Chapter 61 – Closure
Ruby
She looked back over her father's shoulder as he carried her, she had not looked away the whole time. She had two emotions rattling around in her mind, one of them was fear – fear that the three of them were not enough to take down Valravn… and the other was a strange sense of sadness. Even after everything, despite all her hatred for the two of them and what they did to her mother… knowing that she was never ever going to see Qrow Branwen again still seemed to sting.
Ruby did not know how to think abut these emotions, she just let them bubble up inside of her as she rested her head against her father's shoulder. The rain continued to patter against her head, but the storm started to fade…
… and they did not know it yet… but the Branwens were no more. Valravn, Jackdaw, Raven and Qrow were all killed by each other.
Taiyang gently caressed her head of hair as he held her in his arms, looking at her broken leg and some of the cuts on her body. Yang gently held her dad's shoulder, she glanced at the stump where her Cybernetic Arm once was… feeling slight Phantom Pains again, but she did not show it. "Dad… are you okay?" Yang asked.
"Yeah… I'm just glad I managed to get you two out of there. That man… Valravn… I have seen a lot in my years. Plenty of cruel men and women… terrifying Creatures of Grimm. But none of them… not one… were as evil as he was." Taiyang explained.
"It's only because he was trying to take us from you." Ruby said.
"No, Ruby… trust me. There was something really unnaturally evil about that man. His eyes… his age… even the way he spoke? The whispers that were always there? I honestly think there was more going on there than he was letting on." Taiyang explained. "Qrow and Raven always said that their Uncle was a dangerous man… but I never imagined he was like that." Taiyang explained as he walked with them.
"He did kill that Ancient Grimm – the one the locals actually called Valravn. Nobody believed anyone could kill it until he did… but he even said that he came back another person and adopted its name." Yang remembered.
"He said it could cast illusions and was extremely powerful." Ruby added.
"Well… maybe he meant that literally. That he never came back from that fight, that the person he was died there. Maybe that Grimm did something to him when he died, turning him into… what we saw back there." Taiyang said, he genuinely sounded quite nervous. There was always that urge to look over their shoulder, expecting to see him behind them… but he was never there.
They were safe… at long last.
"Gods… it can't be much further." Yang sighed as they kept on walking through the wilderness, clutching the stump. Taiyang looked at her and he sighed.
"Your team…" Taiyang softly said.
"It was my fault." Yang admitted.
"Our fault. It wasn't just you, Yang." Ruby stated.
"No, Ruby. It was my fault. It was my semblance that set us off into that blind rage, all of us. They were trying to help us, to stop us from being just like Jackdaw and Valravn, but we were both too angry. And my anger just made it worse." Yang stated.
"What do you mean?" Taiyang asked her.
"My semblance? You know that Ozpin said that Semblances can grow and evolve over time and with our personal life experiences?" Yang asked.
"Sure." Taiyang nodded.
"Well mine did… in the Atlesian Wildlands. My hair ignited but with Blue Fire and everything just went red… and the same happened for Ruby and eventually the same happened to Blake and Weiss. We started to fight them, like we were trying to kill each other. The only reason we didn't was because Blake managed to cut off my arm…" Yang stammered as she touched her arm, closing her teary eyes. "I made… her do that to me…"
"Hey… it's okay." Taiyang whispered.
"No! It's not okay! Nothing about what happened is okay! Don't you get it, Dad? I made Blake have no choice but to do the same thing that bastard Adam Taurus did to me!" Yang argued as she felt a lump form in her throat, tears started to stream from her eyes as she held back the urge to start sobbing over what she did. "I… I loved her… I still do, I think… and I made her do that."
Taiyang looked at her and Ruby gently patted her Dad's shoulder to let her sit down. He sat her down by a rock and he approached his older daughter. He gently wrapped his arms around her, and she pressed her cheek against his shoulder. "Yang… it's not over. You still have a chance to make this right. Qrow and Raven screwed up, but they only lied and practically did nothing about it. You can still make things right to Blake… when the time comes find her and explain everything to her."
"She couldn't even look at me, dad." Yang stammered.
