The school had finally settles down after another couple of days. Hundreds, maybe even a couple thousand, from all over Remnant had come to stay at Beacon until their debut at the Vytal Tournament. And that meant that Acnologia would have to deal with all the new faces that would spring up in his classroom.
In fact thats where he was were he was heading, his classroom. "Come on were going to be late!" Acnologia turned his head back down the hallway to find a group of students running as fast as they could down the hallway, trying to get to their class. He moved to the side as they came flying by, but he never stopped walking. He watched them run and run and run before he let out a breath of air,"This is going to test my patience." He told himself pinching the bridge of his nose.
Acnologia continued to walk until he made it to his classroom, which was now filled to the brim with students. He looked to his scroll which gave him a time of 8:47 a.m. 'I'll have to show up early now so that Glynda won't be alone with so many students.' Acnologia thought to himself before walking into the classroom.
His ear twitched as he began to hear whispers,"Who is that guy?" Were most of the questions asked. A few were,"What is he wearing?" The fashion novices of the schools most likely. Probably fans of Coco. There were others but he drowned them out as he walked to the center of the classroom. He looked around to find that Glynda was not where to be seen. He looked back to his scroll to see if he missed a message from his fellow teacher, to which he hadn't. His ear twitched again as the sound of clicking heels filled them and he looked at the door to find Glynda walking through, later than him.
She walked over to him,"Seems I'm the late one today." Acnologia waved her words off,"Its not nine yet. Your not late." His eyes trailed over the mass of students in front of him. So many new faces mixed in with the old and this was just the first year class.
"Alright then," Glynda spoke up, silencing the mass. "Lets get started. I see a few familiar faces from last years tournament, but for those who don't know me, I am professor Glynda Goodwitch. This man standing to my right here is Professor Acnologia. We will be your combat teachers until the Vytal Tournament. I ask that you show us will the same respect that you show your teachers at your home Academy." She turned to Acnologia,"Do you have anything you would like to tell them?" Acnologia took a step forward,"Just a few words."
"As you have been told, I am Professor Acnologia. During your stay here at Beacon I expect to see each and everyone of you try your best. That being said there will be times where you will see your current classmates act like new born babies, regardless of their skill." A small bit of chuckles erupted from his words which sounded strange coming from him. "When that happens I do not want to hear a word said to them in negativity over it. I will not tolerate disrespect among your fellow classmates, and neither will Professor Goodwitch. The only reason that anyone in here will ever appear unskilled....is because they will be fighting me."
Everyone's eyes widen an assortment of confused words came across Acnologia's ears. "You heard me correctly. At some point, each team in this room will fight me at least once. It will be a four on one. You vs me. I do not expect anyone to hold back, nor do I expect you to get angry if you are beaten. It may seem strange to fight your teacher, but I can assure you that you will not receive any significant damage. Every fight you have with me will improve your ability as a fighter and a team, of that I assure you. Miss Goodwitch?" Acnologia handed the control of the room back to Glynda. "Well put Professor. With introductions and statements out of the way, do we have any questions?"
A hand shot up from the crowd, a girl with dark green hair. "Just curious, has a team ever beaten you here?" She asked Acnologia. He looked to the girl,"Whats your name?"
She hesitantly dropped her hand a little,"Oh, uh, Its Emerald." Acnologia nodded, committing the name and face to memory. "And where are you from?" The girl looked confused again,"I'm from Haven."
"Haven, I see. Well to answer your question, Emerald from Haven, no. Not a signal person has come close to besting me since I've arrived at this school. That isn't from lack of trying either, they have all gave their best efforts. I just happen to be above those efforts." Everyone's eyes widen and murmurs continued.
"Any other questions?" Glynda asked again. Another hand shot up, it was a silver haired boy who was sitting next to the girl named Emerald. "Yes?" Glynda pointed to him.
"Can I fight you?" He asked Acnologia standing to his feet. Acnologia raised an eyebrow at his request. "What is your name?"
"The names Mercury." He said pointing his thumb to his chest. Acnologia looked from him to the girl sitting beside him, Emerald. "And your apart of Emerald from Havens team, yes?"
The boy nodded,"Yeah, but I want to fight you on my own. One on One, man to man." Acnologia scoffed once,"Dragon to man. I am a Dragon faunus. These markings on my body are scales not tattoos." The dragon slayer tilted his head to allow light to shine off them. Murmurs picked back up. "And no. You can't fight me one on one. I fight teams, not individuals."
