Weiss sat quietly with her father, twiddling her thumb as she waited for a boy her age she barely even knew.

"Weiss, I suggest you stop looking like a child in front of our esteemed guest!"

Weiss heard the hushed annoyed voice from her father, who clearly did not want the man on the other side of the table to hear him reprimanding his own daughter.

Weiss saw Jacques play with his moustache soon after. Hypocrite. She wanted to say something about her father's own antics. Didn't he just tell her off for being nervous?

But she was smart enough not to start an argument now. At least, not in front of Onyx Nox.

Weiss was well aware of why her father was so anxious with this meeting. She knew that Jacques worked so hard on simply convincing Onyx for Weiss and Onyx's grandson to meet.

Onyx was… eccentric, to say politely.

Antisocial, if Weiss had to say it truthfully. And perhaps simply with information she had heard from other people.

Rarely meeting other rich wealthy people, almost always found running the Nox Steelworks industry and their subsidiaries.

… And also found actively arguing with the Atlas kingdom council.

People that she met with her father in social parties had always said that 'Onyx threatened to withdraw his product from governmental use again' over laws or policies… or lack thereof in some regard.

The council would've scoffed at such threats. Weiss knew that if the Schnee dust company tried to threaten the Atlas council like that, they would in turn get threatened.

There was only so much power a single man could have in Atlas.

… If, you weren't Onyx Nox. Then those threats were to be taken very seriously, even if you were a council. Especially, if you were the council.

Weiss heard about it, and so did Jacques.

About how nearly any business Onyx creates or joins ends with success, that every choice he had made only resulted in the Nox Steelworks industry digging its roots deeper into Remnant.

The end result was… a company, where around 78% of Remnant used and relied on the technology it provided.

Military equipments, weapons, vehicles, mining and quarrying machineries, defensive technology, metal alloys.

Hell, they even had instruments and kitchen appliances with their brand plastered on it!

Even other giant companies ended up relying on the Nox Steelworks Industry products to keep their business going. The Atlas military, needed Nox Steelworks Industry products to keep their kingdom running. Weiss knew the Schnee dust company had to rely on the mining drills and cargo trucks they had created to make sure they could get as much dust as possible all over the world. Every gram was a product they couldn't afford to waste.

Even the revolver chamber in Myrtenaster, her personal Multi Action Dust Rapier that she had built with the help of her sister Winter, was a part made from the Nox industry.

… Well, more specifically, no other than Nero Nox himself. They say it was originally made to be used in his own weapon, a multi-action revolver Falcion… or as Onyx would always say to the guests that ask about it, 'a fuckin' gunblade'.

Nero originally had no intention of putting the blueprint of the chamber on the market, until Onyx persuaded him. Weiss had to sincerely thank Onyx's decision, because without Nero's blueprint there would have been no way for her to get Myrtenaster designed and built exactly as she wanted it to. The insides of her rapier would not have been durable enough otherwise.

If the dust the Schnees exported throughout the planet was the fuel, then Nox Steelworks Industry was the body the fuel was put into.

A body that was… starting to become capable of using other fuels.

That was why her father was so hellbent on getting on good terms with Onyx, at least good enough for Onyx to agree with her father's request.

For one, Jacques Schnee wanted better deals with the Nox Steelworks Industry. Perhaps a cheaper price for the high quality equipment, perhaps higher priorities on ordering and shipping these equipment.

Or perhaps some exclusive deals, perhaps a chance to get dust-gathering equipment way ahead of its official market release.

For another, the announcement that Onyx had recently made that they are developing an engine that could continuously fuel their technology, with the idealistic end goal being something that can power a kingdom for a year straight, without the use of dust.

A dustless engine that powerful could mean that soon enough, a quarter of the Nox Steelworks Industry product that didn't need dust will be released.

And that meant a quarter of the 4 kingdoms and small patches of self-made lands in between that didn't need to buy dust.

