Hello, everyone. I hope you're alright and healthy.
Sorry for the delay. Some fucker burned my dad's truck outside the house and the fire messed up with the internet cables, so I didn't have signal until today it was fixed. Thankfully nobody was injured and the insurance is handling everything.
I hope you enjoy today's chapter.
Chapter 98: Worst trip ever
-o-
Beacon Academy always had that characteristic that it always looks amazing no matter what season of the year it is, whether it's covered in snow in winter or the trees budding their flowers in spring. Even in the fall, with the orange leaves covering part of its grounds, it did not lose that magical touch.
On a bench were two girls. They both wore the academy uniform and had dark hair, but one had eyes the same color while the other had bright silver. The dark-eyed girl was concentrating on cleaning her spear while the other read.
"Hey, Al. Have you ever thought about the future?"
"Do you need my notes for the test tomorrow, Summer?"
"I don't mean that, but thank you if it's not a bother. I mean what awaits us when we leave Beacon."
"Missions, killing Grimm and saving those in need."
"Yeah, to have those dangerous missions we've heard stories about and do our own to tell our kids at the campfire."
"Oh, are you already thinking about having children so soon?"
"No! I mean, yes the idea has crossed my mind but first I'll enjoy my good years as a huntress. And have you thought about it?"
"Sometimes, but I don't know if I would be a good mother after several years of not talking to mine."
"Hey, you'll be a good mom. And you know you have your team as well as mine for whatever you need."
"Thank you, Summy. And what would you like to have? Boy or girl?"
"After putting up with Tai and Qrow, I think I prefer a girl, but a boy would be fine too."
"I think the same, although I would like a boy better if he looks like my dad."
"Can you imagine that we raise our children together and they become best friends?"
"Or maybe something else and we become in-laws."
"Hehe, I like the way that sounds."
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The memory faded, sending Ruby and me back to the room at Mistral. She, like me, had tears overflowing from her silver eyes that she inherited from her mother.
'Alice and Summer were great friends and rivals during their years at Beacon,' the voice of the Longinus spear rang. through our minds. 'Even after graduation, they kept in touch. From Kaiden's birth to the fateful day of Summer's death. Since then, Alice Noir has always treasured the memory of her best friend'
"Thank you for letting me see my mother one more time, Longi," Ruby thanked, gently stroking the shaft of the spear.
'It was a pleasure meeting the daughter of my carrier's best friend.'
Ruby turned to me, "Are you sure you want to do it?"
"As much as I want to have the memory of my mother, Muramasa entrusted me to retrieve his weapons and decide the best for them. And the best I could think of is to send her to Vale. Longinus, I entrust you with training him. Don't be harsh with Oren."
'I promise nothing, but I will do what I can,' the spear communicated to me, perhaps cracking a smile if it had a mouth. 'Goodbye, Kaiden, and have a good trip.'
"You too. I hope to see you one day."
I carefully placed it in the styrofoam-filled wooden box that I ordered to protect it during shipping. I closed the lid and exhaled deeply. So long that I wanted to find and retrieve the spear and that day I would be sending it away from me. Ruby understood the feelings that overwhelmed me and hugged me. I just held her and stayed that way until I could compose myself.
"Ready to go? Have you packed everything?"
"Yup," she replied. "All set for Atlas."
"Well, we only have one thing left."
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I had already had several near-death experiences and right then I was having another at the hands of Kali.
"My children already leave me!" the woman sobbed as she held Weiss, Oscar, and me in a tight lock around our necks.
"Mom, you are killing them."
"You know I always wanted a litter, Blake."
"MOTHER!"
"Yeah, fine," Kali lets go of us, letting us catch our breath. "I'm still going to miss you all."
"Now it's my turn," Ghira said before grabbing us in her arms and squeezing us into a tight hug. "It'll be very quiet here without you."
For a moment I thought my back would break like a toothpick until he let go of us. Literally, that was a strong marriage.
After saying goodbye, we left for the train station, where I would be sending Longinus to Oren, as well as some letters to my mother and grandmother. Besides, I would be sending a letter to the General, to warn him in advance that we were on our way in case something happened and it arrived before us. However, I had to cut the information and omit direct reference to the relic in case the paper was somehow intercepted.
We said goodbye to Illia, Sun and Neptune, who came to meet us at the station before we left. After that, we boarded the express that would be taking us north. Since the journey would take about 2 days to reach our destination, we rented 3 rooms with bunk beds: one for RWBY, one for JNR and myself, and a simple one for Oscar and Qrow.
