Chapter 27

The Sith are plotting the destruction of Argus. The Mandalorian clans Khan and Emir joined forces to stop the Sith in Argus. The Knights have been hunting for the Sith by doing Search-and-Destroy missions. Ruby went into Oscar's mind without permission and brought up traumatic events from Oscar's past.

Luctus watched as the three-man team of the Jedi went on one of the missions taking out another Grimm horde. She watched them. There was some disconnect between the two young members that the traitor had to make up for. They probably didn't even notice it, but Umbra certainly did. She was overextending herself to cover the other two. Something happened.

She could have attacked then. She could have probably killed one of them… but she didn't know about all of them. Maybe if she got Umbra to leave. If that happened, she'd definitely be able to take those two down right now. Perhaps in the city would be better. She didn't know where the Mandalorians were, but she knew they were out hunting more Grimm. She also that the Mandalorians were ready to kill on sight. If they were near, she wouldn't be able to handle them and the three.

She sensed that the issue was coming from mostly the girl. But there was still something from the boy. Maybe they had a fight recently. Whatever it was, she would be able to use it to her full extent. Only if Umbra was out of the picture. With Vespera gone, her mission had become much harder. Salem wasn't going to send them any more quality Sith. They were all being prepared for Atlas. Kaiser was still stationed here, on paper, but his focus was in the dark realm for now. He was preparing for the Invasion of Atlas.

It could be worse. Ignis could be here.

Rosa cut down the last Grimm in the area. She took a few deep breaths. Oscar and Ruby came to her. She put her lightsabers away before spinning around.

"What the hell is with you two?" Rosa shouted.

"What?" Ruby took a step back. Oscar was confused.

"What happened to all the teamwork we've been working on? We're supposed to be watching each other's backs out there. This can't work if you can't fight like a team!" Rosa shouted.

"We were." Ruby said.

"I saw better teamwork between Team CRDL!" Rosa said. That stung. Ruby looked at her and at Oscar. Had it really been that bad?

"I thought you two made up already, but obviously not." Rosa said. Ruby had never seen her this upset, at least not since first seeing Umbra.

"Ladies first Ruby. You are fast! But I was outpacing you out here today. And you weren't even able to look in Oscar's direction. I had to cover him when I had my hands full." Rosa said.

"I'm sorry."

"And Oscar. You were reckless out there. You didn't check behind you even when there was a Beowolf about to hit you. You didn't even think to use the force. This is basis!" Rosa ran her fingers through her hair.

"Do you two need to stay back for a few days?" Rosa asked.

"What? No!" Ruby said. Oscar wasn't as fast to answer.

"She's right, Ruby. She's right to be mad at us. She's right to ask that. Ozpin noticed it as well." Oscar said. Ruby looked at her teammates.

"I'm sorry." Ruby said.

"I'm sorry for yelling. But I don't think you would have listened otherwise." Rosa said. "That's it for today. We can't do another mission."

They looked at the ground, then at Rosa.

"Are you sure?" Ruby asked.

"Positive. We have to be ready for Sith. Not just Grimm." Rosa said. She had the single mission they were able to complete.

"I'm sorry Oscar. I didn't realize that they were there. I was… caught up in my own head." Ruby said.

"Honestly…I was too." Oscar said.

"And that's why we can't do any more missions. Ruby, didn't you tell me about that place where you can wreck a room?" Rosa asked.

"Yeah." Ruby said.

"Do you need to go there?" Rosa asked, with a much kinder tone.

"That may be a good way to spend an hour or two." Ruby said.

"I'll take this to the office. You two, go do that." Rosa said. They went back into town.

"I'm going to change before we go." Ruby said. She was in her Jedi robes. She wanted to be in something more casual.

"You might as well go in to Oscar. Explain why we're back so early. I'm headed for the office." Rosa said.

It was the day off for Qrow and his group. Of course, that meant Qrow wasn't here. He was probably going to the other cities in the protectorate. So Yang, Ren, and Nora were at the house. Yang was in the living room as the door opened up.

"Hey, Sa-" Yang saw Ruby there hours before they were supposed to be back.

"Something go wrong?" Yang asked.

"I guess you can say that." Ruby said. She went to the room of team RRWBY.

"Rosa wracked us over the coals. And we deserved it." Oscar said. He explained what happened on the mission.

"Damn, Oscar. That is tough to deal with. I can see why Rosa stopped your group." Yang said. "I think Ruby's upset."

"I don't know what to do. I guess there's still some hurt over Ruby just going into my mind. But I thought I dealt with that." Oscar said.

"Yeah… that's probably your first mistake. One conversation and done? Don't get me wrong, you were very mature about it. But there's going to be some stuff left behind." Yang said. "I know Ruby's really kicking herself over it. She thinks she hurt you. And she kind of did."

"I know she didn't mean it." Oscar said.

"In your mind. But what about in your heart? Or whatever term Ozpin would be telling you about." Yang said.

"Rosa told us to go to this place in the city where we get to wreck a room. Maybe that will help." Oscar said. Yang sat and smiled at that.

"That place is great. If I could I would have just booked all the rooms and wrecked them. Love doing that stuff." Yang said.

"I hope it helps." Oscar said. Ruby opened the door. She was in a hoodie and jeans. Oscar thought she was just going to put on her normal clothes, but she wanted to be extra casual.

"Damn. Is this too much now?" Oscar asked Yang. She looked back at him and slowly shook her head.

"Just put on that shirt we got you in Mistral." Yang said.

Oscar went to change. Ruby was going downstairs when Yang stopped her.

"Alright, Ruby. What happened?" Yang asked, patting the seat next to her. Ruby sat down. She let out a sigh and leaned into Yang. She brought her hands up to her face and brought them down. She let out a sigh as she did it. Yang hadn't seen this side of Ruby in a while.

"I kept getting in my own head." Ruby said. "I kept thinking asking myself how I could do something so terrible to Oscar."

"Guilt. That's the best stage." Yang joked. Ruby gave Yang her best sisterly glare which made Yang smile. Ruby rolled her eyes. Maybe it would have been better if Weiss was here to give her a lecture after all. Gods, even thinking that must mean something was really wrong.

"Come on. Tell me it's going to be okay." Ruby said. Yang just patted her on the cheek.

"Yeah, it will be. Later. But right now, you're still thinking that you're the biggest dumbass in the world, right?" Yang said with a smile.

"Yeah." Ruby said. She was about to ask who else would be the biggest dumbass but Yang didn't like when she cursed. Didn't stop her sailor's mouth.

