Chapter 4:
A tremor of fear ran through his body. Around him, he could hear the whimpering and stifled crying of the others. People who were stuck in the same situation as him. People who couldn't get out in time. He watched as a man carrying a gun; an assault rifle, by the looks of it; paced in front of them all, and he watched the man's every move, every step, every breath.
He swallowed thickly, audibly, as the man walked in front of him. Would he be next? How long would it be until it was his turn. How long would he sit there, doing nothing, watching as others; people like him, who had come to college to get education; were killed in cold blood. How long!? HOW LONG!?
He glanced toward the man, who was turned away from him, then to the girl kneeling beside him on his left. She looked to be about his age, nineteen, and he noticed her lip was trembling in fear. Then he glanced to the boy on his right. He also looked to be about his age. The boy's teeth were clenched, and his fists were balled. He looked ready to fight.
Looking back at the man to make sure he wasn't looking, he nudged the boy, who turned to look at him, an eyebrow raised in silent question. He raised a balled fist, then nodded toward the armed man. Thankfully, it seemed as if the boy understood. Quickly, he started looking around for a weapon, occasionally looking back to the armed man to make sure he wasn't looking.
Finding nothing, he waited until the man was closer, and had his back turned. Looking over to the boy, he raised up three fingers. Silently counting down, when he hit zero, he stood and rushed toward the armed man, the boy close behind him. Luckily, the man didn't hear them coming. Coming up behind the man, he wrapped his right arm around his neck in a chokehold, and reinforced it with his left arm. It seemed all that time wrestling with his brothers was going to pay off.
The man struggled against his hold, but he remained steadfast. While the man was distracted, one hand leaving his gun in favor of grabbing at his arm, the boy capitalized on the moment, rushing up and knocking the gun out of his remaining hand. Then, the boy kicked the man in the crotch. Hard. The man's legs buckled, but he kept up his chokehold until he felt the man go limp. Only then did he let go, laying the man down, and he checked his breathing to see if he was still alive. The man wasn't dead, and he was thankful for that. He wasn't one for taking lives.
He immediately started taking off his belt. The boy looked at him in a confused manner, but he ignored him. His belt now off, he grabbed the man's hands, and proceeded to bind them together. The premise of a belt was similar to, if not the same as, a slipknot. When he was sure the belt was as tight as possible, he tied a knot into it, just make it harder for the man to undo it, in case he woke up.
He looked around the room, at the people staring at him and the boy, eyes wide, and hope somewhat restored. They had thought they would die, all of them. Well, they wouldn't die; not if he had anything to say about it. Looking down at the gun, then at the boy, he pointed to the gun, then the nearby window. They were on the ground floor, so escape would be easy, if they managed to smash the window open.
The boy nodded, walked over and picked up the gun, then walked over to the window. In the meanwhile, he hurried over to the other people, and urged them to get up. They complied, and he motioned toward the window. They all seemed to get the idea; the boy would break the window, and he would usher them out. Looking over to the boy, who stood ready with the rifle and waiting for his command, he nodded.
The boy bashed the butt of the rifle against the widow. It took a few tries, but the boy managed to break it. On the final hit, the glass window shattered, and he motioned for the people to move out. They were quick, thankfully, but not quick enough.
His head snapped over to look at the entrance as he heard the sound of the door bursting open. It seemed the other attackers had heard the commotion, and were there to investigate. Upon seeing their unconscious comrade on the ground, and the people rushing outside, they raised their weapons, teeth bared. Besides him and the boy, everyone was out.
Hurriedly, he shoved the boy out the broken window. "Go!" he yelled.
"You're gonna regret that," growled the attacker on the left.
If he wasn't getting out of this alive, he would at least try to buy his fellow classmates some time. He didn't want to die, but he'd rather die in an attempt to buy others time than die for nothing. He faced the attackers. Taking a deep breath, he sent up a quick prayer. Then, determined, he charged forward with a yell.
Gunshots sounded out.
And he welcomed the warm embrace of death.
Lux's eyes snapped wide open, and he sat up straight, breathing heavily, shakily. He frantically looked at his surroundings. A sterile white room, a curtain, a bed that he was sitting in, the gown he was wearing, the IV in his arm, the beeping of a heartrate monitor, Weiss staring at him with wide eyes.
Slowly, Lux laid back down, working to control his breathing. Fucking hell. He hadn't had that nightmare in a while.
