We didn't get long to wonder about where the explosion came from as Adam immediately went back on the attack, although much more guarded this time.

"What's wrong?" I heard Blake taunt, which still sounded weird coming from the girl. "Your plan not holding up?"

He was getting sloppy, and Blake's prying certainly wasn't helping his focus. I wondered just why she had the sudden change of attitude towards everything, and I could see Adam held that same question. Only moments before Blake didn't want to fight, and now it seemed she was actively goading him into battle.

Adam himself seemed to snap a bit.

"The plan can burn to ashes for all I care!" He blocked another volley of spectral blades curtesy of Weiss.

"Then what do you care about?!" Blake shouted back as she rushed in and traded blows with him. I backed away to try and find a good angle for attack as they flurried. "All you've done is attack and attack. If it isn't a war you want then why fight so hard against the kingdoms?!"

"There's no point-" He blocked a low swipe from her and countered with a kick, which Blake had no trouble leaping back from as she hopped back in. "In explaining!"

"You used to tell me everything!" Blake locked blades with him. "Why clam up now?! Nothing to rant about; no grand speeches or reasoning?!"

"Information is for loyalists." He forced her away with a particularly heavy slash. Blake skidded back some distance as she repositioned herself. "Not treacherous children such as yourselves." Adam had calmed down somewhat. His next words were much more calculated as a result. "But don't misunderstand, I don't hate either you or Vermillion. In actuality I'm rather glad the two of you betrayed me."

"What?" Blake offered, which was an... appropriate response as I wondered the same. "Wait, why?"

He chuckled, which seemed to blow the wind from Blake's sails even further. "You two leaving has, well, let's just say it's opened my eyes a bit. I've realized a few things because of it, and for that I feel a sense of gratitude towards you two. You've helped me set sights on what really matters."

"Like Weiss?" I called out, which paused him for a moment. He was strangely insistent on having her, to the point of keeping her alive when she was held by the White Fang. "You could have killed her, but even now you're holding back." I readied myself again. "Don't think I haven't noticed how you've been limiting yourself since she joined the battle. Why? What's making you so insistent on having her?"

"That's private information, although you're not entirely wrong on the former. I've done my best to not be too punishing on you, but my reasoning is my own, and it has little to do with everything that has been going on." He grunted and lowered his stance. "Unlike you all I've had the misfortune of witnessing the truth of things. There is a war waging right beneath everyone's noses, and unlike you I have no intention to lose it."

"You just said you weren't going to war." Blake countered as a hint of fear slipped into her tone.

"I said war wasn't my reason for fighting, however this war is something we're all participants in. Like it or no we've all been drafted, and I have no intention of allowing the Faunus to perish from it; Humanities hatred be damned." He glowed again as everything looked to darken, much like the last time.

We all braced ourselves for the coming slash, and what a slash it was. Unlike the other waves of crimson he sent with his semblance this one was of a particularly massive size, like a tide of fire washing over everything in it's path. The air hissed with pain as the force tore it's way towards us, and I could tell it wasn't going down easy. I was sure Weiss and Blake would at least survive the attack, as Adam wouldn't risk killing the former.

My own well being however was a different story.

My armor wouldn't save me from it, and most likely I'd find myself split in two pieces. If what my other self said in the dream was true then I wouldn't really die per say, however I wasn't keen on losing my body again. With a quick look to Weiss I saw her move. She was about to summon another glyph, which would at least shield some of the damage.

The space ahead ripped open, and the death wave crashed into it. It was a portal, and as the death wave collided with the anomaly it seemingly vanished, which left two specks of power on the ends which flew beyond the portal; although those too faded with their center of power seemingly vaporized.

"What?!" Called Adam in shock.

"Huh?!" Repeated the other two beside me, as I hadn't the chance to even speak before I was passed by a fast moving object.

Said object proved to be Qrow who slammed his sword into the dirt to stop the momentum.

"Yes, not too late!" He called in a seeming bout of self celebration, only for our confusion to double as Raven stepped from the portal with a strange looking lantern; and a frizzled appearance.

"Hello brother." She stated, appearing to ignore him as she stepped from the portal before it shut behind her. "You're still lively. What are you smiling about?"

