Well, it's finally time to finish this disaster of the first volume of Embers of Remnant before planning the layout of Volume 2. I know was rushed and didn't make sense for some of you, which is why I am going to do a brief explanation at the end of the chapter. With that saying, let's get onto the story.

Dark Souls: Embers of Remnant

Twelve

Leviathan Phase Two

'Ancient creature from long ago. Having slept for a long time, it was suddenly awakened when it sensed a familiar sign of energy. Perhaps it implies to be infected with something related to the Abyss.' -Full description for the Soul of the Abyssal Leviathan

Ruby and her friends saw Ash holding the Stormruler with both hands. None dared to question where he stored it, but some were unsure about using it. "Um… Ash? Do you think it suits what we're about to do?"

The Unkindled could clearly see why this weapon wasn't suitable. They were in an aircraft, and unleashing a wind attack would cause it to shake the ship, throwing the people off their feet and possibly causing them to fall off. "I know it isn't the best weapon suitable for what's to come, but this is the only thing sufficient to that monstrosity."

He wasn't bluffing when he said that. Still, Oscar was determining if it was the right weapon of choice. "I doubt this aircraft would handle such force from your sword."

Ash expected that response. "I knew you were going to say that. Which is why..." Ash put Stormruler away into his back, stored the bottomless box, and grabbed something else. He then pulled out an oversized bow that was three times his size. "I'm going to be using this." He brought out the Onislayer Greatbow he found back in the Profaned Capital.

Everyone gaped at the size of the bow he was leaning on. But knew it was not the right time to ask. Weiss had something to point out, though. "Okay...but how will you hit the target if it's far from the aircraft?"

He already knew that problem. "You could summon, right? If you can summon one, then there's a possibility that you can do two."

Weiss was about to open her mouth before immediately closing it. She thought about Ash's statement for quite a bit before responding. "I... haven't thought about it. In honesty, I could only do one at a time, not a lot."

"Then perhaps you can do this for the first time," The Ex-heiress gaped at the statement he made. The others had the same reaction as well.

"W-what?" Weiss spoke.

Ash released a breath of air before he explained. "There's a creature that could destroy the city at any minute. Ruby can use that power of hers to turn it into stone. While your weapons can only distract it, I only have the weapons capable of doing actual harm." His tone didn't have a hint of arrogance, only hearing that of confidence and uncertainty as he spoke to her. "I know it may not fit with your ability, but I am sure Jaune can provide you with the necessary boost needed."

Again, the former Schnee Heiress evaluated what was said and already made her mind up. "Alright. I'll give it a try."

With the tasks sorted out, it was Ruby and Ash's time to do their ring. But right before doing so, the Unkindled spotted the Relic hooked onto Ruby's belt. "If you don't mind, may you hand over that Relic?"

Ruby looked at him in response. "Why?"

Ash pointed out the clear logic. "I need its attention towards me, so you'll have time to build up that power before releasing it."

The young leader thought about it, and she considered his words. She had to build up a lot of power to turn the Leviathan into stone. Unhooking the Relic, she handed it over to Ash. "Here, take it. But promise me you'll give it back once this is over."

The Unkindled seemed to acknowledge this. He took the Relic off from her and hooked it onto his belt. "There. It's safe. Now we can do it. I hope all of you are ready?" He saw everyone slightly nodding their heads before shifting his attention to Maria. "Get ready."

The veteran Huntress looked at him with a smile. "I hear ya. I hope you know what you're doing."

Insert Chroma Music: Crusaders Gone Wild

The hatch opens, revealing Nora and Yang aiming their weapons at the Leviathan. "Hey, ugly!" The orange-haired girl shouted. The Grimm turned towards them. "Eyes up!" The two proceeded to open fire at the Leviathan.

At the exact same time, the other hatch opened. Ruby and Ash took a peak and saw a Nevermore and a Lancer coloured in light blue and white. As they would want to ask how she was feeling about surpassing the limited summons, they knew they were only wasting precious time. Ruby jumped onto the bug-like Grimm while Ash hopped onto the bird. He adjusted himself to ensure he wouldn't fall off using the Greatbow. Once he felt secure, he nodded towards the young leader to go on ahead. Looking to see that she was about to the front of the Grimm, Ash patted the summoned bird to follow suit.

