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RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.

Chapter 2: The Realm of Death

Our ride did not take long. After all, we only had to ride far enough that no one would stumble across me opening a portal to my home. We ended up in a clearing… a different clearing a fair ways away from any civilization.

I dismounted Mordred and helped Ruby down. With a snap of my fingers, a portal opened in front of us. The only thing that anyone, myself included, could see through the portal is a dark red, almost black sky and very dark earth. Actually, now that I think about, the sky is almost the same color as Ruby's hair.

As you can probably tell, I don't exactly live on Remnant. Neither do my siblings. Their homes aren't relevant right now, but I do need to tell you about the layout of mine.

My realm can be thought of as having two layers. The inner layer is where my keep is. It is where any I call can spend their afterlife. I call it The Necropolis. It is a decently large castle-like structure that spans a good seven square miles. A wall encircles the entire place, with large portcullis gates facing each cardinal direction. Buildings, such as a barracks, blacksmith, bar, and other necessities needed for comfortable living are built along the inner circumference of the wall. In the very center of the Necropolis stands my home. A large four-story castle with 5 towers surrounded by a vast courtyard. One tower stands at each corner of the building and the fifth rises directly from the center. Standing atop the central tower is a massive white sphere of energy that acts as the sun for the Necropolis. That sphere is hollow, but only those I allow inside can know what it actually looks like. I'll tell you more about it later.

The outer layer is a large flat plain that grows a genetically modified black grass. I named it the Fields of the Lost. It is a place of ultimate punishment. There's not much to describe about it as it's just an endless flat plain, in terms of appearance. In terms of punishment, it is the reward I grant to those who try to usurp my power from me.

Any who violate the natural order of life and death, either through feloniously attaining immortality, or reversing the process of death… or escaping me, are granted an eternity's stay in the fields. They seek to be free of me, so I grant it. The Fields of the Lost make you immortal. An immortality that you suffer. You will never have contact with the living world or the afterlife. Permanent isolation with only your slowly deteriorating mind to keep you company. The Fields of the Lost are the first line of defense for the Necropolis.

Another interesting effect of the Fields is selective blindness. No matter where you are in the Fields, you can't see the Necropolis unless you've physically been to the Necropolis before. My makeshift sun acts as a beacon for any I allow to stay at the Necropolis. The final interesting thing about the Fields of the Lost is that they strengthen the bond between the soul and the nearest living organism. The Fields force your soul to stay bound for eternity. It doesn't stop the senescence of your body though. Once your body dies, then your soul is bound to the grass of the Fields. Permanent isolation for eternity.

So why do you need to know this? Well, it sets the scene for why I brought Ruby through the Fields. Until this moment, a living mortal had never made it to the Necropolis and survived. The reason being my defenses.

The Fields of the Lost is an obvious one. It blinds you to the Necropolis. However, let's say you manage to bypass the Fields and get to the keep. Obviously, you'll have to contend with everyone I've invited to spend their afterlife at The Necropolis, most of whom are more than capable with weapons. There's also my family who are not too shabby. Of course, you might have to contend with me. However, all of these defenses pale in comparison to my primary defense.

Surprisingly enough, it isn't the wall. The primary defense of the Necropolis is the stones upon which it is built. The very ground beneath it has been… blessed by my power. To a mortal, the Necropolis acts as a constant application as my scythe. The ground forces a mortal's soul from their body. Once the soul is ejected from the body, the now bodiless soul will be eviscerated by the residents of the Necropolis. Not even immortals, legitimate immortals I have gifted immortality to of my own free will or otherwise, are safe from the Necropolis's power.

Why aren't immortals safe? Simply put, the mortal coil can still be severed. Now, the Fields can't stop the Necropolis's power. I never believed it could. However, I did believe that it could at least delay the deterioration of the bindings between Ruby's soul and her body. Other things that would help delay that deterioration were my presence and her own soul. Of course, I was soon to learn how wrong my belief was.

I could still feel her soul's desperation. Even as we dismounted from Mordred. She had calmed down physically, but her soul was still in pain. Having someone or something attempt to drain your soul, only to be cut off halfway through had to be painful. It was only made worse by the fact that I had no clue as to what could have done that.

Believe it or not, I'm not omniscient. Neither am I omnipotent or omnipresent. It's why I employ the departed. I can't be everywhere at once, and a lot more than one person dies at a time. Certain dead I deem worthy enough to join me in my job. It's not permanent, and they don't have to accept. If they do, then their afterlife is spent at the Necropolis. However, should they wish to retire from being one of my reapers, they can. They just spend their afterlife residing in the Necropolis.

