The battle had left a deep scar in Anima. It had never been a populous part of the continent, but now it seemed completely uninhabitable, with the ruins of Salem's castle the only sign of civilization left. The crystals were all gone: all that remained was red rock and a handful of pools of black blood.
The campsite Team RWBY had set up had been completely swallowed up under shifting red sands. The only remainder of their final adventure were the video recordings they'd left in Qrow's Scroll. Three little video files left for their families.
He cursed himself for having missed the battle, having held the line against the Grimm horde with Atlas and their soldiers instead, as Ruby requested. Just like her mother, he'd followed her orders and lost her too.
Whitley Schnee had been the first he'd visited, before he could withdraw his forces from the continent. His sister's message had been quite direct, and Qrow wasn't sure what her younger brother would make of it. In spite of providing tremendous assistance in battling the Grimm, Qrow suspected the new head of the SDC had intervened more out of self-interest than heroism, and didn't seem to have much love lost for his departed sister.
"I know you think I hate you for all you've done," Weiss told him in her recorded message, "But I know you're the man you are now because of what our father taught you. I want you to know, no matter how things ended when we last saw each other, I do still love you. You're my brother. You'll always be my brother. I don't know what sort of life you'll have now, but if we succeed, you won't have to sit on your hoard like our father did. You can do more with the company than he did. You can do better than he did. You're the only Schnee left now. So be better. Not just for your sake, but for the future."
Whitley had thanked Qrow after he'd heard the message and left without another word. Qrow was grateful the exchange had been so short; he had a lot more painful news to deliver.
On his way to Menagerie, he saw an announcement in his news feed that the Schnee Dust Company had donated all of the year's profits to an Anima relief fund and a separate trust set up for family members of deceased military personnel. Talking heads in the media speculated on the reason for the uncharacteristic generosity from the SDC, with several suggesting it would be a one-time action, in honor of the CEO's lost sisters. Others pointed to the act of charity as a sign of a new direction, and the stock price actually took a little upswing from the news, rather than a hit, as projected.
Whether Whitley Schnee had changed for the better or not, his actions had certainly been better than his father's. He'd extended help and resources in a crisis, rather than exploit it. Maybe the former ice queen had been able to show him the sun in the midst of a snowstorm.
The trip to Menagerie had taken a long time. There was still a lot of suspicion between kingdoms, and while the White Fang had been recognized as a decisive ally in putting a stop to the Grimm insurgent, only Vale and Vacuo had allowed the formation of new Faunus colonies. Mistral had insisted they needed to repair their own infrastructure, and Atlas could never seem to get the motion out of committee.
Kali Belladonna had been acting regnant of the Faunus colony for years now, taking up the role after her husband's death. Qrow was astonished upon meeting her -she didn't look much older than Blake had- but quickly put aside any less noble intentions and played the message for her.
"I want you to know I'm not sad about dying here today," Blake assured her. "I'm dying alongside my friends -the people I love- and there's nowhere I'd rather be than with them at the end. I still want you to know how much I missed you, and wish we could've talked once more before the end. I'm grateful for all that you taught me, and every time I feel like I'm doing something wrong, or that I've lost my way, I remember how you and Dad took me back. I remember when you opened the door and called me your baby girl."
She paused for a moment to wipe away her tear. "I'm sorry to leave you alone, but I know I have to do this. I know that this is right, because it's what you'd do. It's what Dad would do. And it's what my friends would do. If this is where it ends, at least I know I went in the right direction."
Kali was much more emotional than Whitley, breaking down for a moment, but composed herself quickly, putting on the stern face of a leader. Qrow made her a copy of the final recording, and Kali showed him hospitality by offering him a room to stay and a hot meal in gratitude for sharing stories of her daughter. She patiently endured Qrow's tales at the table, and saw to his accommodations and travel plans without request.
Qrow saved Tai for last. Both because he dreaded giving this news again, and because he didn't want to hear Ruby and Yang again just yet. He wondered if perhaps losing two wives and two daughters would just will the life right out of his old teammate. Qrow had lost it himself when Ruby said her epitaph.
Taiyang was insistent on knowing the truth. Just as he'd been with Summer, he wanted to see it with his own eyes. Qrow understood that need, but he knew it wouldn't make Tai feel any better. If anything...
"Hey, Dad," Yang waved, consciously using her left hand to do so. "Rubes and I finally found what we were looking for. You wouldn't believe how strong she's become. I thought I made progress these last few years, but her..." She swelled with pride, looking somewhere off-camera.
Yang refocused her attention and continued. "We're just waiting until morning now, so we can coordinate our attack behind the lines. I should be sleeping now, but... I know this is my last day. I never could let myself waste time. Not when there was so much of the world to see."
"I'm so grateful for the lessons you taught me," Yang continued. "I've always been like you, and that's helped me a lot. I found friends... love... adventure... all the things I ever wanted. Because I was like you."
"I saw mom again yesterday," Yang added. "She's leading her bandit buddies to attack the south flank, and she should hold the line. If she makes it out of this, please don't be upset with her. She didn't make this decision. Ruby and I to chose be here. We had to be here. I know you understand that."
She smiled and pressed her left hand up against the camera. "I miss you. I love you so much. Take care of Zwei."
She stepped off-camera. Several agonizing seconds passed before Ruby stepped into the empty space, looking just like her mother had at graduation.
"I know what you're thinking, and stop it," Ruby instructed. "Because I need you to keep going. I need you to live, because otherwise, it doesn't matter whether we win or lose tomorrow. We need to be here, and I need you to be okay when this is done."
Ruby rubbed the back of her head, nervously searching for words. Some things hadn't changed with the passage of time. "I know you always wanted the best for us, and I'm sorry we didn't have more time. I'd have liked nothing better than to have a bunch of years together, and to come back and see you and just look out at the forest back home. But we couldn't stay home forever. We had to move on. We had to move forward."
Ruby looked directly into the camera. "This is what I always wanted, just like mom. So please, don't be sad that I'm gone. This is where I'm meant to be and what I'm meant to do. And even if we don't stop Salem tomorrow, we'll save a lot of people from getting hurt. I can't think of a better way to go than that."
Ruby managed a smile, not allowing it to be tainted by uncertainty or fear. "I love you, Dad. No matter what happens tomorrow, that'll never change. It doesn't matter how many Grimm there are or how hard the battle is. I won't forget that feeling. I'll be strong enough to beat them because of what you gave me. The Grimm can have all the fear and anger and hate- all I need to beat them is what I have from you."
She finally teared up, but continued. "So don't forget that. Don't be sad that I'm gone. Because it'll be you, and what you taught me, that beats them today. And the world will be better, because of the daughters of Taiyang."
Ruby wiped away her tears and smiled ahead. "I'm happy with the life I had. I had you. I had Yang. I had my friends. I had Qrow and Zwei and everybody... and mom, too, for a little while. I won't be sad we didn't have more time. I'll be happy about the times we had."
She focused and steeled herself for her final words. "And even though I said this already, I have one more thing I want to say, because it's the last thing I want the world to hear me say, because it's the last thing anyone should say: I love you."
Qrow and Taiyang looked on as the recording came to an end.