Heir to the Crown

Chapter Two

89 AC(After Conflict)

Beacon, Kingdom of Vale

Beacon.

A shining tower of light that blinded all who dared look upon it.

All around Logan were awestricken faces as the Bullhead transported aspiring Huntsmen to Remnant's most prestigious academy.

He was the only one still rooted to his seat, nursing a growing migraine at the exaggerated and needless oohs and aw's that children were best known for.

To fit in my child. You must play the part of one. They will be temperamental, they will be reckless, and so will you.

Even in this cacophony of belligerent souls, Logan could still hear his mother's lessons piercing through the noise. His cover story was airtight, but no lie can last long under intense scrutiny. If his time here were to be beneficial, then steps would have to be taken to ensure his wellbeing.

Logan ignored his fellow initiates as they tentatively leaned out of the gallery's viewport. Their commotion grated at his nerves, so he ascended a sharp staircase toward the open-air observation deck.

The gusts of heavy wind banking across the airships hull slammed into Logan's frame, but he welcomed the fresh air with open arms.

His eyes surveyed the academy grounds, and the well-kept gardens shined with magnificent beauty even from this distance. Despite these pleasant distractions, his eyes inevitably settled on the heart and soul of Beacon Academy.

Its gleaming white tower stared back at him with a mocking grin and at its summit was his mother's former paramour.

Metal Grey orbs subtly converted into a burning crimson as they pierced the heavens and glared at the undying man.

Ozma stood with a surveying gleam in his expression, his hands tightly grasped the top of his cane, and even from this distance, Logan could gleam the Headmaster favoring his right side.

Before her untimely downfall, Cinder scored a wounding strike on the undying man. Specks of burn marks flared out in zig-zag patterns that ceased just below his right cheek.

The Fall Maidens' power alone should have destroyed his mortal shell, but several Beacon students' saved the undying man from an agonizing death.

Still, the damage splayed along Ozma's skin should have sidelined him for decades but here stood, spoiled but nonetheless alive.

Ozma is a relentless creature, but do not picture him as a reckless man. His caution and patience are born from watching civilizations rise and fall like the tide for millennia.

A subtle sneer seeped into Logan's visage at his mother's lessons. Ozma's interference has forever tarnished the history of Remnant. His mother has built entire civilizations on the promise of prosperity and order, only to have the undying man infect their foundation with chaos under the pretext of freedom.

Millions have died upon the false sense of choice brought to their mortal lives. Salem has preached time and again that freedom is the foundation of anarchy.

And Logan has never found her words to be anything less than the truth.

Ozma's only purpose is to prevent my ascension, nothing more, nothing less. But you, my child, will see to his downfall by understanding those who follow him.

An eerie and increasingly familiar sensation infected Logan's mind. The war between his mother and Ozma was one between gods.

A great game in which an endless war decided the fate of Remnant.

Logan hopes that his intervention will be the catalyst to ending this conflict.

But first, measures must be taken.

"Enjoying the view?"

His ears pricked at the honeyed voice, and his attention fell from the ivory tower towards a pair of feminine legs belonging to an scarlet-haired Huntress flashing him a salacious grin.

Logan internally chastised himself for failing to recognize that the observation deck was already occupied by other prospective Huntresses and two of them at that.

Standing next to the grinning Huntress was a similarly looking girl with chocolate brown hair toying with a coin between her fingers. Her azure eyes gave him a simple glance, but she let her companion carry the conversation.

Their armor was a ramshackle mix of light and heavy materials that provided flexibility and protection. Leather tassets and greaves preserved their extremities while tempered steel plates intertwined in a flexible material. A brown hood meant to stave off the elements were attached to their armors collar but remained unused by its owner.

Simple and reliable, a sure-fire metaphor for any who walked the life of a Huntress.

"Twins." Cyrus silently mused to himself. The striking resemblance was plain for the eye to see, save for the differentiating hair color. His studying eyes must have set off the brown-haired Huntress's concerns because she immediately engaged him.

"Never seen twins before?"

"Come on now, T." The scarlet-haired vixen spoke up. "That searching look in his eye is because we are the most beautiful creatures he's ever laid eyes on."

Vain yet confident. Logan surmised the exuberant braggart's personality in two words, but she wasn't entirely incorrect. They were enticing beings that exhumed an aura of charisma and terrifying beauty befitting a Huntress.

