aye so this is chapter 4

yeah, this one's a doozie. but i like how it turned out

the next chapter is gonna be another heavily ruby-centered one, so i can clear up all the gaps and questions posed by this one.

theres a bit of jumping around from past tense to present and i also attempted to make it so you can tell when im writing from a certain character's point of view as opposed to writing with the same bland style the whole time.

believe it or not whilst writing this chapter i still managed to almost insert a 12-sentence paragraph about the aforementioned railgun but it didnt fit anywhere and i decided against keeping it as it felt forced no matter where i inserted it.

anyways, not much to say about this chapter other than im happy with how it turned out, and excited to continue where it left off. although it is pretty daunting. now that i think about it, this chapter was daunting as well. theres a lot to juggle around and its a little tough to keep everything straight but im proud of the end product

enjoy.

Ruby woke up to the sound of her alarm going off. She reached toward the scroll that lay on the desk in front of her and pressed the stop button. Last night she stayed up in her study after getting absorbed in a particularly intriguing book involving ninjas. By the time she finished, she was so tired she decided that the trip back to her room wasn't worth it, and simply went to sleep in the chair she was sitting in. In the morning, Ruby arose from her chair and stretched while yawning loudly. She had gotten a solid 6 hours of sleep, which was more than enough for her, so she was perfectly energized and ready to start the day.

She walked to the kitchen and spent a little extra time than usual making breakfast, which was a stack of pancakes practically drowned in syrup, and some freshly squeezed orange juice.

Afterward, she went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. As she stared in the mirror while brushing, she noticed just how much she changed since she first arrived here. She had grown a good amount, and her usually short hair was now grown out and in a high ponytail, held together by a hair tie with a white rose ornament on it. Ruby took a little longer to brush her teeth than normal, making sure her smile was as bright as can be.

The reason for the extra effort was that today was special. It was the day she turned 15. Ever since she had started living in the castle, her birthday was always a time of great anticipation. Salem always gave her a present, and she was quite adept at picking them. Every present Ruby had received thus far managed to far exceed her expectations. As she thought this, she brushed her hand gently across the pure white cloak she had received for her 14th birthday. She thought back to a year ago today when she had been gifted this cloak which had quickly become one of her most prized possessions.

She was sitting on the kitchen counter, eating her way through an entire cookie jar, when Salem entered. She quickly stashed the jar behind her and attempted to wipe away the crumbs left on her face before gulping down the cookies she still had in her mouth.

"Hey, Salem! I was just… um… well anyways, what's up?"

Without acknowledging the chocolate smudge marks around Ruby's mouth, Salem put on a warm smile and spoke. "Happy birthday my little rose. I put a lot of thought into what I would give you this year."

Ruby suddenly noticed that Salem was carrying a box with her. She made an excited expression and used her semblance to rush toward Salem, stopping just in front of her.

"Oooo can I open it now?"

"Of course, it is your present after all."

Ruby retrieved the box from Salem and opened it. Inside lay a white cloth material. Ruby pulled it out of the box and held it out in front of her. It was a cloak, made of a soft and silky material. But what caught her eye was the pure white material in which it was made of. It was positively radiant, it almost seemed to give off a faint glow. The inside of the cloak was patterned with dozens of red lines making it reminiscent of a spider's web. She turned toward Salem and began expressing her thanks.

"Thank you, Salem! I love it." Ruby put real gratitude behind those words. Salem gave a nod and responded.

"I'm glad you like it. I noticed quite a lot of blankets being stockpiled in your room and was worried the castle might be a bit too cold for you. The material is quite an effective insulator, while still being pleasant to the touch."

As Ruby put the cloak on, she immediately noticed how well it kept her warm. "Wow you're right, it's like I'm wearing a big winter jacket even though the material is super thin."

"I'm glad. Oh, and you'll be pleased to know that I've already decided on what to get you for your 15th birthday, so you can look forward to that."

And just like that, here she was. Waiting anxiously for what her gift this year would be. She finished her breakfast and started walking around the castle grounds just to keep herself occupied. As she rounded a corner, she nearly walked straight into Hazel.

"Oops! Sorry Hazel. I'm a little all over the place today."

Hazel simply grunted and gave a nod before continuing down the hallway. Ruby rarely saw anyone other than herself and Salem in the castle. Occasionally Hazel, Cinder, and Mr. Watts would visit to debrief Salem on how their missions were going, but they rarely ever spoke to Ruby except for Cinder, who would strike up short conversations with Ruby from time to time. She was nice, but Ruby got the feeling that Cinder was somehow sizing her up.