"Come on teach, you scared or something." Mercury pounded his fist into the palm of his hand. Emerald grabbed him by the shirt and tried to force him to sit down to no avail. Glynda looked at the boy before putting a hand on her head, another talented soul letting his strength get to his head. She looked at Acnologia, an idea forming in her head. "Acnologia, why not forgo the rule just this once. It would be a nice demonstration of why you only fight teams."
Acnologia looked at her, confused but he thought it over for a moment before coming to an answer. "Alright, as you wish." Acnologia turned around and walked to the arena, Mercury quickly followed.
"Alright everyone. I want you to pay close attention to the fight, this is what you will be learning with." Glynda announced quickly getting the arena online.
Acnologia stood at one end of the arena, his hand already withdrawn from his cloak. His own icon appeared over head while Mercury stood at the other end of the arena, his icon over head.
"Do not hold back. You may regret it if you do." Acnologia warned the young boy. "Same goes to you." Acnologia only let out a small growl, the boy was to cocky for his own good.
Glynda raised her hand,"Ready?" She waited a moment before she quickly dropped her hand,"Begin!"
Mercury made the first move, running forward and launching himself into the air with an axe kick towards Acnologia's head. The dragon slayer sighed before he moved to the side, barely avoiding the kick. The boy's heel hit the tiled floor of the arena and severely cracked it causing Acnologia to widen an eye in shock,'He's got some strength.' Mercury quickly twisted and went for another kick but Acnologia caught his foot with his hand. Mercury's eyes widen as he noticed that Acnologia held firm against his kick, he wasn't even moving. Acnologia quickly twisted and threw the boy back to where he started in the arena like he was weightless.
The boy landed and recomposed himself only to find that Acnologia had crossed the arena in mere moments and was now in front of him. Mercury's eyes widen before he tried to throw a kick to hit him. Mercury's kick hit nothing but air as he heard a growl right behind him. His eyes widen further as he realized that the dragon slayer had moved behind him faster than he could blink. He felt a hand on his back and then he went flying forward onto his face in the middle of the arena.
Acnologia shifted his feet as he widen his stance, looking mighty stoic as he did so. Mercury let out a growl of anger before he flipped himself to his feet. Mercury threw his foot our before pulling it back quickly. Acnologia's ear twitched as he heard the sound of a clicking, a bullet getting chambered. Mercury kicked his leg out and a dust bullet fired out from his boot. The mage smiled lightly and didn't bother to move as the bullet flew towards his head. His head tilted back slightly and everyone let out a gasp of shock as they thought it had hit him in the head. Glynda's eyes widen in worry but before she could do anything Acnologia's head dropped back down to normal, his expression unchanged and not a scratch to be found.
Mercury dropped his leg a little confused before Acnologia began to move his mouth a little. He opened his jaw, allowing him to show off that he had caught the bullet between his teeth. mercury's face widen in absolute shock before Acnologia snapped down on the bullet, breaking it in half and then he began to chew and swallow the half that had land in his mouth. A satisfied gulp erupted from Acnologia's throat before he let out a sigh,"A normal dust round? Not into the explosive stuff like some people? Disappointing, they taste better." Acnologia said critiquing the taste of Mercury's bullet like it was some kind of cuisine. Mercury quickly pulled his leg back and began to fire again. The dragon slayer titled his head and dodged the next bullet that came flying from Mercury,"You won't hit me with those."
Acnologia crouched down as another bullet went flying over his head and then he shot forward, zigzagging around and bullet that came close in blinding speed. Mercury didn't even have the chance to dodge as Acnologia slid around him and kicked his foot out from beneath him. Mercury started to go towards the ground, ready to catch himself when Acnologia shot up and threw his palm into his gut and sent him flying out of the arena bounds. Mercury hit the wall before sliding down to the ground on his side.
The arena made a ringing noise signalling that he had been sent out of bounds and the match was over.
Glynda began to explain the rules to disqualification while Acnologia walked over to the side of the arena and jumped off next to Mercury. "You alright?" He asked him as he stood over the boy who had pushed himself to sit up right. Acnologia offered him a hand,"Your not hurt are you?" Mercury took the hand and the mage helped pull him to his feet. "Just my pride. You are way out of my league."
"Thats natural, I have years of experience and training on my side, you are still just a student and I am the teacher. Next time fight with your team, not by yourself." Acnologia told him. "Yeah, good advice." Mercury told the dragon slayer before walking back to his seat.
