It was easy to follow Ruby and Lord Death through the halls of the strange academy. Easy enough for Blake to look around and take in her surroundings. Everything looked normal on the surface, the halls and people created an atmosphere very similar to Beacon's. But little details were just… off. If not downright impossible. She heard things about souls, but they were talking about 'wavelengths' instead of Aura, and she witnessed another case of someone casually turning into a weapon for someone else to use.

Blake had traveled over too much of the world to not know a place like this, where everything that should be impossible was faced with straight faces and uninterested eyes. Like it was all normal. The stray thought from earlier came back to mind, and Blake almost dismissed it. It should be impossible… but how many impossible things have I seen lately? Even putting today aside, everything about Ruby… this could explain that mystery, too… Could it really be?

"Ruby?" Blake finally spoke up when she was sure no one would overhear them.

Ruby also looked around to make sure no one was too close herself before answering. "What is it?"

"We…" Blake hesitated, still not believing what was about to come out of her own mouth. "We're not on Remnant anymore, are we?"

Ruby sighed. Knowing might help Blake follow her instruction to not say too much. It's kinda too late to keep it from her anyways. "No, we aren't."

Blake's eyes widened, her gaze dropped and she fell silent. Even with all the evidence, she still wasn't expecting that answer. It was clear she would need some time to come to terms with this revelation.

Death continued to lead the pair through a door, under a line of guillotines that acted as a hallway, and into a unique domed chamber. Images of clouds slid across the blue wallpaper to imitate the sky and thin grave markers surrounded a raised platform with an elegant mirror on the far side. Lord Death stopped shortly before the mirror.

"This is my private chamber, the Death Room," Lord Death explained, "we can safely discuss important secrets in here with no fear of being overheard. Now," the reaper turned to his unexpected guests, "what brings two young Keyblade warriors to my humble world?"

"Two?" Ruby cast a quick look to her faunus teammate. "Oh, Blake isn't actually a wielder."

"Oh my," Death worried for a moment, "but she's still not from this world?"

"Yeah…" Ruby confessed. "An accident brought us here. We were in a fight, and the enemy used portal made of Darkness to escape. Blake jumped in before I could stop her, and I fell in after her. We escaped the Darkness and ended up here."

"You jumped into a Dark Corridor without any protection!?" Death directed his surprise at Blake.

Blake seemed to shrink. "I didn't know it was a bad idea at the time! I was just trying to stop a threat…"

"I suppose that makes enough sense," Death accepted and turned back to Ruby, "so what now? If you have no reason to stick around, I assume you'll be leaving soon?"

"About that…" Ruby looked to her armor switch. "I can travel worlds, but I don't have a way to protect Blake in the Ocean Between."

"So your friend would be stranded…" Death observed. "There must be something you can do?"

"I have a way to contact someone with a Gummi Ship!" Ruby explained, "…but they're on a mission right now. They promised to check up on me, though! I'm sure once Master Mickey returns to Remnant and realizes I'm not there, he'll call me, and then he can pick us both up."

"I see. Well, until then, you are welcome to use my school for asylum," Death offered. "And my offer for protection still stands. Not that you need it, but it might make not answering questions easier if you use me to deflect."

"Thank you, Lord Death," Ruby gave a short bow. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course," Death nodded.

"How do you know about the Keyblade, and the World Order?" Ruby asked.

"Surely it's come up in your studies?" Death pointed out. "Some worlds have individuals powerful enough or old enough to remember things others have long forgotten. Usually both. Be they gods, kings, or otherwise, they're often seen as some kind of leader. King Triton, Philemon, and Santa Claus to name a few."

"Wait, Santa Claus?" Blake suddenly voiced.

"And besides that," Death continued, practically ignoring Blake, "we have had our own Keyblader visitor just a few years ago. I'm actually rather surprised you don't know about my world, Master Enxi would have told you, right?"

"Uh, Master who?" Ruby crossed her arms. She had never heard that name.

