Here it is. The finale for this current volume. There will be some things that will be revealed by reading past this section. Okay then, hope you enjoy the chapter!
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*3rd Person POV*
Outside the Beacon grounds, Velvet groans as she struggles to get up, only to get knocked back down when Coco bumps into her after getting knocked away from a Paladin. Neon and Reese dodge and weave between groups of students as they fight against Grimm plus the infected Atlesian Knights and Paladins. The rest of Team ASCH surrounds a Griffon attacking it with bullets and fireballs, as Bolin knocks a Knight aside. Reese spins her board and slices through another as she passes by it. Vert creates some wind as Rosa lights it on fire and they launch it at a wave of Grimm to their left, disintegrating them easily. To their right, Nero is slicing Atlesian Knights in two as they approach him.
Nearby, Sun and Neptune try to hold back a Paladin, while Nora and Ren decimate another group of Knights. Yatsuhashi is seen fighting another Griffon while Fox dashes over from a pile of robot parts. Two Creeps rush at Flynt who uses his trumpet to send the first one flying. Neon and Reese use their weapons to freeze a second Paladin's legs in place. Weiss then arrives on the battlefield, and charges in but gets swatted aside by its arm.
Neptune: "Weiss!"
Yatsuhashi tries to hold back a Paladin's fist with his sword, but he gets overpowered and knocked back. The Paladin then turns to and starts approaching a distracted Ren.
Nora: "Look out!" She pushes Ren out of the way of the Paladin's incoming strike, taking the hit instead.
Ren: "Nora! No!" He reaches out to her, but gets knocked back by the Paladin too.
Coco and Neptune fire their weapons at the Paladin, but it is unfazed.
Neptune: "Uh, this is bad."
Coco: "Well, I guess now's a better time than any. Velvet!"
Velvet: (excited) "Really?"
Coco: "Just make them count." Velvet nods and walks up to the Paladins.
Weiss: "What are you doing!? She's going to get hurt!"
Coco: "Just watch."
Velvet holds her hand out as Anesidora, her weapon, glows, forming a scythe. Grabbing the copy of Crescent Rose, Velvet leaps into the air, dodging cannon fire. As she imitates Ruby's overhead spin, she descends, slashing at the Paladin. She then replicates Myrtenaster, Weiss' rapier, to deflect the Paladin's punch and land a few blows before pushing it back with an Ember Celica imitation of Yang's gauntlets. Once after she lands a few shots, she slides under the Paladin's fist, similar to Blake as she uses a Gambol Shroud copy and uses its string to trip over the mech, before moving to the second Paladin by lopping off its hand with a copy of Blue Flash, Azure's sword, and jabbing it in the head with the blade.
Before it can react, it is immediately peppered with holographic bullets, thanks to a copy of Gianduja, Coco's minigun. As it moves forward, Velvet switches to using Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang, Sun's weapon, to counter a blow, as she lands another few hits while landing a downward blow from above with a copy of Magnhild, Nora's hammer, severing a limb.
As the first Paladin attempts to recover, Velvet immediately copies Floating Array, Penny's weapon, as she leaps off the second Paladin and slices apart its legs before blasting it at full power. However, the first Paladin sucker punches Velvet.
Velvet: "Aah!" She is sent skidding from the blow, landing on her back.
Coco: "Velvet!"
At this, Coco unloads her weapon on the Paladin to no avail, Neptune, Nadir, and Reese rush to her side and add their own firepower. But the barrage has little effect and the Paladin continues to loom over Velvet.
Furious, Weiss immediately rushes in past the others, as she instinctively uses a summoning glyph, confusing her. When she gets in between Velvet and the Paladin about to bring its fist down, she raises Myrtenaster defensively then closes her eyes and grits her teeth. A thud is heard as she looks up and discovers she summoned the arm and sword of the Arma Gigas she fought before, which blocks the Paladin's fist and bisects the machine in half. She takes a brief look at her summoning before being surprised by a camera flash, which was taken by a smiling Velvet.
But before they can take a breath, another advanced Paladin rushes in from the corner and begins to charge at them.
Sun: "You have got to be kidding me!"
The students stand prepared to fight the Atlesian Paladin that is charging toward them. However, electricity arcs across it and it suddenly powers down, collapsing and sliding to a stop in front of them.
Sun: "Hm. That went better than expected."