"Nothing." He responded, however I could see some sweat coating his face, and the way in which his breathing left it's rapid pace told had me skeptical.

"What... what is this?!" Adam however wasn't so happy. He spoke with bladed ire as the two faced him.

"Oh, Taurus... so that's what it was." Raven sounded... disappointed in a way. "Strange. I thought they would have dealt with you by now." She looked to Qrow. "Slipping now brother?"

"Hey, how about you try moving and calming up to a hundred people before hand." It was a complaint, but for some reason it didn't sound all that angry. "But hey, got here in just the nick of time. Redhead doesn't stand a chance now that I'm here."

"Don't get so full of yourself." Adam called out which pulled the focus back to him. "You've just caught me at the wrong time."

"We stopped your blast, didn't we?" Qrow countered, and Adam scoffed.

"A spot of rotten luck, nothing more."

"Your welcome." Qrow returned, settling into a flexible position. "Now, are we going to finish this or what?"

Before Adam could say anything Weiss spoke up. "Give it up, we've got you outnumbered."

He stood there, but I could see the subtle movements of his head, showing that he was scanning the area. He loosened his form, sheathed his blade as he took a low stance, and then finally shot off.

"Wait don't run!" Blake called as she made to chase after him, however I quickly put a stop to that as I took her arm. She looked back with a tense look, and I shook my head. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." I offered. "He's giving up for now."

"We could have still probably caught him."

"We're nearly depleted of energy, and we still have to head through the school yet." I let her arm go. "We need to conserve our energy if we want a chance against Merlot. We can deal with Adam another time."

Blake looked to think it over for a bit, and after a few moments of silence her shoulders dropped. "Alright, I..." She sighed. "I just hope he won't cause any more trouble, at least not on a scale as big as this."

I nodded and turned to Raven, my eyes quickly finding interest in the thing she held. "What's that?"

She held it up. "Say hello to the relic of knowledge."

Weiss walked over as she observed it. "It's... a lamp."

Qrow stood, his form a little tense as he cringed. "Not just any lamp princess. This here is the most dangerous lamp on Remnant." He walked over and held his hand out, to which Raven gave it to him and he held it with a little apprehension. "This baby here is the reason Cinder attacked this place."

"Cinder was here?!" I gripped my blade, only for Qrow to raise a hand.

"Easy there. Yes, she was here. Raven told me about it before, and considering Raven is standing with us and Cinder isn't I'm guessing it's safe to assume she's not going to be a problem anymore." He looked to the mask-less woman, who seemed oddly similar to Yang now that I focused. "That about right?"

"Dead and done." She confirmed with a cross of her arms. "She was weak, and tried challenging me. Not the wisest move for someone in her position. I expected her to be smarter than that, but I suppose life is just full of surprises."

"Okay..." Blake spoke, and with a look of curiosity she focused on the lamp. "So what exactly does it do? I'm guessing it has something to do with information in a sense, at least if the name is anything to go by."

"Right on the money." Qrow said as his look mellowed. "The relic here is able to tell you anything you want to know, even information that nobody knows. Think of all the mysteries the world holds; if it existed the lamp can answer any questions regarding it."

Weiss's face darkened. "That's... disturbing. All the secrets of the world, right at your fingertips... Merlot..." She looked Qrow in the eyes, her own covered in suspicion. "Is it possible for the lamp to reveal information which certain people might not be prepared to handle; mysteries that could drive people insane?"

"Yep." He warned. "Information is dangerous; remember that when you go looking. Plenty of people have lost themselves to forbidden knowledge before, and even taken their lives because of what it brings. Search all you want, but keep in mind that some secrets are hidden for a reason, and that reason can destroy you."

"We need to be careful then." Blake told with a low voice. "It only takes the wrong question and we might get more than we bargained for."

"No worries about that." Qrow said as he hooked the lamp to his belt. "Because we won't be using it anyway."

"We're not?" Weiss asked with squinted eyes. Qrow crossed his arms and nodded.

"We were here to stop the Fang remember, and to meet my contact. Using the relic was never part of the equation. Besides, we don't need to use it anyway. Let's take a second to think here; do we even have a question we need answered?" He told, and Blake popped up.

