Chapter 1: Death? Been There Done That.
Chapter Text
Reincarnation Sucks... Sometimes
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot. Jaune x Harem(fem!Ozpin/Ozma, good!Salem, RWBY, Pyrrha, more probably) M for a reason
Summary: Aurelius Aurea d'Arc I, first and only king of Remnant, renowned warrior and magic user, discoverer of Aura, consort of Grand Sorceress Ozlyn the White and the Witch, Salem the Dark. Known as possibly the greatest figure in Remnant's history, and was now reduced to a distant fairy tale. Jaune Arc wakes up with limited memories and a whole new(old?) life in his head. The King has returned, and he has vowed to fix the world that has fallen apart in his absence.
RS...S
"-'s lost a lot o-"
"-into shock!"
"-eed more gua-"
"-lood transfusion! Now-"
Jaune Arc was dying right now if that wasn't obvious. Why, you may ask? That was a pretty great question considering he couldn't tell you either. All he remembered was a sort of mounting frustration, followed by anger, sadness, and misplaced confidence. It could also be that hole in his chest and the chunks taken out of the sides of his torso. How could he have forgotten? Again, how was he not dead right now?
'This darkness is kinda nice, pretty comfy. Are my eyes closed right now? If they are I don't wanna open them.'
Jaune's muddled thoughts weren't helping his case, considering if he fell any more asleep he'd probably never wake up again.
"-rt's slowing do-"
"-wo LD crysta-"
A distant, tingly feeling lighted up on Jaune's chest. The feeling was crystalline and it was humming with stored, electric power.
'Hmm... feels kinda funny. In fact, everything feels kinda funny. And fuzzy, my eyes feel heavy and I'm pretty sure they're already closed, I wonder how that- hurk?!'
"Clear!"
An electric jolt rushed through Jaune's body, making it convulse quickly before returning to normal. As a result, the fog around his mind seemed to lift slightly.
'Oh right, I'm dying. Probably shouldn't have run off into the woods like that.' His thoughts were detached and clinical. 'Jen will cry, so will Jaz and Jane. Jeanne would probably yell at me...'
The effects of the lightning dust shock faded away, replaced by a growing numbness. It started from the tips of his fingers and toes and slowly spread upwards through his body, like a cold fog was slowly coursing its way up to his head. Everything started to slow, the cold was at his chest now, it felt as if a hand was wrapped around his heart, a snake constricting around his lungs.
'I... is this how it ends?'
The cold continued to climb up, wrapping around his mouth and into his eyes. It felt as if there were dozens of pins and needles stabbing into him, yet not causing any pain. Only a vague sense of discomfort and a twisted sort of peace settled over him.
'I never even got to say goodbye.'
The cold had coiled into his ears, turning into cotton that had slowly snuffed out the sounds of the world, extinguishing the frantic voices and the sobbing pleas to wake up.
'Huh, guess I was right and wrong. Jeanne was yelling and crying.'
Everything went quiet, the insidious cold worked its fingers into his head, the digits piercing his brain and ceasing activity with its touch. Everything slowed down even more. Jaune's thoughts disappeared into nothingness, his sisters' pleas for him went unheard, and the actions of the people who attempted to save him were all for naught as feeling left him completely. No more cold, no pins, no needles. Just floating in a peaceful darkness.
'I'm sorry, everyone. Guess I was never cut out for this sort of life...'
RS...S
The exhausted medical personnel filed out of the room silently, the loud hum of the heart monitors flatlining still ringing throughout the room. Considering all of Jaune's family were Huntsman in training or fully certified Huntsman, there were very few in attendance. Jeanne, the eldest sister at 27 and Jaz, the youngest at 14.
Jeanne was a beautiful woman, standing at 6' tall with a toned and curvaceous body honed after years of fighting Grimm and being an active Huntsman. Sky blue eyes framed by a heart-shaped face with a halo of golden hair tied into a messy bun. Currently, she was a mess, eyes puffy and red from crying, hair disheveled from pulling at it in worry.
Feeling a tug at her wrist, the oldest of the Arc Sisters looked at her youngest sibling. Jaz was much shorter, having inherited her mom's side of the gene pool. She stood at 5' 6'', similarly colored eyes and an identical face shape. Unlike her sister, she had yet to grow into any of her womanly curves, though she still got points for being adorable. Her hair was a slightly paler blond and hung down to her shoulders. Like Jeanne, her eyes were red and puffy, though she hadn't seemed to stop crying.
"J-Jeanne? I-Is Jaune gonna be o-okay?" The teary question -interrupted by Jeanne's own attempts to stop herself from breaking down- was met with an equally teary answer.
"I don't know Jaz." Jeanne knelt down and scooped her younger sibling into a tight hug, both trying to reassure themselves that Jaune would pull through and they could eventually go back home and put this nightmare behind them.
Someone cleared their voice from behind them. Jeanne broke the hug and turned around to see a solemn-looking doctor. Looking past her, Jeanne could see the grave looks on the surgeons as they left the operating room. This only brought a fresh round of tears to her eyes as she assumed the worst.
The doctor only offered a few words of condolences and a brief summary of Jaune's death. Jeanne's world fell out from under her, despondent when she was handed a cause of death certificate and an assurance they could see his body. Looking down at the certificate, her hands shook as another wave of sobs racked her body.
Jaune Arc, age 17, first and only son of the late Jonathan 'John' Arc and Irene Arc nee Goodwitch, younger brother of six sisters, older to one, was declared brain dead at 4:23 PM on January 29th, XX80 P.G.W. (Post Great War). Cause of death: Grimm (Beowolf) attempted disembowelment (Large chunks missing from sides), Grimm (Unknown) Impalement in torso, missed heart, pierced left lung.
'I never got to tell him that I loved him.' Jeanne's realization only saddened her further as she slumped to her knees sobbing and was joined by Jaz soon after.
Their beloved brother was gone from this world.
RS...S
POV Shift: Jaune
Is this death? Kinda thought it would be a bit more... anything, really. A big empty void seems like a really sucky afterlife in my opinion. Maybe this is my punishment for being so stupid? Running into the obviously Grimm-infested woods was probably the worst idea in the history of ideas. And there were a lot of those! There was the... the uh... the what?
Why can't I- holy fuck this void is mind wiping me. Now that is pretty panic-inducing, right? Yes. The answer is yes but considering my current situation, I can't do anything. I just died! I can't even remember the thing that put the hole in my lung. The Beowolves were pretty memorable but I'd think I would be able to remember the thing that impaled me.
Wow.
Who was that?! Have I gone insane that quickly?
No, I'm you. Well, technically I'm a-
Wonderful. Just a couple minutes in the afterlife-void thingy that is trying to take my memories, and I've created a split personality.
Would you stop for a moment, I am-
Lalalala I can't hear you split personality! I'd rather keep my sanity as my soul fades away into the void.
Was this how I was when I was younger? No wonder Oz called me endearingly stupid...
Who's Oz? Another imaginary friend? Did my split personality just make an imaginary friend?
No, if you'd just listen to me I could explain what's happening and-
Being lectured by a split section of my subconscious is weird. Could I just-
SHUT UP YOU FUCKING IDIOT
...
Jeez, it's like talking to a particularly stupid brick wall. I can't believe I was like that. Anyways, Jaune, I am you and you are me. I am going to help us wake up from this death thing you've got going on so you can continue your dream and make your sisters stop crying, as well as figure out the utter mess my kingdom is in.
...sisters?
...shit, we've been here too long. Expediting the process!
Voice-in-my-head-say-what-now?
Color exploded into the void, filling it with a miasma of light. The coldness slowly started to recede, once again starting with the tips of my fingers and seeping through the rest of my body. I hadn't even noticed I was cold, what is happening?
*thud*
My face was introduced to a hard surface as the previously empty void materialized a platform underneath me and dropped me on it. Standing up, I take stock of my surroundings. As of now, the void is no longer dark, now it is filled with a bright, warm golden shine, emanating from seemingly nowhere.
Call me glass half empty and all that, but now it's just a bright void instead of a dark one.
"You are a scrawny little string bean."
Well, that's not nice- waitthatwasmyimaginaryheadvoice. Spinning around in panic, I am met with a confusing sight: Me. Except not.
For one, he was cooler, hands-down actually just a whole super badass vibe coming off from him. And he was tall. Taller than even my own 5'10''. He stood at what looked like an intimidating 6'8'', literally looking down on me. He was decked out in a full suit of armor, sans helmet. Like, a medieval knight from the stories type of armor.
Primarily white with golden filigree, the armor seemed nigh impenetrable. Pointed pauldrons and an imposing frame made for an intimidating image. In the middle of the cuirass stood a golden regalia. The two half moons of the Arc family with a crown imposed in the middle, a scepter and wand crossed underneath it. In the knight's hands was a helmet, an armet to be exact, with what seemed to be a crown-tiara welded into the brow of it. Was he royalty or something?
As if sensing my thoughts, the Knight looked me in the eye and continued speaking. "My name is Aurelius Aurea d'Arc I, the first, and only King of Remnant."
What. Wasn't the King of Remnant a fairy tale?
And did I forget to mention the massive claymore situated on his back?
The knight/king's face flashed with irritation.
"Fairy tale, pah! I single-handedly united the divided nations of Remnant under a singular glorious rule, my glorious rule, and I was regarded as the most powerful and well-respected figure to have ever graced this land! The very person who fended off armies of the God of Darkness's foul, soulless creations, master of magics regarded as miraculous, granted, my wives helped with that, but regardless! It was I who first granted full and unequivocal equality to everyone! Faunus, Vacuan, Mistrali, all of them united under my banner peacefully!
"It was under my hand that this world flourished for the first time, I who ushered in an era of peace not heard of since the God of Light walked these very lands! Under my shield and by mine own sword, Remnant prospered into a golden age, advancing by leaps and bounds! Warriors could lay down their weapons, go home to their loved ones, scholars could take the time to learn the very language of the universe and the mysteries of the world, and cities were built that have since stood for centuries! And history dares to write me in as a footnote?! A fairy tale?! A leftover from a world forgotten, a race deemed a failure by the Brother Gods themselves!"
Welp. Now he's mad. Maybe if I could just turn around and walk away from the crazy king-
Blue eyes locked with equally blue. One pair blazed into a steely gold.
"Kneel."
My knees gave out and I fell into an unceremonious heap.
King Aurelius' eyes melted back into the standard blue. He let out a long sigh before speaking.
"I seem to have gotten ahead of myself," he muttered, "From the top, then."
He straightened, the almost manic anger displayed earlier melted away and the stern gaze of my future(past) greeted me.
"We are one and the same. You are a very distant descendant of mine, yet we share a soul. Or more like mine transmigrated into you now that your body has reached a critical state."
I feel like this is getting old. What?
The King sighed again. "We are going to combine, you will get my memories, experiences, witty humor, and more. In return, we are going to fix everything. This world has gone to complete shit and I don't even have my wives or daughters here to help cope with the loss of literally everything."
He said it again, wives, as in plural. Could this guy get any cooler?
Chuckling lightly, the -ghost? Soul? Transmigrating echo that defies space and time?- pulls the heavy gauntlet off of his hand. Holding it towards me, it starts to glow a soft gold.
"Now then, take my hand and the process will start. Since you've been dead for a bit, your soul has been trying to jump ship and I've been keeping it here so we can complete the reincarnation. Unfortunately, due to some timing issues, you have already started to forget a lot of basic stuff. But don't worry! You'll have my experiences and memories at your disposal and all the aura and magic right along with it. Of course, I'll probably keep it sealed so no questions are raised, ah we can worry about that later. I'll be along with you for the ride as a voice in your head."
Great. I actually get to have a voice in my head.
"It won't be that bad," the King's hand shone brighter. "C'mon, we're going to change the world."
Holy shit this guy was so fucking cool.
I took his hand.
"C'mon Jaune, you need to-"
"No, no, no, that's not how you do it. Here, put your foot right here, the other right-"
"My liege, a small village has sent a request for-"
"My dearest Consort," two faces, smiling radiantly down at him, "wake up."
"No, I will not train you in-"
"I know it's unfair, sweetie, but please understand-"
"I, Aurelius Aurea d'Arc I, do solemnly swear-"
"I'm pregnant." "So am I..." "WHAT?!"
"Remember to keep the dry ingredients separate from-"
Two womanly figures, one wreathed in gold, the other shrouded in black looked at me with love and adoration. "We love you, Aurelius."
Seven different people, all girls with some form of resemblance to me. They looked at me. "Wake up, Jaune. Please."
Gold filled my vision.
...
Jaune(Aurelius Aurea d')Arc (I) opened his eyes.
RS...S
R&R and all that jazz. I like feedback. Sporadic updates.
Chapter 2: Creature of Circumstance
Summary:
New life, new Jaune.
Notes:
Leave reviews, kudos, etc. It's easier to answer questions and such on here so I might be a bit more active here. (Especially because of FFN's trash email system that still won't work.) Enjoy.
PS: Read the tags, Mature for a reason and some might not like what I'm cooking. Regardless, don't be mean about it.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Reincarnation Sucks... Sometimes
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot. Jaune x Harem(fem!Ozpin/Ozma, good!Salem, RWBY, Pyrrha, more probably) M for a reason
Summary: Aurelius Aurea d'Arc I, first and only king of Remnant, renowned warrior and magic user, discoverer of Aura, consort of Grand Sorceress Ozlyn the White and the Witch, Salem the Dark. Known as possibly the greatest figure in Remnant's history, and was now reduced to a distant fairy tale. Jaune Arc wakes up with limited memories and a whole new(old?) life in his head. The King has returned, and he has vowed to fix the world that has fallen apart in his absence.
RS...S
POV: Jaune
Darkness. I once again open my eyes to the void. It's good to be back.
That's sarcasm if you couldn't tell.
Huh, seems you were dead longer than I thought. You should probably get going so the rest of your family doesn't try and expedite your cremation process.
Cremation? I wasn't told I would be cremated when I died.
It's a time-honored tradition passed down through the d'Arc clan for generations. A majority of the deceased ashes are spread over the battlefield they fell on or last fought on while the rest are imbued into the ancestral blade, Croea Mors.
Cool, cool. Now why am I in a dark little cubby hole that's as cold as a meatlocker?
Connect the dots.
Ah. Tight locker space. Frigid temperature. Presumed dead body. I'm in a morgue body refrigerator. How long was I dead again?
I'd say about a little under 12 hours, give or take a few. Plenty of time for those sisters of yours to be traumatized. Best get to breaking out and stopping them from falling into further grief, no?
Riiiiiight. Sisters. Something I have perfect recollection about.
Oh right. Well, any experience can be a learning one. While your body is weak and noodly, your soul is as strong as mine ever was. And since a majority of my magic was tied directly to my soul, all of that should be unaffected by the reincarnation.
Sure, makes perfect sense to me.
Step one is getting out of this freezer. See if you can grab the sides and maybe slide backward on the rolling track thingy you're on top of.
Doing as instructed, I grabbed the sides of the metal box I was in and slammed my feet into the locked door of the refrigerator. Nothing budged.
Add a bit of Aura, bolster your strength, and all that. Probably start with just a little so you don't break something.
Yes, 'cause I definitely know how to do that.
Of course you do you naked string bean, I discovered it in the first place! Use my, or rather your past memories to figure it out.
Oh yeah.
Diving into the memories of my past life -and wasn't that surreal?- I went to one of the instances where I controlled my ridiculously large amount of soul. An image came to me: my gauntlet-clad fist shimmered with golden light as a comfortable warmth filled my hand and slammed into a huge whitish-black scorpion with a barbed, glowing tail. Deathstalker supplied the voice in my head.
So just a little bit of Aura and-
Grabbing the sides of the box and trying to pull myself backward ended up with me slamming feet first into the locked door, breaking it off of its hinges, and sending me flying out of the freezer where I impacted the wall with a flash of gold. Due to the still active Aura, I didn't feel a thing and now there was a Jaune-sized outline in the stone.
Could've used a bit less there. I had to interfere or else you'd have accidentally unleashed the full might of our soul.
Is that bad?
Considering the fact that a proficient and seasoned Aura user could become a rather bright and appetizing beacon for all the nasty Grimm, I'd say it would be pretty bad.
Any chance you could put that into better perspective? I barely know what the hell a Grimm is and I'm not gonna go digging through your memories until I have a nice place to sleep.
Imagine big scary darkness monsters as flies. Now imagine yourself as a nice large and juicy bag of trash. Now you attract flies into the heart of a civilization that houses hundreds of thousands of people. The Grimm would go into a frenzy and there would be a large uptick in activity and potential casualties.
Ah. While the analogy could've been nicer, the point was gotten across.
Now what to do? I was standing naked in the middle of the morgue and judging by the digital clock on the wall, it was just about 3:00 AM and no one was here. I should probably get clothes considering this cold is uncomfortable.
Grabbing the sheet that was laid on top of me when I was in the locker, I awkwardly wrapped it around myself and started looking for some proper clothing.
Aren't I supposed to be stuffed in a body bag?
Out of everything you've forgotten, you remember the fact that the dead bodies in a morgue are usually put in body bags?
My mind is a fickle thing, and I am but a creature of circumstance.
You died, dumbass. You forgot almost everything regarding your family and dreams of being a hero but you remember useless facts like this?
Calling me a dumbass is calling yourself a dumbass, dumbass.
Oh gods, why must my incarnation be so stupid? Why could I not have been blessed with an intelligent descendant?
Ignoring the lamenting monarch, I look at the box I had just ejected myself out of. On a small board next to the box, there was my name, time of death, and cause of death. Looking at the other locked boxes I noticed that 'Grimm' was a common cause of death. Guess I better get going, this place gives me the heebie jeebies.
RS...S
Finding clothes had been more difficult than expected. Despite those difficulties, I was now dressed in a blue hoodie, grey sweatpants, and a pair of slip-on shoes. Breaking into the filing room and finding the return address of my apparent sister's house was equally annoying. By the time I was dressed and more informed of my destination, it was 5:30. Walking out of the morgue, I took stock of my surroundings. I seemed to be off the outskirts of a city, the large buildings rising into the sky in the distance. Even further past those large buildings sat a large castle, presiding over the rest of the modernized city.
A castle? It looks rather similar to my own.
You had a castle?
I was a King, you know.
Ah, right. Stupid question. Why was there a castle up there, actually? I'm pretty sure I'm in Vale, and they had a council/parliamentary system.
You remember that?
I dunno. Stuff comes to me.
Interesting. But Vale? That is one of the four main offshoots that composed the Aureate Kingdom from my time. It seems to have aged beautifully. Though, I wonder if my death resulted in those branches turning back to their own forms of monarchy.
You had a whole kingdom named after you? Don't answer that, I'm getting distracted and we should get going.
Ah, yes, your family.
Any chance you could tell me about them? I don't even remember having parents or siblings. Or much of anything about this world, really. Basic stuff maybe but I don't think that's how amnesia works.
Yes, yes, that would be wise. You may actually possess some of my Kingly virtues after all.
Har har. Pretty sure the first couple of sentences you said to me are 'I'm you and you're me.' Your insults mean nothing because you insult yourself.
What I would give to see my wives or daughters bring you down to size.
I still need to ask about that. Probably shouldn't get distracted with that now, though.
Any chance you could get on with that family stuff?
You're right. You are the only son of Johnathan Arc and Irene Arc nee Goodwitch. You are the younger brother to six elder sisters and the older to one other sister.
Seven? Jeez, my dad must be pretty active to pull that off. Any chance I could get more insight into how any of them are as a person? Or maybe the names of my sisters?
I wasn't able to get everything from your memories so don't hold your breath on that. You want to be a Huntsman, also shortened to Hunter or Huntress depending on the gender or somesuch identifiers. Really, why not just a knight or something? Huntsman sounds a bit too ambiguous.
Everyone's a critic.
Shut. Moving on, you have a heroic drive to do good, save damsels, kill Grimm, and all that. Unfortunately, your dad is a bit of an asshole and refused to train you despite the rest of your sisters getting training from him. Hell, he even refused to give you the ancestral blade even though it is a longstanding tradition to pass it down to the firstborn son.
Well that's kinda shitty. I don't even remember the guy and I'm getting feelings of resentment and frustration.
Interesting, echoes of your missing memories? Emotions strong enough to bleed over? Regardless, your mother did not stop him and your sisters were all forbidden from training or even unlocking your Aura.
A pit was slowly forming in my stomach, it felt as if a pool of liquid anger and an ugly mix of envy was festering inside of me. Tears of frustration started to leak from my eyes. I reached up and wiped them away in confusion. These emotions were strong and I don't even remember why I'm feeling them.
And... did my sisters try anything? Fight against it at all?
A scene flashed into my mind, I was on the ground cradling a broken arm, and an older blonde woman who looked to be in her twenties was screaming at a muscle-bound figure with short, cropped blonde hair. The large man had an emotionless look on his face and he was giving off disappointed undertones from his crossed arms and slight frown. The man turned away and walked back into a large manor after the woman stopped yelling. The woman turned around with tears of anger in the corners of her eyes before she crouched down and grabbed me in a tight hug, careful of the obviously broken forearm.
The memory faded away, slotting into the recesses of my mind like a puzzle piece. I noticed that I stopped walking and looked around, noticing I was in what looked to be a residential district. I stopped at the side of the road and sat at the curb, mind swimming from the forgotten knowledge coming back. Idly, I wiped away the tears on my face again.
Jaune, your sisters did care. All seven of them fought against your father's decision at some point in time but he is one of the most powerful warriors of your current time.
Then why is it like this? Why am I singled out as not deserving the proper preparation to become a Hunter?
I couldn't tell you. You need to speak with your sister, though. You've been unconsciously walking towards the address but we should probably get there in an hour or two. Vale is silent now as it is still early morning but you must move quickly so as to not get caught up in the early morning bustle.
I stood up from the curb and started the trek back to the house, trying to push the depressing thoughts out of my mind.
How about we get out of these sad revelations and look to the future! You're set up with all the power and memories you'll need to be the greatest Hunter in Remnant's history, and you've got a guy on par with the strongest warriors of this time in your head who'll be training you personally for the rest of your life. He's even witty and charismatic to boot!
I chuckled to myself, Aurelius' attempts at cheering me up had worked. Despite his reassuring words I could sense a minute undercurrent of negativity, almost like he wasn't telling the whole truth. I pushed those thoughts out of my mind.
Tell me when you meet the guy.
Har har.
RS...S
I stood in front of a house. It was a rather nice little thing, modest in size and appearing to only fit maybe a family of four.
Didn't I have a family of ten? Er- nine?
There is a manor probably in the upper-class district of Vale belonging to the d'Arc line. This must be a separate residential entity to get away from a large and empty house, more than likely for your younger sibling or when your other sisters are off duty.
Good point. Doesn't make it any less intimidating. As a result of diligent training, any Hunter worth their salt would eventually learn to reign in the power signature their soul gave off so as to not act as nice and obvious beacon for the big and scary Grimm. Thanks to my past life I was easily able to develop a sense for Aura and right now there were two rather large signatures in the house. One was comparable to a Bright White dust crystal while the other was more akin to looking directly at the sun. And both of them were still suppressed.
Ah, the evidence of truly powerful descendants, they live up to the d'Arc name.
Why does it feel like there is more Aura in this house alone than the entire residential district?
As what equates to the progenitor of Aura, it is only correct that I possessed a significant amount of it. Those same genes have only gotten stronger as millennia passed by.
Don't I have the same amount? Why aren't I waking up all of Vale right now?
I'm actively suppressing it because you have the control of a newborn, my magic included. Emotions are powerful conduits in magic and had I not been holding those powers back, you'd have leveled the entire block in a big burst of raw force.
Now ain't that a sobering thought? Suddenly looking at the two Aura signatures seemed more daunting because they were actively being suppressed and were still overwhelming to my fledgling senses.
Relax, if worst comes to worst I'll take over for a short bit and get you out of dodge.
You can do that? Can you do it anytime you want, 'cause that is kinda scary if you can.
No, I must have permission to do so. Even then you will be able to see what I do and wrest control back at any time.
Noted. Unfortunately, that does nothing to reassure me.
The walk from the morgue to here was about two and a half hours, considering Vale was a rather large city and my sister's address was on the Northeast side of the residential district and the morgue was in the Southwest. The house was right on the big castle on the hill's doorstep along with a smattering of other similarly sized houses in the smallish neighborhood.
Maybe this is a bad idea, I mean, what if she reacts badly? If she's a seasoned huntress like you say then she'd probably be able to turn me to paste with a look, right?
Alright you big baby, if you don't knock on that door in the next ten seconds I'm gonna make you do it myself.
I thought you said you couldn't possess me?
I'll take the leash off of your Aura, enough to jolt a Huntress like her to full awareness.
That's a terrible idea!
THEN KNOCK ON THE DOOR
Steeling my nerves I raise my hand to the door and poise it to knock. No backing out of this now.
*knock* *knock*
Two sharp raps against the door. Baby steps, Jaune. Anxiety probably won't look good on you when you're faced with an aggrieved sister you don't even remember.
"Shit!" yelled a woman's voice. Now that is not reassuring at all.
Footsteps thudded towards the door, my senses on fire as the small sun of Aura got closer and closer.
The door opened with a creak.
Golden blonde tresses framed a heart-shaped face, crystal blue eyes rimmed with red, and a mouth turned downwards in a sharp scowl. Dressed in a black sweatshirt and dark jeans, she made for a rather depressing sight, dried tears running down her cheeks only completed the look. Despite the casual and relatively unflattering clothing, her mature and womanly figure was obvious to anyone.
"What the fuck do you-" She looked at me and stopped. I think my heart stopped too.
Unbidden, a memory flowed into my mind, an older sister giving me a tight hug, claiming she would be the bestest hero ever, just for me. Attached to that memory was a name.
Say something, you fool.
"Hey, Jeanne. I should start by apologizing, right?"
Holy shit why did I say that.
Holy shit why did you say that.
I don't know! I panicked and now-
"Jaune?" She sounded heartbroken. A myriad of emotions flashed across her tear-stained face. Shock, confusion, overwhelming confusion, shock again, anger?, sadness, anger again?, hope-
Her face twisted into a rictus of pure rage.
It seems we've blundered.
My only warning wordless snarl.
Time dilated and my body tensed in preparation for an attack.
SWITCH RIGHT NOW
Don't need to tell me twice.
I felt my mind fade into the back of my head as my body moved under Aurelius' command.
Jeanne's arms rose into an attack position. I braced for impact and-
Then the world flashed purple.
R&R and all that jazz. I like feedback. Sporadic updates.
PS: Feel free to PM with questions or stuff, I'll probably answer, I'm flying by the seat of my pants here.
Notes:
I'll be filling this in with the chapters from FFN so if you wanna see them go there, same story name, same author name. Leave reviews and kudos and all that.
Have a nice day/night/week/life
-Spice
Chapter 3: Nah, I'd Win
Summary:
Jaune gets beat up
Notes:
Leave reviews, kudos, etc. It's easier to answer questions and such on here so I might be a bit more active here. (Especially because of FFN's trash email system that still won't work.) Enjoy.
OBLIGATORY: Subjects/fetishes shown in this fic do not represent my personal feelings about them in real life. Fiction is a whole different story.
PS: Read the tags, Mature for a reason and some might not like what I'm cooking. Regardless, don't be mean about it.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Reincarnation Sucks... Sometimes
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot. Jaune x Harem(fem!Ozpin/Ozma, good!Salem, RWBY, Pyrrha, more probably) M for a reason
Summary: Aurelius Aurea d'Arc I, first and only king of Remnant, renowned warrior and magic user, discoverer of Aura, consort of Grand Sorceress Ozlyn the White and the Witch, Salem the Dark. Known as possibly the greatest figure in Remnant's history, and was now reduced to a distant fairy tale. Jaune Arc wakes up with limited memories and a whole new(old?) life in his head. The King has returned, and he has vowed to fix the world that has fallen apart in his absence.
RS...S
Changed some formatting stuff for easier reading.
Gravity is one of four fundamental forces that exist within the universe. For someone to control any of these forces seems nigh impossible and it spits on the notion of balance and the ever so complicated world of physics. Outside of magic, controlling gravity seems like an unfathomable idea, playing with forces that have shaped reality itself seems like a very bad idea. Multiple sorcerers and scholars advocated for an outright ban on research into these fundamental forces.
If those same scholars were alive today, I would like to point them in the direction of one Jeanne Arc.
'WHY AM I FLYING'
Jeanne was a full-fledged Huntress with a good ten years of service under her belt. Had it not been for my newfound companion, the initial burst of gravitic power would have crumpled me into a ball via implosion. Instead of that, I had instead been launched backward, digging a trench into the road as my Aura flashed around me.
My body scrambled to its feet without my input and suddenly my eldest sister appeared in front of me with an invisible burst of speed. I was then surrounded in purple light, hoisted by the collar, and hurled into the sky at Mach 1.
And that is where I am now.
Chère dieux, que ancêtres nous aident!
'What the fuck was that?! Why the hell are you praying to your ancestors?'
Maybe this could have been avoided by not trying to apologize? In hindsight, I probably should have led with an explanation instead of trying to apologize to the mentally unsound superhuman who can control gravity. As Aurelius said earlier, any experience can be a learning one, and by the Brothers, this sure was an experience.
'Am I slowing down? I think we're stopping!'
Not receiving an answer from the King, the purple glow slowly disappeared from around my body and my momentum came to an abrupt stop. And then a black glow replaced it. It felt as if a giant hand of god had suddenly wrapped around my body and started pulling me to the ground and accelerating my descent.
Brace for impact!
The ground came up to meet me in an unpleasant exchange of Newton's second law. At the last second, the black glow disappeared and my body curled into a ball, attempting to lessen the impact as a golden shield surrounded me.
I hit the ground like a meteorite, the dirt around me rising in a great plume as my collision with the earth scored a huge divot into the backyard of my sister's house.
Uncurling from my ball of protection, I was instantly accosted by the seasoned Huntress. A purple glow surrounded me again and I found my neck flying into her open palm where it then squeezed down like a vice, the only thing stopping my vertebrate from being turned into dust was the golden light of my manifested soul as it strained against her oxen grip.
The contortion of fury had not left her beautiful face, a steady stream of tears slowly making their way down her cheeks. She looked fully ready to either punt me into the sun or break down sobbing.
"Do you think this is a joke," she started in a deadly serious tone, "If you think you can get away with impersonating my recently dead brother, then you've got some real issues."
A beat passed. Then two. After five seconds of a very dangerous silence, she raised her other hand, already glowing with the power of gravitas.
"Wait!" That wasn't me? Ah, Aurelius is still using my body, figures he could talk through me.
Jaune, say something!
'What do you want me to say?! I barely know her!'
Think of something or else she's going to try to kill you!
Suddenly having control over my mouth, I awkwardly cleared my throat, trying to ignore the hand wrapped around it and the blazing eyes of my outraged sister.
"Jeanne, this is going to sound really crazy but I died, lost a bunch of memories, met my past incarnation, came back to life with him in my head, woke up in the morgue, found my way here and now you're choking me canyoupleasestopitkindaisstartingtohurt!" The rushed explanation only caused the fury on her face to melt into an angry frown, the tears wiped away by her other hand.
Progress.
