WAIT A MINUTE. LET ME GUESS WHAT YOU'RE THINKING.

YOU'RE THINKING, 'HEY, I THOUGHT THIS DUDE ABANDONED THIS STORY?'

AND MY OH MY HOW WRONG YOU ARE!

Seriously, I hadn't posted a thing since last year... BUT I'M BACK! Aaaaaaaaand I hope you guys had a great time in the Year of 2019!

As usual, I've been busy in life with some unexpected marriage invitations, gaining a partial job in animating, college offers, Drama Club where I somehow got a minor lead role, homework, and hanging with my friends and family.

[Add in the fact of playing Smash-bros Ultimate, Sekiro, Warframe, using my new personal gym since January...]

My life is starting to get so jumbled up that I barely have the time to write!

Excuses, excuses, I know, and I'm sorry it took long! I regretted letting you all wait for this chapter with my sudden disappearance, but I hope you understand. Now then, on to the reviews!

[RESPONSE REVIEW]

The Lazy Dragon:Lord of death? Ah, you flatter me so, mate. I hope I didn't lose your interest in this story ever since my sudden disappearance!

Stygain Zinogre: Read this chapter and find out!

dark-feel: Praise the Sun, babeh!

Obersturmfuhrer: Looking back into it now, yeah I do agree I wasn't creative on that part. I made sure future chapters will add in more light to his training from Alex.

Tristram Shandy: Does he? I sure haven't noticed! Or are you talking about Jaune in his Pride-less form? Rhetorical question.

NinjaFang1331: Thanks!

merendinoemiliano: Ah, I see your point. I'll take note of it!

Hashirama 1710: Ha! Finally someone gets it!

Valerious Lake: Read this chapter to find out!

343: Glad you still love my updates!

Disabled Doctor: And they have been answered again!

Badgerprince034: Uh, I'm not sure what you're asking, but if you say that they're related, then yes they both are. Yang to Meliodas and Ruby to...

X3runner: If you want to know if your guesses are correct, read the chapter! As for the glasses, Jaune can remove them as easily as normal glasses (and others can too..)

theawesomest5: Awesome!

Baron Bolt: I'm not gonna say much on who Merlin's descendant is, but your connections are clever! That omake idea might appear in the future.

StringofRandomNumbers: You're right on Yang, but Weiss is... no.

JustAnotherGuest: I might pour some tidbit elements of a harem in the story, depends how far we'll go!

lucasrosa94: Here's chapter 11!

NyaNyaKittyFace: Yes, yes, I know it was unnecessarily LONG, but it will go to a steady pace into the canon. Hope this chapter is exciting for you!

Guest: Read this chapter, my guy, and you'll see~

T51b Moridin: Same answer as the response from 4 responses above this one.

lord hawk: Don't know what you're trying to say, but Ruby's speed is quite special, isn't it?

Shattering: I will not lose my motivation for my first story! I promise you that!

Brady: From up to down, correct, read the chapter, read the chapter, ?, correct, ?, incorrect. Good guesses!

Phoenix774: Thank you for calling my amateur story amazing! I hope you keep reading on in the future!

[RESPONSE OVER]

Updates will continue on as usual from here on out until next year! (Maybe. Hopefully I want to post a chapter at every last week of the months)

Here's the long awaited next chapter and my first one published in the year of 2019! It's extra spicy long!

Please enjoy!

"Phew, here we are! And only a few minutes left to spare." Jaune huffed out. They managed to make it to the auditorium, all thanks to Pyrrha.

The place was still crowded with other students, but luckily there were still a few seats left. From a few feet away, Jaune spotted a familiar gloved hand that he knew was waving at him. That, and he recognized the bright red hair that stood out from the bodies.

Jaune sparked an idea. Since Ruby is a new friend, this would be a great chance for Pyrrha to meet her. Maybe... we could form a friendly group together!

With a hopeful glint, he asked the hooded girl.

