RWBYVerse: Vytal Monsters

Next Chapter >>> -coming soon-

<<< Previous Chapter

Illusive Paradox
Ruby on her upper bunk, Zwei sleeping beside her. Weiss just below them. Blake on her bunk. Ben and Yang cuddling below Blake. It was a quiet night for team RWBBY. It's been days after that little "Roman and the White Fang" incident. Now all they want is a good night sleep. It's been a tiring week.

But fate doesn't seem to agree with that.

A bright flash and a loud sonic boom in the room managed to irritate everyone asleep. Ruby covered her ears with a single pillow, Weiss did the same, Blake simply shifted in her sleep and Ben accidentally laid his head on Yang's breast, but Yang simply hugged him. Zwei, however, was the only one who woke up. He barked at Ruby.

"Go back to sleep, Zwei..." Ruby said, muffled under her pillow. Zwei hopped off the bunk bed.

Zwei barked again. This time, twice and louder. Ruby groaned and took the pillow off her face. "Zwei! I said slee--" She stopped talking. Zwei is looking at Ruby happily as Ruby is just staring at something behind Zwei.

"GUYS!" Ruby yelled. Her yelling caused her teammates to wake up and look at her. After seeing that she's looking at something else, they look at what Ruby is looking at. This surprised everyone, especially Ben.

"Is...Is that you?!" Ben yelled at the person standing behind Zwei.

The man behind Zwei is wearing a simple lab coat and goggles. He's also wearing a brown polo shirt underneath his lab coat. He seems to be at his 50s...but he's been living for 100,000 years and simply stopped aging. His name is...

"Professor Paradox?!?!" Ben yelled.

"You know him, Ben?" Ruby said, getting off her bunk.

"Of course, he does, young Ruby Rose. He's known me since the day he met me. Or should I say, the day I will meet him. Time travel makes verb tenses really confusing." Paradox replied.

"How does he know my name?" Ruby said.

"Time travel?" Blake asked, facing Ben instead.

Ben rubbed his head. "Yeah...He can do that stuff. And don't be surprised if he knows who you are. He time travels. He's probably met you at some point. Anyway..." Ben faces Paradox. "What are you doing here, Paradox? And why didn't you appear before? Like, when I got transported here for the first time!"

Paradox sighed. "Very well, you deserve an explanation like your real counterpart."

Ben froze in place when he heard that. "Counterpart?"

"Ben...There's something you must know... You are not the real Ben."

Complete silence filled the room.

"...Explain." Yang said, closing her eyes. When she opens them, they were bright red. "Explain why you're telling us that my boyfriend is not real...EXPLAIN!" Yang yelled.

"Calm down, Ms. Xiao Long. Let me talk." Paradox said, clearing his throat. "Ben, do you remember the grenade that Fisttrick threw at you?"

Ben nodded, still don't know how to feel.

"The grenade is made by Eon. I'm sure you remember him. It was designed to incapacitate a target by transporting the target to a small black hole." Paradox explained.

Ben felt silent. Yang held his hand, trying to comfort him. Ruby, Weiss and Blake all looked at each other in worry for their teammate.

"Once the black hole has completely sucked in the target, it will cause the target to be transferred to a different dimension. However... there's a catch. In order for the target to never be found, the grenade will create multiple clones of the original, all with the same memories, appearance and so on. The clones will then be sent to separate dimensions, thus, those who would look for the target, like friends and family for example, will have a hard time determining where the real target is." Paradox continued.

"So.......I'm one of these clones?" Ben asked.

Paradox looked down. "Sadly, yes. The real Ben was transported to a different dimension. But, just last month, he has managed to go back to his dimension after being found by Rook, Gwen and Kevin."

Tears fell from Ben's eyes. Knowing that this whole time that you weren't real, that you were just used as a decoy, it hurts him. Especially after thinking all the memories you have, good or bad...they belong to someone else and simply copied. Ben...Team RWBBY's Ben Tennyson... is not the real Ben. Yang, seeing her beloved crying, hugged him tightly. Ruby, Weiss and Blake all had tears in their face.

Paradox himself felt guilty... but he had to tell the truth.

"Professor..." Ben said as Yang lets go of him.

"Yes, Ben? I'll answer any question you have." Paradox said.

"...What happens to the other clones of the original? Including me?" Ben asked.

"Well, once the original has arrived in his original dimension, the clones will be trapped in the dimension they were transported in. And...well...it has already happened." Paradox said.

"I see... Then...I'm stuck in Remnant?" Ben asked.

Paradox nodded.

Another silence filled the room. Yang hugged Ben again. Ruby, Weiss and Blake all follow suit and did a group hug. Even Zwei joined in by rubbing his head on Ben's feet.

"I'm sorry Ben... I have told this to your other counterparts and they reacted the same way. But I thought it was best if all of you knew the truth." Paradox said.

"It's okay, Professor. I... I'm... just tired..." Ben said after the group hug ended.

"Very well. But I must go, Ben. As much as it pains me to leave you like this, I have other things to attend to." Paradox said. Ben simply nodded.

"Where are you going?" Weiss asked.

"I am a time traveling hero, Ms. Schnee. Ben is a good friend of mine, but even I have other things to do." Paradox explained.

Blake nodded. "We understand. We'll take care of Ben, Professor."

"Please do, Ms. Belladonna." Paradox replied.

Ben then went back to bed, tears still on his eyes.

"Ms. Xiao Long." Paradox called Yang's attention.

"Yeah?" Yang asked.

"Though I know he cares for all of you young ladies, you are currently the most important person in his life. Please do take care of him" Paradox said.

Yang wiped away her tears and nodded. "You don't have to tell me." Yang said.

"And...please do not try to be rough on him by Friday. He's rather inexperienced." Paradox replied with a smirk.

"Huh?" Yang asked. Sure she knows he's a time traveler, but what's gonna happen in Friday that he knows about.

"Well, take care, young ladies. And take care of your Ben." Paradox said as he disappeared in a bright flash of light.

Team RWBY all looked at each other then at Ben, who has fallen asleep.

"Guys...We need to do whatever we can to comfort Ben." Ruby suggested.

"We know, Ruby. But, as much as it pains me to say this, I feel tired to do that right now. It's the middle of the night." Weiss said.

Blake agreed. "Weiss has a point. We can't comfort him in our current situation. We'll think of something tomorrow."

"Okay. Let's hope for the best." Ruby said. Ruby, Weiss and Blake all went back to their beds. Yang simply sat down on her and Ben's bed. She strokes the hair of her sleeping boyfriend. Tears run down her eyes.

Ben...I'm sorry you had to enjure this...I love you...I'll do anything to help you...

~O~

"I see." Ozpin said to Ruby and Weiss.

"He can't leave Beacon or even Remnant even if he wanted to." Weiss said.

"If he did leave Beacon, he has no place to stay." Ruby continued. "Please, Professor... Let Ben stay with us. I know that actual students need to go through tests or something but--" Ruby said but was interrupted by Ozpin.

"Who says I'm not letting him stay?" Ozpin said.

Ruby and Weiss were astonished at first but then smiled. "Really?" Weiss asked.

"Ben's been staying here for the past one and a half semester. He's practically a real member of the school now. Besides...If his condition is as harsh as you said... Then I believe that Ben may not have a place in the dimension of his counterpart... but he has a place here." Ozpin finished.

Ruby and Weiss both nod.

"You ladies need to tend to your teammate. Besides, your team still has classes." Ozpin said.