End of the Beginning

Beacon vault…

The darkened hallway of the Vault under Beacon is only showing flashes of green and vermilion are illuminated in the darkness. More flashes happen as Ozpin and Cinder Fall clash weapons against each other. After a clash, Cinder slides back, using her hand to melt the floor below her, and summons ice crystals from the newly-formed substance, hurling them towards Ozpin. Ozpin deflects them all by moving at superhuman speed, and then darts forward and delivers a bunch of strikes at Cinder with his cane, with the last blow launching her back. Cinder then floats mid air by unleashing her Maiden power. Ozpin then slams his cane into the floor, forming a spherical force-field around him. Cinder then unleashes a powerful fire blast, with Ozpin leaping into the attack with the barrier protecting him, with Ozpin closes in on Cinder.

Beacon docks...

Air buses are seen picking up the last few civilians and students. Peter Port and Bartholomew Oobleck oversee the evacuation.

"That's it! Everybody on board! This is a mandatory evacuation!" Port said.

"A safe zone has been established in Vale! Please, remain calm and listen to Atlas personnel!" Oobleck said.

Weiss Schnee stares at what is in front of her, in disbelief. She then felt a pulse on Jared's chest and watched as she realized the person in front of her was fading away. Jared then ran up to Weiss out of breath, as he watched that alternative timeline version of him disappear.

"What…" Weiss said, looking up at Jared. "But you were…"

"Long story. That was me. From a year ago." Jared said, as he is wearing his nanotechnology super suit. "I fucked up hard. I really did."

"So, where did that version of you go?"

"Oh. He's somewhere else."

"Somewhere as in…"

As Ruby Rose comes running down the path, Zwei barks to alert Weiss and Jared to their friend's presence, and the two turns around to greet her.

"Ruby!" Weiss said, grabbing Jared's hand.

"Oh, I found the both of you!" Ruby said, happily.

"Ruby, where have you…"

"Don't worry, I'm fine! What's going on?"

"This is why I went so far to use the Skasis Paradigm." Jared said, still unsure of what to say. "I really shouldn't be here. This is wrong. This is so wrong."

"You're older than us." Ruby said, as Weiss and Jared lowered their gazes sadly. "By a year. Weiss? Jared? What is it?"

"The Fall of Beacon and the Year that Never Was was too much for me. The me that's in sync with the two of you will suffer so much."

"What happened to you in the future? Are you really here?"

"I am. But there is something you should know about…"

"Save it." Weiss said, stepping aside, giving Ruby a clear view of Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long lying on the ground. "We can talk later."

Blake and Yang have bandages wrapped around their wounds, and the latter is unconscious.

"I never lost my arm." Jared said, letting out a sigh. "Not really. I was lying unconscious in the Amity Colosseum for a while. The me that was with you, Team RWBY. He'll be here any minute now."

"Okay." Ruby said, watching the future version of Jared walk away to fade away. And the present version of him ran up to the girl filled with guilt.

"I tried to stop him! I tried to stop Adam!" Jared said, letting out some tears. "But I failed! Yang lost her arm! She lost a part of herself!"

Behind them sit Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren, who are too battered and bruised to fight. Blake reaches over and places her hand on Yang's.

"I'm sorry." Blake said, getting tears in her eyes.

Ruby reaches out and opens her mouth to say something, but in her emotional state, she doesn't know what to say.

"I'm so sorry." Blake said, curling up, closing her eyes.

"Yang…" Ruby said, hugging Jared. "Why weren't you there to stop her?"

"Adam would have killed me. I was there in spirit." Jared said, as Ruby cried into his chest. "But I…"

"Hey. She's gonna be okay. The soldiers have a ship ready to take you guys to Vale." Sun said, walking over.

"But Jaune and Pyrrha are still missing." Nora said, attempting to stand, but she quickly sits back down, groaning and holding her side.

"What!?" Ruby exclaimed, looking up at Jared. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I was too busy saving Bumblebee that I forgot." Jared said, wiping the tears off of Ruby's face. "I'm sorry."

"Look, guys, that giant Grimm is circling the school! Even the White Fang are pulling out! We all have to go, now!" Sun said, annoyed.

