Editorial Note:

After the Fall of Beacon, the school was declared an exclusion zone due to a high level of Grimm infestation. The students were forced to relocate to other academies, and the Kingdom of Vale remained in a state of emergency for several months following the event.

The White Fang claimed responsibility for the event, further escalating tensions between the organization, their sympathizers, and the kingdoms, particularly Vale and Atlas.

This section of the Jaune Archive will feature accounts from Team RWBY and JNPR, both during and after the Fall of Beacon, before moving on to the next chapter of this volume.

Red Rose Diaries: After Beacon

Ozpin told us to gather as many people as possible and get them out of Beacon. He took Jaune and Pyrrha into the tower for something important. I didn't know what it was all about and the Professor didn't want to tell us anything about it. The only thing we know is that it's some sort of plan to stop the outbreak.

We evacuated everyone we could find in the academy. A lot of people were hurt and there were some that we weren't able to save. Ren and Nora even got too weak and tired from the fighting that they decided to take a break. They even gave me their scroll in case Jaune or Pyrrha called.

What hurt me the most was Blake and Yang. When we found them near the cafeteria, Blake was badly injured and Yang's right arm was cut off. I didn't know what to say. I couldn't help but feel terrible that I let this happen. My very own sister who I grew up with just lost an arm. All I could think about is what I could have done to stop this. I don't even know if Yang can ever be the same anymore.

And I would later find out that wasn't even the worst part of this day…

We looked at the Beacon Tower and saw that there was a Wyvern flying around it. Ren's scroll rang telling me that Pyrrha was calling, but the voice that came out was Jaune's. He was asking for help at the Beacon Tower, saying that Pyrrha has gone off to the top of the tower to fight Cinder, the one who was behind all of the destruction. He sounded very worried and he told us he was going to follow her.

I knew I had to do something. I didn't want to leave my teammates, especially Yang, but I figured that not doing anything wouldn't be any better. Weiss came with me on the way to the tower. I knew we needed to get there as quickly as possible so Weiss helped me run up to the top of the tower with her glyphs.

When I got to the top of the tower, Cinder was about to kill Jaune with his own sword. After seeing that, I felt something inside me and there was a burning sensation in my eyes. Everything suddenly flashed to white while I yelled, and that was the last thing I remembered that night.

After that, I was knocked out for a long time. I don't know exactly how long I was out but it looks like I've been asleep for a whole couple of months, seeing that it was already winter by the time I woke up. I saw that I was in my room in Patch with Dad sitting beside me. It was great seeing Dad again but I don't know if I'll get better after everything that happened that night.

He told me that Uncle Qrow was the one that took me home. Yang was here too but she was still trying to recover from the night at Beacon. He also told me that Vale was alright but the school is still swarmed over by the Grimm. The Wyvern I saw on the tower was still there and is the one attracting the Grimm, but Dad said that I did a number of it. I don't know how or why; Dad said that it's not important and that we'll have to talk about it another time. Zwei was here and was okay, at least there was some good news.

I noticed that I didn't see Pyrrha on top of that tower that night. I found that Cinder killed her before I was able to get there. I still can't believe that she's dead. Even though we weren't that close, she was a good friend. I had fond memories hanging out with her, whether it was during training between Team RWBY and JNPR, girls-only sleepovers at my team's dorm, or all the fun activities we had. I am going to miss her very much.

I don't know where the rest of Team RWBY are, and neither do I know about Ren, Nora, or Jaune. Wherever he might be, I hope he's okay, but even then I can't imagine what he's going through right now that Pyrrha's dead. I wouldn't have known what to do if I wasn't there to save him in time.

I wished it didn't have to end like this.

Confessions In The Shadows: No more…

I am no stranger to misery but the night Beacon fell was one of the most terrible moments of my life. Beacon used to be a place I call home and I was able to meet friends I never knew I needed. All of it is gone now. The academy was lost to the Grimm, many people died with Pyrrha being one of them, and Yang, my partner who I have grown fond of all the time I spent here, might never be the same again.

The most terrible thing was The White Fang was involved and it was from my former cell no less. I feared that Adam was not far off and I soon realized I was right. He confronted me at the cafeteria, wanting to make me pay for betraying him and the Fang as I always feared. I couldn't beat him, he was about as dangerous as I remembered. Yang came in and tried to save me, only to be caught by Adam's semblance which resulted in her losing her arm.

