A/N: This was originally chapters 8-10: "Breakfast at Beacon", "Strong Words Make Strong Bonds", and "Day One, Beacon".
The "SHIROUDAY2022 Special" I wrote for said event is the OMAKE for this chapter.
CHAPTER 5:
Day One, Beacon
Ruby's mind burned as she watched two figures clash amidst high-rising buildings that were tall, metallic, and glossy with glass. She found herself breathing hard as she saw spark after magical spark, clangs and booms of power, as if they were using entire crates of Dust for every hit they exchanged.
It was Saber fighting against someone who fought with chains, and it was like a dance in the air.
Rider, her mind whispered. She used nameless daggers that were more like giant nails than anything else, and Ruby found her eyes focusing and barely catching anything that they were doing from so far below them. They ran up and down buildings, bounced and struck and parried, fighting like it would be their last.
A feeling of dread washed through Ruby. Then, she found herself running into a building, and running up. Running and running and running, because the elevators wouldn't work and all she had was stairs. There was a sense of urgency she could feel. As if Ruby knew that Saber would die if she didn't go up. As if there was something Rider was still hiding, something she knew might be able to trump anything Saber did if she didn't go all out.
And Ruby somehow knew that Saber wasn't going all out, all because of her.
She was exhausted. Her lungs were burning. And when Ruby felt like giving up, she felt the building rumble, and terror gripped her heart. Run faster! Screamed Ruby, and her dreamself seemed to think the same as she ran up the stairs faster than before. She then broke through the rooftop door and stared as she saw Saber on her knees breathing heavily.
"Shirou! Why are you here?!"
"Saber–!"
Ruby froze the moment she stepped forward and looked up to see Rider on a hazy white mount. She then began speaking to Saber, and Ruby found the dream, the memory, shifting, as if it were a choppy movie. She then found herself searching for someone name Shinji, and before she knew it, she felt more than saw Rider gathering energy, enough energy to make Ruby's hairs stand on end.
"That is your Noble Phantasm, Rider?"
Noble Phantasm. That phrase echoed in Ruby's head, and she felt another wave of pressure hit her, both in the dream and in her own head as pain spiked through her brain.
"Yes, but this Pegasus is too kind. I'll have to use this to make it fight." She then did something that made her mount kick and begin to shake. "Now, disappear, Saber! Even if you survive now, your Master is a different matter altogether. Will it matter anymore if he dies? Ha!"
"Saber!" Ruby found herself shouting. Saber turned to her with ferocious eyes, and Ruby nodded. "Use it."
At that moment, even amidst the roaring wind and commanding shouts of Shinji to Rider, there was an understanding between them. Without another word, Saber, released every seal on her sword and brought up in a two-hand stance.
"BELLEROPHON!"
Rider named her weapon, her Noble Phantasm, and like a switch, she became a blazing streak of light.
But Saber wasn't to be outdone. The wind peeled, whipping around and roaring faster and faster until–!
"EX-"
A golden sword appeared, more beautiful than anything Ruby had ever seen, and one she had recognised, because she had seen it once already in that land full of swords. It was the very breath of the planet, the assembly of its light at the end of the world.
It was Excalibur, the Sword of Promised Victory, and it burned.
"-CALIBUR!"
~~R o a D~~
Ruby gasped as she opened her eyes to a warm ray of light shining over her face. Shielding her face, she sat up in her bed and squinted at the crack in the blinds that had woken her up. She crawled to the window and set next to the light, soaking in its warmth as she cuddle in her blankets.
"That dream," she murmured. "It was as real as the one from yesterday."
That sword she had seen was amazing. It was as brilliant and as inviting as the warmth Ruby could feel from the morning sun through the window. She knew its name now too, and she knew what it meant: Excalibur, the Sword of Promised Victory. It was the symbol and collection of humanity's every hope and wish, and a blade with infinite potential.
A beacon of light. A reminder of every good thing in the world.
It filled her with energy thinking about it. She could envision that same majestic blade in her head down to its foreign fairy writings and ever-sharp edge. Now that she had seen it clearly in her dreams, it was like she could recreate it perfectly in her own imagination, and it was beautiful. Her brain was buzzing, her skin tingling, and she twitched her fingers at the thought of having a sword like that.
Ruby pictured herself holding Excalibur and smiled goofily. If only she could.
Snores from her left brought her out of her musings and made her remember that she was the only one out of the new Team RWBY that was currently awake. Taking one more glance out the window, Ruby wondered what time it was. She cast her eyes to her scroll next to her pillow and blinked at how early it was. 6:34 a.m.
"Huh," Ruby murmured, "It's so early…If it's so early, why do I feel so awake?"
There was nothing Ruby could think of as to why she had woken up early. She tried going back to sleep and snuggling into her cozy blankets, but after a few minutes she felt restless. With a frown, she rolled out of bed. Ruby then had the inexplicable urge to make her bed. With a strange feeling of elation, she fixed her sheets and stood proudly over her bed that now looked as crisp as when she had first seen it.
"I never knew making my bed would feel so gratifying."
Ruby then fished out her Beacon uniform, grinned madly at it, and changed into it in a flash. Fixing her skirt, she dashed over to the washroom to look herself over and nodded with a smile. Finally, her stomach rumbled, and she found herself tilting her head in thought.
"How long has it been since I last made breakfast for more than just myself?" It had only been a few days since she had made her own breakfast, but it felt like an eternity since she had made anything for more than one mouth to feed. In fact, it was somewhat of a travesty in Ruby's eyes. Breakfast was an important part of every day, and she had been taught never to miss it.
An idea popped into Ruby's head. Her eyes lit up. I've got it! Now that she was the leader of Team RWBY, she had to set an example, right? That meant team bonding moments, which meant everyone smiling and being happy. Ruby liked it when people were happy, and she knew Weiss had seemed very grumpy ever since the final ceremony.
She glanced at Weiss' sleeping form before looking over at Blake and Yang. With a nod, she smiled. "Alright then. I wonder what I'll make?" Her eyes then flickered back to Blake in particular, who seemed to like sleeping with her bow on.
It must be uncomfortable, Ruby found herself thinking. Knowing what she had under there…She might be grumpy too. She wondered if adding fish to a breakfast meal would be blasphemous to her. She then shrugged. Oh well. If it is, then I don't want to hear it. This is a team bonding experience!
Ruby set her scroll on an alarm that would tell her to wake everyone up after about half an hour. She then gently opened the door to the hall, looked left and right, and made her way to the common room's kitchen. She flicked on the light switch and beamed at the sparkling kitchen. Ruby then zoomed over and checked each cupboard for supplies. What she found made her pump her fists and immediately set out pans, a cutting board, and eight plates.
