Chapter 13: A Forest of Emotions

Ryler stood at the top of the cliffs. He was watching as the body of the Nevermore was decaying. The smoke of the Grimm corpse bellowed out in a tall and wide pillar of darkness. He was waiting for the others to make their way up to him. He climbed out of the hole of the dead body of the giant bird. The Light Chrysalis that he used as a make shift spike to pierce and pin the Nevermore against the wall. The wings lie limp against the body with parts of them frozen and burnt. It was insane that it actually worked for him as well as it did for Ruby. He looked at the world around him, the plume of smoke rising at a steady pace. He felt his entire body tingle, looking down at his hand he noticed that it was glowing blue. He hadn't activated his powers so he was confused why this was happening.

"That was a nice show you put on there kid!" Ryler heard a familiar voice say behind him. He turned around with a smile across his face. He was always happy to see a friend. Sarah was wearing a version of Yang's outfit with a black jacket instead of the classic tan. "I gotta say, Yang's outfit is amazingly comfortable for what it is." Sarah was admiring herself.

"Yeah, it looks nice but seems strange to me. Probably the color change but I'm not sure." Ryler cupped his chin in thought. He walked closer to her and gave her a hug. He was really tired from the events of the whole day but felt relief when she hugged him back. They pulled back and walked over to the edge of the cliff. Sarah sat down on the edge. She looked down at the others climbing up.

"How's it like fighting with these guys?" Sarah asked as she gestured to the people under her. She when she saw that Nora was dragging Ren up onto another ledge.

"Its been fun so far, I think I might have messed up the team's though." Ryler said as he took a seat next to her. He spoke with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"How so?" Sarah tilted her head a little as she looked at Ryler. He was avoiding her gaze and fidgeting more and more.

"Well, I'm partnered with Weiss, Pyrrha is Ruby's partner, I failed to get a relic for us and Jaune was never accepted to the school though that last one isn't actually my fault. Sarah just sat there listening to his quick retelling of the recent events.

"Oh, that's rough buddy." Sarah said as she patted his shoulder. Ryler glared at her when he heard her response.

"Did you just..." Ryler couldn't finish his sentence because she interrupted .

"Why don't you just go get one now that everything is frozen? It's not like anyone will know that you've gone missing." Sarah said as she stood back up and began pulling Ryler to his feet as well.

"You told me to never use my powers for personal problems, so why would I use them now?" Ryler folded his arms after he was able to pull his arms back from her grasp. He just stared at her but she ignored him. She was just looking out over the cliffs towards the ruins. She was no doubt making plans for the fastest way to get there.

"Yeah, but it's not like this problem only affects you, Weiss could be kicked out of the school to you know. I'm pretty sure she would be really mad at you. You don't want your sweet little Snow Cone to be mad at you, do you?" Sarah turned back around and smirked as she said the last part of her sentence.

"Okay, first of all, I was drunk when I said that. Second, you swore never to bring that up again. Third, we won't get kicked out, we'll probably just have to go through the trial again; she would be mad about that but at least we'd still be able to attend Beacon. And fourth, if I did agree to go, do you promise not to sing any songs about road trips?" Sarah crossed her fingers over her heart. She often did that if she wanted to make a promise to him but Ryler was still eyeing her suspiciously. She seemed to be genuine in her actions but she always found someway to make or sniff out a loop hole.

"Okay, let's get going then. I don't want to keep them waiting for long." Ryler told her as Sarah pumped her fist into the air and cheered. They jumped down to the bottom of the cliff and then jumped across the gap to the other side of the chasm. When they landed, the two of them started walking in the direction of the relics.

It was about a minute later when he heard Sarah humming. "What did you promise me again?" he asked her. She was grinning from ear to ear, she had found her loop hole. "You said no road trip songs, you never said anything about walking songs." Ryler face palmed at the realization. Sarah was just walking along the path, filled with the satisfaction of her victory, singing happily.

"Tell everybody I'm on my way, new friends and new places to see."

"Please dont..." Ryler begged for her to stop.

"With blue skies ahead, yes I'm on my way, and there's nowhere else I'd rather be!"

