Hellblazer and Primak (Rewrited)

Chapter 140

The world was on edge. Anomalies in reality, swirling energies from beyond, and the scent of something ancient and malevolent hung in the air. Ruby rose, stood in the midst of a somber circle with her companions. Together, they were on a mission of dire importance to track down and free the others who had fallen under the mind control of a powerful force. But the trail had gone cold... or so they thought.

Ruby clenched her fists, her crimson aura flickering. The darkening sky above them reflected the tension that had grown in her heart. 

Ruby:" Ironwood alludes us? Cunning thin man." she muttered, frustration lacing her words. The one man who always seemed to be one step ahead, James Ironwood. The one person that changed Ruby whole perspective of being an Hero....an Huntress.

Raven, her face etched with concern, stepped forward.

Raven:" In his hoard, we found relics stolen from The Beyond-Realm. Somehow, he managed to make it there." she said, her voice steady but filled with an unspoken dread.

The name of the realm sent chills down Ruby's spine. The Beyond-Realm.....an existence older than the Omniverse itself, a place of unfathomable power. It was the domain of the Creator-God, who had abandoned it long ago, leaving only remnants of its grandeur and forgotten artifacts.

Sun Wukong, who had stood silently observing, placed a hand thoughtfully to his chin. His eyes seemed distant, as if recalling something from deep within his memories. 

Sun:" I remember... I still have some consciousness of when I was mind-controlled by him, Ruby." he said. His voice carried a weight of ancient knowledge.

Sun:" The Beyond-Realm is a realm beyond the known Omniverse. A realm that predates the Creator-God's departure. Powerful artifacts linger amid its ashes, but they have been safely out of reach. Yet Doom, he must have found a way in..."

Ruby's eyes narrowed. The pieces of the puzzle were beginning to fall into place.

Ruby:" I see... The pieces are coming together now... There's a possibility..." she murmured. She turned to face her companions, her gaze piercing through the darkness.

Ruby:" That there is no demon controlling Ironwood."

Raven raised an eyebrow, clearly puzzled.

Raven:" What do you mean by that?" she asked.

Harriett, ever quick-witted, chimed in with her own observations.

Harriett:" She's right. There's no demon. The voice... it's absolutely magnetic. It's like a force of nature... thunder, the rushing of great waters, the sound of trumpets. Absolutely imposing." she said.

Marrow:" Like an angel." he said, his voice filled with quiet understanding.

Ruby's expression shifted, now layered with apprehension. 

Ruby:" An angel, you say? This makes things more difficult...".

She hesitated for a moment, the weight of the revelation settling in her chest.

Qrow, standing off to the side with his arms crossed, spoke up.

Qrow:" There is to be worried. I can understand that." he said, his voice tinged with the gravity of his own experiences with mind control.

Ruby turned to face him, her brows furrowing.

Ruby:" I was tasked with rescuing the girl known as Amaranth..." she said, her voice trailed off as she looked down at the ground, lost in thought. 

Ruby:" There is no coincidence..."

Qrow's eyes widened as Ruby's words struck him with a sudden clarity. He began to remember the time when he too had been under a malevolent influence, his own struggles with mind control, the visions, the fleeting moments of clarity. And then it came back to him. His coffee meetings with Ozpin, the shared knowledge about the ancient teachings of the soul.