It was quiet. Silent as the night. The only sound made was the quiet breathing of (Y/N), sleeping on the ground floor.
Where he was? He had no idea. All he remembered was the army of grimm in front of him, then suddenly hearing voices in his head.
And one of those voices were louder than the others.
Lucas: "Hey! Wake up! Heyyy! Wake uppp! HEY! WAKE UP!"
While (Y/N) was sleeping, a man was both screaming and slapping him awake. This was going on for a while, to the point where neither him or (Y/N) knew how long it had been.
But thankfully, it came to an end once (Y/N) shot out of his rest.
(Y/N): "Alright! I'm up! Fucking, stop it already..."
Waking up from his slumber, he met eye to eye with two bright green irises. Attached to these eyes was a boy, barely over eighteen, with straight black hair and a grin on his face. He wore an over-sized t-shirt and jeans while crouching down to (Y/N)'s eye level.
But before (Y/N) could say anything, the man spoke up.
Lucas: "Hi! Name's Lucas. Nice to meet ya!"
(Y/N) stared at Lucas, confused by the sudden appearance. Too many questions filled his mind. Who is he? What did he do? How did he get here? Where is he?
Confusion filling his mind, (Y/N)'s eyes darted around for an answer. That's when he realized where he was. Somewhere a bit... strange, to say the least.
He was in an absolute mess of a bedroom. It looked like someone took buckets of paint and threw it everywhere. A barrage of colors were on the floor, the ceiling, the furniture, the walls; everything. But that wasn't the strangest part.
In the corner of the room, there was a miniature lab, filled with blueprints and chemical devices. Strange equipment scattered around with flasks containing... some sort of liquid. Some bubbled, some were still, and some reacted... strangely. It was simultaneously the most dangerous and safest part of the room.
(Y/N): "Where am I...?"
Lucas: "Oh right! Welcome to my room! Warning, don't touch the stains. They'll burn your skin off."
(Y/N): "W-wait, what!?"
Lucas: "Don't worry about it. Now come on! You have to meet the rest!"
Lifting himself off the floor, Lucas headed straight out of his room, walking through the multicolored path. This lead to (Y/N) quickly standing up, and following after him.
But that was denied the second the floor burned his feet.
(Y/N): "AH! WHAT THE HELL!"
Lucas: "I told you, don't touch the stains."
(Y/N): "BUT You did..."
Fuming with anger, (Y/N) pointed at Lucas' feet. He tried following his exact path, so why was his feet burning but Lucas' weren't. It made absolutely no sense.
Until he actually got a good look at Lucas' feet.
The skin of his feet was not as... solid as before. It was like jello, swaying left and right as he moved, but never leaving his foot. And by listening, just a bit closer, you could hear the sound of his feet sizzling.
And he wasn't fazed in the slightest.
(Y/N): "H-ho- w-wha- b-bu-"
While (Y/N) stuttered in confusion, Lucas responded back in a chipper mood.
Lucas: "Come on! Let's get going."
Hearing Lucas speak, (Y/N) quickly got out of his trance. He was still confused, completely so, but he needed to follow the man if he wanted any answers. Even if the man was... not the most sane.
(Y/N) calmed himself down, as he always did whenever he needed to do something, while staring at the ground in front of him. Jumping, skipping, and taking leaps across the room, he eventually found himself at the end.
And once at the door, Lucas reached out and pulled (Y/N) through.
From there, many more questions began to follow.
Once through the door, (Y/N) found himself at a hallway. The hallway was similar to those in Beacon, but with one main difference. Unlike the beautiful designs aligning the walls, everything was blank. Nothing was there except for the doors in the hall.
Five doors, to be more precise; four parallel to each other down a line with one glass door at the end. These four doors were all the same, being made of the exact type of wood, with the glass door having the most mysterious, pure gray look, providing no visibility whatsoever.
And it felt... familiar.
While staring at the hall, (Y/N) heard Lucas speak up to him.