Back in the airship, the two girls kept firing at the Leviathan. Despite running out of dust ammunition, it managed to distract the Grimm to see their leader and the Unkindled mounted on Weiss's summons. "Did it work?" Blake asked the two.

Maria could see from the Cockpit the Leviathan was onto them now. "Yes, unfortunately. Just hang on!"

The Mantra flew upwards, narrowly avoiding the Giant Grimm's grasp. It would have gotten them; wasn't it being hit by a large arrow. The Grimm shifted its attention towards Ash, who was preparing to draw another hand. "This takes a bit of time to load another. I need to make every arrow count while waiting for the right time to strike."

The Leviathan snarled in anger. It extended its right arm into the air to where Ash flew by in an attempt to grab him. The Grimm felt bullets bouncing off its frontal armor plating as it was about to catch Ash, who was still riding on the summoned Nevermore. "Oh no, you don't!" Nora's voice called out to it before firing a grenade towards its head.

Shaking its head after feeling the explosion, it shifted to the trace where the voice came from. Its eyes then moved to the Mantra, which was circling around it. The orange-haired girl continued pulling the trigger until the clicking sound was heard. She looked at her weapon in hand and knew that she had to reload. "I'm almost dried up now on dust ammunition. I really hope Ruby and Ash know what they're doing!"

Despite the aircraft moving around, the Leviathan locked its sights on them. Opening its mouth, it began to build up energy from within.

The Blonde Brawler peaked out and saw the Leviathan facing them with white energy forming within its mouth. Her expression then morphed into horror as she knew they were on its radar. "Uh...guys? We may need to go to a higher altitude!"

Her tone already told Maria what was going on. "I hear ya!" She pulled the control stick towards her to let the aircraft go upwards.

Unfortunately for them, the Leviathan could quickly shoot them down. Building up enough power, it began to release the energy towards them. Before anyone could look back, an arrow had seemingly been able to directly hit in the left eye, causing the Leviathan to become distracted from what it was about to do and roar loudly in pain.

OST Ends

All occupants within the Manta heard the creature growling. Blake had to cover her cat ears because it was loud for her standards before revealing them when the noise wasn't listened to anymore. "What was that!?"

Ren had an excellent guess as to what occurred. "I think it might have been Ash's doing."

"Ash…saved us?" Jaune spoke, surprised that he'd done it despite his distrustfulness of him.

Oscar was glad as well. "That's good. As long as we assist Ash in distracting the Grimm, that'll mean Ruby can use that power of hers."

Weiss grunted as she felt her aura quickly draining despite the blonde boy amplifying it. "They better be quick. I don't think I can last long."

With the Leviathan now reeling in pain, the Unkindled lowered his weapon as he loaded another Great arrow. Seeing its state gave him a clear signal of what was about to unfold. "Alright, kid, do what you have to do."

Ruby saw what had occurred and knew what she had to do. "Everyone is counting on me now. I solemnly swear I won't take long." To unleash her power, she would have to concentrate without being preoccupied. Ruby grabbed her earpiece before chucking it into the sea. She closed her eyes and remembered what Maria had told her before.

-Flashback Begins-

In the backyard porch of the Cotta-Arc household, the young leader sat down with Maria as they discussed a particular matter. Ruby cleared her throat before asking her question. "So, how do I laser beam monsters with my eyeballs?"

That got her hit in the head in response to Maria's cane. Ruby held the top of her head with both hands while the elderly lady glared at her. "First, you stop thinking like that! I want you to think of all the times you've triggered your powers. What did those moments have in common?"

The young leader pondered at her words for quite a while. This caused her to rub her head as she answered the question. "I... was scared and stressed. Is it emotional? Like unlocking a Semblance?"

It seemed like she was getting there. But Maria needed to know more. "It's emotional but more focused than that. Think, what is it you wanted?"

Ruby looked down at her hands as she clenched them. "I wanted to protect my friends."

Now, the veteran Huntress seems to like where this was going. "Precisely! It is the desire to preserve life which fuels the light inside you. And to make no mistake, it is light. Preservation is an extension of creation or, at the very least, an enemy of destruction. The God of Darkness made the Creatures of Grimm, but your light comes from his brother."

