Chapter 2

Ozpin reclined in his chair heavily sighing as he gazed up at the gears that filled the tower's uppermost level. The passing of Summer Rose had come as an unfortunate surprise. Though no body had been found, the fact that she had been missing for six months with no attempts to check-in while she was on this mystery assignment left little to the imagination of everyone that knew the woman. Ozpin thought back to the oddity that occurred just a few years prior.

'Has it been five years already?'

Summer Rose had mysteriously disappeared only to reappear heavily pregnant and somehow happier than anyone had previously seen her. Only a month later, Ruby Rose was brought into the world. Summer had refused to elaborate where she had gone and what had happened. Ozpin silently hoped that this time would prove to be similar, but it felt as though this was different. So here he sat at his desk with the Summer's hunter file pulled up as he ponders whether he should go ahead an update her status from active to missing in action. A decision he found himself having to make more often than he would have liked with each new generation of hunters and huntresses, as so many take what little knowledge they absorbed from the academy and recklessly throw themselves to the Grimm. While Team STRQ had been far above their peers, that realistically meant very little as many that passed through the academy's gates entered barely greater than normal citizens and graduated having made little progress and would likely only serve as a stopgap to bide time for the more talented huntsmen or huntresses.

With a mighty sigh, Ozpin leaned forth, his mind made up on the matter, only to stop when he noticed something or rather the lack of something. He could no longer hear the gears that constantly marched above head. He began to reach for his cane only for a familiar voice to force him to a stop.

"Hello again, Ozma."

Ozpin's gaze lifted towards the golden humanoid, the being that set him on his path. His body tensed as his mind raced trying to find a reason the god's appearance.

"I am not here to judge humanity. No, I am here to inform you of a change that has set upon your world. The Devourer of Fate has set its sight on Remnant's Fate. We've done the best we can to delay it, but the rest is up to all of you."

Ozpin took several moments to digest the information having just been unloaded upon him. Questions whirled around his mind as he tried to comprehend that he had not in fact failed in his millennia long war with Salem all for it to come to the newest and most worrying bit of information.

"Devourer of Fate?" he questioned. The term was certainly foreboding, but it left far too much to the imagination for him to properly begin to contextualize it. Luckily for him, the God of Light felt compelled to give him at least the bare minimum amount of information.

"A title more than a name, earned by devouring the Fates of innumerable worlds. It forces its way into a world and the local pantheon has only three options: fight it and lose, give up and cease to exist, or challenge it to a game. These games typically take place on the Fate's world and require the Devourer to take on a form native to that world and complete some task. Many have tried to outplay it but failed. The only thing any of us can do is task something near impossible and hope that it grows bored and moves on to the next world, though it has yet to do so."

Ozpin fell back into his chair, hopelessness exuding from his entire being. His voice came out aged, tired, "So everything I've done has been pointless, meaningless. All because some thing crawled out of nowhere and wants some intangible thing. Why?"

The God of Light looked upon the ancient wizard. His form giving no indication to the raging storm of thoughts that lied just below the surface. He moved towards the window to gaze upon the city. He understood the wizard. There were fewer things that could be worse than the current predicament, but they weren't completely forsaken.

"As I said, we may be able to escape this if we can simply stall long enough for the Devourer to move to whatever world may come next. It is for that reason that I've come to you now. Its chosen avatar has begun to make its move in the world. Though the bindings of the challenge prevent me from providing too much aid I can at least afford you the retention of this knowledge and any knowledge you gain in your endeavors if the chosen avatar perishes and resets the world."

It took Ozpin a minute to understand what had just been said to him. The implications settling as he turned once more to look at the god.

"You mean it doesn't end even if we manage to kill it."

"Death has very little meaning to gods and those above even them. At the very least, this will confine it to a single vessel and a finite number of possibilities to manipulate. I wish I could give you more, but we are out of time and there is no more information that I can freely give. I wish you all the best of luck."

