Chapter 6: The Blooming of a Rose

"Draíochta and magical abilities were not all the Paladins had at their disposal in the war against Sheena and the Grimm. The weapons they wielded were forged Above and Below, all with special metals mortals would call 'Heavenly Steels.' Oum's Laghsling had a weapon made of 'Lexia,' a steel founded Above, from which Oum forged a great black blade from and gave unto his Paladin."

"These weapons were said to be indestructible and could not be marred by any mortal tool or weapon, though their appearances could be altered at their Paladin's command, if they so wished."

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November 21st 1580

The Island of Vytal

Ruby was currently engaged in a friendly fight against Kyler Carnaid in front of the huge log cabin house they lived in, where her Uncle Qrow sat on the front steps watching them. "Keep moving, Ruby! Watch your footwork!" Kyler warned her as he rushed forward with his sword leading, bypassing her scythe and tripping her to the ground, where she landed in a clump with an "oof!" Qrow let out a hearty laugh.

"Don't laugh at me like that!" Ruby whined as she righted herself up.

"Not bad, but you still have a long way to go," Kyler noted as his sheathed his sword, Bloody Tears. "It's only been a few days since we left Patch and your combat knowledge hasn't changed for the better."

"Why do I have to relearn everything for this Paladin and Draíochta stuff? Why can't I fight like any other Huntress?"

"The Paladins do not fight like Huntsmen or Huntresses, they must fight as warriors beyond their reach, setting themselves apart from them and showcasing that they are destined heroes," Kyler reminded her, as he has said this once on their first day. "Now, tell me what sort of Draíochta does the Laghsling wield?"

Ruby bit her finger to help her think. "I think you said it was some kind of neutral Draíochta or something," Ruby answered.

"Correct. The Laghsling's Draíochta is neither light or dark." Kyler drew out a knife and slid it across his hand, drawing blood. "All Paladins are able to heal their wounds using their Draíochta…" He showed his hand to Ruby, where she watched the cut seal itself up and the bleeding ceased. "…And we use our Draíochta for offense as well…" Spying a simply sunflower nearby, Kyler raised the same hand to it, and a pinpoint ray of his red Draíochta shot from his palm, striking the sunflower and vaporizing it to ash instantly. "…However the various powers of Draíochta differ between Paladins, depending on whose God they belong to."

"What sort of magic do I get?" Ruby asked curiously.

"The Laghsling belongs to Oum, and as such, he entrusts many magical powers to his Paladin, the only exceptions being powers exclusive to the other Gods, like Aziela's healing circles, and Iris' elemental powers. I will show you the sort of power you will wield in due time."

Kyler went to the forest trees adjacent to the cabin, and from within, a giant Beowolf cast in white, brilliant fur and a gleaming white skull emerged. Ruby drew Crescent Rose until she saw Kyler rest his hand upon its face and it bowed before him. Kyler whispered some words to the beast and it turned and ran into the forest.

"Now, your objective is to go into the forest, find that Celestial Beowolf, and bring it back with you as its leader. Once you find it, you must defeat it in battle so it accepts you. If you fail, it shall bring you back itself." Kyler gave Ruby a pat on the shoulder and sent her off into the forest, then went inside the cabin with Qrow.

"How well do you think she'll do the first time?" Kyler casually asked Qrow as the ancient Paladin poured them both some iced tea from the fridge.

"I think the Beowolf will be bringing her back within a few hours. It came back with Summer within three, if I recall correctly," Kyler chuckled followed by a sip.

"So, how do you intend to tell Ruby the truth about you and Summer?" Qrow asked him, sipping his tea.

"Honestly, after playing so many different scenarios in my head, I don't want to. I don't think Ruby should ever know the truth about me. It could destroy her," Kyler admitted.

Qrow glanced down at his glass. "I think you're right…Maybe it's better that way…"

Both men were silent for a moment when Qrow chose to change the subject. "How difficult was it, training Summer?" Qrow asked her, making Kyler pause. "I mean, I didn't see her for about three years when you took her away to become the Laghsling."

