div id="djs-foo" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Oblivion. There is no emotion, there is no peace, there is no individualism, there is no knowledge, there is no passion, there is no serenity, there is no chaos, there is no harmony, there is only an empty void. A gasp. Breath, the start of life, the end of life. At the moment of birth, from the first breath drawn, death is always looming, following and shadowing, until the final breath is taken and the page turns towards the following chapter. The afterlife. But before reaching the eternal Hunting Grounds where heroes feast, soldiers rest and legacy passes into myth and legend, there is an oblivion void. Inside this void, breath is taken again. A second one following the first, where the memory of a buzzing sensation, as if slowly getting up from a numbingly good warm bath, the eyes of dead silver wake up from the Ascension process. She, once named Ruby Rose, found herself in an ominous, yet comforting and safe, void of endless green. Darker green, vivid emerald, sickly shades sprinkled in. As far as her dull gray eyes could see. As she wiggled her fingers, slowly the feeling in her body returned, she realized her wrist wasn't broken anymore. She was alone. With a single thought hitting her as she looks for anyone around: I am dead./div
div id="djs-euc2m" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"And being dead sucks! It's alone, boring, no one's around! Ruby had read mostly heroic romance books, where a Hero appears at the darkest moment and turns it around. She left the more 'philosophical' books to other people, she had seen some 'children book' view on the afterlife, but this was just a big let down. She hated it here, there was no one around. No one she could ask the questions that still burned in her mind. If this WAS the afterlife, why was it so boring? Where is the big three headed guard dog that protects the entry to paradise? Where is mom? But she could see nothing, as far as her eyes could see. No scents in the air to follow. No gust of wind to caress her skin and push her. No sense of direction, Ruby closed her eyes, dropped her head and just, on automatic pilot, started walking. She hadn't been one to pace when stressed, but somehow she felt like moving would make her feel less horrible. Clutching her chest, she felt as if something was missing. A piece of herself, that was gone. Wet stings in her eyes threatened to unleash a deluge, until she heard something. A hammer, clanging away. Then a scent tickled her nose, strawberries. And finally a voice broke her solitude as Ruby picked up speed, heading for the sounds. Materializing out of thin air, as if they teleported next to her, where two figures. And she knew both of them. Yet she didn't speak up, watching as the Lively Carpenter was talking with the Blacksmith she met in the Bazaar./div
div id="djs-75ba5" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""She's…late…terribly late…I worry…Smitty"/div
div id="djs-br0h8" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Late? I wouldn't expect her here, just yet"/div
div id="djs-2dfgf" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You didn't see her, she looked…lost…broken"/div
div id="djs-cg98q" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I did see her, at the Bazaar, when she assured me she could handle the burden"/div
div id="djs-crjlm" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Things have changed. We both felt the ripple, someone drank the leaves from the vine"/div
div id="djs-c4uml" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Yes, but many Afterans ascend all the time, all day"/div
div id="djs-d1pep" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""This was different, aren't you worried!?"/div
div id="djs-72rpa" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Carp…no…Zimm…why so worried about her? Our meeting with her is set in stone, for she has Ascended. But I don't think she's du-"/div
div id="djs-3c0ll" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""She's…Standing right here", Ruby, sick of listening to them talking and arguing about her as if she wasn't there, spoke up. SHe recalled a lesson from her mom, dropping eaves wasn't nice, she shouldn't have done so. "Sorry…I didn't mean to eavesdrop"/div
div id="djs-6hjp6" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Oh! There you are, Ruby…I was worried!", Lively Carpenter, now having an arm of steel to replace the one lost to the Jabberwalker attack, decorated in beautiful woodwork that expressed their creativity, as well as a solid tree carved upon their underarm. Likewise, having seen the backside of the Blacksmith, a massive tree branch substituted a spine. So they're both extensions of the tree? "I'd offer you a sprout of tea, yet I lack a good wooden block to work with…"/div
div id="djs-85an5" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""She doesn't need tea, Zimm, she needs to make up her mind", Ruby flashed her eyes between them both. Before curiosity got the better of her. "Why…were you arguing about me?"/div
div id="djs-5epnr" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Because you're late, Red…no…you're no longer Red like Rose. No, faded you are. A dull maroon. Marooned and adrift in a sea of souls…you've lost something, haven't you? See I told you she was late!", worried, with a gentle expression in their eyes, Carpenter got up from their bench and hurried over, gently throwing their arms around Ruby, who let her tears free, forgetting she was trying not to cry./div
div id="djs-57q3j" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Yes…Perhaps you are…I simply didn't expect you here, just yet", also leaving their work, the Blacksmith put back a red hot glowing mask that had an odd shape. Ruby would bet Lien that it was a mouse skull. Her eyes flashed wide in horror as more tears streamed down her face. "Little…I…I killed Little…it's all my fault!"/div
div id="djs-fi8u7" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""No, Ruby Rose, it is not your fault. Mourn not those who come to the tree, for they're not forgotten, nor lost", holding up a wooden body that looked somewhat like a mismatched fusion of many animals, Carpenter gave Ruby a gentle smile, yet it didn't do much for the girl, as she gazed at them both. "Are you both…part of the tree?"/div
div id="djs-ef69o" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-4rnk2" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Hmm…I suppose we are…if a little simple understanding of what the tree really is. Our purpose is to help those who are in need. By guidance, or reforging. Though I am starting to see why Zimm over here was so worried. The burden wasn't easy…was it?", Before she could answer, the words fading away as the Blacksmith spoke, Ruby felt her heart, what remained of it, sink into her stomach. She recalled boasting she could handle it at the Bazaar. Now, she had cracked under pressure. She sighed, if it was possible, even less silver light faded from her eyes. "What's gonna happen to me…am I…going to fade away?"/div
div id="djs-5284n" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Great Branches, No! There is no death here, in the Ever After. I won't allow it", the warm voice of the Carpenter shook Ruby, almost naively, childlike, she wonders, "but…am I not dead?"/div
div id="djs-bl0sd" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You are…as one might say…in a chrysalis form, you have a choice to make, about how you'll break from the bark and become the version of yourself you want to be", Carpenter said, slowly moving their remaining wooden hand from the hug they gave Ruby to her cheek, affectionately wiping away her tears. They felt alive, a warmth in their core that Ruby needed. Instinctively she threw herself around the wooden chest and cried even more. She thought of how Summer comforted her, so long ago. Even Summer found her a burden…/div
div id="djs-7uot1" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Stop that thought and talk!", the warmth of Carpenter had vanished. That same unreal and ethereal voice she had heard before her fight with her friends. She saw the eyes flash from yellow to orange and red. And while she thought herself dead, she pushed Carp away, fearful, the intensity of their voice scaring her. Blacksmith, the one who had been more distant and hands off, stepped forwards and gently put her heavy hand on Zimm's shoulder and smiled. "Easy there…Hatter"/div
div id="djs-cu540" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I…I dreamt again…didn't I?", The Lively Carpenter, once madder than a Hatter from mercury poisoning, turned and smiled, yellow eyes at Smitty, who grinned. "We had some mad tea parties didn't we…even if March made me Mad as well"/div
div id="djs-d1sd4" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Those were fond memories…Yet the subject of our endeavors is hers", Zimm turned to look at Ruby once again, then they both smiled and answered in sync: "Chrysalis is the stage at which your choice determines the path you take. You decide what you want to become"/div
div id="djs-2cks8" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Ruby hesitated. They were both raving mad! What would this mean? She was forced to drink the tea, ascend, appear here. She had felt horrible before she came here, and now she felt even worse. Was it all for nothing? Perhaps. In all truth, Ruby Rose had not been good enough anymore. Defeated, she averted her eyes. Carpenter gasped, but it was Blacksmith who spoke first, a smile on her face. "You don't know what you want…do you?"/div
div id="djs-9a632" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Ruby wanted to answer. But she found her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth as her throat became dry. She didn't feel right to say she did. Because for the first time, in a long while, Ruby didn't know. A Huntress, like from her books, fights for the right and saves people. Except, was that her own choice? She had been born 'special'. Yang was right, she had eyes that were special, yet everyone ever and always mentioned the silver in mine. A silver that she lost thanks to Salem's trickery, the Hound's aggressive hunt and the horror its words meant. Now, the very thing that linked Ruby to the heroism of her mother, was gone. SHe had taken everything for Summer. Fighting the good fight, as Summer did. Becoming a Huntress, to be as her mother was. Anything to be close to a fleeting memory of a great mother. Do I want to be a Huntress and kill Grimm, or was that merely what Ozpin and life wanted from me, because of my eyes? As Ruby shook her head, confused and torn by the horror and pain of her identity being gone, a rose painted Red with blood, she clawed her fingers and reached for her eyes. She didn't want to be special anymore, she never wanted to be a hero, to fight endless for others and slowly die herself! She would claw out her eyes and continue her 'death' as she was, a normal unimportant girl that wasn't good enough! Yet, as if sensing her fury, like they did before when she wanted to lament the way she was different from her mother, Carpenter stopped her, covering her eyes with his own wooden and steel hand, as nails dug in and tried to claw at the dead gray. RUby wailed in agony! "Let me claw them out!"/div
div id="djs-b7rv4" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Would that help? How would you gaze at the emerald lights around us", Ruby calmed down a little, the warmer and gentler persona of Carpenter helping, the book was right, they were sweet. Gentle. Like mother. Slowly Ruby opened her eyes and looked at the many emerald lights dancing around the three of them. She swallowed. "what…are they?"/div
div id="djs-87qdf" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Souls, on their way to become what they chose to be, the next step", Blacksmith answered, once more hammering away at the mouse skull metal piece. Little, they're dead because of me. Because they followed me. What would become of them? "Do they choose? What their next life will be like?"/div
div id="djs-96qah" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Such concerns for souls you don't know, aside from the little mouse ...or is it a more selfish question? Worried for what your soul will become?", Ruby felt a fury in her heart, she wasn't being selfish! She had wondered about the life of Little after death had claimed them, because Neo merely killed them since they were allied to her, Ruby…a Rose who shone in silver holding onto a mother's promise. Which she had traded away. An endless stalemate of a fight with someone Ruby had felt she could beat. Ozpin had asked Jinn how HE could beat her, and she had answered in a way that was clear for her that Ozpin couldn't. Ruby would have to be the one. But now, having faced the nightmare over and over again, thrust into a fight that wasn't hers to begin with, she didn't believe that anymore. She didn't want it anymore. She never wanted this fight. To end up spent, broken and alone. Like now. No more fuel left to go further. Pushed herself too far, like butter spread too thin over a slice of bread. She wasn't enough. She would never be enough! "Selfish? I wanted to be like mom, she was the hero I saw in the books when she read them to me, and later when I read them myself! I've tried to do the right thing, but…there is no right thing…anymore! Every step, doing the 'right thing' has ended in me causing more harm than good! I dunno who I should be or wanna be. But I know that who I am know…isn't good enough, Ruby Rose…isn't cutting it!"/div
div id="djs-442nu" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Lies told on bad sleep. Remember, Ruby, you saved the lives of friends and allies. Without you, Pyrrha Nikos would be dead", Carpenter said, forcing her to look at them. But Ruby had an answer ready, "Wrong. I should have been faster, if I was, she wouldn't only be alive, but still with us! It's because of me that her ankle is shattered and her life dream of being a Huntress is over. She might as well be dead"/div
div id="djs-bt4a2" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You stopped the fall of Mistral and held strong in the face of adversity", Zimm said, their eyes faltering, Ruby was too far gone, "Yet Mistral hasn't recovered and in trying to save Mantle I doomed the entirety of Atlas. People who lost their homes because I forced them. It was my plan and it didn't work! Because…because who I am…clearly isn't cutting it!"/div
div id="djs-67ev1" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-a198c" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""And who would be able to be enough?", Smithy asked, as she turned around, the endless void suddenly created glass casings for all manner of weapons around them. Ruby should feel happy, she once spent so long in a weapon shop her dad had to come pick her up since she had missed lunch and dinner. So many different flavors of weapons! Hammers, Warhammers, polearms, bows, crossbows, swords, shortswords, armingswords, sabers, rapiers, spears, glaives, halberds and many more. Yet Ruby couldn't feel anything for them. She could see through the beautiful glass casings, steel hinges, wooden 'vine' like patterns to decorate them, as if some rich collector had painstakingly went out of their way to gather and show them off. And it all felt so empty. So many weapons, once held by mighty people, now gathering dust as if they were nothing more than mantle pieces. Ruby passed one case and saw Crescent Rose, in her full length and mighty presentation. But she didn't even feel the urge to touch the casing. She turned away. Her eyes wandered around many more such cases./div
div id="djs-26gkn" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""She herself, Smithy…Why would the one called Ruby Rose no longer be enough?! Listen to me, there's no need to-", Carpenter tried desperately to fulfill their role: to counterbalance Blacksmith's purpose. Both worked for the tree, one reforged those who were willing to change purpose and life. The other meant to only fix those broken, without changing them. Blacksmith pushed the changes, taking any other shape and purpose, to continue in a next step to life. Zimm, having tried to fix Ruby without tools, comforting her and giving her a safe haven to learn the lesson that falling is part of the process, to pick yourself back up! It doesn't have to mean the end, or change. She had done admirably in a hopeless situation. Yet despite their best efforts; "Because she isn't! After what happened, ever since Atlas, it's the only feeling that festers through my body. My friends would be better off without me. A better leader has already taken my place. The preferred life for my sister, now that I'm gone, no longer needing to look after me. The 'annoyance' gone from Weiss' life and Blake would be proven right, life is not the same as a fairy tail! Ruby Rose simply isn't enough…it's too hard to keep moving forward…"/div
div id="djs-9ccj2" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""And how would you define…enough?", Blacksmith asks, one case in particular slowly glows with light. A white silvery light that Ruby can feel a warmth emanating from. A warmth that she once experienced by the strength of a single woman out there, one solid rock that took all the darkness and made it vanish. Baker of cookies the likes were too delicious for even Ruby. No one came close to her cookie baking. She closed her eyes and smiled, she could feel it, finally, after so many years of being trapped in this nightmare, she recalled the scent of warm roses, the feeing of being loved and the pillar to hide behind. As she smiled and touched the glass case, she giggled. "Mom…"/div
