The Servants of the World

Professor Ozpin hummed to himself as the elevator took him back up to his office at the top of Beacon Tower. After a long day he had hoped for some peace and quiet before the next big disaster happened.

Only when the doors opened, Ozpin realized he wouldn't be getting much peace and quiet tonight.

"DiZ, or should I say Darkness In Zero."

Standing before his desk was what looked like a man but was a rather strange man. His face was covered in red colored bandages, save for his right eye and mouth, and he had two intersecting belts tied around his head with one passing over his left eye. He wore a long, red cape with a quadrate cross cut taken out of the chest, the edges of which were yellow. This cut exposed a similarly oblong white symbol on a pitch black shirt.

Over top of this shirt, he wore what seemed to be gray, segmented armor over his sides and abdomen and his legs were covered by a long, black cloth lined with yellow and had several brown straps pinned onto the front, seemingly for no purpose than to create yet another angular pattern. On the sash around his waist were three brown pouches, descending downward diagonally on his left hip. These pouches were all identical, all sporting the same design on the top flap and all closed by a darker brown strap that attached to a silver button on the right ride with a grey tassel hanging from each button. Finally, he wore a dark colored scar around his neck and had light colored sleeves.

This man was known as Darkness In Zero, better known as DiZ if one wanted to simplify his name.

Throughout Remnant, this man was a known information broker and he seemed privy to a many number of secrets. He seemingly had the ability to appear almost anywhere he wished and left no trace of how he appears or his existence when he is gone. Ozpin along with General Ironwood had worked hard to discover the identity of this man, especially after he had appeared before them several times and seemingly knew things that he shouldn't have known.

"Professor Ozpin, you certainly seem to be in high spirits today." DiZ noted dryly.

"I have had a few good days this week, despite the hard work of being Headmaster to this Academy. It's always good to have a few minutes to relax." Ozpin replied, stepping forward but stopping a few feet from the man. "Especially when someone chooses to drop by without making an appointment."

"My apologies." DiZ stated but Ozpin knew he was anything but sorry. "I would perhaps announce my presence but only if General Ironwood ceases trying to arrest me."

"You have appeared in highly restricted areas. You can't blame James for doing what he thinks is right or because you make him nervous when he nor I understand your goals." Ozpin softly stated.

"I am a servant of the world." DiZ simply replied. "And if I am a servant, then your friend should consider himself a tool…And a rather blunt one at best."

Ozpin frowned at DiZ's dismissive attitude towards his friend and fellow headmaster. "Why are you here, DiZ?"

"To understand." DiZ answered, his eye narrowing. "Your actions as of late have proven…concerning."

"I did not know I answered to you." Ozpin said as he walked past DiZ and around his desk to sit in his chair. "You make rather scathing remarks towards us and think nothing of your own actions."

"My actions as of yet, do not endanger schools full of children." DiZ retorted as he turned and faced the Headmaster. "You relaxed the protection to the Fall Maiden at her request while she was traveling on the outskirts of the kingdoms and you choose here of all places to place her. Your enemy will use every possible tactic to get what they want and you think placing her under the school, the very first place that they will come looking for her and picking one of your students as her successor is a wise course of action? Say what you will about me, but I refuse to use children as soldiers."

Ozpin frowned, wondering yet again how this man knew of his movements…

And if he was the only one who knew.

"The school can provide the adequate protection. They were built this way to act as the most defended fortresses and they are constantly filled with trained warriors." Ozpin calmly explained.

"Trained warriors….Children whose minds are filled with fairy tales and dreams of heroes. Let alone the fact that they have no idea of the dangers lurking both inside and outside your school." DiZ scoffed. "An army ignorant of what it is protecting is about as effective as a mindless hoard of Grimm. You are too careless in this approach to protecting the injured Maiden and I know you have sent word of this incident to the other headmasters."

"Coordination is important." Ozpin simply said.

"And now General Ironwood is foolishly coming here with an entire fleet with enough weapons and personnel to occupy the very kingdom that defeated the predecessor of his own kingdom nearly a century ago." DiZ scoffed. "His overreaction once again proves it was a mistake to recruit him."

"And by what right do you believe you have to criticize us for what we do to protect Remnant? You are not a member nor have you ever shown any hint of who you are or what you know." Ozpin softly rebuke.

