RWBY Through Worlds (End)

223: Leave Behind

When the gods were bound the others thought it was over, but it wasn't.

Shine and Wally looked tired, but Wally said, "What about them?" and pointed at Salem and Ozpin.

"Yes... now it comes to the fun part." Shine wiped her forehead. "Removing all trace of the gods. As they cannot do this part themselves, they will silently watch. And take their powers back with them."

"One day you will be cut down," the god of darkness snarled at her. "Your type always is."

"You be silent," Shine cut him off, and he clamped his mouth shut.

Ozma and Salem both stepped forward, looking a bit apprehensive after all that.

"Are you ready?" Wally asked.

"I don't feel ready," Ozma said. "There is... so much I feel I should apologize for."

"It's okay," Raven said, surprisingly. "I think after all we just saw, we get it."

"Enough said, Oz," Qrow said.

"And Ozpin..." Ruby said, "whatever happens... I really hope you're at rest."

Ozpin smiled faintly. "Thank you, Miss Rose--Ruby... I hope all of you will live long, happy lives."

Shine and Wally held their swords out and placed them on Ozma's shoulders.

This was it.

"I don't want to be presumptuous," Shine said quietly. "We do not kill, so I am not going to try to spell out the results. I say we remove the curses and let the Lord do as He sees fit with them."

"That sounds good to me," Wally said. "I guess we just... we release you from the power of the brothers, Ozma... Magic and reincarnation and all the rest that went with it."

"We free your soul and body, and we ask that God grant you peace and life," Shine added.

"Amen," they both chorused.

"Amen," the other said, just because they felt they should agree.

"Amen," Ozma said, closing his eyes.

* * *

Somewhere inside him, unaware of what had been going on, Oscar felt as if someone had started to pry the lid off the box he'd been sealed in.

[Putting this here partially because it fits and partially because my sister would let me have it if I didn't. She loves this song. "Taxi Cab"--21 Pilots.]

Light began to pour in, and it felt as if a hand reached in and took hold of him and said, "Be free."

And as he rose out of the dark cavern, he felt as if a huge weight that had been on his shoulders for months, ever since Ozpin reincarnated into him, went out suddenly and painlessly, and something else leapt up and blazed out, finally filling every part of his body.

Then his eyes snapped open and he was staring at everyone, who were staring back at him breathlessly.

Shine and Wally had seized hold of Ozma's own soul and pulled it out of him as if they'd physically grabbed it.

And as they did so, it became solid and glowed for a moment with Aura or some other force, and suddenly he was just there on the ground.

"Ozma?" Salem said in a very strange voice.