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Chapter Text

Long ago, when the pyramids were still young, Egyptian Kings played a game of great and terrible power.

But these Shadow Games erupted into a war that threatened to destroy the entire world.

Until a brave and powerful Pharaoh locked the magic away, imprisoning it within the mystical Millennium Items.

Now, three or five thousand years later, depending on who you ask, the secret of the Millennium Puzzle is unlocked by a certain special youth.

Said youth is infused with ancient magical energies, for Destiny has chosen them to defend the world from the return of the Shadow Games, just as the brave Pharaoh did, millennia ago . . .

Chapter Text

Across the sands of the Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, two figures waged war, the lives of every man, woman, and child at stake.

On one side was Egypt's brave and noble Pharaoh, who embodied the word "King" as if it were carved into every fiber of his existence.

The Pharaoh's majestic, if not eccentric mane, formed a crown all it's own of red, black, magenta, and golden blonde hair.

His vibrant purple eyes locked determinedly upon his foe, as he clutched the key to his victory in one hand:

A cartouche bearing an all important name that had been lost to time, now finally reunited with it's owner.

On the other side, what could only be called a demon lord glared at The Pharaoh hatefully.

IT was a gigantic, bat-winged purple demon with huge, curved horns.

The creature's face was carved out of human nightmares, with teeth that lusted for blood, and eyes that hated all living things.

But the Dark One's most distressing physical aspect had to be the serpentine dragon-like. . . appendage that protruded in an unfortunate manner from between . . . IT'S legs.

Surely those witnessing the Dark One's . . . mighty dragon had but one question on their minds. Why? Just why?!

The Pharaoh stood triumphant, his lost name finally in his hands, his stalwart and trusty friends by his side.

He called it out for friend, kingdom, and the Dark One alike to hear at last, like a trumpet signaling the end of this long arduous war between Good and Evil.

With his name, and ancient magic restored to their peak, the Pharaoh called on the Egyptian Gods once more, and they rose.

The Lord of the Shadow Realm seethed as he watched his enemies recuperate their strength, strength that he had taken such extraordinary care to strip them of over the course of the Ultimate Shadow Game . . .

It would not be long, the Dark One knew, before the Pharaoh unleashed his trump card, and all would be lost as far as the Darkness was concerned.

. . . But, hold on. Hadn't the Dark Lord actually prepared a move in case this exact worst case scenario came to pass?

A price would be paid, of course. The Dark One would NOT be permitted to use this move again in any form of Shadow Game in any reality, PERIOD.

Not to mention both he and the Pharaoh would have restrictions placed on them after the fact, to prevent the knowledge accrued in the Ultimate Shadow Game thus far from being abused to cheat.

Needless to say, the Shadow Realm's master needed to act quickly. The Creator of Light had been summoned, and soon She would cast him out forevermore . . .

The Pharaoh looked upon his enemy, a confident smile on his face, his whole being flooding with relief that it would finally be over.

But then the Dark Lord did something completely unexpected. He APPLAUDED . . .

"I congratulate you, Pharaoh. The accursed Light returns to your kingdom, and now your people will know freedom from my Shadows. Well done!" The Dark One sneered, his malevolent tone dripping with insincerity.

"Zorc Necrophades! In all our confrontations I've never known you to be a good sport. What's come over you?" The Pharaoh inquired, his tone belying his suspicion.

"I merely wished to express my admiration for the worthiest opponent I've had in millennia. And now, I will repay that respect as only I know how; by snatching your victory from the jaws of my defeat!" Zorc gloated.

"And with The Creator of Light, Holactie ready to cast you down, just how do you intend to do that?!" The Pharaoh snapped back.

"I may have informed you of this already, but our battle encompasses not only the 'present,' but also the 'past' and the 'future'! And previously within this Game of ours, I used my power to manipulate the hands of time itself! . . . More than a few times, actually . . ." Zorc chuckled, mostly to himself.

"Just get on with it and tell me where you're going with all this!" The Pharaoh demanded angrily.

"Not where, Pharaoh. When." Zorc threatened cryptically.

" . . . NO! Stop! Zorc, STOP!" The Pharaoh begged, despair stinging at his heart.

This madness had gone on long enough, the people didn't need to suffer any more of this nightmare!

And just when the Pharaoh thought he couldn't take any more of this, Zorc reached out . . . AND RIPPED HIS OWN HEART OUT OF HIS CHEST.

"What?!" The Pharaoh cried out in utter shock and confusion, and the reactions of everyone around him did not suggest they had any more clarity on the matter than he.

"And thus, I offer my life, as infinite and encroaching as Darkness itself, to turn back the hands of time once more. To turn them ALL the way back . . . to the beginning!" Zorc exclaimed as he crushed his own heart in his hand, and turned to dust in the Kingdom's sands . . .

"The . . . th-the Dark One took his own life! E-Egypt is saved! W-we're all saved!" Cried out a random, utterly clueless Egyptian soldier.

A large number of the rest of Egypt's people were unfortunately just as misinformed, and began cheering their hearts out.

. . . Until the ground began to quake as though the very planet beneath their feet was on the verge of cracking open like an egg . . .

"BEHOLD, FOOLISH MORTALS!"  Zorc's voice echoed out cruelly across all of Egypt. "THE ULTIMATE STRATEGY OF THOSE THAT LURK IN THE DARK . . . IS TO CHEAT DEATH, CHEAT THEIR FOES, USE OTHERS AS PAWNS, AND TO FLIP THE GAME BOARD ON THE VERGE OF DEFEAT! THUS, WITH MY LAST BREATH, I CURSE ALL MANKIND! WITNESS THE ULTIMATE TRUMP CARD OF THE LORD OF DARKNESS!"

"{RESET, THE SHADOW GAME!}"

And those words were the last the Pharaoh heard, before he knew naught but oblivion . . .

Within the vast reaches of the cosmos, was another world, one defined by legends, stories scattered through time. 

