Seth and his team watched intently as Pyrrha completely wiped the floor with Team CRDL... by herself.

Cardin was the last to fall, and groaned as he fell on his side.

"Alright, I know that was a tough act to follow, but we have time for one more sparring match. Any volunteers?" Glynda asked the class from the elevated stands.

"Miss Belladonna?" Glynda asked, Blake snapping her head up from her book. "You've been rather docile for the past few classes. Why don't you—" Glynda suggested, but was cut off by the familiar mug of the boy Seth ran into two weeks ago.

"I'll do it." He declared.

"Mercury, is it?" Glynda recalled. "Very well, let's find you an opponent." Glynda said going back to the tablet at hand.

"Actually. I wanna fight..." Mercury began, shifting his gaze to a familiar black haired boy in a red cap. "Him." He said with a mischievous grin.

"Mr. Evans, hm? I hear he has recently unlocked his Semblance as well. I wish to see this for myself." Glynda added, making Seth squint his eyes into space. "Very well, Mr. Black, your opponent will be Mr. Evans." Glynda announced.

"Woah... good luck." Kaitlyn said with a smirk. "Nah, he's got this. Go get 'em!" Laura cheered. "Do well." Maia shrugged.

'I hate this place.' Seth declared as he stood up.

•

Mercury began circling Seth as the two stood in the arena.

Seth wasn't very enthusiastic about the battle, and Mercury took slight offense to that.

"Just saying, this may be a bit of payback for the shove." Mercury joked."I'm the one that fell, man..." Seth whined, before watching Mercury run at him.

Everyone expected a reaction out of Seth, but they watched as Mercury sent a roundhouse kick to Seth's jaw, fully connecting with it and earning a crunch that made everyone wince and gag.

Despite the devastating blow, Seth stood their, and his lips curled into a smirk.

Seth spun his sword out, and placed it behind Mercury's back, grabbing it with the other hand as well, before lifting his foot skyward and slamming it down— sending Mercury to the floor coughing up saliva, and setting the crowd in awe.

Bait, Tank, Fire. Was what Seth had come up with for close-quarters-combat opponents. Why try to beat the at a ranged game when their more vulnerable up close.

Mercury attempted to sweep Seth's leg, but the increased weight from Burden made this impossible, so he instead spun on his back and flipped away.

'How the hell is he that sturdy when he looks like... a twig?' Mercury wondered in disbelief.

Mercury stood still making Seth realize what he wanted.

'I feel I'm being severely underestimated.' Seth thought with a frown.

With a burst of luminous grey energy, Seth's wings sprouted, and he disappeared with a blur.

Mercury watched the pitch black sheath fly at him from his side, and he dodged back with a light gasp. Seth kept up the momentum with a jerk backward, and spun Burden around violently— the whir of cutting wind heard throughout the arena as he continuously slashed at the fleeing 'kick-boxer.'

Luckily for Mercury, Seth's wings were currently on a cooldown, since it took up most of his energy and a bit of his Aura to activate completely.

Seth slid to a stop back at where he started, and Mercury smiled and ran at him.

Seth looked up and blocked a straight kick, siding back a few feet before clashing with Mercury's foot with another kick. Mercury threw his leg around with another roundhouse, but Seth ducked and pushed his leg higher to make him slip.

His mistake, as Mercury hopped on his hands and brought up his other foot, kicking Seth in the jaw again as he flipped upward.

Using the shotguns in his boots, Mercury spun around with a blast and sent a kick at Seth's dazed head.

With almost no time to dodge, Seth defied these odds and leaned his head back, his chin being grazed again as Mercury's foot flew by.

Mercury landed on that same foot, and lifted the other up high as he turned on his feel, sending an axe kick down at him.

Seth blocked with Burden and easily spun around him, his sword jabbing into Mercury's back. Mercury coughed from the hit, and watched Seth appear at his side, slamming his weighted sheath into his legs, and taking him off his feet.

