The Only Reason -[A RWBY Fanfic]

She had imagined that moment many times, even several years before this one. It was no secret that Cinder was extremely afraid of Salem, not everyone could afford to be superior in power against the black-haired girl, the immortal, without a doubt and without effort, was first on the list. For that reason, every time Cinder made a mistake or said something she shouldn't, she imagined how the pale woman massacred her, Salem was always her worst fear. But now, her worst fear was that Salem would win, not that she would win against her, rather that the immortal would win the battle against the world, she was afraid that Tessa and all the other people would perish.

While fear was consuming her at that moment, there was something else that ignited within her, something that outweighed the fear, and that was determination. She was determined to, however possible, stall Salem long enough to ensure that the teenagers escaped with the scepter. With that, she could at least buy a few more minutes for those who were now her companions in this battle.

As darkness surrounded her, the black-haired girl didn't take her eyes off the immortal. Salem wasn't even walking, she was just levitating, dragging her impeccable black clothes, she stopped several meters away from her, completely sealing the darkness of the tunnel, behind Cinder the dim light of the vault barely splashed the ground.

"I knew you were alive " her eyes fixed on Cinder without blinking " But I didn't think you'd come back " Her voice was calm, but a little ethereal.

The heat emanating from her sword intensified, her fingers tightening around the edge to force their grip, as if this could keep it above the ground so it wouldn't fade away.

" I didn't think I'd come back either" She replied, gritting her teeth.

" So? " Salem seemed genuinely interested " What made you change your mind? What made you turn against me? "

"You have to be stopped, Salem. And I don't think you'll do it of your own free will. So I guess... it's best to help"

" Just like that? " She made a movement with her hand, Cinder's back contracted at the action, but the immortal was only speaking " You just woke up one day with the thought of fighting against me, even knowing what that would entail? "

Cinder shrugged. "Yeah, that's kind of how it happened."

Salem narrowed her eyes, a sound of recognition emerging from her throat. There was something in her gaze that alarmed Cinder even more, it was as if Salem could see right through her. It wasn't that strange, the ancient woman was the one who raised and trained her for years, she knew her very well, if anyone could read her easily, it was her, it was terrifying.

But she wasn't here to have a panic attack in front of her. She was here to help, to stop her, even if it meant facing her own end and seeing the face of her greatest fear, even if she had to rummage through her own guts to find her courage, She would give everything for the world, for Tessa.

She released her grip on both hands on her weapon, a flame appearing in her free hand, quickly spitting another burning sword in her palm. The molten steel of both weapons burned, throwing sparks and flames on the edges. She quickly spun both swords between her fingers and got into an attack stance.

The immortal arched an eyebrow in disbelief. "You're not thinking of attacking me, are you? By yourself?" She let out a sigh that was too heavy, even for her. "I definitely don't believe you're that stupid."

A small, defiant smile tugged at the top corner of her mouth. "So…" the fire in her gaze ignited, hot and crackling. "You're underestimating me."

She lunged at Salem, her advance so fast that Cinder barely managed to stop in front of her, intentionally twisting her body so that the swords she raised above her head would slash down from above with more momentum. Her weapons crashed into nothingness as the pale immortal vanished into black smoke.

Although the brunette rushed forward, she didn't hesitate to kick one of the swords from her right when she felt her presence reappear, the weapon slid behind her, sticking into a wall, Salem arched an eyebrow at the aim, but before she could reply, the sword exploded, causing a wave of smoke and expanding dry ice around her. Cinder was already on her again, with a strong push, she propelled the tip of the sword in Salem's direction.

Magic slid over the immortal's figure, coating her elegant form in flashes of deep red and dark black. A pool of Grimm limbs spread from the ground, shadowy arms stretching out in strange, aberrant shapes, claws reaching out with thin, sickly fingers. All of them, against Cinder.

The amber-eyed girl swung back, bony hands barely grazing her, then rolled forward to dodge another handful of limbs, leaving a path of fire in her wake that destroyed the black cloak on the ground.

But even though Cinder had thrown herself at Salem again, she stopped as if she had collapsed against a wall, the air suddenly taking on a darker tone, she had been incapacitated, floating without being able to move a single muscle in her body. Salem held her suspended in the air in front of her.

"Silly little girl," She muttered. "Don't waste your time with that. Where is the relic?"

She felt the air buzz with dark magic, yet she remained silent, not taking her eyes off the immortal, absolute silence around her was her only response. With another sigh of resignation, Salem moved a finger, causing the magic holding Cinder to crash her to the ground. The brunette could feel her body painfully fall. She barely grunted in pain as the immortal lifted her up again.

" Are you going to tell me now? "

The silence, plus Cinder's defiant gaze told her, no. She slammed her into the ice once more, but not content with this, she dragged her across the ground, hitting her against the ice edges in her path, another flick of her finger drew her back to her.

Cinder could feel the bruises and welts painfully plaguing her body, a small trickle of blood dripping from her head, and though she tried she couldn't help but wince in pain as Salem suspended her in the air once again, this time grabbing her by the collar of her suit to get a closer look.

"You don't want me to continue with this" Salem's voice was unfazed"I'll ask you one more time, Where is the relic? "

"Okay," the brunette said between painful moans. "Okay," she exhaled. "Do you see the vault behind me? "Salem's cold gaze flitted between Cinder's eyes and the enormous vault behind her, she nodded slowly.

"Yeah"

"Fine" Cinder sighed "Because that way, you can go to hell"

[T/N: ...huh?]

A disappointed sound came from Salem's lips, she shook her head in disappointment, the woman let her fall again to turn her back, but this time it was softer, a simple fall. The magic was no longer there, as soon as the amber-eyed woman stood up and tried to attack her, a crust of black ice rose up her body freezing her, it caught her from the legs and arms but only took her chest, once again immobilized Cinder growled in frustration.

"You're not going to tell me, are you? "

"You should know by now that you're wasting your time asking me, Salem. Of course, I won't tell you"

"So loyal" She turned to look at her once more" Before, you were loyal to me" Her face was curious" Were you loyal to me, out of fear, or because you wanted power?"