"Don't get too caught up in it all. These things take time." Yang said. "Damn, I'm good at this. Maybe my calling wasn't a huntress. Maybe it was a therapist."

"Yang!" Ruby yelled.

"Alright. I won't charge you this time." Yang said. "Hey, you know what Oscar's doing right now?"

"What?" Ruby asked. She didn't see the smile on Yang's face. She leaned down.

"He's getting changed. You know, he's probably shirtless right now." Yang would have laughed if Ruby hadn't launched herself into her head faster than a bullet. They both grabbed their heads. Ruby tried to get the image out of her head, but it was stuck there thanks to Yang. She spun around and gave her another sisterly death glare.

"Okay, I may have deserved that one." Yang said.

"Don't say stuff like that! It's bad enough that Blake said she 'supports it all the way.' Don't you go saying stuff like that too." Ruby said.

"We're joking, Ruby. At least I am." Yang said.

Oscar left the team JNPOR room.

"I'm ready to go smash up a room." Oscar said. He looked at the two sisters holding their heads.

"Did… did you headbutt?" Oscar asked.

"My fault. She can't handle teasing right now." Yang said.

"You're the worst." Ruby said.

"Yeah, yeah. You won't be saying that when I cook dinner tonight."

Jaune was leading his group. They were at the edge of a forest nearby. This one had a warning about a large Grimm that they needed to be taken down. Blake was ahead of the group, in constant contact with Jaune through Battle Meditation. Weiss was nearest to him. Since neither of them had long-range weapons. Pyrrha was bringing up the rear.

"I see a group of Grimm ahead. There's one Beringel with a group of Beowolf. I think there's a few Boarbatusk as well." Blake said.

"Did you all get that?" Jaune asked. It was something he'd been trying recently. It was working well with this group since he's constantly been linking their minds together.

"Got it." Weiss sent back.

"I see them." Pyrrha said.

"I see an Ursa coming." Blake said.

"Just regular stuff. That probably means the Sith aren't here." Jaune sent.

"That should make this quick then." Weiss said.

"Are you all ready?" Jaune asked.

"Yes, we are." Pyrrha said.

"Let's get this started then. Pyrrha?" Jaune said.

"I got it." Pyrrha said. She fired, hitting the Beringel in the head. It exploded and fell to the ground.

They turned on their lightsabers and rushed in.

It didn't take long for the fight to end. They only had a few other Grimm come to the outcrop in the forest. Jaune put away his lightsaber and turned to the others.

"That went smoothly. We have time for a few more missions if we want to do some." Jaune said.

"We already did four. We more than hit our quota." Weiss said.

"We did it ahead of schedule. It can't hurt to try and do a few more." Blake said.

"Remember, we're looking for Sith as we do this." Pyrrha said.

"You're right. Alright, let's go back." Jaune said.

They reported the missions complete and got the reward Lien from it. They kept about half of the reward money, divided among themselves. The other half, they agreed to give to Saphron and Terra as a sort of Rent/Grocery money.

They got to the house. Rosa was home, which made the four look at each other.

"We're back early. When did you guys get back?" Jaune asked.

"We only did one mission." Rosa said. "Ruby and Oscar's teamwork had completely fallen apart during the mission."

"Wow." Jaune said.

"I blew up on them." Rosa said. "They deserved it, by the way. They weren't thinking about each other when they were fighting."

"I guess it wasn't as done as we thought." Jaune said.

"Of course it wouldn't be." Weiss said. She was walking to the team RRWBY room.

"Is Oscar still upset?" Pyrrha asked. She wondered if they were going to have to help the two of them. They couldn't have a fight on their teams, or wanted one.

"He… He knows that Ruby didn't mean to hurt him, in his brain. But that's a lot different from fully understanding that." Yang said.

"And Ruby?" Blake asked.

"She thinks she's the worst person ever." Yang said.

"She's so caught up in her mistake that she isn't letting herself move on." Rosa said. "And not worth a damn in a fight as a result."

"I see. Where are they now?" Pyrrha asked.

"They should have gotten to that destruction place. You know, with the sledgehammer." Yang said.

"How sure are we that's going to help them?" Blake asked.

"Maybe. It got them out of our hair for a while." Rosa said. "Anyone want some cookies I made? They're fresh."

Luctus was examining the city once again when she found the two young Jedi walking the streets together. She knew that they were still not fully comfortable around each other. That was perfect for her. She could attack them now… but it was still too light out. And there was still the probability that the other Jedi were somewhere around. She had to be careful as she hunted those two. She had to choose her battlefield.

She examined the city, keeping an eye on the Jedi. They were headed for the center of the city. Probably going to one of the businesses. She brought out her map of the city. Once she found out where they were going, she would look at where she could ambush them. Once she did, her semblance would be able to get charged. She'd be able to use the well of despair and kill two of the troublesome Jedi.

Luctus looked around looking for anymore Mandalorians, but didn't find any. So, the distraction was working after all. Requiem and Nihil created another batch of the overcharged Grimm and set them loose at the city of Hambly's port, a city west of Argus. Luctus hoped that they wouldn't be back for a while.

Ruby and Oscar were walking side by side… but they weren't talking like they used to. Ruby knew she should say something. This was her fault after all. But what could she say? 'Hey, sorry again for invading your mind and learning about your most traumatic experiences. Swear I won't do it again.' She didn't like this… tension between the two of them. Oscar was a friend who she'd had to rely on more than once!

But she didn't know what to say. She didn't know how it came so easily before, but it did! She had to admit there was one other thing that was causing her to be this… awkward. It really seemed to her like Oscar had a crush on her. At least before. She didn't know if it would have been better if that went away or not. She didn't see him that way… Not at all. But she hurt him and now, she had no idea if he even wanted to have anything to do with her. And that alternative was just as bad! She didn't want to lose him as a friend.

She didn't know what to say to him. He said he forgave her, but did he really? She could ask him, but he would probably just say he had because of how good of a guy he was. Even if he didn't. And the thought of him hating her for her stupid actions was weighing down on her. She was a leader! She should know how to handle things like this! But she didn't. She had no idea what she was doing. Alice and Onyx never fought with her. Sure, she and Yang fought a few times but they're sisters! It's meant to happen.

"I think we're getting close." Oscar said.

He knew in his mind that she didn't mean it. He knew she was sorry. He wanted to say that it was over and done with, but obviously it wasn't. He didn't understand why she kept looking. He didn't get why she hadn't brought up the crush either. He couldn't look at her as he thought about that. It wasn't his fault that it came to be.

