Chapter Text
At Beacon Academy, the day proceeded like any other, with extensive classes and teachers assisting their students with their problems in class or even with their equipment. However, the focus was now on a more practical environment, one of the large training halls that the academy provides for its students.
The sound of metal clashing echoed inside that closed hall, almost musical to those who came close; to the teachers, it could be more like the first composition of an orchestra.
In the hall are all those we already know, as well as those we know nothing about. Team RWBY is in private training on the far side of the hall under the supervision of Glynda Goodwitch. Similarly, Team CRDL, in the other far corner, was doing the same training under the supervision (or lack thereof) of Peter Port.
Now, in the center of the hall, we see something that really deserves our attention. Professor Bartholomew Oobleck, at full speed, was running around the other students, analyzing all the new training he had planned.
The other teams in the class, including Team JNPR and others, were all against a single student, and surprisingly, he was doing well.
"Now do you understand the reason for my training for you? You young people are very confident in your abilities after the events of the grimms in the city. That's why I brought him." Professor Oobleck watched closely as everyone clumsily tried to hit the student, all failing miserably.
"Mr. Okno's countenance allows him to study the past and present of those he has touched, carrying all the information stored in the person's aura to generate an accurate prediction of the future." Professor Oobleck adjusted his glasses as he took another sip from his characteristic coffee bottle.
"I brought him from the second year so you could get an idea of how, in the future, you will not only have to fight entities that are ridiculously stronger than you, but also remember that although the Manhunters' work is mainly focused on Grimm's, there are still situations where we don't always have to fight those creatures of darkness, but also our own kind." Professor Oobleck narrowed his eyes when he saw that now, only Team JNPR was left.
"Is there still time to raise the white flag?" Jaune asked no one in particular, more a question to himself than anything else.
"No." Oobleck took another swig from his bottle with his final answer.
"Okay, I should have guessed that..." Jaune raised his shield as his teammates took their positions beside him.
"Come on, Fearless Leader! Let's head for certain defeat!" Hora banged his hammer on the floor.
"Wouldn't it be more accurate to say 'certain victory'?" Ren turned his gaze to Nora, who responded with a shrug.
"Yes, it would. But it's kind of hard to say that after what he did." Nora pointed to the ground in front of them, with the other students all lying on the floor. The large panel showing all of them defeated. Ren shook his head as if accepting an obvious answer.
"Right... who wants to go first?" Jaune's response was to see Nora hammering the ground and swinging her sledgehammer in the air. "Yeah, I should have known that..."
With her sledgehammer, Nora hit the ground and raised a large wall of smoke, blocking Okno's entire view. Covering his eyes with his wrists, he ducked just in time to see Nora jumping towards him like a spinning top with her sledgehammer. Okno, still on the ground, had to roll to the side to avoid being hit by Ren's shots, who was hidden in the cloud of dust.
"Finally, someone is using their head!" Still on the ground, Okno threw a small chain-driven sickle from his fists into the cloud of dust. Quickly, the chain winder on his arm pulled him into the dust. Looking for Ren, who had disappeared. "Smart and fast... this one is going to be annoying.
Meanwhile, Jaune positioned himself behind Okno's field of vision and approached him, seeing how Ren and Nora were distracting him. He raised his sword, ready to attack Okno from behind, which didn't quite work out as he wanted. Okno dodged the attack by falling to the ground and tripping the boy, then kicking him with both legs on his shield.
"Ouch... why did I go and greet him before class? That almost worked!" Jaune complained as he rolled on the ground before getting up and Okno began attacking him with his one-handed scythe.
"Relax, bro, it's not your fault you're a good kid!" Okno replied as he relentlessly attacked Jaune's shield, trying to force an opening to attack his chest.
"What do you eat to do that?!" Jaune felt each blow forcing his stance to give way more and more. His shield was starting to suffer real damage. "Pyrrha, please?!"
Like a prayer answered by God, Jaune was relieved to see Okno jump back before Pyrrha's thrown shield hit him.
"Now this is going to be a real challenge..." Okno twisted his other hand and pulled out a second scythe identical to the first. "I hope you don't mind if I hit hard now. You're a big standout among the freshmen."
"Thank you, you're not bad either." Pyrrha smiled politely as she approached Jaune and his shield lying on the ground before stepping on one side of it, causing the shield to jump off the ground and straight into her arm. She briefly tested whether it was properly adjusted before entering a combat stance, pointing her spear at Okno.
