'I heard a man once say that, 'Heroes are the loneliest people in the world.' I didn't understand what he meant back then. Hell, I thought he was insane! I mean, I used to hear about the exploits of the Guardian's and Knight's and saw how everyone spoke of them with such admiration that I couldn't comprehend what he was getting at. Then I got considered to be a so called Hero by the masses, and you know something Aegis?'

'That old man was right.'

'Every day I wonder when and where I'm going to be attacked from some bandits son seeking revenge for his father. Every day I feel the same eye's on me from people awaiting my success while secretly wishing for my downfall behind false smiles. At night it doesn't get any better. I have nightmares, you know? Nightmares of every person I've failed to save and of the accusing stares of their families as they blame me for their loss. It's like with Valencia. She says she doesn't blame me for her father's death. But sometimes a small spark of disdain light's her eyes when she see's me; a tinge of anger line's her voice, It is only small, so small that she herself doesn't notice, but I know for a fact that when she is around me, in the dark recesses of her heart all she can think, is 'why didn't you try harder?''

'Heroes are the loneliest people in the world. But if I had to choose between having you, Draco and Pandora or the love of everyone around me. I would choose you three every time.'

-Rogue's admission to Aegis after his first day as a teacher at Beacon.

Rogue first removed the armour that covered his shoulder's, forearms, shins, and chest. In only the the clothes of black and grey that he wore underneath, he felt uncomfortable but he quickly brushed the feeling off, he didn't have that luxury at the moment. Next, he unwrapped the grey scarf he wore around his neck, revealing the hundreds of scars that circled his neck like patchwork. Rogue lightly touched one of the scars, one he had gained from yet another opportunistic bandit and would-be assassin that attempted to slit his throat while he slept. Rogue couldn't remember the last time he had a good night's sleep; when he didn't wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat with the desperate, wild eyes of a cornered animal.

Rogue then removed his black over-shirt, leaving him in his short sleeved under-shirt that failed to conceal the scars that covered his arms like a sleeve, stopping just short of his wrist. Small circular imprints and lines of differing thickness displayed themselves on him like trophies, and the long patch of burnt skin that covered most of his left arm like the accusing voice and dreadful sneer of the one that gave him the wound; an apprentice blacksmith that Rogue had failed.

He then removed his under-shirt. What should have been a muscular body with a broad chest and well defined stomach was instead a hideous sculpture of wounds; an abstract painting of scars and burns that wore itself on Rogue like a mantle. Rogue was thankful for the privacy the ice wall provided. Most of his body was like this, save for his face and some more important parts, and he had long grown used to the sight. A Hero rarely comes out of battle unscathed, though Rogue truly didn't consider himself to be one. Rogue was well aware of how unsightly his bare form was, and did not wish to cause any unpleasantness for the already distressed students.

As he removed his pants, revealing the vicious scars that adorned his thighs and calves, and slipped silently into the water, he could hear the others talk amongst themselves. Along with their injuries, it seemed that their spirits had also recovered and they seemed to be laughing, most likely at Ren; whose hair Rogue had dyed pink due to the fact that it seemed like fun (and the fact that the out of place single strand of pink-hair annoyed him to no end).

Rogue was glad they were doing well. He was also quite impressed at how well they fared against Spots; not many had the gall to stand their ground against the guardian of the Underworld. However, it was due to luck that they had survived. If Jaune wasn't with him, then miss Rose would be another smouldering corpse that joined the ranks of the Undead, and Rogue had to send them back as soon as he recovered his mana. Though reopening the portal would cause Rogue to once more have to regain his mana, they couldn't stay. Rogue didn't have the power to protect all of them while he fought Death.

Rogue's body tensed, and a cold sensation ran through his body despite the hot water that lapped against his naked being. He had never faced Death on his own before, he had always had Draco beside him and sometimes Aegis. The baby dragon never left his side willingly ever since he hatched from that egg so long ago, and stuck even closer when Rogue was finally free of that icy prison that encased him. The one time that Rogue had left him...

Rogue shook his head. He didn't want to have to think about that. All that mattered was that the incident that occurred made it dangerous for Draco to be anywhere near Death, and Aegis needed to be at Beacon to watch over Pandora. Rogue would have to face Death alone.