div id="djs-52vit" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-8m491" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-8dh02" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-5duie" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""...mom…?", Ruby was even more confused now than she was ever before. Despite what Ozpin said in Mistral, Ruby had never dared to ask if he knew about what happened. How could she? All dad ever spoke of it, was that she went on a mission and didn't come back. It was such a terrible and horrible thing. No news. Days of silence and worry. Eventually Uncle Qrow appeared and said he had found 'evidence' that Summer was gone. Ruby recalled that night. Cold, dark, storming evening. The darkest of clouds covered and blocked the silver moon light, a flash of thunder illuminating her bedroom as she lay awake, eyes wide open. It felt wrong. A perversion of anything logical and natural. Mom was amazing, she was unstoppable, a paragon of heroism and Huntresses. The Hero always wins in the books. From that day, Ruby's life changed. Taiyang closed off, begged and fought to keep Yang and Ruby away from Ozpin, despite Qrow's insistence that Ozpin wasn't to blame for this one. After all, it was a Summer secret. Yet from that day forward, the fight that was Summer's to fight, became her fight. A nightmare she'd wake to every single freaking day. A destiny forced upon her by a mother's promise, which became a broken and empty one. She left, after swearing to come back home. Ruby's fury, confusion and aching heart from this revelation, punched the glass casing, causing it to topple over as she let out a furious scream! "SHE LIED! Why would she…"/div
div id="djs-au880" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Who knows why people keep the secrets they do", Blacksmith walks closer, gathering the broken glass in a handy bin that just appeared in her hands, "Maybe you're not the only one who has felt the weight of other's expectations. Like Alyx, like your mother."/div
div id="djs-977fu" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""She left with Raven! She…she went after Salem…that's what changed! Summer fought her, and lost. She…she really can't be stopped…it's all pointless…that's the lesson…I should just give up", Ruby collapsed on her knees. If Summer couldn't stop her, if Salem was stronger than even her amazing mom, then how could she, Ruby who was told to be a genius yet had failed so miserably, even possibly hope to win? Blacksmith grinned. "Is that the lesson?"/div
div id="djs-dr8n3" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Why…Is a raven like a writing desk…", the Carpenter had that orange look in their eyes, but Ruby wasn't having it! "Do YOU know the answer?!"/div
div id="djs-43qt6" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I haven't the slightest idea…"/div
div id="djs-fre0q" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""NO more riddles! No more deranged mad wisdom! Raven knew! She knew what happened! Coward! Mom…she…I…"/div
div id="djs-akeiu" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Am idolizing your parent…And that is not a bad thing, except when you hold yourself to the perceived perfection of your mother", Carpenter meant well, yet these words set Ruby even further off. "What does that even mean!? I'm not Idolizing mom! She is amazing! Could do anything she wanted, unstoppable!"/div
div id="djs-40h88" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Evidently…not", Blacksmith said. The tone was 'matter of factly', the logic being simple and almost childishly easy. Yet somehow the words felt wrong. No! Summer lied, sure, to protect us. Took a risk. And failed. Just like I did. But unlike me, she was amazing and unstoppable! "No…Rose…she wasn't unstoppable. Even those proclaiming to be perfect, are nothing more than liars and pretenders. Ozpin, the Brothers, Salem,...no one, is flawless"/div
div id="djs-87hei" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Shut up!", Ruby hissed, as she pushed the Carpenter away from her. He was wrong! If Summer wasn't the very best, like no one ever was, what would that make her?! SHe felt tears sting again. She couldn't be a failure, a liar, unable to stop Salem. Because that would mean the girl that I am, Ruby Rose, would never be enough. She sank to her knees as the casings vanished, the light around them all vanishing into a deep endless black void. Ruby, who couldn't see the Blacksmith or Carpenter, was stuck in an infinite loop. She had glorified her mother, no she had worshiped her. Treated her like a goddess among mortals. The reality of that shattering when evidence stared at her through the looking glass, which was a splinter piece of glass from the casing that had contained Sundered Rose. Salem had beaten mom, she had lied to dad, thought she could do her deed and return, never coming back. In that logic, Remnant would be better off if I'm not there. My friends would not be here if it wasn't for she, as Ruby, wasn't enough, and the ideal hero of Summer wasn't enough, then who do I become?! What is my option? My way out? Where…do I run to?/div
div id="djs-80ceg" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-3r4a0" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Sometimes…slowing down and reflecting can be the solution. I am Lively and never rest. But you, Ruby Rose, never rested, did you? Ever since the day that Summer never returned, you went madder than a hatter. Fast and quick on your feet, you outran your trauma, hiding in books and accepting this nightmarish fight that you were supposed to be spared from. In trying to find a gift for Yang being accepted into Beacon, you got sidetracked in a Dust Shop and came face to face with your first villain who's hair was orange, like clockwork in a story. And before you could understand what had happened, you were moved up two years. Literally outrunning your childhood. At Beacon you kept pace with students that should have you dead to rights. But you were fast and skilled enough to keep pace and outshine them. The only one who outmatched you, was shot in the foot. You were fast enough to stop her from dying. Shouldn't that count? No because before you had time to reflect, on the road you were again, literally marching towards Mistral. Did you rest once you got there? No, you fought and defeated former allies turned enemies and saved Mistral's fall. Reunited with friends. But once again, you ran. Off to Argus. Trainwreck. Allies who were losing faith and heart. You didn't slow down, you kept running and going. Getting to Atlas, you slowed down a little. But not enough to reflect or introspect. You slowed down because there was a deep breath before the plunge. Before the heartless machine man turned on you in a fit of rage and paranoia. Atlas fell. You didn't slow down. You only stopped because at one point, even the brightest lights eventually flicker…and die. And you broke…couldn't outrun the pain any longer. The burdens, the failure, that innocence in your soul…"/div
div id="djs-ja87" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""So who do I become…I can't do this anymore…I can't keep going. I'm…not enough…", Ruby looks up, in the endless depression that clouds her mind, she can't even tell if it was Blacksmith or Carpenter that spoke to her. The void clutching at her more and more. There was no death in the Ever After, but there was Oblivion…, a different voice than the one that had told her entire life's story, worriedly whispered; "Your time…is running out…make your choice: Someone who can leave your burdens behind, to take them from you and leave you in peace. Or someone who's strength can guide you to be stronger. Not choosing will only leave behind a memory"/div
div id="djs-cmufl" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"But how can I choose?! I can't remain as Ruby, she's not good enough and never will. I can't stave off the responsibility, because I broke under the weight. Can I condemn someone else to carry this burden? I can't stop holding up the sky, even if someone would take my place, they'd have to carry it instead and break. Leonardo, James and even Ozpin broke under the weight. I can't make others do this. Mom didn't raise me that way. But Mom also didn't manage either. And if the paragon of being a huntress and hero couldn't do it…then how can I? As the darkness deepened, the endless and forgetful oblivion longing for her and closing in to claim her, a strong red light pierced the veil as a single weapon case remained, radiating, while the voice of Summer spoke from beyond the borders between Life and Death: "I love you…just the way you are…"/div
div id="djs-2f0pv" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Ruby turned, she saw Crescent Rose, the weapon she had thrown away like the life she had once lived, it shone with a strong red like roses light as it slowly came towards her, the casing sliding soundlessly over the floor. She hesitated, the void around her lingering, before it slowly pulled back. Ruby Rose, the failure. Someone else who could bear the burden. Summer Rose, the perfect image of a hero and mother, turned into nothing but a lie. Ruby steeled herself as she caught Carpenter and Blacksmith standing behind her. She made her choice. "What if I become myself…as I saw my mother? Ideal, unyielding, unbroken?"/div
div id="djs-5k7gf" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""If you think she is enough…then go for it", the Blacksmith said with a calm and collected voice. Carpenter was less steeled yet nodded, "Carry the memories of old, into a brighter future"/div
div id="djs-cpnqf" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I don't want to remember the past…I want to forget. Forget the feelings that brought me here, the pain, the failure", Ruby said as she turned for her weapon and reached forwards. Her depression killing the good memories. She didn't remember the fun times at Beacon; Jaune in a dress, she and Pyrrha sparring and laughing, team Rwby's sunday bonding, saving Pyrrha's life. She couldn't recall the taste of friendship; when everyone reunited in Mistral and later at Haven, nor the joy of reaching Atlas and being graduated as an official licenced Huntress. She barely recalled her sister's smile, replaced only by the mere fact that Yang had spat her out of the family in that horrible fight. She wanted to forget, vile memories like brutes clawing at her sanity. But stepping outside and closing the door on those memories would only lead to madness. And perhaps that was better than the poison of her depression's twisted memories. Carpenter couldn't handle that. She would throw all of the good, which far surpassed the little bad, out just to feel relief from her dip. As Ruby touched the glass and her change would commence, they acted! Smithy reached forwards, worried, as Carpenter grew a splinter from their good hand and patted Ruby's back, as she fell forwards and grabbed Crescent Rose./div
div id="djs-4iea7" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"In and endless black void like before, Ruby Rose, clutched at Crescent Rose as she pictured herself and the ideal entity that she once thought was her mother. Summer had been, as many a times stated, the ideal image in her mind. As she fell, the splinter on her back vanished, before a small steel emblem reappeared on her belt, the mother's promise returned to her. IN her breakneck fall, the wind whisking past her face, forcing her eyes to water. She hoped to forget everything. Yet as the emblem returned to her, so did the memories of laughter. Yang reading her bedtime stories, Weiss congratulating her, Blake complementing her, Jaune thanking her, Pyrrha's eyes of gratitude upon saving her life atop Beacon Tower. Meeting Oscar. Smiles. She cracked a smile as water leaked from her eyes. She didn't want to forget the good times, like staring at her life through a veil she recalled the good. The magic of Lively Carpenter sprang a tree of life in her heart, one that fought back the festering dark wound that had remained. Her dull gray eyes shone a bright silver as Life returned to her. And as she saw a bright white light appear, strands of her hair grew out from the left, to give her look a symmetrical bless. Red strands on the right, with brilliant and beautiful white on the left. A new Rose broke through the light as she suddenly stepped from her chrysalis at the heart of the tree. She had been reborn, Ruby Rose, daughter of Summer and Taiyang, with white accents among her hair as she opened her silver eyes that shone like a bright moon. Stronger, more radiant and inspiring hope./div
div id="djs-9p3n0" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-284db" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"For a moment there was a silence, Yang mistakenly seeing the image of Summer in Ruby's eyes before she blinked and saw her sister, who had an emotionless expression, with bright silver eyes that even Yang didn't recall ever shone this bright. "Ruby…?"/div
div id="djs-62lmb" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""RUBY!", Weiss and Blake shouted her name, newly kindled hope in their heart as Furious Cat, the transformed berserker 'werecat' form of Curious, turned at her with a tooth filled grin. Jaune gasped, still not having caught his breath from the gutpunch, "how…PURRFECT!"/div
div id="djs-bb28r" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"One second. It all happened in a flash of speed. Furious Cat leaned down to attack Ruby, aiming to leap her. Yet Ruby's eyes flickered. There was a bright silver shine in them. Before she just appeared, both boots planted heavily in Furious' face, forcing them backwards, rolling over the wooden floor and righting themselves back up, hissing. Ruby's expression hadn't changed, focus was all her eyes and expression showed. She twirled Crescent Rose around her back, no longer as dramatic and showing off as she used to. A simple single twirl, as her weapon extended and she just stared at the cat. Yang shook her head in disbelief. That…that wasn't her sister anymore. A heavy wave of emotion clouded her mind as tears stung her eyes, before Furious also vanished in the blink of an eye. JBWY had been cornered before, standing to the side giving Ruby and Curious the floor to fight, yet none of them could see. Jaune, who was the most analytical, got up to one knee and had a strained expression. He could barely make out the shapes as they attacked. "She…became something stronger. I can't even see what's happening"/div
div id="djs-e73co" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Insolent girl let m-", Furious Cat had clawed at Ruby's small and frail frame. But she simply stepped back, both boots upon her weapon. Like a falling tree, she tumbled backwards, hand on the trigger as the curved blade of Crescent Rose turned, claws long as daggers missed Ruby by a hair, the air whizzing past her as she gave the faintest of snickers, before triggering her weapon and causing the kinetic blast to send her spiraling. Furious' grinning mouth was slammed shut as Ruby spun vertically, her scythe becoming nothing but a blur before staggering back. Ruby landed on her feet, spun around her vertical axis and swung her blade around horizontally, faster and stronger than even Qrow could have done. Each motion made by Ruby was minimal, each blow landed was devastating. In a flash wounds opened on the skin of Furious, who hissed, silently because anything more than that was rewarded by a heavy blow to the face. With a glow in the eyes, Furious vanished once more, yet before Ruby's attack was finished, she spun around her own feet, crossing and altering her alignment, swung the edge of Crescent Rose around. Curious Cat had evaporation and reappearance skills, yet before their form could fully manifest, Ruby had tracked them around. Coming to their full size, a gunshot echoed as Ruby shot herself backwards to create space, blocking the line to her friends as she landed in a serene and proper poise, small grin before back to serious focus expression. Crescent Rose had bit deep into Furious' abdomen and sent them flying forwards into it, torn open and wounded. But a wounded animal is often more dangerous than ever before./div
div id="djs-830ed" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Pest! Why defend these unthankful jerks!? They never cared for you!", Furious rose up in a high posture and raised their arms, trying to intimidate the fearless leader, who just shot them a destructive glare, raising her scythe behind her, the meaning clear for all: do not touch my friends./div
div id="djs-8dmv3" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""They are family", they were. Sure we fought, but everyone did. Heck, even Summer and Taiyang fought. Ruby recalled a memory, when mom was chewing out dad as during Maidmas, he had given Qrow the 'special' juice he kept hidden and while Yang and Ruby had laughed at the 'upside down flying black bird' in the house, mom clearly didn't see the good in it. Before she could actually crack a smile at that, Furious appeared. Fast and furious, before her, arms raised for an attack. Yet too slow once more. Ruby moved faster. A puff of dust in her wake as she seemingly teleported behind Curious and swung the blade of her weapon at their neck. Blocking her attack, Furious smirked as they raised their free arm and smirked. "Family can be such a deadweight sometimes!"/div
div id="djs-5nt72" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Get away from her!", Yang rushed forwards. Jaune, realizing that Ruby had overshadowed them all and 'helping her' in this moment was best done by staying out of her way, reached for Yang's arm to stop her. But she was faster, walked in range for the Furious claws that swiped at her! Curious Cat laughed maniacally at the thought of their claws tearing Yang asunder, before rose petals of red and white slapped them in the face. Ruby, who's eyes flashed with a white silver, moved faster than before. Instead of standing behind Furious, she was now before them, right arm thrown around Yang's waist to hold her back, the claws sinking deep in Ruby's hood and tearing three distinct lines through the fabric. Crescent Rose was stabbed into the floor, used by Ruby as a pole to kick off from, as she sent herself and Yang away from the claws. As the both of them landed amongst their friends, Ruby flashed Yang a smile and nodded her head, before vanishing once more. Yang, who got up and looked, saw the world in a slowed down way. Suddenly her eyes adjusted and saw. She could see how petal by petal, Ruby teleported while speeding. Or did she move so fast that she looked like teleporting? Regardless, Ruby grabbed the scythe, not slowing down at all, yet before the claws could touch her, she appeared behind the cat and in front, before the one in front of Cat faded like a mirage. Carrying over the speed, she spun around behind Furious and sliced at their throat once more. Hooking them and tossing them away from her friends. Once more she stood defensively in front of her friends, between the Cat and them. Yang gasped once more. As the torn cape was carried by a subtle breeze, she could see Summer before her mind's eye before it flickered back to Ruby. Did my sister…become my mom somehow? Yang shook her head. But she wasn't the only one, Blake and Weiss also saw something in the flickering of white, red and black hair. But they never knew who Summer was so they'd never link them./div
