The Shadow of Fire
Chapter 31: Welcome to Wonderland
A/N: Now, before you dive into this chapter, let me state a common rule in anime: random things happen to progress the story and move it along. This chapter is introducing MANY new things to this story, and a few old things that you may have missed. So no angry reviews if they involve sudden plot twists or what not. Thanks guys.
redRWBYhood: You're clever… You're the only one to notice that I think.
A cameo for a new OC that will appear soon, one of 7 in fact. The OC belongs to Scourge From BloodClan, so go read her work.
Over 7000 words… wow… I think my fingertips might fall off from typing so much.
The Field
Ruby Rose
Ruby awoke with a mild groan, her stomach feeling like a pit of lava mixed with 3 year old stale chocolate-chip cookies.
In other words; she felt bad.
The girl slowly stood up, stretching as her limbs felt off from their usual relaxed selfs. Ruby ran her slender fingers down the fabric of her combat attire, adjusting the pins on her cloak before she realized something.
The ground felt really soft.
Ruby glanced downward before jumping up shock and fear as she saw what was under her.
A very thin layer of glass, which was flexible and soft to the touch like silk, was all that stood between Ruby and the thousands of miles fall to the surface of Remnant, which was far below the young Faunus girl.
Ruby looked around, wondering two things: Where was she, and what happened to Weiss and Orion?
"Weiss?" Ruby called out aloud, looking around the never ending void before her. As far as Ruby could see, there was simply nothing but the glass floor and clouds, no buildings or animals, no people either.
"Orion? Where are you guys?" Ruby asked out, walking around the endless platform, not really knowing where she was heading to.
A sharp hiss echoed around her as she stopped walking, looking around and attempting to locate the source of the disturbance. Suddenly, a long staircase of glass appeared before her; curiosity taking the better of the Faunus as she ascended the glass steps towards an unknown location.
As Ruby climbed the spiraling staircase of glass, she could faintly hear what seemed to be a choir singing in beautiful synchronization, singing what seemed to be a song that her mother would sing to her before bedtime, which only drew Ruby's curiosity further.
The glass stairway eventually ended on another large platform, bigger than Beacon itself. Long lines of oak trees, green bushes trimmed to show various objects; which appeared to be people. Along with the strange greenery were several statues, made of various ores and stones, detailing many individuals that Ruby couldn't recognize. A long road of grey sidewalk laid before Ruby, surrounded by the greenery and statues in a long straight line.
Towards the end of the pathway Ruby spotted a statue made of ebony ore with a golden stand to hold it up as foundation. The ebony statue wore what appeared to be a long flowing trench coat, and what seemed to be stubble adorning his face. Golden spheres were placed where the eyeballs would have been if it were alive; a color that Ruby wouldn't soon forget.
Those were Orion's; this was a statue of him.
Ruby kept walking down the path, rubbing her aching wrist as she took notice that her gauntlet was missing. The girl slowly rolled up her black sleeve, worried as to what horrible cuts and blood that would greet her. As she finished rolling up the fabric, she became aware that there was not blood or cuts, just normal skin, as if nothing had happened.
"That's strange..." Ruby spoke to herself as she decided to continue down the pathway, a large object on the horizon appeared, as long as she was squinting her eyes that is.
"Welp, that's my stop." Ruby said to herself, pressing onward towards the glass structure with hope in her heart.
Garden of the Gods
Weiss Schnee
Weiss awoke to the sound of a massive explosion, her eyes flying opening as fast as a Beowulf. The heiress's body felt like liquid, her limbs feeling like jelly as she attempted to sit up.
The heiress was leaning on what appeared to be a pure gold wall with silver metal framing running along the ends. It was a tad taller than herself, and the ground below her felt soft to the touch.
Below her was a long field of grass, freshly trimmed to perfection that would put the Schnee family gardening and landscaping workers to shame. Many gorgeous and exotic plants were spread around, a large maze of bushes nearby.
It was a garden.
Yet another explosion followed by yelling surrounded Weiss, the girl now able to stand with little to no problem. Weiss slowly walked to the end of the wall, peaking out slowly to figure out what was happening.
Several figures were in deep combat around the garden, the combatants giving off incredible Aura as they fought. On the side closer to Weiss was a group of fighters with powerful Auras, which Weiss could automatically sense were the good guys. The opposite group had nearly the same power, giving off a darker Aura as they fought, obviously the evil ones in the conflict.
The dark Aura wielders seemed to be attacking the garden that Weiss had woken in, utilizing a multitude of Aura based spells and techniques that she had only seen a few able to master, along with many others that she was unaware that they existed.