Looking into the fridge, Ruby was pleasantly surprised to see it stocked, if a little sparse, with everything she might need for a big breakfast. In fact, if Ruby was looking at it all correctly, she could maybe even make enough to have extras for Team JNPR! "Maybe I should make them some too," Ruby said. "I'm sure they'd love it!"
She took out the loaf of bread, eggs, bacon, tomato, and cheese, and what looked like a can of tuna and hummed. "I could do a lot with this, but I guess I'll make something simple for today."
She oiled her pans and let them heat up as she started to crack eggs and whisk them in a bowl. Holding her hands over her pans, she waited until they felt hot enough and laid out strips of bacon on the pan. She then poured the first half of the whisked eggs into the other pan and whirled around to open the can of tuna. She then went back to the fridge and found a single ball of lettuce which she brought out, before taking some spices from the spice cabinet she had found and seasoning the eggs.
She chopped some of the lettuce into big chunks and the tomatoes into slices, flipped the bacon, flipped the omelette, and set out eight slices of bread. Time was a non-factor to Ruby at this point, as she was having a lot of fun. Soon enough, she changed out the bacon, took out the omelette, and put the rest of the uncooked bacon and whisked eggs in their respective pans. As everything finished cooking up, she began to stack the bread slices to make BLT's with a slice of cheese to boot, and one sandwich having the tuna replace the bacon.
Finally, she set out one more pan and began toasting each sandwich on either side, letting the cheese melt into the sandwich while the bread grew crispy with each passing second. Vaguely, she felt she could hear her alarm in the distance go off, before swiftly turning off, but she paid it no mind. Did her scroll die? Oh well. Even if they didn't wake up, Ruby could just bring it all to them.
As she set out each sandwich in a presentable way on the eight plates, and positioned the omelettes just right, she turned around to grab forks and found seven pairs of eyes all sitting at the two tables in the common room and staring at her in varying degrees of wonder. Even Weiss was looking at her with confused interest, half-asleep as she still was. Ruby blinked and stared back for a few moments before she widened her eyes and made a surprised noise.
"Eep!"
"Wow, Rubes…You really outdid yourself here," Yang said.
"W-when did you all get here?" Ruby asked self-consciously. "I didn't even notice you come in!"
"Well, it started when Yang woke me up with her snoring," Blake said, to which Yang grumbled. Blake continued, "And then I smelt something so amazing I thought I would die, so I got out of bed and followed the smell to you."
"Then she came back and woke me up to ask me if I knew you could cook," said Yang, "And I, of course, said yes."
Ren coughed. "Nora smelled bacon, which she associated with the idea of pancakes."
"I'm sad there aren't pancakes!" Nora said happily.
"She woke all of us up," Jaune mumbled. "I want more sleep."
"Nora dashed out and saw Blake and Yang walking towards the common room," Pyrrha then provided. "The alarm went off after that and I saw Weiss rush across the room to turn it off and nearly went back to bed before she saw us."
"I did not 'nearly' go back to bed," Weiss said. "That is slanderous! Oh, but I'm not calling you anything, Pyrrha."
"Okay."
Weiss turned back to Ruby and said, "I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Then I saw it was just you. In any case, I see you're well-versed in the art of making breakfast."
"Of course she is, Ruby's my sister! She's pretty cool, you know."
"Oh shut it, you blonde buffoon. I don't need any of your comments this early in the morning."
"Hey! Can I join in on the name calling?"
"No, Nora."
A swirl of emotion bubbled from deep within Ruby as she watched her team and Team JNPR continue to talk to each other, and she felt her eyes fog up at the amazing sight. Not even an official day into her new Beacon Academy student life, and she had already made such nice friends. It made her decision to make breakfast for two teams all the more worth it. It was moments like these that she used to want–Did want to protect. Where everyone was happy and smiling.
If only she had her scroll to take a picture. Instead, she burned the image into her memory and smiled widely before disappearing in a flurry of rose petals and reappearing at the same table as the rest of her team. Ruby then watched as everyone blinked and looked down to see their breakfast was served.
"Eat up, everyone! I made it so we could all have yummy food and have a great start to our first day at Beacon!"
Despite any previous laziness or lack of energy, everyone immediately perked up and cheered. Ruby then waited and watched her new friends' faces as they each took the first bite of their sandwiches and collectively moaned at the delicious taste.
"Wow, it looks like a normal sandwich, but it tastes so good!" said Nora through a full mouth.
Ren sighed. "Chew, Nora!"
Jaune beamed from his sandwich. "It's really good, Ruby!"
Pyrrha smiled primly and nodded in agreement. "Yes, it's amazing."
"This…is the best sandwich I've ever been served for breakfast," Weiss murmured. "What did you put in this?"
"I would like to know as well," Blake said with wide eyes. She looked at her sandwich and back at Ruby. "Is that–Tuna?"
"All I did was cook the bacon and toast it a little," Ruby said. "The only other thing was I seasoned the eggs a little." Ruby then fixed Blake with a guilty look and said, "Yeah, it's tuna."
"Yours has tuna?" Yang asked. "What?"
"Hm. That's odd. It doesn't look like yours has bacon."
"I like tuna, but…" Blake looked suspiciously at Ruby. "How did you know?"
Ruby glanced at all three of teammates as they all looked at her with different emotions. She wondered, really wondered if she should tell them. Ruby wanted to know if she should tell Weiss and Blake that she knew of both of their histories, which meant knowing Blake's secret, all because she caught a glance of their weapons.
Was it going to be okay in the end? Would she fail as a team leader? Could this make or break Team RWBY before the semester even really began? Ruby bit her lip and stared at her own sandwich that was still untouched, and she closed her eyes.
"Ruby?"
"Can I talk with everyone, after?" Ruby whispered, looking at Yang first. Her gaze then fell on Weiss and Blake, who had yet to take another bite. "In the dorm. I need to say something. It's kind-of important."
Yang blinked. "I mean, off course, Rubes. Is it team stuff?" She narrowed her eyes just enough that only Ruby noticed. "Or is it something else?"
Ruby felt the warm feeling she'd had in her chest grow a little cold, and she picked up her sandwich. "Let's just enjoy breakfast for now, okay?" Ruby pleaded. "I made this for you guys. It wouldn't be nice to let it get cold, right?"
"Hey, you guys doing alright over there?" Jaune's voice asked from the other table. Team RWBY looked over to see all of JNPR watching them with slight concern.
"Fine! We're doing fine, thanks for asking. And, uh, thanks for eating my food! I'm really happy you all love it! Please keep eating!" Then, she finally took a bite of her own sandwich.
As Ruby began attacking her food with gusto, Weiss, Blake, and Yang all shared a look. One thing was for certain–Whatever Ruby had to say, it was important. Yang had an inkling as to what Ruby might be after, while Weiss and Blake could only guess at what their new team leader would want to talk about. And for Ruby, it was something she knew she needed to say, before it got out of hand any further. Before Ruby found out anything else she shouldn't know.
