"Hey, can I get in?"
"Percy, please. Just go to your own team."
"Why? Can't I meet your team leader? I just want to have a talk, you know? From one leader to another."
"You saw him at the teams' announcements."
"He was wearing a mask. That doesn't count!"
"Percy, just leave, before I do something harsh."
"Like what? Come on, Fortuna. Please?"
"You can't butter me up with that talk, Percy. Goodnight."
"OW! Closing the door on my hand?! That was quite mean, Fortuna!"
"You asked for it. Now get to your own room."
"... You sure have a weird boyfriend..."
"Boyfriend? Oh. No, no, no. We're not a couple."
"You kinda sounded like it. Sorry that I've made assumptions."
"No worries."
"..."
"... and that concludes our lesson, students."
Professor Port's voice echoed across the class, warning the students about the end of his lesson.
As if he was awoken from a deep slumber, Nate bolted back in place.
"Be sure to cover the assigned readings during this evening." Port tapped his shoes. As he explained, he fixed his moustache with a swift movement of his hand. "Class dismissed."
The room slowly started to empty itself. Some of the students rushed outside the class while others took their time to adjust their notes and walk away.
As Nate was ordering his notes, a student walked to him, making him wary of their presence as they got closer.
"So, Nate," he started, "are you coming for the sparring session?"
"I think I'll pass for today," Nate replied with a tired voice. "It felt like a long day for me. I think I'll go to bed to get ready for the next day."
"Well… your loss." The student said, "Today is the cadets' first sparring session."
Nate's wolf ears perked up in response to that statement.
"I see that I gained your interest, " the student said, chuckling a little bit at Nate's reaction. "There will also be that young prodigy. What was her name? Red… Rosa…"
"Ruby Rose," Nate replied. "Yeah. I'm aware."
"So… did I change your mind?"
"... a little," Nate said, amused, turning to face the person. "And who am I talking to?"
"Albus Silverberg." As if he had dirty and dusty hands, he cleaned them on his pants, before reaching Nate out with his right hand.
Nate took a better look at Albus. He was as tall as him, slightly more muscular. His purple eyes were partially hidden by his platinum silky hair. A small cut crossed his square chin. Something in his appearance threw Nate off for a second.
"Silverberg, uh…" Nate repeated, taking his hand. "Atlesian?"
"Yes," Albus said, surprised. "How did you know?"
"I heard that name during a short visit to Mantle. Your name is quite important if I remember correctly."
"Yeah…" Albus shortly replied, slightly embarrassed. "Despite the fact that I am proud of my family name, I'd prefer to not be acknowledged only for that…"
Nate nodded. "Ah. I see."
"On another note," Albus said, checking the time on his Scroll. "we should be heading to the next classroom immediately. Professor Goodwitch isn't very fond of late students."
"We can definitely both agree on that," Nate said, remembering the numerous times he and his team got in trouble with professor Goodwitch. "Just give me a few minutes to gather my papers."
The classroom for the sparring sessions was similar to the ones used for the daily lessons, with the primary differences being the size of the room, the presence of a combat stage and a scoreboard to observe the participants' Aura.
Professor Goodwitch walked up to the stage, holding a tablet-type Scroll. Her eyes carefully looked at the crowd of pupils in front of her. "Good evening, students..."
As Glynda continued her speech, Albus turned to Nate.
"So, Nate… does this feel like the old times?"
Nate stifled a laugh. "More or less. Except for the lack of my old friends."
"You still didn't mention what team you were part of…"
"Is it important?" Nate asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well… yeah… considering that no one recognized you, and you look older than me, there must be a higher chance that you're a student from four years ago, at least. There had been a good amount of teams that got some renown among the Kingdoms around that period."
Nate raised an eyebrow, intrigued by his analysis. A form of reasoning that he thought no one but himself was capable of.
"First of all, I'm 19 years old. I'm not that old," Nate said. "Also, I don't think my former teammates have made some sort of imagery of themselves."
"Curious..." Albus brought his hand to the chin. "That would make you 15 years old by the time you started Beacon. Ruby Rose isn't the only prodigy to enter Beacon prematurely..."
