The Fall Project
Part 1: From Ashes
Predator
Nova strained, his hand extended toward a brazier alight with dancing flames. The fire was pulled into the air, condensing into a ball of burning light. With a point of his finger he guided the fireball around the room, sending it into rapid circles, flips, and spins.
Glynda raised her riding crop and lifted a collection of various hoops, poles, sheets of metal; anything that could be used as an obstacle. She sent them swirling around the room in mid air as a complex test for Nova. The ball streaked through the obstacles, dodging them by mere inches.
Several minutes passed before the fireball spiraled downward along a steel pole and slowed, resting a few inches above Nova's open palm. Glynda smiled, happy to see her student's progress. "Excellent work, Mr. Chrysus. You have come far after merely a few weeks."
He nodded, "Thank you professor, but again, please call me Nova. I'm not exactly the most professional person, and every time you say 'mister' or 'sir' it makes me feel weird."
She looked at him with an impassive expression, "We are here on business. I am teaching, and you are learning. Thus our relationship will go no further than that of professionals."
"Formal it stays, then," He muttered.
She pressed a few buttons on her datapad, saving the previous recording to study later on. "We should take the next step. You are showing excellent directional control, perhaps we should work next on division."
"What exactly do you mean by division?"
She began a new recording, then lifted up a cinder block with her semblance. The block split into four pieces, rotated for a few seconds, then were fused back together. "You must be able to control multiple entities or 'sources' at one time, and maybe even split them if you have limited options."
Nova lifted the ball into the air, "You want me to split it? That sounds extremely difficult."
"Even more reason to practice it. For now just focus on turning one source of energy into two."
Nova nodded and returned his focus to the ball. The perfect sphere began to stretch, widening and flattening into the shape of an oval as it was pulled apart. An ache in his forehead slowly grew, changing his new experiment into an arduous and painful task.
The boy growled in frustration. Several minutes had passed and the ball of fire had changed into multiple different shapes and sizes, still failing to split apart. He raised both of his hands and curled his fingers, imagining that he was physically grabbing the ball and pulling it apart. This time the surface of the ball began to crawl, pinpricks of light began to burst from within as it destabilized.
Glynda saw the change and took several steps back, just in case. "Remember to control your breathing."
"I can get it! Just let me-" The ball detonated, engulfing him in orange flames. The explosion threw Glynda backwards, slamming her into the wall. Broken concrete and metal fell over her shoulders as she gasped air back into her lungs. She broke into a fit of coughs and shielded her eyes from the heat as the fire billowed outward, bathing the entire training floor in a searing blaze.
After a few seconds the fire died out. The metal floor glowed a dull red that faded quickly as it cooled, but the entire room's temperature had risen higher than that of a hot summer day. Nova, unphased by the heat, brushed himself off and turned to the professor, "Sorry, you okay?"
Glynda stood and smoothed out her skirt, then pushed her glasses further up on her nose and nodded, "I'll be fine, thank you." She had already begun to sweat from the massive change in temperature.
He scratched the back of his head, "So how do I keep that from happening again?"
Glynda struggled to breathe in the infernal heat, and tugged on the choking grip of her collar. She considered for a moment his predicament, and how to resolve it. "It seems as though your frustration is directly tied to the difficulty of controlling your semblance. Try to be more aware of your anger. If you find that you are losing control, do everything you can to calm down."
"Sometimes that can be nearly impossible to do. In the heat of a fight, instinct can take over."
Her eyes narrowed as a bead of sweat trailed down her cheek, "Fighting with more than instinct is what separates us from the Grimm. Keep a calm and focused mind and victory will come easier."
"Yeah, well the problem is that I fight best when I let my instincts take over." He said, then turned away from the professor.
She ended the last recording and saved it, hoping to end the day and get out of the boiling room. "That is enough for today, we will try again tomorrow."
He waved, "See you tomorrow." She simply nodded and walked off to gather her things.
Nova stepped through the doors of the training room, but then he immediately wanted to step back inside to get Glynda. Team CDNL had been waiting; Russel Thrush was on his right, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, and directly in his path Sky Lark and Dove Bronzewing had their backs to him as they laughed at some joke that Cardin had just made. The tall mace-wielder saw Nova from over his teammates' shoulders and stepped forward.
