Heeeeellllooo~! Welcome to the finale of KHRWBY Volume 2! Honestly, I'm surprised how fast I'm cranking these chapters out. Guess I'm just excited to get into my version of Ice Queendom. Which I'm titling Rose Queendom. Shadow Drivver, it may have been a joke, but it fits for the arc. Next chapter after this one will be a Journal Entry. After that, I'm taking some time off. Now, let's get to it.
As usual, I own nothing.
(Flashback)
Xemnas. Leader of Organization XIII. The Superior of the In-Between. And the Nobody of Ansem the Wises apprentice. At first, the Nobody isolated Sora from his friends to fight alone. Sora proved to be the victor, but Xemnas survived. He used the hearts of his broken Kingdom Hearts and vanished.
The worlds wished for Sapphire, Sora, Riku, King Mickey and the others to protect their destinies and through Kingdom Hearts, a door to Xemnas appeared. Upon facing the Nobody leader, King Mickey and Kairi were separated from the group. Leaving Sapph, Sora, Riku, Donald and Goofy to face him.
Through a long and extensive battle, the heroes prevailed. However, they were trapped in the Nobodies world. And it was collapsing. Without his powers as Ansem, Riku couldn't open a dark corridor. But Naminé, who turned out to be Kairi's Nobody, gave them a way out. Sapphire and Sora even got to meet, Rhexia and Roxas.
However, the battle wasn't over. Xemnas was still alive. And Sapphire, Sora and Rhexia were the only ones who could stop him. It was a long and hard battle. Sora came close to lossing his heart, the group had to deflect hundreds of lasers and Riku was injured during the fight. Only by working together could the heroes conquer Xemnas' rage. But it was a hollow victory. The Keybladers were trapped. The end of their battle taking them to a beach with a black sea.
Even so, Sapphire didn't regret her choices. As long as her friends and family were safe.
But it was proven that even in the deepest darkness, there is still light. And it came in a bottle no less.
Riku holds out a letter to Sora. "Sora? I think it's for you."
Sora takes the letter and reads it.
"Thinking of you, wherever you are.
We pray for our sorrows to end
and hope that our hearts will blend.
Now I will step forward to realize this wish.
And who knows:
Starting a new journey may not be so hard
or maybe it's already begun.
There are many worlds
but the share the same sky-
one sky, one destiny."
Kairi
A bright light shines in the distance. The heroes look up to see...
"Light." Riku says.
"The door to light..." Sora says.
"It's calling us home." Sapphire says.
Spurred by this new development, Sora stands up and holds his hand out to Riku.
"We'll go together." Sora says.
Riku looks at Sora for a moment before grabbing his hand. "Yeah."
Sora helps Riku stand up and Sapphire hangs her arms over their shoulders with a big grin. Her smile infectious as the boys couldn't help but smile either. The Heroes of the Realm of Light then walk towards the door to light. Wherever it may lead them, they'll face it. Together.
As it turned out, the door to light led Sapphire, Sora and Riku to the formers world. Destiny Islands. There waiting for them was Kairi, King Mickey, Donald and Goofy. Once Sora and Kairi reunited, it felt as though Roxas and Naminé celebrated with them. And Sapph could feel Rhexias happiness within her as she watched Kairi welcomed Sora home. With the boy finally returning the girls lucky charm.
A month has passed since Sapphire, Sora and Riku returned to the Realm of Light. The brunette-blue haired girl learned that many things had happened to her friends from other worlds.
Mickey (he said Sapph could call him that) returned to Disney Castle with Donald and Goofy while the king reunited with his queen, Minne. The gang from Twilight Town was still going strong. Last Sapphire heard, Hayner was fighting Sefier in the championship Struggle.
Pooh and his friends were enjoying their adventures in the 100 Acre Woods. Mulan and Shang were getting closer and closer. Sapph bet it wouldn't be long before Shang asked Mulan to marry him.
Beast finally broke the spell and became human again! Along with his servants. The Prince and Belle were still going strong. Hercules finally managed the rebuild the Coliseum. But there was no word on Auron. It was like he vanished.
Captain Jack Sparrow continued to sail the seven seas. Only, Will and Elizabeth were along for the ride. Jack Skellington was making preparations for next Halloween and Tron continues to work with the Restoration Committee to bring Radiant Garden back to how it was before the Heartless. Though, the program was having fun on his job.
