RWBY 3: Fall

Part 7 - The Voice In Her Head

Raven looked around her and sighed. She was surrounded in a sea of black, floating gently. "A lucid dream...?" she rubbed her eyes, both of which felt fine. "Yep..." she stretched and enjoyed the moment without pain, without the gnawing hunger.

"A dream?" a female voice echoed around her. It laughed menacingly.

"W-Who's there!?" the red huntress's eyes darted around the darkness as they desperately searched-

She felt arms wrap around her neck as a woman embraced her from behind.

"Have you forgotten me already?" the voice started to sound familiar. Raven had heard it recently-

She craned her neck around and caught a glimpse of the dark hair "CINDER!" she pushed herself free and drew her sword.

Cinder sighed. "You know where this is?"

Raven ignored the archer and swung her blade with full force. It passed straight through her opponent like she wasn't there.

"This is..." Cinder smiled and walked up to the red huntress. Her high heels echoed as she stepped off of seemingly nothing. She poked Raven's forehead and leaned in closer "all in your head."

"Then get out!"

"Oh? I can't leave." Cinder gently kissed the red huntress and smiled.

"I SAID LEAVE!" Raven pushed her away.

"I have access to your memories now." the dark haired huntress laid on the 'ground' seductively. "I know everything about you. I know that you find me attractive-"

Raven slashed with her sword, but once again nothing happened.

"Your semblance lets you drain a person's aura and use it to fuel your own. It's... interesting. But apparently far more dangerous than you knew." Cinder smiled and stretched out. "When you drained my aura a little bit of the Fall maiden's power went to you... that power... it's a drug. Addictive. The less you have the more you want."

The red huntress shot her a confused look "Fall... maiden? Like the fairy tale?"

Cinder nodded "Yes. I stole it from the Fall maiden, and you stole it from me. Trust me, I know how that power feels..." she looked into the distance, her voice became a little darker and more serious "... like a hunger that you can't fill"

An awkward silence filled the 'room'.

"You kept draining it... more and more." Cinder smiled "But you stole a bit more than just the power of Fall. You stole me - a fragment of Cinder's soul."

"So... how do I get rid of you?"

Cinder laughed "Oh, you can't. We're bound together, forever!"

Raven collapsed to her knees. "I-I don't want this power! This... hunger... you can take it back! M-Maybe after that... you can go back to your body..."

"Oh?" the dark haired huntress stood and walked over to Raven. She stroked the red huntress's face and smiled. "There are two ways to get rid of the hunger."

Raven looked into her eyes, hanging on her every word.

"The first option, which is my personal favourite, is that you die. Die and don't come back." Cinder maintained her smile.

"A-And the second?"

"Kill me. The real me, of course, and take my power. Then finish off Amber and take hers. Become the Fall maiden with 100% of the Fall power and you will be free from the hunger-"

Cinder crouched down and reached eye level with Raven. "That's what the real me is going to do. She will find you. She will kill you. So either way, before this is over, you will be free from it."