Rogue attempted to calm himself, forcing his body to enjoy the warm sensations of the water as it tingled against his skin, signifying that his mana was in the process of being restored. He had gained a little back, but he knew he would have to wait for about ten minutes until his mana was completely restored, and in that time he decided to make a plan for facing Death.

His mind was in disarray due to fear, and his body once again tensed and trembled. Rogue understood what he had to do if he was to organise his thoughts, but he had no desire to and delayed. It was one thing to enter someone else's mind chamber, it was another thing entirely to enter your own. Every forgotten thought and repressed memory that had buried itself deep into the recesses of your mind threatened to consume you. The guilt, shame and regret that had been held in your heart would bleed like an open wound, and Rogue had no shortage of those.

Rogue wrestled internally with the thought, but ultimately understood that if he didn't; his death was assured. Sighing, Rogue took several deep breathes, closed his eyes, and began to count to three.

1

The chamber gradually began to grow silent, neither the sound of the students talking or the steady rumbling of the chamber, or the surprised gasps of the students as they readied their weapons could be heard as Rogue cleared his mind.

2

He no longer felt the water against his skin or the steam against his face. He now felt the sensation of cloth pressed his skin as his mind re-created and dressed him in his standard Dragon Rogue attire.

3

Rogue prepared, strengthened his resolve, and opened his eyes. He was atop a massive pillar, at the very edge so if he looked over he could see the endless abyss of darkness that covered the entire area aside from the pillar, which was the only thing that radiated light. At the centre of the pillar was a large circular table, upon which sat several figures that were currently waiting to play a game of poker. Rogue made his way over to them and occupied the empty seat and the others at the table greeted him.

He gazed over the other occupants of the table; a Death Knight, a Paladin, a Technomancer, a Soul Weaver, a Necromancer, a Pirate, a Dragon Slayer and a Dragon Lord. The dealer was a Cryptic and smiled at Rogue as he dealt the first hand.

'Welcome to the mind chamber. I'm glad I could make it.'

RWBY and JNPR stood shocked as Jaune cut down the skeletons with relative ease.

The skeletons had walked down the side-path from the constant chattering and laughter of the Hunters and Huntresses-in-training. As they had not yet encountered any of the other denizens of the Underworld, all but Jaune were shocked at the sight of the skeletons. The sight of the Undead beings had caused them to ready their weapons, but the shock had prevented them from moving.

All but Jaune at least.

The leader of JNPR charged forth, shocking the others. Jaune had learnt by now how to deal with them, and in a matter of moments he had dispatched the trio of skeletons. He turned around and saw the shocked look's on his friends faces.

'Uh...these guys aren't as strong as they are scary looking.'

However, he had misunderstood their reaction. True, they had indeed been startled and unnerved by the skeletons, but what had shocked them most was how relaxed Jaune was, unaffected by their appearance. Blake considered what Rogue had told them earlier. Unlike Weiss, she took Rogue's words a little more seriously, but any doubt she had was now erased; they were in the Underworld. A realm of the dead where Death resided and was only supposed to exist on the pages of the novels she read. Even in light of this, Blake was still coming to grips with this reality. She wasn't the only one; everybody, even Weiss who so vehemently denied the claim, could not argue with the evidence before her.

Blake snapped out of her thoughts as Jaune made his way back. She still couldn't understand why Jaune seemed so relaxed despite the encounter. Jaune spoke like he had faced these things before, were there more of those in here? If so, how many had he faced for him to face them head-on? Even Blake wasn't certain that she could be as relaxed as he was!

'I should have warned you guy's earlier.' Jaune said as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head. 'Rogue said that there are a lot of things like that in here.'

Weiss recovered and frowned. 'Yes you should of!' She snapped, blaming her shock on the suddenness of the arrivals. The other's looked at her and rolled their eyes internally, understanding what she was doing.

Jaune however, did not, and hung his head low as he repeatedly muttered apologies under his breath. 'Sorry.' Jaune paused. 'Still. How did you guy's get here anyway? I thought only Rogue could open portals to this place?' His eyes went-wide in realisation. 'Wait! Why are you even here in the first place! Shouldn't you guy's be asleep?!'