The young leader seems surprised when Maria mentions the brothers. "How do you know that?"

"I always knew how to use the light, but never why it only worked on the Grimm." The former Grim Reaper answered. "Then, Jinn showed us her vision. Were you paying attention?"

Ruby closed her eyes as she was replaying that memory in her head. She then thinks back to when the God of Light destroyed all the Grimm in the Land of Darkness and was in his dragon form, revealing his own pair of Silver Eyes. "The God of Light... His eyes!" She stood up and looked directly into the elderly woman's mechanical eyes. "Okay, where do we start?"

"Well, not here. The light will only work in the presence of Grimm. The only practice you'll get will be a trial by fire." Maria answered and pointed out the obvious problem with the other girl's statement. "But what you can do is focus on creating a state of mind that you can tap into when you need it. Don't think about your light as a means of destroying evil, but as a way to protect the people of Remnant."

"But that can't be right." Ruby immediately spoke.

The elderly lady hummed in response. "Hm?"

"You said the light only reacts to Grimm," Ruby explained before her mind shifted to recent memory. "but... I used it during our battle at Haven. It reacted to Cinder."

"Interesting..." She spoke, getting some interest in what she said. "Perhaps there was something that you just weren't seeing?"

-Flashback Ends-

That conversation rang into the young girl's mind. Whatever Maria said to her would be helpful in this dire moment. With her eyes shut, she tried her best to think of memories. Happy memories.

Like the ones she had with her father and Yang at a young age.

Her family's pet, Zwei, had been delivered to team RWBY's Dorm at Beacon.

When she, along with her team, had a food fight with Team JNPR in the cafeteria.

Their first victory food back in the Vytal Festival.

And her first meeting with Jaune and his tea, Pyrrha, and Penny…

The young leader's thoughts on the latter two caused her to frown as bad memories started to flow into her mind. A remembrance flashed within her as she watched Jaune train along with a recording of Pyrrha in the forest within Mistral.

How her friends and strangers were wounded as the survivors of Beacon were being evacuated.

Yang sank into depression over the loss of her arm.

The deaths of Pyrrha and Penny had only caused Ruby to whimper in sorrow.

"Hey, Kid!" She was immediately distracted when she heard Ash shouting towards her. She opened her eyes to see the nevermore he rode on, slightly losing its form and saw that it was also happening to the lancer she hung on. He loaded another arrow into the large bow before aiming towards the Leviathan. "You better hurry! I don't think we have long left."

"What are you..." Ruby had asked yet was immediately interrupted.

"Don't worry about it. I'll keep it distracted to buy you some time. Just concentrate on what you are doing!"

Ruby nodded, grateful that Ash had given this opportunity to her. With that in mind, she faced the Leviathan and again closed her eyes to focus on good memories.

She thinks back to when Team RWBY decorated their dorm room.

When Weiss gave her coffee after their argument.

When Blake cheered for Weiss in their professor's class.

When Yang was training her before leaving for Beacon Academy.

When Team RWBY celebrated their victory after saving Vale.

A smile formed on her face when she thought back to the Beacon Dance and Team JNPR again,

When Qrow arrives at Beacon during the Festival.

Her encouraging talk with Oscar, and then to Maria, and to Penny again...

The last memory was that of a woman who had the same-colored hair as her, overlooking a cliff while watching the sun setting. She wore a white cloak that was blowing. The woman turned towards her and offered a warm, gentle smile. Ruby knew who this was. It was her mother, and her silver eyes reflected back to her's...

At the same time, Ash launched an arrow towards the Leviathan's armored forehead that bounced off it. Despite his weapon not being right, he felt that something was about to happen. This eventually came true as a massive white light caused him to shield his eyes from this. It ultimately died down soon after, causing him to lower his hand, and he was in shock that it had been completely turned to stone. That was a sigh of relief to see since its claw had nearly grabbed onto him. He could hear the people cheering that the Grimm had finally been eliminated, even though they were far from where he was. "You did good, Kid. You managed to save the city as well as me at the same time. I should be thanking you now."

The light beamed back into her eyes, and she looked at the city of Argus behind her. A slight grin formed on her face as she finally used her power to operate. But that didn't last long, as she heard cracks from the petrified Grimm and turned to see its head still moving around. But it wasn't directly to her. Instinctively, she shouted his name out. "ASH!"

