This will be a long chapter since this is the end of volume 1
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Torchwick's grin flickered back, strained but defiant. "H-heh... you think... catching me changes anything?" He spat blood onto the rooftop. "You don't have the faintest clue who you're really up against, kid."
But for the first time, there was no escape. The Bullhead roared overhead, engines straining as White Fang scrambled toward it, but Torchwick was still on the ground, trapped under Hyunwoo's weapon.
Hyunwoo pressed the spear firmer against his chest, voice cutting cold through the night air.
"I know enough."
His aura surged, wrapping the spearhead in a sharp gleam of light. With one swift motion, Hyunwoo struck the butt of his spear against Torchwick's temple. The criminal's eyes rolled back and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious at last.
The rooftop fell into a brief, eerie quiet—only the hum of the Bullhead's engines fading into the distance and the ragged breaths of fighters all around. Team NOVA regrouped quickly, weapons drawn but steady, the White Fang already scattering. Blake stood nearby, torn between relief and guilt, while Sun hovered protectively at her side.
Before Hyunwoo could speak, heavy footsteps echoed across the rooftop.
"Hyunwoo?!" a familiar voice gasped.
Hyunwoo turned just as four figures appeared at the edge of the roof. Ruby, eyes wide, her scythe half-raised. Yang and Weiss at her sides—Yang tense and ready to jump in, Weiss pale but sharp-eyed. And behind them, an unfamiliar girl with bright orange hair and an eager, almost childlike smile that looked strangely out of place in the aftermath of a fight.
Ruby's voice cracked slightly as she took in the scene.
"Hyunwoo...? Y-you actually caught him?"
The night's tension hung in the air, heavy as steel, as both teams—RWBY and NOVA—stood facing each other, Torchwick's unconscious body lying between them.
Hyunwoo wiped the dust from his cheek, resting the butt of his spear against the rooftop. His eyes flicked to Ruby, who was standing there wide-eyed, Weiss and Yang just behind her.
"Hey, Ruby," Hyunwoo said evenly, though there was a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I found Blake for you."
Ruby blinked, her silver eyes darting from him to Blake, then to the unconscious redheaded man sprawled at Hyunwoo's feet.
"W-wait... what are you doing here? And—hold on, isn't that... Roman Torchwick!?"
Hyunwoo shrugged lightly, as if the whole thing was less dramatic than it looked.
"Well, that part you can ask Blake for clarification. You wanted to talk to her, right?" He gave Ruby a small nod before turning his gaze toward the quiet, orange-haired girl standing beside them. Her wide green eyes sparkled with a kind of innocent energy, but she looked completely out of place in this tense scene.
Hyunwoo's tone softened, curious but cautious.
"And you are?"
The girl stepped forward almost mechanically, her hands clasped neatly in front of her.
"My name is Penny! It's very nice to meet you, Hyunwoo."
Her cheerfulness clashed with the tension of the rooftop, but Ruby still looked torn between the excitement of Penny's presence and the gravity of seeing Roman unconscious. Weiss narrowed her eyes, arms crossed, while Yang muttered something under her breath about how insane this night was turning out to be.
Blake, silent until now, lowered her head. "Hyunwoo... you didn't have to get involved."
Hyunwoo didn't answer her right away—his gaze lingered on Ruby instead, as if reminding her that the conversation she needed to have was far more important than anything else tonight.
Ruby stepped closer to Blake, her expression caught somewhere between relief and hurt.
"Blake... why did you run off? We've been worried sick!"
Blake's amber eyes flickered with guilt. "Because I didn't want you to carry my burden. The White Fang, my past—it was my choice to walk away. But you..." Her voice trailed off, shame weighing heavy.
Ruby shook her head, tears welling but refusing to fall. "We're a team. You don't get to just vanish and leave us behind. You're not alone, Blake... not anymore."
Hyunwoo let the silence hang a little, watching Ruby carefully. He caught the fire in her words—the same fire he'd seen when sparring with her days before. Stronger than she thought. Maybe strong enough for what was coming.
He finally broke the silence with a dry chuckle.
"Well, that's settled. She's back, Torchwick's out cold, and you guys get to have the heart-to-heart. Efficient night, don't you think?"
Ruby turned toward him, lips parting as if to respond—but before she could,
a sharp gust of wind swept across the rooftop. Dust swirled, and in the blink of an eye, Glynda Goodwitch landed among them with her riding crop in hand, her eyes immediately locking on the unconscious Roman Torchwick at Hyunwoo's feet.
Her expression was composed, but her voice carried a note of genuine surprise.
"...I didn't expect you to successfully catch him."