But Ruby would joy herself in the happiness she could see in everyone's smiles, for as long as she could. When everyone finished up, she grabbed everyone's plates and listened as they all continued to talk and she washed up. Eventually, they all got up and made their way to their respective rooms, which is when Team JPNR turned their attention towards Ruby.
"Thank you, Ruby."
"Thanks for breakfast, Ruby!"
"Can you make pancakes next time? I love pancakes!"
"Thanks for the food, and sorry about Nora."
As Team JNPR filed back into their dorm to get ready for the day, and Ruby felt a sense of absolute pride at the compliments she had received and the happiness she had seen. There was something about seeing smiles because of something she'd done that Ruby reveled in. It was a lovely feeling that was already beginning to flounder at the curious stares she was receiving from her own team.
Ruby turned around and faced the rest of Team RWBY, who had gathered in the centre of the room. Weiss and Blake looked much more alive than they did before, and Yang was watching her with a slight frown. Ruby tried to convey with her eyes that she had thought this through, but Yang continued to stare.
Thought continued to cross Ruby's mind, where she was still unsure about telling Blake and Weiss about her abilities to read their weapons' histories, and to an extent, figure out some of their secrets. She knew it was the right thing to do, and it would only hurt Team RWBY in the long run if they found out later that she had known so much about them already from one look at their weapons.
"Well?" Weiss asked, irritation already creeping back into her voice despite the full breakfast she had just eaten. "What is it you wanted to talk about? We still have to get ready for the day, you know."
After a moment, Blake nodded reluctantly alongside Weiss. "We have to unpack, too. Don't forget that."
At their sudden onslaught to make her talk, Ruby defaulted to a pleading look at Yang, who shrugged. "You're the one who wanted to do this out of the blue," said Yang, "So you can either tell them, or you don't. It's your thing, after all."
Blake looked between Yang and Ruby with narrowed eyes. "What are you talking about?"
Realising that Yang was going to let her decide for herself on this one, Ruby looked between Blake and Weiss for a long moment. She could almost imagine seeing Weiss fighting against her giant robot, Arma Gigas, and every painful step she had poured into her practice of the sword only to struggle in defeating it. Ruby then felt like she could see Blake fighting her way through a train, only to be torn with the decision to sever the train car coupling so that the bull-faunus she was with couldn't hurt innocent people.
Two hard workers, two amazing people, two opposite ends to the same coin of trying to find themselves in an unfamiliar place. Did Ruby have any right to upset that? To destroy that balance that they had so painstakingly crafted for themselves? She already gleaned some of the reason why Weiss was so opposed to Faunus, but she could only begin to guess at why Blake had a strong dislike for Weiss, and it led to some unpleasant things that Ruby didn't want to think about.
They were watching Ruby expectantly. She clenched her fists tight and looked down. She knew it was the right thing to do. But it was so hard. So very hard. She didn't want to hurt them. She didn't want them to hate her, or each other. What could she do?
What could Ruby do?
Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "Blake. Weiss. I need to tell you something."
"We've figured as much."
"Out with it, already. We haven't got all day."
"I know about your weapons."
There was a pause in the air as they processed Ruby's words. Yang could only facepalm as Blake and Weiss shared a look. "What are you talking about?" Weiss asked. "We've both used our weapons in front of you."
"I mean, I know their names," said Ruby.
Weiss frowned, and Blake twitched. Ruby saw Blake's bow move while Weiss glanced at where she had stored her combat attire. "What do you mean by that?" asked Blake, her voice now cool with suspicion. "Prove it."
Weiss, on the other hand, was looking at Ruby with a confused look. "I–what? No, that's right. I haven't told you my rapier's name. How would you–"
Ruby pointed at Weiss. "Myrtenaster." Her finger trailed to Blake, who had grown wide-eyed at Weiss' own surprised look. "Gambol Shroud."
Blake dashed forward, slapping a hand over Ruby's mouth with a slightly crazed look in her eye. "How do you know that name?" Blake hissed. "Who are you? How did you–"
A hand tore Blake's hand away from Ruby's mouth. Blake swung her head and bared her teeth, only to see Yang with a deceptively bored face and flickering red-lilac eyes. "Hey. Hands off."
"This doesn't concern you."
"That's my sister you're attacking."
"It's okay, Yang!" Ruby pushed Yang and Blake apart, and Blake tore her arm away from her partner's grip. "I know why she's scared!"
Upon hearing that comment, Blake once again whirled on Ruby with a snarl as Weiss stared at the two in a daze. "What is going on here?"
"Please, don't be mad, Blake!" Ruby cried, her hands outstretched. "I have an ability. I–I just got it, and I can't control it. It lets me Read weapons, anything that can be used as a weapon, anything!"
"That sounds absurd," Weiss said. "A Semblance like that–"
"It's not a Semblance," interrupted Ruby. "I don't know what it is! But it tells me the history of your weapon. How it was made, what its made of, its name, things like that–"
"History!?" Blake gasped, stumbling backwards. "What–What do you mean? You didn't find out from someone else?"
"I find that hard to believe, Ruby." Weiss folded her arms in anger. "If you called this meeting to joke about something like this, then it proves you were the worst decision for Team Leader. Snooping around our weapons and learning their names just because you're some sort-of weapon nut is hardly leader-like conduct."
Ruby couldn't take it anymore. It was devolving so fast that Ruby felt like she was getting whiplash. Blake was looking at her like she was a monster, and Weiss was getting angrier by the second. Yang was standing close to her, just out of sight but within arms length, and Ruby herself was growing frustrated with her own inability to speak right.
Just as Weiss was about to continue berating her, Ruby had enough. She shut her eyes and yelled. "You got your scar from fighting a giant robot!"
A small gasp was all that broke the ensuing silence. Ruby opened her eyes to see Weiss staring at her in the same way Blake had already been doing, and Blake herself had grown pale as she turned to confirm Weiss' reaction. "How do you…No, there's no way you could know," Weiss murmured.
Blake looked between Weiss and Ruby as if the both of them had suddenly dropped dead. "Is she right?" Blake took a shaky step forward. "Schnee–I mean, Weiss; Is Ruby right?"
Weiss turned to Blake with wide eyes. "I, my scar, I mean–"
"Answer me!"
"Yes! I got it fighting our Arma Gigas, but how?"
Ruby watched Blake turn to her in horror. "Then–That means?"
The room suddenly felt like a vice that was crushing Ruby from all sides. Blake was terrified, almost shaking. Weiss had lost any semblance of anger and was now in a listless daze. Ruby knew it was going to be bad, but she didn't think it was going to go like this. She tried to fight the urge to just scream in frustration and anger at herself, and nodded slowly at Blake.
