The Shadow of Fire
Chapter 34: Of Time and Space
"Da da dadadaaa~" The voice of Doctor William Firefall hummed out from his private office, having just dismissed his students to do as they wish. Working as a teacher slash doctor does have its perks, but, as everything does, it has it's downsides.
Firefall scanned up and down his shelve of Grimm limps on display; Beowulf lungs, Ursi heart, Nevermore eye, and a few other Grimm antiques that he had taken as "trophies" back during his days as a Huntsmen, and as the "Mad Doctor."
Without warning, Headmaster Ozpin and Weiss Schnee came charging into the room, more or less just Weiss, Ozpin simply maneuvering into the room. Firefall was about to ask what the meaning of this was when he noticed Ruby's still from in Ozpins arms, laying motionless.
"Ah, just put her on the bed, I'll get my kit." Firefall said with a mild sigh, walking towards a small cabinet in the comer of the room.
Ozpin carefully placed Ruby on a small hospital bed that adorned the left corner of the room, placing the sleeping girl over the blankets.
"So," Firefall said abruptly, walking over with a few medical tools in hand. "What's the damage today?"
"Doctor," Ozpin said lowly, gesturing to Weiss, who was just staring at Ruby's still form. "Now is not the time for jokes, old friend."
"I... I understand, one moment." Firefall said, wheeling over a few small tables with wheels attached to the bottoms, various medical devices placed on top of them.
Firefall quickly went to work, hooking up wires to Ruby's still form as Ozpin gave his account of what had happened, Weiss staying silent as she watched closely.
"... In short, Ruby's Aura levels have increased to the bodies maximum possible amount, and surpassed it..." Firefall noted, Ozpin nodding his head hesitantly, for he didn't want to admit that his student was in harms way.
"Indeed." Ozpin replied calmly with a false front of stability. "How is she, Doctor?"
Firefalls expression fell as he tapped away at his personal laptop, listing materials that he would need. "I... I might be able to stabilize her... but possibly for just the rest of the day..." Firefall said solemnly, looking downward. "Her Aura... Too much was released at once, and her body is reacting negatively towards it... I fear... that she only has till the end of the day..." Firefall spoke the last part quietly, not letting Weiss hear.
But she heard.
"Do what you can, Doctor. I know that you will do your bes-"
Ozpin was interrupted by Ulysses opening the door, his outfit scorched and burnt to a crisp, bits of ice dotting his ruined attire. Slung over the mans shoulder was the knocked out form of Glynda Goodwitch, limbs dangling in the air.
"William, do you happen to have room for two more?" Ulysses asked the doctor, the Headmaster and man in question simply blinked in surprise.
"Yes, yes, we were just heading to the main medical wing. Come with me." Firefall said, holding his laptop under his arm, quickly exiting the room with the duo, Ozpin waiting near Weiss.
"Weiss..." Ozpin said, placing a firm hand on her left shoulder. "I am so sorry..."
And with that, the Headmaster left the room, closing the door behind him.
Not even a second after the door clicked shut, a large ebony portal opened up behind Weiss, causing her to snap out of her daze and look towards it, poised to defend Ruby.
Out stepped Orion, his trademark trench coat in tatters, his equally known glasses broken in the right lens, his golden blood dripping all over the floor from a hideous looking wound on his stomach.
"Gahh..." Orion managed, stumbling into a nearby chair as Weiss ran to his side, concern filling her eyes.
"Orion!" Weiss nearly shouted, worried about the God of Fate before her, the man breathing heavily.
"I'm... I'm good..." Orion managed out, reclining in the chair, putting a hand to cover his bloody wound. "Just left a battle... Things got... out of hand."
"A... battle?" Weiss asked, running to the doctors mini fridge nearby and grabbing a water bottle, returning to hand it to the God.
Orion twisted the lid with a small grin towards the heiress, nodding to answer her question.
"Xalveris is getting bolder." Orion said, downing the entire water bottle in one go, sighing in relief. "We fought his forces to a stalemate, then he showed..."
"Why? What happened?" Weiss asked quickly, grabbing a towel to soak up the golden liquid.
"Don't know. He's guarding a spot of land or something. I've never seen him so bend on completing a task since my first battle against him." Orion responded, wincing a bit as Weiss cleaned up his wound.
"Guarding a spot...?"
"Yeah, it's weird."
"But... Why? Just how important is it?" Weiss asked the God of Fate, who by now was in a much calmer state.
"I'm assuming very important. All his Fallen God forces were there... The area is special to him."
"I guess the realm of the Gods is pretty small then, if he is guarding one area." Weiss reasoned, pulling away the towel.
"Not at all. It's infinitely in length. It never stops expanding... Wait..."
