Everyone in the room seemed to pause for a moment as Verse realized what he said. He began to hear a familiar voice in his head.
"Great job, dingus! You just blew it! I give you two days until Cobalt comes knocking at your door."
He recognized the voice instantly. Once again, his sister had seemingly come back from the dead to give him guidance. It took him a minute to shrug it off before he was finally able to break the stunned silence.
"Well, I guess now you all know. I didn't want it to happen this way."
Lyla was the first to speak. "Verse, how did you not tell us? We're your team! You think you'd trust us after two months."
Verse, with tears in his eyes, began to explain himself. "Lyla, it's not that I don't trust my team. I have trouble trusting anyone. The man I'm trying to hide from is still out there somewhere, and he'd have my head if he found I was still alive. So, I hid. This is what I truly am."
At this, he shed his cloak to reveal his torso. His back was lined with white feathers, identical to the quill pen behind his ear. As the other students looked on, Verse continued to tell his tale.
"I guess I should start from the beginning."
"I was born in a small town to the east called Mandala Village. My mother Olive was a dog faunus, and while I never knew my father, she has told me he was a deer. That made me and my younger sister a complete roll of the dice. I got these feathers, and Sky got the cutest pair of cat ears you'd ever see. We were happy, but not all was well.
The chief of our village was a racist, bigoted man named Cobalt Drew. Our mother was the smart one. She hid our heritage from him should the worst happen. She and my sister began to wear ribbons and lace to hide their ears, and she made me this cloak to hide my wings. Over the years, I've tailored and modified it so that it would continue to fit me. We thought we were safe.
A few years passed without harm, but then my mother was proven right. As Sky and I were walking home, Cobalt made right on his promises to rid Mandala of faunus. The first victim was lynched in the city square, in front of my eyes. From there, the hunt began. An award went out to all the humans of the village. 300 lien for every faunus killed. I grabbed Sky and rushed home, only to see our mother shot through the head.
I did the only thing I could: I ran. I took her by the hand and we went as fast as we could, but it was no use. A mile down the road, Sky tripped on a loose stone in the path.Knowing she wouldn't make it, she threw her necklace to me as a keepsake. She only had enough time to reach out and cry for help. Before I could react, she was beheaded.
All I could do was run, so I kept going until nightfall. I was exhausted, but I knew that if I stopped moving I wouldn't make it. After three days, I made it to the next village where I couldn't walk any more. I collapsed at the city gate, but was fortunate enough to be spotted by the city's militia.
I was taken to a hospital where I was treated and fed. I got a chance to tell my story, but there wasn't anywhere to stay in the village. They had me sent to the capital city of Vale, where I've been in and out of various orphanages. Eventually, I went to Signal and ended up coming here.
The strange part is, I know Sky is gone, but I can still hear her voice sometimes when I really need guidance. She acts as my conscience when I'm ready to throw everything away. It's probably just me going insane, but at the same time it keeps me anchored to reality.
Now you all know who- what I really am. You probably hate me. I'll just leave."
As Verse began to exit, Dr. Oro stepped in the way and tried to console Verse.
"I'm really sorry they had to find out this way. I know you wanted to keep your lineage a secret as long as possible. I knew you were a faunus, but I had no idea you were the Mandala Discrepancy. Again, my door is always open if you want to talk. Class is dismissed. After all this, I think you deserve the chance to rest. I'll make sure your teachers excuse you from any other classes you may have. Use the day to rest and recover.
As everyone returned to their dorms, Teams VOLN and CRNS all gathered in the hall, and Noir, for the first time, actually initiated the conversation.
"Hey, Verse, I know that I'm not the nicest guy on this team, but what that chick said to you wasn't cool. And, don't worry. We all have our demons. I think we all just need some rest for now. Just, let's all meet up in the library tomorrow. We need to get to know each other better."
The students went their separate ways and began to drift off for the night, As the moon set on Remnant, serenity fell on New Beacon Academy as the students awaited a new day.
EPILOGUE
"Open your eyes, young one."As Verse stirred, he saw a man standing before him, and he begun to speak.
"Your journey has only begun. I can see your pain. Do not worry. By now you've realized that she has helped you in your moments of greatest need. There are bigger things conspiring on Remnant. Get your rest. You will need it when the new day dawns."
"Wait. Who are you?"
The man began to fade away.
"That matters not. Just remember my name. I am Centani."
As he faded away, Verse opened his eyes to see his teammates soundly sleeping at his side. He began to settle down, sleeping once again.