In the darkened corridor of the Vault under Beacon, only flashes of green and vermilion were illuminated in the darkness. More flashes were shown as Ozpin and Cinder Fall clashed weapons against each other. After a clash, Cinder slid back, using her hand to melt the floor below her and summoned ice crystals from the newly-formed substance, hurling them towards Ozpin. Ozpin deflected them all by moving at superhuman speed and then darted forward and delivered a bunch of strikes at Cinder with his cane, with the last blow launching her back. Cinder then floated in mid-air by unleashing her Maiden power. Ozpin then slammed his cane into the floor, forming a spherical force-field around him. Cinder then unleashed a powerful fire blast, with Ozpin leaping into the attack with the barrier protecting him. As he closed in on her, the screen faded to white.
The screen then faded out to the docks outside of Beacon. Air buses were seen picking up the last few civilians and students. Port and Oobleck oversaw the evacuation.
"That's it! Everybody on board! This is a mandatory evacuation!" Port ordered.
"A safe zone has been established in Vale! Please, remain calm and listen to Atlas personnel!" Ozpin explained.
Weiss and Dante stared at what was in front of them, in disbelief. As Ruby and Bayonetta came running down the path, Zwei barked to alert the Schnees to their leader/teammate's presence and turned around to greet them.
"Ruby!" Weiss called out.
"Oh, I found you!" Ruby said
"Glad to see you made it back in one piece." Dante said.
Bayonetta smirked at this. "Was there ever a doubt?" She asked.
Dante frowned at this as Ruby also inquired what was happening to Weiss. Unsure of what to say, Weiss lowered her gaze sadly. Dante looked behind them, closing his eyes sadly. "Weiss? What is it?" Ruby asked.
"Dante... This isn't like you. What's wrong?" Bayonetta asked.
Dante sighed. "See for yourself." He said as he and Weiss stepped aside, giving the sisters a clear view of Blake and Yang lying on the ground. Both girls had bandages wrapped around their wounds and the latter was unconscious. Behind them sat Nora and Lie, who were too battered and bruised to fight, with Nora holding an unconscious Ryu's head on her lap. Blake reached over and placed her hand on Yang's.
"I'm sorry." Blake sobbed as she got tears in her eyes.
Ruby reached out and opened her mouth to say something, but in her emotional state, she didn't know what to say.
Bayonetta, however, was shocked at this. Being Yang's twin, she had a deeper connection to her that very few could match. And, for a brief moment, Bayonetta even saw a flash of Jeanne in a similar position, the Umbran sister she left behind in her other life. "Yang!" Bayonetta cried, instantly running up and kneeling beside her, horrified at the thought of losing another sister.
"I'm so sorry." Blake cried, curling up, closing her eyes.
Dante knelt down beside her. "You brought her back here to safety. You don't have anything to be sorry for." Dante told her.
"But Adam did this because of me!" Blake cried.
"Blake." Bayonetta said, putting her hand on Blake's shoulder. "You're the reason Yang's still here. Even if Adam did this to hurt you, that's on him, not you. I don't blame you. And neither would Yang. She'd thank you for getting her out of there. And I thank you for it, too." She told the faunus girl, pulling her into a hug as Blake started crying, though still looked down sadly at her twin.
"Yang..." Ruby said sadly.
Sun walked over to them. "Hey. She's gonna be okay. The soldiers have a ship ready to take you guys to Vale." He informed them.
"But Jaune and Pyrrha are still missing." Nora said, about to try and stand, but remembered Ryu's condition and stayed down, holding her ninja boyfriend.
"What!?" Ruby asked.
Kratos, who'd been fighting off any Grimm getting too close, started walking back towards the school. "I'll go look for them. Pyrrha is my sister and Jaune is my student. I have to find them." He said.
"No, Kratos wait!" Sun cried, grabbing his arm and looking back at the others. "Look, guys, that giant Grimm is circling the school! Even the White Fang are pulling out! We all have to go, now!" He told them.
"We're not... leaving!" Ren said as he stood up, but then fell to his knees. "Ugh!" He groaned.
Sun turned and cast a worried look at Blake. Kratos then pulled away and started trudging back towards the school. "Kratos!" Sun cried.
"A Huntsmen risks everything to protect people. Even their own lives. And I will never abandon those I'm responsible for, on my honor... and on my life." He said, hurrying towards the school.