"I–Yes. I know about you too. You were on a train. You saved those people."
Blake's hands nearly went up to her bow before she froze and she realised what Ruby had said. Her eyes then grew glossy as she tried to breathe. "I thought…I thought I could start new here, but someone already knows–"
"What else?" Weiss whispered. "What else do you know? What else–"
Ruby was crying. She didn't know when she had started. She just knew that she was wiping at her eyes and hiccupping and she felt a deep anger and sadness at her own incompetence at being a leader and at using her abilities. "I'm sorry! I couldn't control it! I just, I saw a lot, and I know about both of you now, and–!
"Alright, that's enough!" Yang screamed. That seemed to snap everyone out of their despair as they all focused on the sight of Yang with eyes now fully red and her hair beginning to wave and spark. Recognising the signs of danger, Ruby, Blake, and Weiss all froze in terror. "No more crying, no more confusion, no more being scared! Everyone just shut up!"
When Yang saw that everyone's attention was on her, she nodded sharply. "Good! Are you listening to me? You better be, because I'm not saying this twice!
"Ruby, that was just terrible. I was cringing the entire time. Weiss, Blake, my sister is an idiot! She has zero way with words and her tact is god-awful, and she's really trying; But she's still my sister, so don't go trying to hurt her unless you think you can get through me! Lastly, I don't care about your pasts. Neither of us do! Ruby wanted to tell you because she's the leader and she doesn't want any secrets between the four of us! Right, Ruby?"
Ruby quickly wiped at her eyes and nodded with a hum.
Yang nodded. "So let me say this again for my dumb sister: She can 'Read'–" Yang made air quotes, "–Your weapons, meaning she can understand things about them and the people they belong to. That does not mean that my sister is someone who will spill your secrets without your permission, because my sister isn't like that! Right, Ruby!?"
"Y-yes! I would never!"
"There you have it!" Yang yelled. "Do you understand?!"
Both Blake and Weiss jumped in place as they shouted, "Yes!"
"Good! So let's stop freaking out, take a chill pill, and let's talk this out like the goddamned team we are before I really get mad and do something we'll all regret!"
""OKAY!""
While there was a bit more shouting after that, everyone had finally calmed down enough that they all sat on their respective beds and looked at each other with guilt. "So there you have it," Ruby said. "I have the ability to know everything I'd want to know just by looking at your weapons." She bowed her head. "I'm sorry about Reading your guys' weapons! The moment I found out about my ability I went a little crazy and I couldn't control it! Please forgive me!"
"While it is a terrible invasion of privacy, I can't really fault you for something you're still figuring out…" Weiss sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "But this is both really good and really bad, isn't it?"
Blake had pulled her legs close and was leaning against the wall. "Just…I need some time to process this. This is all pretty crazy."
"You had the worst reaction out of everyone," Yang said. "While I don't know what you're hiding, we're a team now, and you're my partner. If there's anyone you can trust, it's us. If all else fails, you can trust me. I'll keep your secret, alright?"
Ruby nodded furiously. "What Yang said! As Team Leader, I want everyone to be happy. I knew I couldn't do that if I was keeping this a secret from all of you, so I wanted you to know. I won't tell anyone anything you don't want me to, Blake. I promise." She turned to Weiss and smiled weakly. "Same thing, Weiss!"
"Whatever. Whether you now know about my past or not, I still think I should have been the leader." Weiss scoffed and turned her head, but Ruby could tell Weiss was still unsettled by what she had learned.
And Blake…Ruby looked back and locked eyes with Blake, and Ruby couldn't help but glance once more at her bow. Blake flinched again, and she looked away. "I don't know if I can trust you," Blake said simply. "We might be a team now, but I still don't know any of you. It doesn't matter what you say."
Ruby deflated. "Okay…" She sighed and flopped onto her bed. "I guess we should get unpacking then."
"Man, you'd think someone died with how depressed everyone is," Yang said as she stood up. "Alright, Rubes. Let me get ready and we'll go get our stuff. Sound good?"
"Yeah."
When Yang disappeared into the washroom, Ruby found the silence to be as oppressive as it had been when she was still trying to explain herself. She twisted and turned in bed until she could see both Weiss and Blake in her peripheral vision. After another moment, Ruby heard a sigh from Weiss.
"How much do you know about me now?" Weiss finally asked in a whisper.
It was the worst question, because Ruby had seen a lot from Myrtenaster. She gulped as she tried to think of how to answer Weiss. "I know that you designed Myrtenaster after your sister's sword. That you've practiced a lot with it. And that you're here because—"
Weiss cut Ruby off before she could say anymore. "That's enough. You don't need to say more." After a pause, she got up and made her way to her suitcase. "Thank you for satiating my curiosity."
The sound of her suitcase zipping and Weiss ruffling through her clothes for her uniform filled the otherwise quiet room. Ruby looked over to Blake, who she found was stealing glances at her. When Blake found that Ruby had noticed, she quickly looked away.
Blake's uncertain and quiet voice then reached Ruby's ears. "…What about me? How far have you seen?"
She gave herself a moment to think. Ruby hadn't really seen too much. Just enough to know that Blake was skilled, and the basics of what Gambol Shroud was, its capabilities, and how it was made. "Like I said," Ruby murmured. "The train. That's as far as Read before I shut it down. But I saw what you did. You're a hero."
"I'm no hero," Blake immediately responded. "Just…did the right thing. That's it."
Ruby sat up from her bed and frowned. "Isn't that what a hero does, though? Do the right thing?"
Blake uncurled and bunched her sheets in her hands. "A hero doesn't do the things I've done," she said. "If you'd seen more, you would know that."
This couldn't stand. Ruby saw what Blake was trying to get at, but she couldn't believe it was as bleak as Blake was making it seem. "But think of all the people who are smiling because of you," she argued. "The people who are alive because of you. They get to see their friends and their families today because of what you did."
"And I betrayed my best friend! The person I, I…" Blake gasped and looked away as she saw Ruby's surprise and Weiss' curious gaze. "I deserve everything that's coming to me and more."
Ruby opened her mouth to speak, but was surprised to hear Weiss' voice ring out beside her. "Stop that."
Apparently not liking Weiss' tone, Blake snapped her attention to Weiss with a narrowed glare. "What do you want, Schnee—"
"I don't know why you hate me so much," Weiss said, cutting Blake off, "And I don't know what secrets you have. But it's clear to me that you hate yourself as much as you hate me."
Blake looked taken aback at that as she stared at Weiss.
Weiss frowned. "Look. I don't care if you hate me. A lot of people do. It's something I've learned to live with being the heir to my father's company. But I can't stand by and watch you put yourself down after hearing what little I've learned from Ruby."
"Who are you to tell me—"
"I hate myself too."
Ruby watched as Blake's composure fell completely. "What…how could you? What?"
