Repeating message from other stories – there will be no update next Sunday as it's my week off from 24th-30th December. Have a merry Christmas all!

Cover Art: Z-ComiX

Chapter 70

Ruby wanted to chase after and talk to Weiss. Console her. Ask what went wrong. Assure her everything would be okay. Lord Renard stopped her and Pyrrha, however. "There is more to be done. The Rites are over, but you must update your information at the Scriptorium, and then you will have a meeting with Lady Goodwitch to finalise your ascension."

Weiss was led away in shame. Ruby's heart tightened painfully but there was so little she could do, especially when Lord Renard waved the other Arcanists to remove Weiss from the chamber.

Her best friend never once met her eyes.

After Weiss had been removed, Lord Renard led them back up the staircase and out into the sunlight once more. Not much time had passed, and the sun was still high in the sky. People milled about, and few paid attention to them. Ruby supposed no one would among the Arcanists, but the dorms would go crazy once they found out she was leaving them.

The Scriptorium was a place she hadn't been to since Watts introduced her to the Collegium. It was as dusty and miserable a place as she remembered, filled with the smell of ink and the scratch of quill on parchment. They approached the front desk and the weathered and white-eyed man behind it looked up, his eyes peering past them. Blind.

"Lord Scribe." Renard greeted. "I have two earning their way into the White Arcana. Their records must be updated."

The blind man looked at them and Ruby felt as if he was peering into their magic instead of their faces. He tilted his head on viewing her and sweat beaded on Ruby's brow. Thankfully, he turned away, not once speaking a word and instead shuffling into a back room.

In time, another man came out. Younger, though not by much. Maybe fifty or sixty instead of closer to ninety. He wore bronze spectacles and shuffled to the desk with two rolled-up scrolls that he laid out on the wooden surface.

"Pyrrha Nikos of House Nikos," he spoke. "Crimson Arcanist. Now of the White as well?"

Pyrrha nodded. "Yes."

"You have selected your second gem. All other Arcana are to be sealed to you now. I hope you have chosen wisely." He offered her a knife. Ruby cocked her head, but Pyrrha had obviously been here and done this before when she joined the Crimson, so she knew what to do.

To Ruby's surprise, she used the blade to cut a line into her palm, then pressed her palm to the paper. Light flared around the imprint, peeking out from under her skin like she'd touched a hot pan and steam rose from her hand. It couldn't have been painful because she didn't flinch.

"Enough."

With that one word from the scribe, she took her hand away. The man inspected the bloody mark left behind, nodding and signing his own name beside it. He then ticked a box that Ruby thought said `White` upside down, before he rolled up the parchment and tied it with a simple red and white ribbon.

"Next," he intoned. "Lady Ruby Rose of House Rose. Initiate. Former Initiate. You have chosen to join the White Arcana. You have one gem remaining to you, and I encourage you to think carefully on what secondary Arcana you pursue. The choice will be final."

Rather than offer her the same knife Pyrrha used, he drew out a new one, taking the bloody one and dropped it into a container of water, likely to be cleaned later.

Ruby inspected the knife, both normally and with her senses. There was nothing to it. No magic at all. Maybe that was to stop it interfering with her blood. Either way, it must have been the parchment itself that had the enchantment on it. Running the sharp knife over the flesh of her palm, she was relieved to feel only the slightest burning sensation. It was sharpened wonderfully.

Her hand pressed to the parchment where the scribe indicated, and the same burning wisps of light came from beneath her skin. It felt cool and refreshing, like cold mist on a spring morning.

Keeping track of who learns what sounds obvious enough, but this taking blood thing must let them keep track of us somehow. If Cinder's fears were true, it might let them track her if she ever went missing or ran away. If Nora could make an object that could find books by words, then surely someone in the Black could make one that found people by their blood.

"That is enough," the old man said kindly. He signed his name, ticked her for the White and then rolled up her scroll, tying it shut with a thin silvery-white ribbon. They must have been sorted by colour, which was as effective a way to order Arcanists as any other. "Your details within the Collegium have been updated. You have done all that you must. Should you be granted the right to dwell outside the Collegium, you must report to us to provide details of where your abode shall be. That is only if you are taking permanent residence. If anything else about your situation changes – such as your name by marriage, your House or anything else you feel pertinent – come back to inform us. Our doors are always open."

