Chapter 4: A start of a new spiritual journey!

"This is Lisa Lavender of Vale News Network reporting in!" A young woman with a short, light ton of purple hair announced. "As you see behind me is the wreckage of what would be known as the Fall of Beacon."

As the news reporter said, there was severe damage to buildings, streets, and houses, and numerous people were doing their part to repair all the damage and even repel some Grimm in the area.

"This is undoubtedly a tragic event on the final day of the Vytal Festival, which was supposed to be a symbol of unity of the Four Kingdoms." Lisa continued to announce. "This tragedy began after the death of a student in final matches, which was followed by an anonymous announcement that would later skyrocket a full invasion of Grimm, which would soon be followed by the terrorist group known as the White Fang lead by Adam Taurus with a high death toll to follow including the confirmed death of the late Headmaster Ozpin."

"Things went to the worst when the Atlesian Knights suddenly attacked our fellow Huntsman and students. Reports say General Ironwood announced that they had lost control of their androids and claims that someone had hacked their technology." The scene then changes to pictures and videos from an anonymous sender showing the androids attacking everyone instead of the Grimm or enemies. "But despite these denied claims, it doesn't change the fact that numerous people blame Atlas."

"The Council still demands answers for these events, but due to the destruction of the CCT Tower, all communications worldwide are down, and only public services are available." The scene now shows the destroyed Beacon Tower and a frozen Wyvern Grimm on the top of it. "With the addition of what appears to be a frozen Wyvern on top of the tower, it would seem that its presence is constantly attracting Grimm to the area."

The scene shows numerous Grimm in the area while the Huntsmen are fending them off. "Due to this, the progress of restoring Beacon is slow. Until then, we will do our best to report what we can to the public. This is Lisa Lavender, signing out."

'The world has changed because of this single event…'

'I don't need to be a Detective to know the consequences of what's to follow during the Fall of Beacon.'

'Because this event was shown live all around Remnant, it would bring out negativity from the public, and that attracts the Grimm, so I can only imagine that those in Beacon were not the only ones that had to fight for their lives.'

'Either way, that's not important right now. What's important… is what came after saving Pyrrha's life.'

'After the light show Ruby did, I came from my unconsciousness, followed by Sissel. Later, we discovered that something had changed us. But I'll get to that later.'

'We were surrounded by Pyrrha and Ruby's friends in an infirmary room outside Beacon. It was later known that Qrow Branwen, Ruby's uncle, was taking back the two unconscious girls out of the tower. From what I learned, Cinder was nowhere to be found. Another time to bring her to justice, perhaps.'

'Later, Pyrrha was immediately treated for her injuries but was informed that there was nothing fatal, Ruby included. Everyone was truly relieved, and no more than Jaune, who cried joyfully.'

'But that happiness ended when a few unexpected things happened.'

'For starters, Weiss's father, Jacques Schnee, demanded that his daughter return to Atlas because Vale is no longer safe. Many of Weiss's friends were against this, but in the end, Weiss was forced back home, and Blake ran when no one was looking. At first, I did not know why, but after facing Adam Taurus, I can see why she did that. I think I saw Sun chasing after her, but after learning that she ran away, Yang was heartbroken that her friend had just left without a word.'

'It wasn't long after everyone went their separate ways. Pyrrha was sent back to her home in Argus after waking up. Jaune, Ren and Nora decided to follow her. Then Ruby and Yang and their dog, Zwei, were sent back home to the island of Patch with their uncle and father, Taiyang. That's where Sissel and I decided to follow, hoping to learn more about what Ruby did back then.'

'It wasn't long until we found ourselves in Ruby's room, where she finally woke up from her deep sleep. There, we learned much about her eyes and other factors from her uncle, such as a possible lead in Mistral. Not much, but it's still something to look into.'

'And I suppose that sums it up. Oh! Right. I forgot about the whole change thing. Well, for starters…'

"Eeep! D-Detective Amethyst? What are you doing in my room?! And what's that cute kitten you have on your shoulder?"

'It would seem that Ruby Rose can now see me and Sissel.'

It wasn't long before Ruby woke from her deep sleep. She later discovered that she was back home in Patch, where her father was glad to know she was okay and told her what had happened. Then her uncle came in and told her what happened next regarding Pyrrha and her eyes.

She was tremendously pleased that Pyrrha was still alive but was saddened that she and Team JNPR had to leave without saying goodbye and learning more about her eyes and other things, such as Mistral.

