Little Red

by Outlandish Storyteller

"Don't fall." That's the only thing Ambrosius told Ruby. He never explained what would happen. She thought she would die. No, she couldn't be more wrong. She wakes up on a dying Remnant, humanity trapped in a dark war and on the brink of extinction. She comes face-to-face with a dark version of herself -who turned against the world.

6. Chapter 6

I've purposely made this a long one due to the super long time. Hope ya'll enjoy!

/-/

"Mom?"

Ruby stares slack-jawed; speechless, frozen, and wide-eyed. Time creeps to a crawl, seconds turning into minutes and minutes turning into hours —at least that's what it feels like to Ruby.

Summer Rose, a name that has been told to her through stories and talks with Tai, Yang, and Qrow. A face she has only seen in old pictures. A mother she never got the chance to touch or know. How in the world is she supposed to react to this?

Summer stares, seeming just as perplexed. "You're her, but…"

"MOM!" Ruby suddenly lunges from the edge of her bed, running full speed to tackle her mother with a hug. "IT'S REALLY YOU!"

Summer jumps back, waving her hands to make Ruby stop. "No! Wait wait wait wait!"

Her warning is ignored. Ruby passes right through Summer and smacks straight into the cell wall. The younger Rose hits the floor with a big thud, holding her forehead and kicking legs while she winces in. "OW!"

"I… tried to warn you…" Summer said with a wince of her own as she squats down. "Are you okay?"

"Ugh… What happened?"

Summer sighs, knowing this first interaction will be far from smooth. "A lot"

"Aw man! Am I still in some weird dream?"

"No, you're not dreaming."

"Huh?" Ruby quickly rolls over on her stomach and looks up to her mother. "So… If it's really you? Then why did I-"

"Hey, hold on," Summer sighs again. "Let's start over. Who are you?"

Ruby blinks and tilts her head in confusion. "Huh?"

"Um… Better question, where did you come from?"

Ruby raises an eyebrow.

"I… saw you fighting my Ruby, or I should say Little Red."

"Oh!" The situation clicks in Ruby's head and she catches on. "I… think I saw you when I woke up in that forest she made. Wait. You're…"

Summer nods, giving Ruby a somber smile. "Yes. I'm Little Red's mother. I'm her Summer. I'm sorry…"

The excitement in Ruby's eyes quickly dwindles after hearing this revelation. "Oh…"

"Tell me everything. Where did you come from?"

/-/

"And that's how I ended up here," Ruby finished explaining her strange and baffling tale to her mother look-alike. She sits in her chair, swinging her legs under the table and her fingers locked together.

Summer just stands there slack-jawed, taking a moment to process everything Ruby had just told her. "You're… from another world. Another Remnant. I-I guess that explains why there are two of you, but… I don't know what to say about this."

Ruby looks down at the table with a tiresome sigh. "I don't blame you."

"So, your world is at war too. Ozpin and Salem."

"Yeah… And so far, Salem is winning… I've really screwed things up," Ruby answers defeatedly as she hangs her head. Her thoughts briefly go back to her talk with Oscar back in Mistral. How she tried to give words of encouragement to lift the boy's spirit. "Tsk. Keep moving forward. Yeah, great advice Ruby."

"Keep moving forward," Summer repeats to herself, an old memory coming back to her. "I said those same words to my Ruby…"

Wait, hold on. Ruby perks up, her dream coming back to her. "You mean back in the courtyard?"

"What?" Summer jerks her gazes towards Ruby. "What did you say?"

Ruby sits with a stunned stare, not entirely sure why that came to memory. "Um…"

Summer storms right up to Ruby, passing through the table as she gets in her face. "What did you JUST say?!"

"Y-You said that in Beacon's courtyard!" Ruby blurts.

"How do you know that?"

"I-It was in a dream I had! You were there! And… I was with you?" Alright, something isn't adding up here. All of what she experienced was just a dream, right? Why does it feel like a forgotten memory? Ruby looks down to see the table literally passing through Summer's body. She gasps and looks back up wide eyed.

Summer notices what she did and sighs. "Yeah, I'm a ghost. A wandering spirit some may say. I can scream, shout, and wave my hands. No one will notice me, no matter how hard I try." She walks away from the table, phasing out of it as she did. "Tell me about this dream you had."

Catching on to what she said, Ruby snaps out of her shock. "Well, uh… Let's see." She begins to recount the events of her dream in vivid detail, every memory coming to her as if she lived it. "And at the end… I watched you die…"

Summer stands there, stunned and slack-jawed. "Did you…see her memories?"

"Uh…" Ruby blinks a bit from the question. "I-I uh… I guess… I don't know."

"Did any of these events happen in your Remnant?"

Ruby shakes her head. "No. The great war ended eighty years before I was even born. And in my world… you died when I was just a kid."

"I did?" Summer frowns with a slight wince. "Was I at least a good mother to you?"

Ruby shrugs somberly. "I…I don't know. I was too small to remember you. The things I do know about you, well my mom, are things that my Yang and Uncle Qrow have told me. Before the whole 'save the world' thing, I used to visit your grave and…well…talk to you."

"How did I die?"

"...Salem"

"...I see," Summer says with a slight scowl.

