Well, it has been awhile, huh? That a mostly because I was screwing around, sorry. But it was sooooo fun!

Anyways, a few things before we begin this wacky chapter. First, thank you for all those who are reading this and joining us! Glad to have you here! Also, we've passed One Bizarre Adventure in Favorites and Followers! Thank you! This is now my second highest fic! (God thanks mate).

Secondly! I have a section down below that I elaborate on Magic. I feel like I made it sound too much like Aura, which it isn't. If you're interested, then it'll be under 'Better Explanation.'

Thirdly, this first part is Cliché, but it helps set the grounds for Arcs farther down the line. If I didn't set it up, then the arcs later will be too out of left field to feel comfortable writing. That's about it. As always, if you're confused or something, I answer all reviews at the bottom of the chapter.

SPOILER! This chapter contains characters from Re:Zero Arc 4, 5 and 6. RWBY characters volume 4 and above. It also mentions things that are within those episodes that may be spoilers!

The wind blew softly against his face, blades of grass tickling his nose, causing a slight irritation for him. His face scrunched up, he slowly opened his eyes, blinking away the drowsiness from his eyes. A shade covered his body, rays of light shining through the leafs of the tree above him. Rolling over, he lifted his arm to block the offending light, his memories slowly coming back to him.

With a start, he sat up in a panic. His last memories being that of a cell, an old man, and a discussion of Religion. Not once in his memory did he recall leaving that interrogation room, or going out into the forest. A sense of unease overtook him as he evaluated his surroundings. Grass as far as the eye could see surrounded him, hills around blocking further sight, light reflecting off the green, shining the area in an unearthly light. A singular tree laid in this vast emptiness, one that he sat under. Its leaves fell graciously to the ground, touching the ground without a sound. Standing up, he tried to see if he could see over the hills, but to no avail.

"Where… am I?" Subaru questioned as he walked around the tree, his heart growing cold as fear took hold. Had he finally died and went to the afterlife? If so, how did he die? Who killed him? Better yet, why wasn't this hell? "It looks a lot like heaven to me. Not that I'm complaining, but you could have at least gave me a hint on what to do."

Looking back and forth, Subaru bit his lip. He honestly wasn't sure what he should do in a situation like this. He had answers to dealing with the Archbishops, Knights of Lugnica, the Holy Spirits of Gusteko(1), and even The Volakia Empires finest, but he did not have a answer to waking up in the middle of nowhere. Especially if this nowhere was looking more and more like the afterlife each second. Scratching the back of his head, he reached into his cloak and took out his Gospel. Flipping it open to the latest entry, he hoped it held more information for him to evaluate, to distract him from this worrying situation. Unfortunately, no entry was held within his Gospel.

Not even the final verse for Ruby.

"No, No, No." Eyes widening, Subaru frantically flipped through his Gospel, searching high and low for any of the Witches writing. The twisted words and rhymes that only he could ever read, gone without a trace. A deep sense of dread overcame Subaru as he flipped to the first page, having gone backwards in his State of mind. As luck would have it however, a single word marked the page, giving him direction and comfort. "Walk?"

Some of the Witches riddles and rhymes had been straightforward before, a general consensus was that she was trying to get something done as soon as possible, but it had never been this straightforward before. Her words always held a form of rhyme, or mystical feel to them. This, however, was a command. A command Subaru had a feeling, if he ignored, would have grave consequences.

With sweaty palms he looked forward, into the everlasting oasis, dread filling his heart. As this world was like heaven, but he felt like he was in hell. With eyes filled with apprehension, Subaru walked out of the trees shadow, and into the sun.

"How. Freaking. Long. Has. It. Been?" Subaru panted as he continued on this endless walk. For what felt like hours, Subaru had been walking in this grassy wasteland with no end in sight. This wasn't the first time Subaru had gotten lost like this, but the last time that happened he was in a forest, and he was able to at least tell time by the Sun, but wherever the hell he was the Sun didn't move. The giant star had been stuck in the middle of the sky for hours, and it didn't look like it would change anytime soon.

What made it worse was the fact that there was no tree or anything in sight. It truly felt like he was in a wasteland under the guise of an paradise. It wasn't only the lack of any vegetation besides grass that made this seem like hell. The Sun hadn't stopped beating down on him and his dark cloths, which he was forced to remove due to heat, so his skin was sure to tan. The current Season in Remnant was Summer, so this sort of heat made sense, but he had a feeling that if he was in the afterlife, he shouldn't have felt heat nor cold.

"Unless this is hell, which I'm really starting to think it is." Subaru spoke to himself as he wiped more sweat off his forehead. The thought of him finally going to hell scared him more than he let on, but if he were to be in the underworld, he'd have no right to complain. He had done many vile things in life, and while admittedly he may have done some good, most of it was heinous. Purging villages, slaughtering young, assassinating political figures. "Looking back on it, why did I do all those things? What meaning was there?"

No matter how Subaru thought of it, there was really no reason to it. He had his reasons for detesting nonhumans, but was that really the reason for him joining the Cult? The reason why he committed such crimes against the world? No, it wasn't. He remembered clearly why he sacrificed so many people. Why so many lives had ended just for him. Subaru wanted power. Power to dominate and kill. To vanquish and conquer. To protect and shelter.

Subaru couldn't remember when his views on the world had changed so much. He couldn't remember when, or if, he started not caring if someone died or if he had to kill. He couldn't remember when he started becoming uncaring if a friend died or not, for he could always just redo it. He couldn't know when his morality had become so twisted that the thought of killing children didn't disturb him. All he knew was that at some point, he started changing for the worst.

Subaru was a realist. He knew he wasn't a good person, and will most likely never will be. While the other Archbishops would fool themselves into thinking that they were good people, doing the work of a god who didn't show themselves; Subaru knew they were a Cult aiming to do mindless acts of violence. No one in the Cult knew what their end goal was, or even if there was one. They all just mindlessly followed the orders of some Witch who never showed her face.

What they all got in return was power. Power to reach beyond the limits of what was humanly possible. Power to cleave and carve as they wish, with no repercussions to think of. Power to be unreachable, to remove themselves from the plane of mere existence. Power to steal the experience of others, learning their life and abilities. The power to rewind time, unlimited chances to redo and fix the mistakes of the past. The last, and finally, the power to steal powers from his enemies, taking them for his own.

"Oddly enough, I was the only one to receive two abilities. Everyone else got one… well, except Regulus, Lust and the Gluttons, but those powers work with each other. Mine are like two different powers compared to each other." Subaru spoke to himself, distracting himself from the looming Sun. It was true though, no matter how he looked at it his powers were just too different to piece together a reasonable theory in how they worked together. The rewind ability sounded like it was made with Pride in mind, as a prideful being wouldn't accept dying or losing, always wanting to do over until everything was perfect. The power to steal abilities however? That sounded like something Envy would wield. "Well, I don't think we even have a seat for that Sin. Every other sin has an Archbishop, but Envy seems to vacant. Huh? Weird."

There wasn't much point in thinking about it, as Subaru wasn't going to complain about what he had been gifted. Subaru wasn't greedy enough to complain about the hand he had been given, even if it wasn't all that great at times. 'Return by Death' didn't have any manual save locations, which at times could be a pain in the butt. Looking at it from an outside perspective though, it was probably better that way. Subaru, while most of the time cool and collected, tended to consider getting past an enemy a 'Happy End' thus he would save immediately after. In reality, there would always be something going on in the background that he would later find out in a loop, thus having a need to fix that mistake.

'Absorption' was more or less in the same boat as Return by Death. While extremely useful in technical terms, it only ever worked when an Archbishop died. Recently he found out that when an Archbishop died, no matter where or if it was by his hand, their powers would be transmitted to him, or at least he hoped it worked like that. These abilities didn't come with any guide teaching them how to use them. It was sort of like instinct. People don't know how to control their arms and legs, they just do it. Same goes for Archbishop abilities, and by extension Divine Protections.

Wincing, Subaru gave a kick with his right leg, trying his best to ignore the pain his legs had developed after hours of walking. Truly, this was a hellish task given by the Witch. Hell, he didn't even have to follow it if he truly wanted to, but he had a sneaking suspicion that if he were to disobey it, he would be in true hell.

Glancing at his cloak, he couldn't help but notice that the cape portion of it was still horribly ruined. Holding it to his face, he inspected the patches and scrapes caused by his trek to Vale and battle with Garfiel. When he got out of… wherever he was, he would have to sew it up. Sure it looked cool and gave him more of a villainous look, but…

"I'm gonna have to think about this one." Subaru said to himself, staring at the Cloak. He had always just sewed it up without thinking, but now that he thought about it, it made him look ridiculously cool.

"We gather here today to say farewell to the dearly departed."

"Huh?"

With a start, Subaru's head snapped to the direction of the new voice, surprised and shocked. In the distance, almost out of his hearing range, was a tree. A multitude of people stood, around a rectangle ditch. A man in black, chanting to the air praises and hopes for the soul, motioned and cried like a madman. If he were to compare this Priest to Betelgeuse, he wouldn't have been far off with the amount of power the priest did. No one seemed perturbed by this however, as they were all too busy staring at the ground.

With a curious look, Subaru cautiously stalked over to the group, careful to be silent. Normally, Subaru would have been loud and cheery at having found others in this forsaken wasteland, but he had a feeling he shouldn't talk. Not only for the fact that this didn't look like the place(2) to speak, but also the fact that he hadn't noticed their presence until the priest had spoken up. Subaru wasn't the best at picking up social cues or an individual presence, but a tree and a group of people who looked to be in mourning were hard to miss in a place like this.

As he stood to the side of the group, he took the chance to peer into the rectangular ditch. In it, a coffin laid, its lid opened revealing a body of the recently departed. Her skin a deathly pale, her hair a dark brown, ending at her neck. A black dress covered her body, her arms laid across her chest. A strange feature about her was probably the most normal thing about her. A content smile graced her face, almost as if she had passed in bliss.

"This… looks extremely familiar." Subaru said, a deep feeling of dread gripping his heart. Subaru felt like he had been here before, seen this before, and experienced before. Nervously, he reached into his cloak- "Huh?"

Eyes widening, he looked down at his body in surprise. The cloak he had held in his arms until now was gone, replaced by thin air that seemed to carry with it surprising weight. The bear chest he had boldly shown to the world was once again covered by a white suit and black tie. Slacks replaced his uniform pants, tightly clinging to his body. Black dance shoes replaced his… Black dance shoes.

"What the hell!?" Subaru cursed, the change in attire scaring him. There was no doubt about it now. It didn't matter if this was heaven or hell, this place was abnormal. Paranormal even, far beyond that of Magic or Aura. To bypass his perception of reality and spawn individuals from a distance, to change his attire as they pleased. Whatever this place was, he needed to find an escape before whatever was in charge decided to do anything drastic.

