Shattered Destiny (ch3)

EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL PATRONS! THANK YOU!!

You've all been making the valid point in Yang's defense: how is she supposed to take Raven's warning seriously if she just thinks they're dreams? Hopefully this chapter will address a few questions.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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													Chapter 3. A Hopeless Future

It was horrible.

The days and weeks that had led up to the Vytal Festival and the Tournament had been filled with so much excitement and anticipation for Yang, her friends, and her teammates. They'd been looking forward to it for months, eager to prove what they'd learned as huntresses of Beacon. But most of all, they'd all wanted to have fun together.

None of those hopes and dreams could ever come true now.

It was all ruined.

And it was all because of Yang.

She'd been hauled into solitary confinement somewhere in Beacon's detention center. They'd locked her up in a room, but just because it had four solid walls instead of bars didn't make it feel any less like a prison cell.

Aside from the stiff bed she sat on, there was a small table with a lamp, but she chose to keep it turned off. The only sounds were those of the ventilation system, blowing in cool, quiet air.

She'd woken up there, alone and clearly on lockdown.

She knew they were probably investigating what had happened.

And she also knew that they'd never find any evidence to prove her innocence.

Everyone else had only seen what was displayed on that screen. No one had seen or felt what she had.

She was the only one who believed – no – who knew she'd acted solely in self-defense.

She hadn't just snapped and gone on a rampage. She hadn't simply attacked a defenseless boy when the match had already been called off.

She couldn't allow herself to believe those things. She couldn't let herself fall into this trap, whatever it was.

She was the only person who believed in herself. If she didn't, then no one else would.

She couldn't allow their stories to sway her perception, her knowledge, of what had truly happened. If she did, then all would be lost. She'd never be able to trust herself again, and therefore, she'd never be able to expect anyone else to, either.

So she had to trust in herself, now more than ever.

But... even that was becoming difficult.

She'd woken up hours ago, alone in this room, without anyone else to talk to or explain her situation to. No one was there to hear her out.

/Do they even care about my side of things...?/

For hours, she'd been replaying the fight with Mercury in her mind. She'd seen him attacking her after the match had been declared over. She knew she had. She knew she'd acted in self-defense. There was some kind of trick, some kind of illusion falsifying what was being displayed on the screen. She just couldn't figure out what it was or how it had happened.

Naturally, she'd been so focused on her match that she hadn't had the time or reason to consider something like that happening. And neither had anyone else, for that matter.

The audience and observers around the world had been focused on the match, not what might've been happening behind the scenes or off to the side. Yang couldn't blame the passiveness of the onlookers for this, nor could she blame herself.

Someone was planning this, plotting horrible schemes. And something told her this was only the first of many.

For hours, she'd been consumed by guilt, not only because of what she'd been shown to do, but because of the possibility that maybe... just maybe, she could have prevented it.

That nausea, that fear, that pain she'd experienced had all been the exact same feelings she'd experienced in her nightmares. It had been similar for the images of seeing Weiss burnt, only to watch the very same reality the very next day.

What if her dreams weren't just dreams? What if they were more somehow...?

She couldn't fathom how that was possible, though. And if someone came in to interrogate her, and she told them she'd dreamed about this happening, no one would ever take her seriously again.

She needed to keep her dreams a secret. She needed to figure this out on her own.

But she wouldn't be able to do anything from inside a locked room, that was for sure.

In addition to thinking about the match, Yang's mind kept wandering back to her teammates. The horror in Blake's eyes, the disbelief in Weiss', the shock in Ruby's...

Nothing – not the intangible confusion and harsh ridicule, nor the physical blows she'd taken in the fight – had been more painful than seeing the looks in their eyes.

They hadn't known what to think, what to believe. They probably still didn't.

She just wanted to get out of there, so she could talk to them, try to explain things.

But... would they even want to hear from her? Would they even trust her enough to let her within a hundred yards of themselves? Yang knew she wouldn't be able to blame them if they didn't. Not after what she'd done.

