The very fact that he was in Beacon Academy was something completely surreal. For a Faunus like him, reaching for a place with this much prestige was sometimes merely a dream. Some of his more… less educated classmates back at Signal had gotten it into their heads that a filthy mutt like him—their words, not his—would never make to make it into the Academy. Yet here he was, three nights after Ozpin had talked to him and Ruby, staring out of the window and gazing at the city below.
He didn't even let the fact that Yang had gotten him arrested let him down. In the corner, he could hear Yang and Ruby having one of their sisterly moments. And by sisterly, it was Yang smothering Ruby with an embarrassing amount of affection.
"Yaaang! Let go of meeee!"
Rowan shook his head. He didn't miss his own sister's attempts to embarrass him in public. But the very fact that he might see her again in the future was what made him shiver in fear. Not fear of her but fear of what she might do or reveal to any future teammates. His older sister was not one to skim on any details she might reveal.
He pulled out his scroll and opened the camera. He scanned the crowd with the camera, videotaping the scenery.
There were many students, some of who weren't native to Vale. The colors of Mistral, Vacuo, and even…
Atlas?
Rowan blinked when his camera caught sight of a white-haired girl sitting in the corner. Her butlers attended to her and she had a bell cart filled to the top with several white suitcases. His grip tightened on his scroll as he kept the camera trained on her. He could hear his heart pounding in his chest.
His mouth ran dry as he tried to come up with what to say. Should he say hi? Was that too forward? Rowan bit his cheek as he tried to come up with something to say to her.
"You know… recording people without their permission is illegal."
Rowan blinked.
He quickly put his scroll down and whirled around, raising his hands in self-defense.
The girl who had caught him had flaming orange hair. A part of her hair was tied in a side ponytail. She wore a white crop top with a blue jacket. There was a small feather hairpin on her head. She had a coy smile on her face as her twinkling blue eyes locked onto his own.
"S-Sorry. I really wasn't. I was just—"
"I know. I don't know if she'll come to the same conclusion. You can never really tell with people these days," the girl said, waving away his concerns. Her smile softened into a friendly one.
"Er… right," Rowan said.
She extended her hand to him. "By the way, I'm Akari. Akari Suzaku."
"I'm Rowan Schwarz," Rowan gripped her hand firmly as he shook it. He let go of her hand and leaned back against his seat. The conversation died again. He didn't know how to pick it up or where to go.
Akari smiled warmly as she leaned back in her chair. "There are a lot of people, huh?"
"Yeah. I guess there are," Rowan said.
Akari crossed her legs and looked out over the other students. "This place is a lot different from Sanctum. Back over there, we didn't have this many people being so… relaxed."
"You're from Sanctum?" Rowan asked.
Sanctum Academy. It was one of the affiliate training academies in Remnant. Like Signal, students from Sanctum applied to one of the four Hunter Academies in Remnant. However, most students from Sanctum applied to Haven.
"Yeah, people from Sanctum are all uptight and cutthroat. Always looking to backstab one another or get in another person's good graces. It's not the best place to learn or grow as a Huntress," Akari said, raising a finger as if to make a point. "I watched a lot of vlogs about Beacon from people on Dustube. Everyone says that this place is nicer."
"Uhuh…"
"And I'm tired of having to fight for scraps you know. Especially when everyone is just there to kiss Pyrrha Nikos's ass—"
"Wait, you went to school with Pyrrha Nikos?" Rowan asked.
There wasn't a person in the world who didn't know who Pyrrha Nikos was. She was the four-time champion of the Mistral Regional Tournament, aptly nicknamed "Invincible Girl". But more importantly, she was a spokesperson for Rowan's favorite cereal brand.
Akari smiled. "Yup!" she said, popping the "P". "But yeah, enough about me rambling. I… really just wanted something different from Haven, you know."
She gave him a blinding smile and Rowan physically recoiled from the sheer blinding light she seemed to emit.
This girl! She's so bright!
"Ahem."
Akari and Rowan turned around to see a hologram of Glynda standing in the middle of the airship.
Glynda looked around, her eyes seemingly analyzing each and every one of the passengers on board. She pushed up her glasses. "Hello and welcome to Beacon. My name is Glynda Goodwitch."
"That's the deputy headmistress," Akari whispered.
"Yeah, I saw her in town once," Rowan said quietly.