Cardin had a reputation of causing trouble, and the last thing Nova needed was more trouble. The best option he had then, was to have a professor within reach. That being said, he wasn't the kind of person to back down.
He held the door open in a hope that it may dissuade Cardin from doing anything to him in case Glynda overheard them, but the boy didn't seem to care. "So the 'faceless wonder' is getting special training from Goodwitch? Who's ass did you kiss?"
"Are you saying she doesn't give you the same special treatment?"
Cardin stepped well within Nova's personal boundary, but he stood his ground. "Goodwitch doesn't give anyone special treatment." he pointed a finger at Nova, "You never fight in combat class, and you're getting tutoring from Goodwitch. What are you hiding?"
"I'd love to tell, but frankly it's not your business."
Thankfully, Glynda stepped into the doorway before the interaction could worsen. The professor looked a bit disheveled. Her hair had come loose, letting a few strands of her bangs fall in front of her eyes. Her face and neck were flushed red, and she dabbed her neck and forehead with a handkerchief.
She held out a small memory chip to Nova, filled with recordings of his training, "These should help you in your studies." he thanked her and took the chip, quickly inserting it into his scroll. The four boys looked at each other in confusion. Russel pointed at the two in the doorway, then leaned over to Sky and whispered something in his ear.
The professor turned to team CDNL and adjusted her glasses, "Is there a problem here students?"
Cardin sneered at Nova. "No problem, professor. I was just asking our friend here if he needed a private tutor."
She gave him a stern glance, "I highly doubt that is the truth. Besides, Nova already has all the assistance he requires."
The masked boy in question looked at her with concern. Call it a sixth sense or a gut feeling, but he could tell something was definitely wrong with the professor. "Are you sure you're okay? You look a little tired."
She waved away his concern and shook her head. "It seems that our training session has taken more out of me than I expected. A glass of water and I should be fine."
He didn't believe a word she said. Before he could question her further, she looked up at the other students. "Now, unless you all require a lesson in combat, I recommend that you all go about your business." The team walked away, whispering to each other.
"I think he's getting extra combat training. If they're not letting him fight in class, then he must be even worse than Jauney-boy." Cardin stated to his teammates.
"Did you guys get a look at Goodwitch? She looked all hot and bothered," Russel said with a smug grin, "Do you think there's a teacher-student thing going on between them?"
Dove cut him off, "Don't be ridiculous, it's Goodwitch we're talking about. She wouldn't-"
Cardin cut him off, "No, he's got a point. I bet we could get some damn good blackmail if we got our hands on that memory chip she gave him."
The brute considered what he knew about Nova. He always kept to himself, never spoke up in class, and doesn't even eat with everyone in the cafeteria. The day before, he saw the boy leaving the history wing when a gust of wind made his black cloak flap wildly, revealing the two swords sheathed across his back.
He knew that if Nova keeps himself fully armed, he is trying to give everyone a textbook 'don't mess with me' appearance. The brute saw straight through the ruse; he was obviously working with the teachers because he was too far behind the other students.
"Let's tail him later today. We'll get the truth out of him."
Nova frowned as the team of bullies left. He knew that idiots like those love to make trouble, and he would probably have to deal with them in the future. He looked back at the Professor, who had her eyes closed and eyebrows furrowed in a grimace, and she was messaging her temples.
But of course, she's fine right? Wrong.
Nova cleared his throat to gain Glynda's attention, "Professor, my semblance is unique. Not only can I control energy, but I can sense it as well. I spent a lot of time in the medical bay of the base I was on, helping the doctors figure out what was wrong with some of the patients. Over time I developed the ability to get a detailed 'view' of the energy within someone's body when I touch their skin."
She raised an eyebrow, "I have a feeling you're about to ask me to do something odd."
He shrugged, "Depends on your point of view. Although you should know; without coming in contact with you I can already tell that you've been radiating an extremely large amount of heat. I just want to make sure it isn't something serious." He took off his glove and held out his hand, waiting for her to accept it.
