A/N: This will be fun. By the way, word count for each chap will be unfortunately skewed, so yeah, expect inconsistent lengths. Oh yeah, and this chap may not be as polished as the last. Sorry everyone TwT.

Chapter 2: Classes with a Displaced Soul

The next day, Cardin (or Xhang, really) woke up surprisingly early, despite having woken up two hours ago. Xhang had plucked out a few more memories from Cardin's body, and using this knowledge, he began to prepare for class. The concept was… foreign to him in some aspects, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle.

He was just carefully adjusting his tie (using another memory, of course) when finally, another one of the young man's roommates woke up to the noise of Cardin(?) preparing.

Xhang located a new memory, and then said "Heya Dove, morning."

A peculiar name, but it's not by any means bad.

Dove gave him a look of confusion. "Dude, up already? It's only 6 AM in the morning, but you're up and in uniform already?"

Oops, Xhang thought. "I got bored, man. Needed something to do," he said with a shrug. Dove didn't seem convinced, but decided to drip it for now, but not before adding a "Riiiiight…. Well, since you're up, might as well follow suit. Pass me the towel, will ya?"

Xhang happily obliged, throwing it at the guy, who catches it and heads into the bathroom. Xhang watches on, curious.

Russel was the next to wake up. "Morning, Cardin, Dove. Preparing already, dude?"

"Yep."

Russel gave him a confused look. "Dude, already? Classes don't start until 9, geez! What's gotten into ya man?"

Dove shrugged. "Don't ask me. Guess he's got a case of the early birds."

Funny, considering the running theme with my roommates are about birds, Xhang thought, chuckling. He picked up another memory. "We were late last time. I din't exactly wanna have a rerun of that incident again."

Russ was about to retort… but realized Cardin had a point. Groaning, he grabbed the towel from Dove and went straight into the bathroom.

Sky Lark was the last to wake. He too raised a few questions, but other than that, he said little. He seemed a little more resigned than the rest of the crew, just pretty much going about his routine as usual. Huh.

15 minutes later, the entirety of Team CRDL was up and running. And apparently, one of the few students actually awake at the moment, of which Xhang found most peculiar. It was second nature for the Dynast native to wake up so earlier than most. Was that such a unfamiliar thing here, he thought?

Eh, no matter. Onto more prosaic issues.

"Uh guys?" Said Dove, tying down his last shoe.

"Yes, Dove?" Xhang replied, helping Russel with his unruly hair.

"We're up early. A little too early, at that. What exactly do we do now?"

Huh, Xhang thought. Come to think of it, he hadn't thought of that either. Waking up in 6:00 and waiting for class at 9:00 was apparently not on his new team's minds. They could wait at the classroom, but that'd take a while. So, Xhang came up with an idea.

"Wanna go around for a stroll? We got time."

P.O.V: Team (C)RDL

Suffice to say it, Cardin's (or Xhang's) request was strange. What with it being a few weeks after Forever Fall and all. Don't think they didn't notice Cardin's sudden change in demeanor. They did, and it's real weird. Their leader went from an self-absorbed, diabolically heartless jerk, to a casual, friendly and outgoing type of guy. Weird. No doubt they were gonna keep their eyes on him. But for now, this was a request from their leader, so they might as well acquiesce. Besides, what harm can be done with a simple stroll?

They took some time to admire the sights (Xhang the most though, the others just looked around and shrugged), looking around, sightseeing. The castle itself was quite the highlight, as their leader's jaw literally fell through the floor.

"What, man? Haven't ya seen the damn thing already?" Russel asked, his eyes reflecting orbs of suspicion.

"Oh, uh yeah, it's just… I haven't really gotten time to fully appreciate it, ya know?" Cardin cryptically replied. Truth was, the guy had already been gawking at the place when they had first arrived. Something was fishy…

The time was 7:15 now, and the crew have stopped over at the cafeteria (Cardin had mistakenly called it the mess hall, much to his teammate's confuddlement) for breakfast to get ready for class. And when they had just sat down on their respective seats, he blurted out something that threw them completely off guard.

"They're glaring. Why are they glaring?"

P.O.V: Cardin

Without a doubt they were all glaring. The few students who were awake at this time were in the mess hall (sorry, cafeteria), angrily staring daggers at him. That's odd. What was with the tough crowd? Does he have something on his face?

Meanwhile, his team stared at him incredulously, as if he'd grown a second head. Except Sky, who showed a slight look of surprise, but none more. Can't exactly say the same for his friends.

"I'm sorry, what?" Dove choked through his food, trying to force out the words. And his shock as well.

