Universe 1938…
There was an island located somewhere east of Argus, the port city built at the northern region of Mistral, acting as the trading center between the Atlas Empire and the Kingdom of Mistral. Argus here, to the surprise of a lot of Maru's troops, were not his target for this side mission he had to ask permission from the Chancellor for. No, rather what he was interested in was that nameless island, half covered in snow, and half covered in the light of the sun.
The island in question had no natural resources to speak of, and it had always been strangely inhospitable even with the awesome might of Atlas' military and technological powers. It was not a matter of Grimm or even the grueling cold. Both of those could be conquered by the power of man. It all seemed ordinary somehow. Some travelers, both Mistralians and Alesians, had tried to conquer the land in the past. Only to be thwarted by what could only be described as supernatural means.
"In 897 AA," Maru told his student Diamond Sky, "a Mistralian wandering adventurer by the name of Yuyofkr, a pre-War man with a pre-War name, made his way north to this very island we see here. He was avoiding religious persecution from the peoples of his homeland, so he thought of fleeing here with his family. His wife Korykr, and two daughters, Menrialkr, and Lentalkr."
Diamond listened intently, standing behind her Fleet Admiral as the airship approached this frozen wasteland. Maru continued:
"Things were working out fine for the man. He cleared out the Grimm in the southern part of the island in a matter of weeks. Setting up a little cabin for them just as fast. It all came crumbling down the moment he stumbled upon a strange dark pit that seemed to spiral to a bottomless distance. After finding out about the pit, something within the man snapped. As he committed murder by tossing his wife and two daughters down the darkness, never to be heard from again."
Walking to a table nearby, Maru flipped open a book. A historical record of a few more settlement attempts people had tried to make in the past. He continued:
"In 1921 AA, a scientist by the name of Dr. Grayer decided to take a small expedition team to research this strange phenomenon plaguing this island. He too noticed the strange spiraling pit the moment they arrived, one with such an indescribable attractive force that one of the assistants immediately slipped in and fell to her death. Dr. Grayer stayed there for a total of three months. Only three files of his research notes and logs have been sent back to Atlas, all of which only covered preliminary observations and other brief notes, none of which was useful in deciphering what this pit actually was. He had never been heard from again after that."
Shuffling through more pages, he landed on a page near the end of the book. Putting his finger on the lines written, he read aloud:
"In 2365 AA, the Valean King at the time, King Charles the Fifth, announced that he had invented a magical contraption that would be able to capture images of what was going on down there in the darkness of the bottomless pit. A magical lantern infused with his very own Aura, strengthening it to an unfathomable degree. It is written that King Charles possessed the power to shake mountains and even move the very orbit of the moon itself. Some of these claims were dubious, but he really was a powerful magician of Vale. One who should not be underestimated. This time, it was his turn to make his voyage to the far lands of the East. The specifics of the trip itself were not well documented, we do not have many surviving accounts of what he really did while he was on the island. But it is said that when he returned to his kingdom, he possessed a strange fire within the center of his lantern. A flame that was burning for months without going out. A fire – that eventually turned green."
Diamond herself was quick to pick up on the implication of what this might mean. She asked:
"Sir, are you saying that the source of Ozymandias' power, the source of his green prophetic flames – originated from this bottomless pit on this island?"
"We have to consider the possibility," Maru replied, grabbing his long coat from his chair and pulling it over his shoulders.
For the airship had arrived at its destination.
Stepping out into a furious icicle storm blowing against the very surface of the metal airship, Maru and Diamond persevered and pressed forward, protecting themselves from the cold with their own powerful coat of Aura.
The ice and snow seemed to stretch for miles, over hills and small mountains. It was as if Winter herself was covering up any trails or history of mortals attempting to settle on this island so long ago. There was a feeling that made it seem prehistoric, untouched by anything but the natural power of the Seasons.
"It seems like the only people throughout history who were able to return," said Maru as they walked, "were the powerful men who could break mountains. King Charles was one such example – as am I."
"This is not the first time you visited this place, sir?"