"Hey… What happened to this Remnant?" Ruby asks. "Why did the other me become evil-"

Summer snaps, cutting Ruby off before she could finish. "Don't say that!"

Ruby's jumps back in her seat, startled by the outburst.

Realizing what she just did, Summer calms down with another sigh. "Sorry… I…shouldn't have shouted. I don't know why exactly she has chosen to do this, but it's not like her. Not at all."

Ruby's shock turns to sympathy for Summer. Thanks to that dream, she understands why Summer reacted the way she did. The anxiety and fear she felt through Red during those moments reminds her of her own conflicts and burdens. And Summer's death was definitely the breaking point; she herself would definitely have a meltdown in this situation. But one question still lingers at the back of her mind. Why choose genocide? "She mentioned looking for the Wizard and Witch. That's…Ozpin and Salem, right?"

"Those two…" Summer's expression slowly darkens and her eyes narrow with hate and disgust. "I personally point the finger at them for this."

"You mean the war, right?"

Summer nods. "Because of those two, so many kids have missed out on their childhoods only to die a tragic death. So many died so young. And those that survive each battle are thrown back into the meat grinder, scarring them even more. Even my daughters…"

The image of a scarred and war-torn Tai from the dream comes back to Ruby. The thought of her father ending up like that is enough to give her chills.

"I hate the Wizard the most," Summer states. "The Witch was terrible, yeah. She wanted to conquer the whole dang world. But Ozpin, he is the reason why Huntsmen exist. Him and that project that started it all."

"I… remember Professor Goodwit- I mean… whoever she is, mentioning something about that. What was it called? Project uh…"

"Project Artemis, an experiment that created the first generation of huntsmen."

"Created? You mean huntsmen aren't born?"

"I don't mean they were grown in a test tube. Honestly, I wouldn't put it past Ozpin to try something like that. Silver Eyed Warriors are the building blocks for huntsmen. When the sorcerers first discovered a Silver Eye in the Valean army, they strived to study and learn more about the power and the young man, named Rain, who possessed it. Then, sometime later, Ozpin had the idea to try and replicate the power. In other words, create more Silver Eyed Warriors."

"Why?"

"Because there weren't any others. Or I should say there were too few. The only Silver Eyes at that time was Rain and his children he later had. This world was still in a Great War and Salem had discovered a way to control and utilize Grimm through magic. The alliance couldn't just wait for Rain's children to grow up and take his place. So Vale and Atlas tried to make their own Silver Eyed Warriors through genetic transplantation with chosen soldiers. But instead of gaining silver eyes, each soldier gained a genetic power of their own. Semblances."

"Whoa…" Ruby stares awestruck. "So in this world, Huntsmen are like…supersoldiers? Superhumans?"

"Yeah…" Summer answers. "Supersoldiers breed for war, even though the minds behind the project won't admit to that. Children are taken to combat facilities like Beacon and Atlas, where they'll develop their semblance and train to be Huntsmen while in a high-stress environment."

Ruby knew what Summer meant by a high-stress environment. She swallows. "Wait. Their… forced to become huntsmen? They don't get a choice?"

Summer raises an eyebrow and gives Ruby a cold stare. "What child would volunteer to fight in a war that they don't even understand? Why become a soldier at such a young age?"

The conversation goes quiet after that.

"Sorry," Summer apologizes again with a tiring sigh. "Perhaps huntsmen are seen differently in your world. Perhaps they are heroes and not…us. I wish there was more I could've done for my daughters, especially Ruby."

Summer wasn't wrong about huntsmen in Ruby's world -to an extent. Valiant heroes. Brave defenders against Grimm. The type of job every child would dream of. Until you meet Salem… Then being a monster hunter doesn't sound so romantic anymore.

Ruby feels her caring instincts telling her to comfort Summer. To give her a hug. But how the heck can you hug a ghost? "Mom…"

Summer's eyes light up with tears for a moment but she shakes her head. "Summer. Please… just call me Summer. I'm not your mom. I'm sorry, it just doesn't feel right…"

Before Ruby can get another word out, a loud thud and a muffled yelp grabs her attention towards the cell door. The sound of an opening door creaks throughout the hallway with footsteps and jiggling keys coming to her cell.

Ruby looks back to Summer, ready to ask what that sound was, but she was gone. Vanished like she was never there. The footsteps stop at her cell, the keys unlock the door, and it squeaks open.

Turning back to the door, Ruby's jaw drops when she sees another all too familiar face staring right at her. "Y-Yang?"

Yang stands silently at the foot of the cell, just staring at Ruby from the shadow of her black cowboy hat. Ruby quickly takes notice of the rest of Yang's attire, a black short-sleeved short jacket with a short yellow shirt exposing her stomach. Four long scars stretch over her belly button; forming a large clawmark that could be from an Ursa or a Beowolf. She wears a pair of black shorts matching with leggings and boots.

Alot of black, different from the usual brown she's known to wear. Then again, this isn't actually Yang. But the most noticeable part that grabs Ruby's attention is Yang's right arm. Black and gold metal gleams in the dimmer lighting of the room, making it clear that it's a robotic arm. There is something slightly different about the arm. Thin, glowing yellow line runs through the angular crevices of the arm, from her hand all the way up to her shoulder.

