Ruby and the others looked up at the enormous pyramid of Shade Academy in awe.

"I didn't expect Shade to be this big," Ruby said.

"I know," Yang replied. "We could literally see it as soon as we made it back."

"I guess it makes a good place to protect the Relic, right?" Weiss remarked. Blake nodded at that, still wondering about the individual who sits at the top.

"Well said, Ms. Schnee," Ozpin said, turning around to address the group. "I apologize for not speaking to the five of you sooner, but I needed to process what just transpired."

"Good to see you too, Ozpin," Ruby replied, causing Ozpin to raise an eyebrow.

"Ruby," Ozpin nodded politely to her. "There's something different about you."

Ruby smiled softly. "I went through a few things, but I'm ready to get back in the fight. You seem a little different, too."

"I have you to thank for that," Ozpin admitted. "In fact, I daresay everyone should be thankful for what you did. Your message to the world was what the others needed to rally Remnant against a common enemy. I actually thought it was impossible, but you proved me wrong, and I have nothing but gratitude for that."

Ruby looked away shyly. "Well, I can still do more."

"And I am glad," Ozpin said, "because we need your help, now more than ever. It'll be easier to explain once we get you all situated, but first, I would like to hear about how you came back from the dead."

"Don't worry," Ruby assured him. "We'll tell you, but first we need to let the others-"

"GIRLS!"

Ruby stopped at the sound of a very familiar voice full of emotion. Looking up at the pyramid, at the top of the first level was a very welcome sight for both her and Yang.

"DAD!"

Both sisters rushed up the stairs to tackle their father to the ground in a massive group hug. The three just laid their in each other's arms, weeping happily as a reunited family. Taiyang looked noticeably older than when either of them last saw him. Lines were very visible around his eyes, and his face had a bit more stubble. But he was clearly happy to see both of his daughters alive and well.

The others watched the reunion happen, most of them with tears in their eyes. They all could guess just how much the sisters missed their dad, even if neither really talked about it.

Eventually the girls recovered enough to get off of Tai and let him pick himself up. The blonde Huntsman wiped his eyes and beamed.

"Look at you two!" He said proudly. "Full fledged Huntresses, out saving the world, and neither of you are even twenty yet! You have got to slow down on the growing up—you're gonna give your old man a stroke!"

Ruby laughed through her own tears, then looked down. "I... I'm sorry I left the way I did, Dad," she said.

"You should be," Tai sniffed. "You've had me worried sick since then."

"I know," Ruby moped. "I just didn't want you to try and stop me. I was worried that if I didn't do something—anything to help, I wouldn't be a worthwhile Huntress. I felt like I had to do everything I could, even if it meant running off."

Tai took a deep breath. "I get it, sweetie," he said gently. "Your mother was the same way—she couldn't sit still, either. I just wish you gave me a better goodbye than just a note." He lifted a finger before she could reply. "And don't think I'm letting you off the hook. When this is all over, you are so grounded!"

Ruby flinched at that. "F-for how long?" She asked timidly.

"Right now? Six months." Tai said seriously. "More if you keep it up with these near death experiences." He then hugged her tightly, which Ruby returned. "But for now, I'm just glad you're still alive. I thought I lost you both."

"What about Qrow?" Ruby asked. "Is he here too?"

Tai lowered his gaze. "Your uncle's... not doing so well. He's still around, but... not here."

"He's drinking again, isn't he?" Yang asked.

Tai nodded. "I think he blames himself for what happened to you. Don't get the wrong idea—I know it's not his fault. But I don't think he knows it."

Ruby looked down sadly. She was so happy that Qrow had started to stop drinking. Learning that he relapsed wasn't something she needed right then.

Yang put a hand on her sister's shoulder and squeezed gently. "It's going to be okay, Ruby," she said. "We're here now. We can help him."

Ruby nodded, smiling thankfully. She could tell that Yang was trying to make up for not being there for her in the Ever After.

