Beacon Academy. Vale. Day of Initiation. 80 AGW.

It was early in the morning when Blake Belladonna entered into the cafeteria, early enough she thought she had been the first person awake. This seemed to be supported by the feline Faunus having not seen anyone awoke from their sleeping bags or encountered anyone in the hallway. Upon getting her food, however, this assumption was challenged. 'Where did he come from?' she thought, confused.

Blake saw a man seated at one of the cafeteria's tables, slowly eating his food. For a second, she struggled to place him, before recognizing that he was the person that had been meditating against one of the walls. She nearly turned away, before feeling that something seemed to be off about him. At first the feline Faunus attributed it to the fact he now had a strange rectangular pendant hanging from his neck that had a strange black and brown swirling pattern upon it, but as she kept observing him, that did not seem to be it.

Moving closer, Blake noted his eyes seemed to an unfocused gaze, despite his apparent intense focus. However, upon seeing this, she saw something near imperceptible, what appeared to be a matrix of dark purple and black across the entirety of his eyes. Extremely strangely, the dark purple seemed to snake through his eyes rather than remaining fixed, almost tracing another eye intermixed over his. Even stranger was when this ghostly pair of eyes seemed to move independently and have their own reaction.

Immediately after this, something seemed to shift in his expression as he blinked and took notice of her. He gave a smile that was mirrored within this regular eyes, but the other, ghostly eyes were suspicious. The dichotomy was distracting enough that Blake nearly didn't catch him saying, "Good morning, miss. Is there something the matter, Miss Belladonna?" he asked, concern within his voice and upon his expression. The ghostly eyes only increased in suspicion. The latter look dredging up her fear of discovery of being a former member of the White Fang, making her turn her gaze away.

"Sorry, I thought I saw something," Blake said, putting thoughts of the other eyes out of her mind as she turned to leave.

"Wait," he spoke up.

"What?" Blake asked as she faced him.

It seemed his outburst was unintentional, and he seemed to scramble for something to say. "Might I ask what it was you had seen?" he seemed to settle on.

The feline Faunus looked back into his eyes by habit, and saw the doubled eyes once more, the tangible ones displaying a mix of concern and curiosity while the ethereal eyes had the same gaze tempered by lingering suspicion. While she still averted her eyes from directly looking into his, the fear of discovery did not return as fiercely. "It was nothing," Blake responded.

The Faunus saw him frown, and go silent for a few seconds. She turned to leave once more before he asked, "What is your name?"

Turning, she responded, "Blake Belladonna."

"Solomon Rosenkreutz," he responded after a nod.

She returned the gesture then walked off, during which she heard him seem to say something below his breath in an unfamiliar language.

-0-0-0-

Thanks to how early he had woken up, it seemed as if he was going to be the first one to arrive at the locker room. It did not take him long to put on the chainmail shirt and the belt containing the holster for his pistol and sheathe for the knife over it. By the time he had put on the cuirass and spaulders, others had begun to arrive. After a passing glance at those entering, he sheathed his seven point five inch knife, that was serrated near the hilt, in its left hip sheathe and picked up his semi-automatic forty caliber pistol to inspect it. Upon removing the clip, he felt Tactical Warrior growing annoyed by the presence of the weapon, causing the Rose Duelist to give a grim chuckle just below his breath.

'I was horrible with a sword, and you know it,' Solomon directed to the leader in self-depreciative humor, as he made sure the chamber had no rounds in it. His thoughts took a more serious turn as he continued, 'If things were to go really bad, I would be far better able to defend myself with this.'

'You…certainly were…and that statement is true,' Tactical Warrior grudgingly admitted, thanks to earlier, limited utilization of the Rose Card's abilities to establish a full mental connection and the life point shield. 'That does not mean I have to like you selecting such an inelegant weapon, however.'

Solomon expressed a small smile at both her response and satisfaction there were no rounds. The Rose Duelist released the slide and returned the clip to the gun, holstering it after flipping the safety back on. 'I do not hear you complaining about the weapons of the other students. They do incorporate guns into their design,' Solomon responded.

'At least they still have melee weapons included,' the leader responded defensively. 'And being able to club an enemy with your pistol does not make it a melee weapon as well.'

