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  Aside from C_DL's snoring and the occasional sleep talk, the ashen one had a quiet and uneventful night. He, being resurrected ash, could not enjoy the luxury that sleep brought like the living could. While the rest of Beacon Academy drifted away in their comfortable slumber, 'Asche' remained conscious, opting to meditate on his back atop the covers of his bed. Eventually though, he would notice the small shimmer of the morning sun through the blinds of the windows dorm.

And only moments later, the champion of ash heard the distinct rushing of sheets from the bed across his own. The drapes to the bed were pulled to reveal Cardin Winchester, now awake. Cardin then stretched and gathered himself, taking several minutes for his hazy vision to clear away. Once he was satisfied, he stood to his feet, making sure each member was not yet disturbed.

After confirming he was allegedly the only one awake, the leader of CEDL quickly dressed himself, using the sliver of light from the steadily rising sun as guidance. Once his shirt was properly buttoned, his blazer impeccably straightened, and his dress shoes firmly tied, he reached into his dresser's top cupboard. After rummaging for several minutes, the screen of a "scroll" dimly illuminated his face. For what felt like ages, he fumbled with the device, scrolling to find a worthy alarm for the rest of his team. After his lips pulled into a mischievous grin, he turned the sound dial to the near maximum volume and pressed play…

"BABY! ...IT'S TIME TO MAKE UP YOUR MIII~IIIND!"

A startled 'Asche' tumbled out of his bed face first, thankful the silver mask guarded against a potentially broken nose. Dove also sprung to life, a small screech escaping his lips from fright. After seeing it was only a trick perpetuated by Cardin, the boy relaxed just enough to steady his panicked panting. Still, he was groggy from the rude awakening.

'Asche' meanwhile, flinched from the sheer sound of the booming song. If he wasn't so close to getting a headache, he might have been impressed by just how loud Cardin's scroll really was. And...he might have enjoyed the foreign song too.

"I THINK! ...THAT TONIGHT IS WHEN OUR STARS ALIII~IIIGN!"

Unlike his two other teammates, Sky was still fast asleep, seemingly unbothered by the abrupt and near cataclysmic sound. Dove gave a wary glance, baffled at how the other boy remained undisturbed. Cardin, slightly disappointed, stepped closer to the still slumbering Sky, placing the destructively loud scroll next to his ear. 'Asche' winced, feeling pity for the poor boy's eardrums.

"HONEY! ...IT'S TIME WE LEAVE THE DOUBT BEHIII~IIIND!"

Like before, Sky was oblivious to the thundering song. 'Asche' covered his ears, uncomfortable at Cardin raising the volume yet again. Dove meanwhile, shook his head while standing to his feet. Unceremoniously, he began to disrobe, quickly throwing his own uniform on.

"TAKE. MY. HAND. 'CAUSE. YOU. AND. I. ARE .GONNA... SHIII-!"

Cardin rolled his eyes before abruptly shutting the music off. With the cease of music, Dove and Asche felt a sense of relief overcome them. Without the heads plotting distraction, Asche also began the process of changing into the Beacon Uniform...albeit hesitantly. He blankly held the garments, his previous fear slowly etching its way back into his mind once more.

"....I was cold… zzz… in the dark… zzz… It was empty… zzz...in my life..." Sky murmured in his sleep.

"What the fu-?" Cardin started, shaking his head to clear his boggled mind. "Whatever. He's a lost cause… just finish getting dressed and we'll try again."

Dove and 'Asche' looked at each other before shrugging. Both boy's threw their school blazers on. Once done, they began to button their jacket's wrist collars, a small and quiet clip after pressing the buttons into place. And for whatever unknown reason, this small insignificant noise woke Sky, who bolted upright in a near panicked manner.

"I-I'm up, I'm up! No need to be…*yawn*... so loud." The newly risen boy stammered, a sludge of sleep still coating his words.

"Dude… really? You slept through a small concert and THAT'S what woke you up?" Cardin responded after rolling his eyes.

"Concert? That's...impossible. I'm uh...a light sleeper…" Sky mumbled.

