Clark woke up early. Looking out the window, he had a great view of the forest to the east. The sky was beginning to light up from the pre-dawn sun, and his super-hearing picked out a few chirping birds. He checked his scroll, it was around six in the morning.

Normally, he got up earlier to do chores around the farm. He could use his speed to do some of them quickly, but he took his time anyway. He liked the peace of early morning, making sure things were ready for the day. It just didn't give him the same sense of accomplishment when he rushed through them.

It wasn't like he got tired anyway. He'd always needed less sleep than most people, but recently he'd become accustomed to less and less. The nights were long and boring though, so he tried to maintain normal sleep habits.

He left his room about twenty minutes later. He headed to the library, thinking that he might as well get some early reading in. Maybe he should focus on the faunus, the news had mentioned a faunus group called the White Fang last night. He knew that the faunus faced discrimination, but he hadn't heard of this group before. Of course, he hadn't known to ask Mr. Branwen about it, and it wasn't really relevant to his situation.

The average person here would know about White Fang though, so if he ever wanted to seem like a normal person, he'd need to know about them as well.

The elevator brought him to the ground floor, and Clark headed to where Mr. Branwen had shown him the library was. He also refreshed his memory of the general layout of the building on the way there.

The door was locked. "Should've known." He said to himself. Most people didn't wake up this early, why should the librarian? Especially if the school was in the middle of a break.

Maybe he could take a walk out into the forest until it was open. He'd make sure to check on it from time to time with X-ray vision for the librarian's arrival.

He didn't see any paths down into the forest, but he did see a few signs warning people of Grimm in the woods.

He was curious, he'd read about the Grimm, but he actually hadn't seen one yet. According to what he'd read, and what he'd been told, they were soulless monsters that terrorized people. That description was apparently based on the fact that they lacked aura.

Clark jumped down a nearby cliff, landing with a loud thud. The ground cracked at his impact. He looked around, he hadn't attracted any Grimm with that sound. Apparently, they were drawn to negative emotion, but it would be easier for him to just approach the nearest ones.

There were some wolf-like ones, Beowolves, a good distance away near a stream. They weren't moving from their position, just wandering around near the water. They weren't drinking it. They didn't need to, according to the books Clark had found.

He walked towards them. They didn't notice him, and he was able to get pretty close to them before revealing himself by stepping out from the behind a tree.

The moment one spotted him, it ran at a full sprint to him. The reaction spread through the pack like a ripple, and the other Beowolves loped towards him at full speed.

The pictures in the book were accurate. They were covered in jet-black fur and white bone armor. With their sharp teeth and claws, Clark could see how frightening they could appear. Especially their red eyes, they even made him a bit uneasy.

Still, despite their appearances, they could still be normal animals. Well, normal for this world at least. He wasn't going to slaughter them.

Half an hour later, he had to reconsider his thoughts on them. 'If they're normal animals, they're the most messed up ones ever.'

They'd chased after him, and it had been simple for him to continue dodging them. But they hadn't stopped, normal animals would have probably gotten tired and given up. Yet these creatures just kept on attacking with as much ferocity as they could muster, lunging at him with frustrated growls.

He'd even tried intimidating them, thinking they'd back off once he showed some power. He'd punched a few of them, knocking the large creatures into the air. He'd overestimated their armor the first few times, and the first few he'd attacked had cracked bone masks.

They'd still attacked. Not even the slightest bit deterred by the danger he could have posed to them. There was something seriously wrong with them, he'd even looked at them with X-ray vision. Their internal structure was a mystery, because they couldn't be dissected since their corpses vanished. Clark must have been the first to see inside them.

They had some normal organs of course. Anyone could have guessed that they had lungs from their growls and grunts. They had brains, even if they were mindless, they had to have some instincts and clearly displayed motor control. Clark was already able to hear their heartbeats, and a lot of their anatomy matched normal animals. They didn't have any reproductive organs though, they didn't seem to be male or female. There were also some strange body parts, dark regions that he couldn't make heads or tails of. Maybe they were the sensing organs that they used to detect negative emotions.

Even now they leapt towards him, and at that point he left. Speeding hundreds of feet away.

If these monsters attacked people, he'd have to be quick. Clark wasn't willing to kill them. So if he wanted to stop a group, he'd have to make some sort of barrier, use his heat vision to blast the ground and make a ditch. That wouldn't work against the bird Grimm, but super-breath might push them back enough for him to get people to safety.

He'd spotted a few of the bird Grimm in the area, but what kept them here? Maybe the people in the city weren't generating enough negative emotion to attract them. They certainly didn't seem to notice Clark.

