Darksiders: A Ruby's Shadow

Chapter 1

In a gargantuan, dimly lit cave was a gigantic tree even more impressive in size, its top impossible to see from the cave. Some of its very roots were thicker than busses, others as thick as men. All towered over one another in the cave, clinging to the walls as they upheld the tree from falling into the abyss below it. An abyss which, if one were to look down into, was filled with a swirling vortex of a deathly white miasma made up of the screaming and wailing souls of the dead, all calling out in pain and suffering. In the middle of this vortex stood a tall stone pillar of large diameter, able to fit over a hundred people upon its flat top before being filled. The cave, the pillar, the swirling vortex of phantoms…all of this, was the Well of Souls.

Upon the pillar's surface were two beings of great power, one of death and one of decay. The one of death was a pale figure, tall and muscular but not overly bulky. What appeared to be a part of his spine stood out on his back, obvious to those who looked upon it. Black, slick hair fell straight down to his bare shoulders. A bone mask with only eye holes and a nose hole showed any indication of a face: orange eyes, radiating hatred and fatigue. Stabbed into his chest, on the right pectoral, were pieces of a green gem, pieces that seem to radiate power and wails similar to that of the souls below. Other than the mask, the only clothes that the figure wore were leather gauntlets with metal finger coverings, black pants covered in straps and leather armor, and leather greaves for boots. Hanging at his sides were two small scythes, the silver-colored blades folded into the ivory handles. Overall, this very person radiated power and despair with his mere presence alone. This was Death, the eldest Horseman of the Apocalypse and one of the last members of the Nephilim race.

As for the being of decay, he was a gargantuan being, even dwarfing Death himself were he to stand tall. Instead, he was on the ground. With his musculature overshadowing that of Death's, there was no mistaking the giant for physically weak. Skin of a similar pallet of Death, he had pure yellow eyes that glowed a malicious light. With fang-filled mouth open, that same light shone from within his body as well. The crown of his head sprouted bone-like spikes, the back of his head covered by a cloth. Like Death, this being was without a cover for his torso. But that did not mean he had no armor. His entire left arm, nearly twice as thick as his already buff and veiny right arm, was covered on one side with white crystals that pierced out from within like quills, all the way down to where the lower arm was severed off, also revealing the yellow light. Where his shoulder met neck and further down, there was a deep wound. Below him on the ground, his blood pooled. Blood that was not dark red, but black as sin. There lay Absalom, former Avatar of Chaos. Former brother of Death. Now dead.

Mere moments ago, a great battle between them had just finished, the outcome of which would decide the fate of existence itself. Had Death been the victor, creation would be saved from Corruption, a black, inky substance that brought hate and evil to those that it touched. No one was safe from its infection, be they angel, demon, or other. None, save Death. Why? No one knew, not for certain. Had Absalom been the victor, all of creation would be tainted by Corruption, and then destroyed soon after. As Death was the victor, existence itself was safe…for now.

Death trudged towards the edge of the pillar, shoulders slumped and face pointed down in a tired manner as he stared down at the swirling souls below.

"...I've killed Absalom, stopped the Corruption," he said, staring ahead at nothing in particular. "I stand, at last, at the Well of Souls…"

He then began to chuckle, though more out of irony than finding the situation humorous, his gaze pointing up for a moment in his soliloquy.

"…with no idea what I must do next."

"It is quite simple," said an old, gravelly voice to his right, prompting Death to turn his gaze. "And yet, most difficult."

The being next to him was a literal ghost of a man that appeared out of nowhere. Or at least, man in appearance. In appearance, he was ancient, wrinkled and somewhat gaunt. His entire being was tinted in pale green. His beard and eyebrows were deathly white, the beard consisting only of mutton chops and chin hair, both of which were several inches long. His hands, gnarled from age, sported claw-like nails at their ends. His eyes, meanwhile were of solid green, giving off the impression of blindness on first glance. He wore several robes, shrouds, and a stole, all of which seemed tattered. The top-most shroud covering his shoulders and nape appeared to be made of crow feathers, giving him a somewhat avian appearance. Around his neck and waist were chains that bound a few random items upon him, including a few lanterns, an orb, and an old tome. The chains ended in large manacles around his wrists, one of which had been severed off from the links. This was the Crowfather, keeper of secrets.