/-/

"Lady Nikos, why don't you go up to Lady Goodwitch first," Renard said once they returned to the White Cathedral. "I should tell Lady Rose about the rights and changes afforded to her new station. You would have been informed of all this once you joined the Crimson, I believe…?"

He made it a question, though Pyrrha answered with a nod. "I was given the talk, yes. I'll see you later, Ruby."

"Yeah."

The newly minted two-stone Arcanist headed up the spiral staircase with a proud smile on her face. Ruby dwelled behind, fidgeting as Renard took a seat and made himself comfortable.

"I'll start with the basics," he finally said. "As an Arcanist, you are now ranked among equals in the Collegium. You are no longer bound to its walls, though you are still bound to the Collegium itself. You may freely leave to explore the city, though you will still need to be signed out and in at the gates. Present your Arcanum and they shall take you through the necessary forms."

"What if I want to spend the night in the city?"

Going to see Yang – and not having to run away soon after – was the first thing she wanted to do. To properly spend time with her, eat, chat and sleep in the same room like they used to.

"Again, that is allowed so long as you make your intentions known at the gate. The second thing to know is that your rights within the Collegium will have expanded. You can freely enter the main library. I'll provide you a map of the extra locations once we're done. You'll find the library to be the best source of spells and magical instruction. It's carefully monitored and curated by us, so you needn't worry about anything forbidden existing there."

Of course the White would take that role. Nothing had changed there.

"You will also be moving out of the Initiate Dorms…"

Ruby's eyes widened. "I will? Why…?"

"Is that not obvious? You're an Arcanist now. It's a little unfair to sleep with the Initiates, don't you think? Aside from intimidating them, you'd have access to books, scrolls and information that Initiates should not. We can't have you sharing a room where they might see something they should not. That would be your fault if that happened. Arcanists are held to a higher standard, especially when it comes to secrecy."

Weiss isn't going to like this, Ruby thought. In all honesty, she didn't like it either!

"Where will I stay…?"

"I am aware of your financial situation," Renard said tactfully. "There is a stipend for such things. There are also Arcanist dorms not dissimilar to the Initiate ones, although you would be afforded a room to yourself. You can stay there until anything is decided. No Arcanist will ever be left homeless."

"Good to know. Hey, what about the Azure Archives? Can I go in there?"

"The Azure-? I suppose." Renard leaned back contemplatively. "I'm not sure what the state of the investigation into the Archives is in. You could surely report there and find out yourself. If you wish to aid them, I'm sure the one in charge would be more than willing to have you. That is something you also need to decide. The other Arcana busy themselves with their own ambitions, but we of the White have duties. If there is one duty you wish to ascribe to, so be it, but if not then you can report to Lady Goodwitch and she will assign you one. The White does not falter, and we are always needed."

"Heh." Ruby smiled weakly. "No time off then?"

"By all means, take time to celebrate becoming an Arcanist. We are not cruel here. We simply cannot abide laziness. Ah." Renard looked up just in time to see Pyrrha coming back down the stairs. Judging from her expression, nothing had had occurred. "It seems Lady Goodwitch is ready for you now. Congratulations, Lady Rose. I wish you luck in all your future endeavours."

There was no excuse for delaying. Renard looked at her expectantly and Ruby slowly made her way up the stairs, pausing outside the archway to Glynda's office with a nervous edge to her step. The woman was within, working at her desk. Ruby knew she was expected, yet Glynda still forced her to cough to announce herself.

"Come in."

Ruby stepped into the room, walking toward the desk. "Lady Good-"

"Ruby." The single word silenced her. "Or I suppose it is to be Lady Ruby now, isn't it?"

"I passed the rite-"

"I've been told. I was also told by Lord Renard that you mentioned my name in convincing him to allow the three of you to take the rites." She let the silence linger. "Isn't that right?"

"You said I'd have to take the rites as every other Arcanist. I thought-"

"Do not insult me."

Ruby clammed up.

