I do not own RWBY or any of the characters.

Calling

Fox eyed the giant suits of armor in silence. When Jacques Schnee had invited Ironwood for a "celebration" of his victory in the election, as well as to answer for his actions, Fox had not wanted to go. And yet, here he was. Weiss had gone to explore her house to find out what her father was hiding, likely to include a method of cheating in the elections, and the others were all milling around waiting for something to happen. Suddenly, Weiss returned, storming toward the dining room. However, just as Fox and the others turned to follow, Fox felt the same pang shoot through his head, angrier this time. They were done waiting. It was time. He watched the others hurry after Weiss. It wouldn't take long for Blake to notice his absence. He looked to Ava, and her eyes met his, widening. He remembered her now. Truly. He smiled sadly. He patted his right leg and she nodded, turning and continuing after the others. Then, Fox turned, hurrying out of the house and tapping into his Semblance.

A shining green energy shroud enveloped him instantly and he streaked away from the Schnee family's mansion, returning to the academy. He ran to Team RWBY's room, placing the letter he had left for Yang on her pillow, placing her bracers on it, then sighed, speeding out of the school again. Just as he stepped outside, an alarm began to scream from below Atlas. Mantle was under attack by Grimm. It had begun. However, as he reached the edge of Atlas's flying platform and prepared to jump, he saw that the heating in Mantle was off, and there was a flood of Grimm, Goliaths, Sabyrs, Wyverns, Manticores, Chimeras, all heading toward the breach in Mantle's outer wall. The others would handle evacuation, but the Grimm would be a problem. He could thin the crowd a bit while heading for the others.

Just as he was about to jump off, the world around him suddenly turned dark red, the bloody light sweeping across the ground below in a wave. He looked up, eyes widening as he stared at the moon. It had changed. Normally, thanks to gravity acting on a half-shattered moon, it would swing its full side back and forth at Remnant like a pendulum. Now, however, the shattered half was facing Remnant directly, with the shattered pieces filling the sky around the moon, seeming to be floating around it rather than beside it. And shining from the center of the moon was a blood red light, like some kind of eye, shining with malice and evil intentions as it watched Remnant, watched the Grimm mutate and grow stronger under its wicked gaze.

And grow stronger they did. The Goliaths grew even larger by almost another quarter their original size, their tusks and trunks growing spiked, and their eyes, like the eyes of every Grimm for the duration of the Eclipse, shone with the same wicked light as the moon above. The Wyverns grew larger, the wings grew arms along the top as their torso's bulged into hulking masses of muscle covered in darkness, their necks elongated, their claws grew, and they began to roar, sending jets of flame spewing from their mouths. The Sabyrs all doubled in size and began to multiply by duplication, like a cell. The Manticores and Chimeras grew almost fifty percent each and both began to spew fire as well.

Fox swallowed hard and dropped, crashing down between the flood of enhanced Grimm and the fleeing Atlas military that stood no chance of even slowing them. He drew his sword, shifting it to a bow and fired a single arrow into the air before shifting it back, extending the handle. Then, the arrow burst, hundreds of smaller ones raining down on the army of Sabyrs and on the Goliaths. As soon as it did, Fox rocketed forward, energy once again encasing him, roaring and raging like an emerald-green fire. He reached the Grimm and began to carve his way through, spinning and slashing, stabbing, kicking, punching, jumping, and blasting Grimm with energy, slaughtering them rapidly, but doing little besides slowing them down, just as the arrows had, only having killed two of the dozens of Goliaths, and only about a hundred of the Sabyrs of the two hundred or so there had been. Pain lashed through Fox's brain, bringing memories with it. Unlike every other time, he didn't fight this one, allowing the memories to come as he fought.

He was on a date. They were at some Italian restaurant, and he had just made his date laugh, admiring the way her already shining blue eyes seemed all the brighter when coupled with that angelic smile and laughter. He leapt into the air, slashing a Goliath along the side, an energy extension on his blade deepening the wound, killing the Grimm. Then, he shifted the energy extension into a massive hammer head, exploding down on a swarm of Sabyrs.

As several dozen sets of claws tore into him as the rest of the Sabyrs washed over him like water in a river, he was suddenly in a field. Flowers of every kind and color, a rainbow of beauty around him, and an arguably better beauty in his arms, her blue eyes taking in the sight before her in awe. Fox roared, an explosion of energy flashing off of him, blasting the Sabyrs around him and allowing him to continue shredding his way through the Grimm, removing the legs of several Goliaths and removing one's head on his way up to land on a Wyvern as it flew low. He stabbed it in the back and yanked to the side, making it veer into another's path, both of them dying on impact before Fox fell toward another Goliath.

