Chapter 9: Forging New Trusts

The sun peaked over the horizon and brought its warming light with it, bathing Beacon in its welcomed rays. Ryler was still sitting on the same bench under the tree in the small garden area. He never went to bed, just stayed up watching the city lights and now the morning sky. He could definitely get used to doing this more often. He stayed up all night doing what he did best when he was alone, thinking. And even now he sat there thinking about the day to come.

"I'll have to fight my way to the ruins. I was pretty close already so I'll just have to aim at where I was when I found Arterra. From there just back a little and to the right." Ryler thought to himself. He rose to his feet and stretched the stiffness out of his joints. He heard a door to the ballroom open and some students exited. most of them appeared to still be half asleep while a few others were bouncing around, full of energy for the next part of their entrance exams. Some of them saw him and had confused looks on their faces. It made sense as he was outside before everyone else. They probably thought he was a really early riser.

There was a commotion coming from just inside the doors. Ruby emerged pulling the almost zombie like form of Yang. It seemed like she was having a lot of trouble trying to maneuver how sister out. She felt sorry for her and decided to go help her out. That way he'd have an in for when all the fun stuff started happening.

"Yang, come on, we have to get changed!" Ruby whined as she changed from pulling to pushing her sister out the door.

"Noooo, want sleep... " was Yang's response. Ryler was walking up behind them and was just about to speak to them when the other door opened and out came a very annoyed heiress. Nothing significant about that except for the fact that Ryler had been standing just outside that door. The door made it about halfway out when it smashed into his face. Weiss didn't seem to notice or care and just continued on her way to the lockers. Ruby was by his side in an instant causing Yang to wake up a little more..

"Are you okay?" Ruby asked as she helped him sit back up. Ryler rubbed his nose from the pain of his sudden meeting with the door. Yang yawned as she helped pull him back onto his feet.

"I'm fine, not the worst thing that's ever happened to me." Ryler watched Weiss then the corner, never once looking back. Ruby refocused on Yang who was once again lying down on the pavement. Ruby stood her back up and tried to keep her like that. Ryler remembered why he went to them in the first place and said, "I think I have a way to help you, if you want." Ruby perked up at that and smiled at him.

"Really? That would be awesome!" Ryler told her to leave Yang proper up against the wall and take a step back. There were many ways that Ryler could wake Yang up but he decided to continue with the story that Light Manipulation was his semblance. He held his hand up with his palm facing Yang.

"Hey there sleeping beauty, time to wake up and say cheese." He let out a sudden and bright flash of light straight in Yang's face. She recoiled from the bright flash and yelled out.

"Ah! I'm blind! I'm awake but I'm blind!"

"Finally, you were supposed to be up and hour ago Yang! We're in the first group for initiation, remember? Now let's go get changed so we can relax before our group is called." Ruby started pulling Yang in the same direction as Weiss did just a while ago.

" Ruby, relax, initiations don't start until 12 and its only 9, we'll have plenty of time to prepare." Yang pulled her hand away from Ruby's grip and crossed her arms under her chest. "Now what do you say after someone helps you with something?" Ruby walked back to where they both stood and just stood there too. She pulled her good over her face trying to hide. "She really is socially awkward after all." Ryler thought to himself.

"Uh, thank you for helping me wake Yang up." It was barely audible but he was able to get the gist of what she was trying to say, she was so adorable.

"Hey, you act like we're complete strangers." Ryler said. When she heard that she pulled her good back and looked up at his face. She looked to be trying to remember when they had met. Her eyes widened when she finally placed his face.

" Oh! Oh my Gods, I can't believe I didn't recognize you before! It's great seeing you again and I'm glad you decided to attend Beacon too." Ruby seemed a lot more relaxed now that she wasn't dealing with a stranger. Yang was confused by this personality change. She eyed Ryler with just a pinch of

"You've met before?" Yang said as she moved not so subtly closer to her sister. " Where do you two know each other from?"

"Don't worry Yang, this is the guy that helped me fight off the bad guys during the robbery. remember I told you about him when we got back to Signal? I told you about how he got a personal invite from Ozpin just like so did too, right? Oh, and you should see his weapon too, they look awesome! They're all shiny and glowy and super cool looking! They're made out of hard light dust! Can you believe it? Someone who actually uses hard light dust! Oh, I'm sorry, I don't think I ever asked you what your name is, I'm Ruby and this is my sister Yang! Nice to meet you!" Ruby paused her long winded rant to introduce them. It's a good thing she did too, Ryler was afraid he would never have a chance to speak again if she kept going.

