(Author's Note)

Hey guys, it's me! This... was a lot faster to iron out than I thought it was going to be.

Feels weird that the .5s are gone, to be honest, but at the same time, it's decently liberating.

On an unrelated note, finally caught up with 01's movies and I don't think a Rider Movie will ever top Real×Time after the showing that gave.

God I love 01...

Right, a few words to note before we get started.

First, this chapter, portions of the next chapter, and the following chapters leading up to the end of Volume 2 of RWBY will be shifting to a 3rd person perspective. There's a reason for why, more an artistic reason, but it's one I hope isn't too off putting for all of you. I'll say this, once our main character has his head on straight again, that'll be when we finally start seeing things from his perspective again.

Second, I was debating on how to handle the trip to the future, and decided that the chapter after this will have the full events of Bryce's trip to 2068. Though don't worry, he'll bring up the summarized version of what happened in this chapter, so don't think I'm leaving you out to dry.

Now, with all that out of the way, onto the story!

"Bryce. Please understand that I don't want to force this on you." Ozpin began, looking over at the brown haired rider sitting in front of him in his office. "Truly. But you have clearly been through some harrowing experiences, and we need to know what happened. For your sake."

The teen let out a sigh as he rolled his neck. "Ozpin… I don't think-"

"Very well, I'll ask the questions and you can answer them if you wish." Ozpin said, clasping his hands together as he leaned forward. "Where did you end up after crossing the wall of energy?"

Bryce let out a sigh as he closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "...The Aurora Curtain brought me to the Year 2068." Bryce said, looking off to the side after a moment. "...I was in Vale… The world was a scorched wasteland… The walls surrounding the city had been… uh… eroded down, I think at least…"

"And what of the state of the populace?"

Bryce huffed through his nose as he looked back at Ozpin. "Surviving."

Ozpin leaned back in his chair. "Team RWBY were the ones to call in about you. Apparently you reappeared from a portal of black and gold clocks… And lest we not forget the new wardrobe you were wearing at the time of arrival. So… how did all that happen?"

The teen lowered his head and ran a hand through his hair, bits of dust and sand were sent flying through the air as Bryce shook his hand. "I had some… help… Resistance members took me in, thought I was someone who got displaced in time by a Time Distortion…"

"A resistance…? What were they resisting?" Ozpin asked.

Bryce closed his eyes and took in a deep breath before he looked back up at Ozpin. "...Me… Or at least… my future self. And now because they were resisting me… They're all dead…" He said, clenching his hands together until his knuckles began to pop. "Then he sent me home…"

Ozpin's eyes locked onto Bryce's before he let out a light breath. "Can I ask… how they died?"

Bryce didn't respond, he only turned his head to look at his feet as Ozpin nodded to himself. "Why were they resisting you?"

"...In the future… My supposed destiny is to become the most reviled demonic overlord of all time." Bryce begins, looking at the ground with a faraway look in his eyes. "The king of Time and Space… The one to inherit the power of all Kamen Riders… Ohma Zi-O..."

Bryce took in a long breath before he stood up. "I think I'm done here." He said, turning on his heel as he began to walk towards the elevator.

"Bryce." Ozpin said as the teen's index finger pressed the button next to the elevator doors. "...If you'll permit me… I'd like to ask one thing…"

Bryce remained silent, an act which Ozpin took as consent. "...What of the Grimm?"

Bryce remained silent as the elevator doors opened. He stepped inside, pressing the button for the ground floor as he looked at Ozpin. "...Gone. They're like the boogeyman in the future… Merely a warning of something that doesn't exist." He said as the elevator doors closed in front of him.

Ozpin leaned back in his chair, staring at the spot his student had stood in moments prior before a strange look of elation began to slowly form onto his face. "...If what he said is true…" Ozpin said, his features turned calm, though the light in his eyes remained. The dimming fire behind his irises roared to life as new fuel was added to the pile. "...Then Jinn was wrong."

"She can be stopped…"

"Are you okay?"

"Welcome to the year 2068."

"Uh… Sougo. My name's Sougo Tokiwa…"

"Sougo, you'll be paired with Tsukuyomi. She'll help you prepare for the ambush tomorrow."

"I was starting to forget what you looked like under that helmet."

"I see you all have no respect, even for the dead…"

"That's… That's him…?"

"DO NOT MOVE! WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED!"

"All I am surrounded by is fear… Fear, and dead men."

"Henshin."

{SHUKUFUKU NO TOKI!}

"Tsukuyomi! Get Down!"

"Do you really think I wouldn't find you…?"

"Get out of here, I'll hold him off! GO!"

"Hmph, very well… Kakatte Koi…"

"As you are right now… You will never defeat me."

"If you truly wish to change your future, there is only one option available for you-"

Bryce let out a shuddered gasp as the elevator dinged as the doors opened to the ground floor. He shook his head and walked out into the hallway, ignoring the shaking in his hands as he stuffed them in his pockets.

He walked down the hall, passing by Professor Goodwitch with nary a nod of acknowledgement. Eventually, the halls turned into stairs, then the familiar door lined walls of the dorm rooms. He approached the door to his room, the room number of 555 reflecting the light of the hallway into Bryce's eye as he stumbled to take out his scroll.

Before he could pass the scroll over the lock, the door to his left opened slowly, grabbing his attention. "Bryce?"

He turned his head to look over at Ruby, as she stepped out of Team RWBY's dorm. "Oh, hey Ruby." He said, waving lightly as he turned away from his dorm.

"You okay?" Ruby asked, tilting her head as she took a step towards him. "Back when you exited that weird portal…"

"Eh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine." Bryce said, his face morphing into a smile as he relaxed his shoulders. "Trust me, it's… Nothing important."

Ruby's eyes narrowed at the teen before she pulled him into Team RWBY's dorm by the arm, eliciting a quick yell from Bryce as she turned him around and pushed him into the center of the dorm, closing the door behind her as she looked back at Bryce. "Uh, Ruby? Why did you…?" Yang asked as she turned to look at Bryce as Weiss stood up from her desk. Blake was absent from the rest of them.

Bryce deadpanned, raising an eyebrow at Ruby. "Ruby, I'm serious, I'm fine."

"Yeah, and I'm a Kamen Rider." Ruby said, narrowing his eyes at him. "Bryce, your hand was shaking when you were trying to open your door."

"It's still shaking now, actually." Weiss noted, as Bryce looked down to the hand still holding the scroll.

"I'm cold, sue me." Bryce said, shaking his head as he put his hand back in his pocket.

"Bryce, we're worried about you. All of us are." Ruby said. "One moment you're gone, taken by this weird shimmery thingy-"

"Aurora Curtain."

"-And the next you come back out of a portal of clocks!" Ruby said, glaring at the teen.

"Which, is kinda your thing, but the rest of what you were wearing and your reactions… just weren't." Yang said, walking up next to Ruby. "Seriously man, you looked dead when you came out of that thing."

Bryce let out a heavy sigh. "Look, I don't… I'm…" He turned on his heel and moaned into his hands as he spun back around to face the three members of Team RWBY standing in the way of his exit. "Okay… Fine. I went to the future… 50 years from now."

"50 years from now?" Weiss asked, blinking as she looked at me. "Isn't that-?"

"Yeah." Bryce said, nodding as he turned around and let out a sigh. "Some… Some stuff happened that I don't want to think back on right now and… I just need some time to sort this out in my own head right now. All I'll say is that it got…"

There was a silence as Bryce stood facing away from the huntresses in training. His shoulders shuddered slightly before he took in a long breath that seemed to instantly stop his shaking. "It got bad." He finally said, turning around. "...And a lot of things happened that haven't… fully sunk in yet…"

Bryce shook his head as he walked towards the three. "Look, I'll talk about this more when… when I feel like I actually can. Until then…"

"Right…" Yang said, walking past Bryce as she pat his shoulder. "Whenever you're ready, Bryce."

"If that's all then." Weiss said, turning to look at her partner. "Remember, we have that assignment for Professor Oobleck that's due in a few days."

"And you're telling us this in advance… why?" Yang asked as she started getting the game console they had near the window turned on.

"So we don't have some people leaving it to the last minute." Weiss said, giving a pointed look at Yang as she passed by Bryce.

"I wasn't even the target of that, and I still feel called out…" Bryce muttered to himself.

Ruby let out a sigh as she looked at Bryce. "Whenever you feel comfortable." She said, smiling. "We are teammates after all."

Bryce exhaled through his nose sharply as the edges of his mouth moved up slightly. "Right… I'll see you guys in class tomorrow."

Ruby watched as her friend left their dorm. Her lips formed into a frown as she watched the door close behind him. "I'm worried."

"There's a lot of that going around, huh?" Yang said, looking over at the empty bed of her partner.

"It's you… You're the reason that-"

"Fight me seriously!"

"I… I need to go get some air…"

"I'm sorry… I'm… I'm so sorry…!"

"This is what you wanted right? Well, here you go then. Do it."

"Wait, Bryce! Where are you going!?"

"Come on, where's that 'I get the feeling I can do this' attitude Zi-O's supposed to be known for?"

"No… No, you can't stop here. You can't just… Listen to me, you need to get stronger or else there's no hope of-"

"Get away from him!"

"No… I won't let things end like this… Consider this... drastic measures."

"Gah…! Ugh… Get… Back…! No… AGH!"

"I'll crush you to dust!"

"I failed… or I guess I succeeded. At least, future me did…"

"I couldn't do… Anything… If I was a few seconds faster, or something, anything, I could've…"

"Oh, someone left that here. She asked that I give that to you when I see you."

"Who… who are you?"

"I've finally found you… Your Majesty…"

Bryce's eyes shot open as he surged forward, his hand outstretched as his mouth was frozen open in a silent scream. Sweat poured down his forehead as he sat in his dorm bed. The morning light was only now silently creeping into the room, illuminating the surroundings.

"What… What was that?" He asked, looking down at his hands. "That felt… real… too real… I don't…"

"Agh… What's with all the noise this early…?" Momotaros asked, pushing himself off the bed he was sleeping in. He turned to look at Bryce. "Oi, you alright there kid?"

