On the northern side of Beacon Cliff, Cinder Fall sat upon a stone with her legs crossed over the edge, watching over Emerald Forest as the new students traversed different paths toward the temple at the center. Her hair draped over her left eye as she smiled, the wind blowing against her skirt, the Dust infused embroidery of her dress glowing brightly.

"You were supposed to start the journey back by now, Cinder." a voice from the Scroll on her thigh belt said. "Her majesty won't be pleased."

Cinder tilted her head to the side, spotting several Grimm looking through the leaves below, their red eyes peering through darkness, "Arthur, don't spoil my fun. I want to stay a little longer."

"You're lucky her Majesty favors you." he said, frustration in his voice. "Don't think you can get away with anything, however, just because you're her favorite pet."

Cinder chuckled, biting her bottom lip to blood. "I do love putting a thorn in your day. Tell me something, Arthur." she glanced southward to the pique of a distant mountain, which overlooked the forest of Old Vale. "Have you heard of the legend of the Dragon over Glenn?"

The Scroll emitted static, until Arthur answered, "It's been awhile, but it rings a bell. Glenn city may be long gone, but I recall something about a story like that."

Cinder stood up, an almost serene expression on her face as the wind grew stronger, her dress swaying with the gust, "The Corvids tell the legend down through generations, the story of a dragon that still sleeps in the mountain. There was a great battle there against the darkness, the Grimm. It's said that he will wake from his sleep, someday, when the time is right." she held her hand under lip, watching a drop of blood-mixed saliva fall into it.

Arthur inquired, "What exactly are you getting at? Do you plan on testing the legend?"

She closed her eyes, grinning, "Just a little story, that's all." she heard the sound of roaring Ursai within Emerald Forest, then brought her eyes to the ruins of the abandoned temple at the center, its brittle stone structures still set high above the growth. "It makes me sad, to see these poor students not getting the best out of their education. I think, we should test them properly, don't you think?" she held her bloody spit over the cliff's edge.

Arthur grunted, then replied, "Cinder, you have your orders. If you know what's best for you, you'll leave your nieces out of harm's way, for now. Any further attention on us jeopardizes the mission. Let Torchwick do his work. Punishment for insolence will be dealt in full, Ms. Fall, I mean … Branwen."

Cinder moaned, nearly dropping the blood as she blushed with her knees together. Then, she laughed with her mouth open, grinning as her eyes glowed with fire. "Don't tease the thought to me. To kill them would be so sweet as the nectar of the honey flower. But," she separated her hands, dropping the bloody mixture down into the forest, licking her lips clean of red, "her Majesty will get as she wishes. No, Arthur, I just want to make this game a little more ..." she watched as the spit landed against a leaf, an eyeball emerging from the Grimmsang, its irises red and glancing around, slithering away at great speed into the depths. "...fun."

…

Weiss Schnee found herself face-to-face with a Beowolf, a large wolf-like Grimm beast with sharp claws and unmatched physical strength. Its eyes glowed under its skull mask as it swiped its claws at her, but she slashed her trusty rapier against the strike, jumping back as the beast was reflected away. Just before her toes were planted to the ground, her Aura flashed blue around her feet. An intricate circular glyph was conjured below her, supporting her fall and forming a weak barrier.

It was the hereditary Semblance of the Schnee family, Glyph, which held many unique properties. A Schnee glyph harnessed the ability to enact change, to disrupt the universe in its grasp. Without the correct formation of a particular circle, of which there were many, the glyph would fail. Some could invoke energy, useful for unlocking the power of Dust. It was useful for her weapon, which was loaded with Dust into a revolver on the hilt. Other glyphs could warp space and time within their influence. But, Weiss was only partially practiced in Glyph, which for all in the Schnee family line required years of intense training and mediation to master.

The Beowolf in front of her roared, the razor sharp claws on its arms and legs growing. Suddenly, she heard the grass shift, and in moments she was surrounded by eight more of them, salivating in hunger and jerking their necks in every direction with anticipation. She kept her feet on the glyph, which made her enemies cautious, giving her time to think.

"Okay, Weiss, remember your training." she held her sword next to her hip, placing one foot in front of the other. "Right foot forward … I mean left. How come I end up being the lefty?" the Grimm approached her slowly, becoming brave as they gauged her defense. "Okay, that's too forward. Breathe...breathe...breathe.." she inhaled and exhaled, and the Beowolves charged forward, prepared to destroy her. "okay...now!"

