Embrace of Light and Dark

by Knight of Crows


Chapter 34.5.

(Before season 3)

Ozpin POV (in his office)

"This needs to be addressed now, Ozpin! What if he is with them? You saw how easily he controlled the Grimm? Even if he isn't as you believe, he would be a valuable ally against Her!" James Ironwood stressed.

"I understand your concerns, James. This is news to me as it is to you, but we can't just involve him so easily."

"He is a student at your academy. What is stopping you from gaining such an advantage over the enemy?" He asked.

"You don't know the first thing about that boy, do you??!!" Glynda asked him seriously.

"Only that he can somehow influence or control several Grimm at once, something that as far as we knew up 'til now, only She could do." He answered.

"When I first met that boy, he was performing feats that should've been impossible without aura, said he used magic, he didn't even know what aura was. Would you like to know how his entrance exam went, James?" I asked.

"What does th-"

"He was the only one to pass the exam given to extra students in the academy. How? Why you might ask? He attracted well over a hundred Grimm, James, and unlike what we've seen recently, he wasn't controlling or influencing them back then." I explained.

"From what Oobleck has told us, that boy was likely overflowing with negative emotion back then. His report from his mission suggests that he has changed drastically! If we involve him, there's no telling what would happen." Glynda said, concerned.

"So you're just going to let this slide then? Ignore the possible threat that's right in front of us? Ignore the possible advantage that's right in front lf us?" James asked, frustrated.

"You would involve a child who has no interest in becoming a Huntsman, no interest in protecting the world, and no interest in killing Grimm, in a fight for the world? This would turn out exactly like Raven Branwen and you know it!" Glynda said, becoming frustrated herself.

"That 'child' can use magic, he fights better than most certified Huntsmen and Huntresses, and he can control Grimm! Does that sound like something a child could do, or does that sound like something you'd expect from a full team at their best? Minus the part about controlling Grimm." He tried to reason.

"Did y-" Glynda started.

"I'll allow you to meet with him, that's the best I can do. I was going to wait a while longer before I tried to recruit him, but if you think you can do it with the way he is now, then feel free to try."

"Thank you, Ozpin."


Cassiel POV (in the team's room)

"So, what can I expect regarding the Vytal Festival?" I asked.

"Well, the tournament between each of the four kingdoms is one." Weiss answered.

"Plenty of stalls below the coliseum, you'll probably find something good down there. Good food, souvenirs, maybe weapon parts and a smith?" Yang continued.

"Ohohoh I could help you upgrade Lionheart! Just imagine what we could do with it! A gun, a scythe, a flamethrower, *gasp* a greatsword gunblade!" Ruby said excitedly.

"I think he would like to decide the upgrades to his weapon, Ruby." Yang chided.

"But-but-" I chuckled.

"You can help me upgrade my weapon." I told her. She immediately latched onto me.

"Oooohh I'm going to help you make the best weapon EVER!!!"

"Yang, are you absolutely certain she's not married to Crescent Rose?" I asked in an attempt at a joke.

"BWAHAHAHAHHHAAA!" She laughed.

"Oh no... Not you too." Ruby pouted.

"That's about it for the most part." Blake said.

"Would Cassiel please come to the headmaster's office? I repeat, Cassiel to the headmaster's office please." We heard Ozpin over the speakers.

"What did you do?" Yang asked.

"Nothing that breaks any rules, though I have an idea of what this is about. I'll be back." I put my mask on and entered the SR.


(Ozpin's office)

Ozpin is here of course, Glynda and James as well. I opened the SR to see their reactions, Glynda and Ozpin barely reacted, James got ready for an attack that I had no reason to do. I exited the SR and crossed my arms.

"So what's this about?" I asked.

"We have some questions we would like answers to." James said.

"I won't promise having answers nor will I promise compliance."

"Please, this is very important. Could you try to be civil?" Glynda asked.

"Define 'civil'?" Was my response.

"Cassiel, Ozpin has told me quite a bit about you, and I feel as though you are already worthy of being a Huntsman." James praised.

"Is this supposed to be an early graduation, or an interrogation? Regardless, you're doing a poor job at both. Just cut to the chase." I told him.

"Cassiel..." Ozpin started, but didn't continue past that. James pulled out his scroll and played back the moment I commanded the Grimm to return to the tunnels. Where the fuck were those cameras? I know for a fact there weren't any at those angles!

"How were you able to do this?" James asked.

"It's an animal thing." I answered. He put his hand on my shoulder, even through the clothing, this doesn't feel like a normal hand.

"Those are monsters, not animals. You mean to tell me an 'animal thing' let you influence some of the most dangerous creatures in the world to this extent?" He asked in disbelief.

"They are animals. They're just very aggressive and have a stronger 6th sense for negative emotions."

"Those 'animals' kill countless innocent people every year and you have the power to control them. You could drastically change the world if-"

"No."

"No?"

"I only have interest in the people I would consider family, I couldn't care less about the world. You called me here for another reason. Spit it out, or I'm leaving."