The professor stared at him for a few seconds, "You think I'm foolish enough to believe all that nonsense?"
"You said we would be professional. I am completely serious."
She stared at him for a few seconds, trying to determine whether or not it was a joke. Eventually she sighed and took his hand. He pulled her arm closer and rolled back her sleeve, "How do you feel?"
She nodded, "I've had a terrible headache ever since the accident you just had in training." He took a deep breath to focus, then placed two fingers under her wrist, feeling for her pulse.
The moment he touched her arm, his senses were overwhelmed with information. He felt every heartbeat, every pulse of her nervous system, every little bit of energy, and how it flowed throughout her body.
"Give me a few seconds, there's a lot going on." Several moments passed, and Glynda was growing impatient.
"Your blood is running hot, and most of your organs are overheating." He fixed her sleeve and let go of her hand, then slipped his glove back on. "I could try to absorb some of the heat, but considering the fact that this is probably my fault, I'll probably just make things worse. I highly recommend you get to the infirmary as soon as possible, and let a medical professional handle it."
He shook off a bit of disorientation, then walked off to meet his team in the library. "Good day, Professor."
Glynda blinked in surprise. She had always viewed Nova as a risk to the other students, but seeing a side to him that actually expressed concern was a bit of a relief. This was certainly something to report to Ozpin once She was finished in the the infirmary.
The library of Beacon academy is very special for many people. A place of peace, of study. A place to lose yourself in another world and escape the harshness of reality, or to learn more about the world around you.
And so, it was not an odd thing to see Blake Belladonna walking down the halls, nose-deep in the pages of a book.
She passed several tall bookshelves, oblivious of the world around her as the book seized her attention. She yelped and her heart lurched into her throat as someone grabbed her by the crook of her arm and yanked her to a secluded corner of the library.
"Let go!" she exclaimed in a hushed voice. She grabbed the gloved fingers of her kidnapper and pried him off, huffing in irritation as she glared at the masked boy. "What do you want?!"
"Hello, Blake Belladonna."
"You pulled me over here to say 'hi'," She asked. Realizing that he used her name, she gave him an inquisitive look, "Have we met?"
He shook his head, "No, not exactly. How is your boyfriend?"
Oh, so he's trying to see if she is available. Typical. However, two can play at that game... She gave him a slight smile, and tilted her head ever so slightly for good measure, "He is doing well, thank you for asking."
"Oh, really?" The boy chuckled, "Last I heard he had quite a large target painted on his back."
Well... that doesn't make any sense at all. Still, she played along, showing the boy a false expression of worry. "What are you talking about? When?"
The boy leaned toward her, whispering in a barely audible voice, "When General James Ironwood ordered me to kill Adam Taurus."
A thousand warning bells, sirens, red flags, and a car crash went off in her mind all at once, every single one of them screaming at her to run away from this boy right now.
She took a step away from him, and ducked when his arm snapped up to grab her head. She leaped backwards and left a shadow clone in her place, but felt a harsh tug on the ears atop her head. She landed silently and instinctively covered her cat ears, then scrambled forward, doing everything she could to get her hands on her bow. He managed to hold her at bay while she wildly reached over his shoulder. "Give that back!"
He jammed the ribbon in his pocket, "Not until you listen to what I have to say."
Blake grit her teeth, "Be quick about it."
"Every organization has its enemies. Take Beacon for example, it would be quite a tragedy if a certain group of terrorists were to create chaos from the inside... and who better to do it than Adam's favorite kitty-cat?"
"I'm not working for them," She snapped, "Not anymore."
"Of course not. I'll be keeping an eye on you, nonetheless." He held out her ribbon and with a blur of motion she snatched it away, and quickly tied the bow back on her head. "As for me, I absolutely refuse to work for the General anymore, and went AWOL just before the mission. So long as you don't endanger my team, you have nothing to fear from me."
He put the book back in her hands and pushed her into the hall. If the book weren't upside down it may have looked like the conversation had never occurred.
Hours passed, and the sun had long since fallen, leaving only a dull red afterglow over the horizon. Yang yawned and stretched her arms as the team walked back to their dorm. She sighed at the end to another long, disappointingly boring day in school.