"I think... for both things"

" Now, you don't want to, do you? " She clicked her tongue " But... Aren't you afraid anymore? " Shrugging, Salem tilted her face to the side, seeming more relaxed " No," she said, still looking at her analytically " Of course you're afraid. You're terrified "

With some forced movements Cinder tried to free herself from the ice. "Free me and I'll show you how scared I can be!" Cinder's threat lacked the credibility necessary to worry Salem in the slightest.

The immortal raised an unimpressed eyebrow, slowly moving forward, close enough to observe her glowing amber orbs. "So afraid, yet so brave," She continued to stare at her without blinking. "Loyal and brave. So much audacity you have now… but still you weren't able to save your young wards."

Cinder froze again, the painful sting in her chest reminding her of Mercury and Emerald's faces. They were just children. Her eyes watering, a flutter of unbridled anger whipped through her body, she cared little for Salem, she felt the waves of fire wrap around her body. Flames swirled in the air around Cinder, another unstable burst of fire erupting, shattering the black ice and freeing her completely.

The black-haired girl sent a punch towards Salem's face, but she stopped it without any problem. The force made Cinder's arm tremble, but she still didn't back down.

"I don't have enough power to stop you, Salem. But I can become a headache for you. Remember that you trained me yourself " Cinder's eyes flashed with rage. The fire blast was so powerful that it forced the immortal to retreat.

She touched her hand, the fire was burning it. "Silly girl," She hissed with less patience. She sent another jolt of magic but the amber-eyed girl managed to dodge the attacks, the ice was torn along the tunnel, while Cinder slid to dodge them hastily.

Finally, Salem stopped, her features looking interested. Cinder stopped to take a breath, even with anger radiating from her gaze, her orbs did not stop watching the immortal who now seemed even more curious than before.

"You're sentimental too " Now, Salem sounded amused " Just like you say, I raised you, trained you, to be analytical and calculating. Cold and efficient. But now you react to feelings "

"That, it doesn't matter to you"

"Oh. Of course, I care" She mused, looking over at her "sentimentality led you to fail and betray me. Just like the others, but you're nothing special, not like them. You're definitely not a heroine"

"Of course, I'm not a hero" Cinder replied " The heroes are out there. Fighting against the mess you made... against the mess we made, I'm just trying to make things right"

"And you think you can? You think you can fix things? After everything you've done, even by your own choice, everything you've caused. Do you think a few good deeds... " She emphasized the last part "Can now redeem you? "

Cinder was silent, she knew Salem was right, there was nothing, absolutely nothing she did that could repair the damage she had caused for so long, the lives she took, the destruction she left behind. No one would ever trust her completely, maybe Tessa...but Tessa would always be the one and only in her life. Apart from her, no one else would place their complete trust in her, and they had every reason to feel that way...however, that didn't mean Cinder would stop or give up, she would never be the same again, even if the world didn't accept her, even if the world hated her, she would fight for them.

"No" She finally said, answering Salem's question "I don't think so"

"Good" Salem clenched her jaw"Because you, like me, my dear young lady, will always be a monster" the immortal's hand rose, smoking crimson magic.

Cinder jumped to the side avoiding the first clash, she ducked under a bolt of magic, her speed increasing with each movement, but what she didn't expect was for the energy to return to her back as she dodged the other attacks. The crash against her body electrocuted her, the painful tickling unbalanced her, she fell, landing painfully on her knees, when she made another attempt to stand up, Salem sent another shock at her that ended up knocking her against the ice.

Weakened and tired, Cinder couldn't find the strength in her aching body to stand up, the vapor of magic escaping from her body, a consequence of the attack. Another trickle of blood came out of her mouth, leaving a metallic taste between her teeth. Salem calmly approached her, grabbed the high collar of her suit, and lifted her off the ground, her knuckles pressing under Cinder's chin without any effort.

"The stupidest thing about this whole situation is that I'm seeing myself reflected in you "

"I'm not like you," Cinder murmured in a weak voice.

"You are. Just like me, when I was a naive and sentimental young girl." Salem tilted her head, as if she were studying Cinder with much more interest. "I stood up against something that was beyond me, something more powerful than me, just for love."

The black-haired girl frowned, but said nothing. That was enough of an answer. A flash, a glint of panic, or a well-covered memory dancing in her gaze. Salem gave a faint smile, of course, She had hit the nail on the head.

"There it is" Salem pointed out" You fell in love. That was your reason... Poor unfortunate one" the immortal hummed a thoughtful note after a few seconds of silence" Or fortunate one" she raised an eyebrow" The point is, you're reliving my steps. This is a war you can't win Cinder, just like me, you're going to lose. What you're facing is too big for you. I challenged the gods trying to save my love, but I couldn't and the worst thing is that I ended up without being able to choose anything else in my life, I was condemned to an eternity in this world, all to realize that the one for whom I lost everything, cared more about the gods who condemned him"

Cinder wanted to deny it, to tell her that it wasn't the same, that she could never compare Ozpin to Tessa, because the brunette was too pure a being to even compare her to anyone else, and that Tessa was worth any risk, she wanted to tell her all that and more... but nevertheless something in Salem's words left her thinking. That was Salem's reason, the immortal would bring the gods in order to end humanity and herself in the process. Why couldn't she get over a betrayal?

" Is it because of Ozpin? " the amber-eyed girl asked " Are you going to have all of humanity destroyed, because of the betrayal of one? "

"It's not just Ozpin who has betrayed me" She sharpened her gaze on the black-haired girl "But no, that's not the reason why I want to bring those useless gods here"

' So?'

Salem let the magic once again support Cinder's tired and injured body, her hands clasped together in front of her, she looked into the darkness of the tunnel as if she could find some peace in it.

"I'm tired" she continued looking towards the tunnel calmly"I've spent too much time on this planet. I've lived thousands of years, I witnessed the extinction of humanity and magic at the hands of the gods"

Cinder snorted and shook her head. "But that was your fault."

"I challenged them, my intention was to oppose them, to make them see how wrong they were. I never believed that they would wipe out all of humanity" Finally, Salem turned her head to look at her " The decision to wipe out humanity has always been the gods'... but it's easier to blame me for that "

She felt upset, because, in some strange way and one she didn't know how to explain, empathy for Salem touched her, she supposed it was the way the immortal had described it before, they were similar, Cinder knew what it was like to be hated, for many atrocious actions she committed, but others had only been a mistake that she could never remedy...

