. Nora and Ren sat behind them, too exhausted and beaten to move. Blake reached over and put a hand on Yang's hand.
"I'm sorry." She whispered, tears coming to her eyes. Ruby covered her mouth, too shocked to say anything as Blake curled up. "I'm so sorry."
"Yang..." Ruby muttered, looking at her sister. Between Ruby and Weiss, a cloud of yellow smoke appeared and David appeared between them, clutching his stomach as it bled, his aura slowly healing the wound. Ruby's eyes widened drastically in shock as Weiss covered her open mouth. "David!?"
"Hey Ruby." He muttered, wincing slightly in pain. He took a deep breath and stood up properly, letting go of the wound. "Long time, no see."
"Where have you been!? How long have you been here!? Why are you here!?" Ruby exclaimed, too confused to ask something properly.
"Ruby, calm down, now isn't the time." David tried to calm her down. "I'll explain everything later, but right now, I need to find that Dragon."
"The Dragon? Why?" Weiss asked, recovering from her initial shock.
"I need to kill it." He told the heiress. "Where is it?"
"That giant Grimm is circling the school." Sun answered, running up to us. David turned towards the school, more specifically at the CCT, to see the Dragon flying around it while summoning more Grimm beneath it. "Everyone's evacuating, even the White Fang are pulling out! We all have to go, now."
"But Jaune and Pyrrha are still missing." Nora interjected.
"I saw them, they managed to get away from the woman who's caused all of this. Cinder." I told them, muttering her name under my breath.
"Guy's, I'm sure they're fine! They must have evacuated before us. The soldiers have a ship to take you guys to Vale." Sun informed us.
"We're not... leaving!" Ren said as he tried to stand up, but fell to his knees. "They might still be out there."
"I'll find them." Ruby stated. "I'll find them, and I'll bring them back."
"No!" Weiss objected. "We will find them." She turned to Ren and Nora. "Watch after Blake and Yang. We'll be back."
"I'll help you, but if the Dragon is near, I have to go after that first." He told them, and the three of them all ran to find Jaune and Pyrrha.
"You better be!" Sun yelled at them as they ran back towards Beacon. "Idiots."
"...Man, born from dust, was strong, wise and resourceful, but he was born into an unforgiving world. An inevitable darkness - creatures of destruction - the creatures of Grimm - set their sights on man and all of his creations..."
Cross Continental Transmit System Tower...
Pyrrha and Jaune ran out of the tower, Benjamin not too far behind them. Jaune stopped and pulled out his scroll.
"Okay, I think I have Glynda's number." He stated, searching his scroll. "Oh, where is it?"
"I need to get back in there." Benjamin stated. "Epsilon's broken, and I need to fix him, before he does something he'll regret later."
"I can't let you do that. He's too dangerous for you, he'll likely kill you on sight." Pyrrha told him. "I can stop him. He's made of metal."
"Look, I know what happened with Penny. Even if you didn't mean it, you could kill him like you killed her. I made Epsilon his body, anything he's done is on me. I'm going. Good luck, you too." He finished and ran back into the tower.
"Pyrrha? What was all of that?" Jaune asked his teammate.
"I..." Pyrrha was cut off as they heard an explosion inside the tower, caused by Cinder flying up the elevator shaft with her new maiden powers.
"But... Ozpin..." Jaune muttered.
"There's no time." Pyrrha said, shaking her head. "Go. Get to Vale and call for help."
"Huh? What are you going to do?" Jaune asked, realising what she was to do as she turned to the tower. "No... no, Pyrrha, you can't. You saw how powerful they are!" He objected, but she wouldn't listen. "Pyrrha, I won't let you do-" Pyrrha silenced Jaune by pulling him into a kiss, which after a brief moment of hesitation, Jaune returned.
However, their kiss was interrupted when a large explosion went off in the tower and Benjamin came flying out, a large gash on his forehead. Leaping out of the tower, I landed next to Benjamin, picked him up by his neck and threw him into a wall, cracking it and knocking him out. I turned and looked at Jaune and Pyrrha with my burning, red eyes. They both held their weapons defensively as I menacingly approached them with a large grin on my face.
"Hey asshole!" Ultra yelled, catching my attention. I turned to see Ultra hurl a large piece of debris at me, which I reacted too and punched, shattering it into dozens of pieces. "You're out of control, don't you realise what you've done!?"
