A/N: The chapter moves at a little fast pace, mainly because I want to keep many things hidden until later, so if you see sections where you think 'a bit short' or 'the author could elaborate on this' then its because I want to save it for later.

I DO NOT OWN RWBY

Chapter 15: Rebound

Six months had passed since the death of Eien, and its effect had been apparent during that time. (E)RWBY, JNPR and AREME had been seriously effected, Qrow had also been effected quite badly it, since he was in charge of the mission and blamed himself, also including drinking himself so far from sobriety it was ridiculous. Raven had remained for Ruby and Yang, since she couldn't bring herself to abandon them after losing someone so close to them. The general air of the school had even changed when the announcement of his death came, among the others who had unfortunately died on the missions, but they were few and far between. Eien had become the most well-known death because he had taken down both an A-Rank Human-Grimm and an S-Rank Draconis by himself before dying to an unknown party, AKA Salem.

Ruby Rose had been hit the hardest, that much was clear to anybody who knew even the slightest whispers about her. Her former cheery and shy self had instantly been transformed into an empty shell of nothingness, shown by how she had spoken in a monotone, blank stare and no emotions dancing on her face, like Eien when he was younger. Eventually after two months she quickly recomposed herself, but not back to her usual self. Instead she was now bitter and cold, becoming worse than Weiss Schnee when she came to Beacon and had her initial tantrum.

Speaking of the heiress, she had also been hit hard. She hadn't caved back into her haughty heiress mask, but instead just became quiet, snapping occasionally. She was feeling guilty like the rest of them, especially judging from how she wandered Beacon for weeks during the night, and after I questioned her she said she had nightmares of her failure. It was saddening.

Blake Belladonna had returned to her own shell, becoming quieter than she was initially and sticking her head in books, trying to ignore everything around them. Blake had even come to me once before, asking if I knew anything about the revival Sigils Eien had used on multiple occasions, but I denied it. She was also more aggressive towards insults towards her fallen teammate, like the others.

Yang Xiao Long had also been hit as hard as Ms. Belladonna and Ms. Schnee, trying to support her teammates as much as she could, but she wasn't only burdened with the death of Eien but also the dramatic change in Ms. Rose's personality. She acted fine on the outside, but anyone could see she felt guilty on the inside, and for more reasons than one.

Pyrrha Nikos and Jaune Arc had taken a fair share of guilt, since they were both the kind to blame themselves regardless of what others had said. Jaune had improved significantly and the unlocking of his Semblance improved his overall combat ability significantly and with the Mistralian Champion's help it was even better. Nora Valkyrie hadn't changed that much, but she did have a more tame personality at times. Lie Ren had also been barely (outwardly) effected, showing support for both teams when they needed it, but also having a great respect for Eien.

Adam Taurus hadn't changed too much, but did comment he missed Eien's presence, as he was one of the few people Adam would undoubtedly call a comrade, possibly a friend. Mercury and Emerald missed him, but otherwise didn't show much sign of sadness, outwardly at least. Era and Reality had looked like kicked puppies for the first month after his death, but after that took periodic 'leaves' from the academy, and Ozpin allowed them without hesitation, since they had their reasons.

Even the whole aura of the school was slightly sober after Operation Black Storm, even after the months so far. However one thing that stood out was the fact that the Vytal Festival was delayed. That was beyond suspicious, since the death of a less than a dozen students wouldn't stop the event, even if someone like Pyrrha Nikos died that wouldn't stop it. I had tried to talk to the council, but they refused to let details out about it. It was strange, but I couldn't do anything about it. Not only that but crime in Vale decreased by over eight perfect. The White Fang has practically dropped off the map, Cinder had disappeared completely, and only small-time thieves were left in Vale. It was greatly concerning. Not to mentioned that the 'Monochrome Knights' had quite literally vanished too, no trace of their existence anywhere.

Ozpin sighed as he took a cloth from his desk, wiping his glasses as he turned his gaze up at the figure semi-concealed in the shadows, the moonlight streaking from behind him ''Hello, once again''.

''Greetings, Headmaster Ozpin'' The figure said in a sly tone with a faint hiss.

''Any news?'' He asked, readjusting his glasses.

The figure nodded ''Master will be returning in six months''.

Ozpin nodded ''Very well, keep me informed''.

''Hai'' The figure said as they walked back into darkness, fading into the background, crimson eyes staring at him all the while until they disappeared into the shadows. Ozpin sighed as he turned on his computer scroll, showing a video from earlier in combat class with Miss Rose against Cardin Winchester.

''Cardin Winchester vs Ruby Rose!'' Glynda called out the last battle of the day. Cardin grumbled and got out of his seat, picking up his mace and stomping toward the stage. Ruby scowled and also got up, picking up her precious weapon and walking down the stage, getting onto the stage as she waited impatiently.

He increased the speed, flashing over the fight. Her fighting style had obviously become more vicious and dangerous, often resulting in her opponents needing to go to the infirmary. When he slowed the video down, it was the end of the fight, the reason he had gotten a report from Glynda.

Cardin stumbled to his feet, deep cuts on his pristine armour and bleeding from a head wound ''Bitch...''.

''Bite me'' She shot back irritably, sheathing Crescent Rose as she turned to walk away.

''Yeah... can't talk shit without your little boyfriend'' Cardin murmured, but Ruby heard it. Before anyone could so much as blink Cardin flew across the arena, chest bleeding from depleted Aura as fresh blood dripped from Ruby's scythe. She glared fiercely at Cardin, who now donned a large gash across his torso.

''Miss Rose!'' Glynda barked in surprised anger.

Ruby scowled, turning on her heel towards the exit, using her Semblance to escape before Glynda could stop her, prompting the teacher to also scowl.

The screen flicked off at his command, and he sighed ''To be fair, he did taunt her, I can see myself having a much more controlled version of that in my younger days''.

He grimaced ''Actually, it would've been more violent''.

Understatement.