/No!/ She corrected her thoughts. /I didn't do anything wrong. That's just what they wanted the rest of the world to see.../

A weighted groan tumbled out of her mouth as she hunched forward, gripping her head with both hands.

/I can't believe this is happening... Why me...?/

She should've known by now that when she asked herself questions, someone else might be giving answers. That intrusive voice slipped its way back into her mind somehow.

'I tried to warn you...'

"Shut up."

Growling, she lifted her face, needing a distraction, lest her thoughts consume her again. She already knew there was nothing in this room that could serve to effectively hold her attention for longer than a few seconds.

But there was one small stroke of luck in all this.

When she'd been swarmed and herded away to the point where she'd blacked out, then tossed in this room and locked away like some kind of criminal, the guards hadn't thought to check her pockets. Her scroll was still with her, and though it didn't have a lot of battery life left, there was enough for her to hold some kind of conversation.

But... with who?

She couldn't stop envisioning the looks on her teammates' faces, the horror in their eyes.

She tapped the screen and scrolled down to each of their names, but in the end couldn't bring herself to contact any of them. Not even her precious baby sister.

She liked to believe that Ruby would always be on her side. But after what Yang had supposedly done today, after what she'd seen in Ruby's expression...

She couldn't do it.

It wouldn't be fair of Yang to message any of them right now. She wasn't going to ask for forgiveness for something she didn't do, but that might be what they expected of her. If she messaged her team, they likely wouldn't know how to respond, and she didn't want to put them through any more emotional distress than she already had.

For a long while, she debated sending one of them a message, then the other, then the other. She watched her scroll's battery numbers drop three times before she ultimately decided to leave them be.

But she did need to talk to someone. And not just anyone.

She scrolled down until she spotted another familiar name, the name of the only person she felt might respond to her right now. She tapped on Pyrrha's contact and with trembling fingers, typed out a small, simple message:

/Pyrrha... do you believe in destiny?/

She sent it before she could change her mind.

She didn't think she'd get a response to such a cryptic message, at least not a serious one, and not so promptly.

But not a minute later, her scroll buzzed softly with a reply:

//Actually, I do. What about you, Yang?//

Her message read with a calm seriousness in Yang's mind. Pyrrha wasn't using exclamation marks or anything else that might suggest her usual peppiness. But she also wasn't referencing what had happened today. She was merely answering Yang's question.

And the fact that she'd asked one back meant she was interested in a reply. It meant she wanted to keep talking to Yang, to find out how she was doing.

Yang almost managed a smile as she typed back:

/I never really thought I did. But recently... I've been having these... dreams... almost like visions or something. I don't know what's happening to me, Pyrrha. I think I'm going insane.../

She would've felt foolish in admitting such things, especially so out-of-the-blue like this, and after everything that had happened. But she assumed everyone already thought she was crazy, so it wouldn't make a difference to say such outlandish things now.

She waited for a reply, expecting Pyrrha to agree that Yang really might be losing her mind, though she'd probably say it in a very gentle way.

But after a few minutes, Yang started to think Pyrrha might not respond at all.

With a sigh, she was just about to close her scroll and begin counting the panels on the ceiling when the device buzzed again. She realized Pyrrha had only taken so long to respond because her reply was extensive:

//I don't think you're going insane, Yang. Honestly... I've had a lot of strange dreams, too, but I never tell anyone else. I don't want to worry them. I can never make sense of the dreams anyway, so there wouldn't be much to tell.

I just feel... like maybe there's something pulling the strings for me. And I feel trapped, maybe even helpless...//

Yang read over the message.

The fact that Pyrrha was typing in such a nervous, timid manner, even though she could easily manipulate the text to sound confident if she'd wanted to, spoke volumes to Yang. It meant that Pyrrha wanted to convey her misgivings and her feelings of doubt to Yang.

She could've made her message read confidently, but she didn't.

In a way, it was almost like she was venting to Yang, as she'd never been able to do so to anyone else before.