"I know exactly what I've done!" I yelled back. "312, that's my count. What's yours?"
"What the fuck does that even mean? Get away from those two before I have to do something I won't be proud of." Ultra threatened, putting on his eyepiece. I glared at Ultra and turned to Pyrrha and Jaune, a smirk on my face.
"About to be 314." I took out my pistol and shot at them, both of them hiding behind their shields in order to defend themselves. Ultra took out his pistols and shot at me, hitting me in the back and back of the head. I took out my other pistol and shot at Ultra, who dodged each bullet. I stopped shooting, picked up a large piece of debris and threw it at Ultra, which hit him and sent him back inside the tower.
Pyrrha took the opportunity to stop hiding behind her shield and lunged at me. I turned to her and caught her xiphos before it hit me. I forced the shield from her and smashed her across the face with it, knocking her to the ground.
"Pyrrha!" Jaune yelled, and angrily swung his sword at me. I just chuckled as I easily ducked under it and roundhouse punched Jaune in the face, knocking him to the floor easily. As he reached for his shield, I put my foot down on his arm, hard, and aimed my pistol at him.
"You had one job, Arc. One Job!" I intimidated. Before I could shoot, Pyrrha's shield hit my arm, making me miss the shot. She turned her xiphos into the rifle and shot at me, which I simply blocked with my aura. I fired a shot, hitting her clean in the chest, knocking her down again. "Can't even save the woman who loves you."
Jaune gritted his teeth angrily and concentrated his aura and pushed me off, sending me up into the air. I activated my jet boots and looked down at him, grinning like a maniac. "So you do have some fight in you! Won't be much good when you're a corpse!" I flew at him at top speed, Jaune raising his shield to prepare for the upcoming attack.
Ultra ran out of the tower, took out one of his machetes and threw it at me. It spun through the air and buried itself in my shoulder, knocking me off balance as I crashed into the ground. I violently got up and grabbed Jaune by the neck and threw him at one of the weapon lockets, the door slamming shut and sent him flying off. Ultra leapt down the stairs and ran towards me, picked me up and slammed me against the wall. He took out his other machete and stabbed it straight through my chest, pinning me to the wall.
"Wake Benjamin up." Ultra ordered Pyrrha, who was a bit too shocked to move. "Get him now!" She ran over to get the man up. I started to push myself off the wall, but Ultra grabbed the machete in my shoulder and pinned my right arm by stabbing it with the machete and into the wall, grabbed my left arm and twisted it backwards and held my head against the wall.
"Get the fuck off me!" I yelled, desperately trying to free myself.
"Shut the fuck up." Ultra said, slamming my head back into the wall. "Ben, you'd better fix Epsilon right now before he gets out."
"Right, hold his head still." Benjamin ordered, ad Ultra put all his strength into keeping my head still.
"This won't matter, Cinder has still won, Beacon and the CCT will fall." I taunted them, and glared at Pyrrha. "You think you can stop her? You go near her, and she'll kill you." Ultra, sick of me, covered my mouth.
"And... got it!" Benjamin finished and I stopped moving, my eyes widening and pupils expanding.
"Is... he dead?" Pyrrha asked.
"No, I reset him. Whatever virus infected him should be removed and he'll be back to normal." Benjamin told her, and she sighed in relief.
"What about Jaune?"
"The default location the locker goes to is to central Vale, he'll be safe." Ultra put my arm over his neck and carried me away.
"Where are you going?" Benjamin asked.
"To go fix my brother." Ultra answered, with a slight hint of sadness in his voice. "Hopefully, he won't realise what he has done." Ultra continued away from the tower and towards the docks.
"You're not safe here. You should get to Vale." Pyrrha told him, and walked towards the tower, but Benjamin stopped her.
"If you're still going after her, please be careful. Don't underestimate her." He warned, and they departed.
"...These forces clashed, and it seemed the darkness was intent on returning man's brief existence to the void. However, even the smallest spark of hope is enough to ignite change, and in time, man's passion, resourcefulness, and ingenuity led them to the tools that would help even the odds. This power was appropriately named 'Dust'..."
Beacon Courtyard...
Ruby, Weiss and David ran up to the school, but stopped when Weiss's scroll went off.
"It's Jaune!" She told us, and answered. "Where are you?"
