Hello everyone! I won't put too much text at the beginning as usual. However there is one thing that I need to say.

I changed Sun's semblance. The one they gave him felt really weak in my opinion so I gave him something similar but with more versatility and survivability.


Yang Xiao Long's earliest memory has always been her sister. A night that would forever be ingrained in her mind as the most terrifying and yet, exciting at the same time.

After much debating with her older sibling during the day, she had managed to make her admit the truth behind her missing mother. While the news had been heartbreaking, she had resolved herself to question the woman herself and ask why she had left them. She would do so by sneaking out of the house in the dead of night without any clear plan of approach in mind. Unfortunately, Patch's forests depth can prove to be quite unforgiving for any untrained individual, especially a five year old girl.

What happened next, would recapitulate in her dreams throughout her entire childhood.

Having walked for what felt like hours, she had sat down on a tree's root. resting her tired feet, she took hold of a sugary snack stashed into a little cart she dragged around. Before she could even attempt to bite into her light meal, the sound of a snapping branch made her jump and turn towards its source.

Coming face to face with the dark unknown of the woodland, the young blond had frozen in fear as the realization of her situation crept into her mind. The cold wind of the night intensified her shivers while she became more aware of the various sound that surrounded her.

Or rather, the sudden absence of them.

Suddenly, a pack of beowolves lept from the nearby bushes towards the young girl, prompting her to scream frightfully as she kicked herself away from them accidentally knocking her cart in the path of the grimm's claws. Picking herself up, she ran away from the pack, unaware of where her path led as she openly wailed, desperately calling out to her sister.

Blinded by her tears, Yang had failed to notice the slightly heighted tree root in her path and fell on the meadow. Her knees and palms now burning from her fall, she attempted to stand back up only to freeze as she looked upwards. Slowly approaching her, was a massive Ursa baring its fangs towards her while releasing a threatening growl. A trembling whimper escaped her as she crawled backwards. It was then that the beowolves who had pursued her revealed themselves, ready to pounce on the young girl. Only to freeze when they noticed the other Grimm present.

While only briefly, each side tried to intimidate the other before suddenly darting with the intent to kill, leaving the blond trapped right in between these ferocious creatures.

"RUBY!" She screeched, bracing herself by grabbing her head while curling onto herself.

She was suddenly enveloped by the comforting fragrance of fresh roses and sweet strawberries along with the familiar, reassuring arms of ten year old Ruby Rose.

Gazing upwards, lilac eyes met soft silver as the red tipped ravenette panted heavily over her. Her red hood flowing in the wind which arose from her arrival along with the rose petals from her semblance, giving her a heroic appearance accentuated by the moonlight glow.

"Kept you waiting, huh?" She breathed out with an exhausted smirk as the petals slowly dissappeared around them.

Yang smiled with relief as she wrapped her arms around her older sibling's neck, burying her head into her shoulder. "Ruby!"

The hood wearer ajusted her hold on her younger sister until she could comfortably hold her in one arm. She then unfolded Crescent Rose with her free appendage and slashed through a beowolf that pounced towards them. "Uncle Crow shouldn't be too far behind. Hold tight, alright?"

With a nod from the younger girl, Ruby sprinted away from the Grimm, leaving rose petals behind her. She ran, jumped and vaulted over the terrain with lessened weight, creating a red trail behind. She would occasionally make use of her weapon's firing mechanism to boost herself further as she protectively clutched onto her sibling.

"I got you, sunshine. I got you." She whispered exhaustively while cuddling the blond.

Yang looked up to her older sister's face with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to cause trouble."

Ruby smiled down at her as she shook her head. "It's okay, miss Xiao Long. Let's just go home for now."

The blond raised a curious eyebrow. "What did you call me?"

Her expression unchanged, the ravenette replied. "Miss Xiao Long?"

"Miss Xiao Long!" Exclaimed Ruby, standing in front of her team's table; hand on her hips as she frowned down at the sleeping brawler.

Yang's head fell from her hands onto the counter before jolting upwards. "I'm awake!" She shouted.

She then blinked a few times, noticing the amused glances and laughs from the other students in the classroom. She reddened in embarrassment just as her teammates already were.

"Yes, I can see that." Replied the drape wearing teacher, walking back towards her desk. "I would prefer if it remained that way for the whole class from now on."

Once sat atop her desk, she sighed and continued her class. "Anyway, that concludes the information I could give you about hostage situations. Which brings me to our last category of potential kills." She used the projector's remote to change her presentation's slide, making the blood of every student run cold once they read the title.

"Children..."

A trembling hand was raised by Velvet as her ears drooped anxiously. "C-children, miss Rose? W-why would we..."

Ruby raised a hand to stop her and shook her head. "While children are a big part of the topic, the title is slightly misleading since we will be talking about teenagers and yes, young adults like yourselves too."

Various held breaths could be heard around the amphitheater along with worried whispers while the silver-eyed woman turned towards the third and fourth years. "Though, I guess that doesn't apply as much to you guys anymore."

She received a few awkward chuckles then went back on topic. "Children; are easy to subdue non-lethaly. Their body, even when trained, is still too immature to represent any threat to you. However, they are small, nimble and will easily believe anything said by those they trust. This, is when they can endanger the lives of others and their own."

She suddenly stopped when she noticed another raised hand.

"Have you... had to... y'know?" Asked a third year, squirming in their seat as they gazed awkwardly at their table.

Ruby sighed as she crossed her arms, wrapping her drape around herself. "I have... twice. Once was already too many. That was a long time ago, but I'll never forget it." She then stood up and took out a notepad which she flipped open. "Which is why we'll have to make sure that you are prepared to prevent these situations during your future missions."

Those who had believed to have become accustomed to the grim subjects of this class now felt dread take hold of them as the ravenette continued her class.

Yang for her part, would soon find out that her dreams would become slightly altered for a few weeks.


Ruby tightened her grip on her weapon while her eyes glinted menacingly as she glared at the odachi user. "How old is she?!"

His attempt to answer was interrupted by the young dagger user. "Age matters not in combat; there are only victors and failures."

The ravenette huffed in castigation. "Yeah, I knew a couple of people who thought the same way. Things didn't end well for most."

The odachi user chuckled while his associate's eyebrow twitched in irritation. She then reached for her thighs, where a few throwing knives were strapped, then held one between each fingers.

"Why..." She mumbled loud enough for Ruby to hear, making her lower her guard slightly.

"What?" Asked the ravenette, genuinely surprised that the girl had not attacked her yet.

The dagger user's glare became filled with hatred as she stomped her foot to the ground. "Why do you stand against our people to such an extent?! Your people!" She raised a hand towards the students standing behind the drape wearer. "For these... insignificant worms?!" She then motioned towards the pile of dead White Fang members. "For a world where its people fight against one another over ridiculous causes!?"

Blake broke the silence she had fallen into and growled at the young girl. "Ridiculous?! They are fighting for equality!"

"Blake!" Ruby screamed as she twirled her scythe to block a volley of knives aimed at the cat faunus; each of them creating on impact, a short-lived shockwave which could be felt by those in proximity. "Stay out of this!" She reprimanded with a glare.

The ashen-haired woman stumbled backwards in both shock and fright. "I-I couldn't even see..."

The dagger user flicked her now free hand once more towards the White Fang corpses while twirling the knives she has in her other hand. "Equality? There's no such thing. The strong lead, the weak follow. That is the truth of any living organism."

The man standing next to her rubbed his chin as he chuckled. "How nostalgic. I recall someone who used to be as passionate about the notion. Then again, as do you, eh~? Ruby Rose."

The ravenette groaned as she morphed her weapon back into dual swords. "Yeah... I certainly won't miss her." With a quick swipe from one of her blades, she repelled another volley of knives.

