(Y/n) = Your name
(S/c) = Skin color
(H/c) = Hair color
(F/c) = Favorite color
[.....] = Texting/Writing
Third Person P.O.V
Located in Atlas Academy, Maka found herself sitting against a wall with her arms wrapped around her knees. She found herself locked in a cell with the members of Atlas's Elite Huntsmen and Huntresses team in the same room. They were General Ironwood's Ace Operatives, also known as Ace-Ops.
Clover was on his scroll, talking with someone with the Relic in his other hand as Elm was gently caressing (Y/n)'s fur. The other members of the team were looking down at the small black fox with curiosity as the other female member of the group leaned down to look at him.
She is a dark-skinned young woman with platinum blonde and brown hair shaved on the sides and dark pink eyes. She wore a very short-sleeved Atlesian Specialist uniform that consists of a sleeveless white double-breasted vest with silver buttons and dark blue accents. It has a white and dark blue-collar, a dark blue short-sleeved t-shirt, a red tie, and white shorts. The rest of her attire also consisted of dark blue chaps that presumably connect to the tops of her shorts. The chaps expose the inner part of the thighs and the backs of her calves. She also wore blue fingerless gloves and dark gray trainers with black accents and a white stripe accompanied with red socks. She also has white calf pads and dark blue knee pads as well. There are also dark blue straps fastened around the top of her vest. The blond portions of her hair rest in a pattern that resembles a rabbit's ears. Her name is Harriet Bree.
Harriet: "Are you sure this little thing is a fox? It looks more like a Grimm than anything." she pointed out.
Elm: "Come on, Harriet. Does this cute little thing look like a murderous monster that seeks to destroy humanity?" she asked as she lifted (Y/n) towards her.
(Y/n): "...kau?" he cried out.
Harriet: "...I can't lie. It's a "little" cute." she said as she scratched underneath his chin.
As she said that, another member of Ace-Ops walked closer with an eyebrow raised.
He is a young man with dark skin and long greenish-black hair and blue eyes. He is a Faunus with a dark gray/light gray canine tail. He wore an Atlesian Specialist uniform that consists of a white double-breasted coat with silver buttons, dark blue accents, collar, shoulder flaps with matching cuffs that have two silver buttons. The coat's tail splits, allowing his tail to move freely. He has a dark blue belt with a silver buckle around his waist with a dark blue pouch on the right side. He has a red ascot tied around his neck. He also wore a red shirt under his coat. He wears dark blue trousers tucked into his black knee-high boots. His name is Marrow Amin.
Marrow: "That still doesn't mean that it's safe. Remember, this thing can't move too far away from her." he pointed out.
Harriet: "What? Are you seriously scared of this cute little thing? Look how scary it is." she said as she grabbed (Y/n) and lifted it towards Marrow.
His instincts suddenly kicked in as he moved backward away from (Y/n). His eyes stared into its red eyes, and despite it looking harmless, his instincts, on the other hand, were screaming. This thing in front of him felt dangerous, like that of a predator. He shook his head as he continued to look at it. Was he just being too paranoid?
Marrow: "... I'm just saying that we should be careful with it." he stated.
?????: "Perhaps it is dangerous, perhaps it is a Grimm. However, it has proven to be well-behaved and intelligent." a male voice said.
The three team members looked back at their last teammate to see him staring at Maka.
He was a tall man with short, shaved gray hair, deathly pale skin, and light blue eyes. He has several tattoos, including a third eye tattoo along the center of his forehead and chin. He wore an Atlesian Specialist uniform that consists of a white double-breasted, partially unbuttoned coat with a broad tail, navy blue accents, collar, and shoulder flaps. A red sash running diagonally over his right shoulder meeting a second red sash around his waist under a large blue belt, and navy blue fingerless gloves that go up to his brachium. He also wore navy blue pants tucked into a pair of navy blue thigh-high boots with steel toe and heel plating, a small pouch on the sides, and kneepad detailing. He wore beaded necklaces around his neck and beaded bracelets around his right arm alongside two silver bands, one small, one large on her left forearm. His name is Vine Zeki.
Harriet: "Why do you think this little guy is intelligent?" she asked.
Vine: "The way it acts is rather unnatural for an animal. Though some animals are able to pick up a few words and their meaning, however, I've noticed that it seems to be able to understand what we're saying." he revealed.