Years of education and training within the halls of Evernight Castle left him with little time around the opposite sex save his Mother, Cinder, and….Summer.

Logan understood basic social stigmas and mannerisms, but there is more to interaction than a simple greeting or dismissal. Hazel recommended that he avoid deception whenever possible, for the truth of his existence is far too alien to the average mind in Remnant.

The idea of an intelligent Grimm was still fiercely debated within the halls of Remnants institutions.

The planet will learn the truth, but until then, Logan was another prospective Huntsman from the wilds seeking to protect his species from the encroaching darkness he was accustomed to living in.

"No, I have not." Emerald orbs tightly narrowed, but the easy grin remained etched into her visage. This girl was more predator than prey, and Logan wondered how many Grim died trying to feast on her flesh.

It was not a thought he enjoyed.

"You sweet-talking me, Sunshine?" There was an edge to her voice that would have made most people realign their straying thoughts, but Logan remained resolute in the face of her unspoken reprimand.

"I only speak in truth, Miss?" He couldn't tell if she found his stalwart disposition pleasant or infuriating, especially given how her fingers toyed with one of the daggers strapped to her waist.

"Artemis, and don't call me Miss if you value your life." Her lips pulled into a cheshire grin, and she waved towards her sibling. "Sour grapes over here is Thalia. How about you join us for a spell."

Thalia took issue with her sister's presumptuous stance, and this ire silently brewed when Artemis scooted to her left, opening a spot for Logan between them.

"Don't be shy now." There was a moment of hesitation in his gait, and this caution earned him a cocked eyebrow from Artemis.

Thalia watched him from the corner of her eye, scrutinizing his every move with a suspicious gleam.

Artemis had a penchant for gathering all kinds of people around her and, in some cases breaking the hearts of her admirers at Pharos Academy. Thalia spent considerable time staving off those few who decided that no wasn't the answer they were looking for.

Her sister was a charismatic figure, a complete contrast to Thalia's dogmatic outlook that served to keep onlookers from mistaking one another's true identity. She wondered if this prospective huntsman with crimson eyes would be another of Artemis' idiotic friends that got too comfortable.

Artemis liked to give everyone a chance to be her friend, but some often mistook her carefree personality the wrong way. It got her into trouble more times than Thalia cared to remember.

As Logan's hand grasped the gunmetal railing, he carefully avoided brushing against either of them. Thalia received an unabated view of his crimson orbs. She found the intelligence in his eyes intriguing, but otherwise, he was completely docile of any negative sentiments.

"You got a name?" Thalia pocketed her lucky coin and turned towards Logan with a cocked eyebrow.

"Logan."

"Where are you from?" Artemis immediately inquired, leaning her back against the railing and letting her scarlet hair flow with the wind.

"Vacuan Frontier." He spoke his backstory with practiced ease that bypassed the twins suspicions.

"Vacuo, huh." Artemis surmised with an intrigued glimpse. "Does that mean you went to Oscuro?"

"No," Logan answered as the aircraft lurched higher, his hands clutched the railings tightly."I trained with Hazel Rainart before applying here."

"Hazel Rainart?" The name rang in Artemis' mind before her eyes widened in shock. "The Beast of Vacuo is your mentor?"

"Yes." Logan huffed at his mentor's nickname.

Hazel's moniker described him to a tee, for no one else in the world could behold such awe and terror in the world of Huntsmen and Grimm. He'd gone rogue after his sister's death but returned to the fold almost two decades earlier.

"You know there were rumors that Hazel had an apprentice shadowing him," Thalia spoke with the smallest hint of respect.

"And I would prefer if that remained a rumor." The twins appraised him with curious looks, too, which he turned towards Artemis with a pointed expression. "Not everyone enjoys the spotlight."

"W-What? Why are you looking at me like that?" A chortle of amusement fell from Thalia's lips. "Quit giggling, you moron!"

"Can't help it." Her twin replied with a bedazzling smile. "He's already got you pegged as a narcissistic cunt after a single conversation. Usually, most people can't look past your tits, Arty."

Logan filed away the lack of reaction on Artemis's visage to Thalia's curt language. When it came to their relationship, the twins appeared to have an open and...liberal association, unafraid of calling one another out.