"Uh… Y-Yang?"

Yang's eyes glow scarlet red under the shadow of her hat. She steps into the cell with a growl, marching forwards Ruby with her fists clenched.

Gasping in shock, Ruby jumps out of her chair to get away from Yang. Yang grabs the table with one hand and flings it out of her way, making it fly across the small cell and slams against the wall. Ruby backs into a corner, completely trapped by a furious Yang look-alike.

What is she attacking me?! What did I- Oh… She thinks I'm…

Eyes darting around the cell, Ruby notices that the cell door is felt open. Perfect. All she has to do is use her semblance and…

What? She blinks in shock and confusion, not feeling her semblance at all. Why can't I-

Bam!

A punch slams into Ruby's jaw and she tumbles over, grabbing onto the sink to catch herself. Her mouth stings with pain as she spits some blood into the sink. A pair of hands grab her and throw her against the stone wall, hitting her head and her vision swimming with stars. Yang yells with so much anger and hate as she continues to beat on Ruby. Every punch, kick, elbow, knee, bodyslam, gut punch, everything Yang did is backed with so much rage and malice.

Ruby curls up into a ball on the floor, hoping to somehow defend herself against the vicious onslaught. Yang snatches her up by the hood and slams her back hard against the wall. The wind is knocked out of Ruby, and before she can get it back, a hand grabs her by the throat and lifts her off the ground.

With surprising strength, Yang holds Ruby against the wall; clamping down on her throat with her normal hand. Ruby struggles to breathe as she grasps Yang's wrist in both hands. She tries kicking her legs and frantically tapping Yang for her to let go, but Yang wasn't listening.

"I don't know who or what you are," Yang snarls and lifts her cybernetic fist. The inner workings of the arm start to move with a series of small clicks and a barrel protrudes from the plate of the forearm. "But you are NOT my sister."

Ruby stares helplessly with fear.

"Yang stop!" Blake's voice comes in at the best timing ever. The faunus bolt into the cell with Sun and a few guards. Everyone grabs Yang, some of them stopping her arm while others fight to pull her away from Ruby.

"Yang! I said stop!" Blake yells again.

"Did you really have to knock out the guard just to come see her?!" Sun remarks to the muffled yelp Ruby heard before.

Yang isn't backing down, fire-filled crimson eyes still fixed on Ruby.

"You can't do this!" Blake pleads. "We need to question her! We need to-"

"GET OFF ME!" Yang snaps, letting go of Ruby and fighting everyone off. Ruby hits the floor with a small thud and gasps for air.

"What's wrong with you?!" Blake snaps back. "You knock out a guard and then proceed to assault a person of interest?! You're just a child! You always let your anger get the better of you!"

As soon as Blake makes that remark, Yang suddenly snatches her by the shirt and shoves her against the wall. "You're one to talk, you coward! Who are you to criticize me?! You piss yourself and run whenever things get rough! If you hadn't ran, we would've been there to help Ruby and save my mom!"

Blake tries to stand her ground, but cowards under Yang's rage.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Sun steps in between them. "Aren't you guys teammates? Y'all shouldn't be having beef like this."

"What teammate?" Yang retorts while staring daggers at a shocked Blake. "Team RWBY died the day we lost Ruby." With those last few words, Yang turns in a huff, pushing her way through the guards and leaving the cell.

A moment of silence fills the cell after that. Blake leans against the wall, staring at the floor and eyes welling up with tears.

"Uh, Blake?" Sun calls out.

"Handcuff her," Blake tells one of the guards, pointing at Ruby in a shaky voice while wiping some tears away. "Everyone is waiting…"

/-/

She feels like a prisoner on death row.

Four guards surround Ruby as they escort her through the upper levels of the Vault. Ruby looks over the railing seeing the underground makeshifted city sitting at the bottom of the chasm, bathed in an emerald hue from a giant glowing green light in the middle. The light seems to flow like a…mist? Fog? Fire? Ruby couldn't tell. But one thing for sure, it's coming out of the ground; from some kind of well or reactor.

She looks back to the group. Blake leads in the front, eyes forward and not saying a word. Still affected by the fight with Yang, more likely. The guards follow in the same manner, armed to the teeth with armor on black and green fitted uniforms, small firearms, and green bladed glaives. Sun follows nonchalantly in the rear with his hands behind his head, more laid back than the rest of the group.

Even in another world, Sun will always be Sun.

Sun notices her looking back and gives a friendly smile and a wink.

She looks down to the iron shackles on her wrist, too heavy and uncomfortable for her liking. Not only that, she can feel her aura; just like back in the cell. It feels like someone took a knife or a pair of scissors and cut her off from it.

She notices strange runes etched into the iron; symbols that look like weird letters. Could this be the reason?

They stop in front of a tall door and a shout of anger booms from within. It's a female voice, two of them to be exact. One of them sounded like Nora.

"Why are we just sitting here?! We need to hunt her down!"

"Uh oh…" Sun said with a troubled frown on his face.

Blake sighs tiredly. "Great. Just…great…"

Accepting what is to come, Blake pushes open the door and leads the group inside. It is a large room with a donut shaped roundtable in the middle, all having chairs around with people sitting in them. Ruby notices glass pipes running along the stone walls with yellow liquid Dust flowing through them, providing light to the room. Just like back in the factory.

