The kingdom of Atlas, heralded by it's Floating capital and it's own technological advancement for the betterment of Humanity against the darkness of Grimm… From transport to weapon parts, they were appreciated for such advancements for the human effort… Before all the cracks within the propaganda has shown the darker aspects of The Kingdom… Of it's continent, Solitas and so much more.

One such darkness found itselfwalking within the gray halls of Alsius, The Capital's Combat School and subdivision of Atlas Academy. A single set of a steps echoing through dark corridors in the dead of night. Reaching up to a large entrance with Iron doors closed up in place.

Whatever this darkness is, it opened the doors, pushing up with a strung creak echoing down the corridors, causing the shape to swivel it's head around before sighing and walking in. And with a singular flick on the nearest wall, and lights soon lit up an enormous arena, devoid of any audience on the bleachers, and two giant screens plastered on opposite ends of the room. But that's not what particularly stands out.

The one that is standing out is the shape, now has a visible form under the light, as if it was a small, teenage boy. No higher than 5'2", wearing clothes that went through near daily washes with metallic pieces hanging on the shoulders, whatever exposed of the body looking frail yet there is some tinge of muscle in there. A Beanie encompasses his head while the rest of the details are covered by shades and a headset with the only visible portion of the head is the jawline, mouth and nose.

"Delta, can you hear me?" The boy asks, looking up to the screens, one of them lighting up with a symbol.

"Yes, Mr. Mach. Are you here for another bout of that challenge?" A voice from the symbol called Delta echoes out, the symbol facing Mach, as if to look at him.

The boy nods, adjusting his the headset after limbering up a bit. With a pep in his step he approaches the center of the arena while the symbol kept facing him up on the screen. The Boy takes on last deep breath before bracing. And finally speaking.

"Yeah… Start it up, please…"

Enter the Melancholic

The floor began shifting around The boy, ripples of sound flowing out from each plate, each block moving, weaving through in mechanical rhythm, turning into a storm. Causing Mr. Mach to shake his head a little. And with a slight warm up he manages to gain a foothold through this rippling storm.

And finally, he could hear shifting in the walls, seeing slots up above open up, flowing with light as the scenery changes into a snowy forest, Grimm flickering in from Holographic alignment. A pack of raving Beowulves staring down their prey. Stalking down while the boy just prepped himself, bringing out cuffs that clip around his wrapped hands with ornate skulls that glow violet, fitting on the backhands.

The pack begin to rush down at their target until suddenly Mach crouched, violet electricity arcing over the metal bits as he dashes in after lighting up with Golden Aura. Striking first with a left cross and a powerful right uppercut, the bits tearing into the hologram and turning it into mere motes of holographic light. Then followed by a hook and an elbow, breaking another, and once more with the third. The monster trying to claw and bite at the frail being, only to have the metal bits clamp and pierce into the bone maw, letting Mach punch through the heart with the free hand with the two finally falling into motes of light.

In this moment of idle, the bits swirl around the arms, forming into claws, held by violet sparks and floating over the skull cuffs. That would be the bout… If the Holographic screen would've dropped the background and revert…

This is a different case as Holo-grimm rose up from the backdrop, Ursa minors, Boarbatusks, Beowulves a plenty and a Tortoise-like creature further in the back.

"The score is…" Said Delta, tallying the current progress and showing the number three before continuing the statement. "Three out of Three thousand. Maybe today you will break your current record."

Mach turned his head to different directions, his eyes obscured by the chrome sheen of his shades but it's clear about the assessment of the predicament. And so he puts up his dukes, taking up a boxing stance, the glow of his Aura further flaring like a raging flame compared to his demeanor.

"Now I do wanna break it…" The boy said, running while keeping guard of his vital points. Readying to fight while sprinting towards the challenge at hand. The holographic creatures taking up their own hunting positions.

Delta keeps watch of the ensuing combat. Points racking up while speaking.

"I hope you do."