Pyrrha, who had been quiet for the most part, was indignant. When she found Jaune hadn't been injured or killed by the monster guarding the gate's, Pyrrha was relieved and then flushed when Jaune had tended to her, feeling a mixture of embarrassment and happiness at the attention she was getting from him. However, now that she had calmed down she remembered why they had come down in the first place. 'I could ask you the same thing! What did you think you were doing, coming here? What possessed you to do it in the first place? Why the hell didn't you tell any of us? What is wrong with you? Why-'

The others watched as Pyrrha began to berate Jaune with question after question after question. Jaune cringed. He had very little time to respond, and at those rare moments that he could answer the question posed, Pyrrha would find the response unsatisfactory and berate him further. To most it would have been a humiliating experience, and though Jaune was most, he could hear the concern that lined Pyrrha's every word, and couldn't get mad at her. She was his closest friend at Beacon after all.

Ruby eventually made her way over to the two in an attempt to calm Pyrrha. Weiss tagged along, though more for the fact of getting a better view of the amusing sight over anything else. Nora had lost interest in her friends dispute, and quickly went back to ogling Ren's currently dyed-pink hair, much to the latter's chagrin. Blake glanced at Yang. She noticed that the yellow-haired girl had been acting odd for a while now, with strained grins and forced laughter. It was obvious that something was on her mind, but Blake understood that Yang would never admit it outright, preferring to deal with the problem on her own. However, Blake had learnt that you didn't have to rely on just yourself; knowledge she had gained from her time in RWBY. Blake shifted across until she stood right next to Yang.

'It's about Ruby. Isn't it?' Blake said, causing Yang to respond with a dumbfounded expression. Yang was going to rebuke her, but knew it was a futile effort. Out of all of them, Blake had always been the most calm and insightful, and Yang begrudgingly nodded in response.

'It happened again.' Yang told her. 'Ruby was in danger and I couldn't do a damn thing about it.'

Blake could hear the irritation in Yang's trembling voice. What good was strength if you couldn't us it to protect the thing that you cared about most? Yet something didn't seem right. Yang wasn't the type to beat herself up over something if everyone coming out fine in the end, so why now? Blake couldn't figure it out. 'What's really bugging you?' She asked, understanding that troubles on the field could carry themselves home. Very few knew that better than her.

Yang hesitated and she glanced in the direction of Ruby, ensuring she was out of earshot. Seeing that she was preoccupied with Jaune and Pyrrha, Yang spoke, though quietly.

'I've always known that I'm no weakling, no pushover, but lately I've been wondering if my strength is really enough.' She sighed. 'When Rogue told everyone that he wasn't any stronger than us, I felt happy. I thought it showed that his win was a fluke, that under fairer circumstances I could beat him easily.' Yang's shoulder slumped in defeat. 'But I now know that isn't true. While all of us were fighting a losing battle against that monster and Ruby was almost burnt to a crisp, all Rogue had to do was show up and the battle ended. How strong do you have be to end a battle by simply being there? How strong do you have to be to order a monster like that around? How strong do you have to be to protect what's in front of you? How-' Yang shot Blake an earnest look. 'How do I become that strong?'

Blake hid it well, but she was surprised by Yang's words, and had no idea how to answer them, but the earnest look in Yang's eyes made her want to try the best for her friend and team-mate. 'Honestly Yang, I don't know. All I can say is that you don't get that strong from nothing. Rogue probably had to put in a lot of time and effort to get as strong as he is now. And considering how stubborn you are, I'm certain that you can end up as strong if not stronger than he is.'

Yang cheered up at her friends words. 'Yeah!' She said, bumping her fists together. 'And when I do get that strong I'll kick Rogue's ass and everyone else who think's they can one-up me.' Yang paused. 'Hey! What do you mean I'm stubborn?!'

Blake simply shrugged in response and chose to remain silent, though she did let a small grin slip. Yang pouted, and was about to pester Blake further, when they were approached by the others. Jaune and Pyrrha had successfully managed to work out their current issues with one another due to the assistance of Ruby and, to a much lesser extent, Weiss. Ren had simply walked towards them, and Nora, being Nora, was not far behind him.

'Soooo.' Ruby asked after a long awkward silence that followed as soon as they gathered. 'What now?'