"I'll find them... I'll find them, and I'll bring them back." Ruby said.
"No! We will find them." Weiss told her.
"I'll come, too." Dante said, starting to follow, but Weiss held her hand up.
"No. The rest of you stay here and watch after Blake and Yang." She said.
Dante was shocked at this, but gave them a salute. "You're the boss, big sis." He said with a smirk, which she returned.
"We'll be back." Weiss said as she and Ruby ran back toward Beacon Academy, while Sun watched them go.
"You better be! Idiots." He said worriedly.
The camera panned down the front of Beacon Tower as Jaune and Pyrrha ran out of the front door. The muffled sounds of Ozpin and Cinder's fight could be heard.
"Okay, I think I have Glynda's number." He said as he walked away, looking at his Scroll. "Oh, where is it?" He asked nervously. Pyrrha turned and stared silently at Beacon Tower. Jaune's voice broke her concentration. "Pyrrha? What was all of that?" He asked her.
Pyrrha turned to look at Jaune. "I..." She started.
Their conversation was interrupted by an explosion, followed by Cinder using fire to fly up through the elevator shaft. The two teens stared at the tower in surprise.
"But... Ozpin..." Jaune said in disbelief.
"There's no time." Pyrrha said, shaking her head, then looked at Jaune, quickly adopting a determined tone. "Go. Get to Vale and call for help." She instructed.
"Huh? What are you gonna do?" Jaune asked. Pyrrha slowly turned her head to stare up at the top of Beacon Tower. Following her gaze, Jaune realized what she plans to do. "No... no, Pyrrha, you can't. You saw how powerful she is! Pyrrha, I won't let you do-"
Suddenly, Pyrrha grabbed Jaune's head in both hands and silenced him with a long kiss on the lips. After a moment of hesitation, he gently pulled her in and returned the kiss, while Pyrrha slightly raised her foot behind her. She then pulled away, ending the kiss and stared into his eyes, one hand on his cheek and the other on his chest.
"I'm sorry." Pyrrha said sadly. She then used her Semblance on his armor, pushing him directly into a nearby locker, which slammed shut from the impact.
"Hey! Wait! Stop, stop! Pyrrha, please don't do this!" Jaune pleaded While Pyrrha walked over to the locker and began typing coordinates into it. She looked him in the eyes one last time, before stepping back and watching the locker fly away. Once it vanished into the distance, she clenchesd her fists and, once again, adopted a determined demeanor as she walked toward the tower.
Once she stepped through the entrance, she ran to the nearest elevator and used her Semblance to force the doors open. Inside, she found that Cinder has left a large hole in the floor and roof of the elevator on her way up. Pyrrha stepped inside the elevator, closed her eyes and began mustering all of her strength. The elevator began shaking. She focused even harder, straining herself, until the elevator began a quick ascent toward the top.
Meanwhile, Ruby and Weiss finally managed to catch up to Kratos when he answered his Scroll.
"Jaune! Are you injured?! Where are you!? Where is Pyrrha?!" Kratos demanded.
Somewhere in the street of Vale, Jaune was on his Scroll talking to his mentor. "Kratos! I'm fine, but Pyrrha! She's going after that woman at the top of the tower! She doesn't stand a chance! You have to save her! You HAVE to!" He cried with a panic in his voice
"Pyrrha?! Facing Cinder! No!" Kratos said, his heart welling with panic and fear. If Cinder now had the Fall Maiden's power, she would be unstoppable His sister would die. Even he might lose his life against such power. "I will save her, Jaune. Don't worry. I'll get her back to you. And when I do... Take care of her for me." Kratos said.
"What? Kratos, what do you, mean? Kratos!" Jaune asked, but the former Spartan had hung up when he asked what he meant. With one last flare of emotion, Jaune screamed and threw his Scroll onto the ground, breaking it. He collapsed onto his hands and knees, crying.
Behind Kratos, Ruby and Weiss, who heard everything and were now confused, approached him. "Kratos? What did you mean? Why will Jaune have to take care of Pyrrha?" Ruby asked.
"Because after tonight... I may no longer be able to protect her myself." He said. Suddenly, he pressed a button on his shoulder armor, deploying two strange wings that covered his arms, which he raised high, before flapping down with full strength, launching himself into the air and towards the top of the tower.