He knew she didn't want this division between the two of them. He didn't want it either, but it was still there. Maybe if he had an idea of how she felt for him that would help, but there was no way in hell he would ever be so forward and ask that. Besides, he knew that they both would have to endure a world of teasing no matter what Ruby said.

He wanted to know what Ruby thought about seeing those memories. He didn't think she would say he was weak for them. She wasn't that kind of person. She said she wanted to see the farm, and for Ruby, that was a good enough excuse. He didn't know why she had to do it when he wasn't there! When he collapsed!

She saw him getting his neck sliced open. He saw him at his worst. Oscar remembered the pain. The fear. The blood. He was completely powerless at that moment. She may not have seen the weeks it took for him to finally return to the city. She didn't see his struggle with almost dying.

She had helped him so many times before. They fought side by side and trusted each other. She helped him get over the embarrassment of the first time he collapsed. But she took advantage of that.

He was going in circles, and he knew it.

"I think I see it now." Ruby said.

The conversation was weak this afternoon.

They made it to "Smash and Bash." It was a larger-sized building. It looked like it used to be office space. Ruby and Oscar went in. There was an older woman at the check-in desk. Ruby and Oscar went to her.

"Are you training to be hunters, or not?" She asked.

"Yeah, we are." Ruby said. Some businesses on Remnant had to divide between the public that didn't have their auras unlocked and those that did for safety reasons.

"Go down the blue hallway. One room or two?" She asked.

"Two, please." Oscar and Ruby paid for rooms. Oscar went into his room without saying anything to Ruby. That stung. She went into the room. She saw the sledgehammer. The room was made to look like a kitchen. She grabbed the sledgehammer and went to a stack of dishes.

"Why did you have to be so stupid?" Ruby said as she brought her hammer down on the plates. Shards flew, but her aura was up, and it stopped anything from getting to her. She opened a cabinet and saw a shelf full of glasses. She picked one up.

She threw it at the wall. It shattered on the other side of the room.

"You knew better!" Ruby said. She made sure as they were signing the waivers that the rooms were soundproof. She didn't want Oscar to hear her.

Oscar saw a countertop with a bunch of dishes on it.

"I think I'm supposed to toss all those to the ground." Oscar said.

"Why are you doing this? You're not that mad, are you?" Ozpin asked.

"I'm sure you've been listening to my thoughts. Why don't you tell me?" Oscar said. He brought his hands to the end of the table and pushed everything off the countertop. He smiled as he did it.

"What do you think of Miss Rose now?" Ozpin asked. Oscar stopped.

"I still like her… but there's still this part of me that's angry. I don't want it. Maybe it wanted a better explanation from Ruby than she was just curious." Oscar said.

"I know it's not my place to pry…" Ozpin started.

"Then don't." Oscar said. He grabbed the sledgehammer and swung it at a table. He smiled as he did it.

"No wonder Nora uses one of these. This is fun!" Oscar said.

Oscar and Ruby went on destroying their rooms. After Ruby found the last plate and broke it, she was breathing heavily. Yeah, it felt good to break stuff. She was going to have to thank Rosa and Yang for the idea. But she wanted to make things right with Oscar.

She left her room and saw Oscar.

"Hey, Oscar." She said. Oscar turned to her.

"You done too?" Oscar asked.

"Yeah. Ready to head back?" Ruby said.

"Actually… I was wondering if we should spar again." Oscar said. Ruby wasn't expecting that.

"Are you sure?" Ruby asked.

"We never did get to finish yesterday." Oscar said. It was more than they were able to say on the way here. Maybe the room was helping them.

"Yeah! Let's do that." Ruby said. "Oh, wait, I didn't bring my lightsabers."

"I did see them before we left. Good thing I grabbed them." Oscar said. Ruby left her belt on her bed. So he took the liberty of bringing them with him, along with his own.

"Thanks. Wait, did you go in my room?" Ruby asked. Ruby didn't really pick up her clothes neatly before they left. She didn't want him to think she was a slop on top of everything else.

"No, was just in the doorway." Oscar said.

"Good." Ruby said.

Luctus saw the Jedi leave the Rage Room. They were acting differently now, but not as they should. She could still use this. She watched as they found a secluded part of town. They started sparring.

Oscar was the aggressor this time. He rushed forward and jumped at the last second. Ruby rolled to the side as Oscar brought his lightsaber down. He swung his body up in a wide arch. Ruby blocked the and stepped back.

Ruby brought her hands up and sent a force push at Oscar. Oscar flew back a few feet before getting his footing back. Ruby was on the offensive. She brought both her lightsabers up with two slashes. Oscar blocked the attacks, then brought his knee up into Ruby's stomach.

"Don't leave yourself so open!" Oscar shouted. He brought his lightsaber down, bringing Ruby's down as well. She turned off one of her lightsabers and brought it up at Oscar's face. He had to step back and avoid the pommel. He brought his lightsaber back to himself and made a quick thrust at Ruby. She leaned back to avoid the strike. He took a step forward and started making the precise strikes of Makashi. She was on the back foot as he kept on the offensive. She had to keep avoiding the strikes, barely getting a second to breathe. She ducked under a swipe and brought her lightsaber up.

Ruby brought her lightsaber up in a wide arc, knocking Oscar back. She moved forward. She brought her lightsabers down in an X. Oscar blocked both of them. He felt sweat starting to fall down his face. He stared into Ruby's eyes. She stared back into his. Then she started to blush. Her grip loosened on her off-hand. Oscar pushed on it, knocking the lightsaber out of her hand. He pushed Ruby back. She was caught off guard and lost most of the ground she made. She saw Oscar's face harden. She blocked a strike. Oscar spun around, hitting her side with his pommel. Ruby grabbed her side and quickly brought her lightsaber back up.

"Stop." Oscar said. He pulled back his lightsaber and turned it off.

"What is it?" Ruby asked.

"What happened? It was going good, but you crumbled at the end." Oscar said. Ruby looked away.

"I'm sorry." Ruby said.

"Are you taking this seriously?" Oscar asked.

"Of course I am." Ruby said.

"Am I the issue? Do you not want to be around me anymore?" Oscar asked.

"Of course I do!" Ruby shouted.

"Do you not trust me?" Oscar asked.

"I do. I've trusted you with my life." Ruby said.

"You're holding back. How am I supposed to trust that?" Oscar asked. Ruby looked down. She used the force to grab her second lightsaber.

"I…" Ruby started.

