RWBY: Destiny of Remnant

by UGX7

In the wake of the fall Team RNJR sets out to bring Cinder Fall to justice while the new Fall Maiden overlooks her master's plan in Haven City. Meanwhile Weiss tries to help a friend, Yang struggles with the loss of her arm, and Blake deals with guilt over the White Fang. Meanwhile someone from Cinder's past returns and Salem's newest pawn rises. Arkos, WhiteRose, SunnyBees, Renora

51. The Beacon Lights Again Part II: Roses

RWBY: Destiny of Remnant

Chapter 51: The Beacon Lights Again Part II: Roses

Silence descended in the meditation chambers, and there was a certain tension in the air once the Grand Knight Master had spoken. It wasn't as intense as one would expect in the moments before a huge battle was about to take place, but it did resemble the period of time before a judge would give his verdict in a courtroom. And for a brief moment, the spacious chambers housing everyone within seemed somehow a little less accommodating and giving off a more serious atmosphere simply with the sheer presence of the Remnant Knights.

The leader of the Knight Order turned his head and looked at Ozpin as though in questioning when the eight teens did not speak so much as a word for several seconds, instead staring at the eight other Knights who stood at the other end of the meditation chambers, "I take it that I haven't accidentally frightened them into silence?"

"They're still young, Grand Knight Master." Ozpin gestured as he spoke, "And to them you are probably legends made flesh, it takes some time to process information like that, even after all they've dealt with."

Seraph nodded while one gauntleted hand reached up to touch the lower end of his winged helmet, "I suppose you're right. To see a single Remnant Knight is a rare enough occurrence, but to see more than one, much less nine in the actual flesh? That's an encounter worthy of a place in a history book if not for the oath."

"It would be, and I am sure this particular encounter would remain with them for the rest of their lives." Glynda replied as she bandaged the headmaster's hand, while the female Knight with the staff passed a bandage to Seraph who tied it around his bleeding palm, before locking his gauntlet back into place with an echoing click.

"So... what do you wish to talk with us about?" Jaune slowly found his voice, his blue eyes looking from one Knight to another.

"Yeah, some answers would be nice right about now." Ruby added, her voice soft and a little nervous.

"That is the least we can give you." The robed female Knight replied in a soothing voice, "However, we ask for a little more of your patience, as some of the details we are going to tell you later might be a little too much for you to accept all at once, so we are taking this one step at a time." She regarded them kindly and gestured with an open hand, "There's no need to be so tense around us, young Huntsmen and Huntresses. Please be at ease."

The eight teens' overall postures relaxed a little, but their facial expressions were a mix of awe and bewilderment. Ozpin coughed politely and said, "Perhaps our honored guests would start us off with a small history lesson of sorts with regards to the Remnant Knights?"

"That would be an excellent idea." Councilor Henry replied, and Ironwood nodded his head in agreement. Glynda gestured for the Teams RWBY and JNPR to come closer, and they took a few steps forward and somehow felt the T-shaped visor of Seraph's helmet carefully scrutinizing them as though like a biologist with an interesting specimen. One could only wonder what he truly sees in each and every single one of them, and even if he did the leader of the Remnant Knights did not see fit to share with anyone else at the moment.

The Grand Knight Master eventually took a breath, and began his story, "Ages and ages ago, before even the outbreak of the first Great War, a gathering of powerful warriors from all four Kingdoms and across Remnant gathered at a place known as the Ocean Spire. They answered the call of the Warrior King of Vale and The Wizard in secret, and heard the King's proposal to form an Order of exceptional warriors to fight the Grimm and counter any other threats that would destroy the peace on Remnant. From those assembled warriors twenty individuals with varying but essential skills were chosen, and four of them were christened by The Wizard to become the first Knight Castellans. The King of Vale then chose another warrior by the name of Vorlois Bornstellar to become the first Grand Knight Master of the Knight Order, and bestowed the sacred blade known as 'Excalibrius' to him. The twenty gathered knights then swore their first oaths to both The King and The Wizard, and under their precise commands the Remnant Knight Order was forged."

"According to the earliest legends, the Remnant Knights separated themselves into various Knight Legions with each given a task of protecting a certain area of Remnant, concentrating especially on the individual territories of the Four Kingdoms." Ozpin continued, his gaze shifting from Ruby to Yang, and then from Jaune to Ren, "The Knight Legion of Atlas was known as the Winter Templars, and the Legion of Vale became the Steadfast Sentinels. The Knight Legion of Vacuo took on the name of the Relentless Crusaders, and finally the Knights of the Mistralian Legion named themselves the Eternal Warriors."

Councilor Henry then spoke up once more, "The Knight Order operates through the aforementioned Knight Legions in absolute secrecy, protecting the innocents of Remnant by fighting countless unseen battles across Remnant for many years while the Huntsmen and Huntresses stood in the light for the public masses to see."

"Why must the Knights remain a secret?" Ren posed his question quietly.

Seraph brought up one of his gauntleted hands and answered, "We remain secret because of the freedom it grants us when conducting our own missions of importance. Because of that we are allowed to move unseen and unhindered both inside and outside the Kingdoms, and our autonomy aids us in protecting the innocents by seeking out and preventing any major catastrophes from happening, adhering to the credo of the Knight Order."

"So other than the Huntsmen and Huntresses, the reason why most people on Remnant sleep a little better at night would be due to these noble and courageous warriors who put their lives on the line to protect those who can't." Qrow quipped, "And just so you know, the Remnant Knights have encountered and vanquished many dangerous Grimm creatures which would have wiped out entire populated cities on their own if left unchecked."

"Then why didn't you guys come to help us during the Fall of Beacon, or when we needed to retake Vale from the Grimm?" Ruby inquired softly while looking at Seraph.

"Yeah, we could've used a few helping armored hands." Nora chimed.

"The world of Remnant is a rather big place, young ones." Seraph replied, his deep voice echoing around the chambers, "There are a great deal of other matters which needed the attention of the Knight Order, and while we know of the incidents that had happened to Vale, there were many more significant events that demanded our attention." He looked at Ozpin and Ironwood, "And seeing how the military forces of Vale and Atlas have cooperated together to reclaim Beacon Academy from the Grimm, I can safely say that they have managed to secure a clear victory over the Grimm."

"It wasn't easy, but we managed to do so with significant help from the Atlas Army that General Ironwood had graciously provided." Glynda replied, and Councilor Henry nodded, "They have been instrumental in providing security for Vale while the Kingdom builds up its military forces once more to reinforce and secure its borders"

"And besides, if the Knights come out in force certain people would be bound to ask some rather uncomfortable questions." Qrow added shortly, "And it would be quite... disadvantageous to them since they don't like to come out in the open, even though they have worked with the Kingdoms from time to time."

"Few people know of the existence of the Knight Order," Glynda spoke up, "and fewer knew that they were actually real and not just fanciful legends passed down through the ages, as many of those tales have been so embellished that the real truth has been distorted behind a thick veil of fiction."

The eight young Huntsmen and Huntresses nodded their heads in response to Glynda's words before Jaune looked at Seraph and said, "So in short, your organization is kind of like an elite, secret version of the Hunters, made up of highly experienced and formidable warriors to fight the Grimm and other threats, and the Remnant Knights all fight against them in secret to protect all of Remnant?"

"Yes, that basically sums up what the Knights do." Seraph replied plainly, "Because some conflicts have to be fought in the shadows."

"But those battles in the shadows might be dragged out into the harsh light of day. We think Salem wants to ignite a war, and much more important and deadly than one between nations." Ironwood stated carefully.

"A war for the very existence of all life on Remnant." Pyrrha answered quietly even as heads of both Knights and other individuals of Ozpin's group turned in her direction.

"Yes, and the Knight Order was founded upon the very principle to protect the people of Remnant from the wrath of the Grimm Queen." The large armored knight agreed, "...and various other threats that may come from without and within. In any case our methods of fighting may differ from yours, more brutal perhaps, but our existence is a necessary one."

Nods of acknowledgements greeted the words of the Grand Knight Master once more.

Turning her head slightly, Ruby noticed her uncle approaching one of the Knights flanking Seraph, and the other individual in clad in ornately-crafted armor plates turned his helmet in Qrow's direction before moving towards her uncle. They stopped a few paces from each other, and Qrow allowed a smirk to form on his lips, "Argentius, I see you haven't changed your armor much from the last time we met. It's been what? Twenty years?" They shook hands slowly while the veteran scythe wielder ran his red eyes over the Argentius's armor.

"You are one to talk Branwen, the only things I noticed about you is the height and a five o'clock shadow." The silver-gray knight said humorously as the female knight holding the long staff with a flowery head design approached them as well. He paused for a moment and turned his head to see Taiyang standing a few steps behind Qrow himself, before continuing, "Taiyang, it's good to see you again. I have heard a lot about your daughters, and you should be proud of what they have achieved as Huntresses."

"Oh I am proud of the Huntresses they have become. It's good to see you again, Argentius." Taiyang shook hands with the Remnant Knight as the female knight removed her white and gold hood to reveal silky locks of platinum blonde hair framing a face of extraordinary beauty, with eyes of purest gold, well proportioned cheekbones and a smooth nose. Underneath those features was a sharp chin with thin lips that seemed to curl upwards a little when she looked at Taiyang. For some reason, she seemed to be remarkably beautiful and seemed to radiate both extensive experience and quiet power from those golden eyes alone, "And you too, Soul Seer."

"The feeling is mutual here, Taiyang Xiao Long. You have also grown up quite a bit after so many years." The female knight remarked before embracing him in a pleasant manner, surprising the eight teens slightly. Ruby and Yang both noticed their father had a smile on his face in particular during the brief embrace.

"You have barely changed, still as beautiful and ageless as you were when we first met. Though I always preferred girls with dark hair." Taiyang joked dryly.

"I guess that's pretty obvious with whom you have married, Taiyang." Soul Seer replied as she gave a small chuckle, her gold eyes sparkling a little.

"Dad, ew." Yang bemoaned as she shook her blonde head slowly, her organic hand meeting her forehead.

"What's going on?" Ruby queried, amazement clear on her face, "Dad, Uncle Qrow, you know these people?"

Qrow nodded his head while folding his arms, "Remember the time you came back with Sharp Strike during the White Fang mission in Vacuo? When I realized that he was a Remnant Knight I mentioned I didn't think I would see one again."

"Meaning that you have met one before, or more than one apparently." Blake observed sensibly.

"Bingo. When Team STRQ were a grade or two above you kids, we got wrapped up in a mission involving these guys and Salem." Qrow revealed, snapping his fingers, "It was the first real glimpse we all had at how big the outside world really was and that mission was also why Ozpin over there trusted our team so much. It's also why Taiyang, Raven and I were all in the loop when Beacon fell, other than the fact I was right there when things got really bad in Vale."

"Well, at least it makes a bit more sense now. I have always wondered by Professor Ozpin trusted you so much." Weiss stated, placing a finger on her chin.

"Right of the money, Ice Princess." Qrow said before he looked to Ruby and Yang.

"Would that particular mission, by any chance, have inspired some of the bedtime stories you used to tell us?" Yang wondered, casting a glance at Taiyang who smiled a little, "Really? Is that true, dad?"

"Well... other than the fact we have to change a few details and cut out the really intense parts, not to mention ignoring the Knights completely, but yeah... a couple of those stories are based off the mission we took with the Remnant Knights." Taiyang admitted and winked at Qrow who chuckled a little, and Ruby noticed a familiar knight she knew very well make his way over to her.

The young hooded Huntress saw him look over to Argentius exchanged a look with Seraph before giving him a nod, before he turned his head to regard Ruby. "Greetings, Ruby Rose. I honestly didn't expect to see you again so soon." He said as he offered his hand to her.

"Neither did I, Sharp Strike." Ruby grinned as she high-fived his hand instead of shaking it, causing the knight to tilt his head a little, "Do you remember my friends?"

Sharp Strike nodded a greeting to Weiss, Blake and Yang as well as Team JNPR, briefly pausing to look at Jaune and Pyrrha before saying, "Indeed I do, Ruby. It's good to see you all again."

"That's nice to hear." Ruby said with a smile before asking, "But what's the reason for bringing all eight of us here? Is there something else me and my friends should know about?"

Sharp Strike looked at her for a moment and replied, "My superiors within the Remnant Knight Order actually would like to discuss matters involving the Aura Crystal, so we only require Jaune and Pyrrha to be present."He glanced at Jaune and Pyrrha, and the duo noticed that the ornately-armored male knight and the female knight with the flower staff were gazing in their direction. "Your presence is also requested, Ruby, because my master and mentor wishes to speak to you." He finished.

The couple looked at each other for a few moments, with Pyrrha giving voice to the thought running through her mind, "What do you think?"

The blond knight thought back to what Ruby had told him about the Remnant Knights, especially the parts where she shared with him with regards to Sharp Strike's past with Ashe. While a part of him was rather ecstatic that the old legends were true, he still wondered what exactly they wanted with the crystal and what Ashe had to do to keep it away from them. He thought carefully before looking into Pyrrha's eyes, the deep emerald orbs of his partner, girlfriend, and the love of his life, the strongest woman he had ever known, the one he had made love to the night before, the person he trusted with anything, and the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, and replied, "Well... if these knights decided to let Ashe keep it after he had fought hard enough to prove himself worthy... I guess it's only fair that we hear their side of the story. What about you, Pyrrha?"

"I personally think that we should give them a chance, since we have already come this far." Pyrrha voiced her own opinion, "If the Remnant Knights have any additional useful knowledge about the Aura Crystal aside from the notes and books Ashe had left us, hopefully they will help us gain a better understanding of it." Jaune gave a nod of his head, agreeing with his partner and significant companion.

Both of them turned and looked at Sharp Strike and the rest of the Remnant Knights, and Pyrrha replied while holding their hands together, "Alright, we are open to discussion."

Seraph and the other Knights gave nods of their helmeted heads as Ruby looked to Sharp Strike and politely posed her question. "Since you already know our names, care to introduce us to the rest of your fellow Knights here?"

"Yeah, it would be nice to actually know your names too." Nora piped up with a small smile on her face, "I am sure you all have really cool ones, like those superheroes in comics."

"Nora, don't be rude." Ren chided his partner and Nora quickly mumbled a brief apology when Glynda looked sternly in her direction. Ironwood simply raised an eyebrow while councilor Henry coughed a little to the side. If the assembled Remnant Knights felt any offense at Nora's remark, they gave no sign of it and instead remained silent as usual.