"This is the kid!?" Subaru instinctively snapped his head to the female voice. The scenery had changed once again. What once was a Funeral, was now a desolate room. Toys littered the room; blocks, figurines and other such luxuries scattered about on the sewn carpet. A bed, unkempt and worn down sat in the corner. A window was the only source of light for the otherwise dark room that hid its corners with earnest. Three individuals stood in the middle of this; two adults and one fragile child.

"You have to be kidding! He looks nothing like master!" The girl proclaimed, kneeling and giving the young boy a look over. The girl, who looked to be in her early twenties, looked to definitely stand out within a crowd. Her dark brown hair reached to the nape of her butt, tied in a ponytail to no doubt keep from getting tangled. She dressed in the bear minimal, having just a bra and some shorts to cover her important bits. A black cape hung loosely around her neck, for what he assumed to hide the rest of her top.

"He may look nothing like your master, but I assure you that he is his son." The other spoke, deep and heavy. He wore a crimson kimono which only covered half his chest, leaving the right side uncovered, a white sarashi hung around his body, and a black eyepatch over his left eye that had an ugly pattern. His crimson red hair went past his back, ending near his butt. He seemed to be the calmer of the two, as the girl continued to shake the young boy.

"Well, he does smell like master." The girl said, sniffing the boys hair. It was an odd thing to say and do, even for one such as Subaru. Frowning, she looked back at the crimson man. "Hey Reid, why does this kid look so down anyways? I mean, Master always was strict and to the point, but isn't this too much?"

"You're too insensitive, Shaula." Reid said, shaking his head. Leaning on the Katana on his waist, Reid looked at Shaula through his one eye. "The boy has lost both his parents, of course he would be down. When your family passed, didn't you feel a burden on your heart?"

"Well, sure, but it didn't last long." Shaula said, watching as the boy continued to stare at the ground, emotionless. "Besides, I cried. I didn't mope around like a lost sheep trying to find its herd. In no time I moved on with my life, that's how I got here."

"Maybe you're just a stronger person than he is, you." Reid said as he messed with his hair. Sighing, he watched the kid some more, who acted as if they weren't their, before looking back at the girl, who still kneeled down to the boys level. "Are you done yet Shaula? We only came here because you wanted too; we don't have the luxury to waste time anymore."

"Yeah, yeah, just hold on." Shaula said, watching the boy, her face contemplating something. Groaning, she shook her head furiously. "Hey, kid, I need you to listen to me."

If he heard, he didn't give any indication he did. The group waited in silence, Subaru holding his head as a sense of nostalgia hit him. It was like he had seen this scene before, replaying in his head like a worn out tape. As the images flashed through his mind, connecting perfectly with the scene before him, he couldn't help but feel like he knew what she was going to say. Shaula would get irritated at being ignored, force the boy to look her in the eyes, and say-

"Subaru!" Shaula said, holding his chin up, forcing him to look into her green eyes. His emotionless mask breaking slightly at the endless sympathy and love held within her eyes. A reminder of the precious person he had lost in his life; his mom. Her warm smiles, the way her eyes held a form of happiness that no mere being could wield, and her enchanting words that seemed to hold all the world's care and tenderness. A lump formed in Subaru's throat, but he didn't budge. Shaula smiled, seeing his façade breaking so easily. "Look, Subaru, we can't stay here for long, but I have to say this; no matter where you are, or who you become, someone out there will love you. There will always be someone to care for you when you're down, and cheer for you when your up. I know this, because master… your father, taught me that.

"So cheer up already! With a face like that, it just makes you look like you're scheming something evil!" Shaula said, ruffling Subaru's hair. Subaru didn't respond, his eyes downcast, as if the world had betrayed him. It wasn't that far from the truth either, as betrayal had been a theme in his short life. Smiling, Shaula continued to mess with his hair. "We'll get back Master for you, and we'll all be one big happy family!"

"Huh?" Subaru's eyes widened, staring at Shaula's dark green eyes. Surprise and hope shown through those wide hazel eyes of his, as if God had shown a ray of light on his poor soul. "Dads… alive?"

"Of course!" Shaula cheered, startling the young Subaru. "There's no way in hell that Master would die so easily! If he did, I'd kill him myself!"

Subaru stared at the grinning girl, who struck a friendly pose. Unmoving, unbreathing, Subaru watched her, as if trying to tell if she had twisted the truth at all. Yet no matter how she looked, or how her words were spoke, truth lined the very bottom of her speech. Visible tears formed at the corner of his eyes, and without a word, Subaru latched onto the woman. Crying and pleading to bring back his precious person. Shaula stared at him, surprise on her face, before a warm smile settled on her face. Slowly, she hugged the crying child tightly, whispering promises and comforts into his ear.

They stayed like this for several minutes, before it became apparent that Subaru had cried himself to sleep. Smiling, Shaula lifted him with ease, her strength being able to lift a full grown dragon with ease. Laying him in the bed, she tucked him in, silently contemplating taking him with them. With a shake of her head, she fought against the idea. Where they were going wasn't a place for a kid. Moving a stray strand of Subaru's hair out of his face, she couldn't help but think of her master. At first, he may look like the complete polar opposite of him, but looking closer, he did have her master's eyes.

A sudden sting to her arse made her squeak in surprise. Snapping her head to Reid, she glared at the grinning Sword Saint. She considered transporting him to space, but thought against it. Regrettably, he was needed for the mission ahead. With pouting cheeks, she covered her bum from future assaults.

"You're a freaking prick, you know that!?" Shaula whispered, trying to keep her voice down. Walking up to him, she punched him in the gut, which he allowed. Chuckling, Reid gave a mischievous smile to her.

"Says the girl who is trying to set flags on a boy no older than six." Reid teased as Shaula punched him in the face. Reid gave a hearty laugh at her attempts to kill him. Good naturedly of course.

"I am NOT setting flags on a boy a who's just getting out of his diapers!" Shaula defended as a bright blush crossed her face. Reid's smile just grew bigger at this.

"But what about when he's older? Fail with the father, so you go after the son?" Reid teased some more before a kick landed straight at his crotch, this having a visible effect on him as he held the injured partner.

"You're disgusting!" Shaula yelled, causing Subaru to stir. Wincing, she glared at Reid some more. "Lets get going, before I destroy this place."

"Hold on. My Love machine is crying." Reid squeaked, obvious pain on his face. Groaning, he snapped himself back in position, like what had happened had never even occurred. "Alright, I'm ready, but is that really all you have to say? You were hella eager to get here."

Without speaking, Shaula stared into the opposite side of the room, contemplating. Turning back to Subaru, she smiled lovingly, before turning back. Waving a hand in front of her, the air seemed to twist and turn, before a black hole appeared before her.

"Yeah, I'm sure." She spoke to Reid, grinning at the crimson Saint. "I have faith that this won't get him too down! When he grows up, I bet he'll be as strong and righteous as Master!"

With that, both Reid and Shaula walked into the portal, one content with her work done, the other glad he got to touch a woman's arse. The black hole snapped closed, forming an invisible line where it once stood. Subaru watched, holding his head. A pained expression marred his face as the scene began to fade. He remembered all of this, but why was this appearing now? What purpose did it serve?

"Yet here he stands, the complete opposite of Strong and Righteous."

Subaru snapped his neck behind him. A figure stood, clad in all black, yet still somehow visible in the void surrounding them. It's cloak covered all, floating as if nothing held it down. As if they were underwater.

"He stands, as the living impersonation of Pride, loved by Envy, friends of Greed, sworn enemy of Sloth, diffident of Lust, uncaring of Gluttony, and as angered as Wrath. The boy, son of the hero, became that which is not good nor evil. A true enigma that may never be pieced together." It spoke, it's voice neither Male or Female, yet distinguishable. Distorted, yet clear as the starry sky.

"Shut up…"

"He kills not for joy, or any purpose. He lives, but with no goal. He laughs, yet it carries no joy. He breathes not for himself, but for those around him. He desires, but doesn't strive forward. His wants lay in front of him, yet he doesn't reach to grasp the hand in front of him. The Silver Eyed girl, the simplest and most honest, granted to someone like him. That. That is his Cupiditatem."

"Shut up!" Subaru said, claws of his and the Witch reaching out to the intruder.

"Kill me."

The scene changed once more. Back was the endless grass. The tree that shadowed him from the offending light of the sun. Shakily, Subaru looked up, the voice having changed from its distorted variant to one filled with beauty and gentleness. Standing in front of him was not the monster in the void, but a woman of the past. Silver hair that reached to her back, covered by a straw hat. A white dress covered her body. Her arms hugged each other behind her back, a smile that reached her purple eyes stared into his hazel eyes. The claws of his and the Witch just in reach of her, ready to tear her limb from limb.

"Kill me." She repeated, her voice soft and carrying a love that only a lover could wield. Subaru stared at her for just a second before his teeth slammed closed. Gritting his teeth in hate, he let his instincts take over. Body parts flew as blood stained the air and grass in crimson paint. A hand, holding her head, brought it to him. Subaru took this time to cherish the moment that would never come again.

"You did good." It was not her head. What the hand held was not the Silver Haired half elf that he had grown to hate. It held a black haired man's head. A pair of glasses loosely held onto his face. Immense regret and anguish overtook Subaru's heart as he stared at the head in his hands. "I'm proud of you Subaru."

"D-Dad?" Subaru choked, as the head in his hands turned to dust in his grasp. Tears trailed down his face as he watched with wide eyes as the ashes flew into the distance, scattered by the wind that blew softly against his skin. Subaru watched, tears lining his cheeks as the last bits of ashes left his grasp. "D… DAD!"

Vale

Police Station

Holding Cell

With a start, Subaru sat up, sweat trailing down his face. Frantically, he looked around for his dad. For the grassy meadow, or the tree that was forever bound there. All he was met with however, was cold steel of cell bars and walls. A toilet sat near the bed he laid on, as well as a sink next to it. Shaken, he put his feet over the bed, wiping away the sweat that clung to his face.

"What was that?" Subaru thought aloud, standing up on weak legs to go to the mirror over the sink. Wobbling over, he grasped the sink to keep himself steady. The reflection it showed did not in the slightest bit look pleasant. His skin had paled, and bags had formed under his eyes. His lips were chapped, and his eyes were dilated. His mouth was dry and there were a visible trail of tears left by the nightmare. If Subaru was in a joking mood, he would have probably compared himself to a drug addict.