Harriet: "Are you seriously suggesting that this thing is-" she tried to say as the door to the room opened.
They looked over to see General Ironwood walking into the room with Winter and Penny following behind. Upon entering the room, General Ironwood spotted Maka curled up against the wall in a cell. She slowly lifted her head to see the General and quickly saw how much he has changed.
General Ironwood's appearance had become less pristine. He had a fully grown, and his hair is more disheveled and swept to the right. General Ironwood was wearing a dark-blue collared shirt and red tie, along with a white coat with dark blue cuffs, dark blue and red accents, and silver buttons. He also wore a white long-sleeved double-breasted jacket over the shirt, with two dark-blue belts, one across his chest, the other around his waist. He also sports dark blue pants tucked into a pair of dark blue calf-high boots with red lining and large cuffs alongside silver steel toe and heel plating. He also sports a pair of white gloves.
General Ironwood continued to look at Maka as his eyes softened before looking over to Ace-Ops.
General Ironwood: "You don't have to have her locked up in there. Let her out." he ordered.
Vine nodded his head and went over to the cell and began to unlock it as Clover made his way over to the General.
Clover: "General, we've located the ship and tracked its passengers. Along with them was this." he said as he lifted the Relic towards General Ironwood.
He stared at the Relic for a few moments only to see that it glowed every so often, and he was able to faintly hear something similar to a heartbeat coming from it. General Ironwood's eyes widened as he turned towards Maka.
General Ironwood: "This is... Maka... who else came here with you?" he asked as she began to stand up.
Maka: "Team RWBY, Team JNPR, Qrow, and some others." she revealed.
General Ironwood: "By others, do you mean Cara and (Y/n)?" he asked.
Maka looked away and stared at the ground.
Maka: "(Y/n)... and Cara... died." she answered honestly.
His eyes slowly grew wide as he looked at Maka in complete shock.
General: "What? How did that-" he tried to ask.
(Y/n): "It appears that separating us resulted in Cara's death. As she was no longer connected to me, she didn't have much time left before time caught up with her." he revealed.
Everyone looked around in confusion to the source of the voice, with only General Ironwood to spot the black fox staring up at him with his red eyes.
General Ironwood: "Wait... (Y/n)?" he asked.
(Y/n): "Not quite." he replied.
Without warning, (Y/n) used his tail to tickle Harriet's nose, causing her to drop (Y/n) only for him to land on his feet. They watched as the small fox began to emit dark smoke from his body as his red eyes began to glow. The members of Ace-Ops jumped back and prepared themselves for a fight only to be stopped by General Ironwood when he lifted his hand, signaling to them to stop.
They watched as the small fox began to grow larger until it was the size of a ten-year-old. (Y/n) looked like a more male version of Maka with (S/c) skin and (H/c) hair. He wore a wearing an Atlesian (F/c) military sheepskin parka with a white scarf wrapped around his neck and covered the lower part of his face. He also had an (F/c) ushanka on his head and his (H/c) hair in a braid. His attire also consisted of black jeans with black combat boots.
(Y/n) looked down at his hands before examining the rest of his body before sighing.
(Y/n): "It appears that I still require more time to regain my strength." he stated.
General Ironwood: "Maka, I thought you said he died." he said in confusion.
(Y/n): "My death was greatly exaggerated, General." he said as he stood in parade rest.
(Y/n): "The (Y/n) that you more affiliated with no longer exist. However, thanks to luck, I was able to regain my true self. I am the (Y/n) that the Old Man is more familiar with. The one who the Old Man made peace with. And by Old Man, I am referring to the one you know as Ozpin." he stated.
General Ironwood: "So you're a dangerous one?" he asked.
(Y/n): "If the Old Man was here, he would say that I could be dangerous if we were enemies, but I would like to remind you that he and I made peace decades ago. To put it simply, I was in a state of neutrality between the world and its foe. I rather live in peace rather than pointless battles. I don't know about you, General, but I fully intend to keep my end of the bargain with the Old Man. And from what I hear, you all don't need another enemy." he stated.
General Ironwood: "What bargain?" he asked.
(Y/n): "After the Great War, the three of us came to a deal. If Cara and I were left alone to live in peace, then we would in turn, not cause any needless death or destruction. That deal was held until a misunderstanding occurred, but from what I heard, the Old Man continued to keep his end of the bargain to some extent. He allowed my previous self, one with no knowledge, to live a relatively normal life where I had prove myself. I made friends, wonderful memories, and found a purpose until that version of myself died." he announced.
