Looking up from the screen made of light, I realized it wasn't really there. It didn't exist in the physical world at all. It was an illusion something only I could see hovering in front of my eyes and faithfully following every tilt and turn of my head, like a stubborn afterimage that refused to fade.
At first, I just stared at it, half-expecting it to disappear on its own.
It didn't.
The numbers, words, and flickering lines stayed perfectly aligned with my vision, intrusive and persistent. Useful, sure but also incredibly annoying. I frowned, irritation bubbling up, and focused on the strange sense of authority I felt over it. Almost instinctively, I willed it to go away.
The screen vanished.
Not with a dramatic flash or distortion, but quietly like it had simply accepted my decision and stepped aside. I blinked once, then twice, relieved to see nothing but the familiar world in front of me again.
When I finally looked up properly, chaos had already arrived.
Yang was rushing toward me at full speed, her expression twisted with panic. Just behind her, my dad had a tight grip on that stranger's collar, lifting him slightly off the ground. The man wore a bizarre beak-like mask, and despite the clear danger of the situation, he kept raising his hands in a placating gesture, his voice hurried and strained as he tried to talk my dad down.
"Sir, please this is a misunderstanding," the masked man said quickly. "I swear, I haven't harmed her."
Dad wasn't listening.
"What did you do?" he growled, knuckles white as he tightened his hold. "My daughter screams and you're standing here? Start explaining. Now."
Before the situation could escalate further, my sister reached me.
"Ruby!" Yang skidded to a stop in front of me, hands already on my shoulders as she looked me over from head to toe. "Are you hurt? Did he touch you? Say something anything!"
"I'm fine," I said immediately, but she barely seemed to hear me.
"You screamed," she insisted, eyes darting over me as if searching for injuries she might have missed. "You don't just scream for no reason."
Dad had heard it too. I could see that now how fast he must've rushed out of the house, how his mind had immediately jumped to the worst possible conclusion. The moment he'd seen the masked stranger, he'd decided guilt on sight.
"Yang, really, I'm okay," I repeated, a little more firmly this time. "Nothing happened."
She paused, finally slowing, her grip loosening just a bit. "You're sure?"
I nodded. "Promise."
Even then, she hovered close, clearly unwilling to move too far away. I didn't blame her. If I'd heard my sister scream like that, I probably would've reacted the same way.
I tried to explain more, to reassure her properly but my thoughts kept drifting. My mind was still tangled in numbers, abilities, and strange rules that had revealed themselves moments earlier. Stats. Skills. Limitations. Things I should have known before now.
Despite D's blatant maliciousness and Shiraori's unsettling, half-helpful interference, I couldn't deny the relief I felt.
They had shown me the truth.
Now I finally knew what I could do. What my powers actually were. How they worked and just as importantly, how they didn't.
Up until now, every fight I'd been in had been instinctual. Fast reactions. Improvisation. Letting my body move before my mind could catch up. It had worked but it went against everything I'd been taught.
Know your enemy. Know yourself.
I'd only been doing half of that.
I was pulled out of my thoughts when Dad stepped closer, finally releasing the masked man though he stayed well within arm's reach, clearly unwilling to let his guard down completely. The anger in his expression eased just a fraction as he turned to me, concern replacing the earlier fury.
"Ruby," he said carefully, his voice low but steady, "who is that man?"
The sudden attention made my shoulders tense.
And just like that, all eyes were on me.
I took a breath before answering, steadying myself, and told him that the stranger really did seem to be what he claimed a traveling doctor and that he'd only been helping us clean up the area after everything that had happened.
Dad didn't look convinced. He folded his arms across his chest and raised an eyebrow, his gaze sharp and unyielding. "And why," he asked, "would a traveling doctor just happen to help clean up our yard?" I hesitated for only a moment before answering. "Maybe he wanted samples," I said, trying to sound casual. "I mean… giant frogs aren't exactly something you see everywhere, right?"
Dad studied my face carefully, searching for any sign I was lying. Then his gaze shifted to the strange man, who stood quietly a few steps away, hands folded, posture respectful.
After a long pause, Dad finally released him.
The man immediately straightened his coat, brushed off a bit of dust, and bowed politely. "My apologies for the intrusion," he said calmly, his voice even and controlled. He didn't offer any further explanation, nor did he try to defend himself.
That, more than anything else, seemed to convince Dad.
He let out a short laugh, the tension easing from his shoulders. "Guess I jumped the gun," he said, then gestured toward the house. "Why don't you come inside? We could all use a break."
