First Steps

A few months had passed since my initial encounter with Summer. My power's had long been restored, but I couldn't bring myself to leave. Everyone was kind to me, not knowing who exactly I was, and well, I just couldn't leave Summer.

The search for me was still on, but the townsfolk never realized I was living among them. There was only one exception to that fact.

Yamato Hotsuin an unusual man with far greater amounts of power than what the townsfolk know. He easily caught on to me and was hell bent on turning the town against me.

His initial attempt ended in him getting kicked out of the search party. If it weren't for Summer, I just might've been caught. He still never gave up, and he eventually got us caught.

Everyone was in the inn celebrating the blacksmith's birthday. Everything was great until Yamato stepped in. Since his initial attempt he had lost all of his reputation in the town. Everyone stared at him in silence as he walked towards me. "I'm tired of playing games black mage. I'll get you to reveal yourself even if I have to throw away my pride!"

He turned to the blacksmith and, for the first time, used his power. He charged up a large amount of power and aimed it at the birthday man. I didn't know what to do, I didn't want anyone to be injured because of me, so I did what my instincts told me.

I dashed in front of the blacksmith and created a magic circle which drained all of the energy Yamato was charging up. Everyone was staring at me with shock. I only said one thing, "Well played Yamato." Yamato laughed almost maniacally, "Looks like I've won black mage."

Everyone was whispering among themselves, "The black mage was with us the whole time? I can't believe he's the black mage. No way. Wait, Summer's been harboring him! Yeah, she must be a witch! Let's get her! Die witch!" They all turned to Summer and charged at her.

I dashed in front of her and used a magic circle to repel them all back. I quickly created another one and warped the two of us away.

"Sorry I got you into that mess." I spoke. She gave me a reassuring smile and replied, "It's alright. I was the one who allowed you to stay."

"Not the greatest of ideas."

"It's a mistake I made and I don't regret it, in fact, I stand by it."

"You're insane."

She giggled, "You're the one who wanted to stay there even with your powers restored."

"So you noticed."

"It's kind of obvious when you clean and organize at inhuman speeds."

"Yeah I guess."

"Now what do we do?"

I used a magic circle to switch to my black mage robe and put on the hood, "We go into hiding." She looked at her surroundings and asked, "Where are we exactly?"

I looked around myself. It was a large room with multiple thrones at different elevations with a large table in the middle. I knew exactly where we were, "We're at the council room of the black mages."

"Council room?"

"Yes, it's where the council of thirteen gather to discuss certain matters. And before you ask, the council of thirteen are the thirteen greatest black mages in existence. They're ranked by their number, 13 being the weakest of them and 1 being the leader of the black mages."

"So where are they?"

"I doubt they had the luxury of a hideout, so I can't imagine they survived the power loss."

"You underestimate us." A voice had spoken. I looked around and saw four figures in black mage robes all sitting on separate thrones.

"I don't care if you're stronger than us, that doesn't mean we aren't strong enough to survive." Another one of the figures joined in.

Summer looked at me with awe, "You're one of them?"

"Ah yes, and he's marked number 2"

"So who's number one?"

"Number one is old man Moto," I answered, "he's held the title of leader for over a thousand years. Speaking of old man Moto, did he survive?"

"Sadly not, we felt his presence and tried to meet up with him, but it faded on our way there. When we made it, all that was left was his bloody corpse and a cheering town."

"Well that's disappointing."

"Yes, but it also means you're number one now, so you're the boss."

"Oh damn it, I was just getting used to being the leader."

"Oh shut it, all you ever did was get us to do your errands. I'd rather have him be leader."

"Well then, what're your orders oh great leader?"

"I say we erase the black mages from existence."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Care to elaborate?"

"I don't mean destroy us, I'm not a moron. I mean we just live our lives as normal humans, black mages are not to be mentioned or remembered by anyone."

"Wait, you're telling us to give up our heritage to be normal?"

"Well think about it, there are only FIVE of us left and the world is trying to kill us. I've already gotten people in danger because of those damned corrupted black mages giving us a bad name, and now I've got people chasing us."

"Oh that reminds me." One of the council members looked at Summer, "who's the little lady with you?"

