A/N: Volume 3 OP: "The World" by Jonathan Young


Chapter 6

Love and Sorrow

The Vytal Festival; a celebration held once every two years as a symbol of peace and unity between the four great nations named after the island where the peace treaty that ended the Great War was signed. It had been started eighty years ago to the day by Atlas the year after the end of the Great War as a part of their reparations to help ease tensions and strengthen the burgeoning bond between nations. While the other nations had been hesitant, they eventually accepted and the festival had been a rousing success. Shortly thereafter, it was agreed to hold the festival once every other year with the various nations hosting it on a rotation.

This year, the 40th Vytal Festival was held in Vale on the outskirts of Beacon Academy near the airship port. Given the large number of foreigners present— which included a number of dignitaries— it was decided long ago that the main part of the festival would be hosted in close proximity to the nation's most prominent Hunter academy for the sake of safety. While the heart of the festival was located there, it was far from the only place one could celebrate it. For various reasons, countless people couldn't or wouldn't come to the school grounds and, as such, numerous shops held their own celebrations with some of them hosting their own events either in their shop or at a nearby park.

Moving through the main grounds of the festival proved to be an interesting experience for Emiya Shirou. While there were many minor differences, the general feel in the air was none too different from the handful of festivals that Shirou had been dragged to on Earth. Countless stalls were set up in an orderly fashion around what could be called a central plaza that sold various foods, clothing, and trinkets from nearly every corner of Remnant. Banners and streamers and flags were set up all over the place and the people of the world flitted about from stall to stall purchasing this and that or playing games. There were people of all ages and types here by themselves, with their families, or with their romantic partners. It was a hectic bedlam of sights, sounds, and sensations that would no doubt overwhelm many. It was no wonder that so many people refused to visit the main grounds.

While the display of unity was nice, there was one particular thing about it that left a bad taste in Shirou's mouth: Four nations were represented in the Vytal Festival but there were five nations on Remnant. Despite the claim that the festival was about peace and brotherhood, the fact that Menagerie, the nation of the Faunus, wasn't represented in any way was more than telling. There was no doubt that the vast majority of people here, even some Faunus, were completely oblivious to that fact but that fact didn't necessarily reflect poorly on them. If it weren't for his relationships with Blake Belladonna and Velvet Scarlatina and if he hadn't seen the plight of the Faunus firsthand, it was highly likely that Shirou would have been one of them.

Which wasn't to say that Shirou disliked the festival as a whole; the idea behind it was lovely. He just hoped that, one day, Menagerie would be properly included.

Shirou wasn't the only one interested in everything around them. No member of Team RWBYS had been to the Vytal Festival in person before for various reasons. Ruby Rose was looking around starry-eyed, clearly struggling to decide what she wanted to do first; Weiss Schnee was amused by her leader's antics and was making suggestions to try and establish a schedule so that way they could visit just about everything; Blake was pleased at the display of unity even though her smile was tinged with sadness as she, too, noticed the same thing Shirou did; and Yang Xiao Long seemed to be half a second away from pulling Blake off toward some of the things she had heard about and wanted to try.

While the casual parts of the festival were enjoyed by all, the main event that was broadcasted around the world was what most people were really waiting for: the Vytal Festival Tournament. It was an exhibition match that showcased the talents of the up-and-coming Hunters to not only show off the strength of the four preeminent colleges but also reassure the populace that their future protectors were competent and strong. Due to the timing of the festival, only first and second years were allowed to participate so that way it wouldn't be dominated by third and fourth years. This would also give the earlier years the chance to test themselves against other teams in a fairly serious combat encounter which would let them have a basis from which lessons in their later years could work off of. Even the teams that didn't qualify for the tournament would gain this experience from the preliminaries.

Naturally, Team RWBY had managed to very easily qualify. Between what they had already been through and the sparring match with Shirou, their preliminary matches hadn't been fights so much as massacres, even against the second years. In terms of their overall capabilities, Shirou was fairly certain that they could even give fourth years a run for their money. Aside from them, the others who qualified from Beacon were Teams JNPR, CRDNL (they were apparently fairly skilled in combat), and CFVY. The fact that Team CFVY was the only second year team to qualify was seen as an insult to Beacon by a lot of the foreign students but was only natural to the students of Beacon.