Although he already knew the answer, he couldn't help himself from asking Yang a question. "Is she always like this?"

"Hey!"

"Pretty much, but you'll get used to it eventually." Yang said with a shrug. Now that her sleep riddled mind was clear she was her normal self. Ruby just pouted and ignored their jabs.

"My name is Ryler. It's a pleasure to meet you two." Ryler then heard another commotion coming from within. This time Nora came out carrying Ren over her shoulder saying something about wanting to enjoy their time at Beacon. That was certainly something not in the show. "So, do we head to breakfast now or after we take our morning showers?" Ryler asked.

"Didn't you hear the announcement?" Ruby asked him.

"Well no, I was actually out here before you all came out." It was technically the truth. Ryler didn't want to tell to much lies since it raised the risk of him being caught in one.

"Wow, and I thought Ruby was an early riser." Yang comented.

"Yeah, I thought I'd watch the sun rise to start the day." Again not necessarily a lie since he did watch the sun rise.

"Oh, well that guy, Lance, said to head to the locker rooms to get changed and ready for breakfast." Ruby explained to him. "He also said to leave our sleeping bags where they were so he and his team can collect them. They are Beacon property after all. Anyway, we should probably go so we don't get late."

"You two go on ahead, I have something I need to do." Ryler said. Ruby and Yang looked at each other but just waved good bye as they left to go to the locker rooms. Ryler looked at the now closed doors to the ballroom thinking about his conversation with Oz the night before.

...

Ryler and Glynda left the elevator, Ryler took the seat offered to him while Glynda stood beside Oz. Ozpin poured a drink from a silver kettle and passed him the cup. Ryler saw, and smelled, that it was coffee. Ryler took a drink so he wasn't being rude. He grimaced at the bitter taste and said, "New world, same awful taste." He set the cup down and pushed it forward a little, not intending to pick it back up for the rest of the night. He sat back in his chair and waited for them to start asking their questions.

"So, Mr. Ryler, you seem to have had an eventful encounter. Do you mind recounting your take of the incident?" Ozpin took a sip of his own cup. He had that same look on his face as in the show. The one that said he already knew everything but he was still wanted to learn more.

"Well, I was just taking a walk to kill some Grimm and get the rust off when I found, uh, Atrerra, I think was her name. Anyway, she was face down in a pool of blood but she wasn't dead. I made some sterile bandages out of the fibers in the plants around me and patched her up. Then the horde that was apparently hunting her came. I fought them off as best as I could but I'm not as good as I was before I came here. If I wasn't holding myself back and at full strength, then I could have easily taken them and half the forest down."

Ozpin perked up at that comment, now he was truly curious. "So why didn't you go all out? Surely you were in a life and death situation. Maybe using your full power was called for. And you shouldn't worry about the trees, most people don't when fighting monsters after all." Ryler shifted in his seat from the question. He wasn't exactly sure what to say. It is true that he did tell them about his life but he couldn't bring himself to relive Sarah's death again just so they knew why he was on Remnant in the first place. He just told them that he was looking for a new start.

"Well, there was... an incident a couple years ago and I decided not to use my offensive powers as much. I really don't want to talk about that though." Ozpin relented and accepted that as his answer.

"Very well then, what happened next?" He asked to get the conversation back on track.

"Not much, I got my ass kicked and saved in just a few seconds. The girls team and Miss You switch here arrived and we got evac'd back here." Ozpin looked to Glynda and she nodded confirming at least the last part of his story.

"Hmm, this all seems like a pretty normal encounter with the Grimm. However, I must advise you from anymore solo training expeditions from now on. I can't have a student of mine going missing, it would certainly not be good publicity. You are a student, are you not?" Oz asked him. He was leaning slightly forward in his seat expecting an answer.

"Yeah, I'll join, it's about time I moved on and started protecting people again." Ryler saw that Oz perked up again from his comment. "A story for another time, there's not enough time to tell it right now anyway." He nodded and moved on.

"Now, I have been thinking about everything you told us and about your situation. You are in a unique position, one that I, believe it or not, am not too sure about how to proceed. It is good that you informed us about your abilities, as it is not a burden any one person should have to bare alone. We are fully prepared to aid you in as best a way as we can." Ryler bored and thanked them for their help. He thought the meeting was over but is continued. "That being said, we may not always be there to help you should you need our assistance. That is why I have a request for you. You can choose to accept or decline if you wish but I asked that you put your trust in another team at this school."