"She's Summer Rose. For some unholy reason she decided to let me stay at her place while I was recovering my power, and now people think she's a witch."

"A witch? Oh please, those girls barely have the power to clean their own homes let alone be evil."

"Anyways back on subject. Humans are pretty forgetful. I'd give it a decade tops before they forget about us entirely. After that, the only worries are our descendants."

"I guess it's better than being hunted down like animals."

"It's a good idea."

"I'm down with it."

"I can agree with that logic."

"Alright then, we start by erasing the traces of our existence, and that includes this base."

"How're going to destroy this place without anyone noticing the damages?"

"Simple, the old man trusted me with the self destruction code."

"Why does that old man trust you so much?"

"No clue, anyway it should release a large antimatter blast which shouldn't affect the ground. The blast will destroy this base and anything within a five mile radius, and it'll just appear to be a large, open plain."

"Right then, how long do we have before it goes boom?"

"Ten seconds."

"That's all?"

"We can teleport, who needs any longer?"

"Yeah but still, he could've given us SOME time to plan our next step."

"We plan it now before we leave alright. I'm just going into hiding for a while, and I'm going to assume Summer's following me."

"I'll just be traveling."

"I'm going to live somewhere up north."

"I'll start a small colony somewhere west."

"I'll be going to Vale. Hey, why don't you and Summer come along? I've got a friend. His name is Ozpin, and he can get you a place to stay!"

"That'd be nice, now that we have everything planned out let's-" I noticed something, "Wait, does anyone else feel that?"

"Yeah, that presence nearby us and it's powerful."

"Summer, did Yamato give you anything before the party?"

"Well he gave me this bracelet."

"Let me see that." She took it off and handed me it. I examined it for a second and threw it on the table, "That bastard gave you a tracker."

"Who is this Yamato guy?"

"Someone who is hell bent on getting rid of us. I'd better activate the self destruct now. Council Destruction, Code: Nine Tails."

A glowing orb appeared on the table, "Clock's ticking. We better leave now." Three of them left immediately while the one who offered assistance walked over to me and Summer, "I'll warp you guys to Vale with me."

He created a magic circle and warped us right outside a small, calm town. There, Summer and I began our new peaceful lives.


The final bell rang and all students filed out of their classrooms and headed back to their dorms or to places to hang out with their friends. Ruby on the other hand, headed toward Ozpin's office to begin her new class.

She arrived and knocked on the door. She heard Ozpin call her in, so she walked in to see Ozpin at his desk, as usual, and Sen. Sen wasn't wearing the robe he was wearing the day before, he was wearing a black jacket along with a grey turtleneck shirt and black pants.

He walked up to the young girl and asked her, "Are you ready to begin?" She nodded smiling and Sen spoke again, "Then follow me."

The two walked for what seemed to Ruby like an eternity and finally reached their destination. It was an old, unused classroom. The entire room was dusty, dark, and had a creepy atmosphere to it.

"Um…couldn't we have used a less old and creepy room?" Ruby asked. Sen sighed, "I wish I could've gotten a better place myself, but everywhere else was booked, so this is all we got. Look on the bright side: this'll help you to adjust to the darkness and 'creepy' atmosphere."

"Well I guess that's good."

"Before we start, do you have any questions you didn't ask last night?"

She was tempted to ask of her mother, but she knew it was an uncomfortable subject for both of them, but looking at Sen now, she had another question in mind.

"How long have you known Professor Ozpin and how are you allowed to be a Professor? I mean you and Ozpin seem like you've known each other for a while and you don't look much older than most of the students here without that robe you wore yesterday and don't you need a degree to be teaching?"

"I've known Ozpin for over two decades actually, and looks can be deceiving. I may look like I'm only seventeen, but I'm far older. Also you don't need a degree to teach black magic."

"Well, how old are you?"

"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me."

"Well black magic is unbelievable and you're teaching me it."

"True. Alright then, if you truly wish to know I am exactly one thousand seventeen years old."

Ruby's eyes widened, "What?"

"Yes, when I was actually seventeen I messed up a powerful spell and was cursed with immortality and eternal youth."

"Cursed? That sounds like a gift!"

