A/N: As the description says, this is a rework of a story I realized wasn't all that interesting. The old one is still up on my profile, if you want to see it. For now, enjoy the story!

When I was little, my mom told me all sorts of bedtime stories. All sorts of stories of good and evil, kings and queens, princesses and pirates.

There is one, however, that I remember vividly to this day.

There once was a mighty warrior, in a time when the Gods walked the earth and mankind shared in their bounties. He stood against all darkness and vanquished all who meant to threaten peace. One day, however, the warrior was almost defeated in battle by an evil warrior queen who could channel one's greatest fears into living monstrosities.

It was only through courage, bravery, and a resolve of iron that the hero eventually banished the evil. My mother claims the queen's evil beasts of fear are still around, as Grimm, but if you face your fears with a smile and bravery, you will always beat them.

The story replayed in my head as my mother parked the car. Through the windshield I could see the corded transport that would carry me away to Beacon Academy for the final interview of my application process.

"Well, Alder, this is it. Your big day!" my mom said, as she turned toward me and wiped a smudge off my face.

I was naturally fairly annoyed and I waved her off gently. "You don't need to do that mom. I'm seventeen."

"You're still my baby, so I'm going to do it."

I frowned as I used the car mirror to look over myself.

Light brown hair with highlights of platinum blonde fell over the tops of my ears and covered my forehead. It contrasted my olive skin fairly well, and my dark blue eyes betrayed the anxiety I had over this meeting.

"You'll do fine, honey. Trust me."

"I hope so."

"Good luck," she said, kissing me on the cheek.

After that, I got out and headed for the transport.

A tall, blonde woman waited for me at the entrance to Beacon. She wore a button-up dress shirt and a pencil-skirt.

"You are Mr. Saar, correct?" Her speech was prim and proper, and it wasn't hard to imagine she was the 'strictly business' type of person.

"Yes ma'am, Alder Saar at your service."

"Good. Follow me. The headmaster is waiting."

During the short walk, the woman introduced herself as Glynda, the assistant to the headmaster and second in command of all Beacon related affairs.

She ended up having a few things to say about me, as well.

"Your transcripts seem up to standards, and your instructors had praise for your ability. Your Semblance is rather broad, is it not?"

Ah, yes… My 'Semblance'.

"T-That's right."

Ever since I was young, I knew I didn't have a semblance. At least, not the normal kind.

It started with small things. I could ignite or extinguish candles, so I thought maybe my Semblance was fire control.

Then I was able to lift things off the ground with my mind, and I started to wonder if there was something else going on.

Sometimes, when I least expected it, strange things would happen around me. Everything from doors slamming shut on their own to the one time a wooden chair turned into a beanbag chair.

Then last week happened…

I shook off the thought, as we soon arrived at the Headmaster's office.

Glynda called into the office as she opened the doors, "Headmaster Ozpin, the applicant you requested is here."

Ozpin was sitting at a large oak desk. On the desk was a silver tray with two cups of coffee, sugar cubes, and some small baked confections.

"Very good, Glynda."

An ancient, antique feeling permeated the room. Hundreds of thousands of books lined the walls, and various technological marvels littered the room, offering a confusing mix of past and present.

With that, Glynda left the room, and I was left to clear the space.

Once I got to the chair, I waited instead of taking a seat.

"Take a seat, Mr. Alder."

I quickly seated myself.

"I'm sure Glynda already told you, but we don't schedule one on one interviews with everyone."

"Er...Yes, she did."

"Good. Do you have any idea why I've asked to see you personally?"

Looking around the room, I rubbed my arm. "N-No idea sir."

Ozpin took out a scroll and turned it towards me, and what I saw made my heart drop.

The footage showed me, walking along the road, when suddenly a thug stepped out from an alleyway and pointed a gun at me.

There was no sound but I remember him asking me for my money, and I panicked.

I tend to lose control of my powers when I panic, and it's how I've discovered new abilities up to this point.

As I freaked out, I raised my hands in an attempt to surrender, only to accidentally send a powerful gust of wind with the motion that sent him into the wall.

"Tha-That's just my semblance!"