Ruby sighed as she finished her outfit, attaching her crimson hood onto her shoulders before jumping out the window of her dorm, her teammates asleep in their beds. She hit the ground with a dull thud, but was gone in a flurry of rose petals as the world blurred around her as she tapped into her Semblance. She whizzed past the dorm building and past the statue, briefly taking joy in the wind blowing against her face before she slowed to a stop, reaching her destination. Beacon Cliffs.

She stared off into the forest, sighing as she sat down with her legs over the edge, placing Crescent Rose at her side. She found it to be relaxing when she came out here, especially during the night. It gave her peace and quiet where nobody could see her. I wonder if Eien would've liked it? She sighed again, running a hand through her hair as she swung her legs idly over the edge. She missed him, anyone could tell, but it honestly felt like a hole in her heart, regardless how stupid it sounded. It always left her feeling almost sick at times. The image of Eien's corpse at Rockledge... it was heart-breaking to remember.

She blinked, raising a hand to her cheek and feeling the tears, making her scowl ''Fuck...''.

The sound of glass shattering making me get into a combat position and unlock Crescent Rose. A few feet away, hovering a foot or two in the air was what looked like a crack in a window... on the air. The shattering sound repeated as the crack widened, giving off a pink-green-grey light as it continued to crack, before it shattered with an audible shattering sound... and a person walked out... dressed in a scarily familiar black hooded cloak, boots and undershirt. Glass shards reflecting a rainbow of lights fell around them as they turned their gaze to me, and smiled.

''Hey, Ruby'' The familiar voice said as they reached up, pulling the hood down. I sucked in a gasp of air, eyes wide at the sight of him. It was definitely Eien. He looked a little different, his face slightly narrower, a little taller and his right eye purple while his left was blue, but it was definitely him. I stood frozen for several seconds, Crescent Rose slipping from my hand and onto the grass below. Before I even realised it I had used my Semblance and tackled him, hugging him as he remained upright, wrapping his arms around me as tears fell once more.

''I-Its really you...'' I whispered as I could feel the autumn coolness he radiated.

''Mm'' He hummed, smiling down at me ''I missed you''.

''I missed you too'' I smiled as I wiped away the tears ''Where've you been?''.

He chuckled, faintly amused ''Dead, I wasn't kidding about talking to the manifestation of Death before... he's been training me this whole time, six-months straight. I've only managed to come here now because my control of his power has gotten to the level where I can make a gateway between here and his soul, where I've resided''.

I blinked ''So... are you dead, or only a little dead?''.

He outright laughed ''Dead, but... lets just say I'm playing chess and leave it at that, Hm?''.

''Um... okay?'' I said, not getting what he was implying. What did chess have anything to do with it?

''So... how have you been?'' He asked softly.

I winced ''Not too good, honestly''.

He winced also ''Ah... sorry about that, y'know, dying''.

I punched him lightly in the shoulder ''Stop doing that, its not your fault''.

''Its nobody's fault'' He agreed, holding me close ''What about the others?''.

''They didn't take it too well'' I explained ''Yang and Nora have tried keeping everyone happy, but Weiss has gotten quieter, Blake's buried herself in books, Pyrrha and Jaune feel like its their fault, Reality and Era are more... quiet too. The other have taken it better, but still hurt''.

He chuckled humourlessly ''Shit, well... shit, that's all I can say really''.

I giggled lightly ''Mm, its been weird without you, its like the whole world stopped''.

''Didn't know I was so important'' He joked lightly and I punched him again, a little harder.

''You are important'' I said as I pressed my lips against his, the new height difference making it slightly more difficult ''To me, to our friends, hell to everyone''.

He smiled as he wrapped his hands around my waist, holding me as he kissed me again ''Nice to know''.

''I bet'' I giggled lowly as I wrapped my arms around his neck ''Mm... hey Eien...?''.

''Hm?'' He hummed back, staring into my eyes and making heat flush to my cheeks, but it came with a grin.

''Lets... make this night memorable, Mm?'' I hinted at him, my cheeks burning with embarrassment.

His smile turned sly ''Since when did you become such a pervert, Hm?''.

''Oh shut up'' I scowled lightly before grinning at him, making him raise an eyebrow. I pushed all of my weight on him and made us fall onto the grass, with me sitting on top of him. I flashed him another grin and he chuckled in amusement, returning the grin as he leaned up, kissing me with a little more vigour than usual, making me smile as I returned it, pushing him onto the grass below again as I leaned over, lips never breaking from his.

As we break off for air, he murmured with a teasing grin ''Who knew you'd like to be on top?''.

I laughed, unaware of a certain blonde brawler watching from the bushes.

''Damn'' I sighed as I attached my precious hood back on, smiling at Eien who was also adjusting his cloak ''That was... awesome''.

He laughed ''I agree, Sweet Rose, I agree''.

A sudden thought made my cheeks heat up even more ''Do you think anyone heard?''.

He paused, then shrugged ''Eh, can't do anything about it now''.

''I hope not'' I muttered with a light scowl, which faded as he wrapped his arms around my stomach, hugging me.

''It'll be fine'' He whispered, pecking me on the cheek.

''Hey'' I whispered back, turning to him ''You're coming back to Beacon, right?''.

He winced.

''Eien...?'' I mumbled with a frown.

''Believe me I want to, but I can't'' He said sadly, looking straight into my silver eyes with his mismatched ones ''The reason why is that Death, the entity, is training me, and he promised to let me back into the world of the living after a year, the only reason I'm out now because I trained extra hard''.

I broke the gaze ''So... you're leaving?''.

His hand ran through my hair soothingly ''Yeah... I don't want to but-''.

''Take me with you'' I demanded in the spur of the moment, gripping his cloak.

''Ruby...'' He murmured, sadness in his eyes.

''Dammit just bring me with you!'' I said heatedly, gripping his cloak tighter.

''And what about our friends?'' He asked with a mild glare, making me flinch from the realisation. I doubt he'd be willing to come to Beacon to explain, let alone if he had the ability to remain here that long, and I couldn't go there, explain and then come back before he left. I grit my teeth and looked up at him.

