Spin
Spinning… Spinning… Spinning…
Imperceptible Boon of Dexterity Obtained!
Spin
Spinning… Spinning… Spinning…
Special Boon Obtained!
I blinked. 'Wait, what?'
No Major Boons Detected.
Innate Major Boon Detected.
Innate Major Boon Is Locked.
Unlocking Innate Major Boon…
Major Boon of Aura Obtained!
Special Is Now Locked Until The First of Next Month
New Minor Boons Available!
My mouth opened dumbly. "Huh?"
For a while, I continued to just stare at it, uncomprehending. Could I really have been that lucky? Eventually, though, I managed to regain myself.
"Well, that just solves all my problems, doesn't it?" I asked myself, having to practically force down the grin that threatened to break out on my face. Of course, that was an exaggeration. But with Aura, my chances of whatever I wanted to do were now increased. By a lot.
'Now, how do I…?' Just by thinking about it, my Aura surrounded me, sheathing my body in a dark blue light. And I felt…
I felt amazing! Everything was… more? Sight, sound, touch, smell, and probably even taste. My body practically hummed with energy. Like I could run a marathon without even breaking a sweat.
'This, I… I actually have superpowers.'
There was no stopping it now.
A grin appeared on my face. My heart was pounding a million times a second. Laughter bubbled up in my throat, wanting, waiting, to be released.
But I stopped myself. Because, due to becoming more aware of my surroundings with the enhancement Aura provided me, I noticed the few remaining people on the ship gazing at me.
I removed the grin from my face, it went away easier than it had appeared. And soon after, the childlike giddiness I had been feeling disappeared along with it.
My Aura turned off and I stopped glowing like I was giving some impromptu light show. The enhancements of everything about me left along with it.
I couldn't feel the stares anymore, yet the sensation of feeling uncomfortable in my own skin persisted, and the hyperawareness of my clothes chafing against my body. The heat.
'I should probably leave.'
After all, who knew when orientation would take place…
… who was I kidding? Like that was the reason I scurried out of there like a rat.
*****
It wasn't that hard to find the amphitheater. All I had to do was find someone who looked like they knew where they were going, and follow them from a distance.
The hardest part about it was actually having to be in there. The air was stuffy for the lack of a better word. Having so many people in a single room, even if it was wide, chattering, especially teenagers?
I don't know how I was going to be able to get any sleep tonight. Most probably, I wasn't.
To distract myself from my growing anxiety, I sat down on the ground and took off my backpack. I sorted through the things I had.
I searched for the most important thing, at least to me, first. Taking it with me definitely wasn't as vital as some of my other perks, but it certainly felt like it. My phone.
Despite seeing it only a few minutes prior, I felt immense relief as I turned it on and put in my password. As embarrassing as it was to admit, my phone was practically a part of me. It had everything about me on it.
All my stories. All my ideas. My hopes and dreams. After making sure everything was there and accounted for, I went to shove it back into the bag, only to pause.
There was a button. A new button, opposite the power and audio ones, on the phone's casing.
'Did he leave me a little something extra?' While I was tempted to press it now, as I looked around the room, I decided it would be better to wait.
It could do something extremely eye-catching. And at this moment, that was the last thing I wanted.
Placing my phone back into the backpack, I sorted through everything else I had.
In total, I had seven sets of clothes, including the stuff I was wearing right now, headphones, plastic cards which I assumed to be Lien, beef jerky, a few bottles of water, and everything else was just basic amenities. Toothpaste, a toothbrush, floss, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, nail clippers, etc.
I examined the Lien card. 'It's weird to think that this is the currency Remnant uses. But I guess if you want people to not litter and to actually recycle, making plastic actually worth something isn't a bad idea.'
Then again, that probably wasn't why it became plastic cards from whatever it was before. Because I didn't think littering, pollution, and deforestation was such a prevalent thing here.
Considering the expansion of the four kingdoms were probably limited due to Grimm. At least, I would assume they were.
Because I didn't actually know anything about this world. And these musings gave me a rather startling realization…
'If I actually pass initiation, I'm going to be attending school again.' A school that taught people to fight monsters, but a school nonetheless.
'Come the fuck on! I was just about to graduate too!' Being in a school really felt like a reality I couldn't escape, no matter where I was.
I genuinely didn't know what it said about me that I dreaded attending math class more than fighting monsters or potentially dying for a second time. Probably not anything good.
Though that would definitely change once I was actually face to face with a Grimm. Which was seeming more and more to be a genuine possibility.
Unless I went to Ozpin. Or Ozma. Or whatever he was going by and told him everything.
But, now that I actually had the slimmest chance to succeed, I found myself hesitant. Before, on the airship, that was the only choice I had if I didn't want Beacon and Vale to get destroyed.
