Chapter 64 - Harrowed Heart
Act VII - Memories
[The Argus]
"Welcome to the Argus, I've been expecting you for some time now." All eyes were drawn to the voice of Charron
The Vex hovered within the center of the massive hall, the stone a smooth white, with lines of metal and blue coursing through their being. Lights trailed up the sides of the walls to strange details and designs, some resembling two dragons coiling around the arena, with hands reaching up from below.
Ruby had come through the rift that awaited them with only Oscar and Erika to wait back on the other side for Albatross's return. That, and compared to the rest they were least experienced fighters so it was best they'd be the last to join the fight if all else fails.
"This is the Argus?" Summer mumbled, overlooking the runes that now drew themselves along the ground, all centered around Charron, whose arms held multiple magic circles, all turning like the gears in a clock, cranking by each second the letters grew on the ground
"Yes, my prison, it is the central terminus of the Corridors of Time, simply thinking of a pathway to a certain world will open up a doorway down a nigh impossibly large maze of halls and doorways to other worlds," Charron explained, his eyes closed as he conjured the gateway to his Dark Matter form. "Of course, drastic changes like my release will sadly collapse a good portion of this place, but empty copies and forgotten worlds are worth the sacrifice."
"No, they're not!" Ruby snapped. "Even if they are copies and smaller worlds, and others like us, that doesn't make them any less important!"
"This is why you must end, here and now." Iota sieved with rage, conjuring ice between his palms. Amber stood beside him, raising her rifle for Charron's head
Cracking an eye open, Charon looked to the group, moving his arms to his sides again, but the runes continued to turn with each second, and the room rumbled slightly. The four massive arches to the sides of the hall beginning to glow white, blue, gold, and purple.
"Is this all that humanity has to offer as a last stand? A team still broke after the near-fall of their school, a girl who holds onto a fleeting hope, one who fears her own family, another a lost limb, and one of guilt?" All four girls looked either angry or hurt by the sensitive comments.
"Then there is the personality, given life yet squanders it, the other wasted. Then a woman who's death should have never been undone." Iota remained stern with Summer drawing her bow back
"A rare Faunus with no family or heritage, a mere misstep from fading to dust, forgotten by time." Amber's eye twitched with rage. "And of course, the Bad Luck Charm, need I say more?" Qrow hardened his stare. With a wave of his arms, alongside a slow spin, Charon's eyes grew wide. "Then we have the fool playing knight dragging his allies' feelings through the mud without realizing it." Jaune almost lost his nerve, Ren, and Nora looking to him apologetically before raising their own weapons
"I have lived, died, and rewound the clock countless times, every outcome has been my downfall, but this is new, all events have been inconclusive, and it is that unknown terror that shall be my golden light to victory against you corrupt humans!"
"What good is a world without flaws? Sounds like a dull place to live if you ask me." Qrow shrugged, spinning Harbinger in his hands. "But a world without you will be just fine."
Without a word, Charron turned his back on them, unphased by their threats. "I have no time for flies, plot if you wish, as futile as it maybe." But in doing so, Yang grinned
"Oh? Seems someone is all huffy now, guess we can just go a start shutting this place down without distractions, right Ruby?" Yang quipped, and said sister caught onto the plan
"Yeah, I mean, we've only beaten Charron like... a million times before." His ear twitched
"He did say that he had turned time back to try again and again, yet we always managed to prevent his plans, so what's stopping us from doing it again?" Weiss added with a smug huff
"Besides, if he was smarter and more clever, he'd remember to watch his back." Blake finished, and Charron had turned back to them with a dull look on his face
"If all you are going to do it prattle on baseless insults then-" He spun around in time for a short sword to carve across his shoulder, vanishing without a trace as a small capsule was left spinning in the air beside him, a single gunshot and fire erupted in his face
Blake and Ruby's hit-and-run tactic resulted in the runes losing their glow, the arcane circles surrounding Charron's arms having faded slightly, though his eyes and aura rumbled with the same, unpleasant energy. "Ok then... the ritual is nearly complete, but before I do what my creators could not..." Charron now remained floating above them all, his arms alight with a strange a gold and purple aura, akin to molten metal. "I'll relieve you from my sight for good."
