Chapter 14: Secrets and Beginnings

The group of eight had finally arrived to the cliffs they had come from. It was nearly four hours since they were thrown from the top of said cliffs. At least there were a set of stair leading up to the top. They could all easily make the climb back up but at this point they really didn't want to. They were about half way up when they heard several loud thurs followed by an equal number of screams, either fear, surprise or excitement. The sound was a familiar one to all of them and made them stop for only a second to listen to the next group undergo the same terror they had earlier. It was a slightly cathartic experience for everyone after what they had been through.

Once they reached the top, they were greeted by Headmaster Ozpin and Vice Headmistress Glynda. One by one each pair walked up to them and presented their relic to them. Glynda took notes after seeing what each team had taken. After everyone else had gone, it was Ryler and Weiss' turn to present their relic.

"Weiss Schnee and Ryler, what piece did you manage to aquire?" Glynda asked, never once looking up from her scroll. Ryler reached into one of his pouches and pulled out the White Knight piece. Glynda glanced up to see what it was and typed it into her notes. Once that was done, Oz asked them to line up. After they were all in a line, he spoke to them.

"First of all, I would like to congratulate you all on successfully completing your first mission as Hunters in training. You all performed well out there and showed that you truly belong in this academy. However, I will advise you all to avoid any collateral damage from now on, if it can be avoided at all that is. I understand that you were not the cause of the destruction of the ancient monuments and I understand that, therefore you will not be punished. Now I must congratulate you all further. Not very many people can fight off, let alone kill, a full grown Nevermore and Deathstalker. Being first year students makes that accomplishment even more astounding. Lie Ren, please step forward." Ren took a step forward and stood tall.

"You managed to kill a King Taijitu." All of his fellow students turned to him with astonishment in their eyes. Ryler already knew he was capable of doing it so he just smiled. To him it was a comforting thought to know that while a lot of things were changing, some things always stayed the same.

"This is yet another feat of skill and strength and I feel that you should be recognized for it." Everyone clapped for him and he just thanked them before stepping back. Next, Ozpin moved on to Ruby. She took a small and why step, she was barely in front of the group. Yang wanted to fix that so she pushed her forward slightly until she was at the same distance from them as Ren had been.

"Ruby Rose, you not only were able to sneak up on a Nevermore and ride it but then you took the lead and killed an Ancient Deathstalker. You are already proving that I made the right choice when I allowed you to enter my school." Everyone clapped for her too as she stepped back in line but she was more embarrassed then Ren when he was applauded. He looked like he was simply being wish happy birthday. Ruby on the other hand had pulled her hood up and was actively trying to disappear into it even further than it would allow.

"Ryler, please step forward."

Ryler knew it was coming, there was no way that he wouldn't be called out after all he had done. He took his place ahead of them like Ren and Ruby had and waited in silence for Oz to praise him. He took deep breaths as he waited, if he didn't he probably would have started freaking out again. He didn't want to stand out so he hoped that Oz would only mention the bare minimum. He hoped.

"You have by far displayed the most skill. Hunting Grimm is one thing but taking on other people is another thing entirely." He could feel the looks from the others boring a hole into the back of his head. "You're quick thinking and action managed to stop a group of White Fang operatives. From what Team ASTL was able to find among the belongings of the group, we were able to deduce that they had been capturing Grimm and were planning to then release them within Vale's walls. We were also able to find information on a large base of operations within the Emerald Forest as well. Because of your actions, we were able to put a stop to their plans and no doubt save hundreds of innocent lives from being taken. For that, I thank you for your service to the school, to Vale and to Human and Faunus kind alike."

Ryler was slack jawed. He didn't know that he had done all that. He thought he was just saving a group of Faunus that had gotten in over their heads or were attacked by an Ursa Major. He had unknowingly stopped a terror plot. His inner New Yorker was shocked and a single tear fall from his eye. He had to maintain an outward appearance so he subtly wiped away the tears and by pretending he had an itch on his cheek under his eye.