Soon, each boy had finished dressing. The morning routine of brushing their teeth and washing their faces were done. 'Asche', of course, was the last to do so. There had been no reason for him to, but he welcomed the tinge of normalcy....as tedious as it was.

He stood in the mirror, clipping the mask back into its place after finishing his hygienic routine. The Beacon Uniform was as embarrassing as he thought it would be. The gloves, hat, and Leonhardt's masquerade of silver did its part to offset the strange and humiliating garments. Still though, the champion of ash felt his face rise in temperature. Here he was...an accursed and enduring warrior wearing the clothes of a schoolboy.

After a moment to brace himself, he stepped out from the shared bathroom. His teammates stood in await, departing together from their dorm room. Immediately after leaving their quarters, the four halted. Something in the air sent a lingering feeling. It felt out of place yet so very fitting.

"Hey...wait a minute…" Cardin said, sniffing the air experimentally. "You guys smell that?"

"That smells like...bacon and…" Dove added, also smelling the nearly entrancing aroma. "Oh oum...is that Atlas Muffins?" He drooled.

"Mmm...I can smell...maple syrup." Sky murmured, his face sinking into an expression of anticipation.

The boys smelt the air like canines looking for lost scraps of food on a kitchen floor. The Ashen One's mask blotted out most of the smell...but even he was tempted by the miniscule amount of scent that slipped through his metal veil. Unlike his teammates however, his stomach would not growl or rumble at the thought of food. They however, decided to (literally) trust their gut on filling up for the day.

"We've got some time to kill till classes, let's go grab a bite." Cardin said, cocking his head toward the cafeteria.

"That sounds like a plan...you coming Asche?" Dove asked while leaning his head to the side.

'Asche' waved his teammates away, confirming that it was alright if they ate without him. The boys, being hungry, could only shrug, not thinking much of his refusal. Sky and Cardin both turned away, not wishing to linger when a sweet morning meal was so near and pleading to be devoured.

"It's your loss man. See ya in combat class." Dove said, waving farewell to join the other boys.

The group split, three making their way to the cafeteria while the fourth turned to wander the halls.

With his solitude regained, the champion of Ash wandered the hallways. He trekked through the identical corridors in search of the "Grimm Studies" room, with very little success. Eventually, he lost track of time and became lost in the maze of a school. No matter what flight of stairs he took, what new turn of a corner he made, he couldn't help but only walk the campus in confusion.

And just when his hope was fading, he took one final turn. As he did, a familiar white silhouette crashed into him, causing a near loss of balance. Once both parties recovered however, the two felt a similar somewhat reminiscent feeling to how they had met only the day prior.

"Jaune you idiot, how many times do I have to tell yo-" She started, before her eyes sparkled in that distant sensation she felt the first time the two had crashed into each other. "Oh… H-hi Asche…"

Before she fumbled, she shook her head to regain her composure. She refused to be caught acting in such a manner.

"Ugh…you know you can always watch where you're going!" She snapped, crossing her arms.

'Asche' loosely held his hands upwards, shrugging to convey it was a mistake. The heiress rolled her eyes, huffing after not only being woken up by Ruby's ear shattering whistle, but also running into the now dubbed "quiet kid". But she also wondered why 'Asche' had been walking in the opposite direction...

"You're not seriously lost...are you?" She skeptically asked, leaning ever so slightly.

'Asche' hesitantly nodded his head. He had wandered the hallways for nearly an hour at this point, and had hoped to have at least stumbled in the general direction of Professor Port's class.

"Hmph. Whoever gave you a tour obviously doesn't understand how to take their time to explain things." She frustratingly added.

Weiss thought over her words again. For whatever reason...she thought she was missing something. Come to think of it...it involved time somehow. She only ran into Asche due to her trying to arrive on time for…

"Oh Oum! I almost forgot about Port's Class!" She frantically announced, preparing to run to the aforementioned class.

Before she ran however, she glanced at the seemingly clueless Asche. For a moment, she thought about leaving him in the hallway, positive JNPR could just always just lead him to their first hour. But she shook this thought away and grabbed his leather gloved hand, yanking him towards their destination.

"Well? Come on, you dolt! We can't be late on our first day!" She yelled, practically dragging the boy to the class.

