Published: 25 Dec 2024

"Okay, where am I now?" Jaune blinked in confusion as he looked at the dark mist that surrounded him, blocking anything and everything within 2 feet of his sight. Heck, he could barely see his own hand waving right in front of him. The last thing he recalled before falling unconscious was the Deathstalker charging at him, and then there was that weird vision and voice. And now he was in some weird place that was creeping him out.

"Oh come on, does this mean I am dead?! Did I exhaust myself too much with that attack? I haven't got a chance to get a girlfriend yet!" Jaune grabbed his head and let out a howl of disappointment. Damn it, to die as a virgin at seventeen was so pathetic even for him! He could almost hear his uncle and grandpa laughing their heads off at that!

His self-deprecating thoughts got interrupted as he listened carefully to his surroundings. Now that he was not moving his hands or head in agitation, he could hear joyful laughter in the distance. He looked around to find a clue with little success on account of the fog around him. "Hello, is someone there?"

The laughter got louder in response and before Jaune could react, ghostly figures of two children ran past him, totally ignorant of his presence. Then without warning, a bright light appeared from above, blowing away the mist and blinding him to the point of shutting his eyes and using his hands to shield them. It was a few seconds later that Jaune tried to open his eyes, only to find the landscape had changed completely.

He found himself on a small hill situated around the countryside of what looked to be in the outskirts of Vale, with small trees decorating different portions of the hill and a small stream that meandered down the hill. Flowers were in full bloom and he could see what appeared to be Dandelion seeds floating in the air, carried gently elsewhere in the breeze. He would have been mesmerized by the scenery if not for the sounds of children's laughter catching his attention, prompting him to turn around to find the source.

In the distance, there was a small church that seemed to serve as an orphanage for the children that were currently running around in high spirits, their smiles evident on their faces. Near the doors stood two individuals that looked on with happy faces. Jaune was thinking that he should try to call out to them when without warning, Jaune got teleported next to them, the suddenness causing him to yell out in surprise. He stumbled a little before steadying himself on his feet and finding himself trying to explain how he got there only to realize they apparently did not notice him.

"Excuse me, do you know where this place is?" Jaune frowned when they did not respond. He reached out to get their attention only to find his hand going through the shoulder of the guy. He let out a yelp and drew his hand back quickly, looking at it with slight disbelief. Slowly and surely, he attempted to touch the shoulder again only for it to fail. With a few deep breaths to steady his mind, he used the chance given to him to look at them up-close.

There was a woman with pale skin and long black hair that extended all the way to her hips. She wore a black-zipped vest that appeared to be straining to contain her rather sizable assets that he could not help thinking if she was actually bigger than Yang (making him slap himself for thinking that), a pair of black shorts that hugged her hips tightly while exposing her long legs for all to see, and dark military boots that paired well with the fingerless gloves she had. She had gentle features that reminded Jaune of Pyrrha in some ways, making him wonder if she was from Mistral, and she had eyes that glittered at the kids playing in front of them.

The man standing between her and Jaune was one with pale skin and long spiky hair that made Jaune question if it was natural or intentional with lots of hair gel, and blue eyes that shone with happiness at the children before him. He wore a high collar indigo shirt, black pants and dark boots that appeared to be steel-tipped, over which he had some type of dark robe covering his left leg that extended to his ankles. On his left side, one sole pauldron sat on his shoulder which held the dark cloth covering his entire left arm.

But what caught Jaune's eye were the weapons leaning against the wall, specifically a huge broadsword that had to be at least the same height as the guy, and one very familiar weapon next to it but in a more pristine condition without rust or age on it.

Crimson Blitz to be more precise.

"Okay, what exactly is going on here?" Jaune could not help muttering out loud as he looked about his general space. He was starting to wonder if he was dreaming or in some weird memory. His thoughts were interrupted by the woman who spoke out at that point.

["So peaceful."] The woman lightly pulled back a strand of hair that dangled in front of her eyes. [" I never thought we would be able to come out of the shelter so soon."]

The man nodded as he waved at one of the children. ["It has been a long time coming, but the war is coming to an end."]

["I hope so for all our sakes."] The woman let out a melancholy sigh. ["The kids miss you a lot. You almost missed a few birthdays."]

["I know. Not a day goes by without me thinking of them as well."] The man solemnly answered. He reminded Jaune of himself especially in regards to his little sisters, he always made sure to make time for them and would kick himself if he missed any.

