Here we are at Chapter 52. I'm sure you guys know whose coming next. I do not own RWBY or Tales of Berseria. They belong to their respective owners. Here's chapter 52. Enjoy.


Chapter 52: One's own Will

After finishing up things in the village, and getting Jaune's new armor and gear, the group continued on their journey to Mistral. Only now, they have one more addition to their little group, Magilou.

"So, why are you coming along with us again?" Jaune asks.

"I just have this feeling that I'll find some interesting things if I tag along with you guys. Besides, I actually want to get to know more about Velvet's little girlfriend here," Magilou says, pointing her thumb at Ruby.

"That reminds me, how did you know that Ruby and Velvet are in a relationship? By my recollection, I've never seen you anywhere near Beacon before it fell," Ren asks.

"I'm a witch, like I said before. I have ways of knowing things that I'm interested in," Magilou plays it off. "Or a little birdie named Summer Rose told me about that, but where's the fun in telling them."

"Okay, but if that's the case, then would you know anything about the people who attacked Beacon and Vale?" Nora asks.

"Sorry, I never said I knew everything. Only what interests me," Magilou shrugs her shoulders.

"Well, some help you are," Jaune mutters.

"Excuse me, and who exactly helped save your butts from that Geist Grimm? Last time I checked, you were standing off to the sidelines," Magilou retorts with a smug grin.

"Come on guys, let's all calm down. If she comes with us, then that means more help for us. Who knows what else we'll find on our way to Mistral. We may need all the help we can get," Ruby says, being the voice of reason, but then glances back at Magilou. "But, if she's here, then that means that she came from Velvet's world. Did…did Mom have something to do with that?" she wonders.

"Ruby is right. For now, let's focus on getting to Haven Academy. The more help we get the better," Ren says.

"Finally, someone who appreciates my greatness," Magilou says.

Meanwhile, in Atlas, Weiss had just left her father's study in their mansion, having learned that he'll be hosting a show of sorts, and that she was to sing to the people attending. And that she didn't really have a choice in the matter. She is now wearing a short, glittering dress with a color gradation of blue to pale blue at the hem, a sweetheart neckline, and a white, tulle petticoat. She is also wearing a white ribbon wrapped multiple times around her waist, and over the outfit is wearing a slightly sheer long-sleeved blue shrug fastened at the collar with a large sapphire broach that has three pendants dangling from it. Printed on the back of her shrug is the Schnee Crest. She also has on dark blue wedge heels and sapphire earrings. Luckily, her butler, Klein, helped to cheer her up with come hot coffee and a few jokes about her father. She is lucky to at least have him nearby. She could always trust him. Weiss leaves to return to her room, to at least rest a little bit before she has to start practicing for her father, all the while carrying a solemn expression on her face.

"Over half a year since that day. To think that it has been so long since I last saw my teammates…Ruby, Velvet, Blake…Yang. I miss them so much," she thinks.

However, as she walks back to her room through the large mansion, something comes into view in the corner of her eyes. She stops and moves to hide behind one corner in the hallway, leaning out to see someone, a young woman, standing and looking at her family's portrait. Someone she does not recognize. Someone who should not be here in the first place. The woman has fair skin, grass-green eyes and long bright-red hair with alternating streaks of a peach-pink which is tied into long twintails by two spiky teal hairbands that end with orange parallel-laced ribbons. Her fringes are placed towards the side, revealing her forehead. Her outfit consists of a mid-length dress with multiple layers of white ruffles and matching long boots. Both have a golden-orange pattern with a form of insignia on them and her dress also has an extending flap which stems from the collar and through the midpoint of her outfit. Over her dress, she wears a long-sleeved, blue jacket of variant shades. The jacket's length is short and reaches her upper waist. It has the same lacing as her dress, as well as multiple buttons and a meandering orange shape at the wrists, which is finished off by finger-less gloves. Weiss sees her inspecting the picture.

"Hmm, it really is a sad family portrait. The only one smiling is the boy in the middle, while the wife and daughters look sad, and the father looks neither sad nor happy. I'm guessing things aren't so good in this household for the family," she hears the girl say to herself.

