- For a page about fables, see Fairy Tales.
"The Lost Fable" is the third episode of Volume 6 and the sixty-ninth episode of RWBY. It premiered for Rooster Teeth FIRST members on November 10th, 2018 and was made public on the Rooster Teeth site on November 17th, 2018. It was released on YouTube on November 16th, 2019.
Summary[]
In a flashback narrated by Jinn, with apparitions of Team RWBY, Qrow Branwen and Oscar Pine occasionally appearing to react to the events, Salem, completely Human, in an era when magic was available to all Humanity, is kept isolated in a tower by her father, desperate for freedom. Ozma rescues her, and when she asks where they should go now, he responds "wherever you'd like". The two fall in love.
Some time later, after Ozma dies of illness, Salem petitions the God of Light to resurrect him, and when he refuses, she goes to the God of Darkness, who agrees. Before she and Ozma can leave, the God of Light arrives and destroys Ozma again, the God of Darkness again resurrects him, and the two fight. Their difference is resolved, however, when the God of Light reveals to the God of Darkness that Salem only came to him upon the God of Light's own refusal to resurrect Ozma.
The God of Darkness then destroys Ozma, and Salem flies into a rage and attacks both gods, only to be teleported to a great height above a pool in the Domain of Light. After nearly drowning, she awakens on the surface, which supports her body like land, and the two gods tell her that she is now immortal, and so can never be with Ozma, until she has learned "the importance of life and death".
After several failed suicide attempts, Salem realizes that she, as a mortal, having lied to the gods and turned them against one another exposes their fallibility. She goes to the thee monarchs of the world - the Fat King, the Stern Queen and the Zealous King - claiming to have stolen her immortality from the gods, and raises an army, thus learning from her curse that "the hearts of men are easily swayed". The army sends a volley of magic at the God of Darkness, which he easily dismisses, and right after wipes out all of Humanity except for Salem. The gods leave the world, the God of Darkness shattering the moon as he does so.
Salem, now completely alone, still refuses to blame herself for her fate. She returns to the Land of Darkness, and in yet another suicide attempt, leaps into a Grimm pool, which does not kill her, but corrupts her, giving her the chalk-white skin and hair and red eyes of her modern self, albeit her skin lacking its markings.
"Between realms", the God of Light tells Ozma that his brother has destroyed Humanity, and that while it will one day return, it will return to a world without their presence. Instead, he leaves behind the four Relics, saying that when they are brought together, Humanity will be judged, and either the brothers will return to guide Humanity again, or, if they find them still fighting among themselves, the world will be destroyed. Until this happens, he will reincarnate in a way that ensures he'll never be alone. He refuses at first, saying he would prefer to join Salem in the afterlife, but accepts upon being told she's still alive, despite the God of Light's warning that she is no longer the woman he loved.
Ozma awakens in the head of a Human man during a Grimm attack. Upon getting his bearings, he takes control of his host to save the life of another man, who asks his name, which Oscar observes Ozma doesn't know. The world he's now in is different from the one he knew, with Grimm attacks frequent, Humanity lacking innate magic, and the Faunus now living among them, kept in cages. Hearing of a woman called "the witch", Ozma, correctly thinking her to be Salem, goes to find her, and upon reuniting with her, asks what they do now, to which she echoes his response from the tower, saying "whatever we like".
Ozma laments the state of the world to Salem, to which she responds that Humanity needs "someone to guide them", as they once had, and that she and Ozma, the only two with magic, should take on that role. As Jinn repeats Salem's past lesson that "the hearts of men are easily swayed", the two of them theatrically destroy a Nevermore attacking a village, leading the villagers to bow down before them. They soon use their influence to found a kingdom, which they rule over as they raise their four daughters.
As Ozma becomes increasingly concerned about the harsh means by which he and Salem have come to enforce their rule, one of their daughters interrupts their discussion to show that she's learned to do magic. Ozma tells Salem the mission given to him by the God of Light, only for Salem to respond that there's no longer any point to redeeming Humanity, but that rather they should replace them with their own line. This prompts Ozma to attempt to sneak their daughters out of the castle, but Salem stops them.
