Hello everyone! For those of you who are returning, I moved a section of last chapter to this one in order to keep a consistent word-count. Sorry for the repetition :(

Enjoy!

The Fall Project

From Ashes

Leadership

The end of the first semester at Beacon was nearing, and the school provided the teachers with a workday to catch up on grading. The students were given the day off to relax before a week of studying for the semester finals.

Team CMSN didn't have much to do for their day off. Cade was flipping through his notes while the twins fiddled with their videogames, and Nova kept trying to create mini-fireworks with his semblance.

Suddenly, Mike looked over his shoulder at Nova, "Are you and Yang dating?" Perplexed by the boy's question, everyone turned and looked at Nova, waiting for his answer.

The black-haired swordsman gave them all a bewildered look, "Uh… No? Where did you get that idea?"

Mike shrugged, "Well, you know..."

"She spends a lot of time with you," Gabe interjected, and watched Nova as his brother continued.

"You both get along extremely well-"

"-and most importantly-"

"You told her about your past," both of them said simultaneously.

Nova sneered at their attempts to psych him out, and shook his head, "Yang is a very good friend. I told her about my past because she asked, and I knew I could trust her. We aren't anything more than friends."

Gabe let out an exaggerated gasp, "Nova can make friends?! What else can you do?"

Nova chuckled and snapped his fingers, sending miniature sparks that harmlessly popped and fizzled around the boy that teased him. "I can play with fire."

In truth, Nova didn't have a very good reason to not pursue her. He had considered it before, but every time he wanted to ask Yang on a date, it felt… off. Most people would say he was just nervous about asking her, but he knew it was something different. Whatever 'it' was, it had to be extremely important.

Cadence stood from his desk as he heard the hard knock of someone's fist against the door. He opened it to a middle-aged man wearing a blue and white uniform. "Can I help you?"

"I have a package for a Cadence Claret, is he available?" The man asked.

Cade raised an eyebrow, "I am Cadence. Who's the package from?"

The mailman tapped his datapad a few times, "From a Mr. Christopher Claret."

Cade blinked in surprise. Christopher was his father, but had been against the idea of him becoming a Huntsman. The last thing he expected was to receive a package from him. He thanked the man and signed for the package, then closed the door.

He sat down at his desk, placing the box down on the table. "Are you gonna open it, or what?" Gabe asked.

"Maybe," the team leader said and sat there for a few minutes, unsure of whether or not he wanted to open it. Cadence didn't leave with the best of terms with his father, who had wanted his boy to stay and help with the family business.

The problem was, if he saw another grapevine or heard another thing about wine, he was going to rip his own hair out. His dream was to be a Huntsman, not work for the family winery. Could there be a more dull job?

Still, family is family.

He tore open the package and pulled out an old wooden box. Centered on each side was an intricate carving of vines, loosely wrapped around a sword. He was intrigued by the design; a variation of his family label, which is normally a vine wrapped around a bunch of grapes.

He pulled on the lid of the box, but it didn't budge. On the front was an hourglass-shaped keyhole, but he had no key. He checked the package again, and resting at the bottom was a small envelope. Inside was a fairly wordy letter, and an antique looking skeleton key with the same symbol.

Altogether, this was very strange. Getting something like this from his father felt very… weird. He opened the letter, hoping for some answers.

Hello Cadence.

As you may know, your great-grandfather was an important soldier in the Great War. He was a superb leader, and countless foes fell to him in battle. After the war, he started the family winery in a hope that he could redeem himself by creating something, even after causing so much destruction.

But he never wanted to forget. Enclosed in this box, is the weapon he used throughout the War. Do you remember Grandpa asking me the question "How is Adeline?" or "Are you taking good care of Adeline?" Well, that was him asking if I was taking good care of the family heirloom.

Now, this may seem goofy to you, but there is a good reason for it. Unfortunately, the weapon was banned by the Council because of its hyper-effectiveness in battle. In other words, it was labeled as 'too deadly to be considered humane.'

Because of this ban, all of them were destroyed, and the secrets to forging the ammunition were lost to all but a handful of people still living. And so, as my father passed it to me, I now entrust the safety of this family heirloom to you. Keep it safe, keep it clean, and keep it a closely-guarded secret.