"You thought you had a prime opportunity to mislead Lord Renard for your own benefit. You thought you could lie after and pretend that was a misunderstanding on your part. The White does not discredit ambition, Ruby Rose. We do not sniff at those who will use whatever means are at their disposal to achieve their goal." Lady Goodwitch looked up for the first time; her emerald green eyes were sharp and focused, locked onto Ruby. "We do not put up with lies, however. You will tell me the truth."

"You already know the truth…"

"I do. You are fortunate that I corroborated your story to Lord Renard, if only to smooth the waters between you. You could have taken the rites at any time. Lying was not necessary, nor was it appreciated."

Ruby kept silent. If she'd gone and asked straight out, she was sure Goodwitch would have refused her. It worked this way. Complaint or not, we got what we came for. Or two of them had.

"I suppose congratulations are in order. You are the youngest White Arcanist in the Collegium of Vale's history. That is worth being proud of, but it is also something that will draw attention. You will be watched, Lady Rose. You will be judged by your peers."

The last thing she needed. It wasn't like she'd had a choice, though. Staying as an Initiate for much longer just risked the Surges outing her. At least now she could go out into the Outskirts and burn her wildmagic off there.

"I'll do my best."

"Do more than your best. You must excel. You have chosen this path and now you must walk it. The White does not falter, and you did not let morality make you falter when you lied to Lord Renard." It was hard to tell if Glynda was angry, disappointed or just making a point. "You should beware, however. Ambition serves well as a tool for growth, but those that let it control them all too often end up as Rogue Arcanists. They feel held back by the Collegium. Suppressed. Limited. There are reasons our way of life is as it is. I hope I will not have to bring the brunt of the White onto you in the future."

Was that a threat?

Ruby nodded. "It won't happen."

"Good. Leave, then. Celebrate. Or choose what it is you wish to do as an Arcanist. You have stepped into a new world, Lady Rose, but it is one where you are but one of many equals. Remember that. We are neither as special nor as powerful as we believe."

"Will I be sent out to cull Grimm with Merlot?"

"Not immediately, no. Dedicate yourself to some offensive and defensive spells, then ask me again. You may leave now," she repeated. "I have enough work to do with the Grimm situation. And try not to come back to my attention before long. I may have let you off this time but use my name and my authority like this again and we shall be having a much longer meeting."

"It won't happen again," Ruby promised, bowing her head and stepping away.

Lady Goodwitch didn't acknowledge her, and Ruby slipped out of the room.

As much as Ruby wanted to go back to Weiss and find out what went wrong, she wasn't sure her appearance would be welcome. Not less than an hour after she'd failed. At the same time, Renard and Glynda had pretty much set her loose without instruction. With the Collegium open to her, there were too many options – and that was before she considered the idea of trying for a second gemstone.

There's no point to that. I only wanted to become an Arcanist so I could move freely and get access to more information about Wildmages. I don't need a second Arcana for that.

If she did, she could always go back to the Azure Arcana anyway.

"The Azure…"

Ruby's head turned in the direction of the Archives. She'd promised Ren she would have a look into why his project and room wasn't being returned to him, and now that she was a White Arcanist, she could go back into the Archives, couldn't she? The official library would be sanitised of any books useful to her by now, but the Archives stretched all the way to Menagerie and back.

"There has to be something useful in there, and I can spend all the time I want in it!" Ruby changed her path instantly, affixing her Arcanum to the outside of her white robes to let everyone know she wasn't to be trifled with. Tonight, she would go out into the city and find Yang and Blake, but for now, answers called, and there were a lot of questions surrounding the Azure.

/-/

No one made to stop her.

The White welcomed her with quiet nods and the Azure watched her distrustfully, turning their work away from her and avoiding eye contact. Ruby felt like a traitor returning to her prior Arcana, but she didn't let that stop her pushing through the crowds and approaching the oldest and most important looking White Arcanist.

"Hello. I was hoping to help with the investigation into the Azure Archives." she said. "Where should I go to help with that?"

The elderly woman with white hair and sharp eyes turned with a click of her tongue. "The investigation? Girl, that's all but done. There isn't much left."

The news shocked her. "Eh!? So the Archives are being given back to the-"

The woman's hand covered her mouth quickly, and she looked around at all the Azure Arcanists nearby. "Quiet, girl," she hissed. "The mouth on some of you young'uns. The investigation is near to completion; the decisions are not. I have enough on my plate with the Azure badgering me every hour of every day without our own starting."

