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The Arc realities
Prolong
The eventful days of Team RWBY and their sister team, team JPNR, have been an eventful year for the young teens. Well... primarily for team RWBY. The white fang in the docks, the food fight, and now their recent achievement, the breach of Vale.
Now, the eight teens are nursing their wounds and returning to their everyday lives. But this story does not revolve around the destiny of Team RWBY or Team JPNR. Well, maybe expect a sure Blonde of team JPNR, and this is where the story begins: a sure Blonde finally building up the courage to confess the love of his life and asking her to go out with him to the Beacon Dance. A white flower in hand, he searched and found her, only to see her talking to another man, asking him to go to the dance with her.
At that moment, he would've been mad and crushed, but instead, he smiles for her, knowing she is better off with the man she likes than him. Dropping the flower and leaving without a word, not wanting to ruin their moment, they decided to have a night stroll. The cold air and isolation would help clear his mind off things…however…
"He's been gone for five hours. It's almost curfew." Pyrrha worries while Ren and Nora watch her pace back and forth across the room.
"He probably did it." Nora chimes excitedly.
"or maybe he didn't…." Ren worries and may make it worse for Pyrrha as the pace increases speed, and he quickly tries to calm the situation before it worsens.
"Have you tried calling his scroll?" he asks.
"I did, but his scroll is disconnected. He probably turned it off."
"How about we check on team RWBY? Maybe he's with them?" Nora suggested as Ren facepalmed to himself and could already predict Pyrrha's emotional state. Peaking through his fingers, his guess was right on the money. Nora couldn't see it cause Pyrrha was smiling and not noticing the floating metal stationery and equipment around her, ready to fire at a moment's notice.
"Good idea, Nora." Pyrrha The metal stationary equipment floating fell and headed to the door.
"We'll come too!" Ren calls out, fearing that this may not end well, and follows Pyrrha.
But as soon they opened the door and left their dorm, they all found themselves in a black void, screaming in fright to suddenly fall unprepared. It didn't take long to land, with Ren softening the landing for the two girls, even though he was the first to land with them on top of him.
"Ow…" Ren groans.
"Ren! I'm sorry!" Pyrrha panicked and quickly got up while Nora helped him up.
"It's okay. Where are we?" Ren asks while looking at his surroundings, but he only sees black as far as he can see.
"Don't know, but at least this couldn't get any worse, right?" Nora said as Ren facepalm to himself with a groan.
"Nora, you shouldn't tempt fate like that."
"Why?"
By the time Ren could explain, the three members heard screaming above. As they looked up, they saw their sister team, team RWBY, falling and landing right on top of them, with Ren again at the bottom of the pile.
"Yang! Get off of me! You weigh a ton!" Wiess shouts
"Stop pushing me! Ow!" Yang retort
"Okay, guys, it's hard enough t-! Who did that!?" Blake called out as she felt a hand; she wasn't the only one.
"Okay, whose hand was that? Was that you, Yang!?" Wiess calls out
"I can't….breath…." Ruby begs as she struggles to move, considering being crushed with her team on top of her.
With the scuffling over and done with, the seven discuss and review their situation.
"How did you guys get here?" Ruby asks
"We were going to see guys. Then, as soon we opened our door, we all landed here."
Nora replied while both Pyrrha and Ren looked for a way out.
"Same as us. We heard you guys screaming and rushed over to check on you." Yang replies
"Argh! I don't have a signal! Blake, any luck on your end?" Wiess groans as she waves her scroll in the air for some reception to call for help and turns to Blake.
"No…Even my scroll can't show where we are on the map."
"Guys! I think I found a lever!" Ren shouts
"Well, then pull it!?" Wiess shouts
"Wait!? It could be a trap!" Pyrrha shouts, stopping Ren
"She's right. Everyone get ready for anything." Ruby replies and nods to Ren to pull the switch, but as soon he pulls the lever, the sounds of electricity buzzing in the air as the seven teens look up, following the sound.
Then suddenly, a large flash of light blinded them, shielding their eyes from the harsh spotlight as more lights echoed that a dark void. Now illuminating a large area slowly, the students slowly lower their arms one by one to see what they stumble into. Most are baffled, while Wiess is confused as she knows where they are. Unsurprisingly, she finds herself and her friends standing on a Proscenium stage in front of rows of red leather seats.
"Are we in a theatre?" Blake ask
"Not a theatre I've been to, but I don't mind watching a movie." Ruby came relatively calm despite the situation, but Wiess was slightly offended by that comment. She prides herself on the stage and will be damnd to be compared to a movie theatre.
"Umm, guys…are we not going to point out someone is staring at us over there?" Nora points as the others follow the direction. They see a man in the center of the rows of chairs with a slick undercut back and faded platinum blonde hair, wearing a spilled theatre mask, with a comedy face covering his left and tragedy on his right side. He slouches on his chair with his legs raised on the row of seats in front of him and his left arm spread across the chair, silently waving his purple glove hand to the students.
"Okay, is everyone getting a creepy vibe from him, or is it just me?" Yang asks, slightly concerned with a hint of fear.
"It's not just you, Yang," Pyrrha confirms in a ready stance for a fight.
"Hey, let's not jump to conclusions. Maybe he is a nice guy." Ruby states while still eyeing the masked man.
"I don't know, Ruby. Just because he didn't attack us doesn't mean we can trust him." Blake cautions.
"Let's try talking to him before-" By the time Ren finishes, Wiess walks to the edge of the stage and points to the masked man.
"You!"
"That…"
"Who are you, and where have you taken us!?" she demands
"dammit, Wiess…." Ruby groans as they watch the man slowly stand up from his chair. He is wearing a white long-sleeved shirt with a diamond pattern checkered vest of purple and white color in golden liners bordering the shape. On the left shoulder of his vest is a silver emblem of theatre masks that is more detailed than his mask. Back to back with gears behind it, a smoking effect coming from the comedy side's mouth and the crying side's eyes.