''I don't care'' I said simply ''If it means I get to stay with you... then I'll leave them, they'll survive another six months''.

His eyes widened slightly, a look of shock on his face, before it melted into a warm and resigned smile ''You've gotten stubborn since I last saw you''.

I flashed a grin as my anger dissipated ''Hell yeah I did''.

He sighed, shaking his head as a fond smile came to his face ''Sure, let me us open a gate... you're sure about this? There's no turning back, you'll be stuck with me for the next six months''.

''And how's that a bad thing?'' I winked and he laughed, the tiniest tint of pink coming to his cheeks.

''Alright, gimme a minute'' He said as he broke from the hug, closing his eyes and extending a hand to his side, his body glowing purple faintly. I waited as he made a gate, my heart elated with how this day had changed for the better, and what we did... just remembering it brought heat to my cheeks. The sound of bushes moving drew my attention and I was surprised to see Yang there.

''Hey lovebirds'' She grinned as she walked up to me ''Nice to see you too Eien''.

''Yang'' He smiled and nodded, eyes still closed as he did whatever he was doing ''I presume you heard?''.

''Yup'' She said with an audible pop on the 'p', smiling at me ''Damn, I'm surprised you two didn't wake up all of Beacon''.

I blushed ''Yang!''.

She grinned, hugging me ''Have fun, alright? I'll tell the Headmaster, I'm sure he'll know what to do, and maybe Weiss and Blake''.

A smile came to my face ''Thanks, Yang''.

''Anything for my adorable little sis!'' Yang grinned, patting my head ''Don't make me an aunt yet though, 'kay?''.

''Yang!'' I glared, blushing, while Yang just laughed.

''Its ready'' Eien called to me as the air shattered, revealing a grey door with a gold outline ''Its good to see you Yang, we'll be back in six months... say hi to the others for me''.

''Will do~'' Yang sang as she waved, patting me on the back goodbye and saluting us mockingly. Eien smiled and opened the door, showing a grey light on the other side and took my hand. We shared a smile and he led me through into it, the light consuming my vision as I did so.

The greyness faded, allowing me to see a... rather dark and dull place. The best way to describe it was a desert of black ash with flecks of red in it, the sky a blood red with ash clouds. Gothic buildings littered the place, some of them in disrepair while others while others were in better condition. The door behind us flickered before fading into nothingness, Eien leading me towards a large, almost church-like building.

''This is where you've been for the past six months?'' I asked, slightly stunned as I followed.

''Yup. I train for most of the time, Death lets me look in his personal library which has some... unique literature and sleep. Food isn't an issue here since you don't feel hunger... and I'm pretty sure food doesn't exist here either''.

I pouted ''Aw... no cookies or strawberries''.

He chuckled ''Well, maybe Life can make some''.

''Life makes cookies?''.

''Yup'' He smiled, patting my head as he walked towards the large building, which was as big as Beacon if not bigger. It was actually really similar to Beacon in terms of architecture, just made from a murky black and more gothic. I felt Eien wrap his arm around my waist and darkness suddenly engulfed my vision, before the black melted away revealing myself to be somewhere else. Instead of outside the large building I was now with Eien is a gothic-ish bedroom. The walls were a black, almost shiny stone with a red carpet and black wooden furniture, the white mattress being the only white thing in the room aside from the pillows, a red blanket over it. There was another grey wood door with a gold outline, torches with Light Dust on them around the room and a chandelier above.

''Where are we?'' I blinked, already drawing conclusions but wanting confirmation.

He smiled ''This is where I stay, I need you to wait here while I talk to Death''.

I tilted my head but smiled ''Sure''.

He returned the smile and nodded, his body painted black before melting away from existence. It took a moment for me to recognise it was his SchattenSchritt, despite the changes it had. I idly moved and sat on the bed, noting how soft it was and just... waited. Thankfully it wasn't long before Eien's pitch-black form materialised out of thin air at the end of the bed, smiling at me.

''Death is perfectly fine with you being here'' He explained, smile never faltering ''Though he requests that you also partake in some training''.

''Sure'' I shrugged, curious ''With you or Death?''.

He shook his head ''With either myself or my 'Spirits', remember them?''.

''Like Eleanor and Neo?'' I asked and he nodded.

''Yes, but since my death I have increased the amount of them'' He chuckled lightly ''All with different personalities, Semblances, its quite weird having them all within my soul, considering they can speak to me mentally''.

''That's cool'' I smiled and he nodded, stretching slightly.

''Mm'' He hummed ''I myself will mostly be sparring with Death, since if you were to and die, then you'd, well, die. However if I were to die, then he'd just pull me back out of his own soul, since I am already technically dead''.

I blinked ''Doesn't that mean you're like, immortal?''.

He paused, humming ''Actually... maybe. I don't know, maybe only if I die when I'm in his soul or whatever, but it doesn't matter. Either way you sparring with the Spirits increases their skill as well as your own, so its a win-win really''.

''Are Eleanor and Neo still around?''.

''Yeah, both have gotten better since you last saw them too'' He smiled with a mischievous glint to it ''I've also got better at Soul Creation too, so there's that too. Oh and Death will probably let you use his library if you're with me, since he doesn't want us reading certain sections for various reasons, but there is a section on weapon customization on all the weapons of fallen huntsmen''.

I grinned at the prospect ''This is gonna be awesome''.

''You said it Sweet Rose'' He smirked back.

The dorm room of one Team (ER)WBY was silent, as it was most days. With the lack of the upbeat and hyperactive Ruby and the calm and intelligent Eien it left the room feeling rather quiet. Weiss and Blake had no objections to this, but Yang was out of her element and often either occupied herself with training or hanging with JNPR/AREME. Ever since Eien's confirmed existence, the three teams had been more upbeat as of late, and while they also missed Ruby, they knew that after Yang telling them about her reverting to a more cheerful demeanour, it was probably best to let the duo remain together.