"It takes one to know one, right, Blake?" Weiss smiled sadly. "Perhaps…I have a lot of problems, too. And I definitely wouldn't say that under normal circumstances, but circumstances aren't normal, are they? It's not everyday you find out that someone knows everything about you." Weiss looked at Ruby, who nodded mutely.
"I think I know what train you're talking about, in any case," Weiss continued. This revelation caused Blake to flinch, and before she could speak, Weiss said, "I want you to know that every person that was working that day is incredibly grateful for their mysterious saviour. And while it never made it to the news, I did my own digging and was able to talk to one of the people who was working that day.
"They said that they wished they could meet their saviour in person so they could thank them for letting them go back to their family at the end of the day."
Blake's eyes looked glassy with tears as she frowned at Weiss. "Why…Why are you telling me this?"
Weiss smiled a little more warmly this time "No reason. Just a thought."
After a long moment, Blake wiped at her eyes and stood up from her bed. "It looks like we may have gotten off on the wrong foot. You're different from what I expected."
"Expectations often differ from reality." They both glanced at Ruby, who pouted at their gazes.
"Hey!"
Blake stretched out her hand. "Blake Belladonna. Let's work together."
Weiss took it. "Weiss Schnee. I look forward to it."
It was then that Yang finally stepped out of the washroom with her uniform on and her hair styled to perfection. She froze as she saw Blake shaking hands with Weiss, and Ruby beaming at the two from where she sat on her bed.
"Uh…What did I miss?"
~~R o a D~~
Following Ruby's revelation and Weiss and Blake's reintroduction, things grew a little chaotic. Yang decided that everyone should go and retrieve their stuff, but when they did, they found that their stuff combined couldn't really fit in the room unless they did something drastic. Ruby then suggested the brilliant idea of bunk beds. Ruby then noticed that, while Blake and Yang were fine with it, Weiss seemed hesitant to answer.
After a moment, however, Weiss nodded and made the vote unanimous, and with some precariously suspicious engineering, their bunk beds were formed. Weiss and Blake took the bottom beds, while Ruby's bunk hung from rope on hooks drilled into the ceiling and Yang's was stacked on piles of Blake's spare books.
When they had finished putting everything away, Ruby stepped back to take a proud look at their work. That was when an odd sense of revulsion from deep within her soul shot a physical pain through her, and she winced. "Wow," Ruby said. "Our bunk beds are awesome, but it literally hurts to look at."
Blake hummed. "I don't know about literally, but it's definitely interesting."
"It certainly has…character," Weiss said sarcastically, though Ruby could see the twinkle in her eyes. "I wouldn't be surprised if it all collapsed one day, though."
"Eh. That's a problem for future Team RWBY." Yang grinned widely. "For now, I'd say we did a pretty bang-up job!"
Weiss looked at Yang strangely. "'Bang-up'? I know it looks bad, but I don't think it looks terrible."
Yang paused. "Wait, you don't know what—You know what, nevermind." She shook her head and turned to Ruby. "What's next!"
Ruby nodded and glanced at the time. She then paled as she rushed over to her notebook. "Oh crap. Classes start at nine!"
"Nine?" Blake turned to look at the clock above the door and snorted. "Well, we've got five minutes."
"Ah! We're going to be late!" Weiss shouted. This spurred everyone to grab their things and rush out of their dorm. Ruby had the mind to slam against Team JNPR's door and yell at them about classes, and abandoned them before they could open the door. Luckily for all of them, every member of Team RWBY was capable of moving quickly, and they made it to class on time. Just seconds behind them, Team JNPR rushed into the room just as dishevelled as them.
This was just the beginning of Ruby's problems. Ruby found it hard to concentrate when she knew that later in the day, they would have their very first combat class. Everything within her was just itching to hold her Crescent Rose and swing it around in a fight. She wanted to feel its cold metal against her palms and its weight as she twirled it around. She was trying her best, she really was, but Professor Port was talking about the Grimm, and Ruby practically knew everything there was to know about them. Every time she would look down to write something, it ended up being a doodle of the Grimm or story he was talking about.
There were a few times where she thought about drawing something funny and showing it to her team, but then she would glance at Blake and Weiss and see the both of them looking like they were still processing the events of the morning. That, and Weiss was diligently writing in her notebook—Something that Ruby respected, because it was clear she was trying to soak in everything she could.
If what Myrtenaster told her was any indication, Weiss would need every bit of help she could get. She was definitely capable, but it didn't compare to anything in a life-or-death battle. Then again, Ruby had never really been in battles of life or death. Maybe she was being biased because of her own experience. Was that being prideful? But Ruby knew what it felt like to struggle in a fight with no chance of winning, to be stabbed through the heart and—
Ruby jolted out of her thoughts. Her hand flew to her chest and she almost felt it seize a little. She then realised that she had made some noise as she looked to see all of her team members looking at her oddly. Yang seemed especially concerned, while Weiss frowned and Blake narrowed her eyes.
Apparently, it was enough to interrupt Professor Port's grand story as he looked at Ruby in concern. "Miss Rose. Are you alright?"
His question had Ruby whirling her head towards him as she took a deep breath. "I'm fine, Mr. Port. Just…had a scary thought."
Seriously, thought Ruby. She'd never had her heart pierced by anything. That was the guy in her dreams. There was no way Ruby herself had ever experienced anything like that, and yet it was like a phantom pain in her chest, right above her heart. It wasn't as if those dreams were real, right? Not anymore real than her inner world of blades and weapons. It was all just a dream.
…But if they were just dreams, then why did they feel so real?
"Truly, the thought of a Grimm, even in stories, can make the heart stutter," Port said. "But that is why we must confront them head-on, to show the virtues of a Huntsman! To prove we are dependable even in the face of fear itself! And to show that despite all odds, we can survive, and we can fight with wits, smarts, and stratagem."
He then nodded and pulled on a tarp that had been covering the conspicuously large and shaking cube shape in the corner of the room. It had caught everyone's attention upon first entering the class, but as the class had progressed, everyone had forgotten about it. Now, it was clear why it was there as Port revealed a Boarbatusk in a cage. Almost immediately upon sighting all of the students, the Boarbatusk began butting at the cage and clamouring to be let out as it squealed and grunted.
"Who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of a true Huntsman or Huntress?"
Ruby quickly glanced at everyone around her before her own hand shot into the air. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see that Weiss had nearly raised her own, but Ruby beat her to it. It wasn't that Ruby wanted to show off or anything, either. She just wanted to move. There were some things that Ruby didn't like to do, and one of those things was sitting still, so when Port said to change and get her weapon, Ruby bolted out of her seat.