And that, to the Schnee dust company, meant that a quarter of a profit suddenly lost because of the whims of one man in Atlas.

Not just monetary profit, connections. Connections not just in Atlas but also in other kingdoms, gone because suddenly they no longer needed dust to keep their business running.

And overtime that profit loss would increase

If Schnee Dust Company was known to be an upright and moral company, maybe those connections would've stayed because it was a relationship built on good terms.

Weiss Schnee very well knew, deep down, that that wasn't the case.

It used to be, when her grandfather had started it. Not so much anymore once her father took the wheels.

That meant that the SDC's relationship with other companies only stood firm so long as both sides had something to benefit from upholding it.

In other words, Jacques needed some form of reason, some form of leverage on the Nox Steelworks Industry that made them reconsider such an approach to alternative energy supply.

But there was nothing Jacques could do by himself to stop the Nox Steelworks. The guy he was up against had the galls and the actual powers to threaten the Atlas Council, what could he do?

… Send in his daughter, and use her to persuade the Nox. That was all he could do.

Jacques knew that, Weiss knew that.

And the way Onyx sat in the chair of their mansion, scrolling through his phone with complete disinterest to the Schnee household, as if he owned the property, not them, told the two that Onyx knew as well.

Jacques wasn't the one holding the leash in this interaction. No, it was Onyx.

But that didn't matter. All it mattered to Jacques was that Nero would arrive sooner or later, and Weiss could have a pleasant chat with him. Make a good first impression that could further strengthen the relationship between the Schnees and the Noxs.

It should help that Weiss and Nox were of the same age, and Weiss can start once Nero arrives at the Schnee manor.

… if Nero will arrive.

They had been waiting for 3 hours for the person of interest to arrive. And every minute made Weiss and Jacques more and more anxious.

Had Nero called off the meeting?

Had he just decided it wasn't worth it?

… Did he remember that there was a meeting today?

… Did he even know?

"Erhmm…" Jacques lightly coughed into his hand to clear his throat before trying to address Onyx. "Are… are you certain that Nero is aware of what is occurring today…?"

Onyx Nox simply rolled his eyes towards Jacques, not even bothering to turn his head away from the scroll.

"Yeah, he knows. Last time I texted him… which was 30 minutes ago, he was in Mantle."

"... Is he coming?"

"How the hell should I know? All he texted back was 'Mantle'."

… The utter disrespect this man so nonchalantly gave. It was clear that Onyx didn't think highly of Jacques.

Weiss hoped Nero would be someone more… polite, than his grandfather.

Weiss hoped Nero would actually be a pleasant individual, though she was talking about rich kids in Atlas over here. Weiss remembered every single time her father had forced her to meet the children of board members, CEOs, and other high ranking individuals.

Nearly all of the snobby, too busy trying to kiss and suck up to each other.

Only to give scathing remarks about them behind their backs.

She was tired of that all. Maybe Nero would be someone that was genuinely friendly.

Or quiet. She'd even take quiet and disinterested than being two faced.

However, it wasn't long when her hopes would be shattered, when the Butler of the Nox family quietly entered the room to whisper something into Onyx Nox's ears.

Onyx started to chuckle at his butler's words, which slowly devolved into a laugh.

As if his butler had just told him one of the greatest jokes he had ever heard.

Onyx promptly sat up from his chair, taking his coat off the chair and draping it over his shoulders.

Jacques was flabbergasted by Onyx's sudden intent on leaving. "W-wait, Mr. Nox, what happened? Why are you suddenly leaving?"

"Something urgent came up on my side. I'm sorry but, I'll have to call this meeting off."

"Wha- b-but, Nero could still visit today, we'll make sure to be hospitable to him! After all, he could still talk with Weiss-"

"I'm afraid not, Jacques. You see, Nero… my beloved, but very much a dumbass of a grandson, has been arrested and has been placed into a holding cell."

"... E-excuse… me?"

