It all began only days ago in the far reaches of space, a domain many would consider dark, cold, and empty; by all logic, the vacuum should be devoid of life. Yet, an asteroid hurtled through the blackened expanse, bearing an amorphous mass of living abyss that had laid dormant yet remained alive even in this inhospitable environment.
The creature was a Klyntar, having been shunted from its homeworld in the wake of a meteor strike, where its only chance for survival was to cling for dear life to a large chunk of debris from the space rock's impact. The odds of a Klyntar escaping its homeworld's atmosphere in a natural event such as this were one in a million. Several other Klyntar weren't so lucky and perished in the ensuing firestorm, where others still remained on the planet, continuing to maintain the image of black jungles and the celestial body's mantle. Yet somehow, this individual was sent careening towards its next destination.
The Klyntar and the asteroid it hitched a ride on eventually landed on a distant planet that was alien to anything the creature had ever known. Although the creature was in intense pain due to the heat of burning through the atmosphere, it had survived by retreating into the meteor in an attempt to use the layers of rock to shield it from the brunt of the energy. Still, the Klyntar was weakened by the experience, and as such finding a compatible host was its greatest priority; to do this, however, the creature first needed to get its lay of the land. Crawling out of its mineral shell and manifesting eyespots to observe its surroundings, the Klyntar noted with great intrigue that from what it gleaned from the central hive mind, this planet was similar to Earth, but at the same time very different. For one, its moon was partially damaged and shattered in what appeared to be a great collision. However, like Earth, this world bore cities in which sentient beings, no, people must have lived, and the Klyntar soon made its way into the small town it landed closest to.
Perhaps more intriguing was the assemblage of potential hosts themselves, as many were like the people of Earth in a way, but also unique in their own way. Some bore the physiological characteristics of animals, and the Klyntar could sense that some exuded a powerful "aura", which made these people all the more enticing for it to bond to. In fact, many were well within a Klyntar's recommended compatibility rating of 4 on a scale of 1 to 5.
However, the Klyntar soon discovered exceptions among the populace. A robbery taking place in one of the buildings, more than likely a marketplace of some sort, that bore a sign that read "From Dust Till Dawn", had not gone unnoticed by the Klyntar. The creature sensed the presence of a red-haired man in a white suit, bearing a stylish black bowler hat atop his head and holding a cane in his hand. The Klyntar deemed the man an unworthy host, rating him a measly 1; the power ebbing from him was weak and his demeanor betrayed him as devious and selfish, causing the Klyntar to infer that he was the instigator of the incident.
Soon, a young girl dressed in black and red appeared, having tackled one of the robbers out of the window before brandishing a gigantic red, black, and white scythe. The Klyntar was in awe at not only the girl's dynamic entry, but also the strong sense of justice she emanated from her expression alone and the sheer levels of power it sensed she had borne. This noble warrior was ranked a 5 in compatibility by the enamored creature.
"Ah, yes," the Klyntar pondered regarding its would-be host. "She will do quite nicely."
The Klyntar didn't have much time to gather its thoughts, however, as more men charged at the girl. It decided that it would bond with her later, as the ensuing crossfire made approaching her directly too dangerous, especially with its diminished strength. For now, the Klyntar was content to conceal itself with its ability to camouflage and watch the onslaught unfold, continuing to be amazed as its ideal host easily dispatched the criminals. However, their boss was still standing.
"Well, Red, I think we can all say it's been an eventful evening," the Klyntar heard the man in the hat say, "and as much as I'd love to stick around...I'm afraid this is where we part ways."
The man then aimed his cane at the girl, revealing a cross grid before firing at her, with the girl dodging using the recoil from a blast of her scythe. The Klyntar, still out of sight from the combatants, observed the man using the distraction to run away in an attempt to escape. It contemplated going after him to halt his getaway, but the Klyntar was still too drained to interfere. But as it turned out, the creature didn't need to choose.
