Been a while, but I'm not leaving till the fics done

IMPRACTICAL: It's good to hear I've done the character justice :D hope I can keep it up

Cadmus8: That's true, the spacing and pacing can be improved on. I'll keep that in mind, and I might make some more revisions later on

WarWithoutEnd: I've lowkey been worried the fight scenes were mid lmao. Glad to hear they're not too shabby

Lelinskok: Oooh if you've got criticisms, don't hesitate to talk about them! You never know, they could help me write a better story (and don't worry, it's not a harem haha)

Disclaimer: I don't own nothin


"That was close. Thanks for the save, Weiss!" Ruby said, leaning out of cover and firing off several rounds before quickly ducking back.

"You can thank me when we're through this mess!"

When the girls were spotted from their vantage point, they were nearly blindsided by Roman's explosive welcome. While not fatal, they would certainly have been blown away, were it not for Weiss's timely reaction. With no hesitation, the heiress threw up a thick wall of ice, shielding them from the barrage of oncoming fire.

…Which was slowly chipping away at their defense, splintering the wall in multiple areas. "The ice won't hold for much longer. What's the plan?" Weiss asked, keeping an anxious eye on their makeshift cover.

"Yang and Sett are on the way, but we don't have time to wait for them, we need to get down there now." The team leader briskly scanned the area. "There's a lot of bad guys, too many for either of us to handle alone. We'll have to fight our way to Blake together and-"

"What about me? I can help!"

In the midst of the chaos, the Beacon students had completely forgotten about their tag-along.

Wide eyed, Ruby spun around. "Penny, no! This is too dangerous, you need to get to safety." Weiss was inclined to agree. It was bad enough that they had to deal with the White Fang. The last thing she wanted was to babysit a civilian at the same time.

To their surprise however, Penny simply smiled. "Don't worry Ruby: I am combat ready!"

Before either of them could voice their doubt and concern, a metallic sound silenced the huntresses in training. In an instant, blades sprung out of Penny's backpack, forming a tight arc above the strange girl.

"Woah." Starry-eyed, Ruby shook her head rigorously. "In that case, Weiss, you go help Blake deal with Torchwick. Penny and I will take care of the White Fang and keep them off your back." After a minute pause, the heiress nodded. "Alright. Everyone ready?"

"Yes!" "Yes."

"...Go!"

Bursting out into the open, Ruby and Penny leapt into the docks below, pouncing on the White Fang soldiers in seconds. In a single swipe, Crescent Rose made short work of an unlucky trio, while Penny swiftly disarmed a number of others.

"They're just kids. How the hell are we getting beat by a bunch of brats!?"

"Well, maybe if you had eyes you could properly aim your-"

"I don't see you doing any better!

"Whatever, c'mon!"

"Good job Penny, keep it up!"

With the grunts' attention firmly fixed on the docks, Weiss was free to summon a glyph, carefully aiming it towards the leader of these criminals. Currently, Torchwick was doing well, given he was outnumbered by Blake and-was that the monkey faunus from before!?

Well, at least he was being helpful this time.

'Just a little more to the left…'

Still…he did cause trouble.

'Perfect.'

Putting her musings on hold for now, the heiress launched herself at this particular skirmish, streaking over the bigger battle below. Moments before hitting the pavement, Weiss briefly tucked into a roll before coming out of it, using her momentum to stab at a surprised Torchwick.

Surprise gave way to mild irritation as the master thief yanked himself out of the way, causing Weiss to slide before coming to a halt. Whirling around, the first thing she noticed was the look of utter bafflement on her teammate's face.

"W-Weiss!? What are you-"

"Later, after we deal with him." She interrupted, leveling an icy glare at the famed thief.

Torchwick merely rolled his eyes. "Oh yes, 'deal with me.' You make it sound so easy, kid." He adjusted his hat with a smirk. "Fine. Let's see you deal with this!" Snapping his cane up, he fired off another explosive.

Meanwhile, Penny and Ruby were making short work of the horde of thugs, knocking them down each and every way.