["Could you not stay a little longer?"] The woman turned to him with a pained expression. ["You have done your missions, they should be giving you a longer break. Or for that matter, they should be releasing you by now. You have fulfilled your requirements a few months ago."]

["I want to, but I can't."] The man shook his head sadly. ["They need me on the front-lines. Despite our success, Mantle is pushing us too much and the council wants every able soldier available."]

["But they are only trying to save themselves!"] The woman answered in anguish. ["All the council care about is their own selfish goals and they cared less for their own people, let alone the children!"]

["What choice do I have?!"] The man remarked with a pained tone while keeping it quiet enough to not alert the children. ["They know about the orphanage, and they had tried to enlist the kids here. Hell they wanted to bring Hector into the army, and he is only ten! Enlisting is the only way I can get them to back off because they can't get anyone else with the type of Semblance I have. They also know that if I leave them or they try to force the kids, there is nothing else holding me back from dealing with them."]

["I hate this."] The woman folded her arms and rubbed her elbows as she looked down in sadness. ["Why won't they leave us alone?"] The man gave a forlorn chuckle.

["As you said, they are selfish bastards who would rather have the young lead the way and die while they procrastinate and hang on to their miserable fortunes."]

Jaune winced at the bite evident in that man's words. Whatever was going on, this was not a good conversation they were having. He recalled stories from his grandfather about the old days when it was common for children to be forcefully enlisted, but he did not think it could be this bad. The thought of his youngest sister being in such a scenario would have all the men in her life go absolute bonkers at anyone trying it.

["At least promise me one thing."] The woman placed a hand on the man's shoulder. ["Promise me that you will return safely. It is too much for me to ask that you stay unharmed, but I want the kids to be able to see you again. If not for me, do it for them."] With that, she moved away from him and towards the children, calling out to them to gather together. The man could only let out a tired sigh as he watched them gathering near the setting sun.

["That makes the two of us."]

Jaune was looking at the two, wondering how he could leave this odd place since this was obviously a private conversation that he should not have intruded upon when the landscape changed rapidly, returning to the dark mist that he started out from, only to have the man stay with him. As Jaune tried to figure out what was going on, the man turned to face him with a steady gaze and spoke.

["It's time for you to wake up, kid. It is not yet your time to see my whole history."]

And then the world went white.

~ooOOoo~

The first thing Jaune noted was the sheer aching of his body that felt like he got pushed around by Billy Corsol back in town. He opened his eyes briefly only to shut them tightly from the glare of the lights above him. It took him a while before his eyes adjusted to the lighting and he could slowly open his eyes to see a ceiling with white tiles above him. The scent of medicine and sanitizers clued him in on his location, and he further confirmed it with a turn of his head to find his left arm having one of those IV tubes that was connected to a water bag to give him fluids. Next to that, there was that heart monitor that showed his steady heartbeats and that odd item that he briefly remembered from the movies as some sort of blood pressure monitor. A little further down, he recognized some of the other initiates from earlier, each sporting some bandages on their limbs or head. But then he noted that they were behind a glass door, and judging from the injuries, they were likely in intensive care.

"Where am I?" Jaune coughed as he mumbled to himself, feeling the dryness of his throat and tasting socks in his mouth. "And did anyone catch the number of the Death Stalker that hit me?"

"To answer your first question, you are currently in the medical wing of Beacon." Jaune nearly felt the bones in his neck pop as he turned quickly to face the headmaster who was seated on his right and looking slightly amused at his reaction. "It has been 4 hours since your entry, Mister Arc. And I have to say, you are the first one to wake up from your ordeal in initiation this quickly. Others normally need a full day, maybe two at the worst. As for your second d question, the Death Stalker lost its plate number along with a majority of its head."

"Professor Ozpin! COGH!" Jaune sputtered before starting to cough again, his throat feeling abnormally dry. As he tried to contain the coughing, a cup of much needed appeared before him held by the headmaster.

"Better drink up." Ozpin smiled gently. Jaune nodded his thanks while taking huge gulps of it, letting out a relieved sigh at the end. "Better?"

"Yes, very much." Jaune answered before he frowned. "How did I end up here?"

