The Burning Beacon
Chapter 3: Rekindled Interest
"Bloom! Wait up!" The girl in question whipped her head around to see Nora dragging a dark-haired boy with magenta eyes over toward them. She and Stella had been on the way to the dorms after the team ceremonies, hoping to slip by without attracting undue attention. Stella, she knew, needed time to adjust to how things worked at Beacon and she didn't want to overwhelm the blonde by forcing her to socialize. Nora, however, had a different idea.
Bloom liked Nora. The girl was energetic, friendly, and passionate about Hunting and weapons, two things the pair talked about for hours last night. It amazed her how alike they looked. They had no relatives in common (that they knew of, at least), but sported nearly the same hair and eye color. The only thing keeping them from being mixed up was Nora's preference for skirts and the color pink. "Hey, Nora. Is this your partner?"
"Yep!" The other redhead grinned. "Ren and I go way back! He's the best."
"We attended intermediate training together," Ren spoke. His voice matched his laid-back, calm appearance. "She's been talking about you since we were paired together. Should I be nervous?"
"No, you can keep her." She smiled. "I've got Stella here."
"Stella, hmm?" Nora leaned in to study the blonde, earning a startled yelp. "I didn't see you in the dorm last night."
"There was a mix-up with my paperwork," Stella harrumphed, taking a step backward and aside in order to hide behind her. "I just got here this morning."
"Wow. That must've sucked," Nora said. "So, how'd you two end up at the top of the leaderboard? We took down a Nevermore, but we were working as a full team, so…"
"I took down an Ursa and she took out a legion of Lesser Helspawn," She answered. "Some idiot summoned them and then lost the connection, I guess. I didn't think it was worth that many points, but if that's how the teachers see it…" She shrugged. Teachers were weird about stuff like that, Mom included.
"Sounds like a fun party. Speaking of, we're having one in the JNPR dorm! Wanna join in?"
"I think I'd better take a rain check on that." She shook her head. "Stella needs to get settled in, and I think you guys would be better off using tonight as a team bonding session."
"Indeed." Ren nodded. "It was nice to make your acquaintance, Bloom, Stella."
"You too, Ren." She smiled. "Have fun with your new team."
"I'll try." He offered her a sly smile. She chuckled
"Are you sure you two will be okay by yourselves?" Nora asked.
"Positive. We've got some team bonding of our own to take care of." She waved. "I'll see you two in class tomorrow."
The dorms were quite different than what she'd left behind at Alfea. In a room designed to accommodate four people, the girls had room to spread out and separate their belongings. There was even a kitchenette and a television to go along with the ensuite washroom. Though irked about sharing a room with another person for the first time in her life, Stella grudgingly accepted that Beacon Academy did not offer single rooms and she lucked out by only gaining the one roommate.
They spent most of the night chatting about their past scholastic experiences and how life on their home realms differed. Bloom still seemed wigged out by the notion of fairy training, so Stella did her best to keep their discussions about magic as pleasant as possible. Inevitably, the conversation moved from school to fashion.
"Do all the people on your planet dress like you do?" She asked as she braided her long golden hair. She didn't want to wake up with a mouthful of it again. "Where I come from, most people don't wear skin-tight jumpsuits unless they're training for a specific military post." Red Fountain required a jumpsuit with a fucking annoying cape, but none of the other major schools did.
"In case you hadn't noticed, I'm the exception around here." Bloom replied, pulling her own fiery hair into a series of ponytails. "But now that you've brought it up, we need to pick out your battle outfit. If you're going to pretend to be a Huntress, you need to look the part."
"Sweetie, my clothes took up two and a half wardrobes. I think I have something that will work…somewhere," She replied. "But what if I transform on accident?" Part of pretending to be a Huntress involved not transforming into a fairy. What if she slipped up in front of the other students? It could put her and possibly the school in danger.
"We'll stick as close to your fairy form in color and design as we can." Bloom shrugged. "Use orange for the base color with accents of light blue and yellow. And if you keep your hair in pigtails, anyone who sees you transform will write the wings off as a trick of the light."
"I think I might have part of it in here somewhere…" She stood from the bed and walked to her chest of drawers. She rummaged a bit before pulling out a pair of orange shorts with gold pockets and a matching tank-top. An x-shaped hip-hugging belt and a pair of thin, long golden belts followed. These clothes had been gifts from her mother, charmed to change colors under moonlight or when she used her moon-based powers. She didn't wear them very much, but knew that this was perfect time to change that. "I think there's a pair of over-the knee socks in here somewhere too, and I've got a pair of orange boots in the closet." And she could charm those herself; color-changing charms were ridiculously easy.