"It doesn't have to be like this. There's no need to end everything" Cinder tried.

"I suppose so"Salem pointed out, but sighed anyway"But it seemed very difficult for the gods to understand. They will never understand human imperfection, they will not understand that what makes you human is making mistakes. All of mine disappeared, my generation, my people... my family. I made mistake after mistake and I was condemned for it, I never had the chance to choose my destiny, in the end, I ended up becoming what I am now, just like you, I am a monster "

Salem's gaze was lost somewhere on the ground. Now this was a thousand times worse, it was easier to imagine that Salem was pure evil without reason, but she would never be, evil was always created, not born. Now she was not only going to die at Salem's hands, but she would die empathizing with her. This being good thing was shit...

"There has to be another way. One that doesn't involve killing all of humanity so you can leave. If they come now they will wipe everyone out, if they see war and strife then they will exterminate everyone. At least wait a little longer, let everything settle down, when they come back you can ask them to let you leave this land "

For some reason, that made Salem smile. "What a naive girl. What you don't know is that they will never understand. Another thousand years could pass and the gods will never understand humanity. Humans are not perfect. Some will love a lot, some will love a little. Mistakes will always be made. Conflicts will always exist. There will be good people and bad people. The magic of humanity is in imperfection, but the arrogance of the gods prevents them from seeing it."

"That can't be the only way"

"I've been looking for other ways for too long " The immortal raised her hand, dark magic summoned a sword in her hand, it was black with golden edges, embedded in its handle were some crimson gems, its design was similar to the relic of creation. Was this weapon the relic of destruction? "The gods will destroy everything. I could never choose, so I choose this, I will take advantage of this opportunity... at all costs"

When the pale woman swung her sword to propel it against Cinder, the cut of air was heard in the distance, the brunette closed her eyes waiting for the blow, but instead, the momentum was stopped by a rumble of rocks and ice being destroyed.

A huge hole formed at the top of the tunnel, on the ceiling you could see the grayish color of the clouds and the light of day hatching in the darkness. One after another the members of team RWBY, JNR, Qrow, and Ozpin himself fell in synchrony. The energy that held Cinder back released her, letting her fall to the ground as soon as the pair of ancients attacked each other.

The group of teenagers attacked relentlessly, with enviable synchronization they kept a safe distance, constantly moving to prevent Salem from attacking anyone in particular, Ozpin on the other hand went with more direct attacks, Salem did not seem scared, at first surprised but not scared, repelling any blow, bullet or flash of magic gracefully, but if she had to give the team credit it is that they kept the immortal quite aware of them.

Cinder slowly stood up, limping away from the center until she managed to lean against a wall to breathe more calmly.

"Hey, Cinder, how are you? " Qrow's voice caught her attention, Qrow had separated from the rest until he reached her side.

Cinder wiped the blood from her mouth with the edge of her hand. "Fine, I'm as fresh as a cucumber. Just give me a break and I'll be with you."

She heard Salem growl as one of Ozpin's attacks managed to intersect her. It seemed that the professor had managed to recover all of her magic at that moment, managing to unleash a more enormous fight between the two, everyone's attention was focused on them.

The Qrow's expression remained implacable, but his voice remained serious. "No offense, Cinder, but it's best not to. You're pretty hurt."

"No, I won't leave them "

Cinder's determination shone in her eyes, she wasn't willing to leave by any means, there may have been more of them, but it was safe to say that they were still no match for the immortal. Qrow's eyes scanned the brunette's face, a soft smile settling on his face.

"You've done a lot already. It's time for you to go, we'll take care of it "

"Don't tell me what to do, Qrow. I won't abandon you"

As if to prove her point, Cinder stood up straighter, rather embarrassed by the fact that her legs were shaking and she had bruises everywhere, she spat blood onto the ground and looked at Qrow as if she were a spoiled teenager. Qrow pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"Uncle Qrow is right, Cinder " With her breathing heavy from exhaustion, the little red girl had reached them "I need to use my eyes, you can't be here"

The brunette refused. "Use them, it doesn't matter, but I won't abandon you."

"The only thing you will achieve is death. You are very hurt and you will not be able to help in any way. Understand that you cannot do anything else to help "This time with a much sadder look Qrow placed a hand on her shoulder to emphasize that fact " Don't you want to go back to Tessa? "

Her breathing calmed down, She honestly had no idea what She would do but something told her that she shouldn't leave, that She still had to do something. Returning the gesture, She placed a hand gently on Qrow's arm. "Of course, that's what I want most," She smiled, curling her fingers to accentuate a small squeeze on Qrow's arm. "But, the most important thing is that she stays alive... just like you guys." She released the squeeze to move away from her companions when a rumble increased the fight that was happening, large pieces of rock and ice fell from the ceiling.

Ruby straightened up and replied, "Thank you, Cinder," with a smile still on her lips, she said, "You must go." Her tone was strange, even for Qrow who looked at her stealthily, it seemed like a farewell, and the amber-eyed girl didn't like that, she couldn't allow it.

"Salem isn't trying to kill everyone, but she will eventually " Cinder let the cloak cover her body, her tone of voice impatient and worried " She wants to leave, and if that means having the gods come and destroy everything, She will do it, at all costs "

Ruby looked at her for a moment, her youthful features were serious, the teenager's gaze seemed hesitant and somewhat scared, with another breath she relaxed her shoulders. "Thank you, Cinder," a soft smile covered her lips. "Weiss!" she called, alerting the white-haired girl.

Before she could do anything, the buzzing in the air hit her ears, soon her cape had been pulled and she was being dragged through the air at full speed. The whistle of the wind brushed her face somewhat roughly, her arms flailed as she felt herself falling but she was pulled up in one tug. The platinum-haired girl placed her on the back of the insect she summoned, Weiss looked at her for a moment before keeping her gaze on her fight again. Cinder's hands clung to the creature, she didn't know if it was in any condition to fly if it fell from there.