Back in the Indomitable Universe...
[Zorah's POV]
Today was just my lucky day. Woke up, pondered on the teenage angst that would inevitably ensue, imagine murdering Blondie, then had a nice study session with my Master and Weiss; The cherry on top? The Horseman known as Tabus has made her guest appearance in our twisted world.
Keeping a steady grin on my face I tapped my hand excitedly to Night Sky, glancing over my shoulder at Mr. Hero and Azure, especially at my partner. "You good?" She blinked, then smiled softly with an assuring nod as I turned my gaze back to Tabus, her hand regenerating alot faster than most Grimm. "Damn, so this is what happens if Ruby went south; Creepy, cynical, and a total bitch."
"W-what the hell is that blade made of?" She snarled at me as I eyed Night Sky with mocked fascination
"Something that is well out of your league Red," I saw her emotions clear as day, twisted and boiling well and truly over her limit when I said that. Upon closer inspection it was obvious just how much this Vex has messed with her soul, I'm surprised she's hanging on so well. "You see I was enjoying watching you beat the ever-living crap out of shining armor behind me, you even gave Blondie quite the beatdown and threatened Ruby," My eyes were wide with glee. "I can't thank you enough for that, haha, wish I caught it on camera."
She looked perplexed at my reactions then I held a sharp glare to match my smile. "But you made one fatal mistake, you messed with an adorable wolf-girl and almost did some unspeakable things to her," I wagged my finger. "That's crossing the line."
I continued without letting her get a word in, glancing back at Ruby who watched warily, can't imagine what questions are rummaging through her head upon seeing a copy of herself, I'd certainly wish to die if I saw a copy of me. "Oh, encase you try comparing my sense of justice to Mr. Hero down there I could care less if you look like my so-and-so little sister, though that term is still on a thin line,"
"You and Ruby are... siblings?" I heard Bluey wince as Azure helped him up from the debris. Scoffing I rolled my eyes
"I'm adopted dipshit, last I checked neither Tai nor my Mom had orange eyes and white hair," I'm rambling again, best get to the point. Keeping my smile I clapped once. "I gotta say I'm really fricken excited!"
"What?" Tabus narrowed her eyes, clearly unable to fathom my reasoning
"Don't you get it, bitch? I get to let out all the pent up fury I have for Red on you and not feel a shred of guilt afterward!" A fire burned in my eyes at the ideas and methods I had stacked up. "I get to feel your bones crunch and your blood, or mist, spill onto my hands and no one can hold it against me for some stupid moral lesson!"
"I... don't know how to feel about that." Ruby deflated as I cackled madly
"Not really Huntsman material with that laugh, Whitey~" Myst nervously added
"Not gonna lie, you kinda sound like a madman." Like you're one to talk, Echo. "Ehehehe, can't argue there."
"Don't read into it, Red, this is between me and your evil duplicate who's clearly more than happy to put on a show for me!" I saw a faint flicker of fear in her eyes. "Come on then, Red, I've not gone all out in months, don't disappoint me!"
"Sure, why not?" Her own toothy smile was displayed to the world, drawing two new knives, or rather, the last two she had, seems she's running dry. After sizing me up her body swung toward me, and missed entirely as I appeared behind her, cracking my elbow off her crown. She swiped backward and my elbow connected with her nose
"Missed," I vanished into her shadow and struck her blindspot. "Boop," Again she missed as I continued my pestering assault to her temper. "Are you even trying?" I jumped over her knives, dipping back as my left foot snapped against her chin, throwing her back. "Yawn."