Rosa was walking the streets. Neither Oscar nor Ruby had picked up their scrolls after the session was over. Yang told her not to worry too much, and she tried. For a few minutes. She could tell that Yang was getting uncomfortable with it as well. She decided that she was going to look for her teammates. She did need to see of they put whatever it was behind them.

She had been walking the streets when she felt them. She let out a sigh of relief. She pulled out her scroll and called Yang.

"You found them?" Yang asked.

"I feel them in one of the training areas." Rosa said.

"Good. Still… we should go check on them." Yang said.

"Like someone should go check on Ren and Nora?" Rosa said. Yang coughed but Rosa knew it was to cover up something.

"Those two are… on a date." Yang said.

"A date? I feel like there's more you're not telling me there." Rosa said.

"They may be… busy right now." Yang said.

"Oh…" Rosa said. "Wait you don't mean…"

"You get it." Yang said. Rosa felt a slight blush come to her face.

"Well… good for them." Rosa said in an uncertain tone. Rosa felt another, darker presence in the training area now.

"Hold on… This may not be good. Yang, I sense someone else there." Rosa said.

"Who?" Yang asked.

"I don't know. I'll check now." Rosa said.

Lady Luctus dropped in on the two Jedi. They turned back to her and immediately got in a fighting position. She brought her hands out, activating her semblance. Around this training area, an aura covered everyone. The Jedi were immediately affected. The Griefwell was in effect.

Ruby looked at Luctus. She tried to hold up her lightsabers. Her mind flashed to the hurt on Oscar's face. His eyes bored into her, accusing her of deep cruelty.

"How could you violate me like that?" Oscar said. The weight on her heart increased.

Oscar felt a rage filling him. It was directed at Ruby! He'd been trying all day to let everything go but she just wouldn't let him do it! He gripped his lightsaber. That hurt from her actions filled him and fueled that anger. Her giving up during the spar fueled that anger. Her not looking out for him and only thinking of herself fueled the anger.

"Oscar! This isn't you!" Ozpin said.

Then there was him. The person who ruined his life! The person who failed everyone! The one who allowed Ruby to get into his mind! Ozpin.

"Stop this Oscar!" Ozpin yelled.

"Shut up!" Oscar screamed.

Luctus stood back, wondering if she would even need to lift a finger to take them out. She was drinking in all their emotions. She smiled as the divide was increasing between the two of them. Tears fell down Ruby's face.

"I'm terrible." Ruby said.

"You are!" Oscar said, anger radiating off of him. Ruby grabbed her head.

"Oscar! That's enough!" Ozpin yelled.

"I know! Maybe if I put my lightsaber to my head I could get rid of you Ozpin! What do you think about that?" Oscar screamed. Luctus smiled at the two of them.

"Ruby!" Ruby heard someone call her name, but she couldn't look up.

"Ruby! You need to overcome this." The voice called out to her. Overcome what? Her own mistake? How? She was awful.

"This isn't you. You know that." She recognized the voice.

"Get up! It's her semblance!" Summer Rose called out to her.

"Mom… I'm terrible." Ruby said. She could sense Luctus coming over to them.

"Ruby, you need to control your emotions." Summer said. Luctus was standing over Ruby. She kicked Ruby.

Oscar saw Luctus kick Ruby and that filled him with anger. He rushed forward to get her to stop. She blocked his strike. He gritted his teeth and continued to strike wildly at Luctus. He was switching between the styles, pushing her back.

"Oscar! She's manipulating you! Let go of the anger! It's only making you weaker!" Ozpin shouted.

Oscar grunted. He didn't want to listen to Ozpin. He wanted to kill Luctus.

He wanted to kill Luctus… he wanted to kill?

No. He knew that wasn't him. He didn't ever want to kill. He had to accept the fact that he would have to kill, but he never wanted to do it. This… Oh gods! This wasn't him!

He realized his strikes were wild. She was playing him. No! Oscar Pine didn't ever want to kill. That is not who he was. This is not who he was.

Oscar jumped back. Luctus had a surprised look on her face. She didn't expect him to snap back to reality so quickly.

Oscar looked down at Ruby. He said she was terrible. Is that what he was truly thinking? No! That couldn't be, right?

"Oscar, whatever is going on right now, you need to focus." Ozpin said. Oscar let out a few breaths. This… whatever this was still affected him. He could still feel those dark thoughts bouncing around in his head. That anger was threatening to bubble over at any minute.

"Ruby, I'm sorry." Oscar said. Ruby looked up at him. "I was angry at you. I was still hurt. I am still hurt. But we're still friends."

Ruby looked at Oscar. He was holding onto his lightsaber harder than he should. He was fighting it.

"You can do this Ruby. Get up." Summer said. Ruby stood, her leg giving out on her once. Luctus was on Oscar now.

Rosa finally got to the training ground. There was a dark aura around the area. She saw Luctus fighting Oscar. She took out her lightsabers and tried to enter in. She felt a shock when she touched it. Ruby was trying to get up.

"Ruby! Oscar!" Rosa yelled. She touched the darkness again and felt pain shooting up through her. She gritted her teeth. She had to get to the other side of this. Oscar and Ruby were in a bad spot here. Oscar's form was terrible, and Ruby was in no position to fight back.

Luctus was fighting Oscar, as she found out his name, thanks to the traitor. She was trying to get in here. She could do it if she was determined enough to do it, but it would probably be before she would save her friends. Luctus wondered what Rosa would feel if she stepped in here. Probably she'd be overwhelmed by guilt since she betrayed everyone now in her life.

Luctus was starting to feel the side effect of her semblance. The more she drew on their emotions, the more she took in from them. The higher risk something would take form in here that only she could see.

Oscar was trying his best to fight off the effects of the semblance. He blocked a strike from Luctus. Her lightsaber combat skill level was beyond that of a knight. She was outpacing him. He was doing everything he could now to keep up with the onslaught. He had to rely on Soresu entirely now. It was the only thing keeping him alive. Ruby was still struggling to stand.

Oscar blocked another strike. He almost lost his lightsaber.

"Ruby! I'm sorry!" Oscar yelled. He blocked another strike from Luctus. She stepped back and raised her hand. She sent a wave of force lightning at Oscar. He blocked it. Ruby saw still getting up. He could see an arm coming into the training area now.

"Please! I need you!" Oscar said. Luctus stopped.

"She can't hear you right now. She's weighed down by her despair." Luctus said.

"This is my fault." Ruby said. She was trying to get up.

"Fight it!" Oscar said.

"I'm worthless." Ruby said. She fell down to the ground again.