As though he had never been there, the God of Light vanished leaving Ozpin alone in his office staring out the window to Vale. The bright, warm light a stark contrast to the cold, somber atmosphere left by the god's revelation. He had no clue just how much time had passed since he'd been left to soak in the news of an even greater threat than the one he had already been tasked with dealing. It took no small amount of effort to lift himself from his chair, grab his cane, and head to the elevator his destination clearly envisioned. Sitting himself down on one of the benches that lined the courtyard, Ozpin released the heaviest sigh he felt he had in years. He continued to bask in the warmth of the sun letting it warm his tired, weary bones. Aura helped fight the onset of aging, but the more active role he had taken in this life had taken its toll. The various aches and pains little more than a dull reminder of the harsh battles fought washed away in the warm light.

That warmth was promptly swept away as a shadow loomed over him and the stern voice that followed set the cold once more in his bines.

"I would hope that you've finished all the paperwork required for the upcoming school year or need I remind you that your responsibility is not solely to the world as a whole."

Ozpin turned to one of his more trusted allies, Glynda Goodwitch. The stern disciplinarian often left him wondering if she knew how to relax. He put on a relaxed smile as he pat the spot next to him.

"It's a lovely day Glynda. The world won't crumple just because we took a few moments to destress and remember why we started this all in the first place."

Goodwitch could only stare at him in disapproval, before sighing and sitting down next to him.

"So, what world-ending cataclysm has been added to the agenda?"

Ozpin could only chuckle at how well his assistant knew him. For a long time, they merely sat there taking in the sun's light, but he knew that all good things must end eventually. He stood using his cane to support himself and as he was about to leave, he spoke,

"I will be calling meeting of the brotherhood. There is much that has changed and so much more that is on the line than we once thought."

The isle of Patch was as peaceful as one could hope to get. The populous of retired hunters and their families doing much to ensure that tranquility lasted with the added benefit of the huntsman training academy, named Signal Academy, located on the isle providing an opportunity for the youths to develop the fighting style that will carry them into the future. Here on this peaceful isle, in a secluded area, lies a cabin. The cabin home to the Xiao-Long / Rose family and it is here that a not too peculiar sight barges from the cabin. A young girl, her blonde hair trailing behind her, hurriedly exits the cabin practically dragging another girl, her pitch hair the tips a stark white bobbing, towards a red wagon sitting just beyond the porch. Upon getting to the wagon, the blonde girl lifted the smaller girl into the wagon.

"OK, Ruby stay seated, and we'll be there before you know it."

Ruby pouted at the older girl, her unwillingness shining through,

"Yang, do we really need to do this? Can't we just play here?"

Yang ruffled Ruby's hair turning her pout into indignation as she tried to remove the offending appendage from ruining her hair.

"Stop it Yang!"

"I'll stop when you stop being sulky."

With an indignant huff, Ruby threw her arms downs, a mighty pout donning her face. "Fine, but what are we going to do when Tai or Qrow find out?"

Yang let her hand fall to the handle of the wagon as she turned around. "Don't worry so much about it, when we get back, they won't have a reason to be mad at us." Though she only had a vague idea of what she was looking for, she had no doubt she'd find it before anyone could make too big a fuss. Her heart did drop a little whenever Ruby referred to Dad or Uncle Qrow in such an unaffectionate way. Sure, she knew that Ruby wasn't really her little sister, but that didn't stop Yang from treating her like the little sister she'd wanted.

As they trudged along the overgrown path, Yang briefly looked over her shoulder at Ruby, who had curled up in the wagon at some point during their journey, the reason she had dragged them out here once more crossed her mind. Ruby had always been a weird kid. She didn't really cry, was content to just sit there and stare at her surroundings, was standoffish with all of them, and eerily quiet. That last thought sent shivers up her spine as she recalled all the times Ruby had snuck up on all of them giving everyone a harsh startled at some inopportune moment. The worst had been at Ruby's last birthday when Uncle Qrow was helping make her cake and nearly burned the house down. She still didn't have all the details on that one, but she could gather that it involved his happy juice and several candles.