In a militaristic yet messy office, paperwork stand atop a dark, ornate desk with a dark haired man in a distinct military uniform, sitting behind it, writing down in some journal as he hears a knock on the door, causing him to look at the door.

"General Ironwood, Sir! I've brought the documents!" a Feminine voice is heard behind the door, the man now identified as General Ironwood pushes the paperwork and the journal aside.

"You may enter, Lieutenant Auroran." Spoke the general, soon a lady in a blue uniform enters the office, her hair in a bob with frosted tips, but the important detail was her carrying a document in both of her hands while Ironwood speaks again. "Is this that 'absentee' student I've been hearing reports about?"

"As per your order. There's been anomalous rumors about him in the academy's subsidiary." Auroran said as she placed the document in front of the General, leading him to open and see the identification papers, reading through and flicking through like pages. "It was spoken that he was absent during classes, yet he left tasks and homework finished thoroughly. Seeming that it was due to some isolation at the hands of other peers."

"So, he has been a victim. Old habits from an outdated kingdom still preside even centuries later, but that wouldn't be enough to merit him through rumors." The general says writing down on some notes. Before looking at a ledger of items through the requisition. "Those glasses, they look like they're outfitted with a one way glass. Has he reverse engineered a visor?" Ironwood asks, reading through the list of orders the student made.

"It seems that he made a visor like the helmets of our soldiers… But there was no record of military equipment being salvaged that ended up in his hands, as though he used civilian hardware to build such an item alongside the modifications on his headset." Spoke the Lieutenant, pulling up a see through device and slotting it down on a port that formed on the desk, bringing out camera records of Mach.

The general looked a the records, an eyebrow increasing at the extensive history. Suddenly his eyes widen before regaining composure again. "Call on Albator, relay the order to bring Student Mach here. I may have found an opportunity here."

"Sir!" The Lieutenant salutes the general before turning around and leaving the office with the General taking another glance at the footage before turning to communication device, typing out a message to someone named 'Ozpin' that says... How long it will take for you to get here? where he gets a call from the device, accepting it with a wizened voice spoke through.

"What's the occasion for such a question, General?" 'Ozpin' said, his question has a light jab but it is straight to the point. And the General replies to his question.

"I have a person of interest I want you to meet."

Still within the arena, the boy kept fighting on within the bout, boxing out against armored packs of Grimm. Taking steps to sprint in a serpentine to avoid volley fire from the armored tortoise Grimm, a Genbu as it was classified. What he would do best to avoid it as the mimicry of a creature launches a projectile spine protrusion, burning up and blowing up on impact near the boy. Exploding in a blaze of terror while the boy kept running, punching out holo-targets to keep the score up.

"Vile DEMON! YOU DON'T BELONG HERE!" The boy hears a voice behind him, swinging back to see nothing, until an explosion sends him barreling halfway across the arena, causing him to crash-land in a tumble, trying to regain his breath and bearing. Despite it being Hardlight and holograms, they didn't hold back the impact… Any strike from these false-Grimm would practically act as blunted damage with all the force these creatures could possibly hold.

"You have two hits left, Mr. Mach… And past the five hundred mark. This doesn't-" The AI Spoke, trying to tally, only for the boy to smack himself in the face.

"I know, Delta! This was a rookie mistake… I can always do better!" Mach raises his guard after saying his peace, charging towards the Blackened tortoise, knocking several Boarbatusks off their hooves with sweeping hooks and struck deep on the underbellies with powerful cross punches, turned back to specks of light and bringing in more monsters in the back.

The boy is practically one steep angle away from just falling flat on his face from this sprint, but he keeps going, running in serpentine past the Grimm-mortar shells blasting by him.

He leaps over, grabbing the creature by the nostrils, pulling the head up with him while winding his punch after curling individual fingers into the fist. "HaaaaAAAAAAARGH!" With a loud, bellowing roar he punched at the creature's head, letting it splat on the floor before the shell explodes and sends him careening upwards to the flood light above, emulating the moon outside.