"Master Enxi?" Death tried again. Ruby only shook her head. "He arrived, fought off some Heartless, and sealed this world's Keyhole? He even found an apprentice from among our number!"

Ruby shook her head again, "none of that is familiar to me."

"Hm," Death thought for a moment, "perhaps he's not associated with your particular school…"

"But how can that even be?" Ruby wondered. An old conversation she once had with Yang came to mind. Other Schools, with other wielders, spread across The World, like dandelions… All fairy tales start somewhere. "Could that old story really be true…?"

"It would seem so," Death responded, knowing what Ruby was referring to without asking. "Well, if your school is not familiar with us, I'm sure they would appreciate some recon on your part. Feel free to sit in on a few classes and learn what you can of our world. Make the most of your time here before your Master picks you up."

"I think I just might," Ruby accepted with a smile. She turned to her teammate, "how about it, Blake?"

Blake looked up in surprise. "I think I'm still processing… well, everything about that conversation. I didn't even know other worlds existed before all this…"

Ruby thought for a moment before returning her gaze to Lord Death. "Is it okay if she stays in the Death Room?"

"Of course, you two are my personal guests, that hasn't changed," Death reassured.

"Thank you, Lord Death," Ruby bowed shortly. "Blake, I'll find you if Master Mickey calls."

Blake only nodded and watched Ruby leave the Death Room.

Death lingered in the silence for only a few seconds before breaking it. "Blake, was it? Do you happen to like tea?"

"Huh?" the faunus looked up and noticed a table, tea set, and floor cushions had appeared out of nowhere. "Uh, yeah…"

"Do me the honor of sharing a pot then, and I'll answer any question you have to the best of my ability," Death offered, taking his seat. "Or we can drink in silence as you think, it's up to you."

Blake only hesitated a moment before joining him and taking her own cup. "Thank you, uh… Lord Death."

Ruby found some level of enjoyment sitting in on some of the DWMA's classes, and she learned quite a bit. Like Remnant, the people here fought using their souls for power. However, this was mainly done by linking souls together. A 'meister' fought with a 'weapon partner', a living person with the ability to transform into a weapon. The pair would bounce soul energy off one another, with the wave gaining more power with each pass. It was a fascinating concept, a unique brand of partnership Ruby doubted existed anywhere else.

Ruby also learned of the main enemies fought on this world, the 'kishin'. Or, more accurately, corrupted humans whose souls evolved into 'kishin eggs'. An actual 'Kishin' was an atrocity that only happened once, but once was enough. It couldn't even be killed, only captured for the next 800 years. Death founded the academy to prevent another full Kishin from being born and built it over the Kishin's prison. Until the Kishin escaped, and the DWMA fulfilled its promise by actually destroying the monster. But the threat of another Kishin was omnipresent, and the school remains.

"Now I just need to remember all this when I actually have the chance to report," Ruby remarked to herself as she wandered the halls between lectures. "I hope His Majesty finds the others soon…"

Another individual was wandering the halls with a purpose of her own. Maka finally spotted the strange visitor in red and caught up to her quickly. "Hey! Ruby, right?"

"Hm?" Ruby stopped and turned to face the girl. "How do you know my name?"

"I was in the crowd when you fought Black Star," Maka reminded her before offering her hand, "Scythe Meister Maka Albarn."

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised, half the school was there watching," Ruby joked lightly. She took the young Meister's hand to shake, "Ruby Rose. Scythe Meister, eh? I've always liked scythes, where's your partner?"

"Probably slacking off somewhere 'cool'," Maka responded. "I, um… wanted to ask you a question."

Uh oh. "I can't promise an answer, a lot of stuff I deal with is classified," Ruby played off without losing her smile. It's not really a lie.

"Oh, it's not about your missions or anything," Maka assured. "Actually, I wanted to ask after a friend of mine?"

"What makes you think I know your friend?" Ruby asked.

"Well, your weapon," Maka explained. "See, my friend came to possess a magic sword similar to your own. I still don't even know how, it seemed to come out of nowhere shortly after they lost… a different power."

