Answer to last chapter's title: lyrics from "Face My Fears" by Utada Hikaru


Ch.3 - Team Potential

Rays shone through the window as it filled the room with light, but this time it was not in the auditorium. It was 7:00 in the morning as an alarm went off on a Scroll. A hand went to go pick up the Scroll to deactivate the alarm, revealing it to be Charlemagne who did so. Charlemagne set his Scroll down before stretching his arms out and yawning, rubbing his eyes a bit before looking around the room of Team King.

Due to the fact that Beacon has never admitted a team of less than four members, all the dorm rooms have the size to accommodate four students. Having half the usual members for a team means they had more space since it seemed that someone removed the two extra beds before Team King walked into their room for the first time. They didn't really bring all too many things with them to Beacon, so much of the extra space was empty. What was cool is that their dorm room was next to the rooms of Team RWBY and JNPR so that was a big plus. Everyone got acquainted with one another right after the ceremony and became sort of sibling teams. Charlemagne got up from his bed and stretched out, suddenly hearing some shuffling inside the bathroom.

"C'mon! Get this stupid thing on!" Charlemagne finally noticed Sora's vacated bed. Huh, it seems like he isn't as lazy as he thought, thinking he was going to wake up before Sora. The door finally opened and Sora walked out, wrestling with the tie that compliments the male Beacon school uniform that he already wore. He wrestled with the tie more before finally noticing Charlemagne trying to hold his laughter. "Hey, give me a break! I'm not exactly one to wear formal clothes. Islanders aren't exactly that type."

"You'll get used to putting on ties as time goes on. I'll teach you how to tie a tie after I put on my school uniform, then we can go eat breakfast." Charlemagne said as this got a thumbs up from Sora. The man grabbed his uniform and walked into the bathroom to get ready. 15 minutes later, Charlemagne walked out of the bathroom fresh with his uniform and with his tie fastened.

Sora stopped trying to tie his tie to see his teammate walk out of the bathroom, "Woah, you really rock that uniform, Charlie! It's like you're made to wear suits!"

"Appreciate it, man! When you've been growing up around the public eye for a while, it helps to know how to look presentable. I see you didn't give up with that tie, lemme help ya." Charlemagne said as he went to go through the motions of how to tie a tie. It took another 10 minutes to teach Sora, making him tie and untie the neck wear to get some repetition to ingrain the steps better. After the fourth time, Charlemagne was impressed that Sora managed to learn the motions rather quickly. They unpacked their things from their luggages and bags before finally heading out at around 8 in the morning to the dining hall.

"Based on our schedule, the first class of the day is Grimm Studies, then we have an hour of lunch, following lunch is Professor Peach's Plant Science, and after that is Combat Class. It seems like all first-years share that class at the same time. We have dinner after that to end the day." Sora was looking at the class schedule app on the Scroll. They both shared the same exact schedule so they had all of their classes together. This extended to the next day where it was Remnant History, lunch, a bit of free time, and then Combat Class before the two types of schedules alternated. Guess it's really important to have Combat Class on both days since this is an academy to train Huntsmen after all.

"I haven't seen anyone from Team RWBY or JNPR yet. They should be up by now since classes start at 9." As they continued walking, another team was walking the other direction. Both boys remembered that this was Team CRDL from the ceremony. It seemed like they were going to mind their own business but the leader took a glance at Team King.

The leader purposely moved closer to Charlemagne and bumped into him, forcing contact. "Hey! Watch where you're walking, pal!"

"O-oh, sorry about that." Charlemagne didn't want to be rude. He did however barely budge from that because he saw the big man intentionally try to make contact. "Cardin Winchester, right?"

The rest of Team CRDL tried to size up before Cardin spoke, "And you are Team King, huh? For a supposed 'elite team', you shrimps both don't look like you can't even play the part. Bet Ozpin had to put you guys as an extra team since you two can't fit into any teams by yourselves." This got Charlemagne to narrow his eyes and Sora to clench a fist.

"And what makes you think you can say that?" Sora confronted Cardin, not liking bullies at the slightest.

Cardin gave Sora a nonchalant look before looking back at Charlemagne, who he had his full attention on. "Elite team? Did your lil' Daddy pay Ozpin to give you that title? I know about you Magnuses up there in Atlas, especially that dad of yours. Advocating for all that equality, especially for the Faunus? He's just like a silly pope who's working for the White Fang. It's good to see his kid attend this place… because I get to pummel the son of a supporter of those animals."