"It was difficult, as always, but Summer always kept getting back up and trying each time she failed. I often had to lay her exhausted body in her bed most days," Kyler revealed. Qrow set his drink down and fished out his flask. "Qrow, I swear to the Six Divines above, I would never have…"

"You don't have to say it," Qrow interrupted, handing him the flask first. Kyler took a swig from it and handed it back, where Qrow drank from it. "You only did what you were instructed to do, and what you did gave me Ruby. Ruby gave both Yang and Taiyang someone to live for after Raven left, and the same for me."

"What do you mean? I ruined your marriage because of it."

"It was my fault too. I drove Summer away when I found out and refused to learn the truth. I refused to be a part of Ruby's life until Summer died, and I was so stupid doing that." Another swig. "I should've gotten the facts from both you and Summer…I'm sorry, Kyler."

Kyler embraced the old bird in a tight hug. "I'm sorry too, Qrow." They both hugged for a moment before breaking apart.

"Look, I should probably return to the others, help out at recovering Vale, y'know?" Qrow remarked. "You look out for my little girl, got it? You make sure she turns stronger than her mom. I'll come back to visit her when I get time too."

"I promise. I swear it by the Gods Above."

Outside the window, Ruby and the Celestial Beowolf returned, though the Beowolf was carrying Ruby in its mouth as if she was its pup, and Ruby appeared rather upset about it. "Well, it looks like training Ruby will take longer than you think," Qrow laughed.

Once the Beowolf dropped Ruby off and went back into the forest, Qrow said his farewell to her, earning himself a big hug from Ruby, then took his leave. "Shall we try again, or do you need a break first?" Kyler asked her with a smile. Ruby returned the smile and eagerly headed back into the forest with Crescent Rose drawn.

You raised a wonderful daughter, Summer. I'll make you proud.

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It ended up taking Ruby over three months to finally defeat the Celestial Beowolf, which she rode upon while returning to the cabin while giggling to herself. "Well done, Ruby!" Kyler complimented when she climbed down off the Beowolf. "You've succeeded quite well in defeating the Celestial Beowolf." Kyler had the Beowolf stay outside while he and Ruby went in to have some lunch. Inside, Ruby was greeted by Zwei, who Qrow brought over about a week ago to keep Ruby company. The corgi jumped into the little Rose's arms with a yelp, to which Ruby took him to the couch so the pup could crawl over her while Kyler made sandwiches for the two. "So, I would like to know how you defeated the Celestial Beowolf," he asked midway through their meal.

Ruby scratched Zwei under his chin, making him pant like crazy and roll over in her lap. "Well, the little guy here was quite vicious, but I found that by luring him to the shore thanks to my Propulsion Semblance, I was able to trap him among the jagged rocks where he couldn't maneuver as well, and I eventually got him to yield," she gleefully explained.

"Interesting. Your mother did something similar, except she defeated it in under three months and by luring the Beowolf into a tall thicket of tree branches, where it eventually lost its footing, making it fall to the ground resulting in instant defeat for it."

"Mister Wolf, I was wondering…could you tell me about mom? I mean, like, the sort of training and other stuff she did? You said that those with silver eyes are given them by Oum upon birth and that they are destined to serve him. So…my mom was a Paladin like you and me?"

"Yes, she was. I had to train her like I am with you less than a year after she graduated from Beacon," Kyler explained with a kind smile. "Like you, she was always happy and full of spirit, not wanting to give up on something until she completed it."

"That sounds like mom, alright," Ruby chuckled.

"She was a good person, loved by all, and known for being an incredible woman, both on and off the battlefield…It was impossible for anyone to not admire her in the slightest." Kyler stole a glance at the smiling girl. And you look so much like Summer, right down to the tiniest detail, except for… Kyler glanced down at Ruby's right ankle, where he could see the mark of Oum shine through her stockings, thanks to him being a Paladin. "You did good today. How about you turn in for the rest of the night and we can start on teaching you some magical abilities?" Ruby nodded and ran off to her bedroom with Zwei behind her.

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"You must focus! Focus Draíochta into your hand and envision what you wish to do!" Kyler ordered as he stood behind Ruby, who was grasping her right hand. She grunted as she tried focusing her Draíochta into her hand to create a projectile attack. She puffed her cheeks and heaved, but quickly relaxed and let her hands hang limb.