"Miss Goodwitch had arrived shortly after your battle with the Death Stalker to bring you and your companions back to the academy. We had to cut the exams short due to the presence of the increased number of Grimm, it was unexpected to say the least." Ozpin frowned as he admitted that bit. That also jolted Jaune's memory and brought him back to the last moment of his fight.

"Crap, Pyrrha and the others!" Jaune almost shot off the bed with the heart monitor going off from his accelerated heart rate.

"They are fine, Mister Arc." Ozpin raised a hand to stop him from panicking as indicated by the rapid heartbeats. "They are exhausted and a little low on Aura. Miss Belladonna, Miss Schnee, Miss Rose and Miss Valkyrie are sporting some minor injuries, but none are life-threatening."

"Thank goodness." Jaune sunk his head back into the pillow. "Well it makes sense they won't get hurt so easily, they are definitely better than me in that aspect."

"Mister Arc, I would ask that you don't put yourself down in such a manner." Ozpin admonished in a slightly stern tone that made Jaune unconsciously stiffened in his bed. "No one could determine how the day would go, and quite frankly, the fact you survived the attacks of the Centipods and one ancient Deathstalker and came out with a few broken bones and some blood loss is considered quite a miracle."

"But they are still better fighters, I'm the one who got wrecked." Jaune tried to argue his case.

"Perhaps, but you were still the one who took out several Centipods and the giant Death Stalker on your own." Ozpin leaned back in his chair. "Of course, if you wish for reasons for your bad performance, that can be explained in different manners, like you having to fight a few times in short succession, the storm disrupting the ground, your Aura being the first to break after being unlocked for the first time in many years," Ozpin let loose a mischievous smirk at this point "and the skillset you displayed not being consistent with your supposed transcripts." Jaune's eyes went wide as the heart monitor started to beep loudly in response to his quickening heart rate.

Crap, he was not good enough!

He was going to get kicked out!

"Relax, Mister Arc. Have you forgotten about your uncle and grandfather telling me about your entry?" Ozpin actually let out an amused snort as he watched his reaction. "After all, it would not do me any good if you were to die on our watch." Jaune's heart rate slowed as he recalled how the two male figures in his life pulled some strings to get him to Beacon. His heart gained a warm feeling and he could not help the misty eyes he had at the thought of his two men risking their reputations to help him with his dream. He then paused as he considered what Ozpin said.

"Wait, if you knew, then why…"

"Why did I let you in, knowing the high possibility of your death and risking the loss of my reputation?" Ozpin filled his query. "Well for one thing, I was curious to say the least. I have heard plenty about your sisters, I know of your uncle who works part time at Atlas, your grandfather who is retired, and perhaps a couple of others from your town, yet I did not get much information on you. It was only because of your grandfather and your eldest sister Marianne that I even know about the Arc family having a son that was previously ill in childhood and has been trying to get into a Huntsman academy for some time."

"Well I guess you can thank my father for that." Jaune could not stop the amount of bitterness that came from his mouth nor the disappointment on his face as he was once again reminded of his lack of talent or faith from his parents. Something that Ozpin picked up and lightly prodded his leg with his cane to gain his attention.

"That may be the case, but that is not something to bring you down. Whatever your parents think is not up to them to decide about your future, it is yours to command and yours to uphold." Ozpin spoke in a manner that made Jaune wonder how old the headmaster truly was. "In any case, Marianne, your uncle and grandfather talked to me about you and your desire to be a huntsman. They even showed me some clips of your training."

Jaune's face did the impossible of having a downcast expression and his skin tone stuck between paling from despair and blushing from the possible embarrassment, made worse by the Chesire smile on Ozpin.

"Oh yes, it was rather entertaining to see you bumbling around." Ozpin chuckled lightly at Jaune's reactions as the teen grabbed his face to hide the shame. "I have never once seen anyone having to outrun a herd of pigs while covered in honey and juggling balls before." Jaune let out a groan as he recalled that particularly weird training session devised by his uncle.

"But it also showed me that you have an amount of potential in your body, and I must express my slight disbelief and disappointment towards your parents for withholding your training." Ozpin concluded.

"Well, they did not really have much expectations I'm me to begin with." Jaune said sullenly.

"Well then, it is a good thing that your grandfather approached me two years ago." Ozpin took a sip from the mug that Jaune only just noticed he had in his hand. "When he showed me your training regime and some clips of your training, I decided to go on a whim and invite you in."