"Weiss! Please, you have to stop her!" Jaune exclaimed.
"What!?" Weiss yelled, confused.
"Pyrrha! She's going after that woman at the top of the tower! She doesn't stand a chance!" Jaune explained.
"Damn it!" David yelled, gabbing Weiss's scroll. "How long ago did she go in?"
"Wait, who is this?" Jaune asked
"It's David."
"What? How-" Jaune stuttered, confused.
"No time. Answer the question."
"A-about 5 minutes ago. Please, save her." Jaune begged. I passed the scroll back to Weiss and grabbed my lightsabre.
"We will. Are you okay?" Weiss asked. All she was met with was a loud yell from Jaune, and the call ended. "Jaune? Jaune!" The ground shook as the Grimm Dragon flew around them and around the tower.
"You two, do not go in that tower. She's too dangerous. I need to get to Cinder before Pyrrha does." David told them.
"How, she's probably almost there by now." Ruby pointed out. David turned back to the Dragon.
"That's my ride." He told them, igniting my lightsabre. When the Dragon got low enough, I leapt into the air and grabbed onto it's left leg. The Dragon perched on the tower and screeched, and began climbing up the tower.
"Was he always this crazy?" Weiss asked.
"Probably." Ruby said honestly, and draw Crescent Rose. "Whether he likes it or not, we're helping him. I have a plan." Weiss drew Myrtenaster.
"You always do."
"...Nature's wrath in hand, man lit their way through the darkness, and in the shadow's absence came strength, civilization, and most importantly, life. But even the most brilliant lights eventually flicker and die. And when they are gone... darkness will return..."
Ozpin's Office...
Cinder confidently walked over to the window across the room and smirked. As if sensing her presence, the Grimm Dragon climbed up to the top and peered through the window, screeching at her.
"Shhhh..." Cinder said with a gentle, comforting tone. "This is your home now-" Cinder's smirk disappeared when she saw David on the back of the Dragon, glaring at her. "You." She pushed her right arm forward, sending out a large fireball at David. He leapt off the Dragon's back and onto it's head at the fireball hit the Dragon's back, causing it to screech in pain. She fired another ball, and David leapt off the Dragon's head and landed inside the office as Cinder backed away to the other side of the room.
"When you tried to recruit me, a long time ago, why me?" David asked, gripping his lightsabre.
"I saw a boy living in his fathers shadow, who I could make into a man stronger than any maiden." She answered, summoning her swords. "We both made mistakes that day."
"I know. One of us should be dead." He acknowledged. They both turned to the elevator as they heard the sound of the elevator approaching. David held out his arm and forced the elevator door shut with his telekinesis, and Cinder melded the doors together with her maiden powers. "This is between us." David held out his left arm and forced Cinder towards him, catching her off guard. He swung his lightsabre at her head, but she ducked under and skidded to a halt, stabbing her swords into the ground.
She swung her swords at him, which he stopped with his lightsabre and pulled out one of his daggers to stop the other. He forced the swords back and swung his lightsabre at Cinder, who back flipped to avoid. David spun and threw his dagger at her, which she slaps out of the way with a smirk. He summoned his dust assault rifle and fired at Cinder, who simply held out her hands to stop the bullets before they hit her.
He swung at her again with the lightsabre, hitting one of her swords. David pushed harder on the sword and to Cinder's surprise, the lightsabre burnt through the sword, she ducked under it as it almost took Cinder's head clean off. She kicked him in the stomach where he'd been shot, causing him to fall to the ground, and she reformed another sword and formed the bow. Before she released the arrow, David raised his right arm, his left arm clutching his stomach, and forced her to remain still, completely frozen.
"You know, I've met some crazy people over my brief time as a hunter." David said, getting up painfully. "A faunus who took out one of my eyes, a cyborg who turned out to be my best fried, an AI who tried to kill me and my friends, and a woman who the white fang captured who's my girlfriend." He walked right up to her, still holding her still as she glared at him.
"The one thing they all have in common, is you. You made Adam join you, you turned my friend into a monster, you created a machine that turned on you, and you helped to torture my girlfriend." I activated my lightsabre and held it at her neck. "You a menace to everyone, even your own allies, and you don't realise it." Cinder's eyes widened in fear.
"I swear... I had no choice." Cinder muttered, still unable to move. David just chuckled.