He was racing through a battlefield. He didn't know who his enemy was. His money pouch was weighted enough that he didn't need to care. He reached the line of humans and Faunus alike, tearing through them instantly. Fox landed on the Goliath's head, driving his blade down into its brain before sprinting forward, splitting its spine down the middle. Then, he leapt off of it, switching to a bow and forming three arrows, firing them into three Goliaths' heads, killing all three. He broke free of his enemy's vanguard and stopped. She was there. His one true rival. The only person he'd ever allowed to live. She drew her swords, her golden eyes catching the light of the fires, explosions, and the moon above as she stared defiantly into his.

"Don't do this," Fox said. "You know how this is going to end if you do this."

"I won't let you kill that child," she said in a voice Fox would love just as much as he did now, many, many lifetimes later. "I don't care who payed you to kill him, and I don't care that he's the king. He's a child, and nothing will ever excuse that."

"I'm not killing him for the money," he said. "I'm fighting for it. I'm killing him because she said to. You don't know what she's like, and I don't want you to ever know. I'm sorry. I love you, but I can't let you stop me. If I do, she'll be coming after you personally."

"Then this is goodbye," she said.

Fox sobbed once before a Manticore's stinger crashed into his chest, hurling him backward but not getting through his energy layer. He, bounced, flipped, and landed on his feet, streaking forward and splitting the Manticore, continuing to carve his way through the Grimm. Finally, he exploded out of the flood of Grimm.

Bodies crashed around him and he grinned wickedly, licking the blood off of his lips as he flexed his left hand, the clawed gauntlet's fingers clinking together as he did, his right hand holding his sword. Then, he was off again, his sword, claws, and the blades attached on his shin guards in front and back ripping through more and more of his deliciously vulnerable victims as he spun and slashed and tore through them. She would be happy with him, he hoped. If he could kill enough of them, he'd get to enjoy himself, and he'd be able to impress Mistress Salem.

Fox slowed to a stop as he stared at the Grimm Generals. All of them. His former friends. Moryo, with his bone plating now spiked, and his fingers grown into jagged, serrated claws. Jug with his sword in-hand, his plate armor, and his cape formed from pure darkness. Wendigo, crouched on all fours, watching him. Death, scythe resting on his shoulder, blade downward behind him, teeth a mouthful of fangs. And finally Nero Shade. A pair of curved, serrated blades made of darkness held in reverse grip, darkness clinging to him like a shroud, similarly to Fox's energy shroud, but looking more like smoke, white bone forming a skull-themed half-mask, thick black fluid running down from the mask's eyeholes like tears. All five of their eyes shone with the same blood-red light of the eclipsed moon.

No one spoke. No one gave any sign that they were about to begin. They just did. All of them. Fox's blade crashed into Death's scythe, halting it before using it to flip into the air, allowing him to only barely avoid Jug's sword. Then, he flipped, using the sword to block Wendigo's claws, sending him exploding into the ground.

He flipped over Ozpin's cane, throwing a punch, only for Ozpin to use his white sword to block the blow, streaking forward and slamming the cane in his other hand into him rapidly. Finally he spun, slamming him into the ground before finishing his spin, the white sword descending.

Fox spun out of the way of Death's scythe, raising his sword just in time for the outer edge to crash into it, launching him backward. He flipped, slashing downward as hard as he could, connecting with Jug's blade and flipping himself into the air before flipping and once again slashing downward as he fell at Moryo, who was moving to slash him with his claws. Except, he passed through Moryo instantly. Then, Death's scythe suddenly flashed out of Moryo's intangible body, Fox throwing his upper body backward and only narrowly escaping, beginning to fend the scythe off in shower after shower of sparks, retreating rapidly. He dodged to the side as Death lunged, but Death planted a foot, rotating his scythe and spinning, the blade sparking off of Fox's and flashing around toward Jug, only to stop on a dime. Then, a massive beam of emerald energy exploded into the pair, sending them both flying, smoke curling off of them.

He spun, deflecting Salem's claws and Death flipped into the air over her, Jug slamming his sword into the back of Death's scythe, sending him spinning down at her in a blur. However, before he could reach her, she swiped a hand, several Beringels getting in his scythe's way, slowing it just for an instant, just enough for Salem's fist to explode into him, sending him exploding into the ground. She spun, sidestepping Fox's blade and spun, grabbing him, his shining white energy shroud vanishing instantly before she spun in a complete circle, batting all five of his allies away with his body.