"What?"
"I know what he's doing. I need to contact father!" Orion said quickly trying to stand up, failing.
"No. You aren't moving. Ruby is already hurt, I don't need you hurt as well." Weiss said with a bit of bark in her tone. "Now what is that bastard doing?"
"Like I said, Kryata never stops expanding... And every God or Goddess has a set area waiting for their arrival once they are created... He's waiting for that person to arrive." Orion said softly, casting a faint gaze to Ruby. "How is she?"
"Not good... Her Aura levels are over capacity... she's not making it past tonight..." Weiss said solemnly, looking towards the floor.
"Hey," Orion said softly, cupping her face in hand. "Don't worry, everything will work out."
"Okay..."
"And if anything happens, anything at all, you just shout my name, I'll be here." Orion said with a small smile.
"Alright... Hey, how come Aphrodite didn't show? I summoned her with the ring and all." Weiss asked quickly, not noticing Orion wince as she spoke the woman's name.
"She... She was at the battle... She was battling Xalveris on her own when she-"
"WHERE IS SHE!?" Yang Xiao Long demanded from the hall, punching a hole through the door and turning the handle from the inside, barging in.
"Yang, sweetie, calm down..." Blake spoke to her girlfriend, her hand going to her Gambol Shroud ribbon.
"Yang, she's okay." Weiss added, despite Blake shaking her head to tell the heiress not to speak.
"Did you do this?!" Yang demanded as she looked at Ruby's form on the hospital bed, various wires and cords connected to her, her usually perky ears flat on her head.
"Yang, calm down!" Weiss nearly shouted at the brawler, a failed attempt to get her to listen.
"Shut up!" Yang yelled back, her blood red eyes glaring at the heiress as she raised her right fist, brining it forward to punch the heiress.
The fist stopped less than a centimeter from the white haired girls face, said girl not moving at all in fear.
Gambol Shrouds ribbon was wrapped around the girls arm, allowing Blake to hold back her girlfriend from killing Weiss. Yang's fist shook wildly as it tried to make contact, failing to do so.
"Yang. Heel." Blake demanded her girlfriend, pulling the ribbon back.
"Gah!" Yang shouted out in frustration, unclenching her fist, her eyes returning back to its regular state.
"Blake, this may not be the best place to keep Yang in..." Orion decided, the ebony haired girl nodding in understanding.
"We will be back later, about one hour. I will try to keep Yang calm." Blake told the God, nodding to Weiss as she wrapped the ribbon around Yang's body, dragging her down the hall.
"Don't any of you DARE lay a finger on her until I get back! I swear if you do I will tear your arms off and shove them up your a-" Yang managed out before the door shouting cut off her shouts towards the duo.
"She's... Fiery." Orion noted, causing Weiss to face palm.
"Don't... Please..."
Atlas Airspace
12:32 PM
Geist Schnee sat in solitude in his leather recliner within his private quarters, taking a sip of wine from a very expensive wine glass. His private jet soared around the length of Atlas, heading towards his next business conference in the town of Ravenwood, towards the south of the continent.
As he sat deep in thought about his daughters progress at Beacon in the last few months, a tad bit of turbulence shook the craft, causing some of his wine to spill onto the white carpet below.
"Ah!" Geist shouted in frustration, placing the glass on a nearby desk, the magnetic bottom holding the glass in place while he stood up.
The Schnee patriarch stormed to the intercom, jabbing the device with his thumb.
"Charles! What is going on!" Geist demanded, growling in the device.
The sounds of gunfire answered him as he stood in confusion, taking a few steps away from the device as the plane shook some more.
The door to his quarters opened up, allowing his personal assistant, Macy Glass, to enter the room.
"Ah, Macy! What is happening?" Geist asked worried.
"I'm sorry, sir..." Macy said weakly before she fell over to the floor, several arrows implanted into her back, dead as dead could be.
"Macy!" Geist shouted, taking a step back against his wall of books and documents.
A trio of people entered the room of the jet, two wearing all black uniforms, full face Grimm masks adorning their faces. Both had long bows in hand, also black as they stepped to the side to allow the third to enter.
Touko Mikasa walked in slowly, her regular attire upon her body as she pocketed her black Scroll, smiling at the man.
"White Fang..." Geist growled, going for his rapier before an arrow speared into the glass of its case, less than a inch away from his hand.
"Mister Schnee... It's pleasure to meet you finally..." Touko smiled warmly as the aircraft began turning around, heading towards Vale.
Doctor Firefalls Office
9:15 PM
It was just Weiss and Ruby, the duo alone in Doctor Firefalls office, the only sound was the heart monitor beating steadily, as it had been for the past several hours.
