Chapter 8: A Shining Sight

When the Bullhead finally landed at Beacon's air docks it was well into the evening. Everyone left the airship and made their way across the unreasonably long walk way to Beacon. Seriously, why was it so long? A grand entrance was important but not that grand!

When Ryler and the others reached the campus grounds Arterra was escorted by Sakura and Charlotte to the infirmary. Lance didn't go with them, instead choosing to stay by his "Master's" side. Ryler rubbed the bridge of his nose, he didn't know what he was going to do with him. He saw Glynda walk in the direction of what he assumed to be Beacon's CCT tower. She made it a few feet before she stopped to look back at him. She seemed to be waiting for him to follow her. He made to go with her but remembered Lance.

"Lance, don't have to follow me everywhere you know" Ryler crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"But Sir, how can I fulfill my obligation to you if I am not by your side?" He asked with a serious tone. Ryler could hear desperation in his voice but not an ounce of weakness. He was a very noble person who wanted to repay the person who saved his sister's life. Ryler saw the determination in his eyes and knew he was dead serious about what he said. Ryler sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose again.

"Very well then, but I have private business to attend to right now, go make sure your sister is alright and I'll meet up with you later." Lance smiled at his decision and placed his fist over his heart and have a quick bow.

"I shall take my leave for now, Master." He walked off in the direction the others had gone leaving him and Glynda standing there alone.

Ryler's shoulders slumped when he rounded a corner and was out of sight. Glynda did not envy him for having to deal with such a character. They shared a silent look, Ryler one of exhaustion and Glynda a look of understanding and compassion. The way to Ozpin's office was toward the right of the direction of the infirmary, Ryler was grateful for that. The journey to the meeting was silent. Glynda didn't ask any questions because she knew they'd all be answered during the meeting. Ryler didn't ask any questions because he didn't have any. He did want to know about that strange team, SLAT (Slate) maybe?

Beacon Tower was as majestic in real life as it was in the show. The massive support columns were as big of not bigger than most buildings in Vale and about as tall as the wall surrounding it. You know that opening scene in the second episode of Volume 2? Yeah, that was no exaggeration, Ozpin's office was literally above the clouds at the moment. They stepped into the lobby and it was mostly the same. The central spire was not just a few holo-panels at the base. It was actually a lot larger and held four elevators, all of which lead up to the communications room. There was another elevator over on the left wall that clearly said "Headmaster's Office" all over it.

They took this secondary elevator all the way up to the top. It was a long, long, looong trip up. The elevator move a little faster than a normal Earth elevator, a fact that Ryler was painfully aware of by the time they were half way up. Ryler couldn't hold back any longer and let a yawn escape. At least there was a silver lining to this elevator ride from hell. The back of the tiny room was made of glass which made it perfect for the view that came near the end of the ride. The last quarter of the elevator tube was also made of glass.

Looking out over part of Beacon's campus and the entirety of the city of Vale was a mesmerizing sight. The sun was now well passed the horizon. The dim orange and dark blue gradient leading to a dark sea of stars perfectly framed the lower ocean of lights. If he wasn't already in possession of literal cosmic magic, then he would have said that this was the most magical thing he'd ever seen. Apparently, Glynda agreed with him.

"This is one of my favorite sights in all of Remnant to behold. You should see it again in the winter when it snows." She had a very soft and delicate smile on her face. Her eyes sparkled at the wonderful view, proving that she was not always the serious, mission driven woman she was shown to be. She actually had a soft side, he was pretty sure she would actually hurt him for saying that out loud. Her secret was safe with him.

She stared out over the world for a few second more before she suddenly turned back around and retook her serious expression. A second later and the view was again of the interior of the elevator shaft. She had made this same trip so much that she was able to time out the view perfectly. Ryler was stunned by everything. Ryler had even more respect for her now.

"If you tell anyone what you just saw, I will make sure you have detention for your entire first year." She said without breaking her expression of even looking at him. Ryler had even more fear of her now.

It only took a minute longer before they arrived at their destination. The doors opened and they were greeted by another amazing sight. The night sky was now all around them, it was like entering into space itself. The room was just like it was depicted in the show. Gears of a clock spun above and below them keeping time for some mysterious reason. There was never an actual clock shown on the tower in the show and he didn't see one on his way up. So where was the clock?

"Mr. Ryler, please have a seat, we have a few thing to discuss." Ozpin gestures to a chair on the other side of his desk. This is going to be so much fun.

...

Ryler was taken to the ballroom with the rest of the other tributes, I mean initiates. A quick scan and he saw every important character. He even saw Cardin there. He was sitting with his back against one of the walls. Everyone watching him would have just seen him glaring at the Faunus in the room. Everyone observant enough to look beyond outward appearances would have seen that he was weary of the dog Faunus'. Like Ryler, he was also looking around the room. He went rigid when he came across Ryler standing behind the entrance.