Sharp Strike turned to face the other Knights and gestured at both teams. "I was planning to do so anyway. Fellow Remnant Knights, it is my pleasure to introduce Team RWBY, which is led by Ruby Rose. Her teammates are Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long. Beside them is Team JNPR, led by Jaune Arc with his teammates Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos and Lie Ren. We have heard of how both your teams have overcome incredible odds to save the lives of innocents and your friends with courage and sacrifice, ways worthy of our own Order, and as I have personally seen most of them in action during my mission in Vacuo I can assure you that those reports are quite true."

There was a pause as Sharp Strike directed the view of the eight teens while he looked reverently in the direction of his leader Seraph, "Teams RWBY and JNPR, the Knight standing with your headmaster Ozpin is the leader of the organization I serve, whose full name is Grand Knight Master Seraph Pendragon. He has led us for many years through the countless battles we have been through, and his exploits were legends even among the Knights. He's the current wielder of Excalibrius, which is both his weapon of choice and sword of office."

Teams RWBY and JNPR both bowed respectfully to the Grand Knight Master who inclined his head in return.

Sharp Strike then gestured to the other knights flanking Seraph on the right, one of which who pulled back his hood to reveal a helmet carved in the likeness of an alpha Grimm Beowolf, "The Knight clad in gunmetal gray with black trim highlights is named Shadow Reaper. He's a fierce and noble warrior, and a honorable one at that. I was serving with him when I first met your friend Ashe Kasai."

"You met him too?" Jaune asked suddenly, his eyes widening a little.

"Yes, Jaune Arc. I met Kasai along with Sharp Strike, and I was the one who felt that he was worthy of keeping the crystal." Shadow Reaper revealed slowly, his smooth voice made even more prominent by the slightly ghoulish helmet he wore.

"The slightly larger knight with the huge warhammer is named Forge Smith. He's a veteran of many battles with the Grimm, more than he can remember in fact, and his knowledge and ways to kill Grimm effectively are second-to-none. I served under him for some time in the crafting of weapons back at our organization's headquarters. His tutelage had been invaluable when I first crafted my very first pair of swords." Sharp Strike gestured to the two swords mag-locked to his back, and Ruby noticed that those two swords looked slightly different from the ones he had used for the duration of the Vacuo mission. There seemed to be some kind of firing mechanism built into the pommel and grip of the pair of new swords, and they were slightly longer than the pair the young Knight had previously used.

"Well, I do like the design of his warhammer a lot." Nora quipped, her lips curling upwards.

"Then perhaps you would wish to see it in battle?" The force of huge knight's deep voice nearly startled them all, and it felt like as though the raging thunderclouds could speak, "A word of advice then: Pray that you don't, because what comes after isn't pleasant."

Nora quickly gave a nod in reply and Forge Smith sighed in his thundering voice again, and Ruby saw her holding hands with Ren and squeezing his hand a little, and she wondered if the hammer-wielding knight had just given Nora a small warning of sorts.

"The female knight with the rapier is named Tranquility." Ozpin added, "She's handles most diplomatic matters between the Knight Order and the Kingdoms, as well as Huntsmen Academies when the situation calls for it. She's a very experienced warrior, and her personal sword dueling skills are second to none."

"I think Winter would like to challenge that claim." Weiss murmured.

Ruby smiled at that and whispered "Now that would be something I would love to see."

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance." The aforementioned female knight gave a slight nod of her helmet in response, the green lenses of her helmet meeting the faces of the eight teens.

"The male Tiger Faunus knight beside Tranquility with the heavy gauntlets and thick-plated fire-themed arm-guards is named Iron Fist. He hails from Vacuo, and is a fearsome warrior in his own right as he was considered to be among the best knight fighters with regards to various close range combat and brawling skills. He has also developed certain alternative methods to a variety of fighting techniques, with his enhanced reflexes easily helping him during battles with the Grimm or other human opponents." Sharp Strike continued, gesturing at the knight clad in gunmetal gray armor with orange trim.

Yang noticed that particular Remnant Knight looking in her direction, before his red lenses traveled down to Ember Celia on both her robotic and organic hands. He regarded the eight teens for a brief moment and spoke, "Greetings, young Hunters, remember to always keep your emotions in check, for anger without focus is no weapon at all."

Ruby looked to her sister, and wondered momentarily if the dispensed pearl of wisdom given from Iron Fist was directed towards all of them or at Yang herself. The yellow bombshell's normally smiling face faltered for a moment as she processed the last sentence, and Ruby wondered what kind of thoughts were running through Yang's mind at the moment. She was always burning like a raging fire, be it her smile or in battle, but she was undeniably stubborn, and inherited their father's personality of being straightforward and blunt when facing every single obstacle in life. She noticed Yang rubbing her two different hands together, and knew that her sister was probably thinking about how she wasn't able to keep her personal emotions in line in the past, often allowing anger and frustration to get the better of her.

"Yang, I think he means all of us." She tried to soothe her sister's troubled expression by holding onto her hand, the one made of flesh and blood.

"I.. .I think so too." Yang managed another smile, but it seemed a little forced, "I have gotten past my depression. Besides, I have you, Weiss and Blake... and I couldn't ask for better teammates than you three." She looked up and saw her father smiling warmly at her, and returned his smile as best as she was able.

"Thanks, sis." Ruby grinned back, Blake and Weiss smiling as well.

Sharp Strike gestured at the female knight with the Nevermore helmet and clad in a white cloak with red trim over her own personal suit of armor. "The female Knight with the heavily customized sniper rifle is named Eagle Eye. She's the best sharpshooter among the Knights I have known, and she can hit any target from incredible distances, no matter what natural obstacles she faced. She provided crucial cover fire with her incredible sniping skills during most of the Knights' operations in the field, and saved the lives of many Knights, including mine on a number of occasions."

Eagle Eye nodded in appreciation and shifted the grip on her weapon as she said "I am the knight who can put a dust bullet between the eyes of my enemy from many kilometers away. And I never, ever miss my chosen target."

"Well Ruby, looks like you got some competition." Weiss leaned over and whispered to Ruby.

The red reaper simply crossed her arms with a small huff, "I'd like to show her how good my own sniping skills are if I get the chance!"

"That may come sooner than you think." Blake replied in a soft voice.

"And this..." Taiyang spoke up, taking over for a moment as he directed the attention of the eight teens at the female knight with the flower staff, "...is Soul Seer. She was one of the knights who teamed up with us back when we were Team STRQ many years ago."

Soul Seer smiled warmly at them all before focusing her golden eyes at Ruby and spoke, "Hello Ruby Rose, I have heard so much about you. Your father was right, you look just like Summer Rose."

Ruby smiled back at her and nodded, "Thanks, Soul Seer. I get that a lot whenever I meet someone who knew my mom."

Soul Seer stepped forward and leaned down a little to regard Ruby as she continued speaking, "I have seen you in my dreams, Ruby Rose. You are Summer's mirror image, just with red in place of white. From what I have heard of your personality and actions I can tell you are a lot like her as well. Kind, caring, headstrong, and very proficient with your own personal weapon... you are Summer Rose's daughter through and through." She assured the scythe-wielding Huntress, "You and your elder sister are both living up to her legacy wonderfully."

Ruby held back some tears at the heartfelt compliments, "Thank you."

Yang beamed at the older woman as she put a reassuring hand on Ruby's shoulder and replied, "Yeah, thanks. It means a lot to the both of us."

"I have heard about Raven's fate in the battle which took place in Haven." Soul Seer turned to face both Qrow and Taiyang, her voice sorrowful, "You have my sincere condolences... and my deepest apologies for bringing it up."

"It's alright, Soul Seer." Qrow's face was also saddened for a moment, as with Taiyang himself, "Raven loved us and her daughter, and she went out fighting for what she believed in. We should all be so lucky."

"She may not be the best mother... but she's still my mother." Yang spoke, her lilac eyes shimmering a little even as her smile suddenly vanished, "And I know she always loved me, no matter what had happened between us."

"Again, my deepest apologies." Soul Seer replied as she placed a gloved hand on Yang's shoulder, "It wasn't my intention to cause you any pain, and I hope you can carry on her legacy as well."

"I will." Yang looked at the female Knight in the eyes with determination, "And you can count on it." Soul Seer gently gave her a reassuring smile

Sharp Strike spoke up again to introduce the last member of the knights' delegation even as Seraph gave a series of quiet orders for Eagle Eye and Iron Fist to move about the chambers, keeping a lookout while still remaining hidden, "May I introduce my master and mentor, Argentius."

Ruby and the others looked to the powerful-looking knight clad in ornately-crafted gray armor plates with certain black and blue highlights who stepped past Soul Seer towards her. Both huntress and knight regarded each other for a few moments silently before Ruby decided to go with it and opened up with, "Hello, I'm Ruby Rose."

"Greetings Ruby Rose, I am Argentius, and I have heard a lot about you." Argentius spoke in a gracious voice, "I have been personally looking forward to this meeting ever since I have heard of what your actions during the Battle of Beacon."

"You mean what I did with my eyes?" Ruby inquired, her silver eyes taking in the exquisite details of Argentius's meticulously crafted knight helmet, and the firm gray lenses which looked back at her.

"Yes, freezing a Grimm as powerful as a Wyvern is no simple feat... ever since I heard about you I have wanted to meet you in person." Argentius continued speaking, his gauntleted hands resting on his belt pouches which were fastened around his waist, "Soul Seer's words are right, you look just like your mother. I have worked with her through some missions together, and your mother was an exceptional Huntress... and a good friend to all who knew her."

"Back when Team STRQ were working with the Remnant Knights together on a secret mission, we got separated after suffering a sudden ambush attack from a nasty horde of Grimm. Summer Rose and Argentius were on their own for a couple of days, fighting together until both they were reunited with us once more." Taiyang mentioned, and Qrow nodded his head, "He worked very well with your mom, Ruby. Together, they were an unstoppable force to be reckoned with."

"Ah, compliments, as if I didn't have enough of those." Argentius answered humbly, his armored head briefly turning to Qrow and Taiyang before focusing on Ruby again, "While we were separated from the rest of Team STRQ and other Remnant Knights, your mother saved my life when I was incapacitated by the Grimm. I wouldn't be here speaking to you if not for her intervention, and I am eternally grateful for that. In the considerable times we have worked together I came to respect her as though she was a fellow knight, with her magnificent fighting skills and gentle nature at odds with the hidden fiery soul of a warrior she demonstrated in battle." He paused for a moment, took another breath, and continued, "When I heard she had died... it was a sad day for all those who treasured her. I can't imagine how you and your family felt, but you have my deepest condolences. No one should ever have to lose their mother at such a young age... although there are many more children orphaned by the Grimm all across Remnant."

Ruby noticed Argentius's gray lenses briefly glancing at Sharp Strike who bowed his head a little, "My protege, Sharp Strike told me about how you performed in your battle with the White Fang, and after seeing you fighting alongside your friends in the battles of both Haven and the retaking of Vale, I can assure you that you have made the spirit of Summer Rose very proud. Which reminds me, I have something that you gave to my protege after the battle with the White Fang." The ornately-armored knight produced something from a pouch on his belt and opened his gauntlet, revealing the rose emblem-engraved bullet that Ruby had given to Sharp Strike, and the round glinted in the soft lights of the meditation chambers.

"Hey, that's the bullet I gave Sharp Strike. Is that why you wanted it?" Ruby felt her eyes widen and looked to Sharp Strike before returning to his master, while Weiss, Blake and Yang went to the side and sat down after seeing Glynda gesturing for them to do so until they were needed. Team JNPR did the same, although Jaune had noticed Shadow Reaper eyeing the case containing the Aura Crystal with his azure lenses, and his gauntlets were straying close to the handles of his own weapons.

Argentius's helmet turned in Sharp Strike's direction, the young knight opening his hands as he explained, "I tend to collect mementos from my missions, to remind myself of those lives I have saved, the places I have been. My master wished to see something from my encounter with you, so I gave him the bullet I you gave me." He gestured at his belt, and Ruby saw a couple of other interesting objects attached there: A compass made of brass and bronze, a winged sword pendant with silver chain-links threaded through with its top, a chained glass vial of luminous grayish-white liquid, and a few other intriguing items that probably would have its own story to tell with regards to how Sharp Strike obtained them.

Sharp Strike's master waited patiently for Ruby's eyes to turn back to him, and asked, "I have seen video footage of you in action and have heard a good many things about you, Ruby... may I take a look at your weapon?" The silver-eyed girl's face looked unsure for a moment as she still didn't really understand why a veteran Remnant Knight would want to see her weapon. She glanced at the rest of her team who returned her gaze supportively, especially Yang who even giving her a thumbs-up with a smile, and she felt her confidence return once more. Turning back to face Argentius and taking out Crescent Rose, transforming it from its inactive form into its scythe mode which she commonly used when facing down Grimm on missions.

Argentius watched the transformation of Crescent Rose with interest before holding out his gauntleted hands, and Ruby placed the scythe-sniper rifle hybrid weapon in them after a bit of hesitation, "This is Crescent Rose. Please be careful with my sweetheart, would you?"

"Of course." Argentius's gauntlets moved slowly before becoming lightning-quick over Ruby's personal weapon. The gray lenses of his knight helmet glinted as he considered the weapon, checking the firing mechanism and the sharpness of the scythe blade, and noting Ruby's crest engraved onto the circular swivel frame of the weapon, "I take it you crafted this weapon yourself?"

"Sure did, all by myself." Ruby said proudly, her face beaming with a radiant smile.

"Well done. I can see that you have put a lot of work into creating it." The senior knight's armored fingers tweaked the scope and tested the trigger before moving up to check the hook-like jagged blade at the other end of Crescent Rose, "I suppose your Uncle Qrow helped you with the overall design?"

"Yeah, she wanted a weapon that had literally everything on it at first, but I managed to talk her down to just a sniper rifle and a scythe." Qrow commented, chuckling a little.

Argentius nodded as he stepped back a small distance from Ruby with Crescent Rose in his hands, testing it with a series of speculative flips and whirls. The hooded huntress felt her silver eyes widen at the ease the elder knight was handling her weapon, as though he was the one who crafted it. Her weapon moved smoothly within his gauntlets as though being performed by a magician, for all those nearby who managed to follow the various complex movements with awe clearly on their faces. Qrow, who was a master scythe-wielder himself, was grudgingly impressed by a brief showcase of Argentius's perfect skill. Even Ozpin watched with silent appreciation in his brown eyes even as he stood beside Seraph.