"Hey Ruby, want to sit with me? I got a spot saved, but I think there's enough space for one more. We could make a small group together while we're here." He gestured behind him.

"Oh! Um..." Ruby was on her toes, attempting to look over the crowd. Her head perked up as she spotted something in the distance. "Sorry, Jaune, same here. I'll see you after the ceremony!"

"But-" Aaaand she already left him. She's really fast when it comes to leaving a conversation.

With a reluctant shrug, he headed his own way. They would meet again soon. Carefully surfing through the crowd, he arrived at his seat. Pyrrha smiled as he sat down.

"Glad you could make it in time! I had a feeling you would need the map."

Jaune leaned against the chair, mirroring her expression. "I wouldn't be here without it. It might've taken me months to find this place. So I definitely owe you one, Pyr!"

"You owe me nothing, that's what friends are for," Pyrrha chuckled. She glanced over his shoulder, a curious look in her eye. "So who was that girl you were talking to? Someone you know?"

"Ruby? We met recently a few nights back, but we didn't start off at the best terms..." He pressed a hand on his cheek. He could still remember the stinging feeling of that power kick, a reminder that her attacks don't exactly match her innocent looks. "But everything's good between us. Just became friends today!"

"A few nights, huh..." Pyrrha hummed, her eyes narrowed. "I assume she's the one that helped you stop Torchwick?"

"Uh, y-yes. But please try not to spread that around," he whispered. "I don't want to have the spotlight, or be seen as someone special. I have a feeling Ruby doesn't either."

Until he becomes an official Huntsman, trying to be popular in a school for young and inexperienced teenagers would be a waste of time. Auntie Olivier had beaten those kind of thoughts out of his system well enough.

Pyrrha's eyes slightly widened, her smile beamed brightly than before. "Of course. You can trust me, Jaune."

Then, without any warning, she rested her head on his shoulder. The surprising action had made him raise his own curious eye.

"Tired already, Pyr?" It wasn't that late in the day yet, somewhere around early afternoon. On the other hand, she does look satisfied rather than sleepy, but could also be feverish, seeing that growing hint of pink on her face.

"Something like that." She nudged further, basking in her position. Regardless of her reasons, he'll let her rest. Wouldn't want to be rude.

"—tall, blonde, and useless over there!" an elegant yet familiar voice reach his ears. Jaune turned, spotting the beautiful, white-haired angel pointing a thumb at him. In front of her, he could make out the shape of Ruby, arms crossed and face pouted, saying something to the angel. Then next to her is a blonde girl wearing brown leather clothi—

Yang?!

Jaune jolted in his seat, causing Pyrrha to snap up from the sharp movement. He settled down just as fast, quickly adjusting his glasses and doing his best to look as if nothing was wrong.

"Jaune, what happened?" Pyrrha looked worried.

"S-sorry, Pyr. I thought I saw a... a spider! Yeah. A big one. Very big... on my shoe." Okay, even he can tell that was a horrible attempt at lying. And Pyrrha made a face that shows she didn't believe in that dumb excuse. "Uh, sorry?"

Fortunately for him, she shrugged it off, either letting the moment pass or spare him from the embarrassment.

I-I shouldn't be surprised. Jaune leaned farther in his seat. She's a Huntress-in-training, and this is a school for Huntsman, so she should be here.

To see her again so soon, though, that part wasn't what he expected. Does she even remember him? His eyes tailed back to the other blonde.

That was an oopsie.

He was met with the bloodiest eyes he's ever seen. Wrathful eyes that were locked on to him like a seasoned sniper. The was gaze so strong that it felt like she's trying to burn him with her mind.

If he didn't know any better, he could wouldn't see the dark-purple aura leaking out from her hair.

With a slowly raised thumb, Yang crossed the appendage over her neck; her eyes never leaving his own.

Then the aura vanished as Ruby placed her attention from Weiss back to her, the red-hooded girl seemingly never acknowledging an ounce of such intense demonic aura.

How the heck did no one not notice that?!