"I can't do it," she admitted. "It's too difficult."

"You've been trying for three days now, I wouldn't expect you to do it on your first try, but I was hoping you'd progress a little in that time." Kyler held up his hand towards a wooden log and his hand grew bright with a crimson light. A cone of Draíochta burst from his palm with a bang and turned the log into splinters. "You must envision what you want your Draíochta to do and convert it into an attack and use it, just as you would use your Semblance. Try again."

Ruby let out a sigh, but tried again anyway. She raised a gripped hand towards another log and concentrated. Her body tensed up, her teeth gnashed together, and a few sweat drops dribbled down her head, but she did it; a small, crackling ball of red Draíochta formed in her palm and spun around it. Ruby slipped an open smile at Kyler, who smiled as well. "Now focus on forming that Draíochta into a physical attack." Ruby concentrating, envisioning her Draíochta like Kyler did. She shot her hand forward at the log and her Draíochta shot out. It appeared like a inconsistent cone ray that did not make it five feet from her hand before it faded into nothing. "Not bad, but still a long way to go." Kyler gave her a pat on the back.

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Ruby was dashing through the forests of Vytal at blinding speeds thanks to her propulsion Semblance and with Crescent Rose deployed, where she struck down wooden targets planted throughout the woods; a training regime set up by Kyler to test her speed and weapon accuracy. She flew past the trees which were only blurs to her, shifting her eyes left and right to spot the targets before firing onto them. She skidded to a stop at a corner point then took off again towards the beach, popping off a few more targets before stopping at the shoreline, where she sat down to catch her breath.

At that moment, a weathered, black wolf with silver eyes trotted over to her, where it snuggled against her and she in turn scratched him under his chin. "You hit every one of the targets and you made it here quicker than I imagined," spoke the wolf, which was actually Kyler. They took some time to relax before returning to the cabin to continue training.

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On a cliff near the cabin, Ruby and Kyler said across from each other with their legs crossed. "I will help you understand your Silver Eyes to their fullest extend, but first, I want you to tell me about the night of the Battle of Beacon, when you first unlocked your eyes. Tell me about what you were feeling atop Beacon Tower," Kyler asked of her.

"I was feeling…" Ruby stuttered, being reminded of that horrifying night. "…Horror…fear…sadness…There was a lot…" Memories of watching Penny get torn to pieces and Pyrrha shot and disintegrated…Watching Vale fall to the Grimm…Yang unconscious with an arm missing… "…I don't want to think of any of that night anymore…"

Kyler pulled her into a hug to comfort her. He soon heard low whimpers from Ruby, who was crying into his coat. "The power of our Silver Eyes are linked to our emotions. While we must control the Silver Eyes to use at will, we can unleash them at incredible levels of power in extreme outbursts of our emotions," he explained to her.

"So…I could use the full power of my eyes if one of my friends was dying?" Ruby mumbled out. Kyler nodded. He pulled her away. "I want to try…"

"Good to hear." They both sat down again. "Now, imagine yourself back at Beacon Tower. Imagine this time, Cinder has Yang at her whim and she is about to kill her. You can stop her, but you need the Silver Eyes. Play out the scenario in your mind."

Ruby imagined herself back at Beacon Tower, with Cinder and before her with her bow pointing at Yang's back. "Ruby, just run away!" cried the Yang in her vision. Ruby dared not move, knowing that Cinder will shoot Yang. "Please, just let her go!"

"What will you do, little Rose?" taunted Cinder.

Ruby looked at Yang, who was crying and clutching at her bloody stump. "Please don't hurt Yang! Take me, just let her go!" Ruby bartered. Cinder smirked and let her arrow fly. "NOOO!" Ruby screamed, turning her eyes pure white and sending rays of white energy flying out and attacking Cinder.

Ruby, who had her eyes closed during her daydream, suddenly opened them, revealing that they had turned white as they did atop Beacon Tower. A few teardrops of white energy fell from her eyes. "I feel…feel so…hot…" Ruby stammered out.

Kyler smiled and he switched his eyes to appear like Ruby's. "Well done, Ruby," he smiled.

