Upon their return Sun and Weiss were quickly filled in on the plan, a task taken care of by both Ghira and Kali, and as I suspected they weren't too thrilled with my little idea. However unlike Blake Neither of the two were hit all that hard by the news.
"It's irresponsible, but then again so were all our decisions from back at Beacon."
Weiss had commented, only to be followed up quickly by Sun.
"Kind of scummy though. Are you sure this is the only way?"
I had quickly let him know that if he had a better idea then he was free to suggest it. He gave no response, which only strengthened my fixation on the plan; something that I honestly wasn't too thrilled about. A small part of me had hoped one of them might have had a different approach in mind, but it seemed I was out of luck.
I gripped at my head, and quickly I could feel the headache begin. I brushed the mild throbbing aside, and instead set my sights on the current objective I had in mind, which was checking up on Blake.
A quick trip around the manor proved futile as she was nowhere to be seen, and as the frustration at her disappearance started to rise a sudden idea rushed into view. With a mild pace, one filled with as much apprehension as determination, I made my way to the outside.
Unlike before I did not adhere to the shrubs or trees or outskirts, and instead set my path through the streets. A few citizens sent looks my way, however they were less of curiosity and more acknowledgement of my presence. The people had grown used to me, and the truth of what I had planned for many lay hidden behind a mask of calm as I returned a few nods directed my way.
The people lived simple and at points relaxing lives, oblivious of the atrocities their local organization had wrought across the mainland. The White Fang was fueled by a mix of crime and donations, and those gifts of charity were directly sent from the innocent people of Menagerie. It would be safe to assume many of the local families had relatives in the group, and I wondered if I'd be speaking with the entirety of the island for my little scheme. I pitied them, as their world was about to come crashing down.
My trailing took me from the crowds and noise of the huddled streets, and the encroaching wilderness soon made up all I could see. I continued along the path, as I knew exactly where it would take me. The dirt shifted, and with each step I took in the scent of varied plant life which dotted the rough road. Soon enough I found my destination, and I came to a stop.
I hid the sting of pain behind my eyes as I gazed out to the figure kneeled before the grave.
Blake remained still, and yet I could see her form rise and fall ever so softly. Her breathing wasn't laboured, and there was no stutter or stiffness in her subtle motions. I assumed she must have managed to calm down, and with that assumption I stepped forward and carefully made for her.
"I can hear you." Her voice was soft, however there was an underlying sadness. I expected some sort of hostility, but there was none, and in all honesty it caught me a little off guard.
I stilled, and I heard her let out a gentle sigh.
"You can come over." She stood and turned to face me, and it was then I saw the fatigue engrained in her features. "You want to talk, right?"
"Yes." Her call was spot on, and I wondered if she had assumed as much all this time. "You're much calmer than before."
"I've had time to think." Her eyes dulled. "And no matter how I spin things I just can't shake the feeling that this is all wrong."
"I understand, trust me on that."
"You make it so, so hard to do that though." Her lips tensed for a second, however it dissipated as soon as it came, and she turned back to the grave. "It always looks like I might finally understand you, the real you, and then you do something like this." She softly dropped to the ground, arms lifeless at her sides as her head looked about to fall. "At this point I'm wondering if I'll ever make sense of you."
"Sorry." Her words hit deep, and yet still I kept my emotions at bay. "I don't try to be like this, honest."
"Then why? Why are you always so okay with it; making these cruel decisions I mean." Her head flicked back to me, and her face was shadowed beneath her raven locks, with only the mild breeze to push away her curtains and reveal the worry reflected in her eyes. "You always default to throwing things in the line of fire, with courting danger. Is it really so much for you to see anything beyond destruction?"
"Destruction breeds change." I took to her side, lowering down carefully as I sat next to her, with my own eyes locked on the grave. "When I was growing up there were very little instances where a good choice was visible, and I'd always been taught that every choice had a price to be paid; that every action had consequences."
"But does every choice always involve putting others in danger, or everything at risk?" Blake's voice held no ire, instead littered with sprinkles of regret. I looked to her and saw how the orbs glistened from the feint strands of light piercing through the gaps in her hair.
I eased my tone, and allowed a small inkling of feeling to meld with my words. "No, but I know that sometimes the right choice isn't always the best one. There were times I made a call that saved lives in the moment, only for the threat to grow afterwards and cause everything to fall apart. I've been trained to treat every scenario or event like this, and to make decisions based not only on what I can protect in the moment, but also down the line."
