Into The Forest

Professor Ozpin's final words echo across the launch area: "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates... today."

Glynda continues without missing a beat: "These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well."

I position myself on the metallic platform, feeling the mechanism click beneath my boots as it recognizes my weight. Kali stands on the adjacent platform, amber eyes finding mine across the narrow gap. Her cat ears are perked forward with nervous anticipation, but she manages a small smile.

"That being said," Ozpin continues, "the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

Ruby's voice cuts through from several platforms over: "WHAT?!"

Ozpin either doesn't hear or chooses to ignore the outburst. "After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die."

The casual delivery of that last statement sends ripples through the assembled students. Several shift uncomfortably. Jaune looks like he might pass out.

"You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation," Glynda adds, adjusting her glasses. "But our instructors will not intervene."

"You will find an abandoned temple at the northern end of the path containing several relics," Ozpin explains, taking another sip of coffee. "Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

Jaune's hand shoots up. "Yeah, um, sir, I've got a question—"

The platform beneath him launches without warning, catapulting him into the air with a surprised scream that dopples away into distance. The other platforms begin firing in rapid succession— Weiss disappears with perfect form, Pyrrha follows gracefully, Nora with an enthusiastic whoop.

My platform's mechanism engages beneath me with a mechanical click and sudden compression. The spring releases.

The world blurs.

Wind tears past my face with immediate ****, glasses pressed tight against my nose by sheer velocity. My hair streams behind me— black strands with purple streaks whipping wildly. The cliff face drops away beneath me as I arc through crystal morning air, Emerald Forest spreading endlessly ahead in a carpet of dense green canopy.

My stomach lurches at the apex of the trajectory, that moment of weightlessness before gravity reasserts itself. Other students scatter across the sky around me like strange projectiles— Ruby transforms into rose petals mid-flight, shooting forward with her Semblance. Yang deploys Ember Celica and fires downward to adjust her trajectory. Weiss summons glyphs beneath herself, each one catching her descent in controlled stages.

I spot Kali, her trajectory parallel to mine. She twists in the air with feline grace, already calculating her landing strategy. Summer launched somewhere to my right, white and red outfit stark against the blue sky. Salem— Selene— falls with eerie calm, her amber eyes tracking the forest below.

The Team CoUGaR Power pulses through my awareness. Regardless of where I land or who I make eye contact with first, I'll end up partnered with these three women. The guarantee settles over me like certainty.

The forest canopy rushes up fast— individual trees becoming visible, then branches, then leaves. I have perhaps five seconds before impact. Shadow and Requiem rest ready in their holsters.

The Emerald Forest awaits below, ancient and full of Grimm.

My Psionic Mind reaches out instinctively as the forest canopy rushes up to meet me. The familiar sensation of my Semblance activating floods through my consciousness— invisible threads of telekinetic **** extending from my mind like phantom limbs. I grasp at my own body's momentum, feeling the resistance as I slow my descent from terminal velocity to something more manageable.

The first tree branch comes within reach. I vault off it with practiced grace, boots connecting solidly with ancient bark before I push off in a controlled arc. My battle leather flexes perfectly with the movement, purple and black a blur against green foliage. Shadow and Requiem rest secure in their holsters despite the acrobatic maneuver.

Another branch. Another vault. I descend through the canopy in a series of controlled bounces, telekinesis cushioning each impact just enough to prevent injury while my natural agility handles the rest. My long hair streams behind me, glasses remaining firmly in place through sheer skill and the snug fit.

The forest floor approaches rapidly— moss-covered stones, thick underbrush, patches of sunlight breaking through dense leaves overhead. I release one final telekinetic push against a low-hanging branch and land in a crouch, boots sinking slightly into soft earth. The impact sends a small shock through my legs but nothing I can't handle easily.

Silence settles around me immediately. No bird calls. No rustling leaves beyond what the wind creates. Just the vast, ancient quiet of Emerald Forest punctuated by distant sounds— crashes from other students landing less gracefully, a faint scream that might be Jaune, the crack of breaking branches.

I rise smoothly and use the stealth training my assassin mentor drilled into me. My breathing evens out. My footsteps become deliberate, testing each patch of ground before committing weight. Shadow and Requiem remain holstered but easily accessible.