As Ruby changed into her combat uniform, she mentally apologised to Weiss for thinking about her in terms of what Myrtenaster told her. It wasn't fair for Ruby to think that Weiss was incapable or anything. It was quite the opposite. Ruby thought Weiss was amazing for working so hard to get to where she was despite her upbringing. That, and the fact that she was a lot more caring than her prickly exterior allowed for. Just knowing that alleviated some of Ruby's worries that Weiss was a complete snob.
When she stepped back into the classroom, she locked eyes with her team. Weiss frowned further than Ruby had seen since their talk, and Blake was watching her with a hard look. Yang was the only one who seemed excited for Ruby to be on the floor with the Boarbatusk. Ruby smiled weakly as she saw Yang give her a thumbs up. If there was anything Ruby could count on, it was the support of her sister.
"Go Ruby!" Yang shouted. "You got this!"
Blake pursed her lips, while Weiss glanced at her two teammates and back to Ruby. "Don't embarrass us," Weiss said.
She then saw Team JNPR giving her thumbs ups, with Jaune crying, "Yeah, Ruby!"
Her attention returned to the Boarbatusk and Port asked, "Are you ready?"
Ruby replied by taking out Crescent Rose and letting it unfold. Resting it on her shoulder, she took a deep breath and nodded. "Do it."
"Then let the match begin!"
The door opened, and the Boarbatusk charged. She could hear everyone gasp as it went straight for her, but Ruby wasn't concerned. If anything, it was like watching something in slow-motion. As the Boarbatusk neared, Ruby snapped her eyes wide open and she felt a warm heat behind them as she stepped to the side and watched the Boarbatusk scrape past her. Time seemed to resume, and Ruby's clothes fluttered lightly in the draft the Boarbatusk had created.
Everyone looked at her in varying degrees of shock as they all thought for sure that she would have been gored right then and there. Weiss and Yang weren't particularly moved, but Blake's hard expression had morphed into visible surprise. As for Ruby, she had completely tuned everyone out, and was only making sure to keep the Boarbatusk in her vision.
Now that everyone knows, what do I do? Ruby thought. The Boarbatusk charged, and again, Ruby sidestepped in the nick of time. Will they let me help them? She finally decided to do something else as she let her scythe fall off her shoulder and swing into a deflection of the Boarbatusk's charge. Would they let me save them?
At this point, Ruby realised that her match, if it could even be called that, was already going on for far too long. She decided then and there that she would talk with Weiss and Blake again later, one on one, so they could settle anything else they wanted to talk about. The Boarbatusk charged one last time, and Ruby was ready. Without wasting a single breath, Ruby stepped forward, her eyes and body grew warm, and with a flurry of movement, she stepped past the Boarbatusk and breathed out some hot air as she set Crescent Rose's top end on the ground.
The Boarbatusk kept charging past her until it stumbled to the ground, where everyone watched its head slide off in silence. As it started to dissolve into motes of dark mist, Port tore his gaze away from Ruby and cleared his throat. "Well then. It looks like we really are in the presence of a true Huntress. You hardly flinched!" Port clapped his hands, and everyone followed suit. "In that case, that's all we have for today. I'll see you all next class!"
Everyone immediately burst into loud chatter as they began to leave the classroom. Ruby leaned on Crescent Rose and rested her forehead on it as she felt her soul twist and untwist and her body cool back down. She tried to ignore all of the comments that were being directed at her. She didn't do this to get noticed. She did it so she could focus her thoughts.
One comment in particular grated at her ears. "I bet that Boarbatusk was just a baby. No way someone that small could defeat a big Grimm like that. She's just lucky. Or she's cheating"
Ruby snapped her attention towards her offender and saw a tall red-headed guy looking at her along with his friends. As she began to frown, Yang collided into her and hugged her from the side. "That's my sister! The way you dodged its attacks and swung your scythe at the end there was so awesome, my head was rolling!"
"Ugh, Yang! That was so bad!" Ruby cried, though she leaned into the embrace. She then folded up Crescent Rose and watched Blake and Weiss approach her in a more sedate manner.
"Those were some good moves," Blake said. "You move pretty fast, huh?"
Just the fact that Blake was talking to her made Ruby smile. "I can move faster, you know."
"…That would be interesting to see. And way to represent Team RWBY."
"Yes," Weiss said. "You were just as capable as you were during Initiation. I would have hoped to prove myself but…"
"Sorry!" Ruby rubbed the back of her head. "I needed to move to get my mind off things."
"You needed to get your mind off of things?" Blake's following laugh sounded hollow to Ruby. "What about us?"
"Hey, hey!" Yang pulled Blake and Weiss into side hugs and grinned. "We still have combat class later. We can all have some fun then!"
"Get your arm off of me!" Weiss shoved herself away from Yang and huffed. "As if I need to prove myself after Initiation. We all know what we're capable of now for the most part."
Blake locked eyes with Ruby. "One of us knows more than the rest, though."
Before they could all focus on Ruby, she started moving for the door. "Alright, Team RWBY! Let's get moving to our next class before we're late! We can talk later!"
Ruby knew they would follow her to class, but she stepped out of the room and ran for the lockers. Half of her mind wanted to just use her Semblance and get it over with. She wanted to stop her thoughts from turning to her new abilities, to how she could seemingly Read any weapon she came across and tear apart any privacy people had. Ruby knew, tactically, that her ability to Read was an impossibly broken skill that could reveal any weaknesses her opponents had, but the innermost part of her soul still warred with the idea of using it. It already felt like Ruby had seen and Recorded so many weapons in her short time in Beacon.
Then there was Blake and Weiss. Blake was a Faunus. Weiss hated the White Fang, and by extension, the Faunus as well. Those two truths smouldered in Ruby's soul and she nearly stumbled as she made it to her locker to change. As she finished getting back into her uniform, a single thought echoed in her head.
What's happening to me?
Ruby leaned her head against the cool metal of her locker and closed her eyes. Just that morning, she had felt fine, and full of life. Seeing everyone's smiles had been invigorating. But now, after Ruby had decided to tell everyone that she could Read their history, she couldn't bear to see the distrust in Blake and Weiss' eyes. Blake especially troubled Ruby, and Ruby didn't know how she was going to talk to her. She must know that Ruby knew she was a Faunus. And knowing what Weiss was like, Ruby guessed that Weiss must know something about it too.
"Why is this so hard?" Ruby asked herself. She took a shaky breath and balled her fists as she felt tears well up in her eyes. "I tried to do the right thing. Why does it feel like it wasn't?"
"That is a valid question, isn't it?"
Ruby felt something spark within her soul, a reflex that she was unfamiliar with as her hands reached for something that didn't exist. And then, as if realising how odd that was, Ruby corrected her reaction and pulled out Crescent Rose and went to unfold it, when a gentle hand was placed on her own. She flinched before realising who stood before her.
"Professor Ozpin?"