"You are among the honored few who have been selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible period of peace and as future huntsman and huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have all demonstrated the courage needed for such a task. And now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and training to protect our world," Glynda finished.
Her hologram faded away, leaving a group of awestruck students.
"Mmm? Look at that. I think I can see Beacon. Come on, Rowan!" Akari grabbed his hand and dragged him over to the window.
"Hey! Wait a minute!" Rowan said as he was pulled from his chair.
The two ran over to the window. Rowan's eyes widened when he took in the sight of Beacon from the window. The school sat atop a cliff with, overlooking a large harbor below. There were several waterfalls that fell over the sides of the cliff and into the awaiting bay. The tower that gained Beacon its name towered over all the other facilities in the Academy. A large silver spire that rose into the heavens emitted a soft silver glow at the tower's peak.
"Woah," Rowan said.
Akari pulled her scroll out of her pocket and began snapping pictures of the view outside. "I know. This is totally different from Haven."
"Yeah," Rowan said, a bit lost for words.
This was where he was going to be spending the next four years of his life. He tightened his grip on the railing and smiled. Excitement and anticipation coursed through him. This was it. The gateway to following the path his parents and older sister took. And the first step onto the path to getting reunited with that person.
The sight of Beacon was something Rowan could have never imagined to ever see. There were times when he applied that he thought would never get in. However, now that he took in the pristine courtyards, decorated by trees, it felt like something out of a dream. Rowan followed Akari out onto the main avenue, almost gaping at the sheer size of the Tower. There was a statue situated at the center of the courtyard with two figures standing on a rocky outcrop with a Beowulf underneath it.
He spotted Yang and Ruby ahead of them.
"I can't believe we're actually here! Come on! Let's take a picture!" Akari said. She pulled her scroll out of her pocket and grabbed Rowan by the arm. The sound of a shutter clicking filled Rowan's ears and Akari finally let go.
"I can't believe how good this turned out," she said, looking at the photo.
"Y-Yeah," he said, still not used to how extroverted she was.
"Do you know where we're supposed to go?" Rowan asked.
"Nope! I was too busy grabbing some of my things to hear any of the announcements. But… I assume if we just follow that crowed, we'll be good!" Akari chirped as she pocketed her scroll. She slung a bag over her shoulder and began walking forward.
The two made their way further into Beacon's courtyard, following the crowd.
"Dust! Fire, lightning, water— energy!"
That voice.
Akari and Rowan walked up a small set of stairs and were met with the sight of a white-haired girl yelling at Ruby while waving a half-uncorked vial of dust.
Rowan rushed forward, holding his hand out to stop her.
"Wait! That dust vial is half—"
But Rowan's warning was drowned out as Ruby sneezed and caused a chain reaction. An explosion of lightning, ice, and flames shook the area slightly, causing colored smoke to go everywhere. Rowan coughed as he waved the smoke away from his face.
"You okay!" Akari asked, jogging up to him.
"Unbelievable! This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about!" the girl said in a shrill voice as she kept hurling barb after barb at Ruby.
"I'm really, really sorry!" Ruby apologized, trying to placate the older girl's fury.
"You complete dolt! What are you even doing here? Aren't you a little too young to attend the academy?" the girl pressed.
"I wouldn't call her a dolt exactly," Akari interrupted. "She wasn't the one waving around a half uncorked vial of dust."
The girl snapped her head in Akari's direction, cheeks red in embarrassment. She clenched her fists.
"And if anyone's being a child right now, it's you, Princess," Akari said.
"H-How dare you!? Do you even know who I am!?" the girl said, completely offended by Akari's words.
"Weiss Schnee."
The four turned around to see a dark-haired girl with a bow on her head walking up to them. She held a vial of red dust in her hand, her eyes still focused on her book. "Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. The largest producer of energy propellant in the entire world."
"Finally! Some proper recognition!" Weiss said in an exasperated tone.
"That same company is also infamous for its controversial labor practices and questionable business partners," the girl said.
"You—! Ugh! How dare you!" Weiss said.
She was about to spit more venom from her mouth until she caught sight of Rowan. The sight of his ears and red eyes caused whatever words she had in her mouth to die. There was a flicker of something Rowan couldn't make out in her eyes. He wanted to say something to her but he couldn't find the right words.
She lowered her hand and stormed off, huffing and cursing under her breath.
Ruby reached out toward Weiss but her arm fell to her side.
