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6th November, 79 years after the Great War, Second day of school.
At school, the first lesson for second-year students was history, a subject I was genuinely excited about. In the show, Remnant's backstory was always vague, riddled with plot holes and contradictions. Now, I'd finally have the chance to dig into the real history of this world, even if I technically could've just used the CCTN to research it myself.
I sat in the second row near the center of the classroom, waiting as the bell rang and the teacher entered.
"Good morning, class. My name is Professor Doctrina, that's pronounced Doc-trina," she said, with a nod. "I hope to teach you well so the past doesn't repeat itself. Now, for registration. When I call your name, please respond with 'here.'"
She wore a plain button-up shirt under a light blue blazer, sharply contrasted by her pink trousers and formal shoes. The outfit conveyed a mix of strict professionalism and slightly uncertain energy that new teachers often exhibit.
"Now that that's out of the way, please pass these textbooks to your neighbors. There should be two spare copies in case anyone's missing one. Turn to the page just before the Great War, page twenty-one."
She paused, flipping open her own book. "We'll start with a quick recap: why the calendar system before the Great War was so confusing."
"Before the formation of the four main kingdoms, people mainly used seasonal changes to track time. This worked well enough in places like Vale and Mistral. But in regions like Vacuo and Mantle, each with wildly different climates, seasonal calendars were less reliable."
"Vacuo, for example—though it has some forests—has always been primarily a desert. When it was unified under a single tribe, the chieftain taught the people to use the sun and stars to track the seasons. According to historical records, before this chieftain's death, he is said to have summoned water from the ground and created an oasis. That oasis eventually became the city now known as Vacuo."
"However, some historians believe he didn't create the oasis at all. They claim he simply found it and declared it his creation. Because of this possible deception, it's said that the Four Gods never allowed a statue of him to be raised, no matter how many times his people tried. We'll talk more about the Four Gods later in the year, but for now, let's continue."
"In Mantle, Indigenous communities observed animal migration patterns to mark seasonal changes. However, the main method they used was daylight tracking. In the summer, the sun might not set for weeks or even months—a phenomenon called the Midnight Sun. In contrast, the Polar Night meant the sun wouldn't rise for an equally long time during the winter."
"Mantle has about nine months of winter and only three months of summer. As a result, Grimm wasn't as big of a problem there—most common types, like Beowolves, couldn't adapt to such harsh, cold conditions."
"Now, with each kingdom following its own calendar system, the King of Vale saw an opportunity to unify them. As the victor of the Great War, he proposed a new standard calendar. He declared that the war had ended on the fourth of November, which would become the starting point for the new year. Mistral and Mantle initially opposed this, but the king reportedly responded, 'Can you not hold on that long without a war?'—using their pride against them."
"With that brief recap out of the way, let's move on to our main topic for the year. I won't go into great detail about the Great War today—it's only our first class—but I'll give you a basic overview of what happened before and during the conflict."
"We don't fully understand why there were a hundred years of rising tensions before the war, but certain events helped push things over the edge. Vale was strongly opposed to Mistral's treatment of its citizens, especially the use of slavery. The King of Vale was reportedly disgusted by the practice."
"Eventually, Mistral and Mantle formed a trade agreement and were unofficial allies. Mistral often pushed its ideals onto others, and some businesses in Mantle accepted the idea of using slaves, especially human-run enterprises that were jealous of the Faunus' natural abilities. When word of this reached Vale, especially from those who fled Mantle, the king's anger only grew."
"A slight arms race was also happening in the background, with Mantle leading the charge and Mistral not being far behind due to the trade agreement, and while Mantle and Mistral had somewhat better technology, Vale and Vacuo were the better combatants, with the king teaching some of his knights and most trusted and Vacuo having such harsh conditions naturally made the residences stronger."
"The war officially began when Mistral expanded into Valean territory and seized several port cities. They killed anyone who resisted. With the support of his people—including Hunters, Faunus, and immigrants—the king declared war."
"Most of the fighting occurred in Vale's territory. The king deliberately kept the war close to home to deny the enemy the advantage of familiar terrain. This decision allowed common people, those who knew the land, to play a key role in the battles."
"One unexpected outcome of the war was the growing unity between Faunus and humans. Fighting side by side helped break down old prejudices—a legacy that the White Fang would later claim to continue, though they eventually abandoned peaceful protests in favor of more extreme actions."