My eyebrows furrowed. 'Did Vale even get destroyed at first? Whatever. Just assume the worst.'
In the short and long term, I needed that to not happen. Telling Beacon's Headmaster was the simplest solution.
The reason I was so reluctant to do that, was because he had said he made some, "small," changes to the world.
One of these, "small," changes included the addition of everyone having three Semblances. So it wasn't hard to see why I would doubt what a literal God saw as small. Because that was anything but.
'He could've made Beacon's very own resident Immortal Wizard evil.' Or other changes to his personality and backstory.
Not to mention how my information may not even be accurate. There was a possibility, however slim, that Cinder wasn't even evil in this world. Or existed at all. So I needed to know more.
'Okay, so that's a last resort. Got it. One choice crossed off the list.' Beacon's Headmaster wasn't going anywhere, and if I passed Initiation, I think, I had until the dance before Cinder's plans really went into motion.
'So short term, see if I can pass initiation. If I don't, tell Ozpin, even if the info may not be accurate, and wipe my hands clean of the entire situation. Vale and Beacon will either be destroyed or not.'
And since I had Aura now, I wasn't that worried I was going to die in initiation. There had to be some safety precautions. It's just, before, I wasn't going to trust whether those precautions accounted for Auraless civilians, which now I was not. Thanks to luck.
'Okay. That's all figured out. Now, as for the long term… uh, I'll think about that later.'
I.e., never.
Having once again made a plan, I felt tension leave me. Having some idea, even if vague, was reassuring. Even if it was weird to be the one deciding everything about my short term future.
'First step to being a fully functional adult, I guess.' Which was pretty contradictory considering I was fifteen again.
'Alright, you know what? Let's just use my remaining spins.'
Infinitesimal Boon of Aura Reserves Obtained!
'Does that mean every Major Boon can be enhanced? Doesn't that insinuate having a body counts as a Major Boon? Well, considering I was dead and all…'
Tiny Boon of Aura Regeneration Obtained!
Not bad. If I remembered correctly, Tiny was just below Minor, which itself was below Special.
Infinitesimal Boon of Talent Obtained!
'That doesn't sound bad, but it's pretty vague.' Did that mean it increased my ability to comprehend and learn? Or was I now just better at things in general?
'I suppose it doesn't matter. As long as I keep getting Boons, no matter how small, they'll stack into something useful eventually.' Not that they weren't useful already.
With all that done, I put the backpack on, and stood up. I wouldn't say it was any easier standing among so many people, but perhaps due to having taken stock and with a plan in mind, I paid less attention to them.
In the midst of my thoughts, the background noise of talking students, laughs, and movement had slowly ceased. Blinking, I raised my head towards the stage.
There, Headmaster Ozpin stood. Mug in hand, and with Professor Goodwitch a step behind, a stern visage on her face as she watched the mass of students like a hawk.
Honestly… it was kind of hard for me to take them seriously. I mean, genuinely, what was Professor Goodwitch wearing? Was there not a dress code?
Why was she wearing heels? A cape? And why the hell did she have a riding crop?!
I wasn't anything close to an expert in combat or survival, but even I knew wearing heels when trying to run, or just on any soft surface, was a bad idea. Too easy to twist an ankle. And that pencil skirt definitely limited mobility. It was too tight.
'Though I think I remember something like Hunters should be distinct and easily recognizable by civilians, but even then…' Whatever monstrosity she was wearing was just too much.
I shook my head. 'Stop being a judgemental prick. And honestly, what do I know? I'm not a Huntsman. Plus, as long as she can teach, does it even matter?' I barely knew the first thing about anything here, so I should learn more before judging.
As for Ozpin, well… he looked as if he didn't want to be here. Like, at all.
I felt the same. Mostly. Personally, I would've preferred that he didn't seem so checked out. He could've at least acted like he was taking this seriously, instead of just going through the motions. It would've been reassuring, if nothing else.
As lost as I was in my head, I nearly didn't notice when he started speaking. I listened intently, as was polite to do when someone spoke, and was ultimately disappointed. Listening to someone speak about something they obviously didn't care for…
'Well, at least he made good on his word.' It was as brief as he said it would be. Thankfully.
As Ozpin left, Glynda Goodwitch then stepped up to the Microphone.
"You all will follow me as I give you a brief tour of the campus," she said.
*****
"You will be sleeping in here tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."
Like she said, she only gave us a brief tour. All she showed us were the locker rooms, showers, bathrooms, cafeteria, and then led us into the ballroom.
Some people started walking around, finding a good spot to sit or were leaving the room. I quickly claimed a spot in a corner.
As I nestled myself between two walls, I sighed in relief. Setting my backpack in my lap, I got out my phone and headphones.
