Chapter-53
Ruby, Ozpin
Ozpin could see the sky turn a fluorescent blue in the distance, sensing the massive amounts of mana getting discharged around him.
Ozpin trembled a bit as the shockwaves from the noble phantasms passed over the area.
So, this is the power of noble phantasms. Ozpin thought. He could see why there had been concern about the Altesian fleet being wiped out by a noble phantasm. They certainly were extremely destructive, even if they were not as deadly as the power of the Brother Gods.
And Odin, please do not take over my body like that. Ozpin spoke.
Apologies.
Ozpin then noticed Ruby trembling as her silver eyes continued flickering. Ruby's eyes suddenly rolled up her head before she started falling.
Ozpin rushed in and caught Ruby's fallen body, before hearing the sound of thrusters and noticing that Prometheus had already lifted off and flew off.
Ozpin then looked towards Yang. "I see Cinder Fall is dead. Congratulations on becoming the Fall Maiden, Yang."
"What's going on with Ruby?" Yang asked frantically as she kneel down to look at Ruby. "She just started convulsing after using her silver eyes…"
Ozpin lifted one of Ruby's eyelids and his eyes glowed.
"...Hm. Her unlocking was done in a shabby manner."
"What?"
"Well, Thane once told me that unlocking silver eyes can come from a desire to protect, but if not done properly, it can have some negative effects on the user's mind. In this case, Prometheus used my supposed 'death' and Penny's destruction to tear open the mental scars in Ms. Rose's mind."
"O-Okay, but is she going to be fine?"
"Thankfully, yes. With her being unconscious, her mind should have the time to settle down. We dodged a bullet there, Ms. Xiao-Long."
Yang breathed a sigh of relief before looking at Ozpin.
"W-What's happening out there?"
Ozpin smiled.
"Why, the grimm have been wiped out by Ms. Rose's unlocking. As Prometheus mentioned, this is the largest pulse of silver energy to be ever recorded in Remnant's history. Maria was quite right in saying Ruby had the potential to be much more powerful than other silver-eyed warriors."
"Wait…the grimm are gone?"
"Indeed." Ozpin spoke as he lifted Ruby's body and looked to the east, where the sky was slowly going blue as dawn approached.
"...The Battle of Vale is over."
Sigurd immediately ran to where he last felt Cú's signature.
On the intercom, Sigurd could hear the cheers of huntsmen across Vale, reporting that the grimm had been vaporized by Ruby's silver eyes.
That girl never fails to amaze me. Sigurd thought as he kept on running. Cú had put away his scroll in order to focus on his front, so Sigurd was running to give the good news to Cú.
Sigurd could see that it was slowly turning to dawn, with the sun coming to end the miserable night everyone had experienced.
Soon, Sigurd reached Cú's position, before stopping.
Cú's body was heavily wounded, his left arm was missing and there were several burns. The warrior was sitting, leaning back against his spear which was stabbed against the ground.
Cú looked to the side to see Sigurd and grinned.
"...Did we win?"
Sigurd's mask collapsed back to reveal his face, which was also bleeding from the head from when he crashed to the ground, along with cracks on his glasses. Blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.
But Sigurd smiled.
"We did." Cú spoke blinking as rays of sunlight started falling on his face.
Sigurd's smile was replaced with a frown as he came up to Cú.
"You're hurt."
"Eh, it's just some scratches. Those shouldn't be able to do anything, but…" Cú looked towards the sun.
"I was attacked by the Cwn Annwn."
Sigurd's frown turned from worry to sadness as he realized what Cú was implying.
"I noticed it after I blew all those phantasmal beasts to oblivion. The Cwn Annwn had put some death curses with each wound they put on my body, designed to kill quickly…"
"So your fate is sealed." Sigurd spoke.
"Heck yeah it is. The only reason I even survived this long is because I'm the great grandson of Balor. I've got some resistance to things related to Death and all that. But it's all run out."
"..."
Cú snorted. "If any of the kids were here, they would be bawling over my dead body right now…But we heroes are used to getting screwed over by life."
"That we are."
Cú chuckled. "Are you going to wish me luck entering your Volhaul or whatever…"
"Välhalla. Although, you would find Folkvanger nice as well."
"How do you know that? You been there?"
"..."
"Whatever…looks like the dusting process has begun." Cú spoke as he noticed his body slowly dissolving into mana particles.
"It's been a good run." Sigurd spoke. Cú had been his first servant companion ever since he came to Remnant.
Despite keeping a stoic expression, Sigurd felt nothing but a crushing sadness watching his friend die in front of his eyes.
"Hm…Morrigan is a pretty accurate representation of Fate - a Psychotic Bitch waiting to screw you over. Now I'm just remembering her seductive smile as she revealed herself and started laying down my future in front of me."
Sigurd at that moment remembered Skuld's cold stare looking right into his soul as she calmly inscribed runes on the fabric, possibly deciding his future.
You and I have very different perceptions of fate and the deities that govern them. Sigurd thought with a shiver.
"Hey…At least I can see the sun before I say goodbye." Cú spoke before looking at Sigurd.
"Just promise me one last thing."
"Hm?"
"Teach the kids to survive against servants." Cú spoke. "We're back to our full power, so things will only get harder for them."
Sigurd nodded. It was something he definitely needed to do. Even if he would try his best to protect them from facing more servants, he didn't believe they wouldn't get through this without facing more servants.
Besides, it was Cú's last wish. After all that Cú had done for him, he owed it to him.
"I promise."
Cú nodded before looking at the sun.
"Agus mé tús mo turas isteach Tír Na Scáthanna…" He spoke before dissolving completely.
A light breeze billowed through Sigurd's cloak as he stared at the ground where Cú once was. He knelt down and scooped up a pile of dirt where Cú's mana particles fell.
"...Is this always how it must end?" He questioned. He knew the Nornir could still hear him.
"Cú knew what he was going into…all of us do. But that still doesn't mean our deaths will not hurt those we were close with." Sigurd spoke.
He thought back to Cú's grumbling about the Morrigan.
I wish I was that defiant about my fate as you. Sigurd thought. But he could do nothing. Even if this was his mission for the reward of meeting his wife once again, Sigurd did not know what the Nornir had planned for him.
It's not fair, but really. We all learnt that our lives will always be like that. Sigurd thought.
You have earned a seat in Válhalla, Cú, even if you are a mere ghost of your living self. We will carry on the fight for you. Sigurd thought before he turned away.
What did I get myself into? Roman thought as he ran through Vale's streets, avoiding the groups of celebrating huntsmen that passed by.
He didn't know what exactly happened, but from the cheering huntsmen, he could guess that Cinder's whole plan had failed.
So, all I did was for nothing. Roman thought, scrunching up his nose. He'd stolen dust for Cinder, collaborated with the White Fang for Cinder, and he'd even got himself arrested because of Cinder.
All for everything to fail.
Roman had split off from the others as they were pursued by Raven and Qrow, before he got a call saying that someone had been dispatched to hold them off.
At least I'm still in one piece. Roman thought in relief. He hadn't gotten chopped to pieces by Raven fucking Branwen, he hadn't been roasted alive by Cinder…
…It honestly didn't matter that he was probably going to be declared as Vale's public enemy number one after this.
In fact, he would be honored that Vale would care so much to put him in jail.
All I have to do is call up Junior and book myself a boat to Mistral. Roman thought. He had some contacts within the higher ranks of the Hanzai. If he just managed to reach them, no one could lay a finger on him.
But, he needed to lay low and let things settle down before he could actually do that.
For now, I'll just call up Neo. Roman thought before texting Neo on his scroll, telling her to come to his location.
First, he had to regroup with Neo. Then, he'll maintain a low profile at Junior's. Simple plan.
He noticed a familiar shop - Dust til' Dawn - as he came out.
The same spot where he met Little Red for the first time.
Ah, little Red. Roman thought. Truth be told, he had almost wanted to laugh when he saw the bright idealism in Red's eyes as she beat up his goons. As someone who'd grown up with the scum of society, it always made Roman amused to see people like that.
He'd thought he'd be able to have fun playing with her, the little idealistic hero trying to catch the big, bad criminal. It would have been a fun game.
But of course, Cinder and her allies decided to throw a monkey wrench onto that along with Ozpin's special new troops, especially the dude with the spiky silver hair and the cold, emotionless mask named Sigurd.
Roman had seen Neo's frustration in jail because Sigurd had managed to take her down in just 2 seconds.
Roman was not that arrogant to think he or Neo could take on the elite bunch of huntsmen, but they were not to be taken lightly…at least not to Sigurd, apparently, who could somehow see straight through Neo's illusions and spot her real self with crystal clarity.
People like him really ruined the fun. Roman thought.
Roman then came out of the alleyway to notice someone sitting on a bench, covered by a red cloak, observing the empty street silently.
