(A/N) …

I'm alive, maybe. What if we're all in a simulation and were never alive in the first pla-

…that's enough of that line of thought. Anyways, I uhhh… should probably apologize for not having anything out for uhh… what is it…five months? Yeah, uhh… sorry.

Well, it's here now. Special thanks to the Betareaders for this chapter, Cy Man, [REDACTED], Wesley9516 (who's also the beta for Don't Fall and BRWL: Ally Unknown), Ghost-339, and Sierra-G421. 'Preciate that y'all put up with me.

Anyways… here's an invite code to the Discord server: 3jf9w8u Join if ya want, we've got insane frozen Foxxes, guns, and Things Not To Do In Reavia.

Might've missed Christmas, but the chapter just barely made Bird Day!

Now… onto the chapter!


Volume Three

Interlude One: A Bigger Picture


/-\ Bobs Violently /-\


I miss that Reclaimer – the one with the white locks.

Nothing here.

Just trees, boredom, and rocks.

I perked up.

Music, voices, alarms – the sound of bustling towns.

Changing course.

Purple-hued men in gowns.

They're unsure.

Alien voices chirp – they lower their weapons.

They beckon.

I… follow.


/-\ Professor Ozpin /-\


I sipped at my tea, sorting through some business at my desk. It wasn't the most exciting, so, naturally, my mind began to wander slightly – Team RWBY, or rather Fireteam Reaper, had left last week for their mission. I chuckled, that team had been even more interesting than any other in the entire history of this institution – even passing the legendary Team STRQ, which was literally half made up of bandits.

I just hoped their little reconnaissance mission went to plan – Remnant could really use those four girls as its defenders. A frown crossed my face – it was always better to have contingencies for this sort of thing.

My fingers hovered over my… watchlist.

The Maidens could use some more training – especially Miss Ironwood. She was never a huntress nor did she seem to have any interest in it, but… perhaps that could be spun to our advantage. In this everlasting war against Salem, there were sometimes things that were… unacceptable to allow Salem to possess.

People included.

While the Vault of the Winter Maiden was already empty – its relic sitting alongside the Crown of Choice – the raw power of a Maiden was still a valuable asset… for either side. Contained inside one as young as Chrysanthemum? The power could be kept on the correct side of the board for… sixty years, optimistically – perhaps longer. A blink of an eye in the timescale of this war, but… an advantage nonetheless.

Then again… the board has gained another player – another dimension as well. I'd never considered the possibility of extraremnantine travel – not since The Contact, two centuries ago – but its implications… oh its implications. I opened a drawer on my desk and retrieved a notepad. With nary a thought, my finger illuminated, revealing the magical ink on the notepad that only one skilled in the arts could even detect… and only one as old as I could read the tongue it was written in.

I was to meet with Father, roughly two weeks from now.

And I had oh so many questions…


/-\ The Dread Queen of Remnant /-\


I sipped from my decanter, a pleasant and earthy mixture inside. In front of me were the black and spiked Seer Grimm – my long-held ace-in-the-hole when it came to long-distance communication.

But they also served another purpose.

The new player at my table – the one that I knew held a Straight Flush… but not a Royal Flush. The new dimension to the game, the stars themselves, was completely controlled by the UNSC and, by extension, my rebellious other half.

But… it didn't have to be this way.

I moved my hands, twisting the image inside the Seer Grimm. This new form would be… challenging, to say the least. Luckily, little peasant things like oxygen or water were unnecessary for my creations… however, it still needed to move. Frowning, I did not have a suitable idea for how to solve this issue.

After a moment of thought, I realized who would.

Switching one of my Seers over to communication, I summoned my Blessed – my prime agent.

Minutes later, an unusual Grimm pushed open the doors to my throne room. He knelt at the doorway, fur and muscles completely bereft of the garments his former self would've worn.

I smiled, standing up and walking over to him, the click of my bone-woven Grimm heels announcing every step on the granite floor. I stopped a mere foot from the Blessed, my hand reaching down and gently brushing against the fur on his cheek. He made no moves nor acknowledgement – just as I'd trained him to do. "Rise, Göta," I commanded.

The Blessed immediately perked up, standing to his full height. He towered over me, but that was by design – all the more intimidating for the mortals to face. I backed up two steps, gaze trailing up his perfectly sculped torso to look into his eyes. "What do you command, Exalted Mother Who Salts The Earth?"

"A… problem has become apparent – one I have need of assets to solve," I began. "You will carry out two missions – I expect them completed within the month. First, the Humans – the ones from beyond the Veil… I have need of some of their engineers. Bring me two – intact, if you please."

The Blessed nodded. "It will be done, My Lady. What of the other task?"