Jared turned his back to see the Holy Quintet and the Symphogear wielders disappear in a flash of light in front of him.

"We're not...leaving!" Ren said, standing up, but then falls to his knees. "Ugh!"

Sun turns and casts a worried look at Blake.

"We'll find them…" Jared said, changing his nanotechnology super suit into a hard copy of Yukine Chris' Ichaival. "I know we will."

"Jared's right. He hasn't lost hope yet. He still has the sheer willpower to change things." Ruby said, agreeing with Jared. "We'll find them, and we'll bring them back."

"No! The three of us will find them." Weiss said, and she turns to Nora and Ren. "Watch after Blake and Yang. We'll be back."

Ruby, Weiss, and Jared run back toward Beacon Academy, while Sun watches them go.

"You better be! Idiots." Sun said, scoffing.

Beacon Tower…

Jaune and Pyrrha run out of the front door of Beacon Tower. The muffled sounds of Ozpin and Cinder's fight can be heard.

"Okay, I think I have Glynda's number." Jaune said, walking away, to look at his Scroll. "Oh, where is it?"

Pyrrha turns and stares silently at Beacon Tower. Jaune's voice soon breaks her concentration, "Pyrrha? What was all of that?"

"I…" Pyrrha said, turning to look at Jaune.

Their conversation is interrupted by an explosion, followed by Cinder using fire to fly up through the elevator shaft. The two teens stare at the tower in surprise.

"But...Ozpin…" Jaune said.

"There's no time." Pyrrha said, shaking her head, then looks at Jaune, quickly adopting a determined tone. "Go. Get to Vale and call for help."

"Huh? What are you gonna do?" Jaune asked.

Pyrrha slowly turns her head to stare up at the top of Beacon Tower. Following her gaze, Jaune realizes what she plans to do.

"No...no, Pyrrha, you can't. You saw how powerful she is! Pyrrha, I won't let you do…" Jaune said.

Suddenly, Pyrrha grabs Jaune's head in both hands and silences him with a long kiss on the lips. After a moment of hesitation, he gently pulls her in and returns the kiss, while Pyrrha slightly raises her foot behind her. She then pulls away, ending the kiss, and stares into his eyes, one hand on his cheek and the other on his chest.

"I'm sorry." Pyrrha said, sadly.

She then uses her Semblance on his armor, pushing him directly into a nearby locker, which slams shut from the impact.

"Hey! Wait! Stop, stop! Pyrrha, please don't do this!" Jaune said, worried sick.

While Jaune pleads, Pyrrha walks over to the locker and begins typing coordinates into it. She looks him in the eyes one last time, before stepping back and watching the locker fly away. Once it vanishes into the distance, she clenches her fists and, once again, adopts a determined demeanor as she walks toward the tower.

Once she steps through the entrance, she runs to the nearest elevator and uses her Semblance to force the doors open. Inside, she finds that Cinder has left a large hole in the floor and roof of the elevator on her way up. Pyrrha steps inside the elevator, closes her eyes, and begins mustering all of her strength. The elevator begins shaking. She focuses even harder, straining herself, until the elevator begins a quick ascent toward the top.

Beacon Academy...

"We can do this." Jared said, holding Ruby's hand. "I know we can."

"Why didn't you tell us any of this would happen?" Ruby asked. "I, um, thought we're friends. Friends don't keep secrets from each other."

"I know."

"If you wanted to stop this, you could have told us." Weiss said, as her Scroll began ringing. "It's Jaune!" She answers. "Where are you?"

Jaune is in the street somewhere in Vale. There's panic in his voice, "Weiss! Please, you have to stop her!"

"What!?"

"Pyrrha! She's going after that woman at the top of the tower! She doesn't stand a chance!" Jaune said.

"Jaune, what are you talking about!? Where are you?" Weiss asked.

"Damn it, Pyrrha." Jared said, pacing back and forth. "I shouldn't have sent Sayaka. I should have known she would mess up."

Jaune shouts into the Scroll's speaker, "Don't worry about me!"

"I know." Jared said, stopping for a moment, a look of guilt on his face. "I know."

