Before we get into the mist of things, addressing a few reviews from the last two chapters:

Guest / DCDGojira (Chapters 15/16): Thanks! And yeah, a man can dream xD. Will Ren henshin? I dunno, to be honest. I know that someone else will become a Rider, but I haven't quite planned it yet.

User / ZeroTheOne (Chapter 15): Like my response to DCDGojira's reviews, maybe.

Anyways, onto the story!

Kamen Rider Saber: Tale of Two Worlds
仮面ライダーセイバー：二つの世界の物語
Kamen Raidā Seibā: Futatsu no Sekai no Monogatari

First Book: Beacon of Hope
初の書籍：希望の烽火
Hatsu no Shoseki: Kibō no Hōka

Chapter Sixteen: He who is Threatened, Does not Budge.
第十六章：脅迫されている者は、動揺しません。
Dai Jūrokushō: Kyōhaku sa Rete iru Mono wa, Dōyō Shimasen

He is the swordsman who stands his ground, for he does not budge.
彼は自分の立場に立つ剣士です。
Kare wa jibun no tachiba ni tatsu kenshidesu.

The night, was not yet over.

There was still a lot more that had to be done. Even though it was about an hour and a half before midnight.

And a new opponent was making himself known.

Cardin walked through the hallways of Beacon Academy, his laugh echoing through the hallways. There was something frightening about his laugh, and Jaune could tell that Cardin was coming. He should have expected that Cardin was around.

Jaune remembered how much Cardin had bullied him, preyed on him. And while he was frightened for his own life, he tried to believe in himself. He knew that it wasn't going to change in one day, but he was going to do as much as he needed to.

Unfortunately, Kuen and Pyrrha had already left. Kuen was on his way to the headmaster's office, for matters, and Pyrrha was on her way back to her dorm room. Jaune had told her to go first, since he wanted to practice a few katas, as Kuen had called them.

He wasn't quite in the routine yet, and he wanted to get some training done on his own.

He remembered Kuen's words. He remembered his confession to Pyrrha. For once he bowed down to Cardin, he wouldn't falter this time. The fact that Kuen had told Jaune about Cardin's weak points helped matters too, and the fact that he'd seen them personally.

And the door to the classroom Jaune was in slammed open. Cardin emerged through the doorway, mace in hand. Oh, Jaune knew what was coming.

But yet, he was brave.

He pulled out his weapon, Crocea Mors, wielding the sword in his hand. For once, the silver blade seemed to shine from the lights above, though Jaune didn't seem to notice.

"Oh, Jaune…" Cardin called out mockingly. "I couldn't help but overhear you two. So, you snuck into Beacon, huh? I gotta say, Jaune. I never expected you to be such a rebel!"

Jaune kept up his bravado, though he was beginning to shake in his position a little.

"It's not like you can do anything about it." Jaune retorted.

"Imagine if Professor Goodwitch finds out about your secret!" He began to mock Jaune.

But yet, Jaune knew something, as he recalled his conversation with Kuen hours earlier.

"There's something odd about your story," Kuen noted.

Jaune looked at Kuen, confused and unsure as to what the swordsman actually meant.

"You say that you forged your transcripts, but did you check them?" Kuen asked.

"N-no..." Jaune nodded his head.

"Regardless, Ozpin would have known that you would have forged transcripts. He has a keen eye for even the tiniest of details." Kuen stated. "So, if he did recognize you had forged transcripts, why would he have let you in?"

Jaune, for a moment, was stunned by the question. An armor-piercing question, if you will.

"Since you were willing to tell me this… let me tell you something." Kuen muttered. "I didn't come from a combat academy as well. I didn't even have transcripts to let myself into Beacon."

Jaune listened meekly, trying to make sense of all this.

And Kuen continued. "But yet Ozpin let me in. He claimed it was because I made news in the city for fighting a Megid a week before registration. But yet, I'm sure there's something else there.

So, if I was worthy enough to be let into Beacon Academy, one of the best academies on Remnant... then you must have been worthier than me."

Jaune felt... more confident upon remembering that moment. This was unlike him, but hey, even Kuen proved to be different than he first expected.

"Are you so sure about that now?" Jaune said, faking a cocky tone. "You don't frighten me anymore. My teammate has beaten you twice, and I'm sure I could call the rest of my teammates with my Scroll."

That seemed to begin pulling on Cardin's strings, as he charged at Jaune. Rushing in Jaune's direction, the mace-wielder let out a roar.

"Come here, you fucker!"

Jaune rushed towards the other set of stairs, as he knew that Cardin had his limits. Barely managing to out-maneuver the rushing mace-wielder, Jaune made his way for the door. He knew that if he paused for even a moment, worse things would happen.

And he pushed the door open, slamming the door behind him as he left. Said move was able to stun Cardin for a moment, which brought Jaune a little more distance and time between the two huntsmen-in-training.