"I've learned a lot of things, but almost all of them have been untrue or faked. But, there is one thing that I know is true." I told her, and looked her dead in the eye.
"Everybody Lies."
As David swung my lightsabre, the elevator door flew off the wall, Pyrrha's hands outstretched, and the door flew directly at us. He lost my concentration and Cinder took the opportune to escape. She kicked off me to avoid the door, and it slammed directly into him, sending David out of the office and too the floor. David looked up to see the Dragon crash directly into the tower, destroying Ozpin's office.
"Oh no..."
"...So you may prepare your guardians, build your monument to a so-called 'free world', but take heed... there will be no victory in strength..."
Cross Continental Transmit System Tower...
Ruby and Weiss continued attacking Grimm, getting steadily closer to the tower. Ruby glanced up at the sky, but suddenly gasped in fear as David fell towards them.
"Weiss! David's falling!" She exclaimed. Weiss killed a Beowolf and aimed Myrtenaster at the sky, half a dozen glyphs appearing between David and the floor. As he hit the glyphs, it slowed him down until he hit the floor softly.
"Thanks." David said to the heiress as he got back up to his feet.
"No problem." Weiss replied with a small nod. At that moment, a large explosion went off at the top of the tower.
"We've gotta hurry!" Ruby yelled. David looked at the tower for a moment.
"Ruby, remember when you killed that Nevermore during the initiation?" He asked her.
"Yeah... why?" She asked, but quickly caught on. She nodded at Weiss and formed glyphs all the way up the side of the tower.
"You can both to this." She said, and Ruby grabbed David, using her semblance to propel them both onto the tower. They both ran up the glyphs, David getting a head of her. After a minute of running, David leapt up onto the base of the tower to see Pyrrha at her knees in front of Cinder.
"Do you believe in destiny?" Pyrrha asked the maiden. She narrowed her eyes at Pyrrha.
"Yes." Cinder frowned and narrowed her eyes. She formed the bow and aimed it at Pyrrha.
"NO!" David yelled and ran at them, leaping in front of Pyrrha as Cinder fired the arrow. The arrow fragmented around David and reformed just as it hit Pyrrha straight in the chest. She gasped in pain, a red glow emanating from her chest. Ruby landed on the tower to see her fried slowly incinerate into embers. Cinder held onto her headdress, and dropped it on the ground.
"You bitch." David said coldly, activating his lightsabre. Before he could take a step, he saw Ruby stand there, fists clenched and tears in her silver eyes. She suddenly flung her arms out and slightly levitated as she screamed Pyrrha's name. The area filled with brilliant white light as the Dragon screeched and Cinder yelled in complete shock. David covered his eyes, a small smile on his face.
"...But perhaps victory is in the simpler things that you've long forgotten. Things that require a smaller, more honest soul..."
"Dad!"
"David? You actually made it."
"Of course I did. Here, take Ruby."
"What happened?"
"She did it."
"She really did it? You're sure?"
"Saw it with my own eyes. You were right."
"Of course I was right. Come on, we need to get you both fixed up."
"Is she waking up?"
"Looks to be. It's alright. I got ya, kiddo. I got ya."
"Nothing."
"Just turn it off. Without the CCT, there's no point."
"What about Cydonia?"
"Cydonia's still part of the system, with he tower down, Cydonia's in the dark."
"Communication down across the entire Kingdom, no way to contact the outside world... and Ozpin's still missing."
"Yeah."
"What did you find?"
"Nothing yet. But Oz is tough, but... I don't know."
"This is bad, Qrow."
"Yeah, this is bad."
Xiao Long Residence...
Ruby woke up, looking around at the unfamiliar, yet somehow familiar, room. She looked at the man sitting in the chair in front of her, which she instantly recognised to be her father. She sat up quietly and sighed, catching his attention.
"Ruby!" He said happily, kneeling by her bed. "You're awake!"
"Ugh... what happened?" Ruby said.
"David got you to your Uncle Qrow, unconscious. They got you out of there, though, and brought you home safe." Taiyang told his daughter.
"Wait!" Ruby yelled, realising something. "Wang! Is she alright? What about David? And Epsilon?"