Ash heard his name calling and saw the Leviathan's head moving towards him. It opened its mouth as it was about to release another blast of energy towards him. Ash knew he would not make out in time...

"I'll take it from here!" Cordovin's voice was heard, and all saw the Colossus coming out, with its cannon arm now detached. Hearing the tone of her voice, Ash had guessed that she had finally swallowed her pride. "After all, I was sworn to protect the people!"

The Colossus' left hand then transforms into a giant drill. Cordovin uses the tool to eradicate the Leviathan, causing it to dissipate before it turned into ashes. When that was done, it walked over to Ruby and Ash, who managed to fly towards her position. Its cockpit opens up, revealing the elderly commander standing in a stern military manner. Seeing caused the young leader to awkwardly giggle while scratching her left cheek. "Thank you. And... I'm sorry we caused this to happen."

Cordovin seems to be okay with this. "The Atlas military can handle the stragglers."

Ruby was dumbstruck by her words. "What, uh... What are you saying?"

Hearing her confused statement caused the elderly woman to smile. "I don't think anyone would notice if one more ship went missing in my lengthy report." She then turned towards Ash, who was seemingly surprised that she wasn't angry. "As for you, you seemed wise with your words despite being reckless simultaneously."

Ash didn't express any emotion to this. "I was trying to keep the people safe. That's all I intended to." He managed to take a small peak of the soul that he recently absorbed before he pocketed it onto his bottomless Box.

Soul of the Abyssal Leviathan

"And yet, you did." Cordovin complimented before turning towards her, where her soldiers were to fight off any stragglers. The Manta had come towards their position, and without wasting any more time, the duo hopped onto the aircraft as the summons disappeared before flying to their destination.

-Scene Change-

Night had dawned on the sky as everyone was relaxing from the events that had transpired earlier. It was incredibly relieving for Jaune and Weiss as their faces showed they were exhausted. Both were looked on by Ash as if he had something to say. "I am deeply sorry if I pressured you and Jaune to overload on your supposed limit."

Weiss gave him a tiresome smile. "It's alright, Ash. If I had to be honest, none of my family had ever done something like that. Apart from my sister, who could summon a baby flock of Nevermore."

Jaune felt the same way. "Yeah. That's something I may not want to partake in ever again."

"It may happen again. You just don't know when." He explained, having a feeling that I might occur again soon. Now that was over and done with, he shifted his attention to Maria. "How long until we reach Atlas?"

"Not for long. We're lucky that gave us an aircraft with enough fuel to reach there." Maria answered his question before seeing him walking to the back of the Manta.

"Hy, Ruby. You did great out there today, Ash. Thank you for helping my niece out there. She would not have done it without you." Qrow complimented Ash's contribution. "Just don't go giving me heart attacks like that again." He was about to drink from his flask before deciding not to.

Still, his words caused Ruby to giggle at his words before hugging him. "I love you, too."

Qrow smiles at his niece as she walks away to join her friends. Once she did, her eyes immediately shifted to Ash, leaning on the Hilt of the Wolf Knight's Greatsword while the Greatbow leaned on the wall near him. She was about to speak to him when she heard her team talking to one another. "I'm sorry you went through that nightmare. But I'm glad Yang was there for you in time."

Blake and Yang smile before the latter takes the cat Faunus' hand and gently squeezes it. "We were there for each other." Ash just rolled his eyes underneath his helmet. If he wasn't there, the two would have no choice but to kill him. He was glad he did it instead.

He didn't seem to pay attention, but everyone looked at Ruby. This caused the young leader to get embarrassed by the attention she was receiving. "Hey, stop it!"

"You manage to petrify the Grimm," Ren commented on her previous actions and was impressed by it.

She laughed fumblingly at this. "Don't act like you all haven't done crazy stuff before! Ash manages to hit the Grimm with his weapons of choice, and he seemingly gets out of nowhere."

Ash's ears had parked at this. He lifted his head to face them. "It's not a big deal. I was trying my best to help. Which reminds me, this belongs to you, kid." He unhooked the Relic of Knowledge before tossing it to Ruby, who had managed to catch it in time before hooking it back onto her belt.