He raises his hands and gently tugs his purple glove on his right hand, preventing it from slipping, and the same is true of the white glove on his left hand. He patted himself to straighten his wear to look more presentable. After a final inspection of his form, he snaps his fingers and disappears, leaving behind a molt of diamond-shaped lights, surprising the teens.
"W-where did he go?" Wiess fright
"a teleportation Semblance?" Ren deduces.
"get ready. He could appear at any moment." Ruby ordered using her status as team leader to get control of her team and the rest of the team's JPNR. The students searched, but to no avail. The more they look, the more suspense builds of a surprise attack as they slowly back up together, forming a circle covering every corner.
"Real smooth Ice Queen," Nora states
"Wh-How is this my fault!?" Wiess retort
"oh, I don't know. How about maybe you should work on your approach." Yang says sarcastically.
"What!?"
"I hate to admit it. But Yang has a point, Wiess. You could've taken it a gentle approach." Blake states, agreeing with Yang.
"Are they always like this?" Pyrrha whispers to Ruby as she regrettably nods to Pyrrha.
"And here I thought our team is the volatile one." Nora smiles
"Nora, that's just you," Ren replies with a deadpan expression.
"Aww, You're no fun, Renny." Nora pouts.
"Guys, focus. We don't know where that guy will appear." Ruby urged
"What are you talking about? He's up there drinking tea." Nora points above the group, seeing the formal dress man floating in midair, sitting on a chair with his legs crossed over while sipping his tea loudly with a small saucer and cup through his mask.
They stare in disbelief and shock at what they're seeing while the stranger continues sipping his tea very loudly while staring back at the teens. With a click of his tongue and a gasp of refreshing relief, he set the cup back to its saucer and placed it aside in midair, never leaving the student out of sight. He leans his elbows on his knees with his chin resting on his hand.
"Nora, how long did you notice he was there?" Ren asks.
"Hmm? Oh, he appeared as soon he disappeared." She replies innocently while the group deadpan stares at her.
"you mean to tell me you knew where he was and didn't say anything?" Weiss argues.
"Hey, he didn't do anything but drink tea. And he seems harmless," Nora retorts
"Well, he's here. Now what?" Blake ask
"Maybe we could talk to him?" Ruby suggests
"Good idea, sis, go for it." Yang smiled while gently pushing Ruby forward.
"What!? Why me!?" she argues.
"Weiss would probably scare him away again," Yang states that Weiss finds offensive.
"Hey!"
"Plus, it's also your idea. So get to it." Nora smiles with a playful shove. Ruby towards the masked man, almost losing her footing and gaining the masked man's attention.
There was an awkward pause between the two, waiting for one or the other to start the conversation. The masked man leans forward in Ruby's direction while Ruby internally cries and curses for her social anxiety.
'Of all people, why me!? Me and my big mouth! Quick, I gotta say something to look cool and awesome in front of everyone and maybe make a good impression, unlike Weiss.'
"um...hi!" she greets as the masked man crocks his head to the side towards Ruby, startling her a bit.
"I'm Ruby Rose. Um...leader of team RWBY and huntress-in-training of Beacon Academy. What's your name?" she pulls out her hand as a sign of the handshake, immediately second-guessing if this is the best approach.
The masked man stood tall, now seeing him whole, wearing formal dress pants and shoes with loops of chains, three on each side, dangling on the sides of his hips. He began walking down towards Ruby like a flight of stairs, yet he stood on nothing but air. He stood before Ruby as she looked up at the masked man, and she had to admit he was much taller than her Uncle, at least a foot taller. He took her hand with a gentle shake, then lowered his head, raised her hand, and gave her a peck in a gentleman-like manner. Even though a mask pecked her hand, she couldn't help but blush at such interaction. Then, finally, the masked man spoke.
"Greetings, Ruby Rose, Yang Xiao Long, Blake Balladonia, Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nicos and Wiess Schnee. I welcome you to my home." He bows to the Huntsman-in-training
"Though I apologize, I do not know how you came to my home. For that, I am sorry." His mannerisms are genuine and honest. It almost made the students feel bad for the masked man for apologizing for something he had no control over in their circumstances. It didn't sway Wiess. Her patient is running thin, bothered being taken against her will, even if it was an accident. It's not like she venting her frustration to people cause of rejection. To see a true gentleman before her and wish for a confident blue-haired man to be like him instead of flat-out rejecting her confession.
"You still didn't tell us your name!?" she demands while the others deadpan stare at the heiress staring at her.
"Seriously..." Yang groans as Blake facepalms
"oh yes, I apologize...my name is...hmm...what is my name?" he pauses as he cups his chin in deep thought, then notices his guest in concern.
"wait, you don't know your name?" Pyrrha asks, concerned.
"Hmm? Oh, no, no. You misunderstand. Due to my position, I've been given many names. Some are too long or difficult to pronounce from their origin language and die along with it. That would be a dead language. Or names that are forgotten, times that people have even forgotten about my existence. But that doesn't bother me." Without the mask, the Huntsman-in-training can tell, behind the mask, that he's smiling and not bothered by the circumstances of his identity. However, the students couldn't help but be saddened by such a life, having many names or something to hold of one's personal identity. Especially being forgotten.
The masked man could sense the student's concern for him as he felt flattered by their gesture and tried to ease their minds.
"However, my recent name starts with the letter I. However, the original language is over a thousand years old and has died with it. So it would be impossible for you to either remember or pronounce it. But don't feel bad on my behalf. If anything, it grants me an opportunity for a name. And I can use a recently learned method to help raise your spirits."
"So, therefore, you may call me Izzy. Cause it's 'Izzy' to remember." He bows to his guest again.
"Wait..." Ruby pause
"Did he just..." Ren follows.
"Made a pun?" Pyrrha questions
"Not another one..." Blake groans
"One enough as it already is." Wiess facepalm.
"pfft...hahaha!" Yang bellowed in deep laughter, followed by Nora.
"I see that work perfectly." The now masked man named Izzy raises then slowly predates around the students, herding them to the center of the stage.
"Now, I want to give you further details exactly where you are. I will be direct with you as it will be difficult to explain. You are no longer in Remnant." Shocking the student's comprehensive eye, staring at Izzy as he predates the teens.
