Chapter 1

Banished Evil

It is done. The Nephalem have defeated Malthael, Angel of Death, fallen leader of the Angiris Council. Even when empowered by the Black Soulstone, container of all seven of the Great Evils of the Burning Hells, the Nephalem had still slain him, sending Malthael off the platform, tumbling down below, deeper into the Pandemonium Fortress, all while his armor and body dissolved. When the sound of a thud was heard, all that was left of the black clad angel was a darkened outline of his body and wings, along with the Black Soulstone. There the crystal stood, hellfire pulsing within it, the inhabitants fighting to be released from their prison.

Tyrael looked up from the sight and saw with his mortal eyes the Nephalem, their forms glowing with strength, their eyes radiating power. However, within them beats a mortal heart. The mortal Angel wondered if in the presence of corruption, would they fall like so many others before them? Will they present even more of a threat than the Prime and Lesser Evils ever could, becoming the doom of this world? Was Malthael right?

Tyrael shook off those thoughts. The Nephalem rescued him, aided him against the demon hordes that invaded Sanctuary, defeated the empowered, Lord of Terror, Diablo, and they saved the realm of the High Heavens. The former Angel of Justice will have faith that the Nephalem, these heroes, that they will make the right choice when presented to them. However there was still a lingering doubt, as even Angels have been corrupted before.

Tyrael also knew that if the Black Soulstone continued its existence, it will only cause corruption, ruin, and despair wherever it may be. To destroy it is out of the question, for it will only release the evil within it, to return to their physical forms after an unknown amount of time. To hide it will prove only futile, as sooner or later it will be discovered by some fool, and there is no place on Sanctuary where its corruptive touch could be sealed away for good. There left only one option left. To banish it.

Over the course of the next few weeks, Tyrael lead the effort to construct a ritual, powerful enough to banish the Black Soulstone and its prisoners from Sanctuary forever. The instructions and procedure of the ritual was recovered from a vault containing much of the knowledge of the Horadrim, an order of scholars and magi Tyrael formed so long ago. The order died with its last member, Deckard Cain, a man who was of great aid to defeating the Prime and Lesser Evils wherever they were. The Angel of Wisdom managed to reform the old order, before Malthael's betrayal.

With the aid of Tyrael's powerful angelic abilities, the Nephalem, and the reformed Horadrim, the ritual was complete. A large was circle immaculately and intricately carved into the ground, with its strange symbols and odd patterns. The ritual circle should be strong and large enough to transport the seven powerful souls sealed within the stone. The Black Soulstone was carefully placed in the center of the circle, Tyrael's critical eyes giving the handlers instruction. As soon as the handlers cleared the way, the Archangel, Nephalem, and magi chanted and prayed in ancient tongues. After a moment, the air became heavy, winds howling and moaning, the ground trembled under everyone's feet.

Soon, color started to fill the circle, bright hues swirling, shifting, and changing. The colors began to spin faster and faster, as the prayers and chants continued. Storm clouds gathered above, lightning and thunder roaring within them. The Black Soulstone began to float above the spinning circle, beneath it, a black hole was forming, growing in size, as it eclipsed the colors around it. The vortex continued to grow until it encompassed much of the circle. Lightning struck the vortex continuously, hurricane winds being sucked towards it, and the earth still trembling at an increasing rate.

The prayers and chants stopped, causing the colors and vortex to suddenly halt, the earth's trembling to cease, the wind to go quiet, and the clouds darken. The Black Soulstone floated in the air for a moment before dropping into the pitch black vortex. Once it entered, the vortex and colors mixed together, smashing against each other, as it collapsed in on itself, sealing this tear in space and time. There was a flash of blinding light, causing all to shield their eyes. When the flash subsided, the ritual circle was gone, leaving only scorched land behind.

There was a moment of silence, before Tyrael broke away from the small crowd and walk toward the center of the burning ground. He turned around to the small crowd, and said with a booming voice, "Let today be marked as the end of the Eternal Conflict!" The odd crowd rejoicing at those words, some more than others. All the while, Tyrael silently prayed that the Great Evils will never return nor see the light of day ever again.

/

There is no sense of time in the vortex, only the mix of light, dark, and unnatural colors. The vortex tunnel kept constantly changing from one shape to another mind rending shape. It could have been seconds, or it could have been a millennium. One can never be sure within this maddening gateway. However, there was still an effect on the occupants of the black crystal. They were screaming, their powers being warped, their souls being twisted. The beings raged against the soulstone harder than they ever have, so to be released from this experience. The vortex also had an effect on the stone blasting it with great pressure and force, wearing the black and red stone down. Chinks and cracks started to appear, greatly weakening its integrity.

The vortex portal was nearing the end, all the while the cracks were growing, the Black Soulstone almost ready to shatter, and shatter it did once it left the vortex. The supernatural fragments floated above the alien world they have come to. The fragments were being pulled into the world, all of them falling to its surface at great speeds. Fire formed around the broken soulstone shards, though it brought no further harm to them. The remnants of the Black Soulstone crashing into the earth at various unknown locations. Every one of its occupants weak and drained within them, separated from each other in this new world, for an unknown amount of time.

/

The sounds of playfulness and merrymaking was heard in the forest. A little girl ran in between great trees, ducking under foliage, and leaping over roots. The child taking the sights of the towering woods, leaves that shielded her from the sun, small critters and creatures weaving in and around the trees. The girl was taking it all in, along with its sounds and smells. She went deeper into the forest, despite remembering the warnings of her father and sister. The girl wanted to explore this place, to explore the world, to experience something like the stories and tales of her father and uncle.