"Oh gods damn it. Red, you're just not going to…oh." Roman spoke as the same dude who'd saved them from Raven and Qrow looked at him, his eyes covered by the shadow of his hood.
"What're you doing here?"
"I was tasked with capturing Raven, and drew her and Qrow away from you. But some sharpshooting archer interfered in our fight and managed to nail me in the shoulder."
"...Who was that?"
"Hm, Orange hair. Red eyes. Wore a green suit. He had a human body, yet managed to push me to the point of retreat. He helped Raven escape."
"...Wait a minute, you were going to capture her?"
"For a petty thief like you, it may seem shocking, but I've gone up against enemies more powerful than me. I would have succeeded if not for that archer."
"...Well, so why're you here?"
"One last assignment before I leave for Vacuo." The man spoke as Roman sat down beside him.
"Really? That busy?"
"...Indeed."
"Well, I guess that's how it is for us criminals. Just trying to survive in a cold, harsh world." Roman spoke.
"You know, It sort of amuses me to see all the heroic complexes within huntsmen, especially this little girl who has a red cloak like you. They all seem to think everything's sunshine and rainbows in life…"
"...But the world doesn't really care for spirit and hence their antics." Roman spoke. "They'll just go and die like heroes do."
"..."
"Isn't that right?"
"...It is."
Roman smiled.
"...But it also goes both ways."
Roman furrowed his eyebrows.
"What do you mean?"
"Like how there are people who naively believe life is always good…"
"...There are also those who naively believe it is nothing but cutthroat." The man emotionlessly declared as he looked at Roman.
"They suffer because of the actions of others, yet they blame the world for it. They blame the world for what they bring upon themselves…"
Roman suddenly felt irked by that.
"What are you…"
"If heroes are delusional fools who refuse to acknowledge the darker side of life, then the villains are petulant children throwing temper tantrums and blaming the world for their own mental and emotional weakness." The man emotionlessly declared.
Roman frowned at that. "Was that an insult to me?"
"No. I am merely stating the facts. The world is the world. It has no time to bother for pointless things such as 'heroics' or 'villainy'. It's our fault and our fault alone that we decide to complicate things further."
"...yeesh, Atlas developed a robot huntress and even she's more emotional than you."
"What matters to me are the results. I have an assignment, I shall complete it, and that is the end of it. Beyond that, everything else is nothing."
Roman sighed. "Well, pretty 'fun' conversation…" He spoke putting finger quotes on fun.
"...Now, if you'll excuse me…"
The man's hand suddenly whipped around, plunging a knife straight through Roman's heart.
"...!" Roman gasped as the man pulled out the knife.
"...You are a petty thief. You only care about your survival, meaning you have no loyalty to our cause. Should you be caught, you would be spilling sensitive information about our operational structure." The man coldly declared as he snatched Roman's cane.
"But, it seems my superiors have plans for your apprentice."
Neo… Roman thought.
"Leave her alone…you bastards…" He spoke
"You said it yourself. The world is cold. It does not care for spirit, and that applies to both heroes and criminals." The man spoke as he held Roman in place, the man trying to grab towards him before his body fell limp.
The man pulled out his scroll, and called up his superior, the God operating in Atlas.
"Roman Torchwick has been eliminated."
"He has? Good job. Now get back to Vacuo as soon as possible. I'll call you in case I have some things to clean up over in Atlas."
"Understood."
"Oh, Assassin?"
"Yes?"
"Have you slipped in my little red herring?"
Assassin immediately cut a piece off his cloak with his knife and placed it in Roman's hand.
"I have."
"Good, good. Shame Raven got away, looks like her allies are keeping a lookout for her."
"Should I pursue her?"
"No, no. Let the big man handle her in Anima. Focus on Vacuo."
"Very well." The man spoke before cutting off the call and walking off.
Minutes later, Neapolitan would find Roman's corpse lying on the bench…
…Holding a piece of red cloth in his hand.
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Uh… Ruby groaned as she opened her eyes. She blinked a few times as light fell upon her, before focussing to notice she was in a white room.
Eyes are stinging… Ruby thought as she slowly got up to notice she was on a bed, hooked up to monitors showing her pulse beat.
"She's awake, you can come in now." She heard a voice speak.
I'm…in a hospital? Ruby thought.
"Ruby!" A voice exclaimed as Ruby noticed Yang grinning at her.
"She's awake!" Yang spoke as Ruby shook her head to notice Uncle Qrow, Maria and…
"...Dad?" Ruby asked weakly as her father, Taiyang Xiao-Long came into the room, his face a mixture of worry and relief.
"Thank gods you're alright." Tai spoke as he engulfed Ruby in a hug. "Qrow told me what happened."
"Uncle Qrow…?" Ruby spoke.
"Oz called me while we were celebrating. Told me to come to Vale General Hospital, and I found him carrying your unconscious body in his arms with Firecracker in tow. After that, I called up Tai."
Tai put his hands on Ruby's and Yang's shoulders.
"You two have no idea about the scare you gave me. One moment, I'm cheering from my room watching you two win the Vytal tournament and the next…I'm looking at Amity Arena crash on Beacon Tower…And then, I was terrified when I heard Oz's message."
"..."
"I wanted to run straight to Vale after I heard Oz's message, but Patch got attacked by grimm too."
Ruby's eyes widened. "Patch got attacked?!"
"It was just like all the other attacks. It was nothing like the stuff you had to face here in Vale." Tai spoke before smiling.
"But what's happened, happened. I'm just happy you two are alright."
Cinder's corpse suddenly flashed in Ruby's mind as a chill went down her spine, remembering how close she got to losing Yang and how she saved her.
I don't think I'm going to be able to forget that for a long time. Ruby thought with unease, before remembering something.
"Penny…" She spoke as tears welled up in her eyes.
The last thing she saw was Penny's head staring up at her.
"Hold on, pipsqueak. Don't lose hope that quickly." Uncle Qrow spoke hastily.
"Ironwood salvaged Penny's remains from the Royal Palace. Thankfully, her aura core was undamaged by Prometheus, so she's technically missing a body…"
Ruby looked at him. "...What?"
"Look, Penny's a robot, and the aura that's been animating her body is safely secured. All Atlas needs to do is build a new body, put her aura in it, and your friend's back.
Ruby's eyes widened. "...R-Really?"
"You can thank Ice Queen Winter Schnee for that. She was the one who found Penny and preserved her aura."
Ruby burst into a huge grin. She was going to see Penny again!
"But, Penny won't be back soon. Her body had a lot of expensive stuff built into it that's going to take Atlas a couple of years or so to rebuild."
Ruby didn't care. She was just happy that Penny would be coming back in the future.
"Speaking of which, that was one heck of an unlocking, Ruby." Maria spoke as Ruby looked at her.
"What?"
"When Thane first unlocked my eyes, I don't think I could even cover beyond 3 houses. You, on the other hand, your unlocking sent a pulse covering Vale and nearby regions, the highest area ever recorded by a silver-eyed unlocking."
"W-What?"
"I'm going to have a kick out of training you now, Ruby." Maria spoke with a grin as Ruby blinked before feeling her eyes flicker.
A multitude of voices suddenly shouted in her ear.
"Gah!" Ruby spoke clutching her ears.
"Ruby, something wrong?" Yang asked.
"No, no, it's just the way it was unlocked. Every single one of us Silver-eyed warriors hears weird voices whenever we initially unlock our silver eyes. It takes some time and practice to get those voices under control before we can stop hearing them." Maria spoke.
"And with the way your eyes were unlocked, the voices would be much more chaotic in your case. So I suggest not trying to tap into it for the time being."
"Got it…" Ruby spoke with a grimace.
"Where's Weiss and Blake?"
"Well, they did visit you. But…they've got their own issues and just wanted a breath of fresh air. Weiss is with Winter, and Blake's just on her own. I'll go call them." Yang spoke moving out.
Winter and Weiss stood at the rooftop, all alone as Winter instructed the guards not to let anyone see them.
"...Did you know?" Weiss asked in a cold voice as Winter frowned.
"...About the brand? No, I did not."
Weiss scowled at her.
"Weiss, I'm telling the truth. I was not aware of it. Adam never removed his mask whenever I fought him." Winter spoke sternly.
The two sisters stared at each other before Weiss sighed and clutched her forehead.
"And yet he did it with me. He did it to show me how wrong I was…"
"...Weiss, you're not trying to believe that they should not be put down, are you?"
"..."
"..."
"Ever since that fateful night, I've always had questions in my mind." Weiss spoke.
"Why even do this?"
"Why kill an infant, scar a child and essentially launch a terrorist attack on our family for father's abusive actions? Father was abusive, but nothing he did should have warranted such a hateful response."
Winter looked away with a frown.
"And father twisted that confusion into hatred for the faunus. Hatred for how they murdered Whitely and drove mother into a drunken depression…all because of father's petty abuse." Weiss spoke.
"And even then, those questions remained…until Adam Taurus showed me the brand."
"..."