The trek through the woods had finally started taking its toll on Yang as she dragged herself and the wagon further. The overgrown path had long disappeared and to her dismay the sun had set some time ago. Still, she continued. Step after step, she grew more tired, her feet felt more like iron slabs, and her ragged breathing slowing her even further. The only thing keeping her going was the promise she had made herself, for her family. She didn't know why her mother was out this way, but the map Yang had found on the back of an old photo couldn't lead her astray. With Summer having disappeared and no one even knew where to begin looking for her, and Yang wasn't dumb, she could hear the hushed whispers between her Dad and Uncle Qrow. Between Ruby's weirdness, the pressure of hunting, and trying to take care of the two girls, Yang could see the stress was starting to get to him. Uncle Qrow wasn't around nearly as often they wanted him to be with how busy being a Huntsman kept him.

Yang had a plan though; one she had only put together when she found that old photo. She'd load Ruby up in that wagon Summer had gotten a couple of years ago, and set off through the woods after Dad left, find the cabin and her mother, come back home and everyone will be happier. Ruby will stop being weird, Dad will smile again, Uncle Qrow will stick around more, and she can finally have the happy family that all the other kids on the island had. The only problem that she had failed to consider was just how far the cabin was from her home.

Just as she was starting to panic from the encroaching night, she spotted the cabin. A rush of energy found her as she powered through the last stretch of ground until her destination. When she reached the doorframe, she all but collapsed from exhaustion. Taking a few moments to catch her breath, Yang looked up at the cabin. It was dilapidated, little more than broken walls barely held together, but that didn't matter because she had done it. A quick check on the wagon found Ruby still asleep, curled in on herself. Yang wasn't sure how she should feel about the fact that Ruby hadn't once tried on the cape that Summer had left her, but she was sure that the girl was just waiting for her mother to come back before trying it on. That thought further steeled her resolve, if Ruby's mom wouldn't come back, then her mom would have to fill that void. With that Yang turned back around and froze.

The trek through the woods had been so mundane with every tree looking just the same as the last and based on the way Yang had been acting the place they were going wouldn't actually have anything entertaining, so Ruby did what the only thing she really could. She took a nap, fully expecting to be disappointed when she woke up. Imagine her surprise when she is ripped from her slumber by a bloodcurdling scream. Jolting awake, she looks around to spot Yang lying limply at the base of a nearby tree with a wolf-like creature looming over her, its skin a pitch black with the only color being the bone white mask covering its face and those hate-filled red eyes. Her mind racing, she jumped from the wagon, and grabbed the nearest object she could lift, a branch, and threw it screaming, "GET AWAY FROM HER!"

Her throw unfortunately fell short, and the branch clattered uselessly on the ground several feet from the monster. Her command did have an effect as the creature lazily turned its gaze towards her. With an almost mocking gait, it approached her staring into her eyes like it was looking for something. Ruby didn't care what it could have possibly wanted and glared back, defiant of the towering monstrosity. It stopped just short of her as it raised one of its massive claws, the intent clear in the gesture. Ruby continued to glare up at the beast as she mentally resigned herself to repeating the monotony that had been the past five years of her life. 'I really should have set the start to be at some point in early childhood and not the beginning of life. At least I can attempt to prevent Yang from wasting our time with this outing next time.'

Just as the monster made to strike the young girl, its torso was cleaved from the rest of its body. On the other side of the quickly fading body was the older man that Ruby knew as Qrow. His greying hair, stubble, tattered cloak, dark suit, and most important of all his weapon, Harbinger. Even as she stared at him, Qrow was quickly surveying their surroundings, and when he deemed it safe enough, he took off towards Yang.