We were able to escape, and our teammates were able to find us but both of us barely survived and we were left with scars that would continue to haunt us for the rest of our lives.

It didn't take long for me to wake up and recover from my wounds but I didn't feel any better after seeing Yang suffer because of her arm. As much as I didn't want to leave my partner's side, it was too painful seeing her like this, especially knowing that it was my fault she lost her arm. Now every time I look at her, I will always be reminded of what Adam did to us. I couldn't take it anymore. I left a letter apologizing for everything and left. It was time for me to start anew… yet again.

There's only one place where I know I'll be safe, and even then, I'm not sure if I'll ever find peace there; it might not be the best place to go after everything I did, but there's no other place I could go and I'll have to take my chances.

So here I am, running away from my problems once more. I don't know when this pattern will ever end but it's the only thing I know right now.

Yang's Recollection (Audio Transcript):

Yang Xiao Long: "So it all has to come down to this, doesn't it?

I gotta be honest, I don't really want to talk about this especially since I just lost an arm, and unlike Ruby, I'm not really that much of a diary person, but this is the only way I know to get this off my chest. Since I can't write now because of… you know. I guess a video diary will have to do.

When the Fall of Beacon began, I was still being caged in my own dorm because of what I apparently did to Mercury when the Grimm broke out. I also saw that the White Fang came to attack the academy. I had to break out. So I tore off the thing in my leg like it was nothing, seeing that I wasn't that much of Atlas's problem anymore.

I went ahead to help the others fight the White Fang and the Grimm while I looked for my teammates. I found Ruby and Weiss in the courtyard along with Team JNPR. Weiss told me she went off to fight an Alpha and some members of the White Fang at the cafeteria. When I got there, I saw Adam stabbing her in the stomach, all I could do was just charge without thinking. And it all led to this… (she raised her bandaged bicep, showing her missing arm.)

And then I woke up in a hospital at Vale. That was when I learned that we had lost Beacon. Pyrrha was dead, Ruby was in a coma, and Blake was gone. I haven't even heard of Professor Ozpin that day. There was nothing much I could do than lie on my bed. Eventually, Uncle Qrow decided to take us back home to Patch. I was transferred to stay at the same hospital where I was born for a couple of weeks while Ruby had to be treated back at home. It was a good call, there were just too many unpleasant reminders to stay in Beacon. It really just hurts me just by thinking about it.

Blake left a letter saying that she was sorry for all the harm she caused and that she didn't want to hurt us again. I don't know where Blake is and I don't know how to reach her at this rate. (Sobbing) I can't believe she would just run away after everything we went through and after all the promises we've made for each other, it makes me think that she's not that different from my Mom. It's really frustrating, I expected better from her.

Now I'm laying down here, thinking about what I should do. All I can do right now is hope for the best for everyone… But I can't exactly say for sure if things are going to get better.

Sigh, I just don't know anymore."

Ren's Entry Log:

The battle was overwhelming. We fought fiercely to save as many people as possible while defending Beacon against Grimm and rouge Atlesian machines. But despite our best efforts, we were unable to prevent the outbreak and we were forced to make a retreat. The attack turned out to be so severe that our possibility of winning was slim. Thankfully, we were able to retrieve important possessions from our team's dorm during the defense, and we were able to save most of the inhabitants of the academy.

Sadly, we received devastating news after escaping from Beacon. Pyrrha was declared dead, and although her body was never found, her weapon was found in pieces, and the Beacon staff confirmed her demise. Jaune and Ruby were both found unconscious and the Headmaster was missing. Even those who survived have sustained terrible injuries, such as Yang losing her arm.

After Jaune and Ruby were taken to the hospital to be treated, a scroll was recovered from the former. It wasn't Jaune's scroll, however, it was Pyrrha's. It stored many memories that pertain to her life in Beacon, so it was good that this was retrieved; the tragedy would have been worse if it were lost. Most importantly, it contained a message from Pyrrha that she took before the attack occurred. She treated the message as a sort of farewell, suggesting that she had the hindsight that something was about to happen to her one way or the other. Whatever she was thinking at that time, it was reassuring to know that she was able to prepare a sort of closure between us. We just wish we didn't have to part in this way; we are going to miss her greatly.

Regardless of what would happen next, this is a terrible night we are never going to forget. I haven't seen Nora cry this fiercely in a long time. I was there to comfort her, but I'm not sure if it was enough to help her cope with this tragic event. We are left without a home, with a broken team, and can only pray for the best.