"Well that's one cruel gift. While it sounds like a good idea, in actuality it's quite awful. Think about it, all of your friends and family die off while you're stuck on this godforsaken world alone, thinking 'why me?'"

"Wow, that sounds…depressing." Her chipper mood died down after hearing Sen's explanation and Sen tried to get her mind off of it, "Look, why don't we get started already?" Ruby regained her happiness and nodded.

"Alright then, now I know this'll be boring, but for THIS FIRST DAY ONLY, we'll be learning about the history of black magic." Ruby groaned, "Do we have to?"

"Yes we do, the history helps to understand more about how it works, and when we get through all of it I'll give you a test to see just how much you were paying attention. Oh, and it isn't multiple choice." Ruby groaned even louder.

"Now let's begin. Black magic was first founded in-" Sen immediately stopped and threw a punch at Ruby, stopping mere centimeters from her face. Ruby jumped back and yelped, "What was that for?!"

"For not paying attention, I'm not an idiot; I can tell when someone's dozing off." Sen sighed again, "Look I'll cut you a deal alright? You pay attention and get at least a ninety percent on the test, and I'll teach you a neat spell, deal?" Ruby nodded vigorously.

"Alright then, now the very first thing you need to know is that in black magic, anything created must have something of equal value destroyed in return for its creation and vice versa, so for example let's say you create a block of wood, in return something of equal value, like another block of wood, must be destroyed."

"So wait, if something of equal value has to be destroyed, what did you destroy when you became immortal?"

"Anything within a ten mile radius of me when I screwed up."

Sen then explained the entire history of black magic from when it was founded to the white mages screwing the black mages over. After he was finished he handed Ruby the test and she quickly finished it and handed it back. Sen scanned over the answers, marked something on it, and handed it back to Ruby.

Ruby checked the score she got. It was a perfect score. Ruby cheered in joy and Sen clapped for her. "Now then, I am a man of my word, so I'll teach you that spell." He said, "Now then, draw the magic circle." She grabbed a piece of chalk from one of the desks and began drawing.

When she finished Sen took a look. It was a perfect circle, just as she had drawn on her test. "Now then, close your eyes and focus your aura." Sen instructed. Ruby followed orders and Sen asked, "What do you see?"

"I see the magic circle I just drew and two others." She answered.

"Good now then, use your aura and try to draw a line connecting this circle to the one closest to us. Then release all of the energy you're using." Ruby followed instructions and the circle began glowing. "You can open your eyes now." Sen told her.

Ruby opened her eyes and saw on the magic circle, her beloved weapon, Crescent Rose. "Congratulations, you just learned how to swap magic circles." Sen said. "It's simple yet useful for beginners." Ruby looked up to him and spoke in awe, "That's awesome! Wait, how did this give me Crescent Rose?"

"I grabbed it and placed it in Ozpin's office while you were in class." Sen answered.

"You what?!" Ruby shouted.

"It was initially supposed to be motivation to pay attention, but the circle swapping spell did the trick. Anyways you got it back, so it should be fine."

Ruby frantically examined her weapon. "Were you careful? Are there any scratches? Oh my god I don't know what I'd do if my baby broke!"

"It's fine, it's fine. I was careful and gentle with it and I made sure it didn't get any wear, tear or rust on it." Ruby sighed in relief and Sen continued, "Well I think that's enough for today, it's getting late, so you should probably get back to your dorm."

"Oh crap! Weiss will kill me if I don't get back and do my homework!" Ruby started panicking and spouting out nonsense. Sen decided to interrupt her and get her to calm down, "Why don't you cut your time by using the new spell you just learned?"

"Oh yeah, but wait, doesn't it only swap magic circles?"

"That's why I took the liberty of drawing one in your dorm room."

Ruby sighed with relief again and stood on the magic circle. Before she left Sen handed her something. She looked at it. It was a stack of paper all with magic circles drawn on them. "Bring those to this class every day. It'll save us a lot of time in the long run." Ruby nodded and preformed the swapping spell.


In the Team RWBY dorm Blake was reading, Weiss was studying, and Yang was walking around annoyed. "Where's Ruby at? It's late as all hell!"