Ryler knew what he was getting at and he honestly didn't know what he should say. "So your saying that I should tell an entire team what I told you guys?" He asked to make sure he was completely clear about what Oz was suggesting.

"For the most part, yes. You would choose the team and how much information you share. All I ask is that you consider the fact that you may need more help than we can provide. He only real condition, should you choose to accept my offer, is that you choose a team that has already been formed. We will certainly provide you as much data as we can to make your choice as easy as a possible." Ryler just say there in silence, Glynda walked around the desk and place a hand on his shoulder.

"We understand that this isn't a decision that you should make on a whim. But you should know that we do have experience dealing with people who have great powers. And it is from that experience that we believe having a few close people you can trust is the best course of action." Glynda spoke with a gentle and comforting voice.

Ryler thought that was a good idea but could he really trust not just one but four people so closely again? He would be able to choose the team but his first choice, Team Rwby, was not even an option. It was insane, every isekai he'd ever watched told him that revealing such a secret was a bad idea. The only reason he told Ozpin and Glynda was because he knew he could trust them completely. Random students weren't as trustworthy. He needs time to decide, time to think on his choices, time to form a counter offer if needed and time to make sure this was really where he wanted to be. Everything did sort of happen within a few days.

"I'd like some time to consider your offer, I don't want to make a wrong choice." Ryler said as he stood up. Neither of them stopped him. It was about time to finish up the meeting anyway.

"Very well, I assume you know where everyone is gather for the night? Head on down and rest up, you have a big day ahead of you tomorrow." Oz said as Ryler made his way back to the elevator.

...

That was the reason he couldn't get to sleep. Choosing a team to reveal his secrets to and trust that they didn't turn around and tell everyone else? How could anyone make that call? He could always choose not to do it but then he ran the risk of being exposed if he tried to hide his powers on his own. One slip up to get someone talking and then it would spread like wildfire. He'd be taken to Atlas and possibly be experimented on, not something he wanted to try.

Maybe he was being a little paranoid.

Ryler opened the door and entered back into the large, now mostly empty, room. All the sleeping bags, save for a few in the back near the stage Lance had slept on, were picked up and placed in a large him on wheels. When the door opened my, the four occupants stopped what they were doing and stared at their new guest. Lance walked up to him and have a quick bow.

"Master, is there anything I can help you with?" Ryler still felt kinda awkward about that but he was beginning to accept that he wouldn't be able to change that right away.

"No, I actually came here to help you clean up. I don't think it matters now since you're almost done." Ryler saw Sakura following behind Arterra with one of the carts filled with sleeping bags. Arteries smiled at him and saved as she continued her work. Sakura had a scowl but then seemed to blush and just faced away from Ryler. Weird. Ryler Heard another door open and saw Charlotte walking in from one of the side doors with a different kind of cart. This one was made of metal and didn't have a canvas bag to carry stuff in, instead it had a hard top. It was filled with food and drinks for everyone. When she saw Ryler, she looked at him and he could swear they she had a guilty look on her face.

"You are kind and your offer is very much a appreciated, however, you really should be getting ready for breakfast, Master. You do have a big day ahead of you today." Lance said.

"Eveyone keeps saying that..." Ryler mumbled to under his breath. Lance either didn't hear or just didn't acknowledge it.

"On come on Lance, he can stay. A few hours chatting won't hurt his performance." Ryler heard Arterra shout from across the room. Charlotte reached them and was starting to pass out drinks to them. Arterra stopped her and said something to them. They seemed to be protesting against whatever she told them but eventually relented. They nodded at one another and moved over to the boys.

"So, we were never properly introduced to each other. Let's fix that, what do you say?" Arterra, flanked by the other two, said as she placed her hand on her hips. Both Sakura and Charlotte were practically hiding behind their leader. Lance moved over to his sister, pulled them out from behind her and made them stand up properly.

"Sorry about that, Master, they don't take to new people very well." Lance stood at the other end from his sister.

"Alright, you already know me, Arterra Pendra. This here is Sakura Kojima, Saki for short." Sakura placed her hands against her lap and have a small, polite bow. "She doesn't talk very often but I promise, she's super sweet and kind when she opens up." Sakura covered her mouth with the sleeve of her dress. "Next to her is Charlotte Treuse, she doesn't really do nicknames."

"If I am to be addressed, then it shall be with my actual name." Charlotte interrupted as she literally turned her nose up at her.