div id="djs-3gk11" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-47qri" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Furious hissed, a beam of energy that flashed from their mouth and raised towards Ruby and her friends. The attack would force them off the edge, causing Ruby to act. Smirking, she put her hands on the floor, assumed a starting position and bolted. In a flash a red streak appeared around cat, the pull of the air displacement pulling their beam attack off center, missing JBWY who dove to the floor, the attack missing overhead. And yet, as if to taunt the creature, Ruby sped up even more! The vacuum created by her running laps around Furious pulled them towards the center, surrounded by a blur. A slice at their hind legs, a slash at the chest, lacerations over the body. Enraged, putting themselves in a stance as well, Furious rushed through the pull, claws bared at the Huntsman and Huntresses who lay flat on their bellies. Ruby's reaction was instant. With their roar cut off as Crescent Rose hooked under their chin, before the cat was pulled upwards. In a storm of red rose petals with the occasional white one, Ruby heaved her 'prey' up, spinning around in a blender motion. The first spin was easily followable, a massive werecat shape that was spun around. Yet the frequency of the rotations picked up, increasing in power and danger for Curious, who felt gravity's pull increase more and more. Similarly to the food fight, Ruby Rose generated a heavy centrifugal pull before a shot rang out and Curious Cat was blasted into the wooden floor, which cracked like a beautiful spiderweb fracture. Landing on her knees, Ruby's silver eyes flashed one final time as she glared at the Cat; "Now stay…"/div
div id="djs-9dtpl" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You're broken! You break everything you touch! I call Humans… weak! Confused! Incomplete!", surviving the blow, in a pretty respectable display of durability, Curious Cat had reverted back to their smaller normal body. Hissing and moaning, like a beaten child, they lashed out, unable to understand that by calling those who had bested them weak, they themselves were even less impressive. Ruby sighed, the bright silver glow in her eyes fading to a normal silver, but before she could answer, her friends backed her up./div
div id="djs-8i76s" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""No…you're wrong", sassily Weiss stepped forwards and put her hand on Ruby's shoulder./div
div id="djs-3779q" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""She's never been any of those things", Jaune added in, sheathing his broken sword at the sight of this pathetic lifeform./div
div id="djs-e32kq" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""That's why we follow her!", Blake added in, glaring at the feline for daring to attack her friends./div
div id="djs-c7vgg" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""She's…my amazing sister, who I will always fight side by side and never EVER make her feel unwanted ever again. Because she deserves the best I can be, as thanks for being the best she can be", Yang meant well, yet as she looked at Ruby she felt a sadness in her heart. She could see the Ruby she had grown up with, raised and laughed with. But she was also different. She looked more mature, more composed. The way Summer Rose had looked. Yet also, still that honest pure soul that Ruby had always carried since the first time she had opened her eyes. Ruby looked at her friends but remained with her smile for Yang, throwing her arms around her as they both shared a deep and warm hug. They'd have things to discuss, sure. But for now, they were all that mattered. Big and younger sister, loving one another and promising non verbally to be better for one another, as family is the most important power they could share and gift to others. After a few moments, Blake, Weiss and Jaune joined in./div
div id="djs-76ci6" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You are all dead! It's only a matter of time before I get out of here and then-no get away! STOP", The angered hissing and fussing was turned into a terrified scream, Ruby broke from the hug and watched as the Cat was viciously mauled by five Jabberwalker clones. Out of all five of them, only Jaune and Ruby kept a straight face. Jaune because he had seen way too much in his long years to be bothered by any of this, especially because the Banderstanchies were way more vicious. Ruby simply because she had a steeled heart. She sighed, feeling a small bit of remorse before her bright silver eyes turned to Neo, who fell on her knees, still weak from being possessed. For a moment, Ruby felt like she could use a hand, yet she didn't move, looking over her shoulder as Jaune slowly gestured to the others to move. Why? Why won't I comfort her? She probably has her own pains and faith that caused her to end up like this. Yet Ruby didn't. In a moment of hesitation Yang gently hugged her. Wordlessly they argued. Ruby knew why she didn't want to help Neo, and Yang agreed with it. Neo was, after all, the reason that Ruby was Ascended. Neo, who looked at the sisters glare at her, felt a sting in her heart. She was angry at the world of Remnant, didn't wanna go back there, the Cat had puppeteered her, used her in ways that were so unnatural. But what really stung, as Roman Tortwick put his clone hand on the small girl's shoulder and sighed, was that they still had the one thing that Neo lacked. A place to call home, with friends. "Ahh…to have what they have…what a dream, huh?"/div
div id="djs-b8e5s" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Yeah. Friends who cared. Allies. A warm home. Neo turned away from them, Ruby's eyes weren't accusatory, which somehow made it even more painful. She had been focusing on Ruby because Aschen had put that in her head. And over the course of the conflicts, the reason Neo kept going was because of Roman. SHe didn't want to be queen of this place, all she really wanted was her friend back. A home. A place that Jimmy and Carmel couldn't give her. Because she couldn't speak. All those years locked in a doll house, because she couldn't speak. And when she finally found the person to understand her, he was taken from her. Neo huffed as she looked at the tree, the edge of the wooden platform she had been on, where Ruby after Ascending beat the everloving stuffing out of that demonic Cat. "So…that's it then?"/div
div id="djs-a2j1" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Yes…'Roman', this is it. The jig is up. It was fun while it lasted, after all we always knew how to have fun. Neo's face was a mixture of a warm smile at her friend and perhaps in a different time, lover. But also a watery and sad pout, since she'd lost him again. Roman, the suave hat wearing super criminal with style among his biggest priorities. She missed him so badly. "Yeah…I know…I'm not even real…"/div
div id="djs-4mk2k" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-bf4g1" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""What about her?", Jaune stood next to Ruby as he saw the girl say her goodbyes to a clone of a man they'd fought years ago in Beacon. A different time, a happier time. Ruby shrugged, Neo took a bow, leapt mirthfully off the platform and re-emerged as a chrysalis on the tree, same way she had been after being force fed the tea. "She'll find herself, one way or another. She and I aren't so different. We both lost someone special to us. The only difference being that I had friends who cared for me, took me in and made me stronger. I figure she only had Roman. And as twisted as they were, they did fit well together…I think…"/div
div id="djs-dogq6" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Jaune and Ruby continued to look at Neo's wooden frame chiseled from the tree, a curiosity in Jaune's mind as he noticed the rather very specific insight Ruby had given on behalf of Neo. He gave her a quick once over, noting the more mature expression on her face, the strands of vivid white in her hair to counterbalance the red tips. She had indeed emerged as someone else. Yang also noticed the lingering duo. "Ruby, Jaune…everything ok?"/div
div id="djs-79cfs" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""When I…", after a few seconds of silence, never too long to be awkward, Ruby spoke of the worries that lingered, "..was in the tree, I never saw Little…I wish I could say I was sorry. And thankful…"/div
div id="djs-a2idk" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Do you guys think we left things off worse then they were? Like Alyx did?", Blake inquired, a sudden feeling of doubt in her heart as they had effectively watched the Curious Cat die, the Jabberwalker slaughtered, Red Prince even more petulant and the Bazaar destroyed./div
div id="djs-92bpu" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I doubt you can make things 'less good' in a place as mad as this", Weiss said, wanting to point out that what they had experienced was anything but 'good or bad', and simply mad!/div
div id="djs-1i2sg" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I think…we did both. We broke some things, as is our Modus Operandi, yet I feel we also left things better. If even by a little", the odd thing, hearing Ruby speak in a wisdom and confidence that barely seemed her own. Slowly they turned towards the doorway, resolved to go home when a voice rang out. "WAIT!"/div
div id="djs-5ashl" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Little…?", Ruby's face brightened a little, standing there, taller, stronger and looking like they have a purpose, was a bipedal mouse, dressed…like Ruby. An orange hooded cape and belt, standing and acting with an energetic purpose. Yet as they caught their breath and heard Ruby mention the name 'Little', there was a curiously confused look on the mouse's face: "Do…I know you?"/div
div id="djs-1u2v8" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Right…I don't think we have", while her face maintains the smile, there's a sadness in her eyes as Ruby not only understands that Little doesn't remember her from the Ascension process, but also because that should have been her! Slowly she casts a glance at her friends, realizing she had asked Blacksmith to take away her memories. Yet something had sparked those. Carpenter? Shaking those thoughts, Ruby continues, "What…is your purpose?"/div
div id="djs-38b3o" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I…am not sure…actually", the once called Little mouse put a finger to their snout and thought for a second, looking Ruby over, "Well you look like you have your wits about you. What do you think?"/div
div id="djs-g0gg" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Well…to me, you seem like a friend", because that's what friends do, they stick by you. Even if I chased you off. You fought for me, stopped Curious Cat. And most importantly, helped and guided me./div
div id="djs-3gk6a" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""A guide!", Blake smiles, taking Weiss' hand./div
div id="djs-t8v8" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""A protector", smiling, Weiss steps closer to her girlfriend./div
div id="djs-8kkah" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""A-dorable!", yang coos, causing Blake and Weiss to snicker. She wasn't wrong!/div
div id="djs-e82c4" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""A squire", Jaune's eyes dart from this new entity to Juniper, who had been a little distant since the fight was over. Both knew who they were now, Jaune and Alyx. And they both knew this was goodbye. Juniper would remain in the Ever After, help those she had hurt as Alyx. But now, do so alone, for the Rusted Knight was needed elsewhere./div
div id="djs-3hrpe" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Do any of those…sound somewhat fitting?", Ruby leans down, looking at the mouse, thinking it over. Then their eyes sparkle with inspiration, "Hmmm. Somewhat. Yeah. Somewhat. I'm not any one thing, I'm somewhat of a lot of things!"/div
div id="djs-cjjqm" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""It's a pleasure meeting you Somewhat", Ruby, fighting back a tear, nods and bows at the newly Ascended Little turned Somewhat./div
div id="djs-3akrt" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""It would be my pleasure to serve you", they say in reverence of Ruby and bowing, almost eager at the prospect of fulfilling their purpose./div
div id="djs-2d57d" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Your time in our service is over, as helpful as it was. For now we must go", Ruby sinks to one knee, so she's on equal height with this new creature to protect and serve in the Ever After, replacing the role of the Cat./div
div id="djs-oerk" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You…", a flash of feelings. Sleep, joy, a first house? Allies. A burning desire to help someone who was so hurt and in pain, with gray eyes. But this one had bright silver eyes. "...feel familiar. Like waking from a dream you scarcely remember"/div
div id="djs-3p7c0" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I'm so glad I got to meet you", Ruby hugs Somewhat, who immediately returns the hug with love and warmth. They both remembered, in their own way. Ruby's tears leak quietly, but she also doesn't prevent them from falling, as she breaks the hug and stands tall. Her friends notice her tears and Ruby's refusal to hide them from them. Somewhat pats Ruby's back before she stands up; "It will be alright, Huntress"/div
div id="djs-621te" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Hey Somewhat…", Jaune, who had made his way to a slightly recoiling but still friendly Juniper, waited half the distance between them and smiled. At her and them both. Hearing their name, the tall Hunter Mouse walked over and bowed; "I am at your service, Sir Knight"/div
div id="djs-dj4vd" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Will you look out for Juniper for me? I owe her my life, she means the world to me", hearing those words, Juniper, also with watery eyes, slowly crosses the distance between her and Jaune and nuzzles his hand. Smiling, the Rusted Knight leans over and nuzzles his forehead with hers. Silently they communicate. The Jackalope feeling sorry for the wrongs she caused him and Jaune accepting those but also forgiving Alyx the things that happened. They had both fought too much and too hard to let something like that stand in the way of their new bond. When the man pulls back, pulls out his broken sword and knights Somewhat, Juniper begins shedding tears, making weak cries of sadness and hope. "Will you keep her safe, Squire Somewhat?"/div
div id="djs-bnf5o" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I will not leave her side, protect her with my life", Somewhat, feeling and understanding the deep intimacy and friendship between these two entities, as well as the reverence of the words Jaune puts forth, accepts the knighting and stands tall, the Heir to the Rusted Knight slowly saddles up on Juniper as they nod their goodbyes and march back; there's work to be done in the ever after!/div
div id="djs-5nfjk" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-98mt" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-cvuh1" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-dl3q6" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Welcome…to…our-my..Workshop"/div
div id="djs-5t8ku" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Ruby and her friends had entered the same greenish dark void where she had chatted with the Blacksmith and Carpenter in preparation for her Ascencion. However this time around, there was more to see. A heavy duty furnace, several wooden benches and cupboards, metal weapons on the racks and a set of amazingly detailed wooden chiseled miniatures on the desk in front of Smithy. The Lively Carpenter was nowhere to be seen. Ruby wanted to ask for them, yet Blake interrupted her train of thought. "Ruby…is this…the tree?"/div
div id="djs-brt88" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You could say that, but that'd be a simplistic understanding", Ruby said cryptically, refusing to elaborate before the Blacksmith continued, gazing at Jaune in particular./div
div id="djs-2j95v" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I have been waiting a long time for you, young man"/div
div id="djs-tdch" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Sorry it took a while. Better late than never", Jaune tries to play it off as a joke, but then sees the Juniper miniature on the table. Reaches forwards and picks it up, "May…I ask if…Juniper will be alright?"/div
div id="djs-c0jrh" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Yes, Squire Somewhat will have big shoes to fill, yet Juniper is fine. Penance for the damage she caused, immortal here, where as her brother sadly already passed on"/div
div id="djs-cfnr4" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Thank you"/div