"You're kidding, right? Tell me you're kidding," Russel said, trying his best not to pop hid eyeballs out of their sockets, because they were getting dangerously close to doing so. "He's kidding, right?"

"Nah, he ain't kidding. I could definitely hear the confusion in his voice," said Sky, idly picking at his food, eyeing Cardin with a look Xhang couldn't really place.

"Yes Sky, thank you. Okay, serious talk here bro. How do you NOT remember Forever Fall?" Russel said, pointing his spaghetti filled fork at his leader before stuffing it into his mouth.

"Forever Fall? Whatever happened at Forever Fall?"

A poor choice of words that turned out to be.

His new companions had varying fascinating reactions. Dove started choking so hard, pieces of steak went flying all over their table, the poor yellow haired boy struggling to clear his larynx. Russel wasn't having as much luck as Dove, as he swallowed the spaghetti way too fast and began cougging uncontrollably, and Sky's was probably the calmest: swallowed, stared, shrugged and kept eating

Needless to say, the ruckus garnered the attention of everyone in the mess hall.

One table in particular caught Xhang's attention. It was occupied by a curious quartet: a girl wearing black shades, a massive brute, much like him, a young man with milky white eyes (blind, he astutely deduced) and the strangest occupant of all. A girl, 'bout the same size and stature as shade girl, a pair of rabbit ears protruding out of the top of her head.

How curious. And what's more? She felt… oddly familiar. As if he'd seen her before, but can't seem to put his finger on it.

What he could recognize was the death glare he was receiving from all four of the occupants (all except rabbit ears, she just looked down at her feet). They must know him too, and not in a good way. Could it be connected to whatever happened at Forever Fall?

Speaking of, Russel finally managed to regain his composure, and blurted out, "Dude, you for real?! How do you not remember Forever Fall?!"

"It appears my memory is not how it used to be…"

After saying that, he tried to pinpoint the exact memory connected to the Forever Fall incident. On and on he concentrated…

Nothing. He genuinely can't remember what happened at Forever Fall.

"Yep, I don't remember."

Dove regains control and gives him a weird look. "Cardin, what's gotten into you? First you wake up so darn early in the morning, then your jaw drops at the sight of the castle, which, may I add, is a sight we've seen 13 times this week, you aren't being an absolute dick to us or anyone today, which is weird, because you act like a dick 24/7, and now, you don't remember Forever Fall? At all?! Dude, what the heck's wrong with you?!"

"Uh…" Not good, not good, not good, not good. They're on a crash course! Pull up Xhang, pull up!

"I… *sigh* I… I'll explain later. Promise. Now please simmer down, Dove, you'll make a scene."

In truth, he already had. Pretty much the entire room was staring at them like they were maniacs.

"You better, Cardin. You better…" Russel murmured under his breath, his voice quietly trailing off…

The first class was Grimm Studies, ring-led by a jovial mustachioed man named Professor Peter Port. This piqued the fighter's interest, as, according to whatever memories he could actually access (half of Cardin's memory banks are restricted areas), the Grimm was one of this world's main problems. The Creatures of Grimm, as his memories say, are mysterious shadow beings that had set their sights on humanity and had attempted to destroy them. In vain.

Xhang had noticed a striking similarity between the Grimm- mostly the Beowolves- and Shadow Beasts. Victims of the Scourge, a disease that turned an innocent human being into a mindless shadow monster. Xhang shivered at the thought, remembering the last time he had seen one. His last encounter hadn't been pretty…

Contrary to the subject, Port instead elected to narrate his tales of heroism and bravery, much to the chagrin of the entire class, unfortunately. However, this had only riled up Xhang's curiosity. He hung onto every word, every detail, every trait these creatures could be described in that can be put in words. He furiously jotted down note, after note, after note, until his hands were nothing but a blur. This caught the attention of Russel, who raised his eyebrow.

"I never knew you could write that fast…" he whispered next to Cardin's ear.

"I didn't up until now. Now quiet. I'm trying to jot down notes."

"But you never- ugh, never-mind." He left the fighter to his notes, muttering "Gee, what's eating him…?" under his breath.

After class, Xhang reviews his new notes, pleased with himself. Each species of Grimm, their strengths, weaknesses, and physical appearances, all thanks to Port's narrative, was now at his disposal. He felt Dove look over his shoulder and then say, "Holy hell, that's impressive. You did that throughout the entire, ahem, 'discussion'?" accentuating the word "discussion" with his fingers.

"Mmhmm! Now I know what I'll be up against and what to expect in the coming future," Xhang said… then clapped his hands over his mouth. Watch your words, doofus!