"The wounds were still fresh. Give her time… hell she may be worrying about you already." Taiyang explained to her as the wind blew her golden blonde hair. "You just have to wait… and learn that you have to forgive yourself as well. You had a slip-up; sometimes bad things happen. But it can be forgiven – those who seek redemption will always find it." Taiyang assured, and Yang sighed.
"Jackdaw did… he tried and look where that got him?" Yang said.
"That was different. He had people constantly against him, you have still got friends and people who love you. Jackdaw… he only had Summer. And when she was gone he just… lost it." Taiyang explained with a smile. Yang nodded her head and he gently kissed the top of her head. "The world hasn't ended… all this? I know it can still be fixed."
"I hope so…" Yang softly mumbled, Taiyang then gently lifted her head up to his eyes with his thumb.
"I know so, My Sunny Little Dragon." He promised, Yang smiled brightly when he said that and then she rubbed her tears aside. Taiyang returned to Ruby and picked her back up.
"I can walk…" She winced.
"I know… but I'm your dad…" Taiyang pulled rank with a grin, making Ruby frown like a child. They continued down the path, and then their eyes widened as the mist began to clear.
"It's them!" They heard the squeaky voice of Nora Valkyrie call out from down the path. She suddenly shot through the mist and tackled Yang to the ground in a hug.
"Nora… CAN'T… BREATHE!" Yang struggled, Eryka, Winter and Ren approached them as well.
"You made it… thank the gods." Winter sighed with relief. Eryka smiled at Ruby and Dulcis flew onto her arm and he gently chirped as he looked at her. Ruby smiled brightly to see her adorable Eagle again.
"Hey… he found you!" Ruby laughed.
"He's a loyal baby, aren't ya?" She cooed, gently stroking his soft feathers. Ruby then looked ahead with Taiyang as they saw her sat on a Boulder in the middle of the Crossroads.
Lavinia Vasillias, Eryka looked at her mother with them and they all approached her. Lavinia had her leg crossed over the other, wearing a fluffy coat which looked pretty damp, but she pulled the hood down when the rain stopped. She reached back and let her long locks of black hair with blue highlights flow once more.
"Miss Rose." Lavinia greeted.
"Mrs Vasillias." Ruby replied respectfully, and Lavinia chuckled.
"Come now, no need for formalities here." She assured as she stood up from the boulder. She approached her in Taiyang's arms, seeing her broken leg and all the bruises and cuts on her body. "You're not looking too hot, that bastard got you good, huh?"
"Yeah, you could say that." Ruby agreed.
"Well, I am not gonna lie to any of you… it's not about to be any easier for you." Lavinia warned.
Eryka knew what that meant. "Alright… what're we looking at?" She asked her mother.
"I got a large payment a few hours ago today from the Unified Governments of Remnant, to place Kill Orders on all of your heads, bar Winter. Since the world believes that she was killed in the massacre by Valravn." Lavinia explained.
"But… Jackdaw said the U.G.R are probably wiped out by now." Ren stated, remembering that.
"My thoughts exactly. The Commissioner paid me One Hundred Million Lien to place Fifteen Million Kill Orders on all your heads. And it is about to go international." Lavinia explained to them.
"Watts… he works for Salem. If anyone could have access to that kind of money then it must be him… meaning the Councillors of the U.G.R are all dead. He wants to cut off all loose ends." Winter said with anger in her voice, Lavinia nodded her head and grumbled in agreeance.
"And you agreed to send out the Bounties?" Nora questioned; Lavinia looked at her.
"It was a One Hundred Million Lien Commission, Miss Valkyrie. I had no choice; I keep all the Criminal Organisations under my control with the reputation I have gained. If I turned it down simply because my little girl's name was plastered on it then I would appear weak. Then the Order I have created would collapse… and besides… if a single Commissioner is willing to sacrifice One Hundred Million Lien for Kill Orders… then they are more powerful than I am. At the very least… I could give you all a head start, so to speak." Lavinia explained to them.
Her reasons made a lot of sense, Lavinia was many things, but she did keep the Crime Gangs under control. Losing her could cause chaos in the streets. But then Taiyang furrowed his brow.
"Head Start?" Taiyang asked, and Lavinia nodded her head.