Wait. Weiss?
He looked over to his left, where Weiss sat in a chair beside the bed, scroll in hand. Her eyes were no longer wide, and looked calm and collected. Lux looked up at the ceiling, closed his eyes, and let out a long breath.
"Let me guess, Beacon's infirmary?" he asked.
Weiss nodded. "Yes. After you passed out, we had to carry your body up the cliff," she explained. "Once we arrived at the top, they took you to here, the infirmary, while we went to the auditorium for the ceremony, which you missed, obviously."
Lux nodded. "I'm surprised to see you here. I suspect you didn't just do this out of the goodness of your own heart."
Weiss scoffed. "Of course not. Your sisters suggested we take turns watching."
Lux nodded again. "I'm guessing we are a team, then?" he questioned. Weiss nodded. "And who is our leader?"
Weiss huffed in annoyance. "Ozpin chose Ruby, for some reason."
Lux gave a small chuckle. "He probably saw something in her. What's our team name?" He figured he may as well ask, but he had a feeling of what it was already.
"Ozpin gave us the team name of 'RRWBY'," she answered. "Is that all?"
Lux shook his head. "Just a couple more questions. What about the other team? What's their name? Who's their leader?"
"Team JNPR. Ozpin chose Jaune Arc to be their leader," she replied. Her huff of annoyance said what she thought of that. "Now, is that it, or is there more?"
Lux shook his head. "No. That's it."
"Good," said Weiss. "Because I have one or two questions myself. First of all, what was that white light you and Ruby used against the Grimm? I asked Ruby and Yang, and both of them told me to ask you."
"Ah," said Lux. He had a feeling that question would come up. "Wait until Blake is with us, I'd rather not have to explain it twice."
Weiss huffed in annoyance again. "Fine. Second of all, I noticed your eyes glowing. Is it tied to that white light?"
Lux nodded. "Yes, it is. And again, you'll have to wait. Anything else?"
Weiss nodded. "One more question. Isn't Ruby a little young to be here?"
"Ah, that," chuckled Lux. "Yes. Technically, Ruby is too young to be at Beacon yet. So am I. She's fifteen, and I'm sixteen. We were invited to attend early by Ozpin. Personally."
Weiss' eyes widened. "O-oh. I see."
Lux smirked. "Yeah. Now, why don't you go tell the rest of our team that I'm awake. I'm sure my sisters will be happy to hear that."
Weiss huffed again, but got up out of her seat, and walked to the door. She opened it, walked through, then closed it behind her. Once Lux was sure she was gone, he sat up. It wasn't painful, but his body was definitely sore. Letting out a shaky breath, he ran an equally shaky hand through his hair.
"Fucking hell," he murmured. "I... haven't had that one in a while. I still wish I knew if my sacrifice was in vain." He felt a tear fall down his cheek. "Fuck. Tears, huh?" He let out a small, bitter laugh, and laid back down. "Can't let them know about that stuff. Not yet, at least." He wiped the tears away from his eyes. "Fuck, man. Shit." He internally chuckled, remembering a time when he was so averse to cussing.
A few minutes later, there was knock on the door.
Lux took a deep breath, cleared his throat, wiped away the last of his tears, and spoke. "Come in."
The door opened, and The first to enter was Yang, who came to sit in the chair. Ruby, Blake, and Weiss filtered in after her.
"Hey. How ya feeling, champ?" asked Yang.
Lux rolled his head, and a series of pops sounded out. "A little stiff, but, other than that, I'm fine."
"Good," said Yang. She playfully punched Lux's arm, and he feigned hurt. "You nearly gave me a heart attack when you passed out."
Lux chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. Sorry about that." He grinned. "I killed all the Grimm, though."
"Yeah. You did. Then we had to drag you body up the cliff. And you aren't exactly light," sniped Yang.
Ruby dragged a chair up next to Yang, and sat down. She looked tired.
Lux grinned. "Hey, congrats on becoming tam leader, little sis."
Ruby looked up at him, hiving a tired smile. "Thanks. I don't know why Ozpin chose me, but I won't let him down." Her lips pulled into a confident grin.
Lux grinned back. "I'm sure you won't."
Weiss cleared her throat to grab everyone's attention. She looked at Lux. "Would you now care to answer my earlier question?" she asked.