All eyes shift to the group as they walk in, more particularly, Ruby. Whispers and murmurs fill the room.

There weren't that many people in the room, about forty to fifty people to give a rough estimate. A good majority of them being huntsmen and sorcerers, and a small few being regular soldiers like the guard but of higher rank.

A few familiar faces are present. The first two are Coco and Yatsuhashi. Yatsu stands with his arms crossed and looking as calm as ever, but Coco, leaning against a wall next to him, glares at Ruby from under her shade, like she's gonna explode at any moment. Next is Sun's team, Scarlet, Neptune, and Sage. All three of them peeking out from behind the small crowd, staring at their teammate with confused looks, wondering how he can be so relaxed around someone like Ruby.

The last three are Jaune, Nora, and Yang, and their stares are the most painful. Yang slouches in her chair with her arms crossed and one foot propped on the table. Her glare starts to burn red hot until she pulls the brim of her hat over her eyes.

Jaune sits in a chair as well, hunched over the table with his hands pressed on his head. His hair is a ruffled mess and his eyes are cold and empty, like someone had just drained the life out of him. His gingered haired teammate on the other hand.

"You!" Nora roars and instantly turns her anger towards Ruby. She storms directly for her victim only to be stopped by the soldiers that escorted Ruby. "What do you know?! Who the heck are you and where did you come from?! Answer me or I'll force you to talk!" She whips out Magnhild to further impose her threat. "If you're some type of decoy, oh so help me gods!"

"I second that," Coco says bitterly while placing her hand on her handbag.

Ruby swallows and licks her lips nervously. Before things could escalate any further, the door opens and Glynda walks in. Her expression remains just as stern as it was before. Her gaze locks onto Ruby, making the young huntress shiver a bit.

Limping in behind her is Ozpin, The Wizard of Vale himself. He looks just like the Ozpin back in her Remnant. Just as young. Well, back when he was still headmaster. Ruby notices how tired and run down he looks. Slight bags are under his eyes as if he has been skipping out on sleep or just not getting enough of it. He leans his weight on his cane with every other step he takes, making his way to the center chair in the room and sits down.

"Thank you all for coming," Ozpin said to the room, sounding just as tired as he looked. "I am aware that not everyone could make it here. Either performing duties to serve the citizens of UnVale or are out risking their lives to look for survivors. Either way, I expect all of you to relay what is discussed here to you comrades so that no one is left out of the loop. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Lord Wizard!" The room answers.

"Good. Now, on to business. There are two matters I want to go over with everyone. First," Ozpin places a folder in the table and opens it. "Ms. Belladonna. Mr. Wukong. I would like to inform you that Mr. Taurus has been stabilized and will be fine. Though he will be out for some time."

Blake lets out a subtle sigh of relief.

"I also want to give my deepest condolences for your recent losses, as well to the remaining members of teams JNPR and CFVY; both teams losing a comrade to the Great War and Little Red. And speaking of Little Red," Ozpin's gaze immediately fixes on Ruby, so does the rest of the room. "Your sudden presence has caused quite the confusion amongst me and my sorcerers. It's as if you've suddenly popped into existence from the auric flow. Or maybe Little Red somehow split herself into two. But given the report, I'm leaning towards the former. So I'm asking you to answer truthfully. Where did you come from?"

A dead silence fills the room as every eye watches Ruby for her answer. She chokes a bit on her words, feeling a sudden weight come down on her. "I… I came from another world. A Remnant just like this one. Just…not in chaos." Yet.

More whispers and murmurs fill the room as a few eyebrows raise and questioning looks are exchanged. Ozpin also raises an eyebrow, the tiredness in his eyes slowly fading into interest.

"Bull!" Someone shouts in the back. "How do we know if what she's saying is true?"

"I am telling the truth!" Ruby yells back. "I am from another Remnant! We have our own Ozpin, our own Salem, our own Grimm, huntsmen, Dust, even our own gods! We even have our own war against Salem and she's halfway to ending the world!" Ruby's face turns red and she pants, unknowingly holding her breath as she says all that.

"Can you prove it?" Ozpin asks her, leaning forward and folding his hands together on the table. "What do you have to back up your claim?"

Ruby freezes, she didn't even think about this. Of course they would want more than words and accusations. How else would they believe her? What does she have to show them? She bites her lip as all eyes begin to dig into her.

Wait! My scroll! "Psst, Sun!" Ruby calls out and motions the faunus to her pocket. "My scroll! Get my scroll!"

Sun looks confused but compiles anyway. "Uh, okay?" He slides the rectangular device out of her pocket, something he hasn't seen in the past few weeks, and turns it on. "Now what?"

Ruby directs him on what to do and where to go on her scroll. More looks are exchanged in the crowd, wondering what she's about to show them.

"This it? A video?"

"Yeah. Just play it."

Sun hits the play button and a bright light shines from the scroll to the middle of the room. A holographic screen appears with an image of Ruby. "Um uh… Hi. My name is Ruby Rose. I'm a huntress. And if we've done everything right then…I'm talking to all of Remnant right now. Doctor Polendina can explain more later, but right now you all need to know that the Kingdom of Atlas is under attack."