"Wait, so it was on a whim?" Jaune asked with disbelief evident on his face, not sure if he ought to feel insulted by that.

"Well, as stated, part of it was my own personal interest." Ozpin crossed one leg and folded his fingers together as he looked at Jaune with a steady eye. "If you recall what I said at the opening speech, all of you who came here expect knowledge, prestige and guidance to be handed to you, but all I see is wasted potential not being utilized to the best extent. And from where I am sitting, you, Mister Arc, have the most potential that is being wasted by being stuck in the countryside."

"I do?" Jaune asked softly.

"Mister Arc, let me ask you something and you try to give me an honest answer. What separates you from the rest of the candidates?" Ozpin asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Erm, they got access to Aura in their childhood? They got way more awesome weaponry? Better lessons and allowed to go to Hunterman Primary Schools?" Jaune gave a few suggestions.

"All true to some extent, but the last one is the closest. To be more precise, all of the students have had training since young, as early as eight, whereas you had to undergo the journeyman method around twelve years old. A fair bit older than most candidates, and more so without Aura. Yet you are actually able to keep up quite well if not a bit clumsily." Ozpin looked at Jaune with a steady eye, and the odd light in his eyes made Jaune aware of his suddenly dry throat.

"The way I see it, Mister Arc, you can keep up with the others if you have a proper teacher to help you when you need it as proven by your relations despite the irregularity. That is why I am hanging on to you. I will see if I can divert some training to your spare time." Ozpin said while placing aside his mug. "It will be tough, but I believe you can do it."

"But…" Jaune tried to dissuade him only for Ozpin to hold up a finger.

"You persevered through your own strength, survived the initiation and helped others to victory against the Grimm in the forest." Ozpin replied with a slightly proud tone. "Congratulations Mister Arc, you have earned your place in Beacon." Jaune could only stare at him with an odd warmth inside of him. Thus far only his sisters, his grandfather and uncle were the ones who supported his dream. Nobody else believed in it, and it hurt that his parents were at the forefront of that. But to have the headmaster of Beacon actually doing this of his own free will and acknowledging his efforts, it was something he would never dreamed of hearing, let alone attaining.

"Thank you." Jaune choked lightly as small tears dropped from his eyes. "Oh crap, my eyes are leaking."

"It is all right, Mister Arc." Ozpin handed him the tissue box for him to clean out his eyes. "I want to see your potential, Mister Arc. Put in your best so that you can show your parents what they are missing out. But clearly, I am going to have some words with your parents for this matter." The tone in his words made it clear to Jaune that there was going to be more than words to be used in the future conversations.

"Now I'm sorry to ask this of you since you are still recovering, but can you tell me about your little adventure with Miss Nikos regarding the catacomb?" It took a while for Jaune to process what he said in his current state, but he was able to get it in the end.

"Oh that, I guess she told you about our adventure in the cave and catacombs?"

"Oh she did, right after a solid hour of yelling at us." Ozpin raised an eyebrow in slight amusement. "She was really insistent on being here with you after we brought you into the operating room to confirm your condition, and I am man enough to admit that I almost felt threatened by her actions. We managed to convince her that you were in safe hands, only then did she relay the information."

"Oops~" Jaune raised his hand to scratch the back of his head. "I hope she is not in too much trouble."

"Oh, she is fine. We are more or less used to students wanting to force their way into the hospital wing to check on their teammates. You should feel happy that she was that concerned for you." Ozpin chuckled at the memory of the young woman's actions and the sight of the young man before him blushing at the notion.

Oh to be young again.

"So as it stands, we have her side of the story, but I would like to know yours." Ozpin spoke as he took out a scroll to record the session. "Whenever you are ready." Jaune took a moment to gather his thoughts, then with a quick sip of water, started to describe how he and Pyrrha got into the catacombs and encountered the Grimm that Ozipin called Centipods, pointing out their supposed strengths and weaknesses, and threw in a comment or two regarding their behavior patterns. He then described the catacomb, and the large number of skeletons laying there.

"This is quite informative, but it is also rather troubling to hear about that particular species near Beacon." Ozpin spoke after Jaune finished the story. "Much so in such numbers."

"Is it really bad, professor?" Jaune asked in concern. Ozpin looked at him over his cup before answering.