"Now, before you become callous. Let me be clear that I did not kidnap you. As I said earlier, I did not know how you got to my domain, as I'm more confused than you are. If anything, this shouldn't have happened in your timeline, let alone in your prime universe. None of you has the power to travel time and space as my domain is separate from time and space itself." Izzy explains
"Wait, universe? Separate from time and space? You make it sound like one of those sci-fi fiction novels." Blake interrupts, confused, stopping Izzy before them with a slight chuckle.
"I don't blame you. Usually, mortals never believe a word I say about the Multiverse. Especially when it comes to the role of my domain. But if you wish for proof..." he pauses and raises his hand and snaps his fingers, and immediately the theatre disappears into the black void and changes to another world where they look below and see Vale, but sometimes it's not the Vale they recognize.
"wh-what is this?" Wiess stutters, losing her balance and falling to her knees, almost believing she is about to fall. But she wasn't the one. Most of the group did as well till they realized they were still standing.
"Wait, is that Vale?" Yang asks, surprised to see the city much more prominent than she remembers, seeing giant skyscrapers and buildings across the area.
"Wow! I've never seen those tall buildings before!? They might be even taller than Beacon Tower." Nora says in awe of Ruby.
"It's beautiful...even more than Atlas." Wiess was too awe at the sight once she had her bearings.
While the others are distracted, Pyrrha, Blake, and Ren notice a crucial aspect missing in Vale.
"What happens to the walls of Vale to protect them from the Grimm?" Ren asks, noticing no walls on the very edge of the city. Which caught the others' attention. They stared in the direction Ren was looking.
"He's right. The walls are missing. What's protecting Vale from the Grimm?" Pyrrha turns to Izzy for answers with his hands behind his back.
"Oh, that's easy. In this reality, Grimm and Dust never existed." He states calmly while shocking the Huntsman-in-training.
"The Grimm and dust never existed...?" Wiess repeats in shock and quickly turns to the world to see his lying.
"That's right." He snaps his fingers as the scene changes. On the ground, I saw the bright and bustling city up close and personal among the people. They couldn't help but be in awe, seeing the city up close to the skyscraping buildings before them. The people are calm and happy without a tinge of fear in their minds. While they were in awe of the city, Blake couldn't help but notice a human and Faunus couple with their cat ear child sitting happily on their Father's shoulder. Without the people batting an eye or sneering at the couple, but instead greeted them with smiles. Compared to their Remnant, Faunus are frowned upon, especially married ones between humans and Faunus. Blake was still in awe of the couple till the child noticed Blake staring and waving at her, surprising the cat Faunus and awkwardly waving back till she heard Izzy continue speaking.
"With dust never existing, humanity and Faunus evolve to new heights of agriculture and technology. And without Grimm, Huntsman and huntress were never needed."
"This is a utopia, Remnant, the reality of peace and light. Sadly, your reality will never achieve this goal while the Grimm and Dust exist. While this reality shines bright, a shadow is cast of another reality out of sync." Izzy waves his hand over a giant veil of shadow in the distance. They see it but not the city's people, oblivious of the cover of shadow coming closer to Vale like a sandstorm. Izzy didn't move as the vail came charging fast. The students had no time to call the city's citizens to find shelter. The veil consumes them all, raising their arms to shield their eyes, like in the middle of a violent storm with Ren protecting Nora and hugging her tightly.
As the storm finally calms, they slowly lower their arms to see what happened, only to gasp with wide eyes of shock. The utopia changes into a different reality. The once shining fair city is ruined, with the ground soiled beyond return. Even the buds beneath the earth cannot sprout, and buildings crumble and decay. Not a spec of life was found. Even the sky is blanketed with clouds of dark smog, with pools scattered in the city.
Curiosity got the best of the silver eye reaper and walked away from the party for a far distance to investigate the tar substances while her friends were still shocked by the dark world before them. Just about a foot from the tar, a giant claw reaches out and tries to grab hold of the young reaper. She screams in fright and quickly jumps back to avoid its grasp.
Everyone turns to the screams and notices Ruby is missing. Their hearts sink, dread consuming them for the worse. Without warning or hesitation, they promptly rush over to save her.
The claw arm pulls itself out of the pool to reveal a Beowulf. It roars to Ruby as she falls in fright, trying to back away, but only for it to grab hold of her cape and pull her in with its sharp claws tearing and pulling through Ruby's cloak.
"Yang!" she cries, trying to pull away, but only her cloak tears even more. Tears flow down her face to see the last thing her mother gave her destroyed before her while closing into the jaws of death. She tried to activate her semblance to escape the Grimm but couldn't feel her aura flowing through her; she wasn't the only one.
"Ruby!" Yang cries out, reaching out for her sister, with memories relapsing of the time in the shed, and this time, her Uncle Qrow won't be there to save them. With this amount of stress and anger toward herself, her hair wasn't glowing, nor did her eyes turn red. She could've used her semblance to boost her speed and reach her sister in seconds.
"Ruby!" Wiess shouts. Cursing herself why she couldn't feel her aura, let alone use her glyphs to increase her speed or slow/prevent the Grimm's movement of attacking Ruby or fire an ice shard to kill the Grimm from her distance, then realized she didn't bring her weapon with her. Now that Wiess thinks about it, the heiress doesn't feel her aura active when they arrive at Izzy's theatre. She looks over her shoulder to see Izzy simply strolling at a walking pace, with his arms on his back, without care or realizing the gravity of the situation. 'I knew he could never be trusted.'
"No!" Blake cursed herself for not saving her friend.
With the maw of death roaring, hungry teeth salivating, and fear seeping deep into Ruby's soul. After all these years of training, she's afraid to be a huntress just like her mother. With the maws poise to strike for her life, she can only brace herself and cry in fear.
"SOMEONE! ANYONE! SAVE ME!"
LET THE FATES DECIDE
OPTION 1: The masked entity known as Izzy saves Ruby.