"Normally, the Kill Orders would be placed immediately. But I had given you six hours…" She checked her scroll on how much time is left. "But… considering everything that just went down? You only have an hour; I can't delay it any longer than that. The last hour is when it starts to go out, letting the whole world now that the Kill Order is about to go live." Lavinia explained, they felt their hearts start to hammer.
She looked at Ruby and then turned to something sat on a bench beside her, which was a Metal Case. "And Miss Rose… without your Scythe… you might need these." Ruby held the case in her hands, and inside were a pair of Volcanic Pistols alongside some bullets for her to use. "Down the road." Lavinia added, and Ruby smiled as she looked at the Cartel Kingpin.
"Thank you." Ruby said, and Lavinia nodded her head, before turning to Eryka and Winter.
"Your father is waiting for you; we brought a Freighter, and it is in the Docks. Hide in the Cargo Hold until you arrive at Anima and make your way to the Mountains and to the Summit's Claim. It's the one place nobody will venture, and you all know that Li Ren and all those who live there chose to go there because they wanted nothing to do with the U.G.R and their Kingdoms. They wanted their own lives, free of them. They will keep you safe there." Lavinia explained, and Winter nodded her head.
"Thank you, Lavinia. You have given us a chance." Winter said, and Lavinia nodded her head.
"I wasn't expecting my daughter to fall for a Schnee of all people… but clearly you are nothing like the rest of that family. Keep each other safe." Lavinia said, but as Lavinia went to leave, Eryka caught her hand, stopping her from going. Lavinia looked at her daughter and Winter stepped aside to let them have this moment together.
"You didn't have to give us a head start… thank you. You risked a lot more than I was expecting by doing that for us." Eryka said to her.
"I know I am not the greatest mother in the world… and not the best human being in the world… but I love my children and my husband more than anything. I would do anything for you three." She promised.
"Will you use your resources to keep an eye on Neptune? Keep him safe?" Eryka asked.
"You have my word." Lavinia promised.
Eryka smiled at her mother and they both stood there for a few moments. Things were improving between them, but they had not reached the point of sharing hugs at any time soon. But Eryka clenched her hands into fists and looked at Lavinia.
"Mom…" Lavinia looked at her daughter, seeing the determination on her face. "Tell them… tell them all. Whoever comes after us, whoever they are… we'll kill them. We'll kill them all." Eryka promised.
A proud smile formed on Lavinia's face. "Of course you will." She replied.
They both looked at one another.
"Eryka." She concluded, making sure they did not waste any further time.
"Mom." Eryka also concluded, and they parted ways. Eryka turned and walked towards the rest of her team who ran towards the Town of Patch where the Docks were. Lavinia remained in the Crossroads, contacting her Airship to come and pick her up. She then contacted someone else.
Beacon Informant
"Report. Is my son safe in Beacon?" She requested…
… nothing but static came through.
Lavinia furrowed her brow. "Report." She repeated, but still nothing. "Report!" She repeated with wide eyes, then she lowered her scroll and checked the signal… and it sent a cold shiver down her spine.
Cross Continental Transmit Service Lost
That meant only one thing… that the Beacon Tower was destroyed. Lavinia stood alone with wide eyes and saw Eryka and the others disappearing down the hill to get to Patch, then her eyes turned as she saw the tall pillar of smoke rising into the sky.
"By the gods…" She gasped, slowly closing her Scroll… knowing exactly what had just happened.
The Rogues entered the town, walking through the streets and they looked around at the many Holographic Posters on the sides of buildings. And one by one they saw their names appearing with the Countdown.
One Hour Remaining
Ruby Rose – 15 Million Lien
Yang Xiao Long – 15 Million Lien
Nora Valkyrie – 15 Million Lien
Lie Ren – 15 Million Lien
Eryka Vasillias – 15 Million Lien
Wanted for the murder of Black Gallows Military Personnel, Winter Schnee and many innocents in the streets of Mantle.
Kill Order has been placed, bounties will be paid out to the Individual who eliminates these individuals.
In the name of Justice and Peace…
Your Loyal Guardians – The Unified Governments of Remnant
As they walked through a park, there were people everywhere and every single scroll started to vibrate with this message. To every single person in the entire world, and with the C.C.T down… this message must have been sent to the whole world just before it became inoperable, meaning it will always be there until it is repaired.