There wasn't anything else for me to really do. And unless someone spoke to me, I wouldn't bother initiating.
For me, personally, it just felt weird to walk up to someone and start talking to them. Like I was being a creep. Even though that was a completely normal thing to do. I mean, how else did people meet? Aside from the internet.
As I turned on my wireless headphones and went to connect them to my phone, someone cleared their throat. I snapped my head up to see who did that.
'Fucking. What?'
There I saw Glynda Goodwitch. Suppressing any groans or sighs of annoyance, I spoke in my usual tone.
"Do you need something from me, Professor Goodwitch?"
"The Headmaster would like to see you," she said. Unfortunately, that was not a no.
'Couldn't you have told me that before I sat down you…!' I didn't finish the very unflattering thought towards her that I no doubt would've had. And her stupid outfit didn't make that any easier.
It was just this entire situation reminded me too much of my past life. I honestly wanted to just say no, as I was comfy, but...
"Alright." None of my annoyance showed. There were very few things I was good at, hiding my emotions is one I was a master at. Most of the time, at least.
Sitting up, I put away my things and stood. Glynda, in lieu of saying anything else, just turned around and started walking. I followed her silently, doing my best to ignore what others would think of seeing us together.
As we walked, I just stared at the different doors, or down hallways we passed, noting once again how annoyingly large Beacon was. Eventually though, Glynda stopped.
We were before the tower. She clicked on the elevator button, and within moments it opened.
'Why does he even need to talk to me? And did he seriously head straight to his tower as soon as his speech was over? The tour wasn't that long.' It would've been so much easier if he just waited to pull me aside. At this point, I wasn't even annoyed anymore, just exasperated.
The elevator dinged, and it opened. Glynda slightly motioned for me to head inside, and so I did.
The office was bare. A singular desk and two chairs. If Ozpin stayed up here all day, it really made me question if he was in his right mind. Uncaring of my thoughts, Glynda went to stand behind Ozpin who was seated.
"You can take a seat." I did as instructed.
For a minute, we sat in silence as we stared at each other. His gaze felt scrutinizing as his eyes seemed to take in every inch of my face.
"You really do have Golden Eyes," his tone was soft, if tinged with the slightest bit of disbelief.
I blinked. "Um, okay?" It took a moment for his words to fully register.
'Wait, Golden Eyes? Isn't the first thing he commented to Ruby about her eyes? And those were important later… of course.'
So Golden Eyes were important as well. Why? Just why? Why did you do this God?
The only reason I picked Golden Eyes is because they looked cool. Not because they were of anysignificance!
Not to mention, Golden Eyes were my second choice! My first were a pale silvery blue, like moonlight. But not wanting to tempt even the potential of having Silver Eyes, I opted for gold instead. Guess it didn't matter.
'You know what? Whatever. I don't care.' I could worry about it later. I just wanted to get this conversation over with, get back to the ballroom, and listen to music or watch something on my phone.
"You wanted to talk to me, Headmaster Ozpin?"
"Call me Professor, please."
'Professor, Headmaster, does it even matter?' Did Ozpin even teach anything? Aside from telling people fairytales that had vague allusions to real life events?
"Professor Ozpin?"
"Ah, right." He adjusted his round spectacles. "I called you here because I wanted to know if you would like for me, or Professor Goodwitch here, to unlock your Aura in preparation for tomorrow's initiation."
"Unlock my Aura?" I repeated. He nodded.
"If that's the case, then, uh well, there's nothing you can do. I already have it."
He looked surprised, while Glynda frowned. "Would it be alright for me to ask how you obtained it? As far as we were aware, you did not have your Aura unlocked."
"I didn't. But, on the airship I saw that everyone else had one, and so I thought it would be important to have, and, well, I got it? Is that bad?" And that was the truth. Mostly.
I mean, I couldn't exactly say I got it from the Roulette Wheel inside my head that was given to me by God, now could I? I'm pretty sure Ozpin got triggered by anything even alluding to a God. And I didn't want to place an even bigger target on my back than the two I apparently already had resting in my eye sockets.
"If I heard you correctly, you are saying you wanted it, and so you obtained it?"
"Yes, why?"
"Nothing," he said with a soft smile on his face. "Other than the fact that you may just be one of the most talented people in Aura Manipulation that I have had the pleasure of meeting." My stomach twisted at his words.
Unrealistic expectations, get!
"Thank you…? Uh, is that all you wanted to speak to me about, Professor? If so, I would like to go."
"It is, please escort him back to the ballroom, Glynda."
But before we got onto the elevator, I paused. I turned back to Beacon's Headmaster.
"Professor Ozpin, you do know that I don't have any training, like, at all, right?"
