Chapter XXXII: End of the Beginning; Nova's Awakening
The Arrival of Vengeance
Nova's ascent to the tower defied every law of physics that Remnant's scientists had ever documented. His transformed state carried him through the air not through flight, but by bending space itself around his will. The golden aura that surrounded him had evolved beyond simple energy—it was a manifestation of cosmic force that made reality reshape itself to accommodate his passage.
Cinder Fall stood amid the ashes of her victory, the Fall Maiden's power coursing through her veins as she surveyed the destruction she had wrought. Pyrrha Nikos was dead, Ozpin was defeated, and Beacon Academy burned below her. Everything had proceeded exactly as planned.
Then she felt it—a presence approaching that made the very air around the tower begin to vibrate with barely contained energy. Her amber eyes turned skyward just in time to see a figure materialize on the tower's observation deck, his landing creating a crater in the reinforced stone.
Nova Belladonna stood amid the destruction, his transformed state more terrifying than any berserker rage could have been. His golden hair moved as if underwater, each strand seeming to burn with its own inner fire. His emerald eyes surveyed the scene with an intensity that made Cinder take an involuntary step backward—these weren't the wild eyes of uncontrolled fury, but the calculated gaze of someone who had moved beyond anger into something far more dangerous: absolute purpose.
His gaze found Ruby first, unconscious and crumpled near the elevator shaft, silver energy still flickering weakly around her exhausted form. Then it moved to the scattered ashes that had once been Pyrrha Nikos, the remnants of a life ended for nothing more than Cinder's twisted ambition.
Finally, Nova's attention settled on Cinder herself, and in that moment she realized she had made a fundamental miscalculation.
"You," Nova said, his voice carrying harmonics that made the tower's remaining windows crack, "killed her."
It wasn't a question. The cosmic enhancement that had awakened in Nova allowed him to read the energy signatures lingering in the air, to understand exactly what had transpired in this place. Pyrrha's noble sacrifice, Ruby's desperate attempt to intervene, Cinder's casual cruelty—all of it was written in the residual traces of power that his enhanced senses could detect.
Cinder's initial shock gave way to her usual arrogant confidence. This was just another obstacle, another enhanced student who thought his power could challenge her hard-won Maiden abilities.
"The great Nova Belladonna," she said, flames beginning to dance around her form. "I was wondering when you'd arrive. Your little girlfriend exhausted herself trying to stop me—such a waste of potential."
Nova's transformation deepened in response to her words, but not in the way Cinder expected. Instead of the explosive, destructive ascension she had witnessed from other enhanced beings, Nova's power became more focused, more refined. The golden aura around him compressed until it formed a second skin of pure energy, and the air around him began to sing with frequencies that made Cinder's enhanced hearing ache.
"You don't understand what you're facing," Nova said, taking a single step forward. The stone beneath his foot didn't crack—it simply ceased to exist, replaced by smooth glass that reflected his cosmic energy. "You think this is about power levels, about who has the strongest abilities."
Another step, and Cinder found herself backing toward the tower's edge despite her conscious decision to stand her ground. Something about Nova's presence was wrong, predatory in a way that her enhanced senses couldn't quite categorize.
"But this isn't about power," Nova continued, his voice carrying absolute certainty. "This is about choice. You chose to murder an innocent girl who was trying to protect others. You chose to hurt Ruby. You chose to turn tonight into a massacre."
The space around Nova began to distort as his cosmic abilities manifested in ways that transcended normal physics. Cinder's flames, which had burned hot enough to melt steel and reduce a person to ash in seconds, simply ceased to exist when they came into contact with his aura—not extinguished, but unmade, as if the fundamental forces that created fire had decided to stop working in his presence.
"I'm the Fall Maiden!" Cinder snarled, her entire body erupting in flames as she launched herself toward Nova with speed that should have been impossible to track. "I have the power of a season itself!"
What happened next defied every expectation Cinder had about combat. Nova didn't dodge, didn't block, didn't even seem to acknowledge her attack as a threat. He simply moved.
One moment Cinder was hurtling toward him with Maiden-enhanced speed and flames hot enough to melt steel. The next, she was crashing through the tower's remaining wall, her trajectory reversed by a casual backhand that had moved faster than her enhanced senses could track.
"You have stolen power," Nova said calmly, not even turning to watch as Cinder pulled herself from the rubble. "I have something you've never encountered before—power freely given by cosmic forces that judge worthiness."
Cinder launched herself at him again, this time creating massive constructs of glass and flame that should have overwhelmed any single opponent. Nova walked through them as if they were made of smoke, each step carrying him inexorably forward while her most devastating attacks simply ceased to exist in his presence.
A spear of superheated glass shattered against his skin without leaving a mark. Flames that could reduce buildings to ash were extinguished by his aura before they could even reach him. Cinder's enhanced speed, which had allowed her to overwhelm Ozpin himself, seemed laughably slow compared to Nova's casual movements.
"This is impossible!" Cinder screamed, pouring every ounce of Maiden power into a massive explosion of flame and fury that consumed the entire top floor of the tower.
When the fires cleared, Nova stood exactly where he had been, completely unharmed, his golden aura having protected not just himself but Ruby's unconscious form behind him. His expression hadn't changed—he still looked at Cinder with the same calm focus one might reserve for a mildly interesting insect.
"You killed Pyrrha," Nova said, his voice carrying harmonics that made the air itself vibrate. "You hurt Ruby. You turned tonight into a massacre for your own ambition."
Each word was punctuated by movement that Cinder couldn't counter or avoid. Nova appeared behind her and struck, sending her crashing through three support pillars. Before she could recover, he was above her, driving her down through the tower floor with an impact that shook Beacon's foundations.
