Weiss sighed loudly as she sat in front of a large mirror. A servant combing her hair behind her, and another was next to her, applying makeup. Father had originally wanted to have more stylists, but Weiss had been adamant she had as few as possible. She was eighteen now, she could put on her own makeup and comb her own hair.
She glanced at the corner of her reflection, where she could see her father sitting on a bench. Unbeknownst to him, Ruby sat next to him, making funny faces at her in an attempt to cheer her up.
After what felt like an eternity of being fussed over by two elderly women, she was finally given room to breathe. She stood up and looked herself over in the mirror. Her makeup was rather simple, merely accentuating her beauty. What few flaws there were in her face were covered up by a masterfully applied layer of makeup. A slight eye shadow accentuated her piercing blue eyes, and her hair was combed into its usual off-center ponytail.
She wore a strapless dress that shifted from blue-grey towards the top to a light blue with white accents at her heels with a slit that went from her ankle to her thigh. Over that, she wore a navy blue jacket that cut off just above her dress, held in place by a silver clasp with a beautifully cut sapphire embedded into it. She balanced perfectly on her black heels and turned around to face her father.
"Well, you certainly will be getting a lot of attention tonight," He joked, but she wanted to roll her eyes in disgust. Weiss could look like a scruffy man and she would get attention due to her position. To the nobles vying for her attention, her looks were only icing on the cake. Expressing that to Father, however, would be a terrible idea. So instead Weiss only gave the man a fake smile.
Jacques Schnee's ball had been the topic of the most recent gossip among the nobles, and Weiss was at the very center of it. Some claimed she was to be wed, while others genuinely believed she would be disowned at the event. In truth, it was merely to be announced that she was to be seeking a spouse during the event.
Her father smirked at her and, with a wave of his hand, sent the servants scurrying out of the room. He gestured for her to sit down, to which she did. He cleared his throat and began to speak.
"Weiss, I trust you know that several important people will be at this event," He began, causing Weiss to nod. "Among them is the heir to the Marigold family, Henry Marigold."
"Yes. What of him?" She asked, genuinely curious now. If it weren't for the knowledge that Father wanted her unwed for now, she would have thought that he wanted to arrange a marriage with the man.
"It has come to my attention that the boy has a bit of reputation for being a flirt. While I doubt that you would do so, I would like to remind you not to do anything... unscrupulous with him," He said through his teeth. She felt immediate relief fill her body. Don't sleep with him; that wasn't such a difficult task.
"I doubt that would be a problem," She snarked, causing the man to chuckle. He gave her a look that almost seemed... proud. Not proud of her for her work ethic or her beauty, but for looking down on someone he perceived as lesser. It took an arrogant man to view the heir to one of the most powerful families in Atlas as little more than an annoyance.
"While you may have the privilege of choosing who you wed, remember that it would be... beneficial to wait some time. You wouldn't want to rush into something," He told her, reminding her that his wants came before her own, as if she needed to be reminded. Her lack of an arranged marriage was a nice thing, but it certainly didn't feel nice to be used to extort favors and power out of others desperate to marry into power.
"I understand, Father. I'll do my best to not fall for anyone tonight," She said sarcastically, once again making him laugh. It was an unpleasant sound, sounding far too harsh. But after knowing him for so long, she would have been more unsettled to hear a normal-sounding laugh.
"Good. See to it that you don't let your time be monopolized by anyone at the ball," He ordered as he took his leave. So she was to make sure to talk to as many suitors as possible. That seemed easy enough, and meant that she wouldn't have to spend too long listening to any one noble.
"You look really pretty Weiss," Ruby complimented once she was sure that the man had gotten far enough for them to talk without being heard.
"Thank you, Ruby," She mumbled with a frown on her face. Ruby's eyes narrowed dramatically, and the ghost walked up to her and pointed a finger at her.
"Weiss, what is wrong? I can tell you're hiding something!" She shouted out, causing the girl to look up and meet her vibrant silver eyes. Her face was a mixture of concern and anger, which made Weiss let out a sigh.
"Ruby, it's nothing. There is nothing wrong," She said and immediately regretted it when Ruby regarded her with even more suspicion.
"Weiss, you made a promise. No hiding things from me. It just makes me worry more," She scolded, and Weiss felt the slightest inkling of guilt well up inside of her.
"Fine. This dress is uncomfortable," She admitted, causing Ruby to blink in surprise. She clearly hadn't expected such a mundane complaint.