"No. I have been here many times. The pit never did anything to me while I was investigating. But none of the trips in the past yielded anything worthwhile."
"What makes you think this time will be different?"
Looking above the raging sky as he readjusted his white beret, Maru walked on and replied simply:
"Oz must be stopped. That's all there is to it."
Out from the fog of the snow, the pit emerged for Maru and his troops to see, seemingly as if it was deliberately hidden away just mere moments ago. In the end, they did not have to walk far to find this thing, whatever it was.
One large hole the size of a swimming pool, something that was emitting strange auras that almost felt alive somehow. With a strange rumbling emanating from deep below at an unknown source, ringing all around their ears as they approached this unknown darkness. The rumbling grew louder and louder now, and at a steady pace as well. Like breathing.
Looking around the cold waste, Diamond could not pick up anything that seemed out of the ordinary. Except for the fact that Maru himself seemed deeply familiar with what he was actually here for, despite claiming his own previous investigations had yet to yield any fruit.
But there, from the corner of their eyes, popping into their line of sight just as both their heads turned, being completely sure that they did not see him there before. And yet here he was, sitting at the edge of the large pit, almost falling into the dark depths.
A floating head – covered by a leather hooded cloak.
The two of them could not quite make out what the features on the head's face looked like. The square jawline indicated that he was definitely a man, however. But the completely empty eyes obscured by the hood were unsettling, giving a vibe that this was some kind of reanimated floating corpse.
One that began to speak:
"Why have you come here again, Fleet Admiral Maru of Atlas?"
Taking off his beret and slicking his hair back, Maru tossed the hat aside as he pulled his white eyepatch off his face. Revealing an empty eye socket with brutal scars decorating his rough ancient skin. He then continued to unfasten the red tie on his uniform, also taking it off and chucking it in the air to let it be devoured by the storm.
The head continued:
"You will find nothing good here for you, Disciple of Auric."
Readying her fighting stance, Diamond was prepared to launch herself toward this unholy aberration hovering before their eyes. Only to then be stopped by Maru as he held his arm forward, signaling her to stand down.
"I am here to do whatever it takes," Maru declared, "Ozymandias has grown too strong. Zoz has grown too strong. And I cannot defeat him in my current state. You are an observer. So observe this."
Maru then turned to Diamond, pulling from inside his long coat a rope which he handed over to her. The rope looked to stretch out far despite being neatly tucked away inside this coat. Possibly even reaching to near a mile if Diamond had to estimate. But what was much more concerning for the young woman was the fact that at the end of the rope – was a noose.
As soon as she noticed it, Maru took the noose out of her grasp and immediately placed it over his head, before securing it around his own neck. Confused, Diamond's cold killer expression began to morph into one of concern. Which was then ultimately interrupted when Maru then said:
"I need you to do this for me, soldier. Whatever happens next, you must not stray from my directive. Is that understood?"
Reluctantly, she nodded her head, unable to deviate from her training. Maru continued:
"You must hold onto this rope, and you must not let go, no matter what. Hold onto it with everything you have and stay in place. What I am about to do next won't make much sense to you. But all will be revealed in due time. Will you do this for Atlas, soldier?"
Upon hearing that, she immediately saluted Maru, now with a determined look in her eyes. She vowed:
"Yes, for the glory of our Empire."
Saluting her back, Maru nodded his head:
"Good. This will take some time. Endure this with me. There is a possibility that this could fail. In the event that it does, I want you to know – it has been an honor being your mentor."
Now, the Fleet Admiral powered up his hand with an overwhelming layer of Aura, before immediately jamming his fingers into his one remaining good eye. Grunting in pain, he powered through the sudden burst of blood and yanked the eyeball straight out of its socket. Within a second, he was holding it in the palm of his hand. With red dripping down his face and his hand.
Turning to the pit, Maru tossed his eyeball down the pit, losing himself in pitch-black blindness.
Still not finished, he clapped his hands together, and here, with the last of his remaining Aura reserve, he summoned forth an energy that shook the very island they were standing on. With the light of the power now rupturing the cold brewing storm surrounding the area, piercing into the sky like a light beacon at sea, or a thunderbolt striking the ice.