Some of the villains were defying gravity; soaring up in the air while launching powerful fire attacks and ice attacks, destroying much of the garden and foundation of the ground. A few others were engaging in hand to hand combat, creating weapons out of thin air with their Auras to press the attack.
The defenders were obviously losing the fight, despite their incredible powers. The defenders were summoning walls of thick metal, catching many bolts of fire and ice as they soared towards the defenders.
Weiss stumbled forward, her legs momentarily giving out, knocking into a large golden vase. The gold vase tumbled off its podium after Weiss hit it, the pottery hitting the ground with a loud cracking sound as it shattered into pieces.
The sound stopped the battle, all eyes looking towards a nervous and scared Weiss. One of the dark Aura wielders shouted something in a language that she didn't recognize, the person appearing to be the leader in the attack. His underlings pressed their attack, breaking through the defenders.
While several defenders held many of the attacker off, a pair managed to escape the chaos, running towards Weiss with extravagant weapons in hand.
Weiss quickly turned around to run, instantly colliding with a wall of flesh before falling to the grass, landing with a "oof."
The heiress looked up to see Orion, his trench coat cut in many places, the golden liquid leaking from his chest and legs. The God looked down at Weiss, locking eyes with her.
Weiss suddenly rolled to the side, not in control of her body. As she stopped, she glanced over to her previous location, where the two dark Aura welders were standing, a giant long sword jabbed into the ground where she was once at, the blade longer than her body.
The pair looked towards Weiss, their pure black eyes radiating a vile presence towards here. As they attempted to move towards her, Orion was suddenly before them, a hand behind his back.
"Halt, worshipers of Xalveris. You have no business being here. Leave now." Orion demanded, moving his right hand and fingers behind his back.
Weiss could read sign language, trained to understand it and utilize this skill in combat, easily understanding what his message was. After all, it was taught in Combat Communication 101 back at Beacon.
Run, get to the Wellspring, it's to the right.
Weiss looked towards her right, noticing the large golden castle-like building next to her. A large gate of ebony, designed with many extravagant symbols, was easily 30 feet from her, radiating a good Aura. Weiss quickly stood up, running towards the gates.
"We don't recognize your rule, son of Creation." One of the dark Aura wielders hissed out, his voice sounding as if it was coming from several places at once.
Orion twisted his hidden hand, a giant sword appearing in his right hand. The silver broadsword was easily 8 feet long, almost one foot wide, and was radiating a light blue Aura, as if it were burning with a blue fire.
The dark Aura wielders took a few steps back, hissing at the weapon as if it were a poison.
"The Saber! A Relic of the Wellspring!" The other figure growled out, holding a spear of black energy. "You have no right to control it."
"Neither does Xalveris." Orion stated, the blade glowing a pulsating light blue color. "I ask you once more. Leave, now."
The pair took a step back, looking at each other before their bodies began changing. The pairs forms shifted into giant gryphons, pure black with glowing red eyes.
One raced forward towards Orion, while the other soared towards Weiss as she ran.
Orion spun quickly, brining the broadsword down on the monster. The blade sank through him as if he were a shadow, his form disappearing into thin air as Orion cursed in anger, looking towards Weiss.
The gryphon was right on her tail, only a few feet away as she ran, tripping over her own feet before falling to the grass.
As Weiss turned to look at the gate from her position, she was greeted with a giant black gryphon, its red eyes starring into her own icy blue orbs as it let out a screech.
The gryphon fluttered its wings before raising a talon in the air, about to strike down Weiss.
A long arc of light blue energy flew over Weiss's head, slamming into the gryphon; who in turn melted into shadows. The heiress took a deep breath, not realizing that she had forgotten to breathe.
Orion ran over to Weiss, the blade disappearing from his hands as he extended a hand down to her.
"Nice to see you again, Weiss." Orion said simply, helping the heiress up from the grass.
Weiss brushed the grass from her outfit, looking up meekly at the God.
"Thank you, Orion." Weiss said, still a tad shaken up from the gryphon.
"Now, can you hold on for just a moment?" Orion asked politely to Weiss, who nodded slowly, not knowing his intent.
Orion turned to the ensuing battle a little ways away, pulling what the dark Aura wielders called The Saber from thin air. Orion swung it around in the air a few times before executing a spin, turning and swinging the blade. An arc of light blue flew towards the attacking dark Aura users, dissipating them into smoke clouds or scattering them as they began to retreat. The group of light Aura users gave chase, running the enemy from the garden.
"Thank you, my dear." Orion said to Weiss, the blade disappearing once more. "Now," He said with a small grin. "Where is Ruby?"
"I was just about to ask you the same thing." Weiss replied sadly, raising an eyebrow.