I know this is something that may come as a surprise to you, but I wanted you to know that I am proud of you. Despite my efforts, and despite your disadvantage, you managed to be accepted to one of the most renown schools in all of Remnant. I know you wanted to make it into Atlas, but Beacon is just as good of an accomplishment.

Your mother would be proud too.

Love,

Dad

There is something about a Father's long lost approval that brought Cadence a sense of joy and pride that he hadn't felt in quite some time. He excitedly inserted the key into the lock and turned it carefully, making sure not to damage anything.

He thought it would be a dagger or collapsible sword, but instead he found an old revolver, held in place by foam lining. Engraved on the dark wooden grip was, again, the vine and sword. The metal was polished steel, with some type of transparent crystal detail that spiraled around the barrel.

Beneath the barrel were six bullets, also held in the foam lining. He picked one up to inspect it more closely, and noticed that the ballistic tip had the same transparent crystal that detailed the weapon. He put the bullet back and picked up the gun, immediately checking to see if it was loaded.

The weapon was clear, so he held it out, testing its weight. It was extremely well balanced, and felt heavy in his hands. After several seconds, the transparent crystals began to softly glow a light red. The glow slowly grew in intensity until the crystals shined bright, lighting up the room with a dark red afterglow.

"Where did you get that?!"

Cade jumped at the sound of Nova, team CMSN's stealthiest individual. "It's a family heirloom from my father. He wants me to take care of it."

The swordsman looked ecstatic, "Yes, but those are infusion crystals," he said, pointing at the glowing red detail, "They tap into your aura to strengthen the power of the weapon. They're among the most rare crystals on the planet."

"Well I can't use it, it's a family heirloom." Cade placed the gun back in it's case, then his eyes widened when he came to a realization, "And none of you can't use it either!"

His teammates grinned, and Mike spoke for them, "No worries, boss."

Pyrrha was nervous. She paced the team's dorm room, absentmindedly twirling her sword through her fingers. Ren and Nora gave each other worried glances, and tried to reassure their partner. "I'm sure he'll be fine, Pyrrha."

"Yeah, it's Professor Ozpin! If it were Glynda I would be worried too, but Ozpin is fine," the hyper hammer-wielder enthusiastically chipped.

Professor Ozpin had called Jaune into his office over an hour before, and the fearless leader of JNPR still hadn't returned. It was supposed to be a day off, but for whatever reason, the Beacon Headmaster sent for Jaune in the middle of lunch.

For the Mistrali champion, the implications were terrifying. Did the Headmaster catch wind of Jaune's falsified transcripts? Was it against the rules that she and him were training extra hours on the roof of the building? Or had something else happened that she couldn't think of?

The moment there was a knock, Pyrrha dashed for the door and flung it open wide, "Jau- Professor?"

Glynda Goodwitch raised an eyebrow at the red-head, then addressed all the remaining members of Team JNPR, "Professor Ozpin has requested you all to his office immediately. Be prepared for a full day of combat."

Pyrrha slowly turned and glared at Nora, who shrugged and mouthed 'sorry.' She looked back at the impatient teacher, giving her a nod, "We'll be there in a few minutes, Professor."

It didn't take long for them to get ready, and when they left the room Team RWBY joined them on the way. Strangely, they had received the same instructions from Goodwitch. Knowing that she, Jaune, and Cardin were the only ones who knew about his transcripts, this had to be something unrelated.

The group reached Beacon Tower, and saw Jaune, along with team CMSN, sitting together in the lobby. The leader of JNPR was incessantly tapping away at a datapad with an immense amount of focus, while the others chatted idly.

Pyrrha waved and gave the goofball a warm smile as his deep blue eyes flicked up at the two teams, and he returned the smile, "Hey guys, sorry about the short notice. Everything will be explained when we talk to Ozpin."

They all managed to pile into an elevator, and when they reached the top, Ozpin was waiting patiently.

"Hello everyone," he grinned as he addressed the group. "I hope you have all enjoyed the day so far, but due to a surge in Grimm activity, I have some extra credit for you all today." Ozpin sipped from his ever-present coffee mug, "Before any of you protest, this is mandatory. The purpose of this mission is to test a new strategy involving large groups or multiple teams of Huntsmen, all commanded by a skilled leader. Your objective today is to destroy every Grimm you come across in Forever Fall. You will move from the northern edge to the southern edge of the forest, clearing Grimm as you go."

