So, got a few things before the start of the next chapter.
Gonna probably make it Aether/Keqing, so that ship is set.
Sometimes, characters won't show for a chapter.
Like this chapter and the next is all about Ruby, Aether, Keqing, and one other character.
The next will be Mona's team, and Weiss before it be Blake's and Dehya's.
Yang, well...
Moving on.
For those asking about others being in Remnant, gonna be answered in the story on who is all there.
It isn't just RWBY.
However, there are characters I'm struggling to determine if they were in Beacon or in Vale, like Jaune, Qrow, Glynda, and Ironwood.
Others I know were at Beacon since they were at the evacuation site and confirmed them.
Then there is a mute who could be there or couldn't be there because she was floating in the sky...
Anyways, enough of taking your time.
Chapter is a little short for now, I haven't been writing much, but here's what I got for the chapter.
Hope you enjoy!
What was this?
This starry abyss that surrounded her?
Swallowing her…
Consuming her. Drowning her in darkness with only the motes of light brightening the void that engulfing her being.
It constricted around her like an ocean, and she couldn't breathe. Couldn't move…
She was choking in this abyssal void. What felt like toxic fumes filled her lungs.
Was this the end? Was this what she was feeling? Before that woman…
Her eyes flickered as an image appeared before her, her hand reaching out.
Silver eyes shimmered and glowed, reaching out desperately to gasp her friend's hand. This void restricted and constricted every movement…
But she couldn't give up!
She was right before her very eyes!
She couldn't fail her again!
Ruby… Wake up… This isn't your destiny.
"Pyrhha… Pyrrha!"
Snatching her friend's hand, a flash of silver erupted through the abyss, absorbing the vision before her as they disappeared.
He had lost count of how many times the earth shook and the sky flashed.
How many of these falling stars had impacted? What was happening? What were these falling stars? Why did they burst from the ground like they did?
So many questions needed answering, so Aether was hustling to Yaogaung Shoal with Keqing. Paimon floated distantly behind, struggling to keep pace. She could usually stay near him when he was at his usual rate, but even he had to pick up the pace today…
As Keqing was lightning quick… And he mentally scowled at his pun toward the Electro-Vision holder, although she could turn into Electro bolts and move faster than lightning, so…
He wasn't wrong on that assessment. But her average sprinting speed was overwhelmingly fast, and he had to push himself to keep up. On occasion, he was using Anemo bursts to keep up with her…
But thankfully, she knew the lay of the land far better than he did despite having ventured through it for commissions this last month. Recognizing that he allowed Keqing to lead as she had a path to cut through to the shoal as quickly.
"Have you been keeping track of where the others have been falling?" Keqing's voice carried from before him, her eyes glancing over the coast as they rushed through the sands on the beach. "If we put together what we have seen together, maybe we can map together all the locations of where the falling stars have landed once we have located this one. It may become necessary depending on what we discover."
Aether's eyes trailed the coast and past Mondstadt, where the last comet he had seen falling. There were so many he had lost track of where all had fallen. Keqing's statement was logical and together. It was simply difficult to put together where all of them had fallen. "I lost track. I know one for sure landed in Mondstadt. Another few seemed to have fallen deep into the sea…"
"We'll put it together after we cross the coast and find the crash site of this one." Keqing heard Aether's slow response and knew he was having difficulty keeping track of all the falling stars.
He had already caught several that she hadn't, so together, make a map if necessary. If whatever this was something dangerous or a necessity to locate, they could track down the locations of the others. If need be, inform the Adventures Guild for assistance to help. It also seemed she would have to send word to Lady Ninnguang to contact the Acting Grand Master of Mondstadt if this were severe…
"Could you two slow down?" Paimon cried out, desperately trailing behind and panting as her floating height slowly descended and exuded effort to keep pace. "Can we take a break already? I'm so tired… Need food… So tired already… Can't keep going like this…"
Keqing's face squinted, gazing back at the floating. Turning back toward Aether, she tilted her head curiously. "Is this normal? You gave her a snack five minutes ago. How is she so tired already? She can't have burned through it that quickly!"
"I know…" Aether palmed his face at Paimon in humorous exasperation, letting a weak chuckle escape his lips. "I can't explain Paimon…"
"She's the mystery that eludes me still."
Everything was so painful…
She didn't know why, but every fiber of her being burned. Both inside and out.
Every muscle felt like she had been through feverish training and hadn't stopped. Her skin felt like it was scorched and on fire. And it felt like she impacted something hard…
Like her sister Yang had hit her really hard and put her through something again…
Happened during a few of their training sessions. It was why she did her best to avoid getting hit…
She didn't take them very well.
Get up…
Groggily groaning, barely registering anything around her as dirt and rocks slid and crumbled around her, collapsing on top of her. Her eyes flickered at the feeling.
Where was she? Everything was too blurry for her to make it out. With the dirt, stone, and grass she felt all around her, it was clear she was outside, but she hardly remembered where she was.
Or why she was out here. She didn't remember anything…
And what were these weird, unintelligible grumbles being made around her? She couldn't decipher them at all. She absently wondered if something was wrong with her hearing or if she was still adjusting to whatever happened to her…
For the tinnitus in her ears was ringing loud and clear and making hearing anything complicated!
