Remnant had seen the sun rise countless times, only to watch it set when the night sky approached. And when the sun dared to rise once more, the darkness would always leave. No matter the time or place, the two could never stand each other long enough to be in the same place. They would only repeatedly rise and set over and over again in a conflict that's doomed to go on without end. This conflict would be replicated upon Remnant's surface, for no matter how Huntsmen and Grimm were slain, more would take their place. This routine was formed from the actions of Ozma and Salem, who symbolize the light and the darkness respectively. As both wizard and witch were made eternal, their war, too, was doomed to go on perpetually. The irony of it all was that this endless conflict stemmed from the whims of two deities that also represent light and darkness; brothers that claim to have settled their feud by creating mankind together.
It's pleasant to think that two beings with vastly differing ideals could set aside their differences and come together. To those that know the story, it gives the impression that the people of Remnant, too, could set aside their differences and come together. When someone considers the Grimm's desire for destruction and the Silver-Eyed Warriors that devote themselves to preserving life at the expense of destruction, however, it could make a person wonder just how unified the Brother Gods really are. And if they created mankind with their ideals of Creation and Destruction, was it possible that they also bestowed their flaws in them as well? In an attempt to settle a wager, was mankind in fact just one more representation of the endless conflict between light and darkness?
It was thoughts like this that went through Grimm Ruby's mind in its lonesome journey. As time had passed, it thought less and less of its friends and family…no, Ruby's friends and family. It was never really part of their lives. It merely intruded upon them as a result of Salem's disgusting actions. As Ozpin once told Grimm Ruby, it possessed an entirely different burden from the original, and it was now clear that it would walk a different path from her as well. It was no closer to ridding itself of the corrupting influence that affected those around it, although it never dared to stay near anyone for long anyway. In reality, it was too afraid to even try to stay close to others. For all it knew, it could have already conquered this infernal force without even realizing it.
"Do you truly believe you've accomplished anything, wandering the land in service to a doomed species clinging to this godless facsimile of life? Just how long do you intend to lie to yourself?"
And of course, Salem would still speak in its mind every now and then, giving it more commentary that nobody asked for. None of it really mattered anymore. Whether it be hunting its own kind, internal philosophy, or just putting up with an witch that would somehow find the time in her eternal lifespan to annoy it, everything was routine. The amusing thing about it was that Salem usually raised a good point. All of the time it spent wandering the world and slaughtering Grimm before they could slaughter people didn't actually have any effect on the long war between Ozma and Salem. If life was like a storybook, it wouldn't be like the hero in it, but a side character that's stuck in what was essentially padding that didn't contribute to the main story.
There were several occasions that Grimm Ruby considered simply going after her and finishing what it started. It would only need to find an Evernight Gate back into the Land of Darkness, then it could just finish what it started. Even if the God of Darkness wasn't entirely truthful about what its eyes did to her, they did something. As tempting as the idea was, however, there was always a swarm of Lancers that flew too close to a human settlement or a pack of Creeps digging their way into an underground shelter, and then it went back to the same routine. Despite its quiet disdain for the Brother Gods, its own need to save everyone compelled it to be a part of the conflict they've created anyway; a different part than the rest of its kind, but a part nonetheless. It was a cog in the system of divine immortals, and nothing more.
Today was the same as any other day: follow the nearest source of negativity no matter where it leads, kill any Grimm that radiate said negativity, leave behind an inevitable stream of dark flames when it's finished, rise and repeat. It just finished killing Beowulf number 318…or was it 328? It stopped counting after a hundred. Numbers and figures didn't matter. Even the method in which it carried out its work didn't warrant much mention. Did it pry that last Grimm arms off, or did it decapitate it? It didn't matter. The savagery against its own kind became as normal as breathing is to a human, and it just went through the motions.
Even in the middle of the night, Grimm Ruby wandered yet another nameless patch of wilderness, repeating the same pattern. The negativity it followed this time was much different from an urge to kill or a lust for power. It was the sorrow of one that died too soon, but it was much more pervasive than simple mourning or a tragic result. Though it couldn't entirely discern the cause, something about this sorrow lingered in the air. It was intriguing, to say the least.
It was similar to the sorrow of a lost child that it felt back in Atlas, but it was somehow different. There was something vaguely inhuman about it, but it couldn't discern what. Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't a Grimm. No Grimm could mourn a missing child. Grimm Ruby considered simply ignoring the cause of this sorrow, as it was neither productive to its routine nor was there anything it could do to bring a child back, but the mystique of it compelled it to follow anyway, if only for a temporary deviation from its monotonous routine.
It only had to walk across a densely wooded area with some crevices that marred its path to find it. The source of the sorrow was already very close by. As it followed the wayward negativity, it wondered just what kind of being would linger this far. Even now, it was at least twelve miles away from the nearest village, and that's not counting the ten-foot tall cliff one would have to scale to get there. Nobody would have dared to venture this far away from civilization, due to the risk of a Grimm attack…unless they were one of them.
