A/NFull Summary

People always seem to think they make the choices, that they are the architects of their own lives. They think they can go left or right, do this or that... The fundamental parameters within which these choices operate are predetermined. Roads, both literal and metaphorical, are constructed by forces beyond individual control. The systems, structures, and opportunities that shape a person's life are not of their own creation. Thus, from the fetus to the grave, one navigates a landscape sculpted by others, they are confined to the selection of specific paths within a predetermined course of a higher power.

A/N Story Begins

Beacon, a pristine and proud Academy where students could be seen roaming around the school halls, the cafeteria packed and crowded with many students of diverse origins and race. Some were seen as equals, while others treated those who were different violently. Alas nothing is perfect in the world. No matter where someone treks where there is light, there will also be a shadow. Where there is good, evil will follow. Light and dark, good and evil. Two concepts that are of one package, there is no good without evil and there is no light without darkness.

The annals of history have taught the people of Remnant many things, forced them to learn from past mistakes, to be better. Some strived to be better. Some are trapped in the past, while some… Some just want to watch the world burn and rot until nothing but ashes remain.

The world is not simply just black and white. There are actions that are evil, but could be justified as just, sometimes even kind. There are good deeds that can cause pain and suffering to another. In the end people need to realize that nothing they do can always result in them being in the right. Every action an individual makes constantly shapes the future. No one can know when they spared a child only for said child to become a murderer, rapist, terrorist, and many others, yet killing a poor and innocent child without cause is… just plain wrong.

Such is the way of life and such is the reality we all live in. No matter how hard one tries, there will always be people out there to see our faults, there will always be consequences from our actions and decisions. Doing good doesn't always result in good things. Doing bad doesn't always result in bad things. The world is twisted in its own way, evil and cruel people stand on the top of the poor. Kind hearted people who wish to do good are used in any way possible without even realizing themself.

The world is cruel. Yes. That is a fact many have accepted and went on with their lives, but the world is also kind, vast, and mysterious. Who dares to say they know all there is to it in the world? The world is ever changing, ever moving. New things waiting to be discovered, old history ready to be uncovered and restored. But.. there shall always be a but. Some history and knowledge are best left forgotten, lest one wishes for horrors in the past to return.

Grimm, Faunus, and Human. Three races that have existed in one world for years. Three races constantly at war with one another, people preach and tell of how cruel fate is by the existence of grimm, but have they ever thought if there were no grimm what would ensue? Mayhaps a fate worse than the current? A larger scale war between the humans and Faunus perhaps. One can only imagine and take guesses in the dark for such scenarios.

Even the youngest child can make all the difference, it is not when he was small was his worth measured, it was when the child grows and matures, making active decisions by his own volition. That is when one's worth starts to show, whether the child exists for the good of the world or the bad. No one knows, then again, the world is not simply separated by good and evil.

Our story begins with a child from Vale, like any other he was a child at first, but slowly he grew and matured into the young man he is today. The story of a boy who lost his mother, betrayed by his brother, loved by his sister, and hated by his brother. A story of a child with no home, no one to turn to but his sister. A boy who seeks revenge, but doesn't quite want to end up as something he himself despises. A conflict of interest and morality, one that constantly battles against one another in every choice the boy has to choose regarding his future. He'd made regrettable choices, He'd made favorable choices, and He'd made choices that hadn't bit him in the ass just yet.

Yet. It is funny how everyone thinks they make their own choices.

You think people make choices? No. People think they make choices. They think they're gonna turn left or right, to do this or that. But they never created those options. The big choices already got made for them a long time ago. Choices other people have made, the very same choices that are presented to them during the right time, and the right place.

The moment someone is born, their path is already predetermined, the choices they make. Any choice they make has been determined. Making a choice or decision branches off into different futures, there are times one can go back and remake that choice, but what's done is done. The future is always ever changing with each decision a person makes, and when they lost something or did something they regretted because of a choice… There is no way that they can fix that. The moment a decision is made, the future changes according to the choice one makes.

In the face of destiny and fate all are seen as equals, every choice and decision one makes… Will undoubtedly lead up to their inevitable death or demise. May it be a few years, decades, centuries, millennials, eons. No one can truly tell. Even an immortal can suddenly die tomorrow without his knowledge. Nothing can be determined with certainty, but everything can be predicted with the sour possibility that things will not go as planned.

