3rd Person POV
Beacon
"So, what's next for today?" Sincline asked as he, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang exited the library and made their way down one of the many corridors of Beacon, Sincline running a program to map the area in the background while he looked over the new information he had about Remnant.
Ruby bit her lip, tapping her chin and thinking. "Well... we don't have any classes for a few days, and we already got some food..." she frowned, thinking... then snapped her fingers, an excited gleam in her eyes. "I know! We could introduce you to Team JNPR!"
Weiss sighed, and Sincline blinked, not sure who this 'Team JNPR' was. "Ruby, I already told you: they're not going to get here until-"
A loud roar cut her off, and all five turned toward the window as a large Bullhead flew past, a gust of wind following in its wake as a dark shadow tracked its movement. Several seconds later, Weiss's scroll rang, and she pulled it out to find a text.
"..."
"Let me guess... they're here?" Blake asked in amusement, taking note of the astonished/exasperated look on Weiss's face. Sincline's shoulders shook as he tried to hold back a laugh of his own. Her face was pretty funny.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Ruby asked and disappeared in a burst of rose petals, the only sign of her passage being the gust of red that streaked down the hallway and out of sight.
"...does she do that a lot?" Sincline asked, glancing at the other girls uncertainly.
All three of them sighed.
"Yeah, pretty much," Yang muttered and jogged after Ruby, the others following with Sincline bringing up the rear, his thoughts flashing once again to Ruby. It looks like her semblance is some kind of molecular teleportation, he thought. At first, he had thought it was speed... until he noticed the way her body seemed to shatter into rose petals seconds before she moved. She might even be faster than me... huh.
"So... those Grimm I fought when I first got here," he started, trying to spark some conversation and hopefully give Yang less reason to kill him. "What kind were they?" Easy enough question, he thought. I know mutual trust is going to take a while....
"Well, you remember the Grimm that looked like wolves?" Blake asked, glancing at him as they made their way down the stairs. "Those were Beowolves, low-level Grimm. Those bears? They were Ursa, same level as Beowolves."
Sincline nodded, sifting through the new information and rearranging it in his database. "What about the birds? And the scorpions?"
"The birds were Nevermores," Weiss explained as they exited the stairway and made their way into the main courtyard. "They appear in a variety of sizes, but most are usually bigger than a building and classified accordingly. As for the scorpions... they're called Deathstalkers, high-class Grimm."
Sincline nodded again, mulling over the new information. "I'm going to be honest... most of those names make sense except for the Nevermores.
Yang shrugged. "Is what it is," she replied, her tone half-guarded as she glanced at him. "Honestly, a lot of the other Grimm names don't make sense either, so..." she spread her hands in a 'what can I do' motion. "Welcome to Remnant."
"Guys, come on!" a familiar voice shouted, and the four of them looked up to find Ruby standing at the edge of the airstrip, waving. "They're almost here!"
Sure enough, a large Bullhead was slowly curving around to land at the end of the long airstrip, the hum of the engines sending a shiver through the stone beneath Sincline's boots. With a hiss, the metallic doors opened, and four people exited the vehicle.
The first was a tall young man with blond hair and dark-blue eyes. Clad in blue jeans, he wore a black, short-sleeved hoodie with detached reddish-orange sleeves. On top of that, he wore a white chest plate trimmed with gold lining that covered his upper abdomen and similar bracers on his arms. Additionally, he wore black gloves with gold-colored metal plates over his fingers and a red sash around his waist covered by a single brown belt with a sword sheathed at his side.
The second was a young woman with orange hair and turquoise eyes. She had pink eyeshadow at the far upper corners of her eyes and a white sleeveless turtleneck covering her top with a heart cut-out. She also wore an open cropped, short-sleeved navy bomber jacket with a pink, heart-shaped emblem on the back and pink stripes along the sleeves. She also wore a pleated pink skirt above a set of pink, knee-high socks and white calf-length boots with pink laces and black heels.
The third newcomer definitely caught Sincline's attention. Almost as tall as he was, she had red hair worn in a waist-length ponytail that was curled slightly into a loose ringlet. She also wore light-green eyeshadow around the upper corners of her green eyes and had a brown overbust corset with a vertical strap of lighter brown in the center. Additionally, she wore an elastic, black miniskirt and brown opera-length gloves on both arms. At her hip, she wore a circular plate with two pouches connected to a belt over a red ankle-length sash wrapped around her skirt. On her upper arm, she had a bronze bracelet, and a brown circlet adorned with a pair of small, green, teardrop-shaped emeralds on thin chains rested on her hair. Elaborate bronze greaves starting mid-thigh that continued down into her brown high-heeled boots and a bronze bracer adorned the sleeve of her left arm.
The fourth was a young man with long black hair and a magenta streak on the left side. He had eyes colored like the streak in his hair and had a long, sleeveless green tailcoat with black and silver trimming. Underneath, he wore a black, sleeveless turtleneck with red, tasseled ropes over the hips and tan pants that merged with calf-high open-toed sandals. From his middle finger to his biceps, he wore gradient pink-to-black detached sleeves that ended in metal armbands.
"Hi, Jaune!" Ruby called, waving at the blond-haired teen as Sincline and the rest of Team RWBY joined her.
