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"R- Ruler?" Pyrrha began to slowly back away. Israfil smiled and waved her hand. The door to the roof slammed shut.

"Don't leave so soon. We just met," she said.

"Who are you?" Pyrrha asked. Red lightning crackled around her fingers.

"Oh? Your magic's already manifesting itself? Interesting." the woman immediately appeared in her personal space, inspecting the lightning around Pyrrha's hands.

Pyrrha's eyes grew wide and backed away fast. She gulped. This woman, judging from how her body reacted, was not someone she should mess with. If it came down to a fight, Pyrrha was sure that she would lose. No, she was certain. She would certainly lose. "What are you talking about?" she said in the calmest way possible. Aggravating her was not at the top of her list.

"Your magic. You're a Ruler, are you not?" Israfil said.

"I'm afraid you're confused. Why would I be a Ruler?" Pyrrha's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. She didn't remember meeting someone that resembled this woman. "I've never met a God in my entire life."

"Really? And you're not the least bit shocked that I introduced myself as a God?" she asked.

"I assumed that you had delusions of grandeur." Pyrrha clenched her fists. A God? Is this woman crazy?

"Should I prove it?" she said.

Pyrrha tilted her head. What could she possibly do to prove that she was one? Her eyes grew wide when she saw that they were no longer on the rooftop. Pyrrha frantically looked around, seeing nothing but a white cratered landscape amidst a black sky. In the distance, she saw a massive blue orb. Her eyes grew wide when she saw several shapes that resembled the continents of Sanus, Anima, Mantle, Solitas, and Menagerie.

"Do you like it? I often come to the Moon to calm down."

Moon!? Her lungs began to hurt. Was there no air here? Her face slowly turned blue as the rapid depressurization of her lungs began to get the better of her.

"But enough about that."

Pyrrha blinked and she found herself standing on the roof once more. That woman stood across from her smiling. She soon began to realize the gravity of what just happened. That was no illusion. She could feel it. Every pore in her body felt the frigid iciness of space.

"G- Go.."

"Yes. I am one now and calm down. I'm just here to talk to the newest Ruler," she said.

"R- Ruler?" Pyrrha's eyes widened in shock. "Y- You must be mistaken! There's no way I could be a Ruler!"

"Oh? I was unaware that humans of this era knew what a Ruler was. I'm pretty sure that I told the last one to exist not to tell anyone she was one. And then there's the other one..." Israfil put her hand on her chin.

This era? "Of course we do. The old fairy tales say that a Ruler is the Herald of a God! Someone blessed with powers surpassing that of Aura and Semblance. A Ruler is tied to one of the Seven Great Gods. The stories say that in the distant past, all Seven Rulers were present. The West ruled with his iron fist of power. The Ruler of the East used his benevolence and wisdom to guide his people. The Ruler of the North's frigid heart hardened the people she swore to protect. The Ruler of the South inspired people with his courage. The Ruler of the Forests protected the people from disease with his magic, while the Ruler of Light took upon his oath for humanity and faunus and became a hero. And finally, the Ruler of Darkness, whose powers over the Grimm, allowed her to protect those she loved," Pyrrha said.

"Well, I see that knowledge of Rulers did survive." Israfil looked at her. So Ozma kept the stories alive… "You know much of Rulers yet refuse to believe that you aren't one."

"T- There's no way! I've never met any other God other than you!" Pyrrha said, bowing excessively.

"Stop that. Stop bowing. I was never comfortable with it back then, I'm not now."

Pyrrha stopped bowing but refused to meet her eyes.

"May I ask why you think I'm one, Your Holiness?" Pyrrha asked, trying to defer as much respect as she possibly could.

"Every Ruler has a Mark on their body that shows that they are one. A Motif if you will. Yours is on your hip. It will show itself whenever you use your powers like now," she said.

"Huh?" Pyrrha partially lifted her skirt. Her eyes went wide when she saw a faintly glowing tattoo etched into her hip. The geometric symbol vaguely resembled a draconic skull with two curved horns. "W- Wha… No, no, no! That's not possible! Did… Did you choose me to be a Ruler?"

"No. My brother did."

"Brother?"

Israfil smiled. She gestured for Pyrrha to come closer. The Champion did, not wanting to anger the woman who claimed to be a God and had the power to prove it. She heard her whisper something into her ear and Pyrrha's eyes grew wide.