"Hey, uh, man!" A voice called out, frightening Subaru. Turning his face the new voice, he was greeted with a simple Atlas officer. Subaru wasn't able to tell the difference however, as this was his first time in a Kingdom of Remnant. Staring at the man, who seemed to be green if the way he was fidgeting was anything to go by, Subaru straightened his back, trying his best to look normal. "Y-Your fine has been bought, uh, y-you're free to go!"

"Ah, thank you." Subaru responded, grabbing his Cloak and donning it. His sweat had seemed to calm down, but he still seemed a little hot. Sneering, he adjusted the cloak, it's tears still on the cape. 'I better not have gotten a fever.'

Subaru waited patiently for the officer to open the cell, fiddling with the keys nervously. As the cage opened, Subaru stepped out. Almost like magic, he was able to hear the whines of other inmates, going about their business. Some complained about their misfortune, a few chatted to each other to pass time, while others sat in silence reading a book. It didn't matter to Subaru however, as he wasn't planning on staying too long in the holding cells. Following the Guard, who glanced back at Subaru ever so often, they soon came upon the exit. What greeted him was what you'd come to expect if a police station. A couple of desk workers shuffling about, doing whatever they do. A few families sat in the lobby, silent as can be. Then finally, a certain blonde tapping his feet impatiently on the floor.

"Ah!" Sun said as he spotted Subaru walking out of the holding cells. Like a rocket, Sun dashed over to the Bishop, who flinched a little at the over excited monkey. "Dude! What took you so long!? I've been waiting out here for hours!"

"I was sleeping." Subaru replied bluntly, walking past the slightly taller boy. It wasn't like Subaru was giving Sun the cold shoulder, it was just that the people in the lobby were staring at them. Luckily, and unfortunately, Sun didn't notice either.

"What!? Didn't the Headmaster pay your bail? You should have been out last night!" Sun said as they walked out of the Police Station. Wincing as the light hit his eyes, Subaru looked at Sun to try distract from the stinging he felt from the star.

"He did, it's just that I wasn't his student, so it took longer to get everything sorted out." Subaru told Sun, remembering what happened the night before.

Unnamed amount of time earlier

Interrogation Room

"My name is Ozpin, and I am the Headmaster of the Hunter School, Beacon Academy. It is nice to meet you." The wizened man introduced, taking a sip out of his coffee. Subaru didn't reply at first, rather he took in the sight of the man. From Subaru's point of view, anybody who dressed as nice as he did held some large amount of political power. Usually Subaru didn't care for such things, as a body was a body, no matter who's soul it held. Yet as he sat in the presence of Ozpin, he couldn't help but feel every hair on his skin prick up in anticipation. Like this man could kill him a million times before Subaru could lift a finger.

"Ah… Same." Subaru nervously replied, which was unlike him. It was rare for Subaru to feel nervous like this; normally imposing figures rarely had any effect on him, if any. The last time Subaru felt nervous like this was when he met Ruby, but that was due to awkwardness. Eyes widening, he cursed himself for forgetting to introduce himself. "Ah! I'm Subaru Natsuki, Archbishop of Pri- the Church I affiliate myself with!"

"Archbishop?" Ozpin questioned, unsure if he heard that right. With a nod of his head, Subaru confirmed the old man's inquiry. Taking a sip of his coffee, Ozpin stared straight into Subaru's eyes. "I do have to admit, that is incredibly surprising."

"Huh?" Subaru questioned, unsure what Ozpin was referring to. It should have been obvious, but for Subaru it wasn't. This man's presence was too much for him to handle calmly. 'What is going on?'

"That one so young such as yourself has risen to the seat of an Archbishop." Ozpin emphasized. Subaru blinked once, before he remembered what exactly a Archbishop was. Scratching the back of his head, he tried to act sheepish.

"Ah, it wasn't that hard." Subaru spoke truthfully. In reality, all he really had to do was pick up a Cult Gospel, and he was instantly a Archbishop. He wasn't sure how Archbishops in other religions were granted such a title, but he knew it wasn't the same as the Cults.

"There's no need to act humble. Becoming a Archbishop at such a young age is quite an achievement! It must mean your extremely devoted in your practice!" Ozpin complimented, taking another sip of his coffee. Subaru chuckled nervously, not sure how to feel about how this man was acting. He seemed like a good enough man, but the atmosphere around him practically screamed dangerous. Maybe he was just imagining it, after all, he did just come out of a fight to the death with a White Fang member. "Say, may I know what your religion believes in? I always find it fascinating how different cultures could come up with a concept similar, yet so different from each other."

Subaru internally winced. This was not good. Not good at all. Subaru, for the most part, was a radical member of the Cult, but even then he held some sanity in the fact that he shouldn't broadcast who he was. If he did, who knew who would hunt him down like some rare game. That was the reason Subaru never revealed to much about who he was or who he was affiliated with. Then there were moments like now when someone would ask a little to much. It wasn't like he could brush it off either, as that would make him look suspicious.

Biting the inside of his cheek, Subaru considered the many answers he could give. On one hand, he could claim that his Church would shun him for revealing any information, which was a extremely risky response, as Subaru had a feeling lies wouldn't work on the gentleman. On the other hand he could flat out tell Ozpin that he didn't wish to speak, which may ruin future conversation. Ozpin was here for a reason, and Subaru wanted to know why. Last, and finally, Subaru could tell the truth. Even if his religion was that of a Cult, they still had a story as other Religions do. Besides, from what Subaru understood, Remnant didn't know much about The World Above. Well, at least Ruby didn't. Thinking it over, Subaru gave a sigh, deciding on his answer.

"My Religion is that if The Witch of Creation." Subaru admitted, remembering the lesson Betelgeuse had engraved in his memory. At the time Subaru could have cared less, but due to multiple deaths, he had finally accepted his fate. This would be the last time that maniac was ever useful.

"Ah, The Witch of Creation. So that's your religion." Ozpin spoke, his voice carrying recognition with it. Subaru's eyes widened in surprise, looking up at Ozpin who calmly sipped his coffee. Not many out of the Cult knew the story of the Witch of Creation, and those that did tend to not live for long. If this man, who was a being of Remnant, knew what the Story was, then he no doubt knew it was connected to the Cult. Subaru considered killing Ozpin, before backtracking. Ozpin may have heard of the story, and that was about it. There was no way he would know the whole story.

"You know about it?" Subaru asked, trying to draw out a response from Ozpin. Subaru needed to know how tightly he needed to keep his mouth shut. If this man knew who he was, he either needed to kill him or restart. There was a low chance of Subaru willingly restarting however, so he prepared to kill the man just in case.

"But of course!" This was not the answer Subaru was hoping for. Doing his best to keep his fear hidden, Subaru listened as Ozpin continued. "The Witch of Creation. This story is probably my favorite to come out of The World Above. Once Upon a Time, there was a Witch, who lived in a cottage near a dying village on a war torn world. Unlike the Witch of our legends however, this Witch cared and loved the world around her, tending to her Endless Garden and bringing great joy to the animals she herded. Yet even with all this kindness in her heart, the Villagers nearby detested and scorned her, believing that she was the cause of their poor harvest over the years. One day, a young boy ventured out to meet the Witch, and begged her to help not just his village, but the world as a whole. She asked what he would do in return, and he vowed to protect the world she would create for eternity. So entranced by his selflessness, she granted his wish, bringing an era of peace and prosperity to the land. She rid the world of Sin, such as Lust, Greed, and Wrath, locking the monstrosities out of their realm. Of course, this came with a price. The Seven Sins, in their all spiteful form, granted Seven likeminded souls with their powers. One of them, as it so happened, was The Kind Witch. She received the most Vile sin of all; Envy. Jealousy and loathing for the world around her grew, yet she tried to keep herself from breaking. As time passed, this power grew to much for her bear, and she ate the World she worked so hard to bring peace to. She hunted down and killed the other Sin bearers, stealing their powers for her own. It didn't take long for heroes from all corners of the world to come slay the newly crowned Witch of Envy. One of these heroes just so happened to be the young boy that had begged her for peace, keeping his vow to protect the world she created. The Witch, as envious as she was, still cared for the boy and the world, so much so that she willingly sealed herself away for all eternity." Ozpin said, Subaru's eyes widening in fear and surprise. As if coming out of a trance, Ozpin jumped a little, smiling sheepishly at Subaru. "Ah, I do apologize. I tend to get invested in stories like these. Friends of mine tell me I need to grow out of these childhood fantasies."

"I-It's fine." Subaru said, sweat pouring down his forehead. Apprehension gripped his heart as Ozpin continued to drink his coffee. This man knew the whole story of The Witch of Creation better than he did; there was no doubt about it, he knew of the Cult. Forming a hand under the table, Subaru slowly crept up on Ozpin, and position it to crush the left side of his ribcage.

"Ah, that reminds me!" Ozpin said, stopping Subaru. Subaru wasn't sure why exactly he stopped, but something told him that if he were to kill Ozpin, he wouldn't be the one that died. "In The World Above, there a group of people that worship this Witch in a way most detestable in this time of peace. They tend to pillage and burn villages like crusaders and common bandits." Ozpin's eyes narrowed, a hazel color that seemed to pierce Subaru's very soul. Sweat covered his face and hands, his legs shaking with a fear he hadn't felt in years. "You wouldn't happen to be one of them, would you?"

Subaru's teeth chattered, a cold sensation running down his back as he felt Ozpin's eyes look deeper and deeper into him. A terrifying man, the likes Subaru hadn't come across since Reinhardt Van Astrea, sat before him. Ozpin needed to die, right here, right now, but no matter how hard he tried to crush his ribcage, Subaru couldn't budge an inch. It was like time had stopped, but the fear had only grown. He needed to do something, quick, before Ozpin killed him. Opening his mouth, Subaru said the first thing that came to mind.

"I-I-I am not involved with the Cult." Subaru lied, something he took Pride in not doing. Sure, sometimes he never fully told the truth, or avoided certain questions, but a flat out lie? It was unheard of him to do so. Ozpin, however, didn't let up the mysterious atmosphere around him.

"The Cult?" Ozpin questioned. Subaru's eyes widened as he realized his mistake. Ozpin called them Crusaders and Bandits, not Cultists. It was only one word, but it was enough for the Gray haired man to accuse him of knowing more than he should. "I guess that's another name for them. Actually befitting the more I think about it."

Once again, Subaru tried to kill Ozpin, yet the hand wouldn't budge. It was like it wasn't apart of him anymore, as if someone else had taken control. Subaru did his best not to freak out, as once he did, he knew he would die, yet as time moved on it got more and more difficult. Ozpin sat, staring, judging Subaru. Evaluating every nook and cranny of his being. From his styled hair, to his Cult clothing, to the sound of a tapping foot, unable to be controlled. With a great sigh, Ozpin gave a gentle smile.

