The Girl and the Tree

"You could be anything you want."

"Your choice."

•

In a dark plane filled with stars, an immersed Neopolitan sat next to a table, working on her latest sculpt assignment, a small four-legged animal figurine, which funnily enough, belonged to a species she wasn't familiar with. Placed on the table, there were other animal figurines from previous assignments, which she had carefully carved and was already done with.

Ever since Neo had chosen to stay at the Ever After's Great Tree and undergo 'ascension', she had become a sort of assistant and disciple to The Blacksmith, the entity in charge of overseeing and completing the ascensions of the many souls that arrived at that place.

Using her semblance, Overactive Imagination, Neo dressed herself in a pink apron, a brown shirt, and blue jeans, wearing also a small white beret and sneakers. Neo had her half-pink, half-brown, white-streaked hair tied back with a bun and wore glasses to complement the 'sculptor' look.

"Looks like you are almost done with that one. In record time."

From the endless dark void, The Blacksmith's pleased voice threw a compliment at their 'pupil', while manifesting a physical form that could allow them to better interact with her. That of a mechanical skeleton, covered in metal plates, hollow on the inside, and dressed in a leather apron. Neopolitan, turning her head in The Blacksmith's direction, replied by smiling and nodding.

Well, all those years of practicing with my semblance's constructs paid off in more ways than one.

Neo thought to herself, while the Blacksmith's crossed their arms and curved their metallic lips to smile back at her.

"You know, it's been a while since I had a pupil as good as you help me with the ascension process. And a mortal human? Think that's a first one." While Neo wondered what kind of beings had taken the mantle of 'ascension pupil' before her, the Blacksmith walked towards the table, to stare at Neo's finished works.

"You have done already plenty enough to compensate for the damage and destruction you caused in the Ever After. If you are still worried about that." As soon as she heard The Blacksmith's declaration, Neo face changed into one of slight sadness. She concentrated again on the soon-to-be-done figurine and started to work again on its last details.

"Or perhaps are your actions in Remnant the ones holding you back?" Neo without bothering to look back, tried to continue carving the small animal in her shaking hands, stopping when she realized that her sloppy movements could ruin her progress and the final quality of the figurine.

"Although time doesn't flow in the ascension plane, from the perspective of a mortal human, it could be said that a year has almost gone by, since the day team RWBY and Jaune went back to Remnant, while you stayed here." Neo widening her eyes in surprise and slightly opening her mouth, finally decided to glance back at The Blacksmith.

"Don't be afraid though. You don't age here. Literally, you could have up to an eternity to make your choice, regarding who or what you want to become next." Somehow, The Blacksmith always knew what was in Neo's mind.

When it came to interacting with them, words weren't needed, so Neo was thankful that her mutism never got in the way. Probably, due to both being in this weird astral location. A recurrent thought of hers.

Am I becoming a nuisance to The Tree and you?

"Oh, not at all. If anything, I find your companionship very valuable and comforting. I'm even happy to see how much you have improved at carving and ascending others to their next life. You have done us several great favors." Placing the small carving knife and animal sculpture she was holding on the table, Neopolitan raised her feet and put them on top of the small bench she was sitting on, crouching up so that she could hug her knees.

It's not normal for someone to take this long to ascend, isn't?

The truth is that when Neo had decided to jump her way into ascension, she had made this decision without being well-informed of how the entire process went around. She remembered how Ruby had come back as herself, stronger and more confident than ever, after she tormented her into ascending. But what she didn't know back then, was that Ruby was an exceptional case. She had managed to keep all her memories intact and continued to be herself because she was aware that changing her identity wasn't necessary.

I may have been a bit impulsive and hasty when I made the jump. Should have asked her for more details. Then again, it's not like I could have peacefully 'talked' with her. Not because of my mutism, but rather because of the 'I tried to end her existence' part.

Faking to clear her 'throat' to catch her attention, The Blacksmith placed one of their hands behind their back and tried to straighten their posture.