The rest of class was mundane at best. No one wanted to challenge Acnologia to a fight and the class went to team vs team or student vs student. Glynda and Acnologia obviously critiqued each fighter and gave them appropriate advice on how to improve. After that class ended the rumors of Acnologia's freakish strength spread and, except for the occasional show off, no one challenged him.
Lunch time came by slowly for Acnologia as he had only fought twice since he had woke up.
He sat down at the teachers normal table with a sigh. "Something bothering you Acnologia?" Ozpin asked as he sat down next to him. "Nothing of importance. I am merely bored is all."
"Bored? I have more students in my classes this Vytal Season than ever and your bored?" Port asked the mage. The dragon slayer let out another sigh,"Its a tiny thing. I am a combat teacher, a warrior. I like to fight, and I have only gotten to fight twice since the beginning of mine and Glynda's classes."
"Perhaps you shouldn't have gone so overboard with that Mercury boy." Glynda told him sitting down on the other side of him. "Catching and eating bullets are bound to dishearten anyone." Ozpin looked at Acnologia and began to laugh,"You caught a dust bullet with your teeth and then ate it? Even I would be afraid to face you in a fight."
Acnologia let out a groan of frustration,"I was hungry, it was one little bullet. How was I supposed to know that would scare people into avoiding a fight me?" Oobleck let out a chuckle,"These students aren't used to someone like you my friend. For one, you are a dragon, two, you can eat dust, three, you have magic, need I go on?" The dragon slayer sighed in defeat,"I didn't even use my magic."
"I warned you that these next few days will be slower than most." Oobleck told him. "I should have heeded the warning." Acnologia said in agreement. "Cheer up my friend, your next few classes are more first years than second years aren't they? I'm sure you will have plenty to of challenges from our own students don't you think?" Port told him.
"I hope so. I do not handle boredom well." He admitted,"The last time I was bored, I blew up a mountain range." Port and Oobleck stopped eating as their jaws slowly dropped. Glynda was taken back by that,"A mountain range?" Ozpin merely chuckled at a statement he knew could very well be true.
"It was a bad habit when I was younger. I assure you I won't be doing that again." Acnologia told his colleagues. Silence ensued for a moment,"A mountain range? Really?" Glynda asked looking at him. "I was a trouble youth." Acnologia quickly replied.
Before anymore words could be spoken however, Acnologia was hit in the face with a pie. Everyone in the cafeteria stopped what they were doing to find out why something like that had happen. The pie slid down Acnologia's face, leaving a trail of whip cream and its delicious contents running down his face before it plopped onto the table in front of him.
Acnologia opened his eyes through the sticky desert and heard stifled laughter. The dragon slayers eyes tracked the source of the noise to Yang and Nora who were both holding their hands over their mouths to keep from laughing. A deep blue aura came over Acnologia's body as his hair covered his eyes and he began to growl. Ozpin quickly realized what was about to happen and began to warn his colleagues,"I do believe we should evacuate the area for a minute or two. Agreed?" All the teachers quickly agreed and basically ran from the table.
The smart students ran out of the cafeteria as quickly as they could but team RWBY, JNPR, and a few others.....they were not smart,"Food Fight!" Food began to be thrown across the cafeteria while Acnologia just sat there growling while he was occasionally hit with different foods.
After a minute or two, team RWBY and JNPR had formed two mountains of tables on either side of the cafeteria with each of them going on about being the queens of the castle.
However, their fight was brought to a halt when Acnologia slammed his fist into the table he sat at, denting it severely. This caused the room to fall silent once again as the mage began to stand. His blue aura growing as he did so. He looked up and his eyes were full of comical anger. Nora and Yang had very similar ideas of what was coming next,"Uh oh."
"Take cover!" Jaune yelled as he dove behind a fallen table. His warning proved to be the right move as Acnologia let out a roar that wiped away the food that had covered his body and he quickly picked up the nearest food he could find, a whole watermelon, before he chunked it straight at Nora who was standing at the top of her teams castle of tables. The watermelon hit her in the face in what seemed like slow motion before she went flying into the wall behind her.
"You little brats! Do you know how long it will take to get all of this mess out of my hair with one arm?!" Acnologia shouted out as he picked up a whole table of food. "Yang, tell him your sorry before or were all done for!" Ruby shouted out her sister, playing along with the whole scene. "Never!" Yang yelled out, standing up from her own table.
A shadow crossed over her face as Acnologia had thrown the table he had picked up and it was now coming down on the wide eyed Yang,"Mommy?" She whispered in fear as the table came crashing down on her.