After Qrow left her in her room to think about what she had learned, she was not expecting a visitor to appear. Literally appear, that is.

"Eeep! D-Detective Amethyst? What are you doing in my room?! And what's that cute kitten you have on your shoulder?" Ruby jumped, not expecting Vale's detective to appear out of nowhere like that! But she was glad to know that someone she knew was safe and sound, and she even brought a cute kitten with him who was wearing a scarf.

"Hello, Ruby. It's good to see that you have recovered." Amethyst said with a smile, calming the startled girl down and giving him a relieved smile. "Oh! And this is my new friend, Sissel."

"Nice to meet you, Ruby Rose." The ghost cat greeted Ruby, and it followed with a meow.

"Nice to meet you too, Siss–" Ruby froze the moment before blinking several times. "Did… did you just talk?"

"I sure did!" Sissel happily said.

Ruby stared wide-eyed at the talking cat on the detective's shoulder before giving a tired chuckle. "Wow! I must be more tired than I thought."

"I wish that was the case, Ruby." Amethyst said with a sad smile. "But I promise you, as a detective, what you see and hear are real."

"Wh-What do you mean?" Ruby nervously chuckled in confusion. "Does that cat have its Aura unlocked and is capable of speech as its Semblance?"

Both Amethyst and Sissel laughed at that idea. "That's not a bad thought!"

"Right? You could probably pass that off if that were the case." The detective said to the cat while making the girl look at them in confusion.

"What are you two talking about…?" Ruby asked in confusion before Amethyst looked at her before looking away then looked back at her again with a serious expression.

"Tell me Ruby. Do you believe in ghosts?" The question caught Ruby off-guard, not expecting the detective to ask that question.

Ruby slowly shook her head before answering. "No… I don't think so…"

Amethyst turns to see Sissel, who looks back at him and gives each other a sad smile. The detective then turns to Ruby and silently offers his right hand to her as if she wants her to shake his hand,

Not knowing why he did that, Ruby slowly and hesitantly reached out her hand to take his. Only for it to phase through like a hologram.

"W-What?" Ruby stuttered before trying to touch or grab the detective's hand or arm. But to no avail. She couldn't make any physical contact with him at all. She slowly looked up at him before her eyes slowly widened, realising what was going on as crazy as it seemed to be. "D-Detective…?"

The detective could only give her a sad smile before standing up straight, and his body looked as if it was fading in or out transparently, as did the ghost cat. "I'm sorry, Ruby… the thing is… I didn't survive the Fall of Beacon."

The revelation struck Ruby hard, and she was about to burst into tears, but thankfully, Amethyst and Sissel were able to calm her down before she cried out. The last thing they needed was for her family to ask her what was happening.

After finally calming down, the little girl took slow, calming breaths as she sat on the edge of her bed and looked up at the Ghost Detective with a hurt expression. "H-How? How are you…?"

"A ghost?" Amethyst finished. "Well… best to start from the beginning."

It took less than ten minutes to explain how the detective died, was turned into a ghost, met with Sissel, taught Amethyst about Ghost Trick and his origin, saved lives and was at the top of the tower.

Safe to say, the story was enough to bring Ruby out of her sadness and turn into awe.

"Wow! So now that you're a ghost, can you do all that cool stuff?" Ruby asked as her silver eyes sparked in awe.

"Yes./Kinda." Both Amethyst and Sissel answered.

"That's so cool! A-And you saved Yang, Blake and Pyrrha?" Amethyst smiled and nodded. This was enough to make Ruby bring out a big smile. "Thank you! Thank you so much! I wanna hug you but can't!"

Both ghosts laugh at Ruby's cute antics but are glad that she's feeling much better now, but then Ruby has a sudden thought in her head.

"But wait. You said that no one expects those like Pyrrha to see or hear you when you awake and possess their bodies. Then how can I see you?"

That question made the two ghosts pause before Sissel jumped off Amethyst's shoulders and was now on top of Ruby's bed next to her. "Truth be told, we are just as clueless as you are. As you can see, we can materialise our bodies in the Land of the Living and even walk around without needing cores. Granted, ordinary people can't see or hear us except those we possessed after death."

"And yet, you can see us just as we thought." Amethyst added.

"But how?" Ruby asked.

"We think it's because of your eyes." Sissel answered, surprising the young girl.