He grew up hearing stories from his father and mother about the 9/11 attacks. Seeing how they always acted whenever the subject came up made him wonder why. One day, while in school, he did some research. The talks he had with his father after school was eye opening. His father had been there as a firefighter, he saw the horror of that day first hand. Ryler's father had shared with him everything he saw that day. He had never been the same since.

"It's the closest I have and ever want to come to war. I pray you will never have to see what I did that day, son."

If only he knew.

From that day, he wanted to do whatever he could to honor those people who died needlessly. Which is why he almost lost control of his emotions knowing that he saved so many people. He thought back to his father, was he able to make him proud? Was he able to honor the people who died that day? He didn't know if that was true or not but he felt it was.

"You're welcome, I honestly had no idea what was happening. I saw smoke and just decided to help out, I'm sure that ASTL would have been able to stop them even if I hadn't, so really I didn't do anything." He nervously chuckled and rubbed the back of his head as he tried to make light of the praise.

"Regardless if there was someone else who could have done what you did, the fact that you acted when you could have focused on your own mission, shows the true spirit of what a Huntsman should stand for. It is not all about killing Grimm, although you did have an amazing plan for dealing with that Nevermore. If I may ask, how did you come up with that plan?" Ozpin asked and he could again feel the stares of everyone behind him.

"I saw it in a show once." Ozpin nodded at his answer but he could still feel the eyes on the back of his head. They felt more like glares now though, which made him a little nervous.

"Very well, I won't keep you all here any longer, I expect you are all exhausted from today's events. You may return to the ballroom for some rest, the mess hall for something to eat and drink or you may explore and familiarize yourselves with the campus. But please follow any staff's instructions and obey the posted signs of you see any. You are dismissed."

Ryler let out a deep sigh, he was relieved now that that was all over. The weight of knowing how his actions saved people felt incredibly heavy. He turned around to begin walking back toward Beacon. He froze in his tracks when he saw almost everyone staring at him with what he could only describe as reverence. It was kinda creepy with them all staring at him like that. He started walking away and thought he was safe when he had gone about half way without anyone confronting him.

"You know, I really should learn to run when people start looking at me like I'm a god, it never ends well." He thought as he was frozen in place again, this time literally. He looked down to see one of Weiss' Glyphs holding him in place. Everyone walked around to stand in front of him. He sighed in defeat and said, "Alright, get all your questions out now so I can eat in peace when we get back."

...

For the next few minutes that it took for them to make it back to Beacon, he had been asked questions non-stop. He was even punched in the back of the head by Yang, thankfully it wasn't very hard. According to her it was for, "using a plan from a random TV show". She only calmed down after being reminded that it had actually worked out in the end by pretty much everyone else. She conceded but warned him not to throw around crazy suggestions like that anymore. Ryler agreed with her on that, with everything cut he didn't want to risk too much without knowing if it'll turn out okay. Currently, he was sitting in the mess hall eating an apple. He was hungry after their initiation but not enough to justify an entire meal. Not that it mattered anyway. Being a god had plenty of small perks like that, not being required to eat was one of them.

As for the non godlike people with him, Yang was in the middle of an eating competition with Nora and Ruby. Ruby was quickly losing steam but Nora and Yang seemed like they could go for another hour. Their food of choice for the competition, saltines without water. Ruby had the speed to scarf down crackers one after another and at first seemed to be the one who would win. Unfortunately, she lacked the stamina to keep the stream of crackers going for long. Yang and Nora weren't able to eat as fast but they could keep going a lot longer. Yang because she had the will and desire to win at whatever she was doing. Nora kept going because she was basically a black hole for food. Ryler had to admit, he was a little afraid of Nora's ability to devour food with minimal chewing. It was like food vanished as soon as it was passed her teeth. He shivered at the thought of what happened passed the event horizon.