"I'm in no humor for riddles, Crowfather," Death said as a crow flew in.

"You may tap the power of the Well to return the Kingdom of Man," he said, the crow landing on his shoulder, "…or you may resurrect the Nephilim. But know that choosing one will forever doom the other."

Death sighed in a tired tone as he shook his head, like he somehow knew this kind of choice would happen but had hoped it wouldn't. He looked down in a moment of contemplation, weighing his choices and pondering the likely consequences of each. As the moment ended, he looked to the Crowfather and had his decision.

"My brother, War…I would protect him above all," he said, straightening with resolve.

"To return Man to the Earth," said Crowfather, placing a hand upon Death's shoulder, "will require a sacrifice."

Death placed his hand upon the green crystals embedded into his chest for a short moment before pulling it back, looking upon the green wisps of souls that lingered for a few seconds on his fingers and whispered their agony and secrets to him. After another moment, he walked up to the edge of the pillar, one foot at the slightly elevated end. But before taking the final step, he raised his hand to his mask and grasped it, gently pulling it off with a soft snap and dropping it into the surprised hands of the Crowfather. With that out of the way, he placed his other foot on the edge and tilted forward, arms held out in a cross before the vortex of souls swallowed him in a ball of white light, lasting for a few seconds before returning to normal. No trace of the Horseman remained, save for the mask in the Crowfather's hands.

The Crowfather, meanwhile, looked down upon the swirling souls in contemplation and reminiscence of Death and all he had done, both for good and bad. Though he and Death were not friends, nor were they truly enemies…well, not for long at least. Death had been the one to kill the Crowfather, it was true. But nevertheless, the Crowfather had helped him find access to the Tree of Life, to the Well of Souls for the sake of the Balance…that had to mean something, did it not? He looked once again at the mask, staring at it before sighing in decision. Gliding his finger gently against the crow, he carefully plucked a loose feather from the bird and pressed it against the inside of the mask, a green glow emanating from it for a moment before it all faded into the mask.

"Watch over him, Dust," he said to the crow, which tilted its head in curiosity. "After all, his story…is far from over."

The crow cawed once before jumping onto the mask and grasping it, taking off into the air and then diving down into the vortex of souls.

Remnant. A world orbited by a partly shattered moon. A world where black and bone-white, soulless creatures known as Grimm harassed and hunted down the humans. A world where humans fought back on a constant basis, utilizing fantastical weapons and an elemental energy source simply known as Dust. In short, Remnant was a world of struggle, fear, and hope.

The city of Vale was somewhat peaceful that night, if tense. It was understandable, considering what it had gone through during the day. As a consequence of the actions of a terrorist organization known as the White Fang, Grimm had flooded into the city from underground, attacking the civilians and causing havoc and destruction. The Hunters and Huntresses, defenders of the human race and the ones that can fight off the Grimm, valiantly defended the city and its people as they slaughtered the monsters. Though the people were safe, it would be some time before they would completely relax. In the meantime, the military and the Hunters and Huntresses would be there to protect them.

That night, on the helipad at the outskirts of Beacon Academy, the colossal school in Vale that taught those who wished to be Hunters and Huntresses, a teenage girl sat on the ground and looked at the stars. She and her teammates, Team RWBY, were present when the Grimm had attacked Vale. In fact, they were underground and had tried to stop White Fang from releasing Grimm into the city at the beginning, but failed. All of the military and teams of Hunters and Huntresses were able to keep casualties and damages to a minimum, but the damage was still done. People were still hurt, and now many of them were afraid of another attack. This was part of the reason why the young girl was out and about, looking at the stars. She was worried about what could have happened, but more than that: she had a feeling that something big was going to happen soon, but she had no idea what it could be. And it was both scary and exciting.