Jaune leans against a wall and speaks at a normal volume, his voice full of sadness now, "Please, you have to save Pyrrha."

"We will. Are you okay?" Weiss asked.

Vale Streets...

With one last flare of emotion, Jaune screams and throws his Scroll onto the ground, breaking it. He collapses onto his hands and knees, crying.

"Please…" Jaune said. "Why did I ever decide on traveling with Jared? Knowing he influenced Pyrrha on doing this…"

Beacon Academy...

"Jaune? Jaune!" Weiss said, annoyed.

The ground shakes, alerting Ruby, Weiss, and Jared to the danger that approaches them. The Wyvern flies into view, circling Beacon Tower with black ooze dripping from it. It perches on one of the arches stemming from the tower and utters a screech.

Ruby draws Crescent Rose, shifting it into its scythe form in preparation for the Grimm spawning from the ooze, "I have a plan."

"You always do." Weiss said, drawing her Myrtenaster.

"This is gonna get crazy." Jared said, looking down at the nanotechnology super suit. "Or bittersweet."

Beacon Tower...

At the top of the tower, in Ozpin's office, a large amount of smoke flows out from the elevator, masking the entrance of Cinder Fall. She confidently strides to the window across the room, a smirk on her face. As if sensing her presence, the Wyvern climbs up to the top, peers at her through the window, and screeches.

"Shhhh...this is your home now." Cinder said, with a gentle, comforting tone.

The Wyvern stares at her and utters a shorter, quieter screech. Cinder backs away from the window and holds her hand out to the side, creating a fireball in her palm. The sound of sparks distracts her, and she looks over her shoulder at the elevator, her fireball dissipating. After a few moments, the sparks come to a stop, and immediately upon the elevator doors' opening, Pyrrha's spear flies toward Cinder, who casually leans to her right to dodge with a smirk on her face.

The spear is soon followed by Pyrrha's shield, backed by Pyrrha herself, and Cinder puts her arms up, blocking it and pushing it away. While Cinder uses fire to hover in the air, Pyrrha calls her spear and shield back to her with polarity, staring down her opponent. Cinder gains a fiery glow around her eyes and swipes her hand through the air, attacking Pyrrha with an arc of fire. She then shoots a stream of fire, which Pyrrha dives over.

Six small fireballs form in a circle behind Cinder, and she sends another streak of fire toward Pyrrha, who barely avoids it. Once again, the Maiden sends a stream of fire the young redhead's way, but this time, Pyrrha blocks it with her shield. She leaps toward Cinder, powering through the flame, and as soon as the fire stops, she spins around and slashes Cinder's arm with her spear. However, Cinder catches the blade and pulls, turning Pyrrha around. Cinder slams her palm into Pyrrha's stomach, and fire bursts forth, blasting Pyrrha away.

Pyrrha slams into a wall and falls to her hands and knees. She then stands back up and faces Cinder with determination still in her eyes. Cinder propels herself forward with flames jetting from her hands, smirking once again. She attempts to slam into Pyrrha's abdomen, but Pyrrha leaps into the air above her and wraps her arm around Cinder's. As Cinder slows to a stop, Pyrrha positions herself to place her feet on the wall behind her and pushes off, flipping herself over Cinder. She uses the momentum to flip and toss Cinder across the floor.

Cinder lands on her front and, as she slides, she pushes off the floor to get back on her feet and perform a back-handspring. Her smirk turns into a look of slight concern upon the sight of Pyrrha charging forward to slam her shield into Cinder's abdomen and push her over. As Cinder stumbles backwards, Pyrrha hits Cinder's right hand with the blunt end of her spear, then slashes Cinder's left hand with the spear's blade. She then spins around and slashes across Cinder's abdomen and legs.

Pyrrha spins around to attack again, but Cinder performs a backflip whilst kicking Pyrrha, with flames trailing behind her foot. The kick knocks Pyrrha into the air, and Pyrrha quickly rights herself. She flips her spear in her grip, holds it back, and then tosses it toward Cinder while firing the gun mechanism. Six fireballs appear around Cinder again, but they dissipate when Cinder backhands the spear away. Pyrrha's shield then flies toward her, and she hits it away, as well. After being momentarily distracted by the shield, Cinder returns her attention to Pyrrha and gains a look of slight surprise, then annoyance.