It's people clung to the barest threads of hope, survival, and normalcy, pretending futilely that each and every waking moment wasn't one where they would be dragged back into the primordial nothing from whence they came.

They lived constantly in fear, a fear they fended off with Nature's Wrath made manifest, a power that allowed them to take back a few places in the world and make homes.

Yes, with the power they appropriately named "Dust,"  the people of the world of Remnant built society, and tried to ignore or fend off the darkness.

The darkness made unnatural flesh, The Creatures Of Grimm, who embodied naught but destruction and the disdain for all things of creation.

So, the people of Remnant forged Dust and Steel together to make weapons, to force the Grimm back.

And then forged themselves into warriors meant to wield the weapons, to turn back the tides: The Huntsmen and Huntresses.

Thus, it was so that Remnant's Kingdoms founded schools to train the world's next generation of protectors.

Named after sources of light, of places of safety and of might, Remnant's Academies resembled various types of castles from fairy tales.

An attempt, perhaps, to inspire joy, heroism, goodwill, and peace amongst their beholders?

. . . Some would argue the Academies' Founder failed in this regard. 

And take a demented sort of joy in the fact.

Yet there in the darkness stood Beacon Academy, headmastered by a weary emerald wizard who struggled desperately to prevent the soulless hordes from taking what little light mankind and their sibling race had claimed for themselves.

A fight some would argue he was losing.

However, this tale tells not of the teacher, but of his students, who would veer off from their intended destiny in a way no one could have seen coming . . .

In the Beacon Academy library, Team RWBY (Pronounced Ruby) are playing Remnant: The Game, and Ruby Rose has been contemplating her next move.

"Hmmmmm.... All right... All right! Yang Xiao Long, prepare your kingdom for battle!" Ruby declared, pointing at Yang.

"Bring it on!" Yang replies confidently, thrusting her elbow down as she balls her fist.

"I deploy the Atlesian Air Fleet!" Ruby cries as she slaps her card down on the table.

Yang feigns a look of shock.

"Looks like I get to fly right over your Ursai and attack your walls directly!" Ruby cheers as she makes noises like airplanes flying and bombing whilst making a bird with her hands.

"You fiend!" Yang scowls playfully, feigning indignance as she points at Ruby.

Ruby ducks at one end of the table, looking out over the board as she admires her own strategy.

"And since Atlas is part of Mantle, my repair time is only one turn." Ruby gloats, peeking her head up.

Ruby gives a look of surprise as Yang is laughing arrogantly.

Yang raises a card.

"Pretty sneaky, sis, but you just activated my Trap Card!" Yang crows, showing the card.

'Whaaat?!' Ruby cries, visibly disturbed.

"Giant Nevermore! If I roll a seven or higher, fatal feathers will slice your fleet in two!" Yang exclaimed, slamming the card down on the table.

A vision of a Nevermore flying over a field of swords impaled in the ground accompanies the conversation.

"But, if you roll a six or lower, the Nevermore will turn on your own forces!" Ruby rebutted, pointing at Yang as the Nevermore is shown to be turning back towards her.

"That's just a chance I'm willing to take." Yang replies solemnly.

As the dice finish rolling, Yang lets out a triumphant shout.

"Noooooo!!! My fearless soldiers!" Ruby wailed in sorrow for her fallen forces.

"Eh, most of them were probably androids," Yang snorted unsympathetically.

"Goodbye my friends, you will be av . . . enged . . . w-what the?" Ruby briefly laments the loss of her armies, before noticing something in her hand.

. . . Had that card been there the whole time?

"Not until I draw my rewards!" Yang began, "Which are-"

"Hold on, Yang! I-I think I can actually play a card here!" Ruby exclaims happily.

Yang doesn't respond immediately, but blinks blankly at her sister.

". . . Excuse me, what?" Yang numbly replied.

What was Ruby talking about?!

She had been tracking everyone's cards throughout the game, how could Ruby possibly have a move here?!

"No, I'm serious! I've got this card right here!" Ruby said, raising the card in question.

". . .You know, Sis, denial isn't just a river in Vacuo." Yang replied, wondering if Ruby had concussed herself at some point during the game.

". . . Well, whether you believe it or not, here it comes! My Counter Trap Card, Glare Of Anubis!" Ruby declared, slamming the card down on the table.

The card in question depicted an extremely regal looking Jackal Faunus in Ancient Vacuoan Royal garb, his ferocious gaze demanding fear, respect, and adulation alike from all who beheld him.

Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the card was the translucent light blue pyramid-shaped pendant that hung from the Jackal's neck, seeming to glare at it's onlookers with an ominously red, eye-like jewel. 

"Ok, first of all, we've been playing this game at home for years. Ruby, this card doesn't EXIST." Yang scolded.

Yang didn't want to be disappointed in her little sister, but cheating?! Really?!

"Well, for something that doesn't exist, I sure am playing it right now!" Ruby replied, her tone devoid of guile or malice.

" . . . Fine. Let's pretend the card's legit. How'd it get in your hand? Weiss, did you give Ruby one of your cards? That looks like a Vacuo card." Yang responded, unsure of how to process this situation, but rolling with it until she knew better about it.

"I haven't been paying that much attention to this dumb game, but to play Darkness' Advocate here, Ruby has not so much as touched my hand the whole time," Weiss Schnee replied coldly.

"And I would have noticed it even if Weiss didn't," Blake Belladonna chimed in.

". . . Sure, if you gave a Nevermore's cloaca, but you don't." Yang groused, not amused that the whole table, which included her partner, was against her on this.

"No, that's true. I don't really care," Blake admitted.

"Hee-he-ha-ha-ha! . . .'Cloaca'," Ruby snickered.

Seeing that there was no way out of this mess but straight through it, Yang threw up her hands in resignation.

"Ok, ok, Ruby. Let's have it. What does your 'Totally Real And Not Out Of Nowhere At All' card do?" Yang asked sarcastically.