Going for another wind up on his punch, he falls downwards readying to slam down with a bellowing roar… Only for a big punch to bend him while his Threshold rippled with Aura, ricocheting off it into a wall, bouncing off with audible CRACKs from a bunch of points on Mach's body with the Aura rippling more from damage.

"One hit left, Mr. Mach… I suggest you reduce the attempts at style by a good 30.5 percent" The AI said to him while The amateur boxer slowly got up. Coughing up from the disturbed air in his lungs. The boy looks up seeing a charging Gorilla Grimm… A Beringel barreling towards him. "And another suggestion, do put the investment on the other stance you've practiced." The mimicry soon swung at Mach, with him rolling down and kicking to pierce the stomach with the left leg and then the head of The Gorilla-Grimm kicked off with the right, turning into fragments of Hardlight.

Landing on his feet, he taps again to regain the Rhythm while whipping his hands down and letting the skulls lodge on his shoes, locked by a clip that blended with the wrappings around the eyelets and vamps of the footwear, the shards flowing around The boy's body to his legs, orbiting with sparks of violet electricity.

"Right… The thought slipped my mind!"

Back in the General's office, he looks through the footage history of Mr. Mach, seeing through a lot of Mantle footage alongside the Alsius data banks, causing him to frankly palm his face at the issues prevalent with the combat school. Wedged between the many issues within the Kigndom. Ironwood kept wiping his face until he heard a knock on the door.

"I beg your pardon, but I am currently investigating a matter. Could you please knock an hour later?" Says Ironwood, sighing out until hearing a slight chuckle behind the door.

"What's this? And I've come all this way to see this 'person of interest' you've spoken about. Only to be turned away by the door. A bit clumsy, don't you think so James?" Spoke a person with a soft tone yet it's cadence is more akin to joking. Causing the general to rise and approach the door, pinch the bridge of his nose and open the door, revealing a man that has a rather deceptive visage, despite the obvious gray hair, his facial features lack the age that would befit an old man. Said man wearing a winter coat while leaning on to a mechanical cane.

"Apologies, Ozpin. I was further researching said person… And lamenting the inadequacies the blue-blooded are pulling in our education this side of Solitas." The general let the man in, said man being Ozpin who smiled softly while adjusting his glasses towards the footage. Taking a few steps while taking a look at the footage. "This boy is a third year within the combat school, a bright mind but unfortunately stifled by the environment he's currently in.

"So it seems. Bullying? Isolation? Seems to be a deep rooted problem made by such elements. But what I'd like to know are the combat credentials. Do you have any live footage?" The man asks as the General swipes through footage, finding the current recording, which is being streamed through an AI… Through Delta.

And the both of them see the boy fighting against a simulation, through a way of combat breakdancing. Which works well against the swaths of Holo-Grimm. The two of them a good combat prowess, but that weapon… It's gun function seems to knock him about, the funnel pieces that float around the heel have a stronger recoil.

For every strike.

There's always improper recoil to push him back.

And even then, the boy seems to swing at some other direction. Still recovering and keeping distance against the explosions.

"Hm… Though he may have a few rough edges, he is definitely the one." Ozpin says, slightly spinning the cane as he kept his eyes on the footage.

"So he was a person of interest. And why exactly is he 'the one'?" James spoke, looking at The White haired man who kept looking at the footage.

"That madman I've spoken to had some… Rather arbitrary sayings, certain people gathering at a singular point… 'A Convergence' so he said." Ozpin says, sighing out as he sees the boy continuously trying, until a hit finally landed on the boy. Knocking him down and the simulation with him. "And from what it seems, this boy fits the description… However, the boy's potential is being suppressed and quashed by this school... That's a mistake I'd rather not make."