Weiss dragged the boy through the dorm hallways, making a turn he seemed to have never noticed prior. After they painstakingly climbed a flight of stairs, Weiss made another turn of the corner. The heiress barged through a door near the middle of the corridor, nearly knocking it off the hinges. The two were now within a classroom, various still seated students eyeing the duo with suspicion. Then a gaunt figure with an impeccable white handlebar mustache cleared his throat, visibly disappointed by the tardiness.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

"Ms. Schnee and Mr. Embers. You are both tardy on the first day. Please make a better attempt at correcting your punctuality for future reference." The staff member, Professor Port berated.

"Of course Professor Port. I was er, only doing my due diligence in uh...showing Asche a proper tour…?" She hesitantly lied.

The professor furrowed his absurdly bushy brows, having a sliver of doubt in the heiresses words.

"Ms Weiss Schnee...are you implying you intentionally arrived three minutes late to show your classmate around the school campus, knowing it may result in reprimandation?"

"Uhm...yes?" She awkwardly said as a bead of sweat fell from her forehead.

"Hmm...I see…" The teacher skeptically hummed. "Brilliant! What an outstanding display of comradery! I will excuse your tardiness under the pretext of you simply wishing your fellow classmate to better himself! Now children, please find your seats. We've an interesting topic to discuss, I assure you of that!"

The two huffed in relief. Before they made their way to their respective desks, they shared a glance. Weiss stared into the empty sockets of the taller boy's mask, and he stared back. With a small smile and a matching concealed blank expression, they nodded their heads in appreciation. Weiss returned with her team, the team quickly beckoning the boy over.

"This seat is free, tall, dark and edgy." The lioness of the party said while forming finger guns, motioning to the vacant chair.

"Yeah! Team RWBY will help keep you focused and uh...taughted?" The leader cheerfully announced. "Is taughted a real word?" She asked herself, tapping a finger to her chin in contemplation.

"Back off ladies, he's my teammate. Over here Asche." A familiar male voice called out.

The unkindled one turned, seeing his team leader move a stack of textbooks from an adjacent chair. Without a shimmer of hesitation, he carried on his way to rejoin with his comrade, much to the disappointment of a fellow first year team. 'Asche' would take his seat beside Cardin Winchester, his team leader who then in turn, gave the masked man his school supplies. Amidst this, Professor Port would resume his lecture.

"Good. Now where was I…? Ah yes, that's right!" The professor exclaimed before clearing his throat, initiating his lecture.

"Monsters! Deeeemons… Prowlers of the night! Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as prey! Ha-ha!" He bellowed triumphantly.

'Asche' and Cardin began writing their notes, doing what little they could at the current moment. Similarly, RWBY and JNPR both did the same. Cardin's writing was as hasty and as illegible as predicted, the markings of granite on paper resembling the etchings of someone with parkinsons. 'Asche' meanwhile, had impeccable penmanship. His writing, though faintly rough around its figurative edges, gave more credit to his seemingly medieval aesthetic. Like an excerpt of an 'olde english grimoire, his hand moved with the unbridled grace of a swan dancing within a pond.

"Uhhhh… And you shall too, upon graduating from this prestigious academy! Now, as I was saying: Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world!"

Three other kingdoms. This garnered the champions interest with now knowing how few nations this world had. It was an embarrassing number. Even Lothric had dozens of other kingdoms before the world's of that realm caved in on each other. Then again...the only threat in this plain had been the Grimm, whereas Lothric had faced hordes of different monstrosities.

"Our planet is absolutely teeming with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces! And that's where we come in. Huntsmen! Huntresses…" The professor bellowed, leaning to give a wink at the bombastic girl of RWBY.

Yang groaned after letting out an uncomfortable and stifled laugh. Generally, she would appreciate the compliment. But when this sort of line came from a faculty member...she found herself cringing. The teacher seemed unfazed as he continued to march and prance around the room. As unprofessional as his earlier comment was. 'Asche' gave the man some credit for his flare in storytelling.

"Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves! From what, you ask? Why, the very world!" He triumphantly announced.