Cinder tried to create distance, launching herself into the air with wings of flame, but Nova simply appeared beside her, his speed making her look like she was moving through molasses. His punch sent her hurtling back to the tower with enough force to crater the reinforced stone.
"Fight back!" Nova commanded, his power beginning to climb even higher as his transformation deepened. "Show me the strength you thought was worth murdering innocent people to claim!"
But Cinder had no answer. Every technique she attempted, every application of the Fall Maiden's stolen power, was countered effortlessly by someone whose abilities transcended the normal rules of Remnant's magic system. She was being toyed with, dominated so completely that her vaunted power felt like nothing more than a child's tantrum.
"Please," Cinder gasped as Nova's relentless assault continued, each blow precisely calculated to cause maximum pain without permanent damage. "I surrender. I'll—"
"Did Pyrrha get to surrender?" Nova asked, catching Cinder's desperate strike and crushing her wrist with casual pressure. "Did Amber get to beg for mercy when you stole her life?"
The beating continued, methodical and inevitable. Nova wasn't fighting in anger—this was justice being administered with cosmic precision, every impact a response to a life Cinder had destroyed, every moment of pain a reflection of the suffering she had caused.
Ruby's Silver Awakening
As the cosmic energies settled around the tower's summit, Ruby Rose slowly pushed herself upright, her enhanced silver eyes now carrying flecks of gold that seemed to dance with inner light. The merger of her natural abilities with the residual power from Pyrrha's sacrifice had created something unprecedented—not a Maiden, but something that might prove even more significant.
"I can see them," Ruby whispered, her enhanced perception now extending far beyond the tower. "Every person in Vale, every student still fighting. They're not just energy signatures anymore—I can feel their determination, their hope, their fear."
Nova's cosmic transformation began to settle into a more sustainable state as he knelt beside her, his emerald eyes reflecting concern and wonder in equal measure. "Ruby, how do you feel? The energy merger was... unprecedented."
Ruby's response was to look directly at the scattered ashes that had once been Pyrrha Nikos, her silver-gold eyes filling with tears that seemed to carry their own inner luminescence. "She's not gone, Nova. Not completely. Part of what made her who she was—her determination to protect others, her refusal to give up even when facing impossible odds—that's still here. It's part of what I received."
The revelation struck Nova like a physical blow. His cosmic abilities had allowed him to facilitate the return of stolen power, but Ruby's silver-eyed heritage had enabled her to preserve something even more precious—the essence of what had made Pyrrha Nikos a hero.
"She chose to face Cinder alone because she believed it would give everyone else a chance to escape," Ruby continued, her voice gaining strength as she spoke. "But her real choice was to trust that someone else would carry forward what she represented. Someone who would remember that being strong means protecting those who can't protect themselves."
Cinder, still collapsed on the tower's damaged floor, looked between Ruby and Nova with growing understanding of just how completely her victory had been transformed into defeat. She had killed Pyrrha expecting to claim her power for herself, but instead had created a scenario where the champion's true strength—her unwavering moral compass—had been preserved and enhanced beyond anything she could have achieved while alive.
"This is impossible," Cinder said, her voice carrying desperation rather than her usual confident cruelty. "Death is final. Power can be stolen, transferred, claimed by the strong from the weak. You can't just decide that sacrifice creates something permanent!"
Nova's response was to help Ruby to her feet, his cosmic abilities providing gentle support as she adjusted to her enhanced state. "Cinder, you've spent so long thinking about power as something you take from others that you never learned the most important lesson about true strength."
He gestured toward the city of Vale, where the sounds of battle were beginning to diminish as the various enhanced students and their allies gained the upper hand against the invasion forces.
"Real power isn't about what you can destroy or steal," Nova said, his voice carrying absolute conviction. "It's about what you create, what you inspire, what you leave behind that makes the world better than you found it."
Ruby nodded, her silver-gold eyes now blazing with renewed purpose. "Pyrrha created hope. Even in her final moments, she chose to believe that her sacrifice would matter, that someone would remember why she made it and choose to honor that memory through their own actions."
The philosophical implications of what they were discussing sent shock waves through Cinder's worldview that were more devastating than any physical attack could have been. Her entire understanding of strength, success, and survival was being challenged by concepts she had never seriously considered.
"You're saying that weakness—that choosing to die for others—is somehow stronger than surviving at any cost?" Cinder asked, genuine confusion replacing her usual manipulation tactics.
"I'm saying," Ruby replied, her enhanced abilities now extending to encompass both silver-eyed power and the moral clarity she had inherited from Pyrrha's sacrifice, "that Pyrrha is still fighting this battle, just not in the way you expected."
To demonstrate her point, Ruby raised Crescent Rose and fired a shot toward the city below. But instead of a conventional projectile, the weapon discharged a burst of silver-gold energy that spread across Vale like a gentle wave of light.
Everywhere the energy touched, injured defenders found their strength renewed. Students who had been overwhelmed by despair felt hope returning. Citizens who had been paralyzed by fear discovered courage they didn't know they possessed.
Most significantly, the enhanced students scattered across the battlefield felt a new connection—not just to each other, but to the ideals that had brought them together as defenders of innocent life.
"Pyrrha's still protecting people," Ruby said, her voice filled with wonder at the scope of what had just occurred. "Her choice to stand against you, even knowing she would lose, created something that transcends individual power levels or personal ambition."
Nova's cosmic abilities resonated with Ruby's enhanced state, and together they began to understand something that neither Ozpin nor Salem had ever fully grasped: true strength wasn't about winning conflicts, but about inspiring others to choose hope over fear, protection over destruction, sacrifice over selfishness.