Even though it was technically in the past, Sapphire hopped that things were okay in Timeless River. Aladdin and Jasmine went on a trip around the world with Genie, Abu and Iago joining them. Ariel married Prince Eric and the two were expecting a child. Speaking of children, Simba and Nala welcomed their new daughter, Kiara to the Pride.
As for Sapphire, she was enjoying her time on her friends world. The islands were beautiful. It was like what her world could be without the Grimm. Sora even showed her his secret spot. Where the boys adventure truly began.
Still, the brunette-blue haired girl wished she could've had her family with her. Before they left, Mickey, Donald and Goofy promised to find Remnant for Sapphire. But even with Yen Sids help, it could take a while.
Currently, Sapphire was sitting with Sora and Riku near the paopu tree overlooking the water.
"Nothing's changed, huh?" Riku asks.
"Nope." Sora says. "Nothing will."
"What a small world." Riku says.
"But part of one that's much bigger." Sora says.
Riku nods. "Yeah."
"Makes me wonder what role Remnant plays in all of this." Sapphire says.
Sora looks at Sapphire. "You'll find it. I'm sure of it."
"Mickey and Yen Sid are working with our friends in other worlds." Riku says. "Don't worry, we'll get you home."
Sapphire gives a small smile before looking out the horizon. "Well, until then, I can enjoyed this world."
"Maybe you can bring your family here one day." Sora says.
"Yeah." Sapphire says with a nod. "I'm sure they'd love it."
The three sit/stand in silence. After a moment, Sora looks to Riku.
"Hey Riku... what do you it was-the door to the light?" Sora asks.
Sapphire stands up with a smirk and her hands on her hips. "Come on, Sora. It's obvious."
"Huh?" Sora asks in confusion.
Riku gets off the tree branch and points to Soras heart. "This."
Sora places his hand on his chest. "This?"
"Yeah." Riku says. "It's always closer than you think."
Sora smiles along with Sapphire. Suddenly, a voice cries out.
"Sora, Riku, Sapphire!"
Kairi runs to them with a message in a bottle.
"Hey, what's up?" Sora asks.
Kairi shows the message in a bottle to the group. "Look."
On the message is a familiar seal.
"From the King?" Sora asks.
Sora takes the bottle from Kairi, dumps the message out and the four read it. Upon reading the message, Sapphire could tell that another quest was on the horizon. One that would test everything she stood for.
(Flashback ends)
The sun was getting ready to set by the time team JNPR was about to leave Beacon for their first mission. For Jaune however, he couldn't focus. The other night, the blond got a call from his fellow team leader, Ruby. But upon answering the call, all he got was static. Since then, Jaune couldn't help but feel like something's happened.
"I'm sure they're fine." Pyrrha says reassuringly.
"You think?" Jaune asks.
"Probably a butt dial." Nora says.
"Team RWBY has always performed exceptionally in the field." Ren says. "And Sapphire is with them. We should be focusing on our own mission."
"We're gonna be deputies!" Nora says cheerfully.
Jaune shakes his head. "I just got this feeling... I don't know."
Pyrrha looks at her boyfriend in concern. "Jaune."
Suddenly, alarms ring out as they see the city up in smoke.
"Guys!"
JNPR looks back to see Rhexia running towards them.
"Rhexia, what's wrong?" Pyrrha asks.
"I just got word." Rhexia says frantically. "There's been a breach. Grimm have invaded Vale! And Sapph and team RWBY are at the center!"
Team JNPR gasps in shock. Jaune then narrows his eyes.
"We're changing our mission." Jaune says. "Everyone on board!"
As Rhexia and JNPR head toward their Bullhead, Jaune does a headcount. He then places a hand on Rens shoulder.
"Ren, we'll make it to that village another time." Jaune says.
Ren nods before hurrying into the Bullhead. Jaune then follows after with Rhexia rushing in next.
"Take us into the city!" Rhexia says.
As the Bullhead takes off, Mercury, Cinder and Emerald watch nearby.
"You don't think...?" Emerald asks.
Mercury crosses his arms. "Sure looks like it."
"That's still days away!" Emerald says.
Mercury glances at Cinder. "So? What do we do?"
Cinder narrows her eyes at the city before making her decision.
{Play Sinister Shadows ~ Kingdom Hearts 3 OST}
Sapphire and team RWBY stand together, surrounded in the middle of the pavilion by Beowolves, Ursai and a massive King Taijitu.
