Chapters have been consolidated and edited. This is the new Chapter 7.

FOR THOSE who have read the original "Chapter 11 — One Step Forward" (Now Chapter 6), I recommend going back and re-reading it, as I've changed the ending completely, and have revised that original ending to appear at the end of this chapter. I have changed some things in regards to how Cardin is characterised, and how Ruby perceives him, to fit the new narrative going into this chapter.

Next chapter, I'm going to try introducing more of the world through character interactions like I did in this chapter.

And I introduce a bit of a retcon but: Magecraft and Mages exist in Remnant. They just aren't organised and very scarce. Wholly unlike Earth in the Nasuverse. There is no Mages Association or Clock Tower, no Church, but there are Mages and Mage families.

I might need to revise a bit more of the previous chapters, but tell me what you think!

CHAPTER 7:

Two Steps Back

It had snowed recently. Ruby's breath puffed in the cold spring air and she looked around at the unfamiliar snow-covered street and rooftops of a town she had only started seeing in her dreams and recollections.

That's how Ruby knew she was dreaming again. She was Shirou. Though she still dreamed of her world filled with weapons, her dreams as Shirou were few and far in between. They didn't seem to follow any order, and it took all of Ruby's mental energy to try and sort things out. Sometimes, she couldn't remember. Sometimes, they weren't all that important.

Memories of cooking for her dad—for Shirou's dad, and for Fuji-nee. Memories of shooting arrows, and someone in twin tails and a long red coat. Of someone waking her up every morning without fail, someone quiet and sweet who looked so empty inside, and yet a light would flicker each time she looked Ruby's way.

Dreams of a knight in gleaming armour, and finally, dreams of a girl with white hair. Someone Ruby swore she had seen before in these same dreams, that she knew.

The snow crunched underfoot, and Ruby sat down on a bench.

"I tried to kill him, you know," an airy and playful voice spoke next to her. Her head snapped towards the source. It was the white-haired girl with red eyes, clad in purple woollen clothes from head to toe. Ruby had talked with her already as Shirou in her dreams, but those memories had been fractured. Filled with monstrously-sized men that could crush her in an instant.

Confusing and disjointed.

"What?" Ruby asked after a moment.

The girl's eyes looked deeply into her own, the playful glint in her eyes taking on a dark mirth. "Shinji. He got away from me at the building. I was almost tempted to send Berserker after him, but an insect like him wasn't worth the effort. Right, Onii-chan?"

At this point, Ruby knew who Shinji was now. He had been a friend of Shirou Emiya. The brother to…someone important to Ruby. Ruby knew her too. But her name, it still escaped her, even though Ruby was sure she had heard it said in her dreams. It felt like it was on the tip of her tongue.

But then a flurry of emotion ran through Ruby that she knew was foreign. Ones she had never felt in such a strange combination. Disgust, anger, disappointment, and relief. "Illya?" her lips whispered. "What did you—"

Illya. Illyasviel von Einzbern. Illya, her sister. His sister. How could she forget her name? She wouldn't forget it again. Not this time. And wasn't she her, no, his sister—?

The vision burned at the edges and Ruby tasted steel before the dream snapped back to place and Illya smirked at her.

"Nothing happened to him, Onii-chan. Thanks to you."

"Illya?"

Illya quirked her head, as if she didn't understand why she, why Shirou, was confused. "I wanted to make sure you were still alive, after all."

The words spilled from her mouth. "Still alive? Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, Saber is in critical condition, right? She won't stay for much longer after using her Noble Phantasm like that."

"How do you—"

"And Rider is still alive, after all, if only just barely, and she could have killed you. I never felt her come to me." Illya's following grin was as devilish as she now appeared. Sadistic and vindictive. "Rider's true Master must have been in for quite a shock with how damaged Rider must be."

"Rider, she's still alive?" she wondered aloud. It was something Ruby couldn't fathom. Not after Saber had used Excalibur. Not after that pure light had overwhelmed Rider and split the sky in two. How could she have survived? "How?"

"How indeed!" Illya giggled. "But now, the Holy Grail War has grown a little more complicated. Some people think they can suddenly change the rules, and I hate cheaters."

Ruby was utterly confused. Wasn't the Holy Grail War something magical in nature? Something that couldn't just be cheated by anyone? It was a True Magic after all…

A True Magic? What even is a 'True Magic'?

Information was flooding through her brain. It felt like it was melting and cooling all at the same time. Past and future was colliding. Or was it? She couldn't understand anything. Nothing made sense with what Ruby already knew. Remnant had no Concept of these things. Or, if it did, it was obscured by time and scarcity and the world had forgotten.

It seemed Shirou felt a little bit of the same.

"What do you mean, Illya?"

Illya smiled. It felt like Illya was pitying her. A look that also carried disappointment. "Not everyone is good, Onii-chan. Not everyone is like you"

"Illya?"

