Ruby Rose stumbled backward, her weapon Crescent Rose slipping from her grasp as the scorpion faunus lunged again. His stinger whipped dangerously close to her, the sharp tip glinting in the dim light of the abandoned street.

"Ruby, keep moving!" Qrow shouted, his blade clashing with the faunus's claws. "Don't let him corner you!"

Ruby nodded, adrenaline coursing through her veins. She darted to the side, narrowly avoiding another strike. The fight was chaotic, the crumbling buildings around them serving as an ominous backdrop.

Suddenly, a loud creak echoed above her. Ruby looked up just in time to see a wooden plank from a nearby building break free. She tried to dodge, but it was too late. The plank crashed onto her head, and her vision went black.

...

When Ruby opened her eyes, she wasn't in the dilapidated street in Anima anymore. She was standing in a surreal place, surrounded by a soft, shimmering light. Before her was a veil, a rippling, translucent barrier that seemed to hum with energy. Behind it, she could make out faint figures—people, their features blurred but familiar.

"Where… am I?" Ruby whispered, stepping closer to the veil.

One of the figures turned, and Ruby's breath caught in her throat. It was Pyrrha.

"Pyrrha!" Ruby called out, running toward her. "It's you!"

Pyrrha's warm smile greeted her, but as Ruby reached out, the veil zapped her hand with a gentle yet firm jolt of energy, pushing her back.

"Am I dead?" Ruby asked, her voice trembling.

"No," Pyrrha replied, her voice calm and soothing. "You're not dead, Ruby. That's why you can't cross the veil. You're having a near-death experience. That's the only reason we're able to see and speak to each other right now."

Ruby's heart ached as she looked at her friend. "So… this is real?"

"Yes," Pyrrha said softly. "But it's not your time to go, Ruby. You'll only have a few minutes here before you wake up."

Ruby nodded, her emotions a storm inside her. "Have you… learned a lot here? About the afterlife?"

"I have," Pyrrha said with a small nod.

"Have you met my mom? Summer Rose?" Ruby asked, hope lighting her voice.

Pyrrha shook her head gently. "I haven't met anyone by that name. I'm sorry, Ruby."

Ruby's face fell slightly, but she pressed on. "What about Penny? Have you seen her?"

"I did," Pyrrha said. "We spoke for a short time. But after a day, she disappeared. I don't know where she went."

Ruby felt a pang of sadness but tried to focus on the moment. "Pyrrha… Jaune misses you so much. He's struggling without you. We all are."

Pyrrha's expression softened with a bittersweet smile. "I miss all of you, too. Especially Jaune. How is he?"

Ruby hesitated, then answered honestly. "He's… not okay. He's trying to be strong though."

Pyrrha looked down for a moment, sadness flickering in her eyes. "I wish I could ease his pain. Ruby… I don't think Cinder is the one who killed me."

Ruby blinked in surprise. "You don't?"

"No," Pyrrha said firmly. "When I was struck, the killer's eyes flashed purple. I remember it clearly. That wasn't Cinder."

Ruby's eyes widened. "I saw it too! That's why I don't believe Cinder killed you either."

Pyrrha's gaze grew serious. "Ruby, you have to find the truth. And if Cinder isn't the one, she doesn't deserve to be punished for something she didn't do."

Ruby nodded. "We're trying. But Mistral is planning to put her in the Hunt."

Pyrrha's face hardened with determination. "There must be some way to save her. Please, Ruby. Don't let them do this to her."

"I won't," Ruby promised. "We won't."

Pyrrha glanced over her shoulder, a faint figure calling her name. She turned back to Ruby, her expression bittersweet. "I have to go. My father is waiting for me."

Ruby's voice cracked. "Pyrrha, wait—"

"One more thing," Pyrrha interrupted, her tone gentle. "Tell Weiss that I said, 'It's okay.' She'll know what it means."

Ruby's heart clenched as Pyrrha's form began to fade. "I will. I promise. Goodbye, Pyrrha."

"Goodbye, Ruby." Pyrrha's voice was soft, like a whisper on the wind, before she disappeared.

Just then, another spirit approached Ruby. She was a woman Ruby had seen in paintings.

"I know you," Ruby said to her. "You're Princess Daiyu, the girl that ancient Mistralian king first wanted to put in the Hunt- back when the Hunt was called the Story."