"S-Sorry. Do you know what will be decided?"

"I've ideas, but they're just that. You'd have to wait and see, just like I do."

Gah. Not the answer she wanted. Ruby tried not to show her frustration and instead asked, "Is it allowed to enter the Archives?"

"For you? Yes. The White can enter as they wish. The other Arcana are being kept out for their own safety." The woman eyed her. "You look young. I assume you're at least competent if you're offering."

"I've faced Grimm."

"That so? Well, an Arcanist chooses their own path. Anything else?"

"Um." Ruby nodded. "I've heard some of the research labs here are still being locked down. Is there any reason for that?"

"You mean the Azure rooms? Yes, that's true. Safety is our biggest concern. I've left my associate in charge of that. You can find him in the Archive. Well? Is that all?"

Cantankerous didn't even begin to describe the woman. Ruby wished it was all. "Um. What's his name?"

"Kids!" she snapped. "Expecting everything to be handed to them. He's called Port. Tell him Maria sent you. Is that all?" The dark-skinned woman spread her spindly arms. "Or would you like me to lead you down there by hand, introduce you and tuck you into bed?"

"No. That's it. Thanks…"

Ruby didn't quite move away fast enough to miss the woman snort and mumble "idiot kids" under her breath.

It was the same old route to the Archives, but for two White Arcanists standing by the illusionary corridor to act as sentries. They stopped her before she could come close. "Arcanum."

Ruby handed it over and they didn't just look at it but cast a few spells. They must have been looking for illusions or tricks to conceal her nature. Had a couple of Azure Arcanists tried to sneak in?

"All well. Go ahead, Arcanist."

It had been over a month since the fall of the Azure Archives and Adam's confinement in the Sanctum. Ruby wasn't sure what to expect as she entered the portal and felt the unnatural light of the Archives wash over her. Would it still be in ruins from the Grimm attack? Would it still be under attack? She expected the worst, to see an Archives torn asunder and covered in bodies and blood.

She could not have been more wrong. Blood boiled in her body and her eyes watered. Ruby's fists clenched tightly, so hard that she felt her bones creak.

It was the same.

The Archives were as they'd always been. Neat rows of tables, carefully placed bookshelves and desks lining up and down around the Rubricator, an item she had helped make for the Azure Arcana, now serving the White. Serving them like the Azure – or maybe it was the White Archives now – were.

There was no Grimm, no danger and no reason for the Azure to be kept out. In fact, there were White-Azure Arcanists sat doing their research as per usual, leafing through books at long desks, taking notes and talking quietly to one another.

The only difference was a roaring fire in the centre, one carefully set up on a pedestal with a big, bronze dish to keep the fire inside. There were a few logs in it burning merrily, but an Arcanist in white robes approached with a stack of books in hand. In an action that would have made the Azure Arcana weep, he took them one at a time and tossed them into the fire, burning the books to ash.

They're sanitising the Archives. They're not going to give them back until every single book that they don't want to be seen is confiscated or destroyed.

Given the size of the Archives, that task could take years, even decades. And what then? When it was done, what was to stop them deciding that leaving the Archives in the hands of the Azure wasn't a good idea after all? They might well seal it off forever.

Even though it didn't surprise her, it left Ruby shaking with anger. This was the exact kind of thing she expected of the White, but it somehow still felt like another betrayal. Another knife in the back. At least before, she could tell herself it was the danger and the Grimm that kept them opening the Archives up.

Shaking with grief and anger, she marched past the burning brazier and resisted the urge to try and rescue the books. Anything the White wanted burned, she wanted to see first. It would only have her questioned now, however. Maybe she could sign up to help with finding those books, saving those she could or reading through them first.

For now, she focused on asking around for Arcanist Port, eventually being pointed in the direction of a very large and very jovial looking man. His robes were strange – a red top half a white bottom, including big, black boots. He was stood above the Rubricator, his moustache quivering as he poked and prodded at it.

"Arcanist Port?" Ruby tried.

"Hoho!" he boomed. "What is this? An Initiate in the Archives? You could get in trouble here, lass." Rather than anger, he winked her way. "Now don't you worry. I'll escort you out and we can pretend this never happened-?" He trailed off as she showed him her Arcanum. "Well, forgive me for saying but I've not heard of someone so young joining us."