"I will admit that it is a little unnerving to learn about a nest of Centipods this close to the capital of Vale, let alone Beacon, since they are not native to Vale. They are more commonly found around the fringes of Vacuo where the smaller towns are located. While individually they are more of a pest, in larger numbers, they can potentially overwhelm teams." Ozpin noted the young man's expression and went to reassure him. "But this can be quickly remedied. As we speak, your future history professor, Doctor Oobleck, is assembling some third and fourth-year teams to flush them out, after which he can examine the catacombs where you and Miss Nikos had fallen into."

"Ah, I hope they can clear them out." Jaune shuddered at the memory of the bugs and unconsciously rubbed his arms to rid himself of the goosebumps. "I really want to sleep without having them in my dreams. They were absolute nightmares in the catacombs."

"Funny you should mention that, Centipods are often considered creatures from nightmares in the old days." Ozpin chuckled at his response. "Which reminds me, Miss Nikos commented you have attained a weapon from there."

"Ah yes, Crimson Blitz." Jaune nodded his reply. "That guy saved my butt when I briefly lost track of Crocea Mors down there. It sliced through the Grimm like butter."

"Yes, quite an interesting weapon. It is quite uncommon to find one that is still in decent condition to cut through Grimm armor." Ozpin remarked before chuckling lightly. "Miss Rose was quite adamant to study it while you are recuperating. Glyndia had to get it out of her hands after she cut herself one too many times, and she gave quite arguably the most devastated expression a little girl could give when denied access to the weapon." Jaune had to hold back a loud laugh at the image of Ruby pouting with big wide eyes as Glyndia took away a toy in the form of a small Crimson Blitz.

"That would be a very devastating attack." Jaune managed to speak with a straight face.

"Indeed. I can see her getting her way with that expression. I pity her father at this point." Ozpin looked at his scroll and hummed. "Well I best not to keep you up too long. Madam Pomfrey would have my head if I made your recovery longer than needed." His expression prompted him to continue. "Madam Poppy Pomfrey is the head nurse of the hospital wing, and she is not to be trifled with. I may be the headmaster, but here, her word is law, and I learned very quickly not to argue too much with her." Ozpin gave a shudder and Jaune had to wonder how scary was this lady to make the headmaster this scared.

"A piece of news for you before I leave you. You should be able to leave the hospital once the nurse has given you a clean bill of health, but you are likely to have at least a couple of days to relax and recover your strength since it is coming to the weekend, and we would need to clear out the catacomb and sweep the forest for more hiding spots, and that will push back some lessons. Best to use the time to replenish whatever supplies you need to maintain your equipment and other necessities." Ozpin told Jaune who nodded. The headmaster started to walk to the entrance when Jaune remembered something.

"Professor Ozpin." Jaune called out to him who turned at his call. "What of the initiation exams? What are my results?"

"Ah yes, thank you for reminding me." Ozpin cleared his throat and straightened his back as he looked to Jaune with an expression that spoke of him giving an important announcement. "Jaune Arc, you have successfully obtained the White Rook Piece alongside Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos and Nora Valkyrie. From this day onward, you will work together as Team JNPR (Juniper)." He paused before dropping the bomb on him. "The team leader will be Jaune Arc."

Jaune gaped at him with wide eyes and open mouth while gesturing with a shaking hand at himself. "Team Leader?"

"Again, congratulations young man." Ozpin smiled and nodded at him. "Well, without further ado, I shall take my leave and let your friends know you are well." He walked out of the door, leaving Jaune alone with his thoughts and revelation that he was made leader of a team. He was just thinking of coasting through the initiation, but now he had survived it and proven himself to the headmaster that he belonged.

He had done it! He had taken his first steps to become an actual Huntsman!

The sound of the door opening broke his thoughts and directed his attention to the group of people that entered through and spotted him awake.

"Jaune!" Ruby rushed forward and launched herself at him, followed shortly by Nora who practically leaped into the air and tackled the both of them at once, forcing the three of them off his bed.

"OOF!" Jaune groaned as his back hit the ground hard and he started to see double.

"Ruby! Nora!" Weiss and Ren came forward to grab their respective partners while Pyrrha went with deep concern to help him up from the ground.

"Well Lady Killer, you are back from the dead." Yang gave a mischievous grin at him. "And you have passed the initiation with us. I guess you have an 'Arc-cellant' day, right guys?" The others let out a painful groan while Jaune snickered at her pun. "See, someone does appreciate my puns!"