OR
OPTION 2: A third party saves Ruby
Option 1:
As if her prayers were answered, the rattle of metal sounded. Ruby slowly opens her eyes and sees in shock that the beowolf is restrained in chains around its body and limbs, and its maw keeps its jaw wide open. While the beowolf struggles to move but to no avail, not a single inch to move.
Ruby followed the chains that restrained the Grimm and saw small open voids on each lead, yet on closer inspection, she noticed these chains looked very…familiar.
"are those…Izzy's chains?" She turns to the group and sees Izzy's chain detached from one end, hanging through the same void portal but still linked to his belt.
"Miss Xiao-Long, please get your sister out of there." Izzy's voice came stern with his arms raised and crossed, his hands clenched like he held a firm grip.
"R-right!" Yang stutters and rushes past her teammates to her sister. She quickly pulls Ruby out of there while tearing her cap more as she cries more, but Yang doesn't care. Her sister's safety is her priority.
"She's in the splash zone," Izzy whispers with a smirk beneath his mask. No one heard him except Blake, thanks to her sensitive cat ears, who turned to the masked man in concern. Once the sisters were clear and away from a certain distance.
"Tear…Enkidu…" Izzy hisses, dragging his claw-clenched hands to a downward motion X till he was kneeling on one knee, while simultaneously, the links of the chains came serrated teeth piercing the Grimm's skin as it yelped in pain. The chains tighten as they drag through the Grimms' hide intensely, cutting through the Grimm like a chainsaw digging into the Grimms' body. At the same time, the Grimm still roared in pain till finally, chains cut through, leaving nothing behind but pieces of Grimm scattered on the ground. The chains retracted, formed back to normal, and hung on Izzy's side as he raised the cuffs of his sleeves while the student stared in awe and horror, except for a particular weapon-fanatic girl. As her eyes gleamed towards Izzy's chains.
He approaches Ruby, kneels to her eye, and places a hand on her shoulder, calming the shaken red reaper.
"Are you okay, Ruby? Are you hurt?" he asked in concern while looking for injuries on Ruby.
"N-No, I'm fine. It's just…." She pauses while gripping her cloak, still hanging on her shoulder and on the verge of tears. Yang looks down at herself as she knows the importance of Ruby's cloak, and she just lets it tear, trying to get her sister to safety from the beowolf.
"This cloak…i-it was the last thing my mum gave me before she…." She cries to her sister's shoulder while Yang rubs her back, and the rest can't help but blame themselves for not allowing Ruby to save the only momentum of her mother.
"Ruby, may I?" he prostrates and reaches out his hand to the red reaper, indicating the cloak. She hesitated momentarily as she never took off her cloak, not even taking it off to put it in the laundry. It took a lot of convincing and bribing her with two jars of cookies, a glass of milk, and a scary story of a Grimm who loves eating dirty clothes. And seeing the man who saved her bowing towards her, telling her his genuine desire to help.
She slowly unclips her cloak, surprising Yang, seeing her taking her cloak off and handing it to a stranger so quickly. With Ruby placing her cloak on Izzy's hand, he slowly stands and gently nods to Ruby, a sign of thanks for the trust.
"Enkidu…" he whispers as the chains detach and slowly rise to the cloak while the other end of the six chains is still linked to his waist.
Chains with pointed pommels at the end of the link. It soon approaches the cape and merges into the fabric, repairing and filling the holes, surprising the sisters and their friends.
"Oooohhh! Renny! Do you think he's a wizard!? He's a wizard, isn't he?" Nora shakes Ren excitedly.
"Nora, quiet. His focusing." He shushes his childhood friend as he stares at the man in awe, concentrating on what he thinks is aura but is unsure. He had never felt this kind of aura before. If anything, it's…foreign, otherworldly, maybe. And he wasn't the only one in awe.
Wiess stares intensely at the cloak. Not only was it being repaired, but she could see the material change to superior quality as it shined. In her years of seeing quality fabrics at the Atlas store for her commission dresses, Wiess uses them both on stage and in daily life. She couldn't help but be envious of Ruby and how lucky her cloak had turned into the superior fabric she had ever seen. Blake, however, couldn't help but stare at Izzy, her mind filled with more questions than answers. Like who or what is he? How was he able to do all those things they saw with ease? He was transported to another world, able to manipulate the structure of his weapon and now using his chains to fix her leader's cape.
As soon as the repairs are complete, Enkidu returns to Izzy's waist, and while Izzy finalizes the cloak for imperfections, Ruby can't help but be excited to see her red cape look as good as new. With a nod of acceptance, he neatly folds his arms and gently presents it to Ruby, as she immediately snatches it off Izzy's hand, which he doesn't mind of the young reaper's behavior. Ruby quickly unfurls her cloak excitedly, admiring it and almost convinced it is shining. She promptly tries it with a few spins and twirls to feel the same cape.
Happy with the outcome, Ruby came brawling, charging into Izzy. They collide with Ruby, hugging him profusely and repeating "thank you" to Izzy while he is on the ground. Surprised by such affection, he turns to Yang, asking what to do, and replies with a nod of encouragement. Since Izzy repaired an essential momentum to Ruby, she'll let Izzy slide. He awkwardly pats Ruby's back till she calms down and realizes her position. She immediately panics, apologizes, and gets off of Izzy. But immediately stop when they hear the sound of metal.
Option 2:
The sound of a metal clash, her shoulder caressed by metal, eased her safety in embracing metal. With the sound of fabric flaps being carried by the wind, she slowly opens her eyes to shock and awe at whose embrace she's in. She finds herself in the hands of a black knight with a red accent, markings, and a red glow emitting out of his left eye. With his shield raised and locked with the beowolf.
"Fenrir!" he calls, then suddenly, a building collapses, and out of the rubble, a giant white wolf with ivory bone armor and blue markings like the Grimm roars charged towards us. With one final heave, he pushes the beowolf away and jumps away with Ruby being carried in his arms in a bridal carry, just in time when the white wolf pounces on the beowolf and begins the attack. Ruby couldn't help but be in awe of her savior while he watched the beowolf being massacred. With a final snap of bone in the Grimm's neck, it immediately fell limb and slowly turned to dust. The victor of the wolf approaches the Knight and Ruby. Ruby shudders at the size of the white Grimm, yet simultaneously, she can't help but be amazed at how beautiful its fur shines despite the gloomy world.