"Hey, Ruby," Jaune replied, greeting her with a smile and a hug as the other members of his team followed him. "Nice to see you again." He smiled at Weiss, but she just rolled her eyes.
"Hello again," the red-haired girl greeted with a warm, kind smile and a wave. "Sorry for the long wait. We got held up in a storm over Vacuo."
"Yeah, we heard about that," Weiss acknowledged. "Practically everyone was talking about it."
"You should have seen Jaune's face," the orange-haired girl gushed, talking so fast that Sincline was surprised her jaw didn't fall off. "There were so many colors!"
Jaune huffed, crossing his arms and turning away. "I don't fly well, alright?" he mumbled. "Motion sickness is a real problem you know."
Yang smirked. "Airsick again, Vomit Boy?" she teased, causing Jaune to hang his head in defeat.
"Yay, we're doing nickname throwbacks now," he grumbled. "Wonderful." Why did I have to throw up near her during first semester? he wondered. Talk about instant regrets.
"So... who's the new guy?" the orange-haired girl asked curiously, somehow now standing at Sincline's side and poking his cheek curiously.
What the-can all of these people do that? Sincline wondered, edging away from her. At first, he had thought the ability to teleport was just his and Ruby's... well, she had her own version but still....
"Oh, yeah, guys, this is Sincline!" Ruby said happily, grabbing him by the wrist and yanking the mech-turned-human to stand beside her and away from the orange-haired girl. "He's our newest team member."
All four members of Team JNPR blinked in surprise, staring at Ruby in confusion. "I thought we were only allowed to have four members per team," the black-haired Huntsman asked in confusion.
The four girls exchanged looks. "Sincline is an... exception," Blake answered carefully, unsure if Sincline wanted his origins known or not.
Sincline blinked, and the orange-haired girl was in his face once more, causing him to stumble back in surprise. Seriously? Again?! Now he really had seen everything.
"Hi, I'm Nora, how are you, why are your eyes all glowy, hey do you have any weapons, I've got a grenade launcher and a hammer, want to be friends?" she asked excitedly.
Sincline blinked, unsure how to answer the firestorm of questions she just launched at him. "Umm..."
"Sorry about her," the black-haired Huntsman apologized, pulling Nora back by the collar of her jacket. "She's always like this."
Sincline tilted his head. "Always?"
"Always," he affirmed, his face ashen as he stared down at his boots.
An awkward silence followed that statement, and Sincline could have sworn he saw a tumbleweed roll by. What the... well, that just happened. Is meeting new people always this awkward?
Jaune coughed into his fist, breaking the silence. "So... anyway, my name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it," he introduced.
Sincline blinked, then glanced at Team RWBY questioningly.
"We don't," Weiss deadpanned, and Jaune pouted while Sincline nodded. They are girls, so I guess they'd know better than Jaune would, he thought.
"Jaune's... introduction aside, I'm Ren," the black-haired Huntsman introduced, nodding at Sincline politely. "You've already met Nora-"
"Hiya!" Nora grinned, and Sincline edged backward ever so slightly, feeling a strange urge to guard his legs.
"And this is Pyrrha," Ren finished, gesturing toward the red-haired girl as she waved, giving Sincline a nice smile.
"Hello again."
Sincline waved back, and Nora spoke up. "So, Sincline, where're you from?" she asked eagerly.
"The second ship is complete and ready for testing. The sentries are just making some final adjustments."
"Excellent."
"60% of the comet's material has been used in the production of the first two ships, My Lord. We will have more than enough for the creation of the third."
"Well done, Acxa."
Sincline shook his head, dispelling the flashback as he glanced at Ruby for help. She shrugged, her silent reply clear as day. What can I do? "I'm... not exactly from around here," he replied, turning his gaze back to Nora.
She gasped, eyes widening in awe. "Like... an alien?! That's so cool! Do you have a spaceship? Can I fly?!"
Ren snorted. "Nora, I doubt he's an alien or that he has a spaceship."
Sincline and the others sweatdropped. How the Hell did she guess that? "Er, right," Ruby laughed nervously, glancing at Sincline as Yang and Weiss did the same. "Yeah, he's totally not an alien. Nope. Just a regular... guy."
A long, awkward silence fell over the group, and Sincline swatted another tumbleweed away as it drifted toward his face. Why are there so many of these? he wondered.
"So... what do you guys want to do today?" Nora asked curiously, hands behind her head.
Sincline and Team RWBY exchanged looks. "Well, we do have Sincline's initiation later today," Weiss mused, recalling the message Ozpin had sent them over their scrolls... Ruby had to tell Sincline since he didn't have one.
Jaune blinked, surprised. "Wait, they're having you do it on your own?" he asked.
Sincline shrugged. "Since I'm joining late, they're going to have me take a 'unique' initiation that they have for latecomers. Not sure what it is, but... well, I don't really have any other options."
"Just wait till you see him fight," Ruby gushed, practically bouncing up and down with excitement. "It's going to be amazing just like when we met him. He was all like-"
Yang quickly slapped a hand over her mouth, wrapping an arm around Ruby's shoulders as she did so. "You'll see later," she assured, winking. "Trust me, you'll be impressed."