She conjured a glyph near her back, sparks erupting from it as she slid her hand over the Dust Revolver on her rapier. A Yellow Dust crystal shattered, the energy from it absorbing into her heels, pushing her body forward at incredible speed. With her blade ready to thrust, a piece of Red Dust in the revolver partially shattered, and fire surrounding her blade.

"Gotcha!" Ruby flew in front of her path, startling Weiss.

Ruby drove the tip of her scythe into the Beowolf's skull, taking it down instantly. Yet, Weiss struggled to stop, falling to her knees and rolling on the ground. When Ruby's foot touch the grass, they crashed into one another, screaming in a panic.

"Weiss!" Ruby yelled as she rolled onto her back, Weiss pinning her with her rear on her cape.

Their foes took advantage of the mishap, the remaining Beowolves charging toward them, Weiss pushed herself up, grabbing her blade on the way, the sword vibrating with flames still encircling it. The unrealized energy from the Yellow Dust erupted in her legs, sparks of energy radically flaring as she kicked up and down at sound breaking speed. "My sword!" she shook her rapier in the air, unsure of what to do with the stored power. Without quickly, she pointed the sword at the approaching Beowolves, a ball of fire shooting out of it as she screamed. The Dust energy exploded against the leading Grimm of the pack, but the force of her attack sent a giant plume of fire into the air, and the force of it disintegrated several tree in the vicinity.

Weiss turned around, grabbing Ruby by the waist and jumping forward into the mud and landing atop of her teammate before ducking to avoid flying debris. Once their hair and clothes settled from the blast, Weiss pushed herself up, looking down at Ruby, who made a dumbfounded expression with mud smeared on her cheek.

Ruby laughed awkwardly, turning her eyes away, "I think we got 'em. We sure explode together a lot."

"You Idiot!" Weiss slapped the ground next to Ruby's head, causing her to flinch. "You attacked out of turn. Didn't you even bother to look where I was going?" she grabbed her rapier and crawled back up to her feet, patting her clothes down, Ruby doing the same.

"I was just trying to help." Ruby replied, her nostrils flared and as she pouted.

Weiss pushed her palm against her hip, "I could have killed you!"

Ruby smiled at her concern, but was distracted when she traced the Ice Queen's eyes back to the destruction, seeing that the forest was set ablaze, "Uh oh..." Ruby started a sprint towards the fire. "Poor trees! We have to put it out!"

Weiss grabbed her arm, Ruby nearly tripping as she halted. She pulled the Branwen girl back to her side, keeping her sights on the flames. "I can't believe I let you waste my Dust Crystals." she placed her rapier vertically in front her nose, closing her eyes as she summoned a large glyph in front of her. Ruby watched in awe as the Ice Queen's hair glowed with sparkles of blue and white, the revolver on the blade's hilt spinning to load Pale Dust. She pointed her blade at the center of the glyph, the endpoints of the snowflake-shaped pattern glowing. A change in the air occurred, then, a gale of icy wind traveled by them and over the extensive flames, shards of ice and sleet raining down, extinguishing the blaze within an impressive radius before the air returned to the warmth of the morning sun.

As Weiss tossed her ponytial over her shoulder, Ruby gasped with amazement, "I've never seen a Semblance like that before!" she leaned into Weiss, her nose getting uncomfortably close to hers as she pushed her head back slightly. "Gods, what's it called? Your sword is so cool, it has to have a name: what is it? Can I see it?"

Weiss tucked the sword into the belt under her sash, taking a few steps away from Ruby with her head held high, "It's called Glyph, and you're a complete moron if you haven't heard of the Schnee family Semblance. Its name is Mrytenaster, and no you can't."

"You're form is really pretty!" Ruby exclaimed, swinging her arms loosely. "Is that a Schnee family style?"

Weiss turned around with her hand over her chest. "You know, I'm surprised someone who talks so much doesn't communicate more during an encounter."

Ruby showed her mean side, "Well, I'm sorry, but I don't need your help in a fight!"

"Excuse me?" Weiss spun her head and rolled her eyes. "Are you blind?"

"Only sometimes!" Ruby replied with her arms crossed, a scowl on her face that was difficult to take seriously.

Weiss raised an eyebrow, then sighed, "Okay, look, we're wasting time. We've got to go. The other students have probably already taken the artifacts by now." she stepped aside, continuing further into the forest. "Hurry up before I get a bad grade."

"Hey, wait." Ruby followed her northward. "I can feel my sister nearby. I've got to find her!"

"You are such a weirdo."