"Kratos, wait!" Weiss cried, but was too late.
"One way or another, a Nikos is going to die if we don't do something!" Ruby said.
The ground shook, alerting Ruby and Weiss to the danger that approached them. The Wyvern flew into view, circling Beacon Tower with black ooze dripping from it. It perched on one of the arches stemming from the tower and uttered a screech. Ruby drew Crescent Rose, shifting it into its scythe form in preparation for the Grimm spawning from the ooze.
"I have a plan." She said.
"You always do." Weiss said, drawing Myrtenaster.
At the top of the tower, in Ozpin's office, a large amount of smoke flowed out from the elevator, masking the entrance of Cinder Fall. She confidently strode to the window across the room, a smirk on her face. As if sensing her presence, the Wyvern climbed up to the top, peered at her through the window, and screeches.
"Shhhh... This is your home now." Cinder told the beast with a gentle, comforting tone.
The Wyvern stared at her and uttered a shorter, quieter screech. Cinder backed away from the window and held her hand out to the side, creating a fireball in her palm. The sound of sparks distracted her and she looked over her shoulder at the elevator, her fireball dissipating. After a few moments, the sparks came to a stop and immediately upon the elevator doors' opening, Pyrrha's spear flew toward Cinder, who casually leaned to her right to dodge with a smirk on her face.
The spear was soon followed by Pyrrha's shield, backed by Pyrrha herself and Cinder put her arms up, blocking it and pushing it away. While Cinder used fire to hover in the air, Pyrrha called her spear and shield back to her with polarity, staring down her opponent. Cinder gained a fiery glow around her eyes and swiped her hand through the air, attacking Pyrrha with an arc of fire. She then shot a stream of fire, which Pyrrha dove over.
All the while, Kratos continued to fly up the tower towards Ozpin's office. (Pyrrha... You cannot do this! You are an amazing warrior, on par even with many Revived, even myself, but you cannot face such power alone! Even if you manage to win, you will have to kill Cinder to do so! And in killing her, you would kill the person you are now!) He thought, pulling out his swords and turning them into Uzi's to shoot away a couple of Nevermore and Griffon coming towards him.
"Begone, beasts! You cannot stop me from reaching my target! Nothing will!" He roared at them, shooting them down and returning his focus to flying up the tower.
(I told you once, sister. I will not let you lose who you are! The world needs people like you in it! To protect it and make it a better place! And I will ensure Remnant does not lose you this night. Even if it must lose me to happen.) He thought.
The two fought wildly, Cinder clearly having the advantage, but Pyrrha was not relenting, even managing to contend with the Maiden. Pyrrha launched herself toward Cinder and put her arms around her, tackling her. The two turned each other in mid-air, fighting to be the one on top. Upon their landing, the room filled with a white cloud. When the dust settled, Pyrrha had Cinder in a choke hold and Cinder was barely managing to hold Pyrrha's spear away from her neck. The Wyvern flew away and Cinder's eyes began glowing as she applied heat to the spear in her hands. Her grip tightened as she heated the spear more and more, staring over her shoulder at Pyrrha.
Upon hearing a loud screech, Cinder turned her gaze ahead and smirked, while Pyrrha gained a look of fear. While Pyrrha set her focus on the Wyvern that was flying toward the tower, Cinder finally snapped the spear's melted blade into pieces. Just before the Wyvern slammed its wing into the roof of Ozpin's office, Cinder elbowed Pyrrha in the abdomen. The room filled with a green glow as the windows shattered and Pyrrha went flying across the room. Giant cogs and debris came crashing down in the office and the structure containing the CCT's transmitter fell to the ground outside, in pieces. Pyrrha was against a piece of the broken wall, looking up to see Cinder with arrows with tips glowing orange, surely they'd be explosive. They'd easily take the rest of her aura, maybe even kill her right off.
However, Cinder never had a chance to launch the arrows, as two massive steel lion heads slammed into her back, knocking her over the edge of the tower. She recovered in mid-air and levitated with her powers, turning to the source of her attack and seeing Kratos, who had just landed in the destroyed office and hit her with the Nemean Cestus.