Oh dear, that was quite possibly the worst delivery you could have made.
'You put me on the spot, what was I supposed to do but not tell the truth?'
I figured we'd break it to her more gently but you just dumped it all on her.
'I... expedited the process? Look, as long as she's not trying to kill us anymore, right? That's a good sign.'
Her glowing hand lowered but the grip around my neck had not abated.
"I'm not so desperate as to believe whatever excuses you've come up with. Jaune didn't even have Aura and you have enough to survive a drop from two miles in the sky, with assisted velocity, and come away with more as well as the fine-tuned control to not let enough of it leak to initiate a Frenzy."
The cold analysis had me stumped.
'How do I refute that?'
Not a clue, but figure something out! Tell her something only she'd know or something.
"And to my knowledge," she continued. "Jaune didn't normally apologize frequently."
Jeez was I some sorta asshole before I died?
"He'd say he was sorry for it but never really mean it, he was always a bit standoffish and rude, always a bit angry."
Guess I was an ass. She was starting to tear up now- and she's crying now.
"Before that he was kind, always wanting to be the hero a-and all of us filled his head with stories o-of being a Hunter and even after what dad did to him, he kept his dream, even after he changed, he was still my brother."
I believe you made it worse.
Ignoring the King, a memory rose to my mind, a younger version of the blonde currently choking me with a book in her hands, me in her lap, regaling fairy tales of the previous Arc ancestors and our family's history. I found that I was back in control of my body.
"He was still my brother!" she repeated. "And now he's gone!" Her grip slackened, dropping me and she immediately brought her hands up to her face, crying fat, ugly tears into them.
"I'm sorry, Jaune, I loved you and you still couldn't let me be your hero," she sobbed. "Why couldn't you let me be there for you?! Why close me out?!"
I sighed at my eldest sister as she had a breakdown in grief and regret.
"Jeanne," I started. "It's not your fault that-"
Her head snapped up, and decades of experience leaped into my mind. The power of my soul bent to my will as a golden barrier erupted into existence as a beam of gravitational force tore through the space in front of me, launching me backward into a tree. In an instant Jeanne was on top of me, straddling my waist. Her golden hair hung around her like a halo, manic red, and puffy eyes looked down at me as tears streaked down her face. Despite it all, she was beautiful.
We sat there for a good twenty seconds, looking into each other's eyes before she spoke.
"I want to believe you," she whispered. "I really, truly want to believe that miracles do happen." She was glowing, why was she glowing?
Half of her was glowing a bright lilac, the air around the half gently gusting away as if repelled. The other half of her was glowing a dark black, a void seemingly starting to grow around her. The power continued to rise and the respective halves continued to grow with power.
Jaune, I am about to unseal some magic, use whatever time you have in her windup to dredge up the memories in order to use the right type to counter whatever shit she is about to throw at you,
'Why can't you do it?!'
Every experience is a learning one.
Bull and shit.
I dipped deep into the recesses of my mind, time dilating around me as I rushed through the decades of memories from my past life. A couple sticks out to me that I might want to come back to later, notable ones being wives, daughters, and kingly persona. Reaching the magic section, I figured I should start with protection before disregarding it completely. An attack of this caliber would more than likely shred any shield I could conjure. There were too many options and too few at the same time. While countering a gravity semblance with gravity magic sounds cool, fighting fire with fire only ends up with a bigger fire and Vale should probably stay on the face of Remnant. Temporal magic sounds really cool but I only have limited memories and most of it is from a woman named Oz-something attempting to teach me it. Same with a couple of others like seasonal magic and spacial.
'Damn, if I had spacial I could make an infinite space in front of me so it'd never hit, only look like it's slowly getting closer.'
Cool thoughts for later I finally stumbled on a special type of magic I seemed well versed in. Suppression and isolation magic, or taking your opponent's attacks and taking away the dangerous stuff.
I came back to the present and Jeanne was fully glowing purple and black.
"But I know better," she murmured. "I'm sorry."
In a burst of speed, she was multiple meters away. I scrambled to my feet, set my stance, and reached into my stores of magika, bringing it to the forefront of my hands. In response, Jeanne's colors flashed before coalescing into a singular glowing purple dot just above her fingers in a pinching motion.
Forgotten energies swirled into my hands, small blue vortexes appearing just above my palms as I prepared to erase her technique.
Our eyes locked.
A second passed.
Jeanne's hand raised, a vacant expression on her face as her eyes opened wide. Her fingers flicked forward.
I will take this moment to the grave, counting it as the first time in my new life that I truly, truly feared for my life.
The small dot flew forward before exploding into a huge ball of unstoppable gravitic force, tearing a massive trench in the ground as it raced towards me. At this moment I knew for sure that if this hit, no amount of Aura or magic, or bullshit reincarnation full restores will keep me alive. This thing will simultaneously crush me down to atomic levels before pulling me into the infinite in an endless loop of deletion.
I raised my hands in response, the small vortexes expanding into two hand-sized black holes rimmed with blue. An unstoppable force met an immovable object and neither yielded.
As the purple technique that defied physics slammed into my deletion magic, I immediately felt the strain on my weak body. The soul was willing but the flesh would give sooner or later. The power of her semblance would eventually wear away at the physical willpower needed to maintain the suppression magic. I needed to end this quickly.
Dumping even more power into the black holes, I felt them gape even wider and I began to siphon the two energies composing the technique. One of the energies was pure repulsive force, positive in power, and what allowed her to blast me around and create trenches using me as the shovel. The other energy was refined negative space, negative in power, and it created an extremely strong pulling force, only refined to such a ridiculous degree that it manifests negative distance and forces reality to literally fill in the blanks by drawing things together at almost light speed.
The technique that Jeanne just used was a perfect and careful balance between the two, such that they were two sides of the coin and the ball I was currently trying to absorb was the exact middle of the coin. This affront to the laws of the universe is not only one of the most destructive forces seen since the Brother Gods but a ridiculously dangerous thing to throw around in the middle of Vale.
What the FUCK is she thinking using something like this in a kingdom?! If we weren't here to stop it then this would have carved a path directly into the rest of the residential district and beyond until it ran out of power or imploded on itself!
'I don't know and frankly, I don't care, cuz right now I need to stop her.'
The ball slowly started to decrease in size, the energies feeding the void I'd been maintaining. I had to be careful to absorb the exact same amount of energy or else the technique would become unbalanced, causing either the equivalent of a nuclear blast or a black hole to happen in the middle of Vale. If either were to become unbalanced, it would spell doom for everyone.
The ball continued to shrink, eventually becoming about the size of a large beachball. Risking a glance at Jeanne, I could see that she still had a vacant expression on her face. She seemed to be lost in her own world, not a scratch on her hoodie nor a speck of dirt on her pants, unlike me who was covered in scratches and torn clothes from being dragged around like a ragdoll.
The energies siphoned away completely at the same time. I immediately canceled the magic and dropped to my hands and knees panting. The physical toll used in order to maintain that erasure void had left me weak. Looking at Jeanne again, I found her looking directly at me. And she started to glow again.
'Fuck.'
Fuck.
The glow built for five seconds and I closed my eyes and waited for the end. And then it stopped. Jeanne stopped whatever she was charging up and simply looked at the ground, her hair hiding her expression.
Muscles screaming in protest, I hoisted myself to my feet and slowly shambled my way over to her. She looked up as I got closer to her, the listless expression marring her beautiful face. I approached her at arm's length, and she didn't react.
I held out my arms wide, silently asking for a hug. Her eyes glinted as more tears rose to them. As she rushed into my arms for a hug, her soft curves molding to my body, I was assaulted with years of scenarios exactly like this, just reversed.
Me, younger, running into my favorite sister's arms after a long day at school.
Me, slightly older, running into her arms as she graduates and becomes a full-fledged Huntress.
Me, older still, running into her arms as she came home one day missing a teammate.
Me, older again, running into her arms after being rebuked by a father refusing training.
Me, older, reluctantly giving her a hug, trying to stifle the feelings of jealousy and inadequacy as I figured I could take on some Grimm on my own.
Her, a day later, having lost her brother and gotten him back within 24 hours.
The silence wasn't overbearing, no words needed to be communicated between either of us, the two of us basking in the comfort of each other's presence.
I figured I needed to at least reassure her so she wouldn't try to rationalize this as a dream.
"My name is Jaune Arc," the words flow into my mind. "I am 17 years old, born on May 30th, XX63 P.G.W. I was pronounced brain-dead on January 29th at 4:23 PM.
Distantly, I wondered where the hell this information was coming from.
"My favorite color is saffron. Out of all eight children, I was the best at cooking, being put in charge of it after you accidentally imploded the oven. At the age of seven, I was used as the dress-up doll for all of you because I looked girly enough to pass for another sister. You, Jane, and Jen taught me how to dance, insisting that it was important for future footwork as a Hunter. You told me when you graduated, that you would be the bestest hero you could be, just for me. That to you, I was your hero, and you'll always look forward to coming home because I'll be there waiting for you."
Jeanne was shaking in my arms, not hiding the fact she was sobbing into my shoulder.
"Jeanne... I'm so sorry. I'm back, now. I'll explain everything to you, I promise."
She pulled back slightly, a radiant smile starting to pull from the corner of her lips. "Jaune, you can't even begin to understand what went through my mind when I heard about what you did. When the doctors couldn't..."
She shook her head, dispelling the thoughts. "I seriously considered joining you, y'know? If only for the chance to see you again."
'Holy shit, what? She was fully ready to kill herself to see me again?' Did she seriously love me that much?
My expression must've shown on my face because she giggled slightly.
"Don't worry, it doesn't matter anymore. After all, you're here now," why was her face so close now? "I thought I'd never get to talk to you again, see you again, have you with me ever again."
Her arms slowly encircled around my neck. "Jaune," she was so close, her warm breath ghosting across my lips, our noses almost touching.
"I love you."
She leaned forward, her soft lips pressing against mine with an unexpected gentleness.
'WHAT'
Hmm. Equally strong genes. I approve.
'WHAAAAAT'
R&R and all that jazz. I like feedback. Sporadic updates.
PS: Feel free to PM/comment with questions and stuff, I'll probably answer
Answer to why mindwipe: Jaune as of now has no bias or rose-tinted glasses of the world. Growing up with a family of kickass Huntsman would definitely romanticize a lot of things and Jaune with Aurelius' memories could make his own opinions depending on his past life. Times change after all.
Answer to Salem and Oz(lyn(pin(ma))): Salem is bad rn but she's not in the right 'mindset'. Idk if to make oz a guy and freak Jaune/Aurelius out when he gets to Beacon or not. I'll figure it out but I'm open to suggestions.
Answer to why king not act kingly: Imagine your just a normal dude and then you die and get a cool ancestor king reincarnation. All of a sudden becuz of him you have the need to lord your supposed superiority over everybody despite the fact you are not a king. I imagine it as a persona you can use whenever he needs or feels like it. It'll come in handy when dealing with Weiss or diplomacy.
Jaune x sister? Y not. READ OBLIGATORY ABOVE
Have a nice day/night/week/life.
-Spice
Notes:
I'll be filling this in with the chapters from FFN so if you wanna see them go there, same story name, same author name. Leave reviews and kudos and all that.
Have a nice day/night/week/life
-Spice
Chapter 4: 'Till Death do Us Part
Summary:
Memories, memories...
Notes:
Leave reviews, kudos, etc. It's easier to answer questions and such on here so I might be a bit more active here. (Especially because of FFN's trash email system that still won't work.) Enjoy.
OBLIGATORY: Subjects/fetishes shown in this fic do not represent my personal feelings about them in real life. Fiction is a whole different story.
PS: Read the tags, Mature for a reason and some might not like what I'm cooking. Regardless, don't be mean about it.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Reincarnation Sucks... Sometimes
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot. Jaune x Harem(fem!Ozpin/Ozma, good!Salem, RWBY, Pyrrha, more probably) M for a reason
Summary: Aurelius Aurea d'Arc I, first and only king of Remnant, renowned warrior and magic user, discoverer of Aura, consort of Grand Sorceress Ozlyn the White and the Witch, Salem the Dark. Known as possibly the greatest figure in Remnant's history, and was now reduced to a distant fairy tale. Jaune Arc wakes up with limited memories and a whole new(old?) life in his head. The King has returned, and he has vowed to fix the world that has fallen apart in his absence.
OBLIGATORY: Subjects/fetishes written in this fic do not reflect my personal feelings about them in real life. Fiction is a whole different story.
UPDATE: I disliked how I portrayed the Brother Gods, they came off as too childish. Changed that and a bit more.
RS...S
Not my proudest moment, I will admit. About five seconds after Jeanne revealed her feelings and kissed me, mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion caught up with me and I passed out. Once again opening my eyes to the comfort of the void, I figured now would be a great time to sort out the whole two lives, one body sort of deal we had going on right now.
'Hey Aurelius, can we talk a bit about some of those memories now that we've got the time?'
I waited for a response. When none came after about a minute of waiting, I repeated the question into the empty darkness. Again, no reply, and I was starting to get worried. Had I used up some imaginary time limit that he had? I could still feel all of the memories of my past life sifting around in my mind but I'd rather not look into them until I had an idea of what I was looking into.
...Jaune.
'Finally, what took you so long?' There was an emotion in his voice I couldn't place. He sounded tired, almost. Or weary, as if the weight of the world was pressing down on his shoulders.
The familiar darkness exploded into light once again, shifting into a simple landscape of a forested clearing. Standing in the center was Aurelius, clad in armor sans helmet, massive claymore planted into the earth next to him. His face was set in a grave scowl, his eyes milky and unfocused, lost in thought.
Alerting to my presence, his head snapped up, his blue eyes locking with mine. Suddenly, in a blur of movement, he was directly in front of me, and I could see the evidence of his exhaustion. His golden blonde hair was greasy and matted, his skin slightly sallow and oily, large dark bags under his eyes, and bloodshot eyes. Slowly, blood started to trickle from an open cut on his forehead, something not there a second ago.
"Jaune," he repeated. "I know that this is probably the last thing you want to hear, but I am not going to be here for you any longer."
What? The cool ancestor reincarnation voice in my head wasn't going to be around to throw witty byplay at me?
I was trying to hide my sudden spike of anxiety if you couldn't tell.
The King's scowl deepened fractionally, his eyebrows creasing in slight frustration.
"This is no jest," he began gravely, "I am but a construct, a fragment of our previous body's memories and experiences. My sole existence is to help acclimate you to the experiences of your past life. While I wish we had more time to do so, This cannot be put off any longer."
Before my eyes, the King started to deteriorate, displaying the signs of his imminent disappearance. The previously radiant armor was crusted with dirt, chipped and slashed into chunks, entire pieces missing and revealing wounded flesh underneath. The regalia that stood proudly on the broad cuirass had cracked in twain, a horrific black scorch mark indicating damage of the magical variety sat in the middle, pulsating black veins spiderwebbing off of it and through the armor. One of the large, pointed pauldrons disappeared, seemingly sheared off by an invisible force and the helmet held in his hand had a massive gash torn into the temple, as if an axe had been taken to the crown, crumpling it.
I tore my gaze away from him, alerted by the sound of an explosion. The previously serene forest had devolved into a war zone without me looking. Huge pockmarks marred the ground, entire trees felled and pulverized, fire burning away at it all. The clear and sunny sky had become choked with smoke and the smell of blood and death replaced the gentle breeze.
"While I wish you'd never come to relearn these memories, I understand the necessity of it in order to truly live in this new opportunity given to us... given to you."
He turned away from me, gazing out into the burning forest and blood-soaked ground. Idly, I noticed that the black cracks seemed to have spread into his back, coalescing into a singular concentrated point, as if someone had taken a blade of tar and run him through with it.
"In my naivete I allowed myself to soften the blow, your wounded and weakened self would surely be unable to handle the sudden occupation of an empowered soul as well as the accompanying power. This is why I lied to you. I suppressed those memories you 'lost', justifying that with my experiences and knowledge, you'd form an opinion untainted by your family yet influenced by mine. I've realized my folly in engaging too heavy-handedly, and I now believe after observing your actions and properly going through your memories that you possess the correct values that I thought were absent as a result of your upbringing. While I won't be giving those memories back directly, you will recall them easily should you be reminded."
The King and I stood next to each other, watching on as the sky split into a massive tear, brilliant white light pouring through as a titanic, radiant hand reached down to the land of Remnant below. As the hand made contact with the ground, flora blossomed into life, massive forests appearing instantly, healing the razed land.
"This echo of me stands to guide you and nothing more. The world is not so black and white as I have misled you to believe."
His words resonated deep within me, the wisdom in his aged voice not lost on me as I acknowledge the world cannot be held in the same lens I possessed before almost dying. The perspective granted was humbling to understand.
Nodding his head as he sees my understanding, the King wordlessly gestures to their destroyed surroundings, not acknowledging the God of Light's divine power. "This forest is a representation of my end. This is where everything ended for me, and where it shall begin for you. This is where the love of my life killed me."
He turned to face me again, his tired blue eyes flashing into gold as light consumed my vision.
RS...S
The past
The Aureate kingdom had fallen. It had started with increased Grimm activity, huge groups moving out of the Grimmlands and dangerously close to the outer walls. Other settlements had been evacuated or laid to waste under the attack of the creatures of darkness. Then the central castle was leveled by a massive blast of unrestrained dark magic, decimating the proud settlement and reducing it to rubble, the residual dark magic spreading a plague amongst the masses, increasing negativity to the highest point in recorded history.
Under the constant onslaught of the Grimm and the missing monarchs, the walls had given way and allowed the army of Grimm to pool inside the kingdom. In the absence of both queens and the King, only a few families managed to escape.
In an adjacent forest, some ten miles out was the corrupted queen and the golden Monarch, one having survived the overwhelming blast of dark magic, the other the reason for it in the first place.
"I don't understand," I began. "Why did you do all of this? I know this isn't you, can't you see that? You aren't in your right mind, Salem!"
It felt like yesterday that the woman standing across from me was smiling and laughing as I spun her around in my arms. The soft gentle mannerisms and sheer love were no longer present, replaced by a burning glare and unsuppressed vitriol.
"I couldn't tell you. And I feel perfectly fine, thank you very much," the uncaring words were spoken with a scorching acidity. "I don't feel particularly different and I am perfectly sane right now. In fact, I feel better than ever."
The Dark Witch's words were contrasted by the growing mania in her eyes. Her previously pale blonde tresses were splotched with black and slowly turning a snow white, dark cracks running up her hands and arms, a black diamond sitting in the center of her forehead. One of her sky-blue eyes had been replaced with a deep blood red, the sclera shifting into a startling black as the dark cracks in her skin seemed to reach around her eye.
I could tell something was amiss the second that she informed me and Oz that she'd found a lead on where the Grimm had been spawning. We had advised against it, thinking up every conceivable excuse for her to not go to the newly dubbed 'dark pool' left behind by the God of Darkness.
I ignored the burning fires and the smell of blood and death, ignored how my heart broke over and over as I recalled how Salem unleashed a cataclysmic blast of dark magic directly in the throne room, annihilating it and killing everyone inside. It was senseless destruction at its finest and it had the God of Darkness's fingerprints all over it.
"Please," I tried. "I know the woman I love is still in there. Ask yourself why you are doing this. You need to realize that this is exactly what that God wants, you're being controlled!" The desperate plea in my voice echoed in the empty clearing.
For a brief, miraculous second, Salem wavered. The cracks receded ever so slightly, the red in her eye fading away to be replaced by her natural blue.
For a single moment, I could see her face contort in unadulterated fear and sorrow. "I'm sorry."
The reprieve disappeared, the cracks spreading back over with a vengeance, the bloodlust returning to her vision, and a cold sneer spread across her face as the fear was replaced with anger. My only warning was a muted growl as dark magic gathered around her.
My sixth sense screamed as I threw myself to the side, a blast of crackling red energy slammed into the space I just occupied, vaporizing the ground and leaving behind a scorch mark.
I slung Crocea Mors off of my back, the Claymore shining brightly as it came to life with multiple glowing runes inscribed on its edge. Shifting my grip, the sword glowed brightly before shrinking. The blade expanded outwards as I grabbed the handle and straped it to my arm. When I finally yanked the hilt out of the new construct, the large two-handed weapon had turned into a sword and shield.
I immediately brought the shield to bear as another blast of energy impacted the surface of it, pushing my feet back as they dug into the ground.
Salem's cruel smirk twisted into a confused frown.
"Where is Ozlyn, dear husband? I wouldn't want her to miss all of the fun."
I scowled beneath my helmet, reminded of how I had said my goodbyes to her and our children before sending them away to shelter the oncoming storm. Before Salem had become tainted with the Dark God's pool, she had scryed a potential calamity brought on by the Brothers in response to an insult, wiping out a majority of humanity in their anger. Considering the current events, it was pretty easy to connect the dots that that calamity was soon to happen if nothing were done.
"None of your concern," I stated harshly. I sighed before trying to appeal to her humanity one last time. "If I fall here, and you one day regain sense of yourself, do not fall into guilt, it is not your fault. Try and remember the family we made, Autumn and Verdant still need their mom, Sapphire and Sunny still need their step-mom. Ozlyn and I still need you, Salem. Just try and fight it, don't let that devil win, remember who we are."
Salem's smirk twitched, her facade breaking incrementally before the control of the Dark God reasserted itself on her as her face spread in a cruel grin.
"When I'm done with you, I'll need someone who can put up a good fight, no? Ozlyn the White is a mighty powerful sorceress, the most powerful in the kingdom in fact."
I sighed in resignation. Salem's control was too deep and it seemed there was no other way around it. I'd beat her out of it or die trying.
"So be it," I murmured, tightening the grip on Crocea Mors. "When all is said and done, just know that I still love you."
Salem's dark visage twisted into another frown.
"Sentimental type, aren't you?" She shook her head in mocking disappointment.
"Dearly beloved," Salem's hands burst into black flame, a dark wind rustled through the remaining trees, carrying embers off deeper into the woods where they would set the world ablaze. "'Till death do us part."
POV: Third Omniscient
Without fanfare, a blast of stygian fire came screeching out of the Dark Witch's hands, leaving a trail of blackened grass.
In response, the King leveled his shield with the blaze, a multitude of runes lighting up on the surface as the fire was quickly absorbed and then returned with equal ferocity.
With a lazy flick of her hand, the ball of flames petered out into nothing, though Salem was unprepared as Aurelius came rushing at her from the cover of the flames. With a heavy heart, he raised his blade, poised to cut her from shoulder to hip and end the fight quickly.
With another casual flick, Aurelius' blade was caught in a shadowy hold, shadows stretching up from the ground and grasping the blade tightly as Salem's hands lit up a sickening green. With a malevolent grin, the dark magic slammed into the sturdy armor, roiling over it as the man was sent flying backward, now missing his sword.
With a tilt in her head, Salem looked over the sword in interest. "These runes are rather extraordinary, wherever did they come from, I recall your family being an order of warriors. Was there a runemaster in your family?" Salem's curiosity led to her attempting to touch the blade, entranced by the glowing silver sheen of the runes.
In response to the dark magic controlling her, the blade glowed a bright silver, channeling the power of light, searing her fingertips, and dispelling the shadows gripping the sword. The hilt swerved in Aurelius' direction before launching itself towards him as if yanked by an invisible string. It landed soundly within his hand, the silver light spreading to the rest of his armor.
Not offering an answer to the question of the blade's mythical origins, the King instead raised his shield and allowed golden magic to gather inside of his body. His eyes flashed gold and an expanding wave of magic blasted from the insignia of the shield.
Salem raised her hands in response and the shadows responded to her command, leaping from the shade of the trees and the ground itself and coalescing into a tight barrier. The golden wave slammed against it, immediately being swallowed by the hungry darkness.
Dismissing the buttress, Salem's voice reached across the clearing.
"I've neglected to show you the pets I've come to be in possession of," A spark of mania blazed to life in her eyes as dark liquid pooled in her cupped hands. "Allow me to remedy that."
She dropped the handful of liquid shadows onto the ground where it immediately grew in size. From the small formless puddle a paw burst through the surface of the liquid, followed by another, followed by the glaring red eyes and snarling maw of a Beowolf. It planted its large paws on the ground in front of itself before hoisting the rest of its body from the dark pool, hunching over and growling menacingly.
Aurelius' eyes widened in shock as Salem showcased her casual manipulation of one of humanity's greatest enemies. His eyes narrowed in anger behind his helmet, his free hand shooting forward. With a blast of blinding silver light, the recently spawned Grimm was turned to stone, the strength of the magic causing it to immediately crack and crumble into dust before disappearing entirely.
From her position some meters away, Salem watched impassively as her summon was dispatched ruthlessly.
"Tch, figures that Oz would teach you all about the silver magic. Speaking of, after I finish with you, I should probably hunt down the rest of the silver-eyed clan you've got constantly patrolling the Grimmlands. Wouldn't want my new pets being vaporized with a look." The annoyed look contrasted with the way the Witch admitted to planning the genocide of a well-respected and honored family.
Figuring now was a good time to try and catch Salem off guard, Aurelius blurred forward, wind magic assisting in his lunge as his sword raced toward Salem's abdomen. Eyes widening in shock before narrowing in anger, the Witch just barely evades, a shallow cut slicing the black dress she was wearing and allowing a line of black blood to slowly trickle from the flesh wound.
In response she pushed her arms forward, a vicious gust of black smog ejecting from her palms and wrapping around the King's head, filling his lungs and nostrils as it deprived him of his air and obstructed his view. Following it up, shadows coalesce into a large axe in her hands. Grabbing it in both hands, she heaves it downwards with no hesitation, attempting to split her husband's helmet and skull in twain.
On instinct, Aurelius shifts to the side, exposing his shoulder instead of his temple as the pointed pauldron takes the brunt of the blow and is sheared off in a shower of metal, the axe biting through his Aura and slightly into the flesh of his deltoid muscle.
Grunting in muted pain and rapidly disappearing breath, he disengaged, a blast of wind buffeting the smirking Salem. Inside the King's helmet opens a small blue vortex, sucking up the smog and allowing his breath and sight to return. Risking a glance at his wound, he deems it superficial. In response to his thoughts, his semblance activates, the broken pauldron growing back into position as his armor re-reinforces the shoulder and regenerates the missing piece.
Not letting up, Salem rushes forward, her massive axe conjuration swinging up in a deadly arc where it crashed into the protective guard of Aurelius' shield, a shockwave echoing in the clearing. The shadows in Salem's grasp twisted and she was suddenly holding a short sword, using its smaller size and easy maneuverability to try and stab him through the face plate and directly between his eyes. The King reacted quickly by twisting his head, the stab slamming into the side of his helmet instead.
Crocea Mors swept forward in a silver arc, biting into Salem's side. Had it not been for her swift reaction and another blast of point-blank fire, the heirloom sword would have sliced her clean in half.
Salem hissed as she held her side, the silver light of the blade sizzling against her dark tainted skin. She moved further back, pools of darkness with small swirls of light spawning beneath her feet. From one of them emerged a large scorpion, equipped with powerful pincers, plated in white bone with glowing silver accents, eight menacing eyes glaring at him while a long prehensile tail swoops behind it, the stinger glowing a sickly yellow.
From the second pool, another arachnid crawls free from the inky depths. Eight long legs, ending in white-bladed tips leading to a large bony plated abdomen and sternum of a spider, another set of eight glaring red eyes, mandibles clicking angrily as white acid oozed from its frothing mouth.
Wasting no time, Aurelius raises his shield again, the runes starting to glow a menacing silver before unleashing a massive flash, reminiscent of a camera flash. The two arachnid Grimm only blink the spots out of their eyes, no worse for wear against the deadly silver light.
Dumbfounded, the King almost misses the stinger of the Deathstalker as it slams its tail forward, the glowing tip impacting into the ground, cratering it and releasing a yellow discharge that wilts the grass underneath it. Attempting to capitalize on the opening, the large spider -now dubbed Widow- charges forward, attempting to use its armored and spiked legs to impale Aurelius.
The shield of Crocea Mors glows gold before it suddenly shifts into a large tower shield, deflecting the impaling blows before the blade swipes forward and shears two of the legs off at the spike. From there, the Monarch ducks underneath a sweeping swipe from the deathstalker and shields another blow from its tail before turning his shield toward Salem as a red blast slams into it, taking him off balance.
Screeching in anger, the Widow rushes forward, attempting to sink its mandibles into the King's arm and inject its lethal venom. Instead, the large Grimm finds itself bashed in the face with the tower shield before two gauntlets wrap around its mandibles. With a grunt of exertion, the Widow is lifted off the ground and slammed into a shocked Deathstalker, the two Grimm getting tangled in the sixteen legs between them.
With another flash, Crocea Mors had shifted forms again, fusing into a large broadsword. Aurelius plants a foot forward, calling upon his magic and willing it into the blade. With a mighty swing, a wave of gold was launched out of the broadsword and cleaved the two tangled Grimm in half, leaving them to turn to smoke.
Immediately after, the King raised the weapon, the large flat of the blade blocking the rapid thrust of Salem's rapier, foiling her attempts at poking at the chinks in his armor. The tip of the shadowed rapier was wreathed in an ominous red, belying its danger to his defense.
The initial exchange was followed by a fast-paced stabbing combo from Salem, each targeting vital areas in his armor and subsequently being blocked by Crocea Mors.
Salem disengages after she overextends, narrowly avoiding a beheading slash from her lover as she retreats to a safer distance panting in exertion.
Smiling glibly, she looks at her hands as shadows move across them sluggishly. "It appears fusing the Grimm with silver magic worked, albeit at a cost to my own magic generation. I don't believe I can pull that off again without burning my own core out." Salem's expression twists in confusion, questioning why she gave away important information like that.
Realizing that his wife was still fighting the control of the Grimm pool and helping in any way she could, Aurelius only reassured his stance on the fight.
Enraged by her actions, Salem stomps the ground, inky pools of darkness extending across the earth before turning into a massive horde of all types of Grimm, ready to tear the King limb from limb in the name of their mistress. The mania in Salem's eyes returned, her expression gleeful as she beheld the army she commanded and could create at a whim.
"Dear husband, I know you're holding back. No point in trying to hide it anymore. I want our final battle to be one that will scar the face of Remnant for millennia to come, so I expect you to provide the same courtesy and let loose."
Salem's magical presence grew to an overwhelming pressure, the hazy sky suddenly darkening as her dark powers influenced nature itself. The shadows stretched longer, and the Grimm surrounding her became larger and more vicious as the influence of the God of Darkness manifested in their ranks. From Salem's temple, the outline of a pair of purple ram's horns extended, displaying the God's control as she leveled her magic.
In response, Aurelius stood taller, his golden and white armor suddenly radiant in its splendor, multiple runes crawling across its surface as he readied himself for battle. Crocea Mors shifted once again, the broadsword replaced with a massive buster sword, a large straight-edged sword shaped like a knife. Shifting into stance, the King readied himself to weather the storm.
"I've been stalling to ensure that Ozlyn and the children got away safely. I am content in knowing that they can no longer be caught in the crossfire. Should I fall here, I know that they are safe. And that's all that matters."