"Don't mind her, Ruby," Rowan said, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah, you're right. So… how about… you?" Ruby's face fell when she saw the black-haired girl walking away from them. She sighed. "So much for making new friends…"
"Did Yang ditch you again?" Rowan asked.
"Yeah… She told me to go make new friends," she said.
"Well, you got me," he replied.
"And me. Hi!" Akari said, popping her head around Rowan's shoulder. "I'm Akari. Akari Suzaku—"
"You're Suzari!" Ruby said, gasping in amazement. Her silver eyes lit up in recognition.
"Eh?"
"You're that Dustuber that does all those vlogs and does all those yoyo videos!" Ruby said excitedly. "Come on! Come on! Can you sign this?" Ruby fished around in her pocket and pulled out a black and red yoyo.
"Um… thanks? Always nice to meet someone who watches my stuff," Akari said, taking a small step back from Ruby. "Er, sorry. I don't have a pen. Can I get back to you on that?"
"Yeah, yeah! Oh my gosh! I can't believe it! I analyzed your yoyos top to bottom. Is it true that you used a weighted core to do all those parkour tricks, right, right! And and and! Can you do that thing where you do the yoyo spin dance!" Ruby said.
"M-Maybe later," Akari said.
"Come on, Ruby. Let's go. We're going to be late," Rowan said, grabbing her by her hood and dragging her across the courtyard.
"Wait! Nooo! Rowan! Let me see her do yoyo tricks!"
Akari blinked several times in a few seconds before shaking her head and following after them.
The entrance ceremony was not what one would expect for a school as prestigious as Beacon. Rowan expected many things out of that ceremony. A long speech about how they were chosen as the next generation of vanguards for humanity and faunus, complete with stunning and heartwarming anecdotes from both the staff and alumni. Except, there was none of that. Perhaps it was because Professor Ozpin was a man of few words or it was because he didn't get enough coffee that day.
However, the speech was short, to the point, and extremely succinct. He said what he needed to say and did nothing more.
After the speech, Rowan followed his classmates into the multipurpose room of the amphitheater area where people cordoned themselves off in several groups to make room for the dozens of students who applied. Rowan shacked up in a corner of the multipurpose room, using his pack as a pillow. The lights were still on and he could hear Ruby and Yang talking in the distance.
He pulled his scroll out of his bag and saw two messages on it.
One from his grandfather and one from his older sister.
He swiped open the one from his older sister.
[Having fun at Beacon? I hope you are. Btw, I'll be back in a few weeks.]
Rowan sighed before replying to his grandfather and older sister. He got up and walked out of the multipurpose room onto the balcony. The crisp evening wind bit his skin as he stepped outside. The pale light of the shattered moon shone down on the balcony and Beacon's grounds.
Inside, he could hear Weiss's frustrated voice and Yang's snappy attitude as she defended Ruby from another round of Weiss's tirades. He leaned on the balcony, just looking at videos on his scroll when he heard footsteps behind him.
Rowan glanced over his shoulder when he saw a black-haired boy stepping out into the cold. He wore a baggy black hoodie. The boy seemed to have noticed him because he jumped as if he had been caught doing something wrong.
"W- Wait! I'm sorry! I didn't know someone was already up here!" the boy said, stuttering as he struggled to come up with words.
"Huh? Oh, it's alright. I just came out here because it was loud inside the multi-purpose room," Rowan said.
The boy seemed relieved. He nodded to Rowan and leaned against a wall before sliding down to the floor. The shadows around the boy danced and writhed whenever he moved. He pulled out a small headlamp and turned it on, opening the book he pulled from seemingly nowhere.
"D-Do you know anything about the test tomorrow?" the boy asked.
Rowan turned to face him. He leaned back against the railing. He crossed his arms and shook his head.
"No, not really. I don't know much about the test. My sister told me Beacon changes their test every year so there's a new entrance exam per batch. All I know is that it's a combat exam where we get to meet the people on our teams," he replied.
"O-Oh. I-I don't think I'm r-ready f-for that. I'm not really good around people," the boy said, raising his book to hide more of his face.
Rowan smiled. "Same."
"M-My name is Noctis by the way. N-Noctis Nightingale," the boy said.
"Rowan. Rowan Schwarz," Rowan greeted.
The two fell into silence, neither of them knowing how to continue the conversation. Rowan opted to pull out his scroll to see if he can find something interesting to watch until the noise inside the common area died down. His eyes flicked over to Noctis, who had long since lost interest in any semblance of conversing, opting instead to bury his nose in the rather thick book he was reading.
