Requiem for the Hollow Rose

by sreshtiyer

After witnessing the death of Pyrrha, white fills her vision and the Rose huntress finds herself in a desolate and bleak place. Confused, lost and still grieving the loss of her friend and her own helplessness, little does Ruby realize that was just the beginning of her arduous journey. Innocent to Mature Ruby. Rated M for psychologically disturbing themes (non-sexual).

48. Chapter 48: Commotion

Chapter 48: Commotion

"Where did they go?"

It was a very simple, straight forward and expected response from Glynda upon seeing that the office where three students were supposed to be restrained was now empty. It was what came to their minds instantly as well.

But just like anything else, despite the obviousness of the situation, they couldn't help but look around Ozpin's entire office and even some of the areas beyond in hopes that Cinder Fall and her group were still around, just like stubbornly looking around for a misplaced object despite knowing it was clearly not there.

They checked each nook and cranny of his office, the inside of the ventilation ducts and some of the areas around his office. But nothing. And yet, Ruby knew it was pointless from the very beginning. She couldn't sense Cinder's spirit energy anywhere, and despite doing some quick rounds around the campus using her Sonido, nothing turned up.

"How could this be" asked Ozpin to himself once the rose huntress was back. "That spell was no normal spell; even if she were to be found by someone, it would be impossible to break it. I used magic from the old days, magic that only I and Salem can perform. Therefore, only one of us could have…"

"Couldn't someone have carried them out?" proposed Glynda. "Maybe there is something in the security tapes.."

The Disciplinarian and the headmaster then wasted no time in checking the same. Things seemed to be fine up until the part where Ruby yeeted many people through the portal following which she and Ozpin exited to Patch as well. And Cinder and her group were still lying on the ground, asleep for what appeared to be a solid half-hour. And then, gone. Instantly. One second they were there, and in the next, they were gone. The trio rewound the footage many times to make sure they didn't see something wrong, and yet, it was all the same. And it wasn't just the footage from the office. All surveillance footage of the entire campus was cut off for several minutes.

"What's the meaning of this…..?" questioned Glynda, her expression serious.

Ozpin answered with a small pause. "I think it's safe to say that something or someone was responsible for moving Cinder Fall from here to wherever they wanted her to be. It's a no brainer that whoever is responsible for Cinder Fall's disappearance is the same one responsible for helping her infiltrate the campus"

"Phew, finally got away from the damn brats" rasped Qrow, entering Ozpin's office, slightly panting and interrupting their thoughts. "Although, the food there wasn't half bad. Gotta give it to students to come up with a place that's cheap and has comfort food. The booze hit the spot too. Now, please tell me you've gotten those three locked up somewhere so we don't have to deal with Ironwood bugging us about it every 10 minutes…"

But the animorph's expression changed from relaxed casualness to one of confusion when he noticed Ozpin and Ruby staring at him for a second with looks that mirrored his own, and Glynda groaning to herself. When he looked around.

"The hell's goin' on? You're all lookin' like you've been up to something.." he questioned.

"Actually uncle…" started Ruby, giving him a short version of what they discovered.

"They're WHAT now?!" he exclaimed. "Oh for fucks sake, you're telling me we lost her again..?!"

"I'm so sorry" apologized Ruby, "This happened because I was too overconfident about my damn abilities…"

Confronted with her eager, anxious and sorry expression, Qrow could do nothing but sigh, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Well, what's done is done kiddo. I'll admit this was a fuck up, but this isn't just your fuck up. We all fucked up by not having someone keep watch here. But then again, if they were skilled enough to break into ol' Ozzy boy's office, doubt anyone we placed here would've been enough"

"I even checked all over the campus, but I cant find any trace of Cinder's spiritual energy. And from the last known timestamp on the footage, it seems they did this almost right after we left. Meaning they had more than enough time to get away. Dammit!" cursed Ruby, clenching her fist in irritation. "I was careless! I thought it was fine as long as I bound them with bakudo because I didn't think anyone here would be strong enough to break a bakudo spell from an arrancar. And since you also had your sleeping spell on them, I didn't think they would be going anywhere"

Ozpin placed a hand on her shoulder in consolation. "Mistakes happen, Miss Rose. By all of us no matter how old we get. As who has made more mistakes than any living being on this planet possibly could, I can tell you that what happened here was neither completely your fault nor was it the biggest blunder you could've made tonight. The fault lies in all of us for letting our guard down I suppose. I must admit that seeing you being so confident had me convinced that there was indeed nothing to worry about. But before we make any more mistakes, I believe there is one more thing that is of utmost importance before we do anything else, considering that our captured Fall Maiden is no longer our captive"

Glynda's eyes went wide in realization, as did Ruby's and Qrow's. "Amber!" they cried out in unison.

The four didn't waste any time in rushing back to the elevator that led to the secret chamber accessible only by the headmaster that led straight to the lowermost part of the academy where Amber was kept in critical condition. Though they could have just as easily checked the security cameras, the thought was immediately trashed considering that whoever allowed Cinder to escape did in fact tamper with the security camera footage.

Summer knew about it of course, the secret basement that existed at the bottom of the academy. It was one that all of Ozpin's inner circle were introduced to once they were, 'a part' of his circle. But at the time, the chamber and most of the machinery present there was unmanned. After all, it wasn't until much later that Amber needed to be placed there. For Ruby, it was a first. However, it was no new sight. She HAD seen the place vaguely in the visions shown to her by the God of Darkness. It was at this place that the headmaster would have met his doom at Cinder's hands, as would Amber. The thought was odd to imagine as they hurriedly rushed through the giant halls dimly lit by green, dust powered flames. Their thundering footsteps echoed as they rushed ahead.

Soon enough, at the end of a hallway following lefts and rights, they were finally at what appeared to be a recovery capsule of sorts connected to three screens and other machinery. Ruby suppressed an involuntary shiver. The sight of it reminded her of Szayelaporro's lab table. Seeing Amber lying on the left side enclosed inside the capsule in a comatose, suffering state did nothing to alleviate that foreboding feeling. She could almost see her vasto lorde self in the place of the sleeping fall maiden. But relief immediately rushed into her brain, as it did on the faces of Glynda, Qrow and Ozpin when they realized that Amber was indeed safe, despite her comatose state.

"Amber is still here…" remarked Qrow, half relieved and half concerned. It was strange to see the veteran huntsman use such a tone. Perhaps it was his guilt in not having saved her. Or perhaps he lamented the fact that Cinder Fall made away with the Fall Maiden's powers right under his nose, leading to Amber being in her condition.

"Yes….while that appears to be a good thing, it only begs the question: how so? We know that Salem has been very keen on getting her hands on all of the maiden powers and with Cinder Fall here, her powers should have led her straight here. If Cinder Fall did manage to escape, it would mean that she had no better opportunity to attack Amber. But she did not" theorized Ozpin.

"But couldn't it be that Cinder Fall was still incapacitated? Maybe she had allies, the very same allies who made it possible for her to infiltrate Beacon and go undetected. Once she was captured, it could very well be that she sent word to her allies to attempt a rescue. After all, they didn't need to awaken her to rescue her" answered Glynda.

"Could be. Likely what happened too. Nobody knows of this place after all, save for my most trusted allies. However, there IS still the possibility that one of them has been siding with Salem as we discussed earlier. Which again brings us back to WHY they would leave Amber alone despite KNOWING her being here. But I suppose it could have been too risky and that their only objective was to rescue Cinder. Or perhaps it was something else. Hard to say. But in any case, I know that we need to check in with Lionheart and Theodore first thing in the morning. One of them HAS to know something about this, and I don't intend to stop until I find out exactly what that is" declared the headmaster.

"Wait wait wait, hold on a minute Ozpin. What do those two have anything to do with Amber and that Cinder chick?" questioned Qrow. "And what do you mean by 'siding with Salem'? You're not saying….that someone's a traitor are you?!"

"That's exactly what we're implying" answered Glynda. "We thought we would bring it into attention tomorrow morning, considering that all of us have had a lot of things to ponder about. However, even without the headmaster telling you about it, it should be obvious from Ms. Rose's account of events when you think about how Cinder Fall and her allies could have even infiltrated Beacon Academy to begin with. First and foremost, they did pretend to be students from Haven and even urged us to contact Lionheart to confirm their stories. Which would not be possible unless…"

"Lionheart turned traitor and was working with Salem….." finished Qrow.

