Having watched the finale of Volume 8, it is clear to me that this story diverged from canon in many ways. I can modify some of the content here to fit the canon facts, but there are some plot points that simply won't work here, as well as a few plot holes that now exist due to what Volume 8 established. I won't list them here, as I don't want to spoil Volume 8 completely, but I'll make some adjustments to this story at some point. I'll leave more details regarding what I've changed and what I've kept in a future chapter.
There's an old saying that suggests that "what does not kill a person would only make them stronger." Unfortunately, this isn't entirely true. There have been those that were left bitter from cruelties, those that were left broken from injuries, and even those that were left haunted by tragedies that should have been put to rest long ago. Regardless of the result, they all leave one thing behind in common: scars. Whether they be on the body or in the mind, suffering can leave permanent scars. The more accurate way to put it is that "what does not kill a person would only make them wiser."
That painful torture didn't kill Ruby, but she did become wiser. Unfortunately, wisdom can come at a price. If there's anything she learned from this, it was that evil can take many forms. For a Huntress, contending with evil was no nightmare, but a normal day on the job. Sometimes, evil comes in the form of creatures that are black as shadows and knew nothing but Destruction. Sometimes, evil is a bit closer to home, coming in the form of people that have chosen to lash out at the world over their cruel circumstances. This evil, however, was literally a nightmare; a terror that plagued her mind. Anyone can wake from a nightmare, no matter how cruel. Sometimes they do so on their own and sometimes they are woken up by the kindness of another. For Ruby, the ability to make a positive difference in the world may yet end the nightmare, regardless of what happened to her.
This was no different, for she could still do her part to prevent suffering and famine to those around her. She could still make a positive difference. No matter what form evil would take or where it would go, she could follow. For a Huntress, this was merely life. Just as the God of Light once gave mankind the hope to remake themselves, so did one of his very chosen now have the hope to defend what's left of it. It was that infinitely small chance of a better tomorrow that kept her from giving in to despair. And so, she did her best to remain steadfast for the sake of her teammates.
Speaking of which, Ruby received a call from one of them just now. She glanced down at her scroll to see the words "Ice Queen" displayed on the screen. Deciding now was as good a time as any to practice what she preached to herself, she answered the call.
"Hey, Weiss. What's up?"
"Ruby, it's Ren," Weiss explained. "There's something wrong with him!"
"What happened?" Ruby's face hardened, steeling herself for the worst.
"He's…drawing symbols in the dirt."
Her face softened just as quickly as her expression turned from horror to confusion.
"Huh?"
"I said he's drawing symbols in the dirt!"
"No, I heard you," Ruby said, sensing that she's missing a few important details. "So…huh?"
"We think it might have something to do with…the 'other you,'" Weiss said, sounding uncertain.
"I didn't do anything!" Grimm Ruby's voice could be faintly heard in the background.
"He freaks out whenever you step near him!" Nora's voice could also be heard.
"Gruby?" Ruby wondered out loud.
"What did she do?" Yang asked in a demanding tone.
"I'm not…" Weiss started, only to be interrupted by the infighting between Nora and Grimm Ruby. Their words were indecipherable, but there was clear hostility. "Nora's losing it, too! She looks like she's about to…"
The Scroll's connection suddenly cut at that moment. Ruby and Yang both glanced at one another, silently asking for each other's opinion. Ruby's expression was more uncertain than anything else, though Yang's was more accusatory.
"Let's hear them out first. I'm sure it's not as—"
"Ruby," Yang said with a wistful gaze, "that 'other you' still freaks me out."
"I know," Ruby said solemnly. She couldn't blame her. Even Ruby herself was once suspicious of her Grimm self, especially after it got them lost. It was only able to earn her trust through the understanding of an inner desire so hidden and precious that it was impossible not to be anything but genuine. At least, that's how she felt about it, though others may not see it the same way.
Yang climbed on the hover bike and revved it up, signaling Ruby to climb in the back. It was a tight fit with the heater strapped in the back. There was barely any room in the back seat at all. She had to squeeze between the heater and Yang's back just to fit. Even then, her face was up Yang's hair, so she has to turn her face just to breathe. Her cheek leaned in her sister's back, taking what little comfort and warmth she could from the cold reality she was in.