Salem and Ozma fight, causing significant damage to the castle; the details of their fight are not seen, but team RWBY look on in abject horror, and at the end is shown the burnt doll of one of the daughters. Lamenting that "we finally had freedom", Salem kills Ozma's incarnation.
As Ozma reincarnates again and again, he decides that Humanity cannot be redeemed without destroying Salem. Knowing that this cannot be accomplished by mortal means, he hunts down the Relic of Knowledge, and asks the location of the other Relics, their powers, and how to destroy Salem, to the last of which Jinn responds simply, "you can't". Ozma falls to his knees in despair, becoming a similarly dismayed Oscar kneeling in the snow.
Transcript[]
A blue smoke appears, revealing Salem staring from her window of the tower, her arms crossed. A woman humming can be heard in the background.
Jinn: (narrating) Locked away by her cruel father, Salem was a girl who desired but one thing: freedom.
Salem walks away with sadness as Ruby Rose watches her do so when Salem passed by her.
Jinn: She lived in a time when kings and their Kingdoms were plentiful, when men and women were capable of greatness, and magic was a gift from the Gods that all could wield.
Salem sits down and leans against the vanity. She holds her left hand, using her magic; four magical spheres with a magic circle in six basic colors appear over her hand.
Jinn: And yet, there she sat within her tower.
As Salem looks down, the blue smoke reappears and envelops Salem to the next scene. It reforms the castle Salem resides in.
Jinn: Until one day, a legendary hero came to brave the challenges within the tower's walls.
A young man in armor and a cape wielding a scepter appears standing proudly in front of the tower. Qrow Branwen can be seen walking up to him.
Jinn: The people of the lands knew him as Ozma.
Qrow waves his hand in front of Ozma's face, but the latter proceeds forward unfazed, simply phasing through Qrow's hand.
Jinn: Unlike those who had come before, this warrior was not driven by the prize of the young maiden's hand. He fought only for righteousness, and his pure heart and courageous soul prevailed.
As Ozma walks up to the tower, other warriors are shown falling in battle. Blue smoke reforms the scene once again, this time showing Ozma using his scepter to strike down a dark-armored figure. Ozma then opens up a door leading to Salem's room, where she stands up and offers a grateful smile to him. Blue smoke reforms the scene of them battling side by side with their magic powers.
Jinn: They escaped the wretched fortress, and yet something bound them together.
Smoke reforms the scene showing Ozma and Salem running away from the tower holding hands together. Once at a safe distance, the two stop to catch their breath before looking to each other.
Jinn: Ozma had been ready to give his life for justice countless times, but now saw a woman worth saving it for. And Salem, to her surprise, found her freedom not in the outside world she had yearned for, but in the eyes of the man that had saved her.
Salem: So, where should we go now?
Ozma: (offering his hand to her) Wherever you'd like.
Jinn: The two fell deeply in love, planned adventures around the world, and lived happily ever after.
Smoke envelops the environment around Ozma and Salem as the two hold hands. The two disappear into a bright light of white space.
Jinn: Or at least that's what should have been.
Smoke then reforms the scene showing Salem kneeling at an unconscious Ozma's bedside. Salem holds Ozma's hand and can be heard sobbing.
Jinn: Ozma, the infallible hero of legend, fell ill. And where all the beasts and blades of the world had fallen short, a single sickness prevailed.
Ozma's body disappears in smoke as Salem continues sobbing, holding his scepter in her hands. Weiss Schnee can be seen behind her watching.
Salem: How could the Gods let this happen?
As Weiss continues to watch in pity, she looks up to notice two spheres - one bright yellow and the other a dark purple - circling above her head.
Jinn: The Gods, brothers of light and darkness, creation and destruction. Salem prayed they would see the injustice that had befallen her love and make things right.