"David's fine. His gunshot wound healed quickly, he's somewhere else in the house now. Epsilon... he's just... you should talk to David about it. And Yang... Uh... She's uh... she's gonna be alright. I think she's just... I think it's just gonna take some time for her to get used to things. She's too strong to let this stop her." He covered his eyes briefly, sniffling, then looked at Ruby with a smile. "I'm just glad to have my daughters back at home."
"What happened to the school!? And Vale!? Were they able to clear out the Grimm?" Ruby rapidly asked.
"The Grimm ended up causing some damage... casualties... but David... dealt with the dead. Things in Vale are under control, but the school... It's... it's not so simple. That thing, whatever it is, doesn't seem to be dead. Don't get me wrong, you did a number on it. But it's not disappearing. It's... kind of... frozen." Taiyang explained, finding the correct words. "I know that doesn't sound too bad, but it keeps attracting more Grimm to the school."
"I did... what?" Ruby asked, tilting her head slightly.
"Hmm?" He asked.
"You said I did a number on it. What do you mean?" Ruby asked again.
"I... Look that's not important right now. We can talk about it later. Things are just... kind of a mess."
"Things are always in a mess." David stated, standing in the room. He stood with a small, closed cut on his forehead, his shirt was removed with white bandaged around his stomach and a pair of black pajama pants.
"Where's Qrow?" Taiyang asked him.
"Flask ran out, trying to find alcohol to refill it. Typical Qrow." He told Taiyang, who chuckled a little. "Mind if we have a minute?"
"What, I can't stay here?" Taiyang asked, defensively.
"It's important. Please." David said patiently. The man stood up with a sigh and kissed Ruby on the forehead.
"I'm glad you're alright." He started walking away. "I'll go make us some tea." Taiyang left, sending David a minor glare, but David was unfazed. David grabbed the chair and put it down next to Ruby's bed.
"How you feeling, Ruby?" David asked his cousin.
"I could be asking you the same thing." Ruby responded.
"I feel like Jaune on an airship. You?" David joked.
"Um... I kind of hurt... all over." She said, looking at herself.
"Well, that makes sense after what you did." David stated.
"You guys keep saying that! That I did something!" Ruby complained. "What are you all talking about!?" David leaned closer to Ruby, seriousness in his eyes.
"What's the last thing you remember?"
"We ran up the side of the tower, you reached it before me, and when I got to the top..." Ruby stopped, gasping with sadness in her eyes. "Pyrrha! Is she...?"
"Gone? Yes. I tried to get in front of the arrow, but it moved around me and hit Pyrrha. I'm sorry." David lowered his head a little.
"I..." Tears came to Ruby's eyes. "I... I got to the top... and I saw Pyrrha... and Cinder... and then everything went white!"
"Anything else?" David asked.
"I remember... my head hurting." Ruby muttered, crying.
"That night that we first met, and Ozpin said you could go to Beacon, what was the first thing he said to you?" He asked Ruby.
"I... I don't know. I think it was about..."
"Silver eyes." He cut her off. "That's an extremely rare trait."
"So?" Ruby asked, confused.
"You're special, Ruby. And not the 'Daddy loves his special angel' kind of way that I never got. You're special the same way summer was. Qrow told me about Remnant's stories of legends and stories. Some true, like the four Maidens, some made up, like the Immortals. But there's one Ozpin told me about when I first met him a very long time ago."
"Before huntsmen and kingdoms, it was said that those with silver eyes were destined to lead the life of a warrior. You see, the Grimm, humanities greatest threat, were afraid of those silver eyed warriors. They were the best of the best. It was said that even a single look from one of the silver eyes fighters could strike a Grimm down. It's a ridiculous story." David explained.
"But... you think I might be one of them?" Ruby asked, shocked.
"I know you are. I saw what you did at the tower. That Dragon is frozen because of you, and we're both here, safe and sound." David said, getting up from his seat and walking over to the window, leaning on it to look outside.
"Wait, wait, how did you know what Ozpin said to me... the night we met?" She asked David.
"I was there, in the room, that night. I heard the entire conversation, you were so different back then, and so was I." He said, smiling a little at the memory. "Me, Qrow and Anna have done missions for Ozpin in the past... all those times Qrow goes to some far-off place, it's been for Ozpin. But he's... missing now. Something's been set in motion, and Qrow will pick up where Ozpin left off."
"And what could we do? If I'm so special, then I can help, right?" Ruby asked, and I chuckled.