Weiss doubles over, exhausted, leaning on Myrtenaster to keep herself standing.
Yang: "Weiss!" She runs to Weiss. "You're okay! Have you heard from Ruby?"
Weiss shakes her head. Nero then walks up to them.
Nero: "Have any of you seen Azure?" They shake their heads no and he looks down.
Yang: "What about Blake?"
Weiss: "She went after an Alpha... and some members of the White Fang." She said while pointing to the direction Blake went. Nero knew this could be bad.
Yang: "You look for Ruby. I'll meet up with Blake."
Nero: "I'll go with you. If the White Fang are here, things will get messy."
Yang and Nero hurry off in the direction that Weiss pointed, while the heiress gives a thumbs up to the two of them.
*Over with Blake...*
A red haired Faunus with black horns named Adam Taurus stands opposite of Blake.
Adam: "This could've been our day! Can't you see that!?"
Blake: "I never wanted this! I wanted equality! I wanted peace!" She raises her sword, its blade folding into sickle mode, and shoots at Adam, who blocks both bullets with his sword.
Adam: "What you want is impossible!" He sheathes his sword and backhands Blake across her face, knocking her over.
Adam: "But I understand because all I want is you, Blake." She begins to raise her sickle again, only for him to kick it out of her hand, knocking her over once again.
Adam: "And as I set out upon this world and deliver the justice mankind so greatly deserves, I will make it my mission to destroy everything you love."
Yang: "Blake!" Her voice draws their attention to one of the broken windows. She soon comes into view and shoots a White Fang member while Nero slices another member, before looking around for their teammate.
Yang: "Blake! Where are you!?"
Adam looks at Blake to see her terrified expression, then returns his gaze to Yang and Nero.
Adam: "Starting with them." He draws his sword and stabs it into Blake's abdomen near her left hip, causing her to shriek in pain.
The cry catches Nero and Yang's attention.
Yang: "Huh?"
Nero: "Blake?"
Adam stands upright, pulling his sword from Blake's flesh and turning to face Yang and Nero as they get closer. Yang sees Blake injured and gets mad, activating her Semblance as her eyes go red and her hair starts glowing.
Yang: "Get away from her!"
Blake: (whispering) "No... please..."
Adam sheathes his sword, smiling. Nero notices this and tries to stop Yang, but it was too late. She leaps at Adam, drawing her fist back with tears in her eyes. Adam swiftly draws his sword, swinging it through the air at Yang, as his Semblance activates. As Yang flies through the air, the lower half of her right arm separates from her.
Yang flies through the air, beginning to lose consciousness, with glowing yellow Aura splattering out from her wound. She lands on the floor and lays there on her side, completely still. He sets his sights on Nero, who goes to defend himself against Adam's next attack. But he was too fast for Nero as his stomach gets sliced, then his back gets slashed twice before Nero loses his Aura and he goes unconscious before getting kicked towards Yang.
Adam slowly walks toward Yang and Nero's unconscious bodies and swings his sword out to the side, flicking their blood from its blade. Before he can reach the two, Blake throws herself between them, giving him a determined stare.
Adam: (frowning) "Why must you hurt me, Blake?"
Adam swings his sword, and Blake's head detaches from her neck. However, both her body and her head suddenly vanish, and Adam turns to watch the real Blake flee, dragging Yang and Nero with her. He begins slowly walking after her, not even bothering to look at the Creep that attempts to ambush him as he cuts it down.
*1st Person POV*
Me and Ruby make it back to Beacon, and as we come running down the path to Beacon, I hear Zwei barking, which makes Weiss turns around to see us.
Weiss: "Ruby! Azure!"
Ruby: "Oh, we found you!"
Weiss: "Ruby, where have you-"
Ruby: "Don't worry, I'm fine! What's going on?"
Unsure of what to say, Weiss lowers her gaze sadly.
Ruby: "Weiss? What is it?"
Azure: "What happened, Weiss?"
Weiss steps aside, giving Ruby and I a clear view of Blake, Yang, and Nero lying on the ground. All three have bandages wrapped around their wounds, and the latter two are unconscious. Behind them sit Nora, Ren, Vert, and Rosa, who are too battered and bruised to fight. Blake reaches over and places her hand on Yang's.
Blake: "I'm sorry." She gets 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 reach out to Nero, but I couldn't. Vert and Rosa give me a sympathetic look.
Blake: "I'm so sorry."