The beast summoned by Weiss rushed out of the hole at the top of the tunnel where the entire team had previously made their entrance. She watched as she flew away from them, below Qrow and his niece joined the fight, then Cinder became more desperate, imagining the worst.

" What are you doing? " She demanded of Weiss.

"Saving you" She replied without taking her eyes off the front" Ruby, use your eyes"

"You don't understand, Ruby doesn't have enough energy to maintain her power long enough to stop Salem. She'll run out, she won't have the energy left to use it again"

There was no response from the heiress, but the visible tension in her shoulders was an indicator that she was indeed worried. Before Cinder could reply, Weiss stopped the huge insect so that it would stabilize on the ground. She made it disappear, and both of them fell to the ground, the weakness of the brunette making her trip over her own feet.

They were a considerable distance from where the battle was taking place.

" Please! " Cinder asked in a pleading tone she never thought she would have with someone from team RWBY.

"We will be with her, until the end," Weiss replied firmly, her worried eyes did not lie.

Cinder's stomach tightened with growing fear, she couldn't let those children die, she couldn't allow anyone to die.

"Let me go "

"Ruby will kill you with her power if you get closer"

" Since when does that matter? Just take me there! "

This time Weiss's gaze hardened for a couple of seconds, then turning her back on the brunette, lowering her voice, the platinum-haired girl murmured " Today I decided, that I don't hate you that much. So I hope you don't die " with that the heiress summoned another insect and quickly flew back, leaving a stunned brunette on the ice.

Good. That only made things worse because her heart only made her want to save those teenagers even more fervently. The brunette managed to gather some power in her feet to lift herself up a little, it wasn't much but it was enough to go a little faster than running. She had to get there, she had to stop that madness from breaking out, she had no idea how to do it but she needed to get there before someone died.

Cinder's power zigzagged, making her flight unstable. She could see large columns of magic extending from the pit, like storm clouds torn apart by the wind. The ice began to tremble and the amber-eyed girl stopped, a familiar silver flash came from the surface of the structure, it lasted for at least a minute before fading away.

An indefinite and large whirlwind rose up, completely destroying the entire surface of the tunnel, in less than a blink of an eye, more than half of the academy had collapsed. Another second and the tornado already had a shape, composed of dark energy, black and crimson magic, the magic of Salem.

The brunette's heart began to hammer in her chest. With a dry throat, she headed as fast as she could there, stopping when she saw how the members of team RWBY, JNP, and Qrow were thrown into the air due to the force of the blizzard. Cinder was already shaking with panic flowing through the veins of her body.

When she looked up, her breath died in her throat. In the middle of that tornado of magic, Salem rose through the air, holding Ruby by the neck, the young woman writhed, trying in vain to free herself from her grip. The immortal's arms were full of stone fragments, the little red girl's power had affected her, but as she predicted it didn't stop her, it wasn't enough to stop her but it was enough to infuriate her.

"Damn it " Cinder growled. She didn't know how, but her energy was restored, and with a push of burning deadly fire she shot herself towards the spot. She moved at full speed, but before she could get there, Ozpin appeared in front of the immortal.

Energy built up in his hand as if he were squeezing a lightning bolt, Salem made the same movement, everything seemed to go in slow motion, when both of their attacks collided, the light blinded Cinder, another energy shockwave sent her flying several meters, landing roughly against the ice and stones. She felt her flesh bruise as she rolled for several meters, then everything went black.

She opened her eyes slowly, everything was very clear, the light no longer hurt her eyes, she felt no pain, nor did the blood stain her body... Cinder looked at her body stupefied. She had both arms, both human limbs, her fingers slowly traced the skin, it was warm and alive, it was human, almost by reflex she touched her face. Her eye was also there, there were no scars, her skin was smooth and soft, her long hair fell to one side of her shoulder.

It was her, it was her again. But why? How?... Oh...

Oh no...

"Shit, I'm dead" Cinder paused" But why am I not in hell?"

A particular sound caught her attention, she suddenly noticed that she was in a very large, brightly lit, and very empty ballroom. A large, elegant tapestry covered the walls. A soft Jazz song resonated in the room, she recognized it, Tessa loved that song, she repeated it every time she cooked and sometimes when she read, Cinder would no longer be ashamed to admit that she used to pay a lot of attention to everything Tessa did.

She blinked forward, a staircase looming in front of her, it was ridiculous, it didn't even have an end, those steps just went up to nowhere, looking at herself she noticed that she was wearing a black, tight-fitting evening dress, that garment had a slit that showed up to the middle of her thigh.

" I love that song"

Cinder jumped at the voice. She looked up very slowly to see the girl on the stairs. Tessa, a green evening gown with turquoise hues along the edges, clung to her body. Cinder's eyes widened at the sight. "Tessa..."

Clearing her throat as she reconnected her tongue to her brain, she asked, "What are you doing here? I'm supposed to be dead. You can't be dead, unless… Oh, oh no, shit everyone's already dead," she wailed at the top of her lungs.

Tessa's laugh was a soft, gentle laugh. "I'm not dead, and neither are you. No one's dead yet. You're just dreaming." Cinder's amber gaze fell upon her.

" Dreaming... " Cinder said more calmly.

" I love this song " Tessa repeated.

" If I remember, you always repeated it. I think it's called At last, right?

" That's why you're dreaming about this" the brunette smiled. "Let's dance" Tessa extended her hand. Cinder smiled and approached the stairs to take it gently.

With great care she let her hand settle on the curve of Tessa's hip, the brunette rested her hand on the brunette's shoulder and intertwined her fingers with Cinder's using her free hand. As if they were on a loop, the song raised its sound, playing from the beginning.

They continued around the room. As they swayed to the music, in a small act of bravery Cinder spun the brunette around until they were dancing with the brunette behind her, she traced the tips of her fingers leaving a burning trail as they traveled up Tessa's arms to join around her wrists, Cinder laughed softly.

She placed a slow kiss on the brunette's cheek and turned her around again. Tessa let out a sweet laugh that only made the amber-eyed girl smile more. The brunette was so warm, Cinder's gaze continued to trace Tessa's lips even as they swayed together.