The existence of the tournament was also often a common defense to the criticism of Menagerie's absence since they barely had any Hunter schools, let alone one on par with Beacon of Vale, Atlas of Atlas, Haven of Mistral, and Shade of Vacuo. Setting aside the fact that their inability to participate in the tournament shouldn't exclude them from the rest of the festival, it was also often pointed out by those who paid close attention that any attempt that Menagerie made to build up a Hunter college was always hamstrung by the efforts of the other four nations. While nothing they did was explicitly targeted against Menagerie, the implications and ramifications of their actions always conveniently hurt Menagerie's ability to build up power and wealth in the form of trade and immigration. All of this meant that, without a doubt, Menagerie was the poorest nation on Remnant.

Given all of this and everything else that was going on, it was of little surprise that the White Fang not only popped up but eventually turned into a full-blown terrorist organization. While it didn't even remotely justify their actions, it was still understandable.

Shirou made a note to talk to Blake later to see if they could work with her parents and the faculty at Beacon to try and put some things in motion. While their celebrity status was still rather minor, it was still something that could be used as leverage and Shirou had little doubt that his team would at least make it to the finals, if not win the entire tournament. The further increase to their celebrity would only make things a bit easier. It would still be a massively uphill battle that would likely take years to win but everything began with a single step and the fame of Team RWBY would only grow in time.

Setting the matter of the Faunus aside to focus on the positives, the Vytal Festival truly was a wonderful event. Seeing so many people from different walks of life come together to laugh, play, and enjoy life was absolutely incredible. Despite any tensions between the governments, the level of unity that the citizens of Remnant displayed was far greater than anything on Earth. With the physical distance between them not being a factor, everyone treated everyone else as though they were a friend that they hadn't seen in years. Even the Faunus present were being openly and heartily welcomed as even the most racist people wouldn't dare to ruin the mood of the festivities.

It was beyond amazing and this was the sort of world that Shirou had wanted to create on Earth and continued to fight for on Remnant to honor the lives sacrificed to save his own.

With the overwhelming atmosphere of positivity and joy, even someone as broken as Emiya Shirou had his dark thoughts and self-loathing swept away as he tried foods from all over Remnant and got recipes and learned new cooking techniques while sharing some of his own.

OoOoOoO

Ruby Rose smiled happily as the stall owner stared at her in shock. She had decided to try her hand at a game where you had to knock down a stack of bottles with a ball without using Aura. That would have been far too easy to do, however, so she had opted to knock down all three stacks with one ball, having aimed carefully to get it to ricochet just right.

"Did you really have to show off like that?" Weiss Schnee asked in a somewhat reprimanding tone that was spoiled by her fond smile.

"Hey, I had to make it fun. Weighted bottles are too easy to knock down. It's all about the aim, ya know? A lot of people think you just have to throw the ball as hard as you can but where you hit them matters way more than how hard you hit them. That's why Yang could never win at these while I've never lost," Ruby explained while looking very much like the cat that got the cream. Weiss sighed in exasperation before her facade broke and she giggled.

"So, what do I win?" Ruby asked the stall owner as she turned back to him. Ruby's question seemed to knock him out of his stupor as he shook his head.

"Uh…," the stall owner looked at the three stacks of bottles now lying on the ground before looking back at Ruby and then to the prize wall behind him. "Take whatever you want."

Ruby hummed in thought as she looked at the prizes. Pretty much all of them were just stuffed animals with the "grand prize" being a teddy bear about the size of a small child. While she did quite like stuffed animals, she had plenty of those back home and there was something else that she wanted more.

"Can I have five of those?" Ruby asked as she pointed at a specific prize. Weiss' eyes widened in surprise as the stall owner retrieved not a stuffed animal (Weiss had honestly been certain that Ruby would have gone for the largest one) but rather five wayfarer charms that dangled from keychains. "Thank you!"

"Yeah, uh, please don't come back."

Ignoring the stall owners parting words, Ruby took one of the charms and clipped it to her belt before handing one to Weiss. "I heard that these charms help bring people back together if they ever get split up. I got one for each of us so that way we'll always be able to find each other no matter what."

