AN: Hey guys! Sorry I've been gone so long, college apps, family issues, and et cetera, et cetera...but I'm back with a new little story!

I've been reading loads of reaction stories such as "Endless Possibilities" by JC of the Corn, "Paths of the Arc" by Sixsamchaos, "Jaune's Multiverse Theory" by BookishTen8, and "Into the Edge of the Naruto-verse" by Juubi no Shinju. Mostly the middle two to be honest, so please take a look at their works, they're very good. But these stories sparked some inspiration, so this will be a reaction fic, but with some twists!

So these are the main bits of the story that will be goals, more or less.

1. I want to entertain you all with a nice reaction story, with showcases of stories on the site, as well as possible timelines and realities from my mind that are too half-baked for a full story

2. I want to try and make a story that is both original and a reaction story...if that makes sense...you'll see.

3. One thing I've always wanted to see is a reaction not to the alternate realities and such of the character's world...but also our world. Our world is so strange, and mysterious, and has such a fantastical tale of its own to tell. So I wanted to see if I could try and show some of that splendor and such of our world.

4. Warning, there will be OCs and crossovers in this fic, including one of my own creation (obviously) with his own backstory and such.

This is my first reaction story, and honestly, I haven't watched RWBY past the first half of Vol. 3 where shit starts to go bad, but I do know more or less what goes wrong. So please bear with me if some of the reactions or information is not entirely right. Constructive criticism will be appreciated greatly, but flames will be extinguished and deleted promptly.

Also, I am looking to contact other authors in hopes of using some of their stories in this one, and any suggestions will also be appreciated!

Disclaimer: I, Beowulf the Divine Emperor, do not own RWBY or any crossover material that is used in this story. I only own my OCs and my own twist on the genre of Reaction Fic. RWBY is owned by the late, great Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth. All other material falling under "crossover" belongs to their respective owners.

This chapter in particular has a lot of parallels with Sixsamchaos's reaction fic, and he has given me permission to use his story's first chapter as a foundational piece.

In fact, he graciously beta-read this chapter for me and has been a great help in bringing a lot of this story to life. So do go ahead and check out his works as well.

This story begins during Vol. 3, but before the main events of the Fall of Beacon, during the Vytal Festival.

~The Void between Worlds:Unknown~

A figure shrouded in darkness sat upon a carven throne of crystal, his gaze occupied by an orb of light levitating above his palm. Bright, heterochromic eyes of gold and platinum looked on in guarded curiosity as the orb suddenly shimmered a shade of black. The being's gaze sharpened before the hand clenched into a fist, shattering the orb.

The being seemed to be still for a moment, before rising to his feet, his eyes glowing with an ethereal, iridescent light. "Hmm...seems I'll have to step in...again." He paused, as if thinking something through. A small smirk curled his lips. "Well, at least it's not direct interference this time...they can't get on my case for this, especially once this world is set right."

"Besides...I'm not the first to do this sort of thing, and I won't be the last." The light in the figure's eyes grew ever brighter as its determination surged. "And I won't let that fate happen again! Not here!"

A grin settled on the being's face as the light in his pupils grew in intensity. The light flared brightly as it shone throughout the building and the Void. (1)

~Beacon Tower: Office of Headmaster Ozpin~

It has been several days since the Vytal Festival began and the Tournament went underway. For most people, this would be a time of celebration and such, if it weren't for the fact that it had also been quite a few days since the Breach.

Thankfully, the reconstruction efforts were highly effective and now nearing completion, and civilian casualties were kept to a bare minimum. Despite this news, it was clear from the atmosphere that the headmaster was most certainly not in a good mood. A sentiment that was shared by the deputy headmistress and General of the Atlasian Forces. The tension was thick in the wake of such events, and none dared to disturb it quite yet.

"Slurp, slurp." The sound of drinking from a flask was obnoxiously loud.

Winter frowned deeply, glaring at the source of the...unpleasant noise. "Qrow, can you not?"

The perpetually drunk Hunter stopped drinking and burped a little. "Oh sorry, thought we were done sitting in silence."

Ironwood and Winter growled a little at Qrow, bringing the tension in the room even higher.

Ozpin was not amused. "Report."

Flashing an admonishing glare at Qrow, Ironwood turned to the headmaster. "The Breach has significantly hampered our efforts, causing a backlash against both Beacon and my own forces."

Winter stood next to her superior officer, nodding in assent. "Indeed, even though the festival has eased some of the tensions in Vale, it is clear that there is still some discomfort and uncertainty from the populous."

"Fortunately there have been no further complications from the Grimm, according to our Hunters and James's troops," added Glynda Goodwitch, before sighing quietly. "It is especially fortunate that teams RWBY and JNPR were able to respond so quickly to the Breach..."

