Disclaimer: RWBY and Hollow Knight do not belong to me. They belong to RoosterTeeth and Team Cherry respectively.
Chapter 12: The Memory:
Remember…
"Has anyone seen Yang?"
Ruby was torn from the animated conversation she was having with Sun Wukong, about how Hunters from Vacuo treated their weapons to withstand and not jam in the sand and climate, by Blake. Sun turned his thousand sun grin towards Blake, though the smile diminished as the question sunk in.
"Hmm, last I saw her she was dancing with someone," Sun said, cupping his chin and thinking.
"Who?" Blake asked. Sun shrugged.
"I dunno. At first I thought she was dancing with you, honestly."
As the two spoke, Ruby looked around the ballroom. After the dance number, the DJ's had turned towards slower songs, and it was clear that the ball was in the twilight of its time. Not surprising. It was near midnight, and Ruby was feeling ready to curl up and finally get rid of these shoes and everything.
People were trickling away, in any case. Not many, but...Ruby saw no sign of her sister. Neither did she see any sign of Weiss or the Hollow Knight.
"Hmm..."
"Ruby?"
"Huh?"
"Remnant to Ruby," Blake waved a hand in front of her, expression so neutral it was ridiculous. Ruby jerked back and she saw Blake's mouth twitch.
"Lien for your thoughts?"
"I'm just thinking," Ruby began, "I haven't seen Weiss or the Knight anywhere either. Maybe Yang escorted them back to the dorms?"
"It's pretty early to be leavin," Sun pointed out.
"Just an idea," Ruby shrugged before standing up to her feet, "I'm gonna go check. I'm getting pretty tired."
"I'll go with you," Blake said immediately.
"Aw, no last dance?" Sun pouted, though it was clear he didn't mind.
"Maybe next time," Blake said, flashing him a small smile.
"I'll hold you to that," Sun shot them finger guns. Ruby, caught up in the general cheer Sun's aura seemed to exude, brought her hands up into half finger guns before embarrassment crushed them down.
"I, uh, see you!" she said instead, dragging away a chuckling Blake.
"Smooth."
"Shush!"
The cool night air was a welcome balm from the stuffy atmosphere of the ballroom.
"Do you really think that Yang and Weiss have already left?" Blake asked.
"I mean, where else could they have gone?"
Before either of them could voice the answer to that, Ruby caught sight of something moving in the distance. A shadow sneaking in the night. Towards the Cross Continental Tower.
"Blake..."
"I see them too," she said, terse. Her scroll was already in hand, the menu to call their weapons ready. As they ran towards the tower, their lockers rocketing overhead and slamming into the ground, Ruby fervently hoped that the rest of her team wasn't in danger.
'Please be safe!'
Remember…
'This is the weirdest fight I've ever been in'
And Yang had been in a lot of fights, most of which were not her fault.
The beowolves below snarled. One, small and antsy, charged with a roar. The sound it made as it bounced off of Bardoon could've only been described by the word boing.
"Are you sure this isn't hurting you?" she asked for perhaps the seventh time that night.
"Ohhrhrm," Bardoon's rumble felt like a laugh and sent several of the more skittish grimm scampering a short distance away, "I can barely feel it, tiny one."
Before the beowolves could regather, there was an almighty bellow and several of them died, cut into pieces as Mato whirlwinded through them, before leaping back onto Bardoon.
"Thank you most kindly for acting as our shield, Master Bardoon!" Mato said.
"It is no problem, ohrmm..."
Weiss mumbled into Yang's lap, still passed out. The Hollow Knight was resting against Yang's back, in a similar state. The mini-knight stood in front of them all, nail held out protectively. And the child nestled themselves over Yang's shoulder and under her neck.
"What has life become…?" she mumbled to herself.
"Are you alright, young Yang?" Mato asked, glancing towards her as the beowolves below keened.
"Just peachy, big guy."
"What strange manner of beasts inhibit this kingdom of yours," Mato said, looking down at the grimm.
"I'm just surprised there aren't any more showing up," Yang said. Not that she wanted any more to show up. But only a single pack of beowolves appearing when they were in such a state...it was weird.
"Well, I shall finish this before any more can arrive!"
Mato made good on his word in the next few moments, and as pieces of grimm dissolved into their black miasma, the large bug helped her lower Weiss and the Hollow Knight off of Bardoon.
