Forged Destiny [Book 9: Ch. 16, Ch. 17, Ch. 18, Ch. 19]

The scythe was made from Ironwood, that much I could tell.

[...]

With that in mind, I strode forward and gripped the haft between Ruby's hands.

[...]

My eyes closed. Blue light filtered out from the bottom of my lid as a Rune was etched onto the blade. Familiar and simple, one I'd seen more than any other, even if I hadn't realised so long back that it had been a Rune at all. My Runesight was engaged and I looked at it. Seal, it read. No other information.

—Forged Destiny [Book 9: Ch. 16]



Across the street, Ruby leapt from hers and landed on the ground, kicking off like a shooting star, scythe glowing silver with my Rune upon it blazing like a second sun.

A Rune that didn't do as we suspected. As Ozpin hoped. Salem turned away, registering surprise as Ruby leapt over the heads of the Grimm a blur of silver and red aimed at her unprotected back.

The world dimmed as black power raced down and coalesced in Salem's right hand, a ball of oozing darkness dripping with murderous power. Enough to destroy the walls of Vale, let alone a girl who boasted a measly five Constitution.

The Grimm were too slow to react.

"It's over!" Ruby shrieked, eyes blazing. "This is for Summer!"

Salem was not so slow. Slower than Ruby, but Ruby had to cover the distance. Salem completed her turn mere milliseconds before Ruby struck, bringing her hand up between them with a victorious smirk. "Goodbye."

A beam of purest black erupted out from her hand. Its light engulfed Ruby.

—Forged Destiny [Book 9: Ch. 17]



I screamed as Ruby was swallowed by the attack.

It happened in an instant, Ruby's silver eyes having the briefest second to widen before it struck. Her speed meant nothing with her in the air and all she could do was bring her scythe in front of her as though to parry. And then she was gone, engulfed, swallowed.

My screams continued, reaching a high-pitched croak. Blue flickered in the glass as my eyes lit, trying to push down the rage and grief to no avail. The window smashed under my fist and I had a foot on the brick, ready to jump out and attack her myself.

The black light blinked out. Salem staggered forward.

Ruby's boots struck the cobblestones, scratching across stone as she skidded back, spinning out of control, catching herself with one hand down and coming to a stop twenty feet back from where she'd been hit, eyes wide, mouth open, scythe smoking.

Alive.

—Forged Destiny [Book 9: Ch. 18]



The `Seal` Rune was all over her outfit too.

[...]

"It's for infusing items with spells."

Blake's head shot to mine. "What?"

"It's not locking something away – not exactly. It's more like… putting a spell into an item. Or a weapon. Do you remember my amulet? That changed my Class name to Knight. Nothing more. I thought the item itself was magic, but it wasn't. Sun recognised the symbol as being something from Vacuo. It was literally just a bauble picked up by Salem. It wasn't magic at all."

"But the effect-"

"An illusion spell. The very same one Neo used to pretend she was a Maid." A reminder that I hadn't been the first to hide my Class. "Salem didn't give me an item that changed my Class; she wanted me to die from my bravado, so she gave me something that just hid it. But she couldn't afford to follow me around for however many months it took maintaining a spell. She put the spell into a random piece of jewellery, sealed it in with a Rune and gave that to me."

"Seal," Ruby whispered. "It's just glue-?"

"Pretty much. It sticks a spell to the object and keeps it from ending. There's probably more, something to make the effect perpetual, but that's pretty much what the spell does. And why Salem was so amused when Raven tried to use it on her."

"Because Salem could read it – and because it was empty."

[...]

"Ruby's weapon has Salem's attack sealed into it," Blake realised. "That's how she survived a fatal blow, isn't it?"

"Exactly."

Ruby looked down to her scythe in awe. The blade looked the same as it always had, despite blocking one of Salem's attacks head on. It should have shattered. That it hadn't was a miracle. I touched a hand to my chest as well, feeling something hot and heavy beating in my chest. I'd have died without the same Rune etched on my heart. On the sword Cinder impaled me on.

—Forged Destiny [Book 9: Ch. 19]