Ruby's message of hope fills the room. Everyone watches the recorded message in concentrated awe and perplexity. No one dared to make a sound or even blink, no one wanted to miss anything. A message from another world, definitely something the people never expected to see. In the case of the sorcerers, it's enough to stir intense interest in their eyes that look almost child-like. Ozpin seems to be the most interested. Interested is probably an understatement in his case, his tired expression completely disappears and a look of inspiration takes over. If Ruby had to guess, this message somehow sparked hope in the man.

The video finally ends with the message abruptly getting cut off. The room falls silent once more.

"Was that enough proof for you?" Ruby asks the Wizard, hoping this was enough to convince everyone.

Ozpin nods. "It was. And how exactly did you end up here?"

"Well, long story short, I fell. We used a relic called the Staff of Creation to open portals to get people from Atlas and Mantal to Vacuo. In the process, we were attacked and my team and I fell into this black pit. When I came too, I fell into this weird ocean. It was clear and it had stars with different versions of me. I-I touched one of them and I ended up here."

All at once, wild chatter from the sorcerers erupts, each one of them realizing what Ruby had just described before entering their world.

"A sea of stars…" Glynda says in equal awe as everyone else. "That's…"

"The Auric Flow," Ozpin answers for her. "And on a larger scale it seems."

Without a word, Yang gets up from her chair and makes a beeline for the door. "I need a smoke."

"I'm leaving too," Nora announces and follows suit.

Jaune defeatedly rises from his chair, no desire to stick around any longer. "...Excuse me"

Glynda looks like she's about seconds away from protesting, but Ozpin puts up a hand to stop her. "Let them go, Glynda. Give them time to process."

Yang brushes by Ruby with Nora and Jaune following close behind. Neither of them bothered to even glance at her. Her eyes still burn with a subtle glow of its trademark red, showing the rage she's trying to keep down. Nora is the same way, albeit without the burning eyes. Jaune, on the other hand, didn't seem to show much emotion nor energy. He walks sluggishly behind the girls, not bothering to quicken his pace to catch up. He stares at the floor with a dead expression; cold and vacant blue eyes just staring into space.

The cold atmosphere surrounding the three cuts Ruby deeper than any knife, even though she's from another world.

"Um, hello?" Coco elevates her voice to pull the room back to reality, mainly the chattering mages. A hint of annoyance shows behind her shades. "Would any of you magicians bother to explain to us normal people why you're so chatty?"

A few nods and murmurs of agreement come from the Huntsmen and soldiers.

"The Auric Flow," Glynda answers Coco's question. "The weird ocean with stars Ms. Rose described in her account was, in fact, the Auric Flow. Everyone here should know about The Flow. How it flows through and preserves life on Remnant. That sorcerers are able to touch it to harness our magic. How we created Dust from drawing raw aura from the planet itself. And, of course, when someone dies, they're soul goes back to the Auric Flow."

"We believed that The Flow was only exclusive to Remnant, but we later discovered it also reaches beyond our planet. But with Ms. Rose's account, the report of the recent Little Red encounter, and the video we just saw, has opened the notion that the Auric Flow reaches beyond the boundaries of our universe, like it's a small part of something far grander. I know this is going to sound ridiculous, like it's from some comic book but…, there could very well be a Remnant like our's out there. A multiverse, if you will."

More murmurs and chatter fill the room, bewildered looks of surprise and disbelief showing on every single face present. Yeah, the notion sounds far fetched, but how can anyone begin to question it? Especially with what was presented to them? The Auric Flow, Ruby has never heard of such a thing in her life, not even when she was in school. Maybe the people of her Remnant never knew about it. Now that she thinks about it, maybe it's how Dust grows on Remnant?

"Speaking of the Auric Flow, this leads us to our current situation. We're running out of time," Ozpin's words cut the chatter to a dead silence, every mouth closed tight and every eye staring at him with worry and anticipation. Ozpin takes a deep breath, readying himself to deliver the weight of his news. "Remnant is dying. The Auric Flow, all of the planet's aura, is being sapped away, and at a moderate rate. It's the reason why the planet is in the state it is in now. Every sorcerer here has experienced difficulty to touch the Flow. Even what Dust production we have is starting to suffer, and that will affect our food and water supply eventually.

"Where is it all going?" Blake asks. "Aura is like a current, it's always moving even in its purest form. It doesn't just evaporate into the stratosphere. So something must be taking it, right?"

Ozpin eyes the faunus for a moment, as if contemplating to answer her question. Ruby too wants to know where the planet's aura is going. He finally answers, "Little Red. The Flow is going to Little Red."

"WHAT?!" Coco shouts as the entire room erupts into a huge uproar.

"Wait, wait, wait! You mean to tell us that she's absorbing the planet's aura?!" Sun blurts out.

"I wouldn't say absorbing would be the right word for what she's doing," Glynda answers. "She seems to be acting more as a conduit. Ever since she emerged from the shadow wall and declared this Dark War on the world, she has been siphoning the planet of its life. Passively too, by the looks of it."

"Even the dead are going to her," Ozpin adds. "Souls of those she has killed and those that have long returned to the Flow."

"So she's some kind of freakin' grim reaper!" Someone shouts from the crowd.