"Oh. I was expecting something more serious," The girl thought out loud, causing Weiss to roll her eyes.
"See? I told you it was nothing. You don't need to worry about every little thing, dolt," She told the girl, only to have her perk up.
"It may not be serious, but it was still bothering you. You can tell me anything if it makes you feel better, even something small. It's okay for you to complain," She explained to Weiss, causing her to open her mouth to retort, only to close it. It wasn't unreasonable to complain about little things like that, as long as she didn't go overboard. It seemed Ruby was slowly but surely trying to break the mentality she had gained by living under her father's roof.
"Very well. Now, please remember that I will not be able to talk to you during this event without looking like a lunatic. You're welcome to listen in on my conversations, but you could also eavesdrop on some other nobles."
Ruby gave an exaggerated salute. "Yes Ma'am! I'll be on my best behavior!" She said before descending into a fit of giggles. Weiss let out a short chuckle at the girl's antics. There was something amusing about seeing the energetic girl act like a member of the Atlesian army.
"You have your orders. Dismissed," Weiss barked out, playing along with the ghost. This only served to make Ruby laugh even more, which in turn made Weiss crack a small smile.
The two talked for a few hours, until a servant came by to tell Weiss that the ball was beginning. Wordlessly, she got up and walked into the hall outside her bedroom. The servant escorted her through the house, where she saw several armed guards patrolling the halls. Too many would-be assassins had tried to sneak in during balls for them to not ensure that every hallway was protected.
As she approached the ballroom, she noticed out of a window the magical glow of the protective barrier that surrounded the house. While it was always active, the concentration of politically powerful individuals meant the barrier needed to be greatly enhanced. Several mages would spend the entire night pouring magic into the protective glyphs that formed the barrier, strengthening it temporarily.
Her family's most powerful mages sat at the front entrance to the estate, giving a mark to all invited guests that allowed them to pass through the barrier undisturbed. Anyone else would find themselves hitting a solid wall of magic. It would take a herd of Goliath to break through the barrier if you weren't let in.
Such magic was very inefficient, as it required both many mages and copious amounts of Dust to maintain the barrier's power. Barrier glyphs weren't commonly used this way, as the number of mages that would be taken out of a fight just to maintain its power wasn't worth it. But at political events like this, they were indispensable.
Finally reaching the ballroom, she took in the sight. Countless well-dressed lords and ladies moved about the hall. Several wealthy merchants and artisans were among them, but they were easily outnumbered four to one. Intricate paintings adorned the walls between towering pillars that held up the arched ceiling.
She forced a smile onto her face as she made her way to a door in the back. The ballroom was connected to a large auditorium where she was to sing. After that, Father would give a speech there, where he would mention her marital status. From there, the guests would return to the ballroom and mill about for several hours before returning to their homes. It was the same as it always was.
She walked down the hallway that led down to the stage, hearing the butlers and maids directing the guests into the auditorium for her performance. Once she reached the stage, she breathed deeply. Large blue curtains blocked her from view. Ruby gave her a quick thumbs-up before slipping through a gap in them. It would be nice to have a friendly face in the audience.
"Well, let's just get this over with."
Ruby could barely contain her excitement. This was like something out of one of Mom or Uncle Qrow's stories. She felt like she was infiltrating some high-class party to steal some magical artifact held by an evil noble. And she got to listen to Weiss sing while doing so, which only made this better.
She knew that Weiss was upset, but she had seemed far less stressed out about the ball after their talk a few days ago. Since then, she had fallen asleep crying her eyes out every night, releasing her pent-up emotions in a sobbing fit. It was heartbreaking to see, but it seemed to be helping Weiss. Each night she cried to Ruby, who comforted her like no one else would.
She made her way over to an unoccupied seat and sat down. Unfortunately, an overweight noble made his way to the same seat and sat down. Her body broke into silver flames and reformed on the other side of him. "Huh, so that's what happens if I get crushed. Neat." She thought to herself.
Spotting another unoccupied seat, she ran over to it, jumping off the heads of nobles. It wasn't like they could feel it, and it was pretty fun. She made it a sort of game to see how many heads she could bounce from before she fell off. She even started trying to jump on the ones that were moving around. Who knew being a ghost was so much fun?