Suddenly, a gust of wind slammed into the team leader. Glancing up, she froze at what she saw. While the two were keeping most of the White Fang at bay, the same could not be said for the bullheads.

To her dismay, the armed aircraft weren't focused on them: they were targeting her friends fighting Roman!

With a hurried swing, Ruby knocked a charging thug out, leaving him napping on the ground. In a flash, she converted Crescent Rose into its sniper form, firing as quickly as possible at the closest bullhead.

The girl's heart sank when the bullets pinged harmlessly off the hull.

'Oh crap.' As she continued to fire, Ruby frantically called out for help. "Penny, we've got to take out those bullheads and I can't get through their armor. Do you have any ideas?"

"Certainly! One moment please." Parrying a club wielder and swatting him to the side, the surprisingly unscathed girl started to do… something, with her equipment.

Just then, several White Fang members began to rise, their disorientation fading as they began to charge anew at the duo. Switching back to her scythe, Ruby moved to cover her friend-

-when a flash instantly blinded her.

With a yelp, Ruby covered her eyes, shielding them from what must've been a weapon or distraction of some kind. It must've been the Fang… but they sounded as startled as she was. Lowering her arms, color slowly returned to her vision, save for a white spot that remained for some reason.

If she didn't know any better, she'd say that white spot was getting bigger.

But after a few rapid blinks, Ruby realized her eyes were not deceiving her.

In moments, the small spot bloomed into a large circle, frayed and uneven at the edge, pulsating as if it were unstable.

While those nearby took uneasy steps back, Ruby walked closer to the unknown object, as if she was caught in a trance.

Something was calling to the girl. Beckoning her to get closer. And it was coming from that…whatever it was.

But as she drew within arms reach, a foot manifested itself-immediately followed the person it belonged to.

That seemed to bring Ruby back to her senses, who's eyes unglazed as she stared at the person who seemingly materialized in front of her. Several aspects of this individual caught her attention, from his strange clothing and glowing arm to the mask on his face…a mask that she'd seen plenty of tonight.

She clenched onto her scythe-

"Are you Ruby Rose?"

-before her grip nearly went slack.

Thrown off by the name drop, Ruby could only gawk at the stranger, who turned his gaze towards the red reaper. Even though the mask blocked his eyes, it felt like he was staring right through her.

It was unsettling, to say the least. "Y-Yea, that's me." She cautiously answered. "I'm not sure how you know me, but I definitely don't know you…"

"I am Lee Sin. But you might recognize me as an ally to Sett."

The young leader raised her brow. "You know Sett?" She asked, to which the boy nodded his head.

'That doesn't explain how he knows me though…'

"I first met him as an enemy, years ago." He said, immediately recalling those early days, or 'good times,' as Sett would call them. "The two of us have fought side by side many times ever since."

As if a light bulb had gone off in her head, Ruby's eyes flashed with recognition. "You're his friend! The one from his home! He talks about you a lot." She paused, blinking in thought. "Actually, he only mentioned how you two met." And even then, he never really got into detail!

The monk's solemn gaze flickered ever so briefly with amusement. "Is that so?"

"Mhmm!" Ruby nodded enthusiastically.

"Hmph. Then I shall introduce myself properly, once we defeat these villains." Lee said, turning to face the Fang members around them, his fists…

…crackling with lightning?!

Ruby had so many questions.

But as much as she wanted to gush, she knew now wasn't the best time. Without any further hesitation, she readied herself as well. "That sounds good to me!" She said, her excitement rising at what she anticipated to be an amazing show of skill.

"Let our strikes ring true; let our justice be swift!" The embodiment of justice cried out, unnerving the villains around him.

Still, after briefly glancing amongst themselves, the thugs began to charge, deciding they'd rather take their chances with these kids than with their bosses.

To their trepidation, that's exactly what the young fighters wanted.

In a flash, Lee made a shoving motion with his glowing arm, sending a blur of blue speeding towards a grunt who stumbled as a projectile slammed into him. Before he could shake off the pain, the monk was already in motion, leaping towards his target with a speed that caused even Ruby to stop and stare.

