Hello there, I'm The Royal Protector and you're reading the first chapter of This War of Ours. Remember that one story I mentioned I was working on full steam back in June? Well, here you have it.

What this story's about you ask? Well, since I can't cram a full explanation into that tiny description box, you're getting it in the AN. Firstly, this story is a semi-SI fic; I know it's overdone nowadays but I figured I give it a try. Now to calm my nerves about writing another SI story I mixed up your typical SI formula quite a bit. Trust me, I've read countless SI stories and I tried avoiding the annoying clichés associated with them where I could, just to name a few;

The main OC is not overpowered by the start, I hate when authors make their OCs invincible right from the get go with abilities/Semblances that are completely broken in the setting. It takes away the excitement and trepidation the reader should have with every encounter. With that said I must admit that I do plan on having the main characters get stronger and stronger as the story progresses, but I promise that it won't break the setting (E.G. the main character won't be able to go toe to toe with Salem even if he was at his strongest). But if you still feel like the main cast is OP then don't worry, I have prepared antagonists that are definitely OP (in comparison to the main cast) and taking them down will be as hard as the RC helicopter mission in GTA Vice city.

No Mary/Gary Sues; we have enough of those on this website and I don't feel like adding to the list. Characters will cry blood for survival and power.

No same old cardboard copy setting. You know how every OC/SI character pops up in Vale and in Beacon just in time to start a random Volume? Well you can throw that expectation out the window here.

Now, what do I offer instead of all the clichés?

New setting; forget Vale and Beacon, I heard Vacuo has some excellent beaches! I really thought long about this one and I decided on Vacuo because it's a clean slate in the RWBY universe. We only know bits of information about the place and we won't know more for a Volume or two still. So I let my imagination run wild and created a place that holds a special place in my heart :).

More lore; Remnant is the world of legends and fairy tales, yet everyone focuses on the few shown to us. I researched many legends and folklore and remade them to fit into Remnant and its lore seamlessly.

A new story line; You can only tell the main story so many times before it gets stale, even if you mix it up a bit. It's a shame to see that many stories don't dare to deviate from the main plot at all. I cherish the ones that decide to carve their own path and twist the world into something amazing. This story will explore Remnant and its supernatural side and show us that there is more to a world of legends than a few Relics and Maidens.

OCs; with an expanded world comes new people. I worked hard to make characters that don't feel one dimensional and I hope you guys will enjoy them; but if you want characters from the show then don't worry, sometime down the line we will meet with the whole lot of them.

Fights and action scenes; I work on action scenes a lot in my stories as I want them to feel realistic (compared to the setting) and exciting. Seeing as action is one of the biggest part of RWBY's charm I hope I'll do them justice.

Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY, if I did, Volume 5 would have better action scenes. OCs are mine though.


This War of Ours

Chapter 1: From the Frying Pan

*Squelch*

'Why can't I feel m- oh' I made an 'o' shape with my mouth, although it wasn't out of realization but out of my body's shock reaction. My eyes widened in unfueled panic and my arms began to tremble. I slowly looked down in morbid curiosity and witnessed the bloody mess of my stomach area.

"Got the younger one, should I loot him?" My assailant announced to another one of his mates. Meanwhile I was captured by the sight of a crowbar sticking out where my liver should have been.

"Leave him be for now, we're only after the diamonds tonight, boss's orders. Though we can come back to this place tomorrow night" The other looter replied. My legs suddenly gave out and I fell onto my knees, I would have face-planted on the floor if not for the looter's hand catching my shoulder and steadying me.

"Hear that pal? Don't crawl too far away" He grinned at me and placed his other hand on the crowbar, ready to yank it out but then he hesitated "On second thought, you'll leave a nice trail of blood wherever you'll end up so it doesn't matter" He released the tool turned murder weapon and looked me in the eyes "Enjoy your evening while you can" He smiled and lightly shoved me away. Normally that wouldn't even make me stumble but now it was enough to send me flat on my back, soundlessly gasping in pain when the crowbar moved around in my stomach.

I twitched involuntarily a couple of times out of the sheer pain and turned to lie on my side in a fetal position. I heard footsteps move away from me and towards where the others went and I began to curse this stupid plan under my shaky breath for the millionth time this night.