While Tabus recovered quickly I merely skipped backward, kicking a table up and toward her face. She immediately tore through and into the sights of my middle and index fingers bent back against my thumb, her eyes widening. "Air Force Strrrike!" Flicking outward a concussive wave of sound smashed into her face, throwing her and the debris toward the ceiling
She practically bounced upon landing, however, I bent to my left, feeling one of her knives graze my cheek while a flurry of roses tore toward me, causing me to blink, bracing my hands. "Crap didn't see that coming," Her body smashed into my hands, her jagged rose petals tearing into my palms as I twisted at the waist, tossing her away, seeing her split into two smaller clustered
Wiping the blood off my hands I rolled to my right, evading her sweep while my left hand peeled through the layers of roses, gradually materializing a star-struck Tabus by the collar. "W-What!?"
"Your Semblance is a part of the soul, dumbass," My knuckle grooved into her cheek, followed by my arm tugging her down for my knee to crack against her nose while I wrapped my arms around her neck and snapped it, kicking her limp body into the dirt. "That shit doesn't work on me."
Even while she recovered I left almost no room for her to escape as my hand forced its way through the shadow of her face, sinking my growing claws into her skin as I smashed the back of her head into the concrete pillar, respectively slamming the crown into the support while her own nails sliced into my skin, then she saw it before one of my fingers gouged out her right eye, my own pupils sharpened, two fangs prodding in place of my canines.
Dragging her to the right I smashed her through another table, kicking her through another while running up the one next to her while her knife burnt through the wood, my legs tipping the table upward as I ran above her barreling through the bottom half. Flipping around I fired off two sonic blasts that she narrowly evaded, flicking her blade toward the unsuspecting Sky and Azure.
"Son of a-" Vanishing into the shadows I appeared from under Azure, allowing the knife to pierce my left hand, blood spitting from the wound as I winced, tugging the knife as more crimson fluid dripped down my fingers. "-bitch!"
I heard Azure gasp beside me, almost reaching out to grab my arm but I pulled forward.
"Zorah..." What? Was the Hero actually concerned with me? I rolled my eyes, of course he was
My orange aura shimmered slightly, carefully mending the bleeding as Tabus approached from the wreckage, herself leaking with black smog. "You weren't using your Aura? Now I'm questioning your sanity."
A laugh escaped me. "If I can't fight without an Aura I have no right to call myself a Huntsman, and for the record," I clenched my bloodied fist, finally deciding to get a little serious. "The throbbing sensation in my arm, the faint loss of blood and coppery taste in my mouth, that there's telling me I've still got some fight left in this hollow husk of a body."
"Fine by me!" Her form broke toward me, and this time I met her head-on with my own charge, arm raised for the frantic assault. Her right arm swung wide and high, I swiveled and struck her stomach, landing a sharp elbow to her chest before cracking the sole of my boot with a spin kick
Her left hand struck my side while I grasped the arm, jabbing the inside of her elbow before backhanding her for several punches to the torso, leading up to a strong uppercut. I followed with my left arm snapping down against her scalp, kicking her off her feet with a knee. My hand pulled at her left leg, yanking her high and straight into my arriving left cross to her jaw, snapping bone and pummeling her against the cafeteria floor.
While she tumbled her semblance kicked in and sped toward me, emerging high for a dropkick that I blocked with both arms, the force pushing me back while her claws ripped my guard down for her head to slam into mine. Rolling under her right hook I sliced the back of her knee, evading her backswing.
Tabus raised for a right hook to which I blocked with my left, striking her chin with my fist then her stomach. As we struggled I pulled her arm high, digging my fist into her side before she pulled away from a left cross, keeping her distance as I retaliated with a series of strikes. I dove back and under her roundhouse, following with my own helix kick that skimmed her throat.
When I landed her hands locked to my hair and bashed my face into her knee, my boot shoving her away. Readying my stance her foot shoved them aside, lunging for a high kick of her knee that I backpedaled from, blocking her overhead swing with both arms, slamming all three down while bouncing forward for a headbutt.