Ryler was happy that he was sitting on the other side of the table from her, or else he might have been caught in the pull of the black hole known as Nora. Being sat beside Yang didn't seem safe either but it seemed like a better chance at survival. Ren and Blake were on opposites sides from each other as well but unlike their partners, they were having a pleasant conversation over a cup of tea. If they had been asked, they would have just vehemently denied it but in truth they were silently cheering for their respective partners to win. Ryler looked ahead when he heard someone coughing. Directly across from him was Ruby rapidly drinking a glass of water. Pyrrha say beside her just patting and rubbing her back to both keep her from chocking even further and to cheer her up saying that she could try again another time.

"I'm appreciative of the fact that you're not so brutish as to partake in their ridiculous antics." Ryler turned his head to the right when he heard Weiss speak up. Ryler chuckled knowing that he probably would have back when he was more out of control. Now he was older and wiser and had more self control. He was also pretty sure that he could beat them all without even trying, powers or not. He remembered that he had entered a hot dog eating contest when he was fourteen. He remembered coming in third place but only because he had been asked by Sarah not to stand out too much. He never even came close to activating his powers.

Suddenly, he heard a fit of coughing and turned to his left to see Yang also rapidly drinking water while Nora just cheered from her seat. It was a short lived celebration as her bouncing and cheering caused her to also start chocking. Ren slid a glass of water in front of her and she immediately took it and downed the entire thing in one swift motion. Again, he was afraid of her with how she did that. Maybe he wouldn't be able to beat Nora in an eating contest after all. He heard someone snickering and looked across the table to see Ruby trying, poorly, to hide her enjoyment.

They all settled down after that and began talking to each other. They even started recounting their day and how they faired before they all met up. Of course, it was Nora who started off by telling a ridiculous version of the events of the show. Ren, however, was able to give the real details about what happened. It was almost exactly like the show, except with more details about what happened after the fight with the King Taijitu. Yang followed up by saying she had fought off four Ursas instead of two with Blake killing the fourth and final one like in the show.

"I totally could've handled them all but the assist was still very much appreciated." Yang said as she lightly jabbed Blake in the ribs with her elbow. "How about you Ryler? How was your time in the forest? Aside from saving the world obviously." Everyone turned their attention to him now, even Weiss who, up until now seemed barely interested in their conversation. She stopped nibbling on her salad and turned to face him.

"You guys already know, I flew around, got lost, took out a group of Fang members after taking out an Ursa Major. Nothing you all don't already know." He looked around and for some reason they were just staring at him. A few other students sitting at another table beside them over heard what he said and were also staring at him.

"A MAJOR?" Yang shouted in disbelief as she stood and slammed her hands down on the table. That got everyone else's attention. Like, everyone, there were about fifty other students in the cafeteria, either resting after initiation or waiting to be called to go through initiation. He was beginning to think that it wasn't normal for anyone to do what he did.

"Umm... yeah. It was a Major." Ryler hesitated a bit before he said that but when he did the room exploded in a flurry of hushed gossip.

"He took out a Major!"

"No way, he's just a first year like us!"

"What's going on?"

"That guy either killed an Ursa Major or his dad is a Major, I couldn't hear."

Yang was shocked as she tried to make sense of it. "You're sure it was a Major? Not just a really big Minor? That can happen sometimes, people think it was a Major but it was just a really big, normal bear."

"With how many of those massive bone spikes it had on its back, black fur and burning red eyes, yeah it was definitely an Ursa Major." Ryler winced as Yang grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close to her face. They were so close that Ryler was sure he would pass out at any moment from the uncomfortable situation he was in. Yang just stared directly in his eyes and he had no choice but to do the same. He could feel the heat radiating off of her, whether that was from his imagination or from her barely contained furry. Ryler didn't know what to do but luckily she let go and he was able to sit back down unharmed. At least for now.