I know with instinctual certainty that Kali and Summer will find each other somewhere in this forest. The guarantee is ironclad— they'll make eye contact, become partners, and eventually the four of us will form our predetermined team regardless of canonical rules.

Which means I need to seek Salem directly.

I move through the underbrush with practiced silence, keeping my movements fluid and controlled. The forest around me is ancient— trees easily centuries old with trunks wider than buildings, roots that create natural archways, clearings where sunlight pools in golden warmth. Beautiful, if I ignore the knowledge that Grimm lurk in these shadows.

I catch movement ahead through a gap in the trees. My hand moves instinctively toward Shadow's grip before I recognize the distinctive way the figure moves— deliberate, controlled, with an economy of motion that speaks to centuries of experience compressed into an eighteen-year-old body.

Salem.

She's perhaps fifty yards ahead, moving through a small clearing with her back to me. Her disguised form wears practical combat attire in blacks and deep reds, and even from this distance I can see the way she carries herself with that familiar confidence. She pauses mid-stride, head tilting slightly.

"You can stop hiding," she calls without turning around, voice carrying easily across the distance. "I felt you land. Quite graceful, actually."

I step into the clearing, abandoning stealth now that it's pointless. Salem turns to face me, and even with the amber contact lenses hiding her true red eyes, her smile carries that ancient amusement I've come to recognize.

"Seeking me out specifically?" she asks, moving closer with unhurried steps. "How flattering. Though I suppose we are meant to be teammates now, aren't we? Thanks to your... creative use of that reality-altering power."

She stops perhaps ten feet away, head tilted in genuine curiosity. "So. What now, Synn? Do we simply wait for Kali and Summer to find each other and join us? Or did you have something else in mind?"

I gesture northward through the trees, where the forest grows denser and the canopy blocks more of the morning sunlight. "We should head toward the temple. Stick together in case we run into Grimm."

Salem's amber eyes study me for a long moment, and I catch the flicker of amusement playing at the corners of her mouth. She moves closer with those deliberate, unhurried steps— each footfall placed with the precision of someone who's walked countless battlefields across centuries of existence.

"How practical," she says, her voice carrying that familiar layered quality even through the younger vocal cords. "Though I suspect you have more interesting reasons for seeking me out first than simple tactical efficiency." She stops perhaps five feet away now, close enough that I can see the contact lenses clearly— amber covering the red and black beneath. "After all, you knew the guarantee would pair Kali and Summer regardless."

I don't deny it. There's little point in trying to hide things from someone who's lived as long as she has, who understands manipulation as intimately as breathing.

Salem tilts her head, studying me with open curiosity. "I felt the others land— Summer's elegant descent, Kali's feline grace. They'll find each other within the next ten or fifteen minutes if your little reality-alteration is as reliable as everything else you've demonstrated." She takes another step closer, and despite the teenage body, the presence behind those eyes is ancient and calculating. "Which means we have time before we need to perform our role as eager students retrieving relics."

She reaches out and traces one finger along the edge of Shadow's holster at my hip, the touch light but deliberate. "You used your telekinesis beautifully during the landing. Controlled, efficient, graceful. And now you're here, alone with me in this forest full of Grimm and hidden places."

Her hand moves from my weapon to rest against my chest, feeling my heartbeat through the battle leather. "So tell me, Synn— what did you really want? A private conversation? Another demonstration of the power dynamic we explored so thoroughly in that conference room yesterday?" Her smile widens slightly, showing teeth. "Or perhaps you simply wanted to ensure I understood my place in your growing collection before we officially become teammates?"

The forest around us remains quiet except for distant sounds— other students crashing through underbrush, the faint roar of what might be an Ursa somewhere to the east, bird calls that sound slightly wrong in ways that suggest Grimm presence rather than actual wildlife.

Salem waits for my answer, her hand still pressed against my chest, her expression equal parts challenge and genuine interest. Despite the disguise, she radiates that same dangerous fascination I've come to associate with her— the sense that she's playing a game whose rules only she fully understands, and finding my moves delightfully unpredictable.

