Chapter Text
Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another. - Ernest Hemingway
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Once upon a time, in a land where the sun kissed the earth and the moon bathed it in silver light, there lived two kinds of beings that were so similar, but only saw their differences. The first were the humans, creatures of curiosity and ambition that oft turned to fear of the unknown. The second were not much different, save for their blessing of animal traits and a connection to nature. For many years, these two kinds did not know each other, living in separate parts of the world.
The humans, unaware of the faunus, lived in a state of cautious peace. They knew of the Grimm, shadowy creatures that lurked in the dark places of the world, but as long as the humans kept their hearts light and free from despair, the Grimm kept their distance. The humans believed the Grimm to be just another part of the wild, untamed, but not a threat if left alone.
Then came a day when the humans and faunus met for the first time. It was a meeting of wonder and fear, for while some saw it as a chance for friendship and unity, others felt only distrust and trepidation. The mix of strong emotions, both good and bad, stirred the air like a storm. And like moths to a flame, it attracted the Grimm in numbers greater than ever before.
The Grimm, drawn by the tumult of feelings, attacked with a ferocity that threatened to consume both humans and faunus alike. Villages were laid to waste, and forests became battlegrounds. It seemed the world itself was on the brink of an endless night of sorrow and rage.
Yet, hope was not lost. A smaller, simpler soul emerged, seemingly from the pages of a time long forgotten, a woman with eyes as bright and clear as the stars above. The woman arrived with courage in her heart and a steely resolve no one could quite account for.
She rallied the humans and faunus alike while teaching them that the Grimm were not just creatures of the wild, but monsters drawn in by their fears and hatreds. The only way to push them back was to unite together not only in battle but in their hearts and minds.
The battles were long and arduous, and many brave souls stood and fell by the woman’s side. But through their sacrifice, a new understanding started to bloom. In some, that understanding began and ended with the Grimm themselves, yet others fully understood what the woman told them. United both would stand tall, divided, they would fall.
That is the story we’ve told for generations to explain the Grimm. Some families like to alter it to leave out the unity bit. We don’t like those people very much.
I am Ruby Rose. I am proof that the silver eyes are not just a genetic power to be passed down. My silver eyes may have come from my mother but the true extent of their powers could only have come from me and my soul. Silver eyes have some uses, but the full use… that seems to be a once in a millennia type of rarity that comes from unimaginable strife and pain. I have seen things you would not understand. I have done things that I do not understand.
This story… this report… whatever you want to call it, is in many ways my good bye letter. 10 years ago, I attended Beacon Academy beside my best friends, my sister, and the woman I love. Over the last 10 years we have waged a war against Salem’s forces, the Black Tide. I have lost each and every one of my friends and family. Some I held as they died. Some I heard about on the news as the casualty reports came in. Each death woke something in me. It continued until all I had left was anger, sadness, desolation… and a strange sense of power. That is why I am writing this final letter to you, whatever remains of the world governments.
You need to understand that each of the girls you have sent out, be they maidens or silver eyed, have sacrificed far more than you could ever comprehend. None of them wished to live after what they had been through. I don’t wish to live after all of this.
This is why I am going after Cinder and Salem tonight. They cannot be invincible, I refuse to believe it. I’ve seen her pools of Grimm… they are dwindling. I will get near them. I will kill them. And if I don’t… well, nice to know you.
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I signed the note with a grim satisfaction, no pun intended. Heh, Yang would have appreciated that. I thought to myself.
Okay… let’s not think about Yang right now… gotta go avenge her death… yep, yep… all of theirs…
I stood and grabbed my trusted scythe, Wilted Rose. The blade was larger and the handle longer than Crescent Rose. It still had a sniper rifle but the bullet were a slightly smaller gauge. The grip was a decent bit bulkier though in order to house Thorn. Thorn was a second, much smaller, Scythe that could turn into a sword to allow for more versatile combat.
I was known by most of Remnant as the Bloody Rose of Remnant, Slayer of Grimm, Protector of the Realm. Most survivors knew that I had arrived just by looking at my cloak. In an effort to be more practical, I had discarded my previous cloak and replaced it with a fur lined, dark red and black cloak. Underneath it was my armor. I learned long ago that not wearing armor was foolish and my skirt was just asking for someone to chop off my legs. After wearing it for 10 years, it felt like my pants and armor were just part of me.
My right arm was a casualty of the start of the war that had, in my opinion, turned into a boon. While Yang had found it hard to accept, likely due to how her weapons worked, I quickly found it to be a true advantage in combat. Yang… A pang shot through my chest as I considered my sister. A shake of my head tried to clear out the sight of her lying on the ground after the White Fang put out her light.
Breathing deeply I tried to calm my mind, Stop thinking of the past… we’re here to finish this.
Today was the day I kill them. I could feel it in my bones as I began the 5 mile hike to where Cinder and Salem were stationed in that stupid, supposedly impenetrable, castle.
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As I got closer I could see the hoards of monsters surrounding the castle, among which were some of what I unfortunately felt had to be called her experiments. New Grimm that the brothers never imagined. Yet, I was not here to fight the hoards of monsters. The remaining huntsmen could handle those. No, I was here to stop what no one else could: Salem.
Pouring my aura into my speed semblance I was able to break down into my particles and move past the Grimm like I wasn’t even there and right into the castle. It did not take long to realize that there were few, if any, Grimm in the castle. Thus began my search for Salem.
I could hear an echo down the haul of someone heavily breathing and followed it silently. As I got closer I heard Salem’s voice, “Stupid girl, do you really think this is how you’ll bet of use to us.” A loud sound of skin on skin reverberated down the hall.
A voice cried out, “No, I’m sorry your majesty.” Emerald.