"This is starting to look like that time Sora and I fought 1,000 Heartless back at Radiant Garden." Sapphire says.
Ruby glances at her twin as the group draw/summons their weapons. "Think we can take them?"
Even in this serious situation, Sapphire couldn't help but give a shaky grin. "Well, might be tough if one more shows up."
Yang smirks. "Then I guess I'll take that one."
"Really?" Weiss asks, matching Yangs smirk. "Your fighting too?"
Blake rolls her eyes in amusement. "Don't be so dramatic."
The King Taijitu unleashes a mighty roar, signaling the Grimm to attack. At the Grimms roar, Sapphire and team RWBY focus on the incoming horde.
Ruby embeds her scythe into the ground and uses it as support to kick away at the Grimm around her. Yang uses a Creep as a springboard to jump high into the air and bombard the Grimm with her gauntlets until she is brought down by three small Nevermores.
Blake dodges a swipe from a Beowolf and kills it by stabbing it in the head. She then proceeds to shoot the Creeps that are charging at her with her weapon in pistol mode.
Weiss kills three Beowolves with Myrtenaster and kills a few other Grimm with a giant ice sword she conjured.
Sapphire waste no time using Formchange to switch her Keyblade into Blue Rose mode. A lone Beowolf then charges at Sapphire, who hooks her scythe around the creature's shoulder and fires a shot with her sniper, which slices the Beowolf clean in half with its recoil. The rest of the pack then charge at her. The brunette-blue haired girl twirls her scythe, cuts down a Beowolf on each side, dodges another attack to hook a beast and then fires a shot, killing two Beowolves in one swift movement.
As more Grimm lunge towards her, Sapphire uses her Finish attack, Blue Reaper. She twirls Blue Rose above her head, unleashing a barrage of blue beam slashes at the Grimm, killing a few. The brunette-blue haired girl then ends her attack by slamming her scythe on the ground, creating a large shockwave that blows the surrounding Grimm away. Once her attack finishes, Sapphires weapon switches back to it's Keyblade form.
Yang, back on the ground, sends several cars flying towards the Grimm. As Ruby finishes slashing at a Grimm, she notices the King Taijitu ready to attack. Suddenly, Ruby hears a gunshot that sounded close but a little ways away. She looks back to see Nora flying on Magnhild towards the King Taijitu.
"Nora Smash!" Nora exclaims.
As she implied, Nora slams her hammer on the King Taijitus head, killing the beast.
Rhexia, Jaune, Pyrrha and Ren soon arrive on the scene.
"Let's move!" Pyrrha says.
As Jaune sighs, the others charge in.
Nora bats a Creep away with a "smack" while Ren strikes two more. He moves on to slash at a Beowolf with Rhexia cleaving her way towards the fray.
Jaune rushes into battle. "Okay, who's first?"
Jaune turns around to notice a giant Ursa standing behind him. Pyrrha is fighting several Grimm nearby. Impaling a Beowolf and then a Creep before seeing the Ursa advance on Jaune.
"Oh-oh-okay, you're first, huh?" Jaune says nervously. "Okay, no, that's fine. Totally fine, done this before, done this before..."
Jaune takes a breath and with a mighty scream, Jaune slashes the Ursa several times before it falls. Pyrrha smiles, as she notices his improvement.
Sapphire takes down a group of Grimm. Strangely though, it looks as if the brunette-blue haired girl is slowing down. She pants as she looks at the oncoming horde and her vision begins to blur. Sapphire tries to shake it off but notice too late that a Beowolf is lunging at her from behind. Luckily, Rhexia kicks the beast away before killing it with a Firaga.
{End OST}
"What the hell happened?" Rhexia asks.
Sapphire gives a quick "phew" in relief. "Long story short; The White Fang used a train filled with explosives to punch a hole into the city and the Grimm came rushing in."
Rhexia blinks once before rubbing the back of her head with a groan.
"This is gonna be a pain when we write up the report." Rhexia says.
A few feet away, Sun and Neptune arrive, flashing their badges.
"Nobody move!" Sun exclaims. "Junior detectives!"
"We have badges, so you know it's official!" Neptune says.
Suddenly, a fleet from the Atlesian Military, consisting of dropships deploying Atlesian Knight-200 units and Ironwoods flagship, arrive on the scene. Sun and Neptune react in awe of the fleet as Sun drops his badge to the floor.