Hyunwoo straightened, his spear lowering but still braced against the ground. His face held none of Torchwick's theatrics—just calm, steady focus.
"And I bet Ozpin thinks the same, since she sent you here" he replied evenly, glancing at her before nudging Torchwick's limp form with his boot. "But here he is. Which means this isn't something we can brush aside anymore."
He slung the spear back onto his shoulder, his tone sharpening as if his words were meant for more than just Glynda.
"Let me talk to Ozpin again. I know he already suspects, but this... this is proof that shouldn't be ignored."
His eyes locked into Glynda, the silent is too loud for the night.
Weiss was the first to speak, her eyes darting from the bound Torchwick to Hyunwoo. "I... I can't believe it. He's been slipping through the cracks for months, and you just—" she gestured sharply, "—knocked him out like it was nothing."
Yang smirked, though her tone carried curiosity more than humor. "Guess the cool guy's full of surprises. Remind me not to get on your bad side."
Sun, who had been standing near Blake, tilted his head with a grin. "So... Team NOVA, huh? You Beacon kids are a lot more intense than I expected."
Jaemin, leaning casually on his tonfa-glaive, shrugged. "That's what happens when you follow Hyunwoo around."
Jiwon didn't add anything, though his sharp gaze lingered on Torchwick as if weighing how much more he should've been told. Jisoo simply crossed her arms, tapping her foot, quiet but thoughtful.
Ruby's attention, however, was still on Blake. She gave a small, shaky smile. "You're coming back with us, right? No more disappearing?"
Blake nodded slowly. "...No more running."
Before anyone could say more, Glynda cleared her throat, and the weight of the moment shifted instantly. Her eyes fell on Hyunwoo again. "Come with me. Headmaster agree to meet."
Hyunwoo gave one last glance to his team. "You guys go ahead . Make sure Blake gets back safely." His tone left little room for argument.
Ruby opened her mouth, as if to stop him, but the words never came.
_____
moments later inside the tall, glass-walled office high above Beacon.
Ozpin sat behind his desk, steam curling lazily from a fresh cup of coffee. He didn't look surprised. In fact, his calm, tired eyes lifted almost as though he had been waiting for them.
Hyunwoo stepped forward, jaw set. "You know why we're here."
Hyunwoo didn't waste a second after appearing in the Headmaster's office. His shadow cutting across the polished floor, and fixed his gaze on the man behind the desk.
"Isn't this the right time for you to move?" His voice carried no hesitation, only a cold weight.
"The White Fang—an organization built on hatred of humans—are suddenly working with Roman Torchwick? If that doesn't make you suspicious, then what does?"
For a moment, only the faint ticking of the gears in the clocktower above filled the silence. Ozpin lifted his cup of coffee, blowing on the surface as though Hyunwoo's words weren't a knife cutting into the room.
"You are... perceptive," Ozpin said at last, his tone calm, almost weary. "Few would notice the contradiction so quickly. Fewer still would act on it without hesitation."
Hyunwoo clenched his fist. "I don't need compliments. I need the truth. Someone is pulling strings—and you know more than you're letting on."
Glynda's eyes flicked from Hyunwoo to Ozpin, clearly uneasy with how boldly the student spoke. But Ozpin only set his cup down, fingers steepled together as he studied Hyunwoo carefully.
"You are not wrong," Ozpin said slowly. "The partnership between Torchwick and the White Fang is... unnatural. Which means there are larger forces at play. Forces I suspect you've already begun to sense."
Hyunwoo's expression darkened. He thought of his training, of the looming future he half-remembered from his past life—the disasters waiting to unfold.
"This isn't something you can keep us in the dark about," Hyunwoo said firmly. "If you hesitate any longer, people will die."
Ozpin leaned back, a faint shadow crossing his face. "And if I move too soon... more lives will be lost than you can possibly imagine."
The two locked eyes, the air heavy with unspoken tension.
The Headmaster's office smelled faintly of coffee and polished wood. The great gears behind the glass walls ticked away softly, a reminder that even here, time never stopped. Hyunwoo stood before Ozpin's desk, shoulders squared, his reflection caught faintly in the polished surface.
"Then let me handle most of it," he said at last, his voice low but steady.
"I've already caught Torchwick once, exposed the White Fang for what they're becoming. That makes me a target. Sooner or later, they'll come for me." His hand pressed against the desk, knuckles white.
"When that happens, I don't want hesitation. I want your support."
The words hung in the room.
Ozpin didn't answer right away. He leaned back in his chair, fingers resting lightly around the rim of his mug. His eyes—calm, ancient, calculating—studied Hyunwoo as though peering past the surface, searching for cracks in his resolve.