Orion's grin disappeared as quickly as the broadsword had, his eyebrows scrunched in confusion.
"What do you mean?" Orion asked, worry in his tone.
"I just woke up, I thought she might be with you."
Orion looked off in the distance where a giant explosion occurred, the wind picking up.
"Weiss," Orion said slowly, beginning to walk towards the explosion. "Let's get going, we need to find Ruby pronto. We must have gotten separated when we teleported here."
"Why?" Weiss asked quickly, worried about her girlfriend. "Is she in danger!?"
"Not yet..." Orion said softly, turning back to face her as they walked. "But I think our mutual friends here are trying to do what we are doing."
"And that is?" Weiss asked.
"Find you and Ruby."
Pathway of Light
Ruby Rose
Ruby walked along the long empty sidewalk as she marched onward towards the structure far on the horizon. She kicked a small piece of gold along the path, the rare metal replicating the sound of a soda can as it hit the stone flooring. She ran a hand through her wolf tail, giggling to herself as she pet it; calming her nerves of being in a new place.
A little ways ahead of Ruby were two figures radiating powerful Aura, one in a elaborate tuxedo while the other was in full black knights armor, both emanating an Aura much more powerful than even Orion.
And they were watching Ruby.
"Allow me, my Lord." The Black Knight suggested, bowing to his master. "I will destroy the trespasser."
"That is not the goal, Rook." The man in the tuxedo stated coldly, adjusting his black tie on his suit. "It would seem that the young female doesn't know where she is."
"She is prey!" The Black Knight hissed through his helmet.
"So were you when I first took you under my protection, God of War." Tuxedo man stated, playfully saying the last part to anger the dark Knight. "The only reason I spared you that day we met was because your name was so hilarious." The man said, gesturing to the God of War's outfit. "Quite ironic."
"I will deliver you her head, anything for you, my master."
"You are quite loyal; fiercely so in fact." The man stated, levitating above the ground. "Come, Rook. Let us greet the new one. Perhaps we can make peace with her."
"PEACE!" Rook roared out, growling at the word. "No peace! Only war!"
"Then perhaps she can aid us in the war effort." The man stated, causing Rook to pause in thought.
"That... sounds appetizing..." He hissed out with a chuckle. "She has a strong Aura around her. She has faced powerful enemies."
"Better she falls in our lines, rather than our mutual friends." He mused, brushing his black ghostly hair from his face, moving a bang away from his ebony eyes.
"Yes, my master." Rook bowed, undergoing a transformation into a dark black horse, electric blue eyes flashing with explosions.
The tuxedo wearing man transformed as well, mutating into a large black Phoenix, dark black eyes glowing as they eye'd Ruby Rose.
"Now, we go to the Daughter of Dagonus..." He spoke to his underling through his mind. "We must be careful in our approach. I will grant you the power to attack her, do not harm her, however." He said with a tad sarcasm as he delivered the command.
The horse galloped forward towards Ruby, while the Phoenix let out a loud roar before soaring upward into the sky, disappearing into the clouds above.
Ruby skipped along the stone pathway, humming a soft song to herself as she made her way down the sidewalk. Her ears flicked up as the sound of what seemed to be footsteps grew closer.
'Yay! Social activity!' Ruby thought cheerfully, which was rather odd for the young teen. Even when she was rather anti-social at times, even Ruby had her limits of alone time, and she was excited to see what new friends she could make as well.
Ruby noticed a large black horse off in the distance, racing towards her general direction. From the distance, Ruby let out a loud, "awe," since it was so cute.
However, as it drew closer, Ruby slowly began to retract her pervious thought.
The black horse charged past Ruby, nearly trampling the Faunus as she scrambled away from the beast.
"Bad horse-y! No!" Ruby called out, running away from the beast as it chased her around.
The horse head-butted the girl from her back, knocking her over and onto the grass by the sidewalk.
As Ruby looked up at the dark horse above her, she noticed a dark object rapidly losing altitude above them, falling from the sky.
"Erm... Horse-y?" Ruby asked, the dark stallion grunting in question.
"I'd move if I were you." She said with a small giggle, teleporting away in a shower of roses as the horse looked down in confusion.
The dark horse looked upward just in time for the object to slam into it with the force of a raging mother Ursa Major, a large cloud of dust left in its previous location.
Ruby looked at the dust and coughed a few times, reminding herself to take in clean air, not dirty air.
Once the dust had settled, Ruby was greeted with a man in a extravagant tuxedo standing above the horse, who was knocked onto its side. The man flicked his wrist and the horse exploded into shadows, scattered to the wind.