Sincline glanced at her, surprised. I thought she didn't like me. For Sincline, it was official: The girls on Remnant made absolutely no sense whatsoever. Shaking his head, he turned his gaze to Pyrrha, head tilted ever so slightly. "No offense... but are you some kind of famous fighter or something?" he asked curiously. Something about Pyrrha... she caried herself with a confidence he's only seen in his former pilot.
She blinked, surprised. "You... don't know who I am?" she asked, confused... and slightly hopeful?
Sincline shook his head. "Not a clue."
"See?!" Jaune proclaimed. "I knew I wasn't the only one!"
Weiss huffed, shaking her head and sighing. "There will be no living with him after this," she muttered before speaking up: "Actually, Sincline, Pyrrha graduated top of her class at Sanctum. She's also won the Mistral Regional Tournament four years in a row, which is a new record."
Sincline blinked before glancing at Pyrrha with newfound respect. Guess I was right, he thought. She is a fighter after all. Huh. "That's cool."
She blinked, surprised. "That's... cool?" she echoed.
Ruby giggled, and the other girls of Team RWBY fought back knowing laughs while Sincline smiled. "Yeah, that's pretty cool that you won that much," he commented.
"They also put her on the front of every Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes box," Jaune added proudly, placing a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder, oblivious to the hot blush on Pyrrha's face.
Sincline blinked, tilting his head. Pumpkin Pete? He opened his mouth to ask, but Ruby patted him on the shoulder. "I'll explain later," she whispered.
Sincline froze, not sure how to handle the unfamiliar gesture, but nodded all the same. "Alright. So, what-"
The intercom cackled, and a woman's voice echoed throughout Beacon. "Would Sincline please report to the sparring arena for initiation? Again, would Sincline please report to the sparring arena for initiation?"
"Heh, looks like that's your cue," Yang commented, glancing at Sincline, her expression unreadable. "I thought they'd send you to the cliff... huh."
Sincline blinked. "Cliff?" he echoed.
"For our initiation, we got launched off a cliff," Jaune explained, causing Sincline to stare at him in surprise.
"Okaay... wasn't expecting that." What kind of psycho launches kids off a cliff? Sincline wondered... and then he remembered it was the same person who indirectly put him in a position to get his face blown off via Yang. "So, which way is the sparring arena?"
Timeskip
"So... this is the arena?" Sincline asked curiously as he, Team RWBY, and Team JNPR stood in a large, glass-domed amphitheater with raised bleachers arranged in a circle around a circular stage below that had a wooden backdrop with blue lights. In front was a large, open area where Sincline assumed he and his combatants would face off.
"Sometimes it's where we have assemblies, but it's mainly used for Goodwitch's dueling class," Weiss explained, resting her elbows on the railing of the bleachers as she nodded toward a middle-aged woman with blond hair and green eyes covered by thin ovoid glasses as she and Ozpin walked onto the stage, many students having already filled in the other bleachers.
Clad in a white, long-sleeved, pleated top with a wide keyhole neckline and gauntlet cuffs, her lower body was covered by a black high-waisted pencil skirt with bronze buttons and black fading into brown stockings. Additionally, she wore black boots with bronze heels and a cape that was purple inside and black on the outside, the cut of the cape stylized to end in flames and arrows.
Upon seeing a riding crop attached to the top of Goodwitch's right boot, Sincline felt a strange surge of fear that shivered down his spine, but he shook it off as Ozpin stepped up to the microphone, the room falling silent as he did so.
"Thank you all for coming," Ozpin greeted. "Now, I know this is all short notice, and that many of you are curious as to why there is a mid-term initiation. To put it simply, we will be adding a student of extraordinary capabilities to our ranks. Sincline, would you please walk down and enter the arena?"
Sincline blinked, not quite accustomed to the praise, and glanced at Ruby who nodded and gave him an encouraging smile and thumbs up. Nodding back, Sincline exited their aisle and headed down a small flight of stairs to enter the arena floor, conscious of the many eyes following his movements but not overwhelmed.
Nodding at Sincline, Ozpin turned to face the rest of the students and faculty he had asked to witness the trans-reality mech's induction into their numbers. "For your initiations, many of you were thrown off a cliff and charged to locate a relic hidden within the Emerald Forest. But given unique... circumstances, Sincline..." He gestured to the young man for emphasis, "...will be dueling a team of my choosing. Will Team CRDL please enter the stage?"
(A/N) I know this might seem cliché, but hear me out. What kind of RWBY story would this be if Team CRDL didn't get beat up in one way or another?
As the four members of Team CRDL moved to enter the stage, Jaune stared at Ozpin before turning his gaze to Sincline, dumbstruck. "He's going to fight an entire team?"
"It is unfair," Blake agreed.
"They outnumber him," Pyrrha protested.
"I wasn't talking about it being unfair for Sincline."
Tracking their movements, Sincline's eyes narrowed as he watched his opponents enter the arena: a kid with a mohawk and a pair of daggers; a boy with light-brown hair, tan armor, and a sword; a young man with dark, blue hair, grey armor, and a long halberd; and the same boy Sincline saw outside Beacon now wielding a mace.
He must be the leader, Sincline noted, examining the boy's elaborate armor compared to his teammate's, his cumbersome weapon, and his posture. Cocky. Probably the most trained or the most strategic of his peers. Maybe both. I'll have to take him out first.