Ruby: "Yang..."
Azure: "Nero..."
Sun then appeared next to us.
Sun: "Hey. They're gonna be okay. The soldiers have a ship ready to take you guys to Vale."
Nora: "But Jaune and Pyrrha are still missing."
Nora attempts to stand, but she quickly sits back down, groaning and holding her side.
Ruby/Azure: "What!?"
Sun: "Look, guys, that giant Grimm is circling the school! Even the White Fang are pulling out! We all have to go, now!"
Ren: "We're not... leaving!" He stands up, but then falls to his knees. "Ugh!"
Sun turns and casts a worried look at Blake.
Ruby: "I'll find them... I'll find them, and I'll bring them back."
Weiss: "No! We will find them." She turns to Nora and Ren. "Watch after Blake and Yang. We'll be back."
Azure: "I'm joining you girls as well." I turn to Rosa and Vert. "You two look after Nero."
Vert: "Stay safe, Azure."
Rosa: "We believe in you."
Ruby, Weiss, and I run back toward Beacon Academy, while Sun watches us go.
Sun: "You better be! Idiots."
We are on our way back to Beacon campus, when Weiss' scroll begins ringing.
Weiss: "It's Jaune!" She answers the call. "Where are you?"
Jaune: (Scroll) "Weiss! Please, you have to stop her!"
Weiss: "What!?"
Jaune: (Scroll) "Pyrrha! She's going after that woman at the top of the tower! She doesn't stand a chance!"
Weiss: "Jaune, what are you talking about!? Where are you?"
Jaune: (Scroll) "Don't worry about me! Please, you have to save Pyrrha."
Weiss: "We will. Are you okay?" We hear Jaune scream before the call cuts out.
Weiss: "Jaune? Jaune!"
The ground shakes, alerting Ruby, Weiss, and I to the danger that approaches us. 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 take Blue Flash out as well.
Ruby: "I have a plan."
Weiss: "You always do."
Azure: "Well then, let's hear it."
Ruby then explained her plan to me and Weiss. On the ground below, we fight off the many Grimm that kept on appearing.
Ruby: "We've gotta hurry!"
Weiss looks around for a moment, before casting a series of glyphs up the side of the tower.
Azure: "Let's do this, Ruby!"
Ruby: "Yeah!"
Weiss: "You two can do this."
Ruby and I run forward, then she uses her Semblance while I use mine to propel ourselves up to the first glyph. We then sprint up the wall, the glyphs propelling us forward and keeping us from falling off.
Ruby and I finally reach the top of the tower. We looks upon the scene, seeing Pyrrha sitting with her eyes closed, accepting the fate that awaits her. Cinder looses the arrow, which plants itself directly in the center of Pyrrha's chest. We watch in horror as Pyrrha gasps in pain, the wound in her chest emitting a red glow. 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. This scene is reflected in both of our silver eyes, which widen in despair and become filled with tears as we close them.
'I failed to protect Penny, Nero got hurt, and now Pyrrha... She was one of my best friends! I... I need to protect the rest of my friends! I need to protect their lives!...'
These were the thoughts going on in my head. I clench my fists as I felt power welling up in my eyes. As for Ruby, she clenches her fists, curls her arms to her body, and then suddenly flings her arms out to the sides.
When we opened up our eyes again, a brilliant white light flows from our eyes as we scream out the name of our dear friend.
Both: "PYRRHAAAAAA!!!!"
The white light envelopes us, spreading out to the Wyvern and Cinder.
Cinder: "WHAT?!"
The world went white and I passed out. When I kinda woke up, I heard a voice echo from nearby. It sounds like Qrow.
Qrow: "It's alright. I got ya, kiddos. I got ya."
Azure: "Mom... Ruby..." Those were my last words before I fell into unconsciousness.
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I don't know how long I was out for. When I woke up, I was not in Beacon nor was I at my mom's house in Vale. It was a wooden room all around me. I sat up and looked out the window to my right to see trees everywhere. I heard the door open to my left and I saw my mom entering with a surprised expression before she ran over and hugged me tightly.
Mom: "Azure! You're awake!"
Azure: "Hey mom." I paused for a moment, looking around. "Um... Where are we?" I said in confusion.
Mom: "We're in your uncle's 'safe house' here in Patch. He, your father, and a few friends helped him build this. An old friend of mine called Qrow brought us here."
