Author's Note: I crawl from the abyss into air for a moment to bring you this message. So how you've been? So this was supposed to be coming out sooner, but life happens. I arrived back for college and got done with my first week of classes, which means that writing for fun is a strain because of all the other writing I have to do. Thank you to all the people who submitted a character, congrats to the people who were accepted (you know who you are), to all the people who haven't been accepted or haven't heard from me yet, there is a note down below at the end of the chapter. Also, I know you guys care and want to know, but please do not PM asking if everything is alright. I know you guys are anxious, but I hate it, nothing against the people who did it, but please don't. Finally, this was brought up to me, but for clarification the -X- is used for a scene switch which takes place during the same time, while an actual time skip will be noted.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Chapter 1: Out of the Fire and Into the Volcano

The feeling of not having small droplets of water dripping onto your face from sleeping in a cave was a relatively unusual one to Oro. Sure he had spent time in an inn or shabby shack while traveling through the years, but the stuffy air was always a stark difference from the clean, sometimes cold, air of a mountain or desert that you couldn't just forget. When he sat up, he remembered the room he was led to last night by some of the guards stationed around the castle. Calling it a castle didn't feel quite right he thought, from the little but he's read with the few books he had come across, Oro had always imagined castles to be large and grandiose. At most this was a rather large building sure, it was bigger than some villages he had seen. But where were the massive banners? The golden chandeliers? The lovely missus in frilly dresses and corsets that put all the junk in all the right places? This was already going downhill if you asked him. A wooden desk with a few scratches on the legs stood by a very pretty and lovely window. Why there were images of birds and women on them left the lizard faunus utterly perplexed. What good was a window if you couldn't see through it? These civilised places never ceased to confuse him.

As he remembered there was still over twelve hours until the letter asked to be in the capital, which meant he had time to wander either the town or the castle some more. After getting there he was practically shoved into a room with a guard posted at his door to make sure he didn't leave. Odd reasoning it was. The mysterious ways of the people sometimes…

Now that he was free, he took a step outside of his tiny little confines looking both ways before a guard shoved him back in his room for another ridiculous reason. The castle was absolutely bustling with people he did not recognize, some of them he didn't see yesterday. Some older, some his age, some decked out in knight's armor, and some in casual clothes. He wanted to keep quiet, he really did, but carrying about four or five canteens filled to the brim did make it so. By the time he took two steps they clinked against one another and his armor beneath his cloak. Oro made a note that having a ratty cloak and cone straw hat did not fit in with dignitaries.

When Oro got to the outside he took a big whiff of fresh, clean, and slightly unstuffy air. Well, as clean as a town with the exhaust from automobiles and a few smoke stacks off in the far shore near the waterfront. Once again, much like his initial visit, people were bustling about in the streets. Going to and fro whatever normal people did in their day to day lives. He tried to think what they might do but nothing came to mind. If it was like anything he'd seen in the few villages he had visited he expected at least a bar, with perhaps a lovely barmaid and drunken patrons who he swore never left. Maybe a doctor, possibly some soldiers, a lot of women and children.

This though, this was all different, he assumed that some of the men would return to their homes after The War but he never thought it was this many. They were everywhere, he hated this analogy, but they were like insects. Worker ants or perhaps cockroaches sprawling throughout the city through their concrete tunnels and passageways. On the sidewalk he felt so confined, trying to look around did not ease the mounting heat rising in his face. Eyes forward or downward, scowls or grimaces, and the color drained from the atmosphere. Was this really life in the big cities? Oro never thought he was claustrophobic, but he found his breathing beginning to quicken and his collar swiftly began to feel like it was trying to strangle him. Thankfully he was giving sanctuary as he slipped off into an alley off to the side.

"That was awful," he said making small gasps, he reached down to one of his canteens but stopped halfway. "No, I don't want to deal with burning this early in the morning."

His stomach made sure he knew he was hungry as it gave a low grumble, "Oh you're going to give me all kinds of problems." He stepped through to the other side of the alley which thankfully was not as packed as the previous. Although it did look a little more seedy than the other.

