Chapter 1: The Shining Beacon

Everything in this world shimmers so fervently. Of course this is not true at all… In fact this world seems to only shine for people willing to make it shine, the people willing to take initiative, be decisive, the people who go out and grab opportunity wherever they find it. I look at the leaders of these lands - these kingdoms - and I see potential, and I see hope, but even they need help, I thought they needed soldiers, or perhaps defenders, but in fact they need something else, they need hunters, huntresses people who do not sit and wait for us to be found helpless in our homes, but rather people who go out and find the darkness, and destroy it. They… They will be our saviours, and I will be one of them. I’ll save the kingdoms, by any means necessary! And they, will shine for me.

“In Vale everything seems so… So green, I love it, it’s just absolutely beautiful. I think I saw a tree once… Once! When I toured Shade academy, granted my eyes were full of sand, and I was inside most of the time, but here in Vale, you can’t take five steps without being knocked out by a rogue branch.” A young boy on the edge of his seat lurched even further forward, nearly falling off as he delightedly recounted his first sightings of the city of Vale to his dear friends, the large lumbering airship carried himself, as well as patrons of the various cities of Vacuo towards the shining light that was the school of Beacon.

“Ya know, it’s fun living in the desert, but it’s just so wonderful here, and I can actually stand to be outside in this suit!” Midas motioned down towards his brown, and golden attire, which drew attention to him more, than the overly loud conversation he was having with old friends from Vacuo. Despite all the noise it drew, it did not distract from the incredible view, almost approaching the city limits of the Vale, towering spires, and open window frames revealing the lavishly decorated interiors of the citizens of Vale greeted the new arrivals, completely unfamiliar with such a landscape. The fresh arrivals continued to conversing over what they were to expect from their new school, while some of the less… productive students had their minds focused elsewhere.

“...So there I was…” Midas continued, a group of peers crowding around listening in, “... At the very apex, of the tallest sand dune, in the highest territory of Vacuo, overlooking a sea of bramble, and sand, not quite sure where, if at all, I could even land!” One of Midas’ chubbier counterparts spoke up, ‘then what happened! Then what happened!' Midas, quickly turned to face the student, and yelled “I was getting to that!.. Anyway as I was saying…” The boy crouched on his seat looking around at all the faces, “I looked through the mass of bramble, and noticed that much of what I saw was not brush at all, rather the hideous thorns of creatures of grimm, I opened my wings, and darted into the thorns, moments before hitting the beast, I deactivated the wings, pulled my swords from their scabbards, and sliced through the monstrosity in a single swing, decapitating it, and claiming it’s head as my trophy!” He stood their proud with his momentous story, when one of the perky eared girls in the entourage chimed in.

'Uhhh, I’m pretty sure grimm fade into nothing after they’re killed, how would you have managed to take its head after you killed it?' She looked questioning to Midas, as sweat began dripping down his forehead, “Well you know… I mean this grimm, was uhhh…” His eyes began quickly scanning the room at the other faces around him, “This grimm, was cursed!” The girl crossed her arms, rolling her eyes at the sporadic response of Midas, “That’s right, a terrible curse was placed on this grimm, forcing its soul to forever live inside it’s body, regardless of the damage done to it.” Midas sat their, hands on his hips, as delighted as every by the explanation he had spun, meanwhile several of his friends, acquaintances, and even the simply annoyed onlookers, began departing, the girl who scoffed at his story mumbling something about grimm not even having souls, as she walked off. The rest looked on in awe, to the obviously falsified fable.

---

High in the sky, the resplendent sun shone across the land, filling the kingdom of Vale with a light to dispel darkness. The rays of light covered everything, pushing it's way to the floor of the Forever Fall forest, glistening off the ruins in the Emerald Forest. The water's of the sea sparkled like precious gems, and the island of Patch held the horizon the light even causing the usually gray tress of the island to shine. At the edge of the island, the outline of Signal Academy shone brightly. In the city itself, the towering spires of Vale looked as if pillars of burnished steel, testaments to man's triumph over the darkness of night. And above all, even more beautiful then the rest, atop a cliff face at the inland reaches of the city, above a glittering lake of water with an abundance of waterfalls falling to it's crystal surface, stood Beacon Academy. A fitting name, for a beacon it was. The sun reflected off the tallest tower of the school, truly a marvelous spectacle to behold. Nestled above the city, any citizen of the city could look to that tower and know their safety was assured, that the darkness held no power over the land. The mere presence of the shining beacon gave hope to any who looked upon it's lofty spires as the shone in the sunlight.