"Good for throwing, and made of fine metals too. A very well-crafted and impressive weapon." Argentius remarked as he gave one last twirl of Crescent Rose before holding it out for Ruby to take it back from his gauntlets, "Although it's slightly a few grams heavy on the front end, but I am sure your Semblance can more than compensate for it, Ruby."

"It's also a customizable high impact sniper rifle." Ruby grinned, "I used it mostly to scout and pick off Grimm from long range when I am not slicing through them on the ground."

The master of Sharp Strike nodded and replied, "Your weapon looks similar to my own, which was named Iconoclast. Would you like to see it?"

"Sure, I would love to! It's always nice to meet another scythe-wielder." The Silver-Eyed girl said with curiosity clear in her voice. Argentius reached to his lower back and produced a metallic weapon which looked like a rather large double-edged broadsword which could rival in size to Qrow's Reaper. He twisted the haft which unfolded out into a long pole with two small orbs at both ends, the broadsword splitting in half and extending in opposite directions. Tiny intricate script wound across the black surface of the entire pole in silver inlay, written in the same language that could be seen adorning the armor plates that he wore. Then with a single hand he twisted the haft one more time and a series of sharp clicks were heard, like a dozen locks being simultaneously turned at once. Suddenly with a wild movement that was faster than a blink of an eye, two large curves jolted out of the side to reveal they were large but thin deadly looking blades, as did additional smaller blades jutting out from the small orbs atop either side of the long pole. Once the transformation was finished with a final sharp echoing clack, the sharp blades at both ends revealed Iconoclast to be a double-bladed scythe. The whole transformation process took only less than five seconds to complete.

"Whoa!" Jaune cried out in astonishment.

"Holy Oum!" Nora muttered as she felt her jade eyes becoming as big as dinner plates.

"Well, that can't be safe." Ren observed while cupping his chin, leaning forward a little.

"Just when I thought weapons couldn't be more over-the-top." Weiss murmured to herself.

"Looks like Crescent Rose and Reaper has some serious competition!" Yang chuckled, sharing a knowing look with Blake.

"I don't doubt that." Blake replied with a smirk playing about her lips.

"Showoff." Qrow griped a little as he rolled his eyes while Taiyang gave a good-humored chuckle.

Argentius turned the scythe blades to either side to avoid any unintentional accidents, and regarded at the amazed look on Ruby's face. He tilted his helmet a little and asked, "So Ruby, what do you think?"

The black and red haired girl practically had stars in her silver eyes as she quickly went into geek-out mode, and words began to tumble out of her mouth swiftly, "Oh my gosh! It's fantastic! I mean, it's like a bigger Crescent Rose, so beautiful and deadly! I mean, you have to be really talented to use something like that because you could easily cut yourself in half or cut off your own head or something gory like that, but it's just so..wow! Does it have any other modes besides broadsword and dual-scythe forms?" She shifted her weapon in her hands and reached out to touch Iconoclast's haft, "It doesn't look like it has a gun mode so I think I got you beat there... but still, wow! This weapon can really dent the Grimm population during any mission, did you make it yourself? You have got to tell me how..."

"Calm down, Ruby... before you run out of breath." Argentius spoke gently as he laid one gauntlet on her left shoulder, "You are right, Sharp Strike. She is easily excitable." The younger knight gave a small shrug of his shoulders, and Ruby wondered if he was smirking behind his helmet.

"Ruby, I think there are more important things at hand than talking shop about personal weapons." Yang gently reminded her younger sister even as the former's chuckles slowly finished.

"Oh right! Well... your weapon's really cool! I hope to test it out one day." Ruby mentioned, blushing a bit as she tried to save face, "So... does it have any other modes?"

"It's also a high-caliber double-barreled assault rifle capable of rapid-fire and single-shot configurations." Argentius replied, and held up a hand to quiet Ruby down once more as she squealed in delight.

The daughter of Summer Rose took a few moments to calm herself, and then queried, "So... why did you want to meet me exactly?"

"This question has been running around my mind for quite some time ever since Shadow Reaper told me that you want to meet Miss Rose specifically. While I understand why you wish to speak with Mr. Arc and Miss Nikos due to their newfound positions as the Aura Crystal's guardians and while I may have a theory, I still feel the need to press Miss Rose's question." Ozpin said cordially.

"Don't get us wrong. It's nice to see you again Argentius, but I am a little protective of my daughter. So giving us some answers would be nice." Taiyang stated with Qrow nodding in agreement.

The dual-scythe wielding knight looked to his superior, their eyes meeting behind their helmet lenses and after a few moments the Grand Knight Master nodded and said to everyone in the room, "I guess this cannot be avoided for long, but since everyone has taken the oath... I hope you all know that you will be seeing one of the Knight Order's greatest secrets."

Argentius turned back to Ruby and said, "Very well... I think it's time you should know who I am... or what I am." With that he reached up with one gauntlet-clad hand and unlocked the neck seal of his armor, before removing his helmet to reveal an fine-looking adult face which stunned most of the group. He had closely cropped platinum blonde hair, but the most striking feature on his bearded face were his own pair of remarkable silver eyes, similar to Ruby's but slightly older and wiser, and somehow having a bit of tiredness in them.

Gasps of surprise echoed from the other members of Teams RWBY and JNPR, while the adults simply bowed their head in respect to Argentius.

"You... you're like me..." Ruby felt her voice stuttering out, amazement saturating her words.

"Yes, I am a Silver-Eyed warrior. Like you and your mother. I have never met another with our gift before her, and never again until you. When I heard about the daughter of Summer Rose during the Vytal Tournament I was intrigued, and when I saw footage of your skills and close-ups of your face I noticed a distinctive color that I haven't seen for ages. It wasn't until I heard of how you froze a Wyvern atop Beacon Academy that I realized I wasn't alone anymore." Argentius explained himself to her.

"So that explains why you were so eager to see her. Are you sure there aren't any other people with Silver Eyes living around Remnant?" Taiyang questioned.

Seraph shook his head as he spoke, "Sixteen years ago, the Knight Order received scattered reports of certain individuals with silver eyes being picked off one after another in far off settlements and villages, either dying to horrific murders by strangers or poisoned under mysterious circumstances."

Argentius looked at Qrow carefully, "The last Silver-Eyed individual that I have seen in the flesh is Summer Rose. While operating in the battlefield I have to be very careful, because if my presence as a Silver-Eyed warrior be discovered by the agents of Salem, they would expend every resource at their disposal to ensure my demise."

"Salem and her ilk undoubtedly have their hands soaked with the blood of those people." Glynda mentioned cautiously as the rest of the teenagers looked horrified at the idea that Ruby was a target marked for death to those who serve the Grimm Mistress. Taiyang was especially uncomfortable when he reached the same conclusion as the other individuals within the chambers.

"Hey, relax. Salem's not getting to Ruby if I can help it. Not as long as we are all here and she can put up a quite a fight." Qrow argued as he waved his flask in his hand, "Besides, that Grimm witch already knew what Ruby's eyes could do, so if she wanted to have Ruby killed by any of her agents she would have done so already."

"A decent point, but we shouldn't let our collective guard down." Glynda voiced carefully.

"Got that right." Yang said, her voice a little on edge at the thought of Ruby being captured again.

"Yes, but you are forgetting one thing." Soul Seer pointed out as she gestured with a gloved hand, "The Grimm Mistress might have other plans that might involve Miss Rose one way or another. She might not want to kill Ruby now, but that doesn't mean she won't change her mind when Ruby becomes a significant threat to her."

"My thoughts exactly." Argentius nodded at Soul Seer appreciatively before looking back to Ruby, "We could very well be the last of our kind, or the only ones actually able to do something when it comes to fighting the Grimm. Tell me Ruby, what have you been able to do with your eyes?"

"Well, not that much... since, well... I know that when my eyes shine they do a lot of damage to the Grimm, freeing them or causing them pain... but usually the power of my eyes comes when I am feeling awful, sad or angry or helpless... and when my emotions just take over it kind of activates on its own..."

"I see. It isn't far from what I have experienced myself when I first began to know the powers my own eyes contained." Argentius replied as he retracted Iconoclast back into its storage form and mag-locked it to the lower back of his masterfully-crafted armor, "A long time ago, my hometown came under attack from the Grimm after those soulless creatures breached the wall surrounding the village. They killed everyone in the vicinity even as my family tried to escape the ensuing chaos. Just when they were about to kill me along with my family, my powers suddenly activated and in a white, burning flash all the surrounding Grimm were either frozen or dissolved into ash. I still wondered if my emotions played an active role in the unwilling activation of my silver eyes during that most crucial moment, and the teachings of the Order taught me that I was correct." He paused for a moment as he looked Ruby in the eyes, "So like you I had little control over the strange effects my eyes held in the past, but when I was recruited into the Remnant Knight Order I learned from the senior Knights how to properly control my powers. In time you will learn to control your powers as I have, and make appropriate use of it during combat situations to decimate hordes of Grimm within mere moments."

"So you can actually control your powers and use them whenever you want?" Ruby asked

"After my recruitment into the Knight Order, I was taught by my predecessor who was also a very powerful silver-eyed warrior in his own right. He guided me through my training where I learned to control my emotions during stressful situations, to properly channel them and in turn control the powers of my silver eyes. It's not unlike the Semblance of your friend Jaune." Argentius explained to her, "Perhaps I can show you, but not here."

"Then where?" The scythe huntress raised an eyebrow quizzically.

Argentius slowly spread his gauntlet-clad hands, "In the mindscape, of course."

"Wait, I thought you can only go into the mindscape when you are, well...asleep?" Ruby scratched her head a little, while seeing her friends all having similar looks of incomprehension.

"There is another way to do so, and you will need to listen and do exactly what I tell you." Argentius replied as Soul Seer walked up to the both of them, the fingers of her gloved hand moving in an unseen magic circle.

The dual-scythe wielding knight turned and looked at Qrow and Taiyang, "Do I have your permission to bring your daughter Ruby into the mindscape? I swear on my life and my honor as a Remnant Knight that I will bring her back safe and sound."

"I trust you with my life, Argentius." Taiyang spoke carefully while crossing his arms, "So you better make good on your promise or I will make sure you will regret it."

"What he said." Qrow added, sipping from his flask "Just do what you have to, but makes sure she comes back to us."

"That goes double for me." Yang chimed in, her fist noticeably clenching.

"And me as well." Weiss added.

"They speak for all of us." Jaune finished firmly.

"You have my oath." Argentius said as he sat down with Ruby on the soft carpets in the grotto-like recess located in the middle of the meditation chambers. With them facing each other, he placed his ornate helmet by the side and gestured for the red hooded huntress to extend her hands, and slowly took them within his. Sharp Strike retreated back several paces, and so did Taiyang, Qrow and the rest as Soul Seer conjured up a number of glowing azure magical circles above and around them with her staff and gloved fingers which caused a transparent beehive barrier bubble to slowly spring into being around the senior Knight and Ruby themselves. Once it was done, she bowed her head and murmured some kind of additional incarnation to protect the two individuals within the bubble shield who were preparing to enter the mindscape.

"Are you ready, Ruby?" Argentius asked while looking at the daughter of Summer Rose in the eyes.

"...Yes I am." Ruby replied and nodded her head.

"Now repeat the words I speak together with me, and we will be transported to the mindscape." Argentius continued before telling her the appropriate words to speak, "Do you understand me?"

"Yes, I do." Ruby answered once more, her hands tightening a little onto Argentius's gauntlets

"Good." Argentius nodded, "Now, let us start our journey."

They spoke the words of power together, and both of their consciousness slipped smoothly from their physical bodies and into the mindscape beyond the corporeal world.

"Ruby, can you hear me?" The voice seemed to come from a little far away.

Ruby opened her silver eyes and found herself seeing nothing but white. Pushing herself up from the white ground, she lowered her head and rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands, blinking a few times to make sure that what she was seeing was real. She was lying in the middle of a huge expanse of empty whiteness as far as the eye could see. Looking up, she saw Argentius clad in his detailed knight armor, extending his gauntlet downwards which she took and he promptly pulled her upright with a sharp tug.

"Where are we?" She inquired as she smoothed the skirt of her Huntress attire and checked that everything was as it should be, save for their surroundings which was completely devoid of anything except for the color white, "Are we in the mindscape?"

"Yes, we are." Argentius replied as he looked down at Ruby, "What do you think of it?"

"It's... kind of empty." Ruby looked around before turning back to face the elder Remnant Knight.

"The mindscape is always empty at first." Argentius spoke as he began to walk away, gesturing for Ruby to follow him and she trotted slowly beside him, with both of their individual cloaks flapping gently behind them, "However, if you want something to appear in here, it would come into being as long as you can visualize it in your mind."

"So, if I want my home in Patch to appear here and it would just pop up?" Ruby asked and Argentius gave a nod.

"All you need is the memory, and the will to make it real in this place." He explained.

"Okay, I think I understand. Can I try?" Ruby queried only for Argentius to shake his head.

"Perhaps later. But first, don't you think we need a change of scenery?"

"I guess so, since there's nothing here!" Ruby gestured at their surroundings with both her hands, where complete whiteness existed and seemingly nothing else.

"I agree." Argentius nodded his head, and closed his own pair of silver eyes for a moment and tapping into his memories, before opening his eyes again, "How about now?" Ruby blinked and looked around her, only to find herself and the senior knight standing on a pavement made of stones which was threading through gray forests stretching in all directions. Small piles of fallen leaves and white snow surrounded their feet, and the sky was light-blue with an occasional cloud moving at a snail's pace across the heavens.

"Wait, this part of Patch's forests." Ruby observed.

Argentius gave a small smile, "Well, I started off with someplace familiar for you to recognize, since familiarity breeds comfort. Now come, let us both take a walk."

The snow covering the stone path crunched underneath Ruby's red-soled black combat boots and Argentius's silver-black armored boots as the two silver-eyed individuals walked along the winding path through the grey forest. An occasional chilly wind blew past them, ruffling Ruby's hair and her red hooded cloak, and she adjusted her cloak around to wrap around her neck while noticing Argentius to be seemingly unaffected.

"Tell me, Ruby; what do you know of the Silver-Eyed Warriors?" Argentius turned his head to look down at her even as they continued walking.

"Well not much, only what Uncle Qrow told me." Ruby answered, remembering her uncle sharing with her the legend after she had woken up after the fall, "I know that they were a bunch of powerful warriors who existed before Huntsmen, Huntresses, and the Kingdoms. They are able to strike down Grimm just by looking at them, and those soulless creatures fear them because of their silver eyes."

"Do it's all true?" Argentius mentioned and the teenage huntress nodded her head, "Good, since people like you, me and your mother exist, as real as life, there were also many others who came before us, a lineage of warriors dating back to the ancient times who fought the Grimm to protect those they loved and cared about."