I turned around. "Come," I said, walking back toward my Seers. Behind me, I heard the stomping of his heavy frame slowly marching after me. When we arrived, I changed their images with a gesture. "Tell me, My Blessed, what do you see?"

He was silent for a moment, peering over my shoulder and into the glass-like heads of my Seers. "I… see the otherworlders, My Queen Of All."

I hummed. "And do you see it in their eyes? The despair. What about their equipment? The disrepair."

"They are desperate," he whispered.

Nodding, I turned around. "From what I am aware, they are holy warriors, My Blessed."

"Heretics," he growled.

"Converts," I corrected. "My second task is this: go to them and… convince them of their erroneous and misplaced faith."

"…and enlighten them of the truth…" he muttered, nodding. "It will be done."

He started to turn around, but I held up my hand. "Their Elite Warriors – the ones in the black armor… they are to be spared of life-threatening injuries," I said. "The menials? I care not – so long as their craniums are intact."

He nodded. "It will be done as My Exalted Mother Who Salts The Earth commands."

I smiled. "Complete these tasks in order, my Blessed," I held up my palm, conjuring a simple illusion – one of a woman, held within the prisons of this vast palace. "…and you shall be greatly rewarded."

His gaze lingered on the illusion, jaw working for a moment, before he nodded. "I shall set off at once. May your everlasting purity and mercy reach all, My Queen." He turned around, leaving through the doors and gently closing them.

Another smirk crossed my face as I dispelled the illusion.

They were so easy to please…

…once they'd accepted the gift, at least.

Frowning, I moved onto other things – ones that, while loyal, could not be guaranteed to serve, at least not yet. The loss of the next Blessed-To-Be, Cinder Fall, was a blow, especially since she had half of the Fall Maiden's prowess.

With another gesture, I changed the frequency my Seers displayed. A few moments later, the far-too-wide smile of my pet became visible. "Ooooooh! Hello, Mistress – hello My Queen!" the Scorpion Faunus shouted. "How may your humble servant be of assistance?" he giggled.

I adopted a stern expression. "I am… sure you are aware of current developments, Tyrian," I said, earning a disturbingly fast and eager nod from the man. "We cannot let Ozpin's transgressions go unanswered. The time… has come."

He gasped, squealing in joy. "Ooooooooh! I have been waiting to hear those words for so long, my Mistress! Oh, what shall we do? Shall we skewer them upon your throne? Rip out their entrails and feed them to goats? Abduct their children and juggle them with Beowolf pups? Oooooh the possibilities are endless! So many… fun things to do – Fun! Yesyesyes, so so so so so much FUN!"

At this point, it was second nature to keep my feelings hidden – though that did not mean I liked talking to this man any more than I had to. "While they are… interesting proposals, I am afraid I have a more practical plan in mind," I said. He frowned, but nodded and waited patiently for me to explain. "Tell your dear colleague that Order… Ten-Thirty dash Fourteen… is to be prepared."

He thought for a moment before breaking out into laughter. "Oooooh yes! I love that one!" he bowed. "It shall be done, Mistress! Oh-ho-ho-ho… it shall be DONE!"

I nodded. "See to it… that it does, Tyrian, and you shall be rewarded."

Before he could respond, I cut the line of communication.

I tisked. "Creep."


/-\ Jacques Schnee /-\


The first thing I noticed was that my bed was stiff.

I groaned, a pounding in my head making me reach over to the end table to my right and-

…I reached over to the end table on the right and-

My brow furrowed in confusion – why wouldn't my arm move? In fact, it felt like something was constricting it – binding it to my chest.

Slowly, I opened my eyes… to a completely pitch-black room. I blinked, making sure my eyes were actually open. "What the…?" I muttered, trying to sit up. And promptly found a force pulling at my neck. I choked, dropping back down with a thud. I pulled at my arms again, but still found them restricted.

A deep, gloating laugh filled my ears, making me freeze. "Yes, squirm," the masculine voice said. "Squirm like the worm you are."

My eyes darted around the room, eventually finding the single point of light – the only illumination in the entire room… the soft glow of a cerulean eye. "Where am I? I demand to know who you-"

The voice chuckled again, the light vanishing for a moment before returning. "Demand?" he asked. Slowly, the light started getting bigger, the echo of bootfalls on concrete reaching me. The light got closer and closer until it was only a few inches from my face… and I still couldn't even see an outline of the face it belonged to.

I could, however, feel the person's breath on my face.

"Do you have any idea what your slavers would've done to our people… if they'd used such language?"

"I have no idea what you're-"

Pain exploded from my cheek, silencing me. "Only speak… when you are spoken to," the voice ordered.