Lucas: "Shen's already down there, so we just need to go grab Loki and Liam."
(Y/N): "Who are the- N-no wait, where am I!?"
Lucas: "I'll explain later. Or they will. Either way, let's get the others first."
Before (Y/N) could continue questioning him, Lucas walked towards the doors, not missing a single beat. He was paying little attention to the confused boy, but he still kept an eye on him in an almost protective manner.
And while his lack of focus annoyed him, (Y/N) followed with confusion fresh in his mind. Lucas didn't help his puzzlement in the slightest, but he still needed to follow him if he had any chance of learning anything.
Once they arrived, Lucas knocked on both doors at the same time.
Lucas: "BLOODY MESS! EMO GHOST! GET OVER HERE!"
The moment he said those words, the doors opened simultaneously.
To the right, there was another teen standing with amber eyes and combed red hair. He wore a black suit with a red shirt and tie. He stood upright, full of pride and power, while staring at (Y/N). His entire look blended together, creating a perfect fit for the man.
The other teen wasn't as clean, however. Instead, he wore a black, torn up t-shirt and gray khakis, while slouching when in front of (Y/N). He had gray eyes, messy black hair, and a tired look painted on his face. He was the exact opposite of how the other man looked.
Once arriving, the clean man smiled and spoke up.
Loki: "Hello there. My name is Loki Hadus. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."
(Y/N): "O-oh. Nice to meet you too."
Lucas: "Now Emo, don't be shy, introduce yourself!"
Hearing Lucas mention him, the disheveled man slowly introduced himself.
Liam: "...Liam..."
He dropped back into silence, creating an awkward tension between the group.
In this silence, (Y/N) started processing everything that happened, which made him more confused as he stared at the three. Because they didn't explain one thing. One strange fact about this entire experience.
Why did they all look slightly like each other?
And why did they kind of look like him?
He immediately assumed brothers, but they had too many differences to be related. Yet they still looked strangely similar. It was like someone took his DNA and spliced it.
With confusion increasing in his mind, (Y/N) stopped suddenly to hear Lucas speak.
Lucas: "Alright! Now, Shen's in the main room. Let's go!"
Loki: "Alright... fucking asshole..."
Lucas: "Aw! Love you too Loki!"
Liam: "..."
They all headed down to the glass door while (Y/N) lagged behind. Their attitude, their demeanor, their... mood; they were definitely different people. And yet... the same person.
A strange fact that only added to his confusion.
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Once they arrived at the glass door, it automatically opened, revealing what was inside.
The main room was ginormous, something one wouldn't be able to measure just by looking at it. It was filled with an excess of mechanical equipment, to strange symbols, and even normal everyday furniture. But it was all in perfect synergy, creating a calming atmosphere.
While gazing at the room, soaking in all it had to offer, (Y/N) heard the sound of a young man yelling while placing plates on a table.
Shen: "Dinner's ready!"
Hearing the voice, the group walked over the man while waving hello.
The young man was... different from the group. He had pure white hair, a blue right eye, a red left eye, and a small symbol of a dragon over his left chest. He wore a silver cloak with velvet lining, a pitch black shirt, red pants, and red dress shoes. But none of that was what drew (Y/N)'s eyes.
It was that he wasn't from this world.
It was the pair of wings on his back: one black bird wing and one white bat wing.
And he didn't find it that strange.
Seeing (Y/N)'s shock, Shen spoke up with a soft smile on his face.
Shen: "Hi. Name's Shen, Shen Kuri. Welcome to your mindscape, (Y/N)."
(Y/N): "H-how did you know my- N-no, wait, who are all of you!"
Shen: "Well, let us explain. Take a seat, we won't hurt you."
Hearing that sentence, (Y/N) realized that all of them were seated at the opposite end of the table. Shen at the head, Liam to his left, and Loki and Lucas to his right. Then there was the seat straight in front of him.
