The Initiation Ritual was a long-standing tradition practiced by all of the Huntsmen Academies both small and large from the very moment of their creation; An interesting tidbit about the tradition is that the practice is actually older than the Academies themselves. Though no records exist about how or when or who first started the Ritual its purpose was never in question. It was a pure test of skill but more importantly, it was seen as a mercy. If you passed then you were ready to fight the nightmares and if you failed then you would be spared a brutal death while always having the option to try again later on assuming you survived or were even still physically capable of retaking the test. It was an ugly system but for all who took part, it was a much-needed reality check.

"Jaune over here!" Ruby called out to her friend the moments she spotted him standing on the edge of the crowd that had gathered along the cliff side overlooking the Emerald Forest. He heard her voice and looked over to find her and immediately spotted her smiling and waving him to come over which was something that he was more than happy to do as she ran out to meet him as her older sister followed closely behind and within seconds the two groups met.

"Ruby! Thank god you're here, I needed a friendly face. Oh! and is this your sister?" he asked when he saw Yang remembering her from yesterday.

"Wow, no one ever pegs us for sisters, but ya I'm her big sis!" Yang smiled while shaking his hand. "Ruby told me about how you helped her out yesterday, so if you need help during this trial just give me a holler!"

"That's a great idea! Together we'll find it fast!" Ruby happily agreed.

Jaune truly appreciated the offer but at the same time he was confused by what Ruby mean by what she just said, Its like she knows what the trial is, "I know that we have to deal with Initiation but what do you mean by finding it? Why would you say something like that unless... you two somehow know what the trial is!"

"Looks like the cat is out of the bag, well the answer is yes and at the same time no but I'll let Ruby explain it," Yang answered.

Ruby was happy to oblige, "My dad and both her mom and my mom went to Beacon together with our Uncle who was all in the same team and they told us a bit about what to expect though...," she nervously shuffled her feet. "The thing is they were rather vague about everything including how we're going to get into the Emerald forest," she said while looking outward.

"Well I got a theory on how we're getting there but I think I'll keep that to myself," Yang said while looking at the odd and rather ominous pads that were right on the edge of the cliff but seemed to serve no obvious purpose. "You see there is another thing about this Initiation that our parents told us buuuuuuut it would be boring if we gave everything away, right sis?"

"I suppose your right… Well Jaune, do you want to go wait with us?" Ruby asked as she and her sister went to find a place to sit down as they were joined by their friend. However, they didn't get very far when the sounds of chiming bells filled the air to announce the arrival of the Headmaster and the start of the Trial.

The Headmaster Ozpin and his right hand Professor Glynda Goodwitch arrived on the scene and quietly approached the eager prospects who were watching the pair with a strange and yet, it was the appropriate mix of nervousness and excitement. Ozpin tried to help them calm down a bit with a friendly smile and by wishing them all a good morning, "Hello everyone, I hope all enjoyed what will possibly be the first of many nights spent in Beacon. If you are feeling nervous don't be afraid, I assure you that this test will be fair and that failure is not the end."

However all that effort was quickly undone by Glynda's ever stern face which intimidated many of the hopefuls gathered that being said the headmaster did notice that there were some who while scared seemed to be enjoying that feeling of intimidation, Ah to be young again! Well, I think I've kept them waiting long enough. He walked to the very edge cliff and stood effortlessly there and addressed the entire crowd. "First can we have one person stand on every pad and then can a line form behind each person?" It didn't take long for the crowd to do what he had asked and one they were done, he continued. "Soon you will all descend into the Emerald Forest, once inside you will need to find a Relic and trust me when I say that you will know what it is when you see it. You must return here with a relic in order to pass, furthermore, you will be instantly disqualified and immediately expelled if you take more than one Relic and trust me when I say that we will know."