"I… Yeah… Yeah, I'm good…" Bryce said, looking down at his hand in confusion before he stood up.

"If you say so." Momotaros said, shrugging as he fell back onto the bed. "Wake me when we're heading out."

"...Right." Bryce said, standing in the center of the room for a moment before he walked over to the bathroom. "...Three days later and I'm still…"

To call what was transpiring in the arena at that moment a 'Complete and Utter Domination', would be an accurate statement as Pyrrha expertly wove through and dismantled the entirety of Team CRDL. Combat classes had progressed as usual over the three days since the highway incident, though to say the same for the participants of said class… would be a bit of a lie.

Bryce's eyes stared down at the floor, unfocused as if he was trying to look past the stone. Woz sat next to him, casting idle glances over at the teen every few minutes in concern. There was a loud bang from the arena, courtesy of Pyrrha slamming Cardin into the ground, that seemed to snap the Rider out of his internal monologue. He quickly placed a hand against his chest as the rise and fall of his shoulders increased in speed as his breath quickened.

Woz turned and placed a hand on his leader's shoulder, causing the teen to freeze in place as his rapid breathing slowed down. "My lord…?" Woz asked, looking over at Bryce.

Bryce slowly turned his head to look towards Woz, staring into his eyes for a moment before they suddenly began to widen in apparent recognition. "It's you… You're the reason that-"

"And that's the match."

The conversation that had started between the two was cut short as Goodwitch walked back onto the arena floor, followed closely by Banjou. Cardin let out a grunt as he rubbed his ribs. "Lucky shot…" He got out before quickly rolling onto his side.

"Well done, Miss Nikos. You should have no problem qualifying for the tournament." Goodwitch said, smiling at Pyrrha.

Pyrrha nodded, taking a deep breath. "Thank you, professor."

Glynda looked down, tapping at the scroll in her arm. "Alright, now I know that's a tough act to follow, but we have time for one or two more sparring matches." She noted, before looking around at the gallery of students before her. After a moment, her eyes landed on Bryce, who was looking down at the ground once more. "Any volunteers? Mr. Bridged?" Bryce's eyes widened as his head snapped up to look at her. "You've been rather... docile, for the past few classes. Why don't-"

"Yeah, yeah sure." Bryce said, cutting her off as he quickly stood up, shaking his head lightly as Glynda nodded.

"Excellent, let's find you an opponent then." Glynda said, looking down at her scroll once more.

"...Yeah, actually, I got a request." Bryce said, before placing a hand on Woz's shoulder. "Meet me down in the ring? K, thanks."

Woz blinked, standing up to look at the retreating form of his charge as Bryce walked down into the arena. "Mr. Woz, I suppose that you… are alright with this?" Glynda asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes." Woz said, turning to nod as Ruby looked over at where Bryce had walked off to.

"What was that about?" Ruby asked herself as Woz walked over to her.

"I wouldn't have the faintest idea… Though, he has been distant with me over the past few days…" Woz noted idly as he jumped over the railing into the arena.

"Wait, so he doesn't know that…" Yang began, before she paused and looked over at her sister, who shrugged as they looked back to see Bryce walk into the arena. "Anyone else got a bad feeling about this? Or just me?"

"Not just you." Parado said, leaning back as he looked down at the arena. "I don't think I've ever seen him this out of it."

"Right, you two know the rules." Banjou said, stepping up next to Professor Goodwitch as she began setting up the battle on screen. "Fight ends when either your Aura goes red, or Bryce's transformation deactivates. Are you two ready?"

"I am." Woz said, as Bryce slowly placed his driver against his waist.

[ZIKU DRIVER!]

"...Deki teru yo…" Bryce muttered to himself as he pulled the Zi-O Ride Watch off the holder and activated it.

{ZI-O!}

"...My lord…" Woz began as Bryce slotted the Ride Watch into the driver. "...What are you hoping to accomplish here?"

Bryce stared down Woz with a strange calm before his fist slammed down onto the top of the driver, pressing down on the release button as he grabbed the left slot with his right hand.

"...Henshin."

[RIDER TIME!]

{KAMEN RIDER! ZI-O!}

There was a silence as the two stared at each other, Bryce's hands balling into fists as he glared Woz down behind the visor of his suit. Woz let out a sigh as he looked down at the advent calendar held in his arm before he looked back at Bryce. "Very well…"

"Begin!"

Woz ducked to the side, avoiding the sudden and fast projectile that was Bryce as the Rider's fist careened through where Woz was standing a moment ago. His foot slammed onto the ground, using the momentum of his attack to swing his body to face the prophet as he threw another punch at Woz.

"Woah…" Ruby blinked, looking at Bryce as he practically chased after Woz, the latter only ducking and dodging out of the way.

"Is it just me, or is he… overly aggressive?" Weiss asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I mean, he does look a bit like Yang at the moment." Parado noted idly as he watched the fight.

"...I'm waiting for a no offence…" Yang said, looking over at the Bugster.

"You're whole gimmick is getting angry to deal more damage, I'm just stating a fact…" Parado said, looking over at Yang with a shrug before his eyes snapped back to the arena. "Still, at least it suits your playstyle… He's practically button mashing right now."

Woz narrowed his eyes as Bryce took another swing at him, barely avoiding the strike as his fist brushed against the scarf wrapped around the prophet's neck. "Fight me seriously!" Bryce shouted, charging at Woz before he jumped and pulled his legs up before extending them out as they slammed against Woz's chest, sending the Prophet stumbling back as the Rider hit the ground.

"Did… did he just dropkick Woz?" Yang asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ha! Knew that move was always practical!" Momotaros said, crossing his arms as he leaned forwards.

"I wouldn't go that far…" Weiss said, rolling her eyes.

"I would." Yang agreed, slamming her fist into her palm.

"Guys…" Ruby said, looking over at her teammates before she looked back at the arena.

Bryce flipped up to a stand as Woz warily looked over his Team Leader. "I don't suppose I did something to anger you, My lord?"

"...We… are well past anger right now." Bryce said, running at Woz once more.

Woz narrowed his eyes before he widened his stance and grabbed onto his scarf and threw it forward, the cloth suddenly stretching as it flew towards Bryce. The rider jumped to the side, avoiding the first attack before rolling away from the next attack. He breathed heavily through his nose as he held his hand to the side as his sword materialized in his hand.

[ZIKAN GIRADE!]

[KEN!]

Bryce swiped to the side, cutting apart the oncoming attack as he broke into a sprint towards Woz, slamming his fist down on the Time Charge button on his weapon as he ducked to the side to avoid another attack.

[TIME CHARGE!]

Bryce let out a grunt as he swung to the side, cutting a bit more off Woz's apparently endless scarf as he charged ahead.

[5...4...3...2...1…]

Woz narrowed his eyes as his attacks flew harmlessly over Bryce as the teen sliced, ducked and weaved through the thin layer of defence Woz was putting up at the moment. Woz narrowed his eyes, before squeezing down on his scarf. The large cloth like material swirled around and compressed around Bryce, before the Rider quickly cleaved through it, until he was mere inches away from Woz.

[ZERO TIME!]

Bryce let out a roar as he flipped his sword around so he held it backhanded as he pulled the trigger and swung at Woz's neck.

[GIRI! GIRI! GIRI!]

Woz ducked back, the blade inching towards his neck before he flung his arm out, sending the blade flying off out of the bounds of the arena as Bryce's now empty fist flew right next to Woz's head. "Eh…?" Bryce blinked behind his visor before he felt something hard slam into his stomach as Woz's fist pushed the Rider away from him. Bryce stumbled back, clutching his stomach for a moment before he looked up to see Woz jump and spin kick him in the face, sending him flying backwards, rolling to a stop on the arena floor.

The teen pulled himself up to a stand, breathing heavily as Woz took a step forward. "My lord… are we done here?"

Bryce's fist clenched together as he slowly began running at Woz, his fists flying wildly without purpose as Woz sighed and let the attacks connect, barely taking a dent out of his massive aura pool. Bryce grit his teeth behind his helmet and sweeped Woz's legs, sending the prophet toppling to the ground as Bryce kneeled down and gripped him by the scarf.

"...You're the reason… You're the reason they're all dead…" Bryce muttered angrily at Woz, the words barely reaching the Prophet's ears as his eyes widened. The Rider's fist rose up behind him before he brought it down on the man's face with a roar, before quickly bringing his arm up and repeating the process, again, and again, and again, before finally Woz launched the teen off his with a quick thrust of his palm.

Bryce bounced off the ground and rolled to a stop, slowly attempting to pull himself up to a stand as Woz dusted himself off. "It was a fixed point, my lord. Nothing you could have done… would have been able to change that." Woz said, as Bryce shakily stood up, before his transformation finally deactivated, leaving the teen toppling to the ground with a grunt.

"And that's the match." Glynda noted, walking onto the arena again, giving a passive look at Bryce as the teen pulled himself to a stand. "Woz. Excellent as always."

Woz nodded before blinking as Bryce slowly walked past him.

"Mr. Bridged…?" Glynda asked as the rider took a few deep breaths in.

"I… I need to go get some air…" He said, slowly walking off the arena floor before his pace broke into a sprint as he ran out of the room.

"Huh?" Ruby blinked as she stood up, watching as Bryce ran out of the room. "Uh, I'll be right back guys."

"Hm?" Yang blinked, looking over at her sister to see her running over towards the door Bryce had run out of moments prior. "And there she goes too…"

"Should… we be worried?" Weiss asked, looking over at Yang.

"I dunno." Yang shrugged, before looking over at Blake. "What do you think?"

"Hm?" Blake blinked, looking up from her book as she quickly closed it, light bags under her eyes as she looked at Yang. "Sorry… what was that you were asking?"

"...It's… Nevermind, it's fine." Yang said, looking over at Woz as he walked back into the seating area. Off to the side, Sougo stood up and quickly made his way out of the arena, making sure to be as discreet as possible as he silently followed after Ruby and Bryce.