"My… eyes?" The young girl said as she touched her eyes with her hands.

"It was the only explanation we can think of after we were enveloped by the light you showed." The Ghost Detective explained. "Really surprised us, but in a way, it was good because now we can travel without possessing things anymore."

"But unlike you, I still can't use any Ghost Trick powers except to possess things." Sissel pouted.

"At least you can now move around normally." Amethyst added.

"True."

"Wow… this just keeps getting more stranger…" Ruby muttered.

"Agreed." The Ghost Detective said as he crossed his arms, leaving a moment of silence in the room before he broke it. "Well, enough about us. I think it's time to go see your sister."

Ruby gasped before nearly forgetting her. "Yang!"

She quickly jumped off her bed and walked to her sister's room, leaving the two ghosts behind.

Sissel sighed sadly. "Poor girl… she and her friends have gone through so much."

Amethyst nodded in agreement. "At least all her friends made it out in one piece."

"But they are all divided now." The cat added as he recalled how they all went their separate ways due to reason. "And you saw how Yang looked, right? She's fine physically, but mentally?"

"They did all go through enough, as it is. All we can do is let them heal at their own pace." The detective said. "But don't forget we still have a plan, that is, if Ruby is willing to take it."

"Right…" Sissel nodded as he recalled the plan that he, Amethyst and Pyrrha had made before they parted.

Yang was sitting alone in her room, staring out the window. Her Emer Celica rests on the nightstand next to her bed. Before she knew it, the sound of her door was opened, revealing it to be her sister, Ruby.

"Yang?" Ruby slowly said, and Yang turned to her and smiled, sad but tiredly.

"Ruby." Ruby had tears now in her eyes. She runs over and hugs her in relief and happiness.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Yang slowly hugged her back, but she was happy to see her sister awake, but not strongly enough.

"I… wouldn't say I'm okay." Ruby frowned before she let go of her. "It's all gone – the school, Penny and…"

Yang didn't finish the last sentence as she looked away in sadness.

Ruby grew concerned at her sister's silence. "Yang, where are Weiss and Blake?"

Yang looks back to her sister to answer. "Weiss's father… came for her."

"What? What do you mean?"

"No one outside of Vale knows what happened here." Yang answered as she continued. "Before the tower fell, the last thing people saw was Atlas attacking innocent people and Grimm destroying the city. Everyone's scared. No one knows who to trust. So, Weiss's father came to take her back to Atlas where he thinks it's safe. She's gone."

Ruby was hurt that her friend and partner were forced to leave without ever saying goodbye, but she was concerned for one more person. "Well, what about Blake?"

Yang looked sad, maybe even hurt, when her partner was mentioned. She turned her head away in sadness.

Ruby looked scared and was thinking about the worst. "What happ–"

"She ran…" Yang muttered. Ruby heard but was confused. She was going to answer, but Yang continued. "Blake ran… Sun saw her go. After we got to the city, she… she's gone."

"But… why!?" Ruby questioned, not understanding why their Faunus friend would run. Again!

Yang gave out a tired and sad chuckle. "I know why… and I don't blame her."

"Wha… what do you mean?" The little sister asked, growing more concerned. In all her life, she has never seen her sister look so… broken before.

Yang gave a deep breath before sighing. "You weren't there, Ruby! When I tried to find Blake back in Beacon, she was beaten by someone from the White Fang. It turns out it was the leader she once worked under."

Ruby gasped but stayed quiet to listen more. "I got so angry seeing her beaten to the ground like that, and I did something stupid and straight up charged right after him. And I won't lie… he could have killed me there and then."

"W-What…?" Ruby was shaken at that confession but was confused but happy that her sister was alive and well.

"But… before that happened… something really strange happened." Yang looked back and chuckled a bit, looking down at the ground. "Don't know what it was, but before I knew it, that guy's weapon turned into a piece of bread."

Ruby blinked a couple of times, wondering if she had heard that right. "Bread?"

"I know, right? It's like it was swapped or something. I was able to give that punk a solid hit." Yang answered, not noticing the shocked look at Ruby before. She was glad and thankful for the one responsible for that bizarre moment.

"And…" Yang paused before she was slightly trembling. "And before we know it, he started declaring such horrible death threats to Blake! He said he would do everything in his power to kill everyone she loves and cares for, even going far to ruin her life!"

Ruby gasped in horror that someone would do something so horrible to their friend.