"*Ahem* . . . During a turn in which my opponent's last successful move would result in the total annihilation of my army, this card activates and overrides that move, destroying your army instead and giving all your stuff to the player at your left!" Ruby explained.

"B-but that's Weiss!" Yang exclaimed in despair.

". . .Wait, really?! I gain control of Mistral's resources in one fell swoop, just like that?!" Weiss exclaimed in surprise.

'. . .Oh. Yeah, I kind of set you up to conquer Remnant in three moves, huh?" Ruby replied sheepishly.

Weiss stands and a thunder clap accompanies Weiss' overjoyed psychotic laughter.

"Y-yes! Fear the almighty power of my forces! Cower as they pillage your homes and weep as they take your children from your very arms!" Weiss exclaimed with glee.

Just then, the Glare Of Anubis card began to emit an extremely sinister glow . . .

" . . .W-wait, what's it-" Ruby begins, but is cut off as the card erupts into a never-ending flood of dark magic, which engulfs and ensnares the Huntresses in training utterly.

When the shadows clear, nothing remains of any member of Team RWBY for anyone to find, not even Team JNPR, who had witnessed the event but were helpless to stop it from happening . . .

Meanwhile, in the vast uncaring river of Darkness, Team RWBY was thrust helplessly down it's stream, as Yang exploded into flames from her rage activated Semblance.

"Ruby, just so we're clear on this, that Anubis card is banned from now on! Do you hear me?! It's freaking BAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNEEEED!" Yang roared at Ruby.

Ruby said nothing. She didn't really have any ground to stand on and argue the point . . .

Chapter Text

 Deep within the void, The Pharaoh stirred from his oblivion. Waking with a start, he looked around and was surprised to discover the labyrinthine walls, doors, and stairs he had come to accept as familiar.

Yes, The Pharaoh was once again inside his Soul Room; a metaphysical domain formed from his conscious mind by the power of the mystical relic he wore around his neck.

. . . Hold on a minute. Wasn't his Soul Room not supposed to look like this anymore, now that he had recovered his name and . . . memories . . .

Concentrating, The Pharaoh realized that while he could still remember everything, including his name, the information came to him dully, muffled.

As if The Pharaoh's mind had once again been suppressed. Not by the method used to seal it once before, but a foreign power this time.

 Deciding he wasn't going to just sit around, The Pharaoh attempted to invoke the powerful magic contained within his name.

Magic that could make almighty, unbreakable seals, or undo seals, when spoken.

He would be using his name to do the latter. He would be . . . if he could say it.

But, much to The Pharaoh's chagrin, the sound that left his mouth was nothing but static.  

 Frustrated, The Pharaoh tried, of all things, to act out his name through charades.

. . . No good. The forces that rendered him unable to verbally communicate his identity also obscured non-verbal methods.

The Pharaoh then conjured a pen and paper. Maybe he could write it. Just to be sure, he attempted to communicate his name in his native language, in German, for some reason, in Japanese, Chinese, Greek, various European scripts, and finally English.

. . . Nope. The final result didn't match any of the languages he was writing it in, nor any written by human hands.

Curses. What could he do? He tried a number of other things, like spelling it out. Same result.

 What about something else? He had a sort of nickname that people used in place of his name . . . before they stopped doing that and simply called him "Pharaoh."

Cautiously, he called it out. "Yami." Yami was pleasantly surprised to find out his nickname was still usable! This wasn't much, but it was a start!

. . .Speaking of starting, Yami figured he should probably explore his Soul Room to make sure everything was still in place, or at least check if anything changed.

From what he could tell as he wandered, nothing was out of the ordinary. Even the traps were working as intended! . . . On that note, Yami briefly thought about turning them off. Briefly.

The room Yami was most concerned about, the room where HE would be, was his last stop for today. Yami cautiously opened the door and carefully peeked inside.

 "Looking for someone, Pharaoh?" The voice of the Dark One sneered out from the deceptively small, enclosed space that contained a figurative and literal Darkness that seemed to stretch infinitely into the room.

". . . Just making sure you were still here, Zorc." Yami replied.

"Indeed. My Time Curse, [RESET, THE SHADOW GAME], has brought us both back to the states we were in before that small worthless mortal you bonded with solved the Puzzle and freed us both!" Zorc explained.

"That "small worthless mortal" was the one who was your undoing, if I recall correctly, Zorc!" Yami snapped angrily back. No one talked about his partner like that. No one. Zorc seethed in response.

" . . . Indeed. It seems that no matter how small an insect is, it can still kill you if you underestimate it's venom. I failed to recognize that mortal as my adversary until it was too late. . . Heh. Hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm. . . . HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!" Zorc laughed cruelly, while admitting that the younger host to the Pharaoh's spirit was a greater threat than he gave him credit for.

 "Mind letting me in on the joke, Zorc?!" Yami demanded, his patience with the Dark Lord having long since run out.

"It's just that I forgot to mention that my Curse has a price, one that we both pay. Have you not noticed that I have yet to address you by name, Pharaoh?" Zorc hinted, his tone full of malice.

". . .You're right, but why?" Yami realized.

"That's because I no longer recall it. The knowledge has been stripped from my mind, and censored in your own case, to simulate how you sealed yourself and me within the Soul Room of your Millennium Puzzle. Sealed us both away, using your name."   Zorc explained.

" . . . I see. Because with my name in play, either of us could just skip right back to the last phase of the Ultimate Shadow Game where we left off." Yami guessed.

 "Indeed. Therefore, you and I have quite literally been RESET back to the start, and must play our way back to where we were." Zorc confirmed and elaborated; "However, there are some changes this time around."

"Such as?" Yami inquired. 

"To keep the Reset Game fair, certain pieces have lost their place on the board, and certain knowledge has been suppressed. Fate will make allowances for certain events to play out as they did before, but your new pawns must reach the event's endings largely on their own." Zorc explained.

"My 'new pawns?' What happened to my 'old pawns?'" Yami demanded.

" . . .Simply turn around, Pharaoh. I'm afraid you won't be able to count on your good friends from this moment forward," Zorc answered sadistically.

