Hello, Everyone.

Recently, I've really gotten into the Limitless fandom. I adore both TV series and the movie, which – coincidentally – I would recommend everyone to watch.

So, somewhere inside the back of my mind, I've always had the idea of writing a Jaune-centric fic in first-person, much in the style of Ryuugi's 'The games we play'. I've always wanted to take my stab at a pre-canon Jaune and his development into something greater than his canon counterpart. All I needed was a plot device that enabled rapid growth while bringing up greater questions of morality and testing Jaune's capabilities.

And I found it in NZT, the pivotal plot device of Limitless.

While knowledge of the Movie/TV series isn't necessary at all to read this fic, it will contain Easter eggs for anyone who has. At the end of the chapter, I'll provide a comprehensive explanation of what NZT does. You can skip that – of course – considering the chapter should already make it blatantly obvious.

So, without further ado, let's get to it!

"Mr Arc, do you even want to be here?"

My focus shifted back from my daydreams to the current situation. I was in detention, of course, I was. I had spent the better part of my last six months in it. I was failing all my three core modules, and that reflected badly on the institution.

Professor Huber sat in front of me, stoic as always. The reading material for his class lay bared on the mahogany table that lay between him and me. They weren't going to help me answer his question sadly, this one was all on me.

"With all due respect, sir. Who wants to be in detention?" I answered, and his disappointed sigh lets me know that my deflection was something he'd been expecting. The real question was a bit deeper.

"I mean here, Jaune. The Gammon cram school for Hunters and Huntresses." He rephrased, adjusting his round specs on his sharp nose. "By no means is this school cheap, and the steep price is only justified by the sheer calibre of our program."

I nodded, unable to shake his sharp gaze. "I understand that, sir. I'm self-financing, so I respect that fact pretty well."

Huber nodded, "Our program teaches you the entire coursework of a junior huntsman academy like, say, signal, in one year instead of the usual four. As you are now, you don't even have the skills to do the normal course. You've been failing all your modules here, and you haven't even unlocked your Aura yet, while most of the other students are already working on semblance training."

"So I will rephrase myself yet again, do you think you have what it takes to be here?"

I gulped. Huber was pretty much making me face the one question that had been on my mind since I joined here. Except, he didn't really get the context behind it all. I was the only male in a litter of eight, and I was the only one my own parents refused to see becoming a huntsman.

And who could blame them? My sisters had all unlocked their auras by the age of roughly eight. Their semblance soon followed.

I turned seventeen a week back, no update on the Aura front.

What made it worse was the fact that I had practically run away from home. Practically, because my parents knew exactly where I was and what I was doing, but also because I myself refused all funds from them.

Education loans were both a godsend and a curse. They were the only reason I was able I was able to even pay for my school. Living expenditures demanded that I spend all off-class time working.

How was I supposed to keep up with the rest of the class with these metaphorical cuffs on?

Huber apparently noticed my dilemma and – for once – decided to cut me some slack. "Jaune, I understand that this isn't an easy question to answer. Believe it or not, I was once in a very similar position to yours. I decided to step back, and I now serve as a teacher rather than hunting the creatures of Grimm. I'm giving back to society in my own way, and I'm none less important for it."

"Take today off, Jaune. Go back and think. I'll expect an answer by the end of the week."

I hesitantly nodded as I relieved myself of my seat. Quickly gathering up all my reading material, I left the room before Huber could say anything more. As I exited the school building, I failed to notice how my body was shivering – midsummer.

One week to find myself an answer, death had never seemed quite as inviting as today.

Beyond the Bounds

Chapter 1 – Flicker

Of course they'd call me at exactly four.

A photo of my parents stared back at me from my phone. I almost cut the call, but knowing my parents, the best course of action was to pick up, lest they sent one of their huntsmen friends in Mistral to give me a disgruntled house visit to see if I was still breathing.

Yes, my parents were paranoid enough for this to be a deduction made from prior experience rather than guesswork.

"Hi there, Jaune!" My dad's ever-cheery tone almost made me retch, but I couldn't let him know of my current predicament. Sure, he would have something constructive to say, but I was pretty sure my call was on the loudspeaker, and that meant that at least my mom was listening in too, and that was discounting the possibility that my sisters might be around too.

And while my Dad was okay with me being in Mistral, alone, the rest of my family was very vehemently against it. Mom was always – and will always be – a worrywart, and my sisters just wanted me to stay out of harm's way.

It was their way of showing love, and I had come to live with it, no matter how prohibitive it may be. I couldn't slight them for it. I was both their youngest and their only son. They had always wanted a son, and it had taken them eight tries to get one.

And they'd do their damn best to keep him safe.

"Hello dad," I replied. I had to maintain an even tone, else my parents would know something was wrong. Seventeen years of living with them might not have taught me much about being a huntsman, but it had taught me quite a bit about how to keep secrets from them.

"How're you doing, kid? The weather up in Mistral treating you nice? You eating well?"

The same questions, every damn time.

"Yes, dad. The weather is fine, Kinda warmer than I'm used to, but I manage well enough. And yes, I'm, getting three meals a day."

They beget the same answer.

"How's school going?"

Now that was new. They never asked about school. Hell, they treated my year in Mistral like some sort of holiday. As far as they were concerned, no Arc had ever gone to cram school, and – as far as they were concerned – no Arc ever would.

Hell, he was pretty sure the cram school accepted him as a student because of the Arc name.

So, there could only be two alternatives here. Either they were finally warming up to my self-imposed exile, or – much more likely – they had just gotten my first semester's results.

"… you got my results, didn't you?"

"Yes."

Fuck.

"Jaune, you have re-sits in all three of your core modules. You didn't even pass your history module. The comments on all three make it pretty clear that you don't have any Idea what you're doing."

I couldn't say anything. Of course, I had no idea what these comments were exactly, but I knew they were anything but flattering. What I didn't expect was for them to just outright say that I'm not needed. Talk about a kick in the balls.

"Also, you told us that you unlocked your aura a week ago, your comments here say that you haven't. Have you been lying to us, son?"

Double fuck.

"Ah… no, dad. The comments were written weeks in advance. I'm actually getting pretty used to this aura business now. I promise, the re-sit will be different."

The sigh I heard from the other side of the receiver told me all I needed to know. My dad didn't believe me one bit.