"Someone must exist on the outside to look inside and carefully spot mistakes to show you and your colleagues. Otherwise complacency becomes more and more apparent." DiZ answered. "Speaking of apparent, you're recruitment of the silver eyed girl after she foiled a robbery speaks obvious to your current plan."

"Miss Rose has the potential."

"Indeed she does…To be a replacement for her missing mother and her team a replacement for the now defunct Team STRQ. One teammate who disappeared, one who is retired, the third who betrayed her family and friends to return to the life of a bandit and the fourth remaining as your eyes and ears in the outside world." DiZ narrowed his eye. "Let me guess, favoritism towards them even if they are caught breaking rules, assigning them extra missions to accelerate their growth, especially the potential of young Miss Rose who has Silver Eyes."

"And what would have me do?" Ozpin asked stoically.

"Act to them as you would for every student, a teacher." DiZ answered. "Trying to recreate the team you believed would turn the tide against her is foolish due to the simple fact that Team RWBY is not Team STRQ and Ruby Rose is not her mother and if you are not careful that team fall apart like its predecessor did. Not when you should be focusing on the potential of every student in this school."

"You think I am playing favorites?" Ozpin narrowed his eyes but remained calm.

"When you select potentials to be the new members of your little…brotherhood, what else could you be doing then playing favorites?" DiZ shook his head. "This careless approach cannot be repeated, especially not in the wake of recent events."

"You know something, don't you?" Ozpin brought his hands together. "Do you know who attacked Autumn?"

"If I knew, I would have dealt with the attackers myself." DiZ shook his head as he turned away. "Ozpin, if you wish to save your students from fighting a new war…Start by cleaning up the mess that has been allowed to build up in this kingdom."

"Vale has come far since the Great War-" Ozpin started but was interrupted.

"You may have guided behind the scenes but Vale is far from the picture of peace you have painted it as. The police and other local law enforcements have become greedy and corrupt and that is what allowed Roman Torchwick to run around, robbing shop after shop while making a mockery of the law. This corruption has spread even to the highest authority." DiZ produced a folder and placed it on Ozpin's desk. "Vale's Council."

Ozpin frowned but opened the folder and looked at the contents. "Jimmy Vanile…The former city manager…was stockpiling Dust and bribing the Xiong Crime Family and his wife was an agent of Spider? They were planning to establish themselves as the crime head family syndicate in Vale before they were killed?"

It wasn't just Jimmy Vanile's name that came up.

Names of cops and detectives with evidence of accepting bribes from notable criminals, including Roman Torchwick or making arrests without evidence on people who were suspect of being connected to the Blood Fang…

With then only evidence of them being suspect was that they were Faunus.

Such prejudice would only embolden the Blood Fang and their lesser aggressive cousin group, the White Fang into fighting back.

"That…took only two hours of work on my end, Ozpin." DiZ started, crossing his arms. "If you are to have any hopes of surviving what is to come, clean up your backyard first and then look outwards."

Ozpin was silent as he considered what he had read.

He didn't want to admit it, but DiZ might have a point. He was so busy trying to anticipate Salem's next move he left the businesses of running Vale to the Council, simply because it was their job.

He knew he wasn't perfect which was why he tried to leave lesser but still important tasks to others.

However, if the Council was slowly becoming corrupt and allowing crime to become rampant in his own kingdom he might have to focus on dealing with these problems before trying to find Autumn's attackers or finding a replacement.

"Anything else you might have for me?" Ozpin put the folder down.

"Perhaps…" DiZ simply said as he turned away. "But not at this time. I am sure I have given you enough work as it is. I will be sure to keep in touch if I find anything that is more relevant to the current crises at hand."

Ozpin simply watched as DiZ vanished into a pillar of darkness and was gone. He sighed and leaned back in his chair, looking over the information again. If the Council was indeed allowing corruption to fester he had best move to try and stop it before it reached a point that these small problems would hinder his own work.

As for DiZ himself…

Ozpin disliked the idea of a rogue element out there, especially when he had no idea where DiZ's loyalties truly lied.

If anything, the man could be hoping for him and Salem to destroy each other and then swoop in to take control.

He needed to try and keep a close eye on DiZ and figure out his motives, no matter how difficult that might be.

Xxx

"Momma, do you think I'll find the one that is my Prince Charming ?"