The boy who was given many choices in the past now faces another new one. Another choice that will determine his fate.

On his hand was an acceptance letter to Beacon, staring blankly at the letter of acceptance in his hand two choices were immediately made for him.

Would he accept?

Two simple choices that were given to him.

Yes

Or

No

People always seem to think they make the choices without realizing. Those choices were made for them.

Clutching the letter the man stares at the building in front of him.

It seems like he has made his choice and is going to go through with it.

With that the future is molded, waiting for another choice to shape it further until it reaches its end. Till the man draws his last breath would he look back to past decisions that have led up to this point. Until then all he has to do is make choices. But honestly. Where's the fun in living without taking a few risky choices.

Standing in front of him was the prestigious Beacon academy, ready to mold him into a hunter worthy of graduating from Beacon.

Shall he be a beacon of hope?

Or A Harbinger of Chaos and Death?

Or perhaps a reaper of souls?

Or even a deadbeat, begging in the streets.

Or something else?

Only by going through life and making decisions would we know the end result of the man's future. Taking small steps towards the main entrance the man took a deep breath to calm himself. His gaze stared at the letter for a moment and instantly said letter seemed to shimmer, its physical appearance disorientating before completely disappearing from the man's hand.

Today marks the dawn of a new chapter.

A new Arc

A new story

From today and onwards… The man is no longer a boy. He was a huntsman in training. No longer the helpless boy who's always been afraid of change. Who only hones his skills with no sense of direction or purpose. Who swings, shoots, stabs, hacks, swipes, thrusts his weapons aimlessly without a vision for the future.

A man hoping to change.

A man who gazes at the world with spite.

A man who longed for revenge.

A selfish man.

Shall the man escape his cowardly shell. Or shall he be encased in that shell forevermore.

The scenery of students. Rowdy and noisy students were alien to him, to be amidst this cheerful and loud crowd, he was not used to this. The silent night with only background noises, the calm and peaceful atmosphere of his house, the gentle breeze of the night wind. He was not sure how he felt about this new experience.

Marching forwards the man pushed through the crowds albeit politely, gesturing to pass, tapping someone's shoulder to indicate that he was going past them. For a few minutes the man did nothing but try to wiggle his way deeper into the crowd, towards Beacon.

"Ouch," He heard a girl shrieking, turning his head to the side he saw two girls who fell down, around them were bottles of dust. With widened eyes he approached them to make sure they didn't blow up on the first day.

'Is that Weiss?' Ethelred thought while he approached them.

"Are you dumb? These are all dust. What would've happened if any of it were to explode?" The girl who owned the dust screamed at the girl who bumped into her.

"Sorry I wasn't looking," The other girl muttered an apology, the look of guilt etched on her face whilst she could do nothing else but gaze at the ground.

The other girl looked like she was about to let out an angry remark, but the man arrived just on time.

"Are any of you okay? I heard a scream and saw a lot of vials filled with dust fall, so just to be safe we're not in any dire situation right?" The man asked, whatever angry remark the white haired girl was about to make was gone as she shifted her gaze to the newcomer.

"*Sighs* Yes everything is fine, she just bumped into me which resulted in this…" The girl looked around her before gesturing with her hand the dropped vials. "Mess,"

"Well I do not wish for an explosion to occur on the first day so," The man walked up to some of the vials and began to pick them up. "Best we hurry and pick them up before anything bad happens," The man suggested, his gaze not even meeting theirs as he just kept picking up the dust on the ground.

After a few minutes the girl recounted all the vials and all of them were there, beside him the man was twisting a ring on his finger, while the hooded girl gave a bow of apology.

"Once again I am very sorry for bumping into you," The red hooded girl gave the other girl a bow of apology, seemingly regretting her actions.

"Sorry, that isn't going to cut it! Do you have any idea of the damage you could have caused? And you!" Weiss points at one of her staff, who have just arrived.

"Why are my luggage in the public baggage pool and not taken straight to the main hall?! And now some idiot klutz is spilling volatile dust." The white-haired girl glared at The red hooded girl, holding a luggage.