From this Aura, Maru managed to do something rarely seen. A technique so complex and advanced, it had only been discussed on a theoretical level. With many theorizing only those with strong enough Auras like the Giants could have possibly accomplished such a thing.
Maru summoned forth an energy construct – in the shape of a spear.
Standing there speechless, Diamond knew not what to do or what to say. And yet, her own confusion was exacerbated when Maru took the light spear and plunged it deep into his own chest, stabbing straight through his ribs, straight through his heart, and straight to the other side.
Coughing up blood, the man was losing strength quickly, so he needed to work fast. Fortunately for him, he only had one thing left to do in this ritual. But fortune would not be a good way to describe what he was about to do. As here in the roaring blizzard, the Fleet Admiral stepped off the edge of this massive pit, letting himself be taken by the crawling grip of the darkness.
Remembering Maru's orders, but still feeling reluctant, Diamond was almost thrown off her feet when the rope began yanking out of her hands. She held it tight in the next moment, but here with the weight of a Northern Giant, she still struggled to hold on as the body of her mentor continued to fall deeper and deeper, with almost no end in sight.
Without her Aura protecting her palms, she would've been completely shredded by the force of the friction, pulling with furious rage that could ignite a fire if needed. But all that was on her mind now was not anything concerning her own wellbeing, rather she was only focused on the body of the Fleet Admiral finally hitting a stop, now no longer falling and no longer pulling on the thick rope.
She could not see how far he had fallen, but she was sure the body was still there, dangling deep below, as if close to the very core of the planet itself.
"What are we doing here?" Sienna asked Tyrian.
Here, the man led her into an Autumn Church. A relic of a building made from strong white stones that miraculously looked as if they hadn't aged a single day. While weathered by time, it still told stories. Many of those from travelers passing by carving their prayers onto the surface. It was an old tradition that not many people in the modern days continued, but it was a sign of the church's old generosity that still lasted to the Mistralians of today.
As they approached the cathedral, the sound of ethereal chants and the flickering glow of enchanted candles drew them closer, inviting them inside into its sacred embrace. Inside, the air was thick with must and decay, but over on the far table in front of rows upon rows of intricately carved wooden benches was a long table covered with a white sheet and decorated with a row of golden candles on top. Kneeling in front before the table were the priests humming their hymns.
But from here, the one on Tyrian's focus was none of those praying in the front, the holy men. Instead, slipping behind along the left wall, he spotted an old longtime friend of his.
Father Hazel Rainart.
Father Rainart was a tall and muscular middle-aged man with short dark brown hair, a beard, and hazel eyes. He was also unusually large and broad, standing at eight feet tall. His skin was tanned and the several scars on his face and particularly his body were all obscured by his dark priestly robe, suggesting that he had been in many fights in the past. Something that was difficult to hide from Tyrian's devilish eyes.
Unlike the other priests, he wore no gloves. And his forearms being so huge made it hard to hide underneath the long sleeves as well, showing off a thick layer of hair covering even more of those unusual scars.
The man walked on in the darkness, but clearly aware of Tyrian's presence as he was sneaking up on him from behind.
"You've come to our church today," Hazel said in a low grumbling voice, "so come, I will take your confession, Tyrian Callows."
Chuckling, Tyrian signaled Sienna to follow him, still walking behind the large priest.
"It's good to see you too, Rainart. But I'm not here to join your cult."
"Yes… because you have your own at your company."
"Looks like the holy life didn't kill your sense of humor, old friend."
"Hmm, I see you've brought a friend."
Approaching to shake his hand, Sienna stepped forth:
"Hello, Father. My name is Sienna."
"I am Hazel Rainart," he shook her hand, smiling faintly. "Pleased to meet you, Sienna."
"Likewise."
"So then…" Hazel turned to Tyrian, "what can I do for you?"
Wrapping his arm around the priest, Tyrian began looking around, trying to see if they were being watched, before he told him:
"I know you know a lot of shit. Hell, I bet you know every face that has ever walked on Mistral."
"Flattering, continue."