"Neo, remember that ascending isn't the same for everyone, but if you are worried about forgetting something in particular, you can always pick Hush, among the available weapons in the armory."

An action Neo had considered plenty of times, but that unfortunately had its disadvantages. The last time Neo tried to cross 'The Door', possessed by The Curious Cat, she had become fully aware that she lacked strong attachments to Remnant. Her home world. Which made sense, since she didn't have anyone waiting for her back on the other side... Except plenty of enemies looking forward to killing her and authorities seeking to arrest her. Nor any strong motivations, purpose, or reason to go back.

Taking revenge on Cinder and Salem was no longer a valid option after she had realized that vengeance was just a transitory and feebly goal, which couldn't bring her happiness nor help her find a new satisfying path in the long term. There was also the matter that pretty much everybody else Neo knew back in Remnant had grudges against her. Admittedly, for good reasons, but let's not delve deeper into that.

And that's if she even managed to cross The Door.

I need to take a small break.

Neo quickly stood up and hurried towards the endless void, leaving The Blacksmith worried. Slightly after her departure, The Blacksmith raised their head, to speak in the direction of the 'sky'.

"I am aware that I shouldn't rush things, but I would prefer for her to not get involved in our matters. Frankly, we don't know how much time left there is. She deserves to have a choice before it's too late."

Neo soon reached what looked like an empty black space and started to float around. Tons of elegant cases with weapons stored in them manifested as if to please her command. At first, it was just around two dozen cases with weapons forming a circle around her. Eventually, more and more cases started to manifest up and down, forming a 'building' of endless stories that surrounded her floating figure. Fortunately, the ascension plane knew what she was looking for, so it had placed the two weapons she had the most interest in right ahead of her.

These two. Thanks.

After floating a bit more to reach her destination, Neo looked at the case that contained Melodic Cudgel, her deceased friend's cane and signature weapon. Focusing her eyes on it, Neo started to see the memories of her beloved friend.

It's only that... It wasn't all bad memories. You helped me a lot to tolerate life back in Remnant. Forgetting you would mean that the only person who remembers you fondly and got to see your good side would betray you.

As she placed her right hand on the glass of the weapon's displaying case, Neo activated her semblance to change her attire into the one she was originally wearing, back when she landed on the Ever After. The one based on Roman's outfit. Remembering to complement the set, by changing the beret she was currently wearing into Roman's black bowler hat.

I can let go entirely of my desire for vengeance, my life in Remnant, and the hardships of my past, but not of you. You were the only one who was foolish enough to stick by my side, despite all my flaws.

Dum-dum.

Neo then proceeded to look at the display case next to the right, which contained Hush, her signature cute pink parasol... Which hid blades within its shaft.

Right, it was me who designed it, but you were the one who paid for Hush and gave it to me, as a present. Part of me does wish to wield it again, but...

Neo then started to lower her head to not look at the weapon, since it was beginning to display her regretful memories.

Undergoing ascension was the obvious better choice for her. A blank slate that would allow her to forget all her mistakes, such as her allegiance to Cinder, Salem, her contribution to the Fall of Beacon, attacking Atlesians, her murder attempts on team RWBY and their allies, and the Vanille Manor tragedy.

Who would pick being stuck with 18 years of mistreatment and confinement? Her years of depression and self-destructive vengeance? Keeping in her head dark memories of all the atrocities she had committed, as a thief and terrorist?

Besides, Neo knew that ascension was the only shot she had to finally become someone with a voice. Maybe if she were able to speak, next time she would be able to connect with more people. Be seen as an equal by others.

She wouldn't be stuck being the imperfect and lonely girl that everyone else loved to ignore. The harsh truth is that most people back in Remnant weren't at all like Roman.

The girl who was born due to a war between criminal syndicates.

The defective daughter who wasn't normal nor beloved by her parents.

The freak that awakened creepy powers to combat her loneliness.

The asset that was a necessary sacrifice in a war she didn't care for.

The mad hatter who everyone would rather leave behind and not get involved with.