Rowan's eyes glimpsed the title from his position.
The Legends of Remnant - A Compendium of Gods and Heroes
"You like fairy tales?" Rowan asked.
"Huh? Oh. Um, no. I don't. I like myths," Noctis said, speaking a bit more confidently this time. His eyes sparkled with a deep interest as he looked up at Rowan.
"What's the difference?" Rowan asked.
"Fairy tales are a subset of folklore that is inherently understood by readers to be fictional and often convey lessons to be learned. Meanwhile, myths explain the origins of the world, of people, of Dust and Aura, and other things within the world. Take the Two Brothers for example. It's a story of two brothers who disagreed and set their differences aside to create people. The lesson is that people have to put their differences aside to create something greater than themselves. But did you know that the Tale of Two Brothers is based on the Remnant Creation Myth told by the Church of Duality but completely forgets the fact that there were five other Gods," Noctis said.
"Uhuh…"
"For example, there is archeological evidence to show that there is worship of the Animal God, Aniel. On Menagerie, where the Faunus live, there was evidence of Aniel's worship long before the Faunus even settled on Menagerie," he continued.
"And then in Vale, there's the Gods, Auriel and Israfel! The twin Goddesses who were worshipped in Sanus before the—" Noctis's eyes widened and his mouth snapped shut. He saw Rowan's amused smile and his cheeks turned red from embarrassment. He lowered his gaze, attempting to make himself seem small. "Sorry, I tend to ramble…"
"No, no. It's fine. I got a lot out of it. But why be a Hunter though? Can't you just go to a civilian University and get an archeology degree?" he asked.
Noctis placed his book on his lap. He looked up at the Moon. "Because… I want to explore. All of those places out there that people have forgotten and written off as fairy tales. I want to see it all. If I'm a researcher, I'm limited by the amount of money I get from government research grants, but if I'm a hunter, then… I can go wherever I want as long as I have my license," Noctis said.
"Huh," Rowan said.
Noctis nodded. "What about you? Why did you come to Beacon?"
"Oh, um," Rowan scratched his cheek and a nervous laugh escaped his mouth, "My reasons aren't as… cool as yours."
Noctis tilted his head in confusion. "What? Come on, everyone has a reason for coming here."
Rowan glanced at him for a few seconds. He placed his hands in the pocket of his shorts. "I made a promise to someone when I was younger. We were going to be the best hunters the world had ever seen and show the world that Faunuses can be just as cool as human heroes. But I moved here before she or I could make that dream happen. I came to Beacon because if I came here, I thought I'd be able to reunite with her again. Either through the Vytal Festival or like… just after graduation you know. Hunters have a good reach if they can build a good enough network."
A sigh escaped his lips. "Sorry, that's gotta be sappy, right?"
"Not at all. I think it's neat that people can still be bound together even across vast distances. It's one of the reasons I got so into mythology and legends. Culture is just a bond amongst a group of people who share a common identity," Noctis said, smiling down at his book. "Sorry, I'm rambling again."
"No, man. You're good," Rowan said. His ears twitched as he listened to the noise inside gradually die down to hushed whispers. "I'm going to head back inside. I'll see you out there in the morning?"
Noctis craned his neck to look back into the multipurpose room. About a third of the students were sleeping and the rest were having hushed conversations or using their scrolls. "I'll stay out here for a bit more. You go ahead."
Rowan nodded and walked inside, eager to get some sleep before the morning arrived.
Morning came faster than any of them had anticipated. An alarm blared through the speakers in the common area where everyone slept, jolting them all awake. For Rowan, whose hearing was far more sensitive than a human's, the sudden loud noise left him with a mildly annoying case of tinnitus for the majority of the morning.
Rowan stared at his open locker, doing one final check. He counted his ammunition five times, backward and forwards for good measure. He strapped on his trusty wrist guards and fingerless gloves. Crimson Birch stared at him as it rested inside the locker. He grabbed the weapon and unsheathed the blade.
After a few test swings, Rowan hummed in satisfaction as he slid the sword back into its scabbard. He pressed a button, causing the handle to bend slightly. A sight popped out of the scabbard's left side and Rowan raised it, aiming at a few windows.
"Check," he said. "Now—" Rowan grunted as he felt something bump into him. He looked over his shoulder to see a cocky-looking boy his age smirking as he walked by. The boy had a mace resting on his shoulder.