"Calm down Yang. I'm sure she's just being held up by the lesson." Blake tried to keep her calm so that she didn't begin flaring up.

"Yes, black magic sounds completely farfetched, so I can't imagine grasping it would be easy, and being an extra class, Ruby has a lot on her hands." Weiss cut in.

"I know, but she shouldn't be out this late!"

At that moment the magic circle Sen drew started glowing and Ruby appeared on top of it. Yang rushed to her younger sister and crushed her in a bear hug.

"You're back!"

"Yang…you're…hurting me!"

Yang dropped Ruby and started scratching the back of her head, "Sorry sis."

"It's alright. Anyways I should probably get changed and get started on my homework." Ruby did just that and immediately crashed onto her bed and slept.


Over the next few months Ruby's black magic lessons became a natural part of her day, but after a while a little something changed.

Ruby headed to Sen's classroom as usual and walked in on him writing in a journal of sorts. When Sen heard the door open he finished up what he was writing down, closed the journal, and looked up. "Ah Ruby you're here." He greeted.

"Umm, I don't mean to pry, but what were you writing down?" Ruby inquired.

"Oh nothing much, sometimes I get a thought in my head and I feel like writing it down somewhere. It usually ends up as a poem or song lyrics or a unique quote." Sen answered.

"Can I see it?"

"Sadly no, it's a private journal, so only I can read it."

"Aw. Oh well, what are we learning today?"

"Ah yes, about that, we aren't learning anything."

"What?!"

"You see, my lesson plan was for you to learn all that I learned in your four years here at beacon, no earlier, no later, and the beginner lessons were supposed to last you a year and a half. However you were able to fly through the basics in the span of a few months, so until we're back on lesson plan, or I change the lesson plan slightly, we will be doing other things."

"Like what?"

"Like getting your grades up."

Ruby groaned, "Really?"

"Yes, the other professors tell me you are falling behind the others, and that you aren't acting as focused as you are in my class. I am not going to teach a failure Ruby, it's either you do better in your classes or I stop teaching you."

Ruby groaned again, but Sen didn't care. He spent the entire day tutoring Ruby and helping her focus in class.


In the week that followed Ruby improved her grades and study methods to Weiss' surprise. When she confronted her about it Ruby merely stated that she had her ways. Considering their study sessions prior to her improvement, Weiss didn't believe a word of it.

She thought that the only logical explanation would have to be something related to Sen. She searched around the school for him and found him wandering around a hallway. "Professor Sen!" Weiss called.

Sen turned and greeted Weiss, "Oh hello there Miss Schnee. What do you need?"

"Hello Professor Sen, I've recently noticed an improvement in Ruby's study habits and grades and I wish to know if you had anything to do with it."

"Ah yes, in the past week I've been helping Ruby with her studies, but I've grown tired of it. If you don't mind doing it for me that would be nice."

"But how can I help her like you did? I've only been able to keep her grade barely above average since we became a team, but you were able to turn her into a model student in a mere week!"

"Listen, her studying methods are already as good as they can be. All you need to do is cover anything she might be having trouble with. Here's a tip, don't use traditional methods. She understands more if you use theories or examples that she might understand."

"Theories and examples...like what?"

"You're her teammate; you should be able to figure something out. Now if that'll be all I should get going."

"Right, farewell Professor Sen."

"Farewell Miss Schnee."


A/N: I'm just going to end it off there. Hey guys, sorry I've been kinda gone for a few months I had a lot of things I needed to do, then I came upon writers block, and when I got over that some friends of mine asked me to write a few things for them so I've been busy. It's been a while since I last wrote anything RWBY related and volume 2 is just around the corner (seriously, at the time of writing this volume 2 is literally 2 days away) so I'm going to try and release as much of this as I possibly can before it comes out. Sorry if it really isn't as good as before it's just that it's been a while and all of my ideas have kinda been lost so please ignore any sort of mistakes until I can get back into the groove of things. Also in regards to my other series "Brothers" I am just lost on what I did with that so that's going to stay on hiatus until volume 2 comes out, so for those of you who read and actually liked that, please wait just a bit longer. Anyways I think that's all so reviews and criticism are always appreciated and have a nice day. SUMMONER OUT