"Jaune, please don't lie to my face. I know you well enough to know when you're out of your depth. I'm sending my friend White over to meet you tomorrow and get me the truth. I haven't shown your mom the grades yet, but it is only a matter of time till she finds out."

I gulped. If dad's friend saw me as I am right now, it would spell an end to my dreams and aspirations. I'd be back in Vale and my parents would make sure I went to a music school or some shit.

I couldn't allow that.

"Yeah dad, that's fine. I have a very good feeling about the re-sits this week, trust me on this."

It was a white lie, but I put every modicum of my concentration into keeping my voice cheerful enough to sell it.

"Alright, Jaune. White's still going to be visiting you tomorrow evening, though. That's final."

I nodded, even though there was no one there to see me. I had bought myself a day. Now, all I had to do was to go to my job, make dinner, and find a magical benefactor who would help me magically unlock my Aura in a day.

Nothing big.

"Thank you, dad."

He cut the call, something told me that he still didn't believe me. Honestly, a part of myself didn't want to believe I'd just lied to the one person who always supported me unconditionally.

Before I could muse further on the morality of lying to dad, my attention was grabbed by my phone again. A message, this time, from one of my employers. It began all nice and formal, manager-speak at its finest.

But as I read on, it became very apparent that things were a lot worse than the tone of the message let on.

The final straw that broke the camel's back came with the last line, the one where the manager mentioned that the store was going under. I swore the day couldn't get any worse when my father had called, but apparently, it did.

Okay, so I was now out of a job, I was so very close to being out of school.

Well, fuck me over and call me a Grimm.

Okay, so the only way I was going to be able to stay here was if I found a job and unlocked my aura in effectively a day and a half. Sure, I could give up, but could I live with that? Could I live with the knowledge that I didn't even try?

The answer was pretty obvious to me, as I opened my laptop and started running through every job site, trying to find a job that someone like me could sustain.

Thankfully I didn't have to look long.

"Hello, I'm Jaune Arc, I'm here to apply for the… testing?"

The receptionist looked up from her terminal, her bored expression was almost disconcerting. She took one look at me and handed me a form. "Standard non-disclosure form, you gotta sign it before the doctor will meet you."

I nodded and took a seat. As I read through the form, a little bit of apprehension rose within me. Foreboding words like 'Arrest' and 'Incarceration' struck out to me, but I was a man with little choice. While I had been initially apprehensive about the job, seeing the location definitely laid a little bit of rest to my fears.

The job itself was simple. They wanted to do some human testing for a drug that was already approved by the International Medical Council. It was a week-long job and there wasn't much in the way of requirements. They wanted someone who didn't smoke, drinks or had a record of drug usage.

Enter me.

The payment was fine, hell, it was more than fine. They would pay me – in a week – what my old job paid in a month. Sure, the details of the job were a mystery to me, but this seemed a lot easier than my old job, where I had to be present all the time.

Maybe I could use the time saved to actually study for once, see how much good that did me.

So, I quickly signed the papers and turned them in. The receptionist pushed a buzzer and pointed me to the door. The professionalism set my mind at ease. Of course, this couldn't be some shady operation, they were so professional!

What greeted me as I walked through the door was a simple doctor's office – all machines present and accounted for. Even the doctor looked friendly enough, with his wind-swept brown hair and personable smile.

"Ah, you must be Jaune. Welcome to our little project."

I took the doctor's proffered hand and shook it. The man seemed friendly enough.

"My name is Lucas Grey, but you can call me Luke. Now that we have that out of the way, we should move on to some questions. So, do you smoke or drink?"

I just shook my head, and that was all the man needed.

"Any past drug consumption?"

Another shake.

"Any allergies? Do you have a pacemaker?"

Another shake. This time, no more questions followed. Instead, Lucas chose to write something on the notepad in front of him. He then gave me another one of his nice little smiles before passing me a leaf of pills from his coat pocket.

"Alright. We have you on record for your cleanliness and you have signed the NDA agreement. Here's your batch of NZT. You need to report here once every week so that we can run a full-body checkup on you. Is all this clear?"

I blinked in surprise. "Wait, that's it?"

Lucas nodded. "Yup. I can see you're being truthful. I do have a major in Psychology as well as my Masters in Neuroscience and my General practitioner degree, you know?"

I looked over the leaf of pills. There were 14 pills in there, each transparent. There was no marking on any of the pills, and the counterfoil on the leaf simply had the alphanumeric 'NZT – 48' embossed on it. Hell, the pill looked almost identical to a vinyl pad you could buy in any supermarket.

"So, what do these do? What dosage should I take them in?" I asked. I know this was a generic drug, else they'd need someone with a specific disability to test on, but what did the pill do exactly?

Lucas sighed, "Well, it's a neuro-enhancer, if that makes any sense to you. As for how you should treat it, well, use the pill as a pick-me-up when you're trying to do something way out of your league. Single dosage lasts for twelve hours. We've provided you with fourteen pills, accounting for each and every hour between now and when you will report to us."

I shook my head. "I do like to sleep at night, so what do I do with the extras?"

Lucas threw his hands up in the air and reclined in his seat. "Well, that's up to you. As long as you don't give them to someone else, you should be fine. Again, remember, you signed that NDA form."

I excused myself from the man and walked out of the office. The receptionist apparently wasn't paid enough to see me out, but honestly, I preferred it this way. Being alone gave me time and the avenue to think.

As I headed towards the library, my mind didn't leave the pills that now rested in my pocket. Pulling out the leaf of medication, I gave it yet another look-over. The packaging was dubious enough to bring doubt to my mind, but not enough to shake the feeling that the anonymity of the packaging was just meant to steer away interest from outsiders.

I took one out as I finally passed into the library and popped it in. Lucas mentioned that it was the ultimate pick-me-up, and I could definitely use something like that in my current situation. The pill was as tasteless as it was colourless.

And then I waited.

And nothing happened.

I rolled my eyes. Exactly what was I expecting? Of course, the drug wasn't even ready yet – hence the testing. I checked myself into the library and picked up a book on aura theory. I didn't even care which one I picked up, but it was heavy as all shit.

I sat down to read it, I chose that one bench away from the main hall, the one where the sun didn't shine. I tried to read the book, but couldn't even get through the Intro. Hell, why did every nonfiction book have to be this dry?