So Yang made sure to take every word to heart before giving her reply:

/Yeah... I think I know what you mean. I'm starting to feel... kinda trapped, too. But I never knew you felt that way./

She waited again. Then:

//It's not a recent feeling. It's sort of been like this all my life. But only recently has it felt so strong. Like I can't fight back no matter what I do...//

Yang was admittedly shocked that she was hearing these things from Pyrrha of all people. The famous young champion was always so confident and gallant. Yang never would have suspected her to be feeling trapped and scared behind closed doors, and for her to even be keeping it a secret from her own teammates.

But she trusted Yang enough with those feelings.

And Yang didn't intend to let her down.

/Hey, I know this probably doesn't sound so convincing coming from me of all people right now... but I think things will be okay. Probably.../

She sent this message and waited again, but this time received no reply.

Perhaps Pyrrha wasn't so convinced.

Yang typed up a little more:

/Maybe... if you're not feeling so good about things right now, you should forfeit your match for the finals. I mean, if you really really feel unsettled or scared, just take a break from it all, you know?/

She had second thoughts about sending that text, but she did so anyway.

Another several minutes of waiting. Then her scroll buzzed again:

//Thank you, Yang. It means a lot to me that you'd say something like that. But I don't think I can pass up this momentous opportunity. Not when so many people are counting on me. And if it means anything to you, I believe you're innocent. Truly, I do.//

For the first time since her match with Mercury had ended in disaster, Yang felt a flicker of hope and warmth rise up in her chest.

/Thank you, Pyrrha./

That was when the tears started dripping down her cheeks. Some fell onto the screen, and she needed to wipe them away to read the reply.

//Yang, if there's anything I can do for you... please let me know.//

Yang didn't need to think twice about that:

/Just... take care of yourself. If you can, make sure Ruby and the others are okay.../

And then, the final message:

//I'll do my best.//

It wasn't a promise, but a hopeful ambition. At least this way, Pyrrha wouldn't be a liar if she couldn't go through with it.

Yang appreciated her honesty and her support.

She put her scroll aside and leaned back against the hard wall, closing her eyes. The tears still dribbled down, and she bit her lip to prevent herself from making any sounds.

God... What is happening? What the hell am I supposed to do from here...?

It was a rhetorical question she'd asked herself in her mind. Alone in this room, she wasn't expecting to get an answer.

'There isn't much else you can do anymore, I'm afraid...'

Yang's eyes flew open wide as the very same voice from her nightmares sounded. But it wasn't just in her head this time.

It sounded like... like the other person was there in the room with her.

Panicked, she flashed her gaze all around, but found no other occupants.

"Who's there? What the hell is going on?"

It seemed the voice didn't only respond to Yang's thoughts. It spoke back to her as if they were having a normal conversation.

'Come now, Yang. You know precisely who I am.'

Yang wasn't sure if what happened next was her mind's own doing or not. An image of a woman with long black hair and red eyes flashed across the backs of her eyelids. Was it some kind of memory, conjured up from her past? Memories she'd thought she'd forgotten? Or was it another image imposed by that person herself as her presence filled the room?

Yang didn't know. But the tears started flowing more quickly.

"M...Mom...?"

Her trembling voice was met with one lacking any concern or compassion.

'I've come to you this time to inform you that you've failed both of your tests, Yang. And twice is once too many. Now, I've got to take matters into my own hands.'

Yang shook herself off, still looking around the room, almost expecting to see her.

"W-Wait!" She blurted out, but then lowered her voice, unsure if there were guards stationed outside her room. "What are you talking about? What do you mean by 'tests'?"

There was a pause, and the voice seemed to scoff.

'Really, Yang? After all I've shown you, you still haven't figured it out? I should've known it would be a waste of time to try and show you...'

"Show me what?" she demanded. "You mean, all those... those visions really were from you? But what the hell do they mean? And how come-"

'You never were a very clever child, her mother snapped back. As I said, I knew it was a stretch to try this with you now.'