Cinder could hear her own heart pounding, wanting to burst out of her chest. They danced, and danced, until the dance swept her away and she couldn't remember any other place she'd rather be.

[T/N: oh...she's dying from hyperthermia right now.]

" I want to stay here... forever "the black-haired girl whispered, bringing her close enough so that her voice was barely audible.

" I know " Tessa replied, joining their foreheads.

" But I can't, right? " Cinder continued without losing her smile " I have to wake up and help. But, I don't know how. What should I do Tessa? "

" You know what to do "

" Yes, but that would mean that... "

"And would that be the right thing to do? "

The brunette smiled wider. "Yes. I think so." The light around her grew stronger, making the ballroom disappear. "I hope you know how much I love you, Tessa."

" You know I do, I know" Tessa's smile only made her jump with joy.

" Goodbye, Tessa"

" Goodbye, my love"

Cinder hovered over her to place a soft kiss on her lips, letting the last echoes of the song fade away.

With a single jolt, consciousness brought her back to the world, her vision was blurry at first, but She could feel a few tears spilling from her eyes. She coughed, the dust on her face scattering around, and She quickly began to breathe again. Her mind struggled to function again, and She felt a great pressure on her body.

She had been thrown under some metal structures with concrete, her arms began to struggle to move, she could feel the cold Atlas blizzard piercing her skin like pins. Cinder pressed upwards, to lift that structure, another push but nothing happened, gritting her teeth the brunette began to push herself to the side but there was very little space.

She looked down at her body at her feet and deliberately twisted in another poor attempt to free herself. She started, panic gripping her, she couldn't stay here, she had to get to Ruby, she leaned back, closed her eyes, and tried to steady her breathing and not panic.

It was then that She felt the metal structure being removed from above her, the metal creaked with a rough sound that was particular to its nature, then She noticed how her chest was freed from the oppression of that weight.

When the structure was completely removed, the sight of a grayish and cloudy sky invaded her, however, painted with broad strokes of shadow and light, in the center a small ray was reborn, from the depths of the firmament, a light, a hope, Cinder's amber gaze lit up with a faint glow of hope.

" Cinder! " Pyrrha's voice called to her " Are you okay? "

[T/N: OOOO, the VoICe!!! THEY WON'T STOP!!!!]

The aforementioned sat up with a small effort, looked in the direction of the redhead, seeing her untangled the last knot in her chest. The warrior observed her with a slightly furrowed brow, the black-haired woman had a rather calm expression for someone who had been thrown several meters in the air.

Pained grunts caught both of their attention. Nearby, Qrow struggled to free his leg from the crushing force of a heavy metal block. He tried to drag himself away from it, pushing himself with the help of his arms and his weapon. The redhead didn't waste any time, moving her arm in a rhythmic and marked action. The block was carried away.

"I have to get to Ruby" He cried desperately "I can't let anything happen to her"

Caressing her ankle, Qrow tried to stand up, the pain and blood made him sit down again, his face of desperation immediately changed to one of bewilderment when he saw the redhead's face.

" Pyrrha? "

Instead of answering right away, the redhead smiled widely. "Hello again!"

"But... How? "

"It's a somewhat complex story, perhaps for another time, but Cinder has a lot to do with this "The redhead turned, waving her hand in a gesture that encompassed the other woman, however, she stopped when she noticed that Cinder was looking contemplatively at the sky, her chest moving with a light breathing " Cinder? "

" Do you believe in destiny? "

Pyrrha tilted her head to look at the brunette, her face not implacable, rather it was soft. The warrior tried to say something, but his mouth had gone dry. Gulping down, he muttered, "How?"

"This fight was always destined to be lost," the warrior blinked at the other's words. Whatever she had been expecting, it hadn't been that. Still, Cinder turned to look at her with what seemed to be a fused determination and hope. "But fate can be changed." After a moment, Cinder smiled. "You know, what they said about you was true. You are the invincible girl."

Leaving Pyrrha bewildered, she traced her fingers along the feather brooch on her cape, circling it for just a moment before removing it from her suit. The brunette then turned to the clueless man, kneeling in front of him and pressing that brooch into Qrow's palm.

"Give this to her for me" She ran her thumb over the object one last time before pulling her hand away. "Tell her not to cry, and to please be very happy" With another calm smile, She whispered. "Thank you, Qrow"

Qrow was at a loss for words, just staring at her with wide eyes. Finishing, the brunette stood up. Before anyone present could try to speak or reproach her, Cinder propelled herself into the air using all her speed, a trail of fire spreading along her path. The amber-eyed girl had so much energy and power as if nothing had happened, without thinking she went straight towards Ruby.

The little red girl crawled through the rubble coughing up dust, her body trembled from the cold, frozen ground, tears spilling from her eyes, she could smell her own blood invading her nostrils, she had an open wound on her eyebrow and it hurt so much, the hot liquid bathed one side of her face.

She pressed her weight onto her right arm and shifted into a more comfortable stance, with shaking hands She pushed herself up to try and stand up, slipping on the first attempt, using her ankle to support herself in a better position.

Her body reacted when she heard a sharp sound stalking her, she clenched her teeth and covered her face as if by reflex, but instead of feeling an attack, hands took her by the shoulders and pulled her to her feet.

When she looked up, her eyes met Cinder's amber gaze, and although it surprised everyone, it relieved her, for a moment she felt safe. She let the air out of her lungs calmly.

"Cinder"

" Are you hurt? "

"Just a little, but I'm okay" Her tone of voice sounded a little hoarse "I'm glad you're okay too" Cinder's Grimm hand rested on her shoulder, pressing it a little

"It's okay," the black-haired girl murmured to reassure her.

"I don't know where the others are " Her voice cracked slightly "Salem is too powerful, and I couldn't fight her " Tears burned her cheeks again " I won't be able to save them "

"Everything is going to be okay " The grip on her shoulder moved a little more towards her neck, it was then that she felt her hold on much tighter, Ruby was scared by this.

" Cinder? "

"You're not going to die. Not today"

The little redhead placed a hand on the brunette's Grimm limb, pulling it away but immediately noticed that her grip was very strong, the first thing that came to her mind was that Cinder would absorb her energy. Panicking, she widened her eyes with labored breaths and pulled on her grip again, the strange thing was, she didn't feel weaker as she thought, on the contrary, her energy was being restored... No... Not only that... Something new was invading her being.

