Saturday, August 15

POV: Aaron

So, how do we start this? Aaron asked Nalia.

The green dragon thought it over for a moment. Start with what magic is and how dangerous it can be. That's how it started with you, isn't it?

Might as well. Aaron locked eyes with the younger Rider. "Ruby, real magic isn't like the kind you have here," Aaron told the younger Rider. "It not card tricks or pulling a rabbit out of a hat, although admittedly, you could do that if you wanted. Real magic is much more complicated, and a lot more dangerous."

Ruby grunted. "Is there anything from where you're from that's not dangerous?"

Aaron smirked. "The air is much clearer in Alagaësia." He grew serious. "Now Ruby, you can only talk about what you are about to hear to a very select group of people. Right now, that includes Yang, Blake, and Weiss, no one else. There could be serious consequences if news of this gets out, that can both directly and indirectly affect us and our dragons, not to mention the rest of Remnant."

"Whoa, that serious?" Aaron nodded. "Okay, then. I promise to keep everything between us."

"The first thing you need to know is that magic is tied to what we call the Ancient Language. To put it simply, speak something in it and put some energy into it, something will happen. For example," Aaron stuck his right hand out on front of him. "Brisingr!" a small flame burned to life in his hand.

Ruby nearly jumped a foot. "That's different," she put her left hand out in front of her and was about to speak the word when Aaron grabbed her wrist.

"Sorry, bad first example. That's a little too advanced for you right now," he said as he let go of her wrist. "Magic takes as much energy out of you as it would to do the same task by hand, well, when you get more experience with it anyway. Initially, it drains energy much faster. If you did what you were about to, you could have passed out in seconds." Ruby blinked rapidly then dropped her arm to her side.

"It can get much worse though. Some spells, in fact most spells, will drain your energy even when you lose consciousness. If too much is drained, the spell will kill you."

Ruby looked down at her feet, scolded. "So how do I get experience?"

Aaron sighed. "Starting with something easy." He took a rock out of his pocket and handed it to Ruby. "Concentrate on the rock and say 'Stenr reisa.'"

She nodded then concentrated on the small rock. "Stenr reisa," Ruby said calmly. The rock didn't even move. She said it again, with more confidence and force, and the rock still didn't move. The third time proved no better. "Am I even saying this right?" Frustration found its way into Ruby's voice.

"Nobody gets it right away," Aaron replied. "Keep at it. You'll get it eventually."

Ruby refocused on the rock and tried again several more times, more and more frustration evident in her voice. On the tenth time, she had enough and yelled, "Stenr reisa!" The rock shook and floated to a few inches above her hand. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes grew wide. After a few seconds, the rock dropped back into her hand. She wobbled unsteadily on her feet. Cerise ran over to her Rider to give her some support. "You weren't joking about the energy drain."

Aaron shook his head. "When it comes to magic, I don't joke. Even the slightest mispronunciation of a word can have disastrous results."

Ruby panted while leaning against Cerise. "Do I want to know what you mean by 'disastrous'?"

"Anything from misdirecting an attack to making a spell absolute, unable to end without completing its task or killing the caster. It's extremely hard to divert that one so dramatically though. That's why it's the one that every Rider learns first back on Vroengard."

"You said this will get easier with time, right?"

"Yes. It'll take more energy to walk up stairs than to make that rock float before you know it."

Ruby smiled through her panting. "So what else will I be able to do when I'm stronger?"

"The basics include healing almost any wounds, moving objects that are beyond your normal capability, and protecting yourself and others from many types of injury. Singing plants to life and shaping them comes later."

The younger Rider laughed. "I can already protect myself from injuries," Ruby paused and looked up at Aaron with an eyebrow raised. "Singing plants to life and shaping them? What's that supposed to mean?"

It was Aaron's turn to chuckle. "It's something that the elves came up with long ago. They sing to plants and put energy into the Ancient Language, and it grows and shapes plants. Under their care, a flower can grow full sized from a seed in a matter of minutes. Their buildings are just trees sung into whatever form is needed." He closed his eyes and tilted his head back. "Ah, if only you could see Ellesméra, the elven capital. You can see the history of the city as you move through, animals roam the streets," Aaron crinkled his nose, "and it doesn't have the stench of excrement that all human and dwarven cities have."

Ruby crinkled her own nose. "Excrement?"

"They don't have—what's it called here, indoor plumbing? Only nobility and the richest civilians can afford it."