"Shield and spear against scythes and chains. Hm... this is going to be really tricky." Instead of advancing, Okno wrapped the chains around his arms and jumped high, propelled by aura. Grabbing a cartridge of Dust, he joined the backs of his scythes together to form a crossbow, firing three incandescent bolts at Pyrrha and Jaune.
Fortunately, Pyrrha quickly dodged, jumping to the side while rolling on the ground into position, switching her spear to shotgun mode and firing a few shots at Okno.
Despite this, Jaune was unable to dodge in time, raised his shield, and was hit hard by one of the projectiles. Instead of just shattering, the projectile exploded and threw Jaune's shield away.
Okno already had Jaune in his sights, but was forced to switch out of crossbow mode and use his chains to block Pyrrha's shots. Landing on the ground again, taking advantage of the momentum from the impact, he threw his chains at his opponent.
Pyrrha promptly responded in kind, preparing Akuo and Milo. With that, the two students entered into a dispute with their weapons, the spear rebounding off the blades of the sickles and the chains crashing against the shield as both moved, jumping, spinning, trying to be faster than the other or surprise them.
"Seems like a good time for a surprise attack!" Nora was about to jump with her hammer until Ren grabbed her by the shoulder. Pointing at Okno and showing that although he was attacking Pyrrha, his eyes were focused on Ren and Nora.
"He's already touched us, remember? He already knows what we're going to do, even before we plan it. Avoid close-range attacks and just provide openings for Pyrrha." Ren loaded his StormFlower and started firing without pause.
Nora saluted and began spinning her sledgehammer, launching herself toward Okno. She bounced Magnhild around Okno enough to cover all his directions with dust, then with one last bounce from Magnhild, she returned to Ren's side and switched from sledgehammer mode to grenade launcher mode.
Okno was now frowning. In front of him, he was dealing with Pyrrha's shots, behind him, Ren's shots and Nora's explosions, all while being covered by a large cloud of smoke around him.
"Focus, Okno, now they've really got you backed into a corner!" Okno was moving in a way he hadn't done in a long time, he didn't even know where his feet were as he defended his back and front.
"I can't lose to the freshmen and be embarrassed by being targeted like this... Force your countenance... try to see the future ahead!" Okno then closed his eyes and removed all the aura from his body and forced it into his head. Not only did he see the movements more clearly, but they were also slower in his perception. "Yes... attack from the right!"
Opening his eyes, now shining blue, he saw Jaune throwing his sword between one of the chains and sticking it into the ground, clearing the way for one of Pyrrha's shots, but it didn't hit. Jaune continued advancing, now using his shield as an impact weapon. In a spinning leap, Okno kicked Jaune's shield upward and grabbed the boy's face, but then, just as he had grabbed the boy's face, the world stopped.
So much unwanted information was being thrown at his mind, events he never imagined he would be able to observe were passing right before his eyes. His body was nothing more than an astral illusion flying as fast as light itself.
Okno was understanding many things he couldn't explain. One second he was in an open field beneath the feet of a red-haired woman with a cigarette in her mouth and angry eyes.
The next moment, he was in a strange temple in a snowstorm, being thrown into the sky by a large cloud, with a faun that he thought was a white leopard, staring at him with empty eyes, but filled with something he couldn't identify.
In the next instant, thunder flashed and everything turned into a pink and purple storm, the clouds were now red and lightning struck the earth around a plasmatic figure, eyeless but with a nostalgic smile, the figure then screamed, and everything exploded in aggressive light.
As he was thrown by such light, everything was compressed into nothingness and shining dust, and as the dust settled. Okno saw three more shapeless bodies staring at him. These three bodies gained eyes, two of them silver eyes, just like the girl he saw training deeper inside.
Of these three figures, one decomposed until only a luminous skeleton remained, with only the eyes still intact, and then they burned, and appeared in the last figure without them.
Okno then turned his back, wanting to flee, but when he turned around, there it was. A giant, truly colossal body, fallen on its side with its eyes open and wide, staring at him.
His own eyes began to burn, his head was on fire while his body melted into black mud. Okno didn't even have time to scream before madness took over his mind.
Suddenly, Okno dropped his weapons, letting them fall to the ground while his eyes became dull, staring at Jaune who was right in front of him.
Seeing this, the JNPR team calmed down, abandoning their combat positions as they exchanged confused glances. Jaune then approached Okno, waving his hand in front of his face, but got no response, which made the boy look at his team and wave for them to go call the teachers.
"Okno? Can you hear me?" Jaune asked, a little uncertain, when Okno's head turned sharply toward him.
Okno's hair began to float as his head twitched, moving from side to side before blood began to pour from his nose and eyes.