The seat in front of me was taken, and I finally looked up from my book. I surveyed my new reading companion before realizing it was one of the girls from the other class of the cram school. I think her name was Nebula. It was as I was looking at her that I noticed the sudden heat that was creeping up through my body. It wasn't a blush; I knew that much. But I buried my face in the book nonetheless. Sadly, the heat didn't abate.

Instead, it grew. It grew on and on, and then, suddenly, it happened.

The NZT kicked in.

Suddenly, the scales fell from my eyes. The human brain is bloody magical, and we can only access a little bit of it. Sure, that was something I knew, but never had I ever expected that an increase in the amount of allocated thinking-matter would cause such a drastic shift. I couldn't even be sure if I was actually using more of my brain. But something told me that whatever bit I had been using – at least – was no longer as messy as it once was.

If my brain was a maze, it felt like someone had just re-excavated it and added to a much longer, much straighter highway.

And that highway was my body.

Thoughts and memories came to my mind, unbidden. Things that I had once read in a hurry, even the small print on the back of a shampoo bottle I bought last year, I could recite it all verbatim.

And this was just the mental effect. Physically, the drug had given me much more.

Libraries were inherently supposed to be sanctums of silence, but there was always a sort of grey noise that you could hear when inside. I could now effectively cut through that noise; I could make out each individual whisper, each word of every murmured dialogue.

I was connected to the world, and it was fucking magnificent.

I looked at Nebula again. Nebula Violette, I remembered now. Same age as me. Her skin was much duskier than mine, so she was probably from Vacuo, which also explained why she was wearing two layers more than I was. She was reading a book on relationship advice that I remember from my mom's library. Boyfriend issues? Possible. Nebula was one of the stars of the school, what with her top-end grades and her ginormous social signature.

I also remember the book being a sack of shit.

"Excuse me, Nebula?" I ventured. I wanted to test something out, and NZT was telling me that my idea would work. So I went with it. My mind kept telling me that there was no way I'd be able to make conversation with someone as on a different rung of society.

"What do you want, Arc?" She asked. Of course, my infamy preceded me. It was obvious to see. Most of the students from reputed huntsmen families were either parts of the pre-established school system or home-schooled. When the student base realized that an Arc was coming to Gammon, of course, they were nervous.

And then I turned out to be… well… me, and suddenly, everyone treated me like I had just spat on their faces. I brought dishonour to the very idea of huntsmen being 'elites'.

"I just wanted to know why someone with your social aptitude is reading that pile of garbage."

Well, that got the stick out of her ass.

"I-it's none of your problem, loser. What does a no-lifer like you know about maintaining a social life?"

Ooh! Personal insults and deflection. It looks like the problem was something of a secret. My brain was already handing me sorted info on what it could be. Living in a family of hunters, past experience told me that I had seen these symptoms before, much closer to home too.

"let me guess, it's dissonance which is your problem, right?"

Nebula stared at me like I had just grown a second head. "Beg pardon?" She stammered out, and I continued.

"It is very normal for huntsmen to project a fake personality to the world. Being a huntsman means being fearless, it means laughing in the face of danger. Such boisterous personalities make people around them feel at ease. It brings calmness to turmoil-filled hearts, and hence prevents the onset of Grimm."

The fact that Nebula shifted in her seat meant that what I was saying was making her uncomfortable. Visible discomfort from mere words merely cemented the fact that I was headed in the right direction.

"But these personalities are generally mere facades. They are as real as ghosts, sometimes even less. But you like the rush of power you get when others look up to you. You like being fearless in the heart of danger. It is a very admirable trait, after all. But a little part of you keeps gnawing at you. You keep asking yourself whether this is the real you, or whether you've lost yourself to this false bravado you surround yourself with."

Nebula's eyes were stricken with fear. Maybe I'd laid it down too thick, maybe I'd done something wrong, but the computations in my head told me that this was by far the best scenario.

"H-how do you know all this?" a straight question, no demeaning remarks to follow. Oh, she was listening. I had her undivided attention, and the stage was mine.

"I've lived my entire life around huntresses, seen seven of them mature through the exact phase you're now going through. I've seen them all get through it. And there was one factor that made all the difference."

"Time."

Fear turned into confusion, and confusion turned into confrontation within the span of the same second. Anyone else would have missed the brief flash of confusion between the initial and the final reaction, but right now, I wasn't just 'anybody', and hence, I continued.

"The job of a huntsman is a lifelong one. And personality is anything but a fixed attribute. Over time, both your personalities will blend, and whatever comes out of it will definitely be greater than their sum. Your friends probably understand this, and they see you as someone who will one day work tirelessly to protect them. You have to learn to embrace that."

The confrontation disappeared and was replaced with a blank expression that lasted for a couple of seconds. I could have interrupted, but had I, I would have never been graced by the grateful smile that replaced it later.

"Guess I always knew that, just needed someone to say it out loud, didn't I?" She replied. I simply nodded along.

Now, with all that out of the way, my curiosity was sated and I returned to the book. It was still dry, but I had to go through it by the end of the night.

Or did I?

"Coincidentally, you have an unlocked aura, don't you, Nebula?"

The girl nodded, waiting for my next question. She was being rather subservient, but given the magnitude of the problem that I had just simplified for her, such a reaction was a given.

"Yeah, I unlocked it earlier this year. You haven't unlocked yours, have you?"

Right in the pride. Good one, Nebula.

"Yeah, about that. I need to unlock my Aura naturally by tomorrow evening or I'm out of this school. Now, you may understand why I want that, right?"

Nebula stared at me for a good ten seconds, enough to make me slightly self-conscious. "I noticed you say 'Naturally', is there a reason for that?" and there was. While Off-NZT me would have begged Nebula to unlock my Aura, my suddenly-gained perfect recall told me that having your aura unlocked by an outsider can hamper it by up to thirty percent. Combined with my late unlock, that meant I'd miss out on almost fifteen years of aura capacity growth.

If I was to make it to a hunter academy, I couldn't let that happen.

"Personal reasons, let's say. So, I was wondering. Could you help me unlock my Aura?"

Nebula shifted in her seat again. "I don't know how much use I would be…"

I shook my head as fast as I could. "I just need to see how you draw it out, maybe ask a few questions. I think that'll do it for me."

Nebula cocked an eyebrow. "It took me a year of meditation and training to unlock my aura, and you plan to do it in a night?"

