Hero. That was the word that huntsmen and huntresses often found themselves being called. After they saved a village or an unsuspecting child or helped put out a simple fire - it was always there. That word never failed to remind them of all that was to come.

"You're a hero."

If only they knew what that meant.

When Pyrrha Nikos enrolled in Beacon, she wasn't a hero. Not yet.

She was undeniably a formidable warrior. Not a single opponent could best her in the arena, she was at the top of her class, and she had found herself in a world of fame because of it. To the world, she had proven herself as invincible. Untouchable.

(To enemies, that was a challenge. To Ozpin, it was an opportunity.)

But the world wasn't so kind as to let such a bright life go by unbothered by its horrors. No, the world fought against her day after day after day. But every day, she woke up and won.

(Until she didn't.)

From a young age, Pyrrha had felt distanced from the world around her. Some would blame it on her fame and life constantly in the spotlight. But she knew that wasn't the case. Life would be much easier if it was.

No, from the moment Pyrrha had laid her hand on a weapon and bested her first foe, she had felt something inside her click. As she grasped her spear and extended a hand to her opponent, the cheers of the crowd filling her ears, she felt something in her chest akin to what she could only describe as destiny.

Pyrrha didn't know if she believed in destiny. Not yet. But something about her felt different. She felt...finite. So from that moment forward, she lived her life like it was on a timer. Sometimes, she swore she could hear her time ticking away. The clock grew louder as the years went by and she applied for Beacon.

When Pyrrha received her acceptance letter to Beacon, a rush of cold went over her. Somehow, in a way she could never be able to explain, this felt like an ending. The beginning of an end. This letter felt like a death sentence.

But it felt right.

So she signed her life away with a smile on her face.

Months later, Team JNPR was formed. They quickly became a family with an unbreakable bond. Pyrrha adored her teammates. Nora with her energy and contagious joy, Ren and his quiet sarcasm and soft smiles, Jaune with his awkward grins and questionable combat clothing choices. She loved them with everything in her. (Of which there was so much, yet so little left.)

She entered Ozpin's office and was told a fairy tale. She left Ozpin's office feeling as if she had aged several years, as if her mind had finally realized that time was running out faster than it had thought. She left Ozpin's office with a choice.

From that moment forward, Pyrrha cherished every moment with her team and sister team. She hugged them tighter, kissed their cheeks more, and loved them with everything in her. And as it so often does, time quickly ran out. The Vytal Tournament came and with it Cinder

Fall. It was when she lost the Maiden powers that Pyrrha knew she wasn't going to live past sunrise. It was only a matter of time; of which she had very little left.

In the end, she convinced herself that she was ready. That she had known from the beginning what being a hero meant. But they never think it'll end like this. They always pray for a miracle that will never arrive.

Her entire life, Pyrrha had felt like she was holding her breath.

"Do you believe in destiny?"

"Yes."

A sharp pain found its home in her heart. She could feel herself slipping away.

She exhaled.

And Pyrrha Nikos was a hero.

There was an unspoken difference between Huntsmen and Huntresses and heroes. Being a Huntsman or Huntress was a job. Being a hero was a choice. Though some would call it destiny.

Jaune didn't know what to make of it. To be honest, he still couldn't believe that he actually got this far. A few months ago (though it seemed like a lifetime,) he had left the life he lived behind with nothing but a suitcase filled with ancient armor and an heirloom sword in his hand. Because he simply dared to dream of something more. The universe delivered in its own twisted way. And Jaune discovered that it is in the moments where we yearn to be something greater that we discover who we are meant to be. It's in those moments that we discover ourselves and our destiny.

And one way or another, Jaune was destined to be a warrior. A Huntsman.

A hero? Well, destiny hadn't decided just yet.

The Rose name had two heroes to claim - Summer and Ruby Rose. Mother and daughter. Sacrifice and savior.

Ruby had lived most of her life without her mother's presence. But every time she was brought up, the same word followed her like a ghost. Like a curse. 'Hero.'

Summer was a hero. That was true.

Ruby was a hero. She wished she could be anything else.

Because despite the honor and glamour associated with the title, Ruby knew the truth. Because the two heroes Ruby had known in her life, Summer Rose and Pyrrha Nikos, had died horrible deaths.