div id="djs-5b94s" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Hey…aren't those…", Ruby, who had noticed a familiar pair of wooden figurines, was interrupted when a loud scream came from a child sized figure that had been sitting off near the side, working with a chisel and some wood. A figure without legs, just a torso, mechanical arm, another made of wood that had only three fingers, a head that was cracked like an egg shell and eyes of intense blue. Blacksmith smiled, got up from the desk and headed over, the figure had cut their wooden finger and a golden amber was pouring from it. "Zimm! Zimm"/div
div id="djs-df5bc" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Zimm…is…is that…", Jaune, who had heard his friend Carpenter name themselves that, before leaving, noticed the wood and the eyes. It was what remained of the Carpenter who merely kept cutting away at a bird like figurine, they were eager to finish. The figurine being crude, barely detailed. A far cry from the massive works of art that the Carpenter had made once before, uttering that same line over and over. "Mein Name ist Zimmerman…"/div
div id="djs-51s2b" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""What…happened?", Yang reached to cover her mouth and protect her gasp from being heard. Blacksmith sighed as she put a wrap of liquid steel over the finger and turned it metal. There was a black oil stain in the corner of her eye, before Ruby gasped. "They did that…so I could keep my memories…"/div
div id="djs-bkt38" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Yes…Ruby Rose. When you Ascended…The Lively Carpenter gave up part of their life force so you could maintain your emotions. An act that they had done once before to save the memories of another. Because before they were the Carpenter Who was Lively, my friend was known as a Mad Hatter", Smithy explained, with the child like Zimm looking at the figure and up to Ruby, their expression one of exertion, as if to recall details long forgotten. Ruby wanted to feel guilty, but she had a sneaking suspicion that no matter what, they would have done what they did to preserve her memory. Instead she knelt before them and smiled. "Thanks"/div
div id="djs-7p901" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""White…like Roses…why is a raven like a writing desk?"/div
div id="djs-5nd8p" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Hmm…because it can produce a few notes, tho they are very flat; and it is nevar put with the wrong end in front…especially when the name is Wiles", hearing Ruby answer the riddle, turned their blue eyes towards a shade of green, before going to yellow. A bright smile crawled on their face as Zimm got up, suddenly two legs sprouting like roots as they got up and hugged her. "Ruby! You have regained your purpose!"/div
div id="djs-2tp0e" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I have indeed, thanks for everything Zimm", Ruby hugs the reborn Carpenter who smiles and returns her hug. Blacksmith also cracking a smile at the fact that her friend is perhaps not as far gone as she had feared. Zimm then perked up! Breaking the hug, walking over and crushing the poor raven sculpture, walks over and notices the two dragon figures. "You finished them…Smithy"/div
div id="djs-51kqo" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Yes, the two petulant children from the tree", As the two of them hunkered back around the desk, littered with figurines, our four heroes made a face, all except Ruby, who merely nodded her head. She could 'understand' what they meant now. Her instincts being so sharp, she was like a hero from her books, always in the know, always alert and able. Weiss however, didn't fully get that: "children? The Brothers of Light and Darkness?"/div
div id="djs-93oj7" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Why yes! Born from the tree to help tame the overgrown Ever After, they eventually saw themselves as gods, wanting and experimenting with creation and destruction. Yet also lazy and entitled. When their time became more valuable for theory crafting and not doing their purpose, they both created an entity to substitute them. One being born of Darkness whose goal was to forever destroy that which needed to be destroyed as it couldn't be fixed. The Jabberwalker. Another being born from Light to try and fix that which could be fixed, the Fixer Cat. Fed up by their creations, the Tree created a doorway, the same one you five walked through and sent them away, to do their childish bickering elsewhere"/div
div id="djs-86bt2" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Which is when they created us…", Blake and Weiss deduced. Yang had another point to focus on however, "If the Cat was to fix, then why did it become so vile?"/div
div id="djs-12kqc" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Because one act of dishonesty broke the heart of the Cat, turning it against its purpose", Jaune answered, beating Ruby to the punch of answering that question. Yet Ruby did add another statement, taking the figurine of Somewhat and smiling at it, "such as how one small act of kindness can change things for the better"/div
div id="djs-7a4st" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I guess that means we did more good than bad here, right?", Blake wonders as she smiles at Weiss who nods and gently pecks her cheek, "Off course, and I'm not saying that because we're an item now"/div
div id="djs-et92n" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""And much like the girl now undergoing Ascension, she to can choose to fix her broken heart and become something new…, for the Brothers never understood that Light and Darkness aren't a fight, but rather a scale. And you don't destroy and create, but rather fix and evolve, such is balance", after speaking those words, the Blacksmith produced a single knife, twirling and dancing through her mechanical fingers, a knife that-/div
div id="djs-5710d" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""That's Alyx' knife", Jaune walks towards it, almost reaching for it yet stopping himself, as to not seem rude, after all, if this entity was some avatar of the tree, perhaps she knew how terrible he had spoken of the tree, in his moments of misinformation and mourning, "how do you have that?"/div
div id="djs-6gbfr" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""When Curious clawed their way into Alyx' heart, attempting to possess her and move towards Remnant, in a stroke of genius, or madness, she stabbed herself and opened the gateway to Ascension. Instead of being turned into a puppet, she wanted to fix what she had broken. Including you, Jaune Arc. Which is why she left a part of herself behind"/div
div id="djs-6m8ks" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Behind, moved on, forward, became the animal companion to Sir Knight. Fix that which needed to be fixed. Now she replaces the role of both the Cat and the Jabberwalker", Zimm added on, as Jaune took the blade and a puff of smoke came from it as it exploded in a rainbow of colours. He coughed, it smelled like burning wood, mixed with grass and the rust of his armor, sinking to his knee as Yang rushed forwards, but was stopped by Ruby, who smiled and shook her head no, give it a moment, she said wordlessly. As the smoke cleared, Old Man Jaune, the gruff knight in rusty armor was gone. Returned to his youth and pristine armor. Back to the physical age that the others were, like when they fell through the world. Except off course for the strand of white in his hair, and the maturity of his voice remaining. Not being the rough old grumpy Jaune he was as Rusted Knight, but no longer the squeaking lovable idiot stuck in the tree. As he transformed, the image of Alyx appeared to him and spoke the words that would remain with him forever: now you can be the hero you always wanted to be. Jaune slowly reached for his sword, with a sharp and powerful singing metal sound, he pulled it free as it was restored to its glory, before Aschen had broken it. He smiled at the heirloom, the thing that once held such low regard, raised in reverence for a history now shared between himself and his great grandfather. "I…can't believe it"/div
div id="djs-376uo" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Oh, belief has nothing to do with it. Faith in one's friends is a power to heal!", Carpenter sang as they looked at their friend and grinned, "then again, I might be a little loopy"/div
div id="djs-4knbu" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"That final statement earned a solid laugh from the five friends before a doorway was generated of pure gold and blue light, Blacksmith grinned as she stood shoulder to elbow with the much smaller Carpenter and gestured; "This will take you home…to when you're needed most"/div
div id="djs-4e43g" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-aebk1" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-3u19l" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-2e6ev" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Vacuo…we made it…", Ruby could feel the sand shift beneath her boots, the low rising daylight sun behind her as the portal doorway from the Ever After vanished in a puff of smoke. She was the first to realize that time had passed differently. Jaune noticed it secondly. At first he was glad to be back home, yet when at the skyline of Shade Academy, the pyramid structure that was famous and known to all of Remnant, was filled with Atlesian, Mistralian and Vale airships, as well as the structure of what appeared to be Amity Colosseum but reshaped with a massive cannon in its structure, it wasn't easy to stay happy. "How long…have we been-"/div
div id="djs-euk1v" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Something's coming!", Yang hissed as she turned on her heels to find a dust devil in the distance chasing it's way towards them, yet that wasn't the horrible feeling that clawed at her heart. No, it was the red portal that had appeared next to them. A portal she had seen only twice before. Back in Haven and earlier at a certain camp. Yang raised her empty weapons and took a defensive posture, but was stopped when Ruby and Jaune put their hands on her shoulders and calmed her down. Yang sighed, resolved but the anger gone from her face and watched as from the portal a woman in red and black appeared. "What do y-"/div
div id="djs-dvi0u" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""YANG!", before Yang could even think, two arms, strong yet gentle, flung around her neck as Raven Branwen pulled her daughter in for a hug that was horrifyingly awkward. And almost instinctively right. Yang waited for a second, the smell of musty sweat, desert dry air and the scent that any animal and human child instantly recognised. The scent of a mom. Slowly Yang raised her arms and slowly returned the hug. It should feel strained, unwanted, wrong. After all the last time they spoke Raven had ran like a coward, when Yang had said she'd carry the target on her back from Salem and refused to break. Yet here she was, the first to welcome her back. Sure she probably sensed it from…wait… "When…when your Kindred Link vanished I…I was sure I'd never see you again. But then…somehow, like a fire in the night, it appeared again. I…I had to see…"/div
div id="djs-8acgn" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Raven…how long have we been gone…", Ruby didn't want to interrupt, but the question was important and needed to be asked. Yet when the woman who had once been her father's wife before Summer turned to look at Ruby and answer, she froze./div
div id="djs-1j4uk" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""S-Summer…?", Raven staggered back, looking from Yang, to Ruby and back. Just then, the wind blew across Ruby's red and white hair tips and shattered the illusion that perhaps this was Summer, she had seen what happened to Summer, she knew better, yet the similarity was eerily similar, now more so than ever before. "Ruby Rose…you're…the splitting image…"/div
div id="djs-4k4e7" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Mom..how long has the link been gone", Yang steps before Ruby, drawing back Raven's attention who shakes her head, as if waking from a bad hangover. "Right…well-"/div
div id="djs-18gc6" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Guys…look at this", Blake had seen a memorial stone. One this far out back? Everyone turned to see it, it was covered in sand, made of a black onyx stone, ten inches thick, anchored in the shifting sands. How was that even possible? Wouldn't it fall over? And what was that writing? Weiss, who was beginning to burn up in the desert sun peaking over the horizon, brushed her hands over the surface of the stone and saw…her name? And Blake, Yang, Ruby and Jaune. A feeling of dread clutched their hearts as Raven walks next to Yang and sighs: "three years…it's been three years, Yang."/div
div id="djs-fjb9b" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Three years!? We were gone hardly three days!", in disbelief, the Blond looks around and notices the dust devil far closer than before! Her eyes widen in shock when out of nowhere a blue dressed Devil appeared who slashed at the devil and killed what appeared a massive wormlike Grimm. "All nice a reunion, but we need to leave!"/div
div id="djs-4j0m5" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I got this", Ruby walked past the man dressed in a blue coat and a single sword, opening her eyes as a bright flash of silver light ended the infant Blindworm right then and there. Causing Raven and Vergil to gaze at her in amazement. "What form of power is this…?"/div
div id="djs-29fsm" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Everyone…through here, we must get to Vacuo", Raven opened a portal towards her brother, Qrow who was currently standing on one of the many platforms and balconies of Shade Academy, overlooking the inner walled refugee section, having been shown a picture of Ruby on the wall and crying. Wishing they were all here to see the good that had happened since the fall of Atlas. Yet before Raven could walk through it, Ruby smirked. "I'm probably faster than that"/div
div id="djs-fo41g" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You don't know where we're going", Raven adds, matter of factly, causing Ruby to merely snicker, "if I did, I'd be there already"/div
div id="djs-3pojh" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Just as confident as Summer…", Raven rolls her eyes as the group walks through the portal. Vergil grinning as he walks in after Ruby: "from one speedster to another, I'd love to race someone as fast as Kindred Link"/div
div id="djs-dv70q" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Ruby smirks at the man who held his sword the same way Raven and Adam had done and nods, "you're on! But some other time"/div
div id="djs-dp9u6" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-1gddo" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-7usqj" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-dafp7" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-2b27l" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Qrow rolled his eyes when the portal of Raven opened. While things had been better between the two, Qrow had made it clear that one time after the Fall, when Raven came and told him that the bond with Yang was gone, to never come before him again. Yet as he turned to face the portal, the first one that walked through, wasn't Raven. It wasn't even a girl. Qrow Branwen looked in absolute disbelief when Jaune Arc, looking just like he had seen him the night Qrow was arrested in the Mantle Tundra, a streak of white in his hair yet otherwise perfectly normal like back then. Qrow wanted to look at his flask, yet he hadn't drank a drop of alcohol in little over three years! This couldn't be the booze. Shaking the confusion from his mind he tried to walk forwards before a cold sunder froze him and a painful sensation shot through his heart. Blond hair, lilac eyes, confident smirk, walking behind Jaune, through the portal and looking at the amassed fleet above. Firecracker..no Yang Xiao Long! Alive and well?! Right here, in front of his eyes! Qrow pinched himself before he staggered backwards and leaned against the railing. Tai…she's home. Does that mean…/div
div id="djs-4ueol" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"A different shot of emotion washed over Qrow. Black hair and cat ears. Followed by white hair and blue eyes. Qrow barely kept his footing as he looked over his shoulder and spied the forms of Winter, Willow and Whitley providing aid to the refugees below. If they see her, the Schnees would have their drive and passion back. But that selfless hope vanished as Qrow widened his eyes and turned to the portal. The three girls and Jaune hadn't noticed him yet, too amazed by the gathered humans and Faunus all living here in Vacuo, and the armed fleet. It must look a little like that time in Beacon. Another shape stepped through. This time it was Raven. She instantly locked eyes with her brother and smiled. Yet was unsure. After all, their last time they hadn't been very friendly towards one another. Yet Raven did walk closer and gently hugged her brother. "It's ok… scout. I'm here for you"/div
div id="djs-5k48m" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""What do you m-", Qrow's lips trembled as he let out a cough, gasp and inhale. His eyes filled with the sting of watery tears as he saw something that could not be. As Vergil walked through the portal and instantly teleported away with his high speed, a single figure in red remained. A Rose. With the white streaks and phantom shimmer that looked like Summer there for a second until the portal closed and the image shattered along with the shadows and light changing over Ruby's face. His knees gave way as Raven caught her brother and smiled at him. Not making fun at his reaction, after all she had also reacted violently when she felt the Link return to Yang. He cried tears of joy and shock, as Ruby Rose stood there, alive and well. After three full years! Qrow stopped himself from wailing loudly, as he watched Ruby walk towards her friends and wonder out loud how all this was possible. He staggered to his feet, Raven letting him go once her younger twin seemed steady enough. Walked over towards Yang and Ruby./div
