Prologue IV: The Best Life

A few minutes earlier

A house is seen near Patch, with the door sign displaying Xiao-Long Home

"...once I come over"

Beep.. click.

Taiyang opens his scroll to track Yang's signal. The CCT network is far more than communication for the hunters, they also have an exclusive app meant for tracking emergency signals should the sender activate it voluntarily. Despite its intrusive nature, it saved many lives that wandered too far and can't find their way back. The distance between Yang and their home is a few kilometers and Taiyang knows that he couldn't reach her in time unless he has something that could boost him.

Searching around the house, Taiyang finds his supply of dust and thought that it could be used as a propellant force. Due to his semblance, which as long as he activates it, his physical capabilities get stronger over time, winning most drawn-out fights. The hunter community knows him as the Unrelenting Dragon.

Taiyang made a contraption that looks like it's a poorly made human cannon. Pointing it towards Yang, he placed all kinds of dust and propelled himself as high as the cannon would allow him.

Activating his semblance, Taiyang falls to the ground, using the leftover momentum, he runs as fast as he can, gaining more speed and still going faster, leaving a trail of fire and breaking through the sound barrier. Most hunters cannot run this fast due to aura not being able to handle that much resistance.

As Taiyang ran, he hears the sound of battle and sees the glow of the sun in the night sky, followed by anguished screams. Running towards the location, he hears Kuro's speech as he saw a grimm's arm falling towards the injured boy. Hoping he could save the boy, he readies his arm to punch the grimm into the void.

Taiyang punches the grimm into the forest, breaking a straight line of trees. Reaching the boy in time, he checked his vitals, confirming that he is alive, he saw that Yang's body has no injuries, but was otherwise incapacitated. Scanning the area he sees other grimm surrounding the group howling at them, with such weak enemies, he easily kills them off with a punch or kick, eliminating all the grimm.

"What an idiot, good job kid."

Taiyang did some emergency first aid towards Kuro and decides to bring him to the hospital, along with his belongings. Yang can move at this point, healed by her aura, asks his dad to save her new friend. Taiyang agrees, and finally Yang faints.

At the Patch hospital

The patient room is filled with medical instruments and tubes going into Kuro's body as he lays down on the bed. Surrounding the boy are Yang and the doctor, looking at his condition.

"Tell me doctor is he gonna be okay?"

Yang asks, with tears flowing out her eyes. The doctor, wearing clean white apparel, alongside a mask checks his vitals as he responds.

"Ms. Xiao-Long. The good news is the boy is saved due to your dad, his life would've been forfeit if he didn't administer first aid and brought him to the hospital. However, the bad news is that his body will take a long time to recover, along with being in a coma. Who knows how many weeks trapped before he could gain consciousness."

Yang, hearing the doctor's assessment, makes her more guilty. Blaming herself for his condition. If only she wasn't there for him to warn her, if she wasn't jealous of him, he could've run by himself without meeting the grimm. Yang asks if there is a way to make him better.

"How could he recover faster doctor?"

"If we unlock his aura, his injuries will be healed in a few days, alongside getting him out of his coma."

"So what are we waiting for? Let's unlock his aura"

"You don't have enough aura to unlock his, so let us wait for your father as he signs the corresponding papers."

They wait for a while. After a few minutes, Taiyang comes to the room. The doctor shows Yang's desire to unlock the boy's aura, Taiyang looks at his daughter.

"Are you sure you want to do this Yang? You told me that he was planning to settle down in our town for a peaceful life. He could still do that, but he will be trained on how to properly use his aura from now on after he finds a place to sleep."

"I'll take responsibility, I just want him to be safe."

Seeing her teary but determined eyes, Taiyang agrees, putting his hands on the boy, he chants.

"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."

Contrary to expectations, His aura did not activate, making the group confused. Yang looks angrily at his dad, while the doctor is curious as an aura unlocking event never failed before.

While Taiyang is placating Yang, unknown to the people in the room, the bag where his phone resides is shaking, lighting up the display it says.

[Detected foreign soul energy. Analyzing purpose.]
[The purpose of entity is to show how its soul works on its physical body so that the owner's soul can imitate it.]
[Warning! The application of foreign soul is incomplete. Detecting faults within the activation model.]
[Protecting owner's soul.]
[Assumption: Model is incomplete/missing/not compatible.]
[Phone will attempt to show the owner its memories as a catalyst to complete the model.]
[Entering owner's mindscape.]

The phone disappears into motes of light, unnoticed by anyone.