The first establishment he went into had shabby doors held on loose hinges, candles and lanterns lit up the building filled with the thick present of smoke. A common thing he had learned to stomach since it seemed like a good way to forget things. The immediate of pungent smoke that filled his nostrils made him recoil and close his eyes, but it was the silence of room which made him open them. He was sure there were people talking earlier but now it was deafening quiet. All eyes were on as the doors creaked closed behind. Lifting his hat up he could see many older men grimacing and scowling, if some were drinking or eating many stopped doing so. All motion stopped as he stood there just as motionless as the patrons.

Finally he broke the silence, he removed his hat and pointed to it, "Oh I get it, you don't like cone hats, I was like that too until I tried one." He cringed when he heard the sound of shattering glass against a table and a wooden chair screeching back as someone stood up in his seat. "Not much for jokes are we?"

"Can't you read the sign," came overly gruff sounds of the angry bartender. It sounding like someone was letting a metal rake claw against the pavement. Buff shoulders and a beard in knots, tattoos and crusty hands that should have not been cleaning that mug.

"What sign?" Oro asked in response, turning his head around to the walls.

"The one outside saying your kind are not allowed in here," a growl and a look of pure disgust aimed at the reptilian faunus.

"And what is my kind?" Owlish eyes looked back into anger laced on, Oro took a step back propping one of his hands against the door.

"Faunus," one of the more older, balder with a long, huge beard. Teeth missing and eyes slightly dazed. What little hair he had left was nearly bleached white with age. "All them elitist bastards runnin' the kingdom saw to it to let you animals roam free in the kingdoms. Now we got vermin runnin' in the streets instead of doin' what they should've been doin' all along. Plowing fields and working away fer us."

"Well it seems like I am most un-welcomed here," Oro said, bead of sweat running down the side of his face and small butterflies threatening to start a mutiny in his stomach, "so why don't I just leave and let you all to your grievances?"

Before anything could happen Oro, pushed the doors wide open and sprinted out of the building not stopping to look back. The one time he did he saw there was no one behind him, he sighed in relief and looked back to where he was going-

And crashed right into the back of another person.

"Oh Bob's your uncle," he said falling onto the pavement with a rattle with all his metal on him. "Sorry about that," when he got up he extended his hand but was stopped when it met a stomach from someone who did not fall down. When he looked forward he winced at the harsh gaze from glaring electric blue eyes into his own red. "There is a perfectly good reason for this."

-Castle of Vale, some time later-

When Carbine's mind remembered that he was in the castle in the capital of Vale, his first thought was that he had been captured by the enemy. But once he saw the furnishings they had provided for him, his heart rate settled down but he reached for his rifle and placed it beside him as he got dressed. Judging by how bright it was it must have been at least midday by now, meaning that he missed breakfast and maybe lunch too.

"Perfect," he rolled his eyes as he hoisted his rifle back to its usual position. "First day here and I overslept. If the higher ups could see me now." Granted if they knew he was in the same building as the leader of the enemy they could probably forgo punishing his sleeping habits and just ask to kill the king from the inside. He shook his head of those thoughts, "Time of peace we're in peace now." No thinking of war plots, no secret plans or infiltrations, he was here for whatever the king wanted. As to what this Beacon Academy was supposed to do he just had to sit and wait. Apparently the group was scheduled to leave later in the afternoon, but to where was another mystery. If this was truly how his next few years were going to be spent then someone might be getting a bullet between their eyes.

The way people moved through the castle let him know who were supposed to be here and who were guests like himself. Well dressed butlers and maids walked like guards on patrols, continually searching for something out of place while he and others were trying to navigate the halls of this labyrinth. He let his eyes wander side to side, an old tactic he used to look like he was busy but in all tense was just lost. Got him out of doing many pedestrian tasks back in Mantle. However in a slightly crowded building it didn't work when he bumped into someone shorter than he was. He stumbled but managed to keep his footing, his grip instinctively tightening onto the strap of his bayonet. He didn't say anything and watched the much stockier man slowly turn his way like a heavy cog in an old clock tower.