This got Sora riled up as he was about to step in further until he was stopped by Charlemagne, who continued to stare Cardin down. Although Charlemagne had a slight frown etched on his, Cardin's words didn't seem like they fazed the Magnus heir at all. This got Sora to notice Charlemagne's demeanor. For so many offensive comments, the carefree and lively Charlemagne had a personality of a steel wall; sturdy and still being able to deflect light. This was why Charlemagne's response was so unexpected for everyone:

"Yeah, I'm the son of 'Duke Magnus'. If you ask me, I'm not concerned about my title at the moment and would wish to be around all of you like a fellow student. So I hope we get to know more about each other this year!" Charlemagne happily said as he extended a hand for a handshake.

Team CRDL and Sora were all stunned. He really just took all the slander Cardin said to him and gave the man a courteous response. It agitated Cardin as he wasn't able to get under Charlemagne's skin at all. That showed when the bigger man swatted Charlemagne's hand away.

"Hmph! Don't forget about this, you'll have what's coming to you soon." Cardin threatened as he and his team continued on their way to wherever they were going.

Team King continued to look at their backs before Charlemagne sighed and continued walking. Sora, worried about Charlemagne, decided to check up on his teammate.

"Are you ok after all of what Cardin said?"

"It's just the first day, so I gave him a chance. Another encounter with him like this and I will most likely not be as friendly as just then."

They finally made it to the dining hall and went to the line to get food. After that, they sat down at a random table before eating. Sora took a bite out of his toast before asking Charlemagne something he had in his mind.

"So I remember Blake mentioning a bit about your family, and then Cardin also did so as well. I'm curious, what does your family do, or rather just your dad specifically?"

Charlemagne tapped the opposite side of the fork on his chin as he thought out a response, "Have you ever heard about or read The Tale of the Two Brothers? The tale about the two creation gods of Remnant; the elder god of light and creation and the younger god of darkness and destruction?"

"I might've read that once in a library." During his time before Beacon, Sora did manage to come across this book along with a few other tales. Reading those tales, Sora can assume that all of these actually happened to some extent. He was brought here by the God of Light after all. It just cemented Sora's belief that all fairy tales had a good amount of possibility that the events actually occurred, being very familiar with Kingdom Hearts, the division and worlds, as well as the light in the hearts of children.

"Well that story plays a good part in what my dad stands for," Charlemagne continued his explanation, "he stands as a sort of an 'advocate' for the Light God's will. He's always been a rather fervent lover of that tale, so it wasn't too outside the realm of possibility for him to begin to rally something of a religious following that strives to bring the salvation of Remnant by unifying everyone to eliminate the Grimm. It's been 5 years since my old man started this movement, but it wasn't until 3 years ago that we were given a formal name: 'The Oracles of the Elder.' Ever since, the movement has attracted some global attention and we have some followers from all over, especially the Faunus. We do have our fair share of critics unfortunately with Faunus-haters like Cardin, radical Faunus from the new White Fang, and especially the Schnee Dust Corporation back at Atlas." Charlemagne twirled his fork as he took a sausage and bit into it.

"The company that Weiss' dad is the owner of? Wouldn't that cause some tension between you and Weiss?" Sora asked with some concern.

"It's just a lot more with Jacques Schnee. From the very few times I had the chance to talk to Weiss before this year, she seemed rather neutral but I feel she has a bit of influence from her dad. I've mentioned that our family has been invited to a couple of the Schnee parties. Those parties were for Jacques to get to know my dad, but he also slipped in words of criticism. We all played the amicable card, but we all knew his true intent; just as we knew of his company's harsh treatment of Faunus workers. Definitely not cool at all..."

"Huh…"

They left that topic off on that note as they continued eating and talking about other things. There was 15 minutes left before class started as they made their way to exit the dining hall. In the corner of their peripheral vision, a bunny Faunus was walking towards the cafeteria kitchen to return the tray. She was unaware of the puddle of milk that was spilt on the floor as her heel slipped on the wet substance and she lost her balance. The boys were quick to react and were about to catch her fall, but with surprising fluidity she converted the backwards fall into a flip. After recovering, she caught the tray and used the tray to catch all the dishware from falling on the floor. She had a sigh of relief before finally noticing her almost-good-samaritans staring at her slack-jawed.

"I-I appreciate you two trying to help…" she shyly said before taking more time to look at them. "Hey aren't you two the members of Team King? And you seem familiar." She said that more to Charlemagne.

"We've been the talk of the school I can tell. I'm Sora! And this is Charlemagne, but call him Charlie!"

"Pleased to meet you two, I'm Velvet. Are you Charlemagne Magnus?"

"I take it you know about my dad's work?" Charlemagne guessed as the person they were talking to was a Faunus.

Velvet became a bit more excited. "More than that! When your father took his first trip to Vale, my father got the chance to meet him. What your father said to mine gave him the courage to finally open up his business. Ever since, our family has been supporters of The Oracles of the Elder. It's such an honor for me to meet his son!"