Ruby had indeed woken up hours ago, and after a small worry fest with the young heiress, Weiss allowed her teammates and friends to check up on Ruby. Sun and Neptune showed up, the duo mostly flirting with Blake and Weiss rather than showing real worry for Ruby, but they did express concern and hopes that she would be ready to battle again soon. Even Penny showed, strangely enough, and had a long, private conversation with Ruby about something. Then, it was Ozpins turn, and he allowed Ruby to signs several papers and forms detailing the events of her death and how the team and her family would continue. The team would be handed over to Weiss, and a new member would join if needed after a week or so, depending on the teams progress. He also expressed sorrow towards her eventual death, and made a promise to meet her again in the next life to play a game of chess and enjoy a glass of hot coco. Team JNPR came in as well, Nora constantly crying the entire time while Ren had to help her breath through the tears. Jaune and Pyrrha gave their word to protect Yang, and see that she graduated.
Then, it was just Weiss.
For 5 hours, they were alone.
Ruby fell asleep around 5, leaving Weiss to her thoughts.
"Can you hear that Ruby?" Weiss asked the sleeping girl, who gave no response. "Can you hear the silence? It's deafening..."
Ruby simply laid there; unmoving, a hand in Weiss's own.
Weiss tapped the metal restraints that were holding Ruby to the bed, frowning as she thought back to when Orion left the room. He had requested it as a precaution, out of worry that Ruby might attack and rampage once more, but Weiss felt that there was another meaning...
"I don't think I will get use to it, Ruby. I'll miss your laughs, your giggles, your constant talking when we ate..." Weiss continued, rubbing her thumb on Ruby's knuckle. "You will always be my dolt, you hear?"
No response, Weiss laughed.
"Everyone will miss you, and I will the most. Yang might disagree, but I will, and you know it." Weiss added on, bitting her cheek. "And I don't know... what life will be like after..."
Weiss sniffled, looking over at the clock.
9:25 PM.
5 more minutes, Firefall had said. 9:30 was the latest.
"Just promise me you will save me a place up there, huh? Maybe... In a house of cookies, eh? That sounds fun..."
Weiss sniffled once more.
"Just know... that I'll always love you Ruby... always..."
Weiss kissed Ruby's left knuckle gently, not breaking the kiss for a solid 3 minutes, just sitting there, lips together pressed to her skin.
9:28 PM.
Just 2 more minutes...
The door behind Weiss opened up, depositing Firefall and Ozpin, the duo looking as down as ever. Hunters and Huntresses die every day, but this one girl had done so much... and gotten nothing in return.
Ozpin stood next to Weiss as Firefall slowly walked to his laptop, waiting for a sign from Ruby.
Weiss felt Ruby's knuckle twitch a bit, clenching before it relaxed, her fingers becoming untwined from Weiss's own. Deep in Ruby's body, her heart pumped once more before popping open like a piñata, blood replacing the candy. The only signs of this occurring were her chest pushing upwards before relaxing, and the tragic beeps of the heart monitor...
Beep~
Beep~
Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee~~
Ruby flatlined; dying quietly and painlessly in her sleep.
Ozpin placed a soft hand on Weiss's shoulder, a vain attempt to calm her.
Weiss Schnee sobbed into her pale hands, ignoring the calm hand on her shoulder. She was in too much of a mental funk that she couldn't respond even if she wanted to.
The ringing in her ears only reminded her of the situation; Ruby Rose was dead, her heart monitor flatlining, and the sound echoing down the halls of Beacon Academy.
The bubbly girl of Beacon, powerful Huntress, savor of Vale, and girlfriend of Weiss Schnee was dead.
"I'll leave you alone. William, let us go." Ozpin said, Firefall nodding before following suit, leaving Weiss alone with Ruby... what was left of her...
Weiss sobbed loudly, all alone as Ruby laid there dead, unmoving. A large grandfather clock ticking in the background was the only sound present now, replacing the previous heart monitor beeps.
Ruby's body twitched a bit, going un-noticed by Weiss, who was still crying.
"Ruby..." Weiss managed out as she sobbed into her palms, her mind solely focused on the younger girl.
Suddenly, all was quiet, evens Weiss's sobs seemed to become muffled, as if the world was on mute.
A sharp hiss of air screeched in Weiss's ears, causing her to cover them on instinct, waiting for the the sound to leave.
Ruby's form seemed to flash a dull golden color for a moment, going un-noticed by Weiss, who was still clutching her ears.
Then the sound stopped, and all was quiet once more.
Then Ruby screamed.
Weiss had no idea what to think. After all, when a dead person starts screaming in sheer pain, that seems to be an odd event. Regardless of that, Weiss was in a minor state of shock.