"You clearly have no idea who you're-"

A hand gripped my throat, completely cutting off my air supply. "You have… no idea how tempting it is." I gasped, flailing in my restraints to try and get something into my burning lungs. "To end it. Right here, right now." The burning in my lungs only increased as he spoke on…

…and then the pressure was released.

I gasped greedy breaths, trying to grab any and all air I could. The… burning started to subside.

"But I won't. Not yet," the voice said. More bootfalls echoed through the room, the light having disappeared. I heard rustling in a nearby area, my eyes darting towards it. There was a tiny glow there – cherry red and in the form of a tool. "Now? Now you need to learn some empathy, Schnee."

"What're-" I coughed. "What're you doing?"

"Your people did this to me long ago – when I was starving – when I was just trying to feed myself," he said, a demonic chuckle following his words. "Do you know what they did, Schnee?"

More bootfalls on the concrete, the light and the glow approaching closer and closer. "W- What?" I asked, my voice trembling.

"The same thing… I'm gonna do to you," he said. The glow was right in front of my face – close enough that I could finally make out what it was… as well as feel the sheer heat it radiated. It was a beast's head with three slashes.

The symbol… of the White Fang.

The glow got closer and closer and I begged and begged.

I screamed as I felt my skin sizzle and burn, rivers of molten flesh trailing down the side of my-

…slumber…

Blissful… slumber…


/-\ Corporal Parks /-\


I rolled into a pile of trash, shouldering my rifle and pulling the trigger.

My bullets slammed into the Beowolf's belly, making it whine as it sailed over me. My sights remained affixed to my target for the entire flight and I kept the trigger pulled until the magazine ran out. Thankfully, that was enough, the Grimm beginning to evaporate as I switched mags with practiced ease.

Even on this abomination of an open-bolt rifle.

The moment I pulled the charging handle, another pair of 'Wolves dropped from the roofs above me. With a snarl behind my ODST helmet, I raised my rifle. "You fucks want some too?!" I squeezed off several rounds into the first beast, making it wince as its cousin charged forward.

I dodged to the side, spraying bullets into its ne-

A round didn't eject properly after I fired it, the weapon seizing up with a now-crimped casing half-sticking out the ejection port. I swore, racking the charging handle and pounding the receiver to clear the ja-

I ducked right, evading the other Beowolf's strike as the empty brass casing fell out of my weapon and onto the floor. Rolling, I reshouldered the rif- I thrust it up, jamming the receiver into the Grimm's bicep and deflecting it.

In a flash, my off-hand had my knife embedded in the base of its neck. The unnatural glow in its eyes died, the corpse already beginning to evaporate as I shoved it asi-

Something slammed into my flank, throwing me into a nearby brick wall. The air was forced from my lungs, the impact leaving me dazed.

…but not enough to dull the impact of a clawed hand slicing through my chestplate.

It threw me aside, making me tumble end over end until I landed upside down against a dumpster. I scrambled forward on instinct, still not sure what was going on. A loud bang from behind me made my head whip back.

The other Beowolf sat there, snarling as it pulled its broken snout from the now-indented dumpster. I rolled to the side again, spying my gun laying on the snow-dusted cobblestone. My fingers were an inch short of grasping the sling when I had to roll again, the lupine monster's agility completely outclassing my own.

Now it stood between me and my weapon, gnashing its teeth.

So when an arrow came from the rooftops and embedded itself in the monster's back, I was more than a little grateful. I used its momentary distraction to rush forward, getting inside its reach and stabbing it in the throat repeatedly.

It twitched, grasping at the many, many new Grimmgore fountains on its body, before going limp. I picked up my rifle as the monster began to smoke, cocking the weapon as I looked upwards. "'Preciate it," I said.

A brown-coated woman dropped down, barely flinching from the fall that should've killed or paralyzed her. The only real reaction she had was the faint annoyance that she had to brush her blue hair out of her face. "I thought you said you could handle yourself," she said with a smirk.

I shrugged, walking over and picking up my weapon. "It certainly helps when this piece of shit doesn't jam in the middle of combat."

She rolled her eyes. "Touché." She walked over to where the Grimm lay, evaporating into nothingness. Apparently enough had disintegrated for her to wrench her arrow free, stuffing it back into her quiver. "Joanna's on the warpath again."

"Goddamnit," I groaned. "Please tell me Zeki stepped in? I promised that kid no one would touch him if he shut the gates and turned on the defenses."

Marigold frowned. "I still don't know why you trust a Schnee so much… but yes, that Specialist did stop her."