"I appreciate your praise, Velvet! Just while we are here, treat me like anyone else. It's quite embarrassing being lauded all the time, but I appreciate it nonetheless!"

The bunny Faunus seemed to understand that. "If you say that, then I'll respect that choice. Anyways, it was nice meeting you, Charlie and Sora!" Velvet then went back to where she wanted to go.

Sora whistled, "Now I'm starting to see the celebrity in you!"

Deciding to poke a little fun at Sora, Charlemagne retaliated saying, "The islander starting to feel a bit left out?"

Sora laughed it off. "Nah. As long as I see that my friends are happy, I'm happy."

"And that's something we both share." Charlemagne happily shared as they made their way to their first class, anticipating the things they will learn.


They didn't anticipate the sheer boredom of the class itself though. Team King got to class 5 minutes before it started and got to see a very winded Team RWBY and JNPR burst through the door within the last 30 seconds before class. Both teams sat next to each other in the front row as they proceeded to endure the next couple hours of lecture. Professor Port started out with an introductory speech about the role of Huntsmen in today's society. What followed was an eternity of Port talking about personal stories about his battle with Grimm. There were drawings of Grimm on the board with notes written about each Grimm as well as Port occasionally shedding information about the ways he killed Grimm, but that was decidedly up to the students' level of awareness and finding the useful substance within Port's seemingly useless ramble.

"Some of these stories seem cool, but these are all so drawn ouuttt…" Charlemagne muttered to himself as Sora was in a state of half-consciousness, half-sleep. Out of the members of Team RWBY and JNPR, it seemed only Weiss, Blake, and Pyrrha were remotely getting the most out of the lecture. Everyone else was slacking a bit, the two sisters especially weren't fairing that well. The information seemed to be going into one ear and out the other with Yang while Ruby had a more erratic cycle than Sora. Within the last half of class, Ruby began to doodle on her notes, her giggling catching the attention of her friends. She showed them a drawing of a circular Professor Port with the caption "Professor Poop." This got suppressed laughter from Yang, Sora, and Charlemagne. However, Weiss became increasingly irate with how immature Ruby kept acting as the class went on and it wasn't until Port asked a question when she stopped focusing on Ruby.

"So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?"

With an abrupt rise, Weiss called attention to herself. "I do, sir!"

Port raised an eyebrow, "Well, then, let's find out! Come down and face your opponent!" as he uncovered a cage that was dark in the inside, yet red menacing eyes peered out. Weiss walked out of the classroom for a moment to change into her gear before stepping into the front of the class, Myrtenaster at the ready. On the sidelines, her friends cheered her on.

"Good luck!" Sora and Charlemagne said.

"Goooo, Weiss!" Yang pumped a fist into the air.

"Fight well!" Blake said while waving a small flag with "Team RWBY" on it.

"Yeah, represent Teeeam RWBY!" Ruby finally cheered.

Hearing Ruby got a reaction from Weiss. "Ruby! I'm trying to focus here!"

"Oh… um, sorry…" Ruby lightly responded. Weiss' response got everyone to frown.

Port gave a countdown for Weiss before cutting the lock with his axe. The cage door fell as it revealed a Boarbatusk that wasted no time charging at Weiss. Predicting the straight beeline the Grimm took, Weiss deftly swiped at the Grimm and side-stepped to avoid the charge. The Grimm slowly studied her before making another charge.

"You got this, Weiss!" Charlemagne encouraged.

Weiss tried to go for a straight thrust at the head of the Boarbatusk, but the Grimm managed to get her weapon trapped into its tusks. After a little struggle, the Boarbatusk managed to disarm Weiss and throw Myrtenaster away and knock Weiss the opposite direction.

"O-ho-ho! Now what will you do without a weapon?"

"Hang in there, Weiss!" Sora exclaimed.

Rolling away from another charge, Weiss sprinted towards her weapon as she picked it up and got into a stance.

Ruby decided to speak again by giving her teammate some advice, "Weiss! Go for its belly! There's no armor underneath-"

"Quit telling me what to do!" Weiss berated Ruby.

"What's been the deal with her? She's specifically been yelling at Ruby. Wait. Now that I think about it, I could've sworn that Weiss seemed upset about something during the ceremony." Sora thought.

Meanwhile, the Boarbatusk leaps into the air and rolls into a ball, spinning rapidly in the air and landing on the ground, consistently gaining speed until it launches itself at Weiss. It comes closer and closer, but Weiss activates one of her Glyphs and blocks the roll, leaping up into the now-black snowflake symbol and turning it blue again so she can drive the blade into the Boarbatusk's stomach. It squeals and falls silent while Weiss gasps in relief.