Qrow chuckled as a drunken grin plastered itself onto his face. "Heh, yeah...my nieces are badasses." Winter sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose at the Hunter's antics as a vein throbbed on her forehead.

Ozpin, however, smiled quietly at the mention of the two first-year teams, his most promising in a long time. He opened his mouth to change the topic, but before he could utter a sound, a noise akin to a thunder blast resounded throughout the room as a blinding, iridescent portal seemed to tear itself into existence in the middle of the office. Shocked, the group immediately shifted into defensive positions, ready to attack.

"What the hell is-?!" Qrow didn't get to finish that sentence as the portal appeared to engulf the group before collapsing with a small pop, leaving the office empty. (2)

There was very little sound coming from the dorms as Team RWBY enjoyed the aftermath of their victories against ABRN and FNKI. The time off from their classes and their...investigations, lets say, was greatly appreciated. They were busy having a lazy day, having no real drive to do anything. Ruby was sprawled over the edge of her bunk, reading magazines about weapons (no surprise there), Yang was messing with her hair, Blake was laying on her bunk reading some new novels she'd acquired, and Weiss was busy entertaining herself with (read: spoiling) Zwei.

A wail of annoyance came from Ruby as she tossed the magazine onto her bunk, hanging over her bunk's edge. "I'm so boooooored!"

Weiss frowned, looking over at her leader. "You're the one who suggested that we have a 'lazy' day. This is your fault."

Ruby just whined more, hanging off her bed and groaning on and on about her boredom.

The Ice Queen's eyebrow began to twitch in annoyance at her leader's childishness.

Whatever Weiss would have said devolved into a scream as a bright portal of light ripped itself open in their dorm with a thundering Boom, sucking up the four members of Team RWBY and their little mascot. Once again, the portal collapsed in on itself with a pop.

"I...Nora? What is this?" The voice of a very, very confused Jaune Arc made itself known in the dorm.

"It's my sloth enclosure, Fearless Leader!" Nora giggled as she played with a sloth as more seemed to slumber on a tree...that was somehow inside of their dormitory...

Much like Team RWBY, Team JNPR was also enjoying their new down time from their classes inside their dorms. Nora, along with her beloved Renny's help had somehow done...it was difficult to process. What had greeted Jaune and Pyrrha's eyes was a decently sized tree, artificial or real no one was entirely sure, covered in 10 to 15 sloths, one of which the excitable Valkyrie was playing with. Just looking at the sheer absurdity gave Jaune a headache.

"Um...Ren? Just...how?" The stoic member just shrugged, his face betraying no emotion. "I have no idea..."

Turning to his partner for some support, Jaune saw Pyrrha staring into nothing, absently playing with one of the sloths on the branches. Jaune's brow furrowed in a frown as he took note of his partner's recent distance. He noticed that she seemed to have something weighing heavily on her mind, but whenever he confronted her on the subject, she always made an excuse or changed the topic to divert attention.

He was torn. He wanted to respect her space, but at the same time, he didn't want to let her suffer in silence. He wanted to help, but in the end he let her keep her silence. Pyrrha was just as stubborn as himself at times and he didn't want to strain their relationship.

"You okay there Pyrrha? You seem really out of it..." asked Jaune cautiously. Pyrrha flinched a little at being caught off-guard.

"Oh! Um..no! No, everything is just fine. I-I think the excitement from the tournament is just wearing at me a bit is all." Jaune peered at her with worried suspicion before turning back to...whatever the hell Nora had done.

"So again, um...Nora how did you do this?" Nora shrugged and grinned widely. "I have my ways." Ren sighed quietly, pinching his nose a little at his friend's antics.

Any other words were silenced by the shock of a bright vortex bursting into existence in their dorm, the thundering blast startling them as portal engulfed the group. The portal then hovered, facing the sloth enclosure before smaller portals seemed to form and engulf the sloths. "The Vale Zoo will greatly appreciate this I believe..."

The portals then disappeared with a small pop.

Similarly, several other portals formed and collapsed across Remnant, each carrying their own precious cargo to their Master.

With perfect synchronization, the dimensional gateways reformed and promptly spat out their cargo before collapsing with an air of finality. The result? A comical scene as the group of teens, adults, and one fluffy corgi cried out as they fell into a pile of bodies, followed by grumbling and growling as they attempted to untangle themselves.

"Owie..."

"Ugh...and I thought hangovers were bad..."

"Hey! Watch the hair!"

"Sorry!"

"Get off my skirt Arc!"

"Please get off of my bow?"