Ruby let out a huff as she looked around the empty hallway. "Where did he go?" She asked herself, crossing her arms as she walked forwards. She had lost track of him rather quickly, surprising for someone with the semblance of speed. She groaned as she whipped her head from side to side looking down a hallway split, before turning around to walk back the way she came.

Though this time there was a body between her and the path she had taken. Ruby blinked as she stumbled into a man in a grey suit. She quickly jumped back, looking up at the man as he smiled. "Ah, sorry!"

"It's fine." He said, shrugging as he looked down at Ruby. "I don't think we've been introduced yet. I'm Gentaro Kisaragi, your student councilor."

"We have a student councilor?" Ruby asked, blinking after a moment. "Oh, wait! You would've have happened to see my friend would you? His name is Bryce and-"

"Oh, Bryce? Yeah, ran into him about 5 minutes ago. He seemed… out of it, but he said to hold onto this for him." Gentaro said, taking out the Fourze Ride Watch from his pocket.

"He…" Ruby blinked, looking at the Watch. "Do you know which way he was headed?"

"Ah, yeah, just down that hall. Towards the main courtyard. By the statue." Gentaro said, nodding as he stuffed the Watch back into his pocket. "When you see him next, could you let him know that I need to see him regarding his first session?"

"Session?"

"Ah… I'm not really supposed to say… Confidentiality… But Ozpin's assigned me Bryce's therapist for the time being. Said I was more qualified due to certain reasons."

"Therapist?" Ruby's eyes widened as she looked down the hallway. "Right, well this was a good talk but I gotta go look for him now. I'll let him know you were looking for him!"

"Thanks!" Gentaro said, waving as Ruby ran down the hall. "...She seems nice."

"...You… would not believe the deja vu I've been having today." Bryce noted, idly sitting down on a nearby bench, his green eyes starring hollowly at the statue in the center of the courtyard. His eyes flicked over to the left, locking onto Sougo, walking over to him. "Isn't class still in session? Why are you here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Sougo said, standing around 10 feet away from the rider. "You seemed pretty heated out there."

"I'm surprised you care… All things considered." Bryce said, standing up as he looked at the statue. "After all… After everything that's happened… I'm surprised you haven't just attacked me outright…"

"Geiz." Bryce said, turning his head to look at the other student.

Geiz's eyes widened as he took a step back, before they narrowed as he looked at Bryce. "So… This was when you showed up."

"Ah…" Bryce nodded, turning his body to face Geiz, the Ziku Driver held loosely in his right hand. "So… I take it you came to Beacon to take me out? Good plan, plenty of space to sneak in from."

Geiz's eyes slowly looked over at the Driver in Bryce's hands. "So… What now… Zi-O?"

Bryce looked down at the driver in his hand before ripping his head to the side as he sucked a breath in through his teeth. "...I'm the reason they're all dead." He finally said after a moment, looking up at Geiz, tears threatening to leak out as he clenched his hand around his driver. "It doesn't matter if it hasn't happened yet… I become the thing that does it… They're dead because of me."

Geiz's eyes narrowed warily as Bryce shakily raised the driver up next to his head. "I'm sorry… I'm… I'm so sorry!" He said, slapping his driver against his waist.

[ZIKU DRIVER!]

"I can't take back what I've done… So come at me. Here and now." Bryce said, pulling the Zi-O Ride Watch off the holder. "You want to kill me? Stop Ohma Zi-O from ever happening? Then do it!"

{ZI-O!}

Bryce let out a grunt as he slapped the Ride Watch into the side of his driver and slammed his fist onto the release button, the holographic clock forming behind him as Geiz took a step back in surprise. "...Ikuzo… Geiz!"

Geiz narrowed his eyes, pulling his driver out from behind his back. "...I'm taking you down… Ohma Zi-O!" Geiz shouted, placing his Ziku Driver against his waist.

[ZIKU DRIVER!]

Geiz pulled out his Ride Watch, twisting the dial as he pressed down on the activation button with his index finger.

{GEIZ!}

Bryce let out a breath as Geiz slotted his Ride Watch onto his driver, before he slowly raised his hands out in front of them. His hands shook silently before he clenched his hands together and brought them out in front of him in an X as he pulled them back to his sides with a roar of anguish. A tear ran down his face as he let out a shout, slamming his hands onto either slot of his driver, knocking the device into a full rotation, activating his transformation.

Geiz slammed his fist onto the top of his driver before thrusting his hands out. He turned his arms around and gripped either side of the driver with the opposite hand before throwing his arms to the side, spinning his driver around.

[RIDER TIME!]

"Henshin!" Geiz shouted, staring down his opponent.

{KAMEN RIDER! ZI-O!}

{KAMEN RIDER~ GEIZ!}

The two riders stood opposite the other as two sets of japanese symbols clashed before them, before flying towards the visor of their respective rider. Geiz slowly raised his hand, summoning his axe into his hand with the flick of his wrist.

[ZIKAN ZAX!]

[OH NO!]

Bryce let out a shaky breath as he threw his right arm to the side, summoning the Zikan Girade into his hand with nary a word.

[ZIKAN GIRADE!]

[KEN!]

There was a tense silence as the two stared the other down, before the sound of a bell going off from the academy sent the two off, their weapons poised to strike.

"Courtyard, he's in the courtyard!" Ruby said, running down the hallway as the bell rang. She quickly slid to a stop as the rest of Team RWBY walked out in front of her. "WOAH!"

"There you are!" Weiss said, looking at Ruby.

"Did you find him?" Yang asked, tilting her head to the side.

"He should be in the courtyard, if what Mr. Kisaragi said is true." Ruby said. "And… Nevermind, that's not important right now. Come on!"

Yang and Weiss followed after Ruby, leaving Blake behind for a few moments before the Faunus ran after the rest of her team. "Why are we even running after him right now?" Weiss asked.

"He wasn't acting right." Ruby said, looking over at Weiss. "Remember the fight?"

"He did look distracted once it ended." Weiss said, slowing to a stop as the rest of the team followed suit. "But I really don't think we should be this worried about-"

The rest of Weiss' words were cut out as a loud bang erupted from outside, echoing down the hallway. Weiss blinked. "Okay, point taken."

Ruby narrowed her eyes as she ran ahead, her body swirling in rose petals as she activated her semblance. "Ruby, wait!" Yang shouted, raising a hand up before she shook her head. "Come on, let's move!"

The bladed edges of both weapons smashed into each other, sending sparks flying as the two fought for control. Geiz narrowed his eyes behind his helmet before he thrust his axe to the side, knocking Bryce off balance as he quickly swung three times across the other Rider's chest.

Bryce stumbled back, his armour sparking as he righted himself. He pulled back on his sword and switched it to its gun form as he threw his arm out in front of him and started firing wildly at Geiz.

[ZYU!]

Geiz rolled to the side, dodging one of the wild bursts of energy as he flipped out the bow side of his weapon.

[YOU! ME!]

The red rider pulled back on his weapon as energy formed in front of him. He let go and sent it flying, blowing past the projectiles shot at him by Bryce. The teen narrowed his eyes and rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the blast as he looked up to see Geiz running at him. Bryce grit his teeth and brought his weapon up to block, stopping the downward swing from Geiz's bow.

[FINISH TIME!]

Bryce's eyes widened behind his helmet as Geiz slotted the Gemn Ride Watch into the Zikan Zax. Purple energy slowly began to form in front of Geiz's bow before Bryce threw his weapon to the side, knocking the opposing Rider off balance as he swung his now bare fists at Geiz.

Geiz ducked to the side, avoiding the first hit as he jumped back, barely avoiding the second attack as he pulled back on his weapon and fired the blast at Bryce.

{GEMN!}

[GIWA! GIWA! SHOOT!]

Bryce's eyes widened as he brought his arms up in front of him to block, taking the attack head on as the blast sent him flying backwards, knocking him out of his transformation as he rolled to a stop on his back. His driver fell off his waist, rolling to a stop next to him, the Zi-O Ride Watch still slotted in place.

Geiz slowly walked towards the downed Zi-O, before he crouched down and picked the teen up by the collar of his shirt. Geiz narrowed his eyes behind his visor and brought the ZIkan Zax up to Bryce's neck in it's axe form. There was a tense silence as Geiz held the blade up against the teen's neck before Bryce spoke up.

"Well? What… What are you waiting for…?" He asked, his eyelids cracking open as he looked at Geiz. "This is what you wanted right? Well, here you go then. Do it."

Geiz pressed the blade ever closer towards the teen's neck before pausing. "...Why are you doing this?"

"...Because I can't… I can't let myself become him…" Bryce said, staring into the reflective surface of Geiz's helmet. "It's my fault they're all dead… I can't… I won't… I don't want to be that… I couldn't save Tsukuyomi… Even when she was right there…! And I killed her too… And I had the gaul to stand in front of her grave like I was sorry…!? I die… and they never do… That simple... So do it."

Geiz slowly pulled back his weapon, taking a moment to look down at the red eyed face of the man that had caused the destruction of the world he knew, before he reared his arm back to strike.

"Stop!"

The dual doors leading outside flew open as Ruby surged outwards, slowly coming to a halt as she watched Geiz pick up the untransformed Bryce and pull his weapon up to the teen's neck. Ruby took a step forward before stopping as Bryce's words traveled the empty courtyard. "Well? What… What are you waiting for…?" Ruby blinked, watching as Bryce stared down Geiz. "This is what you wanted right? Well, here you go then. Do it."

"What…?" Ruby's eyes widened as she took a step back.

"...Why are you doing this?"

"...Because I can't… I can't let myself become him…" Bryce said. "It's my fault they're all dead… I can't… I won't… I don't want to be that… I couldn't save Tsukuyomi… Even when she was right there…! And I killed her too… And I had the gaul to stand in front of her grave like I was sorry…!? I die… and they never do… That simple... So do it."

Ruby's eyes widened as Geiz slowly brought the axe away from the teen before raising it up to strike. "Stop!" She shouted, running into the open as the two riders turned to look at her as she pulled out Crescent Rose. "Get away from him, now!"