The tuxedo wearing man brushed the dust from his suit before turning his attention to Ruby, slowly walking up to her before getting down onto one knee, bowing his head down before her.
"Lady Rose." He said politely, his ghostly black hair moving in the wind as Ruby blushed a dark crimson color of embarrassment. No one had ever called her that before, not even Weiss. Then again, Ruby had to remind herself that Weiss was a heiress after all, not Ruby.
"Er... What?" Ruby asked awkwardly, not really knowing what exactly was happening.
The tuxedo man looked up at Ruby, confused for a moment before he cleared his throat.
"You are child of the one named, Dagonus. Correct?" He asked nicely, still on his knee.
"Uh... Y-yeah, yeah. That's my dads name." Ruby said quickly after recalling the man, she hadn't seen or heard from him in so long, it was like he had vanished from the world.
The man went into a deeper bow, submitting to the girl. "I apologize, the formal way would be Goddess Rose. As long as that appeals to you."
"Er... What?" Ruby said once more in confusion. 'A Goddess? Me?'
"Perhaps you haven't learned the truth yet." The man said, smiling up at the girl before standing back up.
The tuxedo man extended his hand towards her, smiling cheerfully. "It is nice to meet you, Goddess Rose." He said, exaggerating the last part.
"Um... Thanks?" Ruby said, taking his hand, thinking they were going to shake hands or something. "What's your name?"
The tuxedo shook her hand before kissing the back of her hand, treating her as if she were a Queen. "I have many names, Goddess Rose. You may call me Xalveris, Lord Xalveris, at your command." He said softly, smiling at the girl.
A dark purple portal opened up behind Xalveris, a knight in black armor exiting it before it shut.
"Ah, there you are, Rook." Xalveris said happily, gesturing to the man in armor. "Goddess Rose, this is Rook."
"Oh." Ruby said quickly, in awe at the flawless armor that he wore. "It's nice to meet you, um, Lord Rook? I think that it?" Ruby asked, looking at Xalveris, who sent a warm smile back.
"Commander Rook. Lord is fine, but I don't recognize myself in that way anymore." Rook stated, looking down at the Faunus.
"He is a fellow God; God of War. Or at least formerly known that is." The man Xalveris explained, gesturing to him. "He is a very nice person once you get to know him." Xalveris stated.
"Why formerly? That armor is WAY cool! How did you make it like this? Can I have a copy of it? How strong it is?" Ruby asked quickly, catching Rook off guard for a moment.
"It's apart of me." Commander Rook said simply, hitting his chest piece with his metal hand. "It was forged many years ago."
"We are very nice people, Goddess Rose." Xalveris said happily, looking down at the girl. "Are you lost, perhaps?"
"Actually... Yeah, I kind of am trying to find my friends." She said with a awkward giggle, quickly blurting out the next bit. "Lord Xalveris." She added.
"It's fine." He said with a small smile. "Would you like some company on your journey? Perhaps I can help you locate them?" He suggested.
Ruby brightened up quickly, smiling wildly. "Really? That would be great!"
"No problem at all, Goddess Rose." He said with a warm grin. "Now, what are their names?"
"Weiss Schnee." Ruby said happily, blushing a tad as she mentioned her girlfriend.
Xalveris nodded. "That sounds like a lovely name." He said with a smile. Internally, he was deep in thought.
'So that's the other ones name. Not related to the God blood line... But too powerful for my enemies.' He thought coldly.
"And the other? Anyone else?" He asked, making sure to note the girls name in his mind.
"Orion." She said happily. "I don't know his full name, but he's really nice!" Ruby chirped happily, her tail wagging in the air.
"I see..." Xalveris said slowly. This wasn't suppose to happen. He had improvise. "Goddess Rose?" He asked.
"Yeah, Lord Xalveris?"
"This Orion man... He doesn't happen to have Golden eyes, does he?" Xalveris asked slowly.
"Yeah, like really gold."
"I see..." He said solemnly, bitting his lip. "Goddess Rose, Orion can't be trusted."
"Huh?" Ruby said quickly, confused as to what he meant.
"Orion has ruined this realm. That beast you saw before? That was his doing." Xalveris explained, catching Ruby off guard.
"That's not possible. He's a really nice friend!" Ruby replied, frowning a bit as she recalled how Orion could summon objects from nowhere at will.
"He was once my friend too, a long time ago." Xalveris said sadly, walking with Ruby down the path a few feet, Rook awaiting orders nearby. "This land, Goddess Rose, has been tormented with civil war for quite sometime. Orion and a group of Gods are in combat with myself, and we have lost so much to his evil ways." He said, turning to Rook. "Correct, Commander Rook?"