"Amazing." Luctus said.

She pushed Oscar back. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a figure. She turned and saw the robot girl from the Vytal festival. That wasn't good. She was taking in a lot of negative emotions right now.

"You didn't save me Ruby." Penny said.

"I couldn't save you." Ruby said.

"Ruby she's putting those thoughts in your head." Summer said. She stood in front of Ruby now. Ruby saw everyone who died for them. She saw team SSSN and ABRN telling her she failed them.

"RUBY!" Rosa yelled out. Ruby barely could raise her head. Rosa was halfway into the aura. Ruby saw Summer kneel and put a hand on Ruby's back.

"I need you to stand up right now, Ruby. They aren't real. None of them are real. It's her semblance." Summer said.

"Mom?" Ruby asked weakly.

"Yes. I am real. You can do this, Ruby. Remember who you are." Summer said.

"Ruby!" Oscar yelled.

Ruby's scroll went off. She grabbed it and saw Mace Windu's number. She answered it.

"I can sense you're in danger." Mace said. Ruby grunted as she tried to get up again.

"It's all my fault." Ruby said.

"We're over the city. Are you in that dark dome?" Mace asked. Ruby got one foot up.

"I think so." Ruby said.

"Don't worry. We've arrived." Mace said. She felt Mace now. He was right above them. He was falling toward them. She looked up and saw him.

"Master." Ruby said. He brought his hand down and sent a massive force push against the aura. Luctus felt the pressure as the dome morphed. Oscar took the opportunity to rush in. Luctus quickly brought her lightsaber up. She blocked Oscar's strike, and she grabbed his neck.

Oscar's eyes widened. His breathing increased. He tried to get out of her grip. He did everything he knew to get away. She was touching his scar. She was touching his neck. Fear completely filled him. She noticed it and brought Oscar to her face.

"Don't like this?" Luctus asked. Oscar was in the air. Mace slammed against the dome. It almost shattered. Rosa was sent flying out of the dome. Luctus sent a wave of force lightning against Oscar's throat. He screamed. He felt the bandages burning under her touch. He felt the scar on his neck.

Oscar was back to on that road. He wasn't a Jedi. He was a farm boy. He was on his way back from selling the crops on the farm. He felt the knife on his neck. He smelled the bandit. He felt the bandit searching him.

As Oscar was thrown, he felt the knife cut open his throat. Oscar slammed into a tree, breaking it. His hands rushed to his neck. He smelled the blood leaving his neck. He saw the blood cover his chest. He heard the sound of him choking on his own blood. He brought his hands out in front of him and saw them covered in his blood. He couldn't breathe in. The air wouldn't enter his lungs.

"Oscar!" Ruby shouted. She reached a hand out to grab Oscar. Luctus looked at the top of the dome. She had to use a lot of her energy to fortify it so that Mace Windu couldn't enter. He brought his lightsaber down and stabbed the top of the dome. Luctus had to quickly kill the two before teleporting out of here. She would deal with Ruby later. Oscar proved himself to be more able to fight. Until now. She felt the fear coming off him. It powered her and powered the dome. She walked to Oscar. Ruby was shouting his name, but she would soon have her turn.

"Oscar! Please!" Ruby yelled. Luctus sent a force push at Ruby, knocking her back. She stood in front of Oscar. She could feel his fear as he saw whatever gave him that scar on his neck. She knew exactly how to kill him now. She raised her lightsaber.

"NO! Oscar!" Ruby screamed. She reached out to Oscar. She wanted to save his life. She needed to. She couldn't lose him too!

Her eyes began to glow. Luctus turned to Ruby and brought her arms up. She could feel the dark tattoo on her back starting to dissolve. She let out a scream. The dome was filled with light.

Oscar saw the blood covering his hands. His throat had closed up. He saw a flash. The fireball Amber sent to take out the bandit.

"Oscar!" He heard his name being called out… muffled.

"Please, Oscar! I need you." He heard. He felt the blood.

"I can't do this without you, Oscar." He saw a pair of hands grab his. He looked up. Ruby was there.

Everything started to fade. She brought his hands to her face.

"You're here. Not there. Please come back." Ruby said. He saw tears in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry I hurt you. I need you. I want you back with me. I want to be friends again and for us to go back to normal. I hate this awkwardness between us. I hate that we can't look at each other anymore. I hate that there's this giant gap between us. I want to be close to you again. I need you here. With me."

He wasn't on that road. He took his first breath. He looked down at his hands and didn't see any blood there. Ruby hugged him.

"I'm sorry I ever hurt you." Ruby said.

Oscar wrapped his arms around Ruby. He felt her there. He could smell her shampoo that she used in her hair. He could feel the pain in his back. He could hear the sound of a lightsaber being turned on. He could see Luctus, angry, standing over them.

He grabbed his lightsaber and blocked Luctus's strike.

"Thank you, Ruby." Oscar said. She shook her head.

"Thank you for coming back, Oscar." She said. She ended the hug and used the force to send Luctus back.

She didn't understand how her eyes went off just now. She didn't see any Grimm. But that didn't matter now.

Luctus wasn't drawing any more energy from the well. Mace Windu jumped backward and landed on the ground. He touched the dome. He looked at Ruby and Oscar. He could feel the dome weakening.

He went to the other side of the dome and found a wounded Rosa Reidan on the ground. Her skin was red. He saw her eyes opening. She looked at him. She gritted her teeth. She tried to get up.

"Help them…" Rosa said.

"I don't think they need it anymore." Mace said. "You do."

"Don't touch me." Rosa said. Mace looked at her. She still had so much hate for him.

"I can't help you if I don't." Mace said.

"Your help has only ever hurt me." Rosa said.

Luctus stumbled back. She was facing off against the knights again. But this time their teamwork was so much better. She couldn't teleport out of here anymore. Whatever Ruby did had eliminated much of Salem's darkness from her body. She blocked a strike from Oscar, only for Ruby to pop in right after him. She blocked the strike and sent a blast of force lightning at her, but Oscar stood in the way and blocked the lightning.

She was being pushed back. Her defenses were crumbling. She the ghosts of all of her victims. All the bad memories that she had fed on, all the ghosts her semblance had conjured, all stood in the arena.

She heard them chanting against her. The chant became a massive symphony, and she was listening to the chant and the noise was filling her ears.

"Death to the witch!"

"Justice at last!"

"Soon, we shall all be free!"

"Silence!" Luctus shouted. She sent out a force wave, knocking Ruby and Oscar back. She saw the ghosts moving toward her. She swung at them. Oscar and Ruby got up. They looked at her.