If he were to compare by height, Carbine might've said he had an inch or two on the man. The stranger was more built for strength than Carbine who stuck to ranged combat. The two shared eye colors, brown, but this man was a few shades lighter than the dirt that filled Carbine's irises. Where Carbine's hair was short and white, this individual's was a contrasting dark brown that was shaggy, unkempt, and scraggly. It almost covered most of his eyes but a few strands parted ways so he could see. He looked tired, the bags around his eyes, a titch of stubble lining his chin, and his movements were exaggerated. What took time to notice surprisingly were the two folded bear ears atop his head.

"So he is a faunus," Carbine made a note, not only to remember that the invitations were sent to both sides and species, but to not say anything that might be deemed 'offensive'.

It took the ex-soldier to determine this guy wasn't a part of the castle staff, with his suit and all. Although the creases and dustiness of it all, not to mention it looked stressed and well used in the joints did help with making it look older and need of a replacement. A castle, no matter the people running it, would never accept one of their staff looking like that.

But what made it all the more easier to distinguish that whoever this person was, wasn't one of the staff, was the large metal cross he kept on his back. Calling a sword would be wrong, it was more like a angular club or the tool used to demolish a building if the demolition crew went on strike. It was a weapon not forged out of precise measurements or clean lethality but out of crude strength and hostile indifference. A barbaric and indiscriminate weapon.

"Dangerous," was the only thought Carbine could muster after seeing his weapon. And like all things that were potentially dangerous, he went to neutralize the threat. He extended his hand and put on a smile. "The name's Carbine, Jeremiah Carbine."

The man, a tad perplexed at the initial interaction kept a small confused glance at his hand. But as quickly as it came, it left just as fast, "Akihiro Cedar, odd greeting technique if I do say so."

"Well, I'm a weird guy," Carbine shot back, now the merit of his words weren't completely false, but they weren't entirely true. "Up to anything?"

"No, not really, I was going to find something to eat, but I am utterly lost. Know how to navigate this maze?"

"The dining should be in the back, a center room in the castle."

"That was fast, did you eat here last night?"

"No, we were required to memorize the castle blueprints back in Mantle for a suicide mission," was what he was about to say, but caught himself, "No, but I took a small tour of it by myself last night before heading to bed. Help wear myself out, you know?"

"I just usually drink a glass of warm milk," Akihiro chuckled, "care to show me where I can get some food?"

"Gladly," walking down the halls in silence is what Carbine would normally do back in Mantle, but he was not in Mantle. He was in unfamiliar territory, he had to adapt, had to improvise, he had to be nice. "So what's with giant slab of metal across your back?"

"Oh, that," he rotated his shoulder to highlight it's movements, "I made it shortly before I was invited here, my uncle said I needed to forge a 'real weapon' and not one made from scrap metal."

"What's wrong with scrap metal?"

"Well, I couldn't join the war because of that."

"Seems like a trivial thing to stop you." What kind of military wouldn't let a big, muscular guy like him into the war effort? Vale couldn't have been that stubborn not to accept soldiers just because of a weapon.

Akihiro scratched his chin and chuckled. A hint of nervousness laced in it, "Well, the unit I tried to join had strict rules."

"Hmm," was all Carbine grunted, but his mind going wild with all kinds of observation. "So he tried to something special, but was turned down for not having his own weapon. I'll have to look at some intel."

Finally, after what seemed like an unusually lengthy time, Carbine and the bear faunus arrived at a dining hall, with a few people already at the massive, ornate wooden table. Along the edges you could see animals and warriors carved into the wood, systemic and in a patter. Warrior, wolf, bear, warrior, and it would repeat. Simplistic, yet elegant, Carbine did think of becoming a woodcarver after the War ended, but then he tried to use a hacksaw.

How no one died that day is a miracle.

From the other side, having to hold back his instincts from punching them, a butler came up to Carbine and bowed. "Gentlemen, may I interest you in some Mistralan lobster? Perhaps some cod freshly caught from Patch?"

Akihiro and Carbine were both slightly frightened at the sudden appearance and hospitality, not to mention the options that the waiter continued to list off were odd. Hand picked Golden Vale Apples? Freshly brewed Mantle Ale? Okay that last one sounded pretty decent. The two had to tell the waiter that they would take some ale and a steak. The drinks came first, bubbly and golden like the sun or maybe a daffodil. The mug holding the liquid dripping with condensation, cold to the touch. Drinking at his age wasn't unheard of, plenty of other soldiers smuggled contraband to the barracks, Carbine didn't partake often, but he would if given enough egging.

