Chapter 1
Our New Future
The time Ozpin spent staring off at the mountains, which stood coated in a thick fog, with only one light piercing the veil of cloud, undoubtedly he stared for half an hour. The disturbances of the world suddenly vanished, as if nothing happened at all.
"I wonder…" Ozpin's sentence was never finished. He simply sipped from his coffee, continuing to stare off into space, beyond the Emerald Forest, until someone entered his office.
"Ozpin, sir, you need to see this." Glynda said, her voice a bit more panicked than normal. Ozpin placed down his mug, his suspicions finally confirmed by Glynda's appearance.
"I see." Was all he had to say as he descended from the tower. The following moments would either lead to all-out war or a new time of peace. As they descended, Ozpin also began to suspect something else. "Is there any news on Iserlan?"
"Nothing so far. According to our records, the distortions before had similar power signatures to Iserlan's, but they weren't nearly as destructive." Glynda answered, a slight wave of relief flowing over Ozpin.
"Then we might have time yet. After everything's been settled, I'd like to investigate the mountain." Ozpin said as the elevator reached ground level. He could feel his heart beating faster now.
A few hours passed since the distortions. A select few huntsmen teams were sent, including a leaderless team RWBY. Little to their knowledge, that would soon change. Through the woods, the sight they saw was very different from what they expected. Where they expected to see a hulking army of monsters approaching, the number of lifeforms was only at a mere seven.
And behind them all was a familiar face that relieved a majority of those present. A girl wrapped in a rose red cloak, who looked far more confident than they've ever seen. As the two groups came within meters of each other, the two pack leaders stepped forward, reading their auras.
To Ozpin's surprise, he didn't sense any ill intent within any of the monsters. This let him relax for the moment and ask his questions with a more serene tone of voice. "Are you the leader of the monsters?"
"That I am. But I get the sense that this isn't the first time we met." Asgore said quizzingly.
"Perhaps. It could be that we met in a previous life. But I digress. The girl in your custody, we'd like her to return to us." Ozpin said, his voice becoming a slight bit more stern in his final statement.
"Custody? No, you have it wrong. It's quite the opposite, in fact. We wouldn't be happier to return her to her people." Asgore then stepped aside to let the youth reunite with her peers and, more importantly, her friends and family.
Before she could say anything though, Yang tackled her with a bear hug. "Never scare us like that again, Ruby!"
"Sorry you guys had to worry about me, and that I ended up being such an emotional burden on you all." Ruby chuckled a bit at the end of her statement.
Both parties could crack a smile at the siblings' display of emotion, and a rather heartwarming one at that. But now that a lot of tension was relieved, the two parties could get down to business.
"Now then, what exactly do you plan to do now that you've returned to the surface?" Ozpin asked.
"Us monsters have recently learned better than to hate all of humanity, thanks to Ruby. As of now, and for the foreseeable future, we have no ill will against any of you." Asgore explained to the group of humans, who still seemed on edge.
"And we can just take your word for it?" Glynda questioned, Asgore stepping back for a second before Toriel came forward.
"I'm afraid that's all we can give you for the moment. We've only just started to convert over to that way of thinking, though there are the select few monsters that have given the thought of a time of peace between man and monster. Myself included. All we ask is that you give us a chance to show you how we've changed." While the uncertainty of their peace was all but apparent, Toriel's words still had some power behind them, which was enough to sway the humans.
"Very well." Ozpin nodded, clearly satisfied with their statements. "We'll arrange for sanctuary for any monsters that wish to live on the surface."
"If I may, I would like to request we not be near any human civilization in the months to follow. At least, not until our relations with you have been further cemented. As well as there to be strict guidelines on who may and may not enter our abode. While yes, I would like to have peace with you, and while nobody here has hostile intentions, that doesn't speak for every human or monster." Asgore's demands were rather large, but still reasonable for the circumstances. Ozpin thought for a minute before answering.
"I'll have to run it through with Ironwood first before any actions can be done, but we'll do what we can." Ozpin stuck his hand out to Asgore as he finished his sentence, Asgore gladly accepting the gesture.
"Until the agreed arrangements are met, I'll inform the other monsters to remain in the mountain. That way, it should become perfectly clear to the rest of humanity that we have no hostile intentions." Agore, along with Toriel, Undyne, Alphys, Papyrus, and Sans, journeyed back to the mountain.
"Come on, we just got to the surface! Can't we at least see some sandy beaches?" Undyne complained.
"I'd at least like to see their modern anime." Alphys whined.