 Yami did turn around, and what he saw made him despair. His friends. His long standing companions, with whom he had been through so much, were all sealed away in stone tablets.

Tea Gardner, who held the firmest belief in the power of bonds, and wished to be a dancer one day.

Tristan Taylor, who was a man who spoke strong and acted stronger, a stalwart man to have on your side in a pinch.

Joey Wheeler, the luckiest, most ferocious and tenacious man Yami had ever had the benefit of getting to know.

And last but definitely not least, Yugi Muto.  His other half. His partner. His absolutely dearest friend next to his most loyal, faithful mage.

 They . . . they were . . . no, this couldn't be!

"W-what is this, Zorc?! What have you done to my friends?!" Yami demanded, his tone full of anger and sorrow.

"Your friends remember everything they've been through too strongly. If you are allowed to play the Game with them, you will simply make all the same moves as before, and nothing will change. Thus, my Curse has taken them out of play, until someone new says your name. In the meantime, Pharaoh, my Curse will replace your friends with brand new toys for us both to play with. They should be arriving now," Zorc elaborated.

"What?!" Yami cried our in shock. Even more people were going to be dragged into this?!

And then, as if on cue, the stone tablets containing Yami's friends began to glow. . .

 The first tablet to glow was Joey's. It flared with a blazing yellow aura, which then erupted and shot upwards, out of Yami's Soul Room.

Next was Tristan's, which became enshrouded in a shadowy violet aura, that pursued the yellow flash out of the Puzzle.

Continuing the pattern was Tea's, which began to freeze over in an icy, bluish-white aura, before shattering into snowflakes that exited in the same direction.

Finally, Yugi's, which began to shower the Soul Room in rose petals, which coalesced into a twister that followed the other auras out. 

Yami watched it all, his emotions roiling and churning within him, unable to process or make sense of the event.

 "Would you like to see them, Pharaoh? I imagine at least one of your faithful creatures possesses the power you need," Zorc sneered.

Realizing what the Dark One was getting at, Yami summoned one of the many loyal Duel Monsters at his command.

For this task, he figured the Mystical Elf would serve him best.

A ray of golden light shot through the Soul Room, and there she appeared in a shower of light, chanting an incantation.

"What do you wish of me, my Pharaoh?" The Mystical Elf asked.

 "Zorc has dragged four people into our Shadow Game and replaced my friends with them. I want to know where and who they are!" Yami commanded.

Heeding his order, the Elf gathered her power and condensed it until she could barely contain it anymore.

Then, she raised the orb of collected power over her head and cut her arm, allowing her blood to fall upon the Soul Room's floor.

Finally, the Elf mixed her stored magic with the blood, which combined into a Fairy's Hand Mirror. 

"My Pharaoh, the Fairy's Hand Mirror I've created will permit you to scry on the outside world. Simply hold it and concentrate on what you wish to see. Please treat this with care, as this enchanted mirror will curse whomsoever breaks it."  The Mystical Elf instructed.

 "I understand. And thank you." Yami gratefully accepted the Elf's gift.

Thinking on the matter, Yami decided to move elsewhere in the Soul Room and let Zorc rot in his prison.

"Going somewhere, Pharaoh? I thought we were friends!" The Dark One joked.

"Do not presume to speak to my Pharaoh so familiarly, demon! My King has vanquished your Darkness twice before already, and he will do so again!" Mystical Elf spat in response.

'She's right, Zorc. Not to mention, you and I were never friends. And we never will be." Yami finished, and then walked away.

 The Pharaoh wandered about the Soul Room, making his way back to a section where he felt the most comfortable.

Conjuring a throne and table, Yami gently set the Mirror down and sat.

He then conjured a bit of drink and some ta'ameyas, his favorite food. 

If this Shadow Game was really starting over from square one, he had time to get comfortable and plan his moves.

Now, then. Where were those people? Yami picked up the Mirror, thought about those auras, and concentrated.

 The Mirror swirled with Holy Magic for what seemed to be an eternity. 

Until at last, it produced an image . . . of four prone, unconscious girls.

Yami's confusion did not dissolve at the revelation, but increased instead.

Why them? What did they have to do with the Ultimate Shadow Game? Or with anything at all, for that matter?

. . . And why were they all girls?

 Yami decided to observe the girls a bit more closely, and see what he could discern from their appearance.

He looked first at the smallest and youngest looking of the group, who had gradient red hair that appeared black with red tips at first glance.

The young girl had a black long-sleeved blouse with a high collar and red trim on the sleeves, over which is a black waist cincher with red lacing up the front, and a matching skirt with red lining.

She also wore a pair of thick black stockings and black combat boots with red laces, red trims around the top, and red soles.

Her outfit is topped by a red hooded cloak fastened to her shoulders by cross-shaped pins.

 What Yami assumed to be her emblem was a large silver buckle on her wide black belt, which was slung around her hips at an angle.

Attached to her belt were a pocket and a row of bullets. . . wait. 

Why did a girl this young have access to bullets, let alone was carrying them?

Did she have access to a gun? And if she didn't, did she know someone that did?

Yami therefore marked the youth as "suspicious," and moved on to the next.

 This girl possessed flawless snow white hair that was pulled back into an off-center ponytail on the right side and pinned with a silver, icicle-shaped tiara.

She appeared to be 5' 3" (1.6 meters) in heels, and had a scar which ran vertically down her left eye and face.

She also wore a thigh-length strapless dress with a faint color gradation from white to pale blue at the hem.

A small piece of black lace sits in the front of her neckline and the hem of the dress is scalloped and stitched to resemble snowflakes, with layers of white tulle under the skirt.

Over this, she wore a bell-sleeved bolero with the same color gradation as her dress from shoulder to wrist, lined in red and with a ruffled collar.

On the back of the bolero was a crest in the shape of a snowflake, and Yami assumed this symbol to be hers.

 Yami couldn't be sure, but she reminded him of his rival in a lot of ways.

