Author's Note:

Hey guys, looking back on this chapter, I can see that it's pretty dull. I would go back and re-work it, but that would require far too much finagling for me to bother trying to make it good enough. I am sorry that I won't be changing it anytime soon, but I urge any new readers to push through this chapter. The real story is so much more than this.

The Fall Project

Part 1: From Ashes

Crimson

Gabriel cheered loudly as he soared through the air. He embraced the rush he received while in free fall, spreading his arms and legs wide to slow his descent. The brown-haired boy spun around and extended his hand into the open air, "MIKE!"

A flash of blue light forced him to blink, and when he opened his eyes he found himself face-to-face with his mirror image. His identical twin Michael grabbed his arm and enveloped them both in a bright blue aura.

His insides turned out, and his vision granted only black nothingness. Reality returned as quickly as it vanished, and he suppressed the urge to vomit. The rush of free fall returned for a hair's breath, then he was torn apart and reassembled once again. This time, his feet landed on solid ground.

He doubled over and gagged, then took a few breaths to get his bearings. He looked up at his brother, who was holding back his laughter. "Dammit, Mike... Only one jump at a time!"

Mike laughed, resting his large sword over his shoulder. "Oh come on Gabe, you've had much worse. Remember when we did seven?" Gabe shuddered at the memory. He'd never been so sick in his life.

He stood and drew his own weapon, a thin saber. He eyed several chess pieces resting on pedestals that rounded the edge of the worn and overgrown stone. "What's all this?"

Mike sauntered over to the odd pieces, closely inspecting them. "Chess pieces. Probably the relics, which one should we pick?"

Gabe shrugged, "Well the Queen is the strongest in the game..."

"Woah, woah. No way am I picking up a Queen. Let one of the girls pick up the Queen!"

"But it is the strongest."

"Yes, but the Queen is a girl. Are you saying you want to be a girl?"

"Hell no!"

"Then do you have any useful suggestions?"

"I don't know..." The two boys continued to search for a suitable choice, until Mike happened across the Black Knight. He stabbed his greatsword into the ground and took a stoic pose, resting his hands on the pommel of his weapon. He spoke with a pompous tone that was almost cringe worthy. "None shall pass!"

Gabe smiled wide as he caught on to his brother's antics, "What?"

"None shall pass!"

"I have no quarrel with you, good sir knight, but I must cross this bridge!"

"Then you shall die."

"I command you, as King of the Britons, to stand aside!"

They both laughed as Gabe put the chess piece in a pouch on his belt, then turned to his brother, "Can we make it back easy?"

Mike looked to the north and squinted, then a wide grin crept on his face. "Yeah, but I can't see the top of the cliff. We'll have to make two jumps again."

Gabe paled and took a deep breath, "Lets get this over with."

Ozpin always enjoyed the first day of Beacon. He had the opportunity to see the potential of his future Huntsman and Huntresses.

While he didn't like to play favorites, there were special cases almost every year. Summer's daughter for example; at 15 years old, she is already capable of laying waste to a large group of Grimm all on her own. Perhaps it runs in the family? Her sister is equally capable in combat, possibly even more so due to the nature of her semblance. No doubt their connections with Qrow led them to be the skilled fighters they are today.

"First!" He looked up from his scroll and raised an eyebrow at the two identical twins. One stared at him with a wide smile on his face, while the other looked a little sickly. "Did we set a record? I hope we set a record."

Ozpin grinned at the boys excitement, and stoically took yet another sip from his mug.

Glynda rolled her eyes and huffed at the Headmaster's cryptic ways. She checked her own scroll before answering in his place, "Our previous record was 14 minutes and 36 seconds. You completed your initiation in merely 4 minutes and 12 seconds. Congratulations, you have set the new Beacon initiation record." The duo pumped their fists and gave each other high fives in victory. "Please wait in the auditorium for the other initiates to finish."

Mike held a hand out to Gabe, "You ready to go yet? I can see the campus from here."

"No way," the boy shook his head, "I'm walking this time."

Mike shrugged, "Alright, see you in a few." A bright flash of blue and the boy vanished. Glynda's eyes widened in surprise. Suddenly the astoundingly quick retrieval made complete sense.

She noted their capabilities, then returned her attention to the scroll, keeping close watch on her least favorite newcomer, Nova Chrysus. The skeptical Huntress viewed him as a threat to the other students, and had been against his induction into the academy from the very beginning.

Unfortunately, the decision has already been made. But who knows? Ozpin did see that the boy is fit to be here, so perhaps he can become the Huntsman they need him to be.

