A/N: Well look who's alive after all this time. What can I say college and work have kept me busy and I have not had much free time. I am sorry to any fans of my other story, it is officially canceled and shelved and I have no current plans to bring it back anytime in the near future, however this fic is a spiritual successor to it. I am actually smart this time and have wrote several chapters ahead so when I get busy I still have things to post.

Fair warning before you start reading, this story gets dark, and I mean dark. If this is not your cup of tea then don't read, it is rated M for a reason. Also Ruby I eighteen in this fic as well as very one being older. Also, Milk'n'Cereal. My favorite and cutest ship in this show, fight me.

Also I would like to thank my friends DPLxBeAsTxSnIpE, Avis B, and DysfunctionalInsanity for helping me, go check out their stories!

Obligatory Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY. Can't sue me today.

Ruby ran up beacon's tower as fast as she could with the aid of Weiss's glyphs. Her first friend here and her girlfriend where in trouble and she would be damned if she didn't do anything. Ruby finally reached the top, and landed in a crouch Crescent Rose deployed, ready for battle. The first thing that she saw was her girlfriend, Pyrrha, a bloody mess. She had an arrow stuck in her ankle and a piece of rebar sticking out from her abdomen. Seeing her loved one in such a state filled Ruby with rage, there will be hell to pay.

That's when she saw Jaune kneeling in the center of the rubble multiple arrows in him as that woman, Cinder, stood in front of him. Jaune fell forward, being caught by Cinder who placed her hand in the center of his forehead. Jaune's form suddenly lit up, turning to ash leave only his armor behind.

Ruby dropped Crescent Rose and fell to her knees.

"Jaune." Ruby whispered before she felt a power surge through her. "JAUNE!" Ruby yelled as the power in her took over and everything went black.

Ruby came to with a pulsing headache, her eyes closed against the pain, it ached as if an army of tiny angry Nora's invaded her head and bashed her brain around. She tried to move but found that she couldn't. Her arms felt immobilized as if they were chained. She could move her legs but just barely. Panic soon came over her hazy mind. Thoughts were racing through her hazy mind a mile a minute trying to piece together what happened. She remembered fire, a lot of fire, and Beacon's tower and Jaune, as for anything else... she couldn't remember. Ruby was suddenly knocked out of her haze when cold water splashed over her form. Ruby sputtered in alarm, taking in her surroundings quickly.

Her surroundings were bleak to say the least. She was chained to wall in a dark gray stone colored room. She tried to move but was met with a sharp pain to her side. Looking down Ruby saw her abdomen wrapped in bandages with red seeping through them. Ruby looked up and saw two men the room with her. One wore abyss black armor with a helmet that resembled that of a gladiator. It was hard to make out his features but he was pale, very pale, unnaturally so. The other man was at least a head or so taller than the one in armor. He had olive skin with long brown hair and beard with hazel colored eyes that looked at her with pity. Or was it sympathy? He wore green robes with black clothes underneath. He turned to the man in armor.

"Let Lady Salem know she has awoken." His gravely voice commanded. The man in armor nodded and let the room.

"Wh-" Ruby began to question but her voice died in her throat. She just realized how dry and raw her throat was. She tasted iron in her mouth.

"Shhhh." The man hushed kneeling in front of her and producing a cup of water. "Drink this and do not speak." Ruby happily obeyed as she greedily drank the water. She let out a sigh in relief as the water did wonders to soothe her throat.

"Thank…you." Ruby managed to croak out. The man nodded, his face giving nothing away. "Who are you…where am I?" Ruby asked, her voice coming back to her.

"I am Hazel." The man answered. "As to where you are…you're in hell." Panic beset Ruby.

"What...do you mean?!" She asked panicky, her voice still hoarse. "Did I...die?!" It was a dumb question but Ruby was not in the right sate of mind.