Geiz lowered his weapon and took a step back, dropping Bryce to the concrete floor as he stared at Ruby through his visor. "No…"

Ruby blinked, looking over at Bryce as he stared almost petrified at her. He shakily pulled himself to a stand and took a step back. "No… I…!" He grit his teeth and turned around, pushing off the ground into a dead sprint away from the two remaining in the courtyard.

"Wait, Bryce! Where are you going!?" Ruby asked, turning to run after him until her foot impacted something lying on the ground. "Hm?" Ruby looked down, her eyes widening as she picked up the discarded Ziku Driver lying there, before she quickly spun around and turned to glare at Geiz. "You… what did you do!?"

"...Would you believe me if I said he provoked me this time?" Geiz said, turning around as he pulled the Ride Watch off his belt and pressed the activation button down three times.

[TIME MAZINE!]

Ruby stepped back as the large mech flew in front of Geiz. "...You might wanna run after him." Geiz noted, stepping into the cockpit after a moment, leaving Ruby alone as the Rider from the future flew off.

"Ruby!"

The huntress turned her head to the side, watching as the rest of her team finally caught up with her. "Was that-?"

"Yeah, but that's not important right now." Ruby said, looking down at the driver in her hands. "Come on, he went this way!"

"Bullhead departing for Vale. I repeat, Bullhead departing for Vale."

Bryce let out a sigh as the pilot's voice echoed through the bullhead. He gave a passing glass out the back of the airship as it closed, catching a glimpse of Team RWBY just before it closed. He leaned back, rubbing a hand over his face. "...What am I doing…? This isn't like me…"

"...Well, same goes for everything future me did, so I guess there's a lot of that going around." Bryce muttered to himself after a moment, leaning forward as he glared at the ground. "...What do I do…? I can't… Trying to have Geiz finish things… wasn't the way to do it. And yet I still went with it…?"

"...I need to clear my head… I'm not thinking straight."

"Well, if it isn't the big man himself? So, what do I owe the pleasure?" Sougo asked, looking over at Swartz as the Time Jacker walked over to the masked man.

"Explanations, for one. I've been more than lenient as of late and I believe now is as good a time as any to ask why you've been going off kilter as you have." Swartz said, crossing his arms as Sougo turned back to overlook the landing platforms in Vale, watching as a bullhead slowly began it's docking procedures.

"Define… going off kilter?" Sougo said with a shrug. "Are we talking about how I don't go to your meetings anymore, or the fact that I've also been interfering with Hora and Uhr's Another Riders? You know, like the choosing of Ryotaro to be Den-O, or how I told Eiji how to activate the Tajador Watch to regain some of his powers?"

"Both."

"Ah, yeah… See, that's the part where I go, 'But I'm still doing my job, aren't I?' or something, right?" Sougo said, turning to look back at Swartz.

Swartz narrowed his eyes and held a hand up, pausing time for everyone except the two of them. "...Tsukasa Kadoya. I don't believe I recall telling you to inquire about his services."

"Ah… So that's what this is about."

"The destroyer of worlds is a wild card, no matter what side you look at it." Swartz noted as Sougo stood up to face him. "You brought him into the fold much more quickly than I'd have liked."

"Decade was already involved to begin with. I found this out and took measure to make sure that he wasn't going to be a problem." Sougo said, pointing at the ground as he leaned towards Swartz.

"Ah, but that's just it." Swartz said, titling his head up. "You made sure he wasn't a problem? But was that for us... or for you?"

Sougo sighed and shook his head. "Swartz." Sougo began. "Everything I do, right at this moment, is all to see Ohma Zi-O fall. I do not have any intention of interfering with your plan of strengthening Zi-O."

"Hm." Swartz reached into his pocket and pulled out an Another Watch. "In that case, you'll be in charge of this one. I'm sure you'll find someone interesting to test it with."

Sougo took the watch out of Swartz's hand, looking down at the image of Another Faiz displayed on the top. "Yeah… I'll get on that then."

"One other thing." Swartz said as Sougo turned around to walk away. "Zi-O has returned from 2068."

"So?" Sougo asked, turning around to look at Swartz. "He just destroyed his driver or something, right? Trying to escape the future or whatever?"

"No, but considering he almost let Geiz kill him, I believe it best you try and… negotiate with him." Swartz said, turning around.

"I'm sorry, he what!?" Sougo blinked, taking a step towards Swartz. "And here I thought he'd be smart and understand just how pointless his actions are, no, instead he's going off the deep end!?"

"Which is why I believe you would be best suited to push him back on track." Swartz said, looking over his shoulder at Sougo. "After all, you understand him better than anyone. Isn't that right, faker?"

Sougo's hands clenched as Swartz disappeared off the rooftop. "...God I want to rider kick his teeth in…" Sougo muttered, walking over to the edge of the balcony as time resumed. He blinked, watching as a second bullhead began to dock down next to the first. His eyes widened as he watched Bryce walk out of the first, before he suddenly broke into a sprint into the streets of Vale as Team RWBY ran out of the second bullhead looking around the area wildly. "That… Looks promising… Might as well make my visit now then."

"Of course they followed me, why wouldn't they?" Bryce muttered, leaning against the alley wall as he caught his breath. "Any other day, great, but not now…"

"Well, you're certainly handling this well."

Bryce's eyes widened as he looked up to see Sougo perched on the edge of the rooftop above him. He stumbled backwards as the TIme Jacker dropped down in front of him, rising from his crouched position as he waved a two finger salute at the Rider. "Yo! Long time no see. How was vale? I hear it's strangely terrible in 2068."

"I don't have time to deal with you Sougo." Bryce said, glaring at the masked man.

"Oh, is that right? Well uh…" Sougo looked to the side before he snapped his fingers, time freezing around the pair as the Time Jacker looked back at Bryce. "How about now?"

"...What do you want?"

"Ouch, loaded question… Uh, let's see… Well first, I figure I'll ask something simple, like uh… What the fuck is wrong with you?" Sougo asked, glaring at Bryce behind his mask. "Seriously, I get it, I had a similar reaction to when I first saw Ohma Zi-O, but like, at least I decided to do something about it instead of wallowing in despair! Seriously, be glad you're not a gate, or you'd have already given birth to a phantom. Come on, where's that 'I get the feeling I can do this' attitude Zi-O's supposed to be known for?"

"What do you want!?" Bryce shouted, throwing his arms to the side. "To boast? To kick me while I'm down? I'm sorry, I guess, for being an evil king in the future, it wasn't my INTENT, so I'd prefer it if you Time Jackers weren't being such pieces of shit about it."

"...Where's your driver?" Sougo asked, tilting his head. "I'd expect you to have slapped it on and try and punch me by now but… you're just standing there."

"...I don't have it… Thinking I might keep it that way." Bryce said, smiling ever so slightly. "I can't… I can't be, Zi-O… Not when that future is what's awaiting everyone if I do continue."

Sougo paused, righting himself as he resumed Time. "Zi-O, do you even hear yourself? I thought you wanted to be a Kamen Rider, isn't that why you stuck around at Beacon? Why you tried to live up to the example of your predecessors?"

Bryce narrowed his eyes. "I can stop this… All of it. If I'm not Zi-O, Ohma never exists- Isn't that what you Time Jackers want!?"

"...It seems you're forgetting what you are." Sougo said, walking up to the teen and pressing his index finger into his shirt, before jabbing at him three times to emphasis his next words. "Think, Bryce! Think! Ohma Zi-O isn't just gonna stop existing if you decide right now to never be Zi-O, that's not how he works- No, that's not how YOU work! Singularity points are a thing, and you ARE one!"

Bryce's eyes widened as he stumbled back. "...S-shut up… I can't… I have no… Right after what I've done!"

"You haven't done anything!"

"YET!" Bryce shouted. "My future… this path… is Ohma… I go down it, everyone I know, everyone I care about and love? They DIE…! I can't… I can't be him. I won't."

"No… No, you can't stop here. You can't just… Listen to me, you need to get stronger or else there's no hope of-"

Sougo was cut short as a loud bang erupted from behind Bryce, as the right side of his mask lit up as a small explosion suddenly went off. Bryce's eyes widened as he turned around to see Ruby aiming Crescent Rose at Sougo, armed in it's rifle mode with the rest of Team RWBY standing next to her, weapons drawn.

"Get away from him!" Ruby shouted, smoke trailing off the barrel of her weapon.

"Guys…?" Bryce blinked, taking a step back away from them.

"Bryce, get back! We'll take care of him." Ruby said, racking another round into the chamber of her gun.

"No, no you won't." Sougo said, holding out a hand as time froze for everyone but Bryce and Sougo. "Hindsight… And a lack of Foresight… Wish I had that power…"

"Sougo…" Bryce said, turning to glare at the Time Jacker, before blinking as he watched Sougo stand up, a hand covering the right side of the mask that was over his eye.

"No, I'm done trying to explain things to someone who doesn't want to pull their own head out of their ass." Sougo said, lowering his hand away from his mask to reveal the lone green eye staring back at Bryce. "I'm not letting things end like this… Consider this... drastic measures."

Bryce took a step back, raising his arms before his body was frozen in time like the others. Sougo sighed, pulling the Faiz Ride Watch out of his pocket as he walked towards Bryce. "Well… Swartz did say to find someone interesting to shove this into… Always wondered how this would go. Now's a good a time as any I guess."

{FAIZ!}

Sougo thrust his hand forward, burying the Another Watch inside Bryce as Purple energy began to surge off the Rider's body. "And with that… I'll be going… I need to fix my mask." Sougo smirked, jumping up onto the rooftop as he looked down. "Enjoy yourselves ladies, you might have your hands full." He said, walking away as time resumed.

Ruby blinked, stumbling forwards as she stared at the empty space Sougo had been standing in moments before. "Eh? Where did-"

"Ack…!"

"Crap, Bryce!" Yang shouted, running over next to the teen. "Hey, you alright."

"Gah…! Ugh… Get… Back…! No… AGH!" Bryce let out a roar as violet energy began to crackle over his skin, before it suddenly burst outwards.

"Woah!" Yang yelped, jumping back next to Blake.

"Oh no, isn't that?" Weiss asked, watching as the orb of energy exploded open, revealing the skeletal figure that Bryce had become.