Pyrrha launches herself toward Cinder and puts her arms around her, tackling her. The two turn each other in mid-air, fighting to be the one on top. Upon their landing, the room fills with a white cloud. When the dust settles, Pyrrha has Cinder in a choke hold, and Cinder is barely managing to hold Pyrrha's spear away from her neck. The Wyvern flies away, and Cinder's eyes begin glowing as she applies heat to the spear in her hands. Her grip tightens as she heats the spear more and more, staring over her shoulder at Pyrrha.

Upon hearing a loud screech, Cinder turns her gaze ahead and smirks, while Pyrrha gains a look of fear. While Pyrrha sets her focus on the Wyvern that is flying toward the tower, Cinder finally snaps the spear's melted blade into pieces. Just before the Wyvern slams its wing into the roof of Ozpin's office, Cinder elbows Pyrrha in the abdomen. The room fills with a green glow as the windows shatter and Pyrrha goes flying across the room. Giant cogs and debris come crashing down in the office, and the structure containing the CCT's transmitter falls to the ground outside, in pieces.

Pyrrha crawls toward her shield, while Cinder watches on from her position levitating off the floor with flame jetting from her feet. While looking for a way to distract Cinder, Pyrrha notices Ozpin's collapsed metal desk and uses her polarity to throw it at the corrupt Maiden, knocking her to the floor. She then quickly grabs her shield and rolls across the floor, sitting up on her knees and holding the shield up. With a burst of flame, Cinder throws the desk off of herself and levitates in the air.

Pyrrha rolls out of the way of two streams of fire that Cinder sends her way and attempts to block a third. However, the force of the third sends Pyrrha tumbling backward, and the floor momentarily catches fire while Pyrrha rolls to her feet. From behind the wall of flame, Pyrrha throws her shield at Cinder, who confidently backhands it away. She then looks up in surprise to see a multitude of giant cogs floating in the air around her. Using her polarity, Pyrrha directs her shield to knock Cinder's feet from beneath her and then slams a cog down on Cinder's abdomen to pin her to the floor. She calls her shield back to her arm, then brings the cogs together into a pile on top of Cinder. However, Cinder blasts them away with a powerful burst of fire, sending them in all directions. One of the cogs flies toward Pyrrha, who raises her shield to block, in vain. The force of the impact slams her into the remains of a wall, taking away the last of her Aura.

Beacon Academy...

On the ground below, Ruby, Weiss, and Jared fight off Grimm.

"We've gotta hurry!" Ruby said, looking back at Jared and Weiss.

"This is what I've been trying to prevent since 2005!" Jared said, wearing his version of the Ichaival Relic armor, through the nanotechnology. "Pyrrha…"

Weiss looks around for a moment, before casting a series of glyphs up the side of the tower, "You can do this."

"Yeah." Jared said, running forward with Ruby. "We know."

Ruby uses her Semblance to carry Jared, and for the two to propel themselves up to the first glyph. The two then sprint up the wall, the glyphs propelling Ruby and Jared forward and keeping them from falling off.

Beacon Tower…

Cinder forms an obsidian bow in her hand. As she raises it up and draws back an obsidian arrow, Pyrrha charges forward, spins, and throws her shield at her. Cinder looses the arrow, which shatters upon impact with the side of the shield. However, as the fragments part ways above and below the shield, they glow orange and rejoin each other on the other side. The fragments melt into each other and cool into the shape of an arrow, which continues on its path directly into Pyrrha's ankle. Pyrrha collapses in pain. She attempts to pull herself to her feet, but the pain is too much. Both ends of the arrow break off, making removal impossible. She turns over onto her hands and knees as Cinder moves to stand in front of her.

"It's unfortunate you were promised a power that was never truly yours." Cinder said, kneeling down and lifts Pyrrha's chin, staring into her eyes and smiling. "But take comfort in knowing that I will use it in ways you could never have imagined."