"Please spare us the agony~" Weiss grumbled as she palmed her face.

"It is great that you are up, now I can ask you this!" Ruby pointed a finger at Jaune with a serious expression marred with the cuteness of her actions. "Let me see Crimson Blitz, I want to know everything about it!"

"Err, sure… If I know where it is?" Jaune said as he only just realized that everyone else had their weapons. His answer came when Pyrrha stepped forward to present him both of his weapons.

"I held on to them while you were here. Figured you might want them back." Pyrrha offered a smile as she stretched her arms out. Jaune thanked her as he took Crocea Mors and Crimson Blitz from her and laid them across his lap.

"Here you go Ruby, but please be very careful." Jaune gave her his patented 'Big Brother' look. "This blade is really sharp despite its age, and I can tell you have cut yourself a lot recently." Ruby let out a squeak and tried to hide her hands that sported some bandages.

"Please tell her that. She does not listen to me." Yang also directed a half-serious glare at Ruby. "The nurse was going nuts at her for every cut she gained from touching that weapon."

"It's not my fault~ I just want to know why it is in such good condition from the catacomb, and how Jaune did the big attack on the Death Stalker!" Ruby tried to give her reasons while waving her hands.

"She does have a point!" Nora got real close to Jaune, making him blush lightly and Pyrrha to frown at her. "How did you do it, Fearless Leader?"

"Erm…" Jaune looked to the others while scratching his head. "Would you believe me if I told you I had absolutely no idea how that happened?"

"Jaune, tell us!" Nora and Ruby jumped at him with wide eyes, making him think one more thought.

'I have to deal with my sisters' equivalents in Beacon, this is going to be painful!'

~ooOOoo~

Ozpin let out a chuckle as he watched through the glass Jaune Arc getting tackled by Ruby Rose and Nora Valkyrie again while the others smiled or laughed at their situation, or in Weiss Schnee's case, looked away with a disgruntled expression. He could tell that the fight has gotten most of them closer to one another, and from what he could see, these two teams would likely be a force to be reckoned with.

Especially with the Queen coming up.

"Ozpin." He turned to find his stern headmistress looking at him with slight disapproval. "I understand that you want to humor your friends and give the boy a chance, but I am still against the idea of letting him go against the Grimm at this point in time. Yes, he may have undergone journeyman training from his older sisters and his grandfather, but he has not faced Grimm until this initiation exam. This is too reckless."

"And that is why we have him here, to give the necessary training to survive." Ozpin countered smoothly as he began to walk down the corridor with her following suit. "You may recall that he was able to coordinate Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie to destroy the Centipods, which I might add are creatures that need at least three A-Rank Teams to handle in larger numbers. And he was able to stall the Death Stalker enough for Team RWBY to come after and helped to remove its effectiveness, and of course let's not forget that he was able to kill it off with one move."

"Yes, and it is in regards to that last part that I am still reluctant to have him here." Glyndia pressed on with her argument. "I have gone through the records, there is no recorded evidence of anyone in his family who could perform that move, and what little Pyrrha Nikos has told us, I am not certain that he is totally in control of his recently released Aura. Who knows what would happen if he were to unleash that attack on the campus?"

"That is true, which is why I am leaving you to decide the best course of lessons to aid him in." Ozpin gave her that smile that made her want to smack it off with her riding crop. "He has some basic training thanks to his family, and has some decent handling with the fundamentals thanks to his grandfather. I trust you can help him to refine his technique and his aura control."

"Fine~" Glyndia massaged her temple while letting out a resigned sigh. It was tough being the only teacher who had to keep strict discipline among a group of teachers that wanted to bend or ignore every rule in the book, but she could see where Ozpin was going with Jaune Arc. The teen was unusually quick on his feet when driven and displayed some talent in tactics, particularly ones that were made on the spot, which was quite commendable. And what little she had seen, she had to agree with his sentiment regarding his parent's reluctance to give him any training.

By the Maidens and Oum, he did not have his Aura unlocked in the first place! Bloody Aurivelle and his old school of hard knocks!

"Moving on, is Oobleck ready for the search and extermination?" Ozpin asked as they reached the elevator.