"You okay if I go after him?" the girl asked the old man who manned the shop before pursuing the man in the hat.
The Klyntar trailed close behind, watching as the girl caught up to the man, only for him to get into an aircraft and pick up a bright red crystal. It didn't know what material comprised the gem, but the creature was alarmed when he prepared to fire it at the girl.
"End of the line, Red," the man said before shooting the gem at her, causing a massive explosion.
However, by the time the smoke cleared, a bespectacled woman with a purple cape had stepped in and conjured a circle of energy, protecting the girl and inadvertently saving the Klyntar from being immolated, much to the man's confusion and chagrin.
"We got a Huntress!" the man yelled before retreating into the vehicle, where a woman with black hair and a red outfit took his place in the ensuing brawl.
The Klyntar sensed that, like the young girl it wanted to bond with, the woman in the aircraft also possessed a wealth of power, only it was perverted and corrupted, and it discerned that her intentions were less than noble. It observed the "Huntress", as the man referred to her, using her powers to try and stop the two from getting away, casting purple energy constructs that hailed onto the jet. Soon, the woman in red produced bursts of fiery energy from her body, and she and the Huntress were locked in combat and evenly matched. The girl with the scythe quickly morphed her weapon into a sniper rifle and tried to cover the Huntress by shooting at their opponent. The creature soon detected that something was wrong when the dark-haired woman created rings of fire around the pair, and it immediately retreated before the rings created a large explosion. Although dismayed that the two enemies escaped, the Klyntar was relieved to see that its ideal host and her ally had survived by evading the blast.
"You're a Huntress!" the girl spoke up in awe. "Can I have your autograph?!"
A few minutes later, the girl was taken to a dimly lit room for questioning, with the amazed expression on her face having become one of shame as the Huntress paced around, clearly angry. The Klyntar, having followed them in, out of notice, was extremely confused. Its would-be host hadn't done anything wrong.
"I hope you realize that your actions tonight will not be taken lightly, young lady," the Huntress berated. "You put yourself and others in grave danger."
"They started it!" the girl spoke in defense. Nonetheless, the Huntress remained displeased.
"If it were up to me, you'd be sent home...with a pat on the back..."
At this, the girl began to smile.
"...And a slap on the wrist."
The Huntress proceeded to smack the table with her riding crop, shocking the Klyntar and eliciting a startled yelp from the girl.
"But..." the Huntress continued. "There is someone here who would like to meet you."
At that moment, that "someone" walked through the doorway and entered the room. It was a man in green bearing a mug and a plate filled with chocolate chip cookies. The Klyntar surmised by his white hair that he was fairly old, or at the very least quite seasoned.
"Ruby Rose..." he addressed the girl before leaning in to observe her face. "You...have silver eyes."
The creature was baffled as to why Ruby's eye color was so important to the man, but then again, so was Ruby herself.
"So! Where did you learn to do this?" he queried, gesturing towards a tablet displaying footage of Ruby's combat.
"S-Signal Academy," Ruby answered.
"They taught you to use one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed?"
"Well, one teacher in particular."
"I see..." the man concluded before placing the cookies onto the table in front of Ruby, who tentatively ate one in a single bite before proceeding to scarf down the rest in a matter of seconds. The Klyntar was surprised by her immense appetite.
"It's just that I've only seen one other scythe-wielder of that skill before," the man continued. "A dusty, old crow..."
"Oh, that's my uncle!" Ruby exclaimed, her mouth still full from the cookies she ate, before swallowing, embarrassed. "Sorry. That's my Uncle Qrow! He's a teacher at Signal. I was complete garbage before he took me under his wing. And now, I'm all like— Hooowaaah! Witchaaaa!"
"So I've noticed," the man said before sitting down. "And what is an adorable girl such as yourself doing at a school designed to train warriors?"
"Well... I want to be a Huntress," Ruby replied.
"You want to slay monsters?"