"She's gone crazy." Ruby said.

"It must be the semblance. You can't stay in these emotions forever without losing your mind." Oscar said. Luctus continued to swing at the ghosts. She sent out blasts of force lightning at nothing.

"Oscar… I swear that I'll never do something so hurtful again." Ruby said. She put her hand on his. He looked at her hand.

"I'm sorry for what I said too. Anger filled me. I don't even think I was in control. I said something terrible." Oscar said.

"I forgive you." Ruby grabbed Oscar and hugged him. "I hope this means we're friends again."

"Yeah. I hope so too." Oscar said.

They got up. They moved over to Luctus. She saw them. She pointed her lightsaber at them.

"If I kill you, the ghosts should go away!" Luctus charged. Ruby blocked her strikes. Oscar gritted his teeth and brought his lightsaber up into Luctus's heart. She Let out a pained gasp.

"They're… not real." Luctus said.

Oscar brought his lightsaber back. Luctus dropped to the ground. The dome collapsed. Oscar's stomach turned.

"Gods, I think I'm going to be sick." Oscar said. Ruby put a hand on his back as he moved to the tree. It was the first person he killed directly with his lightsaber. She was feeling queasy after the dome dropped as well. Oscar dropped and coughed. He didn't throw up, but he did gag. He spat on the ground.

"Your neck. Oscar…" Ruby said. Mace Windu stood over him.

"Master, I need part of your cloak." Ruby said. Mace raised his eyebrow, before handing it to Ruby. She ripped a few inches off the bottom and wrapped Oscar's neck with it. It wasn't what he wanted but what they had available to him.

He stopped and turned to Ruby.

"Thank you." Oscar said. His scar was covered.

"Ruby!" Rosa shouted. She had started to recover thanks to bacta that Mace had on him. She got up. She was in pain. It felt like she had burns on half of her body.

Rosa went passed Mace and grabbed Ruby and Oscar in a hug. She ignored her pain as she did.

"You did it." Rosa said.

"Sorry for scaring you, Rosa." Ruby said.

"Shut up." Rosa said. She held onto the two of them for longer. Mace watched Rosa. This is who she really was. He could see now how much Maku had stolen from her. During the Clone Wars, she would never have been able to show so much emotion. Maku still haunted them. He had tricked them all.

Shaak Ti, Kit Fisto, Plo Koon, and Quinlan Vos landed at the docks. Quinlan left the transport first. He had to report to the Alliance outpost here before anything else.

"I don't sense the darkness around anymore." Shaak Ti said.

"Neither do I. I think our apprentices defeated that darkness." Plo Koon said.

"That was a far more powerful Sith than normal. We're no longer fighting those Sith from before." Kit said.

They moved in the city.

"Still weaker than Sidious. But still strong." Kit added on.

Requiem and Nihil watched as the ship landed in the docks. They had the five Jedi masters. They lost Luctus, but that was a price they were willing to pay. Nihil turned to Requiem.

"What were you thinking I should use?" Nihil asked.

"I was wondering how we could use the Miasmas all at once. Those vials, could they be opened all at once after the Dish is blown up?" Requiem asked.

"These vials… probably not unless the explosion was very close. I could transfer some of these over to weaker vials." Nihil said.

"What about into something like a streetlight?" Requiem asked.

"What are you thinking?" Nihil asked.

"If we can activate all the miasmas at once then the enemy will be completely disoriented." Requiem said.

"Plus, a supercharged Leviathan would be attacking at the same time. I think I see what you're saying. See what happens when you actually use my miasmas! Our plans become so much easier to complete." Nihil said.

"You wanted to use them all not knowing what it would do." Requiem said.

"It would have been the most beautiful way for Argus to die." Nihil said.

"We're not performers, Astrae. This is a battle." Requiem said. Nihil let out a gasp.

"Not performers?! Speak for yourself—I'm the star of this show!" Nihil said.

"And here I thought we were allies, not an audience." Requiem said.

"You are always my captive audience Siggy." Nihil said. She winked at him as she looked back at the city.

"Siggy?" Requiem said.

"Don't like it? I do." Nihil said.

"I swear you're impossible." Requiem said. Nihil pointed at the alliance outpost.

"We need to get something right there. That's the most important building in this battle." Nihil said. Requiem recognized the shift. He wished she would stay on one track long enough for him to get a good read on her. Even when she kissed him, he recognized the poison on her lips. It wasn't a strong one. Using that weak poison was sometimes seen as a prank for the Sith.

"Your poisons…" Requiem started.

"Probably wouldn't work. I realized a fatal flaw in the clone test subjects. We altered their genetic structure and passed what the original cloners did for the clone body we took. We also altered the genetic structure of the Faunus DNA. That particular miasma worked because we altered the genetic structure of the clones so much that they were all allergic, for lack of a better word, to that particular miasma." Nihil explained.

"How do your Miasmas work? I need to know what to expect on the battlefield." Requiem asked. Nihil smiled and brought her whole head back instead of turning around.

"Oh, Siggy, are you finally curious about little ol' me? I didn't think you cared." She jumped backward and took out her 'hunter' weapon, a scythe. It stuck in the ground, and she leaned on it. She faced Requiem. He didn't move a muscle.

"Answer the question." Requiem said. Nihil rolled her eyes and let out a sigh.

"Fine, fine. You're no fun, you know that? Okay, here's the deal. My miasmas are basically concentrated emotional and psychological triggers. Think of them as poetry in the air—each one is tailored to evoke a very specific kind of torment." Nihil explained. Requiem needed more than that.

"Be specific." Requiem said. Nihil sighed theatrically. She leaned her whole body backward and shot back up.

"Alright, fine, Mr. Precision. The miasmas are created by combining a chemical base with Dust—usually Gravity or Darkness Dust, depending on the effect I want. Then I infuse it with a little... me. My Semblance lets me 'charge' the mixture with emotional energy, tailoring it to whatever lovely nightmare I want to bring to life." Nihil explained. She took out a shard of darkness dust and placed it in a vial. This was different from what he saw her do in her workspace.

"Infuse it with you? Explain." Requiem said.

"You could call it an empathic imprint. I tap into my own emotions—fear, anger, despair, whatever suits the mood—and I amplify them, then project them into the miasma. Once it's released, anyone caught in it experiences those emotions as if they were their own, magnified to... shall we say... unpleasant levels. It's like sharing my inner chaos with the world. Generous of me, don't you think?" She smirked as she used her semblance to create another Miasma before his eyes.

