Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

What if I try to make Whitley powerful?

A.K.A finding more use of the Schnee Glyphs.

Lonely is the White

For as long as he could remember, he was alone.

Whitley Schnee knew that his family isn't exactly a good one. Much less a regular one at that. He had an apathetic father who only cares about the Schnee name and business, prioritizing profit over everything else. If it weren't for the fact that he does have emotions, Whitley would have expected him for a robot. Unfortunately, those emotions are either disdain for anyone that is not a Schnee, or anger at the White Fang for trying to ruin his business. He doesn't even seem to smile – at most it's a sneer.

Then, his so-called "mother". He says that because he doesn't even remember the last time he took care of her children, much less herself. Too busy drowning herself in alcohol, she neglected her own children over her own self-pity and regret. He only ever saw her two ways; drunk and swaying all over the place, or asleep somewhere in the manor.

And finally, his two older sisters; Winter Schnee, and Weiss Schnee. He wasn't sure what to think about them. Ever since he came out of the womb it would seem that his sisters hated him. If he tried to make conversation with either one, the other will come to take them away. And if they happen to be alone, they just ignore him, and so he gave up trying to talk to them. It's not worth the effort.

His sister Winter made it clear that she disliked this family barring Weiss. She even joined the military, led by General James Ironwood – who is also the headmaster of Atlas Academy – to prove it. That was the first time that he had seen his father really mad about something that didn't involve money, reputation, and prestige. So mad in fact, that he had rebuked her as heiress to the SDC and passed it on to Weiss.

And speaking of Weiss… she did the same thing as Winter, only, instead of joining the military and being a soldier, she went on to become a Huntress. And unlike last time which was a fight, his father Jacques actually agreed. Hired tutors alongside the current ones to teach her combat. Now she was busier than ever. He guessed that his father may use Weiss as an opportunity to make more connections and get even more prestige. Unfortunately, that plan blew up when Weiss enrolled in Beacon Academy instead of Atlas. Jacques was furious. His father tried to stop her – even used an Arma Gigas for it. But ultimately, she won and went on to Beacon Academy led by Headmaster Ozpin.

Now, Whitley thought that since Winter left and the heiress became Weiss… now that Weiss left, it was his turn! But no. It didn't, nothing changed. Weiss was still the heiress to the SDC and that made Whitley very confused.

Why? Why did she get to keep it? Doesn't his father know that the responsibilities of a huntress and a CEO are two very different but still very stressful and difficult things? Instead of going to galas and parties to make connections with other families, she was training to use a weapon. Instead of studying under tutors to learn the best methods to run a business, she was off studying Grimm Anatomy and their weaknesses.

Not to mention that Weiss can't expect to just do one thing – that being a huntress – and get the other – being an heiress to a multi-million lien conglomerate. They are two very different things! Both requiring full dedication and responsibility! His father even disregarded the fact that being a Huntress is a very dangerous job with a low mortality rate. Most Huntsmen don't live past 50 and those that do are clearly not emotionally stable enough. Whitley would know, it's one of the things he was tutored on. The amount of trauma that Huntsmen go through is one of the worst things that could happen to a living being according to psychologists. What would happen when during a business meeting, Weiss receives a mission and went off and left, abandoning potential deals and trades? And what would happen when Weiss did go off on a mission, then never came back? The repercussions of it… the boy shuddered in fear to think of the aftermath of the situation.

It was clear that she also hated her family apart from her older sister Winter. It's part of the reason why she went to Beacon instead of Atlas, but it's not like she expects that once she graduates, she can come back here and magically fix the SDC's reputation, right? It's not as if being a Huntress will suddenly clear the negative reputation the SDC has against the people – both human and faunus alike, right?

He thought that he would be better suited to lead the SDC, but apparently not. Even though Weiss prioritizes being a Huntress, saving people's lives… which is admirable, but when you're actually leading a multi-billion-lien business that spans globally, affecting most – if not all of the people's lives in Remnant, then…

Still, he loved his family, it was the only one he had. He loved them.