"Of course you wouldn't be affiliated with such a group." Ozpin announced, and with it the suffocating atmosphere disappeared. Subaru didn't make any move to kill Ozpin however, as he had a feeling this was just a guise. "You did help two of my students tonight, which a Cultist wouldn't have done. I have to thank you for that."

"S… Students?" Subaru asked, his voice cracking a little. His Unseen Hand disappeared, continual use having taken its toll. Coughing a little, Subaru continued with his question. "What students?"

"Why, Ruby Rose and Sun Wukong!" Ozpin revealed, surprising Subaru. Those two were affiliated with a man like him, and were his students? Wait, he did say that he was a Headmaster at a Hunter School, maybe that's why? "From the stories I've been told, you seem to possess amazing abilities! Forming extra appendages and cutting off the senses of others just by yelling a few choice words? Even I would be impressed by the amount of skill one so young must possess."

"Ah, it's nothing, really." Subaru silently cursed the two Beacon Students for telling this man about his abilities. Where he came from, hiding your abilities until the proper moment was key, but now that was thrown out the window without a care. Maybe they had different combat customs here, or those two were just airheads. "What do you mean that I helped them though? From what I remember, the only one who needed help was me." Subaru asked, trying to change the subject.

"Didn't you hold off a extremely skilled White Fang member tonight?" Ozpin asked, to which Subaru nodded. From his point of view, Garfiel had been a force to be reckoned with, but that was due to his own level of skill. To know that Sun must've thought the same brought a feeling of relaxation in his heart. "From what Sun Wukong has told me, if it wasn't for you, they would probably be dead. For that, I thank you."

"O-Oh… it's no problem." Subaru scratched the back of his neck nervously. He honestly didn't do much, well besides kill the vermin. Thank god he wouldn't have anymore run-ins with him. "Sun was the one who did most of the work, I just gave the final blow to him."

"Nonsense." Ozpin shrugged off what Subaru said, astounding the boy. "It is because of you that you and Sun survived. You used your mind instead of your brawn to eliminate your opponent. This is a trait that seems to be lacking in most Huntsmen these days, sad as it is."

"Oh… Uh, Thank you. I guess." Subaru sheepishly said. Compliments to himself were not something he was very adamant about. Sure, he took Pride in the things that were said, but to be selfish about it and swim in the compliments was more of Regulus' thing.

"For saving my students however, I would like to pay for your bail." Ozpin said, surprising Subaru. Didn't he have suspicions about him being a Cult member? Shouldn't he want Subaru to stay locked up? Maybe it was just all in his head. "That is of course, if you'll allow me."

"Huh? Y-yes! Please pay for my bail!" Subaru responded earnestly, to which Ozpin smiled gently at. Standing and grabbing his cane, Ozpin turned his back to Subaru, walking to the door of the interrogation room.

"Of course. Your bail should be paid by morning by the earliest, in the afternoon tomorrow at the latest." With that Ozpin grasped the knob of door and pulling. A slight creaking sound was made, as the door was made of a heavy metal.

Time seemed to slow for Subaru, coming to a stop. Similar to when he mentioned his Rewind ability, a cold feeling came over him. Unlike that however, it wasn't something in the likes of his soul being crushed. It felt like he was forgetting something. It felt as if Subaru let Ozpin leave now, he would miss something crucial in his life. As if there would be no meaning to his tale afterwards.

"Wait!" Subaru stopped, standing up. A realization overcame him as he thought of this man's position. He was a Headmaster at a Hunter Academy, a place that taught in combat. The same as Sun, and more importantly, Ruby went to. "I… I want to ask another favor, please."

"Oh?" Ozpin said, curious as to what he had to ask. "While I am not against the idea of favors, my position doesn't let me do whatever I please; don't misunderstand."

"I-I want to go to your Academy!" Subaru said, simplifying his speech. Biting his cheek, he rephrased this. "Please, let me attend your Huntsmen Academy!"

Ozpin seemed to stare at him for a second, before the slightest bit of a chuckle escaped his lips. Ozpin turned to face Subaru, a smile on his face. He calmly walked over to the shorter male, looking down on him, evaluating. After a minute of this, Ozpin smiled even some more, like an idea had just entered his head.

"I am fine with that, seeing as we had an odd number of students this year." Subaru gave a sight of relief at this. "However, I would like to know your reasons for joining such a school. I am sorry if it's too personal, but a habit of mine is to collect the stories of others; to get to know them before making any rash decisions."

Subaru didn't immediately answer Ozpin's question. Instead, he looked down, thinking. Why exactly did he want to go to a Hunter school? Was it because of Ruby? No, Regulus was just pushing him to find her, Subaru had no desire to get to know the girl. Was it because of some intrigue of this world's way of life? No, Subaru would destroy this world without a second thought. Closing his eyes, he let out a breath of fatigue, the answer being so simple yet so hard at the same time. Looking up at the older man, Subaru steeled his features into that of confidence.

"I want to become a Hunter to get stronger." Subaru proclaimed, laying his hand on the steel table. Ozpin watched, every movement being evaluated and scrutinized. "Watching the fight between Sun and the White Fang member made me realize how weak I am. As it stands, I'm barely able to beat up a couple of thugs without tricking them. I want to win with my strength, not because I deceived their eyes into thinking I'm strong. I want to be strong! As strong as Sun and the White Fang member! I'm tired of solely relying on others for protection! I want people to rely on me like I rely on them!"

The sound of silence followed the speech Subaru just gave. Subaru, looking up in hope that Ozpin would agree. Ozpin, looking down and judging the boy below him. Both stared, now that backing down from their wordless battle of wits. Slowly, Ozpin smiled some more before closing his eyes, nodding his head. Turning around, he began to walk to the exit again, not giving Subaru his answer. As Subaru wad about to call out to him, Ozpin stopped.

"Fine, I shall allow you to attend my school." Ozpin announced, his back still turned to the Bishop. Subaru held his breath, before a triumphant grin made its way to his face. While Subaru silently cheered, Ozpin continued. "Of course, my Academy only accepts the best of the best, so you will need to take a test same as everyone else in my Academy. You will meet me at Beacon Academy in two days time. Until then, I recommend you rest your body and mind."

"Wait, what?" Subaru questioned as his grin dropped to the floor. Ozpin didn't respond, instead walking out of the room, leaving Subaru to his devices. Subaru, for his part, couldn't help but repeat the words 'Best of the Best' and 'Test' over and over in his mind. Silently, he realized what had happened and what he'd gotten himself into. Grabbing his head, he squirmed around in a comedic fashion.

"Craaaaaaap!"

Present

Subaru shivered once more, the feeling of Ozpin's presence and the upcoming trail making itself known in his mind. Sun noticed the disgruntled look on his face, but didn't comment on it. Everybody bad their own issues, and it wasn't his place to dig in… except if it was Blake. Blake loved it when he dug into her personal business.

"Hey, What're you doing here anyways, Sun?" Subaru asked as they walked along the streets of Vale, mindlessly taking in the scenery. The slightly taller Faunus put his hands behind his head, thinking of how to respond.

"Well, it's partly 'cause Ruby was throwing a fit that you didn't get released last night, so I ditched school to come check up on you!" Sun answered, stretching. The Bishop raised an eyebrow at this; Ruby worrying about his well being? They barely know each other, why would she care? "That, and what you said last night has been bothering me all day!"

"What I said?" Subaru questioned, looking up in thought. There wasn't much conversation between the two of them besides Subaru ordering the Faunus around, and there wasn't much of that to begin with. "Sorry, I honestly don't remember."

"A~h god! You and Garfiel made a big deal about it Last night!" Sun said, ruffling his hair. Groaning, Sun pointed at Subaru. "You said you hated all Faunus last night! That pissed me off!"

"Oh!" Subaru said, remembering his speech about how all Faunus are detestable. Subaru wasn't going to back down on that statement either, but he needed to make something clear. "Yeah, what about it? If you're worried that I hate you, don't. You've proven yourself to be reliable and not a backstabber."

"No, that's not the point!" Sun said, confusing Subaru. This only seemed to agitate the Monkey Faunus. "I don't care if you hate me, actually I do, but it bothers me how you just hate every Faunus that crosses your path! I'm hear to fix that!"

"No, I'm good." Subaru declined with a wave of his hand. It appeared that a few pedestrians had caught wind of their conversation and decided to eavesdrop. 'Annoying.' "I doubt you'll be able to change my opinion of your kind, no matter how hard you try."

"But I can't sit here and not try!" Sun yelled, drawing in more pedestrians. Some girls in the background seemed to be giggling at the sight. Suddenly, Sun grabbed his hands, much to the glee of the girls. "Please! Give me one chance! I promise you won't regret it!"

"Uh, Um…" The girls now seemed to be blushing madly, taking out rectangular devices and holding it out in front of them. Something told Subaru this wasn't a pure act of the mind. "Look, I-I don't know, alright! We're friends, but I don't think you could-"

"Exactly!" Sun yelled leaning in. Subaru leaned back, uncomfortable by the close proximity. "You don't think, but I know! I know I can change your mind about us! Come on! What else do you gotta do right now anyways!?"

Sun's words rang true; Subaru had nothing to do. As far as he knew, he just planned to walk around Vale, taking in the sights. Sun, however, seemed to have something planned to change his mind. Subaru doubted he could, especially in the time Ozpin gave him. The giggles and squeals of girls made him decide on instinct however.

"A-alright! I'll give you a chance, just let go of my hand!" Subaru said, as Sun backed off with a sheepish grin. The girls in the background squealed in delight, making Subaru sweat some more. Never had he seen girls act as frantic as them. "L-lets just go already! This place is making me nervous."

"Ah, sure!" Sun said, taking the lead. His tail wagged in supposed excitement as Sun took long strides. A hop to his step accompanied each movement, and a slight hum reached his voice.

Something told Subaru this was going to be a long day.

Vale

Undisclosed Location

Roman Torchwick was a patient man. An extremely patient man. So patient he was, that he could have beaten the world record in patience if he wasn't a national criminal. He had tolerance for most of everything, even for Neo when he first found her. She didn't start out as the bundle of talent that she was now. He had to refine her before she turned into the gem she was now, and that took time. Roman could handle that.

When it came to Cinder however…

"Where the hell is that conceited little prick!" Roman yelled, kicking a crate in the corner of the room. It had been hours since the appointed meeting time, and there had been no sign, head or tails, of the girl or her lackeys. It had been slowly eating at the professional, how a girl so young could stand him up like this. Kicking the crate again, he cursed Cinder with all his heart. "She better have a pretty good reason why she kept me waiting! I have business to attend to, and I would rather not do it locked in this windowless room!"