"Yeah! I only have two more years of training left at Signal! And then I'm going to apply to Beacon! You see, my sister's starting there this year, and she's trying to become a Huntress, and I'm trying to become a Huntress 'cause I wanna help people. My parents always taught us to help others, so I thought, Hey, I might as well make a career out of it! I mean, the police are alright, but Huntsmen and Huntresses are just so much more romantic and exciting and cool and really, gosh, you know!"
While the man and the blond Huntress studied Ruby, the Klyntar wasn't sure whether to be charmed by her enthusiasm and earnest devotion to heroism or to recognize her as a total dork.
"Do you know who I am?" the man asked.
"You're Professor Ozpin. You're the headmaster at Beacon," Ruby noted before he smiled at her and began talking again.
"Hello."
"Nice to meet you."
"You want to come to my school?"
"More than anything."
Ozpin exchanged glances with the other woman in the room, who clearly disapproved of his decision, before turning back to Ruby and deciding, "Well, okay." Ruby and the Klyntar were both delighted, with the young girl getting closer to following her dream and the creature knowing where to follow its ideal host.
The Klyntar tailed Ruby to a large airship headed for Beacon, where it saw a girl with blond hair and a brown top pull her into a massive bear hug.
"Oh, I can't believe my baby sister is going to Beacon with me!" the older girl said. "This is the best day ever!"
"Please stop," an out-of-breath Ruby pleaded before her sister obliged.
"But I'm so proud of you!"
"Really Sis, it was nothing."
"What do you mean? It was incredible! Everyone at Beacon is going to think you're the bee's knees."
"I don't want to be the 'bee's knees,' okay? I don't want to be any kind of knees! I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees."
"What's with you? Aren't you excited?"
"Of course I'm excited... I just..." Ruby began before sighing. "I got moved ahead two years. I don't want people to think I'm special or anything."
It was then that her sister pulled her into a one-armed hug and sincerely reassured her, "But you are special."
The Klyntar was touched by this display of affection between the girls before its focus, as well as that of the two sisters, shifted to the newscast playing nearby.
"The robbery was led by nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities," the reporter said. "If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Vale Police Department. Back to you, Lisa."
The Klyntar recognized Torchwick as the man Ruby fought the night before and was still incensed that he had gotten away. However, this wasn't the time or place to be angry and so the creature instead placed its attention on the screen, which displayed a picture of the crater it landed in.
"Thank you, Cyril," a second reporter began. "In other news, an asteroid landed in the outskirts of Vale last night. Thankfully, no one was hurt in the impact, but traces of a mysterious black ooze have been found near..."
Soon, the news feed was cut off, and in its place was a hologram of the woman who helped Ruby fight off Torchwick and his goons, greeting all in the room with a resounding "Hello, and welcome to Beacon!"
"Who's that?" Ruby's sister asked, and the Klyntar was equally curious.
"My name is Glynda Goodwitch," the hologram said, as if in response, eliciting a simple "Oh" from the older girl.
"You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy!" the hologram continued. "Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world."
The hologram disappeared after having completed its speech, and soon the students gathered by the windows to gaze out onto Vale, with many admiring the view. The Klyntar silently agreed, reflecting, "Even if bad people like Torchwick live here, this world isn't so ugly after all."
"Oh, wow!" Ruby marveled at the sight. "Look, you can see Signal from up here! I guess home isn't too far after all!"
"Beacon's our home, now," her sister replied.
However, the majesty of this event was undercut when one of the students began to retreat to the back of the ship, clearly holding back his efforts to puke. The creature, despite pitying the boy, was quite amused by this turn of events.
"Well... I guess the view isn't for everyone," Ruby's sister commented before rolling her eyes.
"It was a nice moment when it lasted," Ruby agreed. "I wonder who we're gonna meet! I just hope they're better than Vomit Boy. Oh, Yang, gross! You have puke on your shoe!"
"Gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross!"
"Get-Get away! Get away from me! Get away from me! Get away from me! Get away from me!"