"Woah! So this is the Beacon Academy? It's huge!"
Yes, Caelum has finally arrived at Beacon Academy. Vale's number one school for huntsman-in-training for all who aspire to uphold the peace this world has been experiencing for quite awhile now. The front gates are swarmed with students who are wasting no time at all to get started with their new lives. Back on the crafty airship (as Caelum refers to it), he heard non-stop conversations about the school, the classes, the teachers, and surprisingly making new friends. Perhaps in a world that is on the edge with fighting monstrous creations such as Grimm, friendship is still a goal which is perfectly fine with the angel. Caelum smiled at the memory of the students, but was suddenly jolted from his mind when an explosion occurred from the far off distance in front of him. He didn't have to look at them to see them both arguing, but it became one-sided when a girl in white started shouting at the little girl in red with a cloak about something that is related to this 'dust' he's heard a lot about. He got closer to the two and tried to make sense of their argument,
"Ugh, you complete dolt! What are you even doing here? Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon?" The taller girl with white clothing reprimanded the girl opposite to her.
"Well, I-I..." The second girl stutters.
That's when Caelum decided the red girl needed some assistance, "Hey now! What's the matter, you two?"
The first girl looked to the voice that interrupted her scolding and huffed while answering, "This child fell on my cart of luggage, knocking them all over, and covered me in black soot from head to toe! And I was in the middle of asking her why a kid such as herself is doing here at a school to fight monsters. Doesn't she look a little too puerile to be wandering around here like it's nobody's business?"
The red-cloaked girl, finally fed up, shot back, "Hey, I said I was sorry, princess!"
A new voice entered the conversation, "It's heiress, actually." The two girls and Caelum look over to the side as another girl, this time dressed in all black and a big bow on her head, approaches them with a bottle in hand, "Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world."
The girl in white, now identified as Weiss, smiled smugly, "Finally! Some recognition!"
"The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners."
"Oh yeah! I remember them now! The Schnee Family. Too big for their britches, always quick to judge, and huge racists! Yeah those guys I don't really like much. Oh, sorry Weiss." Caelum finishes off apologizing, with the heiress fuming at their words, the hooded girl laughing in the background, and the girl with the bow smirking, amused at Caelum's witty remark.
"Wha- How dare you- The nerve of... Ugh!" Weiss gets up in the girl with black's face and takes the bottle from her and glares to Caelum, who wore a stupid smile while waving as she walks off in a huff as her helpers gather the luggage and follow.
The young girl says to the storming Weiss, still sorry, "I promise I'll make this up to you!" She then sighs, "I guess I'm not the only one having a rough first day... So, what's..." Only to end up watching as the other girl walks off as well, then collapses to the ground on her back, "Welcome to Beacon..." She remains this way until a shadow comes over her.
"Hey there. You alright? You're not hurt are you? From her words?" Caelum says to her, with a hand outstretched and a friendly smile. The girl smiles back and takes his hand, rising up on her feet, "Nah, words don't get to me that easily. I'm so sorry for forgetting about you helping me there earlier. Thank you so much!"
"Not a problem! Glad to help. I'm Caelum! You are…?"
"Ruby...Ruby Rose. Hey, you were on the same ship as me! I recognise you with your silver hair and your scarf!" She realises now when she was talking with her sister that she caught a glimpse of silver in the corner of her eye, but missed it by a millisecond.
"I was? Huh, I guess so. Hey, where is everybody at?" The angel said, looking around.
Sure enough, the front of the school was flat out empty compared to what it was before. Not a single trace of a soul anywhere. Caelum closed his eyes and scanned the entire school's vicinity for any life force, earning a confused look from his new friend.
"Uh, Caelum? What are you doing?"
He didn't answer. Instead, beckoned her to follow him in a single direction to the front of the school. Albeit still confused, Ruby complied and followed her new friend to wherever he's leading them.
After a few minutes of silence, she started off softly with a shy look, "So...I got this thing!" She pull out a bulky, mechanical scythe with complicated details about it, with an impressive blade, giving off a dangerous vibe to it.
Caelum grew starry eyed, admiring the design of her weapon, "Wow! That is a gigantic scythe! I'm impressed!"
She blushes at the compliment she received and smiled in a very happy manner, "I know, right?! It's also a customizable high-impact sniper rifle!"
"Cool, a gun mode! This thing has everything!"
Ruby smiled and nodded in thanks, but now was curious about him, "So what do you have?"
He blinked and slapped his head in remembrance, before he unsheathed his trusty sword on his waist, "Well, this is all I have really. I created it myself. Coated in rare silver that was not very easy to find, completed with fire, lightning, and ice capabilities. And the real kicker is, no dust is involved in any way, shape, or form! It just comes naturally when I fight with it."
"Oh wow! So amazing! So no dust is required at all? Is that even possible?!" Ruby was overwhelmed with his sword properties. Was it his semblance? No. He said it comes naturally. Not really saying its his semblance. She's never heard of any weapon that has special abilities such as fire or lightning without any dust to prove it useful. This sword is unlike any other she's ever seen! But one last thing garnered her attention, and that was the weird shaped instrument on the other side of his waist, "Caelum? Is that a trumpet you got there? What's it for? Is it something you keep around or do you actually play it?"
