What happens when the collective consciousness of the Earth orders the extinction of humanity?

Darkness. Chaos. Death. Centuries ago, the Beasts of Gaia were unleashed upon the planet, slaughtering humanity in droves. The Grimm. Soulless creatures hell-bent on cleansing the earth of the human scourge. But humanity refused to die. It went against their very nature. Extinction was unacceptable. Humanity had spoken, and the Will of Alaya answered. The Counter Guardians. The Beasts of Alaya. The Huntsmen. Humanity would not die.

For centuries the forces of Gaia and Alaya clashed. Humanity's greatest heroes were called upon to fight the forces of Grimm. And through their efforts, the servants of humanity temporarily staved off the flood that threatened to drown them. But Gaia's creations were special. The Grimm were created with the sole purpose of annihilating mankind. The god-like servants of humanity could not be killed. They were copies, powerful facsimiles of heroic beings, while the original rested in the Throne of Heroes. However, Gaia changed the rules.

Alaya's connection to the Throne of Heroes was lost.

Alaya control over the copies of mankind's greatest heroes was no longer absolute. And as long as Gaia actively blocked Alaya's connection, once a Counter Guardian fell, they could not be re-summoned.

No longer were the Beasts of Alaya mindless copies of their former selves, but rather the shining examples of man's greatest heroes reborn in all their glory.

And one by one they fell.

For the endless forces of Gaia could not be stopped. Every Grimm killed was simply reborn stronger and deadlier. An immortal, unending, army of darkness could not be defeated. Only slowed.

But their sacrifices were not in vain. For humanity had discovered their salvation. Dust. The only power capable of permanently destroying the Grimm.

Humanity no longer needed Heroes to survive.

However, one remained. Humanity's last great hero.

I am the bone of my sword.

Steel is my body and fire is my blood.

I have created over a thousand blades.

Unknown to Death, Nor known to Life.

Have withstood pain to create many weapons.

Yet, those hands will never hold anything.

So as I pray, unlimited blade works.

Emiya Shirou. EMIYA. Servant. Counter Guardian. Monster. Broken. Archer.

They described him well. An immortal servant of humanity. The last Counter Guardian. The beast of Alaya. He had witnessed the fall of humanity. Their fight for survival. The death of the heroes. Mankind's rebirth. And he was tired. He had long abandoned his ideals, but still he fought.

Unknown to Death, nor known to Life.

It had been many years since he had last used the name Emiya Shirou. Traveling from kingdom to kingdom, the former counter guardian used various aliases over the years, never staying in one location for long. While he had been able to disguise his true identity over the years, whispers of a hooded archer clad in crimson always seemed to follow in his wake.

Archer. An urban legend. A myth.

The Archer was said to only appear in times of need, only to immediately disappear when the threat was over.

Humanity's mysterious hero.

Emiya scoffed.

What a fucking joke.

The counter guardian slowly meandered his way through the dark alley's of Vale's underworld, his hands tucked casually in his pockets. Ignoring the calls of a shady dust dealer, Emiya made his way towards a shadowed figure partially obscured beneath a rusted fire escape.

"Who the hell are you?" growled the deep voice of a wolf faunus, its crimson eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Emiya ignored the faunus and casually leaned on to the wall next to the wolf. A flick of the counter guardian's wrist caused a simple data chip to appear between his fingers. Emiya stared expectantly at the wolf faunus.

"God damn fuckin-" muttered the faunus as he snatched the chip from Emiya's outstretched hand. A quick scan of the chip's contents told the wolf all the information he needed.

"The White Fang is on the move," whispered the faunus, "Rumor has it, Roman Torchwick is working with them. Torchwick's been stealing dust like it's going out of style, while the Fang provides him with the muscle."

Emiya cocked his head to the side in thought.

"Who's holding Torchwick's leash?" asked Emiya, his arms folded across his chest.

"The boss doesn't know. It's possible one of the other three kingdoms are financing his operations. Torchwick is rumored to be based somewhere here in Vale however..." continued the wolf faunus nervously as he glanced at the counter guardian, "That's all we know. Just who the hell are you anyway?"

Emiya smirked beneath his crimson hood as he felt the interest of the dozen hidden guards around them perk with interest. Pushing off of the wall, Emiya silently walked away from the informant.

"They call me Archer."

The wolf faunus froze.

"Tell the old man his debt is forgiven. And that Mystral is lovely this time of year."

It was time to pay another old acquaintance a visit.

Headmaster Ozpin could be considered one of the greatest Hunters to ever come out of the Vale Kingdom. A genius tactician combined with an overwhelming aura created one of the most decorated soldiers to ever serve Vale.

But that was years ago. Nowadays, the middle-aged headmaster was content with running Beacon Academy and guiding the future hunter and huntresses of Vale.

Taking another sip of his coffee, the headmaster continued to work diligently through the night, the files of the incoming class of Beacon spread out before him.

"You're losing your touch Oz." snorted a voice from the shadows behind the professor.

The headmaster calmly turned around in his chair, sipping his coffee contently, "And you're still as young as ever. Mind telling me your secret? I do miss my lack of gray hair."

Archer scoffed.

"So what brings you to my office at such a late hour Mr. Emiya? It surely isn't a social call, it has been nearly a decade since I last saw you."

"I need your assistance. I have been… guided to you," said the counter guardian, staring at the headmaster intently.

"Ahh. The mysterious Alaya again no?"

"Laugh all you want. Humanity would have perished long ago if it wasn't for Alaya and her beast's." growled Emiya softly, "You yourself have been granted Alaya's blessings."

Ozpin raised both palm up in defeat, "Alright then. You win Emiya. What is it you need old friend?"

"The White Fang is messing with things beyond their understanding. The Grimm are gathering across the world, in numbers I haven't seen in years," Archer glared at his former subordinate, "Gaia is waking from its slumber."

"And what do you require from me?"

"Your resources. You command the respect of all four kingdoms, and hold considerable influence in Vale. War is coming."

Headmaster Ozpin rested his chin on his interlocked hands and stared intently at the counter guardian, "Very well. I shall assist you."

"Good, I'll be leaving immediat-"

"However," the headmaster cutoff the servant sharply, "My assistance comes with a price."

Emiya's eyes flashed dangerously, "Tread carefully Ozpin."

"If war truly is coming as you say old friend, then my hunters and huntresses will be on the front-lines. If they are to survive unscathed, then they will require a teacher. An experienced teacher."

Archer froze, his eyes flickering to the shattered moon hanging in the sky, "No one survives war unscathed."

"To true my old friend. That is the price of my assistance. Do you accept?"

The Heroic Spirit Emiya felt the weakened Alaya's will turn into his own.

"Fine. It's a deal."

Ozpin smiled gently. "Welcome to Beacon Academy. Professor..."

A/N: Not sure where this came from. While I have played the Visual Novels for FSN and watched the various animes, I am no expert on the technical details of Type Moon. So it's up to you guys to make sure I don't utterly butcher it. Credit goes out to CG-3m1y4 and fsnfan for the constructive criticism and advice. I'll be honest. Unlike my other story TCD, I have no plan or direction for this fic. This was born from the question "Where do the Grimm come from?" The result is what you see before you. Considering the RWBY universe is barely fleshed out, any ideas on plot or interactions will definitely be appreciated. To those who want to use this idea as their own, go right ahead, I'd love to see what you guys can make of this. Next chapter is being written now (20Sept2014) Leave a review and tell me what you think. Until next time.

-Private Jenkins