The girl was petite and short, wearing a black long-sleeved blouse and skirt, the skirt with red trimming and a belt with bullets along her left hip, as well as dark grey leggings, black laced boots, and most prominently a long red cloak. Shoulder length dark hair hung down her face, the bangs on the right side curved slightly to resemble a crescent. Her eyes, a light silver color, kept looking at the stars as she kept pondering. At her side was a red mechanical contraption one third her length, compact and only a little thicker than a rifle. This was Ruby Rose, freshman student of Beacon Academy and leader of Team RWBY.

As she sat there, a small smile graced her face for a moment as she hummed a small tune and looked upon the night sky, pondering the future. Currently she was wondering about an upcoming tournament that she and the rest of the Beacon students would participate in. It was a tournament designed with good will and peace between the many nations and the four Hunter schools of the world, part of a nearly month-long festival that had started days prior. She figured that she and her team were ready for it, but anything could happen. As much as she tried not to, she couldn't help but wonder what would happen. Thinking about that led her to thinking about the Grimm attack again, which wiped the smile off her face.

So lost in thought she was that she didn't notice someone was behind her until they tapped her on the shoulder, prompting her to look behind her. Standing there was another teenage girl, one that she knew closely. She had fair skin, black wavy hair down to her mid back, amber eyes lightly filled with curiosity and a hint of worry as she looked at Ruby, and purple eyeshadow applied lightly to the ends of her eyes. She wore a big black bow on top of her head, a white sleeveless undershirt, with a black buttoned vest with coattails over it, as well as white shorts, black ribbons around her arms, a black arm sleeve and silver band on her left arm, a scarf-like collar around her neck, black low-arch boots, and stockings that faded from black to purple going down to her boots. Strapped to her back was what appeared to be a rectangular sword in its sheathe, black in color. This was one of the girls on Team RWBY, one of Ruby's most cherished teammates and friends. This was Blake Belladonna.

"Oh, hey Blake," said Ruby, the smile returning. "I didn't hear you come over."

"Obviously," Blake said. "I called your name earlier, but you didn't hear."

"Yeah, sorry about that. Just…lost in thought, that's all."

"What kind of thoughts?"

"Just...I had a bad feeling, so I came here to think about it. And then that led to thinking about today, and what's going to happen in the next few weeks. Wondering how the tournament will go, and when we'll have to fight the bad guys again."

"That…doesn't really sound like you at all, Ruby," Blake said, sitting next to her. "I mean, thinking about the tournament, sure. That's you. I've been thinking about that, too. But worrying about when we'll have to fight White Fang? That sounds like something Weiss would worry about…something I would worry about. "

"I know. It's just, well, after what happened these past few days, I can't help but think about it. I mean, we tried to stop them from bringing the Grimm into Vale, but we failed. It makes me wonder what will happen, what they'll try next time."

"Ruby, we've been over this already."

"Hey guys, what's up?!" called out another voice.

Ruby and Blake turned to look towards the new arrival. Walking towards them with a smile was a young, pale, teenage girl with lilac eyes and bright blonde, messy hair going down to her hips. She wore a brown vest with puffy cap sleeves that ended in black cuffs and revealed a bit of midriff; an orange infinity scarf wrapped loosely around her neck; black fingerless gloves with what appeared to be two yellow over them; a yellow low-cut crop top under the vest that showed some cleavage; black shorts and a white back skirt covering her rear; a brown buckled belt over the skirt that had a small pouch and what appeared to be a small banner with a crest of a burning heart; and brown knee-high platform boots, with orange socks of different lengths and a gray bandana-like cloth wrapped around the top of her left boot. As she walked, she gave off an air of being happy and carefree. This was the sister of Ruby and a proud member of Team RWBY. This was Yang Xiao Long.

"Hey, sis," called out Ruby, waving her over. "Just talking. Where've you been?"

"Went for a walk, needed some air," she said, sitting on the other side of Ruby. "…you okay, Rubes?"

"Yeah, just…thinking about the tournament, and when we may have to fight the bad guys again."

"Those guys again? Ruby, we literally beat them just a few hours ago. I'm sure we can beat them again. "

"I know, I know. It's just that, well, I have this feeling…that something big is going to happen soon. I can't really explain it, it's just –"

"A gut instinct?" Yang asked.

"…yeah, something like that. And after what we've been through today, it's got me worried."