Seth jumped into the air as Mercury fell, and went to slam his sword into him with the additional weight, leading to a heavy blow.

Mercury had no time to dodge or protect himself fully, and activated his Aura, tanking the blow as he flew back and rolled away, sliding onto his knees.

He looked up and saw Seth nearing him already, and said two words.

"I forfeit." He exclaimed.

Seth changed trajectory mid-lunge and stabbed his sword into the wall of the arena, with a "Gah!", surprised by the sudden quit.

"Wha... Fine by me." Seth said with a shrug, happy to take a win as his first official battle with his semblance.

"That being said, Seth Evans is the victor of the match." Glynda announced, the two banners on screen labeling as such. "It seems you were overwhelmed, Mr. Black. Next time you may want to choose your opponent more wisely." Glynda scolded, disappointment in her tone.

"I'll be sure to do that." Mercury said walking away, only a small smile on his face in comparison to his previous sneaky grin.

"Congratulations, Seth. You've come a long way since initiation, with getting your Aura, and unlocking your Semblance. I'm sure you'll have no trouble qualifying in the Vytal Festival." Glynda praised. "Thank you, ma'am." Seth said with a nod.

The bell rang, and Seth stretched his back and rubbed his jaw and Glynda began to give her last regards.

"That is all for today. And remember, the dance is this weekend, but you all have your first mission on Monday. I will not accept any excuses!" She announced.

•

"No offense, didn't think you'd overwhelm one of the best from Haven. Apparently the guy put up a fight against Pyrrha." Kaitlyn said lying on her bed.

"I must say, I am impressed." Maia commented.

"You guys are so lame! He finally kicked some ass— this calls for celebration!" Laura shouted with a fist pump.

"Like what?" Kaitlyn asked. "Dunno. But he finally beat someone, so we've gotta to something." Laura shrugged. "The dance isn't really personal, so that doesn't work. And I don't know how you all feel about going out to eat." She continued with hum.

"...I don't think me beating someone with a stick requires celebration." Seth butt in.

"Of course it does. Winning mutual assault is amazing." Laura said with a smirk. "Says the one on the same level as Pyrrha. You've never lost match." Seth retorted. "So what. If we're being completely honest, with your Semblance, you may just overwhelm everyone..." Laura exclaimed.

"What?" Kaitlyn asked in confusion.

"Think about it. His weird ass sword holds power, and already amplified his speed, right? So with the additional speed— to add to his power, using science or whatever... he's technically strong and fast enough to take out people in the blink of an eye." Laura explained, making Kaitlyn slowly nod in agreement.

"Then there comes other people's semblance. Specifically, Pyrrha's comes to mind. Polarity, would make all efforts wasted when she flings you off path." Maia reasoned.

"But, only my zipper is metal..." Seth stated.

"Your sword... isn't metal?" Laura asked in disbelief. "No. I actually asked Pyrrha to hand me my sword once... I noticed she couldn't bring it to her— albeit she doesn't know that I saw." Seth said, but quickly corrected himself.

"Actually... a more logical viewpoint, is that her polarity has a weight-limit just like anybody else. My sword can get up to hundreds of tons, and is it really farfetched for her not to be able to lift that?" Seth asked.

"That certainly makes more sense than whatever you said before." Maia shrugged.

•

"Pyrrha Nikos." Emerald listed.

"Ah, the invincible girl." Cinder Fall, her teammate responded. "She's smart, but I wouldn't say invincible." Mercury commented, lying on his back and reading a comic book. "Do tell." Cinder sung with curiosity.

"Her Semblance is Polarity, but you'd never know just by watching." Emerald informed. "After she made contact with my boots, she was able to move them around how ever she wanted. But she only made slight adjustments." Mercury added.

"Just enough to make it look like she's untouchable. She doesn't broadcast her power, so it puts her opponents at a disadvantage." Emerald finalized.

"Hmm... People assume she's fated for victory... When she's really taken fate into her own hands. Interesting. Add her to the list." Cinder ordered, and Emerald did as asked.