"The Fall of Beacon," Nova said, his emerald eyes reflecting newfound understanding, "was never about the academy's destruction. It was about proving that some things are worth any sacrifice to preserve."
Finally, when Cinder lay broken and barely conscious amid the ruins of the tower's upper levels, Nova stepped back and began to gather his power for one final attack.
"This ends now," he said, his golden aura beginning to condense around his hands as energy that transcended normal physics began to manifest. "Not just your part in tonight's massacre, but your threat to anyone else you might harm."
The energy that began to coalesce between Nova's palms defied every law of physics that Remnant's scientists had ever documented. It wasn't just raw power—it was concentrated cosmic force, the very essence of protection and justice made manifest in devastating form.
"Ka..." Nova began, his voice carrying harmonics that made reality itself tremble.
The golden energy expanded, becoming a miniature star between his hands. The air around the tower began to warp and distort as space-time itself struggled to contain what Nova was creating.
"Me..."
Ruby, even in her enhanced state, felt the overwhelming pressure of the attack being prepared. Through their connection forged by cosmic enhancement, she understood that this wasn't just an energy blast—this was Nova channeling every protective instinct, every moment of grief for Pyrrha's death, every ounce of fury at Ruby's suffering, into a single devastating expression of absolute power.
"Ha..."
Cinder, barely conscious amid the tower's rubble, looked up through swollen eyes to see death approaching in the form of golden light. The stolen Fall Maiden power within her recognized something it had never encountered before—cosmic force that existed beyond the seasonal magic that governed Remnant's mystical systems.
"Me..."
The energy between Nova's palms had grown to the size of a small sun, its gravitational pull beginning to draw in debris from across the tower. The very foundations of Beacon's most iconic structure groaned under the stress of containing such concentrated power.
"HAAAAA!"
Nova released the energy wave with the force of a dying star going supernova. The golden beam, easily fifty feet wide and blazing with cosmic fire, consumed everything in its path. The tower didn't just collapse—it was atomized, every stone and steel beam reduced to its component particles by energy that operated on a fundamental level beyond normal destruction.
Cinder, in a final desperate act of self-preservation, used the last of her stolen Maiden power to create a portal—not of her own magic, but by tearing a hole in reality itself through sheer desperation. She fell through the dimensional rift just as Nova's attack reached her position, the portal closing barely in time to save her from complete annihilation.
The cosmic energy beam continued its destructive path, carving through the tower and deep into the mountain beneath Beacon Academy. The attack didn't just destroy the physical structure—it carved a canyon that would remain as a permanent scar in the landscape, a testament to what happened when someone with cosmic enhancement chose to unleash their full power without restraint.
When the light finally faded, Beacon Tower was simply gone. In its place was a perfectly smooth crater that glowed with residual golden energy, surrounded by a wasteland where the tower's debris had been reduced to cosmic dust.
Nova floated in the air where the tower's peak had been, his golden aura still blazing as he surveyed the absolute destruction he had wrought. Ruby, protected by his power throughout the assault, looked around at the devastation with silver-gold eyes wide with shock.
"Nova," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the echoing silence left in the wake of such overwhelming force. "The tower..."
"Was necessary," Nova replied, his transformation finally beginning to stabilize as the immediate threat had been eliminated. "Cinder escaped, but she won't forget what happened here. Neither will anyone else who might consider following Salem's path."
The message was clear and would echo across the kingdoms: there were now forces in Remnant capable of reshaping the landscape itself to protect the innocent. The cosmic evaluations had awakened something that transcended normal power scales, and those who would threaten peace did so at their own peril.
As Nova gently lowered them both to the ground at the crater's edge, the fall of Beacon Academy was complete—not through enemy victory, but through the awesome demonstration that some things were worth any sacrifice to defend, and some guardians possessed the power to make that choice absolute.
Three Weeks Later - Patch Island
Ruby Rose woke to the gentle sound of ocean waves and the familiar creak of her childhood home settling in the morning breeze. Sunlight filtered through curtains that had been carefully drawn to let in just enough light to seem welcoming without being harsh, and for a moment she almost believed that everything—Beacon, the battle, Pyrrha's death—had been nothing more than a terrible nightmare.
Then she tried to sit up, and the lingering ache from her silver-eyed awakening reminded her that some dreams left very real consequences.
"Ruby?" Taiyang Xiao Long's voice carried the relief of a father who had spent three weeks watching his daughter fight battles in her sleep. He moved from the chair beside her bed—a chair that looked like it had been occupied almost continuously—to sit on the mattress edge. "How are you feeling, kiddo?"
Ruby's silver-gold eyes focused on her father's face, noting the lines of worry that hadn't been there before the Fall of Beacon. "Dad? How long was I..." Her voice trailed off as memories began to surface—Nova's cosmic transformation, the tower's complete destruction, the overwhelming power that had flowed through her during those final moments.
"Three weeks," Taiyang said gently, his hand moving to check her forehead for fever out of parental instinct. "Qrow brought you home after... after what happened at Beacon. The doctors couldn't explain your condition—you weren't injured, exactly, but your body was dealing with some kind of energy overload."
Ruby slowly pushed herself upright, her enhanced senses immediately detecting the changes that had occurred while she recovered. The house felt different—there were additional security measures that hadn't been there before, energy signatures that suggested advanced protective systems had been installed throughout the building.
"The others?" she asked, though part of her already knew the answer from her father's expression. "Nova, Weiss, Blake, Yang—"
"Yang's here," Taiyang said quickly. "She's... she's having a difficult time, but she's alive and she's home. As for the others..."