The train was different from the one I was used to when going from Aztlan to Beacon, since it had a section for rooms, another for food, and another for people who made short trips between stations. I was in the room with JNR and Oscar playing cards. Ren had us in debt to him and his fucking perpetual poker face. There was no way of knowing when he had a good hand or when he didn't. Even Ozpin, taking control of Oscar, didn't seem to have any luck beating him.
"Fine, I'll go to the bathroom," Oscar exclaimed wearily after losing 5 gummy bears that we used to gamble with. "Let's see if I'll catch a second wind later."
"Seriously, Ren, we have to take you to a casino. We could go out like millionaires," Nora's eyes inexplicably turned symbols of Lien.
"Or they could catch us after making the House lose money," Jaune objected.
"Let them try it," Nora expressed, cracking her knuckles.
"By the way, Kaiden, how are you feeling?" Jaune turned to me. "You are about to see your father again in months."
"Excited, to be honest. I want you to see Atlas. Everything in there is state of the art. I even felt that the toilets had a secret button to turn into combat armor."
"Oooh. That would be super," Nora said excitedly.
"But I'm also glad that I'll be able to see my father. We didn't have as much time to connect after our dispute and before my trip to Mistral."
"Then this will be a new chance to do it," Ren assured me with the calm character that we all love him for.
I was optimistic about our current situation. We managed to prevent Haven from having the same fate as Beacon. Cinder was dead. I managed to get Longinus back. I was back with Ruby. I figured bringing the Relic of Knowledge to Atlas was the best option as it was the safest kingdom there could be, considering its army and technologies. Everything indicated that it was going to be a calm trip and without eventualities, but you know my luck.
Jaune was already dealing the cards when the car shook violently and a roar was heard outside.
"What was that?" Nora screamed, alarmed.
"Either someone made Yang angry or we have company," Jaune deadpanned.
"Most likely the latter," I declared standing up and grabbing my weapons and mask.
We all got ready and left the room. Outside the train the inhuman screams were accompanied by gunshots and explosions, causing people to fall to the ground in fear. We ran into Oscar in the aisle, who seemed to know what was going on as another jolt moved the car.
We hurried to a side exit and climbed the ladder to reach the roof of the train. At the top was one of the huntsmen tasked with defending the transport during the journey and behind him was RWBY with Qrow, fighting with what I recognized as Manticores and a huge Sphynx from Port's classes.
"Why is it always something?" Nora angrily yelled a question I've been asking myself for 17 years.
The cold wind cut my face, so I put on the mask to have better visibility. Oscar and I ran towards Qrow, who was doing his best to keep the beasts off the train.
"How can I help?" the boy asked him.
"You can make that idiot turn off the turrets. They're taking the Grimms toward the passengers. Kaiden, cover him."
Oscar ran over to the huntsman, who kept shooting at the winged beasts while I did the same from the other side to get attention. Grimms were very fast in the air so I couldn't hit a shot easily, and they also threw fireballs powerful enough to explode a turret. A manticore was rushing towards Oscar, so I fired a flare to blind it and cause it to crash into the side of the mountain we were passing by.
Oscar seemed unsuccessful in convincing the huntsman to deactivate the turrets, but it was no longer necessary when something unexpected happened: the Grimms began to retreat. The beasts simply spread their wings and glided away using the air currents. I was wondering the reason for that ceasefire when Oscar yelled the last thing I wanted to hear being on the roof of the train:
"TUNNEL!"
I wasted no time and ran to the nearest wagon entrance. I was already closing the sliding door when everyone went dark, with only the echo of the train wheels and the light inside keeping me company. People were scared. They were all hugging their partners and / or children while their eyes seemed to see the very end of the world. I had to keep my composure.
"Are you all okay?" I asked taking off my mask. I got a few nods in response and that was enough for me.
It was then that I heard some screams of pain in one of the cars ahead, so I moved to see who it was, only to find Oscar, who was tending to the huntsman from before; he apparently had hit his arm on the wall of the tunnel when entering. Behind me came the others. Qrow, furious, pushed his way up to face the guy.
"I said turn those damn things off," he growled, grabbing him by the shoulders and slamming him against the wall.
"Those things keep us alive."
"Sure, but they are also putting the passengers in danger."
"I'm the one they hired for this job, okay? I'm in charge here."