Roman took a few deep breaths to calm himself of his anger. Turning, he gave a look to his partner, Neo, who sat twirling her umbrella. It was ironic really, how both criminals chose weapons disguised as everyday items. His Melodic Cudgel, and her… Umbrella. Roman let out a 'Tsk' and made a mental note to have a talk to her about naming her weapon. Walking over to the table, he easily grabbed the ice cream haired girls attention.

"Neo, dear." Roman started, remembering her daily routine. "You don't have to be here you know? This is your half of the day off, so why do you dwindle here with me?"(3)

Neo didn't respond vocally, instead raising an eyebrow at the master criminal. Roman watched her for a bit, before lowering his head and giving a sharp sigh. With a shake of his head, he lifted his head to give her a appreciative smile.

"Yeah, I guess it would be unbearable without you here, but you know that I'll still be using you for the other half of the day, right?" Roman asked, to which Neo rolled her eyes at. "So? So I'll be working your butt off tonight, you uptight brat!" Roman insulted. Neo stopped twirling her umbrella, slamming the tip on the ground and giving Roman a glare. Shrinking back, Roman gave a nervous chuckle. "Yeah, sorry. I know that was uncalled for, but you should seriously get some sleep. We have a lot of work to do, and I can't afford to have you slacking off." Neo's glare seemed to only intensify. "I know, I know, you're better than that, but with you tailing that merchant and taking care of other pleasantries, I can't help but worry you might fall behind. We can't have that, especially with the Breach coming up soon." Neo seemed to mimic a sigh, before scrunching her eyebrows together and giving a cheeky smile. Roman turned his head, pulling his cap down to hide his face. "N-No, I'm not worrying about you or anything! I just worry that my partner in crime won't be able to keep at my pace! Time is money Neo, and with your attitude, I fear more money is falling out of my pocket than is going in!" Neo mimicked a chuckle, a soft smile on her lips. Glancing at her, Roman gave a sigh. "Fine! You do what you want! I don't care anymore!" Roman stared at the wall, before he gave a groan of irritation. "Where is that God damn brat!?"

"I hope you aren't talking about me, Roman." A voice spoke behind the door. Turning their heads to the door, they watched as it slowly opened, revealing the villain Trio. Mercury Black, Emerald Sustrai, and the most detestable, Cinder Fall. Her signature smile worn on her plastic face. Roman sneered at her.

"Oh, but of course I wouldn't dear speak such vile insults to you, dear princess!" Roman said with a smile, before it was replaced with one of disgust. "Of course, that would be the case if you weren't such a detestable wench!"

"Hey! Watch your mouth Roman!" Emerald stepped up, standing up for Cinder. "If it wasn't for Cinder, you would still be scavenging around for work to do!"

"Yes, and I'm grateful for that." Roman admitted. While it was true that Roman was a master criminal, during the time in which Cinder had found him, he had hit the highest peak of where he could go alone. With Cinders help however, he was able to make it pass that glass ceiling and aspire even higher than before. "However, I have business I need to attend to, and I would like to get to work. Not sit in this cramped meeting room waiting on you kids to show up."

"We are NOT kids." Mercury said, words that flowed out of Romans mouth reminding him of his father.

"From where I stand, you could be twenty-five and you'd still be a child compared to me." Roman mocked, leaning on his cane as Neo watched the interaction with no small amount of amusement. "Once you grow out of your diapers and can actually put up a good fight, please, by any means do change my mind! Until then, I suggest that you do your best to keep up with Neo and I."

"You top hat wearing prick!" Emerald yelled as she pulled out her dual blades, ready to kill the man in front of her. With a raise of a hand however, Emerald stopped herself. "Cinder?"

"Stop it, you two." Cinder commanded, her voice holding the authority to cut through even high ranking officers. "I will not tolerate anymore infighting between us. Our missions all coincide with each others desires, so we mustn't tear each other to pieces. Instead, direct that anger towards our goal."

"But, Cinder! He-" Emerald bit her tongue, Cinders glare stopping her in her tracks.

"Emerald." Cinder spoke, her voice sending chills down Mercury and Emeralds spines. She rarely needed to be this serious to them. "Obey." Cinder spoke calmly. Emerald swallowed her fear, nodding her head in unkempt apprehension, Cinder turned to the patient Roman. "Roman Torchwick. While I do understand your irritation at our late entrance, and I can tolerate your insults towards me, I can not tolerate aggravating my subordinates. I ask that you rein your anger in, or I'll do it for you."

Roman stared at Cinder, his gaze unflinching. He didn't show it, but the threat made his blood run cold. He knew exactly the amount of power this girl held, and he knew that if he were to go head to head with this child, he would end up in cinders(4). His eyes danced between the trio, then Neo. If anything broke out between them, there would be no doubt that Neo would take his side. That thought was comforting and dreadful at the same time. While he was sure Neo would be able to take on Mercury and Emerald, to a standstill at least, he feared for her confrontation with Cinder. Neo, as talented as she was, wouldn't be able to handle Cinders Semblance. Looking back to Cinder, he sighed.

"Fine, I will do my best to hinder my insults." Roman begrudgingly obeyed. Smiling, Cinder motioned for everyone to sit. Roman did, but not without having the last word. "I will obey, as long as you keep your… subordinates in check."

"I will do so." Cinder said, taking her seat. Looking over to Neo she smiled. "Ah, Neo! How kind of you to join us! It is rare to see you in our little meetings."

"Of course." Roman said, leaning back, his Cane resting in his lap. The group looked at him, as whatever he said was the same as what Neo would say. "She is usually using this half of the day to do as she pleases. However, she was interested enough to stay with me for this meeting."

"I don't get why you do that." Emerald spoke up, drawing attention to herself. At the curious stares, she continued. "I mean, isn't it kind of pointless to have her work for half of the day? We have a lot of work to do, and if we need her at a certain moment, which might be when she's on her dumb break, we won't be able to call her." Emerald looked to the uncaring girl, who twirled her Umbrella, not listening. "You should really stop this stupid twelve hours on, twelve hours off thing. Y-"

"Hey! You shut your mouth!" Roman interrupted, leaning forward. Pointing at the pair, he gave his best sneer. "Neo has her own life to live, the same as you spoiled brats! Besides, she doesn't tell you puppets what to do, so you shouldn't tell her what to do!"

"We are NOT puppets!" Mercury defended. Preparing to kick him under the table. Roman just smiled and leaned back, twirling his cane.

"Really? All you seem to do is follow Cinder like a pair of baby ducks following their mother! You could have had me fooled." Roman taunted. Standing up, Mercury was prepared to kill the master criminal, before Neo's umbrella was shoved into his face. A glare marred her features as she wordlessly threatened to kill anyone who touched Roman.

"Enough!" Cinder yelled, her eyes coming to life as fire poured out of them. In fear, everyone backed off, trying their best not to be the center of Cinders wrath. Looking at the group assembled, she closed her eyes, ridding herself of the flame around her eyes. With a deep breath, she opened her eyes, directing them to Roman. "I want to get this meeting over with as soon as possible. Roman, where is Garfiel Tinsel?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Roman answered, shrugging as if he didn't care in the slightest of where the cub was. "While we were chasing one of Reds little friends, he just upped and disappeared! For all I care, he could be swimming with the fishes right now!"

"You know that wouldn't be good, Roman." Cinder responded, her voice strict and to the point. Roman looked down, silently agreeing with her. "If Garfiel dies, it may be difficult to draw in more potential Fang members. Even with our increased supply of Magic Users, it takes more that just a clap of their hands to draw them in. Garfiel was able to demonstrate with sheer power alone what they could possibly attain."

"Yeah, and with the… 'potion' you bought from our secret benefactor, it may unlock Magic abilities, but it has a seventy-five percent chance of killing them." Roman said, shaking his head. Of course that little tidbit was kept from members seeking power. Even then, they would need to be trained in his to use that powers they had been granted. Only after that were they able to stand on par with base Aura users(5). "Only around three out of ten tend to survive the ordeal. We're running low on recruits as it is, and with them dying left and right, we might not be able to continue with The Breach."

"That's why we'll hold more Faction Meetings." Cinder said, as if it was the simplest thing to do. It wasn't. It took time and a ton of planning to get the cops off their back, and then to get the word out took even longer. The White Fang was a terrorist organization, not your local fast food restaurant. "If Garfiel hasn't shown up by the next Meeting, we'll assume the worst case scenario. We will have to just make use of the Magic Users at our disposal."

"What's the chance of any if those girls killing Garfiel though?" Mercury spoke, thinking of the possibility of them actually committing homicide. "Those girls think their heroes, they wouldn't even come close to scratching him, let alone cutting off his head."

"Those girls are way too childlike." Emerald agreed, a sneer on her face. "Their supposed to be Huntsmen, but they treat this like a game!(6) I just want to beat some reality into those brats, especially their leader!"

"Either way, it's more work for me." Roman complained, lifting his cap and scratching his head. With a sigh, he looked at Cinder with a bored look. "Speaking of work, mind filling me in on why exactly we're using… Magic? I mean, don't get me wrong, I can see its practical use, but sending so many Faunus to the slaughter house just for a little power up seems a little excessive, don't you think?"

"This is more than just a 'little' power up, Roman." Cinder spoke, her voice heavy and easy to read. "You've seen what Garfiel is able to do, and there is no end to the types of abilities these Magic Users possess. To destroy the ground beneath your feet with just a thought? Imagine what else these Divine Protections could grant our minions."

"That's exactly what's got me so worried, Cinder!" Roman said. "Imagine if a group of these Magic Users decide enough is enough, and attack us! We'll be sitting ducks to Red and her merry friends while we slaughter each other! Shouldn't we have, I don't know, a leash on them!?"

"The White Fang is our leash." Mercury spoke up, gaining the attention of the group. "We aren't just passing around the key to power to anyone; We're passing it to the White Fang. The people who join them want to get back at humans, not overthrow Sienna."

"Exactly." Cinder agreed. "These pawns aren't striving for anything else other than to protect their families. If they try to backstab the White Fang, then they would become a target not just for us, but the whole of the Fang."

"Ok, then that's one problem down, now here's another." Roman said, bringing up another topic. "We're running out of 'potions', how are we going to get more? With each Fang member getting one each, we basically cleared the shelf of these blasted things!"

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that, dear Roman." Cinder said, a twisted smile making it way to her face. An uneasy feeling came over him as he looked at her face, but stowed it away. Cinder wasn't looking to cause him any harm, so there was no need to worry.

"Hey, what're we gonna do about team RWBY anyways?" Mercury asked, bringing up a topic that had been bothering him. "They've been getting more and more personal with our operations. Shouldn't we, like, kill them or something?"

"No, that would draw to much attention to us." Cinder spoke, answering his question. "If we attack now, it'll only make the infiltration to the CCT that much harder. We can't afford to lose that chance."