"She knew about Mom," Ruby whispered in her sister's ear seconds before she pressed on the acceleration pedal. Yang instantly became distraught, trying to hold back more tears. Her back shook under Ruby's cheek as the latter whispered more. "She knew how losing her affected us…and that I became a Huntress as a way to be close to her."
"You…"
"She told me what went through my mind when we faced the Leviathan. Thinking of Mom alive…made me happy, more than anything. No monster could understand things like that, but she knew how I felt, how I think, word for word. That's why."
Guilt crept over Yang's face as she processed everything her sister just said. There was so much to take in from so few words, but not enough time to dwell on them.
"We'll…talk about it later," Yang said half-heartedly. A part of her really didn't want to face the fact that she just admitted to rejecting her own sister, even if it was just a Grimm clone of her. Putting it behind her for now, she drove to where Weiss' group was supposed to be.
Meanwhile, Jaune and Blake were already with the others. Blake was with Weiss and Ren; the latter of which was still drawing symbols on the ground. Jaune was beside Nora, who never took her angry eyes off Grimm Ruby.
"Ren, I don't understand," Blake said. "What did you lose?"
"So…so precious," he muttered. "Lost something…please…help me…"
"How?"
"Find it…find the precious…" He stopped mid-sentence, clutching his head and wailing.
"It's no use!" Nora yelled with a clear bitterness in her voice. "He's been like that since before you got here! It's all that Grimm's fault!"
"Nora…" Grimm Ruby begged, holdings its arms up. "I swear I—"
"I know it was you!" she exclaimed, pushing herself across Jaune's shoulder, who held her back. "Even the Nuckelavee that destroyed his home didn't leave him like this! I tried talking to him, I tried hugging him, I…I even tried slapping him back to reality. Nothing!"
"Let's just hear what she has to say," Jaune said, wrapping his arms around Nora as she tried in vain to claw at Grimm Ruby's face.
"That monster doesn't have anything to say!" she yelled. "She couldn't explain anything but 'Ren snapped because he looked at her.'" What kind of an excuse is that?"
"I swear I don't know…" Grimm Ruby said weakly. This response did nothing more than enrage Nora more than she already was.
"Just…calm down," Jaune said through his teeth, trying hard to hold Nora back. Though she stopped at his demand, she still visibly seethed. "Let me try to get through to him."
"Fine," she said after a brief delay, glaring hatefully at Grimm Ruby the entire time. Jaune slowly backed away from Nora, trusting her to keep her composure. She did so, though her arms quivered with rage. He kneeled down toward Ren, who hadn't stopped muttering to himself and drawing symbols. When Jaune's boot covered one of the symbols, Ren wailed and waved his arms across his leg.
"Ren?" Jaune asked. "Are you…"
"Find it…find the precious…" Ren muttered, saliva dripping from his bottom lip. Not knowing what to do, but having nothing to lose, Jaune put his hand over Ren's shoulder. With his Semblance, he attempted to cure Ren's mind by amplifying his Aura. The others, save Nora, watched hopefully as Jaune did his work. Within seconds, Ren calmed down. At the very least, his body was refreshed. He looked into his eyes, hoping to rouse what was left of his friend.
"Ren?" Jaune asked. "Are you okay now?"
"F-find it…"
"What?"
"Find the precious…" Ren muttered, going back to his bizarre behavior. Most of those watching him gave a collective groan of frustration.
"I…I don't—" Jaune whispered.
"Of course you don't," Nora said spitefully, her gaze never leaving Grimm Ruby. "You couldn't fix Ruby's arm, so what made you think you could fix Ren? Anything that monster does to someone sticks!"
"I…did I really…" Grimm Ruby muttered, then walked toward Ren. "Ren, whatever I did, I'm s—"
"Stay the hell away from him!" Nora screamed, charging toward Grimm Ruby. Her rage was so great that saliva freely fell from her mouth. She leaped on its back, grabbing it by the back of its throat, though that wasn't enough to knock it off balance.
"Nora!" It exclaimed, glancing behind it. Blake tried to pry Nora off by wrapping the wire of her Gambol Shroud around her leg, but she only fell off Grimm Ruby's back when she punched it in the back of the skull…and came into contact with the sharp hair. The punch itself only made a loud clanging sound, as if she hit a metal helmet instead of a sentient being. She hit the ground, groaning and clutching the knuckles of her right hand. As Ruby once told to her Grimm self, it was like a titanium cactus.
"What do you think you're doing?" Weiss exclaimed, drawing her Myrtenaster. "You can't just punch anybody you want!"