Everyone knew… and everyone was waiting for the Hunt to go Green.
Ruby looked around as Taiyang carried her, seeing people from so many walks of life all looking at them. A young mother with her little baby in a pram watched them walking past her. A homeless man desperately begging for money on the street, all eyes were on them now.
Fear started to run through their bodies, and their walking accelerated into a jog and then into a sprint. Passing by more and more people.
A Police Officer.
A Huntsman.
A Delivery Man.
A Street Artist.
Chefs in Restaurants.
Everyone in the world were watching them.
Eryka ran ahead and she hurried them along. "Come on!" She called out, and they sprinted down the streets of Patch down towards the Docks where the Freighter could be seen. They could not stop, they could not even try to investigate, they had to get to the Docks before Roland left. They started to disappear into the crowd together.
Nowhere was safe anymore.
Not even the Island where Ruby and Yang were born.
But what they could not see, and what more people were starting to notice was where that pillar of smoke was coming from.
The Combat School of Signal.
Blake
Moments prior…
The Black Gallows Wasp landed down onto the Beacon Courtyard, and the Hunters emerged from it. All of them looked so different to when they left this place, In a strange way… it felt so odd to be back here after everything they had been through. Black Gallows were still everywhere, keeping the entire area locked down, and the Wasp left when the Rogues walked together through the Courtyard. They did not say a word to each other, they just kept walking.
Blake held her forearm as she walked, and Weiss had her head held low as she walked. The closer they got to the Academy, they saw that Neptune and Sun were both sat down and lifted their heads with wide eyes. The two of them sprinted to Weiss and Blake and immediately wrapped their arms around them in a loving hug. Sun caressed Blake's cheek and kissed her lovingly. She held him close and pressed her head against his.
"Are you okay?" He asked worryingly.
"We've been worried sick about you. We've been watching the news… all the things that have happened…" Neptune stammered, and Weiss smiled softly as she hugged him, kissing him again. Jaune and Pyrrha looked at each other and they just walked ahead with their hands held tight. Sun and Neptune watched them walk off together, not even saying a word.
Sun looked back at Blake. "What happened?" Sun asked.
That was when Neptune noticed something. "Wait… where's Winter? Where are Ruby, Yang, Nora and Ren? And Eryka and Qrow?" Neptune asked with concern, and they looked at each other.
"We… have a lot to tell you." She softly told the two of them.
They took Sun and Neptune to their Dorm Room and sat down on their beds whilst Sun and Neptune were sat on the other, listening to everything that they filled them in on. From encountering Tyrian Callows, Adam Taurus, Hazel Rainart, Mercury and Emerald all the way to Watts, Jackdaw and Valravn.
It was a crazy and long story to sum up, one that left them all wide eyed at it all, especially when it came to the part about Qrow and Raven being the ones who actually killed Summer the whole time. Neptune pushed his hands through his blue hair, and he paced around the room, unable to find the words whilst Sun was sat there, his tail just flopping up and down by his hand.
"Whoa… I…" He stammered, and Blake gently touched his hand as she sat down next to him.
"And my sister… she was taken by the Black Gallows?" He asked.
"Yeah… I'm sorry." Weiss apologised.
"Damn it, Eryka… why have you always gotta cause trouble everywhere you go?" Neptune sighed, shaking his head. He sat down next to Weiss and she gently held his hand to comfort him.
Something none of them even seemed to realise was that the Convoy was hit by Valravn, for all they knew the Branwens were all still out there and their friends were currently in the Black Tower. "This is had." Sun said as he covered his mouth with his hands.
"Yeah… I don't… I don't know what to do." Blake said as she pinched her brow, then Sun gently put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in.
"It's okay… she left you no choice." Sun said supportively.
"I just wish things could have gone differently. We could have stopped this all from happening but… they just… lost it." Blake said with grief in her voice.
"I know… and I am so sorry." Sun said to her. "But it's over now, you're safe."
"We don't know that. We never stopped Jackdaw, he got away. So did Valravn, Qrow and Raven." Blake incorrectly said.
"Then if we ever see them again, we'll take them down. I promise." Sun assured as he looked at her. Blake looked at Sun and his smile warmed her heart.