"Sincline, these four will be your opponents," Ozpin said, catching the mech-turned-human's attention as the Headmaster gestured to the four young men facing off against Sincline. "Russell, Dove, Sky, and Cardin. Defeat them, and I will consider your initiation complete."
Let's see if I was right, Sincline thought, eyeing Cardin. If he was right, this boy was probably easy to anger and would thus be prone to make a mistake during their fight. It was a hunch, but it was better than nothing. "You wish to challenge me?" he asked, head tilted ever so slightly. "Ozpin, I thought this was an initiation, not a warmup."
Silence. Then several snickers and bursts of laughter followed from the stands above, Yang and Nora chief among them, as Ruby giggled.
"I don't get it," Weiss muttered, watching the five figures below. "Sincline's not usually like that."
"He's trying to get under their skin," Pyrrha realized. Several of her opponents had tried similar attempts, and she had retained her composure... She couldn't say the same for Cardin.
"What'd you just call us?!" Cardin demanded, and Sincline fought back a faint smile before he quickly schooled his features, making sure to regard him with disinterest. All I have to do is keep pressing the edge, he thought. While he was confident in his weaponry and his abilities to handle Team CRDL, he wasn't going to risk losing this second chance.
"I called you what you are," Sincline replied calmly, allowing a faint smirk to tug at the edge of his lips. "Anything short of that would have been an insult."
Ozpin fought back a smile, hiding the gesture by taking a sip of his coffee. Before the battle of the fist comes the battle of the mind... it seems Sincline is well versed in this style of combat as well. "Glynda?"
Goodwitch nodded and tapped a button on her scroll, causing pictures of Team CRDL to appear on one side of the screen, their Aura bars highlighted, and Sincline's picture to appear on the other... with none. As Team CRDL, snickered along with several other students, Glynda frowned and tapped her scroll again. "Ozpin, I believe there is a mistake."
"Hmm?"
"I'm not reading Aura from Sincline," she said and turned to face the mech-turned-human. "Young man, you have your Aura unlocked... don't you?"
Sincline froze. "Um..." Quiznak. "How mad will you be if I said I don't?" he asked, earning a groan from Blake, a facepalm from Weiss, a laugh from Yang, and a giggle from Ruby while Team JNPR all had the same thought: If he doesn't have any Aura... he's screwed.
Bristling, Glynda whipped toward Ozpin, causing him to gulp and take a small step back. "You let a trainee without any Aura enter Beacon?!"
Ozpin paused, now recalling that he had neglected to inform Glynda... or any of the staff, for that matter, about what Sincline truly was. "Ah yes, I believe I must have stumbled over this fact. Miss Rose?"
Ruby perked up. "Yeah?"
"Would you kindly come down here and unlock Mr. Sincline's Aura?" Ozpin asked. "I do not believe we will be able to proceed unless his Aura is activated."
Nodding, Ruby burst into rose petals and darted into the arena, reassembling in front of Sincline. "Do I get extra credit for this?" she asked, glancing at Ozpin curiously and causing her teammates to facepalm, several students laughing as well.
Ozpin chuckled. "Well, this will be your first time unlocking someone else's Aura, will it not? I believe we can slip in a mark under your Aura curriculum."
Nodding again, Ruby faced Sincline and placed a hand on his shoulder, sending a shiver down his spine and a spark racing up her arm at the contact. Shaking her head, she recited the incantation: "For it is in courage that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of hope and light to rise above darkness. Infinite in compassion and bound by duty, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, support thee."
Everyone fell silent, waiting... but nothing happened.
"Did I do something wrong?" Ruby asked as Cardin and his team laughed, earning glares from Yang and Sincline respectively as the mech-turned-human winced. I hope I didn't cause her any trouble... but still, why didn't it work? Maybe it had something to do with his true nature.
Ozpin frowned. Even if Ruby was rather young, she should have been able to unlock Sincline's Aura. Unless... "Miss Nikos? Would you come down here as well? I'd like to test a theory."
Pyrrha nodded and stood, making her way down to the arena as her heels clicked against the smooth stone, the sound echoing throughout the silent amphitheater.
"Please, repeat the phrase and help Miss Rose unlock Sincline's Aura," Ozpin instructed as Pyrrha joined Ruby to stand across from Sincline. Nodding, both Huntresses placed their hands on Sincline's shoulders, and Sincline felt a strange surge of heat rush to his cheeks.
Repeating the chant, both girls felt a powerful surge of energy rush through them like a waterfall of ice as their Auras swelled, sheering through them and into Sincline. A shockwave burst from Sincline's body, knocking them back as a swirling aura of blue, purple, and white energy flared to life around the mech-turned-human. Up above, his Aura meter spiked, slamming to 100%.
"What... happened?" Ruby asked, gasping for breath as she pushed herself to her feet. She staggered, almost falling, but Sincline grabbed her by the shoulder, steadying her and doing the same for Pyrrha with the other hand as the champion shook her head.
"Um... what just happened?" Yang asked, staring at the scene in shock, both concerned for Ruby and stunned at the aura of shimmering energy that surrounded Sincline.
"I don't remember Pyrrha activating my Aura and causing it to do... that," Jaune commented as he, Ren, and Nora stared at Sincline in shock.