"Fuck you sour grapes." Artemis bit back, earning a sly look from her twin. A spark of mischief leaked into Thalia's gaze as she linked arms with a moderately concerned Logan

"Sorry, love, you're not my type." The brown-haired Huntress leaned into his shoulders with a sultry voice ghosting over his ear. "But he is."

Artemis mimicked her sister's actions and leaned in close enough for Logan to smell the faint scent of strawberry in her breath.

"Back off, bitch." She pulled at Logan's arm to extract him from Thalia's grip, but her twin persisted. "I saw him first."

Logan's mother warned him that a few Huntresses might try to court or seduce him, and in this case, one would be forgiven for believing these twins were staking their claim.

But he knew better.

This wasn't a courtship but a pair of Lionness fighting over the last piece of meat on the table. Logan was in dire need of assistance, and it came from the most unlikely of sources.

Another Huntress.

"Excuse me, ladies." Strong hands wrapped around Logan's shoulder as a boisterous voice, both resounding and euphonic, pulled him free of the twins' vice-like grip. "But my friend isn't a chew toy for you to play with."

Logan felt his rescuer's hand slide across his back and grasp his opposite shoulder in a manner befit old friends. He recognized her face but couldn't pinpoint when or where they had crossed paths.

Dark Brown hair drawn up in a bun framed a radiant visage containing a pair of Cyan orbs set perfectly in their sockets. Unlike the twins and their ivory skin tone, his savior sported a smooth bronze complexion that complimented the sleeveless blue turtleneck, emphasizing her solid and lean physique.

Her attire was bright for someone Logan presumed to be a native daughter of Vacuo, but any following thoughts were interrupted by Artemis's snippy tone.

"Your friend, huh?" A light scoff fell from Thalia's lips as Artemis leaned against the railing. "When did you meet him, Katarina?"

Katarina. Logan felt the name echo to the front of his mind as his thoughts were consumed by the bronze-skinned woman's captivating Cyan eyes.

"Today, while I was exploring Vale and all its wonders," Katarina easily explained as her enchanting gaze turned to regard him. "My boy here ran into me, and we hit off pretty quick if you must know."

That gaze turned iron just as Logan realized where they'd cross paths. There was an unfortunate incident between his chauffer and an apparent miscreant that stumbled into his luggage while they were entering one of Vale's premium hotels.

Insults were exchanged between the two before Logan broke it up with a quiet order for his self-absorbed attendant to let it go. He only earned a passing glance of the apparent troublemaker before his automobile shot into the distance.

Logan couldn't quite tell if the robust grip on his shoulder was a promise of retribution or forgiveness for his attendant's earlier conduct, but he was hoping it was the former.

He'd hate to start his first day at Beacon by combating another Huntress.

It wouldn't exactly be subtle.

"Really?" Thalia stared at Katarina with a disbelieving glance. "Then what's his name?"

"Logan." There were numerous ways she could have picked up on that bit of information, either from his conversation with the twins or their earlier interaction. "We need to catch up, so if you don't mind."

Katarina waved off the twins, but Artemis persisted more out of pride than any actual desire to keep Logan in place.

"Oh, but we do insist." The scarlet-haired Huntress stalked forward with her sister trailing behind her with an amused expression. "We were just getting to know one another before you butted in."

"Please, Artemis." Katarina loosened her grip and shifted Logan behind her. "We all know you want another boy toy since all your regular customers didn't make the cut for Beacon, and I would hate to see you break another heart."

"You make me sound like a Black Widow." Artemis frowned at the semi-accurate description that propped her up in an unfavorable light. "I'm just trying to make a new friend whose first inclination wasn't to stare at my tits. You know how rare that is?"

There was a dynamic between the trio that Logan easily picked up on, which usually meant a long and often storied history that could be mistaken for negative, but a…certain comfort level underlined their tones.

"Believe me, Arty, I know that better than anyone." Katarina's hand trailed down his arm, sending a foreign tingling up Logan's spine. "But I saw him first."

Too late did Logan realize that Katarina was not a rescuer but another Lioness staking her claim as if he were a prize. Wasn't Beacon supposed to be a school for hunting Grim and not a hybrid trying to mind his own business?