"And the colors? They seem... specific." Requiem asked. He was getting intrigued by this. Obviously, this was different from what she had used before. Perhaps these were weaker Miasma that she could have almost effortlessly.

"Oh, you noticed! Each miasma has its own signature hue, depending on the emotional cocktail. Red for rage, purple for paranoia, green for envy... you get the idea. Think of it as my personal little rainbow of despair." Nihil said.

"What about the other vials in your workspace?" Requiem asked.

"Those are just poison. I don't control those. Besides, these are the strong ones. Only I can make them. The others I sell to other Sith. I've already made myself immune to them so no harm to me." Nihil said.

"How?" Requiem asked.

"Trade secret." Nihil said. She saw how Requiem was interested in this.

"Want me to mix one just for you, Siggy? I promise it'll be... unforgettable." Nihil wrapped her arms around Requiem's neck and gave a seductive smile.

"I'll pass. Just ensure it's effective." Requiem took Nihil's arms off him. She still failed to crack him, and her smile faded.

"Oh, it's always effective, darling. You'll see." She said after rolling her eyes. She put away the scythe.

"Can you plant the Miasma tonight?" Requiem asked.

"Not all of them, and certainly not alone." Nihil said.

"Can you transfer them over to the weaker vials?" Requiem asked.

"Sure. Whatever. You know, it won't kill you to smile every once and a while." Nihil said.

"It just might. We don't know." Requiem said.

"Was that a joke?!" Nihil said.

The Jedi were in Saphron and Terra's house. The Masters weren't staying there. They had other accommodations. Qrow was back too. Ruby and Oscar were sitting next to each other. The knights reported to the masters everything they knew.

"So, Rosa's got powers that Salem wants along with this lamp here that is one of four keys to her master plan?" Quinlan asked.

"Yes." Oscar said.

"What are you able to tell us about our enemy, Rosa?" Shaak Ti asked. Rosa looked at the masters. She stood up. She took a deep breath and activated her semblance. She appeared as Salem. Everyone looked at her. Oscar didn't flinch as he saw Salem's image.

"Salem is the most important part of Sith civilization here on Remnant. They are chained to her. They are all under her." Rosa said, saying it in Salem's voice.

"That can't just be dark side corruption." Kit said.

"It isn't." Ozpin said. "In essence, Salem has become both Sith, and Grimm."

"What do you mean?" Jaune asked.

"Thousands of years ago, I failed everyone. I was tasked with defeating Salem long ago when she was at her weakest." Ozpin said.

"I believe you told us that you, or your original version, fell in love with her." Mace said.

"That is true. Back then she was still powerful, but she had not built up all the defenses to her own existence that she has now. She convinced the selfish part of my character that we could change the world. Rework it on our image. That we could become gods. She offered to show me the ritual that made her immortal. I refused to wipe out all life on Remnant once more. She killed me, but I had already been cursed at that point. A god or entity cursed me." Ozpin said.

"A god? How's that possible?" Weiss asked.

"There are many powerful entities on Remnant Miss Schnee. Some say that the Faunus were creations of a god." Ozpin said.

"But those are just stories." Blake said.

"I did not see the creation of the Faunus Race. I don't know. What I do know is that they appeared… suddenly. I am not an expert." Ozpin said.

"If gods exist, doesn't that change things?" Ruby asked.

"Are they members of the mysterious celestials?" Kit asked.

"That I don't know." Ozpin said. "Let us return to Rosa's story."

"Thank you. Salem has centered all of Sith civilization around her. The nearer a Sith was to her, the more power they had. They had a massive city located somewhere on the Dark Continent. Surrounding the dark realm are millions, or even billions of Grimm." Rosa explained.

"How are the Sith able to teleport?" Shaak Ti asked.

"Not all Sith are. Until recently I too was able to teleport. But that power left me once I got rid of Salem's mark on my back." Rosa changed herself to look like Umbra. She turned around and showed everyone the symbol that was on her back. She turned around and continued.

"Salem had power over all who had the tattoos. I never saw a tattoo that wasn't in the shape of her emblem. We used the power in the tattoo to teleport either short distances that were covered in shadow or to teleport to Salem's realm. We could teleport to distant places from her realm easily. But we weren't able to travel long distances, like teleporting from Vale to Atlas. Not easily anyway. Some were able to, but it was hard on the body." Rosa said.

"Who was on Salem's dark council when you left?" Plo asked.

"Vanus, who I killed." Rosa changed into Vanus.

"Darth Ira, who we all met in Mistral." Rosa changed into Ira and said it in his voice.

"Darth Nox, who was the person Qrow and Oscar fought at Haven." Rosa changed into Nox.

"And lastly, Darth Memores. Otherwise known as Arthur Watts. He's the longest-serving member of the council. He's a Sith alchemist and scientist." Rosa deactivated her semblance as it was making her dizzy. Changing so many times wasn't good for the stomach.

"What's Salem's plan?" Quinlan asked.

"Other Sith have said that Salem's plan is to gather the relics and leave the planet." Rosa said.

"How many Sith are there?" Mace Windu asked.

"Thousands. But the high-quality Sith we're facing now… I believe I heard there were about one hundred Darths." Rosa said.

"Our enemy has a mighty force." Kit said.

"If we can kill Salem, everything will collapse." Rosa said.

"Thank you, Miss Reidan." Mace said.

"Master Fisto… last time we saw each other, you said I was under arrest. Am I a wanted fugitive?" Rosa asked.

"All Sith have been designated as criminals." Kit said.

"But what about me in particular? We're going to go to Atlas, and I need to know if they're going to try to arrest me if I step foot there." Rosa said.

"You were at Menagerie when it was attacked." Kit said.

"She was also a key reason we won in Mistral." Yang said.

"Which has been taken into consideration. Including this information, you've gathered…" Mace began.

"I was forgiven." Quinlan Vos said. Mace looked over at him. Quinlan folded his arms and sat back.

"I did worse. I killed a senator. I was one of Dooku's dark acolytes. I killed my aunt because she killed my parents. I was a spy. Are those crimes any worse than Rosa's?" Quinlan asked. Rosa looked at Quinlan Vos and gave him a thankful head nod.

"She's done far more damage to Salem and her forces than she ever did to the Jedi and the alliance." Ren said.

"She killed one of Salem's inner council and retook the maiden power for our side." Pyrrha said.

"I killed Jedi." Rosa said. Everyone stopped.

"We know about Maku." Nora said.