In fact, he thought she could almost pass for a Blue-Eyes in human form.

Still, Yami decided to keep a careful watch over her, just to be sure.

Until he knew more. Until he could be sure he could trust them, or that they could trust him.

And so, Yami marked this girl as "important," then looked over to the third of them.

 The third girl had wavy black hair, a black ribbon tied into a large bow on top of her head, and wore purple eye shadow in cats-eye style.

She also wore a black, buttoned vest with coattails and a single silver button on the front.

Underneath this was a white, sleeveless, high necked, crop undershirt and white shorts with a zipper on the front of each leg, emblazoned with the YKK logo of the real-life Japanese zipper manufacturer.

She also wore black low-heeled boots and full stockings with a color gradation of black to purple at her ankles.

What was probably her emblem was visible on the outside of both thighs just below her shorts in white.

 On her left arm was a black detached sleeve with a silver cuff around her bicep, and black ribbons are wrapped around both forearms.

A small, loose, black scarf was wrapped around her neck, and a gray magnetic backpack was strapped to her back, hidden by her hair.

. . . What in the world was the purpose of that?

Yet, despite that oddity, the third girl seemed largely unremarkable altogether.

. . . Until he saw her bow start twitching, and looked closer to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

 Were. . .  were those cat ears hidden inside the loops?!

Yami's heart slightly jolted as he realized this girl wasn't even human.

Was she a Duel Monster? That seemed the most likely explanation.

Brimming with questions that he knew he'd be asking later, he mentally filed the cat-eared girl under "proceed with caution."

With that, Yami moved on to the final girl . . .

 And immediately did a double take.

Yami had to carefully look at this last girl, for at first glance, he had almost mistaken her for a similarly blond female Duelist.

Her bright golden hair faded to pale gold at the tips with a cowlick sticking out at the top.

She wore a tan jacket that bares her midriff, with golden brown piping and short, puffy sleeves with black cuffs that feature two gold buttons.

Underneath this, she wore a low cut yellow crop top with might be her emblem on the left breast in black.

 She also wore a brown belt covered by a pleated brown piece of material reaching from hip to hip around the back of her waist, with her apparent emblem emblazoned on the right-most pleat in gold.

Underneath this was a long, white, asymmetrical piece of material reaching to her knee on the right side, as well as a pair of tight black spandex compression shorts that reach her upper thighs.

Next, she wore a pair of brown, knee-high boots and orange over-the-knee socks, with the right sock pushed down just below the knee.

A purple bandanna was tied around her left knee.

Finally, an orange infinity scarf and black finger-less gloves completed her outfit.

 The ancient spirit didn't know what to make of this girl.

Admittedly, he technically didn't know what to make of any of them.

But he was perplexed by this one the most so far.

Realizing that guessing wasn't going to get him anywhere, Yami marked the last girl as "watch until further notice."

The Pharaoh watched as the girls finally stirred, and awoke . . .

 "Nnngh . . . Owwww . . . Stupid Anubis card. I'm never playing that again." The crimsonette groaned.

Yami was shocked to hear that Anubis was possibly involved in all this. He didn't exactly envision him and Zorc being chummy, but he supposed their goals aligned enough.

"It just goes to show you what I've always known, Ruby. Games are evil, and fun is cursed," The snow-haired girl replied.

Yami didn't care for the snow-hairs attitude, which reminded him of his rival even more. But he noted the red girl was named "Ruby."

"Weiss, just because one game went seriously wrong doesn't mean they all do! You're overreacting!" Ruby chided.

 The Pharaoh memorized Weiss' name.

". . . Alright, Ruby. Maybe I am just overreacting," Weiss "admitted." "I'm overreacting to the fact that A BOARD GAME TELEPORTED US OUT OUR SCHOOL TO BROTHER'S KNOW WHAT SIDE OF REMNANT!" 

". . . I see your point, Weiss," Ruby admitted, "and that's my fault. But don't you agree that not every game does this, or it'd be happening a lot more? Nobody would play anything!"

" . . . Fair enough, Ruby. When you put it like that, it does seem that this is an isolated incident." Weiss conceded the point.

"Stay strong, Weiss! I know I royally screwed up, but I swear as your leader I'll get us through this!" Ruby attempted to assure her, hugging her enthusiastically.

"S-shut up! Don't touch me!" Weiss whined, but hugged her back.

 Yami narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Ruby was the "leader?" The leader of what, exactly?

Who decided that a girl this young should be the "leader" of anything?

And one might think the Pharaoh didn't have room to judge, given how young he was when he took the throne.

. . . Except that that was a matter of royal succession, and had been set in place as soon as he was born.

Ruby, as far as he could tell, was just a normal 15 year old girl with silver eyes.

 . . . That he could actually sense a divine power dwelling within once he noticed and focused on them.

. . . Okay. Ruby had been touched by the Gods, it seemed.

But was that the reason why?

. . . Hold on. What had Weiss said about a "school?"

. . . And what did she mean by "Remnant?"

 Just then, the cat-eared girl and the blonde chimed in.

"Well, at least we're all in one piece! You ok, Blake?" The blonde shrugged, trying to see the best in the situation.

". . .Yeah, Yang. I'm fine. I feel like we're being watched, but I'm fine." The girl Yami figured was Blake responded.

"Great! And how you holdin' up, Little Sis and Ice Queen?" Yang inquired the other two.

"We're okay, Yang! A little banged up, but okay!" Ruby chirped. "And will you knock it off with that nickname already?!" Weiss followed up.

 Yami took note that Yang called Ruby her sister.

He didn't think anything was too unusual about it.

After all, Joey was blond and had a little sister with red hair, too.

And said sister also had an "issue" with her eyes.

What a small world . . .

 " . . . Hey, what's this?" Ruby asked, noticing a peculiar object on the ground.

It was a golden, segmented, upside-down pyramid with the symbol of an eye on it's front.

On top of the pyramid was a ring, which was threaded with a strong, metal chain.