"No..."

"Tell everybody I'm on my way, and I'm loving every step I take."

"Bad..."

Sarah continued to sing for quite a while, at least she sang good songs from time to time. Running from death is a really good distraction for just how far someone can run. Evident by the fact that they had been walking for about 10 minutes and they still hadn't come halfway to the forest ruins. Sarah, however, was about halfway through her third song, Walking on Sunshine. Ryler was annoyed but still smiled at seeing his friend again. He slowed his walking until he stopped completely. Sarah noticed and stopped as well a few feet ahead. She had a serious look on her face, one that mimicked Ryler's own serious expression.

"You never answered me, you remember right?" Ryler was looking her dead in the eye. She didn't look away for try to changed the subject. She just held his gaze. "I want answers, now. How are you here? What are you? Why aren't you more concerned about all this?" Ryler was getting worked up. He kept telling himself to calm down but it was getting harder to do so.

"I don't know what to tell you. When you first asked me, I said that I would tell you someday. I'm sorry, but I lied. I can't tell you because I don't know either. I thought that if I had some time to look into what happened and why it happened then I'd be able to give you answers. But I've learned nothing since you first asked me. This might be because we're both close, maybe it's because I used my soul to keep your darkness in check that day or maybe it because we both had the same powers. It's all a mystery as well and I'm sorry. Okay? I'm sorry." Sarah hung her head as her shoulders shook. Ryler could hear her sobs from where he stood. He felt bad for making her cry.

Ryler walked over to her and wrapped her in a comforting embrace. She returned the hug and wept into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I had no idea you were struggling too." Ryler said and he held her even tighter. They held the embrace for an eternity. Until all their pent up emotions were freed. For Ryler it was a particularly cathartic experience. I'm that moment, he realized that while he had gotten good at controlling his emotions, he had never given himself a way to release them. All the anger, sadness, heartbreak and hopelessness of Sarah's death came back to him. The frustration of not knowing how to continue his training on his own was enough to nearly drive him insane a few times in the past. That was precisely what they felt like now, moments in the past. He let go of everything he had been holding onto since that day. When they finally pulled away from each other, they shared an understanding smile with each other. No had to thank the other, no one had to apologize or expand on what they were feeling. They may not be together in life anymore but they would always be with each other.

"I never knew how much I needed that until just then." Ryler sighed as he said that and Sarah agreed with him.

"Yeah, being a being that's become one with the universe has a lot of perks but also a few drawbacks. And no, me being one with the universe isn't the cause of our link. Trust me, if that was the case then I'd drag Master Sampson here to help train you." Ryler remembered the stories she had told him about her old Master.

"Yeah, she might not be of much help if what you said was true." Ryler chuckled as he resumed their walk to the forest temple, Sarah following close behind.

" Everything I told you was definitely the truth. You know she once had me journey out to kill an ancient dragon? Yeah it was evil and planned on obliterating the galaxy it inhabited but it wasn't even a threat to anyone yet. We still had at least 12 millennia before it even started to put its plan into motion and do you know why?" As Sarah was ranting, Ryler was silently laughing. He knew exactly why, he had heard that story about a thousand times before.

"Because she wasn't in the mood to train you for a few decades and decided sending you on an errand was a good enough plan to get some alone time." Ryler said as he kept trying to contain his laughter.

"EXACTLY! She thought that it was a good idea to send a 10 year old out into space to defeat an evil dragon! All because she wanted to take a vacation!" Sarah was stomping angrily through the forest. Ryler always liked it when she got angry, it was free entertainment after all. Sarah's brief moment of rage aside, it was nice to have a moment to act like everything was normal again. Even though Ryler knew it has to end, he was just happy to be there.

It had been about 20 minutes since they left the cliffs. They really had run a lot farther them any of them realized. They had arrived to the large clearing they had been in when they were attacked. There were deep trenches gouged out of the ground and craters were scattered around the field. The next group to come through would be in for a hell of a surprise. Near the center was the rubble that used to be the small set of ruins that held the relics. They walked over to the pile of stone and started pulling away the large slabs of ancient stone. They only had to move a few blocks before they saw a flash of golden light being reflected at them.