'But Daud, we are running low on food. But Daud, Ash is coughing up blood, this means she contacted the plague, right? But Daud, we ran out of medicine long ago. But Daud, all the medicine in the city was claimed by the militias'

'Daud, what are we supposed to do?'

"Stupid, stupid, stupid" I growled in frustration and regret.

It all seemed so simple just a couple of hours ago. Not too long ago I ran across a smuggler down at the river docks and he offered me a deal. He would get me and anyone else out of the city on his boat and by his track record, he wasn't lying.

Of course there was a catch, he didn't accept money, as it was basically worthless in the country, no, he wanted gems. One gemstone per person and you were welcome on his boat out of this hellhole.

It was hard, but after a few long nights and a bunch of called in favors I got enough to actually pay for all of us.

Problem was that somehow word got around that I accumulated a small fortune's worth of precious stones and we had to leg it out of our hideout if we didn't want to get caught by some of the more aggressive looters.

And that leads to my current predicament, some bandits caught up to us and I heroically volunteered to hold them of while the others made it to the docks. I only say heroically because I don't want to admit that it was a horrible and idiotic idea. Unsurprisingly the others disagreed with me but realized that without a distraction they wouldn't make it. Anton volunteered to stay with me to better my chances of making it through this. That was nice of him, I knew how he always wanted to leave the city behind. We holed up in an antiquity store that had definitely seen better days and started shooting up the entire street.

It went well for a while, we held them off without much trouble but then they somehow got though in a back door and promptly stabbed us in the back.

Well, I got stabbed from the front if you want to be technical about it, but that's just nitpicking.

'Shit, I can't feel my stomach' My face confronted in discomfort and I removed my hand from the crowbar, it came away red and I could feel a puddle forming beneath me.

"The others… they still need me" I mumbled tiredly and tried to get up. I got as far as getting on a knee before collapsing back on the floor with a cry of pain. I rolled onto my back and looked at my stomach. The entire front side of my shirt was drenched in blood but it still oozed from the wound. I had to do something, fast.

I gathered all of my strength and shakily got to my feet. I used a nearby column for support but my legs were still trembling. I lifted my head sleepily and caught sight of Anton's still body on the floor. A dozen different emotions flashed across my eyes and I froze in place for a few seconds.

The sound of my blood dripping down shook me awake and I stumbled towards his corpse. I needed a weapon if I wanted to help anyone.

It was towards halfway when I realized that I can't feel my feet properly and my legs became unnaturally stiff. With a wince with every step I made my way there. I allowed myself a smile as I reached him and tried to bend down to pick up a pistol, only to fall on a knee as my stomach protested in pain.

"What the…" I said when my right hand fingers refused to open and pick up the gun. I frowned and picked it up with my left.

I stood up once again but my body was on its last legs and it decided that my legs no longer deserved blood and I stumbled backwards into a door sized mirror with a lavishly decorated stone frame.

I grasped its edge for support while my other hand pressed against the surface.

"What?" I asked in surprise when I heard a quiet clicking sound. I looked down and saw that I stepped on a small device that was seemingly made of the same stone as the mirror's frame.

I looked back at the surface of the mirror and widened my eyes in fear and surprise when the reflection showed the inside of a tomb made out of sandstone. I wanted to step back but the point where my hand touched the surface flashed with a white light.

I blinked away the whiteness in my vision and my dying body finally gave up the fight for survival and I collapsed onto my front. The floor met my face and further drove in the crowbar so much that it punctured a hole on the other side. I lost consciousness almost immediately but the last thing that flashed through my mind was that there was too much sand on the floor for a store, they should hire a janitor once everything blew over… and why was there a pair of boots near my face?


"Uhh" I grunted in exertion as I regained consciousness. My body didn't even feel hurt, everything below the shoulders was just numb. Unfortunately my head felt like it was left to dry in the middle of the Sahara. My throat was coarse and my skin was itching from sweat.

'Wait, how am I waking up at all? Didn't I just die?' I thought perplexedly. Then I remembered the last image I saw 'Someone… saved me? Why? How?' I was pretty sure that being impaled through the stomach and loosing enough blood to lose consciousness was fatal, even if that someone carried me to a hospital.

"About time you came to, I was beginning to think you wouldn't make it" A rough voice said from somewhere ahead of me. I forced my eyes to open and immediately shielded them with my hand from my bright surroundings. My arm burned from exertion but I held on. I waited for my eyes to adjust to the brightness then looked at the source of the voice.