Once she saw a servant step out onto the stage, however, she made her way to the seat. She assumed it was probably pretty soft, but since she was a ghost she couldn't really feel anything but resistance. It was weird, not being able to feel anything. She probably couldn't even begin to describe it.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. She closed her eyes and concentrated, focusing on how it felt when she was crushed by that fat noble. She sat with a stupid expression on her face for what felt like several minutes before she felt herself dissolve into metallic flames. She couldn't move herself, but if she practiced enough then she could slip through cracks and small holes. That would be useful.
Reforming, she turned her attention back to the speaker only to find him still giving his speech, albeit ending it by introducing Weiss as tonight's singer. She giggled to herself. She was going to get to hear Weiss sing!
An orchestra began to play as the curtains pulled back. Weiss stood in the center of the stage, completely alone. She had her head held down, staring at the ground. The white-haired woman began to hum.
A haunting melody reverberated through the auditorium. Weiss's voice carried all the way to the back, but Ruby was close enough that she could see the girl's eyes. They looked so sorrowful.
Weiss sang a song of sadness, her words resonating with Ruby as the orchestra played softly over her voice. Ruby had never heard something so beautiful. Not Yang's humming as she worked the fields, not the tweeting of birds, nor the crashing of waves on rocks. Only the memory of Mom's lullabies compared, and even then she wasn't sure it topped this.
Yet it didn't seem everyone liked it as much as Ruby. The noble occupying the seat on her left let out an amused snort, while the one on her left rolled her eyes dramatically. She felt herself grow angry and saw her vision fill with silver. She sighed, trying to calm herself down so the light from the flames didn't distract Weiss.
Eventually, the song came to a close and everyone stood up to clap. Wanting Weiss to see her, she jumped atop the man in front of her's head and clapped as enthusiastically as she could. Weiss met her eyes and gave her a quick smile before sorrow once again took hold.
Ruby didn't pay attention when Jacques Schnee stepped out to give a speech. She was too distracted by how tired Weiss had looked. Like she was tired of the sadness, but it was inevitable. It broke Ruby's heart.
It was only when the Schnee patriarch began to talk about Weiss that she began to pay attention to him. When he told the audience about how his daughter was to start seeking a spouse, she saw the greedy expressions on everyone around her. None of them had a chance with Weiss if that is how they looked at her. She wouldn't let Weiss be that stupid.
When the guests made their way back to the ballroom, she hurried to Weiss. Partly because she literally couldn't get too far away, but mostly because she wanted to comfort her clearly upset friend. Her voice had been beautiful, but she would gladly never hear it again if Weiss never had to feel such sorrow.
She hurried after Weiss, but found him talking to a young man with dark blue hair. Weiss gave her a quick glance before heading into the ballroom with the noble.
She followed along from a distance, but moved away once they reached the ballroom. Weiss would be stressed enough, having to deal with all of the suitors, and Ruby didn't want to just make things worse. But what could she do while she waited for the ball to end?
"I could always practice that fire trick I did earlier," She thought, then patted herself on the back. That was a great idea if she said so herself.
The crowd made the perfect training grounds, with all of the constantly moving people tightly packed together. She focused and began to transform into flames like before, trusting that Weiss would be fine without her for a little while.
She would give anything to be talking to Ruby right now. Or Klein. Or Winter. Or even Whitley. Just anyone but Henry Marigold. She had only had the displeasure of interacting with the man a few times before now, but all it took was one meeting to know how much she disliked the young man.
"So, Weiss. I know you're looking to get married," He began, and she immediately rolled her eyes.
"Is this a proposal? Because we both know I won't accept," She snarked, causing him to put his hands up in defense.
"No, nothing like that. I just wanted to ask if you'd like to maybe get to know each other a little better. You never know, we might go well together," He explained with a flirtatious wink. She scoffed, knowing what 'getting to know each other' would lead to. It would take her father's head on a platter, the entirety of the Atlesian army, and Ruby being brought back to life to convince her to sleep with Henry Marigold.
"Unfortunately, I can't say that to his face," She mused to herself while she began to ignore his blatant attempts to get her to sleep with him. He must have thought he was very charismatic because each word oozed fake confidence that made Weiss want to puke. But he was the one guest at this party she couldn't just casually dismiss. One didn't offend the scion of one of the four great Atlesian noble houses without consequences.
The Marigolds were a powerful family, famous for their large gold and silver mines. They owned a large amount of land north of the capital, and owned a small amount of territory in Vacuo that was also rich in precious ores. They were rivaled only by the Schnees when it came to the use of faunus slavery, but couldn't possibly hope to match the Schnee's cruelty.
