Note: Hey, oh, wow, it's been awhile, hasn't it? We are so sorry for not being able to update. Like, a full month. We haven't forgotten this story at all, we promise. What happened? Well, one was a big case of writer's block that consumed us trying to figure out this chapter. The other? Welp... our computer died. Yeah, it was on the fritz for literally MONTHS, and we've been making patchwork fixes, but this time it finally just up and died, which made it really hard to write anything in the brief moments we actually had some inspiration. But, now we have a fancy new computer, and since Volume 7 is finished, we're finally on enough of a RWBY kick to keep writing again. Hopefully this one lasts. We're trying to force ourselves to write a thousand words a day, but you know us. That aint going to happen. So, sorry if this chapter is kind of rough as we're getting back into the thick of things. Anyway, enjoy.
When Weis was ten, she broke a hole through the floor of her music room.
It wasn't her fault. Well, technically it was her fault, but she was mostly a criminal of circumstance more than anything. That particular wing of her house was constructed rather cheaply due to the demands of her father, and as such, it never received the same structural support that other parts of the mansion did. It wore away more quickly, and it was a pure accident that one day, while Weiss was practicing her singing, she stepped too hard by the piano and the entire panel beneath her gave way with a crash so thunderous the entire staff rushed in thinking there was some kind of explosion. Weiss was scolded rather heavily, though her mother was gladder that the piano did not crush her foot when it tipped over and almost fell on top of her. Every day since then, she was always careful to move around while practicing.
When she explained her plan to the others, they thought she was crazy, that too much blood had drained away from her and that she was delirious. Maybe that was true. She was driven more by adrenaline than any normal biological function. But she had enough wits about her to make her argument, and as they listened more and more, the less insane it seemed. It was still quite insane, granted, but what about their current situation wasn't?
There was no way out of the maze normally. Pyrrha confirmed that. On Weiss's instruction, she took Blakes weapon and used it to scale one of the nearby walls so that she could scan the horizon for an escape. She saw nothing. Just infinite walls of infinite crystals, and the tops of too many toads' heads poking out just above the walls, thankfully far away enough from them that they had time to plan. It was as Weiss predicted. An infinite, possibly repeating background that would cause them to run around like blind mice and get lost and loop around in on themselves, like a cartoon where the characters would pretend to walk as the background scrolled behind them. "We've already been this way," they would scream as the toads ate them up one after the other until they ran into a dead-end and broke down in tears. How predictable. How tragic. How dramatic.
Fuck that.
The idea of going through the floor was met with some mutiny. Nora called her crazy. Jaune nearly shit himself. Yang said they were going to die, and Blake… well, Blake actually didn't say anything. That was something. The others seemed more or less open to her plan, especially when she began explaining her reasoning. Of course, the Reveler had to build their environment out of nothingness, and it was likely that nothingness was what lied beneath them. Why would it bother building something they never were going to see? If they could get into that nothingness, Weiss theorized that they would simply fall forever until the Reveler decided to teleport them back to the theater, satisfied with her completion of its task. Then, she would begin its true Second Trial, and everything would be fixed.
"But, isn't that cheating?" Nora questioned. "Breaking its rules is what got us in this mess, to begin with."
"There's a difference between cheating and cleverness," Weiss explained cautiously. "When Yang and Blake watched over my Trial, I think it felt disrespected. It specifically laid out guidelines that we ignored. Here, it never told us that we had to escape the maze a certain way. It never even said we had to escape the maze at all. Just, 'save them from their punishment.' I think it will be amused more than anything."
"But how are you going to break through the ground?" asked Yang. "I mean, it's the ground. It's probably pretty thick, right?"
