(Y/N): "GODDAMMIT OZPINNNNNNNNNNNNNN!"
The scream rang throughout the forest, echoing all around of (Y/N)'s appearance. Grimm awakened, animals scurried, and people were confused. No one had any idea on what that scream was.
Except for a few people. Like Ruby, who was traveling with Weiss in the initiation.
Ruby: "Hmm? Was that (Y/N) just now?"
Weiss: "Who cares! We need to get to the forest temple! Now hurry!"
Ruby: "Alright! Jeez. Why did I have to get stuck with her."
Looking down, depressed, Ruby followed after the angered Weiss within the forest. But before she caught up with her, she stared backwards.
Ruby: "I hope you're okay (Y/N)."
Weiss: "Hurry up! We don't have all day you know!"
Ruby: "Sorry! Coming!"
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On the opposite side of the spectrum, there were two people further away from the scream. From where they were, it was barely audible through all of the trees.
Thankfully, one of them had cat ears.
Blake: "Did you hear someone just scream?"
Yang: "Nope. You heard someone scream?"
Blake: "Nevermind..."
Yang looked back at Blake, confused, before shrugging it off and continuing forward.
Blake, on the other hand, glanced for a quick moment before following Yang.
Blake: "I hope that wasn't anything bad..."
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Once he finally stopped screaming, (Y/N) took in what just happened. He should've expected Ozpin to do something like that. He may not have known him for that long, but he saw the joy on his face when he walked over to that platform. That was a big giveaway.
Too late now though.
Looking down from the sky, (Y/N) saw the Emerald Forest from above. It was the first time he ever saw the forest. He loved how the vibrant green shined from the trees, creating a small sparkle that flickered the closer he got.
It was beautiful.
And obviously deadly.
(Y/N): "Okay. Stay calm. I need to slow myself down. But how?"
(Y/N) surveyed the land, trying to find anything to slow his fall. He thought of everything, from striking the ground with his swords to landing on the branches of a large tree. But every idea seemed to fail within his mind.
Getting desperate, he patted himself down, trying to find anything to stop his fall. However, the only things he could find were the swords on his hips, the bow on his back, and the dozens of different dust vials in his cloak. He didn't have anything to stop himself.
But, in a strike of innovation, he realized something.
He did have something to slow his fall.
Hopefully, at least.
(Y/N) pulled out the mechanical bow from his back and a purple dust vial within his cloak. He placed the vial into a small slot within the bow, filling its ammo. He flipped through the small screen on the bow until eventually landing on the right mode.
(Y/N): "Come on. Please work."
He pressed a button on the bow, creating the arrow made of pure dust. He chose a burst arrow, able to disperse the dust against the target. Who knew this would be how he used the bow first.
Staring at the bow in his hand, he calmed himself down. He needed to concentrate if he had any hope of saving himself. He just hoped that it would work like he thought it did.
And so, he held the bow as far away as he could, and he fired the arrow.
And the arrow hit his shoulder, dispersing gravity dust onto him.
When the arrow hit (Y/N)'s shoulder, he groaned in pain while his body started to glow a dark purple. He never tried using dust on himself, and he has never used gravity dust in his life. But, he did have history books, and it said that Atlas was a floating city held up by gravity dust. He hoped that wasn't a lie.
For a second, nothing happened. He didn't feel himself change at all. He was still falling as fast as before, only now, he had a purple glowing trail from where he fell.
For a few more seconds, only two words appeared in (Y/N)'s mind.
(Y/N): "Please work. Please work. Please work. Please work..."
He continued falling, watching the forest getting closer and closer. The trees sparkled so brightly, it blocked his vision for most of the time. He braced for impact, preparing himself for the worst.
But after only a few seconds more, he felt something change. He was slowing down. The dust worked.
While he mentally sighed, (Y/N) navigated through the fall and eventually landed onto a rather large tree branch.
He sat down on the tree branch, resting his arm against the trunk.
(Y/N): "I'm never doing that again."
(Y/N) looked to his left, watching his aura heal the wound. The arrow didn't do anything serious to him, but after falling from the sky and crashing through the branches at the top of the tree, his arm felt sore.
