The sun had finally set over the beautiful courtyards of Beacon Academy, and the broken moon had taken its place, shining brightly as the millions of stars soon followed its example. It was a gorgeous sight to behold, however it came with a price. Although the creatures of Grimm were scary in daylight, at night they would be in their true element. They only had to close their eyes to blend into the darkness, something that cost many innocent humans and experienced Huntsmen and Huntresses their lives. No matter how hard humanity tried, darkness would always be their greatest adversary. Dust can only do so much for a certain period of time.

Usually during these dark times humans would be asleep in the comfort of their own home. They didn't have to be worried about Grimm since walls protected them every day. The schools would be training Huntsmen and Huntresses day and night to make sure the people of Remnant stayed safe and sound for as long as possible. But every now and then walls will crumble… and when they do, death soon follows. Grimm were like an unstoppable war-machine, which only needed humanity to fuel itself. They will not rest until every last human is wiped from existence, never to set foot on Remnant ever again. Perhaps it was the will of the Gods. After all, a God of Light and a God of Darkness did create everything. Grimm. Humans. All were creations, meant to either prosper or be destroyed. And although Gods, magic, and evil creatures of darkness did exist on Remnant, they were something questionable on Earth.

What did Earth have that Remnant did not? Many things, actually. Some outweigh the good, others the bad. Nonetheless both have their ups and downs. And although Remnant's war between humans and Grimm had been going at it for many decades, the war between humans and humans on Earth have been around since we can remember. Massive machines of mass-destruction were something Remnant simply did not possess, nor did they possess enough manpower to launch a full-scale attack on the Grimm. Their resources were spread thin, and whatever resources they could spare were mostly used to reinforce and rebuild if need be. Building outside of kingdoms, trying to start a new society, it usually ended up with many deaths.

But it seems that Earth and Remnant have a few things in common. One of them being bandits. While bandit-clans are now all but history on earth, they seem to be around on Remnant to this very day. This, in combination with the creatures of Grimm who are attracted to fear, makes for a deadly combination. Atlas could only do so much… and even they have their limits. They were only human, after all.

And humans have their limits.

And so did Professor Goodwitch, who was walking quietly through the silent halls of Beacon Academy. She stiffed a yawn when she stopped to look out of a big window in one of the many hallways of the school. The last days had been quite stressful for the Huntress, and she had a feeling that things were only going to get more stressful with each conversation Ramses and Ozpin had. Conversations that, which quite surprised her too, piqued Goodwitch's interest. Hearing about Earth and how much it differs from Remnant was interesting to say the least. Although she only heard of Earth's wars, and how many casualties were caused by them in such a short period of time, it still interested her. If only things did not need to be kept secret all the time. She hated keeping secrets, especially from her students. Ozpin was a man shrouded in mystery, everyone knew that. But the things he knows are a burden no one wished to carry. Well, not voluntarily. She sometimes wondered what goes on in Ozpin's mind.

The same could be said about Ramses, when he's spouting more nonsense. She swore she saw him wiggle his eyebrows at her a couple of times, but she was never too sure if it was actually a sign of affection or if he was simply "pulling a joke" as they call it nowadays. He was different than any teenager she had met, and the fact that she wasn't able to interpret what he might say or do next, like she was normally able to do with any student, worried her. What if he did something that could very well mean the end of Remnant as they know it? What if he were to be captured by the enemy? By the White Fang? What would happen after that?

'I shouldn't be worrying over something like that,' Goodwitch though to herself, shaking her head as she finally reached the elevator leading to Ozpin's office. 'He's protected by a school that is training warriors day and night. Add up General Ironwood's forces and he's practically untouchable.'

Having been so caught up in her own thoughts, the blonde haired Huntress failed to notice the elevator had already reached its stop, and the elevator doors had already opened, revealing Ozpin who was staring at her, a smile of amusement planted on his face.

"Are you going to stand there all night?" Ozpin asked, chuckling a bit to himself when Goodwitch was snapped out of her thought-like trance.

"Apologies," Goodwitch replied, walking out of the elevator. "I was lost in thought. Just thinking about something."

Ozpin looked at her with curiosity, twirling his cane between his fingers. "I see," he hummed, closing his eyes. "And does this involve our alien friend?"

Goodwitch nodded. "Students made an interesting discovery concerning him," Goodwitch replied. Ozpin's eyes shot open and he looked at her with a worried expression. This expression quickly subdued, however, when Goodwitch shook her head and said. "Don't worry. Ramses did not tell them of his 'secret.' He's keeping things as classified as he possibly can. Although I think we should keep a close eye on him. He has a tendency of saying things he should not say."