"We need to get to Beacon," Yang said as her feet touched the ground. She was holding Weiss in her arms, and Grimm's child had decided to curl up on Weiss. Something that Yang was sure she wouldn't mind. By her feet, the mini-Knight stared up at her for a moment before looking forward again.
"Beacon?" Mato asked, the Hollow Knight slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"That light, in the distance," Yang pointed to the horizon, where the light of Beacon;s towers could be seen past the trees that covered the cliffs, "If we follow this path we'll get there in no time. Though..." she trailed off, glancing at Bardoon.
"Ohrm...I recognize that worry. I assume that the architecture of your kingdom is not built for those of my bulk."
"No," Yang admitted, "Us humans don't really grow that big."
"Indeed? Hrrm, most curious."
"What will you do, Master Bardoon?" Mato asked.
"Ohhrm..." Bardoon hummed in thought, shaking the ground beneath their feet, "I shall stay here, I think. The view, hrrm, is not bad. And the wind...it is pleasant, ohrr..."
"You sure you'll be fine, big guy?" Yang asked.
"I think I shall be quite alright, ohrhrhr."
"Just a heads up," Yang began, "you'll probably get a meeting with the headmaster in the morning."
"I do not mind meeting such a being, ohrrm."
Bardoon watched the ragtag group make their way down the path, towards the smudge of light in the distance. Slowly his gaze turned towards the sky, and the countless lights within it. Like distant lumiflies, only stationary.
'I wonder...What is this morning that Yang Xiao Long spoke about?'
Remember…
"Miss Belladonna."
Blake Belladonna was once more in an empty classroom, being interrogated. Rather than Headmaster Ozpin however, it had been Atlasian Soldiers. And now? Their general. Blake felt a pang of relief at seeing Professor Goodwitch follow behind General Ironwood. She'd rather not have been alone with the head of Atlas's military.
'Though,' she noted as General Ironwood and Professor Goodwitch took their seats in front of her, 'If you didn't know any better you'd think that Professor Goodwitch was the 'Bad Cop' here.'
Professor Goodwitch had a tremendous scowl on her face, at odds with the beautiful violet dress she was wearing. General Ironwood, who had apparently come to the dance in uniform, was wearing a genial smile. A smile that Blake could see the edges of, but one that didn't entirely look false.
"Is Ruby alright?" she began before either of them could ask her anything. Both to throw of the rhythm of the interrogation and because she was genuinely worried. The intruder they had found in the tower had been far, far more than either of them were expecting.
The general hesitated, and the professor was the one to answer.
"Miss Rose is unharmed, and has given us her full statement."
"And you want me to give my account."
"You must understand, Miss Belladonna, that we need to get to the bottom of this. A violent intruder, during the Vytal Ball..." General Ironwood began gravely.
"I understand," Blake took a moment to collect her thoughts, "The intruder's watched one too many movies. She was wearing a cat suit, with full cleavage."
The general blinked at her, but she can see Professor Goodwitch's mouth twitch upwards by the barest minutia.
"The soldiers that caught a glimpse of her didn't remember much, but seemed to hold onto that detail well enough," Professor Goodwitch said, dry as a desert. The general glanced at her before turning back to Blake.
"Continue," he said, a bit impatient.
"She was fair skinned. Black hair, slightly past shoulder length," Blake paused, "Though she could have easily changed hairstyles by now," she added. The fact was that the intruder could've done any number of things to disguise herself and Blake could imagine quite a few of them.
"Miss Rose gave a similar description," the General noted something down in a notepad.
"...Her eyes were the colour of fire," here Professor Goodwitch's eyes narrowed, "And her clothes lit up with fire dust when she fought."
"You believe it was fire dust?" Ironwood asked sharply.
"I know it was fire dust," she just hoped that the General wouldn't ask why she was so certain about the particulars of dust.
"Do you have any guess as to what her Semblance was then?" the general asked.
"I think its was something to do with glass," and what a deadly Semblance that would be. Blake shuddered at the thought. "Though if that's the case then there are limits to her Semblance."
"What makes you say that?"
"Her weapons were made of black glass, and she shot shards of the stuff at us," Blake absently brushed her cheek, where a shard of glass had sliced across her aura, though thankfully not through, "But at no point did she use the monitors or the windows to attack us."
