For academy ages, I am guesstimating. It was said many kids don't unlock Aura until around 8 years of age. Beacon is 4 years, and starts (usually) at age 17. Thus, the Primary Schools such as signal I would guess would be ranged from ages 10-17.
Arc's Path of Radiance
Ch 1: Ragnell
A five year old Jaune sulked as he wandered around his family's home. Once again his father had denied him training or even a promise that he would be enrolled in a Hunter Academy in the future. "You should spend this time of peace enjoying your childhood...not preparing for war." His father had told him. So Jaune moved to the Hall of Heroes, a room where paintings, books and weapons of his ancestors laid on display. There, above a fireplace lay his Great - Grandfather's sword: Crocea Mors - the Yellow Death.
Jaune would often come here, reading about the heroic actions of his ancestors. Despite his naivety, he wasn't completely stupid. His mother had told him how he had been born prematurely, barely clinging to life. As the only son, it was up to him to carry on the family name. The last thing they wanted to see was their weak baby boy slain young. Yet, Jaune came here every day to read and try to use the weapons of his ancestors. Still, not a single one really meshed with him. Something about Crocea Mors was seemingly calling to him. Telling him that it would guide him to his dream.
Slowly, he started climbing the drapes near the sword and reached out, trying to grab it. However, his grip faltered slightly and he ended up hitting the sword and making it turn right before he fell onto his rear end. A loud grinding groan came from the wall as a section turned and swung like a door, making Jaune's eyes widen in surprise. He had heard stories of hidden safe rooms within their house, but he hand never seen one. Cautiously, he moved into the room only lit by a natural skylight in the room. His footsteps kicking up dust that had lay undisturbed for an untold amount of time. There, laying on a table was a large sword resembling a claymore.
It had an ornate black and gray handle with three tiny gems in it, all of them green. Partway down the handle were two bars serving as a hand - guard. The blade was a bronze-gold in color and flared where the hilt connected to the blade and narrowed in a diamond-like design, remaining straight across the long blade until there was an ovular flare at the tip of the blade. There was a small inscription of the Arc Family Crest by the hilt-looking more recent than the rest of the sword. The tip of the blade had numerous scratches on it, hinting at countless battles.
Next to it was a large double-headed war axe. It had a circular golden design in the middle of the blades with a gray spear-like point at the top between the two blades of the axe. The handle of it was a dark gray metal until it came to the grip wrapped in soft, tan leather with golden metal around the top and bottom of the grip.
Seeing a book nearby, he brushed the dust off the cover and saw his family crest under the title, "Greil Mercenaries: Those Who Fought For the People". This...this was interesting to Jaune, whose eyes kept getting drawn to the two weapons. He read a little bit through it, only learning the names of his family's weapons. Urvan, the war axe of Greil-father of Ike and Mist. Finally, there was Ragnell, Goddess Slaying Sword of Radiant Hero Ike. At this Jaune's eyes went wide in awe; a sword that was wielded by a hero that could kill a Goddess! With a sword like that, the creatures of Grimm would be powerless!
However, Jaune knew that one must be prepared for disappointment, having been familiar with the feeling every day he asked his father for training. Bracing himself, he first tried to pick up Urvan, groaning at the heavy weight of the weapon. He tried to lift it, only to lose balance and fall backwards with Urvan flying out of his grip and skidding away from him.
"Alright. That's alright..." Jaune muttered, "Urvan isn't as cool as Ragnell anyway." He grumbled the last part, cautiously walking over to the handle of Ragnell and brushing his hand over the blade. He wrapped his small hands around the sword and soon was yelling as the sword's blade surrounded itself in blue flames, cracks and scratches repairing themselves as the flames wrapped around his hands and flew into his chest. His shirt was being burned away, yet no marks were left on his skin as it did so, and soon something seemed to click within Jaune's body and a white Aura rushed forward from his body, turning the flames of Ragnell white and amplifying his already large amounts of Aura.
That day, people from all over Remnant swore they saw what looked like a white light taking the form of a dragon shining in the distance, Grimm fleeing at the sight of it. This event, called the Aura Dragon's Glow, saved the life of a young mother of two known as Summer Rose as the Grimm turned away from her at the sight as her Silver Eyes flared to life at the sight of that dragon.
