In the quiet halls of the Beacon, the clacking sounds of four pairs of feet echoed. The air they carried blended seamlessly to their peaceful surrounding, but the subject matter of their exchange was in total contrast.

Walking slightly in front of the group was a proud woman from her posture down to the manner of her gait. Her hips curved with each step and her shoulders drooped in an eased mood. With her chest covered in a sarashi and her sleeveless jacket not accounting for the exposure of her navel, collarbone, and arms, any onlooker would have their imaginations running from the lack of chastity on display.

Cinder Fall leveled her gaze in front of her with a thin smile on her well-groomed face.

“Yesterday was a fruitful endeavor, wouldn’t you agree, Emerald?” (Cinder)

“Well, that is… I mean I guess, but---” (Emerald)

“Do you still feel dissatisfied over yesterday? In due time, all grievances will be paid double. You just need to be patient.” (Cinder)

Her subordinate, Emerald Sustrai, hung her head meekly at Cinder’s imposing attitude. The words were told in a leisurely manner, but unnoticeably for the rest, they carried a tinge of vexation like a grudge.

Yesterday’s little duel with Tanjiro… she felt the urge to release her constraints and burn the young man into a crisp many times. He was difficult simply because she couldn’t land any attacks in close combat due to his reaction speed being above his peers and pro-huntsmen.

But that wasn’t where most of her hatred was pointed at. No, he went above and beyond expectations into continuing the fight with his bare hands after she got lucky enough to disarm his sword.

… And in the process, Cinder felt the full brunt of his solid forehead smashing into hers.

That is the reason for how the match ended in a draw. She could still feel the phantom pangs lingering, distracting her mind from reaching serenity.

No one has really noticed the disturbance in Cinder’s emotions. They assumed that the fight left no lasting shadows on her mood and gave it no further thoughts.

“What’s the matter, Emerald? Are you too frightened by MNTK after one performance from their weakest member?” (Mercury)

Mercury Black playfully interjected from the side with a mocking smile adorning his face. He was met with a growl from the brown-skinned woman for his question.

“That guy is nothing! If Cinder were serious, it’d be over in an instant!” (Emerald)

She was mad not because of him suggesting she feared Tanjiro, and by extension his team, but the implication that Cinder was weaker than them. It was a transgression that went against her faith and loyalty to Cinder. And for that, Mercury’s jest was unforgiveable.

“Relax, Emerald.” (Cinder)

The smooth voice entered Emerald’s ears, subduing her growing anger.

“MNTK is a formidable foe, there is no denying that.” (Cinder)

Kamado Tanjiro, considered to be the weakest member had exceptional senses and a way and grace with the sword to be mistaken with a dance. His fighting style was exceptional, but he was nonetheless the least stellar in appearance.

Neptune… her status as an amnesiac was common knowledge. She mainly fought with a sword and gun. Her main weapon was peculiarly made with wood instead of fancying a modern build, though she wasn’t averse to trading it for the use of one. What she did have was strength and speed that could rival those with semblances bolstering those same traits.

And Arisato Minato… dangerous in every way. An expert in every weapon his hands can hold, tactical in combat, and an extremely powerful semblance that can’t be generalize into any simple category. A power similar to the summoning aspect of the Schnee family’s Glyphs manifesting fictitious creatures none had seen before in reality with unknown powers. His qualities in every realm of strength created rumors that he was actually the true leader.

“But having powerful enemies can be seen as another fortune.” (Cinder)

To overcome herculean odds is the mark of a legend. An achievement accomplished with unprecedented strength, an iron will, and keen wits were the traits of a hero. To prove one’s efforts and worth is its own reward.

“I would be so disappointed if they couldn’t measure up to my standards. Defeating them would otherwise be so… anticlimactic.” (Cinder)

There is no purpose from crushing those beneath you. Because satisfaction to a seeker of power like Cinder can only be found by toppling those standing at the top. The higher the peak is up above, the sweeter the nectar of victory graced her.

“Once I’ve got what I deserve… small battles like these won’t have anymore meaning. After passing such dimensions, I’ll be walking to horizons fit for me. So why not enjoy the now?” (Cinder)

Fighting MNTK and defeating them was a sport limited to human dimensions. As soon as Cinder attained the full might of the Fall Maiden, she would transcend these confines and embark on a path of a king. Because then, nobody would stand a chance against her, nobody could raise a weapon strong enough to bring her to the ground.