(Y/n): "However, I will not forgive you for separating Cara and me, but I understand why you see me as a threat. If I were in your situation in the distant past as a younger me, I would have done similar things. But listen to me as I tell you that I am not your enemy." he explained.
(Y/n): "At the moment, I am aiding Qrow and the other children with their goal of saving the world against the one you all refer to as Salem." he revealed.
General Ironwood: "You're... going to aid us?" he asked in disbelief.
A smile formed on (Y/n) face as he nodded his head.
(Y/n): "Correct. Believe it or not, but unlike the other Grimm, I have sentience. Allowed to observe the world long before other beings came along. I come to enjoy nature and other beings with humans being on the fence most of the time. I of all know best of what the Grimm are capable of and a world filled with nothing, but Grimm is something I rather not have." he replied honestly.
General Ironwood: "I see... And what assurance do I have to trust you? How... do I know that I can trust you? You could be lying for all I know." he stated.
This only caused (Y/n) to chuckle as he lifted one of his hands up to cover his mouth.
(Y/n): "I don't blame you for being cautious. To be honest, I am rather fond of that trait as I am very well acquainted with it. Very well, how about this. You could confirm everything I said with Qrow and the rest. They will reveal everything to you, and, as a sign of goodwill, I will tell you this ." he said as he lifted his hand with the palm facing upward.
General Ironwood watched as something underneath the skin of his palm began to push upward until a semi-complete red gem emerged from his skin, causing Marrow to look away, holding his mouth.
(Y/n): "I assume you already know what this is. As you can see, it is not whole. If I were to die once again before this gem is whole, the version of me that you see before you will no longer exist and never will return. Also, meaning that I will never appear on Remnant again." he announced.
He walked over to General Ironwood, asking to see his hand. He was a bit confused and lowered his right hand and (Y/n) placed his core into his open hand and closed it before looking up at him with his smile never leaving his face before taking a step back.
(Y/n): "Now that I am separated from my core, I will unable to keep this form. I will be confined in my core and wait until you trust me enough to cooperate. While I am in my core, I will be helpless. If you find whatever Qrow or the rest say to be unsatisfactory, then destroy my core and kill me. You'll have one less threat to deal with, but you will lose a valuable ally and a being that knows the Grimm the best." he announced.
General Ironwood's eyes widened as he watched as (Y/n)'s body began to disappear into black smoke as waved goodbye to the General.
General Ironwood: "Why would you do this?" he asked.
(Y/n): "Because no matter what choice you make, I had already made peace with everything. When I look towards the children, a feeling begins to surface within me. I have hope for this generation. Normally, I try and avoid thinking about things like this, but a part of me believes they can really make a difference. Was this why my previous self cared for them? Though, they are far from perfect... I think I would like to see the world again once this is all over with a par of new eyes. I want to see the world that they love and watch it prosper." he said as he stared deep into General Ironwood's eyes.
What General Ironwood saw his crimson eyes shining like a polished ruby. It was full of life and joy. (Y/n) reached up to his chest and grinned as he began to disappear.
(Y/n): "After all, I did promise my partner that I would. Cara asked me to help them, and I fully intend to keep that promise. Because for Cara, the human I befriended and love, I will do anything. Even as far as giving the world another chance." he announced before fading away to smoke.
(Small timeskip brought to you by General Ironwood staring at the semi-complete gem as the other council members talked)
After Team RWBY, Team JNPR, Oscar, and Qrow arrived at Atlas Academy; they met with General Ironwood, Penny, Winter, and Maka, who explained himself with the situation in Atlas. There he also revealed his plan to them all about refitting Amity Colosseum into a satellite to reestablish global communications.
Once General Ironwood explained this, he returned the Relic of Knowledge to Ruby as a sign of trust. That was when he asked if they would help in his efforts, which they agreed. He smiled as he reached into his pocket to pull out a glass vial with (Y/n)'s core inside, causing the others to look on with shock as he unsealed it.
General Ironwood: "It appears that you weren't lying." he stated.
He rolled the gem out of the vial and into his hand before gently setting down on the ground where it suddenly began to glow. It didn't take long as black smoke emitted from it as it slowly formed into the shape of a small child. They all watched as (Y/n) appeared with a frown on his face.