The silence resumed. Waiting for Rogue to regain his mana so he could open the portal left them with very little to do. It also didn't help that the fact they were currently in the Underworld left them with no small sense of foreboding that more of those skeletons could pop up at any moment. Thankfully, Nora was with them.

'Ooooooooooooooooooooo.' She started excitedly. 'Let's tell stories!'

Everyone gave her the same odd look. But seeing as none of them had any better ideas, they all nodded and, after clearing up a small area, sat down in a circle and began to tell stories. Any type of story really; stories from their childhood, memories, dreams, events. Anything that could break the terrifying silence of the chamber. However, all of these stories were incredibly short, and in five minutes they had run out of stories to speak on and the silence returned.

Unable to stand the silence, Yang groaned. 'Come on, someone has to know some story or something!' She looked at Blake. 'Come on Blake, you read a lot, you must have something in that brain of your's. Come on, anything?'

Blake thought for a moment. There was nothing she could really tell them with JNPR here, and her memories as a child were not something she wanted to repeat to others. Some of the books she read were for more...personal interests, and she would not repeat what she read in those, it was to embarrassing. Also, most of the books she read would be to hard to explain or recount due to their complex nature. As she wondered if their was anything she could tell them, she recalled something.

Blake nodded and a sigh of relief left their mouths and they straightened themselves as they waited for Blake to speak.

'This was a tale I read as a child.' Blake explained. 'I don't remember it word for word, but I will try my best.'

Making herself comfortable. Blake cleared her throat and spoke.

'There was once a travelling Trickster, who would go through the land causing all types of mischief and mayhem on corrupt rulers and evil men. Many would try to catch the Trickster, but every attempt was in vain; if they waited in the forest's to ambush him, he would take the mountains, if they were in the alleys he was on the roofs, if they were in one city he was in the other. None could catch the brazen Trickster. Realising that they had no hope of catching the Trickster, his enemies changed their target.'

'The Trickster had with him a single companion, a faithful dog who was with him always. One day, the Trickster had a task in a far away place, further than his companion should have to travel, so he left his faithful dog at the home of a trusted friend and left. Seizing this opportunity, the Trickster's enemies waited for the friend to leave, and once this occurred, they entered the house. Upon the Trickster's return, he was greeted with the mangled corpse of his oldest and most trusted friend. The Trickster was heart-broken, and in his grief he broke the greatest taboo in the land.'

'He made a deal with Death...'

'It would be wise to not underestimate Death.' Said the Death Knight as he looked at his cards. 'I know this better than anyone.' He grabbed some chips and pushed them forward. 'Raise.'

'Call.' said the Paladin as he threw out the same amount. 'Regardless, Death is still a creature of darkness. A Paladin's skills would be the most effective in battle.'

The Technomancer scowled. 'That may be, but it won't matter what skills I know if my equipment isn't up to scratch.' He pushed his card's forward. 'Fold.'

The Cryptic took the cards thrown out by the Technomancer. 'Well then. Perhaps I should see what equipment I have on me.' The card's in his hand began to glow and he threw them into the air. The cards shattered into little pieces of light that transformed into various pieces of weapons and armour that floated above the table.

'It's good to see that I remembered to pack light based weaponry.' said the Soul Weaver as he peeked once more at his cards. 'But I'm not certain that what I have is going to be enough. Raise.'

'Fold.' said the Necromancer. 'I'm more concerned about how those students got here. I definitely closed that portal before anyone should have been able to get through. Doesn't that mean that someone else is here?'

The Pirate nodded. 'It's seems that way. But I hardly think that I should be worrying about the possibility of an intruder when facing Death is a certainty. Perhaps I should ask them to help. Jaune has shown remarkable progress, and his friends are already quite skilled. Can I use them?' The Pirate gave a small grin. 'Call.'

'No I cannot.' stated the Dragon Slayer bluntly.'I am not going to put others in danger due to my weakness.' The Dragon Slayer scowled as he looked at the cards on the table then looked at his own. 'Fold.'

'The perhaps I should attempt to work out Death's weakness.' said the Cryptic. He waved his hand's over the Dragon Slayer's cards, and a projection of Death sat in the centre of the table. 'From what I remember; Death's element is darkness, so a Paladins skills are the best choice but from my battles with him, it is quite clear that the scythe isn't just for show.'