"A conduit for what? How is she doing this?" Yatsuhashi throws the next question.

"That, sadly, we don't have the answer to," Ozpin tells him. "But I'm willing to believe it has something to do with the Silver Eyes. Her bloodli-" He stops abruptly, a wide eyed look of inspiration writing across his face. He looks across the table, eyeing Ruby with a stare so intense that it makes her jump back.

"I believe this meeting is adjourned. Remember, everything that was discussed in this meeting is confidential. It does not, by any means, get out to the populace. Be sure to tell your comrades this when you inform them. And lastly…," he pauses for a moment, his expression turning to one of conviction. "We WILL save humanity, no matter how bleak and dire the situation may be. So I ask you all to keep your faith in me. Work with me. If you can't see in the darkness, look to me and I'll guide you through. Dismissed."

And just like that, the meeting is over. They haven't even been in there for an hour, but to Ruby, it felt like an eternity. A lot has happened and a lot has been said. Everyone makes their way towards the tall meeting room door, trickling out in a calm manner, though the look in their eyes says something different.

"Ms. Belladonna. Mr. Wu Kong," Glynda stops by just before he heads out the door. "Escort Ms. Rose to the workshop. The Wizard would like to speak with her. "

/-/

He wants to talk to me? What for?

A million thoughts race through Ruby's mind as Blake and Sun lead her through the upper level of the Vault. Every Huntsmen and soldiers they pass will always stare at her with weary and analyzing looks, like they are anticipating her to do something. Can she blame them?

But truthfully, she prefers those looks over the ones the sorcerers give her. These magic users have a different air about them, eyeing Ruby with curiosity and intrigue. Like a scientist who found a new specimen; as if they want to dissect and study her.

She shivers and looks away from their intrusive gazes, shaking her head to get rid of that disturbing thought.

"Hey, quick question," Sun pulls Ruby out of her thoughts, as if he did so to save her from them. "So… What am I like in your world?"

"Huh?"

"The other me. What is he like?"

"Um. I don't…understand…"

"Am I cool? Awesome? Still a funny guy?" He leans in closer with a hand up by his mouth as he whispers. "Is Blake dating me or Adam?"

"Uh…"

"Don't pester her, Sun," Blake sighs after hearing that last question.

"Hey, aren't you at least a tad bit curious? I mean come on, it's a parallel world. It's not everyday you hear about this stuff. Don't you wanna know what your parallel self is like?"

Blake thinks about this for a moment before she answers. "No, I don't. Not right now. Right now we should be focusing on our own world rather than someone else's."

Sun scratches the back of his head. "R-Right."

As the three climb up a flight of stairs leading to Ozpin's workshop, a familiar female voice cries out in sobs. Upon reaching the top, they see a crying Nora being cradled by Jaune. Nora buries her face into her teammates chest, tears overflowing from her eyes and snorts running down. Jaune just holds her close, one arm around her waist and the other hand on the back of her head.

He speaks to her in a low tone, trying his best to ease her pain. Not far from them, and leaning on the guardrail overlooking the Vault, is Yang. A small orange glow burns from the tip of her cigarette as she inhales. She holds the smoke in from a bit before easing it out through her nostrils.

The moment Jaune and Nora notice the three, Nora's sobs slowly turn into smoldering anger. "Why didn't you save him?" She said through sobs and gritted teeth. "What stopped you from saving him!"

Nora… Ruby looks at the ginger with sympathy.

"Nora, we…" Blake chokes on her words a bit, not entirely sure of the correct words to say. "I-I'm sorry. We…couldn't get to him. And if we tried, we would've died with him. Ren saw this and wanted us to leave him behind. That was shortly before you arrived."

A moment of silence falls on the group as a dreadful look of realization hits Nora. "You're telling me if we got there sooner, then Ren would still be…" She looks like she's on the verge of breaking down again.

The air becomes tense and heavy as this carries on. Nora is on the verge of breaking down and Blake is so shaken by her own guilt that she can't say anything to comfort her. In times like this, Jaune would usually jump in and try to resolve things. But not this time, not this Jaune. Jaune seems to be taking to lose just as hard as Nora, that same cold and empty look in his eyes. A man stricken with despair from the loss of half his team. Yang continues to stare off into the distance, faint plumes of cigarette smoke lingering around her.

Everyone has fallen away from each other.

Ruby's compassion pushes her to the middle of the group. Someone needs to say something. Someone needs to pick them up. "H-Hey guys, look-"

"Shut up," Nora cuts her off before she could get another word in. Her tone is smoldering with anger that she's trying to hold back along with her tears. "I don't care if you're from another world or whatever. Just…stop talking… I…don't wanna hear it." Without another word, Nora storms past the group, heading down the flight of stairs they came from.

"But…"

"Please try to understand, will you?" Jaune finally speaks up after the whole ordeal. "You may not be our Ruby, but you still remind us of her. Your looks. Your voice. Your personality. Everything about you reminds us of who she used to be… And what she has become now." He passes by the trio, heading in the same direction as the ginger. "I'm going after Nora."