Location:?

"Am I dead? Is this the afterlife?"

Kuro opens his eyes, looking at his surrounding, he remembers this place, it's his parent's house, in his own room. Finding the mirror, he looks at himself.

"Huh, did I look this young ages ago?."

Chucking at himself, the door opens, showing a man in his 30s, with a suit that complements his body. Looking at his son he says.

"Are you excited for today #$%? It's 'Bring Your Kids To Work Day!' You will see our land and its produce, which belonged to our great-great-great-great….. "

He looks at his father, feeling very emotional, and ran up to him, bringing his arms to hug his dad.

"...great-great WHoa kid easy there, I know you're excited to inherit the land, but don't worry you'll…"

"I miss you dad."

His dad looks at him and laughs.

"Hahahaha, it has been yesterday since you've seen me kid. I knew you love me more than your mother."

A female voice comes from downstairs.

"I heard that! #%$$ bring your ass down here so that we could prepare for the trip. Don't want to be late to your place now, it lowers our employee's morale."

It looks like his dad is sweating before saying I love you to his son, going down the house, Kuro goes back to the mirror, looking at himself, his eyes burning with determination.

"I'm probably dreaming and none of this will matter. But I will save my parents from the accident."

After eating breakfast with his family, Kuro talked to his parents and enjoys their company, his father notices, and asks.

"Kid what's the occasion? You're talking a lot more than usual."

"I'm just excited to visit your place dad."

Satisfied with the answer, his dad arrives at the building. The family comes out with many other families visiting the location. While looking at the machines. He insisted on his parents to go outside.

"Steady there kid, don't want to be missing all the good spots. Oh look this machine does the…"

Despite his efforts, his parents are easily distracted and explain to him the intricacies of his family history. After a while, one of the nearby machines explodes, starting a chain reaction bringing most of the place down.

Kuro looks at his parents being stuck under one of the machines, trying to carry it out as he fails, being in a kid's body and all, while he is despairing at the situation, crying his heart out for someone to save his parent. For an instant the world slows to a halt, leaving him as the only one able to move. Excited at this chance, he looks at his surroundings before finding a phone? Way beyond this age's technology and looking familiar to him. He recognizes the device as his own.

"How can my phone from the present be here? Oh right, soul tethering."

Looking at the display, he found that someone is trying to unlock his aura, but his phone prevented it from happening. Realizing that unlocking his aura was the only way to save his parents, he asks the phone how to unlock his aura.

"How can I unlock my aura?"

[Suggestion: Owner must chant a mantra based on himself, to achieve self-actualization.]

[Based on the owner's memories, this device has compiled 300+ recommended chants]

He looks at the chants but nothing resonates with him. Deciding that the phone's suggestions as useless, he sat down in a lotus position and reflects on himself.

Kuro after the accident was never the same, just going with the flow in his life, doing what he can until he came to RWBY, and experiencing the enjoyment of this world. Remembering Yang's smiling face, the promises he made, the life he lived through, he chants smiling.

"For it is in the bonds of life that we find peace. Through this, we become the unmoving pillars to support all. Simple in desire and casting out all doubts, I release my soul, and by my own heart, promise to live.

[Update! Owner's soul is transforming.]
[Phone is updating! All esoteric apps will be non-functional until completion]
[Radar is disabled]
[Completion Time: 1 month]

As Kuro glows, so too the phone, before dimming to its usual brightness.

"So this is aura huh, I don't know why it works on the dream world, but I'm not complaining."

As time begins to continue forward, he goes towards his parents and carries the machine out of the way, with his parent's safe, they ran outside the building and hugged each other. Looking at his parents, he says.

"I'm glad you're safe"

His parent's smiling at him, he cries his heart out to them while the surrounding is getting disintegrated, signaling the end of the dream. His parents say to him.

"Go to your new friend Kuro, and remember your promise."

The young boy laughs.

"Don't worry, I think that I'll be living a while longer. See you on the other side, mom, dad."

The world turns white.

The hospital

beep.. beep.. Beep..

"..doctor, he's waking up!"

He opens his eyes, seeing Yang's angry face at him, waiting for him to explain himself. Looking embarrassed he says something that he immediately regrets.

"Hey, Yang I'm just Patiently healing here. Please don't hit me.."

He readies his body to be hit. Two arms wrapped around his body, feeling wet on the shoulder, opening his eyes he saw Yang's head besides his face, feeling surprised, he pats her hair. He smiles.

"I'm back."