"Yes, Lord Xalveris. This is the third millennia of conflict with his forces." Rook summed up, honesty adorning his voice.
"But..." Ruby said slowly, unable to believe it. Xalveris pulling a Scroll from nowhere.
On the screen was what appeared to be a battlefield. Upon a toppled statue of Xalveris stood Orion, a burning city in the background.
"This is but a taste of what he has done. He must have manipulated you, Goddess Rose, after discovering your father." Xalveris summed up, the same level of honesty as Rook had used, dotting his voice and words.
"But... My father?" Ruby asked, not sure what to believe. "My dad, Dagonus?"
"Yes, Lord Dagonus, God of Death. Your father." Xalveris said before bowing to Ruby, Rook following suit.
"And you are Goddess and Lady Rose, Goddess of...?" Xalveris asked, looking up at Ruby.
She didn't answer.
Ruby was in a state of shock. The girl looked down at her hands, confused for the moment. Ruby knew she was powerful, but a Goddess?
"I can't be one. My blood is normal, I was born normal, everything about me is normal."
"Ah, but you haven't come of age, Goddess Rose." He turned to Rook. "What was the age of Metaphase? 16? 20?" He asked his ally.
"18, my lord." Rook answered, bowing at the pair.
"Once you reach the early age of 18, you change. Your blood will adapt to our own version, you will gain amazing powers, and you can exist forever..." He said with awe, recollecting his own past. "It's breathtaking."
"I'll be like Orion?" Ruby asked in awe, looking down at her hands, opening and closing them.
"Yes, but good. Like us." He said with a warm grin. "We will protect you from his vile crimes, I promise." He said genuinely, walking down the path. "Come, let us find your friend."
Pathway of Light
Weiss Schnee
"Wait wait wait." Weiss said once more, gesturing for Orion to slow down. "One more time, from the start."
Orion shook his head slowly, laughing a little.
"Okay, last time." He said with a chuckle. "In the beginning, there was nothing, right? Then in a flash of light, my father was born, God of Light and Creation. He built the stars and the universes from nothing, even forged this own place himself. Then he discovered his brother, a twin."
"That was... Xalveris, right? You said it to those men back there."
"Correct. Xalveris is my fathers brother. He is the God of Darkness and Destruction. The two couldn't exist without each other. As my father built and built, Xalveris would destroy and envelope his creations into darkness, twisting them to his purposes. Then, my father created his children to counter Xalveris."
"The Gods..." Weiss said softly.
"Yes." Orion continued. "Dagonus, the first born, was created. Xalveris tried to corrupt him, but luckily father made me to assist Dagonus."
"You're brothers."
"We all are brothers and sisters. It's a messed up family tree." Orion laughed. "Anyways, Dagonus and I repelled Xalveris while my father created more and more life, eventually creating all the Gods and Goddesses, and Mortals."
"And the Grimm?"
"That... Ask Dagonus the next time you see him. He can better explain it than I can. After all, he was there the day the Grimm came to be." Orion explained, getting back on track as they walked. "However, many Gods and Goddesses became corrupt by Xalveris, joining his side and combating our own forces. The men back there? Fallen Gods."
"I see..." Weiss said slowly, processing the information. "And what about Ruby and Yang?"
"Well, as physical Daughters of Dagonus, I'm not wholly certain." He said slowly, scratching his neck. "Best guess is they are Goddesses, like my sisters. They may have powers, possibly un-tapped due to their age. I've heard of mortals gaining Godhood, but never a God physically born."
"Wow..." Weiss said softly, amazed that Ruby and Yang of all people, the dunces of Beacon, were Goddesses. "So what does Xalveris's men want with Ruby and I?" Weiss asked, the sounds of laughter nearby.
"Ruby is obvious. As a new Goddess, she would have her powers at max usage, whatever they may be. That could tip the scales in his favor. You would be an added bonus to control Ruby." Orion explained, hearing laughter nearby.
"Move!" He said quickly, pulling Weiss behind a golden wall by this point in the road, peaking out a bit.
Xalveris, Rook, and Ruby were all walking down the path, Ruby giggling like crazy as she told stories of the past few months of her life, Xalveris listening intently as she spoke.
"Damn..." He said in a sharp hiss. "We are too late."
"So?" Weiss said simply, looking over at the man. "Why don't we go and beat him up, get Ruby, and run? He doesn't look that tough."
"THAT'S Xalveris." Orion said, gesturing to the man in the tuxedo. "Even I don't have that much power to defeat him on my own. I would need backup." He said slowly, considering his options.
"Oh..." Was all Weiss could say.
"Stay here. Don't move, I'll be right back." He said softly, the God flashing a dim white light before he vanished, leaving Weiss alone.
