Life was full of mistakes; some could even argue that it was just one massive journey filled to the brim with little accidents that never should have happened in the first place yet did so regardless. Most mistakes were simply that as well, innocent little accidents that people could look back on in times of peace and chuckle at due to the sheer absurdity of the situation in question. Others though… others were horrible things that filled those looking back with nothing but regret and the desperate need to make amends for whatever it was they did.
"Nonononono! Stop sinking!" A desperate cry echoed through Ozpin's office as he replayed a clip of the final words from one of his greatest mistakes. "I am not dying to a hungry tar pit, you hear me?!" How had this happened? "I'm getting out of here… I'll get back with proof… fix everything…" The desperate frustration was clear in the voice and it just ate at Ozpin more. How had he let this happen? "It'll all go back to how it was, I'll get my friends back and-augh!" The growled words devolved into a pained snarl and a few gasps. "I'll prove them all wrong! I'll be the hero I always wanted to be!" The panting breaths became more and more desperate. "It's an Arc promise damn it! An Arc never goes back on their word!" Ozpin could hear the tears as Jaune Arc tried to convince himself he'd survive. "I am not dying here! I am not giving up after everything I-AUGH!" A louder cry as whatever was hurting him came more intensely and made him break off into whimpers. "Please just let me get out of this…" the voice began to fade. "Let me get out and fix this!" The boy screamed with frustration. "I'm so close! I'M SO CLOSE TO-" The sound of his elevator pinging briefly captured his attention.
A sigh quickly followed from the doorway. "Ozpin please stop this," a switch on his console flicked and the screen before him shut off. "You need to move on," Glynda Goodwitch came from the open elevator to stand in front of his desk. "It's been a month, he isn't coming back sir," her words gave away no emotion despite the sour taste it left in her mouth.
"I'm well aware of that Glynda," Ozpin replied through steepled fingers as he stared into the space where the screen had been. "That doesn't mean I accept it though, or understand it for that matter."
"What else is there to understand sir?" Her tone was solemn as she went to the window behind him. "A boy lied his way into your school-"
"Which I was aware of from the beginning," Ozpin cut in, not even looking at her. "And he came to us on his own to confess."
"-And then in a desperate attempt to earn his way back he accepted a mission he was not ready for," Glynda's jaw tightened while Ozpin held back noting how she was the one who suggested the mission, Jaune Arc was not a good memory for her. "A mission that he dragged his team and that of team RWBY into which nearly got all of them seriously injured and almost killed-"
"A mission he still completed," Ozpin replied, causing the woman to whirl on him.
"A mission team RWBY completed while that young fool went and got himself killed for nothing!" She heaved in a breath and tried to steady herself. "… You should have just expelled him that day like I asked for sir," her eyes fell to the floor sadly. "I always knew he'd end up getting someone hurt because of his inexperience… I just hoped I wouldn't be right."
"Perhaps, but we'll never know for sure about that now, will we?" Ozpin's gaze fell to the mug on his desk but he didn't reach for it, for once he didn't feel a craving. "Did you need something Glynda?" He asked through a sigh.
The woman took a calming breath and straightened herself. "Yes sir I did, it's Team JNPR again," she said while presenting her scroll. "Miss Nikos has sent another person to the infirmary."
"Context?" Ozpin asked while taking the device and playing the video on it. It was a soundless clip from one of Beacon's security cameras, showing Pyrrha standing stock still while another student he didn't immediately recognize appeared to boast and laugh about something.
"They said something about mister Arc and it… upset her," upset was a mild way of putting it as a black-glow engulfed the student's armor and proceeded to drag them up then smash them into the ground and walls of the hallway repeatedly as the girl looked on with unmasked hatred. "It's becoming a problem sir, this is the fourth person she's put down in the month since his… death," she winced as she spoke the word.
It had affected team JNPR about as much as Ozpin had first expected, though the Spartan once again exceeded his expectations, this time with the level of her grief and her violent way of dealing with it. Perhaps the intensity of her reactions could be linked to the fact that she was the one that had convinced the boy to confess about his transcripts in the first place, or perhaps it had to do with the bond that had grown between them the night they'd made up after the incident at Forever Falls, Ozpin couldn't tell. What he could tell however was that his death ate at her, and her remaining teammates as well as the members of team RWBY who'd been assigned to assist in the mission on that day. The two teams that had once shown with such a hopeful and innocent light had dimmed and seemed to teeter on an edge of something horrible that no-one seemed able to pull them from.
Ozpin sighed, unaware of the black spec that appeared outside his window. "I suppose I'll have to have a word with her soon," he said while the spec grew larger as it sped towards the glass, revealing a man-sized Nevermore clutching something in its talons. "Fetch her after her next class, give her time to-" his words cut off at the sound of glass cracking and metal grinding together as something slammed into his window.
Both supervisors turned to face the sound, ready for an attack to follow… but nothing came and the two could only stare at the wide, white with black scars and scrapes, pointed object sticking halfway through the glass as a Nevermore flew away. The initial question of how the Grimm had gotten into the perimeter was quickly forgotten as their stares widened the moment they realized what the item the beast had left behind was: A shield, its pointed bottom sticking through Ozpin's window while a blue hilt stuck out from the top outside the glass. They recognized it almost instantly, and it felt like someone dropped a bag of rocks into their stomachs: Crocea Mors, but the appearance of the lost weapon wasn't what truly shocked them, no it was what was written across its side.
"Glynda?" Ozpin kept his eyes on the shield while his assistant could only nod quietly, her eyes never leaving the weapon as she took hold of it with her Semblance.