Sneering in derision, Salem waves a hand forward, silently commanding the army to charge. Aurelius grips the large sword tighter, fearless in the face of the army of darkness. His magical presence grew to match Salem's aided by the Aura that he commanded, wrapping it around himself and his armor in an extra layer of protection, making an impregnable barrier while covering all of the exposed points in his armor.
The forest devolved into a slaughter.
After...
The forest had been leveled for miles, and the smoky and decomposing corpses of Grimm lying around indicated the outcome of the battle. Entire swaths of the creatures of darkness had been frozen in stone, slowly crumbling under the pressure of the magic being utilized by the main two combatants. Craters and pockmarks marred the surface of the once beautiful land, the sky turned dark with smoke and Salem's dark magic and the fire had long since disappeared under the magical onslaught.
Salem had been pushed onto the back foot, desperately trying to stop her husband's advance. In response to her desperate movements, Aurelius pushed forward, slamming through hastily erected barriers and powering through sloppy spells. The God of Darkness' ram horns had disappeared, her power slowly diminishing under the might of the one-man army and leader of the fallen Aureate kingdom.
The golden monarch's semblance had been exhausted, the armor no longer regenerating, multiple pieces missing or slashed. An entire pauldron was missing and there were a myriad of chunks slashed out, small rivulets of blood leaking out of the flesh wounds. Despite it all, the King stood tall, an insurmountable wall preventing Salem from being unleashed on the rest of the world.
Attempting to levitate to gain some breathing room, Salem was immediately yanked back to the ground in a flash of purple, the familiar thrum of gravity magic asserting itself over her. Multiple cuts leaked black blood on her body, her once pristine hair had become disheveled and almost completely bleached white as the fight went on. The black cracks had spread further, wrapping around her arms and legs as the corruption took hold. Her one blue eye had yet to be corrupted by the reaching veins of darkness.
As Aurelius stepped into her guard, capitalizing on her vulnerable state, Salem buffeted him with shadows before conjuring another massive axe, swiftly bringing it down upon his cranium in order to give her at least a little bit of time to try and plan out another way to counter the relentless King. The axe slammed home into the helmet with a crunch, flattening the crown and tearing a gash into the top of the armet. Before Salem could attempt to draw blood, the axe was stopped by a flash of gold, the Monarch's Aura ceasing the axe's movements.
Aurelius reared his leg and delivered a spartan kick into the Witch's sternum, launching her backward where she dug a trench into the ground. The axe dissipated and he yanked off the sundered helmet, eyes glowing gold in cold and righteous fury.
Throwing himself forward, the King appeared in a burst of speed in front of the downed sorceress, Crocea Mors in its normal sword form held aloft in his hand. In a swift movement, the blade plunged into Salem's chest, directly into her heart, the multitude of silver runes lighting up in vengeance against the dark magic.
The wound hemorrhaged black blood, Salem immediately coughed it up as the sword pinned her to the ground through her chest. Crocea Mors' purifying power surged through her weakened body, the black veins becoming inert, turning grey underneath the silver magic.
"...I'm sorry, Salem. I know this wasn't your fault, this wasn't you."
Aurelius' words were accompanied by silent tears tracking their way down his face as he kneeled next to the dying form of his wife.
Salem's eyes were the clearest they'd been the whole fight, the purifying magic surging through her and the power of her magic and own willpower keeping her alive.
"Not... your... fault," Came the labored reply.
The Monarch resolutely stopped himself from sobbing, grabbing his wife's hand in a firm grip, her's weakly intertwining their fingers together. A brief burst of familiar magic across his senses alerted him to the approach of his other wife.
Eyes widening in recognition, Salem's weak voice reached his ears.
"Oz... coming? Tell her... goodbye."
Shaking his head and holding in his tears, Aurelius nodded silently, not trusting his own words. His thoughts were a whirlwind of emotions, the most prevalent being grief and anger at the Dark God, cursing him for taking a piece of his family away from him. Unknown to him, these dark thoughts slighted the God paying attention to the King and the interaction between his puppet and his Brother's favorite mortal.
A sliver of malevolent power took root in Salem's mind. With actions not belonging to her, she beckoned her grieving husband closer, leaning up to his ear.
"Beloved... 'till death do us part."
Salem's hold on his hand tightened into an inescapable death grip, reeling him in closer as darkness pooled into her hand. Without hesitation, her hand plunged through Aurelius' cuirass, directly into the middle of his chest, dark veins spreading from the place of impalement.
Flinching backward as Salem's grip slackened and her face became horror-struck, the King dropped to the ground on his hands and knees as he felt the dark curse start eating away at his soul.
"N-No! I'm sorry!" The teary wail from Salem did not stop the fact that she'd punched a hole directly through his chest.
A large magical signature filled the clearing as its owner appeared desperately searching. Ozlyn the white was done up in her rune-covered armor, green highlights signifying her rank as Grand Sorceress. Her medium-length brunette hair was done up in an elaborate bun as her eyes desperately searched for the fading life forces of her loved ones.
Spotting her husband, she immediately ran over, a dome of green surrounding him, suspending the time inside and allowing her to look at the damage done to him. Quickly identifying the dark curse attempting to eat his soul out, she tried to banish it only to fail, the damage irreversible and the body in critical condition. Face screwing up in concentration, she tried to do it again, this time healing his body as well, the hole in his chest filling with tanned, healthy skin. The curse persisted and the healed flesh only withered away under the effects of the curse.
"No, no, no, no, no!" Ozlyn's fist slammed into the ground, a spider web of cracks spreading from her fist as she lost control of her emotions and magic.
"O-Oz!"
Ozlyn's attention snapped to her sister-wife, currently pinned to the ground with a sword through her heart and a dark curse being burnt out of her system by the said sword. Moving over quickly she stopped in front of Salem before raising her hands as blue light gathered in them.
"I know you weren't in control," Started Ozlyn, trying not to cry, "But it doesn't change the fact that the two of you are almost dead and I can't do anything about it." Ozlyn started tearing up, properly realizing she could do nothing to save two of the most important people in her life.
"The... Gods must... be laughing at us," Salem's attempted chuckle ended with a racking cough that dispensed a splatter of black blood.
"The Gods? They can fix this, no they will fix this." Ozlyn's resolute voice echoed through the clearing as she dismissed her magic, and immediately dropped into prayer, hoping for a miracle. After a minute of waiting only interrupted by Salem's occasional coughs, nothing happened. Distantly, the Dark Witch wondered how she was still alive, she'd been stabbed in the heart for the past four or so minutes and she wasn't getting any better.
Ozlyn stood without warning, pulling at her hair in frustration. Being a sensible woman, she refrained from lashing out at the unfairness of it all, tears of frustration leaking down her face. Pivoting on her foot, she approached Salem.
"I realize that you are suffering right now," She took a shuddering breath, trying to control her voice. "I'm sorry everything ended this way."
Black blood dribbled from the side of Salem's lip. "Not... your fault. Not... Aurelius' either. Mine."
Shaking her head in denial, Ozlyn's aggrieved visage shifted into resolution. "I love you."
Salem closed her eyes. "Me... too."
Grabbing the hilt of Crocea Mors, the Grand Sorceress prepared to remove it from her chest before two divine presences filled the empty clearing.
Immediately brought down to her knees, Ozlyn could barely look up as two figures materialized. Each was vaguely humanoid and polar opposites of each other. There was one composed entirely of light, golden antlers extending from his head. The other was a dark purple, ram's horns instead of antlers to contrast his brother.
Ozlyn looked up, prostrating herself on the ground, and begged.
"Please milords, I humbly request you save the life of my husband, his reign was benevolent and good, he did not deserve the fate befallen to him and-"
"I told you not to upset the delicate balance that we created," Stated the God of Light to his brother, interrupting the Sorceress.
"And I told them to not meddle with powers beyond their understanding!" Came the furious response. "The Grimmlands are off limits for a good reason, and now they are suffering for their arrogance." The Dark God crossed his arms, resolute in his brother's annoyance.
Sighing to himself, the elder brother gestured to the clearing.
"Look at the mess they've caused. The little Witch has kickstarted the end of humanity, we'll have to start over again!"
"It wouldn't have happened in the first place had they properly heeded mine and your warnings!"
The brothers continued to bicker before abruptly stopping. In eerie unison, they turned towards Ozlyn and a still-impaled Salem.
"You two will do," Stated the God of Darkness.
"Milords, what are we to do?" Asked Ozlyn, mentally reinforcing herself for whatever task would be set before her by the Godly figures.
"You will be our agents who shall enact our will upon the world," said the younger brother.
Without waiting for a reply, the two of them held up their hands, a beam of light emitting from them and sinking into the respective chests of Ozlyn and Salem. Salem immediately started to writhe in pain, Crocea Mors was pushed out of her chest, her skin turning a frightening pale as her hair bleached completely, the previously grey cracks shifted into black as they started pumping the dark energy back into her, both of her eyes reverting to the corrupted red and black. She passed out and was covered in shadows and disappeared.
Mentally, the God of Darkness granted her a form of immortality, her slight against him going unforgotten...
Ozlyn immediately tried to check herself for any change but noted none. Turning questioning eyes on the Brother Gods, she was not graced with an answer and was similarly transported away in a flash of light.
In a flicker of movement, the two gods stood beside the green dome that housed the time-isolated Aurelius, staring at his damaged soul. Shooting a pointed look at his brother, the God of Light spoke,
"This will set our project back for centuries. I'd rather not have this world fail after having investing so much time in it."
"Nothing is stopping us from just starting over, perhaps curiosity should have been something they would benefit from having less of," Mused the younger brother.
"That will lead to imbalance, making them overly cautious and unadventurous. We must ensure that-"
"Always with the balance and equality, I say we leave them to their own devices, everything's already up in smoke. This is a failed experiment, a Remnant of what it was supposed to be."
The God of Light stopped his retort, slowly considering the idea his brother proposed. Nodding slowly, the elder brother agreed silently.
"You may be correct," came the quiet reply. "I'd wished to avoid another Ever After, but as you said, this is indeed a failed experiment."
"What of the Witch and the Sorceress? I've cursed the dark one with immortality and you've tethered the other's soul to the like-minded. We claimed to make them agents."
The God stopped to think. "We spin a story, turn them against each other. We leave behind four relics for the Sorceress to guard and the Witch to hunt, claim that the four of them together would call us back to Remnant to pass judgment," he tilted his head in contemplation. "Though eventually the scales would tip into darkness, your creatures of death are formidable should they be allowed growth. Under the guidance of the Witch, they'd grow too powerful."
An idea struck the two at the same time. They faced the dying King, still encapsulated in the time bubble.
Silently, both gods completely restored the King's soul, withholding consciousness from him.
"We cannot bring him back immediately."
"Agreed, reincarnation perhaps? Something like the Sorceress?"
The elder brother shook his head. "Reincarnation yes, multiple times? No. That would embitter him, making him a shell and leaving him weak when it matters most."
"A compromise then? He shall reincarnate into a distant descendant, the accolades of this era will fade into fairy tale and myth, and he will reclaim his seat of righteousness when the time comes."
Both Gods nod in agreement, resolving to leave Remnant behind after delivering the second wave of humanity. The God of Darkness being a rather theatrical individual transformed into a ball of dark energy and launched into the sky, idly slamming into one of his previous creations as he departed Remnant.
Before the eyes of those who survived, the God of Darkness blasted the lunar body with a massive beam composed of dark energy, a great crack sounding through the sky. Above them, the visage of a shattered moon hung in the heavens of Remnant.
Feeling gracious, the God of Light granted Aurelius' soul with a well of memories regarding his current reincarnation predicament, neglecting to include the memories of Salem or Ozlyn being their agents. He then sent the soul off into the aether, where it would hang in limbo until the proper descendant would come along so that they may assimilate. Nodding in satisfaction, the God of Light leaves, idly shaking his head at the mess his brother made of the celestial body that orbited Remnant.
Gazing down on the razed lands, the God of Light prepared himself to help create the next batch of humanity to bolster the amount lost in the fight between Salem and Aurelius as well as the armies of Grimm that came pouring out of the Grimmlands in massive swarms. With the death of almost all magic users, the residual powers would seep into the earth of Remnant, creating what will come to be known as Dust and revolutionizing how the next humanity will combat the Grimm. Magic itself would fade into myth, as would the fate of the fallen King, the Corrupted Witch, and the now Infinite Woman.
As the brother Gods observed their failed experiment, they began to weave the next tapestry of humanity.
"This should turn out to be interesting."
Present
Jaune Arc's eyes blinked open. Inherently, he realized that the voice in his head had vanished, its duty done. With it, came the well of knowledge locked away by the well-meaning King.
Hit with a burst of sudden restlessness, he attempted to sit up, only for a muscled, feminine arm to shoot out and wrap around his shoulder. He was yanked back into the hold of Jeanne Arc, her bra-clad breasts the only thing separating him from her bountiful cleavage.
Suddenly aware he was mostly naked, Jaune glanced at his older sister in panic as her previously sleepy grin sharpened.
She leaned forward, flattening herself against Jaune as she lay atop him in her queen-sized bed, their legs tangled together underneath the sheets. A desperate glance at the clock indicated it was 11:24 PM, almost midnight. Jeanne's arms coiled behind his neck, digging into Jaune's golden tresses as she brought their faces closer together.
"Just where do you think you're going, little Jauney?" She murmured, warm breath coasting across his lips, her blue eyes twinkling in restrained emotion.
"I-I was just thinking that-" Despite the massive info dump dropped on him only moments previously, Jaune found himself completely lost in the advances of his 27-year-old bombshell of a sister. The recall that Aurelius mentioned kicking in, only to highlight the lack of sisterly memories and instead bringing to surface ones that seemed more intimate than siblings should be looking back at them.
Impossibly, Jeanne's grin only grew wider, like a shark smelling blood in the water.
"My, my, leaving so soon? Again?" Her smile disappeared and a hint of familiar mania entered her eyes. "I've held out for years, resolving myself that I would never act on these feelings. But seeing you die? Seeing you come back with the same stupid smile, the same stubbornness that quite literally got you killed? I'm not going to wait for another miracle..."
She leaned forward and closed the distance, sealing her lips with her brother's, a moan of pleasure escaping her mouth while he squeaked in shock. She slowly started to grind her clothed crotch against his, feeling the bulge of his arousal against her lower lips, exciting the both of them, though one in sheer mortification and the other in manic glee.
She pulled back after a good ten seconds of euphoria. "Now, how about I make you a man?"
Jaune could only look on nervously as Jeanne reached behind her back and unclasped her bra.
R&R and all that jazz. I like feedback. Sporadic updates.
PS: Feel free to PM/comment with questions and stuff, I'll probably answer
More worldbuilding to come, more memories to recall, and all that. No more voice-in-the-head stuff but Jaune definitely CANNOT use all the stuff Aurelius had. Some maybe but not everything.
JaunexJeanne lemon? Prob next chapter, like first thing maybe.
Have a nice day/night/week/life.
-Spice
Notes:
I'll be filling this in with the chapters from FFN so if you wanna see them go there, same story name, same author name. Leave reviews and kudos and all that.
Have a nice day/night/week/life
-Spice
Chapter 5: BrotherxSister Bonding
Summary:
WARNING: INCEST LEMON
(Most of this chapter actually is a lemon...)
Notes:
Leave reviews, kudos, etc. It's easier to answer questions and such on here so I might be a bit more active here. (Especially because of FFN's trash email system that still won't work.) Enjoy.
OBLIGATORY: Subjects/fetishes shown in this fic do not represent my personal feelings about them in real life. Fiction is a whole different story.
PS: Read the tags, Mature for a reason and some might not like what I'm cooking. Regardless, don't be mean about it.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Reincarnation Sucks... Sometimes
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot. Jaune x Harem(fem!Ozpin/Ozma, good!Salem, RWBY, Pyrrha, more probably) M for a reason
Summary: Aurelius Aurea d'Arc I, first and only king of Remnant, renowned warrior and magic user, discoverer of Aura, consort of Grand Sorceress Ozlyn the White and the Witch, Salem the Dark. Known as possibly the greatest figure in Remnant's history, and was now reduced to a distant fairy tale. Jaune Arc wakes up with limited memories and a whole new(old?) life in his head. The King has returned, and he has vowed to fix the world that has fallen apart in his absence.
OBLIGATORY: Subjects/fetishes written in this fic do not reflect my personal feelings about them in real life. Fiction is a whole different story.
RS...S
The bra fell, revealing large, round breasts crested with hardened pink nipples. Jeanne's muscular body only highlighted the soft and womanly curves she sported, contrasting with the evidence of her seasoned Huntress career.
Jeanne leaned forward, her breasts flattening over Jaune's torso as her hands circled his neck and pulled him into another passionate, steamy kiss. Her eyes closed in ecstasy, her covered crotch grinding against his hard arousal. Slowly and unsurely, Jaune's hands rose from their position by his sides, delicately wrapping around her lower back, squeezing her panty-clad nether regions closer to his crotch. Her lips detached from his and she leaned in closer to his ear, sending goosebumps down his spine.
"Jaaaauunnnne~ Don't try and pretend you don't want this. Just let your big sis take the lead and make you feel good~"
With a flare of her semblance, Jaune's hands were wreathed in lilac and hoisted above his head, gravitic forces holding them in place and making them feel as if they had been dunked into cement.
The elder sister sat up, her E-Cup breasts swaying with the movement. The only light source in the room -the table side lamp- illuminated her golden tresses, adding even more definition to her womanly curves. She made a show of running her hands up her body, fondling her breasts, and pinching her rock-hard nipples in a sensual display that had Jaune aching. She leaned over him, boobs hanging in front of his face. In another flash of her semblance, one of Jaune's hands was guided underneath the sheets where they grabbed a handful of her sizable derriere, while the other shot out to start kneading the soft titflesh of the chest in front of him.
One of her own hands slithered down, into his boxers where it coiled around his painfully erect dick, lightly pumping up and down. A large, lusty smile spread across Jeanne's lips as she felt the searching grip of Jaune as he explored the expanse of her ass and the large doughiness of her breasts.
Two minutes of pure pleasure later, Jaune felt his climax rising through his flagstaff.
"Jeanne, I-I'm about to-"
She stopped. Her firm and constant rhythmic stroking disappeared and she stopped grinding against the length of his arousal. Jaune found his hands above his head, once again wreathed in lilac.
"Getting ahead of yourself, aren't you? You don't get to do that until I say you do," Jeanne's blue eyes flashed purple briefly, and the bedsheets covering them levitated off of the bed. "I believe that we are still slightly overdressed for this, don't you think so?"
His older sister's eyes never left his as her hands dropped to his waist, grabbing at the boxers and yanking them off. Instantly, his eight-inch-long erection broke free, throbbing angrily at the loss of stimulation.
Jeanne's eyes dilated in lust, immediately stripping her panties off and revealing her bare, shaved pussy, already dripping wet with arousal and excitement.
The world shifted once again, and Jaune found himself kneeling in between the legs of Jeanne, his face inches away from her hot quim, the scent of her sex overwhelming his senses.
The haze of lust lifted for the briefest second and Jaune found himself questioning whether or not this was going too far too fast. As if responding to his thoughts, Jeanne's thighs squeezed around his head, pressing his nose against her nether lips and filling his head with the scent of her arousal as she panted in need.
"Now, you gotta learn sooner or later and your big sis is going to teach you all you need to know," The grin in her voice was palpable despite the only thing being visible to Jaune was the shaved pussy in front of him. "Now sex is great and all, but the secret to some real mindblowing stuff is foreplay, mostly of the cunnilingus variety. Don't worry about messing up~ Now lick."
Jaune briefly wondered about how sanitary this was. It must've shown on his face because Jeanne laughed and assured him that she was as clean as she could be. In an instant, Jaune's face was shoved even further into his sister's lower lips, his mouth pressing against her vulva. Hesitantly, his tongue darted out, stroking across her folds and collecting the salty and oddly fruity wetness.
"Mmmf, that's a good start, just- NNhh~ move it around a bit more~"
Following her instructions, Jaune continued to carefully maneuver his tongue around his sister's depths, experimentally pushing it in deeper, swirling it around, and causing drawn-out moans as she gasped in pleasure.
"N-Now try and- f-fuck! Try and go a bit- Nnh~ right there, go a bit higher, you'll feel a nub and- gods, yes!"
Listening to her guidance, he moved his tongue up, navigating around a hood and flicking against a nub just at the top of her vagina. Instantly, her thighs locked around his head in a death grip, trapping his neck in between her powerful legs. Not seeing any sense in stopping, Jaune continued to lap at the nub, sending jolts of rapture arcing Jeanne's body as he ruthlessly continued to stroke her g-spot.
"Yes, yes, yes, Yes, YES! Gods Jaune, I'm cumming!"
Her entire body tenses and Jaune's Aura flashes as her thighs tighten to bone-breaking levels, attempting to burst his head like a watermelon. A gush of fluids cascades from her spasming love tunnel, drenching his face with the sweet liquid as she climaxes from the relentless stimulation. Jaune closes his eyes as his face is completely soaked by his sister's release, idly running his tongue around his lips and collecting the ejaculate off of his mouth.
Jeanne lays there panting for a good fifteen seconds, trying to shake off the after-effects of the mind-bending orgasm she just experienced at the mouth of her brother. Struck by another surge of arousal, her thighs loosen around Jaune's head and he is yanked upward to face his sister. Trying to wipe the juices off of his face, Jaune is interrupted as he is pulled into another lip lock and pushed onto his back, Jeanne uncaring of her release all over his face.
They separated, Jeanne idly cleaning his face off with a towel she had left levitating with all of the sheets. Now able to see, Jaune beheld the wide grin of excitement that spread across Jeanne's face.
She grabbed both of his hands and brought them up to grab her breasts, making them grope her tightly as she restarted slowly grinding their unclothed crotches together. "Look at this, look at what you did to me," She said, referring to the brain-melting climax she just experienced. "I'd say you were a pretty good student, allow big sis to return the favor, little bro."
In a smooth motion, her hands released his, lilac pulling them down to his sides as she slid down his body, dragging her hardened nipples across his bare chest as she came to rest in front of his standing flagstaff. Slowly, delicately, her hand reached out and wrapped around it, giving it a light squeeze as it throbbed in response to her grip. Her face got closer to the tip, clear precum starting to dribble out from the stimulation.
"J-Jeanne, please," The older sister looked up at his face, a wide smile crossing her lips as her tongue slowly reached down and darted across the tip, wiping away the collection of precum. Her face dropped lower, her other hand slowly starting to massage his aching testicles, soothing the painful arousal that was rapidly building. Her tongue shot out again, making a slow lick from base to tip, trailing saliva across all eight inches of his mighty cock.
"Now this is a proper dick," She giggled, slightly increasing her striking speed before slowing down a second later. "Don't feel too bad about busting immediately~"
Jeanne's lips lowered once more, wrapping around the head of his cock and creating a tight seal around the tip. Her tongue wasted no time in swirling around the top of his erection, once more lapping up the precum and teasingly flicking across the top. Her head started to sink down into his lap, the rest of his shaft slowly disappearing into her throat and mouth, her skillful tongue drawing out short breaths of euphoria as the sensations sent more shocks of pleasure coursing through his body.
The throat surrounding his dick felt almost unbearably tight, with no gag reflex to speak of as she deepthroated his dick all the way. She hummed around it, the vibrations sending tingles through the rest of Jaune's body. With a rising pleasure building in the base of his member, Jaune knew that under his sister's expert ministrations, he would explode in the next ten seconds.
Jeanne continued to bob up and down the shaft, her saliva coating it and making it slick. His manhood started to twitch in her throat and she knew that his climax was coming. "J-Jeanne, I'm about to-!"
Her head sunk all the way to the base, all eight inches of man meat crammed down her throat. With a grunt of pleasure, ropes of white began spurting out of the tip, being delivered directly into her stomach. Jeanne's throat pulsed rhythmically in time with the spasms, coaxing out every last drop of cum from his rod while not spilling a drop. With a final grunt of exertion, the flow stopped and Jeanne slowly released his cock from the confines of her mouth, the tip popping out after another swirl of her tongue. With a pleased smile on her lips, Jeanne slowly ran her tongue around her mouth, savoring the residual taste of the cock previously occupying it. Her attention turned to his wilting dick, spent after having experienced the wonders of a blowjob.
The amorous haze in Jaune's head cleared away once more, allowing him to see the sex fiend that was Jeanne Arc, her blissful and pleased expression melting away once more into a hungry leer. Dropping backward in exhaustion, Jaune panicked to see the elder sister's face only inches away from his as she straddled his stomach, once again flattening her breasts against his firm chest and pushing their crotches together.
"Don't even think, even for a moment, that I'm done with you," At her words, her Aura flashed around her, her hand finding its way to his softening shaft before gripping it tightly. She gave it a singular hard stroke and it was immediately brought back to full mast, the flesh now equally as willing as the spirit.
"Nngh! J-Jeanne," Jaune having just now adjusted to his surroundings, in spite of the hand occupying his rock-hard shaft, once again tried to find reason in the insane and incestuous act he was being guided through. "H-How long, and why?" Jaune's questions were conjured up without much thought put behind them, mostly to buy time so that he wouldn't explode in her skilled hand.
The Aura-infused stroking slowed down to a gentler place as Jeanne pondered the questions laid before her. "I can't really answer that. I've no clue when it started, only that what I was feeling was wrong and it should be shoved deep down where it would never see the light of day," She had stopped completely, her eyes hazing over as she recalled her feelings. "It... it didn't work as well as I would have believed. Gods, look at where we are now, I'm about a minute away from fucking myself on you, my own brother who died and came back to life in the span of twenty-four hours, and I'm not even approaching the feelings of regret..."
Her hand let go of Jaune's dick as she sat up, taking stock to properly look her brother in the eyes, searching for something unknowable. "You've changed," She murmured. "The old you never would've considered my feelings like you are now. The old you would have brushed me off, giving half-hearted excuses and brooding about how unfair his life is. It's almost like you're not him, a whole different person."
Jaune nearly had a panic attack as Jeanne started to connect the dots in her mind, and started to realize that this wasn't the Jaune she knew and loved. Or at least not the one that remembered everything. In his limited memories of the past, he'd turned into an abrasive asshole after being denied Huntsman training. For that attitude to do a complete one-eighty would seem pretty suspicious. And then he remembered he had already let that cat out of the bag when he spilled the fact that another life reincarnated into his body and he's got a whole new life's worth of memories.
The haze in the eldest sister's eyes deepened in contemplation, her mind swirling in thoughts and memories. Her Aura flashed around her and the haze cleared, the purple shine in her eyes disappearing as she reigned in the power of her manifested Soul. "But... right now, that doesn't matter at all. Whatever you said earlier about missing or patchy memories you're getting back doesn't matter either. Right now, in this moment, you are mine. I know how to share, there's more women in this dysfunctional family of ours that definitely possess more than familial love for you,"
'What?!' Jaune was rendered speechless as Jeanne continued to speak, dropping a casual bombshell that more of his family wanted him as more than a brother. The shock shone on his face because the serious look Jeanne had melted back into a lusty grin.
"But like I said, I am here first, I acted first and you will remember me and hold me as first, yeah?"
Jaune could only nod in fear at the possessive tone she took, the manic glint making its reappearance in the gleam in her eye. He resolutely ignored the memories of a certain brunette Sorceress with a voluptuous and generous derriere and the blonde Witch with an equally striking and curvy body to match.
Emotion burned across her entire body as her face flushed in the low lighting of the bedroom. "I love you."
Jeanne's eyes sparkled as her face darted forward, pressing another passionate kiss against her brother's lips, conveying years of pent-up emotion in that one lip lock. Unlike the other hungry kisses they had shared earlier, this one slowed down into something sensual and loving, their tongues entwining around each other as they explored the other's mouth.
As the need for oxygen trumped their passion, the brother and sister split apart, panting as they beheld each other. In that one kiss, Jaune came to understand the feelings that Jeanne had for him, the massive torch that she hoisted just for him. And in that blazing passion, he found himself reciprocating. With that realization came another flood of memories, each of them only highlighting how much he appreciated her, how despite the rather shitty situation she was always on his side and quick to offer a hug, usually an embrace that lasted too long to be appropriate for brother and sister. It made him feel comfortable and warm, fuzzy all over.
Unconsciously, he found himself responding to Jeanne's confession. "I love you, too."
In an instant, the elder sister had herself positioned above his standing cock, the tip pressing gently into her folds. Her eyes smoldered with passion and wordless emotion, conveying the sheer amount of affection she held for the man under her. Ever so slowly, her hips started to descend, the head of Jaune's member disappearing into her velvet tunnels.
The heat and the gentle tightness of Jeanne's snatch almost caused Jaune to climax on the spot, and he hadn't even gotten everything inside yet. Her agonizingly slow pace was going to send him off the deep end and he'd be painting her insides white soon enough.
"J-Jeanne! Please go a- yeeeeeeeess."
Jaune hissed in pleasure as Jeanne's control slipped for a single second, gliding three inches down and causing her quim to contract around his cock delightfully.
"MMhhf~ I can't fucking wait anymore!" Jeanne's delicately maintained composure shattered into pieces. Immediately, she dropped her hips all the way down, shoving all eight inches of cockmeat right up her pussy. Jaune's vision exploded into stars as the furnace of pressure and pleasure surrounded his dick, the muscles of Jeanne's nether regions creating a vice-like grip on his lower appendage.
Jeanne started to bounce up and down, her hands shooting out to steady herself on her lover's firm chest. Jaune's hands found their way to her bouncing chest, groping them roughly and tweaking the sensitive nubs.
Judging by the tightening pressure of his sister's love tunnel, he was doing something right. While one hand was occupied with her large, bouncing breasts, the other found its way to her golden locks of hair, bundling them all up and giving a short yank backward. In response, Jeanne screamed as her pussy tightened to almost unbearable levels, shuddering as pleasure arced through her body from their conjoined hips and the hand molesting her sensitive rose buds.
"F-Fuck! Gods yyyeeEEESSS! R-Right t-there, keep on, mFHH~" A deluge of Jeanne's release soaked Jaune's lap, the climax causing his dick to become trapped inside of her as it tightened to a ridiculous degree in pure euphoria. Unable to hold on to his own climax, Jaune's hands shot to the older sister's firm ass, gripping it tightly and pulling it in as close as he could get it and burying his cock inside of her folds as deep as he could go.
With a grunt of exertion, Jaune's dick exploded inside of her tight tunnels, painting the insides white and filling her to the brim instantly. They stayed in that position for a good fifteen seconds as the younger brother rode out his climax, the rhythmic pulsing of Jeanne's love canal making sure to milk every last drop from his churning balls. Eventually, it stopped and they lay against each other panting in satisfaction, Jeanne's hair wild and surrounding the both of them in a short halo of gold.
Looking up into his lover's eyes, Jaune found the confidence to once again express the feelings that he'd come to realize amidst their copulation.
"Jeanne," The haze in her eyes cleared enough to acknowledge what he was saying, her head laid against his chest and still connected at the crotch. "I love you."
Her gaze softened, as she completely unmasked her emotions to him. Her eyes smoldered in affection and her face broke into a wide, completely genuine smile. "Jaune, I love you too."