Mr. Watts would completely ignore her existence, even after she would attempt to greet him. Because of this, Ruby had taken to sticking her tongue out at him whenever his back was turned.

Hazel was a special case, she got the feeling that he wasn't trying to be rude, but that he was just a man of few words. Although sometimes he would look at her with a certain sadness or pity in his eyes, which confused Ruby.

Ruby continued down the hallway until entering the dining room and was surprised to see Salem sitting at the head of the table.

"Ah, Ruby, perfect timing. I was just about to go look for you, we have much to discuss today." Salem rose from her seat and began to walk towards the hallway. "Follow me, your present awaits."

At this Ruby stifled an excited shriek before following close behind Salem. They walked for a while, as the castle was quite a large place, before arriving at the training grounds. Salem entered, and when Ruby followed her in, she was met with a magnificent sight. Standing upright, in the middle of the training grounds, was the pure black scythe she had seen when she first explored the castle.

"Happy birthday, little rose. I kept my promise. You are now ready to fight with a real weapon by your side."

Ruby walked until she stood right in front of the weapon. She grabbed it and twirled it around a few times. It was light as a feather, just as she remembered. Ruby then turned into a flurry of red and white accented by streaks of black as she performed a deadly dance. When she finished, Ruby turned toward Salem, eyes full of gratitude. "Thank you, this means so much to me." Ruby was truly thankful from the bottom of her heart. This was just another thing to be added to the long list of debt she owed to Salem, and Ruby intended to pay back every last bit of it, plus interest.

"You have grown so much. You were once a scared little girl, too afraid to look me in the eyes. Now you are strong. Powerful. A warrior who, when there is no clear road ahead, can cut their own path forward without looking back." At these words, Salem gave a wave of her hand and multiple grim crawled out from the darkness, creeping towards Ruby, who simply gave a childish grin.

"Let's do this." Ruby said as she sprinted toward her opponents. The first was an Ursa who attempted to slash at her with its claw. She easily dodged this by crouching low to the ground, and then slashed upward with one powerful jump, bisecting the pitiful beast. While still in the air, Ruby found her new target, a Beowulf, and began to spin in the air with her scythe outstretched. As she fell on top of the Beowulf, it was immediately sliced through and destroyed. Three more Beowolves attempted to corner her, but she simply burst into petals and slashed right through all three, appearing behind them before they had even realized they had been bested.

Salem applauded as she walked toward Ruby. "Well done, I'm impressed. But before you spent all day playing around with that thing, there is one more thing that must be discussed. Follow me." Salem walked out the door and began making her way to the meeting room in which she often discussed things with Cinder, Watts, and Hazel. Ruby followed her in and noticed Hazel and Cinder were already seated, she then took the seat to the immediate left of Salem. Ruby still hadn't gotten used to these meetings. She began attending them after she turned 14, but they were far and few between. There had only been 3 meetings held since then and all that was discussed were complex plans and progress reports that she never fully understood. She was never asked to speak in these meetings, so Ruby figured that Salem simply wanted to get her used to them, as once Ruby was old enough, she too would go out and complete missions to help Salem achieve her goals.

Salem spoke first, as she always did. "Let us begin. Hazel, report on your mission."

"Yes, your grace. I've located and made contact with a possible recruit. His name is Adam Taurus. He's the leader of the Vale branch of the White Fang. He's well-versed in combat and has garnered many loyal supporters within the White Fang. He should be useful for the upcoming plan to destroy Beacon Academy."

"Hmm, very well. If he performs well during Beacon's fall, then we shall consider bringing him into our fold. Well done Hazel. Next, Cinder. I've heard you finally found some proteges to assist you in gaining the power of the Fall Maiden."

"Yes, I have" Cinder responded. "Emerald! Mercury! Enter." At these words, the doors to the room opened and 2 people walked into the room, before seating themselves on either side of Cinder. Once was a gray-haired boy, whom Ruby assumed must be Mercury, and the other a green-haired girl who had to be Emerald. "These two have some very useful skills, you can look forward to seeing what we can accomplish."

"Excellent. In that case, we shall move on to the last part of the meeting. As the fall of Beacon is drawing ever closer, I believe we should establish a concrete understanding of what every member is expected to accomplish. Cinder, you will be in charge whilst in Vale. I leave all on-site commands to you. Moreover, you are also in charge of communicating with Adam Taurus and thus securing the White Fang's aid."

Cinder gave a satisfied grin and nodded at these words.

