Hey everyone! I'm back! Sorry for the long break but we got 4 chapters for you to read so have fun! NSFW Chapter is the 4th one so I hope this makes everyone happy :D.
Anyway here's the first chapter of 4.
TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter deals with PTSD and how it manifests in Ruby and Nova, there will also be some heavy graphic depictions of violence, so be warned.
Chapter 78: The Journey Apart
-2 weeks since Nova left Argus-
Traveling across Remnant had been a lot smoother than the first time around since they had access to the train routes. Once Nova and Pyrrha made it to Mistral they had to bunk out for a few days to wait on ship routes to return to normal, apparently, there was a hurricane on the route between Menagerie and Mistral so all ports had been closed. Since his last message to Ruby, Nova had only made contact once, the reception was terrible across Remnant and the further he got from civilization the worst it was.
Currently, they were in a premium-class cabin on a boat heading to the island in an attempt to recruit more potential allies for their cause. If Nova was being honest with himself, he was shooting blindly in the dark looking for allies, only two more came to mind and he wasn't sure if that was going to be enough.
The night air was crisp and cold as Nova stepped onto the deck of the passenger's vessel. The smell of salty sea air flowed in through his nose like a purge for his lungs, weeding out whatever tundra air still remained, replacing it with the warm open ocean atmosphere.
He found himself gazing up at the cloudless night sky with all the stars in full display. The night felt different out here compared to in Atlas, where it was always dark and clouded by city lights, out here there was nothing to stop the stars from gleaming endlessly. There was some comparison about moving onto greener pastures in here somewhere but until he was home again, nothing was greener. It was probably around midnight, he should be sleeping but every night he found sleep harder and harder to come by, the constant nightmares and thoughts of the future plaguing his mind. The anxiety and terrible imagery sat in his brain like thick, cloudy sludge, perpetually there, yet the longer his brain swam in it the faster it ate away at his mental health.
"Whatcha brooding about?" Pyrrha came striding out of the cabin door and crossing the wooden decking to him.
Nova didn't turn his gaze from the open ocean as he heard Pyrrha walk beside him, both now leaning against the railing overlooking the ocean.
"I wouldn't exactly call it brooding…" he said calmly, pressing his grip on the cold steel of the rail.
He heard her snort, "I don't know, staring out into the open ocean at night with a serious look on your face. I'd call that brooding."
Nova smirked in response and blew out a heavy sigh, "I'm just… thinking…"
"About…?" she prompted him as she leaned over as well.
He let out another heavy sigh, "Just… taking stock of our enemies, our victories and our failures, and how much more we still have to do before we'll be done. If that day ever comes anyway."
She looked at him now in silence so he continued.
"So far we've been on the losing end of the battle at every instance. Our enemies have always had the upper hand and every single time... we're just thrown into ungodly situations."
"Yeah, but we've managed to pull through each time because of our efforts right? In the end, we came out the winners…" she said optimistically.
Nova grit his teeth, turning around and leaning his back to the rails so he could look her in the eye, "Think about it Pyrrha, at Beacon we lost the city of Vale, you almost died... I practically did die, Onyx got away and thousands of people died. Yeah, we managed to stop them from getting the Maiden and the relic but that's all we did."
She could see the anger creasing his features, his draconic traits would have made anyone flinch away in fear but she was used to it, so he continued. "At Mistral I killed Cinder…" he said with bitterness on his tongue, the taste of death seemed to linger so much he wanted to brush his teeth, "Yet she came back. We stopped them from getting the relic and the Maiden but in the end, we lost the relic to them too. We drove them out but the Academy is in shambles and due to Lionheart's actions, many good Huntsmen and Huntresses died on suicide missions. I haven't even gotten to Atlas yet!"
His laughter had taken a very dark turn, "Atlas was our biggest failure yet. Not only did thousands more die, but we lost CCT again, we lost the relic of knowledge and Salem managed to topple one of the biggest pillars of humanity. James Ironwood lost his mind and got corrupted, we turned on each other and thousands more soldiers died. Dust mines were crippled and we were set back by quite a lot…"
"But you managed to save everyone else didn't you?" she tried to help. "That's a success…"
"Pyrrha these battles we've been fighting weren't victories. We had already lost the battle, we were simply mitigating the losses by trying to fix what had already been damaged. I'm not any better."
"What do you mean?" she asked, now curious as to where he was going with this.
"I beat Adam twice, managed to get him to our side, sure that's one victory, but then I lost to Onyx at Beacon, I lost to him at Atlas twice and I'm still losing to him because he has my dad now. I lost to him when I was a kid and I kept running from him all my life, and now that I can't run anymore, I realize that I'm still not even in his league. I'm 0 for 3 and the only meaningful thing I've contributed is getting my ass beat when it matters most!" he gripped the railing so hard the iron creaked and groaned under pressure, it began to visibly heat up as his powers responded to emotion.
"Why are you beating yourself up about this now?" she asked casually leaning off the rails to avoid the uncomfortable heat.
"Because…! What kind of King am I supposed to be if all I do is fail?!" Nova finally exploded.
Pyrrha stood in silence for a moment, thoughtfully looking over him, "You know… I think that it's a good thing."
"Wha…?"