Ruby! Get up! You're in danger!
"What…" Ruby muttered, fingers combing through the dirt around her as she tried to gain her bearings. "Pyrrha…"
"Pyrrha!"
Everything rushed into Ruby's mind, her snapping clearly open as the scene before her became apparent.
But nothing made sense. She had seen what had happened to her friend as she knelt on all fours in a dirt-filled crater, surrounded by black-furred creatures with masks wielding crossbows and clubs. There was even a large one wielding a primitive ax…
What was this?
Where was she? What was happening?
This wasn't where she was before! She was on the top of the CCT tower at Beacon. She had come to the aid of her friend…
Why did she just hear her friend's voice? She had…
Ruby! Grab Crescent Rose and move!
The small furred advanced upon her with weapons drawn. Their intent was unclear, but she knew it couldn't be good.
But it was just like the tower again!
She couldn't move! She was frozen in place! Something was keeping her from moving!
She was stuck, and there was nothing she could do…
Ruby!
Something inside of her reacted. Her hands snatched Crescent Rose, which lay in front of her. With a flurry of slashes, the creatures roared, several fading into dark shadowy mists, much like Grimm.
And Ruby stood with Crescent Rose at her side, cape billowing. But her eyes widened in surprise as the creatures screeched at her and charged.
Was that instinct that she moved like that?
"Ah, no time to think!" Ruby burst into roses as several arrows shot toward her, ascending into the sky.
As she burst into the sky, a voice echoed, but she was too focused on falling and crashing into a strange creature with clubs.
Did I… Take control of Ruby?
Ruby cut through quickly, but her eyes were on the big one charging her as she easily avoided the ax slamming into the ground. "Whoa there… What the?!"
"What in the world?!" Ruby cried out as several more cross bolts shot out toward her, avoiding them as she ducked, but the sizzling of electricity and frigid cold caught her attention. "Are these arrows coated with elements? Can these things use Dust?! With those rudimentary weapons! How?!"
Switching Crescent Rose into a rifle, she took two quick practice shots and grinned. Her aim was true as she heard the creatures cry and turn to the shadowy mist.
Backing up from another heavy ax swing, bursting into roses once more. Transforming Crescent Rose back into a scythe, Ruby flew up into the heavens.
The blade sparkled from the glint of the sun as she came down with a cry as she swung Crescent Rose into the giant creature. It was sturdy as she expected, but with an accelerated burst, she swung cleanly through, and it, too, like the small ones, dispersed.
"Hahaha! I did it!" Ruby hoisted Crescent Rose up in victory with both hands before she bent over and gasped for air. "Everything is agony! Everything burns! This hurts so much!"
"AH!" Ruby's scream cut through the air as a cross bolt pierced into the back of her thigh, dropping her, as sizzling as flames burned within it.
Twirling her head behind her, she couldn't believe her eyes as a horn blew.
More were coming!
She dropped her guard, and this happened! Her aura could have taken that if she knew it was coming…
"You have got to be joking!" Ruby's eyes swirled at the sight, struggling to pull the cross bolt out of her thigh. "Give me a break!"
Ruby!
Something willed her to pull the bolt from her thigh as the bizarre creatures charged forward, and another with a staff began to wave it behind them. Ruby felt the air in her lungs begin to be sucked out, and an odd color vortex surrounded her, cutting into her.
"Speed of light!"
The suction ceased as Ruby's eyes flickered in surprise.
What seemed to be purple electricity struck the strange creature before suddenly, in a bolt of purple lightning, a young woman with purple pigtails sliced through it with a short, straight sword, bifurcating it.
However, the suction picked right back before her as another odd and powerful green vortex formed. Strong enough to sweep the strange creatures off their feet and carry them away from her as a young man stepped out beside her, drawing her attention.
"Go with the wind!" A young blonde-haired man with a blonde ponytail held his hand as if controlling the vortex as it traveled…
Straight toward the young woman, whose eyes shone as purple electricity erupted around her. "You got nowhere else to hide!"
Faster than Ruby could track, as if she had become a bolt of lightning herself, she stood before them, sheathing her sword coated in a weird electric glow as the creatures turned to shadowy mist. Ruby's eyes flickered in disbelief as she knew she was fast…
She could see electric resonance in the air and felt it humming in her skin from where this woman traveled and attacked at speeds she couldn't fathom! This woman had turned into lightning and moved at speeds she couldn't track!
But more importantly…
"That was… Amazing!" Ruby leapt up spot, her eyes gleaming in awe, catching the two off guard as she was previously wounded, unaware that due to her aura, her wound had quickly been able to regenerate and close over. "They were all like, Rawr! I'm gonna get ya! Then you struck in like, I'm lightning! And zip, zap, zoom! It was over! What kind of Dust were you using to do that electric ability? I've never seen a semblance like that before!"
"And that tornado!" The young lady had backed away from Ruby's exuberant display of excitement as she almost jumped into her face with hearts in her eyes before leaping toward the blonde with a wide grin. "I've seen my friend Weiss be able to do something similar with Dust before, but never anything on that scale! Also, it was an odd color, and I've seen wind be green before, so what with that…"
Ruby, can you give them some space to breathe? I think you caught them unaware with your… charm.
