Even as she maintained her ready stance, questions were running around Ruby's mind like flies around a corpse.
Why had he betrayed them?
Why was he trying to kill them, Ruby with them?
She looked at her lover, the red glow in his eyes. What could have possibly caused this?
Then, she realised the truth. Flashes of memories came to the forefront of her mind.
"So what's new?" Jet asked, his eyes closed, covered in the sleeping bag and intertwined with Ruby. She giggled.
"Turn towards me and open your eyes." Ruby instructed. Jet rolled in her arms until he was facing her, then cracked his eyelids open.
The eyes were slightly bloodshot, and a small red ring was present in the outermost regions of his irises.
"You're beautiful." Jet whispered.
"No." Ruby contradicted, as she watched Jet put a long sleeve black shirt on and reached for his jeans. "It adds a little toughness to me."
"Really?" Jet said, considering her about his heart on the side of the hot spring he had created.
Then, a loud crack came from his body, and a dark aura seeped out from his skin, billowing outwards like some noxious gas. He clutched his head and bowed, suddenly pain-stricken.
"What's happening Jet?!" Ruby asked, fearfully.
"Thank you, my angels." Jet said, with a little bow to the pair of them, then, seemingly without noticing the black aura seeping off him, he stepped outside. 'You said something about the others being locked?'
When had Ruby said it to him? She gave chase and pointed him in the direction of Yang and Blake's tent. Jet moved inside as Ruby turned to Izzet, who had joined her.
'Did you see the aura coming off him?' Izzet asked as Ruby heard a cracking sound, like a whip, accompanied by a white flash from inside the tent. She pressed her bleeding tongue against the inside of her cheek, the coppery taste of blood fresh on it.
'Yeah. And he's not reacting to it?' Ruby responded.
Now Ruby understood. This whole time, Jet had been fighting his own corruption at the hands of the dark boon that Deus had given them. Now, she realized, he'd succumbed to his own desires, and it was not the Jet she knew that stood before her now, but a Jet who was now completely enslaved to his own wishes. In a way, Ruby pitied him, but she steeled her heart. Now was not the time to get emotional. She had to fight!
Jet flew at her, lance outstretched. Ruby used the haft of Crescent Rose to deflect it, the impact sending a clanging sound that rung through the air. Barely had Ruby's ears stopped ringing when she leapt over a wide sweep from Doomsayer and ducked a red laser blast that emitted from Darkening, suing her momentum to slash at Jet, though her strike was, like before with Flux, blocked by the aura he had.
This combat continued, the pair of them locked in deadly battle. Ruby leaped over Jet, arcing her scythe to attack upon landing, but Jet quickly blocked it and whirled around, forcing Ruby to duck another heavy swing from the lance. Even though she knew all that power must require tremendous strength, she couldn't hear any heavy breathing from her opponent.
"My little Ruby, you stand no chance." Jet chuckled, his voice echoing all around Ruby. He was grinning savagely, like a beast near its helpless prey. Ruby immediately dived back, and not a moment too soon, for Jet punched the ground, unleashing his large shockwave attack.
Ruby felt the ripple of force as it passed through her, though she kept her balance, and watched as Jet crouched, though Ruby realised with a jolt her mistake of leaving him alone. He was in a firing position, and Ruby felt the very air tremble as if fearful of the energy about to course through it.
"Why do you continue to fight when there is no hope?" he asked, before firing a freight train sized laser at Ruby that she had to use her semblance to dodge. "Why do you refuse power when it is in front of you like an injured bird in front of a cat?" He fired again, and Ruby evaded again, though the beam scorched her cloak a little. "Why do you choose everyone in Remnant over me?"
Ruby felt a tear reach her eye at that. But more than her feelings of anguish at having to attack Jet, she felt anger, a righteous anger. Thinking the word 'Transcend', she engulfed herself in purple flames and charged him.
"Because I have hope!" Ruby screamed out in reply, slashing Jet across the face, this time her activated powers cutting through the aura flame around Jet. "Because that power is evil!" She slipped in-between Jet's legs and swiped at his back before he had a chance to turn around. "Because those people need saving from the Grimm, and right now, you're one of them!"
