RWBY: Moon Reflection

After two weeks of rest at the Nikos estate, the group had settled into a temporary peace. It had been a time of learning, with Cheiron Nikos offering his wisdom to those willing to learn and Pyrrha finally finding some solace in spending precious time with her mother after such a long separation. There were no immediate dangers pressing, no urgent missions at hand. The luxury of time was something none of them could truly afford, but in these moments, it felt almost tangible.

The group gathered in the Nikos estate's grand hall, a fire crackling in the hearth as they discussed their next steps. It was there, amid the flickering shadows, that Ozpin's voice broke the tension.

"We can't stay here forever," Ozpin began, his tone measured as always. "We must move on to Atlas. We need to deliver the relic."

The rest of the group nodded; even Cheiron and Pyrrha's mother agreed despite their reluctance to let Pyrrha leave after only two weeks' stay. Raven, sitting by the window, didn't even glance in Ozpin's direction. Her face was a mask of silent disapproval. Her arms were crossed, her posture stiff, as though the very suggestion filled her with unease.

Cheiron Nikos, ever the wise, noticed her discomfort. With a soft sigh, he decided to try and help her. He called, "Raven, if there's something you'd like to share with the group, now would be the time."

The room fell silent, all eyes turning to the woman who had long been ignored and distrusted. Raven clenched her fist tightly, her voice cold and full of bitterness.

"You can't trust him," she spat, her words striking the room like a whip. "Ozpin hides things. He lies. He's doomed so many already, and now he wants you to follow him into another painful end. Don't be fools. You've seen it yourselves, but you don't know the half of it."

A heavy silence followed her words. The group exchanged glances—frowns etched on many faces, obviously not liking what she said. Only Cheiron seemed unfazed, his calm demeanor unshaken.

Cheiron nodded thoughtfully, his age-worn eyes meeting Ozpin's. "Ozpin, you have always had a reason to keep secrets. I've always trusted that. But Raven speaks with conviction. Perhaps you should share your point of view."

Ozpin's expression remained unreadable, but he sighed, as though weary of the conflict. "I'm sorry that you've come to distrust me this much, Raven," he said, his voice level. "But I've met many people in my time, and experience has taught me that sometimes, it's necessary to control what information is shared. It's not that I don't trust everyone or lack faith in humanity," he continued, addressing the group, "but unexpected things happen, and sometimes, withholding certain details is for your protection and everyone else. Look at what happened with the headmaster of Haven…"

He paused for a moment, a ghost of sadness flitting across his face. "He was a great man who served our cause faithfully for a long time, but in recent years, Salem reached him, and he changed. He is not the first and probably not the last. You must understand that."

But Raven wasn't having it. She took a sharp breath, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "Hiding information is one thing, Ozpin. But sending people to their deaths is another."

The room froze, all eyes now fully trained on Raven. She stared at Ozpin, her voice dropping into a cold, emotionless tone.

"Salem is immortal. She cannot be killed," she revealed, her words like thunder in the room. "And you knew it. You sent people to fight her, knowing they would die—Summer included."

A gasp echoed through the room. Shock rippled through the group, the implications of Raven's revelation settling over them like a dark cloud. Ruby's heart dropped in her chest. Summer... her mother...

Raven's voice cracked slightly as she continued, the weight of her words carrying years of guilt. "I was there, watching from a distance. I saw it with my own eyes. Her weapon couldn't kill Salem; her silver eyes didn't help. I was terrified and didn't dare to get close. I saw Summer fall and… ran away... all of it... because Ozpin lied to us."

Tears welled in Raven's eyes, but she held them back, her face hardening into an expression of both pain and guilt.

Ozpin stood motionless, his eyes searching for words, but none came. He swallowed hard, as if the truth had struck him as forcefully as it had struck them.

"I... I didn't…" Ozpin began, but his voice faltered. "Please, calm down."

But before he could continue, Qrow leaped from his seat, fury in his eyes. He slammed Ozpin into the wall with such force that the wall cracked.

"Is that true?!" Qrow growled, his fists clenched as he held Ozpin against the wall, his face inches from his old friend and mentor.

The relic of knowledge, unnoticed in the chaos, tumbled from its place on the table, its gleaming surface catching the light as it fell. Ruby, distracted and confused, picked it up with a frown.

Ozpin ignored Qrow's aggression and reached out toward Ruby with urgency. "Give it back, Ms. Rose," he said, his voice strained, but Ruby hesitated, the relic now feeling heavy in her hands.

Yang, however, spoke up before Ozpin could say anything more. "There's something much more important than that damn relic right now." She was angry, her red eyes blazing.

Oscar took control of the body and spoke hurriedly. "Ozpin is hiding something. He is afraid you all will find it."

Oscar's eyes widened as the tension in the room reached a fever pitch. He fell to the ground in pain as he wrestled with Ozpin, preventing him from taking control. He spoke again, "He is afraid that you will use the relic," Oscar said with a strained voice. "You can do that by calling her name."

Ruby, shaking, her heart racing, took a deep breath. "Jinn," she said, her voice steady.

The relic glowed with an ethereal light, and in an instant, the spirit of the relic manifested before them—a light green figure of a woman in revealing clothes. Jinn, the ancient being that had lain dormant for so long, hovered before them, her gaze calculating.

"What do you wish to know? You have two questions left in this century," she asked, her voice a melody that seemed to echo through the room.