Azure: "So this is where Uncle K lived..." There was a pause. "What happened to him? He just... left and never came back after my training." I saw my mom look away before facing me again.
Mom: "Son, do you think you can handle what I'm about to tell you? It's very important that I know that you can handle it."
Azure: "Yes, mom. I'm sure I can do it."
Mom: (sighs) "The thing is... after he left... he went on a personal mission... and he died fighting against an enemy from his past."
When I heard that, I was shocked. Uncle K... he died? I couldn't believe it. I held my head in my hands as I stared down for a few moments.
Mom: "Hey, son." I looked at her as she looked at me with worry in her blue eyes. "Are you okay?" I slowly nodded at her. "All right. Can you tell me what happened over at Beacon? I tried to reach you, but I couldn't."
Azure: "I..." The flashbacks started appearing alongside my tears. "I saw it all... Penny, the Grimm, Nero... Pyrrha..." I couldn't help but start sobbing. I felt my mom rubbing my back.
Mom: "It sounds like it was tough..." I then looked at my mom.
Azure: "Pyrrha... she, she died..." Mom was shocked at this. "...in front of my eyes..." I remembered Cinder killing her, and it made me mad. "...and I couldn't do anything to stop it!" I said, with anger in my voice. I then took some deep breaths and calmed myself down.
Azure: "After that, I thought about needing to protect the others... and then my eyes shone a white light that covered my vision. It happened before I got knocked out and woke up here."
Mom: "...What you did was something you and your father can do."
Azure: "What are you talking about?"
Mom: "Silver Eyes. It's a gift you were born with."
Azure: "Silver Eyes... what makes them special?" She then explained to me about what they are and what they can do. I kinda remember Grandma Maria telling me something similar a few years ago.
Azure: "This is a lot to take in. So... was that everything I needed to know?"
Mom: "There is one other thing I didn't tell you. Before he died, Kaz, your uncle, he passed on his power to you."
Azure: "Wait! What do you mean 'passed on his power'?"
Mom: "He gave you his Semblance one night before you came back. His Semblance, now your second Semblance... is called 'Incarnation'." I was shocked at this.
Azure: "You're saying I have another Semblance along with Lightning?!" She nodded at me. "So what is it and how do I use it?"
Mom: "It would be best if you read this." She pulled out a book from her pocket and handed it to me. The title of it was 'All You Need to Know by Sapphire Catalina'. "This book will explain everything you need to know about me, my family, our Semblance and its secrets, about your father and his Semblance, and finally, about your Uncle and about Incarnation. I hope that it will help you learn more about who you are."
Azure: "Thank you, Mom, for everything."
Mom: "No problem, sweetie. I'll check up on you later." She left the room and closed the door.
I sat there in my bed for a while, taking in everything I learned today. I have special eyes that can destroy Grimm and I have another Semblance as well. With that sorted, I got up and changed from my current sleepwear into some normal clothes. I remember that Ruby and Yang live in Patch, and I want to check up on them. I opened the door, walked out of my room and into the kitchen, where my mom is currently at now. She noticed me standing and was surprised.
Sapphire: "Azure!"
Azure: "Hey mom! Do you know where I can find someone by the last name of Xiao Long?" She looked at me with a confused expression.
Mom: "Yes, I know where they live. Why do you ask?"
Azure: (smiles) "I need to go visit some special friends of mine from Beacon..."
*3rd Person POV*
The scene cuts to Ruby asleep in a bed, wearing gray pajamas. 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. She sits up and sighs quietly, causing Tai to stir awake.
Tai: "Ruby!" He gets up and runs to kneel by her bed. "You're awake!"
Ruby: "Ugh... what happened?"
Tai: "Your uncle Qrow found you, unconscious. He got you out of there, though, and brought you home safe."
Ruby: "Wait! Yang! Azure! Are they alright!?" Tai was confused at who this 'Azure' was and ignored it for now to talk about Yang's condition.
Tai: "Uh... She's uh... she's gonna be alright. I think she's just... 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." He pauses to sniffle, but then he smiles. "I'm just glad to have my girls back at home."
Ruby: "What happened to the school?! And Vale?! Were they able to clear out the Grimm?"
Tai: "Things at Vale are under control, but the school... It's... it's not that simple. That thing, whatever it is, doesn't seem to be dead. Don't get me wrong, you did a number on it. 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."