Lux rolled his eyes. "Yes, I will answer your question, now that Blake is here as well." He looked at Blake. "You've probably been wondering what that white light was; the one ruby and I used against the Grimm.
Blake nodded. "It did cross my mind, yes."
"Well," started Lux. "Ruby and I are what're known as Silver Eyed Warriors. Essentially, our power allows us to fight the Grimm more effectively."
"Silver Eyed Warriors?" questioned Weiss. "I've never heard of such a thing."
"That doesn't surprise me," returned Lux. "There used to be a lot more. But at some point, many of them started dying, and it was found that they were being hunted down. Don't ask me who hunted them. I don't know." The last part was a lie, but he knew he couldn't tell them about Salem yet. "Anyway, any person born with silver eyes can use this power, but it has to be unlocked first. It is usually unlocked in great times of stress, when Grimm are around. The way the past Silver Eyed Warriors used their power put too much strain on their bodies and minds, so I decide to try and refine my power. Then I taught Ruby. I helped her unlock her power, and showed her how to manipulate it."
Weiss spoke up. "When I encountered Ruby, she yelled some words, and there was an explosion. What was that?"
"What words did she say?" asked Lux.
"I used Exitium Inspiratione," stated Ruby.
"Ah." Lux nodded his head. "That was a technique I created. Its main intended purpose is to gain breathing room, but it can also be used to finish off a group of Grimm. Basically, how it works is the user gathers their power around their body, or a weapon, and when they decide the time is right, they release it in an explosive blast. The words 'exitium inspiratione' actually mean 'destruction blast'."
Weiss nodded. She would admit, it was a little confusing. At first, she had thought it was some type of Dust that she had never seen, but the chances of that were slim. Now she knew what it was.
Blake spoke up. "So what was that technique you used against the horde of Grimm? What was it called? Megaton Wave?"
Lux nodded. "Megaton Wave. How that works is I gather a large amount of power into my weapon. Then, when I'm ready to strike, I raise it, then bring it crashing down to the ground. The power rolls outward in a wave, in whatever direction I'm facing. It's more of a... last resort... sort of technique, right now. The more I practice it though, the easier it will be, and the less likely it is that I'll pass out."
Blake nodded in understanding. "It's like a muscle, then. The more you use it, the stronger it gets."
Lux smiled. "Exactly. However, the techniques take time to create, and take more time to master. I've been doing this for twelve years now, and I still haven't mastered the first technique I made." He let that sink in for a moment. "Anymore questions?" Weiss and Blake both shook their heads. "Alrighty, then. Is there anything I should know of?"
Yang nodded. "Once we tell the nurse that you're awake, they'll do some tests, and once that's done, all you'll need to do is sign out. After that, you're free. Also, classes don't start until next Monday. They're giving us the entire week to explore Beacon, so we can find our classes whatnot. Oh, and if you're wondering where your weapons are, we already put them in your locker."
Lux nodded. He was grateful to have a week to adjust. "Alright. Thank you for doing that. Go tell them, then. As comfortable as this bed is, I want a shower."
Yang chuckled "You need one, too," she said with playful grin, pinching her nose and waving a hand in front of it. Lux laughed, and she laughed with him. "We'll go let them know, then." She stood up. "See you in a little bit." She helped Ruby up, then ushered them all out the door, and closed it behind her.
A few minutes later, a nurse walked in. She did some tests on him, asked him some questions, then had him sign some papers. Once that was all done, she pointed to the bathroom, stating that his clothes had been washed and set out for him, then left.
Walking into the bathroom, he found his outfit folded and stacked neatly on a shelf, and set beside that was his scroll. As he proceeded to pull on his clothes, he tried not to think about his nightmare. Whenever he thought back on what he did, he felt sorrow. Sorrow, because of all that he had left behind. Friends, family...
He shook his head as he pulled on his boots. No. Stop thinking about it. You made your decision. You chose to sacrifice yourself. Getting hung up on 'what-ifs' will get you nowhere. He blinked away bitter tears as he put on his vambraces. Finished with getting dressed, Lux walked out of the bathroom, and was surprised by who he saw.
"Good evening, Mr. Rose," greeted Ozpin, who stood by the hospital bed, hands resting atop his cane. "I hope you are feeling better."
Lux took a moment to collet himself. He nodded respectively to Ozpin. "Professor Ozpin. Good evening to you, as well. And, yes, I'm feeling much better. A little sore, but, other than that, I feel fine."