The pause that followed told Ruby everything she needed to know about how completely their team had been scattered by the events at Beacon.
"The tower," Ruby said quietly, silver-gold eyes reflecting the weight of memories that felt both distant and immediate. "Nova destroyed it completely, didn't he? The Cross Continental Transmit System—"
"Gone," Taiyang confirmed. "All long-range communications are down. We can't reach the other kingdoms, and they can't reach us. Vale is effectively isolated until new infrastructure can be established."
Ruby processed this information while her enhanced senses continued to catalog the changes in her environment. The house itself felt more secure, but there was an underlying tension in the air that spoke to ongoing threats.
"The Wyvern?" she asked, though her silver-eyed heritage was already providing her with awareness of the ancient Grimm's continued presence.
Taiyang's expression grew grim. "Still frozen where you left it, still alive, and still drawing every Grimm on the continent toward what's left of Beacon. The military is maintaining a perimeter, but..." He shrugged helplessly. "Without the academies fully operational and with communications down, coordination is nearly impossible."
The front door opened with the sound of familiar footsteps, and Qrow Branwen entered the room carrying the scent of travel and something else—a metallic undertone that Ruby's enhanced senses identified as remnants of cosmic energy.
"Well, well," Qrow said, his usual casual demeanor unable to completely mask his relief at seeing Ruby conscious. "Sleeping Beauty finally wakes up. Mind if I have a word with her, Tai?"
Taiyang's expression shifted to something Ruby had rarely seen—open disapproval directed at his brother-in-law. "Qrow, she just woke up. She needs time to—"
"She needs information," Qrow interrupted, his red eyes carrying an intensity that suggested this wasn't a casual family visit. "And frankly, time's something we might not have a lot of."
The exchange between her father and uncle carried undercurrents that Ruby's enhanced perception picked up immediately. This wasn't just concern about her recovery—there were larger forces at work, decisions that had been made while she was unconscious.
"It's okay, Dad," Ruby said, though her silver-gold eyes remained fixed on Qrow with new understanding. "I think I need to hear this."
Taiyang hesitated, then stood with the reluctant acceptance of someone who knew his daughter had moved beyond the protection he could provide. "I'll be downstairs if you need me," he said, giving Qrow one final disapproving look before leaving them alone.
Qrow waited until Taiyang's footsteps had faded before moving to the window, his posture carrying the weight of someone who had spent weeks dealing with the aftermath of cosmic intervention.
"You're special, Ruby," he said without preamble, his voice carrying none of its usual casual tone. "Those silver eyes you inherited from Summer—they're rarer than you know. Rarer than Ozpin let on, actually."
Ruby touched her face reflexively, her enhanced senses detecting the subtle energy fluctuations that now accompanied her natural abilities. "The silver warriors. Mom told me stories about them when I was little."
"Stories based on legends that predate the kingdoms, the academies, even the first recorded conflicts with Salem," Qrow confirmed. "The creatures of Grimm feared silver-eyed warriors because they represented something that couldn't be corrupted, couldn't be turned to serve darkness. Pure protective instinct made manifest."
The revelation connected with Ruby's memories of the battle, explaining the overwhelming surge of power that had frozen the Wyvern and left her unconscious for weeks.
"But you're more than just a silver-eyed warrior now," Qrow continued, finally turning from the window to meet her gaze. "Whatever happened during that cosmic enhancement, whatever passed between you and Nova during the tower's destruction—you've become something that doesn't exist in any of the old legends."
Ruby felt the truth of his words in the way her enhanced abilities responded to emotional stimuli, the way her connection to other enhanced individuals seemed to transcend normal distance limitations.
"Ozpin's gone," Qrow said quietly. "Not dead—at least, I don't think so—but gone in ways that make his previous disappearances look like vacation trips. Which means his mission falls to those of us who understand what we're really fighting."
The implications hung in the air between them, heavy with the weight of responsibilities that Ruby had never asked for but could no longer avoid.
"I've been investigating the forces behind the Fall of Beacon," Qrow continued, his hand moving to rest on an object Ruby's enhanced senses identified as The Long Memory—Ozpin's cane, now somehow in her uncle's possession. "My investigation led me to Haven Academy in Mistral. If there are answers to be found about Salem's next move, about the cosmic forces that enhanced you and the other students, that's where we'll find them."
Ruby absorbed this information while her silver-gold eyes reflected the weight of understanding. The scattered remnants of her team, the isolation of Vale, the ongoing threat from the frozen Wyvern—everything was pointing toward a single conclusion.
"You want me to go to Haven," she said, the statement carrying acceptance rather than surprise.
"I want you to choose to go to Haven," Qrow corrected. "Because this isn't about duty or obligation anymore, Ruby. This is about the fact that you and the other enhanced students represent something that might be powerful enough to actually end this conflict rather than just survive it."
The conversation was interrupted by a soft knock on the door. Yang entered slowly, and Ruby felt her heart break at the sight of her sister.
Yang Xiao Long had always been a force of nature—confident, vibrant, seemingly unstoppable in her determination to face any challenge with a smile and a joke. The young woman who stood in the doorway carried none of that energy. Her golden hair hung limp and lifeless, her lilac eyes reflected a pain that went far deeper than physical injury, and her right sleeve hung empty where her arm should have been.
"Hey, sis," Yang said quietly, her voice lacking any of its usual warmth. "Glad you're finally awake."
Ruby wanted to leap from the bed, to embrace her sister and tell her that everything would be okay, but her enhanced senses detected something fragile in Yang's emotional state that made her approach carefully.