Slamming a crackling fist into a now-broken nose, Lee followed up his first strike with an overhead chop, putting this thug out of commission. As those around him tried to attack the now-surrounded monk, the warrior in question wasted no time in using his powers once more, this time slamming the ground with a fist and imbuing it with electrical energy, kicking up debris in the process.

But before he continued his assault, Lee made a swift pulling motion with his glowing arm, his elbow tucked against his side.

While the mini-blast clearly did a number on the White Fang thugs, the true purpose of the attack was revealed as those that were caught in the strike began to convulse, struggling to control their own movement as electricity visibility coursed across their bodies-

-leaving them no chance of avoiding the massive red scythe swinging towards them.

Capitalizing on the warrior monk's crowd control, Ruby made short work of the grunts within close proximity, her blinding speed making it impossible for anyone to keep up with her. Working in tandem with Lee's impressive skills, the two took advantage of their superior speed and agility, wiping out what was left of the White Fang forces.

As the last grunt collided with a shipping container, the duo quickly looked around the area, ensuring everyone was truly down for the count.

Satisfied with their work, Ruby pointed further down the docks. "C'mon, we need to take out their leader!" And with that, the two began sprinting towards the only remaining skirmish-

BOOM!

-before an explosion stopped them in their tracks.

In the time it took for the White Fang ground forces to be defeated, Penny had been making short work of the unwanted aircraft in the sky, bringing down all but one. Now paying closer attention, it was obvious the girl was full of surprises, as she fired a laser beam at the last ship. Cutting through one of the wings, the larger piece of the ship began to spin out and away from the fight.

But the severed engine began to fall directly over-

Silver eyes widened in growing panic. "Weiss, look out!"

-the heiress, who was completely oblivious to the imminent danger.

The master thief grinned at his sudden stroke of luck, snapping up his cane and firing upon the red reaper. What he lacked in accuracy he made up for in haste, as his shots prevented the girl from acting for a few, crucial seconds.

And seconds was all he needed for the princess to be…enveloped in a barrier?

'The fu-'

With all of his attention focused on Red, Torchwick hadn't even noticed this new guy was already at the heiress's side. And judging the look on the heiress's face, she hadn't realized it either.

Moments before they were crushed, the two were surrounded by a barrier akin to a bubble shield, glowing and crackling as the debris slammed into them.

"Weiss! Lee!"

BAM!

"..."

They should have been crushed.

But to the shock of many, the ruined engine merely skidded off their shields, before coming to a screeching halt on the pavement.

The young warriors collectively let out a sigh of relief. While Lee seemed somewhat fatigued, Weiss was staring at the flickering field around her, a tad bit mesmerized by the phenomenon, before it winked out of existence.

Whisking up to the two in a blur, Ruby wasted no time in checking them over. "Are you guys ok?"

"Yes. Yes, I think so." Weiss said. Besides Lee's need for a breather, they were in good shape…somehow. Raising a brow, she turned to the newcomer. "What was-"

"Wait. Where's Torchwick?!" Blake called out, alarmed at the thief's sudden disappearance.

A quick look around revealed that the mastermind had, indeed, vanished without a trace amidst the chaos. But the sound and sight of a bullhead fleeing the scene soon caught their attention, the aircraft already too far away to do anything.


Closing the bay door, the highly-wanted criminal scowled in frustration. This was supposed to be a quiet, simple job, and yet it had turned into a disaster in less than 10 minutes. Not to mention that being thwarted by a bunch of kids only rubbed salt in the wound.

He didn't care about the loss of manpower, there were always more clueless fools ready to be tossed into the meat grinder. The loss of dust was what set his mouth in a semi-permanent frown. Sitting down, he let out an annoyed sigh. He'd just have to figure something out.

And then there was the new kid. The lightning boy. It seemed Beacon had gotten another student out of thin air.

As a big player in the underworld, Torchwick made sure to pick up any interesting details of people who'd get in his way. The other brats were easy enough to learn about, but that wannabe monk was someone he'd never seen before.

'Just like muscle man…'

It was rare for anyone who stood out that much to stay under the radar for long. And yet, there were two of them now.