"So where you from?" Akihiro asked.

"Hmm?" Carbine finished taking a swig, half catching it, half not wanting to.

"Oh, I'm sorry, my mother would scold me for my rudeness. I'm from Vacuo, a small village several days from Shade. What about you? Judging by that coat you look like you're from northern Vale, maybe even Vytal."

Carbine waited until Akihiro took a sip from his mug, "I'm from Mantle." Personally, he was surprised that the faunus didn't spit the contents of the drink at him by accident, somehow the man had enough reaction to spit to the side. "I'd say that was worth it."

Akihiro coughed to catch his breath, nothing like the burn of alcohol plus a little violent hacking before a meal. "Wait, you're from Mantle?"

"Wanna say it any louder? I don't think everybody heard you?" A relaxed Carbine said, leaning back with a roll of his eyes. "Yeah I'm from Mantle, I grew up in the capital, raised there my whole life." He grabbed the mug and lifted it to his lips, "That an issue?"

Across the table Akihiro seemed to mull over it, "No, the war's over, I'm just surprised that you decided to come over to Vale."

"Why not? As you said the war is over."

"Yes, but some people have a hard time of letting things go."

"You saying people in Vale are still hostile?"

"Not particular, it's only a small minority, but it's not only people from Mantle others are hostile to."

"Probably Mistral too I imagine."

"I wasn't talking about Kingdom allegiances," when Carbine shot a confused glance towards Akihiro, the twitch of his ears connected the dots he needed.

"That's right, forgot they abolished faunus slavery with the Vytal Accords," putting his feet on the table he could set the mug on his chest. "You weren't a slave were you?"

"What? In Vacuo? The population is nearly sixty percent faunus, it would be pretty difficult to have a slave trade in that environment."

"So what? A few farmers upset about losing their free labor?"

"For the most part, while the practice was outlawed in Vacuo, it was only frowned upon here in Vale. That meant that some people had a small amount in the cities, farms and plantations still had many, but you may have seen one or two in a bookstore or grocer. I'm sure that Mantle was hit pretty hard by that."

"You make it sound like we had a bunch of faunus to exploit."

"From what I know, they did, all sorts of nasty up in the frozen north."

"And I'm sure everything down here was hunky dory."

"I'm not trying to get a rise out of you," Akihiro held his hands, trying to ease the sudden defensive tone from Carbine, "you only hear a small part of the whole story with these things." Thankfully, their food arrived and the two started eating giving them some silence and mindless eating to fill the time.

"So, what did you do in Vacuo?" Carbine finally asked after wiping his mouth with an overly fancy napkin.

"Well, I mentioned that I got denied to enter my uncle's unit because of my weapon, so I did a few odd jobs here and there. Fruit stall vendor, I did eventually help out with supplies for convoys and caravans travelling through the village. What about you?"

"I was a soldier," mechanically, automatically, naturally Carbine said, mindlessly carving a chunk of meat from itself.

Akihiro could be seen visibly scooting forward, interested, "See any combat?"

Still keeping his body in position, but locking his eyes with him he breathed, almost angrily "Nope."

"Nothing?"

"No," he repeated, but could see the obvious confusion, "I graduated from the military academy six months before the War ended. Common practice was to keep the fresh kids on the homefront to protect against grimm and if need be invasions. But by then all the focus was on the Vacuo campaign. Vale and Vacuo realized that taking Mantle is near impossible because it's a giant yeah, I went out on drills and training, but never saw any real combat."

"Good, good, would have hated to lose someone like you."

Again, Carbine's eyes moved up but his body stayed still, chewing on a tough piece of steak, "What does that mean?"

"You're pretty nice, not overly rude or say anything harsh. Still pretty brave that you've come all the way down to Vale."

"Well like I said the War's over, I don't have too many reasons to hate you."

"Which is why we should stick together, some people, as noble as they may be, will have a hard time coming to grips with that. Even here is Vale there are some fringe groups who are still bloodthirsty."