Lowering its snout and sniffing the scent of Ruby and the Knight, the giant wolf growls, specifically towards Ruby, so she can't help but screech a little in fright before the wolf. But only for the Knight to gently pat the wolf's snout away, calming it as he scratches the back of its ear.
"Easy, girl…" his voice whispers, calming the wolf that Ruby couldn't but pat along with the Knight, wanting to feel its fur. To her surprise, it's warm, fluffy, and smooth at the same time. She couldn't help but reminisce about her time petting and loving Zwai and hated to admit the wolf's fur was better than her dog's.
"…Search the area for more Grimm…" he orders calmly, but the Grimm stares intently toward Ruby, believing her to be a threat. Ruby flinches her hand away protectively after seeing the intent in the wolf's eyes, fearing the wolf might bite her hand off.
"I'll be fine, don't worry. I'll call when I'm done." He reassures. The wolf huffs at the instruction and leaves the Knight's side.
Ruby couldn't help but be in awe of what she had just witnessed and her situation. Being in a bridal carry, she couldn't help but feel like a princess in the stories her sister reads to her and blushes at the scenario.
"Sorry about her. She's a bit overly protected. Are you okay?" the Knight turns to Ruby, surprising her for a moment, then nods, not taking her eyes off the Knight.
But snap back to reality when he gently puts her down and remembers her cape. She quickly took off her cloak to check. But only to shudder, fall to her knees, and cry to gain the Knight's attention.
"My cape…My cape…" the young reaper cries with tears flowing down Ruby's face, soaking the now torn cloak, while the Knight looks down at the crying reaper. Unsure how he would act in this situation, he wanted to leave, but he did not have the heart to go with a crying child looming over his head. With a frustrated sigh, he kneels down to the crying reaper and reaches out his hand to her. She looks up, still crying, as the Knight sighs again and stares intently at the child.
"Does this cloak mean that much to you? That you would waste your tears on a fabric that could easily be mended together, child?" The Knight asks with resolve, a tone of passion and wisdom. Ruby couldn't help but think that the Knight reminded her of Professor Ozpin's knowledge, mashed with Jaune's compassion. She nods to the Knight and wipes her tears as her friends finally arrive but only keeps their distance from fearing that the Knight might hurt Ruby. Yang was about to approach the Knight and Ruby but only to feel a hand grasp her shoulder and see Izzy shaking his head.
"Don't. Let's just watch for now and see where this goes."
"Very well. May I?" the dark Knight reached for Ruby's cloak but waited for her response.
Ruby hesitated, unsure of handing her cloak to a stranger, even if the stranger saved her life. Yet, she couldn't help but feel at ease around him, like she knew him even though they hadn't met before. Her mind scrambles with mixed messages, denying to hand the cloak, the only momentum she has, to her mother, fearing it'll be lost forever if she gives it to the Dark Knight. But her heart, her soul, is yearning for her to let him, to trust him, ease her walls, and let him help. With a sigh, she gave in to her doubts and slowly unclipped her cloak, surprising her friends, especially her sister. She watched her little sister hand her cape to a stranger without resistance or force.
"Thank you…" He nods as he flatters his cape to avoid sitting on it. He drops his shield beside him, with the shield face on the ground and Ruby's cloak in his hands. He sat for a couple of minutes till, finally, the group noticed Ruby's cape emitting a glow of purple and black. Soon, the stitches of the fabric slowly mended themselves together with a clean finish as if it wasn't there to begin with. As he was done, he stood tall and approached Ruby with her cloak. She hesitates to take it momentarily, denying that the cape in front of her is the same. But as she reached out for the mantle and felt the soft, smooth fabric, memories of her mother immediately flashed before her that would have been impossible to remember as a baby.
Seeing her mother's warm smile in her arms while Ruby's small, pudgy little arms reached out to her, her mother couldn't help but smile at her sweet Ruby, nestling her head on Ruby, as she could not help but laugh. The same day, her mom gave her a hooded cape when she lay Ruby down and wrapped her.
"I'll always love my little rosebud." Hearing her mother's voice again, she couldn't help but cry again to listen to her voice. She almost forgot what her mother sounded like. She wiped her tears and returned to reality before the Knight, with his hand resting on her shoulder.
"Are you alright?" he asked as Ruby couldn't help but be in tears again and hugged the black Knight.
"thank you…thank you…" Ruby cries, immediately forgetting her fears of the Knight, gifting her something so precious it was considered forgotten in time. As a hand patted her head, she looked up and saw the Knight was patting her to calm her, and if she could see through the helmet, she could tell he was smiling at her.
"You're very welcome, Ruby…." He replies as Ruby's eyes widen, surprised at how this Knight knows her name. The Knight gently ushers Ruby toward her friends when she is about to ask.
"Best not to keep them waiting." He gently pushes Ruby's back to her friend, snapping her shock to reality, and stutters to her friends waiting patiently for her.
"Ruby! He didn't hurt you. Did he?" her sister Yang hugs her with concern and looks over her little sister to see if she's hurt.
"Yang, I'm fine…" as she tries to pry herself out of her older sister's grasp and puts her cloak back on.
"You sure? You were crying earlier?" Wiess questions while leering toward the Knight.
"I'm fine, Wiess. They were tears of Joy. Not only did he fix my cape, but he also helped me remember something important." Rubbing her irritated eyes, Nora interrupts the group.
"Um, guys, I don't want to ruin a touching moment. But he looks mad." Nora points to the Knight engulfed in black-like flames.
Metal rattles as they all face the figure of black armor with blood-red accents. Izzy quickly stood before the students and waited for the Knight to make his move. The students couldn't help but stare at the black Knight with red accents, reminding them of the marks of a Grimm with glowing red eyes and his torn fur cape hanging on his shoulder armed with a sword and shield. Emitting heavy black flames on his armor, they all can feel the flames' dread and negative emotions.