"Give me that!" She snatches the luggage from The red hooded girl and opens it to reveal its content.

"This is Dust. Mined and purified from the Schnee quarry!"

"Uuuhhhh..."

"What are you, brain-dead? Dust! Fire, water, lightning, energy! A spill like this could have done serious damage!"

"I... I know..." The red hooded girl stammered, her face beginning to scrunch up as she's about to sneeze. As Ethelred sees this, he goes to look at the heiress.

"You might need to step back" Ethlered himself took a step back from them, but despite his warning, Weiss just ignored him, not done berating The red hooded girl.

"Are you even listening to me? Is any of this sinking in? What do you have to say for yourself?!"

"A... ACHHHOOO!" The red hooded girl finally sneezes, which erupts into a full-blown explosion of flame, snowflakes, and electricity right onto Weiss. The bottle Weiss had been holding flies over the courtyard and at the feet of a bow-wearing girl, who picks it up and notices the Schnee Dust Company logo on the side as she reads from a book and looks over at the scene. Face plastered with pure rage, the heiress herself is now covered in soot, trying to clean herself up.

"Unbelievable! This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about!" Weiss hissed out.

"I tried to warn you." Stepping in closer after the dust settled.

"I'm really, really sorry!"

"Ugh, you complete dolt! What are you even doing here? Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon?" Weiss realized how young The red hooded girl was.

Seemingly tired of being ignored Ethelred decided to step in, gaining both of their attention.

"Look. She's been apologizing non stop. So, you can quit scolding her. Besides, that explosion is kind of your fault, anyway."

"What-me!? I got caught up in that blast!" Weiss shouted.

"You're alive and well. Except for your clothes and well, your ego." Ethelred Jokes.

Utterly Irritated, Weiss glared at Ethelred, pointing a finger at him "Who are you supposed to be? I didn't come to Beacon to be chastised by some... some dunce." Weiss was slowly letting her emotions control her and Ethelred could see this.

Amused by her, Ehtelred simply smirked and introduced himself "I'm Ethelred. Ethelred Halistar-Jermaine Von Radcliffe. And certainly not some entitled Ice Queen. that's for sure." Ethelred teased.

"Ice Queen?!" Weiss snarled.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Is Ice Princess a better name then?" Ethelred continued in a sickly friendly tone.

"How dare-"

"It's heiress, actually." A woman interrupted.

The red hooded girl, Ethelred, and Weiss look over as the black haired woman approaches with a bottle.

"Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world." The woman continued.

For a brief moment, Weiss begins to smile.

"Finally! Some recognition!" Weiss exclaimed.

"The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners." And just like that, Weiss becomes offended by that statement.

"Wha- How dare- The nerve of... Ugh!" Weiss was struggling to retort.

'Hm, well that struck a nerve.' Ethelred mused.

"I promise I'll make this up to you!" The red hooded girl apologized once more.

"*Sighs* Fine I'll forgive you…" The girl eyed her once more before shaking her head. "Just make sure you don't do it again and keep an eye on where you are going," She then turned her gaze to the man.

"And thank you for helping even though you had nothing to do with this," She expressed her gratitude to the man in front of her. "And sorry for lashing out on you. I tend to get too emotional,"

"I'd rather trouble myself by helping rather than having dozens of dust filled vials explode at the same time," The man jested, his head shaking slightly and a small smile played on his face. "And none of what you said will be taken to heart," Ethelred reassured.

"Nonetheless you were the only one who helped so once again I am thankful that you are willing to give a helping hand," The girl gave a small bow and turned around to leave, which was followed by… Nevermind she left a long time ago.

"See you around then," The man turned around and continued his march to the academy hall for the speech, his hand never leaving his ring.

"Wait!" The girl caught up to the man.

"My name's Ruby. Ruby Rose" She introduced herself cheerfully, all previous emotion immediately replaced with a cheerful aura. "What's your name?" The girl asked.

"Ethelred. Ethelred Halistar-Jermaine Von Radcliffe," The girl's eyes widened at the name.

"Whoa that's a long name. Are you of high status by any chance?" Ruby asked.