"Yang," Ruby said softly, "I'm so sorry. Your arm—"
"Is gone," Yang finished with flat finality. "Along with Beacon, along with Penny, along with Pyrrha. Along with any illusion that we were ready for what we were facing."
The bitterness in Yang's voice cut through Ruby like a physical wound. This wasn't grief—this was something much more dangerous, a fundamental loss of faith in the possibility that their efforts mattered.
"The team scattered after the battle," Yang continued, moving to lean against the window frame rather than sitting down, as if maintaining distance was necessary for her emotional survival. "Weiss went back to Atlas with her father. Blake..." Yang's voice trailed off, and Ruby's enhanced senses detected a spike of pain so intense it was almost overwhelming. "Blake ran away. Didn't say goodbye, didn't explain, just disappeared into the night."
The revelation hit Ruby harder than she expected. Team RWBY had been more than just a combat unit—they had been family, bound together by shared experiences and mutual trust. To learn that Blake had abandoned that bond without explanation was almost incomprehensible.
"Where did she go?" Ruby asked, though part of her already suspected the answer.
"Don't know, don't care," Yang replied, but the lie was obvious to Ruby's enhanced perception. Yang cared desperately, and that was precisely why she couldn't allow herself to acknowledge it. "People leave, Ruby. That's what they do when things get difficult."
Ruby wanted to argue, to point out that Blake's departure might have been motivated by fear or guilt rather than abandonment, but Yang's emotional state was too fragile for such discussions.
"The world isn't fair," Yang continued, her voice carrying a flatness that was more disturbing than any amount of rage would have been. "Bad things happen to good people for no reason at all. Pyrrha died because she tried to be a hero. Penny died because someone decided she was a convenient target. I lost my arm because I believed in protecting others."
The philosophical shift in Yang's worldview was profound and deeply troubling. Ruby's enhanced abilities allowed her to sense the internal conflict between Yang's innate protective instincts and her new conviction that such instincts only led to suffering.
"Yang," Ruby said carefully, "what happened at Beacon wasn't meaningless. Pyrrha's sacrifice—"
"Accomplished nothing," Yang interrupted, her lilac eyes blazing with pain masquerading as anger. "She died, Cinder escaped, Salem's still out there, and the world is more divided than ever. All that heroism, all that self-sacrifice, and what do we have to show for it?"
Ruby felt tears gathering in her silver-gold eyes as she recognized the depth of her sister's despair. This wasn't something that could be fixed with encouragement or inspirational speeches—Yang was wrestling with fundamental questions about the nature of hope itself.
"I love you, Yang," Ruby said quietly, the words carrying all the conviction she could muster. "No matter what happened, no matter what you think about heroism or sacrifice or any of it—I love you, and that's not going to change."
Yang's expression softened for just a moment, revealing the pain and uncertainty beneath her defensive cynicism. But then the walls went back up, and she turned toward the door.
"I need to be alone right now, Ruby," Yang said, her voice carrying exhaustion that went far beyond physical fatigue. "I'm glad you're okay, but I can't... I can't be what you need me to be right now."
After Yang left, Ruby sat in silence, processing the full scope of how completely the Fall of Beacon had shattered not just their academy but their relationships. Qrow, who had remained silent during the exchange, finally spoke.
"She'll find her way back," he said, though his tone suggested he wasn't entirely convinced. "Yang's stronger than she knows, but she needs time to process what happened."
Ruby nodded, but her enhanced senses were already telling her that time alone wouldn't be enough to heal the wounds her sister carried.
The Journey Begins
Three months had passed since the Fall of Beacon, and winter had settled over Patch Island with the quiet persistence of natural change that continued regardless of human conflict. Ruby stood in her childhood bedroom, packing supplies for a journey she had never wanted to make but could no longer avoid.
Through her window, she could see Yang sitting on the back porch, staring out at the ocean with the same hollow expression that had characterized her behavior since returning home. They had spoken occasionally during Ruby's recovery, but every conversation ended the same way—with Yang retreating into herself and Ruby feeling more helpless than any amount of cosmic enhancement could address.
A knock on her bedroom door interrupted her packing. "Ruby?" Taiyang entered, carrying a travel pack that he set down carefully beside her bed. "I've included some of your mother's gear—things that might come in handy on the road."
Ruby looked at the pack, recognizing items that had belonged to Summer Rose, and felt the weight of inherited responsibility settling around her shoulders like a familiar cloak.
"Dad," she said quietly, "what if Yang's right? What if trying to be heroes just leads to more suffering?"
Taiyang was quiet for a long moment, his expression reflecting the same question that had haunted him since Summer's death. "Your mother used to worry about that too," he said finally. "She'd come home from missions, and I could see her wondering if the fights she won were worth the fights she couldn't prevent."
He moved to sit on Ruby's bed, his hands folding together as he searched for words that might provide comfort without offering false hope.
"But Summer always came back to the same conclusion," Taiyang continued. "She said that the world was full of people who needed someone to stand between them and the darkness, and if she didn't do it, who would?"
Ruby absorbed this wisdom while her enhanced senses detected the approach of familiar energy signatures. Through the window, she could see three figures walking up the path toward their house—Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, and Lie Ren, the surviving members of Team JNPR.
Their presence here could only mean one thing: they had made the same decision Ruby was struggling with, the choice to continue the fight despite the cost.
"The remaining members of Team JNPR are here," Ruby observed, though she made no move toward the window.
"They've been staying in Vale, helping with the recovery efforts," Taiyang explained. "But like you, they've reached the conclusion that staying here won't accomplish what needs to be done."
Ruby finished her packing in silence, her silver-gold eyes reflecting the complexity of emotions that accompanied any decision of such magnitude. She was leaving behind the safety of home, the possibility of helping Yang recover, and the simple life she had once imagined for herself.