"I'm going to bail my grandson out. Sorry for making both of us waste our time, but at least Nero seemed to have fun. By not being here."

Onyx grabbed his cane on his way out, the sound of shoes and cane hitting the floor echoing out the manor.

Weiss and Jacques was left flabbergasted

Was… was this who Weiss had to meet?

A delinquent who gets arrested by the authorities? Someone that needed to be bailed out by his grandfather?

Forget making a good first impression on Nero,

Nero had already managed to make one hell of a first impression to Weiss without even meeting her in person.


"Oh, Uuhhhh… Let's see… ah, here's the file: Nero Nox, 17 years old, 195 centimeters tall. Father and mother are… unknown, the only family member that's still surviving is Onyx Nox, his grandfather.

Recently graduated from Signal academy in Patch Island with top grades, and 4th year regional tournament champion in Vale."

"Yep, that's my grandson alright. So, tell me - how many people did he end up killing this time?"

"... This time!?"

The officers stood in horror, before swiftly swiping through their scroll to check for any possible records on Nero Nox.

It wasn't until Onyx was leaning on his cane, too busy wheezing after laughing too hard at the officers' reaction, that they realised the old man was just pulling their legs.

Maybe that's why he has that cane, one of the younger officers mumbled under his breath.

Nero certainly inherited his height from his grandfather, who himself was a giant.

The muscles and veins popping under his exposed forearms told him that the old man wasn't just bones, either.

"Your grandson was… just in a fight, in the back alley of Mantle."

"After all that training he got from Signal, he better not have any scratches on him."

"... He does not. Contrary to the hospitalised local street gang that, according to the eye witnesses, initiated the fight, Nero has no discernible injuries and had told us that he wasn't hurt."

"He'd be a disappointment if he did." Onyx grumbled as the officers started to take him to the holding cells.

"To be quite fair, he's a strange one. Your heir." footsteps echoed out through the barely illuminated halls, steel bars lining the left side of the wall. "By all means, he wasn't even meant to be arrested. Everything checked out that he acted as self defence, so he was free. He didn't like that, told the officers that he'd like to get in a holding cell. They laughed, told him that there's many other ways to act tough without acting stupid."

"So what, he punched an officer or something?"

"... That's exactly it, Mr. Nox. He punched our officer squarely in the jaw. Told them 'Police assault, that's a serious offence.'"

Onyx only responded by laughing, to which one officer asked him. "I mean no offense, sir. But… your grandson is right in the head, right?"

"Don't even know myself!" That was all Onyx pushed out of after trying to calm his laughter down.

The officers stopped in front of one of the cells, and Onyx took no moment of hesitation to shout at the top of his longs.

"Oi, Nero! My joints are aching all over, and you're going to force me to come all the way to here just to pick your sorry ass up!? Get out, we're going home!"

While his words were those of an angry man, the tone of his voice and his smile soon after told the officers that he was taking this very lightly.

Nero, on the other hand, sat up from the bed to look at his own grandfather with a glare.

"Oh, it's just you." After a moment of silence, that was all Nero answered with.

"... Of course it's me, who else would come to pick you up?"

"Well I'm sorry to make you come all the way from the centre of the city to come get me. Now go home."

"... The hell do you mean go home!?"

"Exactly what it says on the tin. Go. Home. Without me."

The two officers were left openly flabbergasted by Nero's response to his grandfather personally coming in to bail him out.

Yet Onyx simply stood, silently watching Nero as he started to slouch and rest his arms on his thighs.

"... May get I reason why I need to go back without you?"

"..."

"What, is it because you're feeling guilty from beating a couple of street rats up? Oh boo hoo, I used my strength to fight against petty gangs instead of using them to protect humanity and fight Grimms! I don't have the right to be a huntsman anymore!"

Now Onyx was openly mocking Nero, goading him into telling him the answer.

Nero knew Onyx would continue to make fun of him unless he started opening his mouth.