"What things are we talking about, Glynda?" Ozpin asked.

"Saying the first name and last name of students he just met," Goodwitch replied. "That's about all. But I get the feeling he will say things that cannot be overthrown by lies and deception. He might be a good liar, but there have been instances I've had to intervene and take the hit."

"We can't just keep him on a leash," Ozpin replied. "He's a boy. He's a teenager. He's seeking adventure," Ozpin added, looking down at his cane. "He might be from another world, another dimension even, but he's still young and has free will. He can go wherever we want. Remember, Glynda, we're teachers. And whenever a student does something he should not do we correct said student."

"Correct Ramses?" Goodwitch repeated humorously. "I don't think he likes to be corrected. I've spent a couple of hours with him and I can already see some similarities with Qrow. Thick-headed, straight to the point, and someone who doesn't like to wait."

"And has Qrow not been one of our best Huntsman out in the field?" Ozpin asked. "We just have to learn how to trust Ramses. We have to learn how he thinks, how he acts. We have to understand what his next move might be, so we can follow him precisely. Remember that he knows the future. A future that can still be changed, should the outcome be a dramatic as Ramses has been hinting at."

"I understand, sir," Goodwitch replied. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

Ozpin nodded his head in agreement. "You were saying something about students making a discovery? What was that about?" he asked.

"Ah, yes," Goodwitch replied, straightening her glasses. "To keep things short Ramses had an unusual reaction to the aura of Jaune Arc. Ramses had ended up hurting himself and Jaune, being kind-hearted, wanted to help him by healing his hand. Unfortunately this ended up hurting Ramses even more. Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos came to me and addressed this peculiar situation to me. I simply told them… a lie. I didn't know what to tell them at first since… well, this is a first for me as well."

"Aura causing such a reaction," Ozpin hummed, holding his chin in thought. "I've never heard about it. I suppose we could ask Ramses about it."

Goodwitch nodded. "I suppose there is no harm in asking."


Jaune Arc had had a rough day. First he had to sit through many of Port's lessons, which weren't all that exciting. Then came combat-training, where he was put up against Nora. Let's just say he got her hammer in places he never could have imagined the thing would have fitted. He was now walking towards his room, his back sore and his head sweaty from another training session with Pyrrha.

"Ruby?" Jaune said, raising an eyebrow when he noticed the red-haired Huntress in training standing in front of her dorm. "What are you doing outside of your room? Did you lock yourself out?"

"Nope," Ruby replied, turning around, holding a glass of milk in her hands, hot steam radiating from it, signaling that it was still fresh.

"Where… where did you get that?" Jaune asked, pointing at the glass in her hands.

"Oh, you mean this?" Ruby replied, holding the glass to her mouth. "I got it from Ramses. He was nice enough to hand me another one when I realized I had forgotten something in the bar and had to head back this late. Told me to drink it so it would get me to sleep faster." She sipped, humming in delight. "And boy was he right."

"Looks like the two of you have gotten acquainted," Jaune commented, smiling at her. "So what's your opinion? Is he the right material to be 'acquainted' with you?"

Ruby laughed a bit, playfully punching Jaune's shoulder. "Duh. He's like… well, I don't know who I should compare him with. He's funny and energetic, like Yang. His uncle is kind of the same, but I feel that they can be serious when they want to. Ramses so far has been nice to everyone, being very polite and always taking the time for a quick chat, which has become a rarity for some reason."

"What's your team's opinion about him?" Jaune asked, his curiosity growing more and more with each answer Ruby was giving him.

"Yang seems to have the same opinion about them. Weiss is… well, Weiss. It's Blake I'm worried about," Ruby replied, moving closer to Jaune. "She's been acting a bit paranoid since… you know, it happened." She whispered in his ear.

"I see," Jaune replied. "Well whatever happened at those docks and whatever she told you guys must have been hard on her. I'm starting to get worried. Has she even slept after the incident?"

"Not much," Ruby sadly admitted, looking down at the floor. "She has bags, Jaune. Like the visible ones. I'm worried about her, but every time we try to talk to her about it she dismisses it. Telling us it's alright and that we shouldn't worry. But I can see this is weighing down on her… bad. I'm the team leader and… well, I feel responsible."

"Don't blame it all on yourself." Jaune said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You really shouldn't. Blake just needs some time to get her things sorted out, that's all. Give her some time. See if you can help her in a different way. Make something happen. I don't know." Jaune scratched the back of his head. "I'm sounding like an idiot."