"I killed a others. Two others. In the early days of my time with Salem, I killed two Jedi. A master and an apprentice. I tried to Kill Sun Wukong. I told Pyrrha to kill herself! Don't pretend that I didn't do those things!" Rosa slammed her fist on the table in front of her. "Don't pretend that I had no hand in Menagerie I was part of it. I may have given you all the information ahead of time but that was part of the plan. But Jedi still died! Clones still died! Civilians still died! Don't pretend that I was perfect!"

Rosa brought her hands to her face and sat down.

"I was so blinded by hate that I thought that what I was doing was justified. Because Maku hurt me."

"I revealed to the Sith that Desmond Duke was a Jedi, and he died." Rosa said.

"Rosa. You did those things. Some will say that you should be put in prison for the rest of your life. I know they said the same about me. As much as they might not like me saying this, we are different. We do have different standards. We have more power and with that power have more ability to change things. I know better than anyone else here, maybe better than anyone else alive what you are going through. More people would die, and we would lose so much more if you were in prison. But you have to repay the debt you have. You have already started paying." Quinlan Vos said. He sat across from Rosa, and he didn't flinch at her confession.

"You will be able to go to Atlas freely." Mace Windu said. They turned to him.

"Her time as a Sith is limited and over. She has given us more keys to defeating Salem than anyone else for many years. We need her if we are to defeat Salem." Ozpin said.

"It'd be unwise to seclude her from the fight. Salem will find her." Maria entered the room, drinking a smoothie.

"Who are you?" Mace asked.

"The Grimm Reaper." Maria said. "Maria Calavera. Former Jedi master and Silver-eyed warrior. Speaking from experience here. Salem always finds what you try to hide away."

"Legally speaking, she's under our watch now. We take full responsibility for her." Qrow said.

The conversation ended. Rosa was going nowhere. The masters left the house. Quinlan Vos stayed behind, waiting for them all to leave.

"Rosa, I think we should have a chat." Quinlan said.

"Alright." Rosa said.

"How about we go outside and talk about it?" Vos asked, seeing how packed the house was. Rosa nodded. They left the house and were walking down the street. The Sun had set, and the lights turned on.

"Thanks for having my back in there." Rosa said.

"I was serious. I know what you've been through." Vos said.

"Is… does it get any easier to look yourself in the mirror?" Rosa asked.

"With time. After you find something to rededicate your life. Something that you choose. Not the Jedi or the Sith choose for you. I have my family. You have your friends, who might as well be a family." Quinlan said.

"Why couldn't you have been my master?" Rosa asked. Quinlan put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him.

"I wish I was. You would have been a wonderful student. Just like Aayla. Maybe none of this would have happened. Maybe you'd still be a Jedi. But that's not the life you have. Maku was a monster. They've told me what happened to you when you were little. I don't understand how they let Maku do that to you. I don't know how they missed the warning signs." Quinlan Vos said.

"I've seen him in my nightmares. He says I killed him so I should accept that he apologized." Rosa said.

"Death is never an apology." Quinlan Vos said.

"I killed him. I could have stopped myself, but I didn't want to. I wanted to kill him. To make him suffer for what he had done to me. Even now, all these months later I still think about killing him. I don't feel bad about it, and I know I probably should." Rosa said.

"It's not up to anyone else to decide if you forgive him." Quinlan said.

Oscar had fallen asleep on the couch. He was waiting for Rosa to get back. Ruby walked into the living room and saw Oscar asleep. She grabbed her cape and took it off. She placed it on him.

Ruby stared at his sleeping face. She felt the others weren't around. She sat down next to him, making sure that she didn't wake him up. She looked at his face and smiled. He was so cute when he was asleep.

"Thank you, Oscar. Thank you for being my friend." Ruby said. She stared at his lips.

"Thank you for saving me. Thank you for being a teammate." Ruby said. She leaned down and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead. She made sure no one saw that. She felt her face burning.

It was just a thanks! Yeah, just a thanks. For everything they went through today. It was an exhausting fight they went through. Not physically, but emotionally. She needed him. Not just to help her beat Luctus. But she needed him as a friend. As someone who she could rely on. He hadn't been in their lives long. But he still changed them.

"Whatcha doing?" Yang asked, standing behind the couch. Ruby almost screamed before Yang put a hand over her mouth.

"No need to wake up Oscar." Yang said with a smile. Ruby pulled Yang's hand away from her mouth.

"Yang. What are you doing here?" Ruby asked.

"Why's your cape around Oscar?" Yang asked.

"I thought he would have liked a blanket." Ruby said, her face getting red.

"And that kiss you gave him?" Yang smirked. Ruby's face was redder than her cape now.

"I was saying thanks." Ruby said.

"People normally say that." Yang said.

"Please stop." Ruby said.

"It's okay if you like someone, Ruby." Yang said.

"Yang it's not like that." Ruby said.

"Sure." Yang turned around.

"It really isn't." Ruby said.

"Yeah, heard you the first time. Still waiting on believing you." Yang said. Ruby got up and chased her sister up the stairs, hitting her as they went up the stairs. Oscar turned on the couch. He gripped onto Ruby's cape. Rosa opened the door, but it didn't wake Oscar up. Rosa saw the blanket on Oscar… not blanket. That was Ruby's cape. She was about to grab it when she heard Yang from the second floor.

"Ruby gave that to him." Yang said with a smirk. Rosa looked up at Yang.

"You don't think Ruby…" Rosa said.

"She's trying to make excuses now." Yang said. Rosa went up to the bedroom, leaving a sleeping Oscar on the couch. Until Nora came down and grabbed him, throwing him over her shoulder, and putting him on his bed, still holding onto Ruby's cape.

Author's Notes: Yeah we got another chapter that had a lot of Rosegarden moments in it. But this is my story, so I get to do those sorts of things. I really liked the idea that Ruby almost broke her friendship with Oscar because of what she did last chapter. I also liked the idea of Oscar having a panic attack because of his scars and Ruby being the one to help him.

Now all the Jedi are caught up with Salem's plans, and Oscar's backstory. I did choose to go a different route than for the Jedi Hunter series. The brothers probably still exist here.

Luctus almost killed two of the main characters. Her semblance was so powerful that in the end, it is what really killed her.

The Next chapter will be the start of the Battle of Argus. It may become a two-parter as most battles tend to do in my stories.

We got a review from CT7567Rules

Fordo became a general after the Vytal festival. It would be in the earlier chapters of the story.

Please leave a review, follow, and favorite.

May the Force be With You

-DragonZlayerx12