To say it surprised me would be an understatement.

It was a man sitting on a rock with my pistol in his hands. He wore dark brown leather boots and loose black pants, he also had a burgundy red short-sleeved coat above a long black shirt. The man himself looked to be in his late thirties or early forties at most with black hair that was beginning to fade around the edges. His features were rough and his skin was tanned from being under the sun for too long. This brings me to the actual thing that freaked me out; we were surrounded by honest to God sand dunes! I was lying at angle on a stretcher against a large rock.

"Interesting weapon you got here, I've never seen the bullet type before" He remarked with a raised eyebrow.

"Wha-*cough-cough*" I tried to say but my dry throat violently protested. The man nodded to himself and turned away, after a second he turned back and tossed me a gourd of water. With me still feeling a bit dizzy after just waking up I couldn't catch it and it promptly smacked me in the face. I grumbled, but picked up it up and hungrily drank all of the sweet nectar. The man eyed me with slight amusement and waited for me to finish.

"Ah, thanks" I tossed the gourd back to him which he caught effortlessly. The next thing I did was a bit risky but somehow I convinced myself that it was worth the risk.

"Can I have my weapon back?" I ventured cautiously. The man looked taken aback for a moment before looking down at the gun and shrugging.

"Sure" He tossed it and I panicked because I didn't remember if the safety was on or not. I hastily caught it and panic became surprise.

"Just like that?" I shot him a dumbfounded look to which he just shrugged.

"Hey, I'm not about to play with a weapon from another dimension. I don't want to shoot myself in the foot or something on accident with bullets I don't even recognize. Besides, you don't seem like the folk who go around shooting people for nothin'" He explained calmly.

"That makes sense I suppose…" I replied but then it struck me "Wait, what did you say? Another dimension?!"

"Oh yeah, remember that mirror you touched?" He asked to which I nodded absentmindedly "That was a relic of a different age that connected several worlds together, kind of like a gate actually" He noted with a thinking expression "And judging by your reaction I take it you didn't know what you were doing when you activated it?" He added once he saw my shocked and unbelieving expression.

"You're joking right? It's all just one big prank right?!" I rambled, refusing to believe that by complete accident I transported myself to another world. No, scratch that, how did I get to the Sahara while I was asleep? That's more believable than trans-dimensional travel.

"No, I'm not joking, this situation is about as serious as it gets" He sighed and scratched the side of his head.

"This must be a dream then, a blood loss induced hallucination…. or I'm dead… Yeah right! I died and this is the afterlife! This isn't even real-" I continued rambling until I felt something smacking me in the face. I looked up and saw the man glaring at me from where he sat.

His gaze lingered for a while before letting out a sigh "I assure you, all of this is real, but don't worry, we'll get you back where you belong soon enough" He said somewhat kindly. This got me to calm down a bit but I was still a bit on edge.

"How?"

"Well, the mirror works both ways of course. I'll just have to find the right 'channel' you came from and send you back" He reassured me and I nodded gratefully.

"Yeah, I can work with that I think, thanks"

"No problem, but enough about world shattering revelations for now, how are you feeling?" He put on a friendly smile. I wiggled my fingers and flexed some of my muscles, gratefully noting that I still had some motor control, still I felt dizzy, probably from all that blood I lost and my muscles were a bit sore.

"I feel like washed shit" I commented dryly "But at least I'm alive so thanks for that, again" I laid back on the stretcher and shot him a thankful nod.

He chuckled "Again, no problem, although even with your awakened Aura and my Semblance it was still a toss-up whether or not you survive"

"I'm sorry, my what?" I inquired, I was bad at biology but I distinctly remember not hearing about Aura while studying the human body.

"Oh, your world probably doesn't have it, huh" He mused "Anyway, the footnote version is that Aura is the physical manifestation of your soul, it protects you from harm, enhances your body and most importantly for you, it heals your wounds" He explained calmly, meanwhile I had the irking feeling that I've heard that speech from somewhere.

"On the other hand you have Semblances, which are the… reflection of one's soul and personality for lack of a better term" He frowned "It's really more complicated than that but all you need to know is that Semblances grant abilities that are otherwise considered supernatural" He continued while I was listening intently, silently nodding along, remembering that I knew all of this from somewhere.