Seeing them all in position, (Y/N) cautiously took a seat in front of the group. It felt like he was at his house again, with Ozpin and Glynda sitting on his couch, waiting to interview him to join Beacon. The biggest difference was he didn't know where he was or any idea who these people were.
But once seated, Shen spoke first, trying to assist (Y/N) in his confusion.
Shen: "So, introductions are in order. I'm Shen, the one to my left is Liam, the pretty boy is Loki, and the insane one is Lucas. Nice to meet you, (Y/N)."
(Y/N): "Okay... Nice to meet you too... Now what did you mean that this is my mindscape."
Shen: "Oh, well it's not exactly a mindscape. That's just what it's most like. It's more of a... soulscape, if you will."
(Y/N): "Soulscape? What does that mean."
Hearing (Y/N)'s confusion, Loki spoke up to answer the man.
Loki: "What he means is that we are currently in your soul after the fight we had. Everything here was shaped by your soul based on your life."
(Y/N): "W-wait, what fight?"
At that point, Lucas excitedly answered.
Lucas: "We're talking about how we kicked the shit out of that herd! It was amazing! Liam was killing fuckers left and right, I beat the shit out of that T-rex, Loki took down all of those omens, and Shen-"
Liam: "Shut up."
Hearing Liam speak up, Lucas paused before grinning at the boy in a mocking manner.
Lucas: "Come on kid! I saw you out there too. Too embarrassed to admit you were having fun? I know you want to be cool and edgy, but you're just too adorable! I want to just take your teen angst and -"
Before Liam could snap Lucas in half with the glare on his face, (Y/N) interrupted with more questions.
(Y/N): "Wait, this doesn't make sense. If this is my soul, then who the hell are you all?"
The table went silent. Everyone went still while watching each other. They were trying to find who would speak. Who was ready to tell him?
Thankfully, Liam was.
Liam: "We're your soul. One eighths of it, each. You're half."
And at that, (Y/N)'s brain stopped working. His mind imploded with the questions in his head. One eighths of his soul? Does that mean half of his soul wasn't his? What does that mean? What was he!?
But before any more panic could be made, Shen spoke again. He wore a much more concerned face, lowering his tone to become a bit more serious.
Shen: "You love books right?"
Hearing this question, (Y/N) hesitantly answered.
(Y/N): "Y-yeah. W-what's that got to do with any-"
Shen: "And you loved the characters right?"
(Y/N): "Y-yeah. W-where you going with thi-"
Shen: "So what if I told you that those characters existed."
Everything stopped. (Y/N)'s mind went blank. Fiction was reality? All of those character, all of those fantastical heroes with impossible abilities were... real?
With all of this silence, Shen explained.
Shen: "People believe that in the vast eternity of existence, there is a universe out there where a different choice was made than what you chose. This sparked the multiverse theory. Where how every choice we make creates a parallel universe with different outcomes."
(Y/N): "O-okay. But that doesn't explain how fantasy characters could exi-"
Shen: "However, that's not true. Scientists earlier discovered particles in the universe that shouldn't exist due to the laws of physics. The multiverse theory was made with the idea that other universes existed with different universal laws. Where magic is reality, energy could be created, and gravity doesn't exist. That's what started the multiverse theory."
Listening to Shen explain, (Y/N)'s brain started turning. He was beginning to understand what that meant.
(Y/N): "W-well if universes exist with different laws of physics, doesn't that mean that every conceivable idea is possible? Every single thing we think of is true in another universe? Even things that are impossible are real?
Loki: "Yes. That's exactly right."
(Y/N): "If that's the case... then what's imagination?"
Expecting this question, Shen explained thoroughly.
Shen: "People think that you create everything you imagine, but it's more like someone watching a show. That show, however, has infinite versions with a variety of changes. These changes are parallel universes that we choose to view. And that choice can be expressed through different mediums."
(Y/N): "So that means, every single thing imaginable-"
Lucas: "YEP! From anime to fanfiction, from movies to books, everything is real. Just maybe not in your universe."
(Y/N): "Okay... I understand that now, but what does that have to do with you four?"