High above the city itself, massive metal ships with wings of steel cruised through the air towards that beacon, bringing with it the future protectors of the world of men. Massive engines powered by circuitry and fueled by dust pushed it across the sky as though through water, fins gently turning to keep the airship on course. At the top of the ships, figures stood atop a lavish wooden deck, leaning over rails to look down at the awe inspiring spectacle below. Even more passengers waited below, in passenger deck made of polished steel with bronze worked open arch windows, with a curve that let it's passengers look down into the shimmering lake below that sparkled like precious gems. A clear, cyan glass separated the sections of the arch windows, giving further illumination to the cabin as the sun cast rays through the open windows, if the circular lights over head had not given enough light on their own.

The airships had made their way from each of the kingdoms, from Atlas and Vacuo, Mistral and even one for those coming from city of Vale below. At the forefront of the approaching airships, the ship from Vacuo crossed slowly over the city towards Beacon Academy, it's passengers brimming with excitement. To this, Crimson Dune found herself no exception. This was not the first time she had seen the city from above, or marveled at the beauty of the academy. She had moved to Vale some years prior, after the disappearance of her parents. Her aunt and uncle had taken care of her since that day, helping her reach this point. She could have stayed with them until it had been time to begin her huntress training, but there was something she had to do first.

A few days past, Crimson had traveled to her birthplace, the village of Cold Rocks, where graves had been placed in the memory of her parents. Their bodies had never been found, and so Crimson refused to believe they had actually died, still lost and wandering in the dangerous deserts of Vacuo. Until now, she'd never bothered to visit those graves, empty as they were. If there had ever been a time, this was that moment. Though difficult, she had moved forward in her life, and been accepted at Beacon academy. Her parents had both been hunters, and now she would truly be able to follow in their footsteps. So she had traveled to Vacuo, visited those graves, and promised them that nothing would stand in her way of becoming a huntress. Idly, she rubbed the ruby on her necklace, a gift from her mother which she often did when thinking of her parents. It was the only solid reminder of them, and she never took it off for that reason.

Rather then returning early, she had waited for the airship that would take the new students from Vacuo to Beacon. And there she sat, in the bottom passenger cabin, at one of the corner seats, leaning against the wall next to one open arch windows, where she could watch the passing city and lake below, while the academy shone like its namesake in the distance. With her right shoulder and back against the wall, she had her cloak drawn over her left side, covering that sides bent leg while the other stretched out straight. She hadn't drawn up her hood or mask, but her over ear headphones rested atop her head, softly playing one of the cities radio stations music.

Crimson had put them on so the other students would avoid approaching her, more then a desire to listen to any music. At a glance, she hadn't recognized anyone from her brief time at Shelter Academy, though that was no surprise to her. Most of them would likely be going to Shade Academy rather then Beacon. The other students looked to be talking excitedly, undoubtedly about their training to come, or tales of past heroics. A part of her wished she had returned early, so she might have talked with some of the students she did know were coming. The only two people she truly considered friends at Signal Academy had been accepted to Shade Academy themselves, rather then Beacon. The others that she knew had been accepted weren't the friendliest of people in her opinion anyway. One of them was an outright bully, and another seemed to have anger issues. No, she stamped on the thought of riding with them firmly. Better to have some silence then try being talkative with one of those two.

♫ You never seen nothin' like this before! ♫
♫ What!? ♫
♫ When the lights in the house crash down with the sound and we expect to cry ♫
♫ The east side where the motherfuckers try to slide, right now ♫
♫ We'll find out that it's the turn of the tides and- ♫

With a sigh, Crimson turned off the radio with her scroll, lowering the headphones from over her head to rest around her neck. The hand pulled her pony tail out from under the headphones as well, bringing it around to rest over her right shoulder. The song was one of the newer releases of the Achieve Men, who had added rapping to their repertoire after the signing of their new band member 'JDoolz'. It wasn't that she disliked the song necessarily, just that there were times when she enjoyed rap, and others when she preferred softer music. Such as when she was watching the sunlight sparkle on a lake that looked like the surface was made of diamonds.