I just smiled. "Trust me, Nebula. Today, I feel like I can do anything."

She sighed and got up "Okay then, but not here. Come to my flat, and I'll see what I can do."

I merely followed.

Turns out that Nebula's house was a lot less girly than I had expected it to be. Given her personality, I'd expected boyband posters and a pop soundtrack. What I got instead was a room full of hunter paraphernalia. There was even a maintenance table for her weapon – a crossbow sword. While I was very interested in knowing how that particular weapon combo worked, I was in here for something else.

"The basics of Aura are simple enough to grasp. Think of it as your soul, but externalized. I personally like to think of it like muscles for the soul. The more you use it, the stronger it grows. The longer you have it, the more it increases in size."

Textbook definition followed by a self-interpretation. It almost felt like she was trying to give me a presentation, like I was a tutor she was trying to impress. It wasn't a thought I hated, but if I had just come here for a four-hour lecture, I'd be wasting my time.

"Can you activate it for me?"

Nebula blinked, probably not expecting me to get to the point this fast. A blush crept up on her face. Why though? I hadn't asked her to strip, I hadn't asked her to do anything intimate in nature.

But then again, I was asking her to bare her soul to me. So I guess there was a fair reason behind her reaction.

"Of course, that's what we're here for." She acquiesced. Now, I'd never seen my parents or my sisters truly 'activate' their auras. They always trained in the family dojo, and it had always been off-limits to me. Well, not always, I did injure myself with a spear once when running through the family compound.

Still, it was rather harsh of my parents to block off that one room for me.

Nebula took one deep breath, and then stopped responding. Nothing happened for a good ten seconds, and then, light began to emanate from her. It was a deep purple colour, her aura. It grew uniformly, taking over her body, engulfing her with its very essence. For lack of a better word, it was…

"… Beautiful." I breathed in, suddenly being left breathless by the awakening of her aura. Nebula – of course – took it as a personal compliment. Even under the purple hue of aura, I could see her face redden.

"So, that's your Aura. It took you a little while to activate it, which means there is something between your initial activation and the final result that causes some hindrance to you."

The blush disappeared, and so did the Aura's hue. It receded till it was barely even visible on her body. At this point, it was both transparent and diminished. Anyone would have missed it, but not him. He could see how the power still clung to her frame.

"And, the fact that this form took you some time to attain means that you aren't quite as proficient with Aura control as you'd like to be."

Nebula took this as a personal insult. "Way to be a jackass, Arc. Why don't you state some more of your 'facts', Mr. 'I have to unlock my aura in less than a day'? See if I help you then."

Okay, damage control time for me.

"I didn't mean any of that as an Insult. I'm just trying to say that you've made a remarkable amount of progress considering how little time has elapsed since you've unlocked your aura."

And – just like that – she was confused again. "Wait, how do you know that it hasn't been long since I activated my aura?"

That was a question that I could most definitely answer. "Well, your initial hesitation was a telling feature. Not only that, but I'm pretty sure you too were quite surprised by the initial gap. Unlike me, though, your confusion – I believe – came from how fast it activated, which shows that you've made progress faster than you yourself expected. You should be proud of yourself"

She rewarded me with a sheepish grin. "Well, when you put it like that…"

"I do, you're doing a very admirable job of self-improvement. Now, if you don't mind, could you answer some questions of mine?" She nodded, and I continued. "Alright, firstly. The gap between your initial command and your aura answering it… what causes that? Are you looking for something within your soul? Or are you trying to find some arbitrary source within your psyche?"

She definitely did not expect my questions to be quite as 'to the point'. I could tell you that she was expecting my questions to be more about how she attained her aura and not about what she did to activate it. I had a hunch that there was a lot less top activating one's aura when one was as attuned to himself or herself as I was thanks to the NZT swimming through my system right now.

I just had to reverse-engineer the process.

"Well, it's a bit of both, really. Think of it like finding the right note in a harmony, or like finding the exact line in a book that you can faintly recall. The more often you do it, the faster you are able to do it. The more your mind remembers. When I first started, it took me over a minute to just find my 'source', as you call it. Now, it takes much less time. By the time I join any of the huntsmen academies, I will make sure it is instant."

I was surprised at how simple all this was – at least as a concept. I could see why it would take months of meditation and practice to attune yourself to your soul… to even guarantee that you could find that elusive 'source'. But this knowledge only reinforced my theory.

Nzt was a fucking wonder. Imagine knowing your body perfectly. Imagine being able to measure the amount of power your hands could produce down to the smallest measurable unit of force. That was what NZT gave me – physically. So, I'd imagine this knowledge of self would also extend to my soul. After all, it was a definitive part of what made me 'me'.

"Thank you for that. One final question. Your aura expanded, and then it settled around your skin. Is that a natural process or did you have to mould it that way?"

Nebula was in her zone now. She'd probably been asking similar questions to her teachers all year long, if not as articulate. Her knowledge of the subject was quite exemplary too. "Okay, so. The purple hue was a byproduct of me trying to force too much aura out too fast. It is an easy way to measure the amount of Aura I have, and I do it to check how much my capacity has grown over time. I can actually completely ignore that step if I wanted, But I decided not to skip it because it might help you in some way or the other."

I could tell that what she said was a lie. Not the first part, of course. The second certainly was. She was definitely trying to show off her 'impressive' aura capacity. After all, who didn't like a sparkly light-show?

"As for the final product, well, Aura self-moulds to the individual's body as a default. My teacher said that most high-level huntsmen can change aura concentrations around their bodies to provide active benefits to strength and resilience."

I made a mental note of that even though I didn't need to. NZT did afford me perfect recall, after all. I had seen video recordings of Huntsmen at professional tournaments, and the ability to shatter earth with a single blow wasn't something a run-of-the-mill hunter could do. The question was, could I?

"Okay, that's all I needed to know. You mind if I give it a try now?"

If Nebula was surprised by my request, she didn't show it. "Sure, go for it. We had like half a dozen people back in class who were self-assured that they would get it in one go. Well, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but none of them did."

I nodded. Normal Jaune would have been cowed by her negativity, but NZT Jaune already had a plan. Already, cogs were turning in my mind – quite literally. I had already learnt how to dissociate my soul and my body. It was rather easy, in retrospect. If my body's reactions were determined by external stimuli, then my soul was probably malleable with respect to my mental reactions. So, having a completely clear mind was step one towards calming my soul.

