Epilogue

"Hah...well, at least it's over for now."

In the basement of a run-down rental house standing forgotten in the suburbs of Vale, Ragna Branwen stretched out his arms and yawned, his legs dangling off the table he was sitting on. "Ugh!" He winced, clutching his stomach in pain. "Damn that old man...it still hurts like a bitch." He turned to the side and began coughing up small spurts of blood onto the floor.

"Pitiful," said Fenrir gruffly. He was standing with his back against the wall, arms folded. Opening his eyes slightly, the giant glanced at his older brother with disdain. "Even without my tribesmen, I would have put up a far greater fight."

"I'm sorry - I don't remember asking for your opinion," Ragna spat. "Don't forget why you're here, Brother - because you've got nowhere else left to go. All your hard work got undone in a second, and now you've got no choice but to help us out because they'll kill you if you return empty-handed. Pathetic, isn't it? We're your lifeline, Fenrir - and you know it."

Fenrir said nothing, but turned his head toward the front of the room. "So then...this was your goal all along," he murmured.

"You're damn right it was! With Onyx and his goons out of the city, all I had to do was sneak into their vault and take it. Would've been nice if the relic was there, but eh, didn't really need that stupid rock anyway." A large smile on his face, Ragna walked over to what Fenrir was looking at. "Poor, poor Argent," he chuckled. "I bet he never thought his little project would end up quite like this. He should feel lucky that he'll never have to see it."

Suddenly, the door opened behind the two boys, and they both turned around as a lean figure walked slowly into the room, with the tip-tap of his cane accompanying his footsteps. Adjusting his spectacles, the man smiled kindly at Ragna and Fenrir. "I apologize for my lateness," he said quietly. "I'm glad to see it went well."

"Dad." Ragna bowed respectfully, his usual smirk being replaced by a serious, focused frown. "It's good to see you again." Fenrir simply stood in place, his eyes narrowed as he stared at the man. "...Luka. Luka Branwen."

Luka smiled at the giant. "Well hello, Fenrir. I must say, I'm amazed at how much you've grown over the years. Even without the prototype serum's effects, it's quite impressive. You certainly didn't inherit my genes."

"I have no intention of conversing with you," Fenrir snarled. "I am here only because I am loyal to my blood - a virtue you spat on and dragged through the mud."

"...Ha. Fair enough." For a moment, the archaeologist's eyes darkened, and his smile became just as curved and sinister as Ragna's. "It's a relief, though, knowing that it was a success in the end. I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to see one of them up close." Slowly, he limped over to where his sons stood.

"A real sleeping beauty, isn't she?" Ragna remarked.

In front of them was a large , oval-shaped capsule, its insides covered in a thin layer of frost. Inside, a young woman lay with her eyes closed shut. She had long, golden blonde hair that flowed down her back, and she wore a thin blue dress. Every few moments, the capsule's surface would fog up slightly as the girl took her light, shallow breaths.

"Aurora Fox...the Winter Maiden," Luka murmured. "I must give the general credit for hiding her from Salem all this time. And his plan to use the relic's power to cure her was a valiant effort indeed." He smiled wistfully. "I met the girl once, on a visit to Atlas from years ago. Even back then, I considered her to be a viable candidate to inherit the Maidens' power...though I admit, I didn't imagine it would go quite the way it did."

"Ragna told me everything. Hmph...the Winter Maiden being killed by a random assailant, her powers being transferred to her dying daughter, thus saving her life - and in turn, making your objective significantly simpler," Fenrir's voice was incredulous, as if he couldn't believe any of it. "The gods truly have favoured you, haven't they?"

"Gods?" Luka chuckled. "Oh, no. It was nothing but pure luck, and a coincidence. That is all a man like myself is good for, after all - turning coincidence into opportunity. But what an opportunity it was. I could hardly believe that a Maiden would be placed in such an easy position for us to obtain."

Ragna shrugged. "Well, here's hoping that luck continues, right Dad? I mean, now we'll have to keep ahead of Ozpin and that old hag Salem. Talk about a pain in the ass."

"Oh, there's no need to worry about them," his father smiled. He placed both his hands on the capsule, gazing fixedly at the unmoving form of Aurora Fox. "Those two will continue to quarrel and squabble, hurling empty threats at another hoping that eventually, the other will break. It's the only thing they've ever known…

"So let them continue their ancient, meaningless war," Luka continued, his voice lowering to a whisper. "And while they occupy themselves with tearing each other apart, we can finally build our world…"

As the howls of the Grimm echoed in the distance, the unending darkness hovered over the dismal land. The broken moon hung in the sky, thick purple clouds enveloping its shattered fragments, almost making it appear whole.

Pools of black liquid covered the ground, sending pillars of smoke rising into the air. From within the abyss, the black creatures rose, growling and snarling as they clawed their way into the world, the glow of their molten eyes lighting up the darkness. Up in the crimson sky, flocks of Nevermores flew overhead, their numbers blocking out the moonlight.

A shot rang through the air, blowing off a Beowolf's head. Its brethren paid no heed to its sudden demise, and began to lumber around aimlessly, occasionally stopping to howl or dig their sharp steel claws into the rocks below. On a cliffside above, Moss Creedo reloaded her sniper rifle, kneeling down to take another shot.

"Nice shot," Storm said, standing beside her. With a large grin, he stretched his arms forward and fired a concentrated ball of electricity below, obliterating a horde of Grimm as it made contact. "Heheheh! This sorta trainin's better than any of that Huntsman shit! That Salem woman's cooler than I thought." His partner didn't reply, but nodded as she fired her gun, shooting down a Griffon.

