The Celestial Remnant, Ch03: Initiation

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works; all other characters and worlds belong to their respective owners. I'm just playing with them.

Betad by Beans, Priapus, Mike God of Lore, Old man of the mountain, Malcolm Tent

The Celestial Remnant

Chapter 03: Initiation

Listening to Professor Ozpin give a (frankly mediocre) speech, I lean against the wall, shooting a curious look around the room. The massive auditorium is filled with hopeful students, but more than half won't make it through tomorrow. Beacon is a demanding place, and the initiation will remove the chaff.

Pyrrha gives me a wave from the other side of the room, which I return with a small smile. Apparently, we'll be sleeping in the auditorium, going straight into the initiation in the morning. I wonder if they're looking for troublemakers to get rid of before the test even begins.

100cp gained, 400cp remaining for [Widow's Guidance]

One step closer. I hope initiation will provide a nice boost to my CP, but I'm still in the experimental phase of working out what grants me CP. Looking around the room, I mentally sigh. I dislike sleeping with others around, so the idea of sharing the room with well over a hundred other teenagers makes me groan slightly.

I pretend not to notice Blake watching me from the other side of the room. Pulling out a book, I sit against the wall and feign reading as I project my senses—time to do some scouting. I'm aware enough of my physical location to fake being engrossed in a book, and I want to gather as much information as I can before the initiation. 

It's only cheating when other people do it, after all.

– Ruby Rose –

Despite the packed room (something that made her shudder at just how many people were stuffed into one room) a single person stood out to her as she spotted him leaning against the wall.

Silver eyes…

Back at Signal, some of the other girls had bullied her for having silver eyes, saying she was a freak. Yang beat them up, obviously, but it had made her well aware of how rare her eye colour was. The only person she could even think of who shared it was her mother, but sitting against the wall, the older boy flipped the page, brilliant silver gaze peering through a pair of stylish glasses as he read his book.

"See something you like?" Yang asked, making her jump in surprise. "I don't blame you; he's a foxy one, isn't he?" 

"Yaaang," Ruby whined, kicking her sister's shin, which just made her laugh. "It's not like that. He has silver eyes!"

"Huh, so he does. Maybe he's Mom's secret Faunus son!" Yang whispered conspiringly, making her eyes widen before Yang snorted. "Or maybe he just has silver eyes; it's not like you're the only person in the world with them, Rubes."

"I know that!" she muttered, averting her gaze. "It's just… interesting, is all."

Yang laughed but didn't press it, and they settled down next to each other, getting ready to sleep. "Well, if you're interested, sis, go ahead and say hello. You only get one chance to make a first impression."

Ruby flinched at the suggestion; approaching a stranger sounded far worse than approaching a Grimm. She knew what a Grimm was going to do, but strangers were unpredictable.

"Go on, it'll be fine," Yang encouraged, seeing her reluctance. "This is your chance to make some new friends; you can't just follow me around for the entire time."

Ugh…

"Why not?" Ruby whined, making Yang roll her eyes. 

"Come on," Yang said, her extroverted sister grabbing her arm and forcibly dragging her towards the boy who clearly didn't want to be disturbed! He looked up as they stood in his light, making her freeze. "Heya, foxy. This cutie is Ruby; she wants to talk to you."

"Hello?" the boy said, and Ruby froze at the soft, almost feminine voice. It sounded so familiar… 

"H-hi!" Ruby squeaked, being put on the spot. "You have silver eyes!"

"Hm, so do you," the boy agreed, raising an elegant eyebrow. His ears twitched slightly, her eyes lingering on the tail that was currently resting next to him… it looked so fluffy. He seemed to be waiting for her to speak, and Yang was giving her an encouraging look.

"I like your tail!" Ruby sputtered out, making him blink. "It looks really fluffy. We have a dog with a super fluffy tail, but yours looks even more fluffy."

Her mouth moved faster than her brain, rambling as the boy watched her curiously.

"I think that's kinda racist," Yang stage-whispered, making Ruby freeze. Oh no, was she being racist?! She didn't mean to be- 

"Nah, it's fine. It is fluffy; I use a special shampoo for it," the boy agreed, making her sigh in relief. "Akari."

"Ruby!" Ruby squeaked, offering her hand, which he took and shook gently. His skin was so soft, but she had successfully engaged her brain and didn't say that out loud. "Ruby Rose, and this is my sister, Yang."