"Well, the harness-looking thing has obviously got to go with the shorts." Bloom frowned as she approached. "We can sling the two belts diagonally over the shoulder…do we want them crossing or going the same way?"
"Same way, I think," Stella decided, liberating a pair of gold socks from the top drawer. "Hang on, let me go get my boots…" As she wandered over to the closet, Bloom began arranging the items on the bed, placing them in the same order they would appear on Stella's body.
"I can't help but think it's missing something," The redhead commented.
"Well, there's a set of blue bangles in top of the drawer chest…" She trailed off as she finally found the boots underneath a pile of flip-flops and sandals. "Aha! Come to mama!"
"That'll help, but it's still…off," Bloom sighed. By the time she glanced over her shoulder, the redhead already had the bangles in her hand.
"I'm sorry, but I don't know what…" She paused when she spied a sliver of pale blue fabric in her 'fancy over clothes' section of the closet. Intrigued, she pushed the surrounding items aside to discover a small corset she didn't even remember packing. When worn, it rested just under her breasts and hit at the bottom of the tank top they'd already pulled out. It had been purchased to go with a pretty gold dress, as evidenced by the golden accents, but it would be perfect for this as well. "Cancel that last broadcast. I think I just hit pay dirt."
Alfea never boasted a dress code, let alone enforced school uniforms. The school was prestigious, yes, but not stuffy enough to require a formal uniform like Red Fountain. The tutor she studied under before leaving for school only insisted that she wear a dress, never a specific ensemble. However, Beacon Academy required all students to wear uniforms during classroom hours, so she reluctantly put on the dark-colored ensemble and left with Bloom for breakfast in the cafeteria.
Breakfast was an interesting affair. They wound up sitting with Team JNPR, which confirmed Stella's belief that Nora was just a tad batty. Jaune Arc reminded her of an excited puppy while the "famous" (on Remnant, at least) Pyrrha Nikos seemed pleasant and polite during their brief conversation. Ren barely spoke, but she doubted he was all that big on small-talk anyway. She caught the Winchester boy looking over at their table once, and shut him down with a glare. She so did not have time for bratty rich boys right now, and this one wasn't even all that handsome. He might be the most eligible campus bachelor here, but she could name several noblemen and princes who had him beat in the looks department. He was cute, but not *that* cute.
Classes passed in a blur of information she barely understood, though the match between that Schnee girl and the captured Grimm in Professor Port's class held her attention from the moment it began. The girl managed to magically transfigure her school uniform into her battle dress, which Stella knew took years of practice to perfect. The girl could make a powerful ice mage if given the proper training, but she chose to fight with actual weapons instead of her magic alone. Wait, no. Not magic, Aura. They called it Aura here on Remnant, and if she wanted to pass for a Remnant student, she'd better get used to saying it that way.
The use of weapons unnerved her. Back home, only guards and those training to be guards, infantrymen, and kings of warrior realms bothered with using weapons. Here, it seemed like everybody had one, and most converted into something else. Bloom's crossbow turned into a gun, Schnee's sword doubled as some kind of revolver, and Dragon only knew what Ozpin's cane converted into. Only Professor Goodwitch seemed to use a focus wand, the only accessory Stella knew for channeling magic. She had a session with the woman this evening, after classes ended, to help her begin using the Scepter of Solaria as the weapon it was designed to be.
She skidded into the Defense classroom just before the bell rang, all but throwing her book bag onto an empty worktop. "Sorry, Miss G. Still haven't got the layout memorized yet."
"I expect you to be far more ladylike in your future entrances, Miss Solis," Professor Goodwitch remarked. Stella looked around the room and found Pyrrha already leaning against one of the desks. Ren sat next to the redhead in silence, reading a book. "Though how you managed to beat my daughter here, I don't know…"
"In Bloom's defense, I believe Ruby and Nora cornered her into a weapons discussion after her last class," The redhead spoke.
Professor Goodwitch sighed. "Yes, that would slow her down, wouldn't it?" Stella didn't understand, but figured someone would explain it to her later and kept quiet. "At any rate, this class is more an introduction than anything, so it's something she could, in theory, afford to miss. For the rest of you, welcome to Aura Channeling. As the semester progresses, we may add more students to our number as more aura specialties are discovered by students in your year. For now, there will only be the four of you. I'll start by taking roll." She marked something down on a sheet of paper. "Lie Ren."
"Present," The boy answered in a polite tone.
"Pyrrha Nikos."
"Here," The redhead answered.
"Stella Solis."