Loved.

Not anymore though, not until that day…

…

A younger Whitley was seen walking around the hallways of the Schnee Manor. Yet another day he was awake, another day he was alone. But it had some perks. No supervision means he gets to do whatever he wants! And right now; that is exploring. He may have lived here all his admittedly, very short life, but even he hasn't checked all of the manor and its rooms.

Being a neglected child had its benefits; so long as you didn't do anything too drastic, you can do whatever you want. And right now, he's entering the library. Since there's not much to do in his life, he became a very curious child. One can only repeat a lifestyle of waking up, eating breakfast, getting tutored, and going to sleep only to repeat it the next day before you're bored out of your mind.

As he looked at the books on the shelves, he grabbed one from its clutches. It was a book, a very old one with the Schnee Symbol on it. Now, Whitley had read plenty of books, one of the detriments of being a Schnee – you must live up to its standards. That's why from a young age, he had been taught. From business to politics and manipulation, anything that would help the business. Tutors hired by his father would drill knowledge into him about how there's your family is the only one that matters, everyone else is inconsequential.

But there was something about this book that sparked a child-like curiosity in him – a curiosity he thought was long gone. The book didn't look like anything special. Literally, it was a book that only had the Schnee Glyph symbol on it and nothing else. However, Whitley felt that this book was special. And just as he was about to open it…

CREAK

One of the shelf's supporters cracked and a bookshelf fell upon him-

CRASH

-and all he saw was darkness.

…

Whitley woke up with a cry of pain.

What happened? The last thing he remembered was opening a book with his family's symbol and a creak of wood. He tried to move but—

"AGH!"

Pain. It hurts. He tried to lift the shelf but he was too weak to do so.

It hurts so much.

PainPainPainPainPainPainSomeonehelpmepleasesomeonehelpmeithurtsithurtsithurts—

He tried to call for help.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

No one.

"Hello?! Someone, please answer!"

No one answered.

"Please! Someone, help me!"

He tried again.

No one.

"Is there anyone?!"

Silence.

Again.

"Mother?! Father?!"

None.

"Sisters?!"

No one answered.

"Mom… Dad… Please…" He cried.

Still, no one came.

.

.

.

.

.

How long had he been here? Judging by the moonlight shining through the windows, and since he came here late noon… a few hours? And no one decided to look for him?

What exactly is his place in this family?

He looked through his memories and found… none.

No proof that he ever belonged here. Not a single smile, hug, or compliment since he was born. Just scowls, indifference, and lesson plans.

At that moment Whitley realized…

No one loved him, he was alone.

And at the same time… He glowed white.

Glyphs came everywhere and surrounded him, getting rid of debris and his aura – now unlocked and awakened – stopped his wounds.

He stood up shakily and put an arm on a shelf to lean on. He looked up at the moon, eyes empty, but with conviction.

"They don't care about me… How… unfortunate.

But I'm nothing, all I have is myself and…"

He looked down and saw the book earlier, now opened. He grabbed it and saw the words "Grimoire of Glyphs" as a title. That's strange, wasn't that a book that was lost decades ago? His grandfather admitted it on his will. To think that it was in the library, and it wasn't even that hidden. Did no one bother to find it? Well, whatever the case, it's his now. He looked at the page and saw a table of contents – all filled with information on the utilization of the glyphs.

On that day, he vowed to never be lonely again.

He vowed to be free.

…

From then on the boy became reclused. He would give up trying to make small talk with his family – not that they ever responded – and only ever answers with one word. Always trying to finish first and immediately leave when it comes to anything: studying, eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He would stay stuck in his room for hours reading the grimoire, studying and learning all about his family semblance and its powers.