Yang ignored the pang those words sent through her chest, and returned them with a comment equally as acidic.

"Well sorry I can't exactly interpret cryptic images I see in my sleep, which universally are classified as dreams, which are things that don't typically predict the damn future!"

As she was saying it out loud now, she suddenly understood exactly what those nightmares had been. She'd had inklings before, but had had no real reason to believe that the things she'd seen in her dreams and in reality had been anything more than coincidences.

But now...

Now it almost started to make sense, in a cruel, terrifying kind of way.

She'd seen Weiss consumed by fire in those visions, and then the next day, she'd been terribly burnt in their match.

And then, Yang had felt the pain for herself in her dreams.

First, it had been physical blows, as though she were being kicked all over. And Mercury had done that to her for real today.

And then, it had been the nauseating pain she couldn't explain in her dreams. She'd later recognized that to be the horror, shame, and helplessness that had come along with having the entire world turn against her for something she hadn't even done.

As everything clicked fully into place in her mind, her mother's voice lowered in pitch.

'It seems you're finally understanding that the things I've shown you weren't just for recreation. I had a purpose in giving you those dreams, and yet you ignored them and did nothing to prevent those events from coming true.'

"Prevent...?" she repeated. "I... I could've prevented those things from happening...?"

'If you couldn't have, then would I have ever bothered to even warn you about them in the first place?'

Yang lowered her gaze and tried to even out her breathing.

"What is all of this? What's happening? And how can you possibly know what's going to happen in the future?"

'I don't have the time to waste explaining those things to you.'

Yang recalled the other things she'd seen in her nightmares. In addition to more immense pain on her own part, Ruby had been shot in the chest, Weiss had been eaten alive, Blake had been stabbed to death, and Pyrrha had disappeared altogether...

In the end all had gone up in smoke and darkness.

She shuddered violently, and bile rose up in her throat.

If the other things she'd seen in her dreams had come true already... then did that mean...?

She pressed a hand over her mouth and tried to swallow the acid back down, taking a few deep breaths.

No... They're all okay for now. Maybe I can still stop this...

"Fine," she said aloud. "If you've... traveled through time or... predicted the future somehow, and everything you've shown me is... gonna come true... then what the hell am I supposed to do to prevent all those... other things from happening..?"

Her mother's voice let out a sigh, but it sounded less like she was feeling regretful and more like she was irked in wasting so much time with this.

'Unfortunately, there's nothing more you can do about it. I've tried to give you the warnings, and you've ignored them.'

"I didn't ignore them!" Yang snapped. "I had no way of knowing they were real-"

'Either way,' the voice cut her off. 'You failed to prevent the first few things from happening. I started off small, and showed you how the heiress would get burnt. Nothing life-threatening. You could've stopped it, but it happened anyway. Next time she isn't going to be so lucky. Neither is your partner, or your friend, or...'

There, she paused, and let out a genuine sigh of regret.

'Neither is your sister. Just the fact that she's Summer's daughter isn't going to save her from this.'

Yang's heart was pounding as she listened.

All of those things she'd seen... were really going to happen...?

All of her teammates... her friends... her baby sister...

They were going to... die?

Unless she did something to prevent it...?

'After that,' her mother went on. 'I let you feel the pain that came along with the loss of your match today. If you'd taken action and done something to prevent losing, you wouldn't be locked in here right now like some criminal.

Those two visions were your first and only tests. They didn't involve anyone dying, and no lives were at dire risk. If you could have prevented both or even just one of those things from happening, I would've been able to trust you with the rest. But you failed them both, and I've seen enough.'

Yang couldn't comprehend everything right away. She needed a moment to think it all through and make sense of what she was hearing.

"So then..." She choked back a sob, wiping her hand over her mouth. "Then... if all of these things were going to happen... Why didn't you come to me sooner and explain it was all real? Why did you... let me believe they were just harmless dreams that wouldn't become reality? If you'd told me right away it was all real, then I would've-!"