Ozpin flipped to another piece of footage, this time of me at my bedroom window, lighting a candle with my power.

...And another, of me boredly dancing streams of energy around in the air in my backyard porch.

I felt a serious chill going down my spine as I realized Ozpin had been watching me even when I thought I was alone at home.

Just how much of my life had he seen?

Ozpin put the scroll down and leaned forward. I could see his eyes over his specs, looking at me.

"We've been watching you for a long time now, Mr. Alder."

I swallowed a lump in my throat, "Ah...Look, I don't know anything about this stuff… I was born with it."

Ozpin gestured to the coffee on the table., "Relax, young man. You're not in any trouble. Have a drink, take a cupcake."

Steadying my breathing, I reached out and took a cupcake, biting into it.

I had to admit, it did make me feel better.

"Now," Ozpin continued, "I have to wonder, how did you know to hide this from people?"

My gaze turned to the side as I swallowed a piece of cupcake. "Well… I don't have a lot of control over it, and it's clearly not normal. When I was younger, I hid it because I was afraid of getting bullied for it. It just… Became a habit, after that."

Ozpin stirred his coffee. "You were very luck, whether you knew it or not, young man. I know what this power of yours is."

I ran a hand over my face and leaned forward, suddenly forgetting about the cupcake, "You do?"

"Yes. Let me ask, are you aware of the legend of the Maidens?"

It was at that moment that I became keenly aware of just how quiet this room was. No ambient noise… Just Ozpin and I.

"I'm aware. The four maidens are said to represent the four seasons. It's just a myth."

Ozpin took a sip of coffee. "Now, Mr. Alder. What I'm going to tell you is a matter of utmost secrecy. In divulging this information to you, you will become a part of a very small group of people who are all similarly sworn to secrecy."

There was a hard edge to his voice that made me shudder. "Why tell me anything? I'm just… Me."

He chuckled. "Yes yes. You are you, Mr. Alder. Unfortunately, that is exactly why you need to be told."

Ozpin turned his chair away from me and stood up.

There was a giant window overlooking all of Beacon from here, and he took in the sight for a moment before closing what appeared to be metal shutters.

Then, he turned to me. "Today you will become privy to a lot of information. Information that I only divulge to you because leaving you in the dark would leave you vulnerable to entities that wish for nothing more than your death or subservience. Am I clear?"

The temperature of the room seemed to drop with the closing of the shutters, and I became keenly aware of goosebumps forming on my arms.

"Ah...Uhm… Yes?"

"Good." Ozpin returned to his seat.

After a few painful moments of Ozpin swishing coffee around in his cup, he looked directly at me. "The Maidens are not a myth. They are very real."

My eyes widened and I leaned back into my chair, the information took a number of minutes to proccess. "What does that have to do with me?"

"I'm getting there, Mr. Saar."

Ozpin began again after my shock abated. "The Maidens have access to all the powers from the myths. You know it to be 'Magic.' A pure myth, at least, that's what we allow people to think."

"Magic is real, then?" I tried to calm down by taking a sip of coffee.

"Oh yes. The Maidens wield it with great power. And so, in time, will you."

That prompted me to choke on my coffee, and with some effort and a minute of Ozpin staring into my soul, I managed to get it down.

"I'm a Maiden?!"

Ozpin smiled, "No. You're something… Unique. You have access to the unbridled power of magic. For what reason, I am not fully aware."

The tone of Ozpin's voice led me to believe there was something he wasn't telling me, but who was I to push the topic? He was already telling me so much.

"So… I have magic. What does that mean, exactly?"

"It means that there are those in the world who will want to kill you. Those who will want to use you, and it means that there are going to be people who pretend to be your friends to get to you and that there are very few people in the world you can really trust."

"Oh…"

"Additionally, one day you will have the power to turn armies of Grimm with one motion. You will be a great protector."

Ozpin smiled again. "But for now, you're the same as your peers. A huntsman in training. I expect you on the airship that takes new students to the academy first thing in the morning. Welcome to Beacon."

My head was spinning and I had so many questions for Ozpin, but he'd clearly said all he was going to say for now.

Carefully, I stood up and nodded. "S-See you then."