The general blinked.
"That is an...excellent, if slightly morbid, observation Miss Belladonna."
"Will that be all?" Blake asked.
"A few more questions. It is not my intent to keep you any longer that I need to," Ironwood steepled his fingers and looked at her. Blake resisted the urge to roll her eyes or look away.
"Are you positive the intruder wasn't anyone you recognized?"
"I didn't recognize them, and I'm not sure I could in a crowd. Ridiculous outfit aside, it did its job as a disguise."
"And is there any reason you left the ball?"
Blake blinked, not expecting the question. Under Iroonwood and Professor Goodwitch's stares, she began to ramble a bit.
"Ruby and I noticed that Yang and Weiss, our teammates, weren't at the ball so we went to search for them..."
"I see."
Blake's eyes narrowed.
"If you think that either of them are involved-" she began, some heat creeping up into her tone. She leaned back in surprise as Ironwood laughed.
"Peace, Miss Belladonna! I'm by no means accusing them. Neither of them particularly fit the profile, and the chances of either of them helping our intruder...Well, I haven't had the pleasure of meeting Miss Xiao Long, but I have met Miss Schnee and to this day I regret being unable to persuade her to enroll into Atlas's Academy," Ironwoods smile faded, "However, that doesn't mean that they weren't involved."
"What do you mean?" Blake asked, something akin to dread slowly creeping over her.
"You and Miss Rose showed the initiative of a true Hunter by investigating and trying to apprehend this, this villain. I have no doubt that Miss Xiao Long and Miss Schnee have similar initiative," Ironwood sighed, "What I am getting at is that it is possible that your teammates saw something suspicious, and went to investigate, and..." the general trailed off, which Blake did not approve of since her mind was already having no trouble concocting all sorts of issues that Yang, and especially Weiss, could have gotten themselves into even without Hallownest.
"That," Blake's mouth was dry, "is certainly a possibility."
Professor Goodwitch's scroll rang.
"This is Goodwtich," Blake and Ironwood watched as the professor's stern expression turned alarmed. Blake felt a pit opening in her stomach.
"It's them, isn't it?" she demanded as soon as Professor Goodwitch got of her call. She gave Blake a look before turning around.
"With me, Miss Belladonna," she barked.
Blake quickly followed after Professor Goodwitch, General Ironwood following the both of them.
'You both better be safe or, or-!' Blake fumed, fists clenched and stomach churning a bit. After today, she wasn't letting either of those two out of her sight again.
Remember…
Ozpin, not for the first time in his life, considered the pros and cons of leashes.
On one hand, they were undignified for everyone involved, lead to probing questions and stares, and were ultimately a hindrance to the values of freedom and creativity that Ozpin tried to nurture in his students.
On the other hand, Ozpin probably wouldn't have greyed as early as he had in life if he'd implemented them. The heart attacks that team STRQ alone had given him...
Ozpin stared at Yang Xiao Long. She stared back at him, equal parts sheepish, exhausted, and sympathetic. The office's couch, which had been catching dust in storage till Ozpin had finally pulled it out after the Nosk incident, was finally seeing some use in the form of one unconscious Weiss Schnee. The Hollow Knight, too tall for the couch in any case, had been leaned against it as best as they could manage. And sitting next to Weiss Schnee was what looked like a miniature Hollow Knight, staring at him with the same empty gaze.
All of them were injured, the Hollow Knight terribly so, and Ozpin could feel foreign magic, raw and powerful, swirling around Yang Xiao Long. So very different from the subtle magic that he had just began to notice around Weiss Schnee. The difference between a cup of green tea and a flask of whatever sludge Bartholemew drank every day.
And to top it all off, his old enemy had finally made her move.
Ozpin resisted the urge to walk into the woods and never come back. As alluring as the life of a hermit was right now, he knew it'd eventually lose its shine. It always did.
"Are you alright, Sir Headmaster?"
Ozpin turned his eyes towards the stranger. A massive bug in maroon armor, with a warm aura and a greatsword across his back, stared at him. Despite the expressionless mask, Ozpin could swear there was a hint of concern in Nailmaster Mato's gaze.
"It..." Ozpin swirled his mug of by now cold coffee-with-copious-chocolate-in-it, "has been a particularly long night."
"Sorry?" Yang Xiao Long offered.