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Ruby concentrated on her own body, envisioning her Draíochta surrounding her body. "Picture it as if it were clothes," Kyler commanded as he strolled around her in a circle. Ruby focused harder and soon enough, her red Draíochta oozed out of her body and enveloped her. "Excellent! Now, this suit of Draíochta operates under your will. If you can imagine it and command it, it will obey." He noticed a small rock and scooped it up. "Use your Draíochta to strike this rock." He flung it at Ruby, who tensed up upon seeing it. This distracted her and allowed the rock to strike her face, making her fall over and dispel her Draíochta armor. Kyler rushed to her side and hoisted her back onto her feet. Ruby had a large bruise on the corner of her forehead. "Here, let me take care of that." He made his hand glow red and he pressed it against her forehead, healing her wound. Her skin returned to a normal caucasian color.

"Thank you, Mister Wolf," Ruby remarked.

"Want to try again?" Kyler asked of her. Ruby nodded and focused on bringing her Draíochta out again. Kyler tossed another stone at her, but this time, a whip of red Draíochta burst from her red shell and slapped the stone away. Kyler smiled with pride while Ruby stared in disbelief at what happened. "Now, tell me what you thought of to do that."

"I thought about catching the stone so I wouldn't get hurt again," Ruby answered.

"Not bad. Your internal conflict reflects a desire for defense, not offense, but you still need to exercise more control, given that you wanted to catch it." Kyler scooped the stone up and noticed a long cut in it. "And you damaged the stone as well." Kyler dropped the stone and drew his sword. "Now focus on blocking my strikes."

He dashed forward to catch Ruby by surprise, where she conjured a few whips to emerge from her body in self-defense. Kyler struck at one, which disappeared into red smoke, then he aimed for Ruby, where she sacrificed another whip to his sword. "You have to focus on making more whips!" he warned her, making Ruby panic and summon more whips. Kyler struck at Ruby, who made her whips take the hits as she focused on summoning more and staying up to speed. Eventually, she tired out, allowing Kyler to strike her side, but he hit her with the flat side of his blade, dispelling her Draíochta completely. "I am impressed you held up so well, but you've got a long ways to go, and this is only the start of what you can do with your Draíochta," he notified her.

"I'm wondering, can Jaune and the others do something like I did there?" Ruby asked. Lately, Ruby has been wondering what her friends have been up to, especially Jaune.

"They can, but their Draíochta takes on different forms. Jaune's, for example, takes the form of a suit of armor and is all about defense, whereas yours is a shapeshifting offensive form." Ruby sat upon the ground so she could rest, but Kyler could easily tell that she was exhausted. "C'mon, how about we head back?" Receiving a nod in response, he hoisted the girl onto his shoulders and carried her back to the cabin. "Just like old times," he reminded her. Ruby smiled and enjoyed the ride upon the old wolf's shoulders.

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Ruby watched as Oum himself took Crescent Rose into his own hands while Kyler watched from beside her. "This weapon has served you quite well in the battles of the past," the Lord remarked as he admired its intricate design. "However, I regret to inform you that Crescent Rose will not be able to serve you to its fullest potential in the battles to come, my Laghsling."

"Wait! Don't do anything to Crescent Rose!" Ruby argued, not wanting the weapon she considered like her baby to be tampered with.

Oum chuckled. "Do not worry, Ruby, I won't do any harm unto Crescent Rose." A bright light enveloped Crescent Rose and the deployed scythe floated in between Oum's hands. Ruby and Kyler watched as the weapon suddenly dissembled into many pieces, including the blade, the rifle scope and magazine cartridge, and every nut, bolt, and screw. Oum made the scythe blade disintegrate into dust and instead materialized a lump of bright steel from nowhere, which manifested into a curved blade. He then procured a long black chain from under his coat and released it into the air with the bits and pieces. Finally, the pieces all hovered together and reassembled back into it's original scythe shape, but now the entire weapon appeared more refined than ever before. The weapon floated down to Ruby and she took hold of it, noticing that it appeared more lightweight to her. Not only that, she discovered a new button located beside the trigger. "Crescent Rose has become a weapon fit for a Paladin. I give you my blessing for the battles to come, Ruby Rose." And with that, the Lord Oum disappeared.