The other two great noble families were far more moderate. The Soleils were a practical group that had, seeing how slavery led to groups like the White Fang, denounced the use of forced faunus labor in the mines. Their main source of income was their banking industry, with them being the most efficient bank in Atlas. Much of their money was spent on the military, with them donating more than any family.
The Poledinas were an eccentric bunch. With only two living family members, an aged man and his adopted daughter, they rarely went out, choosing to conduct their affairs from within their home. Owning most of the territory to the west of the capital, they were forgiving on their taxing off the people, and earned most of their money through their trade deal with the military, equipping them with high-quality weapons made by the families numerous blacksmiths.
Though they were all powerful, even they could not hope to compete with the Schnees. They were practically royalty, with Father often joking about how he had more money than the kingdom of Vacuo. They owned territory in all kingdoms and had their hand in every business imaginable. Their lumber yards were lucrative, their iron mines prosperous, and their merchant fleets unmatched.
Their real claim to fame, however, was their Dust mines. With Dust being used to enhance one's magical prowess, it was always constantly being used to fight off the hordes of Grimm that sought to destroy the kingdoms. The great demand meant that the largest supplier of Dust in all of Remnant held enough power to topple entire countries. The other three great families had equal power in the council, but could never compete when it came to actual power.
Henry continued to try and fail to impress her, with Weiss occasionally giving a half-hearted response to continue the conversation. They may not be as rich, but the Marigolds held a seat on the Atlesian Council. They could gain the support of several other smaller families and make the Schnees' lives difficult.
The council of the Atlesian Republic consisted of twenty-one elected officials who held office for five years. After that, they would immediately be re-elected because no one else had the money to out-bribe them. The corruption in Atlas was rampant, with the military being one of the few areas mercifully free of it.
The council was supposed to elect a general to lead the army, who would hold that position for life, provided they didn't do something warrant being removed from power. Unfortunately for them, they had chosen James Ironwood to be their general, expecting him to fold easily and obey their commands. But, as she recalled Winter telling her with obvious admiration, Ironwood wouldn't fold. Many nobles had been outraged, and it was only thanks to Father's, the Soleil's, and the Poledina's financial support that the military didn't fall to ruin.
"So, Snow Angel, would you like to go take a stroll through the gardens with me?" Henry asked suavely, but Weiss shot him down.
"I'm sorry, but I must talk to someone," She lied, desperate to get away from the annoying noble.
She wandered about the ballroom, conversing with people trying and failing to hide their intentions of wooing her to fall in love with them. She found it extremely grating, with many of them being so unsubtle that Ruby would be able to tell they were flirting. She wanted to tear her hair out. But at least they weren't Henry Marigold.
The thought of Ruby made her long for her silver-eyed friend, but talking to the air in such a public place wouldn't be easy to explain. So instead, she made a game out of her situation. She tried to guess the age of the people trying to impress her. The youngest was a boy she guessed was fourteen at best, and the oldest was a forty-year-old man.
Young men and women took every moment of her time, and she bounced from person to person as she sipped from a wine glass, hating the taste. She hated alcohol; it had poisoned the mind of her mother. But it distracted her from the mind-numbingly boring task of sitting through some noblewoman's poor attempt at seducing her.
Weiss glanced over at her father. The noble was talking to several older men and women, their eyes occasionally flicking over to her. "Ah, he's selling the right to court me. Which means I'll have to spend time with their children. Wonderful."
To distract herself from the disgust she felt at the sight, she began to think about something she enjoyed more. Researching Ruby's situation was hardly something she liked, but it was certainly better than this.
As she numbly shook a noble's hand, she thought about what she knew about Ruby's curse. Nothing. She couldn't figure anything out. Not its cause, not its effect, nothing. It was a bit arrogant to think she could do what the Glynda Goodwitch hadn't been able to, but she had been so sure that necromancy would help her goal.
She absentmindedly began to use her magic to see people's aura while shaking their hands. Their aura was the energy produced by their soul, and it dictated how magically gifted someone was. Your aura was used as fuel for magic, and the more you had the more you could cast.
Checking how much aura someone had was a simple task. She simply pushed a small amount of her own into them, stimulating theirs. From there, Weiss would be able to feel how much aura they had. Most nobles had small amounts. The majority of the population of Remnant didn't have enough aura to do magic, so that was no surprise.