"Either that or if someone managed to pull the wool over his eyes, getting him to accept students into his academy. But all of us headmasters have strict checks in place to prevent such a thing. It would be highly unlikely that he would be one who would make such a mistake. But still, there is still a high possibility that we do have a traitor in our midst. Which is why the headmaster proposed to question Lionheart and Theodore first thing in the morning" answered Glynda.

"I really wish we had SOME leads as to where they might have gone but…." Sighed Ozpin. "As tempted as I am in asking Ms. Rose to help in pursuing Cinder Fall, I believe it would be a wasted endeavor. Blindly searching without any sort of signs or hints as to her whereabouts seems like a poor choice of action. It would be better if we instead safeguarded what we have at our hands and make sure we do not lose that too. Plus, Amber being here means that Cinder Fall would no doubt have to try and come back here again, one way or another. Without her powers, Salem will never have the full powers of the Fall Maiden and thereby the relics. With Ms. Rose by her side, I doubt Cinder Fall can do much. Instead, investigating the other headmasters seems more productive. What do you say Ms. Rose?"

While the three were talking, it took a while for them to notice that Ruby had been silent for a while, and was merely eying Amber with a very odd expression.

"Ms. Rose…?" called out Glynda, shaking the rose huntress from her thoughts.

"Ah-sorry about that" she stammered, "Yeah, that sounds like a plan. You're right, I really want to chase after Cinder, but I wouldn't be surprised if she made it back to Salem by now. Which, I actually wouldn't mind doing, but as you said, I also want to think about some way to help Amber here. And I'm a bit worried that something might happen here while I'm gone. Maybe Uncle Qrow can lookout for Cinder" proposed Ruby.

"So it's back to that again…" he rasped in an exasperated manner. "Oh well, atleast it gives me something to do. Though, I'd prefer to look after her for now. I'd rather not screw up things again if Cinder's gonna be after her anyways"

"I'm actually more interested about Amber than Cinder. I got a closer look at her reishi and, well, professor, I find it hard pressed that despite having half of the Fall Maiden's powers, her reishi is so weak. I imagine that her soul was damaged somehow rather than her physical body. Makes sense, when you think of the power of the fall maiden, which in turn was a part of prof Oz's soul was literally 'ripped' out from her after it merged with her own soul. I imagine it's similar to having your own zanpakuto ripped out of you. I can't imagine the damage it would do to the soul. It might fix itself if the full power of the Fall Maiden returns to her. But until then, as it stands now, her spirit energy is also leaking, possibly because of that damage. If I heal her, I can restore her spirit energy, but I don't know to what extent. And it will still continue to drain until we can 'close her wounds' so as to speak" mentioned Ruby.

"You can do that?" questioned Qrow, slightly surprised. Ruby nodded.

"I do know healing kido after all, and so does mom. But as I said, it'll take a while for me to fully heal her, and her condition will simply return to where it is now eventually. It would be like filling a bucket full of holes with water. It should make her better temporarily, but if we keep restoring her spirit energy from time to time, she should be in no immediate danger" stated the rose huntress, going over to the capsule. "If you will, professor.."

Glynda gulped. "Ms. Rose…..opening that capsule will mean that she will have seconds to live. That capsule is all that is keeping her condition where it is. Are you positive you can restore her?"

Ozpin however simply went ahead, punching a few keys on the console as Glynda could only watch exasperated. The glass and metal lid opened with the air inside depressurizing, with Ruby's hands feeling the cold, depressurized air pass through her. The moment her hands had access to Amber's body, she immediately got to work, an ethereal glow now emanating from Ruby's hands and passing over Amber's whole body. Though nothing seemed to be happening for a few minutes, their eyes went wide when the comatose fall maiden stirred slightly, and then finally blinked, mumbling to herself.

"Amber…!" called out Glynda, anxious to get an answer back. The brown haired woman slowly blinked her eyes, trying to make out the scene in front of her. She was moving her mouth, but only dry rasps came out. She then tried to move her arms, but having been comatose and immobile for so long, her muscles had weakened significantly, and she nearly fell out before Qrow caught her in his arms.

"Oy.!" Called out Qrow, "Easy…". The woman blinked, slowly clutching Qrow's shirt as he held her to prevent her from falling down. Amber watched the scene around her as she was gently laid down.

"Amber, I know you've been through a lot, and quite frankly, I never thought I would see you up and awake ever again. It's all thanks to Ms. Rose's efforts that your condition has improved since the last time" mentioned Ozpin, gently crouching down to her side. "I'm no doctor, but even I can tell that having been asleep and lying down in that capsule for so long, your muscles have grown weak. Luckily for you, you've only been there for a few months and not for a few years. At the very least, you'll need a few days to be up and about. Everything is fine now, you can rest easy for a while" The brown-haired woman listened to everything the professor was saying, her expression clear and lucid as opposed to the confused state they expected her to be in. It was almost as if she had been awake during the entire time she was asleep, just trapped inside a comatose body. She merely gave Ozpin an understanding nod. She then turned towards Ruby, trying to say a few words only for raspy sounds to make their way out. But it wasn't that unclear what she was trying to say.

"No need for thanks, I'm just happy I was able to help a little" spoke Ruby. "As the professor said, please take however long you need to recover"

With a weak smile, the fall maiden nodded, following which she then turned to Qrow, thanking him the same for saving her.

"If you mean how I fucked up by letting you get to this state, I'm not sure you should be thanking me for that just yet" he waved off, earning another glare from Glynda and a facepalm from Ruby. "You can thank me after I've done my job this time" he said, offering her support over his shoulder. Amber took to his offer, letting out a dry, raspy chuckle, putting her arm over Qrow.

"You know where to go, I presume?" questioned the headmaster, with Qrow lazily nodding.

"It's pretty late, and she IS the fall maiden. I'll let her stay over at my place until you can come up with a better place for her to stay" he said. "You should just worry about what to tell the tin-man once he asks about her. Oh and kiddo, just head back to your dorm when you're done here. Yang saved you some dinner"

Which brought to the current predicament back to their minds.

"….obviously we can't just let things be. James is BOUND to ask about Cinder Fall one time or another. And knowing him, I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to take matters into his own hands and go into full alert. I know we have our code, but I am against telling Ironwood until we can be sure that something like that wont happen. And that's bot even mentioning what he would want to do about you Ms. Rose" stated Glynda.

"After lecturing everyone about how not to keep secrets from anyone, I really don't like the idea about not informing General Ironwood, professor. Remember, you may resolve the situation now, but it will only make it difficult to trust in each other later on when something even bigger happens. I think you should tell him, but in a way that conveys that the situation is under control. Because it really is. I'll be sure to drop in from time to time in the lookout for Cinder. I just hope professor Ozpin can 'overlook' a few breaks from my academy schedule from time to time" she winked.

Ozpin returned an amused smile. "I'm sure that much I can do. Which also brings me to one more thing. Be sure to be present in class after lunch tomorrow Ms. Rose. There's an important announcement I'd like to make. And I too think I'd like to deal with the situation regarding Cinder as you proposed. It would be ill natured for me, for us, to keep secrets after knowing the consequences of such a thing. I'll take care of James and Winter, Glynda. And we have Qrow taking care of Amber. For now, perhaps you can assist Amber in her recovery alongside Qrow and Ms. Rose?"

Glynda sighed. "Very well, if you think that's for the best. Then, if we're done here, I'd like to get back home. I am quite tired, starved and would rather get back to further discussions when I'm in peak condition" Giving a nod, she too made her way out of the underground chamber.

"You should get back to Ms. Rose. I'm sure your friends are anxious about your return. And you don't want to miss out on the dinner they saved for you, do you?" he asked.

Ruby chuckled. "I suppose not. Aah~it's been one long day. For once, I just might sleep fully out of sheer exhaustion. And I still have to deal with Yang and the others bombarding me with questions. Then, I'll see you tomorrow, headmaster, good night" waved Ruby, making her way out, shortly followed by Ozpin.

Returning to her dorm, she found the lights dimmed and soft, steady breathing from the respective bunks of her roommates. But what DID hit her sensitive nostrils was the fragrance of Atlesian food by her table. Along with the bowl of parceled food she found a note with Yang's messy handwriting. Considering that a lot of written activity was replaced by taking notes on scrolls and that many didn't even write anymore, it came as no surprise to the rose huntress that her half sister's handwriting was just a bit more eligible than scribbles. It said: 'Hey sis, we thought we'd wait for you but uncle Qrow thought we should just bring your dinner back to the dorm. I hope ol' Oz doesn't keep you waiting for too long. I would stay up and wait, but I'm gonna crash a bit early tonight. It's all your fault for bombarding my poor brain with so much stuff today. But I'll forgive you if you give me Crescent for an entire day just for myself. Love you (~￣³￣)~ (~￣³￣)~ '.