div id="djs-hj5g" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You sent a message", Qrow's voice trembled as he stood next to both his nieces. All five people turned to Qrow and Raven, both crying waterfalls, as Qrow pulls both sisters into a hug, soon joined by Raven as his voice breaks and he lets out a wail of both joy and pain. Good pain. The pain a heart feels after finding back the loved one long thought dead. A pain that means one thing: love!... "And the world answered!"/div
div id="djs-euc2m" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"And being dead sucks! It's alone, boring, no one's around! Ruby had read mostly heroic romance books, where a Hero appears at the darkest moment and turns it around. She left the more 'philosophical' books to other people, she had seen some 'children book' view on the afterlife, but this was just a big let down. She hated it here, there was no one around. No one she could ask the questions that still burned in her mind. If this WAS the afterlife, why was it so boring? Where is the big three headed guard dog that protects the entry to paradise? Where is mom? But she could see nothing, as far as her eyes could see. No scents in the air to follow. No gust of wind to caress her skin and push her. No sense of direction, Ruby closed her eyes, dropped her head and just, on automatic pilot, started walking. She hadn't been one to pace when stressed, but somehow she felt like moving would make her feel less horrible. Clutching her chest, she felt as if something was missing. A piece of herself, that was gone. Wet stings in her eyes threatened to unleash a deluge, until she heard something. A hammer, clanging away. Then a scent tickled her nose, strawberries. And finally a voice broke her solitude as Ruby picked up speed, heading for the sounds. Materializing out of thin air, as if they teleported next to her, where two figures. And she knew both of them. Yet she didn't speak up, watching as the Lively Carpenter was talking with the Blacksmith she met in the Bazaar./div
div id="djs-75ba5" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""She's…late…terribly late…I worry…Smitty"/div
div id="djs-br0h8" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Late? I wouldn't expect her here, just yet"/div
div id="djs-2dfgf" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You didn't see her, she looked…lost…broken"/div
div id="djs-cg98q" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I did see her, at the Bazaar, when she assured me she could handle the burden"/div
div id="djs-crjlm" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Things have changed. We both felt the ripple, someone drank the leaves from the vine"/div
div id="djs-c4uml" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Yes, but many Afterans ascend all the time, all day"/div
div id="djs-d1pep" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""This was different, aren't you worried!?"/div
div id="djs-72rpa" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Carp…no…Zimm…why so worried about her? Our meeting with her is set in stone, for she has Ascended. But I don't think she's du-"/div
div id="djs-3c0ll" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""She's…Standing right here", Ruby, sick of listening to them talking and arguing about her as if she wasn't there, spoke up. SHe recalled a lesson from her mom, dropping eaves wasn't nice, she shouldn't have done so. "Sorry…I didn't mean to eavesdrop"/div
div id="djs-6hjp6" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Oh! There you are, Ruby…I was worried!", Lively Carpenter, now having an arm of steel to replace the one lost to the Jabberwalker attack, decorated in beautiful woodwork that expressed their creativity, as well as a solid tree carved upon their underarm. Likewise, having seen the backside of the Blacksmith, a massive tree branch substituted a spine. So they're both extensions of the tree? "I'd offer you a sprout of tea, yet I lack a good wooden block to work with…"/div
div id="djs-85an5" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""She doesn't need tea, Zimm, she needs to make up her mind", Ruby flashed her eyes between them both. Before curiosity got the better of her. "Why…were you arguing about me?"/div
div id="djs-5epnr" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Because you're late, Red…no…you're no longer Red like Rose. No, faded you are. A dull maroon. Marooned and adrift in a sea of souls…you've lost something, haven't you? See I told you she was late!", worried, with a gentle expression in their eyes, Carpenter got up from their bench and hurried over, gently throwing their arms around Ruby, who let her tears free, forgetting she was trying not to cry./div
div id="djs-57q3j" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Yes…Perhaps you are…I simply didn't expect you here, just yet", also leaving their work, the Blacksmith put back a red hot glowing mask that had an odd shape. Ruby would bet Lien that it was a mouse skull. Her eyes flashed wide in horror as more tears streamed down her face. "Little…I…I killed Little…it's all my fault!"/div
div id="djs-fi8u7" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""No, Ruby Rose, it is not your fault. Mourn not those who come to the tree, for they're not forgotten, nor lost", holding up a wooden body that looked somewhat like a mismatched fusion of many animals, Carpenter gave Ruby a gentle smile, yet it didn't do much for the girl, as she gazed at them both. "Are you both…part of the tree?"/div
div id="djs-ef69o" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-4rnk2" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Hmm…I suppose we are…if a little simple understanding of what the tree really is. Our purpose is to help those who are in need. By guidance, or reforging. Though I am starting to see why Zimm over here was so worried. The burden wasn't easy…was it?", Before she could answer, the words fading away as the Blacksmith spoke, Ruby felt her heart, what remained of it, sink into her stomach. She recalled boasting she could handle it at the Bazaar. Now, she had cracked under pressure. She sighed, if it was possible, even less silver light faded from her eyes. "What's gonna happen to me…am I…going to fade away?"/div
div id="djs-5284n" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Great Branches, No! There is no death here, in the Ever After. I won't allow it", the warm voice of the Carpenter shook Ruby, almost naively, childlike, she wonders, "but…am I not dead?"/div
div id="djs-bl0sd" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You are…as one might say…in a chrysalis form, you have a choice to make, about how you'll break from the bark and become the version of yourself you want to be", Carpenter said, slowly moving their remaining wooden hand from the hug they gave Ruby to her cheek, affectionately wiping away her tears. They felt alive, a warmth in their core that Ruby needed. Instinctively she threw herself around the wooden chest and cried even more. She thought of how Summer comforted her, so long ago. Even Summer found her a burden…/div
div id="djs-7uot1" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Stop that thought and talk!", the warmth of Carpenter had vanished. That same unreal and ethereal voice she had heard before her fight with her friends. She saw the eyes flash from yellow to orange and red. And while she thought herself dead, she pushed Carp away, fearful, the intensity of their voice scaring her. Blacksmith, the one who had been more distant and hands off, stepped forwards and gently put her heavy hand on Zimm's shoulder and smiled. "Easy there…Hatter"/div
div id="djs-cu540" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I…I dreamt again…didn't I?", The Lively Carpenter, once madder than a Hatter from mercury poisoning, turned and smiled, yellow eyes at Smitty, who grinned. "We had some mad tea parties didn't we…even if March made me Mad as well"/div
div id="djs-d1sd4" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Those were fond memories…Yet the subject of our endeavors is hers", Zimm turned to look at Ruby once again, then they both smiled and answered in sync: "Chrysalis is the stage at which your choice determines the path you take. You decide what you want to become"/div
div id="djs-2cks8" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Ruby hesitated. They were both raving mad! What would this mean? She was forced to drink the tea, ascend, appear here. She had felt horrible before she came here, and now she felt even worse. Was it all for nothing? Perhaps. In all truth, Ruby Rose had not been good enough anymore. Defeated, she averted her eyes. Carpenter gasped, but it was Blacksmith who spoke first, a smile on her face. "You don't know what you want…do you?"/div
div id="djs-9a632" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Ruby wanted to answer. But she found her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth as her throat became dry. She didn't feel right to say she did. Because for the first time, in a long while, Ruby didn't know. A Huntress, like from her books, fights for the right and saves people. Except, was that her own choice? She had been born 'special'. Yang was right, she had eyes that were special, yet everyone ever and always mentioned the silver in mine. A silver that she lost thanks to Salem's trickery, the Hound's aggressive hunt and the horror its words meant. Now, the very thing that linked Ruby to the heroism of her mother, was gone. SHe had taken everything for Summer. Fighting the good fight, as Summer did. Becoming a Huntress, to be as her mother was. Anything to be close to a fleeting memory of a great mother. Do I want to be a Huntress and kill Grimm, or was that merely what Ozpin and life wanted from me, because of my eyes? As Ruby shook her head, confused and torn by the horror and pain of her identity being gone, a rose painted Red with blood, she clawed her fingers and reached for her eyes. She didn't want to be special anymore, she never wanted to be a hero, to fight endless for others and slowly die herself! She would claw out her eyes and continue her 'death' as she was, a normal unimportant girl that wasn't good enough! Yet, as if sensing her fury, like they did before when she wanted to lament the way she was different from her mother, Carpenter stopped her, covering her eyes with his own wooden and steel hand, as nails dug in and tried to claw at the dead gray. RUby wailed in agony! "Let me claw them out!"/div
div id="djs-b7rv4" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Would that help? How would you gaze at the emerald lights around us", Ruby calmed down a little, the warmer and gentler persona of Carpenter helping, the book was right, they were sweet. Gentle. Like mother. Slowly Ruby opened her eyes and looked at the many emerald lights dancing around the three of them. She swallowed. "what…are they?"/div
div id="djs-87qdf" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Souls, on their way to become what they chose to be, the next step", Blacksmith answered, once more hammering away at the mouse skull metal piece. Little, they're dead because of me. Because they followed me. What would become of them? "Do they choose? What their next life will be like?"/div
div id="djs-96qah" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Such concerns for souls you don't know, aside from the little mouse ...or is it a more selfish question? Worried for what your soul will become?", Ruby felt a fury in her heart, she wasn't being selfish! She had wondered about the life of Little after death had claimed them, because Neo merely killed them since they were allied to her, Ruby…a Rose who shone in silver holding onto a mother's promise. Which she had traded away. An endless stalemate of a fight with someone Ruby had felt she could beat. Ozpin had asked Jinn how HE could beat her, and she had answered in a way that was clear for her that Ozpin couldn't. Ruby would have to be the one. But now, having faced the nightmare over and over again, thrust into a fight that wasn't hers to begin with, she didn't believe that anymore. She didn't want it anymore. She never wanted this fight. To end up spent, broken and alone. Like now. No more fuel left to go further. Pushed herself too far, like butter spread too thin over a slice of bread. She wasn't enough. She would never be enough! "Selfish? I wanted to be like mom, she was the hero I saw in the books when she read them to me, and later when I read them myself! I've tried to do the right thing, but…there is no right thing…anymore! Every step, doing the 'right thing' has ended in me causing more harm than good! I dunno who I should be or wanna be. But I know that who I am know…isn't good enough, Ruby Rose…isn't cutting it!"/div
div id="djs-442nu" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Lies told on bad sleep. Remember, Ruby, you saved the lives of friends and allies. Without you, Pyrrha Nikos would be dead", Carpenter said, forcing her to look at them. But Ruby had an answer ready, "Wrong. I should have been faster, if I was, she wouldn't only be alive, but still with us! It's because of me that her ankle is shattered and her life dream of being a Huntress is over. She might as well be dead"/div
div id="djs-bt4a2" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You stopped the fall of Mistral and held strong in the face of adversity", Zimm said, their eyes faltering, Ruby was too far gone, "Yet Mistral hasn't recovered and in trying to save Mantle I doomed the entirety of Atlas. People who lost their homes because I forced them. It was my plan and it didn't work! Because…because who I am…clearly isn't cutting it!"/div
div id="djs-67ev1" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-a198c" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""And who would be able to be enough?", Smithy asked, as she turned around, the endless void suddenly created glass casings for all manner of weapons around them. Ruby should feel happy, she once spent so long in a weapon shop her dad had to come pick her up since she had missed lunch and dinner. So many different flavors of weapons! Hammers, Warhammers, polearms, bows, crossbows, swords, shortswords, armingswords, sabers, rapiers, spears, glaives, halberds and many more. Yet Ruby couldn't feel anything for them. She could see through the beautiful glass casings, steel hinges, wooden 'vine' like patterns to decorate them, as if some rich collector had painstakingly went out of their way to gather and show them off. And it all felt so empty. So many weapons, once held by mighty people, now gathering dust as if they were nothing more than mantle pieces. Ruby passed one case and saw Crescent Rose, in her full length and mighty presentation. But she didn't even feel the urge to touch the casing. She turned away. Her eyes wandered around many more such cases./div
div id="djs-26gkn" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""She herself, Smithy…Why would the one called Ruby Rose no longer be enough?! Listen to me, there's no need to-", Carpenter tried desperately to fulfill their role: to counterbalance Blacksmith's purpose. Both worked for the tree, one reforged those who were willing to change purpose and life. The other meant to only fix those broken, without changing them. Blacksmith pushed the changes, taking any other shape and purpose, to continue in a next step to life. Zimm, having tried to fix Ruby without tools, comforting her and giving her a safe haven to learn the lesson that falling is part of the process, to pick yourself back up! It doesn't have to mean the end, or change. She had done admirably in a hopeless situation. Yet despite their best efforts; "Because she isn't! After what happened, ever since Atlas, it's the only feeling that festers through my body. My friends would be better off without me. A better leader has already taken my place. The preferred life for my sister, now that I'm gone, no longer needing to look after me. The 'annoyance' gone from Weiss' life and Blake would be proven right, life is not the same as a fairy tail! Ruby Rose simply isn't enough…it's too hard to keep moving forward…"/div
div id="djs-9ccj2" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""And how would you define…enough?", Blacksmith asks, one case in particular slowly glows with light. A white silvery light that Ruby can feel a warmth emanating from. A warmth that she once experienced by the strength of a single woman out there, one solid rock that took all the darkness and made it vanish. Baker of cookies the likes were too delicious for even Ruby. No one came close to her cookie baking. She closed her eyes and smiled, she could feel it, finally, after so many years of being trapped in this nightmare, she recalled the scent of warm roses, the feeing of being loved and the pillar to hide behind. As she smiled and touched the glass case, she giggled. "Mom…"/div
div id="djs-52vit" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-8m491" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-8dh02" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-5duie" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""...mom…?", Ruby was even more confused now than she was ever before. Despite what Ozpin said in Mistral, Ruby had never dared to ask if he knew about what happened. How could she? All dad ever spoke of it, was that she went on a mission and didn't come back. It was such a terrible and horrible thing. No news. Days of silence and worry. Eventually Uncle Qrow appeared and said he had found 'evidence' that Summer was gone. Ruby recalled that night. Cold, dark, storming evening. The darkest of clouds covered and blocked the silver moon light, a flash of thunder illuminating her bedroom as she lay awake, eyes wide open. It felt wrong. A perversion of anything logical and natural. Mom was amazing, she was unstoppable, a paragon of heroism and Huntresses. The Hero always wins in the books. From that day, Ruby's life changed. Taiyang closed off, begged and fought to keep Yang and Ruby away from Ozpin, despite Qrow's insistence that Ozpin wasn't to blame for this one. After all, it was a Summer secret. Yet from that day forward, the fight that was Summer's to fight, became her fight. A nightmare she'd wake to every single freaking day. A destiny forced upon her by a mother's promise, which became a broken and empty one. She left, after swearing to come back home. Ruby's fury, confusion and aching heart from this revelation, punched the glass casing, causing it to topple over as she let out a furious scream! "SHE LIED! Why would she…"/div