Ozpin smiled and nodded. "That is good to hear."
Lux tilted his head a bit to the side. "Was there something you needed, sir?"
Ozpin chuckled. "Teenagers. Always so impatient. Your team most likely told you already that there are no classes this week. New students are being given time to adjust before classes start. During this time, we have sparring rings open specifically for new students. If you would like to use one, you are required to send a request to Miss Goodwitch or myself. All students have been given our contact information."
Lux nodded in thanks. "Thank you. I'll be sure to make good use of the offer." He smiled. "Is that it?"
"One more thing. That was quite the powerful feat you did, during Initiation," added Ozpin. And although he didn't specify what he was talking about, Lux had an idea of which feat it was. "I was curious about how you did it."
Lux shrugged and walked over to the door, resting a hand on the knob. "Just something I was born with," he answered evasively. He really didn't need this conversation, right now. Turning the knob and opening the door, Lux nodded to Ozpin. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go sign out. Have a good rest of your evening, Professor." He walked out of the room into the hallway, and closed the door behind him. He let out a quiet sigh of relief.
He was glad Ozpin let him go with just that. The ancient man probably wasn't too happy with the answer he received, but he would have to live with it, for now. Lux would reveal what he knew when he decided the time was right. And it was far from the right time.
Lux walked down the hall toward where the front desk of the infirmary was. When he got there, he saw everyone waiting for him. After signing out at the front desk, he walked over to join them.
Yang playfully punched him in the arm. "You all ready to go?"
Lux nodded. "Yep."
"Good. Because it's almost dinner," said Yang. "Now come on. We don't want to get stuck with a bad table." With that said, she walked off.
Lux chuckled as he walked alongside everyone.
Lux sat down on Ruby's right, with Weiss sitting on his right. Yang and Blake sat across the table from them. On his plate was a large helping of mashed potatoes, with gravy poured on top, a good sized pork steak, some biscuits covered with milk gravy, and to drink, he had two cartons of milk. He had a system, when it came to meals, and it was one he had learned on a two week long backpacking trip. Breakfast and lunch were protein and carbohydrates, and dinner was comfort food.
He was just starting to dig into his pork steak, when Yang spoke up.
"So," started Yang. "What did Ozpin want?"
Lux raised an eyebrow. "Ozpin?"
Yang nodded. "Yeah. Ozpin. Down at the infirmary."
"Oh, that," said Lux. He shrugged. "He just wanted to see how I was doing. He also complimented me on what I did during Initiation. Wiping out the horde of Grimm, to be exact."
"Is that really any surprise," asked Yang rhetorically. "Besides the teachers, and Ozpin, you're probably the most powerful one here. I bet you could even give some of the teachers a run for their money."
Weiss raised a curious eyebrow at that, and glanced over at Lux. Is he really that powerful?
"You're exaggerating," deflected Lux.
Yang shook her head. "No, I'm not. You really could," she insisted.
Lux rolled his eyes, smirking. "I'm messing with you. Do you honestly think I don't know that?" he said slyly. Then he gave Yang a stern look. "Also, Ozpin told me something that you didn't. And I have a feeling that was on purpose."
"And what would that be?" asked Yang, laughing nervously.
"That we are allowed to request one of the sparring rings this week," he replied. He pointed an accusing finger at Yang. "You were trying to get out of training again, weren't you?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," replied Yang innocently.
Lux narrowed his eyes at Yang. "I'm going to put in a request for Friday." He looked over to Ruby, an eyebrow raised in question. "That is, if it's okay with our team leader, of course."
Ruby shrugged. "That's fine by me."
Lux turned back to Yang, smiling sweetly. A little too sweetly, in her opinion. She knew that smile. It meant her training would be extra hard. "Then we'll be training on Friday." He looked to Blake and Weiss. "You two can join us, if you want."
Blake nodded. "I think I might join you."
Lux nodded back, then turned to Weiss. "What about you, Weiss?"
Weiss rolled her eyes and huffed. "I might as well."
Lux smiled. "Alrighty. Friday in the afternoon, then."
"Do you guys mind if we sit here?" a voice suddenly cut in.
Lux looked over. It was Pyrrha who spoke. Standing behind her were Jaune, Ren, and Nora.
Lux smiled. "Go right ahead."
"Thank you," said Pyrrha, smiling back. She and Jaune sat beside Blake's left, while Ren and Nora sat to Weiss' right. Pyrrha looked at Lux. "It's good to see you're doing better."