And as if a light had gone off, the mastermind saw an opportunity. An opportunity to gather something more valuable than the lost dust: information.

His associates would understand. They'll probably make it a top priority.

Still, he did not look forward to talking to them…


"I realize I never gave you my gratitude. Thank you. For what you did back there."

The boy nodded. "It was nothing. I merely did what any ally would do in that situation. But you are welcome." Lee Sin paused, turning his gaze to another point of interest.

The sound of pounding feet could be heard rapidly approaching.

Sure enough, two pairs of feet skidded to a halt at the aftermath before them. "Damn. Looks like we missed the party." Sett muttered, nudging an unconscious crook lying face down on the pavement.

For once, Yang couldn't relate to the feeling. "Y'know, maybe that's not a bad-Blake!" Putting all other thoughts on hold, the blonde began making her way to her partner, who fidgeted nervously as everyone else began to gather.

That is, everyone else except for the Runeterrans.

The instant Sett noticed the monk, the brawler felt his jaw drop. It didn't take long for the shock to give way to something less ambiguous.

With a tilt of the head, the two quietly put some distance between themselves and the Remnant denizens. Sett wanted to join them, but Blake didn't look injured and she didn't seem hostile, so that was good enough for him. Besides, he had other things in mind.

Coming to a stop, Lee spoke in a low tone. "You have questions."

"You're goddamn right I do." Contrary to Lee's calm and collected behavior, Sett was fuming, tense all around. "Look, don't take this the wrong way, but why the hell are you here?!" He ground out, staring a hole into the monk.

"I will explain my being here, but understand that it was necessary for me to leave." Lee raised a calming hand as Sett opened his mouth, easily reading what was on his mind. "Just know that your mother is currently under the protection of my order. They have been given clear instructions and will guarantee her well-being. She is safe."

'She'd better be.' Sett thought, biting back a reactive retort. "Look…It's not that I don't trust you-I do." The boy bristled, crossing his arms. "But you and I both know that wasn't what we agreed on."

"And you know that had there been any better alternative, I would have taken it," Lee shot back. "Keeping the truth from her has certainly limited my options." He pointed out.

The pit fighter winced. As much as he wanted to harp about their agreement, he knew he was already asking a lot by making it difficult for Lee to hold up his end of the bargain. By keeping Sett's rather hazardous occupation off the books, explaining to his mother why exactly she was being protected was a finicky task.

With a weary breath, Sett finally eased up. "Whatever it is that brought you here, it must be something real serious…" Glancing away, he mulled over his mixed feelings as he conceded. "Still, for the most part, you did come through. Without you, I'd be ten-times more worried. Thanks." The brawler held out his arm to his friend.

The two clasped arms, before Sett pulled the smaller dragonmancer in for a bone-crushing hug. "And it's good to see you Lee. It's been too long man." Having spent months adapting and fitting into his new environment, Sett, despite the circumstances, was quite relieved to have some familiarity in this foreign world.

"Agreed." The monk replied, slightly strained from the lack of air.

With a grin, the pit fighter put his friend down. "So, how'd you end up here anyway? The way you said it, it sounded like you made the choice to come here."

"Well-"

"And Sett's friend came out of some white thing and went wa-chow! And hi-yah!" Ruby shouted, gesturing wildly as she mimicked Lee's show of skill animatedly. The ice queen rolled her eyes as Yang looked on in amusement.

The pit fighter blinked. "That's the same way I got here. Were you dragged here too?" He asked, brow raised inquisitively.

That's when Sett noticed something was off.

For as long as he'd known the monk, Lee had always been straight as an arrow: no bullshitting, and no shoddy excuses. It's one of the things he liked about the guy.

So when he turned away and began to fidget ever so slightly, warning bells went off in Sett's head. "No. I was sent here." Lee quietly said.

Red eyes narrowed in response. "Sent here? Who could…Oh." He muttered, realization finally dawning on him.

The monk turned back to him, nodding. "During my search, I consulted with Master Ao Shin in hopes he could aid me find you." The monk said, confirming Sett's newfound suspicions. "That's when I learned it was him that brought you to Remnant."