"Here." She also raised her hand for good measure. Her primary school tutor drilled that response into her and she'd yet to break the habit.
"Bloom Goodwitch, who is now officially tardy…" The professor tsked as she marked something down on the page. Stella sighed. Leave it to Bloom to be late for an easy class. "But, as I said at the beginning of class, today's lesson is one she could afford to miss. Today we will focus on accessing your aura through meditation. While it is possible to tap into your aura blindly during a fight, doing so typically results in sloppy or overpowered attacks that quickly drain your energy reserves. That said, with practice and patience, you should all be able to call up your auras at will and identify its particular signature by the end of this semester."
Meditation sounded hellishly boring to Stella, but she knew better than to say it out loud. She'd seen Bloom fight in the woods (well, for a little, before she'd passed out from exhaustion). Bloom didn't need to transform to conjure fireballs and aim them with alarming precision. Bloom learned all of what she knew about magic and aura channeling from Professor Goodwitch. There was no frikkin' way Professor Goodwitch taught Bloom everything she knew about aura channeling in only sixteen years, and Stella didn't want to be the idiot stupid enough to test out where the gaps in Bloom's education resided by running their mouth off. And maybe it would be more fun in practice than in description?
"For the three of you, this step won't take very long to master," The professor continued. "You three displayed a degree of precision and skill in using your auras during the initiation mission that indicates you at least know how to call on it intentionally, even if you don't yet know what form it takes."
Bloom chose that exact moment to crash through the door and throw herself into an empty desk. Her already wild orange hair half-wound itself free of the ponytail she kept it in, and her pale cheeks glowed pink from exertion. "Sorry. Lost track of time. What'd I miss?"
"That is for me to know and your classmates to inform you of later, Bloom." The blonde professor did not appear amused with her daughter's cheeky attitude. "Now, as I was saying, identifying your aural 'element' and calling it forth on command should be no issue for any of you four, but before we start with any fancy aura attacks, I need to see where you are in the process. Therefore, we will begin by having each of you meditate and call upon your Aura for protection. If done correctly, it should manifest visually by doing something to the very air around you."
Oh, this lesson. Stella smirked. She could do this one in her sleep, her mother made damn sure of that. Hours of practice ensured that Stella could call on either of her power sources as needed, though she much preferred sunlight to moonlight. Sunlight acted bright, cheery, and energizing to her and those around her, though it did tend to be more volatile. Her lunar powers, by contrast, remained more calm and consistent. A subtle glow compared to the sun's vibrant fire. And she, unlike so many others on her home planet, could call on both with ease. But should she do so here?
Professor Goodwitch set them all meditating at the same time, partly so they could focus on calling their powers without the distraction of having everyone stare at them and partly to see how good the four of them were at sensing when someone nearby used their Aura to fight. Bloom's fire roared to life, its impulsive heat resonating with her sun-based powers. Her own pulse of light-based energy followed half a heartbeat later. A pulse of generic protective magic pinged off the left side of her shields—given the distance, it was probably Lie Ren. Pyrrha joined in last with a field that emitted an odd hum once active. Stella'd never felt anything like it before. It was cold but very energetic, vibrating air molecules and reverberating off the various structures nearby. She made a note to ask about it later if Professor Goodwitch didn't bring it up.
"Very good. You all know how to tap into your Auras." She heard the professor speak but refused to break out of her 'aura' state, as one of her tutors put it. Sure, she could switch to her lunar powers, but that would look way too damn much like showing off and she didn't wanna be that kid on her first day at Beacon. "Now, without dropping your aura, I want you all to tell me what, if any, specification you feel from your aura core. Lie Ren, if you wouldn't mind going first?"
"It's…protective," Ren's strained voice sounded from her far left. "That's all I can say for it. It doesn't really have an element."
"Not all auras do," Their teacher assured him. "Though for some it takes a while to unleash their aura in its purest form, so let's not rule it out yet. Bloom?"
"Fire." For all Stella knew, the smaller redhead had her eyes open this whole damn time. She certainly sounded confident enough to do it. "Warm, consuming fire."
"I expected no less," The professor answered with a fond smile Stella could just hear in her voice. "Miss Solis? You powered up rather quickly."
"Strong aura powers run in my family," She explained, keeping her eyes screwed shut. "I prefer my solar powers…"
"But you can use another?" She heard Pyrrha ask.
"Yes, though I'm not as proficient with it."
"Then now is the perfect time to get proficient, Miss Solis," Professor Goodwitch spoke. "Call upon your other Aura and we'll see if the rest of the class can identify its source."