Yang gave him a grin, looking proud at Ruby's ability to only mostly screw up a conversation.

"Is that your weapon?!" Ruby asked, falling back to her old faithful as she spotted the umbrella beside him. Yang sighed, but Akari gave her a soft smile as he reached for it. Weren't they supposed to put their stuff in the lockers? Was she allowed to go and get Crescent Rose?

"Yeah, this is Kasa-obake," Akari agreed, giving it a pat. "It's my spear, shield and rifle."

"I have a scythe. It's called Crescent Rose, and it is also a powerful sniper rifle," Ruby explained, excited as she looked over the weapon. He saw her interest and offered it to her, which made her eyes widen as she took it. 

"Isn't that an umbrella?" Yang asked, making Ruby give her sister a dirty look as she examined the very well-maintained weapon. Someone had put a lot of love into this.

"Yeah, so I can shield myself from rain and bullets," Akari agreed calmly, uncaring of Yang's almost mocking words. "It's tougher than it looks."

"Hey, if it works, it works," Yang agreed with a shrug. "Whatcha reading?"

Ruby zoned out, admiring the well-made weapon. He wasn't wrong about its toughness.

"Rubes? Oi, Ruby," Yang said, giving her a poke as she jumped. Whoops…

She gave Akari his weapon back, wishing she had Crescent Rose to show off.

"It's really well made. Did you design it yourself?" Ruby asked, making him nod.

"I did, and thanks," Akari agreed. A beeping made them blink as Akari sighed and opened his bag. A small, adorable robot floated out of it. "This too. This is Couant, my shield drone."

The small orb beeped again, its display showing a cute smiley face as it twirled around them for a moment before it returned to Akari.

"It gets jealous if I show off Kasa without showing it off as well," Akari rubbed his forehead. "I thought it was funny when I programmed it."

She went to speak before someone called to say the lights were going to be going out soon, making her eyes widen. 

"Guess it's time to get some sleep; we don't want to go into initiation tired," Akari said, putting his book away. "Good luck; maybe we'll end up on the same team."

"Same to yo- wait, team?" Ruby squeaked, making Akari blink.

"We'll be getting our partners tomorrow, then our teams. You didn't know?" Akari asked, making her eyes widen in dread. That's what Qrow was laughing about! They didn't think she might want a warning about teams. 

"Yang-" Ruby started.

"Oh no, this is a good chance for you. You can't follow me forever," Yang warned, making her pale.

"I don't think we get to pick, anyway," Akari added, fueling her dread. Oh no… "It was nice to meet you, but I'm turning in for the night."

"Yeah, good night, dude. Good luck tomorrow," Yang said, taking her hand. "Come on, Rubes, it won't be that bad."

As they left, she turned back and gave Akari one last look, seeing him watching them leave. Why did he sound so similar to the ghost from Patch?

– Akari –

Feat Achieved: Befriend Ruby Rose (100cp gained, 300cp remaining for [Widow's Guidance])

Ruby is definitely a fellow introvert; I can respect that. I'm glad she saw how much effort I put into keeping my tail in such good condition. 

As the room goes dark, I change into my pyjamas with a small smile as I get into the sleeping bag. I'm not done scouting yet, they interrupted me, but I was able to listen to two teachers discussing the plans for the test. We'll be retrieving something from the Emerald Forest so I've started exploring the forest and already found the ruins.

Chess pieces, an interesting choice.

– Blake Belladonna –

She wouldn't be able to stay hidden for long. She was starting to regret using her real name, because while she had avoided Akari noticing her so far, it wouldn't last once they both passed the initiation.

She could see just fine in the dark, making a note of where Akari was sleeping. He always liked his personal space, and had moved to the corner of the room away from as many people as possible. That would help as she waited for everyone to fall asleep, slipping out of her sleeping bag and sneaking towards where Akari was sleeping.

As she reached him, she froze, seeing a pair of silver eyes staring up at her.

"Blake," Akari said, utterly unsurprised as he sat up.

"You recognised me?" Blake asked, making him blink before he sighed. 

"You're just wearing an oversized bow; I've known you since we were kids," Akari pointed out. "You didn't even change your outfit."

She flushed at his blunt tone, sitting down next to him to not attract any attention as they both whispered. They both had better hearing, even if hers was slightly muffled by the bow.