Blake, Ren, and Nora collapse to their knees, feeling death staring down at them, like looking into their soul. Wiess and Yang followed, shaking in fear, questioning who or what this dark Knight was standing before them. Yet the only ones still standing are Ruby and Pyrrha. Ruby tried to stay strong but couldn't help but shake in fear and confusion by just gazing. Pyrrha, however, could not help but feel assured that she knew this black Knight as she looked into the armed Knight's weapons and couldn't help but feel a resemblance to something. Yet the blade and shield are black with a red accent, with the edge of the sword black with red cracks holding the sword together.
The Knight leered intently towards Izzy and pointed his blade towards him.
"You are not welcome here, Chains of Fate..." he says with great hate and intent. Izzy immediately raises his hand of surrender and responds calmly to the Knight.
"I apologize, sir Knight. I did not mean to intrude. I am just a host to my guest and clearly see we overstayed are welcome." As Izzy points to the students, the Knight stares at them.
"Then leave. My patient is wearing thin, and I cannot hold them long..." His voice is stern as he looks at the sky and sees the clouds drifting away.
"Wait…who's them?" Ren asks, and right in queue, the clouds clear the sky, and the fractured moonlight shines on the field, revealing every hunter's worst nightmare: a giant horde of Grimm overwhelming the kingdom. But that wasn't what got their attention. It's what the Grimm was up against and struggled to overcome. It was another horde of black fur creatures with ivory bone armor like the Grimm but with Blue markings, but they were Grimm they had never seen. If anything, these creatures are more animal-correlate than Grimm. They show excellent coordination and intelligence in a team of four destroying the Grimm.
Then, a deathly howl roars the field, and everyone turns to see what they see in great shock. It was considered impossible or in disbelief. Seeing a dead Elder rank, Goliath, assumed to be the strongest and largest Grimm of Remnant, said that you need an army just to kill one and, worse, an Elder rank. Compared to its lower-rank counterparts, it is more intelligent and extensive by an extra ten feet and has more bone-plated spike armor on its surrounding back and trunk. It is more intimidating than its cousin, the Megoliath. Yet the shock didn't end there when a giant white paw slammed into the Goliath's head, shattering its bone skull armor, but continued pressing until the paw crushed through its head like paste.
They follow up from the paw and see in terror of another giant Grimm. They should be afraid to see such a monster, yet they cannot but be in awe of a terrifying yet beautiful creature. A white wolf, just like the horde of Grimm, is much bigger; its fur is so white that it cannot be stained, and its bones and armor shine like ivory with markings of blue glow-like gem veins. But it didn't stop and found its next prey, another elder rank Grimm, a Deathstalker.
Distracted by the white wolf, some of the Grimm Beowolves slip past and head for the unsuspecting Knight until Ren calls out to him.
"LOOK OUT!?"
The Knight saw the incoming Grimm and immediately raised his shield, blocking the claws and pushing the Grimm out of the way. But not without cleaving its head clean off from its shoulders.
At first, Pyrrha thought it was a coincidence, but after seeing the Knight cleaving the Grimm's head off the same way as her partner did when he saved Cardin. The Knight sighs and sheathes his sword into his shield, showing the face of the shield they all recognized. Even if it was in a different color scheme. The white was swapped with black, and the gold accents changed to red, especially the two crescent moons.
"You need to leave now!" he roars in a moment of distraction; two more Beowolves slip past him.
"NO!" he shouts in shock, and without a moment's notice, he quickly draws his sword and throws it at the closest beowolf, impaling it on its side and falling to its death while chasing after the other. He promptly threw his shield, ricocheting off its head back to him and caught in mid-flight, landing on the Grimm's back and slamming the point of his shield down to the back of its head, instantly killing it. While giving the huntsman-in-training a clear view of the face shield.
"J-Jaune?" Pyrrha whispers, fearing what happened to him to become this dark Knight. He hops off the Grimm while it deteriorates to dust and walks over to the other fallen Grimm to claim his sword with his back facing them, all utterly speechless.
"Get them out of here, Chains of Fate…NOW!" he states as he looks over his shoulder with an eye of red intent for Izzy to follow, slowly beginning to lose his patience with the masked man.
"Understood…" Izzy states as a large sigil appears beneath them, and the Knight marches onto the battlefield after seeing this.
"Wait!? Could you at least tell us your name!?" Pyrrha calls and reaches out to the Knight but only feels a wall. Desperation for an answer grew in the young spartan girl who tried to break through the barrier but stopped when she saw the Knight stop his march.
"You already know my name…" the Knight calls out but pauses.
"Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren, Nora Valkaryie, Ruby Rose, Wiess Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xaio Long…" This surprised the students how this Knight knew them, but by the time they asked, he continued while the sigil beneath their feet brightened, yet unaware.
"But I am not the man that you know. And I only pray he does not follow my path to this Destructive world. And Yet…." he turned to face the people he once called friends. While the sigil brightened than before like a tower of light.
"It's good to see you guys again. But I know you are not my friends in this world." The Knight's helmet mechanically opens up and collapses to the back of his head, revealing his smiling face to them but only seeing their expression of shock and dread. Before them was their dear friend Jaune Arc, but it wasn't the armor that shocked them. It was Jaune, with pale skin, hair shine of silver platinum, eyes black of a void with blood-red irises, and purple cracks on the side of his cheeks.
For instance, a word pops into their minds, a word that would describe their friend's appearance in horror. Grimm. But not Pyrrha. To her, she sees her partner, her friend, and her crush. Even if he looks different, seeing him smile happily at seeing his friends, to her, is the same Jaune Arc she loved.
"Jaune! Wait!? Let us help you! Please!?" Pyrrha shouts while still trying to break through the barrier while surprising Jaune towards her and couldn't help but smile and approach Pyrrha.
He places his hand on the barrier with Pyrrha's hand on the other side, sighs with relief, and his gentle eyes stare into her soul.
"It's so good to hear your voice again, Pyrrha. And despite my appearance, you still see me as Jaune Arc. I'm truly blessed to have you as my partner..." he smiles but pauses at the end, his face clearly blushing and averting his eyes away from embarrassment, just like the Jaune they knew.