Cardin quickly turned his head away and tried to look like he hadn't seen him. "Tried" being the cooperative word there. Ryler could see sweat starting to form on the side of his head. Ryler smirked at this new knowledge. "This is going to be so much fun", he thought to himself. Ryler then heard what could only be described as an absolute ruckus coming from somewhere near the back of the ballroom. There they were, Ruby and Yang fighting. Ruby was currently doing an excellent impression of a spider monkey. Yang was just trying to keep her away from her precious hair without hurting Ruby.

"Three... Two... One..." Ryler thought to himself waiting for a specific heiress.

"What in the world is going on over here?" Weiss Schnee, heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, said with a very annoyed tone. "Don't you realize some of us are trying to sleep!?" She was about to continue berating them when she saw Ruby and Yang.

"Oh, not you again!" Both Yang and Weiss yelled at each other simultaneously. "They had really nice harmony just then", Ryler thought to himself.

Ruby was panicking now as she saw multiple people looking at them some with slightly annoyed gases and others who were downright angry at being woken up. "Shh, guys, she right, people are trying to sleep."

"Oh, now you're on my side." Weiss, rather than take the win and go back to her sleeping area, decided to retort to Ruby's comment.

"I was always on your side." Ruby said.

"Yeah, what's your problem with my sister? She's only trying to be nice!" Yang said. She couldn't stand by and let her berate her sister like she was doing.

"She's a hazard to my health!" Weiss was getting closer to Yang, invading her personal space.

Ryler could see that Yang was losing her patience and that her fists were shaking at her side. This was all completely new territory as none of this was shown in the show. Then again a lot of things he'd seen as of late were not in the show either. The arguing kept going and it was starting to get louder. Ryler sat up and was about to go over to them and tell them to shut it when someone beat him to the punch.

Literally.

SMACK!

"OW!" One second, Yang and Weiss were nearly screaming at each other and the next they were holding their heads in pain. Behind them was Lance with both of his fists out standing like a wind up toy robot. They turned from being angry at each other to being furious at him.

"Hey, what the hell? That hurt you ass!" Yang lifted her fist getting ready to retaliate.

"Yeah, who goes around just hitting people for no reason? Who even are you?" Weiss just stood with her fist to her side and stomped her foot like the delicate, and spoiled, princess she was.

Lance wasn't dazed by their comments or their actions. He simply crossed his arms over his chest and have them a look that said he wasn't having any of their nonsense. Everyone who wasn't a heavy sleeper was now wide awake watching the scene unfold before their eyes.

"The reason, Miss Schnee, was that both of you were causing and excessive amount of noise which was keeping everyone from falling asleep." Lance's voice was calm and commanding. Ryler was slightly surprised by this new side of him and had a little more respect for the man.

Yang was starting to calm down now as her sister was also telling her the same thing. Weiss, however, was just as, if not more, mad at him as she was with Yang. She was about to go out on a full tirade about who she was and that he had no right to hit her outside of combat training. That is, until he kept going with his explanation.

"And as for my name, I am Lance Pendra. I am a member of the third year team assigned to watch over all first years until you are all initiated tomorrow. I suggest to you, Miss Schnee, you return to your area and. Go. To. Sleep." Lance's demeanor changed from calm and collected to slightly sinister in just a few short seconds. Any response Weiss had was quickly abandoned as she walked back to her sleeping bag and stayed there. The room was eerily silent, like the very concept of sound no longer existed to anyone present. Yang and Ruby were already in their bags by the time Weiss went back to hers, so they escaped his wrath. For now at least.

Ryler saw that Lance had seen him there and gave a quick nod at him before he walked toward the stage where there was a cot all set up for him to use. Everyone was now starting to get to sleep. Snores were scattered around the hall making for a weird Human/Faunus cricket simulator. Ryler couldn't sleep, not that he needed to in the first place. Being connected to the universe meant he had the world's largest battery keeping him energized. He could still go to sleep if he wanted to but he was still thinking about everything.

10 minutes later and he was still thinking. It was all so strange, even now. Sarah would have killed anyone to be in his place, even him. She was the one who was basically obsessed with this world. She had every line memorized, every song on repeat, a plush of a dog and a a few pins and keychain charms. Ryler on the other hand, he like the show. Sarah tried getting him into it multiple times but he was always focused on his training. The wrong training he now felt. Ryler stood up and walked over a couple of people as carefully as he could. He made his way out of the ballroom to get some fresh air. Better than just lying around in a stuffy room full of snoring and some pretty bad B.O.

Ryler saw a bench under a tree just ahead him. It was in a small garden like area off to the side of the pathway that led to the building. He went over and sat down and just watched the world around him. The air was nice and cool against his skin. He took a deep breath and let out a relaxed sigh. This was good enough to get his mind off of any unwanted memories. He sat there for a few minutes, bathing in the sounds of the night, staring out at the city far off in the distance.

"Not tired?" A voice asked from behind him. The bench had been facing away from the campus so it was only natural he didn't realize someone had been approaching him. He turned around to see who it was that was now behind him. He was surprised to see that Arterra was moving to take the seat next to him.

"I see you found my favorite seat in the whole school. You have great taste in seating arrangements." She sat down gingerly, most likely because her injuries were still bothering her. She was wearing a simple white tank top and a pair of light gray pajama pants. Unlike earlier that day, her hair was a little messy, likely from her tossing and turning. Like him she took a deep breath and let it out in a relaxed sigh.

