I do not own the RWBY IP, and that is why...

Mars Thorne, formerly known as Crimson, blinked.

The young man with steel-gray eyes and obsidian hair had been walking out of Beacon Academy in good company and with a brand-new student ID. It had been a tranquil, autumn afternoon, and he had been happily pulled along by Ruby Rose with Yang Xiao-Long at his left, Natsuki Silas at his right, and Goldana Matisse behind him. Behind her, he had felt Tai Xiao-Long's eyes stabbing into Mars' back.

They were gone.

Ruby Rose Thorne, formerly known as Crimson, blinked.

The young woman with steel-gray eyes and obsidian hair had been standing in her new home in the ancient past of Vacuo. It had been a sizzling tropical day as she had tried to figure out the strange Arcana System with her clones, Silver and Red, and Yip, the strange demihuman, standing in front of her.

The house was gone.

The two of them immediately noticed the man standing ahead of them at the edge of the red-grass cliff as the perfume of saltwater filled their noses. Although he had his back to them, they instantly recognized him. The odd combination of faded green sweatpants yet barefoot plus the archaic black shirt was an eyesore to fashion. Compared to him, the two of them were much better dressed. Granted, for Ruby, she wore a futuristic, black body-sleeve with a few strategic pieces of worn winter armor. Not eye-catching but possessing a gravitas of war, slightly undermined by her lion ears and tail. Mars was far better dressed in a black suit with a crimson vest, all framed by a black cloak with a crimson inner lining.

Not two seconds did they register the man ahead did they see each other out of the corner of their eyes. Steel met steel as they turned to look at the other. Mirroring surprise and shock only triggered further unease as their facial expressions, their body languages, moved in the same exact way. The second the shock faded to allow for speech, they both declared over the sound of distant crashing waves, "You're/Thou ist the other Crimson!"

"That's not weird at all."

Heads turned. Standing at a few paces behind them were three more individuals. Directly behind Mars was Angel. By far, the tallest one here at seven feet, he smiled and waved to everyone while dressed in a toga over his tanned skin, his great, snow-white wings stretching out behind him. His blue eyes scanned the small party with amusement.

A gap was between him and the last two, both wearing crimson robes, of the impromptu group. Red was a male copy of Ruby, cat features included. It was disorienting to Mars to see himself with a pair of lion ears that were black with red tips and a lion's tail swishing behind the copy. The feeling was mutual as the two of them leaned away from each other in confusion. The other was closer to Angel than to Mars. At six feet, he was second tallest with long, silver hair streaming down his back as his sharp, yellow eyes peered at them from above a beak of a nose. His hands were behind his back as stood with a calmness edging on placidity as opposed to Angel's more lively ease.

The two ex-Crimsons turned back to the man at the edge of the cliff. "Sim!" Mars called out.

Only now did Sim look over his shoulder, aged green eyes peering through scratched spectacles. He pulled an about-face, causing all here to twitch with forgotten memory. A necklace with a shield emblazoned with a golden cross bounced against his chest with the motion. Behind him was a glowing portal with shadowy figures moving within. Past the portal, an ocean crashed against the cliff below as waves clashed against rock. A thunderstorm advanced from the deep waters; thunder drummed as it neared. In spite of the natural orchestra, his voice cut through it clearly.

"Hello."

Ruby pointed a finger. "I saw you slain!"

Mars recoiled, glancing once at Ruby in shock before back at Sim.

Who frowned. "In a sense. I don't exist in your reality anymore."

Mars' mouth dropped open. "That can happen?"

"I'm not unlimited. Rose comes from a more unusual reality. Her opponent is more and less dangerous than the Brothers Grimm."

Mars could feel a headache coming on. "How is that possible?"

Sim shook his head. "A metaphysical lesson for another time."

Ruby finished scanning him up and down. "You appear unharmed, but if you aren't permitted in my realm, where are we?" She eyed the strange red grass below their feet. Then realized with a start that the grass was pushing through her boots. Her head jerked upward and saw that Sim's feet pushed the grass aside.

Sim swept his arms out. "At one of the crossroads of existence." Then he jabbed a thumb at the portal behind him. "Earlier this month, the Ancient-of-Days gave me a vision. A land in danger of being destroyed. I am not allowed to intervene directly, but I have been given the ability to send y'all to prevent annihilation."

A collective groan sounded from Ruby and Mars.

"We have yet to prevail over Threda!" Ruby protested.

"I'm supposed to be retired after defeating the Brothers," Mars added.

Ruby crossed her arms and scowled. "That's what should have happened to me."

"I'm not abandoning my… sister," Red said.

Angel raised a hand. "Is this a one-way trip?"

Sim nodded to Angel. "There is a chance you can return once, if you succeed in the mission."

"A chance?" Mars, Ruby, and Red asked simultaneously. The trio promptly shot each other weirded out looks.