It gave the object the appearance of an exquisite, eccentric piece of jewelry.

. . . And Ruby couldn't help wanting to try it on.

 "H-hey, sis? Maybe you should leave that thing alone?" Yang asked, worried that Ruby was going to pick up the Vacuoan-looking object.

"Ruby, I can accept that the Anubis card was an accident on your part," Weiss cautioned Ruby. "But don't you think you should learn the lesson, and not mess with things if you don't know where they came from?"

" . . . Well, sure, but you also don't know if this thing is our way back!" Ruby reasoned. "And if it's not, I'll take responsibility! That's what being the leader's all about, right?"

". . . I'm actually with Ruby on this. At the very least, this could get us SOMEWHERE, even if it's further from Beacon." Blake chimed in.

"That's two against two! And as leader, my vote counts for two in case of a tie!" Ruby cheered.

 "Tyranny! I demand a recount!" Weiss complained.

And within the Soul Room, Yami noticed the swirling of agitated power in the air.

The ancient, dark magic that comprised and filled every corner of the Millennium Puzzle was stirring, like hornets after their nest was kicked.

Yami realized with a start that the Puzzle had figured out that Ruby was about to touch it, and IT WAS PREPARING TO JUDGE HER.

And if Ruby's soul were found wanting, the cost would be STEEP indeed.

 Ruby's hands made their way to the Puzzle against the protests of half her group, her fingers outstretched.

"STOP! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT FORCES YOU'RE TOYING WITH!" Yami attempted in vain to warn her.

It was too late. Ruby's hands found their place, and grasped the Puzzle firmly.

. . . At first, nothing happened. The air, previously thick with tension, began to release . . .

Then everything exploded at once, as the Millennium Puzzle erupted with all the force of it's ancient might.

 Ruby Rose's Millennium Trial had begun . . .

Chapter Text

 Dark energy swirled around Ruby as her teammates tried to grab her, but were repelled by the ancient magical waves.

Within the Soul Room, Yami sat on pins and needles as he awaited the Puzzle's verdict.

Millennium Items could be cruel in their punishment of unworthy holders.

He remembered a horror story about the Ring in particular, which had somewhat ironically deemed a thief that had tried to steal it unworthy.

The thief had thusly been impaled by the Ring's pointed indicators, and was then burned inside out to death by diabolic flames. A thoroughly unpleasant end.

 As the torrent of shadows moved about, an entity began to manifest near Ruby.

It was a flesh colored, spectral apparition, with sunken eye sockets and an imitation of a mouth. 

"Yeeaaarghh! What in the Brother's names is that thing?! Some kind of mutated Geist?!" Weiss screamed.

"What it is, is busted if gets any closer to my sis!" Yang declared angrily.

"Enough talking! Get your weapons out and secure a perimeter around Ruby!" Blake shouted, attempting to rally her teammates and prevent the situation from becoming worse than it needed to be.

 Yami's eyes threatened to bulge out of his head at the mention of weapons.

What were four girls no older than high-schoolers doing with weapons?

And why was their almost immediate response to seeing a Monster to try and fight it?!

Yang, Blake and Weiss took what positions they could around their currently unresponsive leader, who seemed to have fallen into a trance after picking up the mysterious golden object.

Making a mental note to talk with Ruby about her poor impulse control, WBY brought out their Scrolls, and called their weapon lockers.

 Or at least, that was the idea.

". . .H-hey! I'm not getting a signal here! I can't call my locker! How's that possible?! Where are we?!" Weiss panicked.

". . . Nuts! Me neither! Either Ruby's new accessory is cutting us off, or we're out of range!" Yang grumbled.

". . .If we don't have our weapons, hand to hand is our only option!" Blake concluded begrudgingly.

"Hand to-?! Are any of us even going to be able to hit that thing?!" Weiss pointed out.

  "It doesn't matter if we can or not! We can't run away from this! Ruby's in danger, she can't move, and we can't move her! Are you just going to leave Ruby alone with that thing?!" Blake scolded.

" . . . I . . ." Weiss trailed off.

". . . Look Weiss, I get it. I don't see how we can pull this off, either. But do you wanna tell Ruby after the fact you didn't even try?" Yang chimed in.

" . . . No, of course not, but what use am I going to be without Myrtenaster?!" Weiss agreed, her tone bitter and frustrated.

"That's simple. You keep an eye on Ruby, let us know if anything changes. And watch our flank." Blake relayed her strategy, undoing her bow to use as a capture weapon against the evil spirit.

 Yami couldn't help but smile.

It seemed Ruby, whomever she might be, was blessed with good friends.

Meanwhile, the Puzzle continued it's gaze into the depths of Ruby's heart, mind, and soul.

Searching for any defining or redeeming qualities or lack thereof within her.

Gauging her dreams, her desires, her motivations, and her deepest, darkest wishes.

 Atop a lonely bluff under a shattered moon, Ruby Rose gazed around her with an absolutely dumbfounded expression. 

Where was she?

Where had she just been?

Where had that neat pyramid necklace gone?

And where was the rest of her team?

 Ruby could hear the mournful howls of Beowolves coming from the dense forest at the bottom of the bluff's path.

She reached for Crescent Rose, but her weapon was absent.

A quick attempt to call her baby to her proved fruitless, too.

Ruby's expression grew more solemn as she realized how nearly defenseless and alone she was at the moment.

And when she tried to use her Semblance to quickly move to a more advantageous position, she stubbed her toe on a rock.

 "OW! Who put this rock here?! Isn't my day going badly and weirdly enough?!" Ruby yelled, at no one in particular.

When she looked down to glower at the offending object, she paused when she noticed that it had a peculiar shape.

Bending down to pick it up, Ruby examined the rock and found it possessed an oddly familiar set of pegs and corners.

Ruby realized that what she had mistaken for a rock was actually a jigsaw puzzle piece made of stone.

Looking around, she found that the path leading back down from the bluff was completely littered in stone jigsaw pieces.