"How many of those warriors are there?" She asked as they continued to walk, making their way through the grey forest.

Argentius stroked his bearded chin for a moment before replying, "I don't think we'll ever really know how many there have been. In its long history, the Order's history only recorded a very scant few Silver-Eyed warriors who served within the Order or with the Remnant Knights themselves. One of them, named Emmanuel, served as one of our previous Grand Knight Masters of the Knight Order before Lord Seraph Pendragon succeeded him."

"So this Emmanuel was a Silver-Eyed warrior too? He must be a very smart and powerful warrior to command all of the Remnant Knights." Ruby commented, rubbing her hands together to keep warm in the chilly, but accurate, illusion of Patch's forests.

"Lord Emmanuel was a shrewd and courageous Grand Knight Master." Argentius spoke as he continued walking, "He was in turn my master who trained me when I was recruited into the Order. He also gave me a title taken from the many legends of Remnant, Grimmslayer, after I defeated a Grimm Kraken terrorizing the coastal settlements during a rather... difficult mission in Mistral many years ago."

"Grimmslayer? Tha'ts kind of cool, is that a nickname like Sharp Strike's?" Ruby asked.

"No, and it's not a code name in that sense, young one." Argentius answered slowly, "From what I do know, the very first Silver-Eyed Warriors were given the name of Grimmslayers by the grateful people they have protected and saved from the Grimm, as a way to pass on the many tales of their valiant actions. These tales of boundless heroism and steadfast determination against the evil of the Grimm was passed down through the ages in the form of either oral or written histories, eventually inspiring the creation of the Huntsmen and Huntresses in the later times."

Another question came from the red-hooded Huntress, her breath misting a little from her mouth as she exhaled slowly as she asked "So what happened to Emmanuel?"

Small snowflakes drifted down from the light-blue sky around her and Argentius, and for a brief moment Ruby wondered why it would snow in the mindscape. Argentius sighed before answering in a respectful voice "Lord Emmanuel gave his life to make sure that the Knight Order lived to fight another day. He battled bravely against the Grimm Mistress in a place known as The Endless Gorge, and heroically fought on till the end against the Grimm until his last breath. And it was said that he actually managed to wound Salem before she killed him, fulfilling his sworn oath before he passed on."

Ruby nodded her head, and then looked at Argentius in the eyes, "Uncle Qrow told me that those people with Silver Eyes are destined to live the life of a warrior. Seeing that you are already a powerful warrior yourself, what do you think of those legends?"

They continued along the stone pavement for a few silent moments as Argentius considered her question before answering, "Ruby, it doesn't matter how I feel about the previous Silver-Eyed Warriors who came before me. While I respect them for their brave and selfless actions, the fact doesn't change that they have already passed on, and the most we can do would be to honor their sacrifices and learn from the lessons they have imparted to us through those legends so that mankind would continue to exist on Remnant." He took a small breath and continued, "I may be a powerful warrior yes, but that doesn't make me invincible. I am still human after all, and even the most experienced of Huntsmen and Huntresses will also fall prey to making certain mistakes at some time during their lives. The most important point is that don't try to be something you can't, but be yourself... because only you know what your strengths and limits are."

The hooded Huntress hung her head a little bit at Argentius's reply, feeling as though she had been chastised by armored silver-eyed knight's words. She felt a gauntlet resting gently on her shoulder, "I know that you must have wondered if you can measure up to your mother, as well as to the legacy of those renowned warriors, but the events in the past has already happened. Your actions in the present, as well as those of Team Beacon's, will determine the future with its consequences, so remember to think carefully before you act on something."

"I understand." Ruby managed a small smile which was returned by the senior warrior even as they reached a fork in the grey forest, with two separate paths leading in separate directions, "Wait, I don't remember this part of the forest to have a fork in the road..."

"It seems that we have a choice to make." The knight mentioned thoughtfully and looked at the daughter of Summer Rose, "Where would you like to go, Ruby?"

"Well, someplace warm for starters." Ruby quipped, blowing into her hands again, "I just didn't know it can become so cold in the mindscape!"

"It's only cold because you think of it that way." Argentius spoke, tapping the side of his head with the armored fingers of his left gauntlet, "But you have a point there. Perhaps we should have another change of scenery?"

"That would be good." Ruby agreed and Argentius nodded his head, taking the path to the right. After walking for a couple of minutes, they reached an archway with a somewhat oriental design, which comprised of curved white walls with red ribbed roofs. However, the circular opening of the front wall doesn't show anything beyond it and the gateway of the portal seemed to shimmer, distorting everything behind the entryway in a dense fog.

Taking Ruby's hand in a firm but gentle grip, Argentius took the leader of Team RWBY through the oriental archway portal and into the world beyond. There was a brief sensation of falling, before they both landed boots-first on another stone pavement with soft green grass on both sides of it. Bright sunlight shone down on both of them as Ruby held up a hand to shield her eyes as she took stock of their surroundings.

"What... what is this place?" She eventually asked Argentius, "It's so beautiful!"

"A pocket reality in the mindscape formed in the likeness of a treasured memory of mine." Argentius replied as they followed the pavement made of smooth cobbled grey stones. Lush green trees and cherry blossoms populate the lands around them, and as Ruby looked around she could see a bridge of red and brown extending over a smoothly flowing river into a large lake in the distance, and brightly colored flowers bloomed among the various bushes which decorated both sides of the stone pavement. Birds flocked over the surface of the water, and a few small transport boats with white sails could be seen bobbing on the lake itself.

They passed over the bridge and the young Huntress saw a number of orange and white colored fish swimming within the river waters, and moments later they reached a brownish-red-roofed villa with white walls. Entering through the main gates which were already opened, they proceeded through the corridors of the villa until coming into what could be described as the private study of a cultured warrior. The walls were as white as snow, and a series of sliding wooden doors opened to the main corridor and silk curtains hung from both sides of open windows. Intricate paintings and ancient maps of Remnant covered were arranged neatly on one of the walls, hung from wooden hooks by the metal rings at their sides. Another wall was covered with shelves filled with thick tomes of books and rolled up paper scrolls sealed with wax, which Ruby wondered what interesting knowledge could be gleamed from their pages. A large but narrow desk of dark brown occupied the space in front of a mountain painting, and a thick tome could be seen placed in the middle of it, along with various writing implements arranged neatly on either side of the desk's smooth surface.

Pushing open the sliding wooden doors, Argentius led Ruby to an open-air area of the villa with a wonderful view of the lake beyond. Curved red railing circled the entire area, with a carpeted dais of sorts dominating the place. As she neared the dais, Ruby could see there was a ceramic tea set on the table with two tea cups, along with a small cooking stove and a container presumably containing tea leaves. There were pillows for people to seat themselves, and Argentius gestured for her to take a seat while he brewed some tea. Pouring the gently smoking tea into one of the two ceramic tea cups, and the knight passed one to Ruby as he took his seat on the opposite side of the table, and watched as Ruby hesitantly took a sip.

"Wait, if this is the mindscape then why can I still feel the taste of this tea?" Ruby asked, a puzzled look on her face.

A smirk appeared on Argentius's lips, and he replied, "It's all in your thoughts, Ruby. You can taste the flavor of the tea because you think of it. How about trying to form your favorite food here and now?"

The young Huntress gave a nod, and closed her eyes, thinking of her favorite food. Soon enough, when she opened her eyes again a plate of freshly baked cookies with a nice aroma that she knew which could only be baked by her mother Summer Rose. She picked up one of them and took a bite, feeling the wonderful flavor on her tongue, "It's just like Mom's!" She nearly cried with delight at the taste.

Argentius waited patiently for Ruby to finish eating the plate of cookies, the amount of time it took her to eat them all surprised Argentius , as he sipped his own cup of freshly-brewed tea. Once he had her attention once more, the elder knight commented kindly, "Not bad for a first try." Ruby beamed back in response.

"Anyway, it's time for us to return to our previous conversation." The Remnant Knight mentioned as he poured some more tea for himself, "It is believed by many individuals of the Knight Order as well as other Guardians of Remnant that the power of the Silver-Eyed Warriors is a literal example of light vanquishing the darkness. We are candles in the night. The very same power that came from our eyes act as a form of offensive counter mainly against the Grimm, but the full extent of our abilities have yet to be known."

He took a sip of warm tea and continued, "Due to the rare trait of having silver eyes in the present day, coupled with the legends of the Silver-Eyed Warriors, many people came to think of them as powerful fighters who could easily defeat swarms of Grimm. While the claims are somewhat true, the origins of how those powers are granted to certain people like us and your mother is still shrouded in mystery."

"Then... shouldn't there be some kind of reason for us to have those kind of powers?" Ruby asked slowly.

"I have often asked this question myself, Ruby, and I sought out the oldest history archives located throughout Remnant, drawing upon the resources of the Knight Order and the Kingdoms to find any clue as to why certain people are granted the power of the Silver Eyes." The elder knight answered, "From what records I have found, there are many legends pertaining to the origins of the Silver-Eyed warriors, some vague and some fanciful, but the most consistent legend I have found in my studies speaks of people with good souls who were granted these powers by the gods of Remnant to ward off evil and protect the innocent, and that the powers were passed down through the generations through bloodlines, but there are still too many unknown gaps to form a reasonable conclusion."

"Which means you aren't sure of it either." The hooded Huntress said.

"Until we discover something else which gives us fresh information or a new perspective, yes, I don't know much either." Argentius agreed.

"And where would we find the answer?" Ruby queried.

"There are numerous secrets in this world, Ruby." Argentius replied as his own silver eyes looked down into the warm tea in his own tea-cup, "...and they are hidden for as many reasons as one might think. The reason for certain individuals to have Silver Eyes may exist somewhere out there, and perhaps one day we may find out what it is."

A few moments of silence passed between them, punctuated by the soft chirping sounds of birds flying over the lake and the soothing flow of water into the lake that encircled the outdoor dais area.

"Now, l think it's time to get to the reason why I brought you into the mindscape." The knight replied as he finished his tea and placed the tea-cup on the table, with Ruby doing the same, "The power of Silver Eyes is a very potent force, and should one lose control of it in the real world it would have perilous consequences on your friends as well as your opponents."

"I... don't like the sound of that." Ruby said, with a troubled look on her face.

"Indeed. That is why I will teach you how to properly control the power of your Silver Eyes to avoid such occurrences." Argentius said as he stood up, his knight armor producing soft clacks as the lacquered armor plates rub against each other, and gestured for Ruby to follow him, "And perhaps after that I can give you some pointers on how to fight more effectively with Crescent Rose."

"Sure, I don't mind learning some new skills, especially from someone like you." The scythe-wielding huntress answered, remembering the skills Argentius had showed off earlier.

A small smile appeared on Argentius's face as he tilted his head a little, "You remind me again of your mother, Ruby Rose... and I am sure you will go far in this chosen path of your life."

"Funny, Uncle Qrow told me the same thing... the part about me going far in life." Ruby chuckled a little, "Guess you two think alike."

"I may have been a little influenced by him during our missions together in the past." Argentius admitted. "But, from what I understand, Qrow's methods are a bit more... headstrong than my own. Now, let's begin."

Reaching a huge green field which was right outside the brownish red-roofed villa, the elder knight gestured for Ruby to follow him into a kneeling meditation pose with them facing each other, "First, close your eyes and clear your mind of any distraction. Then concentrate on activating the power of your silver eyes."

"...and what happens should I lose control?" Ruby looked at him in the eyes.

"That's why I am here." Argentius replied, and a moment later he added, "There's no need to worry, just remember my instructions and you will be fine. Now close your eyes and focus."

"Uh, one last question, how do I address you?" The young Huntress asked.

"For now, Master Argentius would do." The older knight told her.

Ruby nodded and replied, "I will try my best, Master Argentius."

"I have heard that from Sharp Strike quite a few times in the past." Argentius's lips curled into a smirk, "Now, shall we begin?"

Following the aged knight's instructions, Ruby put aside all other thoughts as much as she could before slipping into a meditative trance even as her training began in earnest.

---

Forge Smith turned Magnhild in its hammer form slowly within his absurdly large armored gauntlets, examining Nora's personal weapon carefully like a jeweler would analyze facet-cut gems and diamonds. His personal warhammer was placed head-down by his side, the extended leather grip pointing skywards while having some additional thick armor plating covering around its lower end. The T-shaped visor set in the eyes of the Goliath-shaped helmet glinted a little as the armored helmet moved every few seconds, travelling up and down Magnhild while the thick fingers caressed the weapon with the skilled care of a weaponsmith.

Nora waited expectantly in front of him, with Ren by her side while she watched the huge Remnant Knight examine her weapon, turning it this way and that before changing it into its grenade launcher form. The giant armored warrior looked like an adult holding a child's toy, and after a few moments he switched Magnhild back to its hammer form and handed it back to her.

"Hmm... good overall construction, smooth transformation sequence, and powerful payloads. The recoil from the payload can also enhance the hammer impacts for maximum damage." The large imposing knight eventually mentioned as he looked from the weapon to Nora, "I would grade Magnhild a reasonably well score for its especially distinctive weapon design."

"I used it to defeat a Death Stalker back in initiation." Nora replied with a smile on her lips, "By sending it into the chasm with a loud wham!"

The weaponsmith of the Remnant Knights looked at the orange-haired girl and gave a nod, "I see you have added some kickback cushions inside your weapon to deal with the recoil. That's good thinking on your part."

Nora nodded her head, "Thank you sir, I never thought I would receive a compliment from a Remnant Knight."

"That is something Forge Smith rarely bestows on others." Shadow Reaper said as he stood beside the heavily armored knight, "I can assure you he genuinely means it."

"Then may I ask what's the name of your warhammer?" Nora requested politely, Weiss was a bit surprised at how restrained Nora was acting, but Ren, Jaune, and Pyrrha had seen it before.

The tall and heavily plated knight picked up his warhammer again and turned it slowly within his large gauntlets, "My weapon is named Mjolnira. I used it to forge many weapons for the Knight Order, as well as bearing it in battle against many dangerous types of Grimm."

"Mjolnira, that's a very nice name." She said, looking at the various inscriptions on the metallic surface of the knight's warhammer, "It looks like it can dish out some major damage."

"Trust me, it can. I have personally seen it in action." Shadow Reaper said before turning back to face Ren, who remained silent as he observed the grey and black armored knight rotating StormFlowers in the latter's own gauntlets.