"I appreciate the sentiment, Miss Xiao Long," the ghost of a smile threatened Ozpin's face, "But this time your team is only part of reason."
"Oh," Yang fidgeted. In her lap, the strange larva with the same volatile magic that now surrounded Yang mewled. Yang patted them, then noticed Ozpin's gaze.
"I can explain," she began.
The elevator to Ozpin's office opened, and rose petals fell over Ozpin as Ruby practically threw herself at Yang.
"Yang!"
"Ruby-!"
Yang almost fell out of her chair as the two sister's clung to each other. The hug, intense as it was, was also short lived as Ruby jerked back in surprise. In Yang's lap, the larva hissed till Yang soothed it.
"Uh..." Ruby began.
"I can explain," Yang repeated.
Blake Belladonna walked past Ozpin, eyes wide as she caught sight of Yang. They turned wider when she caught sight of Weiss. After a moment of hesitation Blake walked towards Weiss, only the take a step back as the smaller knight brandished their nail.
"Easy there little dude," Yang warned, "She's a friend."
"Weiss!" In a flash Ruby was next to Blake, kneeling down and putting a hand to Weiss's forehead. The small knight twitched but did nothing else, only staring at Ruby. Blake knelt down, looking over the Hollow Knight with a furrowed brows.
"What happened?" she breathed.
The Hollow Knight didn't respond and Yang sighed, sounding as exhausted Ozpin felt.
"What didn't happen, Blake?" Ozpin frowned at how dull Yang's eyes became in that moment.
Ozpin glanced away from the girls, giving them a moment of privacy. When he did so, it was to see Nailmaster Mato looking at him, purposefully ignoring the figures of Glynda and James who Ozpin knew were behind him.
"I do not pretend to have the authority to demand things of you, Sir Headmaster," Mato began in a low voice, leaning towards Ozpin, "But surely whatever business runs along now is not so urgent that you cannot give them some rest?"
Ozpin took a sip from his mug, as if thinking about it for a moment.
"Team RWBY," he began. Blake, Yang, and Ruby all turned their heads towards him. He swished his mug around a bit, thinking about how to best phrase his words. "Due to the nature of tonight's events, it would be better if you stay in one of the guest rooms, rather than your dorm."
"Sir?" Ruby asked, as Yang and Blake glanced at each other.
"That there was in intruder that broke into the CCT during the ball has not been made public information," Yang's eyes grew wide as he spoke, "And I'd rather that it not be made public for a while longer."
"We won't run our mouths sir," Ruby said.
Privately, Ozpin wondered if Team RWBY realized exactly how much of their "covert" operations weren't as covert as they hoped. He knew Ruby Rose was being honest, but the library wasn't exactly the sort of place to have secret conversations.
"I trust that you won't," Ozpin managed to dredge up a smile that quickly fell, "But I was more talking about our additional guests from Hallownest."
A look of understanding dawned on them as Ozpin spoke.
"While no one has yet made a fuss about the Hollow Knight, our guests might cause a stir. Do you understand?"
Ozpin received several nods. Then Yang raised her hand, sheepish, as if she were in class.
"Yes, Miss Xiao Long?"
"I, uh, might've forgotten to mention another guest..."
Remember…
"Oz, we need to talk."
Twigs cracked under James's boots as they walked towards the launch site in the Emerald Forest. The faint light of dawn tinted the sky, the air still holding a great deal of the night's chill. Ozpin welcomed it. Anything to keep him awake after the night they had.
"Feel free to talk," he said, taking a sip of Oobleck's extra-strength brew. Doctor Oobleck had wanted to join them, but Ozpin had dissuaded him, promising Bartholomew that he'd get to meet this Bardoon later.
"Are you sure its wise to meet this...creature without backup?"
"I am sure, James. It's not as if we had anyone guard Sir Mato," Mato had been wonderfully obliging to stay with Team RWBY, out of sight.
"That's because you told me not to-!" he heard James take several deep breaths.
"James, what sort of message would we be sending them, meeting them with soldiers?"
"That we aren't weak-" James began.
"That we don't trust," Ozpin sighed, "James, we can hardly broker peace if we prepare for war."
"It's by preparing for war that we can safeguard peace, Ozpin," James ground out.