"No young rose, you are not dead. But you will soon wish you were." Panic set Into Ruby's mind, before she could question Hazel continued. "Know that I do not agree with what's going to transpire here, but you must persevere and press onwards young rose. You have been selected for greatness, but the path to greatness is filled with pain and torment." With that Hazel stood up and left the room, leaving Ruby alone in her cell.

Ruby wasn't alone for long as she soon heard footsteps approaching the door to her cell. The steps were slow and graceful. The owner of those footsteps hold themselves in high regard. The steps stopped at the dull iron door, and with a deafening click it was opened. She walked in. If Ruby had to describe her it was evil personified. She wore a dress blacker than any abyss, so black it seemed to absorb the light around her. Her skin was pure white with dark purple almost black veins dancing across her skin. Her hair as white as her skin, done in a bun with six offshoots that seemed to form a crown around her head. But perhaps the most terrifying thing was her eyes. Her sclera like her dress was pure black, blacker than any abyss known in existence. Her iris's were the color of rage. Ruby could see the burning hatred swelling like an inferno inside those eyes.

As Ruby looked into those eyes all sound seemed to stop. Time itself seemed to stop. Everything ceased to exist but those eyes. Ruby started to hear voices in her head, thousands a screams telling her to get away. Ruby's flight and fight senses seemed to activate, her pupils shrunk in fear and her breathing increased rapidly. Ruby backed up into the wall behind her, trying to make herself smaller. The woman let out a laugh at that, an angelic laugh, a beautiful laugh that didn't fit her devilish form. What finally brought Ruby out of her trance was the clang of a sledgehammer Ruby didn't notice she was carrying.

"Whatever you are, I'm not afraid of you." Ruby defied, finding her voice. The woman chuckled at this.

"Your actions tell a different story young rose." Her voice was as heavenly and angelic as her laugh, deceivingly so. Like fine smooth silk dipped in chloroform. The woman put her arms behind her back and strode to the barred window gazing out to a red and purple sky. It was beautiful in its own hellish way. The woman took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "You're lying. I can feel your fear, I can smell your fear, and it's delicious." The women turned to Ruby causing her to look down.

The woman took another deep breath. "You're afraid of not being good enough. Afraid that your lack of experience would cause someone you love to get hurt. You're afraid of the whispers in the background, what your classmates thought of you, the rumors about you. You're afraid of failing and being cast out like a piece of trash. Poor thing." With each word the woman stepped closer to Ruby, the further Ruby would back herself into the wall. The woman finally reached Ruby and knelt down to her level. "And you are afraid of me." The woman gently cupped Ruby's cheek, causing her to whimper. "Look at me Ruby." The woman asked gently. Ruby slowly obeyed and carefully brought her gaze up, making sure not to make direct eye contact. The woman smiled at this and gently moved some hair behind her ear. "You are beautiful, like a doll a mere toy." The woman stood up and walked to the sledgehammer by the door. As she did this the chains that bonded her to the wall tighted raising her arms up and bringing her to her knees in a crucifix like position. The woman walked back to her with the sledgehammer in hand. "But toys are meant to be broken." The woman hefted the sledgehammer into a striking position.

"Please don't." Ruby begged, finding her voice. The woman looked at her in amusement, a ghost a an evil smirk on her lips.

"So that they may be repaired." With that she brought the sledgehammer down on Ruby's left arm, earning a sick crack.

CRACK

Ruby couldn't even scream, instead she gasped in pain. The pain flooded her entire body, it consumed everything leaving nothing but it behind. After a few agonizing seconds Ruby was finally able to scream. Her scream came from deep from within her lungs and almost made her sound like an animal. Ruby slowly turned to her arm and looked in horror as it was bent at an unnatural angle. As all of this was going on the woman watched with barely any emotion on her face. The only tell of emotion was a ghost of a smile on her lips. After a few more moments Ruby was able to focus enough to speak.

"You...bitch." Ruby let out with venom. The woman chuckled at this.

"I'll let you have that one." Ruby's tormenter said as she hefted the sledgehammer back up into a striking position.

