Rewrite time!


Main theme: Can't Trust Anybody Now by Jeff Williams
Theme: Sociopath by Lucas King


We all have to choose a side.

In this world, where we are burdened by knowledge and choice, we must choose between creation and destruction. Good and evil. These two sides that we have segregated the world into as a way to easily judge and understand the world.

How childish.

We try to pretend that the world is merely a veiled curtain of black and white- Two sides of the same coin that we can section off into different sides- So that we may judge them for what they have done. You are a bad person. I am a good person. You are a good person. I am a bad person.

How ridiculously childish.

The world exists as not a monochrome world, but a murky sea of grey. Black? White? They still exist. But do not assume that every single thing in this world operates under those childish whims.

Black and white?

They hardly ever exist. Never long enough to make a difference.

But sides exist.

Oh, how sides always exist.


"Bye, Yang! I'll meet up with you later at Dad's office!"

Yang waved back to her little sister, "See you there, Rubes!" and walked with over a dozen other people onto the Bullhead to Vale, the door to the silver/grey-coloured ship sliding closed as the Bullhead began to lift up from the surface, and then jetted off to the city in the far distance, leaving a twin pair of propulsion trails from its blue thrusters as it flew through the ocean-coloured sky.

Ruby Rose kept her silver-shaded eyes on the fleeing Bullhead as it narrowed into a drop-shaped speck in her vision, then threaded into a needle line, and then turned into nothing in the distance. Her reddened cape bellowed and flowed in the fresh blast of air that had been let off from the Bullhead's departure, revealing the collapsed Crescent Rose slung to the back of her waist that had been concealed by her cape.

In any other place, her black and red gothic attire would've made her stand out against the general populace. But in the colourful crowds of Signal Academy, even her unique scythe/sniper mecha-shift weapon (Which she treated like her own child) Did not stand out in the slightest, much to her dismay.

Seriously, some of these weapons around her were just maddening in their design. Remind her never to get on the wrong side of the guy with the trombone that unleashed fire every time he let out a tune.

She tilted her head upwards and closed her eyes for a few moments, letting the wind flow through her locks of hair and basking in the afternoon sun. Behind her, the square building of Signal Academy shined against the bright star in the sky, its glass windows glistening and flaring with wide to pinprick traces of white and yellow light.

She could've taken the same Bullhead as Yang had on the way to Vale, then split up from her to explore the city on her own before meeting their father, Taiyang Xiao Long, at his company's office, but she had decided to stay behind for a little bit longer to soak in the world around her.

She saw it every other day when arriving and leaving Signal, but it was something that she still liked to do.

Besides, she figured that Yang would've liked it if Ruby parted from her a little bit earlier today than usual, seeing how antsy she had been all day, and how she had been mumbling to herself about someone called 'Junior' and a bar. She hadn't asked about it, seeing as it didn't seem like her business, but it still peeked her curiosity.

No point in worrying about it now.

Something was nagging at the back of her head, though, and that was also why she had decided to stay in Signal a bit longer. She couldn't really explain it, but it just felt... Weird. Almost like nostalgia. Longing.

Mourning?

She didn't know.

She just felt... Sad, for some reason.

Weird.

Another Bullhead parked in the landing bay before her, and this time, Ruby jumped onto it, along with several others.

As the door to the hold closed shut, she spared one last look at Signal Academy, and wondered if that was the last time that she would ever see it again.


"Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

"Yeah Saph, I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."

"Kind of hard not too when you're walking into a Huntsman academy with absolutely no training, Jaune."

Jaune didn't deny her worries, because he knew that she was right. Still, it wouldn't hurt to try and alleviate her worries, "Hey, it's called a Huntsman academy for a reason, sis. It's their job to teach us about everything to do with a Huntsman."

"Yeah, but usually beforehand, a Huntsman in training goes into one of those prep-schools that they have, which, you know, Mum and Dad forbade you into going to", Saphron justifiably pointed out, "And what happens if they realise that your transcripts are fake, huh? Then what?"

Jaune rubbed the back of his head, and tried to suppress his own equal, if not more so, worries at his own actions. Saphron had been one of the only people in his family to seriously support his dreams of becoming a Huntsman, sure, but that didn't mean that she didn't have good reason to worry.