Nova was beginning to get frustrated. He had spent a large portion of his time in the Emerald Forest jumping from tree to tree, doing his best to keep hidden as he searched for a suitable partner. Someone who could hold their own in a fight and respect his privacy.

Someone like Pyrrha Nikos.

After much consideration, Nova was able to rule out the possibility that he and Pyrrha may have been enemies. Therefore, this was his chance to find out where he came from before the experiments. Before Ironwood turned him into a weapon. Becoming partners with Pyrrha will make the task much easier, and most likely take far less time.

The fact that she was some kind of gorgeous warrior goddess had nothing to do with it. This was purely professional. He just needed to find her first, and wasn't having any luck.

He came across many people; the Schnee and the young red hooded girl he had seen the day before. He had hoped to see their capabilities in a fight, but just as Weiss lunged at an Alpha Beowolf, the reaper moved with incredible speed into the path of her strike, causing her to flail her Dust-charged weapon and set fire the forest. Much to his disappointment, they simply ran off rather than fight. He took the opportunity to kill a few of the Beowolves as a warm up, in case he ran into something a bit more dangerous.

As he delved deeper into the forest, he came across a brown haired boy wearing a full suit of thick body armor that was colored red. A deep red, much like the color of wine. The boy wielded a large rectangular shield and a hand-and-a-half sword, but he doubted the boy could barely hold off a group of Beowolves on his own. All that armor would absolutely restrict his movement, and a Huntsman's best weapon against the Grimm is his speed. He dismissed the boy, thinking that he wouldn't likely last four whole years at a warrior's academy.

All these people he found, and none of them were the red-headed champion he was searching for.

Eventually his trek led him to the forest temple, where the relics were being held. No one was visible around the ruins, so he decided to wait behind the treeline until someone arrived before moving in to collect his own relic.

After a few minutes the fiery blonde, Yang, appeared with none other than Adam Taurus' right hand, Blake Belladonna. Nova thought about challenging her on the spot, then reconsidered. There is no doubt that Ozpin knew about her prior affiliations, and if the headmaster is giving her a chance, then so would he. The boy watched in silence as the two chatted idly for a few minutes, then picked up what appeared to be a chess piece from the ruins.

That was when things went a little chaotic. A girl's scream echoed throughout the forest, people were riding Grimm, and some were being sent flying through the air.

In the midst of the excitement, he finally laid eyes on Pyrrha. She burst from the trees on the far side of the clearing, and following close behind her was a large Deathstalker. Massive claws swept back and forth, and it's mandibles chattered in frustration as it failed to pin the Mistrali.

He immediately readied his weapon, aiming carefully for the scrambling arachnid's stinger.

"Jaune!" Her soft voice called from the valley clearing.

She already has a partner. Jealousy surged through him as he grit his teeth in frustration. Who was the fighter capable enough to be the Champion's partner? Who could have impressed her enough for her to choose them?

Not a moment later, the Schnee heiress released her grip on the Nevermore she had been clinging to, and tumbled from the sky. The blonde boy leaped from the tree he landed in to catch Weiss, causing them both to fall and land unceremoniously on the ground.

Well at least that misfit couldn't be Pyrrha's partner. But who could it be?

He scanned all of the initiates as they gathered, piecing together the partners that he already knew were in place. Blake and Yang had shown up first, so they were together, then there was the hyperactive girl and the timid-looking boy with pink in his hair, then he saw Pyrrha, Weiss, scythe-girl, and the blonde kid.

So it must be Pyrrha with Weiss and scythe-girl with the boy.

No that isn't right… She called out the name 'Jaune' just a few moments ago. But that means...

No.

It's not possible.

The boy? The incompetent boy?!

Nova sat in stunned silence. He simply could not wrap his head around the idea that THE Pyrrha Nikos would partner with such an unworthy student.

The snap of a high-caliber weapon tore him from his stupor. He didn't hear an impact or the hiss of a bullet, so nothing was fired in his direction. He shouldered his weapon in a flash and scanned the clearing for the source of the sniper fire.

At the center of the forest clearing a red hooded reaper stood face-to-face with a Deathstalker.

The young girl, Nova dubbed 'Red', stared at the Grimm for a few moments, then fired uselessly into the thickly armored skull of the disgusting creature. Yang ran after her as she retreated back to the ruins, but both of them were stopped as the Giant Nevermore hurled a volley of massive, razor sharp feathers down on them. Red was pinned to the ground as one pierced through her cape, while Yang slid to a stop on her heels to avoid being skewered.