Fox's sword blocked both of Nero's blades as his foot crashed into Moryo's chest, finally tangible again. The impact sent Fox skidding backward, barely able to hold onto the sword. Then, he spun, blocking Wendigo's claws, only for her to drop into his shadow, immediately reappearing from the shadow behind him, her claws driving themselves into his back.

"Oh my God!" Weiss's voice shrieked into his ear through his communicator. "Fox was right! There are Grimm coming out of my house! They're leaving the city!"

"They're heading for that explosion earlier!" Pyrrha's voice said, just as Fox staggered forward, communicator falling out.

He turned back to the others and deflected an Arma Gigas's sword, sending it out to block another. There were five of them. And all of them showed no interest in anything but him. He spun, diving to the side as Jug's sword exploded down where he'd been. He rolled to his feet and spun, blocking Death's scythe, holding it back for a moment before shoving it away and launching himself backward, switching to a bow and pulling it back, sighting in at the Arma Gigas' eye slits.

She screamed as he held her down, so he closed his hand around her throat. It didn't matter if someone had heard. It was almost over. He just needed another minute. At most. She fought to be free. Slapped and struggled. And then her strength left her as her body betrayed her yet again, her golden eyes wide and rolling back. And then it was too late. It was already over.

Fox landed on the now harmless helmet, roaring in pain and rage. Moryo shot forward, appearing in front of him, only for his arm to spin into the air. Fox's left fist exploded into his side and he rocketed away, exploding into Jug, both bouncing away. Fox leapt backward, his back slamming into Death's arms as he pulled his scythe back and Fox flipped backward, kicking Death away, keeping the scythe before spinning and hurling it at Nero. Wendigo shot out of the shadow of a pauldron beside Fox, her claws raking across his chest before his knee exploded into her gut. She lifted into the air and Nero passed under her, his blades both shredding their way across his torso in an "X" before Nero slipped past Fox. He spun, throwing a kick at him, only for Nero to dance away.

He retreated rapidly the behemoth of a man bearing down on him, his bulging arms swinging the club over and over, each blow only barely deflected. Then, the behemoth knocked the sword away and the next blow cracked him over the head. Then another, and another, and another.

Moryo bounced away from Fox before Jug's sword sprouted from his abdomen, piercing his diaphragm, before being yanked away from jug, Fox's own blade exploding into Jug's armor and sending him bouncing away as well, though without breaking through the armor. Then, Nero ripped the blade out, his own splitting Fox's back in an uppercut from his right side to his left shoulder. Fox staggered forward, Death slashing at him from the front, but he deflected the scythe over himself, shoving himself to his feet and stepping forward, slamming his forehead into Death's. Death staggered back a step and Fox roared, in effort, a beam of energy exploding out of his entire body into Death from point blank range, the explosion hurling them both. Fox crashed down hard, rolling to a stop as his energy shroud and aura both faded. He set his sword on the ground, slowly pushing himself to his feet. Then, Jug reached him, slashing downward. Fox roared in effort, his energy shroud blazing to life once more as his sword swung up to meet Jug's. Then, there was a deafening crash and both swords finished their slashes as Fox stumbled to the right as his slash's momentum carried him a few steps.

He stared at her as the last of her life drained out of her, the ghost of her last loving smile still on her lips, despite his sword still protruding from her back. He grit his teeth before screaming in pain and loss, raising one of her swords and driving it into his own chest, only for the sword to fade, then the world around him.

"We owe you an apology," the gold being hovering before him said. "This was not what we wanted for you when we created you. We did not believe we would cause you this pain. We will give you the chance to be with her once again. One last time. However, the next time you meet her, it will be your final lifetime."

Fox stared forward across the ground, his head turned to his left side. Before him, his shattered sword lie in the snow, Useless and abandoned. The world began to lighten as the eclipse slowly began to fade, the moon returning to its half-phase. The whole thing darkened from view for a moment before lighting back up at its proper alignment again. He watched the Generals all walk over to stand beside Wendigo before all sinking into the ground.

"Fox!"

He smiled weakly as he looked over at Blake, who had almost all the others just behind her. "You...came."

"Fox!" Blake sobbed, kneeling beside him, taking his hand. "Stay with me! Please! I can't lose you!"

Fox smiled sadly. "I...was...prison."

Blake stared at him, eyes wide and tears flowing from them.

"You're...free...now," Fox smiled.

His smile began to fade, but he focused just enough to look Yang in the eye, Yang nodding once. Then, he set his head down, turning his gaze to the stars and smiling slightly again, allowing himself to slip away.

Leave a review.