"Finally, the more surprising of the bunch at Beacon. Seth Evans." Emerald said with a smirk, glancing at Mercury.

"Alright, alright... I'll admit it— he kinda kicked my ass. He ate two kicks to the chin and didn't move— it felt like I was kicking a tank." Mercury sighed, thinking back to his 'defeat.'

"But on top of that, his newly formed Semblance is two sets of bug-like wings. They're said to be a dragonfly's or something." Emerald added. "He was fast. Like, you couldn't really see him fast. Be could change directions without losing momentum, and eventually grew even faster to the point where all I could see was him appear before me." Mercury described.

"Hm... I may want to see this for myself. Such speed isn't natural. To become a blur is nearly impossible with just a set of wings." Cinder commented.

"But that's another thing, how is he moving so fast when he's that heavy? I tried to sweep his legs, and mine were the ones who moved! How can he fly being that heavy?" Mercury wondered.

"Look into this. He may become a problem, but if he's easily exploitable, then we may not need to add him to the list." Cinder ordered, earning two nods.

~•~

"Seth, what the hell are you wearing?" Yang asked standing at podium near the ballroom's entrance.

"Clothes." Seth said wearing his gear.

"He refused to let me buy him even a dress shirt and tie." Maia commented, walking by.

"Eh, he's fine either way." Laura said with a wave. Though, she too was wearing something more casual. A black dress under a brown leather jacket, with fur on the inside.

"Why is she the only one who came in actual prom attire?" Yang asked pointing to Kaitlyn.

Kaitlyn was in a black dress, slit on the side and showing her thigh and left leg, the dress going up to her neck and revealing a bit of inner side-breast.

"Well, to be fair, none of them have been to one." Kaitlyn replied. "Yup. Loser, here." Seth shrugged with a smile. "They're lame. But the team's here so, eh." Laura shrugged.

"Ugh. You didn't even try when you have three girls on your team. Just scream you're a virgin..." Yang joked.

Seth inhaled as if preparing to shout, but Yang quickly ran over and covered his mouth.

•

Seth watched as everyone waltzed, the music playing being more on the classical side.

Beside him, Laura continued to pour punch after each massive gulp of her cup, making the staff have to refill it much more often than anticipated.

"Ugh... it's not even spiked." She complained as the bowl was taken for another refill.

"Are you even of age?" Seth asked. "Are you?" She asked back. "Touché." Seth 'answered.'

"Anyway, you bored enough yet?" Laura asked with a smile. "Always have been. I'm not a dancer, and I was way too scared to ask you." Seth said standing up.

Laura did the same, and instead of walking to the dance floor like she thought he would, he headed straight for the doors leading outside.

"Even better." She mumbled.

•

"Sheesh... just being around that atmosphere is too much for me." Seth sighed, taking a seat on the steps just before the outside entrance.

"For me, it's more or so I don't know how to dance." Laura replied taking the seat next to him.

"Same, but I'd be willing to embarrass myself." Seth smiled. "Who said I wouldn't be?" Laura asked in annoyance. "Then go ahead." Seth gestured to the dance floor. "Nope. If I am, you have to." Laura scoffed, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, no thanks. Not that I wouldn't dance with you or... any... thing..." Seth trailed off and stood up.

"Go tell Ozpin there's an intruder." Seth said with a glare.

"What? Wher—" Went to ask, but Seth threw off his blue coat, red hat, and ran away, his nimbleness carrying him further.

Laura looked back and forth between him and the party, and groaned as she ran back inside.

•

Seth leapt over the dorms with a grunt, and rolled to his feet, looking up at the large CCT placed within Beacon.

At the foot of the steps to the tower, an Atlesian soldier was unconscious in a bush, making Seth grip his sword tighter and run for the doors.

•

"A party guest is leaving." Emerald informed Cinder through an ear piece.

Cinder was busy typing away on the main terminal on the top floor, hacking into the system.