"More like a retard, Jizz Throat."

Both Jaune and Ruby turned their head, only to see Ramses walking towards them, holding his arms open and smiling widely. "Come give daddy a hug, boy."

They stared at him confused.

"No? No one gets it? Okay, I'm officially done," Ramses sighed, dropping his arms to his sides. "Anyways, so this is where ya'll sleep. And before you ask, I have no idea how I ended up here." He shrugged. "I just started walking, but I got lost in thought and took a wrong turn. Does anyone mind pointing me in the right direction? Ozpin and I have some things to discuss."

"I'll help," Ruby replied. "I can finish the glass of milk you gave me and give it back afterwards."

"Okay!" Ramses replied. "So… I got to ask, how do your dorms look like?" Ramses asked, walking towards them. "Mine is pretty sweet, but I haven't really been able to look at yours. Weird question, I know. But I'm curious."

"That's a pretty straightforward question to get into a girl's pants." Jaune smirked.

Ramses' eyes widened as he stared at Jaune in utter shock before launching himself at him and bringing him in for a big bear-hug. "My boy you're a fast learner!" Ramses said, patting Jaune's shoulders. "I mean that was a very good roast, my man. But still… it lacked some vulgar vocabulary here and there, and some edgy comment to top it off. Something like 'oh, but you can't get into a girl's pants because you're ugly and gay.' Yeah, that would have really made me rethink my life. Probably consider jumping off a cliff as well."

Jaune stared at him.

"Ha! Got 'em!" Ramses laughed, patting Jaune again. "The look on your face. You still have a lot more to learn."

"I guess you're right," Jaune replied.

"Yeah," Ramses said. "For real though, can I take a look?"

"I don't think my team would appreciate it if I let a guy in while they're changing," Ruby replied.

"You do not want to wake Nora. She turns into something... out of this world., Jaune added.

"Another time," Ramses whispered to himself. He looked at Ruby, motioning for her to lead the way. "Let's get going. Don't want to keep the Oz waiting." He looked at Jaune and held out his hand. "Sleep tight, my man."

Jaune nodded and shook his hand. "You too, friend."

Bidding their respective farewells, Jaune watched as Ramses and Ruby took their leave, talking about something that had occurred at the bar while he and Freddy were working. Jaune smiled to himself. Ramses was perhaps a new person, but he was sure to make for some interesting moments. Freddy was pretty much the same as Ramses, but older and wiser… at least Jaune hoped. He opened the door to his dorm and stepped inside, ready to tackle the next day.


"Ruby, I am dead serious." I said, chuckling to myself. "There is no way I would have been able to make that jump. Like it was so wide and everything, I would have broken all of my bones."

"Pfft, I could have made it." Ruby puffed her chest, looking at me with a small smirk. "You're just jealous you realize a girl is better than you."

"What? Pfft, no. Guys are in many ways better than girls. I mean where would Dora be without her map, yo? I mean that thing is a guy. And let's not forget about my man Boots and his wicked shit. I mean he's the real MVP, you know?"

"Who's Dora?" Ruby asked.

"Some Huntress who teaches little kids how to… uhh, how to do things the right way." I replied. Yeah, nice going, idiot. Dora the Explorer. Kid's show at day, Huntress and dawn. Boots is a freaking Faunus and the map is a scroll. Sure thing. Believable as fuck.

"Never heard of her," Ruby said.

"She's dead." I quickly added, hoping to end the conversation quickly. "She uhh… got swiped."

"Ok…okay?" Ruby replied, confused but taking the lie. "So what does Ozpin want to talk about? More bar related stuff?" she asked

"Yep," I replied. "So… I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. Is Blake really doing that bad?" I asked.

Ruby sighed and nodded, dropping her head slightly. "She has bags underneath her bags. She's tired, hasn't gotten any sleep, and is… she's just not herself after what happened."

"What exactly happened?" I asked.

"Some crazy stuff at the docks. That's pretty much it," Ruby replied.

'You sneaky little liar,' I thought to myself. 'So she's keeping the fact tha Blake is a Faunus a secret still? That means the events are recent. The shit-storm at the docks. Everything must have had a big impact on Blake. But that means that Sun and Neptune are around here somewhere. Okay. I wonder when they're going to go after Torchwick and his gang. I believe it was chapter four… so chapter three still has to happen, I guess.

"And that's why I think we should let Blake just rest for a bit." Ruby said, looking at me. "You understand?"