Kuen knocked on the door gently.

"Do come in." Ozpin spoke from the other side.

Kuen pushed the door open, welcoming a change of scenery for once. The clock gears that lined the wall were much more mechanical than any background he'd ever seen, and this was a nice look, finally. Then again, he was amazed the first time around, so maybe it's just a thing Kuen is amazed at.

"What brings you at this hour?" The headmaster inquired, taking a sip of his drink.

"It's about my team leader." Kuen responded, taking a seat

"Ms. Rose?"

"No. I mean Jaune."

"What about him?"

Kuen took a deep breath. "I apologize for being very blunt at this hour, but… did you allow Jaune to enter Beacon, knowing that he had forged transcripts?"

Ozpin chuckled softly, taking another sip of his drink. Kuen looked at the headmaster, simply confused.

"Of course, I did. I even knew his transcripts were obviously forged."

"If you don't mind me asking… how exactly could you tell?"

"Well, for starters, it listed Jaune's age as 21."

"…oh. I'm honestly not sure what I expected." A soft chuckle left Kuen's lips.

"But I let him in, because I know his family history. The Arcs have a very long lineage that spans all the way back to the Great War."

"The Great War?" Kuen had never heard of it before, but he figured he was best sounding like he knew what it was. "I see…"

"Most of the Arcs have proven to be expert wielders of the blade, and are masters at Aura."

Kuen looked confused, but the pieces seemed to be falling together.

"Jaune did mention the other day that his weapon was a hand-me-down and a family heirloom. He also seemed to have a lot of Aura. Is that why you let Jaune in… you saw the potential in him, like you did in me."

"That is correct, Mr. Akegata. Now… I believe you have a more important matter to attend to."

"A more important matter?"

Ozpin would show security footage of Jaune running through the hallways of Beacon, as Cardin charged a little behind him. Kuen's eyes widened in shock, as he pulled out his Scroll.

Quickly rushing out of the door, he searched the phone application, quickly calling Pyrrha.

"Pyrrha, you're not at the dorm rooms yet, right?" Kuen asked.

"Almost… why?" Pyrrha asked, worry.

"We have trouble. Regarding Cardin."

"…on it."

It was like a horror film.

Jaune was chased through the hallways by Cardin, as the latter could only taunt the former.

"Do you think your teammates are going to save you now?!" He screamed.

'Where the hell is Professor Goodwitch when you need her?!' Jaune wondered to himself.

Running around a corner, he found himself in the mess hall they'd stayed at the night before Initiation, as he realized he brought himself into a dead end. He was in deep trouble, and to make things worse... he couldn't find any cover besides the bathrooms and locker room. Even then, he knew that it was inevitable before he was found.

Which is why he tried his best, barely managing to hide behind the stage in the middle of the room. Using the curtains to cover himself, he tried to breathe for air.

Until the doors slammed open, revealing a very furious Cardin.

"You have guts, Jauney boy!" He roared. "But nobody is going to save you from the hell I'm going to put you in!"

Jaune panicked. But he tried his best to remain as quiet as possible. He knew that if he even made any noise, he was dead.

Cardin swung his mace around, sending everything in the hall crashing into the walls.

"You can run, but you can't hide!" The leader of Team CRDL taunted.

Slowly, he was beginning to approach the curtains of the stage in the middle. Jaune could hear footsteps slowly approaching in his direction, as he took a deep breath. He knew he was screwed.

Until.

SHUTOKU ISSEN!
習得一閃！
Shutoku Issen!

A wave of red flame was sent flying in Cardin's direction. The fiery attack collided with the mace-wielder, causing him to fall to the ground, flinching in pain. Jaune's eyes widened, though he didn't leave the safety of the curtains. He knew who it was.

"CARDIN WINCHESTER!" Kuen roared. He was furious.

Cardin got up, turning towards the swordsman of flame. "Awh, look at you! Here to save Jauney boy!"

Kuen evilly chuckled at that. "Don't think that you can defeat me. I've beaten you twice."

Cardin was once again, pissed. "You fucking dare?!"

And as Cardin charged towards Kuen, he stood there, almost willing to take the attack. Cardin was mentally laughing at this; he knew he had it in the bag now. There was no way Kuen could possibly have any other tricks up his sleeve.

Until he felt his mace fall to the ground. Cardin tried his best to pull it up, but there was no response. The mace was almost stuck to the ground, like a foreigner trying to lift Thor's hammer. He roared in frustration, as Pyrrha would then emerge, standing besides Kuen.

Kuen wasn't a fan of violence. He knew that. But this. This was something else to Kuen. Revenge for his friend.

And Nora burst into the scene, pulling out her hammer. And she slammed it directly onto Cardin's legs.

It'd been a few days since... that.