Ruby: "I did... what?"
Tai: "Hmm?"
Ruby: "You said I did a number on it. What do you mean?"
Tai: "I... Look that's not important right now. We can talk about it later. Things are just... kind of a mess."
Qrow: "It's always a mess."
Ruby and Tai look to see Qrow suddenly standing in the room, near the door. He finishes off the contents of his flask before continuing.
Qrow: "Mind if we have a minute?"
Tai: "What, I can't stay here?!"
Qrow: "Tai. Please."
Tai stands up, sighs, and then leans in to kiss Ruby on the forehead.
Tai: "I'm glad you're alright." He starts walking away. "I'll go make us some tea."
Tai 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.
Qrow: "So, how you feeling?"
Ruby: "Um... I kind of hurt... all over."
Qrow: (chuckles) "That makes sense, after what you and Azure did." He crosses his arms.
Ruby: "You guys keep saying that! That I did something! What are you talking about?!" Qrow leans forward.
Qrow: "What's the last thing you remember?"
Ruby: "Me and Azure ran up the side of the tower, and when we got to the top, we..." She gasps, sadness in her eyes. "Pyrrha! Is she...?"
Qrow: "She's gone." He said while looking down.
Ruby: "We..." Tears fill her eyes. "We got to the top..." She begins crying. "and we saw Pyrrha..." She looks angry. "and Cinder..." She grips her blanket, tears falling onto it. "...and then everything went white!"
Qrow: "Anything else?"
Ruby: "I remember..." She wipes the tears from her eyes. "...my head hurting."
Qrow: "The night you and Azure met Ozpin, what was the first thing he said to you two?"
Ruby: "I... I don't know. I think it was something about..."
Qrow: "Silver Eyes. That's an extremely rare trait."
Ruby: "So?"
Qrow: "You're special, Ruby. And not in the "Daddy loves his special angel" kind of way. You're special the same way your mom was, along with Azure and his father. 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."
Ruby: "But... you think that Azure and I might be..."
Qrow: (chuckles) "Well, a giant monster is currently frozen on top of Beacon Tower. And you're here, safe in bed. And Azure is somewhere else, safe with his mother." He gets to his feet and walks over to a window, leaning on the sill and staring outside.
Ruby: "Wait, wait, how did you know what Ozpin said to me and him... the night we met?"
Qrow: "All those missions I go on... all the times I'm away in some far-off place... it's been for Ozpin. But he's missing now. Something's been set in motion. With Oz gone, I'll have to pick up where he left off."
Ruby: "Then what can I do? If I'm so special, then I can help, right?"
Qrow: "You really wanna help? Get some rest. You're in no condition to go anywhere right now." He starts heading to the door. "Besides, our enemy's trail leads all the way to Haven. That'd be quite a trip for a pipsqueak like you. (winks) Catch ya later, kiddo." He leaves.
Ruby sits alone for a while. She looks at the window that Qrow looked out of, then stares at herself in a mirror hanging on the wall across from her bed before hearing a knock at the front door.
It is revealed to be Azure, who arrived on foot several minutes later from his house. The door opened up to the sight of Tai. Azure suddenly got nervous.
Azure: "H-Hello, sir! It's n-nice to meet you! My name's Azure (L/N)!"
Tai: "Azure... Hmm... Oh. That's the name that Ruby told me about earlier. So you're him..." He glared at the boy.
Azure: "Yes, that's me."
Tai then suddenly remembered what Azure said.
Tai: "Wait... Did you say your last name was-"
Ruby: "Dad, who are you talking to-" Ruby showed up near the door and she spots Azure. She suddenly becomes happy as she runs up to him and hugs him, with him returning the gesture. "Azure! I've missed you so much!"
Azure: "I missed you too, Ruby!" Tai looks at this in surprise.
Tai: "Ruby, how do you know him? And why are you two hugging and talking like that?"
Ruby: "Ehehehe... Well... the thing is... we're a couple... As in boyfriend and girlfriend."
This shocks Tai to the core of his being. One of his daughters already has a boyfriend. He was going to say something, but then he remembered his previous conversation with the black-haired boy.
Tai: "Hey kid. Your last name is (L/N), right?" Azure nodded. "Are you perhaps related to an old friend of mine named Miguel (L/N)?"
Azure: "I'm his son, yes."