"Uh dude? You ok-"

"I said nothing!"

Next class was with a concerningly caffeine high man named Professor Oobleck. He handled the history of Remnant.

Remnant. The name itself was curious. Remnant, a fragment that could barely even be recognized as the original. Strange choice of words.

Today's topic (if Xhang was correct, what with Oobleck's high speed speech that could rival a Dragon Master's) was a quick recap on the discrimination of Faunus. Faunus?

He quickly jotted down a note:

Topic of Interest: Faunus.

Information: Unavailable

Further Research Pending

He quickly shut away that part of his notebook. No one needs to see that. Onto the topic of interest: Faunus, and why are they such a big deal around here.

What info he could gather was… Xhang found it quite a load to take in. Apparently, the Faunus are a subspecies of the human race, people with traits deriving from animals. Their exact origins are shrouded in mystery, and it's not hard to see why. Faunus traits can range from subtle, spots of fur, scales, eyes, to right out in the open, like an extra set of ears, fangs, and the like. His thoughts quickly turned to rabbit girl, back in the mess hall.

They finally got to the discrimination aspect of the topic, and suffice to say it, he was disgusted. Racism, inequality, prejudice, the list goes on and on. At one point, Oobleck had pointedly gave Xhang a scowl, something that had greatly unsettled him.

He thought for a moment. There were so many pieces to a puzzle, one whose result concerned the fighter. He tried putting two and two together, pondering everything. His team's surprise at his apparently sudden change in demeanor, Dove's surprise at his early waking, the death glares he had been receiving to no apparent end, the rabbit girl's attempt to avoid eye contact, her teammates' pointed glares, and now Oobleck with his discussion.

For a while, he pondered… Then…

He paled in realization.

Oh no.

This can't be good.

The rest of the class went along like a blur, details becoming sort of fuzzy (not like it mattered, Xhang still wrote notes). But nothing of importance occurred that could snap him out of his troubling revelation.

During lunch, he visibly shrank from all the glares sent his way. And in the storm, Xhang came to terms with his troubling theory.

He woke up inside a bully's body.

This isn't good. This will complicate matters. The entire school saw him for what he was before he woke up in this body: a cold, heartless jerk that held little regard for others and more for himself, who saw the Faunus as nothing but animals that should be locked up in a cage. They see him as that. They see him as Cardin Winchester. The most unruly student in Beacon.

They see him as Cardin. Not Xhang.

"Something bugging you, Cardin?" A concerned Sky asked. Sky seemed to be the voice of reason in this misfit band of rogues. As far as memories go far, Sky would usually show concern whenever Cardin and the rest were up to no good.

He hesitated, not sure what to say. Then he forced a smile, and said "I'll live, Sky. I'll live."

"Ya sure? Ya wanna talk about it?"

He thought about it… and shook his head. "Nah, it's cool. I appreciate the concern, but don't worry. I'm fine."

Sky wasn't so sure, but he nodded. "Ya know, I don't remember a time when you've ever went that fast before. Like, your hands were like a blur."

Xhang was glad for the change in subject, and smiled genuinely this time, chuckling. "Oh, yeah. I tend do that sometimes." He said, snickering.

Russel chimed in with "You HAVE to show me how you do that! It could really prove handy later on. Wait..." Too late to stop, Russel realized his mistake, and groaned at his own joke, Xhang and Sky laughing at his misfortune.

"Same here man, same." Dove added, looking up from his lunch.

At that, Xhang really laughed, much to the chagrin of the other students. "When I got time, I'll teach ya. I hope you like broken fingers though, 'cause you'll be getting them a lot."

The other three gaped, then half-shrieked "Oh hell naw!"

The group laughed together.

Not out of malice.

Not out of necessity.

Just pure playful banter.

"Combat class?" Xhang asked.

"Mmhmm. Basically, two people get put in a ring and they beat the living snot out of each other until someone wins." Dove clarified, carefully putting on his armor.

"Interesting. Oh hey, you missed a strap."

"Wait, really?"

Xhang moved fast, quickly amending the anomaly on Dove's breastplate, securing the strap nice and tight.

"Oh gee, thanks man."

They were in the locker room, preparing for combat class. From what Xhang could gather, students are randomly selected to attempt to best each other in a test of skill and strength. Of all the classes Xhang's attended, this one he was the most afraid of. After his revelation, he realized there were people here that want nothing mote than to beat him senseless and leave him to rot. He shivered at the thought. He had to stay low. He cannot afford to be picked.

And besides, his skill…

Elders forbid, they cannot see what he is truly capable of. They can't.

Either way, at least he gets to have a good look at his gear.