The younger Rider shuddered. "Gross, I shouldn't have asked." She paused. "What about this Doru Araeba you mentioned earlier? What's that place like?"

Aaron's shoulders slumped. He regretted mentioning Doru Areaba before. He lost so many people there, and Nalia...

Thankfully Nalia stepped in. We're getting off topic here, let's move on. She cast a glance and Ruby before settling down again.

Aaron cleared his head and focused his attention back on his student. "Good idea. Now, there is more to the Ancient Language than just being able to use magic with it. When you speak in it, you can't lie, and you can't break any oaths you make, whether accidental or intentional. That's how Cerise knew I wouldn't hurt her yesterday."

Ruby looked down at her dragon who hummed and nodded in response. "How could she know it? We've never even heard of it before now."

"Well, I'm sure she doesn't know it, but everyone can understand the basic meaning behind what is said. If it's directed, the meaning becomes clearer. There's a reason behind it, but the explanation is beyond me."

"So, I take it you want me to promise in the Ancient Language that I won't tell anybody about this except those you approve of?"

Aaron fervently shook his head. "Any other Rider would say yes, but I'm saying no. Forcing people to take them is too much like taking away free will. I will give oaths, but I never force people to say them."

Ruby nodded thoughtfully. She looked down at Cerise and it appeared they were having a conversation. Aaron stood silent and let them have it. After a few seconds Ruby nodded and looked back up at Aaron. "What are the words?" she asked.

"Um, to what?" Aaron cocked his head in confusion.

"What are the words to say that I won't speak of this except with you and my team?"

Both Aaron and Nalia stared at Ruby in shock. Are you sure? Nalia asked.

"There's no going back after it's said."

Ruby shrugged. "Better safe than sorry so something doesn't slip."

Aaron sighed. He didn't know why Ruby would make an unbreakable oath so freely, but if she wanted to, he wouldn't stop her. Over the next ten minutes, the older Rider coached the younger on how each of the individual words are pronounced and what they mean. After Aaron coached Ruby on the order, he gave her one last chance to back down. Instead, she went along and said the oath with confidence.

"Should I feel any different?" Ruby asked after she finished.

"No, most oaths are just that. You won't notice it unless you try and go against it. You physically won't be able to."

Aaron decided it was time to move on. It was best not to overwhelm Ruby with specifics just yet. "The last major part of magic is literally all in the head, and I believe you have some rather unintentional experience with this."

Ruby rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, it kind of scared me when the rest of the team felt my emotions."

Aaron nodded. "That is common for human Riders. Just be glad the first time it happened you sent out happiness and not rage or depression. The consequences of both are terrible in their own ways.

"Anyway, there are three new things you can do with your mind now: communication, defense, and attack. The communication part is what you've done, sending your thoughts and emotions outside of yourself to someone else. I don't know if you've noticed, but you can also touch the minds of animals and plants as well as humans and Faunus."

"Wait, minds of plants? I may not be the best at biology, but I'm pretty sure plants don't have brains."

"Sorry, I misspoke. I meant the presence and energy of plants. Again, it's amazing to stretch your mind out in Ellesméra to feel all the life around you." Aaron paused for a second. "Actually, the Menoa tree, the only known tree with a noticeable consciousness is just outside the city, but that's a story for another time.

"The next two deal with mental combat. Riders, dragons, some creatures, and most other magic users can attack other minds. It's not pleasant, or so I've been told. Nalia and I have very defensive minds. No one has ever broken past our defenses, combined or not. On the attack though, if our opponent has even the slightest defenses, we can't break in."

"Wait, you can't do something?" Ruby chuckled. "I guess you aren't all powerful after all."

"Everyone's got their strengths and weaknesses," Aaron agreed. "Now, the basic way to start your defense is to picture something in your mind and concentrate on that above all else. With enough practice, you will be able keep your defense up at all times. In a battle situation with other hostile magicians in the area, it will be needed. If you have to choose between attacking and defending, choose defense."

"So, all I need to do is concentrate on something hard enough and it will defend my mind?" Ruby asked.

Aaron nodded. "That's all your opponent will be able to see."

Ruby closed her eyes for a few seconds, then nodded. "Try it."

The older Rider sent out his mind to attack Ruby's. As expected, his attack was repelled. All he saw was an image of a woman in a cloak similar to Ruby's, though it was white. Aaron turned his eyes to Nalia, and she nodded. She raised her tail high off the ground and slammed it back into the floor. Ruby yelped, but the strength of her defense never faltered.