{FAIZ!}

"Bryce!" Ruby shouted, lowering her weapon as Another Faiz turned it's head to look at the four huntresses.

"That's not good." Blake noted, shaking her head after a moment as she stumbled lightly. "What do we do, Ruby?"

"Hey, Bryce, it's us!" Yang shouted, walking over to Another Faiz.

The Another Rider's head tilted to the side, before it crouched down slightly and flicked it's wrist. As if some unspoken command had been said, Another Faiz surged forwards, slamming into Yang as he broke through the wall next to him, using Yang as a makeshift battering ram as the two barreled into the clothing store.

"Ow! What was that for!?" Yang asked, her eyes flashing red as she thrust her arms to the side, loading her gauntlets as Another Faiz rolled it's neck.

"M-monster!" Yang blinked, before moving to the side as the customers that were a moment prior just minding their own business were now running for the exit.

"Okay, guys?" Yang called out, before a gunshot rang out as Another Faiz lurched forwards. His head turned slowly to face the opening he had made in the shop and found Ruby holding up Crescent Rose.

"Weiss, Blake, now!" She shouted, as the two ran past her. Weiss dipped to the right as she stabbed her rapier into the floor, sending out a wave of ice that locked the Another Rider to the floor by his feet. Blake brought up Gamble Shroud and threw it at Another Faiz, wrapping it's ribbon around it's right arm in an attempt to restrain it.

"Got him!" Blake shouted.

"Yeah, but we don't have a way to take him down!" Weiss said, the cylinder of her rapier spinning as she switched her dust around.

"We can't break the Watch, but we can get him to deactivate his transformation!" Ruby said, transforming her weapon into it's scythe configuration. "Yang!"

"On it!" Yang shouted, running ahead as she fired off round after round into the Another Rider's back. She smirked, ducking to the side away from the one free arm Another Faiz still had at his disposal. "Wow, where did you learn to hit things?"

"Didn't you teach him, Yang?"

"Not now, Rubes!" Yang shouted, ducking back from another attempt at grabbing her.

Another Faiz let out a grunt before her turned and grabbed onto the ribbon holding his right arm back, before pulling it and swinging his arm to the side. Blake's eyes widened as her grip on her weapon held true as she was suddenly flung into the air towards Weiss, colliding with the heiress as the two were swung into the glass window at the entrance to the store and stumbled out, Blake's weapon lying next to her.

"That's not good." Yang noted, turning to look at Weiss and Blake before she turned just in time for Another Faiz's fist to slam into her stomach, sending her flying out next to her teammates. "Oh… Hey guys! Fancy seeing you here!"

"Bryce, calm down!" Ruby began, running towards Another Faiz. "It's-WOAH!"

Another Faiz, grabbed onto Ruby's arm and threw her outside, though the huntress quickly flipped in the air and landed on her feet. "Okay, reasoning isn't working."

"Oh, you think?" Yang asked as the Another Rider pulled it's feet out of the ice. "And he's out… great."

"Oi, what are you four doing?"

The huntresses of Team RWBY all turned their head to the side, watching as a man in a black suit walked up next to them.

"Well-" Yang began, only to be cut off as Another Faiz walked out of the store window, turning to look at the five of them. "Trying to deal with him."

The man huffed, before he pulled out a blue pistol-like gun out and fired upon the Another Rider. Sparks flew out as Another Faiz stumbled back, glaring at the man. "I'd recommend getting out of here then. Leave this to the professionals."

"I'm sorry, who are you exactly? We're huntresses in training-" Weiss began, standing up with the rest of her team before the man pulled out a silver phone-like device and held it towards them, displaying a holographic Identification card on the front.

"Isamu Fuwa. Captain of A.I.M.S." He said, putting the phone away as he slotted the gun onto a holder on the front of his belt.

[SHOTRISER!]

His eyes narrowed as he reached back and pulled out a blue Progrise Key depicting a wolf on the front. He gripped the key with his right hand and roared, forcing the key open as Another Faiz paused and watched. "Now, stand back!"

{BULLET!}

Fuwa let out a grunt as he swung his arm down, slotting the key into the Shotriser as it lit up.

{Authorise!}

[KAMEN RIDER! KAMEN RIDER!]

Ruby's eyes widened as Fuwa pulled the Shotriser off his belt and thrust it into the air, slowly bringing it down level up Another Faiz. Fuwa's eyes narrowed as the Another Rider suddenly charged at him.

[KAMEN RIDER! KAMEN RIDER!]

Fuwa let out a grunt as he pulled the trigger, firing out a large metal bullet towards Another Faiz.

[SHOTRISE!]

The Another Rider ducked and rolled to the side, avoiding the projectile before it suddenly turned around and flew at Fuwa. The bullet began to split open, transforming ever so slightly as it closed in on the A.I.M.S. captain.

"Look out!" Ruby shouted, before Fuwa smirked.

"Henshin!" Fuwa shouted, rearing his fist back before throwing it forward as his fist smashed through the bullet. As his fist collided and blew past the projectile, his arm suddenly lit up in a holographic projection, soon followed by the rest of his body as white and blue armour plating began to form around his person.

{SHOOTING WOLF!}

Fuwa pulled his arm back beside him as a white and blue helmet formed around his face, the eyes on the visor forming out of tiny hexagons before steam began shooting out of his chestpiece.

{The Elevation Increases As The Bullet Is Fired}

"What…" Yang muttered to herself as the new Rider stepped forward.

The Rider rolled his neck, before giving a passing glance at the four girls. "Kamen Rider Vulcan." He said, before looking back at Another Faiz. "I'll crush you to dust!"

(Play Kamen Rider Vulcan & Valkyrie (01 OST) - Go Sakabe)

Vulcan gripped the Shotriser with both of his hands, pulling down on the trigger with a snap as the gun fired. Another Faiz took a step towards the group before he was sent stumbling back as the bullet crashed against him. "You four, if you're so insistent on helping, get these civilians out of here!"

Ruby gave another look towards Another Faiz as the Another Rider charged once more at Vulcan. "Guys, clear the area out. Weiss, help with clearing debris, I get the feeling this might be-"

Vulcan's eyes widened behind his helmet as Another Faiz charged into a dead sprint towards him, tanking the shots from his weapon before leaping forward, punching Vulcan's helmet with enough force to send him flying towards a nearby wall, sending pieces of the wall toppling over Vulcan.

"...That." Ruby said after a moment, motioning to the sight before her team. The four shared a look before splitting off, helping get people out of the way of the current fight.

The rubble Vulcan was trapped under shook, before the rider emerged his suit a bit dusty, but otherwise unharmed. "Alright, my turn." He said, resting the underside of the Shotriser against his left hand before he slammed his right hand over the activation button on the Progrise Key slotted within.

{BULLET!}

Another Faiz righted itself up to a stand, watching as energy began forming on the barrel of the Shotriser. Vulcan moved his foot back for leverage as he gripped the weapon in his hands.

"You're scrap!" Vulcan roared, pulling down on the trigger as a blast of energy shot out of the barrel. The energy split into four small wolf head that surged towards Another Faiz, who attempted to duck to the side to avoid the oncoming projectiles, only for them to course correct and grab onto it's limbs, blasting him back into a wall where they held the another Rider down.

[シ]

[ュ]

[ー]

[テ]

[ィ]

[ン]

[グ]

[ブ]

[ラ]

[ー]

[ス]

[ト]

Vulcan brought his arms up above his head, another surge of energy forming as he lowered the weapon at Another Faiz. He pulled the trigger once more and fired, sending out a large ball of blue energy that surged forwards and slammed into Another Faiz.

{BULLET! SHOOTING!} [BLAST!]

The energy exploded outwards, covering the area with smoke and rubble as Vulcan slowly lowered his arms as the rest of Team RWBY ran back over.

"He's… fine, right?" Ruby asked her teammates idly as Vulcan stalked towards the destroyed building Another Faiz had been held to, before the rider was suddenly flung back towards the group.

Vulcan rolled to a stop in front of Ruby, pushing up to a stand with a growl as Another Faiz emerged from the rubble, a fist held out in front of him that he slowly pulled back. "That thing just won't go down…!" Vulcan muttered, standing up as a strange pink energy began to form around the Another Rider. "What the-!?"

Another Faiz let out a roar, the energy forming around him narrowing down into a strange mangled wrist watch like device on his left arm. A moment later the red lines across the Another Rider's body turned a stark silver, as the ribcage like chestplate flipped out, the yellow eyes shifting to blood red crimson as it took a step forward.

"Uh… they don't… normally do that, right?" Yang asked, leaning over towards Ruby.

"Nope." Ruby responded as Vulcan pulled the Shooting Wolf key out of his Shotriser. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Getting bigger firepower." Vulcan said, placing the Progrise Key onto the left holder on his waist before taking out a grey key instead. He let out a roar as he pried the key open with one hand before he pushed down on the activation button.

{POWER!}

Vulcan slapped the key into his Shotriser, quickly pulling the device in front of him and firing at the Another Rider.

{Authorise!}

[KAMEN RIDER! KAMEN-]

[SHOTRISE!]

The bullet fired off, barely missing the another Rider as it tilted it's head to the side before it swung around and flew towards Vulcan, who brought their left arm to the right before backhanding the bullet, the armour encasing him swapping out for the gorilla inspired look as steam released off his suit.

{PUNCHING KONG!}

{Enough Power To Annihilate A Mountain}

Vulcan slotted the Shotriser onto the slot on his belt and brought up his armoured fists in front of him. Another Faiz flicked it's right wrist outwards to his side, before he raised his left arm up in front of him. He clenched his right hand, before slamming it over a red button on the wristwatch.

{̴̬̠̃̐S̵̗̀̒ẗ̸̻͛ą̷̠́r̶̺͑t̸̤͓̚.̸͕̆̑.̸̠̅.̵̥̗̽ ̴̩̓U̸͙͍͐p̴̛̫͠!̴̩̇}̴̱͍̊̍

Ruby blinked, before she suddenly felt something slam into her stomach, sending her flying back a few feet alongside the rest of her teammates. She rolled to a stop before looking up as 3 red cones of energy formed around Vulcan, before a blur of a silhouette passed through each, sending sparks along Vulcan's form as the Rider fell to his knees.