"Ruby, whatever it is, I'm sure we can handle it. I mean, we've done so with what's happened so far, right?"

"She's right, Ruby. Whatever's worrying you, I'm sure everything'll be fine."

"How'd I know that you girls would be here?" said a fourth voice behind them.

All three girls turned around to find another girl walking towards them, a smirk on her face. This one had long white hair tied in an off-center ponytail a little to her right and with a small tiara at the base, as well as blue eyes, one of which had a small scar going over it, and a pale complexion similar to Yang. She wore a sleeveless dress that ended mid-thigh, one that started as pale blue at the bottom but faded to white at the top, a long ribbon tied around her waist and a black lace covering any cleavage the dress may have shown. She also wore a pale blue bolero jacket above the dress that had a snowflake symbol on the back, the inner collar being red. Around her neck was a necklace with a small silver apple on it, and on her ears were small rectangle dangling earrings. Tucked under the ribbon on her dress was what appeared to be a rapier with a revolver-like barrel under the guard, while at the back of her dress and held by the ribbon was a small bag the same color as her dress. Upon her feet were white, heel wedged boots that went up to mid-calf. Speaking of feet, at hers was a black and white Corgi making its way towards Ruby, barking happily as he did so. The dog's name was Zwei, while the girl, the last member of Team RWBY, was Weiss Schnee.

"Hey, Weiss!" Ruby said with a smile, hugging the Corgi as it snuggled into her. "I thought you were going to sleep?"

"I was, but then Zwei here woke me up," she said, sitting between Ruby and Blake – who unsubtly moved as far away as she could from the dog. "I figured he needed to use the bathroom, and I wasn't exactly leaving the dorm in my pajamas."

"Wait," said Yang. "You took the time to get dressed up in full gear, just to walk Zwei?"

"Like I said, I'm not walking around in my pajamas. Besides, after everything that's happened today, I'll admit that I'm a bit…jumpy. I figured a quick walk would settle my nerves. But what about you, girls? What are you doing out here?"

"Same," said Blake.

"Yeah, needed some air," said Yang.

"I…had a lot on my mind," said Ruby.

"Is this about the Tournament? Because you know we're more than prepared for it," said Weiss.

"It's not that…well, yes, I'm excited and worried about the tournament, but it's just…I had a bad feeling, and after what happened today it got me worried about what'll happen."

"Ruby…I'll admit, I'm worried, too. But whatever's coming our way, we'll handle it. We always have."

"…yeah, you're right. You're all right. I guess I just needed a reminder from you all."

"Hey, anytime, right?" asked Yang. "We're team RWBY, after all."

"And more than that, we're friends," said Blake. "That's what we're here for. We've got your back, no matter what happens."

"Obviously," said Weiss.

Ruby smiled again, Zwei reaching up to lick her face and eliciting a laugh from her and the rest. As they sat there, the mood lightened up significantly, allowing the girls to relax. As they did, Ruby looked up to the sky in appreciation of the support of her team…just in time to see a bright, twinkling green star.

"Hey, look! A wishing star!" she exclaimed, prompting the girls and dog to look as well.

"Ooh, I've never seen one that bright!" exclaimed Yang.

"I've never seen one that…green?" Blake said, tilting her head in curiosity.

"…is it just me, or is that star getting bigger?" asked Weiss.

The girls looked at Weiss for a moment before looking at the star again. Slowly but surely enough, it was getting bigger. This worried the girls, all four getting up and dropping Zwei on his feet before they drew their weapons. Ruby's red contraption unfolded and grew into a giant red scythe. Blake drew her sword, revealing it to be a custom-shaped black katana. Yang's bracelets expanded into yellow punching gauntlets. Weiss drew her rapier and pressed a button that spun the revolver in it. All four girls were armed and ready to receive whatever was going to happen, Zwei barking a few times as he looked at the star.

In a matter of minutes, the star suddenly shot over them as a green meteor, going past the large school with a loud whoosh before making its way towards the other side of Vale, closer towards the outskirts. The girls watched as it descended, waiting until…

BOOM!