"Got one, now you can go back and live happily ever after with your precious Snow Bunny." Ryler's eye twitched from hearing Sarah call Weiss that.

"I swear to us, if you else that drunk me said, I will hunt your soul down, being you back and kill you again." Ryler's threat was an empty one and Sarah knew it.

"When you do, make sure you let Weiss know, she might miss you if you're gone too long. Besides, you have to stay here like a good little puppy and do your homework, you don't have time to go on a reckless adventure." Ryler just walked away, headed back to the cliffs to finish the day. Sarah just skipped along beside him. This time there were no songs, no heartfelt emotional talks, tears or friendly banter. They walked back in under a blanket of comfortable silence. Once they were back to the top, they both decided that it was time to say goodbye (hehe).

"Um, well, it was too to see you again." Ryler said awkwardly. Being long time friends didn't make it any easier to leave one another.

"Yeah, I want to say that I'll see you soon but I don't know if that's even true." She hung her head and had a frown on her face. Ryler reached out and put a hand on her shoulder to let her know that he understood. She got the message. He lifted her head back up and felt the smile return. "I might not ever come back from here on. Since the first time we reunited, I've felt like the connection was growing weaker and weaker every time it happened again, you've felt it too, haven't you?" Ryler nodded, he had felt it as well. At first he thought it was because he wasn't concentrating hard enough but after she had appeared before him without his input, he knew it was something else. "Our souls are literally connected so I doubt we'll never see each other again. Just in case, I want you to know that you were the most stubborn student anyone could have ever asked for, not to mention you're incredibly stupid. I mean, come on, it's called a tuning fork for a reason." Ryler was now confused and angry but stayed quiet. "You're also lazy, arrogant, slightly narcissistic and just overall a bad listener."

"Alright, I get it, move on already." Ryler shouted for her to stop her barrage of insults.

"Fine, what I'm trying to say is, you have your faults but you never stopped trying to be better. I wasn't there for you but I can feel how much stronger you've become since I've been gone. I know you'll continue to train and hone this gift we've been given. Above all, I know that you are where you belong now." They went in for another hug, this one saying everything they didn't have time to say out loud to each other. They separated and took a few steps back from each other.

"I'll always appreciate what you've done for me, Sarah. For the longest time, I thought being hit by that taxi was the worst thing that has ever happened to me. Now I know that it was actually the best. Thank you for saving me, training me, beating me back down when I got too big of a head," That made Sarah laugh. "Caring for me, and just being there for me. Thank you, Master Ray." Ryler finished by putting his right fist over his heart and getting down on one knee with his head down. Obviously, they had never liked the formal Master/Apprentice aspect of their relationship, so Ryler knew that doing this was the ultimate sign of respect.

"On the name of Master Sarah Andrea Ray, I hereby acknowledge your accomplishments and grant you the rank of Master. Good bye, Ryler." Ryler looked back up and saw her fading away in a flurry of bright purple lights. The last thing he saw was her smile and a single tear fall to the ground. The lights swirling around her moved to do the same around him briefly before they flew upward a few feet and then scattered in a million different directions.

Time resume to its normal pace. The breeze that blew across Ryler's face was as fresh as it could get. He felt like a tremendous weight had been taken off his shoulders. He felt the lingering tension in his entire body start to lessen, he took a deep breath and let out a soft, content sigh. He stood there, relishing in the light of a new chapter in the story of his life. He could have stood there forever.

"Um, Ryler? Can you help me up?" He was brought back down to reality by Yang calling out to him. He turned around and saw her struggling to pull herself up over the ledge. He eyes her with suspicion, how is Yang having trouble pulling herself up a simple ledge. He went over to her and noticed a slight smirk on her face. She was faking. Ryler was about to stop and just sit down in front of her and call her bluff but saw a better option.

Weiss was about to pull herself up. She had to go around after Yang had blocked one of the two usable paths to get to the top. She heard someone step in front of her and looked up to see the man who was to be her partner. He held out his hand for her to take. She obliged and he gently pulled her up onto stable ground. She noticed him looking down at Yang, who looked a little disappointed. Ryler just had an annoyingly smug smirk.

