Beacon Hallway (Day)

"Why haven't they answered yet?" Ivy asked herself as she looked down at her scroll. She had been calling her teammates for the past half hour, and they still haven't picked up. "They're probably keeping stuff from me."

Since Team XISR was formed, it was clear that Russo, Sapphire, and Welter were closer with each other than they were with her. Part of that was because they were friends prior to Beacon, but she couldn't help but feel like there was something they weren't telling her. Then again, she had no reason to judge in that regard. She approached the door to their dorm and put her hand on the knob. As she was about to turn the knob, she could hear the voices of her teammates inside.

"You're sure about this?" Welter said.

"Yeah, we can't do this forever." Sapphire answered. "Besides, I want her to know."

"Well, Russo's the leader. Ultimately, the decision is his." Welter said. "So, what do you say? Tell her or not?"

A few moments of silence passed. "I say we tell her." Russo said. "She's a part of our team, and there are no secrets in this team." A bit more silence. Much to Ivy's shock, Russo opened the door and came face to face with her. "Hello there."

"How long did you know I was here?" Ivy asked.

"From the beginning." the blonde said. "Come in, we have something to tell you." He looked down both ends of the hall before closing the door and locking it.

"So, what are you going to tell me?" Ivy asked, a bit nervous. Maybe this was a bad idea.

"Ivy, what do you know about Remnant's history? Ancient history." Russo asked, sitting on his bed.

"Uh, as much as the next person, I guess." the girl answered. "Why do you ask?"

"Because what I'm about to tell you goes against everything in the history books." Russo raised his hand, sparking a ball of fire in his palm, leaving Ivy in awe.

"How are you doing that?" she asked, lost for words.

"Some people in this world are blessed with power, be it physical strength or a useful Semblance." the blonde explained. "But Sapphire, Welter, and I are not like everyone else. We were given a different power entirely. We were gifted with magic."

"What?" Ivy squeaked out, unsure if she heard her leader correctly.

"It may seem unbelievable, but it's the truth." Welter said. "None of us are exactly sure why we can use magic, but we all decided that only those we trust absolutely can know."

"I think we can trust you." Sapphire said. "I wouldn't be a good partner if I didn't."

"This is a lot to take in." Ivy said, sitting down. "I...I think I need some time."

"Take as much time as you need." Russo said. "I know it's a lot. If you need someone to talk to about it, you can talk to any of us."

"Ruby, Yang, and Weiss also know." Welter said.

"Um, is it okay if I tell you all something too?" Ivy asked, unsure if this was smart. "I...I can...I can also use magic."

The three boys didn't know how to respond to that. "Uh, what'd you say?" Russo asked.

"Magic. I can use it too." Ivy brought up her hand, and a bit of voltage surged between her fingers. "I'm not comfortable talking about why, but it's one of the reasons I was in the Emerald Forest."

"Yeah, that was weird." Sapphire said. "I didn't see you at Beacon Cliff, so I assumed you were part of another group that was launched after us."

"Well, no matter why you were there, you were there. And that makes us a team." Russo said, grinning. "Personally, I kind of like it. A team of magic users. This has to be a first, right?"

"Heh, I guess so." Ivy said, starting to smile. Maybe telling them wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Team XISR Dorm (Night)

After night fell, everyone had fallen asleep. However, one person in particular was not resting soundly.

Russo was squirming violently in his bed, unconsciously activating his Aura and setting fire to his mattress. "No, no, NO!" he screamed, shooting a beam of crimson energy out the open window. With a spasm, he woke up with his left eye alight. Breathing heavily, the boy brought his hand up to his right eye. "I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay."

Nightmares weren't a rare occurrence for him. He's been dealing with them since he was seven, but they haven't gotten any less intense with time.

"Ugh, this is why I don't like sleeping." the boy grumbled as he waved his hand, getting rid of the fire. "But it's not like I don't deserve it. Yararara." he said joylessly.

Nobody laughed with him.

"Screw it, I'm going for a run." Russo said, walking out the door.