THE TOWER AND THE PROMISE
Ozma climbed the tower with blood in his lungs.
Every step burned. Every breath rattled. The stone beneath his feet was cold, ancient, uncaring—but above him was the only thing that mattered. A woman imprisoned not by walls, but by grief.
Salem.
When he reached her, when he held her trembling hands and told her she would not die alone, the world listened.
For five days, they lived.
Not as legends. Not as pawns of gods.
As people.
They laughed. They spoke of futures that had not yet learned how to break. They shared meals, watched the sun rise and set over a world still young enough to forgive.
And then Ozma collapsed.
The sickness came fast. Too fast. His body failed as if something had decided his time was over.
Salem screamed.
She begged the God of Light.
She pleaded with the God of Darkness.
And far away, high within a valley carved by a falling god, Issei Hyoudou watched.
He felt the tug of fate. The pressure of inevitability. The System stirred—but he did not move.
When Salem returned, immortal and cursed, rage blazing in her eyes, she did not stop at the gods.
She came to him.
II. THE DRAGON WHO REFUSED
Issei met her at the edge of the Crimson Sanctuary.
Miles of crimson-leaved trees bowed gently as she passed, their bark harder than steel, their roots humming with restrained power. Dragons watched from high cliffs and shadowed canopies—but none attacked.
They recognized her.
Salem stood before the crimson pond, pale, shaking, immortal tears burning her face.
"Fix this," she demanded. "You're a god. I can feel it."
Issei looked at her for a long time.
"No," he said.
Her eyes widened—not in fear, but disbelief.
"This curse," he continued quietly, "exists to teach you what life means when it cannot be reclaimed. I won't erase that lesson."
Hatred took root in that moment.
Salem turned away.
Issei did not see her dip her hand into the pond.
He did not see her steal a vial of dragon lifeblood.
And when she drank it, immortality saved her from annihilation—but it changed her.
Wings tore free from her back. Her aura twisted. Dragon essence fused with divine curse.
Salem left Remnant's first sanctuary carrying something new.
Something dangerous.
III. WAR OF GODS, ABSENCE OF DRAGONS
Salem rose.
She rallied humanity. She promised freedom from gods who toyed with life and death. She believed she could win.
She never challenged Issei.
Not once.
She knew better.
The war came anyway.
Humanity burned.
The Brothers erased what they had made.
When they left, magic left with them.
The moon shattered.
Fragments fell like divine shrapnel—tearing through continents, striking the Dragon Sanctuary itself. Crimson essence flooded the world, seeping into soil, stone, and sky.
Grimm evolved.
Dust awakened—unstable, powerful, alive.
Issei knelt amid the ruin and did not scream.
He rebuilt.
IV. THE AGE OF DRAGONS AND BLOOD
Grimm that consumed dragons learned.
Humans who hunted dragons grew stronger.
Legends spread of a Red Emperor—a dragon so vast his true form could wrap the world twice over. Few ever saw him. Fewer survived long enough to describe him.
Most dragons withdrew.
Some died.
Issei learned restraint the hard way.
V. THE FAUNUS GENESIS
When humanity returned, fractured and afraid, Issei made a choice.
He took remnants of Light.
He took remnants of Darkness.
He took his own essence.
And he created the Faunus.
The first were Dragonoids—long-lived, proud, close to dragonkind. Others followed. Some strong. Some subtle. Some mythic.
Issei did not rule them.
He protected them—quietly.
When they were enslaved, hunted, erased from history, he built hidden domains between Light and Dragon territory. Cities that would not fall. Villages that remembered who they were.
And still—he did not rule the world.
VI. OZMA RETURNS
The Brothers resurrected Ozma.
He returned to Salem.
Together, they tried to conquer the world.
Issei watched.
When Salem went too far—when entire populations vanished—he struck her down.
Once.
People noticed.
They begged him to lead.
He refused.
"Get stronger," he told them. "I won't always be here."
Some revered him.
Some hated him.
History fractured.
VII. BLOODLINES AND BLESSINGS
Issei granted fragments of power.
Boosts.
Blessings.
Draconic echoes passed through bloodlines. Some awakened strength. Others awakened tragedy.
Dragons, old and wise, did the same.
Families formed.
Legends formed.
VIII. THE CHILDREN WHO DID NOT DIE
Ozma and Salem's daughters were caught between gods.
Before annihilation came, Issei moved.
Once.
He took the children and hid them beyond fate's reach.
Salem and Ozma believed them dead.
Hatred sealed their divide.