" Cinder, what are you doing? " A second passed in silence.

"The right thing" Cinder looked at her with a calm expression, but she couldn't help but notice that the glow in her eyes was fading" Listen to me... you can stop Salem, you have what it takes. But there's only one way to defeat her for good" her voice sounded increasingly softer.

Still not knowing what was happening, She asked, "Which one?"

"The only way you can defeat monsters like me is by giving them the chance they never had"

At that, Ruby fell silent. Everything was very strange now, she didn't quite understand what was happening, her young mind was barely processing that she had Cinder, the one she once considered her worst enemy and also the most evil and despicable being that existed, giving her her power? Cinder was no longer her enemy, she couldn't consider her her friend either, but... she was her ally... now she was her partner...

A thunderous crash alarmed them, Ruby waited for another reaction. Only for a longer and more dangerous blow, the amber-eyed one pushed her forward with force, just long enough to avoid the fall of an ice explosion on them.

The smoke from the rubble and ice spread like a wave of fog, Cinder barely managed to avoid being hit by it, she looked for the younger girl, and found her a few meters ahead, somewhat bruised but getting up again.

" Cinder " She breathed calmly " Are you okay? "

"Yes. I just... "

Her voice cut off, the sharp sound and the stabbing pain that pierced her own flesh was extremely fast, the pain paralyzed her.

Her gaze lowered to look at the spear that pierced her chest from side to side. When the weapon disintegrated from her body, She was no longer breathing, the air was gone.

She fell to her knees, unable to control herself, forcing herself to look at the motionless girl in front of her. With what was left of her strength she gave her a tiny smile, Ruby's frightened silver eyes the last thing she saw before her own body collapsed completely to the ground, her last breath leaving her with a loud snort from between her lips.

The moment Cinder's eyes closed, her body became surrounded by a burning yellow energy, she rested in it for a couple of seconds before hitting the little red girl directly. Ruby watched in shock as her hands filled with energy that recovered her soul, and that aura covered her completely, a burning flame of silver fire enveloped her eyes, it went out at the same moment that Ruby couldn't stop looking at Cinder's lifeless body.

She ran towards her, pulling her cloak to turn her around and face her.

"No..." There was too much blood" No, no, no " she repeated tearfully, she wrapped her fist in the black-haired girl's cloak, she gave her a violent shake " Get up " she hissed, a few drops of salty tears fell from her eyes

Cinder was still, very still, calm, her pale face was now calm. "Get up!" She yelled at her, then shook her again several times very hard, leaning on her palms, her hair falling over her face as she watched in horror at the strange angle in which Cinder's head fell to one side every time She moved her, Ruby refused to accept it. "Get up Cinder!" Tears slid incessantly down her cheeks.

" Damn it! " She said with her jaw clenched, with both hands She dragged her up, in a futile attempt to get her to her feet " Cinder! Get up! " another horrified look was fixed on the ground when She noticed that the brunette's body had left a trail of blood when She lifted her, dripping through her cloak. Ruby dropped with Cinder in her lap " You can't die now! You can't become good and then die! "

Ruby's eyes were hot with tears, she couldn't breathe properly because of her crying. "Remember what we talked about? I was going to be able to be calm and you were going to go back to Tessa." Ruby continued to look at her with frustration, the brunette's pale face was too peaceful. At some point, the frustration turned into an apologetic look bathed in tears.

Cinder wouldn't move anymore, she wasn't going to wake up again, that, as surprising as it seemed, hurt her. She wrapped both arms around her body and hugged her without caring about the blood, her cheek rested on the brunette's head. "I'm sorry, Cinder," she murmured gently.

From the shadows Salem slowly approached, staring at the image before her. Her right hand held another spear for Ruby. The little red girl let out a tired sigh, carefully letting Cinder's body rest beside her and standing up.

The immortal's body was affected since her last attack, fragmented into stone in certain places, Ruby looked at her angrily, anger burned in her silver orbs, she clenched her teeth.

''You..."

Before she could say anything else, Salem threw the spear she had intended for the little red girl at her, Ruby simply turned on her feet to avoid it, however, a flash of magic hit her, pushing her several meters back.

The pale immortal approached Ruby again, as she passed by Cinder's body, she glanced at her, a small flash of sadness crossed her eyes, but she abandoned it when she turned her attention back to the young hunter, continuing towards her with slow and measured steps.

The younger one had already gotten to her feet, Salem's attack only stunned her a little, the ancient woman might still be immortal but she was clearly weaker now. She could be defeated.

" You killed her " Ruby's face wrinkled with anger " You killed her without any mercy "

" You think I don't care about her? " Salem gave her a dubious look, her brow furrowed in a tone of dark disbelief " She was my best weapon, the most powerful and unstoppable of my team... I trained her for years... I raised her " With a piercing hum, Salem's fingers sparkled with black magic " But I couldn't let her ruin my chance. Not her, not you "

This time the young hunter nimbly dodged the attack, this one and the next ones that came. She slid across the ice, gracefully circling Salem. She spun, crouching low enough so that Salem's whiplash barely grazed a few hairs on her head.

The ancient woman tried to suspend her in the air with her magic, but at that very moment, Ruby's hand shook, throwing a silver flame at Salem, who flailed backwards, letting out a shrill scream. The little red girl dropped and jumped to the side to put distance between them.

Eyes wide, Ruby stared at her own hand. It was warm, she could feel the heat rising from it. She traced her fingers over her palm, feeling the skin burning hot, like an oven, but it didn't burn her, it didn't hurt her. She clenched her hand into a fist and it lit up like a silver torch, the blood in her veins running through her like rivers of lava.

" I see, you always succeed " Ruby's head snapped up at the voice, Salem glaring at her in irritation, the steam burning painfully on Salem's body " You are now the maiden of autumn "

Despite the revelation, the little red girl didn't say anything right away. She thought for a moment about the words Cinder had told her, some of her anger dissipated, but not her determination, she watched the platinum flames caress her skin. "Thank you, Cinder," she murmured only to herself.