"Thank you," replied Lux.
"Honestly, it was amazing, what you did. I don't think I've ever seen someone turn a Grimm to stone," commented Pyrrha. "What was it that you did?"
It looked like he was going to have to explain it a second time after all. He really should have seen this coming.
Lux took a deep breath. "Well, first of all, it's something that both Ruby and I can do. It is a power that we possess. One that we were born with," he explained. "Ruby and I are what 're called Silver Eyed Warriors. And, yes, it is linked to our eyes. Only people with silver eyes can use it. It has to be unlocked first, though, usually in extremely stressful situations, when Grimm are around."
Pyrrha blinked once, then twice, then tilted her head with a confused look on her face. "Silver Eyed Warriors? I don't believe I've ever heard of them."
Lux sighed. "Mostly ancient legends, at this point. I'm pretty sure Ruby and I are the only ones left."
Pyrrha gasped. "I'm so sorry!"
Lux snorted. "It's fine." He sighed again. "Most were hunted, though many brought about their own ruin. They became reliant on their power, got cocky, thought themselves invincible. Our power doesn't make us invincible, just more effective against the Grimm. And I've also been refining my power. That's one of the reasons why I was able to take down that Deathstalker so easily."
Pyrrha nodded. "I will admit, that was quite impressive. That Deathstalker would have given me a challenge, yet you took it down with ease," she complimented.
Lux chuckled and shook his head. "Thank you." He scratched the back of his neck. "To be honest, I haven't had a challenge in a while, when it comes to Grimm. People, too." He gave Pyrrha a grin. "Maybe we could spar, sometime. From what I hear, you're pretty good."
Pretty good!? thought Weiss incredulously. Does he even realize what his chances of winning are? She's Pyrrha Nikos! The Invincible Girl! No one has beaten her.
Pyrrha smiled. "That would be grand."
Weiss sent a sidelong glare at Lux, then turned her attention to her food.
"That was so cool!" exclaimed Nora. "You destroyed that Deathstalker. And when you decimated that horde! There was nothing left of the bridge in front of you. Just empty space! It. Was. Awesome!" She giggled excitedly.
"Well, I'm glad to hear you think so highly of me," said Lux, smiling.
Suddenly, Nora gasped. "Oh my gosh! I just remembered!" she shouted. She pointed at Lux. "You knew Magnhild's name. I never even told you. How did you know? Can you see the future? Are you from the future?"
Lux scratched the back of his head. One of those was fairly close. "Ah. Well, no, I'm not from the future." He paused to think of a lie. He shrugged. "Just a feeling or inclination, really."
"Awww," whined Nora in a dejected tone. She looked like she was physically deflating, her lips pulling down into a pout, her shoulders drooping, and her back hunched. "That's not as cool, though. Why couldn't you be from the future? Or an alien. This one time..."
Lux allowed Nora's voice to fade into the background. Really, a feeling?. What kind of lie was that? Had he almost blown it? He needed to be more careful. While they probably wouldn't believe him if he told them what this world was, what would happen if they did? He had a feeling it wouldn't be pretty. Their minds most likely wouldn't be able to handle it.
If he told them how he knew the stuff he did, how much would it damage their minds? No. He couldn't ever let that happen. Some knowledge was best kept secret. And he would take that knowledge to his grave.
Bringing himself out of his thoughts, Lux cut off a piece of his pork steak, listening as Nora continued to tell her story.
As Team RRWBY walked back to their dorm, Weiss glared daggers into Lux's back. She still couldn't understand it. What made him think he could hold even a candle to Pyrrha. Moreover, Ruby and Yang seemed to think he could! How foolish were they?
"I call dibs on the shower first," said Lux, breaking Weiss from her thoughts. "And if anyone else wants it first, they'll have to fight me."
Yang laughed and shook her head. "I don't think any of us are going to challenge you on this one." She tilted her head back to send a glance at Weiss. "Right?" Weiss just huffed and rolled her eyes. "I'll take that as a no." She looked at Blake, who shook her head, then she looked back at Lux. "Shower's all yours, then. Just so you know, your bed is to the right. We had to get rid of a desk, in order to fit it. And we put your cases on top of it. Oh, and Beacon provides towels for us."
"Thank you," thanked Lux, smiling gratefully.