The forgotten afterthought of Remnant that loses it all in the end.

...

But Roman's only partner and friend.

I know what you would tell me. But please, let me remember you just for a bit longer, at the very least.

Placing one hand on both weapons' cases, Neo closed her eyes to concentrate and recall better the happy moments she had shared with Roman. Those scarce, but very precious memories that for now belonged to only her.

•

"Forgive me. I didn't mean to make you feel bad." The Blacksmith declared as they entered Neo's improvised bedroom. It's not like Neo needed to physically sleep nor take naps to recover her stamina in The Tree's astral plane, but the act of taking breaks on a bed brought her comfort, probably because she was still a human that hadn't ascended.

Neo resting on a bed with a wooden frame, that she had sculpted and a mattress with a pillow, made through her use of Overactive Imagination, continued to be lost in her thoughts, not bothering to reply.

"Outside of some forbidden options, you are free to choose your next path. As long as it's not turning into troublesome beings, like The Brothers or Salem. Think of it as a reward for helping us to ascend lives from multiple worlds."

The Blacksmith gently placed one of their hands on the back of Neo's head, who kept looking away in the opposite direction. After some seconds, The Blacksmith noticed that Roman's hat was laying on the headboard's top rail. While they quietly looked at it, Neo decided to finally raise a bit her body and readjust herself into a sitting position to face The Blacksmith.

Don't worry. I'm not thinking of ascending into something crazy like that. If next time I get a voice that can be heard by others, then that's plenty enough for me.

Neo thought smiling a bit.

But I still need to wrap up certain things around here. It will be a shame if I don't get to complete that figurine.

The Blacksmith stared in awe back at her. It took them time to finally gather and speak their thoughts, placing both of their hands over Neo's bare shoulders.

"Neopolitan, have you perhaps figured out what is goin-"

Unfortunately, before they could finish their question, the entire void in which both were located started to shake.

What was that?

Neo abruptly stood up, looking in all directions to search for the source of the disturbance. The Blacksmith lowered their head, before finally giving her a response.

"You need to ascend now. The Ever After is under attack."

•

2 kilometers above the acres of the Ever After, strange flying objects started to emerge from 'fissures' in the sky. Figures reminiscent of battle cruisers shaped like a cross, with their side and top 'bars' being way shorter compared to the one that should be its 'base'. Monolithic, flying fortresses of a dark blue color. Each one produced a loud and strong 'quake' across the entire world, as they cracked the sky.

Without landing, the 13 horizontally placed cross-shaped monoliths made a line formation, with the one in the center slightly breaking it by taking the lead. From their sides facing the ground, cannons started to diagonally aim at the Ever After's acres located below them, shining with an eerie purple light while being charged.

"Fire."

With a cold and stern voice, the imposing admiral wearing a white wolf-themed mask, who sat at the center of the commanding room, located in the central tower on the upper side of the leading 'airship', ordered the start of the attack. It didn't take long for the sound of cannon shots and explosions to reach the room.

The tall admiral was wearing a white jinbaori over his dark armor plates. His coat had the embroidered patterns of black vines over its white parts. Near the neck's area, on each side of the battle coat, a dog symbol could be seen. A light gray haori underneath the jinbaori complemented his look. A black umanori hakama covered his legs, while he wore white shin guards and black sandals as his footwear. Two sheaths with swords were tied to his waist. Despite wearing a mask, his gray hair and actual wolf ears remained visible to anyone.

"Whoa, this place is more primitive than I expected. Wolf, the first phase of your Blitzkrieg will probably be more than enough to deal with most of it." Looking at the holographic screen displays placed across the room, a calm, but disappointed-sounding man with a monkey-themed mask, decided to tease everyone to lighten the mood.

The slim young man, slightly shorter than The Wolf, wore a black shinobi shozoku, complemented by a yellow belt, black hoodie, and armor plates. The edges of his hoodie and sleeves were yellow. The white monkey mask combined with his hoodie, completely covered his face and head. A long yellow scarf, with an embroidered monkey symbol, was wrapped around his neck. His hoodie was meant to conceal that he was currently wearing headphones, but everybody in the room, including the low-ranked crew members working at their computers, was already aware of this.