Weiss stared in wonder as she took the charm and held it in her hand. It was a very simple thing of average make that likely cost the stall owner next to nothing to buy but, to Weiss, this was now one of her most irreplaceable possessions. With a gentle smile, she clipped it to the belt hidden under her tailcoat where Myrtenaster normally hung. Smiling back at Ruby, Weiss held her leader's gaze for a moment before saying, "I'm not normally one to buy into superstitions but, when you say it, I can't help but think that it will work."

Ruby's smile grew wide enough that it threatened to split her face, "Of course it will! C'mon, let's go find the others!

OoOoOoO

"No, Yang, you can't do the High Striker," Blake said with infinite patience as she pulled her girlfriend away from the test of strength game by the back of her collar.

"But Blaaaaaaaake, I wanna show off how strong I am!" Yang whined, sounding way too much like Ruby.

"You and I both know that, even without Aura, you'd just break it by launching the weight past the bell."

"That's exactly why I wanna do it!"

Blake just groaned.

"Fiiiiiiiine," Yang said with a pout, looping her thumbs into her belt in lieu of having pockets big enough to stuff her hands into as she turned around and started walking beside her girlfriend, "be a killjoy. I'll just go do it when you're not around!"

"Then I guess I'll just have to not leave you alone." At Yang's extended silence, Blake shot a glance at her only to see her triumphant smile. That had been exactly what she had wanted to hear. Blake facepalmed and tried to fight down her blush. She sometimes forgot that her girlfriend wasn't like her sister and was actually really good at social manipulation despite her usual straightforward attitude.

"We should do something that we can do together. After all," Yang leaned in and said in a whisper so low that Blake could only hear it thanks to her cat ears, "this is my first date with my girlfriend." Blake let out a squeak as her blush threatened to consume her face and Yang giggled.

It was strange, really. Blake had dated Adam for years but it had never been like this. With Adam, Blake looked up to him, shared in his ideals, and felt safe around him. Even though he was never really affectionate, it was comfortable and, at that time, Blake thought that she couldn't get any closer to a person than that.

Her time at Beacon had blown that idea away.

From basically the start, her friends had been open and fairly warm to her. They had reminded her of Ilya but without that strange weight of expectation that she felt around her. She had still been certain that they would reject her the moment they knew the truth, though, and so she had kept her distance. Then she had spent the weekend with Shirou and she started to question all of her previous conceptions.

Shirou was impossibly nice, that was something she had known from just about the moment she had met him, but things changed that weekend. It revealed that what she had thought before about closeness and friendship was wrong. She had revealed basically everything to him and, even though he had reaffirmed some of the harsh truths she had been trying to avoid, he had still accepted her and had opted to continue to help her. That weekend, after everything came out, had been the most comfortable she had been in a long time.

After that, everything with her team changed and not in the direction she had been fearing. Her team accepted her completely and all of them only grew even closer. While Blake had still tried to keep her distance out of habit, it was clear that her team wouldn't have any of it, especially Yang. Even Weiss started to go a bit out of her way to talk to her more. Even through the madness she had put herself through to try and hunt down the White Fang, their kindness and acceptance had been dizzying. While she had never said so, one of the reasons she had avoided their dorm room as much as possible back then was because she had been afraid that the comfortable atmosphere would have made her relax too much.

Then there was her talk with Yang and the dance. It was hard for her to put into words the myriad emotions that had been raging through her at the time. She liked Yang quite a bit— definitely more than she had liked anyone in a long time— but she was still so afraid and still hurt from her relationship with Adam Taurus. Even now, as she was relaxing into being Yang's girlfriend, she couldn't fully escape that fear. More than once, Adam had said that she belonged to him and him alone and that anyone trying to take her from him should fear for their lives. At the time, she thought that what he said was sweet and to be loved by someone that much was great. In time, however, she had learned better. When her eyes had been opened to the destructive behavior of the White Fang, they had also been opened to the way Adam treated her. When she compared her relationship with him to how her parents acted toward each other, she had come to an inescapable conclusion:

Adam didn't love her as a person, he loved her as an object.

When she had severed that train car, Blake had thought that she had freed herself from Adam but now she knew better. Even if he wasn't there physically, Adam still had a grip on her soul. His fangs had sunk deep into her and scarred her heart. Even as she enjoyed her time with Yang and wished for these carefree days to never end, she knew that it was only a matter of time. She knew that he was coming. She could feel it; feel his hand in the recent movements of the White Fang in this area. She couldn't give an explanation as to why but she knew it to be true. He was coming for her. He would take her. He would hurt or even kill Yang. Yang was strong but she wasn't stronger than Adam. She'd improved her skill greatly but she still wasn't as skilled as Adam. If Yang fought Adam, she would die and it would be all her fault.