Now, generally, that was easier said than done. It also explained all the meditation. The easiest way to attain a calm mind was to calm the body. Meditation did both effectively. Thankfully, NZT was a very good replacement for meditation. My mind worked just like I wanted it to.

With my thinking process calmed, step one was over. Now came the trickier bit. Nebula mentioned finding a 'source' in there. Now, how did one go foraging through a soul? Well, the answer was a lot less glamorous than I had imagined. I pretty much had to bring my body 'in tune' with my soul. Now, the process I used to do that was rather complex, so let me simplify it.

Imagine a radio. You know, one of those pre-great war devices that were used for communication before the CCT grid came up? Yeah, those. Now, those devices worked on short-distance invisible waves. The only way to connect to another radio was to make sure both of the devices were on the same frequency. So, spies would sit all day and slowly turn the dials on their radios till they caught on to some broadcasting frequency – which was generally a static frequency provided to soldiers in advance. In theory, my body was the spy radio, and my calm, static soul was the broadcasting radio. So, I kept tuning, bringing my body to different stages of rest till I felt a connection.

And after a mere tenth of a second, I found it.

It was power, pure and unadulterated. It lay there, nestled in the folds of my soul – waiting for me to claim it. Who was I to refuse something that had yearned to embrace me for so long? It was overwhelming, but it was also intriguing.

I had felt a similar signature when Nebula had called on her aura, but this was magnitudes greater than what she had shown mere seconds ago. Was this some kind of joke? Or were Arc genetics already pre-disposed to such potent aura? Well, it would surely explain the prowess of the Arc lineage on the fields of battle they had graced, generation after generation.

But that wasn't my main concern now. Right now, all that mattered was me, and this power that beckoned to me so. I held on to it… figuratively, my soul and body melding into one.

And then, I pulled.

If the appearance of Nebula's aura could be likened to a rush, mine was a full-blown explosion of light. Hell, I saw Nebula cover her eyes as pure white radiance took over her room. The light disappeared as soon as it arrived, and my body was covered in warmth. The comforting, protective feeling my aura provided was a new sensation, albeit a welcome one.

Just like the feeling of smugness that came when I noticed Nebula's panicked, questioning expression. The mouth was ajar, and it was pretty obvious that she was having a very hard time believing what she had just witnessed.

"N-no way…" She whimpered.

"So, Nebula." I locked my gaze with her panicked one and smiled the smuggest smile I was capable of producing.

"What was that about my predicament being an impossibility?"

"Ughh."

My own pained moan was the first thing I heard as my eyes opened. As I tried to get up from the bed, the sudden emergence of a cranium-splitting headache pushed me right back into it. I groaned again, but this time it was a lot more muffled. Were these the side-effects of NZT? It was a possibility. Hell, I couldn't ever recall what happened after I unlocked my aura. The entire block of memories between then and now were just… missing. Just thinking over the events of yesterday made my headache worse.

They also reminded me that my Aura was now unlocked.

Willing to practice, and remembering that Aura had healing properties, I started looking for the 'source' of my aura. I found it with surprising ease, considering the fact that I was off NZT. I felt the comfortable warmth of my Aura wash over me, and my headache receded till the pain was at a manageable level. Rid of the nuisance, I retreated deeper into my comfortable, purple duvet.

Wait, I didn't have a purple duvet... mine was plain white.

Before I could inquire further, my ruminations were cut short when two slender hands wrapped themselves around me, and the feel of a warm, female body joined that of my aura, draping itself over my chest. The fact that said female was naked, and that it was probably one of the most promising huntsmen in my class did nothing to help the feeling of dread that was slowly coiling in the pit of my stomach.

I almost fucking screamed.

It was then that my scroll started ringing. I quickly picked it up with fumbling hands, only to find that it was just my morning alarm. I quickly closed it and found myself staring at a note attached to it. A voice note, what more. I quickly pressed the scroll to my ear – almost dropping it in the process – right after pressing play.

"Hey Jaune, guess who?"

The voice was definitely mine, but the degree of confidence it held wasn't something I was used to. NZT, what a helluva drug.

"So, considering the events of the night and the level of intoxication I'm feeling right now, I decided it was best to make this little voice note to remind you of what all happened."

There was a little pause here, a nifty way to cut between segments. NZT me was definitely meticulous.

"So, it all began when we unlocked our aura. Nebula was quite distraught, so we decided it would be best to play her up as the amazing teacher whose tutelage had made all this possible. She was right chuffed about it all, and as we planned to leave, she broke out a bottle of what she called 'high quality' rum. Of course, the stuff tasted like bilge-water and it couldn't have been good for our body, so I did exactly what anyone in my situation would do."

Another pause, this one was definitely for dramatic effect. I liked to be over-the-top, and NZT me seemed to have an equal appreciation for all things dramatic.

"I drank it, hell, I finished the whole bottle with her. Trust me, whoever named alcohol 'liquid courage' was definitely on to something."

I rolled my eyes. It hadn't even been a day and I had already broken one of the core tenets of my contract with my current employer. Well, after I took today's NZT, I'd handle it. There was no way that the tests they did would show remains of alcohol from a week back, even he knew that much.

"So, over time, the topic of conversation went back to her moral dilemma. And I started tossing her stories of Amber and Opal from when they were teens. Did some comparisons to how they are now and tossed a few compliments here and there. One thing led to another, and I finally got to working on flirting. Trust me, I'm a natural."

I already knew where this was heading, and while I didn't really like it, there was nothing I could do to stop it either.

"Anyways, that's pretty much it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an extremely beautiful and completely naked woman waiting for me in the other room. Also, if she asks why we're so good in bed, just remember that we've been watching a different porno every night since we discovered what masturbation is. Now, chop-chop."

Of all the ways of finding that NZT allowed me to perfectly mimic things that I've seen the human body do, blowing the mind of the girl who I lost my virginity to using the techniques and tricks showcased by some random porn-star was not even on my list of possibilities.

I slowly extricated my body from Nebula's gentle grasp, trying not to wake her up. My efforts were met with reward as I got myself out of the duvet. As I gave the bed one last glance, I was treated with a tantalizing view of Nebula – as naked as the day she was born. I couldn't help but keep wondering whether I ever would end up with someone as beautiful and out-of-my-league as her without NZT.