"Don't, please!" Ruby begged but it fell on deaf as the woman brought the sledgehammer down on her shoulder this time, earing another crack.

CRACK

Ruby let out another scream, shriller than the last one. She was on the verge of tears, but she held them back. As she was recovering her arm meet another strike from the hammer, this time having several wet pops. Ruby couldn't even scream, instead she writhed around gasping for air. Blood was leaking from her right wrist with how much pressure she is exerting on the cuff. Looking at her arm Ruby was horrified with how disfigured her arm was. The tightness of the chains loosened causing Ruby to slump forward and crash on the floor. Her arm felt numb and she herself felt hazy. Suddenly she felt a new pain on her arm and a great pressure being placed on it. The woman placed her foot on her broken arm and steadily dug it in, causing Ruby to groan out in pain.

"I have great plans for you, young rose." The woman said as another crack was heard causing Ruby to scream out. "But you are not ready, like a slab of marble I will chisel you into what you were always meant to be." With that the woman got off Ruby's arm and made to leave the room with the sledgehammer.

She could vaguely tell the woman leaving the room and locking the door.

"This is just a dream." Ruby whispered to herself. "This is a horrible nightmare, I'll wake up and everything will be back to normal. Please God just let this be some horrible dream! Please! I beg of you!" Ruby wept to herself. She slowly curled herself, careful not to agitate her arm.

What have I done to deserve this? Why me? I just wanted to be a normal girl with normal knees.

They'll find me, they have too.

I just have to have hope.

Please guys...please...

With those final thoughts Ruby let a restless and painful sleep take over her.

Ruby slowly came back to the realm of the living. She moved and she let out a yelp in pain. Looking at the source of her pain she saw her arm laying limply on the floor, disfigured, swollen, and bruised. She looked at her surroundings and found herself in the same cell as before. She shed a single tear. It was real.

"Ruby?!" A voice harshly whispered. A familiar one.

"Yang?" Her harsh voice croaked out. "Yang is that you?"

"Ruby! Where are you!?" Her sisters voice called out.

"Yang! I'm over here!" Ruby yelled out before she started to cough violently. Her throat still very raw.

"Oh god, Ruby!" Ruby looked up to see her sister trough the gated window on the door.

"Yang…" Ruby said weekly. With a click the door was opened and Yang came running in kneeling down in front of her sister.

"Oh my god Ruby." Her voice went weak. "I'm so sorry." Ruby looked up weakly at her older sister. "Don't worry I'm going to get-"

THWACK

All time seemed to cease as the sound echoed around the cell. Ruby's eyes widened as Yang's face seemed frozen in terror. Yang leaned forward a little bit and that's when she saw it, a glass arrow that slowly turned to dust. Ruby looked past Yang and saw Cinder holding her bow and giving her a self-satisfied smirk. Tears started to flow from Ruby's eyes as she looked back to Yang.

No please, not her, please!

"I'm sorry." Yang said weakly as she fell over in front of Ruby.

No. No. NO. NO! Ruby let out a pained scream as she collapsed on Yang's body. Ruby wailed, letting all her emotions flow free. She let out a haunting scream as she held Yang's body. Ruby wasn't sure how long she was like this, it felt like she was screaming for ever.

"Well if that isn't the most pathetic thing I've seen in while." A familiar male voice said. Ruby opened her now puffy and bloodshot eyes and looked to the source of the voice. Mercury Black stood leaning against the wall, giving her a smug smile. "If it wasn't so sad, it'd almost be funny." A thousand emotions raced through her mind, rage being the forefront of them. She looked back to the body of her dead sister and gasped in shock. Her body was gone, it was like it completely vanished.

"Shut your mouth Merc." Another familiar voice said, this one female. Ruby turned her head and saw her 'friend' Emerald. She kneeled in front of Ruby, her red eyes meeting Ruby's silver. "Hey beastie." The thief said.