She stood up, and her cheery girlish persona flickered for just a moment. "Be careful, Shirou. Not everyone can be trusted, and not everyone can be saved. Least of all, me…" She sighed. "Give up. Let Saber fade. This Grail War is far beyond you now. You're nothing like I thought you would be, and I still don't understand everything, but it's clear you never knew anything."

Ruby shook her head. "I don't understand, but I can't do that. I won't sacrifice anyone. Not Saber, not even you. I made a promise. If I ever want to be a Hero that saves everyone, I can't let this go."

Illya seemed to flinch before she turned around, and her short smile was the most genuine one Ruby had seen since the dream had started. Since she had begun to remember who Illya was.

It was a smile that was wistful and sad, yet filled with steel all the same.

"I get the feeling you were the only thing keeping him alive. And now, you carry his dream too. A waste, and a curse. He's gone now, and you should just forget about him."

Ruby felt herself frown. Was it wrong to dream of saving people? What was wrong with trying to help? And was Illya talking about their father? All those thoughts ran through Ruby's mind, and yet, Illya's look…Ruby knew that look.

A look that spoke of anger beyond all measure.

A look that spoke of unimaginable loss and pain.

"It's time to wake up, Onii-chan. You can't keep dreaming forever."

~~R o a D~~

Ruby froze for the thousandth time that morning as Illya's words continued to echo in her head. Her dreams were always so fleeting, and they never stuck around as long as Ruby wanted them to, but she forgot so many details the moment she woke up. She had started writing them down in one of her spare notebooks, one that she kept close by under her pillow so that she could quickly write down what she saw every night, but every now and then, one would haunt her. Like this one.

Some dreams disappeared as fast as they came, and it was all Ruby could do to write down the snippets she could. And some stuck, like the dream of her inner world that had triggered her visions of Shirou's memories. Memories that had started bleeding into her own thoughts. Memories like this one, that felt like they were targeted more at Ruby than at the person in her dreams.

Illya. Illyasviel von Einzbern. Ruby knew she was important, but her dreams still left her with an incomplete picture. And yet the feeling Ruby got was that she had forgotten about Illya somehow, despite not knowing about her in the first place. After experiencing so many amazing things in her dreams, Ruby would never forget the feeling of nearly dying. She could never forget meeting Saber. Nor could she forget Excalibur. And now, it was Illya, her sister. She would never forget her again. Not as long as Ruby lived.

…But why was that important?

"Something on your mind, Rubes?"

Yang snapped her out of her thoughts. She stopped scribbling on her page just as the bell rang for lunch, and she looked down to see a rough sketch of the very scene she had been dreaming about. She shut her notebook as nonchalantly as she could and nodded. A distraction from her musings would be nice.

"Yeah!" Ruby exclaimed. "Just lost in thought."

Yang eyed Ruby's notebook before looking back up at her. "Well, you've been thinking a lot lately, being team leader and all. I bet the stress is starting to get to you!"

"Oh, stop it," Weiss huffed. She finished packing her things away and folded her arms as she stood up. "The day Ruby thinks about anything before actually doing it, is the day the world ends."

Ruby pouted. "Hey! I think when I do things. I think a lot!"

Blake snorted and leaned back in her chair. "Don't worry, Ruby. I think Weiss is just jealous you agreed to make a Nora-styled breakfast today even though it was Weiss' turn to suggest something."

Weiss gasped as if she had just been backstabbed and betrayed. "W-what? That's ridiculous!"

"You could have just told me," Ruby said with a growing smile. She leaned on her palm and looked up at Weiss. "I had plenty of time to make something else for you if you asked nicely."

For her part, Weiss only grew a little red in the face. "Your blueberry pancakes were amazing, Ruby. I would never taint our morning by doing something so disrespectful. Blake is lying!"

Blake raised her hands and shook her head. "All I'm saying is, you got skipped and you're still a little grumpy about it."

"As if you're any better! Your idea for tuna salad in the morning was the most ridiculous thing I'd ever heard of. I'd rather skip your breakfast suggestion again than have my own request taken!"

"I thought it was alright," Yang said as she began walking towards the door.

"Thank you!" said Blake as she grinned, which only grew Weiss' ire. When Blake decided to follow Yang, Weiss turned her attention to her partner.

"Back me up, Ruby!" Weiss pleaded. "You made it. What do you think? Is tuna salad a suitable breakfast food?"

Ruby picked up her bags and began to follow the other half of Team RWBY. She then tossed Weiss a teasing smile as she shrugged. "I really don't know, Weiss," Ruby said, "Because I don't think. Right?"

At that point, Yang busted out in laughter as she paused at the door to the classroom. "She's got you there, Weiss Cream! You have no one to support you!"

Realising the losing battle she was fighting, Weiss sighed and closed her eyes. Ruby could almost see the steam rising from Weiss' head as she tried to douse her anger. "Fine. Whatever! Breakfast is breakfast. It's clear I'm not winning this argument."