He retracted them and rushed forward, shooting one outward, which hit Cinder in the right shoulder, the lion mouth closing and clamping down on the shoulder, causing her to scream in pain as Kratos was reeled in towards her, slamming his other fist into her face, then stomach, before she unleashed a ring of fire from her body, sending Kratos back down onto the floor of the office, where he recovered and rolled back into a kneeling position beside his sister. "Kratos!" Pyrrha said.
"How sweet. Brother and sister standing together. And you'll die together." Cinder said.
"No. I will face you alone! And you will not see the end of this day!" Kratos said.
"Kratos, no! You can't!" Pyrrha said.
"I will face her. Pyrrha, you must go. The world still needs you. It has no need for a monster like her or myself." Kratos told her.
"Brother, please!" Pyrrha pleaded, but Kratos turned and planted the wings on Pyrrha, which flew her back towards the evacuation. "Kraaaaatoooos!" She cried.
"How noble. A very fitting final act." Cinder taunted.
"No. My final act shall be ridding the world of your evil!" Kratos snapped, drawing his blades and rushing in.
On the ground below, Ruby and Weiss fought off Grimm.
"We've gotta hurry!" Ruby said urgently.
Weiss looked around for a moment, before casting a series of glyphs up the side of the tower.
"You can do this." Weiss told her.
Ruby ran forward, then used her Semblance to propel herself up to the first glyph. She then sprinted up the wall, the glyphs propelling her forward and keeping her from falling off.
Kratos slid back, slamming his right gauntlet into the ground to bring himself to a stop. He then rushed in with the Blade of Remnant and began hacking away at Cinder, who struggled to deflect the giant blade. Like she did with Ozpin, she flew back and fired a massive stream of fire at Kratos, who spun the massive blade and created a dome of electricity, but this one also managed to withstand it and he fire a ball of electricity at Cinder, bringing her to the ground. She fired another stream of fire, but Kratos held the blade in front of him and powered through it. When he was close enough, he hit Cinder in the stomach with the butt of the blade, before attempting to bring it down on her.
Cinder's eyes flashed once again and, with her hand flaming, she swung her hand at the blade, which, much like Milo, had been weakened by the heat, so Cinder split the blade in half. However, Kratos flung the lower half of the blade at Cinder's head, the broken weapon bouncing off her head, staggering her and allowing him to score one final hit with the Nemean Cestus, breaking Cinder's aura.
"Enough!" She shouted, the flames around her eyes flaring as she viciously attacked Kratos with lightning, ice and fire, dealing huge damage to the former Spartan and bringing him to one knee, his aura flickering. Cinder then stormed up to him, grabbing him by the throat and bringing him back to his feet, creating a fireball in her free hand, aimed at Kratos' chest. "Looks like we found the one god you couldn't slay." She said, firing the ball, destroying the last remains of Kratos' aura and sending him flying over the edge of the tower, plummeting down to the hard, unforgiving ground below.
The scene was reflected in Ruby's silver eyes, which widened in despair and became filled with tears. Ruby clenched her fists, curled her arms to her body and then suddenly flung her arms out to the sides, beginning to levitate slightly off the ground. Brilliant white light flowed from her eyes as she screamed out the name of her dear friend.
"KRATOOOOOOOS!" Ruby cried out
The white light enveloped her, spreading out to the Wyvern and Cinder. "WHAT?!" The new Fall Maiden demanded in complete shock.
Dante and Bayonetta watched in shock as they saw the massive white light from down below. "Ruby!" Bayonetta cried.
"You go! I'll take care of things here!" Dante told her.
"I'll be right back." Bayonetta said, turning into her crow form and flying to the tower. Another crow flew towards the tower and Ruby. To Bayonetta's shock, the crow shifted into a human, her beloved uncle Qrow, who knelt down. Bayonetta returned to her own human form and looked to the man tending to her sister. "Uncle Qrow..." She said in shock.
Qrow turned towards her in shock. He then smiled a bit. "Hey there, Bayo. Looks like you've picked up a little family trick." He said.
They two of them then looked up in shock to see the Wyvern, but it looked now as if it was a statue. "What happened to that thing?" She asked.
"We'll have to talk about this later. We've got to get your sister out of there." Qrow said.
"Kratos..." Ruby groaned in her sleep.
"Kratos?" Bayonetta repeated, looking at her sister worriedly, then to her uncle.