"I admire your enthusiasm, and you're not the only one who's special. Unfortunately, neither of us are in condition to do anything. For now, we rest up and wait until we're combat ready." He stated, and Ruby lowered her head slightly in sadness at Penny. "Besides, Qrow told me that our enemy's trail leads all the way to Haven. That'll be quite a trip for a pipsqueak like you."
"What about you?" She asked.
"I... need to get back to where I've been since leaving Beacon. My team and friends will be wondering what has happened at Beacon, and... I need to speak to Anna about this." He finished, and reached the door. "Come on, we should probably check on the blondes. She got up and followed me as we reached the room Yang was in. She was staring out of the window, the remaining piece of Ember Celica on the table. I sat at the end of the bed, leaning against the wall with my eyes closed.
"Yang?" Ruby said quietly, David standing next to her, but Yang showed no sign of responding. She turned to leave.
"Ruby." She said monotonously. "David?"
"Hey Yang. Long time." David greeted with a small smile. Yang remained neutral. Ruby ran forward and pulled Yang into a tight hug.
"I'm so glad you're okay!" She yelled, muffled by Yang's shoulder.
"But I'm not." Yang stated as Ruby let go of her. "It's all gone - the school, Penny, Pyrrha, Ultra, and..." She looked at her severed arm.
"Ultra?" Ruby asked, somewhat frightened for the answer.
"He left. Took off. He said that he can't stand to be around Epsilon after what he had to do to him, and this wasn't his fight. He's gone to Mountain Glenn to continue what Roman did." Yang explained.
"What?" Ruby asked, confused.
"To sustain law and order, you need people to break it." David told Ruby. "Ultra killed Roman, so in order to continue law and order, Ultra will break it."
"He said he's a mercenary. Start up a thing with Willow and Peter. Had something to tell Willow, something that was actually good in him. He said we'll see them again." Yang noted, and glanced at Epsilon.
"What happened to him?" Ruby asked.
"He killed 312 people during the night. 312 innocent people, and he mercilessly killed them while he was under control by that woman. His body was repaired and he woke up, but... he just shut down, hasn't said a word since he woke up." Yang said, wiping a tear from her eye.
"Yang... Where are Weiss and Blake?" Ruby asked her sister.
"Weiss's father... came for her." Yang said.
"What? What do you mean?" She asked.
"With the CCT down, nobody outside of Vale knows what happened. All they saw was the Grimm flooding the kingdom and the Atlesian Knights attacking people. Everyone was scared. No one knows who to trust. So, Mr. Schnee came and took Weiss back to Atlas, where he thinks they'll be safe." David told Ruby, putting a hand on her shoulder. "She's gone."
"Well, what about-"
"And Blake ran!" Yang yelled angrily, cutting Ruby off. "Sun and Ultra saw her go. After we got to the city, she just... ran!"
"But... why!?" Ruby exclaimed.
"I don't know..." Yang said sadly. "...and I don't care."
"There has to be a reason she left." Ruby tried to reason.
"Adam. He said he would destroy everything she loves, and already did a number on Yang." David told them. "He's a monster. Sometimes, bad things just happen to good people, Ruby."
"So, what do we do now?" Ruby asked them both.
"You two can do whatever you want. I'm gonna lie here." Yang said, looking out of the window again.
"Yang..." Ruby muttered.
"Just leave me alone." Yang said calmly. Ruby and David slowly started to leave, but Ruby paused at the doorway, looking over at her sister to say one last thing.
"I love you." Ruby said, and left the room. She turned to David, who was leaning against the wall of the corridor.
"I've got to go now, Ruby." David told her.
"But... you just got here." Ruby said sadly. He sighed.
"I just... need to talk to Anna about what happens next. She doesn't even know if I'm still alive, so I need to see her so she knows. In a few weeks, when you leave for Haven, I'll join you if I can. If I can't, good luck." David said, ruffling her hair a little. In an instant, he disappeared in a cloud of yellow smoke.
Some time later...
Ruby stepped out of her house and into the snow, wearing a backpack and quietly shut the door.
"Hey." She turned to see Jaune.
"Hey, Jaune. Haven's a long way to go." She pointed out.
"I know. It's the only way we have." Jaune understood.
"Are you sure you want to come along?" Ruby asked.
"The journey will be perilous, and whether or not we'll find answers at the end is entirely uncertain." Ren stated.
