New Divide
Ren and Nora were in the lead, away from the members of WBY and JNPR, needing some space to breathe as the previous events of the last few hours played in their minds. The group had just left Kuroyuri. The experience, needless to say, was a heartbreaking eye opener to the previous lives of the pair. Even Jaune and Pyrrha had no real clue about the origins of their teammates' past-lives in Anima.
The tiny village had been destroyed by a Nuckelavee, a terrifying horse-like creature with an equine main body fused with a skinless humanoid creature. It was not like any Grimm that they had learned about in Port's class. It was something out of a nightmare, especially to Ren and Nora who were the sole survivors of the destruction that was caused by the Grimm. Seeing this creature caused their normally composed friend of team JNPR to be filled with a vengeful rage as he had blindly gone into battle. However thanks to the Grimm's protective armor plating and overall stature, none of the attacks were successful.
Yang shivered involuntarily as she recalls that firing Ember Celica hadn't been enough to shatter any of the Grimm's body parts. In fact everyone's individual attacks had not been enough to penetrate its massive black body. The jerky and twitching movements with such speed and dexterity caused her to cringe internally. She steals glances at Blake, her partner's face pale as if she too is recalling the events, still not able to rid her mind of its chilling screeching.
Jaune tries to open his mouth to break the eerie silence as he sees his teammates up front, but Pyrrha places a hand on his shoulder and he looks to her. She slowly shakes her head, and he just sighs and nods. While over the course of the weeks his fighting had massively improved, as well as working together in a joint team that Ruby had mentioned before she…left…he still had a long ways to go. He had gotten in several slashes against the Nucklavee's legs with Crocea Mors, but the Grimm had been unfazed. It was also clear too that he still needed to work on some strategies. None of the combo attacks he tried worked against the dark creature; in fact it was by sheer dumb luck they had managed to survive. Jaune shivered as he recalled Nora saving Ren from his blind rage. They had come so close to death, he never wanted to feel that way again.
Pyrrha noticed his solemn look. In fact, she looked at her friends and saw the battle still waged in their minds. She shook her head in thought as she too reflected in their worst moments in that village. It had soon became extremely clear that the Nuckelavee had far more durable than its size and frail appearance would indicate. It managed to shrug off dozens of rounds from Ember Celica, Magnhild's grenades, Stormflower's bullets, and Gambol Shroud's fire power. Their combined attacks doing nothing to the dark creature. For all her experience, even Miló was unable to do much damage.
Weiss had tried to give them as much shielding as possible, even trying to use her variety of Dust with Myrtenaster in combination with her glyphs. She sighed deeply and cursed internally. It hadn't been enough…or rather it nearly hadn't been enough. The Grimm had been too powerful for their level; and while she thought sincerely that Jaune wasn't quite the screw up he had been in Beacon, he was nowhere near Ruby's level of leadership or skill to lead them in battle.
From her view of being further back away from the scene, she could see that the creature's arms and heads were the most vulnerable, it had a long range and massive amounts of strength made attacking them difficult. Aside from that, she knew or sensed that it was an older Grimm; which made it a real dangerous kind of Grimm. Clearly it hadn't survived this long on skill alone. It had developed a degree of intelligence not common in other Grimm. Anytime Jaune would try to come up with a tactic to disarm the thing, the creature acted five steps ahead, moving its massively long arms to spin and deflect any type of move they had come up with.
It was this moment that nearly cost Ren his life. Weiss had never known him to have such a dark side with a thirst for revenge. Looking ahead at the pair, she knew recalled all their aura's being vastly depleted and Ren, as if taking this into his own hands, charged wildly at the Grimm. They had tried to stop him, but it was futile. He had been quickly disarmed and his aura had nearly shattered at the result of his vengeful attack. Weiss sighed and shook her head, she didn't want to think any more on it. She pulled out her scroll and was more depressed as she stared at her home picture. It was a 'selfie' of her and Ruby, they were sitting under a tree at Beacon, 'studying'. At least she was, Ruby was…well Ruby. However looking closely at the picture, you could see a ghost of a smile on her face. She wished her leader was here…Ruby would know what to do.
Nora looked at her partner. The scene of Ren wanting to once more charge at the Grimm etched into her mind. She had pulled him under a building, similar to when they hid under one as children. She didn't show it often, but in that moment she was scared. Scared of losing him like they had loss so many others. Ren had almost gotten himself killed, and it would have been meaningless; especially after all they have been through together. She sighed and saw that he noticed, giving her a questioning look. She smiled at him, trying to ease his concern.
Seeing her smile, Ren smiles lightly back and looks ahead. However there was a deep sense of shame and guilt entwined within him. He didn't want to think as to what would have happened if Nora hadn't reached him in time. He had harbored so much inside when the Nuckelavee had destroyed his life. Perhaps that was what had made it seemingly invincible. Grimm fed on hate and the darker sides of humanity, maybe he subconsciously gave it the power it needed to nearly defeat them.