div id="djs-au880" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Who knows why people keep the secrets they do", Blacksmith walks closer, gathering the broken glass in a handy bin that just appeared in her hands, "Maybe you're not the only one who has felt the weight of other's expectations. Like Alyx, like your mother."/div
div id="djs-977fu" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""She left with Raven! She…she went after Salem…that's what changed! Summer fought her, and lost. She…she really can't be stopped…it's all pointless…that's the lesson…I should just give up", Ruby collapsed on her knees. If Summer couldn't stop her, if Salem was stronger than even her amazing mom, then how could she, Ruby who was told to be a genius yet had failed so miserably, even possibly hope to win? Blacksmith grinned. "Is that the lesson?"/div
div id="djs-dr8n3" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Why…Is a raven like a writing desk…", the Carpenter had that orange look in their eyes, but Ruby wasn't having it! "Do YOU know the answer?!"/div
div id="djs-43qt6" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I haven't the slightest idea…"/div
div id="djs-fre0q" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""NO more riddles! No more deranged mad wisdom! Raven knew! She knew what happened! Coward! Mom…she…I…"/div
div id="djs-akeiu" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Am idolizing your parent…And that is not a bad thing, except when you hold yourself to the perceived perfection of your mother", Carpenter meant well, yet these words set Ruby even further off. "What does that even mean!? I'm not Idolizing mom! She is amazing! Could do anything she wanted, unstoppable!"/div
div id="djs-40h88" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Evidently…not", Blacksmith said. The tone was 'matter of factly', the logic being simple and almost childishly easy. Yet somehow the words felt wrong. No! Summer lied, sure, to protect us. Took a risk. And failed. Just like I did. But unlike me, she was amazing and unstoppable! "No…Rose…she wasn't unstoppable. Even those proclaiming to be perfect, are nothing more than liars and pretenders. Ozpin, the Brothers, Salem,...no one, is flawless"/div
div id="djs-87hei" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Shut up!", Ruby hissed, as she pushed the Carpenter away from her. He was wrong! If Summer wasn't the very best, like no one ever was, what would that make her?! SHe felt tears sting again. She couldn't be a failure, a liar, unable to stop Salem. Because that would mean the girl that I am, Ruby Rose, would never be enough. She sank to her knees as the casings vanished, the light around them all vanishing into a deep endless black void. Ruby, who couldn't see the Blacksmith or Carpenter, was stuck in an infinite loop. She had glorified her mother, no she had worshiped her. Treated her like a goddess among mortals. The reality of that shattering when evidence stared at her through the looking glass, which was a splinter piece of glass from the casing that had contained Sundered Rose. Salem had beaten mom, she had lied to dad, thought she could do her deed and return, never coming back. In that logic, Remnant would be better off if I'm not there. My friends would not be here if it wasn't for she, as Ruby, wasn't enough, and the ideal hero of Summer wasn't enough, then who do I become?! What is my option? My way out? Where…do I run to?/div
div id="djs-80ceg" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-3r4a0" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Sometimes…slowing down and reflecting can be the solution. I am Lively and never rest. But you, Ruby Rose, never rested, did you? Ever since the day that Summer never returned, you went madder than a hatter. Fast and quick on your feet, you outran your trauma, hiding in books and accepting this nightmarish fight that you were supposed to be spared from. In trying to find a gift for Yang being accepted into Beacon, you got sidetracked in a Dust Shop and came face to face with your first villain who's hair was orange, like clockwork in a story. And before you could understand what had happened, you were moved up two years. Literally outrunning your childhood. At Beacon you kept pace with students that should have you dead to rights. But you were fast and skilled enough to keep pace and outshine them. The only one who outmatched you, was shot in the foot. You were fast enough to stop her from dying. Shouldn't that count? No because before you had time to reflect, on the road you were again, literally marching towards Mistral. Did you rest once you got there? No, you fought and defeated former allies turned enemies and saved Mistral's fall. Reunited with friends. But once again, you ran. Off to Argus. Trainwreck. Allies who were losing faith and heart. You didn't slow down, you kept running and going. Getting to Atlas, you slowed down a little. But not enough to reflect or introspect. You slowed down because there was a deep breath before the plunge. Before the heartless machine man turned on you in a fit of rage and paranoia. Atlas fell. You didn't slow down. You only stopped because at one point, even the brightest lights eventually flicker…and die. And you broke…couldn't outrun the pain any longer. The burdens, the failure, that innocence in your soul…"/div
div id="djs-ja87" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""So who do I become…I can't do this anymore…I can't keep going. I'm…not enough…", Ruby looks up, in the endless depression that clouds her mind, she can't even tell if it was Blacksmith or Carpenter that spoke to her. The void clutching at her more and more. There was no death in the Ever After, but there was Oblivion…, a different voice than the one that had told her entire life's story, worriedly whispered; "Your time…is running out…make your choice: Someone who can leave your burdens behind, to take them from you and leave you in peace. Or someone who's strength can guide you to be stronger. Not choosing will only leave behind a memory"/div
div id="djs-cmufl" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"But how can I choose?! I can't remain as Ruby, she's not good enough and never will. I can't stave off the responsibility, because I broke under the weight. Can I condemn someone else to carry this burden? I can't stop holding up the sky, even if someone would take my place, they'd have to carry it instead and break. Leonardo, James and even Ozpin broke under the weight. I can't make others do this. Mom didn't raise me that way. But Mom also didn't manage either. And if the paragon of being a huntress and hero couldn't do it…then how can I? As the darkness deepened, the endless and forgetful oblivion longing for her and closing in to claim her, a strong red light pierced the veil as a single weapon case remained, radiating, while the voice of Summer spoke from beyond the borders between Life and Death: "I love you…just the way you are…"/div
div id="djs-2f0pv" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Ruby turned, she saw Crescent Rose, the weapon she had thrown away like the life she had once lived, it shone with a strong red like roses light as it slowly came towards her, the casing sliding soundlessly over the floor. She hesitated, the void around her lingering, before it slowly pulled back. Ruby Rose, the failure. Someone else who could bear the burden. Summer Rose, the perfect image of a hero and mother, turned into nothing but a lie. Ruby steeled herself as she caught Carpenter and Blacksmith standing behind her. She made her choice. "What if I become myself…as I saw my mother? Ideal, unyielding, unbroken?"/div
div id="djs-5k7gf" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""If you think she is enough…then go for it", the Blacksmith said with a calm and collected voice. Carpenter was less steeled yet nodded, "Carry the memories of old, into a brighter future"/div
div id="djs-cpnqf" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I don't want to remember the past…I want to forget. Forget the feelings that brought me here, the pain, the failure", Ruby said as she turned for her weapon and reached forwards. Her depression killing the good memories. She didn't remember the fun times at Beacon; Jaune in a dress, she and Pyrrha sparring and laughing, team Rwby's sunday bonding, saving Pyrrha's life. She couldn't recall the taste of friendship; when everyone reunited in Mistral and later at Haven, nor the joy of reaching Atlas and being graduated as an official licenced Huntress. She barely recalled her sister's smile, replaced only by the mere fact that Yang had spat her out of the family in that horrible fight. She wanted to forget, vile memories like brutes clawing at her sanity. But stepping outside and closing the door on those memories would only lead to madness. And perhaps that was better than the poison of her depression's twisted memories. Carpenter couldn't handle that. She would throw all of the good, which far surpassed the little bad, out just to feel relief from her dip. As Ruby touched the glass and her change would commence, they acted! Smithy reached forwards, worried, as Carpenter grew a splinter from their good hand and patted Ruby's back, as she fell forwards and grabbed Crescent Rose./div
div id="djs-4iea7" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"In and endless black void like before, Ruby Rose, clutched at Crescent Rose as she pictured herself and the ideal entity that she once thought was her mother. Summer had been, as many a times stated, the ideal image in her mind. As she fell, the splinter on her back vanished, before a small steel emblem reappeared on her belt, the mother's promise returned to her. IN her breakneck fall, the wind whisking past her face, forcing her eyes to water. She hoped to forget everything. Yet as the emblem returned to her, so did the memories of laughter. Yang reading her bedtime stories, Weiss congratulating her, Blake complementing her, Jaune thanking her, Pyrrha's eyes of gratitude upon saving her life atop Beacon Tower. Meeting Oscar. Smiles. She cracked a smile as water leaked from her eyes. She didn't want to forget the good times, like staring at her life through a veil she recalled the good. The magic of Lively Carpenter sprang a tree of life in her heart, one that fought back the festering dark wound that had remained. Her dull gray eyes shone a bright silver as Life returned to her. And as she saw a bright white light appear, strands of her hair grew out from the left, to give her look a symmetrical bless. Red strands on the right, with brilliant and beautiful white on the left. A new Rose broke through the light as she suddenly stepped from her chrysalis at the heart of the tree. She had been reborn, Ruby Rose, daughter of Summer and Taiyang, with white accents among her hair as she opened her silver eyes that shone like a bright moon. Stronger, more radiant and inspiring hope./div
div id="djs-9p3n0" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-284db" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"For a moment there was a silence, Yang mistakenly seeing the image of Summer in Ruby's eyes before she blinked and saw her sister, who had an emotionless expression, with bright silver eyes that even Yang didn't recall ever shone this bright. "Ruby…?"/div
div id="djs-62lmb" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""RUBY!", Weiss and Blake shouted her name, newly kindled hope in their heart as Furious Cat, the transformed berserker 'werecat' form of Curious, turned at her with a tooth filled grin. Jaune gasped, still not having caught his breath from the gutpunch, "how…PURRFECT!"/div
div id="djs-bb28r" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"One second. It all happened in a flash of speed. Furious Cat leaned down to attack Ruby, aiming to leap her. Yet Ruby's eyes flickered. There was a bright silver shine in them. Before she just appeared, both boots planted heavily in Furious' face, forcing them backwards, rolling over the wooden floor and righting themselves back up, hissing. Ruby's expression hadn't changed, focus was all her eyes and expression showed. She twirled Crescent Rose around her back, no longer as dramatic and showing off as she used to. A simple single twirl, as her weapon extended and she just stared at the cat. Yang shook her head in disbelief. That…that wasn't her sister anymore. A heavy wave of emotion clouded her mind as tears stung her eyes, before Furious also vanished in the blink of an eye. JBWY had been cornered before, standing to the side giving Ruby and Curious the floor to fight, yet none of them could see. Jaune, who was the most analytical, got up to one knee and had a strained expression. He could barely make out the shapes as they attacked. "She…became something stronger. I can't even see what's happening"/div
div id="djs-e73co" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Insolent girl let m-", Furious Cat had clawed at Ruby's small and frail frame. But she simply stepped back, both boots upon her weapon. Like a falling tree, she tumbled backwards, hand on the trigger as the curved blade of Crescent Rose turned, claws long as daggers missed Ruby by a hair, the air whizzing past her as she gave the faintest of snickers, before triggering her weapon and causing the kinetic blast to send her spiraling. Furious' grinning mouth was slammed shut as Ruby spun vertically, her scythe becoming nothing but a blur before staggering back. Ruby landed on her feet, spun around her vertical axis and swung her blade around horizontally, faster and stronger than even Qrow could have done. Each motion made by Ruby was minimal, each blow landed was devastating. In a flash wounds opened on the skin of Furious, who hissed, silently because anything more than that was rewarded by a heavy blow to the face. With a glow in the eyes, Furious vanished once more, yet before Ruby's attack was finished, she spun around her own feet, crossing and altering her alignment, swung the edge of Crescent Rose around. Curious Cat had evaporation and reappearance skills, yet before their form could fully manifest, Ruby had tracked them around. Coming to their full size, a gunshot echoed as Ruby shot herself backwards to create space, blocking the line to her friends as she landed in a serene and proper poise, small grin before back to serious focus expression. Crescent Rose had bit deep into Furious' abdomen and sent them flying forwards into it, torn open and wounded. But a wounded animal is often more dangerous than ever before./div
div id="djs-830ed" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Pest! Why defend these unthankful jerks!? They never cared for you!", Furious rose up in a high posture and raised their arms, trying to intimidate the fearless leader, who just shot them a destructive glare, raising her scythe behind her, the meaning clear for all: do not touch my friends./div
div id="djs-8dmv3" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""They are family", they were. Sure we fought, but everyone did. Heck, even Summer and Taiyang fought. Ruby recalled a memory, when mom was chewing out dad as during Maidmas, he had given Qrow the 'special' juice he kept hidden and while Yang and Ruby had laughed at the 'upside down flying black bird' in the house, mom clearly didn't see the good in it. Before she could actually crack a smile at that, Furious appeared. Fast and furious, before her, arms raised for an attack. Yet too slow once more. Ruby moved faster. A puff of dust in her wake as she seemingly teleported behind Curious and swung the blade of her weapon at their neck. Blocking her attack, Furious smirked as they raised their free arm and smirked. "Family can be such a deadweight sometimes!"/div
div id="djs-5nt72" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Get away from her!", Yang rushed forwards. Jaune, realizing that Ruby had overshadowed them all and 'helping her' in this moment was best done by staying out of her way, reached for Yang's arm to stop her. But she was faster, walked in range for the Furious claws that swiped at her! Curious Cat laughed maniacally at the thought of their claws tearing Yang asunder, before rose petals of red and white slapped them in the face. Ruby, who's eyes flashed with a white silver, moved faster than before. Instead of standing behind Furious, she was now before them, right arm thrown around Yang's waist to hold her back, the claws sinking deep in Ruby's hood and tearing three distinct lines through the fabric. Crescent Rose was stabbed into the floor, used by Ruby as a pole to kick off from, as she sent herself and Yang away from the claws. As the both of them landed amongst their friends, Ruby flashed Yang a smile and nodded her head, before vanishing once more. Yang, who got up and looked, saw the world in a slowed down way. Suddenly her eyes adjusted and saw. She could see how petal by petal, Ruby teleported while speeding. Or did she move so fast that she looked like teleporting? Regardless, Ruby grabbed the scythe, not slowing down at all, yet before the claws could touch her, she appeared behind the cat and in front, before the one in front of Cat faded like a mirage. Carrying over the speed, she spun around behind Furious and sliced at their throat once more. Hooking them and tossing them away from her friends. Once more she stood defensively in front of her friends, between the Cat and them. Yang gasped once more. As the torn cape was carried by a subtle breeze, she could see Summer before her mind's eye before it flickered back to Ruby. Did my sister…become my mom somehow? Yang shook her head. But she wasn't the only one, Blake and Weiss also saw something in the flickering of white, red and black hair. But they never knew who Summer was so they'd never link them./div