Artemis rolled her eyes at the stolen argument, and all the tension in her frame disappeared with a pasting wind gust.

"Whatever you say, Katarina." Artemis began with a curious gaze. "But I could have sworn you bat for his team, not both."

"I'm flexible with what I like, love," Katarina replied even as Logan stared at the both of them in genuine confusion. "But as I said before, he and I need to catch up, so we'll see you girls later."

Artemis offered no resistance this time and allowed Katarina to drag Logan away from the twin's amused gazes and into a secluded section of the gallery. The other initiates didn't pay them any attention and continued to converse with one another in idle conversation.

Katarina released her grip and slid into a padded seat before motioning Logan to join her. He didn't say anything at first, and her only response to his hesitancy was a subtly raised eyebrow that seemingly dared him to deny her.

He relented if only because of idle curiosity and…boredom.

Logan sat opposite Katarina, giving both an unobstructed view of one another. While she scrutinized his frame, he focused on the scimitar holstered on her right thigh that had previously been concealed by a brown fur-lined cloth draped around her waist, which was hiked up enough to unveil her baggy blue pants.

It was a unique weapon, but it lacked any of the patented long-range capabilities most Huntsmen possessed. This missing function meant she either disregarded it entirely or had another means of fighting at range.

Either way, Katarina was shaping into a dangerous Huntress, but Logan would save his opinions for more practical observation.

"You're not going to say thank you?" Her euphonic voice interrupted his thoughts, but it didn't take a genius to figure out what she was implying.

"I'm not sure if I should be thanking you for the rescue, considering our previous encounter." Logan cooly replied, leaning away from Katarina and keeping his hands out front.

"Bahh, that was nothing since you got that grease ball off my back," Katarina grinned back. "Besides, I know how the twins roll. They're usually not so forward, but they love to wind people up for shits and giggles when someone catches their eye. It's harmless but tends to leave the wrong impression."

"They're dangerous."

"That's putting it lightly." Not an inaccurate estimation on his part but Katarina enjoyed it nonetheless. "What brings you to Beacon?"

"This place makes the best Huntsmen on Remnant." Logan replied, his eyes glancing at Beacon's tower. "And I want to learn from the best. What about you?"

"I wanted to get the fuck out of Vacuo." Katarina easily admitted. "I got tired of the damn sun, and my parents were happier to see me leave home."

"Problems?" Katarina wouldn't be the first to have trouble on the homefront, but fortunately, these negative assumptions went unwarranted.

"Nah, nothing like that." She waved off his concerns with an easy smile. "Vacuo isn't exactly a paradise, and they're the best parents anyone could ask for. What about your folks?"

Well, his mother is the Queen of the Grimm, and his father is most likely buried in the courtyard of Evernight Castle.

But Logan couldn't exactly come out and say that.

"My mother was nothing if not supportive," Logan replied, fingers running over the pendant hanging from his neck.

"And your father?" His expression dimmed slightly, but it was enough for Katarina to pick up on and make her own assertions. "Not supportive?"

"I wouldn't know." Now it was Katarina's turn to feel downtrodden, her head dipped into her headrest, and she let out an understanding sigh.

"I'm sorry." She murmured in a near-silent whisper, but Logan wasn't cross with her inaccurate foray into a touchy subject.

"So, am I." He replied with an assured smile.

Sometimes ignorance is a doable defense.

"Initiates, please take your seats." The airship's intercom interrupted their conversation at an opportune moment. "We are approaching Beacon tower."

"Showtime," Katarina murmured to herself, exchanging a look with Logan as the other students filed into the galley. "Nervous?"

"Never."

What reason did he have to be nervous?

There wasn't a Grimm on this planet that could kill him.

A lithe hand slid across Logan's, drawing his undivided attention and revealing a familiar huntress.

"Room for two?" Artemis didn't wait for a reply and slid into the seat next to Logan while Thalia found a spot next to Katarina.

"Would you move if I said no?" The broad smile and bark of delight were enough of an answer for Logan. He crossed eyes with Thalia and Katarina, finding nothing but equally amused grins.

He didn't know it at the time, but fate would decree that this unlikely combination of Hybrid and Huntress were to be forever connected in life for the rest of their days.

And Logan would realize that he need not fear the wrath of a Grimm.