The two orbs encircling above lower down, with Blake Belladonna watching the two conjoin in front of her. A bright light and blue smoke transitions the scene, this time showing a brightly lit place with a stairway leading up the mountain.
Jinn: The Domain of Light was a sacred place.
Salem approaches the stairway, offering flowers. She holds Ozma's scepter in her hand.
Jinn: It was here the elder brother dwelled beside his fountain of life and creation. It was here... where mankind would fall to ruin.
Weiss watches Salem walk up the stairs as smoke transitions the scene again, with Salem now at the top of the mountain as she looks upon the Domain of Light, valley filled with flowers with a pool of water and a tree at the center. Leaves blow from the tree and encircles above the water, and from it, the God of Light rises from the pool. He walks forward to Salem.
Salem: (falling to her knees) Please... Please, bring him back to me.
God of Light: I understand your pain, but you demand of me that which I cannot make so. Life and death are part of a delicate balance.
Salem: So... you won't do it then?
God of Light: To disrupt the cycle of--
Salem: But that's not fair... That's not fair!
Salem's voice echoes throughout the Domain from her last exclamation.
God of Light: (sternly) Let. Him. Rest.
The wind picks up, causing leaves to blow around Salem. Suddenly, she finds herself back at the bottom of the stairway leading to the Domain of Light. She looks to Ozma's scepter in her hands before looking up angrily.
Salem: No.
Blue smoke transitions the scene again, this time showing a dark, foreboding environment with a stairway leading up the mountain, similarly mirroring that of the Domain of Light's.
Jinn: The God of Darkness…
Salem approaches some skeletal remains at the bottom of the stairs.
Jinn: None dare to enter his home, as men knew what monstrosities emerged from his blackened pools of annihilation.
Salem proceeds forward, approaching a blackened pool of tar-like liquid similar to that of which the Creatures of Grimm spawn from.
Jinn: And so you must understand the Dark Lord's surprise when he found a lone woman kneeling before him.
From the blackened pool, the God of Darkness emerges, his body twisted and contorted. Yang Xiao Long is seen standing a few feet away from Salem, gasping in fear at the sight. The God of Darkness crawls toward Salem in an unnatural position. Grimm can be seen inching closer to her.
Jinn: Salem understood it well. She told him of her loss and professed that she knew only he could answer her prayers, all while careful to make no mention of his elder.
Salem is seen telling her story to the God of Darkness before offering Ozma's scepter to him.
God of Darkness: Rise, child, and let your faith in me be rewarded.
Salem does so. The God of Darkness then conjures a purple sphere, and from it, Ozma's body appears. Salem approaches him, and Ozma gasps back to life.
Ozma: Where am I? What is this?! WHERE AM I?!!
Salem: (smiling) It's okay! Everything's going to be okay!
Suddenly, the God of Light appears with a sound of thunder at the top of the stairs leading into the God of Darkness' domain.
God of Light: (angered) What have you done?
God of Darkness: I have done what I please, brother. You may bask in the powers of creation, but you do not own them.
God of Light: This is not creation.
God of Darkness: Do not lecture me!
The Grimm can be seen slowly approaching the God of Light.
God of Light: I will do what I must to maintain order.
The God of Light puts his hand out, and an orange aura surrounds Ozma's body, before he disintegrates in Salem's arms.
Salem: No! No! What did you do?! BRING HIM BACK!
God of Darkness: You dare enter my domain and show such disrespect!
The God of Darkness makes Ozma's body appear again.
Salem: Ozma!
God of Light: I am abiding by the rules we agreed upon!
God of Darkness: Rules that I now see are ever in your favor. And yet the day a mortal comes to pray at my feet before your own, so do you arrive to lay your judgment upon me!
The God of Darkness transforms into a nightmarish, dragon-like form that snarls at the God of Light. The Grimm proceed forward and attempt to attack him, but a bright light emanates from him, destroying all the Grimm in the area. He transforms into a bright, beautiful oriental-looking dragon.