Anyway, all this is to explain why I didn't just open a portal straight into the Necropolis itself. Again, keep in mind that this was a first.

So, we dismounted from Mordred and I opened the portal. I sent Mordred ahead, straight to the Necropolis. He hates the fields for some reason. Before we entered the portal, I turned to Ruby. I figured it would be beneficial to protect from any lost souls we may stumble across in the fields. Considering I wear my cloak almost all the time, it reeks of death. My theory was that it would help hide Ruby from the dead better than just my presence.

I draped it over her shoulders. She jumped a little as I placed it on her. I thought it was hilarious. She was mesmerized by the swirling portal in front of her, and the simple action of placing my cloak on her scared her half to death. And considering our size difference, she was swimming in my cloak. I chuckled a little as I spoke to her.

"We are going to trek through a very dangerous place." I told her. "Stay close to me, don't let go of my hand, and you'll be safe."

She gulped but nodded and grabbed my offered hand. Her grip wasn't that strong, but that mattered little. I wrapped my own fingers around her tiny hands, and we stepped through the portal. With a snap of my fingers, it closed behind. We were now stuck in the Fields of the Lost. The first thing we had to do was orient ourselves. Well, I oriented us. Once I saw the Necropolis beacon in the distance, I tugged Ruby's hand and we began walking. I checked back every so often to ensure she was still with me. It appeared as if something was weighing her down. The only physical evidence of the Fields' power. Even if her hand was held in mine, I'm still a skeleton. I don't exactly have the greatest sense of touch.

Ruby kept her head down as we walked. The only major incident of note was when we came upon a soul. Ruby gasped when she caught sight of the translucent ethereal blue being. It drifted closer to us. My face hardened as it drew near. An ugly scowl graced the soul's vaguely feminine face. I figured she was still upset by my imprisoning of her in these fields.

"Be gone." I commanded.

She looked ready to talk, but a flaring of my power was the only warning she would get. With a scowl, she turned and drifted off.

"Who was that?" I heard a quiet voice behind me.

It was the first time she had spoken since we had ridden off on Mordred. I glanced back at her. She no longer appeared to have an invisible weight on her shoulders. Curious, I glanced at her soul. The angry red cloud of pain and anger I had seen earlier had settled. Her soul was still jagged, but it appeared to have calmed. I could still sense the pain, but even as we stood there in the fields, it was lessening. Most surprising, however, was her mortal coil. It was strong. I have never seen one so strong.

Do you even understand what I mean when I talk about the mortal coil? Most people seem to understand that it's a poetic term, and removing it means to die. More accurately though, the mortal coil is the soul's anchor to the body. It is why I or one of my reapers attend to the dead. Without severing it, your soul is stuck in a dead body.

I'm not going off on another tangent. Ruby's mortal coil was stronger than any I'd ever seen. I reckon it's the combination of an aura unlocked by anguish and the binding power of the Fields of the Lost. You see, most people's mortal coil is analogous to a rope. It holds their soul to their body, but it can be severed with a good clean slice. Ruby's was more akin to a chain. Even I would have struggled to sever that mortal coil. With it as strong as it was, she would probably be fine in the Necropolis.

"Who was that? She repeated, pointing to the soul that was drifting away.

"No one you need to be concerned with." I answered, shaking myself from my surprise.

I gently tugged her hand, and we continued on.

"What is this place?" She asked. "It doesn't feel like Remnant."

"How do you mean?" I inquired.

"It feels wrong." She said.

Glancing back told me that she didn't know the right words to describe the Fields.

"Well, it's not Remnant." I answered. "We are in my home."

"Where's that?" She asked, her curiosity seemed to have claimed her full attention.

"Wherever." I answered with a chuckle.

"That's not an answer." She pouted.

"Well, it's my answer." I retorted, before chuckling that I was arguing with a six-year-old.

"Fine." She huffed adorably. "Where are we going?"

"My house." I replied.

"And where's that? Are we close?" She continued.

"Yes. It's not too far in front of us." I spoke.

"I don't see it." She said.

"You won't until we're there." I answered.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because you won't." I responded.

Her young mind seemed to accept this answer. A silence fell on us for a few seconds before I spoke up.

"We should probably change your name." I stated.

"Why?" Ruby asked. "I like my name."

"I don't want that thing that attacked you to know you're still alive." I said. "We don't really need to change your first name. Though it might be best to change your last."

"To what?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know. You choose. It's your name." I replied.