"You." Ruby growled out, her voice almost sounding demonic. She shot her hand forward, but the chains kept her from reaching her face and clawing out her eyes. "I'll fucking kill you." Ruby growled out.

"Why would you say such a hurtful thing to me Ruby? I thought we were friends?"

"Don't mock me you bitch." Emerald smirked at this.

"As fun as it would be, unfortunately were not here for that." Emerald moved out of the way, and their Cinder stood. The woman who killed Jaune, she remembered everything now. She looked much different from the hallucination. She had a mask covering half of her face and burns could be seen under them.. Ruby let out a feral growl at seeing her.

"Did you come here to gloat?" Ruby growled out. No answer, just Cinder's exposed eye boring into her with rage and hatred. "How are you able to live with yourself with all of the pain you cause?" Still no answer. "Answer me." Still no answer. "Tell me, if you can." Cinder's eye narrowed dangerously. "Did I do that you?" Her eye seemed to glow with rage to confirm this. Ruby let out a chuckle. "What was that you said Mercury, that it would be funny if it weren't so sad? Well this is funny and sad." Cinder growled and snapped her finger. The chains tightened, and Ruby was yanked back into the wall. She let out a scream of pain once she impacted it. Cinder looked to Mercury and snapped her finger twice. He nodded and walked to Ruby, his hand shaking.

Once Ruby regained her composure she looked to see Mercury standing before her. He tried to mask his face from emotions, but nervousness seemed to slip through. Suddenly he punched her. Her head snapped violently to the right side.

Thud

Ruby let out a groan of pain, she brought her head back only to be punched by him again. A crimson spray flew from her mouth, contrasting brightly with the gray room. Another punch and another groan of pain. Mercury paced in front of her like a rabid animal going in for the kill. His arms notably shaking. Ruby brought her head to face Mercury again, but it earned her another punch to the right side of the face. She hung her head low, breathing in pain. He grabbed her by the hair and lifted her face up. Her mouth was bloody, blood seeped from her forehead and caked her right eye. Cinder snapped again, and Mercury steeled himself before punching her again. Emerald watched on, her face unreadable. Cinder however was watching on with an evil smile.

Thud

Thud

Thud

Thud

Ruby didn't know how long she was beaten but it finally stopped. Her right eye was swollen shut, her face was bruised and bloody, her lips split, and crimson blood dripping from her mouth, painting her white teeth red. Ruby let out a shaky breath and a groan as her head hung low. Ruby heard Cinder snap again. Ruby felt her head get lifted and held her. She saw Cinder in front of her with her left eye.

Cinder strode forward, her glass heels clacking loudly on the floor. She got face to face with Ruby, her eye glowing with a dangerous fire. Ruby barely registered her. Cinder turned to Ruby's left arm and strode over to it, grasping it tightly by the wrist. This caused Ruby to yelp in pain. Suddenly her arm grew warm, uncomfortable at first before the temperature started to increase greatly. It was soon burning, and it kept getting hotter and hotter. Ruby was breathing heavily before she couldn't take it anymore and she let out a scream.

The smell of cooked meat soon filled the cell as Cinder kept an increasing the temperature, before fully unleashing the full heat of the Fall maidens power. Consuming Ruby's arm in flame. Ruby let out a banshee like scream as her arm was burned. The skin that the flames hungrily consumed was seared off her body. The fire reached all the way up to her shoulder but stopped there. Ruby thrashed violently against the chains letting out screams of pain so loud it caused Emerald to cover her ears. The pain consumed Ruby, it burned all the way down to her soul, consuming everything and just leaving itself behind. Still Cinder held on, until there was nothing left. Cinder let go and watched as Ruby's arm turned to dust and ash. Ruby let out a whimper, she was barely clinging to consciences. Until Cinder violently grabbed her by her throat and held her head at an angle. Ruby fearfully looked at Cinder who held her free hand out and set it aflame. Cinder's face was twisted into a cruel smile.