More and more questions filled his head.

Why is she next to Ruby? Does Ruby know her? Are the two of them friends?

They look pretty close, seeing as Yang was casually smiling behind Ruby-while also casually making some... single-fingered gestures at him. Is he just looking into it too much and that she's just sitting next to her like the rest of the students here?

There's no use thinking about the whys and hows...

Since there's no denying that she definitely knows he's here, he make this encounter as an opportunity to start things over and befriend the Sin, like he did with Ruby. They could become allies, reform the Sins together, and fight off both Grimm and Demon kind alike. Easy as baking apple pie!

Although, he did punch her in the gut...

...a lot...

...and kinda knocked her out...

...and handed her over to the VPD...

From a not so far distance, sounds of knuckles cracking reached his ears.

M-Maybe tomorrow. Or the day after tomorrow. Y-yeah, that sounds great.

"Ahem..." The voice of the headmaster echoed. "I'll keep this brief..."

-/-/-

"Tomorrow your initiation begins before the break of dawn, so be prepared and sleep early. You are all dismissed."

Everyone began getting off of their seats, most heading towards the ballroom while some were already forming their own groups. Jaune decided best to take the rest of the afternoon and catch up on reading more of Escanor's journal, it has been quite a while since he'd taken another look of it. He took the path to the ballroom, and Pyrrha followed suit.

"Doesn't the headmaster seem kind of... odd?" Pyrrha asked.

"Odd?" He held his chin. He thought back to the time when he first met the headmaster. Ozpin looked very calming and intrigued at the time, but he couldn't help but feel that the old headmaster knows something he doesn't. "I wouldn't say odd. More like... strange? He was looking around the crowd like an observant researcher would."

And he was kinda right. Most of the time, Ozpin kept passing glances at him. As if he's some sort of... specimen. He used that same look the first time they'd met, too.

Does Ozpin know? No, if he did he would've hinted something sooner, and mom would've told him about it. She mentioned that he reads fairy tales and old legends in his spare time. Mom somewhat knew the very young-looking-but-old headmaster, way back when she was still a student and attending Haven. When the headmasters visited each other Ozpin would often ask mom about the Arc family and their long heroic history.

She couldn't forget the hopeful face he makes every time she mentions that the Arcs will dedicate their lives to protect the people. No matter what.

His steps slowed to a stop. Dedicating my life to protect the people... can I really do that?

He touched the palm of his hand. Even with glasses on, he can feel the lingering power within him. Power he still hasn't accustomed with completely, even after all the years he spent practicing for control. He trained this far to prepare, studied everything he can from the journal, and yet he still can't help to have doubts.

Demons are far more frightening and merciless than the Grimm, almost a hundred fold given their description.

Impossibly massive, physically superior to any Grimm, and capable of using dark magic that even Escanor doesn't know the extent of. But the most frightening fact of all is that they can choose to collect or eat the souls of any life that breathes.

That's just the average Demon. If by chance were they encounter something in the levels of that of the Ten Commandments...

If he is still nervous about facing one someday, then he almost felt sorry for the Huntsman who have no idea what's coming to them.

No. Jaune clenched his fist. No more doubts. As long as I'm still breathing, the Seven Deadly Sins will be there.

"Jaune? Did you hear what I said?" Pyrrha waved in front of his face. He snapped back to reality.

"Huh? Sorry, Pyr. What were you saying?" He scratched the back of his head, lightly cursing at himself. He's gotta find a way to stop dozing off while he's thinking.

Pyrrha tapped her fingers together, shyly glancing away. "I asked if you... wanted to form a team togeth-"

"Hey look! Is that Pyrrha Nikos?" A female voice yelled out.

"OH MY OUM! PYRRHA NIKOS?!"

"PYRRHA NIKOS!? WHERE!?"

"PLEASE SIGN MY FACE!"

It happened in a blink of an eye.

Just moments before, they were walking through a empty hallway. Not a single body in sight.