"I understand now, Winter. Understand why they did such an extreme thing."
"..."
"While you and I were screaming in delight as we played with dolls in your room, faunuses were screaming in terror as they were branded in the mines. And while you and I played soldier games with our toy soldiers in our room, actual soldiers were executing the branded faunuses outside to silence them."
"It all makes sense. Why father would have me randomly put in my room with the curtains closed, and why I would soon start hearing distant gunshots from the courtyard. Why I would then see our cleaning servants rushing about…and why I would see stains of blood whenever I came to the courtyard after that."
Weiss put her head in her hands.
"It all makes sense…" She spoke, her voice breaking as she threatened to burst into tears.
"Weiss…" Winter spoke. "I can understand your turmoil, but you can't take the guilt upon yourself simply because of what father did to the faunuses. You are not like him."
"..."
"...Weiss?"
"...You don't understand."
"What?"
"You don't understand what I'm going through." Weiss spoke, remembering how Winter had left her to join the military.
"You had General Ironwood help you strong-arm father into letting you join the military. You managed to achieve your dreams and become a specialist, upholding Atlas' pride as you completed missions across remnant."
"Weiss…"
"But you left me behind in doing so. I'm no longer just your sister, nor am I just my father's daughter…I'm the heiress of the SDC." Weiss spoke.
"Father will eventually pass down the SDC to me, and I will have to step up to take its reins. With Whitely dead and mother unable to do anything, I am next in line to be the head of the House of Schnee, don't you understand?!" Weiss spoke, her voice starting to rise.
"I will be responsible for upholding my family's dignity and image towards the general public. I will be responsible for taking forward grandmother Sophia's legacy." Weiss ranted on.
"How can I do that when things like these are happening?!" Weiss spoke.
"Weiss, you're losing your head…"
"And you? You left me alone to deal with all of these obstacles by myself, all because of your dream!"
Winter's patience started thinning. "Weiss…behave."
"Behave? And you're still going to hold on to that instead of helping your own sister?!"
"Weiss, I'm not doing any of that!" Winter snapped.
"Of course you are! I was always there, I never failed to come and be by your side whenever father beat you to the ground for suggesting to join the military! I was always there to patch up the bruises you received when you came to that room…"
"And when I'm facing something similar, you just show some sort of 'sympathy'?!"
"Weiss…!"
"Just…get away from me! I'm losing my mind constantly thinking about your abandoning!"
"I didn't leave you, Weiss!"
"Yes, you did!"
"Hey!" A voice exclaimed as Weiss noticed Yang burst in, with a bunch of atlesian soldiers trying to hold her back.
"These dudes tried to stop me, but I didn't listen. Then they tried to tase me, before Uncle Qrow set them straight and helped me get here. By the way…"
"Ruby's awake!"
She is? Weiss thought with relief before looking at Winter.
Winter stared at her with hurt eyes as Weiss swallowed the guilt welling up inside her for yelling at her sister.
"Weiss…"
"...No, I don't want to talk to you right. Just…Just leave me alone, Winter." Weiss spoke in a tired voice before walking past Winter, who kept staring at her, and to Yang.
"Um…did you two just have a fight?" Yang asked as Weiss' lips quivered, looking at Winter who was now staring at the ground.
"N-No…"
Yang frowned before looking at Winter. "Don't worry, Ms. Schnee!"
Winter looked at Yang.
"As a fellow big sister, I know what it's like to get into an argument with your little sister. I'll have Weiss apologize to you later!" Yang spoke before dragging Weiss off.
"Yang…!" Weiss hissed before Yang shut her up with a look.
"Weiss, I mean it. You have no idea how much it hurts us older siblings whenever our little brothers or sisters say some harsh words to us. She may not look like it, but I can bet my right arm your sister is trying really hard not to start crying. So, you're going to apologize whether you like it or not."
Weiss sighed, knowing there was no way she could convince Yang against it.
"You're not like father."
Weiss bit her lips, trying to forget the conversation she just had with Winter.
Let me see Ruby. She thought, calming herself down and putting up a smile.
Right now, she could be afford to be a little happy with her team leader.
Blake leaned against a lamppost, looking at the crowd of people gathered by Vale General Hospital, all coming in to check on their loved ones who were being treated inside.
She could see some faunus citizens jostling amongst the crowd, trying to get in, but with some humans pushing them back to get in line first.
Even after they'd come from a massive battle that had almost destroyed their city, Blake could still see some lingering animosity between the human and faunus citizens.
She could remember Ruby's proud declarations of stopping the White Fang in what she had dubbed 'Operation Night Raid'.
I wonder if Ruby's woken up. Blake thought, looking at the massive building in the distance, with Ruby sleeping soundly on one of the hospital beds.
She wondered about Adam's surprised reaction towards Ruby's name. There was no way Adam didn't recognise that. He may not have met Ruby, but he HAD heard of her.
But from where? Blake thought. Adam never really talked about the period of his life between escaping the SDC mines and joining the White Fang.
He would say 'That is something best left alone. The people I once lived with were involved in fighting some mysterious organisation. They could not devote any attention towards faunus rights.'
Speaking of Adam…
She thought back to her confrontation with Adam in the night.
"You've done nothing but stop us."
Blake grimaced. She didn't want to believe it. She didn't want to believe that all her efforts did nothing for the cause of faunus rights.
We stopped the White Fang from damaging their reputation any further than they already had. Blake tried to assure herself, but then remembered just how many White Fang officers were shortlisted for Atlas' black sites located in the freezing tundras of Solitas.
With Atlas treating us with this much caution…Can I truly say that? Blake thought. Besides that, what she'd done didn't even improve anything.
I don't know… Blake thought. With how pointless her actions had been in Beacon…
…S-Should I even stay? She thought. Should she…leave?
"There you are!" Blake heard Sun's voice as she noticed the boy drop from a roof and hang from the lamppost.
"Sun, now's not the time." Blake heard another voice before noticing Aram, who was now wearing a black trench coat over his usual clothing, walk up.
"Hey man, can't help it! Vacuan blood and all that…"
Aram smiled before shaking his head. "Hello again, Blake."
"Hello, Aram…you were still here?"
"Oscar and I were in Vale when Ozpin's message came. The both of us were taken to the shelters, where I mostly kept the other citizens calm."
"Oh…Glad to see you're okay." Blake spoke with a smile. Aram was at least a nice person who'd helped her with Nepotain.
Aram scratched his head before pulling out a banana.
"So, where are the rest of your team?" Aram spoke, munching on the banana, before suddenly moving it as Sun tried to take it from his hand.
"Damn it! How'd you know?"
"I'm used to real monkeys trying to snatch bananas out of my hands." Aram casually replied before gesturing to Blake to continue.
"Well…Ruby's unconscious, Yang's waiting for her to wake up, and Weiss I guess is with her sister."
"Hm, so why aren't you going to join them? I thought you three stick together a lot when Ruby's in trouble."
Blake looked away. "...I-I just needed some time to myself."
Aram nodded. "I can see why. Do you want to talk about it?"
"Yeah, you look…really depressed." Sun spoke as Blake looked at them.
They were the ones who had listened and helped her out the last time she'd told them her secrets. She trusted them and her team enough.
"...I met Adam during the battle." She spoke as Sun immediately perked up.
"Adam? He was there?" He asked.
Blake nodded slowly.
"And you fought him?" Aram asked.
"...No."
"No? What do you mean 'No'?"
"It wasn't even a fight." Blake spoke biting her lip.
"I just watched as Adam tossed Weiss around like she was nothing more than a ragdoll to him. I watched it because I was a coward. That I couldn't lift my blade against the same man who I considered my mentor and lover."
"Oh…" Sun spoke.
"But that's not the main point," Blake continued on, "It was what happened after."
"..."
"..."
"Adam tore into me for running away. He said many things…and that is what disturbs me."
"What did he say?"
"He said everything I did - Running away, applying to Beacon, becoming a huntress - It was all nothing but to stop the White Fang and obstruct the cause for Faunus rights." Blake spoke with downcast eyes.
"...So he denounced your actions as nothing but counter-productive to the cause." Aram spoke.
"But…your team were pretty satisfied with stopping the White Fang with Operation Night Raid..."
"That's because they, as well as the both of you, don't see it the same as I do." Blake cut Sun off.
"I'm not insulting any of you, but none of you truly know the white fang like I do."
Sun groaned. "Blake…" He went to speak up but Aram silenced him with a hand.
"To most of you, the White Fang is a terrorist organisation trying to disturb the peace within Vale. Which is why its defeat is something that would be only good for you."
"..."
"But for me…It's-It's nothing more than a catastrophe. The White Fang isn't just some terrorist organisation for me, nor is it some kind of mysterious savior for the faunus who join it…"
"...For me, the White Fang was my life. I was born to its founder and former High Leader. Back when I was little, my playmates would be white fang members who simply wanted to have fun with their leader's daughter. Most of my childhood was spent in doing non-violent protests in Mantle, and most of my adolescence was spent doing missions for Sienna…"
Tears started welling in Blake's eyes.
