The majestic marble face looked straight ahead, a stern expression on its face. Founts shot water into the air from the statue's base, arcing through the air and falling back down into the wide basin, the pure white of ivory. A young woman, also clad in white, stared up at the statue, a solemn look on her face. Her hands were resting atop a rapier's pommel that she had pressed into the ground like a cane.
Weiss Schnee had never met her grandfather. He was dead by the time she was born. She had heard things about him, though. She had read things about him. She greatly respected the man, and the things he did for the world. He put the Schnee name on the map, and if not for him, no one knew where they would be today. In a single generation, that good name was at risk of being irreparably damaged. She was determined to make sure that her grandfather's hard work wouldn't be for nothing. Today was the first step towards making that dream a reality.
"Mistress Weiss, preparations are complete. If you'd follow me?"
She lingered on her grandfather's visage for a moment longer, wishing for his soul, wherever it may be, to stand with her. She turned to face the short, stout, balding man who had addressed her. She nodded in acknowledgement towards the man, prompting him to turn and head into the Schnee Manor itself.
"Do you have faith in me, Klein?"
"Of course, mistress," he said. "I've seen your swordplay, and your skills leave me stunned each and every time."
The pride she felt in Klein's praise was short-lived. She passed a garden, and through the hedges, she noticed a flash of red. A woman was holding up a glass of wine, observing it. It bothered her to see her mother drinking yet again, and it was far too early in the morning for this. As soon as she had passed on disappointment, she came across another.
"Whitley," she said.
Her younger brother was leaning against one of the beams in the hall, a smug grin plastered onto his face and a hand shoved into the pockets of his pants in a vain attempt to look cool.
"Hello, sister," he said, "you're really going through with this? This isn't going to be easy, you know."
"Of course I know! I'm doing it because it's going to be challenging!"
"But it would be so much easier to just go to Atlas Academy. It's basically in our backyard!"
"And in father's backyard, which is exactly why I want to avoid it."
"Have I ever told you how beautiful you are, sister?"
Weiss rolled her eyes. "What are you trying to say?"
He strutted over to her and used his free hand to gingerly stroke his sister's cheek. "It would be a shame if anything happened to this lovely face of yours, don't you think?"
"Now, Master Whitley, appearances aren't everything, you know," Klein said.
"My appearance doesn't matter!" Weiss swatted her brother's hand away. "If it means freedom, let my face be smashed in, if that's what it takes!"
"Be careful what you wish for, dear sister! The Schnee Dust Company can't go and lose its heiress to such a severe accident. Do be careful, will you? Surrendering is always a legitimate strategy if you're ever worried for your safety."
"Go run off to father, why don't you?"
Weiss stalked away from her brother, Klein still at her side. She didn't understand Whitley. He was second in line to the company. The only Schnee son. It wasn't like he was an afterthought. He was important to the family, so where did he get off acting like such a brat? Weiss couldn't remember the last time the two of them actually got along.
Klein led Weiss to a ballroom in the Schnee manor. The wide open room was decorated with beautiful blues and greens scattered throughout the floor tiles. On an elevated stage at the back of the ballroom, her father and older sister stood. They both looked stoic and impassive, but Weiss could've sworn she saw the slightest twinge of resentment in her father's eyes.
She stepped forward and curtsied before the two of them, saying, "Father, sister, it's a pleasure to see the two of you."
"I see you haven't completely forgotten your manners, then," her father's words would've stung once. Not anymore, though. "You're intent on pursuing this childish and selfish dream of yours?"
"I am wholly intent on confirming my enrollment to Beacon Academy, as I've told you. Whatever it is you have in store for me today, I won't run from it."
"Very well," he grumbled. "The moment I decide that you've been defeated, the test is over and you'll be enrolled in Atlas Academy. Is that clear?"
"Yes, father,"
"Klein, release the Grimm!"
Klein bowed to his employer and approached a lever towards the door. He pulled it, and a panel in the room pulled back for an elevator to rise. The elevator was rarely used. Her grandfather had added it at a whim to hide neat little surprises to show off during social functions. Now her father was using it to connect to a Grimm enclosure.
The top of a silver head poked into the room, and then just more and more Grimm followed. By the time the elevator stopped, it was towering over Weiss. She clutched her rapier and gritted her teeth. The Grimm was wearing her grandfather's armor. A mere replica of his armor, but the thought of this hellion invoking her grandfather's image made her blood boil.
She readied Myrtenaster and pushed off her right foot. The moment before she lifted her foot, she placed a Glyph beneath her, using its energy to propel herself forward. Weiss went in for quick strikes, thrusting and then dashing around the Grimm. It swung its massive blade, destroying the floor in places as it made impact. She struck low. She struck high, using her Glyphs to facilitate her aerial attacks. It was too slow to hit her as she skirted back and forth, twirling and leaping to evade its attacks, almost as if she was dancing.
