A/N: This is the main retcon I did.


Chapter 3: The Abyss Opens


Glynda having left Ozpin's office and had returned to her office and was now sitting at her desk. As she sat, she felt sorry for Ruby and her team, No one expected Ironwood to have turned so far away from peace. If what she suspected had occurred they had to know immediately so just five solemn minutes alone, she sat before her finger tentatively hovered over the button to call them up, she sighed as her reservations got a hold of her and she pulled her finger back. Though she pinged their scrolls and prepared to explain to them what had occurred. She knew it was likely too soon but this had to happen. She was relieved that in just barely over ten minutes after sending the scroll alert to the two of them, they had arrived in her office.

"Miss Rose, Miss Schnee, do you know why I called you two here?" Glynda opened the door with that question. She asked this hoping that at least one of them would explain the merge to her but alas all she got was a quick and harsh reply from Ruby who seemed different to the instructor, and that was due to her ever-present red cloak was gone.

"No, we don't?!" Ruby growled, expecting another scolding, something Goodwitch was quite known for and good at. Though the air in the sparsely decorated office wasn't tense to Ruby as she quickly realized the tone Goodwitch had was more pleasant and sympathetic than normal.

"No need to be mad, Miss Rose, I'm not here to scold you two," Glynda said peacefully not wanting to put any additional stress on the already grieving girls. That's when she noticed the first apparent signs of a bond, flecks of misplaced color in their eyes, silver in ice, and ice in silver. It generally was the first major sign was the eyes.

"Well are you going to keep playing guessing games with us," Ruby growled in frustration as she clenched her fists, she didn't want to be here all night as they were trying to get the effects of the deceased together so that their families could collect them.

"No, then I shall be straight to the point Have you two ever heard of an aura merge?" Glynda asked bluntly, hoping the answer was no as if it wasn't she would be very concerned that either Ruby or Weiss may possess elite hacking skills to gain access to such high-security records, though she wanted to laugh at that thought as it was simply too ridiculous.

"No," they responded in sync, something they both took note of as they tried to call it out they spoke in sync again, "why did we speak at the same time?" Glynda Sighed as they very rarely did know of this merge until it happened and if she needed any more proof the weird bout of them speaking in sync was a symptom. Though, the instructor did detect a hint of dishonesty with that answer when it came from them, though it was the kind that told her they did something without the other knowing or even themselves knowing.

"Well, an aura merge is a rare occurrence between two or more individuals that can channel their Auras through the other," Glynda explained from the Scroll in her hand. "This usually only occurs when a two-way aura transfer is performed successfully and both parties survive usually those who survive a Distortion dust blast. So did you two perform transfers on your mission?" As soon as those words were spoken, it was obvious as Weiss's eyes went wide, and she quickly broke with the truth at this description as she did know about the ability to transfer but not merge.

"Yes I did," Weiss said, her face starting to contort with fear as she crumpled in admission, hanging her head at this admission. Ruby looked shocked at this as she realized what Ruby did to save her, realizing how her aura recovered so quickly, "I didn't want Ruby to die!" She cried slumping over still reeling from the loss of the other four and remembering Ruby's pained screams, something Weiss never wanted to hear ever again. She vowed to be the best teammate ever for Ruby after all.

Ruby Looked at Weiss in shock and then admitted, "I did something to save Weiss's life as I thought she was going to die in my arms and I couldn't bear to lose her." Ruby admitted weakly as she comforted Weiss who was now sobbing as Glynda gave them time to get their thoughts in order, as she brought them two chairs for them to sit in which they did. She gave them a brief time before she continued. It took them a few minutes to get everything back in order emotionally for Goodwitch to continue. The support these two gave touched the normally cold and stern instructor, which made her want to help the wounded team even more.

"Well then, your selfless acts, in this case, have consequences. whether they are good or bad is up to how you two interpret them," Glynda explained, hoping they were going to take this news well, as unlikely as that was, though she had to convey this now rather than later.

"What does that mean?" Weiss asked, her voice weak from the sobbing fit she just had, she was not liking the instructor's cryptic tone.

"Well, to put it bluntly, you two are now partners for life," Glynda spoke unsure how to brief the girls in the state they were in. She felt like a doctor informing a patient they had a very serious illness. "The aura bond makes it dangerous for you two to be separated more than around two kilometers, give or take" Glynda spoke carefully, not wanting to upset the girls any more than she had to.

"What does that mean?" Ruby asked, confused at what the blonde instructor meant.

"If you go past two kilometers of separation," Glynda spoke solemnly, seemingly unsure how to proceed. Deciding the blunt approach would be best, she continued with, "your aura will wither and fade away, till it is unusable making it and your semblance useless."

