Or was it?
He was not so sure anymore.
"Hi!"
It was her again. That charming voice, clear like a bell, smiling. That single word was brighter than a Citydweller's entire discourse. The shattered moon of Remnant. The gleam of innocence in a child's eye.
She had the wisest voice in the world.
"You'll make me blush, Yan."
Yes… yes, that was his name.
"I just wanted to check in. If you don't mind, I noticed you were having some doubts. Is it okay if I help you try and assuage some of them?"
Go right ahead.
"If you don't leave Remnant, you're probably never going to hear the voice of the Prescripts ever again. They don't exist here. If they did, we probably wouldn't be having this conversation. Does that factor?"
Something inside him twitched with discomfort. Something deeper was relieved. And something deeper still wanted to cry, long and out loud. If there was no path to guide him… was he glad to be free of the pricking thorns? Or despondent and lost, with nowhere to go? Or was it…
"I'll leave you to think on it, then. You don't have to decide right now. You don't have to decide ever, really. Humans can be indecisive!"
Thank you.
"Humans can be a lot of things, honestly. Violent. Short-sighted. And above all, humans will only love themselves, no matter who or where they are. You know this better than anyone. Trying to help the selfish will only leave you miserable, and haven't you been miserable enough for a lifetime?"
He remembered Ruby. Her kindness and optimism, her unrelenting desire to do good. She was young, naive, perhaps not as wise as the voice. But she had an innate willfulness to stand tall and be a beacon, shining across the people. Even for those that did not deserve it.
Maybe wisdom wasn't what was necessary here. Maybe he could have faith again.
"It will be difficult to press onward, given your burdens. You will have to walk through the field of thorns with your own two feet. You have the talent, but do you have the will?"
He remembered Nora. Her brashness and enthusiasm, even though she'd never had any reason for them. Her misery, all her despair, and hardships she'd taken in boastful stride. Sparkling eyes and passion for life. A fearlessness towards what life would throw at her.
If she held within her the strength enough to hold on, to stay tough… maybe he could too.
"No human is an island in and of themself. A lone tree cannot make up a forest on its own. And a conductor without choir cannot form an ensemble. What could you possibly accomplish all on your lonesome?"
He remembered Ren. His quiet resolve and rationality. He'd found a home, built a family out of those around him, even after they'd died. And through it all, found peace and drive. A place among the ever-turning gears of the world which he maintained with due discretion.
He'd once thought it impossible. But maybe, with diligence and time, a peaceful conclusion could await him, after all.
"Hope is a fragile, hopeless thing. This sword of volition is heavy and slick. You failed to hold on once before; it will not get any easier. And make no mistake: it is a burden, not a blessing. Would it not be best if you left it sheathed?"
He remembered Jaune. Pyrrha, his partner, appeared beside him. Someone with greater talent, more skilled, better trained, of higher character. Someone who'd died a futile death. Proof that all of his efforts would be—had to be—utterly futile. For what could he do in comparison? What, with his infinitely smaller competence? Like a child measuring up to their idol? And she'd died.
Despite knowing the full truth of the matter… he pressed on anyway. Honed his skills. Fought against expectation. Fought in general. He may have been able to trounce Jaune utterly in any kind of combat, both before and now, but the boy was clearly stronger than him where it mattered. His fight to better himself, and his hope that it was even possible.
And maybe. Just maybe. Even if he knew that the sword of volition would slip from his grasp one day, that all his efforts would come to naught, that the field of thorns would leave him torn and broken, that humans would be cruel cruel cruel always cruel…
Maybe he could have hope again.
A gentle chuckle, like the sound of light windchimes. A tinkling rain that washed away smoke.
"A dozen maybes. Yet your certainty is unquestionable. I thought you had found your truest self, one with who you were meant to be. But everybody makes mistakes. And circumstances change. Well, then?"
Her acceptance was merely a formality at this point. He'd made up his mind.
"I know you haven't come to a full conclusion yet. So whenever you'd like, we can talk again. So don't worry about it."
He might just take her up on that.
"Good luck, Yan!"
Somehow, he could tell that she meant it. And he did appreciate the thought. He'd need it.
His hands reached out, found the handle of his sword. The Distorted Blade. And pulled.
…The voice was not wrong. The Sword of Volition was heavy, coated in his baleful ink. The densest thing he had ever attempted to lift. Choosing to choose was perhaps the most difficult task the City had to offer. Particularly for one such as himself. It would take all of his energy, leaving him breathless and exhausted. A full commitment. One misstep, and it would fall yet again.
Yet if he succeeded for even a single moment, he might have the energy to do it the next. And the next. And so on, until perhaps he might even be able to stand on his own two feet, and hold that impossibly weighty blade aloft. He might be able to keep his volition after all, without being drowned out by the chorus of humanity. The idea, the power to choose his fate was a heady one. He didn't have to rely on the Will of the City, the Will of the Prescript.
He strained to lift that sword long into the night.
When Jaune said that their terrifying typewriter person had vanished into the woods overnight, Ruby wasn't sure what to think, exactly. The part of her that sought to protect, the guardian, was worried, since if they'd gone off on their own, there'd be no one looking after their back for the Grimm. And if their talk had been any indication, they'd be drawing a lot of Grimm, with all the negative emotions they'd had bottled up. Their hands looked pretty big, and Ruby got the sense that they were even more dangerous than they looked, but… she still couldn't help but be worried.
The part of her that fought for justice… thought that maybe, they might deserve it.
Ugh, this was all kinda confusing.