"A chance," Sim confirmed. "I cannot promise a guarantee. The Ancient-of-Days has said only a chance."

"A good chance?" Mars reached.

"Just a chance."

He stewed in frustration, while Angel frowned. It was Silver who spoke next, "Is there no one else you can recruit for this mission?"

"I'm afraid not. For this particular mission, I am only allowed to send a Contract signer or equivalent of." He nodded to the three men in the back line. "Which is why y'all are here."

Mars glared at Sim. "You are able to wipe out Grimm with a thought, why are you stuck with all of these rules?"

Sim shrugged. "It's the nature of reality. But, back to the dangerous threat?"

Whether it was because she was already familiar with Sim's limits or an attempt at diplomacy, Ruby humored him. "What is the toll threatened against this realm?"

Mars shot her a raised eyebrow, however Sim replied, "Millions will die. Easily ten times the population of modern Remnant."

Everybody winced at that news. Silver recovered from the dour tidings first. "You need all of us to defeat this threat?"

Sim shook his head. "No, I only need one of you."

"What?" Mars exclaimed. "Then why summon the five of us? Were you afraid just one invitation would have been rejected?"

Sim stared for a long, quiet moment before shaking his head. "To let reality play out as it would."

The answer puzzled them. "What do you mean?" Red inquired.

"Another aspect of reality. I told you the reason why y'all stand where you do." He gestured toward them. "There's a reason I can only pose this," he pointed at the portal behind him. "To y'all. There are certain aspects of the Multiverse I have to obey to do this. This is another one of those moments."

"But why?" Mars pressed.

Sim opened his mouth, but then it was like the word wrestled with him. His jaw tensed as his lips curled back. They could see his tongue move, while a hand reached up to his neck. A strangled groan sounded from his throat. Ruby's and Red's cat ears twitched, detecting subtle movements in the groan. Like he's trying to force out a word, Red noted. As they realized this, both couldn't help but be unnerved. Finally, Sim hacked out his throat before going slack. With a sigh, he focused on his unwilling audience. "...because."

The others stared at him.

"I'm so confused," Red and Mars said.

"I'm so confounded," Ruby said in the same breath, earning another bewildered glance from Mars.

"When you first challenged Threda," Silver ventured. "You mentioned she was bound by certain laws. Is this what you're referring to?"

"Vaguely," Sim admitted.

"Too vague," Mars protested. "Can't you explain anything?"

Sim put on a wry smile. "I'm not allowed to. You just saw me try."

"How inconvenient," Red and Mars grumbled.

"So, you only need one of us." Angel cocked an eyebrow. "Or can only one of us say yes?"

"The former." Sim closed his eyes as thunder clapped the sky. "Though it is already done."

Ruby tilted her head to the side. "Eh?"

"This, I'm allowed to explain." Sim opened his green eyes. "This place is a crossroads of existence. Dozens of categories of new universes were created the moment I summoned y'all. In one category, all five of you agreed. In another, none of you did. And everything in-between. I am simply waiting to see which reality this one is."

Mars, Red, and Ruby stepped back in shock, while Angel and Silver frowned. "Thou…" Ruby shook her head before speaking. "Are you suggesting that our decision doesn't matter?"

"Of course they matter. Every decision matters. I am simply aware of the creation process and sharing that knowledge with you."

"Why do you call them 'categories'?" Silver probed.

Sim held up his right index finger. "In another universe, I held up two fingers. In another, three fingers. Four fingers. In yet a different universe, I raised a fist. Every decision, every roll of the die, creates another branch. That is what most of the Multiverse is, maybe as much as 80%. Divided not by the extraordinary but the mundane. By lifting a single finger, I have created another variable that spawns dozens, hundreds, more universes. Each connected to other variables that spawn more and more."

Silver considered this. Ruby, Mars, and Red massaged their foreheads before all three glared at Sim. Mars got the first word in. "I'm beginning to regret ever meeting you. Everytime you talk to me, my life gets so much more complicated."

Sim offered a regretful smile. "Sorry about that. But the decision still needs to be made."

"You said we might be able to return." Silver's yellow eyes speared Sim. "Does this… other dimension provide a means to become more powerful? If we do return, will we do so with our experience and potentially more powerful?"

"Yes, both are possible."

Ruby and Red turned toward their dimensional companion with matching frowns. "What of Threda? Wait." She looked back to Sim. "Can… you explain what you meant by 'fight fate with faith'? It's such a vague thing."

"It was the most I could say."

Ruby glowered at him before turning back to Silver, silently reposing her previous question.

"We still don't have a reliable strategy for overcoming her." Silver's gaze shifted to the portal. It was soundless, but the moving shadows suggested suffering and danger. "Perhaps I can learn something or gain something in this new dimension that can make a difference." He looked down at them. "But you two should return, in case I fail. That way, we maximize our chances."