"So far none of our otherworldly guests have caused trouble-"
"Listen to yourself Ozpin! One of your first year teams has been put in several deadly situations in a row! And you said yourself that the whole of Beacon is under some, some sort of spell!" James walked past Ozpin and planted himself in front of him, looming over Ozpin. Ozpin took another sip of coffee, grimacing at the taste.
"How can you just sit back and-"
"I can sit back, James, because I do not believe that our guests are to blame," Ozpin snapped. "Tell me, what did you see when you saw Mato?"
"Ozpin-"
"Tell me."
James massaged his temples.
"I saw a great big bug, speaking like a human," James's expression twisted, "But I didn't feel any fear. Or anything strange about the situation. Ozpin, just imagine what a spy could do under such a situation-"
"If I were a spy, James, I would have made it so that the spell made sure that no one could feel any hostility to me. So that I looked and was treated exactly as a human. But that's not what's happened here. You still have your wariness about you, you still recognize how strange Mato is if you think about it," Ozpin held James's gaze, "That's not exactly all that useful now, is it?"
"Its more than useful enough," James pointed out. Ozpin sighed.
"You truly don't believe that these bugs are responsible for this?" James asked, baffled and annoyed.
"I don't. I think there's a third party involved."
Immediately James's expression turned dark.
"You don't think-" he began in hushed tones.
"I don't believe its her," Ozpin said quietly, "Someone else."
"Who?"
"That's what I intend to find out," Ozpin walked past James, who allowed him to do so, "According to Miss Xiao Long, Bardoon seemed very knowledgeable of many things about his realm. In that case, it would be best to ask him questions, wouldn't you say? Finally get to the bottom of this?"
"That would be nice," James muttered, "...You can't ask me to trust them, Ozpin."
"I'm not asking you to trust them, James. I'm asking you to trust me."
"...Of course," James said.
They continued to walk, till they reached the launch pads.
Yang had not been exaggerating Bardoon's size. In fact, she had rather been underplaying it.
'We're going to have to replace all the launch pads,' was Ozpin's first thought. It was absolutely inane, when faced with the massive bulk of grey flesh that was Bardoon, but the sight of his launch pads, crushed into powder, was too strong.
The bulk that was Bardoon rumbled, and the front peeled away to reveal a face that was almost cartoonish in how simple it was. Two beady eyes and what might've been a mouth. The rumble became louder, settling into Ozpin's bones and resolving into a voice.
"Ohrmm..." Bardoon began, "One of you must be the Headmaster that the little one mentioned. How is she?"
"Miss Xiao Long is quite well," Ozpin began. Now that he was no longer under whatever spell had been placed on Beacon he could fully revel in the fact that he was speaking to a worm the size of a Bullhead. Very little in his long life had ever quite captured the same feeling. "She is currently recuperating at the Academy."
"A place of learning then, this Beacon? Ohhrm, such a strange name," Bardoon's words were not filled with any minutia of mockery. Rather, they were earnest. Curious. Ozpin could feel a weight on his shoulders begin to lift, ever so slightly.
"Beacon's name has a history of its own, one that would take time to explain."
"Hrrm. You small things. Always in such a hurry," Bardoon noted.
"I suppose your kind are more sedentary?" James began. Ozpin shot him a look.
"Ohrm. Haven't met another of my kind in ages. But to answer your question, to take things slow allows one to fully make sense of the world, hrmmm. No good to hurry from one place to the next, never contemplating..." Bardoon turned his gaze upwards for a moment, "Such a bright light, ohrmm...Disorienting, at first. What sort of Higher Being is it? I am most curious."
"You refer to the sun?"
"Sun, ohrmm? Most curious...Reminds me of the Old Light, ohrmm..."
"Bardoon, if I may call you so," Ozpin began.
"You may, ohrr."
"I have not just come to greet you as a guest to our humble academy."
Bardoon's beady eyes seemed to stare right through Ozpin.
"That look of yours," he rumbled, "So very old," Ozpin tensed as Bardoon made a ponderous sound, "So very curious. If it is knowledge you seek, I will answer your questions as best I can, Headmaster. Though I am most curious myself, ohrrm."
"Then how about a question for a question?" Ozpin asked, sitting down on the ground. James, soldier he was at heart, continued to stand at attention. Bardoon looked down at Ozpin, before making a low sound that Ozpin realized was soft laughter.