"What I am here for is a name, a face, and a story. Think you can provide that?"
Glancing back at Tyrian, not exactly anxious, but instead more confused, maybe even a bit annoyed. But still wanted to stay calm and push through, Hazel asked:
"Who are you looking for?"
And there, Tyrian answered simply:
"You've heard of the name Penny Polendina, haven't you?"
Hazel's eyes lit up the moment he heard the mention of that name. The expression on his face morphed into something that was difficult to read. Confusion mixed with a subtle hint of something that almost looked like terror, or at the very least something that could be classified as extreme caution.
Answering his question, Hazel said:
"I have heard of that name, yes. And so have you. The both of you."
Confused, Sienna looked to Tyrian's empty expression for answers, only to find a stoic unimpressed face. Hazel then elaborated:
"Penny Polendina – is the Superman."
Looking to the other priests to make sure they were not paying attention, Hazel confirmed they were still deep prayers, so thus, he gestured his hand for the two of them to follow him down into a dark hallway hidden behind a thick red curtain, not letting them have the time to even process what he had just said.
The hallway was long and narrow, with walls made of rough stone, barely lit. The floor was covered in a thick layer of dust making the air stale and musty. The only light here came from a few flickering candles at the far end of the hallway.
The hallway was empty, save for a few old pews that had been pushed up against the walls. There was a sense of foreboding in the air, as if something sinister was lurking in the shadows. But with Hazel here, under the shadow of his large stature, there was a sense of security. A sense that this holy man could not possibly do harm unto any living thing.
Leading to a wooden door, he took out a small key and turned, letting the loud clicking sound echo down the stone hall, here into what the other two assumed was Hazel's study. It was a surprisingly cozy room, with the same dark stones for walls and a fireplace that crackled merrily. The walls were lined with bookshelves, filled with books of all shapes and sizes. At the center of the room was a large desk, where the occupant could sit and write or read. There were also two comfortable red armchairs by the fire, presumably for any visiting guest.
There on his modest wooden table, one that seemed too small for the large man, were several quills and inkwells on the desk, and a few books were open, which Sienna assumed were holy texts of some kind. With many written in languages she did not recognize.
"Have a seat," Hazel said. "Would you like something to drink?"
"We're not here to socialize," Tyrian folded his arms, surprisingly changing his mood.
"I'll have some tea if you have them," Sienna then responded despite Tyrian's reaction.
"Certainly," Hazel smiled, as he had already instinctively poured a cup from a pot on a table next to his desk.
"Like I said," Tyrian insisted, "we're not here to socialize. What I need is for you to elaborate on what you mean when you said this Penny is the Superman."
His smile now disappeared, he glanced back at Tyrian with a serious look on his face. And now, not wasting any more time, he sighed and said:
"You're right that I remember many faces on Mistral. Thousands if not more. I don't usually just tell anybody about the whereabouts of these people out of respect for their privacy, but since you are a friend… and there is also a matter of – prophecy."
"Of what?"
"Things have been building up to something big," Hazel continued. "Our holy texts have specified them. Many people say that parts of the prophecy are lost elsewhere. And while that may be true, what we have is illuminating."
"Get to the point, Hazel," said Tyrian.
"What I'm telling you is very important," said Hazel, seemingly ignoring Tyrian's command. "I assume you found out about the name Penny from the Golden Gladiators, correct?"
The two nodded their heads.
"And I assume, then, that you've also seen that rock with all the swords, correct?"
"Where are you going with this?" Tyrian asked impatiently.
"The truth of the matter is," Hazel walked up to his bookshelf and began pulling out several books, "Penny Polendina is someone I knew long before she returned to the Gladiators six years ago."
"Wait, 'return?'"
"Yes. I met Penny and her parents twenty years ago. In this country. They moved here from the North for a few years. Before moving back to Atlas. At the time, I had no idea. She seemed normal to me. But now you know…"
And there, pulling out from a book he held in his hands, was an old photograph that seemed folded and nearly crumpled. Which the existence of the photo in of itself was bizarre as both Sienna and Tyrian expected one to take a picture with their scrolls, not this antiquated technology.