"You know Winter, you don't need to follow us from 500 feet away," Jaune said, looking over his shoulder.

The Elder Schnee had her eyes closed, following them from a respectable distance. She didn't want to hover over them. Winter respected their need to be independent. She really did. That's why she refused the seat as the SDC's next CEO. Rather, she sought her own freedom and escaped to Atlas where she became a Specialist.

"Come on, Winty." Alice smiled.

Winter felt a vein throb in her forehead. "I thought I told you two to stop calling me Winty."

"Isn't that what Vert calls you? Is that her special name for you?" Jaune asked, innocently.

Winter sputtered, her face turning red all the way up to her ears. She wouldn't admit it but it was. It was Vert's pet name for her.

Alice giggled at her twin's antics.

Winter sighed. The twins, when together, could be the biggest pair of trolls on the planet. She merely ignored their repeated jabs and walked down the hallway with them, this time, walking alongside them.

"Hey Winter? Do you know what Ozpin and the General wanted out of Roman that he wanted us to ask?" Jaune asked.

Winter clammed up. She composed herself and remained silent. Jaune and Alice gave each other a look and gave her a suspicious glance. Seeing Winter's steely impassive face, the two sighed and continued to walk.

As they approached the dorm, Jaune's eyes slightly widened. This presence. Is she here? Jaune stopped his motion of unlocking the room. His twin had noticed this and looked at him strangely.

"Is something-!?" Alice felt a massive wave of pressure wash over her. Her body shook, whether out of fear or out of excitement was something she couldn't figure out. The sensation was familiar. Warm and comforting like a sunny field in the spring. So full of life like the forest yet it harbored power. Ancient, unknown power. She smiled shakily and nodded.

Winter watched all of this happen with some worry and confusion. I wonder what's gotten her all shaken up. It looks like she's seen a ghost, she thought.

"Alice. Alice, it's okay," Jaune said.

"What's wrong with her?" Winter asked.

"She had a panic attack. This happens from time to time," Jaune said. He was lying of course. Alice never had panic attacks. It was the only thing he could come up with on the spot. "Let's go inside and sit down okay?"

Alice nodded and Jaune opened the door. Walking inside, he sat his sister down on her bed, sitting next to her and patting her back. It seemed like Alice sensed her for the first time. Isla wasn't doing anything to hide from them. She wanted them to know she was here.

Winter walked into their dorm, surprised at how orderly and neat it was compared to her sister's team dorm. It looked like night and day. No health hazards and nothing violated the safety code. She turned and saw two little girls sleeping on what she assumed was a shared bed between the Arc Twins.

She smiled, walking over and pet one of Mae's ears. The fox faunus smiled slightly in her sleep.

"It seems like your family and teammates left Petra and Mae here after they fell asleep," Winter said, sitting at the edge of the bed.

"Yeah, but where'd they all go?" Jaune wondered.

"P- Probably around Beacon," Alice said, cursing herself for the unintentional stutter. Her nerves were getting the better of her.

"Should we go look for them?" Jaune asked.

At that, the door opened and Pyrrha walked in. The three took notice of her entrance but it seemed like she never took notice of theirs. Pyrrha walked into the room, her eyes looked ahead. Her eyes were emerald pits of turmoil. Jaune and Alice tilted their heads when they felt lingering traces of something foreign on Pyrrha.

"Hey, Pyrrha? Pyrrha?" Jaune said.

"... Huh? Oh! When did you guys get back?" Pyrrha asked, snapping out of her trance.

She saw Alice and Jaune sitting in front of her and took note of a white-haired woman, who was similar to Weiss sitting on her and Jaune's bed.

"We got back about a couple of minutes ago. Where is everyone?" he asked.

"Oh. They all went out around Beacon. Nora and Ren took your siblings and Miss Calavera with them," Pyrrha said, "While I volunteered to stay and look after Petra and Mae."

"But… where did you go after?" Alice asked.

"I just went to the roof to get some fresh air," Pyrrha said, smiling. Her eyes lingered on Jaune. Does he know? Does he know what he is?

Winter noted several things off immediately. She's… she's not telling the whole truth. Her body language indicates that she's hiding something and her facial expressions are too obvious, she thought.

"Are you sure?" Alice asked, "Your face looks a little pale."

"I'm fine. I swear, I just didn't get enough sleep last night," Pyrrha said, lying once more.