"Why did Rose have to fall at the hands of the likes of you!" Screamed the young silver-eyed girl before suddenly dashing towards Ruby empty-handed.

The ravenette planted her swords into the ground and used her arm to divert her opponent's strike to the side. She then used her knee to hit the girl's stomach, the impact lifting her off the ground, before punching her with enough force to send her flying back where she had previously stood.

She sent a questioning gaze towards the odachi user. "Didn't stop her this time?"

He shrugged nonchalantly before swiping dust off his shoulder. "The outcome was evident. She's letting her emotions take control and has yet to retrieve her weapons."

"Okay, time out for a sec." Intervened Sun, attracting everyone's attention as he took a few steps forward. "The hell is going on? You know these freaks?!"

He was abruptly pulled back by Weiss as she took hold of his collar. "Silence you fool! This is way beyond us right now!" She harshly whispered while anxiously eyeing both the man and his associate which had long since stood back up.

It was the odachi user's turn to send a curious glance towards the celebrity. "You haven't told them about us?"

Ruby groaned as she picked up her swords. "Not everything, I'm afraid. I was kinda hoping they would be far away by now." She shouldered one of her blades while pointing the other towards the two silver-eyed individuals. "But I guess I can't have everything."

He stroked his beard pensively until a smirk formed on his lips. "If that's the case." He bowed ceremoniously towards the students. "I am Samuel. Advisor and personal guard to the King. Occasionally, I also mentor those who are worthy of my teaching. Something Ruby Rose can certainly attest to."

"What?!" Exclaimed not only the young adults, but the young silver-eyed girl additionally.

"You trained her!?" She demanded while gesturing towards the ravenette.

"You lived with these guys?!" Asked Sun, shocked at the revelation.

Weiss was staring at the celebrity trying to understand why her idol would have associated herself with these people when she seemed to have been so opposed to them.

Blake's ears fell against her head as her gaze alternated between the woman she admired and the pile of dead faunus whose pool of blood it was laying on seemed to have been increasing still, much to her horror.

Yang's eyes seemed to have lost their focus as she stared directly at the back of her sister's head. "Ruby...?"

Yet, the ravenette remained silent as she glared at the man in front of her.

He feigned shock before grinning back at her. "My, my, what is this? Are these not your closest confidants? Why else would you have brought them here otherwise? Yet, they know so little about you. Tell me Ruby Rose: Do they truly know who you are?"

Silence hung in the air as they all waited for her answer. Feeling the mass of gazes surrounding her, Ruby loosened her posture as she sighed. "Look... girl."

"Cecilia." Interrupted the dagger user.

"Cecilia, nice name." She acknowledged. "Listen, the things they've taught you: they're not what the world should be. You can't brute force your way through everything. If everyone strives to be the strongest, then who will take care of crops for food? Or make clothes and armor? Provide the utilities that we use in our everyday life?"

"Have you not been listening? The strong leads while the weak follow. If they step out of line, we can simply force them back in. Should they resist further? Someone else can take their place." Argued Cecilia, her glare never leaving her face.

Ruby sighed once more as she slowly walked towards the dagger she had dropped. Once next to it, she used her foot to lift it into the air before kicking it towards the girl, who took hold of its handle with ease.

She gazed at the weapon back in her hand with curiosity. "What's the meaning of this?"

The drape wearer flipped her swords until the flat side of the blades fell onto her forearms. They then wrapped around her limbs and formed two arm length gauntlets.

"I've already heard those words before. So I'll just show you in a more direct way." She then raised her arms in an offensive stance while dancing on her feet. "Come on, put me in line."

Samuel offered the second dagger he had caught earlier back to Cecilia which she swiftly snatched before dashing towards the celebrity once more.


The students leaned against the nearest wall as they watched the two silver-eyed women clash once more.

"Shouldn't we be trying to run away?" Asked Sun, barely able to follow their movements.

"Do you truly believe that we have any chance of escaping against these people?" Replied Weiss as she rolled her eyes at him although the subtle trembling of her shoulder made her true feelings obvious to any who would notice.

"I haven't been able to follow their moves once since they came..." Mumbled Blake, dazed as she sat down. "If Ruby hadn't been there... those knives... would my aura have been able to tank them?"

Yang said nothing as she sat down near the cat faunus and brought her knees to her chest. Her teammates took notice of this and hesitantly attempted to talk to her.

"Yang? Are you... okay?" Asked Blake as she rested a hand on the blond's shoulder.

Gazing away from them, she mumbled an answer. "She's always been my role model, my hero, y'know? And, I mean, I get it; I discovered a lot of things about my sister that scared me a whole lot these past few months. But you're telling me that she's supposed to be like... them?" She accentuated her point by motioning towards the clashing women further ahead.

The three young adults looked at one another hesitantly until Weiss went to the brawler's other side to rest a comforting hand on her respective shoulder. "Yang, that's-"

"Ridiculous?" Offered a familiar voice from beside the heiress, inducing dread upon all of them.

Those standing jumped away in fright while the others crawled slight backwards. Leaning on the wall next to them, was Samuel, arms crossed as he nonchalantly observed the nearby fight.

"When did- damn it!" Exclaimed Blake as she reached for her weapon while Yang deployed hers. Only to be interrupted by a swift strike from the man's scabbard.

"Now now, no need for violence." He mocked, expertly taking Gambol Shroud with the tip of his sheath which he wasted no time to inspect.

"No need for- you killed all those faunus!" Accused the ashen-haired woman, her glaring eyes darting between the man and her weapon.

"I had no parts in that. She went ahead all on her own. I, however, went after the gorgeous blond on the roof." He replied, his sight never leaving the object in his hands. "Such interesting weaponry... she wasn't lying when she told me those were common possessions then? Tell me, this seems shaped like one of those... guns things, but the blade here suggests that it has another form, correct? How do you engage its transformation?"

They all glared at the man yet remained silent, aware that they were no match for him while Blake reluctantly answered. "It's the... little lever on the side. You gotta push on it a bit before pulling."

Following her instructions, the odachi user recoiled slightly as the weapon shifted into its katana form. "Incredible! Although, it seems rather... frail. Unlike our weapons, while they lack the diversity these modern models offer, they certainly make up for it in unparalleled durability and lethality. In the right hands at least." He emphasized his argument by unsheathing his blade. Its imposing sight making the students flinch momentarily.

Weiss, in an attempt to defend her teammate took a step forward as her glare deepened. "Well, it can neutralize Grimm just fine."

She immediately regretted her decision when the man scowled back at her, his eyes releasing a faint glow as he lobbed Blake's weapon back at her. "Grimm? You set your standard at eliminating those worthless hindrances? It would seem that you have much to learn."

The group's attention was drawn away by the sound of a powerful impact near them followed by strong wind. A massive cloud of dust slowly dissipated allowing them to see Ruby standing over her opponent who was laying down in the middle of a large crater.

The silver-eyed man rubbed his chin pensively as a smirk slowly crept onto his face. "Yes, that will do." He mumbled much to their confusion before heading towards the two women.

Ruby took a few steps closer to her downed adversary while adjusting her gauntlets.

"Had enough?!" She asked, spreading her arms wide in a taunting manner. Although her expression showed that she was entirely serious about the situation.

Cecilia groaned as she sat up, dazed from the beating she received yet still unharmed with the help of her aura. "Not... yet!"

The ravenette whined in annoyance as she scratched the back of her head with one hand while resting the other on her hip. "Damn it, kid. Why-"

"Ruby Rose!" Screamed Samuel, shouldering his blade as he walked towards her. "Let us make this more interesting."