"Anyway," Ruby replied, wiping her eyes. "I think we should get going. We don't want to keep Professor Theodore waiting."

"Good point," Tai agreed. "He's not exactly the most patient guy in the world."

With that, the group walked up the stairs leading to the headmaster's office. However, they didn't notice the figure in the silvery gray cloak watching them. But he noticed them, and when he recovered from the shock, he walked off to prepare his report.

"Man," Mercury Black grunted incredulously. "She is not gonna be happy."

The inside of Shade Academy was surprisingly simple, but bustling. Students, teachers and Huntsmen alike meandered around the enormous halls and many rooms, all with somewhere to be. The atmosphere was chaotic, but everyone seemed to have a sense of purpose to their movements.

"I guess Professor Theodore's been keeping everyone busy," Ruby remarked as they walked through the halls.

"Very busy," Tai agreed. "It's been sort of a blessing for me, though—it gave me something to do instead of thinking about... well, that doesn't matter anymore."

Ruby and Yang looked at each other, knowing they had their work cut out for them when it came to their family.

"And what about the headmaster?" Yang asked. "Is he everything the rumors made him out to be?"

Tai laughed out loud. "Believe it or not, those rumors were watered down. He really is everything they made him out to be and more. You would of loved it here, Yang."

"I bet," Yang replied, then looked over at her partner and smiled. "But I've got no regrets for going to Beacon."

Blake smiled and walked up to hold Yang's hand. The two looked happily in each other's eyes—until a cough brought them back to reality, and they looked over to see Tai with a surprised expression on his face.

"I uhh..." he stammered. "I guess you made up with your partner, huh?"

Yang blushed a deep red. "Right! Sorry! I probably should've broken it to you a little earlier."

Tai held his hands up. "Hey, I'm happy that you're happy." He then pointed at Blake. "But you and I need to have a talk about your feelings for my daughter. Got it?"

"Y-Yessir!" Blake squeaked out. She heard from Ruby and Yang about how protective their father was, and she wasn't really looking forward to the talk she was about to get.

Eventually, the group reached the large, ornate double doors of the headmaster's office. Ruby walked up to them, took a deep breath, steeled herself, and knocked. Almost as soon as her knuckles hit the wood, the doors burst open with enough force to throw Ruby on her back at the feet of her friends.

"Team RWBY and friend, back from the dead!" A voice boomed, and out stepped the headmaster of Shade Academy, Theodore. The man was tall and wiry, but with defined muscles that he had honed over a lifetime. His dark hair was worn in a close buzz, practically shaved off. He was clad in an ankle length, grey-blue cape likened to the color of a storm sky which is clasped onto his shoulders with a silver chain, a silver belt with a round buckle, matching boots, and bright white slacks with deep side pockets. His red gloves were decorated with Gravity Dust crystals, which told Ruby that they were his weapons. He should have looked ridiculous, but it worked perfectly with his loud and show-offish personality.

"Theodore!" Tai snapped irritably as he picked Ruby up off the floor. "Can't you be more careful? You almost threw my daughter into orbit!"

"Oh," Theodore replied, looking at the stunned young Huntress. "Whoops. Sorry about that. Anyway, come on in! I want to hear everything about how you survived, and where you ended up!"

"Don't we all," Tai muttered. "You alright, sweetie?"

Ruby groaned before shaking the wooziness out of her head. "I'm fine," she said, walking into the office. "I just need to sit down befo-HUUUAGH!"

Ruby hit the ground again as she was tackled into a tight hug by a sobbing Nora Valkyrie.

"I can't believe you came back!" Nora cried. "We thought you were gone! We cried so much and we couldn't stop and... and..." she squeezed Ruby even harder. "And we missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, Nora!" Ruby wheezed. "But... ribs... crushing!"

"Nora, don't kill her," Ren said as calmly as he could, while walking over to embrace Jaune. Nora stopped sobbing long enough to loosen her grip and let Ruby breathe again, before getting off her and helping her to her feet.

