Giallo would never forget the day his life changed forever. He was in his bed sleeping when his mother burst into his room. Her long black hair was wild and unkempt, and her eyes were wide with shock. She grabbed him by his arm and dragged him outside.
"What is it, mama?" he asked her.
His mother stared up at the sky, still dark as the sun had yet to rise. "As I slept, the Lord sent me a vision. The world had been consumed by chaos. Many will die, the kingdoms will fall, and the world will be left on the edge of destruction. Beyond that I saw only darkness. However, this is a blessing. Our Lord has told me of this future so to better prepare. Ordinarily, you would not begin your training for several years. However, if this vision is destined to occur, then we have no time to waste. Your training begins now."
She knelt down and gently kissed Giallo on the forehead. In that moment Giallo felt a bolt of energy course through his entire body. He looked at his hands and saw that they were glowing with a faint golden light. He panicked and tried to shake it off.
"Do not be afraid," his mother said. "This is the light of your soul that the lord has bestowed upon you. I will teach you to hone it. Now, let us begin."
His mother stood and raised her fists. Giallo did the same. That was the day he set out on his path as a warrior. He was five years old.
XxX
Giallo rose from his bed and went outside. His scroll told him that it was five in the morning. Feeling the cool air on his body, he began his morning ritual. He summoned his aura and prayed silently. He thanked his Lord for his powerful body, and for the skills that allowed him to save countless lives over the years. He was truly grateful for the gifts that he was given.
Then he began his morning routine. A brief run, some basic exercises, and some rounds of shadowboxing. Once he was done he collapsed onto the ground. He closed his eyes and listened to the sound of the wind blowing. His quiet was interrupted by the sounds of footsteps on the grass.
"I had no idea you liked to get up so early," Lucia said.
Lucia laid down on the grass next to Giallo. His fingers traced a line down his arm and onto his chest. "You're in really good shape, aren't you?"
Giallo grabbed Lucia's hand and pulled it away. "What do you want? Why are you even up this early?"
"How could I sleep knowing my precious leader is out there all alone?" Lucia said, every word lathered in fake concern.
Giallo rolled his eyes. "Spare me the sarcasm."
Lucia gave an exaggerated display of hurt. "Your callous disregard for my feelings cuts deep."
"Seriously, what do you want?"
"I just wanted to spend some time with you. To be honest, you fascinate me. I have never met someone like you before."
"Yeah? Well, I've met plenty of guys like you. They don't tend to last very long."
"I assure you, I'll last as long as you need me to." Lucia stood up. "I want to get to know you better. How about we spar for a bit?"
Giallo got up and brushed the grass off his body. "You mean finish what we started in the forest? I'm down."
Lucia lunged at Giallo. Giallo turned to the side as Lucia's hand grazed his chest. It began to throb with pain. Giallo tried to understand Lucia's attacks, but couldn't find an answer.
Lucia thrust his hand out again. Giallo tried to see what kind of attack it was, but his entire arm was a blur. The attack missed again. Lucia spun and kicked Giallo in the ribs. Giallo groaned in pain. He looked down and saw that the ground beneath Lucia's feet was warped in a spiral pattern. That gave him an idea of how his attacks worked, but he had yet to find an answer.
Lucia attacked again. This time, Giallo dodged and sent a hook up into Lucia's stomach. Lucia slumped over spewing bile everywhere, but he never stopped smiling. Lucia's strikes grew even sharper. Giallo found it difficult to avoid the rapid attacks. Giallo rushed forward and stood nose to nose with Lucia. His fist flew upwards towards the boy's chin. Lucia swayed backwards and slammed his palm into Giallo's stomach. Giallo's midsection burned. It felt like someone had stirred up his intestines. Lucia had dug his fingers into Giallo's stomach and was twisting his hand with all his might.
"Rotations," Giallo said.
Lucia started laughing. "Very good. Most people die before they ever figure it out."
Giallo ignored the searing pain and curled the little finger on his right hand.