Jet vanished. Ruby wheeled around, searching for him, when she spotted him directly behind her. He was on the other side of their battleground. He was wearing an expression of shock. He let go of his weapons, and they fell to the ground with a crunch.
"So we meant nothing?" he asked, before he face contorted into a snarl. "Very well. Then I will END YOU RUBY ROSE!" Blue flames surrounded him now, and he roared his fury to the world. As he did, he grew in size, black fur growing, covering his body. Clawed hands and feet appeared, muscles building, skin darkening, a white bony plate covering his skull.
The Grimm from before, the one that had come to Ruby's aid, the one who had mutilated Flux. It crouched on all fours, Jet glaring at Ruby from within his own corrupted flesh. Blue fires surrounded his new body, and he lumbered very quickly towards Ruby, raising a massive fist, intending to simply crush her.
Ruby swung Crescent Rose at the arm, deciding to cut it off rather than risk running and getting crushed. To her dismay, the blade simply snapped off the iron hard aura covering him. Now Ruby panicked, dodging one punch before leaping over another and triggering her semblance. She ran, to the other side, before stopping and catching her breath. She looked at the now useless pole that was the remains of her beloved Crescent Rose, and whimpered. What was she going to do now? Ruby knew she couldn't fight barehanded.
Jet slowly approached, growling like a feral dog, getting closer and closer. He brandished his claws, which glimmered against his fur. Ruby could feel raindrops on top of her head. She had to get stronger. She just HAD to! Otherwise, she'd lose.
Think. Think! How?
And then, it clicked. Ruby realised what she had to do.
"That episode that you saw on the roof was what I'll refer to as a Reversion." Jet said to Ruby and the others. "You see, my mind is now on the clock. Slowly, my mind will change. I don't know what will happen over time, but the end result is… insanity. Once in a while, I'll experience this Reversion. It is extremely painful, both to body and soul, but if I can resist it, then I'll get stronger for only a small acceleration of the process. The reverse happens if I fail; a small boost in strength and a larger increase in acceleration."
SHE had a smaller version of Jet's powers! And the way to instigate this process was-
'Are you done? You've no ways of beating me left. Just give up.' Jet's voice reverberated in her head.
"Transcend." Ruby said aloud, and her purple aura flames flared. "Transcend." she repeated, and they died down.
'Hah, do you still think your pathetic subsidy of my power can help you?' Jet asked.
"Transcend, transcend, transcend, transcend." Ruby repeated, feeling her flames flare and die, flare and die. She could feel something rushing through her veins, but it didn't feel like blood.
'Should I just kill you now? Save your pretty voice?' Jet growled as he got closer.
"TRANSCEND! TRANSCEND! TRANSCEND!" Ruby screamed out, forcing her flames got glow hotter and brighter before being forcibly snuffed out.
Then, it happened.
Every nerve ending in Ruby's body was set alight with pain. She collapsed in a pain-fuelled spasm as her flames rebelled, taking a hold over her, dropping the remainders of her weapon. Now, the hard part. Ruby resisted the pain her body was putting her through with every fibre of her being.
It was excruciating, and even as Ruby did everything she could to dull the pain and resist, she wondered how on remnant Jet was tough enough to survive this. The seconds ticked by, and slowly, Ruby began to wonder whether it would end.
Suddenly, strength surged in her muscles. The pain stopped as soon as it had started. Ruby stood up, the flames feeding her once more, but something had changed.
The strength in her muscles was unbelievable. Ruby felt her body surge with confidence. She could feel the power flowing through her, her own reservoir of Jet's power.
'What have you done to yourself?' Jet wondered as he crouched, massive fists raised. Ruby felt her own hands curl into fists.
"I WILL SAVE YOU, JET!" Ruby yelled shrilly, before she triggered her semblance, speeding as fast as she could towards the massive Grimm. This was it. Everything, Remnant, Jet, her team, all was riding on this move.
She slammed her fist into the chest of the Grimm, and the force of the punch sent a ripple of force through the body of the Grimm. A burst of blood emanated from the back of the Grimm, and Jet was sent flying out of it, though he landed on his feet. The Grimm body crumpled once more, and Ruby looked over the body to see Jet.
No flame aura surrounded him. No red eyes. His face registered nothing but fear.
Then, the Grimm body between them exploded in a shower of black flames and scraps of flesh.