"I'll look for him. You get your sister out of here." Qrow said, changing back into a bird and flying off as Bayonetta picked up Ruby and hurried to the edge of the tower, holding Ruby close and sliding down the tower with Durga.
Soon, she made it back to the others, still carrying her unconscious sister. "We're back. So we're ready to go then?" She asked.
"Still waiting on Kratos." Dante said.
"He's right here..." Qrow said solemnly off-screen. The couple turned towards the source of the voice and were horrified at what they saw...
The scene cut to Ruby asleep in an unfamiliar bed, wearing gray pajamas. Birds were tweeting and sunlight was streaming onto the wall behind the bed's headboard. After a few seconds, she woke up and looked over to see her father asleep in a chair. She sat up and sighed quietly, causing Taiyang to stir awake.
"Ruby!" Her father said as he got up and ran to kneel by her bed. "You're awake!" He said happily.
"Ugh... what happened?" Ruby asked.
"Your sister uncle Qrow found you, unconscious. They got you out of there, though and brought you home safe." He explained.
Ruby looked down in thought for a split second, then looked at Taiyang. "Wait! Yang! Cereza! Are they alright!?" She asked worriedly.
"Cereza's fine. Yang, uh... She's uh... she's gonna be alright. I think she's just... I think it's just gonna take some time for her to get used to things. She's too strong to let this stop her." He explained, before he covered his eyes for a moment, sniffling, then looked up, smiling. "I'm just glad to have my girls back at home." He said happily.
"What happened to the school?! And Vale?! Were they able to clear out the Grimm?" She asked.
"Things at Vale are under control, but the school... It's... it's not that simple. That thing, whatever it is, doesn't seem to be dead. Don't get me wrong, you did a number on it. But it's not disappearing. It's... kind of... frozen. I know that doesn't sound too bad, but it keeps attracting more Grimm to the school." Tai explained.
"I did... what?" Ruby asked as she tilted her head.
"Hmm?" Tai asked.
"You said I did a number on it. What do you mean?" Ruby asked.
"I... Look that's not important right now. We can talk about it later. Things are just... kind of a mess." Tai told her.
"It's always a mess." Qrow said as Ruby and Taiyang looked to see the alcoholic uncle suddenly standing in the room, near the door. He finished off the contents of his flask before continuing. "Mind if we have a minute?" He asked.
"What, I can't stay here?!" Tai asked.
"Tai. Please." Qrow said.
Taiyang stood up and sighed, then leaned in to kiss Ruby on the forehead. "I'm glad you're alright." He said before he started walking away. "I'll go make us some tea." He said.
Taiyang glared at Qrow on the way out, but the latter didn't appear to care. As Qrow approached Ruby's bed, he grabbed the chair and dragged it with him. He then spun it around to face the bed and sat in it with a significant slouch, crossing one leg over the other.
"So, how you feeling?" Qrow asked.
"Um... I kind of hurt... all over." Ruby said.
Qrow chuckled. "That makes sense, after what you did." He said and crossed his arms.
"You guys keep saying that! That I did something! What are you talking about?!" Ruby asked.
Qrow uncrossed his arms and legs, leaning forward in the chair. "What's the last thing you remember?" He asked.
"I ran up the side of the tower, and when I got to the top, I..." She started, before she gasped, sadness in her eyes. "Kratos! Is he...?" She asked.
Qrow looked down. "He's alive, but barely. He lost all of his aura before being thrown off the tower and landed on a bunch of rubble that collapsed in on him. Broke his bones something terrible. He's been in and out of surgeries for a while now and slipped into a coma twice. He's stable now, but it's still pretty touch and go. But the doctor's don't think he'll ever fully recover. His days as a Huntsman are over." He explained solemnly.
"I..." Ruby started, tears filling her eyes. "I... I got to the top..." She continued as she began crying. "And I saw Kratos..." She went on and looked angry. "and Cinder..." She growled and gripped her blanket, tears falling onto it. "And then everything went white!" She cried.
"Anything else?" Qrow asked.
"I remember..." She started, wiping the tears from her eyes. "My head hurting." She finished.
"The night you met Ozpin, what was the first thing he said to you?" He asked.
"I... I don't know. I think it was something about..." Ruby started, trying to remember.
"Silver eyes. That's an extremely rare trait." Qrow explained.
"So?" She asked.