"My trumpet...well, I do play it, but that is only when there is a very good time to call for it. It's a weapon, but not in the way you think."
"Not in the way I think? So no bullets, dust, or different form? That's kind of weird. If it's a weapon but isn't equipped with anything to shoot or slice, then...ooooh! This is hurting my head!" She scratches her head in thought. What could it be then? Is this a trick question? Is he messing with her?
"Don't think about it too much. Look, we're already here: the main foyer." Caelum points out. Ruby look up from her thoughts and looks to see the students all in a crowd facing a stage where Glynda is standing with a microphone.
"Ruby! Over here! I saved you a spot!" A rather loud voice that overlaps every other voice in the auditorium is audible. Ruby and Caelum look over to see a blonde with violet eyes, wearing yellow and mixed with orange waving at the former.
"Oh, that's my sister, Yang! See you, Caelum! It was very nice meeting you!" She waves goodbye, walking off to her sister. Caelum waves energetically back, smiling as always. He lowered his hand and faced another person next to him, this time a redhead with green eyes and bronze armor covering almost all of her figure.
"Hello there! I am Caelum. How are you?" He smiled and rose a hand in greeting. The armored girl jumps in slight shock, but smiled and returned the gesture, "I am doing fine, thank you for asking! I'm Pyrrha Nikos. Nice to meet you!"
"Pyrrha...Pyrrha Nikos...I'll be sure to remember it. Good luck with you future endeavors, Pyrrha!" Caelum shakes her hand before walking off in a different direction. Pyrrha meekly nodded to him and looked at her hand.
'That boy...he didn't recognize me at all. Not a single trace of recognition in his eyes. Finally. Someone who doesn't see me as Pyrrha Nikos, Mistral Champion.' The redhead smiled and clutches her hand to her heart.
Back with Caelum, he takes a look around at every corner of the building and takes note of the various weapons each student possess. He smiled and waved at each one, who returned the gesture back.
'For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. And that is what I will make sure of. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.' Caelum resolves with dignity. A tap on the microphone up on the stage cut off his thoughts and paid close attention to Ozpin, who was looking through the crowd. He smiled when he spots Caelum in the crowd before returning to his earlier demeanor.
"I'll... keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." Ozpin walks off the stage, slowly with a push of his cane.
'Good call. Calling them out on their decision of attending Beacon. After all, they should not expect this to be an easy ride. Testing their will is one way to warn them of the dangers of a life dedicated to fighting those abominations.' Caelum nods and walks off to do something before nightfall.
In the ballroom, students laid out there sleeping supplies to rest up for the morning. Ruby, in her pajamas and with a sleeping mask around her head, is writing in a journal when her sister Yang crashes next to her, similarly dressed.
"It's like a big slumber party!"
Ruby, not looking up, replies back, "I don't think Dad would approve of all the boys, though."
"I know I do!" Yang purrs as she watches several muscular, shirtless guys… and a silver haired boy in the corner with his own sleeping bag, folding his hoodie and putting it next to him. She gets a good look at his average but perfect figure exposed with bandages on his chest, making her hot in the face. She didn't expect him to look her way and smile innocently and waved energetically, in which she waves flirtatiously back. Ruby notices the slight silence before she peers up at her sister looking at someone from afar. She looks to see what got her sister's attention like that and a great smile almost split her face in half, "Oh it's Caelum! Oh, I feel kinda bad ditching him like I did."
"You know him? Why didn't you tell me?" Yang inquires. Ruby making friends already on the first day...and a boy no less. That's different.
"Yeah, like I said, I feel bad forgetting him like that. That's the second time that I've done that today." She then frowns, forgetting about her first friend here so easily for a second time.
"Yeah Ruby, how could you forget about him? I could only imagine how he feels right about now." Said a voice beside her.
"Yeah, I kno-wait. Who said…" Ruby paused and looked over her shoulder to see Caelum sitting cross legged beside her and Yang. Yang yelped and fell back on her mat on the floor and Ruby squeaked in surprise. Caelum chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head, "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I just got up and walked on over here. Guess you didn't see me coming."
Yang breathed in relief before grinning and points to herself, "Hiya! I'm Ruby's older sister Yang! You gave me quite the scare there. Nice to finally meet you! Thank you for befriending Ruby here. She's sorta new to this whole making friends thing."
"You are most certainly welcome. But you make it sound like Ruby here doesn't have that many friends. That's quite the shocker, considering her cute appearance and friendly air about her. It's a wonder why she doesn't have that many connections to people." Caelum says, surprisingly solemnly. A person like Ruby deserves many friends. She just has that real easy aura that makes you feel comfortable talking with her.
Said girl fidgets in her spot, blushing from the sudden compliment her friend gave her, 'I'm...cute?'
Yang gets put on edge from that little innuendo that Caelum mentioned, but stopped when she sees the sad expression on his face, surprising her. He's that concerned for her social life? Guess he's not that bad after all.