"I passed the rite today, Lord Port."

"Ah." He looked relieved. "Good. Good. I thought my memory had failed me there. Ha ha! Well then, lass, how can I help you? You're speaking to Peter Port himself, the strongest Arcanist in the Collegium of Vale. Have you come to hear of how I faced the Rogue Aktrax, the wanted serial-killer Arcanist of Atlas? Or perhaps you've heard of the time I wrestled a Grimm unarmed, breaking its neck."

He flexed his muscled – and he had muscle. It was hard to tell given how overweight he was, but his arms were thick like tree trunks and his flab – while definitely flab – hardened over muscle when he pushed out his chest. His Arcanum showed red and white, as per his robes, so he had to be a strong fighter as well.

Red and White. A dangerous combination in her eyes.

"Um. No. I wanted to ask about the investigations. Maria told me-"

"That old crow? You spoke to her? My girl, you must have spirit beyond your years to come out of a conversation with her unbroken."

Ruby couldn't help giggle. "Something like that."

"Well, what of the investigations? Talk to me."

"I heard that some of the rooms upstairs were being cut off and some research materials withheld," she explained. "I'm new, but I'm trying to find what kind of duty I want to take, and I think something simple like this might be a good start. Lady Goodwitch said she didn't want me facing Grimm until I have more spells I can reliably cast."

"Wise woman, there," he said, nodding. "Whether or not you've faced those beasts in the past, it's best to be prepared. Well, this is a simple enough task. Too simple for me. I'm here in case the Grimm come back." He indicated the endless Archives in the distance. "If you want to help, lass, I won't turn you away. Not at all."

"Great." Ruby grinned. "So, why are some of the labs being closed? Are the Archives breaking out?"

"No. No. Nothing of the sort. It's… a matter of research." Port crossed his large arms and leaned on the Rubricator. "You know how the Azure are, I take it. Curious. Driven. Fantastic folk, I will say, but like a dog fighting for a bone when it comes to something that intrigues them. It's not uncommon for them to focus so much on their latest curiosity that they don't think about the consequences of what they're researching."

"Consequences…?"

"Aye. There are many forbidden strands of magic, and many good reasons why they're that way. Resurrection of the dead is one for example."

Ruby froze. "Is that-?"

"Possible? No. Not yet. But that's not to say some haven't wished it could be. Perhaps for benign reasons or those of grief, but the point remains that people will try, whether or not it's feasible. Leaving aside the problems this could cause with dead people coming back to life, consider what the research would be like. You'd have to play with corpses – you might even need to play with the balance of life and death itself." He shook his head. "That's foul work, lass. We forbid it because even at its best you're digging up dead bodies, while at its worst you're making those dead bodies yourself."

Murder. The nobles could probably get away with that given all their resources. People went missing in the slums quite often, and who was to say it wasn't an Arcanist spiriting them away. The White in this case. Anyone who was caught doing that would get the Sanctum for sure.

"Is anyone doing that here?"

"No. As I said, most of the Azure are good, law-abiding folk. They're just curious, and more power to them for that. Still, there are some topics that toe closely to those lines, often more by accident than design. We normally task the White-Azure with keeping an eye on them. Not interfering, just making sure no one strays over any lines without realising it. It's not always an easy task for them, however. Many Azure Arcanists are secretive and jealously guard their research. Taking over the Archives was a chance for us to check up on that personally. Make sure nothing is untoward. Most of the research and rooms have been handed back to their owners."

Most. Not all. Ruby was suddenly that much more concerned for Ren. If the White were interested in his research, that didn't bode well for his chances of getting it back.

Or his chances in general. I need to find out what's happening.

"I want to help!"

"Capital." Port chuckled. "Well, how about you come back tomorrow morning and I'll have some cases sorted out for you. There's not much I can do from here and I'm to watch the Archives' main lobby until sundown."

"I will! Thank you!"

In between that work, she could spend a little time looking through the Archives, too. The sanitising of any the White didn't want to see was bad but it could also work in her favour. After all, it took her and Merlot ages to try and find a few books because they were only two people and the Archives were vast. The White were helping out here, however. They were bringing all those books back to the centre, back to the brazier.