God of Light: I know we have our differences, but I have not come here with the aim to control you. The same, however, cannot said for her. This woman came to you only after I denied her pleas – pleas that would have disrupted the balance that you and I created. Together.
The younger brother ponders this revelation.
God of Darkness: Then it seems I owe you an apology. Allow me to correct my mistake.
Salem: No!
The God of Darkness fires a purple beam from his dragon form's mouth, disintegrating Ozma once again. Salem watches as Ozma's ashes blow away out of her hands.
Salem: You… You monsters! Give him back to me! GIVE HIM BACK!!
Salem activates her magical abilities. Suddenly, the God of Light rushes forward and devours her.
Salem then wakes up falling from the sky. She is then submerged in the God of Light's pool, drowning as an aura-like shimmer covers her body. Suddenly, she finds herself on the surface of the water, catching her breath. She looks up and notices both of the God Brothers standing side by side.
God of Light: When you first came to me, I did pity you. But it is clear now that your selfishness and arrogance have led you astray.
Salem: (standing back up) What did you do to me?
The aura-like shimmer is seen on her hands.
God of Light: I have made you immortal.
Salem: Immortal?
God of Darkness: You cannot die. You cannot be with your beloved.
Both Gods: So long as this world turns, you shall walk its face.
Salem stares back at them in disbelief.
God of Light: You must learn the importance of life and death. Only then may you rest.
Salem tries to reach out to them, but then finds herself transported to a vast open field.
Jinn: Salem was a prisoner once again. Her fruitless attempts to reunite with Ozma eventually became nothing more than acts of spite and defiance against the Gods.
Ruby is seen back in Ozma's room, watching a shadow of Salem as she fatally stabs herself. Ruby covers her mouth with her hands in horror. Salem's suicide attempt fails due to her immortality.
Jinn: But perhaps the Gods were not as powerful as they seemed…
Ruby watches Salem walk to a window, who is still holding the sword she attempted to stab herself with.
Jinn: She had lied to them, turned them against one another, they… were fallible.
Salem sets her sights on a castle in the distance.
Jinn: If she were to turn humanity against light and darkness, she could rid herself of their curse, or at the very least… she could make them suffer.
Salem then throws the sword toward Ruby's way. Ruby yelps in panic as she disappears in a puff of smoke just as the sword was about to strike her. Smoke transitions the scene, showing a king standing up in surprise as a bloodied ax is thrown to the ground.
Jinn: Salem traveled from one Kingdom to another, telling tales of how she stole immortality from the Gods, welcomed any swordsman to cut her down, and demonstrated her powers.
Salem is shown speaking to various leaders of Kingdoms, including the aforementioned king from before, an oriental-looking empress and her subjects, and finally to a savage-looking warrior king.
Jinn: With the kings and queens in awe, she pulled them deeper into her scheme. She painted them pictures of a time when they would no longer have to watch their loved ones wither and die, when they could claim the powers of their creators for themselves, and in turn, perfect their own design.
As Salem finishes telling her story to the warrior king, she kneels before him. The warrior draws his weapon and let's out a proud battle cry, with his people cheering along with him. The combined forces of the Kingdoms are then shown launching an all out assault on the Domain of Light.
Jinn: All they needed to do was destroy their old masters.
As the warriors run in, the God of Light emerges from the pool in his dragon form.
Jinn: The Gods had hoped that Salem would learn from her eternal curse, and she did. She learned that the hearts of men are easily swayed.
The leaders of the Kingdoms Salem had spoken to stand in front of their people approaching the God of Light. The God of Darkness, also in his dragon form, then appears alongside his elder brother.
God of Light: Who has led you down this path?
Salem is then seen walking through the crowds of warriors as she makes her way to the front of them. She glares at the Gods.