Blake was silent for a moment before her voice pierced my ears ever so quietly, like a lovers whisper from the end of their days. "But are you okay with that?"
I remained quiet for a moment, trying to think about what to say. I knew why I did what I did, and I had known just how badly things could go if decisions were made on morality and emotion alone. I knew full well that making difficult decisions was an inevitability, and that at points it was necessary to break past the confines of right and wrong for the greater good. There were times you had to dirty your hands to protect what was most important.
And yet I could not lie.
"No." I allowed my body to slump, and I could almost physically feel my energy drain through the words. "I hate it. I hate having to choose who lives and dies. No matter the reason I still sometimes see their faces; the looks of pain, rage, and betrayal as I sent them to their graves, or abandoned them to die. In the end I prevented worse outcomes, but I'll forever loath the extents I've had to go to achieve those ends."
Blake was silent, and yet I cared not to check her reaction, instead failing to halt the flow of guilt wrapping itself around me; a twisted web of concentrated blame.
"I've abandoned men to protect those valued more; I've lead others into traps to interrogate them for information; I've even executed those deemed by the law to be guilty." My time as a knight of the queen had granted me responsibilities and decisions no man should ever have, and given me choices none had the right to make. "How do you look into the eyes of those you murdered, just to stop the spread of disease? How do you listen to people cheer your name when you've burned their brothers and sisters moments before?" I felt a particular blade of shame pierce through my throat. "They deemed me a hero after everything I did, even when they knew full well the suffering I caused."
As the words spilled out the guilt eased, and I found each admission came smoother. For reasons I could not fathom I found the regret fade, and soon enough an apathy took it's place as I managed to take control of myself once again.
"I apologise, it wasn't my intent to drop that all on you."
"Don't worry about it." Blake's voice was calmer. "But it does put things into perspective at least. I can... somewhat understand how you do things. And while it doesn't justify those choices, well..." She paused for a moment, and I finally took notice of the look she wore; an odd mix of calm and a dash of what looked like empathy. "Conditioning can do plenty of harm when left unchecked, believe me when I say I have some experience in the matter."
"I'll trust you on it." With her being an ex-member of the Fang I never doubted for a second they may have instilled some of their insensibilities in her head. "You seem oddly relaxed. To tell the truth I was expecting more, especially after that little tangent."
"The past is the past, and as bad as it can be we can't change it." Her features eased. "And I know that whatever happened back then when you made those decisions isn't what drives you now."
"How can you be so sure of that?" I questioned, and a small smile crossed her lips.
"Because I've watched you change, we all have." Her eyes trailed back to the headstone, and strangely enough so did mine. "When I first met you back at the docks you had this... 'flame' around you. It was like you had a goal, and would do anything to see it through. You looked willing to force yourself through as many obstacles and people as it took, and were willing to throw everything on the line to keep going."
"I'm still like that you know." I commented, and to my surprise she let out a small chirpy hum.
"You think you are, and yet you offered Sun the opportunity to find a better solution back at the house. You were willing to hear another way if we could find one, and I believe you would have went along with it too."
I couldn't really deny that. In truth I liked my idea just as much as everyone else had, but it was the only thing I could think of at the moment, and even now I was stumped on possible other solutions.
"How do you know that?" I asked, only to see a small twinkle in her eyes as she held up her scroll.
"Global communications may be down, but local calls still work, barring we're in range of one another anyway."
"So he told you." I let out as she leaned back.
"Yeah, both him and Weiss actually." Her eyes looked to lose focus. "I think they were hoping I'd come up with something before you arrived, of course that would require time, but we don't have that luxury, do we? So like it or not we'll just have to see it through." Blake's eyes met mine, and I saw her lips quiver for just a second. "You'll protect them though, if things go badly right?"
"With every fibre of my soul." I meant it too. This whole mess we were about to walk into was my decision, and as such my responsibility. The lives of the innocent, the ones I would hold before the jaws of death, would count on me to keep them alive. Everything was on my shoulders, and so long as I drew breath I would fight.
Her expression finally eased completely, and I saw her shoulders relax. "Good, I'm glad to hear it. It might sound childish but hearing you say that so seriously clears away a few of my doubts." She stood, and reached her hand down. "Now come on, let's get back home. I'm sure the others are waiting for us.
"Right." I took it in my own, and once on my feet we set off.
.
.
Her vision returned, and Ruby was finally able to see once more, and the sight was awe inducing.
