Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any related material.
AN: This is my first attempt at writing any kind of fiction, and I have no idea what I am doing.
AN2: Everything is written from the POV of a character, do not assume that something is a concrete fact, or that something is my opinion, simply because a character thinks that way. They are unreliable narrators. And while being an OC-insert, this is not a self-insert.
AN3: With a few exceptions, only the RWBY show will be considered canon for this fanfiction, as I have not read any associated material.
Long summary:
I noticed a lack of RWBY fics which have the protagonist be a genuine, willing villain. I also noticed that there wasn't a single RWBY fic with a Schnee protagonist in which a character doesn't try to "redeem" the Schnee name or company in some way instead of embracing it. So naturally, after being unable to find one, I decided to try and make something myself. A story following a young, ambitious upstart of a politician with a non-existent sense of morality and a bad case of megalomania from our world inserted into Remnant after his unfortunate demise.
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Remnant's Megalomania
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Arc I Chapter 1
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? POV
What am I? A simple question really. However, the answer to that question is much more complicated. Had someone asked me previously, I would have answered that I was a simple if a bit ambitious man looking to carve out his piece of the world. However, that goal was shattered as a bullet shot through my skull. Who would have thought that someone might want to kill me? I thought that was nowhere near relevant enough to attract that kind of attention yet! But regardless, it happened, and now "I" am in a black void with the occasional purple smear. I use the word "I" liberally here, as I am somehow present here even though I don't seem to have a body or brain. For that matter, how am I even thinking without one? Am I simply lucid dreaming? Is this what being in a coma feels like?
No.
Wow, well that's new. A voice in my head.
This is the afterlife. You lack a body because you are simply a soul made manifest.
The afterlife? Wait, so is this some kind of purgatory or what? Are you God? Were the religious folk actually onto something? If that's the case, then I am definitely going to hell.
Purgatory, that's one way to put it. But no, We are not God. We are the collective manifestation of the will of the omniverse. You would be going to hell if you were religious, however, you never were. This would normally mean that your soul would simply disintegrate after a short while in this void.
I see. Well, at least that's better than eternal damnatio-Wait, you said normally. Is there something abnormal about me?
The average soul is only able to survive this void for roughly 3 seconds. The longest record held within this universe was 6 minutes and 51 seconds. Your soul has already lasted 39 minutes and counting, yet is showing no signs of decay. This is unprecedented and will cause issues if your soul isn't passed on.
Wait, this universe? And you mentioned the omniverse before? Are you telling me there are other universes?
Yes, however that is not the point. The point is, that your presence here is an irregularity, and this particular universe isn't fond of irregularities. They must be corrected. And while your soul cannot return to your old world without causing havoc, we can transfer your soul to another universe.
Another universe? What would that even be like? Would I be transferred to another human or what? What if I-
There is no need for you to worry. To ensure that you are both compatible and able to comprehend the universe you will be sent into, we have selected the last universe you were thinking of at your time of death, the world of Remnant.
Wait… Wait wait wait! Do you mean as in, the world that the show RWBY takes place in? The one with a secret war between two immortals? That is real? What am I supposed to do there? Die?
Your path in your new life will be your own. We won't be watching. However, you can at least enjoy one parting gift from us. We have analyzed your psyche and chosen the perfect place for you to be reborn in.
What do you mean by-
And then there was light.
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? POV, 5 years later.
Being reborn and reliving the first years of life is, surprisingly, nowhere near as painful or degrading as one might imagine. I wasn't even fully conscious before my 5th birthday. Thankfully, it seems that my consciousness was unable to manifest properly until then. When it did manifest, I was thankfully in bed with no one around to freak out at the sudden change as I spend an hour going through my new memories. Thanks to that, I was able to take stock of the situation.
I was reborn into the Schnee family. I am William Schnee, the heir to the Schnee Dust Company and older brother of Winter Schnee by a year. Looking into the mirror in my room, I must say that I look essentially like a younger Whitley. There was still no word about Weiss yet, meaning that I can't be sure how far away I am from the fall of beacon, but that doesn't mean I can't start preparing some plans. The very fact that I exist will disrupt canon on a pretty significant level, meaning that whatever the story writers intended to do to save the world from Salem will most likely no longer occur.