While resting his arm, (Y/N) looked up and saw the familiar sight of leaves above him. It was nice to see them again, even if it was a different forest with different colors.
Through the leaves, (Y/N) saw the sky, reminding him of his scream only moments ago.
(Y/N): "... I'm sure no one heard that."
(Y/N) sighed, shaking his head in embarrassment to calm himself down.
After healing his arm, (Y/N) lifted himself back up. He cracked his bones and dropped down, landing onto the leaf covered floor.
And once there, he saw another familiar sight.
Trees.
Lots of them.
And with no indicator of where to go.
(Y/N): "Great... Looks like I'll have to guess."
He looked back down, annoyed at the realization.
But before he left, he saw something next to his foot. Something that didn't match with everything.
It was... strange.
It was a gray chess knight made of glass. It was a wonder the thing wasn't cracked. Some would say it was a miracle. But the weirdest part to it was how smooth the piece was. There was no texture at all. Just a glass knight.
(Y/N): "What's this doing here?"
(Y/N) picked up the knight, inspecting it for only a second before placing it into his cloak. Might as well keep the thing.
Looking around for a bit, he decided to just head forward.
(Y/N): "*sigh* Hope this works out."
He walked forward, into the dark forest, hoping to find something ahead of him.
But something would find him first.
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After walking for half an hour, he found a whole lot of nothing. He hadn't seen a single thing. It felt like he was ten again, being abandoned in the woods, all alone, with no one to help him, grimm all around, tears creating a trail...
This was not good for his mental health.
Thankfully, it wouldn't last for too long. Him finding nothing, I mean.
Looking around the forest, he eventually found a clearing. It was a large circular field with a stone in the center. The rock was tall, going just below the top of the trees.
(Y/N): "Heh. This is familiar."
(Y/N) climbed the boulder, slowly ascending from the ground. He made many mistakes during his climb, but he eventually reached the top. What was at the top, however, was even more confusing.
It was an emerald rook piece. It shined a vibrant green, making it very noticeable to (Y/N). However, it wasn't perfect. The rook was chipped all over, creating marks that surrounded the entire thing. It was like someone tried breaking the gem, but was unable to.
(Y/N): "Did Ozpin put these here or something..?"
(Y/N) lifted the rook and inspected the piece. It felt strange. Like he should know why it's there, but he doesn't.
(Y/N) decided to just keep it with the knight, and he placed the piece in his pocket. After that, he tried to look just above the trees, barely seeing anything ahead of him.
He was only able to spot two main things. A giant mountain that he oversaw from the cliff, and a mossy top of some structure. It was the ladder that intrigued him.
The second he saw the structure, (Y/N) knew that was where he was supposed to go. Ozpin wouldn't throw them here with something like that laying around. It was obviously important.
But before he could do anything, he heard something. Something quiet. Like the light flapping of wings, but getting louder and louder as time went on.
(Y/N): "Where the hell is that coming from..?"
Searching for the flapping, (Y/N) eventually faced to the sky. There, he faced something he had never seen before.
It was an omen. A grimm owl, with talons made of bones and eyes that glowed gold. Its face was covered with the mask grimm had, leaving only space for its eyes and beak. The black feathers were smooth, creating a sleek look compared to a nevermore.
But while smaller than a normal nevermore, it was vastly more dangerous. For two main reasons.
The thing was smart, and its eyes were dangerous.
Reacting quickly, (Y/N) moved out of the way, having the omen land on top of the boulder. He used his sword to slow his descent, until eventually landing back to the ground of the forest.
And there he stood, facing towards the omen.
The omen locked its eyes on (Y/N)'s head. Its piercing glare sent shivers down his spine.
(Y/N), on the other hand, averted his eyes from the omen's face. He stared directly at its talons, using his hand to block his upward vision.
(Y/N): "Don't look at its eyes. Don't look at its eyes."
Once focused on the talons, (Y/N) unsheathed his swords quickly. He got into a ready stance, preparing himself for a tough fight ahead. He had no idea what to expect.
The omen recognized the challenge and unfurled its wings, creating a massive shadow over (Y/N). It radiated terror from its body, while screeching in fury at him.
It was time to fight.
