A.N. This marks the start of the second arc. Not much else to say but enjoy the chapter.

XxXxX

Ruby was walking through a field of light red flowers, which seemed to go on forever. She looked down, and saw that she looked like she normally did, Crescent Rose strapped to her back, her favorite red cloak billowing behind her. As she walked around, she saw her family, Yang, Qrow, and Dad, standing in front of her.

"Guys! I am back, see I am fine!" But as she called this out and ran toward them, she noticed something was amiss. They turned around, and each of their faces was filled with a visage of hatred and contempt. The first to speak was Yang.

"My sister wasn't some Grimm thing. She wasn't a killer."

Ruby slowed to a stop before she replied. "I'm not a grimm, or a killer. I wouldn't kill anyone, I wouldn't."

"The what is in your hands?"

Now in Ruby's hands was a heart. When Ruby dropped it in shock, she saw the bear faunus, laying beneath her. She started backing away before she turned and began running. She saw another horrible sight when she stopped. It was her, and she was reveling in the ashes of a village. Ruby fell to the ground shivering.

"Why, why is this happening. That's not me, I wouldn't do that."

As she sat there, shaking, she saw a woman in a white cloak, standing some distance away. She knew this woman; how could she forget her? She began crawling to her, before gripping the hem of the woman's cloak.

"Mommy, please, this wasn't me. I came back. Please come with me, so they can know I wouldn't do something like this."

As Ruby Rose looked up, crying, hoping desperately that her mother of all people would recognize her.

Summer Rose turned to her daughter and smiled. She kneeled and held Ruby for a moment. She then looked into her eyes and spoke.

"I would love to Petal, but how can I when you killed me."

Ruby gasped and looked down, seeing how her arm, now covered in wicked black plate, was shoved through her mother's torso.

XxXxX

Ruby shot up from the bed she had been laying on, breathing heavily. She looked down and saw her hands, covered in a smooth black plate tipped with claws. It took her a few moments to remember that this what she looked like now.

'Wait Hands?' Indeed, where before there had been a stump, her forearm was now back where it was. 'How did that happen? I thought Qrow had cut it off?' And did that thought make her blood boil. Her Uncle, who taught her how to use a scythe, who came over every break, who had promised he would always be there for her, had cut her arm off. The next time they met she would rip him to pieces. She shook her head and went back to thinking about how her arm had gotten fixed. She knew Tiamat could help her recover, but she didn't imagine it would be to this extent. As she pondered this, it was a more genial voice that interrupted her thoughts.

"Oh, you're awake, how are you feeling?" Ruby turned to the voice and was beyond surprised. There was a woman, and she couldn't be anything but, who stood as tall as the room they were in. She was paler than Ruby herself, with white hair that reached the small of her back. She wore what could be generously described as a white sweater. But her most defining wasn't any of this, or her glowing orange eyes, it was the massive horn jutting from her forehead. As Ruby was taking all of this in, the strange woman continued. "Oh, where are my manners. My name is Nova Ater, but everyone just calls me Atera. I am the repair woman for the Vale Abyssal Fleet headquarters. You are very lucky we managed to recover your arm, otherwise you'd be in here much longer while I machined up a replacement."

Ruby shook her head before interrupting the woman. "Hold on, slow down there. I barely understood any of what you said. Firstly, nice to meet you, I am Amaranth. Second, what the heck is an Abyssal? And what did you mean by you were a repair woman?"

Atera, as she was now named, stopped. "You mean you don't know. Usually all of us are born with that kind of knowledge already known."

Ruby shook her head "Well I wasn't. Tiamat didn't tell me much when she brought me back."

Atera eyes widened as she heard Ruby's response. "You mean mother directly brought you back? And that you remember when you were brought back?"

Ruby slowly nodded her head. "Yes? Why is that important?"

Atera put a hand on Ruby's shoulder and pushed her back onto the bed and sat down herself. "Amaranth, I suppose I should answer your question first. Abyssals are beings, like you and me, made by Mother. We aren't human, not before and most certainly not now. We are beings of metal, raised from the souls of the ships discarded by humanity. Most of us don't even remember that, only knowing we are Abyssals and what our names are. Some don't even get a name, only a designation. When any of us remember something from before, it usually means that mother has something important planned for you."

Ruby had stopped listening halfway through. She knew she had changed, and drastically, but to learn she wasn't even made of flesh and blood anymore shook her world view. Was she a monster now? The only other thing like her was Grimm, was she the same as them? Ruby suddenly felt a large weight on her, only to realize that it was Atera hugging her.

"Oh Amaranth, you are not a monster, and you aren't at fault. The only ones at fault are those demons above water. They threw us all away, they got rid of us after our usefulness was through."

Ruby returned the hug before quietly speaking "But I wasn't a ship before this. I was just a girl who got killed."

Atera tightened her hug and whispered back "That just means you are special. And it means I get to love and protect my new little sister even more."

Ruby proceeded to cry, both for her lost humanity and family, as well as for her new one.