Issei vanished again.
IX. THE WORLD WE RECOGNIZE
Salem retreated.
Ozpin rose.
Relics were made.
Magic faded.
Aura emerged.
Time moved on.
And one day—
A girl with silver eyes crashed through a dust shop window in Vale.
The world turned.
And the Age of Observation ended.
When the World Began to Move AgainX. A GIRL AND A RED CLOAK
The night in Vale was ordinary.
Too ordinary.
Neon signs flickered against rain-slick streets. Dust shops closed for the evening. Civilians moved in quiet routines, unaware that history was about to stumble forward.
Then a red blur shattered the window.
Ruby Rose landed hard, boots skidding across broken glass, cloak snapping behind her like a living thing. She straightened instantly, silver eyes locked on the men inside the shop.
"Hey," she said brightly. "So… funny story. You guys robbing this place?"
The criminals barely had time to react.
Crescent Rose unfolded with a mechanical snap, scythe and rifle becoming one seamless extension of her body. Ruby moved fast—unnaturally fast—firing, spinning, striking with momentum that defied her size.
Dust exploded. Shelves shattered. Men went flying.
Outside, a woman watched from the shadows.
She wore black and gold, heels clicking softly against the pavement as she observed the fight with quiet interest. Ruby never noticed her—only felt, briefly, the sensation of being seen.
The woman smiled.
Cinder Fall turned away before the police arrived.
XI. THE HEADMASTER'S GAMBLE
The fight ended as quickly as it began.
Ruby stood amid the wreckage, breathing hard, adrenaline still humming through her veins. Sirens wailed in the distance.
Then came the slow clap.
Ozpin stepped forward, cane tapping gently against the floor. He regarded Ruby with curiosity more than judgment.
"You handled yourself well," he said calmly.
Ruby froze. "…Oh. Uh. Hi."
Their conversation was brief, strange, and unsettling. Ozpin asked questions she didn't expect. About her training. Her weapon. Her intentions.
And then he made his decision.
"You'll be attending Beacon Academy," he said.
Ruby blinked. "Wait—what?"
XII. THE JOURNEY TO BEACON
The airship hummed softly as it carried its passengers toward the cliffs of Beacon.
Ruby stood near the window, excitement barely contained, her sister Yang leaning casually against the wall beside her.
"You good, squirt?" Yang asked, grinning.
"I'M GOING TO BEACON," Ruby whispered, vibrating with energy.
Across the cabin, Weiss Schnee fumed quietly, arms crossed, visibly irritated by everything and everyone. Blake Belladonna sat nearby, hood up, eyes focused on a book rather than the people around her.
Fate, quiet and patient, had seated them together.
None of them noticed the way Ozpin watched from the cockpit doorway—calculating, distant, already moving pieces on a board older than all of them.
XIII. BEACON ACADEMY
Beacon rose from the cliffs like a monument to hope.
Students disembarked, voices overlapping with excitement and nerves. Airships departed. The wind carried the distant sound of Grimm beyond the kingdom's borders.
Ruby stepped onto the stone path and stopped short.
This was it.
This was where heroes were made.
She took a few steps forward—and collided directly with another student.
"Oof!"
They both stumbled back.
"I—I'm so sorry!" the boy said quickly, flustered, blond hair messy, armor clinking awkwardly as he tried to steady himself. "I wasn't looking where I was going!"
Ruby laughed, rubbing the back of her head. "No, that was totally my fault."
They smiled at each other.
"Jaune Arc," he said, extending a hand.
"Ruby Rose."
XIV. INITIATION
The platform rose.
Wind howled around Beacon's cliffs as dozens of first-year students stood shoulder to shoulder, weapons in hand, nerves tight in their chests. Below them stretched Emerald Forest—vast, ancient, and crawling with Grimm.
Ozpin stepped forward, voice calm, almost casual.
"Welcome… to your initiation."
He explained the rules as Beacon always had.
They would be launched into the forest.
The first person you see would be your partner—not just for today, but for the remainder of your time at Beacon.
Somewhere within the ruins lay relics—simple chess pieces.
Claim one, survive the Grimm, and return.
He paused, cane tapping once against stone.
"If at any point a student is in immediate danger, one of my associates will intervene."
A few students exchanged looks. Most assumed it was reassurance.
Very few understood what that meant.
The platform tilted.
Students screamed as gravity took them.
Ruby was gone in a red blur. Weiss vanished in white. Blake fell into shadow. Yang laughed as she launched herself forward.
Jaune Arc flailed.
