Born in the snowy mountains of Atlas, Xavier grew up with a mother and father that he could barely remember. His mother was always away from the house trying to earn money to pay the bills and his father’s face was always at the bottom of a bottle. Xavier can remember the ghosts of memories of his father being a retired hunter who had fallen from grace. Drinking and gambling all of his money away until there was nothing left to live on. Xavier remembers very little from this time in his life. However the moment his life was uprooted and tossed to the Atlasian mountains was a day he could never forget.
Atlasian military had come to collect a ‘protection’ tax from the citizens of his settlement. In return for the money they would shelter the habitants of the small village. It was a cruel dollar to be made. The expenses kept rising and the people were running out of ways to pay. When Xavier’s family couldn’t pay they were evicted from their home. Xavier’s father, in an outburst of rage rushed, the guards. It was a rebellion against the injustice his people were being shown. It was the desperate attempt of a dead-beat father to show his son how to fight for what you believed in. Before his very eyes Xavier, for a moment, could see what his father had been. Xavier could see the freedom fighter, the warrior, and the leader that he had always dreamed his father would be. In the next moment he saw machine gun fire rip through his father’s aura as he met the ground with a bloody thud. Together he and his mother staggered out of town, trying to drown out the memories of their injustice in the winds of Atlas.
The pair wandered for days scavenging what little food and water they could find. A week passed and Xavier was orphaned in the snowy graveyard of Atlas. Xavier had found many things in the tundra. He had found true loneliness and isolation, he had found death and despair beyond anything he had ever experienced. He was painfully aware of the futility of continuing his trek through the merciless wastelands of Atlas but for some reason he kept moving. He did not know if it was because he was trying to prove fate wrong or if it was out of spite for the world. Nevertheless, one foot in front of the other, he pressed forward. Xavier’s determination was rewarded in the form of a travelling caravan that found him collapsed in his snow.
His rescuers were a group of travelling faunus escaping persecution. A group of people fleeing from the same reason that he was. For a moment in time they were not faunus helping a human child but fellow refugees trying to survive. After nursed back to health Xavier noticed something odd. These people weren’t just merchants and traders. These were people of all walks of life, teachers, blacksmith, tailors, farmers, and children were all fleeing from the threat. Xavier was filled with hope, hope for a brighter future and a chance to live. However things were not all as they should have been. You see Xavier had lost his arms to the fangs of winter. They had to be amputated and Xavier was resigned to live the rest of his life as a cripple. Or so he thought.
Amongst the faunus who rescued him was a professor named Richter. He had taught at an advanced university for mechanization and prosthetics. Outraged at how his family was being treated he left with his wife and son. However much to their horror, the couple had lost their son to one of the tragedies that befell the travelling group mere months after their start. When Xavier had arrived to the group it was as if god was giving them a second chance. Richter fitted Xavier with arms made of scrape metal the group could scrounge up and raised him as he would his own son. Xavier grew fast under tutelage of his new family. He learned the values of kindness, compassion, and bravery while also doubling as an apprentice for Richter. Xavier learned quickly, having nothing better to do then read the books that his father had stolen before he quit. Xavier developed a passion for machines and innovation. Whenever he could he would tinker and build tiny machine that he could sell for a small fortune at the nearest town. The years flew by and as they did, so did the bond between Xavier and his parents. By he was 15; Xavier had read and nearly memorized the entire textbook much to his father’s chagrin. Nothing would break in the small group that would remain broken for long.
Eventually the moment that both parents knew was coming came. With a little bit of help from his adopted parents, Xavier had saved enough money to be on his own. Xavier had his whole life in front of him and he was going to make a difference. He would fight for the injustice that was shown to him when he was a child. Determined to become strong enough to fight for the defenceless, Xavier decided to travel to the land of equal opportunity to pursue a life of a huntsman. Xavier would travel Vale. With tears in their eyes and farewells exchanged the child they raised marched towards the border of Vale. Xavier would never forget the debt that he owed to them.
After getting his citizenship he immediately signed up for Signal. He flew by the academic portion but struggled in combat. The lack of sufficient arms held him at a disadvantage. Submerging himself in work and projects Xavier was determined to get better, he just needed an upgrade. Selling tons of gadgets and small inventions he slowly drew up and forged his new set of arms. These would be combat ready and able to fend off Grim without much trouble. Their bulky design and heavily armoured frame provided the perfect mix of offense and defense. All he needed to do now was get strong enough to lift them. By the end of his career in Signal he had significantly advanced his education in dust and technology. He was also able to go toe to toe with grim well enough to pass his exam. Xavier also discovered his semblance and aura; while extremely volatile (due to his lack of aura exposure) he couldn’t deny it was effective. Overall things were looking up for him, he had caught up to his fellow students in combat ability and far surpassed most in ingenuity. Now it was time for Beacon.
His first year in Beacon was surprisingly uneventful. A few tweaks to his arms here and there. Ashen Snow his new primary weapon was forged from the new income and a few more gadgets/inventions were added to his arsenal.