Pyrrha pulls away, sitting up and matching Cinder's stare, "Do you believe in destiny?"

"Yes." Cinder said, frowning, narrowing her eyes.

Cinder stands back up and forms an obsidian bow and arrow again. She pulls back the arrow, lowering the bow to aim at her weakened opponent.

"Yes!" Jared said, as he finally reached the top of the tower with Ruby. "Now we should…"

"Should do what?" Ruby asked, as she and Jared landed in a kneeling position.

"We should stop Cinder…" Jared said, looking upon the scene with Ruby, seeing Pyrrha sitting with her eyes closed, accepting the fate that awaits her. "No…"

"We're too late." Ruby said, while Cinder loses the arrow, which plants itself directly in the center of Pyrrha's chest. "I thought…"

"Same." Jared said, and he and Ruby watches in horror as Pyrrha gasps in pain, the wound in her chest emitting a red glow. "I should have stopped this! I have all of the power in the world to!"

Cinder approaches her fallen foe and places a hand on Pyrrha's head, using her Maiden powers to flash incinerate her.

Pyrrha instantly ceases all movement and sound, her body glowing orange and then scattering as embers. Her headdress remains in Cinder's hand, and the villain drops it on the floor.

"Oh boy, silver eyes." Jared said, making the nanotechnology wrap around his body, and he wrapped the helmet on his head. "This isn't good."

This scene is reflected in Ruby's silver eyes, which widen in despair and become filled with tears. Ruby clenches her fists, curls her arms to her body, and then suddenly flings her arms out to the sides, beginning to levitate slightly off the ground. Brilliant white light flows from her eyes as she screams out the name of her dear friend.

"PYRRHAAAAAA!!!!" Ruby said, as the white light envelopes her, spreading out to the Wyvern and Cinder.

"WHAT?!" Cinder exclaimed, in complete shock.

"I never knew that silver eyes could turn out like that." Jared said, looking over at Qrow. "Hey."

"Hi." Qrow said, using his fingers to make a whistling noise. "Thank you."

"For what?" Jared asked.

"Taking care of my niece."

"It's alright. I got ya, kiddo. I got ya." Qrow said, picking up Ruby.

Atlesian Airship...

Radio static can be heard in the background.

"Nothing." Taiyang said, letting out a sigh.

"Just turn it off. Without the CCT, there's no point." Qrow said.

"There really isn't any point to listening to that." Jared said, looking down at Ruby. "Turn it off, please."

"Communication down across the entire Kingdom, no way to contact the outside world...and Ozpin's still missing." Taiyang said.

"Yeah." Qrow said.

"Yup. We're pretty much fucked all over." Jared said, sipping on some milk tea. "If the Year that Never Was comes after this...I don't know if I can make it back here alive."

"That sounds like hell. I feel bad for you. This is bad, Qrow, Jared." Taiyang said.

"Yeah, this is bad." Qrow said.

"Really bad." Jared said, placing the empty cup on the floor.

Ruby's bedroom…

Jared is sitting on another bed watching a Ruby sleeping in her gray pajamas. He is playing on his Nintendo Switch with Sword Art Online:Hollow Realization loaded up. Birds are tweeting and sunlight is streaming onto the wall behind the bed's headboard. After a few seconds, she wakes up and looks over to see her father asleep in a chair, and Jared pausing his game to look at one of his best friends. She sits up and sighs quietly, causing Taiyang to stir awake.

"Ruby!" Taiyang said, getting up and runs to kneel by her bed. "You're awake!"

"Hey there, Little Red!" Jared said, placing his Nintendo Switch on his bed. "I was, um, so worried! About you…"

"Ugh...what happened?" Ruby asked.

"Your uncle Qrow found you, unconscious. He and Jared got you out of there, though, and brought you home safe." Taiyang said.

"When did you get more nervous?" Ruby asked, looking at Jared.

"After what happened…" Jared said, sadly. "During the Fall of Beacon. I got way too cocky and overconfident. I wanted to, um, change things."

Ruby looks down in thought for a split second, then looks at Taiyang and Jared, "Oh. That does make a bit of sense. Wait! Yang! Is she alright!?"