"Adam-"

"Will show himself eventually, you don't have to worry; especially with how obsessed he is with Weiss of all people." Qrow interrupted. "We know he's not planning a war either, so there's no real rush right yet. He's lost his allies, and his plans for Haven have fallen apart. I personally count this as a win, don't you?"

"I... I guess." Blake sounded unsure. "But I'm still worried he'll attack again, he's stubborn like that."

A hand softly rested on Blake. "And we'll be ready." Weiss sent a calm look to the cat Faunus. "Whatever he has planned, we'll deal with it later."

"And the war?" Blake countered. "He said there was a war already going on, one that we were all a part of. Just what did he mean?"

Qrow sighed. "Look, we'll figure it out later. For now let's just drop it. No use getting worked up without all of the facts."

"I..." Blake sighed. "You're right. Okay, I guess it won't hurt to let it rest for now."

"See, learning already." Qrow spoke with a smile. "Now if only the rest of you would catch on, instead of jumping into things and getting surprised."

"EH! THE FUCK?!" A voice shot through the air, one that I recognised on the spot, considering how Raven was a near perfect clone of her; albeit a bit angrier. "V?!"

Qrow sighed. "And there they finally are. The troup's all here." He looked to Yang, and as my eyes settled they rested on one particular member of the group; the remarkably pale woman who marched towards me. Even with her jarring shift in appearance I knew instantly who she was.

Pyrrha.

.

.

Ruby was - understandably - confounded with the sight of their dead friend, and a little worried as well. With Merlot's experiments it caused her to immediately think the V she saw in front of them was one of the madman's experiments; a clone like in most sci-fi movies she watched with her dad and Yang when they were kids. However uncle Qrow was there, not fighting with him at all, and that had been what obstructed her near immediate need to rush ahead.

Ruby was about to call out, however her sister's sudden scream had her ears ringing a little too much to appropriately respond. She lifted her hands away from her head, hoping that Yang wouldn't have another sudden outburst any time soon, and instead focused on everyone seemingly waiting ahead.

For the most part the courtyard looked to be empty, meaning that the White Fang from before had been taken care of - either that or they ran away. However the second option made little sense to the girl as her uncle was just ahead, and the chances of him letting anyone escape without a serious beating were about as likely as Yang cutting her hair; escentially zero. Ruby instead readied herself to greet her 'very much alive' friend with a hug, and to deliver uncle Qrow the news of their victory, but that didn't go anywhere either.

Pyrrha had stolen everyone's focus, and as her trembling hands graced V's cheek Ruby couldn't find the will to brazenly interrupt.

"You... are you... real?" Her hands traced over each and every feature, as if to check whether her eyes were lying to her. The look of disbelief on Pyrrha's face would have been heartwarming in Ruby's opinion, had it not been filled with so much sadness.

Something about it, it just rubbed her wrong, and Ruby couldn't quite tell why. The way Pyrrha looked at him, it reminded her of Yang whenever she looked at the little red sled in their garage. Although she couldn't pin an emotion to the clearly upset expression Ruby could see clear as day that Pyrrha had a hard time processing everything.

V did not speak, not immediately anyway. His hand instead covered Pyrrha's, and for a second remained as if locked in place. Carefully his fingers wrapped around it, and he pulled it down. Pyrrha's hand remained stiff as it was moved, and even after her arm was ridged between the two. Yet it didn't seem to bother V very much, as even lowered he continued to hold her.

"You've changed Pyrrha, although I suppose part of that is my fault." He cracked a tiny grin. "Sorry for taking so long, Menagerie was... having a few troubles."

"How..." Pyrrha's voice was broken. "I watched you die. I... I failed." Her tone seemed to wilt. "I let you die... I... I couldn't save you." Her expression somehow managed to fall even further into rot, and Ruby couldn't hold back the pity she felt; part of her believed she wasn't meant to see her friend in such a sorry state, and with it came a sense of shame. The veins which littered her friend seemed to dull as her words were reduced to a whisper. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." V rested his other hand on her cheek, much like she had him. "I wanted you to survive, to live on." He smiled lightly. "And you did just that."