Tai: "His son, huh. Miguel was a pretty cool guy, so I guess I can let this be." This made Azure and Ruby happy. "But Azure..." The boy in question looked at him. "Do you promise to take care of Ruby, to cherish her, and to be by her side no matter what?"
Azure: "Like I told Yang, I promise on my life and on my father's grave that I will love Ruby with all my heart and soul, forever until death." Ruby looked at him with a slight blush on her face.
Ruby: "Azure..."
Tai: "You definitely are his son. All right. Welcome to the Rose-Xiao Long family, Azure!"
And now Ruby had a deep blush on her face.
Ruby: "DAD!!!"
Azure: (chuckles) "Thank you, sir."
Tai: "Please, call me Tai. Now, do you wanna step inside? I can prepare some tea for you."
Azure: "Thank you. I would like that."
Tai moved to the side, allowing for Azure to enter the house, with Ruby clinging to his arm. After a few minutes of sitting down on the couch, Tai appeared with a tray of cups full of tea. He set it down on the table in front of them and they all drank some tea.
After that, Ruby and Azure went upstairs to visit Yang. The girl in question is sitting 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 Azure stand in the doorway.
Ruby: "Yang?"
Azure: "Are you doing okay?"
They wait for a moment, but when they receives no response from Yang, they turns to leave.
Yang: "Ruby. Azure."
Ruby turns back around, and Yang turns her head to look at her younger sister and friend, tears now in her eyes. Ruby runs over and hugs her. Azure goes over to hug her as well.
Ruby: "I'm so glad you're okay!"
Azure: "Same here."
Yang: "But I'm not."
Ruby frowns and releases the hug. Azure lets go as well and walks back to the doorway.
Yang: "It's all gone - the school, Penny, Pyrrha, and..." She looks at her severed arm.
Azure: "Yang, do you know where my teammates went?" He stepped closer to Yang.
Yang: "Last I heard, Rosa and Vert were going back to Mistral to be with Vert's parents again. As for Nero, he got patched up and went somewhere with Sun."
Azure: "Oh..." He felt a little sad that they all left.
Yang: "But they did leave a message for you incase one of us meets you later. Their message was "Azure, we hope you're okay, wherever you are. Rosa and Vert are going back to Mistral to prepare for your arrival at Haven. Nero will stay at Vale for sometime before going back home to Menagerie. He'll be there until he goes straight to Haven. The journey will be long, but we know you will reunite with all of us. Stay safe, from Team AVRN." And that's all it said."
Azure: "Thank you, Yang, for telling me that." He stepped back so that the sisters can talk to each other about their teammates.
Ruby: "Yang, where are Weiss and Blake?"
Yang: "Weiss' father... came for her."
Ruby: "What? What do you mean?"
Yang: "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."
Ruby: "Well, what about-"
Yang: "And Blake ran! Sun and Nero saw her go. After we got to the city, she just... ran!"
Ruby: "But... why!?"
Azure: "Why would she..."
Yang: "I don't know... and I don't care."
Ruby: "There has to be a reason she-"
Yang: "No, there doesn't! Sometimes bad things just happen, Ruby!"
Ruby: "So, what do we do now?"
Yang: "You two can do whatever you want. I'm gonna lie here."
Ruby: "Yang..."
Yang: "Just leave me alone."
Ruby slowly leaves the room, but she pauses in the doorway, looking over her shoulder to say one last thing.
Ruby: "I love you."
Azure saw Ruby walk away and then looked at Yang.
Azure: "You can talk to us when you're ready to. We'll be there for you." He said that and left Yang by herself. Azure looked at the time on the clock up on a wall and decided that he should be getting back to his mother.
Azure: "Hey Rubes, I gotta go. I need to get back to my mom."
Ruby: "Aw, but I wanted you to stay a little longer."
Azure: "Don't worry. It's only several minutes from here and back. We can visit each other whenever we can. You're okay with that, right?"
Ruby: "Yeah! And I can go visit your mom! Hey, let's do that now!"
Azure: "Well, okay! I'm sure she's going to love meeting you!"
Ruby: "Let me just ask my dad first!" She disappeared into the kitchen and a few seconds later, she appeared again.
Ruby: "He said okay. Let's go!"
The two of them left her home and traveled down a path on the left, with their hands interlocked. After about 16 minutes, they arrived at his house and he walked up and knocked on the door. Immediately, the door opened to Sapphire at the other side.