"Stay out of this," she bitterly responded. "You want to end up like your family?"
Weiss could only stare slack-jawed at the cruel response, especially coming from someone as usually caring as Nora. The fact that it came from someone that was left without a family herself made it even more shocking.
"Nora," Jaune said with a mix of fear and uncertainty. "This isn't you."
His plea made Grimm Ruby realize those words were more true than anyone might think. This wasn't Nora. She wasn't the type to succumb to rage or attack those around her. In fact, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility to think that she had completely morphed into a different person entirely. Once it had a chance to filter out the fear of everyone around it and focus on Nora, she noticed a familiar hatred emanating from her. It encountered this feeling twice before; first at Aisufurawa, then in the pilot's cockpit. Putting the pieces together, its eyes widened at what was really happening.
"How dare you say such a thing?" Weiss exclaimed. "You know, just because things have gotten horrible, doesn't mean you can just throw common decency out the window!"
"Weiss, get away from her," Grimm Ruby warned, keeping its eyes on Nora. It saw her grip her Magnhild tightly, and her angry face suggested she was about to cave some unfortunate soul's skull in.
"Oh, so that's how it's going to be," Weiss responded, accepting Nora's challenge and readying her battle stance.
"No, you don't understand!" Grimm Ruby exclaimed. "Weiss, she's not herself! She's not—"
Nora sprinted headlong toward Weiss, seething in a bloodthirsty frenzy. Weiss would have countered with one of her Glyphs had Jaune not intercepted the attempted assault, holding his shield up between the two. The impact of Nora's attack was stronger than he expected. His arm faltered a bit and his shield even bent from the blow. This was the point when everyone else, save Ren, who was still in his demented state, and Nora herself, got an idea of what was really going on. Nora had always been physically strong, but nothing like this. Even a blast from Cardovin's giant robot couldn't so much as leave a dent on his shield. This went beyond a Huntress' strength; it was like she was possessed by a demon.
Once more, the wires of Gambol Shroud couldn't restrain her. Even as they wrapped around her arm, she simply pushed forward with this inhuman strength, dragging Blake across the ground with her. She struck Jaune again, striking his shield hard enough to knock him backwards into Weiss, who were now both on the ground.
"Nora!" Jaune quickly exclaimed, struggling to get back up. "Snap out of it!"
She swung Magnhild down up him once more; her attack only stopped by two claws that caught the blunt end mid-swing. It slid fast on impact, far enough to touch Jaune, but it remained upright. Sinking its claws into the metal, it kept Nora from swinging again and seized its chance to speak.
"What's making you do this?" Grimm Ruby exclaimed. "Why are you trying to kill your friends?"
The rage in Nora's face slowly faded, and a deep horror forced itself through. Her grip over Magnhild loosened and she dropped it to the ground. Just like what happened on the airship, hatred gave in to fear once more.
"I…I don't…know," Nora struggled to say, clutching her arms and crouching down. "W-why…am I…acting like this?"
"It's…" Grimm Ruby whispered in a horrified realization. "It's because of me. Just being around people…they…"
Meanwhile, Ruby and Yang arrived at the scene, still oblivious to what was going on and too late to do anything. All they saw was Grimm Ruby's claws clutching the receiving end of Magnhild, and the utter chaos around them.
"What's going on?" Yang asked in horror. "Nora?"
"Jaune!" Ruby yelled, running to him immediately. Her Grimm self didn't understand why. It stopped Nora from finishing him off, yet only now did it notice his anguished screamed. When it turned around, it realized why and gasped. His upper body was covered in the dark flames that encompassed its body whenever it moved quickly. Weiss, who was just barely out of harm's way from the flames, quickly channeled an ice glyph over him to put them out, but the damage was already done. In its attempt to protect him from harm, the impact of Magnhild pushed it fast enough toward Jaune to set off its dark flames, immolating him.
Even in the one second he was ablaze, the left side of his face and left hand were already burned beyond recognition. The armor he wore over his upper torso and arm fared little better, as the metal was corroded enough to seep into the skin beneath it. The sight immediately reminded Grimm Ruby of the accident that burned Ruby's arm. Compared what happened now with what happened back then was like comparing a flamethrower with a cigarette burn, however. Some of Jaune's finger bones were exposed to the air after the flames burned away his fingernails. To someone that didn't know better, it looked like Jaune was just burned at the stake.