"R-Ruby...?" Weiss asked as Ruby stopped screaming, the previously dead girls eyes wide open, looking only at the ceiling.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Ruby screamed once again, her silver eyes flickering with a bright light, the girl squirming under the restraints.
Weiss quickly collected herself, trying to figure out what exactly was happening.
Then it hit her... Yveltals words back at The Wellspring...
Before Weiss could react, an invisible wall of pure force sent her flying across the room, the rag-dolling heiress landing with an grunt as she rested against a wall, unable to stand.
The area around Ruby began to distort, the sound of the grandfather clock ticking grew as loud as a train horn, fading into the background as Ruby continued to scream.
Ruby's eyes began shining like a light house, the girl screaming in absolute pain as the distortions grew much more powerful around her. Ruby's body began to glow a red and black color.
After one more scream of pure pain and utter fear, Ruby exploded in a ball of black fire, enveloping the room instantly.
"Orion...!" Weiss managed to scream out before the flames consumed her, a large object knocking her out before she could do anything else.
The walls were blown off their foundation, brick and wood raining down in the smoldering wreckage of the room; the overhead lights, what remained of them, sparked with electricity, zapping the air.
Weiss Schnee coughed loudly, knocking off the grandfather clock which had landed on her form, slowly and weakly rising up.
As Weiss looked towards the area Ruby had been laying at, she noticed only a violet textured portal in her place, the air around it distorting as it simply hovered there.
Orion suddenly flashed to existence, pocketing a cell phone in his black trench coat.
"So I'm sitting in my realm, watching some television, eating a sandwich, and suddenly, the entire Heavens shook for a moment. Can someone please tell me... what... happened..." Orion trailed off, looking towards the hovering portal before him, only a few feet away.
"Ruby... She's dead..." Weiss said softly, limping over to Orion.
"No... Much worse..."
As if on command, the portal began twitching wildly, emitting a low sounding hum.
"Weiss!" Ozpin and Firefall shouted out as they ran in the room, the door automatically slamming shut and locking itself as they entered.
"What is happening, Orion?!" Ozpin said frantically, the air in the room slowly being sucked towards the portal.
"My office!" Firefall exclaimed, looking wildly towards all the damages.
"Ozpin! We've got a BIG probl-" Orion began before a secondary explosion cut him off, the room enveloping in a ball of black fire once more...
When it dispersed, the portal was gone, along with the four inside the room...
BlackJack, the Devils Game.
The trick to the game is luck; knowing when to give up and when to just sit and hope for a good card.
21 is the lucky number, anything over is a loss.
The dealer presented each person at the table with one card, Morris had the King of Hearts.
"Hit me." He spoke calmly, his hazel eyes scanning the newest card that was placed before him: Queen of Spades.
Morris ran a hand through his short light grey hair, scratching at it as he thought. A lot of money was ridding on this game after all, and he couldn't afford to lose.
"Hit me."
"Sir," The dealer said in a rushed voice, looking at his cards. "I highly suggest that you stay."
"I said..." Morris spoke sternly, pulling out one of his combat knifes, cleaning it with a small black rag.
"Hit me."
The dealer simply sighed, plucking the top card from the deck before placing it on Morris's two cards.
Ace of Diamonds.
"BlackJack." Morris said simply, collecting his share of the profit before he stood up, preparing to leave the room. As he walked around the table, a drunk hand grabbed the sleeve to his black trench coat, pulling on him.
"You ain't leaving." The drunk man spit out, yanking on Morris, who didn't budge.
"Please let go." Morris said calmly, adjusting his white t-shirt and grey turtleneck sweater, looking down at the man. The black stubble on his face only adding to his fearsome look.
"Ya listen here!" The drunk called out, drawing a small pistol from his pocket.
Within a second, Morris had slammed his combat boot on his right foot into the legs of the chair that the drunk man was resident in, sending the man sideways and caused him to drop the weapon.
Morris caught him in the air, holding him up by his neck before dropping him to the floor, quickly walking out of the room.
He walked down the alleyways of Vale, kicking stones along as he walked when a chirp from his cellphone went off, causing him to pull out the device.
A message, no name.
"Morris Rooks, I request your services as a former Vale Special Forces and Hunter. We have knowledge of a White Fang special Ops team located deep in the Emerald Forest. If you are interested in removing them, reply and await further orders."
No name, no signature, no nothing.
Morris sent a quick and simple reply to the offerer, agreeing to the job. He pocketed the phone in his blue jeans before he walked off down the alleyway, heading home for the night.
A/N: And now, Morris decides to reclaim his past.
This is number four, only 3 more to go before the final one is shown...
Any guesses?
Stay safe.