Aaron pulled back into his own mind. "Well done, Ruby. The tail smash typically catches rookies by surprise."

Ruby shrugged. "I've had a lot of practice in dealing with distractions."

"Yang?"

"Yep, I've paid her back on multiple occasions though."

Aaron smiled. He wondered if that's how his younger sister and he would have acted around each other, then he banished the thought from his head. "Attacking someone's mind is a little more difficult. It starts out similar to communication, as you stretch out your mind to your opponent. Instead of just sending thoughts or emotions though, you concentrate your thoughts into a single point and drive it into your opponent's defense. Or, that's how I believe it's supposed to go."

Ruby nodded and stood in an offensive stance. "You ready?"

Aaron threw up his mental defenses and nodded. Almost immediately he felt something hit the wall in his head. It started out trying to push its way in everywhere at once. It pulled back, then smashed in at one point with surprising force. Again, the attack stopped, and again it narrowed its attack. The older Rider smiled. "Are you sure you've never done this before?"

Immediately after he asked, his legs were knocked out from under him. Aaron saw Nalia's tail fly past his line of sight. He fell flat on his back and the wind was knocked out of him. The attack on Aaron's mind resumed, but it still didn't gain any ground.

Nalia laughed at the sight of her Rider on the ground. "Yes, very funny," Aaron growled, "and no, that didn't do a thing."

Ruby sighed in the middle of laughing. "Ah well, it was worth a shot." She looked over at Nalia and thrust a fist in her direction with a thumb up.

Aaron stood up and brushed his jacket off. So, what now? he asked Nalia.

Well, we taught her all we wanted for the basics, Nalia responded. Still, I don't think she's ready to go onto more advanced magic yet. Her body won't be able to handle it.

Break until after lunch, then see what she can do in physical combat?

The green dragon nodded. I would like to see how the people here fight.

Aaron nodded himself. "Okay Ruby, we've gone through all we've wanted to for this morning. How about we break until after lunch, unless you have any questions."

"I have a few," Ruby said. "Through the whole time you've been here, you've never mentioned Aura. Do you," she hesitated, "know what it is?"

Aaron thought back over his two years of training before answering. "I've never heard of it before."

Ruby's eyes brightened. "Well, from what you've said, magic is similar to Aura in a few ways. For one, it shields us from attacks, whether it's from a Grimm attack, a sword or bullets. If something gets through, Aura can heal us faster. Some people can directly use their Aura for attack, like Ren from team JNPR.

"Everyone that has their Aura unlocked has a Semblance. For me, it's speed!" Ruby vanished in a flash of red and rose petals. Aaron followed the trail with his eyes and saw her waving at the far end of the warehouse. She ran off again and nearly blew the older Rider off his feet. "I don't know where the rose petals come from though. I think it's a one of a kind thing."

Aaron turned around and saw Ruby smiling up at him. He whistled. "You are fast. You might be able to beat Nalia in a race."

Nalia snorted smoke from her nostrils. Don't count on it.

"I can't keep it up long distances yet. I can run a lot farther than I used to though."

"What about yesterday when you ran to Cerise?"

Ruby hesitated. "I did run all the way didn't I?" she mumbled to herself. "I think it was fueled by fear, though. I can tell just from that quick run that I can't do it now."

Aaron nodded, intrigued. "How do I get it and use it?"

"Everybody has Aura in them. I think Pyrrha describes it as 'the manifestation of our souls,' or something along those lines. After you unlock it, it will start defending you and healing your injuries, but you will need to discover your Semblance on your own."

"I'm going to have to look into this. Is there anything else you wanted to know?"

The smile left Ruby's face as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Is it possible to extend the life of someone who isn't a Rider?"

Aaron sighed. He knew this was coming. From what he heard; it always did. "It is possible to extend another's life, but not make them immortal." Ruby's eyes brightened for a second. "I know why you're asking, I'm sorry to say though all known ways of doing it can't change how the mind ages. If it's not engaged enough, the brain will rot like any other elderly person. Even if they are continually involved in something, the deterioration starts at about two-hundred-and-fifty years of age."

"Still, that's adds about a hundred and fifty they didn't have otherwise." She paused. "You said you were trying to get eggs to hatch when you were away from…when the Fall happened. Do you have any more eggs with you?"

Neither Aaron nor Nalia spoke. Should we tell her? Aaron asked his dragon.