"Yeah, you're not lying, I just had to be really sure." Yang said a little defeated and even slumped a little in her seat. He didn't know why it was such a big deal, he'd seen people take out Ursa Majors in the show. Even Jaune was able to take one out during the Breach.

"Yeah but it's not really that big of a deal. I'm sure you've all killed big Grimm before." They all stared at him again.

"Ryler, you do know that there are some professional Huntsman who have trouble fighting Majors, right?" Ruby told him. He then realized that what he had done in the forest had put a spotlight directly on him. He glanced around the table and watched as everyone still had looks of astonishment. Now it was dawning on him that he should have kept that part of the story to himself. He didnt know what to say and neither did anyone else at the table.

"Yeah, but Ren took out a King Taijitu, that's just as impressive." Ryler tried to change the focus off of him by deflecting to Ren.

"King Taijitus are indeed large and powerful. But due to their enormous size it is relatively easy to maneuver around their attacks." Ren explained. "Ursa's are already fast and powerful because of their large muscles. The Major class keeps these attributes but gains powerful armor from their bone protrusions."

Ryler was stunned by the way Ren recited the information. Its almost as if it was straight out of... A book. "Of course! I'm such an idiot! They know these things because they literally studied it in class!" All the information that flooded his mind must have mentioned it somewhere but he wasn't able to absorb it properly.

Things were starting to get awkward again and he wished that someone would save him.

Ryler was relieved when he heard his scroll ringing, the answer to his wish. He fished it out of his pocket and saw that it was a message from Ozpin. He was asking him to come to his office. He stood up from his seat and they all looked at him. It was going to take a while to get used to their stares now that they knew how strong he really was.

"This has been fun but I've gotta go now." He was about to say his goodbyes but Weiss spoke up before he could.

"Would you like me to accompany you?" Weiss asked. He liked that she was already being a lot nicer than she was when they first met. Compared to everything else that he experienced today, it was a change that was welcomed.

"Ozpin wanted to talk to me in private about something, I'll be back later." Ryler flashed his scroll and that seemed to be enough for Weiss as she simply nodded in understanding and went back to eating her salad.

"Don't stay out too late when you're done, we have the team forming ceremony later!" Ruby yelled excitedly and with her mouth full of cookies. Ryler smiled and let out a small chuckle when she started choking again. He turned away as Yang handed her sister another glass of water and walked toward the doors.

Ryler walked out of the mess hall and he was now alone. He took a deep breath of fresh air now that he wasn't under everyone's judging gaze. He took the moment to relax and calm himself. He didn't want to be overwhelmed during the next few hours. This was something that was really important on its own, any added stress is just asking for a heart attack. Not that he'd even be able to have one. He started making his way to Ozpin's office and thought about what was about to happen.

He wondered if he would ever need their help at some point in the future. He hoped he didn't but with all the changes that's he's seen so far, he wasn't too sure about anything right now. He wondered what else would change and if things did change, would they be extreme changes, would people be killed in this timeline that didn't before?

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his brand new scroll. They had all been given a scroll when they arrived back to the main campus. It was actually Velvet and Fox who were handing out the scrolls. Velvet had apparently volunteered them for the job to earn a little extra credit.

"Why do I have to be here?" Fox had asked Velvet.

"You know exactly why, Fox. I'm not letting you or anyone else on the team fall behind on their grades. Coco's already been warned twice." Velvet told, or rather scolded, Fox. She seemed more talkative than usual, maybe that was normal and she was like that off screen.

Back to the present. He was looking forward to getting to know more about them. He always liked their team dynamic whenever they had appeared on screen. They were probably his favorite secondary team of the entire show. Especially Fox, being blind but still able to keep up and even out class some others. A truly awesome fighter.

He shook his head to get back on track. He looked down at another message that popped up. Weiss was asking if he was feeling better. Ryler smiled at her concern for him. Having trusted lieutenants was necessary but having a close trusted friend was nice too. He wrote back a reply to Weiss that simply thanked her and let her know that he wanted to talk later. Weiss sent her reply which was just the words "you got it" followed by a smiley face. Seeing that made Ryler smile again. He closed his scroll when he saw that he was at the base of the CCT tower. He entered and made his way to the elevator he had taken with Glenda before. Watching the view was a last minute chance for him to prepare.

