-Prologue- (Look, if this comes out wrong, this is my first time doing this, okay!)

A year before the Vytal festival

"Come in" were the words Lionheart came to regret as soon as he saw the visitor was Shiro. His last name was private, just like his intentions to be here. In retrospect, Shiro shouldn't have been this intimidating. He looked like any other businessman: a dark black suit, blood-red tie, and silver watch on his wrist. Unlike most businessmen, his hair was a rat's nest, his ordinary briefcase was the last thing many grim ever saw, and his dark-brown gaze unsettled any bandit. Likewise, it was perfectly reasonable why Lionheart's beard was dripping wet. Unfortunately, he had to assume Shiro was here on official business, and not to murder him. "What brings you around here?" He asked. Rudely enough, Shiro simply surveyed the office. The new bookcases made to snugly fit against the circular walls, added with the painter's touch of purple, must've all seen alien to a man who'd been here multiple times. But this time was different.

"Nice. I thought the renovations would never be done." Shiro muttered.

"Well, yes. I cannot express how happy I am to be able to sleep in my office. Having to walk all the way from my home was…tedious"

Shiro snorted, "If you ask me, it was a waste of resources." He let his hand brush through his hair: A tendency that Leo noticed he'd do when he was distressed and had recently become more common.

Shiro sighed, "Look, I came here to make absolutely sure on your decision

"Which one?"

"The Handicapped act. The one where you removed AIAP from Haven's rubric? Amongst the other, questionable choices."

"Yes. I understand that Atlas considers this as a violation of our alliance, but I'm sure they'll come to see reason."

"I doubt Ironwood would ever see reason if it was tapped onto every Atlesian knight's as…

"Agreed, but to be fair, he still believes that Mistral is reliant on Atlas. Which it no longer does, of course. Also, please avoid any obscenities."

"Sorry. It's just that, yes, I understand his rank means little in the end-goal, and he's not the most tactful person. Still, it's bothersome to listen to some of his 'suggestions'." He sighed, and once again brushed his hand through his messy hair. "Fortunately, he's more concerned about Atlas than Mistral, just like the Atlas council. So we're in the green. I just came to confirm that this is what you really wanted."

"Absolutely," Leo responded, "because I, like Ozpin, believe that all people should have the same opportunities to become Huntsman, despite their disabilities."

"And besides, if they pass the entrance exam, they'll surely aspire to greatness." Shiro nodded in agreement. He had personal experience on the determination.

"So as far as I can see, I convince the Atlas council that revoking AIAP (Atlas Inspection for Application Process) does not mean we are not violating our pre-war alliance. We are simply opening new boundaries as an independent land. They approve, and we have plenty of more students coming to our school this year."

"As planned."

"All right. I'll go tell the Atlas council, in the morning."

On that note, Shiro left for the door, until curiosity got the better of him.

"One last question: Are you sure the change of location is, wise?"

"Whatever could you mean?"

"What I mean is, are you sure the change in location won't result in any fatalities?" Strange enough, Lionheart face began to turn pale.

"Yes. I'm sure we're not inviting our future students to their deaths. Trust me, we'll have our astounding medical team watching them." Leo let out a weak smile. It was obvious that Leo was hiding something, but the usually determined Shiro just wanted a good night's rest. With that, he heaved a heavy sigh.

"Well, I hope you're true to your words. Have a good night, Leonardo." And with that, Shiro closed the door behind him.

"Well, that could've gone better," Frank said to Leo, his voice emitting from the scroll on Leo's desk. It wasn't his true name, but the one Leo nicknamed him with after learning of his experiments. "If you hadn't been such a klutz, you could've convinced him that the location was simply in accordance with the Handicapped act. Oh well, that's another problem on your hands. Speaking about problems…"

"*sigh* what now?"

"Just a simple task. I'm sending our special witch, along with her adorable fan club, to Haven." All the hairs (and that's a lot) on Leo's body tensed up. Leo's first thought was what he had done wrong to deserve this. That was until he remembered the situation he was in. "Oh calm down. She's just posing as a student until the Vytal festival. It's not like Cinder," Leo tensed up again, "is coming to execute you. It would be hilariously ironic if you ask me."

"Haha," Leo let out a weak laugh.

"Oh cheer up! You've spent too much time in that office. Developing that virus, sabotaging Mistral, oh I could go on! But really, I think you need someone to help you."

"And that would be…"

"Me! I'm supposed to escort Cinder to Haven anyway, so I decided to drop by, see how everything's going."

"But, how will you…"

"I'll pose as a professional doctor from Vale. It's not like I'll be lying anyway. Besides, I need to make sure everything is going to plan."

"Yes. As planned."

"Good. I'll be arriving around the same time as the entrance exams. Don't do anything stupid." On that note, Frank ended the call. At least that's what he wanted him to think. After Leo was sure Frank had hung up, he rested his head on his desk and let out a weak cry.

It wasn't until midnight did Leo decided to look through his office windows. They were usually blindfolded to prevent anyone watching him, but the view was amazing. You could see most of Mistral from here. One of the perks of having Haven academy on a cliffside. All the tiny, terracotta houses dotted the landscape like fireflies at this time. Leo distinctly remembered that the houses were built by Mistral's best architects alongside Atlas's best engineers. It wasn't obvious, but those roofs hid solar panels that made blackouts rare. Unfortunate for him.

Unfortunate that he would have to see it burnt. But there was nothing he could do about it. He had learned that when he discovered Ozpin's age. In retrospect, Salem's group was mysterious, powerful, and constantly changing. Leo only ever found out about two of Salem's team. One was Cinder, and he barely knew anything about her. Only that she was very dedicated to Salem. The other was Frank, whose real name he never found out. Just that he became in contact with Salem after experimenting with Grim. An experience he had vaguely talked with Leo about as Frank instructed him how to install that…thing in his office.

"You know..." he'd said, as Leo gently lifted the Grim out of the box it had come in. "After serving the queen of Grim for so long, I could improve on my earlier experiments."

"Experiments?"

"Yes. Sadly, Salem has already learned from the consequences of such experiments." Suddenly, his voice became a harsh whisper. "But at least I'm still of use to her."

Leo's head felt dizzy at that fact. That Salem would discard him as soon as his services were no longer needed. But what choice did he have? Fight a useless battle, or survive for a little longer?

Suddenly, Leo's head began to throb. Stress had turned him into an old man, and he needed to sleep. Besides, he needed to prepare for the new students coming to Haven. He was still a headmaster. Before he closed the curtains, he took one last good look at Mistral. Then regretfully closed the curtains on the blissful city. Just like everything recently, it was best not to look at the past.

-End of Prologue-