"Watch where you're standing, Fleabag!" The boy laughed as he left the locker room.
"Asshole," Rowan said as he went back to finishing his final checks.
He grabbed a few cases of dust-laced rounds and placed them in his pocket. "Right. We're good to go."
"Jaune!"
The sound of something crashing against metal caused him to look up. That blonde guy who vomited on the airship was pinned to a locker by a red spear. An identical-looking blonde girl rushed over and knelt next to him, checking him for injuries. Rowan sighed, deciding not to get involved and left the locker room.
Following the instructions sent to his scroll, Rowan lagged slightly behind the other first years as they made their way to a cliffside overlooking a lush, green sprawling forest. Upon arriving, he saw Akari waving at him and he walked up next to her. She gestured to the empty silver square next to her.
Rowan stepped onto it.
"Woah, that's one heck of a view," Rowan whispered as he looked out over the cliffside.
"I know, right?" Akari said. She reached for the two yoyos strapped to her belt. "I can't believe this is really happening."
Ozpin's cough interrupted their conversation as he began to explain the details of the test. "Ahem. For years, you have all trained to become warriors. Today, the results of that training shall be evaluated in the Emerald Forest," he said as he took another sip of his coffee.
Professor Goodwitch stepped forward, eyes still fixed on the scroll as her fingers swiped through several menus. "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates, today."
Goodwitch's icy gaze caused many of the students to stiffen.
Rowan looked out of the corner of his eye when he heard Ruby's not-so-quiet cry of anxiety.
It was here that Professor Ozpin continued with the explanation. "These teammates shall be with you for the rest of your time at Beacon so it is in your best interest to be paired with someone you can work well with."
Rowan ignored another whine coming from Ruby. He caught her stealing glances from him and Yang.
"That being said the first person you make eye contact with after landing shall be your partner for the next four years."
Rowan's eyes widened. That was it? He grimaced. The thought of being stuck with someone like that asshole from the locker room or worse, her, was not in his best interest at all. He felt a piercing stare at the back of his head. Had she already clued in on him?
Ozpin ignored the various cries and protests. "After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the Emerald Forest. There will be opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path or you will die."
Rowan shivered. So that's what that waiver on the application was for…
"You will be monitored and graded during the duration of your exam but our instructors will not intervene," Ozpin continued, "You will find an abandoned temple housing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately."
Ozpin took another long, condescending sip of his coffee before speaking. "Are there any questions?"
A pair of hands shot up from the blonde twins.
"Um, yeah. Sir," Jaune spoke up.
"Good. Now," Ozpin said, completely ignoring the duo's raised hands. "Now, take your positions."
Rowan realized what was happening and adopted a launching stance.
The blonde girl noticed this and tried to mimic everyone's stances while Jaune still had his hand raised.
"Um, sir, I got a question," Jaune said, not noticing as the Schnee was catapulted into the air. "So this, uhh, landing strategy thing. Are you like dropping us off or something?"
Another student is launched into the air, completely unnoticed by Jaune. However, his female companion just watched with increasing apprehension as more students were launched into the air.
"No, you will be falling," Ozpin replied casually.
"Oh. So, um, did you hand out parachutes for us or something?" Jaune asked.
"No." A ghost of a smile graced Ozpin's lips as he brought the half-empty coffee mug to his lips. "You will be devising your own landing strategy."
Rowan watched as Yang, and then Akari were launched into the air. He exchanged a look with Ruby and nodded. He felt his stomach lurch as he was suddenly thrown into the air at high speeds. That feeling of weightlessness was soon followed by his stomach dropping as gravity cruelly reminded him that he was not meant to fly.
As he plummeted toward the canopy, Rowan pulled out Crimson Birch and pressed his finger against the trigger. Alright, let's do this!
And with that, Rowan pulled the trigger.
Ah yes, a second chapter. I just wanted to get the second chapter up since I wrote... two chapters already. I'll be working on a third in a bit but I do have other things I need to handle first. Don't forget to leave a review down there, chat. Just note that after like chapters regarding initiation, this story will take a complete left turn. I'm not going to have them follow RWBY everywhere, however! They will work more closely with Team JNPR because... I like Team JNPR more. No, I'm kidding. They'll follow Team JNPR because they have a closer link to them than they do with RWBY even if...! Well, you'll find out later.
Anyway, drop a review down there.
Edit: Changed Noct's last name.