As Team RWBY looks up in the sky, an Ursa takes the opportunity to attack Ruby from behind. However, it is gunned down by a dropship's machine gun. As the robotic Knights deploy, they start gunning down the Grimm. Cinder, Emerald and Mercury then arrive and after a nod from their leader, the latter two get to work taking down the Grimm while she walks off.
As she walks away, Cinder looks up to a nearby building and sees her mystery partner watching the events unfold.
Suddenly, from out of the opening comes Zwei, followed by Dr. Oobleck in a damaged Atlesian Paladin-290. The dog jumping off to headbutt a Beowolf. A Creep tries to pounce at the corgi, but is suddenly fried by a Thunder spell, courtesy of Rikku. Yuna and Paine fly above, damaging Grimm with various 1st tier spells.
{Play Caffeine by Jeff Williams and Casey Lee Williams feat. Lamar Hall}
An airship arrives, dropping off team CFVY and Professor Port. As Yatsuhashi Daichi is surrounded by a pack of Grimm, he unlimbers his weapon, Fulcrum before smashing it on the ground, unleashing a shockwave that sends them flying. Velvet and Fox Alistair respectively kick and punch the Grimm with Fox impaling a Creep. Nearby a large, spiked Ursa roars before charging them. Fox intercepts it with a kick then unleashes a combo of slashes and punches with his weapon, Sharp Retribution. Knocking the Grimm skyward with an uppercut, as it descends, he delivers a blow to the head with both hands that sends it flying. After landing it swells up and explodes impaling the nearby Grimm with its spikes. Coco walks forward swatting a few away with her weapon. Yatsuhashi shields Velvet before the two start advancing.
Coco gives Fox a light pat on the butt. "Nice hustle, Fox. Good job."
Fox jumps back as Coco approaches a large Beowolf. She then lowers her sunglasses.
"You just destroyed my favorite clothing store." Coco says. She then spits. "Prepare to die."
Coco, after swatting away its right hand, kicks the Beowolf in the crotch. She, as it falls to the ground and looks at her, leans down and slams her bag onto its head. She effortlessly swats away three more Beowolves, then leaps back to avoid a Death Stalker's tail. Velvet steps forward and moves a hand toward her weapon, about to open the box. However, Coco stops her.
"Hey, come on, you just spent all the semester building that up." Coco says. "Don't waste it here."
Coco transforms her weapon, Gianduja, into a giant minigun and starts firing. Slaughtering the advancing horde of Grimm, including a Death Stalker and three Nevermores.
Once finished, Sapphire approaches team CFVY.
"Glad you guys showed up." Sapphire says with a smile.
"You think we'd miss this party?" Coco asks with her teammates nodding. Coco then lowers her sunglasses and stares appraisingly at Sapphire. "Gotta say, loving the hair."
Sapphire shyly rubs the back of her head before taking a look around.
"Looks like things are calming down." Sapphire says.
"Professor Goodwitch is sealing up the hole as we speak." Velvet says.
{End OST}
Glynda mops up the remaining Grimm before using her Semblance to close the opening. However, something was wrong. As Glynda tries to close the hole, she feels resistance. As if something was trying to come out of the hole. Eventually, the headmistress is overpowered and blown back by what looks like a torrent of Shadow Heartless bursting from the hole!
All of the Huntsman and Huntresses present look upon the dark torrent in horror as it climbs into the air. Circling around the area.
Port and Oobleck rush to Glyndas aid.
"Are you alright?!" Port asks.
"A little shaken, but I'll live." Glynda says.
Up above in his flagship, Ironwood looks upon the dark torrent of Heartless. Witnessing the creatures for himself for the first time.
"By the gods..." Ironwood says with wide eyes.
Back on the groud, Sapphire, Rhexia and RWBY rush pass their professors.
"Isn't that the Demon Tower from the docks?" Yang asks.
"It's a lot bigger than last time!" Blake says.
"That's not a Demon Tower." Rhexia says with a gasp.
"It's a Demon Tide!" Sapphire exclaims.
The Demon Tide dives towards the Keyblade wielders. The girls quickly avoid the attack as Sapph, Ruby and Yang dodge to the left and Weiss and Blake moving to the right. As the Heartless climbs back into the air, the girls regroup and summon their Keyblades.