"Most generous, Headmaster. Since I have asked the first question, ohhrm, then you must ask a question in return."
Ozpin thought as he took a bracing sip of what was technically coffee. So many questions to ask, but which first?
"What do you know about magic?" he finally asked.
"Ohrm. A fickle thing, magic. All too often it has a life of its own, hrmm. Never was able to get a grasp on it. It was the Snails and the Moths who understood it the best, orhm. Though those of the Deepnest had a style of magic peculiar to them and their weavings. I believe I am to ask a question now, hrm?"
"That was our deal," Ozpin agreed.
"What is the name of your people?" Bardoon asked simply.
"Here there are two groups of people. Humans and Faunus. I happen to be human, as does General Ironwood," James nodded his head ever so slightly, "Miss Xiao Long, and Miss Schnee."
"Hrmm. No others then?"
"I have never met any of your kind before. Indeed, I had not known about Hallownest till a few days back."
"Ohhrr, most curious. I believe you have two questions to ask me."
"You spoke of "Higher Beings" earlier," Ozpin began carefully, "Miss Xiao Long had mentioned that she spoke to you about them before as well. May I ask who these Higher Beings are?"
"Ohrrmrm, they are the forces of reality themselves," Bardoon rumbled, "Powerful beings, well above you or I. Often it is a Higher Being's grace that allows a Kingdom to grow from the wastes and thrive. Hallownest grew from the machinations of the Wyrm and the Root. The Greenpath is the dream of Unn. And the Dream itself, ohrmm, is ruled by two. The Old Light and the Nightmare Heart."
Ozpin felt gooseflesh across his arms and knew it wasn't the chill in the air.
"You speak of them the way some would speak of gods," Ozpin said carefully.
"Ohrrr, gods they were Headmaster," Bardoon said bluntly, "The bugs of Hallownest worshiped their King and Queen as their creators, for in a way they were. Unn was worshiped by the Mosskin and pilgrims alike as well, ohhrm."
"What of the other two?" Ozpin could feel James's look, knew he was talking quicker than usual. "The Old Light and the Nightmare Heart?"
"Few outside the Dread Master's Troupe worship him," Bardoon rumbled, "As for the Old Light...Ohrrn, the Moths were the first tribe on the lands that became Hallownest. They were hers, and worshiped her. What treachery it must have been when the King...The Wyrm...usurped her."
"Let me see if I understand," Ozpin's grip on his mug had turned white knuckled, "This Old Light was the god of what came before Hallownest. And Hallownest's king, this Wyrm...Took her place?"
"Took her place and struck her from memory, ohrrr...The Wyrm nearly succeeded in pushing her into oblivion. But her presence survived, ohrr..." Bardoon's voice had taken a graver tone, "When the bugs of Hallownest discovered her, and remembered once more, her wrath shone on the Wyrm's Kingdom and brought it to ruin."
'But if your kind is unchanged, if you demand our blessings while still fighting amongst yourselves, then man will be found irredeemable and your world will be wiped from existence.'
Ozpin exhaled.
"That's quite the tale."
Ozpin took another breath.
"I believe it is your turn," he managed.
Bardoon was silent for a moment. And he knew that Bardoon could see through the facade Ozpin had put on. See through the calm into the turbulence beneath. Those eyes were ancient eyes. Ozpin was willing to bet that Bardoon might have been older than even he.
"Your name, ohrrm. What is it?"
Ozpin blinked at Bardoon. Bardoon stared back at him.
"Did..." Ozpin took a quick sip, "Did Miss Xiao Long not mentioned my name?"
"Orhm. I am afraid she did not," Bardoon continued to stare patiently.
"I see...I am Headmaster Ozpin, of Beacon Academy. As I said before, my friend here is General Ironwood, of Atlas."
"I happen to be Headmaster of Atlas's Academy as well," James said.
"Ohrhm. Atlas. A different kingdom then?"
"Yes. We are currently in the Kingdom of Vale."
"How curious, ohrm. Kingdoms working together. A strange if welcome sight."
"Did the Kingdom of Hallownest not work with others?" Ozpin asked, curious as to how that could be possible.
"All too often the wastes that lie beyond a kingdom's borders are too insurmountable. Hrm, for most, journeying beyond the kingdom is journeying into oblivion."