She fell silent. She later told me that I sprang this on her at the wrong time. In hindsight, I agree. She had just lost her dad and I had whisked her away to who knows where. Still, my thoughts weren't on it.

"Can it be Rose?" She tentatively asked.

I simply glanced back at her.

"I remember daddy calling mommy that once before she left." Ruby explained.

"Ruby Rose." I said. "If that's what you want."

"Yes." She answered.

"Very well then." I answered.

Another silence fell on us. But it wasn't too long before she was asking more questions. All of which I answered as simply as I could. By the time we actually reached the East gate, she knew a little about my home. She knew that she was getting special treatment. She knew people generally weren't allowed here. She also knew not to go wandering off without me.

"Open the gate, the master is back." the voice of my gatekeeper called.

"Who said that?" Ruby asked, looking around for the source of a voice she couldn't see.

The sound of the portcullis raising drew her attention. She couldn't see the wall, but she knew it was there. Once the gate was opened, we stepped through, her hand still grasping mine. As soon as we crossed the threshold of the Necropolis, she gasped. I looked back again. Her blue eyes were gazing in wonder at the city before her.

I gently removed my cloak from her body and donned it myself. I don't like being separated from it for too long.

"My lord." The gatekeeper bowed. "Your steed returned some time ago. I should warn you; your wife is not happy."

"I'll deal with it, gatekeeper." I said. "Come along, Ruby. We have some people you need to meet."

Ruby drew more than a few passing glances as we strode through the Necropolis's streets. The dead were confused. They were interested. They were curious. Never before had a living being been allowed to walk the streets, they called home. I think the crowds scared Ruby a little. She tried to bury herself in my cloak.

"Is that a human?" I heard one resident whisper.

"Why'd our lord bring her here?" Another asked.

"Did she do something wrong? She seems so young." Someone queried.

"I don't think the queen will be very happy with this." A resident stated.

"Did he kill her?" I heard one of our newer residents ask.

"No, he didn't. Lord Death doesn't kill." Someone answered.

The questions and statements followed us towards my castle. The small crowd asking and speaking of such things also followed. The crowd stopped at the edge of the courtyard. I could see my beautiful wife, Bianca, was standing in the entrance to our home. Our daughter Keira was peeking out one of the windows.

I married Bianca nearly thirty years prior. She looks the same now as she did then. Long black hair framed her face. Her features were soft, but her eyes betrayed the hardness of her life on Remnant. However, that's not relevant to this story. Her eyes are a lovely bronze color, and skin is like porcelain. She is the woman of my dreams.

Our daughter Keira is a little different. She was only eight the time. She has a very similar appearance to her mother. Though, her flesh appears translucent. Her face has sharper features than Bianca, but still retains some of her mother's softness. Her eyes are a deep royal purple. Fitting given that the residents of the Necropolis refer to her as the princess… despite the fact that neither Bianca nor I actually proclaimed us to be royalty of any kind.

So, I walk up, a small approximation of a smile on my skull, and greet my wife.

"So, Death, what took you?" She asked, before looking down at Ruby. "And who is this?

Honestly, I was a little scared. She only calls me Death when she's really angry. Normally she calls me Reaper, Grim, of just D.

"Uh… can we do this inside?" I questioned, glancing back at the crowd.

They didn't need to see me talking with my wife. Bianca waved them off, and we entered our home. Ruby followed closely, still hiding in my cloak as much as she could.

"Alright, talk." Bianca commanded. "Where were you? Who is she? Why is she here?"

"I'll start with her." I muttered before calling my daughter. "Keira!"

"DAD!" Said child happily yelled.

She bounded into the room, a happy smile on her face. She never failed to have a smile when I came home. She leapt into my arms and I caught her in a quick hug before setting her down. Then she noticed the anger on her mother's face. I saw worry flash across Keira's face. I gently ushered Ruby out from behind my cloak.

"Keira, Bianca, this is Ruby Rose. Ruby, this is my wife Bianca and our daughter Keira." I introduced them. "Ruby will be staying with us for a while."

"Hi." Ruby shyly waved.

"Really, now?" Bianca asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Keira, why don't you take Ruby and show her around. Her room will be the one right next to yours." I said.

I gently pushed Ruby towards Keira. Keira smiled, grabbed Ruby's hand, and pulled her further into our house. She was already asking a million questions. I swear, my daughter could infect people with happiness. Ruby had a shy smile as she allowed herself to be pulled deeper into our castle. When they were gone, I breathed a deep sigh before turning to Bianca.