Of course the sight of her would cause them pain and discomfort. Why didn't she think of that? That's why they left the meeting so abruptly. It's also the reason why Yang came to her cell and…

Ruby looks over to Yang. She still hasn't moved from her spot, blowing out more plumes of smoke. Before Ruby can even have the thought of speaking to her, Sun pats a hand on her shoulder and shakes his head.

"Come on," Blakes says to them. "The Wizard is waiting."

Ruby stays put as the faunuses continue onward, her mind going back to the dream she had earlier. Red's memories. She thinks about the night when this world's Team RWBY destroyed a Mistrian camp filled with grimm, but ended up burning innocent people they didn't know were there. And on that same night, Yang lost her Ruby and Summer. Alot is definitely weighing on her mind.

"Why are you still here? Didn't you hear what Vomit Boy said?" Yang asks with a hint of annoyance in her voice but doesn't bother to turn around. She clenches her fist, making the barrel protrude out. Her aura and hair start to flare up in a threatening, fiery manner. "No one wants to look at you. Beat it. Now."

/-/

"Sorry for the rough welcome you've received," Ozpin apologizes to Ruby while setting a plate of cookies and a glass of milk on the table in front of her. "Ms. Goodwitch only did what was necessary. As for your incident with Ms. XiaoLong, we'll have a sit down with her soon."

Ozpin's workshop —more like an underground lab to be exact— looks like something from a sci-fi movie. Various beeps and hums from the surrounding machines fill the lab and those same glass tubes of flowing yellow dust run along the walls, providing power to the lab equipment and dimly lit lights. Glynda leans against a workstation across from Ruby, arms crossed and watching the young huntress observantly.

Ruby looks between the two mages before looking back to the plate of cookies, a case of deja vu hitting her. A small growl rumbles in her stomach, making her realize that she hasn't eaten or drink since she got here. She sighs, giving in to her hunger and takes a cookie. "So what did you want to talk with me about?" She asks before munching on her cookie.

Ozpin pulls up a chair and sits down at the opposite end of the table. He looks Ruby straight in the eyes, tenderly but with a strong sense of conviction. "Forgive me for being forward, but I want to study you."

Ruby chokes on her cookie, completely caught off guard by this sudden request. She snatches her glass of milk and takes a big gulp or two. "W-What?! You wanna do what?!" Does he wanna dissect me too?!

Ozpin raises his hands. "Please, calm down. I only-"

"That's really why you wanted me to come here?! You wanna cut me open?!" She blurts out without thinking.

What?" Ozpin blinks bewilderedly. "No Ms. Rose. That was never my intention. Where did you even get this assumption?"

"Oh… Uh…" A blush of embarrassment rises in her cheeks after realizing how quick she jumped to conclusions. "W-Well… I just thought… I…." She gives up with a sigh. "Sorry"

Ozpin gives a soft chuckle. "It's quite alright, I don't blame you for being on edge. There's not a single person that isn't these days."

"What is it you want to study about me?"

"Everything, if possible." He answers. "But mostly your eyes."

"M-My eyes? Why?"

"Ms. Rose, you are —for lack of a better word— an exact, identical copy of humanity's greatest threat right now. You, and you only, may hold the secrets to defeating Little Red and end the Dark War."

"I-I… I…" Ruby stutters. "H-How can I do that?! I don't know how to beat her! Or fight her! I saw all the stuff she can do, its-"

"Intimidating. Frightening. I know." Ozpin answers with a subtle sigh. "It felt like you were fighting against a force of nature, didn't it?"

Ruby nods vigorously. "How did she get like that?"

"We don't know," Glynda replies. "It's like she went through a drastic change after being in The Veil for two years."

"The… Veil?" Ruby raises an eyebrow, clearly lost on the name mentioned.

"Oh… Right. You're not aware of this event." Glynda clears her throat before continuing. "It was a gigantic wall of black unnatural fog that erupted near the borders of Anima during the Great War. It quickly spread at an astounding rate, dividing Remnant right down the middle. All of the grimm, every single one of them, rebelled against Mistral and congregated into The Veil. The war was brought to a stand still for two years."

Black fog. Anima. Ruby recalls seeing a black fog in her dream right before she woke up. "What happened? What created it?"

"Little Red," Ozpin answers."It was a speculation at first, but as time passed and the Dark War unraveled, we quickly started connecting the dots. First was the account of Team RWBY, the reminding three members that is. They said their leader, Ruby Rose, got separated from them and was at the center of where the fog originated. They couldn't rescue her due to mass numbers of grimm converging on the area. After the war grinded to a halt, Vale and Atlas devised search and rescue missions to retrieve Mr. Rose from the Veil. But…our attempts bore no fruits. Whenever we enter the Veil, the grimm were always there in droves. Hoards. And the dark was so thick that it made it nearly impossible to navigate."

"But two years later, the Veil dispersed and scattered; frightening shadows swallowing our skies. And there she was, Little Red, presenting an unnerving and bewildering ultimatum to the world. It was like her voice echoed far and wide."

Ruby swallows. "W-What did she say?"

Ozpin's eyes fall to the table for a moment, remembering what Little Red said to the world that fateful day. "She offered us a second chance at life, but we had to be wiped out before it could happen. She urged us to give themselves to her without fuss and she'll collect our souls. And those of us that decide to oppose her, she'd take them by force."

"What did she mean by second chance?"