The young girl smiled at him. "Still. You managed to provide something helpful."

Nora heard the two talk and immediately wanted to ask her own. "So, Ash? How come you seemingly disappeared and somehow ended up with Blake and Yang?"

The two were about to open their mouths when Ash beat them to it. "Remember what paper I gave to Lady Blake? I was summoned upon." Now, everyone was curious to know how that paper caused him to vanish from their sight. "That's another time we can have a talk on that."

There was something else Oscar wanted to ask. "That Grimm we just faced. It didn't seem to be a normal one. By the looks of things, it might have been…"

"Corrupted?" He guessed. "I haven't encountered something like that in a while. But do not worry, I'll add more details to what I said when I find the appropriate words." That wasn't a complete lie. Sooner or later, he'd have to tell them about the Abyss. As of now, that wasn't important.

He was lucky to dodge those questions but wasn't strictly out. Maria saw this chance to ask a question that she wanted to ask him about. "That sword of yours really seems to be effective against the Grimm. Where did you exactly get it?"

Like before with the others, Ash gave her his answer. "I found it through my travels. Why are you asking?"

"Honestly, I haven't seen a sword like that in a while." The veteran huntress responded with a smirk on her face. "It reminds me of someone I had faced back when I still had my eyes. It was tough, and how it fought reminded me of a wolf."

The unkindled raised an eyebrow as that grabbed his attention. "Something that fought like a wolf?"

He was about to say what was on his mind when the Huntsman turned to face everyone. "Hey, if you've never seen Atlas in person before, you don't wanna miss this." Ruby and the others got out where they sat and walked towards the cockpit window. Ash followed them as he wanted to see, despite knowing it was a floating island.

"Is it weird that I'm sorta nervous?" Ruby spoke loudly.

Her sister looked at her. "No, I'll believe we've made it to Atlas when I see it."

The ex-heiress just rolled her eyes while having a small smile on her lips. "Well... believe it."

As they exited from the clouds, Ruby and her friends gaped at the sight they saw. Right in front of their viewpoint, they saw an island that was floating. Nora was beyond amazed at what she saw. "Wow!"

"You know, you make the trip up to Atlas over and over, but you never get used to that view," Maria said to them, still amused at their first reaction. She would have spoken more if she didn't get annoyed as her prosthetic eyes started to act up again. "Oh, come on!"

Ash took a few notes to see that what he was seeing was indeed the Kingdom Atlas. "It looks like Patches wasn't wrong. They have impressive architecture, though it isn't as similar to Anor Londo or the Ringed City."

While this was going on, Weiss leaned in closer and had a worried look on her face. Her partner looked at her and noticed that expression. "Weiss, what is it?"

She didn't respond as she continued to stare out in the open. Everyone looks up and notices many Atlas Airships above the island. This ranges from small ships to bigger ones. "The Atlas air fleet..." The former Schnee Heiress finally spoke, grabbing all their attention. "I knew all of our ships were called back, but..."

"They're set up like they're expecting an attack..." Qrow had finished off her words. If the atmosphere wasn't bad enough, the radio suddenly turned on and heard a welcoming voice.

"Manta 5-1, welcome home..."

-Scene Change-

In a secluded room within Atlas Academy, a woman wearing strange attires was looking at the view of the city of Atlas. Well, it didn't seem like she could see as she had an ornamental blindfold that covered half her head, which showed that she was blind. Yet that doesn't mean she can still sense the presence of people.

She heard the door in the room open, followed by a pair of high-heeled footsteps. It eventually stopped when the person came near her. "You seemed quieter than usual, Ma'am." The tone was obviously female, yet her voice was militaristic and neutral.

"Ah, Specialist Schnee. 'Tis pleasant to see thy presence." The woman greeted her with a gentle and soothing voice. "Forgive for my quietness. I hath been deep to my own thought."

Winter Schnee raised an eyebrow at the blind woman with suspicion. "You always say that, Ma'am. It seemed to be different this time."

The other woman still smiled as she turned to look back at the view. "T'was just reminiscing on old memories. That's all."

Winter strongly doubted that. By noticing the sudden shift in the other woman's tone, she was expecting someone to come here. She was about to open her mouth when she heard her commander's voice through the earpiece. "Schnee?"