They soon reached the door to their dorm room. Ruby brought out her scroll from one of her pockets, and held it up to the sensor that was connected to the locking mechanism. There was a beep, and a green light flashed on above the door knob. Ruby turned the knob, and opened the door, allowing everyone to go in first, then entering herself, shutting the door behind her.
Upon entering, Lux was greeted with the sight of... makeshift bunkbeds. It was just how he remembered it, too. One bed hung from the ceiling by ropes, one was stacked on top of another, with only a small stack of books separating each leg, and one bed that had nothing done to it.
"Let me guess," he said. He pointed to the bed hanging from the ceiling first. "Ruby's," He pointed to the one below it. "Weiss'," He pointed to the bed that was stacked on top. "Yang's," Finally, he pointed to the one below that. "Blake's."
Ruby looked at Lux with wide eyes. "How did you know?"
Lux shrugged his shoulders. "Lucky guess," he lied. Looking to his right, he found his bed, perpendicular to the alignment of the other four beds. On top sat his suitcase, which contained all of his clothes, and his weapons case. Walking over to the bed, he picked up the weapons case, and slid it under his bed. Then he opened his suitcase, and grabbed his pajamas, his shampoo and body wash, as well as his toothbrush and toothpaste. Immediately, he marched into the bathroom, and closed the door behind him.
Yang waited until she could hear the shower running to speak, turning her attention to Weiss. "Alright. What's your problem?" she asked tersely.
"What do you mean?" returned Weiss, raising an eyebrow.
Yang narrowed her eyes at Weiss. "You know exactly what I mean. After Lux made the offer to spar with Pyrrha, you were glaring at him the whole time."
Weiss sent a quick glance toward the bathroom door, then looked back at Yang. "Who does he think he is? Does he really believe he can even hold a candle to Pyrrha. You do know who she is, right? She's the Invincible Girl. Graduated top of her class at Sanctum. Won the Mistral Regional Tournament four years in a row. She's undefeated."
Yang crossed her arms. "Oh, I know who she is. I know she's undefeated. But guess what else I know. Lux was also the top of his class. In fact, he was the strongest student in the whole school. His first ever fight was a challenge against a student in their final year. And Lux won. Not only did he win, but he won by a large margin. I think his opponent only got one or two hits on Lux. And guess what else? Lux is undefeated, too. I wasn't messing around when I said he could probably give some of the teachers a run for their money." She pointed at the bathroom door.
"He is leagues ahead of all of us," continued Yang. "He was training at the age when he should have been in preschool." By now, Yang was breathing heavily, her shoulders raising and lowering with each breath, and her lilac eyes had turned deep crimson. She lowered her voice, but it still carried the same intensity. "He is the reason Ruby and I are still alive."
Weiss and Blake's eyes widened at that. Weiss didn't even know how to respond to that.
Ruby laid a gentle hand on one of Yang's shoulders. "Yang. Breathe," she said quietly. Yang obeyed, taking a deep breath in through her nose, then slowly letting it out through her mouth. She repeated the process for a dew minutes until she was calm again. Her eyes faded back to lilac. "Better?"
Yang nodded. "Better."
"Not to... pry or anything, but... what do you mean Lux is the only reason you and Ruby are still alive?" asked Blake hesitantly. She had sat down on her bed as well, and was looking at Yang with a complicated expression.
Yang looked over to Blake, and noticed that her bow had twitched. Yang took another deep breath. So much had been shared in one day already; the first day, in fact. Classes hadn't even started yet. She barely even knew Weiss and Blake. She had no actual reason to trust them with this information. But... she would tell them. If she told them, maybe Weiss would understand. She let out a long sigh.
"When we were young; Ruby, Lux, and I, that is; our mom... well, she died," started Yang. "Her name was Summer Rose. And she was, like, Super Mom. Baker of cookies and slayer of monsters" She laughed. "She was a Huntress, and she was really good, too. And even though she wasn't the one who gave birth to me, she loved me as if I was her own child. You see, before Summer, my dad was married to another woman. But, a little after I was born, she ran away. I don't know why. I don't know what her reason was. But, she just ran. And then Summer came and filled in her role.
"Not long after that, Lux was born. And then, a year later, Ruby was born. We were one, big, happy family. Then, when I was around five, our mom went out on a mission. At that time, she was training Lux. Somehow, he had convinced her to let him start training. She started by helping him train his Aura. He was good, and she soon helped him make his first weapon; a small and simple sword named Spinam."
