The sun had begun to set, casting golden hues across the sky as evening rolled in. Laughter echoed from the school gates as Amazo and Penny returned from their trip to Vale, both of them clearly enjoying each other's company. Their pace was relaxed, casual, Penny's laughter light and melodic while Amazo wore a rare, amused smile.
Nearby, Team RWBY sat outside on one of the stone benches, casually watching the pair return. Blake raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I bet those two are an item."
Weiss scoffed. "That's ridiculous. They're androids. How is that even supposed to work?"
Yang leaned back and snickered. "Skip-on-the-hip dancing?"
Ruby cringed. "Eww... Yang!"
As if on cue, Amazo and Penny spotted them. Penny beamed brightly and waved, calling out, "Salutations!" as they approached.
Yang leaned forward, eyes gleaming with playful curiosity. "Hey, Amazo. How old is Ashborn?"
Amazo paused, blinking once before replying, "He will be twenty-six in three months."
Yang hummed thoughtfully. "Do you know if he has any preference in a girl?"
Amazo tilted his head. "As in a mate?"
Yang nodded with an innocent smile that fooled no one.
Amazo considered for a moment. "Above average height. White-skinned. Blonde. And a large bust."
Yang's eyes lit up, her smirk growing wide. Weiss frowned in disbelief.
"Why do you even know that kind of information?" she asked flatly.
Amazo replied without hesitation, "I assumed it to be the case since that's Tea's description. His girlfriend."
Yang's smile faltered instantly. "Girlfriend?" she repeated, her voice quieter.
"That's unexpected," Blake said, clearly surprised as well.
Ruby, curious, tilted her head. "Where is she now?"
"Back home," Amazo answered. "With my sister."
Yang narrowed her eyes with a strange glint. "Can you shapeshift into her? I'd like to see this Tea."
The other girls blinked at her, stunned by her bluntness. Weiss's mouth opened in protest, but no words came out. Blake just raised her brow. Penny, as always, remained oblivious to the intent behind Yang's request, only Yang's pride was truly visible.
Amazo, knowing exactly what she was doing and seemingly unbothered, nodded and transformed.
Before them stood Tea.
She was a looker, statuesque and elegant. Taller than Yang by several centimeters, with a graceful posture that radiated confidence. Had a shoulder-length golden hair, and her figure, especially the pronounced curves and generous bust, left no question why Ashborn had chosen her. Her piercing blue eyes scanned the girls briefly, a soft smirk playing at her lips.
A moment later, Amazo shifted back into his usual self.
"If nothing else," he said, as casually as before, "we should be on our way."
The two androids walked off together, leaving a stunned silence in their wake.
Yang lowered her gaze, letting out a quiet sigh as she crossed her arms. There was no denying it. She had lost in the comparison and she knew it.
___________
That night, the quiet hum of conversation echoed in Ashborn's room as he sat on the couch, chatting casually with Roman through his scroll. The conversation was light, filled with sarcasm and banter, until a knock broke the silence. Amazo turned from his seated position and walked to the door, opening it with a gentle pull.
Ruby stood there, clutching a modest box in her hands, her expression tense but determined.
"Can I come in?" she asked softly.
Amazo tilted his head, then stepped aside. "Yes."
Ruby stepped inside without hesitation, walking directly to Ashborn. She held the box out to him.
"Here. Try these."
Ashborn raised an eyebrow at the odd gesture, taking the box and opening it with mild curiosity. Inside were several rows of cookies, freshly baked and still warm.
He plucked one out and took a bite, chewing thoughtfully. "They're actually pretty good," he said. "Better than the ones from the shop the other day."
Ruby smiled faintly. "That's my mom's recipe."
Ashborn paused, looking up at her. She was visibly nervous, fingers wringing against her skirt.
"What's this about?" he asked calmly.
Ruby's voice trembled a little as she answered, "Amazo said you know things; past, present, future. When I was young… my mom went on a mission and never came back. There was no body. Her grave is empty. I want to find her body. I want to bring her home and give her a proper burial. Can you help me?"
Ashborn blinked, caught slightly off guard. "That is an unexpected request."
"Please," Ruby said, her voice quieter. "If you help me… I'll bake you these cookies for the next ten years."
Ashborn blinked again and let out a short chuckle. "This is the strangest payment or bribery I've ever received." He then nodded. "Fine. I'll see what I can do to find her body."
Ruby's face lit up with relief. "Thank you!" she said, before turning and quickly walking to the door. Amazo opened it for her and quietly closed it behind her.
"How are you going to find a dead body?" Amazo asked after a pause.
Ashborn's shadow detached and slithered across the floor, disappearing out the window.
"I know her last mission," Ashborn said plainly. "I just need to locate and ask her killer."