Just now remembering my visor was polarized, I quickly sent a signal for it to show my face. "He's a kid," I said. "Just 'cause he's that fucking bastard's son doesn't mean he's a terrible person. He at least deserves a chance to prove himself."

"He'll squander it," she said, turning towards the alleyway's entrance. "All Schnees do." Marigold sheathed her crossbow/staff on her back, walking away.

"He stood up for his mom, at least…" I grumbled under my breath. With a sigh, I followed her.

Up ahead, I heard her shout "All clear!" at the top of her lungs. As I exited the alleyway, some people were just starting to open their doors, stepping outside with shovels and brooms to clear the half-inch of powdery snow from their sidewalks.

Jogging, I caught up to May, though we continued in silence. I kept my rifle at a low ready out of habit – the Grimm here weren't fully dealt with, after all. Still, my VISR didn't detect any movements in the twilight of the open streets, nor the darkness of every alleyway we passed. Well… not hostile movement, at least.

A few corvids were pecking at the half-frozen corpse of a man disemboweled by the Grimm – possibly even the ones we just killed today.

I sighed, looking away. Good thing I did, too, otherwise I would've run into a stray pile of bricks laying on the road. I sidestepped it, one of the two workers picking through the rubble giving me an odd look as I did so. They were bundled up tight – had to be… since those bricks came from one of the main furnaces of this district's heater.

I could see inside from the street, dust – the mundane kind – piled high as more workers sorted broken bricks from usable ones. Those that were bad all got chucked into a bin to be ground up, though I didn't know why. The usable ones, however, were pretty much instantly getting taken by bricklayers – used to rebuild the furnaces.

Looking away, I kept walking. It wasn't long before something else grabbed my attention – a young boy on the opposite end of the street. He knelt down, slipping off his backpack and reaching inside. Years of ODST training kicked in and I was half-way through pointing my rifle in his direction when his hand withdrew from the bag… holding a flyer.

I froze, mouth open as I was about to shout at him. Instead he stood up, drew a clawed hammer from his belt and a nail from his pocket. A few seconds later, the flyer was up and he was on his way to the next wooden lamppost.

I just… stared at it for a moment, realizing I was about to shoot a kid. I shook my head, looking away from the flyer. It wasn't even an extraordinary one either – just some new munitions plant looking for workers. With a groan, I began walking again, jogging a little to catch up with May.

We arrived back at Schnee HQ – now our HQ – in only half-an-hour. My first stop was to the armory - the less time I needed to hold this abomination of a rifle, the better. The thing was literally just a stamped sheet metal SMG… upscaled to rifle caliber and with an absurdly large buffer spring shoved in.

I shook my head - they wanted to name this after me? With a sigh, I headed to debrief - with was, thankfully, brief - and got food afterwards. We still had lots of ground to cover, but… we were getting there.

When I got to my barracks – they'd actually given me an entire room for my assistance during the revolution – I found Whitley waiting there, sitting at a desk with his head propped up and eyes closed. I rolled my eyes, shutting the door and tossing my helmet onto the desk.

He snapped awake with a gasp, leaning back in his chair so far that he actually fell. I chuckled as he looked around, trying to understand what the hell was going on around him. When he saw me, he groaned. "Must you?"

"Hey, I didn't think that'd knock you outta the chair," I said. "Sorry 'bout that."

He stood up, dusting off his clothes – much more casual than when I'd met him. "Fine, whatever," he said. "Do you… have a minute?"

I shrugged, walking across the room and beginning to take off my armor. "Well, I'm off for the rest of the night. What's up?"

He sighed, looking towards the ground. "I… don't think I should stay here. I don't think we should stay here – mother and I, I mean."

Humming, I nodded. "Yeah, probably not."

"Wait, what?" he asked, doing a double take. "You're… not going to talk me out of it?"

Unbuckling my pauldron and sliding it off, I frowned. "Don't take it the wrong way, but… people here will never accept you," I said. "And it's through no fault of your own. Your pops did some really shitty things, kid. It's been three weeks, I don't think it's gonna make a difference if its three more, three months, three years, hell even three decades." I slid off the other pauldron. "Where ya goin'?"

"I…" He sighed. "I really thought you'd try to talk me out of this," he said, chuckling. "I… Vale, I suppose." He nodded. "Vale is just about the only other option – Mistral's borders are closed and… I don't like my chances in Vacuo," he sighed. "My… sisters might be in Vale – if they survived somehow – and even though I don't fancy our chances of getting along, it is still the least hostile place on the planet for us."

I nodded. "Smart choice. We leave in a week."

He did another double take. "We?"

Chuckling, I slid off one of my boots. "As much as I'd like to stay and help these people, I'm still an ODST. Gotta at least try to get back in contact with Command, if there still is one. Way I see it, Vale's the best chance of that."