What was she thinking? Why had she let herself enter a relationship with someone? She was being selfish. Yang made her feel happy, comfortable, loved. She was a warm fire in the darkness of her life. But even the brightest of fires could be snuffed out and the darkness was encroaching. Why was she still here? She should leave; run away like she always did. She should get as far away from Yang and her friends as she possibly could so that—

Blake's thoughts came to a halt as she felt Yang pull her into a hug. Her body tensed up as she finally felt how she was starting to hyperventilate and how her heart was trying to beat out of her chest. She was afraid that someone would see them, that their secret would be revealed, but she noticed that they weren't at the festival anymore but off in one of the wooded areas. It seemed that, while she had been letting her thoughts consume her, Yang had directed her away without her noticing.

"What's wrong, Blake? You can tell me," Yang whispered softly into one of her cat ears. Yang was running her fingers through her hair while her other hand gently traced up and down her spine. In spite of herself, Blake felt herself slowly start to calm down as she reached up and took off her bow before wrapping her arms around her girlfriend, clinging to her like a drowning person would a life preserver.

"Yang, I— I just— I can't— I need to—" Blake tried to force the words out but nothing would come as she clenched her eyes shut to try and stop her tears.

"Hey, whatever it is, it's gonna be okay. You don't need to tell me anything if you're not ready. I'm here for you and I'm gonna keep being here for you. You can tell me what's bothering you whenever you're ready."

At that, the floodgates opened as Blake let out an anguished cry, her tears flowing freely as she buried her face into the nape of her girlfriend's neck. Yang continued to whisper comforting words of reassurance as sobs wracked her body. It was just simply too much for her to handle.

Why did the exact kind of love that she so desperately wanted have to hurt so much?

OoOoOoO

Night came to find all of Team RWBYS standing on one of Beacon's balconies, laughing and talking about everything they did that day. Ruby and Weiss had bounced from one booth to the next, trying out all sorts of games whenever Ruby wasn't caught up in a conversation about various weapons and the off-market modifications people made or Weiss talked to people about business practices and how they differed in various regions. By the end of it all, Ruby's head was abuzz with potential modifications to Crescent Rose or even her teammates' weapons while Weiss was contemplating exactly what changes she'd make to the Schnee Dust Company when she inevitably took over and how she'd make them.

For Blake and Yang, after the former calmed down, they had spent a more leisurely time at the festival. They looked at countless trinkets made all over Remnant and clothes made in styles that they didn't even know existed. They had picked up some knicknacks from Vacuo and some clothes from Mistral but the really interesting part was when they had found where a Faunus had squirreled himself away to set up a stall for things from Menagerie. While what he was doing was technically illegal, it seemed that he was working with some others to keep a lookout and attract potential customers. This led to Blake excitedly telling Yang all about her home for the rest of the day.

Lastly, there was Shirou who not only succeeded in what he had set out to do but also got way more than that. Not only did he have countless recipes using spices, fruits, and vegetables that he was certain didn't exist on Earth, he had even forged a few connections that would let him import some of the rarer things at a discount or was otherwise pointed to a good local supplier that the person he talked to would put in a good word with. He had even been gifted a pair of lacquered chopsticks made from what he recognized as akamatsu heartwood. When he talked about the recipes, the rest of his team had been just as excited to try Shirou's versions of them as he was to make them.

Their various conversations came to a stop as the first firework shot into the air before exploding in an array of vibrant colors. They watched on in a blissful joy as more followed suit to paint the dark sky with their complex patterns and rainbow of colors. The fireworks display to celebrate the first day of the Vytal Festival was something all of them, even Shirou, had looked forward to.

After a few minutes of whooping and laughing at the display, Ruby took off her wayfinder charm and held it out by the chain. Seeing this, the other four followed suit and watched as the light of the fireworks reflected off of the polished metal.

"No matter what happens, we'll always be a team," Ruby said with a soft smile that was mirrored by everyone else.

"No matter what trials await us, we'll overcome them together," Weiss continued.