Now it was Glynda's turn, "During the Trial, you will also be expected to partner up with one other fellow student, in fact, you are required to have a partner in order to pass and just like with the Relic you may only have one partner, however, you are allowed to work together with others but you are not allowed to change partners and we will know if you try, furthermore should you pass then your partnership will be extended for your entire stay at this institution. On top of that, it is not uncommon for a partnership to continue even past graduation so this is a decision that cannot be made lightly." She watched the students started examining each other and trying to form plans with each other, And now to take a hammer to those plans. "Now that you understand how important this is, your partner will be the very first you lock eyes with after you land… you may now ask questions."

"Professor, what do you mean?"

"I have a question!"

"I have a few concerns!"

This was the expected result and it was something that never got old even though it was also something that tended to drag for a good long while and they sadly didn't have the time to wait for these children to calm themselves down so Ozpin with the assistance of Glynda was able to silence the crowd and properly explain themselves. "The Academies exist to prepare you for the realities of this career and to make you understand what your responsibilities and obligations are along with your rights. One of those realities is that Huntsmen don't often get to choose who they will work with. So what better way for you to learn how to work with strangers than pair you up with one? Now if the first person you lock eyes with is a friend, then there is no problem but I will remind you all once again that we will be watching and we will know if you try and cheat the system."

Once again Glynda took over, "In short find a partner, find a relic and remember that it is one relic per pair. Do not return to the Cliff carrying more than one Relic. You all have five hours to complete this." She took a moment to let the information sink in before asking, "Are there any more questions or do you need me to repeat?"

Jaune raised his hand, "So, how are we going to get down there?"

Glynda looked right at him with a look that could freeze the blood of a veteran Huntsman and judging by the look of fear and confusion on the poor boy's face, he noticed as did Ozpin. "The platforms you are standing on will launch you into the forest, the matter of landing is your responsibility, and if you feel like you can't handle it, then perhaps you should seek out a different career." She waited for a little bit to see if he would take her hint and step off of the platform. However, he remained standing and as soon as she realized that he wouldn't step down she pressed a button, and Jaune was launched screaming into the forest.

Ozpin then leaned in close to Glynda and whispered, "That was entirely unnecessary," Though it was pretty funny.

"Ozpin, with all due respect I have not been convinced that Jaune's inclusion here was a good idea. A sentiment that I might add, has been expressed by some of the others."

"I understand that Glynda and I will do my best to convince you and the others that this is the right course of action. But please Glynda, don't let your distrust of the boy drive you to push him away before he has even done anything. For now let's just enjoy the Trial and save that discussion for the meeting afterward."

"Sir, with all due respect we don't have the time. The meeting is in an hour."

Ozpin then pulled out his scroll and began spectating through the use of the multitude of cameras hidden throughout the forest. "Well then let's enjoy the time we have left."

Jaune was tumbling uncontrollably through the air but he was not worried. Alright, all I have to do it Flare my Aura just like Qrow taught me and use it to shield my body from the crash. Granted I have been having trouble flaring my Aura or even using it all on any level, but I still have my actual shield and armor! So what's the worst that could happen. Well, besides breaking my arms… along with every bone in my body. Maybe I could land somewhere soft like a flower bed or an old Grimm nest, assuming that they build nests at all, and of course, there's the problem that the nest might not be empty. Well, maybe I can-! Before he could finish that thought something sharp hit Jaune right in the back and pierced right through the armor making him scream though it was more out of surprise than actual pain. However, as he spun out of control he quickly realized that he was going to hit the ground and hit it hard, so naturally, his screams went from surprise to fear.

He would survive the crash but he would always describe it as the single most painful experience in his life.

"Sorry!" shouted an extremely apologetic Pyrrha as she watched as her ill-conceived attempt to help him instead screw him completely over, I hope he's okay...