As Yang spoke more and more Weiss and Blake started to pay more attention. Weiss' brows were deeply furrowed now, and she couldn't help but think of her mother. While her mother wasn't dead, her family was... separated. Winter was the only one she knew she could rely on.
"Anyway," continued Yang. "she went out on a mission. But, she never came back. About two weeks after she was supposed to return, someone from the Huntsman and Huntress Association came to our house. He brought a message with him, as well as some official death notice papers. It was determined that our mom was 'killed in action'. After that, our dad just... broke down. He became a shell of his former self.
"While our dad did nothing but sit around and drink, Lux kept us afloat. He went out into the forest to hunt for food. He taught me how to cook. Remember, at the time, he was only four. A four-year-old teaching someone how to cook. And that's not all he did. He would go down to the main town of Patch, and sell the furs of the animals he hunted. Not only did he provide food, he also provided a source of income.
"Well, one day, I found a photo. In it were four people: Our dad, our mom, our uncle; Qrow; and my birth mother; Raven. They were on the same team, here at Beacon. And on the back of the photo was the location of an old house. So, me being the foolish and hopeful five-year-old that I was, I thought that if I could Find Raven and get her to come back, everything would be right again.
"I asked Lux to come along, and he agreed. So, one day, I grabbed a wagon, put Ruby in it, and went off in search of my mom, with Lux guarding us the whole time. Now, Lux had never stopped training. He continued to train, every single day. I was confident that we would be fine, and that when we arrived at the place, we would find Raven. I was wrong. So, so, so wrong.
"When we got to the house, it was abandoned. By that point, I was exhausted, and despair was starting to set in. And then things got even worse. A pack of Beowolves started to surround us. And there was one that must have been around for decades. It had armor on its legs, back, even its chest. It was fast too." Yang swallowed thickly. "If Lux hadn't unlocked his Silver Eyes then..." Yang trailed off, letting the unspoken statement hang in the air.
"That's why I believe in him so much," continued Yang. "Not just because I know how powerful he is, but because I have that much faith."
Weiss sighed. "I... don't know what to say." And she really didn't.
Yang shook her head though. "You don't need to say anything. You just need to keep it in mind," she explained.
Their conversation was put on hold as the bathroom door opened.
Lux stepped out of the bathroom, hair still damp, now changed into his pajamas, and holding his Huntsman outfit. Walking over to his bed, seemingly oblivious to the conversation that had just taken place, he set his boots down at the foot of the bed, then put his outfit in his suitcase. Setting his suitcase down beside his boots, he sat down on his bed. He sat there for a bit, staring blankly at the floor.
"Hey. Are you okay?" asked Yang.
Lux's head snapped up, eyes widening. "Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine." He gave a reassuring smile. "I think I might take a walk."
Yang studied Lux's face, trying to discern if something was wrong. Upon finding nothing, she reluctantly let it go. "Alright. Don't stay out too long."
Lux rolled his eyes, though his amused smile gave him away. "Yes, mom."
Forgoing any footwear, Lux exited the room, stepping into the hall and closing the door behind him. Turning left, Lux walked down the hall. He wandered around aimlessly, lost in his own thoughts. So lost, in fact, that he almost ran right into a door. He looked at it, and found that it had a sign saying 'roof entrance'. Pushing it open, Lux found himself in a stairwell, with stairs going both down and up.
Deciding to go up, Lux soon found himself at another door. He pushed it open, revealing the spacious concrete roof. He walked out onto it, allowing the door to close shut on its own behind him. Above him, he could see the stars, though the number was limited by the light pollution coming from Vale. Lux sighed, and sat down in what he judged, to the best of his ability, was the middle of the roof.
For a while, he just stared into the sky.
It wasn't until he heard the door open that he finally broke himself from his thoughts. He craned his neck back to see who had come up. It was Pyrrha, who had also changed into her pajamas. Lux looked back up at the sky. "Out for a walk, too?" he questioned.
Though he couldn't see her do so, she nodded. "Yes. I figured I'd enjoy some fresh air." She started to walk forward, but hesitated. "May I join you?"
Lux laughed. "You don't have to ask. If I wanted to be left alone, I would have told you," he reassured. He patted the space beside him. "Come sit."
Pyrrha walked over and sat down in the proffered spot, and joined Lux in looking up at the stars. After a few minutes of silence, Lux spoke.