Only if there was more crystal underneath. Weiss was familiar with Trichon Dust. One of her family's largest competitors, the Mistral-based Queen's Purified Dust, happened to have its headquarters located in Prism, a mining city nearly built on top of a mountain of the substance. Trichon Dust was hard—nearly indestructible. The results of millions of individual fragments of Dust chemically fusing and losing their potency, usually after exposure to substantial amounts of sulfuric compounds, Trichon Dust would have been impossible to shatter through in a thick layer. Unless, they happened to be a giant frog monster, which had jumped through one of the walls in a desperate attempt to escape Pyrrha stabbing it through the head. But they were not giant frog monsters, so Weiss had to improvise with something simpler. Breaking through the music room floor: that would be much easier. And since it was a space carved into temporal nothingness, Weiss's theory was that the crystals would be nothing to worry about.
And after all of that, they arrived at their current state: Team JNPR awkwardly standing guard around the music room, on the lookout for any more toads that helplessly wandered in their direction, Yang and Weiss standing in the music room examining the floor, and Blake and Velvet pushing the piano out into the openness of the unnerving, violet lands that surrounded them so that the others had more room for… whatever it was they were planning on doing. They huffed as they struggled to push the heavy instrument, not wanting to waste any of their Aura as they wished whoever built the piano bothered to give it wheels. When they moved it a good distance away, Blake sighed, leaning against it.
"Hey," Blake whispered, "are you okay with going along with this?"
"Are you not?" Velvet asked sincerely.
"I mean, Weiss isn't exactly in the best state of mind right now," Blake stated, her eyes drifting to the ex-heiress's shoulder. "I think she's lost a lot of blood, and I can say from experience that when you get really hurt like that, your thoughts get a little… out there."
"Well, we don't have another plan to go off of," Velvet stated. "And I'm not sure going against what she wants is really the nicest thing to do since… you know…"
"Come on, this is different," Blake rolled her eyes. "She wants us to fall into an endless void and trust that a god is going to, what, pick us up? You know what's going to happen if we go through the floor? Either certain death falling into an abyss, or—alternatively—more isn't well thought out. It's nuts."
"Well…"
"Be honest," Blake said sharply. "Is this a good plan or not?"
Velvet took a deep breath, and absentmindedly pressed against one of the keys, ringing out a flat, middle note. "Honestly… I think we're involved with something that I don't understand. And I think everyone here is scared and confused and just trying to figure out what comes next. I think that the only good idea we can have is to trust each other and…"
"And…"
Velvet shrugged despondently. "Hope."
Blake scoffed, rolling her eyes automatically. "Yeah, well… I don't do hope. I'm a realist."
Velvet bowed her head and turned away, beginning her walk back to the others. However, just as she started to turn away, Blake's ear twitched, and she heard the older girl mutter something under her breath, so quiet it may as well not have been audible, but to her, clear as day.
"That's a funny way to say bitch."
Blake snapped to attention. "What was that?"
Velvet, realizing she had been caught, froze suddenly, unwilling to turn around. Blake fumed, but though the urge to unload on Velvet was fierce, there was some nagging depression within her that held her back and softened her features. She never knew those words to be in Velvet's vocabulary, but perhaps more than the language itself, there was this shock at the bluntness of it all, the uncouth dismissal of her common sense by the simple concept that the person delivering it was no longer to be trusted or tolerated. She was on the outs, as it were, and unlike every other time she had been pushed away, it was no longer of her own volition. Maybe more than Atlas, maybe even more than the very god that trapped in their crystal prison, they hated her the most. And that, remarkably, was enough to get her to hold her insults.
"L-Look," Blake admitted, "I know Weiss isn't going to listen to me. I get that. But she'll listen to you. At the very least, try to convince her to bandage that gash. I'm getting worried about that."
"Right," Velvet murmured. She was hard-pressed to disagree. The bleeding had slowed somewhat, but the red stains on her jumpsuit were growing by the second, and it was impossible to tell how much blood had already been lost. It was the least she could do, even at Blake's bequest. Grimacing, she toughened herself up and returned to the music room, carefully stepping inside as to not disturb the others. Weiss was lost in thought staring at the mirror, and Velvet gently tapped her shoulder blade. She barely reacted to her touch, but Velvet learned her throat and spoke sweetly. "Weiss, hey… do you think I could wrap up that nasty spot on your shoulder before we do this?"