"And so what would be the good course of action for him?" Ironwood asks as he sees the boy stand up, telling Delta to start again while tapping again… And proceeding with the simulation, again…

"A change of environment is necessary for someone of his caliber. One where he'd be met by warmth, not by the cold of this Kingdom and Continent. The fifth wouldn't fit him either, so I will take it upon myself to register him to beacon." Ozpin says, facing the General as he has seen enough. "That would be more than enough as fuel for his fizzling ember."

"You mean to advance him a whole year ahead? He hasn't fully graduated the combat school year." Ironwood looks at the footage before taking a glance at Ozpin and seeing resolution in the man's eyes.

Ozpin adjusts his glasses, nodding to the question. "I have seen prodigies his age appear in the academies. He wouldn't be the first to rise to an academy, and I'm sure he won't be the last." He says that while placing a hand on The General's shoulder. "I hope that is a good reason."

"Then he should be here soon, Albator was tasked to do that." James said, adjusting his coat and glove.

"Albator? Oh dear…"

Back in the arena, Mach goes on to keep fighting against the Holo-grimm. Seeming as if the previous round was no more than warm up as he went from boxing to breakdance fighting, letting the fragments flow like a blade of their own, until he uses the three funnels on each of the set of fragments to fire… And be pushed back by it, by the recoil vibrating through his limb and onto the rest of his body.

"How did a freak like you end up being born?" The boy heard something again, looking at a different direction to see a Rhinoceros-type of Grimm charging at him, only to get kneed in the eye and have The Aura spread into the rest of the monster's inside, blowing it up to motes of light. With a flip, freeze and a twirl he cleaves three more Beowulves in twain, pushing his body to overdrive.

"What's with those eyes? Are you after my SOUL?!" Another voice to his right, causing him to duck out of a Herron Grimm trying to kick at his throat, busting it's leg with a punch and then busting the heart with a powerful uppercut paired with the golden Aura.

More and more he gives his all to this trial, as if immersed into the chase of being hunted by the Creatures of The Dark. His very vision ignoring the Hardlight and further dipping into a spiraling free flow of strikes, recoil and voices echoing in his head. The ripples within his vision intensify at each step while the immersion lead to him fighting for his life within a simulated challenge. The exertion flows into pain and exhaustion… Until he could feel clawed arms grab at his.

The creatures grabbing at Mach seem to be like a long armed but weaker Beringels, pulling him down like anchors as he sees threshold on his body is flickering. His rate of breathing increasing together with his exertion… Panic is emerging on The amateur's visage.

"Hold it down! I wanna see if he can how this creature reacts to burns…" a voice spoke behind him as a bunch of Grimm are charging to impale him with claws and fangs of white bone. The boy's voice shakes as some sparks arc around him, with him winding up a bellowing roar before his Aura rages outward like an inferno of golden fire, the energy itself burnt the Grimm that held him and the chargers into motes of light from the mere blast.

"AaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARH!" Mach roars as the metal fragments of the weapon vibrate to his bellowing, the whole simulation distorting at the Auta output. Burning up like mad with smoke rising from his skin.

"Mr. Mach, your output is exceeding the average temperature by critical levels." Delta spoke, trying to get the boy back in a sound mental space… But the attempt is in vain as the boy just lashes out in a tunnel vision, beating out within the simulation at a faster rate, though it costs him two hits.

The boy slams his hands down, cracking the floor and knocking the simulated creatures upward and tearing into them with a spinning haymaker. The whole Arena became like a tapestry of ink within the burning output. Mach's skin burning up as he kept breaking the simulated creatures apart without a pause in his stead, endlessly swinging, endlessly grinding down simulated monsters into mere particles of Hardlight Until-

"Personal Record of one thousand and five hundred, has been exceeded." The AI said, snapping the boy out of a trance-like stupor, his eyes widening at the two Grimm in his hands, shattering into simulated pixels of hardlight dust until he gets sucker punched in the face… Causing the last hit to be spent… By a cheap shot.

"Challenge Ended, new high score is: One thousand, five hundred and two out of three thousand. Would you like to try again, Mr. Mach?" Delta Tallied and asks the fighter who was on the floor, said fighter flipped himself front-side up to look at the ceiling.