(Y/n): "..." he didn't say anything.
He only walked over to Maka and rested his head on her leg.
General Ironwood: "(Y/n)... if you truly mean to help us, I would also like your permission to reveal your existence as well. It'll be better than everyone knows that you're our ally and not our enemy. To let them know that even if there was an ancient evil that seeks to destroy us, we have another ancient being willing to help." he stated.
A spark of fear appeared in (Y/n)'s eyes as he recalled the times that he was killed because someone killed him without knowing if he was friendly or not, just because he was Grimm. There was a moment of hesitation from him as Ruby spoke up.
Ruby: "Do you really think that's a good-" she tried to ask.
(Y/n): "I understand... you have my blessing, General." he said.
Everyone looked over to him in shock as General Ironwood slowly smiled at him.
General Ironwood: "Thank you. And I assure you that the Kingdom of Atlas will secure a safe location of your choice where you can live in peace and under our protection. Ah, but this won't be by force, only if you like. It's the least I can do." he told him.
(Y/n): "A safe place to live in peace under the protection of the strongest military force on Remnant. Maybe I should request a large section of tundra in the north that is inhospitable for humans to keep me safe as well. How tempting." he joked.
General Ironwood: "That may very well be arranged. We could go more into the details at a later time, but first, I think we need to get everyone's weapons up to our standards." he stated as he walked back to his desk.
As he was walking away, a screen appeared in the center of the room, revealing Blake with her broken blade in hand. This caused her to hold her wrist in embarrassment the moment she heard (Y/n) snort and look away to cover his mouth.
Winter: "Remember, this is Atlas. While assisting the military, we will provide you with the best equipment our scientists can devise." she announced.
The young huntsmen and huntresses cheered upon hearing this with the expectation of Maka.
(Y/n): "You know, maybe you should make a weapon for yourself as well." he stated.
Maka looked down at him only to see that he was looking forward to the rest.
(Y/n): "What would you do if something like the incident with Adam occurs again? You would be defenseless." he revealed.
Maka: "But-" she tried to say only to be interrupted.
(Y/n): "Don't worry, I'll still be fighting with you. How, well, I'm not so sure, perhaps from your shadow, maybe as my regular form, just remember that I'll be here helping you every step of the way." he declared.
Maka: "...thank you." she smiled.
With that, they all began making their way out of General Ironwood's office with Nora and Yang messing with the child version of (Y/n). Nora was pinching his cheeks as Yang began giving him childish nicknames. But as they were nearing the bottom of the stairs, they heard voices up again. Voices that Maka and (Y/n) recognize quickly.
Marrow: "So that was the second time I got banned. Then there was the third time when-" he tried to say as Clover spotted everyone leaving General Ironwood's office.
As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Ace-Ops made their way over to them to meet them halfway in the room.
Clover: "I'd like to sincerely apologize for the miscommunication down in Mantle, we didn't intend to-" he tried to say.
Before he could finish his sentence, Elm quickly rushed passed him and the rest of the team towards Ruby and grabbed her hand. Everyone watched as the panicked Elm shook Ruby's hand with the ferocity of an earthquake, they looked on as Ruby was lifted up and down repeating in rapid succession.
Elm: "I feel so bad, honestly! If we had known who you were, we'd be laughing over a hot meal right now and-" she said as she suddenly let go of Ruby.
Ruby fell to the floor as she stared up at the Atlesian, which she saw multiple of.
Ruby: "I understand, you were just following orders!" she said as she struggled to stand up.
Weiss, amused with seeing Ruby like this, went ahead and spun her around, only causing Ruby to become dizzier.
Weiss: "I mean, you could have asked us some questions first." she stated.
(Y/n): "To be fair to them Weiss, they already had more than enough reason to arrest us with the whole, stealing a Manta and landing it somewhere where it wasn't supposed to be. And interrogation is something that the police do, Huntsmen and Huntresses task is simply to do the job given to them—nothing more, nothing less. Besides, other locations in the city were currently being attacked by Grimm, not the best time to ask questions." he stated.
Marrow: "And besides, questions are for the weak, but we're all on the same team now! Not that I'm happy about it." he stated.
As he said that, everyone was quick to notice his tail wagging side to side quickly. Marrow quickly grabbed his tail as Harriet snickered.