"What are you doing here?" Blake asked, making him shrug.

"Your dad arranged for me to take the entry test," Akari replied. "What are you doing here? Got tired of playing terrorist?"

His whispered words made her freeze, glaring at him. They weren't- Oh, who was she lying to? It was exactly why she'd left. The insult coming from another Faunus made it sting all the more.

"Look, I need you to keep quiet. I used faked credentials to get in, but they don't know I'm Wh- I used to be White Fang," Blake whispered, making Akari raise an eyebrow. "Don't give me that, you work for Sienna."

"I work with her to scout the island for threats. I didn't run away to join a bitter psychopath on his mad quest. You know Adam is on the most wanted list of three Kingdoms, right?" Akari asked bluntly, making Blake flinch back. "You've been his partner for years; you realise how fucked you'd be if that gets out?"

"Which is why it isn't going to," Blake retorted. "The Fang don't need to know I'm here, and Beacon doesn't need to know about my past. I'm trying to do the right thing here, I know joining the Fang was a mistake."

She constantly looked around, paranoid that someone was listening in to their very quiet conversation.

Akari didn't look impressed, cold eyes staring at her. 

"And your parents?" Akari asked, sending a wave of guilt through her. They must hate her… both of them had told her not to join the White Fang, and she'd ignored them. They warned her about Adam, but she didn't listen. 

"I'll talk to them when I'm ready," Blake said, getting a disappointed look from him. "Look, as long as you don't say anything, then I should be fine. Are you going to expose me?"

Akari didn't reply, which sent a shiver of dread through her.

"Akari, please. The White Fang would kill me for abandoning them, and Beacon would toss me out if they found out I used to be a member," Blake pleaded, hating how expressionless he was. She couldn't read him at all, having no idea what was going on behind those silver eyes. His silence was deafening, sending a shudder of fear through her body. Her plans felt like they were shattering before she'd even had a chance to start on her new path. 

She knew Akari didn't particularly like the White Fang, but he'd worked with them as well. Maybe she'd underestimated how much he disapproved of their actions. She knew that a lot of Faunus thought they were just making things worse, and Akari was such a passive person. He wasn't the type to fight against the injustice their people faced, but then what did he even know of it? He'd never left Kuo Kuana before. He'd learn, now that he was in Vale.

She placed a hand on his leg and gave him a desperate, pleading look. She and Akari had never been that close, despite how her parents seemed to favour him, so she didn't try and call on a barely existing friendship. 

"Akari, I'm begging you, please don't say anything," Blake said.

"I'll think about it," Akari said simply, not agreeing to anything as she felt her heart drop. She didn't appreciate the idea of having to spend every day worrying about if he'd made his decision and told either group her secrets. "You might drop out of the initiation anyway."

She gave him an unamused look. She had plenty of experience fighting with the Fang, more than any of these other kids. She didn't like the implication that he thought she wasn't good enough for Beacon. But then, she hadn't forgotten just how good Akari could be with his spear, either.

"Just… talk to me before you do anything, please," Blake said. Akari just stared at her, but as she went to speak again, she heard some movement and froze up. A boy was getting up, walking towards them. He didn't stop, heading towards the toilets, but paused to see them sitting next to each other, her hand on Akari's leg. 

Muttering an apology, he walked past, and she went silent. This wasn't the place for this, and giving Akari one last pleading look, she slipped away and headed back to her own sleeping bag.

– Akari –

Feat Achieved: Make Blake Desperate (100cp gained, 200cp remaining for [Widow's Guidance])

Huh. 

I was just tired and didn't want to deal with Blake and the mess she'd gotten herself into right now. Curious.

Laying back down, I shrug to myself. She doesn't want me to tell anyone, but I've already told Kali where her idiot daughter is. Kali is relieved to know that Blake is here, alive and seemingly well, but she's also decided not to confront her daughter yet since there's always the chance Blake will run away again. It does seem to be her default state.

Sienna doesn't care where Blake is, but I suppose Adam might have taken her decision to abandon him poorly, so her worry about the Fang is fair enough.

Still, that's a problem for later. I'm tired, and I think I've finished searching the forest. I know where the relics are and have a vague layout of the forest. Tomorrow should be easy enough.

– Pyrrha Nikos –

Spotting Akari standing over to the side, she moved away from the pushy Schnee girl to go and stand by him. He looked tired, yawning as his tail swayed behind him agitatedly. 