The doors opened up to reveal five people in total. Sat behind the desk was Oz, in front of the desk were four familiar people. They all turned toward him when they heard the doors of the elevator open.

"Ryler?" They all said in surprise. Terra was seated at the far right, beside her was Sakura, followed by Charlotte and Lance in the far left seat. He stood up and greeted Ryler as he approached them all.

"Master, I was not expecting you here, are you also a part of this secret?" Ryler didn't answer or greet them in any way, he just calmly walked around to stand beside Ozpin's. It didn't matter, formalities weren't important right now. They were all about to become a part of something insanely big, he'd greet them all on the other side.

"How much have you been told about this situation?" Ryler asked them. He looked to Terra for the answer.

"We've been told fuck all. We got called here and were told to just sit until everyone was here." Tetra answered as eloquently as she could. Ryler looked to Oz for confirmation.

"I figured it would be best to hear it straight from the source." Ozpin's sipped his coffee and sat back to allow him to take the floor. Ryler wasn't sure if he liked or hated that decision. He just let out a sigh before he started his explanation.

"Do you believe in the existence of other worlds?" Ryler let the question hang in the air, not entirely sure if he meant for it to be rhetorical or not.

"Like, aliens?" Came Sakura's soft response. Ryler smirked at how close she was to the truth. Though he wasn't an alien in the traditional sense of the word, he was still an extra dimensional being.

"Yes."

They all looked around at each other, wondering if he was being serious. He continued his explanation. "Yes, I do mean aliens. I am an alien and yes I am completely serious."

Ryler then began his long winded explanation once again. From the moment he got his powers, to the moment he came through the portal that brought him to Remnant. He even told them about everything he did in the forest during his initiation. The looks of disbelief were pretty much par for the course. He was standing by the window now, looking at the setting sun. Watching the sun rise and set was beginning to become a hobby for him, Ryler found. His explanation had taken a lot longer that he thought it would, even though he tried to make it shorter. All the questions he had to answer didn't help the timing at all. He decided to let the others process the new information before things went any further.

"Ahem."

Ryler turned back to face the others. They had moved off to the other side of the room to discuss what they had heard and were now taking their seats. Terra was the only one of the four still standing beside her seat. Ryler walked back to his spot beside Ozpin's desk and waited for the leader of ASTL to speak.

"We talked it over and we all agree that it would be insane to try to convince someone that this story is true. Especially in front of the headmaster of one of the four best Huntsman academies. So either this is the world's most elaborate prank... or its true." Terra was looking him right in the eyes. To Ryler, it felt like she was looking for a crack in his demeanor. Most likely to see if it actually was a prank or not.

Ryler was also looking at her directly, he wanted to see what kind of emotions she was feeling. He could see an aggressive expression, probably meant to protect her team. He could see that she was scared, confused, which made sense for the current situation they were in. Ryler could also see that she was curious about him. That curiosity didn't last long, however, in an instant, that aggression from before took over the rest of her emotions. Tetra was back again.

"Don't get me wrong, if this is a prank and your just having a laugh, then you'll not be able to gob on your own feet without it going through a tube first." Ryler just stood there as Tetra approached, said her threat and left

"I assure you, miss Tetra, I would not allow Ryler to tell you these things if what he said wasn't true. That being said, there is a certain level of truth that must be kept from even you to ensure the safety of us all." Ozpin said, taking a sip from his mug. Ryler glanced at Ozpin from his periphery, he knew he'd never feel them about his secrets but he thought he'd just not mention it at all. He pretty much just hinted at there being another level of secrecy looming over the school.