God of Darkness: You... (roars at Salem)
In response, Salem launches a magical attack, and the warriors follow suit. A barrage of attacks are launched at the God of Darkness, but he easily catches them all into his hand, absorbing them into a purple sphere of energy. Everyone looks in shock.
God of Darkness: My own gift to them... used against me.
The God of Light looks away in disappointment as the God of Darkness squeezes the sphere within his hand, creating a massive shockwave that envelops the world, smiting everything and everyone in its path. Humanity has been turned to dust, only Salem remains due to her immortality.
Salem: No... no...
Salem gets knocked back when the God of Darkness stomps his foot in the ground.
God of Darkness: You thought there was no greater punishment we could bestow upon you?
Salem: I'll come back. I'll tell the rest of the world of this massacre! Build a new army!
God of Darkness: You do not understand. There is no one left. You are all that remains of Humanity.
Salem's expression turns shocked at this revelation.
God of Light: This planet was a beautiful experiment, but it is merely a remnant of what it once was. We will learn from this failure. I hope that you will learn from yours.
The God of Light disappears into a bright light of dust.
Salem: No! You can't leave! You can't leave!! COME BACK!
God of Darkness: Still demanding things of your creators...
The God of Darkness also disappears into a beam of purple light that shoots up into the sky and out of the atmosphere. In the process, the moon is shattered. Moon fragments rain down like meteors back onto the planet's surface. Salem falls to her knees and lets out a scream of despair that is muted out by the crashing meteors.
Jinn: Once again, Salem was alone...
Salem is seen walking alone. She walks by a pair of deer eating grass, as well as abandoned villages that are now inhabited by Grimm.
Jinn: She cursed the Gods. She cursed the universe. She cursed everything, everything but herself. She wandered the face of the planet, awaiting a death that would never come...
Salem then stands on the edge of an overhanging cliff in the land once inhabited by the God of Darkness. She looks down at the blackened pool below her.
Jinn: Until fate led her back to the Land of Darkness. This was it. This had to be it, the brother's Grimm, the pools of black that continued to give rise to horrific nightmares. If the fountain of life granted her immortality, then surely, the pools of Grimm will finally take it away.
Without hesitation, Salem falls forward and is submerged into the blackened pool.
Jinn: She was wrong. This force of pure destruction could not destroy a being of infinite life.
Salem is thrashed around by an unseen force.
Jinn: Instead, it created a being of infinite life with a desire for pure destruction.
Salem crawls out of the pool, this time, her skin deathly white as well as her hair. She opens her eyes, irises red with black sclerae.
Jinn: And in time, she would find her adversary...
Ozma is shown awakening in a white space. He takes a look at his surroundings. Team RWBY all watch him walk around aimlessly, before a voice can be heard.
God of Light: Ozma.
Ozma turns around seeing the God of Light in his dragon form, before turning back into his regular form.
Ozma: Where am I?
God of Light: We are between realms. I'm afraid a tragedy has befallen your home at the hands of my brother. We have chosen to depart this world, but in our absence, I would like to offer you the chance to return to it.
Ozma: I... don't understand.
God of Light: Mankind is no more, yet your world remains. And in time, your kind will grow to walk its face once again. However, without our presence, they will be but a fraction of what they once were.
Suddenly, the God of Light conjures four objects: a Staff, a Sword, a Crown, and a Lamp.
God of Light: Creation, destruction, choice, and knowledge were the ideals upon which Humanity was made. Now I leave them behind with the hope that you will learn to remake yourselves.
The four objects are conjoined together into a yellow sphere of energy.
God of Light: If brought together, these four Relics will summon my brother and I back to your world, and Humanity will be judged. If your kind has learned to live in harmony with one another and set aside their differences, then we shall once again live among you, and Humanity will be made whole again. But if your kind is unchanged, if you demand our blessings while still fighting amongst yourselves, then man will be found irredeemable and your world will be wiped from existence. Until your task is complete, you will reincarnate, but in a manner that ensures you are never alone.
Ozma falls to his knees as he comes to terms with this ultimatum. Oscar Pine watches him.