"Good morning, Akari," Pyrrha said, getting his attention. She'd wanted to talk to him yesterday, but Weiss wouldn't leave her alone, and then he was reading and she didn't want to interrupt him. Weiss didn't mean any harm, but it was clear the rich girl was hoping to get on a team with her so she could use Pyrrha's skills and fame for herself. It was all too common; most people wanted to get close to her for the same reason.

"Morning, Pyrrha," Akari yawned, stretching slightly. Before they could say anything (or she could push the idea of working together), Professor Ozpin and Goodwitch started explaining how this would work. 

They picked their teammates by eye contact? Wasn't that a little random? Well, she was hardly the only one who found that strange or distressing, given the sounds the younger girl standing nearby made, a blonde girl chuckling and nudging her. She'd seen those two talking to Akari last night.

"Good luck, and see you on the other side," Akari said, making her pause as he nodded at their feet. Her semblance had picked up the platforms, but her eyes widened as she felt the mechanics inside. Launch platforms?

The blond guy who was being kind of creepy towards Weiss asked about parachutes. Was that some kind of joke? Akari smiled as she felt the mechanics start to move, and she started to plan.

"Good luck!" Pyrrha agreed, preparing herself as she was launched into the air. Watching the platforms as Akari was also launched, she giggled slightly at the blank look on his face as he was sent soaring through the sky, but he didn't seem worried.

With a serene calm she almost envied, he simply opened Kasa-obake and spun it, using the umbrella to slow his descent like in that movie about the magical babysitter. She could tell where he was going to land, and while she had no way to slow herself down, she could set off towards him when she landed. 

Akari either didn't know about her fame or simply didn't care, both equally exciting for her. She knew who she wanted as a partner.

– Ozpin –

It was no exaggeration that Silver Eyed warriors were extremely rare. Once upon a time, they had been more common, but over the years of Salem and her minions hunting them down, they had become rarer than Maidens.

So when Menagerie had sent a young boy with blatantly silver eyes, his record saying he was an orphan, he immediately jumped on the opportunity to bring the young man into Beacon. Even if he had failed the tests, Akari would have been invited to join them (much like Ruby had, despite her age).

Akari had blown through the tests; in fact, he was one of only two aspiring students who had managed to defeat their opponent during the entrance tests. Pyrrha Nikos was the only other one.

Pyrrha, a potential Maiden should Amber not recover. Ruby Rose, the daughter of one of the last Silver-Eyed warriors… and Akari, a Silver-Eyed mystery. What an interesting year.

Akari landed, and he paused in place as he closed his eyes. His Semblance was on record, but Ozpin suspected that the paperwork had understated how powerful it truly was as Akari immediately turned towards the relics and set off in a direct line.

Mr Arc landed, if one could call it that. Ozpin raised an eyebrow as the young man with the falsified records crashed through the trees and hit the ground. He had not even awakened his Aura?

He'd known the records were faked, of course, but he hadn't expected an Arc to be suicidal enough to try and attend without their Aura awoken. The family was known for producing brilliant Huntsmen, and he had hoped that Jaune would follow his ancestors example. 

Jaune wasn't dead, but that was likely to change if he did not get any aid. He was unmoving, body twisted, in a Grimm-infested forest. 

Another initiate came across the scene, eyes widening in shock at the sight. Lie Ren paused, looking around before moving over to Jaune's injured form. Lie was an intelligent young man, already working out that the boy had no Aura, and after a moment of hesitation, Ozpin watched Lie awaken Jaune's aura. It wasn't enough to awaken the badly injured teen, but it likely saved his life.

Picking Jaune up, Lie focused as he used his Semblance to suppress their emotions, understanding that he was in no position to fight any Grimm. 

Ruby found her partner, and Ozpin chuckled as the girl excitedly hugged her older sister. Raven and Summer's daughters would be two to watch even if Ruby hadn't inherited her mother's eyes and there wasn't the possibility of Yang inheriting a spark of the magic he'd given Raven. The daughters of two of his best students, with Silver Eyes and the possibility of magic made them a pair to watch closely.

Two people, both seeking Akari, encountered one another. Blake and Pyrrha both hid their disappointment, having found each other while looking for their mutual acquaintance. Still, they quickly headed in the direction Akari had gone, Blake using her skills to track him. 