'Right.' Responded the Dragon Lord. 'Not only that. But it is impossible to kill Death. The best I can manage is simply weakening him before he regains his strength.' The Dragon Lord pushed some chip's forward. 'Call.'

'I don't think it's necessary to kill him.' said the Cryptic. 'All I am looking for is answers.'

'Even if that's the case. Death won't give an answer immediately.' Reasoned the Soul Weaver. 'After all.' He smirked. 'I do owe him a soul.'

'The Trickster approached Death in it's domain, unfazed by the fearsome figure he made a deal.'

'I will give you my soul. In exchange for his.'

'Death gave a triumphant grin. The brazen Trickster that had eluded it's grasp for so long was now offering his soul on a platter. One that Death desired greatly and it greedily accepted the deal. Death returned the dog's soul in exchange for the Trickster's, however, Death had vastly underestimated the brazen Trickster. For what Death gained was not a complete soul, but a fragment. The Trickster had separated his soul into six pieces and as Death held the sixth fragment with it's icy hand's it howled in rage, and attempted to capture the Trickster. But the Trickster had already left, and once more eluded the grip of Death.'

'Call.' said Rogue. 'In any event. It's quite clear that I can't charge into this blindly.'

Everyone at the table smirked. 'My thought's exactly.'

Rogue chuckled. He thought the situation was hilarious. He was quite literally, talking to himself, with himself. 'So. Is there anything I know that may be able to help? Anything I can remember?'

The table was silent for a moment as Rogue gathered his thoughts. Then, as one, they smirked. Every individual thought and memory came together and all the other figures disappeared, leaving only Rogue sitting at the table.

'That may work.'

He closed his eye's took several deep breath's and counted to three, and when he opened them. He was back in the chamber.

'...and so the brazen Trickster continued to walk the earth. Triumphantly known; as the one who cheated Death.' Blake finished, just in time for Rogue to hear the end as he stepped out of the pool and got dressed.

Ensuring that he hadn't forgotten anything, Rogue made his way toward's them. 'Alright.' He announced, gaining their attention. 'It's time to send you guy's back to Beacon.'

A look of relief seemed to wash over their faces, but Rogue noticed that a couple of them didn't seem so pleased. Jaune and Ruby, seemed uncomfortable for some reason. His curiosity getting the better of him, he decided to speak up. 'Is something wrong?'

The two in question looked surprised while the other's were confused. They glanced at each other with the same knowing look in their eyes. Eventually, Jaune spoke up. 'I'm excited and all that we're going back, but what about you?' He asked concerned. After Pyrrha had calmed down and let Jaune explain himself, he and Ruby got talking. They had noticed how Rogue seemed to tense up at the thought of fighting Death, and were concerned that the usually confident, and hard to read character showed a moment of such weakness in front of them. Though they were all for heading back to Beacon, leaving Rogue like that didn't sit right with them.

Rogue smiled. 'I'll be fine.' He assured them, feigning confidence. 'I have a plan. I'll send you all back to Beacon and see you in class, okay?' He smiled.

Thankfully, that seemed to satisfy the two, and the other's were not very adept at reading people like Rogue. However, one of them was but chose to remain silent for now. As they nodded Rogue grinned, and muttering something under his breath he created the portal back to Beacon. The act stunned the others even though they were expecting it, but they calmed and Rogue ushered them through. As the last one entered the portal, it closed, and Rogue gave a satisfied grin. At least, he thought he had managed to get everyone through. For when he turned around he found that was not the case.

'Miss Belladonna?! Why are you still here?!'

Rogue was stunned that he didn't notice her sooner. Blake had hid herself while Rogue was distracted momentarily by a sound down the other end of the side-path

Blake smirked. 'I'm going to stay with you. From what I understand, you were never planning to send Jaune back at this point were you?' Blake's smirk became more pronounced as she saw Rogue freeze. Blake was right, Rogue had intended to bring Jaune with him. Though she didn't understand why. 'Which means that you need the help.'

Rogue was indignant. 'I don't need your help! As soon as I get my mana back you are going to go ba-'

Rogue didn't get to finish his sentence as Blake grabbed his arm, threw him on the ground, then pressed Gambol Shroud to his throat. Blake was stunned, Rogue had been telling the truth, either that or she had caught him off guard. Regardless, she could use this to her advantage. 'I'm coming with you.' She said darkly. 'Or I am going to slit your throat right now.'

