No Victory in Strength

by Cynder Sinner

Victory was not achieved through strength alone. With the world in chaos and everyone she ever loved dead, Ruby Rose is left alone to converse with the devil herself only be tricked and sent back to the past. But what she learns in the past will really show how little she knew about Ozpin and Salem's war along with just how much deeper and darker the origin really is.

Authors Note: I do not own Rwby, This story concept was inspired heavily by Coeur Al'Arans story 'Relic of the Future' and will certainly include some of the elements he introduced in that story but I will be doing my own spin on things with who is involved and how thing's are changed by someone else accepting the duty to go back in time.

Chapter 1

Ruby came to slowly, eyes struggling to open amongst this reality of sheer pain and utter desolation. The broken moon's light shone down upon the battlefield, splashing over the rubble and blood soaked sands, motes of dust floated in the air even as embers rose from fires in the distance casting luminence over the corpse laden sands. With a grating sound against the silence, the smoldering remnants of a Bullhead's cockpit slid down and clattered muffled against the sands.

It was the gritty dryness in her eyes and throat the drew Ruby from her addled mind even as it struggled to find the answers, tired footsteps began to lead her through the smoldering remnants of Shade Academy where the defenders of Remnant had made a final stand against Salem and her forces. Tired eyes of pure silver scanned over the desolation and found her heart aching for all they had lost, it had been a hollow victory in which much had been lost which left her to wonder on whether this was really a victory.

Her steps eventually lead her to the steps of the school where the foot of the steps she found the bodies of teams CFVY, JNR and SSSN lay together along with the unmoving corpse of Tyrian Callows, it had taken the combined efforts of three teams to finally bring the madman down but it seemed to have cost them their lives to do so. Her heart felt like stone when she saw the look of acceptance on Jaune's face, her legs stopping and she weakly whispered a promise through the tightness in her throat.

"You'll all get burials, I promise I'll come back for you." Her footsteps continued up the stairs till she found Blake and Yang, her sister and her sister's girlfriend lay side by side along with the corpse of what had become of their mother Summer Rose. She had become a grimm monstrosity and the duty had fallen to her sister and teammate to put her down. Tears stung at her eyes as yet again a promise was made to bury them. Her steps continued and with each body a promise was made to come back and bury them.

Finally she reached courtyard where the greatest battles had been fought, in one area where Cinder Fall slain by the combined strength of Qrow, Tai, Raven and Winter; It had taken the power of two maidens and two professional huntsman to finally put down the woman who had garnered the powers of two maidens but in turn they had also been slain. Yet the worst battle was further in with her footsteps leading her down to the Vault of Summer within which she found the bodies of the remaining Ace Operatives, Oscar Pine, Headmaster Theodore, Rumpole and Glynda Goodwitch all laying together having fought Salem who lay leaning against the open vault with an archaic blade stabbed into her heart. Until the silence was broken by a cough and broken words towards her.

"Is this...what you wanted..?" Salem whispered, even as her breath and words seemed to cost her more energy than ever. "This... is what... Ozma has brought you. Is it everything... you thought it would be?"

Ruby felt herself moving closer even as her jaw tightened and tears stung her eyes, her voice betraying the pain she felt in her heart. "No... It wasn't supposed to be like this."

"No? Victory is rarely what we expect it to be girl, This whole battle was merely the culmination to a game of chess that has waged through the eons of mankind's existence upon this world. You were not the first taken in by his lies so do not be so arrogant as to think you were." Salem's words while carrying a hint of mockery also held some form of comforting towards Ruby, it seemed that in her final moments with death coming closer the immortal was truly trying to comfort the girl who had lost so much. "But alas, All these endless sacrifices and after nearly ten thousand battles I have finally been bested, An eternal huntsman chasing the immortal monster all across Remnant. I seem to recall the Huntsman slaying the monster himself instead of sending countless children to their deaths." At this Salem sent a dark sneer in the direction of Oscar's body upon whose face was an inhuman look of triumph. "You know there might yet be a way to change things Ruby Rose."

Ruby tried her best to hold back her tears but alas they began to run down her face and she barely managed to form the words that she spoke, resulting in her words coming out as broken snarl. "Don't toy with me! All of this endless death and war is your doing, you are the monster that haunts mankind and even now you're trying to divide us. If there was a way to save them how could I do it!?"

Salem groaned as she sat up as best she could but rather than explain herself she withdrew the blade from her chest removing each relic from the blade than with a swing Ruby was blasted by energy from the combined relics and in that single moment, Ruby Rose ceased to exist in that time. The relics unmade her body in this time sending her through the elegant halls of eternity to the past with the relics reforging her body and mind while embellishing her body with a mark that would protect her from any temporal paradoxes she may cause. Darkness claimed her as she struck dirt.

The world resolved itself with the steady beeping of a heart monitor and silver eyes slowly opened to find a young man with blonde hair and blue eyes looking down at her seeming to lighten up when he saw her awaken, he moved forward pressing a glass to her lips and she gratefully drank down the water feeling her head finally clearing and the man smiled in relief at her.

"You took quite a beating, whoever you are. I found you in the woods near my home and got you medical attention which you desperately needed. Mind if I ask your name?" the young man was roughly around the same age as Ruby that being a mere 22. She winced as she pushed herself responding tiredly and without thinking. "I'm a Huntress, my name is..." She paused as she suddenly recognized who this was, it was her father Taiyang and in that moment she realized she was in the past. "Rose...Rose Calavera." Using her last name and the last name of the woman who had become an impromptu mentor. "Who are you?"

Taiyang gave her a warm smile and introduced himself, "I'm Taiyang Xiao Long but you can call me Tai and this is my house." Before he could continue a young woman with wild black hair and dark red eyes arrived carrying a tray of food and offered it to the blonde with the pair exchanging a kiss and Tai bringing the tray to Ruby. "That's my girlfriend Raven." Hearing those words Ruby instantly felt a sense of vertigo and it all went black again.