"What do we do?" Ruby asks.
"The Demon Tide is a massive swarm of Shadow Heartless." Rhexia says. "It's like a Demon Tower but bigger. Also..."
Rhexias eyes zoom in on a orange core at the front of the Tide.
"There's a core at the front." Rhexia says. "Attacking the body will damage it, but to destroy it, we have to take out the core."
"That's easier said then done." Yang says. "That thing's huge! How do we-"
Yang is interrupted by a bright glow. Everyone turns to see Sapphire focusing her magic as a magic circle appears from under her. All the hunters watch the Keyblade Master in awe. For Ironwood though, he stares in shock at the amount of power the brunette-blue haired girl is producing. But for Rhexia...
"No, Sapph!" Rehxia exclaims in worry. "Don't-"
Sapphire narrows her eyes at the Demon Tide before pointing her Keyblade at it.
"Zettaflare!" Sapphire exclaims.
An incredibly powerful beam of fire explodes from Sapphire's magic Keyblade! Enveloping the Demon Tide in a bright flash of light, which causes everyone to shield their eyes. As the light dies down, Ruby is the first to see that the Demon Tide has been destroyed. The brunette-red haired girl smiles before moving to speak to her twin. ...Only for her eyes to widen in fear.
Sapphire stands immobile for a moment before her Keyblade falls from her hand. Slowly, the Keyblade Master collapses on the ground. All is quiet as Ruby stands frozen. After the situation settles in, Rhexia, Yang, Weiss and Blake run over to their fallen friend/sister.
Yang holds Sapphire in her arms. "Sapph? Sapphire?!"
Yang shakes Sapphire a little. But the bluenette remains unresponsive. Much to everyones worry.
"What did she do?!" Weiss asks.
Blake checks Sapphires pulse. After a moment...
"She's still breathing!" Blake exclaims in relief.
Yang shakes Sapphire some more. "Come on, Sapph! Open your eyes!"
"Give me some room!" Rhexia says.
Rhexia crouches down to Sapphire and pulls a Elixir. She then crushes it over Sapphire as the magic item does it's job. After a moment, Sapphire begins to stir. Much to everyones relief.
Sapphire groans as she opens her eyes. "Wha-what...?"
Yang hugs Sapphire close as she cries tears of relief. "Oh, thank the Gods!"
"What were you thinking, using a Zettaflare?!" Rhexia asks. "You've never used that spell before!"
Yang helps Sapphire stand up.
"...It was the only spell I could think of that would take out the Demon Tide in one shot." Sapphire says while looking away. "After defending Vale from the Grimm, everyone was exhausted."
Suddenly, Ruby rushes over and hugs Sapphire. The bluenette looks at her twin in confusion before she hears Ruby quietly sobbing.
"Ru-" Sapphire says.
"Don't do that again." Ruby cuts of with a sob. "I... I-I thought... Just don't do it again."
Sapphire looks at Ruby with a sad frown. She then embraces her twin.
"I'm sorry I worried you." Sapphire says softly. She then looks to the rest of her friends. "I'm sorry I worried all of you. I won't use that spell unless I absolutely have to. I'll make sure I'm ready for it by then."
Away from the gathered Beacon hunters, Cinder and her group watch on. Glynda is also seen patching up the hole with her Semblance.
"...You know, I'm starting to believe what that guy said." Mercury says with wide eyes and a small amount of fear.
Emerald nods in agreement with Mercury. Equally afraid of the young Keyblade Master. Cinder however, looked at Sapphire not with fear, but with hunger. Their mystery ally had spoken about the powers of the Keyblade as well as some of the things the young Master had done. Seeing Sapphires Zettaflare made one thing clear to Cinder. She had to have a Keyblade of her own.
Later on, everyone meets in the pavilion as Roman is escorted by Mercury and Emerald towards an Atlesian airship.
"Oh, I can't believe that you caught me." Roman says sarcastically. "You've really taught me the error of my ways."
An Atlesian Knight grabs Roman by the arm and ushers him in the Bullhead.
"He-hey, watch the hat!" Roman says.
Emerald and Mercury then approach Sapphire and Ruby as they smile at each other. Team JNPR is seen exchanging smiles along with Rhexia, Sun and Neptune bump fists, Team CFVY likewise smile at each other and Port and Oobleck do the same while Glynda watches from behind.