"That's the spirit!" Yang exclaimed. "So! Are we going for lunch, or are we going to chill in this classroom the entire time? I mean, I like hanging out as much as anyone, but our stomachs aren't going to fill themselves."

"Let's get to the cafeteria before all of the options are gone," Blake said. "It might not be as good as Ruby's cooking, but it's already prepared, and she can't cook for us all the time."

Weiss nodded. "On that, we agree."

Ruby rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "I appreciate the thought, guys."

"Ah, cheer up, Ruby!" Yang pulled Ruby into a side hug. "You can always make food for me."

Two voices cried out in outraged unison. "Just because you're her sister, doesn't mean you can keep her all to yourself!"

Yang grinned and her eyes flickered. "Oh? Is that a challenge I hear?"

That response seemed to cow Blake and Weiss somewhat, but not enough to back down. Weiss nodded. "If I need to challenge you to keep Ruby, then I will."

"Thought so."

Ruby untangled herself from her sister's arm as Yang charged forward and began to bug Weiss and Blake for a two-on-one fight. She then smiled as she saw her team devolve into senseless arguing and laughter. A scene that was as funny as it was relieving to Ruby. Relieving, because it was Ruby's proof that Team RWBY wasn't a dream, but a reality. It hadn't fallen apart yet despite everything, and Ruby felt proud that she was able to keep it together.

Her thoughts fell on Blake, who was currently wrestling herself out of a headlock from Yang. After their talk that first night, it seemed like a large weight had been lifted off of Blake's shoulders. Since then, Ruby noticed that Blake was a little less wary with Weiss and Yang, and they had been able to chat a bit more during a few of their late nights about some of her concerns, of being found out, of the reactions people might have to her being a Faunus.

Ruby had assured her that nothing would change, because they were friends now, and friends stuck together. Yang was as loyal as Ruby was so there was almost no worries there, and if all else failed, Ruby herself would never betray Blake's confidence.

Then, there was Weiss. Ruby was pretty sure that even Weiss didn't know how much she wanted and needed the position of leader to prove herself. Knowing what she knew about Weiss' past and her family, Ruby could see why she had been so adamant about the position. About showing how much Weiss had grown, and showing to all the world that she was capable and strong.

That was why Ruby had decided to delegate a few of her responsibilities to Weiss, and why Weiss had been prickly. Ever since their first breakfast, Weiss had insisted that Ruby cook for them. Ruby was, of course, completely fine with the idea, but Weiss didn't want to overtax her either, which was when Ruby had the brilliant idea of having Weiss craft a "breakfast schedule". Every day was someone's suggestion for breakfast, rotating between the four team members.

While Ruby was surprised to know Weiss was such a foodie, she was even more surprised with how much gusto Weiss took to the task. And when Team JNPR found out about the schedule…

"Hey, no fair! You can't keep Ruby to yourself!" Nora had cried.

Weiss smirked. "Ruby is our team leader and my partner. You don't get a say in what we do."

Ruby, at the time, didn't realise what she was getting into, but she didn't like seeing anyone as sad as Nora seemed at that moment. "Don't worry, Nora, I'll still make you your pancake breakfast."

Weiss' face had fallen in betrayal, Nora had bounced back immediately, and Ruby smiled at the fun she'd soon have seeing everyone react to her breakfasts every morning. And as she began to find each time she cooked, cooking was really fun!

She had actually entertained the idea of knocking on the door of the Beacon kitchens to try and help make or suggest something new. Her memories, the memories of Shirou she was experiencing in her dreams, showed some interesting dishes that Ruby knew were amazing, and completely unique. At the very least, when Ruby had searched up some of those dishes on her scroll, they didn't seem to exist in the first place. Something that raised Ruby's confusion and surprise.

Speaking of food, Ruby caught up with her teammates as they entered the cafeteria and stepped into the lines. Once they got their food, they rushed towards the open table next to Team JNPR. As they sat down, Ruby smiled at their fellow team.

"How's it going, everyone?"

Pyrrha smiled back and finished taking a bite of her food. "Doing well."

"Yeah!" Nora said. "It's a little hard to keep track of everything our professors are talking about but Ren is helping me with anything I miss."

"I try, I really do," Ren sighed.

"We're alright, Ruby," said Jaune. "Just got here, really. We knew you would be here soon so we started without you."

Ruby nodded. She then looked Jaune over carefully as she asked, "You doing alright after this morning?"

He flinched; Something that Ruby only caught because she was watching him. "Yeah. Fine. Just a little banged up is all. Cardin's a pretty tough fighter. You made it look so easy the first day."

Ruby frowned. Her gaze flickered over to the red-head in question, who seemed to be brooding something fierce behind a guise of menace and occasionally laughing with his friends at something or other. Ever since Ruby had beaten him that first day, Cardin had gone out of his way to try and get back at Ruby. It had ranged from challenging her every combat class, to criticising her every action and combat style, to almost physical altercations. Each time, Ruby and co. rebuffed him, with Ruby growing more and more concerned at how he acted around her.