"You owe me an explanation." She demanded.

"You're not mad about Ruby, are you?" I asked.

Bianca just glared at me.

"You're mad about Ruby." I concluded.

So, I proceeded to explain Ruby's story. I made sure to emphasize the important parts. Specifically, how Ruby unlocked her aura and how I found her. Bianca said nothing while I explained. She said nothing for a few minutes afterward. Her first reaction was to clap her hands together and bring them under her chin. This was followed by a deep sigh before she looked at me.

"Are you still mad about Ruby?" I tested.

"Only that you did that without talking to me about it." She answered.

That was fair. She and I usually talk things through before proceeding with a major decision. The only two exceptions were when I proposed and Keira. And now Ruby.

"How come it took you so long? You and I both know you can teleport directly into the Necropolis." Bianca questioned.

"I took her through the Fields. The Fields strengthen the bond between the soul and a living organism, I figured it would help her survive the Necropolis." I answered.

"Did it?" Bianca asked.

"It worked far better than I could have predicted. Her mortal coil is one of the strongest I've ever seen. Say what you will about Ruby, she has a very strong will to live."

"So why did you bring her here?" Bianca asked.

"You remember Summer Rose?" I answered.

"Yes." She said.

"She made a deal with me and held up her end of the bargain. Now, I'm holding up my end through her daughter." I answered. "I made a promise to her."

"I still don't see what you saw in that woman." Bianca replied bitterly.

"Hey, if you had met her, I'm sure you would. But she could never replace you." I replied.

"So, what is your plan with her daughter?" Bianca asked.

"Prepare her. Train her." I answered.

"For what?" Bianca asked.

"For Remnant. I think she's important to Remnant's future." I answered.

"Ultimate Fate?" Bianca asked.

"Yes." I answered.

"When do you plan to start?" She asked.

"Not for a while. I'll let her have the chance to be a child for a little longer." I answered.

"I'll go prepare her room." Bianca said, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I stayed that way until I went to bed later that night.

Ruby, meanwhile, was being given the crash course in Keira. Our daughter is an endless ball of energy. It doesn't matter what day it is; she always greets it with endless optimism. Ruby was dragged from room to room, getting the briefest of explanations as to what that room was, or if she was allowed there.

Then when Keira showed her room on the third floor to Ruby, she finally slowed down, only to force Ruby onto the bed and begin asking questions. Keira asked more questions of Ruby in ten minutes than Ruby did during our entire walk through the Fields of the Lost.

Keira wanted to know everything about Ruby. And I do mean EVERYTHING. Keira asked Ruby about everything she could think of. What was it like to be human? Was she alive? What was Remnant like? What was her favorite color? What did she like to eat? Etcetera. Etcetera. I'm glad she mellowed out as she got older but remembering this makes me feel sorry for any soul that has ever had to deal with a hyperactive reaper.

Bianca overheard the entire conversation while she prepared the unused bedroom next to Keira's room. She would later relay the ending of the conversation to me with a fond smile. Ruby's own melancholic smile when she relayed the conversation made me wish I could have witnessed it.

"Why?" Ruby had asked. "Why are you asking me so much?"

"You're my sister now." Keira answered without missing a beat. "I need to know as much about you as I can."

Ruby started to tear up. She remembered her own sister, Yang. Given her current location, she couldn't tell Yang anything. That is one of my greatest regrets when it comes to Ruby. I never let her see Yang while she stayed with us. It was a risk I was unwilling to take.

Still though, the fact was, Keira adopted Ruby as her little sister within five minutes of meeting her. That's just Keira for you though. She never stopped being a bundle of joy.

Bianca walked into the room. Keira was just holding the now crying Ruby. My wife, the gentle soul that she was, could not stand there and do nothing. She sat on Keira's bed and offered comfort to the crying girl who was torn away from her world.

Looking at this from the outside, you're probably thinking, "holy crap, Death just kidnapped a little girl." And from a certain point of view, yeah, I did. However, viewing it as I saw it shows a different story.

First off, like I said earlier, I am not omniscient. I am not omnipotent. I am not omnipresent. To put it simply, I am NOT a god. I did not know she had an uncle that could have taken her in. When I found her, I had just reaped the soul of her last living parent.

However, my second reason played a larger role in my decision. Her aura had been unlocked through Anguish. It was violent. It was destructive. It would have killed her and anyone who came in contact with her, other than me. I mentioned it earlier, but I can have a calming aura. It is for this reason that souls don't panic when I raise my blade to sever their mortal coil. This calming aura is restricted to the soul; however, nothing says the person has to be dead to feel it.