"It was where I met Adam, where I met Ilia. It was the place where I dreamed a world of equality for both humans and faunuses. To me, it was practically everything who I once was."
"...I had put my faith in it too, perhaps more strongly than most others. And yet I suffered betrayal after betrayal…"
"..."
"First my father, who couldn't take action because it went against his non-violent methods. Then it was Sienna, who simply degraded the White Fang into retaliating only when they were attacked, with only me, Adam and the people who worked with us actually bringing back faunus slaves from human traffickers. Then it was Adam, who gave up everything we'd once believed in and fell to his own rage and desire for vengeance…"
Blake closed her eyes to try and calm herself.
"...But now, none of those hurt as much as the biggest betrayal I've ever experienced - my own."
"..."
"..."
Blake put her hand to her forehead. "I told you everything about my life in the White Fang. How much it meant to me, and how much of my life was spent within its warm embrace. After all of that…I ran away."
At that point, Blake couldn't stop her tears from falling.
"I ran away…just like that. No hesitation. No remorse. I simply ran away and applied to Beacon as soon as Tukson suggested it to me."
"Oh gods…It took Adam of all people for me to realize exactly what I've done." Blake spoke, clutching her hair.
She couldn't push down the disgust welling up inside her. Disgust had how easily she'd thrown away everything, and then done nothing better.
"Even now, I'm starting to have thoughts about leaving Beacon. Abandoning it like I abandoned the White Fang."
"And yet, what else do I do? I've done nothing. Nothing to help faunus even after I came to Beacon. I just slipped into the huntsman framework and started working against the White Fang. Maybe it's just better I give up and go away."
"..."
"I-I…Aram, a little help?" Sun asked awkwardly as Aram looked at him.
"Even if I am a friend, it is perhaps better that you, a faunus, talk to her. It would be more comfortable."
Sun looked between Aram and Blake before the boy pushed him towards Blake.
"U-Uhm…Blake?"
Blake looked up. "What?"
"I…well, um…"
"Sun…it's alright. Y-You don't need to waste your…"
"I don't think you should leave Beacon!" Sun spoke rapidly as Blake looked at him.
"Sun…I know that, but…"
"H-Hold on there, I'm not done." Sun cut her off as Blake kept her mouth shut.
"I don't think it's fair on your team, or on yourself…um…I mean, just look at how much you hate yourself for leaving the white fang!"
"..."
Sun shook his head. "Look, Blake. Did you like your time at Beacon?"
Blake nodded.
"Do you ever want to replace them?"
Blake's eyes widened. "Of course not!"
"Well…then here we go. Maybe you'll be having the same regrets in the future, leaving Beacon as well…"
"Besides," Aram spoke up, "Do you think Ruby's going to let you run like that?"
"Or us?" Sun asked as Blake sighed.
She knew her team leader well enough that Ruby would never stop hunting her if she left. Of all the people in Team RWBY, Blake considered herself the closest friends with Ruby.
Maybe it was because Ruby was very much a person with their own ideals that reminded Blake of her past self. Maybe it was that Ruby still stuck to those ideals that Blake found herself so close with Ruby.
And she thus knew those Ideals would push Ruby towards going after her.
Ruby wouldn't be able to let go of her like Adam did. And neither would Weiss and Yang.
"Well…but, what am I supposed to do?"
"Well, I…actually don't know. I guess you first take small steps. You stopped the White Fang from causing trouble, now maybe you can actually try confronting them?"
"..."
"...It's a slow process, Blake, but I'm sure you'll be able to do it!" Sun spoke as Blake looked at him.
"...I see." She spoke. "I'll think about it."
Sun let out an explosive sigh. "Great, just think about this later."
Blake's scroll suddenly rung, as she picked it up to see Yang's contact.
"Yang?"
"Ruby's woken up, Blakey! Get over here right now!"
"She has?" Blake spoke as she looked at the hospital.
"I believe Ruby's woken up?" Aram spoke as Blake nodded.
"Then you should shelf your thoughts to the side for the moment and go see how your team leader's doing."
Aram then looked at Sun. "I'll go pick up Oscar. Do you want to come?"
"Sorry, but I have to go with Blake." Sun spoke as aram nodded.
"Very well. Good day." Aram spoke before the three parted ways.
"You're already ready for a Broadcast?" Sigurd asked as Ozpin adjusted his scarf, belonging to the exact set of clothes that had been burnt off in the battle. Both of them were standing in a room outside of where Lisa Lavender and the Vale News Network had set up equipment.
"Well, as the public face of the Huntsman's association, I need to be very, very quick towards giving broadcasts in these sorts of situations."
"And how did you manage to procure the exact same clothes? Did you somehow perform Denial of Nothingness?" Sigurd asked.
Projection. His crystallised wisdom told him as Sigurd shook his head.
"Never mind, I have the answer."
"I was going to say 'no'. Even though there were a group of mages back in the Age of Mystery who had launched experiments to study the nature of Ether and the Void in order to comprehend the concept of 'nothingness' and then be able to develop the magic to deny it, it never reached completion, although they did get close."
"Your magi almost achieved the First True Magic?" Sigurd asked as Ozpin looked at him.
"Yes, but they failed."
My goodness, the more I hear of Remnant's magi, the more I'm amazed, even if they were living in their own Age of Gods. Sigurd thought.
"But anyways, you say Cú has perished?"
"Succumbed to his wounds." Sigurd replied. "I was there when his body dissolved back into mana."
Ozpin sighed. "Is that so? Well, that is a shame. Peach will be distraught when she hears of her co-teacher's demise."
"And there is one more thing I would like to say. This is something we'll discuss in detail later, but I'll give you the gist of it."
"Hm?"
"I wish to resign from my position as Beacon's combat professor."
"...Hm, is this because of restriction of movement?"
"Don't get me wrong, I enjoy teaching the students, but I have seen how far the influence of the Carrier's organization reaches. And I need to be more active on the field to be able to work against them, something which would be difficult with my current position."
"...Hm. I see. Then we'll discuss your resignation after this." Ozpin spoke before stepping out the door.
Sigurd then sighed softly, remembering his promise to Cú.
"Teach the kids how to fight servants."
He won't forget that promise. He'll make sure Ruby and the others can fend for themselves against servants.
And he'll tear down any servant who tries to put them to harm.
Sigurd suddenly blinked.
That was a bit too emotional. Odd. He thought before walking off.
Sigurd didn't notice that when that thought went through his mind, his eyes, for a split-second, flickered red.
"Good morning." Ruby heard Ozpin's voice as his face suddenly appeared on the television. In the hospital room, her family, her team and JNPR were with her looking at the TV, while Ruby had been talking to Weiss and Blake.
"You all have seen it already, but I shall official give the declaration - It is my greatest pleasure to say that the Battle of Vale has ended in our victory."
All the people in the room smiled.
"The grimm horde has been completely wiped out, and by estimation of the numbers, it will take years for the grimm of Sanus to replenish their numbers and recover losses they have suffered in last night's battle."
"All thanks to Rubes…" Ruby heard Yang mutter in pride.
"The grimm wyvern, which had been living in Mount Glenn for 500 years, was also finally destroyed by a man named Sigurd Sigmundsson."
Ruby's eyes widened. Sigurd slew the wyvern?
Although, he did say he was a dragon-slayer, so things like this are normal to him, I guess. Ruby thought.
"On the other hand, an army of the strange non-grimm creatures was also heading to attack Vale, but was thankfully stopped by another brave warrior named Cú Chulainn."
"Right, where's Professor Lancer?" Yang asked as Ruby noticed Uncle Qrow suddenly look down.
"But sadly, Cú succumbed to his wounds from the battle and eventually passed away in front of Sigurd, who has confirmed his death."
Team RWBY and JNPR suddenly went silent.
"He's…dead?" Yang spoke as Ruby looked away. Of course everything wouldn't be good.
Professor Lancer… Ruby thought. Even if he hadn't been as close to her as Sigurd or Shirou, Ruby still felt a pang of sadness hearing of his death.
"Oh no, what about Professor Peach? She really liked teaching with him." Jaune spoke as JNPR looked down.
"Of course, there have been many casualties on our side as well. We lost many good huntsmen and huntresses last night to the grimm, all of whom died a hero's death protecting this city. For that, I propose a moment of silence."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Now, reconstruction efforts will begin today, and Atlas has agreed to assist in rebuilding all the homes destroyed by the grimm during the battle. Until then, special camps have been set up by the huntsmen for people to take temporary shelter before they can return to their homes."
"Atlas' researchers will also be working towards trying to set up the CCT as soon as possible and bring Global Communication back to Remnant. For now, all the other kingdoms have been notified of our victory.
"What about Beacon?" Nora asked. "What's going to happen to it?"