The first two things that most people who come into Ozpin's office will notice is firstly the incredible and unparalleled view of the entire kingdom of Vale which undoubtedly provided the Headmaster and all who entered the office a constant reminder of what was at stake. The second thing that people will notice is the mysterious set of gears right located in the middle of the office, gears which seemed to have no obvious purpose beyond indicating a bizarre choice of aesthetics but that was just par for the course where Huntmen are concerned. However the view of Vale was sadly no longer available at least for the time being, instead it had been temporarily replaced by monitors which had descended from the ceiling for the purpose of allowing the Headmaster to communicate with all his allies at once. The existence of this group was a secret privy only to a select few and these particular individuals were members of his inner circle, each one was an exemplar in their fields and more importantly they were people that he had grown to trust and even call friends with the most notable being, The ever drunk and ever-reliable field agent and professional Huntsman Qrow Branwen, General James Ironwood who was the head of the Academy and Armies of Atlas and the Headmaster of Minstrel's Honorable Haven's Academy Leo Lionheart.

"Ah, Leo it has been a while since we've last talked. Is everything alright?" Ozpin genuinely inquired, curious as to what exactly his friend has been up to lately.

"Well… Ozpin, things have been. Well, let's just say that it has been a rather interesting semester here at Haven." Leo nervously answered.

James Ironwood was never one for pleasantries but he did enjoy any opportunities to catch up with his comrades as long as there was time for it, "Ozpin my old friend. As much as I would love to spend my time catching up with everyone, I do have a school and military to run so can we get to the point."

"Well, James I suppose you're right. We are here to talk about Jaune Arc."

Weiss Schnee was not prone to bouts of anger, as they accomplished very little and in general, were a waste of her precious time, however, she was just human which meant that even someone like her had a limit to her patience and right now she was well past that limit. Weiss Schnee was at this moment furious and the cause of her anger was following right behind her and refusing to take the hint, the girl named Ruby Rose. It's not that she had anything personally against the girl but that brat nearly killed her yesterday with that dust explosion and then refused to listen to her sensible suggestion of looking for a new career path so who could really blame her for thinking that she would be damned before she entrusted her life to that child. So with nothing against Little Red Riding Hood, Weiss was going to search for other, better options.

"Ugh…"

It was a faint noise but it was enough to make her stop for a moment and turn her head to the direction to where the sound came from. It sounds like there is someone up ahead, though I doubt that it's Pyrrha. That said whoever it is, will no doubt be better than Ruby. With that in mind, Weiss marched forward but upon reaching the source of the voice, she stopped and nearly screamed at what she saw. It was that rude guy from back in the locker room and he was lying face down on the ground in a pool of what she assumed was his own blood while his limbs were twisted and utterly broken, but the biggest shock was the Javelin entering from his back and emerging from his chest. I've seen that weapon before, it belongs to Pyrrha! But, why? Why is it here? Does this mean she did this but, why would she kill him? Sure he was annoying but he didn't deserve to die!

"Uh…," Jaune began moving ever so slightly.

He's still alive! With that realization, Weiss was about to run over and help him the best she could, when suddenly his body began to glow with aura and his limbs began straightening themselves making sick cracking noises every second. She stood there paralyzed by the gruesome sight in front of her as he rose to his knees and with his still crooked arms began to pull the Javelin out of his body. She should have stopped him, she should have told him that the Javelin was the only thing keeping him from bleeding out and she would have, but his eyes. Those eyes… those aren't the eyes of a human... In a moment of weakness, Weiss chose to hide nearby behind a tree instead of running up to him to try and find some way of helping stop him. Though truth be told there was nothing she could have done and she knew it, watching him was truly the only thing she could do and so dedicated herself to that task so thoroughly that she failed to notice Ruby joining her behind the tree. Together, they saw Jaune pull the Javelin out of his armored back, and most importantly, they saw the bloody gaping hole made by the weapon starting to seal itself back up.

"A Pseudo Grimm! But that's impossible, Merlot is dead! We found his corpse in the ruins of Mount Glenn and identified it with every method we had available! We destroyed his research and took into custody all the surviving assistants, even then all evidence suggests that he never got far enough to actually start testing on people so what can you possibly mean by Pseudo Grimm!?" Ironwood rightfully demanded while doing his best to keep his cool.