"Hell yeah, we've got your back." Neptune promised.
"We've… got so many enemies now…" Weiss sighed as she closed her eyes. "I dunno how we're gonna do this without Ruby."
"We'll find a way. We always do." Neptune promised, then their conversation ended when they were interrupted by a knock on their door.
"It's open!" Sun called, and the door opened up. Stood there were Jaune and Pyrrha.
"Hey guys… are you alright?" Jaune asked.
"Yeah, are you? You didn't say a word." Sun asked with concern.
"Yeah, just shook up, as you can probably tell." Jaune chuckled as he walked inside. "But… we want to go speak with Ozpin, to let him know about everything that went down. I imagine he wants to know anyway… but he needs to know. Mainly about Killian and the Black Gallows." Jaune explained.
After everything that went down, they nearly had forgotten about the dark truth of Killian and the Black Gallows' Origins. Even being brought back here to Beacon, that wasn't even on their mind for some reason.
"Gods… you're right." Weiss gasped.
"Wait what?" Neptune asked.
"We totally hadn't even thought about that… when we were in the Atlesian Wildlands? Where Jackdaw broke the truth to Ruby and Yang about Qrow and Raven? It was in an Ancient Black Gallows Facility called Frostwall Bastion. We learned some scary stuff about Killian and the Black Gallows there – we found a statue of Salem and the A.I there just flat out told us that they serve Salem. The Dark Queen who was responsible for what happened four years ago." Weiss explained, all of it started to rush back to her mind.
In a very weird way… it made her feel a lot better, just not thinking about the heartbreaking reality they were stuck in right now.
"We need to let him know; the entire Academy is surrounded by his soldiers. And sure, Killian may be locked up right now for what he had done, but the Black Gallows have been loyal to her long before he was even born. We can't just think that now Killian is no longer in charge that that will change." Blake agreed.
"Wait…" It hit Sun like a truck. "If the Black Gallows work for Salem… and they have Ruby and the others…"
They put two and two together. "Oh no… what have we done?" Weiss gasped with horror in her voice, they had no idea they were not in their custody… but the fear of the Gallows giving them to Salem suddenly became all too real.
Things were fractured between their family, but they never wanted them dead.
Sun and Neptune both stood up. "Then let's go tell Oz… can't wait to see the look on his face."
They followed Jaune and Pyrrha to Beacon Tower as the night sky covered them all, and the Shattered Moon watched over them. The elevator moved fast, and Blake stared off into the distance with worried eyes… something just felt wrong.
There was a cold chill on the back of her neck, like some kind of storm was coming.
Or that simply something was coming.
They reached the top of the tower, and the elevator doors opened, and they entered Ozpin's Office to find the Headmaster stood at the Observation Window as the huge Cogs rotated round and round. He did not even need to turn around to know that it was them. "Welcome home, Mr Arc, Miss Nikos, Miss Schnee and Miss Belladonna. It has been some time." Ozpin said.
"How did you know we were coming? We hoped to surprise you." Sun questioned.
"I saw you rushing to the Tower." Ozpin said as he looked down at the Base of the Structure. Sun and Neptune looked at each other.
"Oh… okay, that's fair." Sun shrugged, which made Ozpin chuckle. The Professor turned and he walked down the steps and he sat down at his table, clasping his hands together.
"How did the mission go?" He asked them, Weiss and Blake looked at each other.
"Not… well." She answered, and Ozpin sighed.
"What happened?" He asked.
"We followed them across Anima, fought them a couple of times but it ended in the Atlesian Wildlands. Jackdaw… he told us all the truth about what happened to Summer." Weiss explained to him.
"The truth?" Ozpin asked, Blake and Weiss glanced at each other then Jaune stepped forward, looking confused.
"Do you seriously not know?" He gasped, because this was genuinely the first time he had ever seen the All-Knowing Professor genuinely confused.
"Know what?" Ozpin asked, and Jaune sighed, then Weiss stepped forward.
"Jackdaw never killed Summer… it was Qrow." She revealed, Ozpin's eyes widened.
"What are you talking about?" He questioned.