"What an odd group. When you mentioned stuff about monsters, I expected this to be the last thing I encountered today." Blake said, the rest of them still wondering what just happened.
Then, as Yang walked with Ruby back to the airship, she noticed something odd. "Hey, Rubes, what's up with C.R.?" She motioned to the iron on her back that used to be Crescent Rose, her signature weapon, which now resembled a sword rather than a scythe.
"Oh yeah. It got pretty damaged when I fell into the underground, and Alphys fixed it up. With… Undyne making some suggestions." She unfolded the sword, letting it extend to its full length- a good six feet long. But then, Ruby flicked a switch on the hilt, and the sword's blade extended into a blade of pure energy.
"Okay, what? Is that a Dust blade?"
"Not exactly. Instead of drawing energy from Dust, it draws it from my aura. It's a bit inefficient right now, but with a few tinkers I can make it battle ready in no time." The group was rather dumbfounded. This was the technological prowess of the monsters? Maybe their integration into society would be more beneficial to them than they expected if this was only a taste of how advanced their technology was.
But questions would have to wait for another day. For now, Ruby had to give a report of her mission. She told Ozpin, and those also present at the briefing, of the events that took place in the underground, including how she ended up down there. Originally, her mission was simple scouting, making sure the border was secure after the grimm invasion. The irony wasn't lost among those present how her mission changed in severity so quickly. She also made mention of all the benefits that the monsters presented to humans should they join their society, making special mention of the food they make, and its rather odd aura amplifying properties.
"I find it hard to believe they create food with magic, but then again, that's hardly the oddest thing to come of this whole ordeal." Ironwood commented. Strangely to Ruby, Ozpin said absolutely nothing since she started her report. She didn't know how they would react to the mention of Asriel's resurrection and eventual disappearance. She didn't even know if the souls they had were those of huntsmen. If a monster were to take the soul of a strong human, what power would that give, she wondered?
Questions for later, she told herself. She finished by saying that she wasn't sure what happened at the time of the barrier shattering, just that everyone else had their memories of the event erased as well. Ozpin took a long sip of his coffee, not breaking eye contact with Ruby.
"And you're certain nothing else happened?" Ozpin asked sternly, his tone like that of a father trying to force the truth out of a lying child. Ruby thought carefully, recounting the events that took place in the previous week. All she could think of was a rather odd power surge she felt within herself for a brief moment during her battle with Asriel, but she simply waved it off as the souls of all the monsters giving her the power to keep fighting.
"No, not to my knowledge." Ruby said, shaking her head.
Ozpin looked with both relief and disappointment in his eyes, placing his mug back down on his desk. "Very well. You're dismissed for the time being. Though, I would like to learn more of these 'magic foods' that the monsters are so fond of creating."
Ruby just gave a thumbs up as she took her leave. Ironwood waited for her to be out of earshot before asking Ozpin about the Goliath in the room."Do you really think she's inherited the Aster Soul?"
"If she hasn't, we've already lost." Ozpin said grimly, but a hopeful glint appeared in his eye. "However, she has already shown traits of it. Haven't you noticed?"
Ironwood looked confused. "I'm… not sure I catch your drift."
"Perhaps the Vytal Tournament will prove more useful than just reassuring the people of Vale, and by extent, all of Remnant. If she begins to show more symptoms of the Aster Soul, we must tell her."
"And the Aster Sword?" Glynda inquired.
"We leave it. It's not like we can remove it from its resting place anyway. However…" Ozpin's statement was never finished, though Ironwood began to take his leave.
"I'd like to investigate the Underground further. I want to see their technological prowess for myself." Ironwood said before reaching the elevator.
"I'll see what I can arrange with Asgore. I'll let you know when I got something for you." Ozpin said, Ironwood taking a bow before exiting the office. After Glynda left to archive Ruby's findings, the only noise that accompanied Ozpin, aside from the normal sounds of the office, was the voices in his head.
A/N
This rewrite has been a long time coming for me. And hopefully, for a lot of you too. For those unaware, this story is a re-imagining of my most popular fanfiction, Rose of the Underground, which eventually became the base of my most ambitious fanfiction, Escape Reality. And now, I hope Remnants of Creation will become something I can be proud of. Of course, this means I'll pour my heart and soul into its creation. So if it sucks, it's not from a lack of trying.
That aside, I really hope you enjoyed the first chapter! And I hope you'll all enjoy the chapters to come, all the way to the end! This fic will be as much of a gift to you all as it will be to me. Stay safe during these uncertain times, and I'll see you all in the next installment of Remnants of Creation!
