RWBY: Lost Child
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters and the world from RWBY. I do not claim ownership of the world or characters of RWBY. This story is for entertainment purposes only and is in no way part of the official canon. I will not financially profit from this story. RWBY is created by Monty Oum and is a trademark of Rooster Teeth, LLC. Please support the official release.
Author's Note: This story is narrated in first person. Please pay attention for perspective changes, often marked by breaks.
Chapter 1: A Child of Ash
Many legends told throughout time account the epic battles of light and dark, good versus evil. We hold such tales in special places within our hearts. They are simple. They are inspiring. They are misleading. For history, as many know, is written by the victors. Details excluded from our accounts, to justify our struggles, sacrifices, and incriminations. Our legends will be built on lies. As such, good and evil are never defined as neatly as they are within the pages of our books. Complications flood such debates, to determine who is righteous and who is justified, and eventually, both sides fade to the same homogeneous gray. But perhaps there is a greater simplicity in this question of good versus evil. To say that there is no good or evil, but simply two sides with opposing motives.
The legends within the world of Remnant are no exception to these trends. Humanity, nearly brought to its untimely extinction at the hands of the Creatures of Grimm, struggled to maintain their stake in this torn realm. With the assistance of the substance known as Dust, the people of Remnant shone a beacon of hope into their lives. Now wielding nature's power, humanity's courage and wisdom grew stronger as they took back the world from the approaching void and rebuilt their civilizations. The history of these early Grimm Wars is no longer remembered by the people of today. Since their grand victory, they have fought wars with each other, killed and slaughtered the allies they once called brother and sister. Wars were won and lost, and at the present time, Remnant enjoys what will be a brief period of peace. But, as history does manage to teach us, humanity will not sit contently without war.
So, I make this plea. To the souls I have gathered in this world of the living, I ask a heavy burden of you. Make this world right again. Learn the truth and correct the mistakes of your ancestors, lest you be swallowed up into the darkness that they unwillingly bred.
We were all gathered on the airship's observation deck to gawk over the view of the surrounding city. I am not entirely sure what the big deal is though. There's overcast, not a slimmer of blue sky or bright sun. Below is just a city, with ignorant people living safe and comfortable lives. That's how things are in Vale. Lots of guards, Huntsmen, and Huntresses for protection. Most folk here don't know what it's like outside this little bubble. Doesn't even look as if they have seen any Grimm in their entire lives. Citizens of Vale just don't know any better. They've become complacent, maintained their innocence, and grown ripe.
The ship looms silently over this city, ignoring everything and pressing forward towards its destination which is now in sight. Beacon Academy. An institution founded to train novice warriors to kill the creatures of Grimm. Although, they sometimes prefer euphemisms for this line of work. We are called "Huntsmen" and "Huntresses". We "slay" the Grimm, we do not "kill" them. And they are usually referred to as "monsters", not as Grimm.
The academy rests on a cliff, with a vast and decorated promenade leading up to its doors. Behind those doors is the school. I'll admit; the school's beauty is breathtaking! The spires looked as if they were touching the sky, reaching beyond it to challenge its dominance over the surface. The walls and archways didn't even seem to be made of common stone or steel, but of divine ore which could not be tarnished by the elements. Finally, its largest spire housed a sort of free-flowing light, a light that would pierce through any darkness and would continue to shine no matter what force attempted to extinguish it. I can't believe what I'm seeing. I look away just to give my eyes a break when I notice my reflection in the glass. My mouth is wide open, still dumbstruck by the view. Embarrassed, I lock my mouth shut and look out towards Beacon Academy again. Keeping my cool this time, I fix my gaze on the light in the large spire. "Beacon. I suppose the name is appropriate."
As we approach, I reach into my jacket pocket and remove a letter. At the top, my name was written in cursive. "To Jayden Wild," it read. It is dated three years ago on the day that I met the headmaster of this academy, Professor Ozpin. He came to visit me while I was stuck in a hospital bed, and invited me to attend his academy. However, he wouldn't let me join right away. Ozpin knew my late mentor, Linus, from the days when he and Ozpin were both active Huntsman. He said it was clear that I have an aptitude for killing the Grimm. But like I said, he wouldn't let me join right away. He told me that I wasn't mentally ready to attend Beacon and that Linus wouldn't want me to begin my formal training so young. "Usually," Ozpin told me back then, "Our students enroll when they are 17 years old. In three years' time, if that fire inside of you has not yet diminished, come to my school, learn to fight the Grimm and find yourself again, and find what you truly seek. But for now, rest, prepare, and heal." Since that day, I tried to forget about what happened before, what happened to me, and to Linus. I dropped out of Signal Academy and hardly spoke to any of my old friends. But I still studied, I still trained, and I still snuck out to kill Grimm. I don't have it all figured out, but I know I want this. For what they did to me, I'll do whatever it takes to get back at them.
Author's Note, again:
Hello everyone! This is my second attempt at writing this RWBY fan-fiction. The previous title was RWBY: Upper class, but I took a long hiatus to rethink aspects of the storyline and parts of it all together. Anyway, here is RWBY: Lost Child! I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
I will normally publish a new chapter every two weeks, with the exception of next week, where I will publish Chapter 2, considering the short length of this one.