The ravenette eyed him suspiciously, taking a few steps backwards while switching her gauntlets back into dual swords. "Now's so not the time for games Sam." She growled while sneaking worried glances at her students who stood further behind the man.

He waved her off, lowering his odachi as he rolled his wrist. "It appears that you are determined to... 'redeem' this girl. Unfortunately, letting you do so would take too long." He then sheathed his sword before using the short rope attached to the scabbard to tie the weapon in place. "Therefore, I will give you a time limit."

Ruby grit her teeth as she watched the dagger user stand back up from the corner of her eyes. "And what would that be?"

He grinned as he spread his arms dramatically. "Your confidants will have a simple task: to slay me."

Everyone froze as the words reached their ears.

"That's-" Started Ruby when she was suddenly interrupted by Cecilia.

"-Impossible! Do you truly believe that these inferior beings are even able to lay a hand on you?!" She exclaimed while gesturing erratically towards the group in question.

He chuckled as he shook his head. "Of course not. However, that is where the time limit comes into play. As soon as all four of their auras are broken, I will kill all of them along with the blond on the roof."

The young adults' blood ran cold as they gazed at one another. Weiss wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to calm her shivering limbs.

"W-what...?" She mumbled, turning towards her idol. "M-miss Rose, he can't really do that, right?"

Blake's hands shook as she gripped Gambol Shroud tightly, steeling her nerves for the task to come.

Yang sent a terrified gaze towards her sister, tugging on her gloved hands as she tried to stop them from trembling. Yet, once again, the ravenette refused to meet her gaze.

Sun took a deep breath as a serious expression formed on his usually cheerful face. He then spun his staff until it rested against his back as he took a combat stance. "Alright, so we just gotta survive. Don't worry Ruby, we got this. Beat that kid up and leave the rest to us."

They all seemed shocked at his confidence until Samuel erupted in joyful laughter. "I like this one! Where did you find him?"

Ruby ignored the man's question as she anxiously met Sun's confident gaze, a silent question resting behind her eyes. The monkey faunus answered with a proud smirk before mouthing two simple words to her.

'Trust us.'

Glancing over to her teammates, the drape wearer could see that the Vacuan's confidence had been affecting the girls. Weiss had stopped trembling as she performed some breathing exercises, Blake's grip had loosened to a more comfortable level while Yang stood with her eyes closed before suddenly deploying her gauntlets as she gained a bold expression.

"He looks like he needs a beating anyway." She quipped, cracking her knuckles in the process. Although, the way she winced once the man's eyes fell on her made it rather obvious that she had merely put on a facade.

Ruby took a deep breath of her own then addressed the man. "Fine. Anything else?"

Samuel smirked at her as he rested an arm on his weapon's handle. "A few... rules."

He then grabbed the handle and used its sheath to pierce through the floor's concrete before making a small circle around himself.

"I will not leave this circle for the duration of the fight." He paused, letting the younger members present sit in their confusion for a while. "However, should these children take too long to strike at me, I will allow myself to leave for a single strike. Furthermore, I will not use my blade; only its sheath."

He relished in their relieved expressions, his smirk widening as he spoke once more while motioning towards the roof where Glynda laid unconscious. "Finally, should blondie up there try to interfere; then it will count as a loss for all of them. I'm convinced that you understand what that entails."

The young adults' breath caught in their throat as they stared wide eyed at the man. Sun, tired of the roller-coaster of emotions they have suffered through, stomped his foot and scowled at the odachi user with irritation.

"Hey! How the hell is that fair! She's not even awake to know what's going on!" He barked, using his staff to gesture at the roof.

Samuel planted his sheathed weapon on the ground as he leaned onto it. "Life isn't fair, child. Learn from it if you wish to survive." He gazed towards the ravenette, eyebrow raised as he smiled innocently at her. "Are the conditions understood? We will start once you two fight once more."

Ruby grit her teeth and lowered her gaze before clicking her tongue with discontent. This threat on her students' lives is exactly what she desired to avoid by leaving them at Beacon. Now, as she let herself fall into a pit of anxiety, she was reminded of the heat from the Mistrali village set ablaze while she was surrounded by her dead comrades. She remembered the anger that raised through her as an obnoxious laughter echoed around her, taunting her as its owner mocked her choices.

"It shouldn't have come to this..." she mumbled to herself before looking over her shoulder to glare at the dagger user as she turned her two swords into her trademark high-caliber sniper scythe. "I'm guessing that you won't just give up if I ask, right?"

Cecilia spun her blades in her hand before assuming an offensive stance. "Evidently."

"Thought so..." she muttered when her eyes suddenly gained an intense glow which made the students kneel under the released pressure that ensued. "Then you better get serious, because I'm gonna break every bone in your body if that's what it takes to stop you."

Her opponent's eyes brighten similarly while a modest amount of hesitation crept into her expression. "We'll see about that."

The ground shook as both disappeared from the young adult's sight only to be assaulted by an orchestra of metalic impacts which sent powerful torrents of wind towards them.

Samuel chuckled as he clapped his hands joyfully. "Good, very good!" He then glanced towards his own combatants. "Now, it's your turn."

The students hesitantly stared at one another until Yang grabbed Weiss by the shoulder.

"You might wanna get your weapon back." She said while motioning towards the object with her thumb. She then turned towards the odachi user as she stretched her arms. "As for you, I think we're owed some answers."

The man crossed his arms as he gained a look of interest. "I suppose I could indulge a few. One per individual, fair? Short answers preferably, but I doubt that will be the case."

The brawler danced on her feet as she warmed herself up for the upcoming fight. "Why is the fact that I'm having doubts about my sister ridiculous?"

Samuel raised a curious eyebrow at her then sighed as he acquiesced. "Your sister is many things young one, but a monster she is not. She is someone prepared to bring the world to its knees if it means the safety of others, especially those she hold dear." He then glanced in the direction of the ongoing carnage nearby, a trace of pride in his eyes as he chuckled. "That is not a trait to fear, but to respect. Be proud of your sibling." He stared back at her and chuckled. "I can say with certainty that she is proud of you."

Yang seemed stunned at the man's praise as she lowered her guard. The man had said something similar earlier, yet her heart doubted still. Was she right in doing so? No matter the intent, could she truly ignore what the ravenette had done and what she kept secret from them? Should she be reassured or fearful that a man like him could be proud of her sister?

With a shake of her head, she attempted to glance towards her sibling's fight only to cover her face as something flew by next to her followed by strong wind and a loud crash.

Once the tempest settled down, she lowered her arms and jumped in place when she was met with the sight of Ruby standing in front of her, glaring towards whatever had passed by.

"You okay?" Asked the ravenette. Her cold stare never leaving the cloud of dust ahead of her.

Yang felt a chill run down her spine as her gaze met the threatening glow emanating from her sister's eyes. Swallowing her fears, she stuttered an answer. "U-uh, y‐yeah. We didn't get to fight, yet."

Ruby hummed in understanding and spun her scythe, collapsing the blade along the snath as she aimed her weapon forward then fired a few bullets into the dissipating cloud.

The clanging of impacts echoed, followed by a few seconds of silence, when an entire shipping container burst from the dust screen towards the siblings.

"The fu-" Exclaimed Yang as she raised her arms defensively, the object soaring towards them faster than she could dodge away from.

The drape wearer dashed and swung her weapon upwards, sending the container to the sky only to be met by Cecilia who struck straight into her abdomen, making the older woman fly backwards as her adversary followed.

Those left behind stared at the ensuing fight until a sigh left the odachi user.

"Well, since this occurrence dealt with itself," He then took hold of his sheathed weapon with one hand as he adopted a relaxed stance. "I would say that it is our turn, wouldn't you?"

Without taking a single step, he spun his scabbard behind himself to deflect a few bullets fired by the two faunus in quick succession.