"Which one?" She asked with a sigh. "Ironwood... and his daughter." Emerald informed, but she and Mercury, who were dancing, grew wide-eyed as Laura ran up to the parting Ironwoods and Ozpin.

"Shit. You've gotta get out of there." Mercury warned.

"Why? I'm almost done." Cinder said in confusion. The two watched as Ozpin, Ironwood, and Maia began to look towards the CCT, and that sealed the deal. "They know someone's there." Emerald informed.

Cinder scoffed, but soon smiled as every screen on the top floor glowed white, with a Black Queen piece on it.

"Then, I take my leave. We're done here." Cinder said standing up, but she heard the small lift of the elevator reach her floor.

She grew a bit anxious as it stopped, but watched as no one was came out when it opened. She sighed in relief, and opted to take the window as her exit.

Just as she reached the window, she felt a gust of wind and glass shatter, with a familiar black haired boy right in her face.

"Should've took the stairs!" He cried tackling her back inside.

Seth knew not to use the elevator and announce his presence. So, using a clever move as the elevator as bait, so when she went down, reinforcements would meet her. While he would challenger her from the only other escape route.

Seth and Cinder flew into a terminal and crashed off of it and to the floor.

Cinder flipped up immediately and glared at the boy with wings on his back, the sword in his hand darker than night.

'Seth Evans... we meet sooner than expected.' Cinder thought with a frown.

"Queen pieces...?" Seth questioned out loud, making Cinder grow serious, and her expression darken.

'But you need to die.' She declared realizing he already knew too much.

She took out a vial of red dust, and swiped it into the air. With a flick of her hand, it flew at Seth in the form of glass.

With ease, Seth dodged the projectiles that neared him, hopping up and disappearing with a boom.

Cinder tried to find him, but losing his coat and hat made him almost blend in with the dark. The illumination of the screens around them just barely bounced off his eyes, just as he was about to slash at her side.

Cinder spun out of the way and tried to kick him away, but with no loss of momentum, Seth flew back and charged at her again.

He slammed his sword into her thigh, and flipped over her, before thrusting his sword back into her lower back. She held in the urge to cough and growled lightly, realizing just how right Mercury and Emerald were. Even Seth began to wonder if he was becoming stronger...

He fluttered around again, darting at irregular angles as she attempted to find him, and he opted for the upward approach.

Using his bracelet for the first time, Cinder watched a bolt of lighting crash just at her feet, and saw it was his sword. She looked up again, but couldn't find the source of the throw.

Upon instinct, she jumped up in time as Seth tried to sweep her legs, but she suddenly heard a boom and he was above her, sword in hand ready to slam it into her head.

In a last ditch effort, she ignited the dust in a vial at her side, and it exploded, sending both in opposite directions just as the elevator began rising up again.

The explosion took out all of Cinder's Aura, and left Seth with little to none, but enough for his wings to exist weakly.

In a daze and on his back, sprawled against the wall, he watched Cinder limp over to the window again, her Aura flickering as it slowly regenerated.

"Get back here..." He shouted weakly. She ignored him, and stepped onto the open window, and crouched down to leap out. "Get back here, damnit!" Seth yelled with more vigor.

The elevator doors opened, and Ironwood, Maia, and Laura, with two Atlesian soldiers watched Seth use the last of his Aura to burst toward and tackle Cinder out of the window.

The two went barreling down towards the roof of the dorms since Seth could no longer activate his wings.

The two crashed and rolled along the rooftop, but Cinder used the last of her strength to kick him off, sending him spiraling off the roof and down below.

Cinder grunted and use what little Aura she saved to heal her flesh wounds, and dashed away with anger, disappearing into the night.

•

Seth was lying weakly on his side, not foreign to the beating he took while being so reckless. He was barely conscious, and definitely had another concussion, bruises forming all over his back and arms.

Laura was the first to spot him, and dashed over quickly as did the others after seeing her sprint.

Ironwood crouched down and watched Seth close his eyes, touching his neck to find out he was only unconscious.