"I'm haunted."

"Haunted?"

"Haunted by an evil spirit. I don't know if it's a Grimm, but I highly doubt it. It's not directly harming me right now, but it tried to slaughter the gang members with its sword. I tried as hard as I could to stop it, and managed to settle it on breaking their legs instead. Thank god it was just some lowlifes that wanted to put a knife in my stomach, if it was setting its eyes on harming innocent civilians I would even be allowed to talk to you like this."

"... Umm… sir, your grandson does know about semblances, right?"

"... He does indeed, and he has the same semblance as I do. It's got nothing to do with ghosts."

"... Th-then-"

The guard never managed to finish his question. The conversation was interrupted by someone crashing into the metal bars inside Nero's cell.

"Pl-please! Let us change cells!"

"H-He's telling the truth!"

"I-it's evil, man! He really is possessed by a ghost!"

"It's terrifying!"

"I won't commit another crime, pleeeeaaase!"

"All right, that's enough! Get away from the bars!" One of the guards pulled his baton from hip and struck the bars repeatedly.

Atlas was a kingdom where those that managed to land themselves in some form of confinement were either too tough to complain or too much of a coward to even raise their voice.

And the guard knew the three stuck in the cell with Nero. They were going in and out of this place as if it was their dorm.

They bantered with the officers at best, but they never asked the guards for anything serious during their stay.

If they were this scared, then…

… what exactly was going on with Nero?

A sharp sound of metal hitting metal resonated in the dark, and a glint of gold flashed in the corner of the cell. When all eyes turned to where the glimpse disappeared, Nero was holding a can of beer with the top completely cut clean, content within creating a surface tension.

Nero gulped the can down without hesitation, making sure his lips never touched the sharp metal edges.

"A- A can of beer…!?"

"We made sure to check his pockets while we detained him! Ho-How did he get that in here!?"

Nero exhaled a little burp as he emptied the can, something that was enough to trigger a fright response in the three delinquents and forcing them to huddle in the opposite end of the room. One even started to pray to a god he never believed in.

"I told you, didn't I? It's the evil spirit. It seems to be curious, since it's bringing me all sorts of things to me."

A magazine started to rise from under the bed, and Onyx saw a faint silhouette of an arm bringing the magazine up to the bed and dropping it in Nero's hand.

Soon, a radio turned on by itself.

'Today's Mistral regional tournament has finally concluded, with the victor being no less than Pyrhha Nikos herself! Already our regional champion three times in a row, this victory marks her the fourth! I'm sure Pumpkin Pete's gonna be starting the engines of their cars just to race to Miss Nikos's home before any other potential sponsors do!'

"The-The magazine floated on its own, a-and the radio turned on by itself!"

"B-but… Glynda…. Glynda Goodwitch has a semblance that can do just that, maybe the guy has-"

"And if you guys still don't believe me…" Nero set his foot down from the bed, the sound of rubber hitting concrete echoing out was enough to make everyone flinch.

Nero didn't want to do this, but it still sounded like the ones in authority didn't take this as a significant threat.

That just Nero had to do this the hard way.

"I'll show it to you all. What the evil spirit really looks like, and how hostile he can be. If I do, maybe you'll all finally realise just how much danger I'm in."

Nero stood a formidable distance from the metal bars. Even if he outstretched his right hand, his fingers would never reach the steel pillars.

And that meant that Nero's arm would never reach one of the guard's pistols that lay in his holster.

If it was just Nero's arm.

It was instant, the way the red glove shot out from Nero's shoulder, flying through the gaps between the bars and towards the handle of the standard sidearm all Atlasian Law enforcers were meant to carry.

The straps that connected the pistols to the holster was made of polymers strong and durable enough that if one wanted to break it, they'd need a thick knife and a considerable amount of time.

That red floating glove just… ripped it off, as if the polymer fibre straps were nothing more than licorice candy.