"Damn it!" Huffed Sun, catching his swinging shotguns.

Blake reloaded Gambol Shroud as she groaned in frustration. "Not like I expected this to work, but still..."

Samuel looked over his shoulder with a large smile on his lips. "A ruthless, surprise attack? Yes! I like that. Unfortunately, these... bullet projectiles are quite ineffective against Light blessed beings."

Yang swung her fist as she shot an explosive slug towards the man who raised a hand to catch it between his fingers once it was in range.

He observed the lead projectile curiously before raising an eyebrow at the blond. "Now, why would you send a slower bullet when I just explained that they would be pointless?"

He then threw it back towards Yang at such a velocity that she barely had time to raise her arms to block the object which exploded on impact.

Samuel blinked a few times, gazing between his hands and the smoke which slowly dissipated before chuckling. "That was... unexpected. I believe it certainly could have worked should I have attempted to deflect it."

Weiss rolled the cylinder on Myrtenaster until she could chamber ice dust into her weapon, then glared at her partner. "Why did you fire a single shot?!"

Yang glared back as she motioned towards her gauntlets. "I don't know if you noticed, princess, but these don't exactly have the highest ammo capacity! Especially when you have three different type of shells to worry about!"

The heiress opened her mouth to argue when both had to cover themselves as a massive shockwave pushed them away. As their eyes wandered towards the origin, they were surprised to find Ruby blocking a strike from the silver-eyed man with the snath of her weapon.

"Back in the circle, old man." She growled as they both jumped backwards to evade a volley of thrown knives from Cecilia. She then shot a few rounds at the dagger user before glaring at her two teammates. "Focus!" She shouted then disappeared from their sight to fight her opponent once more.

Samuel laughed as he shook his head. "This devilish vixen, of course she would have noticed the lack of rules against her intervention." He then glared with disapproval towards the hot and cold duo. "She's right however, this... childish bickering will simply get you killed against any opponent searching for an opening."

They winced while averting their gaze away from his until Weiss gained an expression of realization.

"You said we had one question each, correct?" She asked before subtly starting some breathing exercises to soothe her racing heart.

Samuel's shoulders slumped as he released a disappointed grunt while shouldering his scabbard. "I have indeed... I assume you've found yours?"

The white-haired woman nodded then gained a serious expression as she straightened her back. "What are these... 'Light blessed' or 'Light's Chosen' you speak of?"

The man rubbed his stubble as a grin formed on his lips. "She certainly keeps her cards close to her chest. To think you wouldn't even know about our kind." He raised his hand to tap the corner of his eye. "Our kind is... different, as you've most likely understood by now. Courtesy of our eyes that grant us strength beyond belief. Those very eyes are said to be a gift from the God of Light themself to the first of our kind. Hence the name."

Sun's shoulder's drooped as he stared at the man incredulously. "God of wh-"

His question was interrupted by Blake who elbowed his ribs with a glare. "Don't waste your question on something like that."

The monkey faunus spluttered while waving his arms as if throwing a tantrum. "Enlighten me then. What should I ask?"

The cat faunus raised an eyebrow, resting her free hand on her hip as she bucked them sideways. "You're telling me that out of everything we've seen and heard so far, there's nothing else that you'd want to ask?"

Sun froze momentarily as his expression slowly morphed into a serious and focused one. "Why... did Ruby accept to be trained under you?" He finally asked while facing the odachi user.

The older man mirrored his expression as he replied. "Because she would have died otherwise." He shook his head then gazed at Blake. "Last one, it would be in your best interest to think it through."

The ashen-haired woman exchanged a worried glance with her teammates and the blond faunus. Should she ask him to elaborate? That was a rather shocking revelation afterall. Then again, they could probably wheedle the answer out of the ravenette should they, no, once they get through this.

She gazed towards where the silver-eyed women were currently fighting, barely able to catch a glimpse of them whenever they would take a moment to balance themselves. She then examined the extensive damage dealt to the container yard by the two women, running an anxious hand along her arm as she slowly turned to face the odachi user.

"Do you think we have any chance of helping her at all in whatever her goal is?" She asked dolefully as her cat ears folded sideways.

The older man remained silent, his expression unchanged as he stared at her. His gaze then wandered towards the three other young adults, seemingly analyzing their expression before suddenly grunting with irritation.

"Look around yourself and understand that everything that has happened so far is considered rather tame for a fight between Light blessed beings." He replied, motioning not only towards Ruby's fight, but also towards the pile of dead faunus. "Do you truly wish to help her with that knowledge in mind?"

Blake's fists tightened as she side eyed the decapitated and dismembered White Fang members. Taking a deep breath, her eyebrows creased as she stared directly into the man's eyes with determination. "I do."

Sun huffed confidently as he crossed his arms. "She's the only reason why I'm still kicking today; so count me in."

Samuel turned to face the last two members who's expression displayed traces of indecisiveness.

Weiss stared at the cat faunus who merely met her gaze. Her eyes then lowered with guilt as she spoke. "I... don't know. This... is way beyond anything I could have ever expected. I have other matters that I wish I could correct before undertaking something that seems so... insurmountable."

Yang gazed at her partner in silence before wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to give herself some comfort. "I also have something I wish to do. Honestly, it was one of the reasons I wanted to become a huntress in the first place." She passed a hand through her hair as the wind caused by her sister's fight had pushed a few strands in front of her face. She then hesitantly met the silver-eyed man's eyes. "But I can't just leave her to do this by herself again, right?"

Samuel sighed as he shook his head. "This is something only you can decide on, I'm afraid. However, there is no shame in recognizing the consequences of reckless choices." He then faced Weiss. "As for you, do not be ashamed of your ambitions. They are what separates a great being from the masses. Ruby Rose's quest is not your own. Therefore you have no obligation to risk your life for her."

Letting his words sink in for the two partners, he faced the faunus once more. "As for you two, it is admirable for ones so young to be willing to face the unknown while being aware of the dangers you will face." He lowered his sheathed sword to the ground, crossing his arms over the handle as he leaned on it. "In any other circumstances, I would have told you to abandon such foolish thoughts."

They winced while suppressing the anger that rose inside of them against their inadequacy.

"I, however, will give you the chance to make me reconsider." He added, making all four of them to send him perplexed stares. He picked up his weapon and took the same relaxed stance he used earlier. "Survive through this trial, then I might even consider assisting you, somewhat."

The young adults' eyes widened. They may not be strong enough to fight against this new enemy, but if they can have this man as an ally, however 'somewhat' meant, then maybe they'll have a chance.

Yang bit her lower lip and tightened her fists as she ran towards their opponent.

"Yang, no!" Screamed both Blake and Weiss.

Unfortunately, their warning fell on deaf ears. The brawler jumped and switched her gauntlets' shells to blank rounds allowing her to gain further momentum as she shot behind herself then reeled her fist back as she approached her target who simply smiled.

Something suddenly pushed her aside and time seemed to slow down as she observed what happened. Ruby had used her legs to kick her aside while she held onto the extended scabbard the man had thrust forward. She then spun in an attempt to slash the man with her scythe only for her weapon to be kicked back.

As soon as the blond had hit the ground, everything went back to normal while she tumbled for a few seconds until she was softly slowed down courtesy of Weiss' glyphs.

Dazed from the impact, Yang shook her head and gazed upwards. Ruby could seen, her drape missing from her shoulders, dislodging herself from a wall she had been sent into, dusting herself as she grinned towards her enemies. Following her gaze, they were greeted by the sight of the two silver-eyed adversaries struggling to untangle their arms from the ravenette's burning drape.

"Come on, guys. You didn't think I'd expect people to grab onto that old thing by now?" Taunted the celebrity, hands on her hips, posing confidently with an arrogant grin on her lips as she leaned forward.