"In the early years of the war, Mantle provided supplies and support to Mistral. But after seven years, their contributions waned. Mantle was dealing with internal unrest, which they publicly blamed on the Grimm. No official statement was ever made, but historians have theories."
"The most widely accepted theory suggests that anti-war movements in Mantle used art, music, paintings, and literature as a form of protest. In response, the government attempted to suppress self-expression, abolishing the arts in an effort to control public emotion. Mistral followed suit but applied the policy selectively. Their leadership continued to enjoy art while restricting it for the masses."
"Fearing that the ideals of individualism and freedom were under threat, the King of Vale sent requests for aid to Vacuo. He also revealed three powerful artifacts. While few images from the war have survived, one shows the king wielding a sword, a staff, and—oddly—a lamp. No one is quite sure why he brought the lamp."
"As the war neared its end, the Grimm began targeting the king specifically. Their numbers increased rapidly. Upon hearing this, Mistral and Mantle launched one final, massive offensive, hoping to end the war while the king was vulnerable."
"What followed was said to be the greatest battle in Remnant's recorded history. The king's sword reportedly unleashed a devastating wave of energy, reducing entire battlefields to ash and dust. Though the king emerged without any visible injuries, witnesses claimed he looked ten years older."
"While the war could be said to be over after that battle, isolated skirmishes continued for a time. Vale, with support from Vacuo, suppressed these final conflicts. Vacuo had only offered limited support early on, mostly mercenaries and supplies, but fully committed when they learned of Mistral and Mantle's policies, along with being annoyed by the two kingdoms' attempt to make them join their side in the war. However, to them, banning self-expression was a deep insult to their culture. They also greatly respected the King of Vale for withstanding the war for so long without begging for aid."
"Now, for the rest of the lesson, I'm expecting you to answer these questions I've made. I hope you've all been taking notes ."
The questions pertained to topics the teacher discussed, ranging from why the war was started to which Kingdom could have been the most successful, and basic history questions.
The question sheets were distributed as students began to murmur about the questions. Most found it easy, as the teacher's questions were about the topics she had discussed.
After what felt like forever, the lesson was over, and I was starting to fall asleep to all the boring questions on the sheet. I did, however, take notes on the slightly different history compared to what I remembered from the show, even if not much was ever discussed.
One such change was that Vacuo joined the war near the end and not closer to the beginning, like in the original, along with a change that showed pictures of how the king looked as well as the aftermath of his battles. There are even statues of him and the other leaders on Vital Island.
Without knowing it, he subconsciously followed the crowd to his next lesson. He only noticed this when the bell rang again, the class desks were arranged in a three-by-three, except the top middle desk was missing and replaced by a teacher's workstation.
The problem with this layout is that the people near the back are going to have a more difficult time observing what the teacher is doing. Thankfully, this is Remnant and not Earth, as holograms are used everywhere.
In the center of the desks is a holo-projector used to show what the teacher is doing at her desk. However, it seems like the teacher is on the shy side.
The desk Edward was on was on the right-bottom side of the three-by-three cube, with him being the only one sitting there. His friends have probably realized that he's been acting differently, and his lack of concentration probably didn't help.
"H-hello students in t-to days lesson we-we'll be having s-someone from the first year c-class joining us today a-as she was recommended fro-from t-two very trusted teachers w-who are professor Branwen and professor Xiao Long."
Looking at the teacher reveals her to be a goat faunus, 'Probably the reason for her being shy.' I thought, as I've heard, that some animal traits affect their personality more than others, and goats were always pretty skittish, or so I've heard.
'Is it just me, or is it getting warmer in here?' Looking outside the window showed that there was a slight rain, with the sun shining brightly. 'What was it my dad once said, it's the humidity, not the sun.' While reminiscing, I tuned out the teacher and started thinking about things.
A thought that I have quite often is what my life could be like if I made different choices. One choice that I regret making is choosing to lose a fight after all, when you've been in 3 fights in less than a week, you'll start to grow tired of it, even if you find out that you have a slight thing for pain, just slightly tho however it's probably the adrenalin tho.
'At a bus stop outside of Big Mama's, a few blocks away from school, a crowd gathered with children of all ages from 12 to 15, and in the center were two boys, both aged 15, one of them on the floor with the other one on top, throwing punches to my head. At the same time, I was about to pop both his eyes with my thumbs and just as they were about to enter his eyes,' Red filled my vision, which snapped me out of my daydream.