All I need to do is snatch a few of those from under their noses.

Not a difficult task for a thief like her.

/-/

As an Arcanist, Ruby was entitled to leave the dorms. Lord Renard had made that clear, saying it expectantly, like it was a given. Maybe it was. Having an Arcanist bunking among the Initiates would be awkward for both parties; her having to be above them and them afraid to upset her because of her new power. It also meant leaving Weiss, however, which was something she hadn't planned for. They were meant to pass together, move on together, hang out together.

Weiss' empty Arcanum was a horrific reminder of why that wasn't possible, and Ruby's stomach flipped and flopped, alternating between guilt, frustration and sorrow. The silence stretched. It was so deep that they could hear the distant hum of chatter from next door coming through the thick, stone walls. Ruby's foot scraped on the floor and the sheer volume of it made her flinch.

"It was just an illusion!" she blurted out finally.

Weiss' shoulders hunched up.

"It wasn't real!" Ruby continued, unsure if she was berating Weiss or trying to absolve her own actions. "It was my sister for me, but I knew it couldn't be real. It didn't fit. They had her wrong and… and she's not here. There's no way they could have brought her here. I figured out it was a fake right away."

Hadn't she…? Ruby cringed, aware that she might have sounded too accusatory. Weiss obviously hadn't figured it out or they wouldn't be in this situation. Idiot, she cursed herself. Doesn't she look upset enough already? Don't rub it in!

"I-I'm just saying you can keep that in mind for next time. The same trick can't work twice, right? Or maybe they'll do something different."

The Rite of Conviction genuinely couldn't work twice once you knew the trick. The White must have had multiple ones lined up that they could switch between. Weiss would get a different task in the future, but it would still be conviction. The way to complete it would be to steady yourself and do whatever they said, even if you thought it horrible. It was more obedience than conviction in that way, but no one liked to be told they were obedient, so the White had changed the name to make it sound better.

They'd known that, though. It'd been obvious. They'd prepared for it and had a good idea of what was going to happen. Despite her best efforts, Ruby sighed, hunching on the end of her bed.

"How did you not realise?" she complained. It was petty, she knew that as soon as she said it, but this was Weiss – she was meant to be the smart one. "Was it your sister? You should have realised it couldn't be her. What, are they just going to go out and kidnap a royal knight and have you kill her? Or your mom or dad? The Collegium doesn't get involved in noble affairs, so they wouldn't care if your dad used to be a merchant."

There was no answer from Weiss, only a slow bunching up of her shoulders. The silence irritated Ruby, if only because she was genuinely worried about her friend.

"Why didn't you think it through? If you put together the pieces, it's obvious. They wouldn't have had time to go get someone outside the Collegium. You just needed to use your head and it would have been obvio-"

Weiss' control snapped. "It was you!" she cried, eyes burning red.

Ruby's brain failed her. "What…?"

"It was you!" Weiss stood up, tears streaming down her face, teeth gritted. "T-They said you tried to cheat the test. They said you were working with that Rogue Azure to try and get your stupid Archives open again! T-They…" Weiss broke off into a sob. "They told me you were going to be publicly executed. And you," she wheezed. "You kept crying. Kept begging me to help you. Telling me we were friends, t-that a real friend wouldn't a-abandon her."

"Weiss…"

"So I'm sorry if I didn't figure out something so obvious!" Weiss' voice cracked as she screamed at her. "Sorry if I'm too stupid to be in your presence! But I'd rather be stupid and not someone who had to kill someone I love like you did!"

Ruby stepped back as if she'd been slapped. Yang – Yang had just been an illusion. It wasn't the same. It wasn't…

"Weiss, I-"

"Get out!"

"Weiss-"

"Get out!" the heiress screamed.

Lady Ruby Rose, Arcanist of the White, slowly stepped out the door and closed it behind her. Before it had even shut, she heard the broken sobs from within. Moisture tickled at her own eyes as well, but as everyone in the corridors outside turned to stare at her, she forced herself to keep moving. They wouldn't see her cry. No one would.

Sad face. Merry Christmas? xD

Next Chapter: 3rd January

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur