Blasphemous Rose
A RWBY x Blasphemous Crossover.
-Unraveled Rose II: Leaps of Faith-
(Dune Soundtrack -Paul Atreides Suite)
Qrow Brawen was not a model for the ideal Huntsman and he was aware of it.
Between a Semblance bringing random bouts of misfortune and the inevitable comparison of skill with his sister, he developed a measure of bitterness that translated in laziness and cynicism. Becoming part of team STRQ both alleviated and worsened such bitterness.
He lacked the proactive approach to missions of his partner, the skill in combat and more reliable Semblance of his sibling, and the sheer endurance and charisma of the other male in their team. But he compensated with his own skill when it mattered, and his much better ability as a scout.
He fell for the woman that became his partner yet never had it in him to pursue her. When it became obvious Summer was pinning for her sister's boyfriend and partner, Qrow still acted as a friend and never took the chance, giving words of support and just watching as Summer and Taiyang became close after his bitch of a sister ditched her new family to return to their tribe. Still, that got him a privileged position as a valuable friend of the Xiao Long-Rose family, and the bonus of becoming the uncle for not just one but two nieces.
Both him and Summer became more active members of the greater fight as members of Ozpin's Order, taking up missions that no others could be trusted to perform. He was happy to renew the partnership with Summer, and secretly humbled by the level of trust Taiyang had on him when it came to the welfare of his wife. But he also grew concerned how much more she seemed to prioritize missions when Ozpin asked for her help; even if she was leaving behind her family for weeks, even if she chose to go alone when Qrow was busy on his own missions.
And his stupid hesitation costed Taiyang and him the woman they both loved. The widower didn't blame Qrow openly, but he clearly harbored enough resentment at his absence to the point where he no longer invited him to his cabin in Patch.
For two weeks after the funeral, Qrow had been a persona non grata, and he had accepted such position no matter how much he wanted to embrace his nieces and comfort them. For two weeks, Qrow had trusted Taiyang on being the more mature of the two and take his role as the sole remaining parent seriously.
He had refused any calls from Ozpin during that time, drowning his sorrows in booze and secretly crying for the loss of Summer Rose.
Until his semblance struck randomly, cracking the glass on the picture he had taken with the Xiao Long-Rose family when Summer had still been amongst the living. The crack ran up-down on the very location of his nieces, and Qrow blamed on his drunk state the impression he got of small drops of blood leaking from it.
It had been foreboding enough to make him search for his money and run to the closes Bullhead he could find to Patch, all the while calling Taiyang demanding to know about Ruby and Yang.
Twice he got no reply. By the time Tai reluctantly answered and readied for some stupid tirade, Qrow had shut him up by telling him of the absence of the two children from the Xiao Long-Rose cabin, all the way he used his skills as a scout to search for them.
His lack of action when a bad feeling hit resulted in the death of Summer, his willingness to move into action allowed him to save his nieces from a similar fate.
Tai had bawled his eyes out when reunited with his daughters.
That still didn't stop Qrow from beating the living crap out of him the next day, unleashing all of his frustration and anger on the blonde man.
His old friend may have thought the bitterness of a widower was strong enough as a fuel during a fight.
But it had nothing on the ruthlessness of the man whose guilt was surpassed by the disappointment and anger at the imbecile who never stopped his own wife from taking dangerous quests, who rejected help when he really needed it after losing her, and who abandoned his own daughters in his self-pity.
Qrow had been a hypocrite, but he still condemned Taiyang with his fists.
He who had everything Qrow had wanted but never pursued because he lacked the resolve and selfishness for it. Taiyang, who would throw it all away while wallowing in his self-pity, threatening what Qrow had gained in the form of a new family.
For the first time in years, Qrow Brawen stood shakily but victorious over Taiyang Xiao Long, his conviction and anger stronger than whatever resolution remained in his former teammate.
And he collapsed not too long after.
He was left in terrible pain, but it was worth it.
That day, both men reignited the flame of their friendship while laying on the ground covered in bruises and a missing tooth or two, all the while being scolded and tearfully hugged by Ruby and Yang.
Two weeks afterwards, Qrow announced he would be going back to make missions for Ozpin, but he made the family a promise.
He would contribute more actively in the training of his nieces, and always prioritize his family before his job when force into choosing.
In exchange, they were to avoid making another stupid outing like the one attempted by Yang. Tai would commit himself to being a good father, caring but also stern when needed.
Yang didn't exactly fulfill her part of the deal, but she never dragged her sister into dangerous situations even while daring Fate by continuing in the pursuit of his bitch of a sister. Tai found a job at Patch and showed himself a responsible parent, even keeping tabs on his rebellious daughter and taking action when he discovered her attempting something dangerous.
It wasn't perfect, but they all made if work for a handful of years.
Then Ruby went missing, no signs of struggle or clues to her whereabouts.
His skills as a scout worthless, his contacts in the light and the shadow meaningless, his hopes fading away with every new day without finding her.
Eventually, even he succumbed to the realization that his favorite niece was gone. Just like her mother.
He had tried stopping Yang from continuing the apparently pointless quest for her sister, even going as far as joining a shouting match with her father the one day the animosity grew too much.
