Who Is The Stranger?

Death

Glynda leads the group through the town. It took a couple of hours, but they did find their way out of the forest and back to the town. The town was completely opposite to how it was when they arrived. People enjoyed the outside, children played in the snow, and parents walked around shopping. "What happened here? All the gloom is gone. It's like nothing happened," Yang asks. Suddenly, an old man bumps into Ms. Goodwitch.

"Excuse me, sir," she apologizes.

"Help a blind man out?" He asks, holding up a cup with a few coins in it.

"Sure," Glynda says, setting a five Lien in his cup. He grabs her hand.

"Two strangers seek thee...One from this world...Perhaps one from another...One brings hatred...I don't know what the other brings." The man walks off towards the store. Ms. Goodwitch looks at team RWBY, and they walk to a seldomly used area at the edge of the town and call for a bullhead. Five minutes later, one of Beacon's bullheads arrives and flies them home. When they land, Glynda immediately rushes to her room and looks at her old bookshelf. Every myth and legend that was ever told on Remnant was on that shelf, and she would find one about the strange man.

Glynda sighed in defeat, closing her book. None of her books had an answer to who the strange man was. She had one book left before her final hope, Ozpin. Flipping to the index, Glynda takes a sip of her wine. "Invulnerable, chapter four, page 444," Glynda notes before flipping to it. "Invulnerability is an extremely rare semblance. It is said those with it are the servants of Death. The identity of Death is unknown. Soldiers of the kingdoms claim to have managed to kill the invulnerable, but Atlas is the only kingdom that has presented evidence." Glynda double-takes before looking back at the book. "If you meet Death in a mirror, one will surely die. If Death meets you and gives you advice, take it, or you will die. If Death converses with you and continues, don't stop, it brings good luck one way or another." Glynda gets up and sprints to RWBY's room. "Ms. Belladonna!" Glynda shouts, knocking on the door. The door swings open, and Ruby pokes her head out.

"Ms. Goodwitch, we need your help! Blake is having issues breathing!" Ms. Goodwitch pushes into the room and picks Blake up before running to the school hospital.

"Ms. Goodwitch?"

"Student, cat faunus, can't breathe." Ms. Goodwitch rushes past the person at the desk and sets Blake in a bed. Doctors circle the bed, and Ms. Goodwitch walks out to team RWBY.

"Is Blake going to be okay?" Ruby asks.

"I don't know, Ms. Rose," Ms. Goodwitch says, "You three are off school until she is better."

"Thanks."

"Thank you," Weiss says, and Yang snores. "Sorry, she stayed up all night studying."

"I hope you girls inform me of Ms. Belladonna's condition in a few hours." Glynda walks to her room and slumps into her desk chair.

"Horrible thing what happened to Ms. Belladonna." A familiar voice says behind her.

"What's wrong with her?"

"She's got TB rotting her lungs away. She'll be gone within the month. I'm guessing you know what I am then?"

"You're Death, the ferryman of souls."

"Meh, less ferrying of souls these days, too many dead." Glynda turns and looks at the strange man.

"How old are you?"

"Ohh, I don't know, couple-few hundred years old. At some point, I died when the Death before me died, and here I am."

"Do you really not remember your name?"

"No, I've gone by Death for so long I don't remember it."

"What about (Y/N)?"

"Hmmm, I like it."

"How can I save Ms. Belladonna?"

"Well, I need to collect from Beacon tonight. It doesn't necessarily have to be her." 

"Take me."

"No, it isn't your time. It is Ozpin's time of reckoning, but his two souls aren't prepared to cross over yet."

"What should I do?"

"Stab him with my knife." (Y/N) says, a knife materializing in her hand. "Make sure you keep it, though. You'll need it to bring peace to the planet." (Y/N) disappears, leaving Glynda with nothing but her thoughts. She takes a deep breath, slips the knife into the back of one of her boots. Walking through the empty halls, she thinks back to all of the horrible things she did for him, all of the people she intimidated, the people she inadvertently killed, and especially the people who Ozpin had forced himself upon only for her to cover it up. It was time for that to end. Glynda gets in the elevator, her eyes narrowing, heart racing, breath quickening. The doors open to reveal the man sitting at his desk.

"Ahh, Ms. Goodwitch, have you decided you want the promotion after all?"

"I was wondering if we could talk about it, just you and I," Glynda says, taking off her glasses.

"Oh? Why don't you come back here." Glynda goes behind the pig and starts massaging his shoulders.

"All of the things you made me do have led up to this moment." She pulls the knife out of her boot and slits his throat as fast as lightning.

"Well, well, well, very impressive, Ms. Goodwitch. I didn't think you had it in you." A voice calls from the shadows, and Professor Port steps out, blunderbuss leveled at her.

"Peter Port, you disgusting pig. Even if you kill me, you'll burn in Hell."

"I hope it's full of whores like you." Suddenly Port's chest explodes.

"Well, he's annoying, isn't he."

"(Y/N). Thank you."

"Just remember, Glynda, when you see Death again, greet him like an old friend." Suddenly (Y/N) disappears along with the bodies and any evidence left. Overwhelmed, Glynda sulks back to her room and passes out in her bed. A few hours later, she is awoken by a knock on her door. She open, and Ruby is staring at her.

"I just wanted to tell you that Blake made a full recovery."

"That's very good, Ms. Rose, but you girls should go to bed. Sleep is essential for your growth." Glynda goes back to her bed and passes out again.