Ruby could hear it calling to her, from inside the small bag that she hid inside the drawers of her room.
It was that mysterious yellow stone she had taken after her fight with other Weiss after she had acquired the Winter Maiden's powers. She hadn't given it much fight considering everything that had occurred since then. With them all suddenly being pulled into this giant chateau on a remote mountain in a weird alternative dimension.
The experience had been surreal, and Ruby felt that the stone could sense that.
It was weeks ago when she first decided to observe it properly. When she looked into it and it showed her….it showed her things she had never seen before. Memories she wasn't supposed to remember.
She remembered her mother…
And she couldn't possibly have? She was not old enough to remember her? But the stone showed her, clear as day a memory of her mother holding her and playing with her and Yang. How was this possible?
It had to be that stone, to that it was no doubt. Ruby knew as much but had kept its existence a secret from the rest. Obviously telling everyone she was in possession of a stone that could potentially read into the deepest aspects of someone's mind may not be the best strategy especially with tensions already this high.
For a good week now Ruby had made a persistent effort to not touch the stone. To leave it locked up. Out of sight, out of mind.
But she could hear it calling to her still, it was there. Begging for her to touch it, to show her the memories deep within. The happy moments with her mother she had never truly experienced. Ruby clutched her hands tightly but it was all in vain as she walked over to the drawer and opened it.
The small satchel lay there, brimming with a glowing light. She picked up and emptied the stone in her hand, which shined brightly, whispering to her. Begging her to see the deep insides of her mind.
Stepping over the grass in a quiet pace, Raven observed the beautiful scenery around her.
The planes over which she was walking where lush and filled with all kinds of wildlife that Remnant didn't possess on account of the Grimm, which she noticed where decreasing since Salem's death. And all that left Raven with a particular thought in mind.
Did she still need to be with the Collective?
When the Mad Titan first approached her to join his, which Raven at that time had called an "all-boys club", she was little more then skeptical. She was on the run, she was the Spring Maiden, a clear target was on her back and Salem was certainly coming for her. But then Thanos had made her an offer which Raven knew she had to think about.
He had seen right through her, seen what she wanted most of all.
To not be scared anymore, and to return….return to her family. The one that she ran away from because she was scared. Scared to fight against an unbeatable and unkillable threat.
A threat that was now no more.
Thanos had done the unthinkable. Just as he promised her should she join his Collective. He would grant her one request once his plan was complete, to kill Salem once and for all and allow her to reunite with her family, the husband and daughter she had left behind, and they would embrace her with open arms. That was his promise, and the Mad Titan always kept his word.
Salem was gone now, a lot sooner then expected on account of the Grimm queen putting Thanos's adoptive daughter on death's doorstep, a step he had not accounted for. Raven's desire was now fulfilled. Salem was dead and her world was safe. She didn't have to run anymore, she didn't have to be scared anymore. She could return to Tai, to Yang…
The thought crossed her mind multiple times since the battle of Atlas. Leaving the Collective was easier said then done, the only way most members left was either through death, as shown by previous members Adam and Kenjaku, or Thanos feeling nice that day. A privilege she didn't count on happening soon on account of her masters current state with him running around the multiverse trying desperately to find a way to save his daughter's life.
Raven continued walking across the plains until she stood on a small hill overlooking the grass, in the distance a giant rock formation.
That's where she needed to be. Taking a deep breath she transformed into her bird form and flew up into the sky.
As she flew she kept her plan in the back of her head. To leave the Collective she needed to do something that would please Thanos so much that he would allow her to leave. And she thought she figured it out. The one thing he wanted more than anything at that moment.
But she needed to find that girl. It was a strange feeling but Raven felt that she was a key into all of this.
As she flew closer she returned back to her human form and landed right in front of the rock formation with a thud on the ground. She heard a growling sound coming from the rock formation and soon enough a pack of hyenas appeared from it. At least a dozen of them all growling at her.
"Oh keep it down you mutts I'm not here for you" Raven said to the growling group of Hyenas with an equal amount of venom in her voice.
"No, you are here for me" a smooth voice suddenly said.
The hyenas suddenly backed off as a figure darted from the rock formation, the shadow slowly making it's way down, almost unseen by how agile it moved.
"I thought our business had concluded long ago Raven" the voice once again spoke.
"Well times have changed," Raven said as she looked around the rock formation for a sign of the one she was there to meet "I need your help."
A large thud was heard as in front of her a beast suddenly appeared. A lion had appeared in front of Raven, and it stood in front of her with an elegant yet wild expression, tan colored with a large black mane and the most prominent feature, a scar over his left eye.
"And why should I help you?" the lion asked her with a clear sarcastic undertone.
Raven smirked "remember that day your dear brother died and you let your nephew get away thinking these incompetent mutts here could take him out. Who was the one who went out there and finished the job?" she said crossing her arms.
The lion showed it's teeth but made no clear attempt to attack, instead it seemed more annoyed then anything. Eventually its face curled into a sly smile.
"Oh why of course I remember. And for that I am of course eternally grateful to you and your associates of the Collective."
Raven couldn't discern whether he was being sarcastic or genuinely serious, she knew the lion to be melodramatic when it came to that, regardless she wasn't in the mood for that, she needed to get moving.
"Spare me the sarcasm Scar. Are you going to help me or not?" Raven asked with a raised eyebrow. The lion laughed slyly before responding.
"But of course. Come let us discuss in private how I can be of assistance to you my dear old friend" he said as he turned around, the hyenas dispersing around him as Raven followed him.
A/N: Hello everyone as you can see I changed the title of the story. I have decided or am still in the processing of deciding to perhaps extend the stories further then this planned final installment and make some more stories like this with the RWBY cast since they are pretty much the core of the Collective Chronicles series and where it's started. So this installment will mostly resolve around efforts to wake up General Weiss as well as Jaune and OG Weiss their budding relationship. I hope everyone is alright with this change and hope you will still enjoy the story.