"I'm fine," Weiss said distantly. Velvet pursed her lips.
"Um, well, you see… I don't know about that," she said nervously. "I could use part of my dress as a bandage. It would only take a minute—"
"I don't need your help," Weiss said bluntly, not even gracing Velvet with her attention. "I just need to finish this."
"But—"
"Yang, are you ready?" Weiss suddenly called out to the tired blonde waiting impatiently in the music room.
"Not really, but whatever," Yang said with a shrug. She knelt down and examined the floor. Simple wood paneling. She knocked it and heard a subtle, hollow feedback. "So, I just punch through this and then…"
"See if it goes anywhere," Weiss explained.
"Yeah. Right…" Yang said hesitantly. "And if the entire floor happens to open up and swallow us whole, then—"
"That's the plan," Weiss said further. "As long as we escape the maze, I think that would count us escaping punishment. So, as long as you don't see any more maze, go into it."
"If you say so," Yang said, reluctantly raising her fist. She didn't have a set destination to strike, and she did not expect the wood to put up much resistance. It was all a matter of simply not overdoing it. She took a deep breath, still in disbelief that she was putting any stock in Weiss's strategy, and with a dose of courage, she drove her fist toward the ground.
But then she stopped herself, and glimpsed up at the ex-heiress, who was still lost in her reflection.
"Hey, Weiss?" she said suddenly.
"Hmm?"
"Uh, I just wanted to say… I'm very sorry," Yang muttered aimlessly. "Like, for the ceremony and everything. It wasn't to spite you, or anything; I was mostly just trying to get back at Ruby because—"
"It's fine," Weiss said bluntly, not gracing the dragon with her gaze.
"O-Okay. Cool," Yang sighed, raising her fist again. But then stopped. "Also, I'm sorry for being so distant these past few months. You just never seemed like you'd be interested in hanging out, and I was probably harboring some resentment over you being from Atlas and… you know, when this is all over, we should totally spend some bonding time together—"
"It's fine," Weiss repeated. "Let's just get out of here already."
"Right, yeah," Yang agreed. "But also—"
"Stop stalling."
"Right, right, right," Yang said, shaking her head. She motioned towards the door. "Velvet, you may want to stand back a little. This could go very wrong."
Velvet nodded, giving Weiss one last worried look before scurrying out of music room. With the space cleared, Yang pushed out the doubting whispers from her mind and drew back her fist again. Weiss seemed unphased by her teammate's movements, and without the ability to conjure another reason why she shouldn't do anything, Yang slammed her fist into the ground. Her knuckles, clad in the steel of Ember Celica, burst through the floor almost instantly, and she felt a rush of air hit them as they fell into the empty space beneath. She pulled her fist out of the ground, and when the entire room didn't spontaneously collapse, she curiously peered into the hole that she created.
"Uh, Weiss? Question for you," Yang asked. "I know we're supposed to trust dark, mysterious voids. Do you also want us to put our trust in dark, mysterious houses?"
That was what it took to arouse Weiss from the mirror, and she too curiously joined Yang in looking through the floor. Her eyes lit up and she excitedly grabbed Yang's shoulder, leaving small streaks of red from the blood that dripped to her fingertips.
"That's… that's my house," Weiss explained.
"I mean, this room is part of your house," said Yang. "I guess that's not too much of a surprise."
"It's definitely an improvement," Weiss sighed with relief. "I was expecting nothingness. If we can just escape through my home, that would certainly make our lives easier."
"So, we literally just jump in there and the test is over?" Yang asked. "Doesn't that seem a little too easy to you? Like, why is the rest of the house even still there? That's—"
"Who cares? We won. That's what matters," Weiss stated. Yang, unwilling to argue, kept whatever other opinions she had to herself. While Weiss was unmistakably thrilled to have found an easy exit, she seemed slightly… off, as it were. Her eyes drooped, and she somehow seemed even paler than usual, and after blowing out her voice screaming at Blake, she spoke in what could only be described as a dull growl. And then there was that wounded shoulder, getting redder by the second. Yang didn't have time to argue, and it didn't matter if she didn't fully understand Weiss's idea. Whatever got them out of that hellhole.
