Sitting on the couch, I let the news drone on in the background, barely processing a single word. Something about "a Niko's girl" becoming a world champion, and choosing Beacon over another academy yeah, that just floated right past me. I was too busy nibbling a cookie in one hand, and a cupcake in the other, trying really hard to pretend I felt normal.
The couch was dangerously comfortable. If I weren't this emotionally overloaded, I probably would have passed out already, which was impressive, considering how much milk and cocoa I had chugged earlier, like they were magic stress antidotes.
But comfort, nope, not today, not after everything.
My chest tightened as my mind drifted back to the impossible. The cookies, the cupcakes, the entire cake that had appeared out of nowhere. I had barely managed to poke one before screaming and launching myself halfway across the kitchen like a startled cat.
It was mortifying and super embarrassing.
Still, I crept back, heart hammering against my ribs, and did the unthinkable I took a tiny bite. No, not even a bite, it was more like a nibble.
And nothing.
They were just cookies. Ridiculously delicious cookies, but still just cookies.
The cake? Amazing. The cupcakes? Perfect. And after all the weird nonsense, I figured I had earned one peaceful moment. So I flopped onto the couch, turned on the TV, and focused really hard on thinking about nothing.
I didn't want to spiral. I didn't want to analyze. I just wanted this day to be over.
But just as my brain started wandering toward thoughts I really, really did not want to think about, the front door swung open, and a familiar voice called through the house.
"I'm home."
My thoughts slammed to a stop. Then one beat later, everything clicked back on.
"Oh. Yang."
My sister, who had conveniently ditched me to hang out with her friends right before the universe decided to get weird. She was home.
Before the door even finished closing, I triggered my Semblance and appeared right in front of her, almost tackling her as I threw my arms around her.
Words exploded out of me, fast and panicked and barely making sense.
"There were pops, like, actual pops, and then cookies, and cupcakes just appeared, Yang, I swear, they just appeared out of nowhere, and then the cake, the cake, and I thought it was cursed or poisoned or something, but it wasn't, and everything was normal but not normal, and then my Semblance awaken, and today is crazy, and I don't know what is happening, and, and...!"
Pop
(4/8 = . fandom. com/wiki/Kumoko - page for the protagonist "Kumoko." I flipped a coin, and the results say she doesn't appear, so something else has to happen. Due to the low roll, Ruby is going to gain a little bit of Kumoko's personality, mannerisms, habits, and so on. As for benefits, eventually, in the future, she can transform into Shiraori, gaining many of her powers,but not too much. When she awakens her silver eyes, she gains a petrifying evil eye and a very weak clairvoyance. Of course, she also acquires more of Shiraori's battle experience, instincts, and combat knowledge. The longer this continues, the more power she gains from Shiraori. And, of course, when she awakens her silver eyes, she will get extra pupils. Due to evil gods interference she will get memories and glimpses of the life of Shiraori. Also, this massively boosts the power she gains from Shiraori. There are also some hidden side effects.)
My breath stopped.
I froze. Every muscle in my body locked up.
Still clinging to Yang, I whipped my head around, scanning the room for anything, any shift, any danger. Nothing had changed. Nothing moved. Nothing looked different at all.
Which only made my heart slam harder against my ribs.
My breathing turned ragged, quick shallow gasps, like the air itself was thinning around me. My grip on Yang tightened until she practically became the only solid thing anchoring me to reality.
Before I could spiral completely, Yang set her hands on my shoulders and gently pushed me back just enough to look into my eyes.
"Ruby, breathe."
Her voice was soft and steady, and I couldn't help but listen as she said,
"Breathe in and out. In and out. In and out. In and out. In and out... There you go. Now tell me what's going on."
Slowly.
So I did. From the very first pop to the second, to the moment the cake literally materialized in my hands like I'd summoned it without even thinking, I explained every bizarre detail, fighting the tremble in my voice.
Yang listened with that calm, serious expression she only pulled out when she was trying really, really hard to stay grounded for me.
"Okay, sis," she finally said. "You know I believe you. Of course I do. I trust you. I just... need some kind of proof so I don't feel like I'm losing my mind too. Something small. Anything."
Honestly? Completely fair.
I nodded, triggered my Semblance, dashed into the living room, grabbed a cookie off the plate, and zipped back in less than a heartbeat, holding it out to her like a piece of evidence.