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Ruby stood amongst a circle of large Celestial Beowolves, all of them Stage 5s and towering over her. They encircled her as to keep her from escaping their circle, their claws up and drawn for the attack. One lunged at her from her side, but Ruby swung Crescent Rose at it, striking it and knocking it backwards. Another from the front came, but Ruby ducked under its claw swipe and spun into the air to get behind Crescent Rose, uppercutting the Beowolf with her boot. She replied with a swing of her scythe, sending it falling. Before she even landed, two Beowolves from behind leapt at her unprotected back. Ruby sensed this and channeled her Draíochta into her back, and when the Beowolves struck her, they were forced back by a blast of red Draíochta, where Ruby then spun around and slashed their bellies, making them fall over with howls. The last three clustered together to form a wide range of attack. Ruby grinned and pressed the button near her trigger, which disengaged the scythe's head from the shaft. She spun around with a swing, making the head of Crescent Rose fly at the Beowolves while attached to a black chain hidden within the shaft. Ruby spun the blade around into a figure eight and cut down the three Beowolves with ease.

"Excellent work!" Kyler complimented as he emerged into the fold, viewing the fallen Celestial Beowolves climb onto their feet. "I was impressed to see you use your Draíochta as a shield for your back. Soon, you'll start using your Draíochta more and more in battle until it becomes mere instinct."

"Thank you, Mister Wolf!" Ruby chirped, holding Crescent Rose close to her body. Kyler smirked and reached for his sword, and in a flash, he was upon her with the blade drawn; Ruby barely had time to block his strike with the shaft of her weapon. Given the pressure he was putting on her, she could tell he was holding back. Just a little bit.

"Now let's see how you handle against me." Kyler withdrew and spun about, striking at Ruby's side, which she blocked with the shaft again. This time, she withdrew to jump backwards, firing a couple shots at him; she did not hold back knowing that he would protect himself. Kyler, as she thought, held up a hand, absorbing the bullets with Draíochta, then dashed at her, dodging side to side, then came at her again. Ruby was ready this time, striking at his blade with her own several times before they clashed again. Ruby manifested her Draíochta around her and had a huge open palm emerge from her back, ready to flatten Kyler until he broke the clash and leapt backwards, avoiding the slap entirely. Ruby readied her scythe's whip and swung at Kyler, striking the ground with her blade and reeling it backwards for another strike, which is when he ran at her again. She thrusted her whip forward, sending the blade flying at Kyler, who deflected the scythe head with his sword, sending it into the ground and exposing Ruby. She abandoned her scythe and manifested her Draíochta again. She conjured half a dozen whips and flung them at Kyler, who dodged them and struck at one, making it disappear, and neared Ruby. Ruby formed a full body shield at her front just as Kyler drew near, but he suddenly leapt over her with a graceful spin and landed behind her, where he yanked her to the ground and pointed his sword at her chest. "Yield," he ordered. Ruby nodded and dispelled her Draíochta, allowing Kyler to release. "Not bad, but still a long ways to go." Kyler dispelled the blade and clipped the hilt to his hip.

Ruby sat upon the ground and mulled over the battle. She realized that Kyler was pulling the fight more than she thought. He was not even using his Draíochta and he still beat her.

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"How long have we been here, Ruby?" Kyler asked one day in their cabin.

"Um, I think it's been…maybe a year and a half now," Ruby remarked as she petted Zwei in her lap. Ruby has never noticed that Zwei has not aged a day since Qrow brought him to Vytal. "I must admit, I'm worried about my friends."

"I promise you, they're alright. From what I hear from the other Paladins and your Uncle Qrow, your friends are progressing incredibly in their Paladin training, and the invasion to retake Vale has been a success," Kyler explained.

"A success? What about the Grimm Dragon?"

"According to Qrow's report, Glynda ordered some mercenaries to drop Amity Coliseum onto Beacon and destroyed the Dragon and the Grimm that congregated near it. After that, clearing out Vale of the Grimm became easier, thanks to the combined efforts of the Huntsmen and the Atlesian Military. I've also learned that Atlas is working on restoring the CCT back to perfect condition, and soon, Remnant will be connected again."