"The tactical forecasting from The Rat and Chivo was right. This world's defenses are severely lacking. One tiny anti-matter shot is enough to flatten entirely an acre. Why did they even bother ordering for more than one of us to come here?" A bored, tall young woman, wearing a boar mask, said in a slightly annoyed tone. "The Minotaurs and Grippers could deal with the rest. We probably will not get any action here."

She wore an elegant and short royal blue qipao, with embroidered golden flowers on it. Her dress was modified so that it allowed her to easily kick in any direction. Since her qipao didn't entirely cover her arms, it was easy to notice that they were toned. Her white pants, which had the symbol of a boar on them, covered her legs till the area slightly above her exposed ankles. While her face was covered by her white boar mask, her beautiful black hair was still visible. With the assistance of some hair ornaments, she had her hair tied to make it look as if she had one tusk bending upwards on each side of her head.

"AAAAAH!" A female scream filled the room, catching off guard everyone else.

"We barely arrived, and you are already wrecking the entire place!?" A second young woman said, with a surprised and loud voice, while approaching 'The Wolf' and flailing her arms on top of her head. She wore a white rabbit-themed mask over her face. "It's my first mission in another world, and we will not even get to step outside of the Monoliths?"

The short woman was wearing a vivid violet, long-sleeved unitard that covered her body from neck to knee. Over it, she wore a short Russian violet kimono that reached the area above her mid-thighs. Underneath her kimono, a short black skirt that reached her mid-thighs was narrowly visible. Over her kimono with short sleeves, she wore a short red obi and a black breastplate with a white rabbit symbol over her heart area. Dark armor plates hung to her shoulders and knees. Her rabbit mask didn't cover her black hair tied in a ponytail, mouth, and chin, but it had the characteristic of including extensions that simulated the long ears of a rabbit. Black, battle knee socks covered her shins. Her footwear consisted of modern white tabi. Tied to her ankles were white ornaments and red ribbons that simulated rabbits with ears.

"Usagi, perhaps if you had not joined this operation at the very last minute on The Dragon's request, you would have participated in the briefs in which I explained well my strategy for the invasion. Not bothering to keep up with mission tactics is unbefitting of a Zodiac member of your rank." The Wolf said scornful to her. "This isn't a tourist vacation nor a stroll in the park to please your whims. This is a conquest war."

"Not really much of a war though." To stop the issue between The Monkey and The Rabbit from escalating, The Monkey decided to interject. "See? Evacuation portals are appearing all over the Ever After. They are giving up already on the idea of fighting us."

"What!? Over already!? But we have destroyed only around 26 acres!" The Wolf couldn't believe what he was seeing on the screen of the commanding room. Doors with yellow portals were materializing on all the acres of the Ever After so that its inhabitants could escape through them.

"What a waste of time. Ever Afterans are def- Are those toy soldiers with muskets and old cannons? They are shooting at us lame cannonballs!?" The Boar exclaimed bewildered, pointing with the fan in her hand towards one of the screens. "I cannot believe that according to ancient Zenithean texts, this is possibly the first world that ever came to be!"

"Aw! How cute! It's just like a fairy tale!" The Rabbit answered.

"Monolith 3, don't waste time and bomb already the acre in front of you." The Wolf commanded quickly.

"AAAAH! How cruel!" The Rabbit again spoke, this time with a mix of sadness and annoyance.

•

Inside The Great Tree, Neo and The Blacksmith hurried toward the astral space designated for beings waiting for ascension.

"There is no time. I need to suspend their ascension process. If I keep them in a state of stasis, they will be unable to escape. Neo, you either ascend now or I disconnect you from The Tree so that you can head to a portal and escape to a safe world."

You must be joking. Can you please explain to me what the bloody hell is going on? Why am I getting kicked out? Who is attacking the Ever After? Why are you giving up already? And ascend, right now?