"No Delta… Shut down…" Mach responded, a clear frown is prevalent from his mouth while the rest of his head is hidden by headwear. His visage shows it's clear melancholy while he balled his hands to fists while the Fragments retreat back on the jacket and the skulls going inert.

"Of course, have a great rest of your evening, Mr. Mach." The simulation dissolves back into the cameras as Delta spoke, shutting down the Arena's functions, for now while turning off the screen and keeping the ceiling lights on.

All that's left within the now cracked Arena is Mr. Mach, the while room still rippling within his vision as whispers begin to pile, voices of derision, disdain, revilement echo around him. The boy could only ball his hands to fists, pulling them up to his covered ears to press down on the headset, trying to stifle it to no avail… until a prominent ripple flowed from above his head.

"Inigo Mach?" A voice echoed from the entryway, causing the boy, who's fully named to look to the entryway, a man with brown hair and an eyepatch, his face wears a wide scar, from the nose down to his left cheek.

Inigo then scrambles to stand up, giving out a rushed salute. "Professor Albator, am I in trouble?" He says approaching the teacher.

"Far from it, General Ironwood has ordered me to escort you to his office. Professor Auroran relayed that he had interest in you." He says, keeping slight distance from the boy.

"But… Why me of all people?" Inigo asks, clear confusion and melancholy in his voice since the rest of his appearance is covered. Looking up to and taking a glance to see a circle with pulsing lines, working in a Rhythm.

"He thinks of you as a 'person of interest'." Albator says with air-quotes, a light distortion appears on the ring, which lightly unsettles the boy. Which caught the man's attention. "But it's for the general to fully explain to you, for I'm merely on escort duty." He says with the ring clearing up, which put the boy at some form of ease.

"So, we must go immediately, correct?" Inigo asks, to which earns the nod of the Lieutenant.

"Yes, but we need to make a little precaution, raise your hands to the front." Thus said Albator, which brought Mach to reluctantly raise his hands… Only to find gravity dust cuffs around his wrists. Consequently, the boy balled his hands to a fist as there a sign of upset and anger.

"Did the blue-bloods put you up to the cuffing?" Inigo asks, this time directly looking at the lieutenant.

"This is a precaution to keep those blue-bloods shut, they'll come off when we reach the upper echelon." Albator says, patting The boy on the shoulder.

The boy looked to the cuffs, taking a peek to the dark hallways and looking back to the arena, cracked from his slam with streaks of soot covering several sections of it… He then looked to his cuffed hands which had patches of soot… At least at the exposed forearms. But it's all so flooded by the ripples within his vision. Soon Inigo looks to Lieutenant Albator. Nodding.

"Lead the way then…"

Through a long trek up from Alsius to Atlas Academy, within the change of schools, Inigo was freed from the cuffs and brought up to the office of the General through a crossroad hallway. To the boy, the door itself felt imposing because he hasn't been to such a place, not even at the speeches during the years in that combat school.

"We're here, from your looks I assume it's your first time here, Mr. Mach." Albator says, figuring out the boxer's thoughts.

"To be Frank… Yeah, I've never been here since I've been so avoidant…" Inigo looks down after saying that, rubbing his hands a bit. "It's… Scaring me."

"Boy… For all I know the General has some kind of a plan for you. Have faith in that." He says, patting the kid on the shoulder before knocking and talking again. "General Ironwood Sir, I've brought the person of interest." immediately the lock clicked, and the Lieutenant opened the door, leading the boy in after Saluting.

After entering, The amateur could see The general at his desk… And another person in a fine-tailored outfit, and greyish white hair, holding on to a cane while sitting down

"Thank you for bringing the student, dismissed." Says the General, with Albator giving a light nod to Inigo before fully leaving the office. "Greetings Mr. Mach."

The boxer hesitates at first… But he salutes the General, saying. "Greetings, General Ironwood, sir." He then gulps as he feels anxious at the presence of the two people in front of him.

