Ruby yawned softly and rubbed her eyes. She felt the faint warmth of sunlight raining down on her skin from above, coupled with the freshness of the breeze at morning.
The perfect summer day to bring a smile to her lips.
She sat up on her bed and looked around her house. A familiar voice reached her ears, singing a soothing tune.
"Rest, my child, 'neath the trees… Like its branches reach for me…" The door opened and her sister entered the house, her purple eyes sparkling with jubilation. "So, let me keep you safe and warm, here in my arms; think of the life that we could live, the joy- Oh hey, Ruby. Up already?"
The redhead perked up, eyes staring wide at her sister. Yang laid a basket of bread and fruit at a table and turned to look at her, raising one eyebrow slowly.
"Ruby?" She called amusedly. "Are you feeling alright?"
"Uh… Yeah," Ruby smiled. "Just sleepy, I guess."
"Well, of course you are sleepy! You should be sleeping!" Yang rolled her eyes. "The princess gave you an entire week off, don't waste it."
"The… princess?"
Yang put her hands on her hips.
"Yes. The one I'm meeting in half an hour? The one I bought these for?" She raised her right hand, showing a bouquet of flowers.
"Oh," Ruby tilted her head in confusion. "Wait, are you trying to court the princess?"
"Trying? Ruby, we're way past that point," Yang frowned. "You're acting really weirdly today, sister. You're the one who got us together, remember? Something about both of us needing love?"
"Huh. I guess I really am sleepy," Ruby shrugged. "Give her a hug for me… i-if that's appropriate, of course."
Yang shook her head in wonder and exited the house. Ruby waited a moment, feeling a tad dazed after the brief conversation, before getting up from her bed and examining her house more thoroughly.
There was definitely something wrong about it – no, it was a specific thing, but more of an overall quality. Paintings lined the walls, along with books colorful and light, old and heavy. Sunshine poured in through the glass ceiling.
And… by the Moon, something was missing, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what! Was it her favorite chair, the one that squeaked a bit when she sat on it, but never came any close to breaking? Or maybe one of her books had disappeared?
She looked at the back of the house, and a terrible feeling started to sink in. Yang's cage! Where the heck was it?
Ruby was so absorbed in her contemplations, she failed to hear as the door opened behind her once again. Faint footsteps neared her, and suddenly, something warm touched her right cheek.
"Ruby," Blake retracted from the brief kiss. "I wasn't expecting to find you like this. I wanted to wake you up."
"B-blake," Ruby turned around and took a step back, startled by the negligible distance between the two of them. "G-good morning."
"The best morning," the faunus smiled, and Ruby noticed the cat ears on top of her hair were uncovered. "Ozpin told me to go home. He wants me well rested for the expedition tomorrow."
"Expedition?" Ruby asked.
"Oh, I knew that would peak your interest," Blake crossed her arms arrogantly. "We're going to thin out the Grimm around the city, so the burden is lighter when we do it again at autumn's end. It's a small group – just Ozpin, me, Jaune, and a few more. We could delay the departure a few days if you want to come along. I'm sure Weiss would allow it."
Ruby shrugged and looked away. An expedition like that was certainly something she would like to participate in, but she was feeling rather off, and she knew better than most what that could lead to when one faced Grimm.
"I'll pass," Ruby said. "Maybe next time."
"Alright. Whatever makes you happy."
Blake reached forward to hold Ruby's right hand, and as she did, the redhead noticed something strange in that action. Blake's fingers felt strange, colder and heavier than they should be. Ruby looked down and, to her surprise, saw a ring decorated with many gemstones in one of the faunus' finger.
"That's a… beautiful ring." Ruby noted distractedly.
"…Yes?" Blake chuckled and threw her an odd look before walking to a desk and retrieving two cups of tea and a boiler. "As beautiful as yours, obviously. I'll make some us some tea."
Ruby blinked and looked at her own hands. There it was, in her right hand – an identical ring, in the exact same finger as Blake's.
Odd. But for some reason, just the sight of it made her feel… happy.
"Seeing as how we're both free today," Blake spoke as she prepared the tea. "We could visit your mother later. What do you think?"
"Yeah," Ruby answered quietly. Then, she smiled and repeated herself more animatedly. "Yeah! That would be wonderful!"
"After lunch, then," Blake decided. "We have the morning all to ourselves, after all. Summer can wait a little."
Ruby nodded vigorously, finding the idea very agreeable. Her mood took a heavy dive, though, as Blake cursed lightly under her breath and took a step away from her boiling water, her brow furrowed in annoyance.
"We're out of herbs," Blake sighed. "I'll go to the market to buy some. Take care of the water while I'm gone."
Ruby watched her take a few steps towards the door, then ran and stood in front of her, shaking her head.
"No!" She exclaimed. "Don't go!"
"Ruby," Blake smiled amusedly. "It won't be more than ten minutes, at most."
"No. You're staying," Ruby insisted. "As you said. We've got the morning all to ourselves. I want to spend it with you, and I don't care about the tea."
Blake stared at her for a few seconds before leaning down to kiss her. Ruby's eyes widened in surprised, but she soon found herself reciprocating with little thought about it.
"Wow," Blake retreated slightly to catch her breath. "You are eager today."
"I love you, Blake." Ruby blushed immediately. She hadn't meant to say that; the words just came out of their own accord.
"I love you too."
Ruby's heart fluttered with joy and she embraced Blake, burying her head in the faunus' shoulder. Warmth spread through her as Blake kissed her on the neck while rummaging through her red locks with her hands.
With a sigh, Ruby closed her eyes…
"Ruby! Stop! You need to come back!"
Her eyes snapped open in panic as she was pulled forward by her arms. She looked up, and though her vision was hazy, she recognized that Raven was the one pulling her.
Trees surrounded them from every sound, reaching colossal heights into the sky, their tops so close together no lights shone down at the ground. The only source of light were the pale, vaguely humanoid forms that shuffled around in the woods, seemingly aimless, and Raven herself. A wavering fire outlined the woman, and her red eyes shone in the darkness, filled with desperate determination.
As dazed as she was, Ruby still understood that whatever had Raven in such a state was something she needed to avoid at all costs, and because of that, she needed to cooperate fast. Ruby gritted her teeth and fought past her lethargy, letting Raven pull her away more easily.
What happened thereafter, Ruby couldn't remember, and much less understand. She only knew what she had felt – fear, grief, regret, and finally, relief, as they stumbled out of the darkness and into a beaten trail, where finally the treetops gave way for the gray skies to illuminate them.
"Blood and bones, Ruby," Raven mumbled, exhausted and enraged after the ordeal. "I thought I'd lost you. I told you not to wander off the path!"
She waited for an apology or an angry rebuttal, but instead, what she heard was a muted sob. Raven turned around and saw Ruby kneeling on the ground with tears brimming on her eyelids, both her hands covering her mouth.