She tilted her head up and lifted her face, meeting his lips halfway as they melted into a soft kiss that conveyed all of their feelings for each other. Detaching with a radiant smile, Jeanne gently maneuvered herself off his cock before the two were surrounded by a warm lilac glow, her semblance activating with a thought. The sheets of the bed they'd just soiled with their love juices were stripped, the soaked-through liquid being extracted with it. From the corner of the room in a basket, a fresh set of sheets made themselves in the bed below before the two lovers were dropped on top of it, the sheet and comforter following it quickly as pillows appeared under their heads.
Silently moving closer together, the two siblings engaged in one last loving kiss, their arms wrapping around each other and their legs tangling together. The lamp on the bedside table turned off and they fell into blissful slumber.
Jaune woke up to the sun attempting to blind him through the closed curtains, his internal clock deciding that 8:00 was the most time it would give him before he got too restless. Attempting to sit up resulted in him being pulled back down into the covers, Jeanne trapping his arm in between her generous cleavage.
Jaune sighed as he slowly extricated himself from his sister's tight grip. "Jeanne, it's time to get up. I'd rather explain everything at the table than the bed. Besides, I know that you want breakfast, I haven't cooked in a while so I'll do it if you-"
The older blonde's eyes snapped open before she was suddenly straddling Jaune in an invisible burst of speed, reminding him of the vivid details of the previous night. "You'll make French toast, right?"
A memory sprang to his mind, the majority of it being Jeanne's favorite foods and desserts. At the look of excitement and building glee in her eyes, Jaune couldn't refuse. "Umm, sure? If it'll get us moving and you happy I don't see why not."
The covers were wrenched off of them in a flash of black before Jaune found his hand snagged in his sister's as he was bodily dragged to the bathroom where he was thrown into the shower. Idly, Jaune noted the pleasant soreness that affected his body and the dried bodily fluids slightly crusted around his crotch and mouth. Jeanne jumped in right after and cranked the shower to scalding.
After a slightly too-long shower, interrupted by his sister's intimate teasing, the two were dressed in comfy clothes and heading down the stairs to the kitchen, ready to officially start the day. Only, there was one small problem.
Jaz Arc stood in the middle of the living room, a thunderous expression on her face. Upon meeting her eyes, Jaune found himself unconsciously lowering his head in shame, starting to recall that Jaz was still in a pre-Huntsman school and therefore technically a minor and that she lived in this house with Jaune and a rotating schedule of her older sisters.
The furious expression wasn't made any less intimidating by her short 5'6'' stature nor by the embarrassed blush. If anything, it was only made more intense by the flecks of embers igniting the ends of her pale blonde hair, and the orange glow building in her blue eyes. The rising heat immediately filled the house and the pair of lovers started to sweat.
Jaz stomped forward, scorched footsteps left in the varnish of the wooden floor, a miasma of thermal energy following in her wake. The younger sister's tightly leashed Aura still attempted to lash out, a slight reddish glow starting to envelop her figure. She stopped in front of them, her glower as hot as burning coals as she spoke in a tight voice.
"Do you know what you two just did? I was trying to get over the fact that you aren't dead!" She pointed an accusatory finger at Jaune, the tip of her index finger bursting into flame. "And that you are upstairs fucking him!" The finger shifted to Jeanne, whose sheepish expression shifted into embarrassment when the shorter blonde poked her sternum with a fiery finger.
"J-Jaz, I have no-"
"Don't try and deny it missie!" Jeanne's lips slammed shut as Jaz's ire was placed firmly on her. "I know already, I've known since I was eleven! I just thought you wouldn't do anything, but then he gets himself killed and comes back, and then everything's fine and you get to have your way with him?! Fuck no, I want answers!" She ended her rant panting, the air distorting around her head as heatwaves rolled off of her.
Jaune decided to step in, capturing Jaz in a tight, familiar hug. As he held her and tried to ignore his Aura attempting to mitigate his sister's burning semblance, memories of a smiling younger sibling looking up to her big brother flooded his mind. Jaz Arc was fourteen years old and a freshman at Signal Academy, the youngest child of the Arc family, and a literal spitfire.
Despite not gaining the height of the Arc family, she more than made up for it power-wise. With a massive Aura that dwarfed all the other Signal students combined with her semblance, Flare Up, and a propensity to use her morning star on anybody that got on her bad side, Jaz was someone who you wouldn't mess around with. Despite this, she was a softy at heart and loved her family dearly.
After feeling her brother's arms wrap around her in a familiar embrace, the hot tears she was resolutely refusing to shed started to fall down her face.
"I-I just- why? Why did you-" The tears shrunk as they slid down her cheeks, evaporating once they reached her mouth. "No, I want answers, now."
Jeanne jumped in, still frazzled by her younger sister's accusations and starting to get hungry. "After breakfast, I want French toast." Having said her piece, Jeanne marched into the kitchen.
Jaune looked at Jaz, pleading for her to accept. She acquiesced with a roll of her eyes, the last of her flames extinguishing as the heat diminished once she relaxed. After one more pointed look at her older brother, she strutted after her sister. Said older brother gazed around the house, the layout coming to his mind and the books he needed in order to explain his current predicament with reincarnation.
He walked into the study, multiple bookcases sat against the walls, each filled with various subjects and miscellaneous odds and ends. Despite there being a much grander and extensive library in the Arc Manor up in the upper-class district, some books were brought from there to provide the habitants of the d'Arc history, or just Arc having dropped the 'd' somewhere in time.
Jaune quickly scanned through the bookcases, finding the large leatherbound tome that tracked a majority of the Arc's generations, and another book that caught his eye. That book being Fairy Tales of Remnant. He gazed at the cover, a very familiar regalia sat in the middle of the book cover. A stylized crown with a scepter and wand crossed underneath it. That was the symbol of the dead Aureate kingdom, sans crescent moons.
He opened the book to the first chapter and began to read. Jaune's eyes widened, before narrowing in concentration. He slammed the book shut and brought it along with him to the kitchen, laying it on the counter as he began to make breakfast, pushing the books out of his mind.
RS...S
The three siblings convened in the living room, Jeanne and Jaz sat in a loveseat across from Jaune who was lost in thought in front of them. Jaz's look demanded an explanation, the ends of her hair starting to smolder. Jeanne was lost in her own world, a large plate of French toast in her hands as she savored every single slice.
"Jeanne told me about what you told her, the thing about losing your memories and reincarnation and then coming back to life. Realistically, that sounds like complete shit," Jaune idly wondered why Jaz was so vulgar before remembering their entire family were Hunters who'd each had their fair share of cursing. "But seeing as you're here right now and throwing around the kind of power we have never seen from our weak and noodly Jaune, it seems slightly more believable."
Jeanne threw in an unhelpful 'yeah, what she said' speaking around the mouthful of bread and causing her sister to shoot a burning glare at Jeanne due to the crumbs spat all over her.
Jaune started to pace as he flipped to the very end of the family history tome, landing on the faded and probably centuries-old 'Aure- -Arc' with a rough sketch of a simple knight dressed in a standard soldier's regalia. He recognized it as the armor he wore just after he discovered Aura and awakened his semblance, the same suit of armor he wore while going on his grand adventure to free his future wife while traveling with the other of his future wives.
Shaken out of his reverie, Jaune looked at the eldest and youngest sisters. One was his beloved (literal) firecracker that took no shit from anybody, and the other was the (also literal) indomitable force of gravity that could steamroll probably anybody that got in her way, also the woman he shared a passionate night of lust with and had taken a piece of his heart with it.
He sighed, placing the book on the table facing him. His eyes glinted with steel, as he began the explanation. A distant memory surfaced in his mind, the shoulder-length brunette hair of his first love let down to frame her face, the green and silver dress she wore accentuating the womanly curves and putting emphasis on the voluptuousness of her wide hips, her face twisted in innocent curiosity, a question on her lips as her scholarly tendencies made it so she recorded anything and everything, especially the opinions of her loved ones.
"What is your favorite fairy tale?"
R&R and all that jazz. I like feedback. Sporadic updates.
PS: Feel free to PM/comment with questions and stuff, I'll probably answer
I did not intend for that lemon to go as long as it did. I will very rarely do actual smut, it will be mostly implied with limes and stuff before it fades to black. There will be occasional exceptions.
Sorry for cliffhanger, long boring explanation and flashbacks next chapter.
Changed some stuff last chapter, I disliked how I portrayed the Brother Gods, changed that and a bit more so check that if you didn't see it.
If you couldn't tell, more of Jaune's family is thirsting for him. Remember, his mom is Irene Arc nee GOODWITCH. That is all.
Have a nice day/night/week/life
-Spice
Notes:
I'll be filling this in with the chapters from FFN so if you wanna see them go there, same story name, same author name. Leave reviews and kudos and all that.
Have a nice day/night/week/life
-Spice
Chapter 6: Big Reveal
Summary:
A time long ago...
Notes:
Leave reviews, kudos, etc. It's easier to answer questions and such on here so I might be a bit more active here. (Especially because of FFN's trash email system that still won't work.) Enjoy.
OBLIGATORY: Subjects/fetishes shown in this fic do not represent my personal feelings about them in real life. Fiction is a whole different story.
PS: Read the tags, Mature for a reason and some might not like what I'm cooking. Regardless, don't be mean about it.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Reincarnation Sucks... Sometimes
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot. Jaune x Harem(fem!Ozpin/Ozma, good!Salem, etc.) M for a reason
Somethin somethin File corrupted could not retrieve
I hate this computer.
OBLIGATORY: Subjects/fetishes written in this fic do not reflect my personal feelings about them in real life. Fiction is a whole different story.
RS...S
"What is your favorite fairy tale?"
The question echoed throughout the living room, almost emptying it with the unseen weight carried behind the ominous inquiry. The air stilled as Jaune's query hung in the silence, the world seemingly holding its breath.
"...What?"
Jaz's confused response broke the heavy aura that came over the room, the tips of her hair lighting up once more, the scent of burning pine filling the air.
"What does this have to do with your... predicament?"
Unlike her skeptical sister, Jeanne choked down the slices of French toast in her mouth and raised her hand, waving it around. "Ooh! Ooh! I've got one," The older sister carefully set her plate down on an adjacent table before continuing. "I remember that one story that mom always used to tell, it was- crap what was it... Jaz d'you know what it was? The one with those girls with the powers?"
Jaz rolled her eyes at her sister's question, wondering how the person a decade older than her was more childish than her at times. "It was The Four Maidens, the one with the old wizard and the four maidens that showed him kindness and-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that one! That's my favorite." Jeanne crossed her arms under her sizable bust and turned back to Jaune whose expression hadn't changed as he flipped through Fairy Tales of Remnant, ending on the page depicting four young women representing the four seasons, an old wizard granting them powers as a reward for the compassion they showed him. It was a children's story mostly used to teach the younger ones to be compassionate and kind, but in it lay some slight modicum of truth.
'That's not what happened...' Jaune's thoughts were in a whirlwind, rapidly connecting the dots between the four maidens and the wizard that gave them their powers. 'The fall maiden... Autumn. The winter maiden... Sapphire. Spring, Verdant. Summer, Sunny. My little girls...' A solitary tear slipped out of his eye and dropped into the center of the page.
Jaz saw this, becoming concerned. "Uhm, Jaune? What's wrong? You're kinda-"
"I'm fine," Interrupted Jaune. The reply came too quickly, too terse to be sincere. He sighed as he forced himself to relax, pushing painful memories away for the time being. "Sorry, I just... I should start somewhere earlier before I get into that." He mumbled the last part, not intending either of his sisters to hear him. They still heard him, though.
"Alright, stop dancing around it!" Embers sparked off of Jaz's head, disappearing as quickly as they came as she crossed her arms, glaring hotly. The gesture would have been serious had it been coming from anybody not 5'6'' and without an adorable pout.
The sentiment was shared by Jeanne, who 'awwed' and scooped her younger sister up in a tight hug that she struggled in before relenting, realizing she could not break the hold Jeanne had on her.
Jaune sighed again before looking forward, gathering all of his confidence for the outrageous claim he was about to make. Realizing the shift in the atmosphere, Jeanne let go of Jaz, and the two looked at him expectantly.
"You two know me as Jaune Arc, your weak, pushover of a brother who didn't even have his Aura unlocked, a guy who got himself killed in a fit of stupidity," He raised his hand, silencing the protests before they could start, signaling him to let him continue. "That is not all I am, though. As much as I am Jaune Arc, I am also Aurelius Aurea d'Arc, first and only King of Remnant."
A wave of invisible power reverberated through the room following Jaune's claim. In front of his sisters' eyes, an apparition formed over Jaune, a towering man stood at 6'8'', clad in medieval knight's armor, an equally massive claymore held in one hand, his helmet in the other. The man's face resembled Jaune in almost every way, from the blue eyes to the chin and cheekbone structure, it was like looking in an older, more rugged mirror.
Jeanne's mouth went dry as she took in what appeared to be the older and more mature version of her brother, her mind immediately picturing herself and the larger blonde in bed, his passionat-
Jaz smacked her sister's arm, already seeing Jeanne's mind immediately circling the gutter as she beheld the older version of Jaune.
The two sisters watched in shock as the apparition flashed a large smile, slinging the claymore onto its back before his hand ignited into gold. The King raised the radiant hand, offering it to the siblings.
Glancing at each other in bewilderment, the two didn't move, shocked at the claim and distrustful of the hand being offered.
His smile not wilting, the Jaune lookalike only chuckled softly, lowering the hand. "It's still me," He started. The deep baritone slid over them like warm honey, the confident and reassuring voice still definitely their brother, just... grown up? "I don't think I can show you everything, but I can show you most of it." His smile finally fell, looking the other two blondes in the eye carefully.
"Now then," Energy diffused through the air, and the apparition wavered like mist, straightening up. "Don't blink."
Blue eyes blazed into gold, a flash enveloping the living room.
Flashback: Ozlyn and Jaune
A brunette woman clad in silver and green armor walked down a forested path. She possessed caramel-colored skin, her eyes similarly colored. Her hair hung down to her shoulders in curled rivulets and her mouth was set in determination. Her armor-clad bodice could not cover the flare of her hips as they widened into a very ample and generous derriere, a short cape coming just to the small of her back, leaving her behind uncovered.
In the woman's hands was a long, ornate scepter topped with a large emerald that possessed a soft internal glow. This was one of the most renowned magical conduits of the current era, Undying Curiosity, and was in the possession of the greatest Sorceress of the current era, Ozlyn the White.
The scepter swept forward in a lazy sweep, a short blast of blue magic launching out of the tip and disintegrating a figure skulking in the underbrush, the Grimm disappearing before it could realize what happened.
"Auuuurie, how far are we?"
Ozlyn's companion sighed softly. Equally renowned as the greatest warrior and knight in the land of Remnant, the latest scion of the honored and venerable d'Arc clan, the most recent wielder of the legendary blade Crocea Mors, and childhood friend of Ozlyn, Aurelius Aurea d'Arc was approaching his limit with his usually vast patience.
"Oz, that is the twenty-third time you've asked me that these past five miles, can you please just have a little more patience?"
Ozlyn pouted at him, idly blasting another grim to smithereens before pulling a letter out from... somewhere. "We need to hurry! We need to rescue Salem before her dad realizes she's sending the letters."
Aurelius quirked an eyebrow, grabbing the letter from his friend and reading it over once again. The elegant handwriting was loopy but rushed as if the writer had been raised in nobility but under duress to write the letter. It was stamped with a golden seal depicting two crescent arcs, one larger over a smaller one.
To whom it may concern,
My name is Salem Sable, princess of the Sable kingdom. My father has gone mad with grief, my mother having died years previous. He has trapped me inside a tower, not permitting me to interact with anyone as the kingdom outside is neglected. It has been three years since I've been allowed to write these letters, the barrier surrounding my tower only allows inanimate objects to pass through, and I only receive a couple of sheets of parchment a year and I am desperate to be freed.
To my knowledge, the Sable kingdom has fallen into disrepair under my father's tyranny, and he must be stopped. My tower is hidden in the Grove of Mists, concealed behind towering stone outcroppings with numerous magical defenses. From my caretaker, I know my father maintains a small army dedicated just to keeping me imprisoned so please be prepared for everything. I've no clue if any of these letters reliably reach anybody with the power to make a difference, I like to believe that I would be rescued eventually. I can only-
The letter was heavily scribbled out from there, the ink blotched slightly indicating she had been crying. A few lines down, the message continued.
I long to see the world again, and experience a life outside of this wretched prison. Please, help me.
He sighed softly, the message tugging at his heartstrings and igniting his heroic instinct to come to her aid immediately. Only, there was one problem.
"I know I've explained this to you before, and you've told me you understand, but the Sable kingdom has been dead to the world for the past six years. Scouts can't get near because of the amount of Grimm that have overrun the area, let alone the actual kingdom proper. We could be chasing a ghost for all we know," The sound logic did not deter the Sorceress in the slightest.
"It would make sense to at least find some closure, right? We could even clear out the Grimm, and create a new settlement. Besides, if this Salem really does exist, and still is imprisoned and hoping to be released one day, we've gotta do something, right?"
Aurelius hummed in thought, a brief flash of silver shooting from a leveled hand turning another Grimm to stone. "I guess you're right. Regardless, we should exercise caution, the Sable kingdom is more than likely overrun with Grimm. If by some miracle it isn't, and the guards are for whatever reason hostile, we must be ready."
He received a flat stare in response to his words of warning.
The d'Arc scion's eyebrows furrowed at the look his friend sent him. "What? What's that look for?"
Ozlyn rolled her eyes, slowly twirling Undying Curiosity while side-eying her companion. "Oh, nothing. That's just rich coming from you."
"I'm not that bad!"
"The hell you aren't! You used yourself as a cannonball to breach the seal of an ancient cave! That had a Wyvern in it!"
"You agreed to launch me in the first place!"
"I told you it was a stupid idea!"
"You still went through with it!"
"You idiot! Just- c'mere!"
Ozlyn lunged forward, slamming her lips against his. Aurelius' eyes widened before shutting as he lost himself in the liplock, Ozlyn's momentum bringing the two of them to the ground. The Sorceress' hands circled around his neck, tangling her fingers in the blonde locks of her lover. The knight's own hands reached around her waist, firmly gripping her large behind through the lighter travel gear.
Pulling apart a minute later, the two looked at each other, love and desire mirrored through each other's eyes as they panted softly.
Ozlyn broke the silence a moment later. "This has got to be the worst time to do this."
Aurelius' roguish grin only made her desire burn hotter, sheer lust overwhelming her logical thought process.
"I don't care, and I know you don't care, either."
"You're goddamn right I don't."
Ozlyn closed the gap again, her lips pushing against the blonde's as their thoughts became hazy with lust.
Sable Kingdom
The two living legends came to a stop in front of what appeared to be an abandoned gatehouse, swaths of Grimm dissolving into smoke behind them. Ozlyn peered forward, looking for any semblance of life while Aurelius scanned the wall for any active guards or watchmen. There were none on both fronts.
Sharing a brief glance, the two continued past the abandoned gate, scaling it easily and walking toward the empty main plaza.
"H-Halt!"
The two spun immediately, Undying Curiosity and Crocea Mors held aloft as their eyes landed upon an emaciated guard. The man was dressed in what amounted to rags, filth clinging to it like glue. Haphazard pieces of armor clung to random spots, mismatched and slightly rusty. In the guard's hand was a halberd, similarly rusted and starting to become dull.
"T-The two of you trespass on the grounds of- Oh who the hell am I kidding, please help us!"
Ozlyn stepped forward as the guard dropped his weapon and fell to his knees, prostrating himself before the two of them.
"The king, he's sealed everything off, the food stores have been depleted, trade isn't coming in or going out, we're running out of fresh water and the Grimm get closer every day! We lose more and more people to famine and disease, and that Sable bastard sits on his gilded throne and shuns us!"
The guard continued to babble on about the tyranny of the Sable king and how they'd been suffering for the past three years under the grief-stricken king.
Moved with pity, Ozlyn offered soothing words and promised to make everything right while Aurelius surveyed the people trapped within the walls of the kingdom. There were few people actually out of their houses at the moment, the people he could see were covered in grime and shuffled aimlessly. It felt as if all the life had been sucked out of this kingdom, the oppressive rule holding them in an iron grip.
The knight was shaken out of his thoughts by Ozlyn, her gently tugging on his hand and wordlessly pointing out the fortified palace that sat above the small castle town. With his superior eyesight, he could see numerous active royal guards and patrols constantly on watch.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Ozlyn asked.
Aurelius pondered the question briefly. "Probably not but if it's along the lines of, 'let's commit regicide' then I'm in."
Ozlyn shook her head slightly before taking off at a brisk pace, directly towards the palace.
Aurelius' eyes immediately snapped to her swaying behind as she walked further away. Shaking his head, he dispelled those amorous thoughts and made to follow her.
Facing zero resistance from the rather pathetic-looking guards who took a tired vigil over the town, the two stood at the front gate of the small palace that housed the mad king.
The gate was tall, the walls topped with patrolling guards, a few slowing down to observe the two strangers that had walked up closer to the portcullis. Atop the walls were small balistas, aimed and primed directly at the entrance while lit braziers crackled with smokeless heat. Idly, Aurelius wondered why the braziers were lit at this time, considering it was the middle of the Spring cycle and midday to boot.
Ozlyn glanced at her lover, silently urging him to continue forward, not worried about the defenses knowing he could deal with them easily.
He sighed to himself and approached the barrier, looking up to try and get a patrol's attention.
"Hello there, we would-"
Without warning, glowing sigils sparked to life on the criss-cross pattern of the portcullis, a jet of electricity blasting out of it. The lightning magic reached a glowing, armored hand, sucked up into it like a vacuum.
Alarmed, the guards on the walls immediately took out their manner of ranged weaponry, some brandishing bows, others small staves while the rest armed the ballista.
"Wait! There's no need to-"
The d'Arc's words went unheeded as the first volley of projectiles and magic was launched, consisting of javelins, arrows, and small glints of magic pebbles. All of it was halted in midair with a wave of Ozlyn's scepter, a light blue glow surrounding it.
"So much for diplomacy," Muttered Aurelius. He clenched his magically charged fist, forcefully draining the runes on the portcullis of the rest of its stored magic. Gauntlet now sparking with restrained energy, he leveled it at the gate and released his hold on it. A massive blast shattered the gate and the surrounding wall, knocking the guards off and opening the entrance.
The knight turned and gave a low bow, holding his arm out to the created entrance. "After you, milady," He joked.
Ozlyn giggled slightly, adopting a posh tone as she turned her nose up, flipping her curly hair. "Why thank you, my dear, how generous of you," They both burst into small chuckles as they walked through, ignoring the injured and unconscious men.
Behind them, the knocked-over brazier continued to burn, shifting from a warm orange to a bright flashing red, all the other braziers topping the walls following suit.
Continuing into the palace, they encountered no resistance, all the guards seemingly having disappeared or a part of the original force that got incapacitated in their entry. Looking around, it seemed incredibly empty, walls barren, usual decorative pieces gone leaving only empty spots of undisturbed dust.
Had it not been for the hostile response, it would be a rather lavish and abandoned building.
"Oz, could you check for any signatures, magical or otherwise." Aurelius broke the awkward silence that had descended upon them.
"Sure," The Sorceress agreed. She lifted Undying Curiosity before tapping it against the floor twice. The gem blinked once before flashing red.
Ozlyn frowned, repeating the scan and getting the same result. Her eyebrows furrowed in thought, her gait slowing as she pondered the data that she had gotten back.
"Well? Anything of note?" Aurelius silently asked.
Confused, Ozlyn spoke, "I tried for signs of magic and it came back negative. I tried for signs of life and it came back with only one and I can't even pinpoint it properly. My scan enveloped the entire palace, including the gates. It should be impossible for there to be only one signature, all of those guards on the wall shouldn't have-"
She came to an abrupt stop, scanning the walls as her face grew grim. Sensing his lover's change in caution, Aurelius got closer, drawing Crocea Mors in its sword and shield form.
Ozlyn gripped her scepter in two hands before slamming it on the ground, the emerald flashing a bright green. The walls of the palace in turn flashed white, runes scrawled across them greedily eating her expelled magic. Scowling, she repeated the slam, this time removing the tight leash of control over her mana.
The room became heavy with magical energy, the Sorceress' presence permeating the space and choking it with pure unrelenting energy. Immediately the sigils flashed red before burning out, overwhelmed by the excess magic and unable to absorb it all.
"We've been under a subtle illusion, we've been walking in circles," She explained, gesturing to the door they had entered just a few feet behind them. "These runes were designed to slowly drain us dry while making us think we've been advancing. This is... unnatural. These sigils shouldn't behave like this."
She frowned in frustration, tracing the sigils with her scepter while analyzing the lingering magic.
Aurelius approached the wall next to her, raising his hand and running it over the burnt-out sigils. Immediately, his eyes widened as he jerked his hand back, a sticky tar-like substance attempting to cling to it. The burnt-out sigils started to seep a black substance, the hall quickly filling with the fluid.
With a short grunt of exertion, he forced Crocea Mors' blade into the floor and sent a pulse of silver magic directly into his surroundings. In response to the purifying energy, the liquid recoiled and petrified, turning an inert gray. The room continued to fill, however, the rest of the walls cried more of the ebony liquid.
With a flourish, Undying Curiosity lit up with silver, turning into a beacon of purity and creating a bubble of protection as the liquid started to bubble, coming alive in response to their emotions. Ozlyn grimaced in disgust, the glow of her scepter brightening to blinding levels before the hallway was filled with silver.
Once the flash died down, the two lovers surveyed the hall. It was completely encased in a thin sheen layer of stone, the Grimm substance having been petrified in contact with the light magic.
"We should hurry, this reeks of a trap and I plan to spring it before anybody else gets hurt," Stated the blonde knight.
Silently agreeing with him, they continued at a much more brisk pace, wary of any more traps that may be waiting for them. Fortunately, there appeared to be none left in the hall. Approaching the ornate and rather gaudy set of doors that led to the throne room, Ozlyn silently shrouded herself in protective layers of magic. Likewise, Aurelius donned his helmet, Crocea Mors' shield shining softly as it filled with mana.
The knight's booted foot slammed into the doors. With a crack, they flew open, streaming light into the darkened room. Large curtains had been drawn over the windows, drowning it in darkness.
On the far side of the room sat two thrones, one empty and pristine, the other occupied by a hunched figure. Along the walls were smokeless torches, emitting no heat but flashing a worrying red. As the two walked into the room, the torches suddenly extinguished, casting the room into further darkness.
Aurelius channeled more Aura into his armor and weapons, bathing himself in a soft golden glow that separated him from the inky darkness. Ozlyn did the same, her armor shining a soft blue, the scepter clenched in her hands lighting up as well.
As the light illuminated the room, they could see the Sable king more clearly. The man was hunched over, looking as if he'd become stuck to the throne. At his feet lay a large bastard sword, decorated with bones of Grimm. The king wore a dull cuirass with his insignia on it, a gem split in twain via a sword, and two crescent arcs imposed above it. His vambraces were mottled with brown and black, his gauntlets in a similar state. The armored graves he wore were similarly stained, though they had begun to rust.
Oily and unkempt hair hung from his head, shadowing his face. Just above his brow sat a gilded band inlaid with jewels, three spiked spires jutting out the sides. The crown hung tilted, almost as if it were about to fall off. Had it not been for Ozlyn's senses telling the two of them he was the singular alive entity, they'd have assumed he was a sitting corpse.
Gathering his courage, Aurelius stepped forward. "King Sable, pardon our intrusion but we've come on behalf of your maltreated subjects who have expressed their contempt for your rule," The confident remark was met with an oppressive silence. "So uh, could you please surrender and all that?" He was once more met with silence.
Glancing at Ozlyn in trepidation, the two slowly moved forward. Once he was in a little more than arm's reach, Aurelius stopped. The Sable king seemed to hunch even more when confronted with the glow of the Aura and magic.
"...leave."
The command broke the awkward silence, black fluid dripping from the monarch's mouth and onto the floor where it writhed in the light of Aurelius' Aura.
Narrowing his eyes, the knight took a step forward, intending to-
The Sable king's head shot up, a wave of sheer wrongness permeating the room as his bones cracked and shifted unnaturally. The tyrant's face was gaunt and sallow, bleached into a pasty white. What was once handsome and rugged features had deteriorated into an unhealthy visage riddled with black veins. Instead of eyes, the creature had two pools of pitch, the sockets leaking black trails across the pale skin.
The monarch's body twisted horrifically, the king's head staying in place as its arms reached to the ground to lift the bastard sword. With a heave, the large blade swung into empty space as Aurelius dodged backward.
Jumping back closer to Ozlyn, Aurelius regarded the new enemy in front of him. It seemed like King Sable had been overtaken by some horrific Grimm possession, not unlike the Chill used in bedtime stories to scare children away from wandering around alone in the woods.
The possessed body slowly lifted the sword in front of itself, black liquid leaking from its mouth and staining the blade. Ozlyn, wanting to finish off this new unknown quickly, gathered silver light on the end of her scepter, releasing it as soon as it charged.
With a nauseating crack of bones and tearing muscles, the blast hit the Aberration's sword as it shifted the blade in an invisible flash of speed.
Frowning in frustration, the Sorceress repeated the blast, meeting the same result. Changing her strategy, Ozlyn raised Undying Curiosity and channeled a huge amount of magic through it, making the gem glow a bright white. She swept it in a wide circle and the darkness of the room was dispelled in a wave of silver, the curtains disintegrated in the onslaught.
In response, the creature let out an ear-piercing and completely unnatural shriek, black spittle flying in large globs out of its mouth. The day had already been overcast but it appeared that the sun had already gone down in the time they had reached the throne room.
'How long were we trapped in that hall?' Was the thought on both of their minds as they beheld the twilit sky that was rapidly turning into night.
The possessed body lunged forward with another swipe, only to meet the unmoving shield of Crocea Mors. With a counter that almost wrenched the arms off of the Sable king, Aurelius took advantage of the unprotected body of the Aberration. The heirloom blade sunk deep into the chest of the possessed body as it screeched in agony, veins of silver light running up its body as purifying magic was pumped through it.
With an anticlimactic finish, the tyrant slid off of the sword and collapsed into a boneless heap, a puppet having its strings cut. Poking the body with his foot and seeing no reaction, the knight came to the conclusion it was now dead.
"Grimm log number eighty-three, new entry. Aurelius and I came into contact with what appeared to be the evolved form of a Chill, I've come to name an Aberration. It appears to be a possession type Grimm, capable of..."
Aurelius tuned out his lover as she wrote their most recent experience down while also orating the entry. This was a familiar sight for the two of them and their adventures, discovering all sorts of new species of Grimm and the abilities they had.
His head snapped towards the Sable king's body as its finger twitched. Eyes narrowing behind his helmet, the d'Arc scion readied Crocea Mors once again. Seeing him get into a combat stance, Ozlyn put her entry on hold and got similarly ready.
A minute passed and nothing happened. Right when Aurelius was about to relax a loud crash rang throughout the room accompanied by the sound of shattering glass. From the now open window climbed in one of the guards from earlier, only this time their helmet was knocked off, revealing a familiar visage. Gaunt, sallow, inky-eyed, and very much possessed.
The possessed guard shakily unsheathed a sword from its side before rushing forward in a burst of speed.