Satisfied with how things were turning out, Shen relaxed himself while calmly explaining to (Y/N).
Shen: "In those universes, there is a guaranteed chance that there is a version of yourself with the powers of God. Maybe you're Satan himself. Maybe you're a mix of both. Or maybe... you're nothing at all."
Taking barely a second, (Y/N) figured out what he was implicating.
(Y/N): "So... you're all me from different universes?"
Lucas: "Well, kind of. We're parts of your soul that turned into the you from parallel universes. The real Shen, Lucas, Loki, and Liam are god knows where. All we know really are small portions of our live's stories."
(Y/N): "Then why am I the only one like this? I can't be the only one in existence."
Loki: "Oh, there are definitely more people like this in the multiverse. You're just the only one in this world."
(Y/N): "But then... why me? Was it just dumb luck?"
The room went silent.
Lucas' grin fell as the entire group stared down in sorrow. They were all... depressed at that question. Like a bad memory was played at the same time.
Seeing their mood drop, (Y/N) backed in alarm. What was that? Why did they change so suddenly? What was so special about him?
While these questions flowed like a river through his brain, (Y/N) was surprised to see Shen quickly recover and return to a much more somber smile.
Shen: "We'll explain later. Now, it's nearly midnight, so you need to wake up and we need to eat. Goodbye."
(Y/N): "Wait! I still have so many questions, you can't get r-"
And with that, he disappeared from the table. Seeing him gone, the remaining three raised there heads back up, relief on all of their faces.
Except for Liam, who stared at his leader.
Liam: "You forgot to tell him we could talk while he's awake."
Shen: "...fuck."
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(Y/N): "Rid of me!"
(Y/N) screamed as he awoke from his slumber. His arm was raised out, reaching for something to grab while he sat quickly upright. A very... surprising moment to say the least.
He was in a hospital bed, arm hooked up to a variety of medical equipment while he was resting. An oxygen mask fell off as he sat up, landing onto his lap. But he wasn't able to view much more.
He was too focused on team RWBY surrounding him.
RWBY: "..."
(Y/N): "..."
RWBY: "..."
(Y/N): "... H-hey. What's up?"
Hearing that question, Ruby tackled (Y/N) while tears poured down her face.
Ruby: "YOU'RE ALIVE! I thought- I- I- I-"
Wincing in pain from Ruby, (Y/N) looked down at her and quickly became concerned.
(Y/N): "Ruby, Ruby, I'm alright. I just got lost. Sorry for making you worry."
Ruby: "I-I should've- I-I-"
(Y/N): "Ruby, it's alright. I shouldn't have left you guys. I was being dumb."
Ruby looked up, seeing the concerned eyes of (Y/N). She was so, so scared after seeing (Y/N) drop onto the ground. There was so much blood, so many scars, so much. But seeing (Y/N) now, she couldn't help but be joyful at his revival.
Weiss, however, spoke up in fury at (Y/N).
Weiss: "To say the least! What were you thinking! You could've actually died out there! And you almost did! It's a miracle you're still alive right now!"
(Y/N): "I know... I just..."
(Y/N) looked down, dejectedly at her statements. He knew he shouldn't have ran, he knew the dangers of leaving, but he still did. He had to. And now, he made everyone worry. Great...
But after seeing his depressed state, Weiss stopped her assault and looked down in regret.
Weiss: "Sorry. I'm just glad you're alive..."
Hearing that, (Y/N) looked back up with gratitude.
(Y/N): "Thank you."
Weiss backed up from this statement, a blush creeping on her face as she stared.
But before anything else, she was cut off by Yang, speaking up as she sat next to (Y/N).
Yang: "Well, look at you! Came back to life and can melt the Ice Queen's heart! Is there anything you can't do?"
Looking back to Yang, (Y/N) gained a slight grin while speaking.
(Y/N): "Well, there's only one way to find out. Want to help?"