It was like he was hiding something. Or, perhaps, he was nervous about something. Nervous about her? Ruby couldn't tell. Reading his weapon was off the table too, because Ruby had tried to stop doing it automatically after finding out just how harshly people could react to it. What kinds of secrets people hid. And Ruby didn't like the idea of having to carry other peoples' secrets. She'd had enough of that with Weiss and Blake. Even Ozpin was someone she would rather not try and think about, because his cane was so far removed from anything she understood that it hurt to think about it.

Yeah, Ruby wasn't about to go through that again.

But there was still merit to the idea.

Ruby had watched as he eventually turned his ire against others. Others, being anyone he came across that he deemed weaker than him. He seemed to hate Faunus especially, though his words always rang hollow when he insulted them. As if he was just going through the motions. Jaune was also being targeted by Cardin, and every attempt Ruby (and by extension of worry, Pyrrah) made in helping Jaune resulted in his manly pride refusing to accept help.

It frustrated Ruby to no end. Both her own feelings, and something deeper in her soul, baulked at the idea that someone would reject her help.

"You just need to watch when he moves," Ruby finally said. "Look at his weapon, track where it'll go. A big guy like him will telegraph every swing."

Jaune groaned and put his face into his hands. "Urgh. That sounds way easier said than done. He moves so fast."

"You know, I could help you," Pyrrah spoke up. "I've been saying that we could train together for the longest time."

"I don't want to bother you with my lackluster skills," Jaune said. "I'd rather die than embarrass myself in front of you."

"You could never embarrass me, Jaune. You're our team leader. If anything, I'll be embarrassed because you don't want my help."

Jaune flushed red. "I do want your help! I just, I mean—"

Just then, a loud cry rang through the cafeteria, and Ruby immediately felt a jolt run down her spine. That wasn't a regular shout. There was pain in that cry. Her eyes shot towards the source, and she widened her eyes at the sight of Cardin grabbing a Faunus girl by the ears. In the span of a few seconds, Cardin had gone from joking with his team, to bullying a Faunus girl, to literally assaulting her.

What the…

The only times Ruby had actually seen Cardin actually get physical was during combat class, because she knew that he knew he could get away with being rough. But this was outside of class. What was he doing harassing someone physically in front of hundreds of pairs of eyes, especially when that someone was a Faunus? What was going on inside his head?

Everyone at Ruby's table had gone silent in shock, and Blake had started to shake as her grip on her fork tightened at the Faunus girl's pained cries.

"Ow, stop! That hurts!"

Cardin laughed. For all the world, it sounded evil, but Ruby could hear the breathlessness in it. The odd timbre of a forced act, and one that was tinged with sadness. And yet, he continued to sneer under a guise of hatred. "Look, guys! I mean, I tried to tell you, but they're real!"

"That's crazy! She really is a freak! Haha!"

Ruby shot straight up out of her seat, shocking her table. Blake nearly dropped her fork as she blinked at Ruby's thunderous look. Ruby herself grabbed the table's butter knife, eyed it over with a single look, before gripping it tight. The sound of her Crescent Rose unfolding and firing burst through her head as her body thrummed, and the knife grew warm. Without another thought, she took aim and threw.

The knife whizzed through the air, cut through the space right above Cardin's hand, and slammed into the table next to him hilt-deep.

Cardin shouted in surprise as he let go of the girl and stumbled away, his eyes fixed on the knife. His other team members did the same, before they all realised that the knife must have come from somewhere, and their gazes fell on Ruby who now stood a few feet away from them.

"Get away from her," Ruby whispered.

When one of them opened their mouths to protest, she glared at him with all the force she could muster. That seemed to shut them up and made all of them glower at her from their seats. Seeing that they were sufficiently cowed, Ruby slowly approached the girl with her hands open.

"Hey, there. I'm Ruby. You alright?"

"H-hey," the girl said with a shaky smile. "I'm Velvet. I, uh, yeah. I'm alright now, thanks to you. Thank you."

Ruby smiled gently, and she stepped closer. Velvet flinched but didn't back away, and Ruby slowly stretched her hand out to rub Velvet's back. "You're good now. Nice to meet you, Velvet. I saw you were in trouble and wanted to help. Think you'll be alright from here on out?"

Velvet stared at Ruby's gentle touch before snapping out of her thoughts and nodding quickly. "Y-yeah! I was just on my way out of the cafeteria to catch up with my team when, well…" Her gaze fell on Team CRDL. "I wasn't hurt. If anything, it was almost like he just wanted to touch them…"

Velvet felt her ears. "Anyways, I appreciate it. It never gets easier being a Faunus here. I'm glad you're different."

Ruby frowned. "It shouldn't be this way. I…I wanted to help earlier, but…"

"You helped when I needed it," Velvet said, practically echoing Ruby's thoughts. "You're kind, Ruby. Thank you again, but I really should go."