Jaune and Alice didn't take a word of what she said as truth. The two glanced at each other and Jaune internally sighed.

"Alright. Just get some rest," Jaune said.

"I'll leave for now. It looks like you three need some rest," Winter said.

"W- Wait! It's fine! You can stay here if I'm intruding!" Pyrrha said, waving her hands.

"No, I was just here to make sure Jaune and Alice got back to their dorms safely. I'm their escort to classes and to viewing the matches until the tournament is over. The General and the Headmaster want these two to be safe in case Torchwick's compatriots get here. I'll be back after reporting back to the Flagship and writing a report," Winter said.

"O- Okay. Are you sure you're not leaving because Vert isn't here?" Alice asked, smiling.

Winter looked away as a blush threatened to erupt across her face. Jaune tilted his head and Pyrrha giggled behind her hand.

She left the room in a huff and shut the door lightly behind her.

Alice smiled and moved, lying her head down on her brother's lap. He sighed and began to lightly stroke her hair.

"Oh, she took my spot," Pyrrha said, pouting slightly. She sat down where Winter once sat and smiled at the two.

Jaune smiled and continued to stare at her. He wanted to talk about what happened. The traces on her clearly belonged to Isla. She had visited him enough times to be familiar with her.

"Jaune." He blinked and looked down to see his sister looking at him weirdly.

"Huh?"

"You've been ogling Pyrrha for three minutes," she said.

Jaune looked back at Pyrrha, who had a flustered yet uncomfortable look on her face. Jaune blushed and rubbed the back of his head.

"I think you two need some alone time. I guess a few hours was too much for you. I'll watch Mae and Petra. You two go and have some time to yourselves," Alice said, getting off her brother's lap.

"Huh? But Mae and Pet-"

"Go spend some time with Pyrrha," Alice said. Her eyes flickered gold for a few seconds and Jaune nodded.

Pyrrha shivered. Those gold eyes.

Alice… Alice felt like Israfil for a moment. But Jaune. Jaune feels normal. Was she wrong?

"Pyrrha. Come on! I know somewhere we can go," Jaune said. She looked up and flashed a fake smile. Grabbing his hand, Pyrrha let Jaune lead her out of the room. After leaving, the two left the dorms and wandered aimlessly around campus. It was mostly empty due to people being on the festival grounds, granting them some much-needed privacy.

Pyrrha stole glances from Jaune, who just looked ahead. After several minutes of walking, Jaune found a nice secluded bench far away from the busy parts of the school. The two sat down, sitting in silence.

How should I ask her? Jaune wondered, glancing at his girlfriend. He needed to know why Isla talked to her. No, he wanted to know why Pyrrha. As far as he knew, Pyrrha had nothing to do with the greater destiny of anything. Pyrrha was just Pyrrha. The Girl from Mistral that won the tournament and became champion. What would the God of Life herself want from her?

"Jaune, I-" her eyes widened when he placed his hand over hers.

"Thanks for always being there for me, Pyr. Even during times when… it became clear that I didn't deserve it. And back in the room, it looked like there was a lot on your mind and… I guess what I'm trying to say is how can I help?" Jaune asked.

Pyrrha looked at him for a few seconds and laughed a little.

"What? What's wrong?" Jaune asked, a little offended. He really meant it. He wanted to help with whatever was bothering her.

"Nothing. It's nothing… just… I'm just glad that you're you," Pyrrha said.

"Oh." Jaune went silent.

"Hey, Jaune," Pyrrha said, leaning on his shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"What if someone told you something about someone that changed your entire view of them?" Pyrrha asked.

"How do you mean?" he tilted his head.

"For example, what if you were told that the person you knew was never the thing they were? Like when everyone found out about your transcripts," Pyrrha said.

"Oh. Hmmm…" Jaune placed a hand on his chin. This was an odd question. Did she find something out? "I guess I would… be confused? It would definitely be a shock to find out that everything I knew was based on a lie. But I guess the first thing I'd ask is a bit cliche."

"Cliche?" she asked.

"Yeah. I'd ask if everything that we were was a lie. Was our relationship a lie?" Jaune looked up at the sky.

"Oh, huh," Pyrrha said. She looked into the sky with her boyfriend. No… wait. Was our relationship a lie? Jaune's not what I thought he was. Even back then but still, I stood by him. He's not even… she stole a glance. His face looked so calm, perfectly lit by the setting sun. Pyrrha mentally punched herself. No. Stop. No matter what… Jaune is still Jaune. Pyrrha smiled. "I see."