All its applications from day-to-day life to combat, techniques and moves he never would have thought of, the entries of members of the Schnee line putting their moves in there, where they got it, the best way to use it, and the situations that made them come up with it in the first place – it has almost everything! Seeing this, Whitley became curious and excited, could he come up with something like this? Can he contribute and write his own repertoire here someday? Just thinking about it puts a smile on his face.

Things like combining the forms of your summons, using glyphs to enhance your attacks – even applying the characteristics of your summons to yourself! For example, you could have the vitality of a Goliath – a grimm that's very difficult to kill, requiring a full team instead of one. The strength of a Beringel, which could punch someone's aura into the red with one hit, you could even summon parts of your summons like using a carapace of a Deathstalker as a shield! So many notes, so many ideas…

…

Weiss knew that she would be having a bad day.

It started in the morning when she woke up sore. Her team had been training harder than usual in preparation for the Vytal Festival, then came breakfast. Her favorite meal had just run out before she even had a chance to order it! Add to that the difficulty of trying to keep up with Professors Port and Oobleck (Doctor!) then you have a very tired Weiss Schnee.

She knew she would be splurging on lunch today. She ordered the most delicious meals of each variety – her diet be damned – and took a seat. Just as she was about to take a bite…

She received a notification from her scroll.

Huh? That was weird. It was a message from Winter. But her sister's form of communication towards her were letters, was something bad happening? Did something go wrong? What event could warrant her to do this? The heiress stopped her attempts at eating and opened the message.

-Check the news, Weiss.

The news? She wonders why. Another White Fang robbery? No, there have been multiple robberies involving them and not once did she receive a message from her sister. What event could have made her dear sister message her via scroll instead of letters? She tapped the news app on her scroll to see…

"What?!" she cried out, much to the shock of her teammates.

There, on the screen, was a press meeting involving his father and… Whitley? Then on the bottom was the title of the news "Weiss Schnee to be replaced by new heir?"

"What is the meaning of this?" the huntress-in-training questioned. How could she lose her title as an heiress? And was that Whitley? When was the last time she saw him? Most probably years ago – he didn't even come when she was leaving Atlas to go to Vale and enter Beacon.

Also, he looked… different.

He was wearing a white three-piece suit and had short, spiked hair. Not only that, he was taller. The last she remembered of him, he was quite short. When did he grow so tall? And it's not only in physical appearance, he appeared… confident. More sure of himself, like he knows his place in the world, and he knows he's very high up in it.

"Woah, he looks like you, Weiss!" Weiss' partner, Ruby exclaimed.

"He's my brat of a little brother," Weiss spat.

"Little? Are you sure Weiss? He looks taller than you," Yang whistled, much to the heiress' chagrin.

Blake didn't say anything and went on to read and eat her food.

The conference went as she would have expected. Her father dodging questions about the faunus mining conditions, him promoting the SDC and trying to convince the people to buy more, just as she would expect from her slimy, greasy, poor excuse of a father.

And then came the moment she was waiting for; her father calling Whitley to come up to the podium and answer questions. But before that happened…

The glass windows shattered, and a smoke bomb was set off. Multiple people in black and white clothing with grimm masks on entered the building.

A White Fang attack!

The people screamed. There was panic and running everywhere, the guards were pinned down by multiple faunus, and shots were fired. The people were kept hostage. Jacques himself was surrounded by multiple terrorists but Whitley was nowhere to be seen.

It looked like everything is going wrong until—

Suddenly, before the terrorists even noticed, a white figure descended upon them. The figure looked to have a white double-breasted trench coat with black lapels that is fastened by four buttons on either side and which has a badge with a six-pointed cross on its left breast. He has a black belt with a large buckle around his waist, slightly baggy white pants, and white boots with furry black liners (1), a white visor with a blue line for its eyes, and multiple glyphs rotating around him.

The Fang terrorists looked wary.

"What is that?" one of them asked.

"Doesn't matter, we're here to attack; so, attack!" the one who seemed to be the leader ordered and the others followed.