"These abilities are mostly unique and they can manifest in different ways"

"Some people can absorb force, kinetic or otherwise, some are able to move at neck breaking speeds while a few people have the gift to amplify another person's Aura or Semblance" He lifted his hand and they became shrouded in a brilliant white light. The light condensed into small streaks that moved on his hand like the shadows of waves underwater. My eyes widened in shock and focused on his glowing hand. He stopped after a few seconds and I shook my head.

"And you said you unlocked my… Aura?" I said slowly, savoring the previously unused word on my tongue.

He nodded curtly "Yeah, you were in a bad shape when you came through and I saw no other option" He looked to the horizon and noticed the setting sun "And even then I wasn't sure it would work, most people simply don't have enough Aura worth awakening. You were incredibly lucky you had a decent pool of it, otherwise not even I could have helped you" I nodded at this and counted my lucky stars inside my head.

'I got to cheat death once, let's hope I don't have to do it again' I winced.

"But… my world doesn't have Aura or anything" I stated with a confused expression "How can I have a lot something that doesn't even exist where I come from?" I asked.

"Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue" He shrugged helplessly "I would just chalk it up to 'my house, my rules' on a universal scale"

"So you're saying that, since I'm here I'm subject to this world's rules?" I clarified, chewing the inside of my lips.

"That's my best guess, though I'm not a professional on the subject by any means. No one is, as far as I know" He went to crouch beside a bag and took out a roll of cloth.

"Wait, what were you doing by the mirror anyways? And why are we in the middle of the desert instead of the place where that mirror is?" I asked somewhat suspiciously, sure he was kind enough to me and even gave me my gun back, but that didn't mean he didn't have an ulterior motive.

He turned back to me and tossed the roll to me, I managed to catch it this time "Change your bandages, your old ones must itch from all the sand" With that he sat back down on his rock.

I reluctantly nodded and rolled down the older bandage, but I still eyed him warily.

A silence lingered in the air for a while before he broke it.

"I suppose I should introduce myself before I get into that" He said "My name is Arren and I'm a Huntsman from Vacuo-" He began to introduce himself but I cut him off mid-sentence.

"This is the world of Remnant, right?"

Arren looked taken aback by that and his next words died on his lips.

"How do you know that?" He asked, not out of suspicion, but out of sheer curiosity.

"Let's just say… this world exists as a story in mine" I answer vaguely, not wanting to tell the guy that everything he knew his whole life could be seen on a screen back in mine.

"…" Arren was at a loss of words, he didn't say anything for a while and just sat there. I used this time to finish dressing my stomach which definitely seemed better since the last time I saw it.

"I've seen my fair share of craziness in my years near that mirror but this is something new" Arren huffed in amusement "What was this story about anyway?"

I hesitated a bit before deciding to just get this over with "It was about a war between two sides fighting for four Relics of the past. The relics were the physical representations of the four gifts mankind received from the Twin Gods. We follow the perspectives of a young Huntress team attending Beacon Academy" I recounted the story as best as I could without going into detail.

Arren blinked a few times before chuckling "Well, that makes my explanation a whole lot easier. I work for Headmaster Ozpin, specifically in Vacuo" He told me "I run around the desert doing whatever odd job that crazy old wizard gives me, but my main task is protecting that mirror you came through"

"Wait, I thought Ozpin only cared about the Maidens and the Relics?" I interjected, the show never mentioned dimension hopping mirrors or anything else.

Arren shook his head "While those are his main focuses, there are numerous other magical artifacts and locations across Remnant that would wreak havoc among humanity if they ever saw the light of day" He looked up in the sky, night was setting in fast and the temperature was falling rapidly.

"Like the mirror. Imagine what would happen if that got into the wrong hands" I winced and nodded, I could imagine it, anyone could hop to any other dimension and transport anything back.

"Fortunately only a handful of people know of its existence, there are legends and fairy tales of course, but only a rare few dares to venture into the desert to find it" He explained.

"And why are we here and not where that mirror is?" I wasn't that suspicious of him anymore. He seemed honest and I highly doubted he was in Salem's circles with how he saved me and treated me.

'I guess that makes him part of the "good guys"' I internally frowned, I didn't like Ozpin and his whole war with Salem that has gone on for too long. To me there was no good side in this war, sure, maybe in the beginning there was a difference between the two, but I feel like over time Ozpin slowly lost his morality in a way and sank to Salem's level to win the war. He manipulated every one of his allies to follow him and when the time came he sacrificed them like pawns. To him this war became a game of chess, he and Salem became chess masters and got detached from the world around them. The only thing that makes me at least consider Ozpin's goodness in this conflict is the alternative where Salem wins.