"Sorry if I don't feel entirely safe."
"Enough, you two," I interrupted the discussion. "People are afraid and you arguing doesn't calm them at all, and you already know what those emotions attract."
Then I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder to find Ruby, who gently pushed me aside and looked at the huntsman.
"Please just turn off the turrets," she said gently.
"Trust us. We know what we're doing," Jaune put his hands near the guy's injured arm and they began to glow, healing the injury.
It was good that my friend managed to have more control in his newly discovered semblance. I remember him always looking for ways to use his aura amplification and help us, from healing wounds to expanding the power of our abilities. The man raises his arm and stretches it several times to see if it was really healthy. When making sure they were fine, he grunts, "Okay."
"Now, moving on to another topic, we have what to do with the welcoming committee waiting for us on the other side of the tunnel," I communicated to the others.
"Ren, can you use your ability to mask everyone on the train?" Nora consulted her boyfriend. "With weapons off and emotions hidden, they might lose our trail."
"Hmm, I've never tried it with so many people."
"Well, you haven't had Jaune's help before," Ruby pointed out, pointing at our blond healer.
"What do you say, Jaune? Do you think you can amplify his aura?" I asked him.
"I can give it a try."
The plan was forming little by little. If we could mask everyone's emotions when we got out of the tunnel and hold on a little longer, the Grimms wouldn't be able to detect us coming out of the tunnel and they would lose sight of us. It seemed perfect, but ...
"I'm afraid there is a complication," Oscar said, but we all knew it was Ozpin speaking. We had developed a knack for noticing when the late headmaster of Beacon had switched places with the boy. "The Grimm are also attracted to this."
Ozpin was pointing to the object hanging from his belt. By not having a Maiden to seal the Relic of Knowledge, our only option was for it to be guarded by Remnant's largest army, which was commanded by my father, General James Ironwood. That was the reason we were leaving Mistral and heading north to get to Argus and then to Atlas.
"What is that?" the huntsman asked, oblivious to our situation.
"A noneyour," I replied.
"Noneyour?"
"None of your business."
"Oz, are you serious?"
"Why wouldn't you tell us that?" Yang berated him and didn't blame her. If we had known that this would attract the Grimms, we would have thought of another way to get around without involving civilians.
Ozpin was already looking for a way to excuse himself when Ruby intervened:
"It does not matter now." WBY said nothing, not wanting to argue with their leader, but their annoyance was evident. "Every second we spend on this train, we are putting everyone's life in danger."
"Ruby is right," I concurred with my girlfriend. "If Ren agrees, we will use the plan from before. Let's move the passengers to the front cars and his semblance will be used to mask their presence while the turrets are deactivated. One group will remain escorting everyone while the others will take care of the unwanted guests. "
"The best thing would be to cut up the carriages to keep the relic away from the others so that the Grimms focus on us. Just make sure the rest of the train reaches Argus safely." Then Ruby turns to me and starts saying something before I interrupt her.
"I know what you will say and the answer is no. You are going to need all the hands you can to take down those Grimm, so I'm going with you."
Ruby giggled, "Actually, I was going to tell you that I hoped you could give us a hand. Besides, I told you I would not take my eyes off you."
Jaune approached us, concern on his face, and looked at both of us, "Just promise we'll meet there."
Then I understood what hurt him. That night and what followed the fall of Beacon must have been the worst experience for him. Losing Pyrrha, finding Ruby after I left her, our meeting in Oniyuri, and seeing Weiss nearly die in Haven had struck a terror in him that I had felt before: losing a loved one.
"Promise," Ruby said, giving him a confident smile.
"I promise we will see you soon," I told him, shaking each other's forearms to seal my oath.
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We had to move fast as there wasn't much time before we got out of the tunnel and had to deal with the Grimms. Qrow, Oscar, RWBY and I helped move people to the front as we took up our positions.
Daylight returned and in the distance some figures could be seen flying towards us. Blake stayed behind for a few seconds to cut the wagon connector and put the plan in motion. We all jumped to the roof of the car and then we felt that we were no longer going as fast as before, just moving for sheer momentum.
Blake joined us, but there was something about her eyes that made me uneasy. It was as if she had seen something that had alarmed her.
"Blake, everything okay?" I made sure she was okay.
"I'm fine. Get ready. Here they come."
I moved to Ruby, who was monitoring the distance between the other group. As soon as there was a bar on the signal indicator, we would give the signal for Ren to use his ability.