Both Ruby and Red opened their mouths to argue… only to slowly close them in a reluctant sign of agreement. Ruby pointed a finger at her taller clone. "Thine, ack! You won't take any unnecessary risks. Complete the mission as safely as you can and return to us. Understood?"

Silver smiled and nodded. "As you command, Ruby."

"Good." She hesitated before reaching out for an awkward hug. He returned it with ease. After a moment, Red joined in, twice as awkwardly as Ruby.

It's so weird to watch from the outside, Mars thought as he studied what was essentially three alternate versions of himself. Sim's words about the differences between realities echoed in Mars' mind. A spectrum of possibilities that had given three versions of himself to look at and measure himself. Yet, our reactions keep overlapping. …wait, none of us have introduced ourselves. We just kind of acted like we knew each other. …which I guess is kinda true.

"You know what my requirement is."

Mars focused on his actual clone. Angel stared at Sim, who met the stare. Something wordless passed between them, Mars sensed. He just wasn't sure what was being said. In fact, when I think about it, Angel had the fewest questions, the least to say. Ever since I've resurrected him, he seems more at peace and more attune with all of this Multiverse stuff.

Whatever message was communicated, it earned a nod from Sim. "I understand."

Angel returned the nod. "I just can't leave them."

Mars immediately thought of Reina and Goldana, his sister-in-law(?) and his niece. Angel had been missing for almost twenty years of their lives. Can't blame him for not wanting to abandon them, again, after finally coming back. But, doesn't that mean…?

Ruby and Red stepped away from Silver as he strode toward Sim, coming to a stop a few paces from him. "I'm ready, and you only need one man, so I imagine this will suffice?"

Sim nodded again. "It will."

Mars grimaced and failed to stop himself from blurting out, "How powerful are you?"

Silver turned toward him with a raised eyebrow. "I have my Aura unlocked, though I don't know my Semblance."

Mars waited… until he realized with a start that was all Silver was going to say. "You don't have anything else? No other blessings, powers? Not even Vitalis?"

"What's Vitalis?"

Mars' head snapped toward Ruby, who's tail wiggled with curiosity at the sudden attention. He shook his head, trying to remember what the Cosigners had said of his other, multiversal doppelganger. "You didn't, or weren't, Commanded to make a cult?"

Instantly, Ruby's face soured into a pout. "I was, and it wasn't necessary! I slayed the Brothers without even using a mote of Koa."

Mars blinked. "Koa?"

"Yes, the power of faith."

"You mean Vitalis?"

"No," she insisted, "The Emuna-Koa."

"Do you call it that for the same reason you keep shifting into medieval talk?"

"It's-" She cut herself off with a cough. "Not intentional. I have centuries of knowledge of the first ages of Remnant in my head. This is just a… side effect."

"You won your battle with surviving Doors of Knowledge?"

Ruby nodded. "Ten of them, by Command."

Mars frowned. "I only had one by the time my battle was over. Though, if I had known about possible side effects…"

"We've been dealing with it all day," Red chipped in.

Mars ignored Ruby shooting her twin a scowl as he turned back to Silver. "Well, whatever you call it, do you have any of that?" He lifted his own hand. There was a crimson cross on the back of his hand. "I have enough to resurrect someone."

Silver's eyes ballooned in perhaps his strongest showing of emotion. "Impressive," he murmured. "But I have none of that power."

A sinking feeling hollowed Mars as he focused on Sim. "I'm the most powerful one here, aren't I?"

"Several times over," Sim affirmed, his expression carefully neutral.

Mars sucked in a deep breath. Silver took a step toward him. "You don't have to."

"I don't," Mars growled, his stare morphing into a glare that Sim accepted without complaint. "But… I have the weakest excuse. I won my battle to protect Remnant. I might have made a vow on Remnant to Yang and Ruby, but I was making their lives worse through my drama. I don't have a family like Angel does. And, if there is a chance I can come back, then retirement is even less of a good excuse." He sighed. "...will the Suggestions still happen, even in this other reality?"

"You made the choice, Mars," Sim reminded him. "They are a permanent aspect of the rest of your life. Though they are also the reason that you are twice as powerful as you used to be."

"So, the Cosigners will also follow?"

"Kali, Merry, Henry, Yip, and even Bond have already mentioned how they're not going anywhere."

Mars grunted. "So, I'm not only the most powerful, but I will have the ability to become more powerful at a faster rate than…" He looked at the taller man. "What's your name?"

"Silver." He bowed his head toward Mars. "And you are?"

"Mars Thorne," he replied as he offered his hand. The two shook.

Behind them, Angel waved to the other two. "I'm Angel, by the way, though I am planning to change my name soon."