"But we wouldn't be here if we weren't up for it." Nora added, hammer on her shoulder.
"Then let's get started." Ruby finished, and the four of them left for Haven.
"Hey, leaving without me?" The four of them turned to see David standing with a different outfit. An opened fleece jacket over a grey button-up short sleeve shirt, a pair of jeans and his black boots and black fingerless gloves. His lightsabre was secure against his waist.
"You made it." Ruby said happily.
"Yeah, I worked it out with Anna. I've just got to call her every so often." He stated and ran up to them. The five of them continued to Haven.
"...A smaller, more honest soul... It's true that a simple spark can ignite hope, breathe fire into the hearts of the weary. The ability to derive strength from hope is undoubtedly mankind's greatest attribute. Which is why I will focus all of my power... to snuff it out..."
Yang looked out the window at the dead trees and the snow, watching as a crow flew away, cawing as it took off. I remained asleep at the end of Yang's bed.
"...How does it fell, knowing that all of your time and effort has been for nothing? That your guardians have failed you? That everything you've built will be torn down before your very eyes?..."
A horde of Goliaths, Ursi, Beowolves and Creeps started approaching Beacon, the Dragon frozen in place at the top of the tower with Nevermore's surrounding it.
"...Your faith in mankind was not misplaced. When banded together, unified by a common enemy, they are a noticeable threat..."
Glynda attempted to repair a building in Vale, but collapsed in defeat and the building collapsed.
"...But divide them, place doubt into their minds..."
Blake leapt onto a rooftop in Vale, stopped and looked at the Grimm Dragon in the distance, and leapt onto another building.
"...and any semblance of power they once had will wash away..."
Weiss sadly looked out of the window on the ship she was on, and turned to her father, still with her sad expression.
"...Of course, they don't realise it at first. Like you, they'll cling to their fleeting hope, their aspirations..."
Ruby looked down at her mother's grave, and turned around to see Jaune, Ren and Nora looking at her. She nodded to us and walked away from Summer's grave.
"...But this is merely the first move..."
Ultra leaned against the wall, Willow on him as they kissed passionately. Peter was outside, watching the Grimm leave Mountain Glenn with Sonny lying next to him, as they headed towards the Grimm Dragon.
"...So you send your guardians, your Huntsmen and Huntresses, and your smaller soul, and when they all fail and you turn to your Inhuman, know that you send him to the same pitiful demise..."
David held a picture in his hands of himself and Anna at a party in formal wear. He sighed and folded the picture and put it in his pocket. Ruby and the rest approached him, and he followed them as they continued.
"...This is the beginning of the end, Ozpin..."
In an unknown place, Salem stood and looked out at the rocks and crystal covered landscape, the shattered moon in the distance.
"...And I can't wait to watch you burn."
End of Chapter Twenty One
Wow, what a long chapter. Over 6000 words! So, now that this is finished, now it's onto the important things: the future of this story.
Volume 3 of RWBY ends with Team RNJR (that's what everyone calls it) leaves for Haven, and I've decided that David will go with them. Now, this story focus's on Epsilon, which is why he's the first person, but he's with Yang. Now, depending on how Volume 4 goes, it will depend on this story. If Volume 4 souley focus's on RNJR, I will create a new story that will have David as the first person. If the story still focus's on Yang, it will continue in this story.
So basically, this is possibly the end of this volume, and the next one will come out, but we'll have to wait and see. But, Ultra will get his own fanfiction in the future detailing his life as a mercenary with will be M rated, lots of fourth wall breaking, gore, lot's and lot's of language and literally no limitations! But, as I said, it will be in the future.
For now, I will continue my unrelated fanfiction RWBY: The Walking Dead until RWBY Volume 4 comes out, and the fate of this story will be determined. Thank you all so much for reading, and I'll see you all in the next chapter.
Oh, story recommendation. I know I always do another person's story, but this time I'm recommending the one mentioned above:
Name: RWBY: The Walking Dead
Author: EliteGough1998 (Me!)
General Synopsis: In a post apocalyptic world of Remnant, officer David Xiao Long wakes from a coma and must survive in this new world by fighting both the living and the dead. Join him as he survives the zombie outbreak with the help of his friends and family, and how the world has changed him. The Walking Dead TV Show with RWBY characters and settings! Rated M because it's the Walking Dead.
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