XV. THE FOREST
Emerald Forest swallowed them whole.
Ruby landed first, scythe unfolding mid-air as she crashed through branches and rolled cleanly onto her feet. She didn't hesitate—eyes scanning, senses sharp.
Weiss arrived moments later, rapier flashing as she narrowly avoided impaling herself on a tree.
They locked eyes.
"…You?" Weiss said flatly.
"Hey! Partner rule!" Ruby grinned.
Elsewhere, Blake and Yang found each other in a storm of claws and laughter.
Jaune crashed into Pyrrha Nikos like a meteor.
"Oh! I'm so sorry—!"
Pyrrha steadied him effortlessly. "I believe that makes us partners."
Grimm emerged soon after.
Beowolves howled. Ursai charged. A Deathstalker burst from the trees, chitinous tail slamming into the ground with crushing force. Nevermore wings beat the sky into chaos.
The students fought—awkward, brave, imperfect.
They adapted.
They survived.
Just like canon.
XVI. THE TITAN
Then the forest shook.
Something massive moved beneath the earth.
Stone cracked. Trees split. Students froze as a colossal form pulled itself free from the ground—a Grimm Titan, towering and jagged, its body formed of obsidian rock fused with bone-white armor. Veins of dark energy pulsed beneath its surface.
Its eyes burned red.
This was no initiation Grimm.
This was a predator meant for cities.
Weapons lowered. Breaths caught.
For the first time since landing, fear won.
The Titan raised one arm—
And the world turned crimson.
XVII. THE CRIMSON STREAK
The impact was instantaneous.
A red line tore across the battlefield, faster than sight, hotter than Dust ignition. The Titan didn't roar—it failed, its body splitting apart in a single catastrophic rupture.
Stone shattered.
Bone disintegrated.
Dark energy dispersed like ash.
When the dust settled, the Grimm Titan no longer existed.
Standing where it had been was a man.
Red hair. Calm posture. Wings—vast, draconic, folded neatly behind him like they belonged there. Crimson scales caught the light before fading slightly, as if reality itself struggled to register them.
He looked… young.
Too young.
He glanced around at the stunned students.
"…Congratulations," he said casually. "You reacted fast enough."
Ruby stared. Yang blinked. Weiss forgot to frown.
"Who—" someone started.
"You'll find out later," the man said, already turning away. "Initiation's still on. Finish it."
And then he was gone—vanishing upward in a burst of red light.
As if he'd never been there at all.
XVIII. RELICS AND RESULTS
The forest returned to chaos.
Grimm still fell. Ruins still loomed. Relics were claimed.
Ruby and Weiss secured their piece.
Blake and Yang theirs.
Jaune and Pyrrha fought side by side, joined by Ren and Nora soon after.
By the time they returned to Beacon's amphitheater, exhaustion replaced fear.
Ozpin waited.
As he always had.
XIX. TEAMS
The ceremony proceeded as history remembered it.
"Team RWBY," Ozpin announced.
Ruby beamed. Weiss scowled. Yang smirked. Blake remained unreadable.
"Team JNPR."
Jaune froze. "Wait—me?"
"Yes, Mr. Arc," Ozpin said mildly. "You are the leader."
Pyrrha smiled. Nora cheered. Ren nodded.
Then Ozpin raised a hand.
"One final announcement."
The room quieted.
"This year, Beacon will be conducting a special trial. An independent Huntsman-in-training—one who will assist teams as needed. Whether he graduates alone… or alongside others, remains to be seen."
Murmurs spread.
The doors opened.
The crimson-winged man from the forest stepped inside.
"This," Ozpin said calmly, "is Issei. An associate of mine… for a very long time."
Issei waved. "Hey."
Reactions exploded.
Yang's eyes widened.
Weiss flushed despite herself.
Jaune stared in awe.
Others felt envy. Curiosity. Unease.
Issei only smiled—friendly, unreadable.
"Get some rest," Ozpin concluded. "Tomorrow, your true training begins."
XX. TEN HOURS EARLIER
Ozpin's office was quiet.
Steam curled from a teacup.
"You want to be a student," Ozpin said, amused.
Issei leaned against the window, wings folded. "I want to watch them. Guide them if needed."
"They are fragile."
"They're potential," Issei replied. "Some of them… matter."
A deep voice echoed in his mind.
You should tell him about your children.
Not yet, Issei answered silently.
Ozpin studied him for a long moment.
"…Very well," he said at last. "Welcome to Beacon Academy."
Issei smiled.
