Well, this has been a busy day, I will let you all know at the end of the chapter. This one is going to be a little shorter than the last one, but there isn't a fight and focuses more on the impact after the fight. We will be getting into some darker themes moving on from here, so this is your warning now that there will be more death to come in Volume 3. Anyways, just sit back and enjoy.

Chapter 36: Death and New Beginnings

Team RWBY and Team AART sit on the edge of the landing platform overlooking the City of Vale after visiting the infirmary. Weiss has a bandage wrapped around her head and right arm while everyone else had their wounds healed by their Aura.

"Well, we did it," comments Yang half-heatedly.

"That was something alright," agrees Airu.

"If we don't get some extra credit for that, I'm gonna be seriously disappointed," complains Weiss.

"You do realize a snake crushed a bakery?" asks Tidus.

"And Jaune got stoned in the middle of the fight," adds Yang.

"Petrified," corrects Auron.

"Same thing."

"Well, either way, I better head to bed," comments Airu, "I still have classes in the morning."

"I'll come with you," replies Weiss. Airu shrugs.

"Alright." The two walk off with Airu's arm slung over Weiss.

"I better get going too," comments Blake, "Come on Ruby." The two get up and walk away as well.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," agrees Ren, also leaving.

"Wait for me," calls Tidus, "Auron, you coming?"

"Not yet, I will be there soon," replies Auron. Tidus just shrugs before running off, leaving Yang and Auron alone.

"So…" she begins, trying to break the silence, "Those were dark replicas of your friends from Spira?"

"Yes, but they were much weaker than the originals. You were unlucky in who you had to fight."

"You knew I lost?"

"You looked defeated mentally. The rest of your team had regret and sorrow written on their faces, but you just looked like you lost."

"Yeah, I was knocked out, but the last thing I remember was a man walking into a portal of fire. He must of saved me, and it irritates me. First against that ice cream chick, and now against some guy with a ball. I can't seem to win on my own."

"Wakka is not someone you could of taken out."

"Jerk!"

"Let me explain. Wakka relies on distance fighting as well as status effects to defeat his opponents. Even if you could get past his attacks, he could still take hits well. Someone like you who relies on close combat in a more berserk state wouldn't be able to beat him, even if it was a weaker version. It was luck of the draw. Kimahri, Rikku, maybe Lulu would have been a better opponent for you.

"Let this be a learning experience. Find what you did wrong so you can improve on it. You might have to face an opponent like him during the tournament, or one like the Neo girl. Just remember whoever saved you once might not be able to do it again." Before Yang can reply, Auron stands up from his spot and turns toward the school. "They protected you so you can write your story. Don't let their efforts be in vain." Auron walks away, leaving Yang alone. Night has now fallen, meaning she has something left to do.

Ozpin sits in his chair, sipping coffee as he watches the airship outside his window. His recent video call with the council had ended on a sour note, with Ironwood being appointed as head of security for the festival. The military had managed to capture Roman Torchwick from the train, to which he was stabbed in the dick by Airu. They let her off with a warning, but found it was impossible to repair the damage, and were forced to remove it.

Noticing something odd, Ozpin turns around to RagingKey, standing in the middle of his office. "You know there is an elevator," he reminds the lord.

"Yeah, but then people would know I am coming," Rage replies.

Ozpin decides to skip the small talk, "What is going on?"

"Yevon seems to have split his power among two sources, which is what is keeping Seymour alive. The first part is Seymour himself, granting him much more power and control over the Farplane, allowing him to access it here. The second is located somewhere in Spira. I have eyes searching for it now, but I don't know where or what it is. This is something that is very problematic to the laws of Time and Space."

"Something like this, I couldn't imagine going well. Spira is not something we are familiar with here on Remnant, and neither are the fiends."

"Until I can figure a way to remove them from Remnant, your students best be prepared to face them during missions."

"Are you offering to teach them?"

"Consider it returning the favor. I can educate them on fiends and status effects. Make it a mandatory class for all students currently staying at Beacon."

"Done. I will allow you to teach how you see fit, just don't kill any of my students."

"I can live with that. Now, I must be going, I have a class to prepare." Ozpin nods to the Lord of Hell as he steps through another portal of fire. Once Rage leaves, he turns back to the window and stares out it once more.

"This is going to be interesting."

Airu and Weiss walk toward their dorm rooms after leaving the docks, when Weiss stops in the middle of the hallway. "What's up, Weiss?" asks Airu.

"I'm just thinking about what happened today," answers Weiss.

"What about today?"

"You know when we were trapped in those gems?"

"And you were forced to kill a replica of one of Auron's allies? Yeah, why?"

"How do you live with yourself, knowing you took a life?" Airu looks out the nearby window and sighs.

"What do you mean exactly?"