"I really appreciate you looking out for her. I've never seen anyone outside from home give her this much time of day. It's nice, wouldn't you say Ruby?"
"U-Umm...y-yes! Thank you, Caelum. It means a lot to me." She thanks shyly.
"Like I said, my pleasure." Caelum smiled.
The two sisters and angel notice a candle being lighted nearby, and the girl from before with the bow is seen leaning against a wall, reading her book.
"That girl…" Ruby mutters to Caelum, who nodded in acknowledgment.
"You two know her?" Yang inquires.
"Not really. She saw what happened this morning, but left before we could say anything." Caelum pointed out.
"Well, now's your chance!" Yang grabs Ruby's arm and lifts her up, Caelum following.
Ruby yells in defiance, "Wait! What are you doing?!"
The mysterious girl looks over her book to see Ruby unsuccessfully struggling against Yang's grip as she leads her sister over to her spot before letting go, Caelum, meanwhile, was keeping watch with an eyebrow raised at their behavior.
Yang sings in greeting, "Hel-looooo! I believe you three may know each other?"
The girl looks to the both of them, "Aren't you... that girl that exploded? And you're the one who made that really good quip at the Schnee heiress."
Ruby gives up and answers, "Uh, yeah! My name's Ruby! But you can just call me Crater..." She smiles, embarrassed, "Actually, you can just call me Ruby."
She goes back in her book, "Okay."
"And I'm Caelum! Pleased to meet you!" He smiled to her with his signature greeting.
It could be contagious when the girl smiled microscopically and raised her own hand back, "Hello."
Yang is amazed at how fast Caelum worked.
'He makes it look so easy.' She then began whispering to Ruby, "What are you doing?
Ruby whispers back, "I don't know - help me!" She goes back to smiling.
Yang looks down at the girl again, "So... What's your name?"
The girl looks away from Caelum and back to Yang, sighing as she's distracted yet again, "Blake."
"Well, Blake, I'm Yang, Ruby's older sister! I like your bow!"
Blake starts to get irritated, "Thanks!"
"It goes great with your... pajamas!"
"Right…"
Yang continues as Ruby laughs uncomfortably and Caelum giving the two a look, "Nice night, don't you think?"
Blake ultimately tries to end the pathetic attempt at keeping the conversation going, "Yes - it's lovely! Almost as lovely as this book!" Ruby, Yang, and Caelum stand there, "That I will continue to read." The trio continue standing, "As soon as you leave!" And there it is.
Yang turns to Ruby and Caelum, "Yeah, this girl's a lost cause."
"Hey! Is that the Man With Two Souls? Cool! You love that series?" Caelum shouts excitedly, finding someone with the same taste in books as he does.
The three girls jump in surprise at his proclamation, with Blake muttering slightly to him, "You...read these?"
"Yep! They're one of the few books that I ever enjoy reading." He shares to the group, reminiscing about a certain book of his that he cherishes.
Blake, in all her time here, is actually starting to appreciate this school more than usual. She looks to Ruby who continued on with what Caelum is doing, "I love books. Yang used to read to me every night before bed. Stories of heroes and monsters... They're one of the reasons I want to be a Huntress!"
Blake laughs a little, "And why is that? Hoping you'll live happily ever after?"
Ruby doesn't falter, "Well, I'm hoping we all will. As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books... Someone who fought for what was right, and protected people who couldn't protect themselves!"
Blake leans back in surprise at the girl's view of the world, "That's... very ambitious for a child." Her smile turns into a frown, "Unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairy tale."
Ruby, despite what she's hearing, isn't giving up, "Well, that's why we're here! To make it better."
Caelum smiles at Ruby, while Yang goes over the line, "Oh, I am so proud of my baby sister!" She hugs Ruby into the air.
Ruby tries kicking out, "Cut it out!". The forced sisterly bonding evolves into a dust cloud of fighting limbs and flying stars, Caelum backing away from the two.
Blake laughs slightly, "Well, Ruby, Yang, Caelum, it's a pleasure to ha-"
Our resident heiress storms onto the scene in her own pajamas as Ruby traps Yang's leg, "What in the world is going on over here?! Don't you realize some of us are trying to sleep?"
Weiss and Yang then yell at the sight of each other, "Oh, not you again!"
Ruby tries to pipe them down, "Shh! Guys, she's right! People are trying to sleep!"
"Oh, now you're on my side!"
"I was always on your side!"
Yang defends Ruby, "Yeah, what's your problem with my sister? She's only trying to be nice!"
Weiss retorts back, "She's a hazard to my health!"
Caelum, despite the arguing, smiles at the four from the sidelines, 'This is where it begins. The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.'
Blake, who rolls her eyes at the fight, simply closes her book, reaches over to grab her candle, and blows it out, enveloping the room in darkness.
"Thank you, Blake."
"My pleasure."
xXxX
I forgot to put this in the summary for all to see, but Caelum will be replacing Jaune in this story. I've realized there are tons of these on here where there's an OC of sorts, or crossovers where the main character or another character of a different universe replaces him. So I thought, "Why not add to that scale?"