"You can let go of my hand at anytime." Weiss had a blush on her face. She couldn't really explain why though. Sure she thought that he was at least good looking but that was only a small part to her liking someone. "Why am I having trouble looking at him?"

Ryler had no idea about Weiss and her inner turmoil. He was too busy helping Yang up onto the ledge. He chuckled at her response to him teasing her. She pouted playfully and lightly hit him in the arm. They shared a laugh together from their banter and waited for everyone to climb up to the top so they can regroup and leave the forest behind.

Yang pulled Ruby up, everyone was already up so she was the last one. Once they had all gathered, they took a moment to rest. It was Pyrrha's suggestion, she said that they still had a bit of a walk to go before they were truly done with their test and that fighting Grimm with a low Aura wasn't a good idea. Everyone agrees with her and took that time to recover and to get to know each other.

Nora was eager to start. She told them all about her and Ren growing up in a small village near Mistral. She said that they were orphans who lost their parents during a grim attack. Nora didn't seem comfortable mentioning that part of their past but she did anyway. Ren seemed away more distraught than his friend. Nora just said that it was because his experience was worse. Everyone felt sad for the two but Ren reassured them that they were okay talking about it and that it was a long time ago. He also mentioned that they were attending Beacon to become stronger, so no one else would have to go through what they did. Nora finished by saying that ever since Ren had saved her, they had been together. She also made sure to let everyone know that they were only together and weren't together together, multiple times.

After that cheerful tale, Yang volunteered Ruby and herself to tell their stories. Yang was simple, she wanted to have adventures so she could say that she lived an amazing life when she grew old. She wanted to have a fun and exciting life while also helping people along the way.

Ruby wanted to BE a Huntress. She wanted to travel the world and help as many people as she could. Ryler commented that their dreams were very similar.

"Yeah, it's probably because we're sisters, duh." Yang said sarcastically. Nora, ever the observant one, was surprised by the news.

"Wait, really? I thought you two were childhood friends who were separated after one of you moved away and only just reconnected after finding out you both were attending the same combat school!" Everyone stared at her with disbelieving looks.

"She has a vivid imagination, just wait until she starts telling you about what kind of dreams she has." Ren wasn't fazed at all. Dealing with someone like Nora on a daily basis would probably have that affect of anyone.

"Yeah, we're really sisters, we just have different moms." Ruby told Nora who had a look on her face that said she didn't fully believe her.

The lighthearted atmosphere that was now permeating from the group had a calming and somewhat restorative affect. Ryler could feel everyone's Auras start to replenish themselves. It was a strange sensation to feel someone else's soul being filled with power.

Pyrrha was next and said that she had grown up in a poor household. That was something that was really surprising for everyone, Ryler included. As far as he knew, Pyrrha had never gotten much explanation on her life before Beacon. She said that fighting wasn't a way to become famous but to provide her family back in Argus a means to live better lives.

"I've never been happy with the fame that came with my fighting. It started with a poster about earning money from an amateur combat tournament. There were people scouting that fight for new up and coming talent. Apparently someone thought I was a decent fighter and asked to sponsor me." Pyrrha was blushing at everyone looking intently at her as she told them about her past. She might have been the strongest person there, in regards to pure fighting skill, but she still acted like it wasn't a big that she was lucky to have been chosen.

"That so cool, not the growing up poor part, the being scouted by a fight promoter. You're like the main character from a cool action movie." Ruby gushed with cheer over the story. That just made Pyrrha more bashful but she accepted the compliment anyway.

Next up was Weiss, she told everyone that she was at Beacon to prove to her father that she was worthy of being the heir to the SDC.

"Okay..." Yang was a little confused when she didn't continue. Weiss didn't seem very interested in sharing stories like the rest of the group. She just sat on a nearby a princess waiting for her Prince to come and free her from the others. She just sat there checking her nails as if no one was worth of them speaking to her.