Afterward, I found my way out and headed home.

The next morning, I carried my suitcase onto the airship. My weapon, currently in the form of a large wooden staff, sat on my back.

The airship was chromatic and clean. It seemed to be designed for a compromise between comfort and carry space as there was a large amount of future students milling about.

I noticed a news broadcast going over the weather right now, but I tuned it out and found a spot to stand in.

I didn't have many friends, and none of the people I did really talk to seemed to be on the ship, so I guess they didn't get into Beacon?

Great, starting from scratch I guess.

At least I didn't have to wait long until someone approached me.

"Hi there!"

The girl who approached me was tan and her hair was dark brown with red highlights that reached her ears in a sort of bob. Her eyes were a reddish-purple, shimmering with warm excitement.

She wore a white, long-sleeved shirt that had intermittent belts that wrapped around her person, and her hands were covered by fingerless gloves. Below that, a pair of short shorts that stopped well above her knees.

She was also not very tall, I guessed around a few inches shorter than myself overall.

The most important thing to note in my mind was the two wolf ears on her head. A Faunus.

"Hi." I waved, not really sure what else to say.

"Are you excited?" she asked, grinning. Her canines seemed particularly sharp, like a set of fangs, yet she didn't seem threatening, "I am! This is great! We're going to be huntsmen!"

Under normal circumstances I'd be as brimming with excitement as she was, but given yesterday, that was subdued.

I tried my best to smile so I didn't appear weird. "Yeah, it's really something, huh? Protectors of the world…"

The girl didn't seem to buy it, tilting her head and twitching her ears. "You seem nervous. That's okay! So am I. Name's Sangria." She held out her hand.

I shook it in return. "Alder. Nice to meet you."

Another voice joined. It was a girl, this one's voice was marked with a distinctive country lilt.

"Sangria! Where are you? You didn't run off, did you?"

Sangria turned around towards the source of the voice, "Over here Marigold!"

Through the crowd came a girl about Sangria's height. She had floofy brown hair cut into a bob much like Sangria did, except her skin was lighter and she had no highlights. She wore a forest-green vest and a long-sleeved dress shirt underneath it, as well as a pair of pants and dress pants. She seemed ready for some important ball more than a huntsman academy.

"There you are! Who's this fellow?" She immediately struck me as the prim and proper type, carrying herself with a straight back and a proper tone when addressing me.

"Alder! He was standing here all alone so I figured I'd make a new friend!"

She looked me over. "I see. How is that going?"

"Well, I think!"

I nodded. "Uhh, yeah. Meeting new people is nice, especially when you don't really know anyone else."

Marigold smiled. "Sangria's always looking to make new friends. She's been like that since we were kids."

"So you two have known each other for awhile now, then?"

"Yep," Sangria answered, "since childhood!"

"Lucky you," I responded. "I haven't had contact with anyone I've known since childhood in a long, long time."

Marigold answered, "When Sangria found me she stuck to me," She continued, "We've been friends since kindergarten."

We continued talking for some time, just getting information on each other.

Eventually though, they asked me a question I had been dreading.

"So, what's your Semblance, Alder?" Sangria asked.

"Ah, uhm… Well—"

I was saved by the… Hologram.

Glynda e. "Attention students. You are now arriving at Beacon Academy. Please be ready to gather at the assembly hall for a speech from Headmaster Ozpin."

Sangria's ears perked up. "Oh! Come on, Marigold, we need to get our stuff. We'll see you later, Alder, we'll talk more then!"

They ran off without giving me much of a chance to say anything and so I was left to pick up my luggage and get ready to depart.

As I stepped off the airship, I took in the full scope of Beacon academy and its grand architecture while simultaneously walking forward to head towards the assembly hall.

This, as it turned out, was a bad idea, as I ended up crashing into someone and sending us both to the ground.

"Ow…"

It was a guy, and as I used my staff to stand, I was able to get a better look at him.

He had blonde hair and wore white armor, but beyond that he seemed totally unremarkable.

My suitcase was on the ground, so I was able to offer a hand, "Sorry about that."