He opened his mouth, then closed it again. "I…" He cleared his throat. "I umm… thank you for your input, Corporal. I should… go. Back to my room, I mean – it's nearly curfew." He started shuffling towards the door.

I nodded. "Don't be a stranger," I said as he left. When I heard his footsteps fade into the hallway, I shook my head.

He seemed like a good kid… just dealt a shitty hand in life.

That thought made me look over to my locker, where I knew my M7S was kept. I'd had it since Arcadia – since the Covvies came and burned my home down. "Guess me and the kid do have something in common…"

Thinking back to that day, all I really remembered was being afraid. Running through the streets as Banshees flew overhead, ducking into whatever nook or cranny I could fit inside to avoid patrols…

…all until the cat-eared lady showed up and gave me a gun.

I paused, my other boot half-way off my foot.

"Cat-eared lady?" I asked to no one in particular.

I'd… seen people like that. The Faunus.

All in the sudden, I felt really, really stupid. She even dressed like a huntress, of course she was from here! My joy at the discovery was quickly crushed, however.

That was… decades ago.

She fought in the war – the war that left billions dead.

I sighed, deciding to ask around anyways… even if I likely wouldn't find a single trace…


/-\ Winter Schnee /-\


It all started with a simple summons to General Ironwood's office. I figured it would be bog-standard news – something happened out in the wilds or the city that warranted the attention of the only currently-active Specialist.

I suppose the literal Gods of Light and Dark counted.

It was… surreal. Even sitting in the Pelican, a spacesuit around me, there was more butterflies in my stomach than ever. Not even when I confronted Father was I this nervous, nor when I'd gone on national television to renounce my claim to the SDC.

Would they know I didn't truly believe until… two months ago? Would they judge me for abandoning my brother and sister to that household? Would they cast me down into the underworld for living the soldier's life? Should I have gone to church since I'd found out about their existence? Sooner?

"Attention, passengers…" the intercom said. "Please begin button-up procedures, we are fifteen minutes out."

I looked across the bay, seeing Ozpin just clicking his helmet into place. He checked the radial gauges on his arm before giving me an expectant look. I followed his example, strapping on the breathing mask before sliding the bulky, heavy helmet over my head. These suits were almost completely analogue – no dust-based electronics anywhere to be found. Just gauges, tubes, air tanks, and a single UNSC-made two-way radio.

"Do not be afraid." I heard over comms. "I shall be with you every step of the way."

I cued my mic, the act of inhaling to speak with this system being an actual effort as opposed to mere instinct. "But you don't have your entire kingdom's fate on your shoulders."

He chuckled. "Not merely a kingdom's, no," he said. "An audience with the Gods is always a risky endeavor – let alone one without a summons. Choose your words carefully and demand nothing, that is my advice to you."

Frowning, I nodded in acceptance. I had to find a way – the General, and the People of Atlas, had put their faith in me.

…That thought only made me more nervous, not less.

Of course, I didn't have time to reflect on it, the ship jolting as it set down on the moon's surface. I felt the air scraping against my aura as it was sucked into the vents overhead. Seconds later, the ramp dropped, allowing the raging inferno of our sun to assault my eyes.

My hand flew up, blocking the light as I reached up and pulled the golden sunshield into place. That was better – still much brighter than I'd prefer but dim enough to adjust to. I undid my restraints, standing up and testing the joints of my suit.

They were stiff – far stiffer than any Remnan-made armor before it. Then again, those were always built with mobility in mind – with the eternal war against the Grimm in mind. This? The only claw it would ever have to deflect came from inside the suit… the claws of air escaping into the vast nothingness around us.

Naturally, that made the design very un-Remnan – more reminiscent of UNSC philosophy than anything our people ever made. The armor plates weren't actual armor, just… tests. They were meant more to see if the shape worked and that the weight was tolerable.

Of course it was, Thrymm had one-sixth of Remnant's surface gravity.

My first steps onto the moon – onto an alien world – almost felt like I was walking underwater. Without the extra drag that would cause, of course. I almost wondered if it would be easier to bounce like some sort of giant rabbit instead of walking normally.

Ozpin cleared his throat over comms. "Shall we?"

I turned to him. "Lead the way," I said.

He brushed past me, stepping out of the Pelican and onto the bright Thrymmi regolith. His first bootfalls disturbed the soil, scattering it more than such a light touch had any right to.

…some even floated upwards, glinting purple in the light…

I stepped out of the dropship as well, kneeling down to confirm my suspicions. A brush against the surface revealed I was right – tiny dust crystals intermixed within the loose, white sands. I scooped up a handful, letting it slowly fall to the ground.