 Ruby wanted to collect them all, because of course she did.

But how? Even if she converted her cloak into a sack to carry them, she didn't know how many of these things there were.

Not to mention that these "Rock Jiggies" were fairly hefty, and that was going to add up.

And Ruby couldn't afford to weigh herself down too much in a Beowolf infested forest.

That was just asking for death.

 All of a sudden, something odd caught her attention.

It was a set of five different picnic baskets.

The first basket was made of gold, and encrusted with jewels that Ruby could tell were made of high grade Dust.

It was the kind of thing Ruby wondered if Weiss would like as a present.

Although, Ruby admitted to herself that it was kind of shallow of her to think of her partner like that.

 The second basket was made of bamboo, and tied together with violet ribbons.

It made Ruby think of Blake almost immediately.

. . . But, was Ruby imagining things, or could she hear something breathing inside the basket?

She wasn't sure she wanted to open the basket and greet the "contents" the hard way.

Especially after her "enlightening" encounter with Blake's "literature" back at Beacon . . . 

 The third basket was made of wicker, but it was old and rotted.

There were also holes everywhere, and the whole thing smelled like it was covered in powdered Burn Dust.

A smell Ruby had gotten uncomfortably familiar with when Weiss had unknowingly salt and pepper shaken the material in question straight up her nostrils.

The wicker basket was a ticking time bomb. ready to spontaneously combust or explode in some poor sap's face.

No, thank you. Ruby had better ideas to transport her cargo than an embodiment of her sister's volatile temper.

 The fourth basket was metal, and resembled Crescent Rose's storage mode.

In fact, the whole basket seemed to be a highly advanced weapon all it's own.

Ruby almost didn't even want to bother looking at the fifth basket with this seductive beauty in the lineup!

There was just one issue with this masterpiece: It's self-defense mechanisms were clearly activated, and it wouldn't let Ruby even hold it until they were bypassed.

It seemed there was a keypad for Ruby to input a password . . . unfortunately, all of Ruby's go to pass-codes were denied.

 And so, Ruby moved on to the final basket . . . and almost gave up at the sight of it.

The final basket was a Brothers-forsaken Grimm.

It's shadowy flesh, scarlet tracery-inlaid bone armor, and blood-red muscle fibers had been wrapped into the traditional shape of a wicker picnic basket.

Ruby could hear the Basket Grimm snarling at her, daring her to pick it up.

"*Whine* . . . Why me?" Ruby moaned in despair.

 Back with the rest of Team RWBY, things weren't going so great.

The dark spirit had a peculiar power to possess whoever attempted to attack it, and then whoever didn't attack was somehow then made to attack instead.

This resulted in Blake attacking, getting possessed, then struck in the schnoz by Yang, who swore up and down that she'd lost control of her fists.

"S-sorry! Sorry! I don't know how it's doing this!" Yang apologized.

" . . . This is getting real old. And my face is really sore." Blake complained.

Obviously, trying to switch who attacked also merely switched who got attacked.

The situation seemed utterly unsolvable.

 . . . And then Weiss got an idea.

" . . . Let me attack it." Weiss declared.

". . . Are you sure? Next to Ruby, you're our worst hand to hand fighter. What if leaving Ruby defenseless like that is what it wants?!" Yang yelled.

"I've got a plan. Trust me, and switch places with me!" Weiss replied, her tone brimming with confidence.

". . . Well, she can't do any worse than we're doing!" Blake shrugged.

" Your faith in me is so touching, Blake." Weiss grumbled.

Then, Weiss sped towards the sinister specter.

"Come on! You want to possess someone?! POSSESS ME!" Weiss roared, challenging the evil ghost.

The Dark Spirit Of The Silent glared at Weiss with all it's malice, and heeded her demand.

As the two opposing entities charged at each other, Weiss ground to a halt and spread her arms wide.

If one didn't know any better, they might think Weiss wanted to hug the malevolent phantasm.

But what Weiss was actually doing was channeling her very soul, focusing the energy of it that she wore all over her body like a warm blanket into a single point directly in front of her.

And she was doing so like she had never done in her life, staking everything on one last desperate gambit.

Finally the evil spirit reached Weiss, and then . . .

 *CLAP!* Weiss clapped her hands with all her might, releasing her accumulated Aura to form a Glyph that trapped the wicked phantom instantly.

" . . .G-Gotcha! . . . H-hurry!  . . .I-I've c-caught . . . I-it, b-but . . . I-I c-can't . . . h-hold i-it . . . f-for l-long! . . . Nnnnnnnggghh!" Weiss strained out, as she pushed her Aura and stamina to their limits in order to hold their foe in place.

"She conjured a Spellbinding Circle all on her own!" Yami gasped, as he watched the scene in amazement.

He hadn't expected the most delicate looking member of the group to be versed in magic.

What he found interesting about her power was that while calling it magic was slightly inaccurate, he sensed that it wasn't too far removed from the Shadow Magic he possessed and had mastered.

 It was almost magic, but not quite.

Very nearly magic, like it was a fragment of True Magic.

A Remnant of True Magic.

A passing Semblance of it.

 "Yeah, ok, great job, Weiss, but now what?" Yang halfheartedly congratulated her teammate.

"Don't be like that, Yang! She's doing her best!" Blake chided her partner.

"I'm not saying it's not awesome Weiss caught him, but what does it matter?! How do we deal with it, now that we got it?! We can't exactly kill a ghost, it's already dead! What, do I just punch it?!" Yang asked incredulously, halfheartedly shoving her fist into the Dark Spirit's face to make her point . . .

At which point her fist somehow breaks the ectoplasmic menace's faux jawline, whereupon it would have shrieked in pain, had it possessed vocal cords.

" . . . Oh. Well, that changes everything! . . . I'm gonna enjoy this!" Yang smiled ferally, her jovial tone reinvigorated as her hair came ablaze.

 If the evil ghost could speak, it would probably have started whimpering in fear . . .