Weiss gave a small huff before looking back out at the trio, listening in on their conversation.
"And then the ship exploded! And I must have blacked out or something, cause the next thing I know I'm in Beacons hospital being told that I was in a coma and nearly died." Ruby said, recollecting the aftermath of the battle with Saturn aboard his airship.
"My, that sounds like quite the adventure. And all on Christmas Day... Not much merriment happening then I suppose." Xalveris said with a small chuckle, Rook grunting in agreement.
"Yeah, that part wasn't as fun." Ruby added with a sincere giggle, skipping along the path. "So, how will we know where to find Weiss?" The bubbly girl asked quickly.
Xalveris smiled down at the girl, laughing a little. "I'm sure she is very close, Goddess Rose." The God said gently, looking right at Weiss as she ducked behind the wall. "Very close."
"Damn it Orion, hurry up!" Weiss hissed out, the group nearing her position.
As Ruby, Rook, and Xalveris walked by the wall, Ruby took notice of her girlfriend, not noticing the scared look on her face.
"WEISS-Y!" The Faunus cried out, running towards her as Rook assumed a combat stance, only for Xalveris to raise a hand to halt the Fallen God of War.
"Not yet." Xalveris said carefully, walking over to the pair of young girls. "You must be Miss Schnee. Goddess Rose here has been worried sick for you. Are you in anyway hurt? Hungry or thirsty?" He asked, concerned for the girl.
"Not particularly... Thanks..." Weiss said in an uneasy tone, confused as to why the most vile being in existence was acting so nice.
"Weiss! Wanna know something awesome?" Ruby chirped happily, continuing before Weiss could continue. "I'm gonna be a Goddess! How cool is that!?"
"Are you now?" Weiss lied, pretending to be unaware of this fact. "That sounds... Great."
"I know!" Ruby said happily, kissing Weiss gently on the lips. "I missed you a ton!" She said softly, kissing the white haired teen once more.
"I missed you too, Ruby." Weiss said back, returning the pecks of affection. "Now who are your friends?"
"Oh!" Ruby shouted quickly, nearly forgetting to introduce everyone.
"This is Xalveris, God of... Um..." Ruby said slowly, pausing for a moment as she thought.
"God of Creation." Xalveris lied, sending a warm smile to the white haired girl.
"Oh yeah!" Ruby said happily, then pointing a finger towards the Black Knight. "That's Rook, God of War, formerly though."
Rook nodded slowly, giving a small grunt in reply.
"They seem... interesting." Weiss said slowly, a tingle sending shivers down her back, as if someone was trying to warn her of something.
"Well, now that you two are back together..." Xalveris said before snapping his fingers, the world around the group growing much darker.
"Rook, please subdue the pair." Xalveris spoke without a care, grinning wickedly.
"Huh?" Ruby asked out loud, looking over at Xalveris. "What are you saying?"
Rook was suddenly before the two, a giant flaming steel long sword in hand. "On your knees." He said with a growl, several portals opening up behind the girls.
Several more figures stepped out: Dark Aura wielders.
"My lord." They all said collectively, kneeling down together, easily 8 in total.
"Ah, right on time." Xalveris said happily, clasping his hands together firmly. "Now all we need is Orion and we can head home."
Two Dark Aura wielders moved forward, forcing the two teens down to the ground on their stomachs, the pair struggling to escape.
"Xalveris! What are you doing?!" Ruby cried out, grasping the air as the God on top of her gripped her neck.
"You two are so easy to fool, but I have the suspicion that you know who I am, Miss Schnee." Xalveris said happily, smiling towards the two as he adjusted his tie.
"What?" Ruby asked aloud as another portal opened up, a white one.
Orion stepped out, hands behind his back as he waltzed onto the grass.
"Oh, hello nephew." Xalveris said cheerily. "Come to join us? I was just about to commence a little get together for us all, once you surrender yourself to me that is."
"No thanks Uncle, I'm good." Orion said with a grin, the Saber springing to life in his hands, causing the Gods, excluding Rook and Xalveris, to become uneasy.
"I see that perhaps I had my hopes up." Xalveris muttered slowly, shrugging his shoulders. "Oh well, the girls will do."
"Don't involve them in this, Xalveris. Let them go, and I'll come with you. Just let me take them to my father, and send them back home."
"Hmmm..." Xalveris hummed with a vile grin. "Nope."
"Well then..." Orion said with a chuckle. "I don't feel bad about this next part then."
As if summoned by those words, several white portals opened up, 20 armor clad Gods and Goddesses exiting with weapons drawn, surrounding the group.
Xalveris wasn't even unnerved, calm as ever. "Well, this is quite unexpected of you, God of Fate."
