Alright, this chapter is definitely going to be a little different, especially because it's the start of a multi-chapter arc for this collection. For those who want context, this chapter is a continuation of my other story, Shadow of Order, and references events that happen there. And for the record, the starting scene will involve Star Wars to a degree before moving onto Remnant.

Also to keep in mind, at the time of writing, only Volume 5 has fully come out, meaning I'm mostly guessing what happens in 6. So, some details likely will be contradicted in the next Volume. With that said, let's dive in.

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, RWBY or anything else referenced in this chapter.

The previously unmarred surface of the Mortis Monolith was now covered in yellow-green continent sized tentacles, holding it close to the planetary body they were attached to. Right next to the surface, a small portal opened and a smaller tentacle slithered out, with the body of a red-haired young woman on the end.

At her presence, the Monolith opened, emitting a blinding white light as tentacles crawled in the gap, holding it open. The landscape of Mortis beckoned, rich and lush, yet simultaneously dark and foreboding.

Flood biomatter was quick to spread to every surface, quickly turning the landscape into a diseased wasteland, as was their standard MO. Eventually, the Parasite came across a door in the heart of Mortis, inside what was once the Father's home.

With the presence of Allana, the door became a circle of light, creating a portal to the unique destination. The room was basically a collection of clear walkways in the middle of a starfield. And at the far end of the main walkway was a simple yet ornate throne.

Tentacles crept into the room, while the slithering body of the Primordial approached. The tentacle that had absorbed the form of Allana wrapped itself around the throne, feeling the power flow through it.

It was time to begin.

...

Salem stood in her keep, looking out the window at the storms brewing constantly. Her expression was stoic, but the storms matched her mood. Everything had gone wrong at Haven.

She still wasn't clear on the details, but she knew that Cinder was likely dead, the White Fang would no longer follow her whims, and Leo had attempted to flee like the coward he was. The latter at least had been dealt with, but it did little to detract from the bigger issue.

Ozpin's lackeys had clearly managed to retrieve the Relic of Knowledge from under Haven, and had likely absconded with it to Atlas. Though she obviously had no intention of letting them get there so easily, it was still a major hiccup in her plans.

And more importantly, her master's plans.

"Salem." The facade of calmness shattered when she heard that voice, and she spun around, but no one was inside the room. The voice continued, seeming to echo from everywhere. "It is time to claim the Relics."

"Master, I live to serve." Salem bowed her head, her eyes widening in fear. "But we still lack the two Maidens, and the Relic of Choice is well protected. Furthermore, the Relic of Knowledge has been taken by Ozpin-"

"It matters not. Retrieving the Relics from their Vaults will no longer be a concern."

"And what of Ozpin?" Salem asked. Suddenly, her mind was assaulted with images and information: an airship made for long range travel, flying over the sea. Inside was the Silver Eyed girl and her companions, with Salem's own agents nowhere in sight. It didn't matter though: she knew what she had to do. "It will be done, my master."

...

Team RWBY had been reunited, and in the company of Team JNR, Qrow and Oscar/Ozpin, they were on the way to Atlas by the latter's order. They hadn't left immediately of course.

After the Battle of Haven, there had been a lot of catching up to do. Blake and Sun had been filled in by the rest of Team RWBY on everything that they had learned: from Ozpin, and the Grimm, to the Relics of the God Brothers.

The two Faunus had been suitably shocked, to say the least.

When Ozpin awoke, he helped fill them in, and revealed many other details about the Grimm. Ultimately, he decided to give them the one truth he had had hidden from most of Remnant, and even many of his own operatives: that the Grimm and Salem actually served another master.

"What are they?" Ruby had asked.

"I'm not sure." Ozpin's soul had admitted. "I've never actually seen these creatures personally. What I do know is that they're a walking plague that will devour all life on Remnant if they were here."

Unsurprisingly, the rest of the Teams hadn't all taken this very well. Yang in particular had been furious about another secret being kept from her. Combined with her frosty reception of Blake due to her leaving after Beacon, and Yang still remained distant even when they inevitably began heading for Atlas.

Nevertheless, they had found a pilot who was willing to take them to Atlas, though Weiss had warned them that getting into the Kingdom would be tricky given Ironwood's orders to lock down Atlas' borders.

Unfortunately, they also encountered a number of delays due to storms in the region, forcing the airship to go around them. Eventually, though, the storms cleared completely, leaving nothing but clear skies ahead.

And flying Grimm were as far as the eye could see.

"This... might be a problem." Qrow said simply.

There were hundreds, if not thousands of them, hovering in the sky. Griffons, Nevermores and Lancers, all in varying shapes and sizes. And rather eerily, they were all simply staring at the airship as it made its approach.