"Ruby, it's alright," Raven stepped closer uncomfortably. How many decades had passed since the last time she'd found herself in this kind of situation? "It's over. We're safe."
"I k-know!" Ruby closed her eyes, and tears started to stream down her cheeks. "It's o-over. I know."
"Oh, Ruby," Raven sighed as she understood they were talking about two very different things. "What… what did you dream?"
"H-huh?"
Raven pursed her lips uneasily and kneed before the shaking girl. She laid one hand on the redhead's shoulder, while gesturing at the dark woods to either side of them with the other one.
"It's easy to be tempted and walk off into the darkness here. I don't know what exactly, but something about this realm is always trying to lure us away with our innermost dreams and hopes," she explained softly. "It feels so real, doesn't it? Yet wrong, at the same time."
"Yeah. I guess," Ruby looked away, and Raven couldn't quite decipher all the emotions that showed on her face. "I dreamed about… back home, but… not really. Everyone was happy. It was the middle of summer. And…"
Her cheeks became as red as her hair. Raven barely resisted the temptation to smile as she came to an idea about what Ruby might have dreamed about – not surprising for a girl her age, really.
"I suppose it would happen sooner or later. Now you know to resist the temptation and always stay in the light," Raven stood up. "You don't have to be ashamed, Ruby. We all have dreams that seem impossible, or perhaps even ridiculous. They're what makes us human."
"I… didn't even know I had those dreams." Ruby spoke with a mixture of fear and wonder.
Raven knew what the girl meant. She had gone through the same motions during her first days – or years, or months, or seconds, it wasn't easy to tell – in the realm.
"That's the thing about this place," she said. "It makes us wonder if we really know who we are." She paused, taking in how dramatic she had sounded. It was sure to not help Ruby deal any better. "Let's keep walking. We still have a long way to go."
"Raven, what exactly is this place…?"
The question came after hours upon hours of silent march. Raven had braced herself for the inevitability of it. She knew Ruby was a talkative, energetic girl, so if she was silent for so long, it could only mean she was wrestling with some heavy thoughts.
"I don't know." She said simply.
Ruby was quiet for a minute, but after that, she quickened her step to catch up with Raven, staring inquisitively at the woman's face.
"What do you mean you don't know?" She asked. "You knew about the dreams and temptations, and you said you went searching for me, and that's the only reason I woke up in the first place. So how come you don't know where we are?"
"I'm not the creator of this realm, but I've lived in it for an amount of time I can't quantify in any meaningful way. I've learned things about it – some things through experience, others through reflection – or so I think," Raven explained. "I don't know anything for sure."
Ruby blinked at her, and Raven knew all she had said had gone one ear and exited out the other.
"So…" Ruby interlaced her fingers coyly. "Are we dead, then?"
"No, we're sleeping."
"But if we're sleeping, then how come you woke me up, and then I dreamed again?" Ruby gasped as she began to connect the dots inside her head. "Wait, is this all a dream? Are you real? Am I real?"
Raven sighed and rubbed her forehead. She wasn't annoyed by Ruby's questions, per se, but they were frustrating to deal with and reawakened doubts Raven had put to rest long ago.
"I promise you I am real, and that we're not dead," Raven said. "I can explain further once we get to our destination. For now… can we deal with easier questions?"
"Alright," Ruby perked up and immediately moved past the topic. "What were those weird white things in the woods?"
Well, that would have been amusing if it wasn't disturbing. Apparently, Ruby had indeed stockpiled a lot of questions, and was seemingly going through a list.
"I call them Shades. They're what you would have become if I hadn't rescued you," Raven answered. "People who were trapped here just like us, got lost, and the illusion of their dreams was too strong for them to break. I imagine they are stuck in their perfect, yet fake, worlds."
Ruby frowned. Would being trapped in a perfect dream really be that bad? But, then again, it wouldn't be real. But, then again, was right now real? She groaned and shook her head, doing what Raven had said and straying away from those disturbing thoughts.
"Can they hurt us?" Ruby asked.
"No, but they will tempt you to become one of them," Raven shook her head. "As long as keep your wits about you, they won't be a threat. You might even get used to their presence."
"Alright," Ruby nodded. "So, is there anything really dangerous here?"
"Aside from the whole world?"
Raven stopped and pointed ahead. The gap between the trees to their sides was widening, and soon the trail divided into many different directions as it passed the edge of the forest. Ruby stepped forward slowly, her eyes filled with wonder and apprehension as she examined the horizon. Mountains rose in the distance, their peaks showered with thunder and lightning; just before those, snowy plains extended for miles, tormented by a fierce blizzard; and, most mind-boggling of all, rivers of lava snaked around, their glow shining beyond the veil of the snow.
"What?" Was all Ruby could say.
"I know. It didn't make sense for me either at first," Raven smiled humorlessly. "This realm is shaped by the dreams of hundreds, if not thousands, of people. It is only logical that the geography of it would become something like this."
"Wait," the redhead looked back at her companion. "What was that about shaping?"
"Exactly. This world is a reflection of its inhabitants, though most of them have little to no direct control over it," Raven started walking again. "Not me. I am rather… gifted. It's how I knew where you were and how to get to you."
"Because you are a witch like… her?" Ruby asked nervously.
Raven stopped briefly to look over her shoulder. Her red eyes bore into Ruby's for a moment, then she turned her head again and walked off. Ruby stood still for a moment, not sure what the best course of action was… then raised her shoulders guardedly and followed Raven with hesitant steps.
For the next hours, they descended a low incline, getting nearer to the wild settings Ruby had observed before. To the girl's relief, Raven did not guide her in that direction. Instead, they walked around the edge of the blizzard, and sometime after, they arrived at a rocky canyon. Several spires rose from the ground, like thin, miniature mountains.
Raven pointed at one of those, and Ruby noticed it had what could be considered a path to its top – like a rocky stairway that had formed naturally around the spire. They climbed it with care, Ruby holding Raven's hand, as she was afraid of slipping and falling to the hard ground down below.
At last, they reached the top. Ruby was happy to see that there was cave up there… as odd that it was.
"I made this," Raven stated quietly as she entered the cave. "It's useful for protection against the weather when the climate gets unstable, and the Shades can't wander up the stairs by accident."
"It looks… nice. Good work," Ruby said politely. "What do we do now? Are you finally going to tell me what's going on?"
"Later," the red-eyed woman refuted. "You should sleep. Everything will be easier if you're well rested."
"But…" Ruby gulped. "What if I become a Shade…?"
"Don't worry about that. If you dream for too long, I'll wake you up," Raven promised. "Besides, I have an idea that whatever you dream won't be harmful."
Ruby just sighed and lied down on the floor of the cave. She had already learned that if Raven wasn't willing to give any answers, she would get none, no matter how much she begged.