Ruby almost chuckled out aloud, slowly going over to the sleeping Yang, parting her hair softly and giving her a kiss on her forehead. "Love you too, you adorable dummy" she whispered, returning to her dinner and gobbling it up in silence before retiring for the day.

Indeed, it had been a long day, both for her family here as well as herself. She didn't hear back anything else from Summer or Crescent, no doubt both of them were just as enthusiastic to have their own blissful sleep for the night. She let herself sink into the mattress of her bunk, which felt considerably smaller given her current older body. Granted, her body still wasn't as old as her soul was physically, but it was still taller than when she was 15. But regardless of that, after several minutes of tossing and turning and squirming uncomfortably trying to force her body to sleep, Ruby was sure it just wasn't going to happen. And she was sure it wasn't just because of her body or because she was in a place she wasn't used to as much. The talk about her past, seeing Amber in that state and several other factors did nothing to help her catch sleep, despite her fatigue.

She then got down, grabbing Crescent Rose and lying down by the shelf right under the large window by their bunks, sitting against the shelf and using Crescent Rose to support herself, the weapon giving her a sense of comfort and freeing her anxiety. This was nothing new to her. Even during the two years after she and Ichigo defeated Aizen, there were still many, many nights wherein Ruby simply felt a lot more comfortable sleeping on the floor, sitting against the wall with her zanpakuto clutched to her side as opposed to on a bed. And so, without giving too much thought, she felt herself drifting off into sleep and her mind fell drowsily into the confines of her dreams once more.

For a while, there was a calm and yet uneasy silence. Her awareness was melded into the dull, monochrome blanketed atmosphere around herself. And then, something manifested, like a haze slowly parting in front of her, or like static that was filling her vision slowly clearing out and forming recognizable shapes. And along with the landscape, her awareness was slowly taking shape, although it seemed to be lagging behind. First, there was an upright metallic capsule with nothing but a small, square glass panel on its face to display the contents within. But that wouldn't really matter since the lid of the capsule itself was open, although the shape inside the capsule was blurred out by something akin to scribbles. There was also something standing right next to the capsule, but even that was blurred out just the same. Around her was a very dimly lit room, the only source of light being a small headlamp positioned directly above the capsule and soft moonlight flittering through the barred window high atop the cold, stone room she found herself in. Surrounding the capsule were several tables filled with jars of liquid, some containing questionable things made of flesh, bone and cartilage whereas some others were merely empty. There were also tools of all sorts, books, documents, sheets and the like as well as various tubes and cables connected to several things within the room.

She could feel the unease becoming noticeable now. The scribbles around the capsule were disappearing, a figure within becoming recognizable. And within the capsule was her elder sister's figure, strapped in to the capsule and clearly in distress in anticipation of what was going to happen. The figure standing next to her, with shoulder length hair and wearing a lab coat picked up something from the nearby table, the moonlight falling on said object in the figure's hand and casting an eerie glow. Ruby could watch Yang's expression become more and more disheveled, as she tried and tried to get herself free from her confines and her eyes following the hand of the person approaching her with the tool in hand.

And before Ruby could react or move, the figure in white started cutting open the strapped girl, her expression shriveling as the person's hand slid through her. With each time Yang as sliced open, each time her expression of fear and agony seemed to scream out of her face, the landscape around her too changed, darkening and staining, as if being stained by Yang's very own blood. The blood, flesh and bones of her sister seemed to seep into the ground., becoming part of the scenery as her surroundings morphed into something painfully familiar.

In that fey colorless landscape, the figure within the capsule seemed to fuse to the distorted landscape she found herself in as Ruby stood(?) there helpless, her breath locked in place and in agony, watching the girl suffer in a very familiar manner before falling limp, becoming a mere fraction of what she was as a human. The girl within was no doubt lifeless, her body strapped onto the capsule to prevent her limp body from falling over. Her long, wavy, disheveled hair hung lose over her, framing the front of her body like a frayed curtain, leaving nothing but a small portion of her face and a single eye to peer out. Though she couldn't make out the color, it was obvious that blood painted the girl's body, her hair and her face as they slowly dripped down, her single unobscured eye merely staring right through Ruby. It seemed to portray betrayal, disbelief, pain, agony and helplessness and lifelessness as guilt shot through Ruby like an electric current. And even after all that, Ruby still couldn't move her damn body.

And then, the figure whose white lab cloak was now dyed with the dark monochrome shades of blood finally turned around, still holding the bloody tool in their hand. As Ruby looked up, she expected to look at the face of the demented scientist that had been the bane of her existence for a good portion of her life. Instead, she found herself gazing at the face of a woman with short, dark hair reaching to her shoulders with swept bangs, two dark markings travelling from the base of her eyes to the base of her chin, and sharp, blank, dull silver eyes more dead than that deceased eye of the girl beside her gazing through her. The tool in her hand was replaced by a very familiar looking scythe, which was just as drenched in blood as she was. Her face was stained with splotches of blood, as were her clothes and her hands, accentuating her features even further. A black mist enveloped her face, covering everything but her blank, dead eyes, forming a mask of sorts, one that was reminiscent of the skull of a cheetah, with her blank silver eyes standing out amongst the darkness of the figure's eye sockets. With a steady hand, the figure lifted a single, pointed finger, pointing towards the deceased, desecrated girl on the capsule. When Ruby darted her wide eyes at the corpse of Yang on the capsule, the long, blood-drenched disheveled hair framing her body and her single eye peering from within distorted, turning into nothing but a ghostly black, shadowy mist with an eye; melding and merging together, becoming raspy and misty, forming trails of mist like tatters of cloth floating in the wind, with several such eyes now forming everywhere within the black misty thing, which then coiled around the room before it enveloped her, until her vision went completely dark.

"!"

Yang nearly screamed out as Ruby jolted awake, nearly slamming into her as she awoke, her breath heavily labored and her clothes drenched in cold sweat. For a second, Ruby hadn't even registered the presence of her sister right next to her, panting heavily and looking at the floor, clutching Crescent Rose tightly. It was only after a few seconds later that Ruby realized that Yang was staring at her with an expression of concern and worry. Instantly calming her labored breaths, she tried to mask her own facial expression as she looked into Yang's face with a small smile. The moment she did, Yang's face seemed to distort for just a fraction of an instant, replaced by the lifeless, monochrome disheveled state she was in her nightmare before fading just as quickly as it had come. But it was enough to make her flinch and look away uncomfortably.

"Sis…are you alright? I tried calling out to you so many times, you were shaking and muttering in your sleep, I was really worried….actually, you don't looks good, should I..?" called out Yang with a shaking hand, but was stopped midway when Ruby put an assuring hand on her.

"Thanks, but I'll be fine" she replied with a weak smile, her face seemingly back to normal, albeit a bit sweaty. Although it looked that way, Yang was dead certain she hadn't imagined her pained and stressed out expression. In fact, she was certain that Ruby was only trying to push her away so she didn't have to show her that expression from before.

"I know it looks like I'm just making excuses" she said. "But when I say I'm fine, I don't mean that nothing happened. It's just that…well, I do get nightmares from time to time. Phantoms of old memories, that's all. It's nothing new sis. They always come and go, and every once in a while I get a rude wake up call. But I'm used to it. You have nothing to worry about Yang. Let's just go back to sleep, shall we?" she suggested, sporting the same assuring smile. "Actually, why don't you lie down here?" she asked. "Truth is, today's been really tiring but the bed wasn't doing it for me. I just want someone to cuddle with. So, can I count on my darling sister help me drive away my nightmares for a good night of sleep?"

Yang agreed right away, despite the doubts still plaguing her mind. Ruby got her comforter down, placing it on the floor and setting Crescent Rose aside. Ruby brought Yang's head to her chest, hugging her and the two sisters snuggled to each other, their bodies feeling warm.

"That's more like it. Mhhm…..it's already working" mumbled Ruby sleepily.

"Yeah…..? But if you ask me….it feels like you're putting me to sleep rather than me helping you sleep…" replied the blonde sleepily.

"Even better.." replied Ruby. They stayed that way for a while, and while the two sisters were definitely feeling sleepy, it was evident that neither was actually getting there.

"Sis…" called out Yang with a touch of uncertainty and concern. "Are you…really alright? You're not just saying that to stop me from worrying, are you? I mean, I saw you. You were shaking and panting with that look on your face for a long time. No matter how much I shook you, you wouldn't even look at me. And….I've never seen you look that way. I'm…I'm scared sis. You cant say that you're fine and expect me to stay quiet can you?" she asked once more.