"That my friend is a description that Dr. Gris came up with and one that I strongly disagree with." Ozpin quickly answered and then continued, "The boy is nothing more than just the latest in a long line of victims created by Merlot's insanity."

The general just shook his head at the answer, "But how did it happen, Ozpin? Is there an assistant that we missed who is now continuing where he left off? Did a crate of samples end up in the hands of some druggies? Or is Salem making her move?"

"I can answer that Jimmy though you won't like what I have to say," said Qrow. "It turns out the bastard had another lab hidden a few miles south of a little town called Jouburg, the place wasn't very big and the lab records suggest that even Merlot himself hadn't been there in a while so that's probably why we missed it. That said… someone else had found and broken into the lab before me and they took something, it could have been a random looter but given my luck, I'm going to guess it was one of Salem's cronies."

Ironwood and even Leo looked downright horrified. "Are you telling me, that Salem now has the means to infect people with-"

"James, calm down!" Glynda interrupted, "Qrow reported that he found the boy lost and confused in the woods with his body mutilated to look like a Grimm had killed him. Furthermore, thanks to Mr. Branwen's investigation we know that there is an entire week between the incident at the bar and his discovery in the woods, now why would Salem or any of her known agents go through the effort of finding the lab only to ditch the subject while making it look like a Grimm did it?"

"So, what you're suggesting is that they didn't know the experiment had succeeded and that they tried to cover it up?" Leo inquired.

"Stories of would-be-huntsmen celebrating with heavy drinks aft er being accepted into an Academy and being found dead in some Grimm infested wilderness is thankfully rare but sadly still not completely unheard of. The fact that his body was arranged to make him look like the latest member of that tragic statistic is proof that Salem doesn't know of the experiment's success. Therefore she will not waste any time searching for what she thinks is a pointless failed experiment, we on the other hand now have the chance to take something meant for evil and use it for good!" Ozpin passionately declared.

Many people have certain misconceptions about Arua with the most common of all of them being the idea that Aura is an automatic defense, this is horrifically false. The two very first things that huntsman-in-training are taught is that it needs to be manually activated in order to protect your body, the second thing they are taught is to exercise caution in all situations because the quickest and easiest way to take out a Huntsman is through a surprise attack. That is how Jaune found himself in his current situation, struck in the back by a Javelin that would have killed or gravely wounded anyone else and then crash landing with enough speed to kill anyone who would have survived the Javelin. However Jaune's unique condition made him a bit more resilient than others, but he was still rendered unconscious. His body was moving, but he was no longer in the driver's seat.

Meanwhile Weiss and Ruby were able to remain hidden but unable to tear their eyes away from the horrible sight. They had already seen Jaune tear the Javelin out of his back and through his chest which was gruesome enough on its own. However, it did not prepare them for the sickening cacophony of Crunching and Snapping as his broken bones pulled themselves back together, twisting the poor young man's body in terrifying and wholly unnatural manners until everything was back in place and he finally stopped moving entirely collapsing back down on the bloody dirt floor of the forest where he now laid blissfully unconscious. However both Ruby and Weiss found little comfort in that as the sudden stillness and silence were somehow even more nerve-wracking, but eventually, concern for her friend won out and Ruby got up and began to make her way to Jaune until Weiss grabbed her by the sleeves.

"What do you think you're doing!?" Weiss nearly shrieked. "That thing over there is dangerous and you just want to walk over and say hello?"

"That Thing is named Jaune and he needs our help!"

"Help? Help? Were you not paying attention? What we just saw wasn't natural, he is dangerous!"

"Look I'll admit that this was… freaky but, it could just be his Semblance."

"And what kind of Semblance could that be?"

"Rapid regeneration."