She closed her eyes and laid still, and for minutes, all she heard was her quiet breathing and the occasional thunder that came echoing through the canyon to their cave. She furrowed her brow, curled her legs, but as much as she tried, she couldn't fall asleep.
After a while, she felt a warm hand touch her on the neck, and shortly after, another one landed on the top of her head. Ruby opened her eyes briefly and noticed Raven sitting behind her with a far-away look on her face.
Maybe it was the influence from the strange real she was in, or perhaps Ruby was just tired, but she had a feeling Raven was imagining she was touching some else… Some other confused, motherless girl.
Ruby's eyelids grew heavy, and finally, she didn't have to make an effort of keeping them closed anymore.
Suddenly, she found herself standing in an unfamiliar village immersed in darkness. Ruby blinked and looked around, seeing only vague outlines of wooden houses. Torches were spread unevenly across the place, casting wavering shadows that ran along the ground like creatures of nightmare.
"Well, we can't just stand around and wait for those assholes to kill us all!" An angry whisper sounded somewhere nearby. "You know it's only a matter of time before they grow bored, so stop arguing!"
Ruby walked towards the direction of the voice, feeling strangely light. She looked down at her feet and noticed she was leaving no footprints behind, in spite of the muddy soil, and that she cast no shadow when she passed by a torch. She had to pause for a moment, if only to reassure herself that she shouldn't have to worry – at best, she was dreaming again, and at worst, she was dead, and the dead have no reason to worry over anything.
She walked around the corner of a house and reached the source of the voice. A young man with black hair and faint red eyes was leaning against the back of the house, his arms crossed arrogantly to match his condescending smile. A crude iron sword was attached to his belt.
"Really, Taiyang. I cannot understand you," he spat on the ground. "You know those stories where they mention knights burning crops, raping women and forcing the men to work for them? Turns out people didn't make up that kind of shit, and now it's happening to our people, but still, you want to show mercy?"
Another man stopped in front of him, visibly rattled. Ruby held her breath unconsciously as she took in his blond hair, blue eyes, calloused hands…
"Father!" She yelled and leaped at him, intending to tackled him into a hug, but instead, she passed right through him and landed on the ground again. "What!"
She spun in place for a few seconds, confused beyond hope, before finally understanding what was happening – she wasn't really there, wherever there was. Maybe she was having an especially weird kind of dream.
Ruby clenched her fists and looked away from her father, tears brimming in her eyes. Her first dream had been a cruel lie, and now this one was too. Couldn't she just have a nice, normal dream, for once?
She didn't catch her father's exact words – though he sounded very, very upset – as she was too surprised by the sight of the last person in the group. Raven was standing beside the dark-haired boy, her eyes trained on Taiyang with a harsh quality Ruby was already growing accustomed to, yet she looked somewhat… younger?
"Oh, I get it," Ruby spoke to herself, trying to make herself feel not so lonely. "You're all young like me. That's neat. And I guess you're Qrow?"
"I've never heard so much bullshit before in my life." The dark-haired boy interrupted Taiyang all of a sudden.
"Yeah, that sounds like the Qrow I heard of." Ruby nodded knowingly.
"Look, I get your point, Qrow! I hate those Atlesian bastards as much as you do!" Taiyang exclaimed. "But maybe, just maybe, we don't have to cut them to pieces like a bunch of mindless bandits! We could scare them off, teach them a lesson!"
"Oh! Brilliant idea!" Qrow touched his own cheeks and made an overly-adorable face. "And later we can have tea with them, trade stories, and laugh about how misguided they were!"
"Damnit, Qrow," Taiyang sighed. "Raven, you're on my side, right?"
Raven turned away slightly. The light of a torch illuminated her side and reflected on the blade she had on her hip. Taiyang's shoulders dropped in defeat.
"Well, I guess brute force and warmongering it is," he grumbled. "Can't believe Summer came up with this, of all people. She gave you two the go-ahead and now you won't even think of another solution."
"It's not about us, or Summer, or the knights," Raven said quietly. "It's about saving our people. If that means getting blood on our hands…"
"I can live with that." Qrow finished smugly.
"Let's hope you can live with that for a long time, then." Taiyang shook his head in disapproval.
Footsteps sounded behind Ruby, and she looked over her shoulder at an approaching figure. Her mind struggled to understand what was happening as a nearly identical version of her neared the group – silver eyes, red hair, flowing cloak… It was uncanny, if not frightening.
"Hey," she said cheerfully. "I got you a hammer, Taiyang. Is that fine for you?"
"Yeah, that's… fine," Taiyang reluctantly took the weapon she offered, then look at the right hand. "Summer, is that a… scythe? Are you planning on fighting the knights with a scythe?"
"Yeah? It has a sharp end and a pretty long blade," Summer shrugged. "Sounds like an effective weapon to me."
"Well, I can't argue with those points," Taiyang smiled slightly. "I guess we kill them all, now?"
A moment of silence passed as even Qrow shifted his posture in discomfort.
"That's right," Summer muttered. "We kill them all."
Ruby sat up and rubbed her eyes tiredly. Sweet Moon, she felt strange. It was as if she had been lying on the bed of the ocean for hours and only now had gone back to the surface.
"What did you dream?"
Ruby turned around to face Raven, whose anxiety was extremely obvious for such an experienced woman.
"Well, this is going to sound weird," Ruby laughed awkwardly. "I dreamed about… you. And Qrow. And… my parents…"
"Ah," Raven's lips quivered, and for a moment, Ruby thought she was going to smile. "That wasn't a dream, Ruby. It was… a memory, but not exactly. You weren't around when Qrow was alive. So, we can assume you tapped into either Summer's or Taiyang's memories."
"You've told me a lot of confusing stuff ever since we met, but this conversation…" Ruby sighed. "This one takes the cake."
Raven got up and ushered her to do the same. Ruby eyed her cautiously, finding Raven's sudden display of energy unnerving, to say the least.
"Let me explain this in a very simple manner," Raven said. "When I dream here, I can relive my memories… or my parents', or their parents', and so on. In the same vein, you can visit Summer's and Taiyang's pasts," she smiled. "Do you realize what that means? We can learn exactly how they were killed!"
Raven waited for a reaction, but Ruby only stared at her in silence. A few moments passed before she understood the full scope of the situation. Raven cursed under her breath and took a step back, her mirth replaced by guilt and remorse.
"I'm sorry. You certainly don't want to see your parents being…" Raven shook her head. "We can wait."
"No, it's… alright…" Ruby mumbled. "It's just a lot to take in."
"Well, it's best we take our time. There's a lot for you to learn about me, Qrow, your parents… How everything went wrong…" Raven said. "Maybe I can show you by taking you to a memory of mine. That could work."
"You're not certain?" Ruby gulped.
"As I've already told you, I don't know all the rules to this place. We need to learn through experimenting," Raven cocked her head to the side. "Do you want to try?"