"Nah, it's alright." He accepted my offer, "Guess I should watch where I was going… I was too busy looking at that girl."

"Which?"

"Her, she's so beautiful!" He pointed over my head, and I was made aware of just how tall he was as I turned towards the object of his affection.

It was a white haired girl, ordering around what looked to be a servant who was pushing a cart full of suitcases.

"Doesn't she seem a bit… Snobbish?"

"Yeah, but that's part of the appeal!"

...What an odd fellow.

"...Right. Well, my name's Alder, it's nice to meet you."

"Jaune, likewise. Now I'm gonna go talk to-"

Before he could go approach the white haired girl, another girl crashed into her, sending all the suitcases scattering and what looked to be dust containers going all over the place.

Well, that looked dangerous.

"You have fun with that."

I promptly excused myself from the goings on and walked towards the assembly room.

On my way there I heard an explosion, but nobody seemed all that freaked out by it, so I ignored it as well.

[...]

I wish I could say anything interesting happened during the rest of the day, but it really didn't, and the night was no different either.

Maybe I just wasn't that talkative or maybe I smelled bad or something, but I didn't really get to talk to anyone.

The next morning I and a few others found ourselves at a set of launching pads over a massive forest as Ozpin went over the instructions.

The first person you make eye contact with is your partner, you and your partner need to find some 'relics' and make it back to the headmaster. If your aura is brought to nothing, you will be saved but ejected from Beacon.

Also the partners were for the entirety of our time at Beacon.

Great. I hope I don't get some lunatic.

...And then we were catapulted into the air.

I didn't really have much time to see how everyone else was going to handle the landing, nor did I really think much at all, as I flailed my way through the air.

Shit, shit, shit!

I was magic! Wasn't I supposed to be able to levitate or- fly, or something?!

The trees were rapidly approaching as I flailed around.

Come on, just think of floating! Like a cloud, or a bird, or a bug!

As I tried to concentrate, I began to feel myself actually getting lighter, and I actually managed to slow down!

I was fully stopped just a few feet off the ground.

"Now, how do I land-"

To answer my question, my levitation kicked off and I was dropped on the ground.

"OOF! Ow…"

After a moment eating the dirt, I picked myself off the ground shakily, once more using my staff to balance myself.

As I looked around, I noticed how serene the forest seemed to be.

The birds were singing, the flowers were blooming…

Nothing could break the peace, I felt.

...And was promptly proven wrong as something massive landed a few feet in front of me, causing a small crater and kicking up so much dust I had to cover my face and rely on my staff to stop from falling over.

"Gods! What the hell?" I exclaimed loudly.

Was this Grimm?! Was I already in a fight?

Then, a deep male voice called to me, "Apologies, comrade! I didn't mean to land so close to someone!"

As the dust cleared, I saw a hulking figure in bright blue armor that covered them from head to toe.

The armor seems to have been what caused the crater, but as they stood I wouldn't be surprised if they themselves could cause it without the armor.

They stood to their full height, and the armor began to dissipate as if it was never there, and my jaw dropped.

The person in front of me stood at almost seven feet tall by my estimation, and was built like someone who wrestled Beowulfs for a living. With bright blue hair and matching eyes shining for courage, I almost missed the massive axe on their back.

They grinned at me, "Nice to meet you, partner! I am Cobalt, at your service."

I picked up my jaw and shook off the dust from my clothes, "Alder… Nice to meet you."

"A glorious name! Now, we shouldn't waste time standing around. There are relics to find!"

"Right," I was starting to get my bearings anyway, "Let's go!"

Before we could get very far, we heard a deep, guttural growling coming from the trees nearby. Yellow eyes glared in our direction, and Cobalt immediately shrugged off his greataxe from his back.

The Greataxe was a unique looking weapon. It seemed specially crafted, with a long handle and a blade about as big as my head. It was easily as tall as me, and I had no earthly idea how Cobalt was able to hold it so casually.

"Our first opponent! Come on out, coward!"

And the beast responded, coming out roaring was a huge ursa, and it looked rather displeased with us.

I raised my staff and pressed a button on it.

At once, my staff began to transform. The middle expanded outward as the top and bottom retracted and folded.