Nate's face tensed as he realized what he had just revealed to Albus.
"... Did you ever hear of the Prodigy Huntsman?"
"... No." Nate tried to keep a stoic expression. "Not really."
"Well… he is quite renowned among the Huntsmen as one of the youngest to graduate. And he studied here. In Beacon."
"It still doesn't ring any bell," Nate said. "Any information about the team?"
"I don't know," Albus replied, shaking his head. "All I know is the name of one teammate: Fortuna Wolfe."
As soon as he heard that name, Nate flinched from his seat.
"She is quite a renowned name in Atlas," Albus continued, unaware of Nate's reaction. "The current head of the Weisse Wolfe Arms Company. I know that she made a customized weapon for the Prodigy and that he adopted the Wolfe name as an alias."
Professor Goodwitch coughed loudly enough to gain Nate's and Albus' attention. "May I, and the rest of the class, know what is so interesting about your discussion?"
"Nothing much," Nate replied, relieved for the interruption. "We're just fervently waiting for which cadet team is going to participate today."
Glynda looked at Nate with cold, sharp eyes. "You are going to find out soon."
Just as she pressed something on her tablet, the scoreboard started a roulette of team names, rapidly scrolling down.
The first team appeared on the scoreboard in capital letters.
"Team RWBY, if you would please come down."
A group of students timidly stood up from their seats, walking down to professor Goodwitch.
Once they reached the stage, Nate's eyes were locked on two members of Team RWBY.
On the far right stood a perky girl with long golden hair.
"Yang…"
Her cheerful and energetic attitude put a smile on Nate's face. That was until he faced the other girl on the opposite side.
"Ruby..."
That was the only word he could say.
Albus heard him and leaned forward to get a better look. His eyes widened in surprise as he recognized Ruby as well. "Oh. There's the prodigy… wait. Is that Weiss Schnee?"
"Who?"
"Wait. Don't you know the Schnee heiress?" Albus asked, surprised.
"I am aware of the Schnee family," Nate replied. "I'm not particularly knowledgeable about each member."
He focused on Weiss, recognizing her similarity with Bianca. Pale skin and white long silky hair. A genetic peculiarity of the Schnee family he was well aware of.
"Now, for the other team…"
A second list scrolled next to team RWBY on the scoreboard, scrolling down at a similar speed.
"Team… WHSP?" Glynda said, puzzled, once the name appeared. "How curious… Hold on a second, students…"
"Team WHSP?" Albus repeated with similar confusion. "We don't have a team with that name among us... Do we?"
"Don't ask me," Nate replied. "I just arrived this morning."
Glynda appeared confused for a while until something clicked in her mind as she checked her tablet a second time.
"Could the following students walk down to the stage? Aurelie Palladine…"
Albus appeared more puzzled. "Wait. Ellie?"
A girl with short and messy black hair walked down to the stage. She kept a cool look as she stood next to Glynda.
"Lilith Halley…"
Another girl walked down to the stage. As tall as Ruby. Her brown hair cloaked her eyes. Confused, she looked around herself.
"Lilly? What is going on?"
"Albus Silverberg…"
He immediately stood up without a second thought. He walked down to Glynda.
"Professor, there must be an error. We…"
"There's no error, mister Silverberg. Your team has a fourth member, now. If you could please stand next to your teammates."
Albus complied with her request, walking to his team and standing next to Aurelie.
"Well… Now I'm completely clueless…" he said, shaking his head in hope of cleaning up his mind.
"Now… about the fourth participant…" Her seriousness turned into disbelief. Sighing, she looked at the students. "Nate Winters, if you could please come down…"
Nate was shocked when he heard his name. He stood up, walking down to the training grounds.
While walking down the stairs, Nate noticed Ruby's gaze. As soon as the lights illuminating the stage showed him to the students, Ruby looked at him in shock.
"Nate…?"
"Hey, Ruby," Nate said as he weakly waved at her. "It has been a while…"
"Nate?" Yang was bewildered when she heard his name. Her eyes widened as soon as she recognized him. "Oh my God! It is you!"