div id="djs-3gk11" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-47qri" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Furious hissed, a beam of energy that flashed from their mouth and raised towards Ruby and her friends. The attack would force them off the edge, causing Ruby to act. Smirking, she put her hands on the floor, assumed a starting position and bolted. In a flash a red streak appeared around cat, the pull of the air displacement pulling their beam attack off center, missing JBWY who dove to the floor, the attack missing overhead. And yet, as if to taunt the creature, Ruby sped up even more! The vacuum created by her running laps around Furious pulled them towards the center, surrounded by a blur. A slice at their hind legs, a slash at the chest, lacerations over the body. Enraged, putting themselves in a stance as well, Furious rushed through the pull, claws bared at the Huntsman and Huntresses who lay flat on their bellies. Ruby's reaction was instant. With their roar cut off as Crescent Rose hooked under their chin, before the cat was pulled upwards. In a storm of red rose petals with the occasional white one, Ruby heaved her 'prey' up, spinning around in a blender motion. The first spin was easily followable, a massive werecat shape that was spun around. Yet the frequency of the rotations picked up, increasing in power and danger for Curious, who felt gravity's pull increase more and more. Similarly to the food fight, Ruby Rose generated a heavy centrifugal pull before a shot rang out and Curious Cat was blasted into the wooden floor, which cracked like a beautiful spiderweb fracture. Landing on her knees, Ruby's silver eyes flashed one final time as she glared at the Cat; "Now stay…"/div
div id="djs-9dtpl" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You're broken! You break everything you touch! I call Humans… weak! Confused! Incomplete!", surviving the blow, in a pretty respectable display of durability, Curious Cat had reverted back to their smaller normal body. Hissing and moaning, like a beaten child, they lashed out, unable to understand that by calling those who had bested them weak, they themselves were even less impressive. Ruby sighed, the bright silver glow in her eyes fading to a normal silver, but before she could answer, her friends backed her up./div
div id="djs-8i76s" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""No…you're wrong", sassily Weiss stepped forwards and put her hand on Ruby's shoulder./div
div id="djs-3779q" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""She's never been any of those things", Jaune added in, sheathing his broken sword at the sight of this pathetic lifeform./div
div id="djs-e32kq" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""That's why we follow her!", Blake added in, glaring at the feline for daring to attack her friends./div
div id="djs-c7vgg" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""She's…my amazing sister, who I will always fight side by side and never EVER make her feel unwanted ever again. Because she deserves the best I can be, as thanks for being the best she can be", Yang meant well, yet as she looked at Ruby she felt a sadness in her heart. She could see the Ruby she had grown up with, raised and laughed with. But she was also different. She looked more mature, more composed. The way Summer Rose had looked. Yet also, still that honest pure soul that Ruby had always carried since the first time she had opened her eyes. Ruby looked at her friends but remained with her smile for Yang, throwing her arms around her as they both shared a deep and warm hug. They'd have things to discuss, sure. But for now, they were all that mattered. Big and younger sister, loving one another and promising non verbally to be better for one another, as family is the most important power they could share and gift to others. After a few moments, Blake, Weiss and Jaune joined in./div
div id="djs-76ci6" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You are all dead! It's only a matter of time before I get out of here and then-no get away! STOP", The angered hissing and fussing was turned into a terrified scream, Ruby broke from the hug and watched as the Cat was viciously mauled by five Jabberwalker clones. Out of all five of them, only Jaune and Ruby kept a straight face. Jaune because he had seen way too much in his long years to be bothered by any of this, especially because the Banderstanchies were way more vicious. Ruby simply because she had a steeled heart. She sighed, feeling a small bit of remorse before her bright silver eyes turned to Neo, who fell on her knees, still weak from being possessed. For a moment, Ruby felt like she could use a hand, yet she didn't move, looking over her shoulder as Jaune slowly gestured to the others to move. Why? Why won't I comfort her? She probably has her own pains and faith that caused her to end up like this. Yet Ruby didn't. In a moment of hesitation Yang gently hugged her. Wordlessly they argued. Ruby knew why she didn't want to help Neo, and Yang agreed with it. Neo was, after all, the reason that Ruby was Ascended. Neo, who looked at the sisters glare at her, felt a sting in her heart. She was angry at the world of Remnant, didn't wanna go back there, the Cat had puppeteered her, used her in ways that were so unnatural. But what really stung, as Roman Tortwick put his clone hand on the small girl's shoulder and sighed, was that they still had the one thing that Neo lacked. A place to call home, with friends. "Ahh…to have what they have…what a dream, huh?"/div
div id="djs-b8e5s" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Yeah. Friends who cared. Allies. A warm home. Neo turned away from them, Ruby's eyes weren't accusatory, which somehow made it even more painful. She had been focusing on Ruby because Aschen had put that in her head. And over the course of the conflicts, the reason Neo kept going was because of Roman. SHe didn't want to be queen of this place, all she really wanted was her friend back. A home. A place that Jimmy and Carmel couldn't give her. Because she couldn't speak. All those years locked in a doll house, because she couldn't speak. And when she finally found the person to understand her, he was taken from her. Neo huffed as she looked at the tree, the edge of the wooden platform she had been on, where Ruby after Ascending beat the everloving stuffing out of that demonic Cat. "So…that's it then?"/div
div id="djs-a2j1" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Yes…'Roman', this is it. The jig is up. It was fun while it lasted, after all we always knew how to have fun. Neo's face was a mixture of a warm smile at her friend and perhaps in a different time, lover. But also a watery and sad pout, since she'd lost him again. Roman, the suave hat wearing super criminal with style among his biggest priorities. She missed him so badly. "Yeah…I know…I'm not even real…"/div
div id="djs-4mk2k" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-bf4g1" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""What about her?", Jaune stood next to Ruby as he saw the girl say her goodbyes to a clone of a man they'd fought years ago in Beacon. A different time, a happier time. Ruby shrugged, Neo took a bow, leapt mirthfully off the platform and re-emerged as a chrysalis on the tree, same way she had been after being force fed the tea. "She'll find herself, one way or another. She and I aren't so different. We both lost someone special to us. The only difference being that I had friends who cared for me, took me in and made me stronger. I figure she only had Roman. And as twisted as they were, they did fit well together…I think…"/div
div id="djs-dogq6" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Jaune and Ruby continued to look at Neo's wooden frame chiseled from the tree, a curiosity in Jaune's mind as he noticed the rather very specific insight Ruby had given on behalf of Neo. He gave her a quick once over, noting the more mature expression on her face, the strands of vivid white in her hair to counterbalance the red tips. She had indeed emerged as someone else. Yang also noticed the lingering duo. "Ruby, Jaune…everything ok?"/div
div id="djs-79cfs" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""When I…", after a few seconds of silence, never too long to be awkward, Ruby spoke of the worries that lingered, "..was in the tree, I never saw Little…I wish I could say I was sorry. And thankful…"/div
div id="djs-a2idk" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Do you guys think we left things off worse then they were? Like Alyx did?", Blake inquired, a sudden feeling of doubt in her heart as they had effectively watched the Curious Cat die, the Jabberwalker slaughtered, Red Prince even more petulant and the Bazaar destroyed./div
div id="djs-92bpu" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I doubt you can make things 'less good' in a place as mad as this", Weiss said, wanting to point out that what they had experienced was anything but 'good or bad', and simply mad!/div
div id="djs-1i2sg" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I think…we did both. We broke some things, as is our Modus Operandi, yet I feel we also left things better. If even by a little", the odd thing, hearing Ruby speak in a wisdom and confidence that barely seemed her own. Slowly they turned towards the doorway, resolved to go home when a voice rang out. "WAIT!"/div
div id="djs-5ashl" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Little…?", Ruby's face brightened a little, standing there, taller, stronger and looking like they have a purpose, was a bipedal mouse, dressed…like Ruby. An orange hooded cape and belt, standing and acting with an energetic purpose. Yet as they caught their breath and heard Ruby mention the name 'Little', there was a curiously confused look on the mouse's face: "Do…I know you?"/div
div id="djs-1u2v8" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Right…I don't think we have", while her face maintains the smile, there's a sadness in her eyes as Ruby not only understands that Little doesn't remember her from the Ascension process, but also because that should have been her! Slowly she casts a glance at her friends, realizing she had asked Blacksmith to take away her memories. Yet something had sparked those. Carpenter? Shaking those thoughts, Ruby continues, "What…is your purpose?"/div
div id="djs-38b3o" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I…am not sure…actually", the once called Little mouse put a finger to their snout and thought for a second, looking Ruby over, "Well you look like you have your wits about you. What do you think?"/div
div id="djs-g0gg" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Well…to me, you seem like a friend", because that's what friends do, they stick by you. Even if I chased you off. You fought for me, stopped Curious Cat. And most importantly, helped and guided me./div
div id="djs-3gk6a" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""A guide!", Blake smiles, taking Weiss' hand./div
div id="djs-t8v8" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""A protector", smiling, Weiss steps closer to her girlfriend./div
div id="djs-8kkah" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""A-dorable!", yang coos, causing Blake and Weiss to snicker. She wasn't wrong!/div
div id="djs-e82c4" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""A squire", Jaune's eyes dart from this new entity to Juniper, who had been a little distant since the fight was over. Both knew who they were now, Jaune and Alyx. And they both knew this was goodbye. Juniper would remain in the Ever After, help those she had hurt as Alyx. But now, do so alone, for the Rusted Knight was needed elsewhere./div
div id="djs-3hrpe" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Do any of those…sound somewhat fitting?", Ruby leans down, looking at the mouse, thinking it over. Then their eyes sparkle with inspiration, "Hmmm. Somewhat. Yeah. Somewhat. I'm not any one thing, I'm somewhat of a lot of things!"/div
div id="djs-cjjqm" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""It's a pleasure meeting you Somewhat", Ruby, fighting back a tear, nods and bows at the newly Ascended Little turned Somewhat./div
div id="djs-3akrt" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""It would be my pleasure to serve you", they say in reverence of Ruby and bowing, almost eager at the prospect of fulfilling their purpose./div
div id="djs-2d57d" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Your time in our service is over, as helpful as it was. For now we must go", Ruby sinks to one knee, so she's on equal height with this new creature to protect and serve in the Ever After, replacing the role of the Cat./div
div id="djs-oerk" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You…", a flash of feelings. Sleep, joy, a first house? Allies. A burning desire to help someone who was so hurt and in pain, with gray eyes. But this one had bright silver eyes. "...feel familiar. Like waking from a dream you scarcely remember"/div
div id="djs-3p7c0" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I'm so glad I got to meet you", Ruby hugs Somewhat, who immediately returns the hug with love and warmth. They both remembered, in their own way. Ruby's tears leak quietly, but she also doesn't prevent them from falling, as she breaks the hug and stands tall. Her friends notice her tears and Ruby's refusal to hide them from them. Somewhat pats Ruby's back before she stands up; "It will be alright, Huntress"/div
div id="djs-621te" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Hey Somewhat…", Jaune, who had made his way to a slightly recoiling but still friendly Juniper, waited half the distance between them and smiled. At her and them both. Hearing their name, the tall Hunter Mouse walked over and bowed; "I am at your service, Sir Knight"/div
div id="djs-dj4vd" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Will you look out for Juniper for me? I owe her my life, she means the world to me", hearing those words, Juniper, also with watery eyes, slowly crosses the distance between her and Jaune and nuzzles his hand. Smiling, the Rusted Knight leans over and nuzzles his forehead with hers. Silently they communicate. The Jackalope feeling sorry for the wrongs she caused him and Jaune accepting those but also forgiving Alyx the things that happened. They had both fought too much and too hard to let something like that stand in the way of their new bond. When the man pulls back, pulls out his broken sword and knights Somewhat, Juniper begins shedding tears, making weak cries of sadness and hope. "Will you keep her safe, Squire Somewhat?"/div
div id="djs-bnf5o" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I will not leave her side, protect her with my life", Somewhat, feeling and understanding the deep intimacy and friendship between these two entities, as well as the reverence of the words Jaune puts forth, accepts the knighting and stands tall, the Heir to the Rusted Knight slowly saddles up on Juniper as they nod their goodbyes and march back; there's work to be done in the ever after!/div
div id="djs-5nfjk" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-98mt" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-cvuh1" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-dl3q6" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Welcome…to…our-my..Workshop"/div
div id="djs-5t8ku" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Ruby and her friends had entered the same greenish dark void where she had chatted with the Blacksmith and Carpenter in preparation for her Ascencion. However this time around, there was more to see. A heavy duty furnace, several wooden benches and cupboards, metal weapons on the racks and a set of amazingly detailed wooden chiseled miniatures on the desk in front of Smithy. The Lively Carpenter was nowhere to be seen. Ruby wanted to ask for them, yet Blake interrupted her train of thought. "Ruby…is this…the tree?"/div
div id="djs-brt88" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You could say that, but that'd be a simplistic understanding", Ruby said cryptically, refusing to elaborate before the Blacksmith continued, gazing at Jaune in particular./div
div id="djs-2j95v" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I have been waiting a long time for you, young man"/div
div id="djs-tdch" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Sorry it took a while. Better late than never", Jaune tries to play it off as a joke, but then sees the Juniper miniature on the table. Reaches forwards and picks it up, "May…I ask if…Juniper will be alright?"/div
div id="djs-c0jrh" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Yes, Squire Somewhat will have big shoes to fill, yet Juniper is fine. Penance for the damage she caused, immortal here, where as her brother sadly already passed on"/div
div id="djs-cfnr4" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Thank you"/div
div id="djs-5b94s" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Hey…aren't those…", Ruby, who had noticed a familiar pair of wooden figurines, was interrupted when a loud scream came from a child sized figure that had been sitting off near the side, working with a chisel and some wood. A figure without legs, just a torso, mechanical arm, another made of wood that had only three fingers, a head that was cracked like an egg shell and eyes of intense blue. Blacksmith smiled, got up from the desk and headed over, the figure had cut their wooden finger and a golden amber was pouring from it. "Zimm! Zimm"/div