"My apologies Miss Belladonna."

After several minutes of reorientation, apologies, and stretching after the uncomfortable entanglement, everyone stood to inspect one another, some eyes widening in surprise, after viewing some familiar faces.

"Wait...Dad? Uncle Qrow?"

"Sister? Mother?!"

"Ruby? Yang?"

"Blake?"

"Mom? Dad?"

"Nora!"

"Can everyone just chill out for 5 seconds?!"

.

.

.

.

.

"Okay, what in Oum's name is going on right now? Where the hell even are we?" asked Qrow suspiciously as the group now took in their surroundings.

They stood in a very large area, massive in fact. It was as if one had fused a large movie theater with a throne room/hall. The floor was of smooth, green granite, with huge pillars of black gold, studded with shimmering orbs, spiraling up to meet the ceiling. And what a ceiling it was. All of the group stood still for a moment and admired the ornate ceiling, decorated with images inlaid with an assortment of gems and rare metals.

Ruby picked out a little image of a child in a hood and cloak of ruby, standing behind the child was a wolf carved from pale pearl.

Yang's eye was caught by a carving of a girl with hair of woven gold with three bears.

Blake felt a pang of guilt and some other emotion that she couldn't understand as she stared at a carving of a woman in black onyx standing with a hulking beast in red almandine garnet.

Weiss gazed curiously at a woman carved from pale opal gazing at an apple colored a sickly green.

Jaune stood enraptured by a mosaic of a woman in armor with a lance leading an army against another army.

Pyrrha looked at a carving of a warrior in armor similar to hers, felled by an arrow to the heel, and felt a chill go down her spine.

Nora giggled as she pointed out a carving to her best friend Ren, of a man garbed in furs and armor driving a chariot of goats and wielding a hammer in hand, lightning and thunder crackling around him.

Ren did not see it however, he was staring in curiosity at another carving, this one a woman in armor, wielding a sword and fighting in an army against barbaric hordes.

Qrow's eyes narrowed at a image of a man with one eye sitting upon a throne, with a raven sitting on each shoulder. (3)

After a moment longer of admiration, the group looked away from the ceiling to view the rest of the room. In front of them was a very large movie theater screen attached to the ceiling that appeared to be off and blank at the moment. The walls were very curious indeed, as multiple orbs seemed to be embedded into them, a myriad of colors as they pulsed with light (the very same that studded the pillars supporting the ceiling everyone noted), as well as writing in silver and gold that none could decipher. Multiple sets of double doors were seen on both walls, wood, but very intricately carved. Beyond the screen were a much larger set of double doors, tall and forged of gold with intricate designs and...glowing slightly. Behind them were two massive columns, black as night, yet shining and glowing slightly with a light all their own, and behind/between those columns was a sight that made the teens gasp in awe and the adults stare in amazement.

A throne made of carven crystal that shone like a nebula in the night sky, with runes of power engraved and inlaid with a metal that seemed unearthly in composition, shimmering a shade of black. A leather pad and cushion coated the seat of the throne. Steps of pure gold led up to the throne, each one inlaid with silver writing, again, indecipherable. Yang had to grab Ruby's shoulder to keep her from going and sitting in the "big chair" as she said, as did Ren to Nora.

Qrow scowled in confusion. "Why hasn't anything happened yet? This is too strange...what the hell is happening now?"

"All in good time, bird." A male voice, rich and royal, echoed throughout the room as a dark figure made himself known from behind one of the two great columns. A series of clicks resounded throughout the room as the tall figure walked out from behind the pillar, though his form remained cloaked in shadow.

"Who are you? Are you the one who brought us here?" The General of Atlas inquired while gripping his revolver, the others in the group leveling their weapons upon the figure.

Seemingly unconcerned, the man did a small headcount. "2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12...17? Hmm..we are missing some people..."

Yang growled a little at the man's unconcerned demeanor and the fact that he'd ignored them. "Hey! Pay attention! Who the hell are you?"

"All your questions will be answered in just a moment Yang. Geez, you're much more impatient than I remember..." The man muttered to himself as he shoved his hands into his pockets, his head bowing in thought. "I suppose I can bring them in later..." Yang's eyes flashed red at the little slight against her and being ignored once again.

Ironwood frowned deeply, brandishing his revolver. "Answer the question!"

The man sighed a little, "My apologies, I haven't been a good host so far. I am indeed the one who brought you all to my realm. You are currently in the Void, the Void between Worlds, otherwise known as the Great In-Between, the Eternal Gap, the Howling, et cetera, et cetera."

He stepped into plain view of the group, allowing them to view their kidnapper. Many of the assembled women couldn't help but blush.