"That's the thing Oz, I want them included in the discussion as well. That means all secrets on the table, or at least what Glynda and Qrow know. I get revealing everything is dangerous but there needs to be a strong level of trust among us all." Ryler said. He was standing there with his arms crossed and waiting for Ozpin's answer.

Ozpin furrowed his brow at Ryler and stood from his chair and walked over to the window. He looked down over the school in silent reflection. After a minute he turned back around and spoke to Ryler directly. "That is a dangerous request to make of me." Ryler felt a little uneasy as he held the head master's gaze. Ryler didn't say anything else, he just waited for him to continue. "Nevertheless, I do agree with you, we all need to know that we can trust one another. Give me a day to talk this over with everyone, I'll have your answer tomorrow."

Ryler nodded and smiled slightly at his request being almost accepted. It was a short lived success as he remembered something. He began thinking about his options but didn't get very far as Oz had noticed his change in expression.

"Is there something else you need to say, Ryler?" He looked him in the eye and decided to make a major change to this timeline again.

"Yes, there is actually." Ryler moved to one end of the room and began looking at the walls.

"What's he doing now?" Charlotte whispered to Sakura. She just responded with a quick, "no clue".

Ryler made his way around the entire perimeter of the room. Once he was satisfied that there were no surveillance devices spying on them, he moved back to his original spot. "Sorry, I had to be sure no one was listening in on the conversation." Ryler was about to continue his explanation but he was cut off by Tetra.

"Wait, you idiots have been talking about all this shite and you never checked the bloody room for surveillance. We've been here for hours you know! Gordon Bennet! If this is your level of security for this cock up of an op then it's going to end up being a real dog's dinner by the end of it all!" Tetra was angry, but she wasn't the only one, so was Terra.

"I agree with her... uh myself... uh... Tetra, I agree with Tetra. This kind of neglect will our downfall if we're not careful." She was just as mad as her alter but at least she was able to keep her emotions in check.

"Relax, I knew it was safe from our enemies. You really think we wouldn't have thought this whole thing through, we have backup plans for our backup plans if our other backup plans don't work." That seemed to calm both of them for the time being.

"Okay, then why were you checking the room?" Lance, at a much more calm and level headed state, asked.

"I'm certain our enemies don't have anything like that in here, but what about someone you wouldn't see as an enemy?" Ryler looked back toward Oz as he said that.

"Are you implying that I have a spy?" Ozpin asked, his eyes narrowed at the accusation.

"In my time, yes but you know that things are changing from what I know. It might be nothing or it might be the very thing that ends us all, either way I don't want to take any risks." Ozpin's walked back to his desk and sat down.

"Tell me, who would attempt to betray me in your timeline?"

Ryler hesitated for a moment, he wondered if this was truly the path he wanted to take. He took a deep breath and continued with his warning.

"Leo Lionheart."

...

The amphitheater was filled with cheers and applause as each team was formed and named. It seemed like everyone present was cheering their hearts out for all the new teams. From the fourth and third year representatives to many second years students. It made sense if that more of the second year students were present. It was only a year ago that they were the ones standing there, ready to start their journey to become Huntsmen and Huntresses.

"... You four shall henceforth be known as Team DMND (Diamond)." Ozpin said and the entire room erupted in shouts of congratulations for the newly formed team. The overhead screen showed the images of four female faunus. One was a polar bear famous if the white, round ears on top of her head was any indication. The one who stood besides her was a leopard famous, her tail was wagging happily behind her. The next was a shy looking parrot faunus. The bright and colorful feathers that were in place of her hair was breathtakingly beautiful. That was probably why she was so shy in the first place. The last was a tall and incredibly muscular rhino famous. The horn on her face looked like it could pierce right through your aura like a needle through paper.

All four looked like they could give second years a run for their money. The challenge of facing such strong opponents was not even in his mind at the moment. His earlier conversation with Ozpin and Team ASTL still weighed heavily on him. Possibly changing the timeline of the world was just as heavy. His thousand yard stare had not gone unnoticed, he felt someone poking him in the arm. He looked down to his right and saw Weiss looking back with a slightly worried expression. He heard the unspoken question she wanted to ask.