But she was also choosing to honor Pyrrha's sacrifice, to use her cosmic-enhanced abilities for their intended purpose, and to pursue answers that might prevent future tragedies.
The front door opened, and familiar voices filled the house. Ruby made her way downstairs to find Jaune, Nora, and Ren sitting around the kitchen table with her father, their travel gear suggesting they had been prepared for her decision.
"Ruby," Jaune said, rising as she entered the room. His blue eyes carried a maturity that hadn't been there before Beacon's fall, the weight of leadership he had never wanted but could no longer avoid. "We've been waiting for you to recover. If you're willing, we'd like to ask you to join us."
"Join you in what?" Ruby asked, though her enhanced abilities were already providing her with awareness of their intentions.
"Haven Academy," Ren replied, his quiet voice carrying new determination. "Qrow's investigation suggests that's where we'll find answers about what happened at Beacon and what Salem is planning next."
Nora, uncharacteristically subdued, added, "We can't bring Pyrrha back, but we can make sure her sacrifice meant something. That it led to something better than just... ending."
Ruby looked at the three members of Team JNPR and saw reflection of her own struggle—young people who had been thrust into circumstances beyond their control, but who had chosen to move forward rather than retreat into safety.
"What about Yang?" Ruby asked, her enhanced senses detecting her sister's presence on the back porch, close enough to overhear their conversation.
Before anyone could answer, the back door opened and Nova Belladonna stepped inside, his golden aura subdued but his emerald eyes carrying the same determined focus that had allowed him to obliterate Beacon Tower. Behind him, Turuk followed with a quieter presence, his attention clearly divided between the conversation and Yang's emotional state.
"I'm coming with you to Haven," Nova said without preamble, his cosmic-enhanced senses having detected their planning from outside. "Whatever Salem is planning next, whatever we'll find at the academy—you'll need backup that can match what we faced at Beacon."
Turuk moved to lean against the kitchen counter, his golden eyes reflecting a different kind of determination. "I'm staying here with Yang," he said quietly. "Beerus revealed something about her heritage during the evaluation—the demonic bloodline she inherited from Raven. She's going to need help understanding what that means, how to control it."
The statement created ripples of understanding through the room. Yang's violent outburst during the tournament, her enhanced physical capabilities, the dark undertones that had accompanied her recent emotional withdrawal—all of it suddenly made sense in the context of inherited demonic power.
"The others?" Ruby asked, though her enhanced perception was already providing awareness of the scattered locations of their enhanced classmates.
"Aiko and Mercury have gone into hiding," Nova explained, his expression reflecting concern for his adopted family. "They're working through the aftermath of his conditioning breaking down, but they'll meet us when we need them. Scarlett went after Blake with Sun and Shallot—she's determined to bring her back."
Turuk added, "Daikon left for Atlas three days ago. He's convinced that Weiss was taken back against her will, and he's not wrong. My cousin Tarro is helping Professor Goodwitch and the other surviving faculty deal with the aftermath here at Vale."
Ruby processed this information while her silver-gold eyes reflected the complexity of their scattered situation. The cosmic evaluation had created not just enhanced individuals, but a network of connections that transcended normal team boundaries.
"What about Yang?" Ruby asked again, this time directing the question to Turuk specifically. "Will she be safe with just you here?"
Turuk's expression softened slightly, revealing emotions that he had kept carefully controlled since Yang's injury. "She needs someone who understands what it means to have power that could destroy the people you care about if you lose control. Someone who won't leave when things get difficult."
The unspoken feelings between Turuk and Yang had been obvious to everyone except themselves, but Yang's current emotional state made any romantic considerations secondary to her basic psychological survival.
"Besides," Turuk continued, "someone needs to monitor the Wyvern situation and coordinate with the military. Vale isn't going to recover from Beacon's fall overnight."
The decision crystallized in Ruby's mind with the clarity that had characterized all her most important choices. She was going to Haven with Nova and the remnants of Team JNPR, while their extended family handled the other crises that the Fall of Beacon had created.
"When do we leave?" she asked.
Farewells and New Paths
The morning of their departure arrived with the crisp clarity that characterized winter on Patch Island. Ruby stood in the garden behind their house, before a simple headstone that marked her mother's grave. Snow had begun to fall, each flake catching the morning light like tiny stars.
"I'm going to Haven, Mom," Ruby said quietly, her silver-gold eyes reflecting both determination and uncertainty. "I don't know if I'm ready for what we'll find there, but I know I can't stay here while Salem continues to hurt people."
Behind her, Nova waited patiently, his own respects having been paid to the memorial. The members of Team JNPR stood nearby, understanding the weight of leaving home for an uncertain future.
But it was the sound of approaching footsteps that made Ruby turn. Yang emerged from the house, her golden hair catching the morning light despite its recent lifelessness. Her right sleeve still hung empty, but something in her posture suggested that Turuk's presence over the past few days had begun to reach through her despair.
"Ruby," Yang said quietly, her voice carrying more warmth than it had since the fall of Beacon. "I wanted to... I needed to say goodbye properly this time."
The sisters embraced, and for a moment Ruby felt the connection they had always shared breaking through Yang's defensive barriers. It wasn't healing—that would take much longer—but it was acknowledgment that their bond remained intact despite everything that had happened.
"Take care of yourself," Ruby whispered. "And let Turuk help you. He understands what it's like to have power that could hurt people if you lose control."
Yang nodded, pulling back to look at her sister with lilac eyes that held traces of their old spark. "You take care of Nova, okay? He's got more power than anyone should have to carry alone."