I feel lying to her will come back to clip our wings. The green dragon turned her head to Ruby. We have two other eggs with us Ruby. Both are eager to find their Riders, but that does not mean they will choose any of your teammates.

"Have there ever been Riders that are related?" Ruby blurted out.

Nalia sighed. Yes, there have been several, but the number is few and far in-between. Dragons choose their Riders based on their personality and beliefs. Relations mean nothing. Aaron raised an eyebrow at his dragon but made no comment.

Ruby's shoulders slumped. "So you're saying it's almost impossible for the eggs to hatch for anyone on my team?"

"The odds aren't in their favor," Aaron began, "but it's not impossible."

Ruby nodded sadly. "Well, I suppose I should be getting back to the others now." She rubbed underneath Cerise' chin before walking to the door.

"I'll see you at lunch," Aaron called. Ruby nodded absentmindedly and left the building. Aaron looked up at Nalia. You left out a crucial detail in there, he thought at her.

The green dragon's wings drooped. I didn't want to get her hopes up.

Aaron nodded and looked to the floor. "Am I going too fast with this?"

Probably, but when was the last time we even saw our masters?

"You have a point. I just hope Ruby can take all of this."

POV: Ruby

Ruby walked slowly across Beacon to her dorm room. She tried to process everything she just learned. On the positive side, she could use magic, she was now telepathic, and she was immortal.

The young Rider shuddered at that last thought. She had the next seventy years with her team, if she didn't extend their lives with magic. After that, it would just be her and Cerise. Ruby was terrified of never aging while everyone grew old around her. What was the point of living forever if she would just end up alone? There was no telling how many people she would lose in her long life.

Ruby felt Cerise' mind press against hers. Not alone, the young dragon said. You have me.

Thanks, Ruby sent back, but people need more than one other person to survive.

Aaron? Nalia? Team Gray?

Ruby hesitated in her steps. I don't know. They seem nice, but they could find a way to get back to Alagaësia and never come back. And did you hear Nalia? Aaron's unstable. He could break at any time. And team Gray has their own world too.

Cerise took her time in responding. Don't…fear…Focus now, not then.

…Thanks Cerise. Ruby didn't even realize she walked all the way to her residence hall. Luckily very few people were in the halls and even fewer looked her way. She couldn't take the attention at the moment, not with those evil thoughts in her head.

Ruby entered her to find a scene much different to how she was feeling. Yang was laughing at a joke, knowing the other two in the room, she most likely told. "Hey, Rubes, what took you so long?" Yang asked with a smile on her face. The smile didn't last long though. "Ruby, something wrong?"

"No," Ruby said quickly, then hesitated. "Yes. It was just one thing Aaron and Nalia said."

Weiss looked at her partner with a shocked expression. "Since when can 'one thing' get you down like this?"

"There had to be some positive things he said for you to be gone for so long."

Ruby smiled half-heartedly as she sat down on Weiss' bed. "There was plenty of that." She took the rock Aaron gave her out of her pocket. She concentrated on the rock and dug into the part of herself that she found contained at least one of her new abilities. "Stenr reisa." The rock obediently floated a few inches above her hand.

The three other girls stared at the hovering rock in disbelief. "That's new," Blake gasped.

"What are you now, some type of magician?" Yang asked. Ruby couldn't tell if it was a serious question.

The rock fell back into back into Ruby's hand. "Aaron says it's magic, so yeah."

"Magic?" Weiss scoffed.

Ruby rolled her eyes at the heiress. "Did you believe that dragons existed before Cerise hatched? How else would you explain this? Plus, Zach admitted that his team has magic and that most of his powers are actually magic too."

Weiss hesitated, then shook her head. "I don't know what to think anymore."

"What else can you do?" Yang asked, genuine interest in her voice.

"With magic, right now just that. Aaron says I'll be able to do just about anything when I get better with it. He mentioned things like healing severe injuries on the spot and altering the way plants grow. Oh, and he produced a fireball in his hand like it was nothing."

"The fire, I get," Yang said, "but the plants? Since when do you want to be a gardener?"

"I don't really, but apparently back in Alagaësia, the elves have altered the way trees grow to live in them. A literal tree house. Aaron says entire cities are built like that."

Weiss perked up at that last bit. "A city of trees? That seems like an interesting place to visit someday."

"In addition to magic," Ruby continued, "they taught me the basics of how to control my mind for offense and defense. The communication part I already had down."

"Geez, Ruby, you're turning into one of those super heroes from the movies!" Yang exclaimed. "Could show us? Somehow?"