The man was tall, standing a good 4 inches above Ozpin and Ironwood, but appeared quite young, maybe 19 or 20 years of age. He had light brown skin, with longish, messy black hair that seemed to frame his face with an almost regal air while the small stubble on his face added to his semi-rugged appearance. He was quite broad-shouldered as well, well-built, and the muscle through his clothes betrayed his strength. He wore a dark green dress shirt of sorts, leaving the two top buttons open to show a portion of his slightly hairy chest, over which he wore a very long, armored trench-coat, seemingly woven from Night itself with pauldrons of steel and elbow armor pads with the tail end of the coat dragging slightly along the floor, making it somewhat of a cloak. His hands were covered with clawed, segmented gauntlets of deep red metal, with strange protrusions along the pinky fingers' sides (4). A belt with a buckle of bronze held up a pair of jeans with knee armor pads and his feet were clad in combat boots with toes and heels of steel. But what was most intriguing were his eyes. His eyes were heterochromic, the right shone gold while the left shone platinum. His pupils were vertical and slitted, like a predator. A comfortable smirk curled his lips as he stood tall with his hands stuck in his pockets. (5)

Qrow smirked quietly, not taking his eyes off of the potential enemy. "Great names, very dramatic, much like yourself huh?"

The newly revealed man chuckled a little, completely at ease despite his predicament. "Yes, I suppose I do have a flair for the dramatic, though I wasn't really the one to choose the name, I just live here."

Ozpin lowered his cane, stepping forward though still tense. "Am I correct to assume that there is a reason for why we have been brought here?"

The man nodded, walking towards the group while casually waving a hand, causing everyone's weapons to seemingly disintegrate, much to the group's horror.

"What?!"

"How the hell did he-?!"

"MY BABY!"

Now standing in front of the group, the mysterious being smiled in amusement. "Relax, please. I have simply sent your weapons and such to another part of my home. I didn't want any fighting to come up from any misunderstandings." He then turned to the sulking Ruby with a playful smirk. "And don't worry Ruby, you won't be parted from Crescent Rose for too long." The little red reaper brightened at the statement.

Weiss frowned at the strange man that stood before them, gazing distrustfully at him. "Then you sir, are doing a terrible job at that." The man blinked a little, before leaning to the side, peering at the rest of the group. Taiyang was standing protectively in front of Ruby and Yang alongside Qrow and Zwei, Winter and Willow stood threateningly behind Weiss, Ghira and Kali were holding Blake while glaring at him, and the rest of the adult body seemed to stand in defensive formation against him.

He chuckled a bit weakly, scratching his head in embarrassment. "Heh, erm...sorry about that." He straightened, giving them his warmest smile. "My sincerest apologies, but I truly mean you no harm. In fact, I have brought you here to help you in your future."

Ozpin stared at him intently, gauging his countenance for any signs of lying. Finding none, he sighed, glancing at his inner circle before facing the man once again.

"Explain please."

Yang's voice piped up again, irritation clear in her tone. "Hey! You better answer our questions first!"

"Yeah!" Ruby pouted a little.

The man grinned, with everyone noticing the long canines in his mouth, almost like fangs. "By all means ask away then!"

Blake, who had been silent for all this time, spoke up." Hey...where are our other friends? Like Sun and Neptune?"

"They are currently indisposed, much like the rest of your Reality." The man glanced at the movie screen, as it flickered to life and showed Sun and Neptune joking around near Beacon, except for one small issue that everyone noticed. They aren't moving, as if frozen in a single moment. The scene splits again and again, each showing another friend of theirs in their daily lives, but all of them having one similarity. They weren't moving. They were all frozen in a single moment.

Ruby giggled at some of the poses that the people had been caught in. "Looks like you hit the pause button." She pointed out.

Yang's eyes widened slightly in realization. "Uh...Rubes? I don't think he paused the screen..."

Blake stared in shock at this...this impossibility! "Time...he stopped time..."

The man nodded with a smirk. "Correct. Time has been stopped in your Reality."

Everyone turned to the man, staring in awe, suspicion, and a little fear. They had threatened a being powerful enough to stop time like it was nothing? Definitely not someone to be trifled with.

Ironwood narrowed his eyes at the man. "How...how are you capable of doing this? Who are you?"

"Are you a God?" Nora asked with a excited grin on her face. Who else could wield such a power like stopping time? Imagine the amount of pancakes she could make before breakfast...

Ozpin stiffened at the mention of Gods, which went unnoticed by the main body of the group, as Weiss shook her head. "No, that's ridiculous."

The man seemed to look crestfallen, his eyes widened in mock shock. "Me? A God? No!"