"Yang…" Jared said, playing around with his hands. "I think she's fine. Until the end…"

"He's right. I think it's just gonna take some time for her to get used to things. She's too strong to let this stop her." Taiyang said, covering his eyes for a moment, sniffling, then looks up, smiling. "I'm just glad to have my girls back at home."

"What happened to the school?! And Vale?! Were they able to clear out the Grimm?" Ruby asked.

"Things at Vale are under control, but the school...it's...it's not that simple."

"That Giant Grimm above the school." Jared said, thinking back as to what he saw. "I don't think it's dead. You did an amazing job stopping it, or damaging it. A number on it, really."

"But it's not disappearing. It's... kind of... frozen. I know that doesn't sound too bad, but it keeps attracting more Grimm to the school." Taiyang said, expanding on what Jared said.

"I did...what?" Ruby asked, tilting her head.

"What are you talking about?" Jared asked.

"You said I did a number on it. What do you mean?"

"I can tell you later. We can tell you. I think we shouldn't bring it up for a while." Jared said, placing his Nintendo Switch inside its case.

"Things are just...kind of a mess." Taiyang said.

"It's always a mess." Qrow said.

Ruby, Taiyang, and Jared look to see Qrow suddenly standing in the room, near the door.

Qrow finishes off the contents of his flask before continuing, "Mind if we have a minute?"

"What, I can't stay here?!" Taiyang exclaimed.

"Tai. Please." Qrow said.

Taiyang stands up, sighs, and then leans in to kiss Ruby on the forehead.

"I'm glad you're alright." Taiyang said, as he started to walk away. "I'll go make us some tea."

Taiyang glares at Qrow on the way out, but the latter doesn't appear to care. As Qrow approaches Ruby's bed, he grabs the chair and drags it with him. He then spins it around to face the bed and sits in it with a significant slouch, crossing one leg over the other.

"So, Ruby, how are you?" Jared asked, looking at the silver eyed girl. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Um...I kind of hurt...all over." Ruby said.

"That makes sense, after what you did." Qrow said, chuckling, before crossing his arms.

"You guys keep saying that! That I did something! What are you talking about?!"

Qrow uncrosses his arms and legs, leaning forward in the chair, "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Jared, we ran up the side of the tower, and when we got to the top, I…" Ruby said, gasping, sadness in her eyes. "Pyrrha! Is she...?"

"Ruby, she's gone…" Jared said, looking down guilty.

"Jared, we... " Ruby said, tears fill her eyes. "We...we got to the top…" She begins crying. "...and we saw Pyrrha…"

"Yeah, she died. I tried to stop it as much as you, Ruby. Believe me, I tried everything. I tried…"

"You didn't stop her." Ruby said, angrily. "and Cinder…" She grips her blanket, tears falling onto it. "...and then everything went white!"

"Anything else?" Qrow asked.

"I remember…" Ruby said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "...my head hurting."

"The night you met Ozpin, what was the first thing he said to you?"

"I...I don't know. I think it was something about…"

"Silver eyes. That's an extremely rare trait."

"So?"

"Ruby, um, I think you're special." Jared said, smiling. "As special as Madoka Kaname or Hibiki Tachibana. And not in the 'Daddy loves his special angel' kind of way. One that doesn't involve becoming the Law of the Cycles or wielding the Gungnir."

"Ruby, you're special the same way your mom was. Remnant's full of legends and stories, some of them true, some made up. But there's one Oz told me from a very long time ago. Back before Huntsmen, before Kingdoms, it was said that those born with silver eyes were destined to lead the life of a warrior. You see, the creatures of Grimm, the most fearsome monsters mankind had ever encountered, were afraid of those silver-eyed warriors. They were the best of the best. It was said that even a single look from one of these fighters could strike a Grimm down. Heh. It's a ridiculous story." Qrow said.

"But...you think that I might be…" Ruby said.

"Well, a giant monster is currently frozen on top of Beacon Tower. And you're here, safe in bed." Qrow said, chuckling.

Qrow gets to his feet and walks over to a window, leaning on the sill and staring outside.