He stood and picked up his cane, then gestured in Jaune's direction, "You all know Jaune. He will be in charge of this mission, and you will all obey his orders as an extension of my own. The floor is yours, Mr. Arc."

The young leader plugged his data chip into a slot on Ozpin's desk. A hologram of Forever Fall sprung to life, and Jaune took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He stole a glance at Pyrrha, who gave him an encouraging smile. She knew what this meant; Jaune was being trained by Ozpin to be a leader, and this is his first test.

"Okay. We each have an integral part in this, so pay close attention. Cade, Gabe, Ren, Blake, Pyrrha, and myself will hold a 'safe zone' perimeter as we clear our way through the forest. Everyone in this group is free to move around, but it's critically important that we make sure we're not overrun." The hologram displayed a small picture of each person in a loose ring formation, each with a shield symbol next to their portraits.

He pressed a few buttons for the next group, with a crossed-swords symbol used this time, and the portraits placed just outside of the ring. "Ruby, Yang, Nora, and Mike are our brawlers. You will go after any majors or alphas that could threaten our safe zone. You can fight all Grimm as they come, but your focus should be on the larger, more dangerous ones. Assist each other as needed and if you need to recover, move into the safe zone."

"That leaves Weiss and Nova." He pointed at the center of the 'safe zone', and a portrait of Weiss appeared with her Schnee snowflake symbol. "Weiss, you're our support. Your job is to use glyphs to aid everywhere you can, and to keep an eye out for anyone who needs your help. Everyone keep in mind that Weiss can't help everyone at once, so don't do anything too crazy."

"Nova is our wild-card. You can fight anywhere, but I would rather you keep a safe distance in case you lose control of your semblance. I think you can judge what Grimm should be your top priority on your own." Nova's portrait appeared outside the group, with the symbol of an open flame.

Ruby stared at the hologram with a worried expression, "You're splitting up the teams?"

Jaune shook his head, "No, only Weiss and Nova have jobs that might separate them. Everyone else can still work together in your respective teams, just remember your individual task and the group will be effective enough to take on just about anything." He scanned the group, some of them giving him surprised, jaw dropped stares. "Any other questions?" he asked.

Silence permeated the room. If anyone had a question, they were too stunned by Jaune's seemingly out-of-nowhere ability to come up with a strategy.

After revising the notes on his datapad, he continued, "Okay, we may have to adapt to the situation at some point, so if you aren't sure what to do, just call out your problem and we'll come up with something on the spot if we need to."

He scratched the back of his head, and struggled to say the next part. Now he was uncomfortable. "I know we'll take care of each other, but accidents happen, and I want us to be prepared for the worst. I something goes wrong, we will all hold position and call in an emergency air evacuation to get us all out of there."

A series of metal clashes and turning gears sounded as Nora readied her hammer. She maliciously grinned at the fearless leader, "When do we start?"

Red leaves of Forever Fall drifted in the breeze, and the sweet smell of eternal autumn permeated the forest. The burning scream of a Bullhead's engines echoed through the trees, causing a mound of decaying foliage to shift.

The Deathstalker pulled itself from the hole it had burrowed into the ground, and shook the large chunks of dirt and clay from the scratches and deep scars in its tail and pincers. It looked up and watched the Bullhead fly off into the distance. The massive Grimm excitedly hissed and followed the craft, careful to go unnoticed.

It was time to go hunting.

The Bullhead hovered above a break in the trees, and the group looked down into a sea of snarling fur, claws, and gnashing teeth. There were hundreds of Grimm, and more arriving each moment they waited. Exchanging uneasy glances, the teams weren't sure of how to begin.

At least not until Nova stepped to the edge of the platform, and looked over his shoulder, "Let's have some fun." He drew his swords and dove off the Bullhead, cheering as he fell into the mass of creatures. Drawing from his semblance, he slammed into the ground with explosive force, pulverizing any Grimm unfortunate enough to be too close to the swordsman. Just after his landing he spun in a wide circle, creating a whirlwind of blazing flames that vaporized anything within thirty feet of him.

Following Nova's enthusiastic start, Jaune called for them all to jump, and the mission began.

