Glynda paused in her conversation with Ozpin as the doors to the doors to the elevator opened, revealing Yang Xiao Long to the world.

"Ruby," She gasped, "Please professor, you have to let Ruby stay!"

"What?" Glyda asked, but Ozpin just drank from his hot chocolate before talking.

"That's right, Miss Rose had an appointment with Ian today, didn't she?" He said, "I take it you've seen her?"

"Yes," Yang said, "Please, let her stay with me! She's… She's so hurt and messed up and whatever she did left her wrong and I need to fix it."

"I'd have to meet with her first," Ozpin said simply, to which Yang froze.

"I…" Before she could get further, her Scroll went off, picking it up, Tai's voice came from the device.

"Yang," Tai asked, "Where are you? Ruby's back."

"Hi," said a hollow voice over the speaker, "Why'd you leave? I was just getting a change of clothes."

"She's in my office," Ozpin called, "can you both come here?"

"Yeah, sure," Ruby said.

A few minutes later, the duo arrived, and Glynda took in Summer's daughter. A red coat with a sleeveless turtleneck underneath, hair falling into one eye, a black box the size of her torso over one shoulder, but the other eye stood out most obviously.

Fragmented, cracked, broken. A thousand words for the hollow, empty stare that greeted them. It passed over Glynda as if casting her aside and landed on Ozpin, who leaned forwards and crossed his fingers.

"I'm sorry if this seems rude, but may I speak to Miss Rose alone? And I do mean alone Glynda."

What? Why would he ask her to leave?

"Sir, I-"

"Please, Glynda," Ozpin said, and she nodded, guiding Yang and Tai out of the room.

Ruby stared at Ozpin.

Ozpin stared at Ruby.

Finally, as one, without meaning to, they both asked, "How old?"

Silence stretched for a second, before Ozpin chuckled, "You can tell as well? For me, I lost count long ago. What about you?"

"A century ago," Ruby said.

"Then may I ask who you were, originally?"

Original-? Ah, he was like Luxu.

"I am, and always have been, Ruby Rose," Ruby said simply, "I may have gone by other names since, but that is the one I was born with."

"That doesn't seem possible," Ozpin said, "Seeing as Ruby Rose should be a fifteen year old."

Ruby smiled, hoping it didn't come off as too patronizing. Dropped the chest, she sat down on it.

"You'd think that, wouldn't you?" Ruby said, "A century ago, though you wouldn't recall it, this world's heart was consumed by darkness, placing almost everyone here into a deep slumber, all except me, as far as I know. I spent the last century helping pull strings to bring Remnant back from that. A year and a half ago, everything fell into place and Remnant was woken from its dark slumber."

"Yet you still look to be fifteen," Ozpin observed.

"I look eighteen, I just didn't grow much," Ruby corrected.

"The point still stands, you don't look nearly as old as you claim to be."

Ruby pulled down her turtleneck, letting Ozpin see the puncture marks on her throat, "I became something called a Nightless, known on other worlds as a vampire, an immortal creature that survives off blood to live this long. Anything for Remnant, for he who desires but acts not breeds pestilence."

"Was it worth it?" Ozpin said, apparently accepting Ruby's claims, "breaking yourself like this? For Remnant, for us?

"It was worth it for Yang and Dad, at least," Ruby said, "I don't know the rest of you, and this world is fundamentally damaged, but I did what I had to do to have them back. Don't believe me if you want, but remember, 'Imbalance observed, strength misplaced, a future filled with sorrow. Words of truth misunderstood as they explore the secrets of tomorrow.'"

"I believe you," Ozpin said in response, "Your sister would like you to stay at Beacon. Would you like to do that, Ruby?"

"It'll be harder to find blood that way," Ruby mused.

"How did you get it before now?" Ozpin asked.

"Paid prostitutes," Ruby said with a shrug.

"It would be hard to do so anyways," Ozpin said, "you are only supposed to be fifteen here."