With the peacefulness broken, it didn't bother her much more at that point to hear some of the students talking further away. They had crowded around a student in a brown and golden suit, looking every bit as rich as he probably was. Crimson was no stranger to wealth herself, but she considered herself modest about it, having known what it was like to have little in the way of lien until she'd moved to Vale. Whether he was rich or not though, she reminded herself that every student on this ship had been accepted to Beacon academy. The swords on his back said that at the least, this boy would be able to hold his own in a fight. As would all of the students surrounding him.

Unable to help herself, she listened to his story, and it became immediately apparent that he was trying to boast. It was a behavior typical of the students at Signal, and probably at every other combat school, but she had hoped that boasting wouldn't follow her here. Crimson had never actually killed a Grimm herself, so she'd never had any stories to add to the conversations. The boy didn't even say what kind of Grimm it was he had killed, but it soon became clear he'd gone beyond boasting and was telling an outright lie. She knew enough at least to know that the Grimm dissipated after their death. Still, it seemed she wasn't the only one that had noticed. As one of the girls listening to his tall tale questioned him, it became clear that he was growing nervous.

Crimson was surprised to find a sense of satisfaction that he'd been so easily caught. His attempts at explaining his story were even worse, claiming the Grimm's soul had been cursed. Even the first years at Signal were taught that the Grimm didn't have souls. Most of the listeners dispersed then, with only a few remaining that looked to have been fooled. She shook her head as she watched the ordeal, wondering how long he thought he could get away with falsifying tales of his deeds. Strangely, the more she looked at him, the more familiar he looked. Had he said something about wings?

She shook her head, dispelling the thought, looking back out the window as new groups formed, taking about other things. Conversations she strongly wished to avoid. If she didn't talk, then she could avoid saying something stupid. Her uncle had told her a little bit about Beacon, and she knew that there would eventually be teams. The last thing she wanted to do was give someone a poor opinion of her, since she might later find herself on one of their teams. A concept that the boy clearly hadn't considered. His teammates wouldn't be able to take him seriously if they knew he'd been bragging about fights he'd obviously never had.

If that wasn't bad enough, some of the students going to attend Beacon were actually famous in their own right. Another thought she made sure to force out of her head. All she wanted to do was keep to herself, make up for her lost time and her failures at Signal. The most she could hope for was to be a good teammate to whoever had the unfortunate luck to get a teammate who didn't even know what her semblance was. She sighed again, staring at the lake below, and drew her cloak further over her, putting the red hood over her head in a feeble attempt to hide herself from the world. They'd be at Beacon soon, and she'd be too busy to worry about much of anything then, if the hints her uncle had given her were anything to go by. It just couldn't come soon enough. When had she gotten so impatient?

Death looms over our world every day, digging and scratching at our walls, waiting for the day it may break through, the day chaos returns to these peaceful times. The threat of the Grimm is ever present, it does not relent, and it does not give up. It will continue scratching at our walls until they’re wiped out, and then more will come. One day, all the hammers and nails in the world won’t be enough to fix our walls, and we will remember why we fear the Grimm.

But humanity…humanity forgets. Civilization moves on, each person continuing their daily lives living in the simple mindset that there will always be someone to protect them. Isn’t that unnatural? Isn’t that cruel? To force another to carry so many burdens and lives?
…And yet, is it not our duty to fight? To use the strength we possess to keep rebuilding the walls even at the cost of our own lives? Death adds to its toll each and every day, but we tell the people to stop counting. To celebrate the life they have, and to live the life we gave up.

I…I cannot stop counting. I cannot forget. And so I will fight with sword and spear, bow and bullet, tooth and nail, life and limb – I will fight, I will fight because it is my duty. To myself. To my people.
To my…Family.