"Okay, so that what I'm working with. About the same as her show counterpart. I'll just have to get her to open up like the original Rwby had done. Master Koeshay give me the patience to see my mission through without ripping out my hair."

Blake decided to make up for her lack of participation. She said that she was once a member of the White Fang. Again, everyone was caught off guard. Ryler couldn't keep his jaw from hanging from this revelation. The only thing he was thinking was that it really was a different world from the show.

Blake saw that there were a few skeptical looks coming from Weiss and Nora. To prove that she was telling the truth, she reached up to the bow on her head and pulling the ribbon off and showing them her ears. Both Ruby and Yang instantly began fawning over her ears. Blake was able to fend them off and kept them from rubbing her ears nonstop. She told them that she usually hid her ears because she didn't want to be judged before she had a chance to show her skills.

Everyone was busy talking with each other that they didn't see the distressed look growing on Ryler's face. He could handle a few small things being different, Jaune not being around was a big shock, he could deal with things like that. Hearing and seeing all these things that were drastically different than what he knew was more than he was capable of handling. He stood up and began walking away from the group.

Today had really been a strain on his mental control. His breathing was becoming frantic and quick. He rushed off into the trees to get back in control of himself. When he was sure that he was far enough away from everyone that they wouldn't see him, he fell hands and knees. The tears streaming down his face blurred his vision. He felt the world closing in on him, his skin crawled from the freezing touch of an invisible force. He fought back but how hard he tried, the overwhelming feeling of fear still lingered around and throughout his mind.

Meanwhile, Weiss had noticed Ryler get up and leave. She thought that he had left a little too suddenly and quickly to be considered normal. No one else seemed to have seen him leave. They were all too busy going on and on about their own lives. She knew that he was going to be her partner. She didn't want to have to rely on anyone but he had proved to be capable when he came up with the plan to deal with the Nevermore. She was even impressed that his plan worked. She wondered why he had not returned yet. She wanted to talk to him about where he got his armor. It looked like Atlas tech but it was unlike anything she knew of being developed by Atlas' R&D.

It was about five minutes later and Ryler had still not returned. She was starting to get worried. She blushed when she realized what she was thinking. She looked off in the direction that he had gone. She decided to go search for him. They were still in a dangerous part of the forest and losing your partner, who also still had the relic she needed, on the first day wasn't a good reputation to have. She stood up and, like when Ryler left, no one seemed to notice.

she walked away from the main group and into the forest. There didn't appear to be any Grimm nearby. It was easy to tell the difference between a forest with Grimm within and a safe and calm one. Usually when there were Grimm around, the other, natural animals flee from them. Right now the songs of all the birds around her was a very comforting sound. That didn't mean she wasn't still on edge.

Weiss was enjoying the wall through the forest. When it wasn't being destroyed by the Grimm, cut down by giant weapons or burnt down by over eager girls in red hoods, The Emerald Forest was a beautiful place to be. She may have been looking for her partner at the moment but she could still appreciate the sights.

Weiss was walking through the forest but slowly the birds were becoming more and more quiet. She was getting nervous and held onto Myrtenaster tighter. Then she heard it, it was a strange sound for a forest but was still very familiar to her. She could remember her mother, late at night, in her personal study, with a bottle of whine. She came up to a tree that was larger that all the rest. The source of the sound was coming from behind it. When she made it around, she came across a sight she never would have expected.

Ryler was on his knees, he was holding his head in his hands and sobbing. Weiss was frozen in place, the shock of seeing someone who just an hour ago had used themselves as a projectile to kill a Giant Nevermore. He hadn't noticed her just yet and she wasn't sure if she should let him know. She could feel her own throat tightening, her eyes watered and she could feel her breathing pick up. She couldn't explain why she was being affected so strongly.

Her body moved on its own, she knelt down beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He jumped from the sudden touch and he looked up into her eyes as more tears fell to the ground. Weiss, at this point, could feel her down tears begin to streak down her face. Before she could say anything, he grabbed onto her and began sobbing into her shoulder. Weiss didn't resist, she just let him cry on her. She put an arm around him and rubbed his back to comfort him. She could hear him mumbling to himself but couldn't hear what he was saying. She did hear him talk about someone name Sarah.