'You think I have the time and resources to simply come and converse with you whenever it's convenient? You think I can just give you all of the answers? No. That isn't how this works. I was barely able to send you those visions in the first place. Even now, I'm wasting valuable time and energy speaking to you. I tried to allow you to help, but you've proven that you're of no use to me. I'll just have to handle things on my own, as usual.'

The fury and bitterness in her voice were enough to make Yang flinch. But she didn't back down.

"That's not fair. How was I supposed to know-"

'This is not about fairness! This is about preventing a genocide! This is about preserving the world as we know it! This is about-!'

But it seemed she was about to say something she wasn't allowed to say, and she quickly cut herself off. The sense of dread and trepidation that washed over Yang in that moment was almost enough to suffocate her.

Preventing genocide...? Preserving the world as we know it...? What the hell is this...?

For a moment, both mother and daughter composed themselves as best they could. Yang spoke first.

"So then... you gave me these visions... hoping I'd be able to interpret them somehow, and if I could prevent those things from happening, I'd be able to help you...?"

Another beat of bitter silence. Then:

'That was my goal, yes. But you-'

"I failed. I get it... Weiss got hurt, and now I've gotten myself into this mess. It's all my fault. Fine. But... how do I prevent all those other things from happening now...?"

Her mother's voice laughed dryly.

'Haven't you been listening to me at all? I can't provide you with answers. You need to think for yourself.

'But it doesn't matter anyway. Because as I've been telling you, you've failed. And I don't need you anymore. I'll take matters into my own hands and do what I have to. You're no longer needed.'

"Wait!" Yang cried. "Now that I know these things are... really going to come true, now I know there's something I can do to help prevent all of it! So I can help you!"

'From inside this cell?' she countered. 'I don't think so. I've only come here to tell you that you don't need to concern yourself anymore. I'll save little Ruby and your teammates for you, and I'll save the rest of Remnant while I'm at it. Just don't blame me for the sacrifices that'll need to be made in the process.'

A foreboding chill shot up Yang's spine.

Her mother was going to prevent Ruby, Weiss, and Blake from dying...

But...

"What do you mean... sacrifices...?"

Once again, the voice heaved a growl of a sigh.

'You know exactly what that means. In order for the majority to survive, there must be smaller sacrifices made. Though in this case, I suppose it's a rather large one...'

"Who?" Yang demanded. "Who... has to die in order for everyone else to live?"

The pause this time was much longer. Had Yang not been able to sense her mother's presence, she might've thought she'd gone. But the reply came soon enough.

'I thought I'd made that quite obvious, dear.'

"Tell me!"

'That temper of yours... It might be part of what held you back from stopping the demise of the young champion...'

Yang's throat closed up.

"...Pyrrha...?"

'It's a shame. If you'd been able to pass those first few simple tests, I would've let you help her find a way to live. But as things are now, she simply must die. No; she will die. That's a given. It's unavoidable. All we can decide now is how, when, and by who's hand.

'You see, that girl... has a very special destiny ahead of her. One that could decide the fate of the world. But with all this trouble brewing, someone's bound to figure it out, and be after her life. In fact, they already are.

'I'll be blunt; if she doesn't die before they can get to her, we're all doomed. That's why she needs to die before that happens. If she goes, everyone else will be spared. Isn't that what she'd want, anyway?'

The words echoed clearly around the room, but Yang tried to refuse to let them into her head. She didn't want to hear them. She didn't want to believe them...

But if the visions she'd seen become reality in just the past two days meant anything at all...

Then Pyrrha's fate was already sealed.

"No..." A growl worked its way up the back of her throat. She grit her teeth despite the tears that tumbled down. "Why Pyrrha...? It doesn't have to be her. Why not-"

'Take you instead? A useless offer that would yield no beneficial results for anyone whatsoever. It's got to be her, and there's good reason for it. As I said, she's got a special destiny to fulfill.'

"By dying?!"

'By not dying at the wrong hands!' her mother snapped. 'As I've said, she has to die, but if I can kill her before they get to her, the calamity can be avoided.'