"They know the Relic's aboard." Yang noted, her hand unconsciously clenched around it even tighter.

"What are they waiting for?" Weiss asked. The answer came not seconds later.

The ship rocked as something slammed into the top of the hull, and seconds later, a pair of claws impaled through the roof, tearing a jagged hole into the ship. The Griffon had apparently been hovering just above them, waiting for the right moment to dive bomb the aircraft.

Now its claws were reaching into the hull, as the Huntsmen and Huntresses immediately fired back, with Ruby and Blake slicing at its arm and while Weiss froze it in place to let them hit it. In seconds, the Griffon collapsed and dissolved, but there problems had only begun.

The rest of the flying Grimm attacked, clawing, ramming and tearing more holes in the ship as the pilot desperately threw his ship into evasive maneuvers in order to escape this massive horde.

Suddenly, a Lancer's stinger shot through the hull, and whether by aim or coincidence, it hooked onto the Relic's handle and retracted with it, pulling the one-armed blonde brawler with it.

"Guys!" She shouted, her mechanical arm holding onto the jagged edge while her flesh arm played tug of war with the Relic. "A little help here!"

Without hesitation, Blake leapt up and swung her blade, severing the Lancer's stinger. Yang fell back as Weiss summoned her Queen Lancer to tear through the smaller Grimm, as well as defend against the rest attacking.

At that moment, it was beginning to look like they might just get away, until a barbed tentacle appeared from another hole, knocking Yang aside and away from the Relic. The whispering lantern went flying, before the whispering artifact was caught by the Seer Grimm, with Salem's face appearing in the creature's dome.

"Well, well." The Grimm Queen smirked. "My thanks for holding onto this for me."

"You are not taking that, Salem." Oscar leapt up and struck the Grimm from behind, but his cane was caught by another tendril.

"Ah Ozpin, so nice to see you." The faux calm in her tone was betrayed by her narrowed and glowing eyes. "I'd love to catch up, but I have a previous engagement."

The rest of the group attacked, but the Seer was surprisingly strong, and easily parried the resulting blows. Abruptly, it suddenly tossed the Relic out of one of the holes, where a Nevermore flew by and snatched it up. Ruby leapt after it, to the protests of the others and landed on the large Grimm's back, right next to its head.

Firing off Crescent Rose, Ruby decapitated the Nevermore, the dead Grimm crumbling to dust as the lamp fell from its clutches. One of Weiss's glyphs appeared above her and Ruby leapt onto it, before letting it launch her down towards the Relic.

But just as she approached it, a portal appeared for a split second and swallowed it up, sealing before Ruby could reach it. Surprised at this development, the young Huntress almost floundered before another glyph appeared below her, which Ruby flipped herself over and landed on, before launching herself back up to the airship.

What she saw as she arrived was rather worrying: She saw the Grimm were actually retreating, which made her blood run cold. And as soon as she entered the aircraft again, it became clear that she wasn't the only one.

"What happened?" Oscar/Ozpin asked. "Where is the Relic?"

"I don't know." Ruby said quickly. "It just fell into some kind of portal!"

"Oh no." Oscar whispered.

Like the Relic of Knowledge, the Relics of Choice, Creation and Destruction, were hidden in vaults under the main Huntsman Academies in the four Kingdoms. Of course, the vaults were actually just gateways that led to pocket dimensions, where the Relics were truly hidden.

The doorways themselves were the only way in, and access to these pocket dimensions required the touch of the Maidens in order to open them. However, it was still technically possible to brute force one's way into said Vaults without the Maidens or even opening the door.

For the people of Remnant, that was impossible to do, even for the most powerful among them. For the Gravemind that now controlled the Force however, it became so much easier.

Above the three remaining Relics, a portal opened over each one, unseen by any other living being due to their isolation. From each one, a yellow-green tentacle emerged, wrapping themselves around the Creations of the Gods and pulling them into the portals.

The rifts quickly snapped shut, leaving behind empty pedestals.

...

"Could you repeat that?"

"The Gravemind has taken the Relics of the God Brothers from Remnant."

"Is that even possible? I thought they were locked in the Vaults."

"Apparently, they managed to bypass the doors."

"Well, this is a major problem. First the Throne of Balance and now the God Brother Relics?"

"Which begs the question: is that it? Or is it after something else?"

"And more importantly: what does it intend to do with it?"

That is the question of the century, and unfortunately you're all going to have to wait in order to find out. The good news is that you won't have to wait very long. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the next chapter should be out by next week.

With all that said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.