Clover: "We just wanted to say we're sorry. And that we're looking forward to working with you on our next mission. You might be students, but you've been fighting just as hard as we have. If not, harder." he stated.
Harriet: "Exactly why I'm looking forward to seeing what you kids can do." she told them, honestly.
Vine: "Ugh, not everything's a competition Hare." he pointed out in annoyance.
After saying this, Penny quickly made her way between both times with a happy smile presented proudly on her face as she stretched her arms wide in the air.
Penny: "C'mon, let me show you all around campus." she said as she began leading them away.
For the next hour, Penny was giving them a grand tour of Atlas Academy. While (Y/n) listened to the happy girl carefully, the others in the group weren't as attentive. They were exhausted and were at the point of falling asleep at any given moment.
Once they walked by one of the classrooms, Ruby came to a stop, with the rest of them doing the same besides (Y/n). She let out a yawn as Nora slumped over and rested her head on Ren's shoulder before falling asleep.
Ruby: "This all looks great, Penny. But where are we staying?" she asked.
Penny stopped and spun around to face them.
Penny: "Remember, you're in Atlas now! As the most well-funded school on Remnant, every teen at Atlas Academy gets their own room! And if that wasn't enough-" she was trying to say.
Ren: "So we're staying in the dorms?" he asked, interrupting her.
Penny: "... It'll be just like Beacon again! Maka, (Y/n), we're going to be teammates again!" she yelled cheerfully.
(Y/n): "Oh, so this was one of the other members of the team... and where is the other one?" he asked.
Penny: "Well, the General had her reassign to another team that needed another member. He stated that since I was going to be the protector of Mantle, it would be a bit too difficult for her to keep up." she stated.
(Y/n): "I... see. That's a shame. I was honestly looking forward to being on a complete team again. Oh well, we should at least get the children to their rooms so they may rest." he stated.
Ruby: "Please!" she begged.
Penny nodded and smiled as she began leading everyone towards the dorm rooms, Ruby attempted to talk to (Y/n), but he would suddenly turn to Maka or Penny to ask them more questions about their time in a team together. This would continue all the way until they reached their dorm rooms. Team JNPR and RWBY got their own rooms for their teams while Maka and (Y/n) followed Penny to their room.
(Y/n) had initially planned on heading over to the training room to see what else Penny was capable of, but after seeing the exhausted Maka, he decided it would be best to let her rest. So while Maka went to sleep on one of the beds, (Y/n) and Penny spend some valuable time together, seeing that none of them needed sleep.
(Y/n) revealed into more details about who he was, and to clarify that he wasn't the (Y/n) she knew at Beacon. This didn't seem to phase Penny all too much as she replied that she wasn't exactly the same Penny when they met at Beacon, referring to her new body.
But during their talk, one of (Y/n) questions was brought up. His relationship with her and the other people. To his surprise, he discovered that he was in a relationship with more girls than he originally thought. He wasn't sure how he would handle the situation, but he would at least try his best for their sakes, all while cursing to Cara for leaving this situation to him to handle alone. Though, it did make him laugh a bit as it was something that Cara would do to him.
(Timeskip brought to you by Oscar talking to a frowning (Y/n) as he stared down at Team RWBY and Team JNPR practicing their new weapons)
A week has passed since they arrived at Atlas and their weapons were now ready, meaning that they were prepared to begin their first mission. The leaders of each team found themselves in a room where they were being debriefed for their mission. Thanks to that week of regaining his energy, (Y/n) stood next to Maka in his regular size. He stared at the holo screen in front of him along with Maka as they waited for the debriefing to begin. But he thought back to his private talk with General Ironwood when they were coming up with the plan and revealed two of his secrets to him that could assist with the mission. Secrets that even Ozpin didn't know.
Clover: "All right, gather around everyone, and we'll begin. Our mission today is to secure the launch site for the Amity Communications Tower. The designated area is an abandoned Dust mine. Since its closure, the Grimm have moved it. The good news is all that untouched Dust is still down there, too. Science team says they'll need it for the first phase of their launch." he revealed.
Clover: "Atlas military huntsmen are already hard at work clearing out the surrounding tundra. But recon has identified a powerful Geist that's managed to evade destruction and take several lives." he stated.