"I see..." Ozpin wondered what these wastes might be, to be so deadly. Even the wilds beyond the kingdom, filled with the Creatures of Grimm as they were, were not in of themselves lethal.
"You have another question to ask, Headmaster Ozpin."
Ozpin mulled over his next question.
"You said that the Kingdom of Hallownest was brought to ruin by this Old Light," Ozpin began, "Till now, I had thought the Kingdom still stood. Is the Kingdom of Hallownest truly no more?"
"The Kingdom of Hallownest, ohrr, is naught but ruin now," Bardoon's tone sent the hairs on the back of Ozpin's neck standing up, "Now, ohrr, it only exists in Dream."
Remember…
The Hollow Knight woke up with a start.
Slowly it became aware of a throbbing ache that filled its chest, and a burning pain in its legs. Looking down, it saw bandages stained blue crossing its entire torso. A very familiar shade of blue. Lifeblood.
Small hands closed over its claws as it prepared to tear the bandages off. The Knight looked up into solemn silvery eyes, and Ruby Rose shook her head.
"Trust me," she said, "You don't want to do that. You were...really, really, injured."
The Knight stared at Ruby Rose for a moment before nodding and letting its hand fall to the side. Content that if Ruby Rose was in her sleeping garments the immediate surroundings must be safe, the Knight looked around the room.
It was much like the room that Team Ruby called theirs, though it lacked any furnishings to indicate a personal touch. The biggest difference was that there were only two beds, neither stacked on the other. In one bed, Yang Xiao Long quietly snored, limbs sprawled out every direction and generally checked out of the world. The Knight didn't begrudge her the rest. The two of them had fought fang and nail against the Soul Sanctum's twisted tyrant, and his loyal cronies. Yang Xiao Long deserved rest after all of that.
Leaning against Yang Xiao Long's bed was one Blake Belladonna, also in her sleepwear and her ears unbound. She was holding a book in her hands, turning the pages with one hand and petting Grimm's Child with her other. The Troupe Master's spawn was curled up on her lap, making sounds of content. The sight was so puzzling that the Knight couldn't help but tilt their head.
Ruby Rose giggled, and Blake Belladonna looked up from her book. Without uttering a sound, she glanced down at Grimm's Child before looking back at the Knight.
"They like me," she said with a shrug. Marking her page with a short black ribbon, Blake Belladonna stared at it.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
The Knight considered the question.
It had fought both the Soul Sanctum's greatest minds and the Gendered Child, back to back with hardly time to recuperate in between. Though compared to its sister, the Sanctum's master had been nothing. Its sister had truly become vicious in the intervening time. Not vicious enough, it thought with a twinge of pride, to beat it however.
Its leg twinged and the carapace under its bandages itched, but these were ultimately trifling injuries. The Knight nodded at Blake Belladonna.
"Hmm," was all she said.
"So..." Ruby Rose began. The Knight turned towards the smaller human and she twiddled her fingers for a moment before blurting out, "I'm sorry about your dress!"
The Knight looked down. The dress it had worn to the ball had been turned into nothing but shreds, and what little was whole had been stained by both its ichor, ash, and lifeblood. The dress was unsalvageable, the Knight knew from just a glance. It was to be expected. Even the Knight's armor, crafted by the greatest of Hallownest's smiths, hadn't lasted. Even knowing this, the Knight felt a twinge of...disappointment. Team Coffee's leader had spent a lot of time on the dress, and to see her work so ruined was disheartening.
"W-We can always go out and get a new one!" Ruby Rose began quickly, "N-Not one to replace it or anything, but, er, like if you wanted some new clothes we could totally go into Vale and get some!" Ruby Rose began to smile here, even while still speaking, "Make it a little day out, have a nice time-!"
The Knight appreciated the sentiment. However, it would not due to waste too much on it. Before Ruby Rose could continue, the Knight shook their head.
"A-Are you sure?" Ruby Rose asked, blinking.
The Knight nodded. To its surprise, Ruby Rose seemed sad about this, slouching and looking away.
"O-Okay..."
The Knight had not intended this reaction. Quickly it turned to Blake Belladonna. She stared at the Knight, expressionless save for the raising of a single eyebrow. The Knight looked away from her as soon as it became apparent that Blake Belladonna would not come to its aid. Furiously, the Knight thought of something – anything to draw forth Ruby Rose's usual cheer.