I called out to Jaune, "Are you ready?"
"In position."
I looked over Ruby's shoulder until the signal was just a single bar, "Now!"
I could see the time of the departing train turning to various shades of gray; an indication that everything was going according to plan.
"It worked, Kai. See you at Argus."
"Have a nice trip guys," I said goodbye before hanging up and getting ready to do our part.
The Chimeras that flew over us seemed to be puzzled as the food can full of people had disappeared right under their noses, but they were getting dangerously close to them. I shot them several times until I got their attention, causing them to turn around and fly towards us.
"Oscar, do you think you can deal with one?"
"Without dying? I can try."
"That's the attitude," I replied, drawing Requiem out of the scabbard and charging toward the other.
The Grimm wasn't as big as the Sphinx, but it was about six feet tall and several feet longer. In addition to being careful with the claws and fangs, I also had to keep an eye on the serpentine tail that the beast had behind.
I repelled the claws with my sword when the stinger shot towards me, barely avoiding it as it embedded itself in the metal of the ceiling. Remembering Oniyuri, I pinched the tail using my face and cut it off with a single stroke. The Chimera roared angrily and lunged in a rage-filled lunge, which I stepped aside and thrust my sword into the neck, shortly after her bone mask. Slamming upward on the hilt, the blade sliced through the flesh and left the head hanging only by a hunk of meat, but that no longer mattered as it disintegrated.
The others were already destroying their monsters, except for Oscar, who had difficulties with his.
"How are you doing?"
"Wonderful," he replied, somehow holding onto the Grimm's horns like a mechanical bull. The beast shakes him and he is about to fall from the train when I manage to catch him.
"Alright, you go left and I go right. He can't hit us at the same time."
"Well thought out. On the count of 3: One ... two ..."
Before finishing the count, another Chimera comes out of nowhere and collides with the one in front of us, causing both of them to fall from the train and crash into the mountainside.
We turned to see where the second Grimm came from, only to see Ruby strike us into a victorious pose with a big smile. She had somehow sent the Grimm and saved us.
"Thank you!" Oscar and I said in unison.
All the Chimeras seemed to have been eliminated, leaving only the Sphinx that seemed to be giving Qrow trouble. The Grimm was bigger and thinner than its smaller relatives, so it was stronger and more agile when it came to fighting. We all focused our attack on the beast, with me and Ruby giving cover fire so it couldn't focus on those who were in close combat.
"We need to ground it!" Ruby indicated.
"We have it," Blake replied. "Yang!"
The blonde moved fast, dodging the Grimm's attacks until she passed underneath and reached the other side. Blake threw the gun at her overhead, holding the lasso, and Yang hit it back underneath until it was securely before pinning the blade of the gun to the roof of the train.
The Sphinx struggled against its bonds, letting out deafening screeches as Yang and Blake struggled to hold it down. I took a deep breath and cleared my mind, feeling my aura starting to burn. Placing my hands on the metal, I sent several tendrils of darkness to hold the Grimm and hold him more still.
Weiss seized the moment and froze his wings, causing them to snap and just look like an overgrown cat. The Sphinx was already about to throw a fireball at us when Ruby and Qrow took up their positions and lunged for one last blow. It was incredible how coordinated their movements were, as if they were the reflection of the other, but I also had to remember that the loudmouth huntsman had been the one who had trained her.
The Grimm was cut in half, but that didn't stop him from giving us the middle finger before vanishing with the fireball being thrown down the hillside, causing several rocks to break off and hit the side of the train and derail it.
Glyphs appeared under my feet, securing them to the metal, and preventing us from being thrown from the impact.
Then I could only see white.
"Are you all okay?" I heard Qrow ask once the ringing in my ears stopped.
"I'm fine," Weiss replied.
I tried to get up, but couldn't. I made an effort, the boots in front of me didn't budge. I hit them, but didn't feel a thing.
"Su puta madre! I can't feel my legs!" It was then that I felt someone grab my jacket and pull me up enough to get me to my feet. "It's a miracle!"
"You're welcome," Yang said, slapping the back of my head.
Apparently my legs were buried in the snow and the boots that I saw were ones that had come flying out of some luggage.
"Still alive!" an unfamiliar voice said.
From the entrance of the battered train, a small figure walked out with a cane. For a moment I thought she was Yida, but she was just an old woman. She had gray hair and brown skin, wearing a blue dress and cloak. What most caught my attention about her was the skull that adorned her cane and what appeared to be metallic glasses in her eyes. "That was close, wasn't it?"