"Yes, and we have two extra teams on standby." Glyndia displayed the information on her data-pad. "Team CVFY and Team RSNE have returned from their missions earlier than expected, so they are prepared to help once they replenished their supplies and fixed their equipment. Peter is also joining them to ensure they could handle the Grimm thanks to the descriptions by Miss Nikos. We should be able to move out within the hour."

"Hmm, I suppose we would need to postpone more lessons further back depending on the numbers we find in the forest." Ozpin remarked. They paused as the doors opened to let them in and the elevator started to go down.

"Considering the possible threat and the discovery of this catacomb, it might be worth the few extra days to make sure the Grimm are cleared out. And there is a high possibility that the catacomb could lead to a possible burial site that was built before Beacon." Glyndia spoke as she checked her information. "For all we know, there may be more of such things scattered about. If Mister Arc and Miss Nikos are telling the truth, there are likely some artifacts down there that could be valuable and should be in a museum."

"Excellent." Ozpin nodded as he pondered on his discussion with Pyrrha and Jaune. "We need to secure this catacomb and clear out the Centipods and other potential ancient Grimm in the area."

"I must admit, if it was not for both Mister Arc's and Miss Nikos's testimonies, and the security footage, I would have dismissed them as being stressed and delusional." Miss Glyndia commented as the elevator chimed and the doors opened to let them out. "Centipods were - well, are - not native to Vale or Atlas, not to mention they haven't been seen for the past couple of centuries."

"Indeed, and what troubles me is the sheer number that was hidden from us." Ozpin frowned lightly as he recalled the number of Grimm Team JNPR had to face. "A few of them were quite old based on their size and armor, it is possible that one had arrived many years ago and laid their eggs before dying off."

"But that would not account for such large numbers, they would have died off from starvation if they had been in the catacombs this long. Not to mention we would have noticed the drop in animals in the area." Glyndia pointed out that error. Ozpin shrugged and conceded her point.

"Well at the least, Oobleck and Peter are going to have a field day with this." Glyndia gave a rather undignified snort before giving a quick look-around to check for students, slightly embarrassed at her reaction.

"You know those two. Oobleck is going to be in heaven examining the potential ruins, and Peter will probably use this for his next lesson." Glyndia said as she used her riding crop to straighten her spectacles. "Maybe throw in some fire sprouting from the ground and lightning from the sky." At that, it was Ozpin's turn to snort.

"Perhaps for dramatic flair, let him lose his clothes and fight thousands of Centipods naked for hours on end." The both of them paused and shuddered at that mental image. Not something to be enjoyed, and for that the headmaster earned a hard smack on the head from Glyndia's riding crop.

As they made their way to the main building with the sounds of Glyndia's sputtering and grumbling from Ozpin's horrible suggestion, Ozpin inwardly thought of his conversation with Jaune and one other tidbit of information in the form of the secondary weapon Jaune had obtained from the catacomb.

There was one more reason that Ozpin decided to take in Jaune, and this was only after the initiation when he was brought to the hospital. When he spotted the weapon in the hands of Ruby Rose, he had to pause for a moment to make sure he was not having issues with his sight. He could sense the power radiating from it, and more importantly, the soul residing inside. And when the little reaper handed the weapon to Jaune, he could hear the resonance from the contact, how it seemed to bond seamlessly to his Aura.

In his long years, there had been only one such occurrence in the past, and now he was witnessing history repeating itself.

'The fates have something planned for Jaune Arc, what it is will likely have an impact on the future.' Ozpin thought as he walked to his office. It was for that and the favors of his uncle that Ozpin decided to bring Jaune under his wing, and he would make sure that Jaune had the right training to survive the coming war.

With the initiation over, Ozpin now had all the necessary pieces in place.

He had Pyrrha Nikos as preparation for the Maiden Transfer should Amber fall prematurely.

He had Ruby Rose for her Silver Eyes and training by Qrow.

He had Yang Xiao Long for her raw fighting prowess and connections to Qrow, Taiyang and her absent mother.

He had Blake Belladonna as a possible source of inside information for the terrorist group, the White Fang.

He had Weiss Schnee for a possible lead in Atlas and her family company.

He had sprouting talent in Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie.

And finally, he had Jaune Arc, a proverbial wild card with a knack for tactics, possible growth and something that needed monitoring.

The pieces were set on the chessboard.

The Queen had made the first move in attacking the Fall Maiden

Time for him to make the next move.