Thankfully though, they managed to regroup and Jaune had come up with the final plan of attack. He had Yang, Pyrrha, and Nora distract it. Using Blake, and Weiss, he had told them to try to pin its arms to the ground. Then he and Jaune had used that moment to slice off the limbs and finally Ren had the great pleasure and satisfaction to slice the neck with his father's knife. With this, they had watched as the reign of terror end in a pillar of smoke, "Hey." He stopped and looked at his teammates, "Should we break here?" They were far enough away from the village, and right now this area seemed safe enough. Besides he hated to feel the tension that was in their small group at the moment, and it was all do to him losing his mind for those precious moments.
"Sure." Jaune said as they nodded in agreement, "Do you want to-"
"Oh my…Ruby." Weiss stuttered out, they noticed that she had her scroll out.
"What? What about my sister?" Yang asked.
Weiss turned her scroll, "She's here." They looked at saw that Ruby's contact information was up and showed that indeed if they chose too, they could call her.
Before Yang could comment, Blake's ear twitched and she held up her hand, "Wait…quiet for a moment." Yang looked like she was going to snap at her partner, but Blake said, "Listen."
They listened closely and sure enough they heard roars of engines, "Look!" Nora exclaimed pointing up at the sky.
There were three planes, one was smaller than the other two. The two slightly larger planes were tailing the smaller plane at a threatening distance, "What the hell is happening?" Jaune asked slowly as they observed the scene.
"Nothing good." Pyrrha responded, not getting a good feeling about this.
Weiss takes her eyes briefly off the sky and looks at her phone. She presses the call button and hears a ringing. Placing it to her ear, she hears the connection and is about to say something when she hears, "Control I've made my decision. Come and get me."
Weiss's eyes widen and she now snaps her gaze once more to the sky, hoping she misheard the challenge given by what she thought was Ruby's voice. She watches the smaller plane do a nose dive before pulling out and going into a barrel roll as if clearly trying to shake the other pilots off its tail, "Oh my gods." Pyrrha commented with a hand over her mouth as the small aircraft goes into sharp turns and dives while the two military planes tried to shoot at the smaller aircraft.
"What is happening?" Yang wondered, "What did that small aircraft do?"
"Maybe it's here illegally." Ren commented back, his tone normal but eyes betraying his own shock and astonishment.
"How?" Jaune asked.
"The borders…" Blake commented, "Remember what Qrow said? The borders are closed; that must extend to the airspaces in the kingdoms."
"Oh shit." Jaune stated as he remembered that conversation.
The next realization hit Pyrrha, "They are trying to shoot that plane down."
There was a loud explosion and Weiss heard it, "Ruby is on that plane."
"WHAT?" They exclaimed looking at the heiress.
Weiss placed the phone on speaker and they heard alarms, "Shit!" Their eyes widened at the tone, and there was a much higher probability that they were hearing Ruby. They looked back up at the sky suddenly as they see a red streak with falling petals jump from the plane and then not even two minutes later, two missiles were released from the larger planes.
They cover their mouths and let out a gasp as the small plane explodes out of the sky, the small inferno going towards where the petals had gone; "If Ruby was in that plane, then we need to find her. Now." Yang ordered coming out of her shock as they moved towards the area where the plane went down.
Weiss followed after them, her call had disconnected; but she kept the scroll on tracking mode as they ran through the forest, "We are due north, that way." She pointed and led them through the area.
They didn't need much direction since it was clear that this was a damaged area. There was a small plume of smoke coming from the wreckage. Running towards that area, they let out a gasp. It was clear that the plane was burning, but the fuselage had not broken up, "Come on! We have to look for survivors." Jaune ordered unsteadily. The group nodded and quickly ran closer to the aircraft.
The downed aircraft lay on its belly. One wing had snapped in half. Smoke came from the engine. The main window was blackened so much they couldn't see inside, so they didn't know if the pilot survived, "Hey, what's over there?" Nora asked pointing to a mound of red a few feet away.
Yang rushed over the other pieces of the plane, and as she got closer she had a sinking feeling, "Ruby." She breathed out stopping as the red cloak became more noticeable, "Ruby!" Blake, Weiss, Pyrrha, and Nora ran over to her just as she flipped the body over, "Come on Rubes. Ruby wake up." Yang held her breath, and waited as she gently slapped her sister's cheek.
Ruby then let out a gasp and a choke, and they each let out a sigh. As Jaune and Ren looked on in relief, they continued to try and look for other's that may have been on the aircraft carrier. However as they tried to pry open any doors and bust through the windows, Ren started sniffing the air, "Jaune, do you smell that?"