"No matter how many times we fall down, we'll pick each other back up," Blake added.

"No matter where life takes us, we'll keep walking 'cause we'll have each other's backs," Yang said.

"No matter how bad things get, we'll always have each other to rely on," Shirou finished.

With those solemn vows, Team RWBYS knew that their future would inevitably be a bright one.


This is one particular chapter I had been looking forward to writing for quite some time. In canon, we're never really shown the festival proper or even really told anything about it. As such, it was painfully obvious for me to build a house on all of this free real estate that they gave me. A nice breather after the chapter-long fight that was Shirou VS Team RWBY and the emotional roller coaster of the previous chapter, a nice bit of worldbuilding, and a nice bit of character exploration in a unique situation.
I had planned on keeping the entire chapter really lighthearted but then Blake decided that she was going to have a panic attack and so here we are.

There's also an interesting story behind this interlude you'll be reading in a bit. The original version of it was much shorter and Salem was going to have access to the Third. However, I had an idea for a thing I wanted to do much later on and did a bit more digging into the Sorceries which led me to this answer. I also needed a reason as to why Ozpin couldn't just place Emerald under a compulsion and then avert the entire climax. In the original version, I was going to say that Rule Breaker doesn't work against the Sorceries but there's evidence to suggest that it does and that led me to this. As to why I chose the First, we know almost nothing about it so it's free real estate but we do have a little bit so I actually have something to build on. Once the interlude became longer and thus much more important, I had wanted to fit it into the main text but there simply wasn't a place to do it. I also didn't include it with the last chapter because I wanted to end it on those powerful words.

Anyway, now let's move on to some business. First, a response to some reviews:

Shooter312: Thank you! I wanted Ozpin to act how he theoretically should given his backstory and position in the plot. To answer your question, I have no idea but I liked the "Many Blade Works" joke too much so there ya go.

EMSreader: I plan on. I've been trying to give more depth to basically everyone and Jacques won't be excluded. He'll still be a revolting piece of shit, though.

Next, my good friend SSVCloud has been posting a Star Wars fic that I highly recommend that you check out. You can find a link to his profile on mine and can also find the story in my list of favorites; it's called "A Binary Sunrise." The story is a really good one with a lot of interesting turns and twists in the characters while pulling from both the current canon and Legends. You'd be doing me a great favor if you went and checked it out.

Second, I'll be seeing you all again this Friday the 21st at 3 pm Eastern for an anniversary chapter! We'll finally be moving back to canon content with the start of the Vytal Festival Tournament (but don't worry, it'll be quite a bit different from canon) and the fact that it lined up with the six year anniversary of RoF seems fitting somehow.

See you then and here's the interlude!

Interlude 11
Mystery Solved
After V3C5

"The magus is Emerald Sustrai, supposedly of Haven Academy," Professor Ozpin said as he crosschecked Shirou's description of the only person that was around every time his familiars pinged with the registry of visiting students.

"What should we do about her?" Shirou asked from where he was standing in Ozpin's office.

"An excellent question. We could apprehend her and try to interrogate her but that would pose a great risk. While I have no doubt that I could overpower her defenses to place her under a charm with enough time, this is assuming that Salem doesn't have a contingency in place should such an event happen. The best case scenario in such a thing would be that Emerald simply dies but it's equally possible that she would release a massive explosion."

"And the chances of Salem having a contingency in place are 100%."

"Precisely."

"I could use Rule Breaker to try and dispel the contingency."

"You could but Salem almost certainly has multiple layers of contingencies. Does Rule Breaker dispel them all at once?"

Shirou frowned, "I… don't actually know."

"Well, that's easy enough to check," Ozpin said before saying something in a language that Shirou didn't know as he transitioned from a Human to a magus. He then placed his hand against his chest and said what Shirou could only assume was two words that were accompanied by two weak bursts of prana before holding a hand out. "I've placed two enchantments on myself and am currently using reinforcement. If Rule Breaker is anything longer than instantaneous, I'll be able to tell."

"Trace, on," Shirou said as he stepped up to Ozpin's desk, Rule Breaker appearing in his hand. He took Ozpin's outstretched hand and carefully pierced his palm just enough for Rule Breaker to activate.