"Wait, wait, how did you know what Ozpin said to me...the night we met? I know that Jared knows due to this being an anime to him, when it was him. But how did you know?" Ruby asked, looking over at Jared, then at Qrow.

"All those missions I go on...all the times I'm away in some far-off place...it's been for Ozpin." Qrow said.

"Ozpin's missing, he's been for a while now. I looked, believe me, I tried. But something's happening. Or has happened." Jared said, letting out a sigh. "I didn't start it, someone else did. And it's kept going."

"With Oz gone, I'll have to pick up where he left off." Qrow said, happy with Jared saving some of the explaining.

"And what could I do? If I'm so special, then I can help, right?" Ruby asked.

"You really wanna help? Get some rest. You're in no condition to go anywhere right now." Qrow said, and he starts heading to the door.

"And I'm not in the best shape to fight. I've been getting more depressed every single day. After losing so much." Jared said, agreeing with Qrow. "I'm staying here with Ruby, as long as I deem fit."

You're right, you also need some rest, next to my niece. Besides, our enemy's trail leads all the way to Haven. That'd be quite a trip for a pipsqueak like you." Qrow said, winking at Ruby. "Catch ya later, kiddo. And keep her safe at all costs. I don't want to beat your ass later."

"Right." Jared said, watching Qrow leave the room.

"So, what will you do now?" Ruby asked, as Jared is sitting next to Ruby. "Are you going to stick around? Or…"

"I don't know. I felt like I failed. Failed at stopping Pyrrha and Penny from dying. Failed at stopping Rose from being sent to Pete's World. I don't know if I even deserve to be called a huntsman or an Avenger."

"But the Avengers. They aren't a thing yet, are they?"

"No. They're not. Ruby, I just don't know what to do now. The Year that Never Was is coming soon. And I'm scared...I'm scared to death. Um, what would you do if you were me?"

"I don't know." Ruby said, looking at the window that Qrow looked out of, then stares at herself in a mirror hanging on the wall across from her bed. "You're in a standstill as much as me. This has affected you the most. Hasn't it?"

"Yeah. Because I knew that this was coming. All of it. What happened to Weiss, Blake, Yang, Penny, Pyrrha. I think I should…"

"Wait. You said that you're not ready to fight yet." Ruby said, placing her hand on top of Jared's. "Stay. For me."

"Fine. Are we gonna talk to Yang?"

"The last time I saw her. She lost…"

"Her arm. Yes. I'm sorry. I should! I should have stopped it!"

Yang's room...

Yang sits alone in a spare bedroom, staring out a window. Her remaining piece of Ember Celica rests on the nightstand next to the bed. Ruby and Jared stands in the doorway.

"Yang?" Ruby asked, waiting for a moment.

"I think we should go." Jared said, when Ruby didn't receive a response from Yang. "She must still be upset."

"Yeah." Ruby said, turning around to leave.

"Ruby." Yang said.

Ruby turns back around, and Yang turns her head to look at her younger sister, tears now in her eyes.

Ruby runs over and hugs her, "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"But I'm not." Yang said, and Ruby frowns and releases the hug. "It's all gone...the school, Penny, Pyrrha, and…"

"And I should have taken your place." Jared said, looking at Yang's severed arm. "I should have been the one to save her."

"You were using augmented reality. You left us to fend for ourselves. The Holy Quintet and the Symphogear wielders included."

"I know." Jared said, sadly. "I'm sorry."

"I don't know if sorry is the right word to use." Yang said, looking at her severed arm.

"Yang, Jared, where are Weiss and Blake?" Ruby asked.

"Weiss' father...came for her." Jared said, looking away guiltily. "Like how the Secret Society came for Joy in the House of Anubis. Or like how the Law of Cycles come for magical girls before they become witches."

"What? What do you mean?"

"Yang, tell her." Jared said, frowning.

"No one outside of Vale knows what happened here. Before the tower fell, the last thing people saw was Atlas attacking innocent people and Grimm destroying the city. Everyone's scared. No one knows who to trust. So, Weiss' father came to take her back to Atlas, where he thinks it's safe. She's gone." Yang said.