He didn't like the sound of that at all. Now with more questions than answers, the pit fighter felt his pulse quicken. "Did he care to tell you why?" He asked, pretending to be the calm person he most definitely was not at the moment.

"He did."

"...and?"

"We are both on this planet for the same reason." Suddenly, something clicked for the pit fighter.

'Hold fast warrior. You shall not be alone for long.' So that wasn't just a typical dream then.

Regardless, Sett was getting tired of Lee dancing around the question. "You gonna tell me what that reason is? Or are we gonna stand here all night and-"

"We are here to stop Brand."

"..."

Lee crossed his arms. "Brand is here. On Remnant."

Oh…

"Brand? What's that?"

…Shit.

The Remnant natives had ambled over by then, curiosity and concern prompting Ruby to speak up.

Even so, Lee continued on as if they weren't there, meeting Sett's steely gaze. "And we can not defeat him ourselves."

"..."

Welp.

It was going to be a long night.


As Sett stifled a yawn, he began having second thoughts on what he was about to do. Then he grabbed that self doubt by the scruff, gave it a good shake, and tossed it in the back of his mind. This was for the best.

Not long after the shady activity at the docks had been pacified, law enforcement arrived, apprehending the criminals and questioning the team. Fortunately, they were cleared to leave relatively quickly, and were told that a bullhead was on its way to bring them back to Beacon.

Unfortunately, when the bullhead touched down, the bay doors of the craft opened to reveal none other than Goodwich. Full of ire and disapproval, the strict teacher spared none of her students in her near-tirade…which lasted all the way back to Beacon, up until they disembarked from the vessel.

But instead of that being the end of it, the assistant headmistress instructed them to head to Ozpin's office at once, where they were informed that the headmaster himself would like a word with all of them.

And so, the troublemakers of the night found themselves high above the academy, waiting for what felt like an eternity for the Headmaster to speak.

The man's eyes flickered. "You all have certainly caused quite a ruckus." Ozpin murmured, taking a sip from his steaming mug.

"Professor-"

"It was-"

"We-

Ozpin raised a hand, halting them all mid-sentence, a ghost of a smile on his face. "Let me be clear: none of you are in trouble. I did not call you up to lecture you. Not tonight." He took another sip, as the girls of team RWBYS looked at each other in surprise.

"...So…We're not in trouble?" Blake slowly asked. The headmaster shook his head.

Yang blinked in confusion. "So…Why are we here then?" She didn't want to be rude, but she didn't want to put off sleep any longer than she had to either.

"You are here because one of your teammates requested this impromptu meeting." The headmaster's eyes snapped to the side, the students following his gaze. "I presume you have much you wish to discuss?" It was then that the majority of those gathered realized who was responsible for this meeting.

Sett shrugged. "Yea. That's one way to put it." He scratched his scalp sheepishly. "Sorry, I know it's pretty late, but I don't wanna put this off for tomorrow. In any other case I would have, but this is pretty important." He pursed his lips. "There's just a lot you guys should know and…Where do I even start?"

"Telling them our origins is a good place to start." Lee suggested, at which Sett snapped his fingers.

"Yea! Yea that's good." He agreed, pausing for a moment before steeling himself to get it over with. "So, remember how I said I come from a place called Ionia?" A few nods and other affirmations. "Well, Ionia doesn't exist. Not on this planet anyway."

And with that, he waited with bated breath to see who would react first.

"..."

"..."

If he were being honest, the reaction he got was rather underwhelming…or, lack thereof. Not that he was complaining. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

Everyone merely stared at him, expressions blank, confused, or anything else of that nature.

In the end, it was Weiss that broke the heavy silence. "...Pardon?"

Who knew one word was all it took for Sett to noticeably deflate.

It was then that Lee chose to step in, gesturing to himself and his fellow dragonmancer. "The two of us were brought to Remnant to hunt down an individual from our own realm."

Considering all the funny looks redirected towards him, that did nothing to reduce the collective bewilderment in any way, shape, or form.

Yang certainly felt no different. "Um. Is he serious? Cause I can't tell if he's trying to be funny or not. No offense." Lee merely frowned in response.