From a building overlooking everything, the mystery black coat claps his hands mockingly.
"Bravo, "Master Rose"." The Black Coat says sarcastically. "Bravo." The mystery figure looks behind himself. "So? Do you see now why joining up is beneficial for the both of us?"
A figure steps into view. A man with spiky reddish brown hair, bull horns, a Grimm mask and a katana. Blakes former partner, Adam Taurus.
"Yes." Adam says. "I see that now."
On a nearby building, an unknown figure with a white hooded cloak watches the dark figure converse with Adam. The mystery Organization member suddenly looks to the side. Sensing that someone was watching. Only to see nothing.
Afterwards, Rhexia, the Gullwings, Team RWBY and Zwei are sitting on the edge of Beacon's landing platform, overlooking the City of Vale from across the lake.
"Well, we did it." Yang says.
"We did it." Blake repeats.
"If we don't get extra credit for that, I'm gonna be seriously disappointed." Weiss says.
Yang rolls her eyes. "Weiss, a two-headed snake literally crushed a bakery. Not to mention our Keyblade teacher vaporized a wave of Heartless. I wouldn't count on it."
"Plus, I mean, we didn't solve everything." Ruby says. "A lot of people were hurt and we still don't even know why they did this, or who that mystery girl was."
"Well, not every story has a neat and tidy ending." Paine says.
"We might not have all the answers, but we do have a lot of dangerous people behind bars." Blake says. "And I think that's something we could be proud of."
"Yeah!" Ruby says. "And if anyone tries something like this again, we'll be there to stop them."
"And we'll be helping out too!" Rikku says. "Thanks to Sapphire putting in a good word for us to the lady with the whip."
"Where is Sapph anyway?" Ruby asks.
"She's resting." Rhexia says.
"Even with an Elixir, using a Zettaflare is dangerous." Yuna says.
Yang lies down on her back. "Sleep. That's something I can get behind."
"Absolutely." Blake says with a nod.
"I suggest we start training for the tournament after we've had some proper rest." Weiss says. "Better to be over prepared than under."
"Guess it's back to the Reality Marble." Rhexia says.
Ruby smiles. "Sounds good."
"I'm going to sleep forever." Yang says with a yawn.
Rhexia, the Gullwings and team RWBY and Zwei then stand up and head back towards Beacon's main campus.
Vale's Government Council calls on Ozpin, who responds in his office. The headmaster aloofly stares outside his window. A video feed of the councilmen is shown on a holographic screen with Ironwood's video feed in the corner.
"Ozpin?" The Councilman 1 asks." Ozpin offers no response. Making the Councilman angry. "Ozpin!"
Ozpin turns his chair towards his desk.
"Yes, Councilman." Ozpin asks neutrally.
"You've left us no choice!" The Councilman exclaims. "The Vytal Festival tournament cannot be broadcast, let alone held, if we are unable to ensure the safety of the citizens."
Ozpin calmly takes a sip from his cup. His nerves already agitated.
The Councilman clears his throat. "Ahem... Therefore, we have reached out to the Atlas Council and together have decided that the best action is to appoint General Ironwood as head of security for the event."
"Thank you, Councilman." Ironwood says. "Our Kingdom is happy to lend as many troops as it takes to ensure that the event runs smoothly and safely as possible."
"And we thank you, General." The Councilman says.
"Will that be all?" Ozpin asks with a slightly irritable tone.
"...For now." The Councilman says after a pause. "But after this festival comes to a close, we are going to have a serious discussion about your position at Beacon Academy. General Ironwood's reports over the last few weeks have left us somewhat... concerned. I am sure you understand."
The councilmen's video feed disappears, leaving Ironwood's video feed alone with Ozpin. They silently stare at each other for a moment.
"This is the right move, Ozpin." Ironwood says. "You saw what happened today. My troops are need now more than ever."
Ozpin stares silently at Ironwood for a moment. "...You still believe that Sapphire Rose is a threat."
Ironwood narrows his eyes. "That girl has too much power in her hands."
"As do the Maidens." Ozpin rebukes.
"You know that's not what I meant!" Ironwood says. "If SHE were to gain control over a Keyblade, it would be the end of Remnant!"
Ozpin and Ironwood silently stare at each other. After a moment, the general takes a deep breath before giving the Beacon headmaster a neutral look.
"I promise, I will keep our people safe." Ironwood says. "You have to trust me."