"My name is a result of a family tradition. Ethelred is my first name, while Halistar-Jermaine is a hyphenated middle name from both my parent's last names. Von is an old title all my family members carry and Radcliffe is another part of the tradition, a last name that is made whenever one creates a family," Ethelred explained the long and complicated tradition of his family when it comes to naming, one he himself found quite tedious to explain whenever someone asks.

"Whoa, I never knew traditionals could be that complicated when it comes to naming," The girl seemed quite amazed by this new knowledge.

"You'd be surprised of what you do not know yet, Miss Rose," The man mused.

"Shall we continue our talks while walking towards the hall?" The man gestured his hand towards the group of students that were walking towards a single direction.

"Yes," The girl enthusiastically agreed and the two walked side by side whilst talking amongst one another.

"So about that Von part. Do you mind explaining what you meant by an old title?" Ruby inquired his name once more.

"Von is a title of nobility given to a family, one gained after doing a great service to one or more kingdoms. I speak the Von in my name with no pride for I have yet to offer my services to the kingdom. So I shall proceed to treat it as part of my name until I earn the right to use the title Von with pride," Ethelred explained the 'Von' part of his name to the girl and he found some amusement when he saw her reaction, he could see that the girl was different from the other people.

She seemed younger.

More naive.

More innocent.

Or perhaps it was just that. She was indeed young.

"How old are you, Miss Rose ?" Ethelred asked

"Fifteen," As expected he was right. "How about you? You should be seventeen right?"

"No," Ethelred shook his head. "Because of circumstances I enrolled quite late, I am currently nineteen years old," The girl somehow seemed more ecstatic and excited.

"So what happened that caused you to enroll two years late?" Her eyes seemed so innocent, such naivety, such ignorance. One that made Ethelred feel envious.

Seeing the pure sincerity and lack of any malicious intent Ethelred could only smirk in amusement at the girl. "I was healing," Came the simple reply from him.

"Healing? Were you badly injured?"

"While I appreciate your concern and empathy, I think such a subject requires us to first create a bond of friendship first no?" Ethelred let out a soft chuckle, mirth and appreciation towards the girl could be seen in his eyes.

"Sorry if I asked something I shouldn't? I was told I tend to do that," Ruby sounded remorseful, a look of realization and regret etched her face.

"Tis is fine, no harm done and you asked without knowing, although I would appreciate if you do not make this into a habit,"

"So what's your weapon?" Ruby asked excitedly, reaching to her back she took out a red box and showed it to me.

"Mine's called Crescent Rose. It's a scythe and bolt sniper rifle," She showed off the red box, pressing a button the box soon transformed into the scythe the girl described.

"Mine's this," Ethelred took out his sheathed sword, pulling out the marble white blade, the sword seemed to have a thicker handle than others.

"It's called Primum Ignis, it's a flammable sword that can coat it's blade with flammable liquid and if crowd control is ever needed the sword can release flammable gas and produce a small spark that ignites the gas," With a press of the button the bottom of the handle opened up. With another press small holes opened up in the blade.

"What's the trigger for?" Ruby noticed a trigger on the right side of the hilt.

"When needed the sword can transform into a gun, a handgun to be precise. There are sixteen bullets inside," Roughly hitting the bottom of the handle, the handle opened in half revealing a canister and the magazine that held the sixteen bullets.

"Woah. This is such a compact and complex weapon. I've never seen this anywhere before," The girl was admiring the intricacy build of the weapon.

"Wait. So how do you reload the sword?" Ruby asked, perplexed at how complicated the sword looked.

"I switch the handle," With his thumb Ethelred pushed the hilt causing the hilt to tilt slightly. Using his hand to support the sword by the hilt, Ethelred pulled the handle down, revealing a slightly thick metal bar, after showing Ruby the handle and sword Ethelred cocked the handle back into its original place.

"Isn't that too complicated?" Ruby inquired, her eyes glued to the sword.

"It is at first, but I got used to it the more I used it and in time I was able to fully utilize all the utility the sword has to offer," Ethelred agreed with her for the sword being too complicated for a novice, but he was by no means a greenhorn.

Their chatter was soon interrupted by the sound of speaking. One that was enhanced by the use of a microphone.