"People who succeed the first time around can never appreciate the outcome or properly learn. I'd rather trust the guy who failed a thousand times but can keep moving forward and trying until he's an expert, than trusting the person who succeeded the first time and never spared a second thought to what happened. Failure is how we learn, and how the important stuff is ingrained into us."
"But I can't afford failure, we can't afford to let them win because if they do, then it's all over." He said dryly.
"I'm not saying let them win, I'm saying that all your failures up to this point have been trying to show you what you need to measure up to. To help you grow into those big shoes you have to fill soon. It's all about what you take away from the failures." She paused, "Let me ask you...why did you lose?"
Nova was about to respond when he shut his mouth, thinking deeply before something seemed to dawn on him.
"At Beacon, I lost the fight because I didn't know how his powers worked. He could rend space and make his attacks always hit, in Atlas, I lost because I didn't anticipate his plan. He made me fight a gauntlet of enemies, tiring me out before capturing me. In the portal passage, he won because he split our focus, I was already tired and even then he didn't use all his power. I'm not sure how that new ability of his works… it has something to do with releasing the full potential of the stones…" he glanced at his arm containing the Agniseki thoughtfully.
"I have all these abilities but I can't seem to beat him because he knows how to play to my weaknesses. I don't know him, but maybe I can become strong enough to overcome my weaknesses…"
"How do you plan to do that?" Pyrrha was interested.
"Well, I know Advanced Aura Manipulation from Tai, I have the magic of the Fall Maiden and the powers of the Aspect of Fire. My dragon scales and nanomachines help me heal and my semblance helps me reduce the hits I take. I've been using them separately but maybe… I can combine them?"
"Why haven't you done that before?"
"Well… Aura manipulation and my Aspect powers use my Aura as a battery. My semblance also uses it as a resource pool so really my Aura supply is my main limiting factor."
"But Maiden powers don't exactly use Aura right?"
"Correct. Neither do my nanomachines and dragon scales. If there was some way to have my Aspect powers use something else as fuel, I could do a lot more in combat."
She hummed, "Well since you're doing all that thinking, why don't we pig out on the late-night buffet, and you can do more of your thinking there?"
-Vacuo-
Team GRVE found themselves in workshop class with the Zephyr siblings and the other students of their year. Large machinery and forges littered the large space roughly the size of a warehouse. They all had their weapons out, though none of them knew why.
Hex stood in front of the class as they all held their weapons out. She walked around inspecting each one individually. Placing her hands on her hips after straightening her jacket she let out an impressed whistle.
"Seems you kids aren't half bad at forging weapons, but unfortunately it's not going to cut it for what you guys are gonna be up against."
Violet raised her hand, "What do you mean? It works fine for killing Grimm…"
"Regular Grimm sure, but unfortunately for you guys, Grimm has evolved, at least the one Salem is going to be bringing. So we're going to have to give all of your weapons a complete overhaul."
"WHAT?! But I don't want to change my baby…" someone in the back said.
Nitro smirked as he leaned on his sister's shoulder, "Don't worry. We'll be using your weapons as a base and slowly changing the functional parts and sharp edges with the high-frequency resonating metal made by our very own Dr. Elain Flareheart. I'm not the scientist so I can't explain what it does, you'll have to learn about that in her class."
"What exactly will it improve?" Regis folded his arms and raised an eyebrow quizzically.
Hex smirked, "I'm glad you asked…" she spun on her heels and walked behind her to the workshop area, wheeling out a large heavy metal test dummy. Slapping it on the head she said, "This bad boy is made of six inch thick steel plating and carbon fire underplating. Why don't you take a swing at it?"
Regis obliged, unsheathing his blade and blinking with immense speed, slashing into the dummy's torso only to be sent flying back as a resounding clang rang through the workshop.
"OW!" he gasped, clutching his right hand which was apparently going numb from the recoil. "That thing's impenetrable!"
"Nope, here watch." Hex unsheathed Loki and Eres, taking the blade out and swinging it hard from the chain it cleaved the test dummy in half.
The other students gaped in wonder.
"That's the power of the high-frequency metal. So… who wants to go first?"
…
Hex stood by Gawain observing the schematics for his weapon, "Interesting. You know the way it switches on these angles reminds me of a few weapons I know…"
Gawain smiled brightly, "I based the new switching mechanisms on Miss Rose's Scythe. It seemed more efficient to switch between bow and sword form."
"Honestly Ruby's scythe is one of the two best scythes I've ever had the pleasure of working with. I can probably assist a little with those mechanisms"
"Two best? What's the other?"
"That would be Nova's new scythe, Helios. It's honestly a beauty, forged with an industrial-grade diamond form of the metal you're using. He designed it himself, and he and Ruby built it together, all I did was help a little."
"Miss Rose helped build his weapon?"
"Well, it was his second weapon. The first version, Asura, was shattered at the Fall of Beacon."
"Wow… you talk as if you have a lot of respect for him, or at least hold him in high regard."
Hex blinked for a moment and then smiled, "Oh yeah, I guess you've never met him huh? Yeah, Nova is… honestly family to us. He's part of the reason our team is as tight nit as we are. He's an amazing friend and an even better leader."
Gawain was taken aback by the wonder in her voice, "Wait, I thought Ruby was the team leader?"