The creatures of Grimm converged on them, but each person knew what they had to do, and held firm against the onslaught. Before long the tide fell to the wayside, allowing the group to start moving through the forest. For the most part the only Grimm that went after them were the most common; Beowolves, Creeps, and Ursai, along with the occasional Major Grimm or King Taijitu.

After an arduous hour of on-the-run fighting, the group was nearing the edge of the forest, but the Grimm were attacking with greater ferocity than ever before. Blake struggled to keep up with the attacks, and a stray slash of a Beowolf caught her by surprise. Several wolves lunged at her as she lost her balance, and she stumbled backwards, leaving a shadow-clone to absorb the attack.

But the Beowolves never struck the clone. They froze, and their ears perked up as they glanced to the left. They broke away from Blake and ran off, drool dripping from their teeth as they barked furiously. The faunas girl's brow furrowed in confusion as she glanced around, searching for the next target.

Nothing came her way.

She looked over at Ruby, who had been fighting an Ursa when it suddenly turned away from the young reaper and sprinted on all fours in the same direction as the Beowolves. "Hey, I'm not done killing you yet!" Ruby pouted as the Grimm ran off.

The entire group looked at each other, confused as the Grimm stopped attacking them. Jaune was completely stumped until he realized that all of the Grimm were running straight at Nova.

The masked swordsman angrily hacked and slashed his way through the swelling tide of creatures, with every swing of his blade creating an arc of fire. For someone who was completely alone and outnumbered, he was incredibly good at holding his own.

But it didn't last. The prolonged use of his semblance was quickly wearing him down, making his fires grow colder, while his attacks became slower and less fluid. An Ursa roared to challenge him, and he lifted a hand to engulf the beast in flames.

Instead, his head erupted in immense pain as he overstepped the bounds of his dwindling semblance. The Ursa's claws slashed deep into his left arm, forcing the sword from his grip. Nova cursed through his teeth, then cleaved the Grimm's neck with his other blade. As it evaporated, he grit through the blinding pain and picked his sword back up, then fought with every living fiber of his being through the wall of fur and claws as he retreated toward the group.

Jaune called for everyone to assist, and they all converged on Nova's position. The teams plowed through the horde of bloodthirsty Grimm, and Nova knelt to the ground to catch his breath. His aura had run completely empty, and he was completely covered in scrapes and scratches; too many near-misses for him to count.

The pain was excruciating. Every pulse of his heart felt like needles in his brain, every noise a thunderous boom that split his eardrums. Someone was saying his name, but he hurt too much to think, much less fight.

Slowly, his senses returned, and he opened his eyes to see Cade tapping at his mask, "Are you okay? Your arm is pretty messed up."

The swordsman put a hand to his arm and winced at the tender sting. The cuts drew blood, but he still had full range of motion, so it wasn't serious. "I'm fine."

Cade nodded in agreement, then his eyes narrowed, "What happened?"

Nova shook his head, "I've never used my semblance for so long, I didn't realize I had a limit on how long I can use it." He took a breath to calm his furiously beating heart, "The pain was unbearable."

CMSN leader put a hand on his teammate's shoulder, "You're okay now, right?"

Another nod, "Just give me a few minutes and I'll be able to fight again. I'm gonna take it easy with my semblance though."

As the group finished off the majority of the massive amount of Grimm, Jaune stopped to consider exactly what happened to draw all of the creatures toward Nova. What was it Pyrrha said they were attracted to? Evil? Not evil… negativity. Anger, hatred, despair, fear, and the like.

Then that means Nova was giving off enough negativity to attract every Grimm in the entire area.

He didn't know how that was possible, but he did know that having a horde of bloodthirsty Grimm thrown into a frenzy would be extremely dangerous for them all. Jaune approached Nova, and put a hand on his shoulder. Knowing how straightforward the swordsman can be, he decided to get to the point, "Nova, I need you to control your emotions. I don't know what's going on in your head, but the negativity you are bringing is putting everyone in danger."

The boy's head snapped in Jaune's direction, and he stared for a few moments. "I see. Sorry."

As they were speaking, the Grimm had been reduced to only a few stragglers. Pyrrha chased a Beowolf through the brush, ensuring that it wouldn't live to kill anyone in the future. Shifting her blade to a javelin, she aimed with an extended arm, and sent it soaring.