It was an interesting pairing; Blake was unlikely to care for Pyrrha's fame, and Pyrrha would not judge Blake for her race or her past. 

"Sir, we should send someone to help Mr Ren. I told you that Arc boy didn't belong here," Glynda scolded, making him hum.

"Not yet, but have Peter be ready to head out. If Mr Ren can reach the relics, he has earned his place here. If we send someone in, I'll have no choice but to fail them both," Ozpin explained, getting an unamused look from her even as she obeyed.

Hm, Akari was currently on an intercept velocity with two other students. Watching with amusement, he sipped his hot chocolate with a smile.

– Weiss Schnee –

"I made eye contact with him first," Weiss said, making her decision as the ginger girl made an annoying noise.

"Noooope," the other girl dragged out. "I called dibs."

"You don't get to call dibs on a partner. The rules are simple and-" Weiss said in frustration. She'd heard someone moving and headed towards the sound, only for this orange idiot to do the same.

Essentially, all three of them had reached the small clearing at the same time, and now nobody knew who was whose partner. She was slightly hesitant, the silent male having some very blatant Faunus traits, but she'd quickly come to understand that she wanted to partner with the hyperactive idiot even less.

What a ridiculous way to pick partners; this was utterly absurd. She expected more professionalism from a school as prestigious as Beacon.

"You, who did you make eye contact with first?" Weiss asked, making the white-haired Faunus look at her blankly.

"You both came from the same direction at the same time," he explained, setting them back to square one. 

"So, we're all partners?" the other girl asked, getting a scream of frustration from Weiss.

"That's not how this works. Do you want to get kicked out because you couldn't comprehend something this simple?" Weiss asked, kicking her feet. 

"Look, why don't we just travel together? I know where the relics are, so we can go there and wait for someone else to show up without a partner?" the boy asked, making them turn to her. The other girl seemed to consider it for a moment, looking excited for some reason. "Akari, by the way."

"Weiss Schnee, as I'm sure you already knew," Weiss says. "How do you know where you are going?"

"My Semblance lets me see things from a distance. I found the temple the moment I landed," Akari explained. Ugh, that sounded useful but hardly any good for combat.

"I'm Nora Valkyrie, and that works! I need to find my friend anyway; we came here together. Well, not together together, but you know what I mean," Nora rambled. 

Akari moved suddenly, spinning his weapon around as he opened the ridiculous umbrella and fell to one knee, holding it up as they watched. A single, massive, black feather struck the open shield and bounced off, Akari firing into the air several times as they heard a squawk of anger.

"Nevermore. We've argued for long enough. Let's move," Akari ordered, making them both nod seriously, petty squabbles forgotten.

"How did you-"

"Part of my Semblance; I can sense danger," Akari explained, making her nod. She wasn't arrogant enough not to be able to admit when she was wrong. "This way."

Sharing a look with Nora, she nodded, and they followed behind as Akari went from moving at a slow, sedate pace to suddenly acting like the Huntsman trainee he allegedly was.

– Akari –

I think I broke the system. 

Feats Achieved: Become Weiss Schnee's Partner, Become Nora Valkyrie's Partner (150cp granted, 50cp remaining for [Widow's Guidance])

I spotted them both, and I hoped to lure them into each other so I'd be left with no partner since most other groups had already formed. I misjudged the timing, now I have two partners? Is that even how that works? I figured I'd be able to get away without having a partner since I have the Silver Eyes, but now I've doubled my suffering. 

I pause, considering going to help the dude whose partner is a crippled coma patient but shake my head. He's nearly been caught, being chased by some big Death Stalker, but I can also see a teacher nearby. He'll be fine.

The Nevermore doesn't take the hint as we move towards the temple, firing sword-like feathers down at us. I think I managed to impress the Schnee girl as I pull her out of the way, knocking the feather out of the air with a jab of my spear. [Precognition] is no joke.

If I let my body react, I'll automatically dodge or block almost any threat as long as I have the physical skills and attributes to handle it, which [Invincible Girl] is helping provide.

"Damnit, how are we supposed to hit that thing? Myrtenaster can't go that far," Weiss curses, her rapier drawn as she uses a wind glyph to make a whirlwind and blow away several feathers.