XXI. DORMS
Beacon at night was quieter than Ruby expected.
The halls buzzed softly with distant laughter, clanking weapons, doors opening and shutting as first-years settled into their new reality. Somewhere down the corridor, Nora Valkyrie was absolutely not supposed to be testing explosives indoors.
Team RWBY's dorm was already chaos.
Yang claimed the bed closest to the window. Weiss argued about cleanliness. Blake sat on her bunk with a book, pretending not to listen. Ruby bounced between them all, Crescent Rose already leaning against the wall like it belonged there.
Down the hall, Team JNPR was… different.
Jaune struggled with armor straps he didn't really understand.
Pyrrha offered gentle corrections.
Ren quietly organized supplies.
Nora hung upside down from her bed.
It was there—between laughter and clumsy adjustment—that Issei appeared.
No dramatic entrance. No wings.
Just a knock.
Jaune opened the door.
"Oh—uh—hi?"
Issei smiled easily. "Mind if I come in?"
JNPR froze.
Pyrrha recognized him instantly. "You're… the one from initiation."
"Guilty."
Issei leaned against the doorframe, eyes drifting—not judging, just seeing. When his gaze lingered on Jaune, it sharpened slightly.
"You're holding back," Issei said casually.
Jaune blinked. "I—what?"
"Not now," Issei added, already stepping back. "Later. You've got good instincts. Bad confidence."
He turned, waving once. "Night."
The door shut.
No one spoke for several seconds.
"…Was that normal?" Jaune finally asked.
Pyrrha smiled faintly. "No."
XXII. SMALL MOMENTS
The days settled into rhythm.
Classes.
Training.
Orientation lectures that Ruby barely stayed awake through.
Issei appeared where expected—and where he wasn't.
He sparred occasionally, always holding back.
He watched more than he spoke.
He listened when students talked, especially when they didn't realize it.
Blake noticed that.
Yang noticed his confidence.
Weiss noticed his bloodline.
Jaune noticed something else.
During a late training session, Issei stopped him mid-swing.
"You fake your weakness," Issei said quietly.
Jaune swallowed. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Issei didn't push.
"Tomorrow," he said. "Five minutes. No one else."
That was all.
XXIII. THE CAFETERIA
Beacon's cafeteria was loud.
Trays clattered. Teams clustered. First-years tried to act like they belonged.
That's when voices rose.
Mocking. Sharp.
A bunny-eared Faunus girl stood frozen, clutching her tray as three students blocked her path. Their words weren't loud—but they were practiced.
"Watch where you're going."
"Figures."
"Guess Beacon's lowering standards."
Ruby frowned.
Yang's chair scraped back.
Before either could move, the air changed.
Heat pressed outward.
Issei stood.
Wings unfurled.
Not fully—just enough.
Crimson scales caught the light. The room went silent as a draconic aura rolled outward, heavy and ancient, pressing into lungs and bones alike.
The bullies froze.
Issei's eyes burned—not with anger, but judgment.
"Leave," he said.
They did.
No argument. No pride left to save.
He turned to the girl, wings folding back in.
"You're safe," he said gently.
She nodded, stunned, and hurried away.
Whispers erupted.
"What kind of Faunus is that?"
"Those wings—"
"Dragon…?"
Blake watched him closely.
When Weiss finally asked, Issei answered plainly.
"Dragonoid," he said. "Dragon-born. Noble caste."
That caused another wave.
"Highest-tier Faunus," he continued. "Older than most kingdoms. We don't rule Remnant—but we protect our own. Cities where humans and Faunus are equal. No chains. No brands."
Silence followed.
Then Ruby smiled.
"That's awesome."
Issei chuckled.
XXIV. AURA
Later, Ozpin explained it in class.
Aura: the manifestation of the soul.
Protection. Strength. Will.
It could break. It could deplete.
Except—
Issei's did not.
He possessed Aura like everyone else—but his was layered. Reinforced. Self-sustaining. A reflection of something far older.
Magic still slept beneath it.
Hidden.
Waiting.
Ozpin met his eyes once.
Good, that look said. You remember.
XXV. THE DARK LAND
Far away.
Beyond kingdoms.
Beyond Grimm-infested wastes.
A woman stood before a shattered window.
Salem.
Her voice was calm. Curious.
"A dragon," she mused. "In Beacon."
Cinder knelt. "Shall we accelerate the plan?"
Salem smiled faintly.
"No," she said. "Let them grow."
Her eyes gleamed.
"Hope breaks better when it's strong."