Apparently I was not the only one who was puzzled that the old woman had not evacuated with the rest of the passengers, but appeared to be unharmed despite having been in the derailment of a train attacked by Grimm.
"Ma'am, I thought you had evacuated with the rest of the passengers," Oscar politely addressed the lady.
"And miss the fun?"
"Ma'am, that was dangerous. Are you sure you're okay?" I asked him, but got a bonk to the head.
"Of course I'm fine. I'm not a helpless old woman, boy."
"Great. Just… Great. We're stranded. Without a third of our group. And we got ourselves a defenseless lady," Yang struggled to get his bike out of several boxes from one of the nearby wagons.
"My name is Maria Calavera and I already said that I am not defenseless. I am just a little difficult to hear and see without my eyes," she said the latter, lightly hitting her metallic eyes. These opened and closed like blinds for a second, "In desperate need of a repair ... Okay, I'm starting to see your point."
"Yang, knock it off, will ya?" Qrow tried to calm his niece down. "If we lose our temper, we'll only attract more Grimm."
"Does that even matter?" Blake ignored the man's guidance. "Apparently we've been attracting Grimm since we left Haven."
"Oh. How could I forget that?" Yang continued her tantrum. "What happened to no more lies and half truths?"
"Yes, it's true. I think it's time we had an explanation," Oscar stated before switching places with Ozpin.
"I didn't lie to you," said the old man inside the boy's body (that came out weird).
"Well, you certainly didn't tell us all about the relic," Weiss remarked.
"Please, this is not the time."
"No, we're past that," Yang exploded. "I want to know why you are not telling us everything."
The awkward silence that followed was only barely overshadowed by the sound of the icy wind colliding with us. Ozpin looked at each of us, not sure what to say to the charges of omission.
"It is true that the Grimm is attracted to relics," he finally spoke. "It's mild, but undeniable. Perhaps it's because of its origin, but I'm not sure. However, I was afraid that making you aware of this would only add anxiety and negativity. It seemed like a safe option."
"You know, I've gotten tired of people choosing what's best for me," Weiss complained, and I agreed with her.
"Do you think I crossed an entire continent with happy thoughts after knowing everything you and Qrow told me? No, but I managed to face whatever was put in front of me," I was already losing my confidence to whom I considered the wisest person I had ever known. "If you had told us before, we would have thought of something. Another way to move without other people being affected. There is always another option."
"It's not so simple."
"Is that why you decided to lie to everyone about the Lionheart thing?"
"Yes indeed, I believed that the kingdom of Mistral knew better than the truth."
"By making them believe that he died a martyr rather than someone whose betrayal led to that night at Beacon."
I think it was the first time since I had known him that Ozpin gave me a hard look, "I thought Leonardo deserved to be remembered for his life of service, and not for the unfortunate choices he made in his later years."
"A stone will still be a stone, regardless of whether you paint it gold," I replied, beginning to see the dark side of the man.
"What Lionheart did was reprehensible. I'm not going to argue differently, but does one lapse in judgment truly deny all his good of him? Don't we all have regrets? Didn't you think of any regrets in your last moments, Kaiden?"
Despite being in the middle of nowhere with a cold wind crashing against my face, it was nothing with the feeling that came to me with those words; as if a bucket of ice water were thrown on me. He was using my own death against me, which I considered worse than a hit to the balls.
For a second I was about to pounce on him and beat him, regardless of whether it was a rented body or not, but Blake grabbed my shoulder and shook her head, advising me to not do it. Still, using my own death against me was a jerk move.
"They may have met Professor Lionheart, but they never met the man he was before Salem found him."
"We're supposed to be in this together. You can trust us. We're not going to turn our backs on you."
"Do you think he was the first? That he wasn't the first to say those exact words to me?
"So when you called me to join your group, you did it with the idea that I might betray you?"
"I'm sorry, but you have to understand that my behavior is backed by experience. I am not saying that I have reason to think that you are going to betray me. I am saying that I have reasons for the things I do. The secrets I keep. The reason why the one that I- "Ozpin stops his excusing monologue, his eyes widening as if he just remembered leaving the stove open on Mistral. "Where is the relic?"
Until he said that, I hadn't noticed that the Relic of Knowledge, in its keychain form, had disappeared from Ozpin / Oscar's side. It was almost an unspoken rule that the object of power should be in care of him.