Ruby took a deep breath. Everything was so confusing, and it felt like surprises were waiting to be thrown at her at every opportunity. Did she really want to delve into her parents' and Raven's past? What would she even do with the information she got from that?
She pursed her lips and admonished herself mentally. This wasn't the attitude she had been taught by her parents, by Yang, by Ozpin… When a challenge appeared before her, she didn't back down – she faced and overcame it.
Right now, that meant getting dragged into someone else's memories. She didn't know what would be waiting for her. Would she learn her parents weren't as perfect as she thought? What about Raven and her father?
But if it meant getting answers…
"Let's do it," Ruby stated seriously. A heavy moment of silence passed as she faced Raven. "…Uh, how do we do it?"
"Experimenting," Raven repeated. "Close your eyes."
Ruby did as she was told, then felt Raven lay her hands on her shoulders.
"Alright," Raven muttered. "Here we go…"
When Ruby opened her eyes, she was standing on the main floor of a crowded tavern. Raven was still in front of her, and hesitantly, she withdrew her hands from her shoulders. Fortunately, Ruby didn't vanish because of it.
People bustled everywhere, clearly not seeing them. For than a few times, people passed through their bodies as if they were ghosts. Ruby closed and opened her fists nervously – everything felt too wrong for her comfort.
"Where are we?" She asked meekly, doing her best to dodge anyone that came in her direction.
"The Roosting Boar. A tavern on the border of Mistral and Vacuo," Raven replied calmly. "There I am, along with the others. On that table."
Ruby looked to the right, where Raven was pointing, and saw a familiar group sitting around a round table. Qrow chugging two enormous glasses of beer at once; Summer making a statuette out of a block of wood while Taiyang watched discreetly; and a younger Raven sitting in silence with arms crossed firmly.
"This is just confusing," Ruby complained. "How old are you here?"
"This took place a little over twenty years ago," her Raven explained. "We'd just finished assaulting a mistralian lord's castle a week before, and were looking to work on another kingdom until things settled down," she gestured to the table. "Let's move closer so we can hear them."
Ruby nodded and went to stand beside the table. She looked briefly at Qrow and the other Raven before fixing her eyes on her parents. Summer was really focused on her carving, as if it was a matter of life and death. Taiyang was behaving very similarly, though his attention was turned on the carver herself.
"Why is my mother carving?" Ruby leaned down to get a closer look at the statuette. "What is she carving?"
"It was supposed to be a bird," Raven replied with a hint of amusement. "Taiyang was always picking up one activity or another, switching it up every couple months. He was interested in carving during this period, and Summer was trying to catch his eye by doing the same thing."
"Huh. I never knew about that."
Qrow slammed his now-empty glasses on the table and stared at the wood in Summer's hands.
"What the hell is that?!" He exclaimed, bewildered.
"It's… a bird?" Summer raised her shoulders defensively. "I promise it's a bird."
"It looks like… Actually, I don't know what it looks like. It's fascinating, I'll give you that," Qrow chuckled and looked to the side. "Maid! Barmaid! Maid! More driiinks!"
He then burped and almost knocked one of the glasses off the table. Ruby raised her eyebrows and looked at her Raven.
"He was a good man," the red-eyes woman said quietly. "I'm sure you would have liked him very much."
Summer sighed and dropped her half-finished work, then rested her head on her hands in exasperation.
"I'm so bad at carving," she groaned. "Can we kill some Grimm? I'm good at that. And taverns are boring."
"Tomorrow, Summer," Taiyang patted her back sympathetically. "We'll be on the road, and there'll be plenty of opportunities for you to use Crescent Rose. Does that comfort you?"
"Yes! Yes, it does!" Summer's eyes lit up with joy. "You always know what to say, Tai!"
"Urgh," Qrow rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. "Get a room, you two."
Taiyang got up and raised his chin proudly.
"You know what?" He grinned. "We will do just that. Lady Rose, shall I carry you?"
Summer squealed and jumped up, closing her arms around his neck. Taiyang gathered her in his arms and walked away from the table towards a set of stairs that lead to the tavern's renting rooms.
Ruby blinked and looked at the leaving pair, then the younger Raven, who was still as silent as before. The redhead frowned and looked at her version of the Branwen woman.
"Uh… Father… You…" Ruby gulped. She really didn't know how to put her question into words. "Shouldn't you two…?"
"No," Raven answered simply. "All in due time, Ruby. Watch and learn."
Just as she said that, the younger Raven shifted in her seat and looked over her shoulder. A few moments later, she elbowed Qrow lightly to draw his attention. He mumbled something intelligible over the hem of his glass before burping one more time.
"Do you see that man?" The young Raven whispered. "The one sitting on the counter? Black hair, two swords on his back?"
"Yeah, I see him. Been there the whole night," Qrow shrugged. "What? You looking for a rump, sister?"
"Qrow. I'm being serious," she elbowed him again, and not in a playful way, as his expression afterward told very clearly. "There's something… different about him. Can you see his eyes?"
Despite his sister's severe admonishment, Qrow still almost burst into laughter.
"No," he said. "They must be very dreamy, I imagine."
"They're red," she said. "I think – He's getting up. I think he knows we're talking about him."
"You are talking about him."
Ruby watched in expectation as a man approached the table. His hair was black, somehow appearing darker than Qrow's, and his eyes were a deep shade of red. He wore light leather armor and had two long swords strapped to his back.
Even in her ethereal state, Ruby felt drawn by the very sight of him. There was something about the way he walked, each step filled with purpose, and the way he pulled back a chair and sat down across the Branwen siblings, not bothering to ask for permission… It was as if he drew the attention of everyone around him simply by existing.
"Hello." He said simply.
"Hey, mate," Qrow took a sip of his beer. "What's your name?"
"I've used many names, and people rarely use my real one," the stranger smiled. "Most call me the Dragon, though."
"How blasphemous!" Qrow exclaimed. "I like you. Want a beer?"
"No, thank you. I don't drink," the Dragon's eyes wandered to Raven. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Flame."
Raven watched him without blinking. Her posture showed how tense she was, from her straight back to the hands she refused to raise from her lap. Qrow eyed her oddly, then put his glass down for good.
"I see you know who we are, Dragon," he said. "Yes, my sister is the Flame. I'm the Shadow."
"Ah, yes. The Shadow," the Dragon looked at him again. "I've heard tales of how you can infiltrate the most secure castles in all the realms and leave no trace behind. They say you can meld into darkness, make it into a mantle of sorts, to hide you in plain sight."
"Yeah," Qrow smiled smugly. "I spread that rumor. You see, fear is half of the job. If people are too afraid to fight, it's easy to-"
"I can set a castle aflame, if I want to." Raven interrupted suddenly.
She locked eyes with the Dragon, and he stared back just as intensely. Qrow hung back in his chair, looking from one to the other with intrigue.