(Y/N) made the first move, rushing up with his swords in an attempt to cut one of the omen's talons. But before he could reach them, the grimm lifted its claws and attacked in retaliation.
The attack cut through (Y/N)'s clothes, his aura protecting his body. The omen then flapped its wings, pushing the boy back, making him fall to the ground.
Taking a moment to adjust himself, (Y/N) lifted his body up, and got into a defensive stance. He changed the swords to use stone dust, hoping to block whatever struck next.
The omen flew towards the teen, rushing with its beak in hopes to bite (Y/N). But using the opportunity, (Y/N) reached his hand up, and parried the attack with his sword. Using the upward momentum, (Y/N) lifted his other sword, knocking the Grimm upwards and back, creating space between them
The owl readjusted itself and saw (Y/N) smirking at what he just accomplished. And that was what the omen was looking for.
It stared at (Y/N)'s eyes.
In a split second, (Y/N) realized what he did, but he was unable to stop it. The owl's eyes glowed, reflecting off of (Y/N)'s retinas.
The bright glow enraptured his sight, leaving him unable to see anything else. He held onto his swords tightly and fell down before passing out. The omen trapped him.
But that was when something interesting happened. (Y/N) saw something he wasn't supposed to see.
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After passing out from the pain of the omen's glare, (Y/N) found himself in a vast expanse of darkness. From all directions, all he could see was the pitch black void. It was very unsettling.
Once he saw this, (Y/N) looked down and berated himself.
(Y/N): "Fucking dumbass. You had one job. ONE JOB. And you had to look at the omen's eyes. You couldn't have just fought it. And now look at where you're at."
(Y/N) looked back up, annoyed at himself. He remembered what his books said.
Omen's have the ability to mirror the soul of their victim. A dark reflection of oneself, you could say. It would use their own aura to basically kill themselves.
So he knew what would happen next.
He looked ahead, fearful for what he would see. A variety of ideas came to mind. Maybe a psychotic version that killed the facility workers. Maybe it was a murderer, killing civilians in Bronzeleaf Forest. Maybe he blew up Beacon Academy with all the dust it had.
Either way, there was only one way to get out of there.
Find himself.
(Y/N): "Please don't be that bad... Oh who am I kidding. It's going to be worse."
He looked ahead, seeing the darkness in front of him. He knew it didn't matter which way he went, but he felt like that was the wrong way.
But he went forward, hoping it would be quick at the least.
And he kept walking.
And walking.
And walking.
And walking.
And...
(Y/N): "JESUS! How am I lost in my own soul! That shouldn't be possible!"
(Y/N) grumbled in frustration, putting his hands into his pockets.
And that's when he noticed something strange.
He felt the chess pieces. The rook and knight were still with him. Except... there was a third.
Pulling the chess piece out of his cloak, he saw something new.
A bishop made of red metal. It was cold to the touch, except for the center pillar, burning to the touch. And, like the rook and the knight, it was different from a normal chess piece. The bottom was surrounded by small colored lights.
(Y/N) stared at the bishop.
Now this was scary. It was one thing to find chess pieces in real life, but a whole different thing when finding one in your soul.
But he didn't have time to ponder.
After a few moments of staring, he eventually waved it off, placing the bishop back within his pocket. It was confusing, sure, but it didn't help him in any way. All it did was distract him from where he should be going.
Once he placed the bishop, however, he saw something in front of him.
A desk. With a computer on top.
He stared at it for a few moments, until realizing something even bigger.
He wasn't in a void anymore.
He was in some sort of building.
And, unlike his cabin or the grand look of Beacon, it was modern.
He looked around inside the building, seeing a variety of teenagers sitting in benches and at tables.
All of them, frozen.
Most of them seemed to be doing some sort of work, while others were just talking to each other.
He had no idea where this place was. But it strangely felt... familiar. Like when he fought that ursa, or those beowolves. It felt... strange.
Looking within the building, he found something different to everything else.
A room filled to the brim with kids. Teenagers, all sitting around, many of them with small electronics and a few of them playing a game on a TV. Unlike the other small groups of friends, it looked like a party was held in the room.
But there was one thing within there that didn't fit.