Clover: "After we increased our numbers, the Geist was smart enough to retreat into the mine itself, meaning it's old and extremely dangerous. This is our target." he announced as he revealed an image of the Geist on the holo screens.
The Geist had a large and round body with its arms and legs levitating close to it. The body was mostly made out of ice with some rock and construction material. The arms and legs were primarily made out of a big construction beam and some rock and ice.
After showing everyone the target, he removed all holo screens to replace them with a three-dimensional image of the mine's location with the layout of the tunnels at the center of the table.
Clover: "The mine was a labyrinth back in the day. There are all sorts of tunnels and chambers the Geist can move between, so if we're gonna kill this thing, we'll have to split up and corner it, while Maka, Penny, and (Y/n) standby at the main entrance in case it slips away. Once the Geist is destroyed, the rest will be up to (Y/n)." he stated.
Ruby: "Huh? What's (Y/n) going to do?" she asked.
(Y/n): "As you all know, I am a Grimm. And if you were to compare me with the other Grimm, I would be considered an apex predator. However, due to my circumstance, I have limitations to my powers. Tell me, what is so distinct about the island of Patch and the settlement of Kuo Kuana on Menagerie compared to other places in the world? It's something that standout and confuses people to this day." he revealed.
Ruby: "Uh... no person lived there until it was colonized?" she asked.
Jaune: "Good seafood?" he asked.
Qrow: "... it's the lack of Grimm." he suddenly realized.
(Y/n) snapped his figures as he smiled as pointed to Qrow.
(Y/n): "Correct! It appears your brain as gotten a bit larger after all." he joked.
(Y/n): "Yes, both locations have a strange lack of Grimm with only a few ever being seen in either location in their history. To see a Grimm in either one of these places is rare. You would have a better chance as to finding a certain needle in a stack of needles." he commented.
(Y/n): "Now, I ask this question to you three." he said as he looked over to Maka before looking over to Jaune and Ruby.
(Y/n): "What is another similarity between these two locations? Here is a hint: their beginning." he stated.
There was a moment of silence as Qrow smirked and shook his head as the three began to think about it. He turned his head over to Clover, who seemed a bit confused at the moment.
Qrow: "(Y/n) likes to educate others and make them think, especially with kids." he stated.
This only made Clover think back to something (Y/n) said a week prior.
(Y/n): "Because no matter what choice you make, I had already made peace with everything. When I look towards the children, a feeling begins to surface within me. I have hope for this generation. Normally, I try and avoid thinking about things like this, but a part of me believes they can really make a difference. Was this why my previous self cared for them? Though, they are far from perfect... I think I would like to see the world again once this is all over with a par of new eyes. I want to see the world that they love, and watch it prosper." Clover remembered him saying.
Clover: "He wants to see the next generation succeed... to be honest, I was rather surprised by the way he acts." he stated.
Qrow: "He... he was a lot more cautious in the past. It was only until recently he decided to change himself. To be more optimistic, to be more trusting, I honestly don't know why. Maybe he sees something in them, maybe he accepted his fate and is trying his best to make things right, I don't know anymore... but I'm glad he's back." he answered honestly.
Clover: "I guess theirs a story behind that?" he asked.
Qrow: "Yeah... but I'll tell you another time." he replied.
Jaune: "I know!" he yelled out.
Everyone looked over to Jaune as he suddenly realized.
Jaune: "From what you and the others revealed, you were there when the first settlements of each location were created. With Patch, you colonized it with Weiss's ancestor, and with Menagerie, you were the person who suggested the location for the Faunus when you were the Wandering Traveler." he revealed.
Clover: "You were the Wandering Traveler?" he asked.
(Y/n): "Yes and, ding ding ding, you are correct, Jaune. I was, in fact, there when both locations began to be colonized. Patch was the first, Menagerie was the second. The reason why both locations have that distinct lack of Grimm is because of me. I have laid claim to both locations." he revealed.
Maka: "What do you mean?" she asked.
(Y/n): "Grimm could be rather territorial due to some of their characteristics with certain animals. The older the Grimm, the more powerful it is, the more powerful it is, the higher it is on the "food" chain for Grimm. Because of who I am, I am at the top, and I can claim vast territory for myself as my domain. Any Grimm knows that they are unwelcomed in my domain once they enter. Ever since these two settlements were created, the only times Grimm appeared was when I died, but since the last generation, Grimm appearances have increased a bit more." he announced.