"It's a big team, Ruby is one of our leaders sure but Nova was my leader first until Ozpin joined our teams and well, Ruby is just as great a leader as he is in all honesty. They work well together as co-leaders, the best partners I've ever seen."
"Now you're raising more questions, isn't Weiss Ruby's partner?"
"Weiss is Ruby's assigned partner on RWBY for sure, but when all of us are out on the field no one works together better than Nova and Ruby. They have similar fighting styles but the differences complement each other so well. It's part of the reason I think Salem does her best to divide them in battles… she knows that the two of them together are an unstoppable force."
"This Nova guy sounds pretty impressive… "he trailed off.
"Yeah, he is, but no one knows him better than Ruby and Luna. If you wanna hear more about him you can ask them if you want, though I'm pretty sure he'll meet us soon."
"You sound so confident like you're so sure he'll conquer Vale and come back. I don't mean to sound rude but that's a task many armies have failed to do."
Hex smirked and pat him on the back, "Trust me, Nova has one thing those armies never had."
"What's that?"
"Real power."
-Menagerie-
It was a long journey to the island, and they arrived just on the sunset of the 2nd week. The streets were bustling as they were before, Faunus of all kinds were about the harbour still selling goods and whisking away tourists.
Nova took a deep breath as he stepped off the boat, drinking in the coastal atmosphere and smells of his hometown. He gazed longingly at the streets he once roamed as a child, the old buildings that lined the port, untouched by time.
"You alright?" Pyrrha asked as she grasped his shoulder firmly, rousing him out of his daze.
Tugging Summer's cloak around his shoulders he smiled, "Yeah it's just… it's been eleven years since I've been back home."
"That long huh?"
"Yeah…" he quickly slapped his cheeks, "Alright! I hope Kalli still lives in the same house she always did otherwise someone is going to have their evening interrupted."
They made their way through town to the middle where the Belladonna household was situated. There were new flags around, not the White Fang flags but rather a Silver embroidered red banner with a coiling dragon around it, reminiscent of the Flareheart mark Nova wore on his clothing.
Two guards were barring their entry to the premises, both clad in similar coloured armour. One, a wolf Faunus stopped them, "Halt! Unless you have an appointment the Belladonna residence is off-limits to citizens and tourists."
Nova snorted, "Ah, so Kalli and Ghira tightened security I see? What about the White Fang? What happened to them?"
"The White Fang has been dissolved and any remnants of them across Mistral and Menagerie have been wiped out. The Dragon's Claw is the new group formed under Queen Elain and Princess Luna Flareheart with the help of Adam Taurus."
Nova made a humming sound, "Really now? Mom didn't tell me anything about that. I assume this is recent?"
"Aye, only a few months ago."
"I see, well I know it's late, but can you please tell the Belladonnas that Nova Flareheart is here to see them? They should be expecting me."
The guard snickered, "Nova Flareheart? You know it's a crime to impersonate the royal family right?'
Pyrrha chuckled, "Wow, I guess you're not as influential as you thought?"
He gave her an elbow jab, "Sir, I believe there is only one family of dragon Faunus on the continent so…" he pulled his left upper lip up revealing his fangs and then pointing to his scales and eyes, "And if that's not enough convincing," he pulled down the hood to reveal his horns and hair as well as the Flareheart symbol on his shirt.
The guard's eyes went wide, instantly bowing his head, "My apologies your highness… I… I thought you were…"
"Dead? Yeah, I guess you guys aren't up to speed. TLDR I'm alive, so can I go now?"
"A-Ah by all means your highness, p-please forgive my rude behavior."
Nova scratched his head nervously, "Ah, well, it's fine. Come on Pyrrha let's go meet Blake's mom and dad."
The Belladonna household was just like he remembered. Smelled of tatami mats and Kalli's cooking. Comforting to the young dragon, putting his mind at ease for the first time in a while, it just smelled like safety.
"HEY MIRA STOP RUNNING!" he heard, turning his head he saw a small girl about the age of three running away with a devilish grin, scampering down the corridor was none other than Adam Taurus, running after her with a dishevelled look.
"NEVER!" the child squealed, her mint green hair waving in the wind, it was tied in two ponytails and she wore a white sleep dress. (Think Finana Ryugu mixed with Hatsune Miku)
She stopped as she ran into Nova with a small 'oof'. "Ouchie…" she said rubbing the top of her head.
Nova glanced down with a bright smile, "Hey little one,"
She looked up with big teal eyes, "Hello…?" she had mermaid-like fins for her ears.
"Mira… finally you…" Adam looked up from her to see the ones standing in the doorway, "N-Nova?!"
He shot the redhead Faunus a devilish smirk, "Hey Adam. Is this yours?" he pointed to the tiny one.
"I… She's not really mine? We found her washed up on the beach a few months ago, and I guess Belle and I kinda adopted her. More importantly… why are you here? I heard about what happened in Atlas…"
Nova shook his head, "Can we head inside? We have a lot to talk about."
They sat with Adam at the tea table, the redhead human clearly unaccustomed to sitting with her knees bent backward and she was doing a poor job of hiding her discomfort.
"Just sit cross-legged Pyrrha," Nova snickered at her expense.
She huffed, "I don't want to seem rude."
"It's fine, I haven't sat like this in a while so it'll catch up with me in a minute."
