Arcane Manifest: A RWBY Story

Chapter 8: Private Sanctum

Pyrrha yawned as she slowly opened get eyes. Having passed out due to emotional and physical exhaustion earlier, she was surprised that she wasn't in her team dorm or the school infirmary. Sitting up, she finds herself in a well-made bed, over different from the mattresses in her dorm. She looks around and is caught in wonder as the room is filled with trinkets and wonders she can't even comprehend.

Slowly getting out of the bed, she sees Excalibur next to the bed. Picking it up, she begins to investigate the room. Looking around at the shelves stocked full of books and scrolls, all written in languages she doesn't recognize. She watches as books move from shelf to shelf on their own. Floating in the middle of the room is a very ornate staff. It radiates a dark blue aura around itself. Approaching it, she reaches out slowly to touch it.

Emrys: "Don't touch that!" Pyrrha jumps in surprise as Emrys walks into the room.

Pyrrha: "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to it's just so-"

Emrys: "No, you're fine, just make sure not to touch it. It can be very volatile when misused."

Pyrrha: "What is it? I mean, I know it's a staff, but what makes it so...volatile?"

Emrys: "Well, this is my weapon, the one I said I only use in SERIOUS situations. What makes it so powerful is that it acts as an amplifier for my spells, and it allows me to cast them without having to make the hand gestures and speaking in the arcane tongue."

Pyrrha: "Wow. That must make it pretty powerful."

Emrys: "Indeed, it was given to me by my father who got it from his father and his father and so on. To keep it short, it's an ancient staff. I was told it was a symbol of good luck, a staff used by an ancestor of mine who was also a powerful wizard."

Pyrrha: "Well...thank you for making sure I was okay. But I must be going. My team must be worried sick." She said as she moved to leave, but the door wouldn't open.

Emrys: "I already let your team know. I told them you'd be back late as you passed out due to over-exertion. So there's no need to worry. Now the reason you can't leave is that the door won't open unless I want it to. Pyrrha, your mind isn't right. Your fighting was sloppy, your mind wasn't focused on the fight, and when I asked what was wrong, you started crying then passed out. Pyrrha, you had me so scared I had no idea what to do. Please, if there's something wrong, please tell me?"

Pyrrha: "...Okay...well after Oobleck's class, I chose to have a talk with Jaune about seeing if he could join our training sessions so that he could get stronger...and he told me how he lied about getting into Beacon. He forged his transcripts so he could get here. He believed that he needed to do this to prove himself. Then when I tried to offer my help he...he told me..." Tears again began to form in her eyes. "He told me to not take pity on him that all I was doing was looking down at him and making him look weak...Why? Why can't I do anything right?" As she sobbed, she felt Emrys gently grab her arms.

Emrys: "Pyrrha, look at me. Sometimes in life, things don't go our way. You meet people that you think are genuine and mean well. But more often than not, they make you feel insecure and doubtful of yourself. For those people, you'll, unfortunately, have to cut them off even if you genuinely believe them to be good. Believe me. It is for the best. BUT. Sometimes you find people that make you feel amazing, that draw out those positive emotions that make you feel whole. Those people are the ones you keep and grow with. And it may seem like many people here are the prior, but you have made truly great friends as well. Nora, Ren, Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Blake, and even me. We all bring out the best in one another and strive to make ourselves the best selves we can be. Never forget that. Yes, you may lose one person you cared for, but you always have to lose so you can succeed." Pyrrha didn't know what to say. All she could do was hug Emrys. Emrys wholeheartedly accepted the hug and returned the gesture.

Pyrrha: "Emrys...thanks. I...Thank you."

Emrys: "Don't fret. It's just what a wizard does. We help." Pyrrha then pulls away from the hug.

Pyrrha: "That reminds me. You keep calling yourself a wizard. What's that supposed to mean?"

Emrys: "Oh! Why that's an excellent question. You see, a wizard is someone who studies and trains to access and utilize magic to cast spells. They aren't generally bound to any restrictions except the extent of their knowledge. Now, I do remember also stating that Ozpin was a sorcerer. Now a sorcerer is an individual who was born with the innate ability to use magic. Still, they only have a limited number of spells to cast due to the magic they can utilize being directly correlated to their physical state. In short, they can't cast as many spells because it tires them out quickly. Any other questions?"

Pyrrha: "Yes, why can't I leave?"

Emrys: "Ah! My apologies, let me get the door for you but be prepared. I don't really know how you'll react."

As he opens the door, the two exit into a small one-bedroom dorm. It has the same furnishing as Pyrrha's dorm.

Pyrrha: "Huh? But..weren't we in your dorm?"

Emrys: "Nope, because that was my Private Sanctum. It's a pretty extensive set of spells that create a pocket dimension that I then can have complete control over. Following that, I had to create the room with all the furnishing and then add the necessary protections. All in all, it took me about a year to complete. But I'd say it was well worth the effort."

Pyrrha: "Wait, so you live in that dimension room?" Emrys nods. "You really have to teach me how to cast spells."

Emrys: "Mind learning two dead languages? *Chuckles* You stick with Excalibur, and I'll keep my spells."

Pyrrha: "Oh and one more question, I noticed in your Private Sanctum, you had a book of a particular person. Who's Merlin?"