5
Giallo sent a blindingly fast punch that Lucia was only able to block at the last moment. He threw his arms up as the fist crashed into him. It felt like getting hit by a bus. He was lifted off his feet and went flying into a tree. Lucia stood up and tried to get back into his stance. His right arm hung limp at his side, a stark white bone sticking out of his forearm. Pain coursed through his body. He started laughing. He hadn't felt like this in a long time. He wanted to keep going, but the two of them were interrupted by a new arrival.
Glynda stood watching the two students with a stern expression. Her foot tapped the ground impatiently.
"I believe that's enough," she said. "Mr Verde, go to the infirmary this instant."
"Yes ma'am," Lucia said. He smiled at Giallo as he left for the school building.
Glynda turned toward Giallo. "And you, Mr Fiamma. Fighting outside the designated areas is strictly forbidden. If you do it again, that will be detention. Do you understand? On top of that, you seriously injured your teammate. You need to think about the effect your actions have on others."
Giallo turned red and looked down at the ground. He couldn't remember the last time someone had scolded him like this. It was embarrassing, but part of him felt happy.
"I'm sorry, Miss Goodwitch," he said.
"As long as you understand. You're a Beacon student now, I suggest you act like it."
"I will."
Glynda nodded in approval. "Good. I feel compelled to ask, what made you decide to attend Beacon? From what I understand, members of your order often choose not attend the academies."
"That's true, but there's nothing in the doctrine that says I can't. I wanted to broaden my horizons. There are some things that I can only learn in a place like this."
"There is much you can learn here, I assure you. If we are done, it's time to prepare for class. Do not be late."
"Yes ma'am."
XxX
Lucia couldn't stop laughing as the nurse wound bandages around his arm. Laying on a bed staring up at the ceiling, his heart was still pounding. His hunch was right, Giallo was exactly what he was looking for. Even though Giallo was holding back he still broke Lucia's arm with one punch, tearing right through his aura in the process.
"Please hold still," the nurse pleaded.
"Forgive me, I'm just a little excited," Lucia replied.
The nurse finished her treatment and wiped the sweat off her forehead.
"Honestly, how do you manage to get into a fight this early in the morning?"
Lucia sighed wistfully, recalling a fond memory. "It was only some friendly sparring."
"Some light sparring got you a broken arm?"
"These things happen. It's a good thing that we have such a capable nurse to tend to our injuries."
"Please, enough flattery." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small pill bottle. "Do you need something for the pain?"
Lucia waved her off. "I'll be fine. Thank you for treating me."
Lucia left the nurse's office. His mind raced with all kinds of plans to get Giallo to fight him again. He stopped walking when he saw the headmaster standing in the hallway. He smiled at Lucia.
"A moment of your time, Mr Verde?"
The two of them walked down the hall observing the students and staff passing by. The school was hectic even before class began.
"Is there something you need of me?" Lucia asked.
"I heard about your excursion last month," Ozpin said.
Lucia sighed. "Please don't tell me you're going to lecture me about that. The Titan Ursa were a bunch of killers and rapists. You should be thanking me for getting rid of them."
"I'm not upset. I understand you have certain... inclinations, but as long as you do not harm civilians or your fellow students then it doesn't matter. However, were I you I would not go about flaunting my presence. As I recall, there are many who would be less than pleased to learn that you are still alive, and I doubt you would want to go back to living on the run."
Lucia nodded. "I understand. By the way, I must thank you for allowing me into this school."
"There's no need for thanks. I just wanted to have you close by. You'll be easier to manage that way. And if you find yourself in need of an opponent, you can always come and see me."
Ozpin's friendly smile never faltered for a second, but for a brief moment Lucia felt a small pang of fear. He had known Ozpin for years, but never once was he able to gauge his actual power. The man was like the ocean, endlessly vast and deep. The further he ventured the greater the danger.
Ozpin clapped Lucia on the back. "Now then, I believe it is time for your first class. Try to be on time, Mr Verde."