"You're special, Ruby. And not in the 'Daddy loves his special angel' kind of way. You're special the same way your mom was. Remnant's full of legends and stories, some of them true, some made up. But there's one Oz told me from a very long time ago. Back before Huntsmen, before Kingdoms, it was said that those born with silver eyes were destined to lead the life of a warrior. You see, the creatures of Grimm, the most fearsome monsters mankind had ever encountered, were afraid of those silver-eyed warriors. They were the best of the best. It was said that even a single look from one of these fighters could strike a Grimm down. Heh. It's a ridiculous story." Qrow explained.
"But... you think that I might be..." Ruby started.
Qrow chuckled. "Well, a giant monster is currently frozen on top of Beacon Tower. And you're here, safe in bed." He said. He got to his feet and walked over to a window, leaning on the sill and staring outside.
"Wait, wait, how did you know what Ozpin said to me... the night we met?" Ruby asked.
"All those missions I go on... all the times I'm away in some far-off place... it's been for Ozpin. But he's missing now. Something's been set in motion. With Oz gone, I'll have to pick up where he left off." Qrow explained.
"And what could I do? If I'm so special, then I can help, right?" Ruby asked.
"You really wanna help? Get some rest. You're in no condition to go anywhere right now." He told her and started heading to the door. "Besides, our enemy's trail leads all the way to Haven. That'd be quite a trip for a pipsqueak like you." He said, before he winked at her. "Catch ya later, kiddo." He said as he left.
Ruby sat alone for a while. She looked at the window that Qrow looked out of, then stared at herself in a mirror hanging on the wall across from her bed.
Bayonetta woke up, having cried herself to sleep from the events of the events that transpired and saw Yang sitting in her bed alone, across from her in their bedroom, staring out a window. Her remaining piece of Ember Celica rested on the nightstand next to the bed. "Yang..." Bayonetta said, almost instantly getting out of bed and kneeling by her sister's side, holding her remaining hand and crying. "I'm so sorry... I should've been there with you! You needed me and I wasn't there! It's my fault this happened to you." She cried.
Yang was still rather somber, but not completely devastated and pulled her hand away, putting it on Bayonetta's head. "Hey, come on. You were with Ruby. You made sure she was safe. She needed you more than I did. Besides, your boyfriend saved me and Blake. It could've been so much worse, but it wasn't, thanks to you and all of Team SCRN." She said.
Bayonetta stopped crying and looked at Yang, smiling and nodding, before looking up to see her younger sister standing in the doorway.
Yang also turned to see the younger girl. "Ruby." She said, gesturing for Ruby to come to them.
Ruby ran over and hugged both of her sisters, who hugged her as well, Yang simply placed her head against Ruby's with her arm around Bayonetta.
"I'm so glad you're okay!" Ruby cried.
Yang was struggling to answer. She didn't feel okay, she was still incredibly depressed by the loss of her arm, but wasn't yet ready to give up all hope. "It's been rough. And it's going to be a lot harder, but we're staying strong." Bayonetta said.
Ruby accepted the answer, then released them from the hug, a question burning on her mind. "Yang, where are Weiss and Blake? And what about Dante?" She asked, looking at Bayonetta.
"Weiss' father... came for her." Yang explained.
Flashback...
Shortly after the bullhead landed in the safe zone and everyone had gotten out, a Schnee jet landed in the area, Jacques Schnee getting out. "Dante! Weiss! There you are! Thank goodness!" He said in mock worry. He wasn't afraid for the children themselves, but rather the SDC and the Schnee name associated with those two.
"Father?!" Weiss asked.
"What are you doing here?!" Dante demanded.
Jacques almost glared back at his son, but managed to hold it back. "Why the hostility, son? I came to bring you both home, of course! Back to Atlas, where it's safe." He told them.
"Oh, yeah, safe. Where you can just tell us what to do again and try to get us to take over the business and run it the way you do. Would that include branding faunus kids on the face?!" He demanded.
Jacques was shocked to hear this, but not nearly as shocked as Weiss. "What does he mean by that?!" She asked.
"Quiet!" Their father ordered in a whisper. "And how did you hear about that?!" He demanded.
"So it's true?!" Weiss asked.