"I'll… tell the others that we found a way out," Yang explained. As she started to leave the music room, Weiss smirked. She had done it, hadn't she? Outside the box thinking. Literally outside the box thinking, exactly like the professors said to employ. They would be proud of her, wouldn't they? Her sister would be proud. They had spent so many long hours together in that room—even if it technically wasn't the same room—that she felt the connection just by being in its presence. Her hand clenched. Yes. Her sister would be proud of her. That… that would be enough to make up for everything.
Yang stepped out of the room.
"How delightful."
The voice shattered her world.
Weiss instinctively turned toward the mirror, and her eyes went wide. In the reflection, standing by the door with its arms crossed and a delighted grin on its face, was the blue-skinned being that ruled over her. She snapped her attention to the door, but saw nothing; it only existed inside the glass Yang turned around as well, but just a moment too late, after she had already passed through the barrier. With a satisfied laugh, the Reveler grabbed onto the door, and with a sound of a cannon firing, the door to the room slammed shut. Weiss tried to reach out to stop it, but she was helpless to watch the world close off from her.
"Weiss!" Yang shouted from the other side. The door was still present in the crystal world, and she grabbed onto its handle, trying to force it open to no avail. Her struggles attracted the attention of the others, and they all hurried around the door, frantically asking questions.
"What just happened?"
"Is Weiss still in there?"
"Open it!"
Yang, unable to get the door to budge, growled and rammed her shoulder into it, causing it to shake but never move. She rammed it again, and again, and again, but it refused to move even an inch. The others grew more panicked as she was unable to do anything, and she pounded repeatedly on the door, screaming as the fear started to overtake her.
"Weiss! Are you okay?"
"I don't understand. What happened?" asked Jaune.
"The Reveler… he was in there," Yang exclaimed. "I… I saw him. He locked me out."
"The Reveler was in there?" asked Velvet, horrified. "Weiss could be… oh my God…"
As they took turns trying to ram the door to the music room open, none of them noticed that they were one member short. Blake kept her distance, still standing by the piano however many meters away from the rest. She stood there, brewing in disenchantment, for a long time before Yang, having been thrust off of the door, noticed her absence. She sprinted over to her teammate as the fervor grew behind her, and grabbed onto Blake's wrist.
"Come on, Blake," Yang said desperately. "You need to help us."
She gave a sharp tug, but Blake did not budge. Hell, she didn't even look at her. When Yang was finally able to catch Blake's eyes, she saw something she could not place. Her face didn't read of malice, or glee at Weiss's failures, or pride that she had correctly predicted that everything would fall apart as it ultimately did. She seemed almost sad, and that gave Yang pause.
"Dumbass," Blake muttered under her breath. "Just had to go and get herself killed…"
Yang groaned and gave another tug on Blake's wrist.
"She won't have to die if…"
She trailed off. A shadow flew overhead.
Yang screamed.
"Blake, move!"
Yang pulled on Blake as hard as she possibly could, and the shadow girl fell forward suddenly, gasping at the harsh motion as she was pulled away from the piano. She barely got enough distance before a massive creature fell out of the sky, crushing the instrument, which let out one harmonious sour note before it shattered into a thousand pieces. The force of the landing knocked Blake and Yang to the ground, and they gazed up in terror at the royal toad which towered above them. The others themselves only just noticed before another shadow came from overhead, and they were forced to retreat from the door before it too was broken by the weight of a monstrous creature. Surrounded on both sides, it was Nora who first looked up to the sky, and who's face twisted in disgust and anguish as she saw the fate that was closing in.
"Guys… that's not a good sign, right?"
The others looked up and their faces contorted with fear. A dozen frogs, falling from the heavens, directly on top of them.
They were hungry.
Weiss slammed her fists furiously against the door, falling to her knees.