This is exactly what Sett was afraid of. "Look, I don't blame you for sayin' that, and there's not much we can say to prove-"

"I believe you!"

Oh.

Realizing he wasn't hearing things, Sett raised a brow. "Really? Just like that?"

Ruby nodded vigorously. "Yea! I mean, how else can you explain the portal at the docks?"

The pit fighter sucked in a breath, raising a hand-

-before letting it fall.

She made a good point actually.

Weiss, unsurprisingly, was much more skeptical. "That could've been someone's semblance." She pointed out, doubt dripping off of her words. "Or an illusion of some kind, really. Look, if this is all true, why did you decide to withhold this information until now?"

Sett shrugged. "Like I said, I've never really had any way to prove I'm not from Remnant. Y'know how crazy I'd sound, telling people I'd just met that I come from another planet?" Even if he did have evidence, convincing strangers and acquaintances still would've been far-fetched. "I actually wouldn't have brought this up at all…But with how dangerous this guy is, I want everyone to be on the same page." His eyes hardened as his friends glanced amongst themselves.

With a sigh, Weiss crossed her arms. "Alright, let's just say we believe you. Why is this fugitive you're looking for so dangerous?"

"He is like us. Blessed with the power of a sacred dragon." Lee explained, his arm glowing briefly for emphasis.

"Dragon's are real?! Awesome!" Ruby gushed, picturing herself riding one such flying beast.

The solemn monk nodded. "Indeed. The dragons are ancient, powerful beings that were once the rulers of the land. That is, before they chose to reside in places of deep solitude, away from civilization. Now, the only time they interact with mortals is to bestow their blessings on those they deem worthy."

"Sett and I are fortunate enough to be one of those selected individuals." Lee placed a palm on his chest. "The Storm Dragon Ao Shin entrusted me with the power of the storm, while the Obsidian Dragon granted enhanced Sett's durability with hardened skin." Sharing a look, the two dragonmancers began to glow: half of Lee's body an electric blue, Sett's fists and eyes a fiery red. This wasn't anything new, as they had already showcased their powers before.

But this time, two dragons phased into existence out of thin air, curling around their respective champions. One of them was rugged, appearing as if its scales were covering a layer of lava, while the other was more regal, its piercing gaze sweeping throughout the room.

"Whoa…"

"So that's how you made it through initiation." Yang muttered, realization dawning on her as she connected the dots. "The landing, the first group of Grimm: that's how you did it all without aura!"

"You got it."

"And you didn't think to show us this before because…?" Blake asked, tearing her gaze from the clearly-aware dragons.

"I mean hey, you guys might've thought this was just my semblance." Sett smirked as Weiss stiffened at her own words being thrown back at her. "But with two dragons, the chances of that are pretty slim."

No one had the heart to tell him people could have similar semblances.

Well, Weiss would've spoken up if she wasn't beaten to the punch.

"And this Brand individual has similar powers?" The headmaster questioned, eyes locked onto what he knew was not a semblance.

With a nod, the dragonmancers ceased their channeling. "That is correct. One of the dragons, the Eternal Dragon, gifted him the power of the eternal flame." The monk frowned. "Brand was Ionia's most famed pyromancer, a perfectionist with no equal. When the Eternal Dragon took notice of his unmatched skill, Brand was offered a power well beyond what any amount of perfection could achieve."

"At first, Brand was honored to have received such a blessing, and used the power well. But it was not long until his newfound abilities drove out any sense of reason." Lee ominously intoned, seething just thinking about the villain. "When he realized how destructive the eternal flame could be, Brand grew infatuated with it, becoming unhinged and obsessed with using it."

Yang blinked. "This guy sounds like a generic RPG antagonist." She casually remarked, with Ruby nodding in agreement.

Lee looked at Sett, who realized those words meant almost nothing to the monk. "She means like a typical criminal." He explained.

"So wait, if the dragons can give people powers, why can't they just take them back?" Yang asked. 'Then again, if that was possible, it probably would've been done by now.'