"So it's like that here too," it was much worse in Mantle, some advisors and generals have lost their position for suggestion a counterattack, extremists still on the radio waves if you were to tune in. "So what? You think that we need to join up because people might target us?"

"I'm not too worried about it, I know people will not like me because I am a faunus and nothing I cando will change that, but I think a friend or two would help to have."

"Hmm, I'll keep it in mind. Do we know what's going on later today? I remember hearing the staff saying about taking us outside of the city."

"They're probably taking us to the Emerald Forest."

"What for?"

"Don't know, I've just heard a few people whispering about it like you have. From what I know the Emerald Forest was a training ground for the military. Usually grimm combat and guerrilla warfare when Mistral or Mantle made the jump across the ponds."

"They expect everyone here to go through military exercises?"

"Have you noticed who's here?" Akihiro asked surprised by Carbine omission when he shook his head, "Everyone here seems to have fought in the War or has some connection to it. I heard about a Valesian spy who can turn into butterflies, and I think a Vacuo-born merc who's been around Remnant."

"What the hell? That's an odd group to get together, do any of u now what's going on with this Beacon Academy is going to be used for?"

"Nope, everyone's been tight lipped about, Rumor is that some of the King's trusted advisors know what's going on. Also," Akihiro motioned Carbine to come closer and then spoke in a whisper, "I've heard the King's been missing."

Carbine had to remind himself to keep quiet, about to shout but caught himself before doing so, "What? How do you lose track of a king? He couldn't of just walked out of the kingdom."

"He set up a mock government to run the kingdom in his absence," the bear faunus explained, "after the War ended and the Vytal Accords were signed, he just vanished."

"I don't know how to feel about that," Carbine said leaning back in his chair, "why would he leave when his people would probably need him the most?"

"I couldn't tell you, if I could, I'd be running this kingdom, or whatever Beacon's supposed to be."

True, probably the only person who knew where the king was the king himself. Not thinking on it any further he looked to a large ornate clock, everything in this accursed castle was large and ornate. With an annoyingly bright shade or green, it was like looking into a garden in the middle of spring. "Well we have a few hours until we need to leave? Got any ideas?"

"No," shaking his head, Akihiro replied, "I was just going to get some food and that was it."

"Well aren't you just useless."

"Hey," he held up his hands in defense along with a smile, "I wanted to be a soldier not a party planner."

"Trust me, it wasn't all glitz and glamour, I had this one friend who went to Vale, and when he came back he was known 'Twitchy-Tracey'. Apparently they were setting defenses when he tripped in the mud where they had all these mines set up. Now keep in mind the, commander was nearby doing inspections…"

-Several hours later-

There was something ominous about overlooking a forest in the beginning of the evening. Seeing the sun fall beneath the tree line of what you knew was a forest full of monsters only made Mono question what in the actual shit was she thinking. She should have stayed with the force she kept telling herself. And no amount of fidgeting her utility belt would fix that. The fact her black hair was just the right height to block her vision, being in a bob cut. And why did she think getting dolled up was a good idea, she spent time on her mascara and black lipstick. If this was going to go how she deduced, this was going to be a bad time. She was one of the earliest one's here, so earlier she went through her equipment, made sure her bullet proof vest was securely strapped, put her trench coat on top. Her purple eyes scanned the field, looking at all the people here, most her age if not all.

In total about a hundred or so.

"Interesting," she thought to herself, her brain immediately thinking of multiple scenarios as to why these individuals would be here, what reasons they would to show up, how she might have to encounter them. All possibilities, not a single one left behind or unturned.

Then a platoon of Vale soldiers followed by what she supposed was a dignitary come forward, but not one she recognized. An older gentleman with a fuzzy face and monkey tail, dressed in a light blue tailcoat.

"Ladies, gentlemen," he said in booming voice, far from what Mono expected, all the small circles and groups silenced themselves to look upon the man standing across from them. The Emerald Forest to their backs, a steep hill to the deadly home of the grimm. "I must thank all of you for coming here with no incentive. I must admit, many more letters were sent out but it looks like some of them were ignored, it will be their loss."