A few had decent auras, likely due to a powerful mage having married into their bloodline at some point in time. It was common to do so to enable their descendants to have powerful auras. Her grandfather, Nicholas Schnee, had possessed the strongest aura she'd ever seen.
There was only one person at the part who had a larger aura than her. General Ironwood. She knew without even checking that he would dwarf her own, but she still wanted to see it. Which was why, upon spotting the man wearing a long white coat that hung below his knees and a silver breastplate underneath, she stepped away from her current conversation and began to speak with him.
"Hello, General," She greeted. He turned to her and smiled, recognizing her as Winter's sister.
"Ah, Mrs. Schnee. It's a pleasure to see you," He said. He reached out a hand which she took. Testing someone's aura was harmless, and the other party wouldn't even notice. Despite having already done it several times, she hadn't even used more magic than she would need to create one small glyph, which used less aura than an innate spell.
Her aura drifted into his, and she nearly gasped at what she saw. The general was nearly twice as powerful as her own, and she was considered extremely talented. Of course, talent was nothing when compared to sheer experience, which the general had in spades. Like muscles, aura increased the more one used it.
"The pleasure is mine," She responded, making the man shake his head and laugh.
"You Schnees just can't seem to accept a compliment. Your sister Winter is the same," He chuckled.
"How is Winter? If you are allowed to tell me," She asked, having not seen Winter since the day they had their duel.
"She is well. I've sent her on a routine Grimm hunting mission in Eastern Atlas, but she is likely already on her way back,"
"That's good. Thank you for answering," Weiss replied. The man gave her a smile before looking up. Doing the same, she saw he was looking at her father. Once he was sure the man wasn't paying attention, he leaned down and whispered in Weiss's ear.
"If you ever feel the need to escape from Jacques, just know that the Atlas military would be happy to have such a talented warrior," He offered, and Weiss felt oddly touched. She didn't know the man too well, but it seems that when Winter was with him, she talked about Weiss as often as she talked about Ironwood with Weiss.
It was nice to know that the man felt bad for her situation and reassuring to know that he was looking out for her. He was one of the only people in Atlas who could stand on equal grounds with Lord Schnee when it came to power and influence. The people loved James Ironwood, and that gave him more power than wealth could bring.
But it wasn't necessary. "I'm fine for now. It isn't something I can't handle," She told the man. It did little to ease the worry evident on his face, but it did make it clear she wasn't in need of a distraction so she could flee the manor.
"Well, I must be leaving. I have some paperwork that needs finishing."
"Goodnight, General," She called after him.
The rest of the night was a boring mess that blended together. She listened to people tell her outlandish stories in an attempt to impress her, but they could never compare to Ruby's exciting brand of storytelling. They tried to get her to laugh, but only Ruby could get her to laugh so hard that she became red in the face and couldn't breathe.
No matter what they tried, Ruby had shown Weiss how to do it better. She found herself waiting with bated breath for the guests to leave. Once they did, she nearly screamed out how slowly they trickled out. Only once the last guest left did her father turn to her.
"You did well tonight Weiss. I'm proud of you," He sneered.
"Thank you, Father," She said, looking down.
"I've arranged a few... meetings with the heir to several prominent noble houses. Who knows? One of them might be the one to win your heart," His message was clear: Don't marry one of them, milk out every last lien from the nobility of Atlas.
"I understand," She responded, knowing that she couldn't do anything about it no matter how much she hated it.
"Good. You may retire for the night," He told her, and she let out a sigh of relief. That hasn't been so bad. She began to walk back to her room when Ruby came zooming up to her.
"Weiss! Look what I can do!" She babbled excitedly, eager to show Weiss whatever she had been up to while Weiss had been contemplating murdering several nobles.
"Can it wait till we get to the room? My feet are killing me," She complained. Ruby replied with a nod, so they continued to walk back to her room.
Once they arrived, Weiss sat down and took off her heels. She looked at Ruby and signaled for her to show her what it is she could do.
Ruby gave her a grin before closing her eyes and breathing in deeply. All of a sudden, there was a flash of silver light as she disintegrated into flames. Weiss's eyes widened. The flame writhed back and forth, moving slightly, before suddenly shifting into the shape of Ruby. There was another flash and the girl was once more a ghost.
"That's incredible Ruby!" She exclaimed. With that, Ruby could slip through small gaps. She'd be able to reach places no human could. She'd be able to slip underneath doors, pass through crowds, and countless other things. The applications of this newfound ability were interesting.