But Yang proved worryingly relentless in her pursuit.
Tai had shared with Qrow how much Ruby's disappearance truly weighted on her sister. And Qrow had the same conversation with Ruby about a week ago.
He told her how the girl made guard on the room of her missing sibling every morning and every night, how she spoke to Ruby as if expecting some sort of answer.
He told Ruby how Yang had completely forsaken her previous search for Raven and committed lots of time and effort in training and finding clues about her missing sister. Qrow told Ruby he had always been watching from behind the scenes, a protective shadow in the form of a small bird always ready to fall upon threats to his family.
And in the company of Tai, Qrow shared his biggest concern with his favorite niece.
In the end, while they could protect her body, they were failing in protecting Yang's spirit from the obsession that was slowly consuming her. Tai and Qrow could see the future awaiting such path.
A woman driven mad by grief and guilt, replacing her commitment to find her missing sibling for a merciless drive to bring punishment to those with any possible link to her fate. Either alone or under the service of someone with power and the right beliefs, Yang would forsake her own happiness to avenge her sister and wage war against those who would attempt harming her family again.
Ruby's return to Remnant had put a stop to such future, and both adults openly expressed how doubly grateful they were because of their reunion.
But Ruby, who had been silent during the whole talk, gave an unexpected reaction.
There was a bitter smile on her face.
"We resemble those two more than I thought. The love between siblings can be such a powerful bond, but also a powerful curse…"
But just as quickly, her bitterness gave way to resolution.
"I won't let such a tragedy happen again. I will not forsake Yang to such fate. This I swear."
That very same resolution was present at the moment, as his niece stood protectively in front of his teammates, friends and family.
She moved into position, ready to fight to protect event the more experienced adults in her family from a potential threat.
A potential threat she had identified in Ozpin, the man who had always stood as the bastion of hope and determination for the survival of Humans and Fauni against the Grimm Queen.
His niece had started a chain reaction in both sides, though differing amongst all present.
Most of the kids were confused and panicked, with the only one looking ready for fight of flight being the leader of the team where the pancake girl was. He looked calm, but Qrow could see the how his left hand held the younger redhead in place as he gave a look to the others to remain where they were.
Yang and Tai were a given, even if the father of two still sough to placate the anxiety of his daughter and understand her words.
As for Qrow himself?
If the steel in Ruby's eyes reminiscent of that night was not enough, the way Ironwood shifted made his own position clear.
"Careful there, Ironman. Try something against my niece and I will make sure you'll have to crawl like a worm back to your shiny desk in Atlas."
"What the hell are you doing Qrow!?" -demanded Glynda, but he ignored her. Ozpin was still silent, content with observing the unfolding chaos. The General of Atlas, annoyed but still very composed, replied to his threat.
"I am merely preparing in case she proves openly hostile. You would threaten me with torture just because I am being careful, as you demand? You truly live up to the legacy and reputation of your tribe of savages. At least your sister is honest about what she is."
"I am here, while she is not. I am protecting my family, just as my niece is attempting to do so. Unlike the honorable new leader of the Brawen Tribe, I was able to find happiness with my new family. All the while supporting our common cause. I will make sure she apologizes later if she overreacted, but I will not have you pointing a gun at her just because she got defensive at Ozpin" -with his piece said, Qrow turned to look at Ruby.
"Kiddo, I am taking risks here, so you better be truthful, okay? You told us that today you would explain all of this mess with the bitch in golden armor, the giant man chilling out in the backyard two days ago, and the whole deal with your disappearance and this new mission that you must totally succeed at. Does it have something to do with this deal about the voices of the dead and Ozpin not being Ozpin?"
"Is not that he is not Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon" -spoke once again Ruby –"When people die, their body leaves behind echoes of their life. Their final thoughts and their regrets are the most common, though some other details may be there. When I touched his hand, I was able to listen to those echoes, the voices of different people that eventually became one single voice. An old voice that at one point called himself Ozma, who fused with the other newer voices until they could no longer be told apart.
Something like that should not be possible normally. Either a Semblance, or…."
It was at this moment that Ozpin chose to intervene.
"Before you continue on your interesting hypothesis about me, I would like everyone to calm down, please" -he turned to look at Qrow and Ironwood in particular "I appreciate the concern James, but I am not some feeble old man despite my gray hair. If Ms. Rose becomes aggressive, I can defend myself and allow you to take a more appropriate response, so do not let the tension get you. The same goes for you, Qrow and Taiyang. I know the last year has been very hard for your family and you are more than justified in your wish to protect Ms. Rose. But have some trust in my desire to avoid unnecessary violence."
As Qrow did before him, Ozpin directed his attention to the person of the hour.
"How about a trade? If I tell you about the truth about what upsets you so badly, would you willingly share how you found out what you did?"
"…"
"Are you serious Ozpin?" -commented Ironwood –"Was she in the right in her crazy argument, to some degree?"
"…"
"That said, I would like some information in advance as a payment for unraveling something of mine" -Ozpin continued, ignoring Ironwood, but not denying his words –"how bad are things from your side?"