div id="djs-df5bc" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Zimm…is…is that…", Jaune, who had heard his friend Carpenter name themselves that, before leaving, noticed the wood and the eyes. It was what remained of the Carpenter who merely kept cutting away at a bird like figurine, they were eager to finish. The figurine being crude, barely detailed. A far cry from the massive works of art that the Carpenter had made once before, uttering that same line over and over. "Mein Name ist Zimmerman…"/div
div id="djs-51s2b" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""What…happened?", Yang reached to cover her mouth and protect her gasp from being heard. Blacksmith sighed as she put a wrap of liquid steel over the finger and turned it metal. There was a black oil stain in the corner of her eye, before Ruby gasped. "They did that…so I could keep my memories…"/div
div id="djs-bkt38" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Yes…Ruby Rose. When you Ascended…The Lively Carpenter gave up part of their life force so you could maintain your emotions. An act that they had done once before to save the memories of another. Because before they were the Carpenter Who was Lively, my friend was known as a Mad Hatter", Smithy explained, with the child like Zimm looking at the figure and up to Ruby, their expression one of exertion, as if to recall details long forgotten. Ruby wanted to feel guilty, but she had a sneaking suspicion that no matter what, they would have done what they did to preserve her memory. Instead she knelt before them and smiled. "Thanks"/div
div id="djs-7p901" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""White…like Roses…why is a raven like a writing desk?"/div
div id="djs-5nd8p" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Hmm…because it can produce a few notes, tho they are very flat; and it is nevar put with the wrong end in front…especially when the name is Wiles", hearing Ruby answer the riddle, turned their blue eyes towards a shade of green, before going to yellow. A bright smile crawled on their face as Zimm got up, suddenly two legs sprouting like roots as they got up and hugged her. "Ruby! You have regained your purpose!"/div
div id="djs-2tp0e" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I have indeed, thanks for everything Zimm", Ruby hugs the reborn Carpenter who smiles and returns her hug. Blacksmith also cracking a smile at the fact that her friend is perhaps not as far gone as she had feared. Zimm then perked up! Breaking the hug, walking over and crushing the poor raven sculpture, walks over and notices the two dragon figures. "You finished them…Smithy"/div
div id="djs-51kqo" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Yes, the two petulant children from the tree", As the two of them hunkered back around the desk, littered with figurines, our four heroes made a face, all except Ruby, who merely nodded her head. She could 'understand' what they meant now. Her instincts being so sharp, she was like a hero from her books, always in the know, always alert and able. Weiss however, didn't fully get that: "children? The Brothers of Light and Darkness?"/div
div id="djs-93oj7" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Why yes! Born from the tree to help tame the overgrown Ever After, they eventually saw themselves as gods, wanting and experimenting with creation and destruction. Yet also lazy and entitled. When their time became more valuable for theory crafting and not doing their purpose, they both created an entity to substitute them. One being born of Darkness whose goal was to forever destroy that which needed to be destroyed as it couldn't be fixed. The Jabberwalker. Another being born from Light to try and fix that which could be fixed, the Fixer Cat. Fed up by their creations, the Tree created a doorway, the same one you five walked through and sent them away, to do their childish bickering elsewhere"/div
div id="djs-86bt2" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Which is when they created us…", Blake and Weiss deduced. Yang had another point to focus on however, "If the Cat was to fix, then why did it become so vile?"/div
div id="djs-12kqc" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Because one act of dishonesty broke the heart of the Cat, turning it against its purpose", Jaune answered, beating Ruby to the punch of answering that question. Yet Ruby did add another statement, taking the figurine of Somewhat and smiling at it, "such as how one small act of kindness can change things for the better"/div
div id="djs-7a4st" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I guess that means we did more good than bad here, right?", Blake wonders as she smiles at Weiss who nods and gently pecks her cheek, "Off course, and I'm not saying that because we're an item now"/div
div id="djs-et92n" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""And much like the girl now undergoing Ascension, she to can choose to fix her broken heart and become something new…, for the Brothers never understood that Light and Darkness aren't a fight, but rather a scale. And you don't destroy and create, but rather fix and evolve, such is balance", after speaking those words, the Blacksmith produced a single knife, twirling and dancing through her mechanical fingers, a knife that-/div
div id="djs-5710d" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""That's Alyx' knife", Jaune walks towards it, almost reaching for it yet stopping himself, as to not seem rude, after all, if this entity was some avatar of the tree, perhaps she knew how terrible he had spoken of the tree, in his moments of misinformation and mourning, "how do you have that?"/div
div id="djs-6gbfr" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""When Curious clawed their way into Alyx' heart, attempting to possess her and move towards Remnant, in a stroke of genius, or madness, she stabbed herself and opened the gateway to Ascension. Instead of being turned into a puppet, she wanted to fix what she had broken. Including you, Jaune Arc. Which is why she left a part of herself behind"/div
div id="djs-6m8ks" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Behind, moved on, forward, became the animal companion to Sir Knight. Fix that which needed to be fixed. Now she replaces the role of both the Cat and the Jabberwalker", Zimm added on, as Jaune took the blade and a puff of smoke came from it as it exploded in a rainbow of colours. He coughed, it smelled like burning wood, mixed with grass and the rust of his armor, sinking to his knee as Yang rushed forwards, but was stopped by Ruby, who smiled and shook her head no, give it a moment, she said wordlessly. As the smoke cleared, Old Man Jaune, the gruff knight in rusty armor was gone. Returned to his youth and pristine armor. Back to the physical age that the others were, like when they fell through the world. Except off course for the strand of white in his hair, and the maturity of his voice remaining. Not being the rough old grumpy Jaune he was as Rusted Knight, but no longer the squeaking lovable idiot stuck in the tree. As he transformed, the image of Alyx appeared to him and spoke the words that would remain with him forever: now you can be the hero you always wanted to be. Jaune slowly reached for his sword, with a sharp and powerful singing metal sound, he pulled it free as it was restored to its glory, before Aschen had broken it. He smiled at the heirloom, the thing that once held such low regard, raised in reverence for a history now shared between himself and his great grandfather. "I…can't believe it"/div
div id="djs-376uo" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Oh, belief has nothing to do with it. Faith in one's friends is a power to heal!", Carpenter sang as they looked at their friend and grinned, "then again, I might be a little loopy"/div
div id="djs-4knbu" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"That final statement earned a solid laugh from the five friends before a doorway was generated of pure gold and blue light, Blacksmith grinned as she stood shoulder to elbow with the much smaller Carpenter and gestured; "This will take you home…to when you're needed most"/div
div id="djs-4e43g" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-aebk1" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-3u19l" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-2e6ev" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Vacuo…we made it…", Ruby could feel the sand shift beneath her boots, the low rising daylight sun behind her as the portal doorway from the Ever After vanished in a puff of smoke. She was the first to realize that time had passed differently. Jaune noticed it secondly. At first he was glad to be back home, yet when at the skyline of Shade Academy, the pyramid structure that was famous and known to all of Remnant, was filled with Atlesian, Mistralian and Vale airships, as well as the structure of what appeared to be Amity Colosseum but reshaped with a massive cannon in its structure, it wasn't easy to stay happy. "How long…have we been-"/div
div id="djs-euk1v" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Something's coming!", Yang hissed as she turned on her heels to find a dust devil in the distance chasing it's way towards them, yet that wasn't the horrible feeling that clawed at her heart. No, it was the red portal that had appeared next to them. A portal she had seen only twice before. Back in Haven and earlier at a certain camp. Yang raised her empty weapons and took a defensive posture, but was stopped when Ruby and Jaune put their hands on her shoulders and calmed her down. Yang sighed, resolved but the anger gone from her face and watched as from the portal a woman in red and black appeared. "What do y-"/div
div id="djs-dvi0u" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""YANG!", before Yang could even think, two arms, strong yet gentle, flung around her neck as Raven Branwen pulled her daughter in for a hug that was horrifyingly awkward. And almost instinctively right. Yang waited for a second, the smell of musty sweat, desert dry air and the scent that any animal and human child instantly recognised. The scent of a mom. Slowly Yang raised her arms and slowly returned the hug. It should feel strained, unwanted, wrong. After all the last time they spoke Raven had ran like a coward, when Yang had said she'd carry the target on her back from Salem and refused to break. Yet here she was, the first to welcome her back. Sure she probably sensed it from…wait… "When…when your Kindred Link vanished I…I was sure I'd never see you again. But then…somehow, like a fire in the night, it appeared again. I…I had to see…"/div
div id="djs-8acgn" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Raven…how long have we been gone…", Ruby didn't want to interrupt, but the question was important and needed to be asked. Yet when the woman who had once been her father's wife before Summer turned to look at Ruby and answer, she froze./div
div id="djs-1j4uk" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""S-Summer…?", Raven staggered back, looking from Yang, to Ruby and back. Just then, the wind blew across Ruby's red and white hair tips and shattered the illusion that perhaps this was Summer, she had seen what happened to Summer, she knew better, yet the similarity was eerily similar, now more so than ever before. "Ruby Rose…you're…the splitting image…"/div
div id="djs-4k4e7" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Mom..how long has the link been gone", Yang steps before Ruby, drawing back Raven's attention who shakes her head, as if waking from a bad hangover. "Right…well-"/div
div id="djs-18gc6" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Guys…look at this", Blake had seen a memorial stone. One this far out back? Everyone turned to see it, it was covered in sand, made of a black onyx stone, ten inches thick, anchored in the shifting sands. How was that even possible? Wouldn't it fall over? And what was that writing? Weiss, who was beginning to burn up in the desert sun peaking over the horizon, brushed her hands over the surface of the stone and saw…her name? And Blake, Yang, Ruby and Jaune. A feeling of dread clutched their hearts as Raven walks next to Yang and sighs: "three years…it's been three years, Yang."/div
div id="djs-fjb9b" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Three years!? We were gone hardly three days!", in disbelief, the Blond looks around and notices the dust devil far closer than before! Her eyes widen in shock when out of nowhere a blue dressed Devil appeared who slashed at the devil and killed what appeared a massive wormlike Grimm. "All nice a reunion, but we need to leave!"/div
div id="djs-4j0m5" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""I got this", Ruby walked past the man dressed in a blue coat and a single sword, opening her eyes as a bright flash of silver light ended the infant Blindworm right then and there. Causing Raven and Vergil to gaze at her in amazement. "What form of power is this…?"/div
div id="djs-29fsm" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Everyone…through here, we must get to Vacuo", Raven opened a portal towards her brother, Qrow who was currently standing on one of the many platforms and balconies of Shade Academy, overlooking the inner walled refugee section, having been shown a picture of Ruby on the wall and crying. Wishing they were all here to see the good that had happened since the fall of Atlas. Yet before Raven could walk through it, Ruby smirked. "I'm probably faster than that"/div
div id="djs-fo41g" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You don't know where we're going", Raven adds, matter of factly, causing Ruby to merely snicker, "if I did, I'd be there already"/div
div id="djs-3pojh" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""Just as confident as Summer…", Raven rolls her eyes as the group walks through the portal. Vergil grinning as he walks in after Ruby: "from one speedster to another, I'd love to race someone as fast as Kindred Link"/div
div id="djs-dv70q" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Ruby smirks at the man who held his sword the same way Raven and Adam had done and nods, "you're on! But some other time"/div
div id="djs-dp9u6" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-1gddo" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-7usqj" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"…/div
div id="djs-dafp7" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;" /div
div id="djs-2b27l" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"Qrow rolled his eyes when the portal of Raven opened. While things had been better between the two, Qrow had made it clear that one time after the Fall, when Raven came and told him that the bond with Yang was gone, to never come before him again. Yet as he turned to face the portal, the first one that walked through, wasn't Raven. It wasn't even a girl. Qrow Branwen looked in absolute disbelief when Jaune Arc, looking just like he had seen him the night Qrow was arrested in the Mantle Tundra, a streak of white in his hair yet otherwise perfectly normal like back then. Qrow wanted to look at his flask, yet he hadn't drank a drop of alcohol in little over three years! This couldn't be the booze. Shaking the confusion from his mind he tried to walk forwards before a cold sunder froze him and a painful sensation shot through his heart. Blond hair, lilac eyes, confident smirk, walking behind Jaune, through the portal and looking at the amassed fleet above. Firecracker..no Yang Xiao Long! Alive and well?! Right here, in front of his eyes! Qrow pinched himself before he staggered backwards and leaned against the railing. Tai…she's home. Does that mean…/div
div id="djs-4ueol" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;"A different shot of emotion washed over Qrow. Black hair and cat ears. Followed by white hair and blue eyes. Qrow barely kept his footing as he looked over his shoulder and spied the forms of Winter, Willow and Whitley providing aid to the refugees below. If they see her, the Schnees would have their drive and passion back. But that selfless hope vanished as Qrow widened his eyes and turned to the portal. The three girls and Jaune hadn't noticed him yet, too amazed by the gathered humans and Faunus all living here in Vacuo, and the armed fleet. It must look a little like that time in Beacon. Another shape stepped through. This time it was Raven. She instantly locked eyes with her brother and smiled. Yet was unsure. After all, their last time they hadn't been very friendly towards one another. Yet Raven did walk closer and gently hugged her brother. "It's ok… scout. I'm here for you"/div
div id="djs-5k48m" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""What do you m-", Qrow's lips trembled as he let out a cough, gasp and inhale. His eyes filled with the sting of watery tears as he saw something that could not be. As Vergil walked through the portal and instantly teleported away with his high speed, a single figure in red remained. A Rose. With the white streaks and phantom shimmer that looked like Summer there for a second until the portal closed and the image shattered along with the shadows and light changing over Ruby's face. His knees gave way as Raven caught her brother and smiled at him. Not making fun at his reaction, after all she had also reacted violently when she felt the Link return to Yang. He cried tears of joy and shock, as Ruby Rose stood there, alive and well. After three full years! Qrow stopped himself from wailing loudly, as he watched Ruby walk towards her friends and wonder out loud how all this was possible. He staggered to his feet, Raven letting him go once her younger twin seemed steady enough. Walked over towards Yang and Ruby./div
div id="djs-hj5g" class="daeditor-paragraph" style="margin: 24px 8px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.3px;""You sent a message", Qrow's voice trembled as he stood next to both his nieces. All five people turned to Qrow and Raven, both crying waterfalls, as Qrow pulls both sisters into a hug, soon joined by Raven as his voice breaks and he lets out a wail of both joy and pain. Good pain. The pain a heart feels after finding back the loved one long thought dead. A pain that means one thing: love!... "And the world answered!"/div