Ruby's hyper tone stopped dead cold as the voice spoke. "Pyrrha?"
Silver eyes scanned everywhere to search for the owner. She couldn't find her anywhere. But she didn't understand…
She heard her as if she was standing next to her…
As if that woman hadn't incinerated her.
How? This didn't make any sense!
"Pyrrha, where are you?" Ruby called out for her friend, confusing the two strangers nearby her as she frantically looked about, dashing around with rose petals scattering around her as she moved. "I hear you, but I can't see you anywhere! What's happening? Where is this place? I remember what happened, and none of this is making any sense! Can you just come out so we can figure this out?!"
An exasperated sigh exhaled from Pyrrha, watching Ruby's frenetic actions. She understood, but…
Ruby… You won't find me… I'm not there. At least not physically.
"What?" Ruby stopped, a confused expression crossing her face before her eyes dulled and her visage darkened, her thoughts returning to what had happened before. "Wait, why can I hear you? You…"
I'm not sure, Ruby. I don't know what has happened. I saw you in a sea of stars, watching you drown in the void. I couldn't sit and do nothing, so I reached out to you, and a silver light engulfed us. Now, it seems I'm a part of you. I can see everything around you…
Silver eyes widened…
Did Pyrrha just say…
She was inside her?
"Hello?" A new voice floated over worriedly, joining everyone in the confusion. "Um, are you okay? You seem quite upset."
Ruby's world went black as she collapsed, unable to comprehend that Pyrrha was now sharing her body.
"Ah! Don't fall on me! Aether, help me!"
Ruby! Oh, I guess that should have been an expected outcome…
This was one of the most bizarre circumstances he had encountered while traveling in Teyvat.
Having come across the coast, there were signs of something having made an impact, having come through the plateau. The trails headed toward Mingyun Village, so they knew they were on track following after.
What they found when they stumbled across the impact sight was something else. An impact crater was expected. Hilichurls swarming the area, being surprised and wanting to know what happened. It was to be expected.
Knowing they would have to deal with them was almost a normality at this time in his travels…
But what wasn't was a peculiarly dressed girl with a disheveled appearance, handling a dwindling wave of Hilichurls and a Milichurl. She had done an admirable job of fending them off. Still, it seemed she was unprepared for another surge and caught her unaware, wounding her as she prematurely celebrated and nearly collapsed from exhaustion.
They jumped in to rescue her immediately. Her attire was fascinating, but what caught his attention was her weapon, as he hadn't seen something like that in this world.
He had seen the Fatui using rifles, but a sniper rifle? He hadn't seen one in Teyvat. And one that could seamlessly transform the way it did?
It was unique and something unlike all the weapons he had seen here. It was more akin to weapons of other worlds he had visited, and even then, transforming weapons were a rarity…
Her immediate reaction after they rescued her was something for sure, but nothing he hadn't seen before. Eccentricity was something he was accustomed to. It was a little much, but something else had caught his attention.
It was her wound. It had healed over in a matter of seconds after pulling the cross bolt out of it.
He knew Vision holders were more resistant to damage in this world and could recover from superficial damage. They could take some far more visceral hits and still stand. But an open wound was something else. It would take some treatment and some time before they recovered.
That was unusual.
Then, her eccentricity took an odd turn. It was almost as if she…
"Did you hear anyone else, Aether?" Keqing asked Aether, frowning as he lifted the unconscious girl off of Paimon, freeing his partner.
"No," Aether shook his head while gently laying her back down on the earth below as Paimon floated above, gazing worriedly at the girl with red trimming her black hair. "I didn't notice anything. Just that her sudden change of demeanor when she thought she heard someone she knew."
"Her friend must be nearby!" Paimon shrilled, floating up, and started to look around. "If that meteor crashed around here… I'll search around and see if I find anyone!"
Aether didn't stop Paimon as she flew into the sky and began her search. With her mobility and vantage point, she could get a better view and find people faster. She was putting one of the few skills she had to good use…
She was an adequate aerial scout and was very good at evading trouble…
"I don't think we're going to find her friend anywhere nearby." Keqing quietly responded, inquisitively gazing at the unconscious girl with a stern expression, examining every last detail about her. "Everything about this is so strange… From what she said to what we found her. This crater… There's nothing here despite the impact site being rather considerable. Something should have been here."
Frowning, Aether met Keqing's gaze. Giving another glance at the area, he did find a few things that didn't line up. The impact site was deep, and the damage to the nearby area was extensive. But there was nothing else here…
Yet, her disheveled and dirtied appearance. The odd statements she made.
There were many odd coincidences…
"Guess we'll have to wait until she recovers." Aether somewhat agreed as he felt there was something to Keqing's assessment. "But we should wait before rushing to any conclusions. I can make a campsite and scour the area to see if we missed anything else on the way here."
"I'll help set up the campsite too…" Keqing added with a slight smile. "I was originally going to come out of survival skills anyways…"
"Time to sharpen and freshen up!"