"I really hope that's the last time I get knocked down today," Ruby groaned. She was really starting to feel the fatigue in her body. Looking around, she saw that Winter was there as well, hugging Weiss tightly. Blake's parents were also in the office and were holding her as well. Also among the people in the office were Glynda Goodwitch, and Professor Rumpole, both of whom were looking on with barely contained disbelief. Ruby smiled at the sight, then moved to sit down in front of Theodore's desk. The headmaster noticed and clapped his hands loudly.

"Right!" He said. "I'm sure everyone's happy to see everyone again, but I think it's time we all found out what happened, right? Everyone sit down and let the girls tell their story."

Once everyone was situated, they began telling the story of their adventures in the Ever After. Each of the five took turns explaining their story, and while they got through most of it, Ruby decided to leave out her attempted ascension for the time being. She was still trying to understand what she learned in the Tree, and she wasn't quite ready to talk about it. She felt Yang's eyes on her when she skipped over that part of the story, but she gave her a quick look to let her know that she was going to tell them, just not yet.

A lengthy silence descended after the girls finished their story. Everyone there was silently processing the fact that the Ever After not only exists, but it was also the home world of the Brothers. Eventually, Ozpin spoke first

"This is something I never would have believed, even in my wildest dreams." He admitted. "I always thought that the Brothers had to have come from somewhere, but I never thought that they were Afterans."

"The first Afterans," Ruby reminded him. "But yeah, they were born of the Tree, and they'll have to return to it eventually."

"And here's hoping it's soon," Yang said. "Those two just don't seem to learn. Their arguments and experiments keep throwing every world they're in into chaos."

"This is all very incredible," Glynda said slowly. "But it shouldn't distract us from what needs to be done right now."

"Right," Ruby sat up straight. "We're ready to help, Professor Theodore. Tell us what happened the last six months, and how we can help out."

"Two things," Theodore replied. "First, it's just Theodore—no need to put 'Professor' in there. Second, your help can wait until you're all rested and recovered from what happened. We've all had months to process what happened in Atlas, while it's still fresh in your minds and hearts."

"But Prof-" Ruby stopped herself. "But Theodore-"

"He's right," Glynda said sternly. "When was the last time you ate or slept, Ruby?"

Ruby opened her mouth to protest, but closed it when she remembered how tired she was.

"Get some food and sleep," Glynda insisted. "All five of you. Your help can wait until tomorrow."

The five nodded, and got up to leave. Tai followed Ruby out of the room, eyeing her in a concerned way.

"Ruby?" He asked her. "Is there anything else to your story that you haven't told us yet? It feels like there's a few holes in it."

Ruby sighed. She wanted to tell him, about what she learned in the Tree. About how her mom lied to him and left on her mission with Raven. But she didn't know how to say it. Not yet.

"I'll tell you when I feel ready, Dad," she promised. "Right now, I just want to rest and eat something."

Tai smiled softly and nodded. "I'll see if I can fix something up for you. Come on, you and Yang can sleep in my room for tonight."

"Actually..." Yang interjected hesitantly. Ruby and Tai turned to look at her. "I was thinking about heading with Blake for tonight. I kinda need to make a good impression on her parents." She held her hands up. "I mean, if you don't mind..."

"It's okay, Yang," Ruby said smiling, though she felt another slight twinge of jealousy. "I'll be fine for now."

Tai grimaced, clearly wanting to say no. But when Yang made her puppy face, he deflated and nodded. "Don't be gone all night."

Yang's face lit up and she hugged both of them before taking off with Blake. Ruby watched her go, then followed her dad to get some much needed food, sleep and a bath.

Mercury Black carefully wandered through the moonlit streets of Vacuo, hidden under his cloak. He was rarely ever thankful for anything his father did, but in this case he was glad that the old man taught him how to hide in plain sight. Pictures of his face had been spread across the world, and the Huntsmen were actively searching for him and Tyrian, but they always managed to give them the slip.