It took its time, even accounting for the lower gravity. While the white sandy particles did drop, the purple dust crystals that were once bound within fell… different. Flowed towards the ground, meandering this way and that as they spun.

Like tiny feathers dancing on the wind.

"This is… active…" I let out, shooting back to my feet. "Professor, this dust is active!"

"So it would seem," he said. "A major revelation, to be sure, but we have a mission to accomplish."

I… schooled my expression once more. "You are correct," I said, head swimming with possibilities. "I… lead the way, sir."

He nodded, starting off in a seemingly random direction. Once he knew I was following, he began to… gallop. Not as one does on Remnant, though, this was more of a jumping-running-hybrid? He jumped with a single leg, soaring twenty or even thirty meters off the ground before coming back down and kicking off with the other leg. I effortlessly copied him, but it was a… strange method of locomotion.

While it worked fairly well here, I could imagine no scenario where such a thing would work on Remnant – at least not without specialized, and expensive, equipment.

"What are we looking for?" I asked as the Pelican's landing site disappeared behind the horizon and we fell into the shadow of one of the great Sky Continents of Thrymm.

"Do you remember the old legends, Miss Schnee?" he asked, twisting around a skyborne boulder.

"I'm… sorry?"

"The legends – the tales of Oszkowalda, specifically," he said.

I wracked my brain for the tale he mentioned, even if I saw no relevance to our current situation. "The… witch?" I asked. "The same one who hid the mythical city of Faloryan within the winds?"

"The very same," he said. "It is a… similar concept. Long ago, the Gods decreed that we not know of their location. They hid their home here within a glinting grain of sand…"

I blinked. "A single- how is that even remotely-"

"They are Gods, Miss Schnee," he said. "The laws of reality that we must obey are more akin to… suggestions to those who wrote them."

A faint grumble was all that explanation earned from me – even if it did make sense. I may have said more, but something caught my attention – something big, blue, and…

and…

"…breathtaking…" I let out.

Betwixt the great Sky Continents, a pale blue marble shone upon us. The verdant forests of Anima, the rocky and snowy mountains of Sanus, the tundra and… scar of Solitas.

It was all so… beautifu-

My feet slammed into the ground, body collapsing as I ricocheted off Thrymm's surface and back into the sky. With a gasp, I reoriented myself, aura having protected the suit's integrity. When I came down onto the surface again, I stopped myself, using my legs as springs to absorb my momentum.

And, of course, Ozpin was standing right before me. "We have arrived," he said.

Snatching the opportunity to completely forget about my stumble, I looked around. A frown crossed my face when nothing but barren, white wastes were apparent. "And where, exactly, is it?"

He gestured to a seemingly empty patch of regolith – nothing but white sand and the occasional glinting microcrystal held withi-

…I squinted…

There was a tiny, tiny irregularity – a straight edge.

I got down on one knee to get a closer look. Sure enough, a… cathedral lay there in the sand. Even kneeling, it felt like I was miles high in an airship, looking out a window to the surface below. The features were almost entirely obscure by the small size, only the fact that it was much, much longer than it was wide being openly apparent.

I glanced back up to Ozpin. "How do we…?"

He chuckled. "Merely intend to enter… and you shall."

He took one step towards the micro-cathedral, then another, his stride being more than enough to clear overtop the structu-

He appeared at its doors, just as shrunk as the cathedral itself was.

I reeled back in shock as the micro-Ozpin stared up at me. "Intend, and it shall be so," he said.

It was so easy to just… stare – so easy to stay still. But… Atlas depended on me making a deal with the Gods themselves.

So I shall.

Standing up, I took a deep breath, striding over the cathedral with every single ounce of intent I could muster to enter the tiny struct-

My head was jolted back, hitting a solid object. I instantly took a step back, finding a humungous… door suddenly in front of me.

And a hand on my shoulder.

It took every ounce of willpower I had not to punch Ozpin in the faceplate once I figured out it was him… and a bit of reflexes to intentionally throw off the punch I'd already thrown. Instead of even commenting on it, he moved aside – going to the door I'd rammed into and opening it with the palm of his hand.

The… bare palm of his hand.

My eyes widened. "Suit breach!" I shouted. "How do you have a-"

"I took it off," Ozpin said. "My… semblance protects me. Once we are inside, it will be safe for you to remove your helmet as well – in fact, I recommend it. The Gods will look upon it favorably."

"I-"

"Come," he said. "We are… expected."

Before I could say anything, he walked inside. I thought better of using comms, merely following after him… after stealing one last look at Remnant. As the Volaan Mountains of Sanus entered the planet's shadow, I… wondered where Weiss was down there. She's been gone for nearly a month - the upper end of how long the mission was supposed to last. I hoped I'd be there to see her return.