Acnologia wasted no time in moving onto the others who had further pushed the food fight. He quickly found Jaune behind a table, electing a girlish scream from the boy before he tried to run away. Acnologia's eyes glowed as he gave him a dark smile,"Oh ho ho, your not getting out of this one." Jaune squealed in fear at the dragon slayers terrifying visage. The doors to the cafeteria opened to find Sun and another boy with blue hair walking in. "He everyone this is-" Sun tried to introduce the boy before a table full of food hit him and his teammate. "Don't interrupt me!" Acnologia shouted at them before he turned back to the others.
One by one, Acnologia had done to the children what they had done to him. He let out a pant as he stood in front of the cafeteria. Each remaining child laid before him in daze, covered in any and all food the mage could find when he confronted each and every one of them. "Ruin my lunch or my hair again, I dare you." The children let out a groans and squeaks that Acnologia assumed were apologies,"Thats what I thought."
An assortment of chuckles came from behind the dragon slayer as he stiffened out of embarrassment. He turned around in slow clock like manner as he saw his four colleagues looking at him with very amused faces.
"Oh, don't mind us. Go on." Ozpin told him. Acnologia turned back to the mess he had helped make before he turned back to them. "For a combat teacher, you don't act very collected when a food fight breaks out." Port laughed out.
Glynda used her semblance to clean up the room and the students before she scolded all of them. Acnologia stood off to the side, still embarrassed that he had lost his cool because of a food fight. However it did cheer him up from the lack of enjoyment he was missing from the lack of fights he hadn't been having. "And you!" Glynda marched over to Acnologia who looked up.
"Participating in a food fight with teenagers, your a teacher not a delinquent!" She scolded him, reminding him of Anna per the usual with her attitude. Acnologia did his best to try and say sorry but it fell on deaf ears as she began to wack him upside the arm with her ridding crop, not really hurting the dragon slayer but keeping his attention on her while she continued to scold him furthering his embarrassment.
After that was over, the lunch period had ended and Acnologia quickly found himself bored again as he was reminded that fights would be eluding him for the time being.
He was halfway into the next class of the day when a familiar team raised their hands when Glynda asked for volunteers for todays lessons. It seemed that Acnologia's belief of not finding a fight were a tad bit off as team CRDL raised their hands to challenge the teacher, much to his happiness.
Cardin walked up to Acnologia while his team headed off to get ready. "Heard that you were having trouble finding people to fight after your little showing off this morning."
"Unfortunately yes. Thankfully, it seems your up for the fight." Acnologia told the boy putting his hand on the blondes shoulder,"I can't wait to see how you've improved since our last battle." Cardin gave him a smile,"Now go get ready. You know I don't like to wait." The mage told Cardin with a smile. Cardin nodded and went after his team.
Glynda came over to Acnologia, having calmed down a lot since her earlier ranting at him, while all the newer students were trying to figure out why anyone would fight Acnologia. "It seems that you've grown close to that team of reformed bullies. Whats with the interest in them?" Glynda asked curiously.
"I believe its similar to why you've grown so close to team CFVY. Cardin and his team are quite endearing. That and I see a lot of myself in that boy. I want to steer him in the right direction, like I wish someone had done for me." Glynda watched as Acnologia began to climb the stairs to the arena,"I don't know about that. What you went through brought you here didn't it?"
Acnologia stopped for a moment before he smiled,"So very true Glynda." He said quietly before walking up to the ring and finding his way to his usual side. Team CRDL came back fairly quickly, as Acnologia expected. Their icons appeared above on the arena screens just as Acnologia's did.
Glynda raised her hand,"Ready?" Acnologia's hand came out from his cloak and he slid his feet apart into a wide stance. Team CRDL gave wide smiles as they all assumed fighting positions. "Begin!"
Cardin rushed forward first with Sky right behind him. Acnologia shot forward to meet them. Cardin jumped into the air and came swinging down at him only for Acnologia to slid away from the strike letting it come down on the ground. However he quickly had to duck down as Sky brought axe flying from over Cardin's back, a risky swing. Acnologia's body flipped as the axe went right over his face, the reflection of it shining in the axes sharp metal showing how much he was truly smiling at the teams personal growth. He put his hand down on Cardins back and flung his legs into Sky and forced him to stumble backwards before he used Cardin as a platform to send himself back to where he started. He didn't get stay there long though because Dove and Russel had flanked around and were both ready to attack him from behind.