"We were lucky that his aura broke, and he was so angry. A Grimm was able to tackle him, giving Blake and me the chance to escape and reunite with the others. But…" Yang took a shaking breath before resuming. "You weren't there, Ruby… you weren't there to see the look on his face! The promise he made… the threats… I… I don't blame Blake for leaving the way she did… she was scared… for herself… for us… I… I just wished she had said something before leaving!"

Yang wanted to continue, but she then slowly began to sob. Ruby also had tears before quickly hugging her sister to calm her down. It took a long while, but she finally calmed down.

The two sisters finally calmed down before Ruby then broke the silence. "So, what do we do now?"

Yang just looked away and turned back to the window. "I don't know… I just… I just don't want to do anything right now… I'm gonna lie here."

Ruby felt heartbroken at hearing her sister sound so defeated she tried to reach for her. "Yang…"

"Ruby… you can do whatever you want. Just leave me alone. Please…" The blond said without looking back at her, making Ruby even sadder.

Getting the picture now, Ruby leaves the room but not before looking over her shoulder to say one last thing. "I love you."

Yang didn't reply or turn around but gave a silent nod. Ruby was relieved but sad that she didn't get a proper reply before finally leaving and returning to her room.

In her room, she closed the door behind her and then leaned on it with her back before sliding down to the ground and curling herself up before she began sobbing again.

Both Amethyst and Sissel watch in silence, seeing the heartbroken girl. The two didn't say anything and continued watching silently and sadly. Who could blame her? This little girl's whole world was ruined all because of Cinder and those who caused the Fall of Beacon.

Days passed into weeks before turning into months. And it wasn't long before the ground was now covered in snow.

Outside of the home Ruby lives, the said girl steps outside, wearing a backpack and quietly shuts the front door.

She turns to see four familiar faces and gives them a warm smile. She was happy to see Team JNPR once again.

Jaune walked up to her first friend from Beacon and greeted her. "Hey."

"Hey, Jaune." Ruby greeted back. "Haven's a long way to go."

Jaune nodded. "It's the only way we have."

"Are you sure you want to come along?" Ruby asked, but Pyrrha stepped up and stood beside her partner as they intertwined hands. Ruby sees that and smiles, happy that at least some of her friends have found happiness after such a tragedy.

"We have to… I have, too. I Still can't help but feel responsible for what happened in the end." Pyrrha said in a sad tone before feeling the grip of her lover's hands, making her look at him. Jaune gave her a comforting smile, making her feel better.

"The journey will be perilous, and whether we'll find the answers at the end is entirely uncertain." Ren concluded.

"But we wouldn't be here if we weren't up for it." Nora chimed. Ruby nodded in agreement.

"Then let's get started." Ruby declared, then turned her right side. "You two ready?"

Two small orbs of light appeared on her right side, one red and the other purple. In a quick flash, the two turned into Amethyst and Sissel, who were standing on his shoulder, and they both nodded.

"Ready as I can ever be, Ruby!" Sissel chimed.

"Let's begin the journey of finding the truth." The detective said before turning to Pyrrha. "Good to see you again, Pyrrha."

The Invincible Girl nodded and smiled at him. "Good to see you too, detective."

"Oooh! Is our Ghost Detective and Ghost Cat here?" Nora said in excitement as she tried to look around for him. Ruby and Pyrrha giggled at their friend's antics before smiling along with Jaune and Ren.

The three have already explained the story of how Pyrrha survived. At first, they didn't believe it, but Pyrrha convinced them after a while.

"Still can't believe that there's a ghost here." Jaune said before turning to where Pyrrha had talked to the ghost. "Thank you… for saving Pyrrha."

"No problem, kid." Amethyst answered as he recalled when he had convinced them of his existence. It began when Pyrrha was in close range for her Scroll to work. He used his Tricks to travel to where she was, using Ruby's Scroll to reach her and then using his other powers to show that he was there. He chuckled as he recalled their various reactions.

"He said no problem." Ruby answered for him before begging him to walk ahead of them. "C'mon! Let's go before my dad finds out I'm gone."

Everyone agreed as they all followed Ruby. As they began to travel, Amethyst noticed a bird, probably a Crow, flying over them. He didn't know why but felt he should not forget it. As an ordinary person, that would sound ridiculous. But as a Ghost Detective? He should, at this point, consider the impossible possible now.

Because right now… this was a journey he will never forget.

To be continued…