'The end of the world doesn't sound that appealing' I thought bitterly.

Not that it mattered, it wasn't my world, not my war, I just had to wait a bit and I'll be sent back home.

"I have to get back to Shade Academy to report in. The temple with the mirror is hidden in the Grimmlands. There is no CCT coverage that far out and even here in the Borderlands it can be spotty" He waved with a hand "I spend a month in the temple before taking the week-long trip back to Vacuo. Bullheads and other vehicles usually get attacked by Grimm so I have to make it on foot. I brought you along because you were unconscious at the time and I didn't want to leave you alone in the middle of the Grimmlands for two entire weeks"

I nodded in understanding, I wasn't sure what I would have done in his place, helping the poor guy bleeding all over the carpet was nice of him.

"But I believe we both had a long day, how about we continue this tomorrow…" He got up and threw me a blanket "You know… I never quite got your name" Arren looked at me with the question in his eyes.

"I'm Daud, it's nice to meet you" I smiled and covered myself with the blanket, ready to go back to sleep. He was right, I was still dizzy and my stomach wound only aggravated me the longer I was awake.

"Likewise"


Not much happened the next day or the day after that. I was still too weak to even stand up and had to be pulled on a stretcher while we journeyed through the desert. I faded in and out of consciousness all day, more than likely from the severity of my blood loss. Still, I was getting better, ever so slowly. I didn't know how much distance we covered each day but it was a fair bit if I had to guess. Arren was a Huntsman and he moved as such, he almost never rested and even if he did he only did it for an hour or two, not a minute more. What amazed me even further was that he still managed a pace that an Olympic runner would be jealous of, while he was pulling me behind him. I was sure he would be moving much faster if I didn't trail behind him but he didn't seem to mind my presence that much.

I was actually curious about his limits. I've never seen what Aura could do to people but I was sure Arren could break several records back in my world without even breaking a sweat, but I digress.

I didn't mind our speed at all, the sand beneath us was smooth and the stretcher glided on it like a sled. Meanwhile Arren and I talked a bit when I was conscious. He rarely started the conversation but his tone was always friendly.

On the fourth day I managed to stand up and walk around a bit. I could only walk for a few minutes at a time before exhaustion took over and I crumpled like a sack of potatoes, but I was still amazed I could walk at all. Back in my world I wouldn't be able to stand up for weeks even with technology and yet, here I was.

I hadn't noticed any other changes my Aura caused, but I was eager to find out, and can you blame me? I was basically given a personal force field that supposedly enhanced my body past its natural limits, essentially making me a superhuman! And if what Arren told me was true then I only had Aura while I was in this world.

Honestly, who wouldn't want to play with these powers a bit?

I voiced my thoughts to Arren who chuckled at my relative excitement and promised to show me the basics the next day if my body was in a good enough condition for it. I thanked him profusely and promptly collapsed on to the sled from exhaustion. It seemed my wounds were almost completely healed by that time but I still felt tired from the lack of blood.

Fortunately by the fifth day I was completely healed, thanks to Arren's 'Aura transfusion' ability and my own Aura. The only thing that remained was a medium sized scar where the crowbar punctured my stomach area. I didn't mind it that much, it would make a great souvenir once I got back, I thought with a chuckle.

Arren was true to his word and we stopped near an oasis to practice a bit.

"Alright, first step in Aura training is the action to call out its protective ability at will" My impromptu teacher told me as he settled in the shade of a palm tree.

"How do I do that?" I asked as I moved near the water where the ground was a bit more solid.

"It's rather easy. You have to will it to protect you" He told me with a wave of his hand "Most people think of a certain feeling or memory they could associate with the protective field and by the second time they need it they can subconsciously activate their Aura in an instant"

"When I was little and had my Aura unlocked I thought of my parents and how they shielded me from harm and cared for me" He smiled fondly "But that's just an example, you can come up with your own method" He shrugged and laid back against the tree.

I nodded with uncertainty and closed my eyes.

'Okay, something that makes me feel safe…' I concentrated on my past memories as I sorted through them.

'Family' I decided on using Arren's advice and waited.

Nothing happened.