"No… no, no, no…" she muttered again and again. The Reveler's unblinking eyes watched her intently, and it quietly and calmly levitated, rolling onto its back, its legs crossed, arms flailed out and long, blonde hair sticking out in all directions. A glass of wine materialized in its hands, and it lavishly poured some into its open mouth, letting it dribble down his cheeks as it overflowed.
"Well done, Weiss Abailess Schnee-Saeva. Thou hast completed thy new Trial."
Weiss pressed her head against the door, sputtering, overflowing, her teeth clenched.
"You… you lied to me," she growled. "I had it… I found a way out, and you lied to me."
"Lie? The Gods do not lie," the Reveler claimed. "If thou saved thy friends from their punishment, thou might receive a chance at redemption. Thou hast found, through cleverness and tenacity, a method to save thy friends from punishment. Thou hast earned redemption."
"But… how?" Weiss gasped, a sob rising in her throat. "I didn't save them… you didn't let me save them. They're going to die, all of them…"
The Reveler simply laughed.
"Thou believed I would allow thy friends to keep their lives? Thy friends violated the rules of the God's Arm. Disrespected the art of ceremony. Disgraced our name. By Law of Decum Luna, their lives art forfeit."
Weiss fell further against the door, her will draining away with her blood. It wasn't possible. She won. She won, dammit…
"Then… what punishment did I save them from?"
She had no idea what answer it could have given her, what could have satisfied her, made everything make sense, make her not feel like a complete failure. But the Reveler merely laughed again, and it spun around in the air so that its feet were above its head, and though she couldn't see it, she felt its grin burning into her.
"Whatever I desired it to be."
It was then that Weiss remembered a conversation she had with Professor Ozpin a long time ago. It was sometime after the fifth test that he had forced upon her, the one where Goodwitch had tested Ruby and her on their knowledge of Remnant. The one where Ruby shattered her nose with a single punch. It was after that she had gone to Ozpin demanding answers. She screamed at him that Ruby should have been immediately expelled, that he should have resigned, that their presence served as a reminder of the failure of all Valian Huntsmen and Huntresses. She belittled his attempts at tests, calling them ineffective and meaningless. He sat there the entire time, listening to her air her grievances with the patience of a saint. What he told her after was something that only served to infuriate her further, but she would never forget it as long as she remained at Beacon.
"The tests, Ms. Schnee, are never about the tests."
She didn't think she had any more tears left to shed that day. She was surprised to find out that she was wrong. It only made sense when thought of in a roundabout way. It was never going to let the others live. All it ever wanted was to see what she would do when pushed to her limits. To watch her struggle and triumph. To watch her break. It never did say what the punishment she was saving them from actually was supposed to be, because in truth, it never really cared. Weiss turned to the Reveler snarling, a broken mess of the woman she was even just a few hours ago. It took pride in her bitterness, her rage, and it drank again from its chalice, taunting her from beyond the mirror. Weiss shakily rose to her feet, stumbling at first to one knee, but then finding the strength to push herself upwards. She stared back at it, seething, a bloody pool forming beneath her. It glared back at her, proud of its work, proud to have drawn such emotion out of the child. She shut her eyes as the images of her teammates getting eaten alive flooded her mind. The vision of her failures.
Then she screamed.
Then she charged forward and slammed her fist into the mirror, cracking it apart.
The fragments of glass clattered against the wooden floor around her, and she breathed heavily, in and out, her fist imprinted into the wall behind it. Small shards embedded into her knuckles, but even as they cut deep into her flesh, she didn't feel a thing. Her hand trembled against the surface, and gradually, her fist uncurled, leaving her palm pressed up against the smooth, cold stone beyond. The Reveler was gone, but she still felt its eyes—and its grin—forced down upon her.
A voice called out her name from beneath. The voice of a young girl. Weiss froze.
"Save thy anger for thy Second Trial," said the Reveler, its voice speaking from everywhere at once. She looked down into the hole Yang had punched into the floor. Down into the depths of her former home. Down where another awaited. "Thou must meet my Red Angel."