Yang focused her feelings into how fed up she was with her enemy, and throttled the pesky poltergeist with a disturbing amount of enthusiasm.

Within a minute, Yang had successfully walloped the wicked wraith into a spooky paste.

Freed from Weiss's Glyph, but faced with three irritated Huntresses, the Dark Spirit decided that it's prey wasn't worth the trouble.

Glaring spitefully at the girls one last time, the malevolent entity returned to the Shadow Ream from whence it came, fading utterly from the Mortal Realm.

 "Ha. . .ha . . . Yeah. . . and . . . there's . . . more . . . where . . . that . . . came . . . from . . ." Weiss gasped, taunting the Dark Spirit as it retreated, before totally collapsing onto the ground unconscious as her Aura shattered.

"WEISS!" Yang and Blake yelled, immediately concerned for their teammate's well-being.

Chapter Text

  Yang and Blake rushed to Weiss' side, and immediately began checking her for any serious injuries or maladies.

"Check her pulse, Blake!" Yang said worriedly. 

Blake turned and shot her partner a gimlet eye.

". . . She's not that delicate, Yang," Blake responded in a scolding tone; "Weiss has been through a Nightmare much worse than this."

 Yang did not need Blake to elaborate on what she meant by that . . . 

  . . . Back with Ruby, the assorted baskets looked to be mocking her with their enigmatic contents, aside from the one that obviously wanted to eat her.

After thinking about it for way too long, she decided to finally open the Dust-jeweled basket.

The only contents, it turned out, were a single note.

It read: "Camaraderie And Cooperation Will Slay The Mimic".

Ruby figured easily enough that the snarling Basket Grimm was the Mimic in question, though she wasn't clear on the rest of the message, being by herself.

 With no further clues, Ruby took a deep breath to steel herself, and opened the bamboo basket.

She couldn't help "Eep!"-ing as a shadow bounded out like a coiled spring.

A moment later, she soon saw the shadow for what it was; . . . a collared black kitten.

"Meow ~" The stray mewled softly.

Ruby picked up the kitten in confusion and looked them over.

 . . . It seemed to be an otherwise normal and healthy young cat. But why?

Eventually, she read the tag on the collar; . . . "Amity."

"So I guess that's your name?" Ruby pondered out loud.

"Why were you in that basket, Amity?" She asked, not really expecting them to talk.

After all, a cat that spoke would be rather curious, wouldn't it?

 The response came in the form of a very small paw lightly batting her nose, along with the sound of purring.

"Come on," Ruby complained, "how's anyone supposed to concentrate?"

. . . No, she did not squee, what are you talking about? She was awesome, and awesome people don't squee.

With that, the small bundle of fur bounded out of Ruby's grip, and made it's way over to the Weapon Basket.

". . . What, am I supposed to use you to unlock that?" Ruby sarcastically questioned the cat.

 And yet at those words, a thought occurred.

". . . Camaraderie," Ruby mused to herself.

Getting an idea, she entered "Amity" as the passcode . . . and was rewarded with success.

The Weapon Basket whirred to life, a synthetic voice announcing; ". . . [New User Acknowledged. Pandora Online.]"

"So that was it!" Ruby exclaimed with glee; "The passcode was 'Friends'! . . . Man, that's cheesy, even for me."

 The jubilant Huntress in training eagerly hefted her new toy, and after a moment to familiarize herself with Pandora's workings, aimed the barrel at the Mimic.

Sensing danger, the False Treasure Grimm opened itself and shot out what seemed to be it's tongue at Ruby, who sidestepped the pitch black spear as quick as she could.

Despite missing it's target, the Mimic did not retract it's appendage to attack again, and instead began to twist it.

As the dark appendage unfolded, Ruby soon realized that it wasn't the Mimic's tongue at all, but eight arms.

Obsidian, bone spurred limbs lifted their owner off the ground, now serving the role of legs for the world's most demented spider.

 Mostly undeterred, Ruby clicked Pandora's trigger and took joy in the resulting laser blast . . . until the Mimic dodged the shot.

The Grimm's evasive speed rivaled her own, as it grotesquely skittered around for a more advantageous position.

Ruby fired at the enemy again and again to much the same result. and she tsk-ed under her breath. 

". . . Faster than most Grimm I'm used to." She groaned. "That's gonna be hard to pin down."

A soft "Meow" drew her attention back to "Amity" and the remaining baskets.

 ". . . Oh. I get it now." Ruby muttered, and taking a gamble, tossed Pandora aside.

"Well, come on, I'm defenseless!" She taunted her foe.

The Mimic briefly stopped, and seeing no reason to doubt that claim, charged in to drag the hated girl into it's salivating maw.

However, if it had been smarter, it would have seen that it's intended prey had been tricking it.

Ruby's cloak had been obscuring what was behind her, and at the last second, she employed her plan.

 The formerly emptied Bamboo Basket had been used to hold the Dust Jeweled and Fire Hazard Baskets in a stack, and Ruby rammed this combo into the Mimic's unsuspecting mouth.

All the Dust detonated in a devastating chain reaction that knocked the Grimm down, stunning but not quite killing it.

Still, a moment's pause in the Mimic's movements was more than enough for Ruby to finish off her prey with a shot from Pandora.

Ruby took in the sight of the slain Grimm disintegrating as their ilk is bafflingly designed to do, and reveled in her victory.

Her heart leapt to her throat when she felt something brush up against her leg, but a quick look down clarified that it was her new furry friend.

 Ruby knelt down and petted "Amity", until the kitten curled up and fell asleep as it purred.

After falling asleep, however, the cuddly bundle strangely began to turn grey and change shape.

Panicking, Ruby tried to pick up the small cat to save it from whatever malady seemed to have taken it, but . . .

. . . Instead of a kitten, she ended up picking up one of those "Rock Jiggies", her brief companion having turned itself into the object in question.

Her mind numb from the long day, Ruby could only formulate a single response to the oddity that had just taken place; " . . . What?"