The glass around the shield splintered, cracked and finally hung in the air as the sword and shield were dragged into the room before the damage it had left was patched up. Ozpin looked over the set once wielded so clumsily by an innocent boy that only wanted to be a hero, and he found himself worried at what he saw. The once pristine face was a mess, covered in an assortment of black splotches here and there alongside bits of its edge that almost seemed as though they'd been melted by an acid. There was then nothing to alleviate his worries as he clearly read the two simple lines of text written in black across the shield's face.
"--WBY," he frowned slightly at how the R had been scratched out but tucked it away for later as he read the next line. "GOODWITCH," he turned to his assistant who looked back both confused and cautious as the man turned back to the set and slowly wrapped his hand around the hilt of the sword, readying his Aura for anything. What they saw when he removed the blade harmlessly sent a tremor of dread through both adults as the Headmaster read it aloud: "YOUR FAULT," drawn in wide hate filled strokes across the once beautiful blade.
"Glynda…" Ozpin didn't look away from writing on the sword as he addressed the now clearly shaken woman. "Call a meeting, now," he ordered. "I want everyone there: Teachers, students-" the next word faded out as his assistant's Scroll began buzzing on his desk from a call.
Glynda blinked and shook herself from her stupor as she went to grab her device, a weak glare on her face as she took hold of it. "Yes sir, I'll insure everyone gets there personally," she swiped the reject button, cancelling the unknown call as Ozpin came to her side.
"I'm accompanying you," the way he said it left no room for argument. "Someone out there has just marked you for something and I will not-" again Glynda's Scroll buzzed and the woman repressed a growl as she saw it was the same unknown caller.
"I appreciate it sir, but it's unnecessary," once more she swiped the reject call option. "I'm perfectly capable of defending myself against whatever disgusting-" she let out a snarl when her Scroll buzzed again. "Excuse me one second," she accepted the call, ready to chew out whoever was on the line. "Listen whoever you are, I don't care what it is you want but now is not the-" the weak whimpering cries on the other side killed whatever else she was planning to say.
"Read the paper," a low slap of paper on flesh was heard and someone sucked in a breath as Glynda turned her Scroll on speaker, eyes wide as Ozpin's narrowed.
"H-H-Hey there G-Goodwitch-" The first person began shakily through their whimpers only to be cut off.
A loud slap was heard and the one whimpering cried out. "Read it right scumbag!" The second, very angry voice demanded, its words slightly distorted.
"H-Hey there B-Badbitch!" The voice quickly stammered out.
"That's more like it, now keep going," #2 commanded.
"M-My name is Amend, a-a-and I just killed fifteen people-" #1 was cut off once more as Glynda's eyes snapped wide while Ozpin's hardened.
"Wait it was fifteen? Could have sworn I wrote sixteen…" #2, now named Amend, asked and a few light slaps were heard. "Okay buddy, I need to go double-check this, keep reading that paper while I'm gone, alright?" A confirmation was shaken out.
"I-I killed them because they were bad people w-who made horrible mistakes in their life," #1 whimpered as muffled counting could be heard in the background. "M-mistakes that they had to make amends for, a-a-and I wanted to call you to let you know t-that you and everyone on that shield m-my little birdie delivered is a bad person too," #1 swallowed dryly as the Huntsmen looked to the shield in question. "A-and that I hope you're all ready for pain, b-because when I finally get you I'm gonna… Oh gods…"
"Ok, he was right, it was fifteen!" Amend declared brightly upon returning. "… Why'd you stop?" The question almost sounded innocent before a slam was heard the #1 cried out. "Read it or I bite the other leg off!"Amend sounded absolutely monstrous compared what they'd heard before.
"Because when I find you I'm gonna rip you apart and eat you alive!" #1 cried while the woman blanched and the Headmaster tensed, not believing what they were hearing. "And then I'm gonna spit you up and feed you to my Grimm over and over again until all that's left is your mangled corpse full of blo-o-o-od-" #1 cried out the word. "And vomit! Oho gods this is horrible!" #1 sobbed to himself as Glynda covered her mouth, feeling nauseous.
"You're not done yet," Amend growled and #1 just struggled to recover and breathe.
"S-So please feel free to fatten yourself up with all that n-nice Huntress money you've got, a-and sleep in that comfy bed of yours, b-because I'm going to take my time working up an a-a-appetite hunting down a-all the little appetizers l-like these guys!" #1 choked out the last bit and sobbed for a bit while Amend remained silent.
"Come on, last bit," they growled, and the two Huntsmen could have sworn they heard more than one growl through the Scroll.
"N-now please pardon me while I… f-feed my dogs?" #1's voice was confused as he read the last lines. "T-they really like Ginger-OH OUM NO-" a sickening rip came through the speaker followed by a meaty thud, startling the two listening.
"Alright babies, you've been patient enough!" Amend called out as Glynda struggled to hold back her stomach's contents. "Dig in!" A chorus of easily recognizable howls sent a shiver down the spines of both Huntsmen while the killer roared with mad laughter. "Enjoy that sound witch, 'cause it'll be the last thing you ever hear!" It laughed before the call cut out with a crunch.
Glynda swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat as she stared at the Scroll. "S-Sir?" She didn't even care that she let the stutter through, she was absolutely horrified after what they'd just witnessed.
Ozpin's face was an unreadable mask as he responded. "Call the police then set up the meeting, we need to know what we're dealing with," the woman nodded and quickly typed out the Vale PD's number as she walked to the elevator while the man stayed in stride silently, the gears of his mind turning as he clenched his fists around the sword and shield he carried.
Life was full of mistakes… and it seemed like one had come back to haunt them.
Hope you're interested in the first chapter, hoping to have the next one up by tomorrow. Updates will probably be done over the weekends since I work long hours during the weekdays.