Weiss smirked at Nora. "Told you."

"I am far beyond something so tiny as a God."

"WHAT?!"

Ozpin quirked an eyebrow, curious. "How so?"

The mysterious man smirked at the group of teens and adults. "In every universe, there are beings of tremendous power and might. Beings capable with planetary devastation, mass genocide, all with a single strike. With these powers, these beings are unrivaled and proclaim themselves as 'Gods.'"

A shiver ran down the spine of everyone present. So much power...many dreaded to imagine if a being of cruelty wielded such power.

Nora, however, had stars in her eyes at the possibility of having so much power at her hands. "I could break...so many legs...all of the legs..." Ren sighed as his friend giggled excitedly.

"But I," the man suddenly began to levitate, his arms crossed and his eyes beginning to glow with iridescent light. "I am far above a simple God. People fear Gods. Gods fear me. I guess you could say I'm God of Gods." A pained expression ghosted over the man's face, "Or rather...a monster of sorts..." He muttered quietly to himself. (6)

The expression was gone as fast as it had come such that only Ozpin, Ruby, and Jaune caught it. The man waved a hand towards the walls of the room, the orbs pulsating with light. "A planet is nothing to me, not when I can shatter and reforge universes with ease. Each orb you see is a single universe that I watch over."

Pyrrha's eyes widened along with everyone else's. "Each of those orbs is a single universe in itself? But there are hundreds of them!"

"An infinity, Pyrrha. An infinity of Realities that I watch over."

Qrow coughed loudly, drawing everyone's attention away from the awe-inspiring idea. "This is all well and good and all, but why are we here? I'm pretty sure you didn't bring us all here to explain to us the Multiverse and whatnot."

"No, I haven't. I have brought you all here to view portions of the Multiverse, especially involving your own Reality and all of its complexities: the RWBY-verse."

Team RWBY brightened slightly at the mention of their name, curiosity seizing their attention. "RWBY-verse?"

The man chuckled. "You see, within the vast realm of Creation, there exist multiple universes, you know this already. But each universe, or group or universes, is specific to their realm or Reality. All of them are similar, yet different, with these differences ranging from minor to major. Many of these Realities, center around the actions of a singular individual or group of people. In your case, the RWBY-verse is the Reality which focuses on Remnant and the lives of Team RWBY. Following so far?"

The group nodded eagerly while Weiss raised an brow. "So we're going to be watching alternate forms of ourselves?"

"Eeeh, not quite. While many that we see will have alternate versions of you, the ones we will be seeing most will be focused on one individual in particular. A Person-of-Interest, if you will." The man explained, leading the group to glance at each other in confusion.

Ozpin pushed onward for curiosity's sake. "And this person is...?"

The man grinned as his heterochromic gaze fixed on Jaune, his eyes shining softly with light. "Three guesses. First name starts with J."

Everyone followed the stare as Jaune's eyes widened.

"Me?!"

"JAUNE?!" RWBY and NPR yelled in shock.

The grin widened. "Yep! He is one of unique status in your Reality. A person that many universes focus on as a 'main character' if you will. Often times, these universes involve changes in certain events occurring in your world. I would go in detail, but surprises are much more fun."

Pyrrha glanced at her partner, who looked like he was getting dizzy from the information overload. "Unique status?"

"What do you mean 'changes' exactly?"

Their host smirked a little. "Some examples would be Jaune as a King, him following a different path to a Hunter, or maybe choosing not to be a Hunter period. Or maybe some would focus on his interactions and relationships with others, especially with Team RWBY and his own team."

Jaune muttered softly, "This is insane..."

"Wait...what do you mean by 'relationships?'" growled Taiyang as the other parents's attentions sharpened.

Snickers were heard from their host's fanged mouth. "Well...something like those RomComs or harem animes that exist...and considering that Jaune here is the 'protagonist' in these, you can take it from there!"

An enraged growl emerged from both Taiyang and Qrow as they glared at the blushing Arc, ignoring the reddening faces of team RWBY and Pyrrha. "The hell he'll be near my daughters/nieces!"

Jaune gulped as the men glared down at him, hallucinating a vision of Death with his scythe grinning over them. "Help..." He whimpered.

Even Ghira Belladonna leveled his own glare at the Arc boy as the other adults looked on in amusement or intrigue.

Ozpin cleared his throat, gathering the attention once again. "Even then, that doesn't explain why we are here specifically. As amusing or intriguing as viewing these universes could be, I doubt that is the only reason."

Their host's grin faltered, a grave expression marring his handsome face. "A great evil is soon to descend upon the Land of Remnant, and it is my hope, no, my plan to prepare you all for when it comes. Or rather, when she comes." The headmaster frowned. "You know of whom I speak of Ozpin..."