Blake flinched and looked to her right. Yang followed her gaze, and saw Nova walking toward the training gym. Just before he rounded the corner team CDNL appeared, and they were oddly silent. She watched as they took the same path toward the gym, and followed Nova around the corner.
She didn't like where that seemed to be going. "Hey, you guys go ahead. I need to check on something."
Ruby cocked her head, "Want us to help?"
Yang shook her head and gave her trademark grin, "Nah, I can handle it." She waited for all of them to leave, then quietly followed Cardin and his cronies.
It wasn't long before she caught up with them. She walked around the corner to see the group across a large courtyard surrounding Nova, who hadn't made any kind of move whatsoever. Even against four huntsman-in-training, he still held his ground seemingly without any problems at all. She walked forward steadily, ready to sprint if things went south before she could get to the group.
They did nothing to hide their voices, so she listened intently, "What's up with the mask, mystery boy?"
"It helps keep my face pretty."
They all laughed hysterically, then Cardin gave him a grin, "I have to admit, you seem to have an ounce of wit. If only you had the brains to match."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Cardin sneered, "Well you see, my team and I are having some trouble with Port's homework. How about you help us write that report."
Nova chuckled, "You really think you can intimidate me into doing your homework?"
The team leader shrugged, "I prefer to call it persuasion. Guys?" Cardin smiled maliciously, "Let's persuade our friend to see things our way."
Nova growled in a low voice, "I don't want trouble. Let's all just go back to our dorms and forget this whole interaction."
Cardin scoffed, "Once you finish those assignments, I'll consider it." The team began to circle Nova, cutting off any escape for him.
"I'm warning you. Back. Off."
Cardin nodded in Dove's direction, and the boy charged Nova. Yang readied her gauntlets and she broke into a sprint, ready to jump into the one-sided fight.
Nova dodged a right hook from Dove and caught the boy's arm, twisting hard to throw the boy off balance. With a left foot he kicked the boy's feet out from under him, then delivered a massive downward right-handed punch that cracked the concrete as Dove's head hit the ground.
Yang skidded to a halt, her jaw dropping in awe as the rest of the team dove on Nova, and the masked boy tore the them apart.
He swung a swift punch at Russel, who leaped back to avoid the attack, then turned and threw a hard kick into Cardin's shoulder. The brute staggered as Nova jumped up to plant a boot on his face, then jumped off to shove Cardin to the ground.
Nova soared through the air toward Sky and delivered a vicious strike that sent the boy flying. He smacked into the side of the building and looked up at the rest of his team. Dove didn't look like he was getting up anytime soon, Cardin was getting reckless, and Russel was doing everything he could just to dodge Nova's punches.
Russel saw an opening and threw a swift jab that Nova evaded, then he leaped backwards before the masked boy could throw a counter-punch. Nova lunged forward and snatched one of Russel's ankles as the boy flew mid-air, and pulled hard. Russel yelped as he was yanked backwards, then Nova's knee slammed into Russel's jaw hard enough to make everyone flinch.
Sky's eyes widened in fear as Russ fell to the ground unconscious. They were getting destroyed. "Screw this! I'm getting Professor Goodwitch!" He pulled himself to his feet and ran past Yang, who was watching the fight with excitement.
Nova took the initiative and lunged toward Cardin, ducking below a massive haymaker from the towering bully and dashing behind him. He grabbed Cardin's collar from behind and spun, throwing the boy headfirst into a stone pillar. Cardin lifted his arms to protect his face, but Nova threw an uppercut that sent him into a daze, then punched him twice in the face. Before the third punch, his arm ignited into bright flames, and he drew his hand back to deliver a dangerous semblance-empowered strike.
He caught a flash of golden hair in the corner of his eye, and turned to Yang. Suddenly he remembered that he was attending a school, and needed to avoid doing anything... drastic. He took a deep breath and shook his hand, letting the fire die off.
Nova started to stand when Cardin grabbed him by his cloak, "Listen, you little punk-"
"No. You listen to me." Nova hissed, just quiet enough that Yang wouldn't be able to hear him. "I'm letting you off easy this time. Attack me again and I'll hang you up by your entrails and feed you to the Nevermores."