"He told us everything. His childhood with his brother and sister… and Valravn. He told us about his life here at Beacon, what happened to his team and everything that came after. He protected Summer, Taiyang, Ruby and Yang for years from the dangerous Bandits and Grimm. But Summer left on a mission to protect a group of Silver Eyed Orphans… did you know about that?" Weiss asked him.
Ozpin nodded his head. "Yes, I was the one who gave her the tip. I had an Airship inbound to the Orphanage to take them somewhere safe, I just asked her if she could keep them safe until then. That was when it happened." Ozpin recounted.
"Yeah… well… it wasn't Jackdaw who killed her. He was keeping Taiyang, Ruby and Yang safe from the Grimm when she was out. But when she went to check on those kids… Qrow, Raven and Valravn were there. And they killed all the kids in their sleep, and they fought… and it ended with Qrow killing her. Jackdaw saw the end of it, and they put the blame on him, since he already had a bloody history and people would believe it was him." Weiss explained, and Ozpin stood up from his table and he pressed his hand against the window.
He squeezed his eyes shut with grief, slamming his fist against the window hard. "Damn it… all these years and I still don't know a damn thing." He growled with anger.
"I'm sorry, professor." Blake said.
"Where are they? The Branwens?" Ozpin questioned.
"I don't know. They disappeared when…" Blake paused.
"When what?" Ozpin asked.
"When it all went wrong. The truth… it sent Ruby and Yang into a rage, and they tried to kill them. We wanted them to not make the mistakes of Valravn and Jackdaw… but they wouldn't listen. We had to fight them and… they were arrested by the Black Gallows. But now we are afraid… afraid for them." Weiss explained to Ozpin. He stood there, still digesting all of this information.
"Why are you afraid for them? You know what the Black Gallows do but this seems different." Ozpin said.
"Did you hear about Killian being arrested?" Pyrrha asked.
"I did." Ozpin confirmed.
"Well… we learned more than just about Jackdaw and Summer's fate. We think the U.G.R could be in danger, Jackdaw pretty much said so to Winter and Eryka during the fight. That they could already be dead while we speak. But during our journey we fought against people who worked for… her." Pyrrha explained.
Ozpin stopped and his hairs stood on end and his eyes widened. "For Salem?" He asked them.
"Yes." Pyrrha answered.
"Tyrian Callows. Hazel Rainart. Mercury and Emerald. Adam Taurus. Ruby and her side faced a guy called Icarus… and Ruby told us of a man called Arthur Watts." Jaune explained as he walked around the room.
"Watts… he's still alive?" Ozpin growled with anger. "He was the one who made Grave Dust what it is today." Ozpin stated.
"We believe he was working in the shadows, working towards something terrible. And Jaune said Killian told us something that the U.G.R had something extremely dangerous. The Inhumane Necessity?" Weiss stated.
Ozpin said nothing, he just closed his eyes. "An Order, he called it a Societal Restart. We fear that Watts wants to use that order for Salem… for what we don't know. But Killian confirmed that what the Black Gallows were up to four years ago was on the U.G.R's end, but I would not be surprised if Salem was not riding alongside it. Taking advantage of the situation for her own gain." Jaune explained.
"Never underestimate the usefulness of others. That was what she would say." Ozpin softly said.
"But when we were in the Atlesian Wildlands… we found something out about the Black Gallows. You have always known we couldn't trust them – tell me – did you know that Salem is their leader?" Jaune asked as he took a step forward, Ozpin stood there and stared out the window.
"I remember hearing stories… that a long time ago that they served her… but I don't know if they still do." Ozpin said, Jaune however had some doubts in his mind about Ozpin's honesty there. He knew Salem more than he was letting on, but he decided to keep quiet. They had just given Ozpin a lot of shockers from their mission.
"This is… a lot." Ozpin softly said.
"You're telling me." Neptune chuckled as he scratched the back of his head.
Pyrrha stepped forward to the Professor who stared out at the Academy and he slowly exhaled through his nose. "Professor? What are we going to do? Ruby is in the hands of the Black Gallows… if they do work for her…"
"… then she is in danger." Ozpin said, nodding his head. He turned to them. "Are you ready for a new mission tomorrow?" He asked them.
"Yeah." Jaune nodded his head.
"So long as we can get our asses out of here. I'm so bored." Sun groaned, rolling his eyes, which made Ozpin chuckle.