Ruby rubbed Yang's head assumingly. "Of course not. I told you, these things happen. When you go through the life I have, occasional nightmares become a part of you. Honestly, I still have sleepless nights. But those are few and far compared to everything else I have. And I've accepted them for that they are. Nightmares that are only just that, a product of my mental trauma and past. It's nothing that should worry my darling sister when I myself am not that worried about them. And I did tell you everything that I went through. Plus, you're wrong, you dummy. After all, you're allowing me to do this aren't you?" she said, clutching Yang closer to herself. "This is more than enough. I'm sure that your feistiness alone will drive away all the nightmares in my mind" she joked, earning her a playful scoff and a light punch from the blonde.

"Of course they will. I wont ever allow anything to haunt my baby sister. And just because you're older and holding me like that doesn't mean you get to treat me like I'm the younger one now. After all, what kind of older sister asks for her younger sister's company to help her sleep?" she joked.

"Ahahaha you're right! You really are! And I'm very happy to have my feisty firecracker to give me company whenever I need her!" she said, pinching Yang's cheeks slowly.

Something interrupted them, a shuffling noise to be precise. The two sisters noticed Blake's bed shifting, the faunus slowly getting up from her bed, sniffing the air sleepily and then crawling up to Ruby. Blake then promptly proceeded to rub her cheeks on Ruby's face, sniffing her, putting her leg around them and using her arms to clutch Ruby's tail, settling down next to them. Ruby chuckled amusingly, putting her comforter around the faunus as well, following which the faunus began purring softly.

"Now isnt that just purrfect" mused Ruby with a sleepy grin.

"Hey, that's…that's my thing!" protested Yang, pouting.

"Ahaha sorry…! I couldn't resist!" she smirked, petting Yang in a slow, steady and periodic manner, as if putting a child to sleep. Given that Yang herself had awoken in the middle of her sleep, and that it was alluring being in Ruby's embrace, she found her eyelids drooping every so slightly.

"Sis…." She started once more, slowly and drowsily. "No matter what happens, you can always trust me. I'll be there for you. You can tell me anything. I promise I wont freak out or go crazy. I just….want to be there for you. You'll do that for me, wont you? You trust me right?" she asked.

"….of course. I trust you with my life, Yang" replied the rose huntress, kissing her on her forehead.

"….I see…then, it's alright I guess. I'll hold on to that. Good night…." She spoke, finally closing her eyelids all the way, falling asleep. The room was filled with the sounds of soft, periodic breathing and in Blake's case, soft, comforting purrs with nothing else interrupting them. And while the expressions of team WBY did indeed look content and peaceful, Ruby herself was still slowly stroking Yang within her arms.

She hadn't lied. Those nightmares were indeed nothing new. She got them time and time again, and those were still nothing compared to what she'd actually seen back during her time in hell. But what she DIDN'T mention was her own surprise in seeing one now. True, her nightmares had become sparse over the course of the years and yet, the one that came today was unexpected and contained more clarity than any of her previous nightmares from the past two years. It felt so real. Like she was indeed back in Hell. And…..she was dead certain that the thing that Yang's corpse morphed into was without a doubt the overseer of Hell. That was also not to mention seeing her vasto lorde form with that expression. She swallowed hard. Was this perhaps an ominous premonition of something that would come to pass soon? She shook her head in denial. That couldn't be. There was no way that could ever happen. After all, she was never going back to Hell. And Hell wasn't coming back here either. She was in Remnant. Not Earth. And even if she did return to Earth, there was absolutely no reason to worry about Hell. After all, it was the God of Darkness who sent her there. He had no reason to send her there now. And nothing was coming out of there either. This was all because of discussing her past. But still, it did nothing to help Ruby relax.

"…You're right here. You're right here. With me. You're right here.." she slowly chanted, as if reciting a prayer, over and over while clutching Yang. "And you wont ever be killed by me ever again, not even in my dreams or in my illusions…" she said finally. Shifting her finger, she slowly parted Yang's hair so that her face was unobscured before taking a good. hard look. She then slowly lifted her head, looking right at the mirror in the corner of their room, which reflected their content, sleeping selves. For just a fraction of a second, the apparition of Yang's form from her dreams appeared once more. Ruby slowly closed her eyes, shutting off any semblance of said apparition as well as any other thoughts and drifted back into sleep.

---

Pietro Polendina watched with amusement as his daughter fidgeted around while her database was being updated. The process was one akin to having a monthly haircut, atleast that's how Penny described it to him, an allusion that she herself got from her new friends from Beacon. The process was routine; Penny was scheduled to get her routines checked and update herself with the latest information every month, be it the newest trends or the latest news that the CCT could reach. Fatherly love, he told himself, although Pietro did feel that he was spoiling his daughter too much. After all, it would be ideal if Penny learnt most of the things she knew by herself. Which she did of course, but Pietro just couldn't help give his only daughter the best things he could provide. And there WERE things that she simply had to do on her own, such as socializing and learning to make new friends, communication with others and the like. And Pietro simply felt he was providing her the tools necessary for the same.

Her last venture was one of particular interest. After all, it was the first ever time that Penny had willingly revealed her android nature to another person. Sure, it may have happened due to an accident at first, but the very fact that Penny did in fact confide in her nature as a robot to Ruby was what mattered. And it was the same Ruby Rose that Penny had the chance to meet sometime before. As of late, she was also a large part of their talks, and he knew that their last encounter was the one causing her daughter to fidget around as much as she was now.

"Tell me darling, what's bothering you? Is it Ruby Rose?" he asked her.

Penny sported a surprised look on her face. "How did you know dad?"

Pietro chuckled. "I'm your dad. Of course I would know what my daughter is thinking about. I can read it on your face"

Penny grew even more shocked. "My face?! There are letters on my face that you can read?! But I cannot sense any errors in my display HUD..!"

The engineer audibly laughed out his time. "Of course not my dearie! That was merely a metaphor! What I meant is that I could tell from how you were fidgeting around in place"

"Oh…a metaphor…..I'm still not quite used to how to use them" she admitted. "But….you are correct, dad. I…I want to see Ruby again…when I told her that I wasn't a real girl, she didn't get scared or didn't treat me any differently. She was worried about me despite the fact that I'm not a human being. And before I could give her my hug of appreciation, the General's men brought me back home"

"So that's what it was" replied Pietro. "I hear you Penny. But you have nothing to worry about. After all, you will need to visit Beacon soon enough for the Vytal Festival, won't you? Isn't that why you're getting your maintenance routine done today? And this time, you'll be visiting as a representative of Atlas, so at the very least, you wont be brought back here by the General's men. Not unless you stay out of mischief of course" he chuckled. "But you know, I am quite happy that you're fussing over such things. While it is true that you may not be like everyone else, to my eyes, you aren't any different to anyone else on the inside. Fussing over things and missing your companions is part of being social. There's nothing more human than that. So I would be very happy if you think of yourself as more than just a 'robot'"

"Yes…I shall try" she nodded. "Thanks dad" The computer next to her beeped, indicating that the update was finished. She unplugged herself from the console, preparing to head back to the base and then finally to Beacon Academy. It wouldn't be soon now. She would soon be able to meet properly with Ruby. And then, she would increase the output of her leg thrusters to max and give her the firmest hug anyone could have ever given her.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay longer?" asked Pietro. Penny shook her head. "Alright then darling. Off you go. You know, I would very much love to see this friend of yours in person. I can't really leave my lab, so be sure to extend my invitation to your friends when you come back"

"I will dad. Thanks!" she smiled enthusiastically, hugging him one last time before literally skipping out in joy. But before she could, the main console started beeping with another pattern. But it was an alarm that reached her the same time it did the console, and she knew exactly what that warning meant, as did Pietro. His face was narrowed in worry, while several routines within Penny automatically engaged protocol, only awaiting her own final confirmation.

"Intruders…? Here in Atlas…?" asked Pietro to himself curiously. He then went over the console, typing away quickly to check the status of the situation.

"What?!…..The sensors indicate that the hard-light dust barrier around Atlas City has been breached and yet, all of the towers maintaining the barrier are intact so then how…! No human or Grimm can break a barrier that dense without an enormous amount of energy! So then how is it that…! And what's this..!? The barrier wasn't broken at the entrance of Atlas city or near the generator but in the…sky?!" He quickly switched modes, looking to get some visual feed from the surveillance cameras all over the metropolis. He wouldn't have to look for long however, as the first drone he looked at told him what he wanted to know.