A few moments later, the blur slowed to a stop, revealing Another Faiz as energy sparked across its body, returning him to his normal form, the watch disappearing off its wrist.

{̶͔̱͓͐̐̕T̵͕͈̼̂ï̸̱m̵͉̞̑̋̒ȇ̴̞̝ͅ.̴̲͔̋͆.̶̩̟̔.̵͕́́ ̸̡̪̊̉͘Ô̵̢̫͎̾͛ṷ̵̱͠ț̷̛͔͝!̴̫̾̓͒}̸̯͗̿

Vulcan slowly pulled back up to a stand once again, his body shaking as he breathed heavily. Another Faiz slowly turned to face the Rider as Vulcan slammed his oversized gorilla fist onto the activation button of the Punching Kong key.

{POWER!}

Vulcan pulled the trigger, leaving the gun on the belt as he brought his arms up and slammed them into the ground, sending the concrete underneath him and Another Faiz rippling, tripping the Another Rider up as Vulcan brought his arms to his side and prepared to fire them off.

[パ]

[ン]

[チ]

[ン]

[グ]

[ブ]

[ラ]

[ー]

[ス]

[ト]

[フ]

[ィ]

[ー]

[バ]

[ー]

Vulcan roared, thrusting his arms forwards as the two giant fists on his arms flew off, launching towards the Another Rider that was suddenly thrust into the air by the rippling ground. The first slammed into the Another Rider, before bursting through it, creating an explosion.

{POWER! PUNCHING!} [BLAST! FEVER!]

Ruby pulled herself to a stand just in time to make out the form of Another Faiz disintegrating, leaving Bryce falling out of the smoke. Her eyes narrowed after a moment as her semblance activated, turning her into a red blur that surged past Vulcan and grabbed the falling teen, speeding past and away from the fight.

"What the-!?" Vulcan shouted, looking around the now empty street, minus the rest of Team RWBY minus their leader. The rider sighed, pulling the key out of his driver, deactivating his transformation as he turned to look at the huntresses in training. "...Wasn't there four of you earlier."

"Well…" Weiss began looking at the others.

"She's probably still helping with the evac you asked us to do." Blake quickly filled in.

"Ah…" Fuwa sighed, before nodding at the three. "Well, thanks for the help. He figured Vale would've been a break from fighting monsters, but I should've figured there wouldn't be a break from Metsubojinrai…"

"Metsu-what now?" Yang asked with a raised eyebrow.

Fuwa didn't answer the look the blonde was giving him as he walked past them, placing his hands in his pocket.

"...So, does anyone know where Ruby would've ACTUALLY gone?" Weiss asked, looking over at Yang.

"Well, clearly in that direction, but from there…? Nope." Yang said, walking in the direction her sister had run off in. "Come on, we're burning daylight!"

Weiss followed quickly behind, while Blake lagged for a moment as she quickly yawned, something that went unnoticed by her teammates.

"Bryce… Hey, Bryce…"

"Ugh… What…?" Bryce fluttered his eyes open to see Ruby staring down at him. "Ruby?"

"Oh good, so that didn't actually hurt as much as it looked." Ruby said, nodding to herself as Bryce slowly rose to sit upright on the park bench Ruby had laid him on.

"What… what happ-" Bryce paused, before he looked down at himself solemnly. "Oh… Right."

"...Bryce." Ruby began, moving to sit next to him on the bench as the two stared at the nearby park that kids were running over. "...What happened? In the future?"

Bryce lowered his head to look at his hands, as he rubbed his palms as if to clean them of dust that was no longer coating his hands. "Ruby, I-"

"No." Ruby said, placing a hand on his shoulder as the teen turned to face his friend. "Bryce, this isn't working. You're not working… That came out wrong, but my point stands! You're not doing better, and nothing is going to change until you talk about it. At least tell me, because I can't help otherwise!"

Bryce smiled lightly, but it was one of those smiles that wasn't really happy, but more sad and forlorn. "I failed… or I guess I succeeded. At least, future me did…"

Ruby kept her hand on his shoulder as Bryce closed his eyes. "When I arrived in 2068, or at least… what 50 years in the future will be. Our years don't really line up so I guess that's another thing I changed when I became him…" Bryce sighed. "Sorry, when I arrived it was… a wasteland. The earth was… scorched, the walls around Vale had been eroded, like the kind of erosion you'd expect from an ancient monument from like, a gazillion years ago or whatever… People were alive but… Compared to now, it was like something out of a post nuclear apocalypse… They were surviving but… Heh, I lost count of how many of those cylindrical barrels or whatever were lining the streets with fired burning inside…"

"...Suddenly, this… thing showed up." Bryce said. "It was yellow, I think, with this spear or something and it had started attacking some of the people there. I intervened, but then it's attention was on me. I didn't get the chance to take the Ziku Driver out before someone swooped in and destroyed the… robot? Think it was a robot…"

Bryce pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment before taking in a breath. "Sorry…"

"It's fine." Ruby said, nodding. "Who saved you?"

"...Her name was Tsukuyomi…" Bryce said, clenching his hands.

Past tense, Ruby noted. Bryce let out a sigh. "She… helped me up and brought me to the resistance encampment. Though along the way we ran into a few more of those robot things before… before he showed up."

"He?" Ruby began. "Your… future self?"

"No… Geiz." Bryce said, barely noting the fact Ruby's hand had gripped his shoulder a bit tighter. "He took them out in seconds. He looked at me and… Nothing, no recognition, no… malice just… he helped the two of us back. That's when… When I met up with Woz."

"Woz? Woz was there?" Ruby asked. "I thought he was on your side."

"He's on Ohma Zi-O's side." Bryce said, closing his eyes. "He was there acting as a spy, I think. Ohma Zi-O was ready for us when we arrived so I can only assume as such… I was paired with Tsukuyomi for the fight ahead that was set to occur in two days, and so… I learned from her. I couldn't risk using my driver, since I had no idea how they would've reacted to… Zi-O showing up from the past, so… I lied, and went by Sougo Tokiwa while I was there… Ironic, using the name of the actual Zi-O I know to pretend to not be him…"

"We…" Bryce began, before stopping as his breathing spiked for a moment.

"Hey," Ruby began, grabbing his left hand with her other hand that wasn't already busy trying to comfort him. "It's alright."

"...We arrived at the… Statue… of… me and all the past riders, the one commemorating my first transformation, though the face of it was… gone, no discerning features on it. And just in front of it…" Bryce paused before taking a breath in. "Was a single gravestone, surrounded by a bed of black roses… and before it was him… Myself, I guess…"

"...There was… no chance. We had no chance..." Bryce said, staring off into space. "Nothing we threw at him worked, the bullets would just drop or disintegrate before they even connected, the Time Mazines were tossed aside like garbage… And he wasn't even trying that whole time…"

Bryce let out a shaky breath. "Then… Then he just… flicked his wrist, and everything froze. It was… almost suffocating… I felt… something strange inside me shake and then watched as… As he…" Bryce brought his hand out in front of him, before slowly clenching his hand into a fist and pulled it towards his chest in one fluid motion. "...Time unfroze, but I still saw the wave coming… It… people turned to dust before my eyes as it drew closer. I had… two seconds before it reached the trench Tsukuyomi and I were near… So I… grabbed her arm and threw her behind me into the trench… just as the wave hit me."

Bryce clenching his eye shut as his nails dug into his palms hard, not enough to draw blood, but to still feel thing sting on it. "...I opened my eyes, to see a field of dust, and Tsukuyomi was gone… I couldn't do… Anything… If I was a few seconds faster, or something, anything, I could've… " Bryce let out another shaky breath as his eyes moistened and a tear rolled down his face. "I… got my bearings, and saw Ohma Zi-O and… and Geiz standing opposite… Geiz wasn't going to win that fight… so I intervened, and finally transformed."

Bryce let his head fall backwards as he looked up at the sky. "...I bought time for Geiz to escape, but I guess that was what Ohma Zi-O wanted as he didn't bother to stop the escaping rider… We fought… or at least, I tried to… He wasn't even trying…"

"He… showed me… Uh, he…" Bryce blinked, turning to look at Ruby.

"What did he show you?" Ruby asked, tilting her head.

Bryce didn't answer. How could he?

It's not exactly easy to explain to someone that you saw their grave.

Bryce swallowed before turning to look ahead. "...He told… told me that if I didn't want to become him, if I didn't want that future to occur, then… then I should destroy the belt…" Bryce said, after a moment, avoiding the earlier question. "Then he… sent me back… and that's… where we picked up again…"

Bryce shrugged Ruby's hand off his as he leaned forward. "...I just… I don't know what to do… Every god damned time I think I've figured out the correct course, something just... has to make me question it…"

"...Why didn't you try to destroy the driver?" Ruby asked, taking the Ziku Driver out.

"...I thought I left that back at Beacon…"

"I grabbed it when you ran." Ruby said, shrugging.

"Well, I... I... Look, ever since I was… Young, I always wanted to be a hero… To… be the guy who had powers that could save people and do good… And when I found Kamen Rider during high school I just… I had new idols to really look up to, I was… a bit obsessed I guess." Bryce said, sighing. "...And then… I… got the Ride Watch and the Driver and I knew what was awaiting me from the start… But I just… I was happy, it was a dream come true I guess. To… be like the guys before, to save the world and… I guess I was just in denial from the start, huh?"

"The others… all have this… faith in me, or at least I think they would've…" I said, leaning back. "And I guess I thought that was reason enough to believe that I wouldn't become Ohma Zi-O… That faith of theirs... I don't think I deserve it if that's what's coming at the end of the line..."

Ruby stayed silent before finally motioning the driver in her hands over to Bryce. "Whatever happens, whatever the future might hold… We can change it. Together." She said, looking Bryce dead in the eye.

"...One day… Maybe I'll have to put that on again… But I can't, not right now…" Bryce said, lightly pushing the driver back over to Ruby.

The girl pouted slightly before she stood up. "Let's get off that topic for now. We still need to destroy the Another Watch inside you."