Now, a large crowd of students suddenly appeared out of nowhere, rushing and shoving one another in a blind frenzy.

Jaune and Pyrrha were forced back to back, their arms were the only means of defense against the piling bodies of crazed students.

"What's going on?!" Jaune yelled. He yelped when someone started to touch his-"Hey, hey! Watch where you're touching!"

"I'm sorry!" Pyrrha tried pushing away the endless array of flashing scrolls, photographs of herself, and waving pens. "I didn't expect so much people to recognize me here!"

What? This amount of fans is a bit too much, even for a poster girl!

He felt a hand touch his thigh again, steadily patting upwards until it stopped to his waist. Too far! Too far!

"Okay! Who's doing that? You got the wrong-hey!" The hand roughly grabbed his vest and dragged him away in the sea of legs.

"No! Jaune!" Pyrrha's cry was the last thing he heard.

-/-/-

"Oof!" And the first thing he felt was the immediate impact of his back slammed against a wall with a force of a Beowolf. It was enough to leave indent of his spine against the concrete surface, but he paid it no mind. He was more focused on the identity of his apparent kidnapper, and he had a strong feeling on who.

"Oh, it looks like I caught myself a wild Bar Boy~."

"H-Hello, Yang." The brawler's smile was innocent and sweet, yet her eyes, lilac instead of crimson, said otherwise. "How have things been?"

"Oh you know, been alright for the past few weeks." Yang pushed him harder to the wall. "I went to a night club, asked a few simple questions, but I got..." She twisted his tie. "...frustrated by the most rudest bartender there, and the place suddenly collapsed all by itself! They were so unfair that they sent most of the damage costs to my dad, and oh boy was he angry at me!"

Her tugs kept escalating, and her rage grew more so. "So tell me what you think. Does. That. Sound. Alright?"

"Well, you sure don't sound so calm-ack!"

"Second thought, never mind what you think." Yang tugged the tie for the last time, not to choke him (maybe), but it was clear she wanted him quiet. "I'm not sure why you're here, but if you were sent by Junior, tell him I will-"

"Whoa, whoa, I'm not sent by him or anyone!" He raised his hands, showing no signs of aggression. "I'm a student here, well not yet, but I am attending initiation."

He felt her grip loosen. Alright, she's willing to listen. That's a good step.

"If you're still angry about the fight, it was my fault that I instigated it, and I'm sorry." Technically she was the one who started the fight, but best not to bring that up. "How about we forget about this and start over?"

He offered a hand within the small space between them. Hopefully this is enough to make up for it. "I'm Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls of the tong-"

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" She slapped the arm away. "I'm not gonna forget that night. Not until I beat you down and make you apologize on your knees."

She... she rejected it.

He clenched a fist.

Of course she would. He should've seen this coming. This is getting no where. He was offering to be nice to her, and she outright rejected it, spat at it even.

Why does she have to be so frustrating to handle? Oh right, [Dragon's Sin of Wrath].

Since this is obviously not going as planned, he'll try a new approach. He tried his best to go through her by being gentle and patient, but clearly all she's gonna respond to is force.

Jaune felt his chest puff up, either by sudden courage or piled up frustration. Nonetheless, the feeling instinctively made him stand taller and he took one step closer to the blonde girl, already towering her by a few inches. With a smirk, he stared her down.

"Wouldn't you just lose again?" He spoke without a second thought.

Yang didn't try to back away from her spot, not even once intimidated. Rather, she had done the opposite. She gladly chose to close the distance between them, her ample bosom practically touching his own. His challenging stare never wavered, something which Yang found impressive... and so absolutely irritating!

"So you do have balls after all~" Yang smirked, and he fought Chasteté enough to know that's a look of a predator. A ferocious and hungry predator. "And here I thought you were being too easy to pick on~"

He made a show to roll his eyes. "I just don't want to hurt you too hard." Her eyes reverted back to bloodshot. He made her angrier, didn't he? Good. Let her know how it feels to be the one insulted. At least she's very easy to read.