"I am aware. But I'm sure you'll do just fine."
'This guy…' He really seemed to have a lot of misplaced faith in me, for whatever reason. Were Golden Eyes really that special? Or did he really just have a devil may care attitude at this point? Not really knowing what to say to that, I just said,
"Okay." And left.
*****
If there was one silver lining in all of this, it was the fact that the corner that I had previously sat in was somehow unoccupied. As I sat down and snuggled into the corner, I let out a breath of relief.
Of course, I didn't feel completely comfortable, considering all the people surrounding me, but it was better than standing around drawing attention to myself. Taking off my backpack, I set it in my lap, and zipped it open.
"You're really just gonna ignore me, Ladykiller?" I looked up and to the side, there stood Ruby's sister, one Yang Xiao-Long, in the flesh.
'I was hoping that if I ignored you, that you would go away.' What was up with today? Could nobody seriously leave me alone? I just wanted to listen to music…
"Well, you weren't saying anything. You're Ruby's sister, right?"
"Yup! I'm Yang Xiao-Long, and what about you, Ladykiller?" She gave me an assessing look.
"I'm Azure. And why are you calling me that?"
"A hot woman twice your age came to get you. How could I not call you that?"
"I don't know what you think happened, but it didn't. So could you not call me that, please?"
"Sure. As long as you tell me what actually happened between you and Professor BDSM." She smirked. A real joker, this one. Honestly, I didn't think I could ever have the balls to say something like that about someone, even behind their back.
"Please don't call a teacher that." Even if she looked the part. "And she only came to get me for Professor Ozpin. He asked if I wanted to have my Aura unlocked." May as well be upfront about it. One lie was enough for today. Even if it was technically the truth.
She opened her mouth to say something, lips still curled upwards, before she froze. I could nearly hear the blue screen sound playing in her mind.
"Wait, are you saying you didn't have your Aura unlocked!? And you want to attend Beacon?"
"I suppose?"
"How did you even get accepted!? That's…" With how dumbfounded she looked, it almost seemed as if she was the one going into this without any training.
"To be honest, I don't have a single clue. I don't have any training, and I certainly didn't attend any preparatory Academy. And Professor Ozpin knows this, so… yeah." I shrugged.
Rubbing her forehead, she held up her other hand, pausing the conversation. For a good minute, she didn't speak.
"Let me get this straight. You don't have any education, or training, you just unlocked your Aura today, and initiation is tomorrow." I nodded. Her eyes then widened as if she came to some realization. "Wait, is that why you looked so scared on the Airship?"
'She saw that?' I felt uncomfortable at that fact. Then again, if Ruby saw that outburst of mine, then there was no reason Yang hadn't either.
"No. Initiation isn't why I was so panicked. That… was something else." It was just an episode of intense emotions, not that I would tell her that.
"So you're seriously just… not worried, at all?"
"I'm worried."
As I met her look and saw how she stared at me with the blankest gaze, I couldn't help it. As I was discovered for my poorly told lie, a smile appeared on my face.
"Alright, I'm not that worried," I admitted as the smile left my face as quickly as it appeared. "At least, not at the moment. I guess I'm just not really thinking about it that much?"
I was good at that. Ignoring things. Unless they were right in front of my face, of course.
"Ruby calls me carefree, and yet here I am wishing I could be half as nonchalant as you."
'Nonchalant?' I don't quite think anyone's ever called me that. So that was a first. 'I guess I can see how someone would think that.' Even though I was anything but.
"Is that a bad thing?" I asked.
"I dunno. How much have you prepared for tomorrow's initiation?"
"Uhuh." I let out a weird laugh as I folded my lips inward. The kind of laugh where someone tried to suppress it and failed. The reason for the laugh itself was a mixture of embarrassment and because I genuinely found the situation funny.
"Sorry, uhm, I have everything that's in this backpack."
"... do you even have a weapon?"
"Right. A weapon." I had honestly forgotten that I needed one. The concept was just so unfamiliar to me. The only thing I was carrying that was even the slightest bit similar to one were the toothbrushes. "Do you think I could ask the staff for one? They have to have spares around, right?"
"I'm sorry."
"What?"
With downcast eyes, she said, "I'm sorry. I'll be sure to explain to Ruby and your family when they find your corpse, but that's all I can do for you."
"..."
Having said her piece, she turned around and walked off.
'I can't tell if she's serious or not.' In the end, I just shrugged. That wasn't the worst conversation I had ever had. Which meant I did pretty well. Not to mention that I didn't even have to do anything to end the conversation myself.
You have Obtained 12 Spins from back-to-back conversations!
'And now you appear.' Hopefully that meant nobody else would be coming over for at least a while.
If that was the case, then I could finally, finally, finally relax.