XxX
Giallo and Lucia arrived at class at the same time. When they arrived, Nigel and Rock were waiting by the door. Rock grumbled with annoyance wile Nigel bit his fingernails.
"Where were you guys?" Rock asked.
"Out for my morning exercise. Guess I lost track of time," Giallo replied.
Rock rolled his eyes and went to find a seat.
Nigel looked at the bandage on Lucia's arm. "What happened to you?"
Lucia chuckled softly. "You're worried about me? How sweet. Don't worry, I had a small mishap while I was training, but I'm fine now."
Nigel seemed to accept that answer and went into the classroom. Giallo and Lucia followed behind him.
Inside they found their professor standing in front of a large board covered in writings and symbols.
The professor was a gaunt, frail looking old man. His white, wispy hair went down to his shoulders. He was slouched over, using a cane to support himself. Looking at him it was obvious that he led a life of constant battle. His left eye was gone, covered up with scarred tissue. His right leg was gone below the knee, a wooden peg in its place. His arms were covered in scars from blades and bullets, and there was a large mark on his neck that looked as though he was bitten by a large animal.
He addressed the class in a tired monotone voice. "Welcome to another exciting lesson with Professor Alder. I know you're all just bristling with anticipation to learn something today."
The room was dead silent.
"Please, contain your enthusiasm. I know most of you went over this in your primary school, but it's time for a refresher course on Aura. Who can tell me the three basic forms of Aura?"
He scanned the room and pointed at a student with their hand raised.
"Barrier, Restore, and Enhance," a student answered.
The elderly teacher coughed. "Correct, Miss Scarletina. Aura can be manifested in many different ways, but all of them can be derived from the three basic forms. Barrier means to uses one's aura to form a protective shield around the body."
To illustrate his point, he summoned his aura. A field of dark blue energy covered his body.
"Now then, could one of you come down to the floor for a demonstration?"
A student went down to the floor and stood in front of the professor. The teacher grabbed a gun off his desk and tossed it to the student.
"Shoot me," the elderly teacher said. The student shrugged and aimed the gun at the teacher. The gun fired, and the bulled struck the teacher square in the head. He fell to the ground and didn't move. The student grew nervous and hastily put the gun on the desk. The professor jumped back up and groaned. The bullet was on the ground, completely flattened.
"There are two downsides to using Barrier. The first is that it doesn't protect against pain, the second is that a powerful enough attack can tear right through it, which brings me to my next point. Enhance is the practice of reinforcing an object with your aura. I'm sure most of you have become more than proficient at using it to reinforce your weapons, but there may come a time when you will be forced to improvise. In that case, you will find that anything that you can fit in your hand can become a weapon."
He tore a page out of a book on his desk. It limply hung in his hand until he infused it with his aura. It suddenly became rigid like steel. He tossed it across the room and embedded it in a stone wall.
"Additionally, there is the practice of Enhancing one's own body. If you get to be as old as I am, you'll find that you lack the strength to do certain things. This is where your training will truly be tested."
He took a deep breath and in an instant his aura surged from every point on his body. His muscles expanded, and he suddenly had the physique of a much younger man. The floor cracked beneath his feet as the room trembled. Several students ran for the door in terror. The teacher released his power and deflated like a balloon.
"Finally, there's Restore. This is used to heal minor to moderate injuries."
The professor pulled a knife from his pocket and cut himself on his forearm. He summoned his aura again and the wound closed, leaving only a small line of blood.
"We will go further in depth on the topic as the year progresses, but it's always good to brush up on the basics."
The rest of the lesson continued from there. The teacher interspersed his lecture with various anecdotes about his career as a Hunter. Unlike Professor Port, Adler's stories didn't branch off into wild tangents that had nothing to do with the lesson. He talked about the various times he had applied what he had learned in the field. Many of the students turned green as he told them about the time he killed a man by stabbing him to death with a pen.
"And on that day, with my hands covered in blood and brain matter, I learned that the pen was indeed mightier than the sword," he said. The bell rang, signaling the end of class. "I'm afraid that's all the time we have today. Do remember what we talked about, there will be a test on the subject."