"Only the best for you, Uncle." Orion said, pointing the Saber at Xalveris.
"Surrender."
Xalveris laughed evilly for a moment before composing himself. The snapped his fingers and several dark portals opened up, his men retreating, leaving Ruby and Weiss next to the fire sword wielding Rook.
"Well, other days, other business." He said with a bow, transforming into the black Phoenix before he took to the sky's, sending a shock wave to the ground, Rook teleporting away before the blast hit everyone.
The last thing Ruby saw was Orion and Weiss walking up to her as white portals opened up behind them, the darkness leaving the area.
"Come on Ruby." Orion said before Ruby passed out. "Let's get you home. But first..." Pausing for a moment as he lifted Ruby into his arms.
"My father wishes to speak to you."
A lone woman, with a pair of black cat-like ears with small purple tips awoke from her years of deep slumber, stretching out her arms and legs as she let out a loud yawn.
The woman ran her fingers down her dark black and purple tipped tail as she looked out from her home, a tall oak tree, living inside of it, through a hole that she had cut out.
The woman looked upward at the sky, her pale skin glowing in the moonlight as she looked around the stars.
A small ripple shook the sky, going unnoticed by anyone on the planet aside from her. Her permanent scowl on her lips twisted into a playful smirk as she let out a small giggle.
"My, my, my..." She said, her voice distorted, sounding as if it were a male and a female speaking at once, brushing a bang of her dark black and purple lined hair. "What could you be up to this time, dear Uncle?" The woman mused, tapping her pale, slender fingers together.
Her neon purple eyes flashing in the moonlight, giving her a sinister look as she laughed to herself.
"This will be interesting to see play out..." The woman, Cheshire, hummed to herself as she strolled over to her bed once more, deciding to take one last nap before fully awakening.
Perhaps only two months this time, three at most.
...
...
...
...
...
"I... th..k ... s... w...k... p..."
...
...
...
"R...b..?"
...
...
"...ruby..."
...
"RUBY!"
Ruby's eyes flew open, her silver orbs darting around as she was yanked from her slumber, unaware of what was happening or where she was.
"Oh, you're awake." Weiss said happily, smiling down at the girl.
"Ugh..." Ruby groaned, rubbing her temples. "What happened Weiss?"
Weiss looked confused, tilting her head to the side. "Weiss?"
"... yes?" Ruby said slowly. Did Weiss forget who she was?
"Aphrodite," Orion's voice entered into the conversation, the man walking over to the pair. "I will thank you for waking her up, but is the teasing really necessary?"
Weiss sighed. "Je suis desolee..." She said before standing up from Ruby's side, walking off into a nearby hallway. "I'll be taking a bath if you need me, big brother!" She called out, exiting the room, leaving the trio alone.
"She is such a child..." Orion stated to himself, looking back at Ruby. "How you holding up, kiddo?" Orion asked the God, standing above the white bed that Ruby laid in, Weiss a few feet away, looking at some art work.
"I'm good... I think." She replied quietly, looking over at Weiss. "Is she...?"
"She's fine, a tad shaken up. You two have been through a ton lately." He said with a small but warm grin, his golden eyes radiating kindness, making Ruby feel sick to her stomach that she had trusted Xalveris at all. The way he spoke... It was like he was hypnotizing her.
"Where are we?" Ruby asked suddenly, looking around as she sat up in the bed, Weiss slowly walking over while rubbing her arm.
"A place known as the Wellspring, the source of all life and creation. And my home." Orion said with, loving the feeling of the place.
"Why?"
"Because someone wanted to meet you. He's the reason you are here in the first place, although I doubt your encounter with Xalveris was intended." Orion explained, petting her ears.
Ruby giggled a tad as Weiss helped her out of the bed and into her feet, her legs wobbly before she knew she could stand. The Faunus pecked Weiss's cheek gently before walking with the God towards the hallway.
"Be on your best behavior in this meeting, only a handful of people speak to my father." Orion told the pair, who nodded in understanding as they entered a massive dinner room.
A long solid gold table greeted the trio, hundreds of different types of foods adored the table along with diamond encrusted silverware and chairs that would put the Schnee Family Residents staffs cooking ware to utter shame.
A lone man was in the room, the exact opposite of Xalveris, sitting on a white marble throne at the end of the table.
The man wore a entirely white suit, matching white tie and everything. He had ghostly white hair, nearly the color of glass. His white eyes seemed timeless, as if he had not existed before this very moment.
Orion walked to the mans side, the two girls next to him as Orion entered into a bow on his knee, the girls standing there awkwardly as Weiss entered into a quick curtsy.