"Welcome students of Beacon," The voice greeted the hall filled students. In front of the stage was a man with silver hair and glasses.

"You've all come from far and wide, from different corners of Remnant to gather here today at Beacon. But when I look around me, All I see is wasted energy," Murmurs and whispers started to echo through the crowd, some students showed their disdain, some scowled, some flinched as if they had just got called out, while others remained neutral.

"You all lack 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. It is up to you to take the first step," Without elaborating his words further the man simply stepped back and started to make his way out of the stage, behind him a blonde woman took over the microphone.

"You will gather at the barn tonight. Tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed," The woman simply told the students before she too left the stage.

"Intriguing," Ethelred muttered, but Ruby could see his clenched fists.

"Hey," Ruby called out. "We should start heading to the barn before we're left with the bad spots to sleep,"

With furrowed brows. "Surely they've already organized the beds no?" He thought about it for a moment, but seeing how the headmaster himself had acted he shook his head of his loft-ful thinking.

"You're right, we should start heading to the barn and find a decent place to sleep," Ethelred walked past the girl and started to make his way to the barn followed suit by the girl.

"It seems like this is where we part ways. Tis was a fun experience talking to you Miss Rose," Ethelred bid farewell. "Good luck with tomorrow initiation," Ruby gave a nod and a wave. "You too and see you tomorrow Ethelred," Ruby cheerfully shouted before she herself started to enter the barn, seemingly in search of someone.

After a good night's sleep, Ethelred quickly gets up as he hears Glynda's voice through the monitors, informing the students to get ready to take the initiation, and that their gears will be located in their locker according to the numbers in the nearby locker room. After hearing this, Ethelred took a deep breath.

"Well, it's time-" Ethelred's thoughts were cut off by the sound of a girl shouting.

"It's morning, it's morning, it's morning!" A girl with orange hair shouted happily.

Ethelred turns his direction to a hyper ginger-haired girl as she drags a black- haired guy across and out the room.

Ethelred felt sympathetic for the guy, he probably goes through that on a daily basis seeing how his face resigned to fate itself. After Ethelred changed his clothes, he heads to the school's cafeteria for some breakfast. He spots the same talkative ginger and silent guy sitting on their table.

Looking around he spotted an empty seat near the corner of the cafeteria. Away from everyone. Taking a seat on Ethelred enjoyed his breakfast quietly before someone decided to approach the empty seat in front of him.

"Is this seat taken?" Looking up he saw a girl with black hair wearing a bow?

"It's not, You may sit there," Ethelred gestured to the empty seat before returning his focus to his breakfast.

The two ate in silence, not an awkward silence, just a normal type of silence between strangers.

"Excuse me. I'm going to head to the locker room now and good luck on the exam," Ethelred bid her farewell before heading to the locker room.

"You too," He heard her faint reply.

After arriving, Ethelred went to find his locker room until he runs into a worried Ruby by her locker along with Yang, He decides to see what's up.

"Hello Miss Rose, Why the long face?" Ethelred asked, his gaze held hints of amusement, it was strange seeing a young girl amongst peers who were older than her, but it wasn't that bad.

Heck he expected her to be snobby and annoying, but alas she has yet to annoy him.

"I keep telling her that she won't grow unless she meets new people." A blonde girl turned her attention to Ethelred.

"I don't think we've met yet. The name's Ethelred," The man introduced himself to the blonde.

"The name's Yang. Yang Xiao Long, Ruby's older sister," Yang introduced herself before turning back to Ruby, meanwhile Ethelred was observing the two. They didn't quite look alike to be called sisters.

'Mayhaps they're step siblings, but genetics has proven to be quite unpredictable,' There were some guesses going through his head, but he decided to find out at a later date.

"As I was saying she's way too much of a shut-in, I'm afraid she's not gonna make any friends here," Yang exasperated as she stretched both her hands at Ruby.

"Ugh, you sound like dad. Look, I don't need people to help me grow up. 'I' drink a lot of milk and that's all I need. Besides, I operate just fine without teammates before so, why should training to be a Huntress make a difference?" Yang gave the girl a raised eyebrow at her logic before shaking her head in disappointment.