As he continued to walk through the city to the safe house, he kept thinking about how he was going to tell Salem about what he saw. It just shouldn't have been possible for Team RWBY to still be around—Cinder said that she and Neo had killed them before they could make it to Vacuo. So that meant one of two things: either Cinder was lying, or those girls were luckier than a lottery winner.

Eventually, he made it to the safe house—a half-demolished shack that once belonged to a family of four. Apparently, the husband went mad and killed his entire family before doing himself in, and the people of Vacuo stayed away from it ever since. Mercury had to love how superstitious the Vacuans were—it made hiding that much easier. Knocking on the door in a specific pattern, it soon swung open and he was dragged inside by a giant metal scorpion tail. Shaking himself free, he looked at the manic grin of Tyrian Callows.

"We need to get on the horn with Salem," Mercury said simply. "I've got something she needs to know."

"Really," Tyrian chuckled, "and what could be so important that you need to call our Goddess, unannounced?"

"Let me tell her, and you'll find out," Mercury replied, pushing past him. Entering a nearby room, he found the Seer that they had been using to communicate with Salem and her newest recruits. "Your Grace. Are you there? I have something important to report.

The black and red smoke in the Seer's eye cleared to reveal Salem sitting at the large table and crystal throne of her palace. Beside her, Cinder was standing, her arms folded.

"Am I to assume you have good news, Mercury?" Salem asked calmly.

"I've got big news," Mercury replied nervously, with Tyrian sauntering up behind him. "But it's not good. Guess who just came back from the dead."

Salem narrowed her eyes, but gestured for him to continue.

"Team RWBY."

"What!?" Tyrian yelped. "But how!? They never made it out of the portal! That was the first thing I checked when we got here! You could literally hear Winter wailing for her sister for a whole month!"

"How, indeed," Salem said, deep in thought. "This is certainly invaluable information, Mercury. Well done."

"Well, it definitely complicates things," Mercury admitted. "With the squirt back, she could rally the united armies against whatever you're sending here. We might want to think about a change of plans."

"Nonsense," Tyrian cackled darkly. "I can deal with our stubborn little weeds."

"No," Salem interjected, much to Tyrian's dismay. "That is precisely what Ozma would want you to do. Your focus remains on locating the Summer Maiden. In the meantime, Mercury, I would have you keep an eye on Ruby Rose. Let me know of any other developments."

"Sure," Mercury replied casually, and left the room with Tyrian following close behind.

Salem put her hands together, and looked over at Cinder Fall, who was trembling in a mixture of fear and anger.

"Cinder," Salem said calmly but darkly. The Fall Maiden looked over. "I would have you explain to me, what drove you to believe that deceiving me was—in any way—a good idea."

"Your Grace," Cinder said frantically, "I wasn't-AAAAAAAHHHHHGGH!!!" She screamed as her Shadow Hand began to convulse violently and painfully.

"You will tell me the truth," Salem demanded quietly.

"I wanted her dead!" Cinder shouted. "I don't understand why you want her alive! She humiliated me! She disfigured me! I wanted her dead!"

Salem sighed, and Cinder's arm calmed down.

"Of course you would," she replied, standing up and walking away from the table. "You still believe death is the worst thing that can happen to someone. Even after what you suffered, you can't imagine how much worse it can be when you are forced to live. That being said, you must still be punished for your deceit. I believe an ultimatum will suffice."

"An... ultimatum?" Cinder asked with a hint of dread.

"Yes," Salem answered, "from now on, the life of Ruby Rose is now tied to your own. As long as she lives, so will you. If you capture her, and bring her to me, I will allow you the power you hunger for." She turned to face Cinder. "But if she dies, then your own life will be forfeit. Do you understand, child?"

Cinder lowered her head obediently. "Yes, your Grace. Without you, I am nothing."