"Hmm... it seems Sincline has an extremely high amount of Aura," Ozpin commented, gazing at Sincline with a hint of surprise. He had seen Huntsmen activate powerful Auras before, but for this to happen....
Weiss raised her hand, snapping the Headmaster out of his thoughts. "Um, sir, what does that have to do with Ruby and Pyrrha nearly passing out?"
Ozpin nodded. "I'm glad you asked, Miss Schnee. In short, the stronger someone's semblance or Aura is, the more energy is required to activate it," he explained as Goodwitch gently helped the two exhausted girls out of the arena, Sincline watching them in concern. "Now, let this be a lesson to all of you. Should any of you attempt to activate someone's Aura that exceeds your own... your life will be at risk. Miss Rose was lucky to be unable to activate Sincline's Aura on her own. If she had... she might have lost her life."
Sincline froze, horrified, and found the look mirrored in Yang's gaze as their eyes met. I... I nearly killed her. He hadn't meant to. How was he supposed to know the risk? How was he supposed to know that... that his power was going to hurt someone else?
Seeing the horrified look on Sincline's face, Yang felt any doubts she had about him almost disappear. While she had been almost at the point of flying down there and killing him for almost hurting her sister... it was her fault as well. All of theirs. We should have told him the risks, she thought. Hell, we saw what he could do at the temple. Meeting his gaze, she shook her head ever so slowly, the message clear: It's alright.
Nodding, Sincline took a shaky breath as the aura around his body slowly faded away. He could deal with the aftermath later. Ruby was alright. She wasn't dead.... And he had an initiation to win.
"Now, with that out of the way," Goodwitch said, stepping back up next to Ozpin and eyeing Sincline warily as whispers of unease filled the amphitheater. "It's time for Sincline's initiation to officially begin."
A flash of light, and the countdown on the screen began. As the numbers entered single digits, Cardin smirked at Sincline and brandished his mace menacingly, his earlier unease forgotten. "What's the matter? Too scared to bring your weapons?"
Sincline shook his head, and the countdown hit zero. "I don't need weapons... I am one." His eyes flashed, and he raised his arms, crossing them in an X over his head. A brilliant flash of light exploded from his body, and he assumed his original form, albeit downsized.
Eyes wide, everyone stared at Sincline in shock as he stood on the arena floor, his wraithlike armor shimmering as his bladed tail slowly grated against the stone floor, an ominous chill filling the air as the mech's eyes glowed.
"He... he already unlocked his semblance?" Jaune asked, staring at Sincline in shock as Ren and Nora's jaws dropped. "How...?"
Weiss, Blake, and Yang exchanged knowing grins before turning back to the arena. "You'll see," Yang laughed, glancing at Ruby worriedly. Seeing that she was alright as she stood beside a stunned Pyrrha, Yang smiled and turned her attention back to the arena.
"Go get'em, Sincline!" Ruby cheered.
With pleasure. Bowing his head, Sincline's eyes flashed, and he shot forward in a burst of speed, a shockwave tearing through the space where he had been. Within seconds, he was on the enemy.
An armored fist slammed into Russel, and he went flying. Sincline pivoted, dodging a swing from Dove, and his bladed tail slammed into the boy's chest, sending him flying into a wall with a loud crack. Sky swung, but Sincline raised his arm, catching the polearm on his forearm in a shower of sparks.
This Aura... it's incredible, Sincline marveled. While not as empowering as the Quintessence Field, he could tell there was a significant difference in his abilities as new screens flickered on his HUD. Slugging Sky in the jaw, Sincline kicked him in the chest and shot to the side, dodging Cardin's mace as it slammed into the ground where he had been.
"Stay still, you Faunus Freak!" Cardin grunted, focusing on Sincline's tail. Yanking his mace out of the ground, he whipped it at Sincline, who ducked. A quick uppercut sent Cardin's head snapping back, and Sincline's tail slammed into Cardin's midsection with a loud crack, shearing through a good portion of his Aura.
Eyes wide, Team JNPR could only stare in awe as Sincline decimated Team CRDL with relative ease. "He's... how...?" Jaune trailed off, stunned. Before, it used to be Cardin who would overpower him, but now... seeing Sincline ragdoll the leader of the most hated team at Beacon so easily was a sight he had never thought he'd see.
"Is he... flying?" Ren asked, seeing the lack of contact between Sincline and the ground. What kind of semblance does he have? Matter of fact, how did he master it so quickly?
"Yes," Blake replied simply and felt a dark surge of satisfaction as Sincline continued to tear CRDL apart.
Sincline severely... overestimated Team CRDL. Guess that's one thing Lotor and I can agree on, Sincline thought, recalling Lotor's stance on those who regarded half-breeds as blights to the Galra race. He hadn't forgotten Cardin's words, and, judging by the amount of smiling Faunus in the room, he could tell that many approved of his actions.
Sky lunged at Sincline from behind, attempting to bring his polearm down on the mech's spine, but a quick blow from Sincline's tail sent him flying as he delivered a haymaker to Russell's jaw, almost breaking his Aura.
A Dust round cracked against the side of Sincline's head, and a burst of fire washed over him. Undeterred, he turned and found Dove changing his sword back into its bladed form, assuming a fighting stance as he did so.
