Chapter 12: The Crystal Ship

Lia, the young leader of the Shifted Council, stood waiting patiently, knowing full well that Nik was on his way. The loud pop of space being torn open brought a smile to her face just as the multicolored flames erupted, revealing the mage of destruction himself. He brushed his shaggy brown hair out of his eyes for a moment before he noticed his superior. "Lady Lia, I didn't expect to find you waiting for me," he said.

Lia smiled. "You've made your choice?"

"Yes. I expect she'll say yes."

Lia cocked an eyebrow. "So, you intend to give her a choice. What makes you think that she'll choose us?"

Nik smiled. "She's not human, nor faunus. She's artificial. She will never know age, and has already accepted her eternal fate."

Lia smiled in return. "Well, let us be off. I shall like to have a word with her. Still, have you any other options should she decline?"

Nik nodded. "The girl that Crim enchanted; Ruby Rose. She holds untapped potential. In rage, she can be even more fiersome than our very own Fortuitus."

"Ha!" Lia burst. "A young girl of fifteen can be more frightening than the werewolf king!? This...oh, to see the look on his face if he ever learns of this." Lia paused, clearly deep in thought. "Do you...you ever think about what would have happened had we not stopped the Devastation sixteen years ago?"

"I'd rather not, actually. We succeeded, and that's all that matters. The universe is safe. It's a strained peace, one that can be torn asunder by virtually any one of us...but its peace, all the same."

"Had we failed, Ruby would never have been born, Nik. Trillions upon trillions of children were born in the year to follow that battle, and none of them were ever aware of the danger their worlds were in." She sighed. "Ignorance truly is bliss. I still see it in my dreams." She shook her head. "I am sorry. I find myself to be easily distracted now that I am an immortal. Let us be off."

Nik nodded. "After you, Lady Lia." An audible pop echoed loudly, and multicolored flames engulfed them, sending them billions upon billions of light years away to the world of Remnant.

Ruby approached Weiss and the others slowly and nervously. "How...how is she?" she asked.

Weiss shook her head. "Her bleeding has stopped, and Penny gave up some of her aura to allow the wound to heal. The bullet is still inside her, though. We need to get her to a doctor soon so that it can be surgically removed."

"And...her neck? Is it really unfixable?"

"Ruby," Blake said, stepping forward. "Once the spinal cord is severed, there's nothing you can do. It's a miracle that the injury didn't kill her."

"She's right," Penny agreed. "We're lucky to still have her. That boy...he could have killed her. I think that he meant to."

They heard the sound of space being torn open from behind them, and they all turned in time to see the rainbow flames erupt once more. Nik stepped into view with a polite smile. "Penny," he said. "We have a proposition for you."

"We?" she asked.

The flames died away to reveal the most beautiful woman that any of them had ever seen. Her hair was a silky brown color that was grown to the midpoint of her back, and her captivating brown eyes rested upon Penny's figure, silently gauging the young mechanical girl. She wore a bright white short sleeved robe that ended just below her knees, revealing her beautiful and pale legs and bare feet. Her skin was smooth and her smile charming. Every aspect about her body seemed to scream the word goddess to the young Huntresses; without knowing why, they each knew to give her proper respect. "Good evening," she said with a voice that could seduce the angels themselves. "I'd imagine that you girls have quite a few questions."

Penny turned to face her. "Who are you?"

"My name is Lia Merca Locke; I am the leader of the Shifted Council. Our organization goes by the name of Salvation; we are tasked with insuring stability and peace throughout the universe on a grand scale. While each world is entitled to its own conflicts, we exist so that nothing will harm the worlds from an outside source. Namely universal calamities, or a war between Shifters."

"What is a Shifter?" Penny asked.

"I am a Shifter. Nik is a Shifter. Your headmaster, Ozpin, is a Shifter apparently." She stared at Ozpin for a moment. "You are very good at hiding, Sir Ozpin. I never knew you existed."

Ozpin nodded with a smile. "Eudelus Nacht, your predecessor, gave me his blessing to depart the organization. I have been purposely hidden on my home, as I wanted nothing to do with other worlds. My one and only priority is, and always has been Remnant."