"Why?" he asked.

"Oh, it's just. I found something out about someone and I was wondering how to approach it but, I think you gave me some comfort," she said.

"Who is it?" Jaune asked.

"Someone. I… I won't tell you now. Maybe later but I need to figure this out," Pyrrha said. "I need to figure a lot of things out," she mumbled.

"Well, whatever it is, I'll be glad to help you. Of course, Nora, Ren, and Alice can help too. No matter what problem it is, we're your team and we'll stand by you through the thick of it," Jaune said.

Pyrrha gave him a smile. Oh, Jaune. But… She shook her head. "No, this is something I have to do. It's something only I can do."

"Pyrrha, what do you mean? We're a team. Whatever our problems are, we can get through them together," Jaune said.

Pyrrha went silent. Why was he being so pushy with this? "Jaune, I'll be fine."

"Pyrrha, please. You helped me get so let me help you," he said, reaching out to her.

She pulled back and gave him a stern look. "Jaune, I don't need help. This is something I need to do on my own."

"Pyrrha, don't do what I did. Don't push everyone away." Jaune reached out to comfort her.

"I said I'll be fine!" her eyes glowed and red lightning arced off her body, forcing Jaune to yank his arm back.

He looked at her wide-eyed and she looked back at him. A look of shock was on her face as she immediately began to regret what she just did.

"Jaune… I- I didn't-"

"It's fine," he said, smiling sadly. "I'll see you back at the dorm."

"Jaune! Wait! I'm sorry!" she said, reaching out for him. The moment her hand made contact with his shoulder, her eyes widened when a pulse of red electricity blasted him back. Jaune flew and impacted a pillar. He groaned and fell to the ground. Luckily, his aura had absorbed the brunt of the damage. If his aura had been down, Jaune was sure he'd be in the infirmary.

Pyrrha had her hands over her mouth, horror etched over her face.

"Jeez, get a grip! Your powers are going haywire!" the shade appeared next to her.

"Pyrrha?" Jaune said, shakily getting up. Wha… What just happened? he thought. He tried walking over to her.

Pyrrha teared up, shaking her head. She turned on her heel and bolted, running faster than he could hope to catch up. Jaune just stood there in shock, processing what just happened inside his head.

Pyrrha ran. Tears streamed down her face. Why did I do that!? He was just trying to help! She thought. Her vision was blurred due to the tears and she couldn't tell where she was going. Pyrrha eventually slowed down, coming to a halt as she found herself on Beacon Cliff, overlooking the Emerald Forest. She fell to her knees and let loose a few tears.

"What's wrong with you? He only wanted to help," the shade said.

"You don't understand," Pyrrha said.

"The hell I don't! I was there when Israfil told us!" the shade said.

"How am I supposed to tell him something like that!? Oh, Jaune, by the way, some blond woman claiming to be a God told me that you were one too!" Pyrrha snapped back. Red lightning arced off her body, scorching the grass around her. A green light flickered in her eyes erratically.

The shade was taken aback, going silent for a few seconds.

"It's not about me viewing Jaune differently! Jaune will always be Jaune and nothing will change that. It's about how he'll react to finding out that… he's not what he thinks he is," she said. "Why did you even tell me?" Pyrrha turned around to see the blonde goddess standing behind her. She had sensed her arriving. The Goddess didn't make any attempt to hide herself from her.

Israfil closed her eyes and sighed. "I never imagined that you would react like this. I should've probably kept my mouth shut the moment I saw you run back into the building after I pointed them out."

"..." Pyrrha remained silent. Israfil walked up and stood next to her.

"But you needed to know." she looked over the Emerald Forest. "This is your destiny now. You are a Ruler. Someone chosen by the Gods as a Herald."

"But why me?" Pyrrha asked.

"I don't know why you. A Ruler is chosen by a God because they are worthy to wield immense magical power to represent their God. You are a special case," Israfil said, "You became a Ruler because he was desperate to save you. He unconsciously created you trying to save your life. Shouldn't you be happy?"

"Happy? I am but…" Pyrrha trailed off.