Cinder placed the palm of her hand on Ruby's right eye and unleashed her fire. Ruby felt her eye boil and melt away, she felt her skin burn and char. She let out one last shrill scream before she couldn't take it anymore and passed out from the pain.

Ruby let out a hiss of pain as the blade of a knife traced its way from the tip of her middle finger to the wrist. Similar lines were cut from the other digits of her right hand. A rag dipped in alcohol was then placed in the palm of her hands. Ruby bit down on her cheek hard enough to draw blood as she refused to cry out. It has been several days since the incident with Cinder, she now had bandages wrapping her face and what was left of her arm. Curtesy of Hazel, the only friendly face in this hell she was in. Her torturer let out a growl of frustration.

"Why won't you scream!?" The scorpion faunus yelled in his deranged voice. He had been torturing her for the better part of the afternoon, making small but many lacerations all over her body. He grabbed her face violently and held the blade of his knife to her mouth. "I was told by the goddess to make you scream! And if I don't make you scream, she won't be happy! And I can't have her goddess unhappy!" His voice wavered and cracked for a second. It sounded like he was almost going to cry. There was an edge to his voice. "So, I'm going to make you scream if it's the last thing I do." He whispered with a dangerous edge to his voice.

Ruby spat blood in his eye, causing him to cry out in alarm and stagger back. Unfortunately for Ruby this caused him to accidently slice the corner of her mouth. He dropped the knife as he staggered back, whipping the blood from his eye. Once he cleared it he looked at her in complete hatred.

"You bitch!" He bellowed. "Look at what you made me do!" He scooped up the dirty knife off the floor and rushed her. He violently grabbed her hand and plunged the knife into the palm of her hand, twisting the blade violently. Ruby let out a groan in pain. Refusing to scream.

"Scream!" He yelled twisting the blade again. "Scream!" He twisted the blade again. Ruby was biting her cheek with enough force to cut into it. "Scream!" Ruby grit her blood-stained teeth as he pulled the blade out and plunged it into her thigh. "Why won't you fucking SCREAM!" His voice became deranged, losing what sanity he had holding him back. He brought the knife out of her thigh with a twist and held the knife to her face again as he garbed a hold of her hair. "You WILL scream! You WILL break!" He moved the knife away from her face.

"I will die first." Ruby spat out. He raised the knife about to bring it down, until a large and muscular hand gripped the faunus's hand.

"Enough." Hazel's deep and commanding voice ordered.

Hazel yanked the arm back, pulling the faunus man along with it.

"You ignorant cur!" The man yelled. "Her grace will hear of this! And once she does she'll-"

SLAP

Hazel lowered his hand from the backhand slap that he just did. He hit the man with enough force to cause him to kneel in pain.

"Leave." Hazel commanded. The man did, standing up holding a hand to the side of his face. He stopped at the door, sparing one last hateful glace at Ruby before leaving. Hazel turned to Ruby and gently approached her.

"Thank...you." Ruby breathed out. Hazel undid the chains binding Ruby to the wall and carefully caught her as she slumped forward into his arms. Hazel gently laid her on the floor and retrieved medical supplies from a pouch on his belt. Ruby's eye was half lidded as she laid on the cool stone floor. Hazel retrieved a container containing a slave, he scooped up a generous amount before looking to her.

"This is going to hurt."

"What doesn't?" Feeling a pang of guilt Hazel applied the salve to her hand. Ruby let out a cry of pain and whimpered. Hazel applied more salve to her thigh and other serious cuts as Ruby whimpered in pain. He then finished by wrapping her hand in a bandage.

"I'm done Ruby." Hazel said looking to her, finding her crying.

"Why me Hazel? What have I done?" Ruby whispered out between sobs. Hazel didn't say anything instead scooping her up and resting her against his shoulder, allowing her to bury her face in it as she cried. "I just wanted to be a normal girl. I didn't ask for any of this. I want to see my family again Hazel. I want to see Pyrrha." Hazel slowly wrapped his arms around her and held her in his strong embrace. After a while Ruby stopped crying. "Thank you, Hazel." Ruby sniffled. Hazel didn't say anything, opting to just nod. Hazel held her there until she fell asleep, only then did he set her down and made to leave. He stopped at the door and turned back to Ruby's sleeping form.