A faceless student stood proudly, chanting "Ayyyy-yep!"

The students turned their collective eyes to the boy. And after a pause, he retreated within his seat, horrendously embarrassed by his outspoken cheer. Professor Port only shook the event from his mind, unbothered by the display.

"That is what you are training to become. But first: A story. A tale of a young, handsome man… Me! When I was a boy…" He trailed.

The room deadpanned in unison. The class had begun with a promising setup, only to fall flat with a mentor who chose to flaunt his own outdated badges of accomplishment. Most of the class felt their minds drift away, only a select handful of students remaining in full attention. Weiss, Asche, Blake and Cardin dutifully wrote out their notes, making double sure to catch each detail presented in the tale. From the corner of his mask, 'Asche' saw Ruby Rose also taking notes, which he silently commended her for. Though...her muffled giggling left room for doubt.

"…Despite smelling of cabbages, my grandfather was a wise man. 'Peter', he told me…"

The champion of ash took a slight pause in his near obsessive writing, allowing his leader Cardin to peer over and compare what they both had written. While Mr. Winchester did this, 'Asche' glanced toward team RWBY. Ruby held her page of "notes'' for her team to see, earning a giggle from Yang and Blake. Weiss however, was thoroughly annoyed by her own leader's immaturity. Professor Port caught onto the distraction, pausing his speech until he regained the team's attention once more.

"Ah-heh-hem!"

After a halt to confirm their eyes were trained on him and their notepads, he resumed his pacing.

"...In the end, the Beowolf was no match for my sheer tenacity, and I returned to my village with the beast in captivity and my head held high, celebrated as a hero!"

His story had concluded, shown by the bow from the portly man. 'Asche' then finished jotting down the last scraps of information. Once done, he scanned over the scrawled detailing of the lecture before handing his booklet over to Cardin. Across the room, another disruption by Ruby was occurring, once again earning the anger of the Heiress.

"The moral of this story? A true Huntsman must be honorable!"

Ruby, through either a stroke of luck or skill, balanced a notebook and apple atop her nose. Her finger swayed about, perfectly steadying a pencil. 'Asche' and Weiss both mentally facepalmed while Yang and Blake had been left oddly impressed.

"A true Huntsman must be dependable!"

Ruby had now fallen asleep...again. She was either insanely brave, or insufferably ignorant. Weiss clinched her fist, using every fiber in her body to prevent an episode of rage at her incompetent leader.

"A true Huntsman must be strategic, well-educated, and wise!"

Well educated and wise...two concepts that did not describe the leader of RWBY, who was currently not-so subtly picking her nose.

"So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?"

Having enough of her leader's tomfoolery, Weiss jumped to her feet. After raising a pale hand, she belted out her superiority.

"I do, sir!"

"Well, then, let's find out!" He spoke, before turning to motion at a cage that had seemingly appeared from nowhere. "Step forward, and face your opponent!"

"Er, after you dress appropriately of course! Make haste, you've prey to hunt!" The man corrected, allowing Weiss Schnee the opportunity to take her temporary leave.

The heiress wasted no time in preparation. In only a few short minutes, she returned to the designated arena wearing her battle gear, the same gear she wore during yesterday's initiation. Her weapon impressed many. The expert craftsmanship, flawless dust cylinders near the hilt, and the beautiful crafted blade. It was a rapier fit for the most graceful royalty, a sword designed for the fluid and elegant swordsmanship of fabled musketeers. From the desks, her team cheered her on, some more welcome than others.

"Goooooo, Weiss!" Said Yang, who raised a fist to the air.

"Fight well!" Blake said, waving a small banner bearing her team's name.

"Yeah! Represent teeeeeeam RWBY!" The leader called out, earning the grimace of Weiss.

"Ruby! I'm trying to focus!" The girl hissed.

"Oh, uhm… sorry…" Ruby whimpered, sinking back into her seat.

From the corner of her eyes, she saw 'Asche' cross his arms, leaning ever so slightly in supposed anticipation. A smile threatened to form on the heiresses face. No matter what Grimm would be used for the demonstration, she swore she would solidify her superiority and impress more than one person today.