"Lightweight, strong melee blades, and extended magazines for larger carrying ammunition capacity. Fully automatic firing mechanisms with good-tensioned pin locks. Good for quick-draws and throwing." The covert knight errant operative remarked slowly, "Can also double as spontaneous melee defense."

The green ninja nodded and replied "Yes. I used it to defend myself by holding off enemy attacks when they get in close, such as the time we fought Team BRNZ at the Vtyal Festival."

Shadow Reaper spun StormFlowers smoothly in his gauntlets, before returning both weapons to Ren grip-first, "I used similar weapons myself, except mine is a pair of dust-enhanced gunswords." He gestured at the holsters at both sides of his belt, and Ren noticed the handles of the two aforementioned gunswords protruding from them.

"And what are their names?" Ren inquired, sliding Stormflowers back into his long-sleeved tailcoat

"ShadeSlayers." Shadow Reaper stated simply, "They earned their names from my first mission, where I used them to kill over a hundred Geists."

Ren gave a nod of acknowledgement when a soft and melodious voice came from behind them. "Is it true that you two came to Beacon Academy together?" Shadow Reaper turned and bowed a little, revealing Soul Seer who looked at Ren and Nora with her golden eyes.

"Yes, we did." Nora answered, placing both hands in front of her abdomen, "Ren and I vowed to keep each other safe, so we entered Beacon together."

"It seems that both your paths are inexplicably intertwined with each other, Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie." Soul Seer said as she looked at them both, "I am sorry to hear what had happened to both of you in the past, and I hope one day you both can find some closure for the pain in your souls. Maybe one day you will be able to destroy the monster that took your families."

Both Ren and Nora's eyes widened as they looked at each other for a few brief moments, their reaction caused the others to wonder what Soul Seer meant by that and why their friends had reacted so strongly. Ren looked to Soul Seer and asked, "How did you know?"

The flower-staff wielding mage inclined her head, "Your Auras told me, and forgive me for the blunt mention of your past. I can perceive emotions by looking at the Auras of others, and while you two keep your emotions under control... there's still a flicker of unease in your hearts."

She paused for a moment and then continued, "Remember your vow to keep each other safe, because there are still yet more trials for both of you to overcome in future."

"We will, thank you." Ren replied as he extended a hand which Nora took, and they both bowed respectfully to Soul Seer who smiled gently at them and nodded her head, before turning her attention to the beehive barrier bubble which enclosed Argentius and Ruby Rose.

---

A certain period of time has passed since they had both knelt in the wide expanse of grassy land in front of the clearly Mistralian-influenced villa, with Ruby following the meditating instructions Argentius had taught her. She didn't know how much time had passed, since they were in the mindscape and not the physical world, but it felt like they had been here for at least a number of hours. The pocket reality of the mindscape they were presently in looks so real to her, but there was a certain... unsettling feeling that unsettled her that the surroundings both looked real and false at the same time.

"You are slowly improving, Ruby... now close your eyes again." Argentius instructed and she complied, "Let your body relax and be comfortable, not hungry or full, not hot or cold, not tired or energetic. Let your mind be clear and your thoughts drift... and then let it go free."

Ruby briefly felt a temperate breeze caress her face and caused her red cloak to flap a little, while also feeling a calm sense of serenity slowly come into her mind as she did so.

"Reach out to the sky and the stars, feel the sparks of life all around us, the aura of humans and Faunus, animals and plants, all the living things of this world. Reach out to your surroundings, and feel their aura flow around you and your own aura within yourself." His gentle voice came again to her ears.

"Can you feel it?" He asked and Ruby felt herself nod.

"Yes, Master Argentius... I can feel it... there's so much aura around us..."

"Good. Now, with your mind at ease... slowly release a little of your power, Ruby." Argentius instructed as he watched the meditating Huntress in front of him begin to crease her forehead in concentration, "Focus, calm yourself. Don't let any unwanted distractions break your the calmness of your mind."

"I am trying, Master Argentius." Ruby's reply came as she subtly curled her hands into small fists, "I can feel the energy flowing within my eyes... but it's so hard to get them to come out..."

"Don't rush the process, Ruby." Argentius soothed, "Control your emotions and maintain a serene mind. Then tap into the power of your Silver Eyes and gently release a little of it."

"It seems so easy when I see you do it." She answered, her youthful face scrunching up a little more in an effort to perform the same action he had demonstrated a short while ago, "Why is it so difficult for me?" After failing to do so again, she then opened her eyes and looked at Argentius, who stroked his bearded chin thoughtfully.

"Well, first of all... I sense that your heart and mind are troubled." The aged Remnant Knight stated, raising a hand to forestall any questions coming from Ruby, "Second, you need to understand that there are no quick paths to control the power of your Silver Eyes. If your emotions are in turmoil, there's always the chance of losing control of your powers, and that isn't something you want to happen when you are fighting a battle."

He regarded Ruby, their silver eyes meeting across the short distance between them, "So, what troubles you, young one? I think it would help if I understand what's disturbing your concentration."

The young scythe wielder thought for a few moments, while listening to the soft sounds of the water flowing in the lake a short distance away from them and the chirping of the birds in the air, before replying, "I... I fear killing other people, Master Argentius. I remembered killing two thugs back in Haven. I can still remember them so vividly... I'm afraid it could happen again." For months, she had told others, and herself that she was over it, but it was nothing but a lie, one that she had come to believe.

"Ruby, I understand your feelings." Argentius opened his hands in a friendly manner as he knelt in front of her, "But you must know that sometimes things will happen and they are completely out of your control. Especially when you become a full-fledged Huntress, there will be sacrifices to be made, and not all of them are easy to dismiss. You would have to eventually come to terms with them, before moving on."

"And... what if I could have prevented those things from happening?" Ruby queried, feeling her eyes misting a little, her tear ducts slowly beginning to leak, "What if I could have stopped Pyrrha and Penny's fight in time? Or if I had gotten to the top of the tower sooner? What if I had been able to prevent Adam from cutting off Yang's arm? Or stop myself from killing those men? I don't think I would be able to forgive myself for those failures."

Argentius laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, "Ruby... the act of taking lives is indeed a painful one, but you must understand that not all things happen because of your involvement with them. There are times that you would have to make hard choices to save the lives of your friends and loved ones, and in the process your actions would often result in the injury and death of others, especially those of the enemies you face. Remember that in their eyes you are merely another opponent, and they would have no qualms killing you to remove another obstacle in their plans. What you did does not make you an evil person."

"Sharp Strike said something like that to me too... I think I understand..." Ruby slowly said.

"Do you?" Argentius continued, "You are the leader of Team RWBY, and leaders would have to make difficult decisions. There will be losses, inevitable and painful ones. You would have to experience that kind of pain in future, and yet be prepared to take risks and make sacrifices to save those you wish to protect. That is part of the duty of being a Huntress, by making sure that your actions actually mean something, and always protecting those who cannot protect themselves."

A few seconds passed before Ruby answered the great knight once more, "Yes, Master Argentius."

The master of Sharp Strike gave a nod of his head, "Think about what I have said, Ruby... and I am confident someday you will understand what I have told you."

He looked at Ruby directly as she absorbed what he had just told her and noticed that there was a kind of far-away look on her face. There was also a faint glow of silver energy coming out of her eyes, and the knight was about to inquire if she's feeling alright, as the mindscape can have certain effects on newcomers, unlike him who have spent countless hours meditating and contemplating in the pocket reality which was considered a safe haven of sorts.

A warning thought surfaced through his thoughts as Argentius reached forward to touch Ruby's cloaked shoulder when the leaking silver energy coming from her eyes grew stronger and brighter, and suddenly the wayward energy lashed out towards him, causing the veteran knight to leap back abruptly and put some distance between himself and the young Huntress. The tendril of silver energy briefly clipped him on the left pauldron, sending Argentius to the ground on one greaved knee, and he looked up just in time to see more silver energy coming out of Ruby's eyes, manifesting into blinding streams of light which looked like a pair of majestic wings.

A great gale whipped up almost immediately around them, scattering leaves from the nearby trees and every bird in the vicinity fled into the horizon. Thinking quickly, Argentius swiftly drew Iconoclast and slammed its blade into the green grass ground to keep himself anchored as his silver and gold-trimmed cloak flapped like a flag in the strong winds. His mind searched through his experiences speedily, looking for the appropriate memory to put into context what he was seeing. It wasn't long for him to realize that Ruby Rose has accidentally latched onto a memory which caused the power of her silver eyes to activate, and if he didn't put a stop to it in time both Ruby and himself risked mental trauma, not to mention that the pocket reality of the mindscape might suffer severe damage or complete destruction.

As the strong winds continue to batter against him continuously like hammer blows, the aged warrior saw Ruby float to a standing position of sorts with her hands by her sides, while her head was looking at the sky even as her silver eyes continue to bleed more silver energy. He had experienced something similar on his own when during his training within the Knight Order long ago, and that particular memory had remained with him even after so many years had passed as a warning of what would happen should an individual with silver eyes lose control of his or her power. The consequences down that path were something he hoped that would never come to pass, because the guilt of carrying the burden of those actions would be incredibly taxing on his old soul, much less a young one like Ruby Rose.

Remembering his sworn oath to both Qrow and Taiyang to bring Ruby back from the mindscape safe and sound, Argentius began to move forward one laborious step at a time, stabbing Iconoclast into the grassy ground to prevent himself from being carried off by the dangerously powerful winds. Another lashing blow from Ruby's silver eyes knocked him back a few steps, but he steeled himself and started forward again, his own silver eyes glowing and forming a winged shield of sorts against the forceful mental elements and Ruby's growing power.

"Ruby, listen to me!" Argentius shouted against the howling winds, his voice almost lost to the white noise generated by the elements, "What you are seeing isn't real! Don't allow yourself to be pulled into the memory! Find my voice!" Seeing Ruby's head turn slowly in his direction, the knight reached out a hand once more, "Listen to the sound of my voice, Ruby! Focus on it, and take my hand!"

Another powerful blow slammed into him, both silvery wings crashing into his own pair which formed from his silvery eyes, and the knight grunted in an effort to maintain stability. If his concentration so much as slip for a single vital moment, the pocket reality in the mindscape would be open to the larger field, and who knows what kind of additional damage Ruby's power could wreak there. While there was a bubble shield of sorts protecting them both from the other gathered students, adults and knights, a single tendril of silver energy escaping into the physical world can still cause damage, no matter how small.' Sometimes, it's the smallest things that cause the biggest damage.' Argentius thought to himself even as he hauled himself forward again.

Suddenly, Ruby raised one of her hands and flying debris whipped towards him, which the knight quickly deflected while others simply clattered off harmlessly off his Aegis armor, but that unexpected action caused a hairline fracture to appear within his concentration, and a stray tendril of silver energy shot towards him and ricocheted off the gleaming blade of Iconoclast, sending it arcing skywards. Argentius watched with what looked like stunned trepidation on his face as it disappeared into the swiftly gathering grey clouds above them, and knew that everyone outside the protective bubble shield would be given a clue to what's happening inside.

"Oh Oum, that's not good." He murmured to himself, before switching his attention and efforts back to calming Ruby down, and hoping that he wasn't too late to avert any catastrophe.

---

"Hey there, shiny." A gruff voice with the nearly intoxicating smell of someone who had too much to drink caught the attention of the Remnant Knight with twin swords mag-locked to his back, interrupting his quiet observation of everyone and everything that happened within the meditation chambers.

Sharp Strike turned his helmet-covered head and regarded Ruby's uncle, his armored form also turning to face Qrow even as he instinctively felt his gauntlets rest on his customized revolver and personal relic sword. Blood red eyes met azure helmet lenses as veteran huntsman and young knight slowly regarded each other once more, "I sure didn't expect to see you again so soon, and with so many of your brethren."

"Nor did I, Branwen." Sharp Strike replied as he noticed Taiyang leaning against a pillar a short distance behind them, arms crossed and his blue eyes firmly focused on the bubble shield which encased both Ruby Rose and his master Argentius. Out of the corner of his lenses he could see the headmaster of Beacon Academy talking to Seraph and Tranquility, with Glynda, Ironwood and Councilor Henry listening to the overall conversation about the terms of their cooperation as stated in the scroll of alliance.

While he knew that the rules of engagement against the Knight Order's foes would change in terms of their alliance with the Kingdoms, Ozpin's guardians and Team Beacon, he wondered momentarily about his continued role of being a knight errant operative for the Order. No doubt it would change too, but he's adaptable after receiving training from his master for quite some time. And perhaps working with Team Beacon might be a refreshing experience, even though he preferred to be a loner most of the time.

"So Argentius is your master, huh? And here I thought he wouldn't be the type to take in an apprentice." Qrow chuckled a little as he took a sip from his flask, "Did he fill your mind with all those grand tales of being a hero in shining armor?"

Sharp Strike cocked his head a little at Qrow's jibe, and replied, "Yes, he's my master and I respect him for his skill and his commendable efforts in teaching me the ways of the Remnant Knights. He taught me how to fight, to survive and adapt to various situations at hand, and that has kept me alive so far, but yes, he has quite a few tales to tell if you ever find him in the mood."

The older scythe wielder shook his drinking flask and regarded Sharp Strike, "So a warrior teacher and storyteller huh? I once joked that I might see him enjoying retirement somewhere in a nice remote mountain cabin, but it seems that he has proven me wrong. It seems that you can't seem to catch a break in a chaotic world like Remnant. So how was it like to have a master like him?"

"I would say the same about you Branwen, since you are working for Ozpin's guardians." Sharp Strike said as he glanced back again at the bubble shield in the middle of the chambers, "Master Argentius has been a strict but reasonable teacher to me, and I am grateful for him to teach me as well as many other knights within the Order... but I guess this is where his skills lie, in saving lives and passing his experiences to future generations of warriors." He looked back at the old crow again, "I am sure he would help Ruby in any way he can."

"That sounds like the Argentius I know." Qrow mused to himself, before looking at Sharp Strike again, "Anyway, you still owe me an answer from the question I asked of you back in Vacuo before the assault on White Fang headquarters."

"Is this about the sword of the Promethean Tribe I have been carrying?" The knight said slowly, returning Qrow's careful glare, "I have already given you an answer, Branwen."

Qrow capped his drinking flask and continued, "Yes, but I find that answer vague and unconvincing, not a fan of either. You said that the sword has always been with you, so that rules out only a few options from what I have narrowed down, you had some relation to that tribe, or you defeated someone from that tribe to gain that sword, or you had pretty good relations with them to be given that sword. The only others I have seen are either really good copies or a random few in the prized collections of certain individuals, but yours seemed to be more ornate than any other blade I have seen."