In an instant, the individual, as mentioned earlier, responded back. "Yes, Sir?"

"Has the woman given any information that is vital?" Ironwood asked, demanding if there had been any updates from before.

Winter looked down before looking back at the fair Lady. "Not as of yet. She keeps mentioning remembering old memories, but updates on this 'Ashen One' have yet to be made."

"It would seem." He spoke, his tone becoming a bit demanding. "If she doesn't give us enough detail, use a hands-on approach on her if you have to."

Winter wasn't so sure if it was the right thing to do. She thought about it before giving her confirmation to him. "Understood."

"Good," He said, relieved she would still follow his orders. "Come meet me at the usual place. There's something I want to discuss with you about your assignment." With that said, he cut off communications.

The Schnee took time to progress what she was told before looking back at the other woman. "I need to get going."

"I see. 'Tis pleasant to have company with thee." The blind Lady spoke before Winter proceeded to step out of the room. As she was alone, she placed a hand on her chest. A sensation of familiarity flowed through her as she felt coming towards where she was. "This feeling I have, only one has it. Is it truly thee, Ashen One?"

After Six months within this volume, it's finally done! Embers of Remnant's first volume is finally over. Now, I can lay out the second volume as I want to include original chapters rather than the characters following said main characters all the time be bland. And you probably guess who that woman was at the end, right? Well, now that's over, I will see you in the next volume. But first, I want to say something.

What Patches said to Ash is true, but someone may be suitable. It is cheap, and I will say this: what he said is not entirely true. It's more of a 50/50 that is either true or false. Which reminds me…

Somewhere in the tundra of Solitas, a mini-Manta had landed where a makeshift shop had already been set up. The cockpit soon opened to reveal Patches exiting out of it. Once he did, he walked towards the bonfire and felt refreshed. He was about to do his usual thing when he realizes someone had been waiting for him.

"You know you can show yourself, right?" The mischievous Trickster had spoken out. On the opposite side, a figure was covered in a green/brown cloak and a hood covering the face except for the bottom half of the head, which showed a bit of chestnut hair. "I didn't expect you to be here."

"Nor did I." The figure spoke with a soothing tone. The tone was clearly female, and it was clear she knew Patches very well. "I didn't expect you to arrive such a later time."

"Well, I was just visiting an old friend of mine before making my way here." He told her while shrugging his shoulder.

"I can see that, Patches." The unknown individual spoke in a friendly tone. "It seems he is acquainted with that girl with silver eyes and her friends. They have likely to have made it to Atlas by now."

"Yeah, that's not a surprise, considering that they may want to speak to that unstable General who is also a headmaster of an academy." Patches sardonically murmured.

The unknown figure didn't say anything. Instead, the individual had opted for what would happen next. "If that were to happen, they would probably be assisting in the Global Amity Project."

"That ain't really shocking to say the least," he said, having passed the construction site. "And who would build such a thing in the middle of nowhere? Someone is bound to know it despite the secrecy the General is keeping from the others."

"It would eventually be revealed soon." She said, still having that neutral tone before shifting to that of concern. "Unfortunately, the Darkness that has been shadowing Atlas since its founding would envelop the city and its people."

Patches couldn't help but chortle sadistically at that statement. "They brought it upon themselves, so I won't be feeling bad for any of them." At that moment, he realizes that Ash and his acquaintances would also be devoured. A sigh escaped his lips as he would have guessed the individual had a request for him. "You want me to go to that city and speak to my friend about it, huh? Like how you told me to bring that woman to Atlas by tricking that Special Operative Schnee through my own way?"

She nodded her hooded head in response, though she didn't answer the latter question since she already got her answers. "That would be appropriate at this very time. Once Salem appears in Atlas, which would eventually happen, the Darkness would envelop the city and its people." She went quiet for a while before finally deciding to part ways with him. "I must take my leave."

"If you say so," Patches told her before she vanished within a blink of an eye. The sound of fire cracking within the makeshift bonfire was heard as Patches processed what he just listened to. A groan escaped his mouth as he thought of his following action while massaging his temples. "Well, there's no need to complain about it. The so-called Greatest Kingdom of Remnant would eventually fall due to their hubris. So it would probably be best to help him while I still can."