In the photo was a scene of Hazel standing next to a father, a mother, and a red-haired daughter, barely taller than their knees. A smiling young girl in a golden dress, with sparkling green eyes like emerald.
Universe 2…
"Come to me, Son of Summer. I see you."
Far below on the grassy grounds of Beacon Academy, on the plains where the Vytal Festival was planned to take place – was now a place consumed by a foreign hell nobody on this planet could have foreseen.
General Goodwitch, a Huntress with the power of nuclear bombs, walked out as massive sections of the school's numerous towers began to crumble behind her path, with each heavy step rumbling the earth from the overwhelming force of her Aura. Here, the school's emergency alarm began to sound, echoing behind the roaring flames of destruction.
Jaune and the rest of his team were just walking about outside the buildings when they heard the loud thunderous sound of what felt like doom. Almost knocking them off their feet from the sheer force of the sound alone. Sprinting around the corner, they were shocked to see their teacher Goodwitch in that unfamiliar uniform. One that ultimately made them feel as if they had never known this woman in their entire lives. They had to squint their eyes before they could recognize her. All being made extra difficult through her stern gaze full of bloodlust.
"Professor?" Nora looked on, deep in confusion.
"That… can't be her…" Jaune commented.
Stepping out of the fire, Glynda stretched out her right hand, and within moments, her Telekinesis brought before her ten soldiers patrolling the Academy, and with a single swing of the sword, their bodies were sliced clean in half. They did not even have time to react or process.
Tossing the bodies aside, she levitated several bullets out of the soldiers, and as they hovered over the palm of her hand, she glanced back to several more towers in the distance. Once more, tossing the bullets away and letting her Semblance carry them far off, and the bullets flew like wasps, attacking viciously – crumbling the stones one by one, brick by brick. Crushing anything in their way. Shattering all the windows as they pierced through concrete and doors, killing even more now that the towers were collapsing.
"What is she doing?" Jaune shouted, unsure if what he was seeing was even real.
"Where is Team RWBY? They were just with her a moment ago," said Ren.
"Heads up!"
Shouting from behind, Team CFVY emerged, with all members prepared for battle, wearing serious expressions on their faces. Including their fearless and usually calm leader Coco Adel. Who now knew they were going up against a veteran-level Huntress, who should not be underestimated.
Yatsuhashi and Fox also readied their weapons, with Yatsu bringing out his massive near seven-foot sword Fulcrum. A monstrous copper-colored blade that was nearly as large as he was. Fox himself, a blind fighter, wore on his forearms two bladed tonfas, attached like massive gauntlets.
Velvet stood by Coco's side, feeling scared of Glynda, whom they all thought was a familiar caring teacher. Trying to gather herself, she readied her camera, prepared to support her team.
"You guys go evacuate the other students," Coco ordered Team JNPR. "Yatsu! Go!"
Nodding his head, and instantly leaping off the ground. In his hands he raised his gigantic sword high, almost to the point of blocking out the sun, to then bring the hunk of steel down hard to where Glynda was standing, coating the blade with his own Aura to amplify his attacks.
All of which…
Immediately proved futile when Glynda raised her right hand, stopping the attack short, not even letting the massive sword go anywhere near her. With the overwhelming weight of her Aura, she let the gravity crush the sword into a thousand pieces. Shattered – just like that, faster than one could even blink. A monstrous weapon from a senior student, folded like it were made out of nothing but paper.
Now letting the gravity of her Semblance pull him in close, she grabbed tight onto his neck, choking the young man. Then staring at him directly in his eyes, her own lacking any emotion now that they had come face-to-face.
"Yatsuhashi Daichi. I know you back in my home universe as well. Strong. But you're in my way."
A simple slice of her sword – his body was instantly cut in half. The lower parts falling down, now nothing but hunks of meat.
"NO!" Velvet blood-curdling cry immediately morphed into a swift sound of sobbing, seeing the horror before them.
"What the fuck!" Coco gritted her teeth, now rattled, unsure of what to do, but still engulfed in a rage that shook her hands as she tried to clench them.