Willow when she was a little girl would spend a great amount of time with her mother. Right now, they were sharing a rather large bed in her parent's bedroom. Willow's mother wore a light blue simple but silky nightgown as she lied down and had one arm softly wrapped around her daughter, having just finished telling her a bedtime story. Willow herself was curled up against her mother's body, cuddling softly to her side and smiling in pure content.

She loved hearing her mother's stories other than the Grimm fairy tales.

Especially the ones where the prince finds their princess and many other romantic stories.

"Well sweetie, there are a lot of handsome men out there. But you have to be careful they're not all what they seem to be. When you get to know the person long enough that is when you truly know their character and if they know you as more than just a friend then they are yours to be with, that are always by your side. Including respecting one's heart." Willow's mother explained with a soft smile on her face.

"But how did you and Daddy became to be who you are today," Young Willow asked.

"I had a lot of men came after me because of my abilities and my status. But they also thought of my legacy more because of that. But your father on the other hand," She smiled in that moment. "He sees past all that. Although for me, I never thought I ever be married to anyone until the times Nicholas asked me out. The time we spent together were the most memorable moments."

She giggled, thinking back to those days. "He shows what a man should be honest, brave, and true to keeping his word."

She began to remember the other moment before she was asked out for a date. "Except when it came to him asking me out and especially when it came to proposing to me."

"Daddy is sometimes silly at times isn't he?" Willow giggled, knowing her father is absolutely astounding except when he was around with her mother he was a frantic mess.

A warrior and a leader out of the house but inside a totally different person.

"He sure is at times right little Willow." The proud mother said to her daughter.

When the memory flashback was over Willow's thoughts returned to her home in the Schnee Manor, where her mother and father's portraits hanging on the wall in the most private room. She still remembered all those moments when she was a child and those were the best moments she had that she learned from her mother and father. Someone was knocking at the door no other than Klein the main Butler managing the estate of the home of the Schnee family.

"Lady Willow?" The voice of the family butler called from the other side. "Sorry if I am disturbing you."

"Come in, Klein." Willow turned away from the portrait to face the door as it opened. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing wrong, my lady. Your husband has just come home and is looking for you." Klein answered, stepping aside to allow said man to enter the room.

Willow smiled at her husband as he approached, stopping just in front of her. "Welcome home, dear."

"I am glad to be home." Ansem said with a smile, glancing to the portrait. "We didn't interrupt anything, did we?"

"It's all right. I was done thinking anyway." Willow said, smiling in contentment as Ansem wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "How was your trip?"

"Uneventful and boring while dealing with stubborn minds." Ansem sighed to which his wife giggled. "Why your father hoisted all this responsibility on me, I will never understand."

"Perhaps because he fell in love with those sea-sault ice cream snacks you introduced." Willow remarked.

That's right.

Nicholas Schnee had become very fond of Ansem for one reason. One day his wife introduced him to a new form of ice cream that was…salty.

Sea-Salt Ice Cream, she called it.

She thought it was pretty weird but when she and her fathered tried it…

Oh boy, her father went through the roof of trying to find the person who invented it.

This led them to finding a young Ansem, selling his salty but sweet tasting treat in Mantle, using it to fund a small shop he was working at to help with all the little ideas he had. Nicholas was interested in the young man and loved his treat to the point he brought the young Ansem on as an intern at the still growing SDC but his advice had become valued as much as his wife's advice had been, perhaps even more. Soon enough, all the little ideas young Ansem had grew to the point that Nicholas was beyond sure he had found a successor or at least someone to work with Willow after he had retired.

"Seriously, who gets the idea to combine ice cream with sea-salt?"

"Well, I was making a rather good start in my little business when I met your father." Ansem rebuked jokingly. "And I didn't hear you complaining about it at the time either."

Willow softly smacked her husband on the chest. "Quiet you."

Ansem simply chuckled, even as Willow gave him a mock glare that slowly became a smile.

Willow chose the right man to be her husband and a wonderful father she learned from both of her parents to know who has the better depth of character. Ansem was the much better choice for her. Unlike Jacques who wanted to only marry her for her family's riches and now seeks to merge both of their companies and trick her to ruin many lives including herself and her children. She was grateful to acquire all the facts about that prick.

He was no man of honor.

