Legends,
Stories scattered through time.

Mankind has grown quite fond of recounting the exploits of heroes and villains, gods and monsters.

Forgetting so easily that we are Remnants, byproducts, of a forgotten past when such stories were real history.

Man, recreated from dust by Philemon, was strong, wise, and resourceful.

But he was born into an unforgiving world: An inevitable darkness, creatures of destruction- creatures of Grimm, that were created as consequences of the generation before him and set free by Nyarlathotep.

They set sights on man, and all of his creations.

These forces clashed, and it seemed the darkness was intent on returning man's brief re-existence, to the void.

To the Collective Unconscious.

However, even the smallest spark of hope - especially those that their forbearers made sure to protect and leave behind for the new humanity to inherit- is enough to ignite change.

And in time, man's passion, resourcefulness and ingenuity led them to the tools that would help even the odds.

Especially so if this tool was the last legacy of their spiritual ancestors.

This power, was appropriately named…

Dust.

Nature's wrath in hand, mankind lit their way through the darkness.

And in the shadow's absence came strength, civilization, and most importantly: life.

But even the most brilliant lights eventually flicker, and die.

You would know this, Ozpin. When our people, who wielded their gods and monsters as tools of power and self-reflection and growth, in the end died out in despair.

And the new humanity's disappearance will once again, bring darkness back to return.

So you may prepare your Guardians, and build your monuments to a so-called free world.

But take heed, Ozpin.

There will be no victory in strength. And once you witness my statement, you will learn that I was right.

But perhaps victory is in the simpler things that you've long forgotten. Things that require a smaller, more honest soul.

And things that require the courage to face the darkness not just outside our walls, but within our very own many selves.

Nero sat down on the edge of the fountain. He still had a few moments left before he had to gather into the court for Professor Ozpin's introduction.

Nero lit up a cigarette and took a whiff. He knew he should not be doing this anymore, especially now that he was in a new school.

But recent events were nothing but stressful, and he needed something to vent with.

Eikons and Evokers.

White Fang.

Nox industry's secret governmental projects.

Things he probably shouldn't know, but still stumble into.

Chaos. He hated it.

"Ummm… Excuse me?"

A meek voice of a young man was heard behind him, and Nero instinctively looked.

A blonde man his age, visibly nervous, and a short girl behind him.

"We're… new students, and we're trying to look for the court…

But, well… as you can see, haha! Ha…. We're lost."

Nero heard the guy's voice crawl back into his throat the longer he spoke.

… Jaune Arc. His Semblance told him.

No Semblance, No Aura.

… A fake script? Well, the people in charge of this school are going to have a field day with this.

And an earful.

Nero simply bellowed out a stream of smoke.

"... And we thought a senior would know where to go…"

Silence was a crushing force, power that convinced Jaune more and more to probably find another guy to ask.

Nero stood up, the movement making the two people flinch. A small chuckle came out at the humorous misunderstanding.

Maybe he really should quit smoking now, if it made him look older than he really is.

He put out the ember of his tobacco and soaked the cigarette with the water from the fountain, before putting it into the nearest trash bin.

The two first years quietly watched as Nero walked away, dejected at the fact that they got ignored.

"Oi."

Then they heard Nero call out to the two of them.

"Are you guys going to follow me or not?"

"I'll… keep this brief.

You have travelled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills.

And when you finish, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people.

But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy.

In need of purpose, direction.

You assume knowledge will free you of this.

But your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far.

I know some of you already know this through experience."

Ozpin, through the entire crowd of barely experienced teens, managed to pinpoint exactly where Nero was standing.

It wasn't very hard. Among the sea of black pupils, he just had to find the one that had glowing gold.

"It is up to you to take the first step."

Ozpin, finishing his speech, had no reason to stay here any longer.

With Glynda replacing him to give the new first years instructions on where to go, he quietly nodded to Nero and took his leave.

Wow, such attention from the headmaster.

It was no doubt because he wielded an Eikon.

Nero, before also taking his leave along with the rest of the students, took a quick glance at where Ruby and Jaune were standing. Weiss Schnee stomping off in frustration.

Those two were first surprised to know that Nero was a first year like them.

They were also surprised now when they heard from Yang that he was in the same class as her.

'That's Nero!? The one dad was always complaining about?' Nero heard Ruby whisper to Yang.

He also heard Jaune gulp nervously as he asked the sisters about him.

'He's… well, he's a delinquent. If I'm a troublemaker for partying too hard too late in the night? He's a troublemaker for breaking people's legs in the alleyway. Oh, and smoking and drinking too. Our dad's a teacher in Signal Academy, you see. He always confronts Nero but… well, Nero never listens.'

'He was smoking near the fountain as well. Jaune got most of the whiff since he decided to talk to him though.'

Yang shook her head as she heard her sister's report. 'He better not think that's going to slip by in Beacon.'

'I… I think I'm in danger. Am I in danger? I don't want to get bullied, it's only been my first day!' Jaune was already becoming a nervous wreck, and Ruby looked anxious too.

'Oh… so long as you don't try to pick a fight with him, I'm sure he'll just ignore you. Among the things he got into trouble for, like uhh… kicking a chair out under a teacher, or stiffing restaurants… he never got into trouble for bullying other students. Still, it's probably best if you don't go near him. I don't actually know him enough to say he's an okay guy.'