"Well, what about…" Ruby said.

"And Blake ran! Sun saw her go. After we got to the city, she just...ran!" Yang said, angrily.

"But...why!?"

"I don't know...and I don't care."

"There has to be a reason she…"

"No, there doesn't! Sometimes bad things just happen, Ruby!"

"So, what do we do now?"

"You can do whatever you want. I'm gonna lie here."

"Yang…"

"Just leave me alone."

Ruby slowly leaves the room with Jared, but she pauses in the doorway, looking over her shoulder to say one last thing, "I love you."

Hallway...

"Ruby, I think overtime after we lost Penny and Pyrrha…" Jared said, looking at Ruby. "I lost my confidence. I honestly thought I could save them. With extra help. But all I became was a nuisance. Something to hold you back."

"But we can work this out." Ruby said, smiling. "I know we can."

"In what world do we work this out?"

"This one? I guess. Well, we need to think things through first. Like, how are we gonna get to Haven?"

"We can't do it with it being just the both of us. We need some help, somehow."

"Maybe we should call Jaune, Ren, and Nora."

Yang's bedroom...

A leaf falls from the tree outside Yang's window and slowly drifts to the ground. Over time, the ground becomes covered in snow.

Taiyang's home...

Ruby and Jared step outside, wearing backpacks, and the fanboy quietly shut the front door.

"Hey." Jaune said.

"Hi." Jared said, holding Ruby's hand.

"Hey, Jaune. Haven's a long way to go." Ruby said.

"I know. It's the only way we have." Jaune said.

"Are you sure you want to come along?" Ruby asked.

"The journey will be perilous, and whether we'll find answers at the end is entirely uncertain." Ren said.

"But we wouldn't be here if we weren't up for it." Nora said.

"Then let's get started." Ruby said.

"Come on. Haven's waiting for us. I'm looking forward to spending time with you guys for a little while." Jared said, squeezing Ruby's hand.

The five begin their long trek, down the road leading away from Taiyang's home.

Salem's domain...

"A smaller, more honest soul...it's true that a simple spark can ignite hope, breathe fire into the hearts of the weary. The ability to derive strength from hope is undoubtedly mankind's greatest attribute. Which is why I will focus all of my power...to snuff it out." Salem said.

As the above is spoken, Taiyang is seen bringing breakfast to Ruby's bedroom, but suddenly drops it when he sees she's not there. The concerned father then runs out of the room, unaware of the note Ruby left behind on her bed. As Taiyang runs past Yang's bedroom, she notices a crow perched on a branch, before watching it fly off.

"How does it feel, knowing that all of your time and effort has been for nothing? That your guardians have failed you? That everything you've built will be torn down before your very eyes? Your faith in mankind was not misplaced. When banded together, unified by a common enemy, they are a noticeable threat. But divide them, place doubt into their minds, and any semblance of power they once had will wash away." Salem said.

As the above is spoken, Grimm are seen marching toward the ruins of Beacon. In Vale, Glynda is seen trying to repair a shop with her telekinesis, but fails to hold it together. Elsewhere, Blake is seen running across rooftops. She stops to notice Beacon in the distance before continuing onward. Weiss is then shown sitting in a passenger plane with her father.

"Of course, they won't realize it at first. Like you, they'll cling to their fleeting hope, their aspirations. But this is merely the first move." Salem said.

As the above is spoken, Ruby is seen visiting her mother's gravestone again, before turning to join Jaune, Nora, Ren, and Jared.

"So you send your guardians, your Huntsmen and Huntresses, and when they fail and you turn to your smaller soul, know that you send her to the same pitiful demise." Salem said.

As the above is spoken, the scene then shifts revealing an ominous-looking stone stairway lined with dark, purple crystals. There is a figure in black overlooking a barren wasteland.

"This is the beginning of the end, Ozpin…" Salem said, turning her head towards the audience in the room. "And I can't wait to watch you burn."

Her eyes glow ominously as she makes an evil grin.

Qrow is seen watching Ruby and her friends continuing on their journey. He then holds up Ozpin's cane, before jumping from the cliff. A crow takes his place and flies towards Ruby's group.