At that time Belle came storming in with her mess of blonde hair followed by the Belladonnas.
"I heard the dragon brat was back, holy shit for real?!" she gasped.
Kalli stood in the doorway, stiff, as if attempting to register that her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. Eleven years since she'd seen the boy, eleven years since he disappeared and went into hiding.
Nova stood up, "Hey… Aunt Kalli, Uncle Ghira… it's been a while? I know I probably look different, I mean a lot's changed and…" he was silenced when Kalli and Ghira wrapped him in a tight hug.
His breath left his lungs as he melt into their embrace, a single tear leaking down his eyes.
"Welcome home son," Ghira said warmly.
Nova sniffled, "Yeah it's good to be home…"
Kalli pet his head lovingly, "I'm so sorry..." she sniffed, refusing to let go. Nova felt something inside him break for a moment but he tried his best to hold firm.
"For what...?" he was hesitant.
"When... the fire... when you left. We should have been there. We should have done something... otherwise you wouldn't have had to live such a harsh life." Her tail flickered and wrapped around him.
Nova nervously reached up and touched her head, "It's fine, aunt Kalli. I... There just wasn't much you could do. I mean, I did alright I think... we didn't starve to death and I think I did an okay job of raising Luna."
"But who was there to raise you?! No child should have to be forced to grow up on their own. It's not fair... for one to go through so much."
She squeezed tighter and he slowly felt the breath of life leave his body, "O-Okay... Aunt Kalli, this is getting too tight... I c-can't breathe..."
"Just a little more.."
"And… yeah. That's basically everything up to this point." Nova said after explaining everything.
Kalli wiped tears from her eyes, "Oh dear… how are you coping with all of this?" she reached over the table and inspected his face, "All of that must be so traumatizing…"
Nova chuckled nervously, "I'm… handling it."
"Not everything needs to be on your shoulders son." Ghira folded his arms and looked at him softly. His strong gaze was trying to convey that they could be relied on for anything.
He sighed, "Actually that's partly why I'm here."
Ghira held a firm gaze, "What can we do to help?"
"Pyrrha and I are heading off to recapture Vale. We're forming a small party of strong Hunters and Huntresses and well I was hoping," he turned to Adam and Belle, "That you two can come with me? At least that's what I was hoping to ask but seeing as you two have a child now. I can't ask you to abandon her to come with me."
Adam looked at him seriously, "Nova, I owe you a life debt. As your friend, I will do everything to help you."
Belle grumbled, "Ugh if he's going with you I have to go too. Someone has to look out for him."
Adam smirked, "Aw Belle, I knew you cared."
"Shut the fuck up, you're lucky I love you…"
Nova grinned and leaned on the table, "Oh? When did this happen?"
The two of them blushed furiously, "Ah well… it sorta just… happened after Luna left…"
"But what about the little one…? Mira was it?"
Kalli nodded, "Don't worry, she's like our grandchild so we'll take care of her while the adopted parents are gone."
At the time scampering was heard as Mira rounded the corner to the doorway, holding something in her hands.
"Mira doesn't need anyone to look after her. Mira is a big girl!" she said confidently, placing her tiny hands on her hips.
Nova smiled warmly, "I'm sure you do. I don't think we've been properly introduced. Mira, I'm Nova Flareheart, you can just call me Uncle Nova."
She studied him, "Hmmm you have pointy teeth!"
He blinked at her boldness, "Oh, I do!" he flashed a big grin.
She yelled happily, "Uncle Pointy!" she squealed as Nova picked her up and swung her before putting her back down.
Pyrrha snickered, "Good with kids huh? Ruby must think she's got herself a real keeper!"
The dragon blushed furiously, "Pfft, no way. Not in the near future anyway. Kids are a handful."
Belle squinted, noticing what Mira had in her hands, "Hey Mira…? What you got there?"
"A KNIFE!" she said with zeal.
"NO!"
"HAHAHAH!" the child ran off into the house with Belle chasing after her.
"My case in point," Nova said dryly.
"So we got a team?" Pyrrha said airily.
"Yeap, Nova Alexandrite Flareheart, Adam Taurus, Belle Wings, Pyrrha Nikos. We shall be called team FAWN? I guess?"
"Sure why not, first non-edgy name we've had anyway," Adam smiled.
Kalli placed her hands on her hips grabbing hold of Nova as he attempted to get up, "And where do you think you're going young man?"
Nova broke into a sweat and shape-shifted into her female form, "Uh… I don't see any young man here? Maybe you got the wrong girl?" she made a 'tee hee' and stuck her tongue out.
Aside from Ghira almost falling over from shock Kalli was quite composed, "Oh I heard all about this form of yours from your sister. Now, when was the last time you ate?"
Nova scratched her head, "On the boat? They had a big cafeteria…"
"Real food. Not that mass-produced catering stuff they feed you on charters."
"But it was first class!"
"Well it's not my cooking so sit your ass down while I get you some real food," she then glanced over at Pyrrha while leaning in the doorway, "You too sweetie, any preferences or allergies?"
"None ma'am, I'll be good with whatever you bring," she replied politely. She wanted to deny it saying she also ate on the boat but the look on Kalli Belladonna didn't leave room for rejection.