Clark looked out at the library again, which still wasn't open. He had some time to kill. He'd continue with his walk, it wouldn't be hard to look through the trees and avoid Grimm.

Honestly, out here it would almost be like he was back on Earth.

\\

"Hm, as powerful as he is, he's no fighter." Ozpin noted.

After giving Mr. Kent ample time to study in the library, Ozpin had asked him to accompany them into the Emerald Forest. After demonstrating his abilities, they had promptly moved on to spars.

Glynda landed a few blows on Mr. Kent, yet they didn't even make him stagger. However, his responding attacks were those of an amateur. She dodged or blocked them with ease. While she was not primarily a hand-to-hand fighter, she was quite skilled at it. Her opponents often thought close combat was her weakness after all, considering she usually fought with her semblance.

James nodded at Ozpin's comment. "With his abilities, I very much doubt he needs to fight. He could overpower any opponent in an instant."

"Yeah, you see it sometimes with those kids who depend way too much on their semblance." Qrow added. "Thinking they can win any fight with it, they get lazy and arrogant. Not nearly as good as they could be."

Ozpin answered "Yes, although Mr. Kent doesn't seem the arrogant type."

Ms. Goodwitch ignored them as she focused on instructing their new ally. "Keep your arms up Mr. Kent, bend your knees. Now, try striking me."

The young man threw a punch, which Glynda was able to block easily.

"Weak. With your strength, you should be capable of much more. Harder!"

He obeyed, and this time, she was actually pushed back a few feet. She'd jumped back, likely because there was no way for her to maintain her balance after that hit.

"Better." She said, her gaze had a more cautious edge to it.

The young man brought his hands down and stood straight up. "I don't understand. Why are you trying to teach me how to fight people? Don't you just want me to fight Grimm?"

"Huntsmen fight more enemies than just Grimm." Ozpin explained. "There are those with aura or semblances, even a few with huntsmen training, who are less altruistic than official huntsmen and use their abilities more selfishly. You also need to learn how to deal with them."

"Fine, but first I need to learn what you people can do. I know you have semblances and aura, so what can I do that I can explain away as those?" He looked to the blond teacher beside him. "I can tell you're tougher than normal people, but I need to know exactly how much. I might accidentally kill someone."

"Yes, I apologize for our oversight," said Ozpin. "We don't often meet people with that problem against fully fledged huntsmen, especially not your age. Ms. Goodwitch can explain it to you, but first I must ask, you wish to hide your abilities?"

"Yes."

"Why?'

"People would treat me differently if they knew what I could do," replied Mr. Kent. "I'd prefer to be judged by who I am, not how fast I can run or how hard I can punch."

"I see. Well then, if you would Ms. Goodwitch?"

"Yes headmaster." She turned to Mr. Kent. "You already know about aura?"

He nodded. "It's the manifestation of the soul that protects you, and it powers your semblances."

Glynda explained to him deeper aspects of aura. The extent of its protection and the fact that an opponent needed to focus it in order to protect themselves. Scrolls were often fitted with an aura meter. When the opponent ran out, that usually indicated the end of a fight, since no one without aura could defeat another with it.

That rule was amended in his case of course.

"In addition, you'll need to know how much force to put in a blow," she said. "The previous punch was good, but with proper control, I believe you could easily reduce an opponent's aura in a single hit."

She got into a defensive stance with her arms up. "Now, punch me. Harder than before."

He clenched his fist and launched another blow.

"Harder." She said, having been moved back a few feet.

He did. She still maintained her stance, but it obviously wasn't easy.

"Harder."

This time, he threw her back a good fifteen feet. She fell, and from the beeps from her scroll, her aura was low.

The young man ran forward. "Miss, are you alright?"

"I am fine." She said, getting up and dusting the dirt off her clothes. "Attacks of that strength will be very effective against others with aura. Now, if you will excuse me."

She walked up to them. "I believe it would benefit Mr. Kent if Qrow sparred with him, as my aura is too low for me to be of much use."

Qrow sighed and got up. "Alright, I won't go easy on you kid."

"Glynda," Ironwood looked to her worriedly. "Are you really fine? We saw how strong he is."

The nearby tree he'd uprooted with ease proved it.

"My arms are sore, but they'll be fine. My aura, however, will take a while to regenerate."

Qrow had a better time dealing with him. He could use his weapon to block the young man's blows and gauge his strength. He also gave him some advice on exactly how much to rein in his inhuman speed, along with what kind of blows aura could take. As far as they'd seen, he could handle any attack without flinching, but if he wanted to hide his abilities, he'd need to know how a person with aura would react. It wasn't an impenetrable shield after all.