"W-wha…" Grimm Ruby said in disbelief. "J-Jaune! I…"
"Oh my god!" Yang exclaimed. "Jaune!"
"I…I didn't…mean to," it mumbled weakly. "I was trying to help him! I-I…"
The full ramifications of its very existence finally dawned on it. It was sad enough to see people it didn't know to fall victim to some corrupting evil. There was ambiguity to it. For all anyone knew, there might have been bad blood between the people in Aisufurawa. There could have been a more rational explanation. This was different. Jaune and Nora were friends for years, and have endured many grueling trials together, the Fall of Beacon and Atlas among the worst of them. The very idea that Nora would suddenly attempt to kill him was unimaginable, and even more so with such hate in her eyes.
If even someone as compassionate and bubbly as Nora could be twisted so much, that begged the question: just how pervasive was this evil influence? And how horrific was it that it could drive the normally calm and collected Ren into insanity? Grimm Ruby gave Ruby and Yang a long glance and had a mortifying thought. If friendship wasn't strong enough to overcome this evil, there was a chance that love wouldn't fare any better. Could even sisters be made to kill one another under the influence of this infernal force? It couldn't bear to find out.
"I…" Grimm Ruby took several steps back, covering its open mouth with its claws in disbelief at the result of the chaos around it. "I have to go. I…I can't stay here. I can't be near anyone…ever again!"
"Gruby!" Ruby yelled in both anger and confusion. If it's one thing that made her upset, it was being too late to save her friend…again. At the very least, he's still alive, which was more than she could say for the others she had failed.
"We need to tend to him…now!" Weiss exclaimed, wrapping her arms around one of his while Blake grabbed the other. Ruby glanced back and forth between Jaune's agonized state and the trail of dark flames that stretched across the ground, out of sight. As she started to register the sheer chaos of what happened around her, one question lingered in her mind: why?
"Yang, help Weiss and Blake!" she commanded with bared teeth. "I'm going after her!"
"Ruby—"
"Don't try to follow me! If she really is dangerous, my eyes are the only thing that can stop her!"
With that, Yang watched her little sister dash across the ground with her Semblance, following the trail of flames. Undoubtedly, it would lead her to that Grimm copy. She was conflicted. On one hand, neither Yang or her sister watched the whole scenario, so they didn't know the full story. On the other, that copy was still a Creature of Grimm; as dangerous as any other, if not more so. It was that reason, however, that gave Ruby's argument weight. Even a bullet to the skull from Ren's Stormflower barely left a mark on it. Speaking of which, she just now noticed him drawing strange symbols on the ground, completely oblivious to his surroundings.
Meanwhile, Ruby dashed across the trail as it stretched several miles away from the scene. As she did, the last words she spoke lingered in her mind. "I can't be near anyone ever again." That's not something either people or monsters usually say. She had to know, to hear what it had to say, before she decided its fate. After all, it still saved her life and did its part to keep the people stranded her from freezing to death. At the very least, it deserved a chance to tell its side of the story. Once it caught up with her Grimm self, she found it on its knees, clearly despondent. Her face betrayed her anger and frustration, but she maintained a dignified stance.
"Gruby," she said with a venomous tone. "What happened?"
"I…I'm sorry!" Grimm Ruby apologized. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for all this to happen!"
"Tell. Me. What. Happened!" Ruby commanded. "Why did you set Jaune on fire?"
"It was an accident!" it yelled. "Nora…s-she went crazy around me! I tried to stop her! I didn't mean to set him on fire!"
"Why would Nora ever go crazy?"
"It…it was just like that village all over again," it stuttered, "a-and on that ship! She…she went nuts around me…the same way everybody else did!"
"The village…and…but that means…" she muttered, then interrogated her Grimm self again. "Wait! Are you telling me you stayed with us, knowing that would happen?"
"No, I didn't!" Grimm Ruby explained, trying to hold back its tears. "I…I just…suspected it, but I couldn't accept it! I couldn't get over what the people in that village did to each other! I wondered constantly…if I was somehow responsible, but I couldn't actually face it! I…I wanted to think…that there was another reason for it. I was lying to myself! Okay? I was being childish!"
Ruby stayed silent, recalling the hate-fueled massacre at Aisufurawa herself. Part of her suspected the truth from the beginning, but she couldn't face it at the time, either. She, too, considered a more rational explanation. In a way, she felt just as responsible for this.