"By Ourm!" Jaune exclaimed in alarm, drawing the attention of the rest of the room to them.
"Hey! Okno, can you hear me?! Okno?! OKNO?!" Oobleck moved toward his student and grabbed him by the shoulders. He quickly grabbed a flashlight and pointed it at Okno's eyes. They were beginning to darken from all the blood.
"The one without Aura's embrace, who freed herself from her shackles, rising from the ashes. The night of tragedy will bring freedom in combat, acceptance will bring the one with strength and brutality to hurt." Okno exclaims, his voice sounding choked up with a grimace, as if in pain.
"Mr. Arc, what's going on!? What happened to Okno!?" asks teacher Glynda as she approaches them, pulling Jaune away from Okno, seeing how he seemed to react.
"I don't know, he just became like this after testing that with his countenance." explains Jaune, still frightened.
"Broken inside and empty, without the strength to continue standing, when his mind breaks, he will only see the path of duty, the predator within his soul will awaken, still standing, it will bring the will to equalize." Okno continued to speak in that frightening tone, at which point all training stopped as teachers and students watched helplessly what was happening in front of them.
"What the hell is he talking about?" Yang asked nervously, feeling a chill in his stomach as he heard those words.
"I-I don't know." Blake replied uncomfortably.
"Class is suspended! I'm going to the infirmary!" Professor Oobleck took Okno in his arms and ran out of the hall. But even in this state, Okno did not fall silent, and before his complete departure, Glynda managed to hear one last line from Okno.
"He who has strayed from the light, when he willingly leaves his greed behind, walking between the fine line of immortality, will be able to call upon royalty, bringing madness." Suddenly, Glynda's eyes widened as she caught some information.
"Immortality, royalty, madness... is he talking about Salem? But that doesn't make sense, why is he talking like that?" Glynda thinks, exchanging glances with Port, who looked as serious as she did.
"He who shines like the sun, the bearer of lost love, shall protect, face slaughter, and ultimately royalty, bringing power and an end."
"Okno! What's going on?! Hang in there a little longer!" Oobleck was running at speeds he never thought he would need to run inside the gym. "Can you hear me?! If so, stay still and don't waste any more energy!"
Oobleck had finally arrived at the infirmary. He kicked the door open, startling the nurse, who was about to scream and complain, but seeing the state of Okno and his teacher, she wasted no time and prepared a stretcher as quickly as she could.
But even though she was as fast as possible, there wasn't much that could be done. Okno was already losing his color, becoming paler with each passing second. Oobleck and the nurse did everything they could. Injections, antibiotics, Oobleck injecting his own aura into the student, which seemed to at least slow down the effects of whatever Okno was under the influence of.
And then, Okno spoke his last words.
"Only together can the four remaining ones depose the royalty. After the fall of the strongest, the sun shall make the choice. Only by abandoning their humanity will sacrifice bring light." And with that, Okno suddenly stopped moving, no groans or painful grunts, just one last breath before becoming motionless.
Everyone could hear Oobleck shout two words across the campus
"Okno...?! Okno!"
The silence in Ozpin's room was heavy, broken only by the rhythmic ticking of the tower's gears. Glynda Goodwitch stood with her arms crossed while Professor Oobleck, still visibly shaken and lacking his usual energy, finished recounting the events in the infirmary. Meanwhile, the other directors from the other academies appeared via hologram, their expressions one of grave concern.
Oobleck adjusted his glasses, his voice faltering slightly as he described his student's final condition. Ozpin frowned, his hands clasped in front of his face.
"Second-year student Okno Ponn, during a training exercise with first-year students, forced his semblance, which normally analyzes the past and present through touch." Professor Oobleck explained solemnly before looking at Ozpin. "The current theory is that by forcing his semblance, Okno ended up getting a glimpse of the future, and perhaps the effort of trying to process information he should never have observed resulted in the mental overload that brought about his death."
After giving his explanation, Oobleck slowly walked away, receiving a nod from Ozpin.
"Thank you for that, Professor Oobleck. If possible, could you let the first-year students and Okno's team know that they will have next week off to process what happened." Ozpin thanked him, prompting the professor to leave, leaving only the directors and Glynda in the room.
The elevator door closed with a muffled metallic sound, leaving behind the echo of Oobleck's hurried footsteps. The silence that followed in Ozpin's office was incredibly tense, with everyone trying to process the information they had obtained.
Glynda Goodwitch uncrossed her arms and approached the black oak table, while the three large monitors in front of Ozpin glowed with transmissions from Atlas, Mistral, and Vacuo.