"I need you to track down the Rogues and free them from their confinement. We cannot lose Miss Rose to Salem… I am going to host an Assembly for the Academy in a moment. Come… I will give you the mission then." Ozpin assured, and they followed him to the Elevator.
Ozpin
The Professor stood on the stage of the Amphitheatre, it seemed odd for him to have a speech without Glynda beside him. But he held his hands atop his cane, and he looked to his School of brave warriors.
So many people here.
Professor Port, Coco, Velvet, Fox, Team C.R.D.L and countless others. Team S.S.S.N stood together with their heads held high. Weiss, Blake, Jaune and Pyrrha were close together as well, waiting to hear his words. Pyrrha turned and saw Jaymes smile to see her back. It was nice to see that things had healed between them.
Team A.B.R.N were here, but with Reese dead there were some saddened looks on their faces, just like Team C.F.V.Y with what happened to Yatsuhashi. And the same for Team B.R.N.Z after losing their Team Leader Brawnz.
Ozpin inhaled through his mouth and began to speak.
"The single quality that exists in every single living creature on this planet – is Fear."
His words struck a chord in them all, and everyone listened to every single word he said.
"It's funny then, that as common as fear is... we so easily underestimate its power."
"Fear of growing close to someone, a subsequent fear of loss, fear of failure. Fear of Betrayal." Blake closed her eyes with grief as she pictured Yang's face. And even Qrow and Raven's faces.
"And as more people depend on you, those fears can take on greater power." Jaune held his arm but felt Pyrrha's hand gently clutch his.
"But fear itself isn't worthy of concern, it is who we become while in its clutches."
"Will you be proud of that person? Will you forgive them? Will you understand why they felt the need to do the things they did?" Weiss could not help but see Ruby in her mind… and even Jackdaw Branwen himself.
"Will you even recognize them? Or will the person staring back at you be the very thing you should have feared from the start?"
Many faces appeared in their minds when he said those words.
Qrow.
Raven.
Killian.
… Valravn.
"I suppose we all find out... sooner or later." Ozpin said as he opened his eyes. "The past few weeks have been extremely hard on all of us, but I am proud to say that we now have a new future ahead of us. One that will be brighter, one that will be stronger. And I trust in so many of you to see us through that future." Ozpin spoke to them all.
"I know… that this future… will be beautiful…" Ozpin said, and they waited for him to announce their new mission to find and save Ruby.
But… Ozpin froze.
His eyes widened and his skin paled, and his hairs stood on end as he stood there. Jaune looked at Pyrrha and then back at him. All the students, both the Graduates and the Fresh Years looked at the Headmaster with worry as the sky started to darken…
A terrified breath rattled from Ozpin as his hands shook… but he was not scared for his own life.
It was for theirs.
Heavy footfalls grew louder and louder from behind Ozpin, and she emerged from the darkness, eyes glowing red.
Clad in Bony White Armour, her red eyes glared at them all with the Relic of Destruction in her grasp, the long sword covered in flames carving a mark through the floor behind her. Jaune's eyes widened with horror.
Then she spoke.
"Hello, Ozma…" Salem greeted.
Author Note - The Inhumane Necessity is here...
The ending of this story... man you guys are not ready. That is the warning you are getting for how this Act is about to end. David and I have been so hyped to do this chapter. One of the biggest reasons that we decided to revive Eclipse was because of how this Act ends, and it is crazy to actually reach this point! How shocked were you though when not only Salem emerged behind Ozpin in the Middle of Beacon... but with the Relic of Destruction in her hand?
She already has it!
It's all about to fall apart. The part at the beginning was great too, with Lavinia holding her end of the bargain. I love it, the one person everyone - LITERALLY EVERYONE - told them was that Lavinia cannot be trusted. And yet out of everyone, she was the one they could trust in the end XD Oh the irony. But the part with them running as those Kill Orders came through? Dunno why but that part gave me the chills. End of the day, 15 Million is Life Changing and anyone would try and go for it.
And there are five of them with those bounties on their heads! Let's just hope they can get to the Summit's Claim in time.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review, follow and favourite!
Stay tuned for the Epilogue guys!
- Matt