"You'd think the birdie would have run out by now; it's going to go bald," Nora points out, hands gripping her giant hammer. She's not wrong. The Nevermore is high above us, and while I can hit it, I can't really damage it with my mid-tier powered rifle. 

We're way ahead of the other groups, courtesy of knowing exactly which way to go (and the haste we are moving at), so we reach the temple first. This is good for our objective, less so for our sudden lack of cover.

"Stubborn bastard," I mutter, looking up at the Grimm. It glowers back, letting out a screech. "Take a hint."

Firing several more rounds at it, I watch them barely scratch the tough fucker. Weiss diverts another series of feathers before they can impale us, but Nora's grenade launcher can't reach up there, and I can't hurt it much, either. It's an impasse, unable to hurt us but equally safe as long as it keeps its difference.

Movement makes me sigh, looking at the forest as the first Beowolfs come out. Ah, that's why it screeched. Irritating.

"Weiss, keep deflecting the feathers. Nora, help me handle the Beowolfs," I order, making Nora nod with a savage grin as she switches her hammer to its grenade launcher form again, firing several times as we both charge in.

The first Beowulf pounces at me from the side, but [Precognition] sees it coming long before it even jumps and my spear strikes true as I don't even turn to look at the Grimm, piercing its chest. A pull of the trigger causes the dust within to electrify my weapon, ending the Grimm instantly as I switch to shield mode and block a second set of claws, sweeping my leg out as I call on Brawler to take out the Grimm's legs, knocking it down.

Switching back to spear, I jab down and stab the bastard in the head, using my weapon to pole vault away from the other Grimm trying to surround me. Pyrrha must be amazing, because I do feel almost invincible as I spin through the air and fire twice, striking true as I put down another. 

– Weiss Schnee –

Her earlier reluctance to partner with a Faunus vanished as she watched Akari dance between the Beowolf horde, his weapon seeming considerably less silly as he twirled it with grace, ending three Beowolfs in a single sweep.

Yes, it looked like an umbrella, but watching him block several attacks with it made her understand the design a little more.

Nora wasn't bad either, more of a brute than the graceful fighting style of Akari. She tanked blows, smashing the Grimm with her giant hammer, a fierce smile on her face, each blow crushing a Beowolf into the ground, shattering it with ease.

They were keeping the horde away from her, and she didn't fail in her part of this either, using wind dust to deflect the aerial barrage, sending the feathers flying away from her partner (and Nora).

"Weiss, move!" Akari shouted; the first time she'd heard him speak louder than his soft, serene tone, making her eyes widen as she spotted him spinning his weapon towards her, firing past her at something.

She dove to the wide, spinning in place as she spotted something large diving toward her, fierce claws dripping with a black liquid lunging towards her as a Grimm she didn't recognise pounced. She wasn't fast enough, the four-legged Grimm pouncing onto her and knocking her to the ground, tanking the bullets from Akari as its claws slashed into her Aura.

It snarled down at her, a mouth with far too many fangs dripping down at her as it slashed into her Aura with its claws, her eyes widening as it shredded through her Aura, making the white shield break with a terrifying crack.

Its claw dug into her side, slashing through her dress and her skin like a hot knife through butter as she let out a scream of pain, trying to bring Myrtenaster up to stop the gaping maw from coming down on her neck.

She couldn't, but as the beast tried to snap at her, Akari rushed forward, umbrella-shield open as he charged straight into it, the shield electrifying as he slammed it into the side of the beast, knocking it back with a snarl.

The creature dashed back into the cover of the forest, and she barely saw as its hideous figure seemed to shimmer and disappear, but her mind was elsewhere as she touched her shredded side with a fearful look, seeing the red staining her dress and hand. Some black pus was already leaking from the wound, her mind racing as she looked up at Akari with desperate hope, watching how his beautiful silver eyes seemed to glow.

"You're going to be fine," Akari promised, his voice soft as he looked at her side, giving her a soft smile.

– Akari –

The Silver Eyes react to the desire to protect life, and Weiss is unwell as whatever gunk the new Grimm poisoned her with starts to spread, leaving ugly black lines spreading across her pale skin, visible from where her dress was torn open.

Weiss is arrogant (and a little racist, even if she thinks I didn't notice), but she's young and doesn't deserve to die here. Nora shouts for help, Weiss no longer able to stop the barrage from the Nevermore, and I feel my eyes react as they let out a pulse of silver light, the blackened lines retracting from Weiss's almost doll-like skin. It doesn't help the gaping wound, but whatever it was spreading has been purged.