"I see." Lia turned back to Penny to continue. "A Shifter is one who has been granted a great number of abilities. We have a direct connection to the source of all magic in the universe, which allows us to channel that energy and perform great magical feats. Our two greatest abilities are our Shifting and our immortality. Shifting allows us to teleport between worlds. We can go anywhere in the universe in the blink of an eye. Our immortality is incomplete, however; we will never die of illness, poison, or age, but we can be gravely wounded."

Ruby stood up quickly and ran towards Lia. Nik readied to stop her, but Lia raised a hand to stop him. "What kind of magical feats?" she asked hastily. "What can you do!?"

Lia stared deep into Ruby's silver eyes. "Should I put my mind to it, I am confident that I could study and learn virtually every form of magic. Though, there are many forms."

"Can you heal people?" With that question, Weiss, Blake, Penny, and Neo all looked on in shock. "Can you heal an injury that would normally be permanent?"

"Perhaps," Lia said. "What is the problem?"

Ruby pointed at Yang's limp body on the ground. "My sister's neck has been broken. She's...she's paralyzed. Can you help her? Please?"

Lia looked upon Yang's body. There were dozens of rules against it, but she found herself smiling as she approached the girl. "Lady Lia," Nik spoke up. "The Law of No Interference?"

"We've tampered with this world already," she answered back. "What's one little favor like this in the grand scheme of things?" Kneeling next to Yang, she looked into the blonde's lilac eyes. "Do not worry," she said to comfort the brawler. She placed her hands upon her neck and started humming. Her hands glowed a faint white color while the group of girls watched in awe. Smiling, Lia ceased the spell and stood up. "It is not perfect; there was far too much damage. To compensate, I've taken some strength from the rest of her body to aid in the healing. She'll never be as strong as she was before. She will probably never be able to fight again. But, she will have use of her body."

Yang took a deep breath before sitting up. "Sis!" Ruby said as she pounced upon her sister with a tight hug. "You're okay!"

"Y-yeah," Yang said, finding that her body felt odd. "It feels strange...I feel weak." She looked up to Lia. "Is this what you were talking about?"

"Partially. You're body's muscles were already shutting down due to the lack of communication with your nervous system. Right now, they are being fed information from your brains, and in turn feeding information back to your brain. It's a sensation that your limbs were slowly forgetting. You'll be somewhat stronger in a few days, but you'll never be what you once were. I am sorry. That is the price of this spell."

Ruby looked up at Lia with a tearful smile. "Thank you." Lia nodded in return with a smile of her own.

Ozpin stepped forward. "For everything there is a price. Becoming a Shifter has its own price. Are you sure you want to ask her to do this?"

Lia nodded. "I've seen many of my friends and loved ones die as a shifter. It isn't easy. But it must be done." She turned to penny once again. "Penny, we have come to ask something of you."

"W-what?"

"Ozpin is your world's original Shifter, but he has done little to help the worlds outside of Remnant. In fact...he believes that his time is up. He could have prevented a great number of calamities. But, he believes that the people of Remnant can take care of themselves, and refuses to intervene. In many cases, he is correct. We must be set apart from our world at times and allow it to go its own way without our assistance." Lia glared disapprovingly at Ozpin. "But when a comet that can exponentially increase the growth rate of Grimm comes to your planet, your people have no hope of defending themselves after a time."

Ruby's eyes went wide. "W-what comet?" Her mind went back to her nightmare; Yang's death, Ozpin's decapitation, the murder of Ren, Roman's and Penny's sacrifices, the Malachite twins, ending only with her own death before she woke up.

"You know the comet that I speak of, Ruby; Harbinger. It was real. You're dream was no dream. You were enchanted by a rogue Shifter by the name of Crim. The curse was called the Cycle. From the moment of your death, your soul creates an alternate universe in which your memory returns to the time when you were originally cursed, and you will live out this new life until you die again. Unless the curse is broken, it can become an infinite loop of life and death, and the cursed individual will be haunted by the memories of their previous life." She stared deeply into Ruby's eyes once more. "Your nightmare was your memory of the last failed timeline. That remnant still exists, Ruby. In an alternate dimension somewhere, everyone that you saw die is still dead. You are dead in that world, and you were reborn in this one, destined to repeat that fate had we not intervened."