As they ate they discussed their plans. Ghira sipped his tea while hearing Nova out.
"So you plan to go in there with just four people?" he asked.
Nova nodded, folding her arms, "It's not like I can ask for anyone else. It's a tough mission and a long journey, more people attract more Grimm."
Ghira nodded, "That is true but, you forget you have more resources."
"I do…?"
"The Dragon's Claw will help you out, after all, you are the rightful heir." He pointed out blatantly.
"What?! I couldn't… no you need these people here in case of an attack!"
"We will send a small group of trained soldiers, ones strong in stealth. Remember, Vale, isn't just Beacon Academy but the city around it."
"I don't want to risk the lives of these people, even if they're well trained, the Grimm around Vale are dense and tougher than most you find outside. If they do go with me, can you assure me that they are up to the task?"
Adam smirked, "Please, I trained them myself and they have a good captain. You don't need to worry about their skill. Besides, it'll be a good morale boost for them, times are dark enough. If their King leads them to victory over one of the greatest tragedies then it'll spark hope in the people. More will rally to the cause. Isn't that what you want?"
Nova hummed, "I hate it when you're right."
The next morning Nova, Pyrrha, Adam, and Belle were standing in front of the Belladonna estate where a large crowd had gathered. Ghira stood at the podium, clearing his throat he spoke up, "People of Menagerie. It has been eleven years since the great tragedy of the fire that took the Flareheart household. Less than a year ago, we were blessed to have our great Queen and Princess returned to us. I'm also sure many of you have read in the newspapers at the time of the Fall of Beacon that Nova had perished."
He let the silence sink in as murmurs went around. Nova sighed in the back, in his male form with the hood drawn over him.
"It is with a happy heart and great joy that I say that those reports were false."
"What?"
"No way… could it be…?"
The voices of the crowd echoed as Ghira silenced them.
"I present to you, ladies and gentlemen of Menagerie, his royal highness, and heir to the throne, Prince Nova Flareheart."
"WHAT?!"
Gasps rang across as Nova stepped forward, pulling down his hood and revealing his face.
"My people," he said calmly, placing a princely smile upon his lips. "I know it's been a while but I'll be first to say, it's good to be home."
He took a deep breath, "I know that the royal family over the past few generations have not held the power of a monarchy. We the people of Menagerie have operated under the council and leadership of the Belladonnas. Today I stand before you, not to ask you to stop listening to them, but to ask for your help."
There was quiet that followed.
"I'm sure many of you have seen the broadcast from Atlas a few months ago. Those were my comrades. To make a long story short, the Grimm have a queen called Salem, and she's been plaguing us since the dawn of time. It is now that she's chosen to make her most drastic moves, and the greatest defense we have as a people is our combined presence. I know it sounds farfetched but the world has changed, and we as a species face extinction if we do not stop her. I ask you, my people, my friends, my family… will you lend me your aid in this war?"
"Why should we care? Why should we lend a hand to the humans who have treated us so unfairly for years?" someone said.
Nova nodded, "I understand your concerns but this affects us all, not just the humans. Either way, should it matter? We all inhabit the same world, we are all people regardless of what tragedies the past holds, and we must make a difference. There is no difference between our races besides what's on the surface. Deep down we are all made of the same stuff. A wise person once told me 'be the change you want to see in the world'. I think it's time we act on that because if we don't then we're all doomed."
"How do you plan to stop her? If what that broadcast said was right then it seems all doomed…" someone else said.
He held firm, "It is not doomed. I believe we can stop her, and I plan to prove it by taking back Vale from the clutches of the Grimm" he dropped the bomb.
"WHAT?!"
"That is correct. In one week's time, I depart with a small team to retake the land."
"How are you sure it'll be successful?"
"I believe in our power; I have faith that we will succeed where no man has before. I ask you all for the change to prove it. After retaking Vale, any able-bodied and willing individual will join me on a journey to Shade Academy where the last bastion of humanity's defense is gathering."
"Why should we follow you? No offense your highness but you've been gone for a long time. Things have changed."
"You're right," he said, "Things have changed, and I apologize for my absence. In the time I was gone I lived among you in hiding, learning on my own and carving my own path. I am a fully licensed Huntsman and I have seen war. I do not ask you to follow me, for the path I walk is paved in blood. I ask you to follow the greater good. I ask you to think deeply about what the future would hold. Do you want to stand by and let the world fall apart around you, or do you wish to try and fight for its survival?"
"I will follow you, my king!" someone said, eyes turning to see none other than Ilya followed by a squadron of five armoured Faunus. Her eyes filled with fire, "You have my blade and my loyalty. My team and I will not fail you."
Nova smiled at her, "Thank you, and I hope in the future after you have seen our success, that you who harbor doubts, will see the light. Thank you."
He stepped down as a round of applause rang out, though there were mixed reactions, many seemed to cheer on the endeavor.
Pyrrha nudged him with her elbow, "It's times like this I remember you really are royalty. It's almost like you're a different person when you're doing that."
Nova snorted, "You trying to say I'm not regal on a daily basis?"
"The only thing regal about you is being a royal pain in the ass," Adam teased next to him.
"Oh don't start you…"
-Vacuo desert-
It was Team GRVE's first expedition under the tutelage of Ruby. They had been assigned a mission to scout an abandoned human settlement just South of the desert, closer to the dense forest.