A single person, wearing his headphones while flipping through his phone.
With a blurred out face.
(Y/N): "What the..."
(Y/N) stared at the kid, weirded out at the fact he was blurred. Why was his face like that? What made him special?
And once more, he realized one last fact. None of the other teenagers were looking at him. Not one. He was unnoticed to the group.
But before he could look any more, his vision was filled with the golden light once again. And he finally woke up from his nap.
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Waking up from his nap, (Y/N) saw white. That was it. Just white.
Until he went past the cloud. After that, he saw himself above the forest again, but not falling this time. Instead, he was carried by the omen. Yay.
The second he woke up, (Y/N) froze. He was in the omen's talons. Who knows what could happen if it noticed him awake. Well, probably death. Thank god it didn't notice him.
Wait... He could use this.
(Y/N) looked around his body, hoping he had a way to escape. That's when he noticed that the owl was carrying him from his shoulders. He could still move his arms. Barely.
He looked up and could barely make out the beak of the omen. It was focused on moving forward, going towards the mountain seen before. Its gaze wouldn't be able to see (Y/N) move.
Perfect.
Staring at his swords, (Y/N) flipped through their settings until landing on the right ones. Ice and lighting. That should help him get out of the omen's grasp and kill it. He just needed an opportunity.
And that opportunity came.
???: "Well, why don't we just jump?"
???: "What are you? Insane?!"
At those words, (Y/N) looked to his right and saw Weiss hanging on the claw of a nevermore. Underneath that nevermore was Ruby, falling from the insane height to the forest temple.
(Y/N): "Hope she has a plan to land."
Watching Ruby fall, (Y/N) realized something. He looked back up and saw that the omen was focused on Ruby too. Just what he needed.
In a few seconds, (Y/N) readied his body. He needed to do this quickly. Any mistake could cost him his life, so he needed to get this done right.
And so, he used the omen's grip to swing up into the air. He went forward, knocking the owl's head up as he flew higher into the sky.
The grimm was shocked. How did (Y/N) survive its gaze? That shouldn't have been possible for a huntsman trainee.
In the corners of his eyes, (Y/N) saw the bird's confusion. Just what he wanted.
Before the grimm could react, (Y/N) struck down with his blades, piercing into the bird's back. The omen screeched in pain as it felt the cold spread throughout its body. The ice centered on its chest, with the electricity scurrying through it. A deadly combination.
(Y/N): "Hey Owlman! You smart enough to crash the right way?"
The moment the quip ended, the omen started to fall. The ice got to its wings, and now it can't fly. That isn't good. Well, not good for (Y/N), but worse for the omen.
While it fell, (Y/N) stared down in hopes to spot somewhere to land. There, he saw Yang, Ruby, Blake, Nora, and Ren at the forest monument, with Pyrrha fighting a death stalker nearby.
He knew that was where he should go.
(Y/N) grabbed onto the grimm's body and reached out for one of its wings. He needed to crash there in one piece and not harm anyone. Easier said than done.
Holding onto its wing, (Y/N) raised its arm and flew down towards the group. The closer he got, the easier it was to see their faces. Most of them being surprised, with one of them looking in amazement.
(Y/N): "LOOK OUT!"
Once he screamed, (Y/N) crashed into the ground, dragging the grimm into the dirt. It buried itself deep, until it made a sudden stop from a boulder ahead.
The moment it made impact, (Y/N) flew towards the group, going past the death stalker, until eventually crashing into the ground in front of them. Great.
Looking up, he saw the confused faces of the group staring at him.
(Y/N): "...Hey. Sorry I'm late. I got lost on my way here."
Blake: "Did you just kill an omen?"
(Y/N): "Yeah... It looks like it."
Looking around, (Y/N) took notice of the group in front of him. Ruby and Blake were shocked, one of them revealing it more. Nora was staring at (Y/N) in amazement from what he just accomplished while Ren calmly looked back at (Y/N).
Yang reacted the most expressively out of everyone though.
Yang: "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! CAN EVERYONE JUST CHILL OUT FOR TWO SECONDS BEFORE SOMETHING CRAZY HAPPENS AGAIN?!"