"What about during the Dance then?" Emerald suggested, eager to spill Team RWBY's blood. "We're trying to get all the students that want to go there already, we could wipe them out then!"

"Hmm." Cinder hummed, thinking of the possibility. If they used Neo's and Emeralds ability at the same time to make it look like they were fighting Grimm… "Let me think about that. While it would indeed reduce the number of combatants for the Breach, I don't want to make any unnecessary moves."

"Well, I do hope you end up Killing the brats." Roman spoke, liking the idea of the Huntsmen being out of his hair. "That would make future plans easier for me, so I'm all for it to massacre the Academy Upstarts!"

"Ugh, it feels so wrong agreeing with someone like you, Roman!" Emerald said as she stuck her tongue out. No one was sure if it was in jest or to tick him off, but Roman just smiled.

"I could say the same about being around you, dearie!" Roman shot back, causing Mercury to let out a chuckle. Frowning, Emerald elbowed his gut.

"Our next order if business." Cinder spoke, ignoring her puppets musings. "This one involves The World Above."

"Oh great, Fantasy Island." Emerald said, rolling her eyes. In truth, she didn't really enjoy any creature that came from there, or anyone who wielded Magic. It was detestable, how people from such a fantastic world as theirs could be filled with almost as much strife as Remnant.

"This one involves some of the Kingdom of Lugnica's priestesses." Cinder spoke, remembering the news she had received from their informant in Haven. "From what I've been told, a few of the candidates for Lugnica's future King are making there way around Remnant, speaking to the Headmasters of the Academies."

"What? Why would they be here?" Mercury asked, having thorough knowledge of Lugnica and how unknown they were to the world of Remnant. "From what I remember, the public doesn't even know they exist! Why would they want to travel across Remnant?"

"Obviously to sightsee, Dumbass." Emerald insulted, coming to the logical conclusion. Mercury glared at her, considering blasting off a few of her toes.

"Actually, it seems one of them wishes to connect our worlds." Cinder spoke, shocking Mercury. "From what our mole told us, she sees this as a chance to rekindle old friendships. Why this even matters to us? Well, she also wishes to rid the world of Grimm."

"O~h. That's not good." Roman said, considering the possibility of Lugnica helping with the massacre of Grimm. While he didn't know much of the World Above, he knew that it was real, and that Lugnica was a real powerhouse when it wanted to be.

"Exactly, that is the reason why she will be our next target." Cinder spoke, pulling up a picture of the Priestess. Showing it to the group that was gathered, they all took in her image. Silver hair, a beautiful smile, a deep lilac eyes and a white pupil. To Mercury and Roman, she could have been considered a goddess in Beauty. "This is our target. Our task is to assassinate her without drawing any attention to ourselves. Her name is

Emilia."

Somewhere on the Dragon Continent

There are many, many beings within the world of Remnant. The Humans, who cling so helplessly to their hope of peace. The Faunus, engulfed by rage and hatred for the sins of the past. The Giants of The World Above, hiding from the Crusaders from the floating continent. The Half-Breeds, who repent for what their parents have created. Immortals, who transfer bodies to finish a task given by the gods, or stomach lovers who's blood thirst cannot be sated. There are many, many creatures in the world of Remnant, but none were as mysterious or feared as the Grimm.

The Grimm, as the people of Remnant called them, are beasts that seem to mock the appearance of the wildlife of Remnant. Their skin, unlike an animals, are made of a solid black material. Their bones, unlike the living, are worn on the outside of their bodies. They don't bleed, like the undead. They don't eat, like their free of sin. They think, but only of their prey. Their hearts feed off of Humanities fear, not of their flesh. One may peg the question; why? Why do they kill, if their meal is the fear of humanity? Perhaps that is why; because humanity will fear them.

But no one knows what goes through the heads of the monsters that resides outside of the comfort of Human Kinds walls. No one, except the Queen herself.

The world didn't know of the one who lived with these monsters. The one who loved and cared for these monstrosities. The one who gave them direction, a sole purpose in life. They didn't know of their Queen, Salem.

So when a man, dressed as a jester, walked in her castle with a trail of dead Grimm left in his wake, one could understand both the surprise and anger Salem had felt in that moment. The cries of her Grimm reverberated within her castle, which she paid no heed to. To her, while they may be her children, they were mere tools for her plan. What angered her more than anything, was that this man dared to step foot within her domain. Standing, her minion Tyrian, at her neck and call as always, didn't hesitate to point his Wrist Blades at the intruder.

"Who the HELL are you!?" Tyrian yelled, waiting for the command by Salem to gun him down. He knew better than to attack without the order from Salem. As ever, he was loyal and faithful, if not with a little screws loose.

"A~h. Wh~y did it ha~ve to be me who ca~me here?" The Jester spoke aloud, ignoring the Tyrian's question. The sound of the safety being turned off emitted through the room, showing that he was ready to gun down the Jester. Tyrian refrained though, doing his best to not kill him, as that was a command Salem had yet to give. "Now I ha~'ve to introdu~ce myself, and I would really like to no~t do tha~t."

"You better introduce yourself! I don't care if my lady is here, I will tear you limb from limb if I have to just to get you to show the respect she deserves!" Tyrian yelled, his anger flaring at the accidental disrespect. Salem watched the exchange, her own anger flaring, but she reined it in; it wouldn't do for her to kill everyone that made it to her castle, even if it was in such a disrespectful manner.

"Tyrian, calm and lay down your arms." Salem commanded, her eyes never leaving the Jester. If he was able to make it past all her Grimm without a scratch on him, he was a force to be reckoned with. Obviously, he wouldn't stand a chance against her, but Salem didn't want to lose a pawn like Tyrian. After a minute of silence, Salem decided to speak up. "Welcome to my home, Jester. I must ask, was there a reason why you marched into my domain without bothering to knock? Or did you come here to kill me?"

"Great, now a sca~ry lady is talking to me. I suppo~se that she is the one I'm supposed to talk to~?" He spoke, ignoring Salem's question. With a deep groan and a bow, the Jester did what he was supposed to do from the beginning. "My na~me is Hector, just Hector, I a~m the Archbisho~p of Tristiti~a, or The Warlock of Tristiti~a, representing the Witches Sect. It's is nice to me~et you, I guess."

"I guess!?" Tyrian repeated, his anger flaring once more. "Do you know who you're in the presence of!? This is the Queen of Grimm! The one who holds fears hand! How dare you give such a half-assed response!"

"Tyrian." Salem spoke again, being the visibly calmer of the two. While she was angered that his introduction was half-assed, she was more angered by the fact that he didn't answer her question. Turning back to the ever growing dead man, Salem continued. "Now, Hector, I did not ask for your name or who you are affiliated with. I asked what you are doing here in my domain. If you do not answer, I will personally remove you from my home."

"Gre~at, now I'm being thre~atened! This is why I didn't want to come he~re!" Hector complained, actual sorrow showing on his features. Salem had about enough, and almost got up before he spoke again. "I ca~me here by some obscure o~rders to make a parley with yo~u. I hoped I used the right wo~rd, cause that would be extremely e~mbarassing if I didn't!"

"Seeing as we at almost enemies, I suppose a parley may be in order." Salem said, listening to the madman's speech. Indeed, she was on the brink of killing him, and still was, but she stayed her hand, if only out of curiosity. "Now, what is it that you wish to make arrangements with?"

"A~h, at least were moving this alo~ng! Even if it is a dra~g." Hector complained, his speech grinding the gears of the two villains. "I have been se~nt to ask if you would ki~ndly like to jo~in forces? I hope you agree, I re~ally don't want to fi~ght."

"Oh?" Salem said, intrigue crossing her tone. While Salem's goal was to destroy Humanity, she didn't mind having them work for her for an exchange for a little more time to live. "And, pray tell, who is it that wishes to… work with me?"

"Ah, I ca~n't call her by na~me. I can only ca~ll her a Witch." Hector spoke cryptically, causing both to look in surprise. Tyrian, because this Jester would dare consider someone else higher than his Queen. Salem, for the only beings who called themselves Witch's would be from the World Above. A detestable, and dustless wasteland that held as many monstrosities as Remnant.

"You don't happen to mean Envy?" Salem asked, curious. She had heard of the Witch of Creations story, but she personally didn't believe it. A woman, who tended to the flowers and animals with love and care, ridding the world of Sin? It was a dumb and childlike fantasy that only those who wither in despair would believe. But even then, every story held a bit of truth to it. Ozpin was proof of that. "If so, I have to ask, what is her motive? She obviously cares much for the world, so why would she wish to destroy it?"

"N~o! Not Envy." Hector said, surprising Salem. One of the other Witch's were trying to get in contact with her? Weren't they all eaten by the Witch of Envy? "I can't spe~ak her Title, as she commanded me to se~al my li~ps! I wish I could te~'ll you, 'cause I don't want to fi~ght, please fo~give me!"

"It is fine." Salem said, waving a hand in dismissal. While it did make her curious, she could wait until the Witch showed herself. It wasn't like she was going to die in the next few centuries. There will be other times to dig into who exactly she was partnering herself with. "For now, I wish to know what exactly you can offer me. I already know the Witch's wield incredible power, but unless they are willing to act the part of pawns, I have no use for them."

"I can a~nswer that, I kno~w, even if it does suck that I ha~ve to." Hector complained once more. "From wha~t little I've been told, we've been a~ble to break apart so~me of the Witch's Cult to our ca~use. While still a ma~jority serve Envy, we pro~bably have at least twenty-five per~cent with u~s!"

"Oh?" Salem questioned, pleased with this bit of news. The Witch Cult was a large organization, even reaching part of its claws into Remnant, even if Remnants people weren't officially apart of it. That was the reason the Black Fang could break apart so easily, as they were just creations of the Cult, not Envy. "Are you offering me full control of your members, or a joint deal between the two of us. Know this, I will be happy with either."

"We are offering you fu~ll contro~l! Even if I find tha~t to be a ba~d idea~!" The Jester complained, to which Salem ignored, but Tyrian bristled at. Salem, holding in her glee, smiled warmly at the Jester.

"What should she wish in return?" Salem asked, her smile holding a form of uncanny happiness. If she were to gain followers not of the White Fang, followers she could control directly, she couldn't even imagine the chaos she could bring to the world. "I wouldn't be so foolish as to think that this deal has a dual edge to it."

"O~h?" Jester said, scratching his brown hair. He looked down, before to Tyrian and back to Salem. With a sigh, he shrugged. "She rea~lly didn't tell me to do mu~ch after tha~t. She most likely wa~s just offering you the pa~wns."

Salem smiled wickedly at this. A Witch was offering her power on a unprecedented level, and with no strings attached? This was almost too good to be true.