Solomon gave a low chuckle and shook his head in response, before grabbing a pair of spare clips from the locker and attaching them to the weapons belt. Shutting his locker, he turned and was about to respond to Tactical Warrior's comment when he had to stop fast in order to avoid running into someone. "My apologies. I was distracted and had not seen you there," he said, with a slight bow.

"It's alright. You didn't actually run into me," responded…

'Oh come on, I know there are other guys here. I saw one enter this room,' he thought as he looked up, surprised and exasperated, as Tactical Warrior had a slight laugh at his expense. Some of his mental thoughts must have been evident on his expression, as the bronze armored female's expression shifted to a mixture of confusion and another emotion he couldn't place. Shaking his head to clear his mind, he responded, "I apologize. You are both the fourth student and the fourth female student I have met here. The absolute one to one nature of those statements is a strange coincidence that is growing annoying. I apologize if I had done anything to cause offense, Miss."

"Phyrra Nikos," she responded in a more cheerful tone, though still tempered by something. He noted in the back of his mind that something seemed familiar about her appearance, but he was unable to place it.

'She must have thought you were asking her name,' Tactical Warrior observed.

'Apparently,' he mentally replied, while starting a very slight bow. "Solomon Rosenkreutz," he responded aloud with a smile.

A confused look crossed Phyrra's face while she looked him over. "Only a knife and a pistol?"

"Those two weapons are backup in case my primary means of combat is impaired in some way," he stated with a shrug. "I doubt they will be utilized, but I will have them if they would be needed."

'What was the word you used to describe such thought…don't jinx it?' Tactical Warrior asked.

'There is no good answer to that statement,' he responded, missing something said by Phyrra. "I apologize, but would you kindly repeat that? I have only learned Vytalan recently due to the isolation of my homeland."

"I had asked what your primary weapon was," She responded.

Solomon felt Tactical Warrior listening intently in on what he was going to say after he heard Phyrra's comment. Speaking carefully, the Rose Duelist responded, "It is not a weapon. It is my semblance." Solomon mentally sighed in relief when Tactical Warrior seemed satisfied with the response.

"You rely purely upon your semblance with no weapon?" Phyrra responded critically. "That does not seem to be the wisest of decisions."

"My semblance is quite...unusual. It is difficult to explain." Solomon responded. Noting her apparent disappointment, he continued, "I have managed to simplify the description to a degree. The most basic description would be the word summoning."

-0-0-0-

Any annoyance that Weiss Schnee had had at finding someone already speaking to Phyrra was erased when she heard his description of his semblance. 'Did I hear that right? Did he just claim to have the same semblance as my family's?' she thought to herself. "Excuse me, what was that you said?" she asked aloud, approaching the one who made the claim.

He turned to face her, and the steel armored individual seemed to get an annoyed expression. He seemed to notice he had, and then said, "I apologize. That was not directed towards you. It was just some slight musing on the fact that all five of the other student I have met thus far have been female. The coincidence of that statement is getting old," he responded, pinching the bridge of his nose. Lowering his hand, he continued, "The answer to your question is that I had said that the most basic description of my semblance would be summoning, Miss. It is not a complete description of the semblance. It is simply the simplest description I can make."

Weiss looked at him with temporary shock likely evident on her face before she suppressed it. 'So I didn't mishear him. He did make the claim. If it is true, why hasn't he come to my family's attention before?' she thought. Speaking aloud, she asked, "What is your name?"

"Solomon Rosenkreutz," the steel armored figure responded with a very slight bow. Turning to Phyrra he asked, "Would you like for me to introduce you as well?"

Weiss was slightly indignant at the implication she did not know who the four time Champion of Mistral was, but before she could voice it, Phyrra spoke up, saying, "While you could, I believe Miss Schnee already knows who I am."

"Who wouldn't know of the top graduate of Sanctum academy and the four time Mistral Champion?" Weiss asked rhetorically.

"Possibly someone who was from an exceptionally isolated homeland that had been unable to understand any form of Vytalan for several years of their life," Solomon responded with a shrug. "I must admit that I am likely the only one to fit that qualification."

'That…would explain why he wouldn't have been heard of…' Weiss realized. 'Still...why has another summoning semblance not come to our attention?'