Weiss didn't know what to say, on one hand, Rapid Regeneration didn't sound like a real Semblance since if your Aura was working you wouldn't have any need to regenerate and if your Aura was gone you wouldn't be able to regenerate, but then again what about Summoning? Semblances were strange things that no one could explain how they worked or why they worked or how a small hand few were hereditary and the rest weren't. As much as the heiress hated admitting she was wrong, she had to admit that Ruby had a point so with a little hesitation, she let go of Ruby's sleeve and joined her partner in walking over to Jaune's unconscious form to check on him. Upon reaching him Weiss checked the spot on his back where the Javelin had pierced him and found to her surprise that the wound had already finished sealing itself up, though it was leaving a very visible scar, Perhaps Ruby was right, I may need to apologize to her later for my earlier attitude and I may have to apologize to Jaune as well.

"His aura is in the red, Weiss we have to take him with us."

Weiss turned to see Ruby on her scroll looking over Jaune,"How do you know his Aura is in the red?"

"I have an Aura scanner on my Scroll," she answered. "Either way, we can't leave him here, the Grimm might find him and they won't hesitate to finish the job. Now help me carry him." With that said Ruby took one of Jaune's arms over her shoulder and Weiss did the same but only after securing Pyrrha's Javelin to her waist.

Once they managed to get a comfortable grip they began carrying Jaune to safety, but as they were leaving Weiss couldn't help but wonder, Why did Pyrrha attack Jaune and what are we going to do if she finds us?

She didn't have to wonder for very long.

"Jaune, are you alright?"

Weiss and Ruby spun around and beheld the sight of Pyrrha emerging from some bushes while holding her shield but not her weapon which was all the proof Weiss needed to conclude that the weapon that struck Jaune did belong to the girl in front of them. Pyrrha looked around for a bit before spotting Weiss and Ruby and began walking towards them with a friendly smile but Weiss then dropped Jaune and pulled out her sword Myrtenaster and began forming glyphs. "Ruby take Jaune and leave now."

"What why?" Ruby asked, confused by Weiss's hostile actions towards Pyrrha.

"Because Pyrrha is the one who attacked Jaune!"

Pyrrha was flabbergasted "What! What do you mean I attacked him? Why would I ever attack him!?" Then she saw Jaune's body being carried by Ruby while Weiss had her weapon attached to her belt and she soon made the connection. Did I do that? Did I accidentally hit Jaune? "No!" Pyrrha nearly shouted, "I didn't mean to hurt him! I was trying to help him."

"Ungh…"

"Help him!? Help Him!? You threw a Javelin to help him!? Pyrrha Nikos, I can't believe that you would honestly think that I or anyone would actually fall for such an obvious lie! And to think I wanted to team up with you!" Weiss was nervous but she stood her ground against the champion and was ready to fight if it came down to it. But how can I beat her?

"Ungh…"

Noticing that Jaune was beginning to stir, Ruby gently placed him on the ground and used her Semblance to get in between the two, "Knock it off! Weiss! Jaune is waking up! If there is a reason for Pyrrha to want to attack Jaune then we will find out by asking him but if Pyrrha is telling the truth and it was an accident then we'll be the ones in trouble if we start a fight! Remember the Professors are Watching!"

"Grrrrr," something was approaching them.

"Weiss give me back my Javelin." Pyrrha was extending her hands towards Miló.

"What kind of fool do you take me for!"

"Grrrrrrrr," the growling was now coming from several directions and was closing in.

Ruby pulled out Crescent Rose, 'Weiss calm down and look around!"

They were surrounded by Grimm.

Author's Notes: Ungh, this chapter was surprisingly difficult to write. The worst part is that I'm not even completely sure why. Nevertheless, pure stubbornness allowed me to pull through, Huzzah! Also if you're wondering why Weiss is acting like this, it's because she was kind of a bitch at the beginning, frankly, it is surprising just how much all the characters have changed even as early as Vol 1.

Well, until next time!