The town shook for a few seconds from the impact of the meteorite, several car alarms going off, lights flickering, and glass shattering or cracking. The girls themselves almost lost balance but kept it during the tremor. When it stopped, they looked at each other, a silent agreement passing between them. In a burst of speed Team RWBY and Zwei raced to where the meteorite had crashed.

After several minutes of racing towards the crash site, the group finally made it to the smoking crater at the outer edge of the forest next to Vale. It was a little over thirteen yards in diameter, about the size of a school bus and half as deep. The smoke and debris made it difficult for the girls to see what the object looked like, but there was clearly something there. Ruby in particular wasn't sure, but she thought that the silhouette was shaped like a human being. Impatient, she used her Semblance – her personal embodiment of aura, an innate ability that all beings with souls had on that world – to rush around the perimeter of the crater at high speeds to create an air funnel, venting out the smoke. After several seconds of doing so, she finally stopped, the smoke finally gone.

"You know, I could have used my sigils to clear out the smoke," Weiss said.

"Yeah, but my way was faster," said Ruby. "Besides, it -"

"Guys?" interrupted Blake, who was looking into the crater. "There's a body in the crater."

All talking stopped when everyone looked into the crater and found, sure enough, a person in the center of the crater, facedown. Ruby led the way as the four girls and the dog jumped down, rushing to the person. They all noticed that this person was a big guy, at least a foot bigger than them and with decent muscles on him. What appeared to be a part of his spine was sticking out of his back, but there was no blood or sign of pierced skin. He wore black pants with leather boots and metal armor pieces strapped to them, as well as leather gauntlets with metal finger coverings. Also, he was pale, almost like a corpse. Ruby momentarily thought he was dead because of this, but she then saw the rise and fall of his back, signifying breath. To be certain, however, she rushed to his side and, momentarily placing her scythe on the ground, checked for a pulse on his neck. It was faint, but it was definitely there.

"Girls, let's turn him over," Ruby said, going next to him. "We should check to see how badly he's been hurt."

"Flip him over? Whoever this man is, he either just got hit by a meteor OR just fell from the sky going faster than the speed of sound!" exclaimed Weiss. "Oh, and I'm pretty sure that his spine is sticking out of his back! I think it's a miracle he's still breathing! And you want to just flip him over?!"

"He should be fine if we're gentle," Ruby said. "Weiss, if you use your glyphs you can keep him from hitting the ground too hard. It should keep him from getting hurt."

"Well, when you put it that way…"

"Great! Yang?"

"On it," Yang said, going over and attempting to turn him over. "Jeez, he's heavy! The hell's he been eating?"

After several seconds of struggling with his weight and with Weiss's glyphs – her Semblance, the ability to create giant symbols around her that could affect movement and, with the application of Dust, generate elemental attacks– they were able to gently flip him over onto his back. Once he was there, the four girls couldn't help but gasp in shock when they saw him. He had several deep scrapes on his chest and shoulders from the impact, most of them bleeding. He also had what appeared to be three small holes on his right pectoral, like they were where something was torn out of him. But the most gruesome damage of all was his face. It was burnt, to the point where it was unrecognizable. It looked fresh, and it was amazing that his shoulder length slick black hair hadn't been burned off from the entry into the atmosphere, or from the impact. If it weren't for his sudden moaning and slight movement of his mouth, they wouldn't have been able to tell what part of his face was which.

"I reiterate," said Weiss. "The fact that he's breathing, is a miracle."

"We need to get him some help, now," Ruby said. "Who's got their scroll on them?"

Blake pulled hers out, which was essentially a translucent tablet between two white pieces that had many different applications – one of them being long-distance communication to another Scroll – and began to dial for help. Weiss, meanwhile, reached into her bag and pulled out a small first-aid kit, asking Yang to hold the man's face steady. Ruby, meanwhile, chose to keep an eye on their surroundings to make sure nothing would attack them, since they were at the edge of the forest. To help with this she pushed a button that transformer her scythe into a specialized custom sniper rifle, almost as long as she was. She kept it trained on the forest, but she couldn't help but look at the stranger again, asking herself the obvious question.

"Who is this guy, and what happened to him?"