"Who are you?!" Came a voice from the back.

"I am his Majesty's most trusted servant and advisor, L. Frank Finley. His lordship has entrusted me with this task of utmost secrecy."

"What task?!" Came another.

"The answer," Finley outstretched his hand and all turned around to see a shining green light in the distance, Mono assumed it was some kind of structure, "lies beyond the Emerald Forest, at Beacon Academy. Should you find your way there, within the next twelve hours, you will be granted admittance."

"What are we going to be doing at a school?!"

"Again," he motioned to the structure, "you will find out if you make it to Beacon."

"If?" Mono thought to herself, something about it left the crowd whispering.

"While the soldiers of Vale will be here to monitor, they will not help you should you encounter the grimm. You are to make it to the academy on your own, you can enlist the help of people and I will say it will get you better marks if you do."

"You're grading us on surviving?"

Finley nodded quaintly, "Well this is a school after all. Your initiation test will begin in two minutes, any more questions?" As Finley waited for hands, a brief case was brought to him by a patient soldier.

"Yeah, how are we getting down to the forest? You driving us down there or something?"

"No, I am not, you are to make your way down there yourself."

Small gear started to churn in Mono's head, something about that briefcase seemed fishy, and there was an odd familiar smell in the air, it was faint.

"Well how do you expect to make it down there? It's a pretty steep drop."

"Actually, it isn't all that drastic. Besides, if you do not wish to traverse down yourselves, then you will be forced to move."

The gears in Mono's head went full overtime, putting all the pieces together and finally determining the smell.

"Fire Dust, modified for explosives."

They were going to blow the mountainside if they didn't move.

Mono pushed down people as she ran, as she did so Finley brought up his watch and counted down. Various people looking at her weird, not that she cared. Soon though other people caught on and made a break for it, running down the hillside with her. She wasn't sure how long it was going to take, but by the time she landed on the green grass of the forest she made a break for it. She knew there would be grimm, but she could still see the tower in the distance. That's all that mattered right.

*KA-BOOM!*

The sound was deafening, she could feel the rush of the explosives hit her neck making it sickeningly warm. No doubt every grimm in the forest would have heard that, meaning that they would swarm over here. If she could get past the initial line, he could make it out.

She really should have stayed with the force.

-X-

Finley looked at the cleanly cleaved side of the cliff he had just made with a press of a button, he was equally surprised as he was grateful that some of them were able to pick up on what he was planning. Still, when the king came back he was going to have to talk about the king's methods. What was the other option? Launching them off a catapult into the forest and hope they land?

"Perhaps we don't say that one aloud," Finley shuddered, mainly because the king might actually do it. He looked down at his watch, the clock ticking now. He had to get to Beacon and get his office ready, not to mention to prepare his speech when the students arrived, and prepare a nurses quarters for anybody who might need it. He turned, letting the students, the future begin right before his old dreary eyes.

Time Left: 11 Hours, 58 Minutes

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

I'm not gonna lie, I hated this chapter, to me it feels awful and badly paced, but I needed to get it out or I swear to god all of you are going to message me and asked if I did of yellow fever or something. I'm glad the prologue was a better intro chapter than this one, while it wasn't a intro in name, I still felt like it was.

*Announcement for the SYOC*

As of right now there are three slots, if you were in with the original batch of characters submitted with the prologue and haven't heard back from me do not fret, you are not out. I will however say that you will have to fight against any new submissions. Honestly speaking I could have closed the submissions within the first few days but decided not to because I don't particularly like that with an SYOC. I am putting a date on when submissions will be closed and that date is September 1st (Pacific Time Zone or PT). I will take in any new submissions. The last thing I'm going to tell you is that human characters are going to be prioritized higher than faunus. Right now the ratio is a little skewed in faunus favor, nothing wrong with that but I would like it to be even. So if you already have submitted but haven't heard back from me and want to increase your chances of having one of your characters submitted, you can do that. FYI, I'm not going to accept the same character with the only difference is them being human. That's lazy, don't do that.

Credits

-Jeremiah Carbine (chronoman)

-Oro (chronoman

-Akihiro Cedar (AvisB)

-Mono Chrome (ObieSempai)