Ozpin's eyes widened in panic as he lunged toward Ruby. "No!" he shouted, his voice filled with desperation. "Stop!"

But Ruby, recalling Raven's words, asked the question that had been haunting her.

"What is Ozpin hiding?"

The world around them seemed to stop as the truth began to unfold.

"You wish to know what Ozpin is hiding," Jinn said, her voice resonant and melodic. "Very well. Let me show you the truth."

The room dissolved into a sea of shifting light, and the group was transported to a vast expanse of memories. They hovered as spectators in an ethereal void, the events unfolding before them as if they were reliving history.

_______________________________

Sometime later, the narration of the story ended. Jinn floated in the air and said "That's all you want to know. You have one question remaining. Use it wisely."

She then disappeared and the world went back to normal and silence reigned. The truth had been revealed, and now they were more confused than ever.

The week following Jinn's revelation was marked by an oppressive gloom that hung over the Nikkos estate. The group was fractured, their spirits weighed down by the impossibility of their task. They had fought so hard, endured so much, only to learn that their enemy could not be defeated. The truth gnawed at them like a relentless tide, pulling them deeper into despair.

Qrow found solace in the bottle, retreating into his old habits. He drank heavily, drowning in the realization of how he had wasted his life chasing a fight he could never win. Summer's death—her sacrifice—seemed pointless now, a cruel twist of fate that left him hollow. Raven, surprisingly, joined him. The twin, often at odds, found an unspoken connection in their shared misery. They sat together in silence, their bond reforged by pain and regret.

Team RWBY and NPR were no better. The weight of Jinn's words had left them paralyzed, uncertain of how to move forward. Ruby, usually the optimist, was subdued. Yang kept her distance, her fiery spirit dampened. Blake was quiet, her thoughts a mystery to everyone. Weiss, for all her sharpness, seemed adrift without a clear path. Even Nora, the energy of the group, had no energy to lighten the mood.

Ozpin, burdened by centuries of failure and revelation of his secrets, withdrew into the depths of Oscar's mind. He was unreachable, leaving Oscar alone to deal with the aftermath of the truth. The boy was overwhelmed, trying to navigate the chaos without the guidance he once relied on.

Pyrrha's mother watched her daughter with growing fear. She didn't want Pyrrha to continue with the group. The thought of losing her only child to a hopeless cause was unbearable. She voiced her concerns to Cheiron, but the old warrior only sighed, sitting alone with his thoughts. Even he, with all his experience, found himself shaken by the revelation. The weight of it seemed to age him further, his once-bright eyes clouded with sorrow.

A week passed in this dismal routine. No one spoke of plans or goals; they simply existed, consumed by their grief. But one day, Ruby broke the silence. She called everyone to the grand hall, her voice steadier than it had been in days.

"We can't keep going like this," Ruby began, her silver eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "I know… I know things seem hopeless right now. But we still have a responsibility. The relic needs to be delivered to Atlas. We can't leave it here. If Salem gets her hands on it…"

Weiss nodded, her expression grim but resolute. "Even if Salem can't be beaten, we can't let her destroy the world. We still have to fight for what we can."

Pyrrha, hesitant, glanced at her mother before speaking. "I wonder… what Crimson would do if he were in our place."

The mention of his name brought a palpable shift in the room. Ruby and Yang both flinched, their expressions sad speaking volumes. Yang sighed, her voice heavy. "Crimson thought Mom's—Summer's—death was in vain. He believed she should have stayed with her family and hated her for leaving. Now, he is living with guilt for the hate he felt… maybe he wasn't wrong in the first place."

Ruby's eyes filled with tears, her shoulders trembling as the weight of it all pressed down on her. Pyrrha regretted asking that question while the others exchanged somber glances, their despair deepening. Nora, ever the optimist, broke the silence. "It's been two months since he left. I wonder what he's up to now."

Blake, sitting cross-legged by the hearth, leaned back. "He's fine," she said quietly. "There's nothing in this world that could threaten him."

Qrow, hunched over a half-empty bottle, let out a bitter laugh. "If you're so curious, we've got a relic, don't we? Why not use it to find out what Crimson's up to?"

Cheiron frowned deeply, his voice stern. "To use a question on something so trivial would be wasteful. That relic is meant for greater purposes."

Qrow scowled, taking another swig. "Greater purposes? The most important question has already been answered, and we didn't like what we heard. What's left? Might as well use it for something less depressing."

Ruby and Yang exchanged uneasy glances, clearly tempted but hesitant. Pyrrha, her curiosity piqued, joined the conversation. "Maybe Qrow has a point. Crimson could be more useful than the relic right now. He's strong, and we know he can be relied on."

Weiss crossed her arms, her voice sharp but agreeing. "Pyrrha's right. Crimson might be worth more to us than an unused question. At least he is a one-man army and have some great insights"

The others murmured in agreement, while his transformation scared them, it was true that he can provide more assistance than any other person or relic at the moment. Cheiron's frown deepened, and Pyrrha's mother looked scandalized at the waste. But even their disapproval couldn't quell the growing consensus.

Raven, who had remained silent throughout, finally spoke. Her voice was low, her gaze distant. "I agree," she said, surprising everyone. "I don't want to meet him again, but… if there's anyone who can stand against what you want to face, it's him."

Ruby looked around the room, seeing the resolve in their eyes. She swallowed hard, her hands trembling as she reached for the relic. The decision was made. They would use their last question to find Crimson.