"What's….that…?!" he exclaimed to himself. The video showed him several Atlesian androids engaging with what appeared to be a man in the strangest of outfits. Or perhaps it was no man at all. Because it looked a lot similar to the robots it was engaged with than the people around it. It was a tall, humanoid thing with a white helmet with vertical slits on its face, like certain medieval helmets. The individual also wore a white, high colored cloak, that concealed almost all of its body. But from the outline he could tell that the thing had a broad upper torso and appeared to be a fairly well built individual. The area had been sealed off and the thing was surrounded by Atlesian military droids called the Atlesian Knight 200. One of them approached the thing with guns pointed at it, but an instant later the droid was blasted apart by something invisible, as were the droids around it. Following that, several Paladin units approached the thing, pointing their massive energy guns at the thing, requesting surrender. But just the same, the thing ripped apart the massive Paladins with ease in just an instant by something invisible. This time however, considering that the Paladins were mechanized battle suits/mech that were piloted by actual live pilots, it meant that the intruder had just caused the first few casualties, the scene causing him to flinch backwards in surprise.

"Dad…..I'm going to engage with the enemy" said Penny in a decisive tone, readying all of her defense systems and weapons. But she felt something stopping her.

"No….I..I have a really bad feeling about this Penny. That thing, whatever it was, destroyed state of the art Atlesian robots like they were nothing more than twigs. Not even the Paladins could stand up to it. This is….this is really bad. Oh dear…! Just what in the world is happening..!" he stuttered, his hands on his head. "Wh..what is it doing now?!"

Their combined attention went to the thing in white. It gathered around the debris of the fallen Atlesian droids, leaning over them. And then, from within the cape, numerous white tendril-like appendages appeared, which then pierced into several of the droids in an almost mechanical fashion. There was a glowing orb within the veiled helmet of the intruder as it did.

"Is that….an android..?!" exclaimed Pietro. "But.….how, why where…?! Then…rats! Is it trying to hack into our systems?!"

"Dad, I'm leaving" spoke Penny decisively once more, "Protecting Atlas City is one of my primary objectives. I cannot simply ignore a threat to the city simply because it happens to be dangerous"

"No Penny, don't! If you go now, it'll simply destroy you too! Come back!" he pleaded, but the android girl was already leaving.

Stopping for a moment at the doorstep of his lab, she turned back one last time. "Dad, I really wanted to see Ruby as fast as I could. However, I realize that I might not have the opportunity. Half of me doesn't want to go, because I know it would be futile and because I wish to avoid termination. But the other half of me wants to do what I am made to do. Protect the people of Atlas. And….I know that if Ruby were here, she would have done the same thing. So dad….please get to safety. I cannot guarantee that I can hold off the enemy. And I still don't know the enemy's directive. I can always be rebuilt. But you…there's only one of you, dad. And I don't want to lose you too. Because unlike me, no one can replace you"

And with that, she fired away from the laboratory and towards the unknown entity. As Pietro watched helplessly, he could do nothing but sadly grimace to himself. He could've simply used an order as her creator that would have overridden all of her existing protocols to prevent her from going. But his feelings of wanting to treat her no differently than any other human prevented him from treating her as nothing more than Artificial Intelligence.

"And you're wrong about that Penny" he whimpered to himself. "You aren't disposable. I can't just rebuild you like I can any other android. If I lose you, it's the same as losing a part of my soul. You are as real and genuine as any other daughter is to their parent even if your body is not"

But his thoughts could wait. All of the Atlesian droids were connected via a vast network that would instantly spread word to all personal the moment an emergency protocol was initiated. But those signals were nothing more than status signals that wouldn't convey anything more about the situation. He had no doubt that the General had already been alerted, despite him being in Beacon along with Winter. The Atlesian Military would buy a little time, as would Penny. Time that he could put to its fullest use. Going over to another corner of his room, he used two marked keys to unlock an unused section of his console, pushing a button and typing in a few commands, sending more than just a 'distress signal' to the General. It was a line of communication directly connected to the General that bypassed all security protocols, only meant to be used in case of real emergencies. It would be untraceable even if someone were to hack into the CCT itself. He was tempted to initiate evacuation protocols as per his daughter's request, which he did, but only to the section of the city that was in the vicinity. After all, Atlas was huge; evacuating the entire metropolis was a gargantuan task and inducing mass panic was the last thing he wanted to cause. After that, he could only hope. After all, even the message he sent to Ironwood was still connected to the CCT, even if it was buried under many layers that made it more or less 'untraceable'. And even hacking the first surface layers of the CCT required tremendous computing power. He could only hope that there was enough time for his message to be sent to the general before it was intercepted by the intruder.

The sensors on Penny's body could detect the wind rushing past her, telling her everything about the surroundings; the wind pressure, humidity, temperature, brightness, and the intensity of all forms of radiation around her. Of course, that also meant her aura detector. It was the one piece of equipment that was more sensitive than anything else on her body, the most expensive one to install and yet the one that was the only one going haywire in her system as she approached the epicenter. She turned it off to conserve power. Perhaps it was a consequence of whatever aura the other android had. But Penny quickly dismissed the possibility. After all, that thing was an android, it had to be. She would confirm it herself when she got close and scanned it with her visual sensors. And an android couldn't possibly possess aura. Perhaps it was something else. She could sense various people from below giving her looks, gazing at the sky curiously. The chaos at the epicenter of the Atlas Military Base hadn't quite set in to the rest of the city. She waved at them calmly as per routine, asking them to stay indoors as she flew. Soon enough, she got visual confirmation of her target, who looked at her almost instantly, even at that distance. Penny half expected that the thing would come charging at her, but the enigmatic android simply stood and observed while Penny approached it. A few feet from the android, she deployed her aura controlled swords stashed away inside a small backpack on her body. Landing on the ground, she made note of the several fallen and destroyed droids, as well as the completely decimated Atlesian Paladins, some of which were splattered with blood. She flinched, looking away from the scene and focused on facing her enemy.

"How curious" said the android-like being, in a very monotonic voice devoid of any emotions. It felt as barely human as it could, but more advanced than any autonomous droid's voice. "I can detect that you possess a fully cybernetic body no different than these toys I terminated. And yet, I can also sense spirit energy from you, a soul. There exists no part of you that is organic. Clearly you are very different from these wasted toys with no reasoning of their own. They served their purpose however. I was able to gain access to the network they were connected to and stop all communications from getting out. Naturally it poses no threat to me even if it did. But I have been ordered to perform my mission with as little bloodshed as possible. You showcased expressions of fear and anger when looking at the corpses of the humans whose lives I ended and at the sight of their blood. Even a gigai has a body made up of spirit particles that then form something akin to spiritual organic matter when infused with a soul. And yet, infusing a machina with a soul is an entirely different matter. In that regard, you and I are similar. The data I could recover from these useless droids will be inconsequential compared to what you must possess. Now…..reveal your secrets to me" he challenged, tendrils appearing out from within his cloak and slowly approaching her. "Unlike these machines, I must be careful with you if I should learn anything meaning full without breaking you"

Penny readied her weapons, pointing it at the android. "Who or what are you?! State your mission, or I will retaliate!" she declared. Even as she was trying to read him through her sensors, she could feel nothing. What she did read was something akin to a glow that was blocking her perception, preventing her from peering any further.

"My designation is BG9, part of the Sternritter codenamed 'K' The Knowledge. I have been assigned the mission to investigate sources of high spiritual signatures on behalf of His Majesty. Under his orders, I was tasked with recruiting manpower for our cause using non-violent means unless retaliated. As I was confronted with weapons pointed and fired at me, I have retaliated as such. And since I have visual confirmation that my opponent is willing to open fire, I shall retaliate in kind" he replied, the glowing orb within his helmet glowing ominously.

"Sternritter? His Majesty? I am afraid that I do not reconcile those terms. However, as you have caused harm to Atlas Military property and pose a threat to the people of Atlas, I will stop you using any means necessary!" she declared.

*Fwip*

Gone. One instant Penny's visual sensors had his form locked on and then in the next, he was gone. Vanished from her field of view.

"You disappoint me" came his voice from behind her. She could detect the pressure sensors on her shoulders and legs overload as she was slammed down to the ground with considerable force. Her swords fell uselessly to the ground, the strings connecting them cut off from her backpack. "Surely you must have sensors to detect the difference in our reishi particles and therefore our performances. Even your weapons were openly revealing the strings you deployed to anchor them to your body making it an easy target for your target to disable them. As far as similarities go, the nature of our existences is where it ends" The girl tried to kick and get away, but he was holding her down with such force that nothing she did worked.