Jaune stopped his search and sniffed the air as well. His eyes widened, "Gasoline." He breathed out, "Grab Ruby and run! This thing is going to blow!" He called over.
Ruby, still dazed slightly, didn't have much time to react as she was lifted into her older sister's arms and both Weiss and Blake grabbed her miraculously intact bag and weapon. They ran from the area. Just as they got away, there was a blast and they were thrown to the ground, "Ow! I hit the ground once already. Isn't that enough?" Ruby managed to get out.
"That is what you are worried about?" Weiss grumbled out, "Not the fact that you are the sole survivor of a plane crash? By the way you're welcome for getting your unconscious ass away from there."
Ruby struggled to her feet as she looked at the site before them. Weiss's words slowly processing in her mind, "What do you mean 'sole survivor'? I am the only survivor because I was the only one on the plane." Seeing their looks, Ruby sighs, "You know what, I already have a lot to explain…uhm…let's just go make camp and I'll start talking."
"That has got to be the best idea you've had in a long while." Yang said grabbing to her Ruby's shoulder, causing Ruby to wince at the vice like grip and winced once more seeing the others cross their arms, nodding in agreement.
A few yards away from them in the shadows of the trees, a pair of glowing golden eyes observes closely as the group leads his target in the red cloak away towards their camp area. He let out a creepy gleeful chuckle. Finally his stalking was going to pay off.
Tyrian had been in Higanbana, when the small group had walked in the main tavern where he had currently been in looking for information regarding his target from the waitress. Having no luck, he had been about to leave when he heard the group talking about one Ruby Rose. Unable to fathom his luck, he stayed and listened to their woes and troubles. It was interesting to say the least. However it was clear that they were holding out hopes for one thing…that the wayward leader would one day return; so he vowed that he would be there when that day comes.
Now apparently that day was today. He laughed once more, "Well now Little Red, looks like you have a date with fate." He clapped his hands and grinned to himself with malice, "An eye for an eye Red…an eye for an eye." He went back into the shadows ready to plan his grand entrance.
-SNOOPYKID-
He is once more a bystander as a castle appears before him. Oscar swallows hard as he approaches the grand set of double doors, a deep and foreboding unease filling him. There was a silent plea coming from within him, begging him not to enter the castle; however he ignores it and opens the doors.
Upon entering the massive entryway, he makes his way up the grand staircase, passing many paintings. He doesn't stop to admire him, just following on instinct down the hallway to another large door. Opening it, he first notices in the large room a painting of a man and a scary looking woman. The plea within him grows ever louder with the growing sense of urgency to leave, to block this dream out. Next to the painting, who he now assumed to be some type of King and Queen, was another painting. A family painting with four little girls next to the King and Queen.
He is snapped out of his musings and focuses on the scene when he hears a deep troubled voice, "Are we sure this is right?"
Oscar slowly and quietly goes over to the couple, the creepy Queen watching a crystal ball, which he could now see there was some type of massive conflict between a group of people, "You said we needed to bring humanity together." She says looking at him, "In order to do that, we have to spread our word, and destroy those who will deny it."
The man turns away from her and goes towards the massive window in the study, "Please." Oscar is startled now, this wasn't the first time he heard the voice in his head, but it was the first hearing it in his dreams, "Focus on something else please, I beg of you."
He does not, because he was much too intrigued in this dream to even begin to focus on something else. Oscar watches as the king gains a shocked expression on his face upon hearing his wife's words, and then in another moment his complexion goes pale, "This isn't what he asked of me..."
The queen hears him and asks shocked, "What did you say?"
What would have been said next, is interrupted from the door opening and a girl enters the room excitedly, "Mother, father, look!"
Oscar watches with fascination as the girl conjures multicolored wisps that fly in circles in front of her. The presence inside of his soul is in suffocating agony; Oscar couldn't even begin to comprehend what was happening. However it was clear that the queen was proud of her daughter while the king seemed to be surprised and then deeply troubled.
Before he could reach out to the voice he heard, the scene changed drastically. The king and queen were having a discussion. He couldn't hear the words exactly, but in the end he heard the queen say, "Don't you see? None of that matters anymore. Why spend our lives trying to redeem these humans when we can replace them with what they could never be?"
Oscar had another feeling, this time one of loathing as he watched the king back away from his wife's outstretched hand in disgust. The scene swiftly changed again. He was in the dark hallway and he watched as the king was escorting the children. Dread and grief filled him now as the small group noticed something at the end of the hallway, "Mommy?"
The queen stands at the end of the hall menacingly as the king stood protectively in front of their daughters. Oscar realized the same thing the queen did, the king was going to leave the queen and take the girls with him. He then saw the attack before the king did. Oscar wanted to shout a warning, "These shadows had already happened. There is nothing for us to do, otherwise I've already would have done it."