"Bravo! We've got ourselves a true Huntress in the making! Unfortunately, that is all the time we have for this class. Be sure to do the assigned reading… and stay vigilant. Class dismissed!" Port concluded as the class began to leave. Weiss gave Ruby a quick glare before storming out of the class, the younger girl soon left to go after her.

"Sheesh, what's with her?" Jaune asked with concern. Sora and Charlemagne turned to Jaune with the same amount of concern.

"Weiss was targeting her anger solely on Ruby. That was something that I found really uncalled for! I've never seen her act remotely like that before Beacon!" Charlemagne said.

Sora thought a bit more before coming up with his conclusion, "Well I remember seeing Weiss look upset after Ruby was named the leader. I think she's jealous that Ruby was chosen to be leader and not her." Jaune was confused at that notion, but Charlemagne picked up on what Sora was saying.

"I think I understand what Weiss is thinking right now. Later today, I will go have a chat with Weiss since I feel I know her circumstances well enough." Charlemagne told the two others.

"As for me, I'll go talk to Ruby right now!" Sora said, getting a nod from Charlemagne and Jaune as the spiky-haired student ran towards the direction Ruby left.


"Where did you go, Ruby?" Sora searched around the halls for the caped leader. It was then when Sora heard the voices of Weiss and Ruby that he finally tracked down their location. What made him interested as he got closer was that Ozpin himself was hidden around the corner, seemingly listening to the exchange. The Headmaster gave Sora no words but a small smirk as they both listened to the conversation.

"Weiss, where is this coming from? What happened to all the talk about 'working together'? I thought you believed in acting as a team."

"Not a team led by you. I've studied and trained. And quite frankly, I deserve better."

Those words stung so hard that Sora had to physically restrain himself from coming to Ruby's defense since that would've made the situation a lot nastier. He also trusted Charlemagne that he will get through Weiss.

"Ozpin made a mistake." Weiss finally stated as Ozpin and Sora heard her footsteps become more silent. The two held their ground for a second before hearing Ruby coming towards their direction.

"I think it would be better for a fellow student to talk to her." Ozpin gave a wink as he left without letting Sora answer. Sora had a slightly exasperated look because Ozpin's help would've been very beneficial. Though he didn't even expect Ozpin to be present, so it was back to his original plan. As Ruby was about to turn the corner, Sora made his presence known by beating her to it and surprising the younger girl.

"S-S-Sora?! Didn't think I'd see you right now!" Ruby tried to put on a happy face, but it was extremely strained. He appreciated that Ruby tried to be optimistic, but he had to go straight into the matter.

"I heard the tail-end of that conversation, Ruby. And it seems that my guess was correct."

Ruby looked down and almost on the verge of tears. "Tell me, Sora, did Ozpin make a mistake? Am I not deserving of the leader role?"

Sora took a long contemplative look at Ruby. It was truly sad to see her in this state, having her own teammate doubt her abilities all on the basis of seniority and status. He looked back on all the previous adventures he had. Unless forced apart, he was practically inseparable with Donald and Goofy through it all even when his relationship with Donald was extremely rocky at the beginning. Their time at Deep Jungle was about coming to terms about their pride, both of them deciding who will take lead. Obviously their relationship mended and strengthened afterwards. Although Donald still had much of his pride, he steadily began allowing Sora to take lead the more worlds they went through. If Sora had to take a guess on why that was such, it must have been because Sora finally proved to everyone that he had obtained the skills needed to lead. He did not learn those skills by himself though…

Finally deciding on what he wanted to say, Sora put a hand on Ruby's shoulder to get her attention. "It's only been one day, Ruby. We haven't even seen your true potential yet. Why attend a school as a student if you already know all the answers?"

This still didn't make Ruby exactly light up, which Sora expected anyways. "Look, qualities of a good leader do not come immediately. No one is really born with those qualities. Back on my island, I was a part of a little team of our own. We were in charge of fighting off the smaller Grimm since the adults didn't want us to fight the bigger ones. I had a really rocky start with one teammate. Our goals differed, but we both wanted the leader spot and because of that, we constantly fought. But as time went on, we shared experiences that made us learn more about one another and times when we have to pick each other up."

"Did you guys eventually make up?" Ruby asked.

"We definitely made up, and he became one of my best friends. I didn't think any less of him, but I think he silently allowed me to become the more leading figure. Here's the thing, there are things that are left for you to learn. You don't learn them alone, though. When the going goes rough for a leader, you can count on your teammates to support you. That's what teammates are for: covering for you at your most vulnerable moments and providing a constant learning experience. Besides, that fight with the Mishipeshu was a good start for you. The plan you came up with was perfect!"

