February 1, 2015.
R.I.P.
A Run-In With a Ghost
Teams SNTA and SRRU had just finished clearing the Grimm out of the forest near the village Headmaster Rime had assigned them, who had added orders to stay for a few days before returning. Why he wanted them to stay, he never explained, but they went along with his orders anyways. On their way to the hotel that was more than grateful enough to provide temporary residence, they spotted something off to the side. Two kids were glancing cautiously over their shoulder before bolting down an alley.
Curiosity getting the best of them, they all quietly pursued. When they eventually caught up, they saw the two sitting in front of a small obsidian monument surrounded by beautiful red, white, black, and yellow roses. The monument bore a painted carving of what looked like a sun and birds. Inscribed underneath and painted a similar white were only the words "Keep Moving Forward."
"Excuse me…? Who is this for…?" Umbra asked as they approached, startling the two boys who immediately got to their feet.
One of them lightly punched the other in the arm, looking quite panicked and embarrassed. "Duuude, you said no one was gonna see us this late! Gah!" The other, taller boy had used the palm of his hand to slap the first in the back of his head.
"You dumbass, they're the Hunters and Huntresses that helped our village, of course they're gonna notice two kids trying to sneak around," the other said, then immediately bowed to the group. "Sorry about my friend here. He panics pretty easily. I'm, uhhh… I'm Paul, this is Ara. We were just doing a… a thing."
"That a gravestone?"
"Rocky!"
"What? It's pretty obvious, what with the roses and stuff."
"No no no, it's totally fine. This is our personal monument to a man - a legend - that was gone way too soon for his time," The shorter one, Ara, explained, as he tried to readjust his glasses, though they ended up at an angle regardless.
"His name was Monty Oum, and according to the stories we've heard as kids, he was a true Huntsman, a perfect gentleman, a cunning genius, and a loyal friend. He had left behind so much before he died, including the founding of one of the first elite training academies in Vale, Beacon, where four of the world's greatest heroes were born. Today marks one year since his passing, so we spend our time in the morning to visit this monument and pay our respects," Paul explained, a sense of pride and confidence in his tone, and the eight older students were wide-eyed in admiration. A legendary Huntsman!
Stella was first to blink out of her amazement when she had a question. "What happened to him?"
Ara bowed his head a bit and looked back at the monument. "He, uh… Apparently he grew ill after one of his missions. Everyone thought he was going to be fine, until… Yeah…" He sniffed a bit and wiped a tear from his eye. "But he's an inspiration, both to Hunters like you guys and normal guys like me and Paul. No idea what our lives would be like without him."
"Ah crap, speaking of our lives, it's getting late dude. C'mon, let's go home," Paul said, clapping Ara on the shoulder. "It was nice talking to you guys. Do you guys mind if you don't mention this to anyone?" When he saw eight heads nod, he and Ara started jogging to their home.
Before the students could begin walking back, they were interrupted by a voice behind them saying, "So you guys are the new generation of Hunters, huh?" When they turned around, they saw a smiling man with messy black hair sitting on top of the monument, legs and arms crossed in front of him, entirely clothed in black with straps loosely hanging in places on his gloves and shirt sleeves.
All eight students were stunned, but Nova broke the silence, "Are you… Monty? As in, the Monty Oum?"
The man opened his arms as if presenting himself. "The one and only."
"So the stories those kids were talking about…?" Tiler asked.
"Fairy tales based off of real events. You should know how people are with legends, Starstruck." Suddenly mentioning their team name and their connection to legends left them even more speechless. "You kids are just that… kids. But inside of every one of you lies a potential that no powerful ancestry can grant you. It's something that you have to realize on your own. And the only way to do that is to train hard, never give in…"
Monty gently tapped the monument, "And Keep Moving Forward."
With that, the man before them faded away, leaving rose petals of different colors flying past eight slack-jawed children in his wake.
When the two teams returned to Kastle, Rime couldn't help but chuckle at their pale faces. "What's wrong with you? You look like you had a run-in with a ghost!"
The eight of them met his gaze. "You knew, didn't you? That's why you sent us?" asked Autumn.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. I only sent you to defend the village. I've never heard of any monuments to old legends." Before the others could respond, Rime gave them a wink before walking back to the school.
Author's Note:
It's already been a year...
A year since a genius had left this world.
But he hasn't left our hearts.
It's a bit jarring, to be honest. How time still flies this quickly.
Monty Oum, through your wisdom, creativity, and kindness, we will follow your advice.
And Keep Moving Forward.
RWBY is property of Rooster Teeth.