However, Acnologia heard them moving to the flanking position so as soon as he landed he jumped into a back flip, dodging the twos blade swings. He used his feet to push them forward towards the other members of their team before he used the force of the push to flip once more and land on his feet. Cardin charged forward again, this time with Sky using his rifle portion of his weapon to lay down covering fire. Acnologia moved to the left as the bullet came flying passed his face before leaning over even more to avoid a swing from Cardin's mace. Acnologia pulled back his fist and then swung up and into Cardin's chest plate. The boy let out a gasp as he went skidding backwards. He stumbled to a stop before looking up at Acnologia with a wild grin instead of the angry frown that he used to always sprout.
Acnologia returned the smile before he stood up completely. "Now!" Cardin shouted, throwing his mace at Acnologia and then jumped out of the way as his other three teammates began to fire several rounds of bullets at Acnologia. The throwing of Cardin's mace threw Acnologia off guard as the bullets came flying. He quickly put up his hand and he quickly created a magic circle in front of him. "Arcane Shield!"
Some of the bullets exploded as they hit due to their particular dust composition, clouding Acnologia in smoke. His icon and aura bar however never moved, still at one hundred.
As the cloud began to disappear Acnologia stood with his hand extended out in front of him and a magic circle in front of him. All the new students looked on in excitement at seeing what they though was his semblance. Acnologia however was paying attention them no attention,"Well done. This is the first time you have made me use my magic. Exceptional improvement. Are you ready for me to take it to the next level?"
Cardins smile faded for a moment out of confusion instead of fear,"Next level?" he and his teammate asked in curiosity. "From here on out, I'll use my basic magic spells if you think your ready for it that is." The mage explained as his magic circle faded. Cardin looked at his team who simple nodded back to him. "We're ready." Cardin said turning back to Acnologia with a grin.
Acnologia's smile returned before it quickly dropped and he moved his hand in a pattern. Sparkles of Blue light surrounded team CRDL and their eyes widen before they shielded themselves. They were covered in tiny explosions that sent them skidding backwards through a cloud of dust that the explosions had created. Team CRDL quickly fixed themselves into a defensive position before two blue eyes shine out from the cloud. Acnologia shot out from the cloud at lightning speed. Cardin tried to swing at him but Acnologia ducked down and threw his leg out, knocking the boy off his feet. The dragon slayer quickly continued forward, grabbing Cardin's ankle and then throwing him into Dove and sending them both flying out of the arena. Russel came charging forward but Acnologia quickly side stepped him and then dropped into a sweeping kick, knocking him off his feet. While the boy fell Acnologia grabbed his shirt and then tossed him out of the ring as he came to a standing position. Sky swung his axe over head, trying to slash down onto the dragon slayer. Acnologia thew up his fist and a magic circle appeared over his head, stopping the axe from ever hitting him. The mage turned his head and looked at Sky with one eye. "Please don't throw me." Acnologia stiffed a chuckle,"Alright." The boy's face softened in relief and then Acnologia's eye glowed blue for a moment and his face filled with fear. A magic circled appeared in front of him and a blast of air sent him flying out of the ring.
The arena buzzer sounded, the match was over. The dragon slayer walked over to where Sky had fallen. He jumped down and pulled him to his feet before they both walked over to the rest of the boys team. Acnologia stood in front of the team once they were all on the same side of the arena,"You all alright?" Cardin helped Russel to his feet since he was the only one on that side who was still on the ground,"We're fine Professor. Just gonna be a little sore tomorrow is all."
"I knew you were holding back, but I didn't realize you were holding back that much." Russel told his teacher. "I was still holding back. The three spells I used were all simple. They were among the first spells I mastered when I was first learning magic."
Dove look dishearten by that,"So what your saying is that, even if we managed to over come that, we will still have more powerful spells and attacks to worry about? Were never gonna get to your level." Acnologia chuckled as he patted the boys arm,"Never is quite a long time. You've all improved drastically since you first came to me. In fact, go back to your seats....I have something that I want everyone to hear."
The team looked at each other, confused, but did as they were told. Acnologia gave Glynda a nod and then walked back to the arena, to let all the students see him better. "Give me your attention children." Acnologia said as he stood at the center of the arena. The classroom fell silent.
"I want to ask you all a question. And I want you all to answer truthfully. In the small match you just saw, I demonstrated only a fraction of my true capabilities. With that knowledge in hand, do any of you believe that you will ever be able to match me in a fight?"