With that, Velvet threw one last look at Team CRDL before stepping out of the cafeteria. That left Ruby standing alone, right next the butter knife she had thrown from several tables away. With a nonchalant motion, she pulled the knife out of the table and ignored the wood chips that came out with it.

"So," Ruby said. "What was that all about?"

Cardin scowled at her. "None of your business. We were just having some fun."

Ruby folded her arms and tapped the knife against her uniform. "I don't think attacking people by grabbing their body parts falls under 'fun'."

"That was a Faunus!" Cardin shouted. "They're not even human!"

Just as he was about to say more, Ruby cut him off. "Do you really believe that?"

Cardin paused, and for a moment, his mask broke. "What?"

"That Faunus aren't human."

Cardin stared at her. His false voice came back. "Of course! They're Faunus! They're closer to animals than humans!"

"Then by all means," Ruby said, "I should treat you like animals because of your monkey brains."

"You—"

"You're idiots for doing this in front of people," Ruby continued. Now that she was talking, she found it hard to stop, and something in her didn't want to. Even though she knew she shouldn't, even though she knew she would usually just let it go, she couldn't. "Even if no one reported you, you're being judged by everyone who saw you."

Cardin laughed. "I couldn't care less about who sees me. By all means, let them come!"

"You don't care, huh?" Ruby echoed. "So you wouldn't care if I did this?"

She activated her Semblance and burst into a cloud of petals before reappearing in front of Cardin. Those still watching, Ruby's table included, gasped as they watched her put the point of the butter knife to his throat. "How about it, Cardin? Do you want to continue playing your game?"

Cardin froze at the imminent danger. Ruby could see the gears turning in his head, and she even saw him consider how dangerous the knife Ruby was holding actually was. Ruby herself didn't really know what she did to it, but she could tell that its edge was sharper than it should have been.

"I'm not…playing any games," Cardin growled. Then something dawned on him as he glanced at her hand and the knife on it. His gaze hardened. "And if I were you…I'd be careful."

Ruby blinked. That was the most genuine thing he'd said in all her time around him. "Why?"

Cardin opened his mouth before he seemed to realise something and instead put up his arms as he stepped away from Ruby's open threat. "It doesn't matter. And if you are what I think you are, stay the hell away from me."

With those empty and cryptic words, Cardin and his team left the cafeteria. Ruby held onto her knife in a tight grip a little longer as she stared at where Team CRDL had disappeared. What was up with Cardin? What was he talking about?

Moreover, what was up with her? Ruby snapped out of whatever daze she had fallen into, and the knife slipped from her grasp as she nearly collapsed from relief. The knife slid into the floor like butter, and a pair of arms caught her before she could fall.

"Woah," a calm voice said. "Don't want you to fall now, do we?"

Ruby turned to look up in confusion at her momentary saviour. "Blake?"

Blake smiled a small smile, one that Ruby hadn't quite seen before. "That was a pretty interesting show you put on there," Blake said. "Thanks for standing up for her."

Ruby shook her head and tried to ignore the sparks and nerves she could feel in her palms and all over her body. "I just did what anyone else would have done."

Blake shook her head at those words. "Not just anyone. You're the only one that moved. Even I didn't try to help."

Again, Ruby tried her best to still her nerves as she took a deep breath and looked down. "Well, more people should help others. It's the right…thing to do…"

It was then that Ruby realised what exactly was happening as she bent down and plucked the knife out of the tiled cafeteria floor, where another clean groove had replaced a once-pristine floor. She looked at the butter knife and back at Blake, who had watched her perform the action with an equally interested look.

"I, uh, I don't know what happened here," Ruby said. "I just held the knife and felt it grow warm and threw it, and now it's, uh…"

"Just another Ruby mystery," Blake murmured, still staring at the knife. She then shook her head again and gestured to their table, where everyone was still watching her. "It doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that we finish lunch."

"R-right. Thanks, Blake."

"Of course."

When Ruby got back to the table, everyone regarded her with some level of fear and appraisal. Pyrrah especially seemed to eye her with a calculating look, but one that was kind and warm. Jaune, on the other hand, was looking at her like she was the greatest huntress he had ever seen, and Nora was giving her a thumbs up.

Weiss, on the other hand, looked conflicted. "That was nice of you, Ruby," she said. "I may have a dislike of Faunus, but she didn't deserve to be treated like that."

"You were pretty cool out there, Rubes," Yang added. "Didn't even notice you leave our side, though the whole threatening-him-with-a-butter-knife thing was a little over the top." She then smiled at Blake. "Thanks for catching my little sis."

Blake shrugged. "She's our team leader. I couldn't let her fall like that."

Yang grinned. "Don't worry. I believe you."

"It's the truth!"

As the atmosphere returned to a jovial and relaxed air, Ruby sat and twirled the butter knife she had grabbed in her hands. It still looked like any other butter knife she knew, but if she Read it as a weapon, she was shocked to see it just as sharp, if not more, as the edge of her Crescent Rose. It was as if she'd reforged the knife down to its edge and made it as if it had always been that sharp.