Probably not.

But did it matter, really? NZT Jaune was still Jaune. Sure, he was smarter than I'd ever been. He was confident, and he could get stuff done. But he too had his downsides. He only lasted as long as the pills did, but as long as I could be him, I could become someone great. I could stop being the cowardly kid who couldn't even unlock his aura.

I could be a hero, just like everyone else in my family.

I slipped out the leaf of NZT as I dressed. Without hesitation, I popped a pill. The effect kicked in within minutes, and as I left Nebula's flat, I smiled.

I had a week worth of things to do, it all began with a meeting with a huntsman.

The week went past a lot faster than I expected it to. It took me no more than two nights to realize what Lucas meant when he gave me fourteen pills instead of seven. After all, when one's body was this alive, why would one want to sleep any more than the bare minimum?

The meeting with dad's friend went by smoother than expected. It wasn't the same Huntsman who had shown up at my doorstep a few months back, but between my ever-present aura and my smooth-yet-courteous way of talking, there was no way he could leave with a negative impression of me. The fact that he too was a busy man simply made the meeting all that much simpler. I even got an apology text from dad later and a promise that mom wouldn't hear so much as a squeak from him regarding my initial results – provided I did well in my re-sits.

So, faced with such a tantalizing opportunity, any normal student would hit the books with gusto enough to rival even the bubbliest talk-show hosts, but NZT convinced me that it would be a waste. After all, I did read the books once before the exams. While back then, I didn't understand even half of it, now – thanks to my perfect recall and heightened IQ – it all made perfect sense. That alone took care of two of the three exams.

The third was where I needed to concentrate.

Exam one and exam two were Aura theory and History respectively, and I aced them without much effort – if any. The third exam was a practical one. Combat class was the only grade that truly mattered, and its evaluation came down to a one-on-one battle with a professor. The applicant was to be graded on his personal skills, and how long they could withstand the teacher's onslaught.

No one is the class had scored anything above a B, and I myself had gone down to professor Ken in less than three seconds, getting an F.

Now, Professor Ken was like professor Huber. They were both huntsmen academy pass-outs who had decided not to join the active Huntsmen force. They were good, but nowhere near the level of an actual huntsman. Hell, professor Ken had actually joined last year's Mistral Regional and lost in the quarterfinals to some girl from Sanctum. If she could beat him, so could I.

But how?

That question was what I pondered and worked on over the course of the week. Sure, he knew everything about Ken's semblance. It was a sensory semblance that allowed him to track his target through even solid walls, and he used it to his advantage by using smoke pellets and making sure the arena he fought students in was always filled with obstacles which he could use to his advantage.

But could I fool it?

After a day worth of semblance research, I could definitively answer that question with a resounding 'no'. Semblances were magical powers that pretty much defied the laws of the world. One generally required a semblance to fight a semblance, and unlike unlocking aura, semblances unlocked autonomously.

So, question two was whether he could overpower Ken or not, and the answer to it was a very easy yes. Unlike other hunters who had to work to control their auras, NZT allowed me to do it almost instinctively.

Day three saw me go outside mistral's walls. Not far enough to run into any of the nastier Grimm, but close enough to find a Beowulf that had lost its way. Normal me would have lost it at this point – what with never having faced a Grimm before- but NZT me knew exactly what to do. Crocea Mors never felt more natural in my hands than it did at that very moment. I had no stance of my own, but I had seen each and every one of my seven sisters train with my current weapon before making their own. Visual knowledge was turned into usable, physical one by the NZT coursing through my bloodstream, and at that moment, I knew with full certainty that the Beowulf wouldn't survive.

My body moved just as my mind commanded, but it wasn't enough. I never had the muscle-mass of a huntsman, and that was my shortcoming. So my mind worked overtime, and the balance of my aura shifted. My muscles were strengthened immensely by the sudden concentration of aura that surrounded them, and then, they moved.

All it took was one slash, one single moment to end it all.

Crocea Mors cut through the Beowulf like a hot knife through butter. The strength behind the blade was enough to cut through the Beowulf's armour plating rather than breaking it open. The creature was bifurcated mid-leap, and its remains sizzled into nothingness as it hit the ground.

And through it all, I couldn't help keep a smile off my face.

The day ended with me slaying twenty more Beowulf and thirteen Ursai, including one major. Three days ago, I wouldn't have made it through the very first one. The sweat on my body was an indicator that I had changed, and nothing about said change was negative.

As I finally returned home, I realized that I had the perfect plan to defeat Professor Ken. The next two days passed in a flurry of examinations and preparation, and when I fell asleep on Friday, I slept with the knowledge that come morrow, the academic rungs of Gammon academy were going to see some drastic changes.

"I hope you're ready for this, Arc."

I spared one look at professor Huber. He was slated to be the judge of the match. I stood just outside the academy training grounds, a one-acre circle of decrepit buildings. It was once a city block that belonged to the old slum areas. Since the Faunus revolt and the exodus to Menagerie, it had remained unoccupied.

That is, till Gammon academy came up and decided it would make for a very authentic training ground. A cheap one too, if everything was to be considered.

On the other side of the ring, somewhere, I knew that Ken was already tracking me. I could already imagine what he must be feeling. The last time they fought wasn't even a challenge for the thrill-seeking teacher. His disappointment must be debilitating.

Little did he know, he was going to get the fight of his fucking life.

"Sir, do you remember the question you asked me five days ago?"

Huber looked at me like I'd asked him something stupid, and I had. As I said before, I loved my little theatrics, and little did Huber know, he was going to be part of my little play.

"Yes Jaune, I hope you have an answer to give me by Sunday."

I shook my head, "There's no need to wait for Sunday, Professor. You'll get your answer very soon."

Before he could answer, I flared my aura once to show off. Being a professor of Aura theory, it wouldn't take him long to figure out just how monstrous Jaune's aura truly was. I didn't wait for a response, though, as I channelled my aura to my legs and dashed into the battlefield faster than humanly possible.

I had been in this field a couple dozen times, so the layout was familiar to be both off and on NZT. My strategy hinged on luring Ken into one specific area of the field – namely the one intersection present in the entire acre. Ken preferred throwing knives as weapons, and if I was to use that against him, I'd need to get him to the most open area in the field.

Tease him with openings, feed him proof that I'm still as inept as I was a week ago, and he is bound to slip up.