Blake didn't understand the effect her words had on Rogue, knowing very little about his past, she didn't understand why he went silent and his eyes seemed so desperate. It reminded her of how she used to be when she was a child and being abused because of her Faunus heritage. Rogue eventually spoke. 'Ok.' He said. 'You can come, but as soon as it get's to dangerous, you go home. Okay?'

Satisfied with the response, Blake nodded and got off Rogue. She offered her hand, but Rogue ignored it and glared at her before making his way back to the pool. Blake wondered what just happened with him. Rogue didn't sound like he usually did. There was no sarcastic jab or feigned arrogance. As Blake was on top of him, Rogue's body was shaking, trembling, as if his worst fear's had come to pass. Blake shook it off, though she didn't know much about him, Rogue didn't seem to be the type with many fears.

As Rogue returned he made his way past Blake and headed down the side-path, telling her to follow. In all honesty, that was probably the closest Rogue had come to actually being killed by being slit in the throat. He had never been in that position without some form of mana before, so it terrified him. He made a note to never allow that to happen again in front of those who were not Draco or Aegis.

They reached the end of the path and were once again greeted with the magma lit tunnel. Rogue looked over his shoulder and saw that Blake was close by. Blake looked at him and nodded and together they headed down the path and towards the heart of the Underworld. Rogue was still annoyed at his carelessness, thankfully he had something to take his anger out on as several skeletons appeared. Blake readied her weapons but Rogue kept walking forward. He opened one of his leather pouches and muttered something under his breath. If it were anyone else they wouldn't have heard it, but Blake picked up the words easily.

'Judgement Wheel: Guilt.'

By the time they had reached the heart of the Underworld, Blake was physically exhausted. She was by no means unfit. But the constant fighting coupled with her unfamiliarity with the environment took it out of her. She looked at Rogue, by comparison, he was absolutely fine, and he had been doing most of the fighting with that large intricate scythe that flew out of his pouch at his command. Blake believed Ruby would like to see him use it, he was incredibly skilled and could definitely give her a run for her money.

Rogue glanced at her. 'You need some time to rest?' He asked. Blake shook her head. She may have been exhausted, but no more than when she fought for the White Fang. Rogue nodded and entered the massive cavern that was the heart of the Underworld. Jagged pillars of stone and stalagmites were rampant throughout, and the souls of the dead fluttered about as little wisps.

Rogue was on edge. Would his plan work? Could he buy enough time for it to happen? Rogue shook his head. He couldn't back out now, the moment he stepped into the Underworld his path was decided. Rogue continued forward, and Blake close behind. They made their way to the centre of the cavern.

The closer they got, Blake could feel an intense pressure. Nothing like the monster hound at the entrance, this one sent an indescribable dread through her, and as they stood at the centre, the pressure felt like it would break her. Blake glanced at Rogue and was stunned. He had closed his eye's and taken several deep breaths, and when he opened them he was absolutely calm, and even had his trademark smirk that annoyed Weiss so much. Blake wondered what made him so confident in the face of the inevitable danger that existed within this room. Rogue looked at her and smiled, and Blake couldn't help but feel relieved.

Though it was a fleeting feeling.

A swirling black mass appeared on the ground in front of them and Blake readied her weapon. She didn't know how much help she would be, but she refused to die like a beast. Something began to emerge from black mass, a being beyond comprehension that caused a lump to form in her throat. The sheer terror that amounted in her caused her arms to go numb and her legs weak. All her training meant nothing, it didn't matter that she had skirted death as she fought, it didn't matter that she was trained to deal with death, even that she had been prepared for death.

She had never been trained to face the ghastly figure before her. And her body shuddered as she though of the name that Rogue had said before. Rogue had been telling the truth the entire time.

The being before her, was Death.

Adam watched the scene curiously. He had yet to find what the master wanted, but his eyes had been taken in by a curious sight. Accompanying Rogue was a girl, someone that seemed familiar to Adam, but he couldn't remember from where. Adam knew that he should be doing his task, but something about the girl made him stay. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

So Adam hid in the shadows, and watched as Death howled and began his assault.