The Wizard shrugs in response. "That we also don't know. It's not like I can sit down and have a peaceful discussion with her, especially since I'm her priority target."

"What I don't understand is how does she think a second chance will come from genocide?" Glynda states. "She sounds absolutely mad."

"And my decisions don't make me seem mad?"

Glynda pauses.

"Do you remember what Little Red said before she started targeting the Kingdoms? 'I'm sorry for what I'm about to do, but I'm not sorry enough to stop.' That is what she said and…I relate to those words. I have been on this planet for so long that I've learned to make decisions man no would want to make and live with them without regret. I was even willing to send children to fight in a gruesome war… All in an attempt to rid the world of Salem."

"Project Artemis…" Ruby said passively as her talk with Summer came to mind. Both Ozpin and Glynda snap their gaze back to her.

"That is confidential. How do you know about that?" Glynda asks with a slight authority tone, her gaze demanding an answer.

Ruby jumps back in her chair. It hadn't crossed her mind that they might react like this. Would they believe her if she said she found out through a dream she had? She could just tell them that she overheard someone talking about it. No. Lying wouldn't do her any good, not in this situation. The last time she lied, Ironwood turned against her and Atlas fell.

Ruby pulls herself together and answers. "I had a dream not too long ago. I dreamt of the Great War and all the things that happened. I even found out about how Huntsmen were made and that they are sent out to fight. I don't know how to explain it, but It felt like I was living through Red's memories. Like I was living parts of her life."

The mages exchange raised eyebrows with each other before Ozpin speaks, his intrigue in Ruby growing even more. "Experiencing Red's memories through dreams. Interesting. Hm, I wonder…"

"May I ask a question?" Ruby asks. "Why don't you regret making huntsmen? You…made child soldiers."

The moment she asks the question, his intrigue slowly shifts to a look that is set and grim. "Because…it produced results. Huntsmen were, in fact, my greatest accident. An accident that showed benefit and helped us push forward in the war. They are strong enough to fight the creatures of grimm. Resistant against magic. Harness aura to enhance and protect themselves. And each one of them develops their own latent power, making them unique from each other. How can I not exploit that? And as for the children, I was well aware of what I was doing. I knew I would be taking away their childhoods, but I had to make a choice. Train them up to help end the war, or let Salem win and no one can have a normal life."

He continues. "When you vow to be the hero that the world desperately needs, you'll learn that some decisions don't come without a sacrifice. There are times you will make mistakes, but you can't hold on to regret, you have to learn and fix those mistakes. And judging by the look in your eyes, you have some regrets."

"Well… I uh…" Ruby struggles to think of what to say. She knows she can't hide it. "W-What if we can't fix our mistakes?"

"That may be true in some cases. But for me, there is no such thing as can't. Not while I'm alive."

"Are you…immortal too? You said that you've been alive for so long. My Ozpin is the same way. The gods gave him immortality through reincarnation, so that he can stop Salem. Are you the same way?"

The wizard raises an eyebrow. "Hm. reincarnation. How does that work out for him?"

"Uh.. Well, after he dies he enters someone else's body and coexists with them. Eventually he and the other person become one. Uh.. with Ozpin being the one in control."

"I see. So basically a rogue soul that eventually takes over their host. Sounds like your gods created quite a dilemma for him and his host."

Ruby reflects back to Oscar. "When you say it like that, yeah… they did."

"To answer your question, I am immortal. But I've achieved it through my efforts, not from the gods." With that being said, he stands up from chair, using his cane as leverage to push himself up, and places his hand on the chest of his robe. He looks back at Glynda for a moment and reveals his chest, just enough for Ruby to see a glowing, emerald green crystal embedded deep in his chest.

Ruby's jaw drops and her eyes widen at the sight. Aura swirls within the crystal and glowing green veins spread out from his chest to the rest of his body. What…is that thing? Is it Dust?

"This, Ms. Rose, is proof of my resolve to win the war against Salem. This specially made Dust crystal is infused with my soul and it links me to the Auric Flow. It stops my aging and lets me reach deeper into the Flow with my magic, to an extent. But…there are some downsides." He said that last part with a tired sigh as he covers his chest back up. He locks eye contact with her, determination and conviction still present in his eyes. "Ms. Rose, the world can't go through another war. I ask you to please let me study your eyes. Help me save humanity."

His pleading gets to Ruby. He truly believes that she's the key to beating Little Red. Maybe she is. She ponders for a moment. How much help would she even be? She knows next to nothing about her silver eyes, only what Maria told her and what she had experienced. Summer said that he and the other sorcerers were studying silver eyes before, maybe they know more than her.

Actually, if Little Red's eyes are the reason why she's this powerful, is the same thing possible for her?

"Okay," she finally gives her answer. "But may I ask for two things in return?"

Ozpin relaxes and smiles warmly, exceedingly glad that she agreed to comply. "Speak your mind."

"Help me get back home. And I would like to see what you guys found out about silver eyes."

/-/

Hope ya'll enjoyed the chapters! As for real life events, I'm currently in the process of transitioning out of Active Duty and into Army Reserves. Once that is over and I've settled into civilian life, I'll have alot more free time to write and post more chapter.

Anyway, take care and have a bless day or night!