Aurelius reacted immediately, darting past Ozlyn, deflecting the blow, and decapitating the guard in a flash of silver, all in one movement. The body fell to the floor, oozing black blood.
Turning around, Ozlyn was inspecting the corpse of King Sable. With wide eyes, she watched as the wound that was crusted with stone began to heal over, black strands reaching across each other in a patchwork as it regenerated the stab wound.
At the same time, Aurelius watched as the stone-covered stumps of the guard's neck sprouted black tendrils through the purified stone and grabbed at one another, pulling the head back onto the bloody stump as it sewed it back on. With a jerk, both of the bodies wrenched upward, touting their blades once more.
Shaking his head in disgust, the knight stepped out of the way of a clumsy swing before hoisting the Abberation around the waist and chucking it out of the window it came through. As if in response, two more windows on the opposite side of the room were smashed in and more possessed bodies came pouring in. Each and every one of them had the same visage and pitch-black eyes leaking dark ichor. Most were guards but some of them were just civilians that had seemingly gotten drawn to the palace.
"Aurie, the king is the source. I need you to really and thoroughly exorcise his soul of the Aberration's influence, the rest should follow suit!" Ozlyn had conjured a barrier around the crowd of possessed bodies with a flourish of her scepter, stemming the tide of shambling undead.
"Cover me while I do that, good luck," Came his swift reply, trusting her wholeheartedly. Aurelius shifted Crocea Mors into a longsword, the shield and blade combining into a much larger form.
Without hesitation, he rammed it all the way through the chest of the Sable king, lifting him off the floor before immediately sinking the blade into the earth, pinning the lead Aberration to the floor. The knight's hands ignited in gold as he placed them over the possessed eyes of the possessed monarch.
Meanwhile, Ozlyn had dropped the barriers on the windows, instead focusing one around Aurelius as he worked. The Sorceress had decided to cut loose on some of her more destructive spells. With a wave of her scepter, a tornado of slicing winds was conjured, another wave and an isolated blizzard blasted from her hand. Forks of lightning that charred the undead into ash and tongues of flame that disintegrated them instantly.
As quick as she blasted them back, more came pouring through the open windows, some more coming through the door they had first entered through. If four of them fell to a blast of vaporizing light, another eight would file in behind it, the vaporized pieces falling to the ground and melting back together into a shadowy form.
Ozlyn let one get close, idly sending a burst of kinetic energy in a ring around herself, allowing her to study the subject in front of her. Waving her hand, she restrained the possessed civilian with mana bindings, brushing her brunette locks out of her eyes as she inspected the void where the Aberration's eyes were supposed to be.
'It's a body-snatching parasite, first feeding off of the host's negative emotions before trapping them inside their mind, more than likely subjecting them to a form of mental torture. Through this, it maintains a feedback loop of negative emotions and a body that it can now pilot. From there it can spread like a plague into others in the form of the possessed, a hivemind of horrific proportions.'
The body snarled as it struggled against the magic rope now binding it. Nodding her head in satisfaction from her analysis, with another flick of the scepter, the Grimm imploded on itself and banished outside the window.
Meanwhile, behind the barrier, four shackles of purple light pinned the Sable king's limbs to the ground as Aurelius inspected the tarnished soul. Souls were a rather recent discovery, only being truly confirmed when he pioneered the usage of Aura and discovered the latent abilities that occur when one uses it.
From his limited research, Souls could come in all types of colors, usually reflective of a person's personality or magical abilities. His was a radiant gold, blinding in its intensity and bottomless in its amount. Ozlyn possessed a wonderous shade of emerald, reflective of her favored magical manipulation.
Unlike those, however, the Soul of the Sable king was a murky orange, covered almost completely in inky tar, two red eyes overlaying the king's. And they were narrowed in anger staring directly at Aurelius. The body jerked violently, one of the hands briefly lifting off of the floor before being slammed back into the ground, pulverizing the wrist.
Scowling, Aurelius' hands ignited in gold, forcing veins of purifying Aura and magic directly into the Aberration. In response, the creature let out an unholy screech that rippled through the rest of the bodies it had possessed.
Outside of the barrier, all of the bodies stumbled to an abrupt stop. For a single second, the crowded throne room was completely still. And then the horde erupted into frenzied movement.
With renewed desperation, waves of the Aberrations moved forward, attempting to breach the barrier around Aurelius and rescue the head of the hivemind. Huge swaths were destroyed and pushed back by Ozlyn's magic, though the sheer amount of a kingdom's worth of possessed bodies was beginning to overwhelm her.
Blasting a circle around herself to gain breathing room the Sorceress began to gather her mana once more, shaping it into her favored form of manipulation.
"Aurelius, I'm giving you a window, take it now!"
Following her command, the knight waited for the signal. Ozlyn leaped directly into the air, hanging there as she raised Undying Curiosity. Mana permeated the air, filling the crowded room with intoxicating power. It continued to build, climbing higher and higher as a verdant glow consumed her scepter.
And then the world stopped.
A singular pulse stilled the entire room, a ring of green freezing the horde in its tracks.
In that moment, the universe bowed its head to the command of a mortal, ceasing the function of one of its oldest concepts.
Ozlyn sighed in relief, sweat staining her brow as she maintained the stasis. Shooting a pointed look over her shoulder at her lover, she urged him to hurry.
The original Aberration was similarly frozen, all the extensions of its influence being frozen had sent it into a state of shock. Capitalizing on the moment of absence, Aurelius flooded the Aberration with gold once more, trying to eradicate the parasite.
The power speared through it without resistance, a black cloud lifting off the Sable king's body as it was exorcised from him. The black pools in his eyes faded away, the last vestiges of the Aberration forced from his soul and freeing his mind.
The immobilized forms of the possessed shivered slightly. Ozlyn released her hold over time, dropping to the ground, her breathing slightly uneven. The bodies fell over in unison, the gaunt visage and black eyes fading away as a black fog funneled out of their mouths.
The central cloud that housed the original Aberration floated upward, the other dark clouds spiraling around it as more came funneling in through the windows and doors. A large dark pall hung over the room, the Aberration's presence gathering itself out of its hosts. And then it poofed.
In an anticlimactic display, the fog of darkness flashed gray, turning into fine dust as it rained down on the room.
"...was that it? Did we do it?"
Ozlyn's question went unanswered as a wet cough sounded out behind them. Turning around they saw the still alive Sable monarch.
Approaching warily, Aurelius pointed Crocea Mors at him.
Barely clinging to life, blood slowly dribbled down the dying king's lips, looking as if his soul had been sucked out of him.
"My... Salem..." Another set of wracking coughs shook him. Frowning slightly, Ozlyn moved past her lover in order to heal the king.
Sensing her intentions the king reacted negatively. "N-No! Allow me this... peace. Tell Salem-" A worrying amount of blood came spilling out of his mouth, staining the ground and the front of his Cuirass red. "I'm... sorry."
The king stilled, finally allowed rest.
Aurelius silently closed the king's eyelids.
"It is in passing we gain true immortality. Through this, I release you from this world, depriving you of these earthly bonds as you ascend amongst your ancestors. Nigh unending and impossible to understand, may you find rest in the beyond. In this, we honor your memory."
The king's body glowed a light orange, the color disappearing as quickly as it came.
Allowing another moment of silence for the dead monarch, the two stood up and turned to the gathered bodies. Ozlyn approached one of the prone forms of a live guard and tapped them on the head with her scepter.
With a jerk, the guard's eyes shot open and he started coughing, flecks of black leaking from his mouth. Once the coughing fit was done, he looked over at the two adventures, before his head swiveled back over the bodies of the civilians and other guards.
A beat passed as Ozlyn and the guard stared at one another.
The guard slowly got up onto his knees, a look of wonder on his face as his eyes darted to the form of the dead Sable king and the figure standing over him and then to the beautiful woman who had awakened him.
The man fell forward, prostrating himself to the two of them, head hung low and tears falling from his face.
"Milord and Lady, I thank you for your saving grace!"
Aurelius and Ozlyn shared a look, one thought running between the two of them.
'What?'
Grove of Mists
The two lovers had made their way to the forest adjacent to the recently liberated kingdom with the intent of finding the tower that jailed the princess who brought them here in the first place.
The one guard who had begun to wake everybody else up and by then it was too late to prevent their exploits from spreading. Having essentially been declared the new rulers of the almost destitute kingdom, the new monarchs had deposed the possessed king and freed all of the denizens from their mental entrapments. This sort of attention, while not something they were unused to, was overwhelming.
They had then beat a hasty retreat into the Grove of Mists, claiming that they still had a princess to rescue. Even then the newly freed people were in awe of their bravery, the woods being home to fearsome and ancient Grimm as well as numerous magical wards. They had wholeheartedly believed that the two adventurers had gone into the grove to free the princess who had been officially declared dead by the former monarch.
It seems that when the queen had fallen ill and died, the Sable king decided to claim that the princess died with her, withholding the information that she instead was imprisoned in a tower in a fit of grief.
Marching through the eerily quiet woods had done little to assuage the frazzled senses of the two, the shotgun coronation/declaration of allegiance had left the pair spinning.
In time they had come across what appeared to be an abandoned guard house. A look inside indicated it was in fact not abandoned but more like the denizens were slain by the Grimm inhabiting the forest. While the significantly better-kept armor and weapons indicated that the owners were experienced, being stuck on guard duty for years would leave anyone feeling negative.
Though it wasn't even the Grimm that took the last few. In a show of primal human instinct, the last survivors killed each other fighting over the last bit of rations, the skeletons still impaled into the floor of the gatehouse indicating as such as well as a small box of rations clutched in the hands of a corpse.
Aurelius attempted to make a joke about prying it from his cold, dead hands. Ozlyn was not amused.
Continuing onward, the adventures put the dead guards out of their minds and attempted to focus on the present objective: Save a princess who may or may not be dead. In the wake of their perturbed emotions, the Grimm had gotten bold. Flashes of black skirted their peripherals, and a feeling of constantly being watched enveloped the two.
Attempting to break and lighten the mood of the rather dreary forest, Ozlyn began to rhythmically pulse her mana through the air, gently enveloping Aurelius in a cocoon of her soft emerald. The green glow surrounded him briefly, wrapping around him like a warm hug.
The knight visibly relaxed, giving her a loving smile as he did the same to her, adding his radiant Aura to it as well. Ozlyn glowed a bright gold as her lover's magic and Soul surged around and through her, a blush coursing through her cheeks as her chest tightened in pleasant warmth.
The dark forest didn't seem so foreboding with the amount of love and affection being exchanged between the two.
Smiling brightly, the Sorceress grabbed her partner by the shoulder and pulled him down into a passionate kiss.
Grinning into it, Aurelius's hands circled her waist and dug into her sizable posterior, pulling her even closer.
Separating reluctantly, though now holding hands, they did a quick survey of their surroundings. In the wake of their influx of positive emotions, it cleared out a large majority of the Grimm that had been attempting to track them.
"Towering stone outcroppings, right?" Asked Aurelius.
"Yes, according to Salem's letter that is what she- how did we even miss that?"
To their immediate left was an unnatural collection of stone pillars, rising high above the treetops and piercing the canopy's gloom.
"She did mention magical defenses," Stated the d'Arc scion.
"Yes, well she also mentioned a small army waiting for us and see how that turned out. A majority of runes need to be resupplied with mana and constantly upkept in order to function correctly," Replied the Sorceress.
Letting go of her lover's hand, Ozlyn lifted Undying Curiosity and leveled it at the stone pillar. With a pulse reminiscent of a radar scan, the path of least resistance was revealed. A patch of weakened stone and thinner magical warding lit up in a lattice crosswork of blue.
"If you'd do the honors, good sir?"
"With pleasure, my lady."
Aurelius approached the glowing point and reared a fist back, it started to glow a bright white as it was filled with power.
With a bang and a pinpoint release of mana, Aura, and sheer physical might, cracks spider-webbed out of the place of impact, the sound of glass shattering indicating that a barrier ward had been smashed as well. Another fist reared back.
The cracks deepened, spreading even further outwards as the stone yielded to the knight's fist. The fist reared back one more time.
With a victorious crash, the stone gave way, blasting inwards as the armored gauntlet tore through it with the force of an explosion.
Waving the resulting dust away with a conjured gust of wind, the two were treated to the sight of a solitary stone spire rising into the sky, two windows facing the east and the west. No doors were visible to them, though it was easy to imagine it was completely sealed if not for the windows. It was set in the middle of a large clearing, almost perfectly circular in circumference. The glade was enchanted, with a clear blue sky and shining sun hanging in it as opposed to towering tree tops and gloomy fog. The air was crisp and clean, a light breeze rustling through the tall grass. It was picturesque almost and incredibly serene for something trapped in the middle of a Grimm-infested forest.
It was an isolationist's paradise and a cruel prison for the actual inhabitant. The two adventurers had blown a hole into the south wall, neither of the windows facing them.
Ozlyn sent out another pulse of mana. The wave had barely reached out toward the tower before abruptly ascending, highlighting a large dome that surrounded the spire in a field of energy.
Aurelius stepped forward, placing his gauntlet-clad hand against the barrier. Immediately it rejected him, a force pushing the hand away. Kneeling, he grabbed a small piece of debris from the destroyed wall and tossed it through the barrier. The rock sailed through with ease.
Ozlyn scoffed to herself, looking at the barrier with a critical eye.
"This rune work is rather shoddy. Instead of the standard incineration matrix, all it does is repel those not keyed into it. More than likely only animate objects in order to prevent a logic overload. If I were to break a couple of keystones it would cause a cascade of..."
She devolved into a series of mumbles, idly twirling a lock of her hair as Undying Curiosity glowed brightly.
Scowling slightly, the Sorceress continued to have a conversation with herself, tapping the scepter against the ground. In response, three chunks of earth were torn from the ground, small misshapen cubes covered in barrier and connector sigils. With an idle twist of the legendary weapon, the cubes exploded in a small flash of blue.
The entire barrier shook slightly as the rest of the underground keystones exploded in response to the critical failure of the rune matrix. The bubble surrounding the clearing shimmered before shattering like glass.
Smirking to herself Ozlyn glanced at her lover in triumph. Laughing to himself, Aurelius pulled her close for a short but passionate kiss.
Now giggling like drunken school girls, the two continued toward the spire unhindered.
As they neared, they circled around it looking for a door. It became apparent that there was one hidden in the stone brick architecture, once again sealed by small keystones that would reject anybody not keyed into it. Due to it being a much smaller formula, there was less mana stored in it. In the years of absence, it was empty, leaving the door inert and unable to open unless powered.
That is if it had been confronted with normal people who were incapable of punching through stone barefisted. With another powered strike from Aurelius, the door crumbled easily, revealing a spiraling stairway.
Moving forward with building trepidation, the two ascended the tower. There were no other outcroppings or smaller rooms, no other nooks that cut into the rest of the tower, it was all one staircase up.
Coming to the top of the staircase, they were met with a simple wooden door, a large slot to push food in as well as a small rectangular bar that uncovered an eyehole. Glancing at Ozlyn with a silent question, she raised her scepter and closed her eyes.
Opening them she looked at her lover, pulling out the letter that had miraculously not been lost in the earlier altercation.
"A singular life signature, idle, maybe reading a book or something like that. Can't imagine there's a lot to do here," Stated the Sorceress.
"Well, let's not keep her waiting," Came the confident reply.
Gripping the door handle, Aurelius dropped his shoulder and slammed it against the door, harshly breaking the locking mechanism of the door as he forced his weight against the door. With a crack of the frame, the door fell into the room with a bang.
Stumbling slightly over the broken door, the knight glanced around the room. A four-poster bed draped with vibrant silks sat on one side of the room. A large wardrobe stood next to it with an empty nightstand. On the other side of the room was a desk illuminated by the sun from an overhead window. On the desk was a single quill and inkpot, though no parchment to write on. Next to it was a small bookshelf, composed mostly of stories detailing the world and its landmarks as well as basic introductions to magic. Above it hung another banner of the Sable kingdom's symbol. A flash of blonde hair caught his attention next, a gasp falling from her lips as she eyed her savior.
Salem was beautiful. Pale blonde hair hung down to the middle of her back, bright blue eyes widening in shock. An oval face with aristocratic features, a sharp chin, and high cheekbones highlighting her royal heritage. A modest white dress wrapped around a luscious body, emphasizing the swell of her breasts and accentuating her womanly figure.
Pale hands covered her mouth in shock, tears immediately pooling in her eyes. She scrambled to her feet, a desperate struggle forward to confirm that she was finally being rescued after years of solitude.
Silent tears tracked down her cheeks as she reached forward, stopping just before the knight's face.
"Are... are you real? Please tell me this isn't another dream," The voice was melodious, if a bit shaky and untrusting, half expecting this wonderful fantasy to fade away as quickly as it came.
Aurelius reached forward, gently wrapping her hands in his larger ones, ignoring the heartbreaking gasp of surprise as she finally touched another living being for the first time in years. With a sob, she threw her hands around him, pulling him into a tight hug as tears streaked down his pauldron.
"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou so much, please this is-" She cut off with another sob as she pulled back from the hug and broke down crying.
The knight simply held her in his arms as she let out year's worth of anguish and loneliness. Calming down after five minutes of attempting to control her emotions, Salem looked at the d'Arc scion with reverence and affection.
With a shaky, watery smile she declared one last heartfelt thank you.
"Please, there's no need to thank me. How about we get out of here, yeah?"
The bright smile eclipsed the previous weak one.
"I-If I may, I've a favor to bestow on you, brave knight."
Oh? A reward for-
Salem leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his neck once more and pressing her lips against his. Hesitating for a brief second, Aurelius responded immediately, kissing back in a display of affection for the touch-starved princess.
Ozlyn stood behind the pair, just out of sight as they made out. While understanding that her lover was a wonderful person and would no doubt always hold her close to his heart, there was always going to be room for more. Though she couldn't help but feel jealous. For both blondes involved. She could recognize beauty when it was presented to her, and though Salem was a literal shut-in for life, she was still a complete knockout.
Stepping forward, she cleared her throat awkwardly, the two separating hastily as Aurelius' face twisted in panic, turning around with an excuse already on his lips. Salem cut him off, though.
"Another savior?!" The sheer elation in her voice stopped them both short. Salem detangled herself from Aurelius and appeared in front of the brunette.
"I thank both of you for your part in my rescue. Allow me to bestow another favor on you, fair adventurer," said the blonde princess.
Salem threw her arms around Ozlyn in a tight hug, pulling her into a passionate lip-lock. Stunned, the Sorceress didn't react immediately. At that time, Salem had already deepened the kiss, her lips moving gently across the shocked pair.
Gathering her bearings, Ozlyn reciprocated immediately, wrapping her own arms around Salem and holding her close, restarting the passionate make-out with earnestness.
Behind the two, Aurelius' jaw dropped as he watched the two beautiful women passionately sucking each other's faces.
Releasing the kiss, leaving Ozlyn lightheaded and smiling like a loon, Salem turned towards the two before bowing low, a large smile of gratitude spreading across her lips.
"Thank you."
Present
Colors swirled out of the three siblings' vision as it ended, revealing the living room and a smiling Jaune.
"And that is how the fairy tale actually went, and how I met my future wife. Any questions?"
Jaz's shell-shocked look slowly morphed into surprise, and then into shock, the ends of her hair bursting into small flames. Jeanne on the other hand just stared at Jaune, gobsmacked with a large blush spreading across her face.
"Uhm, are you two okay?"
Jaune's question went unanswered as Jeanne started to giggle, her eyes hazy and rampant with naughty imagination. In an instant, a bright flash of realization struck her, her face twisting into shock.
"Wait! I wasn't your first?!"
Jaune deadpanned at his older sister. The question was asked with utmost urgency and seriousness, and he wondered if that was all she'd focus on until she got a proper answer.
"Well, you were my first, seeing as how the circumstances have changed significantly. You technically did 'pop my cherry' so to speak," Came the dry reply.
Jeanne's face fell into a pout, followed by a begrudging 'Yeah, I guess that's good enough..."
Jaz's hair ignited with an explosion of heat, charring the couch and nearly burning Jeanne had her Aura not flashed immediately.
"What. The. Fuck."
Leave reviews, I write better when I get them.
srry for the wait but computer sucks and it trashed everything so yea
R&R
Have a nice day/night/week/life.
-Spice
Notes:
I'll be filling this in with the chapters from FFN so if you wanna see them go there, same story name, same author name. Leave reviews and kudos and all that.
Have a nice day/night/week/life
-Spice
Chapter 7: Did Someone Say Worldbuilding?
Summary:
'Friendly' Spar followed by history dump
Notes:
Leave reviews, kudos, etc. It's easier to answer questions and such on here so I might be a bit more active here. (Especially because of FFN's trash email system that still won't work.) Enjoy.
OBLIGATORY: Subjects/fetishes shown in this fic do not represent my personal feelings about them in real life. Fiction is a whole different story.
PS: Read the tags, Mature for a reason and some might not like what I'm cooking. Regardless, don't be mean about it.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Reincarnation Sucks... Sometimes
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot. Jaune x Harem(fem!Ozpin/Ozma, good!Salem, etc.) M for a reason
Long world history study session imminent, small spar to showcase and explain some powers, all that good stuff.
OBLIGATORY: Subjects/fetishes written in this fic do not reflect my personal feelings about them in real life. Fiction is a whole different story.
RS...S
Jaz's reaction was perfectly understandable in Jaune's opinion. Having this sort of bombshell dropped on you would leave anybody reeling. However, the resulting overreaction had been a bit much.
The comfortable and rather expensive couch now sat at the curb, waiting to be carried away to the dump. Turns out a charred black couch isn't the most comfortable thing to sit on anymore.
"Remind me why you're reading again? It just looks so... off to see you with a book after years of you hating studying," Jaz's question, nor the follow-up comment, were reasonable. Jaune wasn't the most scholarly individual in the first place. Intelligent with good leadership instincts sure, but booksmart? Not so much.
Aurelius on the other hand was the father and pioneer of a whole new field. Aura, or the manifestation of the Soul into the physical plane, was named after him, though the present day doesn't seem to remember that.
He singlehandedly turned something from the metaphysical, into the literal, journaling all of his discoveries, while at the same time branching out into seldom explored magics of the more esoteric variety.
Jaune on the other hand loathed books and research of all types, preferring to go into things without a proper plan. With the mixed knowledge of his previous life, such negative proclivities had been replaced by a passion.
"I remember things as I recognize them, meaning I might start jogging memories of history classes I zoned out on. Also, I just need to learn more about the world. It has been millennia since I've been familiar with anything," Came the eventual reply.
Jaz made a face at that, still stumped on the fact he was willingly reading a book.
"I guess that makes sense. But I wanna do something," A thought struck her, a wide smile spreading across her lips. "Oh, I know! Let's spar, I wanna see how cool your ancient king swordsmanship is. And magic! I wanna see that."
Jaune lowered his book, Vale, a History, and looked at his only younger sister. A bright expression on her face, blue eyes shining with excitement, a warm glow radiating off of her as her warm Aura filled the space between them.
He snapped the book shut and pushed it in front of him. With a flourish he raised his hand... and set it atop her head in a pat.
"You're very cute when you're excited," Came the serious remark.
Jaz's face twisted in anger and embarrassment as the top of her head burst into flames, washing uselessly against gold Aura.
"I-I'm not cute, a-and I just want to see how much stronger I am against you!"
The sister's indignant reply went ignored as she swatted Jaune's hand off of her head.
Another puzzle piece snapped into place in Jaune's mind. Jaz Arc was a complete tsundere. Her fiery attitude is usually aggressive, though softer to the people she's close to. Also easily embarrassed, usually showing chinks in the armor of her usual unapproachability for fear of being burnt.
A lilac glow consumed the younger girl and she was hoisted backward into the grasp of Jeanne, where she was immediately trapped in a tight embrace.
"Oh yes you are cute! You're like a little firecracker, so quick to pop and flare up," Jeanne rubbed her cheek against Jaz's affectionately, her Aura flaring up slightly as the younger sister squirmed relentlessly, heating the surrounding area to an uncomfortable hot.
Jaune sighed at the antics of his sisters, shaking his head fondly. It was these sorts of moments that he loved to remember, the simple family interactions that he never got to experience as Aurelius or when he was angry at everything.
With a smirk, Jeanne dropped her sister and appeared in front of her brother. The tall blonde was swept into the even taller woman's embrace, his head pushed down into the low-cut top, directly into her cleavage. Struggling briefly and then realizing that she was overwhelmingly stronger, Jaune simply relaxed into the hug/suffocation attempt, returning it a moment later.
Separating, Jeanne leaned down and caught her brother's lips in her own, starting a passionate lip-lock, much to Jaz's displeasure.
"Ew, get a room you two! You couldn't have waited a bit, Jeanne?!" A displeasure she made sure to announce.
The older sister separated with a smile, glancing at the younger sibling before ruffling her hair in a burst of speed.
"I think I agree with Jaz on the sparring thing. Let's have a proper one where I'm not trying to kill you in a fit of grief and hormonal rage." Jaz's hands knocked Jeanne's away, attempting to fix her mussed hair as small sparks shot from the tips.
Jaune could only nod slightly, still stunned by the kiss that stole his breath away.
"Great! I'll go change. You two should also," Came Jeanne's reply.
Considering all of them were still in the comfort wear they woke up and dressed in, this was a good idea. Though Jaune could appreciate the low-cut black tank top Jeanne was sporting. Not to mention the comfortable sweatpants that did nothing to hide her large ass.
He watched her gracefully ascend the stairs, more focused on the movements of her behind. Once Jeanne was gone, Jaune became aware of the flat look leveled at him by Jaz.
"Pervert."
Jaz then walked away, going to her room to change, leaving her brother gaping at the title given to him.
RS...S
The three siblings found themselves outside in the large backyard, prepared to test each other in a show of their capabilities.
...Only there was one problem.
There were two massive trenches dug into the earth, crisscrossing over a majority of the yard.
"Huh. It's times like this I wish Juniper was here," Muttered Jeanne.
"Agreed," Came Jaz's response.
Jaune could only rack his head desperately for memories of the name, coming up empty.
He awkwardly cleared his throat. "Juniper? What could she do again?" He made a face as he looked at his sisters. "And could I get an exact explanation of what you two can do?"
The two sisters blinked, briefly questioning the inquiry before realizing that Jaune was still missing a large chunk of the memories pertaining to his family.
The small glances of pity shot at him were brushed off in favor of raising an eyebrow inquisitively.
"A majority of our family has some form of control over energy or the elements," Jeanne started. "My semblance is called Gravitas. I have a finely honed control over gravity, giving me the ability to manifest it as either positive or negative energy, repulsion, and attraction. Repulsion is self-explanatory enough, mostly manipulating vectors and the subsequent generated energies."
Jeanne raised a hand, light purple surrounding it as a small gust pushed outwards. Pointing at a bit of the debris created when Jaune crashed through several trees, she flicked her wrist. The debris was launched into the small thicket at a ridiculous speed, exploding into smaller pieces when it came into contact with a sturdy trunk.
"The attraction and weight part is a bit more difficult. I create a specific point, usually myself, as a center of gravity. From there I can manipulate the gravitic pull of the majority of what's in front of me in a cone. However, this can be very dangerous. If I'm not careful enough, I could make the space in front of me too heavy, and it might break out of my control, essentially creating a very very tiny black hole."
Jaune's thoughts about how powerful his sister was ground to a halt. Jaz too looked slightly mortified at the thought of her sister potentially creating one of the most powerful forces in the universe.
"But that's just my speculation, it's never happened before!" Jeanne followed up with a bright grin, ignoring the panicked looks Jaune and Jaz shot at each other. "Besides, with enough control of the gravity in that specific point, I can distort space, essentially creating a small zone of Zero Distance. If I really concentrate, I can manifest Negative Distance into reality and make a pseudo-instant transmission thing, it looks really cool."
Jaune shivered slightly, the sunny smile on Jeanne's face not assuaging his fears about what those abilities could do to him. "W-Well I guess it's a good thing you didn't do anything super damaging other than that weird ball you flicked at me, right?"
Jeanne's face was unreadable, going blank as soon as he mentioned her moment of grief-induced mania.
She shook her head slightly, looking away from him. "Yeah, I guess you're right," Came the quiet murmur.
Shaking herself out of her stupor, Jaz stepped forward. "Now, moving past that, it's my turn."
As if on cue, her blue eyes shifted into a warm orange-red, heat building around her as she flexed her semblance.
"My semblance is named Flare Up, gifting me pyrokinesis in multiple forms. Using my Aura as a form of fuel, I can generate and control fire, as well as a limited control over heat. Through this, I can induce spontaneous combustion without the use of actual flames."
She took a breath before continuing, uncaring of the slowly climbing temperature.
"I am granted a very high level of heat resistance, bordering on immunity. My body runs at a natural temperature of about a hundred and four degrees (40 C) because of this and I am unable to truly register the cold because of it and my Aura. I've recently been working on developing a form of sensing heat signatures and/or thermal vision."
Jaz nodded her head in satisfaction with the explanation she gave, not noticing that the grass under her slowly turned yellow and curled, unable to survive having the water evaporated out of it too quickly. Jaune had multiple beads of sweat start to slide down his face, wanting to step away from his younger sister but not doing so for fear of coming off as rude, especially because of how passionate she sounded about her semblance.
"Alright firecracker, you need to turn it down," Unceremoniously, a small light blue crystal clonked into the top of her head, held aloft by Jeanne's gravity.
The gravity compressed, the Dust reacting to the Aura and activating in a small flash. Immediately, a small flurry of frost appeared around her, a light purple glow isolating it in a small circle around Jaz. The smaller blonde sputtered as the cold air buffeted her, the heat shrinking away immediately. Inside the barrier, Jaz's hair caught fire before quickly being extinguished with a small chunk of shaved ice.
The flurry disappeared, as did the gravity barrier, and Jaz stood there pouting, the ice on her rapidly melting.
"Thanks. A lot. Jeanne," Jaz gritted out through tightly clenched teeth, her eyes burning with restrained rage.
The older sister only laughed before pulling Jaz into a short noogie.
Jaune sighed to himself, laughing lightly at the antics. "Alright, we should probably get this place fixed up. Any ideas how?" He asked.
The two sisters looked at each other briefly before Jaz turned around and marched back into the house.
Jaune looked at Jeanne, confused. "She's just getting some earth Dust to fix the trenches. We always have a small stock of Dust from grade one to six on hand because of how many Hunters come through here."
Dust. It was one of, if not the most important resource that humanity had gotten a hold of. Instead of being able to learn to manipulate the elements or mystical energies, magic had fallen hard to the wayside, locked away in the deep recesses of history. There probably wasn't a person alive who could properly manipulate mana to a proper degree.
Dust was essential for all Huntsman, allowing them to be much more effective in combat against the Grimm threat. Everything from ammo to fuel to basic daily amenities was powered by it. And Jaune was drawing a massive blank regarding it. Anytime he tried to reach for the memories associated with them, he'd come up with a sense of complete boredom.
"I... don't think I paid any attention to that. Got any Dust on hand I could see?"
Jeanne gave him a strange look before slowly shaking her head. Jaz then walked out of the house, an orangish-brown crystal held gingerly in her hand.