A knife came out of nowhere and embedded itself in the wall beside me. It was a warning shot because Ken rarely ever missed. He was underestimating me, and that was good. It afforded me enough time to cross the final line of shacks and reach the intersection.

And on cue, Ken's smoke bombs went off, obscuring my vision. Had he been able to see me, though, he would have noticed the wide grin threatening to bifurcate my face. He would have known something was wrong.

But he didn't, and he threw his knives, falling right into my trap.

My mind emptied itself in a millisecond, it started running calculations, moving my shield-holding arm to just the right angle. All four knives clattered off the shield as my arm continued to contract, and the moment the knives were neutralized, my body spun, and the majority of my aura concentrated in my left arm.

My eyes followed the trajectory of the knives that I had a mere millisecond to truly digest. Complex geometry ran its theorems through my head, and I was able to triangulate Ken's exact location – accurate to the centimetre.

And then, the shield left my grasp with the speed of a cannonball.

Ken had no time to dodge as the shield caught him squarely in the chest. He was sent barreling through a wall, and his aura dipped dangerously but stabilized as he recovered from the hit, or at least attempted to.

I was at him before he could even find decent footing, the magic of being able to enhance my movement speed through aura manipulation. Ken did muster up a defence, no matter how laughably simple it was. It was mere muscle memory at this point, no thought to it. He stood no chance against me, four steps ahead that I was.

I ended it with a kick to his sternum. A kick, because using my blade would have cut right through both his aura and his body in a matter of seconds. It was a kick actively enhanced by aura, and it would definitely put him in a hospital, but he would live.

The kick sent him flying through a wall and out of the field, where he rolled over unconscious. Seeing his co-worker defeated, Huber ran over with what little speed he could muster, his eyes refusing to believe what he saw. When I finally stepped through the rubble, he was speechless. I slowly walked over to him, my gaze never leaving him, and leaned close to his right ear. The end of the play was nigh, and I couldn't let the audience walk home without a conclusion.

"That, professor, was my answer."

Did it have the raw emotional power of a drawn-out monologue? No.

Did it feel good? Fuck yeah.

I slept through the entirety of the weekend. My NZT fueled sleepless week was over, and I couldn't believe how good it had gone. But all good things had to come to an end. I had five pills left, and I was pretty sure Lucas would let me keep them – no matter how friendly he may look.

I could have kept the pills, but I myself didn't want to turn into someone reliant on them. I knew well enough that the more I used these pills, the less I would be willing to give them up. They'd shown me that determination and skill were all it took to truly be someone of note. If I could keep myself determined and keep training the old fashioned way, I could still become a huntsman of note.

But something in the back of my head kept on telling me that with NZT, I could be someone much more important.

These were the thoughts repeating in my head as I walked into the lab/hospital hybrid that had originally started this journey. I made sure to keep myself off NZT as I came here, lest I try to pull a fast one on Luke. I didn't want to lie to the one man who had pretty much saved me from a life of mundanity.

The same receptionist sat at her desk with the same bored expression on her face. It was almost like nothing had changed in the one week he had been away. Had these people even tried their own drug? Did they know what they were missing out on?

His thoughts were put to a halt when the receptionist finally looked up at me. The bored expression stayed on her face for exactly a second, before it was replaced by a look of utter surprise, bordering on horror. I almost missed the expression as it turned back into her trained look of boredom, but that second was enough to send warning bells ringing through my head.

What the fuck was that reaction? I was supposed to be here today. As a receptionist, shouldn't she have known that?

Thankfully, she didn't forget her professional etiquette quite as candidly as she forgot her trademark receptionist face. She didn't say a word to him, instead pressing the buzzer and pointing me to the same room I went into last time. I uttered a muffled thanks, but she was too dense to even pay attention to it.

"Ah, Jaune. Nice to see you. Has the NZT been treating you well?"

I sat down across from Lucas. Unlike his receptionist, the man showed no sign of surprise whatsoever. That was enough to reassure me. Maybe the receptionist was expecting someone else? God knows.

"More than well, actually. Your drug is quite something, sir."

Lucas happily lapped up the praise. "I know. If the results of our testing are conclusive enough to warrant the drug's safety, we plan to make it available across the market. You're doing good work, Jaune."

I giggled nervously. Even after my NZT-fuelled week, I found it hard to take any compliments.

"So, did you notice any side-effects from the pill?"

I shook my head. "None that I can think of. Unless of course the pill wasn't supposed to suddenly turn me into a genius."

Lucas laughed again. "No, no. That was definitely the intended effect. Are you sure about no side effects, though? No skin irritation? No mental breakdowns? Nothing?"

I shook my head again. "I'm fit as ever, sir. Better than I've felt in years, actually."

Lucas looked me over one more time before scribbling something indiscriminate onto his pad. He then put his hand into one of his desk's drawers and brought out a grey box and a wad of lien. I looked at the wad and gulped. This was almost ten times more than what was in the job description. There was no way this was all meant for me.

"Considering your success with then drug, Jaune, I was wondering. Would you be interested in further testing? Rules are the same, except now, I'm giving you a month's worth of pills. Of course, considering this is a long-term project, your pay will be scaled up as well. What say you? We can definitely make this worth your while."

That stopped me in my tracks. In that grey box were pills. Many more pills than my original leaf had. While my mind was repeatedly telling me not to take it, my heart sang a very different tune. In one week I had been able to use those pills to not only catch up, but exceed the educative difference between myself and a trained huntsman.

Imagine what I could do with a month's worth.

I gave it one last thought. Of course, the drug would hit the market over time, but considering the internal politics in the International health bureau, it could very well take a decade before NZT actually hit store shelves. I could get some then, but I'd be giving up a gigantic benefit that I could otherwise use to rise to the top.

There were too many benefits, and there were too few negatives. It was a number's game, really, and I didn't need NZT to do this calculation for me.

"I'll do it."

Lucas grinned. "Well then, this is for you. Forty-five pills this time, because schoolkids like you should get your beauty sleep at least sometimes. And here's half the payment. You'll be given another half when you report after a month. If any complications arise, feel free to visit whenever."

Wait, this was only half my payment? The day couldn't possibly get any better!