"Well," he cleared his throat. "I'll be at the counter. Have a nice chat."
Qrow got up and moved to the counter, where he proceeded to get even more beer. Raven and the Dragon kept staring at each other for quite some time, to the point where Ruby was becoming actually worried about the whole situation.
"Where are the Reaper and the Wall?" The Dragon finally spoke again.
"In their room," Raven leaned forward, her eyes glowing. "What are you? Are you… like me?"
"It looks that way," he smiled slightly. "It certainly feels that way. Does your little band have room for a temporary companion?"
"Yes, it has."
Ruby felt a hand on her shoulder. She was pulled back by her Raven, who had been deadly silent for the past minutes, until she wasn't able to hear the conversation at the table anymore.
"Who was that?" Ruby asked in awe. "Nobody ever told me about him."
"That's because people only knew him if he wanted it that way," Raven muttered. "Your parents were smart to keep you in the dark, but it's time you learn about him… The Dragon, as he called himself. Bastard never told me his real name."
"Raven!" Ruby almost screamed in frustration. "Who is he?!"
"He was a powerful, greedy man, who was willing to go any length to get what he wanted. A proficient liar, though that was mostly because he had magic to aid him in that. And, I hate to admit it… quite the charmer," Raven sighed. "Basically, he is what went wrong."
After that moment at the tavern, Raven once again laid her hands on Ruby's shoulders, and they were transported to another memory.
They stood on top of the wall surrounding a castle. It was the dead of the night, and the sky was empty but for the moon, which appeared to be at its fullest phase. Ruby looked around, expecting to see the younger Raven from before, but the real one was the only person she could see.
"Three years passed since I met the Dragon," Raven spoke softly, looking down at the ground far below. "He became a full-fledged member of our group, though the tales never mentioned him. He wanted it that way, I imagine. Summer and Taiyang liked him, treated him as a friend. Qrow? Not so much, probably because he wasn't very fond of the relationship I had with him."
"Relationship?" Ruby repeated confusedly.
"He was like me, like… Yang. Children of the Moon, witches and warlocks – whatever you want to call us. He understood me," Raven said. "Qrow was my brother, but he never manifested the same powers. The oddest thing about him were his eyes. Growing up, I thought I was a freak… Some kind of horrible beast trapped inside a person's body. Until that night at the tavern."
Ruby stared at her companion in silence, trying to connect the implication in Raven' speech, but she didn't really want to reach a conclusion. Luckily, her attention was drawn away by a slight noise from below, like something scraping against a rock.
Suddenly, a shadow leaped over the edge of the wall and landed just behind her. Ruby turned around and saw Qrow dusting his cloak with a smug smile on his lips.
"This memory belongs to my brother," Raven muttered. "One of his last."
"W-what?" Ruby gasped. "This is the night he died?!"
"Yes," Raven crossed her arms. "And here comes the culprit."
Qrow walked back to the edge of the wall and extended his hand. He had an exasperated expression on his face, as if he had somewhere else he wanted to be. A few moments later, another hand gripped his, and he pulled the Dragon to his feet on top of the wall.
"You're welcome, mate," Qrow scoffed. "Still can't believe you can't just fire yourself up here or something."
"I can, but that wouldn't exactly be stealthy, now would it?" The Dragon chuckled. "I thought you, of all people, understood that."
"I do. That was just me showing my frustration about you being here slowing me down," Qrow rolled his eyes. "And that's not all. You've got way more important things you should be doing right about now."
"Raven doesn't need me at her side at every moment, if that's what you're implying. Her belly won't explode just because I went away for a few days," the Dragon noted. "And, if anything happens, she has Summer and Taiyang to take care of her."
"Pff! Those two can barely stay off each other when the whole group's together, imagine when their only company is a pregnant lady who spends more time asleep than awake."
Ruby took in a sharp breath and shook her fists at Raven, but they just passed through the ethereal woman. Raven diverted her eyes, her lips pressed together tightly.
"Be at peace, brother," the Dragon said smoothly. "This is an opportunity for us to spend some time together. Why ruin it by worrying over nothing?"
"Oh, yes. Now that you mention it, I am so excited to spend time with the illustrious Dragon," Qrow bowed mockingly. "Seriously, though. If you want us to be friends – sorry, brothers – the least you could do us is tell me your real name."
"Sure. It's Alexander of Witherberg."
"Hah. And I thought I was the funny one," Qrow turned his back to him. "Let's get this over with. The faster we get those cages and coffers empty, the sooner we can reunite with the others."
Qrow started to walk away, but the Dragon remained still, his red eyes focused intensely on his companion's back. Ruby shivered, a bad feeling coming over her, and that only grew worse as she noticed Raven refused to look directly at the scene before them.
"Qrow, wait a moment," the Dragon called clearly, his voice echoing in the night. "Do you have a spare pistol?"
"No, just mine," Qrow turned around. "Why?"
"I think it might be best if I don't use my magic tonight. The Moon is high. I might lose control," the warlock gestured apologetically with his hands. "Would you lend me your pistol?"
Qrow's eyes narrowed, and for a minute, he didn't move. Then, he reached under his cloak and retrieved a pistol, then tossed it over to the Dragon, who caught it expertly and gave it a silent look-over.
"There you go," Qrow smiled. "Anything else? Want my cloak in case you get cold?"
"Don't move. That is all," the Dragon's eyes shimmered for a split second. "Forgive me, brother."
He lifted his hand and took aim. One pull at its trigger, and the pistol released a resounding round. Ruby closed her eyes in reflex, and when she opened them again, the front of Qrow's attire was drenched in red.
Qrow stumbled once towards the Dragon, stretching his hand helplessly, and then collapsed over the edge of the wall and fell.
Ruby stared in shock at the place the Shadow had been standing upon just a few seconds before. A small pool of blood had formed there. In the back of her mind, Ruby wondered if there would be a stain there if she ever visited this place in present times.
The Dragon tossed the pistol away and buried his hands on his coat, then walked away, leaving fiery footprints behind him. Darkness encroached Ruby…
And suddenly, she was at the cave once again, sitting on the ground with crossed legs. Raven stood before her, a grim expression on her face.
Neither said a word for a long, long time. Ruby was too shaken by what she had just witnessed. In her line of work, she had seen plenty of people get shot, and had even been a victim of that herself, but the way Qrow had been unable to do anything even as he realized what was about to happen to him, and then he just fell… Such a cold, lonely death. Ruby hadn't personally known him, but she felt immense sadness for Qrow.
"Why?" She finally managed to say. "Why did he kill Qrow?"
"Many things can be said about how Qrow was, but if one of those is true, it's that he was loyal," Raven said somberly. "The Dragon knew he would become a nuisance in the future, even if he somehow managed to get Qrow to think of him as a brother. So he took the safest solution and killed him while they were alone."