"Here, lemme see that," said Jeanne. Before the younger blonde could respond, the earth Dust crystal was gently extracted from her hand with a short application of gravitas. She then placed the crystal in Jaune's hands with a warning to be careful.
Jaz looked ready to protest, the temperature once again rapidly rising before dropping as curiosity got the better of her.
To anybody else, Dust was just a thing that existed, a naturally occurring resource that grew out of the ground, was mined out, processed, and ready to be used by anyone. To Jaune, and subsequently Aurelius, Dust was the physical manifestation of various elemental magicks in crystalline form.
Jaune carefully ran a curious hand over the crystal, noting that it while it was tuned to the earth/stone element, it had a lower output than what would be considered average.
"That's grade two earth Dust, mainly used for basic maintenance of flooring or walls. It isn't high enough of a grade to do anything more than that but it's always best to be careful," said Jeanne. "Grades five through eight are 'caliber' grades, the ones processed into basic ammunition for a variety of weapons. Nine is mostly used for high-grade explosives while ten is technically not allowed to be processed or used due to how volatile it can be," she continued.
Jaune's head felt slightly fuzzy, looking into the reflective elemental crystal. The potential of Dust was limited to its grade, but if given the proper conduit... He brought it up to his nose, taking in the scent of the earth, the solid and unyielding stone.
Jaz made a face. "Jaune I don't think you should get your face close to that thing, I don't think- are you about to-!"
Jaune brought the Dust crystal to his mouth and took a big crunch out of it, idly reminded of rock candy.
The youngest sister cut off in shock, gaping at him. Jeanne's jaw dropped, equally gobsmacked as her brother just took a bite out of the crystal.
"You idiot!" Yelled Jaz. She rushed forward, hands reaching at Jaune's mouth to get the Dust out of it, fearing for her brother's safety. "That's not safe for consumption, even a three-year-old would know that!"
Jeanne watched on, still slightly shocked as Jaune shook his head, still chewing on the piece he bit off and gently pushing Jaz away. With a grimace, Jaune swallowed the crystal shards, his face brightening considerably once he did.
"Hold on, watch this," Jaz backed off with a frown.
The knight shifted his attention to deep trenches before focusing. Glowing orange veins of mana rushed from the ground, spiraling up through his legs and highlighting him in lines of tangerine luminescence.
Hands now glowing a similar orangish-brown, Jaune dropped his arms before heaving them upward. The earth element mana all flowed out of him in one burst, the lines jumping into the ground before rushing at the divots.
With a small rumble, the dirt filled in, and the earth moved into position before smoothing over. It was as if there wasn't any damage done to the yard at all, sans the trench-shaped patches of no grass.
Jeanne and Jaz looked on in shock, befuddled at the feat just performed. Jeanne was the first to come to her senses.
"Wait, is that your semblance? You can eat Dust and then use its abilities for yourself?" She asked.
Jaune shook his head, the glow in his eyes dying down, the earth Dust crystal in his hand crumbling into smaller fragments as the energy inside it drained away.
"No, you'll see in a moment when we spar," He replied. The devious gleam in his eyes excited the older blonde, matching his grin with her own.
"That was magic?!" Jaz butted in, eyes wide and sparkling with questions.
Jaune smiled and confirmed it was. "Yup, a rather basic manipulation of earth-type mana. I'm not super good with the basic elements, though, so I'm not able to completely shift terrains like Ozlyn was able to."
Jeanne nodded along, pausing at the thought of her lover's (long deceased and different lifetime's) wife, easily picturing the curly-haired brunette casually harnessing the powers of mother nature and bending them to her whim.
The older sister clapped her hands together loudly, walking out towards the now-repaired yard. "Alright, enough of this chit-chat, let's spar!"
Jeanne removed her hoodie in a flash of black, revealing light sleeveless plate armor on top of her combat pants. With a flourish, she pulled her long hair into a tight bun, binding it tight. With a flick of her wrist toward a nearby weapon rack, occupied by a multitude of basic weapons, as well as a few more esoteric ones, came two shapes.
They landed in her outstretched hands where they were securely fastened to her wrists. Two oddly shapen bracers were on Jeanne's wrists, primarily colored black with mechanical parts in between the protective plates and the part worn by the user. They were sleek, obsidian armguards, a large silver spike jutting upwards from the wrist over the back of the hand. Just before the elbow were multiple studs, acting as conductors for the Dust powering it. The part covering the forearms glowed purple and blue, the internal Dust systems reacting in response to her Aura.
A slot opened in the middle of the spike on both bracers. Jeanne pulled out four vial-shaped cartridges of Dust, two of them glowing purple indicating a gravity attunement, the other pair of vials filled with glowing cyan, designating it as hard-light Dust. She inserted them into the slots, one of each color for each bracer.
Seeing Jaune's questioning look, Jeanne spoke up. "These are my pride and joy, mostly cuz I designed them myself," She raised her fists, a purple glow lighting up the right hand, a teal glow lighting up in the other. "I call 'em the Nothing Manacles, utilizing bleeding-edge technology and some of the highest forms of Dust and Aura engineering that's been seen this decade."
The low hum of the bracers filled the yard as the energy conduit studs lit up, the miniature Dust modulators powering on. "These bad boys help me add just a little more oomph to my hits," As if to emphasize the point, Jeanne punched a clenched fist into a hand, a visible wave of force echoing from the impact as she smirked. "Not to mention all the other little tricks that I won't be mentioning. You'll find those out in a little bit," She finished with a smirk.
Jaz pouted, walking off to the side with a short 'show off'. The spectator box was a small area just aside from the porch, with numerous hidden hard-light dust emitters ready on standby should the spar get out of hand.
She activated the Aura sensors inside the yard, a screen above the box appearing before showing the Aura percentage for the participants.
Jaune felt a small trickle of sweat roll down the back of his neck, unprepared in the face of Jeanne's eagerness to start. Shaking his head slightly, Jaune walked over to the weapon rack, and grabbed a basic longsword and kite shield, avoiding the fancier and 'techy' looking ones for fear of not knowing how to operate them. He preferred the classics, after all.
Returning to the yard, Jaune awkwardly shifted into stance, instinctually reinforcing his muscles with Aura, annoyed at how his arms shook slightly as he hefted the weapons. He really needed to work back up to his previous strength.
The taller blonde tilted her head, confused at Jaune's lack of armor. "Hey, I know that Aura is pretty cool and all, but wouldn't it be better to at least wear some padding? As I'm pretty sure you already know, I hit pretty hard."
Jaune shook his head, happy at the concern she showed for him. "No, I don't need anything. It's time I tell you about my semblance," He made a face after having said that, realizing that as Jaune, he could access his past life's semblance but he didn't know if he had a semblance of his own. "Do I get a second semblance? Whatever, it doesn't matter."
The knight breathed in deeply, reaching into his memories, summoning up the familiar thrum of his Soul and the accompanying power unique to him. A light blue mist exuded from the pores of his body, glittering in the sun. The sight mesmerized both of the spectators, the shimmering mist captivating their attention like moths to a flame.
With a flex of exertion, the mist solidified rapidly, turning firm and shifting into gleaming sterling accompanied by golden accents. With a clang, armored boots slammed into place on Jaune's body, followed by armored greaves, the plates and the various pieces appearing one at a time before shifting into position rapidly. A shining cuirass manifested in front of him before attaching soundly, the back half materializing a moment later. The front of the breastplate was adorned in the standard Arc crescent moons appearing before a stylized crown above a crossed scepter and wand appeared under it, gleaming in gold.
Glinting pointed pauldrons appeared on his shoulders the spikes adding to the imposing image. Around his head materialized a silver armet, azure eyes shining behind the shadowed helm. The last of the mist spiraled around the basic sword and shield, infusing into them. In a flash, the two were coated in a white alloy with golden veins running through it, being reinforced further.
Jeanne smiled widely, impressed at the display her previously powerless brother showcased.
Jaune adjusted the shield, missing the familiarity of Crocea Mors but appreciating the craftsmanship of the temporary replacements. "My semblance is called Aegis, as you can see, it allows me to create a full set of armor out of my Aura, as well as providing me an inherent durability and stamina improvement. The function and appearance of my armor are dependent on the situation I am in. I can influence it to provide things like more maneuverability at the cost of defense, or vice versa."
To showcase that statement, the ornate set of armor released more of the glowing mist before shrinking slightly, becoming more sleek and streamlined. More armor around the joints disappeared, allowing easier movement of the limbs and lessening the weight load. The greaves lost a majority of their plates, becoming durable and form-fitting pants and the helmet spiked backward and thinned, decreasing wind resistance.
He allowed Jeanne to appraise the armor and consider his semblance before she nodded in affirmation with a grin. Jaune silently reversed the changes to his armor, donning the neutral version once more. He raised his shield in preparation, falling into a familiar position as he allowed his mind to fall into a state of focus.
His older sister raised her arms, hands clenched in anticipation, the Nothing Manacles on her arms glowing brightly in preparation.
A moment of silence passed between them, interrupted by the gentle wind rustling the trees of the thicket nearby. A single leaf flitted in between them, drifting to the ground.
It reached the ground.
Jeanne flashed forward, a fist lashing out at mind-bending speeds, encased in violet light. The attack slammed into an Aura-reinforced shield, a shockwave erupting from the contact, blowing back the grass around them. The impact vibrated through both of them, sending tremors through the two's arms. A vicious smile was painted on the taller blonde's face as the bracer lit up.
With a recursive burst, Jaune was blasted backward, his planted feet dragging trenches into the ground. The featureless helmet on his head gave away nothing, not revealing the fact he had winced as the punch slammed into his defense. He hadn't been able to parry it in time, the speed and power Jeanne put behind it almost made him buckle.
The eldest sister didn't advance, content to watch as Jaune slowly and carefully advanced, wary of another devastating blow. With a burst of Aura-enhanced speed, Jaune closed the distance between them, attempting a slash from shoulder to hip.
Jeanne deftly stepped out of the way, avoiding the follow-up slash as well before raising her bracer as the sword bit into it. The knight continued a flurry of slashes, not letting up the pressure as the Huntress expertly deflected them.
Disengaging unexpectedly, Jaune feinted the next strike before suddenly twisting on the balls of his feet, swinging an armored boot up off the ground and into a slightly surprised Jeanne's guard. The older blonde stumbled back slightly, unable to capitalize on the opening Jaune had put himself in. Until her feet stuck to the ground, a black glow surrounding them. In a moment, she rushed forward, feet steady, balance firm.
The older sister reared a fist back before slamming it into the armored sternum of her brother, a flash of purple being released on impact.
Jaune was blasted back with explosive force, a small dent appearing in the cuirass as he tumbled end over end. Eventually rolling to a stop on his side, he looked up to see Jeanne above him, fist clenched and glowing ominously. In a flash, the shield was in front of him, intercepting the crushing blow and pushing him further into the ground.
The Huntress reared back the other fist before bringing it down with a vengeance, meeting the shield in another resounding gong. As she made contact with it, Jaune released a burst of Aura and shoved the barrier outward, parrying the strike and making her stagger slightly. Reacting immediately, he surged off of the ground, the white shield slamming into her face.
It bounced back with a thrum of purple Aura, not achieving the stunning effect he desired. The top of the kite shield flew into Jeanne's chin jerking her head back, not expecting the follow-up second hit. Jaune took his chance and scrambled backward, making distance in between them as Jeanne shook her head and lightly felt her jaw.
Another wide smile spread across her face as she turned towards her lover, his wary stance making her grin grow impossibly bigger. With a twist, Jaune's entire center of gravity shifted. Suddenly he found himself falling sideways toward Jeanne's punishing fist, unable to prevent it from slamming into the center of his chest.
The world righted itself a moment after, allowing him to continue tumbling along the ground. Feeling the grip of her semblance again, he flashed his Aura around himself, allowing Aegis to repair while shaking off the effects of Gravitas, the dents being forced back out into their proper spots. He glanced at the screen showing their Aura readings, eyes widening at the disparity.
Jaune - 76%
Jeanne - 98%
He'd done almost nothing to her! She'd knocked him down almost a quarter of his Aura and she was holding back.
"That's gotta be some of the best pin-point Aura control I've ever seen. You were able to neutralize my punch with a counter microburst of Aura, while also preventing the recursive blast from activating, followed by a perfectly executed parry. If I hadn't believed you about that great warrior king and father of Aura thing then I'd believe you now. That sort of proficiency doesn't come without years of training."
Jeanne was impressed, incredibly so even if she didn't show it. Even though she was definitely not going all out or even using her unfair semblance to a ridiculous degree, the fact that Jaune was able to (somewhat) keep up was amazing.
Jaune had done what felt natural to him, the significance of her words lost on him. Not one to take a compliment for granted, Jaune let out a short 'thanks' attempting to reign in the dread undoubtedly leaking into his voice.
The two siblings slowly circled each other, attempting to capitalize on any potential openings that may appear.
After three consecutive circles, it became clear neither would make the first move. Jeanne decided that if he wouldn't make the first move, she'd make an opening herself.
With a thought, she was covered in a dark glow, indicating she was using the attraction part of her semblance. Jaune planted his feet, stopping the slow shuffle in favor of hunkering down, preparing to-
With a violent, gut-curling wrench, the knight was yanked forward as a monstrous amount of isolated gravity pulled him off of his feet. In a flash, Jeanne was above him, traveling at an equal, if not faster speed than he was.
The gravitic flux ceased barely a moment after, arresting each of their momenta, placing the older blonde above the younger, primed to deliver a devastating overhand.
Another beat passed and Aegis shifted, extra plates of armor rounding out the cuirass and reinforcing greaves, pauldrons growing in length and durability while the armet helmet transformed into a great helm.
Jaune dropped his sword, bracing his shield with both arms as the powered fist slammed into his desperate barrier.
The world flashed a brief purple before fading into darkness.
RS...S
Jaune awoke to a headache and two bickering siblings. Aegis had faded away as he lost concentration over it, the powerful Aura armor having done its job in preventing him from turning into a Jaune-shaped crater in their formerly pristine yard.
Instead of having the rest of his Aura shattered by the gravitic blow, he instead got dropped to 42% and pushed into unconsciousness via sensory overload.
Reluctantly sitting up, working the kinks out of his back while doing so, he noticed he had been pulled over to the spectator arena box, the small clock indicating he'd been out for a little under four minutes.
"Just admit you got a bit too excited, you've been here for the last month without anything to do watching me."
"I said I'd apologize already, can you- Jaune!"
Blonde hair filled his vision, and Jeanne's beautiful visage appeared in front of him, twisted into concern. Her eyes were slightly watery, her bottom lip trembling dangerously.
"I'm sorry! Please don't be mad, I got ahead of myself and-"
Jaune leaned forward with a soft kiss, silencing her rambling. Jeanne stiffened briefly before relaxing completely, melting into the contact. She fell on top of him, pinning him to the ground and squishing her bountiful chest against his, her fingers threading through the back of his hair as she pulled him closer.
They separated briefly, panting as similar desires appeared in their eyes. "It's fine, it's fine. I'm alright and I know it isn't your fault. Don't beat yourself over it," Jaune finished with a small smile.
The older sister smiled widely before crashing her lips against his again, communicating her affection once more. The warm embrace turned slightly heated, the innocent touches became bolder, Jeanne's hands sliding down the knight's sides, his coming to rest on her derriere.
"Ahem!" The two stopped, suddenly remembering there was still a third person with them. Jaz stood beside them, a furious blush rising up her neck, a mighty scowl on her face.
They separated sheepishly, standing up with an awkward chuckle, an embarrassed blush crossing both their cheeks.
At Jaz's expectant and meaningful look at the pockmarked yard behind them, Jaune winced.
"Um, sorry Jaz, but I don't think I've got another high-intensity spar like that in me. I'm still acclimating, after all."
And Jaune still was acclimating. The physical abilities he displayed in the spar were all a product of high levels of Aura enhancement and Aegis assisting him at every point. As Aurelius he'd be able to do any of those things with ease, without the enhancement, nor the number of times he got rag-dolled by Jeanne's semblance.
Jaune digressed, he was a thin, not very muscular shadow of his previous incarnation. The spirit was more than willing, but the flesh was, quite literally, too weak. Trying to reinforce his limbs with too much Aura would inevitably end with him starting to develop Aura poisoning, an ailment when the body could not contain the great potential of the Soul. While extremely rare, the effects were incredibly dangerous, usually involving loss of feeling, paralysis, and necrosis. Not a very fun combination.
"What?!" Jaz flared up in anger, a ring of heat exploding outward from her, eyes alight with indignation. "Why not?!"
The older brother winced, taking a small step away from his younger sister. "I might start hurting myself if I try to do something like that again, again sorry..."
The knight was given a burning look before the flames slowly receded, Jaz returning to a pout as she scuffed the ground in anger. "...Fine, guess you gotta be at your best..."
Jaune was moving before he could realize why. In an instant, he was ruffling Jaz's hair, golden Aura flashing slightly at the heat. Jaz predictably squawked in anger as she swatted Jaune's hand away.
The taller blonde only smiled at her.
RS...S
The Arc siblings found themselves in the family study, strewn across the soft reading chairs present.
"So, this is you?"
Jeanne held up the Arc family record book, the large leather tome, carefully preserved through millennia and countless conflicts was flipped to the very back, picturing a highly detailed, if faded, sketch of a knight in standard soldier regalia, faded double crescent arcs featured on the cuirass, the other details of the crest smudged away. Above it was a muddled and mostly indistinct 'Aure- -Arc'.
Jaune glanced up from 'The Great War' nodding his head at his sister's question. "Yeah, that's me. That sketch is one of Ozlyn's earlier ones, a shame that none of the later ones survived," He replied.
Jeanne glanced down at the sketch before she looked up. And then back down. And then up again, comparing the sketch of his previous reincarnation to current-day Jaune. Wordlessly, Aegis activated, coating him in the simple silver armor that he wore while that picture was sketched.
The older blonde glanced up, seeing the suit of armor before raising the record book and comparing them side by side, before nodding in satisfaction. She continued to flip through the book.
AN: Start of the boring history section. (Don't recommend you skip b/c worldbuilding but it's not for everyone)
Jaune sighed, looking back at his own book and wondering how the world could go to so much shit because of the first fall of humanity. His memories as Aurelius ended with Salem's last act, a hand through his chest, eating away at his Soul in a moment of vulnerability. Numerous archaeological discoveries proved that the humanity of magic users Aurelius belonged to had all been wiped out by the ensuing hoard of Grimm.
A whole new race of humans had sprung from the ashes, instead of wielding mana, his teachings of Aura survived through stragglers of the catastrophic event and were given to the masses, instead. Dust had appeared some time then, as well, magic seemingly crystalizing underground, becoming a (very volatile) part of nature's cycle. This 'second wave' of humanity was unable to learn or use magic, lacking the capabilities and knowledge of how to do so, instead relying on the available Dust as a replacement.
This was not even mentioning the various settlements that had sprung up. From his memories as Jaune, there were four major kingdoms (technically five if Menagerie was counted) that reflected his back in the distant past. Thankfully, despite his countless years of absence, there had been little to no continental drift. Solitas, the continent of mountains and ice, had seemingly flattened and shrunk, becoming a place of icy hills instead with a massive city, Atlas, floating over the settlement of Mantle. Rather ostentatious in Jaune's opinion, though thankfully it was still rather familiar.
The Sanus continent had stayed almost exactly the same, the only major difference being the Aureate kingdom that had been replaced by Vale. It was the exact center of most maps, with the most convenience to interact with other kingdoms and settlements. Southwest of there was the ever-resilient kingdom of Vacuo which seemed to have not moved at all and had maintained its closer ties to the kingdom in the middle of Sanus.
Anima had changed rather drastically, however. While the north had always been icy due to its proximity to Solitas, such a large amount was worrying, as was the numerous swampland and random deserts that appeared in the east and west respectively. Vacuo's deserts don't just hop continents, and that's what it looked like happened. Despite these rather abrupt changes, it didn't even affect the kingdom of Mistral, which was still holed up in the towering canyon walls and lush forests.
The largest surprise was Menagerie. In Aurelius' time, it was an unnamed holy land, belonging solely to the faunus, a group of humanity who had evolved with animal traits. Despite the racism, there was no other way to cut it. Faunus just had better, naturally occurring, characteristics that normal humans didn't have. Night vision, enhanced senses, differing animal biology that could assist them in a number of ways, and sharper instincts, they were better in almost every single way.
Except there were less of them.
A lot less of them, in fact. The unnamed continent that was their holy land was something they seldom left. The rest of the kingdoms knew of their existence, but were leery of establishing a connection, prejudice and potential backlash from the superior species stayed their hand, despite the lush and resource-heavy continent.
'Until I came along and made everyone play nice,' Thought Jaune. Aurelius had singlehandedly united all of the major kingdoms under his golden rule, ushering in an age of prosperity. He opened up an avenue of interaction with the faunus and their pseudo-kingdom/extensive village settlement. In exchange for opening up the world for them, they would allow the Aureate kingdom usage of their abundant resources.
The negotiations were successful and the world was better for it. But now, looking at the dry husk that was named Menagerie on the map, Jaune could only wonder how the beautiful continent had been reduced to nothing. Save for the capital, Kuo Kuana, the rest of the island had been scraped clean and replaced with a desert comparable to Vacuo, more than likely run over with a plethora of Grimm as well.
At some point in time, a part of humanity developed a hatred of faunus, eventually viewing them as nothing more than beasts to be used, slaves for the taking. And that is what the faunus became. What would come to be named Menagerie was seized by a majority of Mistrali and Mantle forces with the intent of bleeding the continent dry of its natural resources. Seeing the unnatural inhabitants of the island, the kingdoms decided that they would make easy slave labor.
The faunus were then subjugated, forced into servitude, remaining oppressed for close to a century before the events leading up to the Great War occurred.
Mistral and Mantle had developed a close alliance built on the equal exchange of supplies and settlement opportunities. Having two of the four great kingdoms ally with one another set great tension between Vale and Vacuo, fearing a potential play for power from the newly formed alliance.
Two decades before the start of the war, there was an incident in Mantle where multiple settlements had fallen to the Grimm. The negativity that attracted them had come about as a result of a favored TV series coming to an abrupt and unsatisfying end, the outcome causing enough unrest to attract a sizable amount of Grimm. Unable to appease the masses fast enough, more Grimm appeared as the settlers began to panic, unable to stop the flow of negative emotions.
As the first settlement fell, four more followed suit, the weaker communities being too far out from the kingdom of Mantle to get a proper defensive response to the Grimm. There were no survivors.
Mantle had acted drastically as a result, putting an outright ban on self-expression and the arts, forming a stranglehold on the citizen's emotions, and eventually pressuring the kingdom of Mistral to do the same. The kingdom complied with a caveat. Only the outer layer of Mistral and the settlements would do so while the upper class would continue to indulge in the arts.
The two kingdoms' willingness to use slave labor, the callous treatment of the citizens' emotions and well-being, and shoving their philosophy in the other kingdom's face -insisting it was the best- only disillusioned Vale and Vacuo.
It all came to a head as the Mantle-Mistral alliance attempted to settle in the eastern islands and peninsulas of Sanus. The citizens of Vale demanded they kick the trespassers out, hating that they would bring their detestable way of life to their doorstep.
Despite the cries of the citizens, the Queen of Vale allowed them to settle, not seeking conflict. Until Mistral decided to do it for them.
The settlers from Anima had come to quarrel with the already present Valean natives, insisting that they leave the land they were settling. The Mistrali were a prideful race, warriors being very prominent in their ancestry. The Valeans were an equally proud and stubborn people, not allowing them a step onto the land they'd claimed.
A small crowd had formed, each arguing with the other, moments away from turning into a riot.
And then a Mistrali hunting rifle discharged in the crowd.
The gathering was immediately whipped into a frenzy, hostilities boiling over as the riot turned into a bloodbath. The resulting conflict had Mantle scrambling to support their ally, Vale being put on the back foot as two kingdoms started to declare war on it.
That riot and the ensuing skirmish would come to be known as the unofficial start of the Great War, kicking off an entire decade of conflict between all the major kingdoms. The Queen of Vale reacted immediately, reinforcing the eastern coast of Sanus as well as taking back the islands that Mistral had attempted to settle on.
Following that, the Queen brought the fight back Anima in a show of force, landing on the western front before moving north, attempting to cut off Mantle's assistance.
This continued for roughly four years before Vale reluctantly receded, the force of two kingdoms on a different continent too much. Despite backing out of Anima, the alliance could not break through the eastern defensive blockade, rendering a stalemate.
Realizing they could never get to Vale through the east, Mantle and Mistral turned to Vacuo, a place they both had settlements in prior to the start of the conflict. They pressured the kingdom to join their alliance in order to allow them passage into western Sanus, boxing in Vale as a result.
Vacuo refused, however, disliking the other two kingdoms and fearing for their way of life being destroyed by the controlling government. The desert kingdom realized that if Vale fell there would be no one to stop the other alliance from taking over the rest of the world. They pushed out the Mantle and Mistrali settlements, refusing them access to the abundant Dust mines, and choking out one of their main sources of fuel and ammunition.
Vacuo allied itself with Vale, pitting the two alliances against each other.
The kingdoms of Sanus had imposed a food and Dust ration on their citizens, the lion's share of it fueling the campaign on the eastern and western fronts. As Vacuo declared their partnership with Vale, Mistral, and Mantle started to apply military pressure on the western coast of Anima, disliking the sudden withholding of Dust and natural resources.
As a result of the war effort, all four of the kingdom's technology production accelerated to a ridiculous degree, attempting to outdo the other in sheer firepower.
It started with Mistral, inventing the first of what would come to be known as Mechashift technology, turning a simple hunting rifle into a sword and then back, allowing easy long-range as well as short-range engagement compacted into one weapon. It only got more complicated from there as the technology was improved upon. Crossbows that could turn into halberds, blades that could turn into assault rifles, light machine guns that could turn into tower shields, sniper rifles that could turn into claymores, the possibilities seemed to be endless.
And then Mantle harnessed the power of elemental Dust.
Before then, the safest way to use Dust was to dilute the elemental properties so the user doesn't explode in a flash of whatever element the crystal is. Basic Dust and ammunition were the norm, allowing the users to maintain a safe and reliable fuel and ammo system.
But Mantle continued forward without diluting the Dust, instead creating carefully controlled environments where the Dust could be taken out of its volatile reactive state and put into a dormant hibernation, without taking away any of the firepower lost in diluting it. This allowed the first usage of elemental Dust warfare, allowing better usage for their limited supply of Dust in the wake of Vacuo's resistance.
Mantle showed up on a battlefield with new Mechashift weapons courtesy of their allies and unleashed an elemental hailstorm on the Valean forces. Fire Dust rounds were incendiary rounds on a whole new level, not to mention the elemental explosives that could electrocute, freeze, crush, etc., the victims who were caught in the radius. This revolutionary usage of Dust changed warfare on a fundamental level and elevated the kingdoms of Mistral and Mantle forward in terms of lethality.
The kingdoms of Sanus weren't far behind, however. While Mistral created new weapon technologies and Mantle explored the volatile nature of Dust, Vale had come up with the first Bullhead, an armored vehicle capable of flight as well as combat capabilities.
While using larger aerial vehicles in war wasn't something that hadn't already been thought of, many believed it to be far away in terms of implementation, the design unreliable in the face of battle. The Bullhead is a larger VTOL-based aircraft, allowing it to take off and land vertically without any form of runway or taxiing which the more common and smaller planes and jets use.
This allowed easy troop and cargo transportation as well as air-to-ground missiles (AGM) for combat support, allowing them to change entire battles because of how devastating the effects of the bombing runs could be.
Vacuo hadn't been stagnant either, developing a similar if not better understanding of Dust than Mantle had due to the surplus they possessed. Vacuo's deep mines had allowed them to continue testing and research with the various Dust types, eventually culminating as the first elemental Dust-based energy source, easily interchangeable fuel for the Bullheads that Vale would continue to produce.
Through these technological evolutions, all four kingdoms came to each battlefield with increased lethality, only drawing out the bloody war. At the rate the four were going, it wouldn't be long until someone developed a weapon capable of ending the conflict in a singular, grand stroke.
And then Mantle revealed their gambit.
A year before the war would inevitably come to an end, Mantle researchers had been deep in the Solitas tundras looking for larger Dust deposits to fuel the war, searching for anything that could assist them. A massive influx of energy alerted them to a deposit underneath the ice.
They unearthed a new type of Dust, a relatively small deposit that would come to be named Atomic Green, named for the unstable particles it constantly emitted. It was radioactive, and unpleasantly warm despite the ice surrounding it.
Jaune realized they uncovered the crystalized manifestation of esoteric magic studied back in Aurelius' age, the tundras of Solitas a common place to test the more dangerous types of energies that the public shouldn't come in contact with.
In just a month, Mantle would weaponize Atomic Green, refining it into the deadly Grade Ten, harnessing the destructive might of the Dust, and turning it into a controlled explosive. Through the power of nuclear fission, the Dust would react when bombarded with neutrons, effectively splitting the particles of it and releasing the stored energy as well as radiation.
It was a bomb to end all bombs, the weapon to end all wars, the pinnacle of humanity's desire for destruction manifested in the form of a singular, world-changing explosion.
It was dubbed, Big Man.
Two months before the Great War would inevitably come to an end, a singular Mantle bomber flew over Vacuan wastes, nothing alive for miles. It had recently entered into 'safe' air, clearing the detections of Vacuo.
Mantle had figured that it wouldn't be able to drop Big Man by flying directly over Vale, fearing it would be shot down by superior anti-air capabilities. In a daring display brought on by desperation, the bomber was carted all the war to the eastmost tip of Anima, where it would then make the flight undetected over Vacuo, hiding in the desert winds before taking the hotter airstream north toward Vale, delivering the payload then.
Though the bomber had managed most of the steps, a problem came up as it entered the airspace of the wastes. It lost all contact with Mantle, a sudden sandstorm sweeping up around the plane. The AC regulating the cockpit temperature was disabled as well, the inside of the craft rapidly cranking up to 96 (36C) degrees under the desert sun.
Not knowing where he was or whether he was on course or not, the pilot resolved to attempt to turn around, having enough fuel to make the flight back to a runway hidden in the desert for this specific reason. At that time the temperature had continued to climb, resulting in a dehydrated and stressed pilot. In a last-ditch effort to establish communication, the pilot tried the comms, attempting to communicate the system failures, eventually giving up and instead recording the data to the black box in the aircraft.
It was at that moment the pilot received a panicked transmission from Mantle, the comms suddenly reconnecting. Orders were given to immediately drop the payload, garbled with static and desperation.
Not questioning the order for even a moment, despite still being inside a sandstorm, the pilot primed and released Big Man. As the bay opened and the payload was released, it became apparent the bomber wasn't at nearly a high enough altitude to escape the resulting explosion.
At 1:24 PM at the height of the day, Vacuo bore witness to the mother of all explosions, a massive mushroom cloud growing out of a sandstorm fifteen miles (24km) east of the main kingdom in the wastes, an area devoid of life and resources. The cloud reached five miles (8km) into the sky, a thunderous shockwave clearing the sandstorm away.
