The Serpents' Shadows

Chapter 3

ACRONIAN:

The doors slip open soundlessly to reveal a large circular room, turning gears made up the roof, and a single lone desk was in front of a very large window. The chair behind the desk was facing away from him. Acronian exited the elevator and it hissed shut. He approached the desk until he was maybe ten feet away, he didn't know why but he prepared himself for an interrogation.

The chair turned and showed the person behind it, a grey-haired man with glasses, a cane, and coffee mug. His eyes were gentle but still retained a calculating look. He looked absolutely unfazed by the decently scary figure in front of him, "So you are the one who wanted to join late. What is you're name?" He asked.

"Acronian Valor, sir. But that is about all I know other than how to use my sword; I have amnes-"

"I am well aware of you're situation," Ozpin interrupted, "Now tell me, why do you want to join my academy? I have no foreknowledge of anyone like you, you don't show up in citizen registries, and to top it off, you're a snake Faunus that's covered in bandages like you're hiding something."

Acronian was staring at him with surprise, he recovered his bearings and words started slipping out of his mouth, "I'm sorry sir but even I don't know what's under these bandages, I just woke up this morning with a couple of memories, my name and Beacon. I figured that this is the place to go. I felt if I came here I could regain some memories like I did with my swords."

Ozpin nodded his approval, "And what will you do once you regain your memories? It is possible that you will turn into a completely different person." He said.

"I won't let that happen." Acronian said simply.

"Can you guarantee that?

"No, but I can certainly try."

Ozpin gave him a funny look, "I like your determination young man. Very well, I will make an exception for allowing you into the entrance courses. I assume you have some combat skills ingrained in you somewhere, but I doubt you will have any knowledge skills. So for now I'll exempt you from them, you take the combat exam and will be placed accordingly, your knowledge classes will be basic if that."

Acronian was surprised, "Thank you sir, I will try my hardest." He turned to the elevator to leave when he was stopped by Ozpin.

"One last thing," He said, "You should know that many of the students are quite prejudiced against the Faunus. So before you go I want you to remove some of the bandages covering your head," He pressed a button somewhere on his desk and a mirror slid up from a slot in the floor, "Don't worry you can put them back on later."
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Acronian stepped into the elevator with his head buzzing, he was excited that he had accomplished the original goal his mind set for him, but he didn't like what was under those bandages. 'If anyone finds out, I'm dead.' He thought to himself. The elevator wasn't too terribly fast so it took a minute or two to reach the ground floor. He was met with a surprise when the doors opened.

There was a group of people carrying various video recording devices, 'A camera crew?' Acronian thought. They were currently interviewing Safire, over what he didn't know but he decided that he was going to listen in.

"-you think of the Faunus and the White Fang? Do you feel that Faunus should be treated by the public as equals?" The reporter was asking.

'White Fang?' Acronian thought, his right eye started hurting at the sudden thought, he felt like his mind was trying to remember something, but wasn't quite getting it. 'A trigger...' He thought, he just needed to get a little more in depth to what the White Fang was.

Suddenly Safire's response came clear into his head, "Of course not! I mean, take a look at the White Fang (Acronian's eye starts hurting again), they're violent murderers with no sense of what's right and what's wrong. I think the Faunus should just go away!" She said with what sounded almost what was a pouty voice. Acronian stood there, shocked.