Ironwood hangs up the video call. Ozpin then turns his chair around to look at the large Atlesian Airship outside his window.
Ironwood looks towards Beacon and Ozpin's office through a window on his flagship.
"You brought this on yourself." Ironwood mutters.
Ironwood then walks toward a heavily guarded Roman in his holding cell, albeit without his signature hat.
"Leave us." Ironwood says, eyes solely on Roman.
The soldiers leave Ironwood alone. Leaving only him and Roman.
"I've been informed that so far you've refused to co-operate with the authorities." Ironwood says.
"I know this might be hard to believe, General, but I'm not the biggest fan of local law enforcement." Roman says.
"How about the world's strongest military power?" Ironwood says while crossing his arms with a smirk.
Roman thinks for a moment. "Hmm.. first impressions... not great."
"I'm going to give you one chance." Ironwood says sternly. "Who's really behind all this?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Roman asks.
Ironwood leans towards Roman to hear his answer. Only for the criminal to gesture to himself.
"You're looking at him." Roman says with a grin.
Ironwood places his arms behind him. "Very well. The let's change the question. What happened to your accomplice, Pete? What are he and his master planning?"
Roman shrugs with a scoff. "Hell if I know. It was a one time partnership. Guy vanished when shit hit the fan."
Ironwood closes his eyes in thought.
"Although..." Roman says thoughtfully. Causing Ironwood to look at him. "I did overhear him saying he and his boss were really interested in a certain... blue huntress."
Ironwood narrows his eyes. "Sapphire Rose, again."
Ironwood turns around and starts walking away.
"What's the matter, General?" Roman asks. "I thought you wanted to talk."
"The council's given me custody over you for as long as I see fit." Ironwood says without breaking stride. "So you can make yourself comfortable. I can be sure that you'll have plenty of time to... talk."
Roman chuckles sinisterly. "Oh, wonderful. Hehehe..."
The cell door closes on Roman. Leaving him alone. After a moment, the criminal frowns. A slight worrying expression on his face.
"Watch yourself, Neo." Roman thinks. "I don't trust Cindy or her friend in the hood alone with you."
Later that night, Sapphire is seen staggering down the halls of Beacon. Her breathing uneven, her vision blurry and her face drenched in sweat. Unknown to her, the thron markings on the back of her neck are pulsing while also slowly spreading. Not only that, but the bluenette could also hear faint whispers in her head.
(Flashback)
Fighting Pete really was just like old times. The evil minion hasn't changed his skill set after all these years. A few punches, some exploding balls and a forcefield. Rinse and repeat.
So, why was Sapphire having such a hard time? The young Keyblade Master looked as if she had taken some damage. Evident by her heavy breathing.
"What's going on?" Sapphire thinks. "...Pete hasn't hit me much. So... why am I so tired...?"
Suddenly, in a burst of green flames, Maleficent appears. Much to Sapphires shock.
"Maleficent?!" Sapphire exclaims.
"It is time to leave, Pete." Maleficent says. "Your work here is done."
Pete stands down as Maleficent opens a dark corridor. The two then walk into it.
"Wait!" Sapphire exclaims. "What are you-"
"You have more pressing matters to attend to, child." Maleficent interrupts as Pete enter the dark portal. The evil fairy then gives a sinster smirk. "Oh, and pleasant dreams."
Maleficent enters the dark corridor and the portal vanishes. Leaving Sapphire worried and confused.
(Flashback ends)
Sapphire leans on a wall as she pants. She then looks at her left hand and is shocked by the dark vapor emitting from it. The bluenettes strength then gives out as she falls to her knees.
"What's... wrong... with me?" Sapphire asks weakly.
"Just let go of everything and fade into the darkness."
"Who's there?" Sapphire asks.
"Are you really worthy of being a Keyblade Master?"
Sapphire gasps as she looks up. It is then that she finally sees the person who's been whispering to her since Mountain Glenn. Standing in front of Sapphire... is an exact copy of her.
"After all, what kind of Keyblade Master can't save one friend?" Sapphire? asks.
Sapphires eyes widen as well as dull while her double smiles pleasantly. Yet somehow, that smile has a sinister edge to it. Suddenly, numerous vines envelope Sapphire.
The next morning, Ruby discovers her twin sister unconscious in front of her teams dorm room. Vine-like markings covering the bluenettes body.
...It begins.