Currently, Weiss was catching up on homework, as the second semester of the their second year had started a few days prior. Yang was sitting on her bed, reading a magazine with a pair of bulky headphones in. Blake was, as most would guess, reading a book on her own bed. All three were dressed in uniform, as it was only 8:30am in the morning of a Monday. Eien had a habit of waking up early, and that also passed onto his team as he had started waking them at 7:30 in the morning, leading to Yang and Weiss grumbling. A lot.

So they could be forgiven for jumping out of their seat/falling off their beds when the air in the middle of the room abruptly shattered like glass. A hole to a black void was present, the gap being about seven feet tall and three feet wide with jagged and sharp edges, as if a pane of glass was there. Green, pink and blue lights reflected off with a myriad of other colours dancing off.

''The hell?!'' Yang barked, stumbling to her feet.

Just then, a very familiar figure wearing a black hood poked their head out, smiling cheerfully ''Hello~''.

''Eien'' They all said dryly, so shocked that they couldn't be shocked, only accept it.

Said teen pouted, walking out in his signature cloak ''I went through the trouble of creating a gate in the middle of the room and all you can do is say 'what'? You're no fun''.

''Told ya'' Ruby's voice came as she followed Eien out of the portal, dressed in her original getup instead of her Slayer outfit ''Hey guys!''.

That broke them out of her stupor, as Yang immediately engulfed her younger sister in a hug ''Hey~ Rubes, haven't been making me an aunt yet have you?''.

She blushed ''Yang!''.

Eien smirked mischievously, but said nothing, not that he had to as Yang got the message ''How many people you kept awake, like seriously?''.

''YANG!'' Ruby yelled, blushing a darker red and glaring at Eien also, who just smirked back.

''I believe the phrase 'we woke the dead' was very evident, because someone is quite noisy-''.

''EIEN!'' Ruby screeched, redder than her cape at this point.

Eien broke down into laughter with Yang, using one another to support themselves as the portal behind them disappeared. Blake and Weiss were pure crimson also, the former having a tiny trail of blood seeping from her nose before she wiped it away.

''Damn~'' Yang whistled, giving a thumbs up ''So anyway, how've you two been aside from rocking the bed?''.

''Not bad, doing a lot of training'' Eien smiled back as he cracked his neck side to side ''What about you guys? Anything interesting happen?''.

''The White Fang's dropped off the map'' Blake answered ''In fact, all major crime mobs have literally vanished overnight, leaving only petty thieves''.

One could swear Eien's face darkened for a moment, but it was too quick to properly guess ''Huh, weird... so, what's the time and day? No clock where we were''.

''Monday, 8:30am'' Weiss answered ''First class is combat class''.

Eien looked positively ecstatic at that ''Excellent, I believe I made a deal with Ozpin about this, good thing it was on the right day?''.

They all gave him a confused look, even Ruby ''Eh?''.

He chuckled ''Oh you'll see''.

The amphitheatre was alive with idle chatter and conversation as students of the first year filled in with whole teams, taking their seats as they waited. It was a normal day really, the second semester had started a few days prior, so most grumblings were now gone. On a small stage at the back of the amphitheatre was were the teachers, all of them, currently stood. This confused the students, but they guessed they'd be told later, so they didn't question it.

Once all of the teams, including the trio of (E)RWBY, JNPR AND AREME, were present and accounted for, Ozpin began ''Today, students, we shall be conducting the first test of many to come under a new training program''.

Groans answered his question.

''You shall move up in teams, four against one opponent. Despite your opponents lack of numbers, they will make up for it in strength, so I implore you to take them seriously. Teams will be picked at random, and your opponent will be picked depending on your teams overall skill level'' Ozpin continued ''Once all student teams have been picked, the teachers currently present shall also fight as a collective thee-man team against three opponents also''.

That stunned them, but Ozpin carried on ''If you'd reveal yourself now, Eien''.

At the edge of the stage a black figure formed, before the darkness washed off like water, revealing the cheerful and grinning Eien, one that was supposed to be dead. Whispers of shock spread through the audience, but Eien merely ignored them, nodding to Ozpin thoughtfully. Ozpin returned the nod, clicking a button on his scroll and the screen above whirled through pictures, randomly deciding a team. It slowed to a stop, revealing a team to be Team SSSN. After the death of Eien most teams had been sent back to their academies since the festival was delayed for whatever reason, but now they were back.

Team SSSN didn't waste a second coming down to the bottom of the stairs and hopping onto the stage, standing at the opposite end of the stage to Eien, Sun being the one to greet ''Yo Eien! Good to see you buddy, you our opponent?''.

''Afraid not'' Eien smirked, holding a hand out in front of him. A grey Sigil appeared in front of him, before a black form raised out of the Sigil. The black liquid melted away quietly, washing off the persons form and revealing their form.

The person was in fact a girl around the age of fourteen in appearance with fair skin and messy, spiky-tipped black hair that was tied into a ponytails on the right side of her head, reaching just past her shoulders, dark grey eyes staring at her opponents challengingly, though the effect was dulled by the fact she was only 4'11. She wore a yellow running jacket with a black line going down each of the arms, the arms ending at her elbows. The hood was down and the coat unzipped, revealing a black shirt underneath. She also had yellow shorts on with a black streak down the sides of the shorts like her coat, the shorts stopping at knee-level and showing some skin before a pair of red running trainers were present.

''You'll be fighting Kindle here'' Eien finished, patting Kindle's head as the girl grinned at SSSN confidently, hands in her pockets and back straight.

''Seriously?'' Sun asked, a little confused.

''I wouldn't underestimate her'' Eien just smirked as his form became black, before reforming outside the stage and on the teachers ledge ''You'll have the standard ten minute time limit, and if one side has all players at 10% or lower, they're out''.

''What's your names?'' Kindle asked, shifting from one foot to the other, toothy grin not faltering ''I'm Kindle''.

''Sun Wukong'' Sun grinned lightly in reply, slowly bringing his weapon to bare.

''Scarlet David'' Scarlet introduced with a small smile, even as he drew his weapon, the countdown above them.