The time had come, Oliviaer’s mission had begun. The task her father had given her was to become a Huntress, so that she would be able to help him when he needed it. However it would be many years before she would finally possess the position her father required, and until then she was alone. Her father would keep contact between the two to a minimum, and she would be left to her own devices until she was needed. That wasn’t to say she was ever truly alone – The Family was never too far away wherever she was, but to imagine that her life would be her own for the first time in years…the thought was both exciting and terrifying in equal measure.
No-one aboard the airship was partial to Oliviaer’s inner thoughts, and her features remained unmoving as her mind was brought back to her surroundings by a constant irritating buzz.

“Hey. Hey you. Girl in the grey. You. Yes you.”

Oliviaer finally took notice that someone was addressing her, turning her head slightly away from the window to view the speaker. A woman of average stature wearing a pink dress of some sorts had been attempting to grab her attention, a small group hanging slightly behind her. The woman had light red hair tied up in pigtails, and wreaked of arrogance, giving Oliviaer the impression that she was akin to the leader of a pack of yapping dogs.

“What’s with the get-up? Today’s only the first day, it’s not like we’re supposed to expect any combat today.”

Oliviaer took a quick look at herself. It was true she had come fully equipped, a large black case in her right hand while her combat gauntlet covered her left and reached up to her elbow, however she did not understand how this was out of place. Many others were in strange and exotic apparel of some description, and it only seemed reasonable to enter a school meant to train Hunters and Huntresses cautious and prepared for anything.

Oliviaer turned completely towards the girl, giving the woman her full attention which resulted in the unintentional glare she often gave others, as she stated:

“If we must fight I would prefer to come prepared.”

The girl stared at her a moment longer, as if she were expecting more from Oliviaer, before she sighed and returned to her posse.

“Whatever.”

Oliviaer watched the woman leave before she turned back to the window. The view of Vale from so high up in the air was remarkable, and the whole city seemed so small and distant from the air. Oliviaer reached out a hand to the glass, grabbing at the world beneath her. Worries, fears, everything felt small and insignificant, and the land seemed like it could fit in her palm. She removed her hand before she could be caught up in her thoughts any longer, remembering when the same had happened during the flight to Vale and she had accidentally scratched the glass with her gauntlet. There was still some time left in the flight, and Oliviaer took a seat on the floor, leaning against the glass behind her. Her long, dark coat was warm and comforting, and her eyes closed as she decided to relax a little before they landed.

(Indeed, it should be fun)

Lefko made a mental note of approval for the woman in front of him when he took in how she was observing him, and choosing her words carefully. The wariness in her voice was also strangely comforting, as was the obvious question regarding his modified gear. In response, he just gave her a curt nod, working up the answer carefully. "If I was in the military, no, it would not be allowed." He stuck out his hand for a shake, eyeing her with respect as he upped his appraisal of her even further when he made the connection for how she was watching him in particular. His answer wasn't a lie, nor was it a half-truth. It was just the answer to the question she had asked.

He had seen the same look when his father had left him and his brother alone in the woods on the faces of the creatures there as they went about their own business. It was a recognizable look, and one that put him at ease with this woman. After all, he had nothing to hide.

"Lefko Ariadne. Yourself?" His own voice was curt, but not necessarily impolite or hostile either. In fact, it was almost a mirror of her own wariness, just from his end it was regarding the effort to talk to this stranger. His eyes darted down for a moment, examining the long coat carefully, as well as the armored knee pads. "What sort of material is this?"

"A good name, for a good weapon. Even better steel." He nodded a bit, removing his own glove to shake her hand with a mildly bruised hand of his own. His yellow eyes flicked over the crossbow once more before returning to hers. His fingers tapped his weapons, "Aequitas, and Veritas."

Lefko recognized what she was attempting to do with the stare, and decided to respond bluntly. "I won't apologize for asking. Like or not, you and I will see more of each other. Whether as opponents, or allies, now I know." He tapped his own armor, "Information for information. It is only fair. This is also Atlesian steel, and some other composites."

His yellow eyes narrowed slightly on hers, a clear signal that he wasn't going to back-down regarding the current staring contest.

After a bit however, he'd simply grab his scroll to check on his brothers status, noticing that he had received a picture of Beacon from his brother...from the bridges perspective. He let out a quick snort, reading the 'I'm on my way' message. Then, he went back to staring at her. "..."

