Author's Note
My profile says the same but I'll repeat myself here for transparency; I am a frequent reader of fanfiction and a D&D player/Dungeon Master as such though I think I can come up with decent plot-lines I've never done so in correct formatting for fiction. I hope to improve myself a little over the course of indulging in a self-insert, the greatest sub-genre. And tips, suggestions or plot ideas will be graciously accepted as I am novice or below in skill level. I'm aiming for short chapters, at least 2000 words. That being said if you too enjoy gratuitous self-insert fiction feel free to follow along for the ride!
Chapter One - Prologue
Rebirth isn't something I have ever actually considered to be real, religion as a whole to be honest had fallen under that bracket. Years of questioning why bad things happen or even indeed good things had long ago led me to conclude that no higher power sits in judgement of our actions. It was up to us to police our own morals.
As such it was rather a surprise when I opened my eyes after certain death.
I don't remember much of my previous life; A few scattered memories, jokes shared with friends and a recollection of an old web drama. I know there was something before this, but nothing sticks. As my mind became sharper I hear words form and for the first time notice I am not alone anymore, "Welcome to Remnant, little Slate." Remnant. With a single word, my mind explodes in pain and I am reminded of a show I adore. A world of monsters and heroes, and a terrible future; Depending of course on where the hell I am.
I open my eyes again and allow the image to come into focus once more; A man and woman are looking down at me and smiling… I'm definitely far smaller than I remember but the distinct smell of disinfectant means I am at least in hospital, I try to sit up but overall achieve nothing. The pair smiled and the woman laughs at me. "Look he's already springing to action," she says patting my head as I fall back to the bed once more. "He clearly follows in your footsteps, a fighter," she smiles again, "I can tell." A low chuckle in response draws my eyes to the man by her side as he wraps an arm around her, "You know I think you're right, I see another Hunter coming into the Hightower family." I'd probably be swearing right now if more than gargles would form in my mouth… But thinking about it, regardless of where the plot is right now fighting skills will be incredibly useful. I try to plan more but darkness seeps into my vision, and I fall back to sleep.
The second time I wake up the room is silent, and I've apparently been left alone. Excellent. I look around, my head seems to be lolling around far more than it ought to be. I feel drunk. Come on you stupid- Ah. There we go, my head is looking down at the rest of me. Looking at your own body and seeing is visually different is incredibly weird, especially as my limbs don't appear to be responding to me. I kick out a leg… Progress. I think I'll be leaving that for now.
The room I'm in seems to be a stereotypical hospital; white walls, white bed, neat little holographic tele- Holograms. The television seems to be some kind of hologram, that fact alone is enough to bring a smile to my metaphorical face. I'm pretty sure I was, or indeed am, a sci-fi nerd. It's set to a symbol I kind of recognise… Vale's if I'm not mistaken. Probably an ident for the off function. Enough distraction, I should probably get to planning.
The majority of my childhood wasn't truly memorable, but I made the most of it. Children's brains soak up information and skills like sponges so I decided to try and do as much book learning as I could, knowledge is power and without that, I am so fucking dead come plot start. Another collection of memories came flooding back to me when I looked at a desktop scroll, turns out I rather enjoy computers and coding. Remnant seems to use a unique coding language but a lot of the rules are the same. A bit like most European languages. I think I'll probably end up ripping off a tech company from other Me's world. Plagiarism is okay as long as the source material is in another universe.
My family are lovely, June and Orion Hightower are amazing people but it took me longer than it should have to connect with them properly. My Dad has grey hair and brown eyes, broad shoulders and is rarely seen out of semi-formal attire which apparently doubles as his Huntsman attire; This is made up of smart black trousers and shoes, grey waistcoat and a black mid-thigh overcoat. I've never actually seen his weapon though. Mum is a golden blonde-haired woman with blue eyes, she's quite petite compared to Dad but as I am pretty much the same height as her at the moment I can't really crack jokes just yet. She tends to live in knee-length dresses or pyjamas, I can't really blame her. Pyjamas are comfy. I myself have hair and eyes like Dad and a fairly healthy if lithe build. I apparently am not allowed to train properly yet so I imagine that'll change.
Initially, it was hard to relate to them as a family as I kept getting flashes of the originals pop up. We worked through it and now I can truly say I love Mum and Dad with all my heart. Mum and I spent my younger years baking and playing, interspersed with similar memories where Dad joined us; He is a Hunter and so spends a fair amount of time away… Every time he steps out our door I feel so afraid that it'll be the last time I see him, eventually, I grew brave enough to tell him how I felt and he smiled down at me and held out his pocket watch. Inside was- Is, a picture of Mum and me. "You and your Mum are always with me Slate, I'll always make my way home when I carry you both with me." I was… I'd say touched but the gross tears I unleashed in response were way above that. With a hug and a kiss, he left, and I haven't complained since.