Because there remained only two things in all of Remnant that could tear him down.

His Mother and….

…Granite Team.


The initiates gathered in Beacon Academy's auditorium, conversing and brimming with anticipation as they awaited their inaugural speech. To them, it represented everything Beacon stood for, but to Logan, it was a massive monastery that embellished the achievements of long-deceased Huntsman and Huntresses.

Row upon row of names belonging to these lost heroes littered a marble slab that ran across the room's perimeter at waist height. A few prospective students committed the fallen to memory and silently pledged to honor their sacrifice.

On the other hand, Logan was drawn to a single name engraved into the memorial.

Summer Rose

Thus Kindly I Scatter

The engraving was not a fresh inscription, and his eyes narrowed into a dangerous gleam as his fingers ran over the memorandum. There were years behind this etched memorial, and his heart sank at the notion Summer died still believing Ozpin would save her.

She should have known better.

"Did you know her?" In a rare moment of negligence, Logan failed to notice Katarina's questionable gaze, a sentiment silently shared by both Artemis and Thalia.

"No." Logan schooled his features and lied, but none of them picked up on it as he scanned over the surrounding names.

There were dozens, if not hundreds, of memorials that matched Summer's obituary. Each of them is a casualty in the longest war in Remnant's history, and they didn't even know it.

A tragedy in its own right.

"Come on." Katarina took Logan by his arm and led him away from the memorial. "Let's find someplace a little less morbid."

Logan wasn't sure why he was letting Katarina drag him along, but he also didn't see a need to refuse her. The whole point of coming to Beacon was to learn more about these Huntsmen, and if three of Huntresses deigned to grace him with their presence, then all the better.

It's not like they were unpleasant company.

"Hope I don't get my name on that slab," Artemis spoke up, drawing uncertain looks from Thalia and Katarina. "I'm just saying. You only get added to the collection if you die in the line of duty, and I don't know about you guys, but I'm trying to live a long and happy life."

"You're assuming you even make the cut." Thalia retorted as they broke away from the dense crowd and found an isolated spot furthest from the stage.

"You're assuming I won't?" Artemis countered, her hands roaming over the holstered compound bow on her back. "If anyone's making it out of our little group, it's me."

"Keep dreaming, love." Katarina snipped back. "I anything, you'll crash and burn just like you did in the Mistral tournament."

"You lose one match to the Kingdom's top Huntress, and everyone's on your ass." Artemis seethed through grit teeth. The twins and Katarina traded barbs in a near-practiced routine, leaving Logan to silently muse in his own thoughts.

He wasn't particularly enthused with Huntsmen tournaments. He found them to be drawn-out affairs with no particular function other than peacocking for the crowds. Then again, their sole purpose was to please the masses with audacious contests to stave off negative emotions that supposedly drew Grimm like moths to a flame.

Logan wondered how long that lie had been perpetrated and who was responsible for spreading it. Grimm are drawn to negative emotions, but in the end, they are animals that run in nomadic packs.

And Nomads are known for being stingy in their territory.

"Logan." The Hybrid was pulled from his thoughts, and he looked up to find Thalia's Azure orbs gleaming at him with curiosity. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Katarina and Artemis were still knee-deep in banter, comparing their tournament records with that competitive spirit aspiring Huntresses are born with and leaving Thalia alone to converse with the only male member of their group.

"Mind's wandering is all." Logan deflected with a shrug, his eyes gazing over their prospective classmates. "I've never been in a city this big before, and I've spent more time around Grimm than anyone else in this entire Academy."

Watts taught him that the best cover stories are the ones filled with a balance of honesty and deception. There was no way Logan could hide his distinct knowledge of Grimm, so he turned it into an advantage to be utilized.

"Even the teachers?" Thalia replied with a crooked eyebrow, crossing her arms and shifting her weight on one leg as she leaned against the marble wall next to Logan.

"Most Huntsmen only venture into the Frontier when there's a mission."

And they weren't there when a Grimm was spawned from those tar-like pools.

"Most people aren't stupid enough to live out on the Frontier." Thalia contended with a smile. "They don't put out warning signs against that kind of stupidity. Usually, common sense handles that sort of thing."

"Or death." The Frontier was an unforgiving land. Settlements and small villages that forayed into the unknown in search of a life outside the kingdoms rose and fell like the tide.