Acnologia scanned the crowd of students, no one gave a verbal answer but not a single person shook their head to say that they would. Instead heads hung low or the shook to say no.
"Really? Never? Let me tell you all something.....Forever is a very long time. Never is even longer. I've been a teacher here for....maybe just over a month now, and when those boys first challenged me, I did not once have to move from where I was at in the ring. But today they pushed me to not only move but go on the defensive. That was from the span of a month. A month is not a lot of time, is it?" People shook their head in agreement, their heads raising from the sudden uplifting statement.
"Do not ever tell me that you will never be able to become my equals. You all will have your time to shine, that time may come as you come closer to graduating or when you are fully grown and are capable huntsmen in your own right, but when that time comes, not only will you be my equal, you all will have surpassed me. You are the future of Remnant, you are the protectors of the world, and you all have so much more to learn before you have your time in the sun. But that time will come and when it does, me, Professor Goodwitch, Professor Ozpin, and all of the teachers you will ever have will be right behind you....watching you as you surpass us all. Now let me ask you again, who here believes that they will ever be able to match me?"
This time the crowd let out a cheer as their all of their hands raised into the air,"Now thats more like it!" Acnologia let said in a cheerful roar. Glynda looked on at him as he began to walk back to the main floor, a smile that she couldn't and didn't want to suppress on her face. Team CRDN wasn't the only ones who had grown in that month.
The class ended shortly after that, and apparently someone had recorded Acnologia's speech and put it online. It quickly spread around the school and even Ozpin caught a hold of it, he of course loved it and helped spread it around to the other schools.
Acnologia himself was not expecting to become an uplifting presence in the school, but it happened and in the next class, their wasn't a shortage of teams that were ready to face the mage hoping to grow stronger as a result of fighting him.
The rest of the day went quickly, leaving Acnologia and Glynda alone in their classroom once again. Glynda was leaning against her desk while she held her scroll and watched the video of Acnologia's speech. "Had I know someone was recording that I fear I would have spoken differently." Acnologia said as he leaned over to watch himself, a bit embarrassed. "Then its a good thing you didn't know. This is one of the greatest moments in teaching that I have ever seen."
Acnologia leaned onto the desk next to her,"Please Glynda, I've seen the videos of Ozpin's speeches. The man has encouragement leaking out of his every pore." Glynda elbowed Acnologia in the stump he called a left arm,"But you rarely address whole address whole teams in such an uplifting manner, led alone a whole classroom. That makes your words even more impact. So don't try to wave off what you've said today." Acnologia let out a chuckle,"Alright Anna....." The name hung in the air as Acnologia's eyes widen. His rare, cheerful expression dropped like a stone.
"Anna?" Glynda looked at Acnologia in confusion. "Who's Anna?" The dragon slayer said nothing as his head dropped, his long hair covering his eyes. Glynda put her scroll down,"Acnologia? Are you alright?"
He remained silent before he stood tall and began to walk towards the door. "Acnologia?" Glynda asked again,"Acnologia?!" He ignored her and went to leave when the door in front of him slammed shut. Glynda held her ridding crop in her hand as the end of it glowed purple,"Professor Acnologia, you will address me."
Acnologia's head turned and he looked back at Glynda, his eyes still covered by his hair. He said nothing.
Glynda walked over to him. She stopped in front of him before she put her hands on his and held it tight,"Acnologia, I am your teaching partner and I am your friend. You can tell me what ever bothers you alright? Who is Anna?"
Acnologia looked up and Glynda's eyes widen as she realized he was holding back so much pain and sadness. His eyes were red, but there were no tears. She quickly ushered him and herself to the arena stairs where they both sat down. "Its alright, take your time." The mage did his best to steady his breathing. After a long while he began to speak.
"She was......she.......I'm sorry. It is rare that I have this kind of reaction." Acnologia looked up, his eyes no longer red but a soft and sad expression plagued his normally very serious face. It was strange to see. "Its alright." Glynda promised him,"You can take your time."
Acnologia let out a breath of air as he steadied himself again,"You look very similar to her. It actually made it hard to distinguish you from her when we first met." Glynda said nothing but was surprise to hear that she looked similar to someone he knew in an entirely different reality.
"Anna......Anna was a very beautiful woman, a powerful mage....and a kind soul. Someone to good for the cruel world we lived in back then, but she made the world a better place."