"You cry out and struggle like a weak human, your body a grotesque parody of flesh. You possess the capacity to mimic their emotions, which is nothing but a hindrance for machina like us. And yet, you possess none of the superior functions of a machina. How very disappointing. However, any machine can always be improved, its design made better at the right hands. I am an example of that, despite our similar make. And yet, you possess something that I do not. Let us see if there is something within that grotesque body of yours that belies what lies on the inside" he spoke ominously, the glowing eye inside his helmet turning green as the numerous tendrils within his cloak approaching the various interfaces for data or power transmission on her body. The tips of each of the tendrils changed shapes, each one matching the shape of an interface, like a USB port or similar. The moment they connected to her systems, warnings flared off left and right inside her core routine, and her eyes flashed red and green as they tried to fight off the foreign program invading her systems. At first, it was doing nothing more than looking through all of her OS files, her drives and using her as a conduit, looking at all of the information flowing through the CCT. Her motor systems went haywire as they tried to initiate protocols to disconnect the tendril connected to her data interface system as she flailed and trashed about. Then more of the tendrils connected to her swords, which also had ports that interfaced with her body. The foreign presence was shutting down and taking total control of all of her actuators and sensors.

"Curious. How curious indeed. Your body and hardware are mediocre at best. But your core routine is almost…poetry. It is dynamic, ever changing and almost human to a perfect degree. Even I am unable to completely peer within its depths. Could this be because of the soul embedded within your body? There is such unlimited potential within. But as it stands now, you are nothing more than scrap waiting to be recycled. But with the technology of the Quincy and my own abilities, you will be unmatched, an existence as close to my own. His Majesty will be very pleased and you will make an invaluable collection to our cause. And all this knowledge stored within..! The Grimm, The Four Kingdoms, Remnant, Aura, Semblances, The CCT, Huntsmen, The Academies, Dust…..Data Acquisition Complete. With the Schrift engraved upon me, my 'Knowledge' allows me to impart any knowledge I possess as well as acquire data from anything, living or otherwise using these hands of mine. And as such, for granting me all this knowledge, I shall now execute the first of many steps before you can be presented in front of his Majesty. Atlas City shall serve as a prime location for our headquarters on this world. Its technology, wonders and location far up above the skies over all others is a prime representation of the Quincy race and as such, there exists no better place for His Majesty for me to present as a gift. You have given me more than I could calculate. Behold, Penny Polendina, I shall now overwrite your current useless sub routines, imparting the knowledge of our world and rewire your systems so that you shall instead serve the Quincy for as long as you exist. Rejoice, for there is no greater honor" he said, following which Penny could slowly feel many of her subsystems being deleted or overwritten with new information, the Quincy, Spirit energy, Soul Reapers, and all other knowledge of a whole new world. But that wasn't all. Even her primary directives were being erased, replaced instead by new ones. Such as acknowledging her new master as Yhwach, the King of the Quincy. Eliminating the enemies of the Quincy, such as hollows and hell beings upon confirmation of their reishi. Her sensors had been redirected to automatically detect any negative sources of spirit energy without hesitation. Of course, it also included reporting everything she detected to BG9, who was registered as her superior. With her sense of self being suppressed, she could feel all of her past memories fading from existence. As she lay there, unsure of the expression she was making on her face, a single word appeared on her mind as a small tear of cooling fluid leaked from her eye.

"Ruby…"

After the lights on her eyes went dark completely, BG9 picked her up, hoisting her over using its many arms. "Secondary Objective complete. Proceeding to investigate source of spirit energy coming from within Atlas Headquarters. Will retain damage to a minimum in order to retain as many resources to present to His Majesty as possible"

---

Ironwood and Winter were just about done collecting their thoughts regarding the events of the day. Luckily for them, their men had their own orders that didn't require the presence of the General nor did anything of particular importance happen back at Atlas that needed their presence. However, as eventful as their visit to Beacon had been, there were still a few things needed to be taken care of. For one, it was time for Winter's usual visit to Fria back at the Atlas Headquarters. Ironwood had been scheduling these visits ever since Fria had been confined to her bed. Her failing memory caused due to her old age and short lapses in memory meant that Ironwood had to take extra precaution to ensure that when she passed, the last person on her mind would be Winter so that the power of the Winter Maiden would be transferred to her and not someone else. After all, unlike the other relics, the very presence of Atlas City depended on the Staff of Creation that was housed in it. Using Bullheads, it took roughly 3-4 hours to get to Atlas City from Beacon.

Although James very much preferred that he checked up on Cinder Fall, he felt it necessary to complete his visit to Fria first as opposed to Cinder who was in relatively safer hands. With Ruby and her current skills as well as Ozpin and Qrow, there was low chance of anything going awry. He sent a notice to Ozpin via their usual communication channel informing him of his departure and explaining his reasons, adding that he also needed to be back in Atlas to finalize the preparations for the Vytal Festival.

"Very well James. There is also another matter that I would like to discuss, let me know when is a good time to call next thing tomorrow" came the reply from Ozpin.

"Affirmative"

And that was that. He wondered what it was. Possibly something to do with Ruby Rose, he thought to himself. Or perhaps it was something to do with the next steps regarding Cinder Fall and Amber. Things for tomorrow when he was fresh and had time to put his thoughts into it completely, he thought to himself. For now, he needed to go back.

Soon enough, they were on their way to Atlas, with Ironwood and Winter retired to their own chambers and contemplating their own thoughts. Winter considered skipping dinner and simply going to sleep, given how tired she was. She was not in the best of her moods, given her hunger, fatigue and the fact that she had to leave without even saying Weiss goodbye before she did. But it had happened so often before that at this point, she was more or less used to it. But it wasn't all that bad, since she did leave Weiss a text message on her scroll. Though it was quite late at night with the skies blanketed by an inky black color, the metropolis looming in the distance was anything but dark, with lights from the city illuminating the architecture for all to see. They were only a short while away form the city and soon she would be able to sleep at her own bed peacefully.

Suddenly, her surroundings vanished, as if was pushed down a cliff out of nowhere. Gone were the droll interiors of the Bullhead and the landscape lit by artificial lights in the background. Instead, she found herself in the strangest of spaces. There were no landscapes, no skies, no grounds to gaze or step upon, nothing. And yet, she DID feel solid ground on her feet as she walked around. All around her the space itself was lit by an ethereal glow. It was like being in the pearly white gates of heaven itself, expect that there were no gates to enter.

"What is this….where is this place..? I was just.." she spoke to herself, looking around.

"Winter" called out an elderly voice, her tone soft and gentle and yet containing a defiant display of strength. But Winter recognized that voice instantly. Looking at the direction from where the voice was coming, she found herself come face to face with Fria, the Winter Maiden.

"Fria…? How are you…? Where are we..?" she questioned, but even before the elderly maiden answered, what struck her mind immediately was the fact that the elderly woman was standing, despite her current condition being severe enough that she needed to be hospitalized.

"Listen carefully my child" she spoke, with a hint of urgency and yet a certain clarity in her voice, as if she wanted to be very careful with the words she spoke. That alone was surprising for Winter. Her voice sounded saner and more fluent as it did whenever the two used to spend time drinking tea. "Listen carefully and well my child, for I don't have much time. Atlas City is under attack by a lone intruder. A human-like thing clad in white armor with strange abilities. Whatever it was, it was no human. It slipped past the barrier with ease and attacked the headquarters directly. Our weapons, swords and guns did nothing. Somehow it was able to turn our own weapons into its own and took total control of the entire HQ. It killed any human that opened fired. Its target appeared to be the maiden powers within me. It kept talking about how its mission was to 'seek out those with high spirit energy'. I do not know of Spirit Energy, but it targeted me, a lone elderly woman specifically over all the others. It must have some way of knowing about the maiden powers. I tried my best to hold it off, but even the power of the winter maiden did absolutely nothing. It was much too fast to see and much to resilient to be damaged by even our strongest weapons. And so, I did what was necessary to prevent it from acquiring my powers" she explained, coming closer. Winter clasped her hands over her mouth, watching the elderly woman with shock. That alone told her a good deal of what happened.

"Oh no….Fria…you didn't..!" she gasped. "How…how could this happen..?! The base is under attack..?! But ONE intruder..?! And…just what is…?!"