Ryler held onto Weiss for what felt like hours. He wasn't able to control himself or his emotions but having someone to literally lean on was helping a lot. When he was calm enough to think clearly, he let go of Weiss and moved to sit against the tree. Weiss also moved back a little and sat on the ground while staring intently at Ryler. There was nothing but silence between them.

Weiss wanted to ask him what all that was about but knew she shouldn't just yet. Ryler on the other hand wanted to forget everything. He didn't want to have to explain to Weiss why he was having an emotional breakdown in the middle of the woods. What was he supposed to say, nothing about Beacon matches up with what was really supposed to happen and he didn't know how to process this different reality? She'd have him lock in a mental hospital before the day was done. However, he couldn't just pretend like this never happened, she would certainly confront him about it eventually. It was just anything he had to worry about on top of everything else.

"So..." Weiss was the first to break the silence. Ryler wasn't expecting her to say anything yet.

"Okay, guess I have no choice but to do it now."

"I don't suppose I can convince you to forget about what just happened, can I?" Ryler tried to make his voice sound like it had when he was joking around with Yang. It was a poor attempt.

"It's obvious that you have your own troubles to deal with, if you don't want to talk about them with me, then I understand. Just know that I do expect an answer at some point in the future. We are partners after all, it's important to trust one another." Weiss' words put his mind at ease. He smiled at her and wiped away the last of his tears. He stood up and walked over to where Weiss was sat on the ground. He reached his hand down and she grabbed it and he pulled her up to her feet.

"It's a lot of baggage, do you think you can handle all of it when I tell you?" Ryler was relaxed and his voice was back to normal now. Weiss was smiling but he could see the faint blush on her cheeks. She just nodded and continued to smile at him.

"Don't underestimate the fortitude of a Schnee. When you're ready, I'll be there."

Ryler just let go of her hand and used his power to fix his appearance. The puffy, blood shot eyes became clear, he made his hair look better than the disheveled mess that it was and the dirt on his clothes disappeared. The blue glow that came with the use of his abilities was clearly visible to Weiss. He knew that she could see it all and he didn't care.

Weiss was confused, that shouldn't have been possible. From what she knew about his Semblance, he was only able to manipulate visible light. So how was he able to change his appearance like that. She saw that he was smirking as he turned away and began walking away back to the others.

"Hey! What was that?" Weiss ran after him but he didn't say anything. All he did was walk and smirk. She was getting annoyed at him. "Okay, you made your point, there's more going on than I first thought. Now will you tell me how you did that? Was it focused Aura?"

"Hmm, no, I don't think I'm ready yet." Ryler chuckled as he said that to Weiss.

"That's not fair, you can't just show me something, which you clearly had no problem showing before, and not explain the rest." Weiss' indignant pleas only served to make Ryler laugh even more. Weiss couldn't stay mad for very long, she started laughing with him.

Back with the others, they were all getting ready to leave when the two of them came out of the forest. Ruby saw them talking and laughing as if they were long time friends catching up after years of not seeing each other. "Wow, I'm already spending too much time with Nora." she thought to herself.

"Hey guys, where have you been?" She called out to them as they were getting close.

Ryler and Weiss shared a look and a quick laugh. "I wanted to scout around so we wouldn't get ambushed by any stray Grimm and Weiss was accompanying me." Ryler told her and Ruby accepted his answer.

"Alright guys, we should get going before we get caught up in another epic battle." Ryler told everyone. Pyrrha agreed and Nora charged off into the trees. Ren sighed and face palmed. Everyone went after her to make sure she didn't destroy the entire forest. Ren ran off and they just slowly walked. Ryler was hanging back behind the group. Weiss was just ahead of him but she slowed down a bit to walk beside him. Ryler eyed her a little suspiciously. Before he knew what was happening, she had moved closer to him and slipped her hand into his. He looked down at her and saw that she was nearly as red as Ruby's cape. He held her hand tighter as they walked back to Beacon.

"I'm gonna sleep for two days straight." He said out loud making Weiss giggle.