"I, I appreciate that, Sora. What is there that I need to know in order to become a good leader?"

Sora gave Ruby a smirk, "That's for you to learn. All teams are different, so there isn't one set way to become a good leader. I trust that you will learn by the end of the first-year… and I believe Weiss will come to understand too. Now, I think you should think about what I said for a bit."

"T-thanks for all of this, Sora. Thanks for sharing your story, I'm starting to see where you're coming from now." Ruby began to cheer up as she put on a natural smile.

"That's the Ruby I know!" Sora laughed.

"Well anyways, I better get going. Thanks again, Sora!"

"Don't sweat it!"

Ruby turned to leave while Sora stood there for a moment, thinking about Charlemagne and what he might say. "Now it's up to Charlie to turn Weiss the correct direction."


After all of their classes ended for the day, Weiss needed somewhere to calm her mind. She was still hung up over what happened earlier. All of that training she has gone through, not only for combat but also for etiquette should have been enough for Ozpin to deem her the leader. It also bugged her to no end that the team was named "RWBY", so this felt like a double taunt. She soon reached her destination: one of the balconies. The sunset view from this place was very beautiful as Beacon's main tower perfectly complemented the orange hue of the sky. She felt another presence on the balcony, it was one Charlemagne Magnus. It seemed like he was completely glued to the sunset, which she can't blame him for. Weiss, however, didn't want to be in the company of anyone right now and made to leave until Charlemagne suddenly said something.

"Weiss," Charlemagne turned towards the heiress, "we need to chat a little."

"Not at the moment, Charlemagne. I just want some alone time right now." Weiss responded, but she faltered when she noticed the look that Charlemagne gave her. It was a piercing gaze that looked into her soul, eyes that said "We're having this conversation right now."

Hesitantly, Weiss walked up to Charlemagne before also leaning on the railing. "What is it you want?"

"You know why the sun sets red?"

She was confused where he was going with this, but she didn't want to sour this conversation. "Why does the sun set red?"

"You see, light is made up of many colors. And out of all of these colors, red is the one that travels the furthest." Charlemagne told her.

"I seriously hope you have something else to tell me other than the sun." Weiss said impatiently.

"Yes, yes I do. The reason why I'm saying this is to tell you that it's only been one day. You haven't seen Ruby–the red light-–go far enough yet, Weiss."

"And what? You're here to tell me that someone who acts like such a little kid can be a good leader to a team?" Weiss put her hands on her hips.

"Yes, and I'm here to tell you that Ruby's appointment as a leader is not a mistake. She is rightfully the leader of Team RWBY, you are not. You do not have all of the good qualities of such."

"Excuse me?! I have spent so much time with some of the world's best teachers before attending this academy! My qualifications far surpass Ruby's!" Weiss angrily lashed out.

Charlemagne narrowed his eyes, speaking ever so calmly. "Did your teachers teach you to act like a petty princess?"

"H-How dare you!" Weiss was practically seething right now. Ice has melted and has become boiling water. "I thought that you of all people would understand my perspective, our families are both prolific as two of the most well-known families Atlas has to offer!"

"And that is precisely what I'm getting at. Because our families are so renowned, we've been basking in the praises of others and have been growing up getting exactly what we wanted."

"That's not even remotely true!" Weiss tried defending herself, but Charlemagne continued to look at her with a powerful stare. He didn't seem to budge at all. She couldn't keep up her wall long enough as she slowly relented. "...Well, not entirely true."

Starting to crack that ice fortress of a wall, Charlemagne closed his eyes as he released a big sigh. "So tell me Weiss, would someone as esteemed as Ozpin grant you the title of team leader if you went up to them like how you did to me?" Charlemagne did not need a verbal answer, Weiss' face said enough. "I've been in a non-leading position before where I was objectively better at everything that you bring to the battlefield than my leader. Instead of feeling entitled to a leading role, I gave him a chance lead. In moments where he slacked, I gave him my support. And though all the things we've been through, he proved to be an awesome leader! Weiss, I feel at times that it is much cooler being a leader's right-hand person. Don't lament over something you haven't obtained, instead look forward to what you'll do. In a way, don't prove to yourself that you can be a better leader, but prove to yourself that you can be a better person."

Weiss wore a surprised look on her face. Even back to their first encounters in Atlas, she always thought of Charlemagne to be simple-minded. She doesn't mean it in an offensive way, but she just didn't expect him to have so much wisdom under his belt. Honestly she would've expected his father to say something like this, not him.