"And as for Beacon Academy, do not be worried. The tragedy that happened after the end of the Vytal tournament may have significantly damaged Beacon Academy…"
"...But we will rebuild. Throughout its history, humanity has had many of its monuments and settlements destroyed by the grimm. And every time, humanity has constructed new ones in their places. Reconstruction and perseverance has always been our strength, and remains so today."
Ruby looked at the screen with interest.
"I shall be discussing with the other councilmembers the plans for Beacon Academy's reconstruction. I swear on my position as Headmaster that I shall make sure Beacon Academy is rebuilt, looking better than ever."
JNPR cheered while RWBY nodded with soft smiles.
"We're going to get back to Beacon soon!" Nora yelled in excitement.
"That we are!" Jaune exclaimed, with Maria smiling.
"Told you Beacon's just a buiding, Portie…It can always come back." She spoke.
"As for the students, this was supposed to be nearing the end of your school year, and the time for your final exams…"
"Wait, Ozpin's not going to hold exams after this, is he?" Yang asked in surprise.
"I have something to say. What you all did last night is something no academic exam can ever compare to. You all showed exceptional courage in facing the grimm even despite how much you were scared of them and how terrible you felt from watching your school fall. I have nothing but utmost praise for that."
"Which is why…I will be declaring the final exams to be cancelled, and all students will be automatically moved up a grade after the Winter break ends."
Ruby's eyes widened.
"Does that mean…our first year is over?" She asked as Tai grinned.
"Would you look at that? You already completed your first year, girls!" He spoke before immediately pulling out his scroll.
"Come on, let me take a…"
"You do that, and pipsqueak's going to die of embarrassment knowing her first end of the year picture was her in a bedsheet." Uncle Qrow suddenly spoke from the side as laughter echoed across the room while Ruby blushed in embarrassment.
"Better you do it later." He spoke as Tai closed his eyes, thinking about it before nodding. "Gotcha."
"The graduation ceremony for fourth years will be organised soon. As for those who will still be with us…congratulations on completing your school year. You all deserve a rest after this ordeal."
"I thank you for listening to this broadcast. Tonight, all of us worked together to ensure our great kingdom and its history continues to live on. Now, we must work together to ensuring things get back to normal. Good day to all of you."
And Ozpin's broadcast ended. JNPR quickly left the room to chat outside, leaving Ruby with her team and her family.
"Well, we should probably celebrate our school year ending, right?" Yang asked as Weiss smiled weakly.
"Thank you…but I don't know whether my father…"
"Your dad's going to drag you back to Atlas, for your safety?" Qrow asked.
"Yes…I don't think there's a spot in Vale we can go to."
Ruby looked at Weiss and Blake before an idea came to her mind.
"Why don't we do the party at Patch?" Ruby asked with a grin.
"Patch?"
"Hm, good idea. Part of Thane making the huntsman's association so independent of the internal affairs and frameworks of the kingdoms was to make sure no rich scumbags disturbed him in his retirement at Patch."
"Hold on…did you just say Thane retired to Patch?" Blake asked as Weiss looked at Ruby.
"You grew up on the same island The Hunter himself retired to?!"
Ruby scratched her head. "Hehe…I didn't tell you about that?"
"Of course not. Now it explains why you and Yang don't react a lot towards Thane's name! The both of you had to have met him in your childhood!"
Qrow smirked. "Well, you got them, Ice Princess. Pipsqueak and Firecracker did meet Thane a lot of times…well, more like Firecracker. Thane died a week after Ruby was born."
"And Ruby can tell you more if you come to Patch." Tai spoke as Weiss looked at Ruby.
"Well…I suppose then its possible."
Ruby then looked at Blake. "And you are not going to say no, Blake…you told us you had nowhere to go besides Beacon, so until then, you'll be staying with me and Yang in Patch!"
Blake suddenly recoiled at Ruby's aggressive proposition, raising her hands in placation.
"Fine, fine…I'll stay." She spoke.
"Great, then we can invite Sigurd and Tristan as well! And…"
"Achilles, Odysseus and Serenity are already heading back to Atlas. They wanted to stick back, but apparently something's fishy been brewing up over there so they need to get back."
Ruby slumped. "Oh, well…Sigurd and Tristan, I guess."
"We'll have it as soon as you get discharged and we all come over to Patch." Tai spoke.
"Now come on, give pipsqueak some rest." Qrow spoke as everyone walked out of the room, leaving Ruby alone.
Ruby's head crashed against her pillow. She felt so tired after last night.
Cinder's corpse…
No, no. Stop thinking about that, Ruby! Calm yourself down. Ruby thought. She didn't want to start thinking about that again.
I saved people…after all that happened, I finally did something that I could be fully proud of. I just need to keep my mind off Cinder. Ruby thought.
She'd protected the people.
She'd defeated the grimm with her silver eyes.
She'd finally done what a hero was meant to do.
Ruby then closed her eyes and rested on her bed, laying down with a peaceful smile.
In the Evernight Castle, Salem sat at her throne, with her fingers in an interlocking position as her gaze swept across the room.
All her acolytes sat at their respective positions.
There was Arthur Watts, twirling his moustache as he tinkered with one of his tools, there was Hazel Rainhart sitting with his eyes closed, there was Tyrian Callows absentmindedly humming as he leaned back on his chair ,there were the Asturias twins engaged in a discussion with each other and her final acolyte, a massive grimm shaped like a dog without eyes, which she called The Hound, sniffed the air.
The Hound had been the first grimm acolyte to enter her circle's ranks, often acting in ways that most of her human acolytes couldn't. Even after all this time, Salem considered The Hound to be her finest operative.
Salem smiled and lightly scratched the Hound's chin, with the grimm not moving at all, before a red light lit up near the chair at the opposite end of the table.
The light died down to reveal the Cloaked Figure, their glowing golden eyes merely scanning the room as they faced her.
"Apologies for the wait. I was caught up taking the reports from Prometheus." The Figure spoke before sitting down.
"...We failed." He declared as Hazel grunted in a bored fashion.
Always as blunt as ever. Salem thought. Her ally never found any sort of reason to ever hold back with his words, making it quite impressive that he was able to run a much larger network than her.
"That we did." Salem replied calmly. "All because of Cinder's foolishness."
The Cloaked Figure looked at the empty seat, where Cinder once sat. "Really? After assuring me about your acolytes' capabilities, I am surprised to hear you pin the entire failure of the operation on her."
"Vale falling was merely an added benefit. My main goal had always been the Relic of Choice. If Cinder had not succumbed to her pointless pride and escaped, then we would have had the Fall Maiden secured."
"I told you that hot-headed fool was not going to be able to bring results, Your Grace." Watts spoke.
"Your man also made a foolish mistake." Jax spoke up.
"Well, Prometheus did do it for the sake of experimentation and knowledge, so I don't know whether to judge him for that…"
"Really, Watts? Does it only take a scientific bend of mind to make you like a person?" Hazel spoke in disappointment.
Watts scrunched up his nose. "Prometheus is a marvelous scientist willing to go to lengths even I would be wary to reach. I have nothing but praise for him. The rest, especially that Polendina, are unworthy of my respect."
"Despite what you may believe, Dr. Watts, Prometheus chose to perform his little 'experiment' at an inopportune time. As a result, every single servant is back to their full strength with access to their noble phantasms."
"You cannot reverse it?"
"I cannot. Vale's ley lines sucked in the silver energy and transported it to others across Remnant. Now, my spells will simply dissipate whenever I try to apply them." The figure replied.
"But Salem…I must ask - how is it that a silver-eyed warrior accomplished this? You said it and I verified it that silver eyes should only work upon the grimm…so why did it affect my spells as well?"
"That is true." Watts spoke.
"I must admit…I do not know." Salem spoke.
"So we are dealing with an unknown variable, alongside Ozpin's mysterious contractor."
"What's so weird about it?" Gillian asked. "Didn't you say he was a god from your world?"
"He is…but Prometheus reports several instances and abilities that directly contradict whatever data I have on Odin. In fact, the mysterious energy he mentioned is something not connected to Gaia in any way. It is by all accounts something alien…which means the 'Odin' who Ozpin contracted is some alien entity masquerading as him."
Hazel frowned. "Does that mean we capture Ozpin?"
"No. Ozma's current form has had years of experience. Capturing him would be extremely difficult. It is simply better that we kill him, and then capture his next incarnation, who would obviously be much less used to using his power." Salem spoke.
"Excellent idea, your grace!" Tyrian spoke. "Shall I get down to that endeavor?"
"Again, no. I've known Ozma for years. I know him well enough that he can smile however much how he want, but he will always be more cautious after a victory than a defeat. You've seen how much he'd turned Vale into a fortress with his magical spells. It would be foolish to go after him at this moment."
"Not to mention we put all our resources in Vale into last night's attack. Our defeat has completely destroyed our operation, and it will take a long time before we can reestablish a footing."