"Yeah, it's pretty cool. At first, I couldn't really move, but I kept practicing while you were at the ball," She explained excitedly. Weiss nodded; if she could accomplish this much in one night, she would soon be able to do this with ease.
"If you don't mind, would you do it again? I'd like to see something," She asked curiously, and Ruby immediately closed her eyes again. Another flash and she was gone, replaced with the streaks of silver flame.
"Incredible," Weiss breathed. That was the only word she could think of to describe this. She reached out into the silver flame, but her hand passed through as if there was nothing but air. No sudden chill or heat, no sense of pressure. Just... emptiness. She wiggled her fingers, marveling at it.
Absentmindedly, she tried pushing some of her aura out. Suddenly, she jolted back in surprise. She fell back onto the hard floor, causing Ruby to quickly reform and look at her with concern.
"Weiss, what's wrong? Are you okay?" She asked in a panic. Weiss barely heard her, she was too busy trying to calm her breathing.
That shouldn't have been possible. The ramifications of this... this changed everything. This went against everything she had learned about ghosts and spectres. Her training in necromancy reassured her that it couldn't be true. But she had felt it. She couldn't deny it. Ruby had an aura.
"R-Ruby. D-do you know what aura is?" She asked, taking a deep breath to calm herself after that shock.
"Uh, yeah. It's the energy produced by the soul. It fuels magic," She responded as if that were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Ruby. I felt your aura."
"What? That's impossible. Ghosts don't have an aura."
They didn't. Ghosts lacked a complete soul to generate aura, and that only made this more confusing. Suddenly, an ice-cold realization hit her. But if this was true, where would that leave them?
"Ruby... I need to confirm this. Could you transform again?" She asked, and Ruby gave a nod. Silver light filled the room as she shifted into a blazing flame. Weiss once again stuck her hand through the fire, sent out her aura, and felt it. Ruby had an aura, and a decently powerful one. It was close to Weiss's own in terms of size and seemed trained, which meant Ruby had used it in life.
"It's there. There can be no doubt," She confirmed when Ruby reverted to her normal form. The girl gave her a curious glance before furrowing her brow in thought.
"What does this mean?" She finally asked, to which Weiss sighed.
"It means I figured out what your curse does," She said, to which the girl gaped in surprise.
"Really? What did it do?" She asked, eager at the first sign of progress on her situation.
"Ruby, the curse didn't kill you. It ripped your soul out of your living body, then destroyed it," She told the girl, but she only looked at Weiss with confusion.
"That... I'm guessing that's not good?"
"Yes and No. On one hand, your soul is completely intact. The curse's effect is over. Your soul could reach the afterlife, were it not for the fact that the curse has done... something to prevent that from happening. If I could figure out what, I might be able to remove it. It may even be possible to bring you back to life to see your family again."
Ruby's smile was enormous. Weiss couldn't recall a time the girl had looked happier and... relieved? Had the lack of progress been affecting Ruby more than she let on?
"Weiss, that sounds amazing! You're so smart. But what's so bad about that?"
Weiss sighed. "Ruby, think. How powerful do you think someone would have to be to rip out someone's still living soul?" She shrugged, causing Weiss to pinch her eyebrows together. "No person alive could accomplish such a feat. Even if a group of mages on the level of Glynda Goodwitch tried to perform such a powerful spell, the odds of them being successful are slim to none. It would be easier to completely erase a mountain from existence."
That got a reaction out of Ruby. She went wide-eyed, and only let out a soft "Oh."
Weiss continued. "Before, we thought that the curse was preventing you from reaching the afterlife. That would require a mage of incredible power, stronger than any alive, to accomplish. But to rip your living soul out of your body fully intact? I can't think of anyone in history with that kind of power."
The silence was deafening. Neither of them could do anything but stare at each other, still trying to comprehend the ramifications of this. Eventually, Ruby spoke up.
"What do we do now?"
Weiss only stood up and made her way to her desk. She grabbed her journal full of notes on necromancy, ghosts, and anything relevant to Ruby's situation. Opening to a blank page, she began to write. As she did so, she turned to Ruby and answered.
"We keep moving forward."
A lot happened in this chapter. Some more information on magic, and learning how Aura works in this world. Keep in mind that it doesn't protect you from injuries like in the show. I hope my explanation made sense. If not, tell me in a review and I'll make sure to clarify before it becomes important to understand it. Speaking of, please feel free to leave a review; it really helps encourage me.