"I wanted to do what was right!" Grimm Ruby ranted as corrosive tears now fell freely from its eyes, scalding the cold ground below it. "I wanted to be a hero, like in storybooks! But now, I…I can't even be around anybody without hurting them! I tried to help, but I only made it worse!"
Ruby looked toward the ground, embittered by what she heard, but also understanding. If she suddenly suspected that she made others go mad with hatred with her very presence, she might have been in denial as well.
"I…I see," Ruby said quietly. She was stern, but less hostile. "You don't have any control over it."
"She tried to kill him!" it exclaimed, then calmed down. "No, that's not it. She was being made to kill him. It wasn't her fault. She wasn't herself. It was because I was close to her. I couldn't just stand and watch, so—"
"So you tried to protect him..."
"…but I ended up hurting him even more than anything Nora could have done. If I just stayed away…he…he would've recovered. His Aura would've healed him, but now…I…I'm so sorry!"
Ruby calmed down, becoming despondent over all that's happened. As she saw her Grimm self clutch its skull with remorse, the situation dawned on her. It was a mistake, and not an act of cruelty, that ended up leaving one of her friends permanently disfigured. She took a deep breath, forcing herself not to break down into tears.
"In that case, tell me how to help you," Ruby said, watching her Grimm self gaze upon its claws. It quietly loathed its miserable existence more than ever before. It was only a couple of days ago that it got itself and Ruby lost in the cold wilderness. During the conversation the two had that concluded with Ruby giving her Grimm clone a name, it considered what it would do if it hurt an innocent, unwillingly or otherwise. Now that it realized its very existence is a blight to everyone around it, there was only one thing left.
"Kill me," it finally said, closing its eyes. It was unable to look at Ruby's horrified reaction. "Kill me…so I don't hurt anyone else."
Ruby's eyes widened. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"It…it's all my fault," Grimm Ruby answered, looking away. "All of this would never have happened if I hadn't been here!"
Ruby's horror slowly gave way to disgust once more. Listening to her Grimm self conduct itself with such a self-defeating attitude wasn't merely sad. It was insulting. It was like suggesting that she herself would behave the same way when things were difficult.
"I should never have existed to begin with! I'm a danger to everything and everyone around me! Please…I can't live like this anymore!"
"Gruby…" she said in a growl, narrowing her eyes. Even the sight of dark flames fueled by her Grimm self's despair did nothing to intimidate her.
"Nothing good ever comes from the Grimm!" Grimm Ruby continued ranting. Its own loathing was so great that it actually failed to notice its original's self's reaction. "I thought if I was like you, that if I acted like you, it wouldn't matter if I was a fake! I thought I could still do some good! I should've known better!"
"Please just—"
"In the end, I was just like any other Grimm! All I'll ever bring is destruct—"
"STOP IT!" Ruby yelled, her arms growing tense. Her Grimm self's wallowing ceased immediately as it stared in shock at her outburst. Now that she had its attention, she spoke in a quiet fury. "Stop that…that self-loathing! Jaune and Yang did enough of that after Beacon fell! I can't stand it anymore! How can you even act like that? You…of all people!"
"A person? Really? How…how can I even be a person now? How can I keep pretending to be anything else?"
"You are a person! You're a copy of me! What…what kind of Ruby Rose wants to just lie down and die?"
"The kind that afraid to kill everyone around her," it whispered as more corrosive tears fell from its eyes. "Please…before all of humanity dies because of me."
"Not everyone," Ruby declared with a defiant stare.
"Yes, everyone!" Grimm Ruby lashed out. "You saw it! If Nora could go crazy like that, then everybo—"
"Open your eyes! If you could really sense negativity, you'd see it right in front of you!"
Grimm Ruby's eyes widened in realization. Ruby had been with it for several days now. Not once had she ever come close to succumbing to hatred. Even now, her anger wasn't tainted with hate, but a righteous fury.
"I've been with you longer than anyone," Ruby explained what her Grimm self already figured out. "If I fell under some evil influence, you would have noticed a long time ago."
"I…" Grimm Ruby blinked, stopping mid-sentence. Just like that, a single light kept the encroaching darkness from completely overtaking its heart.
"So not everyone can be affected. Whatever it is that makes people go crazy around you, it's not infallible. I'm living proof."