Alright then... my turn. Bending down, Sincline grasped the hilts on his legs and pulled, drawing his scimitars in a flash of light, the curved blades shimmering with deadly delight.
A burst of speed, and one of Sincline's scimitars slammed against Dove's blade. Igniting his back thrusters, Sincline shoved him off balance and spun, his tail slamming Dove to the ground and annihilating what remained of his Aura.
Sky jumped, bringing his polearm down, and Sincline blocked with a casual swing of his scimitar. Spinning under an attack from Russel and using his tail to whip his feet out from under him, Sincline drew back a hand. A ball of energy forming above his wrist, Sincline launched an Ion blast that sent Russel flying, his Aura shattering as he slammed into Sky, eliminating both as their Auras ran out.
As Sincline stood, his HUD flared, warning of imminent danger as Cardin closed in. "You think you're tough?!" he shouted. Jumping, he brought his mace down and unleashed a massive explosion of raging fire Dust at Sincline. "Take this, you Faunus Freak!"
Sincline whirled, and his eyes widened as he saw the wave of destruction bearing down on him. A flash of light, and the fire hit, a massive explosion rocking the arena.
Eyes wide, everyone stared at the billowing smoke in shock. The last time Cardin used an attack of that magnitude... the recipient had barely survived.
Ever so slowly, the smoke cleared, revealing Sincline... nowhere to be found. Eyes wide, Teams RWBY and JNPR stared at the empty arena in horror as Cardin smirked. Serves that Freak right. Honoring the Faunus with that tail of his? He deserved what he got.
"Did he... did he get him?" Nora asked hesitantly, her quiet voice cutting through the silence like a knife.
Ren hesitated, exchanging looks with Jaune while Ruby stared at the arena in shock. Sincline... he had been untouchable... how could Cardin's attack have done that?!
Yang's breath caught in her chest as she, Weiss, and Blake stared at the arena in horror. There was no way... there was no way Sincline had been....
"Look!" one of the students shouted, and all eyes turned to the Aura board. Following everyone's gaze, Ruby looked up and gasped, her silver eyes widening. While the Aura board showed the empty Auras of Sky, Russell, and Dove, with Cardin's still at 60, Sincline's was still there. His Aura, which had been lowered to 97 due to the damage he had accumulated, shot back up to 100... and continued climbing.
"How... how is that possible?" Glynda asked, stunned. She turned to Ozpin, hoping he would have an answer, but found that he looked just as stunned as she was.
This is not possible, Ozpin thought, staring up at the Aura board in shock as Sincline's Aura meter continued to spike until the board shorted out, leaving a single symbol behind... infinity.
Quintessence Field
The first thing Sincline felt was cold. A strange, wispy, familiar shiver that ran over his armor. He opened his eyes, and a bolt of fear and horror tore through him as he saw the clouds of shimmering white drifting around him and a surge of energy tore into his body and flowed through him.
He was back... he was back in the Quintessence Field! "No. No, no, no!" Sincline panicked. He couldn't think. He had to leave; he had to escape before he... wait...
Ever so slowly, Sincline looked down and hesitantly flexed his hand... and his finger moved, sharp talons curling inward. I can still move. I can... I'm still free! Relief he had never felt before washed over him, and he sighed. But... how? How could I have gotten back in, unless... he could feel it. Beneath his armor, in his body... in his core. He could feel the strange energy he remembered from his first battle against Voltron coursing through his body.
It's... it's my Rift ability, Sincline realized as he compared the energy reading to the one radiating from his Aura. They were the same: indistinguishable. I was right... it wasn't just Allura's magic that allowed me to travel into the Field... it was my semblance!
Everything made sense. Allura hadn't given him the ability to travel through realities... she had attempted to give him an ability he had already possessed. Reaching into his core, he felt the energy inside him. Both dark and light, he could feel it in his core... and he tapped into it.
His vision blurred, overlapping, and he looked up. Before him, he could see a ghostly image of the arena before him. He could see it all... including the looks of confusion and horror on Team RWBY's faces as the smoke settled.
"Okay... that time we definitely did not get him."
Sincline shook his head, dispelling the memory as he began to calm down. I'm not there anymore, he thought. This is different. Rubbing his forehead, he turned his full attention back to the arena. Alright. Alright, I can do this. All I have to do... He reached out, tapping into his power, and the Rift tore open.
Arena
"What's going on?" Ruby asked as she and Pyrrha exchanged looks. "Where's Sincline?" If he wasn't vaporized, then where was-?
A strange metallic sound tore through the air, and she turned just as Sincline shot out of nowhere, an armored fist slamming into a still-celebrating Cardin's jaw and sending him flying into a wall with a loud crack.
Eyes wide, everyone stared in shock as Sincline hovered in the air several feet above the arena floor, a brilliant aura of blue, purple, and white energy swirling around him as he glared down at Cardin.
"What... how did...?" Weiss was at a loss, and Blake could only stare at Sincline in shock, a shiver of fear running down her spine. As she and any other Faunus would argue, their instincts were better than regular humans... and hers screamed at her to run.
It... it worked, Sincline thought, relieved... and that's when he remembered the Rifts he left last time he used his teleporting ability. Quickly, he scanned the arena and was surprised to find no hint of such a Rift forming. How is that possible? Unless....
