Ruby had been ticulously sweeping the forest with her perception, still trying to pinpoint the "unusual energy signatures" Arthur had ntioned.
The mission had felt frustratingly normal, but then, a faint tremor ran through her Aura.
It wasn't a Grimm, not Dust, but sothing else entirely—a warmth, a resonance, like a distant mory suddenly sparking to life.
"Wait,"
Ruby murmured, her silver eyes widening. She tilted her head, trying to pinpoint the direction.
"I... I feel sothing."
Yang, who had been about to crack a joke about chasing squirrels, imdiately noticed the change in her sister's deanor.
"Feel what, Rubes?"
"It's... familiar,"
Ruby whispered, a strange mix of wonder and longing in her voice. She started walking, not running, but with a determined stride, as if drawn by an invisible thread.
"This way!"
Blake and Weiss exchanged a glance. Despite their logical doubts, they trusted Ruby's instincts, especially when her eyes glowed with such an intense, almost spiritual focus. They followed, their weapons ready but their curiosity piqued.
Ruby led them deeper into the forest, past ancient trees and moss-covered rocks. The air grew subtly warr, carrying a faint, sweet scent that wasn't just wildflowers. Then, through a clearing in the dense foliage, they saw it.
It was a garden, bathed in an ethereal, soft light. Not just any garden, but one blooming with an impossible profusion of roses. Roses of every shade of red, from crimson to deep maroon, their petals unfurling in perfect symtry.
It was a sight that defied the wildness of the surrounding forest, a pocket of pure, cultivated beauty seemingly dropped from another world.
"Whoa..."
Yang breathed, her eyes wide.
Weiss, ever the pragmatist, was montarily stunned.
"This is... illogical. A rose garden, out here?"
But Ruby didn't hear them. Her gaze was fixed on the center of the garden, where the roses grew densest, shimring with the sa warm light she had felt.
She walked forward, almost in a trance, Yang right behind her.
As Ruby stepped among the roses, the light intensified, coalescing into a translucent, shimring figure.
Her form was indistinct, like mist kissed by moonlight, but the contours were unmistakably human.
She had long, flowing hair, and a kind, gentle face that imdiately brought tears to Ruby's eyes.
"Mom...?"
Ruby whispered, her voice cracking.
The figure smiled, a soft, loving expression. It was Sumr Rose, a beautiful, ethereal presence.
She looked at Ruby with boundless affection, then her gaze shifted to Yang, a similar warmth in her eyes.
"Ruby... Yang..."
Sumr's voice was a lodic whisper, a sound that resonated deep within their souls, even though no physical sound waves were produced. It was a voice they had only known from fading mories and stories.
Yang gasped, her hand flying to her mouth, tears streaming down her face.
"Mom! Is that really you?"
She reached out, but her hand passed through Sumr's shimring form.
They couldn't touch her, but they could feel her presence, her love, wrapping around them like an invisible embrace.
"It is , my darlings,"
Sumr replied, her voice filled with an aching tenderness.
"Though not yet in the way we truly wish to et."
She looked at them, her eyes brimming with a love that transcended the veil between worlds.
"You've grown so much. So strong. So brave."
Ruby sobbed, overwheld with joy and sorrow.
"But... how? We thought you were... gone forever."
"A part of was always here,"
Sumr explained, her gaze distant for a mont.
"Tethered, by forces I did not understand until now. But soone... a very powerful, very kind soul... helped free . He made it possible for us to speak, even for this brief mont."
Blake and Weiss stood back, awestruck. They watched the two sisters converse with a ghost, a scene so profoundly personal and impossible that it humbled them into silence.
Ruby then rembered sothing crucial, a recent miracle that had already defied death.
"Mom,"
She asked, her voice trembling with hope,
"Penny... Penny ca back. Is it... is it like that? Can you... can you co back too?"
Sumr's ethereal smile widened, a beacon of pure joy.
"My clever little Rose. Yes, my sweet girl. It is exactly like that. The one who freed ... he possesses a power beyond anything you can imagine. He can weave life from essence, just as he did for your friend."
Ruby's eyes widened, then filled with a new, radiant hope.
"Arthur!"
She exclaid, the na bursting from her lips.
"He helped Penny!"
Sumr's gaze lingered on Ruby, full of pride and affection.
"He is indeed a wonder, my daughter. He has promised ... he has promised that when the ti is right, he will create a body for . A new beginning."
She looked at Yang, tears of happiness welling in her eyes.
"He is going to revive , girls. We will be together again. All of us."
Yang let out a choked sob, a primal cry of pure relief and joy.
"Mom! You're coming back! Oh, my gods, you're coming back!"
Sumr's form began to fade, the light around her softening.
"My ti here is short, my love. But hold onto this hope. Be strong, be brave, and continue to grow. We will et again, in a new dawn. Until then, rember how much I love you both."
Her form dissolved completely, leaving behind only the radiant glow of the roses and the lingering scent of her presence.
Ruby and Yang stood there, trembling, their faces wet with tears. It was a mont of profound joy, a miracle they had never dared to dream of. Their mother, their beloved Sumr Rose, was coming back.
"She's coming back,"
Ruby whispered again, a hand pressed to her chest, where the warmth of her mother's presence still resonated.
The 'unusual energy signature' had been her mother's soul, and the "challenge to her perception" had been the greatest gift of her life.
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