Ruby felt tears streaming down her face. "I...I knew it. I knew it was more than a dream. It felt too real. I can still remember every single detail. It's...it's so vivid in my mind. It scares me to think about it."

Lia smiled. "Fear not, Ruby. We broke the curse, and Nik destroyed the comet the night you woke up. But Ozpin could have done something about it." She returned her gaze to Penny. "And so I am in agreement. His time has come and gone. Remnant needs a new Shifter, Penny. You have already accepted your fate; you will outlive your loved ones by hundreds of years. You seek to protect your world and the innocent therein. Would you like to protect not only your world, but the billions of other worlds in the universe?"

"What?" she asked, surprised.

Nik nodded. "Become a Shifter, Penny. You will gain new powers, your immortality will be real, and you will serve forever as the protector of your world, just as you already do."

"You have a real, human soul within you, Penny," Lia said. "It has grown. I can sense it. If you will allow me, I can ignite it. You will become a Shifter. But I will not force this on you." Lia smiled a sad smile. "Most of us were forced to become Shifters. Traditionally, the planet decides who can become its guardians. We don't have a choice. We are giving you the choice we never had."

Penny looked at them sternly. "And if I say no?"

"We will begin searching again. Remnant needs a Shifter. One who will do what Ozpin refuses to do."

"One such as Ruby Rose," Nik said.

Ruby looked at him with shock. "Me!? Why me?"

"You have great potential. You are my second choice as Shifter," Nik explained.

Ruby looked between Penny and the rest of team RWBY. "Girls...what should we do?"

"I'll do it," Penny said, stepping forward.

"Penny!" Ruby exclaimed, standing up from where she was sitting with Yang. "What are you doing?"

"You are their second option, Ruby. I won't let you live forever while your friends die around you. Two of us shouldn't suffer that fate. Like they said; I've already accepted that I will outlive all of you. It's only natural that I become Remnant's Shifter." She turned and gave Ruby a big smile. "Think of it this way; I'll be there to take care of you when you're an old woman. You can show me pictures of your grandchildren, and talk about how madly in love you were with your husband. You're scythe will rest comfortably on the wall, but it'll always stay polished; it won't even have a single spec of rust on it. Who knows what you'll accomplish in your life. Maybe you'll teach here at Beacon. Or you might even become the head mistress someday. When the time comes, you won't die on the battlefield. You won't be killed by a Grimm. You'll die an old woman, resting easy in your bed, surrounded by all the love in the world." Penny giggled, tears starting to stream down her face once again. "No. No all the love in the world. All the love in the universe!"

All of team RWBY was crying.

"Weiss too! Knowing her, she'll probably want someone to take care of her every want and need. She'd threaten her own children if they ever considered sending her to a nursing home. You won't have to worry about that, though. I'll make sure you stay home. Your kids will take care of you at that time, even if I have to force them."

Weiss wiped away her tears, but they still kept coming. "Th-thank you."

"Blake and Sun will probably get married," Penny continued. "I'll see to it that all anti-faunus activity is wiped from the face of Remnant. Your children will be able to live a normal life without fear."

Blake nodded. "That...that means a lot to me."

"Yang," Penny turned to face the blonde, who was still resting on the ground. "I'm sorry you can't fight anymore. I really am. But, perhaps you'll find something else to keep you happy. And when you do, I'll be there to see it." Yang smiled in response, but she was too choked up to say anything.

Neo stepped forward. "Let...me...help..."

Penny nodded. "Of course I will."

Yang lightly punched Neo's leg. "Hey!" she said, gaining the girl's attention. "Remember, we made a promise to your dad. You're living with me now, Neo. I'm taking care of you."

Penny smiled at the sight. "Are you ready, Miss Penny?" Lia asked.

Penny turned to face the Shifters with a smile. "Yes."

"Please, hold my hand," Lia instructed. Penny did as she was told. "Brace yourself. The first Shift is always the most interesting."

Before Penny could say another word, she heard the deafening pop of space being torn asunder. Reflexively, she closed her eyes, excepting the heat of the rainbow flames.

She felt nothing. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and gasped.