"I didn't think you'd have this much wisdom behind your words. It seems like I have more to learn about you, but those were… enlightening words I guess." Weiss finally said, managing to calm down. "A thank you should be in order then. Thank you, Charlemagne,"

"Ahh just call me Charlie, Weiss. You are a friend after all!" Charlemagne said while motioning for a fistbump. The girl paused since she never really did a fistbump with anyone, but she complied by returning it.

"If you insist, Charlie." Weiss corrected herself with a small smile. She turned and walked away, most likely finding Ruby. Charlemagne turned to see the sun already set as it transitioned into the evening. A night sky like this definitely reminded him of that night.

A night sky that shone the ever-radiance of a moonlit world.


The next day…

After an extremely sped-up lecture by Doctor Oobleck in Remnant History, Teams RWBY, JNPR, and King all sat with each other in the dining hall for lunch. Their time during the Initiation really was an overall good first impression of each other. No one really had any beef with one another and that included Ruby and Weiss in which the effects of yesterday seem like they never existed. This was much to the relief of everyone, especially Sora and Charlemagne who both were thankful that they each fulfilled their parts. Everyone seemed to be in bright spirits as various sorts of conversations were held. A few people did notice that Jaune, in particular, began to look like something was on his mind as he started to space out more and pick on his food.

His teammate was the first one to call him out on this. "Is something the matter, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked.

Everyone turned to Jaune, expecting an answer. Jaune then noticed how obvious he's been acting. He tried to play it off like it was no big deal.

"Oh! It's nothing!"

"I've seen monks that lie better than you. There's something on your mind." Ren said.

Ruby was one that was mostly on the nose on the reason, "Is it because you aren't satisfied with your performance during yesterday's Combat class?" And that answer was confirmed when Jaune didn't feel the need to reject that. They were all there during class and had a good idea why. Although the first Combat class had Professor Goodwitch mostly going through the introductions of the course, they still had time for a couple matches. They were randomly sorted and the last match was Jaune vs Cardin. Although Cardin was very average in skill compared to the entire class, his durability was probably one of the highest. This wasn't in the favor of Jaune as his skills were clumsy at best in a rather one-sided battle. Jaune got one hit in because Cardin allowed him to and the fight ended with Cardin's nearly full green Aura bar versus Jaune's red bar.

Speaking of Aura bars, Sora was supernaturally durable to the point where even severe cuts and even some stabs wouldn't penetrate his skin. He didn't believe much on Remnant would be able to do such (probably thanks to magic?) unless he allowed himself to get beaten half-to-death. As such, he technically doesn't have Aura and the Aura meter will appear empty if he ever gets measured. This didn't mean he didn't have a contingency explanation. While testing the Aura reader on the Scroll, he found out energy from Flowmotion was a compatible substitute. What Sora thought out was every time before getting his Aura levels read, he will allocate a set amount of Flowmotion energy to appear as his Aura levels. His Flowmotion levels do get lower as he gets damaged.

Back to Jaune's dilemma, he didn't feel the need to hide it any longer since they all knew about what happened. Furthermore, Jaune thinks he should tell them about his situation at Beacon, specifically how he got in.

"Guys… I feel like I need to tell you guys something." Jaune warily spoke. They stayed silent to let him continue. "I...I… didn't really get into Beacon legitimately."

It was such a surprising thing to say that even Blake put her book down to ask Jaune to reiterate what he said, "What do you mean by that?"

"I'm not supposed to be here! I-I forged my documents to make them look good and I got in! There's a reason why I fought like that, but my dream is to be a Huntsman and I left home for that!" Jaune let it all out before gasping for air. He looked around to see all of his friends shocked by the sudden revelation. Feeling more hopeless with his situation, he slumped where he sat. "Just think whatever you will of me…"

"And you got appointed as leader, that's something even I didn't get to have." Yang was the first to say anything.

"Huh?"

Weiss said her piece before Jaune could continue, "Even if what you did was highly illegal, there must be a reason why Ozpin let you in."

Charlemagne elaborated on Weiss statement, "I heard that Ozpin actually goes through each application himself and thoroughly researches each candidate. He must've already known your applications were false yet he still waved you in. If you ask me, Ozpin might see something in you that not many others can!"

"But how can I be a leader if I can't even be a good fighter?" Jaune asked when Nora pointed a finger straight to his face.

"Hey! It was youuu who gave us the timing to beat that Death Stalker! You also can't ignore the fact that you defended those two in separate times during our fight with that big kitty!" Nora told Jaune as she pointed at both Weiss and Charlemagne.

"I feel like you should say what you said to me, Sora." Ruby told Sora, which the boy was reminded of.

"Oh, yeah! Jaune, I told Ruby yesterday that teammates always have the back of their leader. The leader cannot do everything alone, thus why teammates exist. Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora are your safety net and your teaching aids. It's only the second day now, so don't expect to be a great leader immediately. I'm sure you will get the hang of it soon!"