"This might sound like an odd question, but... humor me for a moment," said Lux. "Say you and a group were trying to escape from a powerful foe, one that could kill you fairly easily, and they found you and your group. Would you sacrifice your own life, if it meant that you bought them more time to escape?"
Pyrrha blinked, surprised by Lux's question. She thought about it for a few moments. Would she sacrifice herself, even if it was just to buy people some time? Sub-consciously, she started chewing on her bottom lip. At first, it seemed like a question with an easy answer. However, the more she thought about it, the more she realized it wasn't so simple.
Sacrificing yourself to buy others some time. There was no guarantee that the people you were buying time for would escape. Would your sacrifice be in vain? On the other hand...
"If it meant that they could escape, yes, I would sacrifice my own life, I suppose," answered Pyrrha.
Lux wasn't very surprised by the answer. At the Fall of Beacon, Pyrrha went off to face Cinder all by herself, knowing that her chances of winning were slim. She had pushed Jaune into a rocket locker and sent him off, stopping him from being able to follow her. She had known the chances of her dying, had been ready for death. Yet she fought with everything she had left.
Pyrrha had essentially made the same decision as him, as different as the circumstances were. He chose to stand his ground, to fight the attackers, even though he knew he would die. And Pyrrha had ascended Beacon Tower to face off against Cinder, even though she faced certain death. They were similar in that regard, and Lux had a feeling that if the Fall of Beacon happened again, Pyrrha would make the same exact decision. But, he wouldn't let it come to that.
Pyrrha looked at Lux with a confused expression. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh, nothing," said Lux, then snorted softly. "Just thinking about a nightmare I had." He glanced at Pyrrha, who now had a worried look on her face. He found it adorable just how much she cared about others. "Basically, I had to decide between running; possibly risking the lives of the ones that I had saved; or sacrificing myself, buying more time for them."
"And... which one did you go with?" asked Pyrrha.
Lux looked back at the night sky. "I chose to buy them some time, obviously," he responded. He sighed, then stood up. Looking down at Pyrrha, he smiled. "Thank you."
"You're... welcome?" said Pyrrha confusedly, tilting her head to the side.
Lux turned and walked to the door. When he got to it, he paused, and looked back. "It was nice speaking to you, Pyrrha." With that, he opened the door, and walked into the stairwell, leaving behind a confused Pyrrha.
When Lux got back to the dorm room, he entered to find it dark, the light turned off, and that all four girls were asleep, even Yang. It had been a long day. Walking over to the bathroom, and turned the light on in it, then closed the door behind him. Looking in the mirror, he could almost see another reflection; dark blond hair, hazel eyes, pale skin, and a youthful face, barely touched by the hands of time.
He blinked, and the vision went away. Shaking his head, he grabbed his toothbrush, and put it under the faucet, and turning the water on for half a second. Then he grabbed the toothpaste, and applied some to the tooth brush, and shoved the toothbrush in his mouth. His thoughts wandered, all the while. Am I strong enough to beat Salem? he thought. Well, I'll have to be strong enough. But, that doesn't mean much. Just because I have to be strong, doesn't mean I'll immediately get stronger. Just because I have do be smarter, doesn't mean I'll immediately get smarter.
Finished brushing his teeth, Lux spat out the paste into the sink, then ran his brush under the water, and put it away. Looking at his reflection once more, he could almost see the the other reflection again. He blinked, and it was gone. Then he sighed. Guess I need to train some more... and finish that one technique. Lux opened the door and walked out of the bathroom, turning off the light on his way out. Walking over to his bed and climbing under the covers, he thought, for just a moment, what would his life would've been like, if he hadn't died.
If he hadn't sacrificed himself.
Exposition! Yay!
I know this chapter is a little under 8,000 words. To be honest, I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted, with the argument between Weiss and Yang. So I decided on some backstory. Also, I started writing chapter 4 before I was even finished with chapter 3. I had an idea of what I wanted, but wasn't too sure. But then it suddenly came to me, and I immediately began working on it, not wanting to lose it to my stupid memory.
Chapter 5 might take a little while. I'm a little over 2,000 words as of writing this little note (February 16th). I have college, work (hopefully my hours pick up here soon. Hopefully.), and there's also Sword Art Online, which I started watching on this past Sunday (I think). I've made it to Alicization already.
And I think that's about it. See you in the next one.