"So, going home for the holidays would be dangerous?" Weiss asked, her weak voice having a tone that told Goodwitch she was quite concerned. Though internally the heiress was thinking, God, if that is what Glynda meant. Though if word of this made it back to her father, Weiss cringed at the thought of what he would do to her and Ruby.

The look on Goodwitch's face was telling enough as she replied, "That is correct it could be fatal. though there are more perils to an aura merge, I am afraid." Glynda replied calmly, reevaluating the response and deciding to try not to lay the information on too quickly. Though, she quickly saw the looks on their face telling her she just needed to tell them now. "The first and foremost being, if one of you dies, the other you will live in constant pain and agony as your aura withers away," Gynda continued. The two girls looked at each other with horror, fearing the worst. When their attention returned to Glynda, she continued, "Also you two will feel certain sensations from the other, Like pain and strong emotions."

"What does that mean!?" Weiss snapped at Goodwitch, her voice was ragged and tired as she raised her tone, after what she just heard she was quite concerned her breathing wrong could hurt her partner.

"Miss Schnee, please calm down, I know this is a lot for you right now, but we couldn't let you two not know about this," Glynda explained, trying to soothe the broken heiress. "This is not something we at Beacon can take lightly, I know you two are very hurt right now, but you need to listen," the blonde instructor spoke trying to ease the tension. Though, it was Ruby who calmed Weiss as she put a hand on her back and looked her in the eye.

"Weiss, she wouldn't be telling us this if it wasn't true or it wasn't necessary, Okay," Ruby said in a mature voice that had Weiss listening. "Professor, please continue," Ruby said as she consoled Weiss, calming her so Goodwitch could continue.

"Well, the next thing you must know is, expect some minor physical changes," Glynda said calmly, hoping they would remain calm.

"What!?" they both shouted, shocked at the implications of physical changes, their minds went wild, thinking they would morph into hybrids of the other.

"Yes, some known changes are a discoloration of the Iris usually to the other participant's color, which is already forming," Glynda spoke to the wide-eyed teens. "From the few cases, it takes a few days to fully form before you will see specks of the other's eye color in your eyes," this explanation caused the girls to sigh, grateful they wouldn't become hybrid twins.

"So, are there any other things we should know?" Weiss grumbled, Still perplexed by this situation as Glynda then took a look at the heiress and gave them a blink before responding.

"Well I have outlined the bad, Now for the good," Glynda said smiling for the first time in a long while. "First off, you have a shared aura pool that is over doubled," Glynda explained calmly, this made Ruby smirk. "Then also, when you transferred your Aura, you transferred some of your knowledge, for example, Weiss, you could probably field a scythe effectively, and Ruby, you can use a rapier, as you did back at the clearing"

"So that would explain how Ruby figured out how to use a sword so skillfully so quickly," Weiss said as she thought about it for a few seconds. though, Ruby was snickering at the thought of Weiss using a scythe.

"Correct," Glynda paused after saying to make sure the girls were still following, which they were with the utmost attention. "Though, the most interesting is the ability to utilize the other's semblance as if it was your own," This explanation got the girls to go wide-eyed. "Meaning, effectively you both have two semblances," Glynda explained to simplify her previous explanation.

"So I could use Weiss's glyphs, and Weiss could use my speed?" Ruby inquired with a smirk on her face if this was the case, she liked the implications of this as this gave her an advantage over those who would dare stand in her way.

"That is correct Miss Rose," Glynda smiled as she continued with, "So, I recommend you practice and test that out at some point," Glynda said this, wanting to give them something to do, as Ironwood's grip on the Academy was final. They would not be allowed on missions or be allowed to partake in the Vytal Festival. "That is everything, I forwarded the information to your scrolls if you need a reminder," The normally cold instructor said as she sat back down behind her desk. Continuing with another "Also there will be some awkward moments as those with aura merges tend to speak in sync with common short phrases or questions so expect that,"

"So that's what happened, earlier?" They both spoke in a synchronized manner, something that caused the two girls to look at each other, to which Glynda nodded, and replied,

"Those with merged aura's can become very fierce combatants as according to one case they could predict and guess the other's actions to such a degree, that in tandem those two became impossible to combat alone." This made Weiss and Ruby go wide-eyed as they thought quickly this could be quite advantageous, and thus they need to learn how to take advantage of this gift.

"Is that everything?" Weiss and Ruby asked, once again in eerie sync,

"On the aura merge, yes. Now I want to talk to you two about what is going to happen in the coming week's firstly, tomorrow there will be a candlelight vigil, for the deceased and the school will bear their regalia, I don't expect your team to attend that, alright, it's too soon." Glynda explained calmly, though continued before they could reply, "Classes for this upcoming week have been canceled in memorial each day dedicated to one of the fallen, with Friday being the school's funeral with friends and family in attendance, that we do expect you to attend."