Ozma: I'm sorry, but... that world just isn't as dear to me without her. If I may, I'd rather return to the afterlife to see Salem.
God of Light: You will not find her there.
Ozma: (eyes widening) You mean she isn't gone?
God of Light: Salem lives, but the woman you hold dear in your memories is gone. Heed this warning... where you seek comfort, you will only find pain. So, will you--
Ozma: I'll do it.
The God of Light looks in surprise at Ozma's immediate answer.
God of Light: Very well. Our creation rests within your hands.
The God of Light then disappears.
Jinn: And so Ozma was reborn.
Ozma reincarnates into a man with a tanned complexion and pale blonde hair, who had just stabbed a Beowolf with a pitchfork, causing it to disintegrate. Ozma takes the time to come to terms in his new body and surroundings. He looks up and sees people screaming and running into the forest he is in away from a burning village in the distance.
Ozma: Where am I?
Ozma hears a man scream, and looks over to see him flailing a sword at a Beowolf, which swipes at him to the ground, disarming him. Ozma's pevious soul takes over and runs forward, grabbing the man's sword and slaying the Beowolf. The man gets back up.
Man: (relieved) Thank you. Please, tell me your name. Who are you?
Suddenly, Ozma's newest reincarnate has trouble speaking, and throws the sword to the ground in horror. Oscar watches the scene before him.
Oscar: He didn't know...
As Jinn continues to narrate, Ozma walks down a street, seeing along the way Faunus locked up in cages, and a pile of Dust crystals on top of a table.
Jinn: Ozma had found himself in a world completely unfamiliar to him. Cities looked different. Creatures known as the Faunus bore fangs and claws and were locked away in cages. And without the blessing of the Gods, no one could perform magic like mankind was once capable of, no one but himself and a woman known as... the witch.
The environment around Ozma changes from the city to a forest as he comes upon a lonely, dilapidated cottage in the woods.
Jinn: During his years of travel, he heard the same frightened whispers that spoke of a terrifying sorceress who commanded dark powers in the wilds among the beasts and monsters. Ozma was convinced that this witch was Salem, and decided he needed to see what she had become.
Ozma stands at a distance from the cottage. The front door opens, and from the darkness beyond, Salem emerges, wearing black robes this time. She gives an angry glare while exiting the cottage, but suddenly, her expression softens upon seeing her visitor. Ozma likewise smiles back at her.
Jinn: Call it magic or call it something stronger, but in that moment, the two knew exactly who it was that stood before them.
Ozma and Salem walk towards each other, the two hold each other's hands, interlocking their fingers affectionately.
Ozma: What do we do now?
Salem: Whatever we like.
As time passes, the scene shows the cottage changing from its dilapidated state to a much better condition, following with Salem and Ozma conversing with one another at a table on the front porch.
Jinn: As Salem and Ozma recounted the events which had brought them back together, each withheld parts of their story. Salem, fearing Ozma would reject her, blamed the end of the world on the Gods. Ozma, still unsure of where the truth lay, kept his task and the Relics a secret. Though time passed and all seemed well, Ozma's conversation with the God of Light still lingered in his mind. He had found happiness, but Humanity seemed more divided than ever before.
Salem and Ozma head back inside the cottage, still talking to each other.
Salem: Are you surprised? This world is quite literally godless. These Humans have no one to guide them. Perhaps that's all they need.
Ozma: What are you saying?
Salem: We could become the gods of this world. Our powers surpass all others. Our souls transcend death. We can mold these lands into whatever we want, what you want, create the paradise that the old Gods could not.
Ozma is troubled at first, but then smiles in agreement with Salem. The two of them look each other in the eyes as Salem places an affectionate hand on Ozma's shoulder.
Jinn: The hearts of men... are easily swayed.