The ordeal was over. For the most part, anyways. Kuen, Pyrrha and Nora had managed to rescue Jaune. It was sort of a lucky situation in Jaune's end, anyways. Kuen had explained everything about what Ozpin had told him, though he did wonder whether it was going to be the best idea to tell the rest of his teammates.

After all, there were only four people who knew. Jaune decided that it was best he saved it until it was all over. There was a bit more than what Kuen had anticipated of the extent that Cardin was bullying Jaune into doing.

It was a good thing that Jaune was a bit more open now. The newly-formed couple had also spent the night sort of together, Pyrrha comforting Jaune for the most part. He dealt with some pretty traumatizing shit, and to Pyrrha, it was her duty to make sure he was alright.

Nothing 18+ at least. They wouldn't be able to live that one down.

Kuen was admittedly glad that that ship sailed wonderfully.

Though Kuen was wondering whether it was right to leave Team RWBY in the dark. By extension, because Kuen was a member of both Teams JNPR and RWBY, they were technically all teammates by middleman. It was a bit of a dilemma, but it was best for later on, he supposed.

Right now, once again, he was in World History classes, as the Professor- or rather, Doctor as he so insisted, was teaching about Faunus history. Kuen had read up about some of it, but he was just as blank as Ruby in the class. Thankfully, there were other people to back him up.

"Yes! Yes, prior to the Faunus Rights revolution, more popularly known as the Faunus war, humankind was quite, quite adamant about centralizing Faunus population in Menagerie." Doctor Oobleck spoke, as he pulled out a map of some sorts.

Pointing at a small island with his stick, he then continued. "Now! While this must feel like ancient history to many of you, it is imperative to remember that these are relatively recent events! Why, the repercussions of the uprising can still be seen to this day!"

And he zoomed towards his table, the professor taking a sip of his coffee. A big sip, rather.

Kuen was disgusted. Not by the professor, of course, but by what he was explaining.

'Jeez, it feels like World War 2 all over again.' He'd rather not dwell on it. His country had a direct involvement in that thing after all, and thinking about it is like a death wish.

And just on cue, the doctor interrupted his thoughts. "Now! Have any among you been subjugated or discriminated because of your Faunus heritage?"

Almost on cue, multiple people raised their hands, most of them in the back rows of the class. Kuen did notice that Velvet did the same. And he figured that was the case. He literally saw it in person just the day before.

"Dreadful, simply dreadful! Remember, students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance that breeds violence!" And Oobleck took another sip of his coffee. "I mean, I mean, I mean just look at what happened to the White Fang!"

"Now, which one of you young scholars can tell me what many theorize to be the turning point in the third year of the War?"

Immediately, a hand shot up. It was Weiss', of course.

"Yes, Ms. Schnee?"

"The battle at Fort Castle!"

"Precisely! And, who can tell me the advantage the Faunus had over General Lagune's forces?"

However, unseen to the professor, in that moment, Cardin sneakily flicked a paper football in Jaune's direction. Said paper ball would hit Jaune in the head, causing him to wake up, with a bout of confusion.

Said bout of confusion caused him to make a bit of noise, which caught the attention of Oobleck. It also caused Cardin to laugh, though Oobleck took notice of that as well.

"Mr. Arc! Finally contributing to class! This is excellent! Excellent! What is the answer?"

Jaune was caught by surprise, until he noticed Pyrrha making a sign of some kind. She was cupping her hands around her eyes. Jaune, unfortunately wasn't too sure what she exactly meant?

Binoculars? That didn't make too much sense in the context of a war.

Maybe, uhh. He knew!

"Night vision?"

"Mr. Winchester, your thoughts?" Oobleck was… testing Cardin? Kuen caught there was something off there.

"Well, I know it's a lot easier to train an animal than a soldier." Cardin sneered.

Oobleck could only shake his head, hearing Cardin's response. Pyrrha had a similar response.

"You're not the most open-minded of individuals, are you, Cardin?" Pyrrha stated bluntly.

"What? You got a problem?" The target retorted in response.

"No, I have the explanation to Jaune's answer." Pyrrha responded, firmly. "Like Jaune said, it's night vision. Many Faunus are known to have nearly-perfect sight in the dark."

Blake then added, "General Lagune was inexperienced, and made the mistake of trying to ambush the Faunus in their sleep. His massive army was outmatched, and the general was captured."

As Blake turned to Cardin, she would then add, "Perhaps if he'd paid attention in class, he wouldn't have been remembered as such a failure."

That caused Cardin to get up from his seat, his fist clenched. Oobleck, however, interrupted the act.

"Mr. Winchester! Please take your seat. You can see me after class for additional readings."

That caused Jaune to chuckle to himself, as he took a seat.

"Anyways. Moving on!" Oobleck then stated.

The lesson had come to an end. Teams RWBY and JNPR would get up, as the nine students began heading out of the classroom.