As Ruby groaned with anxiety and frustration, the two of them advanced into the forest.

…

On the northern side of Emerald Forest, Jaune Arc was pinned high against a tree, Pyrrha's weapon holding him up by the hood of his gambeson as he looked around in silence. Then, from behind a curtain of vines, the Pride of Mistral arrived to his aid, her hands behind her back as she slowly walked to him.

"Oh, there you are!" she grinned, happy to see him in safety.

Jaune raised a single hand and saluted, "Hi...thanks for the help back there. Did you see all of that explosion just now?"

She looked up at the smoke in the sky, "Yeah, but it looks like its been taken care of. Must have been someone losing control of their Semblance."

"I see." Jaune clicked his tongue while looking at branches nearby. "So, you wouldn't mind giving me another hand here, would you? I mean, we can hang out, proverbially speaking - "

Pyrrha laughed, her hands over her lips in her usual manner of happy conversation, "Okay, Jaune. Hold on." she held her hand up and called to her blade. "Miló!" The spear shook behind his head, pulling itself from the wood and swiftly retracting back to Pyrrha's hand."

Jaune fell to the ground, landing on his tail bone and letting out a small, "Ouch!"

Once Pyrrha snatched her weapon from the air, she placed into the scabbard behind the shield on her back. She walked over to her friend, pulling him up to his feet. Immediately, they heard a beep come from their Scrolls, but they elected to ignore them for awhile.

"Thanks." he said, scratching his chin in shyness as he rubbed grass blades off of his pants.

Pyrrha shook her head, "It's nothing. I'm sorry I dropped you like that."

Jaune looked at her equipment, then asked, "So, what kind of Semblance is that?"

"Oh!" she was pleasantly surprised by the question, looking at her hands for a moment. "Well, that was Polarity. It's nothing special. I can control magnetic objects. It's pretty weak though, really. I was hoping to practice a little at Beacon." she kicked the grass under feet, a blush overcoming her cheeks. "So, Jaune, I know there's a long waiting list, but I was wondering if you still had any openings available for your team."

Jaune smirked, placing a single hand on his left hip and strutting to the side with a confident smile, "Well, you came at just the right time. Of course, its already done, but it turns out there was one opening saved just for you. Welcome aboard!"

Pyrrha laughed more, "I'd be honored!" she bowed lightly, before posturing herself and showing concern. "Jaune, I have to ask, why didn't you activate your Aura?"

Jaune stared at her blankly with an awkward smirk, "Huh?" he swayed his shoulder a bit.

"Your Aura?" Pyrrha reiterated.

"Bless you." his eyes darted around. "Need a tissue?"

Pyrrha cocked a brow, her head falling to the side a bit, "Jaune, do you not know what Aura is?"

He leaned forward with his knees bent, throwing his open palms down, "Of course I do!" he exhaled, walking away for a moment before turning back and asking, "you wouldn't know how to use it, would you?"

"Jaune," she moved toward him, standing in front of him with a prepared to explanation, "every living thing carries a Semblance, a tiny piece of the God of Light's soul. Your Aura is the manifestation of your soul."

"Oh...I see."

"Everyone has it, even animals, some more than others. With meditation and practice, its possible to strengthen your Aura. You can use it for many things, but its usually used as a shield."

Jaune became curious, "Do Grimm have Auras, too?"

Pyrrha placed a hand over his shoulder, "No. The Grimm are creatures born from the God of Darkness. They don't have souls in the normal sense. They are the manifestation of darkness, emptiness; they are anonymity."

"I used to hear about that sometimes growing up." Jaune revealed, walking over to the tree he was pinned to and resting his back on it.

Pyrrha paced around in circles and continued, "We are the Light. It's our duty as Hunters – the ones with bright Auras – to banish the darkness. It's as old as history itself."

"What about the Faunus?" Jaune asked. "They have Auras also?"

She stopped, crossing her arms under her chest, "The Faunus are a little different. They were created when the Brother Gods left Remnant. At least, that's what they say in Mistral. Not everyone agrees on the details, but we know that the Faunus have weaker Aura's than humans do. They make up for it with a stronger Semblance."

"So why do we fight them?" Jaune wanted to know more.

"The discrimination against the Faunus dates back to Old Vale. Its a matter of human cruelty, and has nothing to do with our Semblances. It's the Grimm that unite us. Its about knowing, Jaune. That is what's important." she approached him, placing a hand over the chest piece of his white armor, her Aura glowing Red. "We all have a tiny amount of darkness inside of us; without it, there wouldn't be any place for the light to go. By understanding that, we can manifest the power of our Aura, and tap into our Semblance."