A village is shown under attack by a Nevermore. Suddenly, a purple energy surrounds the Nevermore, causing it to be bent and folded into unnatural positions. The Nevermore disintegrates, and the villagers watch as Ozma, once again wielding his scepter and wearing regal robes, and Salem levitate into the air side-by-side above them. They all bow down to the couple in reverence. Weiss and Yang are shown walking up to two statues of Ozma and Salem that are then erected.
Jinn: The two amassed a following. That following grew into a prosperous Kingdom.
A castle then appears, the camera pans into a large room with a painting of Ozma and Salem together.
Jinn: And at the head of that Kingdom blossomed... (four little girls then appear in the painting) ...a family.
Ozma and Salem watch their four daughters playing together, the little girls all wearing colors on their dresses similar to that of the Four Maidens. One of their daughters comes up to the two of them, playfully tugging on Salem's robe. The two parents smile at her before smiling at each other.
Blue smoke transitions the scene, showing a massive conflict between people that is being observed inside a crystal ball by a smirking Salem. Ozma stands a short distance away from her looking outside the window.
Ozma: (troubled) Are we sure this is right?
Salem: (looking over to Ozma) You said we needed to bring Humanity together. In order to do that, we have to spread our word, and destroy those who will deny it.
Ozma gains a shocked expression on his face upon hearing these words. He turns to see his reflection on the window, which suddenly talks to him.
Ozma: What are we doing?
Ozma reels back in horror seeing his reflection ask him that question, briefly becoming his original incarnation, before looking over to Salem.
Ozma: This isn't what he asked of me...
Salem: What did you say?
The two then hear a door open, and their eldest daughter enters the room excitedly.
Eldest Daughter: Mother, father, look!
Their daughter then conjures multicolored wisps that fly in circles in front of her. Salem has a proud expression on her face, while Ozma looks on in surprise, before looking down with his troubled expression again.
Jinn: It was a miracle, their children could perform magic. But what should have been a joyous occasion was short-lived.
Smoke transitions the scene again, this time showing Ozma telling what he knows to Salem in his study.
Jinn: Ozma told Salem everything, the true reason the God of Light had brought him back, the Relics that they scattered around the world, and the day of judgement he had been told to prepare for.
Ozma finishes his explanation to Salem.
Salem: Don't you see? None of that matters anymore. Why spend our lives trying to redeem these Humans when we can replace them with what they could never be?
Salem offers her hand out, but Ozma hesitates to take it, backing away in disgust. Smoke transitions the scene again showing Ozma quietly escorting his daughters through the quiet halls. The youngest daughter looks down the hallway, noticing something.
Youngest Daughter: Mommy?
Salem stands at the end of the hall menacingly. Ozma protectively stands in front of his daughters. Salem, realizing what he is doing, angrily conjures a red beam from her hand. Ozma uses his scepter to counter Salem's attack, launching a green beam. Their attacks clash, engulfing the area into a bright white flash. Ruby and Weiss watch in horror as Ozma and Salem fight throughout the castle. Their battle causes the castle to collapse and be destroyed in the process. A charred plush toy is shown, implying the daughters were killed in the fearsome battle. Ozma weakly crawls away leaving a trail of blood on the ground. Salem then reforms thanks to her immortality, and angrily walks over to Ozma. She kicks him over onto his back and holds him down with her foot.
Salem: We finally had freedom...
Ozma weakly looks up at her.
Ozma: I--
A blast of fire from Salem engulfs Ozma, killing him once again.
Jinn: Thus began a long and painful cycle of death and rebirth for Ozma.
A montage of Ozma's various reincarnates are shown, including a frail man weakly walking by many gravestones, followed by a despondent man walking in the rain, who would rather drink his problems away.
Jinn: Some lives were spent in mourning, many were spent attempting to forget it all.
Finally, Ozma reincarnates to a dark-skinned man with glasses who starts off slouching, but then eventually stands straight up and determinedly walks forward.
Jinn: But no matter what, his mind would eventually turn back to the task he had been burdened with.