"Not infallible…just like…"
"Salem," Ruby finished, knowing what her Grimm self was about to say. "Remember what we said to her…when she spoke to Ironwood?"
Grimm Ruby paused, looking at its original self with astonishment. We. She said we. It closed its eyes and quietly recalled that moment.
"We said 'we've seen that you can't be killed. But we've also seen you fail. We don't have to kill you to stop you. And…'"
"'We will stop you,'" both Rubies said in unison. Ruby couldn't help but give a small smile afterward. Her Grimm self followed suit. After a few seconds, the latter frowned.
"Then Salem brought up Mom, then Atlas fell, then the Relics…" it said, pausing when it saw Ruby frown. "Now Ren, Jaune, Nora…they're all suffering because of me, just because I was close to them. Don't you want to make me pay for it?"
Ruby's eyes widened. Revenge wasn't usually something that would cloud her mind.
"I know a horrible accident isn't the same as wanting to hurt someone," Grimm Ruby solemnly spoke, looking at the sky. Its face sizzled with scalding tears, "but that doesn't make it better. I know…that people still go to jail for hurting someone by mistake. 'Reckless endangerment,' I think it's called. I…I have to pay for what I did, but you can't risk locking me up. Whoever's keeping an eye on me might go crazy like Nora did…so if you think I'm too dangerous to be allowed to live, then…"
One look at the scowl on Ruby's face answered that question before it even had a chance to finish asking it.
"Right," Grimm Ruby said with a sad smile. "I couldn't do it, either. Punishing someone for something beyond their control…it's not right. Ruby, you went through something horrible when Salem made me. I was the one that told you that you needed support, but you ended up having to support me. You had to force yourself to be strong…and I was just going to give up and die so easily."
"Then maybe it's time to set a better example," Ruby said, staring deeply into her Grimm self's eyes.
"A better…example," Grimm Ruby closed its eyes. A bestial growl escaped its lips. "You think I can still do that, even after everything that happened, even with what I am."
"You can try," she said. "It's like you said. Your Grimm body didn't come with an instruction book, so we can't say for sure. What we do know, though is that whatever it is that's beneath your soul, it's only a part of you."
"Yeah," it said, glancing down at its claws. "Just…a part."
"Whatever causes people to go crazy around you, you need to learn how to control it."
"But…how?"
"I don't know," Ruby said, "but if you can control those Grimm urges…and keep that monster locked inside you, you can find a way."
"Yes…I…I have to…somehow…but I still can't stay here," it said, looking back at Ruby. Her smile faded immediately, replaced by the silent plea not to say what it was about to say. It knew how she felt, but knew there was no other alternative than death. "As long as I'm here, I'm putting everyone in danger. Until I learn how to control this…this influence, I need to be isolated from everyone else."
With a resigned gaze, Ruby turned away, not wanting to leave her Grimm self any more hurt than it already is. She couldn't just leave her team. They still needed her, and as much as she forced herself to be strong, she still needs their support as well. And she knew it had the same needs, the same trauma, that she did.
"Besides," it continued with a resigned tone, "nobody would want me anywhere near them after what happened. I don't think they'll ever forgive me. I don't blame them. I can't ever make up for this."
"You have to try," Ruby declared, "even if you're doomed to fail. You don't want the last thing you did in your life to be something you regret. That's why you can't just take your own life. You can't go with a guilty conscience. It wouldn't make anything better."
"Yeah…" Grimm Ruby said, looking down at its claws. "I'll…try…maybe it's better to try…even if I fail."
"It is," she said. "It's just like that fairy tale; the one about the moon. Remember?"
"'The Gift of the Moon,'" it said, looking up at the shattered moon in the sky. "That's what it's called. Mankind made a horrible mistake. They overworked the original sun until it crashed on the earth, then it fractured and became the moon. The people were heartbroken. They didn't mean to do what they did…but they couldn't make it right, so they made another sun instead. We…already know that fairy tale isn't true, but…the story still has a moral."
"If you can't fix a mistake…" Ruby started.
"…you have to accept what happened and make do," Grimm Ruby finished. "I…I get it."
Both Rubies looked at each other with sad eyes once more. There was no easy way to do this. To watch someone cast themselves out just because of some lingering evil that followed it everywhere it went was truly sad. The fact that it was essentially another her made it even more so. Ruby glanced down at her Scroll, wondering how she would bring this up to the rest of her team. They, at least, may be relieved to know the source of their corruption was leaving them, but doing so felt like casting aside a piece of her humanity. It was like Ironwood's decision to leave Mantle to its fate to save Atlas. She couldn't allow him to go through with it.