Fria put her hand on Winter's shoulder. "For some reason, in this place where the maiden powers are transferred from one generation of maidens to another, I have regained some of the strength that escaped me due to old age. Otherwise, I would never have been coherent enough to convey all of this to you before anything more could happen. And with this, I can transfer my powers to you, as is my duty. But you must make haste. Leave Atlas and rejoin with the General and make haste towards the headmaster of Beacon as quickly as you can. Don't look back. That thing can locate the power within you. I do not think that people of Atlas are in danger. It only attacked those that attacked first. If it acquires the powers of the Winter Maiden and thus the relic within, all of Atlas will fall. Though there have been several casualties amongst the soldiers who tried to intercept that thing, the damage to the HQ itself is superficial. However, with the HQ under its control, Atlas is no longer your territory. However, if you leave Atlas, there may yet be hope. Sadly, with my useless old body, I was unable to get more information out of that thing. But what I do remember that thing saying was that it was looking for people to recruit for the joining the 'great cause of the Quincy'. Now I do not know what that means, but with the headmaster's help, you will do much more in protecting the powers of the Winter maiden than I even could" she said, gently grabbing Winter's hands. A glow began emanating from her hands, with Fria's own hand becoming translucent and fading into the background.

"I know this is a lot to take in, child" she said. " Throughout our various sessions, I have had the joy of sharing in my knowledge and my experiences as the Winter Maiden, be it in the battlefield or outside of it, and you have shared your life in the outside world as I lay there in bed, with my mind and body failing, your tales being the only thing that kept the fire within my soul alive and well. I have taught you how to face your fears, difficult situations, your family as well as how to overcome crisis. Do not let the news of this attack affect you so, and do what is required to keep Atlas and the responsibility I am entrusting you with safe. Remember, Hesitation is Defeat" she said, her body becoming more and more ethereal. "You have a crisis to face, and I will be watching you from within. Thank you for everything you have given me, may you overcome this crisis in one piece" she said, before vanishing completely.

Following that, Winter found herself back in her seat inside the Bullhead. She could feel power welling up within her body and the sensation was strange to say the least. Just earlier that day, she had the chance to experience how it felt like to sense aura. That familiar feeling was back and she could feel her own aura outshine the auras of those around her and her eyes filled up with power. Clasping her hand, she suppressed the sensation of power overflowing from within her, grimacing as she took a second to process what just happened.

"Thank you for everything you have taught me Fria. I will make sure that your sacrifice wasn't in vain. You did admirably in fulfilling your duties till the very end, even as your life was at stake. I will definitely make things right" she swore to herself, before heading off to the main command hub of the craft.

"Men! There has been a change of plans! Turn around this craft and plot course for Beacon Academy IMMEDIATELY!" she barked, earning her confused looks from the pilot.

There was murmuring and chatter around her as they debated her orders.

"But ma'am, with due respect, we are already this close to Atlas City and we don't have the fuel necessary to make a return trip without making a stop in between. And making an unauthorized trip back to international airspace will mean violating a lot of different protocols, as well as risk collision with another aircraft" argued the pilot. The Schnee operative cursed to herself. Just then, Ironwood emerged from his cabin.

"Winer..? What's going on?" he demanded.

"General, Atlas City is under attack, and I got word from Fria that the HQ has been taken over by an enemy intruder. He is after the powers of the Winter Maiden" she explained, releasing some of the power, making her eyes glow every so slightly. She watched as the General's eyes went completely wide. "She told me that even with the power of the winter maiden Fria couldn't put so much as a scratch on him. He was able to instantly destroy our military arsenal but the damage dealt was superficial and the city appears to be safe. She told me to go back to Beacon academy because the intruder's sole objective seems to be the power of the Winter Maiden. Therefore, the city should be safe if I-"

She got no time to finish her sentence as a violent impact shook the entire craft, the vibrations furiously passing through and reverberating throughout the entire Bullhead. Warnings flared left and right as those within braced from the impact. Sounds of metal being torn apart could be heard coming from up above, with the noise overwhelming the sound of the aircraft. They could feel air from inside the craft rush out as the hull was breached. And then, like a cannon punching a hole through a castle wall, the lining of the craft tore open, revealing a long, humanoid looking thing wearing a white cloak clad in armor and a helmet with vertical slits open on the front. Within the helmet, there was a single glowing orb and hunched over the thing's shoulder, supported by its arm was Penny. The thing appeared to be standing on what appeared to be hard light dust, but Winter had a good feeling that wasn't the case. It didn't help that the overwhelming feeling of pressure she felt from that thing almost caused her to drop to her knees, a feeling that was so very similar when Ruby released her spiritual pressure.

"How very interesting" it spoke with a monotonous voice. "One moment this spiritual pressure was all the way at Atlas headquarters and now, it reappeared after that human's demise several miles away almost instantaneously. Is it a result of her semblance? Or is this something more? And why does the spirit energy of two different human beings bear such striking resemblance, over 50%? Are you two related by flesh? Or is this a consequence of the unknow means by which spirit energy vanished and reappeared within another human? I must acquire this data at once"

---

After a long day, Tier Harribel waved goodbye to Aubrey, the 6 year old girl with long jet black hair and a light pink bow and a simple blue dress carrying around a plushie in the shape of a bunny. In the two years following Aizen's defeat, working in the nursery had become a part and parcel of Tier's life. As former arrancars, they still needed gigai to interact with people in the real world which Kisuke had been more than happy to provide. It was also thanks to him and Ruby that all of her companions had been able to do what they were during their time there. While they still resided within Las Noches at the end of the day, considering that gargantas more or less provided an instant means of transport between the World of the Living and Hueco Mundo meant that it was a very convenient arrangement indeed and one that didn't burden Kisuke or Ruby with providing a place for them to stay. Plus, the odd jobs they did not only fulfilled the one thing each one enjoyed doing but also paid for other expenses they might have in the World of the Living. Be it Tier's work in the nursery, Nel's work of working in many odd jobs, most of which included being tour guides for various tourist attractions (such as exploring forests, dangerous snow peaks or wading through parts of the ocean), Ulquiorra's work in the library or Grimmjow's brawls at several fight clubs. The blue jaguar arrancar for one really did enjoy the limitations of fighting in a human body and having to actually struggle fighting opponent after opponent, even if he didn't show it.

They all had their own things to do, despite the usual practice fighting and sparring or visiting the Soul Society to maintain relationships with the Soul Reapers as representatives. It did strike as odd to Tier at first. Her life was so much more different now, so much more colorful and had so much more happening as compared to the century she spent as Aizen's Espada. And yet, even a century in Hueco Mundo would not compare to an year in the World of the Living. And it was all thanks to Ruby that she was where she was right now. And though she had gone for just a day, Tier was already starting to miss her presence.

Hugging the girl in front of her, Tier waved goodbye before promising to meet the girl the following day, softly rubbing her head. At the end of each day, they would all gather at the entrance to Urahara's shop before leaving their Gigai at the basement and return to their own chambers at Hueco Mundo. Today was no different. Their practiced motions automatically made them go up to the basement as they began to emerge out of their Gigai. Nel was chatting away nonchalantly with her fraccione while Ulquiorra kept to himself, as did Grimmjow. Pesche and Dondochaka made some small talk with Lily and Starrk as the latter opened a garganta back home.

"Good work today!" greeted Urahara as he took the gigai's inside. Tier gave a subtle nod, while Nel and some of them others greeted Urahara back before they jumped back into the open void and began making their way to their own chambers in Las Noches. Since each one resided in different parts of the titanic palace, it was routine for them to open a garganta right at the entrance of Las Noches and then make their way to their own palaces inside.

As the other end of the void spilled into the perpetual night sky of the world of hollows, instead of the familiar sight of the cream colored palace of Las Noches, what greeted them was utter and complete destruction, as if hurricane had chewed away everything small bits and pieces of the once towering palace. Instantly they all drew their zanpakuto.

"Wh..what the fuck?!" cursed Grimmjow, going fully alert.

"Las Noches…..it's been destroyed…!" exclaimed Lily.

"It was still upright before we left earlier today, to cause so much destruction in such a short time would mean that it has to be someone at our own level" cautioned Tier, looking around.

"Finally" came a voice from up above them, catching their attention. "I was really getting tired of waiting for SOMETHING to happen. When his Majesty tasked me with capturing Hueco Mundo by myself, I thought I would finally have something worthwhile to do. But it took me little to no effort to reduce this filthy place to rubble. None of the other hollow scum of this place even jogged my imagination a little bit. I was seriously disappointed that this is what Hueco Mundo, the place of our most hated enemy had been reduced to. But now I see that the real scum Aizen left behind was hiding all along. Of course, now it makes sense why His Majesty sent me here. How fitting for filthy arrancars"

The voice belonged to what appeared to be a child with messy blonde hair, youthful features, and red eyes. His attire was a white uniform, consisting of a loose trench coat featuring a hood and a high collar and a five-pointed cross.