In the end, that part that was worried won out. She told the rest of team JN_R that she was gonna go out and look for their temporary travel companion. Nora, surprisingly, ended up going with her, leaving Jaune and Ren to pack up camp. Ruby had thought that the two of them hadn't gotten along, based on how little Nora wanted to talk about them after the first day or so.
Nora agreed, saying that Inky had really gotten under her skin with all his talk of Prescripts and wills. Still, it wasn't as if she wanted them to get themselves killed, y'know? Ruby could agree with that.
Thankfully, it didn't take long. The white colors of their cloak and 'hair', even diluted with black ink, stood out in this forest of brown and greenery. The pair found their wayward companion by the side of the main road.
"Is that…?"
They looked a little different.
Real hair coated their hair now, with a high side ponytail instead of the filthy ink-stained cloth there was before. It was a clean white, too, the color of a blank sheet of paper, with only a couple locks of black for contrast. Their chest still contained those faintly-glowing cyan heartstrings, but it was on a human frame now, peeking out between the folds of a simple black suit. Their previously characteristic ink stains were now contained to their fancy white cloak with the gold clasp, as well as their sword.
Said weapon was clutched in their lap with both hands, crossing over their legs in their sitting position. A truly massive broadsword, almost as long as Ruby was tall. Like Uncle Qrow's, or Yatsuhashi's. The lock that had previously taken the place of their face was positioned on the base, keeping the chains wrapped around the blade secure.
Speaking of their face, though… that was by far the greatest change. It was actually, like, a human face. Pale, eyes with long eyelashes…Ruby could call it delicate, feminine, and found it difficult to put a gender to them. …Not that, uh, they, like, had to have one or anything! But, uh…yeah.
Their eyes were closed, and for a fleeting moment she thought they might have fallen asleep out here. But then, sensing their approach without opening their eyes, Inky gently rose to their feet, planting their sword in the earth to the side and turning to face the pair, an uncomfortable expression dotting their face.
Nora was the first of them to speak. "...Inky?"
A light nod.
A stretched moment of silence, so taut that Ruby worried someone might snap.
"Well screw me down and pry me up. You're cute as a button!"
Count on Nora to break the tension. The unexpected comment caught everyone by surprise. While 'Inky' didn't open their eyes, their raised eyebrows and slight quirk of their lips showed that they didn't mind. So Ruby felt free to smile right along with them.
"Thank you," they said. A young male voice, though higher and lighter than average. "I apologize for all the hassle, the past few nights… I've been impolite."
Ruby could read his expression so much more easily now that he had an actual face to put to the voice, with no typewriter filter anymore. And she could tell that he actually was sincere about it.
"It's okay for me," she replied, trying to think what Mom would say here. "I think that you've been hurt much more than I have."
Nora, too, replied, "Yeah, it's fine… though you should probably give this apology to the boys, too."
"I plan on it," 'Inky' said. "...I also thought over what you said to me. Both of you. All of you.
"You made good points. I think I've been presumptuous…to apply my way of thought to yours'. I'd like to see where it leads, if you'll still allow me to follow."
Ruby blinked, trying to understand what he was asking.
Didn't he already ask this, earlier? Didn't they already agree that he could come with them?
"I thought we already said we'd try to help you get back to your City?"
He shook his head, then responded. "Even if you fail, or it turns out to be impossible… you have been a breath of fresh air. And your world is beautiful. I want to see where you end up, in this brighter place."
That was, uh, kinda weird, honestly. But Ruby was okay with it, she guessed. If they wanted friends, all they had to do was say so, honestly.
"What about you, though?" Nora cut in. "What're you gonna do?"
He smiled, and Ruby thought she might've detected a hint of sadness in it. "I'm going to walk the road in front of me. And I'll see where it takes me. Again, if you'll have me."
Ruby wanted to talk it over with her friends, see if they had any objections too. But she was inclined to say yes. And she was pretty sure they would too. Inky seemed like a good person, freed from bad circumstances. Even if they part-timed as a weird typewriter monster, she still wanted to help him. All of Team JN_R were good people.
People, humans, whatever. They were the same everywhere, she figured. They all could use some help from time to time.
"We'll talk it over with the boys," Ruby eventually said. "But yeah, probably! Welcome aboard, again, I guess!"
"In that case, I should probably introduce myself properly. Nora. Ruby."
The Citydweller raised his sword and slung it over his back, then marched over to them, raising a metal-clad hand. A handshake.
It felt like the start of something magical.
"It's been a pleasure to know you. My name is Yan."
A/N: It's been more than a year. But this is finally complete.…Wow, my first complete fic. I did not expect it to take this long to write less than 17k words. But here we are.
One final thank you to The Alt-Center for beta-ing this fic. Additional thanks to dark Nebby and lightning0B for letting me ramble on about my Library of Ruina and RWBY ideas at them, as well as teaching me to mod LoR. Even more additional thanks to thenew, Lepidoptera, and Naron for leading the way in the PM fanfic/Quest scene. And of course, thanks to all of you for reading. There's not a lot of you, but everyone who did show up, I greatly appreciate. If you've got any questions, I'd be glad to answer them.
One more note. While the story of Sword of Volition is concluded, Yan and RNJR's story actually continues in KaliQuest! (forums . sufficientvelocity threads/kaliquest-project-moon-rwby.107039 (Ugh, I hate FFN. Just look it up.)) I… honestly suspect that most of y'all already knew or figured it out, but if you didn't, well, now you know. If you haven't, be warned that KaliQuest is very much, uh, Kali-centric. Very different tone; much more 'bash and slash' than 'emotionally dead typewriter person'. Still, if you enjoy RWBY/Library of Ruina stories, it may be your jam.
Once again, thank you all for reading. Hope to see you on the other fic!