"W... What did you say...?" Yang mumbled. The hollow pit that had already formed in her stomach only seemed to expand into a gaping abyss full of dread. "You... You're going to... kill Pyrrha...?"

'...Isn't that what I said? There's no other way now.'

At the very least, she didn't sound like she was going to enjoy it. But Yang refused to accept it.

"So you're saying... If I'd understood sooner that the things I'd seen would eventually become reality, I could've... saved her...?"

'Yes.'

"But... But I understand that now, don't I? And Pyrrha's still alive. So... So I can still save her, right?"

'Do tell me how,' her mother scoffed. 'When you've gone and gotten yourself thrown into solitary confinement? I gave you those visions in that order for a reason, not only because that's how they'd happen, but because that's how you could've stopped her dying.

'Your teammate getting burnt should have proven to you right away that you'd need to take this seriously. If you could've avoided the illusions in your match today, you wouldn't be stuck in here right now, and you'd be able to go save that girl.

'But now, you're trapped, and if I don't kill her myself, then your sister, your teammates, and a lot of other people are going to die when the worst of people enact their plans. That's why I'm going to kill her. Tonight. I'll put an end to all of this.'

The voice was beginning to fade now. Yang didn't know where her mother was physically, but she could teleport to almost any location at will.

Which meant she'd be going to Pyrrha next, to kill her, before anyone else could...

Her death would prevent a devastating tragedy...

"No..."

Yang called her mother's presence back with that single word. It worked.

'Excuse me? I believe our conversation here is over, Yang. This is the only way now.'

"Is it?" she challenged. "I don't think it is. And neither do you. Otherwise, you wouldn't have come here to tell me all of this. You wouldn't have wasted your precious 'time and resources'. You would've just gone to kill Pyrrha without saying a word to me.

"But you didn't. You came here, to me, and explained everything. You made sure I understood how real and dire all of this is. Because you know I can still do something about it. You wouldn't have bothered to have come to me at all if you didn't think there was still something I could do."

Again, her mother was silent. But Yang knew she was still there.

A moment later, her voice echoed again.

'What do you want, Yang?'

Now, she had a definite answer.

"Time. Give me one more day to save Pyrrha. I'll do it."

'...Unfortunately, my understanding is that the people who are after her life plan to act as early as tomorrow. Which is why she needs to die tonight.'

"Then give me as much time as you can," Yang insisted. "If there's absolutely nothing I can do to change things, then... then you should intervene at the last second. Kill Pyrrha before they do." It was sickening to say, but she needed to be strong about this. "But I won't let that happen. I'll do something. I'll save her somehow, so you won't have to kill her."

She lifted her face and looked directly to the space where her mother's voice was coming from. "No one has to die for this, Mom. And if you didn't believe that, you never would have come to me tonight."

The silence dragged on for a long time now. Yang thought her mother had really left this time. But just before she relinquished that final shred of hope, she heard that voice one more time.

'You have fewer than twenty-four hours, Yang. Don't make me regret this.'

And then she was gone.

Yang sat there in silence. Her mind was buzzing, her heart was pounding. If not for those things, she might've neglected to realize that all of that had actually just happened.

Fear and determination battled within her chest, both seeking to override the other.

I have... less than a day... If I can't save Pyrrha, then everyone I care about is going to die. Either I can lose everyone, I can lose just Pyrrha, or... I don't have to lose anyone. It's up to me.

Of those three options, it was no contest as to which result she wanted.

That was her dream now, and if all of this was any indication, her mother had shown her that dreams really could come true, sometimes in the worst of ways.

But this was Yang's vision now, one she'd created for herself; for no one to have to die.

Now she just needed to figure out how to make that dream a reality.

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A/N: So yes, Yang got to voice her frustrations about not knowing the visions were real and prophetic. Many of you were as miffed about that as she was. But Raven works in mysterious, indifferent ways. Now for Yang to try and figure out how to do this.