The young man had impressive stamina as well. After an hour of sparring with Glynda and Qrow, he hadn't even broken a sweat. Glynda had even used her semblance, launching nearby rocks and trees at him. Which he'd either dodged or crushed with his bare fists.

He had been forced to admit defeat when she'd lifted him with it though. That had been an opportune moment for her to instruct him on trying to figure out weaknesses in enemy's semblance, such as why she hadn't just lifted him in the first place. She hadn't told him outright why she hadn't been able to, but he had made some good guesses.

"Well done Mr. Kent." Ozpin commended him. "Going up against a trained huntsman and huntress is no easy feat. I see that you are no seasoned fighter, but you are very alert and quick."

"Thank you."

He was humble as well. Interesting, how he lacked the arrogance that many skilled students his age had.

"Our teachers have agreed to give you lessons in the upcoming week before the second semester," said Ozpin. "They begin tomorrow, and your sparring lessons with Ms. Goodwitch will continue as well."

"Oh, okay then."

"Lastly, may I have a sample of your hair?" Ozpin took out a vial. "You did suggest we analyze it in order to confirm your story after all."

"Of course." The young man ripped out a small clump of hair and placed it in the vial. "Maybe you'll reconsider my sanity after seeing this." He added with a smile directed at James.

"Perhaps." It was a terse response from the general.

Before leaving, Ozpin also gave Kent a list of books that Professor Oobleck had suggested considering the level of education his new student would need. Frankly, it was a ludicrous amount of reading material. Although the enthusiastic professor most likely hadn't seen it as such.

\\

"This is a tragedy!" Professor Oobleck came up to Clark and leaned forward. "Where did you say you were raised?"

"Um, outside the walls. With a nomadic tribe." Clark gave the teacher the backstory the headmaster had suggested.

The teacher zoomed back up to the board at an impressive speed. This man did everything quickly. If Clark didn't have his heightened senses, he would have been lost after the professor had spoken a few words.

"Such ignorance," The professor shook his head. "I can't believe that even they would neglect their members an education. Were you given no oral history at least? There is a tendency for such tribes to practice the tradition."

"Not really?" Even Clark knew that his lie sounded weak, but the professor didn't seem to notice.

"Unbelievable. I apologize Mr. Kent, as it is not your fault. I just find such ignorance deplorable." Dr. Oobleck, the man had been quick to inform him of his doctorate, took a sip from his thermos. "At the very least, you have proven yourself a diligent student. You have clearly gone through the books I suggested."

"Yeah . . ." Clark answered guiltily. He'd done well in school before, but he'd been motivated to read those books by necessity rather than curiosity. He also had an advantage, other people couldn't speed read like he could.

Again, the professor didn't notice and began his lecture. "Now, we shall begin from the basics. Much of the history of our first civilizations has been lost, but our legends have hints, and new discoveries are being made constantly. The legend of the first huntsman for instance . . ."

It was actually a good thing the man was fast, Clark had no trouble keeping up, and it was easier to learn what was important. He asked a lot of questions, but a lot of them were more to guide the professor back to the subject he wanted. The man had a tendency to digress by mentioning new discoveries or contending opinions in academia on this or that tidbit of history.

The lecture went on for well over an hour, with Clark filling in important holes in his knowledge. Still, he'd have liked to get more about current events, they'd just gotten a bit further than the formation of the kingdoms.

Oobleck cleared his throat. "I must say, that was a very enjoyable session. It's not often that I get such a responsive student."

"Oh, it was nothing sir. Do you mind if I ask when we'll get to current events?"

"Well, it's a travesty that I have to summarize human history into a week's worth of lessons, but I think we should be able to cover recent history. We've made good progress today, better than I'd hoped." Oobleck went back to his desk to pick up some papers. "I also have some assignments for you on what we covered. I hope you find it helpful."

"Thank you sir." Clark took the homework and went back up to his room. He still had some time before his first lesson with Professor Port, so it would be best to get a head start on it.

\\

They were in the Emerald Forest again. Clark didn't mind, he liked the wilderness. It reminded him of the woods around home.

Professor Port kind of ruined that, as the weirdness of the place was evident with the stories he told and nis strange axe-gun.

Was this man really a huntsman? Not to be rude, but he wasn't in the best shape. Could he really fight Grimm? Clark saw the characteristic faint shimmer of aura around the man, but fighting against those monsters required more than that.

