Thank you Redler Red 7 for beta-reading this chapter as well.
15 Days before RWBY's Initiation
A few hours past the warmth of dawn, Professor Ozpin was present as promised standing on the center walkway beyond the front courtyard with his cane by his right side. Adjusting his glasses, he gave a soft sigh as his patience draws near to a disintegrating end.
Meanwhile, his mind has become more attentive to the nature around him as he waited for the evidence to arrive. With his eyes closed, he perceived the squirrels hurrying their efforts for the coming winter, youthful birds' first flight into the motionless wind, and an out of place doe munching on the grasses behind the rings of the courtyard - several white column rings.
The courtyard that Ozpin stood in front of was being well lathered in the sun's holy shine: two rings of columns (the outer being much large than the inner) circled the center statue of the courtyard with the gates of the academy making one side of the circumference of the outer rings while the walkway that Ozpin stood on stabbed the inner circles in the center. Some of the young birds found themselves resting their new wings on the statue while a curious squirrel made the climb up the columns and onto the top of the inner-most ring.
Heh, I should shoo the doe away at some time.
But through his perceptiveness, he started to hear an anomaly. There's a strange sound that doesn't seemed to stand parallel with the rest of the natural ambiance. What could that sound be coming from? He looked up at the sky where the ripple in the water began. The peculiar noise grew louder and accelerated in amplitude - forcing the out-of-place creatures of nature to scurry away into the plains that made Beacon Academy an island in the sea of grass.
Then, something penetrated from the clouds above.
The first piece he witnessed was the nose or rather the tip of the iceberg. Then, the whole body of the craft appeared racing downwards at a perpendicular angle to the ground that Ozpin stands beneath. Its furious speed made the air scream for easement as the nose burned red but unharmed from heat built up from penetrating the atmosphere.
Suddenly, it slowed down to a great halt. The burning aura dissipated. The air finally seemed to be in relaxation. Once it was about four Ozpin's to the ground, the craft rotated itself so it was now parallel to the plane of the ground.
Now, the craft itself had a design similar to a squid as far as the head goes, but its rear have two long rigid tentacles unlike any sea tentacle creature. The bottom of the landing craft has a cylindrical mound vertically centered in the middle, but more towards the nose of the ship.
Ozpin could only perceive of what will happen next with an open jaw. The door, with a design in the center that resembles a lotus flower, rotated counter-clockwise to reveal a humanoid figure that fits snuggly inside a human cut-out molding frame. The figure fell to gravity and firmly landed in a soft thud. From a crouched position, it stood up to face its host which allowed Ozpin to have a moment of inspection.
There's a new instrument in the orchestra that was one not of the early birds, the squirrel, or the doe, but of this beacon. Even more than that, it did not hum in the background like the craft did but it emitted a whispering song just like the one he heard when he saw the picture of the alien artifact. Something slow, soft, and sacred. And for this peculiar moment, it glimmered and bathe in the sun's grace and in mystery.
There's a distinct feature that seated this 'thing' apart from any familiar specie in the Remnant-sphere – the lack of a face. Without eyes, mouth, nose or ears; it yet knew where Ozpin was and identified his current expression – an old man who has yet to see the galaxy as it looks in awe - as it turned its head to him. But just like the figure Ozpin saw in the video, it, too, had a horn though not as slender. It was gray, just like the rest of the body, and thick like a rhino's horn, but not pointed at the tip - it was rather flat like a plateau.
Professor Ozpin was waiting for the tall figure to make a sound or a sign of attempt at communication that would soon break his gaze.
The figure opens up its left palm to reveal a luminous, cumulative region of mist emitting an orange light; a hologram emerged from that hand magically. There's a woman on the other side of the hologram with a giant helmet covering her eyes and hair while only her nose and mouth remain visible. Her neck is covered in a gold plating at the front and the bridge of her nose has a small light coming from it.
She spoke at last, "I assume you still have questions that require answers?"
Ozpin stammered. "Y-yes. Y-you must be Lotus?"
"The Lotus, Professor Ozpin, but yes. It is rather a title, a title that stands for the mother of all Tenno just like the one that stands before you."
The headmaster re-adjusted his glasses and regains serenity. "Apology. I am clearly not knowing of your customs."
"Your apology is accepted graciously, headmaster. Now, with this brief introduction out of the way, may we tour about the school? My Tenno here is quite interested in it."
"Of course, but I do I one question I must urgently ask before we go."
The Lotus titled her head slightly to her right shoulder in interest. "And what may that question be?"
"The person, or…the Tenno," he stutters as he quickly recovers his recent recall of the name. "Is he capable of speaking?"
"Unfortunately, no. The Tenno are mute from verbal communication, so sometimes they interact with one another with gestures, text-based discourse, and telekinesis to the limits of fellow Tenno and myself. And on a side note, Tenno are described as 'it'. They are genderless, anyway."
"Ah… again, my apologies," Ozpin nervously chuckles.
Once said, they commence the tour about Beacon Academy as if a high school student were going on a college trip, save for the enthusiasm. It was a weekend and Ozpin has sent his staffs away on a resort just for this perfect occasion. In case the Lotus was true, he wouldn't want any more witness or confusion to what his life has led to already.
While they were on this walk, the Lotus observed that there was an awkward aura surrounding the party and particularly from the professor. Out of effort, she asked the headmaster with a clever inquiry on the geography and current standings of Remnant, to which Professor Ozpin replied gladly. He explained from the farthest west of Vacuo to the eastern fronts of Mistral the divisions that define society. The White Fang, the Schnee Dust Corporation, the Atlas Military, and the academies were not saved from definition; neither were the Grimm unexplained as Ozpin stressed on their instincts and erratic behavior in their scent for fear. Ozpin felt a bit easier when he covered this topic while the Tenno and the Lotus continue to nod heads every so often.