"I won't let you down, I promise!" I all but screamed as I picked up the items on the table and walked out. The receptionist shot me a sidelong glance, but I ignored her. I took out one of the five final pills from the old leaf and downed it as I stepped out of the building. I remarked at the fact that for a month, Remnant was mine for the taking. As the pill finally kicked it, I began formulating the plan for my rise to the top. I had one month.

And I better make it fucking count.

Lucas POV

I could barely stop the shivers that threatened to take over my body as Jaune exited the room. The moment he was out of my sight, I collapsed.

It had taken three years of failed testers to finally find someone who could bear the physical and mental backlash of NZT. Thirty-two testers lay disabled and eleven lay dead thanks to the pill, and then in walks this teenager, saying that he didn't get as much as a single side-effect from them!

It was a bloody miracle!

Which reminded me, I had to call him. I stowed my daily-use phone in my coat's pocket as I retrieved the single-contact cell I used to contact boss. Barely two rings passed by till he picked up the call.

"Another one dead, I presume?"

His voice was as deadpan as ever. His boss was an infallible man. Three years he had funded the project, he had made sure that no matter what the outcome of the testing, the project never disappeared. If not for him, I'd be in jail, serving multiple life sentences.

Thankfully, my boss' views on humanity's future mirrored mine to a perfect T.

"No, we got someone who can handle it… quite gracefully too."

There was a good, long moment of silence. After three years of failure, this news must have hit my boss just as heavily as it hit me.

"Name, please."

Of course, details.

"Jaune Arc, sir. He's a student at the local cram school. Should I forward you his biodata?"

"There's no need for that. An Arc, huh? Well. Now I'm doubly interested."

It was then that it dawned on me. The family name 'Arc'. The heroes of the great war, the shields of Remnant. I had just given a month's dosage of my drug to someone with the genetic pedigree of an entire lineage of heroes!

"Boss! Imagine what someone like him could do with the drug."

There was a short grunt on the other side of the receiver. "If he's anything at all like his father, he'd make a great asset to us. I was already interested in the Arc offspring, but this takes my interest to a whole new level."

I couldn't help but agree with his sentiment.

"Also, would it kill you to refer to me by my official title once in a while, Agent Lucas Grey?"

I chuckled. Of course, he'd stand on formality. Might as well humour the guy, considering how monumental today was turning out to be.

"Aye Aye, General James Ironwood! For the betterment of humanity!"

"And for the end of the eternal hunt."

So guys, In my usual fashion, I'm throwing this out here as a pilot. If this gains enough attention, this will become the story to replace 'Your True Colors'.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Update on Metempsychosis will be the next thing from me.

Also, I've taken up streaming in my free time. You can join in for some fun. I go by the username Kilm3 on Twitch. Pop in anytime for a chat!

-CruelRuin

NZT – 48

Taken from the Limitless Wiki

NZT is a mysterious drug that enhances human memory and intelligence while acting as a nearly perfect antidepressant and anxiolytic. Dealers claim it unlocks 100% of the brain, referencing the commonly known fact that only "10%" of our brains are normally used. It increases intelligence to superhuman levels and results in perfect recall for the extent of its activity. The post-use crash and side effects are, however, commensurately bad, and it is this which initially prevents the FBI (and others) simply mass producing and employing the drug

Powers

When an individual takes NZT, their intellectual capabilities increase exponentially.

Hypermind: Users possess a massively increased (seemingly limitless) level of intellectual and cognitive proficiency. They can process massive amounts of information, correlated to the level of their baseline intelligence ("It works better if you're already smart."). They can process an otherwise impossible number of simultaneous calculations, identify a dramatically increased number of variables in any situation, and instantly cross-correlate previously accessed information (including information accessed-even with minimal attention-before taking the drug).

Perfect recall: Users can remember and instantly recall seemingly everything they have ever experienced, encountered or learned in their lifetime without being overwhelmed or a pause for thought. They need only to read, hear or see something once and they will never forget it. Their brain and mind gain massively increased, seemingly unlimited, storage and analytical capacity.

Instant learning: Users can gather and assimilate any kind of knowledge/skill and understand it fully and rapidly. They can read things at extremely high speeds while still retaining all of the information.

Instant analysis: Users subconsciously notices, processes and understands the details of any stimulus, no matter how small, as well as perceives and understand a large number of cause and effect relations. Thus reducing the paths leading to most effects, allowing them to intuitively plan, analyze, and take action with seemingly perfect efficiency without obvious trouble. They are capable of creating functionally flawless, elaborate plans effortlessly. Users often quickly deduce the steps needed to succeed at any given task and execute them perfectly.

Omnilingualism: Users has the ability to rapidly gain fluency in most known forms of communication, often becoming fluent through newly available memories of prior exposures.

Superhuman Charisma: Users become eloquent speakers, orators, and story-tellers, as a side effect of the additional abilities afforded by the drug. they become superhumanly persuasive and can usually deduce the ideal statements for most crowds. Their uncanny charisma allows them to easily take a leadership role in increasingly many situations.

Superhuman Dexterity: Users possesses perfect muscle control; they can perform any physical activity without difficulty. They perform dexterous tasks with no practice beforehand rapidly and flawlessly. They can copy any movement/action after seeing it performed once. They can control their own vocal cords allowing them to freely manipulate their voice

Multitasking: Users are able to perform multiple tasks at once. For example, they can replay in their head, solve a rubric cube with one hand, draw a perfect copy of one of Leonardo Da Vinci's self-portraits with his other hand, read through 100s of pages of documents, mentally solve complex math problems, while speaking Farsi, all without any singular task distracting him from another. They can do many things all at the same time efficiently and flawlessly.

Superhuman sensory absorption: User can absorb information from all types of media at a superhuman rate. Able to sit in a room with hundreds of television and radio sets blaring away all around him each with a different source, and they can see and hear all of it, process it all, finding patterns or specific details without any trouble.

Superhuman instincts: User possesses a mind and instincts which processes the world in the most advanced and efficient manner. Able to find any solutions to any and all kind of problems that they face, using both the logical and illogical sense and strategies. They will make the right decision in any situation, multiplying their survivability and success rate, allowing them to overcome any hardship with minimal damage and pull victory despite all odds.

Hypercompetent: User can easily become proficient at every task/ skill. They can handle all situations and matters, regardless of the problem, situation or conflict, and they will know what to do when to do it, and how to do it. They will never lose a fight, conflict, etc., due to always being able to see a way to win and/or escape any situation.