"Who in the world is this girl, and how did she get in here in the first place. Ugh, the security here really need some improvements," Weiss notes.

"Well I can't dwell on that right now. Time to find Weiss Schnee," she hears the girl say before she starts to walk off.

"Wait, is she looking for me? But why? Is she with the White Fang? No, she definitely wasn't a Faunus. I need to get my weapon, but she walked right into the direction of my room," Weiss worries before she comes out from hiding and decides to follow the woman.

Travelling through the corridors of her ridiculously large and unnecessary home, Weiss follows the woman. She keeps her distance, wanting to make sure she isn't spotted by the woman, or by any of the staff here. After a few minutes of playing a life version of those spy movies, Weiss comes around one corner that's close to her room, only to find no sign of the woman. She moves to one hallway to see the door to her room close as she rounds the corner. The woman must have gone inside. Weiss grist her teeth as this will make it more difficult to retrieve her weapon. However, she still has her semblance, and all she needs is one moment to retrieve her rapier. Weiss slowly moves to the door, grasps the handle while readying her semblance, and then quickly opens the door to find…no one in the room.

"Huh?" Weiss wonders as she slowly walks into her room, and moves to her case on her dresser that contains Myrtenaster. However, when she opens it, she finds the case empty. "What? Where is it, and where is that woman?" she mutters.

"Looking for this?" she hears behind her and turns to find the woman standing in front of the closed door, wielding an intricate spear with two blades on one end, and her rapier in her left. "I apologize for barging in without a proper invite, but I highly doubt your father would just let me in if I asked politely," the woman says.

Weiss activates her semblance to conjure up a glyph underneath the woman's feet, but then a sudden burst of wind springs forth and destroys her glyph. Weiss appears shocked at this, but before she can retaliate, the woman thrusts forth her spear, stopping the blade just an inch from her throat.

"I would strongly advise you don't try that again for right now," the woman says.

"When security finds out about this, you won't be able to escape," Weiss says.

"They won't find out about me. I'm afraid you're on your own right now," the woman says.

"Who are you? Why are you here looking for me?" Weiss demands an answer.

"…I didn't come here to fight or kidnap you," the woman says before she lowers her spear and gives Weiss her rapier back. "My name is Eleanor Hume, and I am the Shepherd. I apologize for barging in like this, but I needed to see you as soon as possible," Eleanor introduces herself.

"Eleanor Hume? Shepherd? What on Remnant is she talking about?" Weiss wonders as she remains defensive.

"I see you're having a hard time believing me. I'm would assume Velvet told you about me at least once," Eleanor says.

"Velvet?" Weiss wonders, but then it hits her. "…We fought against each other one time, and I won. I could've killed her, but instead I forced her into becoming my servant. She swore an oath that she would obey any order I give her and follow me wherever I go. It was tense at first, considering our histories, but over time, we got to know each other, and eventually came to become close friends. In the end, she became someone I could trust with my life…" Weiss remembers the words Velvet once said about one of her old friends, a girl named Eleanor. "You're…one of Velvet Crowe's friends, correct. Eleanor? She said that you were at one time enemies because you were an exorcist and she was a demon. Is that true?" Weiss asks, still keeping her guard up.

"Yes, that is true. It was only after travelling with her and the rest of our group that I learned the truth about the Abbey, and saw what lengths they were willing to go to achieve their ideal world. It was thanks to her that I learned the truth, and realized how naïve I was being by just blindly following their orders. So she did tell you about me," Eleanor says.

Now knowing that she is one of Velvet's friends, Weiss becomes more relaxed, "Yes, and about her past. So I know you're not from Remnant, but that begs the question of what you are doing here. If you're looking for Velvet, she's…well…she's missing right now. It's just…a lot has happened recently," Weiss says as she turns away, thinking about her friends.

"I have been made aware of the current situation here in Remnant. That's why I am here. I am here to help you get your team back together," Eleanor says.

"Why would you be here for that? My team is…it's gone. Disbanded. With Beacon gone now, there's no point in any of this now," Weiss mutters, holding her arms together in sadness.