"Uh, guys? Memory isn't cooperating. You mind?" He said to his teammates, donning their respective armors and weapons. Legion, Xhang faintly said in his mind. They definitely fit the aesthetic. Not sure what to say about Russel and his ShortWings. Peculiar in design, but certainly fits the speed aesthetic he's going for.. Kinda reminds him of Legionary Knives. Xhang had thought little of those weapons before, but one encounter with a Legionary deserter was all the convincing he needed.

"Oh right. Locker's to your left." Replied Sky, pulling out his beloved Feather's Edge.

"Thanks a million."

He turned to the locker on the left, and accessing an available memory, he keyed the right combination for his locker (such a strange locking mechanism!) and opened it up.

He took the time to inspect his new gear. Cardin's gear.

He begins to put it on. He needs to have a look at it when he's wearing it so he can assess it. He does it with every type of hardware he had acquired during his travels.

Cardin's battle armor just screams "Legion". Heavy, bulky, sacrifices dexterity for protection, while also at the same time allowing for a decent amount of wiggle room. A perfect balance. Shame that the rest of his body isn't as protected as his upper. He'll have to be wary about that. Lower side, main priority for protection. Once again, the bird symbol was etched onto the breastplate. What was with that darn bird?

He looked into the locker again. And saw it.

It was a mace. Cardin's, he deduced.

It was strange. It looked like a Legionary Two Handed Hammer, but with a mace head. The flanges protruded outward more than normal maces. And to top it off, a strange red crystal adorned the center core of the weapon. Huh.

He picked it up. Gingerly, with both hands, he tested it. Checked its weight, swung it around a bit, made a few pretend swings. And voilà, he's now accustomed to his new weapon. The Executioner. A funny name, remembering the man clad in red robes usually seen during executions.

Out of habit, he began to list out the weapon's stats, as he does normally with other weapons.

Weapon: The Executioner

Weapon Type: Two Handed Hammer

Faction: Legion

Pros: Powerful, tough, durable.

Cons: Heavy, unwieldy, momentum hard to control.

Note: Downward swings recommended. Anything more unadvisable.

Advanced Attack: Assigned

Blinded Rage

Retribution

Satisfied with his weapon, he hefted it upwards and let it rest on his shoulder, and turned to face his new friends.

"We ready?" Cardin asked his teammates.

They all nodded in unison.

"Aight then. Move out, gentlemen."

He stared at the arena curiously. It was of a circular design, similar to that of the arena used in the Hundred School Tournament, except larger, enough room for a sizable fisticuff. He noticed the cratering and the dents in the circle's dirt covering. People here must be that competitive to put that many craters there. Makes him wonder what kind of damage they'd do to him.

He gulped.

He then heard footsteps. His eyes traveled to the arena.

A blonde woman walked onto the stage, her heels colliding against the floor, a riding crop in

one hand and a strange tablet in the other. Must have been used to monitor a person's Aura, a concept Xhang had only managed to learn via Cardin's memories. Her cape swished in the air as she finally stops in the middle of the circle.

Glynda Goodwitch, the combat class adviser and the Headmistress of Beacon Academy. Thanks again, memories.

He didn't had time to listen to her, as something nudged against Xhang's shoulder. He turned, and faced a concerned Dove.

"Y'all right, Dove?" He asked his lancer.

"Not so much as I am about myself more than you, dude. You looked awful worried when you stared at the arena. You holding up good?" He replied, worry tainting his voice.

"Aw, well, I dunno man… I'm nervous. I really don't feel like fighting at the moment, you know? This morning kind of reinforced that feeling. These people, they hate my guts, man. That'd really leave a bad impression, and not much of a reason to show me leniency in a fight."

"Relax dude, you'll be fine. It ain't often any of us will get picked to fight. Worst case scenario, you'll be pitted against a real toughie, like-" Dove was about to say something, then stopped. His eyes went big, and a squeak was the only vocalization he could emit.

"Like who? Dove, what's the matter?" Xhang asked, his concern ramping up.

Could it be…?

"Our first match shall be Cardin Winchester against Pyrhha Nikos." Glynda's voice reverberated through the air.

Xhang turned around to face the arena. He hadn't noticed before, but there was a large screen visible to every direction.

And it was currently displaying Cardin's face on the left side of the screen, and a redheaded girl's on the right side.

Xhang's throat dried. He could only muster two words.

"Aw shit."

Uh oh! Someone's in trouble… and I don't mean Xhang. Catch my drift?

Anyway, constructive criticism is appreciated, comment down below of you want to, and have a nice day.

Laugh, signing off!