(Y/N): "... You're in the wrong business if you want things to be calm here."
Yang glared at (Y/N).
(Y/N): "...Alright, bad timing."
Before any more could happen though, Ruby interrupted the two.
Ruby: "Uh. Yang?"
At her voice, everyone looked at Ruby while Yang calmed herself. Ruby pointed up to the sky, averting everyone's gaze above.
There they saw Weiss, still hanging onto the nevermore's talon in fear.
Weiss: "How could you leave me!"
Ruby: "I said jump!"
Blake: "She's gonna fall."
Ruby: "She'll be fine.
Ren: "She's falling."
At that, (Y/N) saw Weiss start falling from the sky without any way of slowing herself. Great. This again.
He rushed over to where Weiss was going to crash into, hoping to catch her in the air. He knew it would be difficult, especially with how tired he was, but it was possible.
And that's when he saw Jaune jumping out of a tree in hopes of catching her. He didn't go up however, so if he caught her they would still crash.
But that didn't mean it wasn't helpful.
(Y/N): "Sorry Jaune. I owe you."
Jaune: "Wha-"
Before he could answer, Jaune felt a shoe being pressed right on his back as (Y/N) kicked off him.
Using Jaune as a platform, (Y/N) went up and caught Weiss from the sky safely in his arms. He then maneuvered his fall to land safely on the ground, not hurting Weiss in any way.
Looking up from her position, Weiss came face to face with (Y/N).
Weiss: "*mumble* My hero."
(Y/N): "Hmm?"
Jaune: "My back..."
Realizing what she just said, Weiss removed herself from (Y/N)'s arms. She dusted herself off and bowed to (Y/N).
Weiss: "Thank you (Y/N), but I could have handled it myself."
(Y/N): "Sure you could..."
At that moment, Pyrrha was knocked back by the death stalker, landing at the feet of the group.
Yang: "Great! The gang's all here. Now we can die together!"
Ruby: "Not if I have anything to say about it."
Hearing her say that, the group watched as Ruby ran towards the death stalker, screaming.
A really bad idea.
Yang: "Ruby! Wait!"
But it was too late. Ruby was already on her path, and no one could stop her.
Ruby rushed at the grimm and swung her scythe with all of her might. Only for it to barely scratch it.
Uh oh.
Ruby: "D-Do-Don't worry! Totally fine!"
Ruby ran away from the grimm, the giant scorpion tailing close behind her. She tried to store her weapon so it wouldn't impede her speed, but it was no use.
Yang rushed after Ruby, hoping to save her from the death stalker, but as she ran, she noticed the nevermore from before facing the group.
The nevermore flapped its wings and fired its feathers, hitting the edge of Ruby's cloak. She tried to move away, but the feather was sturdy. She was stuck.
Yang's position was no better. Multiple feathers blocked her pathway to Ruby. She couldn't destroy all of them and get to Ruby in time.
Yang: "Ruby! Get out of there!"
Ruby: "I'm trying!"
The death stalker got closer, raising its golden stinger in preparation.
Yang: "Ruby!"
The stinger got closer and closer, fear displaying on Ruby's face. As (Y/N) watched, he tried to rush over to save her, but he was too tired from the fight with the omen. Dammit. This can't be happening.
Ruby struggled, pulled and pulled at the cloak, but it was all to no avail. She saw the death stalker staring her down. A terrifying sight. She had to close her eyes, preparing for the worst.
But that never came. And instead, she felt a chill.
Weiss: "You are so childish."
Opening her eyes, Ruby saw Weiss in front of the death stalker, freezing it in its place. She just saved her.
Ruby: "Weiss...?"
And instead of listening to Ruby, Weiss ranted on.
Weiss: "And dim-witted, and hyperactive, and don't even get me started on your fighting style. And I suppose I can be a bit... difficult... but if we're going to do this, we're going to have to do this together. So if you quit trying to show off, I'll be... nicer."
Watching how she was acting, Ruby picked herself back up, staring at Weiss in a determined glare.
Ruby: "I'm not trying to show off. I want you to know I can do this."
Hearing her response, Weiss said one last thing before walking back to the group.
Weiss: "You're fine..."