Power. Just power. Enough to stand above everything, that is the pure desire rustling inside her heart.

Cinder Fall will not stop to such lofty goals of besting some mere huntsmen training at a school. She will overcome every obstacle and stand within the same realm as her master.

Such thoughts crossed her mind, and Cinder held a smug smile on her face at the clear future ahead of her much like the unobstructed halls she was walking through.

That was now obstructed by a figure rounding up from the corner. It was a man leisurely walking down the hall in their direction. Light-brown hair and an average build in appearance becoming clearer the closer he approached.

Miyama Kaito was on the opposite end of the hall, his image disturbing the thematic atmosphere of the group carrying ill intentions.

And right now, he caught the interest of Cinder as he made a stop in front of them, displaying his intentions to acquire something from them.

“It’s a fine morning right now. Wouldn’t you agree, Cinder-san?” (Kaito)

“Yes, a fine morning to you too, Mr. Miyama.” (Cinder)

They spoke cordially to one another.

Kaito held the curiosity of Cinder for quite some time. He was the enigmatic leader of MNTK, a team full of surprising talents and the uprising savior. So where did he place in such a colorful collection?

Cinder scanned the man before her. His looks were above average and on him was the standard uniform of Beacon. His hands were tucked in his pocket, expressing his casual demeanor to her group. And his general disposition served his sociability well.

But everything else about him was plain and indistinct. She couldn’t figure out what made this man special among the recognized specials. This was a school that only offered to those with skill and potential, so him being here was indicative that he held those qualities. What was it about him that demanded him to be placed here in this school?

The first evaluation Cinder had for him… was that he was boring. Both in appearance and in personality. Whenever she observed him without his notice, that was the only conclusion she ended up with on every occasion.

But looks can be deceiving. She only knew him on the surface and had never personally interacted with the man. That goes for him fighting as well, nobody seemed to notice that he never personally fought before. What secrets he was hiding and what was lurking behind his external appearance, Cinder made it her goal to unravel them before feeling the satisfaction of taking him and his team down.

“Is there something I can help you with?” (Cinder)

“Yeah, I just happen to have some business with one of your members.” (Kaito)

He glanced behind her to the last member, Neopolitan, for a moment.

“I thought it would be best to speak to you before I talk with Neopolitan-san.” (Kaito)

“And may I know what it is that you need from her? I am her leader, so forgive me if I’m being too meddlesome.” (Cinder)

A kind smile formed on Kaito’s lips as he shook his head.

“No, it’s natural to be concerned for your friend if a stranger needs something from them out of the blue, leader or not, I understand. I just want to talk to her about some unimportant matters.” (Kaito)

In Cinder’s eyes, Kaito must’ve had two reasons to seek out Neo. It was either to befriend her, something that aligned with his usual character she knew of, or because he wanted to form an illicit relationship with her, which while unlikely as he’s never initiated or responded back to the affection of others despite his popularity with the opposite sex, it wasn’t unreasonable since Neo is a fairly beautiful girl.

There was no falsehood in his words, so whatever reason he must have, this was something Cinder could use as an advantage to get closer to him.

“I’m sure Neo would be pleased to spend time with you. But sadly, she doesn’t make much for a conversationalist… since she is mute. Why not instead of her, you can make time for me? I’m willing to listen, and relay to Neo what it is you need later.” (Cinder)

During the time she spoke, Cinder fluttered her eyebrows and curled her lips with a tinge of lusciousness to them. She planned for his guard to lower from her flirting to proceed into wrapping him around her fingers to manipulate him.

For Cinder, she would obtain anything she wanted with the tools she cultivated. Beauty was for the powerful, and she had it in spades. With her confidence, she did not doubt that she could entice the man in front of her and lead him around into finding the information she wanted and control his team included.

Kaito inclined his head slightly to the side before he spoke.

“Nah… I’m good. It’s no trouble for me to communicate with Neo even if she’s mute. Rather, I have good experience with understanding mute people.” (Kaito)

Cinder did not expect him to plainly reject her invitation.

“Oh… then that is a relief. I’m sure Neo would have a pleasant time with talking to you in that case. Neo, would you be so kind to keep our new friend here busy?” (Cinder)

While disappointed, Cinder wasn’t deterred from her plan to rope him into her clutches. She would just use Neo to facilitate that end result instead. The silent girl understood her intentions, so she nodded and leveled a smirk at Kaito.