"I have been chosen to perform a pilgrimage of Penitence as the new wielder of the Sword of Guilt. That sword was used by the Penitent One in Silence, to put an end to the horrors and corruption inflicted as punishment by the divine will ruling Cvstodia, the Grievous Miracle. I am to perform a series of trials before the path to the Cradle of Corruption is opened, so I can put an end to the source of the darkness afflicting Remnant.
But if the Grievous Miracle is involved, whatever was already taking place in Remnant can become better or worse. The Miracle has a warped sense of justice and retribution that connects to the wishes and beliefs of the people it rules over."
"Ah, so you have been chosen to take the fight to the very Grimmlands, to Salem herself" -Qrow saw Ozpin musing aloud, while freely revealing the name of the great enemy of Remnant as a whole; but he also saw on the older man's visage the same bitter smile that Ruby had on that night –"I must ask for your forgiveness, Ms. Rose… no, Ruby. You deserve to have your name called in acknowledgement by the old man whose failures have put you on this position."
Ozpin bowed. He actually made a bow to his niece as he sought her forgiveness for apparently playing a big role in the war that demanded that Ruby put herself in danger, by some stupid High Wills that Qrow still didn't understand but started to very much despise.
"Ozpin!" -once again Glynda.
"Are you another Penitent, Headmaster?" -asked a more calmed Ruby, her face showing her surprise at the action of the person she had been previously wary off.
"Hmm, a fitting term I suppose. You may take my words as truth or lies, but I will fulfill my part of our agreement since I have a debt to you. A debt to pay to all of you in this room."
All of those who had felt excluded from the theater taking place in front of them, found themselves suddenly turned into actors with this admission.
All of them, curious and wary. All of them, taken by surprise time and time again.
Some wondering if their lives would ever turn back to a semblance of normality, a normality lost since that fateful day within the Abandoned Temple.
"I was first Ozma, a warrior of the times of yore before Dust and Semblances existed and when the Gods of Light and Darkness inhabited the world that would become Remnant. In my journeys fighting injustice and evil, I rescued a young and beautiful maiden imprisoned against her will in a high tower. Together we fought for her freedom, and together we sought happiness in the bigger world outside.
But sickness claimed me, and my beloved was driven by grief and her inability to move on into asking each of the Gods to bring me back from the grasps of death. Darkness, ruler of death, refused; and he punished my wife for daring to ask his brother to meddle in his domain, by having me go through life and death multiple times, and later cursing her with immortality. Instead of letting it go, my beloved taught the secrets of magic to Humanity and rallied them all to fight the Gods… they lost, and Humanity was almost completely erased from existence as punishment. All but the instigator of their doom, who remained immortal as the Gods left the world behind and broke the moon in their path.
Before their departure, however, I was offered a deal by Light to look after Humanity and to handle the growing power and darkness of my wife as the years went by. Under the name Omar, I reunited with her and bore witness to the changes she had gone through. Alone and defeated, the grief had driven her suicidal and she made one last attempt on her life by casting herself into a pool of darkness, emerging powerful and able to command the creatures of the Grimm. Even as we attempted to reignite our love and had four children as the fruit of our reunion, I knew of her ambition and her willingness to rule over the new iteration of Humanity and the Faunus by using our powers and her command over the Grimm. Eventually Omar and his beloved fought in the presence of their children, and he was ultimately powerless to stop her or even protect their daughters.
Since then, I have gone by many different names. I was Oman, the wanderer who sought to explore the land surrounding the Grimmlands. I was Owen, the privateer who fought the Grimm on the waters and helped in the creation of the routes for the transport of people and goods between the four kingdoms. I was Orion, the Huntsman who culled down the forces of the Grimm from vast portions of land, allowing the kingdoms to experience years of reprieve from the Grimm Queen. I was Otto, the King of Vale who fought to put an end to a war which would have allowed the Grimm Queen to easily destroy what was left amidst the ashes. I was Odin, the wise advisor in the council of Vale that helped maintaining the peace achieved by Otto."
And then Qrow felt Ozpin let out a portion of his old strenth, his magic shrouding him in green as he finished his confession.
"And now I am Ozpin, Headmaster of the Beacon Academy for Huntsmen and Huntresses in Vale. I have been preparing the future generations for their the paths of their choosing, but also building up the potential of humans and faunus to stand against the machinations of my ex-wife, Salem the Grimm Queen. I have made too many mistakes for multiple lifetimes, and was denied the chance to put an end to this war by my own hand.
If you have been chosen by the Gods of Remnant or whatever the Grievous Miracle represents in all of this, then I will ask for your forgiveness, undeserving as I am of it. But I will not do so with mere bows or words, or by repeating the same formula that costed us so much in the form of dear people like your mother. Whether wisdom and connections, or resources in the form of people and materials, allow this old man, this Penitent One of Reincarnation, to support you.
I give you my oath, Ruby Rose... help me save Remnant and put an end to my own Penitence, as I will help you to overcome whatever challenge lies between you and Salem."
A/N: Ufff, I did it. I corrected some mistakes I had with the previous chapter and managed to deliver this one way ahead of schedule. For the next time you will really have to wait before an update, so I apologize for the teaser and hope you enjoy it.
See ya.