Ruby looked down, pleased with Weiss' response.
Ruby: "*whisper* Normal knees..."
Before she could rest though, she heard the death stalker struggling from the ice. The death stalker tried to move its legs, cracking the ice slightly, but no matter what it tried, it couldn't leave.
Ruby: "Whoa..."
While Ruby stared at the death stalker, Yang rushed over and tackled her in joy.
Yang: "So happy you're okay!"
(Y/N) was watching the group, happy with how everything turned out. But instead of heading over, he felt a strange urge to look to the monument.
The monument was a small structure with many different pedestals. On each of these pedestals were a different chess piece, half of them being either white or black.
But (Y/N) noticed something else. There was a small hole in the back.
(Y/N) walked over to the hole, wondering if Ozpin put anything important in it. And thankfully, he was right.
Inside of the hole, a sliver of light from above illuminated a black and white queen. The queen was made of normal wood, small writings being written all over it. But that wasn't the special part.
The left side of the queen had a white bat wing, while the right side of the piece had a black bird wing. It was stranger than any other piece (Y/N) saw before.
(Y/N): "Okay. That's strange. And cool."
(Y/N) picked up the chess piece and placed it with the others. That's when he noticed that he still had the bishop on him. It just kept on getting weirder and weirder.
Heading out of the hole, (Y/N) saw the group waiting, half of them all holding a chess piece.
Ruby: "Come on (Y/N). We have to get back to Beacon Academy."
(Y/N): "Alright. Sorry. Let's get going."
The group then ran off, (Y/N) following behind them. He was too tired to fight, so all he could do was follow them.
He had no idea what was coming next.
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???: "Why didn't we save Ruby!? She could have died!"
???: "We were in no condition to save her. If we did anything, we might have died in the process."
???: "But she was going to die!"
???: "You knew Weiss was going to save her. It would be fine."
The two continued to argue on and on about what happened, distracting the leader from watching within his chair. He saw how (Y/N) rested while RWBY and JNPR fought the grimm, but every other word, the two distracted him.
After only a few minutes more, he had enough. He walked over to the two and put his arms on both of them.
???: "Listen! You're right, we should have saved her, but we used all of our energy on that omen! If it wasn't for that, we would still be able to help!"
???: "Bu-"
???: "Look! I get it. It hurts us that we couldn't stop the death stalker ourselves, but we couldn't take that kind of bet. It was too risky."
???: "...okay."
???: "Good now let's get back to-"
???: "What the hell is that?"
Hearing the fourth person speak up, the three all turned their heads to the screen in front of them. There, they saw Nora drive her hammer into the death stalker's head while Ruby climbed up a mountain to kill the nevermore. It was very impressive.
But doesn't explain the words from the other.
???: "Liam, what are you talking abou-"
Liam: "No. That."
The trio looked to where Liam pointed, and what they saw terrified them.
???: "Holy shit..."
???: "They can't fight those. They'll die out there..."
???: "What do we do...?"
Liam and the duo stared at the leader, hoping for some sort of response.
???: "...We need to fight."
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Ruby: "Alright! Good job team!"
Jaune: "I can't believe we killed those two. That was incredible."
Weiss: "*scoff* Well it was nothing for someone like me."
The group were all resting, happy they killed the nevermore and death stalker. It was a tough battle, but they were able to pull it off together.
Watching the group fight, (Y/N) couldn't help but be amazed. They worked together so well, able to pull off moves that many wouldn't dream to be possible. It was... amazing.
But he didn't have time to think. Because while they rested, Blake heard something out of the corner of her ears.
Blake: "Do you guys hear something?"
Once she spoke, everyone stared at her, confused.
(Y/N): "No. Why? You hear something?"
Blake: "Yeah... It sounds like... running."
The group was confused. Running? That far away? It was ridiculous. All of them just ignored it, continuing to rest.
But (Y/N) reacted differently. He stood up and tried to look over the forest, hoping to find what she was talking about. He hoped it wasn't what he thought it was. They were in no condition if it was that.
And it wasn't.
It was worse.
(Y/N): "Holy..."
Ruby: "Hmm? What is it (Y/N)?"
(Y/N): "Look..."
