RWBY: Bearer of the Curse

Chapter 1: The Consequence of Stubbornness

Chapter 1: The Consequence of Stubbornness

You calmly walk across Beacon's grounds, hands in your pockets as you stare ahead. Nothing much has changed in terms of your appearance since last year. The only significant difference is your entire left arm is covered in the same stretchy material that once only sat on your shoulder. In the distance, a small group of teams gather in front of the auditorium.

"Hey, (Y/N)!" Coco waves. "Wanna come meet the new teams?"

You tilt your head slightly to make eye contact with her, then return your gaze forward.

"Jeez," Coco lowers her hands. "Why is he still so lame?"

"Coco..." Velvet whispers.

"I know, I know, but still! He can't wallow in sadness forever!" She places her hands on her hips. "He should at least make an effort!"

"He hasn't made an effort in a year," Yatsuhashi chips in.

"It's sad," another girl hops into the conversation. "He used to be so fun."

"Yeah..." They watch you walk away. "I... do feel bad," Coco sighs.

You saunter past the statues, the ponds, and the people. You stop at the cemetery, filled to the brim with gravestones. You pass by quite a few until you reach a collection of eleven stones. Each of them has a picture of who they were before their unfortunate passing.

"RWBY... CMNE... GRAE..." You whisper. "I..." You look to the sky and huff. "I hope you're okay... I know I come by every day so nothing would have changed, but, uh..." You return your gaze to the stones, more specifically, Cinder. "Some boyfriend I was... some leader I was," you tighten your fists in your pockets.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Congratulations, students," Ozpin smiles at the newly formed teams. "As you all know, you'll be assigned a third or fourth-year team to assist you in your training. You'll see some of them outside. We'll have another meeting tomorrow that'll decide it. I do hope you enjoy your time at Beacon. Train hard, study well, and protect each other. Have a good night, everyone."

Ozpin walks off the stage, minding his own business. He can already hear all the teams start talking about their mentors and their time at Beacon. Ozpin steps off the stage and looks in the direction of the cemetery. He's well aware you're there and not here, despite him requesting your presence. You've been avoiding him, professors, and even other students. You only interact with him when it's about your recent condition.

In the crowd, a single team stands out from the rest. Team JNPR, led by Jaune Arc, has some of the most promising students this year. Jaune himself, which Ozpin has high hopes for, the dynamic duo Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren, and finally Pyrrha Nikos, the top graduate of Sanctum Academy. It was a hard fought battle to get the chess pieces and return to Ozpin, but they're teamwork and Jaune's leadership is what got them through.

"So we get another team?" Jaune scratches his head.

"Indeed," Pyrrha nods. "They guide us for the first year and ensure we learn properly. They even train us!"

"Oooh, sounds fun," Nora rubs her hands together. "Think we'll get some super cool team?"

"Perhaps," Ren responds, walking towards the door. "We should get settled into our dorm."

"Right!" Nora throws her hand in the air. "Coming Ren!"

"So, Jaune, how does it feel leading the team?" Pyrrha pleasantly asks, shifting both her hands behind her.