Jaune began to shake as he felt a sudden change in his chest. A gentle white Aura formed around him, his hair flowing upward. Pyrrha held his hand, calming him, staring him directly in the eyes with a warm smile.

"If you can bare your soul, you can deflect harm. All of our tools that we use as Hunters and Huntresses, they are conduits for our Aura. We don't try to protect our bodies while fighting, but our souls and other's. Just close your eyes, Jaune. Let me bare my soul to you."

He did exactly as she asked, feeling his heart beat settle as he focused on her touch. Then, a light hum reverberated through his ears, and he felt as if he were floating.

Pyrrha closed her eyes, placing his hand on her chest. "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death. I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee."

She let go of him, both in soul and in body, taking a single step back. Jaune opened his eyes slowly, looking at himself with serene amazement, a white halo surrounding him and his body feeling lighter than before.

"What did you do?" he asked,

Pyrrha's Aura settled, and she grinned lightly as she looked back and answered, "I gave you a piece of my Aura."

"Those words...I've heard them before." Jaune said, placing his arms to his sides.

"A traditional prayer from Mistral!" she replied.

"I feel..."

She placed her hands over his wrists, "What you have is a piece of my spirit with you, but its up to you to find out how to use. Now that you know the feeling, you'll never forget it."

…

In another part of Emerald Forest, Yang called out for her sister with her hands over her lips to amplify the sound, "Ruby! Helllloooo!" she walked within the open underbrush, trying to listen for other students. "Damn, I always heard that this place was isolated, but now I think its cursed. She should be able to hear me by now. I wonder if she senses Cinder, too." she heard a shift in the bushes next to her. "Ruby, is that you?"

From under the brush, a dark puddle of Grimmsang slid through the grass and next to her feet. It stopped, and morphed into the shape of an eyeball, a red iris looking up at her with an apparent scowl in its gaze. She tried to stomp on it, but it shot by her quickly, dashing through the grass and heading northward into the forest.

As it left her sight, she said to herself, "Its definitely her. But, what's she planning now?"

She heard a beastly growl nearby, the vines within the forest disturbed by a large presence. The sound was too recognizable for her, one that she had grown to know from home.

"Ursa..." she murmured.

Suddenly, an angry Ursa charged at her from the shadows. It swung its arms down at her with rage, but she jumped over its head just in time, her Aura shining as she was in the air, eyes turning crimson. Then, another Ursa jumped out from the brush, its arms ready for a swing. She could do little to dodge it, taking the full force of its strike, but not before summoning her Semblance, Burn. She was pushed into the ground, her head hitting first and injuring her neck on the way, her body springing back up from from the fall.

As her Burn charged, her hair radiating with Aura, she kicked one of the beasts in the jaw, pushing herself away into a spin until she was able to return to her feet and face them both.

"I've only got three bullets for my girls." she held a wrist strap on Ember Celica. "Better save it for whatever Cinder's doing."

The Ursai charged at her again, drool falling from their jaws. This time, her power was ready. As one opened its mouth wide, and attempted a killing blow with its teeth, she pulled her fists back, bellowing loudly as flames surrounded her fingers, pushing her knuckles into the Grimm's mask and smashing it into pieces. It fell before her, but the other still pushed on with the assault. Without a store of energy left in her hair, she jumped out of the way once again, landing on her side and jumping back to a stance as quickly as she could.

"C'mon, ugly, let's see what you've got!" she yelled, her knees bent into a defensive stance, and her Aura ready for more.

The beast shifted its weight backward, its skeleton toes digging into the dirt, prepared for another attempt. Then, the sound of a sharp edge driving into flesh echoed behind it. Its eyes glowed bright yellow, and Yang held her arms up as she furrowed her eyes with confusion. The Ursa fell down onto its face, and its body began to decay into Grimmsang. Soon, she saw a familiar face from the Ballroom standing behind the beast, holding a black sickle-scythe in her hands, and black bow tie wrapped around a set of cat ears. Blake's dark, scant coat blew with the wind current, and her amber eyes seemed to cut through the air like a knife though parchment, gazing at Yang with an almost judgmental look.

Yang grinned, scratching her nose as she returned a glare, her hand on her hip with her pinky finger wrapped around a belt loop on her shorts.

Two beeps erupted heard from their Scrolls. Then, a long silence overcame them.

"Eh," Yang uttered, "I could've taken them."