From his words, everyone immediately stood up and looked over the horizon. There, they all saw it.
Yang: "That's so many..."
Weiss: "They can't expect us to survive that..."
Pyrrha: "This can't be..."
Jaune: "No..."
They all stared in pure terror. Something that wasn't helpful for what they saw ahead of them, but it didn't matter at that point.
It was a stampede of grimm, larger than anyone has ever seen. There were omens, nuckelavees, nevermores, ursas, and beowolves as far as the eyes could see. But that wasn't the worst part. What was worse was the leader.
A g-rex. A huge tyrannosaurus rex colored pitch black with a bone mask and exoskeleton. It was dozens of feet tall, reaching all the way to the flying grimm. Spikes aligned its back and tail, making it one of the most fearsome grimm to exist.
And it was heading right for them.
Ruby: "W-we have to get out of here. We can't take them on by ourselves."
Jaune: "Y-yeah. Beacon Academy should protect us from those grimm. Right?"
The others were silent though. It was a wonder to see that many grimm in one spot. They didn't know what to do.
But thankfully, Weiss calmed everyone down.
Weiss: "O-ozpin couldn't have known this would happen. He wouldn't have sent us if he did. We need to go to Beacon Academy. Now."
Ruby: "A-alright. Let's get going."
Following Ruby's words, the group ran ahead towards Beacon Academy. They knew where to go, and they couldn't stop for even a second.
They ran through the woods, avoiding any obstacle in their way. Beowolves, pit falls, king taijitus? Didn't matter. They just needed to run.
But thankfully, they didn't need to run for long. A beacon airship flew over to the group, Ozpin and Glynda in tow. They were saved.
Ozpin: "Students, get on. We need to leave, now."
A sigh of relief spread throughout the group. Nothing could have survived that stampede. It was fortunate they avoided it in time.
But one question brought worry to them all.
Glynda: "Hold on. Where's (Y/N)?"
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(Y/N): "I can't do this. There's no way. It's literally impossible. So why..."
(Y/N) was running away from the group, splitting off to be by himself. He ran through the woods, tired but determined to get to his destination.
The problem was where he was heading.
(Y/N): "WHY AM I GOING TOWARDS THE GRIMM?!"
(Y/N) screamed out, questioning himself with every step.
(Y/N): "I can't beat that thing! I can barely run like this! It's pure suicide! It makes absolutely no sense!"
He heard the stampede, the sound of footsteps getting louder as he approached. All of the animals scurried at the sound, leaving no wildlife in his way. Death was imminent.
He eventually made his way to a clearing. There he found a clear field as far as the eye could see. The grimm all aligned, heading towards (Y/N).
(Y/N): "I mean, sure it could hurt so many people, but I can't stop that. It's not my fault if I just run away. I shouldn't be here..."
(Y/N) looked down, angry at himself. He knew why he came, but he knew it was pointless. But, even if he hated it, he still wanted to be a hero. Even if it didn't accomplish anything.
(Y/N): "Goddammit..."
He stared at the grimm, watching all of them charge. Each of them were ready to kill, either with their weapons or claws.
There was no way out of it.
???: "Let us help."
(Y/N) froze. Where did that voice come from? He looked around, seeing not a single soul around him. Just the grimm ready to kill him.
???: "Yeah. We can take them."
???: "Shut up Lucas. We don't have much time."
Lucas: "What's your problem Loki. I just said we could fight."
Liam: "Both of you, quiet. Let Shen speak."
(Y/N) looked around, confused at the voices. Where did they come from? Why can he hear them? It made no sense.
He hyperventilated. He felt himself going crazy. First it was the omen, then the grimm, and now this? He had to be imagining it. There was no way this was real.
But before he did anything rash, he felt a hand be placed on his shoulder.
Shen: "I understand you're confused, but we need to get moving. You want to kill those grimm or not?"
(Y/N) stopped. He didn't know where the voice came from, but he felt calm as it spoke. It was like an old friend started speaking with him.
And in the few seconds he had, watching the grimm get so very close to him, (Y/N) made his decision.
(Y/N): "Yes."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ruby: "(Y/N) will come back, right? He couldn't have died out there. Right!?"