Weiss kneeled next to her partner then hoisted her up by the arm. "Are you okay?" She asked while grabbing her scroll to observe the blond's aura. "You're almost halfway down."

Yang huffed as she separated herself from her partner while glaring at her sister. "Gee, I wonder why."

"Maybe because you'd be much worst if she hadn't pushed you away?" Said Blake from beside them, making the two jump.

"Could you not startle us like that!" Reprimanded Weiss as she scowled at both faunus.

The ashen-haired woman facetiously ignored her leader's demand as she face the brawler. "We can't just rush in on our own like that. These people are way faster, stronger and have a lot more experience fighting against other people than we do."

She then observed their opponents as Samuel nonchalantly liberated himself from the blazing cloth and dusted himself before sighing and ripping the rest from his partner.

"It all happened so fast, but I know for sure that Ruby saved you from much worst." She continued, squinting her eyes as she focused on the odachi user. "We have to work together if we want to even graze his aura. There's no other way."

Weiss nodded, crossing an arm under her chest, supporting the other as she held her chin pensively. "In any case, we have to come up with a plan posthaste before he loses patience."

The cat faunus shook her head. "No, not a plan, if anything goes wrong we won't have time to make another. We need a general strategy. A groundwork on which we'll be able to improvise on continuously."

"Uh, guys? That crazy chick and Ruby started fighting again. We better hurry." Warned Sun anxiously while staring at Samuel who turned to face them.

"Well? We still have our own game to play." He jested, arms spread wide as if challenging them.

Weiss scowled at the man and swiped her index and middle finger aside as three glyphs appeared behind the bearded man. A volley of ice shards then burst forth and rained upon him.

"That should buy us a few seconds." She said while observing the rapidly depleting vial of ice dust she had chambered earlier. Her lips morphed into an insecure thin line as she faced her partner. "Would you mind firing a few shots from time to time?"

Yang raised an eyebrow as she rested a fist onto her hips. "Sure, but as I said, I don't have that many."

The white-haired woman waved off her concerns before focusing on her ashen-haired teammate. "Now, about that strategy."

Blake nodded as she eyed the heiress' dust cylinder. "How much gravity dust do you have left?"

Weiss reached into her combat skirt's pocket and revealed two additional vials of said purple powdered dust along with the slightly used one slotted into her weapon. "Miss Rose recommended having more of that one in case of emergencies."

The cat faunus nodded once more as she gazed towards the two blonds. "How long would that last if you were to continuously make glyphs for three people?"

The Schnee's eyes widened. "You... well, I never had to do so before, but I believe I could do it for a good while."

Sun raised a hand to attract their attention then abashedly scratched the back of his head. "Actually, make that four."

When met with confused expressions, he elaborated. "I won't show it now 'cause I wanna try to surprise that guy, but my semblance allows me to make a copy of myself which I can control through intentions. Though I can't say that I'll be able to control it perfectly with what we're planning."

The girls blinked a few times in genuine surprise before shaking their heads.

"Fine, four it is." Sighed Weiss as she laid a hand on top of her head. She then slid her cylinder open and replaced two of the dust vials with her spare gravity dust. "While short, there will be a delay while I switch vial. You'll have to all strike at him at the same time to offset that delay." She then tapped her ear, bringing attention to her earpiece. "I will warn you through this beforehand, be ready."

The two faunus nodded while Yang reached for her own ear with a surprised expression. "Oh yeah, we do have those."

They stared at the brawler with deadpan expressions until the heiress released a frustrated groan. "Oh, would you all just go already! I'm out of ice dust."

She accentuated her point by letting her empty vial drop to the floor before spinning her cylinder until it chambered her first vial of gravity dust.

They all nodded at one another before leaping into action.


Numbness.

That was the first feeling, or rather the lack of it, Glynda noticed as she slowly regained consciousness. A groan escaped her lips as she sluggishly turned her head while her eyes cracked open. She caught sight of the four covered bodies of the deceased guards which instantly reminded her of the situation she had been in.

Adrenaline shooting through her body, her ears rang as she managed to push herself onto her knees. Only to immediately regret it when the worst nausea she has ever suffered from caused her to keel over and vomit what felt like an entire day's worth of content onto the roof's pavement.

Her arms trembled as she pushed herself away from the mess she had made, falling to her side as she quickly became unable to handle the vertigo. She took a few deep breath, her eyes blinking languidly as she attempted to focus on the world around her. It was then that she noticed the broken section of the roof which made her panic.

"The students?! Have they been able to escape?"

Her determination fighting against her sickness; she crawled towards the debris, stopping a few times to let herself endure the nausea. Nearing the edge, the ringing in her ears had subsided enough for her to hear what sounded like a roaring battlefield which increased her worry exponentially.

Finding the strength to hoist herself on one arm while the other nursed her pounding head, she managed to grab onto the ledge and lay her chest on top of it to overlook the grounds below.

Her eyes widened in fright as she saw her students along with... two Suns? Bounce and dash with the help of Weiss' glyphs around a man whom she immediately noticed to have silver-eyes.

The teacher desired nothing more than to reach for her riding crop and pull the young adults away from this place but the multitude of flashing sparks created by Ruby's fight caused her headache to flare to unbearable degrees, causing her to fall to her side behind the ledge, away from sight.

Catching her breath while massaging her temples to soothe her pain, she noticed a vibrating sensation in her skirt's pocket. Taking hold of her scroll, she could see — through half lidded eyes — that Ozpin had been attempting to call her.

With a groan, she answered the call. "Headmaster Ozpin, we're-"

"Avoid straining yourself, Glynda." Interrupted the grey haired man. "We've been watching through the camera you've set up."

"We?" She asked, resting a hand over her eyes while turning onto her back.

"Tai and Crow are with me, but that's a story for later. Listen, it is imperative that you do not interfere with the altercations bellow." Replied Ozpin. His tone was absent of its usual carefree edge.

"Sir, the students-" Tried to argue the blond woman only to be interrupted once more.

"- would be dead if you were to attempt anything. That was part of the rules the man has implemented to their... trial."

Glynda grunted in pain as she tentatively opened her eyes and was met with pain as the lights met her retinas.

"You seem to be suffering from a concussion. I would recommend either laying down and wait for this ordeal to be resolved. Alternatively, if you wish to — at the very least — observe; perhaps one of the guards had sunglasses on them. It could make light more bearable for you."

Seeking relief for her thumping mind, she reluctantly crawled to inspect the bodies, miraculously finding a pair which she quickly put on.

"That's... slightly better." She mumbled putting the scroll next to her ear once more.

"Good, now as I mentioned-" Replied the headmaster before being interrupted by whom she recognized to be Taiyang.

"Glynda, please listen. That bastard with the sword isn't someone you wanna mess with. Both for the kids' sake and yours." Exclaimed the blond man which made her separate herself from her device.

She then glanced back at the mayhem. First towards the students, then towards Ruby's fight which she could only see the sparks and shockwaves created by the two women.

Feeling another wave of nausea hit her, Glynda laid back down while moaning in pain. "Could we not send some of the staff as reinforcement? I recall you mentioning that Crow was present."

She could hear a mocking grunt from the man she had mentioned. "You mean to tell me that you just saw the fight my niece is in and actually think any of us stands a chance? That concussion must be screwing with your brain more than we thought."

Propping her back against the building's ventilation system, she observed the little she could see from her vantage point with a pained expression. "Then what can we do?"

Silence reigned over the call for a few seconds until a sigh escaped the headmaster. "I'm afraid we can only watch and pray for the best."


"Damn it! No matter where we strike from, this guy just beats us back!" Roared Yang, flipping through the air before landing on an angled gravity enhanced glyph which sent her in a different direction.