Tossing some aside to save others went against everything she stood for, yet she was now doing just that for reasons that couldn't be easily resolved with idealistic speeches or heartfelt apologies. The only two differences was that it was only one instead of many, and that one was voluntarily exiling itself. If only the Colosseum stayed in the air, things might be different. At the very least, it could keep in touch with everyone else even if it had to keep itself at a safe distance. Maybe it would even have a chance to apologize, for what little good that would do.
"I know what you're thinking, too," Grimm Ruby said, turning around. "'If only the Colosseum stayed in the air, things might be different.' Right?"
Ruby gasped in shock. Her Grimm self literally took the words out of her mind.
"Well, it wouldn't," it pointed out. "If I carried a Scroll around and started running…"
"It would just burn up," Ruby finished dejectedly, watching as it silently nodded.
"Yeah," it said, letting out another bestial growl. "You know, when we first met, the very first thing I said to you was that I wouldn't leave your side for a second. I even…promised you. Guess I should've thought about this before making any promises, but how was I supposed to know something like this could happen? Now that I think about it, I should've thought about a lot of things…before it was too late."
Without so much as another glance, Grimm Ruby started walking. Its only goal right now was to get as far away from civilization as possible. Ruby soon turned away as well. There was nothing more she could do for it. At least, that's what she wanted to tell herself. In truth, this was something that lingered back in Aisufurawa. Looking back now, it was extremely obvious what actually caused the people there to go insane. It was just too painful to actually face, so it was little wonder it took until now for anyone to even address it. And now that it has been addressed, it actually seemed like things were going back to where they were. For now, there was only one Ruby, as there had been in the beginning. Something about it felt right, but it also felt wrong. The only positive thing about this was that she talked…herself out of suicide.
This painful revelation didn't kill Grimm Ruby, but it did become wiser. Unfortunately, wisdom can come at a price. If there's anything it learned from this, it's that there are some things that are worse than death. For a being with the mentality of a Huntress, waking up to find that it was the very thing the Huntsmen Academies devote themselves to killing was already a nightmare. Learning that it was not only a Grimm, but a copy of a Huntress that still lived and very much mattered in the world was even crueler. This knowledge, however, goes beyond a mere nightmare. Anyone can wake from a nightmare, no matter how cruel. Sometimes they do so on their own and sometimes they are woken up by the kindness of another. For Grimm Ruby, the ability to make a positive difference in the world may have ended the nightmare, regardless of its own origins.
This was different, for it now learned that it would invariably bring suffering and famine to those around it, regardless of intent. That made making a positive difference all but impossible now. No matter what it did, or where it went, Destruction would follow, just as the God of Darkness warned. For a being with the mentality of a Huntress, this was damnation itself; an inescapable hell. But just as the God of Light once gave mankind the hope to remake themselves, so did one of his very chosen give Grimm Ruby the hope to remake the curse that followed it. It was that infinitely small chance of a better tomorrow that kept it from ending its own life. So long as it was a danger to those around it, it could never risk lingering near others. And so, it trekked across the cold snow, wondering to itself just how it can control whatever influenced those around it to hate. There was no teacher that could offer it insight and no clear goal to accomplish. It knew nothing about this evil force beyond what it did to others, nor how it manifested from its own body. It didn't even have a proper name to call it.
From here on out, it was no longer a war against an immortal witch, standing side-by-side with trusted friends to do the impossible. Its adversary was far worse; a force of Destruction itself, with none standing by its side. Could it overcome it alone? If it can't, if this terrible force should spread and manifest within others, no sentient being could hope to survive. With such a cruel curse, Grimm Ruby let out curses of its own. It cursed the witch that created it only to bring suffering. It cursed the gods that allowed her to do so. It cursed the universe. It cursed everything…but mostly itself. Its own carelessness caused this. No, it was worse than that. The rioting in Aisufurawa that ended in tragedy, the pilot's sudden fit of rage that nearly turned violent, and now this; there were plenty of warnings, yet Grimm Ruby did nothing about it. It chose to remain in denial, ignoring the truth when it was right in front of it. And so it shouldered the blame that Salem and the gods would surely cast off upon others, for it didn't merely cause it. It allowed this to happen.