With the comatose Ruby in its arms, the Reaper stood before an ankle-high pool that led to Remnant and gazed upon their reflections. One was pure and innocent with desperate tears of heartbreak fresh down her face; a side effect of the torture she endured deep in her mind. Her face, once contorted into a ball of misery, had only relaxed after the Reaper freed her from Salem's Tartarus Grimm. Beneath the unhappy surface, it is possible that Ruby felt peace in her heart. At the very least, the emotional pain she endured must have been alleviated to some extent.
The other was the exact opposite; on the outside, there were no tears, fear, or anger. It looked human, but its facial expression showed no emotion. Everything about its appearance, from its jagged fangs to its blood-red eyes was designed to bring forth feelings of terror. Designed…that was the right word. That's what it was. Deep in its black heart, it knew it was a fake. The Reaper knew its memories weren't its own; that they've always have belonged to Ruby, but it all felt too real to just be let go. The time spent at Beacon before it fell, the journey to Mistral and eventually Atlas, the pain of watching beloved friends die, and the constant pressure of leading at such a young age; it remembered it all, but it was Ruby's life. That simple truth, more than anything else, left a deep self-loathing in its heart.
The Reaper looked down at Ruby's face; she looked so vulnerable now. Out of impulse, it traced its thumbnail over her face to brush a lock of her hair off of it, only to leave a bloody graze across her skull. Ruby let out a weak cry; the face of anguish had returned. The Reaper's mouth went agape with guilt; the memories it had accounted for soft fingers that could barely harm a butterfly without a scythe, not razor-sharp claws that could rend flesh with a gesture. This was like a sick joke; a vile curse that robbed her of her life and forced her to bring pain to those around it. Only there was no curse; the original Ruby was in its arms. No gods commanded it to "learn the importance of life and death." No gods gave this "transformation" any kind of escape clause. Even Salem, for all her cruelty and pettiness, had a way out of her curse, if only she would take responsibility for her mistakes. For the Reaper, there was no hope.
With a resigned grimace, the Reaper took its first step into the pool. They would leave this vile place behind and…
"No, no, no, no, no. This is wrong. What you're doing is wrong! ALL WRONG!"
The Reaper heard a frantic man yell at her from behind; Tyrian Callows, one of Salem's servants. It stopped in its tracks, but it didn't turn around to look him in the eyes. He got down on his knees and exuded a negativity that suggested a growing desperation. He made one wild gesture after another as if he was giving a stage performance.
"You have upset Her Grace. You have upset the Queen! With each passing moment, you stray from your chosen path and the glorious destiny that awaits us all!" Tyrian pleaded.
Faint memories of the time Team RNJR fought this man lingered in the Reaper's mind. Ruby first crossed blades with this man at Higanbana…and nearly lost her uncle Qrow to his poisonous stinger. What he was doing here and now, after her "goddess" fled the castle that the Reaper left in flames; it didn't entirely know, but one thing was certain, and the original Ruby would surely agree. This guy is weird.
And so, the Reaper offered all of the respect that this weird sadistic man was worth; none. With a deadpan expression, it shook its head, pointed at said head with its index finger, and twirled said finger in a circular motion to eloquently convey just how accurately the Reaper simply. Does. Not. Give. A. Shit. It walked across the pool; the gateway back to Remnant was only a dozen steps or so away.
"Don't ignore meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Tyrian yelled hysterically.
The Reaper ignored him. It didn't care what he had to say. At all. Despite that obvious fact, the crazed Faunus wouldn't relent and tailed behind it.
"You're confused, conflicted; you truly believe you are Ruby Rose! But you are not…you cannot be. The truth lies in front of you!" Tyrian pleaded.
He wasn't lying. The Reaper didn't delude itself; it just didn't care. He quickly ran in front of it and made more wild gestures.
"You are the Queen's greatest creation. A testament to the follies of the two false gods! You know deep in your heart! You belong to our goddess, now and forever!"
The Reaper bared its teeth in anger; bestial growls escaped its lips. If an innocent person's life didn't matter so much, it might consider grabbing this demented man by the throat just for saying that.
"All hope is not lost! Return to us! She will forgive you! I swear it! You're the one…the only one that can end the cycle. It was the Queen's wisdom that gave you power and purpose. Follow your path. Embrace the pain and violence. This is Her gift to you. Fulfill your duty to your divine sav—"
Tyrian's incessant rambling was cut off by the Reaper's hand over his face. Imbued by the Infernal Aura, the Reaper's claws dug into Tyrian's face, bypassing any Aura that would normally protect him. It pushed him down into the pool and walked on top of him; its foot crushing his face as it left him behind.
And still, he would not relent. His loyalty to his "goddess" is unwavering; the Reaper supposed he deserves that much praise. He rose from the pool with fierce hatred and tears of betrayal in his eyes. The pincer-shaped blades attached to his bracers extended and he charged toward the Reaper in a fit of insanity.
"You bitch!" Tyrian yelled.