And all it took was the sight of the red floating glove, for the three delinquents in the corner to start screaming and shouting.

"You all saw that, didn't you! That arm that brought me this gun!"

"M-m-my gun!"

"We've got trouble here, he-he's-"

"If you didn't, then…"

Nero did the unthinkable, something that made sure Onyx wouldn't be taking his grandson's situation as a joke anymore.

Nero aimed the pistol at his temple, and didn't even hesitate for a moment to pull the trigger.

"Oi, Nero! Don't you da-"

Gunshot resonated out and deafened everyone within for a second.

Soon after screams and shouts were heard from the delinquents and the guard while Onyx stood silent in disbelief.

"Emergency! Emergency! Nero Nox shot himself with-"

"Wait, wait…look!"

"...The bullet…" That was all Onyx could mutter at the sight.

The bullet never managed to reach Nero's Temple. No blood splattered on the other side of his skull.

Just, the same red gloved arm held the bullet with its index and thumb.

If there was one thing Nero clearly knew about whatever decided to haunt him, it was that the thing was fast. Really fast.

He remembered how quickly this thing reacted to the bullets fired in his direction in the back alley. The way that it quickly gripped the bullet with its hands, or deflected it with its golden blade.

Nero had decided to gamble on that speed. And although he won, it was a pyrrhic victory at best as he breathed in and out quickly, handing the pistol back to the guard.

No one dared to go forward and receive the gun.

They were too scared to go any closer to Nero, and whatever was behind him.

A golden mask resembling some form of an avian monster, with 3 spikes trailing down the top of its head. And an arm that wore a glove that went all the way up to its biceps, like those of Morticians.

Only its head and right arm could be seen, and only faintly.

But from the hostile stance it took, and the raspy breath it wheezed out,

Its head and arm was enough to intimidate everyone within the room.

Onyx stood, eyes wide open and lips shut tight.

"There's someone behind me. I don't know who it is, or when, where, why and how it started to haunt me but… all I know for sure is that it isn't a pushover."

The bullet the ghost held fell to the floor as the apparition disappeared back into the darkness of the cell.

The sound of metal hitting concrete echoed out to the halls, no one else dared try to break the silence.


Onyx stood next to his car, waiting for someone to pick up his call.

It didn't take more than a few minutes for the man on the other side to finally answer.

"Mr. Nox, to what pleasure do I owe to you personally making a phone call?"

"It's about my grandson."

"Nero Nox, was it? I do distinctly remember that he applied to my school. In fact, he's already passed the final screening as well and would be receiving a letter of acceptance from us. Did… something happen?"

"... I need you to come to Atlas as soon as possible."

"... You know, it would be great if I can get some reason as to why I need to travel all the way from Vale to Atlas. Preferably more than simply saying 'It's about your grandson.'"

"He's awakened his Persona."

"... Your Grandson?"

"Yes. I didn't want to believe it at first, but he was quite vehement in… convincing all of us."

"...I… see… hmm… If I leave today, I'll arrive by tomorrow night, I'm afraid. However, If it's urgent-"

"Oh, it is very urgent Ozpin. The problem is, it's only half awakened. Enough to form some solid shape in reality, not enough for him to know what it is and how to control it. That thing looked hostile, and I'd like to have my only grandson not be shredded to pieces by his own soul."

"-Then I do have an acquaintance that knows a persona user. I could contact him to try and help your grandson as I arrive."

"... This acquaintance better not be General-"

"I'm afraid that it is James Ironwood, Mr Nox."

Onyx could only sigh in response.

"... Just… just make sure Nero learns to awaken it properly, okay? If I see Ironwood or his persona user colleague do a half-assed job, you're going to come here and see that Ironwood has a new piece of metal lodged into his skull. And this time it's going to be fatal."

"I can assure you that they will be trying our best, Mr Nox. You can believe me in that."

"... Thank you, Ozpin."