"While I wouldn't normally question such good fortune, I have to ask, do you by chance know why she would like to have this partnership? She must know of what I plan to do, no doubt." Salem said, wishing to know more. It was mostly out of curiosity, but she couldn't help the inkling of suspicion that crawled into her mind.

"She is ju~st curious on what you'll do~." Hector shrugged, not really knowing why the Witch wanted this. He was just given a choice: die, or join her. He chose to join her, even if the world was a pile of crap in his eyes.

"I see… Is that all, or is there more you wish to speak with me?" Salem asked, Hector's troubled look drawing her attention. Of course, it was troubled the moment he entered, but now it seemed to hit full force.

"A~h, yes. I was to~Id to tell yo~u that the Cult members will be here in a we~ek. So I don't rea~lly need to stay here, do I?" The Jester questioned, seeming eager to leave Salem's domain. With a smile, and a wave of her hand, a small orb flowed from behind her. Round, and full of crimson, it made clicking noises as it floated to the tired Jester.

"This is a Seer, a special Grimm I created myself." Salem spoke, pride in the monstrosity she had created. "With this, it shall allow you to traverse my domain without the creatures of Grimm causing you any trouble. Take this as a thank you, from me."

"A~h! Tha~nk yo~u!" Hector thanked, genuinely thankful for the Grimm, no matter how disgusted he looked. "I, uh, rea~lly want to leave here as so~on as possible, so I'll take my leave."

With a bow, a turn on his heel, and a few taps of his feet, the Jester known as Hector disappeared from the duo's sight. A silence took over the room, before a fist made contact with the table, a furious scream making itself known.

"How dare he!" Tyrian yelled, flipping off the place Hector last stood. "How dare that insignificant bug! How dare he walk into your domain like he owned the place! How dare he speak to the Queen with such disrespect! How dare h-"

"Tyrian." Salem spoke, turning the Scorpion Faunus blood to freeze over. She spoke light, yet it still carried enough authority to silence the madman. Calmly, she looked over to her pawn, a smile gracing her lips. "There is no need to be angered by the likes of Hector the Jester. While he may indeed speak with disrespect, it surely wasn't his intent. From the stories I've heard, he Mus be the most normal radical of the Cult."

"B-But! He-" Salem rose a hand, silencing the man.

"Enough." Salem commanded, shutting up the Scorpion. "He has done us a service, even when it was obvious he wished to be elsewhere. For now, we will allow him to leave in peace. Besides, with this, our plans could be well on their way to completion." Salem smiled, glee marring her face. "There will be nothing to stop what is to come."

Vale

Beacon Academy

While indeed there are many creatures in the world of Remnant, none have been so pivotal as that of Man Kind. While their sister race, the Faunus, fought and hid from these creatures of light, Humanity has fought and pushed back against the Grimm. A light, to the ever expanding darkness that engulfs the world. A torch, to the darkness that surrounds. A flame of hope, in the abyss of despair.

"I'm telling you, he's real!" Ruby yelled, waving her hands in the air. "He was there last night! Even Sun said he was real! Why won't you believe me!?"

"I do believe you, Ruby." Yang replied, taking her seat for the next class. Some of the other students paid them some attention, before going back to their business, used to Ruby's antics. Sighing, she leaned on her hand. "It's just hard to believe that someone, who is from the World Above mind you, came down here and kicked some White Fang butt." Yang gave a shrug. "For all we know, he could be some conman trying to impress young girls."

"Also, isn't the World Above just a fairytale?" Weiss chimed in, opening her textbook to the appropriate page. Looking over at Ruby, she continued her speech. "Why would you believe that someone coming from a fictional world, who could use magic, to be anything but a conman? You need to grow out of these fantasies Ruby."

"Weiss, not you too!" Ruby cried, trying to find a way to convince them. Yet unless she could show off his powers to them personally, then there was no point.

"I wouldn't be so sure that these are mere fantasies." Blake spoke up, her head deep in a book. Drawing the attention of everyone in the group, she continued. "Last night Sun wouldn't shut up about Ruby's friend. All he kept talking about was how 'awesome' his powers were. Sun said that he was able to cut off all the Fang members senses." Blake closed her book, looking at her team. "I'm not sure about you, but that doesn't sound like a power Aura can create."

"Then maybe it's his Semblance?" Weiss asked, ignoring Ruby who kept proclaiming it was Magic. "I mean, I have my Glyphs, Ruby her Speed, and Yang her… temper tantrum-"

"Hey!"

"-maybe it's his Semblance to cut off someone's senses?" Weiss suggested. They all looked between each other, before Ruby spoke up again.

"But he was able to create another hand! Another freaking hand! His Semblance can't be to cut someone's senses off or something! It's Magic!" Ruby said, getting excited, stars practically shining in her eyes.. Ruby Rose was a sucker for Magic, Knights and other fantasy related topics, so if there was even the slimmest of chances that Fantasy was a Reality, she would defend it with her life.

"Hay! Whatcha guys talking about?" A voice spoke up behind them. Turning to the new voice, they were greeted by a multitude of people: Jaune Arc, a Huntsmen below Huntsmen. Pyrrha Nikos, the world renowned gladiator. Nora Valkyrie, the muscle of Beacon. Last, and Finally, Lie Ren, arguable ninja of the group.

"Hey Jaune!" Ruby responded eagerly, having knowledge that the farm boy was an avid Fantasy geek like her. "We were talking about how this one guy I met last night could use Magic!"

"Or a variation of his Semblance." Weiss spoke, trying to throw out the possibility of Magic. Yang nodded along, agreeing with Weiss, as Blake ignored everyone. If they weren't going to listen to her, then why even talk.

"Magic?" Surprisingly, it wasn't the young Arc who spoke first. With shocked eyes, every one turned to Lie Ren, who took on the appearance of surprise. Usually, Ren was content with just listening, and making the ever present observation. To be the first to speak was practically unheard of.

"Yeah!" Ruby jumped, ignoring the odd behavior. "There was this guy, he was able to make a cool looking claw come out of his hand! And that's not all! He said he was from the World Above!"

"Isn't that a fairytale?" Pyrrha asked, causing Ruby to slam her head on her part of the desk. Comedic tears trailed her cheeks, as she sniffled. Covering her mouth, Pyrrha adopted a worried look. "Oh! I'm sorry!"

"It's fine." Yang spoke for Ruby, rubbing the girls back. "Ruby is just getting her hopes up. She needs to be knocked down a few pegs."

"But, but it's real!" Ruby cried, banging her hand on the desk. "Why doesn't anybody believe me!?"

"Magic does exist!" Jaune spoke, confidence lining his voice. He took his seat in the row above Team RWBY, as Ruby herself snapped to attention, hope lining her eyes. With a smirk, Jaune pulled out a deck of cards, beginning to shuffle them. Ruby watched curiously, before Jaune held out the deck to her. "Choose one, Ruby Rose, and I'll show Magic you'll never forget!"

A round of silence covered the group, as they all stared at the cards Jaune eagerly held out. Slowly, as the silence continued, Jaune's smirk wavered. Looking between his group and Ruby, he nervously chuckled. Shaking his hand, he motioned for Ruby to choose a card. However, instead of choosing a card, Ruby grabbed the deck and threw it to the ground, her cheeks red from embarrassment and frustration.

"That's not what I meant!" At that instant, as those words left Reds mouth, Yang and Nora let out jolly laughter, holding their stomachs as they tried to hold it in. Pyrrha held a hand over her mouth as she giggled lightly. Weiss shook her head, trying to figure out how Jaune even got into Beacon. Blake just shook her head while Ren looked to be in deep thought, his face serious. Jaune, however, looked extremely confused, looking between the group.

"What? Why are you guys laughing?" Jaune asked, confused as he watched Nora and Yang laugh. Ruby just sat down, sulking whilst thinking that no one believed her. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Jaune looked to the giggling Pyrrha.

"She wasn't talking about a Magic Trick, Jaune!" Pyrrha said amidst giggle. "She was talking about Magic, Magic! Like Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth Magic!"

"Wait! Magic Exists!?" Jaune busted out, standing in excitement. Having not know what Aura was until the Beacon Entrance Ceremony, he thought that was all there was in the world of Remnant. To know that actual Magic Existed brought him a whole new form of excitement. "Why didn't anybody tell me!"

"Because it doesn't exist, you dolt." Weiss said, shooting down the young Huntsman. "Ruby just ran into a scum of a man who thought playing tricks on a young girls mind would be funny. Obviously, Ruby was foolish enough to believe the conman."

"Oh…" Jaune said dejectedly, sitting down and mimicking Ruby's behavior.

"Why doesn't anybody believe!" Ruby cried laying her arms over the desk. Yang and Nora's laughter slowly came to a halt, Valkyrie hiccupping.

"Am I interrupting something?" A new voice spoke up. Looking up, they were met with the ever fashionable Neptune, a awkward smile on his face.

"Neptune!" Weiss said in glee, her minor crush affecting her voice. In the back, Jaune gave a groan as he slammed his head on the desk. "What are you doing here? Aren't you and Sun supposed to be in Ooblecks class right now?"

"Well, yeah, but here's the problem- I can't find Sun." Neptune shrugged, gaining the attention of everyone. "This morning he said he was going to 'check up' on Blake, and we haven't seen him since."

"He did show up at our dorm level this morning." Blake answered, closing her book. "He was mostly wanting to talk, but before he left he said he was heading to the Vale Police Station we were at last night."

"Why would he go back there?" Yang asked, curious as to what the fellow blonde was planning.

"He said something about changing some guys mind about Faunus. He left after that, so I wasn't able to ask about what he meant." Blake said. At the worried look Neptune gave, Blake gave a small smile. "Don't worry, I'm sure he's fine. If he was in trouble, I'm sure he would call us."

Vale

Local Bar

Even with all the light in the world, there will always be a hand to snuff it out. Whether it was willing, or unwilling, remains yet to be seen.

"Ok, seriously, how did we end up like this!?" Sun yelled as he ducked a punch from a drunk Faunus. Back pedaling, he jumped forward, slamming his fist into the man, knocking him unconscious. Sun was forced to lean back however, as a chair came an inch from his face. Bringing out his staff, he hit the man in the leg, then the chin.

"I don't know! Ask the racist Pig that tried to swindle me out of my money!" Subaru yelled back, using his Unseen Hands to catch someone's fist, using the other to uppercut him. As the hands disappeared, he dodged left as a glass bottle passed an inch from his head. "Hey! That could've killed me! I thought this was a brawl, not a death match!"

"I don't think calling him a disgusting Pig was the right thing to do though! Maybe if you tried being less racist, we would be drinking some beer right now or something!" Sun yelled back as he jumped over someone's back, kicking another in the face. Using the staff, he pushed off the ceiling, slamming down on the man's back.