They reach the food court, a separate building within the campus' territory, where the students were expected to enjoy a good meal throughout their vocation here. "So Lotus, which Tenno is it that will be attending my academy for the Fall Semester? According to the video footage you've sent me, there was someone else that was on performance."
"It would be the one carrying me as of now. The Tenno are capable of commandeering many forms of bodies so assume that whatever isn't natural is the Tenno for now."
Ozpin was befuddled for a moment. A person that could shift bodies at will? But only magic could obtain a trait such as that? Could it be-
The headmaster's train of thought was quickly forced to pull its emergency brakes as the Lotus noticed that the professor was in a trance. "Professor Ozpin?"
"Hm? Oh- yes ma'am?"
"Do you find it hard to believe my explanation?"
The headmaster took a small moment to configure his message. "Not so much as if its possible, but rather much of how."
The Lotus was silent, trying to gather a sound explanation in her head. "I see... well... I, too, find it puzzling on how the Tenno is capable to do so, but the current theory is that its a little bit mix of magic and science, as a short answer."
"Then perhaps I could hear the long answer?"
"I'm - actually, no one in my system is well-versed to know the technical answer, Professor Ozpin." To this, the Tenno gave an curious tilt of the head at its space-mother.
Ozpin, however, was not satisfied with this answer but he decides to bring his guests back to a more comfortable topic out of reverence. Besides, he, too, understands the necessity of secrets. "I see. Well then, I've shown you much of Beacon Academy. Is there anything you have concerns about because I think I've made up my mind on the deal." He finished it off with an assuring mirage through his closed-lip smile.
The Lotus responded back blankly. "I do have conditions for the Tenno's enrollment that I would like to make affirmative."
"Oh? What sort of 'conditions' do you require?" he asked with a raised eyebrow of curiosity.
"I understand that at your academy the initiates are formed in teams to promote cooperation and teamwork; however, I must urge that my Tenno be assigned alone in a singular team, taking classes independently, as I wish its attendance at Beacon Academy to never be in the records.
In addition, we'd like full anonymity from the planet's defense organization.
Other than that, I ask that it remain unknown to anyone but you alone, to be free from traditional learning in classes, and to be excused from having a dorm. It has his landing craft that could sustain it."
"But Lotus, that is a conflicting amount of conditions and you aren't in a position to make any 'conditions' given your position. I must assure you, though, that we at Beacon Academy do not discriminate anyone by race, ethnicity, or origin."
The Tenno and the Lotus glanced at each other unsure of what to come, but the mother gave her child a nod a moment later before she turned back to the headmaster. "This isn't a matter of acceptance, Professor. I fear that the attendants at Beacon Academy will think otherwise, but I do concede to your point.
How about this: my Tenno will attend all the classes arranged by you and attend to all the necessary events and even have a dorm for itself, but it is obliged to 'stick to the corner of the room' if it wishes to. Still it will remain off records as I stated before."
"Humph! You ask that the Tenno would abstain from the society I gift all the other students at Beacon Academy. Assuming that your Tenno isn't capable of cloaking, how does it intend to execute that?"
"The Tenno... has their ways..." she replied. "Now, as I stated before, could that leverage be amendable?"
"Hmm... I suppose I could come to terms with those, but I still need your protégé to undergo an initiation trial. It's tradition that each new student experience a sense of life-or-death scenario and it is through factors like this that Beacon Academy remains the best school for hunters and huntresses' initiates here on Remnant. Aside from religious needs, I still have doubts about your Tenno's capabilities."
The Lotus exerts a forced, gentle sigh from her lips while her Tenno looks at her with, despite a blank face, anticipation of her reply. "I'll amend to an initiation trial organized by your hand, as long as the trial occurs in privacy."
"That can be easily done, Lotus," the headmaster replied with a smirk. "The Emerald Forest is always ripe for Grimm hunting."
"Then I believe we have reached a consensus, headmaster, unless you have another question?"
Surprised by the open-handed question, he dreamed in his mind and burrowed hard to summon a well-procured inquiry. "Actually, yes." Ozpin halted in his stroll to settle a gaze upon the Lotus, one that appeared to be most serious in manner.
"Why do you trust me with this secret? Why did you instead tell me and not remain unknown to a single soul?"
The Lotus did not answer and remained mute for a very pregnant pause.
The answer finally was born when her lips opened again. "We've watched you interact with other fellows for a while now. For the sake of our safety, I think you can be trusted."
"You say that you've been watching me for a while, now. Does that imply that you already know the Grimm well?"
"Only in theory, headmaster. We would like to test our knowledge in whether it retains credibility as well as pushing it further with your archives and classes readily available.
That, I can assure. Are there anymore concerns?"
Professor Ozpin rubbed his chin, pondering about the exchange in regards to whether what he must sacrifice will be equivalent to what he will gain.
"Well, what about this Orokin Empire technology advancement that you said you would offer in return for letting the Tenno study at my school? I would like to see what contributions you would make."
"I can assure you that these investments will be very helpful, especially to Atlas as I am aware that it houses the best military on the planet."
Their discussion trailed onwards until the headmaster was pleased on his end of the bargain. In return for Orokin technology, the Tenno will undergo an initiation trial organized by Professor Ozpin. When it passes the trial, the Tenno may attend Beacon Academy as an unknown foreign-exchange student under an amendable amount of conditions.