The vibrations could be felt in the westmost settlements, the resounding boom audible in the southmost settlements of Vale. It was awe-inspiring, the sheer destructive potential visible as the effects of Big Man were wasted in the empty desert, the radioactive fallout being swirled away into the winds and seeping into the ground.
Decades later when the black box was eventually released and made public, it was theorized the pilot had hallucinated the final orders from Mantle, the extreme heat and stress compounded with dehydration had made him imagine the command.
The people of Vale and Vacuo got over the effects of Big Man quickly, immediately becoming outraged that Mantle, and by extension Mistral, had been willing and able to drop an earth-shattering explosive on them.
The Great War was coming to a close, and Mantle's gambit ultimately failed not resulting in a worthy payoff. Both it and Mistral played a final gambit, assembling in the east to completely push Vacuo out of their control of the Dust mines, claiming it for themselves.
The full force of the eastern alliance arrived at Vacuo's western front, intending to perform one final push, resupplying before pushing forward towards Vale.
They found the combined forces of Vale and the desert kingdom waiting for them, the Queen of Vale at the head, personally leading her army.
The battle was a complete slaughter, the overwhelming power of Sanus' kingdoms thoroughly crushing the opposing armies. The Queen of Vale was heralded as the Warrior Queen, responsible for being the first to spill blood in defense of her ally's kingdom.
The forces of Mantle were particularly screwed, the unfamiliar terrain of a desert inhibiting their combat capabilities. It was only made worse by the great sandstorm that swept through their forces like a hurricane before dispersing just as quickly, giving an even better upper hand to Vacuo and Vale.
Within a week, the Vytal Peace Accord was created, the decade-long war coming to a close as the Queen of Vale turned down authority over all kingdoms, citing no need for a ruler of Remnant.
The Warrior Queen went on to form the Huntsman Academies, the need for protection from Grimm at an all-time high as negativity had overrun the world. She proclaimed the academies would be made for the sole purpose of training generations of protectors whose allegiance would be to humanity as a whole, not just the kingdoms they hail from. These Hunters would be known for eradicating Grimm threats and maintaining a safe world.
Through this, Warrior Queen Ozma of Vale changed how the world would work for decades to come.
Many still questioned her decision to turn down control over the four kingdoms, her only answer being she was undeserving, there was only one who was, and he was long dead.
Jaune set the book down, the last line echoing through his head. There was no way the Queen was referring to him, right?
Looking at the portrait of the Queen, Ozma, Jaune couldn't help but think she looked familiar. It wasn't the hair, the facial structure, or even the body, but something he couldn't place.
Emerald eyes flashed at him, a scepter held aloft glinting with Dust. The weapon used by the Queen was named Curio, the first known and popularized Dustcaster, the first of its kind.
'A descendant maybe? She looks so much like Ozlyn,' Mused Jaune. He took a closer look at the Dustcaster, memorizing the intricate details and designs of Curio, noticing a startling similarity to Undying Curiosity, namely the glowing emerald affixed in the head that was surrounded by the technology that allowed it to manipulate Dust.
He turned the book to Jeanne, pointing at the Dustcaster in the portrait. "Hey Jeanne, do you know if this is in a museum anywhere? It looks familiar and I want to see it in person."
Jeanne looked up from the archive book, tilting her head in thought.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's in the National Archive over in the commercial district, one of the more popular exhibits if I'm remembering correctly. Though, it's been years since I've been," she replied.
Jaune looked down back at the portrait, the shimmering emerald eyes of the Queen catching his eye once more. It felt as if a puzzle piece had been discovered but the puzzle itself was missing, a part of the whole.
Jaz looked up from her book, interested in the conversation. "Are we gonna go to the museum?"
Jaune shut the book, putting it back on the shelf and standing up. Jeanne did the same, Jaz following not a moment after.
"Yeah, I think we are," said Jaune. "Are we all ready to go?"
Jaz quickly ran out of the room, claiming she needed to grab a couple of things. Jaune smiled to himself, facing the other blonde in the room, about to question if she was ready.
Immediately, Jaune was spun around, facing his older sister, a mischievous smile playing across her face. The next moment, he was brought into a gentle kiss, Jeanne's lips slowly moving across his before separating with a slight gasp. A yearning enveloped Jaune completely, the sudden absence of warmth leaving him desperate for more.
"Now I'm ready."
Jeanne exited the room with a sashay, the hypnotic sway of her hips leaving Jaune stricken with all sorts of emotions.
The knight exited the study a moment later.
Leave me reviews so I know whether u like what I'm doing or not.
Also need some ideas for the semblances/weapons of the other sisters. Juniper has manipulation of earth if it wasn't implied enough. As long as it is some type of energy/element manipulation to keep on theme.
Arcs in order of seniority semblance and weapon:
Jeanne - Gravitas - Nothing Manacles
Joy - TBA - TBD
Josephine - TBD - TBD
Jackie and Jill (Twins) - TBD - TBD + TBD - TBD
Juniper - TBA - TBD
Jaune - Aegis/? - Crocea Mors(Not Yet)
Jaz - Flare Up - Unnamed Morning Star
Names might be subject to change.
Have a nice day/night/week/life.
-Spice
Notes:
I'll be filling this in with the chapters from FFN so if you wanna see them go there, same story name, same author name. Leave reviews and kudos and all that.
Have a nice day/night/week/life
-Spice
Chapter 8: Curious Archives
Summary:
Deep in the depths of the archives...
Notes:
Leave reviews, kudos, etc. It's easier to answer questions and such on here so I might be a bit more active here. (Especially because of FFN's trash email system that still won't work.) Enjoy.
OBLIGATORY: Subjects/fetishes shown in this fic do not represent my personal feelings about them in real life. Fiction is a whole different story.
PS: Read the tags, Mature for a reason and some might not like what I'm cooking. Regardless, don't be mean about it.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Reincarnation Sucks... Sometimes
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot. Jaune x Harem(fem!Ozpin/Ozma, good!Salem, etc.) M for a reason
I think I'm gonna cross-post this to AO3 to get more coverage and feedback. If anybody sees this over there, don't worry, it's me. I'll confirm it over there as well just to be sure since it might be under a different name.
OBLIGATORY: Subjects/fetishes written in this fic do not reflect my personal feelings about them in real life. Fiction is a whole different story.
RS...S
The three Arc siblings found themselves inside the National Vale Archives/museum. Having gotten past the arduous screening process, they found themselves at an impasse.
"Soooooo, what exhibit are we going to?"
Jeanne's question received a confused look from Jaune. He had first intended to beeline for the display of Curio, the Warrior Queen's weapon in order to compare it to Burning Curiosity.
He then realized that this building was filled entirely with recent and ancient history, allowing him to fill in the missing blanks of knowledge. Various questions he had floating around in the back of his mind surged forth.
How'd the faunus gain their independence?
Why did Mantle so quickly shift their capital to Atlas and then raise it into the sky?
How far had magic fallen in the rise of Dust, was it a myth or well well-known ability lost to time?
New Grimm?
So many answers waiting for him inside this wonderous collection of information and history.
The wide and excited smile that spread across the blonde's face was slightly offputting to the youngest Arc.
"I get that you need the history lesson, but c'mon it can't be that exciting..." Mumbled Jaz.
A small grin appeared on Jeanne's face, happy that her brother/lover was finally motivated to study and learn and not just sulking in self-pity. The grin dimmed slightly as she remembered the sequence of events that brought him to this point before she shook her head to dispel those thoughts. Jaune was happy so she would be happy for him.
"I think we should start with the major events right after the Great War. Recent history is probably the best place to start, I'd think," Replied Jaune, dismissing Jaz's comment with a small chuckle.
"If you say so. I believe the biggest event was the faunus revolution which happened about four years after the war. Very big event, basically freed the faunus slaves from Mistral and Mantle when they tried to dump them all back on Menagerie, and gave them international rights as much as any normal citizen would get."
"What about Vacuo?" Asked the male Arc, not missing that the desert kingdom hadn't been mentioned in giving the faunus race more privileges.
"Vacuo never really cared about inequality in the first place. If you can survive in that sandy hell then they sure won't care if you've got an extra set of limbs or appendages, much less different appearances. They've always got the sand wraps or veils anyways," Came the reply from Jeanne.
Jaune nodded absently, idly making his way towards the prominently labeled Faunus History wing of the Archive. It appeared to start from the earliest known history to the most recent so they'd have to work their way through the years.
The first couple of exhibits were very early tools and weapons, primitive in design and composed mostly of what appeared to be bone with veins of black running through it.
Inspecting a plaque next to a glass case housing a crude hammer, Jaune realized that the bones were Grimm in origin, inexplicably harvested from the dark creatures. On death, Grimm dissolve into smoke leaving nothing behind save for whatever might be stuck in their teeth.
The bones that composed the early faunus tools and weapons went against that notion. By the time Aurelius had come around and opened trade relations and interactions, they had already progressed through the bronze age, moving onto common metals and leaving the bones as ceremonial artifacts and decorative pieces.
'Though, I don't recall any of the bones being from Grimm...'
The large war club was intricately carved with the monster that it was carved out of. A scowling fish, reminiscent of a shark, curved around the haft of the club, extending into a blunt-spiked bat that tapered into a viciously sharp point. Amazingly, it was still detailed centuries after it was first carved and subsequently stored.
Jaune vaguely recalled a Grimm of such design, a large and aquatic apex predator that hunted by the smell of blood instead of emotions. It had been a terrifying beast, feared for its size and aggressiveness as well as the idea that open wounds weren't safe on ships.
Jaune tore himself away from the bone weapon, inspecting other similarly detailed tools and decorative pieces. It appeared each bone had a carving of the Grimm it had belonged to before it was killed.
Glancing at his sisters, the Arc saw that they had split up and were inspecting different exhibits. Jaz had gravitated toward the ancient architecture and wooden housing the faunus still used today while Jeanne had situated herself in front of a rather interesting tapestry depicting a single, horned figure surrounded by multiple other obviously female ones of differing characteristics.
The younger brother moved towards his older sister, noting the slight haze in her eyes and the small grin that had appeared on her lips. He looked at the plaque next to the worn tapestry, intrigued at what had gotten her so enamored.
The Alpha
Prominent in early faunus history, various groups and civilizations had formed around a strong leader, reminiscent of packs that the animals of today gather in. The 'Alpha' of the pack was usually noted by strength and ability to protect as well as showings of conquest. In a way that does not reflect human, animal, or current-day faunus, the females of the pack would become sexually active with the designated leader, usually in times of prosperity or a population shortage. These relationships appeared to occur naturally and-
Jaune looked away, now understanding why Jeanne had been so interested in the tapestry and its history. In a short burst of Gravitas, the older sister had turned him around to face her, an amorous gleam in her eye.
She capitalized on her younger brother's slightly bewildered state, leaning forward and bringing him into a soft kiss, gently tangling her hands in his golden locks. She broke the lip lock with a smirk, bringing his ear closer to her.
"I don't mind sharing Jauney~ As opposed to what this little plaque says, polyamorous relations are a bit more common nowadays..."
Jaune's mind went into overdrive, attempting to decipher Jeanne's words and cross-referencing the knowledge with the events he could barely remember.
'I never got this shit as Aurelius!' The old crones and geezers in the kingdom/settlement representatives had nearly had a conniption when he revealed Salem as his second wife and political ambassador/liaison.
Reacting to his freak out, his mind supplied a convenient memory regarding relationships in the eighth-decade P.G.W. Decades after the war and faunus revolution ended and tensions between hostile kingdoms slowly disappeared, it became rapidly apparent that each kingdom's censuses came up with a massive male-to-female disparity. While there had always been more women than men at a rather odd 43:58 male-to-female birthrate, the large and sudden absence of males as a result of the war had left a rather large problem in the hands of the four kingdoms plus Menagerie.
As a result of this large efflux of the male population, multiple statistics forecasted a significantly increased chance for the extinction of humanity. This obviously hung a metaphorical guillotine over the necks of the kingdoms, even more so as the census data got out to the public and caused mass hysteria, increasing Grimm activity for the next multiple years.
In order to combat this, multiple laws had been put in place to 'help along' the natural birth rate, including the legalization of poly relationships as well as subtle encouragement to partake in it to speed up the process and hopefully restabilize the gender imbalance.
For the most part, it had been a success, though a large number of active Hunters were predominantly female as well as in positions of power around all of Remnant. Restoring equality to disproportionate genders was something rather difficult, after all.
Jaune snapped back to reality as Jeanne sashayed away, a smirk on her lips and a triumphant gleam in her eye. It appears that whatever objective she had been hoping to had been completed. More than likely planting the idea of accepting some sort of multi-membered relationship.
The reincarnated king looked away, attempting to drown himself in the surrounding history to distract himself from those thoughts. Now wasn't the time for that sort of stuff.
Most of the following history was much the same, the faunus society existing on the continent that would come to be named Menagerie in relative peace. Very few established communications had been made until Mistral and Mantle arrived and seized it for free slave labor and natural resources.
The technology had reached a plateau after passing through the Iron Age, advancing to metallic tools in favor of the archaic ones. Instead of advancing with the assistance of Dust, they had stagnated, their technology remaining primitive in the eyes of the world. It was this weakness that was ruthlessly exploited by encroaching kingdoms.
Fast forward to a couple of decades after the Great War, faunus kind as a whole had been liberated from slavery. Still suffering prejudice from holdouts before the war, they had begun to demand the same rights as any standard citizen would get in all of the kingdoms.
Menagerie was 'gifted' to them as a result, almost all of its resources were stripped from the once beautiful continent after centuries of abuse. Remaining hostile sentiments persisted, the populace of unhappy kingdoms wanting to push all of faunuskind back onto Menagerie where they would be kept and caged like animals.
Not wanting this to happen, especially now since almost eighty percent of the continent was barren, the faunus resisted this forced relocation, turning to the 'nicer' kingdoms of Vale and Vacuo.
Having come out of a decade-long war, nobody was looking forward to creating and crossing more lines in the sand, Vale and Vacuo stepping away from the issue entirely, neither persecuting the faunus nor defending them. This led to even more anti-faunus movements and sentiments from Mantle and Mistral, each wanting to leave the abominations to rot on Menagerie.
Thus the faunus revolution was sparked.
Tired of being constantly beaten down, and having the rights they earned ripped from them, the faunus reacted drastically and aggressively. Under the cover of darkness, a garrison east of Mistral was taken over, looted, and set ablaze. Not a week after, a Dust refinery in the same area was captured, the processed resources fueling the faunus' revolution.
"Jaune, we're going to go ahead, catch up once you're done."
The blonde blinked, refocusing on the present as Jaz's voice sounded out behind him. Turning around, he saw the retreating forms of Jeanne and Jaz, both of them walking out of the exhibit and further into the Archive.
'Guess I should speed this up. I'll probably fill in the blanks later.'
The knight stopped reading every single plaque and description, instead making note of the more important events that happened during it.
An example being the 'turning point' about three years into the war, when a Mantle general attempted a nocturnal ambush of a captured fort, Fort Castle. Obviously, this general forgot one of the abilities of almost every faunus is near-perfect night vision. The ambush failed and the human army was decimated by the superior forces of the faunus and their arms seized.
With the resulting firepower, they continued to carry out guerilla warfare, not giving a moment of rest for any of the kingdoms until they achieved universal equality. Or at least as close as they could get.
To make a long story short, the revolution was a success. All four kingdoms had granted them the same rights as any normal citizen, as decreed by the Equality Accords proposed by Vacuo. It was signed shortly after by Vale, Mantle trailing after and Mistral grudgingly agreeing after being pressured by the rest of the kingdoms wanting the fighting to end.
While faunus were as equal as anybody else, racist sentiments still existed in some of the kingdoms and persisted despite the outlaw of any form of segregation or maltreatment. This led to the creation of the White Fang, an originally peaceful group dedicated to representing a symbol of unity between humanity and faunuskind. Unfortunately, the leader, Ghira Belladonna, stepped down and another, more violent one, took his place. Sienna Khan continued to sow mistrust and aggression, showing the same amount of discrimination towards humans as received by faunus.
A picture of the old leader when he first founded the White Fang was shown next to this final blurb in the museum. It depicted a large man with an equally imposing beard, shirtless with a massive fanged grin on his face. Baggy combat pants ended in steel-toed boots and a large tuft of chest hair in the middle of his sternum. He was reared back in a combat position, hunched forward, hands splayed in front of him, claws extending out of his fingers denoting his panther faunus heritage.
Next to that picture is a much more recent one. It depicts the same man, with a small amount of aged gray hairs on his head and beard, a cloak draped around him leaving him still mostly shirtless with a white fur trim. A large silver belt buckle held up loose-fitting shorts that tucked into paw-like boots ending in vicious points.
Next to him was a smaller woman wearing a black hakama and tabi socks with sandals. Along with a simple black shrug and white shirt, the most distinctive features were the two large cat ears that sat atop her head, each having a gold piercing. A slightly smaller smile adorned her face, her loving gaze sweeping downward at a small girl holding her hand.
She was looking up at her mom, a questioning look in her amber eyes, a similar pair of ears arching backward.
Kali and Blake Belladonna were Ghira's wife and daughter respectively, both being important parts of his decisions for the White Fang. Officially, Ghira is the Chief of Kuo Kuana, putting him in charge of Menagerie. He had stepped down from leadership with the White Fang a few years after Blake was born, citing age and his family as his reasons for leaving.
There had been very limited communication with Menagerie since the White Fang turned aggressive, the final reports being the Chief's daughter disappearing to join the peace organization turned terrorists.
And that was it. Jaune looked forward, only finding the end of the Faunus History wing of the Archive. He blinked in confusion before remembering that his sisters had gone on without him. He moved forward with the intent of finding them.
RS...S
POV Shift: Jaune
I found myself lost in the Archive. I will be the first to admit not being the best at directions, and attempting to follow the two small stars that I located with Aura sensing is much harder than it seems. Especially so when the signatures continued to constantly move, sometimes separating and going to completely different parts of the museum.
As I traversed the maze of the Archive, I came across a multitude of interesting subjects and histories. Everything from ancient Valean art that reminded me of my old kingdom, to the current system of currency, Lien.
While it was all very interesting, it just wasn't high on my priority list. I still hadn't managed to stumble my way to wherever Curio was kept and there was an annoying lack of maps provided. Attempting to follow one I found pinned to a wall earlier, I quickly realized that the map was severely outdated.
So I continued forward into the depths of the museum, noting it was disturbingly larger than it seemed on the outside. Passing the occasional patron, I noticed that they seemed equally lost as me, though they didn't stop to talk. Truly a shame, I'm not that offputting, right?
Eventually, I managed to chance upon a peculiar exhibit showcasing ancient weaponry and tools found in Vale and Anima in general. As I looked at the ancient and primitive weaponry of early settlers of the ruins of the Aureate kingdom, I spotted something rather interesting.
There were obvious jumps in technology, from primitive stone and wooden tools to iron and steel. Showcased next to the primitive tools were remains of the 'first humanity'. Lo and behold, a wonderfully preserved broadsword with the crest of the Aureate Kingdom, sans crescents for whatever reason.
I got closer to the case of the weapon, recognizing the smithing as something fit for a standard foot soldier during my times. Serruptisiously, I let out a minute pulse of magic, wanting to see how the basic cleaning runes inscribed into the blade would react after being dormant for millennia.
A singular rune lit up with a weak glow, the blade vibrating slightly. Small flecks of ancient debris slowly fell from the blade and pommel before the rune pittered out, the residual magic finally running out.
I sighed at the sight. While I'm pretty sure there isn't anybody alive right now who can generate or use magic, it doesn't mean there isn't anybody out there who can sense it being used. I looked at the rest of the collection from the 'first humanity', noting that there were very few other weapons that were as in good a shape as that broadsword.
All it did was make me miss my own weapon. Now that I think about it, I should probably get that sooner rather than later. An old friend in unfamiliar territory, a comforting presence in my time of need.
Jeanne's smiling face appeared in my mind, the sheer joy she has just by being around me; when I reciprocate her feelings. Yeesh, I almost sounded edgy there for a second. I don't need Crocea Mors just to feel like I've got a connection to my old life. I'll be fine with or without it. But preferably with.
I turned and left, pushing the melancholic thoughts out of my mind. I needed to focus on the here and now, not stay stuck in a life that had ended millennia ago.
As I exited the exhibit, I reflected on my current situation.
I am currently lost in a deceptively massive museum without either of my sisters due to my ignorance despite my efforts to find them, Curio continues to elude me, and the maps posted around the museum have not been updated in decades. The scant amount of people I encountered on my wanderings were equally as lost as me and were of no help.
I paused, realizing the irony of my current objective. I had just chastised myself for getting caught up in the past, but here I am agonizing over finding a weapon that has a passing resemblance to my past life's wife's scepter. Weird, right?
Welp, I'm too far in to stop now. It's probably better I familiarize myself with more modern history to fit in. The sunk-cost fallacy was a bitch, wasn't it?
Some Time Later
Continuing on my journey into the twisting depths of the Archive, I continued to pass by interesting exhibits. Like the one I had found myself in now, Recent Significant Figures of Remnant.
At this point I wondered if this National Vale Archive was actually international, considering it was pulling history and artifacts from around the entire world. This display wasn't even showcasing anything of historical value, it was just a small hall with various depictions and descriptions of current celebrities or 'Significant Figures'.
Hell, one side of the hallway had been draped with a tarp surrounded by partitions. Taped to it was a small sign that read: 'Being Updated!'
...the tarp, partitions, and sign were all dusty, and undisturbed for an unknown amount of time.
I turned to face the wall depicting a significant figure of Remnant, waiting to see if my mind would fill in the blanks. It was a description of Vale's City Manager. I couldn't tell you what that job meant. The man depicted was pale, dressed in a smart-looking suit with short, brown hair. He stood smiling at the camera, a scar running through his right eyebrow being the only thing that stood out from the rather plain face.
This Jimmy Vanille looked completely ordinary to any normal person. His eyes were another story. In the illumination of the camera, through his brown eyes, I saw the gleam of arrogance and the disgusting glimmer of greed. This man, wherever he was, was not a good person, my mind easily putting him in the place of the more annoying nobles of my time as Aurelius before I had deposed them.
I glossed over his description, his position as City Manager of Vale not being very interesting. Apparently, it was some sort of mayoral position that was appointed instead of elected, but that was neither here nor there. The biography was brief and not very informative, basically telling me he had a political career of pretty high standing and was a husband and loving father.
Another look at his eyes reminded me that the 'loving' part was more than likely untrue.
I moved away from the description, once more noting the dust that had settled over it. Now observing the room in higher detail, everything had a thin layer of the stuff. It appears that this room had not been trodden upon in quite some time. Glancing back at Jimmy, I noted that I knew nothing about him, no details sprung into my mind and filled in the blanks.
Shrugging, I moved to the next description.
The next multiple biographies were people completely lost on me, almost all of them members of the council that ran Vale or prominent individuals in charge of various sections of the districts dividing the kingdom. It was all rather useless information that was more than likely outdated, but it could be important.
I continued to the next entry, not expecting much. It depicted an older man who possessed black hair that had mostly transitioned into snow white, slicked backward over the rest of his head. Above his lip was a thick, equally white mustache. He was dressed in a similarly colored suit, a red handkerchief sticking out of a breast pocket being the only splash of color on the rather monotone businessman.
With the mustache, you couldn't tell he was smiling. In fact, it looked like he was scowling, or attempting to around the facial hair and failing. But the thing that gained most of my attention was his eyes.
I'd seen it already in some of the previous politicians and figures in the room but this man eclipsed all of them. In his eyes was a covetous lust, an unquenchable desire for power and material goods. This was the type of man who'd not even have a soul to sell to the devil, the type to kick puppies and slap babies if it got him more influence. Hell, he'd probably sell his grandma if given the chance.
I looked at his name and my mind latched onto it immediately. Jacques Schnee né Gelé.
My head was filled with memories of boring lectures regarding the CEO of the foremost Dust and energy giant, the Schnee Dust Company. Jacques was a ruthless businessman who took a dying company and transformed it into a powerhouse monopoly that continued to persist and grow. Now he was a councilman for Atlas and one of the most influential individuals on the face of Remnant.
Through the use of cutthroat policies and underhanded dealings, the SDC flourished. The behind-closed-doors and under-the-table manipulation of the Dust market and other competition allowed the Atlesian company to chew up any opposition while still maintaining a legal standing. However, it was more of a public secret that the SDC used illicit means to continue maintaining the production and power they've amassed.
Usage of faunus labor was one of the main accusations against the company, an argument backed by the White Fang who was more than willing to lead a crusade against one of the main profiteers of their suffering.
The memories assimilated easily, my mind clearing as I stared at the picture of the man responsible for putting Dust on a global market. I shook my head in disgust.
Despite his less-than-favorable business practices, he got results. And those results quite literally ran the world. There was nothing I could do except hope that his replacement would be better.
That last thought made me pause. With a man as influential as him, he'd most definitely have an heir to the vast fortunes and responsibilities of the SDC. And I had a feeling that I knew them.
My mind... almost drew a blank. All I could recall was a scowling female face and pale white hair. Even then the memory felt incomplete and distorted. It disappeared into the recesses of my stubborn memories, laying dormant until it will inevitably come up again.
Ah, whatever. What are the chances that the heir to the SDC, a primarily Atlesian-based company, is in Vale and visiting the Archive the same day I am, and then coincidentally runs into me in this massive maze of a museum? That would be a nigh improbable stroke of coincidence, basically an impossibility.
...right?
I stood still, waiting for the universe to prove me wrong. I must've sat there looking like a fool for at least two minutes before I relaxed. I was being paranoid, I'm sure that this heir, whom I'm only ninety-two percent sure exists, is sitting in their manor in Atlas being tutored on how to be a ruthless CEO for when Jacques inevitably steps down or has an 'accident'.
I was a king, politics aren't unfamiliar to me. It might be my bias but these kingdoms could use a good monarch. I'm totally not projecting or implying anything, what gave you that idea?
Fourth wall aside, the universe decided not to prove me wrong and influence astronomically small chances just to spite me. However, the information about how Dust and energy are regulated across Remnant is useful. Putting names and faces to the people in charge is incredibly important right now; at least for me.
Technology had undergone a complete overhaul since my first incarnation. As Aurelius, magic was the best way to get anything done, the closest thing to advancing technology were building and smithing techniques. In the absence of naturally occurring mana, humanity turned innovate with their resources.
Speaking of technology, scrolls were definitely up there on my list of incredible things of the modern world. As Jaune, I remember having one and appreciating it, but with the experiences of Aurelius, these things were incredibly convenient and made almost everything easier. They even measured the Aura levels of the user if connected properly.
That sort of ease of use and accessibility was mind-boggling. Speaking of scrolls, I took mine out to see if the situation with my sisters had changed at all.
Some time ago, I had been contacted by Jaz who had asked where I was. She and Jeanne were just as lost as me when they left the first exhibit when we split up. Unfortunately, neither of them could sense Aura to the same accuracy I could and were unable to dampen their presence any more than they already had so I could have an easier time locating them.
In my first encounter with Jeanne, back when I still hadn't assimilated my past life completely, she'd broken her scroll in the crossfire of our squabble. As a result, she had no form of contact with either of us and had reluctantly stuck close to Jaz so she wouldn't get lost. As a successful Huntress with a pretty decorated career, she had more than enough money to buy the bleeding edge, newest of the new, top-of-the-line, next-generation scroll, but she hadn't due to laziness.
Opening the advanced technology, the holographic screen projected and revealed... a low battery sign. It flashed thrice before it snapped shut without me doing anything. The previously golden diamond flashed red before going dark. It was dead.
I was now officially in the dark. Pocketing the scroll, I turned to face the last couple of biographies.
Spolier alert, all five were useless and told me nothing.
The last one didn't even have a picture or name, just a short description of who was supposed to be there. It was the reserved spot for the headmaster or mistress of Beacon Academy, Vale's Hunter academy that trained the next generation of warriors to combat the evil forces of Grimm. If I was reading into it correctly, it was a necessary (if glorified) university for overpowered teenagers.
...that actually doesn't sound so different from some of the sorcerer colleges from Aurelius' time.
I digress, I'm getting off topic. While some things were important here, I was mostly disappointed by the fact half of the exhibit was partitioned off and hadn't been replaced in what looked like years. Peaking behind the tarp and barriers revealed a blank wall, the pictures and descriptions having already been taken down.
I sighed and left the hallway, disappointed in my lack of progress. I took a moment to just close my eyes and try and relax. I know I could probably navigate my way back to the entrance of the Archive, but then this entire trip would have been mostly wasted. It was either Curio or bust at this point. I felt a tingling in my sixth sense, my massive Aura pinged off another active user that wasn't my sisters'.
I must've been more rusty than I thought, allowing someone with an active Aura to get so close without me detecting them a mile out. I blame Jeanne and Jaz for taking up most of my perception with their massive presence.
The Aura signature stopped a bit behind me, wavering slightly in hesitation.
"Excuse me, could you direct me somewhere by chance?"
I knew that voice. My mind immediately erupted in activity, a sledgehammer of memories appearing before fading away just as quickly.
I turned slightly, looking over my shoulder. I saw white hair done up in a side ponytail, above a delicate, pale face with sharper aristocratic features. A scar running down over her left eye to her cheek. Everything else didn't matter, the universe decided to fuck me over anyway, probability is bullshit.
Weiss Schnee, daughter of Jacques Schnee and heiress to the SDC stood before me. Her face twisted in confusion and then into shock as she recognized me.
"Arc!?"
God dammit.
Leave Reviews - Feedback is Good
This story is not abandoned, just writer's block and current life events. Finals are around the corner and I've got to study and all that. This chapter was rather difficult to write and I lost the part from the POV shift down like three times. And then I had to rewrite it three times.
Not fun.
Regardless, I apologize for the wait and shorter chapter. Someone brought up a good point about the morgue questioning a missing body a while back and I figured I'd address it in a later chapter. After all, Jeanne isn't the first contact listed for information about that sort of stuff.
See y'all in the next chapter.
Have a nice day/night/week/life.
-Spice
Notes:
I'll be filling this in with the chapters from FFN so if you wanna see them go there, same story name, same author name. Leave reviews and kudos and all that.
Have a nice day/night/week/life
-Spice
Chapter 9: You like Trauma?
Summary:
Character interaction but no action
Notes:
Leave reviews, kudos, etc. It's easier to answer questions and such on here so I might be a bit more active here. (Especially because of FFN's trash email system that still won't work.) Enjoy.
OBLIGATORY: Subjects/fetishes shown in this fic do not represent my personal feelings about them in real life. Fiction is a whole different story.
PS: Read the tags, Mature for a reason and some might not like what I'm cooking. Regardless, don't be mean about it.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Reincarnation Sucks... Sometimes
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot. Jaune x Harem (fem!Ozpin/Ozma, good!Salem, etc.) M for a reason
This has been crossposted onto AO3 under the same pen name and title. Feel free to check it over there because that site is honestly better than this one at the moment.
OBLIGATORY: Subjects/fetishes written in this fic do not reflect my personal feelings about them in real life. Fiction is a whole different story.
RS...S
I cringed internally and tried not to show it as I came face-to-face with the person I thought I was least likely to encounter. Turning the rest of the way to face Weiss, I tried to organize my storm of thoughts.