This event hadn't gone unnoticed by the Arc family, who had dropped anything they were doing upon hearing the youngest son's screams. Soon, they found him; shirt burned away but unharmed, hefting a golden greatsword slightly larger than he was! The white glow of his Aura surrounded his body as it was slowly but noticeably strengthening and healing muscles that had yet to be used.
"Your Aura...you unlocked it on your own." Jaune's father said in shock.
"No dad...My sword helped." Jaune said, lowering the sword and keeping his hands gently on the hilt.
"What...what are you going to name it?" His father asked.
"Dad! It's rude to rename something that already has it's name engraved into it's very being..." Jaune said, "This...is Ragnell."
For years afterwards, Jaune trained intensely with his father in Anima, unintentionally discovering his Aura Amplification Semblance when injuring his father in a practice duel. Jaune's dedication to physical practice was only matched by his dedication to the very book he saw laying besides the forgotten weapons. There he learned much about his forgotten Ancestor-Ike. He had been forced to take up the leadership of the Greil Mercenaries, a group his father formed, after his father was slain by his only other student. Within this book were translated writings from Ike himself, how he constantly worried about screwing up - failing those that were like his family within the Greil Mercenaries. How he worried he would never live up to his father's name. Yet, as time went on, he not only became a confident leader, but a general who pulled people of different races and kingdoms together and became known as the "Radiant Hero", and "Vanguard Legend".
Ike had even written about lost "passive" Aura skills he had learned, and devastating attacks using Aura.
Out of all of his Ancestors; Jaune felt he could relate to Ike the most-and not because they were now using the same blade! Ike's writings didn't make him out to be a brave hero from the beginning, but a young man thrust into leadership before he was ready and had worries of failure. These were the same worries Jaune had himself. The fear that he wouldn't live up to his family's name. Ever since he had been born, he had been the "weak one"...the "Damsel in distress" among a family of heroes. With Ike's indirect teachings, he would live up to his family's name. Like Ike himself, Jaune struggled with training battles consistently as he worked to surpass his father.
Yet, that didn't mean that his family didn't work on other skills at the same time and let him lose himself to the path of the warrior. His mother would teach him sewing, cooking, and gardening. These skills she said all Hunters needed to know in case of a mission away from a town. His sisters taught him how to massage and care for a person's hair-saying that this skill was VERY IMPORTANT to getting a girlfriend (or few). Finally, his dad taught him music, a way to vent and express himself.
"Are you sure you don't want to go to a closer academy?" His father asked as Jaune packed up Ragnell, Urvan (now that he was able to heft the heavy War Axe), and the book of Ike's history among his clothes and personal objects-such as toothbrushes and deodorant. While he wore sneakers with right and left written on the bottom-head injuries were a real possibility after all- and his blue jeans, he also had a Pumpkin Pete's hooded sweatshirt with short sleeves; something his sisters insisted on him wearing.
He wore brown finger-less gloves and had a knight-like white chest-plate with golden borders and the Arc Family Crest in gold that went around his back and left his abdomen uncovered to allow movement. Shoulder straps went around his back to create a location to store Ragnell on his back. Under the straps was Greil's tattered yellow cape that was held by another belt with it wrapped loosely around his neck. Another couple straps went to his shoulder holding a large segmented diamond-shaped shoulder pad in three overlapping parts with golden decals-including the Arc crest. Over his left glove is an enlarged flattened white gauntlet going from his wrist to his elbow held on by three leather straps to serve as a small shield. His right arm is left uncovered save for a gauntlet similar, yet smaller than the one on his left arm. A widened piece of leather held by a belt held two curved white metal plates with golden decals guarding each side of his hip, yet allowing free range of movement.
"Dad. I would get special treatment. If I am to be prepared as a proper Hunter, one must face all aspects of the world." Jaune said with a small smile, "Besides, Miss Rose Xiao-Long kept recommending Signal for some reason." After the event that drove away the Grimm, the young mother of two had made it her mission to find what saved her, finally seeing that the event originated from this family's house. After initially gushing over the weapons on display, Summer had traded scroll numbers with the members of the family with a promise to repay the debt she owed for the event at their house saving her life. Summer's daughters Yang and Ruby became close friends to Jaune's seven sisters, and soon became long distance friends with Jaune. Yang was impressed by how easily he was wielding the large Ragnell when he showed it on a video call, while Ruby was just enamored by the "classic sword".