Although she could not speak, she extended her arms and slightly lowered her posture, while moving her head forward and giving an angry, but confused look to The Blacksmith.

I demand explanations.

"The Great Tree is the Ever After's most sacred place and its source of life, to which inhabitants from many worlds come whenever they badly need a second chance. Not only Ever Afterans or humans from Remnant can and have ended up here." As The Blacksmith explained, they were grabbing unfinished figurines from the tables. Beings that haven't been ascended yet. "But there is a world out there that wants to halt ascension entirely for other worlds and take over the Tree for itself."

Take over The Great Tree and ascension only for themselves!? Is that even possible? And what do you mean by another world? Is it Remnant?

"It's not Remnant. Not a world you are familiar with." Neo tried to keep up with the sudden burst of information The Blacksmith was telling her, as they were busy reaching for each of the figurines in wait and breaking them with slight touches of their fingers. Cancelling their ascensions so that they could escape.

I suspected that some ascensions weren't from the Ever After nor Remnant, but if this tree is doing every world and its inhabitants out there a favor, why attack it?

The Blacksmith was taken aback by her response. Facing her briefly, they answered while smiling.

"This was bound to happen, sooner or later. Still, I'm glad that people like team RWBY, Jaune, Alyx, Lewis, and you ended up reaching this place first. Before him." After hearing those words, Neo couldn't help but feel pain in her chest.

Why are you talking like that?

A feeling of dread was taking over Neo.

Do not speak as if this is over! You still got to ascend me!

Tears were beginning to build up behind her eyes and a lump was starting to form on her throat. Doing her best to keep herself strong, Neo stood next to the Blacksmith, while rolling her eyes and putting her hands over her hips, to express her discomfort and disapproval at the situation.

Fine. I'll help you repel these invaders.

The Blacksmith finally stopping on their tracks from awakening more figurines, turned their full attention to her. "Neo, you are our guest. You don't need to fight this battle. You have done already plenty for us. If you ascend now, we will do our best to immediately complete your metempsychosis. It's the least we can do, to guarantee your safety."

This is my choice, isn't it? I will head to the armory and pick Hush. Do not count that as my formal ascension, but rather as a temporal suspension, so I can fight whoever is threatening this place. Once I'm done with them, I'll return here.

Confident that her thoughts would reach The Blacksmith, she extended her arm towards them, with an open hand.

You better promise that after this is all over, you will ascend me. Deal?

The Blacksmith understood that Neo wanted from them a handshake deal.

"If things go south, just head to a door, please. Don't ask too much of yourself." As soon as they said this, they extended their arm and gave Neo a handshake.

Great, will head out now.

Right after delivering this thought, Neo ran straight into the armory, leaving The Blacksmith alone.

"I didn't want things to turn out this way. Individual fate and will is something that not even we have complete control over. I know it was her decision, but this mission is way too dangerous for anyone to handle alone. At least we should do our best to provide any form of help and guidance she may need in the future."

They spoke into the void with a voice full of regret and sadness, not expecting an answer.

•

"Wolf, I advise to start the sample collecting. There's no point in continuing the Blitzkrieg." The Monkey serenely expressed his thoughts to him.

"Sample collecting? Don't you mean getting guinea pigs for Chivo? Frankly, I think getting shot with anti-matter is a more merciful way to go for an Ever Afteran, than ending up in one of his laboratories." Said The Boar with a half-sarcastic, half-serious tone.

"Monoliths 3, 5, and 9, halt your bombing and lower your altitudes. The acres closest to your designated flying paths are the most suitable for sample collecting. Release Grippers on top of the most crowded evacuation exits." Following The Monkey's advice, The Wolf ordered some of his 'battle ships' to break the alignment. "Taking over the acre with the big tree is now our biggest priority left."

After receiving The Wolf's command, the Monoliths chosen for the latest task opened their 'cargo doors', located across the lower side of their 'cruisers'.