Glynda took a second for this to sink in as the girls took in the information Goodwitch was pummeling them with. "Expect the media to catch wind of this as well, None of team PRWN are to talk to the press and if they harass you do not talk to them, Weiss and Pyrrha I expect to know their way around in a situation like that so if it comes to that stick with your partners, This is especially important for you Ruby as you were put in charge of that mission and I suspect Ironwood may try to blame you for the deaths-" This point, Ruby and Weiss brashly interrupted with.

"Haven't we suffered enough?!" Ruby bit back, lashing out in a fit of anger neither had seen before. Glynda couldn't help but agree with that, she really couldn't, they had suffered so much more than needed. "Ironwood is getting plainly sadistic with how he's handling us," Ruby said her eyes flickering color almost.

"You have suffered more than anyone should for what occurred and I fear it isn't over" Glynda spoke in a comforting tone, "Also all instructors are to exempt you from assignments for three weeks if you want to take that time to recover," The two girls looked thankful as they heard this, they were in no shape to attend class and it was nice to see some sympathy and understanding from the staff, though Goodwitch sighed and added a final detail, "And I want you two to do me a favor if possible, take care of each other, okay."

"Sure thing Glynda," they replied as she dismissed them, and proceeded to leave. Glynda felt her heartstrings tugged as they walked out of the room. those poor girls don't deserve this, she thought as she slammed her fist down at Ironwood's command of this academy.


Outside of Goodwitch's office, Ruby and Weiss started walking after taking the first few steps in silence both with their heads slumped as they looked out at the dark abyss that seemed to be Beacon on this night as they left the admin building. As the duo of red and white walked out they were greeted by the cold air, though to them it was welcome and warm as further distress engulfed them. They felt each other's grief as it clawed at them.

"So what do you think of this?" they asked each other simultaneously, both of them reacted with a look of 'this is going to get annoying quick,' as Weiss gestured for Ruby to continue.

"Well, first off I would like to tell you please don't ever. Ever scare me like that please," Ruby said slowly and emotionally though she didn't cry, as her tear ducts were sore from the earlier crying.

"What do you mean Ruby?" Weiss asked not sure what Ruby was referring to and why she was referring to it. To Weiss, was reasonable to ask due to the vagueness of Ruby's statement.

"That Aura transfer, as much as I thank you and owe you for that, I wouldn't want you dying to save me," Ruby said, averting her gaze as she said that. At this point, her heart was racing, as she said that.

"Ruby, can I tell you something?" Weiss asked to get a look and affirmative reply from Ruby, thus continuing with "I made a vow to be the best partner ever for you, and I thought, out there, what kind of partner would I be if I let you die, even at the cost of my own life," Weiss explained calmly, explaining her selfless action to her partner "besides I do care about you, you know." Her face was bright red with the last line.

"You know Weiss I am legitimately surprised you aren't freaking out about us almost being shackled together," Ruby said unsure of Weiss at the given moment as she seemed very out of character to the redhead. To this Weiss flicked Ruby on the back of the head, and said,

"Well, at first admittedly I probably would have, but I am your friend Ruby," Weiss spoke, putting up a bright legitimate smile that looked odd on her face, which was known for its death glares and scowls. "Besides I think we can work it out together as friends and we will make it through this," Weiss said with a pleasant tone as Ruby looked at her and said something that shocked her.

"Weiss, I understand, 'hatred'" this line got Weiss to stop in her tracks in an abrupt halt, as Ruby continued to explain outside the dorm building, as cold air rushed past them "Yes, Back when we found out Blake was a Faunus, you seemed to hate the White Fang, I understand now, why you hate them," Ruby said with a lower base growl, that sounded so foreign to Weiss.

"Well, Ruby I hoped I would never hear you say that," Weiss admitted in a cold tone, but she looked into those silver eyes of her friend and said, "But now we need to focus that hatred into a weapon, forge it into something useful, but right now, I think we should try to get some sleep." It was at this point they had walked back to their dorm where they tried to retire for the night. Entering the building the halls were cold and the air was stagnant. As they walked, Ruby could hear something that made her snap her head back, to look behind them. It sounded like very heavy mechanical breathing. It sent chills down her spine as she could see a towering figure in the shadows that disappeared fading before her eyes.

"Weiss, did you hear that?" Ruby asked concerned as Weiss barely noticed Ruby looking back just yet. The heiress stopped as she looked at Ruby. She saw Ruby's face and it was pale, well paler than normal, and that showed in the darkness.