Uncurling its scythe in preparation for the fight that was to come, Grimm Ruby ventured across what was essentially a large wooded land untouched by human civilization. As it did, it noticed a few white rose petals fluttering in the wind that contrasted with its dreary brown and dark green surroundings. The petals were engulfed with a lingering regret that couldn't be seen by human eyes, which gave the illusion that the roses they came from had a soul. The truly bizarre thing was that there weren't any roses in the vicinity, let alone white ones. The petals all did come from a general direction, however. Looking up at where the wind was blowing, it came across something that was as far away from the black creatures of destruction as anything could ever be.
This being looked vaguely human, covered in a white cloak that shined as brightly as the silver light from Ruby's eyes, causing her Grimm self to squint its eyes and shelter its face with its open claw. Making out this glowing being as much as it could, it noticed more white petals emanating from the opening beneath its robe, where its legs should be. Even without anything that physically supported its body, it remained upright, floating through the air. After wordlessly scrutinizing this ethereal being, its mind flashed back to the nightmare Ruby had of her mother, which even as she and her Grimm self were already two separate beings, they had both experienced somehow.
"It…it can't be," Grimm Ruby whispered in awe, coiling its scythe back over its shoulder. Even though Grimm Ruby did nothing to actually alert this ethereal being to its presence, it turned around toward its direction like it was already aware. Still squinting and masking its face from the light, Grimm Ruby could make out a pair of silver eyes that resembled Ruby's. They were on a face as white as the rose petals and transparent as mist. The ethereal being looked back at Grimm Ruby, with eyes as sad as the intense sorrow it emanated.
"T-that's impossible," Grimm Ruby whispered, its voice shaking. "S-she's…"
"Rosebud?" a single voice echoed from all around it, reverberating with the wind. Just like that, Grimm Ruby lost all of the resolve it possessed over the course of its lonesome journey. It fell to its knees, longing for the warm hugs and soft cookies that never were. A single corrosive tear left its eye, and its fangs trembled. It couldn't believe what it was seeing.
"M-m-mo…" Grimm Ruby struggled to say, but couldn't finish. Between its struggle to even look at the glowing ethereal being and the memories that resurfaced from Ruby's past, it took everything it had just to keep itself from bawling like a lost child crying for her mother. At that moment, every ounce of loneliness and pain it forced itself to endure came rushing back to it all at once. For the first time since it made its pledge to remain steadfast along the path of perpetual torment, it had truly faltered. No matter how much this moment defied all reason, it had to hear this being's voice again. Nothing else mattered; not Remnant, not Salem, not anything.
"You're not her," the ethereal being's voice echoed. Grimm Ruby's mood sank even lower than anything it felt before, including when it found out its very presence corrupted those around it. Those three simple words felt so numbing and wrong, yet it couldn't find the will to even argue. It was only roused from its mournful stupor when the ethereal being drifted away. It frantically stood back up to follow it.
"Wait!" Grimm Ruby yelled, chasing this being. It no longer cared about the damage it might inflict upon the land with the dark flames it exuded, and left an enormous trail behind it. Even as the glowing silver light scalded its skin, it couldn't bear to be apart from it. No matter how hard it tried to get close to the ethereal being, though, it could never catch up. It would always drift through the air as fast as Grimm Ruby ran, but no faster. This gave the impression that the former was chasing the shadow of a person, rather than the real thing. No matter how much Grimm Ruby pleaded, the ethereal being wouldn't stop for it.
The chase only went on for hours, but it felt like an eternity had passed. It would only stop at the base of a plateau that overlooked the sea. The morning sun had just risen the very moment the ethereal being stopped at the edge of the plateau. The overlook appeared very similar to the grave that Ruby would often visit between school semesters before Beacon fell, only there was no grave, nor was it anywhere near patch. Even now, the ethereal being still hovered over the ground.
"Please…" Grimm Ruby quietly begged. "Just…talk to me."
Once more, there was a long silence between the two. It would give anything to hear the being's voice again. All it wanted was just one assurance that everything would be okay. The ethereal being didn't even so much as look back before one final voice echoed in the air.
"My story ended with misery ever after…and yours will, too."
Grimm Ruby stood agape at those words. It was so simple, yet said so much. Misery ever after…about the choice she made? Or perhaps the choice it made? Or was it the choices they didn't make?
"You're living a nightmare now," the ethereal being said. "Please…don't do what I did."
"I…I don't understand," Grimm Ruby said desperately. It slowly reached out to the being, quietly begging it not to drift away again. The being inched slowly over the cliff, but it didn't drift. It fell. Grimm Ruby's eyes widened, and its cautious approach gave way into a panic.