''Sage Ayana'' Sage nodded stoically, drawing his large sword.

''And I'm Neptune Vasilias'' Neptune finished with a grin.

''Hope you can give me a good fight'' Kindle grinned as she took her hands out of her pockets.

''3! 2! 1!'' The counter's AI voice counted down, before a buzzer sounded as the fight began.

Immediately Kindle and Sun took off, running at each other and grinning. Sun slowed as he spun his weapon in staff form and spun it around, the weapon swinging for her torso from the right side. Kindle smirked and fell to her back, sliding underneath the swing and between Sun's legs, ignoring him now as she ran at Sage. Said dark skinned teen narrowed his eyes in suspicion as he lifted his weapon and slammed it down before she could reach him, creating a shockwave. Kindle went with the flow, letting herself get knocked back and driving both feet into Sun's chest before flipping to her feet, Sun stumbling from the force but not enough to knock him down.

''Damn~ big guy! Nice sword'' Kindle grinned, getting a nod from the stoic teen ''Guess its time to light this place up, eh?''.

Flames abruptly flickered to life around her fists, creating two orbs of flickering orange flames around them. Her grin didn't fade as she went for Scarlet first, who narrowed his eyes as he lunged with his sword. As expected she easily manoeuvred around the blade, burying her fist in his stomach, making him gasp out as he was sent tumbling back, Aura dropping down to 70% due to it protecting him from the flames. Sage stood next to the recovering Scarlet while Sun and Neptune stood at the opposite side of her, both sub-teams slowly circling her.

''Afraid of getting burned?'' Kindle teased as she threw mock punches, sending small fireballs towards them, forcing them to dodge out of the way ''C'mon boys don't leave me waiting!''.

Sun obliged with a battle cry, charging in and swinging. Kindle grinned and raised her arm to the side, the staff smacking into her forearm and making her wince slightly as her fist moved to strike his stomach. He moved his staff with impeccable skill however and blocked her fist, but the force behind her punch made him stumble slightly, preventing him from blocking the second fist that struck his stomach, sending him back. Kindle grunted in pain as a blast of blue energy passed her, missing her stomach by inches, cutting the edge as her Aura mostly protected her.

She narrowed her eyes at the form of Neptune before breaking out in a sprint right at him, but was abruptly stopped as something wrapped around her ankle. She glared at Scarlet before smirking, sending a volley of mock-punches his way and unleashing a hail of flames towards him, forcing him to release the grappling hook and run, but still took several fireballs to the back.

Her eyes widened as two golden clones abruptly ran at her, mimics of Sun. She threw a fireball at each but they exploded into a flash of light, blinding her and making her stumble back. She hissed as she felt another shot skid over her shoulder, Sun and Neptune arguing about accuracy. Kindle growled as her Semblance activated full-force, fire spawning around her in a ring, embers floating around her as her vision returned. She glared at SSSN, cracking her knuckles threateningly.

''You guys... are really pissing me off'' She grinned darkly as she glanced back at her 'father' ''Permission to 'release' the seal?''.

Eien smirked knowingly ''Very well''.

''Uh... what?'' Sun asked, very confused with what that meant. Kindle just smirked as the heat of the flames increased, making the four combatants sweat from the heat spreading, the audience safe from said heat because of the barrier around the arena.

''Hehe... just watch Sunny'' She quipped as her eyes glowed before they flickered into an amber shade, before fully becoming a glowing amber. With a grin that oozed confidence she called out ''Seele Mitteilung''.

Immediately the flames around her flickered and roared furiously as the orange slowly gave way to black, the flames around her becoming an onyx black, the heat being almost searing. From behind Kindle grew a pair of wings made from a bright, orange flames, not directly attached to her back but close enough to look so. They extended a few feet each and had a slight incline to them, the tips of the flame-like feathers black.

''What... just what?'' Neptune said, stunned.

After another silent glance between Kindle and Eien, Kindle spoke ''Seele Mitteilung. Its something me and all of Eien's 'Spirits' can use, we've only developed the technique recently. It basically super-charges us, increases every aspect of ourselves, some more strongly than others and enhances our Semblances too. It also draws on ambient particles in the air that can be absorbed and slowly recover our Aura. It has a cool down of a few days, so I won't be able to use it for a bit after today, and its got a time limit... mine's rather short, 'cause I only gained mine recently. Eien introduced this encase we had to fight foes who were currently stronger than us, I can mostly go up against C-Rank Hunters with this active''.

''Oh that is so not fair!'' Sun complained with a pout, making Kindle giggle.

''Well its still within the rules, since it is still a technique and part of our arsenal, and I don't have a weapon in the first place, so this just evens the odds'' She explained with a small smirk before it turned into a pout ''Besides I'm probably one of the weakest 'Spirits', so its only fair~''.

''You're one of the weakest'' Scarlet said flatly, stunned.

''Well... yeah~'' Kindle said, pouting before shaking her head ''Anyway! We're in a fight, so prepare for an ass-kicking!''.

''Oh shit'' Sun said as Kindle flew at them with an eager grin, black flames trailing behind her. Neptune fired but she smoothly dodged it before waving a hand in an arc at them, sending an arc of black flames there way. Sage did what he did best and slammed his sword down, breaking the ground slightly and successfully using the shockwave to split the flames out of the way. However some got on Sage, catching part of him on fire, and not going out when he tried rolling around. Kindle just watched, looking mildly concerned and mildly bored as Sun helped him take off his cloak and throw it to the ground, where it caught fire and burnt to ash.

''Uh... you're serious we have to fight her right?'' Sun asked nervously, looking up at Eien, who merely sighed.

''Apologies... I may have underestimated Kindle's destructive capabilities, especially in training situations'' Eien said ''Kindle''.

''Fine~'' Kindle pouted as the wings faded into embers, the black flames returned to their orange colours and her eyes returning to their dark grey colour ''Alright, c'mon then Sunny''.