Ruby smirked and stretched out her mind. Without opening her mouth, she said, Sure. The looks on her friend's faces said that the trick worked. Silent communication. This could be useful if we ever have to sneak around.

"Could you…track people like this?" Blake asked hesitantly.

"I don't see why not," Ruby spoke. "I think there are a few more ways to use and fine tune that technique, but Aaron hasn't taught me yet."

"Anything else cool you have up your sleeve?" Yang asked.

Ruby took a few seconds to think it over. They didn't need to know the specifics of the Ancient Language, not yet anyway. She didn't have any way to prove it either. That just left…the one thing. The young Rider sighed and looked down at her lap. "Aaron and Nalia said that dragons are immortal… and so are their Riders."

No one in the room breathed for a few seconds, then Yang nearly jumped up from her position on Blake's bed. "What's wrong that? With that amount of time, there's no way you won't be the best Huntress on Remnant in that time! Who knows? You could live on the moon someday!"

Ruby looked up at her sister, fighting to hold back tears. Yang's smile quickly evaporated. "If that does happen, none of you will be here to see it."

The mood in the room tanked. No one knew what to say. They all knew Ruby was right. "It's not just time that's the problem. Aaron says my body will almost stop aging when I'm twenty. So when you're all in your seventies, I'll barely look older than I do now." She choked on her next words. "I'm going to be alone, for a very, very long time."

Yang launched herself between the beds and pulled Ruby into a tight hug, but not one of her choking ones. "Don't say things like that Ruby!" she ordered. Ruby returned the hug and let the tears flow free. "I'm not leaving any time soon."

"I know this sounds cold," Blake said, "but everybody loses people, and it never gets easier. Even in the worst of times, though, there will be someone to pick you up."

"Ruby, we'll still be around for a long time," Weiss comforted. "None of us are going anywhere. It's not like you'll be alone when we're gone anyway. You'll have Cerise, and I'm sure Aaron and Nalia will stick around." She seemingly left out team Gray on purpose.

Cerise' mind pressed up against her Rider's again. Never alone.

"Listen to Cerise, Ruby," Yang whispered, apparently hearing the dragon's words. "Even though we won't be standing by your side, we'll always be with you. You know that. I'm never leaving you."

The room stayed silent for several minutes, and Ruby and Yang stayed in each other's arms. Eventually Ruby composed herself and pulled away from her sister. "There are a couple ways around this, at least temporarily," she said.

"I'm all ears," Yang said.

"Aaron said it is possible to extend the life of people who aren't bonded to a dragon, not aging included. On the down side, he said 'brain rot' would come when you get to be two-hundred-and-fifty. I'm guessing he meant something along the lines of dementia."

Ruby paused for a second. "He also has two other eggs with him."

The other girls perked up. "So, a dragon could hatch for us?" Weiss asked.

Yang whistled. "That would be something," she said. "Dragon Rider sisters. The Grimm better watch out."

"I think you two are missing something," Blake cut in. "There are only two eggs, and there's three of us."

"There is that," Ruby sighed. "Also, the dragons choose their Riders, not the other way around. Blood relations don't matter."

"But is it possible?" Yang insisted.

Ruby nodded. "It is, but it's rare."

Yang hesitated. "When's the next time you two are meeting?"

"After lunch, why?"

"I'm going with you." Ruby blinked rapidly and was about to protest when Yang cut her off. "Ruby, if there's even the slightest possibility of one of those eggs hatching for me, I'll take it."

"I'm with Yang on this one," Weiss said. "From just the little time I've been around Cerise and Nalia, I can tell they're intelligent and powerful, but also caring. I wouldn't mind spending a lot of time with one."

Ruby looked over at Blake who simply shrugged. "It couldn't hurt. I don't know if a Faunus could be a Rider, though, if there were none where Aaron and Nalia are from."

"Thanks, guys." Ruby sighed. She didn't know if any of them would be lucky enough to have an egg hatch for them, but at least there was the chance.

Yang scoffed, and Ruby looked up at her sister confused. "Thanks? Who said I was doing this for you? I just want a dragon of my own." For that, Yang received a pillow to the face.

So, those of you who have read A Rose's Scales may be wondering when things will start changing, and I've gotta say, honestly, I can't think of much to change right off the bat, but changes will be coming once we get to chapter 16. You may say that at this point I'm just copying pokeman1280's work, but change will come, and it will be big.