(Y/n): "The reason is that my core is incomplete. Not only that, but the piece missing it the largest of the shards that originally broke. Meaning my authority has decreased by a bit, resulting in other Grimm becoming bolder as seen from what Ruby, Yang, and Blake revealed to me. However, I still have a great amount of authority. Once the area of Grimm is cleared, I will be able to lay claim at the location of the mine and make it a safe haven from Grimm for the time being until our use for it is complete." he revealed.
Ruby: "Wait, if you could claim certain territory, why not claim all of the areas around Mantle to keep the Grimm away?" she asked.
(Y/n): "It's not that simple. Claiming too much territory in locations far from my other territories will weaken my authority overall. I already used my authority to claim all of Patch and the habitable regions of Menagerie for the Faunus. If I were to also claim the entire region Mantle, it would increase the amount of Grimm activity in all my other territories. That isn't allowed, I refuse to get the people I care and fought for killed. But if I were to claim a small amount of territory, my authority will not decrease too much. If the worse were to happen, I am willing to sacrifice my territories that surround the areas I am reborn at so I would be able to claim Mantle." he revealed as he crossed his arms.
Clover: "And with that assistance, Atlas will be able to have a small number of forces to protect Amity, and decrease the risk of our plans discovery. His assistance will also free up manpower that could be reassigned to guard Mantle against Grimm and assist with repairs on the wall and making them citizens feel safer." he revealed.
Clover: "Atlas and Mantle are truly in your debt, thank you." he said to (Y/n).
(Y/n): "I promised to aid the world against Salem. So I fully intend to assist to the best of my abilities." he stated.
Clover: "Now then, from what I heard, General Ironwood says you've seen your fair share of combat. I trust that man with my life, so tomorrow, I'll be trusting you all, too. Now, all of you are dismissed." he announced.
(Y/n) and Maka looked at each other before they began chatting with one another as they began making their way to the exit. Jaune and Ruby followed behind as they all began making their way back to the dorms. But as Maka opened the door and walked in, Ruby quickly followed behind.
Ruby: "(Y/n)!" she called out.
(Y/n) suddenly stopped walking and slowly closed his eyes. He was expecting her to come to him at some point. He had been keeping his distance. He slowly opened his eyes and turned to face her.
(Y/n): "Yes?" he asked.
Ruby: "Can you please talk to me?" she begged.
(Y/n): "... come in." he said as he gestured to her to go inside.
She smiled and walked on it only to see Maka making her way into the bathroom to take a long shower to relax. Ruby walked around the room and quickly noticed a plate of cookies on the table on the side of the room. She had to fight the temptation as (Y/n) closed and locked the door before walking passed Ruby before sitting on a chair that was placed near the window. He quietly stared out the window as Ruby slowly moved her hand towards the plate.
(Y/n): "You enjoy cookies, don't you?" he suddenly asked.
Ruby froze up as she was nearing them and quickly retracted her hand.
Ruby: "Y-Yeah! Ahaha." she said awkwardly.
(Y/n): "Hehe... your mother was the same. Though, she was terrible at making them in the beginning." he revealed.
Ruby: "What?! But Mom's cookies are the best!" she declared.
(Y/n): "They should be." he agreed as he turned back to look at her.
(Y/n): "I'm the one who showed her." he smiled softly.
Ruby: "...you taught mom to bake cookies?" she asked in shock.
(Y/n): "Yeah... that was a long time ago. Go ahead, eat away. You'll find the taste rather familiar." he said before looking out the window.
Ruby slowly reached down to grab one of the cookies and took a bite out of it. Memories of Summer ran wild through her mind as the familiar taste filled her mouth. She felt a tear run down her face as (Y/n) shook his head.
(Y/n): "Judging by the way you feel, Summer stuck close to the exact way I showed her to make them... I'm glad." he announced.
(Y/n): "When you're as old as me, you'd learn a thing or two about making good food. I would make cookies all the time for the kids at the orphanage, your mother fell in love with them. And we went to Beacon, I showed her how to make them... the year before I... died. Making those cookies again... it hurt. It hurts so much." he said as black smoke emitted from his body.
(Y/n): "Making those cookies and trying to eat them brought back the pain of that day. It felt like I was relieving that moment all over again... the act of betrayal affects someone deeply. For someone, you trust to suddenly betray you... it makes you scared. It makes you question if there you can trust anyone else." he stated.