'Alright…' I frowned lightly, feeling a bit unsettled by the fact that I apparently didn't feel safe by my family.

'Friends' I mouthed wordlessly. This time I felt a small tinge along my skin and I shuddered at the feeling. I opened my eyes and sighed when I couldn't see any difference. I picked up a pebble and scratched my arm. Red blood poured slowly from the wound and I openly scowled.

'Home' I gritted my teeth when nothing changed 'What is wrong with me? I love my family and friends with all my heart! Hell, I straight up sacrificed myself for them! And now apparently they don't make me feel safe?! What the hell is happening?' I fumed, I loved them, I really did, so why didn't I feel safe?!

I forcefully closed my eyes and thought back to what made feel sa-...

I shivered as a burgundy red shroud enveloped me and rippled on my skin and bare chest before dissipating into nothingness. I suddenly felt a lot cooler and I let out a relieved sigh, honestly, the desert was hot as hell itself. I opened my eyes and allowed myself a triumphant smile.

"Bravo" Arren clapped lazily "the next step is exploring your boundaries" He explained.

"Okay, but why do I feel… cooler?" I asked confusedly.

"Aura protects you from harm" He stated evenly "high temperatures hurt your body and your Aura blocks off most of the heat because of this, just be careful, you can deplete your Aura quickly if you use it as an air conditioner 24/7" He warned.

"If you say so" I nodded "So what do I do?"

"Run, jump, do pushups" Arren shrugged helplessly "Your body and senses are already enhanced so I advise you get used to them while you are here" He offered off-handedly.

I did as he advised and let me tell you, it was fun. In the next hour or so I went from exercise to exercise. I beat my previous records multiple times easily and I felt like I could take on a freaking alligator in a wrestling match and wi-"Ouch" I cried out on surprise.

I looked down on the ground and picked up the stone that struck me. I looked up and glared at Arren, who looked as nonchalant as ever.

"What was that for?" I asked irritably, it hadn't hurt nearly as much as it should have but it still surprised me.

"Firstly it was to get you off your high horse" He told me in an amused tone, I frowned but didn't correct him.

"Second it was to show you that while Aura negates physical damage, attacks still cause pain, albeit it's still dulled by your Aura" He told me in a lecturing voice. I nodded along, it made some sense if thought about it, at least it would explain why some characters felt pain while they still had plenty of Aura.

Arren stood up lazily from his tree and stretched a bit before looking at me.

"Do you want to test your abilities against a living opponent?" He asked with a half smirk, I flinched at the more than likely possibility of getting my ass kicked in the next couple of minutes. Nevertheless I nodded, thinking it was 'part of the Remnant experience' and that I could later brag about being in an honest to God anime/cartoon battle. Not that anyone would believe me but still, it was the thought that counted.

Seeing me accepting his challenge Arren hummed with a smile and got into position a few meters in front of me.

"Have you fought with a sword before?" He asked as he took out two rectangular objects from his coat.

"Once or twice. A friend of mine was into fencing and showed me the ropes" I replied with a so-so gesture. Arren shrugged with a 'good enough' gesture and tossed me one of the objects. I caught it and inspected it. It was perhaps twice as long as my fist and had hooked spikes at one end that pointed inwards.

"Press the right button below the spikes. Don't press the other one, that's for something else we won't need now" Arren explained and I did as told.

Almost instantly the spikes shot outwards to form an armguard. The spikes themselves were arranged like the points on a hexagon. Right after that three blades slid out on the same end and merged into one, two feet long, seamlessly polished blade. There was also a gun barrel built into the side of the blade that went to about one thirds the length of the whole thing.

I of course jerked back the moment the object shifted in my hand and almost threw it away in panic. I fumbled with it a bit before calming down and realizing where I was, of course mecha-shift weapons were an essential part of the 'Remnant experience'.

I sighed and inspected the sword. I made a couple of thrusts and wide swings with it until I got the feeling for it. It was a quality sword for sure, well balanced and sharp, but only the front, tip and a bit of the back end was sharp. What was interesting was that it felt… natural in my hand, like it was casted directly into my hand.

I looked at Arren who just stood before me with a knowing smirk, he pressed the button and did a twirl with the expanding sword before settling into a combat stance.