She was floating. She found it difficult to put words to her surroundings. The rainbow colors surrounded her, but they didn't look like flames here. The colors swirled around her, and she felt as though each color was speaking to her. Every few seconds, something that looked like a ghostly orb would stem from one of the colors and float around her before returning to the color of its origin. She was alone in this beautiful display of colors, with no sight of Lia or Nik. She smiled, thinking that this must be what Heaven looks like.

With another pop, the colors disappeared, and she found herself standing inside of a large stone room that was reminiscent to a cathedral. Looking around, she was confused until she came face to face with Lia, who was still holding her hand. "We've arrived. Welcome to the Thoughtspire."

Lia let go of her hand and leapt forward. In front of penny were five tall thrones. Each but the middle was occupied. Lia approached it slowly and sat in the middle chair. Looking around, Penny saw that the room was full of stone steps that were designed to be used as seats, and all of the seats were filled. "It's intimidating," Nik whispered from her left. "But, this is the Shifted Council. In time, you will meet and know almost everyone in this room. It seems intimidating, but it only takes time. As a Shifter, time will be the one thing you have a lot of."

A cat came out from behind Lia's chair and leapt up onto a nearby pedestal that stood directly in from of Penny. Sitting straight and regal, the cat's mouth opened and it said, "Let it be known, at this hour, that the Shifted Council is now in session. All please rise for the five Heads of Council." Everyone stood and gave respectful bows.

The five members on the thrones stood. The man on the far right spoke first. "I, Valentine, last of the Angels, inhabitant of the world of Scelus, will bear witness to today's Awakening."

Next to him, a woman with pointed ears spoke next. "I, Arletha Aksi, of the Aksis clan of Elves, inhabitant of the world of Anima, will bear witness to today's Awakening."

Then the far left man said, "I, Rune, survivor of the Dark Family, inhabitant of the world of Eden, will bear witness to today's Awakening."

Next to him, another man said, "I, Fortuitus, king of the Werewolves, inhabitant of the world of Anima, will bear witness to today's Awakening."

Lia smiled. "I, Lia Merca Locke, the eye of the Wolf, inhabitant of the world of Lobrice, will bear witness to today's Awakening."

A large feather drifted and landed on the ground. From the shadows, a giant owl four times taller than Penny stood behind the five thrones. It's beak opened and it spoke aloud, "I, Eudelus Nacht, founder of this council, last of the great owls, builder of the Thoughtspire, and inhabitant of Desnova, will bear witness to today's Awakening."

As with one voice, the thousands of others in the chamber spoke, "We will bear witness to today's Awakening."

Lia's eyes shifted colors, changing from brown to green. "Are you ready, Penny?"

She looked around nervously. She saw humans and elves. She saw soldiers and scholars. She saw men and women. She saw the young and the old. She saw a diverse set of peoples who had come together and set aside their differences. She saw a hope in all of them; a hope for universal peace.

Penny smiled and looked into Lia's green, wolf's eyes. "I am ready."

Song: The Crystal Ship - The Doors

Authors Note

So, I have some interesting news. You see, I wanted to include a lot of information about our characters in the years to come after this conflict. But that's too much to do in this story. It's almost over, after all. The next chapter is the epilogue, which will mark the end of Eternity Rising.

But, I have a sort of mini-story to accompany Eternity Rising.

After Ascension will be a collection of one shot short stories, all of which taking place in the years to come after Eternity Rising. Each will follow a specific character, to give you a sense of what they've been up to between this chapter and the Epilogue. Why? Well...

We'll just have to wait and see, now won't we?

Also, do you have any idea how hard it was to write the experience of Shifting? Describing something that doesn't exist in any shape, form, or fashion is very difficult. But, if it helps in your imagination, think of the little ghostly balls as the pyreflies from Final Fantasy X.

Leave a review or a PM to let me know what you thought about this story. :D

Fun Fact: I signed up at a gym the other day. It's a place called Planet Fitness. It's across the street from where I work, so I can work out right before or right after work. I love it!

Fun Fact 2.0: I don't know why, but Eternity Rising has become a fever to me. Just like the first story in the Shifting Remnant AU, The Longest Night, I have become obsessed. That is why I have started writing so much on it. My body just has to finish it! Well, we're almost there, with more than a few other ideas for the Shifting Remnant AU. Let me know if you want me to expand upon this AU or not.

Till next time!