Despite the closeness to the dense forest, the desert was still boiling and the nights were still freezing.
Ruby clad in a silver jacket over a black tank top and black combat skirt hiked across the sands ahead of her team. Pulling out a pair of binoculars she scanned the horizon as they crested a large dune.
"Looks like we're about four hundred meters from our stop, altitude around 50 meters above sea level. No signs of Grimm activity and temperatures are estimated to start dropping like a stone in about an hour." She relayed back, still not taking her eyes off the horizon.
Violet hummed as she danced along the sand, the others heaving and sweating but she seemed alright, most likely due to her semblance to make her equipped items weightless. "How'd you figure all that?"
Ruby tapped the binoculars, "New standard issue, Hex made them. They're pretty handy."
"Huh…"
Regis clad in all black was the furthest in the back, "Can we stop for water?! It's been like five hours since our last one!"
Ether smacked him, "It's been ten minutes and you wouldn't be in this position if you dressed lightly like the rest of us."
"But Gawain has his armour on, and he isn't inhibited," Ruby said flatly.
"That's because this kid has like photosynthesis powers or something. He thrives in the sunlight." Regis snorted.
"Come on, it's not that far again. Grit your teeth and bear with it. You can crash at the camp." Ruby moved forward a few steps before instantly stopping, causing Violet to bump into her.
"Hey teach, why'd you stop?"
Ruby placed a finger to her lips and said "Shh, nobody moved."
"Why what's going on?" Regis asked as he too stopped.
Ruby silently pointed a few meters in front of them, nothing appeared out of the ordinary, just sand. At least that was until the sand in front of Ruby began moving rapidly, being displaced like something was moving beneath the surface. Whatever it was, it was huge.
Regis' eyes went wide, "Silent Death…"
Ruby nodded, "Giant Sand Worm Grimm… what's it doing out here? We made sure to avoid their territory…"
"What do we do Miss Rose?" Gawain held his bag tightly.
"Nothing. Do not fucking move. Wait for it to bury again before we move, once it does, we'll have a small window to sprint to the campsite, which is on rocky ground."
It went silent, the worm buried under, and Ruby was about to motion for them to move when the sand before them erupted in an explosion of tiny particles.
"FUCK IT, ALRIGHT TEAM BATTLE MANEUVERS!" Ruby yelled out, unsheathing Crescent Rose.
The worm was massive, almost the size of Shade Academy's training grounds in width and there was no telling just how long it went underground.
Gawain took action, "Alright Violet, give us artillery support, everyone else switches to ranged attacks but do not get close to it if possible!"
The team compiled all switching to their ranged weapons and layering into the beast as it let out a gargantuan roar that shook the very earth.
All their bullets seemed ineffective against its hardened outer shell, Gawain switched to his Bow and began firing off dust arrows which seemed to do a bit more than standard armour piercing rounds when he noticed Ruby petal bursting into close range.
"MISS ROSE?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" he yelled out.
Ruby took no notice of his warning as she flew in so fast that the worm didn't even register her presence until it was too late, Crescent Rose was now buried deep into its body with a satisfying thunk.
"What the hell is she doing?! That thing's armour is way too thick to pierce…"
"Yet there she is…" Regis marveled as he watched the entire thing unfold.
Ruby slashed away at its torso barely making dents into it, "I swear these Grimm just keep evolving…" she cursed as she hung on.
The worm thrashed around swinging her along with it, letting out another bellowing roar it opened its giant maw, aiming the time.
"The fuck is it doing?!" Ether yelled as she tried shooting it in the mouth.
A thick black sludge spewed out, the team dodging out of the way just in time to avoid the sludge but not in time to see the sand erupting behind them as what appeared to be the tail of the creature with a large stinger slamming down upon them.
Gawain was flung back several yards from his team, Violet was on the ground and Regis seemed lost in the dust.
Things were looking dire.
He saw Ruby, through the dust, she was still hanging on.
"I have a plan!" she yelled out, spotting him. "I just need a distraction!"
Gawain nodded, and pulled out his bow, taking a deep breath and trying to drown out the noise of the worm he aimed at the beast. He felt the dust clear as the warmth of the sun shined down upon him, his aura glowed a bright yellow-gold.
He drew back the bowstring as the arrow materialized a blazing gold colour, unlike the normal dust arrows he used.
"HEY WORMFACE!" he screeched as low as his throat would allow.
The creature stopped thrashing and turned to him, opening its maw again he could see rows upon rows of giant teeth going all the way down its throat.
"Eat sunlight…" he said softly as he drained every ounce of his remaining aura as the very heat of the air seemed to funnel into his arrow. It released and shot in an instant, blinding light enveloping the area for a moment before it landed inside its mouth, exploding in golden glory.
Ruby wasted no time, the moment the arrow hit she dug deep within herself calling upon her Silver Eyes. They glowed brightly, "The desire to protect…" she muttered, as the silver wings emerged from them, the Silver Heart responding in kind, forming the shroud around her and empowering her blade.
"Holy shit what is that?!" Violet asked baffled as she dragged herself from the sand. They watched Ruby's scythe turn a mix of red and silver light as she dragged it across the beast's torso, as she did the wound petrified and turned brittle. She sprinted across its body, running vertically along it and then around its circumference before the head was separated from its body, both halves turning into a brittle mess of petrified stone.