"Well, at least he's holding his punches back." Commented Blake, using another glyph to dash at the man before redirecting herself away from his strike with the help of her semblance. "We're lucky to still have some aura left after those hits of his."

Sun remained silent. Seemingly more focused on properly maneuvering his double to time his strikes accordingly.

Weiss could be seen further away, breathing heavily as sweat poured from every pore on her body. Her eyes were lidded with exhaustion as she kept making glyphs for her teammates to use.

Glancing at Myrtenaster's dust cylinder, she swallowed then spoke through the earpiece with heavy breaths. "Last one... we better... make it... count..."

The students' expression hardened, awaiting the heiress' queue to strike as one. However, their eyes widened when a familiar voice came through the device in their ears.

"Don't worry, it will." Affirmed Ruby, still clashing blades with her foe. "Ready when you are, leader."

The shock from the ravenette's sudden intrusion nearly made them falter, however they hastily recovered and even gained a modest amount of confidence as they each prepared for what would be the final strike of their strategy.

Eyebrows creased, Weiss glared with determination, tightened her grip on her weapon then spread her arms as she conjured the last four glyphs she could muster out of her remaining gravity dust along with her dwindling stamina and aura.

"Now!" She exclaimed before collapsing onto her knees.

The next few seconds went by like a flash as the three young adults (along with Sun's semblance double) dashed at the man.

Blake had Gambol Shroud back in its cleaver-like sheath as she swung it from above towards the man's head.

Yang had one of her fist reeled backwards as she once again rushed at the man from the front, aiming at his stomach as she used her other shot-gauntlet to boost herself forward.

Finally, Sun had himself and his double positioned on each side of the odachi user thrusting their staff towards the man's ribs.

As soon as they neared their target, they heard a tremendous blast followed by the loud impact of metal creating a powerful shockwave which raised a cloud of dust, temporarily blinding everyone.

As it slowly died down, the students — along with Glynda who witnessed the whole event from her elevated position — stood in shock at the sight which awaited them.

Samuel had grabbed Yang by the gauntlet and aimed it upwards as smoke trailed from the barrels, indicating the recent shot she had attended to fire at him. His other hand held onto Gambol Shroud perfectly keeping Blake balanced in the air as she held onto her weapon. Meanwhile Sun was struggling to pull his staff from underneath the man's foot while his double was nowhere to be seen.

However, this impressive feat was not the reason behind their shock. In fact, what was most surprising about the circumstances was that the person holding onto their weapons was not Samuel at all. It was a red figure which had a similar appearance to the man seemingly made out of... aura?

"No... way..." muttered Weiss whose feelings were reflected upon her teammates faces.

Their gaze slowly shifted behind the apparition which had their eyes widen once more.

There stood Samuel himself. His back against the red apparition while his drawn blade was firmly blocking Ruby's scythe as the ravenette was suspended mid-air much like her partner currently was.

"The Hell?!" Blurted Sun, his grip slipping from his weapon making him fall onto his back.

The red figure let Blake push herself away and lobbed her weapon back at her which she effortlessly caught, slightly confused at the being's action. It then released Yang's gauntlet before nudging her shoulder to make her stumble backwards. Looking down at the foot which stood upon Sun's staff, it kicked it upwards, catching it before throwing it back at the monkey faunus. Once done, it simply vanished into a red mist which was absorbed into the silver-eyed man's body.

Ruby huffed in annoyance, slightly displacing her legs and letting gravity bring her down while withdrawing her weapon.

Samuel chuckled while sheathing his odachi before looking over his shoulder towards the young adults. "Congratulations. You have succeeded."

"Huh?!" They exclaimed. Weiss' exhaustion temporarily forgotten.

Ruby raised an eyebrow as she placed a hand on her hips. "You could have blocked that with the scabbard."

"And risk ruining the beautiful craft of our weaponsmith? Surely you jest, Ruby Rose." Replied the man with a humorous smirk on his lips.

The ravenette rolled her eyes as she turned around and marched towards the direction she came from.

Sun stood up while attaching his two nunchaku shotguns to his belt. "Hang on, what do you mean? We won?"

The odachi user shrugged while waving his sheathed weapon. "One of the rules was that I would not make use of my blade. Enjoy your victory, it is not one many can claim to have over beings like us."

Yang turned towards her partner with an ecstatic smile on her face. "Holy shit! We live! You hear tha-" She stopped after seeing the dumbfounded expression the heiress had. "You okay?"

The white-haired girl's hand shook as she gestured to the side which prompted her teammates to follow her direction. Their eyes widened as they noticed that the ground had been ravaged in a V formation originating from where Ruby and Samuel's blades had impacted.

"W-woah." Muttered Sun glancing towards the odachi user, who was currently using a cloth to wipe his sword while he seemed focused on something further ahead.

They then noticed that pained cries had been echoing around them for a while which made them turn towards where the ravenette had left.

Holding herself up with her arms, Cecilia was laying on the ground, head tilted downwards as her hair covered her face. One quick look at her legs made it rather obvious that they were severely broken.

Ruby had been marching closer then crouched next to her. "Look, I'm not telling you to give up on killing me. That would probably go against the order of that vile king of yours. How about this: you can try to kill me whenever you want, but you gotta give me a week off — or however long it'll take for you to recover— when I beat you, deal?"

"You truly believe... that I would accept... this dishonor?" Replied the young girl between groans, grunts and hisses of pain.

The celebrity sighed as she rested her head against her arms atop her knees. "Seriously? You want me to believe that both of you have just been waiting for, what, a month and a half without ever exploring what Vale has to offer? There has to be something you enjoyed doing?"

While it seemed that the teenager had remained silent at first, Ruby knelt closer while asking her to speak louder.

"I said that those cold treats with different flavors and colors were delightful!" She repeated as a blush adorned her cheeks.

Ruby gave her a tender smile as she perked up. "Ah, you guys went for ice cream! That's great! Anything else?"

Cecilia growled aggressively, seconds away from snapping at the red-tipped ravenette when Samuel's shouted from where he stood.

"You fairly enjoyed those moving pictures!" He informed, making the girl's blush resurface at a higher intensity.

"Ooh movies! What did you watch?" Asked Ruby excitedly.

The students observed the exchange with incredulous expressions.

"Are we really gonna pretend that her legs aren't fucked up?" Asked Sun while pointing at the girl in question.

Samuel shrugged as he rubbed his stubble. "Eh, she can bear through the pain." He then cupped his hands around his mouth before shouting. "Do not forget to talk about those romance movies you enjoyed!"

He then faced the young adults once more. "Come, let us join them."

They exchanged worried gazes but ultimately followed, Yang linking one of Weiss' arms over her shoulders to help her walk.

As they neared the two silver-eyed women, they could hear the troubled breathing of the young girl as she spoke.

"I doesn't make any sense." She mumbled, causing Ruby to raise a curious eyebrow. "You live in a world filled with luxury made by the hands of weak beings, yet one with overwhelming power such as you refuses to conquer it? If your wish truly is to save these people, could you not do so by ruling over them?"

The ravenette froze momentarily before shaking her head. "I can't be everywhere at once. Even if I were to 'conquer the world' as you said, it wouldn't change the fact that people would get hurt wherever I'm not present. Hell, I'm sure that as we speak; someone's out here in Vale, being the victim of a crime."

She then reached forward to tilt the girl's head upwards by her chin, allowing them to establish eye contact with one another. "Plus, all of those fun things you've experienced; they wouldn't be as fun if made under a regime of fear. That's why instead of ruling, we should be defending these people and you can help with that."