Nope. "Yep!" I replied.

"Great!" Ruby beamed. "I have to be honest, I had my doubts about you, but you're a pretty cool guy to be around!"

"D'aww, thanks Ruby. If I didn't know any better I'd say I just got diabetes because of that sugary overload your comment gave me." I smiled, only to pinch the bridge of my nose and shake my head in shame. "Okay, forget I said that. That was the most cringy and edgy thing I've said all day"

"You should hear Yang's puns. I've been through worse," Ruby replied. "Besides, I couldn't care less. It's the truth. You're a good talker and listener! I just wish Blake would listen to us…" Ruby trailed off.

"Want me to talk to her?" I suggested. Fuck. Ramses stop talking.

"Nah," Ruby replied, waving a dismissive hand at me. "It's not like it'll help," she sighed.

"Sorry," I said.

A simple "not your fault" is all I got before we reached the elevators leading up to Ozpin's office. I looked at Ruby and smiled, holding out my hand. "Goodnight, Ruby. Sleep tight and… and good luck."

"Thanks," Ruby replied, taking my hand into hers and shaking it. "Sleep tight you." She smiled before turning around. "Thanks for the milk," she said, handing me her empty glass. "I'll make sure to repay you someday."

"No need," I replied. Taking a deep breath, I pressed the call button and waited for the elevator to arrive. Todays had been another interesting day at Beacon Academy. Who knew I'd be enjoying school as much as I was doing now? Well it's not really a school, but I think you all get the point. I hope at least. Ruby was surprisingly gone in a matter of seconds, go figure. I let out a sigh of relief, looking down at my feet and humming to myself.

Woosh.

Okay, who just ran behind my back? I clearly felt a change in the air, and a gust of wind on my neck. I turned around, hoping I'd see the culprit. I scanned he area, hoping I'd find out who was doing something sneaky behind my back. Unfortunately, I only saw some light that was radiating from the courtyard of Beacon. Nothing out of the ordinary.

"Must have been my imagination or something," I said to myself. I turned back to the elevator and smiled when it had already arrived. Howeve,r something stopped me from entering, a gust of air on my neck…

"Who's there?" I asked, slowly turning around. "One time I can dust off as imagination, two times? Now I know you're here." I began walking away from the elevator and heard its doors close. I sighed. Was this a good idea? Was I being an idiot right now? This is how people usually die in horror movies. Well at least I'm not the bla—never mind, that's too much. I turned around and hoped to be greeted by a person standing beside me, hopefully Ruby pulling a prank or something. I was once again greeted by nothing. Okay, now I was getting very suspicious.

"Whoever's doing this… You better stop. This shit ain't funny," I said.

Nothing. No reply. No gust of air. Nothing. This was getting weird. I didn't like it one bit. I decided to head back for the elevator and pressed the call button again. The doors opened a second later and I stepped inside. Whatever was messing with me had probably left or something Although I do wonder who it was. Ah well…

"Whoever tries to fuck with me is going to get the back of my hand," I said, hoping that the person, if he or she was even present still, would hear my threat. Not that it was a very impressive and menacing threat, but sometimes it can get the job done. I pressed the button leading up to Ozpin's office and watched as the doors close.

"My eyes must be deceiving me." I chuckled, shaking my head. "Because there is no way Blake Belladonna is was just standing in front of the elevator."

My eyes widened and I pressed the "open" button of the elevator several times before running out of the elevator.

"Blake, show yourself right now!" I shouted.

No reply.

"I saw you!" I added, glaring daggers at the darkness, hoping Blake would show herself. "Mind telling me what this is all about?"

Again, I got no reply.

Was I going crazy or something? I didn't lack any sleep, nor was I on any medicine that could cause potential hallucinations. So why was I hearing things? Feeling things… seeing things? Was this some kind of side-effect of my arrival on Remnant? Was my cerebrum really that fucked? I know dementia can happen to younger generations. Vascular dementia is what it's called, if I remember correctly, I've heard stories of people who have dementia who see and hear things that aren't there, but I never would have guessed it could happen so fast. I'd have to run a diagnostic on myself one of these days.

I simply decided not to get distracted anymore and enter the elevator again and repeated the process I did a few seconds ago, minus the part where I stepped out. I closed my eyes and started humming again. Pleasant thoughts, Ramses. Pleasant thoughts.

"You and I need to have a talk."

I opened my eyes and was greeted by an un-amused and tired looking Blake Belladonna.

Shit.