He took careful aim as the Deathstalker sauntered up behind Red, and reared it's stinger back to strike the helpless girl.

As the stinger plunged down on her, he squeezed the trigger. A beam of hot energy lanced angrily from Nova's weapon, intended to knock the stinger away from it's target. The seething bolt embedded itself harmlessly into an icy barrier created by Weiss not a moment too late.

Nova grunted, sheathing his weapon and turning back into the woods. They were taking care of each other, so they can deal with this fight. For now, he needed to find a suitable partner.

His breathing labored as he ran through the wilderness. Flames licked at his legs as the fire ravenously burned it's way through the underbrush. The familiar weight of his hand-and-a-half sword provided little comfort to the boy as he fled the ravenous Grimm.

The forest was ablaze. He was forced to watch from a distance as the fires rose in the middle of the forest. His intention had been to see if there was someone who needed help, but all he ended up doing was run into a large group of Beowolves.

He grunted as a branch lashed at his cheek, drawing blood from the thin cut. He took a moment to catch his breath and glanced at the timer on the underside of his wrist.

0% aura for 60 seconds. Just 60 more seconds.

The howl of a Beowolf broke the silence, and he took off running again. He hurtled through the flames, hoping the creatures wouldn't follow him into the burning thicket.

Fine soot and ash swirled around his legs as he slowed to a stop. He'd found a small clearing, likely where the fire had started, and tried to catch his breath. The dry, hot air burned his throat and eyes.

He checked his timer again and watched as it ticked down to zero. His aura shimmered and brightened for a few seconds, then dimmed to it's usual transparency. His eyes stopped burning, and his breathing became much easier.

He breathed a sigh of relief as his aura finished regenerating. His recovery was immediately interrupted as the entire pack of Beowolves leaped over the blaze and into the ashen clearing.

He raised his sword and pulled his large shield from the strap on his back and held it firmly in front of him. His eyes darted to the inside of his shield. Scratched into the thick metal were a few simple words; My Little Knight, Cadence Claret. His mother had etched her words into his shield so that every time he raised it in defense of someone, he would remember her.

Once they discovered the tumors that invaded her body, he swore that he would do everything he could to become a Huntsman. Now, the dream is that much closer to being realized.

He just hoped she would've been proud of him.

Cadence breathed deep. All fear and apprehension washed away, leaving raw determination and will to survive. The snarl of a Beowolf brought him into focus on a simple runt standing a dozen feet away. The beast let out a bark, drool dripping from it's teeth as it charged him.

He lunged his shield forward to shove the creature off balance and slashed, the blade slicing clean through its neck. A tumult of growls and snarls filled the clearing as the body fell to the ground with a thud. His heart thundered in his chest as he prepared his stance yet again.

Three more scrambled forward, and he met their charge with ferocity. He swung his sword at the Beowolf to the right in a downward diagonal, cleaving it from shoulder to hip. As the blade sunk into his target, he swept his shield to the left as the center Grimm slashed, protecting him from both the center and left Beowolves at once.

His momentum carried him forward, slamming into the snarling creature. They both toppled, and as they hit the ground the force of the fall thrust his sword through its black-furred chest.

He felt the third wolf clamp down on the armor of his shoulder, the razor-sharp teeth sliding harmlessly across the boy's aura. He jerked his arm back, pulling the blade free of the pinned Grimm and elbowing the other off of his shoulder. He rolled to his left and onto his back just as the Grimm pounced on him. With a twitch of his wrist he managed to point his sword into the beast's stomach, causing it to skewer itself on his steel. It struggled and leaned forward, snapping it's jaws a few inches from his face. The foul stench of its breath nearly forced him to gag.

He kicked the dying creature off of him and scrambled to his feet. The Alpha took a few menacing steps forward as the remaining three Beowolves encircled him. The Grimm to his right strayed too close, and he slashed at its head, forcing the creature to dip below the strike and reel away. He turned his attention back to the alpha just as a massive paw slashed at him. He rose his shield and leaned toward the beast, hoping he could withstand its attack.

The shield smacked him hard in the face and threw him to the edge of the clearing, forcing his sword from his grasp. He rolled to a stop and spat the taste of ash from his mouth, then frantically searched for his sword as the Grimm scrambled toward him.

Three beams of light lanced out and struck each Beowolf, killing them instantly. He whirled around to find the shooter, but couldn't see beyond the burning foliage.