"Are you serious?" She rubbed her split lip for a moment
I shrugged. "Eh, I've done worse." It was time to end this, any longer and I might be unable to undo the effects she's under
"I'm ready when you are," Echo confirmed
Bringing my arms close to my chest I let Tabus move closer and into the range of the rattling that seemed to only just catch her ears. Extending my arms down my body burst with dozens of chains, many locked to the surfaces around us, others piercing her form entirely, keeping her sharp fingers inches from my eyes. Twisting my right arm upward, black chains coiled around my arm, bending and coiling many of the bindings run through her flesh, rendering her helpless to their grinding.
"G-grah!" Black blood vomited from her mouth, my hand clasping around her cheeks tightly as I dared her to try a budge
"Just like Red, you're out of your league," Shoving her face back I leapt high into the air, breaking the floor under us as the chains tugged and pulled on my body, dragging her high enough to graze the ceiling before I pulled the chains downward, thrashing Tabus straight into the concrete, the force was enough to cause a small, circular impression in the ground as I stumbled back onto my feet, my chains retracting
Checking her condition it seemed her wounds were healing gradually though now she was out cold, and judging by her face it looked like she was still in pain psychologically. "And that's how you beat a crazy chick that looks like your sister, woo! I feel fucking great!" Like a weight off my chest, I threw myself onto my ass with my arms high. "Your welcome!"
"Nice work, Whitey, although..." Myst approached with a concerning look around the building. "Professor's gonna have a fit again."
I rolled my eyes. "And? The fate of the whole Multiverse kinda outranks a single building, I did us all a favor,"
"So you were listening?" Sky approached from the group, eyeing Tabus solemnly. Seriously, this guy's obsessed with her wellbeing...
"He completely shut down when he realized it was Ruby," Echo pointed out. "From how he felt at that moment, I think his version of Ruby and himself are-" Ugh, don't finish that sentence. Hearing any variant of Ruby's love life makes me want to gag
"Much as I'd love to have my ear chewed off by Professor Goodwitch, let's get this nutjob to the ward," I slapped my knees I stumbled up, caught in Azure's and Eros' hands. "I can walk you know?"
"We know," He smiled to me with Azure holding out a note
'But you've exhausted yourself again, let the others carry Tabus' Even in note form, refusing Azure's kindness was a fleeting battle. Reluctantly I let my body relax as the two helped me stand. Sky and Blondie aided in pulling Tabus from her own defeat as her legs dragged behind them
"This is still alot to take in, just... wow," Blondie still had trouble understanding the simplicity of parallel worlds? Seriously?
"You get used to it," Sky assured her as I chuffed. "Zorah?"
"Hmm?" I wasn't in the mood to chat but sure I'll bite
"Thank you, I... honestly had no idea how to beat her without..." Even in his voice, I could tell he felt genuinely guilty for what he's done. Guess in a way if it were my Mom or even my team in place of Tabus I'd have no real way of winning without feeling like the worst human being in the world
"You'll get over it, crap like this helps improve our resolve for the next time," I then jabbed my finger from around Azure's shoulders. "If you let this eat at you then you might as well just forget about saving anyone."
And for once, he and I saw eye-to-eye. A smirk rose to his face. "Sure, I hear you loud and clear."
"Tch, finally more common sense."
As if to make matters worse, the doors to the cafeteria burst open, revealing two individuals. One, and chillingly, Professor Goodwitch, even from here I could feel her brow twitching angrily. But besides her was a guy I've never seen before, eyeing us calmly amongst the silence. Motioning with my right hand I spoke for all our dumbfounded expressions.
"Who the fuck are you?"
[Sky's POV]
I felt much better than I was ten minutes ago. Albatross had arrived mere moments after the fight and offered me a Fire Dust crystal to rejuvenate, again, gotta love Maiden blood. Team RWBY and the other students were all sent back to their dorms after we explained the situation and possibility of an attack, Team MAZE was allowed to stick with us for the time being, however.
Sitting on the edge of a bed I noticed Albatross and Zorah examining the still slumbering Tabus, now laced in a cold sweat, her breathing becoming labored.