Amazo nodded, satisfied with the logic, if not the method.
___________
The next morning, the cafeteria buzzed with its usual breakfast commotion. Ashborn entered with Amazo beside him, his presence instantly drawing attention. He nodded toward Team RWBY and their nearby companions.
"Morning," he greeted as he approached.
Nora waved her spoon. "Who's going to win today's match?"
Ashborn smirked. "Want to get your money back? I only give answers through bets."
"Only an idiot bets with you," Nora muttered. "I'm just curious."
Ashborn ignored her, his eyes finding Ruby in the crowd. She looked up at him, eyes hopeful.
"Did you find anything?" she asked quietly.
He met her gaze and shook his head. "Not yet."
Yang, who had been listening, glanced between the two. "What's this about?"
Ruby quickly replied, "Nothing."
Yang squinted suspiciously at her sister, but Ashborn cut in.
"It's not shameful or embarrassing," he said, voice calm but firm. "If anything, it's admirable that she's thinking of something like this."
Before Ruby could respond, Yang crossed her arms. "Now I really want to know what you're looking for."
Ashborn's eyes glowed faintly, and he looked off into the distance, a strange stillness settling over him. The group went silent, watching as he slowly stood up.
He looked back at Ruby.
"Just found her. Wait here."
And in the blink of an eye, Ashborn vanished leaving behind stunned expressions and one girl holding her breath.
___________
Ashborn appeared in a place soaked in despair, an ancient, crumbling dungeon where the air reeked of sorrow and rot. Shadows clung to the walls like silent watchers. Beside him stood several of his shadow knights, their eyes glowing faintly purple. They held chains, chains wrapped tightly around a woman whose presence radiated both power and despair.
Salem.
Once the proud sorceress who challenged the gods, now the world's most enduring tragedy. Her pale, grimm-infused form stared at Ashborn with weariness and a flicker of recognition.
"What do you want… after thousands of years?" she said, her voice hollow, tired, yet still defiant.
Ashborn's eyes flicked toward her, impassive. "You got the wrong person. I'm not that god."
His gaze then shifted beyond her to the cell in front of him. Inside, leaning lifelessly against the wall, was a figure. A woman, half-buried in shadow, half-breathing. Her body had long since begun to twist with Grimm corruption, yet something fragile remained.
Summer Rose.
Ashborn stepped into the cell, approaching her quietly. Her breathing was shallow. Her skin was pale and cold. Grimm tendrils wrapped around her organs beneath the surface. But he saw it, faint, but unmistakable silver shimmer in her dormant aura.
He knelt beside her and brought out a red potion, its liquid swirling like molten fire. With care, he opened one of her eyelids.
Silver. A light long thought lost.
Ashborn poured mana into her eye. The silver eye flared suddenly, brilliantly. A searing light burst forth, flooding the cell and cutting through the shadows like a blade of dawn.
Outside, Salem let out a groan, shielding her face. "Fool… now she's going to die…"
Ashborn didn't flinch. He ignored Salem's warning. Instead, he uncorked the potion and pressed it to Summer's lips, gently tilting it in. The glow from her body shimmered, pulsing once, twice then slowly dimmed. Her breathing steadied. Her expression eased.
Ashborn checked her vitals again. "Stable."
He slipped one arm under her knees and the other around her back, lifting her effortlessly into a princess carry. He turned to Salem, his voice calm but edged with cold truth.
"I sent my shadows to find you to ask about Summer's body. Who would've thought you kept her alive?"
Salem's eyes narrowed, fury brewing behind her grimm-like features.
"By the way," Ashborn added as his shadows began to dissipate the bindings around her, "even if you destroy all humans and summon the gods… your curse will continue. They are just that petty"
And then, he vanished, leaving the dungeon and the world's eternal tragedy behind.
___________
In an instant, Ashborn reappeared in the cafeteria.
Everyone froze.
In his arms, cradled like a sleeping memory, was a woman, her black hair streaked with faded traces of red, yet unmistakable.
Ruby gasped, rising from her seat as her scroll clattered to the floor.
"It turned out she's alive," Ashborn said quietly. "Just… asleep for a very long time."
Ruby walked forward, each step trembling. Her eyes locked onto the peaceful face of the woman she hadn't seen since childhood.
"M… Mom?" she whispered.
Tears slipped down her cheeks. Then she ran to them and broke down, sobbing openly as she reached up to touch Summer's face.
The cafeteria fell silent as dozens of students and staff turned to witness the impossible.
Mouths opened in disbelief.
Gasps filled the air.
But Ruby… Ruby only cried, clinging to her mother's hand like it was all that mattered in the world.
And Ashborn stood silently… holding a miracle.