"Is it over…?" Regis looked up groggily as he stumbled out.
"Together, Ruby and Nova are an unstoppable force. That's why Salem tries to keep them separated." Hex's words rang in Gawain's ears as he took in the sight before him.
"Unstoppable force… if that's what she's like alone…" he muttered.
He saw Ruby calling them out, she looked exhausted, as if that took everything out of her.
"Hey… Teach, you good?" Violet asked as they finally caught up.
Ruby wiped the sweat from her brow and held herself upright using Crescent Rose as a crutch, "Yeah, I'm fine. Camp is that way…" she pointed over the next dune.
"Miss Rose, what was that white light?" Gawain asked, curiously.
Ruby gave him a weak smile, "My ace in the hole against the Grimm. Silver Eyes," she tapped her temple pointing to her eyes. "I'll explain when we get to camp. Come on, I'm tired…"
-Begin Nightmare, If you aren't comfortable reading about major gore and death you can skip ahead to where I mark it-
Ruby was once more standing on the open tundra of Solitas, the wreckage of the airship falling around her. Glancing down at her hands she could see they were stained in blood, grease, and ash.
The sinking feeling of dread claimed home in her stomach, threatening to drag it out from inside her with its crushing weight. Bodies lay strewn around her feet, at first indistinguishable but slowly they all registered form.
The first was Luna, lying face down in the snow next to her.
"Luna…?" Ruby choked out, crawling over to her and trying to rouse her. There was no response as the snow beneath her reddened.
A flash of yellow caught her eye, "Yang?!". The blonde also showed no signs of life, her beautiful mane spread out around her like that of a freshly laid corpse.
"Weiss?!" Ruby called out.
"H-Here…!" Weiss cried, causing Ruby to spin in her direction. The Schnee was pinned under the wreckage of their airship. "Ruby! Help me!"
"Hold on I'm coming to get you!" Ruby sprinted off, trying to use her semblance but was only met with intense pain racking her body, still she pressed on.
Halfway to the crash… just as she was within arm's reach, her hands outstretched to grab onto Weiss… the ship exploded sending Ruby skating across the snow. "NO! WEISS!"
She desperately scrambled back to the flaming heap, pulling apart the incendiary metal as it burnt through her skin, her hand brushing up against something familiar…
Her blood ran cold.
Daring to look down, in her palms was a head of black hair… with cat-like ears.
"FUCK!" she screamed, dislodging herself from the wreckage and scanning the tundra. Hex's body was found a few seconds later, half of it sticking out of the snow while the torso was strewn on the other side of the field.
Nitro wasn't in any better shape, his body intact but his face had been charred off, lying upward in the cold and bitter wasteland.
She alone wandered through as more and more debris rained from the sky.
"AAHHHHHHH!" Jaune's shrill screech was heard causing her to glance up just in time to see him crash land… onto an iron beam that proceeded to run him straight through.
Ren's body fell shortly after followed by a smouldering corpse still clutching onto a very familiar hammer.
"A shame… what happened to them…" it was a male voice seemingly layered onto a younger boy's voice.
Ruby felt a hand on her shoulder as she saw Oscar standing behind her, yet she knew it wasn't really Oscar.
"THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" she wanted to scream but didn't. She wanted to blame him for dragging them into this mess but really, she knew they made their own choices. Instead, she chose to sob quietly, tears rolling down her cheeks, freezing mid-air and falling to the ground like droplets of sorrowful hail.
"If only you had taken my offer, Rose. You could have stopped this tragedy…" the unmistakably cruel and bone-chilling voice of Salem echoed in her ears.
Blearily she peered up to see the giant Grimm Queen looming overhead.
"WHY DID YOU DO THIS?! HOW MUCH MORE WILL YOU TAKE FROM ME?!" the red leader's voice cracked painfully, like the sounds of someone walking on glass.
Salem scowled, "Everything." An image of Summer Rose stared glassy-eyed at Ruby, her face pale and cracked with the blackened sclera.
"Mom…?"
"You made the same mistake I did Ruby…" Summer's voice was soft and somehow simultaneously venomous. "You tried to fight the inevitable."
"Mom?! What did she do to you?!"
"She showed me the truth. I'm sorry I have to do this…"
"What are you talking about…?!" Ruby was cut short when Summer's image grabbed onto something out of the corner of her eye. It had white hair… and small pointed horns.
If her blood was already cold then Ruby had just frozen still. The despair overwhelmed her mind and ceased all rational function. Not even her mouth could dare to speak as Summer, her own mother, held Nova by the throat, nails digging into his flesh as he screamed in pain.
It wasn't swift… not even remotely. For several agonizing moments that felt like years, Ruby watched her mother choke the life out of Nova, tears streaming down his face before all life left his eyes.
"This is because you're weak, Ruby. If you want to blame anyone, blame your own weakness." Salem glared.
"All your fault," Summer echoed.
"All your fault…" one by one the various bodies began to awaken in their disfigured, dismembered forms, parroting the same lines, over, and over.
Ruby curled into a fetal position as the bloodied corpses began to crowd around her, blocking out any light, the only thing bright now was the glowing eyes that stared at her from the depths of the darkness.