"Oh," Ruby said, "I hadn't thought of that."

"Why don't you just leave to wherever you were before when you need blood, until you find someone you can trust here?" Ozpin suggested.

Tai-Yang watched as Ruby dropped the chest onto the floor of the room she had been assigned, before kicking it under the bed. The torso length black box was kept shut with no less than thirteen locks, a red heart engraved on top and rimmed with silver, "What's in that?"

"Dunno," Ruby responded.

"You… Don't know?" Tai asked.

"Nope, just my job to watch it until it can be returned to its proper owner, not question what's inside. Won't pretend I'm not curious, but I know my duty and I do it, even if I think the one who gave it to me is mad."

"I…" Yang said, "What? You just look out for a chest without looking inside?"

"Yeah," Ruby said.

Tai didn't think Ruby would ever be free of the burden the "Organization" had placed on her if she still followed orders from them, but didn't say it. That was a fight for another day.

"Why don't we all go out and get something to eat before we go back to the house to pick up your stuff?" He suggested.

"Sure," Ruby said, Yang nodding along.

Sora looked around at the seaside town as Buryx casually walked out of the portal, "What is this place!?"

"Somewhere nobody will think to interrupt us," Buryx said, before suddenly appearing in Sora's guard and swinging her brick of a sword at him. The blade bit deep even as he was thrown back, carving an injury from shoulder to hip. Slamming into the wall, Sora raised the Kingdom Key, "Curaga!"

His skin stitched shut, not even a blemish remaining, though his shirt was now ruined. Across from him a ball of light formed in Buryx's hand before she tossed it out to sea, Sora had time to blink in confusion before a rumbling came from the deep, a giant metal castle bursting out of the water in the distance and began to draw in motes of light.

"You show promise," Buryx said, "but that's not enough. You have until Alexander finishes charging up to prove to me you're ready for what comes next."

"So what?" Sora demanded as he rushed her, swinging the Kingdom Key as he did. Buryx fell backwards to dodge the strike before coming up, "You're testing me?"

"Yes," Buryx said, slashing for Sora again only for Sora to force the Kingdom Key down, colliding with the sword before launching into a flurry of strikes to keep Buryx on the ground.

Or that's what he expected. A gauntlet appeared around Buryx's right hand and she caught the Kingdom Key with it, pushing back the Keyblade and standing up. Then she rammed her own weapon into Sora's gut as she let go of the Keyblade, sending him flying back. Halfway through, yellow covered his clothes and Star Seeker formed hovering below his left hand. Stopping his momentum, Sora dashed back through the air and towards Buryx, strike raiding Star Seeker at her as he went. She easily deflected the thrown Keyblade, but that left her open to Sora launching a combo into her stomach.

Air exploded from her mouth as he knocked her back, summoning the discarded Keyblade, Sora sped up and mixed up his combo, keeping her off guard.

In the distance, bells began to chime and the castle grew wings, curling them around the massive ball of light it had formed before the ball exploded like a giant Ragnarok, taking Sora completely off guard and the spiraling missiles of light flew at him.

Glide, dodge, block, deflect, Barrier. Sora threw everything he had into taking as little damage from the attack as possible. A couple slipped through, leaving scorch marks and bruising.

Behind him, windows and walls shattered as the ones that missed him smashed into them. A sky trolley line snapped and the trolley itself fell towards Sora, forcing him to cut it open and take another few hits. But he noticed something then, bolts striking Buryx's blade, tossed high in the air, and causing it to glow brighter and brighter. As the attack from the castle faded, Buryx grabbed her sword and brought it down on Sora's head, forcing him to use both Keyblades to block. The light blasted outwards in every direction, shattering Darkness covered building and causing massive waves as Sora was smashed into a massive crater in the ground.

"I see," Buryx said, before opening a Dark Corridor in front of Sora before disappearing into her own, voice echoing, "that will get you back to Twilight Town. Good luck."