"Did… did you know that happened?" Ruby whispered. "Or did you only figure that out here?"
"It took me a while," Raven replied. "I knew there was something wrong about the Dragon's explanation. He said Qrow had been caught off guard when they stormed the castle, and that he hadn't been able to recover his body. It was obvious he was lying – no way Qrow would have died like that – but he was just that arrogant to believe I would accept it, mourn my brother, and move on."
Raven looked away. Her eyes expressed sadness of depths Ruby had never seen before in her life.
"I would have done exactly that," Raven muttered. "But then he started to become very possessive of the baby, and that broke the hold he had on me."
"The baby? You mean Yang?" Cold sweat ran down Ruby's back as she sat up straighter. Every part of her was focused on Raven, waiting anxiously for her next words.
"Yes. I was seven months pregnant when Qrow died," Raven said. "The Dragon would spend every moment of his day caring for me – but he only really cared about the baby. He talked about how she would be more powerful than me, than him… How she would be a conqueror worthy of his name. Needless to say, Summer and Taiyang-"
"Wait!" Ruby jumped to her feet. "His name?"
Raven stared her in the eyes, and suddenly, it felt like a chasm had opened between them. Ruby shook her head fervently and stumbled back, her fists shaking beyond her control.
"B-but why?" She asked. "Y-Yang is… Is… You and dad, I mean, I don't know how, Yang never told me, but you two…"
"That… was a cover story. They didn't want her to know who her real father was," Raven spoke slowly, as if every other word became harder to get out. "I wish I could thank them, Summer especially. I can only imagine how it felt to craft a lie like that, involving her own-"
"Stop! Just… Stop!"
Ruby thrusted her fists down at her sides, breathing hard. A distant thunder echoed through the canyon, and the ground trembled ominously. Suddenly, a massive storm began to fall just outside the cave, drowning the silence they shared – but that somehow only made the situation tenser than it already was.
Raven reached forward to touch Ruby, but the girl gritted her teeth and edged away from her. She had endured the most gruesome tortures, taken on small armies, faced numerous hordes of Grimm, but she had never felt so afraid as she did now, staring into Ruby's fierce silver eyes.
"Ruby," Raven whispered. "You need to calm down. We can talk about this-"
"No! I'm sick of talking to you! I'm sick of all that stupid dreaming and remembering stuff!" Ruby yelled. "I don't want to learn anything more! My mother killed me, and instead of letting me rest, you want to tell me my sister is not my sister!"
Raven walked towards her, intending to embrace the girl in an effort to comfort her, but suddenly, she was launched back, smashing against the wall of the cavern. Her right cheek stung, and to her surprise, she tasted blood inside her mouth.
"Just leave me alone." Ruby closed her cloak around her body and marched out of the cavern.
Raven touched her cheek and walked to the edge of the cave, watching in silence as Ruby descended the spire and reached the ground below. Lightning flashed every few seconds, dazzling her vision, and finally, after one of these, she lost sight of the Reaper's daughter.
She was alone again.
Ruby walked for hours, not caring where she ended up, as long as it got her away from Raven. The storm didn't scare her, and though it drenched her clothes and made her hair stick to her forehead, she didn't feel herself getting sick, or even cold, for that matter. Maybe it was another characteristic of the dream realm.
She was very aware that she was the cause of the storm, but she didn't care. She was sad and furious, and it wasn't like there was anyone nearby that could get hurt because of it. For once in her life, she wanted to just let go.
Her parents had taught her to be strong, but she knew now they weren't perfect. They had lied to her, and someone wearing her mother's face had killed her – or something so close to that, it didn't make a difference.
Maybe she had done something wrong while she'd been alive, and this was the Hell the worshippers talked about. A false Paradise for sinners, designed to trick them and make them suffer.
If that was the truth, she wondered where everyone else she once knew had ended up at.
The rain didn't let up, and Ruby got tired of enduring it. She diverted her eyes from her feet to look around. Funny. She had ended up back at the edge of the woods. She unclasped her cloak and sat against the trunk of a tree. Its leafy branches protected her from the unending downpour.
Ruby laid her cloak on top of herself like a blanket and lied there for days.
"You're not getting inside this room."
Taiyang stood straight in front of a door, his fists closed tight at his sides. His blue eyes didn't leave the Dragon's red ones, even as the distance between them shortened to practically nothing, their noses all but touching each other.
"Is that so?" The warlock said gravely. "And how exactly do you plan on stopping me?"
"I don't know. I just will," Taiyang tilted his head determinedly. "Don't do something you'll regret. Raven is having your baby right now. Have some common sense and wait until it's over."
"There's a fine line between conviction and foolishness. Nevertheless, I admire you, Wall," the Dragon smiled slightly. "I will follow your wishes and wait."
"Good. But I'm warning you, even then, there will be a reckoning."
The Dragon's smile grew bigger.
"Ah, yes. A reckoning. I do love these."
Their conversation was cut short as a babyish cry came from inside the room, followed shortly by relieved laughter. Taiyang started to drop his guard, but before he could do so completely, he noticed as the Dragon's eyes shifted intensely to the door behind him.
Suddenly, the two of them were spinning viciously, gripping each other's arms, each trying to overpower the other. Taiyang roared and dashed forward, intending to slam his opponent against a wall, but instead, he suffered that fate. One of the Dragon's hand held him by the throat, burning his skin in agonizing fashion.
He struggled to free himself, but the Dragon refused to budge. His vision filled with black spots as he felt his lungs empty of air, and the strength in his body began waning away fast…
Something cut through the air, and the Dragon stumbled away in a daze, blood exiting from the back of his head in light drops. Summer appeared between him and Taiyang, wielding her scythe in both hands.
"Make another move, and I'll slice your head off."
"Oh, that's precious. Do you truly think you could do that? Kill me?" The Dragon looked up at her with a crooked smile on his lips. "You two are pathetic, and so was the Shadow. I would have killed you long ago, if I didn't have so much respect for Raven. But now I see you are too much of a nuisance to keep alive…"
His eyes flared, and flames sprung to life grandiosely in his hands. Summer stepped back, getting closer to Taiyang, as if she intended to protect him with her own body if necessary.
"Stop it. We need to talk."
The Dragon's flames died as he turned around instantly. Raven was leaning on the open doorway, breathing raggedly. In her arms she held a bunch of blankets wrapped around each other, forming a makeshift cocoon of sorts. A chubby little hand poked out of it, as if to try and poke her on the nose.
He took one step towards her before the cold blade of Crescent Rose touched the back of his neck.
"You're not getting anywhere near the baby." Summer warned.
"She's right," Raven agreed tiredly. "Taiyang. Carry it her for me. Then you two will leave me alone with him. I'll join you later."
"Raven, I don't think that's-" Taiyang started to say, but Summer cut him off with a significant look. "…Alright."
