chapter 1

Beacon Academy - Hallway Near Team JNPR's Room

Ruby Rose, in her usual stride, was moving through the halls of Beacon Academy. She was heading back to her team's room, thinking about weapons, training, and maybe even cookies. Her cape swished behind her as she walked, her steps light but purposeful. It was a peaceful day, the usual hustle of the academy quietly buzzing around her.

As she rounded the corner towards her team's dorm, she paused. Her keen eyes, trained on detail thanks to years of studying Crescent Rose, caught something unusual. The door to Team JNPR's room was slightly ajar. Normally, nothing to worry about, but this time, something felt off.

Her curiosity piqued, Ruby slowed down, moving almost silently. She peeked through the crack in the door and froze when she saw Jaune Arc, standing in front of a secret compartment in his team's room. Jaune was known for his straightforward demeanor, clumsy yet well-meaning attitude, and a lack of... well, secrets. But here he was, crouched over, looking intensely at something hidden behind a false panel in the wall.

Ruby's silver eyes widened as she saw the contents of the compartment.

First, she noticed the thick silver brass knuckles, gleaming ominously. They were bigger than anything she imagined Jaune using. As he carefully placed them inside the hidden storage, they gave off a faint electrical hum. Weapons that could deliver an electric shock. Ruby's thoughts raced.

Next, her gaze fell upon a grey, compact SMG, the kind she'd expect from someone a little more tactical, perhaps a stealth specialist. It had iron sights, nothing too fancy, but the gun clearly meant business. The label on the magazine indicated it was chambered for 10mm dust rounds. She couldn't imagine Jaune using something like this – it was lethal, efficient, far from his usual sword-and-shield style.

Ruby bit her lip, trying to keep her breathing steady as Jaune gently pulled out a white and gold double-barrel shotgun. The engraving along the barrel caught the light—a beautifully designed weapon. But it was built for power, for knocking enemies down in a single, devastating shot. It looked so out of place in Jaune's hands, yet he handled it with care, like he'd practiced before.

Her heart skipped a beat when Jaune retrieved two white 9mm pistols, each with long silencers attached. Stealth weapons. His fingers moved over them like he knew every part of their design. Ruby blinked in disbelief. Jaune was many things, but he wasn't an assassin or stealth specialist—at least not the Jaune she knew.

Before she could fully process it, Jaune pulled out something even stranger—golden throwing knives. They seemed to glimmer with a strange glow, and when Jaune slipped on a pair of gravity dust gloves, the knives moved unnaturally, coming back to him like they were tethered by invisible strings.

Ruby's thoughts tumbled over themselves. Gravity dust? Throwing knives? What is all this? Finally, Jaune revealed the last item—custom grenades. Ruby squinted, recognizing the telltale signs of nitroglycerin and fire dust built into the devices. These weren't standard grenades by any stretch. They were designed for maximum damage, the kind of explosive power that would take down more than just Grimm.

Ruby's heart pounded in her chest. What was Jaune doing with all this? Her first instinct was to step forward, to confront him and ask—but something stopped her. She didn't want to believe Jaune was up to anything wrong, but this stash of weapons spoke volumes.

Before she could make a decision, Jaune glanced at the door, his blue eyes narrowing. He hadn't seen her yet, but Ruby knew she had to move before he did.

As quietly as possible, she backed away from the door and into the hallway. Her heart raced, and her mind swirled with questions she wasn't sure she wanted answers to.

It wasn't the Jaune she knew. She had hurried away, but something inside her couldn't let it go. She had to know what was really going on.

After a few moments of pacing, Ruby found herself creeping back towards Team JNPR's room, her instincts taking over. Her eyes flicked left and right, making sure no one else was around. Silently, she leaned close to the door again. It was shut this time, but her keen ears caught the faint hum of a conversation inside.

She pressed herself against the wall, holding her breath, focusing on every word.

Inside, Jaune's voice sounded different—much more serious than she'd ever heard him.

"Jaune Arc, designation 'Krauser,' reporting in…"

Ruby's eyes widened in shock. Krauser? That wasn't a nickname she'd ever heard, and Jaune… military? She clapped her hand over her mouth to stay silent, her pulse quickening as she strained to hear more.

"Beacon Academy remains secure, Omega 1. No major threats have emerged this month..."

Her heart dropped. He wasn't just some student; he was part of something bigger. Military? Secret missions? Why had he never told anyone? Ruby peeked through a tiny crack in the door, just enough to see him, standing in front of his hidden weapons. His expression was serious—no trace of the goofy, awkward Jaune she'd grown to care about.

She continued listening, frozen by the weight of his words.

"I have begun to suspect the four transfer students from mistral, Specifically, Cinder Fall, Mercury Black, and Emerald Sustrai… The fourth member hasn't shown yet."

Ruby's mind raced. Cinder, Mercury, Emerald—they had always seemed... suspicious, but she hadn't realized how far Jaune had been digging into them. And now, a fourth member? Who could that be?

She leaned closer, hearing his voice drop lower, sharper. "They're here for more than just training... Conversations cut short, looks exchanged when no one's watching."

Ruby felt a chill run down her spine. She had noticed strange things about those three, but she hadn't pieced it together. Jaune was steps ahead, and apparently, he wasn't just looking out for Team JNPR—he had a mission.

"Requesting actions. Do I need to engage or investigate further?"

Her heart leaped into her throat. Engage? Investigate further? Ruby's fingers dug into her cloak as she fought the urge to burst in and confront him. She didn't understand any of this, and yet, everything was starting to make a twisted sort of sense.

There was a long pause as Jaune listened to his orders—orders from someone Ruby couldn't hear. Her hand gripped the doorframe, her body tense, waiting.

"Understood. Remaining on standby."

With those final words, Jaune's transmission ended, and the room fell silent. Ruby backed away from the door, her mind spinning. The person she thought she knew wasn't Jaune Arc—he was Krauser, a soldier with a mission, spying on students and reporting to some unknown force.

She didn't know whether to feel betrayed, angry, or scared. All she knew was that everything had just changed.