The NPR of JNPR all nodded their heads before the P suggested something, "Hey, maybe I can tutor you in combat during spare times. If we are going to try the best we can, then let's get all of us prepared! We both use sword and shield, so I can give you tips that will help you over the long run."

Sora raised his hand, "Oh! I can help too! You guys have mainly seen me with swordplay and my guns, but I have also handled shields before. How about it, Jaune?"

"Don't count me out! Jaune, do you want some awesome sword techniques? I'll help you with that!" Charlemagne cut in.

"See, Jaune? Not only do you have us as teammates, but you have friends who are willing to help you." Pyrrha said as she put a hand on his shoulder.

Jaune silently looked around to see everyone giving him a range of small smiles to big grins. Or if in the case of Weiss and Blake: their attention.

"Guys… thank you. This means a lot." Jaune looked so relieved, seemingly a huge weight being lifted off his shoulders. "Maybe then can I stand a chance against Cardin."

"Yeah! Break his legs!"

"No, Nora." Ren said calmly.

"Though that will teach him a lesson, especially with how he acted in Remnant History class yesterday." Sora said as he tightened his fists.

Not everyone had the same time for the class, so only Team King, the JP of JNPR, and WB of RWBY knew what exactly went on. They were in the middle of covering the Faunus Rights Revolution and more specifically into the Battle of Fort Castle. Cardin, being behind a sleeping Jaune, made a paper football and attempted to flick it on the back of Jaune's head. His efforts were wasted when Sora caught the football and without looking, flicked it back at Cardin. The football hit his forehead as he made a sound, putting attention on himself as Oobleck asked him about General Lagune's critical error during the battle. What the big man said was extremely offensive, saying it was easier to train an animal than a soldier. This obviously made almost everyone upset, especially Velvet who Charlemagne had to comfort. Pyrrha corrected Cardin and Blake called him out on his lack of attention, which resulted in Oobleck calling Cardin after class for additional reading.

"Man, what a jerk!" Yang exclaimed as she slammed the table. "I hope to be pitted against him next in Combat class. These fists will pummel his ass!"

"For once, I might agree with Yang." Blake actually had some emotion in her voice when she said that.

"I've tried to give that man a chance, but he's making it hard for me to uphold any friendliness towards him." Charlemagne tiredly said, being one of the first people in the group to have an encounter with him. "I think he's trying to make a point that what my family stands for is pitiful."

Blake spoke again, "People like Cardin won't understand. Their exaggerated self-righteous beliefs prevent them from seeing the bigger picture."

"Woah, Blake, you've been willing to talk about this issue in particular a lot more than other topics!" Yang was surprised how vocal Blake was.

"With how he treated the situation, how can someone not feel frustrated?" Pyrrha chimed in.

Sora drank the last of his water before sharing his thoughts, "Someone should really set him straigh–"

"Ow! That hurts! Please… stop…"

"I told you these were real!"

"What a freak!"

All three teams looked at the direction of those voices, and it infuriated all of them. Velvet was being bullied by Team CRDL. Specifically, Cardin was tugging on Velvet's rabbit ears. Everyone around them was either staring uncomfortably or just trying to ignore it. Meanwhile, the aura around Team RWBY, JNPR, and King was heavy.

"What does he think he's doing? Rabbit ears are extremely sensitive! He can cause serious injury!" Blake almost screamed as her eyes almost appeared as slits

"People like him make me sick." Ren said coldly.

"Break his legs?" Nora asked.

"Maybe…"

But before anyone could really say more, Charlemagne abruptly got up from his seat and went towards the direction of Team CRDL and Velvet.

"Went" as in he damn near flew towards them. Charlemagne seemingly went at the speed Weiss did when she saved Ruby from the Death Stalker stinger, except he was unaided by anything; just pure speed. It took everyone in the dining hall a second to process how Charlemagne just appeared between Cardin and Velvet, gripping on Cardin's wrist.

"Charlie?!" A surprised Velvet said.

"What do you think you are doing, Cardin?" Charlemagne uttered as a shadow covered his eyes.

"Huh? So the little pampered princess has a soft spot for the animal? I saw you two cozying up with one another during class. Are you into bestiality or something?" Cardin asked as his team started laughing.

Charlemagne didn't respond, so this made Cardin think he got to him. That didn't last long when he felt an immense pressure on his wrist. He grunted in pain when he realized Charlemagne had a staggering vice grip on his wrist. Cardin was forced to let go of Velvet as he struggled to pull his arm back towards him.

"Cardin? You good?"