A flicker of movement caught his attention, and he turned to face Cardin as the mace-wielding boy pushed himself up, wiping blood from his mouth while his Aura healed him. "Oh, so that's how it's gonna be," he growled. Hefting his mace, he charged and jumped, whipping his mace toward Sincline... and the mech vanished, disappearing through a Rift as the mace passed through where he had been.
Ruby stared, stunned. "Um... did you see that?" she asked, glancing at Pyrrha, who nodded, still stunned. The champion had faced off against opponents who could teleport before, but whatever Sincline was doing... it felt different. Unnatural.
A flash of light, and Sincline shot through an already closing Rift, his foot slamming into a still airborne Cardin's chest and kicking him out of the air.
Warping above Cardin, Sincline brought both fists down into Cardin's back with a loud crack, fracturing his armor. Sincline vanished, disappearing as Cardin dropped, and reappeared, catching Cardin just before he could hit the ground, talons digging into his ribs. A quick blow to the jaw, and Sincline warped away once more, planting a kick into Cardin's spine.
A Rift tore through the air, and Sincline was there: a devastating punch to the solar plexus, a knee to the spine, an uppercut to the jaw, and finally ending with a devastating kick that sent Cardin flying into the air.
Reappearing above Cardin, the boy's Aura barely above zero, Sincline raised both fists, and energy gathered around them. A flash of light, and the blow connected, the resulting shockwave tearing through the air as Cardin plowed a trench into the arena floor, the rest of his armor shattering as his Aura broke into hundreds of fragments.
Eyes wide, the rest of the students could only stare in shock as Sincline landed on the ground opposite Cardin and the rest of the mace-wielding boy's team. A flash of light, and Sincline's armor dissolved, fracturing into whisps of purple fire.
Finally getting over her shock as Sincline's shimmering aura vanished, and the Aura board returned to normal, Glynda straightened and announced, "Sincline wins by Aura depletion and knockout!"
A long silence. Then, ever so slowly, the students began clapping. The sound grew until the whole amphitheater was filled with applause, causing Sincline to glance around in surprise. They're... happy that I used my abilities?
"That was so awesome!" a familiar voice gushed, and Sincline turned as Ruby rematerialized before him in a burst of Rose petals, a wide smile on her face. "You were like pow! Slash! Shing! Bang! And-"
A hand clamped over her mouth, and Yang smiled. "I think he gets the point," she laughed, barely hiding her relief that Ruby had recovered from nearly exhausting her Aura.
"How did you do that, Sincline?" Blake asked as she and Weiss joined them on the floor of the arena, Team JNPR in tow as the rest of the students filed out, talking in hushed voices as Glynda carried Team CRDL off to the infirmary using a strange bubble of purple energy. "I thought you hadn't unlocked your semblance yet."
Sincline smiled, staring down at his hand and flexing his fingers. "I already did. I just needed to remember. I was always able to do that," he admitted. "I'm not sure how much of it is magic or how much is my own semblance, but it allows me to travel into the Quintessence Field at will."
Nora blinked, tilting her head. "Quintess-a-what?"
"Wait, isn't that the place where you were trapped?" Ruby asked, her eyes widening as she, Yang, Weiss, and Blake stared at the mech-turned-human in shock.
Sincline did the only thing he could: He nodded.
"Why would you go back there?" Blake asked, gazing at him in concern. From what Sincline had implied earlier, the experience had been a living Hell for him, so why would he...?
"I didn't do it on purpose," he admitted. "When I saw that attack... I just reacted, I guess. Next thing I know, I'm back in the field. After that, I remembered how I used my abilities before, and I just, well..." He gestured toward the arena for emphasis. "Honestly though, I think having my Aura unlocked did more than just provide a shield for my body."
"What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked.
"Well, the last time my ability was used, I opened an interdimensional Rift that nearly tore apart reality," Sincline admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. That, he could admit since it had been unintentional and only one reality. But to tell them how he had almost destroyed existence itself on purpose... he wasn't sure he was ready for that.
Eyes wide, the eight Huntsmen and Huntresses stared at him in utter shock, jaws agape. "Uh, just out of curiosity, but what are the chances of that happening now?" Jaune asked nervously as he looked around, hoping that he wouldn't spot some kind of reality-ending vortex.
Quickly running a diagnostic of his systems, Sincline replied, "Honestly? About 99%...." Everyone tensed. "Of it not happening."
Jaune relaxed, and Pyrrha and Ren exchanged looks. "Forgive me... but can I ask you something?" the red-haired Huntress inquired, turning back to face Sincline. "You mentioned a 'Quintessence Field' and being trapped... what exactly do you mean by that?"
Sincline hesitated, exchanging looks with the rest of Team RWBY, a question in his eyes. Can I trust them? The four girls nodded, and he turned back to Team JNPR. "It's a long story...."
Timeskip
By the time Sincline finished recounting everything he had told Team RWBY and Ozpin, along with the events following his arrival to Remnant, every member of Team JNPR was staring at him in a mixture of shock, horror, and awe.
"That's just..." Ren trailed off, trying to figure out the right words to use.
"That's horrible!" Pyrrha exclaimed. "Being forced to fight like that against your will? It's monstrous!" To her, Sincline was by no means at fault. He hadn't asked to be turned into a weapon, yet had become one either way.