For her part, the immortal unleashed a blizzard of power, a sword with particular details appearing in her fist " The relic of destruction should be enough to finish you off " she hissed, launching a cut in the air.

Ruby fell into her attack rotation. A flurry of ice shards materialized as the air around the hunter turned icy and devoid of moisture, her semblance snapping her out of there like a flash, the red petals barely visible in Salem's angle of vision. The ancient woman had been too affected and was tired from her last fight.

With the speed of her semblance on her side, Ruby was able to roll and duck under Salem's counterattack, standing behind her and grabbing her wrist with extreme speed. The burning sensation that turned her skin to stone made Salem drop the sword, leaving it stuck in the ground, the little red girl turned her feet, throwing Salem far to the side.

The pale woman scratched her arm, noticing how it was made of stone now. The moment she raised her eyes, Ruby was already in front of her, grabbing her wrist again. The flame in her orbs flared up, the silver fire not only covering her eyes but igniting Salem as if she were a torch.

Ruby's entire body was a stream of fire, her nerve endings firing non-stop as she reached for the energy of the flames like it was lava, she could taste the hot fire in the air around her. She pulled it towards her and coiled it tightly around the rest of the power fighting in the cage of her body. Her heart thundered against her chest, hammering so fast she was losing her breath.

Salem let out a sharp scream, her body turning to stone, sealing herself in pale, deep rock, black tears spilling from her eyes, she would be sealed forever, now not only trapped in an immortal body, but in one where she could no longer move, a prison of stone. Another whirlpool of darkness from which she could never escape. Her heart ached and she despaired.

" Salem! " Ozpin's voice dropped to a murmur as She returned to the image, Ruby reduced the flames in her eyes, but did not make them disappear. The ancient woman was almost completely sealed in stone, only her tearful eyes had not yet been petrified.

The professor couldn't help but look at Salem, his heart contracting with regret, for not being the support she needed to get out of the dark pit she had fallen into. There was a wrenching feeling in his gut, as if a sword had been lodged in his stomach and then pulled out. "I'm sorry," He whispered, looking into her eyes with apprehension.

" Ozpin... " Ruby called out to him. With a frown, she raised him to eye level " Give me the relic of choice "

The young boy whose body Ozpin inhabited, widened his eyes in disbelief " What will you do? "

"Give her the opportunity to choose "

Salem blinked at her, as did Ozpin. Slowly, the professor raised his hand, palm up. Above it, the golden crown materialized, a pair of axes framing the object, sharp edges and rubies embedded in the front adorning it, without hesitation he handed it to the young hunter.

She looked at Salem carefully. Her always childish expressions were now serious and determined. "Someone mentioned that you should be given the chance that no one ever gave you before." She paused, looking at Salem's tears. "Maybe, she was right."

Placing the crown upon her head, She said, "Your body will still be immortal, it will still be on this earth…but that doesn't mean your soul has to stay that way." her voice was nothing more than a whisper, almost sounding trapped in the back of her throat. "You can choose, you can make the choice to leave."

Tears fell again, a small glimmer of confirmation spreading across her gaze. As if a bolt of lightning struck her, the crown lit up, casting a blinding light, then energy exploded around her, illuminating her like the sun. Ruby and Ozpin had covered their eyes due to the flash.

When the younger girl looked ahead, only the statue of Salem remained, sealed in a marble rock. An orange aura surrounded the stone form. It moved as if it were air, and Ruby could make out a gentle face, Salem… rising and falling unevenly, the face she looked at her, slowly beginning to fade away.

"Thank you..." She whisper before disappearing completely

As if the sky itself knew it, the sun's rays penetrated the mass of grey clouds, opening gaps in its surface, letting its rays penetrate to bathe the ground of Atlas with their warmth. The icy blizzard had disappeared, only a few snowflakes remained dancing in the air, refusing to disappear. Almost at the same time, as if they were awakening, teenagers and soldiers reappeared among the rubble.

Ozpin approached the statue, with a deep look he observed her face carved in stone, the woman he loved, but he did not have the courage to love her well, not as she needed him. "Maybe, one day you will forgive me," he murmured only to himself, completely ignoring the world that was awakening around him, he removed the relic from her head, but not before leaving a light caress on Salem's cheek.

"Ozpin," the little red one called. The professor sank back into himself and listened to the rhythm of the wind blowing in his ears. He reassured himself. He traced the crown with his fingers. Breathing out a shaky sigh of relief, Ozpin turned to Ruby again.

"It's over"

"There are still the Grimm" Ruby had a worried look.

"Much less than before. And with no one to control them, they'll just be beasts to be brought down "Noticing at last how many people were meeting among them, hugs, kisses, and effusive greetings, the professor smiled sadly "Salem might have a dark view of the world and She might have been wrong about many things, but She was right about one thing "

" Which one? " A stillness settled between them.

"The gods will never understand humanity. There is no need to destroy people for their mistakes, the magic of human beings is in imperfection, because this is how we learn, improve, and grow. No one should be judged for their imperfection"

The little redhead looked at him carefully, her features changed again, her usual innocent gaze observed the professor. The cold air of Atlas was warming with the rays, while the clouds disappeared from its heights.

Ozpin wiped his forehead with the back of his forearm and smiled. "My time is up, too."

" What does that mean? "

" It is very tiring to be on Earth for so long, immortality is an unwanted punishment" Finally, with a deep sigh, Ozpin's youthful body straightened up" It has been a pleasure to meet you, and fight by your side" he smiled calmly.

"Ozpin... "

The professor clenched the crown in his fist, in his other palm appeared the relic of knowledge " Relics cannot be together " He tilted his head back and let the objects slip through his fingers.

An aura came out of the teenager's body, danced for a few seconds before the stupefied Ruby, and then disappeared into the air. The young Oscar collapsed unconscious on the ice, almost at the same time that the crown, the lamp, and the sword lit up brightly and disappeared at high speed as if they were rays spreading in different directions.

The little red one knelt down next to Oscar, checking that the teenager was only unconscious. "Goodbye, Ozpin," she breathed.