…Gods willing…

With a sigh, I fully entered the cathedral. The first thing I saw was Ozpin removing his oxygen mask – his helmet on the featureless stone floor in front of him.

He took a deep breath – in through the nose, out through the mouth. He turned to me, giving a gentle smile and miming a take-off-the-helmet motion. I turned around, only to find the door we came through already shut.

I stared at him, trying to decide if I should take off the helmet as well…

…ultimately, it was his promised favor of the Gods that convinced me.

My entire mission was to convince them to allow us to settle here – I needed every advantage I could get. I reached for my own helmet, taking a deep breath and hoping, hoping it wasn't my last.

The seals hissed as they were released, but I didn't feel any pressure differential. Fully removing my helmet, I could hear the quiet sounds of my suit rustling – something which was impossible if there was no air. Lastly, I removed my oxygen mask and took a breath.

…nothing happened…

Nothing except the smell of fifty-day-old spent dust entering my nostrils.

And not even that pungent, either – it was just… there. On the edges of my senses.

Ozpin smiled. "Welcome… to Laetusheimr."

I looked around, frowning. "It… seems plain," I said. "Just… white walls."

He raised an eyebrow. "Disappointed?"

Shaking my head, I got a better grip on my helmet. "It is… not what I expected."

"Few do," he said. "Come, I promise you it gets more… Godly as we venture further."

I followed, taking one in what would surely be several million steps to the end of the hallwa-

I stopped, looking around. "We're… already at the end?"

Ozpin turned around. "The Gods built this place. They have surely imbued it with certain reality-warping magics," he said. "Wait here, I shall ask them for a formal audience."

He shut the big door before I could protest. Now, all I was staring at was a great, golden door – a black dragon emblem at its center. Right next to it stood a black door, a gold dragon at its center.

I stood there, looking around at the blank white walls of the hallway, examining the doors themselves, and… not much else. At the fifteen-minute mark, I wondered if the Gods intended to trap me here – a lowly mortal entering their hall for an audience.

Father would have done that.

If a random street peasant came to him and somehow got past security? He'd have them thrown in jail. Or the mines. He would not care which.

Did the Gods have mines they threw mortals in? I was really regretting not going to church as a child… or a teenager… or an adult.

Was there some… code I was to follow? Was I already breaking it? What happens if a mortal broke it? To the mines with them? Or was there an even worse fate awai-

The door behind me opened, making me shoot back to my feet… despite not remembering sitting down in the first place. Ozpin emerged, a comforting smile on his fa-

Faster than I could react, I was on the ground again, a massive headache beginning to form.

"Oh my," Ozpin said, retracting his fist. "Do be careful, Miss Schnee."

"…What?" I let out. "Why did you-"

Something hit me again, the headache turning into a migraine… until Ozpin placed his hand on my forehead. "There there, you took a nasty fall," he said. "Then again, I could only imagine the sheer relief you felt after facing down the Gods… and earning their boon." He hummed. "It is truly a wonder you managed to keep it together until you left their magnificent throne room."

A part of my mind screamed in terror – telling me something was happening. Something that was erasing… something that was… that was…

I…

Memories. Did I already…

My face scrunched up – I… I remember standing in the throne room. The room of the Gods was… so beautiful. I… talked with them. They… were understanding. I… did it.

I… did it.

Ozpin… made me remem-

Ozpin was there the entire time, supporting me – supporting Atlas. Ozpin had our best interests at heart.

Ozpin would never lie to me.

Why would he?

"I…" I let out a massive sigh, migraine forgotten. "Oh… thank the Gods…"

"You have done a great service to your people, Miss Schnee. All in all, I am greatly impressed by your negotiating ability – in fact, I doubt I could have done as well as you have. General Ironwood's faith in you has certainly not been misplaced," he said. "Now, it is time to return to Remnant."

I let out a happy sob, a dumb smile on my face. "Yeah… yeah… Remnant," I said. "I… saved Atlas."

He smiled – a large, comforting, fatherly smile. "That you did, Miss Schnee."

With a single hand, he hauled me to my feet, handing me my helmet and oxygen mask.

"That you did…"


(A/N) Welp, it's official: Winter is now the Woobie-lite of this story. She's lost two limbs, had a panic attack when dropping feet first into hell, and now she's gotten mindfucked by Ozpin. Which, btw, he does have a reason to do that. It's petty and paranoid, but he believes the reason he has is a good one. What is the reason? Well… that's a mystery for now.