"But what? Nothing has changed. Despite his status, my brother is still the person you knew. The things that I've revealed to you shouldn't change anything unless you start seeing him differently. Take that cat faunus for example. Did you all change your views about her after she came out as a Faunus?" Israfil asked.

"N- No."

"Then this should change nothing," Isla said. "Jaune will always be the Jaune you met. The Jaune you pinned to the tree during initiation. He will and always will be the boy you fell in love with. So what if he has divine origins, why should that make him different from everyone else? He experiences everything a human and faunus does. He can feel fear, happiness, sadness, and even love. And trust me when I say that Jaune does love you. It may have taken him a while to get there but he really does love you."

"I'm afraid," Pyrrha said.

"Afraid of what?" Israfil looked at her oddly.

"Jaune… you told me what he was. He's going to live forever but… I'll die one day. What if he leaves me?" she asked.

"Why would he leave you? That fool is head-over-heels in love with you."

"But our lifespa-"

"Don't worry about your life spans. Just enjoy the time you have together," she said, "I know better than you the cycle of life and death, better than anyone actually. Humans and Faunus are beautiful because their lives are short. It allows them to shine brightly at the cost of burning out faster. Why should your limited lifespan bother him or you? You two have something beautiful."

"Your Holiness, I don't think you understand my problem here," Pyrrha said. "My dream was for me and Jaune to spend the rest of our lives together. But finding out that… you know. It's heart crushing that forever doesn't mean forever. One day, in the future, I'll leave Jaune by himself here in this world. One day, I won't be able to hold his hand, argue with him, go places with him, and everything I've always wanted to do with him. I won't even be able to spend my afterlife with him because I'll be dead and he'll be alive."

"I see. I never thought of that. Mortals are truly complex beings," Israfil said.

"..." Pyrrha nodded and just continued looking at the expanse of the forest.

"But you shouldn't be afraid. No matter how old or wrinkly you get, he will never stop loving you. So don't let that bother you," Israfil said, "Which brings me to my next topic. I originally wanted to talk to you about before you ran off to go see my brother."

Pyrrha glanced at the Goddess, who for the first time had a serious look on her face.

"I'm sure that your existence is known throughout the whole of Remnant now. The other Four Gods. My brothers and sister are aware of your existence and are watching you closely. You shouldn't worry about them. They won't return for some time but… other forces on this world are slowly becoming aware of your status," she said.

"Forces?" Pyrrha asked.

"You are aware of the Maidens yes?" Israfil asked.

"That's a fairy tale," she said.

"No, it's not. The Maidens are very real. There are forces out there that want the power of the Maidens. Their goal is to hunt them down and steal their powers," Israfil said.

"What do the Maidens have to do with me?" Pyrrha asked.

"Those very forces have trained their eyes on Beacon. There's something here that they want but the amount of magic used to mask it is vast and I'm hardly at full strength. Our little trip to the Moon was what I could pull off with the limited power I have right now," she said. "But I digress. Whatever it is that is purposely being hidden from me is their target. Soon, this school will become a sea of flames. Fate will converge and destiny shall reveal itself to the ones who fate has chosen to be actors on her stage. Grimm of all sizes will swarm the school unless…"

"Unless?"

"Unless, if a choice is made."

"By me?"

"Partially. Two people at this school will have to make a choice. I'm sure they've felt it. They're onto it by now. That they're not normal," Israfil said.

Pyrrha looked down. Jaune and…? "You mentioned a second."

"Ah. Well, twins will always be twins."

Pyrrha's eyes grew wide. It was blatantly obvious who she was referring to.

"Their choice will either save Remnant or damn it forever. And you will be there to make your own decision."

"My own decision?" Pyrrha asked. For some reason, she felt as if she wasn't going to like what she was going to hear. Then again, were the words of a God ever going to be comforting?

"You'll know once you're at the edge of death's door. To cling to your humanity and die human or to stop clinging to your humanity and embrace the blessings of the Gods. Tell me, are you prepared to do that, Ruler of Darkness?"

This chapter is shorter than usual. Mostly because I found it fitting to be that way. No matter how I tried to add to it, nothing felt right or natural you know. So we now know what a Ruler is. A Ruler is a God's Herald and there used to be seven in total. Basically, they're the Gods' version of Maidens only... well, we haven't seen how strong they are because Pyrrha's never fought as one. Well, that's it for now. Remember to review and follow if you haven't already! Judging from my notes, I believe that we've passed the halfway mark of the story.