Her husband has a better idea to help other dust companies even for the family business. Many family businesses respected the SDC more than ever before because her husband worked with them instead of stamping them out and absorbing what was left like Jacques did with his competitors. The SDC was recognized the first line of protection against the Diamond Dust Company, even taking in workers who lose their homes and jobs because of Jacques' foolish and greedy ambitions. When Jacques attempted to charm his way into the SDC while Ansem was working his way up and coming with new ideas to improve the company and the kingdom, Nicholas was for a time unsure who to pick.

Ansem had his ideas and genius while was always researching new ways to improve the health and safety of the kingdom, especially down in Mantle.

Jacques Gele on the other hand was an expert businessman, seemingly knowing how to maximize profit.

It had reached a point where his wife had suggested he tests them both to see who was better suited to running the SDC with him and his family. They had been given a test by each of them running an SDC mine anywhere they chose and the one that produced the best results would be the one Nicholas would choose to help his daughter run the SDC. It was helped by the fact that his wife had disliked Jacques when the family had first met him and warned Willow to keep a close eye on him, repeating the advice she had given her as a child. Willow hadn't thought much of it at the time, but had admitted she had come to like both Ansem and Jacques for their own unique traits while focusing on her training to follow both her parents in their footsteps.

Jacques had chosen a mine close to home in Solitas while Ansem had decided to work in Vacuo for some reason. They had been given a month to produce results. By the time a month had rolled by, Jacques had returned proudly stating that he maximized full production of the mines. He left out though that he had cut safety measures, forced the workers to mine in dangers areas that led to many injuries, ignored their plight and brutally silenced anyone who spoke out and it was even worse than that.

He had the men in charge of the workers branding those that complained and it was done brutally.

When this was found out by people his wife had hired to look into the matter, Nicholas and Willow were horrified and furious, especially Willow when she had heard a recording of him speaking to some friends of how he planned to ensure his rise to becoming Nicholas' successor and her husband by brutally removing any obstacles in his way, including Ansem.

The bastard had tried to have Ansem killed.

Supposedly the airship that was meant to carry Ansem back to Atlas had exploded but Ansem had not been onboard. Rather he had been warned in time by someone calling themselves Darkness In Zero who had given Ansem prove of Jacques's treachery. Secret briberies, contacting certain parties in Atlas who were not fond of Ansem and arranging it so that a bomb would be placed on his airship before he reached Atlas. All of this evidence was given to Ansem to give to Nicholas and Willow so they could conduct their own investigations

So expectantly, much to Jacques' shock, Ansem had returned unharmed and not only that but had complete his task and done even more. He had secured a new deal with the people of Vacuo by promising them a trade. A trade to sell ice and water to the many tribes in Vacuo in exchange for the Dust, along with soil and plant seed so the people could try and rebuild much of the land that had been stripped earlier in the century by the kingdoms before and during the Great War. Since Vacuo was a desert region, they had limited water but since Atlas was in Solitas, an arctic region, they had unlimited water reserves.

Ansem had outlined the plan perfectly to Nicholas who had been surprised by such an idea of trading water with a kingdom in the middle of a desert that would foster and strengthen ties between the two kingdoms. Ansem had personally met with the many tribes and villages in Vacuo who were understandably hesitant but Ansem was calm and patient as he explained the compensation they would be given with the ice that would melt into water and the soil and plant seeds would allow them to regrow their land, giving them a much better lifestyle. Jacques had tried to argue that such practices would prevent the SDC from flourishing but Nicholas would not hear it, especially when he learned that Jacques' treachery had cost lives and brutally scarred others for life. Jacques was fired on the spot and banished from the SDC immediately; proclaiming Ansem had not only met his expectations but exceeded them.

It also helped that the SDC was more than just finding and selling quality Dust these days.

"Weiss sent me a message detailing her first day at Beacon." Ansem spoke as he and Willow sat down at a table overlooking a special garden.

Her mother's garden.

"How is she?" Willow asked, pouring herself a cup of tea.

"Adjusting and a little disappointed she wasn't made the leader of her team." Ansem answered. "Fortunately her teammates are people she met shortly before the application test and though she admits she finds them to be a handful she admits she could have chosen worse."

"Of course she could have." Willow chuckled. "Us Schnees, we always strive to be at the top."

"I am well aware." Ansem chuckled next. "Not a single one of our children takes after my appearance in the slightest. How can one's own genes be so powerful?"