Surprised by this sudden change, Yang's eyes flickered before she gained a wide grin on her face.
Yang: "Well, maybe in the future we will."
Hearing this, (Y/N) giggled in delight before glancing at Blake, staring shyly at him. However, that quickly changed once Blake noticed.
Blake immediately changed to looking down in embarrassment. She kept her arms close to her and her face was covered by her hair.
But soon later, she finally spoke up towards (Y/N).
Blake: "... I'm glad you're alright..."
At the sight of Blake speaking to him, (Y/N) could only smile and reply back.
(Y/N): "Thanks. Glad you are too."
Blake glanced upwards, locking eyes with him for a split second in gratitude. And, unknown to everyone but (Y/N), for a brief moment, her bow wiggled.
(Y/N) looked around, happy to see all of team RWBY around him. But before he could say anything, the voice of a man cut him off.
Ozpin: "My, my, look's like you're up early. Hope I wasn't interrupting anything."
At that moment, the group all stared at Ozpin, surprised by his appearance. He stood in front of the door with a coffee mug in hand. It looked like he just came in, thankfully.
Seeing Ozpin, (Y/N) smiled and replied back to Ozpin.
(Y/N): "No, it was nothing important."
Hearing this, Ozpin nodded before taking a sip of his coffee.
Ozpin: "That's good. I saw you were up and was hoping to tell you how you did on the initiation exam."
Everyone shot up at that comment, surprised at what he was saying. However, unlike (Y/N), team RWBY's surprise was out of fear.
Team RWBY all had the same thought when Ozpin spoke up. (Y/N) didn't find a partner during the initiation, so what did that mean? Did he fail? He also arrived late to turn in the relics. Is he not joining Beacon? Is this the end?
But all of that fear was addressed as Ozpin explained.
Ozpin: "The purpose of the initiation was for each person to find a partner to be assigned into groups. You, however, weren't able to find anyone who didn't have a partner. This would normally mean you failed the exam..."
Hearing this caused (Y/N)'s mood to immediately drop.
(Y/N): "Oh... I see..."
Team RWBY all stared at (Y/N). He couldn't leave yet. Not after everything that happened. Even if their time was short, they all enjoyed being around him and hoped to see him while in school. They can't take that away now.
(Y/N), however, felt like he was back in the facility again.
(Y/N): "Of course this would happen. You know you aren't strong. You would just hold them back. It's better this way. They can actually become greater. You would have to be an idiot to think otherwise."
But, before (Y/N) could continue, Ozpin spoke up once again.
Ozpin: "But, I am the headmaster, and I saw what you did to those grimm. So we should be able to make an exception for you."
The entire room's attention focused on Ozpin.
(Y/N): "W-wait. Does that mean..."
Ozpin: "Mr. (Y/N), congratulations on being the first ever singular huntsman in Beacon Academy. However, you will be required to go on any mission assigned to team RWBY."
(Y/N): "I-I-"
Ozpin: "Yes, (Y/N). Welcome to Beacon Academy."
At that moment, everyone's face lit up in joy. Ruby was happy to keep her friend in school, Weiss was happy that they wouldn't get rid of someone as talented as (Y/N), Yang was happy that there would be someone fun she knows in Beacon, and Blake was happy that there was someone kind who wouldn't hate her for who she was in school.
(Y/N), however, felt something strange. A weird sense of deja vu swept over him as he said those words. Like he saw this all before, but he couldn't tell from what.
Before any more could be done, Ozpin stood up and headed towards the door.
Ozpin: "Now, I should get going now. Tomorrows the first day of class, but (Y/N) should rest for a bit longer. Goodbye for now, students."
Ozpin closed the door as he spoke that final sentence, leaving the group to be alone once more.
However, that quickly changed when Weiss got up.
Weiss: "Ozpin has the right idea. It's getting late, and we have school tomorrow. Let's go back to the dorm."
Ruby: "But I barely got to spend time with (Y/N)..."
Yang looked at Ruby, amused by how she acted with (Y/N).