So, he hid his concerns behind a smile, and said, "C'mon, Saph, you really think that these guys wouldn't have figured me out- Wouldn't have sussed me out already. If they knew that-"

He spared a moment to look around himself. In front of him were the winding plains and lands of Vale. Behind him were the great walls of the city, tall and imposing and ready to crush him under their weight in an instant.

But, luckily, there was no one around him. Good.

He continued on, putting his scroll closer to his face as he quietly whispered, "-If they learnt that my transcripts are fake, then Beacon would've already sent me a letter saying that I wasn't accepted. They wouldn't send that email saying that I was allowed to take part in their initiation, just to turn me down. They wouldn't do something like that just for the sake of it, and since they haven't sent any letter saying that I'm not excepted, then that means that I'm good for gold."

What he had said to Saphron was more for himself than for her. In truth, he had no way of knowing if Beacon had learnt about his transcripts or not. For all he knew, they had sent him that acceptance email just to lull him into the academy grounds, ambush him, and rub it in his face.

"You really think so?" Saphron echoed the question inside his own head, and Jaune couldn't help but mentally shrug. Not physically, though. No need to betray his own nerves to her.

"Yeah," he lied, giving her a thumbs up along the way, "I'm all good to go."

GOOD

GOOD

GOOD

GOOD

GO-

He hit the side of his head suddenly, Shut up.

Saphron blinked over the scroll at his sudden burst of movement. It was a moment of weakness, and she quickly latched onto it, "...You know, there are other ways to become a hero. You don't have to risk your life like this."

An image flashed across his mind. An image of him standing outside a burning building, his mind in madness as he stared at a girl the same age as him, with brown skin, red eyes, and green hair.

Yes he did. Yes he needed to. He needed to do this.

He needed to pay for his sins.

SINS

SINS

SINS

He hit his head again, Seriously, shut up, "Yeah, I know," it was a lie. He really didn't know any other way to repent for his past as much as a Huntsman, but if it meant that it helped to ease Saphron's concerns, then he might as well tell her this one fib, "I'll let you know how things are going later on, okay?"

"...Okay then," Saphron smiled and waved, "Love you, little bro."

Jaune smiled to her, "Love you too," (That wasn't a lie), And with that, he waved goodbye, and hung up.

He looked up to the walls above him, and only just realised how long a shadow they cast over him.


Saphron lowered her phone, and looked to the side. A pair of glowing eyes peered through the darkness, standing next to her mother and father.

"Are you sure that this plan is better than what we had in mind?" her father asked, "I thought that the point was to keep him out of harms way."

"It gives him what he wants," Saphron shot back with as nearby, her wife, Terra Cotta-Arc gently bounced their baby, Adrian, in her arms, watching the conversation intently as she nodded to Saphron's points, "And besides, I trust that our friends can keep him safe."

She turned to the eyes in the darkness.

"Right?"

"No promises," was their response, "But don't worry: Our little prince shall find his bride soon enough, and we shall all be made the gods of this new world."

Saphron smiled.

"Good."

All was going according to plan.


"I won't be long, Neo."

"..."

"No, no! I- No, this is not going to go like last time! I swear, I won't get distracted like that again!"

"..."

"She came onto me, Neo! I was obliged! As a gentleman thief, I was obliged to 'Assist' her in calming her woes."

"..."

"Oh don't tell me you wouldn't have done the same. Blonde bisexual bridesmaid. Don't tell me you wouldn't have gone for that as well."

"..."

"Exactly."

"..."

"Okay, maybe it was inappropriate to do it in the middle of a robbery. Point conceded. But again: You would've done the exact same thing!"

"..."

"Again, exactly."

"..."

"Yeah, I know that Fire-Bitch is breathing down our necks, but-"

"..."

"Fine. Fine, I won't take long. I'll only be a few hours. After that, we can meet up back here, eat that ice cream that I know you've been hiding away in the freezer underneath your bed-"

"!"

"Yeah, I wasn't born yesterday, Neo! But anyways, we can eat it all together, and just... I don't know. What do fathers and daughters do besides kicking people in the balls and stealing their lunch money?"

"?"

"Yeah, I'm just as confused as you."

"..."