"Well, good news, she's dying," Zorah's quip made my brow twitch, his eye meeting mine and the room's. He shrugged, "Bad news I missed lunch, really hungry too."
'Zorah...' Azure stood forward with a stern frown that actually made him jolt, running a hand over his head
"She's a bloody Grimm-human hybrid, what do you want me to do? Cast a magic spell or spout some 'friendship' line? No, she's dying, and the only way to fix that is to undo what 'Charron' did to her soul." Zorah, through bitter remarks, finally had my attention. "When someone comes into contact with Grimm DNA is results in the host being utterly consumed by the darker half, and yet somehow, Tabus, once Ruby, has become the first perfect splice of the two, completely disregarding everything I know of dark matter."
"I thought it was her mind that was altered?" Again he shook his head
"Nope, he's trapped her subconscious in her soul, I... went through something similar so I've seen this before, Echo can help," He nudged the Faunus' elbow. Where did she even go during the fight? Maybe to find the Professors?
Echo leaned closer to Tabus, running her fingers down her chest. "If we don't snap her out of her state of despair it could kill her," Her eyes met mine with a smile. "I doubt you want that to happen?"
"I made a promise to someone close to her," I stepped forward. "Let me help in anyway I can, I owe it to him to save her, so please, I'll do anything."
Albatross looked to me, then offered a pat to my back. I blinked, seeing everyone else sharing a supportive look. Myst winked, propping her thumb up with Eros nodding alongside Azure, even Zorah rolled his eyes, displaying a smug smile.
"Oh, yeah, you're definitely a cliche hero," He threw his hands up, flopping down onto a chair. "You heard 'em Echo, lead the idiot on his journey - though word of warning, keep your head on straight, no tell what messed up things you're going to see in her soul, can't even say if there's anything to save."
Nodding I took up Echo's offered hand. "I understand, Echo, whenever you're ready."
"I'll be with ya so you know where to go, trust me!" She gave a sly wink and practically pressed her body against my side. "Hehehe, this'll be exciting!" Too clingy...
"Good luck, kid." Albatross flashed a small salute with two of his fingers
Moving to stand before Tabus Echo brought mine and her hand just above her chest, the center where her soul would resonate the strongest. Unlike my own, it felt so cold in comparison, but it was also... fractured, weakened by the strain of her spliced DNA, no wonder she lost to Charron, her soul was already weakened by the strain to her body and mind.
"Here goes nothing!" A soft, white chime pulsed from Echo's hand, a halo of light blue beating alongside her own as I felt my eyelids grow heavy, and my mind swirling away from my body.
"You should really drink, the tea here is certainly lovely." At the voice of sweet kindness, Tabus moved her gaze from the golden-brown liquid in her cup, to the woman who sat in front of her, alongside a small boy, who stared at Tabus with a wave of curiosity, probably due to her still keeping her hood up.
"Una, what is this? Better yet, who's the kid?" Tabus pointed with a sharp nail at the said boy, who winced at the inhumanly sharp nail, Tabus' irritated expression didn't help
"Only until you drink." Was Una's reply, the older woman lightly sipping her own drink with a content smile. Reluctantly, Tabus followed suit, taking a small slurp of the tea, while she would usually try to hide it, she couldn't do it now due to all that had occurred lately. Her lips coiled into a smile at the sweet taste, a simple guilty pleasure that made her feel human again, how it softly warmed her throat to her core, the buzz she gained from the sugar, it was relaxing. "Hmmhmmhmm... someone's happy?"
"Ah, tch..." Tabus merely scratched her cheek with a pout, a small tint of red crossing her face
"Right, even though you both have only met once, this is my lovely son, Lumos." Tabus took another look at the boy with a dumbfounded expression, his green eyes contrasted nicely with his whitish-grey hair
"So, this kid's my nephew? So that explains where you've been all this time, thought Mars wanted you around for... you know what," At that response, Tabus shifted slightly in her seat, staring back at the kid who looked confused, yet Tabus let a tiny smile escape her. "Sorry about earlier, kiddo, I'm... under alot of stress... doesn't exactly make me look great to others."