Like she had reinforced its structure to its core and altered its very makeup.

Focusing on the edge then made her focus on how angry she had felt seeing Velvet get hurt. For a moment, someone from her memories had overlaid over Velvet. A girl with purple hair that she still hadn't yet remembered the name of. Someone she knew she needed to protect. And yet, it wasn't her. It was Velvet.

That was why she was so scared now. Ever since she had started dreaming of her world as a little kid, Ruby had never questioned its existence. It had always been a part of her. But now, it felt like her mind was being invaded. Like she couldn't exactly tell who she was anymore.

Ruby knew the memories she saw weren't hers. She knew she could never have lived them, because she was Ruby Rose and not Shirou Emiya. So why? Why did it feel so natural to breathe and speak like he did? Why was it that she could get so angry now over the slightest injustice, when before she knew she would have been just another bystander who didn't want to get involved?

The knife was mocking her. Every aspect of it was now as foreign as the feelings she was carrying. Without thinking, she felt her hand heat up and the knife warped into itself before shattering into pieces in front of her. She stared as the pieces clattered to the table and onto her remaining food.

Suddenly, Ruby felt tired, hot, and her body felt like it was ringing like a bell. Wait. Wasn't she feeling like this since she grabbed the butter knife in the first place? Maybe it was why she had felt so different when she confronted Cardin. Ruby wasn't sure, but maybe she had more abilities than just seeing far and Reading things. At that realisation, she coughed, and saw steam. Seeing that, she covered her mouth and stood up just as abruptly as before.

All the while, the moment the knife had shattered, everyone had stopped to look at Ruby in worry.

Yang was the first to break the silence. "Ruby! What happened?!"

"I'm not feeling good," Ruby said in a weak voice. She stepped away and started to walk. "I think I should go lie down."

"We still have classes…" Weiss murmured, before she frowned. "Wait, you were fine just a second ago. What—" She reached out to grab Ruby and recoiled just as quick as her fingers felt like they'd just touched hot metal. "Ruby! You're literally burning up!"

Having felt Weiss' touch and realising what was happening, Ruby's eyes started flitting between her sister, her teammates, and Team JNPR. She was melting down again. Literally. She breathed and saw a little more steam. The same thing that happened when she had used her Reading on hundreds of weapons at once.

There was no way she could let anyone see her fall apart like that. Not again. Not when it meant someone could be hurt just by touching her.

With that thought, Ruby caught her sister's gaze right before she disappeared in a flurry of rose petals.

Almost immediately, Yang widened her eyes in panic as she scrambled to stand up. "Weiss! I'm going to need your Ice Dust again! We have to catch Ruby before she passes out, or worse!"

"But it's all back at the dorm—"

Weiss yelped as Yang's vice like grips slammed into her shoulders. Her words came out like a threat. "This is your partner! This is my sister! Are you going to help her!?"

"Of course I want to help her!" Weiss snapped. She tried to shove Yang's hands off of her to no avail. With a glare equal to Yang's, she stood up. "But I can't do that if I don't have what I need!"

"Then Blake will get it!" Yang growled. She turned to Blake. "You're the fastest of us after Ruby! Do you know where Weiss keeps her Dust?"

"Naturally," Blake said, already out of her seat. "I'll catch up to you. Just find her." With that, Blake disappeared as quickly as Ruby had, leaving Weiss, Yang, and a baffled Team JNPR behind.

"Let's go!" Yang said. "She could be anywhere by now!"

Weiss ran after Yang with a shout. "You need me to save your sister!"

As they ran out of the cafeteria, Team JNPR looked at each other in confusion and with worried looks. "What just happened?" Jaune asked.

"I don't know, but Ruby didn't look so good," Pyrrha said, her eyes looking at the broken butter knife pieces. She stood up and frowned. "We should look for her too."

~~R o a D~~

Ruby pressed herself against the cool walls of Beacon Academy as she collapsed from exhaustion. Using her Semblance to get away while she was overheating probably wasn't the best idea, and now, every breath was a fog of hot air. She could feel herself shaking, her hands trembling as she tried to look for something to ease her pain.

Her body was on fire. Her nerves were on fire. Ruby's eyes were wide open as she processed everything happening to her, and when she glanced at her open hand splayed against the cool walls she could see silver lines like circuits flickering from underneath her sleeve to her fingertips. It was all she could do to keep her eyes open and stare at the glowing lines.

"So you have Magic Circuits. That explains a lot."

A voice. A familiar voice snapped Ruby out of her wonder. One she had just heard in the cafeteria. With a confused gasp, Ruby turned on the wall to see Cardin standing there alone. What was he doing here? Where had he been, that he found her so quickly? And Magic Circuits?

"What—?"

But then, the term slotted into her head like a puzzle piece, and she heard metal ring with the sound of Crescent Rose in her head as the silver lines buzzed.

Oh. Of course.

"You don't know?" Cardin asked. "And you've been using them this entire time?"