"So, that means we will have direct focus elsewhere." Watts concluded.
"Indeed. The largest issue is the fact that Vale was the toughest kingdom to crack. None of its internal problems are as glaring as that of the other kingdoms, primarily because Vale has a very sentimental attachment to its huntsmen, which makes exploitation and souring public opinion extremely difficult. Perhaps it would be best that we move on to more volatile kingdoms."
Salem nodded. "Then we shall prepare for it. Speaking of which…" She looked at Watts.
"Who is this silver-eyed warrior who unleashed her eyes? I believe there shouldn't have been any such case after Summer Rose was eliminated?"
Watts rubbed his head. "Well, I went through James' report of all the students who participated…and I don't think you'll like their identity."
Salem sighed. "Watts. Out with it."
"Well, their name is Ruby Rose."
"..."
"..."
"...Rose, you say?" Salem spoke as her fists clenched. The Hound growled beside her.
"You mean that accursed bloodline her Grace hates more than other silver-eyed warriors?" Tyrian asked.
"Yes…it seems Summer had a child before she was put down." Watts spoke.
Salem was silent, sitting with her fists clenched before she sighed.
"So not only is there a silver-eyed warrior who can still use their powers…but it is a Rose of all people." Salem spoke, bringing her finger against the black-veined scars on her face.
"Then It is rather obvious what we should do with this Rose." Tyrian spoke. "We shall kill her."
"Kill her?" Hazel spoke with a hint of wariness.
"Oh come on, Hazel! I know you have a soft spot for children, but you know silver-eyed warriors are simply a big no-no here. The girl has to die, regardless of her age."
"Hm, I have a request." The Figure spoke as Salem looked up.
"Yes?"
"You see, Prometheus noted some odd anomalies within the energy readings of Ruby Rose's pulse. There is something about her that is different from other silver-eyed warriors. And I intend to find out what 'uniqueness' is hiding inside of her."
Salem frowned. "Is that so?"
"Yes. So, I need her to be brought to me. It doesn't matter dead or alive, although I do prefer dead. It would be much easier to dissect Ruby's corpse and study the energy than trying to do it with her screaming and thrashing."
"Very well! Then I shall ask for the honour of bringing her!" Tyrian spoke with a smile.
"That is fine. But I will be assigning some help." Salem spoke before looking at The Hound.
"The Hound has already tasted the blood of a Rose. It should have no problem tracking Ruby Rose. Wouldn't you, my pet?"
"...Yes…Your Grace…" The Hound responded.
"Hm, then I shall return to my work at the Temple. Right now, we will have to keep low for the winter. We shall start again once Winter is over." The Figure spoke standing up.
"How long before it is complete?"
"Another year or so." The Figure replied before vanishing in another flash of red light.
Salem closed her eyes, remembering all the humiliations she'd suffered because of the Rose Bloodline. She remembered marking them off as the most dangerous among the silver-eyed warriors, with only Ozma being considered more dangerous than them.
So, you left behind a daughter, Summer. Salem thought, casting a glance at the Hound.
Days later, Team RWBY found itself in the Rose-Xiao-Long household.
Yang was wearing a yellow tank top emblazoned with her emblem with jeans reaching down to her knees.
Blake was wearing a black leather jacket over a black shirt with brown baggy trousers and a beanie on the top of her head.
Weiss was wearing the same white pea coat she'd worn for Operation Night Raid.
Ruby was wearing a white shirt with her rose emblem emblazoned on it as well.
"Why are you two…wearing this?" Weiss asked. "The winter chill is slowly coming, and you are wearing clothes as if you're in summer."
"Winter sets pretty late in Patch." Qrow spoke up, leaning against the wall outside the kitchen. "You don't really need to put on that stuff until Mid-Boreal."
"On the other hand, you're overdressed for this, Weiss." Yang teased as Weiss crossed her arms.
"Now don't rag on the Ice Princess, Firecracker. Solitas' weather is pretty much Mid-Boreal Patch the entire year. She's just traumatized by her home's miserable climate like the rest of the Atlesians."
"Do you always have something against Atlas, Mr. Branwen?"
"Lots and lots. We'd be here for 10 years if I listed down all the reasons I just don't like going to Atlas…Unlike Tai, who just keeps me out of the kitchen every time."
"Don't turn the girls against me, Qrow! You and I both know how many disasters have happened whenever you set foot in the kitchen." Tai shot back from within the kitchen.
"I mean, he's not wrong, Uncle Qrow." Ruby spoke up.
"Do you see that fire extinguisher? We got that after Uncle Qrow nearly burnt down our house when he was in the kitchen."
"My gods, Winter's stories were all true." Weiss spoke.
"How long before the fireworks?" Blake asked as Yang checked her scroll.
"Eh, as soon as it gets to proper nighttime. Right now, the sky's still a little blue."
Fireworks had been set up across Patch. After many days of settling, Ozpin had announced that today was going to be the end of the Vytal Festival. Throughout the day, the final performances had been broadcasted from the Royal Palace to everyhousehold in Vale…
…And the final act - The Fireworks - were set to begin.
"Oh, did you show them, Ruby?" Tai asked as Ruby suddenly gasped.
"Oh my gods, I didn't even show you!" She spoke.
"ZWEI!" She suddenly called out before the girls heard a loud bark from upstairs.
"You…have a dog?" Blake asked with sudden terror in her voice, before a large dog bounded down the stairs.
The dog was quite big, with an athletic build and ears pointing up along with a well-defined snout. The dog's tail came out like a bush as its body was coloured in black and white fur.
Zwei suddenly stopped before staring at Blake, before he started growling.
Blake immediately jumped over the sofa and hid behind it.
Yang started laughing. "Blake, come on! No need to be shy!" She spoke as she reached over to pull Blake back up.
"No!" Blake spoke before Zwei barked at her.
"Zwei, stop scaring Blake!" Ruby ordered as Zwei looked at Ruby before jumping onto her lap.
Weiss stared at the large dog sitting calmly as Ruby scratched his ears, grinning happily.
"So, this is Zwei! He was a gift by mom on my birthday, and back then he was a tiny little pup."
"Yeah, he and Ruby were pretty much made for each other." Yang spoke pulling out her scroll and showing the picture of a little Ruby smiling brightly as she tightly hugged a much smaller dog.
"Look at them. Two little guys who have fallen in love with…" Zwei snatched the scroll out of Yang's hand and gave it to Ruby.
"...Hey, what're you doing, Zwei?"
"Zwei's on my side, Yang. You know that." Ruby replied before handing Yang back her scroll.
"Yeah, yeah, Zwei and Ruby pretty much grew up together, so they've got a really, really close relationship."
"Zwei's just the best dog, that's why." Ruby spoke as Zwei barked in agreement.
Yang then looked behind the sofa. "Blake, just come out, will you?"
Blake came up from behind the sofa, looking at Zwei, who stared back at her with a sort of intelligence no normal dog should have.
Blake could also swear she saw the corners of Zwei's mouth turn up.
"This dog is going to enjoy making me suffer…" Blake muttered as she sat back down.
"Don't worry about that, Blakey. Zwei listens to Ruby, no matter what. He's not going to pull anything on you." Yang spoke.
Weiss then checked her watch.
"Sigurd and the others still haven't arrived." She muttered before they heard a knock on the door.
"I think they're here." Qrow spoke as he went to open the door, to see Sigurd and Tristan.
Sigurd was standing with a massive black jacket that went down to his knees with a hood, under a purple sweatshirt that also had a hood. Sigurd was wearing black trousers and grey shoes.
Beside him, Tristan wore a grey shirt that was unbuttoned from the top, with teal green trousers and brown shoes.
"Welcome to the Patch household, you two!" Qrow spoke as Sigurd nodded back.
"Good evening, Qrow. Good evening, Team RWBY." Sigurd spoke as he and Tristan walked in.
"Woah, there! You look like a hacker with that grey and black jacket, Professor!" Yang spoke as Sigurd sat down.
"Hm, modern clothing isn't too bad." He spoke as Tristan leaned back.
"I think they are more comfortable than our usual tunics."
"That I agree, Tristan. Goodness me, it was a struggle not to itch whenever our tunics would irritate our skin in much warmer climates."
"What about the other two? Richard and Robin?" Qrow asked.
"They wanted to check out Vale, since it's their first time coming to the capital. They said they'll come over to visit in a future time." Sigurd replied.
With that, Tai and Qrow came in with snack as they all began chatting.
"So, you killed the wyvern with your noble phantasm?" Weiss asked.
"I had some help with my Runes as well." Sigurd spoke before opening his palm as a soft X shaped symbol glowed.
Weiss stared at it before looking at Sigurd. "These Runes…could you teach me how to use them?"
Sigurd smiled. "Well, I see no problem with that. But I must tell you, Runic magecraft is something that requires a lot of creativity from its user."