"You speak," Ozpin said finally, his voice quiet, "as though you've already chosen to bear a burden most men spend their lives avoiding."
He set the mug down gently, the porcelain tapping against the desk.
"Responsibility weighs heavier than any blade. Even the strongest falter under its grind."
Hyunwoo felt the words press against him, testing his conviction. But the fire in his chest only grew hotter. "I'm not asking to be sheltered," he replied sharply. "I'm asking for trust. If something bigger is moving behind the White Fang, standing still means waiting to be crushed. I won't do that. Not again."
There was no tremor in his voice. No doubt.
The silence that followed stretched, punctuated only by the ticking of gears. At last, Ozpin exhaled, the faintest sigh escaping his lips as if conceding something to the boy before him.
"Very well," he said. His tone carried both warning and reluctant approval. "Do what you must. But remember this—when the storm comes, you will not be standing alone. Not unless you choose to."
Hyunwoo gave a short nod, turned, and walked for the door. That was all he needed to hear.
The heavy door closed behind him with a muted thud, leaving Glynda standing near the desk, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. She watched the space Hyunwoo had occupied with a furrowed brow.
"Ozpin," she said, her voice low, "are you certain about this? Trusting him with something this dangerous?"
Ozpin's gaze lingered on the dark surface of his coffee. For a long moment he didn't speak, the gears turning slowly behind the glass like a clock winding toward some inevitable moment. Finally, he said, almost to himself:
"No. But sometimes we do not choose who carries the flame." His eyes narrowed faintly. "The flame chooses them."
____
On the other side
The room was dim, lit only by the orange glow of candles arranged in neat, deliberate patterns. Cinder sat poised in her chair, one leg crossed over the other, a glass of red wine untouched in her hand. Emerald lingered by her side, watchful, while Mercury leaned lazily against the wall with a smirk that never quite reached his eyes.
The silence was broken by the sudden hiss of the door sliding open. A pair of White Fang operatives stepped inside, their uniforms dusty, their masks cracked from battle. One of them dropped to a knee immediately, the other followed suit, their voices strained.
"Forgive us... Lady Cinder. The operation at the port... it failed."
Cinder's crimson eyes flicked toward them, the faintest twitch of irritation breaking her otherwise calm mask. She set the glass down with deliberate slowness.
"Failed," she repeated, her tone smooth but sharp enough to cut. "That's not the word I wanted to hear."
The White Fang soldier swallowed hard. "Roman Torchwick... was captured. A group of Beacon students—hunters in training—interfered. They overwhelmed our forces before we could extract the shipment."
For a moment, the only sound in the room was the faint crackle of candle flames. Emerald shifted uncomfortably, while Mercury chuckled under his breath.
The White Fang operative flinched, bowing his head lower. "We didn't anticipate their strength... there was a boy among them, unusual—he pushed Torchwick back himself. We couldn't—"
"Enough."
Cinder's voice snapped like a whip, silencing them instantly. She rose gracefully from her seat, heels clicking against the stone floor. Her smile was faint, cold, and beautiful in a way that made the air feel heavier.
"So," she mused, turning toward the window, gazing out at Vale's skyline. "Roman is in custody. That complicates things... but it also tells us something."
Emerald tilted her head, cautious. "That they're stronger than we thought?"
"That," Cinder agreed softly, "and that there's someone... moving against us sooner than expected. Someone bold enough to interfere." Her eyes narrowed, remembering the mentioned the White Fang muttered under their breath.
"Captured?" Mercury drawled, his tone dripping with mockery. "You mean the big-shot thief who couldn't stop bragging about himself? Caught by Beacon brats?"
The second White Fang soldier bowed lower, his voice trembling. "Yes... students. Four of them—no, more. They fought with precision, like a trained unit. We couldn't hold them off. There was one in particular..."
Cinder's eyes narrowed slightly, a faint glimmer of interest sparking in the red depths. She rose slowly from her seat, heels clicking against the floor as she moved closer.
"One in particular?" she asked, her tone measured, quiet, and dangerous. "Describe him."
The soldier hesitated. "He was... young. Black hair. His aura—strong, unnaturally so for a student. He wielded a weapon—a long spear, green in color. His strikes were relentless, like he'd done this a hundred times before."
Cinder froze mid-step. The soldier, unaware, continued rambling, desperate to fill the silence.
"He moved differently from the others... not reckless, not clumsy. It was precise. Almost... like he wasn't new to battle at all."
Emerald glanced at Cinder, noticing the way her lips pressed into a thin line. Mercury raised a brow, sensing the sudden shift in atmosphere.
"A green spear, huh?" Mercury smirked, trying to cut the tension. "What, you know the guy?"