Sharp Strike thought carefully before speaking again, "Yes, the sword has always been with me, but it has been with my family before I was recruited into the Knight Order. I know it was crafted by the weaponsmiths of the Promethean Tribe due to the intricate details and craftsmanship of the sword. When I became a Remnant Knight, I brought along this blade to remind me of my parents and the life I had before I joined the Order."

"The way I see it, it looks like someone within your family must have been on very good terms with the elders of that tribe." Qrow remarked, rubbing his chin a little, "For a person to possess a genuine sword crafted by the Promethean Tribe today is extremely rare, and you are one lucky swordsman to have such an exquisite weapon."

"I shall take that as a compliment, Branwen." Sharp Strike replied, and Qrow was about to say something else when a strong silvery glow from within the bubble shield sprung into being, causing those closest to the shield to hold up their hands in an effort to protect their eyes. If one squinted at the transparent barrier separating them from Ruby and Argentius, he or she would have noticed the silver energy leaking from her open eyes, which were glowing brightly. His master was also showing the same effect with his own eyes, but Ruby's was far brighter than his, and certain energy tendrils were slowly caressing the inner surface of the bubble shield, producing soft crackles as thought someone had turned on an electricity generator.

"What the heck?" Cried Jaune in surprise.

"What's going on? What's wrong with Ruby?" Weiss asked, a very nervous edge to her voice.

"Sis?!" Shouted Yang. "What's happening?!"

Taiyang took a few steps forward and looked into the bubble shield, and so did Qrow who glanced at the other Remnant Knights and Ozpin before walking back to his brother-in-law's side. No doubt his mind was racing about Ruby's safety in the mindscape, and so was Yang who stood up from her seating position with a worried look on her face too. Another spasm of silver energy brushed against the bubble shield's interior, and Taiyang turned and shared an anxious look with Qrow, "Her silver eyes are leaking energy! We need to get her out of there now!"

He made to move for the bubble shield, concern for Ruby's safety clear on his face, and this was coming from a Huntsman who normally solved anything with a punch to the face in his youth.

"Is Ruby in danger?" Yang demanded as she clenched both her robotic and organic hands, her lilac eyes showing anxiety for the well-being of her younger sister. The male blonde Huntsman was about to draw back his gauntlet-clad fist to break the integrity of the bubble shield encasing his daughter and the senior Remnant Knight when he felt Qrow holding him back, while Soul Seer was instantly by their side, with Sharp Strike and Shadow Reaper behind him.

"Taiyang, please restrain yourself." Soul Seer said with a careful, yet serious tone, "Ruby and Argentius are both at a delicate stage at the moment, as he's teaching her how to control the power of her silver eyes. What you are seeing is possibly a fragment of silver energy coming from her eyes, and the bubble shield I have conjured is what's protecting us from any other effects that kind of energy may cause when released."

"She's right, control yourself." Qrow looked at Taiyang, before turning to Soul Seer, "But that doesn't change the fact that Ruby and Argentius are both in danger. What will happen if the shield is breached by the silver energy?"

The mage with the flower staff glanced at the flaring bubble shield which was flaring brightly with the streams of silver energy coming from both silver-eyed individuals within it for a few moments, before replying, "I have put my strongest shield wards in the creation of this bubble shield, so it would hold for quite some time. However, should its integrity be compromised, the unstable silver energy released would cause significant damage to the surroundings and anyone close enough."

Glynda, who was holding the rest of Team RWBY and Team JNPR back with a raised hand, felt her face slowly slip into shock at Soul Seer's words, "Shouldn't you have shared this piece of important information before with us before Argentius took Miss Rose into the mindscape?"

"Glynda, we know very little about the capabilities and powers of the individuals with Silver Eyes." Soul Seer answered, gesturing with her flower-shaped staff, "Although we have gathered some information from Argentius's personal abilities and skills with his own silver eyes, there's still many unknowns that we are still finding answers to. Nonetheless, I can assure you that the knight who is with Ruby now is the best chance we have to help her control the power that existed within her own eyes."

She turned from Glynda to Taiyang once more, "Taiyang, you once trusted Argentius with your life, so please place that same trust in him again and trust in Ruby's power as well. He can guide her through the ways to control her power properly, and he has already given you his oath to bring her back safely." Her voice softened a little, and she looked into Taiyang's eyes imploringly, as though asking him to see sense.

"Taiyang, I think it's best to leave this to the professionals." Qrow pulled back Taiyang's arm and looked at him face to face, "Argentius has promised us to bring Ruby back, so let's give him our trust since he has given us his oath. Soul Seer has also vouched for him, so that's good enough for me. So... let's just calm down and see what happens?" The father of Ruby and Yang looked at his brother-in-law for a long moment, before taking a breath and stepping back, his hands dropping to his sides.

"I trust you, Soul Seer." He spoke slowly before looking up at her golden eyes, "But you had better make sure Ruby comes back to us safe and sound, or you will regret losing the trust I have given you all these years."

"I understand completely, Taiyang Xiao Long." Soul Seer inclined her head in respect, "I assure you that everything will work out eventually. Trust in both Ruby and Argentius, that's all I ask."

At her words, Qrow and Taiyang reluctantly agreed even as the former Huntsman guided the concerned father away from the bubble shield containing his younger daughter in a somewhat uncertain situation.

---

Ruby didn't even know how she got to this dark place. One moment she was with Argentius meditating in the green field, and the next she was somewhere else after she briefly closed her eyes. Someplace, where darkness was absolute and the only illumination were tiny pinpricks far above her showing glimpses of an equally black landscape with odd, lumpy mountainous shapes. Her boots trudged through scattered pools of splashing black liquid which flowed around them, and the smell of death was everywhere.

Fear seeped into her being as her heart hammered against her chest, and the silver-eyed girl instinctively reached for Crescent Rose when she heard the distant moans of pain. Looking around, she realized that the 'mountains' that she had been walking past weren't natural formations, for they had heads and limbs sticking out at unnatural angles, while streams of blackish-red fluid flowed from wounds on their bodies, collecting in streams which led to the dark pools at her booted feet.

Pointing the sniper muzzle of Crescent Rose protectively in front of her as she continued along the path treading through the mounds of corpses, or at least what she thought was a path, Ruby's eyes flicked left and right frantically searching for a way out of this hellish landscape. What little light she could see was red in color, and the sticky, mucus-like black liquid that should have been blood slowed her footsteps and clung to her boots, making the hooded Huntress tug hard to even pull herself free for a few brief moments.

"Come on..." She mumbled to herself as she pulled at her left boot which stubbornly refused to free itself, "I shouldn't even be here... why would I think of such a scary place like this?" Ruby was tempted to use her Semblance to put as much distance between herself and the dreadful surroundings around her, but her efforts were for naught as she could hardly move in any direction before getting her boots stuck again in another patch of black fluid.

Suddenly she yelped as her left boot was suddenly freed, her balance put off center and as Ruby tried to regain her balance she accidentally pulled the trigger of Crescent Rose by reflex. The weapon fired with an echoing thunderclap of a noise as the discharged round shot into the distance and impacting somewhere very far away, and as she pulled herself upright Ruby became conscious of the fact that she might have gotten the attention of whatever entities were living in this part of the terrifying landscape.

Her fears were proven right very quickly.

The dead came for her, relentless and unforgiving. Their cold, lifeless fingers reached for her, while their equally dull eyes bored into her own, as though accusing her for the gruesome fates they were given. They wore the faces of those people she knew; such as Tom and his sisters, Sun's mother, and Hopkins, but there were those she didn't recognize, but nonetheless they all have the same deadened zombie-like expressions, and their moaning voices were utterly horrifying.

Scrambling back from the nearest mountainous pile of dead bodies whose hands reached for her, Ruby shrieked in terror when she saw the faces of the dead thugs she had killed by shooting the tire of the vehicle they were driving in, as well as the one she accidentally impaled on the blade of Crescent Rose.

"Murderer." They chanted monotonously, "Killer. Slaughterer."

"No... no! Not this again! This can't be real!" Ruby cried to herself as she turned and sprinted away from the mountains of corpses on both sides, using her semblance to dash with unnatural speed through the hellish environment. As she ran she remembered the horrible nightmare she had suffered from when she was Cinder's captive. "This is not real! I must be dreaming again!"

She burst out into a slightly bigger area, and looked up to see the shattered moon shining down at her, but it's glow was no longer white, but a deep red that reminded Ruby of visceral blood. Casting her gaze down, she saw steep yet broken stone steps cut into the ascending mountain which laid in front of her, and it was far larger than the mountains of corpses that surrounded it. There was an ominous and dreadful feeling emanating from the mountain, but despite feeling fear Ruby still felt herself inescapably drawn to it.

And her next breath caught in her throat when she saw the corpses which lay on those jagged broken steps. It was like a sicker, much worse version of the previously mentioned nightmare.

Among the various corpses Ruby saw the broken and bruised bodies of Team CFVY, Team SSSN, Professor Oobleck, Professor Port, and various other Teams which she recognized from the Vytal Tournament. As her booted feet carried Ruby up the mountain as though by an unspoken command, her silver eyes were treated to a parade of horrors: Professor Goodwitch was lying on her back, her limbs stuck out at unnatural angles while her body was completely covered with bruises and bleeding wounds, as though she had been tortured and thrown from a great height. Ozpin laid a short distance from her, slumped on his knees with several thick black swords impaling him through his chest, his head bowed as though in prayer. His shattered spectacles somehow still remained on his emotionless face, and that only served to make the sight even more frightening.

She forced herself to walk further on, seeing the twisted and broken bodies of Ren and Nora, their hands somehow managing to hold onto each other despite being literally torn apart by some kind of freakish Grimm creature. Ren's body had been skewered on a black lance of sorts, with him leaning forwards and yet unable to lay on the ground due to the long lance holding him upright. Rivulets of blood oozed from his lips and the visible wounds, and StormFlowers laid broken on the ground before him. Nora laid beside him, equally bloodied and wounded, and for some reason her right arm and legs were only bloody stumps, with Magnhild broken into two separate pieces right by her side. Their fingers were intertwined, as though they entered the afterlife together as one.

Looking to her right, Ruby saw the body of Jaune slumping on Crocea Mors which somehow held him upright even as he died. Dozens of arrows and swords stuck out of his entire body, and red blood flowed like an endless river from his wounds and broken armor. Stifling a gasp of shock, she stumbled back and nearly tripped over the lifeless body of Pyrrha, her severely damaged body also shot through with several arrows, her dead green eyes somehow glaring accusingly at Ruby as Milo and Akouo laid destroyed in several severed pieces. Both guardians of the Aura Crystal did not speak a word, but their glaring, dead eyes told Ruby how much she had failed them.

That wasn't the worst sight yet. Then came the severed parts of Penny with deactivated eyes, her damaged and rusted body lying in many pieces and looked no different from scrap metal. Her orange hair was disheveled and her clothes were covered with dirt and grime. Her swords laid all around her like some kind of demented offering, and they didn't have any glow of electric life in them either, with torn strings coming out of their ends.

The next new steps seemed to add untold amounts of additional weight on Ruby's limbs and soul as she let Crescent Rose drop to her side and dragged the weapon along with her, the scythe blade scraping against the dark stone steps, "No... I don't want to see anymore... please let me go... let me out of this place!" But whoever or whatever was control of this part of the mindscape wasn't yet done with her, and it showed Ruby another sight that turned her blood as cold as ice.

"No... NO!" She whimpered and moaned, clutching her face as tears poured down her face like glittering pearls as she witnessed the sight of her dead teammates, with Blake lying on her side and having Gambol Shroud and even Adam's Blush run through her abdomen, her hand seemingly reaching out towards Yang's one which still wore Ember Celica who was covered in blood and grime, her bright yellow-gold hair dulled with muck, her robotic hand torn off and leaving a sparking stump. Weiss was pierced by several ice spikes, which held her up even as her crimson life fluids flowed down those white-colored spikes in a brutal and cold display while Myrtenaster lay before her, split in half. Uncle Qrow had somehow been slice in half with Reaper stabbed into what remained of his torn chest, and her father was so severely burnt that Ruby wouldn't have recognized him if not for the remains of his tattered clothing and dirty blond hair. Zwei was right with them, the corgi's body twisted horribly with its face in a slack expression, its tongue flopped out as blood poured from a large wound in its stomach.

"NO!" Ruby screamed to the black heavens, fearing what else she would see after witnessing so much death, and she heard the dead voices steadily rising in volume around her, "Why didn't you save us, Ruby?" The legion of accusing voices rang through her ears, and poured lead into her limbs and unfathomable cold into her heart.

"I... I want to!" She cried to the dead corpses scattered around her, "I care about all of you! I love you all! I want to save all of you! Oh, Oum..." She wept as she pulled herself upwards towards the summit of the mountain, "...please don't die... please make it stop... this has to be a dream... I never wanted all of this... no, no more!" Somehow she still managed to hold onto Crescent Rose as she pulled herself onto the very top, and slumped forward onto her knees in front of what looked like a large throne made of purple crystal. It was empty, and looked like it was waiting for her to seat herself upon it.

"I have been waiting for you, Ruby Rose." A soft silky whisper echoed around the mountain top, and Ruby looked up to see a black figure emerging from the darkness. It's entire form flowed and moved like liquid darkness, and its face a mask of swirling red lines around a single golden orb. Long black tentacles extended from the circumference of its face, twitching with life in separate directions while two open clawed hands extended in front of it, a gesture of friendliness which Ruby knew was anything but, "Welcome to my humble domain, Silver-Eyed Warrior."

"Who are you?!" Ruby wiped her eyes free of tears and brought up Crescent Rose in a quick flourish, aiming the muzzle at the entity's mask-like face, which cocked its head as though in puzzlement.

"Hmm... a good question, but I think the proper query should be, what am I?" A cackle of laughter emanated from the dark entity, and it moved through the short distance between them, coming right in front of the silver-eyed Huntress, "Hmm... you're a feisty one. I haven't have many... guests in my domain for quite some time."

Ruby eyed its twitching claws, "You haven't answered my question... whatever you are!"

The masked face studied her for a few more seconds, and then retracted one of its clawed hands to tap at its face, "If you want an answer, you could have just asked. I am a servant of darkness, and I have a generous offer for you to consider. I don't do this often, but then again... not many people enter the mindscape and accidentally end up in my domain."