The students left the classroom. There was a faint buzz of conversation as the students talked among themselves about what they had just learned.
XxX
later in the day, it was time for lunch. Team VNGR grabbed their food and looked around for an open table. They found one near the back of the mess hall and sat down.
"So, it's been a few days, what do you guys think of Beacon?" Giallo asked.
"I like it here," Rock replied. "No way I can go back to busting up faces in back alleys."
"The teachers are really nice," Nigel said.
"I've found all kinds of wonderful people," Lucia said.
As the four of them were eating, their meal was interrupted by four people suddenly arriving. Giallo looked up from his food and saw Jaune smiling at him. His teammates varied from friendly to apprehensive.
"Hey," Jaune said.
"Can I help you?" Giallo asked.
"You don't remember me? It's me, Jaune Arc."
"You know this guy?" Rock asked
Giallo nodded. "When we were kids. I went on a pilgrimage with my mom when she got sick. Jaune's mom let us stay with her for a couple weeks. I'm surprised you remember that, Jaune."
Jaune laughed. "We had a lot of fun together, and my mom and yours got on like gangbusters. How's your mom doing by the way?"
"She's dead," Giallo answered bluntly.
Jaune looked down at the table. "Oh. I'm sorry."
Giallo waved dismissively. "Don't be. It was a couple years after I left your place. She'd been sick for a long time, we both knew it was coming. That aside, you gonna introduce your team?"
Jaune perked up instantly. "Right. These are Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora. I think your friend has already met Ren."
"Sup," Rock said.
Ren bowed his head slightly.
Nigel bit his fingernails. "You're really Pyrrha."
Pyrrha nodded. "I really am."
Nigel whimpered. "You're really strong."
"I get that a lot."
"Wondering how you'd stack up against her?" Rock asked.
Nigel shook his head. "No way. She's way too good. I'd just be humiliating myself."
Nora snorted with laughter. "Don't sell yourself short. Blake's pretty strong too, but you handled her like she was nothing."
Nigel sighed. "You make it sound like I was trying to embarrass her."
"Well, you did," Giallo said.
Rock suddenly grew a mischievous grin. "Speaking of, Nigel, what's your opinion on Team RWBY?"
Nigel put a hand on his chin. "Well, Ruby's really cute, she reminds me of a little sister character in those Mistrali cartoons. Blake is so cool and mysterious, she looks like she's always deep in thought. I think it makes her look mature. And Yang, she's loud, explosive, exciting, and she has huge-." He saw the way the others were looking and stopped. "What?"
he turned around and saw Team RWBY standing behind him. Ruby was stifling a laugh, while Blake looked at Nigel like he was something stuck to the bottom of her shoe. Yang planted a hand on Nigel's shoulder.
"Go ahead, finish that thought."
Nigel went pale. "Um, I was going to say that you have a huge... personality."
"Good job," Yang said, lightly smacking him on the back of the head.
"Hey guys," Jaune said.
The four girls sat at the table as well. In the next moment there was a cacophony of jumbled voices.
Occasionally, Yang would steal glances at Rock, her brow furrowed. Eventually Rock noticed. He coughed into his hand.
"Is there something on my face?" he asked.
"Nah, I swear I've seen you somewhere before."
"I don't have a unique face. Maybe you're confusing me for someone else."
Yang looked deep in thought. After a moment, a plume of smoke billowed from the top of her head. "Aah, never mind." Her eyes went to Nigel. "So, Romeo, tell me a little about yourself."
Nigel shivered slightly. "Actually, we were in the same class at Signal."
Yang blinked. "Really? I think I'd remember you."
"I was in the back of the class and I never really talked to anyone, but it's true. Even back then you stood out. I remember one day this kid pulled on your hair and you broke both his arms."
"Oh my god you really were in my class. Wait, that was years ago, how do you remember that?"
"I remember everything."
there was an awkward silence.