''Stop calling me that!'' Sun grumbled as he approached, swinging his staff at her. She jumped over it and kicked off his chest, but got a hit to the back and shin for her efforts, making her scowl mid-flight as she spun, flicking her wrist and sending a fireball at him. It struck his chest and he tumbled back, wincing at the light burn he got for it. Kindle landed, only to widen her eyes as she jumped to the left, barely avoiding the large blade that came down at her from Sage. She jumped and spun, her right foot catching fire as she collided it with his shoulder, burning the cloth there and making him stumble.

Kindle was by no means weak, but given her young physique and reliance on her Semblance, and to add to that her inexperience, she was obviously having a hard time. Currently she was at 65% Aura, Sun was at 70%, Scarlet was at 52%, Sage was at 90% and Neptune was at 100%. Due to the fact she wasn't allowed to use her 'released' form, it made it harder.

Still she just grinned and charged Scarlet, who saw it coming and attacked with his cutlass. However Kindle had the advantage of her petite form, allowing her to slip past his attack and punch him in the gut, then in the chin, then a bullet-time volley of over a dozen punches into his chest, finishing with a kick that sent him tumbling away, dropped down to 8% Aura.

''Scarlet David is out!'' Glynda called.

Kindle wasted no time in moving to the next target, training taking over. Sun released two clones and she immediately destroyed them, looking away. It still blinded her slightly and made her stumble, but nowhere near as bad as the first time. She did a twirl with her arms out and directed it towards Sage, creating a tornado of fire at him. Because of the distance the teen couldn't dodge, only raise his sword in front of him and grit his teeth. When the tornado dissipated, Sage was out cold, burns on his body and making the crowd 'ooh' in sympathy.

''Sage Ayana is out!''.

Kindle widened her eyes however when she turned, prepared to move onto Neptune, only for her target to be right behind her. Before she could dodge or block, Neptune struck her in the stomach when his weapon was in Guandao form, her body erupting into spasms as the electricity coursed through her, making even Neptune wince. She stumbled back, vision distorted slightly as she fought to stay standing, her Aura having took a major beating from the attack.

Still she recovered after a dozen seconds, sending a glare at Neptune, panting ''If... I was allowed... to use... my released form... you'd be a crisp right now... I swear...''.

''Sorry?'' Neptune apologised with an awkward laugh.

''Eh... whatever'' Kindle shrugged, wincing slightly ''I got cocky... but now there's only two of you, so that makes it a whole 100% easier... I think''.

''Maybe'' He smirked as he flipped his weapon around, ready to fight. From behind, Sun started up in a sprint at Kindle, who smirked back at Neptune.

''Maybe'' She agreed and a pulse of flames erupted at her feet as she jumped into the air, twirled and sent a wave of flames at Sun. Sun sent two of his clones out at it. They took the blow for him and blinded Kindle momentarily, which was long enough for him to jump and swing his weapon with Neptune joining him. Kindle, in a blind and desperate attempt, was engulfed in flames before they pulsed out in a sphere of flames around her. Both Sun and Neptune were hit, knocking them onto the ground with force and burning them as Kindle also fell, panting.

''Neptune Vasilias and Sun Wukong are out! Team SSSN is out!'' Glynda called, also sounding mildly surprised.

''Woo~'' Kindle cheered tiredly, her own Aura down to 18% from the last attack. Sun and Neptune got to their feet with a stumble, going with the doctors for the standard health check, which was done after any battle that inflicted damage aside from Aura. Kindle stumbled slightly, almost falling, before abruptly gaining a purple glow on her body. Her body was levitated up to the stage next to Eien, who smiled and patted her head.

''Good job'' He murmured to her, making her smile proudly ''Despite being outnumbered by equally skilled foes you managed to win, I advise next time that you keep an eye on your opponents better though''.

''Mm! I won't let you down'' Kindle beamed and Eien smiled, nodding. He let his Aura flow into her and Kindle sighed happily as her wounds healed at an accelerated rate, nearly all of her previous pains and fatigue disappearing quickly, allowing her to watch the coming matches without being bothered by her wounds. Murmurs had spread throughout the crowd about Kindle's performance and Eien's mysterious return from the dead, but nobody knew anything, and those who did weren't telling.

All eyes raised to the board as it spun to the next team of the start of the long day. Finally it slowed to show JNPR, and they(Nora) eagerly got to their feet, moving down to the battlefield, Glynda Goodwitch repairing the floor with her telekinesis in the meantime. Eien once again teleported into the middle of the arena, smiling in greeting to his friends.

''Hey guys'' He smiled.

''Hey Eienny~'' Nora sang cheerfully, adding a 'ny' onto his name like with Ren, causing both teens to chuckle.

''I'm afraid we'll catch up later, for now though you'll be fighting another of my Spirits'' Eien smiled disarmingly as he extended a hand from his cloak, a grey Sigil appearing a foot in front of him. Slowly a figure rose up, quickly standing at the height of 5'5. The darkness melted off them, revealing it also to be a girl with fair skin, probably around the age of seventeen to nineteen with a lithe figure. Her hair was a light brown, near the tips being white and the tips themselves being crimson. Her left eye was a bright teal blue, while the right was ruby red. On each ear was a small, golden cross earing.

Her attire consisted of a faded blue shirt that started above her chest and stopped just above her waist in a zig-zag pattern, showing off a small amount of midriff. The shirt itself was outlined in red. She had a pair of dark grey shorts with a red outline also on them, a white belt with a red outline and a pair of black boots and knee-high socks. Her most defining feature was the pair of light brown fox ears on her head, twitching.

''Hey'' The teen waved, a confident smirk on her face, also visibly unarmed.

''Hi~'' Nora replied enthusiastically as Eien returned to his position on the teachers stage.

''Name's Aria, yours?'' The now-named Aria said, rolling her shoulders.

''Nora!'' Nora cheered.

''Lie Ren'' Ren nodded to her.

''Pyrrha Nikos'' Pyrrha smiled.

''Jaune Arc'' Jaune said with faux confidence.

Aria grinned at them ''Hopefully you'll give me a nice fight''.