"Exhibit A," I said, still breathless.
Yang's eyebrows shot up.
"I know it's just a normal cookie," I blurted out, "but I swear it just appeared out of nowhere!"
She didn't answer at first, just raised both eyebrows even higher and then burst out laughing.
I pouted, offended, which made her laugh even harder. I tried to glare as much as someone my size can glare and she finally waved her hands, trying to rein herself in.
"No, no Ruby, I'm not laughing at the cookie," Yang snorted, shaking her head before adding, "it's just... the biggest proof is your Semblance. You disappeared and reappeared so fast I barely even saw a blur!"
My face went bright red. I whipped my head away so quickly my hood nearly flew off, which only made Yang bend over and wheeze with laughter.
Her laughter was stupidly infectious. First I let out a tiny embarrassed giggle, then another, and before I knew it, I was laughing with her, really laughing, until my sides hurt and my eyes stung with relieved tears.
For a few long seconds we just breathed and smiled at each other.
Then, without meaning to, I blurted out,
"Yang... did you notice anything different about me? Anything at all?"
Yang raised a brow, stepped closer, and gave me a slow exaggerated once-over front, back, side, hair, cloak.
Then she shrugged.
"Nope. Nothing."
"But something is different," I insisted. "Every time there's a pop, something weird happens. Something changes. And it's freaking me out."
Yang's expression flickered confusion, curiosity then suddenly brightened with a spark of mischief.
"Ohhh. I know exactly what you need."
"What?"
Too late.
She grabbed my wrist and dragged me toward the door like I weighed five pounds.
"Wait, Yang? Where are we going?" I squeaked as she practically hauled me outside.
We went down the steps, across the porch, and out onto our front lawn. Yang spun around, planted her boots wide, and before I could brace myself she tossed me a whole meter forward like a ragdoll.
I stumbled, windmilling my arms to try to get my balance back. "Y-Yang!"
She cracked her knuckles. "Alright, we need to see what's different about you."
"Wait, wait, WAIT! I don't even have Crescent Rose!"
She grinned at me with the exact same expression she used before breaking a punching bag.
"Perfect. Then you'll actually try. If you've got new powers, they'll show up the moment you need 'em."
I blinked at her, baffled.
"...New powers?"
Yang stared at me.
One second.
Two.
Then she slapped her forehead.
"Oh my god, Ruby, you are so slow sometimes." She stepped forward and tapped my forehead. "Every pop? Something changes. You either get a new Semblance or a new skill. You seriously didn't notice?"
A realization drop-kicked my brain.
"Oh my-OH. Oh no. Every pop-something new-no way did I not-?!"
But I didn't even get to finish my dramatic self-insult because I was so busy with my own thoughts I didn't notice Yang step back into a fighting stance.
Then Yang blurred.
One moment she stood ten feet away.
The next she was right in front of me, and she threw a full-force haymaker at my face.
"EEP!"
Instinct took over. My Semblance burst to life in a swirl of petals, and I stumbled back, barely dodging her fist by inches. My boots skidded across the grass as the last bit of my momentum fizzled out, and I tossed in a tiny backflip, partly to recover, partly because it looked cool, and mostly because my body just did it on its own.
But Yang was already after me again, fast.
Not my kind of fast, but still fast enough that without my Semblance she would catch me in seconds.
So I did the only thing my panicked brain could think of I turned around and ran.
"HEY!" Yang yelled. "Get back here, don't you wanna know what new Semblance you got?"
I skidded to a stop a safe distance away.
"I don't wanna get beat up," I squeaked. "You know I'm not as good as you at hand-to-hand stuff."
Yang paused, tilted her head, and then her grin went all slow and evil.
"Okay then," she said in a sweet singsong voice. "If you don't want your magical sweets the ones you wouldn't stop talking about I guess I'll go eat them all myself."
I gasped, clutching my metaphorical soul with both hands.
"You wouldn't."
Yang lifted her chin smugly.
"Watch me."
Then she turned toward the house and started walking, slow and smug and evil, like she had already eaten every cookie and every cupcake, and she even had this threatening sparkle in her eyes that said my desserts were doomed.
I stood there, torn between self-preservation and dessert.
I could run away and avoid getting punched across the lawn...
Or I could protect the delicious, magical, perfect cookies.
I didn't even have to think about it not even a little. There was no other option. My heart decided before my brain could keep up.