Ozpin hummed as Shirou dismissed Rule Breaker and stepped back before saying, "I'm afraid that this won't be an option. While the delay is almost imperceptible, there is a delay there. While this delay would be impossible for nearly every magus to capitalize on, Salem was a highly skilled and powerful magus even before she became corrupted and that was a very, very long time ago."

"Do you think she'd set the contingency to activate that quickly?"

"I can't say with absolute certainty but the odds are great enough that I do not think it is worth the risk."

"Wait, if Salem is that skilled with magecraft, how can we possibly teach Ruby enough to be able to unravel her mysteries when they fight?"

"Simple: She won't have to. While Salem is absolutely capable of incredible subtlety, she prefers to crush her opponents with overwhelming power. One does not need to know how to unravel a fireball in order to dodge it. The only time that she's subtle is when dealing directly with me."

"It's good that she's so simple but the fact that she managed to get this far using only brute force is troubling. Just how strong is she?"

"She is, without a doubt, the strongest being on this planet by a large margin. The only reason I have been able to keep her in place for so long is due in part to my own power but primarily because she wants to beat me at my own game."

"What if I were to trap her in Unlimited Blade Works right from the start?"

Ozpin hummed in thought for a moment, "I won't say that your chances of winning are zero since I do not know every weapon in your arsenal but your chance of victory is infinitely close to zero."

Shirou scowled at that, "I'll have to reject General Ironwood's offer, then."

"I figured that he would try to rope you into some scheme of his. James' heart is in the right place but he simply cannot comprehend just what it is we are fighting. His time will come but not in the way that he may want."

"Well, if Salem fights using overwhelming power then she shouldn't be able to keep up her output for that long. If Ruby stays on the defense then she should be able to outlast her."

This time, it was Ozpin's turn to scowl, something that filled Shirou with more than a little bit of dread. "I'm afraid that simply is not possible. You see, Salem has access to what I believe you would call the First Magic— it's hard to say with any certainty since you know so little about it."

"Salem's a Sorcerer?" Shirou asked as his skin paled considerably.

"Indeed. Her Sorcery allows her to do a number of things but the most relevant of which is that she has effectively infinite prana."

Shirou placed the back of his hand against his forehead as he stared at the ground, his mind swimming with all of the thoughts and implications. Eventually, it latched onto a particular question. "What about you? You're about as old as Salem, right? Are you a Sorcerer?"

"Yes and no. I, too, have access to the First Magic— that is how I gave the Maidens their power— however, due to the way my particular brand of immortality works, my connection to it grew steadily weaker over the long centuries. As it stands, all I can do is simple party tricks."

"Like what?"

"Well, I, too, have effectively infinite Od and my projections last a frankly absurd length of time but that is it."

"Wait, if you have infinite prana, why not form a pact with someone so that way they can tap into it?"

"That would be a disastrous course of action. As you well know, a person's Od and magic circuits are tied to their soul; as such, a pact like that creates a bridge from one person's soul to another. My soul is exceptionally powerful and singularly unique so if I were to form a pact with, let's say, you, your soul would be overwritten by mine." Ozpin smiled mischievously as he added, "Besides, I don't think you would want to perform the ritual needed for that."

Shirou blanched as he found himself taking a step back, "Yeah, I really don't. I don't swing that way and it'd just be way too awkward even if I did. Well, since Rule Breaker is out, what do we do, then?"

"As frustrating as it is, we do very little. Call back your familiars and create one to follow Emerald specifically. Increase the strength of the perception filter and apply another circle to suppress the magical energy it gives off. One of the books I gave you will have the information on how to do that."

"What about the members of her team?"

"They are equally suspect and likely equally warded. While it's not impossible that they're innocent people that Salem placed under a compulsion, it is unlikely."

"Do you think they'll try something before the festival?"

"Frankly, no. They already have all of their pieces in place and will no doubt keep their heads down until they trigger whatever trap that they have set. However, the fact that we know who they are and they do not know that we know puts us in a slightly advantageous position."

"And me having a familiar following her is for the off chance that you're wrong and they do try something."

"Indeed."

"I think 'frustrating' was too weak of a word."

Ozpin smiled at that, "This long game I have been playing with Salem is certainly vexing but you have to learn to take victories where you get them no matter how small. It is in those small victories that the war can be won."

Shirou pondered this for a moment before nodding, "You're right. I should go set everything up."

"Farewell, Shirou."