"Salem..." Ozpin's inner circle gasped as the others in the group looked on in confusion.

The aged headmaster turned to the rest of the group, sighing quietly before nodding to Glynda. The deputy headmistress stepped forward.

"I know you all are confused so I will clarify on behalf of headmaster Ozpin. There are certain pieces of information about Remnant that the public, and even the Councils, are blissfully unaware of. One piece of information is this: the Grimm are not simply, mindless creatures. They are being controlled a force, a being who we have been fighting for some time. Her name is Salem, a witch of sorts who commands the Grimm."

Everyone, save the inner circle were shocked. "What?!"

"Y-you can't be serious Miss Goodwitch." denied Kali, her worry for her young daughter growing steadily.

"I'm afraid she is, Mrs. Belladonna. Deathly serious." The man stepped in, his grave expression now all the more serious. "This is why have gathered you all here in earnest. I am here to prepare you for the trials that you may face in the coming war against Salem and her minions."

Willow pressed her fingertips to her temples, massaging gently. "This...this is a lot to take in...but then, why are we here? It seems more that Ozpin and the children will be involved, so why bring us parents?" She asked, gesturing to the parents assembled.

The man regarded Willow for a short moment, before smiling warmly. "The children are young." A yell from the teens came, muffled slightly "Hey! You look as young as us pretty much!"

He ignored the outburst and continued. "It is only fair that the parents stand by their children in order to mitigate any damage...speaking of which..." The man turned away, facing the wall with his eyes closed.

Ruby cocked her head in curiosity. "What is he...?" The man's eyes snapped open, flaring with starlight as a new portal burst into existence in front of him. A smile was on his face as he moved to the side of the portal.

Footsteps echoed through the room as everyone watched a few familiar faces emerge through the bright vortex.

"M-Mom..?" A hopeful whisper carried itself through the chamber from Ruby's lips as a familiar white hood and cloak emerged from the portal.

"Yes my little Ruby..." A teary smile formed on the face of the long-dead Summer Rose.

"Mom!" Ruby and Yang shouted as they rushed towards the mother they had once lost, tears falling freely as they ran.

Likewise, Lie Ren stood in silent disbelief as his deceased mother and father stopped in front of him and a worried Nora. He reached out with shaking hands and touched his mother's hand. "Warm...which means..."

"My goals reach far more than simply ensuring Salem's defeat." The man's gold and platinum eyes twinkled with warmth as he watched the tearful reunions with a happy smile. Ozpin and the others simply watched in silence, their own emotions rising in torrents at the beautiful scene before them.

Silent tension mounted in Taiyang and Qrow as they stepped forward. Ruby and Yang stepped aside, wiping away happy tears as they watched. With a shaky hand, Taiyang cupped Summer's cheek, taking in every last feature of his lost love's face.

"S-Summer? Is it really you?"

The woman smiled, opening her arms as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. "Aren't you going to give me a hug, Taiyang?"

And with that, the dam broke. Taiyang wrapped his arms around his beloved tightly, unwilling to part with her for even a second and taking shaky breaths in the form of gasps. With tears on both sides, the two kissed passionately, reunited from beyond the grave.

"Hey, what about me huh?" Qrow opened his own arms, amused but just as emotional as his family.

With a cracking laugh, Summer broke the kiss before pulling Qrow in for a group hug as the three members of Team STRQ reunited after so long apart.

Meanwhile, an emotional Ren quietly introduced a nervous Nora to his own parents, Li and An Ren. The excitable girl was surprisingly subdued as her crush introduced her to his family.

After giving his guests a few more moments of emotion, the man clicked his tongue, drawing everyone's attention. "As you all can see, I invited a few more to enjoy these new realms with us."

"But why? And how? Summer Rose and Mr. Ren's parents are..." Glynda trailed off, simply gesturing to the resurrected 3.

"Were dead. They were dead." The man corrected as he simply slipped his hands into his pockets with a smile. "It's all quite simple really. In addition to learning from these viewings and training within the Void, I intend to resurrect several individuals and heal others. Think of it as an increase in your chances of success."

"You...you returned them to life...how?" Ironwood seemed to run the words through his head repeatedly, his mind rebelling at the thought of such a miracle. All others stared in awe of their host's power.

"You forget Jimmy," Qrow was quietly snickering at this, not that the man cared enough to acknowledge it, "I stand above Gods. Returning life like this is no issue for a being such as myself."

Qrow whistled and regarded this mystery benefactor, "Then why do all of this? Why not just pop down on Remnant, kick Salem's ass, and leave the Grimm for us to handle?"

