The giant cogs ticked dutifully in the grey-green, round office. Both high in the ceiling and deep inside the floor. The room was illuminated by sunlight, shining through the circular window which overlooked the Beacon Academy below. The massive clock outside showed it was late afternoon.

Glynda stood in front of the table, glancing at Ozpin sitting behind it. The gears inside the glass table continued turning while a few holograms were projected from the table surface. The bitter smell of his coffee permeated the room. He'd been looking at his tablet for the last ten minutes, replaying the footage repeatedly; the scene of Ruby dashing up a cliff with a Nevermore hooked on her scythe. She reached the top, slicing the giant raven's head off. Her cape flew with the wind as she gazed at her teammates below. While he'd not said anything, his focus was most certainly on Ruby's eyes.

He brushed his finger against the screen. "We have an excellent selection of students this year. She will be our key in this war."

"It has been a while since we found a Silver-Eyed Warrior," Glynda said.

"Yes, let us hope she will last longer than the last one." He sipped his coffee. "You have questions."

Her face twitched. She should've known she couldn't fool him.

She asked, "How did you know Jaune has such a high Aura capacity? There's nothing mentioned in his transcripts."

"It is quite simple. I can sense a person's Aura, dormant or otherwise."

"And you knew this without meeting him in person?"

"Have I not?" He smiled. "Though him pairing up with Pyrrha was a pleasant surprise. He will learn a lot from her."

The video changed. Pyrrha was fighting against a Death Stalker with her new teammates. The giant scorpion was a challenge, even for many qualified Huntsmen. But she remained calm and reacted adaptively. Not to mention, she hardly used her Semblance during the fight.

"Perhaps…" Glynda said. "It is a good thing we managed to attract her. I was worried Leonardo might fail."

Ozpin sighed. "He has been giving off that impression, yes. Nevertheless, we will train her to become a Maiden as planned."

She instinctively glanced at the hologram. Amber's vitals remained stable. Whenever she visited her, it seemed like she was sleeping behind the glass. But it couldn't be further from the truth. She might not have survived if not for Qrow's timely rescue. It was always a question of how long they could hide her. The discrepancy between official and actual energy usage was widening. The culprit responsible for Amber's condition was still at large. While she might've met them during the rooftop fight, Qrow's account was unreliable even when he was sober.

"Do you have other concerns about our students?" Ozpin asked without looking away from his tablet.

"Just one. Grayson Moore."

He chuckled. "Ah, yes. Our prodigy."

He played another footage. Grayson was jogging straight towards the temple. He kept his rifle low and his eyes forward. His expression was blank but determined. His new partner Ronald ran beside him, resting his greatsword on his shoulder. The branches not far from them snapped. Beneath the dense tree shadows, a group of Beowolves emerged.

Grayson knelt and aimed. "Beowolves. Right."

He burst-fired, and a few Beowolves collapsed, turning into ashes. Ronald leapt past him. Two slashes and two Grimm fell. He swung his sword again, sending an arc of lightning towards a distant Beowolf. It connected and cut it in half. But despite his efforts, one of them bypassed him and charged at Grayson. He lifted his gauntlet, shooting a jet of ice. Its legs froze, and a few shots in its skull later, it stopped moving altogether. After more quick slashes and well-placed shots, all the Beowolves perished.

Grayson swapped his magazine. "Ron, stay alert. Double time to the temple."

Ronald nodded and kept pace with Grayson. The film ended as they were about to grab the chess piece, the relic for this year's Initiation.

Ozpin smiled. "You are worried he is an Atlesian soldier."

She looked at him unamused. "I meant he had undergone their training. But James wouldn't do something like this."

"Agreed. Not to mention, it is too underhanded for him. Someone who has ties with the Atlesian military is behind this."

"Should we keep an eye on him?"

"Yes, and tell James about him. He might be able to shed some light on it."

She sighed. "To think he will be in the same team with Viewforth…"

He chuckled and put down his tablet. "Despite how he acts, I am confident he can be discreet. He can finish his tasks with flying colours if given the right incentives."

"But that's not why you accepted him, is it not? We already have someone in the first year. His Aura affinity might be impressive. But we can find plenty of people like him." She raised an eyebrow at him. "You didn't pick him because he was part of the White Fang, right?"

"Of course not. From what he has told us, his knowledge is outdated at best."

"Then, why him?"

Ozpin straightened his back. His expression turned sombre.

He said, "The reason why Amber hasn't recovered is because of her depleted Aura. We cannot transfer more Aura to her because most people don't have enough. Not even if we spend their entire life force. But if we can find someone with one of the largest Aura capacities I have seen, it would work. If they can sustain their Aura at will, even better."

Glynda widened her eyes in realisation; the transfer machine was never built for one-way use only.

"You mean…" Her voice trailed off.

"If Pyrrha dies, Jaune and Philip will be the backup."

She swallowed. Having a contingency was only natural, especially given the high stakes. But one question kept popping up in her mind. A question that she needed him to answer.

"Would they survive?"

Ozpin gazed at her. His face was unreadable. She wouldn't blame him if he were judging her.

"It may not come to that," he replied. "But let us not forget Salem will win if we don't consider all our options. We have to stop her at all costs."

She nodded and looked outside the window. So much conspiracy and tragedy were hidden beneath the tranquillity. So much depended on the chosen few. But she'd press on. It'd be a folly to do otherwise.

Ozpin sipped his coffee. His demeanour was as idyllic as the world outside.

He said, "This will be an interesting year."

Author's Notes:

After every five chapters, there will be a chapter focusing on a character outside Team GRPJ. It'll help enhance the plot and provide narratives from alternative perspectives.

Surprisingly or unsurprisingly, they only talked about Team GRPJ in my first draft. Then I realised my team wasn't that important yet.

I also added more world-building. I don't like having plot points pop up like a Kinder Surprise.

See you next week.