Looking at the Grimm, she saw that she had barely made any headway. Its armor was nicked in places, but she couldn't have done much damage to it.
Weiss put distance between herself and the Grimm, and waved Myrtenaster towards it. Several Glyphs appeared behind her, shooting icicles at the Grimm's limbs. As they collided, it would be frozen in place, then break free just as suddenly.
It swung with its sword, and Weiss leapt over it, landing on a midair Glyph. Then she felt a flash of cold and intense, screaming pain. She landed on the ground in a heap. On the moment of impact, she felt her Aura flicker. She knew that Aura wasn't a perfect shield, but she didn't think it would nearly break in just a single strike. Just how strong was this Grimm her father had tamed? Was it even tame?
"It seems you've met your match, then," said her father, "Klein-"
"Wait, father," said Weiss's older sister, "it isn't over yet."
Weiss staggered to her feet, warm, wet blood streaking down the left side of her face. With her Aura nearly gone, if she were to take another hit, it would be over for her. Even if she could still stand, she wouldn't have her Glyphs. She had to finish this, and soon. The ice had almost worked. It was just too weak. To make it stronger…
She spun the cylinder resting in the hilt of Myrtenaster until a cartridge of ice Dust was in the barrel. Weiss took a deep breath, and steeled herself for what would come next. It had to be nearly perfect. She couldn't miss a beat, or her entire plan risked falling apart.
"Eins…" Weiss whispered to herself.
She cocked Mytrenaster's hammer and launched herself forward with a Glyph. She pulled the trigger and swung at the Grimm's feet, partially freezing it as the Dust shot through her rapier's Dust exhaust port.
"Zwei…"
She did a flourish with Myrtenaster, summoning more Glyphs behind her, shooting more icicles to reinforce the ice encasing the Grimm's feet. It didn't break free right away. Weiss spun the cylinder, stopping with a cartridge of fire Dust loaded and cocked the hammer.
"Drei…"
She launched herself into the air with a Glyph, aiming herself at the hand the Grimm held its sword with. She pulled the trigger right before impact, setting its wrist ablaze.
"Vier…"
She landed as the sword crashed next to her on the ground. She cocked the hammer again and pulled the trigger as she swung, melting the ice she had just encased the Grimm in. As soon as the Grimm was free, she leapt back.
"Fünf…"
She gestured with her fingers, thrusting them upwards. A large Glyph appeared below the Grimm and launched it into the air.
"Sechs…"
With a twirl and a flourish of her blade, a series of smaller Glyphs appeared behind Weiss. Streaks of light blue light shot forth, striking each of the Grimm's limbs and piercing it through the center. The Glyphs held the Grimm in midair as it struggled helplessly.
"Und…"
Weiss created another Glyph, launching herself into the air. When she was in position, she created one final Glyph, aiming herself right at the Grimm's head. As she did, she felt her Aura fading away. Between that hit from earlier and all of the Glyphs, she had overexerted herself.
"Sieben."
She launched herself down, Myrtenaster extended, the point of the blade going right through the window in the armor's helmet. She landed on the ground with less grace than she would've liked, and the armor came crashing down behind her, helmet first. Wisps of black smoke bled out of the various pieces of armor.
Weiss steadied herself and faced her father, a triumphant smile on her face. "Was that to your liking, father?
No response, just anger plain on her father's face.
"Father?" Asked her sister.
"Very well!" He started marching towards the door. "Go and enroll!" He stopped right before the door and looked back. "I expect to hear nothing but good things about you out of that school, you hear me?!"
"I will not disappoint," Weiss told him.
Klein opened the door for her father and the two of them exited. The sound of her sister's boots clacking against the steps drew her attention.
"You did very well, Weiss. Although…" She took a handkerchief out of the pocket of her coat and began dabbing the blood from Weiss's face. "I think you could probably work a bit on your evasion. You couldn't see a giant metal fist flying towards your face?"
"At that speed? And its size? I wouldn't have been able to get out of the way even if I tried."
"Just keep up the good work. I'm looking forward to hearing good things out of you from Beacon. I have no doubt you'll do fantastically. Now, I have to go. I don't want to keep His Highness waiting for too long," she said.
Weiss's spirits only soared higher hearing her sister's praise. The handkerchief had been left with her, and she kept it pressed to her face. Her mind was buzzing with all of the possibilities that a life so far away from home could present. Now, after she got herself cleaned up, she'd have to see what things she'd have to bring with her. She'd be awfully far away for a long time, after all.