He walked to Raven and took the baby, who started to wail loudly. Raven looked at her, eyes glistening with tears, then bent slightly to kiss her on the forehead.
"Go."
Summer gripped Taiyang by the forearm and dragged him away into the hallways of the abandoned fort they were in. The redhead woman set a decisive march which was difficult for him to stop.
"Summer!" He exclaimed. "We need to go back. He's going to kill Raven, or – or worse."
"I know. I-I'm sorry," Summer's voice broke. "She begged me to do this, Tai. She wants her baby to be safe. That's our first priority," she stopped briefly. "We'll find somewhere for you to hide with the baby. Then, I'll come back and kill that son of a bitch."
The temperature rose in the hallway, and the walls reflected a fiery red. Summer started walking again, holding back her tears, and Taiyang followed without argument. He looked down at the baby in his arms and felt his heart wrench at the sight of two innocent violet eyes.
"What's her name?" He muttered.
"I don't know," Summer said. "Raven didn't have time to say."
Summer sighed in relief as she opened the door of the cabin and stumbled inside, dragging her scythe on the ground beside her. Her breath crystalized in the cold, and snow fell off her cloak in copious amounts.
"Kids! I'm done!" She yelled happily. "No more Grimm," she looked around the small cabin with a weary smile on her lips. "Taiyang?"
She stood there for minutes, her smile crumbling and giving way to a distressed expression. Eventually, she spun around, intending to head back out into the freezing fields, but instead, she slammed into her husband's chest and bounced right back inside.
"Taiyang!" She exclaimed in surprise. "Blood and bones, where were you?!"
"Hmm? Getting some dry wood for a fire, taking care of some Grimm you missed earlier." He shrugged and tossed a dozen logs to a corner of the cabin.
"Where are the kids?! Did you tell them to stay inside? I-I can't find them!"
Taiyang raised an eyebrow at her, and a quiet childish giggle sounded nearby. Summer looked up and only then noticed Yang, sitting on top of a tall wardrobe, wearing a mischievous smile, holding a redheaded baby in her arms.
Summer stared at her for a long moment, and Yang shrunk a little, as if she were afraid of getting reprimanded… but then, Summer leaned back and burst into laughter.
"You little, adorable imp!" She said. "Were you up there all this time, just to play a prank on me?"
"Yeah!" Yang giggled. "Tricked you, mom!"
"Oh, get down here, imp!"
Yang dropped to the floor and smiled proudly as Summer ruffled her hair. Then, the Reaper took the baby from her arms and spun graciously.
"Don't think I didn't notice you, littler imp," she whispered. "You're quite the prankster for a creature your size."
"Hey, dad!" Yang tugged at Taiyang's leg. "Can I start the fire today?"
He stared down at her with a contemplative expression on his face. His eyes met with Summer's for a brief moment.
"Alright," he said. "Just be careful to not set the house on fire, alright?"
"Al-right!"
Yang picked out a log from the pile and set it on the fireplace, then started to rub her palms against each other. Her tongue poked out of the corner of her mouth as she concentrated further.
Taiyang chuckled and approached his wife, eyeing the baby in her arms. Summer closed her eyes and nuzzled little Ruby's cheek, humming contently.
Ruby shifted in her bed and opened her eyes lazily. Her house was immersed in darkness, except for a little sunlight that sneaked under the front door. She yawned and stretched her arms out of her blankets, preparing to rise from the bed, but a hand pushed her back down gently.
"No, no, sister," Yang said sweetly, sitting beside her in a wooden chair. "You're not getting up today."
"Whaaa-?" Ruby rubbed her eyes. "What are you talking about? I've got work…"
"Not today, you don't," the blonde winked at her. "Ozpin worked you so hard yesterday, you deserve a little rest. Agreed?"
"Nooo… I want to be on the Guard…"
Yang rolled her eyes and smiled.
"I know that," she said. "And you will be, no doubt. But you've got to pace yourself."
"But Ozpin-"
"If he complains, I'll go to the castle and personally knock him on the head. That ought to teach him to respect my little sister," Yang leered at her. "Now, sleep."
Ruby shuffled under her blankets anxiously, but Yang's watchfulness kept her from escaping. Eventually, she closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep.
Sunlight poured inside the cavern for the first time in days. Raven opened her eyes and stared in silence. The storm had ended sometime while she slept, and now there was no sign that it had ever actually happened. She wondered if this had any meaning, but she already knew the answer.
Everything had some meaning in this world.
Hours later, a shadow feel upon her. Raven looked up and saw Ruby standing before her. Her shoulders were dropped, and her remorse was clear as day in her eyes. After a while, Ruby sat down beside her and leaned against the wall of the cavern.
"I'm sorry I left." She whispered.
"Don't be," Raven shook her head. "Are you feeling better?"
"Yeah. Much better."
"That's good," Raven refused to make eye contact. "Why did you come back?"
To her surprise, Ruby leaned against her and wrapped her arms around her – it was like the awkward version of a comforting hug. Raven tensed for a moment, but eased up shortly and allowed the girl to stay that way.
"I had a lot of time to think. To dream, mostly," Ruby said quietly. "It made me realize a lot of things. Yang is still my sister, even if we don't share blood. It was always a little bit like that, anyway. I don't see why anything should change now. I realized my parents loved us a lot, even though they lied," she paused. "And I realized you sacrificed everything for Yang, and that I'm the first person you've talked to in twenty years."
Raven finally looked at her, her eyes wavering slightly. She took one of Ruby's hands and caressed her fingers gently.
"I never told you how I know about your existence, or that Summer and Taiyang died," she said. "Sometimes, when I dream, I… I see Yang. Glimpses of her life. Her first steps; her childish games… Later on, her getting a job at the local bakery; helping escaped faunus; waving away a line of suitors…"
"It's hard, sometimes downright painful. When the Moon is high, and she's so helpless, I just want to reach for her and teach her how to deal with who she is… but I can't," Raven smiled shakily. "And yet, it's also comforting. I know she's happy. I know she's tough, and that she can take whatever the world throws at her. And I know she has you."
Ruby's vision blurred, and she pulled Raven closer to her.
"She had. Not anymore."
"Maybe so," Raven nodded. "Still. I'm glad you were there for her."
"Y-yeah," Ruby released her hold on the other woman and sat up straighter. "I-I'm ready. Let's find out what happened to my parents."
Raven smiled encouragingly and took both of Ruby's hands.
"If you say you're ready, I'll take your word for it," she said. "Now, you'll need to direct us to that memory. Focus your mind on Summer and Taiyang, on the day they died…"
"A-alright…" Ruby whimpered.
"Take your time. And don't forget I'm at your side."
Ruby nodded, then closed her eyes.
Snow surged around them violently, drowning out every other sound and rendering their sight of view almost null. Ruby looked to her right and saw Raven's vague outline.