I snapped forward in a torrent of petals, faster than I meant to, faster than I thought I even could. I turned solid again right in front of Yang, leapt into the air, and slammed both my feet straight into her stomach.
Yang flew back and skidded ten meters across the lawn, her aura sparking bright yellow.
She sprang back up almost immediately, grinning even wider.
"That's more like it."
Before I could even say anything, she vanished again.
Yang dashed forward so fast that even though I saw her coming, her fists were already flying at me in a wild flurry of rapid-fire punches. The distance was way too short; there was no chance I could dodge them all in time.
Looking back, I probably should have triggered my Semblance right away and zoomed out of reach. But in that moment, something strange some new instinct inside me whispered stay right here. It felt like a tiny spark of stubborn pride, something that pushed me to stand my ground instead of running.
Before I even understood that feeling, the first jab shot toward me. My body moved on its own, twisting just enough to let it miss. Another punch came instantly, then another, a nonstop blur of fists meant to overwhelm me. Somehow my reflexes jumped ahead of my brain. I ducked, weaved, leaned, blocked my movements flowing together like someone else was guiding me. Petals scattered around me as my Semblance flickered, trailing through the air like tiny sparks.
My hands shot out without thinking, and I struck Yang in the torso. It barely slowed her down. She just grinned at me, all proud and excited, with that look that said she was absolutely going to crank up the difficulty.
Seeing that look snapped my brain back into gear. I burst into petals and dashed backward, stumbling as I forced some distance between us. But Yang didn't wait. She flowed toward me again, switching from wild brawler to skilled martial artist in an instant. Her blows turned into a storm spinning elbows, fast jabs, high kicks, low sweeps, all coming from every direction. I blocked some, dodged others, my instincts pulling me through the chaos like strings I couldn't see.
I tried to punch back, but she shifted her stance mid-strike and absorbed it like it was nothing. Her grin grew even bigger. She was having fun, not just with the fight, but with watching me improve.
The pressure spiked. She moved faster, her fists and feet becoming almost simultaneous. I blocked a spinning backfist, ducked under a rising kick, rolled under a sweep, petals swirling around me in frantic bursts. My arms and legs moved before I even registered the threats.
But instincts only carry you so far. That limit hit when she fired off a move so fast it looked like a streak of light. Her elbow slammed into my stomach with a painful crack, launching me backward. My aura flickered wildly and uneven as I hit the ground, the breath knocked straight out of me.
My chest heaved. My thoughts started spiraling.
No way. First I misunderstand my Semblance. Then I start figuring it out. And now I am getting beat up again by my super strong sister. And I cannot beat her. I really cannot. There is no way, no way at all. There's seriously no way no way
Before I could panic too hard, I saw her crouch, ready to jump straight back into another combo. My body tensed automatically.
This time, logic cut through the fear. I could not keep this up. My movements were smooth, sure, but Yang had experience and actual skill and knowledge. My instincts were good, but not good enough to beat her head on.
So I would have to use the strongest weapon ever invented by humanity.
Man's ultimate weapon my brain.
And with this brain that I totally have create a strategy to beat Yang.
It took only a second for me to realize something important. I was underusing my Semblance. If I actually committed to it, maybe I could turn the fight around.
Her first punch shot forward. I turned incorporeal, slipping right through her as if she were thin air. Her eyes widened in shock and honestly, it was super funny.
I reappeared behind her instantly, petals swirling around me like a tiny tornado, my Semblance boosting my speed.
I did not hesitate. Petals whipped around my arm, adding force and momentum. I swung with everything I had, landing a solid haymaker into her back. The impact echoed across the lawn, sending a ripple through the air. Yang flew forward, her aura flickering, and for the first time I felt how strong I really was.
I hoped it hurt, because it definitely should have.
But before I could enjoy it for even one second, she twisted in midair, planted her hands on the ground, and launched herself at me. Her hair flared bright, her eyes glowed red, her Semblance roaring to life.
She reached me in a blink, fists and feet already moving in a storm of precise, lightning-fast strikes.
This time, my body and my Semblance moved as one. I blocked, parried, and countered with smooth precision, ducking under sweeping kicks, pivoting around spinning elbows, and leaping over low jabs. Petals trailed behind every motion, drifting in soft arcs whenever I had to phase to dodge some of Yang's faster attacks. Every strike, every shift of weight, felt instinctive, as if my entire body had turned into a weapon that already knew what to do before I could think.