As he spoke to the masked man, Dad shot me a look the kind that clearly said we'll talk later. I pretended not to notice.
I stood up and started toward the house, my body tired but my mind still racing. The yard was mostly cleaned up now, and while Dad claimed he wanted us to take a break before getting back to work, I knew the real reason. He wanted answers.
As we walked, my thoughts drifted back to the worlds I could summon from.
Some of them, according to her, were incredibly weak. Others were so dangerous that even a god avoided looking at them too closely. And then there were the ones that were completely blocked off.
So how can I summon from worlds that aren't blocked? I wondered. And why do some of them scare a god?
She was a god herself, after all. If she was afraid, that meant something was very wrong.
I was still lost in thought when Yang nudged my side. "You've been really quiet," she said, watching me closely. "What's going on in that head of yours?"
I shrugged, trying to keep my tone light. "You know how I can summon things, right?"
She nodded. "Yeah."
"Well… one of the things I summoned turned out to be a god."
She stopped walking for half a second, then stared at me. "A what?"
"An evil one," I added helpfully.
Her expression shifted immediately from surprise to alarm. "Ruby "
I smiled quickly, trying to calm her before she could panic. "It's okay. Mostly."
That did not reassure her.
"And," I continued, lowering my voice, "that god and another… mysterious being kind of fused with my soul."
Her eyes widened again, and she opened her mouth to say something, but I cut in before she could raise her voice.
"They're locked in some kind of eternal fight inside me," I said. "So they sort of cancel each other out. Or at least… that's what I thought."
Yang's worry deepened, but I pressed on, doing my best to explain without making things worse.
"They made a status screen for me, like a video game status screen" I said. "So I can see my abilities. Like my Semblance changes, Crescent Rose, and my cloak which I still haven't named yet." I smiled sheepishly at that.
"And it also shows where I summon things from. That's my real Semblance," I added, meeting her eyes.
She looked at me for a long moment, clearly processing everything I'd just said. Her expression shifted surprise, worry, and about a dozen unspoken questions flickering across her face.
Then the front door of the house opened.
And the conversation was over at least for now.
Surprised, we both turned toward the house.
Pop
(12/17=https://bloodborne.fandom.com/wiki/Network_Play-The Beckoning Bell, which allows players to become hosts for Co-operators and Adversaries alike.-Due to the extremely high roll, Yang will be added to the party.
The effects are as follows:
Some compatible rolls will automatically apply to Yang, granting her additional abilities and other beneficial effects.
She gains access to a limited stat sheet. This stat sheet only displays her name and abilities, and she must first notice it in order to use it.
Because of the extremely high roll, the next roll will automatically go to Yang.)
The front door stood wide open.
That alone was strange. We were all still in the yard, and Dad was behind us, still in the middle of questioning the masked man. No one should have been inside. No one should have even been near the door.
So who opened it?
A prickle of unease crept up my spine as I turned fully toward the house and froze.
Pop
2/9=https://typemoon.fandom.com/wiki/Semiramis-The Wise Queen of Assyria (アッシリアの賢女王, Asshiria no Ken-Joō?). Born from the Syrian mermaid goddess DerketoWP and a human man, she was left on the waterfront by her loveless mother. She was wrapped in the warm wings of a dove, and fed with the dove's milk. Semiramis was then found and educated by the shepherd Simmas until she married Onnes, an old general; but she was then taken away by the Syrian king Ninus who fell in love with her thanks to her beautiful face. -Due to the relatively low role, Yang only gets the lowest rank appropriate skill I could find from this character and that is. Presence Concealment (C+ Rank): Hides one's presence as a Servant. Suitable for spying. The rank of presence concealment drops considerably when preparing to attack. However, this condition does not apply to poison something.[1][3] By combining her Presence Concealment and her poisons, she was able to easily slip a hypnotic drug into the tea of all the Red Faction's Masters allowing Shirou Kotomine the opportunity to manipulate them.
Leaning casually against the doorframe, one boot crossed over the other, was a familiar figure. Messy dark hair framed a relaxed, crooked grin, the kind that promised trouble before he ever opened his mouth.
"Uncle Qrow!"
The shout burst out of me before my brain could catch up. My body moved on instinct. I flickered, turning briefly incorporeal as my Semblance activated my form dissolving into a swirling storm of rose petals that surged forward in a blur.