James Ironwood was the first to break the silence. His hologram image seemed more rigid than usual, the bluish lighting from Atlas highlighting the dark circles under his eyes.
"A fatality like this at a school like Beacon is a public relations disaster, Ozpin." Ironwood said, his voice firm but also tinged with urgency and concern. "But... What Oobleck described... If that boy, Okno, really saw what we think he saw, the cost may have been justifiable."
"A student died, James!" Glynda rebuked him energetically, narrowing her eyes at the screen, her eyes flashing with indignation. "Don't talk as if he were a discarded piece on a board."
"Glynda is right, the situation is too unfortunate to be treated this way, but... James is also right." Leonardo Lionheart interjected, his image flickering slightly as he wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. "If Okno's words about immortality refer to... her... then we are no longer shooting in the dark. For the first time, we have a glimpse of an advantage against her."
Theodore, the director of the Shade Academy in Vacuo, leaned forward in his chair, a serious expression on his face as he looked at them. "So, we have some useful information: without the embrace of the aura, broken and empty inside, but with a predator in her soul, someone who has strayed from the light and another who shines like the sun... This information isn't that specific, and many could fit the descriptions, but at least it's a start."
Ozpin, who had remained silent watching the steam rise from his mug, finally looked up.
"This is a golden opportunity we have in our hands." Ozpin states as he lets go of his mug, leaving it on the table. "Salem has always thrived because we didn't know a way to truly defeat her, but now? We have a clearer path to defeating her once and for all. We need to act immediately, we must monitor anyone who shows these characteristics."
"I've already started screening." James replied. "But what about the trigger for all this?"
There was a pause. All eyes, physical and digital, turned to Ozpin.
"Jaune Arc." Ozpin said, the name coming out in a tense whisper. "Okno Ponn saw the future when he touched Jaune. His gaze sought information through contact, and what he found in young Arc was enough to overwhelm his mind and show him the end of Salem."
"And what's so special about this kid?" Leo asked, his voice trembling as he looked at something off-screen on his desk. "He's just a freshman with below-average skills and questionable credentials."
"I'm still not sure." Ozpin admitted, standing up and walking over to the huge glass window overlooking the entire Beacon Academy. "Jaune Arc was the focal point of a prophecy that cost a student his life and may be the key to defeating Salem. We need to watch him closely and be discreet... I believe that since he was the one who generated the prophecy, if Salem finds out about his connection to it, she will target him first."
The directors nodded one by one, and the transmissions were cut off. Glynda remained at Ozpin's side, looking down at the courtyard below, where students still walked unaware that the world as they knew it had just changed in the training hall.
As they watched the courtyard, Glynda let out a heavy sigh as she crossed her arms.
"It still feels wrong to me, Director." She began, her voice heavy with exhaustion and sadness. "Discussing strategies and our opportunities while one of our students has died and his body is being prepared... Okno Ponn was a bright young man who was supposed to become a hunter, not a mere funeral prophecy."
Ozpin did not turn around. His eyes remained fixed on the courtyard, watching the students who were talking in groups.
"I know, but death is a price we have to pay for being hunters. When we walk this path, the end is always the same." Ozpin replied, his voice sounding older than his appearance suggested, with a sad tone. "But Salem won't give us time to mourn. She won't wait for our tears to dry before moving her pieces."
He clenched his fist around the handle of his cane.
"For centuries, we've been playing a game where the rules were written by her, in the shadows. We were just reacting, waiting for the next blow, the next fall." Ozpin turned slightly, and for the first time in a long time, Glynda saw something different in his eyes. It wasn't just the usual caution, but a spark of almost dangerous determination. "For the first time, we have an answer. However enigmatic and cruel the cost may have been, Okno's words gave us something we never had: a path."
"Are you really going to bet everything on this?" Glynda asked, crossing her arms. "Are we going to entrust the fate of the world to a boy who can barely hold a sword properly and to a prophecy that may have been a delusion?"
"I would bet my own existence if it meant that Renmant, with all the humans and fauns in it, would have a chance." Ozpin walked back to his desk, picking up the now-cold mug, sitting down, and staring at the gears that turned tirelessly above them.
"Maybe it's the madness of a man who has lived too long, Glynda... but I feel like this is our last move. The only way we can save this world from becoming nothing but ashes and forgotten memories is to trust in this prophecy."
While Ozpin and Glynda argued, Jaune Arc remained in his room staring at Crocea Mors, at his reflection in it, remembering Okno's death before clenching his fists.
"Jaune... it wasn't your fault." Pyrrha declares as she approaches.
"I know."
And with that, Jaune sheathed his sword.