"Well, we know Weiss has failed already." Yang spoke as Weiss ignored the jab at her.
"Hm, those are pretty familiar symbols." Qrow spoke.
"They are?"
"You mean…the symbols in my room?" Ruby asked.
"Hm, Maria did say your stuff's pretty similar to the culture of Sylfirheim."
"Home of Silver." Sigurd translated. "Perhaps Ruby could show me her room."
Ruby nodded and went upstairs with Sigurd.
"Here we are!" Ruby spoke as Sigurd took it in. The room had a bedroom and a shelves filled with comic books as well as fairytale stories, along with many sort of cassettes that Sigurd could see be played on a music system.
But beside the modern items, Sigurd could also see some extremely familiar things.
First there was a piece of paper written in a language almost identical to Old Norse. Then Sigurd could see wood carving designs in the Nordic style he was familiar with hung on the walls as well. The wood carvings were of trees, weapons and animals.
"Well, Uncle Qrow said this room used to be my great grandfather's before he died. The comic books and all that are mine…but those wood carvings and runic stuff…those were all carved by him."
I can see why Maria describes the culture of silver-eyed warriors being identical to Scandinavian culture. Sigurd thought.
He read the paper, which was clearly a Skaldic poem filled with numerous Kennings, that seemed to be a sort of historical chronicle of the silver-eyed warriors.
"Your great grandfather was a fine poet, Ruby…" Sigurd spoke. "This is some fine skaldic poetry he's written."
"Really? Well, I never really learnt that language, so…"
"I suppose I can teach you that as well." Sigurd spoke.
"It seems your great-grandfather's mother tongue was a language identical to Old Norse. So, I suppose I can teach you your forefathers' tongue."
"Oh, that sounds cool!" Ruby spoke before Sigurd noticed a small cabinet.
"Hm, I wonder what…" Sigurd opened the cabinet to see another wood carving, except it was much more detailed and clearly described a scene unlike the other ones in three panels.
In the first panel, Sigurd saw a person in a cloak, with a dog-like creature behind them, brandishing a sort of weapon that looked like a scythe at a much taller person with long claws holding a sceptre. They seemed to be fighting in a room that was open to a sky filled with stars.
In the next panel, Sigurd noticed the two people clashing against each other with the wolf trying to jump upon the sceptre-wielder. The shorter person had some sort of rays of light coming from their eyes
And in the final panel, Sigurd noticed the cloaked person laying down, with a sort of blindfold on their eyes while the dog sat on top of their body in a grieving position.
Sigurd then looked at the description.
"...Hlīþrō…Odd description." He spoke.
"So, how's the room?" Ruby asked.
"Quite interesting. I love the wood carvings." Sigurd spoke as Ruby grinned before the two came back to the room.
After some time of chatting, Ruby got up.
"Alright, guys. We need to take you somewhere." Ruby spoke. "It's a great spot from where we can see the fireworks." She spoke.
"Really? I thought we'd seen enough of Patch."
"No, no! You haven't seen the most famous one yet." Ruby spoke as Weiss and Blake looked at each other before shrugging.
"Alright, let's go then." Blake spoke before Team RWBY went out of the door, with Zwei going behind them.
"Just come back, quickly!" Tai called out as Team RWBY went behind the house and began heading towards the cliffs.
"So, what is this about?" Weiss asked.
"Hold on, I'll show you when we get there." Ruby spoke.
The four girls continued walking to the cliff before they came upon a spot. The place had three graves overlooking the sea, each engraved with a familiar rose emblem.
Blake frowned. "Ruby…is this your mother's grave?"
Ruby's smile turned brittle. "W-Well, yes…but that's not what I want to show you, actually!"
She then took them past Summer Rose's grave to the leftmost grave.
"And I laugh in the face of Death." Blake read out before looking at the name and her eyes bulged out.
"What happened/ Why'd you…what." Weiss spoke as she and Blake stared flabbergasted at the grave, which read:
Here lies
THANE ROSE
Loving Father
The best teacher
Legendary huntsman
"T-Thane…Rose?" Weiss spoke as she looked at Ruby.
"Yup, Thane was my great-grandpa…" Ruby spoke chuckling. "...Uhm, Surprise!"
"You're telling me…that you're the great-granddaughter of the Founder of the Huntsman system?!" Blake spoke as Yang grinned.
"Heck yeah she is! Man, Thane would sing me some of his tribe's old songs to lull me to sleep at night. They were pretty fun!"
"Look at Ice Princess' face." Qrow spoke as he walked up, with Maria behind him. "I bet none of you were expecting Ruby to be related to Thane, were you?"
"I-I thought Thane was just a family friend of yours. You didn't say he was Ruby's…!"
"Thane was the one who founded the Patch's community. He brought in many veterans of the great war who were pretty tired with life to settle down at Patch. He married a local fisherman's daughter, Alpina, and settled down with her at the very house you all just live." Maria spoke.
"When did you come?" Blake asked.
Maria then went up to Thane's grave and sighed sadly, before looking at RWBY.
"I always visit my mentor's grave every Vytal Festival with Ruby and Yang." Maria replied.
"After all, he and his colleagues fought tooth and nail to end the great war and make sure the grimm don't destroy any more human settlements than they already have."
Maria then pulled out a picture, which showed a much older Thane with grey hair that still retained some red highlights, smiling happily as he stood surrounded by a bunch of teenagers in Beacon uniform, which included Summer Rose.
"That's Thane standing with all the Beacon graduates from Patch. He was the one who would tell stories to all the little kids in Patch about his exploits, and that would often inspire many of them to become huntsmen." Maria spoke.
"And then there's Thane's armor, which we've got in our shed. Dad always cleans it on a weekly basis."
"Good thing he does. I would have strangled Tai if he let Thane's armor start collecting rust." Maria spoke as everyone shared a laugh.
Maria then looked at Ruby. "Ruby, say your words to your mother."
Ruby nodded before walking up to her mother's grave, while Yang took Weiss and Blake to the side.
"H-Hey, mom. I've got some amazing news for you. I just completed my first year at Beacon. So, only three more years to go…I guess?" Ruby spoke before chuckling.
"Then, then, I managed to win this year's Vytal trophy!" She spoke before frowning. "...Although some bad stuff happened after that."
"...But we managed to get through it, which is why I'm talking to you right now." Ruby spoke before looking down.
"Also, one last thing. I…joined Ozpin's circle, which I guess you used to be a part of."
"I know there's going to be a lot of dangers coming with the job, and I'll be having a target on my back because of my eyes. So…"
Ruby smiled at her mother's grave. "I just want your blessings to wish me luck for the future. Because I'm really going to need it."
"Ruby! It's started!" Ruby heard Yang speak before she noticed fireworks exploding in the sky, all with the colors of the Four Kingdoms to represent peace, unity and harmony.
The girls noticed Tai, Sigurd and Tristan also come up as well, with the two servants smiling as they looked up at the sky.
Ruby then looked at Summer Rose's grave. "Alright, mom. Let's see the fireworks together."
She then ran over to the others, and joined her team. The four girls lay down on the grass and looked up at the fireworks exploding in the sky.
Ruby lay down to see sparkles in her friends' eyes as they stared up at the bright colours. Yang was cracking jokes and making Blake and Weiss giggle.
"Come on, group picture!" Yang spoke as she pulled out her scroll and clicked a picture of the four girls.
"Enjoying fireworks after ending school year, perfect way to end things off!" Yang spoke.
Meanwhile, Maria simply stood calmly looking at the fireworks, while chastising Qrow, who was taking a swig from his flask and Tai, who fiddled around with his lighter.
Tristan stood strumming a soft melodious tune on Failnaught, while Sigurd had started singing poems in Old norse with a really great singing voice.
Ruby looked at them with a soft smile.
We've come a long way. She thought. They went from Weiss' rude attitude towards the entire team, Blake's lack of trust for everyone else, Yang's short-temper and Ruby's own shyness threatening to tear them team apart…
…To joking and smiling like best friends, enjoying their time together even after the mental burdens that were in each of their minds.
Team RWBY was now a proper team, all ready to face the challenges life would throw at them.
For now, Ruby simply smiled and looked at the fireworks, enjoying the night with her four best friends.
Team RWBY didn't notice it, but beside Ruby, something shimmered into existence. A humanoid whose body was transparent like a ghost's.
They were a man wearing a black cloak with stormy grey border, with short but spiky hair combed forwards that was the same shade of red as Ruby's. He had a light facial hair
The man's eyes were a metallic silver, filled with experience in combat, and on his black cloak, the same silver rose emblem Ruby now wore on hers shined.
Thane Rose smiled as his hand passed through Ruby's head.
So she finally did it. He thought as he looked up at the fireworks.
He could remember Sophia's massive argument with Perseus in Oz's throne room in Vale on how they were going to end off the Vytal proceedings, while Thane had been off to the side munching on some chocolate.
To think that hilarious argument's legacy is going on in front of my eyes. Thane thought.