Silver eyed warriors were heroes. That's what the fairy tales said. And as Ruby would soon come to learn, fairy tales were not ones to lie. The stories Ruby had been told as a girl by her mother, the censored versions, all had these warriors winning the wars and living their happily ever afters. But Ruby knew how their stories ended. She knew how her own would end.

In one way or another, Ruby Rose was a hero. And she would die just like the rest.

Oscar Pine never had a choice. This was what he realized when the voice in his head was suddenly all too real, and when he was informed of his mission that the fate of the entire world rested upon. That was when Oscar Pine began to believe in destiny.

And he fucking hated it.

In all the many books he'd read in his lifetime, Oscar had never seen a story as tragic as his own. Maybe it's because he avoided tragedies, a small part of him sensing what was to come and shielding him from reality until it came knocking on his door. Maybe it was his own personal bias, having to actually live this one.

But he had read about heroes. And in every single one, they didn't get a happy ending. Such was true in the real world, he knew.

He had never wanted to be a hero, let alone a Huntsman. He was content with his life. He was only fourteen years old with so much life left to live.

But the Gods didn't care. Destiny didn't care.

So Oscar Pine was well on his way to become a hero.

Oscar had long ago come to the conclusion that he hated the Gods for putting him in this situation to begin with. Laying there, beaten and bruised in Salem's throne room, he had never resented them more. It had to be nighttime by now. There were no windows, but it had been a while since Hazel had left him alone with his misery.

Alone until now, that is. Oscar opened his eyes from his position laying on the floor at the sound of light footsteps approaching him. The sight that greeted him was an unexpectedly concerned Mercury Black. He flinched away, expecting another beating, but instead was met with a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Kid? Whaddya say we get you out of here?"

The escape from the whale was surprisingly quick. Apparently Mercury had memorized what Salem counted as a sleep schedule in case he ever needed to get out, and when he had heard Oscar's screams, he had declared it as good of a time as ever.

As of now they were hunkered in some outpost in the tundra, waiting for Oscar's aura to recover enough so that they could trek back to Mantle. In an effort to distract the kid, Mercury had told him stories of his time infiltrating Beacon, Ozpin adding additional commentary only Oscar could hear. Mercury didn't seem to mind though. To see the kid smiling and laughing was a far, welcome cry from his state a few hours prior.

Mercury was in the middle of telling of how he, Emerald, and Neo had once pulled a highly elaborate prank on Teams RWBY and JNPR during a particularly dull spot in their plan, when he abruptly stopped. Something close to regret crossed his face.

Oscar looked at him, puzzled. "What's wrong?"

Mercury shook his head. "Sorry, I just...this story has Pyrrha in it." He averted his eyes and gazed out the window, his knee bouncing erratically. After a moment, he looked back to Oscar. "You know who she was, right?"

Oscar nodded. "Yeah. Pyrrha was a hero."

A beat.

"She was. And that was her downfall."

"...What do you mean?"

Mercury's stare was intense. Troubled. Bitter.

"Name one hero who got a happy ending."

Oscar didn't need to answer. He knew he wouldn't be able to.

"You can't. It's a curse."

The next day, when Oscar was reunited with his team, Jaune pulled Mercury aside. He put his hands on his shoulders, his eyes teary.

"I know you've done things in the past that you regret. But you saved my brother. For that, I am forever grateful. You're a-"

Mercury stopped him before he could say it. "Thanks, but I'm not. I don't want to be."

He turned to walk out the door, off to only he knew where. He looked back one last time.

"You shouldn't either."

It was years into the war, years after Pyrrha's demise and the first Fall that they realized: they were warriors, that was true. And perhaps to make it through this all, they had to view life as their most worthy opponent. Life, the gods...it was going to throw everything they had at them to make their lives most difficult. But they had to fight it. Because despite it all, life was a luxury. Life was a gift and a miracle and a triumph like no other. It was far too easily taken away from those who deserved it most. So they fought fate and destiny itself. And they lived despite it all.

They lived. They fought on countless battlefields over the years and with every battle lost strained to keep their hope. There were many reasons to fight for a better future and to live another day. But soon enough, they all came to realize one thing.

What one might call a reason to live is also an excellent reason to die, is it not?

(Such was the vow of a hero.)