"I saw in on one of those White Fang guys. One of their higher ups. Adam Taurus. I broke his mask off and he had a nasty burn across his left eye. Funny, it almost looked like it spelled something. Something along the lines of... SDC. I'm sure if I looked hard enough, I could probably find some records of a faunus kid you picked up off the streets, maybe even when he branded his eye!" Dante snapped.
"How could you?!" Weiss demanded.
"That's enough! Do you really want everyone hearing this. It could ruin the Schnee Dust Company! The Schnee name! Your family name!" He reminded them.
Dante was about to continue, but Weiss stopped him. "He's right, Dante. Here and now isn't the time for this. We cannot allow the Schnee name to be tainted by rumors of such a heinous action." She explained.
Jacques smirked at this. "At least one of you still has your sense. Now let's go!" He told them, turning back to the ship.
Weiss grabbed Dante's arm. "Don't worry. We'll figure this out. And we'll make sure only HE pays for his actions, not the family, not the company." She told him.
Dante smirked. "Looks like he taught you too well about how to deal with your competitors." He said, the two following their father.
End flashback...
"No one outside of Vale knows what happened here. Before the tower fell, the last thing people saw was Atlas attacking innocent people and Grimm destroying the city. Everyone's scared. No one knows who to trust. So, Weiss' father came to take her back to Atlas, where he thinks it's safe. She's gone." Yang explained.
"He didn't give a damn about them. He just had to make sure him and the next faces of the SDC were the victims." Bayonetta scoffed.
"Well, what about Blake?" She asked.
Yang sighed. "She left. She couldn't handle this, knowing the White Fang and faunus did something so horrible. She said she needed to go home to Menagerie and see her family, get her thoughts together." She explained.
Flashback...
After the Bullhead touched down, Blake immediately tried to hurry off, but Bayonetta grabbed her arm. "And where do you think you're going?" She asked.
"Bayonetta, please! Let me go! Look at all this! My people caused this! Faunus and the White Fang! And Adam, one of the people closest to me, did that to Yang. It's my fault she's like this! I can't be near her." Blake said weakly, starting to break down and cry towards the end, but Bayonetta slapped her.
"The White Fang didn't just come here for you, Blake. They came here for the whole school, regardless of who was in it. And Yang got hurt because she tried to protect you. Because she cares about you. And she'd do it all over again if she could. And how were you going to repay that love? By running away and never telling her why? That would hurt her even more than Adam did. And I'd never forgive you for that." She told the faunus girl.
"What should I do?" She asked.
Bayonetta sighed and let her go. "I won't stop you from leaving, but at least tell Yang first. And tell her why. Give her that much at least. Let her know you care and leaving her will be hard for you, too. And, only if you really mean it, tell her you'll come back." She told her.
Blake took a moment to compose herself, before nodding. "Alright. I'll tell her. And I will come back for her. I promise." She said, going to Yang as Bayonetta smiled sadly, before sitting down, putting her face in her hands and crying.
End Flashback...
Bayonetta put a hand on Yang's shoulder. "She'll be back, Yang. She promised. "
"So, what do we do now?" Ruby asked.
Yang looked down sadly. "I don't know what I can do anymore, Ruby. I just need to lay here a while." Yang told her.
"Yang..." Ruby said sadly.
"It's okay, Ruby. I'll be here for her. You go ahead and rest." Bayonetta told her.
Ruby slowly left the room, but she paused in the doorway, looking over her shoulder to say one last thing. "I love you. Both of you." She said.
"I... I love you, too, Ruby. You, too... Cereza." Yang said. looking at both her sisters.
Bayonetta smiled. "And I love you both, as well. We're sisters in blood and an unbreakable bond. Never forget that. Either of you." She said.
A leaf fell from the tree outside Yang's window and slowly drifted to the ground. Over time, the ground becomes covered in snow.
Ruby stepped outside, wearing a backpack and quietly shut the front door.
"Hey." Jaune said off-screen. We then see him standing there with several new changes about him. Ruby was shocked to see something on his back besides his backpack: The Blades of Chaos. Jaune seemed to notice the look and took them off his back, looking down at them sadly. "It was his last wish that he gave me these and his armor. He gave Pyrrha his spear and shield to replace hers." He explained.
"So he's..." Ruby started, but couldn't bring herself to say it.
"No. But he's in a coma... And the doctors don't expect him to wake up." He explained sadly.