We were locked in a perfect stalemate, trading blows and deflecting each strike with equal speed, until I saw an opening or at least I thought I did. I ran straight at her and phased right through her. The moment my body slid past hers, I swung my leg in a sharp arc, landing a kick to her side that caught her off guard for a heartbeat. Her aura flickered in surprise, but only for a moment. She grinned and spun into a rapid series of kicks, each one a blur. I twisted midair, flipping over her in a desperate arc to avoid a spin kick aimed at my head, landing in a roll that sent my aura flaring with each impact on the ground.
You might ask why not just phase again. I would especially if I had my weapon but I didn't. And even with phasing, there was a limit. Use it too often and the opponent learns to predict the moment I reappear, striking the instant I become solid.
With no choice left, I leaned on pure instinct, moving like my life actually depended on it.
The fight turned into a storm of movement, a blur of instinct and Semblance. Yang's fists and kicks came faster and faster, striking from every direction at once. I ducked under a high kick, spun around a sudden backfist, and jumped over a low sweep that nearly took my legs out from under me. Petals swirled and scattered with every movement, creating drifting trails of red behind me. My body moved with a rhythm I had never known before. I did not plan my strikes. I did not think. I simply acted. Each punch that landed, each dodge that I managed, felt like a tiny victory proof that I was learning at impossible speed.
But even in the chaos, something inside me shifted. It wasn't painful just strange, like a new part of my mind was uncoiling, preparing to wake up.
Yang's speed increased again, her attacks coming like overlapping waves. She struck at my head, ribs, legs, arms everything at once. I blocked a rising elbow, caught a side kick in midair, twisted to avoid a spinning hook, and then phased as another kick passed through the space where my chest had been a second earlier. Petals burst around me like sparks from a fire as I reappeared
Then a spinning kick I had not anticipated slammed into my side. Pain flared through my ribs as I went flying, petals scattering across the lawn. My aura flickered wildly. Everything slowed around me, as if time itself had stopped.
Midair, something inside me finally broke open.
But it wasn't what I expected.
Instead of something emerging from within me, I saw her a woman I didn't recognize. She wore flowing white robes, radiating a calm so impossible it felt wrong against the chaos tearing through me. Her features were indescribable, almost unfinished. I could make out eyes and a nose, though her eyes were closed, and yet her entire form was nothing but white. Even her hands, though present, were pale and indistinct, blending seamlessly into the shape of a woman I couldn't properly define.
Then she opened her eyes.
Ten pupils.
All red.
Clustered together like the eyes of an insect.
Her gaze sliced through every corner of my mind at the same time. And she smiled slowly, deliberately. As if she knew me. As if she had been waiting.
Before I could breathe, a tidal wave of emotion hit me. Every memory. Every fear. Every hope. Every hidden piece of myself. All of it tore through my mind in one overwhelming burst, so powerful I thought my skull might crack from the pressure.
And then-
Pop
(3/2 =Vortex Burst generally involves creating a spinning, concentrated burst of energy or wind that can throw enemies off balance or cause damage. Due to the low roll, it is just an idea for an attack that Ruby gets in her mind also it's a little bit easier to execute. That's it.)
Pop
(4/5 =A section listing Wind / Gale Magic spells. Due to the low roll, this is just an enhancement for Semblance this enhancement allowing her to manipulate the rose petals she leaves behind like the wind.)
Pop
(2 = 15 = Rêve de Durandal: The Unrivaled Sword of Dreams (絶世の儚剣レーヴ・デ・デュランダル, Zessei no Bō-ken Rēbu de Durandaru?) is the Noble Phantasm of Mandricardo. An Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm that becomes possible to activate upon release of the Oath of Durandal it is only usable when Mandricardo is finally able to obtain Durandal. Due to the high roll, the sword of dreams Durandal is fused into Crescent Rose, allowing the scythe to transform into a sword.)
In this form, it gains the following abilities:
• indestructibility
• supernatural sharpness
• and one of its most potent powers: a miracle.
Essentially, this allows the wielder to make a wish come true.
The limitations are broad but not absolute.
Using this power comes at a tremendous cost.
I don't know the exact cost, but the original wielder died after activating his Noble Phantasm, so I assume it could very well be fatal..