"It shouldn't have been you though." Pyrrha's voice crackled with each word. "It should have been me."

"Nobody should have died that day." V pulled his other hand up, with hers in tow, and had both settle on her other cheek. "Not a single person should have died that day, not the students, not the civilians, not I, and certainly not you." His eyes hardened. "All that death and carnage was caused by other forces beyond our grasp."

"It should have been me." Pyrrha's tone mellowed. "I... I just... I know it should have been me." Her hand limped and brought his down with it to rest at her side. "I don't know why, but I... I've had dreams. Dreams of a world where I... I wasn't around."

"Dreams?" V paused, and after a bit his thumb cleared away a couple of her tears. "Dreams are dreams, and no matter how real it may seem they are still only dreams. You are here, I am here, and nothing can change that fact."

"You don't understand." Pyrrha pulled away, her eyes slightly frantic as she nearly curled in on herself. "I know I should have died. I was supposed to die. Every part of my body has been telling me something is wrong, nothing has felt right since." Her whole body shook as she gazed down at her outstretched hands. "I know things I shouldn't know; seen people I've never met in too much detail to just be made up! I know the secrets and thoughts of someone I'm not, and seen the world through their eyes! In that world I'm dead, and everything is so clear I just can't believe it's only a dream!"

Ruby was sure everyone was taken aback by Pyrrha, but that weighed little on her mind, as a massive stab of guilt had shot across her thoughts instead. Had Pyrrha always been feeling this way? She remembered her friend talk about weird dreams, but they had brushed it off as built-up stress from Beacon's fall. It was clear now that Pyrrha was hurting inside much worse than they had ever imagined.

And Ruby had done nothing to help her friend.

The fact she hadn't even noticed how much Pyrrha was holding back filled her with shame. She'd know her friend was acting strange lately, but even so she hadn't done anything to help; not even going so far as to ask if she was alright. All she had done was sit back and let others do the deciding for her, following along as if she were a little girl.

Leaders didn't follow, they lead.

No more! Ruby was made a leader, and even if she wasn't the best she could at least try to be more involved. A leader was someone willing to take responsibility, someone who made the tough decisions for the betterment of the group; someone to be relied on, like the heroes she'd grown to adore. With this seeming awakening in mind Ruby was determined to keep a better eye on her friends from here on out, because if one of them was able to hide something that big from everyone, then who was to know what their enemies were hiding in plain sight.

This will to watch over instantly demonstrated the moment V stepped forward and took hold of the sides of Pyrrha's arms.

Ruby was no stranger to watching people, and growing up despite her overactive childish ways there was always one thing she was good at when she put her mind to it; a skill she had passively taught herself over the years growing up on the small island of Patch. Her hometown was tiny, and so everyone knew everyone to the point that any small drama or events would spiral into massive town rumors.

Being an innocent child however caused most people to ignore or even lie to you.

Ruby's family life growing up wasn't like most other children. Her mother had died before she could even speak, and the memories of the woman were reduced to minor instances in time such as the little actions here or there. Yang had been her true mom while growing up, at least when it came to raising her for the first few years. Her dad had fallen into a deep depression following her mother's death, and had all but abandoned them for a long stretch of time. Yang had always been doing the cooking, the cleaning, and even teaching when she could. Ruby loved her sister's work in bringing them up, but that did little to change the fact that they had both been children. Eventually their father managed to snap to his senses, and be it from gilt or other had managed to become the dad he always should have been.

Ruby had at some point started to catch on with the subtle movements people gave; the twitching of lips and slight stutters of motion. The way her sister's body and face spoke opposite of her words taught Ruby at a young age that people speak more with their body than they did their words, and it was very hard to lie with your body.

So when V faced Pyrrha she knew instantly what was happening.

His face eased, and his eyes settled slowly. His lip lost it's twitching, and his arms had moved almost automatically. The grip he had taken had been anything but forceful, and with how fluid his motions were Ruby knew this wasn't the first time he'd done something like this.