"Well, meeting new people can give us more of an understanding and people can help with improving, whether it be…." Ethelred explained the benefits, but stopped when he realized he was not someone who had the right to say that. Lest he wants to paint himself as a hypocrite.

"He's right. Like it or not, teams are going to form today, you know." Yang cut him off, which he was thankful for.

Ruby tries to say something back only to end with a sigh.

"Okay... maybe I can be either your team or Eth's team or something?" Ruby hoped.

Her sister begins to play with her hair for a bit and answers back. "Maybe you should try being on someone else's team?" Yang sounded a bit uncomfortable for saying it too bluntly.

"My dear sister, Yang, are you implying that you don't wish to be on the same team as me?" Ruby had tears in her eyes as she said this.

The blonde girl raises her hand up defensively.

"What? No! I-I don't know," Yang felt defeated.

"You never know, the two of you can end up in separate teams." Ethelred tried to help her out.

The red-cloaked girl snaps back at him, flailing her arms as she said. "Do you not have faith that we might end up on the same team!?"

"You and I are highly unlikely since our spots at the pads are very far apart, but If you're that worried about that, then just stick to your sister like you're glued to her, you two are positioned side by side after all," Ethelred mused.

This seemed to perk Ruby up.

"You're right, but…" Ruby started to brood as she pointed at Yang. "She just said that she didn't want to team up with me," Ruby moped with her head hung down.

"I didn't mean it that way. I…I just…Y-Yeah, I mean that it would help you... break out of your shell!" Yang finally came up with an explanation for her previous suggestion.

Ruby turns her attention to her sister, glaring at her.

"What!? I don't need to break out of my shell, that's…"Ruby was about to retort, but the sound of someone screaming managed to distract them.

"Ridiculous!" A blonde boy shouted

The three turn their attention to the blonde boy, who is still looking for his locker number.

"Sounds like you're not the only one with problems. Well, I'm going to find my locker, so I'll catch you guys later." Ethelred waved a hand at them before walking past the two sisters in search of his locker.

Ethelred went off to look around, trying to find his locker number. And when he spotted what he thought was his locker number. The issue was that Weiss, and a red-haired girl are almost right in front of it and he really doesn't want to deal with Weiss this early in the morning. He breathes in and out, preparing himself for an inevitable interaction between them.

'Okay... you can get through this. All you need to do is not poke the bear's back,'

After a few seconds of preparing himself, Ethelred marched towards them.

"Excuse me, can you move aside." Ethelred politely told the red-haired girl.

The red-haired girl turns around to face him.

"Oh! Sorry!" The red-haired girl apologized, taking a step to the side she let Ethelred stand between her and Weiss as the man opened up his locker.

"You! Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" Weiss had a look of bewilderment when she realized Ethelred seemed to not recognize the red-haired girl.

"Don't know, just here to access my locker," Ethelred stated matter of factly, his fingers pressing the passcode to his locker, not bothering to hide the code, but what most didn't expect was that his passcode was as long as his name.

"This is Pyrrha Nikos." Weiss, who seemed to not care with the sound of buttons being pressed, introduced the other girl to him.

Pyrrha waves at him with a smile.

"Oh, pleased to meet you." Ethelred in a polite tone greeted Pyrrha.

"The pleasure is all mine." Pyrrha gave the man a small and polite smile, her body relaxed as if she was used to being held in high regard by most people, one that he knew would be uncomfortable at first.

The two proceed to shake hands, much to Weiss's annoyance.

Turning to the heiress beside him. "I'm surprised you are hanging out with someone. Seeing you've avoided talking to anyone from the first day and already had an altercation with another participant" Ethelred jabbed at the heiress in an attempt to morph that glare into something else more bearable.

"I'm not with just someone. I'm with 'the' Pyrrha Nikos." Weiss stated.

Ethelred just tilts his head as he gazes at Weiss and then to Pyrrha as she just waves him hello again with a smile. "What do you mean by 'the' Pyrrha Nikos?" Ethelred asked, genuinely confused by Weiss' behavior.

Baffled by his reply, Weiss began to explain. "She graduated 1st place from Sanctum!"

"Yeah and I graduated from Vale Academy, not much info from that fact," Ethelred rolled his eyes.