We were already about to start a search when someone spoke:
"Right here," Ruby was behind us and, in her hands, was the relic. "It was scattered in the crash."
Ozpin held out his hand, "Please give it to me."
I could see that she was debating whether to do it or not as she saw the dark side of our former professor.
"So all those times you talked about having faith in humanity, was that just for everyone else?"
"That is not what I suggested. Miss Rose, the relic is a powerful item and I just feel that it is my burden to bear."
"But there's nothing wrong with someone else carrying it. You said there was nothing I could do right now," Ruby questioned, alarmed at his insistence on carrying the relic.
"Why does it matter who carries it?" Blake said, sharing the same sentiment as her leader.
"I need you to listen to me," Ozpin's attitude deteriorated as his words grew harsh. Suddenly, as he took a few steps to Ruby, he froze.
"Hurry..." he said, but the voice was now Oscar's. "He... is trying to... stop you."
"Stop her from what?"
"He's afraid ... that you guys ... find out ... what he's ... hiding." As if the invisible wall that stopped him before had vanished, Oscar fell in four on the snow. "Her name is Djinn. Say her name to summon her."
None of us would understand what he meant. Who did he mean by 'her'? What was Ozpin hiding so hard?
Then Ruby said, "Djinn?"
The world suddenly froze. The wind stopped blowing. The snow stopped falling. The world stopped spinning. The silence was so piercing that I could hear my heartbeat and my blood rushing through my veins.
The relic began to give off a blue mist, causing Ruby to let go of it, but it did not fall to the ground, but instead levitated in the air and slowly drifted away from us a considerable distance. The lamp shrouded in mist until it took on a humanoid shape: that of a woman.
And heck, she was naked. Not the type that would show her nipples and her private parts, but the blue body of the woman revealed the sensual figure that she had, adorned with gold chains and long dark blue hair that floated as if it were in water.
The woman, who I assumed was called Djinn, let out a moan (turning me on a bit) as she stretched out, as if she had just woken up from a nap, "Wonderful. Now tell me, what knowledge do you seek?"
No one spoke, still dumbfounded at the appearance of the huge woman in blue in front of us. I thought Ruby would reprimand me for staring at the apparition, but she didn't seem to take her eyes off her, either.
"What? No one is going to speak? Let's start with some introductions: I am a Djinn. A being created by the God of Light to aid humanity in the pursuit of knowledge. I have been blessed with the ability to answer 3 questions every 100 years. They're lucky, as I can still answer- "
"Enough!" Ozpin barked.
"Two questions this era."
"Two questions," I repeated bitterly to Ozpin. "You told us they had already used all of them. Did you forget to tell or was it another lie. "
Ozpin didn't answer, just lowering his head.
Djinn chuckled, "Nice to see you again, old man."
"Ruby... please ... don't do it," Ozpin begged.
"Hey..." Qrow spoke, but the response he got was that we all stood on guard in case he sided with Ozpin. I put myself between them and Ruby in case they tried anything.
Would we have a Civil War? Because, with recent events, I could be Captain America and beat up Ozpin, like Tony Stark. However, Qrow simply raised his hands, as a sign that he wouldn't intervene.
"Do what you think is right, guys."
"Ruby, you decide," I told my girlfriend.
"Djinn," she turned to the blue woman and asked the second question of the century, "What is Ozpin hiding from us?"
"NO!"
The sudden scream made me turn to Ozpin, who was running with his gaze fixed on Ruby. My body moved on its own, instinct to protect my girlfriend, and I threw a punch at him. However, I only hit the air.
There was nothing. Neither heaven nor earth. There was no snow. There was no derailed train. Everything was blank, as if I ended up in an empty room where you couldn't make out the corners or the walls. There was no one else there. I called everyone but only heard the echo of my alarmed voice in the void. Qrow was not there. Not Oscar / Ozpin. Not Yang, Blake or Weiss. Not even Mrs. Calavera. And, more importantly, Ruby wasn't there.
"Once upon a time," Djinn's voice came out of nowhere and, with it, the ground appeared with a green lawn with a brick path. In the distance a castle emerged, "there stood a lonely tower.
"That sheltered little girl," to one side of me appeared a piece of furniture with a mirror and bench, and, in it, sat a woman in a lilac dress and some straight blond hair, "called... Salem."
And so began the worst story I have ever heard in my life.