The transformation turned my humble staff into an automatic crossbow, complete with dust-tipped bolts. My weapon ever since the early academy days.

Cobalt let out a battle cry as he charged and got a good swing at the Ursa as the creature rose to its hind legs, dwarfing even him in size.

It tried to swing at him, but he ducked underneath and started climbing onto the creatures back.

I took this as my que and began to shoot at the creature after loading my crossbow with fire-dust bolts. The creature's stomach began to catch fire as it roared and swatted wildly.

Cobalt, to his credit, held on for awhile, but eventually the bear smashed him into a tree, causing him to let go. He seemed dazed, and thus I was alone against the now on-fire Ursa.

I didn't have time to reload my crossbow, I had expended the bolts I had already, but the dust-mixture wasn't enough to kill it yet!

Panicking, I changed the crossbow back to a staff and held it out while backpedaling to try and ward off the creature.

My panic must have cooked off some sort of magic in me, because a lightning bolt promptly struck the creature and caused it to disintegrate into ash.

"...Damn." I mutter, suddenly feeling tired and sitting against the tree I backed into.

Cobalt groaned, "Ugh… What did I miss? Did we win?" he asked as he stood up.

"Yeah, we did." I managed while catching my breath, "Good work."

"You as well, comrade! Now"-He goes and picks up his fallen axe-"Let's go find those relics."

[...]

It took some time, but we eventually came upon a clearing with an old structure placed in the middle of it.

Cobalt was the first upon the pieces, "It looks like this is the 'relic' and we're the first one's here!"

I came up next to him and looked over all of them.

My eyes fell upon the golden pawn pieces, and I snatched one up, looking it over.

"A pawn?" Cobalt scoffed, "Why not the brave knight, or the pious bishop?"

"My dad has an old saying about chess, 'Underestimate the pawn, and you've already lost.'"

Cobalt thought it over for a minute, before nodding, "I suppose that is wise! Now-"

"Look Blake, there's people here!"

We turned to the source of the voice.

A blonde girl that seemed to be about my height and a slightly shorter long, dark haired girl with a bow were approaching from the forest.

"Greetings!" Cobalt waved as the blonde one arrived and picked up a black knight piece.

"Hey there, names Yang."

"Blake."

Cobalt grinned, "I am Cobalt!"

"Alder."

"Alder, huh?" Yang grined, "And you picked the pawn, sure you don't want an aldernate piece?"

Oh my god.

I facepalmed and turned away while Cobalt laughed along with Yang.

Luckily my shame didn't last long as new people began to fall out of the sky.

Literally.

"YAAAAANNNGGGGG!"

Everyone looked up to see the short haired girl I encountered yesterday, calling to Yang.

Falling from rather extreme heights!

I could stop myself, maybe I could stop her!

Raising my staff while the others were busy watching her fall, I tried to channel the same feeling I did when I was falling.

It was hard to tell, but I thought I saw a gray aura begin to surround her.

I didn't get much time to look however, as my efforts were invalidated as Jaune crashed into her from seemingly out of nowhere, sending them both into the tree.

"...Wasn't that your sister?" Blake asked Yang.

I huffed and took a moment to catch my breath, I really needed to practice this stuff…

Before anyone could really react to Ruby and Jaune, there came a giant Ursa, swinging wildly from the forest.

As we prepared to attack, it was blasted in the back and fell flat, revealing a ginger haired girl and black haired boy had been riding it.

"...Did she just ride in on an Ursa?" Blake asked, a mixture of deadpan and concern in her voice.

Cobalt leaned over and whispered to me, "This is quite the rogues gallery we have here!"

"Yeah," I mutter, "but where's-"

"HEEY, TWO FOR ONE SPECIAL!" I recognized Sangria's voice.

"Is this the time for jokes?!" Marigold seemed with her.

From the forest, came three people.

Marigold and Sangria were being chased by an angry looking giant mantis with mandibles and claws that looked like it could eat an airship easily.

While a red haired girl was being chased by a deathstalker!

"...I don't even know what to say now." Blake sighs.

Yang reunited with her sister, who seemed to be named Ruby.