She released Cecilia's chin, allowing her to lower her head once more before offering her hand. "How about it? You won't have to go against your king's orders while also helping me protect the world. I'll even personally take you out for ice cream and movies if you want?"

Tears fell to the ground as the dark-haired girl chuckled.

"Uh, did she lose it?" Wondered Yang before suddenly recoiling backwards when Samuel extended his arm protectively in front of them.

"In the end, you would attempt to save someone who aimed for your life nevertheless." Mumbled Cecilia, slowly raising her head revealing the pulsing silver veins protruding from her eyes.

Ruby's eyes widened as she vanished from her position and reappeared a few meters backwards. One of her hands reached underneath her drape to grab onto her weapon then turned her head towards the odachi user.

"What was her order?!" She demanded, glaring intensely at the man.

He shook his head while scowling back at her. "I wouldn't worry about that for now."

Cecilia's chuckles intensified as she pushed herself until she could kneel onto her broken legs. "Can you save me now, Ruby Rose?"

"Don't make me do this..." Warned the ravenette, redeploying Crimson Harvest into a scythe.

Ignoring the woman's words, the dark-haired girl shook her head before leaning backwards, letting her tears of pain and sadness slowly trickle down her cheeks. "I plead of you; to slay me just as you've slain Rose. Honor me with this last request."

Ruby grit her teeth as she took a defensive stance. "Come on, just tell me what your order was and I promise that we can fix this! You don't need to die! Not here, not like this!"

Cecilia tilted her head to glance towards the odachi user. "Forgive me, master Samuel. I truly wish I could stay here afterall."

Her eyes were suddenly completely filled with silver light as the odd veins grew in length. The young girl then slouched over and gripped her head while releasing a bloodcurdling scream.

"No, damn it!" Exclaimed Ruby, spinning her scythe before dashing towards the dark-haired girl.

Only to be sent flying backwards, tumbling and flipping a few times until she planted her blade into the ground to stop herself.

"What just happened?" Asked Blake while glancing back and forth between the two women, the youngest which had a smocking fist raised, and the silver-eyed man.

Samuel sighed in defeat while keeping himself between the young adults and the ongoing fight. "Young Cecilia has gone against the orders of our king and therefore pays the ultimate price: Forced beyond the limit of her capabilities until she can accomplish the command."

His eyebrows creased with umbrage as he saw the girl raise her arms as every muscle of the appendages tightened while the silver veins spread over them. "Or until death."

Cecilia then slammed onto the ground — creating a sizable crater — before suddenly vanishing from her position and clashing against the scythe wielder, the impact creating such a powerful shockwave that all of the surrounding light sources shattered in an instant.

Plunged into total darkness, Weiss and Yang were able to catch glimpses of two pairs of silver-eyes along with the glowing veins of one of them, but additionally Ruby's blade as it glinted in the moonlight which progressively brightened the yard.

The odachi user released an annoyed grunt as he glared at the ravenette. "You are simply prolonging her suffering, Ruby Rose. You know what must be done."

A few seconds later, Cecilia was sent through a few containers while Ruby stood with a fist extended.

"I, Ruby Rose..." She started while standing straight.

Samuel's eyes widened in surprise. "You..."

"...Under the divine right granted upon me by Light themself..." Continued the ravenette as Crimson Harvest reverted back to its compact form.

"Huh?" Wondered outloud the young adults.

"...Challenge your honor, Cecilia, with a duel supervised through the blessed eyes of Samuel here present, should he accept." Chained Ruby, meeting the older man's gaze.

Bringing a hand to his chest, he bowed as a grateful smile graced his lips. "I accept."

She nodded then snapped her fingers as a weapon's handle appeared in a flash of silver light which she held in a reverse grip to her side.

She then raised Crimson Harvest and joined it to the handle as it morphed into the blade of a gigantic claymore which landed next to her before sinking into the ground due to its sheer weight as she let go of the newly formed weapon.

The blade was slightly taller and wider than the woman standing next to it. It was engraved with a design of rose vines which went from the tip of the blade, all the way down to the handle, twisting around the hilt a few times. A decorative pummel in the shape of a blooming rose ended the weapon.

"Is... is she really gonna try to use that?" Asked Sun, earning a few incredulous stares from the young adults.

However, before any of them could retort, a mumble escaped Samuel's lips which stole their attention. "Thorn. Rose's trusted weapon. Its size alone would make any adversary tremble in fear as she wielded it into battle."

Feral groans and roars echoed from the containers' holes along with metalic slams which got progressively louder as Ruby gripped the claymore's handle.

She then swiftly extracted it from the ground single handedly before raising it closer to her head as she gripped it with both hands while pointing the blade forward, bending her knees as she finalized her stance.

Cecilia emerged from the perforated containers, blood flowing from her eyes making Blake's own widen at the familiar sight.

The young girl then froze, the light in her eyes dimming just enough for her pupils to be barely visible as they landed on the colossal sword in the ravenette's hands.

Ruby's expression hardened as she exhaled, determination clear in her eyes as they met her adversary's. "May Death greet us into her benevolant arms."

Both women suddenly vanished from sight, creating two powerful gusts of wind which made the onlookers cover their faces. However, unlike the previous times the two silver-eyed beings clashed, only a single impact could be heard followed by an elongated moist sound and a thud.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry." Cried Ruby while the young adults lowered their arms to observe what had transpired.

Gasp escaped their lips as their sight settled on the ravenette weeping, one arm supporting Cecilia from behind while the other held Thorn which had vertically pierced through the dark-haired girl's chest and sunk into the ground.

Lips quaking, the young girl slowly reached for the celebrity's cheek, running her thumb along her skin while the silver veins retreated.

"There is no need... for remorse." She muttered through trouble breaths. "These last few instances... have shown me... that in the end..."

The world seemed to have fallen into silence as she uttered her last words. "You truly are... one of us..."

The girl's body went limp in Ruby's arms, sliding slightly down the claymore's blade before being gently let down by the ravenette as she knelt to the ground.

Samuel approached the celebrity then lowered himself on one knee on the opposite side of the impaled corpse.

"You gave her a good death." He said, using a finger to remove a few stray hair from Cecilia's face. "You have my gratitude."

Ruby glared at him, tears running down her eyes as she spoke. "Your gratitude? You think I want you to be grateful that I killed this girl?!"

The man remained silent, reaching underneath his armor before pulling out some kind of ceremonial dagger whose blade was slightly curved as if to scoop something.

The ravenette's anger rose. "Seriously? She just died."

He mirrored her glare then grabbed the dagger by the blade before offering the handle to her. "You have honored her death. Now, honor her passing the way only you are able to."

She remained idle for a few seconds, as if analyzing his intentions, before reluctantly taking hold of the object. She then shifted her position while raising the girl's head and laying it on her laps. Resting a hand on her cheek to hold her in place, she softly pressed the tip of the blade on top of the lower eyelid of one of her eyes, forcing it open.

"R-Ruby?" Stuttered Yang as she got closer, eyes wide in disbelief at what her sister was doing.

The ravenette's pupils shrunk in shock, swiftly glancing over her shoulder towards the group of students which stood closer than she remembered. Her gaze met the multitude of horrified expressions sent her way, making her stare back at the dagger before removing it from Cecilia's face. She the released a breath she had held unknowingly while laying the weapon onto the corpse's chest.

Samuel's gaze became cold as he stood up. "Is that so?" He then took a few steps forward, stopping right behind Ruby then turned his head to look at her. "Your aura remained frail. I recall you promising to fix that by the time you went back to your home."

The silver-eyed woman stared at the young girl in her lap as she replied. "Things got in the way."

He hummed dismissively. "When did it deplete?"

"When a certain jackass hit me into a wall." She said, looking over her shoulder to glare at him.

