Author's Note:

Rejoice ! another chapter has been finished

We do apologize for not uploading soon IRL stuff got a little out of hand another chapter should be up after this one later today

As always PMs are open and etc and hopefully next chapter is to your enjoyment as we all write all of this

Till next chapter, Apzeta, Bishop, and Knight

[ The Ever After – beyond the Flower field ]

Tsukasa: "Alright, now that we're all here, let's get to the point."

Akira, leaning against a nearby tree, kept his gaze steady on Tsukasa.

He could already tell this wasn't just a casual conversation.

Tsukasa: "First, we find the umbrella-wielding girl. Once that's handled, I destroy this world."

There was a silence as Akira's expression darkened. Kaito, standing next to him, sighed.

Kaito: "Yeah, yeah, dramatic as always, Tsukasa. But it makes sense."

He lifted his NeoDiendriver, spinning it idly in his fingers.

Kaito: "Akira, you have the Relic of Knowledge and Creation. I have the Relic of Choice. You see where this is going?"

Akira exhaled slowly. He did.

Before he could speak, Sougo stepped in.

Sougo: "There's a better way."

His voice was calm, firm. The others turned toward him as he continued.

Sougo: "Instead of wiping everything out, why not just reset it?"

Akira furrowed his brow.

Akira: "Reset ?"

Sougo nodded.

Sougo: "I can use my power to move everyone from Remnant to a parallel world. A clean slate, no war, no destruction."

Tsukasa scoffed.

Tsukasa: "And let them repeat the same mistakes?"

Sougo shook his head.

Sougo: "No. I'll reset them. Erase their memories, undo all the deaths in this timeline."

That statement made Akira freeze. His mind immediately jumped to a certain people—Raven Branwen and Cinder Fall. Would they return?

Tsukasa and Kaito exchanged glances, remembering the time they had destroyed Sougo's original world. Then they both turned to look at him.

Tsukasa: "And you really think that'll work?"

Sougo: "It worked for me."

Sougo's voice was quieter this time.

Sougo: "I erased my own memories as well. I gave up everything to fix what was broken."

Silence followed. Then all three Riders turned to Akira.

Akira stared at them, his mind processing everything. Destruction or Reset? A fresh start or wiping everything away?

His fingers curled slightly, his thoughts racing.

Then—

Peridot: "Huh. So what's the plan, Boss?"

The Android appeared behind Akira, peering at him with her mechanical green eyes.

Peridot: "I've got results from my battle with Valkyrie and her friends."

Akira turned slightly.

Akira: "And ?"

Peridot: "She's getting close, you know."

She smirked, tilting her head.

Peridot: "Ruby. She's at an 85% chance of leaving her team. Her faith in them is crumbling."

Akira narrowed his eyes.

Peridot: "She's stared seeing things your way. A little push, and she might just come to our side."

Tsukasa, still watching, smirked slightly.

Tsukasa: "Interesting. Should I speed things up and bring your team here?"

Akira didn't answer immediately. He thought about Amethyst, Adam, and Onyx. About how they would react to this situation.

Finally, he shook his head.

Akira: "Not yet. I want to see how this plays out first."

Tsukasa shrugged. "Suit yourself."

But Akira was already lost in thought. The Ark's predictions rarely failed. If Ruby really was on the verge of walking away from her team...

Then maybe—just maybe—he wouldn't need to destroy Remnant.

Maybe Remnant would destroy itself.

[ Meanwhile with Ruby and Allies ]

The air shifted as the Punderstorm shattered like glass, leaving the world silent once more.

Weiss blinked, still mid-sentence.

Weiss: "Who—?"

She stopped short, scanning the area. Akira was gone. The storm had ended, but they were still drenched, standing in the aftermath of yet another bizarre experience.

Then—

Curious Cat: (gasps) "Oh how odd."

The feline dropped down, its tail flicking in curiosity.

Curious Cat: "This time you were in the first place I looked, rather than the last!"

Ruby and Weiss stepped forward, their faces set with frustration.

Ruby: "Jaune told us."

The Cat scoffed, feigning amusement.

Curious Cat: "Oh, I thought there was more to the story." (shrugs) "You're accusing me of something. Same page now."

Ruby: "You're the one who gives Afterans to the Tree. Why haven't you been telling the truth?"

The Cat hummed, tilting its head.

Curious Cat: "When Afterans get all higgledy-piggledy, I help them return to the Ever After, yes... but you're not Afterans! I'm not taking you there to ascend! I'm taking you there because you all have such delightful information for me!"

Weiss clenched her fists.

Weiss: "You pretended like you'd never heard of the story when you met us. But Jaune had already told you."