"This spiritual pressure….it's insane…!" exclaimed Sung-sun, quivering. "And…..it's the spiritual pressure of a Quincy..!"

"Who are you?" questioned Ulquiorra, narrowing his eyes.

"Normally I wouldn't bother making conversation with mere dregs" he replied. "But I'm feeling rather generous today. After all, Aizen's creame de la creame just made their appearance, giving me something to do and making this whole mission worthwhile so I'll tell you. I'm Gremmy Thoumeaux, Sternritter 'V' The Visionary. With that out of the way, it's time I start dealing with you wild beasts"

---

A bit late with this week's chapter, I do apologize for that. I realize that I'm still setting up some of the battles here and there, but then again, this section is more or less a 'prologue' of sorts for this arc, which is why the progression is the way it is. But there are some very interesting encounters the next chapter.

---

Response to reviews:

Monster King: Thanks!

Argorok: Thanks! Yeah and well, it will be her undoing. Something very big is brewing indeed.

Kitsune Obsessed Freak: Thanks a lot! Well, they did do that with Tier when Kirge defeated her in canon so I kinda just went with how things would have gone more or less.

NinjaGogeta: Yup.

Spellflame: Nope, they can't. After all, it IS a curse cast on her by the Gods themselves. She does, but will it do her any good? Time will tell.

firewyrm2: Yeah which is why I'm doing things differently. Huh I'm yet to play Dark Souls, no idea what its about. Maybe, maybe not. Think about it. Even if she's immortal, there's not saying that she cant be stopped somehow. Aizen was immortal too and he was stopped, despite being many many times more powerful combat wise. Pretty sure Yhwach of all people will find one way to stop her. He doesn't need to kill her really. Could work. I just think that rather than Ruby, the premise would be the same if we replaced Ruby with any other normal person. So you'd need something that makes it so that Ruby being the way she is becomes significant.

Crimsongear: Yup, the man himself. Hoh boy yes because not only will it involve Soul Reapers, but the hollows, arrancars and even Remnant itself.

: Glad to see you back! Yeah it was only natural. As I mentioned, I am not biased towards any particular character and try really hard not to have any 'favorites'. So my main focus is only about following a certain plot and having characters interact in a way that makes sense with their personalities and a set of events that makes sense. That is true, and that is why Ruby will find it more relatable to talk with Ozpin and Salem as opposed to anyone else in Remnant.

Yeah. I thought it would go very well with her personality, and it would also give more depth to her character. Portraying her this way will bring more of her 'inhuman' nature. And no, you may be rest assured. If she really went berserk after something went haywire, it would be no different than any other person. But Salem is not one like that. Age wise, she is likely older than anyone even from bleach verse. And I truly intend to portray that as best as I can, as with Ozpin.

Pretty much. It's kinda like how Haschwalth put it. War needs resources, labor and manpower, as well as lands. And the Quincy are a race who portray themselves as being the superior of the lot, viewing certain races such as hollows and hell being as 'lowly' and 'enemies'. Sounds very familiar doesn't it? And well, given all that, it wouldn't be beyond them to expand their own empire by conquering other lands. Yhwach is in Remnant because he has to be. But he isnt 'downplaying' anything. After all, he did send Gremmy of all people to Hueco Mundo. He has been preparing for 1000 years to get even. He is not ill prepared but the same cant be said for the Soul Reapers. And Yhwach knows that.

Yeah you got it right here as well. And this aspect wont be brought out just by Ruby. After all, the Quincy are here. They alone will be a big source of 'Life or Death' situations for our Remnant cast to improve. There will definitely be some form of 'bridging' for the powerscaling.

Thanks once again for reading and for the support.

ExploerTM: Of course, I really respect my readers and my story. It's the least I can do to make sure that everyone gets the most out of this fic. And yeah, you're right. After all, she has mixed memories or events and has been shown multiple versions of events that take place in Remnant. Her missing a couple of details here and there is very possible.

Yeah. And I think it works really well for her, and truly brings out her 'inhumanity'. I have plans for many other characters as well and try to do them better than in canon, with some of them being Amber and Neo.

Ah they pretty much had them coming.

Sorry about that! I want to try to avoid using them too much but they really emphasize the gaps in conversation quite well and truly show speech well. It's tempting not to use them but I'll try.

Lucian Naruto: Ah glad you feel that way! Yeah well Raven had it coming.

fightingchampion: I mean it's quite obvious sadly. I really think that vs battles wiki has good representation of the power levels of characters and well, the Sternritter are more powerful than many of the captains and Espada. RWBY cast don't even compare. But well, it wont remain that way throughout. There will definitely be some bridging of the powergap. Yeah, Salem may be immortal but not invincible. Someone like Aizen could be stopped, so it's not at all impossible that Salem could be either, especially by Yhwach.

Eun-ki: Actually you're right! Thanks for pointing it out. I had NO idea. But well, this was never revealed in the show, and from what I can see, it was something that was only revealed in some RT interview or something. But well, it does say he drinks iced coffee and never actually states he doesn't like coffee so it's probably alright to leave it in.

MaxDH2490: Thanks! Yeah thank god for her huh with brightening the mood huh? Ah well, glad you pointed it out! It does seem likely just based on their personality!

Fregreg: Thanks! Ah it's just Crescent being Crescent! Probably not. There's no real reason too.

Mobian: That it did and it really suits her in my opinion. Ah glad you caught it! Well, I suppose Raven had it coming. Paying for her sins I suppose. But she will get redemption sometime, although it wont be easy. Welp, you know what happened to them now. They're not in a good spot with Gremmy looming over them. Oh boy yes, with Crescent and Yachiru the chaos will be uncontrolled.

Vedahzii: She would have, but well, against Quincy who can move faster than she can blink it doesn't really help. Not to mention that as the Spring Maiden, they would've caught her one way or another. That's true and if Yachiru had been there, hoh boy!

RandomName3064: Yup. Not really the mad queen from AiW but well, I just thought it would make her character interesting and would actually fit in quite well given her past.

Nope they cant. Atleast not the big Grimm pool that the God of Darkness himself created. Even Yhwach himself cant do jack shit to that. He's nowhere near as powerful as the brother gods. Not even the Soul King is.

Yeah I really am trying to keep him in character given what all he does in canon and have him act logically considering that things that happen around him. Ah well, things really went south for Penny and Ironwood huh?

Yeaaaah thigs went south really fast for Atlas. Makes sense though, considering that they were keeping the Winter Maiden hidden away. It was only a matter of time before they were found.

rama alif: Thanks a lot!

L4 of the WEST: Well, that's the point of a crossover isnt it? It wouldn't be any fun or interesting if things happened the same as in cannon.

The Keeper of Worlds: Well, I have other plans for them beside being Yhwach's soldiers or pawns. Those kinds of abilities are interesting for sure. Perhaps one of the RWBY cast could get subtle type of abilities.

NEGATARO: Yeah well, Raven just had what was coming for her. Ruby will have her role, as will the others. Thanks as always!

Xeno01: Yeah well, RWBY had many characters to begin with, a lot of whom are what I consider lost potential. Vernal was certainly one of them but poor her. Raven though really had what was coming for her.

Yeah pretty much. They are kinda like a race that simply wants to expand to other lands. They have enemies but they aren't just bloodthirsty ruthless killers that kill everything and burn everything in their path. They actually might. After all, she did spare a lot of them even during war. But she is also a part of Ruby, who's now a culmination of two of the creatures they hate the most, Hell beings and hollow.

Yup they have. If not at the party, they have been together for many years now. It's not strange that they wouldn't have. But yes, at the party yes.

She has been for a long time now.

And well, he did score both the ladies in his team. He IS the harem protagonist!

Ah that makes sense! Still, souls hold power, as do numbers. The menos are a prime example of that. I'm sure that Kisuke can definitely figure something out for that. And well, humans do have 'magic' in the form of semblances, so it's not all lost for Oz.

Definitely.

Good thing Yachiru wasn't there huh otherwise the whole thing would have been even more chaotic!

Oh she definitely has that experience, she's no 'pure maiden'. And plus, she has been with Crescent for almost 8 years now. She has experience being a mother too, even if Crescent is not a daughter she 'birthed'.

Thanks a lot as always!