"Anyway," Ruby said, "why did you decide to become a Hunter?"
Nigel took a drink from his glass. "I had to."
Ruby's eyes lit up. "I know exactly how you feel. I've read so many amazing stories about Hunters and I just knew that that's what I wanted to do. Who's your favorite?"
Nigel's face darkened. "I hate Hunters. They're a bunch of tyrants lording their power over everyone else. Food, homes, peoples' lives, they take whatever they want because they know no one can stop them. The image the Academies sell us, the glamour, the prestige, the romance, it's all a lie. The real Hunters are devils. The world would be better off without them."
Nigel's glass shattered in his hand, spilling water onto the table. He wasn't at all fazed by the bits of glass sticking out of his hand. He sighed and left the table.
"Cheerful guy, isn't he?" Rock said.
XxX
After class had ended Rock found Nigel training in the gym. He was punching a large sandbag hanging from a chain. Each punch sent the bag flying away. Rock looked closer and saw that there were holes in it. Nigel raised his arm and chopped down at the bag, splitting it in two. Sand spilled all over the ground as puffs of smoke rose from the tattered leather.
"Hey," Rock said.
"What do you want?" Nigel asked.
"What happened at lunch, what was all that about?"
"It's a long story. I don't want to bore you."
"Give me the short version then. What's your beef with Hunters?"
After cleaning up the spilled sand Nigel left the gym and motioned for Rock to follow. The two went to the front of the school building. Once they were alone they sat down on a bench.
Nigel was quiet for several minutes before he spoke.
"Do you know what 'sword testing' is?"
Rock shook his head. "Never heard of it."
"It's a term that Hunters came up with, as a joke. When they discover a new technique or get a new weapon, they find something, or someone, to try it out on. You know, to make sure it works properly."
Rock felt a faint sense of unease. "Where are you going with this?"
Nigel ground his teeth together. "One day I was walking home from gathering food in the woods. On the way, I passed this man. I could tell he was a Hunter just by looking at him. We passed each other, and I felt this pain like I got stabbed."
He pulled down his shirt and showed Rock a circular scar on his chest. Judging from where it was seated, whatever had struck him would have pierced his lung.
"It was his finger. I was six. If that attack didn't unlock my aura I would have died. I almost lost everything in the blink of an eye, and all because someone wanted to test his strength."
Rock looked up at the sky. "That's heavy, man. I can see why you're so messed up."
"Do you really have to put it like that?"
"Sorry, not one to mince words. Look, you've been through a lot, but nothing good can come from keeping it all inside. You've got a whole team behind you, you've got the teachers, and you've got me."
Rock scratched at the back of his head and grumbled. "I'm trying to think of how to say this. Look, I can't pretend I understand what you've been through, but we're partners. If something's wrong, you can talk to me. But more than that, I want the two of us to be friends."
A small smile appeared on Nigel's face. "I'd like that too. As long as we're baring our souls to each other, how about you tell me something about yourself."
"Like what?"
"Well, why did you come to Beacon?"
"I'm looking for someone, but I need to get stronger before I can find them. Besides, if I get a Hunter license I'll be able to access Remnant's bounty list. That way I'll definitely be able to find them."
"Who are you looking for?" Nigel asked.
Rock's red eyes glowed malevolently. "My mother. I'm gonna find her, and when I do I'll put her in the ground where she belongs."
Nigel blinked. "Wow."
Rock sighed. "Sorry, I brought the mood down. I'm heading back to the room. Don't stay out too late."
Nigel waved goodbye and stared up at the sky.
"It's not nice to lie to your friends, Nigel," Nigel's friend said.
"I didn't lie," Nigel responded.
"Oh really? I couldn't help but notice that my name didn't come up at all during your little spiel. I feel hurt."
Nigel gripped the bench and felt the wood crack beneath his fingers. "He doesn't need to know all that. No one does."
"Is it because it's too gruesome for this audience? Or is it because you don't want anyone to know that you let your only friend die because you were too much of a coward to fight?"