Ruby frowned at him as he walked closer to her. No, I do. I had just forgotten.

"Well, that's understandable. There's only so few of them left. I wondered why I hated you so much without even knowing you, but this answers everything."

"W-what are you talking about?" Ruby asked. She had to know. Ruby had to know what Cardin knew. What he was talking about.

But Cardin stared at her. He stared at Ruby, and she stared back with all the strength she had left as she continued to overheat. The silver lines kept pulsing. She felt like her blood had turned into molten metal. She could almost smell the Dust and barrel smoke radiating from her. The same way her dreams of that world smelled.

"You really don't know." Cardin started to laugh. It was hysterical. As if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. As if it were a great big joke.

It was the most real she had seen Cardin yet.

"Here I was, thinking there wasn't anyone else in Beacon that was a mage, that had to suffer as much as I have! Haha! Hahaha!" His laughter then turned even more crazy as his eyes teared up and he cried. It was a look she was somehow familiar with. A look of a broken soul, and one that had experience the worst of the world.

"You don't know anything!" Cardin said, his voice growing dangerously soft. "But you haven't suffered, either, have you?" He then wiped at his eyes before he stared at her again, but this time his eyes looked lost and confused. "You asked me if I really hated the Faunus back there. I don't. They haven't done anything to me. I don't really care about them. Actually, I don't care about anyone in this damn school. I don't care about anyone. It's all an act."

Ruby flinched as Cardin stepped towards her.

"I only care about one thing." His eyes refocused on her, and Ruby could see the rage beginning to build once more. "Killing them."

Ruby pressed her hot back against the cool wall. "Cardin?"

"Do you know what Mages are like, Ruby?" Cardin asked. Before Ruby could even say a thing, he continued. "No, of course you don't. They're cutthroat. They'll do anything. Even kill a kid." Cardin glared at her. "They killed her because she wanted to exist. She wanted to live. They found out she had Magic circuits, and they only ever saw her as a guinea pig for experiments. I was the only friend she ever had. And they killed her."

He stared at his own hands. "They made me do it. They forced me to do it. When I didn't want to, they did something to me, and when I woke up, she was dying in my arms. I couldn't stop any of it. I was too weak." Cardin's face twisted at the memory he was , he clenched his fists.

Ruby knew he was already too far gone in his state to listen to her, but she had to try. Even as she dropped to her knees in pain and pressed her burning body against the cool wall, she weakly called out to Cardin. "Wh-who? Who was 'she'?"

Cardin flinched. It was the right question. "She never had a name," he whispered. "And when I saw Velvet, I couldn't help but be reminded of her." He started to shake. "I can't ever see another Faunus without seeing her. So yeah. Maybe I do hate them, haha! I hate Faunus for reminding me of her! Why I want them all to hate me! Because I killed her. Because they made me kill her!"

Ruby only realised she was crying when two sizzling drops of water fell onto the cool tiles below. Suddenly, it all made sense. And suddenly, Ruby was glad she had never read The Executioner, because she would have been broken after experiencing Cardin's history first-hand. Why his weapon was called that. And, of course, why he hated Faunus…and bullied Jaune. He had been weak.

In his own way…he wanted to make sure Jaune wasn't weak either.

Cardin didn't want Jaune to experience the same pain of losing someone because he was too weak to fight.

Then, without warning or any other words, Cardin charged right at her and grabbed her by the throat. She could immediately hear the sound of sizzling as Ruby's skin burned his hand, but he didn't even flinch. Instead, he looked Ruby in the eye as she weakly grasped at his arms and hands.

"So what is it?" Cardin asked. "Am I going to have to kill you like I'll kill my parents?"

Ruby cried. With his hands choking her, she could hardly speak. But she had to try. "C-Cardin, I-I'm s-sorr—"

Just then, hurried footsteps rounded the corner of one end of the hallway and stopped in their tracks in shock. It was Team JNPR, and Jaune was the first to react by falling over and coughing at the sight. Pyrrha and Ren were speechless, and Nora…

"Ruby!?" Nora cried. She froze, stuck between rushing forward and doing nothing. It was just as well, because another set of rapid movement appeared at the other end of the hallway, and a rage-filled shout boomed through the hallway.

"GET AWAY FROM MY SISTER!"

Cardin let go. Ruby fell to her knees. As she coughed and gasped for air, she looked up to see Cardin closing his eyes as he stepped into the middle of the hall.

No…

Yang was almost flying down the hall as her hair burst into brilliant white flames and she aimed straight for Cardin.

No…

Weiss was running at her. Team JNPR looked about ready to help Yang kill Cardin.

No!

She wouldn't let it happen.

Despite her entire body screaming at her, she managed to pull strength from somewhere within her that radiated power, and she latched onto the front of Cardin. With everything she had left, with all of the energy she could muster, Ruby screamed.

"STOP!"

Her words echoed through the hall like a hammer hitting an anvil.