Thirdly, is my power called Ultimate Fate. That is the worst power I have. It is derived from one of my many titles. I am Death, I am the ultimate fate. One of the powers I have as death is the power to see the most likely possibilities that will be a living person's ultimate fate. If it were just one or two, it wouldn't be so bad. Yet my power shows me hundreds of possibilities based on the current circumstances surrounding the person I meet. I've learned to ignore it.

The primary reason I hate this power is because no matter who it is I meet, one of the possibilities for their ultimate fate is death by me. I don't raise my blade against the living, not because I can't but because I choose not to. I am the only reaper with the ability to sever the mortal coil of a living mortal. When the body dies, that coil weakens. Hence why I can have other reapers do the job when I can't.

But Ruby. When I found her in that snow covered forest, I was given the briefest of glimpses into her most likely futures. I saw three. Only three. I have never seen so few fates from one person before. The first showed her aura collapsing in on itself and killing her. The second showed her surviving the aura, only to be devoured by a Beowolf. The only fate that guaranteed she lived was me taking her to the Necropolis. Bianca says I have a soft spot for children. I can't exactly disagree. This wouldn't be relevant if you didn't look so questioning of my decisions.

Anyway, the rest of that first day for Ruby passed with little issue. I don't think the reality of what happened to her father truly set in until she tried to sleep that night. I suspected it would be a problem for later down the line as well, but there is no one that would mentally survive what she went through without some scars. The trauma of seeing your father die and having your soul nearly sucked out at such a young age is not something that can easily be fixed.

She woke up screaming that night. Calling out for IT to stop. Calling for her dad. Fortunately for the Necropolis, our castle is pretty soundproof. Fortunately for my wife and daughter, they could sleep through the apocalypse. Fortunately for Ruby, I am one of the lightest sleepers ever. Unfortunately for me, I am one of the lightest sleepers ever.

With a tired sigh, I got up and padded my way to Ruby's room. Her screams of terror had stopped, but I could hear the quiet whimpering as I drew near. I stole past her room to my study on the second floor, where my collection was. I like to collect music boxes. I quickly grabbed the one I was after. It was one of the oldest music boxes I had. It played a lullaby that Remnant has long forgotten. I had to do this with Keira a few times when she was younger, so I knew it would work.

I returned to Ruby's room and entered. As I entered, I wound the little box up and let the soft music begin to play. The little girl was sitting up on her pillow. Her knees were brought up to her chest and her arms were wrapped around her legs. Ruby looked up, tears spilling from her eyes as I set the small music box on the dresser at the end of her bed. Her soul was prepared to lash out. I just sat next to her on her bed, my aura calming her soul. I didn't say a word.

We just sat there and listened to the music as I rubbed her back and my aura calmed her soul. The only noise that was made other than the music and the occasional winding of the box was Ruby's occasional sniffing. I remember her quietly whispering a thank you as she fell asleep.

I spent much of that night thinking about the original plan. I was going to take her and train her. I'd be nothing more than a mentor. Yet, in the span of about five hours, I wasn't so certain that was going to be possible. Keira had already adopted her as a sister. A fact she made sure we all knew as she got ready for bed that night.

That was only the first night that I stayed with Ruby. She had nightmares almost every other night for the next three months. Bianca and Keira would sometimes stay with her, but it was normally me. The power to calm a soul proved to be the best sleeping aid Ruby could ask for. I ended up giving her the music box at the end of her first month staying at the Necropolis. I would find another… hopefully.

ERROR-DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY…/…

Data Log DoD-002

There we have it. So, I wanted to offer a brief explanation as to why I'm characterizing Death this way. Personally, I don't think death is evil. I usually just see it as an end. So, he's not a bad guy. I took this take because I wanted to be different. I like the idea that Death as a character is a pretty nice guy and a doting father. Of course, that doesn't mean he isn't badass. He's still freaking death. And I am going to write him how I like to write him. That being said, he won't be as prevalent in the later chapters as he is now. After all, like I said last time, my narrator is not the primary main character.

Speaking of my narration style for this story, is it easy enough to follow? The whole idea behind it was that Death participated in a lot of these events, but he got the rest of the story for the events he wasn't personally there for. So, it's supposed to be written as if he were telling you the story. Hence why the descriptions appear when they do, or some descriptions don't appear at all.

Thank you to all who read this, your feedback and views are much appreciated. Feel free to leave ideas and recommendations for the future.

Goodbye viewer; Fare thee well.

End Log S.T.K.