She bit back a groan, but couldn't manage to choke the sigh down. She hadn't used her lunar powers in a while. There wasn't a need to at Alfea. But Goodwitch wanted to push her, and using her lunar powers would make it harder for a passer-by to identify her as Solaria's princess. At her request, the volatile solar energy dispersed and the soft glow of moonlight surrounded her. She heard one of the other girls gasp.
"I didn't know you could do that!" Bloom blurted out, her aura nearly fizzling out as she did.
"You never asked." She refused say any more on the grounds that it was way harder for her to keep the aura state up than she remembered. The damage to Remnant's moon must be hampering things.
"Sun and moon," Lie Ren spoke up before any of the girls could be prompted to remember the professor's original question. "Her aura reflects the sun and the moon."
"Very good," The teacher praised him. "Now, can anyone tell me why those two sources might be found together in one person's aura?"
Stella wondered about that one herself. Even in the magical dimension, having dual sources was highly unusual. This held doubly true for monarchs or their families on a realm like Solaria.
"Well, they're complimentary, aren't they?" Pyrrha offered. "Both are stable heavenly bodies, one seen during the day and the other at night. And moonlight is really redirected sunlight, so it's almost the same thing…"
"Except that the magical qualities of moonlight are nothing like those of sunlight," Bloom stated. Stella figured that Miss Goodwitch probably drilled magical properties into the redhead's brain at a young age. "You can't substitute one for the other in a ritual; it'd throw the whole thing off. I won't argue that they're opposite faces of the same coin, but they're not the same thing."
Stella learned this before she went to Alfea. She also learned that substituting 'dawning sunlight' for 'dusk sunlight' resulted in a very loud explosion when preparing certain potions after one girl in her dorm blew up a toilet while trying to brew an Infatuation Elixir under their teachers' noses. That bathroom had been out of order for over a week as punishment both on Trista for brewing the potion and the rest of the gang for not stopping her. None of their dorm residents appreciated this, but the next time someone tried to brew a potion, they used the lab instead of the lavatory.
"But they are similar, and you can't have one without the other," Ren pointed out, his aura weakening significantly with the effort of trying to maintain it and carry on a conversation. Stella felt her own protective aura waver in strength. Only Pyrrha and her strange vibrating shield stayed strong. She made a note to ask the redheaded warrior about it after class.
"It's a very sound theory. Perhaps in the future we will have a chance to test it." Professor Goodwitch paced the length of their scattered desks, the click of her high-heeled boots grating Stella's concentration. "But I do believe we have one more source left to guess. Does anyone have an idea of what Pyrrha's Semblance is?"
"Some kind of energy alteration." Stella answered. She felt rather than saw the glance Bloom shot her way and chose to ignore it in favor of keeping her weakening Aura shield in place. Professor Goodwitch hadn't told her to stop yet and she didn't want to make her best friend's mom pissed at her on the first day of school by not following directions. That she'd save for next week. "The air in the room started vibrating as soon as she powered up. Energy-driven powers are known for doing that, especially if they deal in electricity." Thank you, core curriculum, for making her seem way smarter than she actually was about magic.
"Your last tutor trained you well." She heard the tall redhead say. "My Semblance is polarity."
"Electro-magnet stuff, then." She hadn't run into a fairy with quite the same power set, but there had been one junior at Alfea who could make minor changes to magnetic fields. She'd stood close enough to the girl to know what the use of that power felt like. It wasn't exactly like Pyrrha's, but came close. Not quite as strong, though; Pyrrha had far more raw power at her disposal than the Zenethite at Alfea thought about, and the subtle control to keep it from tearing up the room when she used it.
"Correct."
"Good work, all of you," The professor spoke up. "You may drop your Aura shields."
Stella didn't need to be told twice, shield falling as soon as the words left the professor's lips. Opening her eyes a bit, she saw that Ren looked about as worn-out as she felt. She supposed neither of them were used to calling on their powers like this. She felt like she'd just gone through one of Griselda's heinous obstacle courses, something that shouldn't happen to a fairy her level. After making a note to start working with her lunar powers again, she turned her attention back to Professor Goodwitch.
"You all did well for your first lesson. From this point forward, we will begin each class with Aura shield meditation before moving on to more practical applications. For the next class, I expect a short report on the importance of Aura shields in combat. You're dismissed for the rest of this period."
While Bloom scooped up her books and tossed them into her bag like a mini-tornado, Stella gathered her things at a more sedate pace. Yeah, the assigned essay would suck (she hated essays), but this class was already way more interesting than anything she'd taken at Alfea. For the first time in a while, studying magic excited rather than bored her. She hoped the classes she had tomorrow turned out to be as interesting as the ones today.