"...James here wants to recruit you, Cassiel." Ozpin spoke up.

"If I have no interest in being a Huntsman, what makes you think I'd have any interest in being a soldier." I declined.

"That's not what I was leading up to."

"Doesn't matter. What's in it for me if I join whatever this is?"

"Please, Cassiel? At least hear us out?" Glynda asked.

"Why should I do that? The night we met, you enrolled me here, knowing I had no training as a Huntsman. You accepted Jaune despite knowing he wasn't anywhere close to ready for Beacon, you know more than you let on I bet. That's just the beginning of the list."

"The world, and by extension, your team, could be in danger." James said, catching my attention at the mention of my team.

"...I'll hear you out, only because you brought them up."

"Before that though, a question. What is your favorite fairy tale, legend, story perhaps?" Ozpin asked.

"Are you serious?" I asked in response.

"This is relevant to what this is leading up to." He answered.

"Either the tale of the Abysswalker or the Ivory King if I had to choose. True heroes in the dark, unforgiving world the stories take place in. Now get on with it!"

"Long ago, there were two Gods, brothers of Light and Dark. Light found joy in creating Life, Darkness though, used his time creating forces of Destruction. By day, Light created water, plants, and wildlife. By night, Darkness created drought, fire, and famine." I can already see where this is going. "Eventually, Darkness created Grimm. In response, Light made a proposal, one that Darkness agreed to before they abandoned Remnant." He told.

"Humanity. Those who would decide their on paths. I already turned down an invitation to a war between the two forces, I don't see myself accepting this one. Besides, all things begin in darkness." I said, channeling darkness down my arm. "So too, shall everything end in darkness. You're trying to fight a war on someone else's turf, a war in the shadows. It's a losing fight, that night at the tower, and after the next day's meeting with Ruby proves it." I pulled the darkness back.

"How do you know about that?" James asked.

"Someone infiltrated Beacon. Who, how, when? Their plans? None of you know. The only things you know are that it was a woman dressed in black, she fights with glass, and she's working for someone else. You don't even know why specifically she was there in the first place. You had no cameras watching any of the computers, but you seemingly have invisible cameras in the streets? I'm not even going to ask who sets up the security systems. Incompetence, pure incompetence is what that is!"

"What else did you hear? How?" James asked seriously. I opened the SR.

"I have my way of getting around undetected, I was there when you questioned Ruby." I closed it. "I listened to everything up until you discussed the mission in the southeast. I know more than you would think."

"So you know there's a threat coming this way as we speak, and you would do nothing?"

"If there is going to be an attack, the matches during the tournament would be the best time to do it. Unless they can be found, and dealt with, discreetly as you'd probably prefer to do it, there's nothing that can be done at the moment. You can't prepare for it without making it look like you're expecting an attack, not that you'd do a good job with that either, and I'll have no part beyond the involvement of my team."

"My army is at the ready t-"

"You and your army won't be able to do jack shit! Your assault mechs are falling in the hands of terrorists that are also in possession of enough Dust to supply a small army, you have yet to gain a damn thing from Torchwick, and your drones barely did anything during the Grimm attack! How can anyone trust you to defend this city when you can't even secure your own armory, when you still have yet to get anything from that pawn you arrested, and the army you are deploying is less than reliable? General? I see a joke, a poorly made joke!" He slammed his fist on Ozpin's desk.

"A-" He started.

"There is an ancient threat against the world, Cassiel. As you said, we are dealing with the pawns right now, but this threat is why General Ironwood wanted to try and recruit you against Her now instead of later like I intended to." Ozpin interrupted." She can control the Grimm, Cassiel, and the Grimm she commands are much more dangerous than the ones you've faced so far. The General-"

"He wants to turn me into a weapon, or rather, he wants me to turn Her weapons against Her. Now who is 'She'?"

"... How to describe Her?... Salem... She's an enemy of the world... I don't know much myself other than I was cursed because I failed to stop her long ago." He answered. Don't need to be a lie detector to tell that's not everything, not even close.

"Again, losing battle, on Her turf, and you're barely telling me anything, yet, you expect me to sign up for a war no one knows about that there's no hope of winning? I can guarantee you it won't end anything like how you're hoping, that's if it ever ends." They must be desperate.

"We could turn the tide and win with you on our side. We might no longer need the academies if you join us." James said.

"Strength will not bring victory against a foe like Salem if she really can control Grimm and has pawns here at this time. I already have several ideas of how to combat her forces, but the ones she has here? Nothing until I have enough info to act." I reopened the SR. "Allied together, a threat men display. Divide them with doubt, it will all wash away. You want to know a good place to start looking? The matches, look for anything odd, out of character, unplanned, etc. If there is going to be an attack, the matches would be the perfect time for it. If only because of the possible threat to my team, I'll keep an eye out. If I find something, I'll deal with it personally." I started walking through the Corridor.

"I told you he wouldn't be interested." I heard Ozpin say before I left.