"She's won the Mistral Regional Tournament four years in a row! That's a new record!" Weiss continued.

With widened eyes Ethelred turned to Pyrrha once more. "Ah so you're her, I must thank you for beating the living hell out of my little brother," Ethelred let out a small chuckle. "Hearing him getting his ass handed to him four times in a row by the same person is quite funny and amusing, makes a good bedtime story" Ethelred jokes.

"Your brother? Um, can you please tell me his name?" Pyrrha asked carefully to not offend the man.

"Ah yes, of course you won't be able to remember every opponent you defeat, but I do think you find the name quite out of the ordinary with how long my family names are," Ethelred mused before telling Pyrrha his name. "Ephesus. Ephesus Halistar-Jermaine Von Radcliffe," Weiss seemed familiar with the name, while Pyrrha had a look of realization.

"It is a surprise for me to meet his older brother. I do admit that he was strong, but…"

"The fool is too hard headed and has little to no experience in fighting people. I know," Ethelred cut her off.

"May I ask for your name?" Pyrrha inquired.

"Ah yes, where are my manners. The names Ethelred. Ethelred Halistar-Jermaine Von Radcliffe," Again another long name that was unusual to Pyrrha, while Weiss seemed like she was trying to remember something.

"Von… Is that some kind of title?" Weiss asked, her voice had hints of uncertainty.

"Questions I would be willing to answer at a later time, unfortunately we have not the time to discuss my family's history. The test is about to start in twenty minutes after all," Ethelred pointed at a timer in the locker room.

"Tis was a nice encounter, Miss Nikos, but if you'll excuse me. I have to prepare for the test," Ethelred reached into the locker room and took out his sword.

"Likewise Ethelred and good luck," Pyrrha gave the man a small nod before she herself began to arm herself.

"Likewise Miss Nikos," Ethelred, who had gotten what he came here for immediately locked the locker and left the two girls to their own interaction.

After some time the students were all gathered at a cliff, below them was a forest, the sound of wind blowing through the wind became the source of sound for a while before the man with silver hair spoke up.

"Until now You've trained to become warriors, and today, your progress will be tested in the emerald forest," Ozpin spoke without a microphone, but loud enough for all of the students to hear.

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of "teams"" Glynda Continued and started to explain about the initiation exam.

"The rumors are correct. We will be announcing your teams later," Glynda Continued before Ozpin took over.

"You will be acting as teams for the rest of your time at Beacon. It is in your best interest to be grouped with someone whom you get along with," Ozpin had a stern voice in this matter.

The sound of Ruby whining could be heard amongst the crowd.

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing… Will be your partner for the next four years," Ozpin dropped another bombshell that elicited a shocked screech from Ruby.

"See I was right," Nora elbowed Ren.

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest," Ozpin Pointed towards North.

"You will meet opposition along the way… Do not hesitate to destroy anything standing in front of your path or you will die," Ozpin's tone was serious as he observed each and every one of his students.

"You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path with several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to Beacon cliff. You will be graded based on the type of relic you retrieved and the order in which you return," With that the explanation ended.

"Are there any questions?" Ozpin asked, although he did ask that, he never intended to answer anyone.

"Yeah, um, sir?" Jaune nervously raised a hand only to be ignored.

"Good! Now, take your positions," The students started to form a stance on top of their launch pads.

"Excuse me, sir, I've got a question. Uh, may I ask it?"Jaune sounded unsure as he watched the others ready to head into the forest.

"Headmaster Ozpin, uh you said We'd be landing in the forest… But how exactly are we landing?!" But unfortunately for him his pad had already launched him to the forest without hearing a definite answer from the headmaster.

After taking a sip of his hot cocoa the headmaster stared at Jaune's pad "Sorry, what was your question Jaune? Could you please repeat the question… No? Okay," With a smile Ozpin then turned around, taking out his tablet and observing the participants.

He watched as the students made their smooth landing, minus Jaune and his interest peaked when he watched Ethelred.

The man with a wave of his hand slowed his fall, it was as if there was something slowing down the trajectory of his fall and slowly but surely he landed at the ground with no impact at all. The whole scene almost felt like he was simply put there rather than being propelled there.