The man seemed to deflate slightly. "Beings like myself are limited in what we can do to affect Realities. A policy against direct interference if you will. I can aid you indirectly like this, as much as I want, but unless a threat on par with me is found in Remnant, there is little I can do..." A sheepish grin suddenly crept across his face. "I've gotten too many warnings and threats from the others too..."

Everyone raised their brows at that. "Wait, you've interfered in our Reality before?!"

"In a few universes yes...they didn't like that very much and I got told off. You might even see some of these universes that I've tampered with before."

Glynda looked at their host with a curious, yet disciplinarian expression. "How often did you directly interfere?"

"...a lot..?" He chuckled a little. "Kind of a rule breaker when it comes to this policy I guess, and it is a BS policy..." The man didn't elaborate and satisfied with her answer, Glynda nodded, if a bit disapprovingly. (7)

"So wait, is that why you acted like you knew us?" asked Yang. The young man nodded, and the pieces clicked into place. "So that's why he acted so familiar!"

Ozpin straightened his glasses, still reeling at such a shocking display of power. "You still haven't told us who you are though. Who are you?" Everyone leaned in at the thought of learning their new benefactor and ally's identity.

The man chuckled, baring his fangs in a grin. "My name huh? My name is Beowulf Gudbrytare. anything else...you'll find out later." Teams RWBY and JNPR face-faulted in annoyance. Even though they had a name, there was still so much mystery?! Ozpin, however, narrowed his eyes in curiosity. Something about that name seemed familiar...

"Now then," Beowulf seemed to melt into shadow before reforming behind them, nearer to his throne, "will you accept my offer?"

All eyes looked to Ozpin as the headmaster thought over the proposal and all he had seen. He turned to the gathered group of teens and adults. "I believe Mr. Gudbrytare's offer is very sound. We should accept it, after all, we could learn a great deal about what could come and new ways to counter Salem."

Ironwood stroked his chin in thought, muttering in approval. "The extra training would help as well..."

The two teams nodded, with Nora grinning in anticipation. "We get to see Fearless Leader and ourselves from different worlds? I'm in!"

Beowulf grinned as he heard murmurs of approval and agreement from the Inner Circle and the students. He glanced at Summer, Kali, and the other parents, and his grin faltered at the worried looks they wore. Sighing quietly, he walked over to them, particularly Summer and Kali.

Gently taking their hands in his, the otherworldly host gathered the parents' attention to himself. "I understand that none of you want your children to get hurt, but remember, they chose this path. The path of warriors. They will be involved in this war, one way or another. However, by letting me show you all of this and giving you time to prepare, I can increase everyone's chances of survival and victory." He gave the mothers' hands a squeeze to make them look into his eyes.

"I swear to you now, all of you. So long as I stand here, I will do all I can to aid your children." The two mothers looked at Beowulf in awe as his eyes of gold and platinum glowed, showing a determination as hard as diamond. The parents' expressions shifted to one of determination as well.

While they hated the idea of letting their children fight this war, they would gladly stand with them on their decisions. Stepping forward out of the group, Taiyang nodded his assent to Beowulf. "Alright, we'll join in on these viewings."

"And joining in on the training too," added Kali.

Ghira went to try and speak, but stopped at the determined glare he received from his wife.

"I will not sit idly by while my little girl goes to battle Ghira. I'll be fighting with her."

"But Mom," Blake started before her mother's glare turned to her.

The former leader of the White Fang smiled at his wife, standing at her side. "Then it looks like I'll have to make sure my claws are nice and sharp."

Seeing the determined, yet somewhat uncertain faces, Beowulf smiled and looked up towards the ceiling, dimming the lights. With a click of his fingers, he conjured up several couches and loveseats facing the screen in rows just in front of the crystal throne. "Please take a seat and we'll begin shortly!" He spoke animatedly with a grin on his face, facing the screen as the group took their seats. Teams RWBY and JNPR sat in the two couches in the front row of the room, while Taiyang and Summer sat in one of the loveseats behind Ruby, with Zwei happily snuggled up between the newly-reunited couple. An and Li Ren sat behind their son on another love seat, while the Belladonnas took the last loveseat. Behind them sat Ozpin and his colleagues on the last couch, situated in front of the cushioned throne. Beowulf smiled again, as he set up the screen, before freezing in place suddenly, his smile wiped from his face.

Beowulf turned to the group with a sudden look of seriousness. "One more thing before we can begin." Confusion worked its way across the group's faces.

"I will not lie to you all. These worlds consist of endless possibilities. Creatures and threats greater than Grimm may exist, people may not have Aura, and Dust may not exist in these worlds."