"The one and only," he said with a small smile. "Are you alright? I saw you running in the hall and thought you might be in a bit of trouble."
For a moment, Ruby wanted to tell him everything. To spill what was on her mind. To tell Ozpin that she practically knew everything there was to know about anyone she came across just by looking at their weapon. To tell him about her dreams, and about her world filled with weapons. About her new abilities.
That she was terrified of her team. That she shouldn't be the leader.
"Just rushing to get to the next class," Ruby replied weakly. "And, well…" Her gaze then fell to the cane in Ozpin's hands and she involuntarily flinched. She then realised in that same second that her brain wasn't being fried. She still had pain in her eyes looking at it, and if she focused, she could almost smell its scent, like all four seasons wrapped into one.
In his hands, he held The Long Memory, a weapon that was created by Ozma over a thousand years ago, with the ability to hold time itself. The first Noble Phantasm of Remnant. Something that, by all accounts, should not be in the possession of someone like Ozpin.
She looked back up just as quickly as she had finally analysed it, and stared oddly at Ozpin himself. Why does he feel like…Is he as old as his cane?
"Hm? Ozpin tilted his head. "Is there something on my face?"
"N-no," Ruby stammered, now looking anywhere except at Ozpin. "I was just wondering if you made the right decision, is all."
"About what?"
"You know. Me being team leader."
Ruby could feel Ozpin's eyes studying her carefully. If she wasn't imagining things, it almost felt like Ozpin was doing what Ruby did with weapons—Like he was analysing her and breaking her apart in his mind. She chanced a glance at Ozpin, who looked calmly back at her.
"I don't know," Ozpin said. "Did I make a mistake? Is Ruby Rose fit to be the youngest team leader in Beacon's recent history? What do you think?
"That I'm in over my head. That my teammates hate me. Except for Yang."
"So, half of Team RWBY is already at odds. Is it your fault?"
Ruby shrugged helplessly. "I think so."
"And why do you think that?"
Ruby stilled and wondered that herself. Why did she think that it was her fault? Of course, there were the obvious facts that she had unwittingly looked into the histories of Blake and Weiss, but it wasn't like she had control over her newfound abilities. Hadn't Yang made that exact point? And yet, Ruby couldn't help but think it was all her fault
"Professor Ozpin, I…I guess it's because I'm the problem."
Ozpin hummed. "I can't believe that."
"Huh?"
He smiled lightly. "You're a good person, Ruby. I've made more mistakes than every man, woman, and child on Remnant, but I do not believe choosing you to be team leader was one of them."
"But…"
"I won't pry into the details. I can tell your teammates are just as agitated as you are. But I would bet all the time I've lived on this planet on the fact that whatever it is you did, you did for a good reason." His smile grew that much warmer. "Am I wrong?"
After a moment, Ruby hesitantly smiled back. "No. I…I did what I thought was right."
"Then that was enough," Ozpin said. "Leaders must learn to make hard decisions every day, and I hope this proves to you that you are capable of making those decisions."
Despite any misgivings Ruby might have had about Ozpin, she felt she could at least trust those words. She nodded and smiled as most of the weight on her shoulders felt like they had been lifted off. "Thanks, Professor," Ruby murmured.
"I live to help," Ozpin said simply. "Well, I've kept you long enough. I'll message your next teacher that you might be late. And I do hope you keep these things in mind, Ruby. This is just one of the lessons you must learn to be a good leader."
He turned and walked off, leaving Ruby by herself. She finished grabbing her stuff and headed off to her next class, all while wondering about the enigma that was Professor Ozpin, and his weapon with a history too long and complex for Ruby to Read properly. Professor Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon Academy, and the person who had helped her sort her thoughts out about her earlier decision.
The rest of Ruby's classes passed by in a daze. She could vaguely remember writing notes down, but most of her time was spent staring off into space and itching to have another go with her Crescent Rose. Soon enough, that time came, and they made it to their assigned practice hall, where everyone was instructed to get dressed, and Ruby found herself sitting next to her combat-ready team.
"Remnant to Ruby? Hello?"
Ruby blinked and turned towards Yang, who leaned back into her seat after finally catching Ruby's attention. "Yang?"
"Come on, Rubes! It's the first class of the semester where we can fight each other! Aren't you excited?"
"Y-Yeah! Super excited!" Ruby managed to say. "Of course! This is awesome! I'm happy I got to warm up a bit earlier today too."
"Well, good for you," Weiss said. She folded her arms and closed her eyes. "I, for one, am ready to take everyone down a peg. I am, after all, one of the best ones here."
Blake coughed. "You're one to talk. I'm at least twice as good as you."
"Try me, Blake. I guarantee I will live up to your expectations."
"I'm sure you will, Weiss. My expectations aren't very high."
"Why, you—!"
Ruby smiled as she watched Weiss and Blake bicker between themselves. If she just removed herself from the equation, Ruby could imagine that they were good friends without any bad blood or history between them. Perhaps they were. Ruby didn't know anymore. But she saw that they were having fun, and she was happy.
"Alright, everyone! Eyes front! Class is in session!" Suddenly, all the chatter in the arena vanished, and everyone's eyes zeroed in on the sole woman standing on the ring. Seeing that everyone was now focused on her, Professor Goodwitch nodded and adjusted her glasses.
"My name is Glynda Goodwitch, Professor Goodwitch to all of you. Welcome to the Combat and Team Exercises class. Here, we will have one-on-one spars, team-building exercises, and discussions on team dynamics." Goodwitch paused, and as she watched everyone keep their attention on her, she nodded. "Since it is the first day, we will start with an exhibition match following official tournament rules. We will be reviewing those rules as the match progresses, after which, every team will review those rules in full. Then, you will split into your partnerships for today to spar. Are there any questions?"
One particular hand rose into the air. Ruby saw that it was the same guy that had commented on her own performance against the Boarbatusk.
"Cardin Winchester, correct?"
Ruby scowled at the smirk the now-named Cardin had plastered over his face. "Yeah. When can we start?"
His team all laughed raucously at his joke, while a few others coughed to hide their laughs. Goodwitch, apparently seeing his carefree attitude, pursed her lips. "I take it that means you wish to be our first volunteer?"
"Heh. Sure! I'll beat anyone who thinks they have a chance against me."
Goodwitch raised a questioning look. "You appear quite confident, Mr. Winchester. Perhaps we shall test that confidence." Her gaze then returned to the student mass, who was now looking at anywhere but Goodwitch. "Who would like to be Mr. Winchester's opponent?"
Still staring at Cardin with scorn, Ruby's hand had shot up before Goodwitch had even finished speaking. "I would like to, Professor."