Ruby's mind raced as she glanced around, searching for anything resembling an exit. The way down the mountain was tempting, but the undead-like zombies will overwhelm her when she eventually tired herself out. The wasn't anything in the area at the summit of the mountain which looked like a way out, but if she could delay the Grimm-like entity and buy some time, Argentius might be able to find her and get her out of this horrid place. Keeping her weapon aimed at the dark being in front of her, Ruby said, "If you so much as twitch the wrong way, I will put a bullet through your face!"

"My my... what a temper you have, little one." The red lines on its white mask changed direction like a person who constantly changes expressions, "I am being polite to you, and it's only right you be polite to me in return. Even if you are going to kill me, which you seem very eager to do..." Ruby stopped at that and lowered her weapon. "...and you could have done it after hearing about my generous offer. I promise you, you will be very intrigued with what I am offering you."

Despite her distrust of that creature, Ruby felt her mouth move a little, speaking a few words, "What's the offer?"

"That's the spirit." The humanoid dark being rubbed its clawed hands together as though in prayer, before steepling them in front of itself, "You want to save your friends and loved ones right? I can give you the power to do so. With this power, you can vanquish any enemy who faces you in battle, and become the most powerful Hunter in existence. That's what you want, isn't it?"

The red hooded Huntress's fingers tightened on the trigger of Crescent Rose, but she knew that she was playing a very dangerous game of words with the malicious entity of this domain, she was trapped in it with this creature, and she had a bad feeling about whatever it was offering her. Ruby pretended to think about it, and then looked back at the dark being, "And you are giving me this power, just like that?"

"Let's just say I am in a rather generous mood today." The red lines rearranged itself on the white mask again and Ruby swore the golden orb blinked a few times, "After you accept my offer, you are free to leave this place as you wish. I will even show you the way out if you want. Imagine it, Ruby Rose... the power over life and death, to keep your loved ones alive and kill those who wishes to inflict evil on the world, isn't such a power wonderful to be within your control? No more death... forevermore."

"And how would I know that you will keep your promise?" She glared at the shadowy creature, whose coiling body twitched and writhed as its tentacles extended towards her, "You must want something in return from me."

Elsewhere in the mindscape, after expending much effort in getting close to Ruby through the howling gales and battering organic debris around him, Argentius managed pull himself right up to her side and wrapped one armored arm around her. Through his glowing silver eyes he managed to see that Ruby's own eyes had dimmed a little, and her wing-like appendages aren't fighting him as much, and knew that her mind was somewhere else. He glanced around and saw the villa behind them already half-destroyed by the strong winds, and the water of the lake was already swirling like a huge whirlpool, sending water spiraling into the sky. He had maybe minutes to save both Ruby and himself.

Grunting as he stabbed Iconoclast into the ground to prevent any dislodging of his current position. Argentius heard soft whispers coming from Ruby's mouth, as though she was talking to another person. Through the white noise and crumbling landscape around him, the elder knight managed to catch a few words and felt his own eyes widen. Thinking quickly, he placed his other gauntlet hand on Ruby's forehead, taking care not to bruise her delicate flesh, and murmured an invocation, and almost immediately a bright silver glow appeared on his gauntlet.

"I am the master of this domain, Ruby..." The smooth voice came again as the entity loomed over her, and Ruby aimed the muzzle a few inches higher, following the masked face, "...and I control everything within it. You would have to trust me."

Concentrating on reaching Ruby in another part of the mindscape, Argentius focused on his sacred vow and spoke, hoping Ruby would hear him.

"Ruby, don't trust it! I am almost there!" A small voice which was distinctively Argentius's echoed in Ruby's thoughts, and she looked back at the grimm-like being which opened its long clawed fingers as a hideous lipless grin with sharp teeth split its mask-like features.

"So, what would it be, Ruby Rose? Yes or No?" It asked. This mysterious entity had been dwelling within the mindscape for who knows how long, and in a moment of weakness she accidentally entered its realm and now the dark creature sought to ensnare her within its grasp.

The answer was simple, and Ruby knew it. She gave it by pulling the trigger of Crescent Rose, the blast echoed loudly around the dark mountaintop.

Praying that he was in time, the Grimmslayer spoke another incantation and joined with Ruby's consciousness, slipping into the frightening mindscape which Ruby had accidentally found herself in.

As the dark being screeched in rage and pain, its clawed fingers cupping its smoking masked face which had taken the direct hit from Crescent Rose's discharge, Ruby turned and quickly sprinted down the mountain, its haunting cries chasing her as she activated her semblance, dashing down the mountain and ignoring the familiar bodies which laid in her way. Those were probably conjured up by the dark entity to make her more easy to manipulate once she reached it at the mountaintop, so she would accept the so-called generous offer without much thought, falling into its trap forever... but she had been able to resist it.

Her boots splashing through deep red pools of blood, she hurried through mountains of dead bodies and jumping over any zombie-like corpses that had come to life, no doubt called by the creature to delay her so that it could catch up and exact its revenge. She ran in a zigzag pattern, taking alternate paths whenever and wherever she could, jumping over crawling corpses and those which reached for her legs. More than once she had to Crescent Rose to either slice through multiple dead bodies hindering her way, or put down shadows which looked suspiciously like the Grimm-like creature which was the master of this horrifying place.

Skidding to a halt at the end of the mountains of corpses which opened up into a muddy and bloody plain, Ruby saw a bright figure of silver light waving to her just a few hundred meters away. She recognized Argentius, and quickly sprinted towards him even as she caught a glimpse of what was chasing her. It was the servant of darkness she shot mere moments ago, and there was large crack on its mask near the golden orb, and its clawed hands reached for her even as she leaped forward across the muddy plain, expending the last of her semblance as she did so. Landing a few meters away from Argentius, she saw the Remnant Knight hurrying towards her, pulling her up and checking her over quickly, "Come, Ruby. Let's go!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Ruby shouted with urgency as she followed behind Argentius, eventually reaching a white gate made from carved onyx at the extreme end of the dark domain of death. Looking up at Argentius who nodded at her, she made to follow him when she slammed face first into the gate's opening, falling onto her rear with a loud thud, "I can't go through!"

The Remnant Knight reached over and pulled Ruby towards him, but as soon as Ruby touched the white gate she was repelled once more, as though there was a force-field preventing her from leaving. As the darkness rapidly crept up on them both, Ruby felt despair worm its way into her heart as she saw the dark Grimm-like entity opening its fanged mouth as it savored the opportunity of devouring her mind. Just before its clawed-like hands reached her, it was hurled back by bright steams of silver energy, which formed a protective bubble of sorts around them both and the gate. Argentius held one hand with its palm outstretched towards the screeching shadowy creature which battered itself against the bubble of silver energy, but with no visible results.

"Ruby, listen to me! I know why you are here, and I know what memory you have accidentally triggered to get yourself here." Argentius grunted as he hurled back the creature of darkness once more, "You have accidentally killed people, and you fear the death of others, especially those of your friends and your loved ones. I know of what you did in Haven, and I know you killed out of self-defense."

The young Huntress wiped her silver eyes of fresh tears and looked up at Argentius, the latter giving her a careful but understanding look, "I didn't mean to kill them! I want to protect my friends and family, because I don't want to see any harm come to them!" She clutched at her black and red haired head as a choked sob escaped her throat, "I want to save those who I love, that's all!"

"And you can!" Argentius's face hardened a little as he pushed the screeching dark servant back once more, "You need to become stronger, and to attain that kind of experience you need to train yourself." He paused for a moment, and then added, "Just because you killed doesn't make you evil. You are only evil if you enjoyed it, relished it, and want to do it repeatedly without thinking of the consequences. The way you took a life doesn't make you evil, it makes you a complex person. As long as you only kill in self defense or to save the life of another, you are not evil. And as long as you feel guilt for your actions, you are still a good person, just a complicated one. Not evil at all."

The knight's silver eyes glowed brighter, "You have done many good things Ruby; you got your team to work together, you reunited your best friends Jaune and Pyrrha, you helped Ashe to see the brighter things in life by talking with him, you were there for Penny who just wanted a friend, you bravely joined in the battle to stop the breach on Vale, you managed to reunite Team RWBY once more, and you delivered a punishing blow on Cinder, and you saved more people than you know by fighting the White Fang and Cinder Fall in Haven. You have to come to terms with your own actions! You need to forgive yourself, and continue to move forward into the future you want!" He unfurled Iconoclast and switched it to its assault rifle form, while the shining silver scythe blades unfurled from the muzzle with a pair of sharp clicks, "I know you can do it, Ruby! Take my hand, and show me that you are a true Huntress!"

The young Huntress looked up, and through the hot tears leaking from her eyes she saw Argentius extending a hand towards her, and thought about all the good she had done. He was right, of course, and she knew now why everyone within Team Beacon trusted her with their lives and look to her for leadership. She had come a long way from her impromptu fight with Roman Torchwick which led to her enrollment in Beacon Academy, making friends and received training to become a Huntress, before getting tangled up in all the White Fang business and meeting Penny. She had persevered through the Fall of Beacon despite Team RWBY's break-up, choosing to follow the remnants of Team JNPR on a crusade to Haven to bring Cinder Fall to justice. Then came the meeting with Ashe, who she managed to convince him that there's still good in him, and that's still hope out there despite everything that has happened in his life. She had been there for every single one friends, and they all reciprocated her kind gestures in return with strong friendships and unshakable faith in her. While there was remorse, regret and sorrow in her heart every single time she relieved the disturbing dream of her untold amounts of deaths, and she broke down every single time in it, Ruby knew that if she didn't gather her courage and wits to move on she would never be free of it.

She then knew what she needed to do. It was so simple that she chided herself for not seeing that option sooner.

Reaching up with one delicate hand to clasp Argentius's outstretched gauntlet, Ruby wiped the last tears from her reddened eyes which had wept many tears. With her other hand clutching onto Crescent Rose, its weight and heft assuring her that it would always be the weapon that she could rely on, she looked up at the formidable knight and said, "I'm with you, Master Argentius. Just tell me what to do."

"Good." Argentius racked the slide of Iconoclast's assault rifle form, and pointed it at the huge Geist-like creature outside the silver sphere that was protecting them, "Remember my training, and follow my lead. Once the shield drops, we go in separate directions while attacking it. Once I have immobilized the dark servant, aim for the masked face and unload everything from Crescent Rose into it. Can you do that, Ruby?"

A nod of determination and a calm tone came from the young Huntress, "Yes, Master Argentius."

"Here we go..." Argentius took to a running stance, and so did Ruby herself, and both warriors took a moment to compose themselves. The silver shield shimmered as the ghostly servant hurled itself against it again, and then dropped away completely, with the Remnant Knight and the Huntress running in opposite from each other, firing their personal weapons all the while. The many blasts from both weapons hammered the dark creature continuously, making it screech in pain and annoyance. Switching Iconoclast to its dual-scythe form, Argentius dodged a clawed hand and ran up the nearest incline in an incredibly steep angle, then leaping forward in with the weapon raised high above his platinum-blonde haired head, and with a shout he sliced through both arms of the dark servant as it raised its clawed hands to defend itself. A deafening howl of the damned echoed through the dark landscape as Argentius landed smoothly behind it, turning around and firing once more at the murky entity, "Now, Ruby! Finish it!"

The daughter of Summer Rose sprinted towards the shuddering shady creature with Crescent Rose swinging behind her, and she felt her silver eyes glow bright than ever before. While anger still existed within her, it was more of a controlled fury than the other times she got stressed or felt awful and helpless. Her mind was only focused on vanquishing the creature which sought to trick her, and she was nearly deceived by it. Racking the slide to chamber a fresh round, Ruby shot towards the creature made of darkness in a whirlwind of rose petals, and just as she closed in she leaped upwards and spun Crescent Rose in front of her, her silvery eyes now shooting flaring bright streams of light just like Argentius. Crescent Rose glowed brightly in her hands, and changed its form rapidly into a huge silvery scythe which flared with power, and as the creature looked up to face her with what looked like pure, undiluted fear on its masked face, Ruby unloaded everything she had in her weapon, firing repeatedly as she dropped vertically towards the dark minion who was kept in place by Argentius who had bound it with streams of silver energy that formed a glowing circle around it, which kept the aforementioned entity from escaping.

Unable to withstand the silver-energy enhanced rounds, the masked face of the dark creature shattered and it screamed in pain and anguish, its ghostly form collapsing and black smoke billowed from its disappearing form in all directions. The shattered pieces of the mask flew everywhere, and once they hit the muddy ground the various shards vanished into curls of thick smoke. The headless body hit the ground and also faded away, the echoes of its death cries permeating the desolate landscape before silence blessedly returned. The red-cloaked Huntress landed beside Argentius in a crouch, and looked up to see him giving her a warm smile, "Excellent work, Ruby Rose. You have learned well."

Ruby felt a small smile come to her lips, before a deep rumble nearly knocked her off her feet as the ground shook beneath her and Argentius. "I think it's time for us to leave." Argentius observed as they saw this particular part of the mindscape crumbling apart, the mountains of corpses in the distance collapsing in huge avalanches, and the dark sky breaking apart.

"Wait! Where are we going next?" Ruby asked as they both ran for the white gate which was just a short distance away, while deep cracks appeared throughout the crumbling ground beneath their boots.

"You know where to go next, Ruby." Argentius replied cryptically and Ruby gave a him a puzzled look, before they both dived into the white onyx gate and vanished from the dark realm.

The next few moments were a blur of half-destroyed scenery and brief flashes of scattered memories that Ruby could not make any sense of, so she closed her eyes and felt only the pull of Argentius's gauntlet hand as they ran through another rapidly disintegrating landscape, following the warm feeling she had in her heart which seemed to tell her where to go. They stopped at the edge of a high cliff, and after seeing the glowing silver portal below which seemed to call out to her, Ruby somehow knew that was the right way to go.

And so without hesitation, she leaped off the cliff and into the portal along with Argentius, both of them falling through the glowing circle just as the pocket reality they left behind collapsed onto itself. They dropped for some time, eventually falling into a landscape filled with grassy hills and numerous flower patches of various colors. White fluffy clouds moved sluggishly across the clear blue skies and there was a gentle breeze of flower scents filling the air.

Picking herself up from the flower bed and dusting off flower petals from her clothing, Ruby looked around her and then looked to Argentius who had straightened after landing in a crouch, "Where are we now, Master?" She especially noticed that both of their silver eyes have stopped glowing and returned back to normal.

The veteran knight stroked his chin a little as he looked around them, before turning to regard Ruby, "This isn't a memory of mine, Ruby, it's yours."

Ruby nodded and looked around, taking in the surroundings. "I didn't know such a beautiful place existed. But I... I sense something calling me here, Master Argentius." The young scythe-wielder mentioned.