The man suddenly stopped, and thankfully so did the stories of his youth. "That's enough reminiscing, come look at this lad."

Clark walked up and looked down where the professor indicated. "Bear tracks?"

Port shook his head. "Not quite, these are from two Ursai. Fresh tracks, which means they're nearby."

Right, the bear Grimm. He'd read about them, although he probably could have figured what kind they were from the name. It was weird that the people here spoke English and also apparently used Latin even when it was another dimension.

Clark looked around through the trees, he spotted the ten-foot beasts. The Grimm had already sensed them, and were heading toward them.

The thuds from their footsteps were soon heard, and the professor took a step back. "Ah, here they come. Now, show me what you've got Mr. Kent! I shall be here if you have any questions."

"Wait, what?"

Before Clark had the chance to say anything else. The Ursai appeared and slashed at him with their paws. They were larger than normal bears, and just as ferocious as the Beowolves Clark had found yesterday. They were slower though, so even easier for him to dodge.

"Shouldn't you be teaching me how to fight them?" He asked the teacher, the bearded man had stepped back, so the two Grimm focused on Clark.

"I have students learn by doing. You should figure out the best way to kill these Ursai. Besides, it's not often that Ozpin asks me to give a student one on one lessons." He rubbed his chin in thought. "In fact, I don't think he ever has. So you should be more than skilled enough to deal with these two."

Fine, it wasn't as if he was wrong. It wouldn't be hard to deal with these creatures. "Do I have to kill them though?"

"What?"

"I just . . . don't see why they have to die." Clark explained as he moved aside as one of the Ursai lunged at him. "They're not hurting anyone here."

"Hmph, not for lack of trying."

"Sir, I'm serious. I was taught that life is precious, and that killing animals should only be done for food or self-defense."

"Grimm are not animals." Port told him, and his expression made it hard to believe that he'd been cheerfully reminiscing about the past minutes earlier. "Your beliefs are admirable, but you can't apply them here. Look at these soulless creatures, what do you think would happen if you were a civilian? You would suffer a gruesome death, and not just you, they would hunt down every human in its path. Grimm have no compassion or understanding, why should we when dealing with them?"

"Because we're not like them." Clark argued. "There aren't any people for them to attack here either."

"That's only part of the picture. This is for your education. You must learn how to fight Grimm properly. I see that you're a melee fighter, unless you're hiding a weapon in your pocket, so you're going to need to get close and kill them quickly as possible. Hesitation will result in death, not just yours, but the people you must protect.

"Now, hit that one in the chest." The professor pointed at the one currently attacking him. "That region has no armor, and a strong blow with aura will pretty much obliterate whatever organs it has."

"But sir-

"Lad, hesitating here might get you killed. And what if you weren't alone? The other Ursa could head off for other people nearby. You need to kill them."

Clark punched the Ursa, but only hard enough to launch it back into a tree. He raced off to the other one at a reasonable, human speed. Hitting it with the same force toward the first. He repeated the process again and again, pushing the Grimm further away. Eventually, he found a stream too wide for them to cross and threw the Ursai over it. He came back to the professor.

"Strong and quick, I can see why Ozpin's interested in you." The professor noted. "What do you think that accomplished lad? Yes, you can handle Grimm without killing them, but can you protect people at the same time? What if it were a pack of dozens of Beowolves instead of a few Ursai?"

"If there's no other choice, I'll do what I have to." Clark answered. "But only when there's no other choice. Until then, I won't let anyone die and I won't kill. Not if I can help it."

"Well that may be sooner than you think."

The lesson continued as they trekked through the forest. Professor Port was quick to start up again with jovial tales about his past. Clark tuned them out. He didn't want to be rude, but the man's stories were a bit dry.

Thankfully, they encountered a few more Grimm: a few Beowolves and even a scorpion-like Deathstalker the same size as one of the Ursa. He made sure to pay attention when the professor pointed out their weaknesses. The Deathstalker's armor was tough, Clark had to put in a bit of actual effort to break through it, but the teacher had told him that its joints were more vulnerable. That allowed him to damage enough legs so it couldn't move.

Professor Port had accepted his decision not to kill them, but he hadn't hesitated to use his weapon to finish them off. He nonchalantly shot the Beowolves, while using his axe to cut off the Deathstalker's stinger and penetrate the Grimm's armor with it. All the remains vanished within moments.

"Well, that was fun." The professor said as they returned to Beacon. "I wish more of my lessons could be like this, full of action and excitement! Alas, the headmaster demands I teach my students indoors, and I suppose it would be difficult to keep so many teenagers in check. How's your aura by the way?"