"Yeah. Hi, Yang…"
"Miss Rose, miss Xiao Long," Glynda called out the two girls. "Could you please postpone any discussion for later? You'll have plenty of time to talk after the lesson."
The two stood back to their places in a hurry, raising their heads and looking in front of them, sometimes gazing at Nate.
"For now, I'd like for the two teams to get ready for the sparring session."
The two teams nodded.
"Good. Both of the teams may head to the locker room right behind this classroom. You will return here in fifteen minutes."
They nodded, heading to the exit in front of the stage.
Nate, however, walked closer to Glynda, doubtful. "Uhh… professor Goodwitch… I didn't bring any of my equipment to the locker room. When I got dressed up in my uniform, I had to rush to the lesson."
"I'm very well aware of that, Mister Winters. Even if 'rushed' doesn't fit what I observed this morning" Glynda replied, tapping a couple of times on her tablet. "I just requested that your equipment shall be brought to your locker."
"Ah," Nate said, with a dry tone. "I guess that I owe you a thank you."
"No need for that," she sternly replied. "You may go now."
Nate nodded at her, rushing to the exit as well.
When they reached the locker room, the two teams split up, heading to their personal lockers.
"See you later, Ruby," Nate added, walking to his locker as soon as the teams walked away.
As Nate stood in front of his locker, he slid his Scroll past it which unlocked with a click, letting him check its contents.
The two cases he received from Bianca were there. He checked both of them, taking out only the one containing Aurei Miles.
His apparel was hanging on a crutch, neatly ordered. He felt out of place as he couldn't recognize any of the clothing in front of him.
A pair of grey trousers, a white shirt with torn trims, a black leather gambeson, a charcoal-coloured coat decorated on the shoulders with a silvery fur, covering them like a mane. And a pair of black hiking boots sitting in a corner of the locker.
He wore the new outfit, spinning a couple of times to test the mobility. Despite the hindrance caused by the gambeson, his movements didn't feel heavily affected.
And then something picked his interest more: a mask resembling something similar to a Beowolf, lying right where the boots were.
As Nate picked it up, his face contorted at the mere sight of it.
He wasn't a part of the White Fang, the Faunus organization that hunted him down during the last three months. But that mask was a part of his past. A past that he was not sure whether to ignore or keep looking at.
"Nate, are you here?"
Nate frantically hid the mask in an inner pocket of his coat and closed it with a zipper.
Albus appeared from nearby, wearing an ivory overcoat decorated with silver trims and a pair of steel pauldrons that covered his shoulders. A pair of leather boots were strapped to steel greaves. Beneath the coat, he wore a waistcoat and a pair of pants, both sharing the same black charcoal tint, and a white shirt.
"There you are," Albus said as he was face to face with Nate. "The girls and I are ready. We're waiting for you…"
"I feel like you've copied my outfit," Nate joked as he looked at Albus' apparel.
Albus chuckled at his statement. "Well… I think your outfit suits you."
"So does yours for you,"
"You think?" Albus asked, spinning with his arms spread wide. "This is actually a gift from my godfather for my 18th birthday."
"And you don't like it?" Nate asked.
Albus smiled as he looked at his clothes. "On the contrary. I love it. It's just that I feel like I didn't meet his expectations. He kept me under his wing, after all. Trained me since I was 14, despite the numerous duties he had to do for the Kingdom."
His cheerfulness shifted to a more melancholic expression.
"When I decided that I would have moved here, he became quite… unhappy with my decision. But he didn't stop me. He gave me some words of encouragement. Still, though. I think I deceived him with it."
"Well…He seems to respect you nonetheless," Nate said. "The most important thing to do is to treasure his lessons and put them to use. Improve it, if you must. That would make him more proud, I guess."
Nate knelt down to open Aurei Miles' case, taking out his weapon. Once he equipped his rifle, he spun a couple of times to test the rigidity of the harness. To his relief, the harness didn't hinder his ability to take out the weapon.
"So… are we ready yet?"