Yang's flames sputtered as she dropped herself to the ground and slid.

Team JNPR froze.

Weiss almost tripped mid-stride.

Ruby's grip on Cardin failed as she collapsed and fell, falling into the dark abyss of her dreamland…

…But just before she lost consciousness, she could have sworn she felt a pair of arms grab her at the last moment.

A/N: This is perhaps my longest standalone chapter without edits yet. I spent way too much time on this, honestly, but I hope you all like how I've changed Cardin's confrontation. I realised I wasn't happy with how I actually did it, and cleaned some things up to clarify it, as well as just outright have him state his reasons to Ruby here.

I suppose I should just say that this Remnant has Nasuverse mechanics, as one reviewer mentioned. I discussed with some friend about how Cardin never really had any deeper reasons why he was a bully and then disappears, and some reviewers pointed it out too, so I headcanoned a bit and it became what it is now.

I really let the characters go and do their own thing. I couldn't have predicted it would happen like this.

Needless to say, Cardin has reasons, especially in a Nasu Remnant.

I have an essay due, a final exam, and a presentation to do all next week. I haven't done anything for them because I wanted this to be good. Please, bear with me if I sit myself out until Christmas because I'm burned out from making edits.

And just another REMINDER: I do this story for fun. I don't expect this to reach the same level of quality as other original works of mine. I do this in my spare time. But I enjoy every minute of it.

REVIEW CORNER (previously known as REVIEW RESPONSES):

Topics:

The Moon: Don't worry about it! And don't ask, we don't talk about the moon! In all seriousness, I'm happy with how everyone is taking this, because I've had this in my mind for so long. I guess it's okay to spoil it a little here, because it might not ever make it into the story otherwise. I won't give away everything, though.

[REDACTED] and that's why Gaia is in a coma, the TYPE is subdued, and the Grimm are basically Gaia's antibodies to make sure it stays alive while it heals/rests/sleeps. After the Brother Gods wiped out most of the First Human Order (lore doesn't have a name for the two versions of humanity Remnant once had), the Second Human Order is humans that are able to wield the powers of the soul, but for those who still remember, can also use Magecraft, doing more than just activating their Aura. They adapted to survive Remnant's now more-harsh environment with the Grimm (read: Grain), and found that because Gaia was asleep and damaged, its True Ether was crystallising. Hence, Dust. Thus, the Second Human Order was able to wield "Magic" but in a more physical instead of arcane form, and why Dust (and Huntsman/Huntresses) can harm and kill the Grimm. Pretty cool, right? If a few things aren't congruous with Nasu lore, then I'll chalk it up to Remnant being weird.

All of this isn't set in stone, though.

Cardin: I've updated his character. I hope you liked it. I wasn't happy with how I wrote him either and realised that I wasn't getting my idea of this Cardin across. And for the person who said I wrote Cardin as cartoonishly evil and OOC, yeah, that wasn't my intention.

Pacing: To the Guest who mobilised me to do this, I hate you and love you. But this is my style—Slow and steady. I'm sorry for everyone who had to read my slow pacing across chapters. I wrote this one so it could be consumed in one. I might even combine this with the previous chapter because they could technically be one chapter. So...even now, after all my edits, chapter-fusing abounds.

Specific:

Guest (the first review that talked about Angel Notes): See above for my explanations on Grain and Gaia and such. Also, no one is truly evil or truly good, so yes, Salem will not be completely evil in this fic. As for guest characters—If they aren't servants, I doubt we'll see anyone from other Nasu works, because Remnant is a completely different world (so yes, TYPE-Moon here is Remnant's TYPE-Moon, not Earth's).

Wyran cost: It will end...alright for Cardin. Don't worry. He's not out of the game yet. And thanks for still being around and reading my story!

Maglad: I figured if I don't start teasing that Remnant has other problems that will intersect eventually with Ruby, it would be too shocking later on. Plus, it gives you all something to think and be excited about.

TalonScythe: I hope you, and everyone else was satisfied with how I've modified the narrative. I wasn't happy with it either, as I've already said. And yeah, I loved reading everyone's reviews freaking out about the TYPE, so seeing you have the same reaction is a little gratifying hehe. It's pretty crazy what I have envisioned for the future, but we'll take a while yet to get there. Also, I might not have fixed the pacing exactly, but I hope this chapter was nice to read.

And that's that! Thanks for reading, leave a review, and tell me what you think!

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"...Ruby Rose. I've been waiting a long time to talk with you."

"Huh?"

"I don't have long, but I want you to know, you're better than I ever could have been."

"Who..."

"Keep saving people, like that Cardin kid. It's who we are, after all."

"Wait—"

"I'm sorry about our memories. Even though they can be painful, they're a part of you."

"...Shirou?"

"Looks like my time's up. Goodbye, Ruby. Maybe we'll talk again."

"Wait!"

Ruby watched as the red-haired boy from her dreams faded into light and smiled at her.

"We're both a little hopeless, aren't we?"