"Yes, child," the young woman acknowledged. "I was the girl who inspired the Story. The spirits of many have passed through here telling me that they were tortured to death in The Story. What the king wanted but couldn't do to me, he had done to many other women and girls in his Stories. Although newer spirits tell me that the Story is now called The Hunt, and that it's not only girls and women being punished anymore."

Ruby felt a mixture of sadness and determination at the talk of previous victims. "If my friends and I are successful, we'll not only stop this year's Hunt, we'll end the Hunt for good."

The young woman smiled. "I hope you are successful."

Then she and everything else faded away.

...

When Ruby woke up, she had a sharp headache and she was on an airship. Uncle Qrow was beside her. She looked out the window and saw buildings that looked very different from the ones in Vale.

"Where are we?" Ruby asked.

"We're in Mistral, and you're recovering from a concussion," Uncle Qrow answered.

...

A significant amount of time passed. Eventually Ruby was reunited with her entire team- first Weiss, then Blake and Yang, who had visited the Branwen tribe together and met with Yang's mother, Raven Branwen. A boy named Oscar Pine came to them, and they learned that he and professor Ozpin were sharing a body- that this wasn't the first time the man they knew as their headmaster had reincarnated into another male's body.

"All of you have a choice," Ozpin declared after discussing their mission, the missing Spring Maiden, and explaining that the relic of knowledge, which was now out of questions according to him, allowed a person to ask 3 questions every one thousand year. "If any of you wishes to leave, now is the time. There is no shame or disgrace in abstaining, only in retreat."

Nobody decided to leave, but Yang spoke up.

"If Ruby sticks around, then I will too. If there's one thing I know about her, it's that she somehow always knows the right thing to do. But if we're going to help, if we're going to keep risking our lives, no more lies. No more half-truths." Yang had been upset about discovering the secret that Ozpin had given Raven and Qrow the magical ability to turn into birds.

"Understood," Ozpin said.

The others left the large living room of the house they were staying in, but Ruby lingered with Ozpin and Uncle Qrow.

"We've been talking about the relic at Haven and the Spring Maiden, but what about the Fall Maiden?" Ruby asked in a small voice.

"You mean Cinder?" Ozpin asked.

"Yes. Does that mean that Cinder gave the crown of choice to Salem?"

"Very astute, Miss Rose," Ozpin said with a smile. I was wondering who would be the first to ask. No, thankfully she did not. Let's just say I made finding the crown of choice a bit more challenging. It isn't hidden in any of the palaces like the sword of destruction is, or in any of the schools like the relic of knowledge and the staff of creation are."

"That's good to hear," Ruby said. There was a pause. In her mind Ruby was debating whether or not she should be honest with the adults about Cinder. But ultimately, she decided that honesty and trust were a two-way street, so she let the truth come out.

"I've been in contact with Cinder."

"You've been what?" Uncle Qrow asked incredulously.

"Cinder called me a while back and we had a long talk," Ruby continued. "About her life and what she's doing. She says she didn't kill Pyrrha and that the casualties at the palace were unintended, and I believe her. Cinder's eyes are orange-gold, yet the killer's eyes flashed purple. I think someone is setting her up- someone who looks a lot like her, but isn't her. Besides that, I don't think Cinder is a bad person. She's been through a lot though- she has a lot of trauma, and she loves Salem and is convinced that Salem loves her back."

"Ruby, even if she isn't guilty nobody who works with Salem is trustworthy," Uncle Qrow warned.

Ozpin was silent for a while. When he finally spoke he said, "I had such a strong aversion to killing her."

"An aversion to killing Cinder?"

"Yes," he replied. "I couldn't do it. I couldn't bring myself to deal a death blow during our fight, and I don't know why."

There was a moment of silence, and then Ozpin told Ruby, "Tell Cinder that Salem loves no one. Perhaps there was once a time, long ago, when she was capable of it, but she isn't capable of it now. She only uses people, exploiting their vulnerabilities."

Part of Ruby wondered what Salem's story was- how did she become the monster that she was today?

"Professor, Mistral plans on putting Cinder in The Hunt and I don't want that to happen to her. It shouldn't happen to anybody," Ruby stated. "My friends and I are trying to find ways to help her."

Oscar's hazel-green eyes met Ruby's. "Good. The Hunt is not justice."