~ooOOoo~

Despite the recent forays into the different parts of the four kingdoms, there were still pockets of places that remained unmarked on maps. Mostly because people have never ventured there before, but there were also instances where certain locations were kept hidden to avoid prying eyes.

In the case of the Land of Darkness, once the domain of the God of Darkness, it's location was hidden to the combination of reasons, mostly because instinctively, this was a place that humanity avoided at all costs, feeling the dreads of dark energy that tugged at their subconscious and hinted the evil in their hearts. It was not a place for regular people to stay in, and certainly not for the faint-hearted.

It was a very dreary place to say the least, being a barren wasteland with rocky terrain and enormous Gravity Dust crystals sprouting from the ground that made some of the looser rocks float about almost eerily in the air around them. The sky was a dark crimson like it was stained with that of blood, and the dark clouds that could be seen only made it more pronounced. Combined with the broken moon that peaked at one of the more intact mountains, and one could be forgiven for wanting to leave quickly from the place that gave the vibes of a horror story brought to life from the depths of nightmares, especially when one realized the pools of dark liquid that gave birth to the monsters that plagued the world named Remnant, and the castle built near them. It shared the same color scheme as the area around it with the shades of violets, purples, reddish sky and black for shadows. The outside of the castle could not be described well, but it certainly looked impressive with its height and how it jutted out of the ground like that of a jagged bone out of skin, a morbid thought to anyone seeing it.

It was here, inside the Throne Room that overlooked the pools and the landscape, that one would find a certain individual looking outside with a thought. A woman who could be considered beautiful even with the deathly pallor of skin, and jet black eyes that appeared to suck the light from anything near her, but the cold air she had around her and the feeling of danger she gave off would be sufficient to deter many away from her. She had bleached, almost pale white hair that was done into a large bun with six offshoots wrapped together that also suspends several obsidian-colored ornaments. What little that could be seen from her face and the arms that peeked out from the long sleeved, form-fitting dress would show dark purple veins that line her face and arms, and what appeared to be a black diamond-shaped marking in the center of her forehead.

This was Salem, the "Queen" of the Dark Lands, the Witch that could control Grimm, the Harbinger of Humanity's Downfall in the past.

And right now, she was pondering something.

She knew at this point in time, Ozpin, her long time foe, had begun the next intake of potential candidates to be Huntsmen in training, and was also trying to find her subordinate who attacked the Fall Maiden and stolen half of her Maiden powers. She also knew his methods enough that he would likely attempt to find a female candidate among the students in his precious academy to receive the remaining powers just to ensure her subordinate could not get the rest.

Salem however was not thinking of that. Rather she was thinking of the feeling she got a few hours earlier.

As someone who could control the Grimm, she held a small connection to the dark creatures, acting like the Queen of a hive mind, and it was helpful when she wanted to keep an eye out on certain matters occurring in and about the Four Kingdoms. Through them, she could learn who were the power players in certain places, who were the spies and who could be a thorn in her side. Very helpful with her fights with Ozpin.

But earlier, something had agitated the Grimm in Vale that prompted her to go through the minds of her creatures, and she felt their agitation and unusually enough, their fears. She strengthened her connection with them for a while to see whom they were facing, noting the latest batch of huntsmen ready to be sent out to the world for the slaughter and the "glory" of saving humanity. She could not find what had made them so until her connection got removed harshly from someone attacking the ancient Death Stalker that had been in Vale for many centuries.

For a brief moment before the connection got cut, she saw through the eyes of the Grimm that got killed. She saw a young man wielding a red sword that screamed at her senses, and what appeared to be a shadowy figure appearing behind and partially overlapping his figure, with bright eyes appearing through the shadows. And she knew the feeling that came from the attack.

An attack made from Aura, and what felt like Magic.

The last she recalled, magic was strictly hers, the Maidens, Ozpin, and the few artifacts left in the world.

So what did that make the boy?

Salem had a love-hate situation when it came to unknown variables thrown into her plans. On the one hand, they throw some minor bouts of excitement in her long life to make things interesting. On the other hand, they can be spanners that could throw her plans into disarray.

She would need to keep an eye out for this boy. She could not afford to have her plans to call forth the Brother Gods derailed at this point.

Author's Notes:

A (relatively) new chapter for the rewrite. Happy Christmas!