" Ruby! " Yang's voice echoed in her ears, her sister was running towards her, behind her followed her companions, Blake and Weiss, bruised, beaten, but alive. " Ruby! " Yang shouted again on the verge of tears.

Joy went through her, then, the little red one could feel a huge smile marking her face and growing bigger and bigger, she took a step forward, took another, and then ran to meet them.

Yang's strong arms wrapped around her, she found herself lifted off the ground when her effusive sister hugged her tightly, although she was short of breath, she returned the hug, two more bodies pressed against her, Blake and Weiss were whimpering with happiness as they joined the hug, their companions had begun to arrive.

" Ruby" she heard her uncle's voice. Qrow looked at her with teary eyes, limping as he approached her, with new tears of happiness, Ruby let her sister and her friends release her to pounce on her uncle.

Qrow hugged her tightly, crying just a little. He ruffled her hair with joy, before noticing that her suit was stained with blood all over her torso, with worried eyes he asked " Are you hurt? "

The young woman followed his gaze to her own suit, noticing the fresh red stains covering the suit, her gaze saddened, with regret under her arms and her gaze to the ground.

"Ruby, are you okay? " This time it was her sister who spoke to her worriedly.

"It's not my blood," her silver gaze fell on where Cinder's body rested.

" Is she... " Blake's voice was low, Weiss beside her stood frozen, no words or expressions to give.

At her side, sitting on her knees, a silent Neo had arrived, she had just appeared and when she saw her, she sat down next to her. As if she was waiting for something, anything. Her eyes were red, from unshed tears. It was as if she was avoiding crying at all costs but little by little she was failing in her attempt.

"No..." sighed Qrow, stopping to observe the brunette's body resting on the cold ice " Is this what you meant? " He took the brooch out of his pocket " Damn idiot " He growled, putting the brooch away again.

"Now, I am the maiden of autumn " Ruby murmured "All eyes sank to Cinder with regret " That way I was able to... " She looked at the statue of Salem " Stop Salem. She and Ozpin are gone forever "

Penny landed next to the group, causing a loud and unnecessary noise.

" Friend! " She hugged her " You're okay! Everyone's okay! " She jumped, leaving Ruby on the ground again as if she had suddenly remembered something " Ruby! I had the relic with me but it disappeared. It went away like a lightning bolt or a shooting star, I don't know how to compare it or if that has any logic. But nothing makes much sense to my systems. It's something strange, it's... "

Penny's voice fell silent, she found herself staring at Neo, her eyes lowered to the body beside her. "Is... is that Cinder?" If they weren't sure Penny was an automaton, they would have sworn the girl was about to burst into tears. "Is she okay?" A long, heavy silence ruled them.

The automaton jumped again, shaking the little red girl. "Bring her back," she said, smiling. "Just like she brought Pyrrha and Amber back."

" What? " She said stupefied " Pyrrha? "

"It's true," Qrow confirmed. "She's back. She's with Jaune now."

" But how did She do it? " Weiss snapped.

"It was spectacular " Penny jumped in " Well, at first she started talking to herself, but then she used the scepter... and she brought them, she just used the scepter and... " The automaton's smile disappeared when she remembered that the relic was gone.

Ruby gritted her teeth until her jaw twinged. "I'm sorry, Penny."

The young automaton didn't answer, with slow but firm steps she approached Neo. She dropped down beside her with her head bowed. Both of them were a silent companion, small snowflakes had fallen on Cinder's face and raven hair, staining it white, but Penny wiped them away with extreme gentleness.

"Cinder said she was a monster" Ruby whispered "She was wrong"

Qrow knelt down beside her, glancing at the silent teenagers watching over her. In a gesture of respect, he placed the brunette's hands on her torso, so that they rested there, then he gave her hair a small caress. "I promise, I will give your message to Tessa," He murmured quietly, just for her.

[T/N: I'm actually crying, I really hope someone like a redemption happens for Cinder in Volume 10 of the show.]

Tessa was in her garden, trimming some dead branches, matching the plants, that always helped her relax. But that particular afternoon she felt a strange pressure in her chest, something that wouldn't let her rest, the sharp sensation fell into her gut like a drop of anxiety.

She saw them coming, Qrow and the familiar group of teenagers this time accompanied by a tall redhead in golden armor. Where was she? But she understood, she understood... Qrow pulled Cinder's brooch out of his pocket and she knew. All she could do was break down, cry, cry bitterly on the ground. Only letting the tears wash away the pain she had felt before.

Qrow spoke to her, told her about what Cinder had done, told her about her words and the girls were his witnesses. She ignored them, she cried again, she cried as much as she could.

The afternoon reflection could have deceived her, since when Ruby spoke to her, she saw a small amber flash in her, a small fire in her eyes, it must have just been her head playing tricks on her.

Days later, she sat down in the rocking chair in front of her. She made two cups of tea as usual, leaving one next to the rocking chair Cinder used to sleep in as if she didn't have a bed to lie down on. She drank from the other cup, letting the steam slide over her fingers and warm them.

Autumn was coming, the crisp red and yellow leaves flew through the air non-stop, the afternoon was tinged with orange. Some of those leaves fell at her feet and caressed her skin.

"You'll need to give me time" She whispered as the blade slid across her skin"I still needed to cry. I wanted to be mad at you, but... I'm proud of you, you'll never accept it but in my eyes, you're a heroine, a heroine with a big heart"

The leaf fluttered in the wind, she watched it move away and dance in the air, Tessa smiled, it was sad but sweet at the same time " You know, I thought I would never fall in love again, but I was very wrong " her smile grew as the rest of the leaves dispersed, flying in a dance to the rhythm of the wind " You became the reason I needed to fall in love again "

She let her gaze follow the path of the leaves that moved away on the horizon.

"You are the only reason"

[T/N: Only the epilogue left now, god, this book, has been an experience. I am really glad I did this one. Though this chapter alone took me 3 hours. I will have finished a few books again so I will be holding votes for new books soon. If you like this chapter then leave a comment, write a review, and drop some stones. If you want to read the epilogue early then check out the Patreon.]

[Also check out my other books, either go to my profile or search up 'Invisible-a Harry Potter FanFic', 'Searching in the Abyss', or 'Omnitrix of Justice'.]

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