Red glanced at Ruby as his tail flicked. "Might do the same down the road, but I'm Red for now."

Ruby started to curtsey, caught herself in a flash of annoyance, then went through it anyway. "Ruby Rose Thorne."

Mars studied her for a moment, noting the same last names and that none of the clones had last names. While curiosity pulled at his attention, he turned back to Sim, who had a small smile on his lips. "Right, I can get stronger faster than Silver?"

"That is correct."

Mars went silent. It wasn't anything that surprised him. His silence was one of frustration mixed with… inevitability. A hand gently laid down on his shoulder. He looked up into Angel's smiling face. "I have faith in you."

Mars sighed before patting the tanned hand. "Yeah… and I guess I'll have to start yet another cult."

Sim shrugged. "That's up to you."

"Good." Mars paused again. "I'm guessing that you can't tell us why you or the Ancient-of-Days can't intervene directly?"

"The Ancient-of-Days often chooses mortals to accomplish mortal purposes. As for myself, no, I apparently can't."

Frustrated, Mars spat out, "Have you ever left your own dimension or intervened in another?"

"My dimension has a unique relationship with the Multiverse. As to your other question…" Those green eyes shifted away as they grasped eternity. "I have, though indirectly. It involved a literature club." He blinked before focusing back on Mars. The corners of his lips twitched downward. "It didn't end well."

"What happ-"

"No," Sim's voice chopped.

Sighing, Mars let it go. Instead, he looked up at Angel. "In case I don't make it back,-"

Angel nodded. "I'll watch over everyone for you."

"Thank you" Mars reluctantly slipped out from underneath Angel's hand as he took up a spot next to Silver. Lightning flashed only a few seconds before thunder followed. The storm was close. "So, what intel can you give us?"

Sim's pained smile was more than enough to make Mars reconsider his decision. "You'll be arriving in an ancient land that is falling into civil war."

"We're trying to stop the war?"

Sim shook his head. "No. If it was purely a human conflict, then this would not be a concern. No, the danger is more insidious than that. An old and powerful being is observing the chaos and intends to use it to slaughter millions. Your mission is to prevent that calamity from occurring, or, failing that, to eliminate this enemy to prevent it from doing it again."

"It'd be easier if you described the target and what powers and abilities it has." Suspicion wrote across Mars face. "Because you're being awfully vague again."

That pained smile was back. "The Ancient-of-Days often doesn't give us every detail before sending us on our journey."

Mars dropped his hand into his face for a groan before snapping it back up. "But I at least knew who I had to kill to win last time!"

"And you will retain your memories this time," Sim replied, tapping a temple. "The process of traveling to a new dimension will have… side effects, but you will make it safely. That's all I can tell you. The rest, you'll have to learn on-mission."

"Side effects?" Mars hissed. Sim's answer was another enigmatic smile. Thunder cracked above them as the storm clouds covered the cliff in shadow. Mars glanced up and back down to see Sim had teleported on the other side of the portal, standing on thin air. The portal ambled toward Mars and Silver. "Why can't things be simpler!?" Mars shouted at the floating being.

"Because glory on behalf of the Ancient-of-Days is won through the small, not the powerful, strength is earned through struggle, and faith is measured by obedience in the face of the unknown." Sim waved at them as the portal closed the distance toward Mars and Silver, the shadowy images within it growing more distinct. "Godspeed!"

Swallowing them whole, Mars and Silver vanished into the portal's maw.

A/N: Two years ago, for a birthday gift to myself, I allowed myself to indulge some fun writing. I had been on a break, struggling with life and working nights. That brief moment of indulgence spawned over 700,000 words of story. I have greatly enjoyed writing this series, but reality is merciless. Inflation has caught up with me, and the job my wife took is not paying in the money we will need to survive her student loans.

Thus, between my internal experience and external necessity, I will be switching my primary focus from fanfiction to a true, original work. I hate the fact that this will be leaving the Crimson Contract in limbo, and this is my compromise. Two major characters will be migrating to this new work where you, the Reader, will still be able to influence their lives and their stories.

Additionally, while I will be establishing a pa tre on and a Ko fi account, this story will ultimately be free. I will be accepting donations, offering early access, and my own services as a writer for vignettes, depending on support. Emphasis on early access. There will always be a chapter coming out, so that any of my loyal readers can read what the final fate will be. For those who want to join the journey onwards without any further commitment, look for dtsimison on FictionPress, Wattpad, and Royal Road. As mentioned elsewhere, I have a Discord server I run and here's the invite: XbgBg38. I will be taking a week break to get some more research and background work (I've already got the first couple of chapters sketched out and partially written) and to let people post here for the initial batch of Suggestions for Mars to deal with.

The week after that break, I will be debuting...

The Fallen Mandate

Whether you continue along with the adventure or bow out, I bid you all godspeed!