(Y/n): "But after thinking long and hard about the events of that day... it was clear to me. It was my fault. The reason she betrayed me, the reason why the others betrayed me, was because I didn't tell them who I was. If I had told them earlier, none of the events that occurred that day would've never, but it did. Because I was too scared to tell them. I was scared that they would betray me or see me as a monster, but by keeping quiet and holding onto my secrets, it only led to the events of that day." he revealed.
(Y/n): "All of the members of Team STRQ trusted me, but when they discovered that I was keeping secrets from them. They got scared. Any questions about my "family" history, I lied about it. I lied about where I came from before arriving on Patch. I lied to them about who I really was. I continued lying to the bitter end. Lying to Summer about how I was going to kill her teammates, my friends... the people I love dearly. Forcing the image of the big bad evil villain onto myself to make sure that they don't feel depressed about killing me... this only led to the downfall of the team." he said.
(Y/n): "Raven became more distant with the team until ultimately leaving in search of me after finding out the truth. Qrow became a heavy drinker, Tai became scared of losing those around him, including his daughters, and Summer... died looking for me because of the guilt she felt. All of this could've been avoided if I told them the truth!" he cried out.
Ruby only watched as the entire area near the window and (Y/n) was engulfed in black smoke.
(Y/n): "So when I heard you talking to General Ironwood and lying to his face... I saw myself inside you, I saw Ozpin inside you, you're making the same exact mistakes we made, not trusting the people who should be your allies." he said quietly.
The black smoke slowly began to disappear as (Y/n) began to make his way towards Ruby as the black smoke finally vanished. She could see the black tears trailing down his face. Without warning, he wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder.
(Y/n): "I don't want to see you end up like either of us, Ruby. If you don't fix this, it'll only be a matter of time before it'll blow up in your face. Please... don't make the same mistakes we did. I'm begging you." he told her.
(Y/n): "You have to be the one to tell him. If I were to reveal information that would reveal your lies to him, he would begin to doubt others even more. He's already scared, and if he finds out before you tell him, he may finally break, so please, don't end things like I did." he begged.
Ruby could feel his body shaking, and she felt her arms slowly lifting up to wrap around him.
Ruby: "I... I need time... I need time to talk with the others about this." she told him.
(Y/n): "Okay... just do it soon. Each passing day makes me nervous for you kids." he said as he pulled away.
As (Y/n) was pulling away, Ruby just stared at him.
Ruby: "U-Um... (Y/n)? I'm not a kid anymore." she stated.
(Y/n) paused for a minute before chuckling to himself. He reached forward and rubbed Ruby's head, causing her hair to become messy.
(Y/n): "Sorry, but the way you look reminds me of Summer when she was around your age." he smiled.
After a few more minutes of talking, Ruby eventually made her way out of their dorm room. As the door behind her closed, she rested her back against it before raising her hand up to her hair to play with it.
Ruby: 'I'm not a kid... I don't want you to see me as a kid.' she thought to herself.
With that, she pushed herself away from the door and began making her way back to her dorm room to find Yang. She was going to need some help. And as she was walking away, (Y/n) suddenly grabbed his head as he felt a bit of sharp pain.
C̵̢͑͂͂̋̕̚ǎ̸͔̏̾ñ̸͎̩̫̊̊̿̚͝ ̸̜̹͚̈́̾̔̕̚͘y̵̻̩̅̏̑͊̅͌o̴̭̒̆́̏́̕͜ͅǘ̷̱̱͇̔̎̃ ̵̰̿ḥ̶̽̓̈̕ę̷̨̬̫̬̊̔́͘ą̷̳̲̦͍̉͋͆̚ͅr̸̬̝͑̆̀̂̃ ̸͙̯̰͎̘͊̿͜m̴̭͙̜͙͌͑͂͊e̸̦̦̖̖͈̒?̶̧̨̫̻̒́͊̆͝
-?????
Fuuuuck! Typing this felt like forever when you feel horrible, but I'm back and I feeling 60% to 70% better.
Anyway, while I was quarantined to my room, I finished one of my favorite games and thought about making a story for that. I managed to think of a pretty interesting story for me to do, but I wasn't sure. What are you thoughts on a Persona 5 Royal story? Or should I just do a regular poll?
See you!