Ozma's newest reincarnate is shown serving a meal to his wife and two children, both of whom interestingly have silver eyes. A mirror image of the man is shown behind him, leaning on a nearby wall.
Jinn: And as the centuries went on, Ozma began to learn the importance of living with the souls with which he had been paired.
Ozma then hears screaming outside. He opens the door and sees villagers running around in panic as Grimm attack.
Jinn: But no matter where or how he lived, her presence was always felt.
Ozma looks back to his wife, who nods in understanding, before going out with The Long Memory into battle.
Jinn: If Humanity were ever to stand a chance at being united, one thing was clear...
Ruby: (knowing the answer already) He had to destroy Salem...
Smoke then transitions showing Ozma's reincarnation many years older now, tinkering with his cane in his workshop.
Jinn: Knowing he could never rid the world of her through any mortal means, Ozma sought out the power of the Relics.
The elderly tinkerer then places his cane inside a metal cabinet, closing the door on it. The door opens again showing Ozma's newest reincarnation, a well-dressed man, picking up the cane where he last left it in his previous life.
Jinn: Armed with my knowledge, he believed he could fulfill his promise to the God of Light.
Ozma is next shown holding the Relic of Knowledge, summoning Jinn for the first time. All of Team RWBY can be seen with him as they walk towards Jinn.
Ozma: Where are the other Relics?
Jinn: He asked me his questions.
Ozma: What powers do they possess?
Jinn: And though I gave him my answers...
Ozma: How do I destroy Salem?
Jinn: ...not all of them were to his liking.
Team RWBY watches as Jinn gives her answer to Ozma.
Jinn: You can't.
Upon hearing this, Ozma falls to his knees in despair, Ruby, Weiss and Blake all have shocked expressions, and Yang closes her eyes in anger. Ozma remains on his knees as Jinn disappears before him. The camera pans out, transitioning Ozma to his current reincarnation, Oscar, who lowers his head in sadness as the snow falls once again.
Characters[]
- Salem
- Ruby Rose
- Ozma/Ozpin
- Qrow Branwen
- Weiss Schnee
- Blake Belladonna
- Yang Xiao Long
- God of Light (First Appearance)
- God of Darkness (First Appearance)
- Oscar Pine
- Ozma & Salem's Unnamed Children (First Appearance)
- Ozma Incarnation's Family (First Appearance)
- Jinn
Trivia[]
- According to Miles Luna, this episode includes material from one of the first test scripts ever written for RWBY, which was titled "The Trials and Tribulations of Salem the Witch."[1]
- Miles considers this to be one of the most complicated episodes the RWBY crew has ever made, on every level.[2]
- Not counting credits, this is the longest episode of RWBY to date.
- Jinn refers to the Grimm as "The Brother's Grimm", most likely referencing The Brothers Grimm, two brothers responsible for the famous classic collection of German fairy tales, which includes Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White and Hansel and Gretel.
- Ozma and Salem's daughters wear dresses reminiscent of the four Maidens, blue (Winter, who also has ice crystal-like details), pink (Summer, whose yellow skirt also has a big Sun), green (Spring, whose bow and dress trimming also has a leaf-like pattern) and orange (Fall, with the upper parts in brown, similar to Amber's clothes). The eldest daughter in blue also has a chain headdress and belt like the ones worn by Jinn.
- The chapter was inspired by the Harry Potter series of novels and television series Game of Thrones.[1]
- The whole episode was mocapped in a single weekend.[1]
- The scene where Salem throws herself into the pool of Grimm was inspired by the video game "Brutal Legend".[1]
- Originally, "The Lost Fable" was chapter 3 and 4, but they combined them into one.[1]
- Originally, there was going to be more dialogue from the main cast during this episode, but they decided against it.[1]
- The toy dog that one of the children has is a Wizard of Oz reference.[1]
- The children for one of Ozma's reincarnations have silver eyes.[1]
See Also[]
Image Gallery[]
- Main article: The Lost Fable/Image Gallery
References[]
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