Though, Kuen could overhear what Professor Oobleck was angrily stating to Cardin.

"You have been struggling in my class since day on! Now I don't know if it's a lack of interest, or just your stubborn nature, but whatever it is… it stops now! You've worked hard to gain entrance to this school, and we only accept the best of the best, so I expect you to act like it. History is important, gentlemen! If you can't learn from it... you're destined to repeat it. Pages fifty-one to ninety-one! I want an essay on my desk by next class! Now! Run along."

'Hah! Serves that fucker right!' Kuen thought to himself.

However, Cardin was once again on the offensive, running past Jaune and pushing the latter to the ground. As Jaune winced in pain a little, Cardin could only laugh, before walking away.

"I'm going to break that fucker's legs. Again." Kuen and Pyrrha said in unison.

Once again, the next class was Combat class. Most of the battles seemed to be shaping up fine. However, Kuen had noticed that Cardin hadn't joined any of the spars yet. The same could be said for Kuen himself. Naturally, he knew where this was leading to.

Professor Goodwitch simply then stated, "Now, would Mr. Akegata and Mr. Winchester kindly step down into the arena?"

Kuen took a deep breath. Cardin was most likely going to be pissed right off the bat. Though Kuen knew that bitch had it coming to him, he also knew that it meant Cardin was probably going to target him like a fucking drone.

He had to be careful.

He didn't want to whip out Saber just yet, considering that form was only really meant for fighting the Megid. Besides, he wanted to refine his own technique as well. Fighting as Saber felt like he had multiple generations of swordsmanship within him, that weren't his.

Another case of something he actually wanted to work towards.

Stepping onto the arena, Kuen pulled out Rekka in an instant, holding the Book Gate Wonder Ride Book in his hand. He wasn't planning to pull off any similar techniques to last battle. He assumed that Cardin actually had a functional brain inside that shitty skull of his, and could adapt to his moves.

Which meant that he had to prevent any adaptation from happening.

"And, begin!"

GATE! MM-HM! GATE! MM-HM! GATE! NARUHODO! NARUHODO!
ゲート！うーん！うーん！ゲート！うーん！うーん！ゲート！なるほど！なるほど！
Gēto! Un! Un! Gēto! Un! Un! Gēto! Un! Un! Gēto! Naruhodo! Naruhodo!

Kuen quickly took the moment, scanning the Book Gate Wonder Ride Book thrice on the tip of Rekka. The blade began to emanate a dim amber aura, as Kuen prepared himself. He could see Cardin begin charging at him, as he would then whip out his attack.

火
炎
複
数
斬

"Kaen~ Fukusuuzan."

SHUTOKU SANSEN!
習得三閃！
Shutoku Sansen!

Multiple orbs would be unleashed from Rekka, as they would surround the mace-wielder. Immediately, Kuen ran around the battlefield once more, his target wildly summoning his mace. The orbs would land multiple hits on Cardin, as Kuen continued to send out more.

Kuen wasn't quite sure how many orbs this finisher could summon, but he hoped it was enough to keep Cardin on the ground while he charged up another finisher. Though, he figured that since he was practicing his swordsmanship, he might as well try to fight like a swordsman.

And then, Kuen immediately decided to not go along with that plan. It was a bad idea, considering Cardin wielded a mace. That could maybe knock Kuen's weapon out of his hands if Kuen wasn't careful. That made Kuen more cautious, as he continued summoning more orbs.

And he pulled out the Brave Dragon Wonder Ride Book, as the last orb knocked in to Cardin, sending his Aura into the yellow.

It was a good time to be a swordsman who wields a Seiken.

DRAGON! MM-HM! DRAGON! MM-HM! DRAGON! NARUHODO! NARUHODO!
ドラゴン！うーん！うーん！ドラゴン！うーん！うーん！ドラゴン！なるほど！なるほど！
Doragon! Un! Un! Doragon! Un! Un! Doragon! Un! Un! Doragon! Naruhodo! Naruhodo!

Scanning the Wonder Ride Book onto the blade, he prepared another finisher.

火
炎
一
発
斬

"Kaen~ Ippatsuzan."

Rekka would ignite on fire, as Kuen readied himself. He had one shot to make this work. That was the exact reason why he named it the one-hit slash, after all. Holding up the blade to his body, he stood his ground, waiting for Cardin to get up. Kuen was hoping that as Cardin got up, he'd be able to land the finishing blow.

And that was exactly was what happened. Cardin tried to get up, and Kuen executed the slash.

Cardin's Aura went down into the red. But Kuen's Aura also went down to the yellow. But hey, Kuen actually won.

"And that brings an end to that." Professor Goodwitch stated.

He who fights for his friends, becomes one with the heart.
友達のために戦う彼は、心と一体になります。
Tomodachi no tame ni tatakau kare wa, kokoro to ittai ni narimasu.