The spear pierced through the creature's neck, then she yanked it back with her semblance. As the weapon flew toward her, it was smacked aside by a massive pincer that lunged from the foliage and snapped shut around her body, squeezing her arms tightly against her ribs.

Red eyes gleamed from the shadows, and the Deathstalker chattered in victory. Pyrrha breathed to call out for help, but the Grimm crushed the air from her lungs. Black crept into the edges of her vision, threatening to make her lose consciousness. What was left of her aura faded, and her ribs started to crack.

A sharp pain erupted in her right shoulder, and a hot stream of venom slowly spread through her veins. The Deathstalker dropped the young huntress, and retreated silently back into the forest. Its work was done.

Her mind went fuzzy, and she clutched at the fallen leaves that littered the ground, crawling toward the treeline. She needed to get to Jaune. Somehow, he would come up with something.

He had to.

She used the trunk of a tree to help lift her to her feet, and stumbled her way toward him.

Pyrrha fumbled through the brush, and everyone gasped as she fell, exhausted. The venom was working quickly, and her head bobbed as she faded in and out of consciousness. Nova sprung up and rushed to her aid before anyone else.

He turned her on her back and touched her swollen shoulder wound, then looked up at Jaune, "Deathstalker venom." Tears welled in the boy's eyes. He blamed himself, knowing that she was his responsibility. His partner. The boy fitfully called in an emergency evacuation, and was told they would be there in ten minutes.

Ten minutes.

He took Pyrrha's hand, and stayed with her. He prayed the airship would make it in time. The young huntress muttered incoherently as the poison started affecting her mind.

Nova cursed under his breath. He pushed Jaune out of the way, and looked up at Ruby, "Come here," he said sternly. The young reaper dragged her feet to him, quietly sobbing for her dying friend. "Hold out your hand, please," Nova said quietly, while removing his gloves.

She didn't understand, but obeyed. He rolled Ruby's sleeve back and wrapped his fingers around her small wrist. She could feel the tiny muscle spasms in his hand. Out of fear, anger, or some other unknown reason, Nova was trembling.

Pyrrha groaned as he covered her wound with his left hand, and his golden aura began to shine. "Everyone be very quiet, I need to focus." The blood vessels in the red-head's body began to glow from within, and ever so slowly the light retreated toward Nova's hand.

After several minutes, Nova's aura faded and he shuddered as he released both girls, "I used Ruby's bloodstream as a comparison to clean out Pyrrha's. She'll be okay." He stood and walked away as Pyrrha opened her eyes, receiving hugs from her closest companions. Nora practically tackled Nova, spewing out thanks at an incredible rate.

Jaune was in tears, "I'm so sorry Pyrrha, I-I should've been paying more attention… I'm sorry."

Still nearly exhausted, she reached out and pulled him into a hug, and managed to whisper in his ear, "It's okay, Jaune. Everything is fine now." They clung to each other, and Pyrrha cherished the contact. She squeezed him tighter, and buried her face in his chest. She never wanted to let go.

Jaune looked up at Nova along with the rest of the group, everyone giving him wide smiles. His back was turned, and he was staring into the distance. "There is no possible way I can thank you enough, Nova." He didn't respond or even acknowledge the compliment, and continued to stare into the trees.

Yang took a few steps toward him, "Nova? Are you alright?"

The swordsman stumbled, and held a hand out to grab onto something. His legs buckled, and he collapsed.

The blonde rushed over to him as he tried, in vain, to stand up again. He waved her away, "I'm fine, I'm fine."

She didn't buy it in the slightest, "No, you're not! What's going on?! Did you use too much of your semblance again?"

The swordsman looked up at Yang, "I... absorbed the poison." Yang stood dumbfounded for a few moments, then her eyes went wide with horror as the reality set in.

She could barely breathe. "Why?" she managed to ask, her voice a barely audible whisper.

He shrugged, "It's the only thing I knew I could do."

She opened her mouth to speak, but her breath was stolen away. It didn't feel real, like she was caught in some dream. Like she was caught in a nightmare.

"You should all probably go. I probably only have about a minute of sanity left."