'Okay, Jaune, you are face-to-face with a girl who seems angry—no, surprised to see you here. Weiss Schnee, a girl I... can barely remember. Got to go on autopilot here and improvise.'
"Hey there, Ice Queen, fancy meeting you here. Come around often?"
Autopilot, why have you forsaken me so? In the name of all things precious and held dear, why are the first words out of my mouth a pickup line?
A confident, if slightly awkward, smile fell into place naturally, as if this was something that had happened many times before. Unconsciously, I stepped backward, muscles relaxing as I fell into a loose stance as if I was ready to dodge or run away.
Weiss' mouth gaped open as she blue-screened. Using this opportunity, I analyzed what exactly I was confronted with.
The Schnee heiress was in a pale blue dress that reached down to creamy thighs, a similarly colored bolero covering her arms contrasting with its red highlighting. Elegant, snowy hair hung behind her in an off-center ponytail, and white, heeled boots lined in red covered her legs. A white sash tied around her waist in an elegant knot finished the look.
Aristocratic features twisted into a rather amusing face as the heiress spluttered.
'Can't believe I forgot a girl this beautiful...'
Weiss overcame her shock seconds later, her face scrunching up in anger and embarrassment. Red shot up through her neck and into her ears, tinting them with blush as she organized her thoughts.
"I-I thought you had grown out of those childish fantasies, Arc. I didn't come here to be-"
I felt myself being whisked away into the recesses of my mind, memories of myself failing to woo the heiress and being berated in a seemingly endless loop. It was comforting and familiar in the incredible situation I had found myself in.
"-over this, but it wouldn't work out, and- are you even listening?"
Crap, I spaced out too long. What was she saying again?
The blush faded away from her face completely, replaced with an icy mask of indifference. Weiss stepped back and composed herself.
"I apologize for my lack of composure, Arc. I was surprised by your presence in such a place of knowledge despite your past rebukes of all forms of education."
The sharp words crashed against me... and had no effect. Had I been the Jaune of the past, I might have flinched or awkwardly tried to justify my current activity, but as I am now, her words held no sway over my current psyche. At the moment, all I know of Weiss Schnee is that we know each other in some form, more than likely through our parents.
If my memories are anything to go by, the Arc line is still a rather famous name in the right circles. Popularized and known as some of the first people of the new era of humanity who started to use aura to combat the Grimm. Jacques Schnee controls most of Remnant's main power and ammunition sources, fueling the endless war with the Grimm. Figuring out the resulting train of thought is pretty simple from there.
My smile became more genuine, and I forced myself out of the awkward fight-or-flight response. "People change, Ms. Schnee. I apologize for allowing previous habits to sully our coincidental reunion. Is there anything you need from me?"
A response fit for royalty, methinks. I couldn't leave her hanging too long or... well, I've no clue what she would do. Leave in a huff? Turn on her heel and ignore me? Use her semblance—actually, what was her semblance?
I shifted those thoughts aside and refocused on what I was thinking about previously. The most likely course of action was that Jacques Schnee and potentially my parents attempted to push us together in some form of union between a powerful line of warriors and the biggest industry in the world to create a sort of power couple that could reshape the world with their power and influence.
Reaching? No...
Weiss' cold mask slipped, just a little. "O-Oh. I see. Well, I guess it reflects poorly on me not to realize that change is possible for even the most bullheaded people. I too apologize for my previous remark. And yes, I intended to ask for directions to the exhibit that housed Curio, the Warrior Queen of Vale's Dustcaster. Have you passed it by chance?"
I deflated internally, realizing that neither of us knew where the object of our fascination was. Externally, I shook my head with a wry smile.
"I regret to say that I find myself rather displaced in this museum. I too have been looking for Curio for some time now. I'd offer that we try and find it together, but I don't believe such advances would be appreciated. Unless...?"
By the brothers, was that another seduction attempt?
Despite the Schnee's indifferent mask, a burst of cherry shot up the heiress' neck, standing out against snowy skin.
"I... find that agreeable, Jaune. I can appreciate the company in the maze we find ourselves in."
Holy shit, was I actually making progress? Back to a first-name basis, and she agreed to come with me? I'm sure past me would be frothing at the mouth by now.
...maybe not; I don't think I was that much of a simp, right?
"Glad to hear it, Miss Schnee," I said with a polite smile. "Considering I came from down that hallway, is it safe to assume that you have also explored all potential avenues that way?" I waved toward an adjacent hallway stretching further into the museum.
Weiss seemed to relax, nodding absently at my deduction while looking at the connecting room that led to the next exhibit. "Yes, and please, Weiss is fine. It feels... odd to hear such formality from you," she said as we started to walk.
I shrugged in response. "If you say so, Weiss. Well, the only way to go is forward."
"..."
I'd say the silence was companionable, but it was not. It was, in fact, awkward for a good five minutes before either of us attempted to initiate small talk.
"If I may, what about the Dustcaster interests you, Weiss?"
Starting with a common interest point is always good.
The heiress's eyes lit up as she turned to me. "I believe you remember my weapon, Myrtenaster, correct?"
A phantom ache overcame me, disappearing not long after. A small surge of memories followed suit. A long, thin blade circled by runes drawing in dust and expelling elemental payload. The Schnee Glyphs semblance that Weiss inherited was in full effect as the white figure bounced off of black glyphs and icy platforms that appeared under her.
The image faded away and was replaced by an older woman, her hair done in a tight bun, longer bangs framing the left side of her face. In her hand was a longer, single-edged blade. The sharp curve glowed bright blue with dust, an aura of frost emanating from it as white glyphs formed around it. She took a stance, her feet coming together as she brought the blade up to bear, her other arm tucking itself against her lower back.
Her delicate, impassive face betrayed nothing, a glacial gaze directed forward. Without prompting, dozens of larger glyphs burst into light behind her, white figures of Grimm prowling forward to flank her.
I blinked, and the memories slotted into my subconscious.
Weiss' scroll came out quickly after, and a flurry of motion on the holographic screen pulled up an ornate rapier, a revolving chamber attached to the hilt. Each chamber was filled with a powdered dust round, the hammer on the back of the chamber indicating how the dust would be expelled.
"Yeah, it's your dust revolver/rapier combination, right?"
"The official term is a multi-action Dust Rapier, but you are correct. I've always used it with my semblance and wanted to see the first true Dustcaster to draw some form of inspiration. As much as I love Myrtenaster, I feel it won't ever be as effective as something that specializes in harnessing the power of dust the same way Curio does, much like my runes. I feel that I could just be more... effective is the word, I believe."
Weiss sighed in a way I was quite familiar with. Self-deprecation. Well, regardless of whatever terms we were on before meeting here today, I am determined not to see a pretty girl beat herself up over something like this.
"How have you been using Myrtenaster in combat? You're making it sound as if slinging around your glyphs and dust is the only thing you are capable of doing," I started. Seeing Weiss' frown deepen made me realize I was underplaying her skills, the last thing I should be doing right now. "Not to say you don't have the ability to do more, but you are disregarding years of swordplay in favor of your long-ranged capabilities. Why?"
The heiress mulled over my words as she put her scroll away.
Seeing her lack of response, I carried on. "From what I can remember, the glyphs you use to relocate and move around the battlefield are useful for closing the gap to use the business end of Myrtenaster's blade. And I know for a fact you aren't a slouch with it either. So I'm asking again, why do you want to get rid of that in favor of something like Curio?"
Weiss sighed, bringing a hand up to the bridge of her nose. I almost feel the tangible defeat and slight shame that rolled off of her. "I cannot dismiss the years I've devoted to fencing, and you are correct about being able to move about a given battlefield efficiently. It's just... I..." She slumped slightly, the perfectly upright posture she'd maintained disappearing.
We had slowed to a stop at this point, tangible frustration making itself known as she scowled at the ground. She took a deep breath as if she was psyching herself up to share some awful secret about herself. "I... don't have enough aura."
"..."
"..."
I tilted my head in confusion. Where's the rest of the explanation? That gives me nothing to work with.
"...Is that it?"
"Wha- Yes, you dolt!" She exploded. "If I don't have the necessary aura to maintain myself in close-quarters combat, why should I put myself and others at harm in the future? I'll be a burden if I receive so much as a reasonably strong blow I cannot block!"
Her chest heaved as she glared up at me, suddenly in my face.
"My reserves are pathetic, nothing like the people who are actually useful on the frontlines! When we were younger, you—yes, YOU! The gangly blonde buffoon who didn't know how to hold a blade, let alone swing one, humiliated me! In front of my family no less, simply by virtue of you having an aura as thick as your skull!"
She tore herself away, now pacing back and forth, hands balled angrily at her sides as she continued ranting, floodgates now wide open.
"I remember that day vividly; my FAMILY remembers that day vividly! I can't believe it sometimes, the heiress prodigy almost losing to a boy who'd been hotheaded enough to challenge her despite having NO TRAINING!" she screamed, once more whipping around to glare at me with a molten gaze. "And unlocked your aura literal WEEKS AGO, all you could do was put up a shoddy guard. All of it spectated, of course, by your parents and the rest of my family."
Weiss turned around, letting out a slightly manic laugh as her hands came up to the sides of her head, gripping her skull tightly.
"I spent that fight relentlessly chipping away at your damnable aura for twenty FUCKING minutes!" She stopped, turning away as if her usage of vulgar language surprised her. She shook it off quickly, turning back to me, her gaze devoid of any previous positive feeling. "Three lucky hits."
She was suddenly in my face again, and I took an involuntary step back as I frowned in discomfort and guilt despite having a vague idea of what she was referencing. It was probably best for her to vent all of this right now rather than have it continue to fester for years as it has been now.
"Three." She stepped closer, a harsh finger jamming itself in the middle of my chest.
"Lucky," another poke.
"Hits," she finished with one last aggressive jab.
Our eyes met, her face flushed and red, set in a sneering glare. She was panting from the tirade she'd just gone on, and she was now emotionally vulnerable. I've been in a similar situation as Aurelius with my wives, and I could tell where this was going.
"You swung that stupid little sword like a barbarian, hitting me thrice." She took a shuddering breath as wetness began to accumulate in her eyes. "And I... a-and I..."
She slowly backed, the righteous fire sputtering out, replaced with a sense of self-loathing and shame. She bowed her head, bangs shadowing her eyes. "I lost sixty-four percent of my aura." A solitary, silvery tear droplet fell to the floor. "The strength wasn't impressive; the blows themselves were nothing but below average and held back by a lack of technique, but by the end of what was a glorified beatdown, I-I was completely out of energy. I couldn't- I wasn't..."
She sniffed, her hand darting up to wipe away any evidence of tears. I figured it would be a terrible time to mention the slightly smeared eyeliner and mascara.
"I f-figured that I could work on it. E-Eventually eliminate that weakness, right?" She let out another shuddering breath, breath hitching as she muffled a sob. "I worked tirelessly on my stamina, on my strength, my body, anything and everything physical. I trained to not take those hits, to not be taken out of the fight by a strike that goes through my guard."
Weiss's hands shook, her knuckles white, as she resisted the urge to hit something, to lash out at the unfairness of it all now that the reason for her turmoil was in front of her.
"But spiritually?" she continued. "My aura reserves have gone nowhere. I've not developed as a person, my willpower has not strengthened, and my soul has not gotten stronger since then."
She let out an incredibly fake laugh, turning away from me, arms wrapping around herself in an unconscious sense of self-comfort. "To answer your question earlier, Jaune... I'm not confident in my abilities," she whispered, downtrodden and shamefaced. "Not anymore."
POV Shift
Jaune stared at Weiss, only barely able to keep himself slack-jawed. Weiss Schnee, heiress to the biggest company monopolized on Remnant, the girl who can (and quite literally did) kick his ass, had just trauma dumped onto him for something his completely fucking stupid self did in the past.
The Arc could only vaguely remember the fight, even now through a haze of blurry memories. As he mulled over how much of a tool he was, Weiss had only retreated further into herself as she saw the look of surprise on her companion's face.
"N-Nothing to say?" She sniffed, daintily wiping any traces of running makeup via a compact mirror. Putting it away, she turned forward, intent on continuing further into the museum. "I suppose you wouldn't. No reason to get caught up in-"
"Stop that."
The Schnee heiress stilled, her head turning over her shoulder to glare at Jaune.
"Stop what, Arc? Stop making you feel bad about the grief you've caused me? Stop reminding yourself of how your actions have consequences and that your inaction is what made you insufferable? Stop making you acknowledge how much of a stubborn ass you used to be?!"
Weiss panted as repressed fury surged forward once more. "Maybe you haven't changed. Maybe you are just as much the cowardly, pompous child that couldn't handle not-"
"Enough!"
A potent blast of channeled emotion and pure willpower infused into the command. Weiss's mouth clacked shut as her hostile posture crumbled.
She saw a look of righteous indignation flare across Jaune's face, his face twisting into loathing. Her icy blue eyes locked with his dark blue and widened as they shifted into a steely gold.
"I get it! Brothers above, I fucking get it, alright?!"
Weiss recoiled as his shout echoed through the empty hall. Jaune's emotions had quickly boiled to the top, a reminder that he was still just a teenager who had the memories of a king. While spiritually the same, he and Aurelius are different people shaped by different environments. As much as he draws on the King's positives, he still has drawbacks from being a shitty human being for years.
"I sucked! I was an awful person, but I'm working on it! But this!" He gesticulated wildly, vaguely referencing himself and Weiss. "Isn't helping! It might be cathartic to rag on me; in fact, go ahead! But I'm not going to sit here and let you underappreciate yourself."
Weiss blinked, the rising anger after recovering from the previous outburst dissipating.
"Underappreciate?"
"Yes! Do you get it? You're so caught up on undervaluing yourself from an event that took place years ago that you're stagnating. Aura is as much about mentality as it is physicality, and you haven't taken the necessary steps to get out of the shitty headspace you've been in since you beat me up, and you weren't perfect while doing so."
She stilled, the words slowly processing as Jaune stepped back, his hands rising up to massage the bridge of his nose.
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry for what I did in the past, but you need to realize that that is what is holding you back."
Weiss opened her mouth in an attempt to offer a rebuttal but was swiftly rebuked.
"No, stop that. You're going to try and tell me that you've left it in the past and that you've moved on, purposely ignoring the outburst minutes ago. That's not healthy! That's why you've plateaued."
The heiress's face dropped into a grimace. "How can I let it go?" she asked quietly.
"It's been one of my main driving forces in the years I spent training. To forgive and forget just like that just... isn't my nature."
Jaune blinked at the confession, realizing that this could easily evolve into an avenue of reconciliation.
"That sort of self-awareness is the first step, Weiss. I'm not asking you to forgive and forget. I'm telling you that you need to acknowledge you have been caught up on it for years. Don't be a huntress for the sake of proving that some past mistake or hiccup is something you can overcome. That can be a part of it, sure, but do it for yourself. Do it for other people, do it for something productive, and do it for the future. If your entire life revolves around something that happened in the past, you don't even have a future at that point."
The two descended into an awkward silence as they looked away.
The longer they stood there, the more Jaune began to feel like he'd just opened a door he couldn't close. He said his piece, and whether or not she would accept it was up to her. But he had to hope that this conversation, despite the emotional volatility, had planted the right kinds of ideas.
Weiss finally broke the silence as she let out a shaky breath. Her shoulders slumped, and she shut her eyes for a moment as she composed herself. She looked at Jaune, her eyes back to being guarded as she raised her emotional walls, though lacking the intensity previously.
"You're right," she said, voice quiet. "I've been so caught up in trying to prove that I'm... better than that. Would never embarrass myself like that again. But I don't think I ever gave myself the chance to move on from it. I just buried it."
Jaune nodded, the tension in his body easing slightly. "It's hard to move on from something like that. Especially when it's like a defining moment. But keeping it alive like this isn't good. You're not weak for having a past, Weiss. We all have one. It's what we choose to do with it that counts."
Weiss tilted her head, looking at him through a veil of guarded curiosity. "And what exactly did you choose to do with your past, Jaune?"
Unknown to the blonde, the Schnee heiress watched on in curiosity as the molten gold that had overtaken the Arc's irises melted away into their normal blue.
His lips twitched into a small, self-deprecating smile. "I had a change of perspective. To stop trying to hide behind the excuses I made for myself. In a way, I started facing things head-on. Even when I didn't know how. But that's what got me like this in the first place."
Her eyes narrowed slightly, studying him. Jaune could feel the weight of her scrutiny. But it wasn't the kind of look that demanded answers, nor the glare that had burned in her earlier. This was a genuine look of someone trying to understand.
"Sounds like you've had your own share of problems," Weiss murmured, voice still soft. "I... apologize for my earlier comments."
"No, you were owed that," Jaune replied with a dry chuckle.
She looked momentarily taken aback, then huffed a small laugh of her own. "If you say so."
For a brief, quiet moment, they both stood there, in a strange kind of equilibrium, where the past was acknowledged but not wielded like a weapon. Jaune had no illusions about the risks his earlier actions might have caused. He'd seen enough of her anger to know this wasn't something she would easily let go of, but for the first time, there was a tiny crack in the ice.
"I'm also sorry about bringing this up in such a difficult way," Jaune said, voice sincere. "I know it wasn't the right way to approach you. I just wanted to help, and even though everything sorta worked out, I don't want to-"
"Force me into anything or somehow make it worse?" Weiss finished for him, the words sounding unexpectedly gentle coming from her.
Jaune blinked. "Yeah... exactly."
She studied him for a moment, her eyes a bit softer than before. "I... I guess it's easy to forget people can change. And you have. I suppose I was too caught up in my own... issues to see that."
Jaune smiled slightly. "I mean, I'm still a work in progress. But I'm getting there."
A slight, reluctant smile curved at Weiss's lips. It wasn't much, but it was there, and that was something.
"You're right, Jaune," she said, her voice quieter now, almost like a sigh. "I... need to start putting my past behind."
He gave her a nod, feeling a strange sense of relief. "That's all anyone can do. But don't just bury it again. Learn from it."
Her gaze softened, the walls she'd built up seeming to crumble just a little. "Thank you."
The displaced royals continued down the hall at a brisk pace, mostly out of a want to put this day behind them. While Weiss wanted the sanctity and privacy of her own vacation home away from Atlas, Jaune just wanted to get back to his sisters to mollify them for wandering off and getting left behind.
Jaune glanced toward his acquaintance, who had become absorbed in the inaccuracies of the museum.
"I've come to notice the provided maps are not only outdated but inaccurate in terms of the actual layout of the museum. The floor plans don't match up, and almost every copy differs from the last..."
He glanced over her shoulder and took note of the bright red 'You Are Here!' that pointed toward a twisting hallway that looked as if it looped in on itself. His eyes roamed over the rest of the map and saw multiple other 'You Are Here!' circles that pointed toward different parts of the deceptively massive museum.
Weiss scowled in anger before quickly balling the map up and tossing it in a bin as they passed it.
"I feel we've been walking in circles. Any ideas?"
Jaune thought back to their earlier interaction before they had reconciled. He recalled that Weiss showed him Myrtenaster on a...
"How about your scroll? You could pull up the official and most updated map out of there."
The Schnee tilted her head in thought before palming her face, having realized she had wasted time messing with inaccurate maps.
"Yes, that would be the most logical thing to do."
The Arc scion watched, carefully hiding his fascination with the advanced technology. While the tech itself was commonplace at this time, such things were nonexistent during the first iteration of humanity. Despite owning one himself, however dead it may be at present, he was still highly intrigued by how far the second iteration had come with the development of industrialism as opposed to magic.
Dust was a rather unique substance, a crystallized form of mana or magic that Jaune hypothesized carried over from all the ambient magic present in his first lifetime. It wasn't nearly as flexible as magic, though much more potent in the given areas if properly harnessed and refined.
The blonde was broken out of his reverie by his companion, who had pulled up the website to the National Vale Archive. She enlarged the screen of the scroll and pointed out their current location. Coincidentally, it was adjacent to the first 'You Are Here!' circle that they found on the map Weiss had just thrown away.
Weiss's face turned stormy as she visibly shook in restrained anger and frustration. She let out an explosive sigh as she guided the two of them into the next hallway over through an unmarked door.
Jaune stared appraisingly at the room they had emerged into, slightly lagging behind the Schnee yet still keeping an eye on her. They had entered the modern-day weapon exhibit, a complete opposite of the previous ancient weapon exhibit Jaune had seen earlier.
In contrast, the modern-day displays were significantly more up to date and well-kept. The floors were shiny and clean, display cases polished to a shine, and numerous unique weaponry displayed proudly and prominently.
At the brisk pace being set by Weiss, Jaune could barely see past the throngs of people that surrounded the various displays. There were more people located in this one room than there were people the Arc saw in the rest of the museum.
Through the gaps in the crowd, the blonde could make out different famous weaponry of hunters who had retired or fallen in battle.
He slowed down further, enraptured by the displays and technology.
A large, golden gauntlet fit for a man whose fist was as thick as Jaune's torso sat in a case. Replica dust crystals sat in the knuckles, and a depiction of the elemental dust's effects with each punch was displayed under it. Adjacent to that was the alternate form of the gauntlet, an equally massive hand cannon that shot refined yet unshaped chunks of dust.
A massive tower shield emblazoned by the visage of a rhino, an equally massive spike jutting out where the rhino's horn would be. The tip of the spike was surrounded by small barrels, more than likely to allow the dispensement of dust buckshot. A depiction under the shield showed its secondary form, the shield impossibly folding in on itself and contorting in such a way that it ended up as an anti-materiel rifle. It had two triggers, one for the actual long-distance round and the other for a ridiculously powered shotgun blast out of the same barrel.
Before Jaune could get lost in more weapons, a dainty hand coiled around his in a firm grip, and he was yanked forward. He jolted, turning toward Weiss, who was giving him the evil eye as she escorted him through the crowded exhibit.
"Jaune, we've wasted enough time already. You can come back again on your own time!"
The Arc scion couldn't raise a proper argument or defense as he was given a frosty glare in response.
After pushing their way into a slightly smaller hallway full of varying sculptures and statues, they remembered that they still had a firm grip on each other's hand.
Weiss stopped abruptly, Jaune almost running into her as her hand tightened around his. She glanced at their interlocking digits before separating quickly, a slight red flush shooting up her neck to curl around her ears.
She cleared her throat and looked away, embarrassed at the incredibly intimate act.
"S-So, I don't think I ever got your reason for coming here, Jaune."
The blonde pointedly ignored the byplay, his own face slightly flushed as he ruthlessly pushed down the lingering embers of his past crush. It... wasn't working. The embers, despite his best efforts, had rekindled once more into a small flame, and he continued to compartmentalize the part of him freaking out at holding a pretty girl's hand.
"A-Ah, I guess I never did tell you that, did I? I don't mean to sound rude or anything; it's just that there are some sensitive things going on in my life right now that I don't feel the most comfortable sharing, and coming here to get a feel for modern history was the best course of action."
Weiss raised a sculpted, snowy eyebrow in question. While she wanted to push further, she recognized that everybody was entitled to their secrets and she should get her ducks in a row before talking to others about theirs.
"No offense taken; I can understand the need for privacy. So you are here alone to get a feel for the recorded Valean history? Perhaps jog your memory of lessons and tutorships long forgotten?"
Her smile wasn't mocking, simply good-natured ribbing. Jaune let out a short chuckle, the slight tension inside him unwinding as he became increasingly comfortable around Weiss.
"Something like that, yeah." He smiled, a pondering look on his face. "Although I'm not here alone. I actually got separated a while back, and my scroll died. I'm here with my sisters and-"
"Y-Your what?!" Weiss yelled, whirling toward Jaune, a panicked look on her face.
"Y-Yeah, is that bad?" Jaune asked, emotions quickly snapping into concern at the distressed look on his companion's face.
"Yes! Almost all of them hate me!"
"What! Why?"
"Why do you think?!"
Weiss turned around, not giving a proper answer as she began to pace in worry. She stopped abruptly, a slightly manic light in her eyes as she grasped Jaune by the shoulders.
"Which ones are here?" She said in a facsimile of calmness. The Arc winced as a light golden glow encompassed where the heiress was gripping him, his aura reacting to the pressure exerted on him.
"Just two, Jaz-"
"The youngest! Oh, thank the gods." She let go, shoulders dropping in absolute relief as she heaved out a sigh. A much more relaxed smile blossomed across her beautiful features, and Jaune felt his heart skip another couple of beats at the sight.
"Uhm, Weiss?"
"Yes, Jaune?"
The gorgeous heiress directed that radiant smile at him, and he felt himself freeze. Try as he might, he couldn't get over just how incredible she looked at the moment, and it felt like he was going into sensory overload.
'I haven't felt like this since the first time I met Ozlyn and Salem,' he realized internally. 'Is it the old crush, or am I just... in l-love?!'
The embers of his past affections that had once turned into a small flame had swiftly burst into a mighty inferno.
"Jaune? You're turning red; are you okay?"
She got closer, laying the back of her hand across the blonde's forehead to feel for a fever, pulling back as he turned even more red.
Jaune desperately pulled on all the life experience he had as Aurelius, pushing all the hormonal emotions that had overtaken him. The blush receded, and Weiss watched on in curiosity as her companion visibly composed himself from the blushing mess he had become.
She tilted her head in thought.
'Is he bipolar?' She idly wondered, not forgetting their meeting when they first ran into each other in the museum. He had opened with a rather cheesy pickup line that had her blushing exactly like he was doing now.
'Does he still like me?' A dainty hand cupped her cheek in thought as she found herself not nearly as opposed to the thought as she was earlier. Previous sentiments still lingered, but she could admit that Jaune was... conventionally attractive.
The blonde cleared his throat, shaking his head, and the last vestiges of embarrassment left him.
"Jaz is one sister, yes. The other is Jeanne."
Weiss felt the world grind to a halt around her as the name left Jaune's mouth, all previous thoughts abandoned. An icy feeling crept up her spine, spreading like an insidious frost down her arms and legs, where it curled in her digits, prickling them with an unsettling numbness.
"J-Jeanne?" She whispered, the words sounding distant in her ears. The visage of a snarling woman flashed into her mind, glowing with violet power, leveling a vicious glare at her, reality itself shivering as purple light began to encompass her surroundings. Her blonde hair (exactly the shade of Jaune's) floated freely as she stared directly through her soul.
Winter was there, her older sister's face stern, fear carefully hidden. Anxious sweat dripped down the back of the elder Schnee's neck as she spoke quickly and quietly with the strongest Arc sibling.
Weiss shivered in fear; the feeling of indescribable weight, endless pressure, bottomless mass coiled itself around her chest, winding tightly like a cruel spring or the uncaring hand of a wrathful god.
A warm presence wrapped itself around her, a golden aura washing over her as she relaxed. Every muscle in her body was untensed and retracted, and her jaw unclenched as she refocused on the broad chest her face was pressed up against.
Her mind slowly caught up, realizing she was being hugged by her much taller companion, concern twisting his features.
He separated, intense blue eyes slowly shifting into gold as Jaune sensed her panic attack.
"Weiss, focus on my voice. Look at me; you are safe right now." Her wide eyes took in all the features of the Arc's face, the dull roar of blood rushing in her ears dying away slowly as Weiss noticed she was hyperventilating.
"Take a deep breath."
Her hands shook violently, tears blurring her vision suddenly.
"Focus, Weiss."
Nausea swept through her, and vertigo made her head spin.
"You're safe."
She felt detached; her senses were muddled, and sensations were numbing.
"It's going to be alright; I'm here for you."
In a burst of clarity, Weiss felt the world around her snap into place. She no longer felt as if she was being drowned, the air into her lungs flowing freely, and she felt in full control of her faculties.
She held a steady hand up to her face, wiping away more tears and the last remnants of makeup. She hung her head, looking away from the golden eyes of Jaune, unwilling to face him after letting him see her in a moment of weakness twice now.
"Gods, I'm a mess today, aren't I?" She let out a slightly watery laugh.
"Weiss, look at me."
She was unable to refuse, the intense stare of Jaune freezing her in place.
'Not unlike her.' Her mind supplied. 'He's different!' Another part of her hissed.
'She's a monster in human skin.' Came the retort.
'Because she was concerned about him!'
'It usually is all about him, isn't it?' Piped up another part of her psyche. 'Jaune, that is. I always wondered why Jeanne was so protective of him. Is it because of this side of him? This incredible and selfless concern?'
"Weiss, please, I need to know. Did Jeanne do something to you? Did she hurt you? This behavior just from hearing her name isn't-"
"N-No! It's not her fault, it's mine!"
The words spilled out of her mouth before she could stop them. She looked wide-eyed into Jaune's molten gold ones, shocked at her own answer.
"It's mine." She repeated, hands clenching and unclenching as she tried not to shrink under his worried gaze.
"Your oldest sister has always been overtly... fond of you, and she'd always been protective of your feelings." She rushed out in one breath, trying not to linger on the topic. "She never did take very well to how I once captured your attention, romantically or otherwise."
Weiss shook her head violently and began to walk forward once more, brushing off the concern of her companion.
"Forgive me, Jaune, but I don't quite feel up to sharing more right now. I'd like to find Curio and get out of this museum. I'm not dismissing you or anything like that, I just want to leave sooner than later lest we- I run into her."
Jaune lingered, watching the heiress strut away. A moment later he followed, catching up beside her.
They walked in silence for a good twenty minutes, an awkward distance appearing between them.
The Arc scion scowled to himself, not liking the sudden lack of progress with his newfound friend.
He spoke up, intent on breaking the uncomfortable silence. "I won't pretend that I do understand, but if or when you feel up to it, talk to me about it, please. I'd like to not have a conflict between friends and family."
Weiss's mood turned the tiniest bit more positive. "I guess even after all this you'd still consider me a friend? I'm supposed to be the one angry at you, remember?" The heiress expertly and effortlessly switched the gears of the conversation, the emotional high and vulnerabilities fading away over time.
"You don't mean that," the blonde said with a grin. "You were angry at the old me. New and mature and awesome Jaune, on the other hand..."
"Is still a stumbling oaf that can barely hold a sword properly."
The smile on Weiss's face revealed the lack of barb, harmless banter between the two.
The newly reconciled friends continued forward, hearts lighter.
Leave Reviews - Feedback is Good
This story is not abandoned, just writer's block and current life events. Ever just get the feeling of wanting to do something but when you sit down and do it, all desire leaves you?
No action, all fluff/angst if you can even call it that. Sorry not sorry, trying to figure out how to work Weiss into Jaune's backstory. I've been piecing this together at what felt like 2-10 words a day for the past couple of months. That's why it might feel choppy in some places.
Regardless, I apologize for the wait. Expect chapters around this length or shorter, 10k+ will only be if I'm really feeling it.
See y'all in the next chapter.
Have a nice day/night/week/life.
-Spice
Notes:
Leave reviews, kudos, etc. It's easier to answer questions and such on here so I might be a bit more active here. (Especially because of FFN's trash email system that still won't work.) Enjoy.
OBLIGATORY: Subjects/fetishes shown in this fic do not represent my personal feelings about them in real life. Fiction is a whole different story.
PS: Read the tags, Mature for a reason and some might not like what I'm cooking. Regardless, don't be mean about it.