"Show off" I muttered and thought about how I should handle this. Sure, I was going to lose badly even if I did give my best. I was not delusional, I was a civilian fresh out of a warzone and he was a monster hunter who trained all his life, probably with these weapons as well, but that didn't mean I couldn't enjoy myself a bit.

My sword, as impressive as it was, was just a short sword. It wasn't designed for two handed combat and powerful swings. So I had to be quick on my feet, use thrusts and focus minimally on swings, parrying was out of the question, he probably was straight up better at it than me and he wouldn't leave himself exposed. The upside was that since I was right-handed, I had my left to use as I see fit.

In short; avoid attacks, at most block them, be on the defensive and grapple and then counter.

"Here goes nothing" I blew out some air and got into a defensive stance with the sword in a reverse grip.

Arren looked at my stance and raised an eyebrow at me. I gave him an exasperated eyeroll and motioned him to get on with it. He shrugged and not a moment later charged at me.

"Holy-" I'm not sure if it was Aura that enhanced my senses and reaction time or the adrenaline but it sure helped when Arren just appeared in front of me out of thin air. And I knew he didn't teleport because that wasn't his Semblance, so that meant he was just that fast!

I brought up my blade and hastily blocked his downward swing while I rolled to the side. No way was I going to be on the receiving end of the combo that would have surely followed. I came to a stop and crouched, ready to dodge and counter the next time.

Arren twirled his sword and hummed with a tilt of his head before charging again. This time I was actually able to track him and raise my blade to intercept his horizontal slash. The two metal blades sparkled against each other before I grabbed his shoulder with my free hand and drove my knee into his stomach. With a huff we separated, I was wary of being too close to him for long and mentally decided that quick counters were my best option.

I must have done something well, because Arren openly smiled at me "Okay, it seems you have a slight idea of what you're doing" He cracked his neck "Ready to raise the ante a bit?"

I swallowed heavily but nodded regardless. Well, if we're going to spar, at least make it interesting. Arren flashed a quick smile before charging again.

I brought up my sword to block the blindingly fast attack, only to widen my eyes in surprise when at the last moment the sword lost its momentum and changed course away from me. That bastard feinted! True to my thoughts not a moment later I felt a fist impact my face and I was sent back a couple of steps. It didn't stop there, his sword came back full force and slashed into my stomach. My Aura flared a deep burgundy and deflected the blow, but I still felt the pain. It was at this moment I regained my footing and jumped away with my supercharged legs, or at least I was going to if not for the hand that caught my leg mid-air and hurled me away.

With a cry of surprise I impacted the soft sand and saw my sword embedding itself far away from me.

"Not bad for a first-timer" I heard Arren's voice calling "Had enough yet?" He asked me victoriously. I looked up with a grunt and looked at him. My brain was telling me that it was over, I was unarmed, my weapon was far away from me and he was in the way, but my gut told me that I could still pull off something.

Meh, part of the 'experience', I shrugged mentally and stood up with one of my fists closed and in a boxing stance. Arren looked a bit surprised "You sure? Alright then" He happily obliged and charged again with his blade out for a powerful thrust.

'Reflexes don't fail me now' I prayed and waited until the last second, predictably he went for my heart. I shifted at the last moment and watched as the blade sailed past me 'Gotcha' I smirked and brought my arm to my side, trapping his sword in with my armpit. My Aura flared as it defended my side from the sharp blade and I didn't waste a second. I threw the sand that was in my fist in his face. He jerked back, clutching his face as he tried to clear his eyes. I released his sword and delivered a superpowered punch to his gut and followed up with sweeping him off his feet.

I didn't feel comfortable attacking further since he would have been expecting that, instead I sprinted to my sword and slid beside it. I grabbed it and got back up. When I turned back Arren was already back up and by his serious expression I knew I was in trouble but I didn't care, I could feel the adrenaline pumping in my veins and I loved it.

I got into stance and shot him an innocent smile. Arren narrowed his eyes and ran at me, I raised my sword in response and we clashed. I winced, it seemed he wasn't holding back as much as before, even blocking his swings hurt. I rolled away from another of his attacks only to block again as he tried to decapitate me, Aura would have protected me of course but still, manners man. I risked a parry and actually succeeded, I knocked away his blade and backed away, choosing not to press his opening since I feared it was just baiting.

It went like this for almost a minute, with Arren pressing me at every opportunity and me hastily dodging or blocking and countering ever so often. It was clear he was winning as I was panting from exhaustion while he maintained his stone cold expression.