"This is definitely Vale!" She yelled over the roaring blizzard. "I think I got this memory thing right!"
"It appears so!" Raven responded. "Whose memory is this?!"
"I don't know! Can't see anyone!"
Suddenly, fire rose in the distance, its luminescence tearing through the whiteness of the blizzard. A fierce scream reached their ears, and then, someone appeared before them, rolling wildly on the snow.
Taiyang jumped back to his feet and raised his arms, revealing a large hammer. Before he could do anything, a barrage of fire struck him and knocked him back down. His weapon fled from his grip and was lost in the snowy field.
The Dragon appeared in front of him, his eyes two orbs of fire in the midst of the blizzard. Taiyang screamed hoarsely and jumped, aiming his fist at the warlock's throat… but it was caught easily, and his arm was twisted viciously with barely any effort from his foe.
"Pathetic whelp," the Dragon intoned deeply. "You are as useless in death as you were in life."
He stretched his arm and released a torrent of flames from his palm, perforating Taiyang's chest cleanly and cauterizing it at the same time. The Wall stirred, then fell to the ground.
Ruby covered her mouth with her hands and stumbled back. The Dragon's eyes passed over her and she nearly screamed in terror, forgetting for a moment that he couldn't actually see her, much less hurt her.
The Dragon turned, and suddenly, he was knocked to the ground. Summer stood over him, silver eyes gleaming with tears. Her red cloak flowed wildly with the wind as she raised her scythe over her head.
She brought it down, but midway through the movement, the Dragon swung one hand at her and released a string of fire at her. Summer gasped and lost her balance, nearly dropping her weapon. He didn't waste the moment and stood up, then lunged at her.
Tears streamed down Ruby's face. She started to back away slowly, but her eyes were covered by two hands. Raven leaned beside her ear to whisper.
"Don't look. I'll do it for you. It's… it's…"
For what felt like hours, Ruby heard nothing but screaming, slashing, and roaring fire. It all ended with one particularly sharp yell, followed by several inhumane noises – like flesh being torn apart and bones being bludgeoned.
"O-oh M-moon, it's going to end soon, right?" Ruby whispered. "Please, just let it end…"
"Ruby. You… you can open your eyes. She's… alive?"
Raven withdrew her hands and Ruby looked at her mother, who was on her knees, taking in deep breaths. Her attire was ruined, and blood flowed from numerous wounds... Yet it was the Dragon who lay dead, his upper torso disfigured from the work of Summer's scythe, and his skull reduced to half of its previous size.
"But… But…" Ruby shook her head and blinked her tears away. "If he's dead… She's… Is she going to die from the cold? But then why…?"
"You."
A new voice cut through the blizzard. A young woman walked into Ruby and Raven's view, wearing nothing but a short dress despite of the weather she endured. Her hair was black as night, and her eyes as red as blood.
"You managed to kill him. Surprising, but… not much. He was arrogant, after all," she smiled humorlessly. "The Dragon. He actually dared to call himself that. As if he could ever wield a power of such magnitude."
"What…?" Summer looked up. Her hands snaked towards her scythe, which she had dropped on the ground beside her. "Who are you? More importantly… Do you want to die too?"
"Oh, you have spirit. How admirable," the mysterious woman stepped closer to her. "I won't be cryptic with you. There's no point, after all. You'll be dead soon."
Twin flames burst to life in her hands, and she leaned down to look Summer directly in the eyes.
"I am Cinder Fall, descendant of an ancient, powerful, and vindictive line. People like you – Vale-folk – betrayed us. You killed us, branded us demons and heretics, and took our throne."
She touched Summer on the cheek.
"And now, I will take it all back. I will destroy each and every one of you; tear down your homes brick by brick… And you, Summer Rose… You will have the honor of helping me accomplish it all."
She flicked her hand, and Summer's pupils shrank. Cinder extended her arms to her sides and closed her eyes. Suddenly, her entire body turned into flames, and they surged towards Summer, entering through her mouth and nostrils.
Summer's pupils returned to normal size and she gripped the ground below her, arching her back in pain. Her eyes flashed from silver to red repeatedly, the former disappearing sooner each time the shift occurred.
Then, she let out one final scream, and her eyes stayed red.
Cinder Fall cracked her neck, picked up the scythe, and rose to her feet.
The dream ended as abruptly as it began. Silence permeated in the cave as Ruby struggled to not start crying, and Raven registered what she had just witnessed.
It started to rain again.
"Ruby," Raven whispered. "Will you be fine?"
"Yeah," the redhead girl lied down on the ground and hugged her legs. "I just want to be quiet for some time."
"Alright. Be like that for as long as you need."
Ruby closed her eyes, but Raven knew she wouldn't go to sleep. Silently, the red-eyed woman stood and walked to the entrance of the cavern. The rain was not as violent as the previous one. That one had been angry, vengeful, scary… this one carried another message entirely.
Raven looked down at the ground. Her heart skipped a beat. A Shade was there, standing at the base of the spire, its unidentifiable head seemingly turned up to look straight back at her.
No. That was just her imagination, or a coincidence.
Raven took a deep breath and looked away. So now she knew the Dragon was dead. That revelation brought her immeasurable joy, but she would be lying if she said there wasn't a small part of her that felt sad. Horrible human being or not, he had been her kin, the only person who understood her.
And maybe it would have been better if he had stayed alive, if he were the enemy, and not this… Cinder Fall. They had no information on that woman, except that she was powerful, vengeful, and merciless. At least they could have exploited the Dragon's arrogance or his distorted sense of honor.
It would be a difficult battle, and one last question remained. Raven looked back at Ruby, lying immobile at the back of the cave.
How would she return Ruby to the real world?
Raven sighed and looked down at the base of the spire.
The Shade was not there anymore.
Holy. Crap. This was a challenge to write! I had figured before I started that this would be a long chapter. I mean, I had to pack so much stuff in here - the Dream World stuff, Raven, the STRQ backstory, the Dragon, Yang, Cinder... But I did NOT expect 10000+ words, which was what ended up happening.
So, the length was the main reason why it took me extra time to get this done. Also, I got sick for a few days, which does not help with concentrating on an already tough writing session.
I hope I didn't lay it too heavy with the exposition about the Dreaming stuff. It was necessary, but I think it could have been way smoother. Hopefully you didn't throw up because of it. (If you did, I'm... uh, sorry?)
Also, at the time of my uploading this, I have yet to check the chapter for typos and monstrosities of similar nature. Honestly, I am totally burned out. I don't want to look at this chapter for at least a day. If anything really egregious is there, do warn me. Sowyy for being a lazyyyyboooones!
(SPOILERS: Zwei still is Summer. Also the Dragon. And Cinder. And resurrected Fox. They're all the same person. Yep. That's the plot twist.)
-Zeroan