With both hands Etherled dusted his white shirt to get rid of the leaves and humus that managed to get on his shirt, seeing some parts of his shirt stained Ethelred mumbled a string of curses before snapping his fingers, using his semblance the stains on his shirt seemed to be pushed off his shirt to the dirt below him, leaving no stain on his shirt.

Cocking his head towards the east, Ethelred marched forwards, he'd spared nothing that would get in his way, with cold eyes of a killer the man made his way through the emerald forest in search of something else.

Professor Ozpin spectates the students on his scroll at the Beacon Cliff overlooking the Emerald Forest when Glynda Goodwitch walks up behind him, holding her own tablet.

"The last pair has been formed, sir. Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren." Glynda informed.

"Hmmm..."

"I don't care what his transcripts say. That Jaune fellow is not ready for this level of combat." Glynda ranted, on her tablet was the scene of Jaune swinging his sword like a complete amateur and almost forgot the existence of his shield.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough. At their current pace, they should reach the temple within just a few minutes." Glynda stated, changing the spectating camera.

Ozpin continues to watch his tablet with a contemplating interest as it shows the footage of Ruby walking along with Weiss, but he could feel his fellow teacher's curiosity.

"Please ask away any question Miss Goodwitch," Ozpin without looking back spoke in a calm tone, his eyes glued to the screen where Ruby and Weiss were slowly forming a teamwork bond.

"That one student… Ethelred.." Glynda didn't need to continue her words for Ozpin to know her question.

"He's the son of an old friend, I will take full responsibility for the boy's actions, but I also need you to treat all students equally, as I will also do," Ozpin answered, although his answer was vague and only made Glynda want to inquire further, she knew the headmaster would continue to answer in riddles.

"What is his semblance?" Glynda asked, on her tablet Ethelred could be seen simply killing off the grimm with his weapons, from the beginning of the test till now Glynda has yet to see the boy's semblance.

"Just wait and see," Ozpin said, his voice laced with intrigue. "Ethelred's semblance is fascinating, but I worry about the toll it takes on him. That's why he uses it carefully… the less he has to overexert his semblance, the better, but…." Ozpin let out a weary sigh as he shook his head. "That is never the case, he rarely uses his semblance sparingly which results in him over exerting his semblance," With a few taps on the screen, Ozpin brought up the live footage of Ethelred in combat.

The sound of wings flapping in the distance could be heard from the camera, both teachers looked quite surprised to hear that. Changing the cameras a few times they spotted a nevermore in the skies, but what surprised them the most was when the nevermore tilted its body sideways they could see two figures holding on to dear life.

"What in the name of Oum are they doing," Glynda seemed worried, but when her eyes returned to her tablet screen she felt dread, on the ground was a large cannon that seemed to appear out of nowhere, with chains wrapped around the cannon. Ethelred slowly tied it up near the trees and thick branches before pulling the cannon up.

"Where the hell did that appear from?" Glynda had many questions that no one can give an answer to, lest Ozpin finally gives her a direct answer.

"His semblance," Ozpin merely answered before observing what the man was about to do, only to feel the same feeling of dread Glynda felt previously when he saw the man aiming his cannon at the nevermore.

"He's going to shoot them!" Glynda shouted, her body almost ready to jump into action, she was even ready to stop the test if necessary.

"No," Ozpin shook his head when he saw Ethelred's finger was nowhere near the trigger. "He's waiting for an opportunity," Ozpin stated.

"The big question is. Is he aware of the two girl's existence on the nevermore's back," Glynda retorted.

"I think so," Ozpin sounded unsure.

"Unbelievable," She muttered, her eyes continuing to observe the situation.

As time passed by, Ethelred should have seen the two girls on the nevermore's back and with the nevermore flying on top of where the ruined temple should be located the two teachers had hoped the two girls had an idea to…

Never mind.

They jumped.

As soon as Ethelred saw the two girls falling down, his finger shifted to softly press on the trigger, but not pulling it yet.

He waited

He waited

And waited for the right moment.

After a long while of waiting he finally pulled the trigger.

Bang

But his target was no longer the Nevermore.

It was a death stalker.