He then looked to the side to see Maria, who was frowning at his direction.
Thane smirked and put a finger to his lips, winking towards Maria, even though his old student couldn't really see him.
What an interesting twist of fate. Thane thought looking down at Team RWBY.
A Rose, A Schnee, A Belladonna, A Xiao-Long.
Thane could remember him once marking off Sophie as a 'naive, sheltered brat with no idea of what the real world is like', him competing with the Belladonna twins, Jasmine and Flora, in who was the best assassin among Mistral's underworld, and him being hunted down by Fengjian Xiao-Long for his assassination of General Kuro of the Imperial Kaze Army.
After all that, all of their descendants were now great friends working together.
Thane then looked at the servants.
It was him who had warned the servants called Tristan to go to the fake vault and catch Mordred, and Serenity to the deception of the thief Emerald Sustrai.
Good thing they listened to me, otherwise things could have gone a lot worse. Thane thought.
But the visions he'd seen in the Relic of Choice all those years ago, they were finally coming to reality
This is just the beginning. Thane thought. There was a much larger plot going on in the shadows, and Ruby and her friends would be at the frontlines fighting them.
They had taken down one god, but three more remained.
In the Jungle that had popped up on Vacuo, the God of Vacuo casually walked through, unperturbed by the dense forestry, with a bunch of people wearing masks carrying guns following him.
"Materials reached?" He asked into his walkie-talkie.
"Yes sir. The central Temple has been constructed."
"Great! Keep on going. I'll still need some time before we can flip the lights off of Vacuo."
The God of Mistral sat on his knees, at the top of Haven Academy's CCT tower, his eyes calmly observing the sprawling expanse of mistral from the hill Haven Academy was located on.
"Milord…" A voice spoke as the God of Mistral noticed Leonardo Lionheart walk up.
"Raven Branwen has escaped capture at Vale. I believe she will be returning to Anima soon."
"Hm…"
"Shall we send him?"
"No, no. I want to test out the functioning of our new troops. Raven can wait for now." He spoke before staring in the distance.
"Continue sowing the seeds of discord. We'll begin the transformation process once Mistral is in our hands."
The God of Atlas stood in front of a burning building in Mantle, observing the firemen as they began putting out the fire with their hoses.
"Hm they decided to blow a bomb much earlier than I thought. And sloppily too, since Old Jimmy's going to probe into it." He muttered as he willed some of the flames to move away from them.
He then pulled out a pocket watch from his coat and checked it.
"Hm, 9 o' clock. Time for the Vytal fireworks in Vale...and my dust convoy to move to the *snort* Hel Mountains. Damn it, these idiots are going to force me to move behind schedule." He mused before sighing.
"Haah…Prometheus, you poor fool." He spoke.
"You should have kept your inquisitiveness under check…" He spoke shaking his head.
"Is Ozpin decides to snoop around, I may have to reduce the employment earlier than expected."
"Oh, who am I to criticize him for failure? It doesn't even matter to me whether we lose or win. In fact, us losing is better for me and Brother than us winning." He muttered.
He then looked up at Atlas' floating form.
"That's right. Keep fooling everyone into thinking you're the most stable kingdom. I need to keep Salem's attention off of my project, and I can't do that if if the coconut heads hiding in the alleys decide to come in guns blazing."
Caw! Caw!
The God of Atlas noticed a raven on a lamppost, with glowing blue eyes, staring at him.
Oh, perfect, even here those peeping toms won't leave me alone. He spoke before walking up to the lamppost, glaring at the raven.
"If you don't shut your mouth, you little shit, I'll snap your neck, stuff you in a sandwich and throw your corpse to the sewer rats for dinner." He spoke before the Raven flew off.
"Sir, the fire's out." He heard a policeman speak.
The God of Atlas looked back with a fake smile.
"It is? Good. Let's go see what's the issue." He spoke before putting on his hat and walking off.
It would soon be a battle for survival.
A battle Ruby would play a huge role in.
With that…
"...The War of Genesis begins."
A/N: 53 chapters. 320,000 words. 1/4th of the storyline. Vale is now over. Thank you to everyone who's been reading and reviewing this story so far. This is definitely not the end, because as I said, what we've seen so far is only a quarter of what I've planned out for this story.
The Vale arc has always remained a pretty sour point for me because of how disconnected it remains from later volumes. I am not ashamed in admitting that I'd first gone through the Post-V3 volumes, and had been weirded out by the light-hearted tone and completely different direction of V1-3.
And I've kept a nobledark tone with this story since the beginning. No goofy stuff aside from the comedy. I wrote the Beacon Arc with the mindset of setting up the dark tone for later on parts.
By this point, all of you can see that I've deviated from canon by a LOT. So I can guarantee you that I'm pretty much set on writing my own storyline now. Canon sequence has now been completely thrown out of the window, and we're venturing into unknown territory, boys.
Also, Thane is not just any other OC, he's an OC related to Ruby! Thane Rose was originally a concept for 'Where would the Rose family be on Remnant during the Great War?' I've got an entire story planned out that covers Thane's entire journey across remnant in the backdrop of a Great War, and I'll have to see whether I want to upload it or not (Considering how much OCs are hated in Fanfiction).
Anyways, we bring Vale to a close, and move on to the next kingdom.
Meanwhile, I'll start updating my other two stories again.
Hope you guys enjoyed and constructive criticism is appreciated!
Roman Torchwick Rant coming up! (Listen, I need to blow off some steam on Roman as well):
Now, I can see that Roman Torchwick here has been severely underused in this story, and then killed off as soon as he managed to enter the storyline again. The reason I did that was because I did not see Roman Torchwick ever fitting in with the darker tone of later volumes.
In all honesty, Roman Torchwick is a charming villain, but that's just it. Roman is like a slippery villain who just taunts and mocks the hero as they try to stop him, but in terms of menacing factor...Roman is at zero.
Roman was the only character on the villain side who never gave me any menacing vibes. He did not give any indication that he is a highly wanted thief, and simply served as a cartoonish villain who fit RWBY's earlier direction perfectly like a glove.
And so, he was just...there. People complain that V3 did not have to kill Torchwick off, but in my personal opinion, the writers were right in killing off Roman. The man had simply lost his presence as a threat to Team RWBY by the time of V3, and especially in this story, where Cinder is a sideshow compared to Prometheus and his group of servants.
If Roman wouldn't have worked in canon Post-V3, he would have been even worse for this story because of the dark tone I've set for it. Roman would have been a sad waste of time to write because of his non-threatening presence, and would have forced me to set aside more dangerous threats like the servants for much later...something which would not be good for a Fate/RWBY crossover.
And another thing about Roman...his speech. As much as I like the 'Real world is cold' speech, I just wish that for once, that speech was not directed only at the heroes, but also the villains.
Because look at this: As much as the villains mock the heroes for trying to be rays of sunshine in a cruel world, It equally applies to villains themselves, who try to believe that their actions don't have consequences, and that the world would simply let them throw their weight around and not have someone try to stop them, because they 'understand what the world is like'.
Which is why I just want a Neutral entity to give this speech to a villain. I just want for once that a villain gets the 'world is cold, world doesn't care for delusional ideals' speech, because I will be honest, most of the villains tend to be delusional idealists just like heroes, no matter how 'good' or 'realistic' their motives might seem.
Response to Reviews:
Maglad: Fixed the Cu part. Also, yeah. I always try looking for RWBY fanfics that are either original, or take place after Volume-3 with a proper storyline, since those are the volumes I'm more attached too.
Pelican117: Glad to see you liked it. But one thing - Prometheus deducing Odin is from a Lostbelt isn't actually the important part. It's what Odin says right after that is a crucial detail that is much more important than it seems.
longbowchris50: The Lostbelts will actually play a minor role in THIS story, but will be a really massive hint towards the plot of a future story.
Stickmanreader: After Ruby killing Cinder, Adam VS Weiss was my favourite part to write. It's a shame those two characters never interacted in Canon, considering how much conflict could be explored with their interactions.
And again, like Pelican117, I need to tell you this. I've never actually written whether 'Odin' is from a Lostbelt or not. Heck, he may not be even 'Odin' at all. That mystery will be fully answered much later.
Shadowhunter2077: Yeah, I just wanted Ozpin to act more like a leader than a 'Dude writing papers and documents on his lonely' tower, so I made him more active.
And I've already said it - Weiss meeting Adam was a perfect opportunity that was sadly wasted.
But, I'm sort of confused. Could you elaborate which part you're talking about in 'Norse Demigod in Greco-Roman Pantheon'? Is it referring to an idea I once had of an OC norse demigod living in 6th century britain during the time of King Arthur as a Fate fanfic? Because I pretty much realize that putting it up as a fanfic won't be a great idea, and I'm anyways got an entire roadmap planned out for which I'm cancelling a lot of stories I was plannign to write (Such as Fall Of Heaven).