"I have to admit, when I first saw you I didn't expect much."

Cadence's heart skipped a beat as the voice seemed to come out of nowhere. He scanned the edges of the clearing, but saw nothing.

"I see now, through your determination, you do have potential." Cadence turned behind him, and stood in stunned silence as as a masked boy casually sauntered through the scorching blaze.

The Alpha growled furiously, then yelped as its eyes were singed by Nova's firearm. A third shot entered the Grimm's mouth and pierced through the back of its head, killing it instantly.

Nova quickly scanned the area, then reached down, pulling Cadence's blade out of the fire, and tossed it to him. "Still hot, be careful."

Cadence was impressed, the young man's skill was apparent. "Where did you learn to shoot?"

The boy hesitated, "I've… always been a decent shot."

Cadence was doubtful. Talent was one thing, but everyone has to train enough to master their choice of weapons. "Then what's your name?"

"Nova Chrysus," he stated bluntly, "You are?"

Cadence straightened his posture, and strapped his shield across his back, "I am Cadence Claret."

"Cade. That's a good name."

He frowned, "No, it's Cadence not 'Cade.'"

Nova chuckled, "Whatever you say, Cade."

Great, one of these people. Touchy, disrespectful, and to top it all off he wears a mask. Still, he was now partnered with a seemingly skilled fighter. Maybe he could help with a few tips and tricks every now and then. For now they needed to focus on completing their objective. "Do you know what the relics are?"

"Yeah, there are a bunch of chess pieces at the ruins on the southern end of the forest. We just need to pick one and go back to the cliff."

"Chess pieces, huh? Well I want to pick a knight, what do you want?"

"It doesn't really matter to me."

"Knight it is, then."

"Cadence Claret, Michael Sepia, Gabriel Sepia, and Nova Chrysus. The four of you retrieved the Black Knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as… Team CMSN. Led by; Cadence Claret." Ozpin gave the team a nod, which Cadence responded with a crisp salute, the twins gave each other high fives, and Nova simply walked off the stage without a word.

Cade walked more swiftly to catch up with the boy, "Hey Nova, while I do respect your privacy, we are going to be partners for a few years. We're going to have to trust each other."

Nova kept walking, "Let's just get to our dorm."

Cade fell back to talk with the twins, who bragged about their new record for the Beacon initiation. While he was proud to have been appointed leader, he was a bit disappointed with his team. They may be skilled, but they all lacked professionalism.

"Oh crap its her again!" The twins leaped behind them and used both Nova and Cadence as a shield as team RWBY walked by.

Yang gave her trademark grin when she saw Nova, "Still waiting for that fight."

Nova shook his head, "Give me a few weeks, I need to learn a few important things before I go into any student sparring."

She shrugged, "Hey if you're scared just say it, don't beat around the bush."

He nudged one of the twins with his elbow, "Not as scared as these two."

"Oh, they have good reason to be scared." Her eyes flickered between red and lilac as she blinked, smiling as they cowered behind their teammates. Cade glanced at them, seeing their own smirks.

Cade interjected before the meeting could press further, "We should get going, we still have to get our uniforms and schedules after we go to our rooms."

Yang waved a hand as she walked away, muttering something about a stick in the mud.

They all piled into the room and sat down on each of their immediately claimed beds, scattered across the room. Cade took the one closest to the window, the twins took the beds on either side of the door, and Nova took the one closest to the team's bathroom. They each were provided with a desk and dresser for clothes and schoolwork.

They all sat down, and Nova let out a long sigh. "We are going to be a team for four whole years, so I'm just going to get this out of the way now."

He lifted his mask, and Cadence's eyes widened. Nova's gaze shifted between the three, watching their stunned reactions with his mismatched eyes. His right was a bright gold that none of them had ever seen, and the left showed only the ghostly white of blindness.

Scars were scattered across his face from his jaw up to his nose, then moved to his left eye, all the way up to the temple. All of them were small and none were the same size or shape, even a chunk from the tip of his nose was missing. He was, in the politest sense, disfigured.

Nova lifted his hands as if he were shielding himself, left hand guarding his neck and right hand covering the right side of his face, fitting perfectly with the clean parts of his skin. "It looks like something exploded in my face, right? My best guess is that I managed to put my hands up and protect my neck and part of my face."

"You don't know what happened?" Mike asked. He didn't respond, and simply put his mask back on.

"Now you know the reason for the mask. Don't ever ask me to take it off."

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.

-Ephesians 4:25