The Knight reached out and, with care, plopped its hand onto Ruby Rose's head. Then it slowly began to tousle it, mimicking the many times it had seen Yang Xiao Long do the same.
It immediately retracted its arm upon seeing the utterly poleaxed look on Ruby Rose's face. From the direction of Blake Belladonna, it heard a sound of the valiant, if useless effort, of trying not to laugh.
Quickly the Knight turned its gaze away from the two humans. It's eyes fell on the Lady Weiss Schnee.
The Lady seemed unharmed and tended to. It was difficult to tell, given the large amount of blankets she'd been swaddled in and the sheer volume of pillows surrounding her.
"We raided some of the other guest rooms," was Blake Belladonna's response when the Knight glanced away from the sight.
"I'm sure the professors wont mind," Ruby Rose said, combing her hair with her fingers.
The Knight turned its head back towards the Lady Weiss Schnee. Sitting next to the pillow being used to prop the Lady's head was the failed vessel. As if sensing its kin's gaze, the failed vessel turned away from the Lady Weiss to stare at the Knight.
The two stared at each other for a long moment, which was interrupted by Blake Belladonna clearing her throat.
"You know each other?" she asked.
The Knight considered the question before shaking its head. At the same time, the failed vessel nodded.
Blake Belladonna frowned and narrowed her eyes. Before she could ask another question, Ruby Rose spoke up.
"They've been watching over Weiss the whole time. And I'm glad someone's been keeping y'all safe, but I've been trying to tell them to relax for a while now and its not working, so I was wondering if you, y'know..." Ruby Rose jerked her head towards the failed vessel's direction, a slight smile on her face.
The Knight looked away from her to stare at the vessel. The vessel stared back. The Knight tilted its head towards Ruby Rose.
The failed vessel considered the silent question for all of a moment before it turned its gaze away from them to resume its vigil.
"More than just a family resemblance then," Blake Belladonna drawled as Ruby Rose frowned. The smaller girl sighed, hugging her legs close to her body.
"I'm just...I'm just worried," she said softly.
The Knight and Blake Belladonna glanced at each other. The Knight looked around, before waving a hand in Ruby Rose's direction.
"Huh?" she asked, looking up at it.
The Knight mimed the act of writing something down. Ruby Rose blinked at it for a moment before her eyes lit up with realization.
"O-Oh, wait right here!"
In a flash of petals she was gone. Not even a second later she had returned, shoving a notepad and pen into the Knight's hand.
"Sorry about that, with everything that happened last night I completely forgot, not that that's an excuse but-"
Ruby Rose stopped as the notepad was shoved back into her hands. The Knight watched as the younger girl read its words, and then read them again.
'They are strong. Soon they will wake up, fine and happy to see you once more.'
Slowly a genuine smile stretched out across her face, and the human gently gave the notepad back.
"Thank you," Ruby Rose murmered.
Ignoring Blake Belladonna's stare, the Knight nodded. Ruby Rose's smile grew, and she stood up straight and squished her cheeks. The Knight would never quite get used to how...squishable humans were.
"Right! No more mopey Molly! It's Team Leader time! Who wants breakfast!?"
Ruby Rose did not wait for an answer, and was gone in a flash of flower petals.
The Knight stared at the door, marveling for a moment the young human's speed, before it noticed the smile Blake Belladonna was sending its way.
"Thank you," she said, "She's been worried all night."
The Knight tilted their head, and Blake Belladonna chuckled. The faunus's gaze turned towards the Lady Weiss Schnee, and turned pensive. The Knight followed her gaze. The Lady's once peaceful expression was now marred by a frown.
"I wonder what she's dreaming about," Blake Belladonna murmured.
The Knight wondered the same.
Remember...Light…
Ancient Enemy…
I Will Not Be Forgotten
We're back.
I was stuck on this chapter for the longest time before I finally split this and what will become the next chapter into two parts. Once I did that it became much faster to write. Though it didn't help that I lost whole sections to a...glitch? Not sure.
After some time we finally return to Beacon and Remnant. And I feel sorta bad for Ozpin, having to deal with not only his own native bad guys but the Outside Context Problem that is Hallownest. At least he's finally figuring some things out.
Thank you all for reading! Tune in next time for: "The Dream".