''Kindle said the same thing'' Pyrrha remarked as the timer counted down.

''Well yeah, its not often we get to spar with someone else aside from each other, its refreshing'' She explained bluntly as the countdown reached the last three.

''3! 2! 1!'' The counter buzzed as the fight began, Nora immediately charging. Aria jumped back as she glowed faintly before an almost flame-like energy burst from her hands, a bright turquoise with a dark blue outline to it. It contorted and fluctuated before it formed into a pair of intricate katana-esque swords, energy particles dancing off them. Immediately she charged with both duel-wielding katana energy swords, meeting Pyrrha head-on. Both swung one sword and clashed, while the shield and second sword met in tandem, forcing a struggle between the two.

''Heh'' Aria smirked as the swords glowed, making Pyrrha's eyes widen before they were engulfed in an explosion, both of the girls shooting out of the cloud of smoke - Aria back-flipping out and Pyrrha stumbling.

''Self-destructing weapons?'' Pyrrha questioned as Aria created another pair of swords, only these ones were a Daisho pair.

''Come find out~'' Aria winked as she charged one more, throwing one of her sword which pulsated before detonating in front of Jaune, making the teen stumble from the shockwave. Aria threw the second at her feet and used the explosion to become airborne, forming a large Warhammer in her hands as she descended into the middle of the team, slamming the hammer down onto the ground. It created a small explosion and once again offset the teams' balance, and Aria took full advantage of that as she swung her hammer into Ren, sending him tumbling back, Aura dropping down to 70% alone from the heavy attack.

''Ren!'' Nora cried, before she charged with her own battle-cry and swung Magnhild. Aria raised her own hammer and the shafts collided, leaving them fighting for dominance as Jaune and Pyrrha helped get Ren up. Nora abruptly took one hand off and grabbed Aria's wrist, causing the fox-girl to be confused, before her eyes widened. Sparks literally flew as electricity travelled down Nora's arm and onto Aria, making her spasm as the electricity shocked her... and also loosened her hold on her weapon, causing it to pulsate before detonating, sending Nora, and to a lesser extent a twitching Aria tumbling back. Her Aura was swiftly knocked down to 65% mostly from that attack alone, since her Faunus genes made electricity, along with loud noises, far more painful than what a human would feel.

She hissed as she got up, rubbing her Faunus ears gently and wincing, but still readying for battle anyway. She formed a shield and sword similar to Pyrrha's and ran at them, before throwing the shield towards Nora, who dodged the explosive energy weapon. Aria's energy blade met Pyrrha's as the two fought for dominance, only for Aria's foot to come and knock Pyrrha's feet out from under her, forcing the Mistralian to put a hand out to prevent herself from falling on her front and being completely exposed, but didn't need to as Ren came in, spraying with StormFlower and forcing Aria back, but not before dropping her weapon.

''Shit!'' Jaune called before Pyrrha, Ren and Jaune were caught up in the explosion, Nora off to the side blinking. Aria abruptly landed behind her, having used the smoke to hide her movement, and struck Nora in the back with a huge hammer, sending the girl flying into the wall and knocking her Aura down to 50%, which promptly dropped to 28% when Aria threw her hammer and let it explode on her like a missile. She reformed a pair of scimitars just in time to block Jaune's blade and shield, kicking his knee and making him fall onto one knee and cut into his shoulder with the explosive weapon, before she promptly let them explode at close-range, sending her flying back as she summoned a scythe, nearly identical to Eien's, but made from energy.

She spun it around expertly and charged at the recovering Ren, who managed to avoid the first few blows and even managed to get a handful of shots in, but eventually was struck in the thigh, making him stumble long enough for her to get a solid strike across his chest, before using her weapon to explode point-blank on him. Still she pursued him relentlessly, creating a pair of odd-shaped daggers and lashing out with swift, precise strikes on the teen as Ren tried to block with his dagger-sized weapons. She kicked him in the stomach and threw the daggers, detonating them just before they hit him, resulting in him getting knocked back, Aura at 9% after her brutal assault.

''Lie Ren is out!''.

Aria gasped as Nora's hammer smashed into her back, sending her rolling away. Her eyes widened as she was forced to continue rolling and dodging as Pyrrha and Nora kept up the assault, not giving her a chance to form any more weapons. After thirty seconds of this Nora landed a hit, sending Aria flying into the barrier, but also giving her the time to make another weapon. Her choice of weapon this time... being a large chainsaw.

''I am so kicking your ass for that'' Aria threatened with a grin as the chainsaw buzzed furiously, wisps of black-blue energy dancing off it. Jaune and Pyrrha paled, while Nora just grinned and shot at the floor, going airborne with her hammer in hand. With matching grins they clashed, hammer against chainsaw. Aria had the advantage in that her weapon had more cutting power, but Nora had the advantage in that her attacks had more blunt trauma, meaning Aura couldn't do a whole lot to protect you from it.

Eventually Aria was forced to back off a few feet as Pyrrha lunged in with her weapon in spear form, only to raise her shield to block against the chainsaw, which Aria was wielding with one hand while her free hand held three kunai between her fingers, which she used to her advantage as she threw them at Pyrrha's feet, exploding and knocking her off balance. Pyrrha gasped and winced as the chainsaw cut into her shoulder slightly, but couldn't fully get past her shield to cut any deeper than a flesh wound. That was until the weapon glowed fiercely, signalling it was about to detonate, bur before it could Nora shoved Pyrrha out of the way, taking the explosion herself.

''Nora Valkyrie is out!''.

Nora flew out of the smoke, Aura knocked down to 8% as she tumbled away, coincidentally landing next to Ren as Jaune ran to take his place. He wasn't able to use is Semblance, because like Adam's it was so powerful that it would likely cause permanent damage to someone if it hit, if not death. In the back of his mind Jaune remembered Eien could probably heal them if it was the case, but he didn't want to take any chances, so he'd not use it. Pyrrha was down to 55% Aura, Jaune was at 70% and Aria was at 40%.