"Kratos is a fighter. He's beaten the odds before. He'll be fine." Ryu said as he stood further down the path with his arms cross, standing beside Nora and Ren.
Ruby smiled again at this. "Right. Then we'd better get moving. Haven's a long way to go." She said.
"I know. It's the only way we have." Jaune said.
"Are you sure you want to come along?" She asked.
"The journey will be perilous. And whether we'll find answers at the end is entirely uncertain." Ren said.
"But we wouldn't be here if we weren't up for it." Nora said.
"We owe it to Ozpin. To Beacon. And to everyone who was hurt during the fall." Ryu said.
"Then let's get started." Ruby said.
"Ruby..." Bayonetta said, standing at the door.
Ruby turned, facing her sister. "Cereza... Please. Don't stop us. We have to do this." She said.
"I know you do. I just wanted to tell you to be careful." Bayonetta told her.
"I wouldn't have to be if you came along. You and Yang did always promise to watch out for me." Ruby offered,
Bayonetta smiled sadly. "I'd love to, little sister. And I'm sorry, but I can't. We made a promise to not only be there for you, but to be there for each other when we needed it. And Yang needs me more right now." She explained.
Ruby looked down sadly, but looked back up and nodded "I understand. Please, help her to get better." She said.
"I'll do everything I can." Bayonetta promised.
The two sisters shared a hug, before separating. "I love you." They told each other.
"And Ryu, I expect you to take good care of her! You know what happens when you fuck with a witch." She warned her partner.
Ryu gulped but smiled and waved. "You have my word. Everyone will be safe with me." He promised as they finall left and Bayonetta sadly went back inside.
The five began their long trek, down the road leading away from Taiyang's home.
"A smaller, more honest soul... It's true that a simple spark can ignite hope, breathe fire into the hearts of the weary. The ability to derive strength from hope is undoubtedly mankind's greatest attribute. Which is why I will focus all of my power... to snuff it out." A strange voice spoke.
As the above was spoken, Taiyang was seen bringing breakfast to Ruby's bedroom, but suddenly dropped it when he saw she was not there. The concerned father then ran out of the room, unaware of the note Ruby left behind on her bed. As Taiyang ran past Yang and Bayonetta's bedroom, Bayonetta tried to say something to her sister, but could only manage to put a hand on her shoulder. Yang looked at her and nodded, at least acknowledging her twin was trying to help, before they notices a crow perched on a branch, before watching it fly off
"How does it feel, knowing that all of your time and effort has been for nothing? That your guardians have failed you? That everything you've built will be torn down before your very eyes? Your faith in mankind was not misplaced. When banded together, unified by a common enemy, they are a noticeable threat. But divide them, place doubt into their minds, and any semblance of power they once had will wash away." The strange voice continued, almost as if taunting the person they were speaking to.
As the above was spoken, Grimm were seen marching toward the ruins of Beacon. In Vale, Glynda was seen trying to repair a shop with her telekinesis, but failed to hold it together. Elsewhere, Blake was seen running across rooftops. She stopped to notice Beacon in the distance before continuing onward. Weiss was then shown sitting in a passenger plane with her father. Dante sat behind his father, resisting the urge to slam Rebellion through the seat in front of him and impale his own father.
"Of course, they won't realize it at first. Like you, they'll cling to their fleeting hope, their aspirations. But this is merely the first move." The voice explained.
As the above was spoken, Ruby was seen visiting her mother's gravestone again, before turning to join Jaune, Nora, Ryu and Ren.
"So you send your guardians, your Huntsmen and Huntresses, and when they fail and you turn to your smaller soul, know that you send her to the same pitiful demise." The voice warned.
As the above was spoken, the scene then shifted revealing an ominous-looking stone stairway lined with dark, purple crystals. The camera panned up revealing a figure in black overlooking a barren wasteland. Salem. The very thing our heroes were revived to stop and defeat. "This is the beginning of the end, Ozpin..." She told the presumably deceased Headmaster, before she turned her head towards the audience. "And I can't wait to watch you burn." She finished, her eyes glowing ominously as she made an evil grin, before everything went black.
Later on, Qrow was seen watching Ruby and her friends continuing on their journey. He then held up Ozpin's cane, before jumping from the cliff. A crow took his place and flew towards Ruby's group.