“Thank you. I don’t want to hold you up any further than necessary, so I’ll try my best to make this short.” (Kaito)

“No need. The rest of us will be on our way to class. We don’t want to disturb the two of you getting along~” (Cinder)

She playfully teased and walked pass him along with her two subordinates. They watched the three walked down and entered the door leading to the classroom, their figures out of sight. With them gone, Kaito looked back to Neo.

“Neopolitan… can I just call you Neo?” (Kaito)

A shrug answered him.

“Then, Neo-san. I’m happy to welcome you to this school. I heard you arrived here from yesterday. They announced it on the school billboard, so I thought I come greet you like I’ve done with everyone in the school.” (Kaito)

She nodded back to him, intently watching him with her green eyes.

“I’ve been curious to find out who the mysterious fourth member of team CRME was. I assumed the last one’s name would start with R, but I guess not… Ozpin-sensei must be running out of ideas for color-coded names.” (Kaito)

The small joke earned him some playful giggles as Neo’s back twin tails shook lightly.

“Well, I’m no stranger to having team members arriving late due to circumstances. It took me some time to find Tanjiro-kun and Nepu-chan, for instance.” (Kaito)

Once he finished talking, Kaito knit his eyebrows together in a moment of confusion. Neo didn’t quite understand the reason behind it, so she ignored it in favor of inquiring for more information about the team.

“You wanna know about them? Tanjiro-kun is a really studious kid and has a really homely personality. Nepu-chan is a hyper girl who is both really confusing at times but surprisingly reliable. Minato-kun… those around him think he’s a handful, but when I’m around he becomes docile and obedient. I’m not sure why though.” (Kaito)

Neo opened her mouth as if she gasped and covered it with her fingers. The reaction made a frown appear on Kaito’s face.

“‘Are we more than friends?’ No way, that isn’t possible. We’re not like that nor are we inclined to that kind of stuff.” (Kaito)

Neo titled her head to the side with confusion reflected in her eyes. She placed her hands on her hips, the skirt of her gothic lolita outfit lightly swaying from her movements.

“The three of them have other business to attend to and aren’t with me currently. If you want to learn more about them, I suggest you speak with them directly.” (Kaito)

Neo let out a voiceless sigh, then cheered up to point a finger at him.

“What about me you ask? I guess I’m acutely aware of my surroundings and the thoughts people have directed to me that are close by. Basically, I’m sensitive to people’s emotions.” (Kaito)

Learning about his trait got Neo to pop her mouth open in a round circle in surprise.

“No, it’s not a semblance. It’s like an inborn trait I have that’s always been with me, but I wasn’t aware of it when I was young.” (Kaito)

As the conversation grew, so too did Neo’s growing interest in him. He made it apparent that it took little effort in his part to understand her intentions from just the tiniest hints and details given to him. From her gestures to the movements of her body, and the facial expressions she made, all of it available enabled him to read her like an open book. Noticing them was one thing, but to accurately interpret them with 100% success was a different matter.

“It’s like I said earlier, I’m a natural with understanding mute people. This goes the same for those who have difficulties expressing themselves straightforwardly.” (Kaito)

Now she understood how this man became so popular. From the little she interacted with him; he had this indiscernible aura exhibiting his feelings to the other party without reservation, making any exchange to be comfortable and genuine, as well as a keen perception ability to notice the tiniest worries that compelled others to confide in him, and speak under common grounds with just about anybody. His facial expressions also tell no lies, clear on the surface of his face were his unmasked emotions and thoughts.

A natural talker… and someone to be wary of. Because the more they talked, the likelihood of him noticing the little dark thoughts kept hidden deep in her heart was becoming more apparent. Neo had to be more careful in how she expressed herself to him.

“But how about you? Something you consider to be charming about yourself other than… you know.” (Kaito)

He gestured to his own neck. With a smile, Neo did a small twirl and struck a cute pose with a peace sign over one eye. After that, she pointed at herself.

“You like being praised for your efforts, gotcha. That makes you a lot cuter now that I’m aware.” (Kaito)

She giggled again from his accurate assessment and praise.

“I feel like the two of us will get along swimmingly. I hope to get know you better in the future, Neo-san.” (Kaito)

Likewise, Neo looked forward to that. Kaito held his hand out, and she reached for it.