Other than that, yeah, Papa Schnee's got a brand new… brand. Chicks dig scars, right? Right? Oh well, Adam would never willingly let Jacques leave his """care""", would he?

Speaking of Adam - Adam Parks, the ODST - some of you may recognize him. He's the same boy from A Summer's Harvest that Summer herself ran into and gave that random cop's SMG. He survived Arcadia and enlisted in the UNSC… where he became an ODST Specialist assigned to the Bullfrogs. Yeah, those Bullfrogs - the ones Ruby fought with in Fall of Reach. He's got a touch of history to him, doesn't he?

Anyways, that's about all I've got to say down here, so uhh… onto the reviews! And I have no idea which ones I responded to, so I'll just put several of 'em below.

Dasgun said - "о.о"

Thanks buddy - you make it easy to find where the reviews for a chapter start. Have a gold star.

The-Soul-of-the-Void said - "so ruby has half of the fall maiden powers. and i like that summer is you know smart. she doesnt just blindly follow oz. also is ruby a reborn? you know like how chief is a reborn forerunner."

Yep - Ruby's got half the Maiden powers and that's a bad thing - well… unless you think your cranium bursting into magical flames is good, then by all means. Summer doesn't blindly follow Oz, but does trust him - probably more than she should, given what's just happened in this last scene. Ah, no, Ruby does not have a Geas - the "New Humans", which she is faaaaar descended from, managed to escape that.

Guest001 said - "It would have been better if someone loyal to Sieena was waiting for Jacques! Now Adam can use this fir his campaign to take over the White Fang! I would have LOVED to see a scene where the UNSC gets in contact with the liberated Mantle, and then physically hands Jacques over to Sienna! Wow, a lot of former Atlas Soldiers were serious racists, weren't they!?

Was that the "Monk-like" Ace Operative!?

Where has Klein gone!?

I can't imagine that there will be much love lost at this point between Weiss and Whitely!?

Cinder's torment hasn't ended, SWEET!

Ozpin knows about the Reapers!? The reapers have "cleansed" Remnant before in the past!?

There is one huge difference now compared to all those other times in the past Ozpin, SLIPSPACE TRAVEL!"

Better for Jacques, maybe. Sienna's faction actually understands that pissing off the wider world is a bad idea - he'd be given a trial and probably sentenced to death. Though uhh… that's still more humane than what he's gonna go through now. Oh they will contact them, sooner rather than later, too. I mean, Atlas was one of the most racist kingdoms in canon, so… but not everyone was racist, just a lot were.

The monk-like Ace Operative is none other than Vine Zeki - one of three remaining Atlesian Specialists in this universe (the others being Winter and Cordovin). Klein is still with Whitley and Willow, he'll go where they go. The Weiss/Whitley confrontation is coming, how couldn't it?

So uhh… Ozzy wasn't referring to the Reapers (he's dismissed that claim). He was talking about the Geth, which he knows about because of [REDACTED BY THE ORDER OF ONI]

BadCommissar said… science stuff that's too long to include here

I don't remember the context of it, but… yeah, seems about right to me. As for the gravity problem you mentioned later on… Dust is the pathway to things that many consider to be… unnatural. Or just physics-defying, that too.

Either way, good talk.

CykaBlyatintensifies said - "The Brother Gods are Forerunners it seems. Heck, this is getting more and more epic."

Nope! There's only one Forerunner in the RWBY/MEverse, and she's on the Spirit of Fire. Glad you like the story, though!

Lorenzo Ferrari said "I have an idea, what about _WBY get spartan augmentations? Now they're almost ODST troopers, so why not make them like their team leader?

since you drew a paintig of valkea, can you please draw paintings of all the members of team rwby with their armours and put them in prospective each other, in this way we can make ourselves an idea of their appearence.

update quickly, it's a very good story

That's actually fairly often discussed on the Discord - one of the betas even did some mockups of what their armor would look like in Gen2. I've been meaning to get around to it for… probably a year or more now, but I simply haven't yet. Maybe never will? I dunno. Glad you're enjoying the story!

Guest…Ilosttrack said - "Shouldn't the war with the Covenant be over by now? It ended 6 months after Reach."

So fun fact: in ASH, it was explained that time in one universe is not necessarily linked to the other in any way. A million years could pass in the RWBY/MEverse and no time at all could pass in the Haloverse. And vice versa, and anything inbetween or even more extreme.

So… shrug?


Welp, that's an extra thousand words of just review responses, I think that's enough. Stand by for the second interlude which will drop… sometime. Yeah, I'm done giving estimates, because I clearly cannot stick to them. After that, though, we'll finally get to the mission Fireteam Reaper is on.

So yeah! See ya next time!