''You guys are pretty~ good'' Aria complimented as she created another energy weapon, once again a Daisho pair ''I think you might even be able to handle my released form, if you stop holding back with your Semblances''.

''Well, mine won't really work on you...'' Pyrrha said with a light laugh ''Jaune might cause permanent damage with his-''.

Aria waved a hand dismissively, interrupting her ''Nah don't worry about it, Eien can just heal me if I lose a limb or whatever and dying isn't that big of an issue, so don't hold back''.

''...if you're sure'' Pyrrha murmured before turning to Jaune and whispering a plan to him, the clock ticking to the halfway mark above them while Aria casually twirled the blades in her hands until Pyrrha and Jaune separated, the former breaking out into a sprint towards her while Jaune lagged behind a little. Aria raised an eyebrow as she waited for Pyrrha to get into range before she dropped the shorter of the two blades, the loss of contact with its wielder causing it to pulsate before detonating into an explosion, leaving behind a cloud of smoke that Aria deftly used to sneak away with. Pyrrha waited in front of the smoke, backing up slowly with her shield raised, but was unprepared for a blade to come flying from her right.

She spun and raised her shield, her arm shaking from the direct-impact of the explosive weapon, only for another to impact the shield, and another, and again, again and again, like an endless hail of explosives Aria kept creating a melee weapon and throwing it, forcing Pyrrha to stay still less she lose her footing and fall from the recoil of blocking the powerful explosives. Jaune abruptly hopped over Pyrrha, using her shoulder to heave himself over, Pyrrha's smirk showing it was expected. Jaune raised Crocea Mors in front of him, the shield continuing to take the hits while Pyrrha recovered. Aria raised her eyebrow again in mild surprise, but decided to go along with whatever they were going with - She had the capacity to wipe the floor with them once she activated her Seele Mitteilung, but after Kindle's display would rather not use it unless she hurt them badly. It was meant to only be used against actual Hunter-class enemies after all.

Abruptly Jaune began to glow after taking his fifteenth shot to the shield, the tell-tale sign of his Semblance. Aria, expecting something dangerous, summoned a shield and great sword to defend herself. A few seconds passed as Jaune's stored up energy travelled to his sword, and then with a roar Jaune swung, sending a fluctuating crescent at Aria that whipped around like a snake. He had gotten better with his Semblance in the year between when he initially unlocked it and now, but while it was powerful there wasn't much variation - it just depended on which part of Crocea Mors he used; sword = attack, shield = defend.

The contorting beam shot at Aria, who widened her eyes as she raised her weapons to defend herself, including summoning up more of her Aura and forcing it to manifest into energy in front of her, creating a force-field as the attack reached her. Everyone was blinded as the explosion went off, and for a tense twenty seconds they waited for the outcome of the attack. It revealed itself when the smoke cleared enough to see Aria, on her hands and knees panting as blood poured from a diagonal cut along her torso, not very deep at all but at the cost of nearly all her Aura. Jaune also collapsed to his hands and knees, Aura dropping to 9%.

''Jaune Arc is out! Aria is out! Team JNPR wins!'' Glynda called, and the crowd cheered. JNPR were one of the strongest teams, and while Aria was strong, she couldn't defeat them without using the enhancing technique.

''Dammit...'' Aria panted, and like before with Kindle she was levitated over to the stage with Eien, who promptly healed her wounds and restored most of her Aura with mere physical contact at the cost of his own Aura. Pyrrha, Jaune, Nora and Ren all made their way to the infirmary also, giving Aria and Eien a 'good match' smile before they disappeared. Aria pouted and huffed, annoyed at her defeat.

''JNPR is a strong team, I should know'' Eien murmured to her without even looking, looking like a statue as he watched the next team be decided ''You may be able to hold up well against a first year team, but against a second year team with a famous champion, an Arc and two fluid partners you wouldn't without your released form''.

''Should I have released it?'' Aria asked, tilting her head slightly as she looked up at him.

''...it depends, really. If you did, victory would've been confirmed for you'' Eien said softly, and Aria felt a little shame at losing when she could've won ''But winning does not mean everything. While JNPR know of your Semblance, as well as the rest of the class, they do not know the full effects of your Seele Mitteilung - the same goes for you Kindle, they only know and can presume what the effects of your flames do, not the full extent of your abilities''.

Both girls smiled slightly at that, nodding ''Hai''.

They fell silent as they waited on the counter, which slowed and showed CRDL. Eien once again teleported and prepared to summon the next Spirit to fight them, but meanwhile up at the stage Kindle and Aria shivered as they felt a phantom presence linger beside them, one that only they could see as its presence lingered like an invisible fog, breathing down their necks.

''Interesting''.

A/N: And there's the end of this chapter.

Eien back and alive (did anyone actually not think I was bringing the main character back?) with more strength than before, Ruby and Eien are back with slightly different personalities - which will be shown more as time progresses, more OC Spirits ahoy... and who spoke at the end of the chapter?

The next chapter, and possibly the chapter after that will just be battle after battle showcasing the personalities and appearance of the different 'Spirits' within Eien's soul. I have an Omake I wanna write about Eien making Chibi versions of JNPR, RWBY and AREME and I'll probably write it in a chapter or two when its more fitting.

I want to add a bit more... relatability(?) to the Spirits of Eien, because while they're more OC's I want to make them to be more identifiable rather than just those characters that you see rarely. Some of them will fall under this, mainly ones who only appear for battle, but some others will make reoccurring appearances quite often. I also want to make them look a bit like certain characters from other series as a little reference. They'll hold the appearance, maybe a bit of the personality, but not the actual name nor full personality of the original character.

Aria = Main character from ''Mafia: The Brigade of Knowledge Seekers''. (Does anyone know anything about this series? I can find A LOT of pictures about it, but not one link to what it actually is or where to find out about it. I doubt its just random images, since its got a series title, but seriously it looks interesting).

Kindle = Karen Araragi from ''Bakemonogatari''

[Seele Mitteilung = Soul Release in German]