After all, things were never that easy. "That would be the simplest solution. Blessings that are given can be revoked." Lee said, confirming her suspicions. "But according to my master, the Eternal Dragon is unable to do so. We do not know why." Of course, things just had to be complicated. What a coincidence.

Ruby blinked, before scrunching her brow. "When you said Brand became obsessed with his power. How exactly did-or does-he use it?" Lee's fists slowly clenched at that.

"In the most abhorrent way possible. Brand's violence knows no bounds." Lee nearly spat, radiating fury. "He uses his power on anything. And anyone." While Lee remained still as a stone, his voice grew heavier with each passing word.

Silver eyes went wide. "You don't mean-"

"I do. Entire forests…villages…people. Gone."

The following silence was palpable.

It would not last long, as Lee relaxed his hands. "As soon as the destruction began, a group of dragonmancers began acting against Brand. Some provide aid to areas ravaged by the villain, while the rest of us have been trying to track him down. Recently, I was nearly successful in doing so." Lee explained, turning his gaze to the view outside. "But his trail went cold with no explanation. And no one has come close ever since."

"Well, no wonder. If he left your world to come to ours, there's no way you could've found him." Blake quietly noted, still internally reeling from the implications.

"That is correct. Which brings us to the reason Sett was sent here." Lee said, turning to face the brawler.

The boy in question shook his head, frustrated. "I still don't get it. Out of everyone he coulda picked, why me? Why not you?"

Breaking his stone facade, Lee let out a tired sigh. "All other dragonmancers were unavailable. Many of them were helping areas recover from Brand's influence. Some were contending with other matters that demanded attention. As for me, I was dealing with members of Brand's cult at the time. You were the only one available for the task." Though, with Brand out of the picture, Lee hoped the other dragonmancers could repair the devastation with relative ease.

From the way Sett mulled that over, it was clear he wasn't really happy with that answer. "Woulda been nice if I was told all that from the start." He grumbled, still disgruntled with the situation.

"My master was concerned that you would've refused."

"...Fair enough." He conceded, avoiding the questioning gazes aimed towards him.

"Not long after I dealt with the cultists, I was told by my master that Brand somehow made his way to a planet called Remnant. As for how he arrived here…that too remains a mystery." All across Ionia, realm travel wasn't even legend: it was completely unheard of. "Regardless, it falls to Sett and I to find and take down that villain so he may answer for his evil actions." Lee finished, passion filling the paragon of justice.

"And after that?" Ruby quietly asked.

Oblivious, Lee answered with indifference. "We will return home. My master will manifest a portal to bring us back to Runeterra."

"...Oh."

Once again, silence filled the headmaster's office.

Logically, this shouldn't be that much of a shock. Sett and Lee Sin were here to stop a bad person. Once they'd done that, they had no reason to stay in a foreign land.

And yet, it was clear that the students were troubled by this. After all, the thought of losing a teammate was still very fresh (in more ways than one).

The sound of someone clearing their throat brought inner musings to a halt. "Searching for one person in the entire world is no small task." Ozpin noted, eyes fixed on the world outside. He turned towards the dragonmancers. "I will do what I can to help search for him. The faster he is found, the less destruction he can cause." Remnant already had a slew of challenges to contend with. They didn't need any more.

The monk bowed slightly at that. "I doubt he will stay hidden for long, but I am grateful for your assistance, Headmaster."

Sett remained silent.

The older man nodded. "For now, you are welcome to stay at this academy. It would be wise to get acquainted with Remnant before doing any searching of your own." Ozpin advised, his neutral expression unchanging.

"Um…Professor Ozpin?"

For the first time that night, Jaune made his voice known. "If you don't mind me asking, why is team JNPR here? Not that we don't appreciate being kept in the loop." He nervously assured, gesturing to the rest of his team. Pyrrha and Ren nodded in agreement. Nora was fast asleep.

The headmaster's mouth flickered with a smile. "You are here because I have a proposition for you." The man set down his now-empty mug with a thud. "How would you like to have a fifth member on your team?"


Like I said, I'm not abandoning the fic…but life's been a bit hard. I'll update when I can. Until next time y'all