Eleanor thinks for a moment, "…Come with me. And bring your sword," Eleanor says.

"What? Why?" Weiss asks.

"To train. I need to see what kind of person I'll be working with here. I'm sorry, but this is not a request. Follow me," Eleanor says and then leaves the room.

Wondering what the Hell she is going on about, Weiss follows her and notices how they haven't once been spotted by any of the staff in the mansion. She follows Eleanor out to behind the mansion, into the large courtyard where Winter used to train Weiss.

"What are we doing out here? If anyone sees you, they'll get security," Weiss says.

"You do not need to worry about that. As for why we are out here, it's like I said earlier: to train. My mission is to get you back to your teammates, but first I need to know what I'm working with. So, you will face me in a duel," Eleanor explains.

"What would be the point in that? I'm…not a huntress of Beacon anymore," Weiss replies.

"…Then what are you, Weiss Schnee? Are you a huntress? Or are you someone who lets another control their own will?" Eleanor asks.

"I…I'm…" Weiss trails off.

Eleanor sighs, "I'm sorry. But time is not on our side," Eleanor says…before she suddenly jumps forth and thrusts her spear at Weiss.

Weiss barely has enough time to raise her rapier to block the surprise strike, but Eleanor does not let up. She makes a long upward swings with her spear to knock Weiss back, and then she spins her spear around at Weiss. Weiss manages to evade the attack and then jumps back.

"What are you doing?! What is the point in all of this?!" Weiss yells.

"If you can't see the reason for this, then I feel sorry for Velvet if you're the person that was supposed to be her friend and watching her back," Eleanor retorts.

Weiss grits her teeth and runs at Eleanor, thrusting her rapier at her when she gets close. However, Eleanor tabs her spear into the ground and jumps into the air, avoiding the strike, and spinning around to kick Weiss in the face, knocking her back once again. When Weiss gets back up, she switches her Dust chamber to the fire Dust, swings her weapon around, and then conjures up a few fireballs to launch at Eleanor. Eleanor spins her spear around to block the shots, but then Weiss appears from her flank and thrusts her rapier at her. However, a sudden burst of wind appears once again to block Weiss' attack. This gives Eleanor a chance to catch the blade of Weiss' weapon within the space between the blades on her spear. She swings her spear around, forcing the weapon out of Weiss' hand. She then swings her spear low, sweeping Weiss off her feet. Just as Weiss gets back up, Eleanor has her spear back at her throat once again.

"From that quick exchange, I can tell that you haven't trained with this weapon in months. No matter what happens, you should always keep your skills sharp. Whether you're an exorcist, or a huntress," Eleanor says before she pulls her spear away from Weiss. She then offers her a hand, "I see we will have some work to do before we can move forward," she says.

Weiss begrudgingly accepts the hand and stand up, "I don't think you understand. Beacon is gone, my team is disbanded, and Yang is…Yang is…" Weiss trails off as she thinks about her girlfriend.

"So what's stopping you from helping them then?" Eleanor asks.

"What do you mean? I can't just leave. My father would never allow it," Weiss retorts.

"I see. So ultimately, it is your father who decides your fate, not yourself? You are perfectly content with letting him control your will?" Eleanor asks.

"No, of course not…But I…" Weiss trails off again.

Eleanor gives her a sympathetic look, "I was like you once, Weiss. Back when I was with the Abbey, I thought as long as I followed Lord Artorius' orders, that I was doing what was right. All according to the Abbey's 'reason', as they used to say. But, I was naïve. As I travelled with Velvet, I learned what the AQbbey was really about, and what Lord Artorius' idea of a perfect world would really be like. I decided then that I couldn't just blindly follow his orders anymore. I still believed in the ideal world he spoke of, but I decided that I would work towards that world in my own way. So that everyone could be themselves. So that they wouldn't have their free will stripped away from them. My will is my own, and no one can take that away from me," Eleanor explains.

"You don't know anything about me," Weiss tries to retort, though her defense seems rather weak.