It may be the land of opportunity to some, but it bordered the ever-expanding Grimmlands, and nothing could survive that inhospitable landscape.

"How long did you live on the Frontier?" Thalia hesitantly ventured out. "Six…Seven years maybe? It couldn't have been more than eight, right?"

Logan just stared at her for a few brief moments before offering a reply that completely floored Thalia. "All my life."

"…What?" The Mistralian sputtered out in disbelief. "You're kidding me."

"Being the apprentice of Hazel Reinhart doesn't come without a few sacrifices." The Hybrid replied. "And there's no greater place to learn how to kill Grimm than the Frontier."

"Why come to Beacon then?" A chortle of amusement graced Thalia's ears, and she found the barest smile cross his calm visage.

"Because they train the best."

And when the time came, Logan would know how to kill the best.

"Damn right they do." An arm snaked around his neck and dragged him down to Katarina's height as she and Artemis joined their conversation. "And we're gonna be the most kickass Huntsmen to ever grace this gods-forsaken planet, mark my words."

"Consider them marked," Artemis drawled out. "So when you fail initiation, I will lord it over you until your dying day."

Katarina pursed her lips into a frown that promised violent retribution, but a swell of applause and commotion drew their undivided attention. A tall man leaning heavily on his cane and sporting a noticeable limp walked onto the stage to thunderous applause. He smiled warmly at the swarm of initiates and waited for the clamor to settle down.

The Parasite finally revealed himself.

"Good evening." Logan felt his Grimm blood broil and bristle with rage as he stared into Ozpin's eyes. "And welcome to Beacon Academy…."

"Where else would we be?" Artemis quipped under her breath to her twin's amusement.

"…As most of you know, a great tragedy befell this institution that robbed us of many students." A hushed murmur fell over the initiates. "To that end, you will be joined by teams from last year's initiation. They will welcome you with open arms, and together all of you will forge a new future for Remnant to prosper…."

"Interesting way to gloss over losing a hundred students," Thalia remarked as the Parasite continued his speech.

"Not exactly an easy subject, but at least he's not completely ignoring it." Korr replied, bumping shoulders with the brown-haired twin.

"Oh yeah, I can't wait to write that in my obituary." Artemis quipped with air marks. "'The Headmaster referenced my sacrifice.' I'm sure mom and dad would love to read that shit."

Logan recognized they were only fooling about to liven things up, but he couldn't help the narrowed glimpse in his eyes.

If only they truly knew how meaningless that sacrifice truly is.

"…tonight, you will stay inside a room of your choosing. Tomorrow the initiation begins. Good luck to you all."

Katarina felt the thunderous roar explode from the gathered students, sweeping up the twins in a deafening surge of applause. Everyone partook in praising the Headmaster for his speech and his status, and he accepted the adulation with an honest smile.

Everyone except Logan.

Who just stared at Ozpin with an impassive gaze.

It stayed like that for the rest of the night, even after the four passed initiation with flying colors.

Whenever Logan came within eyesight of Ozpin, there wasn't a single ounce of emotion in his eyes.

He put on a reassuring smile, but his eyes burned with a fire that she could not ignore. Katarina could only silently wonder what was going on in Logan's head as Ozpin announced her new team.

"Logan Griseus, Katarina Rosek. Artemis Vanlith, and Thalia Vanlith." Ozpin appraised each initiate with a warm smile as the four ascended the stage. "You four secured the black Kings and shall be henceforth known as team GRAniTe. With Logan Griseus as your leader."

"Congratulations, young man. We will be expecting more of you from now on." Ozpin reached out a hand and firmly shook Logan's hand.

"I will not disappoint you, Headmaster."

A thousand miles away in the darkness of Evernight Castle, the Queen of the Grimm watched on with a poisonous smile. Her fingers ghosted over the chessboard next to her throne and firmly grasped the Black pawn, replacing a white pawn across the board.

The game had begun, and Salem made the first move.

"Your turn, Ozma."


Character inspirations for Team Granite.

Artemis Vanlith – Vanessa (King of Fighters) Scarlet red hair.

Thalia Vanlith – Vanessa (King of Fighters) Auburn red hair.

Katarina Rosek – Katarina Alves (Tekken)