"Maybe he shouldn't have called me a pink skin! That's racist on Two levels!" Subaru yelled as he had an Unseen Hand grab a chair and smash it over someone's head, shattering the wood. Grabbing a leg of the chair, he used it as a weapon to hit another in the face with.

"Honestly!? I can't argue with that!" Sun yelled as he avoided a slash from an overly eager combatant with a broken bottle of Glass. Using the staff to push the guys head down, Sun kneed him in the jaw, knocking him unconscious. As the last of the bars men fell, Sun looked over to the heavily panting Subaru. "Even then, I'm never taking you to a bar again!"

"No, we're never going to a Faunus bar again!" Subaru corrected, pointing at the blond monkey, who held his staff behind his neck. "All there is, is racist Faunus in here! Literally the first Faunus I talked to in here told me to screw off because I was Human!"

"Maybe it's because the first thing you said is about how it smelled in here! Of course that would piss off a few Faunus!" Sun defended, as they walked out the door of the Bar.

"I was talking about the low quality beer!" Subaru yelled back, their friendly banter continuing. "I'm not stupid enough to be racist in a crowd of Faunus! It was only when you called out my racism when everyone started being a prick."

"Oh? My bad then." Sun apologized, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. With a sigh, Subaru shook his head. "Seriously though, that some sick skills you got there! How did you hit them without touching them!? Was it telekinesis?"

"Something like that." Subaru admitted. There was no point in hiding it if Sun had seen it first hand. Stretching, Subaru flexed his muscles, the fight having worn him down a little. 'I wonder what Ozpin's test will be? Hopefully it isn't too hard.'

"So, wanna go to another bar?"

"Hell no!"

Vale

Airship to Beacon

In this world, there are many, many Huntsmen. Some, useful, some, not so useful. But be it if you were A Hunter or not, every being of Remnant knew of Team CFVY. The team, so skilled in Grimm hunting that no one even dared to step up and challenge them. Difficulty was not an issue for any member, as each assignment they passed with ease. Yet that doesn't mean they didn't feel fatigue.

"Ha~h, it feels so good to be back at Beacon." Velvet spoke, leaning over the edge of the Airship. Her bunny ears dropped, too tired to fight against the wind of the aircraft.

"You really need to get in shape, Velvet. I can already see flabs hanging off your arms." Coco spoke up, causing Velvet to squeak and attempt to hide her body.

"Awe, you don't have to hide your body from us, Velvet. We all have seen your flabs at some point." Fox said, teasing the ever blushing Bunny. Coco snickered.

"…" Yatsuhashi.

"I don't know about you guys, but I can't wait to get into a nice bath and soak away all the Grimm off me!" Fox said, stretching. As they watched Beacon come into view, a smile formed on his lips. "I can't wait for what's in store for me!"

1)Non-Canon. Well, as of yet. Gusteko in Re:Zero is known as 'The Holy Land' and spirits exist in Re:Zero, so I draw my conclusions from there. We may get more information as the last 6-8 arcs get published, but I doubt it. Tappei is good at making the world feel alive and different, he'll probably do something clever that I won't be able to shut up about for months. Plus there's a possibility that it won't be touched upon, as all the Events in Re:Zero have taken place in Lugnica. I don't see them traveling outwards besides the IF chapters, like how Subaru and Rem explored Kararagi in her IF.

2)Canon wise, Subaru isn't that good at picking up social cues, and through all the IF's that's not really touched upon. I mostly looked into the Dark Lord IF for this one, since this Subaru is a mix between that and Canon. I guess I could look into Echidna's IF, since he's serious there, but I'm unsure. I definitely won't be looking into the Harem IF, since I hate Harems (surprisingly some of my favorite series are Harem's, but that's because it's done good. And they're creative).

3)Every Neo is an OC. Every Neo has a different personality. I'm going off of how she acts in canon, and adding a few more stuff into her. I did the same with Pyrrha, which will become prominent in a later arc (Oh, it's dark. And I'm going by my standards of dark, which is like watching a Red Room). I'm pretty good with assuming how characters act by just seeing a few clips of how they act. Even their speech patterns. This is why it's so hard to use Re:Zero characters, because they all seem genuine and unique. If I had to say who was the most difficult to write for either? Probably Ruby and Emilia. I write in a dark fashion. These two are the polar opposite of that. They are untainted by sin, Emilia going so far as to blame herself for the stuff Subaru does in Arc 4.

4)Hah. Puns

5)Aura users and Magic Users are on par with Each other. More on this in "Better Explanation- Magic Users"

6)Funny how the one who ended up killing Garfiel sees life as a game

Character Bio

Aura User: Sun Wukong- Active

Semblance: Via Sun

Strength: C-B

Speed: B-A

Durability: B

Endurance: A

Intelligence: C

Agility: A-S

Sun Wukong, a curious and interesting character. He is a laid back, and kind soul, who wishes the best for everyone, even if they aren't entirely on the write path. So caring he is, that he would even bother himself with Pride, to do his best to change his mind of Faunus.

His Semblance is as Special as anyone's else's. The ability to make light clones is almost a direct reference to his personality. To be able to reach and touch those he couldn't with his bare hands is a ability not many have. The drawback however is that this needs focus, that his hyperactive mind doesn't seem to possess.

Keep an Eye on him. If there is a slight chance to corrupt his soul, we shall do so.

World of Remnant: Gates

Many in this world don't know about the World Above, or the 'Gates' that connect the two. Well, I guess what I said was wrong- everybody knew of The World Above, but brushed it off as childhood Fairytales. How it came about that? Well, the only one who knew that won't tell anybody.

The Gates are one of the things we do know however. Once upon a time, Remnant and The World Above used to be separate, at least to the point that they would have seen each other as Sci-Fi and Fantasy respectively. Due to a catastrophic event that has been lost in time however, a gateway has been connecting the two.

It used to be that these Gates couldn't be controlled, but with some brilliant Magic and Scientific minds coming together, they were able to connect the two worlds. Again, we don't know how the people of Remnant forgot about the World Above, or why they thought they were fairytales, but ol' Oz knows.

It makes me wonder what he's keeping so secret behind those closed doors of his, that he wouldn't even tell his circle.

Better Explanation- Magic

Magic, unlike Aura, is the ability to warp reality in the users Favor.

Aura is the ability to strengthen the body, healing said body faster than normal, and giving the User extra speed and time to process events around them. Basically, it's the power up of Mario's shroom, to a lesser extent.

By extension, if one were to spend time working on their Aura and refine it, they would come across their Semblance. Each Semblance is special, and while some may have similar abilities, they aren't all the same. Take Neo's and Emeralds abilities for instance, they are both illusion based, but are different.

I decided to change up how Magic works in this fic to bring it on par, and even beyond the power of Aura.

Magic starts out the opposite of Aura. While Aura focuses on the Body, Magic focuses on the outside the body. It works similar to Dust, but is more refined and useful. However, Magic isn't able to be used as effortlessly as Aura. While Aura has and on and off switch, and it takes practice to perfect its use, so does Magic.

Magic takes time to learn to use perfectly. While you'd be able to, say if you're a Fire User, spread fire aimlessly, you wouldn't be able to concentrate it as shown the Witch Cult doing. Fire can be concentrated, and used as a bomb. Wind can push, but if focused can become invisible blade that can reach endlessly. Earth can shake the Earth, but if focused can create a wall of protection. Water can heal minor wounds, but with enough practice can raise the dead.

With enough practice, Magic could also be used as a way to enhance the body, but that takes tremendous dedication, unless your extremely skilled- Crusch, Ferris, etc. The most common way to get to Superhuman peaks though is to train your body separately, as Magic is a different topic than the body. We can see this being the case with multiple characters- Wilhelm, Al, Knights of Lugnica and Subaru himself in Arc 6 after a year time-skip.

In the mean time, for Subaru's case at least, his Uniform allows him to receive more damage as it's enchanted. While I was reviewing what I could do to avoid Subaru dying an excessive amount of time, I realized Enchanted Items existed in this world. Case in point, Elsa's cloak deflects any magic damage, but disappears once it's used. So, cloaks and Armors that are enchanted to give power ups wouldn't be to far off from fictional reality.

Now, I'm treating Divine Protections like Semblane's. Each are special, but there are similarities. In canon, a lot of Divine Protections are the same, but here there aren't. Well... except if your Reinhardt. He has practically every useful Divine Protection. These gifts can go from being able to see the material something is made from, to even being able to speak to animals. They're endless.

Lastly, what am I going to do with the Maidens, since their powers are supposed to be rare? Truthfully, I'm not sure. But I have a few ideas. Like them being able to control the weather itself, or just bumping them up to near Reinhardt level (against this). I have a few ideas that are a ton more creative, since that's what I'm going for with this story, but I'll keep them to myself. If anyone has any ideas, I'll be happy to hear them.

Story Rant-

Well! That's the end of Arc 1! And what a ride it has been!

I have learned how to treat characters, and my preferred writing style!

I have learned how to write fight scenes and be creative with them!

And I have learned I need to cut this cliché 'Evil side' shit out! Don't worry, it was never going to be a thing. I was just thinking it was going to be cool since I can imagine it. What you guys see could probably be the complete opposite.

Well, there's not much to point out this chapter. I guess the only thing I want to say is that I set up a ton of arcs with this one arc. Some of them I have a feeling was too obscure, or hidden too well in the open.

I guess I could point out the obvious thing- Subaru's backstory. If you hadn't noticed by now, Subaru isn't transported from our world. That is mostly due to the backstory I want to have for him, and a working theory of mine. I practically slapped you guys in the face with it already, so if you don't know, well… ask me and I might tell. That may sound rude, but I'm unsure how well hidden it is.

Next is… hmm… I'm actually having trouble thinking of one. Oh! Subaru's racism! Yeah, that crap won't be going away for a while! I'm not going to have his opinion change overnight. It may take a month or two in story- probably longer. He detests anyone that isn't Human, except those who prove themselves to be trustworthy, as with Sun. So, guess who is in this story that is a Faunus? Come on, hit me.

Final thing. The Witch of Creation- created it because, well, why not? Everything starts with something, and I find i5 poetic that way. I'll remove it if people start hating it, but for now it stays.

Hmm. That's about it, I guess? Not much to go on here.

Personal Rant

So, as someone who has extremely low confidence in their writing and story telling, in happy to see people actually coming back to this crap! While I was writing this, which I was thinking of how to word it, I kept going back to my stats to see how many people even bother with this, and I'm happy to say we're near 1,000 views and over half of that is Visitors! Here, let me get the confetti!

Seriously though? Thank you guys. I was actually considering making this story another run and done, however with the fact that I've created some sick and