Goodwitch eyed Ruby for a long moment. When Ruby's gaze didn't waver, she nodded. "Very well. Cardin Winchester will have Ruby Rose as her opponent. We will have the match in ten minutes. This should be enough time for everyone to get into their combat gear for the rest of class. Is that clear?" When everyone murmured in agreement, Goodwitch hummed. "Ten minutes! Go!"
As everyone clamoured to get out of their seats, Ruby stared at Cardin with a deep frown. For just a moment, Cardin had met her gaze and sneered at her. Feelings of revulsion welled up from within her, and an anger that Ruby couldn't explain.
Yang's voice broke her out of her thoughts. "Hey, Rubes, you okay?"
She blinked and met the worried gazes of her teammates. Even Weiss and Blake looked concerned. "Are you sure about this, Ruby?" Weiss asked.
"I'm fine, Yang," Ruby said. "And it's fine, Weiss. I've got this. Let's get ready. We don't want to be late."
As Ruby made to leave with the crowd, Blake's voice cut through the air. "Ruby." At her name, Ruby turned and looked at Blake. Blake folded her arms and nodded. "Be careful."
Ruby smiled. "I will."
A/N: The original chapters 8-10 Review Responses touched upon these topics:
Mom Ruby: It's great. I loved writing it. Cooking is fun!
Projection: She can do it. Just not right now, and not where she's at. When she starts to realise her true potential, then yes.
And now, the OMAKE for this chapter (technically OMAKE 4). This has no bearing on the actual story and was made for amusement purposes only. Some aspects of Ruby's chant may appear, but for the most part, this is NOT CANON.
Remnant of a Dream: #SHIROUDAY2022 Special
In a parallel future in the Kaleidoscope…
They were surrounded. Ruby's mind was whirring as fast as she could possibly make it go, and she felt herself burning up for the first time since she'd mastered Reinforcing her body. Usually, she didn't abuse it, nor did she let it overpower the healing factor of her Aura, but Ruby was desperate.
Weiss, Blake, and Yang were scattered behind her in various states of disrepair. Weiss was bleeding from a head wound and breathing heavily as she leaned on Myrtenaster, which was covered in frosted black, the result of abusing so many forms of Dust all at once. Blake was barely conscious and hanging off of Yang, who was holding onto her side that was slowly growing redder and redder by the minute.
"How pitiful. You've only killed me three times."
Ruby grit her teeth and stared at Salem with burning hatred. "I'll kill you dead. Don't worry. After all you've done, it's only fair."
Salem smirked and held her hands out. "In the state you're in? I'd rather let you go and give you the hope of defeating me eventually than destroy you right here and now." A wind that hadn't existed before began blowing through the clearing filled with smoking Grimm bodies, and Salem laughed. "But it wouldn't be fair to delay your punishment for attacking me, would it?"
"Ruby!" Weiss' weak voice reached me from behind, and I snapped my gaze towards her. "Ruby. Please. It's okay. Don't sacrifice yourself."
"What are you talking about?" I yelled, the wind growing louder by the second. "If I don't do something now, none of us will survive!"
"You're steaming! You're using your abilities too much!" Ruby flinched as she saw Weiss look up at glare at her with tears in her eyes. "If we lived while you died, I could never forgive myself!"
The wind was howling now, and Ruby whirled her head around to see Salem gathering all the Grimm essence around them into a giant ball of black light. She was laughing at their pain. Laughing at their despair. Ruby cursed. "Damn it!"
She couldn't stop it. Nothing she Forged would be able to do anything to stop something as big as all the magical energy Salem was currently collecting.
"What can I do?" Ruby cried. "What can I do?!"
Then, a voice from her past, a voice she now knew because it had once been her own, echoed in her head a phrase that she had already taken to heart a long time ago. "If you can't beat it yourself, imagine something that you can beat it with."
Ruby widened her eyes. Of course. She still had that. She'd never tried before. But she knew that it was possible. She had his world, now her world. She'd seen it in her dreams, seen him use it. That hill filled with infinite swords, and the place where she pulled all of her weapons from.
Ruby couldn't hear herself anymore, but she didn't need to. Her soul was ringing, and her aria would be able to pierce any magic, because she was rejecting the world. She rejected this fate. If she was going to die, she wasn't going to die here.
Ruby slammed Crescent Roses blade into the ground and began to chant
"I am the dust of my soul."
Salem widened her eyes as her own gale was disrupted by a powerful surge of mana around Ruby.
"My body is of roses, and my heart is a forge."
"Stop at once!" Salem shouted. "I will kill you here and now! There won't be anything of you left! I will kill you and everyone you've ever known and loved!"
Ruby only stared back as her silver eyes began to smoke.
"I have created over a thousand weapons."
Salem raised both hands the giant spear of darkness snapped into existence above her. She yelled in anger as she thrust it right at Ruby, who didn't flinch at all. Instead, Ruby kept one hand on Crescent Rose to keep herself grounded as she raised her other hand and invoked, "Rho Aias!"
A brilliant translucent-red barrier burst into existence and expanded five times as dozens of white petals peeled off and scattered with the wind. The spear slammed into the first layer and it immediately broke, which caused Ruby to grit her teeth as her sleeves burst away and her skin bruised.
"Unaware of the past, nor aware of the future!"
It was getting harder to chant with every second, but Ruby powered through the pain. The spear broke the second layer, and Ruby muffled her scream as her fingers broke.
"Have overcome death, to keep chasing my dream!"
"Quiet! Stay quiet!" Salem commanded as her own arms were outstretched in an effort to push on the spear she had made. The third layer broke, and this time Salem relished the sound of Ruby's anguished scream. Ruby knew she was running out of time as her arm's bones fractured.
"I-I live to save. This is my legacy!"
Salem widened her eyes as she felt the magic around Ruby increase tenfold, and she shouted in frustration just as the fourth layer broke and Ruby gave a bloodied grin with her last chant.
"My whole existence was an Unlimited Weapons Forge!"
And the world disappeared in a flurry of snow and rose petals. Salem's spear dissipated alongside Ruby's Rho Aias.
When the flurry and petals settled, Salem looked around in awed anger at the split world around her. The sky was shattered in two, one clear as day and the other dark as dawn with the shattered moon hanging above. Swords, blades, weapons, and guns of all kinds stood as markers all around, stuck into ground that was covered in melting snow and rose petals.
"What have you done?!" Salem growled.
Ruby planted her scythe into the ground and rested against it as she held her broken arm close. "My world," Ruby said. "My soul. You have no power here."
Salem sneered and waved her hands as she gathered some more mana. Salem then frowned as she found it more difficult to do so, and she felt a little fatigued as if she were drawing from her own life force. "Tch. A funny little trick."
Ruby pushed off Crescent Rose and stared at Salem defiantly.
"Tell me, Salem. Do you have enough magic to stay alive?"
Salem scowled. "More than enough to erase a bug like you."
And a wall of weapons met a rush of magic.