A red beam fires from the queen's hand. Using his scepter, the king counters the attack with a green beam. Horrified, there was nothing Oscar could do but watch as each attack clashed. Eventually there is bright white light, causing Oscar to shield his eyes. When he opens them, he swallows seeing the now demolished castle.
Walking along the ruins, he sees smoke and rubble. Grief, devastation, anger, and loathing are the majority of his feelings. That is until he steps on something, causing it to squeak pitifully. Looking down, he sees a charred plush toy is shown, "No." It was his first time speaking in a dream.
"I'm afraid so." The voice says in a haunting manner.
Oscar hears something and looks to his left and sees the king weakly crawling on the ground, blood dragging from behind him. The queen appears behind him unscratched, angrily walking over to him. She kicks him over onto his back and holds him down with her foot, "We finally had freedom..." She says.
The king weakly looks up at her, "I-" A blast of fire from the queen engulfs the king, killing him instantly.
Oscar violently sits up, patting himself down. He could have sworn he felt the heat from the fire. It was literally like he was burning alive. He was still panting violently before the grief and turmoil filled him and he began to cry suddenly, "Oscar! Supper's almost ready!" He heard his aunt yell from the kitchen.
Oscar looks around, his aunt's voice bringing back some kind of grounding from his worst nightmare yet. The book that he had been reading having fell to the floor from his body's jerking movements from the nightmare he had, "Answer her." This started him for a moment.
He had been hearing the voice for the past two weeks, and had chosen to ignore it; now though he felt like he couldn't ignore it any longer, "What-" His voice was shaky and raw from the crying, so he cleared his throat and tried to sound normal and upbeat, "What're we having?"
"Doesn't matter! You're eating it!" Came the response.
Oscar sighed and took another deep breath. Throwing his legs over the bed and letting his feet touch the floor, he reaches down to pick up the book and closes it properly before standing up, "I am sorry. This hadn't ever happened before. Never did one of my carnations see my memories like that before."
Oscar doesn't answer right away. He places the book away on a shelf, before going towards his mirror. He sees his eyes red and still glistening with now unfallen tears, "If this was some way to get my attention. You have it."
"Trust me, you seeing my memories; especially one as gruesome as that one, was not my intention." The voice says deeply apologetic, "As I mentioned that has never happened before."
Oscar glares at his reflection, "So all these nightmares and this constant pain and regret; why's this happening to begin with?"
He hears the voice sigh deeply, "As I've told you, our Aura, our souls are combined. As you saw, my memories are now your memories as well. Although, I've always blocked my memories from my carnations until such a time…it does not matter now. This particular memory I would have rather not shared with you…"
"I'm-" Oscar paused and then sighed even deeper, "I'm sorry." Feeling the need to talk about something else, he said, "I don't know your name even. I mean I guess you told me once, but I didn't want to listen…"
"I've been called many things, but my real name is Ozma, previously before coming to you I was called Ozpin." Ozpin answered cordially, secretly glad that the young lad was willing to actually speak to him.
"Ozpin." Oscar said trying out the name. Then looking at the ceiling he resigned, "Well what is it that you want?"
"Have you ever been to Haven?" Came the unexpected question.
Oscar now glared, "We've had this conversation, I told you I'm not going. I cannot just leave."
"You asked me what I wanted, and I am telling you what I want." Ozpin gently reminded him, "We need to get to Haven. I have a grave responsibility to uphold." Then in a softer tone, he adds, "We both do now."
Oscar falls to his knees, his shoulders now feeling a weighted responsibility, "I never agreed to anything."
He hears Ozpin sigh with regret and speaks in a tone of voice that is aged, "No, you didn't; and neither did I, at first." In a firmer and determined tone he says, "But you do have an opportunity."
"For what?" Standing, Oscar stares at his reflection once more, "What can I, a simple farmhand, possibly have an opportunity for?"
As he looks himself in the eye, he sees a faint glimmer in his green eyes, something he does not recognize as he hears the man's words, "Greatness, hopefully. Greatness in knowing that, when the world needed help, you were the one to reach out your hand." There is a pause and Oscar senses the aged presence is trying to find the right words, "Those memories you saw, I went astray. I've been trying hard to fix it ever since that last memory you saw. Believe me when I say it won't come without hardship, without sacrifice, however…" Oscar tries to give him some sign that his attention is still there, "I know you don't want to live the rest of your life working as a farmhand in Mistral."
Before Oscar could respond, he hears his aunt calling him once more, "Oscar! Supper time! I better see clean hands!"
"I know this is a lot of information, a lot to process; but please Oscar. Give my words some thought." With that Ozpin goes silent and Oscar stares at his reflection a moment longer before going towards his door. His hand hovers on the knob as he stares around the room. Just from the nightmares/memories that he had seen, and the conversation he just had this meant that humanity somehow rested with him.
And this made him lose any appetite he had, but for appearances sake, he went downstairs.