"Buy me a minute," I shout back, hating raising my voice, even as I send my Couant to help Nora and get to work. I take off my kimono and (with great reluctance) cut it into shreds as fast as I can. I can't let Weiss bleed out, and I don't have long to make some makeshift bandages, imbuing the silk with my Aura as I bind her stomach as best I can. She's pale, far more so than usual, and this is only a stopgap. 

My [Precognition] warns me, making me leap to the side as the same fucker pounces over Weiss, snarling as it flies through the space I was just inhabiting. Once more, it flees into the woods and vanishes again. 

Rising, I spin my spear as I block several feathers, all aimed at Weiss because Grimm are dicks. A mental command sends Couant to her, moving to aid Nora as I slash through a Beowolf.

This fucking sucks, but I just glare up at the Nevermore. Nora was right about one thing: it's going bald… because it is starting to run out of feathers. It's going to have to come down to our level.

Feat Achieved: Gain Weiss Schnee's Love as a Faunus (100cp granted, [Widow's Guidance] Purchased, 50cp remaining)

My eyes widen, and I feel something deep within me awaken. An icy cold chills my veins as the power within me surges, bursting forth. I couldn't stop it even if I wanted to, the Lore of Ice flooding my mind.

I underestimated the power of the Celestial Remnant, and my mouth opens in a silent scream as the ice rushes forth.

– Professor Ozpin –

A Lurking Chupacabra, a deadly ambush Grimm found in the jungles of Mistral. It was not native to Vale, and he cursed as he realised what was happening. Salem knew about Akari, and had sent a surprise to try and take him out before he could grow into his powers.

The initiation no longer mattered, the moment that massive Nevermore let out the screech, a horde of Grimm had rushed the temple. Far more than there should be, given that the forest had recently been culled in preparation. 

He was already heading towards the temple before it happened, but as his every sense screamed, his eyes widened. He could barely throw together a protective spell as a magical burst stronger than he'd seen since the Age of the Gods was unleashed, forming a blizzard centred right on the temple.

"By the Gods…" Glynda whispered, watching in shock as the entire forest froze over in a matter of seconds, emerald turning to ice as the Nevermore was shredded by a storm of icy shards, ripping it to pieces in an instant.

He needn't have bothered with his spell, the ice sparing him as it spread rapidly, his eyes locking on the centre, barely visible through the storm. Akari stood there, glowing with power, making Ozpin's mind freeze.

A maiden? Well, wasn't that an interesting development?

The storm faded as quickly as it appeared, and he could see the dispersing corpse of the chupacabra, embedded with hundreds of icicles, the Beowolfs having been torn to pieces. And yet, Nora stood entirely unharmed despite being right at the centre of the storm, her eyes wide as she stared at her partner in shock.

Akari knelt, looking at Weiss as he reached down, picking her up as he turned and said something to Nora, who nodded quickly. They paused, grabbing a pair of knights from the frozen pedestals, but they moved on as they headed straight towards him.

"Professor, Weiss requires medical attention," Akari said, making him nod immediately.

"Of course," Ozpin agreed, hiding his shock behind a smile. 

He paused as they moved back to Beacon, seeing Glynda head to grab the other students, looking over the frozen forest. He'd probably have to rename it, but that was the least of his worries right now.

— Bonus Scene — Ruby Rose

"So, er... did we pass?" Yang asked, still clearly shaken, as they reached the top of the hill. They looked over the forest, which was now a sea of icy blades, frozen trees, and several inches of snow. 

They'd been fighting a bunch of jerk Grimm that had come out of nowhere, and then suddenly, all the Grimm were being impaled by giant icicles growing out of the ground; it was snowing, and it was super cold.

"I believe you did, despite the unexpected circumstances. You four would have reached the temple had it not been for the unanticipated Grimm horde and other surprise developments," Professor Goodwitch said, trying to sound calm even as she failed to hide her own shock.

The redhead and black-haired girl both smiled awkwardly at that, and Yang let out a 'Wooo' in celebration, but Ruby stayed quiet. Over to the side, she watched as a blond boy was carried out of the forest by an older man with a massive moustache, a badly wounded boy with black hair and a pink streak following behind with a limp.

Well, wasn't that an exciting start?