Some distance away, the mechanical avian lounged on the ground, stretching out its enormous metal frame. Psycha knelt by its chest area, pulling open one of the machine's panels. Her hand glowed with green energy as she placed it in its circuitry, filling the bird with Aura. "There's a good boy - take some more." Beside her, Locke stood with his sword in hand, glancing in the distance with a glum look on his face.

Harriet Maroon watched the four of them, not saying a word. These disciples still had a long way to go, and there was no doubt that Salem would place high expectations on them in the coming years. Whether they could meet those standards, or be crushed under their weight, was yet to be seen. The rabbit Faunus had her doubts - but she'd been surprised before.

Suddenly, her ears shot up as she received a signal from her master. Hastily, she activated her Semblance, feeling the usual rush of momentum as her body matter disintegrated, before being flung at lightning speed towards her destination. The first time Harriet had used her 'teleportation', she'd spent an hour throwing up afterwards. But now, it was just another normality to her.

As she rematerialized, Harriet gazed in wonder at the enormous castle that lay ahead of her, with its dark, ominous walls and tall spires that stretched upward, beyond the clouds. Though she had served Grandmaster Salem for many years, it had taken all of those years for her to prove herself as truly worthy. But as her reward, she was finally allowed to enter the deepest depths of the master's domain. The thought of it filled her with anticipation as she entered the castle.

She wandered through the halls in silence, marveling at the architecture around her, composed of murals and artwork the likes of which she had never seen before, and sculptures carved with such precision that no human craftsman could possibly have made it. Finally, she came to the door that led to her master's chamber.

As Harriet entered the room, she immediately knelt and bowed reverently toward her master's form. "Grandmaster," she murmured. "I am honoured to truly be in your presence at last. Please, if there is anything you need of me, ask, and I will perform it to the best of my ability."

"Your loyalty humbles me, Harriet," the Grandmaster replied. "But I have no intention of exhausting you with menial tasks today - as a matter of fact, I would like to further reward you for your continuing service. Behold...for you will bear witness to our newest disciple." As she spoke, a vortex of dark energy began to stir beside her, from which a strange, squid-like Grimm rose, a shrill cry emanating from the row of fangs lining its belly.

Harriet gazed at it in wonder, as the sight of the creature sent chills down her spine. "A Styxian Grimm - a monster said to kidnap humans and bring them to the underworld," she murmured. "Grandmaster...does this mean-"

"Watch, child." At her master's command, the Faunus went silent. She watched as the Styxian's fangs opened, regurgitating a tiny human figure from its gaping bowels. Its task done, the creature slunk back into the dark vortex, and was gone. On the floor, the human shivered, its limp body twitching.

Harriet stared at the figure, recognition dawning on her. "That's the girl…" she whispered.

"Where…" Autumn sobbed quietly, her consciousness returning. Her eyes slowly fluttered open, and she blinked in confusion at the sudden darkness around her. "Where am I…? Mommy? Is it okay to come out now?"

She heard a growl from nearby, and turned around in fear. All around her, Grimm of all shapes and sizes were approaching her - Beowolves, Ursas, and other unfamiliar creatures whose features she could barely describe, as the mere sight of them seemed to drain all the sanity from her mind, turning all of the girl's nightmares into pleasant dreams. "N-no…" her sobs grew into cries, and she knelt down pathetically, holding her head in her arms as tears flowed down her cheeks. "Please...I don't wanna die…"

"Hush…" An unfamiliar voice whispered soothingly. "Do not be afraid, little one. They will not harm you."

At her voice, the sounds of the Grimm immediately stopped. Fearful, Autumn looked in the direction of the voice, seeing that the creatures were all sitting still, staring obediently at the figure standing in the middle of the room.

The figure was a woman, clad in a long black robe, with locks of hair tied in a bun decorated with obsidian-black ornaments. Despite her humanoid appearance, it would be difficult to call her 'human' in any capacity. Dark purple veins ran through her body, her skin was as pallid as snow, and her eyes were as molten red as the Grimm that now sat obediently at her feet.

"A-ah…" Autumn whimpered, trying to will herself to run, to flee from this person whose mere presence radiated pure malice. But it was no use -it was as if her body had frozen, and she couldn't move a muscle. "Mommy, help me…"

The woman smiled at Autumn, her gaze almost reassuring. "Does my appearance frighten you, little one? My sincere apologies - I assure you that was not my intention." Walking over to the terrified girl, she seemed to float over the pristine floor beneath her. Autumn flinched as she placed a pale hand on her head, but her touch was surprisingly warm. Despite herself, she felt her body loosen, as her fear began to melt away. Slowly, she raised her head to meet the woman's blood-red gaze.

"You are safe now, little one," Salem murmured softly. "Welcome...to our family."

End of Volume 2

A/N: A big thanks to all of you who've kept reading all this time. Looking back at the earliest chapters of Stark from when I first started last March, I can honestly say that I've improved greatly, and it pleases me to see that people actually do enjoy my work. Now that Volume 2's done, it's pretty much the perfect time to go on hiatus, I have exams coming up this month and university starting in September (which means it's almost time to finally update my profile page).

I hope to continue my improvement with Volume 3, which could start anytime from next month to when RWBY Volume 5 starts in the fall. I also hope to move into writing more original works in the near future, which would obviously be posted elsewhere. Until then, I hope you enjoy!