Then there was Nora, Pyrrha, Ren, and…

"How could you leave me?!" The white haired girl from yesterday was holding for dear life onto a giant nevermore.

"I said jump!"

...After some banter, the white haired girl was falling!

Okay, round two…

I tried channeling the energy again, and like before a gray aura began to surround the falling girl…

"WEISS, I'VE GOT YOU!" Aand then Jaune leaps out from the tree and grabs Weiss.

For a moment it seemed romantic, with them floating in the air… But I couldn't keep them both up, so the magic failed and I exhaled a huge breath I was holding, leaning against the empty pedestal that held my pawn.

The two of them fell, but it seemed Jaune broke Weiss fall rather nobly with his back.

With all of that, I thought maybe we'd get a minute to rest.

But then I was reminded of the grimm that were surrounding us.

And the girls.

"HEY, THAT'S ALDER! ALLLDEERRR!" Sangria shouted, she and Marigold were running in circles with the Mantis on their trial, "A LITTLE HELP?"

"Hey," I ask out loud, "Do any of you wann-"

It seemed the other two teams were already dealing with problems of their own, as Ruby charged the deathstalker, then promptly ran away, while the Nevermore circled overhead.

"It's just us, comrade!" Cobalt declares, drawing his axe, "Let's go!"

"Well, I guess we're doing this." I pushed off the pedestal and went to help.

However our valiant charge was promptly stopped short as Cobalt leapt at the Mantis and was smacked out of the air.

"Okay, this beast is stronger than I thought!" Cobalt yelled as he sailed past me.

I looked back and saw the other two teams running towards the cliff Ozpin was on.

"Uhh, the others are running!"

Sangria charged past me, this time with Marigold on her back, "Good idea, let's go!"

"We're running, Cobalt!" I yelled as I ran after the other two.

Cobalt started to protest, but got another look at the Mantis charging towards us and promptly followed us, "Tactical retreat! Good idea!"

We all began running towards the broken bridge that was our path to safety.

Before I could get to the bridge, the Mantis stuck one of its claws in front of me, stopping me a few feet from the bridge as I skinned to a halt.

"Uhm, guys! Problem!"

Sangria was the first to come to my aid, lunging forward and stabbing at the mantis' claw with her weapon, a large glaive, before blasting it with what seemed to be a shotgun attachment and sending it reeling back.

Following up was Cobalt and Marigold.

Cobalt leapt in and stabbed at the exoskeleton, prying off a piece of it with his sword and causing the creature to scream out in pain.

Marigold stopped and pointed her Parasol like a rifle, shooting at the creature.

I cast my glance off to where the others were and saw that both other groups were battling the other two Grimm.

It was us against this Mantis.

And it was with that I realized I was still in between the Mantis two arms.

It looked at me and screeched an unholy screech that sent chills down my spine.

Its mouth was open, it looked like it wanted to eat me, so I did the only logical thing.

WHACK!

I smashed it with the wood part of my staff.

That seemed to daze it for a split second, so I fled back before it reoriented itself.

"Think it's giving?!" Sangria asked.

Then the creature smacked her and sent her flying back.

"Guess not!" Cobalt picked up, leaping on the creatures back and hacking at its exoskeleton, "It's hard to pierce this beast's armor!"

Sangria came back with a vengeance, she took out a red vial and tossed it on the creature.

It crashed against it and it covered it.

It looked like… Blood?

Said blood suddenly caught on fire, and the creature began to scream in pain and confusion, swinging wildly.

Marigold unfolded her Parasol and began to spin in. From the parasol, air began to coalesce and form a tornado that lifted the creature in the air, Cobalt proceeding to jump off before it got too high in the air.

Cobalt landed next to me, "Noire! I asked you what your semblance is, comrade, now show us!"

I didn't know what exactly I should do, but I suppose the lightning I did before might be a good trick!

As I called the energy forth from my body, I felt myself getting incredibly exhausted.

I didn't know if I had some kind of upper limit, but I was clearly pushing myself for this.

No turning back now!

This time it seemed to be some kind of gravity ball that shot from my staff, which shattered from the energy I was pulling.