"Oh, um." Clark took out his scroll and pretended to check. "I'm still good, about sixty percent."

"Truly?! After all that fighting, you must have some large reserves. Why, you're almost as manly as I was at my prime!" He declared.

"Sure . . . by the way, thanks for the lesson professor."

"It was nothing lad. Teaching is always a pleasure, especially with the more stubborn students. With your talents and my guidance, you'll slaughter as many Grimm as I did when I was your age."

Yeah . . . not happening.

\\

"So he was telling the truth." Ironwood said, just to make sure he was hearing Ozpin correctly.

Ozpin nodded. "Yes, a Professor Curtis at Vale university confirmed that the cells in the hair are completely unlike anything they've seen before."

"Huh, so the kid's not crazy." Qrow reflected.

"It would appear so," replied Glynda. "I suppose Mr. Kent deserves an apology."

"Ozpin, are you sure? It seems awfully quick, don't these kinds of things take several days?" Ironwood commented. "It's only been two days since they received the sample."

"According to Professor Curtis, the cells' alien nature were obvious when placed under a microscope. There are organelles, parts of the cells, which aren't present in any terrestrial cells. The hair was surprisingly durable as well, it was quite a challenge to penetrate the cells for the genetic material. Which, apparently, can't be read the same way ours can be." Ozpin smiled. "In fact, he's rather excited by the discovery and is quite eager for more samples."

"Will he mention this to anyone?" asked Ironwood.

"No, he knows to be discreet," answered Ozpin. "He's been told that the hair came from a strange Grimm, and that it didn't disappear as the rest of the remains did. As far as he knows, it's just something else to add to the list of the mysteries of the Grimm."

"I don't like this." Ironwood stated. "Before, Kent could have been a delusional, but still useful ally. Now we know that he's an . . . alien, with unknown motives."

"I think his motives are obvious." Qrow narrowed his eyes at Ironwood. "He was telling the truth about what he is, why would he lie about everything else?"

"You actually trust him?" Ironwood couldn't have been more shocked if he'd just been told that Qrow had blurted out the truth about Salem in a bar.

"Actually, I do." Qrow cocked his head to the side. "Jimmy, how much time have you actually spent with him these past few days? I think the last time you spoke with him was when he proved his powers to you."

"How is that relevant? He could still be dangerous."

"The kid's such a goody-two shoes that he won't even kill Grimm." Qrow said. "Port's been going on and on about it, saying that Clark just keeps throwing them over streams, or breaking a few leg or wing bones at most. Goodwitch likes him too."

"Really Glynda?"

She pushed up her glasses. "I believe Mr. Kent is a considerate young man. He is very careful to avoid causing injury in his spars with me and Qrow. In fact, I find it very difficult to bring out any aggression in him. Professors Oobleck and Port speak well of him too, he's an attentive student to Oobleck, and Peter says that Mr. Kent's too kind-hearted for his own good. As evidenced by his refusal to kill Grimm."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing, don't you find that suspicious? What if he values the lives of people and Grimm equally? What if in a situation where humans are outnumbered, he sides with them instead?"

"You can't be serious." Qrow rolled his eyes. "He cares about people, if you spent a few minutes with him you'd know it. Hell, he was raised on a farm, he knows that people kill animals for food. He even asks for news reports around Highwood so he can figure out if these phantoms that followed him have hurt anyone."

"We can't confirm whether he's lying or not." Ironwood said. "We don't know whether this is an act. You've seen what he can do, he's dangerous."

"Yeah, only if we provoke him," answered Qrow. "I don't know about you, but I really want him on our side. Do you want to be the one who pushes him away?"

"Enough." Ozpin ended their argument. "While I do think that Mr. Kent has a good heart, this revelation puts him in a new light. James' concern is not totally misplaced, we have to be careful with our new ally. If one of you spots him doing anything suspicious, the rest of us need to be informed."

Ironwood shook his head. "Ozpin, you know that's not nearly enough. With his speed, how would we know whether he's snuck off somewhere and come back? We need him watched around the clock."

"No. We will not spy on him," said Ozpin. "I have noticed that he's incredibly perceptive, the risk of him discovering he's being watched is too high. However, I have taken steps to modify his scroll to track him. For now, that will do."

Qrow sighed. "I don't like it, but I get it. The kid's powerful, it would be dumb not to be cautious. If he figures it out though, I'm going to be straight with him. He's a good kid."

Ozpin nodded. Yes, Clark Kent certainly did act kind-hearted. While Ironwood did exaggerate, he was right that it was too soon to tell whether the act was genuine.