"Heh, I think we both established that I'm exactly the number one father figure in the world."

"..."

"Oh, don't give me that look."

"..."

"Please?"

"..."

"Ah, there we go. See you later, kid."

"..."

"...Hey."

"?"

"Love you, Neo."

"...I love you too, Dad."


"We've had reports of groups of White Fang sympathisers rallying in Vale's shopping centre, most likely protesters in support of Faunus rights," Glynda said as she handed Ozpin a scrollpad with the relevant information on it, the both of them gathered in his office atop Beacon, waiting for the newest member of their inner circle against Salem to join them.

Well, not newest. She's been with them for quite a while now. But she was the latest, so technically that made her the newest.

Semantics for later.

Ozpin looked over the scrollpad with focused eyes as he set down his mug of hot coco (People constantly mistook it to be coffee) And then looked up at Glynda, "Protestors are nothing new, Glynda," the hidden question 'Why are you telling me this?' hung low in the air.

"I am aware," Glynda answered, "But I felt it would be best to inform you. Especially when there are reports of Human Liberation Front mobs moving to confront them-"

"Ah," Ozpin hummed. That wasn't good.

"-And when those same reports tell us that Providence are protecting the Faunus protesters."

"Ah..." that was most certainly not good.

"Exactly," Glynda said as she sat down in one of the seats opposite Ozpin's desk, "I don't like this. Providence already has too much power than it should, and now they have their mercenaries in the city. Not to mention the White Fang and Human Liberation Front's war against each other is beginning to escalate."

"We have no proof that Salem is involved in these events, Glynda," Ozpin raised his hand to stop his second-in-command's incoming tirade, "I shall try to use as much of the remaining political influence that I have to try and ebb these hostilities, but there is only so much that we can do as individuals. We must trust that the Huntsmen of tomorrow can succeed in this matter where we cannot."

Glynda suppressed a sigh, but nodded in turn, "Of course."

{DING}

"Ah," Ozpin said as he and Glynda looked to the elevator door, "Here she is now."

The doors slid open, and in walked a woman with pale, snow-like skin, and long white hair, wearing a long-sleeved dress coloured black, white, and gold, that was patterned by silver roses, with a rose necklace around her neck, and a pendant in the shape of a wolf's head in her hair.

Her eyes shone a shining, almost glowing, silver.

"Ah," Ozpin smiled to her, "A pleasure to see you, Baobhan."

Baobhan Sith, Beacon Academy's head therapist and psychiatrist, smiled back.

"A pleasure to see you too, Ozpin."


In the depths of Vale, a group of people gathered together, polishing weapons and putting on armour. Their intents were clear to each other. Their lives were ready to be given to their cause.

Into the room walked a lanky, thin man, in all black armour, with a boxy sniper rifle in his hands. His lessers finished putting on their gear and stood to attention upon his arrival.

The lanky man looked over his new followers, and nodded approvingly.

"Saddle up," commanded Jaracas, the Aspect of Forgiveness, "We're going hunting."


Across Remnant, plans were beginning to fall into place, and years-old machinations began to bear their fruits.

In the shadows, a new power would begin its rise.

Soon, there would be no more need to wait.

No more need to skulk in the darkness.

This was their time.

This age was ending.

And the age of the Cult of Silver had finally begun.


We all have to choose a side.

Wherever it be good, bad, or everything in between.

And it will be our actions in these coming battles that will decide the fate of all of Remnant.

But more than that...

It will be a test.

A test for those, who have yet to discover who they truly are.

Now...

Who's side are you on?


And here we are, the beginning of the rewrite!

I'll talk proper about this story in the next part, but for the uninitiated, this is the rewrite of Cult of Silver, a story which, as I looked into it, had a lot of major problems in both story and execution. At least, in the first part.

As such, I have decided, for this story, to wipe the slate clean, and start fresh. Hopefully now, the story itself will come across as much more organic and logical in how it is told.

So, for those who are only just seeing this story for the first time, welcome! I hope you have fun on this crazy ride.

And for the previous readers who know what's up, shhh! Keep it on the downlow, will you?

And with all of that said and done, leave and review, follow and favourite, and I shall see you all next time!

(Let's just hope that I get it right this time...)

Titanmaster117 out!