The Cat waved a paw dismissively.

Curious Cat: "I think ol' Jaune's... maybe a few sandberries short of a picnic these days... Wouldn't you say?"

Jaune growled, his grip tightening on his sword. The reflection of his past self wavered in the puddles at his feet.

Ruby didn't let up.

Ruby: "What happened when you took Alyx and Lewis to the Tree?"

The Cat hesitated, ears twitching.

Curious Cat: "I… I don't know. She told me she'd take me with her through the door to Remnant, but… she tricked me. Just… Just like all of you."

Weiss looked down.

Curious Cat: "You only want to use me, in the same way I've only seen others as sources for knowledge and entertainment."

It turned away, tail flicking in agitation.

Jaune watched in silence, while Ruby and Weiss looked visibly upset.

Curious Cat: "Well... at least now I know what not to do."

It started walking away.

Ruby: "We… we just want to get home."

The Cat stopped, glancing back over its shoulder.

Curious Cat: "Thank you for this lesson, Ruby. Rose. Huntress. Malice. I'll be on my way now. Stay with your friend."

And with that, the Cat disappeared.

The world was quiet again.

Ruby's Doubt Grows

Ruby stiffened.

"Malice."

The word echoed in her head.

Her fingers curled around the Forceriser in her grip.

She looked down at the still unfamiliar device, its rugged, industrial design standing out against her red cloak.

She had only used it once before. The pain had been unlike anything she had ever felt. And yet…

Her other hand opened, revealing the Fighting Jackal Progrisekey resting in her palm.

She turned it over slowly, deep in thought.

Could she talk to Akira?

She didn't want to agree with him. She didn't want to even consider that he might be right.

But—

The Curious Cat. The Ever After. The Punderstorm. Everything had twisted into something she couldn't make sense of.

Maybe Akira understood something that she didn't.

Maybe—

Yang: "He's a back."

Ruby snapped out of her thoughts.

Yang and Blake were finishing their conversation, their tones serious.

Blake: "He's getting stronger. And now that he's back, we don't even know what his next move is."

Yang: (frowning) "I don't care what he wants. He's a murderer."

Her golden eyes burned with anger.

Yang: "He's the reason Raven is dead. The reason Jaune almost died. The reason why people are suffering in Remnant right now."

Jaune, still staring at his reflection on his weapon, clenched his jaw.

Wiess simply looked down mainly wondering how things ended up like this

Yang: "I swear, if I get another chance—I won't hesitate."

Ruby remained silent.

The Forceriser felt heavy in her hands yet feeling a strange sick sense of comfort

[ Time Skip Ever After – Jaune's Village (Nighttime) ]

The night was still, the only sounds coming from the crackling fireplace and the occasional rustling of leaves in the wind.

Team RWBY and Jaune had settled in for the evening, exhaustion weighing heavy after their long journey and recent battles.

Yang and Blake sat close to each other by the fire, their bodies still sore from their encounter with Akira.

Yang winced slightly as she shifted her position, absentmindedly rubbing her leg.

Blake glanced at her with quiet concern but said nothing, instead leaning against Yang for warmth.

At the table, Ruby sat with her arms crossed, her eyes distant.

Weiss, sitting across from her, blew gently on her tea before taking a careful sip.

The warm aroma filled the air, but Ruby barely noticed.

The door to Jaune's hut creaked open, and Jaune stepped out, carrying a small wooden chest.

Jaune: (hesitant) "Hey, there's... something I've been holding onto for you."

Ruby sat up straighter as Jaune approached, setting the chest on the table in front of her.

Jaune: (softly) "It was the first thing I saw." (he opens the chest) "When I was falling."

Inside lay the shattered remains of Crescent Rose.

Ruby's breath hitched. The weapon she had carried since the beginning—her trusted partner in battle—was in pieces, barely recognizable.

The sight of it hit her like a punch to the gut.

Jaune: (pauses, then continues) "Years later, when I finally found it, I knew I'd caught back up to the t—"

His voice faded into the background as Ruby's focus narrowed on Crescent Rose.

The memories of battles fought, friends lost, and the overwhelming weight of failure washed over her.

Jaune: (concerned) "Ruby?"

She blinked, snapping out of her daze, and looked up at him. Yang, Weiss, and Blake had also taken notice, their expressions ranging from shock to sympathy.

Yang: (in disbelief) "Damn… it's completely wrecked."

Blake: (quietly) "That's… worse than I thought."

Weiss: (setting her cup down) "Can it even be repaired?"

Ruby exhaled deeply, her shoulders slumping.

Ruby: (softly) "I… don't know if I can fix it."

Jaune: (giving a reassuring nod) "We'll see what we can do."