Not that I have any issues with disrupting canon. If I were to let canon run its course, the Schnee Dust Company would be ruined, Atlas destroyed, and my inheritance and status along with it. There is only one thing that I can do to keep it, and that is to save the world myself. Now mind you, I am by no means an altruistic person, and I have no interest in Ruby's or Ozma's annoying ideals. If you ask me, the only way to prevail against Salem is by uniting Remnant, so that's what I'll have to achieve. Remnant will be united, but it will be united under me. Regardless of what Ozma may think, a "smaller soul" spouting ideology isn't going to unite the world. Naturally, I am the only one with the knowledge, vision and conviction needed to accomplish that task. And if I want to survive in this world, then Salem must be defeated. Becoming ruler of the world in the process just so happens to align with my goals.
Unfortunately, I have to put my plans of world domination on hold as my sister seems quite determined on dragging me off to play with her. I guess a little bonding between siblings never hurt anybody.
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William Schnee POV, age 8
Mother is pregnant. This is it, the start of the countdown to canon. Still, it's more time to prepare than I expected. Spending the last few years relearning school subjects would have been boring had it been anything like the education from my last world, however here I had access to the best tutors in Remnant. Did I mention that I love being a Schnee?
This world's politics are much simpler than that of Earth. There are only 4 major and 1 minor kingdom in this world and the SDC has its tendrils spread all across it. I was pleasantly surprised to find that anti-monopoly laws do not exist whatsoever in this world, but in retrospect, it shouldn't be too surprising. Only about 3 million people live here after all, and the Schnee dust company seems to be the first historical example of such a massive monopoly. And I must emphasize how massive it is, as I think the show undersells it. The Schnee dust company controls over 80% of the dust business worldwide, with the rest being mostly held by the smaller yet still significant Mistral Trading Company.
Dust, a resource which fulfils the role more important than oil, and a single private corporation own most of it. How the government has yet to take over SDC operations you might ask? It's quite simple really, the SDC also happens to be the single largest government contractor for the Kingdom of Atlas. More than half of the entire population of Mantle is employed by some kind of SDC subsidiary, the SDC helps develop and then produces almost all Atlas military hardware from the toothpaste issued to its soldiers to the massive capital ships that fly overhead. We even operate our own private security forces! It's no wonder that Jacques was so confident that he'd get out of jail.
On the note of my father, he has recently started bringing me to various social events, presumably to introduce me to the world as his heir. It was mostly boring as one might expect, however, it allowed me to get a better look at how the Atlas upper class operates, and the attention was certainly not unwelcome. I could get used to this life, it's infinitely better than being an unsuccessful (and dead) upstart. Jacques was also quite pleased with my performance and I've been granted more privileges than before, and he seems much more pleasant to me than the show portrayed him, and while his lack of presence at home or casual interactions with his children may be considered bad parenting by some, I certainly prefer it. Willow is more than willing to fill in the parenting role, not to mention that the less Winter is attached to him, the better.
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William Schnee POV, age 12
More years have passed and as Weiss' 3rd birthday is approaching something seems to have gone wrong between mother and father. I only overheard them shouting, and mother seems to have had a breakdown about a month back. While unfortunate, this should also mean that Willow has planted her hidden cameras, and keeping those around and recording would be a real pain down the line. This is why I am currently knocking on the door of father's study.
"Come in!" Came a shout from within.
Opening the door, I walk in to see Jacques with a rather pleased expression on his face closing a tab showing some charts on his terminal. He looks younger than in the show, and his hair and moustache are still mostly black, with only his sides whitening.
"Hello, father." I say as I walk towards his desk.
"Ah, it's you. Do you need something? I thought you were having etiquette lessons today." Jacques says as he turns off the terminal with a hand gesture, the hardlight holograph disappearing.
"I did, but those ended a few minutes ago. No father, what I want to talk to you about is very important. I think that someone has placed hidden cameras across the manor!" I say, trying to appear as serious as possible.
"Now what makes you say that, William? That is quite the bold claim don't you think?" He replies, leaning back in his chair as he rests his elbows on the armrests, fingers intertwined.
"I heard mother talking about it to some man! If I am wrong, then you can take away my allowance but please, call someone to check if they're there or not." I say urgently, knowing that I need something to make him look into it, even if it's a lie.
"As you've never lied to me before, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, but know that you're making some serious accusations here. If you're wrong, I will cut off your allowance for a year." He says in a dangerous tone, one I've barely ever heard him use before. Thank the gods that he took me seriously, I am not sure what I would have done had he simply dismissed it. I guess years of good behaviour are useful for something.
"Leave now, I need to contact some people. You better hope that you're right."
"Yes, father." I say as I turn around, barely hiding a smirk. If all goes well, this should make me even more trustworthy in the eyes of Jacques, and reduce Willow's influence even further. All according to plan.
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AN4: I have never written a work of fiction before, so I will appreciate any feedback on the story so that I can improve my writing, and see if anyone is actually interested in this concept.