Willow smirked. "It's just who we are, darling."

Ansem sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I suppose that is as close an answer I will ever get."

"Indeed." Willow took another sip of her tea. "Now, tell me more about your trip to Vale."

Xxx

"Who are you?" Aqua asked, summoning her Keyblade.

The man said nothing as a dark mist surrounded him and before Aqua's own eyes began to change. The arms and legs were replaced by hooks while the human body seemingly faded and the robe became the true body, taking on a strange new form.

Aqua honestly had no idea what to call it.

It was like some kind of parasitic bug or something with the white glyph seemingly acting as its eye as it gave Aqua the eerie feeling it was staring at her.

"Do you understand? Can you speak?" Aqua asked, trying to find some form of reason from the creature.

There was no answer.

There was only a blast of dark purple light that Aqua barely managed to block as she cried out 'Defend' but was still pushed back. Aqua grunted, seeing the creature would not respond to reason and knew she only one choice left.

She must defeat it here and now.

(Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep OST Extreme Encounters Starts)

The creature lashed out with another Gravity Blast at Aqua who quickly cartwheeled to the side, dodging the blast.

"Thunder!" Aqua shouted, summoning down a blast of lightning that seemingly injured the creature.

However she was surprised to see an aura of green light surround the creature, healing the wounds inflicted by her Thundaga spell.

'It can use Cura?!' Aqua's eyes widened but she remained focused enough to dodge another Gravity Blast from the creature. 'No one Remnant showed any sign of using the same kind of magic that I or any other key wielder uses!'

Could it because this creature and the monster it was part of was formed from Kingdom Hearts?

Regardless, she needed to defeat this creature and it would likely destroy the monster they were both inside.

"Freeze!" Aqua shouted, casting a Blizzard spell next.

The spell hit the creature and froze it for a mere second before it broke free and seemingly was about to cast another Cura on itself when Aqua made her next move.

"Reflega!" Aqua shouted.

Why did she cast this spell if the creature wasn't attacking her?

Simple: she wasn't casting it on herself.

The spell was cast on the creature and deflected its Cura spell and instead healed Aqua of the little injuries she had and rejuvenated her stamina as well. Aqua smiled at her plan working. As the most experienced in spells and magic of her friends, Aqua knew the ins and outs of every spell she wielded and thus she knew how to counter them as well. If she casted Reflega at the right time, she could negate the creature's healing ability.

The creature was seemingly stunned from its healing spell being cancelled out and Aqua took this time to strike. Activating her Ghostdrive Command Style, Aqua shot forward and slashed her Keyblade at the creature. Disappearing and reappearing around it, Aqua delivered several successful strikes before she was done and followed up with a powerful magical blast that sent the creature flying back. The creature seemed to shudder in pain as it tried to cast another Cura on itself but Aqua immediately countered with Reflega again.

The creature immediately fired more Gravity spell attacks at Aqua again, becoming more aggressive in its attempts to kill her. Aqua fell back, dodging the incoming attacks and using Reflega to deflect the attacks she couldn't dodge in time. Aqua would deliver her own attacks with Firaga, Blizzara, and Thundaga, wittling down the monster's strength as it tried and failed to heal itself. The creature's 'eye' flashed and Aqua gasped, feeling herself growing weaker.

'Something is sapping my strength!' Aqua realized as she staggered back.

She glared up at the creature, recognizing it was casting some sort of draining spell on her but she wouldn't let that stop her.

She had come too far to be stopped.

Her Semblance activated in the form of a bronze star shaped glyph appearing in her feet. "Meteor!"

From above the creature, a giant flaming boulder appeared and slammed into the creature, sending it crashing into the ground. This was one of Terra's spells but Aqua's bond with him and her Semblance allowed her to better wield the earth type spells he specialized in and it helped that Terra was physically the strongest of the three. The creature was dazed again and Aqua immediately attacked it, injuring it even more and a quick Scan told her it was reaching its limit.

But like any cornered animal, that would be when it became even more dangerous.

The creature shot up into the air and its 'eye' began to glow bright blue, gathering energy and preparing for a final attack. Aqua readied herself, knowing this would be the final moment that would decide the fate of the battle.

Winner take all.

She aimed the tip of her Keyblade at the creature and gathered her remaining magical energy into one final strike.