"I'm sorry." Was all he said before he closed the door and left.

Ruby was thrown to the ground roughly. Ruby let out a shaky breath of pain before she slowly got to her knees.

"Get up." Salem commanded. Ruby made no move to do so. Salem tscked and Ruby felt a sharp pain on her back, causing her to let out a cry of pain. "I said, get up." Using her arm to steady herself Ruby slowly got to her feet on shaky knees. Ruby reached over and grabbed the wooden staff she was given and slowly stood up. Salem smirked. "Continue."

Ruby barely had anytime to bring up her weapon as her opponent rushed her. Cinder swung her own wooden staff, intending to bash her weapon against Ruby's ribs until Ruby barely brought up her weapon to block it in time. The force of Cinder's hit caused Ruby to slid back several feet, which was followed up with a brutal strike against her face. Ruby dropped her weapon as she fell like a sack of potatoes on the floor, groaning in pain. Emerald and Mercury looked on from the sidelines of the arena, amused as to what was going on.

"Again." Salem commanded. Ruby closed her eye tightly and let out hiss of breath. When she opened her eye again her eye was molten silver. She slowly got up once again and gipped her weapon tightly. Seeing the change in Ruby, Salem let out a Cheshire smile. "Continue."

Cinder charged again but was surprised when Ruby blocked her strike and held strong. Cinder's lone eye widened in shock and stared into Ruby's lone eye. Her eye was practically glowing a molten hot silver, with nothing but hatred being shown. Ruby headbutted Cinder causing her to stumble back, Ruby did not let up as she swung with her pole striking Cinder on her side. Cinder let out a growl as she swung her own weapon but was once again blocked by Ruby. Ruby brought her weapon back and began to swing wildly, rage fueling her. Each impact caused Cinder to slide backwards, the power in each swing increasing. Ruby struck Cinder a final time, the impact had enough force that it knocked Cinder to the floor. If both Emerald and Mercury weren't shocked by this what happened next definitely did.

Cinder barely had any time to react before Ruby straddled her and firmly clasped her hand around Cinders throat. Cinder went bug eyed as Ruby started to squeeze slowly but surely cutting off Cinder's air supply. Gasping for air Cinder grasped Ruby's wrist and tried to pry it from her throat, Emerald and Mercury went to intervene but Salem stopped them with a glare, after backing off Salem looked back with a cruel smile. Seeing that her lackeys were not going to help Cinder started to heat up her hands, hoping to burn Ruby to let go. Ruby let out a hiss. Unleashing her flame seemed to do nothing to Ruby her skin seemed barely affected by her power, in fact it seemed to just make her angrier.

As her vision was growing dark Cinder heard her saving grace from Salem herself.

"That is enough." Cinder expected Ruby to let go. Ruby didn't. In fact, she was squeezing harder. "I said that is enough." Salem raised her voice. Ruby still didn't listen. Salem raised her hand and a black whip materialized in her hand, once formed she sent it forth with a crack striking Ruby's back. Cinder gasped for air as Ruby finally let go and got off her.

Ruby turned and saw that Salem was behind her, still in a rage she went to strike Salem, but her hand was caught and twisted painfully bringing Ruby to her knees. Salem then took her free hand and placed her thumb on the center of her forehead, Ruby went wide eyed before her eye slowly rolled to the back of her head, going limp in the process.

"You two." Salem said, causing Emerald and Mercury to jump. "Take Cinder to her room." She glanced over Cinder in a bored manner, causing Cinder to lower her gaze, before turning to the unconscious Ruby. "I'll be working with her from now on."

So that was it. Good? Bad? Let me know in the reviews, I'm about to play a ton of For Honor and Siege right now so I'll catch you guys later!