"No, I didn't hear anything, why?" Weiss admitted as she looked as she heard a crackling of lightning. Though this oddity Weiss wrote off as a student practicing their semblance. Though Ruby looked on as another flash of vision hit her eyes as she saw another figure standing before her. At first, his identity was a mystery then she saw the mask is what sold out who it was.

"Adam…" she growled lowly, Weiss could feel Ruby's hatred and anguish pouring from her body and it almost stung Weiss to see her partner like this. Though she pulled Ruby back by saying.

"Ruby, you are seeing things come on let's get you to bed." She said, pulling her partner away from what she saw. "We all need our rest," Weiss said as they walked the lonely journey back to their room where one sleepless night began. She was plotting, borderline fantasizing about revenge as she lay in her bed staring at the ceiling.


The morning after that horrid night, all of the newly minted team PRWN had bags under their eyes from getting the effects of the deceased in order in JNPR's room. This was a very tear-laden event and something that was very difficult for the four of them to do. Thankfully outside their dorm, they found a cart with enough food for the four of them and more. The top of the cart bore a note. This note was from the staff hoping them the best, out in the courtyard the morning students began to gather as they began to get ready for their day. Though all stopped when the Emergency PA came on, along with the school-wide announcement that classes were canceled for the week, and that this day was in dedication to Jaune Arc. During the clean-out, Ruby and Weiss had informed the remainder of their team about the Goodwitch conversation they had. The PN side of the team was shocked, to say the least. Though as the morning rode on, Pyrrha was looking out the window, and the redhead had spotted their worst fear, the press was here and Ironwood was in front of them. Fearing this as a very bad omen of the things to come, she took out her scroll and punched in a news website looked at the news headlines the first in big bold letters at the top of the page was,


"Four Dead at Beacon Academy, due to an error in leadership by a 'Prodigy Student',"


Looking through the article her green eyes shot wide at the things Ironwood had said, though Ruby's name was never said. He did refer to the fact she was admitted to Beacon two years early, a clear identifying trait to Ruby .though the names of the four deceased were clearly plastered all across the article.

Though, across Remnant, the reactions to this news was that of shock and horror. As suggested by the comments. Pyrrha quickly got her fellow teammates to look at the article all of them were disgusted, as Glynda's prediction came to pass. Nora herself had her fists clenched threatening the life of Ironwood with various threats of violent repercussions. After a few minutes Weiss suggested they needed something to disguise themselves from the public eye, it was to this Ruby replied,

"cloaks, black cloaks," her voice solemn with remorse," If they think we are evil or wrong, I say let's put on a show for them. Henceforward I think we should abandon our former colors allowing us to be anonymous among the crowd," Ruby said as she envisioned her team being the opponents to the now corrupt White Fang, looking around at her team she smiled as she imagined them in armor like that of knights, clad with a black cloak.

"Don't you think that could come off as creepy?" Pyrrha replied calmly unsure of how she felt, the idea of masking herself like that. Despite her objection, she could see the usefulness of such a cloaked appearance.

"Black is the color of grief, Pyrrha," Nora spoke solemnly, any form of cheer in her voice was dead, which concerned Pyrrha, though this conversation was continued by Weiss with,

"I would find it appropriate that we mask ourselves as we will become known to the public in a week at the funerals, as Glynda informed us she said she expects us to attend," Weiss explained, she quite liked the idea of wearing black now, especially after what had just transpired the day prior. Also due to the actions of Ironwood, she wanted to distance herself from Atlas as much as possible, and black is the opposite of white.

"I see, well let's go see what we can do," Pyrrha smiled in her life she had never considered changing the colors of her gear, but her friends were right, they needed anonymity right now. So Pyrrha and Weiss pulled out their scrolls and got to work with ordering the requisite supplies to fully recoat their gear in a new color.


Back in the lightning-filled swamp, the walking sith pondered over yet another verse. "New to the darkness that permeates Their hearts, betrayed, entrapped, and confused. Their hearts will be twisted black," By the dark lord's interpretation, this meant so by the time they arrive, they will have already taken a fall to darkness. Maybe even given into the dark side, making his Job all that easier. Though that depended entirely on who 'they' were. Though another verse racked at his mind "Together, intertwined between them. A bond strong in the force, soul, and emotion, so long as they are together, Their power would be unmatched." this line from the specter made the Darth think back to a record from the Mandalorian Wars. it was a Jedi who could form bonds between Force Sensitives, but this seemed much more powerful.


A/N: I got rid of the hair color thing as seeing it made me cringe a bit and it clashed with their styles so it is gone now.