The dark purple ball crashed into the mantis and sent it flying over the ravine, while my compatriots cheered and celebrated.

The world for me, however, began to grow dark.

I became aware of the splinters in my hand and arm from the staff, and soon collapsed on the ground, losing consciousness.

…

I found myself staring down a broken, old throne from an age long forgotten.

A figured covered in inky darkness gazed at me from behind the throne, and for a moment as I stared into its red irises I thought I saw the visage of a beautiful blonde woman, but it was quickly gone.

"Your paastt… Is not what it seems…" The voice hissed as it moved towards me, "He's lyiingg…"

"What… Who are you?" I manage, as I turned my body with the figure, which was circling me like a hungry shark.

"I am...Your kingmaker. I made you… And I can make you rule… Why waste your life protecting those ingrates, who lie to you… When you could rule them?"

"I-I don't understand…"

The figure pointed an inky black, yet bony figure to the throne, "It could be yours… All of it…"

"You… Could… Be…"

"God."

And then the darkness took me again.

[...]

"He's waking up!" A mature woman's voice called.

"G..Glynda?" I managed groggily.

I saw lights overhead.

"Yes, young man. Ozpin is here as well."

On que, my blurry vision was filled with gray, "You gave the other students a big scare back there… I should have warned you about using an inappropriate staff for channeling your magic."

"That… Would have been nice."

My vision began to clear, and I noticed my arm was wrapped in bandages.

"You passed the trial by the way." Ozpin continued, "If you had lost consciousness any earlier I would have had to disqualify you, but you and your new team made it through in one piece and proved to be great additions to my school."

"...Team?"

"Yes, the teams were decided while you were out. You are apart of team Chasm, or CASM. Cobalt, you, Sangria, and Marigold."

"I see." My mind was still in a haze, and the 'dream' I had stuck to me like glue.

"They've already moved into their dorm, and I've made sure your clothes and new uniform were delivered there with them. I have one other thing for you, as well."

I started to pull myself together, and looked at him, "What is it?" I asked, sitting up.

Ozpin grabbed something that was sitting behind the hospital curtain, producing a scepter

The scepter was brown and topped with an emerald gem, metal details, and a floral pattern travelling up towards the gem.

"It's not a crossbow like your old one, but it's specifically designed to be used for magic. I had it made for you while you were gone, as I had foreseen this problem arising. Just not this soon."

Taking the staff, I looked it over, "...Thank you."

"Of course, and I intend to start training you in the art of magic, now that you are a proper student of beacon, and me spending time around you will not raise any eyebrows."

He sure as hell raised my eyebrows when I found out he was spying on me, but I didn't feel like bringing that up.

"Now, you should get to your team, they're very worried about you." He took out a piece of paper and handed the directions to the dorm to me, "Classes begin tomorrow. Good luck, we'll meet again shortly."

And with that, Ozpin and Glynda left, leaving me to gather myself and get moving.

[...]

As I arrived in the dorm, I was met with a crushing group hug.

"ALDER!" Cobalt, Sangria, and Marigold all crushed me.

"Ah- Guys, what the hell?!"

"We were worried about you, my friend!" Cobalt started, being the first to let me go, "You gave us a scare when you fell over like that."

"Nice scepter! Where'd you get it?" Sangria asked, looking over the scepter in my hand.

"Uhh… A friend of mine came through for me."

"Oooh, spooky." She started, smiling, "Fine then, keep your secrets."

She let go, and so did Marigold.

"I suppose we're a team now," Marigold pushed some of her hair out of her face, "As long as nobody here gets too weird."

I hummed, "Don't expect anything from me."

Cobalt grinned, "Weird? I am a man of glory!"

Sangria smirked, "You know I'm weird, Marigold."

Marigold rolled her eyes, "Right, well." She looked to the window, and I was made aware of how late it was. "It's late. Maybe we should all get sleeping."

"I am still exhausted." I comment, starting to walk towards my suitcase lying on one of the beds.

"Alright then! To sleep team, for we have an early morning tomorrow!" Cobalt declared.

So, we all carried out our nightly rituals and soon were all in bed.

I fell asleep too quickly to socialize any longer.