"It's ok... I think you look cool, anyways." Lumos responded in-kind, making Tabus blink before she smirked, reaching over to tap him on the nose with her index finger, making the boy smile sheepishly
"Heh, just like you to have a kid that happens to have no fear of monsters," Tabus replied to Una, looking up at the sky from under her hood. "Strange, being here, found out that Kai had himself a chat with Mars lately, looks like his little secret is out... but what does that mean for us? For me? Does he know I'm... even when he and I talked on Merlot's stupid island I felt normal around him, he didn't even look at me with the face of an enemy, I-I don't..."
"You can tell me anything you want, Tabus... I'm here for you," Tabus winced at Una's soft reply, and the hand on her own. How many years has it been and Una was still the same, this kind, honest Grimm, she wasn't even as human as Tabus, yet she projected so much more of their qualities, she even had her dream of adopting a child, meanwhile, Tabus didn't know of her fate, playing along to Salem's tune like any other monster
Sighing, Tabus looked to her left, watching the streets bustle with a bored and conflicted stare.
"I... when he spoke with me, it was as if he was speaking to a girl, not a monster, or an enemy, but... to a girl, to a conflicted person..." Tabus didn't know how to feel at that. Anger? Fear? Joy? Envy? It was like a snake coiled around what she would call a heart in her chest, and it kept getting tighter
"You know, even to this day you still act like the world is always going to be against you...but it isn't," Una spoke, only noting Tabus' slight shift. "While I can't say much, you've grown to accept things in your life, but even as those days came with hardships, you never lost sight of yourself, of what Mars, Me, and Morana gave you."
"What's that?"
"The freedom to choose your fate," Una answered her bitter question. "Salem is not your master, you are not a monster, or a horseman, or even Ruby. You've always been yourself, and that is something no-one can take from you."
Tabus didn't respond immediately, but Una did feel her hand shake slightly. Una's hand moved away as she walked around the table, quickly pulling Tabus into a motherly embrace, Tabus' head now held by her arms softly.
"You always had the choice to do what you desired. So, I'll give you one question, ok..?" Una smiled, seeing something slip down her younger sister's face under the hood...
"You can either save yourself. Save your family. Or save them both."
"What was that?" I blinked, realizing I wasn't in Beacon anymore, although Echo stood beside me, still clutching my hand to keep me from wandering. I merely gazed around at the almost unrecognizable world with wonder and surprise
A world of blackness and images held in frames of glass. Passive thoughts and messages inscribed on their surface. Whilst memories of myself meeting Tabus from her point of view, to her saying goodbye to Mars, some even spoke out, and I listened.
"Morana, she's scared to the point of death! She's been tainted, her body is ice cold, do you really believe yelling about maiming her is doing good!?" Una hissed at him, but Tabus could hear them well as she looked through her arms, her silver eye peeking up at them both. "I can't explain why, but killing her feels... wrong, sickening even!"
"I concur." Mars mouthed with a hum, looking down from beneath his helmet, moving to sit down on his knees with a clank. "Tell me, what are we to you?"
"...m-monsters..." Tabus' whimper was barely within ear-shot, but they could hear her fine. "I-I... want to go home..."
Echo then tugged on my hand, pulling me forward with a serious look stuck to her face. "Come on, we can't linger inside her soul for long, I'll be honest, she and Charron's influence are making it hard for me to stay tethered here."
"How can you do this? Entering a person's soul?" My query was met with silence for a minute as we followed a rugged road
"You'll figure it out, despite Zorah's taunting you're quite sharp," She then patted my head with a cute smile. "Come-come, we can't waste any more time."
"Did I just... nevermind."
The memories soon gave way to a small end to a road of crumbling black rock, with us slowly walking down its length to a small girl at the end. Upon moving closer to the girl who trembled under a willow tree, her arms wrapped around her chest tightly as her bare feet shook.