Considering the thrashing that his team had just gotten, Cardin decided that it wouldn't be a good idea to test the truthfulness to his words.
Nova pulled Cardin up on his feet and pushed him over to the remainder of his team, then walked over to Yang.
Yang managed to snap her jaw shut after witnessing the sheer devastation. "Wow. Just… Wow."
"Are you done gawking?" He said, no doubt smirking under his mask.
She squinted and gave him a crooked grin, "Touche."
He cracked his knuckles, keeping a close eye on Cardin, who was helping his team to their feet. "Isn't it a little late for you to be wandering around? You could be jumped by a bunch of idiots."
Before she could respond, the loud taps of a certain professor's high-heels could be heard from around the corner.
"I still don't know why I'm in trouble." Nova shrugged as he stood across from Ozpin's desk. "They attacked me, so I ended the threat."
Ozpin frowned and spoke with a very serious tone, "You gave me your word that you would not endanger my students."
"It wasn't my fault. They attacked me. Besides, it's not like I killed anyone."
"But you could have!" Glynda chided from across the room, standing next to Yang. "If you can't control your temper, then how can we trust that you won't put others in serious danger?"
Nova whirled around to face Goodwitch, "Control? What do you know about control?! I controlled the entire fight and managed to keep my semblance from turning them all into a pile of scorched dumb-ass! The people you need to be lecturing are the morons who attacked me!" Goodwitch silently fumed as the boy spewed his frustrations at her.
He turned back to Ozpin, furious, "When someone attacks me I will defend myself! I did everything I could to make them back off, but they attacked anyway. Don't believe me? Ask Yang, she saw the whole thing."
Ozpin's gaze turned to the blonde, "Is it as he says, Miss Xiao Long?"
Yang took a nervous step away from the enraged professor Goodwitch and nodded, "Yeah, they all attacked him at once. I don't think he was overly aggressive, he just ended the fight as quickly as he could."
"Exactly," Nova interjected, "If the fight went on longer then someone could've been seriously injured."
The Headmaster shook his head, "The fact of the matter is that you had an unsanctioned fight with another- four other Huntsmen in training. All involved members will be disciplined..." Nova huffed his disapproval and crossed his arms, but Ozpin continued before he could protest, "...and the ones who instigated the fight will have additional tasks, all to be determined by professor Goodwitch."
The boy stared at Ozpin for a few seconds, clearly still unhappy with the ruling. "Fine."
"You are dismissed. Go straight to your dorms, the both of you." Ozpin watched the two students until the elevator door slid shut, then pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long sigh. "That boy certainly has some moxie. When was the last time a student told you exactly what they were thinking?"
She gave herself some time to calm down before voicing her opinion of the boy, "I just don't understand how he can go from saving me from a heatstroke to nearly killing an entire team in just a few hours time."
"There are two sides to every coin, Glynda. You caught a glimpse of his softer side after his accident in training. Once he finds someone he trusts, I am certain that he will come around."
The two students stood in silence as the elevator descended to the ground floor of the Beacon communications tower. Yang was doing everything she could to keep herself from asking Nova the myriad of questions that plagued her mind, but she kept catching herself staring at the boy.
She didn't last ten seconds before her curiosity got the best of her. "So... Where did you learn to fight like that? How come no one here knows you? Are you really seventeen or are you older?"
"Woah, woah." He held up a hand and shook his head before she could continue, "I don't play that game."
She cocked her head to the side in confusion, "What game?"
"Fifty questions." In truth, he had asked the same questions himself not too long ago, and he was getting really sick of not knowing the answers.
"Okay, but really, where did you learn how to fight?"
He breathed a long, tired sigh as the elevator began to slow, "Look, I just got attacked by four thugs, and then was ridiculed for protecting myself. If it's the same to you, I'm just gonna call it a night."
Yang put a hand on her hip, disappointed that he kept dodging everything. "Alright, fine. Goodnight, Nova."
She swore to herself that she would get him to talk eventually.
Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
-Psalm 37:8