'Did you get into fights with him, Yang?'

Yang shrugged her shoulders.

'Other than during sparring? Not really? I actually got more help from him than harm. He's really, really smart you see. He also seems to know a lot about everything, everywhere, and everyone.'

'... Really? Everything?'

'I'm pretty sure it's his semblance. Like I said, I don't really know him enough. Just don't go near him, ok? He might have only helped me because I didn't bother him too much.'

Nero brushed his teeth in the locker room, looking into the mirror to check he managed to brush his teeth.

… Whoops, the third molar on the right side was not cleaned properly.

Guess his semblance was useful for something like this as well.

He also witnessed through the mirror of Jaune walking in, getting startled by Nero occupying one of the sinks, and carefully trying to sneak by without notice.

Nero ignored him. The guy didn't want to associate himself with Nero, and the guy didn't have to.

"The third sink has a broken faucet. You'll get sprayed with boiling water if you use it."

"Eeep!"

He'll just tell the guy about that though.

Tomorrow was initiation day. Whoever he would be ending up with, Nero hoped that it wasn't a Beacon academy student.

Nero bumped into someone shorter than him,

"Hey, watch where you're- oh, oh! Umm… Good evening, Nero Nox!"

The girl with white hair was about to angrily shout at her inconvenience, but quickly bit it back when she saw who she was talking to.

"Initiation is tomorrow, have you given any thoughts to whose team you would like to be on? I heard Pyrrha Nikos had joined Vale Academy as well!"

With a smile and a cheerful persona, Weiss tried her hardest to try and appeal to Nero.

"I'm sure everyone must be eager to be the teammate to Nero Nox, top of the class in Beacon Academy!"

Even if Nero didn't have his semblance, it would've been very easy for him to look through the bullshit made into an empty compliment.

"As fellow Atlesians, I was thinking if we could be in a team together! Think about it, Nero! Nox Industry and the Schnee Dust Company! Heirs of the two greatest companies of Remnant, fighting together as a team!"

And Nero didn't need his semblance to see what she really wanted.

"Piss off."

Maybe people from Beacon Academy wouldn't be such a bad idea if he had to compare them with the girl in front of him now.

"Wh- What?! H-Hey, Wait!" Weiss, at first taken aback by Nero's harsh answer, made a futile attempt at calling back to the leaving Nero.

With potential teammates like her, maybe he didn't need a team.

"What's it about?"

"Huh?"

"The book. Does it have a name?"

Ruby asked patiently to Blake.

Blake seemed like she was taken aback at first. Noone really paid interest in her that much before.

Not even Adam.

"W-well, it's about a child of the moon."

"... huh?" Yang let out a small confused cry.

"It's an old legend. A folklore. They say that the Moon once came down in the form of a lady to learn about life, and met a hero named Magnolia. The spent time together, Magnolia taught the Moon about everything he knew about the world… and they fell in love. But when their child was born, the Moon had to return back to the sky. Because the child was a central part of her, when the Moon returned it had a piece missing. That's why the Moon looks shattered."

"What happened to the child?"

"Well, he went off on an adventure at a young age, helping people and fighting monsters. Even gods."

"Did he live happily ever after?"

"... No, he died before he reached adulthood. Sacrificed himself to gather all of Remnant's darkness into one, to save the people from the worst of the Grimms."

"... Oh."

"But when the child died, the Moon took him back into her arms, and he told his mother everything he did when he was alive. That's why people believed day and night existed, and why the moon would only be seen at night."

"... Well that sounds really-"

"-lovely." Despite Yang's attempt at a dead-pan response, Ruby cut her sister off to give Blake an honest review. "I love books. Yang used to read to me every night before bed. Stories of heroes and monsters. Kinda like the book you're reading."

"Well, it's probably one of the oldest stories about heroes and monsters then. But it is good. People used to worship the child, you know. As the god of time, the distance between the start and the finish."

"Why's that?"

"People believed that the Moon was a symbol of death. So, when a child was born between a human hero and the Moon, that was a symbol of Start and Finish being connected. And the journey one took between them was… well, the child. It's a bit sad, isn't it? Dying early like that."

"He does sound like a hero, though. Fighting Grimms, saving people. Stories like those were one of the reasons I want to be a Huntress."

"But why? You won't get a happily ever after like they do in fairy tales. Even the story I just told you didn't really end on a happy ending."

"But he did get a happy ending in his own way. He lived like a hero and finally met his mom, telling her about everything he did. I'm hoping we all get our own happy endings."

"That's… very ambitious of you, but the real world isn't like that. Not everyone will get their own happy ending.

… I'm not even sure they'll get any meaningful ending, either."

"But that's why we're here, isn't it? To try. Everyone's the hero of their own story. We might as well try to help them get the ending they deserve."

Blake smiled.

Ruby was right in some regard. Everyone was a hero in their own story.

And huntsmen existed to give them an ending they deserved.

Whether it was a happy ending, or a just punishment.

The smile soon faded, however, and exasperation soon took over once Yang over-reacted with sisterly pride and affection.

Something that ended up attracting the Atlesian princess with a horribly sour mood.

Yeah. Blake thought as she witnessed the argument going in front of her, loud enough for attention to slowly gather around them.

Now's probably the best time to leave.

She closed her book and took her candelabra and started to walk off to another corner of the room.

Hey guys, Thank you for reading this far!

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