Yang: "(Y/N)'s not just for you to hog. And Weiss's right, we should get going now."
Ruby: "But..."
Ruby stared at the two, desperation written all over her face. She tried to look at Blake to get her help, but soon saw that she was already holding the door open.
Seeing her team want to leave, Ruby looked down in disappointment.
Ruby: "Okay... Bye (Y/N)..."
Seeing Ruby so down, (Y/N) picked her head up and talked with a smile on his face.
(Y/N): "Hey, it's not so bad. We still have the rest of school to talk. You guys can come by tomorrow if you want."
Hearing this, Ruby shot up and stood up out of the bed.
Ruby: "That's a great idea! We could talk about weapons, or heroes, or stories, or... anything!"
(Y/N) backed up once she spoke up, only to chuckle moments later.
(Y/N): "*chuckle* Yeah, we certainly can. Now I should get some rest. I need to get better, and staying up won't help me."
Hearing this, each member of team RWBY smiled as they headed out the door.
Yang: "Alright. Bye (Y/N)! Get well soon!"
Weiss: "Goodbye (Y/N). I had a wonderful time with you."
Blake: "Bye (Y/N). Hope you get better."
Ruby: "Bye (Y/N)! Can't wait to see you tomorrow!"
(Y/N) watched them all leave one by one until eventually calling out to the four of them.
(Y/N): "Bye guys! Good luck on school! Hope you do well!"
Hearing this, they all smiled from behind the door, as they all walked back to their dorms, all excited for tomorrow.
(Y/N) stared as they walked, getting filled with joy from the friends he made already when arriving.
Once they all left, however, (Y/N) realized how late it was, and knew he should probably get some rest.
(Y/N): "That was nice. I hope that it'll be better tomorrow."
Laying down on the hospital bed, (Y/N)'s eyes drifted to sleep with one last thought being made.
(Y/N): "Looks like I finally found my prologue. Let's hope it doesn't go down from here."
And at that moment, he finally went to sleep, not noticing Shen, Loki, Liam, and Lucas surrounding his body with small smiles on their faces.
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Glynda: "Why did you allow him to join Beacon Academy! You saw what happened to him out there! He's lucky to make it out alive!"
Ozpin: "Everything is fine, Glynda. I know what I am doing."
After explaining the situation to team RWBY and (Y/N), Ozpin arrived to see Glynda angry at his decision to allow (Y/N) to attend Beacon.
Glynda: "Look, I'm fine with the many questionable decisions you do in this school, but I can't allow this! The boy was hanging on death's door when we saw him, and you want to send him out again! That's where I draw the line."
Seeing how she was acting, Ozpin sighed before questioning Glynda on the matter.
Ozpin: "Alright. If I can prove that the boy is ready to become a huntsman, even without a team, would you allow his acceptance?"
Hearing the ultimatum, Glynda tucked her arms while grunting at Ozpin.
Glynda: "Fine!"
In an expecting manner, Ozpin reached from within his pocked to reveal his scroll from within. He slid it across his table, eventually landing in front of Glynda.
Looking on the scroll, Glynda became shocked with what she saw.
It was (Y/N), staring down the herd of Grimm with his swords in hand. He looked like he was going to fight them all, an impossible task ahead of him.
Ozpin: "Do you see what's on the scroll."
Glynda: "How... How did he get out of there alive?"
Ozpin: "Go to the next picture."
Glynda scrolled to the next picture, confusion fresh within her mind.
And as she saw it, she immediately dropped the scroll onto the ground.
Glynda: "H-he couldn't have. It's impossible! There's no way!"
Ozpin: "Now, can you please hand me the documents to sign (Y/N) into the Academy."
Glynda: "I-uh-I... *grunt*"
Glynda hurried back, infuriated that Ozpin played with her using (Y/N).
Because the picture was something astounding.
It was (Y/N), standing on top of the G-Rex, swords in his arms while watching the empty field around him, without a single trace of any other grimm around him.