Yang wiped the sweat of her face. Her and Maki had decided to continue their sparring session outside as Yuta, Panda and Inumaki watched on in silence, having grown interested in these two woman's various tactics. Now that they had been left to their own devices and where almost all alone they decided to practice more.

"You're good!" Yang said.

"Same to you" Maki said with a confident smile.

The two woman fist bumped and stared at each other for a good long while. So much so that Panda was snickering and holding back a giggle. That was until his expression suddenly changed and he let out a "uhm guys…"

Everyone turned towards the school as vines suddenly erupted from the ground and began to ensnare everyone present, with Inumaki being the first to be ensnared as he failed to remove the pouch from his mouth in time. The sudden surprise made all of them unable to respond as the powerful vines ensnared them and lifted them up in the air. Panda tried to use his strength to wiggle out of it but any attempt just further tightened the restraint of the vines.

"What the…WHAT'S GOING ON!" Yang yelled as her hair began to glow and light up in an angry orange color.

"Look!" Maki said as Yang turned her attention to see a ghoulish figure walking across the field, an ensnared and similarly trapped Blake floating alongside him.

"Blake!" Yang yelled as she tried to fight against the restraining vines but to no avail. She saw Blake with her mouth covered as well, preventing her from speaking.

"You!" Yang angrily shouted as Vecna came into view "how did you get here!"

"You know this guy!" Maki shouted.

"He's from the Collective. Some crazy creep named Vecna" Yang responded.

The insult did not seem to faze the telepath as he moved his hand and had everyone lined up in their respective vine prisons "we have known you where here for a long time. But that is not important right now. Where is the girl?"

Maki raised her eyebrow "do you have any idea how little that narrows it down?" she said sarcastically.

Vecna responded by raising his hand and the vine that held Yuta began to slam the boy down repeatedly on the hard ground "Yuta!" Maki yelled as she saw her friend gone through this seemingly unusual form of torture.

"I have no time for your games. The Lord Titan's granddaughter, where is she?" Vecna demanded to know.

"Kara! He's after Kara" Yang thought as she looked around, seeing Blake tied up and completely incapacitated was a sight she simply couldn't endure. She tried removing her bionic arm but she felt herself completely incapacitated, not just with the vines but she expected Vecna was using his telekinetic abilities to restrain them as well.

"Over our dead bodies" Yang yelled out defiantly.

Vecna smirked "good idea" he said ominously. Raising his clawed hand, the vines disappeared from Yuta as he was lifted into the air, fright and despair in his eyes. Then with a loud cracking sound, his right wrist bend in an unnatural angle.

"AAAAHHH!" he screamed out in agony.

"YUTA!" Maki yelled out, as did the yelping from Panda, Inumaki and Blake whose covered mouth made them unable to do anything but mumble as Yuta's left arm suddenly bend and twisted in the same unnatural angle, causing another scream for the young man.

"STOP IT!" Yang yelled out to Vecna, who paid her no mind and continued as he bend Yuta's limbs, unbothered by the young man's screams of agony as well as the others pleading for his safety, pleas that fell on deaf ears as Vecna closed his clawed fist, snapping Yuta's neck and letting his lifeless body drop to the cold floor.

"NO!" Maki cried out, tears forming in her eyes "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" she yelled out at Vecna, her face full of hatred and anger. Vecna only responded with a direct and clear "hand over the child or he will not be the last one to die today."

Ruby watched from out of the window of her room in disbelief as she saw the scene unfolding before her. Seeing Yuta's lifeless body hit the ground made her stumble and fall backwards on the floor in horror.

"It can't….what must I…" she mumbled as she looked around her room, seeing Crescent Rose she was hesitant to grab it. Whatever that creature out there was doing it seemed to be unaware that she was there so she had the element of surprise but what could she realistically do.

She couldn't stay in her room and allow this monster to continue.

Then her eyes saw it, the satchel containing the Mind Stone. May that could be a way? Maybe the stone would be strong enough to stop that monster. She fumbled with the satchel to place the stone in her hands, where it glowed brightly, almost as if it was begging her to use it.

"Miss Ruby what is going on?" M asked from inside his small glass containment.

"My friends…Yang…they're in danger! I need to do something…but what…"

M silently nodded and went into deep thought while Ruby held the stone in her hand, hoping that it would provide her with a solution. It had shown her things she never imagined she could, all the possibilities, the ability to save everyone she loved….it was right there in her hands.

Tears escaped from her eyes as she felt completely and utterly desperate.

"Miss Ruby do you wish to use the stone to help your loved ones out of this predicament?" M asked.

Ruby sobbed as she said "I don't know…I don't think I can? It's dangerous and….and…I don't know what to do?"

M's face twisted into a sympathetic smile.

"I understand your pain, feeling like you are incapable of helping those you loved. I too have felt that pain when I tried to help my people. But I know a bit about the stone, maybe I can help you use its abilities to save those you love."

Ruby wiped the tears in her eyes and said in a slightly hopeful "you can?"

"I know enough about it to help you out in this case. But to do that I'm afraid you will have to let me out of this thing."

Ruby was suddenly stricken with a sense of uncertainty. When she found M in that vault she surmised he was there for a good reason. But in the short time they had spend together, in which he told her about the Mind Stone and it's capabilities as well as his mistakes in following the leader of the Collective, she felt as though for whatever reason he was put in that small glass container, he had served his time. And for better or for worse, desperate times call for desperate measures.

"Time is running out Miss Ruby you need to make the decision now" M urged.

Ruby realized he was right. There was no time to doubt any longer not with this much at stake. With a heavy heart but strong determination she reached for the glass dome covering the small creature known as M and lifted it up, freeing the small creature.

"Thank you dear girl. My gratitude is great!" he said thankfully.

Ruby smiled at him "no problem, now let's save my friends and family" Ruby said as she turned to grab Crescent Rose. But before she grabbed her beloved weapon, her bedroom door suddenly burst wide open and she heard a loud "RUBY!"

She looked up and saw her uncle Qrow standing frantically in the doorway.

"Uncle Qrow you're back! You got to help us and…" a giant and terrifying elongated hand shut her mouth and lifted her off of the ground, Crescent Rose falling onto the ground with a loud thud as Ruby struggled, her eyes darting all over, and seeing upwards she saw that the hand belonged to….

M, he had grown bigger, much bigger, almost as tall as a regular human if not even taller. He held her up with his one good working hand, covering her mouth.

"Thank you for freeing me Ruby. I am ever so grateful to you" he said, now with a clear mocking undertone. His gaze then turned over to the doorway where he saw Qrow with Harbinger in his hand aimed at him.

"Ah Qrow, it's been a long time" M said with a malicious grin on his face.

Qrow's look was focused and angry as he looked at the now almost giant bug like creature and sneered in an angry expression "Malthazard…"