'Yeah, I can't keep this up any longer' I winced as I ducked under a horizontal swing 'I should go out with a bang though' I thought with an internal smile 'hmm what about that knife trick Anton showed me? That could work but I would need an opening… Bingo' My eyes lit up (Not literally) and I had an epiphany.

I put as much power into my parry as I could and knocked Arren's weapon away, I used this opportunity to separate from him. We eyed each other for a few seconds before I charged at him. Arren's eyes widened in surprise as I've never taken the initiative before, however it didn't last long as he moved to intercept my horizontal slash. I moved in low and quick and when our blades were about to clash I pressed the activation button.

My blade retracted in less than a second and Arren's blade sailed above my head as I slid to his side. Meanwhile Arren was helpless as he put too much power into his swing and couldn't stop his forward momentum. He watched with a shocked expression as I reactivated my sword then elevated myself and slashed at his arm. He cried out in pain but didn't let go of his sword. I didn't stop and kicked him in the back of his knee. He was forced to a knee and I brought my blade to his throat.

Before I could demand his surrender he headbutted me in the chest and forced me to step back. He struck my sword arm and snaked his sword in a way that disarmed me and sent my sword flying. He caught it midair with his offhand and brought both weapons against my throat in a scissor motion.

"I yield" I flinched away from the sharp blades and looked up at my opponent hopefully. Arren didn't waste a second and put away his swords with a bit of flourish. He looked down at me with a neutral expression before breaking out in a full smirk.

"Once or twice, huh?"

"Yep" I shrugged with a matching grin. Arren laughed at that and offered me a hand up. I gladly accepted and got to my feet quickly.

"You have some very impressive swordplay. You sure you haven't been taught?" He praised me, I shook my head again and he hummed "So it's instinctive?" He asked, I replied with a so-so gesture and he smiled.

"You have potential I've got to say" Arren admitted "I was holding back a lot, granted" He added after seeing my interested expression "You realized you were faced with a superior opponent and devised a strategy to go by, and kept yourself to it most of the way. You're resourceful and you are not afraid of fighting dirty" He listed with his fingers "But your footwork was disgusting and you lack initiative, you relinquish control of the fight right at the very beginning. You only react, never act and you didn't exploit a lot of obvious openings" He added sternly after he had seen my proud expression.

"Way to ruin the mood" I said lamely.

"Still, you would make a fine apprentice" He continued, not even bothering to listen to me, I perked up at this "You have what it takes to be a good Huntsman, fighting wise of course" He elaborated, I gawked at him in shock, I would make a good monster hunter? Really? "It's a shame we have to send you back" Arren shook his head as if he only missed a bet by a small margin.

"Wait, what? Since when do I have to be sent back?" I asked confusedly, last time I checked it was voluntary "Couldn't I stay here if I wanted?" Not that I wanted to but I was curious.

"Huh, don't you know- oh, of course you don't know, you didn't know the mirror existed in the first place" He said, only now coming out of his little world. After a couple of moments of silence Arren continued "Trust me Daud, you don't want to stay in this world. It's better for everyone if you leave as soon as you can" He explained to me solemnly and… was that a hint of fear in his eyes?

I looked at him oddly but didn't press the subject.


And there we have it. I hoped you liked it, expect the next chapter sometime next weekend; I'm about 70-80 percent done with it already so I won't leave you guys hanging like I'm used to.

With that out of the way I would like to clear up some things.

Daud's origin is based off the game This War of Mine, which takes place in a non-specified European country which is undergoing a civil-war by the beginning of the story. It won't really come up later on, just expect him to know a few survival tricks he learned during the civil war, like a bit of self-defense and basic crafting skills for example.

The Mirror from the beginning is actually based on the Quantum Mirror from Stargate SG-1. I decided to add it as an interesting plot device mainly. Every SI starts with the OC dying and waking up somewhere else with no way back to their world. This forces them to insert themselves into the plot and give up their previous lives. Daud's situation is different in that he is still alive and actually knows he can get back through the mirror. This knowledge could serve as his main motivator for a long time.

Arren's appearance is similar to one of the main antagonists from Dishonored, coincidentally named Daud as well.

Daud's opinion on Ozpin and the whole war is not mine, while I agree that Ozpin is at worst a shady manipulator or at best a damn idiot I'm not as radical about it as Daud.