The scorpion Faunus quickly leaped on top of the Reaper like an animal; its metal stinger wrapped around the Reaper's torso. It stood unfazed by the assault and actively restrained itself not to outright murder this man. That is, until he carved a huge gash across Ruby's leg with his weapon. The Reaper's calm antipathy faded immediately. It grabbed the demented man by the throat and lifted him off the ground with one hand. Tyrian stuck his tongue out in twisted glee and sank his blades around the Reaper's throat, in turn.
With his other hand, he thrust his other pair of blades into the Reaper's face…only for the blades to shatter upon impact, leaving only a minor cut on its face. A loud clang echoed in both sets of ears; a stark difference from the flesh and fur Beowolves Tyrian murdered on a whim. The Reaper glared squarely in his eyes. Its other hand reached one of the blades across its throat, snapped it apart like it was little more than a pencil, and dropped it in the pool. And then, the Reaper felt his fear. Its skin fed off of it and healed the scratch on its face just as quickly as it was delivered. The sight of such recovery only caused more fear from him.
The Reaper's already blood-red eyes glowed with an all-consuming hate. Within seconds, a red light came from its eyes and engulfed the unfortunate Faunus. His anguished screams grew quieter and his body withered like a raisin. The pupils in his eyes faded; his eyes were completely white. The Reaper pried the stinger off its body and tossed it aside. It sank its claws into the back of his skull and slammed it into the ground beneath the pool. The impact was so great that his head burst into a bloody paste. Finally, the Reaper tossed the rest of the body away like pointless trash.
It took a moment to collect itself after what just happened. The memories it possessed was not one of a cold-blooded killer, yet the Reaper did just that. More self-loathing entered its heart; it felt so wrong to do such a thing to a person. It saw the blood all over its claws as it dripped into the water below. A pained growl escaped its lips as it washed the blood away, yet even while the blood was no longer visible, it still felt...there.
The Reaper's attention then turned to Ruby, who still hadn't woken from her torture-induced coma. It traced its claw over Ruby's cloak and cut a long strip out. It wrapped the strip around Ruby's leg to use it like a makeshift bandage and picked her up. It took one last look at its fallen victim. Was he truly demented or only deceived by Salem? The original Ruby never knew this man beyond his cruel actions, and neither did the Reaper. No matter what the circumstances were, murder felt horrible. Necessary? Possibly, but it was still horrible. Putting this ordeal behind it, the Reaper walked across the pool with Ruby in tow.
Red like roses fills my dreams and brings me to the place you rest.
Fresh blood spread across the pool and followed the Reaper as it walked.
White is cold and always yearning, burdened by a royal test.
The gateway between worlds slowly opened; cold air and fresh snow was visible on the other side.
Black the beast descends from shadows.
Grimm came from all sides, attracted to the agony left behind by the dead Faunus.
Yellow beauty burns gold.
Sunlight shined from the gateway upon the Reaper's face.
The Grimm approached the Reaper from behind with unusual hatred; one that would only be given to a traitor to their kind. Sensing their presence, the Reaper turned around. This action alone caused the Grimm to stop dead in their tracks. A long wordless standoff occurred between the Grimm and this heretic. Neither side would budge until the Reaper glared at the Grimm with narrow eyes and a silent warning that conveyed the following statement: Look upon your creator's servant and ask what chance you have that you'll leave here alive. After a few seconds, the Grimm understood the statement, turned their gazes away, and slowly walked away.
Setting foot into the world of Remnant for the first time, the Reaper could sense the familiar sensation that settled in its heart from the outside. Was it anger, sadness, or something else; possibly another Grimm? Whatever it was, it was negative, and it felt enticing enough to instinctually follow. It was a reminder, not of its cursed fate, but of the misery that others felt in this world. Surely the pain of others mattered as much to the Reaper as its own pain, if not more so. It couldn't help it. It couldn't just stand aside and let things happen as they do. The memories of such moments…of being powerless to help while others were hurt was…abhorrent. This was the choice it had to make. Whatever loathing the Reaper felt over its own circumstances wasn't important in the grand scheme of things. Its suffering wasn't important. The entire world was on the brink of despair from the actions of the Reaper's own creator. It needed hope; it needed that spark. It needed…Ruby. That's what mattered.
The Reaper wandered aimlessly across the frozen landscape for hours with Ruby in its arms, ignoring the urges that directed her toward any other Grimm. By some miracle, the young Huntress finally woke from her coma; her silver eyes met the Reaper's red eyes. It set her down on the ground when it felt the fear come from her heart. From the Reaper's lips came a young girl's voice, similar to the original Ruby's, only with a distorted and lower pitch.
"I know you're worried, Ruby, but trust me. I won't leave your side for a second! I promise."
The fear in her heart subsided in an instant. Her face still displayed justified confusion, but the Reaper offered a sincere smile.
There was no hope for the Reaper. It would fight the endless tide of negativity that would surely follow in the days to come, both from outside and within. It may never be trusted by the light or the darkness, and may suffer an ignoble end, but if doing so could bring hope to others, then that was the choice it would make. It was the only choice it had.