The morning sun rose over Oceana, painting the coastal town in warm light as Team RWBY packed their van. Ren and Nora stood by, ready to bid them farewell. Nora grinned, punching the air with excitement.
"If you're ever in Vale, come find us!" she said. "We'll hang out for days!"
Ruby shook her head, smiling. "We're heading straight for Vacuo once we're back on Sanus, but one day, Nora. We'll all hang out again. Promise."
Ren nodded, a faint smile crossing his face. "We'll hold you to that."
They exchanged waves and farewells as Team RWBY drove off, continuing their journey.
Later the team are currently on the ferry crossing the water back to Sanus. As they waited, Blake and Yang wandered to the side, standing close as they looked out over the ocean. The waves shimmered in the sunlight, and a calming breeze swept over them.
Ruby noticed the two together and smiled to herself. Nearby, Weiss was reading a book, looking almost too absorbed in it. Ruby leaned in and whispered, "Blake's book, huh?"
Weiss jumped, startled, trying to deny it but quickly giving in. "Alright, they're surprisingly good reads," she admitted, cheeks a little pink.
Ruby giggled and gave Weiss a pat on the shoulder before wandering over to look at the ocean herself. But something felt... off. She squinted as the ferry's speed slowed, until it came to a complete stop. Blake and Yang noticed, looking around.
"Why did the ferry stop?" Blake asked, her voice cautious.
A sudden scream rang out, echoing across the deck. Team RWBY snapped into action, weapons ready, as they ran toward the source. And there, standing amidst a frozen crowd, was the hooded figure, a blade pressed to a hostage's neck. The figure's glare found them, cold and unyielding.
"Team RWBY," they hissed, disappointment dripping from their voice. "How... disappointing that you chose to move on instead of accepting the offer." With that, the figure shoved the hostage off the ferry's edge.
Yang sprang into action, diving after the falling figure. The hooded figure sneered, eyes narrowing. "Well, I suppose I'll just finish what I started."
They raised their hands, and suddenly, duplicates of the figure began materializing, filling the ferry with over thirty identical enemies. The clones launched toward Team RWBY, weapons ready.
Yang surfaced, helping the rescued hostage back aboard, only to be tackled back into the water by three clones, with several more following. As Ruby, Weiss, and Blake fought on the deck, Yang struggled to defend herself underwater, exchanging blows as she tried to stay afloat. One clone wrapped its arm around her neck, dragging her down, but Yang's eyes burned red, her hair glowing bright as her Semblance activated. She broke free, taking out the clones in her way and fighting her way back to the surface.
On deck, Ruby and Weiss were holding their ground against the attackers. For each clone they destroyed, the main figure winced, visibly weakened. Meanwhile, Blake noticed Yang struggling against another group in the water. She didn't hesitate, diving in to help, only to be met by clones jabbing electric devices at her, sending painful surges through her Aura.
Yang, seeing Blake's struggle, broke free from her own attacker and charged toward her. She destroyed the clones around Blake, catching her before she sank any further. Together, they fought their way back to the ferry, Yang carrying an unconscious Blake in her arms.
Ruby and Weiss managed to finish off the last of the clones on deck, and the hooded figure, weakened from the losses, dropped to one knee. They growled in frustration and charged toward Ruby and Weiss, only for Yang to tackle them to the ground. The two struggled, but the figure managed to draw a knife, driving it through Yang's hand. She cried out in pain.
"Weiss!" Ruby called, and Weiss activated her Glyphs, trapping the figure in a cage of light. Ruby rushed to Yang, quickly tearing a piece from her cape to wrap around the injury. She helped Yang up, then turned toward the figure.
Ruby stepped forward, her voice calm yet demanding. "Who are you? And why are you after us?"
The figure tilted their head, cold in their voice. "Someone from your past."
The words froze both Ruby and Weiss, confusion clouding their expressions. Seizing the opportunity, the figure spotted a gap in Weiss's Glyph and broke free, activating a set of rocket boots that propelled them into the sky and away from the ferry.
Ruby watched, her mind reeling. Just then, Blake coughed and gasped, coughing up seawater as she came to. Yang was by her side, helping Blake sits up, and holding her.
Weiss approached Ruby, still shaken. "What did they mean, 'someone from our past'?"
Ruby shook her head, staring after the figure. "I don't know. But... we'll have to deal with it once we're back on Sanus." She glanced at her team, resolute. "For now, let's focus on helping each other get through this."
Later, in a secluded mountain hut, the hooded figure landed and entered, the room lit dimly by scattered lights. Inside were weapons, pieces of dismantled tech, and maps with locations carefully marked. The figure activated a Scroll, a female voice on the other end answering.
"Is it done?" the voice demanded.
"It's... ongoing," the figure replied, exhaustion clear. "There were complications."
"I don't care about complications," the woman spat, her tone sharp. "I care about results. You have one more week. If you fail again, I'll do it myself."
The line went dead, and the figure removed their hood and mask, revealing a face that was familiar yet scarred. She looks at the mask, which enabled her to speak. Neapolitan looked into a broken mirror, the remnants of a scar running from her right ear across her face, a permanent reminder of battles past. Anger twisted her features as she stared at the device that enabled her to speak, her fist trembling with rage.
Without warning, she punched the mirror, shattering it.