"Die, human!" the first one to reach the figure attacked.

The figure dodged at the last second and countered with an uppercut that sent his opponent flying right back into the group. Before they could even react to what happened, the figure immediately charged and struck them.

What happened next was a mix of a beatdown and a dance. Every single attack the White Fang did, the white figure expected and countered. He was graceful and didn't even look to be trying, every single counter he made had a purpose in throwing them off. Each and every time an attack would connect, the glyphs would light up and had a different effect on his enemies.

Wait…

Glyphs?! Weiss' eyes widened in surprise. But that's impossible! She and her sister weren't there! Her father wasn't even an actual Schnee – just married into the family – so there's no way he'd have done it. And as far as she could remember, Whitley wasn't much of a fighter. But it was definitely glyphs, and not just any glyphs, it's her family's glyphs!

However, the figure's looked different from hers. It was symbols she'd never seen before – not even from Winter! Every glyph she'd seen from him had a different effect on the White Fang terrorists: some seemed to have slowed their movement – a gravity increase effect? -, some had increased the force and push of his attacks to his opponents, he even made a glyph summoning an Arma Gigas' sword and used it as a weapon!

So, who is it? Was it an illegitimate family member? Did her father cheat on—no, that would be preposterous. Jacques Schnee didn't seem to be the type to care for anyone but himself. She's sure he wouldn't even sleep with anyone if he could, and that he only had Winter, her, and Whitley for backup in case something went wrong with the SDC.

Her eyes went back to the fight – that was less of a fight and more of a beatdown. The figure didn't even look winded in the slightest, while the Fang was dead-tired and covered in bruises.

"Are you all done?" the figure questioned them.

"Damn… you," said the last one of the terrorists before he fell over, exhausted.

"I see."

The figure walked away in the midst of chaos.

That was the last thing Weiss saw before the cameras cut off.

What? No! Weiss exclaimed in her thoughts. She had to know who that man is! Maybe she'll ask her sister about it in her letters?

Finally, after a few moments, the Atlas authorities have arrived. Multiple Atlesian Knights and droids patrolled the area, soldiers came rushing in the building and helping the people inside and at the forefront: General James Ironwood and Specialist Winter Schnee.

Jacques came running to them and yelled. "What took you so long, General!"

"My apologies, Mr. Schnee, there was a faux-attack on one of our more integral bases and we were too late in realizing that it was a fake and a distraction." Ironwood explained as he looked around the room and examined the situation. Seeing the White Fang getting apprehended and the people getting tended to, he nodded in satisfaction.

"Too late?! Of course it was too late! If it weren't for that criminal that you spent so many resources on with nothing to show for it interfering, worse things would have happened! Speaking of that criminal, why have you still not caught him yet?!" Jacques seethed. Why do they have to spend so much money to fund the military if they're not even doing anything that could be considered useful?

"Albion? He was here, general?" Winter asked the man, She had been trying to find and apprehend him for quite some time now, trying to figure out who he is. It was the first time she had seen someone outside of her family using glyphs like her – better than her as well!

"It would appear so," Ironwood mused.

The two soldiers of Atlas kept debriefing the CEO, and after they were done, they left. And during this time Whitley came back from hiding from the terrorists.

"Father, are you okay?" Whitley questioned.

"Hmm? Oh—yes, I am quite alright. Now let's go home, I do not want to risk another attack from these miscreants," the CEO of the SDC sneered at the apprehended faunus.

"What about the conference?"

"Another day, perhaps, Whitley."

The screen faded to black with them walking away from the building.

A/N: Boy this was difficult to write, I literally couldn't come up with anything.

Anyway, this is one of the few that I had brewing in my head for a bit of time now. Finding more use in the glyphs even though I have no idea how it works. I was under the impression that as long as it's in a glyph, it can do anything, like some kind of programming language but with symbols and glyphs instead of coding.

1 – His outfit is Toshiro Hikigaya's Quincy outfit.