When the two hands clasped each other, an unexpected reaction occurred.

Beginning from where they touched, jagged edges of pink polygonal shapes formed on the surface of Neo’s skin. They receded upwards on her arm and following behind the formation, the edges peeled off and scattered like broken glass.

Neo drew back her arm violently at the shocking turn of events.

“Neo-san, I still have much to speak with you.” (Kaito)

Kaito calmly said as Neo’s was engulfed in those pink polygonal shapes. Her whole body, encased in those jagged edges that broke off afterwards, changed in appearance.

Her hair was equal parts pink and brown with a white streak running down her bangs. Her outfit were matching in color and her eyes gained a heterochromatic brown and pale pink with fear reflected on their surface.

What just happened? When they touched, her semblance became null and her disguise scattered away, revealing her true appearance.

This was a really, really awful situation for Neo. Her cover was blown, and she needed to quickly escape and report back to Cinder.

Regaining her calm, Neo assessed the situation carefully and noted that Kaito was unperplexed by her transformation. Was it really just him being unfazed by her power, or did he know? How much did he know?

He hadn’t spoken yet, and his dull reaction made it difficult for her to predict his next words. She had a faint hope that he wouldn’t make much of a fuss, then later she would find out why her semblance deactivated.

“Huh… that appearance… aren’t you that woman who was fighting team RWBY a few days ago in Vale city?” (Kaito)

That sealed his fate. Unhesitatingly, Neo drew the sword from her cane and lunged at Kaito with it, plunging it straight through his chest.

“Hrgh!?” (Kaito)

Surprise crossed all over his face. He truly did not expect that Neo would take lethal action immediately and cut him down before he could react.

With a sickening slick sound, Neo retracted her sword from Kaito’s pierced heart, and he doubled over, clutching his chest as massive amounts of blood spilled from the open wound.

His face was losing its healthy sheen, and Kaito, pale-faced, looked up to Neo with the corner of his eye. Within his growingly hazy vision, he felt dread as his life was coming closer to an end.

Neo breathed a sigh she was holding and peered down to the dying body of Kaito’s. What a shame she thought, and they were getting along so well. Though she ended their budding friendship prematurely, Neo didn’t feel any regret being that she was currently on a covert mission. Thusly, she took measures to prevent her identity from being spread.

Though Kaito was a good man with a likeable personality, she knew ahead of time that his fate would’ve stayed the same once Cinder obtained the full power of the Fall Maiden and destroyed Beacon as planned. It merciful on her part to quickly finish him off early before he even got the chance to witness the tragedy.

She moved quickly to fix the mess she made and intended to use her semblance to hide his body out of sight, then fix her disguise and return to Cinder.

But before she could enact on it, Kaito’s mouth slowly moved. It wasn’t a wise decision to wait just to listen to his last dying words, but inexplicably, Neo wanted to just for Kaito’s sake. At least then, someone would remember them.

“Neo-san… I still have much to speak with you.” (Kaito)

Those smoothly spoken words didn’t belong to a dying man. And in an instant, the trajectory and perspective of the scene changed. Kaito stood again without a wound on him, and Neo’s sword was no longer brandished in her hands, but tucked neatly inside its cane scabbard.

“Huh… that appearance… aren’t you that woman who was fighting team RWBY a few days ago in Vale city?” (Kaito)

What was this? The scene was so mind-boggling, Neo couldn’t believe her eyes.

How? How was Kaito standing up again!? No, more importantly, his wound was gone, and she didn’t remember making any movements to put her sword back. Even the positions of their bodies changed, no, they reverted back to the past like a video rewinding to a previous scene.

Where was the blood? Why hadn’t Kaito noticed the oddity?

“You look pale… having your real appearance out in the open is that much of an issue, huh.” (Kaito)

Neo didn’t care what he had to say anymore. In a panic, she whipped her leg to his side, sending him flying to the wall.

“Gbuf!? … Neo-san, I still have much to speak with you.” (Kaito)

The scene replayed back to the moment after Kaito shook her hand. There he was, standing like nothing was out of place.

“…” (Neo)

“Huh… that appearance… aren’t you that woman who was fighting team RWBY a few days ago in Vale city?” (Kaito)

The strangeness was ramping up the fear in her heart. Clouded by it and not lending an ear to the other person, Neo booked it in the other direction, surprising Kaito with her hasty escape.