In front of me was Ruby Rose, with her silver eyes staring at me through her hood, reminding me of a house cat I once had; she still had her backpack on, as if she were scared or nervous to be sitting at the same table as me.
Ruby, biting her lower lip while fidgeting with the sleeves of her clothes, asked shyly, "C-can I sit here… Please"
Well, now isn't this just cute, smirking slightly, I reply, "Sure, tho, why here and not somewhere else?"
With Ruby now settling into the chair and desk, she puts her backpack there and sorts her supplies, preparing for the lesson. "I-I didn't recognize you before… and you looked... Lonely s-so I thought you could use some company…" With each pause, she got quieter and quieter, all the while sending a few quick glances into my eyes.
Just when I'm about to reply, the hologram on the desk lights up and the light dust inside projects the task as well as instructions on what to do for today's lesson, so I put my focus on the female goat teacher, who I never got the name of and lessened and watched as she demonstrated weapon manufacturing and ways to help with mecha-shift weapons then an interesting announcement was made.
"Next lesson, you all will be making your weapons with the blueprints you submitted, so you'll have until Friday to make any changes and submit them. It would also give time for the school to make any changes in what resources we'll have to order." The teacher stuttered on some of her words, but the most important thing that I realized was…
"I'll have to change the blueprints…" I said it in a whispered groan, but clearly loud enough for Ruby, my new deskmate.
Ruby, confused, whispered back, "Why do you need to change your blueprints?"
While it really wasn't any of her business, I didn't want to make my reputation worse with her, so with the help of my semblance, I quickly thought of a plan.
So I needed her to be curious. Invested. Sympathetic, even, especially since she's basically the main protagonist of the entire show.
With the help of my sembalice, along with the love of acting, I hope that with them both combined, I'd be able to make this seem realistic enough.
So, I took a quiet breath and glanced away, just enough to seem reluctant. Then I let out a soft sigh—loud enough for her to hear, but quiet enough to seem like I hadn't meant to.
"…It's complicated," I muttered, letting just the right amount of tension creep into my voice. "My original design was... based on someone else's input. Someone who isn't around anymore."
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her lips part slightly—caught between curiosity and concern.
Ruby blinked. "Oh… I—I didn't mean to pry. You don't have to tell me if it's personal!"
Perfect.
I gave a small, bitter laugh—one that sounded more hurt than amused. "No, it's fine. It's actually kind of nice... that someone noticed. Most people around here just keep to themselves."
Her hands fidgeted in her sleeves again, and she leaned just a little closer. "I know what that's like," she mumbled. "People don't really talk to me either… not unless it's about my sister…"
"Then I guess we've both been invisible," I said, giving her the faintest smile—one that didn't quite reach my eyes.
She looked up at me, silver eyes wide, and I knew I had her.
"You know," I added, lowering my voice just enough to sound conspiratorial, "I always thought people like you wouldn't notice someone like me. I mean, you're... you." I gestured at her hoodie, and how she's moved up a year, even if it's just this class. "Moved up in weapons class. Silver eyes. With people right now whispering that you're a prodigy."
Ruby's cheeks turned red as she quickly shook her head. "T-that's not true! I'm not… I'm just trying my best."
I shrugged. "Still. You didn't have to sit here. You could've picked anywhere. But you picked me, thinking I was lonely. That kind of thing… it means a lot."
'Especially since it brings back memories of my best friend.'
Her lips curled into a small smile, but she looked down quickly, trying to hide it and her red face.
I leaned forward slightly. "Maybe… maybe you could take a look at my blueprints later? You know, give me a few pointers."
And now the bait is cast.
She nodded quickly, almost eager. "Y-yeah! I'd love to help!"
I smiled—not the real one, of course, thanks to my semblance. It is, however, the one that made people think I appreciated them. The one that made people stay.
"Thanks, Ruby. You're... different from the others."
And with that, I turned my attention back to the lesson—but I could feel her glance my way again, heart probably a little lighter, thinking she had done something good.
Exactly what I wanted, even if inside my mind somewhere, I feel a mix of disgust and amusement.
And that's part 1 done sorry it took so long my minds been kinda rubbish the second part shouldn't take to long to finish since I can actorly see what might happen next.
And random question of the day, What would you like to see more of and also have you noticed the mistake I made in one of the chapter here's a hind it involves the dates.