Ruby glanced at Nova, who was studying the interaction with the careful attention of someone who understood the importance of family bonds. "We'll watch out for each other."
Turuk approached, his golden eyes reflecting the same mixture of determination and concern that had characterized his decision to remain behind. "The others are counting on you to find answers at Haven. Aiko and Mercury will meet you when they can, and the rest of us will handle our missions here."
"What about Blake?" Ruby asked. "Any word from Scarlett's team?"
"Still tracking her," Turuk replied. "Scarlett, Sun, and Shallot are following leads that suggest she's heading toward Menagerie. They'll find her."
Nova moved to Ruby's side, his cosmic-enhanced presence providing the same protective stability that had allowed him to destroy Beacon Tower while keeping Ruby safe. "And Daikon?"
"Already in Atlas by now," Turuk confirmed. "If anyone can extract Weiss from whatever situation her father has created, it's him. His technological enhancement gives him advantages that Atlas security won't be prepared for."
The conversation was interrupted by the arrival of their transport—a small airship that would carry them toward Mistral and the unknown challenges that awaited at Haven Academy. Qrow emerged from the pilot's seat, The Long Memory visible at his side.
"Ready for the adventure of a lifetime?" he asked, though his tone suggested he understood the weight of what they were undertaking.
Ruby took one last look at Patch Island, her enhanced senses cataloging every detail of the home she was leaving behind. Yang stood beside Turuk, her posture suggesting that she was finally beginning to accept the help he had been offering since her injury. Taiyang watched from the house, his expression carrying the complicated emotions of a father watching both his daughters choose paths that would take them away from his protection.
"I'm ready," Ruby said, and meant it.
As their airship lifted off, carrying Ruby, Nova, and the remnants of Team JNPR toward their uncertain future, the various members of their extended cosmic family began their own journeys—Turuk remaining to help Yang confront her demonic heritage, Scarlett pursuing Blake across continents, Daikon infiltrating Atlas to rescue Weiss, and Tarro working to rebuild what could be saved from Beacon's ashes.
The Fall of Beacon had scattered them across the world, but the connections forged by their cosmic enhancement ensured that they remained united in purpose if not in location. Each would face their own challenges, confront their own demons, and discover their own truths about what it meant to wield power in service of protection rather than conquest.
The real adventure was just beginning.
Salem's Contemplation
Far from the warmth of human farewell, in a fortress that existed at the intersection of reality and nightmare, Salem stood before a massive window that looked out over a wasteland of her own creation. The land stretched endlessly in all directions—barren, lifeless, perfect in its desolation.
She was beautiful in the way that catastrophes could be beautiful, her pale skin and white hair carrying an otherworldly perfection that spoke to powers beyond mortal understanding. Her red eyes reflected the satisfaction of someone whose first move in a cosmic chess game had exceeded all expectations.
"The fall of Beacon," she said to the empty air, her voice carrying harmonics that made the very walls of her fortress resonate in response. "The scattering of Ozpin's precious students, the destruction of the communication networks, the isolation of the kingdoms from each other."
She turned from the window, her movement carrying the fluid grace of someone who existed outside the normal constraints of time and mortality.
"But most delicious of all," Salem continued, her expression shifting to something that might have been amusement if it weren't so thoroughly malevolent, "the awakening of cosmic forces that dear Ozpin never anticipated. Children touched by powers beyond this world, enhanced in ways that make them more dangerous to themselves than to their enemies."
The cosmic evaluations that had enhanced certain students at Beacon had been observed, analyzed, and incorporated into Salem's long-term strategy. She understood that such power could be corrupted, turned against itself, made to serve purposes far different from those intended by the beings who had granted it.
"Send your guardians, Ozpin," Salem said, though she knew her ancient enemy was beyond hearing, lost in whatever limbo claimed the souls of immortals who had been too thoroughly defeated to maintain their physical forms. "Send your huntsmen and huntresses. Send your simple soul with her silver eyes and cosmic-touched heart."
She smiled, the expression carrying promise of conflicts that would reshape the very foundations of Remnant's civilization.
"I will show them all what happens when hope is tested by absolute despair, when love is challenged by inevitable loss, when the power to protect is turned into the need to destroy."
Salem's reflection was interrupted by the arrival of one of her servants—a pale, trembling figure who barely qualified as human anymore.
"The reports from our agents in the field?" Salem inquired.
"The Rose girl has departed for Haven, accompanied by the remaining members of Team JNPR," the servant reported, its voice carrying the hollow tones of something that had forgotten what it meant to be alive. "The Belladonna boy remains in Vale, coordinating recovery efforts. The Yang girl has... withdrawn from active engagement."
Salem processed this information with the calculating precision of someone who viewed individual lives as pieces to be moved across a vast board.
"And the Faunus girl? Blake Belladonna?"
"Has disappeared entirely. Our agents have been unable to locate her since the night of Beacon's fall."
This news did provoke a reaction from Salem—a slight narrowing of her red eyes that suggested Blake's absence represented an unexpected variable in her calculations.
"Find her," Salem commanded. "The children touched by cosmic power are most vulnerable when they believe themselves alone. Isolation breeds doubt, doubt breeds despair, and despair..."
She smiled again, the expression promising corruption that would make Beacon's fall seem like a minor setback in comparison.
"Despair breeds the kind of choices that serve my purposes rather than theirs."
The Watchers
High above the kingdoms, in Beerus's floating temple that existed between dimensions, the God of Destruction observed the aftermath of their intervention alongside his attendant Whis and the two Saiyan warriors who had been training under their guidance.