"Ah, yeah…" Bryce nodded, slowly standing up. "We… need to find Inui Takumi."

"That's… the Rider we're looking for?" Ruby asked, turning to look at Bryce.

"I… Think, I remember… hearing a bit while I was transformed, the announcement of Faiz at the start was pretty clear so I think I can confirm that…" Bryce said, crossing his arms. "The problem is… where the hell are we supposed to find him?"

Bryce paused before looking at Ruby. "Hey, can I borrow your scroll? I wanna look something up."

"A… Laundromat?" Ruby asked, looking up at the sign overlooking the store.

"Yeah… I looked up his name in the map search and laundromat and this came up." Bryce said, crossing his arms. "I just hope I'm right with this assumption, he wasn't as… invested in laundry at the start compared to later on…"

"Doesn't hurt to check, come on!" Ruby said, grabbing Bryce's arm as she dragged him inside.

"Okay… now what?" Bryce asked, looking over at Ruby before looking back at the washing and drying machines littering the area before them. "I wasn't really expecting it, but I was hoping for a front desk so we could ask about him first but…"

"Ah, excuse me?"

The two teens blinked before turning around, looking to see a man in a black jacket walk towards them. Bryce blinked, staring at the man's hair. "...No yeah, the hair length makes sense…" He muttered just audible enough for Ruby to hear.

"Hm?" Ruby blinked at Bryce before looking back at the man before them. "Uh… Can we help you?"

"Right, sorry, are you a Ms… Ruby Rose?" Asked the man, looking at Ruby.

"Ah, yeah, that's… that's me." Ruby said, glancing at Bryce who just shrugged. "How do you…?"

"I believe this is yours." He said, holding out a grey and silver Ride Watch in his hand.

"Eh, this is…!" Ruby said, taking the watch as Bryce blinked.

"Where did…?" Bryce asked.

"Oh, someone left that here. She asked that I give that to you when I see you." The man said, placing his hands in his pockets. "Right, sorry about taking your time. I'll see you two around."

Ruby and Bryce watched as the man walked away towards a basket of white laundry sitting next to a washing machine. "...Well, that's… not what I was excepting to happen when we met Takumi…" Bryce said, blinking as Ruby looked down at the watch in her hand.

"Well… Now what?" Ruby asked, looking at the Watch.

"...Let's head outside." Bryce said, looking around. "Probably best we talk there."

"Okay, so… right, what now… That was the, uh… question…" Bryce muttered, standing in the center of the street with Ruby. "...Shit, in hindsight, I didn't really think past getting the Ride Watch since normally once we've had it it's been easy enough to just… take care of things but since I'M the Another Rider this time…"

"We could ask Geiz for help." Ruby supplied, looking over at Bryce. Bryce sighed and looked to the side, an action Ruby narrowed her eyes at. "I'm not exactly thrilled by this either, you know, but who else do we have that's able to transform."

"Well, you two are certainly handling this well."

"And then there's this asshole…" Bryce said, turning around to look at Sougo as the masked man walked towards them.

"Did he get a new mask?" Ruby asked, looking at the undamaged Zi-O mask on his face.

"As a matter of fact, yes. Yes, I did." Sougo noted, crossing his arms.

"I'm not down to be playing any more games, Sougo…" Bryce said, clenching his fists.

"Why? I thought you wanted to be a Kamen Rider?" Sougo said, before his head rose up in recognition. "Oh, but that's right… You're scared of the future. Of going down 'That Path' and doing things you wouldn't do in your right mind now, yeah?"

"He just loves to talk, huh?" Bryce said, glancing at Ruby.

"Huh, pot, meet kettle much?" Sougo asked, placing his hands on his hips. "Now, the important question, where the hell did you get your hands on that Ride Watch?"

Ruby blinked, before holding up the Faiz Ride Watch in her right hand.

"Yes, that one. So, who went in advance? Who travelled back to give Takemi that watch?" Sougo asked, crossing his arms. "Ride Watches don't activate that quickly, as you both… or at least one of you knows. Speaking of, how much DOES she know about this stuff? Never really figured that out…"

"Look, are you here to pick a fight or not?" Bryce asked, narrowing his eyes at the Time Jacker.

"As a matter of fact, yes, yes I am." Sougo said. "Swartz has… Deemed your termination necessary, or at the very least, that you aren't a continued nuisance if you choose to ignore that belt of yours. So, I'm here to give a little… push, in the right direction."

"I think you've pushed enough, thank you very much." Ruby said, stepping forward.

"I'm glad I was smart enough to have my Aura up, or your attack earlier might've taken out my eye. Thanks for that by the way." Sougo noted, staring down the hooded huntress. "Shall we start with her? When you go Berserk, I mean."

Bryce grit his teeth and ran towards the Time Jacker, swinging his fist at Sougo only for it to fly overhead as the masked man ducked underneath the attack. "Ah, how thankful for you to come to me this time!" Sougo said, before he reached into Bryce's chest and pulled out the Faiz Another Watch.

"Gah-!" Bryce let out a gasp as he stumbled backwards, falling onto his knees.

"At the very least, be happy I took the liberty of getting all these people out of the way. That'd leave a bad taste in the mouth, I'm sure." Sougo said. Ruby blinked, before looking around at the empty streets.

"When did…?" Ruby asked before Sougo grabbed Bryce by the collar of his shirt and hoisted him into the air.

"And with that…" Sougo said, pressing down on the watch and thrusting it back into Bryce's body, sending ripples of purple energy rolling off the teen. "The ball's rolling."

"Bryce!" Ruby shouted, taking a step forward only to stop as Bryce held a hand out towards her.

"Get… Get back!" He shouted, before letting out a roar as his body shook and transformed into Another Faiz.

{FAIZ!}

"Oh, great…" Ruby muttered, watching as Another Faiz turned to face her.

"That feels like an appropriate reaction." Sougo said with a shrug, before his head tilted to the side slightly. "Wait a second, who's-"

Those words were the only thing Sougo got out before a red flash of light slammed into him, knocking him back as the Faiz logo briefly flashed over his chest. Ruby blinked, before turning around to see a woman in a white dress and a slightly tattered red hood walk towards her, holding out a strange gun that almost looked like a phone.

"Who… Who are you?" Ruby asked, before the woman fired another shot, this one slamming into Another Faiz who had taken the opportunity to try and attack unnoticed.

"You… That outfit…" Sougo muttered, standing up. "The hood's new though, not a terribly bad addition… Funny, I thought you were dead. Then again, I guess there's a lot of that going around for you… I'll leave these two to you then, Zi-O…"

Sougo leaned to the side, avoiding another shot from the girl's Faizphone X before he quickly vanished, leaving the three in the middle of the street. Another Faiz tried to stand up, but was quickly shot again by the girl, sending it tumbling onto the ground. Ruby slowly turned to look at the girl in white as she slowly approached her. "Who-?"

"I've finally found you… Your Majesty…"

Ruby blinked, watching as the woman kneeled before her. "Eh?"

"I meant to arrive earlier, but unfortunately… there were some complications." The woman said, before rising to a stand as she looked over at Another Faiz. "I'm afraid explanations will have to wait. You need to deal with this thing first."

"Um… okay, but… how exactly?" Ruby asked, looking over at Another Faiz as it slowly rose to a stand, it's body shaking slightly.

"The Ziku Driver you have." The woman said as Ruby pulled the belt out to look at it. "You should know how to use it."

"But…" Ruby looked down at the driver before looking back up at Another Faiz. "...I can save him like this… Right!"

[ZIKU DRIVER!]

Ruby let out a breath as she pulled out the Zi-O Ride Watch. The woman's eyes widened ever so slightly underneath the hood before Ruby twisted the dial with her thumb and pressed down on the activation Button.

{ZI-O!}

Ruby looked down at the belt and slotted the Zi-O Watch into the right slot on the driver. The front lit up as the holographic clock began to form behind her. The hooded woman stepped back, and nodded at Ruby. Ruby looked ahead at Another Faiz, who had stopped it's advance as it watched the huntress in training.

Ruby narrowed her eyes, placing both hands overtop the release button as she pushed down, unlocking the driver as she thrust both hands to either side in an X over the driver, before swinging them around in a circle before her hands gripped either side of the driver, her left hand on the right slot, and her right hand on the left slot.

Silver eyes narrowed as her red cape billowed behind her. "Bryce… I'll get you out of there… Henshin!"

She threw her arms out to the side, sending the driver spinning as red rose petals began to encircle around her.

[RIDER TIME!]

{KAMEN RIDER! ZI-O!}

Ruby lowered her arms to her side, the armour materializing as three watch bands encircled around her before finally three japanese characters were sent flying out, each slamming into the unmoving Another Faiz, knocking it onto it's back before flying back and slamming onto her helmet.

The huntress let out a low breath as she looked down at herself. "This is so cool…!" She muttered, looking over herself before the sound of someone walking up next to her grabbed her attention.

"Your majesty, I'd like to ask, but I feel it best I wait to do so." The woman said, looking over at Another Faiz. "For now, I believe you have something else to deal with."

"Right." Ruby said, taking a step forward before reaching behind her back for Crescent Rose. "...Wait," Ruby stopped, and patted the back of her waist. "Where's Crescent Rose!?"

"Your Majesty," Ruby paused and turned to look at the woman. "Transforming removes access to your normal weapons."

"No way…!" Ruby said, her shoulders sulking a tad before she ducked to the side as Another Faiz finally charged at her. "Oh, come on! Really!?"

"Your Majesty, use the Jikan Crescendo!"

"Eh?" Ruby blinked, tilting her head to the side before she rolled out of the way and looked at the hooded woman. "What's the Jikan Crescendo!?"

[JIKAN CRESCENDO~]

[BLOOM!]

Ruby blinked, looking down at the weapon that had suddenly formed in her hands. It looked like Crescent Rose, but was designed a bit differently, and it had a slot for a Ride Watch and a few other things Ruby was currently getting side tracked by. "Ooh, is that carbon-"

"Your Majesty!" The woman shouted, just in time for ruby to duck to the side and pull up the barrel of her rifle up to the Another Rider's Chest. Ruby pulled the trigger and fired a blast of energy that slammed into the Another Rider's chest, sending it tumbling backwards as she looked over her weapon.