"Next, Hazel. Your new mission is to meet up with our contemporary in Mistral and ensure that preparations are going smoothly."

Hazel nodded silently.

"Finally, Ruby. Now that you have proved yourself, the time is quickly arriving for you to set foot in the outside world once more. If there are any last-minute preparations you would like to make, please ensure that they are completed within the next month and a half."

Ruby was surprised to hear her name but gave a determined nod when she heard Salem's directions.

"Very well then, you are all dismissed" Salem then gave a look that made it seem like she was deep in thought and added, "Ruby, please stay behind, there is something we need to discuss."

Ruby was in the middle of getting up from her seat, but at these words, she sat down with a look of pure childlike curiosity.

Once everyone had left, Salem looked over and made eye contact with Ruby. This was a crucial point. How would Ruby take what she was about to say? But there was no point in waiting any longer. Salem already prepared the exact words she was going to say, all she needed to do was trust in the years she had spent molding Ruby. She was not worried, Salem had spent these past years ensuring that Ruby felt 2 key emotions toward her. Absolute trust, and crippling reliance.

One of the many things she had learned in her long life was that humanity held trust in sacred regard. It was a law to which they strictly adhered to. The highest form of control you could exert over humans was when they trusted you unconditionally. It was the greatest power one could gain, and others' reliance on you was the simplest way to build it. Creating a relationship in which a human relied on her for everything, would result in the perfect environment for trust to be fostered.

Noticing Ruby starting to get anxious due to the prolonged silence, Salem opened her mouth and began to speak.

"Soon, my little rose, you will leave this castle. You will venture out into the world and aid me in my search for the Relics. I want to know, are you ready?"

Ruby paused for a moment, then replied with a voice full of determination. "Yes. I will do everything I can to help you. It's the least I can do after all you've given me."

Salem gave a gentle smile before continuing. "On your journey, you may see things you do not want to see. Or be forced to do things you don't want to do. These will leave lasting wounds on your psyche, and eventually, you won't be able to take it. If you truly wish to help me, there is only one way. You must throw away your humanity, and pledge yourself, your everything, to me."

"I will."

Ruby replied without hesitation. What reason was there for her to hesitate in the first place? Everything she had, was because of Salem. She had already made a promise to herself and Salem that she would repay all the kindness that she had received and more.

"Thank you my little rose. However, discarding one's humanity is no easy feat. Luckily, I have prepared a spell that will aid you."

Ruby chuckled inwardly. It was only natural that Salem had a solution. Salem always had just the right thing to help push her along her path. She rose from her seat and walked over to the center of the room as Salem directed.

Salem stood straight and then raised her arms to either side. The room darkened. Literally. The light was being absorbed into shadow, never to escape. A dark miasma began to encircle Ruby, enveloping her entirely. And then, just as quickly as it had begun, the miasma dissipated and the room regained its brightness. Ruby stood wide-eyed in the center of the room. Nothing about her had changed, save for a white streak of hair that now drooped in front of her face.

"Wow." Ruby sputtered "That was… something?."

"The spell dampens your ability to feel. However, it can only repress what you willingly give up. It is extraordinarily difficult for a person to give up their humanity all at once, and even if they did, it would probably leave nothing but a broken husk behind. The limitation of this spell means you must prove your loyalty to me by willingly giving up pieces of your humanity as time passes."

"I understand. If this is what it takes to repay you, I will do it." Ruby had already decided to dedicate her life to helping Salem, so this little development regarding her humanity meant little in the grand scheme of things.

"Good. In order to give up your humanity, you must relinquish all that you once held dear. All that will remain, is your loyalty to me. To that end, there is something that you must know. Consider this your last test."

Ruby gave Salem her full attention and waited for what would come next. Salem was wearing a hard-to-determine expression on her face. Usually, she was rather expressive, to the point where Ruby didn't have any trouble knowing what kind of mood she was in at any time. But now, Ruby felt as if she was staring at the most impressive poker face in the world.

Salem paused, this was the moment of truth. If Ruby could simply disregard the words that came next as meaningless, then the past few years of effort will have been worth it, and her creation would finally be complete. It all depended on if Ruby was able to rid herself of any previous attachments and devote herself fully to Salem.

"Recently I got a report from Cinder. She was looking through all of the students that will soon be accepted to Beacon Academy this year, so as to scout any potential allies or liabilities.

However, upon doing so, she stumbled across the profile of a certain person who was previously thought to be long gone.." Salem took a moment to let the gravity of what she would say next fully set in.

"Yang Xiao Long is alive."