Chapter 1: Deadly Nerves
I'm running through the Emerald Forest. Everything around me begins to blur together. My cloak is ripped, as as my combat outfit. Purple tatters surround me and continues to catch on limbs and bushes. I hear Beowolves and Ursai in the distance, chasing me. My life flashes before my eyes as I think of all the things I never got to do, all the things I never got to say.
Suddenly, Beowolves surround me and force me to stop. I turn in a tight circle to see how many I have to face. There are more than twenty Beowolves and four Ursai. I pull my rapier, Blaze, from my left hip. Circling around, I make a glyph that propels me toward the first four Beowolves. I slash through the neck of the first two and Pierce the hearts of the next two with swift motions. I leap into the air to avoid a claw to the head. Catching myself on a glyph, I throw a red dust crystal into the dense crowd of Beowolves and activate it with my Aura. The explosion takes out over half of the Beowolves in one go. Adrenaline increasing, I throw a couple of glyphs in the air and jump from one to the other, slashing Beowolf limbs left and right. I land in a tree and perch in the branch precariously, surveying the damage I dealt. Blood and black smoke surround the area, making it hard to count the Grimm that remains. Squinting, I am able to barely see past the grime and count what remains. More and more Grimm arrive from all sides, closing me in. Circling overhead, a Nevermore caws menacingly.
'If I don't get out of here, I'm toast.' I think to myself.
I jump from tree to tree, trying to remain undetected. Unfortunately, I choose a thinner branch to jump onto, and it snaps under my weight. I fall to the ground rather hard and hear a snap just as a sharp pain radiates from my left arm. The surrounding Grimm hear me and begin to close in. I feel my adrenaline drop and terror sets in. Ursai bound at me and slash toward my face.
I sit up, sweat dripping down my face. I pant hard and squint in the darkness. Checking my scroll, I notice it's only three in the morning. I pull my covers closer, clutching them to my chin. The nightmares come frequently. Ever since I received my acceptance to Beacon, I have them every night.
'Is this a sign? Should I not be a Huntress?' I think for the millionth time. I always know the answer to the last question. I must become a Huntress. I must continue my family legacy.
Tentatively, I begin to fall asleep again. Luckily, the nightmare does not come back.
One Week Later
Packed and ready to go, I take a cab to the docks and hop on the airship. The airship was fast. We hit over Vale within the next hour. I peer out of the window at the amazing view. Over the ridge stood Beacon Academy, a school of Hunters and Huntresses who are learning to rid the world of Grimm.
The airship landed in front of Beacon, and a blond guy pushed his way through the crowd to puke in the trashcan outside. Avoiding him, I step onto the ground and marvel at my soon-to-be home for the next four years. All I have to deal with is people and initiation.
Following the crowd, we make it to an auditorium-like room where two people stood on the stage. The man had white hair and wore glasses. He begins to speak into the microphone, but I tune him out. I inspect the people in the room to the best of my abilities, noting weapons, armor, clothes, and appearance. A couple of people stand out, such as a tall blonde with long hair and gold, bulky wrist bands, a girl in a red cloak with a red, folded weapon behind her back, a white-haired girl with a rapier very similar to mine, and, in the back corner, surrounded by shadows, was a mysterious boy in a gray cloak, white button up shirt, gray vest, and black jeans.
'He appears to be a dual wielder. Interesting.' I snap back to attention when the blonde woman on stage steps up to the microphone. She goes on about initiation and that we were to stay in the ballroom until the morning.
As soon as I had set up my sleeping bag on the floor and changed into my purple yukata, sleep consumed me. Tonight, I have no nightmare. Instead, my dreams are filled with strange faces and a sense of urgency. I wake up to yelling across the room. Those three girls were fighting rather loudly, each telling the other that people are trying to sleep. I roll over, and, for the rest of the night, it's peaceful, with no dreams of any kind.
I wake from the most restful sleep I've had in months. Looking around, I see people rolling up their sleeping bags and putting on their combat attire. I follow suit, rolling and putting away my sleeping bag. I grab my clothes and head to a massive communal bathroom. I choose a shower on the far end, which no one is around. Undressing, I fold my yukata carefully and stow it away from the shower before stepping in and bathing. I finish my morning routine with plenty of time to spare.
Glancing around, I see that a few students are leaving the ballroom. One is a girl with blue hair wearing a lightly armored, sky blue, one shouldered blouse and white harem pants. I approach her carefully, noting that she carried a folded bow at her hip. "Excuse me. Do you know where I can get breakfast? I'm starved."
She looks at me, brown eyes sparkling with amusement. "Yeah. The cafeteria is right this way. You can follow me there. I'm Azura Horizon. Pleased to meet you." She extends her right hand.
I clasp her hand and shake. "Ravena Wolfborn. Nice to meet you, too."
I follow her into the cafeteria and catch a whiff of scrambled eggs, bacon, orange juice, and a menagerie of other food. I walk up to the counter and grab a plate. I begin to scoop eggs and bacon onto my plate, all the while having to keep myself from drooling. Plucking a bottle of orange juice and an apple from the counter, I shuffle over to Azura, who is already sitting at a table in the middle of the room. We eat quickly with silence between us.
Dumping our plates in a dish collector box, we walk back to the ballroom just in time to have the blonde woman from yesterday, Professor Goodwitch, say that we are to follow her. She quickly walks off the stage and out the door. The group of soon-to-be students, full of excitement and nerves, anxiously follow the professor to a cliff.