Upon entering the airship, Jaune closed his eyes as his stomach protested the movement and tried getting some sleep. However, all he could feel was dread, the feeling of ill omens about to occur. Jaune opened his eyes and glanced outside, seeing nothing but a sunny sky outside; which made his motion sickness worse. He grabbed a motion sickness pill given to him by his mother and swallowed it quickly and sat back down.
Both Ruby and Yang were at Signal. Mrs. Rose-Xiao Long was at home with her husband. His family was at home. So why did this feeling of dread still linger? Soon enough, Jaune figured it was due to going to an unfamiliar location with people he didn't know besides Ruby and Yang. Soon, he just put some music on from his scroll, and dozed off. After what seemed like a short period of time, one of the airship's staff members shook him awake and guided him out of the ship where he picked up the bag and saw Ruby and Yang waving him over. Taking Ragnell out of his bag, he strapped it to his back and let some other students look at the blade in jealousy that he already had a weapon.
"Seems like the school is going to start off with a bang." Jaune said.
"Or with a YANG!" Yang said, as Jaune snorted as he tried not to chuckle at her pun while Ruby groaned at it. Ruby, being two years younger, was in different classes than the two older blondes.
"So, seems you get a free period during weapon making since you already have a sword." Ruby added, trying to move the topic onward to avoid another pun from her half-sister. "What are you going to do with it?"
"In my ancestor's notes, he mentioned some cool skills that could assist you and your friends using Aura, or even using Aura in devastating attacks. I managed to figure out how to use Luna, now I'm hoping to learn Daylight. That is the first step to learn my ancestor's most devastating attack."
"Most devastating attack?" Yang asked, "As that sword isn't powerful enough?"
"You forget that he fought in wars." Jaune added, "He developed the Radiant Aether. An attack so powerful that it not only weakens the Aura strength of the opponent by half, but restores your reserves by draining up to half of the Aura taken by the blow." At that Yang let out an impressed whistle while Ruby was drooling trying to imagine how to perform such a complex attack. "Luna was used to learn how to weaken the Aura strength of the Opponent, Daylight is the first of the Aura draining attacks - followed by Sol and finally putting the complex skills together as Radiant Aether."
"So...Cool...!" Ruby was now staring off into space with her silver eyes staring at the sky as she tried imagining how such a complex attack worked. However, the trio's thoughts were broken by the ringing of Signal Academy's bell. Three sets if eyes widened in horror in realization that they were going to be late and rushed into the building as fast as they could.
Far away, two figures stood in what appeared to be a barren landscape. The dark clouds blocked out the sun, hiding the features of each person in the shadows.
"What have you discovered so far?" One woman said as the other knelt down.
"That event that saved the one with the Silver eyes, that Aura Dragon's Glow, happened in the Arc household. The Arc family has a history of interfering in our plans." The kneeling woman said.
"Go. Ensure they will not interfere again." The first woman said as the second woman rose and a flame flared to life around her hand.
"They will burn." The second woman said with an almost sinister joy in her tone.
Months after Signal Academy began, Jaune was taking the Rose Xiao-Long family to meet his parents during a break. As the airship landed, the feeling of dread soon returned in full force as ash and smoke filled the sky. Jaune's eyes widened in horror seeing his family home up in flames. "No!" He whispered, and soon rushed forward before either of his friend's parents-or uncle-could stop him. He forced himself through the twisted, burned metal gate by slamming it aside with his weapon and what he saw would haunt his dreams.
There, laying badly burned in pools of blood with glass swords stabbed into them was his family; just in the front yard. Near his father was a shadowy figure, the shape appearing to be a woman with a flaming arrow pointed at his father trying to sit up while glaring defiantly at the attacker. With a yell of pure rage, he rushed forward; Ragnell slamming into the glass bow and shattering it before it reformed into a glowing orange sword in her hand. She stabbed forward and he used the gauntlet on his left arm to deflect it before jumping and rolling forward while swinging the sword downwards; which she blocked with her own sword. Spear-like flaming dust crystals surrounded him with a snap of her fingers and it was then Jaune knew that she was merely toying with him.
