RWBY: Upper Class
Chapter 1 : A Child of Ash
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 have become complacent, maintained their innocence, and grown ripe.
The ship seems loom 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 always 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.
Anyway, the academy rests on a cliff, with a vast and decorated promenade leading up to its doors. Behind those doors was 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 way 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 and this time I keep my cool. "Kind of overkill," I say aloud, but I don't think anyone hears me. I survey the deck again and it looks like everyone has their jaws on the floor, too. I remembering hearing a rumor that Beacon used to be a castle of some royal family, but I also heard that it used to be a temple to some ancient religion, so I don't know which to believe. Turning back to the window, I fix my gaze on the light in the large spire. "Beacon. I suppose the name is appropriate." No one hears me this time either.
As we approach, I reach into my jacket pocket and remove a letter. At the top, my name was written in cursive. "To Johannes Augustine," it read, although I usually go by Hans. It is dated three years ago on the day that I met the headmaster of this academy, Professor Ozpin. He came to visit me after my "event" and invited me to attend his academy. However, he wouldn't let me join right away. Ozpin knew my mentor, Linus, from the days when he and Ozpin were both active Huntsman. After my "event" he said it was clear that I have an aptitude of killing the Grimm. But like I said, he would 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 your purpose. But for now, rest, prepare, and heal." After that, I tried to forget about what happened during that "event", but I still studied, I still trained, and I still snuck out to kill Grimm. Also, I get that I've been pretty vague about this "event" and haven't said much about it directly. Right now, I just don't want to think about it again, it's too exhausting.