"What have you done?" Jaune shouted, pointing his finger, demanding an answer.
Turning her head to face the students, Glynda said:
"The multiverse is out there. His life is absolutely insignificant. There are billions just like him."
"YOU BITCH!" Fox charged forward, ready to cut their professor.
"OPEN FIRE!" Now fully enraged, Coco summoned forth her golden minigun from her handbag. Letting the million bullets loose out onto the field toward where Glynda was standing, coating every single one with thick layers upon layers of rageful Aura, ready to kill. Now not caring anymore that this was their former professor, or so it seemed to them.
Following Coco behind, Velvet also summoned a copy of Coco's minigun, projected with hard-light from her camera. Now with tears in her eyes, she did not know what to do anymore, but indulge herself in this burning violence, as Beacon's flame continued to roar.
Backed up by a whole platoon of Beacon adult soldiers, who had now just arrived on the scene. Now on their knees, opening fire from their powerful Dust rifles, firing forth non-stop against a threat they could've never foreseen.
Their bullets raced forward, like a rain of steel and fire. Hailed down as judgment from the Academy itself, acting as its immune system, a self-defense mechanism from its tiny organisms.
But Glynda here was not like any ordinary disease. She was a plague. One brought over by a foreign force.
Far up in the Headmaster's tower, General Ironwood ran up the stairs and burst into Ozpin's office. Fists clenched, and eyes widened into a red furious gaze, touched by fear.
"Ozpin, what's the meaning of this? Glynda is attacking the students!"
Entering the office, however, he did not find his old friend Ozpin. Instead, he was only in the presence of something that was wearing his friend's face. Something that was exuding a new Aura, something he had never felt before in his life. Something that felt – alien.
Here was a man wearing a stylish black three-piece suit with a smooth vest, yellow buttons, and a yellow tie underneath a sickly green scarf. His white hair seemed messier than usual as he now put on his head a green wide-brim hat, one that was abnormally wide, nearly the size of a large wheel on a vehicle. Big enough to obscure his face beneath a sinister shadow. And underneath that – was a cackling smile.
Now disappearing before his sight as soon as Ironwood blinked his eyes. He charged forward, looking around, trying to find where he had gone. Only to suddenly feel a violent sensation digging in from behind his back. One that somehow – instantly broke through his defensive Aura.
Here, Ozymandias' arm plunged straight through the general, holding his heart out for him to see. A heart covered in blood and mechanical oil. Bursting forth and forcing Ironwood to cough up blood, as the confusion set in. His eyes darting around, and he tried his best to turn around to face his assailant.
With great difficulty, he did manage to take a look at his face. But to his confusion, the face he was looking at was no longer one of a man.
Instead, this was now the visage of Glynda Goodwitch, but one that looked twenty years younger than the one he was acquainted with. Not wearing any glasses, and familiar to him, not only as an old friend – but an old love.
Then – she spoke, but not in her own voice, but in a man's voice, rumbling in his ears:
"Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Ironwood's scream now, too, echoed, but was still ultimately drowned out by the fire that now melted the bricks and paint of the walls and buildings. What was more was the hail of bullets now lying at General Goodwitch's feet, scattered all around. Many of which were bloodied, stained from piercing the soldiers and Team CFVY.
Velvet was dead, with her legs torn apart and the rest of her body in Coco's embrace, as she too was heavily injured. Blood dripping down her face, with her right arm blown off some place she did not know. Nor did she even notice in the middle of this madness.
Glynda looked into the open sky to hear thunder striking. Within the next millisecond – Rubio Rose had arrived back at Beacon, traveling all the way from Mistral. With his scythe in his hands, he was now no longer smiling. Seeing the danger and destruction before his eyes.
"What have you done?" Rubio asked.
"Nothing will stop the Lord God of Vale from returning to his throne."
The moment she finished her sentence, Glynda snapped her fingers. From far away in the woods. The green ooze of Oobleck released from its illusionary magick an entire armada of Ozymandias' Valean soldiers. Now marching into this universe, no longer hidden by the green goo, and here – commencing an invasion.