Yang: "Ruby, calm down. I'm sure he's fine. He's just... lost."
Ruby: "Lost!? That's even worse! He could still be out there, trying to find us! We need to go back!"
Weiss: "We can't! It's too dangerous to leave Beacon right now. All we could do is wait for him to come back."
Ruby: "Bu-"
Ruby looked at the rest of the group, all facing down in frustration, fists shaking. They all wanted to go back to save (Y/N), but they knew it was too dangerous.
The moment Ruby realized this, she faced down as well. She should have been watching for him. What was she doing. Now, who knows what happened to him.
But before anything else could be said, Ozpin started to speak on the auditorium's stage. He was revealing which pairs passed the initiation and which failed, putting those who succeeded into teams.
Many of the initiates failed due to the grimm, being unable to acquire an artifact in time. However, even with this problem, none of the teenagers died and a good portion became teams. It wasn't a total failure.
After a few minutes of talking, Ozpin revealed each team in quick succession, he finally reached the group's. Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora all headed to the stage.
Ozpin: "Jaune Arc. Lie Ren. Pyrrha Nikos. Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team JNPR."
An applause was heard from the audience, but team JNPR just smiled slightly. They were happy, no doubt, but what happened to (Y/N) still worried them.
Ozpin: "Led by... Jaune Arc."
Jaune: "Huh? L-led by..."
Ozpin: "Congratulations young man."
The applause continued, Jaune slack jawed at the idea of being the leader. Pyrrha tried to knock him out of it with a friendly bump, but it led to him just being knocked to the ground, the entire audience laughing as it happened.
Jaune quickly got off the ground, embarrassed by what just happened, and led JNPR off of the stage for the final group to be announced.
Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang all walked to the stage, somber looks on their faces. They were looking around, hoping to find (Y/N) the entire time, but they couldn't spot him in the building.
At the sound of his voice, the team all focused on Ozpin.
Ozpin: "And finally: Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY. Led by... Ruby Rose!"
At the end of the sentence, the moods of the team mostly changed. Ruby was shocked to be made team leader, Weiss couldn't believe that Ruby was the leader, Blake was indifferent to the decision, and Yang was excited for her little sister.
Before Ruby realized it, Yang went over and hugged her sister tightly.
Yang: "I'm so proud of you!"
Watching this unfold, Ozpin couldn't help but smile.
Ozpin: "It looks like things are shaping up to be an... interesting year."
Yang eventually let go of Ruby, leaving the stage for Ozpin to continue talking. The team followed suit, leaving only Ozpin left on the stage.
Ozpin: "That concludes our initiation. It was unfortunate that it was cut off short, but thankfully, it was still a success. Before I end this assembly, was there anyone who acquired an artifact that didn't step up? We need to make sure everything is in order..."
The moment he started talking, a man walked towards the stage. He wore a black cloak, blood dripping all over as he walked up the steps. Dozens of people were shocked by the damage he took.
At the sight of him, both team JNPR and RWBY froze.
Ruby: "Is that..."
Weiss: "What happened..."
Jaune: "How did he..."
Once on the stage, the cloaked figure faced Ozpin directly. He used his cloak to cover his face, but Ozpin knew who it was.
Ozpin: "I was wondering when you would show up. Do you have any artifacts?"
The man didn't reply. The only sound being made was the low breathing from his face. It was like every second he was standing he was dying.
He opened up his pocket, grabbing out everything within it, before dropping it in Ozpin's hands. And what Ozpin saw shocked him.
It was a gray glass knight, a green emerald rook, a red metallic bishop, and a black and white queen. They were all laid out within his hands. But that wasn't what shocked him the most.
What surprised him the most was a chess piece he didn't know. A glowing pawn. It was pure white, made of some sort of material, but it was glowing. He never had a piece like that.
As a matter of fact, he didn't leave three of the chess pieces out in the field. The only one he placed was the queen piece. The other three he kept at his desk, sitting to the side of his mug. How did he get this?
Ozpin: "How did yo-"
But before he could finish the question, the man fell onto the ground, succumbing to his wounds.
And (Y/N) fell into a deep sleep.
Where he would officially meet...
Them.