"...and my lover..." with a close smile, shocking everyone with what they just heard, especially Pyrrha, who is frozen of emotion and face flushed red like her hair. Her mind is flustered with emotions, somewhat in denial that her crush confessed to her even though it's not her crush. She leans her head on the barrier, trying not to fall to the floor into a complete mess. However, a sure red reaper doesn't know why she feels jealous seeing her first friend confess to another girl and wishes it was her.
"If your Jaune is anything like me. Tell him how you feel, and he'll return your love." He leaned and kissed through the barrier to Pyrrha's forehead, and she felt it, surprised by the sudden kiss. She looked up and touched her forehead to Jaune, seeing him with a close smile as the sigil shone a torrent of light beneath them, like standing on a giant searchlight. The sigil markings began to rotate as Jaune stepped back, knowing the spell was complete.
"Goodbye, everyone…it was so good to see you again…" he smiles.
"Jaune-" By the time Ruby called out to Jaune, the sigil erupted, engulfing them in bright light, blinding them for a moment, only to return to the theatre. They all collapse on the floor, gasping from exhaustion. Meanwhile, Pyrrha is still stunned while feeling her forehead where Jaune kisses her.
"Apologies, but that sigil usually takes out more than it has to teleport us ba-," Izzy explains till Yang punches him across his mask and leaves spider web cracks on the sad side. Yet he still stood and didn't fall. Yang carried a tearful, stern expression that her friends had never seen her this angry.
"Yang!" Nora gasp
"Why did we leave him? We could've helped him!" Yang cries as Izzy's mask is self-repaired and new, and he pats his clothes down straight.
"We can't. There are rules I must follow as the Guardian of the Multiverse."
"Guardian of the Multiverse? What are you!?" Wiess demands.
"Weiss?" Ruby asked, concerned with the others following suit.
"No! Ever since we got here! You've been nothing but vague and incompetent! So enough games, who are you or what are you!?" Wiess demanded, seeing her frustration even further from before. After witnessing the utopian world, followed by that nightmarish world overrun by Grimm, seeing the boy she called a dunce, And watching the attention and love he showed to Pyrrha, Wiess couldn't help but be jealous of such a union. It should've been the best day of her life with Neptune. But she got rejected. She couldn't help but regret missing her chance with someone who liked her and not by her name. Even if he was an annoying dunce.
"I guess I never really explained what I am. I apologize. Let me start over..." As Izzy coughs to his hand, he stands straight, right over his chest and left on his back.
"As you all know, I am called Izzy. I am a God of Realities and Custodian of Realities...Welcome to my Domain." Izzy announced as he bowed to the students. The shock of disbelief while some are in denial, especially a specific heiress.
"Y-your a God?" Yang stutters in both shock and dread.
"It's nice knowing you, Yang," Blake says, giving her sympathy and patting her shoulder.
"Hey! Don't throw me under the bus, Blake!" Yang panicked, realizing what she had committed.
"Well, it is kinda your fault for punching him in the first place," Nora interjected.
"You too, Nora!" Yang cries out of betrayal and looks over her sister as she looks away, not wanting to be involved in Yang's problems.
"Ruby...why..." she cries, then turns to the now God. She sees him as intimidating and callous in her vision, but in reality, he's just standing there calm, relieved to get that out of his chest and unaware of Yang's deminer. He primarily sees her prostrating before him, asking for forgiveness, which surprises Him.
"Oh, please! Oh, great and merciful God, Izzy! I beg for your forgiveness!" she begs, crying.
"Yang! You're acting ridiculous!" Wiess shouts, embarrassed to be her teammates
"I'll even offer Wiess as a Virgin sacrifice!"
"Hey! And also, he not a God!?" Wiess protest.
"um, Wiess. Did you forget he literally teleported us to that utopian and that... altered world?" Ren spoke out but paused at the end when he was out to refer to the other world where he saw a distorted version of his friend, unsure what to call that world, as Wiess jolt of surprise that she forgot.
"So he is a god. Like the brothers of light and dark?" Ruby questioned in awe, snapping Wiess out of embarrassment when she heard Izzy bellow in laughter.
"Haha! S-Sorry...Haha! Those morons? They wouldn't know from the right or left, even if it slapped them across the face. Hahaha!"
"A-anyway, I think I should explain what I do in my role. But first, I need to explain to you the Multiverse." He snaps his fingers, and a pair of thin-frame glasses appear on Izzy's mask as he slightly adjusts. The students wondered if he would need glasses over his mask.
His posture and aura around him change. His tone of voice sounded strict and reminded the students of their combat teacher, Miss Goodwitch. He claps his hands. The lights dim as a tiny speck of light laminate in the center of the stage, with Ruby and the gang surrounding it in curiosity.
"Now imagine this seed of light is your universe, the Prime universe, or of where it originated." he points to the light.
"As it grew in time, this creates a timeline where all walks of life follow." The seed sprouted and grew, slowly turning into a large tree.
"However, sometimes the timeline can branch out to another path, creating a different timeline called realities. Which are different from the choices we make." As branches grew out, slowly golden leaves and luminance of a shine awed the students with their beauty.
"for example, if you were given a choice to pick a favorite dessert, cookies, or pancakes. What would you pick?" Izzy questioned, waiting for an answer, but continued.
"if you pick cookies, you continue the timeline, but if you pick pancakes instead of the intended choice, you've created an alternate reality. Of course, you cannot simply create an alternate reality from picking sweets." He laughs as the student kinda understands what he is referring to. Then Nora notices something on one of many of the leaves on the tree. She recognizes each with an insignia and immediately raises her hand for Izzy's attention.
"Yes, Miss Valkyrie."
"Why do these leaves have the fearless leader's insignia?" she asked as the others followed suit and looked at the leaves carefully.
"Hey, yeah, all the leaves on this side have Jaune's emblem on it," Ruby calls out on her side of the tree.
"Yeah, same here," Blake emphasizes on her side of the tree. As Izzy smiles beneath his mask.