"I'm alright, the talk with Ozpin's was just a little more than I was expecting. I'll tell you later, okay?" Ryler said but Weiss was still a little worried for him. Nevertheless she turned back to watch the next team take the stage.

"Cardin Winchester, Russell Thrush, Dove Bronzewing and Sky Lark." Ozpin's introduced the four idiots. Ryler could see that Cardin was still a little twitchy and cautious of the Faunus. It was easy to see by the way he not so subtly took a slightly wider path from a dog Faunus standing near the steps leading up to the stage. "You four retrieved the black bishop piece. From this day forth, you will be known as Team CRDL. Led by Cardin Winchester."

Everyone cheered for them as well as they left the stage. Their images on the over head display were replaced by four familiar ones. This was the signal for Ruby and her team to head to the stage. Ryler watched as Ruby nearly exploded from excitement. Just walking to the stage seemed like it was enough to make her pass out from joy. Fortunately she was able to contain her excitement, for now at least. Once they were in place, ozpin addressed them.

"Ruby Rose, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren. You four retrieved the white rook pieces, from this point forward, you four will be known as Team RRVN (Raven). Led by..." Ozpin paused for a second. He looked into Ruby's eyes to let her know he was speaking directly to her. "Ruby Rose." The room erupted in cheers, probably the loudest of the night. They all knew that Ruby was the youngest person accepted into Beacon, not only of their year but of the history of the school.

"Woo! Go Sis!" Ryler smiled hearing Yang's cheers. He knew it was going to be their turn next so he tapped her on the arm and made a motion to follow him. He turned toward Weiss and she noticed him facing her. She began making her way toward the stage. As they made their way there, he saw their faces appear on screen. They passed the newly formed RRVN who were coming down the steps of the stage. They all quickly shared a few good lucks and congratulations.

Ryler took his place on the stage and Weiss, Blake and Yang filed in to his left. The spot he was standing in was the one that all the leaders had stood in throughout the night. Apparently they had unanimously decided that he would be the leader. No doubt Ozpin had the same idea about his position on the team. Ryler was suddenly a lot more nervous being on that stage then he was before. He took slow steady breaths to keep from fainting in front of everyone. If he was going to be made the leader then he would do his job to the best of his ability.

"Ryler, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long. You four retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you four shall be known as..." Ryler wondered what their team name would be, he wondered what other combination of their letters would make an actual team name. Ryler didn't have to wonder any longer as he heard Ozpin say their name.

"I'm sorry sir, can you say that again?" Ryler thought he had misheard him at first. Oz didn't seem fazed by the question. He just repeated himself.

"I said, you four will be known as Team RWBY." Ryler was only a little stunned. By this point, with everything that had happened so far, this was probably the most normal thing to happen to him. Of course it would be Rwby, the universe basically demanded that Team Rwby existed. Ryler just accepted the facts and let Ozpin continue. "Your team will be led by Ryler. Congratulations young man." Ozpin turned to address the crowd now. "Every team has now been formed. With the teams we have, things are certainly shaping up to be an interesting year." The room once again erupted in a thunderous display of cheers and applause.

After everything was said and done, they were given their room numbers and access codes directly to their scrolls. The newly formed Rwby and Rrvn made their way to the first year dorms. Ryler wasn't even surprised to see that Ruby and her team had the room directly across the hall from them. Upon entering the room, they were greeted by four plain beds and their luggage at the foot of each bed. Ryler immediately knew which bed was his because it was the only bed without any bag or suitcase nearby. No one question why that was, everyone just silently agreed to talk about it in the morning. All at once, the four of them fell to their beds face down, ready for sleep to take them to the world of dreams.

"Who's going to turn off the lights...?" Blake's muffled voice asked.