"GO AWAY!" She screeched, her Silver Eyes lashing out violently, waking her up.
-End Nightmare-
It was a freezing night, and the campfire they had going was just barely enough to keep them from freezing to death in their sleep. Violet and Ether were huddled against each other for warmth while Regis' clothing was finally paying off, he was the only one not shivering.
Gawain on the other hand was tossing and turning in his sleep, awakening to the sound of gentle humming. Blearily he peeled open his heavy lids to see Ruby poking and prodding away at the fire, seemingly unbothered by the cold.
"…Miss Rose?" Gawain mumbled sleepily, getting up from his sleeping bag.
She stopped humming and glanced in his direction, "Oh, did I wake you?"
"No… I thought it was time to switch watches."
"Oh, it's fine, I was planning on keeping watch all night anyway…" she said, not looking at him and instead choosing to stab at the fire with a stick.
"Don't you need sleep? You looked so tired earlier when you did that weird glowing eye trick." He pointed out.
"Right, yeah I was supposed to explain that huh?" she opted for the second option instead of explaining why she didn't sleep much.
He simply nodded and sat down on the stone floor.
She gazed up at the sky, "Well… in this world, there are people with Silver Eyes, like mine. Though I guess most of them have died out by now…"
"Died out?"
"Hunted by Salem, these eyes are said to possess the power to stop all Grimm, it's the bane of their existence."
He hummed, "Like what you did with the petrification on the worm?"
"Kinda. The Silver light that comes out of them, enhanced by this," she taps her necklace, "Seems to turn Grimm to stone, making it easier to destroy them. I'm not exactly sure of the full extent of their power… Raisa is still teaching me."
"Raisa…? Who?"
"The little old lady who runs around Shade putting flowers everywhere?" she said absently.
He mouthed an 'O'.
"Yeah, apparently this gemstone once belonged to her, and now it found its way to me. It's called the Silver Heart, not exactly sure what it does other than help me channel my powers. But enough about me, what did you do with that big glowing arrow? That was pretty cool," she pointed out trying to change the subject.
He scratched the back of his head, "Uh… can you keep a secret? Well, the team knows but…"
Ruby made a zipping action across her lips, "They're sealed. So what's the deal?"
"I have a second semblance."
"Woah, that's so cool!" she said, her childish side leaking out.
"Yeah… I can kinda siphon the power of the sun. It charges my Aura and enhances my abilities. I uh… don't like it very much though…" his expression grew dark.
"Why not? I would think it's a very neat thing to have two semblances."
"Well… when I was a kid, and I first discovered it… I couldn't control it at all. Whenever I was out in the sun I would absorb way too much and it sorta… explodes? I was a walking bomb, one summer day my family and I were… on vacation, and… it spontaneously activated."
Ruby's expression grew sorrowful, "Oh no… are they…?"
"Dead? No, but my parents ended up in the hospital for months with third-degree burns and my dad lost both his arms… T-They said they don't blame me for what happened but that doesn't mean I can stop blaming myself."
She reached across and placed an arm on his shoulder reassuringly, "Hey, I'm sorry about what happened, but you shouldn't curse your power."
"Why not?! It's caused so much pain…"
"Yeah, but it can also be used to do a lot of good." She hummed and placed a finger on her chin, "You know, Nova used to not be able to control his powers either."
"He has powers. Like mine or…"
"He kinda like embodies the natural element of fire and can manipulate it at will. He used to tell me stories about when he was a kid and just small sporadic emotions could trigger flash fires or the air to superheat just by standing next to him. He always managed to reign it in but to him, it felt like he was a constant danger to everyone, part of the reason why he never made friends with many people."
"How did he come to terms with it? Sounds to me like all these powers are just burdens…" Gawain sighed, staring at the fire.
Ruby chuckled, "He was wary of his powers, but never afraid of them. Yeah, they were dangerous but he saw that by using them wisely, he could help others and protect the people he cared about. Then again, that's just like him… to think of everyone else before himself…" her eyes grew distant as she too stared into the fire, seemingly drinking it in as though the fire was her friend.
"I was talking to Hex… she was telling me about Nova. What kind of person is he?"
"She didn't tell you?"
"Well, kinda. She said the best person to ask was you or Miss Luna."
Ruby made a mental note to give Hex an earful later. She sighed, it wasn't that she didn't want to talk about him, it was just that it reminded her constantly that he wasn't there. He was off somewhere she wasn't sure, doing god knows what and she wasn't there to help. He wasn't here to help her either, and that stung.
"Nova is… reckless. He's a wild yet simultaneously smart and crafty fighter. He acts like a kid a lot, but when you need to make the tough decisions, the difficult plans, he's already on top of it. He's a genius but he's also such a dorky dumbass…" she toyed with the idea of just spilling her guts here, shedding the emotion, but she knew that wouldn't do any good. "He's brave, caring, and above all he's a hero." Taking a deep breath, she could smell the burning wood and open fire, it was close but not the same as his smell. "He's my hero…" she said softly.
"The more I hear about him, the more I want to meet him."
"Well, you'll get your chance soon enough, I hope. Go back to sleep, I don't think I can sleep yet."
Next chapter is already being edited, should be out later once it's done.