"No!" it yelled, desperately chasing the being. It tried to grab it at the last second before it struck the jagged rocks that surely waited below, but its efforts were in vain. Once it reached the edge of the cliff and looked at where the ethereal being fell from, it realized that it vanished completely. Not even a corpse was left behind; only white rose petals remained as proof that the being existed at all.
Suspecting that it was going mad from the isolation, it reached out toward one of the petals to make sure it was real…only to burn it with its flaming claw. It was that moment that it realized its body was covered in flames; a consequence of having ran toward the being. Lacking the will to question it further, it gazed down into the sea it swore it saw the being jump into. No matter how hard it looked, it could only find the reflection of a Grimm engulfed in flames as dark as its crimson eyes.
"Chasing phantoms of the past now? Are you that desperate to live a lie?"
Once more, Salem's voice gave it commentary that nobody asked for. With quivering arms and its mouth agape, it silently questioned whether or not it had merely been chasing a fantasy.
"You…" Grimm Ruby muttered.
"Oh, so you choose now to finally acknowledge me with more than a pithy comeback? We are making progress."
"You!" it yelled, leaving embers upon the grass from its claws. Just when it thought Salem couldn't possibly sink any lower, she now taunted her creation with memories of a mother it never actually had. "I don't know how you did it, but you made me see my…my…"
"Your what?" Salem said, noting Grimm Ruby's pause. "Just what is that lost soul to you?"
Grimm Ruby couldn't answer. It couldn't give Salem the satisfaction. It looked up at the sky for a sign, whether that be a glowing being or even just another white rose petal; anything to prove it wasn't just losing its mind from the isolation.
"That's right. It seems young Cinder's assertion was correct. In some small way, you truly believe you are Ruby Rose…even when the truth is right in front of you. See for yourself."
It looked back down and saw its reflection in the sea. Having momentarily lost its composure, its claws quivered again. It couldn't bear to look anymore, and turned away. Two loud sizzles echoed through the wind, and it noticed the corrosive tears that struck the cliff beneath it. No matter how much it wished otherwise, it had no real right to integrate itself in the original Ruby's life.
"The truth is, you are, and always have been, a pawn in this game."
"I was never your pawn!"
"Of course. You've chosen to be…their pawn."
"'Their' pawn?" Grimm Ruby asked after a pause. "Who are you—"
"You already know the answer. There are only two that could twist life and death for their own ends. In spite of my best efforts to bring my dear Ozma back once upon a time, I never could be the third."
"You're lying!" it exclaimed defiantly, but growing more placid. "You did this…you're the one who killed her…you…"
"I'm lying? My dear Harbinger, everything you've ever known was a lie. You cling to them, no matter how impossible they are, because you are, in every way, a lie yourself. You see phantoms because…you are one."
Its gaze remained locked with its own reflection; a phantom of the original Ruby Rose that now walked the world, clinging to her ideals.
"Oh, I understand it's not your fault. You can't help it. It's all you know. Everything you've ever felt, ever remembered…they never belonged to you, did they?"
"I…"
"This isn't your personality; it's hers. Her memories, her feelings, her life; that's the only thing separating you from a monster. You don't have any original thought in your mind. You weren't even given a real name."
Grimm Ruby was left speechless. These were the same words it told Ruby once, and now they were turned against it. This just serves to prove just how long she'd been watching and listening through it.
"Deep down, you understood that from the start. The truth is that you have no family. You never did."
That was the last straw. Whatever emotional control it had burned away, causing dark flames to spread all over the plateau it stood upon.
"Where…are you?" it finally snapped, seething with a hellish fury. "I'll…I'll find you…tear you limb by limb…make you scream…over and over…for everything you've done!"
Salem didn't immediately respond. After twenty whole seconds of silence, it began to wonder if even her voice was a phantom. It still despised her, and that was putting it nicely. It might have been possible, in some small way, that it subconsciously wanted to torture her, but it wasn't sure if it was really its own will…or something else.
"Spoken…like a true monster."
Before Grimm Ruby could respond again, it felt the ground underneath it start to give way, and sprinted off of it. The flames left behind caused the plateau to quickly corrode until the entire cliff collapsed into the sea. The wave that resulted doused what was left of the ground, including Grimm Ruby itself, putting out all of the flames. A sizzling sound engulfed its ears completely. It was what one would hear if they doused a hot metal tray under cold water. When it saw the smoke come from its body, it became apparent that its own body was making that sound. Its flesh was like metal, and even the original Ruby compared its skull to a titanium cactus once. As if it needed further proof that it was never human to begin with, it looked back at the cliff that was no longer there. For one, it was grateful that it was alone. Nobody else, save Salem, had to see what it just did to the once beautiful landscape. Even the mere fantasy of reuniting with a long-dead mother was now burned away from this corrupting influence, leaving no white rose petals in its wake.