Similar to mine? Death did mention that Master taking an 'apprentice' from this world. Is that Maka's friend? "Let me guess… someone showed up and took them away for training, but no one would tell you where?"

Maka's eyes lit up. "That's right! So you do know them!"

"Actually, no…" Ruby admitted.

Maka deflated. "Oh…"

"But I am interested in learning about them!" Ruby quickly assured. "If their weapon really is like mine, I'd love to find them. And when I do, I'll let them know you're worried."

Maka did seem to cheer up slightly. "I guess that'll have to do. Thank you."

"Do you have a picture?" Ruby asked.

Maka cocked her head. "A picture…?"

"Of your friend?" the young wielder elaborated. "Maybe a yearbook? If this school does yearbooks. Does this school do yearbooks?"

"Oh!" Maka seemed to have an idea and grabbed Ruby by her hand, "follow me!"

Ruby allowed herself do be dragged through the school until they reached what appeared to be a main hall. They stopped at a wall that had a massive blow up of a newspaper article. "This is an article about the day we stopped the Kishin Asura. Let's see, I know this shot caught them…"

Maka heard Ruby gasp, and curiously turned to see her stare at the picture with wide, fearful eyes. "What is it?"

Ruby's vision tunneled onto a face she had seen before. The thin frame, the narrow face, the droopy eyes… And even though the image was colorless, Ruby knew that choppy, uneven hair was a light pink. She finally found her voice, and pointed to the familiar face, "Don't tell me… that's your friend?" Ruby asked Maka.

"Yeah, that's Crona," Maka answered. "But… why is that a bad thing?"

"I'm sorry Maka, I can't… I have to go," Ruby turned heel and made for the Death Room as fast as she could.

"… and so the worlds remain separate, and secret. Never to interact again, and the secrecy, never to be broken," Death finished a lengthy explanation.

"I see…" Blake nodded thoughtfully. "Even if there are people that can be trusted with the knowledge, on such a large scale it's too much of a risk that the wrong people will know instead."

"I hope you know you must keep this secret now, too. No matter how much you trust someone, the line must be drawn. So, in the name of World Order, you must draw it close," Death reiterated.

"I… understand," Blake accepted. "It should be easy enough… I can only think of one person on Remnant close enough to the fight to question where I've been. No one else would even think to ask, not even my family."

They both heard the footfalls of someone approaching. "Oh, that will be your Keyblade wielder friend! No one else currently has authorization to enter the Death Room," the reaper explained.

"Ruby?" Blake turned and watched her team leader enter the space. "Has Master Mickey called already?"

"Huh? No," Ruby shook her head. "No, I actually have something to ask Lord Death."

"Ask away!" Death responded enthusiastically.

"You said a Keyblade Master took a student from this world," Ruby reminded him. "A student of the Keyblade, right?"

"Of course, what else?" Death pointed out.

"The Keyblade wielder from this world… were they 'Crona'?" she asked.

"Yes, Crona Gorgon," Death answered. Ever perceptive, he followed up, "this information seems to distress you. Is something wrong?"

Ruby turned to Blake. "I just saw a picture of this Crona Gorgon… They're the Black Coat."

"Black Coat?" Death asked. "The Darkness user you mentioned, Blake?"

Blake's eyes widened. "I guess that explains why their portal took us here… but can someone even use Darkness like that and still be a wielder?"

"Not likely," Death answered.

"I saw their heart, when I fought them under Mountain Glenn," Ruby revealed. "There wasn't single ray of light, definitely not Keyblade light."

"This is disturbing information indeed," Death lamented. "Crona worked very hard to fight their inner darkness before they had the Keyblade. I was so sure their manifesting one meant that struggle was finally over…"

"Well, we know who they are now. That's good news, right?" Blake asked.

"I don't know…" Ruby admitted, casting her physical gaze downward as her mental gaze turned inward. "This raises more questions than it answers. For a Guardian of the Light to fall so deep into Darkness… What happened to you, Crona Gorgon?"