"Should you really be out of bed right now? I saw the state you were in, it looked pretty bad to me." Ryler said, never taking his eyes off the sights. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her just shrug at his question. Ryler was growing more and more nervous around her. Apparently she noticed because she started slowly inching closer and closer to him until they pressed against each other. She took it a step further by rest her head on his shoulder. If this were a cartoon, he's pretty sure that he'd literally be glowing red.d

"Woah, it might just be the meds in on but it looks like you're glowing." That comment made him look down at his hands and sure enough he was glowing red. He quickly got it under control. his mind race trying to come up with an explanation for his sudden bio-luminescence.

"Is that your Semblance? Do you like glow in the dark or something?" She returned to her original position on the bench but turned slightly to face him better. Her hands were on the seat of the bench helping her learn forward and look him in the eye. Ryler was even more nervous now than he was before. The way she sat gave him an angle down her shirt. He desperately tried to keep his eyes on hers or at least anywhere but her

Y-yeah, I can control light. It's not a powerful skill to have but at least I'll never be lost in a cave or something." Ryler rubbed the back of his neck just trying to distract himself from her. Luckily for him she sat back up and turned back to face the scenery. He quietly let out the breath he didn't even know he'd been holding.

"Don't sell yourself short, not everyone can have an ultra powerful ability like controlling the weather or metal or even super speed. If you have to have a utility base Semblance, then it's better to have one like yours." Arteries told him.

"My name's Ryler by the way. I don't think we ever properly introduced ourselves." He held out his hand for her to shake. She looked at it for a quick second before she took it.

Arterra Pendra, you can call me Artie or Terra, whatever feels right to you." She smiled brightly at him and Ryler couldn't help but smile back. Her gaze lingered a while and he noticed her start to lean in closer to him. Ryler was sent into a panicked frenzy. She was so close that he could smell the mint from her toothpaste. She was inches away from his face when she pulled back giggling. Ryler sat there side eyed at her sudden change in demeanor.

"Relax, I'm only teasing you. I couldn't help myself, you just had such a teaseable face. I'm sorry." Her giggling turned into a light laughing when she saw the look on his face again. "I really am sorry, I just wanted to lighten the mood a little."

She calmed down and so did Ryler. He knew she had just been messing with him the whole time but it was still very awkward for him. His inexperience interacting with the opposite gender was going to be a real pain for at least the next few months. Hopefully not everyone was as playful as she was.

They sat there in silence for a few more minutes until Arterra yawned.

"Man, what a day. Oh yeah, I never did thank you for what you did for me today. You saved my life, if there is any way that I can repay you then please, let me know, okay?" Once again they met eye too eye but unlike the other times, there was no teasing involved. Only a genuine look of gratitude.

"It was no problem at all, really. I don't expect anything in return!" Ryler thought he was safe from her teasing but he was on so wrong.

"Is that because you already got your reward?" Ryler was confused by what she meant. She again turned to face him and leaned closer to him. "I know you had to remove my armor to treat my wounds, did you get your reward as you did that? Hmm? You don't have to be embarrassed or scared, I won't be mad if you took a quick feel." Ryler was feeling way more uncomfortable than he'd felt in his entire life now. She was dangerously close to him now and she kept getting closer and closer and closer.

"N-no, I-I didn't do a-anything of the sort, honestly!" He raised his hands up in a defensive manner trying to make himself as non threatening as possible. Again he smelt the mint flavored toothpaste on her breath as she was almost completely on top of him now. She stopped mere centimeters from her nose touching his.

"Okay, cool." She sat back in her seat, once again doing a complete 180. She stretched in her seat before she stood up and did a few more stretches all while making sure not to reopen her wounds. Ryler had no idea what was happening anymore.

"I'm heading to bed, busy morning tomorrow. You should probably do the same too." She stood there with her hands on her hips for a second or two before she started walking away toward Beacon Tower, most likely back to the infirmary. She only took a few steps before she stopped and turned back to look at Ryler.

"By the way, it wouldn't bother me if you did see me half or fully naked. It was actually Sakura and Charlotte that had me a little flustered back there in the woods. Anyway, see ya." She waved at him and left the scene and Ryler alone together. He sat there for a while just thinking what she meant by that.

"Why would she be embarrassed by two other girls seeing her naked? It's not like anything is different between them... wait." It suddenly clicked into place for him. Everything made a ton of sense now that he thought about it more. He let out a quiet, "Oh" and just say there watching the lights of Vale twinkle in the distance.

"Damn it, I forgot to ask what their team name is!"

This chapter was finished at 3:22 in the morning. Nothing like experiencing what my characters are while I write. Please leave a review about any spelling or grammatical mistakes I've made it if you have any questions. Also, suggest this story to anyone you think might enjoy it, it doesn't affect me in any way but it does help share my work to as many people as possible. That's what Monty would have wanted, to create something you love and share it with the world. See you all in the next chapter, Keep Moving Forward.