“Huh!? What’s wrong, was it something I said!? Neo-san, I still have much to speak with you.” (Kaito)

Like an undeniable concept, Neo found herself back to where she was, as if she never took a step away from where she stood.

In her still operating head, she conjectured that she was stuck in a loop. She couldn’t understand why it happened, but she was sure of herself that someone was responsible for it to occur.

“Huh… that appearance… aren’t you that woman who was fighting team RWBY a few days ago in Vale city?” (Kaito)

Sweat trickled down her cheek, and her skin was perspiring with beads of it spread around. Neo puled herself together and mentally compiled all the information she had. The only culprit in the vicinity was the man talking to her. Any action taken against him or getting away from him will trigger the reversal of events.

It’s time to test a few hypotheses.

Neo slashed his throat, rendering him unable to speak. Kaito grasped his cut throat and tried to form words but couldn’t. She wanted to know if the precedent condition was for him to repeat the same sentence she heard every time she looped back.

“Neo-san, I still have much to speak with you.” (Kaito)

Her relief was short-lived. Preventing him from speaking won’t stop it. The words followed were taken from a script, and the next test commenced.

Neo slashed her own hand, drawing her own blood. Her nerves flared up and pain coursed up her arm.

“Why did you do that, Neo-san!? Neo-san I still have much to speak with you.” (Kaito)

Maybe it wasn’t reality repeating the past, but her head stuck under an illusion. But injuring herself wasn’t enough to break out of her predicament.

Enough. Her composure was breaking, and her patience spent. In an act of desperation, Neo shoved him aside and rushed to the door to grab the attention of Cinder. With her magic, she might be able to break this unreality.

No sooner did she touch the door did she find herself back to square one. Fear evident on her face, she stared at the man reading his lines from a script.

“You don’t look well… How many times has this happened to you now?” (Kaito)

Her mental strength was no longer robust, so Neo didn’t expect the sudden weight burdening her body and her legs feeling like lead replaced her tendons. After falling headfirst on the floor, Kaito walked up to her prone body.

An ironic twist from their initial positions before the loop began.

“I was told to be rough with you, but I wasn’t sure how far I had to go. Sorry about scaring you so much, but I wanted to pick the method that would hurt the least.” (Kaito)

Neo no longer had half a mind to listen to his words. Mentally exhausted and feeling hopeless, she accepted her fate too easily… no, there was a deeper reason for that.

Neo couldn’t explain it, but for reasons beyond her grasp, she was being emotionally drained. Whether that’s because of what she experienced just now or something directly interfering with her emotions did not matter. She became apathetic of what’s happening, but she preferred it that way instead of being distressed at the hopelessness.

“Sleep tight, Neo-san. After you wake up, I’m sure Alyssa will give you an offer you can’t refuse. I would be happy if you took it and have a change of heart.” (Kaito)

Eyelids felt heavy, and his voice barely audible to her fading consciousness.

“Plesion.” (Kaito)

A heavy pressure struck her mind, like having her skull bashed by a speeding truck. Like the twinkling of the stars, Neo’s world went dark.

 

 

 

Afterword:

Underworld King: [Cracking her fists]

Lazy Heart: “Wow, that is some impressive magic Kay-chan’s got going for him.”

Serious-senpai: “Um……”

Airhead Goddess: [Creaking reality under the tempering pressure of her magic power]

Lazy Heart: “It should’ve been fairly obvious, but Kay-chan’s has crazy talent in mental interference and hallucination magic.”

Serious-senpai: “H-Hello?”

Mamakina: [Commands her army of billions of Eden models on standby]

Lazy Heart: "Another update, the author planned for this chapter to include a fight scene for me, TanTan, and Minty. But he noticed the wordcount already went above 4k, so he cut it short and changed the title as a result. The bullying remains the same at least."

Serious-senpai: “How are you this calm when the room is like this!?”

Transcendental Beauty: [Running calculations of a hundred billions of futures per second to find the future most painful for Neopolitan]

Lazy Heart: “……What do you want me to say…… It’s impossible for any of us to stop them. Doesn’t matter if what happened occurred in an illusion playing inside her head, the mere idea of Kay-chan getting harmed in fiction or reality is unforgiveable to them.”

Serious-senpai: “I’m too scared to move……hug me…… o（╥﹏╥）o”

Lazy Heart: “We’ll get through this together somehow…… o（╥﹏╥）o”