Nate closed his weapon case, putting it back in the locker and noticing something lying on the upper scaffold of the locker as soon as he raised his eyes.
A small chain necklace with a tiny metallic replica of a Beowolf head, along with a small note.
His eyes became teary as he recognized the calligraphy of the message:
Welcome back, Nate.
-Taiyang
"Tai…" Nate was on the verge of sobbing until he felt Albus' hand on his shoulder.
"What is it?"
"An old memento that I thought I lost a long time ago," Nate replied, cleaning his eyes with the sleeves of his coat. Once he recomposed himself, he slipped the necklace around his neck and hid it under the gambeson. "I'd prefer to not lose it again, this time."
"If that's all, we can go now," Albus pointed to the exit behind him with the thumb. "The girls went ahead. We should be the last ones."
"Agreed," Nate said, closing his locker. As he walked behind Albus, his thoughts were directed to multiple things. To his mask, to Taiyang who gave him the necklace, to Yang and Ruby… and, reluctantly, to his own eyes.
The class was excited. The murmur was replaced by intermittent discussions about the two teams.
Nate's ears perked up, listening to their voices, and suddenly lowering his ear as the students started mentioning him.
"This is so nerve-racking…" Albus looked around himself and focused back to Nate, impassible at the situation. "How are you so calm?"
"I'm not," Nate spoke from the side of his mouth. "I'm internally screaming at the moment."
Albus let out a chuckle. "Yeah, sure."
When Glynda walked up the ring, everyone went silent. Her heels tapped on the floor as she approached the two teams.
"Team RWBY, team WHSP. You have now a minute to prepare yourselves."
Team RWBY immediately turned their backs on team WHSP. Nate observed them for a while, then he turned to his team, taking a better look at them.
Aurelie was an athletic girl, as tall as Albus. Her spartan outfit, however, made her look like a typical tomboy.
An olive-coloured high-collar shirt, hidden beneath a leather chestplate. Black slim-fit jeans and a waistless ivory jacket.
The other teammate, Lilith, wore a cyan dress with a frilly skirt reaching her knees, a dark blue oversized coat that emphasized the height difference, and a pair of black boots.
Albus gestured to the group to get closer to him. "Alright. Strat time. So, first of all—"
"What can you do?" Aurelie suddenly asked, covering Albus' mouth with her hand. "Lilith is our ranged specialist, Albus and I are the ones that take most of the bruises. What are you useful for?"
"Ellie, now you're just being mean," Albus said, only to receive a stern look from her.
"I am the sniper… well. Used to," Nate said, removing his weapon from its sheath. "I'll cover you from any flank."
"With that?" Aurelie said, pointing to Aurei Miles. "You won't be fast enough with that bolt rifle."
"I'll manage," Nate said.
Aurelie's face became red, irritated by his answer.
"You'll manage?" She said, irate, pulling him towards herself. "I don't need to flex my abilities if I can do it. But something like that is far from possible!"
"Is something wrong, miss Palladine?" Glynda asked as she noticed the commotion.
"It's nothing," she said, letting Nate go. Her eyes, however, were fixed on him the whole time, filled with contempt.
"I guess we'll go for the usual," Albus said, sighing. Then he turned to Nate. "Nate, I put my trust in you. Be sure to make every round count."
"I will." Nate nodded.
"Students, please get ready for the match."
Following the order, the two teams readied their weapons. Nate took a rapid look at his teammates' weapons.
Aurelie was wielding a polearm mounting a leaf-shaped blade in the right hand and a round shield in the left.
Albus was bearing a sword with a crossguard on his right hand, while his left hand held a 6-shot revolver with a large frame on the barrel side.
When Nate turned to check Lilith, he was surprised by the lack of weapons on her. Then he noticed her hands.
Lilith was wearing a ring on each finger of her left hand, each of them paired with five colours. Her right hand wore a fingerless glove, sharing the same colour as her jacket.
Nate focused back at the match, looking at the timer, displayed on the scoreboard.
Ten seconds.
He had to come up with an idea to make the bluff he said to Aurelia real.