"And that's why you are the Ice Queen. Well, maybe not anymore, there is now a Schnee attending Beacon after all. Maybe it's time we start looking for a new title for you. How does Bitch sound?" Charlotte huffed indignantly and just walked back to collecting the rest of the sleeping bags. Sakura bowed to Ryler again and followed after her.

Ryler was very confused by that interaction. He looked to Lance who was just shaking his head like it was just something they had to deal with on a daily basis.

Lance sighed and lightly flicked Arterra on the forehead and said, "Tetra, now is not the time" Lance's scolding did something and Arterra went wide eyed.

"Oh no, not again, damn it Tetra. Char, wait, I'm sorry!" She called after the girl and ran after her to where she was picking up more sleeping bags.

Lance sighed again and rubbed his eyes as his shoulder slumped. "Please dont think badly of my sister, Master. She has... a curse. The person you saw was not my sister. We do still share blood but when she comes out we are no longer siblings."

Ryler understood what he was saying, Arterra had Dissociative Identity Disorder, or DID. "Arterra must be the base personality but that other, Tetra they called her, must be the extra." Ryler thought to himself.

"I understand, I have seen others with the same... Uh, curse. It is not something I would wish on others." Ryler said.

Arterra and Charlotte were now hugging. They soon made their way back over to them and continued the intros.

"Sorry about that, I assume Lance told you about my curse?" She seemed pretty self conscious now. Ryler nodded.

"I understand completely, I don't see you any differently than I did before I knew." Arterra smiled at him, feeling more at ease now.

"Thank you. Anyway, to cap it all off, my brother and your follower..."

"Please don't say that..." Ryler interrupted.

"Servant?"

"No."

"Apprentice?"

"Nope."

"Slave?"

"Definitely not."

"Minion?"

"What?"

"Retainer?"

"Follower is fine..."

"...Lance Pendra, also known as, Bro, Brother, Dummy, Idiot. Whatever suits him for the moment." Lance glared at his sister and walked behind her to flick her in the back of the head. "Ow! Alright, I get it." Arterra stuck her tongue out at him as he walked back to his place.

"Its nice to meet you all." Ryler greeted them.

"I don't want to keep you here for much longer, so I'll just finish this off by saying. Thank you." Ryler was surprised by that. Why were they thinking him? If anything he should thank them for getting him out of the forest. Before he could think on it any longer, Tetra continued. "You saved my life back in the forest. There's no way I could have fought off that pack. And for that," Tetra placed her right fist over her heart and Lance copied her. Meanwhile, Sakura bowed the way she did before and Charlotte saluted. "We thank you for your service to Team ASTL (Astral)."

Ryler saw how they each showed their gratitude for his actions. Each one being a clear indication of where they are from. Arterra and Lance had an informal salute, Vacuo. Sakura had a Eastern inspired bow. From what he knew it was Mistralian. Charlotte was using a military salute, no doubt because she's from Atlas. Looking at them honor him like this struck a chord deep within him. He felt a sense of something he had not felt in so long, since even before Sarah's death. He felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. Like he wasn't just a walking time bomb of carnage and destruction. He felt like he could do more and not be worried about losing himself. Most importantly, in that moment, he wasn't afraid of himself.

"I am already indebted to you for this but I still want to thank you again." Lance was the first to speak again, breaking the silence. "But now isn't the time, Master. You need to go get ready for breakfast, we'll continue this at a later time."

Ryler realized that he had stayed a lot longer than he intended. "Yeah, I should get going. Thanks for your kind words, I'll see you all later." He left the ballroom and ran off to the locker rooms. He knew what Oz was talking about now, he found the people he could trust. He had to tell Ozpin about who he chose but maybe that could wait until after he was done for the day. For now he just had to... wait, where were the locker rooms again?

Ryler stood in the middle of a couple of buildings, he had no idea where he was it where to go.

"Crap..."

So there you go, obviously I was going to make this team a major part of the story. Team AASTL (Astral) a unique collection of equally unique characters. Next I have a question, how do you feel about real world things making an appearance in these Isekai like stories? Like if a real world movie actually existed but had Remnant appropriate names and locations. I'm thinking about doing something in the future and I want to see how you all feel about it. It probably won't change my plans but it's always nice to know what you all like. Anyway, let me know what you think about this chapter in general, did I make any spelling or grammar mistakes? Is there a plot hole? Is there anything I can do to improve my writing? Please let me know and I'll be back again with the next installment of Among Men!