"Arr-Argh-ughhh!"

Before everyone thought that Charlemagne was going to break his wrist right then and there, Charlemagne forcefully pushed Cardin back a few paces, letting go of his wrist. The rest of Team CRDL rushed to Cardin to check up on him as he massaged his wrist. After nothing serious appeared, Cardin looked up at Charlemagne.

"You-you prick! You wanna piece of me, princess?!"

Before Team CRDL had the chance to rush Charlemagne, he held his right arm up and summoned his mace. With a level of control and force, we swiped it down and caused enough wind to quickly make the team back off.

"Team CRDL," Charlemagne said with such authority that everyone could've sworn he was a king, "your antics of belittling and bigotry stop here! Beacon does not accept such behavior from the future saviors of Remnant. We must learn to feel compassion and fairness to those we strive to protect: men, women, children, Faunus. I swear on my soul that we will receive the salvation that we all deserve, but the types of actions your team has done are the types of actions that hinder our future! To settle this here would be uncivilized, so I call for your team to face me in Combat Class. All of you… fighting just me!"

Various murmurs circulated the dining hall. A lot of them are questioning if Charlemagne can face all four of the members of CRDL by himself. Charlemagne's friends all sat there, shell-shocked beyond belief that their normally chill friend was carrying himself like a monarch.

"Team CRDL, do we have an accord?"

Cardin glared at Charlemagne for a few seconds before having a shit-eating grin, "Yes, I would love to run your face over. We are definitely gonna embarrass you in front of everyone and make you eat those words. 'Till then, think about how you'll regret this." Team CRDL then marched out of the dining hall. Charlemagne desummoned his mace before turning to Velvet, kneeling to pick her up.

"Are you ok?" Charlemagne asked softly.

"I appreciate you sticking up for me, Charlie." Velvet said with tears welling up.

"I know what you're capable of, yet why didn't you do more to defend yourself?"

"It's just… I didn't want to make a big deal about it."

Charlemagne didn't like that answer. "Your shyness should not stop you from letting them do whatever they want with you. I'm going to set them straight, for you and all the Faunus as well as everyone who felt injustice." He said that as he headed back to his friends. Nora was the first to say something.

"Who are you and what did you do to Charlie? I thought you were gonna break his wrist, though it wasn't the legs but still you almost broke something!"

Weiss spoke her opinion, "Now this isn't something you can back out of, can you? You declared war on their team."

"You sure you don't want help from Sora?" Ruby asked, worried about Charlemagne's mindset right now. But the worrying was wiped clean by Sora.

"Nah, I think Charlie will do fine. He's doing what everyone wants to do to Team CRDL."

"He beat me to it, that's for sure." Pyrrha jokingly added.

"Don't worry about me, worry about them!" Charlemagne pointed a thumb to where CRDL left. The group had a laugh before the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.

"So Charlie, there's still free time before Combat class, are you going to spend that time planning on what to do?" Jaune asked.

Charlemagne took a second to think, "Something bold, something that sends a message… I got it." He finished with a devilish smirk.

He was going to give the audience something awesome to watch.


So here's your usual "Team CRDL will regret their actions" trope in many stories and this is no different. I did however want to establish a more in-depth and personal conflict rather than just Cardin being a dick to people and Faunus because the series just needs him to be a dick. Thus, I thought that doing an arc centered around Charlemagne and his stance on the world being challenged by opposition seemed appropriate to be placed here. I'd like to give the deuteragonist some development by not only establishing his mental and emotional range, but also his and his family's role in the world. Sora is a very rounded character already and will still take the majority of the main perspective.

I will start trying to differentiate more from the base RWBY timeline because having Sora and the Magnus family being included into this world will cause a butterfly effect. So this won't be like the case in certain worlds in Kingdom Hearts where the endings are ultimately very similar or the same as the movies. It's not to say that everything that happens in the original RWBY story will be omitted, but overall the effects of including Sora and Charlemagne into the mix should be felt. Jaune's whole deal about being blackmailed by Cardin and his distancing from JNPR was replaced by Charlemagne's current arc. I felt that since Jaune has already established a good relationship with the members of Team King, having them in the mix along with Team RWBY and JNPR will make it easier to convince Jaune that it's ok being trained and helped by others.

I've actually been surprised with how fast I uploaded these 3 chapters already. If you compare this to Volume 1, I have approximately covered more than half of that volume. The episodes overall were a lot shorter so I understand how Volume 1 went by fast. I might add one or two more arcs to Volume 1 just to add more content. In terms of Volume 2, that's when I plan on implementing a Charlemagne on Remnant origin story. But for the next chapter, Charlemagne will face all of Team CRDL himself.

Until next time!

Re-Eternal