"Well, it would seem that it continues to improve nonetheless." He took a step to the side then turned to face her back. "Though you are aware that I could have done much worse. Like this."

In the blink of an eye, the man's sword had dissappeared from its sheath and was now lodged to its hilt through the ravenette's chest. Entering from her back and piercing through between her breast.

Yang's eyes widened in pure terror as she watched her sister's blood leak around the sword, staining her clothes while a few drops trailed along the cold steel.

Samuel stepped in front of Ruby and pushed on her forehead, forcing her to look up at him. "Need I remind you that we had an accord? Unlike the King, I have held my part of the bargain so far. Unfortunately, you seem to have trouble holding yours. Allow me to assist you with that. It is my responsibility afterall."

He lowered himself on one knee then inspected his blade before humming in morbid approval. "A clean cut. Should my aim be true, none of your vital organs have been pierced."

He suddenly leaned backwards when Ruby started to cough blood, her spams causing the blade to cut further around her wound.

"Well, everyone makes mistakes once in a while, don't they?" He chuckled, standing back up. "Nevertheless, as long as the blade remains inside, your chances of survival are significantly higher should you receive treatment soon."

He then glanced towards the group of students while taking a few steps forward. "However, should it be removed, even being like us would perish from it in a matter of minutes."

He looked over his shoulder, back at Ruby who seemed focused on keeping the sword steady while blood still poored from her wound and mouth. "But you're not like us, aren't you? Your desire to deny it is understandable, but you cannot escape from what you are."

He then grabbed onto the odachi's handle and pulled it out of the ravenette in one swift motion, running a cloth along the blade before sheathing back into its scabbard. "Show them, or perish and let this world face its end."

Yang's pupils turned from beautiful lilac to rageful red as her hair caught flame from her flaring semblance. Her fist tightened until they shook as she shot behind her to send herself towards the silver-eyed man.

Her teammates shouted at her to stop, but her fury had deafened her as she sent a punch towards the man's face.

Unsurprisingly, her strike was blocked as the man took hold of her fist then aimed it upwards redirecting the explosive projectile which shot out of the gauntlet.

He then swung her over himself to slam her against the ground, shattering the pavement as her aura depleted. Without missing a beat, he pulled the blond towards him, grabbing onto her chin with one hand and the back of her head with the other.

"Perhaps your own life is not enough, Ruby Rose. How about this then? Before yours give in, I'll take hers." He threatened, prepared to snap Yang's neck at any second.

Tears filled the blond's eyes as she stared frightfully at her sibling. "R-Ruby..." Her lips trembled, her own mortality made undeniable as a whimper escaped her throat.

Bearing through the pain, Ruby grit her teeth as she sent a glare towards the man filled with such spite that any one caught glimpse of it felt their legs weaken. She then took the odd knife and plunged it beneath one of Cecilia's eyes, using the curved nature of the blade to scoop it out before doing the same with the other.

"What the fuck..." muttered Blake, staring at the two globes in the ravenette's hand in horror.

Weiss felt her heart rise to her throat as she placed a hand over her mouth, yet she could not bring herself to look away.

"Holy shit." Mumbled Sun, not expecting this odd brutality from the celebrity.

Samuel rolled his eyes and groaned. "Too slow!"

Yang sent out a piercing scream as she felt the man's arm tense, fearing the worst for her fate.

Nothing could have prepared them for what happened next.

Ruby shoved the two eyes into her mouth and chewed on them. She then suddenly vanished, creating a shockwave which clouded their vision for a few seconds.

The previous image still fresh in their minds, Weiss' knees buckled as she crumble to the ground before emptying her stomach.

Meanwhile, the two faunus suppressed their nausea as they returned their focus on the matter at hand.

Surprise displayed itself on their face when they were met with the sight if Samuel, holding the blade of his own odachi against his throat which slightly sliced into his skin just enough for a modest stream of blood to leak down his neck.

Further away, they could see Ruby crouching with Yang in her arms in a bridal carry.

The brawler's eyes were shut as her limbs shivered, still deeply fearful of the previous situation she had found herself in while unknowingly having been saved from it.

She then felt warm drops of a thick liquid bead onto her face causing her to hesitantly crack her eyelids open. She was met with the sight of her sister panting heavily over her as tears of blood fell from her eyes.

"Kept you waiting, huh?" She quipped before falling onto her knees while dropping the blond as gently as possible under her, keeping herself propped on one arm.

Yang's eyes trailed from her sibling's silver eyes down to her lips as the image of the ravenette biting down onto the young girl's eyes came into her mind.

Ruby took a deep breath then meekly smiled at her. "Stay here... okay?"

"Why would you..." Attempted to ask the brawler when her eyes suddenly met the hole in the older woman's clothes where Samuel's blade had previously been through.

Her eyes widened as she noticed that Ruby's chest was absent of the grave wound it previously suffered from.

Before she could even ask about this miracle mending, the celebrity sluggishly stood up and faced the odachi user who still stood frozen, holding onto his blade.

"Alright, asshat. I did it. Now, take her body and leave us. If your order was to kill us, you'd have done so already."

The man remained silent for a few seconds before releasing a silent laugh which slowly increased in volume. He then lowered his sword and wiped it once more before sheathing it.

"Wonderful! Yes! This is what I expected to see! To think you would have made me use my blessing. The you from the past would never have been able to ever come close to this result! What did you-" He marveled before noticing the crimson liquid leaking from the celebrity's eyes.

His shoulders slumped as he released a disappointed sigh. "Another time I suppose." He grumbled, passing his fingers over the wound on his neck which suddenly disappeared without even leaving a scar.

He then removed Thorn from Cecilia's corpse and strapped it to his back before wrapping the young girl in her cloak which he had retrieved seemingly out of thin air.

Ceremoniously picking up the body in a bridal carry, he turned to face Ruby. "Rest, Ruby Rose. Next time we meet, I will give you the answers you seek."

He then disappeared with a strong gust of wind, causing them to cover their eyes momentarily.

Silence fell over the demolished container yard after what felt like an eternity of conflict.

Ruby groaned as she fell on her posterior, leaning onto her arms behind herself. "God, I hate him..."

Her eyes suddenly widened as she turned towards the roof they had used as a vantage point earlier.

"Glynda!" She shouted, vanishing from sight as she leaped in the building's direction.

The young adults stared at one another, unable to express any emotion out of the myriad amount of which they could choose.

Weiss distanced herself from the puddle of... tasteful content she had created, dusting her skirt before approaching her partner.

Both remained silent as the heiress sat next to her. They were soon joined by Blake who sat on the brawler's other side.

Sun's gaze traveled between the three women and the roof where Ruby had disappeared to. "So, uh... What now?"


Far in the distance, a lone figure observed the remaining group. Their lips thinned with worry as they took out their scroll and typed a certain number.

"Is The Boss still away from base?" They fell silent while the person on the other side replied. "Then I'm gonna need you to send a message as soon as possible."

They then watched as a two bullheads approached the container yard while the doors opened, revealing a few teachers from Beacon.

"We might have a huge problem on our hands." They said, closing their scrolls before walking away into the darkness. Their two silver-eyes glistening in the moonlight.


Thank you for reading to the end. If there's something I've learned in the past four months: it's that I'm not great at writing action and tension which, hopefully, is something that will improve fast. Especially considering the fact that RWBY is a very action focused world. Anyway. I have a feeling that most of the "end of volume" chapters are gonna be long ones. Which theoretically means that next one should be shorter and therefore, come out sooner than two months.

Also I know that begging for comments is unsightly, but I would really appreciate if the first comment people saw when they click on my story was not related to what I consider to be my worst written one.

A big thank you to everyone who continues to read and believe in this story and I hope to see you all when the next chapter comes out!