"We should break their legs!" Nora announced, declaring her thought-out solution and earning a facepalm from Ren.
"So, what's it like up there?" Jaune asked, still trying to wrap his head around the fact that Sincline was from beyond the stars. "In space, I mean."
Sincline paused, trying to figure out how he could explain it to someone who had never been outside their own atmosphere. "It's... a lot like the Quintessence Field. It's like flying, except there's nothing to fall to, no ground to crash against, just... endless sky. It's exhilarating, to be honest... well, unless you can't move. Then you just drift until something stops you."
"But you've never had pancakes?!" Nora exclaimed, recalling her main point of horror. The fact that Sincline never had any food before coming to Remnant was absolutely terrifying for the ginger-haired girl.
Sincline made the mistake of shaking his head, and Nora fainted and would have fallen to the ground in heap... if Ren hadn't caught her.
Sincline blinked. "Is she alright?"
"She'll be fine," Ren assured, checking Nora's pulse and sighing in relief when he found a heartbeat. "But when she comes to, don't run. You'll only make things worse."
"...okay?" Why do I get the feeling I'd be better off stuck in the Field?
"Alright!" Ruby announced, getting everyone to look at her... with the exception of the unconscious Nora. "All in favor of helping Sincline learn to be human, say 'aye'!"
Everyone exchanged looks and, to Sincline's surprise... nodded. "We're in," Jaune affirmed, and Pyrrha placed a hand on Sincline's shoulder, smiling.
"We'll be happy to help," she assured. "It'll be interesting to learn different fighting styles outside of our planet, if you're willing...?"
Sincline nodded, still trying to figure out what was happening. "You're all going to help me?" he asked, glancing from one person to the next in disbelief. "Just like that?"
"Just like that," Weiss affirmed, straightening her uniform. "Look, Sincline. I'm not saying that I'm doing this to help you out of kindness, but we're your friends now, and friends help each other."
Sincline hesitated and glanced at Ruby, who nodded at him encouragingly. "Alright. If you... if you're all sure... then okay," he said and smiled, the others mirroring the gesture. "Let's do it!"
Grinning, Ruby raised her hand, finger pointed toward the sky. "For our first order of business... let's get some lunch!" she cheered and raced off in a burst of rose petals, the others following.
Sincline made to do the same... only for someone's hand to suddenly grab him by the wrist, stopping him. "Hey, Sincline? Can I talk to you for a second?"
Sincline blinked, glancing at the others as they walked off, then turned his attention back to her. "I guess... what is it?"
Yang hesitated, shifting from foot to foot. "I'm..." she sighed, bowing her head. "I wanted to say sorry... for earlier."
Sincline blinked. Of all the things he had expected her to say, that was not one of them. "What?" Is she talking about this morning or...?
"This morning," Yang explained and sighed. "I know I was probably being a bit paranoid, but well... I'm a bit protective of Ruby."
He stared at her, and she sighed again. "Okay, a lot," she admitted, chuckling. "But the point is, after Ruby almost killed herself just by trying to help you... I figured you and I weren't that different after all."
Sincline blinked. "How come?" he asked curiously.
"When we were younger, Ruby lost her mom," she explained. Seeing him about to ask, she explained, "We're half-sisters. Same father, different mothers. After we lost her... Dad was never the same. Ruby was too young to get what was really going on, you know? My mother left after I was born, and I... after Ruby's mom disappeared... I went to go find my mother. I waited for Dad to leave the house, put Ruby in a wagon, and headed out. I must have walked for hours. I thought I had found something... and then I saw them. The Grimm. We almost died because I couldn't accept my mother was gone... but our uncle saved us in the end."
She shook her head, a sad smile on her face. "I was stupid. My stubbornness almost killed Ruby... I almost lost her. Everyone said it was an accident... I didn't believe them. Honestly, part of me still doesn't. But after seeing how horrified you were when you realized the same thing I did... well, you can get what I'm saying."
Not really... Sincline was trying to understand, to find the parallels... but it was hard. "I get it," he said softly. "But trust me, Yang... I will never put Ruby in danger like that." In all honesty, he couldn't, having never had someone to care about before, but his words had the desired effect, earning a smile from the blond-haired huntress.
Yang chuckled. "I know. Well, for the most part. My stubbornness might have other ideas," she joked and nudged him playfully with her shoulder. "So, we cool?"
Sincline honestly didn't know what to make of Yang. At first, she was arguably the most suspicious of him of those he had met, and now she just wanted to be friends? "I, uh, I guess?" he said awkwardly.
"Let me guess, you're surprised I changed my mind so fast?" Yang asked knowingly, causing him to freeze. "Don't worry; I'm still going to keep an eye on you for a while... but if we're going to be teammates, we might as well get along, right?"
"I guess..."
She laughed, patting him on the shoulder. "You're not half-bad, you know that?" she commented and jerked her head in the direction the others had gone. "Come on. We should catch up to the others and have some actual food before Nora wakes up and goes on a pancake frenzy."
Sincline blinked. "A pancake-hey, wait up!" he shouted as Yang raced off. A burst of speed, and he dashed after her, a smile on his face. Yang might be one of the most confusing people he'd ever met, but if she was willing to give him a chance... maybe he could belong here after all.