"No need for the Apprehension, Dear boy." The Gray haired man says, pointing his cane to the seat on the other end. "Come, take a seat."

"Thanks…" Inigo quietly says, sitting down in front of the two while The General glances on the Paper. "So, what's this about me being a 'Person of Interest'?"

"Some explanation would require, I've had to track through your rather… Anomalous to say the least. Despite being absent during the classes, you have been keeping your grades up. Which would keep you from being sent down to Nivalis in Mantle. But from what I've been seeing, you've been hitting a rather tough wall." Ironwood surmised, placing down the document and looking at the boy who was rather anxious. "Which leads us to the guest I invited here."

"I assume you already know who I am, with your erudition." So says the gray haired man, which prompted the boxer to look at him.

"Ozpin Zorocaster… Professor in Auric Biology and the current headmaster of Beacon Academy, which is renowned for it's own merits. You practically gave way to more applications of Aura Control." Inigo says, keeping his hands close to himself while Ozpin tried to reach out for a handshake.

"Well, it is good to know that you're well learned, despite the absences. And please, don't be so apprehensive when it comes to shaking hands. It is a courtesy, after all." Ozpin says, seeing the relief in the boy's expression, gaining the opportunity to properly shake hands. "But I didn't arrive here for mere pleasantries and courtesy, I've made a decision of my own accord to give you a better path."

"A better path…?" The boxer asks, a bit confused at that wording.

"A better path, I took it upon myself to register you to Beacon Academy, of my own accord. But I need your consent on this matter." Ozpin says with a soft smile on his visage, which confuses Inigo.

"… But… What's the catch?" Inigo asks, causing the two headmasters to double take, taking a second to glance at each other before looking directly at the boy.

"There is none, the only one that would count as such would be passing the initiation. But that is your choice, whether to stay here or to move on to greener pastures." So said Beacon's Headmaster, leaning on his cane and getting up before approaching The Amateur to place his hand on the boy's shoulder. "So, what say you, Inigo Mach?"

The boy looked at Ozpin, his eyes are unseen under those shades but his very expression shows there's some form of confusion and contemplation. Then… He looked at himself, looking at his soot covered arms where burns are supposed to be, but tissue without scars. [I've trained so much here, survived for so many years… Will I be able to adapt? To change?] Apprehension takes hold in Inigo's mind, so many thoughts and variables cling on to his conscious thought and the rippling is flowing at him like a storm… Until-

"Mr. Mach, I can see your apprehension." Ironwood said, looking right through into Inigo's soul. "So let me say this, don't let whatever haunted you in the past, to lock the choice from you. This path, is yours and yours alone."

The boxer soon bounced at that thought, taking a moment before completely realizing this choice… And then finally, looking at Oz with a curious expression.

"Where… Do I sign?"

Out from the icy kingdom, to a far warmer one, Inigo finds himself down from the Air-harbor and on to the main square of the northern district, seeing no breath fog up from his lips, and a cool atmosphere during the night. No snow, not even frost around the glass. It feels… So weird, yet... far more welcoming than his stay in Solitas, Mantle or even Atlas… All The boy could do just hold his hands in front of him, feeling the atmosphere until he heard something.

As if upon instinct he grabbed at something, bringing it close to see… A glowing Rose petal trapped between his thumb and index. So he looked up to see what would amount to a large pile of said petals, flying over his head under the pale glow of the Shattered Moon. With time stilling the flow and stretching it like an eternity within the minute. This lead Inigo to speak his first words in a new land.

"Rose petals?"

Right, the trailer chapters should be done. And pardon me but there's going to be a lot of changes going down on this fanfic/AU of sorts. I'm putting my own spin to some concepts of the story and all that.

Either way, RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth (Or to whoever/whatever else buys the property.)

My OCs belong to me.

And whatever else appears on this fan fiction belongs to their respective rights holder.

This is Dragonrider223, and I'll see you next chapter.