Cinder didn't answer immediately. Instead, she turned her gaze away, crimson eyes narrowing as memories stirred—flashes of a fight she hadn't forgotten. A lone hunter standing against her, spear gleaming green in the firelight. His movements sharp, precise, unyielding. His name whispered through her memory like a scar that never faded.
"Hyun... Kim," she murmured, almost to herself.
The soldiers froze, glancing up in confusion. Emerald's eyes widened, but she said nothing. Mercury's smirk faltered just a little.
"...You've seen him before?" Emerald asked carefully.
Cinder's expression hardened, the calm mask slipping for only a moment. "No," she said softly, but the frown tugging at her lips betrayed her. "It's impossible. He's dead. I saw him fall."
Her fingers curled into a fist at her side. She turned back to the kneeling soldiers, her gaze burning with quiet fury.
"This boy," she said slowly, each word carrying weight, "is not to be underestimated. If he wields a green spear, if his movements resemble his... then he is far more dangerous than any of you realize."
The soldiers kept their heads down, trembling under her words.
Mercury chuckled, though his tone was laced with unease now. "So what, you think this kid's some kind of ghost?"
Cinder's eyes flicked to him, sharp as a blade. "Ghost or not... he's standing in my way. And I will not allow it."
She turned toward the window, the faint glow of Vale's skyline shimmering in the distance. Her reflection in the glass stared back, crimson eyes alight with restrained anger.
"Find out everything you can about him," she commanded coldly. "Name, background, team. I want to know why he fights like that... and why fate dares to put another green spear in my path."
Emerald bowed her head. Mercury smirked again, but there was no humor in it this time.
In the dim light of the chamber, Cinder's frown deepened. For the first time in years, the name Hyun Kim haunted her again—yet the spear she had seen belonged to another.
And that... was impossible.
___
The night air outside was still charged with tension. The echoes of battle at the port hadn't yet faded from Penny's sensors, even as she sat in the back seat of the sleek Atlesian vehicle. The hum of the engine was steady, precise—yet to her, it sounded almost too calm compared to what she had just witnessed.
Her hands rested neatly in her lap, fingers twitching occasionally with a faint mechanical hum. Her eyes—bright emerald and glowing faintly in the shadows of the car—remained fixed on the city lights beyond the tinted window.
Roman Torchwick, captured.
The White Fang, scattered.
But none of that was what lingered in her mind.
It was him.
The boy with the spear.
She replayed the sequence in her memory banks, frame by frame. The fluid way he moved, every strike deliberate and precise, as though he wasn't improvising but recalling. His stance had been defensive, then suddenly aggressive, adapting to Torchwick's tricks with speed that surpassed ordinary combat experience. For a moment—no, longer than a moment—he hadn't looked like a student at all.
Her systems flagged the anomaly in red text across her vision: Threat Level Unclear. Designation: Hyunwoo.
Her head tilted slightly as she processed. Why did he fight like that? Why did his weapon feel... familiar?
A faint smile tugged at her lips, but it wasn't joy—it was curiosity. Penny loved puzzles, and this boy was a living one.
"Penny."
General Ironwood's voice buzzed through the communicator set in the car. His tone was steady, commanding, but layered with the weariness of a man who had seen too many battles already.
"Yes, General?" Penny answered cheerfully, though her tone carried its usual odd cadence, too precise to be completely natural.
"I trust you observed the operation at the port."
"Yes, General! Roman Torchwick has been captured by a Beacon student named Hyunwoo. He fought very effectively. Very... differently."
There was a pause on the other end. "Differently?"
Penny's eyes glowed brighter for a second as she searched for the right words. "His combat pattern does not align with first-year Beacon trainees. It reminded me more of... someone experienced. Like a Huntsman."
Another pause. Ironwood's tone dropped slightly, as though thinking aloud. "...I'll have to inform Ozpin."
Penny tilted her head again, her curiosity sparking. "General... should I befriend him?"
The question came with the innocent tone of a child asking to make a new playmate, but Ironwood knew better than to dismiss it. Penny didn't ask questions without reason.
"...No, not yet," he said after a moment. "Observe, but do not reveal yourself too much. If this Hyunwoo is what you describe... he may already be entangled in matters we don't yet understand."
Penny nodded lightly, the glow in her eyes dimming back to normal.
Her gaze drifted again to the reflection in the car window. She could still see him in her mind: spear gleaming green, eyes steady, shoulders squared like someone who had already chosen his path.
Her lips curved upward again. "Entangled..." she whispered to herself, testing the word.
Something told her this wouldn't be the last time their paths crossed.
And that thought made her circuits hum just a little faster.
TO BE CONTINUED...