"This place seems... a little familiar to me." Argentius observed considerately, "It vaguely resembles a place I have visited in the past, but the name still eludes me."

"Look, there's a path!" Ruby pointed in front of them, and a path made of red bricks and cobblestones was seen leading through various flower beds, before vanishing into the distance, "Perhaps it will take us to the place we need to go."

"Follow your heart, Ruby." He pointed to the right side of her chest, "...and it will lead you to the destination that's calling out to you."

The young Huntress gave a nod, and followed Argentius as they both climbed out of the flower bed and followed along the path of brick and cobblestone which threaded through the various fields of flowers and over the grassy hills. She led the way, and the armored knight walked by her side as they both reached a junction that was shaped like a cross, where she took a few moments to identify the correct path they should take. Then they set off once more down her chosen path, and after a few minutes of quiet walking, Ruby decided to speak up once more.

"I want to apologize for what happened, Master Argentius." She looked up at him even as they continued walking, "I didn't mean to destroy the place of your treasured memory."

"It's all water under the bridge, Ruby." The knight spoke kindly, "It's just a memory, one I still have, and I am sure I can reconstruct it in my mind if given enough time. I know you briefly lost control of your own power and torn apart that place, and I am thankful that you didn't come to any harm from that dark creature whose realm you accidentally entered."

"What was that thing?" Ruby inquired, "It looked like an Super Geist Grimm!"

"That... was a Dreameater." Argentius replied, "It's an intelligent elder Grimm which dwelled within the mindscape preying on the negative emotions of those who enter it. I think it was drawn to your sorrow and regret when you felt within you, and hence it sought to trap you within its realm. I noticed the signs that you are in a separate part of the mindscape and hence I quickly searched for a way to find you, and it was by Oum's grace I made it in time."

"So is it dead?" She asked.

"I think it's safe to assume so, since you shattered its face and its realm has been destroyed." He answered as they trudged up a grassy hill, "But there are still many others hidden elsewhere, waiting for their time to strike. Salem the Dark Queen probably planted them as traps within the mindscape, and you are quite lucky to survive an encounter with a Dreameater, much less defeat one. That is no easy feat, Ruby... so you should be proud of yourself. You have successfully conquered your fears and resisted the temptations the Dreameater had tried to offer you. Your spirit has been tested, and has not been found wanting."

"Thank you, Master Argentius." Ruby answered as she cupped her hands together and giving a nod of her head.

"I think we are nearing your destination, Ruby." The Remnant Knight gestured with a outstretched finger and Ruby's silver eyes widened as she followed where he was pointing as they descended from the last of the grassy hills and into the gorgeous landscape beyond.

The path cut through flower beds of both red and white roses as far as the eye could see, leading to a pavilion of sorts, with pillars holding up arches with rose emblems that looked exactly like the silver brooch she wore on her clothing. The path eventually led to a main street where a slightly larger arch with a church bell at the very top, and curling patterns of plant stems decorating those huge pillars that supported that main arch.

Passing through the arch, both Ruby and Argentius saw a statue of a Huntress carved out of grey stone, and she was wearing a hooded cloak with an open front, while holding a flower pot of roses within her two hands. Her head was bowed, and she stood upon a pedestal in the middle of the pavilion surrounded by red and white roses, and upon the plinth was an oval-shaped stone slab which proudly declared the words, "Thus kindly I scatter." The likeness of the Huntress carved in stone was of no doubt to Ruby as they neared it, and it was carved in the image of her mother Summer Rose.

"Mom..." She whispered, feeling fresh tears come to her eyes. Looking beside her, she noticed Argentius bowing his head in respect as he murmured a prayer for Summer Rose, his hands clasped together.

Turning to look at the statue again, Ruby noticed that there was a single rose sticking out of the flower pot which was filled with blooming roses. It wasn't red or white like the rest, and it stood upright on along stem with some leaves coming out of its stem. The most obvious feature was that it was fully made of silver energy, and it glowed brightly among the pot of roses that the statue of Summer Rose held in both hands.

"Should I... take it?" Ruby felt the question leave her mouth and she turned her head, looking at Argentius who simply gestured with a gauntleted hand at the rose made of silver energy, while giving her a warm reassuring smile.

Reaching outward with her right hand into the statue's flower pot, Ruby fastened her fingers around the rose made of silver energy and slowly pulled. It came out easily, its warm glow filling her with a blissful warmth that had nothing to do with the temperature around them. As she retracted her hand and stepped back, a brilliant flash of light heralded an arrival of someone she knew very well.

Blinking her silver eyes, Ruby felt her breath caught in her mouth as she saw the ethereal form of her mother dressed in her white hood appearing in front of her, the kind, loving, motherly smile she knew so well visible on Summer's face, "It's so good to see you again, Ruby."

"Mom?" Ruby asked quietly, her eyes full of tears as Summer nodded. Ruby lurched forward and hugged the ethereal form of her mother, who wrapped her arms around her mother, tears of happiness leaking from her eyes as well. Argentius stood silently by the side, watching the emotional moment with a caring smile on his face.

When they separated, mother and daughter looked at each other with beaming smiles, and Ruby felt Summer reach up and wiped away her tears, "It seems that you found your way into my sanctuary within the mindscape, my daughter. You have also become a powerful Huntress yourself... well done, my little Ruby."

She kissed Ruby on the forehead as the young teenager looked her mother in the eyes and said "Thank you so much, Mom!" From an outsider's point of view it looked like as though a pair of sisters of different ages were reunited with each other, rather than a mother and daughter reunion since they looked almost exactly alike.

"Argentius." Summer Rose turned her head to look upon the Remnant Knight who bowed his head and clasped one hand to his chest-plate in an honored salute, "You have my deepest gratitude for bringing my daughter to this place of sanctuary."

"It's the least I can do for you, Rose Blades - I mean, Summer Rose." Argentius answered with respect clear in his voice, "Consider it my own way of repaying you for saving my life all those years ago. Your daughter actually found this place on her own, while I merely followed and ensured her safety to reach this place."

"Ever so humble, Argentius." Summer Rose smiled at him, "I always cherished the times Team STRQ had worked with you and Soul Seer on those missions... and the blessings both of you gave for the wedding of Taiyang and Raven."

"The feeling's mutual here as well, Summer Rose." Argentius' eyes met her own as he spoke, "I am sure your daughter has made you proud of her."

"I hope she hasn't been giving you any trouble?" Summer chuckled a little, "She can be quite a handful at times."

"She's... a little rough around the edges." Argentius looked at her daughter and winked, "I am sure with the proper training and patience, Ruby Rose can go incredibly far in her life as a Huntress."

"Thank you for your honest opinion, Argentius." Summer Rose smiled at him, "Do you mind if Ruby and I have a few moments to ourselves?"

"Of course, as you wish." The armored knight bowed again, "I will be admiring the wonderful mindscape surroundings." He glanced at Ruby Rose and added, "Just inform me when you want to leave."

"One more thing... Argentius." Summer Rose spoke as she placed one hand on her heart and then moved it outwards, the palm outstretched towards him, "Thank you for all the wonderful adventures we have shared together."

"It's was my pleasure to have those adventures with you, Summer Rose." The Remnant Knight replied, his hand mirroring the Summer's gesture. There was a moment of melancholy which appeared on his bearded face for a brief second, and it vanished just as quickly, "May the gods of Remnant protect your kind and gentle soul in the afterlife."

And then he gave them the space they needed, walking to a respectful distance and stood as still as a statue, his face looking out across the fields of red and white roses.

Ruby looked at her mother who turned her head back to her, and holding onto her mother's hand she asked, "Mom... why did you call me here?"

Summer Rose sighed gently, and reached out one hand to hold Ruby's cheek, "My beautiful daughter, I brought you here because I have something to tell you. Before I left that fateful night to fight the Grimm swarms that were attacking Patch years ago when you and Yang were still very young, I... transferred a bit of my life essence to you so that I will always be there to watch over you and protect you whenever possible. I learned this skill from an elderly mage during my travels across Remnant, and I used it to implant a bit of my own soul into your Aura... but it's not fully completed due to the lack of time."

She gestured to the glowing rose of silver energy within Ruby's right hand, "And so I created this sanctuary within the mindscape, and left directions for you to find your way here to complete the process. The rose you hold in your hand is actually a fragment of my aura, when it joins with you it will complete the process and I will be a part of you forever."

"I missed you, mom." Ruby felt fresh tears come to her eyes as she leaned into her mother's touch, "So does Yang and Dad and Uncle Qrow... we all missed you."

Her mother smiled her radiant smile and replied, "All of you will always be within my thoughts and heart, and I love you all, now and forever. Can you pass on my love to Yang as well as your father and uncle, my little Ruby?"

"Sure, mom... I can do that." Ruby answered and brought up the rose crafted from silver energy, "I think I understand the purpose of the silver rose you created for me, but how do I merge my Aura with yours?"

Summer Rose inclined her head as she gazed at her daughter, and said in a benevolent voice, "It's very simple, Ruby: you hold your hands together with the silver rose between them, while I hold onto your hands with my own. Then repeat the same words I speak with me, and I will join what's left of my Aura with yours."

She then leaned up and kissed Ruby lovingly on the forehead, "Remember my love for you, Ruby. Don't ever give up and always keep moving forward, no matter what happens. Remember that when even if it's the darkest hour of your life, there's always hope that there will be a light at the end of the darkness. Follow your heart and do what you always do, and know that you are never alone, because your friends and your family will always be there for you."

Summer gently guided Ruby's hands to cup the rose of silver energy between her own, and then looked into her daughter's silver eyes, "I will always be with you, my dear daughter. You will always be my sweet little Ruby. I love you."

"I love you too, mom." The red-hooded Huntress embraced her mother one last time before they spoke the words of power together which initiated the Aura combination process, and finally after so long Summer Rose was reunited with her daughter in spirit.

Argentius raised a gauntlet to protect his eyes as a bright flash of light enveloped them both, and Ruby floated a short distance off the ground as the energies from the Silver Rose merged with her Aura, and the ethereal form of Summer Rose flared brightly before dissolving into bright silver dust which was carried across the flower beds of red and white roses in the huge pavilion. The great warrior went down on one knee, bowing his head to give the due respect he should to Summer Rose as a fellow warrior and close friend. When he looked up again, he saw Ruby landing down on her booted feet and she slowly opened her silver eyes which glowed a little before returning back to normal.

"How do you feel, Ruby?" He inquired politely.

Ruby pressed a hand against her chest, feeling a little warm and fuzzy, so overall: "I feel great!"

"That's good to hear." The senior knight nodded as he laid a hand on her shoulder, "You are off to a good start, Ruby Rose...but our time in the mindscape is coming to an end."

"Will I be able to come back here one day?" Ruby asked him as they both walked underneath the arch leading out of the pavilion.

"As long as you remember this place, you can come back anytime once you enter the mindscape." Argentius mentioned as they reached the outer archway where there's nothing beyond its opening, "Now it's time to go back to the physical realm."

Extending his hand towards Ruby, the young Huntress took it and both Silver-Eyed Warriors vanished through the exterior archway in a brilliant flash of silvery light, leaving the rose-filled pavilion and returning to the world of Remnant.

---

Soul Seer waved her flower-shaped staff, dispelling the bubble shield which thankfully held the wayward silver energies in check and by now those very same energies have dissipated, leaving both Ruby and Argentius both alive, unscathed and well. Once the bubble shield was dropped, both Huntress and Remnant Knight released each other's hands, and the mage of the Knight Order held up a hand to stop anyone from interrupting any final words Argentius needed to speak to Ruby about before Yang, Weiss, and the others could swarm around Ruby and make sure she was okay.

"Ruby Rose, you have the potential to become more powerful than I am... and maybe even more powerful than your mother, but that same strength your silver eyes give you can also be dangerous. The greater the power you have, the greater the temptation to do things that you shouldn't." He told her with a stern look on his face, "From what we know of Cinder Fall, she wanted more power, and she let that lust for power consume her. You must learn from her failings, Ruby. Be right where she was wrong, and be responsible of the power you wield. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Master Argentius. I understand." Ruby replied and Argentius gave a nod, before gesturing for Taiyang and Qrow to come forward, and watched as both father and uncle checked Ruby and asked her various questions on her well-being as well as what happened in the mindscape. Yang also came forward as well, pressing a small water bottle into Ruby's hands as the latter drank slowly to quench her thirst before answering their questions. But before that, she hugged each and every one of them as tightly as she could.

Argentius pushed himself upwards in a clatter of armor plates, picked up his helmet and locked it back onto his gorget with a click, and felt a hand touch his elbow. Turning around, he saw Soul Seer looking at him with concern clearly writ on her features, "You have been in the mindscape for quite some time with Ruby... how do you feel, brother?"

"I am fine, just a little fatigued." Argentius replied in a low voice, accepting a flask of cool water from Sharp Strike which he sipped slowly by disengaging his lower face-plate, "Your concern is much appreciated, sister. It has been some time since I have entered the mindscape for such a long period of time, so my skills have been a little rusty."

Seraph politely excused himself from Ozpin and Glynda, and marched over to where Argentius stood with Soul Seer and Sharp Strike. In a low whisper which others would have thought impossible for someone with such a deep gravel voice, the Grand Knight Master posed an important question, "So, is she the one?"

Argentius thought for a long while before finally giving Seraph an answer, "Yes, Grand Knight Master. She is."

The Grand Knight Master gave a momentous nod, and Argentius knew nothing else needed to be said.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Special thanks to RelentlessCrusader for writing this with me (seriously, he wrote the bulk of this, give him special praise). Also, check out his commission of Argentius and Soul Seer on Deviant Art by Manu-chann, it's pretty good!

I am so sorry, but I needed to split this chapter up... again, it was just too long. So stay tuned in a week or so for the third and final part of this small story arc, and the final chapter in the second 'volume/season' of Destiny of Remnant... I promise, this time it really will be the last one!

If you enjoyed this story, then please consider faving and following this fic and leave a review if you read it on fanfiction . net. If you're on An Archive of Our Own then please leave a kudos and a comment. Tell me what you liked and what you didn't, and how I can improve. Please guys give me some feedback, as it keeps me and this story going and if you want me to keep writing please tell me what you think, please! For those of you on the RWBY Reddit please give this fic a mention, thanks. Please guys, help me out here, let me know if you enjoy this story, what's good and bad about it, tell me if you liked it or tell me if it sucked, please, I work really hard to make this story good so please give me some feedback, please let me know that my efforts aren't wasted. Thank you all, once again.