"Allllright!" The teacher said, now standing next to the cage's locked door. "Let the match… begin!"

With one solid motion, he brought down an axe, shattering the lock that kept the beast at bay. From the opening, a monster similar to an overgrown boar burst forward. It wore a set of red wrathful eyes, a white skull mask covering its face.

Without pause, it charged at the girl. With a rivalry in speed, the girl swung her rapier to divert it's attack. She simultaneously rolled out of harm's way, causing 'Asche' to feel a tinge in pride.

The two enemies paused, awaiting each other's next attack while the professor bellowed in the spectacle. "Ha-ha! Wasn't expecting that, were you?"

"Hang in there, Weiss!" Ruby shouted.

The match had only started, and her words confused the champion. Not much had happened in his opinion, Weiss's respectable roll showing she had a semblance of how to react to the monster. Weiss felt much the same when rolling her eyes, visibly annoyed at the girl.

Weiss met the charing boarbatusk, her rapier poised and ready to pierce a chink in it's makeshift helmet. Her blade struck true, with it's sleek blade embedding itself into the sliver of exposed flesh.

"Bold, new approach! I like it!" The teacher complimented.

The ashen one caught onto Weiss's tactic… stab the exposed part of the skull and swiftly skewer the brains before making a precautionary retreat. The heiress struggled with her trapped weapon, a second longer than expected. Ruby, not used to utilizing such a maneuver, panicked and gave unnecessary reassurance.

"Come on, Weiss! Show it who's boss!" The red and black themed girl sounded.

Weiss scoffed at the girl, diverting her attention and allowing the Grimm to garner the upper hand. The beast reared its head, throwing the combatant to the side and letting the weapon escape from it's skull plating. The rapier clattered to the floor, too far for the heiress to reach.

"Oh-ho! Now what will you do without your weapon?" Port loudly pondered.

Weiss glanced upwards in the nick of time. Like before, she rolled to the side, causing the beast to crash into a (thankfully) unoccupied desk. 'Asche' once again felt that familiar tinge of pride at the girl holding some skill in the art of "Roll to safety". Weiss wasted no time in dashing to recover her sword. Just as she was reunited with her blade, the beast had regained its footing.

"Weiss! Go for its belly! There's no armor underneath-" The leader started, being cut short by a frustrated Weiss.

"Stop telling me what to do!" She rebutted, causing Ruby to shrink further into her seat once more.

The boar then empty into the air, rolling itself into a ball to gain control over the momentum. Once it met contact with the classroom floor, it spun violently torwards the heiress like a tornado of enraged desire.

Weiss held her sword to her face, using her sembalnce to generate a blue-white circle glyph. As expected from a mindless beast, the Boarbatusk crashed into the defensive barrier, being knocked off balance yet again. Weiss wasted no time in her opportunity, using another glyph to propel herself to an overhead one. After bracing her sword arm, she sped towards the off-balance monster, plunging the rapier deep within the exposed abdominal. After a whimper of pain, the Boarbatusk fell silent and limp, eventually disintegrating into a heap of withering flesh.

At her victory, Weiss took a breath of air. She felt her lungs fill, eventually emptying them with a relieved and winded sigh.

"Bravo! Bra-vo! It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true Huntress-in-training!" The professor cheered, clapping as he did so.

The rest of team RWBY joined in clapping, Yang whistling as she did so. Ruby meanwhile, had been less than enthusiastic, scared she had upset her squad member with her advice. Weiss rolled her eyes at the girl's praise before averting her gaze.

Her eyes sternly darted across the crowd of fellow students, eventually settling on Asche for a second longer than anticipated. The masked knight simply gave her a single thumbs up with an accompanying nod of approval, indicating he had been impressed by her performance. Weiss quickly diverted her sight, slightly disappointed in his "motivation". Nonetheless, praise from the moonlit knight was more than welcomed. Though… she felt a desire for more.

"Ugh… you could just cheer like everyone else you know." The heiress pouted, crossing her arms and looking away.

"I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings, and… stay vigilant! Class dismissed!" Professor Port concluded.

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[BONFIRE: LIT]

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||| "Don't You Dare Go Hollow..." |||