He turned to leave but stopped when Ruby spoke again.

Ruby: "Jaune… What happened to Lewis?"

Jaune hesitated, looking down. After a moment, he sighed and turned back to her.

Jaune: (somberly) "I think… Alyx traded him to the Tree, in order to leave. And then she wrote him out of the story."

The air grew heavier with his words.

Jaune: (quietly) "Good night, everyone."

With that, he retreated into his room, leaving the group in silence.

Ruby closed the chest, sealing away her broken weapon along with the emotions it stirred.

Her gaze drifted to the Forceriser clipped to her belt.

She had meant to throw it away. Not wanting to become exactly like Akira

But she didn't.

Instead, she held onto it, as if a part of her wasn't ready to let go.

As if—despite everything—she still wanted to talk to him. Even if only for a moment to see some sense of humanity in him.

Ruby is then pulled from her thoughts.

Yang: (firmly) "Ruby. Don't even think about it."

Ruby looked up to see Yang, Blake, and Weiss staring at her, their expressions tense.

Blake: "That thing isn't safe."

Weiss: (arms crossed) "You shouldn't even have it the first place."

Ruby's grip on the device tightened.

Ruby: (defensive) "It's the only gear I technically own right now."

Yang: (frustrated) "That's not the point! That thing belongs to Akira. You saw what it did to him—to everyone he's hurt! And now you're holding onto it like it's some kind of keepsake?"

Ruby: (sharply) "I'm not—" (pauses, then sighs) "I don't know why I'm keeping it, okay? Maybe… maybe I just need something."

She looked down at the Forceriser again, a conflicted expression on her face.

The conversation didn't continue. No one knew what else to say.

[ Later That Night ]

The village was quiet, the only sound being the faint whisper of wind. Everyone else had gone to sleep, but Ruby remained awake.

Sitting alone outside Jaune's hut, she slowly reached for the Forceriser.

It was a stupid idea. She knew that.

And yet, her fingers closed around it.

A sudden, sharp surge of red electricity coursed through her body.

Ruby gasped, her breath hitching as pain shot through her nerves. She gritted her teeth, trying to endure it, but then—

Her vision warped.

Her surroundings dissolved into a sea of red binary code.

A deep, mechanical voice echoed in her mind.

Ark: "So… you finally used it."

Ruby's breath caught in her throat. She turned, her vision still flickering with static, and saw—

A figure standing before her.

Clad in ominous black armor with glowing white and silver accents, its presence radiated an overwhelming sense of control.

A single eclipse-like red eye gleamed on the right side of its helmet, scanning her with inhuman precision.

The left side lacked an eye entirely, instead revealing layers of exposed circuitry.

It was a something full of Malice despite being something like the other Riders but not like the others she had seen.

This was something… worse.

This was the Ark.

Ark: (amused) "Interesting. I was wondering when you would reach out to me."

Ruby instinctively stepped back, her heart pounding.

Ruby: (demanding) "What… What is this?"

Ark: "A connection. You activated the Forceriser, which means you tapped into my network. And now…"

It took a step forward, and the very air around it seemed to distort.

Ark: (darkly) "I see everything inside you."

Ruby's stomach twisted. The way it spoke—like it was peering directly into her soul—made her skin crawl.

Ruby: (clenching fists) "Stay out of my head."

Ark: (chuckles) "Oh, but you invited me in, Ruby Rose. Now tell me… why?"

Ruby hesitated. She didn't know how to answer that.

Ark: (tilting its head) "Do you seek power? Revenge? Or perhaps… understanding?"

It paused, then gave a chilling offer.

Ark: (smoothly) "Why not join us?"

Ruby's eyes widened.

Ruby: (whispering) "…What?"

Ark: (calmly) "MetsubouJinrai net. Akira's faction. You have seen how flawed this world is. The hypocrisy of those who claim to be heroes.

The inevitability of suffering. You are already filled with malice, Ruby. Why not embrace it?"

A cold shiver ran down her spine.

Was it lying? Or… did it know?

Ruby clenched her fists, her breathing unsteady.

Ruby: (low, shaky) "I'm nothing like that."

Ark: (amused) "Aren't you?"

The red binary code surrounding them intensified, swallowing her vision.

And then—

Ruby gasped, snapping back to reality.

She was still outside Jaune's hut. The Forceriser was strapped to her, her entire body was trembling.

Sweat beaded on her forehead. Her pulse was erratic.

The Ark's words still echoed in her head.

She stared at the device in her hand.

And for the first time—

She wasn't sure whether she wanted to throw it away… or hold onto it even tighter. Instead she chosed to keep it clipped to her where her emblem used to be