"I wouldn't be so sure. I see a girl that lost many things that are precious to her. A school that was more like a home. Good friends…Someone truly special to you. I see a girl who allows someone to make decisions for her, even though she doesn't agree with any part of them. Weiss, your will is yours alone, and only you can decide your fate. I want you to reunite with your teammates, but I can't force you to make that choice. YOU have to choose," Eleanor says. Weiss slowly looks back at her. "And I can tell you…that Velvet would say the same…"

Meanwhile, it is late at night, and Ruby's group sit around a campfire in the middle of the forest. Earlier, the group had gone through a village that had recently been attacked by a tribe of bandits, and had found the entire population there dead, except for a mortally wounded huntsmen. Though he was already on death's door by the time they got there. Though that had already passed, it was still weighing on their minds.

"It's shame what happened to those people," Ruby notes as she stare at the campfire.

"Maybe if we got there sooner, we could've helped them. Maybe even have had the chance to stop those bandits," Jaune says.

"Don't bet on it. There's no point in worrying about something that has already happened, and it was out of your control," Magilou says as she twirls a card in her hand.

This angers Jaune a bit, "How can you say that? They were innocent people. You can't just write them off like that!" he says.

"Hey, where I came from, that was practically a common thing. I just got used to it. Besides, you can't save everyone, Mr. Hero. Had you'd been there when that village was being attacked, you all would've probably been killed. In the end, you guys never finished your training at Beacon. This world is a crazy place. Bad things happen all the time, from what I've seen," Magilou says.

"But-," Jaune begins.

"Jaune…she has a point," Ren stops him. "Anima is a large continent. There are a lot of villages beyond the kingdom's walls. Many have fallen to bandits and Grimm over the passing of time. Not just here, but all across Remnant. By the time any huntsmen show up, it is already too late. It's a lesson they had to learn the hard way. A lesson we now have to learn," he says.

"Oohhoo, you wouldn't happen to be speaking from personal experience, are you, pink-streak?" Magilou asks.

Nora and Ren just look at each other, "We'd rather not talk about it," Nora says.

"I think for now, we should just get some sleep. We still have a long way to go to get to Haven," Ruby says.

"Sure thing, but I feel like going for a walk for a few minutes. Don't worry, I won't go anywhere," Magilou says as she stand up and leaves the group. After getting a little bit of distance from the group, Magilou stops. "Got something you want to ask me?" she asks and looks back to see Ruby following her.

"I thought it would be better if the others didn't hear this right now. Did…did my mom sent you here? I know that you aren't from Remnant, just like Velvet," Ruby asks.

"Oh, so you know then, about what she is and what she did back in our world. And yet, you still care about her so much?" Magilou asks, curious.

"Velvet may have done some bad things back home, but that doesn't mean she's a bad person. I know her, I care about her. She's always been there for me. I…I…" Ruby trails off.

Magilou smirks, "You LOVE her, right?" she teases her.

Ruby blushes a deep red from this, "W-W-What? Well, I really care about her, so I, um…" Ruby has trouble finishing her sentence.

Magilou laughs, "Hahaha, you're just too easy…Yes, your mother sent me here to help you out, though I won't be around forever. Just for a while. And as for Velvet, don't worry about her. She's in good hands," she says.

This really gets Ruby's attention, "Velvet! Have you seen here?!" she asks.

"Eh, sort of. Look, just know that she's okay, and that you'll see her soon enough. Just keep doing what you're doing for right now, okay?" Magilou says.

Ruby slowly nods, but does feel better knowing that her girlfriend is okay, and that one day, she'll see her again.

"Right…Thank you, Magilou," Ruby says.


And that's the chapter. Now we have Weiss meeting Eleanor, while Ruby's group get used to being with Magilou. I have a little extra time on my hands for right now because I'll be graduating from college in a few days, and all my work is done (though that sometimes leaves me a little nuts because that's more time than I know what to do with since I'm used to being busy), so this chapter comes in early. Anyway, who's the next person from Velvet's group to join the story? What awaits Team RVWBY in the future? Let's just go where the wind takes us. Until then, please Read and Review.