“Whether good or evil. Moral or immoral. Just, or injust. With every decision comes a choice. A choice that man must make that will dictate the future of his life. In a world so full of darkness, to do what is right is daily struggle for so many, and they succumb to the desires of selfishness, pride, greed, and hate.

Such actions are base, cruel, and pathetic.

So I will walk the path of righteousness, where so many others have faltered. I will defend those who cannot defend themselves, because it is right. I will uphold justice, because it is right. I will fight the creatures of Grimm and protect the world of man, because it is right. I will be a paragon of light amidst the darkness, because it is right. This is my pledge, and may I uphold it to my dying breath. . . “

---

It was a long trip from Atlas to Beacon, all things considered, and Mavros could not fault his brother when Lefko easily found sleep. They had trained themselves to take sleep where they could, when they could, at a moments notice. Despite this, Mavros found reaching sleep difficult. In truth, he was excited, a strange emotion for him to be feeling. It came as no real surprise, but when his brother fell asleep yet again, he rose, seeking out the upper decks. He found them easily, and though at first the captain had qualms about him approaching the deck, a quick explanation was enough to dispel any fears the man might've had.

He had chatted with the Captain about his position and life for some time, learning some small bit about their trip to Beacon. Almost an hour had passed before he received a message from his brother, and Mavros bid the Captain farewell, thanking him for his service. On his way out, he snapped a photo for his brother, who clearly seemed to be enjoying the view. He couldn't deny that Beacon looked quite incredible from the airship, and the picture would make a good souvenir as well.

Sending the picture during his descent, it wasn't much longer before he reached the bottom of the steps, coming back into the passenger cabin. His training had him quickly sizing up the location, and he noted the departure of three of the students that had been present before. Likely to the ships wine-bar, though he had no interest in addling his brain just before their arrival to such a prestigious academy. He found concern when he noticed his brother seeming to have a staring conversation with another student, armored and with a large crossbow over her back.

Subconsciously, he put a hand on his sword, striding over to the pair. To the untrained eye, it would seem he was completely relaxed, though it was rare for Mavros to ever truly find himself at ease. They had been taught to expect enemies at any turn, and distrust was a requirement of the Atlesian Specialists. Reaching them in a few strides, he gave a quick bow, giving the student a smile as he rose, shooting a glance between the girl and his brother. As he reached him, it became clear the two were spitting images of one another, save for the slight differences in their armor and gear, as well as the shadow of hair covering Mavros' face.

“Ma'am,” he said politely, doing his best to read into the situation. “Mavros Ariadne, at your service. I do hope my brother hasn't offended you in some way? The way you two are staring at each other, it would seem you are trying to decide whether to fight or court one another. Do be a gentleman and introduce me to your new friend, will you brother?” Though the words might have implied a joke, Mavros' tone showed he was not having a jest at the two's expense. For him, he was simply stating a fact. And, if they were trying to orchestrate some sort of challenge, he hoped at least his presence would defuse the situation somewhat.

There was no denying that the situation was awkward, but in Iola's mind, nothing was awkward. The word awkward itself never really had any meaning in her mind, due to lack of social contacts, even in school back in Atlas. She stared at the man approaching with a sudden owl-like movement of her face, violet eyes blazing with the stare. She was surrounded and backed against a wall. It wasn't the best way to introduce yourself to someone who, if anything, seemed a little on edge.

"He has not offended" she said sternly, but most certainly as friendly as she could- which, sadly, wasn't very friendly given the joke Mavros just pulled off. The joke relaxed Iola, but it certainly didn't make her happier. Her eyes (and head) turned back to Lefko, upon the offering of conversation and statement of being a friend or foe. In response, she simply copied his movement, putting a closed fist up to her chestplate under her long jacket and nodding softly. "Alessa. Only shoots custom made crossbow bolts, filled with Dust." Iola, for the first time, smirked. "Makes even my free-time dangerous."
Remaining sat, she blinked, glaring up at the two brothers in a confused, yet serious, awe, not letting her confusion be seen through her serious expression.

Iola looked at the scroll's image with a heavy breath. Something obviously bothered her about the view, the crossbow clinked slightly as she shoved herself back a bit against the wall. Her face's expression didn't change- she was hiding her emotion. "Hmph.." she managed to make out, gazing up at the two brothers warily.