"She was someone special to you?" Glynda asked. "She was.....once upon a time. There is much of the story that I do not like to relive anymore.....I am afraid you will look at me differently. That you....you will be afraid of me." Glynda's eyes widen as he spoke. She closed her hand around his the best she could, his hand was fairly larger than her own. "I will never be afraid of you."
"You don't know the story. You don't know what I've done." Acnologia said quietly. Glynda looked him over for a moment before speaking, the recording of his earlier speech still playing over the quiet that fell over the room. "I know that you are kind. I know that you have helped a group of bullies grow into exceptional gentlemen. I know that you helped a failing student start his journey onto becoming another of the greats. I know you have uplifted the next generation of huntsmen with a single speech. I know you are a teacher and a protector now. I don't have to know the story, or what you have done to tell you that I know you are a good person."
Acnologia looked at her, his eyes wide in surprise. "So Acnologia, would you like to tell me that story?"
The dragon slayer looked away for a moment,"I.....I...." Glynda put a hand on his face and brought his gaze back to hers,"You can tell me. I promise that I won't be afraid." Acnologia slowly breathed in and out before letting out one massive sigh.
"You already know the beginning. When my village was ravaged by the dragons. I will continue the story four years after that. When I finished mastering my magic, the day I met Anna." Glynda sat back as she prepared for the story.
"We met because I caught her being bullied by a couple of idiots who had a problem with mages. She was a celestial wizard. They use keys to summon the constellations to fight for them, and with out those keys they are practically defenseless. I stepped in and helped her. She was kind enough to treat me to a meal afterwards, but I have always thought she regretted it after she saw my appetite." Acnologia said in a chuckle that Glynda returned, having seen the man eat. "As it happen to turn out, she was heading to the same city I was. The kingdoms of our time were calling for aid against the dragons that plagued the land, so we decided to travel together. We both fought together at the city when it was attacked by dragons, it was there that I learned how strong she truly was." Acnologia smiled sadly at the memory of their time together.
"She believed that we made a good team, I agreed so we decided to stick together and try to stop dragons where we could. However it was for different reasons. I simply wanted the dragons dead, she wanted to help people and....the good dragons." Acnologia nearly had to force himself to say the word. Glynda tilted her head in confusion,"Good dragons?"
"I'll explain as the story goes on. Eventually we ended up falling in love, to an extent. As a dragon slayer, I have basically the same instincts as a dragon. That also included.....mating." Acnologia explained. Glynda's cheeks blushed for a moment before the way he said it clicked,"Wait, I thought you were a dragon."
"Again, I'll explain as the story goes on. I tell you about how we loved each other to an extent because as a dragon slayer, I have the urge to mark the person I consider my partner....or mate in dragon terms. I....I never did that to Anna, mostly because I was afraid it would make me weak. Back then, strength meant everything to me. That.....flaw began to take hold after I began to kill more dragons. Back then I was still human....just a man that had mastered the art of dragon slaying magic. But....when a dragon slayer is exposed to the blood of a true dragon, it....changes them."
"Changes them?" Glynda repeated.
"Its like an addiction. I continued to kill, and kill, and kill the dragons I found. In my frenzy, I began to crave their blood and their destruction more and more. And as it turns out, dragon slayers are gifted with their magical abilities because of something called a dragon seed. If left unchecked it causes the dragon slayer to become a dragon. It can be stopped, but back then no one even knew about it." Glynda's head put the pieces together as he spoke,"Thats what happen to you. You were once a human that turned into a dragon." Acnologia nodded,"But during the time that the dragon seed takes hold the blood of the dragons, that I craved so badly, causes the dragon slayer to go insane to a degree."
"Insane?" Glynda asked quietly. Acnologia nodded solemnly. "Anna began to see my descent into madness. She begged me to stop, but I of course didn't listen and for that she left me. I truthfully don't blame her, nor do I hate her for it. Back then I was so lost in my own blood lust that I didn't even care. A few years later, the dragons tried to make peace with the humans that they were trying to kill. That event was called the Dragon King Festival later on."
"Dragon King Festival? Why was it called that?"
"Because of me. The dragons that sided against humanity came to make peace, while the dragons that helped force them into that position were there to make sure they didn't try anything. I however was there for very different reasons. It was there that I became a true dragon for the first time. I.....I slaughtered them all. Good, bad, it didn't matter. I even killed the humans that were there to....." Acnologia paused for a moment before he stood up, a growl in his throat. He grabbed a near by desk that was placed in the room for him just a few days ago and then tossed it across the room out of anger,"I WAS SUCH A FOOL!" What few items that were on the desk scattered across the floor and the papers that were stacked on it went flying into the air.