"How do you forget the pain, the look in their face as their life slips from their body, everything."

"You don't forget!" Airu snapped. Realizing her tone, she takes a deep breath before continuing. "If you could just do that, you probably have to be a monster. No, you remember the pain, the sorrow, the guilt, but you don't let it get to you. Consider it a hard lesson in life. You had no choice, it was either her or you, so don't worry about it too much."

"And you?"

Airu turns back to the window and lets out another sigh. "I push the thought to the back of my head. But, my situation is different. I killed nearly everyone I knew because I could, so now I have to live with the pain and guilt of my choices. I wish for forgiveness, but I know I can't ask for it. Anyone who I could of asked is dead now."

"I forgive you." Airu looks back from the window to Weiss.

"What?"

"You said you wish for forgiveness, but you can't ask for it. I figured if no one else will, I would do so." Airu remains speechless as she suddenly hugs Weiss. Tears slowly fall from her face as she cries in happiness.

"Thank you," she says in between sobs, "I don't deserve forgiveness, but thank you." Airu slowly pulls herself away from Weiss and regains her composure. "Promise me, no matter what, that you won't forget the pain of taking a life. Also know that what you did was necessary for you to survive."

"I promise."

"Good, now we should get some sleep. We might be having a class taught by Rage tomorrow, and he can be a bit, different when it comes to teaching."

Elsewhere, RagingKey sneezes. "Well fuck you too," he says to no one.

Ren and Ruby stop by the armory on their way to the dorms to stock up on much needed ammunition. Ren grabs a vile of Burn Dust powder and holds it up to the light while Ruby turns to the gunslinger. "Ren, can I ask you a question?" she asks.

"Sure," he replies while he keeps his attention on the Dust.

"Umm, how do I say this? How do you deal with killing someone?" The question catches him off guard as he nearly drops the vial in his hand. He quickly puts it down and walks out of the armory, leaving the ammo he wanted in the room. Ruby runs after him using her Semblance and reaches his side. "You didn't answer my question."

"Ruby, please don't ask me about that."

"Why?"

"Because I said not to!" Ruby stops in her tracks at his sudden snap. "I have too much blood on my hands to care about taking a life at this point! If I have to kill to survive, I will! Death is a part of life, it is better you know that now. I was killing when I was your age, I am not proud of it." Ren clenches his fist and throws it against the nearby wall, punching straight through it. He pulls out his hand and slides down the wall to his but.

"I keep telling myself that I wasn't in control, but I still can't forget the fact I killed thousands for sport. I lined them up, monologued, and put a bullet between their ears. So you want to know how to deal with killing someone, you remember the pain and remember how to do it better, cleaner, the next time. Just know the one time you fail to kill someone after your life, that is when you die."

Ren pushes up from the wall and turns away from Ruby. "I am going to bed, please don't follow me." He walks away, leaving the red reaper by herself.

"What really happened to you Ren?" she asks to the empty hall.

Seymour stands atop the roof of a building, overlooking the destruction he caused. The door behind him opens, allowing Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald to emerge. "Well, isn't this a surprise?" asks Seymour, "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

"What, I can't chat with an old friend?" Cinder playfully replies.

"I assume this is in regards to the early arrivals."

"Yes, and I assume you know why it happened, considering you put RKWL into effect."

"The base was discovered by RWBY. He informed me ahead of time that plans may be moved forward. However, I do believe everything was a huge success, all things considered. We got the data we needed on them, and I assume you gathered enough watching the other teams."

"We did, so I guess everything was a success," replies Cinder.

"Except for all the Faunus trapped in the caves," comments Mercury.

"Yeah, I don't think the White Fang will listen to us after what happened," adds Emerald.

"No, but they will listen to me," declares a new voice. The group turns to the doorway to spot the newcomer who spoke.

"Then I believe our plans shall continue as they were," observes Seymour, "Am I right, Adam?"

"That you are, Seymour."

Short and simple, but raises a lot of questions. I won't answer them, but do know that Ren's true character is beginning to show. Now, onto more pressing matters, why this wasn't up a few hours ago.

So, a few chapters ago I mentioned a side project I had been working on, well it is up now on my page. A couple of months ago I proposed an idea with the author of Twin Heroes of Remnant, a Loz/RWBY crossover that focused on his two OC's, Gyro and Pierce. The idea was to have RagingKey fight Gyro and Pierce in a 2-on-1 match, because why not. I think it turned out great and he really helped make it as amazing as it is. There is a few small spoilers in it, but nothing that changes the plot enough to warrant not reading. So I usher you all to read A Dance With The Devil: RagingKey vs Gyro and Pierce, and then go check out his story, which is nearly 3 times as long as mine in just chapters alone.

And until next time, I hope you all have a good day.

Also special thanks to mrkiller5889 for the favorite and follow when I was editing this.