I shook my head, the poor girl never had a chance. I wasn’t here for her though and found myself crouched and ready to try to get the drop on Salem. It didn’t take long for my opportunity to arrive as she yelled at Emerald a few more times before floating out of the room.
Swiftly I drew back Thorn and moved to slit her throat. A blast from behind me sent me flying. I looked up and growled as I discovered Cinder had also been in the room. In my eagerness to kill Salem, I had missed such a clear danger. Don’t get hung up on mistakes, just move forward.
My aura held strong as I stood up and glared at the woman who had killed every single maiden, “Well if it isn’t the Queen’s Bitch.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I could have sworn Salem smirked while Cinder let out a growl.
Salem looked to Cinder, “Kill her. I believe she was stupid enough to bring the final relic with her.” Her arrogance on full display as she backed up to seemingly watch the show.
My eyes widened as I realized she was right. How could I be so stupid?
I steadied myself and faced Cinder, “Hello Cinder.” Wilted Rose soon found its way into my prosthetic handed Thorn in my left. I took my fighting stance and glared, “Let’s dance.”
Cinder activated her maiden powers and hovered in the air, “You’ve always been a thorn in my side Ruby. As if you could ever compare to me.” The power swirled around her, an attempt to intimidate, of that I was certain. Yet out of her and Salem, Cinder barely even registered.
Ice started to rain at me as I swatted it away with Thorn and leapt out of the storm’s focal point. She turned to me with a glint in her eyes. “Can’t stand the cold? I’m sure the heat will be more your taste then.” Her eyes glimmered and a cruel smirked started to form.
I furrowed my brows. I hadn’t fought Cinder since she had taken on the Summer Maiden’s powers. My brain started trying to figure out what she meant when I felt a sudden breeze. I looked down to find my pants being burned away and the heat increasing in intensity.
My eyes flashed red as I let my power course through me, “Sorry Cinder, you can’t burn the sun.” My hair lit up like fire as I charged forward with all my speed and rammed Wilted Rose into her head.
Her counter attack found only air as I leapt behind her and prepared another attack. She shook off her daze and pulled out her infamous bow.
With a speed that felt absurd even to me, she trained the bow on me and within moments, fired. Unfortunately for her, she still wasn’t going to be able to hit me with projectiles as I dodged and weaved. Her own semblance, mixed with the maiden’s magic began to take control of the arrows and move them like homing beacons imbued with magic and made just for me. Soon a frost arrow clipped my boot. It hurt like hell for a split second but in not time my aura stitched the wound back together.
An idea began to form in my mind as I stowed Thorn back in Wilted Rose and glared at Cinder.
She walked forward laughing, “The Great Ruby Rose. To think, tomorrow they will say you were nothing more than a fool who walked willing to her death.” Her bow turned into two blades and she lazily went to strike me down.
In a swift movement I reached out and broke my ankle dodging her and simultaneously grabbing her by the throat. “Don’t worry bitch. I won’t be dying to you.” I poured all of my strength into my prosthetic hand, every type of semblance I could think of to make this work and crushed until her aura stopped protecting her. Then, I kept crushing.
For a moment I stared at her lifeless face before dropping her to the ground. I felt the maiden powers attempt to go into me and then promptly reject me as a host. The novelty of that experience had worn off several maidens ago unfortunately.
As I walked towards Salem, Wilted Rose in hand, my aura fixed my ankle, “I guess that makes you next.”
Salem laughed at the sight of Cinder, “Well its too bad she didn’t get to live to see the final plan.” She chuckled darkly, “It would have killed her too.”
She began to wave her hand and her magic flared around us. I ducked and wove as best as I could but soon found myself pinned down by one of Salem’s more Grimm-like appendages. She bent down and took the final relic, the Lamp, from me.
She quickly tossed me aside and I crashed into a nearby wall and right out the window. I recovered mid-air and shot back into the building.
I tried to rush her but I was too late, “I guess you’ll get a front row seat to the end.” A wave of power seemed to suddenly over take the room and I found myself knocked away, unable to do anything but watch.
Two dragon like creatures appeared and turned into men. They began to speak to Salem in what appeared to be angry tones. I couldn’t hear but I could see the looks upon their visages. No one in the bubble of power that they seemed to have created, seemed happy.
I could see the darker of the two brothers getting more and more incensed and with it came a fear I had never felt before. We all knew what would happen when the brothers arrived. We were all going to die. Yet as panic began to over take me I felt compelled to look at the brother of light. Turning my gaze to him I found him staring directly at me. He mouthed “Run.”
So I ran. I ran faster than I have ever run in my life. As I ran I began to feel heat following behind me unlike anything I could have imagined. I ran until I realized I no longer had legs. It was like my body was disintegrating. In a last ditch effort I activated every bit of my power. Every ounce of abilities and remnants of magic locked within myself with a desperate plea that this could not be the end. My aura failed to mend me and I felt my body die.
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I groaned as I woke up with my face on a hard floor. A voice echoed through my aching head, “Miss Rose, are you okay?” I looked up and found myself face to face with Professor Ozpin. I must be dreaming, he’s dead. Then again, I’m pretty sure I’m dead. Is this heaven? Is there a heaven? Eh… does it matter if its a dream before death or the actual death itself I guess.
I looked up to realize that I still had not answered his question. I picked myself up off the floor and saw that I was standing on the same stage where the teams at Beacon are announced.
Humoring my own delusions I replied, “Yeah I think I’m alright. What happened Professor?”
Ozpin rose an eyebrow at me, “You fainted right after we announced your team name.” He pointed behind me and I turned around curiously. Standing before me was Weiss, Blake, and Yang. Alive and well exactly where they had been standing that day.
“Nope.” I murmured as the darkness descended on me again.