Azure: "Hey mom, I'm back, and we have a special guest with us today."
Mom: "Who is it?" She then figures out who he's talking about. "Is it that Ruby girl?!" He stepped to the side, revealing a nervous Ruby.
Ruby: "H-Hey, Mrs. (L/N). I-I'm Ruby Rose." She gets super excited at seeing Ruby.
Mom: "AH! You look just like Summer!"
Ruby was surprised at this.
Ruby: "You know my mom?"
Azure: "I guess Qrow was right about you and dad knowing all of team STRQ." He said, remembering what Qrow told them back at Beacon.
Mom: "Seems like Qrow told you about that, but yes, we know each other. I may have attended Haven instead of Beacon, but when all of us including your father got together to hang out, it was never a dull moment with them." After that, it was an awkward silence.
Mom: "Anyway, why not come inside? Feel free to make yourself at home."
Ruby: "Thank you, Mrs. (L/N)!"
Mom: "Call me Sapphire! Ah! I'm so glad to be meeting you for the first time!"
Ruby and Azure step inside the house and get comfy in the living room. Some time passes as she gets to know Ruby and also questions them about the entirety of their relationship. It was embarrassing for them, but everyone had a fun time. Later, Ruby had to go and the couple hugged and kissed before she went back. Sapphire started teasing her son about when she should expect grandkids. This made Azure mad and embarrassed at the same time as she simply laughed at this.
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A few months have passed, and today was the day of the long journey to Haven. Azure packed his bag up, his sword on his back, on top of his new clothes given to him by his mom.
He had a white long sleeved shirt, a dark blue long coat with short sleeves and sporting his emblem on the right shoulder, a fingerless dark gray glove on his right hand, black pants, and black combat boots with blue laces.
Emblem on Right Shoulder:
Azure sees his mom looking at him with a worried expression, and he walks over to hug her. She tightens her grip on him as he felt tear drops on his shoulder alongside some light sobbing. After a few moments, they separate and look at each other with sad smiles on their faces. He says his goodbye to her as she does the same to her son. He leaves the house and makes one last detour before he meets up with Ruby. He walks over to where his father's gravestone is and wipes away the snow covering it. He greets his dad and tells him about what he and the others plan on doing. After that, he says goodbye to his father and walks towards Ruby's house.
As for Ruby, she steps outside, wearing a backpack, and quietly shuts the front door. She sees Azure along with the rest of team JNPR outside.
Azure: "Hey Rubes."
Jaune: "Hey."
Ruby: "Hey Azure, hey Jaune. Haven's a long way to go."
Jaune: "I know. It's the only way we have."
Ruby: "Are you sure you all want to come along?"
Ren: "The journey will be perilous, and whether we'll find answers at the end is entirely uncertain."
Nora: "But we wouldn't be here if we weren't up for it."
Ruby: "Then let's get started."
Azure: "Onwards... to Haven."
The five begin their long trek, down the road leading away from Tai's home.
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Narrator: "Smaller, more honest souls... It's true that a few sparks 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."
Tai 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 Tai runs past Yang's bedroom, she notices a raven perched on a branch, before watching it fly off.
Narrator: "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."
Grimm are seen marching toward the ruins of Beacon. 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. Nero is seen looking out into the distance with determination on his mind. Elsewhere, Rosa and Vert sit down at their house, hoping their teammates arrive safely at Mistral.
Narrator: "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."
Ruby is seen visiting her mother's gravestone again, but now Azure is beside her, holding her hand. They say some things before turning to join Jaune, Nora, and Ren.
Narrator: "So you send your guardians, your Huntsmen and Huntresses, and when they fail and you turn to your smaller souls, know that you send them to the same pitiful demise."
The scene then shifts revealing an ominous-looking stone stairway lined with dark, purple crystals, revealing a figure in black overlooking a barren wasteland on top of the stairs.
Narrator: "This is the beginning of the end, Ozpin..." She turns her head towards the readers. "And I can't wait to watch you burn."
Her eyes glow ominously as she makes an evil grin.
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And that is the end of Volume 3. Thank you all for reading this story so far. Expect more to follow after this.
This was the first arc to be finished, aka the 'Beacon Arc', with three more arcs to be done. The revelations in this one chapter shall impact how our characters continue on throughout the series, especially our protagonist, Azure. Let's go on to Volume 4, the start of the 'Mistral Arc'.