"That's good to hear," Ruby smiled. "I guess things are starting to get better now, huh?"

"I suppose so, but don't let that blind you. Things may be getting better now, but they won't stay like that forever." Ruby's smile faded and she drooped a little. "Hey, don't let it bother you like that. Remember, it's always darkest before dawn, and you and your friends will be that oncoming dawn, no matter how long it takes."

"What about Yang? How has she been?"

"I took a visit to your house a week ago to check on her and Taiyang, and it seems Yang has left home roughly a few months ago."

Ruby bolted forward in her chair, making Zwei leap onto the floor. "A few months ago?! Where has she gone?!"

Kyler hushed her down, where she leaned back into her seat. "Easy, little one. Taiyang doesn't know where she went to, but he knows she left with your friend, Blake Belladonna, as well as a strange, multicolored girl who happened upon the premise. From what he told me, Yang and the girl became close before Blake appeared."

"Blake came back…" Ruby shifted in her seat silently. "Do you…?"

"No, I do not know where Blake has been during the first year nor why she returned now of all times."

"And who's this multicolored girl?"

Kyler was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry, I don't know who this girl is." Ruby let out a sigh. Why would the Cuthachsling go to the Xiao Long household and befriend the Cothrosling? Could Sheena have some part in this? Damn.

"What about the rest of my friends? What about Weiss? I heard she was taken home to Atlas," Ruby asked, snapping Kyler from his mental trance.

"Weiss is currently the head of the Schnee Dust Company and so far, the company is doing fantastic, as she has outlawed the Faunus labor forces her father used, she's employed Dust manufacturers her father ran out of business in the past, and she's working in tangent with the Atlesian Military to provide advances in their technology."

"Wow!" Ruby was stunned by what she heard.

"As for your other friends, Glynda has informed me they've all taken different paths after Vale. Some have gone to the other academies to finish their training, some have gone home to pursue jobs or start families, and a few have taken different paths."

"Everyone else is doing so much, and here I am, stuck on Vytal learning how to use magic and Draíochta…" Ruby mumbled. Kyler pulled her into a hug.

"You may not be doing much now, but when the time comes, you'll be among the ones who will change this world, that I promise. I think you've done an incredible amounts of feats already." Ruby embraced his hug and Kyler swayed her in his arms.

"Thank you, Mister Wolf," Ruby whispered to him. The two departed for bed for the rest of the night.

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Ruby sat before Kyler in front of the cabin with her Silver Eyes activated. "You have improved tremendously since you first came here, Ruby, but you still have a long ways to go before you are ready to emerge as the next Laghsling," he told her.

"What else is there to do? I have control over my eyes and Draíochta, and I've learned so much in combat thanks to you," Ruby retorted.

"I know, and I am proud of how far you've come in the near three years since we've come here, but to become a proper Laghsling, you must master the eyes and Draíochta completely, and you must become unparalleled in combat. Your mother was much the same, wanting to jump into the fray before she had finished her training." Kyler looked away for a moment, where he inhaled a deep breath. "I…I don't want you to do the same and…lose your life like she did…"

Ruby was curious. "Mom never finished her training?"

"No, she didn't, but that was my fault. I ended her training early to go tend to a report Ozpin sent me on regarding the possible appearance of a Wytch, and your mother went home to Patch. When I finally returned, I learned she died while at Mountain Glenn, as I'm sure you know."

"Yeah, dad told me it a couple times. He said that she was assisting the civilians in the underground city when a large amount of Grimm flooded the tunnels, forcing an evacuation through the roofs above, where everyone had to climb out onto the surface. From what was reported, mom died when the cable she was climbed snapped and she fell down into Mountain Glenn and the Grimm that infested it…" Ruby recalled so vividly in her mind. A few tears came to her eyes, which returned to their normal appearance. "Mister Wolf, I want to protect this world and its people, I really do, so if I must stay here longer to finish my training, then I shall."

Kyler smiled at the little Rose and gave her a hug. "Well, I suppose we best get right to it then, shall we?" They broke away, where Kyler shifted into his wolf form and took off into the woods with Ruby following behind him, ready for another training session to become stronger and surpass her mother and their predecessor.

Next Chapter: The Council of the Dark Paladins