Glynda jumped at his sudden actions, but she remained silent. Acnologia calmed himself once more before he slowly sat back down, trying his best not to scare Glynda. "What few survivors called it the Dragon King Festival because I declared myself King of the Dragons on that blood filled night. Over the next decade I hunted dragons to extinction. Very few remained, seven I believe. Five of those dragons had taken it upon themselves to train their own dragon slayers, with Anna helping take care of them until the day came for them to start a plan to defeat me. A plan that I am now quite thankful for." Acnologia's clenched fist loosened as he continued his story.
"Anna used her magic to send those five children four hundred years into the future, their dragons safely sealed away inside them so that they could both recover from escaping my wrath and stunt the growth of the dragon seed in each of them. During those four hundred years, my cravings for destruction turned from the dragons to humans. Eventually I grew tired of that as well and spent most of my time in solitary. But once the dragon slayers showed up, my old cravings began to come surfacing back up and I went even further into madness." Acnologia hung his head in shame,"I tried to kill them, the children. The dragon slayers who didn't even know who I was. How pathetic is that? How pathetic am I that I tried to kill children?"
"Acnologia..." Glynda didn't know what to tell him. "Anna helped them finish the reason they were sent to the future, and they defeated me......they killed me."
Glynda's eyes widen,"What? What do you mean they killed you?"
"They ended my life, them and their friends....their family. It was the one that finished me off that, in a way, forgave me for what I did.....or at least I think thats what he did....or rather thats what I hope he did. But the reason that I did not pass on into what ever awaited me next is because of a time magic that I had recently acquired. It somehow used up all of chronic power that was in me and allowed me to be reborn here, or something along those lines. I know now that it also cleared away most of the blood lust that had clouded my mind for all those years. My time here has taken away the rest of it." Acnologia said calmly. "That however does not change the fact that I have killed, maimed, and butchered thousands....no....millions of innocent souls. I....I am a monster hiding under the guise of a teacher. I am not a good person.....I barely am a person."
Glynda said nothing before she stood up and walked in front of Acnologia. She said nothing as she did so. "I told you that you didn't know my story. That you would be afraid. If you want me to leave the school....I understand and I will compl-" Acnologia couldn't finish his sentence as a hand came across his face. Glynda had just slapped him. "You will do no such thing."
Acnologia rubbed the stinging area of his cheek as he looked up to Glynda, who was looking down at him with a serious expression. "The only thing that I want you to do, right now, is stand up." The dragon slayer waited for a moment but complied and stood up for her, his head hanging low.
"Raise your head." Acnologia looked up. Glynda put her hands on his cheeks in a comforting manner, a kind expression on her face. "You are not a monster. You are a person. You are the mentor to a group of very grateful boys. You are someone that the next generation of Huntsmen can look up to. And, above all else, you are someone who cares for the people you have found yourself with."
Acnologia's eyes widen as she spoke,"I am not afraid of you. I don't claim to understand all of your story, nor do I ever aim to tell you that I believe that you are without a....burdened past. But what I do claim....is that you are not the person that did all those things. You are Acnologia, my teaching assistant and one of Beacons best teachers."
For the first time in Acnologia's life, tears rolled down his face. He never cried, not when his village was destroyed. Not when Anna left him. Not when he died. Never.
Acnologia shut his eyes and began to smile before he leaned forward and pressed his head against Glynda's,"Thank you."
Glynda shut her own eyes and smiled,"No....Thank you. Thank you for opening up to me."
They staid like that for a short while before they moved back. Acnologia's tears dried and a smile on his face. Glynda returned the smile before her Scroll ringed as a timer went off on it. Acnologia moved to the side and allowed her to go and retrieve it. "Oh my, its almost six, we've been here for almost two hours."
"Ah. Thats my fault, I'm sorry." Acnologia apologized. "Don't be." Glynda said before she gathered her things. "I'll see you tomorrow Acnologia. Why don't you get some rest tonight. I'm sure you need it."
Acnologia bowed hid head to her,"As you wish." Glynda smiled before she began to leave. The dragon slayer couldn't help but watch her as she left, the usual familiarity of Anna no where in his mind, only her.
And deep down, somewhere his mind couldn't reach, he knew something about that woman. Of course he wouldn't be aware of it for a little while longer.
But it was there.
Acnologia cleaned the mess he had made and then went to his dorm room. For the first time in four hundred years he went to sleep, and no nightmares plagued him. Only peace.