Before her were hundreds of people, all of them taking on an almost translucent appearance. The sky held a bright golden hue, with clouds of silver weaved in amber webs which stained the brilliant light. A jagged cityscape almost seemed to be sprouting to the heavens above, and upon closer inspection she saw how roads looked to climb both walls and ceilings alike. People trotted along those roads with seemingly no regards for gravity.
The citizens were like phantoms, and moved along paying neither Pebble nor her any mind.
"In all my days..." Duster's voice drifted from behind, and Ruby knew then that the others had followed her through.
"This is... certainly a sight." For once Gasket had no snarky or petty irritation in his voice, flowing with nothing but pure curiosity.
"Huh." Ruby felt Prim's hand clasp over her shoulder, eyes locked on the city ahead. "Whelp, it's official: never doubting the little sprout ever again."
Speaking of, Ruby allowed her vision to escape the clutches of the fantastical sight as it fell over Pebble. The boy looked stunned, and yet he held a sense of fear and confusion within his expression. She wanted to ask him, to have him point out what it was that caused such a reaction, and yet instead her own vision locked onto his eyes. He looked off into the distance, staring seemingly onto something far out, and instead of ask Ruby decided it best to keep moving.
She took several steps forward, and with the citizens ignoring her was able to experience another odd sensation. The people as they went about their unknown business merely passed through her. Her movement stopped, and standing still for a bit she was able to take in new information as the people continued to walk through her as if she were nothing more than a light fog. For some reason they could not touch her.
Instantly the experienced woman's mind was racing as she thought about the possible reasons for such. The first thing to come to mind was an illusion based semblance, as many times before that was usually the case. However if illusions were responsible for the scene ahead it caused her to wonder just how powerful and potent the apparent owner's semblance really was.
"It's like they're not even real." Prim let out with an essence of caution lathering her words.
"They might not be." Ruby spoke up, only to get a cautious look from the three, with Prim being the one to break the silence.
"What are you thinking?" She asked, getting nothing but silence in return. Instead of speaking Ruby reached out, allowing her hand to phase through several who were passing by, before pulling it back in and observing her palm.
"You know of illusion based semblances?" She asked, and Prim's expression took on one of doubt.
"Yeah, but none have ever been powerful enough for what you're probably implying right now."
Ruby hummed with a mild look of caution. "You'd be surprised. While it's not entirely common it is indeed possible, however most instances of such are displayed from those who hone their skills and Aura for years, and sometimes even lifetimes."
"Right..." Prim still held her look.
"You don't believe me, do you?" Ruby tried, to which Prim set her sights ahead.
"No, but I don't entirely doubt you either." She walked forwards and stood next to Ruby as the two stared out into the scene ahead. "I've seen enough to know that sometimes life can be just as wild and extreme as that of childish fantasy, and with just how much I've experienced in my short time it would be stupid to rule out your guess entirely."
"Well then, any particular thoughts on what we do next?" Ruby asked as Prim allowed a small smirk to creep along her lips.
"Nobody's ever succeeded by just standing around. Right or wrong our only choice is to continue on and hope good fortune awaits. After all..." Prim's smirk was outright devious as her eyes burned with desire. "A good pirate's always ready for a boarding."
"Then let's see what treasures await." Ruby spoke as both took to the unknown.
.
.
Pebble gripped tightly to Ruby, even as they walked along.
The others were talking, but he couldn't hear any of it as his mind was preoccupied. Before him stood a wild sight, of twisted land and winding roads. Ghosts looked to move aimlessly as they almost melded together. The boy once feared the very concept of undead spirits, but after time grew to see it as impossible like most others believed.
He didn't have time to focus on that though, as he was horrified by something else.
All of the Aura that he'd been watching and pointing too; the trail they'd been following; it glowed off of everything before them. Aura was the essence of the spirit, of the soul, and to see that even the buildings and clouds and roads had it was not only concerning, but also highlighted another aspect. All the ghosts, just like Prim and the others...
They were all Aura-less.
All save one who slowly approached.
Author's note
...
Here we go again.
Another chapter, another set of questions. Once again we get V having to clean up his own mess, only this time Blake had a few words to say. Despite the sour mood apparently she can calm down and think straight; which sadly can't be said for most in RWBY, but that's besides the point.
Future Ruby has also found herself in another wacky adventure, only Pebble seems to be catching onto something; wonder what it could be.
Upload is on time again, a trait I hope to keep going for as long as possible, especially as we approach the upcoming events.
That's all this time, so feel free to share your thoughts.
Until next chapter.