"We should move soon," she adds after a moment, glancing toward the northern treeline. "The temple is perhaps twenty minutes away at a reasonable pace, and I'd prefer not to encounter any of the larger Grimm specimens before we've properly coordinated our approach." Her gaze returns to me. "But I'm willing to be... delayed... if you have something specific in mind."

I close the distance between myself and Salem in two deliberate strides, my boots crushing moss and dead leaves beneath them. Her eyes widen fractionally— the only sign of surprise before I reach her.

My hand moves to her throat, fingers curling around the side of her neck with firm pressure. Not ****, but commanding. The ancient being wearing an eighteen-year-old's body goes perfectly still beneath my touch, and I feel her pulse hammering against my palm despite her outward composure.

"I sought you out," I say quietly, my voice pitched low enough that only she can hear, "because I didn't want you paired with the others before solidifying my bond with Summer."

Salem's breath catches. Her lips part slightly, and beneath the amber contacts I see her pupils dilate. "Oh," she breathes, and the single syllable carries layers of understanding. "How... thorough of you."

I lean in, my other hand sliding to the small of her back and pulling her body flush against mine. The leather presses against her combat attire, purple and black meeting black and red. I can feel the subtle tremor that runs through her— not fear, never fear from someone like Salem, but something rawer. Anticipation mixed with that dangerous fascination she always shows when I demonstrate power over her.

"You understand what I'm building," I murmur against her ear, letting my breath ghost across her skin. "A harem of the most powerful women on Remnant. But there's a hierarchy even in that. Summer is mine first. Genuinely mine. Not through corruption, not through games, but through trust."

Salem's hands come up to rest against my chest, fingers curling into the leather. "And where do I fall in this hierarchy?" Her voice has taken on that breathy quality I've learned to recognize— the one that appears when she's genuinely aroused rather than merely playing along.

"You're complicated," I tell her honestly, pulling back just enough to meet her eyes. "You agreed to help me corrupt the others. That makes you... an ally. A partner in this endeavor. But you're also mine to fuck when I choose. That conference room yesterday made that clear."

Her lips curve into a smile that's equal parts amused and hungry. "Did it? How presumptuous." But her hips press forward against mine, betraying the words. "Though I suppose I did agree to assist with your delightfully ambitious plans."

I tighten my grip on her throat fractionally, just enough to feel her swallow beneath my fingers. "The guarantee will bring all four of us together as a team. But right now, in this moment, I need you to understand— Summer comes first. Kali is already mine. You and Cinder are the complicated ones."

"Mm," Salem hums, and I feel the vibration against my palm. "So this is you establishing a pecking order. How deliciously crude." Her hands slide up to my shoulders. "And what happens if I object to being ranked below a silver-eyed optimist?"

I pull her into a kiss rather than answering verbally. It's brief, dominant, claiming— my tongue pushing past her lips for just a moment before I bite down lightly on her lower lip and pull away. Salem's breath comes faster, her cheeks flushed beneath the pale skin.

"You won't object," I tell her with certainty. "Because you find this arousing. The idea of being part of my collection, of helping me corrupt and claim the others while knowing you're one of the tools I'm using. It appeals to that ancient, twisted part of you."

Salem laughs, the sound low and rich. "You're not wrong." She reaches up and traces one finger along my jaw. "Very well. Summer first and I'm the complicated wildcard who helps you ensnare the rest. Though I reserve the right to be... difficult about it. Where would the fun be otherwise?"

I release her throat and step back, adjusting Shadow and Requiem at my hips. "We should move. The temple is twenty minutes north, and I want to be there when Summer and Kali arrive after partnering."

Salem takes a moment to compose herself, smoothing down her combat attire with deliberate movements. "Lead the way then, my ambitious little reality-warper. Let's go retrieve whatever trinket Ozpin has hidden for us."

She falls into step beside me as I begin moving through the forest, her presence radiating that dangerous mix of submission and retained agency that makes her so intoxicating. The morning sunlight filters through ancient trees as we head north, and in the distance I can hear the sounds of other students encountering Grimm.

My Psionic Mind remains alert, ready to communicate with Summer or Kali if needed, while beside me Salem walks with the quiet confidence of someone who's seen millennia pass and found my dominance display delightfully novel.