Black robots, 2.5 meters tall and 6 meters wide, with 6 robotic limbs each, reminiscent of spiders or a hand with claws, soon started to land on their objectives.

•

On the base of a tall and wide branch of The Great Tree, Neopolitan's wooden figure manifested. Starting to move, crack, and drop its leaves, a pink light came out from it that bathed the surroundings before dissipating.

Neo was back in her human form, looking exactly like when she had decided to ascend. Struggling to walk, Neo lost a bit of her balance and realized that she had been reawakened in a tall location on The Tree.

Why all the way up here? Couldn't have you released me where I parted ways with RWBY?

Neo thought to herself while adjusting herself to the wind current and doing her best to overcome her natural sense of vertigo and the low amount of oxygen with the help of her aura.

"You would have fallen immediately to the ravine you jumped into. Remember?" The Blacksmith communicated telepathically to Neo.

How is this better or safer? Must be a minimum one-kilometer fall. Also, where are you? Where is your voice coming from?

"For the sake of convenience, your connection to The Tree hasn't been entirely severed. This will allow easier communication between us and stop you from accidentally ascending, whenever you touch any part of The Tree. And forgive me for choosing this place, but I need you to watch something that will allow you to assess more accurately and faster the situation."

Neo was surprised by all the privileges she had been given. Finally, managing to readjust to her human body and feeling in better shape, she walked forward to the end of the gigantic tree branch to see what was going on in the Ever After. What she saw terrified her.

On the far midday horizon, thirteen very advanced-looking airships were bombing the acres. Each of them was around 350 meters in length and 150 in width. There were still some kilometers and acres away from The Great Tree, but she knew it was just a matter of time before they were going to reach it.

On the plus side, those things aren't bigger than Monstra. These airships probably are as lame as those Atlesian junks. Could take some of them down with my enhanced sembl-

As she was trying to give herself confidence, one of the 'ships' shot a very small 'something' that impacted a desert-themed acre situated diagonally in front of it. A blinding light spread across the entire Ever After. Neo covered her eyes with a hand, lowering it after she made sure the intense flash of light was no more. A decision she regretted.

Neo couldn't believe what she witnessed. In a matter of seconds, the entire acre had disappeared and been replaced with a tall column made of fire that kept increasing in size and changing its shape to resemble a mushroom, rivaling the might of The Mother Tree itself. As a huge shockwave was about to reach the titanic branch Neo was standing on, several smaller branches grew out from it that encaged her entire body.

•

"You can still ascend and escape from this place, if you want to."

The Blacksmith said to Neo. She was back in The Ascension Plane. Because of the immense terror Neo felt, her semblance had subconsciously turned the iris of her eyes white.

Neo was in such a shock. She couldn't think of anything for seconds. Finally gathering some courage and regaining a bit of composure, Neo nervously looked in The Blacksmith's direction, as they were releasing the last batches of figurines.

What about you?

The Blacksmith stopped her actions and after a moment of silence, they answered.

"I will escape, after evacuating all the Ever Afterans and guests in stasis to other worlds." Neo after hearing their reply, sat on the small bench that she tended to use during her sculpting sessions.

She was hit hard with the irony that this time she was on the losing side of a big battle. The Fall of Beacon and Atlas. Now Neo knew how Ozpin, Ironwood, and RWBY had felt when she and her 'allies' attacked their cities and academies. But even those one-sided situations back in Remnant paled in comparison to the genocide and destruction that was taking place in the Ever After. Neo started to feel cold, so she put her feet on top of the bench, hugging her knees, and shaking as she cowered.

The Blacksmith noticing this, walked toward her. "It's okay, Neo. You are under no obligation to save the Ever After." As The Blacksmith said this, they hugged Neo, to calm her down.

Despite the materials and appearance of their body, The Blacksmith's warmth was strangely comforting to her. After what felt like an eternity to Neo, her eyes went back to their usual pink and brown colors. Her body had stopped shaking.

Let me help with the evacuations so that we can leave together.

The Blacksmith's embrace tightened, after hearing this.

I don't want to lose another friend.