V's expression spoke of understanding on a level deeper than merely feeling sorry for someone. Whatever he had gone through before this point, whatever past events had transpired, all of it looked to 'click' with Pyrrha on a level the rest of them couldn't. He knew exactly what she was experiencing, and from how natural his words came it seemed he'd found ways to face those challenges.

"And yet here you are." His voice showed no pity, no regret, and no fear. "Whatever world you saw, whatever is supposed to happen, none of it matters." The others might not have noticed it, but Ruby saw how he just barely pulled her closer. It had been only a hairs worth of distance, but enough to cause his eyes to tilt the slightest bit. "Even if it feels wrong we still moved past it. Whatever challenges and consequences come about I know we can face them. If what you believe is true then the world has tried to kill you, and it has failed."

"It's still there." Pyrrha said softly, her eyes dropping with the words. "Even if I lived this time I'm sure something is just waiting to happen sooner or later."

"The world failed once before, and it will do so again." V sounded so absolutely certain about that, to the point Ruby herself felt a little impressed. "People thrive on rebellion, so what's a little more spit in the face of destiny?"

"Do you believe in destiny?" Pyrrha asked, her eyes rising to meet his, only to be met with a childish smirk.

"If destiny does exist, then it means we can defy it." He chuckled a little as Pyrrha's face eased away from the sorrow, into one more relaxed; humorous even. Yet that sorrow still lingered within.

"Really?" Ruby couldn't quite tell, but she was almost certain she heard a laugh from the woman. A mix of worry and hope, as if undecided on the idea.

"Sure." V kept his smirk, yet gained a playful look in the eye. "If it's tangible we can move it, and mold it to our desire. We can shape fate as we see fit."

Pyrrha smiled, she actually smiled. It wasn't like the ones before which always looked dulled. This, this right here was a genuine smile, one like those before Beacon fell, and Ruby didn't know how much she missed such a smile until she'd seen it again in full force, here and now. Even if her despair was hiding deep within Ruby was happy her friend was able to push it away for now.

"Strange." Pyrrha mumbled. "I remember when team RWBY came to us back at Beacon. They said you believed at some points there were no good choices, and that bad ones needed to be taken when no path was clear, and I'd think that would apply to fate as well. What happened to that?"

V reached back, scratching the back of his neck with a sheepish grin. "Well, Ruby said something to me that day." He looked to her for an instant, and she felt a sway of... something itch at her. V faced Pyrrha again with a more reserved smile and a softer posture. "I suppose she's to blame for my change of opinion. Her idea has been stuck at the back of my head ever since. It's such a childish way of thinking really, but I can't help but hope such a thing is possible."

"And if it's not?" Pyrrha crossed her arms with a sly grin of her own, as if she knew his response already.

"Then I'll fight tooth and nail to make it possible."

"You've changed V." Pyrrha walked closer, her smirk now a soft mask of appreciation. "It suits you."

A loud clap tore through the air, and both Pyrrha and V appeared disjointed for an instance. All eyes fell on the black haired woman, who's face was more irritated than anything; funnily enough everyone wore that expression aside from V and Pyrrha.

"You kid's done?" The woman asked, and what followed was an awkward silence filled with ire. The woman cared little for the looks she received and continued. "In case you've all forgotten we have a weapon of mass destruction in our midst." She waved both arms to what looked like a fancy lantern her uncle Qrow was holding. "Save the kisses and filth for later."

"Way to be a killjoy miss..." Yang's expression went from mild annoyance to unbridled shock as her jaw nearly dislocated, and for the second time that hour a shout tore Ruby's eardrums to bits. "MOM?!"

"You recognise me now? Good, now let's get back to the room; we can talk there." With that the woman started off, and with a sigh her uncle Qrow followed after.

Ruby watched as her friends started off, with Pyrrha and V side by side. Ruby allowed her breath to ease out quietly.

One thing always leads to another.

Author's note

...

Finally done with this arc, and what a way to go.

I'm certain a few of you'll be disappointed with the meeting between the two groups, but as I said I was running low on steam for this arc; I just wanted to get moving, especially considering future Ruby's currently outpacing the main cast - take that as you will.

The gang's all here, and Haven is saved... kind of.

Next time, things get a little... weird, at least for V and them.

Catch you later.