Beerus lounged in his chair with the casual elegance of someone whose power could unmake galaxies, his cat-like features reflecting mild interest as he watched the events unfolding on Remnant. "The Belladonna boy's transformation was impressive," he noted, his voice carrying the authority of someone who had witnessed the birth and death of countless civilizations. "For a moment there, I thought he might actually achieve something approaching our level of power."
Whis, standing nearby with his staff glowing softly, maintained his usual serene expression as he analyzed the cosmic data flowing from Remnant. "His ability to channel protective instinct into absolute force was indeed remarkable, Lord Beerus. Though I suspect the complete destruction of that tower may have been... excessive."
Goku, floating cross-legged nearby with his orange gi pristine despite their recent training session, looked up with his characteristic enthusiasm. "Did you see how he moved, though? That wasn't just raw power—he was fighting with real purpose! Protecting someone he cared about made him stronger than any training could have."
Vegeta, arms crossed and scowling from his position near the temple's edge, interjected with his typical prideful analysis. "The boy has potential, I'll grant him that. But power without proper control is just destruction waiting for an excuse. Look what happened to their precious academy."
Beerus's tail twitched with amusement. "Says the Saiyan prince who spent his early years destroying planets for sport."
"That's different," Vegeta replied stiffly. "I was following orders from Frieza. This boy acted purely on emotion."
"Emotion that made him stronger than he'd ever been before," Goku pointed out, his simple wisdom cutting through Vegeta's deflection. "Sometimes the best power comes from protecting what you love, not just getting stronger for the sake of being strong."
Whis nodded approvingly at Goku's insight. "Indeed. Though I must say, the Rose girl's silver-eyed heritage merging with our cosmic enhancement has created something quite unprecedented. She represents a bridge between her species' natural protective instincts and the transcendent power we've granted."
Beerus stretched languidly, his divine senses continuing to monitor the scattered enhanced individuals across Remnant. "And the Yang girl's retreat into despair? Was this outcome predictable, Whis?"
"Despair is often the price of caring deeply for others," Whis replied philosophically. "We enhanced their power, but we could not protect them from the fundamental truth that love makes one vulnerable to loss. Though I suspect the Turuk boy's decision to remain with her may provide the stability she needs."
Vegeta snorted dismissively. "Weakness. A true warrior doesn't let emotional attachment compromise their—"
"Their what, Vegeta?" Goku interrupted with uncharacteristic sharpness. "Their ability to protect the people they care about? Because that's what Nova did when he saw Ruby in danger. That's what made him strong enough to do something even we might have trouble with."
The observation created a moment of thoughtful silence among the cosmic observers. Even Beerus, who had destroyed worlds on a whim, recognized the unique nature of power motivated by absolute protection rather than conquest or survival.
"The evaluation is far from over," Beerus declared finally, his cat-like eyes reflecting satisfaction with the complexity they had introduced to Remnant's development. "These children have been given tools that could reshape their entire world, but they must choose how to use them."
"And if they choose poorly?" Vegeta asked.
Beerus's expression grew more serious, revealing the divine authority that lay beneath his casual demeanor. "Then they'll discover why I'm called the God of Destruction, and their world will require... correction."
But his tone suggested he didn't expect that outcome. The enhanced students had already demonstrated something that impressed even a deity who had witnessed the rise and fall of countless civilizations: the wisdom to use ultimate power not for personal gain, but for the protection of others.
The real test was just beginning, and even the gods were curious to see what these young warriors would accomplish.
Post-Credits: The Crow's Watch
In the skies above the transport carrying Ruby and the remnants of Team JNPR toward Haven Academy, a single black crow flew with purpose that transcended normal avian behavior. Qrow Branwen's transformation allowed him to scout ahead while remaining connected to the young hunters he had sworn to protect.
Through his enhanced senses, he detected the energy signatures that marked his charges—Ruby's silver-gold aura, Nova's carefully controlled cosmic power, Jaune's steadily growing confidence, Nora and Ren's quiet determination. But he also detected something else: the subtle presence of watchers who remained hidden from normal perception.
Salem's agents were already tracking their movement, positioning themselves along the route to Haven. The cosmic beings continued their evaluation from dimensions beyond normal space. And somewhere, in the spaces between light and shadow, other forces moved with purposes that remained hidden even from Qrow's experienced perception.
But now there was something new—a presence so vast and powerful that it made Qrow's instincts scream danger even as his rational mind recognized it as benevolent. Divine attention had turned toward their small group, and with it came possibilities that transcended anything in Ozpin's ancient plans.
The Long Memory at his side pulsed with residual energy from its previous owner, carrying memories and knowledge that Qrow was only beginning to understand. But even Ozpin's vast experience hadn't prepared contingencies for direct divine intervention in their conflict.
As the transport continued its journey toward Mistral and the uncertain future that awaited at Haven Academy, Qrow transformed back into human form, settling into his role as guardian and guide for the next generation of heroes—heroes who were about to receive training from beings whose power transcended mortal understanding.
The Fall of Beacon had ended one chapter of their story, but the cosmic forces that had been awakened would ensure that the next chapter tested everything they believed about power, sacrifice, and the true meaning of hope.
The journey to Haven had begun, carrying with it the dreams of the living and the hopes of the dead, toward a confrontation that would determine whether cosmic enhancement could overcome the ancient patterns of conflict that had defined their world since the beginning of recorded history.
In the distance, storm clouds gathered on the horizon, but now they carried the promise of divine lightning that would forge champions capable of protecting not just their world, but the cosmic balance itself.
The real adventure was just beginning, and the stakes had never been higher—or the potential for victory never greater.
To be continued in Chapter 33: The Next Step; Divine Intervention