This snapped Yang out of her daze, "N-no, none of that. We're not going anywhere, and you're not giving up on us," she demanded, earning a pained chuckle from him.

"Yes ma'am."

It didn't take long for the venom to take its toll. Nova cradled his left arm and started muttering to himself. He shivered as a gust of wind blew through the trees, sending the red leaves of Forever Fall soaring around them. The orange glow of the darkening horizon was a stunning sight that the dying boy watched in awe.

His gaze fell onto Pyrrha, and he stared at her for a long time. She didn't take any offense from it, knowing that Nova didn't exactly have much control at the moment. "Ni-Ni-" He growled at his own inability to speak, "Pyrrha?"

She took a few steps closer to him, "Yes, Nova?"

The swordsman's breathing became slow and weak, "Why did you name your weapon Milo?"

She hesitated. Nova had stuck his head into a guillotine for her, and he may not survive. She owed him the truth. Swallowing the pain of the past, she took a breath, "Milo was my childhood friend. We trained together ever since we were kids, mostly just for fun. I actually got quite good at using a simple kitchen pot," she chuckled, making Nova let out a choked laugh.

"We grew up and were both accepted at Sanctum. Because of our training we quickly became top of our class." She started to get choked up as she spoke, "If it weren't for him I never would have gotten to where I am now. Outside of my family, he was the first person I ever loved."

Nova stared at the ground, "Then it all went wrong," he said faintly.

Pyrrha nodded, "He died two and a half years ago in some kind of explosion."

The swordsman shook his head, and ran his hands through his hair, "Milo... Milo... Milo..." His hands were shaking as he tried desperately to hold on to his sanity, to stay alive. "I'm so sorry Pyrrha. I'm… sorry…." his head fell back, and he went limp, his sporadic breathing the only evidence that he was still living.

The bullhead screamed overhead moments later, and Yang hoisted the dying huntsman on her shoulders, refusing to accept help. Once everyone was on board, the dropship blasted for Beacon at full speed.

"Quickly! Get the anti-venom in him now!" the doctor ordered. A needle pierced the inside of Nova's elbow, and the curing agent flowed through his veins.

"Something's wrong with out instruments, they keep saying his body temperature is over 120 degrees."

"We'll fix it later. For now get some ice, he's burning up."

Yang watched through an operating window as more than half a dozen doctors all swarmed around the swordsman. He sat at a heartbeat monitor, which showed only a feint and slowing pulse. Yang cried out and slammed a fist into the thick glass, making a spiderweb of cracks spread across the surface.

"His heart rate is slowing, recommend a dose of adrenaline."

"Do it."

Another needle in his upper abdomen made Nova gasp, and his back arched as his muscles convulsed. The boy snapped awake, and found himself completely surrounded by doctors.

In an adrenaline-fueled rage, he shoved the closest doctor away from him hard, sending the man straight through the cracked operating window. Yang ducked just before the window shattered, and she watched as the other doctors dove on him, trying to keep their patient from injuring himself.

Golden fire erupted over his entire body, burning the hands of anyone that touched him. He fueled the heat even more, burning so hot that everyone in the room recoiled from the boy, and the ice they had placed around him almost instantly melted. The agonized screams were drowned out by the low roar of the billowing flames.

His overworked semblance burned his mind for the second time that day. Overwhelmed by the immense pain, he gripped his hair and screamed.

Knowing that this would only end in more disaster, Yang activated her semblance and dove into the room. She threw a swift punch to Nova's jaw that instantly knocked him unconscious.

Jaune sat at Ozpin's desk, clearly upset. The Headmaster had told him that he had done well, but the young leader disagreed. "Pyrrha was stung by a Deathstalker, and Nova is in a medically-induced coma. Both of them almost died. How can you possibly say that's a job well done?"

The old man gave him a look of understanding, "What did everyone else do when Miss Nikos was injured?"

"Well I-we-" he stammered, "We were all in shock. Everyone just kind of stood there."

"And what did you do?"

Jaune blinked, "I… called in the Bullhead."

"Exactly. That is what makes you a great leader, Jaune. Even in the darkest of moments, you were able to keep control of the situation and make the right decisions. You did everything you could have done."

Jaune sighed. If that was what being a leader is about, then he didn't want to be apart of it.

"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends."

-John 15:13