Giving a shallow bow again, Solomon said, "I am afraid I must be leaving. There is someone I had promised I would speak to today. Conversation had ended in a poor place last night, so it would likely be wise for me to speak with them before Initiation. I wish you both good luck in finding a team."

"You as well," Phyrra responded. "Goodbye."

"Farewell," Weiss said while distracted as Solomon left.

-0-0-0-

'I am certain Ruby and Yang entered the room out of the other door, and you missed them,' Solomon heard Tactical Warrior say in his mind.

'Probably. Amazing what poor timing can cause,' the Rose Duelist reluctantly commented as he walked towards the cliff for initiation after hearing the Professor's announcement. Stepping upon one of the platforms, he soon noted the two he had been intending to speak to get upon platforms further down in the direction of the Headmaster and the Professor. He might have gone over to say something, if the Headmaster hadn't begun speaking.

"For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest," Ozpin began.

'Seems we got the location right,' Solomon thought.

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates...today," continued Glynda.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well," Ozpin once more spoke. "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

'That seems a bit contrarian,' Tactical Warrior thought. 'Everyone should find someone they would work well with, but that person must be the first one they find?'

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path... or you will die," the Headmaster continued.

'I sincerely hope there aren't any idiots that misconstrue that to potentially include other students,' Solomon thought. 'Then again, you can never underestimate human stupidity. I myself aided the summoning of what might have been an elder god.'

"You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics," the Headmaster stated. "Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

'Is he referring to the same temple we arrived in?' the Rose Duelist thought.

'The artifacts must be placed on the pedestals we had seen,' the Leader responded.

'I guess we will see,' Solomon replied.

"Good! Now, take your positions," Ozpin finished.

'Hang on, he mentioned landing strategy, just what are these-' Solomon thought before noticing one of the platforms further up catapult someone off into the distance. Bracing himself against the platform, he simply thought, 'Well okay then.'

The sound of activating catapults slowly reduced in proximity until the Rose Duelist felt the platform activate itself and then launch him forwards extremely quickly. The sheer speed Solomon was launched forth at and the height awoke a primal fear in the back of his mind he wrangled with to prevent from overtaking his mind, assisted by Tactical Warrior utilizing her own calm emotions to influence his to prevent volatility. 'We're going a bit too fast to use a summon to help us land,' he thought when his mind calmed.

'If we even got one that could fly in the first place,' Tactical Warrior commented. 'The deck is mostly land based creatures.'

'True. And it is likely you would need to be in the physical form in order for us to enact the summoning,' Solomon responded. 'Hang on…'

'The transfer does render us both incorporeal while it is in process,' the Leader voiced the line of thought Solomon had. 'You do have total control over your movement in the ethereal state, so you can slow down using that.'

'Your sigil can be used to manipulate your position, so you can reduce your speed that way,' the Rose Duelist responded. 'We are going to need to pull it off close to the tree tops in order to maximize the time of the incorporeal transfer state. Do you think you will have enough time?'

'At very least we will have the life point shield to take what I cannot reduce,' Tactical Warrior responded. 'If they have students pulling it off, it can't be close to the blow we had to take during the fight against the Guardian.'

The zenith of the flight was soon reached, and the descent to the ground began soon after that comment. After carefully angling his body so his feet were facing towards the ground, he waited a short time for the trees to approach. When they were at what he felt to be the right distance, he began the language of magic's chant in a low voice.

"Worlds of Spirit and Shadow beyond this Mortal Realm, I call upon thee." A low aura of purple energy flared around his form as the tops of the trees approached. "Have the master of my deck take my physical place within this world so I may soar through the world as an ethereal spirit," he continued, the lightning beginning to flare around his form and fade it from existence. Next to him, the falling form of Tactical Warrior began to materialize as they entered the canopy. "This I ask of you, through the authority granted by the power of the Rose Cards!" he finished as they passed through the canopy and began to approach the forest floor, the transfer completing and the sigil appearing below.