I looked down with guilt over the pain Tabus... Ruby was in, her soul a broken mess, a mirror with a webbing of cracks. Steadying myself for a moment, I realized I couldn't be closer to the truth. Her skin was split with cracks, her raw emotions slamming into me, her terror and grief, a girl who was forced to adapt but scared all the same. Her shivering body trembled with every step I took, leaving Echo behind me.
Sitting down on my knees I waited for Tabus to respond, resting my hands on my thighs. Then, she peeked up and immediately lashed out, a weapon drawn from the darkness to groove against my throat. Biting my cheek I refused to move an inch, only feeling the blade held to my throat fall to my side a moment later. A warm, salty liquid struck my face, her hands beginning to tremble again as I realized my hand was pressed to her cheek.
The once heartless and stern expression started to slip away with tears, her scowl remained but she was unable to look me in the eye. "...I never asked for this. I lost everything in a single minute. And you? You lost so much, were lied to and manipulated, so why... why do you keep trying?" Tabus spoke to me directly. "How do you keep fighting against this unfair world?"
I didn't know what to say immediately, it was a simple question, yes. However, the depth her question held was unmatched, was there any real, correct answer? Did this outcome affect what happens next? If so, I closed his eyes, breathing through his nose before opening my eyes again. With my hand on her cheek still, I lifted her face to lock my eyes to her own.
"Even if this world is cruel, I'll fight because I have things in this world I'm willing to give my life to protect," That was my answer, and that simple answer had Tabus pull away from my body, still pinning me to the ground, yet the aura of discord that had surrounded her seemed to have dissipated, along with her tears, leaving only a conflicted, guilty look across her features
"Can you honestly say there's anything I'm fighting for that isn't already gone?" Again I paused, then sat up, pushing her to sit before me
"Mars wanted you to live, Una too, your life is your own, if you want a reason, fight to live for them." I removed my hand from her cheek, resting it on her shoulder as my soul started to resonate across her body, a purple flame becoming visible around my chest, while her own flickered into view
Tabus' soul had finally ceased its shivering and cowering, her frail body a grown woman again, both inside and out, her wounds had been cleaned, the infection sucked out, her pain... fleeting, and her broken fragments were whole again, a resonate beat in her heart. Her hand cupped mine, bowing her head with a shaken sigh.
"Looks like we're done here," Echo raised her hand and clicked her fingers
There's an energy in the air
Team MAZE were overjoyed to see the trio awake and unscathed say for Zorah who only cared for Echo's wellbeing, herself trying to hug him tightly but his hand pressed to her forehead. Tabus merely kept quiet, playing with a small device between her fingers. Albatross observed this with a faint smile, peering out at the sky through the window as cracks began to take form, his hand running down his concealed, cybernetic arm.
A question in the back of everyone's minds
Back in the other universe. Ruby and Yang struck the force-field erected by Charron, his gaze bemused at the constant assault, which was followed by Summer striking it from above in a cross formation, cracking the hardened light, followed by the broad side of a greatsword shattering it, Qrow transforming into a crow to escape the energy blasts from Charron.
Who will remain standing in the end?
Deep under Remnant's mantle, the horizon of rock met the gap of air leading downward toward a molten landscape as far as the eye could see, the walls of the pocket a bleak void around the bubbling of lava, which was only met by the dark atmosphere that hung around it all, its shadows tainted with screams and cries of endless rest. The faint, astral manifestations of serpents crawling amongst the firey sea.
And how great is the cost?
To Be Continued...
Sixty-Four chapters and we've finally made it to the endgame. A bitter-sweet feeling to see this massive project coming to an end but with the final fights ahead I sure hope to not don't disappoint! I hope you enjoyed, appreciate the support, and seeya in the next chapter!
Next Chapter: Memory Fragments Act 1 [Charron the Equinox]
As the team readies themselves for the upcoming battle, Charron makes his move to impede Sky's return to his world. Meanwhile, Albatross is reached out by Ruby to aid them in their struggle against the mad Vex, splitting the forces further. With everything on the line, the two worlds must work together to prevail.