However, he saw her gaze turn upwards and glanced in the direction of her gaze; seeing the Rose Xiao-Long family having entered the scene of the crime. Jaune glared at her and hefted Ragnell horizontally above his shoulder with the tip pointed at her. "I won't let anyone else die!" He shouted, jumping back as she launched the dust crystals at them and a white glow surrounded Ragnell.
"DAYLIGHT!" With that, Jaune spun the sword and threw it upwards before jumping up and grabbing it; slamming it back down to the ground which made a white shock-wave fly from impact and shatter the dust crystals. However, to his horror, they reformed afterwards and he ran forward; only to watch helplessly as the 12 year old Yang had her right arm sliced off by the woman's attack. She didn't scream; her gaze becoming unfocused as she gazed at the wound before collapsing into her father's arms. Upon seeing the adults ready their weapons, she vanished in an explosion of fire and Jaune ran over to Yang's side, trying his best to use his Aura Amplification to at least ward off infection.
The parents gently rubbed his back as he fought off tears with Ruby crying in the background before a cough brought Jaune's attention back to his father as he ran to the man's side. Carefully, he lifted his father's upper body, and an unfocused set of blue eyes stared into a reddened, watery pair of identical blue. "Forget about revenge... Leave that woman alone... Stay away..." His father said, before exhaling and going limp in his arms. All of it was rushing into his head. His family, dead. His friend, hurt. Home-destroyed. As darkness encroached his vision, he could have sworn he heard the others calling his name.
With a yell, he awoke sitting up in an unfamiliar bed with his armor and sword next to him. His suitcase was there as well and he clenched his eyelids shut as he grit his teeth, wishing what he saw was nothing but a horrible dream. That any minute his parents or sisters would come rushing into the room at the sound of his yell. "You okay there?" He heard Yang's voice ask and words died in his throat as he saw yellow and silver robotic arm replacing flesh from above her right elbow downward. Yang's eyes followed he gaze as she put on a strained grin.
"Hey, it isn't all bad! Ruby's working on a way of letting me feel through it like a normal arm and I got the gun my right Ember Celica put into it." She said, as a small square section opened and revealed two small shotgun barrels.
"I failed you." Jaune said, throat extremely raspy and dry.
"What's this about failing?" Their uncle Qrow said as he took a sip from a silver flask and Mrs. Rose Xiao-Long fussed over him while having him slowly sip from a glass of milk. "Kid, you faced someone many experienced Huntsman would fail to defeat. Not only that, you drained your Aura trying to deflect her attacks away from us and then trying to heal Yang. An...old friend of mine owed me a favor and got Yang a replacement arm."
"Jaune...you've been unconscious for two weeks from severe Aura depletion and smoke inhalation." Ruby quietly said.
"This goes to show...I have to get stronger." Jaune said, stumbling out of bed and grabbing onto Ragnell. "Back when my father was teaching me how to use a sword, I was barely more than a boy. Every training battle was more frustrating than the last. I...I just struggled with it...and now he's dead. Everyone that he did...it is all on me now. The last of the Arcs."
Jaune moved into his bag and pulled out Urvan and threw it so that one of the blades landed embedded in the floor with the handle facing Yang. "What...What is that?" She asked, robotic arm and real one moving over the grip of the war axe.
"I still cost you an arm with my weakness...so I hope this is a start of repaying my debt. This is Urvan, the war axe that was used by the father of my ancestor who wielded Ragnell. I know how you like close combat. This axe is rugged and strong...Using an axe is different from using a sword. This guy requires power over skill. Yet, hopefully, he can become a trusted partner."
As Yang picked up the axe with Ruby gushing over another classic, Jaune moved to the doorway. "I must get stronger...in order to stop her. I'm no knight, and certainly no nobleman. My father was my only example of how a man should be. I have to make sure I don't let him down, while at the same time follow his wish of not letting revenge consume me."
Right before he walked out the door to continue training even more intensely, he paused and said one last thing. "To fight for the people, not for the money or glory... That is my desire."