"Very observant, Miss Valkyrie. That is also my role as the watcher and Guardian of the Multiverse. To watch and record every reality of a certain young man you all are acquainted with."
"it's Jaune, isn't it?" Pyrrha finally spoke in awe.
" that is correct. When I became the Guardian of Reality, I watched you all follow the path you pursued. But it tends to be a bore to watch the same thing repeatedly. Soon, I began to think of the purpose of this task. Then, a change happened in the timeline, a branch of a new reality. By a fascinating young man who has the power to change his fate and reality." Izzy points as the students follow but don't see a branch; it is just the face of the tree with the large sigil imprinted before it branches off.
"Ever since the first Branch, Jaune created realities due to his actions. In the first branch I recorded, Jaune became a hero of the night. Then, slowly, more branches began to grow. And all originate with Jaune Arc."
"why's that? What makes that dunce so special." Wiess question ire.
"that is a good question. To be honest, that's one with multiple answers. Which can correlate to different scenarios that would change the young man. For example, the way he was raised, his family origin, his ideals, and his desires. The list can go on. Even his relationship can be very." Izzy jested at the end to see the girls' response on the stage and was not surprised it got the girls' attention, mainly from Pyrrha and Ruby.
"but wait." Blake realizes
"if you're a god of realities, why can't you take us back home? Like you took us to the utopia and altered world?" She questioned as the others nodded to her theory.
"as I said earlier, your world is the Prime universe. Where all these realities originate, I am not the God who created your world. Therefore, I cannot enter or interfere with that God's creation. We Gods follow sets of rules under the balance of reality. Even with my status as the God of Realities, I can only watch and nothing more." He explained while the students came skeptical of his reason.
"If I could take you back to your reality, I would've done it immediately and ensured you're unaware of my existence."
"What happens if you did try?" Ren questions with doubt and shows his frown upon the God before him. This did not go well with Izzy as he slowly walked towards Ren, gave him his answer, and pinched his chin.
"Well…besides upsetting the balance, that will be an act of war with the God that created your universe. This will destroy other realities, resulting in the deaths of millions of innocent people." Izzy Pauses, standing over Ren intimidatingly.
"So tell me, Mr Ren. Do you wish to be responsible for the deaths of millions or billions of innocents on your hand? " but only to receive silence from Ren and the others.
"That's what I thought. So please remember Mr Ren. I am a benevolent god who values the lives of innocents. Like your friend Jaune Arc, who defies reality and faith." Turning back to Ren, he lowers his head in shame and regrets his action toward his host.
"But know this, everyone," he calls out, gathering his guest's attention towards him.
"I will find a way to get you back home and find the one responsible for this. If you were all discovered here by the other gods, this would be an act to spark a war, and that is something I cannot allow." As Izzy's tone became stern as his hand clutched tightly, his hand began to bleed through the fabric. Showing the seriousness of the situation both he and his guest are in.
"So I ask you not to do anything, Rash, during your stay." This made the students uncomfortable with the situation, forcing them to stay or risk sparking a war with the other gods that would cost the lives of millions. Izzy noticed their concerned faces and quickly appeased their worries.
"But do not threaten. I can accommodate your needs during your stay, including a warm bed, food, a game room, a library, and a gym. After all, you are still students to be trained, Huntsman and huntresses." This allowed the guest to fill with their host's welcome.
"Then, what do we do?" Yang asks. While the others look at each other again, Izzy opens up with a suggestion.
"If you like, you could join me to watch other realities of your friend Jaune Arc? It's part of my job, and having company and hearing your thoughts could be quite interesting." The guest nods, agreeing with interest.
"If you like, can we see one right now?" Izzy suggested as both sister teams looked at each other and thought about their situation. since neither they nor their host knew how to take them back home.
He extends his arms with a bow, pointing to a door to the far left door, opened with a panel on top that reads snacks and beverages.
"Please help yourselves with whatever food and beverages you want to bring during the viewing. And please take a seat when you're ready."
After everyone returned with snacks and beverages, filling an entire row and waiting for the screening to begin, Ruby, with a tray of cookies and a strawberry shake. In Wiess's tray was a small salad bowl with a glass of water with ice, thin slices of lemon, and a pinch of mint leaves. Yang went for a giant burger with fries and soda on the side. Blake chose a grilled salmon with a side of a small salad. Nora's was a platter of pancakes drenched in syrup with a scoop of strawberry and chocolate ice cream. To everyone's surprise, Pyrrha was a steak sandwich with fries and soda. And finally, Ren just tea.
With Izzy's guests ready, he calls for their attention while a whiteboard lowers from the stage. Their expression excited them, and they decided what world they all would appreciate and love with awe and inspiration.
"attention, please. I've decided on a reality close to yours, but in this reality, Jaune is not a huntsman." As soon as the group heard this, they all showed concern, especially Pyrrha and Ruby.
"What!? Then what happened to our fearless leader!?" Nora cries
"Now, now, calm down. Let me finish. This reality is a perfect example of what Jaune would choose over the other, making him the hero of Vale. Who protects the people, both Faunus and humans, from themselves. He dons a mask of what he fears more than Grimm to instill that fear in his enemies. For them to remember that he will always be watching the city nights of Vale, and there's nowhere to run from him."
"and what exactly did he fear more than Grimm?" Blake asks with slight discomfort from Izzy's description of Jaune's reason for wearing a mask. It somewhat closely reminded her of why the white fang wears a mask. Izzy reached for his pocket and pulled out a folded shuriken. With a flip revealing the shape of a bat with its wing bladed.
"Bats," he states, throwing it into the screen as the Batarang sinks, bringing it to life. Excited to see their friend as a hero, they expected to see him in his hero costume looking down on the street. But instead, they see a ragged-looking Jaune in a prison cell.
A/N: First off merry Christmas and happy New year. As you already Guess this is a reality theater focus on Jaune. don't worry i'm still working on the Grimm knight as i already made a couple of chapters for this project, just need some editing and clean-up. as some of my new stories will be published here. Thank you for your time and support, please give it a like and review. Izzy out.