To oppose this happy memory let's counter it with a discussion on my name. Turns out the great war has happened as the colour-based naming schemes are in effect, I have been named for my slate grey hair. Oh well. It's about as imaginative as Emerald or Jaune but it's mine. I used to be pretty embarrassed about it but by the time I was four and realised everyone has a name just like mine the embarrassment faded. As for our family name; It turns out the Hightowers are lesser Vale nobility (Interestingly enough alongside the Arcs), which doesn't mean a whole lot these days but meant a hell of a lot more while the Kingdom of Vale was ruled by royalty. We live in a small village called Ochreton, a day's flight from Vale proper. The village was founded as part of an expansion by an early dust excavation company and proved a valuable source of fire dust until it dried up. Nowadays it's essentially just a small town but the defences remain and keep it a relatively safe haven Grimm-wise. The town guard deals with any that make it through.
The children of the village, myself included, attend school starting at age four and remain in education until they are twelve. From there they get to choose where they specialise. You get two guesses where I plan on going.
I'm probably forgetting a fair amount but when it comes to one's inner monologue bringing details to the front can be hard. To sum up: My life was pretty good, I enjoy coding, research the hell out of everything I can skill wise and school exists. Oh, and the Grimm are terrifying and I want Dad here right now.
Sprinting through the woods is a lot harder than I remember but at least the life flashing before your eyes thing is real. "This is so not okay!" I yell out, stumbling over roots and undergrowth again as I risk a quick look back. Nope, it's still there. A hulking black ball of fur that would probably have got me already if our Huntsman escort hadn't taken off one of its legs before turning to the rest of the pack. I won't lie, I panicked the moment I saw them and broke away from the group; Don't split the party. A slight twinge of pain runs through my head but frankly, I've got bigger problems right now.
I feel weightless for a second, blinking I look up. It appears I've been hit hard enough to soar into a tree, my running plan isn't working. Quickly I scramble to my feet and turn to face the Beowolf before me, it's… Fucking terrifying. Nine feet of muscle, a cut-up leg and a ton of teeth. Honestly, though the eyes are what scare me the most. Glowing red and leaving a wispy trail of the same colour in their wake. For a moment I consider giving in, but given the city of Vale still stands I know there's good I could do. If I survive. If I live to tell someone who matters. I've made plans and very few of them involve death by wolf, I know what comes next in the grand scheme of Remnant which means the future is mine to command.
As a clawed paw streaks towards me I no longer feel fear, instead, I feel right. The claw bounces of a shield of grey that rises up in response, and I go flying through the air again and I'm pretty sure one or two trees… This time I am far quicker to rise to my feet. I will not die today but neither do I have to kill it, I just need to buy time for our escort to finish off the rest and get to me. "Right… Easy peasy." My clever and witty line does nothing and the beowolf only growls in response, this time though as I focus though it's image flickers and several more overlay themselves in front. A mirage of a claw swinging ahead of the originals. I duck down and left and it flies harmlessly overhead, it seems confused, annoyed and just a little angry. I'm probably reading too much into it but frankly, I think it may be the adrenaline making me just a little crazy. This time the wolf moves too fast, and this mirage is only useful to provide an early warning to the jaws closing around my left shoulder as it slams me to the ground. My pained screams accompanied by the sound of shattering glass as my new and apparently tiny aura reserves run out only seem to egg the beast on as it moves to add a matching wound for the other shoulder, but before I can see any more the world around me fades to darkness and I know no more.
Waking up in a hospital for the second time in my life I get a brief flash of another Me's trips. I think I was in them a few times. Far less serious than this though. I get a few moments to look around the room before I'm pounced on. "Oh, thank God you're awake! The doctor said you'd be fine but I was so worried! How are you feeling? Are you tired? Are you hungry?" I went to answer each question as it arose but kept being cut off as new questions popped up. "And why would you run off?!" She exclaims as she slaps the side of my good arm. "Ow! Er, technically I was…" I instantly fell to snark but a quick look in Mum's eyes showed me just how upset and scared she was, I don't think she's slept in a while. "Chased. I am so sorry Mum. There was a group and I didn't know what to do. I'm sorry!" I bow my head in shame and the burn of onset tears. "It's okay, I just wasn't ready. I expect to worry with your father but you're my little baby." She pulls me into another hug, not letting go. "I'm not a baby!" Now, admittedly the pout kind of conflicted with the message I wanted to convey but I know she loves my humour. "I'm twelve and a half!" She pulls back a little and lets out a giggle before ruffling my hair. "My little man all grown up."
We stayed like that for a while, just enjoying the fact we were both there. Eventually, though the silence was broken by a knock at the door. Mum quickly replies with a "Come in." and the door is pushed open. My mouth drops open as the man enters, my first real interaction with the Remnant other Me remembers.
"Hello," he says, "My name is Professor Ozpin."