The young girl came to clearing, where in the center stood a dead tree, its branches bare, bark rotting off its trunk, and color fading. She didn't linger on that for too, her eyes being drawn to the glowing red crystal embedded in the ground at the foot of the tree. She started walking towards it, despite her senses being wracked in fear, telling her to run, the feeling intensifying every step she took towards the tree.

On the girl walked on though, for she was entranced by the crystal. She will grab it and run home, the girl thought, and bring it to her father and sister. They would praise her for bringing a wondrous item, they might forget that that she ventured further than permitted. She arrived before the decaying tree, kneeling down, and start to dig. After a few minutes, she got most of the dirt out of the way, and she gazed at it. It looked like the Dust crystals in town, but much rougher. The girl grabbed the crystal and felt a great shock that lasted for only a second. She started to feel dizzy and drowsy.

She could take a nap here, she thought, she wasn't in any danger. So, the child leaned against the tree, grateful that the bare branches shielded her eyes from the sun, while she can still enjoy its warmth. With the red crystal clutched in her small hands, the girl closed her eyes, and dreamed.

/

Diablo, Lord of Terror, one of the Prime Evils of the Burning Hells, felt weak. The vortex has depowered him, warped his soul in unknown ways. This is humiliating and infuriating to the demonic being. Diablo had the High Heavens in the palm of his hand, the power and strength of all seven of the Great Evils at his command, at his beck and call. He was Tathamet, God of Evil and Chaos, incarnate. He was INVINCIBLE!

All that ended when the Nephalem challenged him. They escaped his Realm of Terror, survived his powerful attacks, and slain him, tossing him from the High Heavens while so. He was so close to victory, the realms to be his, only to fail in the end. Diablo will not stop though, even if it takes him an eternity, the Lord of Terror will reign as ruler of all, with none opposing him and all fearing him.

He didn't know how long it has been since his Black Soulstone shard crashed. He tried to extend his corrupting hand, but found only animals, beings hardly worth corrupting, nor could they properly become a vessel for a Lord of Hell. So Diablo waited.

After an unknown amount of time, Diablo felt his soul being tugged and pulled. He then felt it leave his infernal prison and latch onto the soul of another, leaving the Lord of Terror to feel even more drained. The red devil cursed to himself, feeling his new host drift to sleep as he did so. He does not have the power to corrupt this mortal, to shift this body into his own image.

No matter, Diablo thought, he will wait, he will slumber. His power will return to him, and this mortal, this girl will aid him in doing so, one way or another. Diablo only said one, last thing before slumbering within this girl's soul.

'Ruby Rose, your body will be a fine vessel for my conquest.'

/

"Ruby!" A young blonde haired girl called out. Yang was getting worried, it's been almost three hours since Ruby went out into the woods. Yang's younger half-sister was always getting into all sorts of misadventures. She will be the death of her one day, the blonde promises.

"Ruby!" Yang called out again, as she continued to trek deeper into the woods. Time and again their father warned them from going far into the forest, Yang also trying to ward the inquisitive look off Ruby's face, but off she goes. 'If it isn't a misadventure, it will be worry.' Yang thought.

Yang was come up to a clearing, seeing something that made her sigh with relief. Lo and behold, there Ruby is with her mud stained pants, brightly colored blouse, and twigs in her hair, sleeping under a tree, its canopy shading her spot. Yang had to admit the sight looked adorable, her cute sister sleeping peacefully in the midday, surrounded by nature, although the tree was something of an eyesore. However, their father was still worrying about the red and black haired girl, so Yang better wake her up and bring her home. She walk over to the younger girl, kneeling down to her side.

"Ruby, wake up." Yang said, but her sister still slumbered. "Ruby." The blonde girl said, a little louder than before, lightly shaking the dreaming girl, but Ruby refused to wake. This was odd to Yang, her sister was never this much of a heavy sleeper, and even then she would have woken up by now. Yang place both hands on her shoulders.

"Ruby!" Yang shouted, much louder and more force in her shake. The younger girl began to stir from that, Yang releasing a breath.

"Yang?" Ruby said softly, as she rubbed the remaining sleep from her eyes with one hand.

"Ruby, what are you doing all the way out here? You've been gone for hours, me and dad are worried sick." The older girl lectured.

"I'm sorry," Ruby apologized, gazing down to her lap, unable to look her sister in the eye for making her and her father fret, "I just wanted to explore a bit." She said, then she spied the red crystal and remember her grip on it, making Ruby instantly forget her previous thought, "But look what I found!" The young sister said, presenting the item.

Yang felt herself suck in a breath when her eyes met Ruby's. When she gazed into Ruby's eyes she couldn't help but be afraid of her, afraid of her adorable younger sister, who couldn't hurt a fly. That was just unthinkable.

"Yang? You okay?" Ruby asked, seeing the odd look on Yang's face.

"Y-yeah!" the blonde said, doing her best to regain her confidence and banish her fear, "I'm just fine. That sure is a nice doohickey you found." Yang said directing her attention to the red crystal her sister presented, "Where did you find it?"

"Here, I dug it from the ground, when I saw it shining." Ruby explain, happy to share how she found her prize. Yang, however, just couldn't shake off the feeling of fear and general creepiness about her sister. It should be ridiculous, just plain silly. So what's going on?

"I'm sure dad would like hear about it. Come on, let's go home." Yang smiled as she started walking out of the clearing, and back the way she came.

"Alright." Ruby simply said, as she started after her sister, saddened that Yang didn't offer her hand, like she normally would at times like this. Neither of the sisters aware of the true terror that dreams within one of them, waiting for the moment to strike.

/

Edit: September 2016

You know what happens when I don't check my work? I get code in my story.

Edit: July 2017

To any and all new Readers. Please note that I have been writing this story since 2014. I have got some bits of RWBY lore wrong, especially any and all revelations during and after Vol. 4. I hope this does not bother you.

Thank you and enjoy the story.