"Aw, shit, kiddo. Hang in there," he muttered as he began assessing her injuries. It was then that Ruby had gotten a proper look at Yang, and she seemed to be fine enough aside from the light trickle of blood coming from her mouth, but that was likely due to a few broken or she had bit into her cheek too hard when she got hit. At least that was her thought process before Qrow lifted Yang's shirt and revealed the large nasty bruise already developing on most of her torso with some obvious white spikes poking through. Once he saw the extent of her injury, Qrow placed one of his hands on Yang's shoulder and began reciting a chant under his breath as his aura flared to life around him as he continued to chant and soon a soft, golden light began to encompass Yang. Qrow sighed, relief flooding his face, as he gently picked up Yang and turned to Ruby. "Back in the wagon. Yang will be fine for now, though we'll still have to take her to the hospital when we get back, and I'd like to have a hand free incase more Grimm show up."

Ruby didn't try to fight him on anything as she quietly climbed back in the wagon, and once she was situated, Qrow laid Yang down next to her. He took off in a brisk pace with the wagon handle in one hand and Harbinger in the other. The walk back was filled with a tense silence with Qrow remaining vigilant even after they exited the woods to the familiar cabin that they all called home. A worried Tai rushed out the door as they approached. Qrow and Tai talked in hushed tones before Tai came and scooped Yang into his arms and headed for the truck. As the truck disappeared around a bend, Qrow turned to the remaining girl to find her staring at him. He cleared his throat, "Well, let's get you to bed kiddo. We've had more than enough excitement for one day if you ask me."

The girl didn't resist as he picked her up and headed inside the house and up to her room. After helping her change into her pajamas, he tucked her into bed and made to leave before she spoke up. "Train me."

The tone she took had caught him off guard as he took a second to register what she said before rejecting her demand. "You're too young and you don't even have your aura unlocked. Which isn't going to happen until you turn ten, then you'll join the rest of the brats at Signal, and they'll teach you."

"But you unlocked Yang's aura."

Qrow pinched between his eyes as he let out an exasperated sigh, "Yang's injuries seemed bad on the surface, and I wasn't going to take the chance that they were worse underneath. If they were, then she wouldn't have made it back. Now that is that, so go to bed."

Before he could take a step away, Ruby spoke up again, "So I just have to get hurt bad and you'll unlock my aura?"

Qrow's blood froze at the detached way she spoke of getting seriously injured. He quickly turned around the confusion clear in his eyes. "Kid, Ruby, you shouldn't talk like that. Yang could have died; you both could have died. If I were just a little bit later… Ruby, your mom wouldn't want you talking like that. Just wait until you turn ten, and I promise I'll unlock your aura and help train you. Don't even think about doing something so drastic."

For a moment, Qrow thought he had gotten through to the young girl only for that hope to get dashed. "What about if Yang drags me off on another one of these stupid trips? She's already stronger than me, now she has aura and is going to get even stronger. It's not like you and Tai are always here, and for all that you all bring up Mom and how much she cared about everyone, neither of you seems to care all that much about me."

Qrow could scarcely pull the girl into a hug faster, his heart heavy from such a low blow and the guilt from the fact that it wasn't entirely untrue. "Ruby… We do care, its just that a lot of bad has happened to the both of us in such a short amount of time that we've had a tough time dealing with it, but we are trying to do better. Give us a chance to prove it. You're not wrong about Yang. Once she gets back on her feet, I'm sure she'll try something like this again, but me and Tai will deal with it. The next time you find yourself in a situation like that, you'll be kicking Grimm butt like no one else."

Ruby slowly returned the hug. "Can you let me look at your weapon?"

Qrow couldn't help chuckling as he once more tucked her into bed. "Sure thing, we can spend tomorrow doing maintenance on it. I noticed some of the mekashift mechanisms were acting up recently, so I can show you the ins and outs while we're at it."

The smile on Ruby's face warmed Qrow's heart, but the guilt from before soured the feeling as he finally bid her good night. Ruby watched Qrow leave and snuggled deeply into her blankets as she contently closed her eyes as sleep took her over. 'At least I'll have something worthwhile to do to bide my time until they unlock my aura, then the fun can begin.'