"Father, I've brought Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee for you." Orion said slowly, exiting the bow and standing upright, not moving at all.
No one made a move, nor did they speak a word.
A whole minute passed.
"And so I've noticed." The white suited man, the creator of everything, stated bluntly, his voice slightly distorted, almost as if he was speaking with all the combined voices of Remnants total population.
The elder God stood up from his throne, turning his attention to the girls as Orion stepped to the side, not wanting to interfere.
"You two have caused quite the stir here, and on Remnant." He said simply, looking towards Ruby, who was fiddling with her skirt.
The pair didn't know what to say.
"Either way, it would be unfair to not introduce myself. My name is Yveltal, God of Light and Creation."
"It's nice to meet you... Mr. Yveltal." Ruby said timidly, frightened by his powerful Aura.
"Sorry, but just cut to the chase: why are we here?" Weiss abruptly said, her arms crossed over her chest.
Yveltal turned his attention to Weiss, no emotion on his face. "You don't obey authority." He said bluntly, no emotion shown.
"I have no reason to." Weiss replied, looking the strongest being in the universe in the eyes. "You put our lives at risk just to bring us here, and for what? To say hi. That seems like a waste of our time."
Ruby shifted uncomfortably again, the feeling from back at Saturn's base returning to her for a moment.
'... Devour them...' The voice demanded, a replica of Ruby's own once again.
'What are you? Why are you in my head?' Ruby thought.
Yveltal turned his attention to Ruby, not making a sound. He took a deep breath, shaking his head slowly.
"I invited you both here to thank you for rescuing my son. You both put your lives on the line to save him from captivity." Yveltal said, turning back to Weiss, who shifted around on her boots.
"While I don't take kindly to rudeness, especially from a mere mortal..."He trailed off, looking back over at Ruby. "You two have reason enough. Xalveris wasn't meant to come into contact with you. And I apologize for that."
Weiss looked at the marble floor, realizing her mistake, guilt taking over. "... I'm sorry..."
"Even so," Yveltal said, changing the topic. "I suppose you to deserve some time off from adventures, wouldn't you agree?"
The pair looked at each other, confused as to what the man meant.
"My dearest daughter, Aphrodite, has promised you before, Weiss Schnee, that you will have some time off... You will have three months before I will no longer watch over you. What you do in that time is none of my business. However..." He said, turning to Orion. "My son, you will watch over them. Be prepared. We both know what will soon occur. I need you there, with them, to get them through it."
"Yes father." Orion nodded, walking over to the pair of girls.
"It has been a pleasure, Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee. I do hope we can share a cup of tea some time." The God said, sending a very faint smile to the pair.
"We... we will need to take you up on that offer one day." Weiss said, a sharp hiss echoing around them as a massive white portal opened up behind them.
As Orion and Ruby entered the portal, Ruby shouting "bye nice mister" before disappearing, the Elder God had a thought.
"Oh, and Weiss Schnee?"
Weiss turned to the God, raising an eyebrow. "Yes?"
"A piece of advice: Keep her hands away from her eyes." Yveltal said, obviously in a riddle for Weiss to discover its true meaning.
"I... I will." Weiss said, nodding to the man before she turned back to the portal, stepping into it before disappearing.
Saturn's Throne Room
Unknown Time
Weiss fell from the ceiling after entering the portal, falling straight down to the floor with a shriek.
Just as she let out the scream, Jaune and his team looked up from where there were, previously looking for the two girls.
Weiss fell directly onto Jaune, landing bottom first on his head, sending both of them to the floor.
While Jaune groaned in pain, having just been hit by a flying Weiss directly in the face, Weiss sat on the boys chest, brushing the dirt from her dress.
"Go ahead, just try and sue me for body damages, Jaune." Weiss jokingly said, standing up as Ruby ran over with Orion.
"Nailed it." Ruby commented, breaking into giggles as Pyrrha lifted the now knocked out Jaune Arc over her shoulder.
"Now what?" Weiss commented, Ulysses entering the room to join up with the other Hunters and Huntresses.
Ruby smiled towards her girlfriend.
"Now, we go home."
A/N: And thus, Cheshire, one of the 8 heroes in total, has awakened… only to fall back asleep. Every chapter, for the next 7 as of now, will be introducing small cameos to these new heroes. The 7, including this one, will all be released with their names, while the final one is a surprise that is sure to be quite the twist to the plot. Since this is a cross Arc format now, I will keep the chapters going as much as I can while I'm not busy in order to show you all the new OC's and the new additional plot points that will follow. They all will become majorly relevant in 8 chapters, then showing their true purposes.
One more chapter for this Arc, see you all soon.