Having passed the branches, Tactical Warrior strengthened the sigil of the White Rose until it was tangibly manifested and used it to reduce her speed as rapidly as she could without potential harm coming to her physical form. While Solomon could have instantly stopped in his ethereal form with but a thought, he instead followed alongside his Deck Master at an equal pace. The sigil stopped her momentum approximately a foot above the grassy floor, and Tactical Warrior let the sigil fade to an ethereal state that would not disturb the ground, letting herself drop the short distance to the ground.

Now upon the ground, Solomon once more spoke the opening and closing of the chant, but with the center aspect being, "Permit me to call forth your creatures and cast your ancient spells to destroy the forces arrayed against me."

Once this was completed, Tactical Warrior inquired, 'What do we have access to?'

'Axe of Despair, Guardian of the Sea, Empress Judge, Charubin the Fire Knight, and Kunai with Chain,' responded Solomon. 'Charubin would only be a 1600, so he would be strong enough to face the Beowolves...'

'But stronger likely exist in this area,' finished Tactical Warrior. 'Still, he is our best option right now.'

'That he is,' replied Solomon. 'Ready?'

'Ready,' Tactical Warrior acknowledged. Their minds began the overlay required for the summon, the connection soon establishing to synchronize their voices and movements. The sphere of energy manifested itself in their cupped forward stretched right hands as they simultaneously spoke in the language of magic, "Invoke. Fourth Strongest Connection. Forward."

The spheres shot forth and fused, rapidly forming the vortex of energy that marked the summon as hidden. When stability was reached in it, Solomon and Tactical Warrior returned the connection to its normal state, with a small side effect of a few memory fragments being switched. Solomon wasn't sure what Tactical Warrior had gotten, but he temporarily 'recalled' the calming sensation of being along a sea shore in the winter for a little under a second.

'We are out of practice,' Solomon stated.

'It has been awhile,' Tactical Warrior admitted.

'Thank you for summoning me, my lieges,' Charubin the Fire Knight spoke over the mental connection. 'It has been long since I have been within the realm of mortals.'

Tactical Warrior gave a nod of acknowledgement, before responding, 'Kindly manifest yourself, Charubin. It is nice to see whom you are speaking to.'

'As you command,' the blue armored with red cape knight responded as the vortex shifted to his kneeling form. Standing with his mace held in his right hand, he spoke in the language, "What is your command?"

"I will be searching ahead while Tactical Warrior follows," Solomon responded. "Your task is to prevent the Grimm from landing direct blows upon her to drain the Life Point shield." The Rose Duelist felt the annoyance Tactical Warrior had with the need to be guarded, but as usual, that was always tempered by her resignation that it was a side effect of how the magic worked for manifesting Deck Leaders that required that. They had made attempts to change that to allow her to have the ability to participate in combat, but no other possibility had been found yet.

"Understood, my liege," Charubin responded with a bow.

The group of three began making their way northwards, Solomon moving ahead a fair distance without fear thanks to the ethereal form rendering him impossible to harm. This did not mean there were not strange reactions possible, for example the strange sensation of accidentally having someone go directly through him, as eventually happened. Brushing aside the strange sensation, he faced the individual and noticed it was a fellow student, who simultaneously noticed him. At the edge of his awareness, Solomon felt Tactical Warrior and Charubin approaching. Speaking to the individual he ran into, he stated, "It seems we are partners assuming you have not already run into someone. I assume you have questions. Feel free to ask."

-0-0-0-

Finally finished this thing. Would up restarting a couple times and backtracking a few times over the course of this. Due to it having closed in on roughly a month, I just decided to blitz ahead with whatever ideas came into my mind. Should note I didn't specify who it was Solomon ran into at the end of the chapter due to still being unsure as to who might result in the most interesting stuff happening. Hopefully there won't be another delay this long that causes me to want to just get the chapter done, and possibly have areas suffer, but who knows what the future holds.

Anyway, slight tangent. How might horror stories compare between Remnant and our world? I figure they might have us beat in the 'supernatural creatures' (eg. Werewolves, Wendigos, etc) department, but in 'humans are the real monsters' and Cosmic Horror, I figure we might have them beat. May not even have the latter, as one of the reasons it was created was due to us being at the top, and Remnans have always had to deal with the Grimm. Granted, due to having existing monsters they could always use compared to our lack, we might be a bit more inventive in the 'supernatural creatures' side of things. Thoughts?