"Oh, this is SO COOL!" Ruby said, practically hugging it before she shook her head. "Right, Right, gotta help Bryce."

Ruby shifted her grip on her weapon and pushed down on a button on it's side, before quickly spinning it around in a flourish as it transformed into it's Scythe mode.

[REAP!]

"Well, well, well… Time to watch the fireworks, I guess." Sougo idly noted, staring down at the two fighters below from his position on a nearby rooftop. He paused for a moment before taking out a black smartphone from his pocket. "That said, how about some background music to complete the experience?"

(Play This Will Be The Day - Jeff Williams)

Ruby stumbled slightly as music began playing all around her, emanating from the nearby stores. "What the… Where did that music…?" She asked before she shook her head and looked back at Another Faiz. The huntress narrowed her eyes behind her visor as she rocketed ahead, swinging her scythe around cutting into Another Faiz as sparks flew with every connecting hit. The Another Rider stumbled backwards, before it charged at Ruby, throwing a punch that Ruby expertly dodged before following it up with a right hook that crashed into the Huntress's helmet.

Ruby let out a grunt as she was knocked to the side, rolling into a stand as she switched her scythe into its gun formation.

[BLOOM!]

"Uh… this looks important." Ruby said, pressing down on a button that was stationed next to the scope of her weapon.

[TIME CHARGE!]

"Ooh…" The girl's mouth morphed into a wide smile behind her visor as she stood up and aimed at Another Faiz as it turned to face her.

[5...4...3...2...1... ZERO TIME!]

"Sorry about this!" Ruby shouted, before she pulled the trigger and fired off the blast of energy.

[GO! PETAL BLAST!]

The round slammed into Another Faiz's chest, sending him flying back into the wall of a nearby building. Ruby lowered her rifle towards the ground and watched as Another Faiz stood back up. "Ooh… of course that didn't do it…" Ruby muttered, before her eyes snapped open as pink energy began to leak out from the Another Rider, slowly encompassing it as a strange Wristwatch formed on it's left wrist. "This again?"

Ruby flicked her weapon to the side, transforming it into it's Scythe form in a fluid motion before bringing it back in front of her in preparation.

[REAP!]

"Your Majesty, use your semblance!" The hooded woman shouted, grabbing Ruby's attention away from the Another Rider as she turned to look at the woman in white.

"Huh!?" She asked in confusion before a shockwave of energy washed over her, bringing her thoughts back into the fight as Another Faiz stepped forward, in it's Axel form. "Oh no."

Sougo narrowed his eyes behind his mask as he observed the Another Rider. "There's that form again… I guess the cracks around that are bigger than I thought if it's affecting the Another Rider to this extent… Let's see what you can do then, Faiz."

{̴̬̠̃̐S̵̗̀̒ẗ̸̻͛ą̷̠́r̶̺͑t̸̤͓̚.̸͕̆̑.̸̠̅.̵̥̗̽ ̴̩̓U̸͙͍͐p̴̛̫͠!̴̩̇}̴̱͍̊̍

As the Another Rider vanished from view, Ruby took a precautionary step back and activated her semblance, as small pieces of the Zi-O suit flew off her, transforming into Rose Petals as time slowed down, the form of Another Faiz appearing a foot away from her, preparing to strike her with it's fist.

"Woah!" Ruby shouted, dashing back through what felt like molasses as she barely avoided the punch from Another Faiz. She stumbled back, readjusting herself as Another Faiz tried kicking her in the stomach, only to be dodged as Ruby threw her body to the side, sending her rolling a few feet away from the force of her jump. "Ow… Overshot it…"

She looked up before rushing to a stand as Another Faiz jumped into the air, red energy forming around it's foot as it spread it's leg out into a kick. Ruby narrowed her eyes before pressing down on the Time Charge button again.

[TIME CHARGE!]

[5...4...3...2...1... ZERO TIME!]

Ruby narrowed her eyes as she slowly spun her scythe around in her hands, energy slowly forming around the edge of her blade. Another Faiz came down, kicking out at Ruby as the girl pulled down on the trigger of the Zikan Crescendo and swung her scythe at the Another Rider, colliding the blade of the weapon with the Another Rider's foot.

[GO! PETAL BREAK!]

Ruby let out a yell as she pushed through, knocking Another Faiz out of it's kick before she quickly spun her weapon around as swiped at the Another Rider twice. As the blade connected with it's side, numerous slashes of energy poured off the scythe, cutting into the Another Rider before Ruby followed up with another swing, sending it flying backwards.

[̴͍̺̒3̴̺͕̈́.̶̮̿.̷̺͕̻̋̇̅.̴̣̀̀͛ ̸̳̏̀͛2̷̯͉͛.̵͚̏.̶̪̯͗̒̚.̴̪̭͍̓̄ ̶̼̝̞̕1̷̨̛̒.̵̰̝̮͊.̵͎̖̜͒̚.̸̙̀̕]̷̤̏̎̔

Ruby deactivated her semblance as the Another RIder rolled to a stop, its monstrous body returning to its base state in a flash of red.

{̶͔̱͓͐̐̕T̵͕͈̼̂ï̸̱m̵͉̞̑̋̒ȇ̴̞̝ͅ.̴̲͔̋͆.̶̩̟̔.̵͕́́ ̸̡̪̊̉͘Ô̵̢̫͎̾͛ṷ̵̱͠ț̷̛͔͝!̴̫̾̓͒}̸̯͗̿

Ruby took another step forward towards the downed another rider. "Okay… Now to finish it." She said, looking down at her forearms, noticing the Faiz Ride Watch slotted onto the right holder. She pulled the Watch off the holder before looking over at the Hooded woman. "Okay… How do I do this again?"

"Twist the dial and press the button!" The woman supplied. "Then, slot it into your weapon!"

"Eh?" Ruby tilted her head, before turning to look as Another Faiz pulled itself back up to a stand. "Alright, so twist… and then-"

{FAIZ!}

Ruby let out a breath as the holographic image of Faiz's helmet formed over the front of the Ride Watch, before she quickly slapped it into the slot on her weapon.

[FINISH TIME!]

Ruby nodded to herself as she adjusted the grip on her weapon, red energy forming along the blade as the weapon's standby rang out.

"...Huh, 'Red Like Roses', huh? Fits for the finisher standby." Sougo idly noted from his spot on the roof as he watched Another Faiz charge one final time at Ruby.

"Bryce… I'm getting you out of there!" She shouted, before pulling the trigger as she quickly spun the scythe around, the blade becoming a blur as she quickly spun it around in her hands almost like she was caught in a cyclone. Sparks flew off the Another Rider with every hit, the force of the hits pulling the Rider off the ground, though with each hit that sent it back a little bit, the next hit would drag it right back into Ruby's range.

{FAIZ!}

[PETAL DANCE!]

Ruby adjusted her hold on the shaft of her weapon and her position so she faced away from the Another Rider before she lined up the blade of the scythe with the back of Another Faiz's neck. She gave a light smirk behind her visor as she pulled in front of her, the blade of her weapon glowed with red energy as it cleaved through, creating an explosion behind her as she quickly flicked her scythe around in a flourish, leaving the weapon leaning on her shoulder as Another Faiz disintegrated and Bryce fell to the ground, the Another Watch rolling down next to him before shattering into pieces.

"Well, that went well…" Sougo noted, turning the music off as he hopped off the roof into a nearby alleyway.

(Stop Music)

"That… Was… Awesome!" Ruby shouted, jumping up as she looked over herself. "The weapon, and the suit, and my semblance-How did I even do that?"

"I would be more than happy to answer your questions, your majesty." The woman in white said, walking over to Ruby before turning her head to look at Bryce, who let out a lone groan as he rolled onto his stomach. "Though I think you should tend to your friend first."

"Ah! Right, thanks!" Ruby said, running over to the teen as she turned him over and sat him up. "Hey, Bryce, are you okay?"

Bryce blearly blinked his eyes open, before they snapped wide in shock as he stumbled back. "Ah!" His pupils shook as his breathing spiked, his arms flaily wildly as he tried to get away from the Rider. "Get back!"

"Bryce? It's me, Ruby!" She said, before looking down at herself to find she was still in the Zi-O suit. "Oh, right… I should…"

Ruby pulled the Ride Watch off the belt, her transformation deactivating as she looked back up at Bryce. His breathing lessened as he saw her, before he looked to the side. "Sorry about… I just saw the visor and… Panicked for a second…"

"It's fine, come on, let me help you up."

Ruby pulled the teen to a stand, who winced as he held his side. "Did you even hold back?" He asked, looking at her.

"You were really tanky! I didn't really have a choice." Ruby said, letting Bryce stand on his own. The huntress in training looked back towards the woman before the two of them. "Thanks for the… help? Advice? That, I guess."

"It was my pleasure." The woman said, before turning to look at Bryce, her face obscured by her hood. "...It's been a while… Sougo."

Ruby blinked, looking over at Bryce who stared in confusion for a moment.

The moment passed rather quickly as his eyes shot open in recognition, disbelief, and a myriad of other emotions. "W-what…?" He muttered, taking a step back as the Woman slowly slipped the red hood off her head, letting the long black hair fall down her back as she smiled at Ruby.

"My name is Tsukuyomi. It's good to see you again, your Majesty."

Sougo let out a sigh as he walked onto the street, watching as the the three from before and the rest of Team RWBY that had arrived at the scene moments earlier left in various states. He shook his head. "I thought those three would never leave…" He muttered, before moving over to the Broken Another Faiz Ride Watch. "Now then…"

He held a hand out, a pink aura appearing around him as he twisted his hand, the shattered remains of the watch reforming together until finally the Another Faiz Watch was left unscathed.

"It's a bit early for timeline divergence…" Sougo noted, picking the watch up and shoving it into his pocket. "Though, it won't be the last… So, I suppose this is the start of the 'Majesty' timeline, huh? Heh, Omoshiroi…"