A heartbeat later, I snapped back into my physical form and slammed straight into him in a flying tackle-hug.
"Whoa !" Qrow laughed as he stumbled back a step, catching me easily. "Easy there, kiddo."
He steadied us both, still grinning as he looked down at me. "So you've awakened your Semblance, huh?" he said proudly. "Your dad doesn't stop talking about it. And wow you're fast. Definitely your mother's daughter. That movement is real close to her Semblance."
I felt my face heat up as I climbed off him, rubbing the back of my head. "Uh no, that's not actually my Semblance," I said. Then I hesitated.
Side Semblance, I decided. Yeah. That works.
"That's just my… side Semblance," I finished confidently. "My real Semblance is summoning things from other worlds!"
I might've yelled that last part.
Qrow blinked, clearly caught off guard, then slowly turned his head toward Dad. Dad met his gaze and gave him a look that said we'll explain later.
Qrow chuckled and looked back at me. "How about you and your sister head inside for now?" he suggested easily. "Me, your dad, and our masked friend here will talk outside."
He gestured toward the kitchen. "I brought cookies and strawberries all the way from Vale."
That was all I needed to hear.
I cheered and waved at Yang before sprinting inside at full speed. "Snacks!"
"Hey wait!" Yang shouted, immediately taking off after me. "No fair!"
We raced through the house, but it wasn't even close. I reached the kitchen first, grabbed the cookie jar and the basket of strawberries, and turned around just in time to see Yang skidding to a stop.
She stared at me in disbelief. "You cheated."
"I was faster," I said smugly. "Fair's fair."
She crossed her arms and pouted. "No fair…"
Then she lunged, trying to wrestle the snacks out of my hands. I laughed and did the only logical little-sister thing.
I burst into rose petals and vanished.
"Hey!" Yang shouted as I zipped past her, reforming on the other side of the room. "Get back here!"
I ran, laughing the whole time, petals scattering as she chased me through the house. It only took a few minutes before she finally gave up, flopping onto the couch with an exaggerated groan.
"Cheater," she muttered.
I joined her, still giggling, and we began munching on the snacks Uncle Qrow had brought from Vale cookies warm and soft, strawberries sweet and fresh, the kind that made the small chaos of the morning feel almost cozy.
As we were eating, Yang glanced at me with a curious tilt of her head. "So… do you have, like, an indicator when your Semblance goes off?" she asked, leaning forward slightly, eyes narrowing as if she were trying to read my thoughts.
I grinned and nodded. "Oh yeah," I said, flinging my hands up and making an exaggerated popping motion in the air. "There's like… a popping noise."
Yang blinked at me, clearly skeptical. "Are you sure?" she asked slowly. "Because every single time you said it happened before, you were panicking, or scared, or surprised.... so maybe you misheard it or something" she said as she looked at me skeptically.
I hesitated for a moment, then shrugged sheepishly. "Well… I'm pretty sure. It went off twice just now when we were outside with Uncle Qrow."
Her eyes went wide, and before she could respond, she practically spat out the bite of food she'd been chewing. "What?!" she exclaimed, hands flying up in disbelief.
Looking at her flabbergasted face I laughed, unable to hold it in, reaching for my Scroll, I quickly snapped a picture of her utterly flabbergasted expression, still laughing as I did it.
Her face immediately flushed bright red, and that only made me laugh harder. "Ruby! Delete it!" she shouted, fumbling to grab the device out of my hands.
I waved it teasingly, grinning ear to ear. "Not a chance!"
She groaned dramatically, throwing herself forward to try and snatch the Scroll, but I moved just out of reach. I couldn't help it I turned into a flurry of rose petals and dashed across the room, giggling uncontrollably.
"Hey! Come back here!" Yang yelled, leaping after me, her long hair bouncing as she chased me around the house.
I zigzagged through the furniture, reforming just out of her reach, laughing the whole time. She lunged again, but I was already gone, scattering petals as I swerved behind the couch and popped back up on the other side.
After a few minutes of chaotic chasing, she finally collapsed on the couch, panting and glaring at me, her hands on her knees. "Fine," she huffed, clearly out of breath, "you win this round!"
I landed beside her, still giggling, and we both sank into the cushions. The cookie jar and the basket of strawberries were safe for the moment, sitting between us like a prize.
I offered her a cookie, and she took it with a reluctant mutter, still pouting. "You're impossible," she said.
I laughed again, popping a strawberry into my mouth, and thought to myself that, for once, it felt good just to relax.