Weiss and the Inner Circle in particular looked surprised at such possibilities but nodded. Ozpin raised an eyebrow in question. "Then what is the issue that we needed to discuss?"

Beowulf grimaced a little. "I am telling you all of this because some of these universes will shock you. The Jaune Arc you know, is not the only one, as I've told you. But you must understand...he affects Reality in ways that cannot be predicted, be they good or bad."

Teams RWBY and JNPR's eyes widened questioningly. "Bad? How could Jaune be bad?!" Ruby gasped quietly with Pyrrha looking at Jaune with worried eyes. The nerdy knight was starting to feel dizzy again at the prospect of multiple versions of himself, all different in their own ways.

Yang crossed her arms under her ample chest, frowning a little before chuckling. "You've got to be kidding right Wulfie? 'Cause I can't see Vomit-boy over here as bad or evil."

Beowulf blinked at the nickname. "Huh...forgot about her nicknaming thing...Wulfie?" He muttered to himself before straightening and looking toward her with a solemn expression. "Unfortunately Yang, I can think of quite a few off the top of my head where Jaune goes off the deep end..."

Weiss frowned, mimicking Yang's pose. "Prove it. I refuse to believe that Arc can be evil. In any world."

The otherworldly being seemed to shuffle in concern as he glanced at the adults gathered nearby, before sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose. "I...I could show you one such world. But I warn you, it may distress you greatly. In fact, a good portion of what I show you all will cause you distress. Would you like to continue with this?"

Everyone stole glances at each other before Ozpin nodded. "We all have already agreed to all of this Beowulf. Whatever evil occurs in these worlds, we will know and ensure that it never occurs in our own."

Nora smirked. "Bring it on! We can take it!"

The trench-coated man scanned the determined faces in the room, before vanishing into shadows and reappearing next to the throne. He turned back to the screen after climbing the steps to the crystal chair, his countenance surprisingly grim. "Be careful what you wish for Nora."

He sighed as he sat down casually on the throne, looking at his guests. "I assume our first viewing will be of an evil form of Jaune?"

Weiss, still confident, scoffed a little. "If you can find one. Besides, how bad could he be?"

Beowulf looked to the screen, his eyes shining once more with iridescence as a dark red orb, pulsating to a silent beat of four, broke away from one of the pillars, "So be it..." He sighed.

The red orb floated towards the screen before sinking into it. The screen rippled like water before stilling and shining with white light.

"I'll show you a mere glimpse, at how bad Jaune Arc can be..."

AN: And there we go. The prelude to the many viewings to come. I hope you all enjoyed it

Sorry about all of the information dumping, but I wanted to set the scene along with adding in a few hints to the future in this fic that I will be working on.

Please leave a review to let me know what you all think about the story and where you think I should take. Any constructive criticism is highly appreciated, as are any suggestions to stories I should have the group react to!

Footnotes:

(1) And there I am in spirit! Beowulf will be further fleshed out in future chapters with his own backstory as to how he came to be as he is (Spoilers: He wasn't always a "God of Gods")

(2) These are meant to be similar to the Villain Darkseid's Boom Tubes.

(3) Each carving is a reference to the person that the character is based on. Ruby is Little Red Riding Hood, Yang is Goldilocks, Blake is Beauty from Beauty and the Beast, Weiss is Snow White (you all know this). Jaune is the legendary Joan of Arc, Pyrrha is Achilles, Nora is Thor, and Ren is Mulan (again, pretty simple stuff). Qrow is one of the ravens in the carving of Odin, namely Muninn. I was surprised I never noticed honestly, as I thought the main character Qrow was based off of was the Scarecrow from Wizard of Oz.

(4) Imagine the Doomslayer from DOOM: Eternal's armblades, but on both arms.

(5) As for character design, I took a page from my Indian heritage and based my OC's looks off of the Indian actor Yash from the hit movie KGF: Chapter 1. It is an excellent movie for anyone, and I highly recommend it. In fact, expect a scene from said movie to appear in this fic at some point.

(6) Rest assured, I'm not going to put my OC as some ridiculously perfect, powerful being. When he says, "God of Gods" he means it more as a title. A title that he earned through great hardship...Again, Beowulf has his own backstory and issues that he'll be confronting in this story.

(7) This attitude towards Non-interference is based off of the Doctor's from Doctor Who. However one might find that Beowulf's interference is for much bigger reasons. Reasons that his fellow Watchers ('Gods') may not approve of much.

Well that's that. Thanks for reading guys!

Toodles,

Beowulf.

Next time:

"Is the machine singing?"

"Here! Come! The Drums!"