Jaune Arc made his way through the bustling halls of Beacon Academy, his thoughts still lingering on his earlier conversation with Glynda. The weight of Ironwood's fleet outside was a constant presence in the back of his mind, but he tried to push it aside. His main focus now was the Vytal Festival, the one event that could bring the kingdoms together. It was a time of celebration, a reminder of the peace they all worked so hard to maintain. It should have been a time of joy, but the military presence looming over them had cast a shadow on that.

Jaune rounded a corner and found himself face-to-face with Glynda. She stood just outside the door to one of the classrooms, a pensive look on her face.

"Glynda," Jaune greeted, offering a small smile.

She returned the smile but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Jaune," she replied, stepping forward. "I was just thinking about the upcoming Festival. I know we're supposed to be celebrating peace, but the presence of Ironwood's fleet makes me uneasy."

Jaune tried to offer some reassurance. "I'm sure everything will be fine. Ironwood might be a little… overbearing sometimes, but he's just trying to keep the peace. No harm in that, right?"

Glynda let out a soft sigh, her expression softening just a little. "I hope you're right. But there's a certain… heaviness in the air. We have to be careful not to make the wrong impression, especially with the Vytal Festival so close."

Jaune nodded, though his thoughts were clouded by a lingering unease. "It'll be fine. We'll figure it out."

Before they could discuss it further, Jaune's scroll buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw a message from Ruby.

"Hey, Jaune! We're back in the dorm. Can you grab our board game from the library? Thanks!"

Jaune groaned slightly, realizing that the board game was something he had completely forgotten about. He smiled apologetically at Glynda. "Looks like I have to go grab a board game for the team. I'll talk to you later."

Glynda smiled softly. "Go on. We'll discuss things later."

Jaune gave her a nod and a wave before turning on his heel and heading towards the library. As he walked, his mind returned to the conversation with Glynda and the looming uncertainty of the Vytal Festival. He could only hope that everything would go smoothly.

The library was quiet when Jaune entered, the soft rustling of pages and the faint hum of students studying filling the space. He found the board game quickly, grabbed it, and began heading back toward the dorms. The last thing on his mind was anything out of the ordinary, but as he approached the entrance to the dorm building, he was startled by a sudden collision.

"Whoa!" Jaune exclaimed, stumbling back slightly.

A young woman with mint-green hair looked up at him, her dark-red eyes wide in surprise. She stepped back, giving him a sheepish grin. "Sorry about that! Didn't see you there."

Jaune blinked in confusion. "No problem. Are you okay?"

She nodded quickly, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. "I'm fine. My name's Emerald. You must be Jaune, right?"

Jaune raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "Yeah, that's me. And you're from…?"

"I'm with the team from Haven Academy," Emerald explained, gesturing toward the two figures behind her. Jaune's attention was immediately drawn to them. The first was a young man with gray eyes and short, messy gray hair—Mercury Black. The second was a tall woman with silver hair and bright amber eyes—Cinder Fall.

"We're here for the Vytal Festival," Cinder spoke, her voice smooth but with an air of command. "We're new to Beacon and got a little lost. Ruby was kind enough to point us in the right direction."

Jaune smiled politely, though his gaze lingered on Mercury. There was something oddly familiar about the young man, something that sparked an unsettling feeling deep in Jaune's chest. He couldn't place it, but the more he looked at Mercury, the more he felt that he had seen him before. It was an instinctive feeling, like a memory trying to resurface.

"Ah, I see," Jaune said, shaking off the feeling for now. "Well, if you need anything, I'm around."

Cinder gave him a polite but distant smile. "Thank you, Jaune. We'll be fine. We'll see you around."

As they began to walk away, Jaune couldn't help but continue to watch Mercury, his mind reeling. There was something about him that was nagging at Jaune's memory, a flicker of a face he hadn't seen in years. He had to focus—it wasn't the time to dwell on it now.

But just as they disappeared around the corner, a flash of memory hit Jaune like a tidal wave. Marcus…

The name slammed into him with such force that he almost stumbled. His heart skipped a beat. Marcus Black.

Jaune's mind raced back to Mountain Glen. The team he had led, the friends he had fought alongside. He remembered Marcus—his old teammate who had died during the attack. Jaune had seen him fall, had been there when everything went wrong. It couldn't be—it wasn't possible.

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. The more he tried to push it away, the more the image of Mercury lingered in his mind. Could it really be him? Jaune had believed Marcus was gone for good, but the resemblance was undeniable. And yet, Jaune couldn't bring himself to entertain the idea. If Marcus had somehow survived… it didn't make sense. It couldn't make sense.

With a deep breath, Jaune forced himself to push the thoughts aside. There were more pressing matters at hand. But the feeling in his chest wouldn't go away. Something was off—something wasn't right.

He turned and made his way into the dorm building, still holding the board game, but the unease gnawing at him deep in his gut. He would have to keep an eye on these new students. There was no telling what kind of trouble they might bring with them.

And in the back of his mind, Jaune couldn't shake the feeling that the shadows of the past were closing in on him once again.