"I was going easy on you the first time, and you caught me off guard. I'm so gonna enjoy beating you like a sack." She poked a fist to his chest. "This is between you and me. Don't tell anyone else, especially to my sister."

Eh?

He blinked.

Sister?

"Your sister goes here?"

Yang sighed. "Don't play dumb, too. She told me that she managed to make a friend here. Said he was tall, helpful, wears bad-guy-but-not-actually-bad-guy clothes, whatever that means, and some dorky glasses. When I found out she befriended you of all people, well, you already saw my reaction."

"Bad guy clothes...?" Jaune muttered. No. No way!

"I see you remembered who she is, Glasses."

She's... She's Ruby's SISTER?!

He made no attempt to hide his shock. So Ruby was the voice he heard after the bar fight! No wonder why she sounds so familiar. But them being siblings?

H-How? They don't even look alike!

"See? You do know her. Now listen here," Yang stepped out of his personal space, much to his appreciation, but he stayed still as she pointed a sharp finger at his neck. "If you do so much as ANYTHING that hurts Ruby in any way, shape, or form, I'll make sure you won't be serving drinks ever again," he felt the finger moving down to his chest. "Now that I know you're here, don't try to run away, or I will destroy you with every fiber of my being. Got that?"

No means to avoid fighting now...

"Yes, yes. I got it." Jaune dusted off the dirt on his back and fixed his tie. "So, you're not going to tell me to stay away from her or not be her friend anymore?"

Yang groaned and sucked her teeth.

"Believe me, I definitely want to, but that would definitely make Ruby upset and totally blame me for making her lose a friend again."

Again? What does she mean by again?

The blonde turned her back to him. "You're her very first friend here, and I don't know how, but you've made an impression on her."

"Yaaang! Help me! I don't want to go out like this!" The girl in question cried out. Her head head was being squeezed between two bodies and her form slowly being absorbed deeper within the abyss. Yang called for her to wait up, already walking to save Ruby before she drowns. She looked over her shoulder, giving him one last daggered glare.

"Don't think this is over. After tomorrow, I'll settle the score. Don't you dare forget."

"An Arc's promise..."

And he managed to live another day.

With a grunt, Jaune rested against the crater on the wall. That... would've gone better... He adjusted his vest once more, patting the journal inside. How Escanor handled her ancestor is beyond him.

He hopped off the wall and made his way back to the hall of which he was taken. He should hurry and help Pyrrha handling her swarm of fans. Turning a corner, he-

"Oof!"

-was yet again bumped by someone a second time today. This time, however, the person knew how to stand back rather than fall over him like Ruby.

"Sorry, I wasn't looking..."

Jaune waved it off. "Oh no, it's fine-" He paused.

The person stood before him was a girl. One with a large black ribbon that was tied above her long and equally black hair. He noticed her eyes were amber, almost cat-like to a point. Typical looking girl, someone that none would bat a second eye at in a large crowd.

What took his attention, for the most part, was the rectangle box she held behind the tower of books she somehow still holds.

It was very similar to his glasses case, except much bigger. Intricate engravings of roses and butterfly wings kept their places in the corners of the velvet case, but the symbol in the center of it all was one he recognized greatly.

The eyes of the Greedy Fox flickered brightly.

The [Fox's Sin of Greed]!

How the heck does she have something like that!? Why does she have something like that?! A case that belonged to the Fox's Sin, Ban, that she is just casually holding onto in public?

If it is Ban's, then what's inside it? It must be a weapon, judging by the shape and size. He vaguely remembers the name of it, being mentioned only a scarce amount of times in the journal...

Escanor wrote that it was believed to be long lost ever since it was stolen, and Ban never bothered to search for it. Saying that it won't make much of a change of boosting his power.

The name, what's the name? The name was... the Sacred Treasure of the Bandit King, the Holy Staff...

"Courechouse?" He muttered. He clasped his mouth shut, but it the girl had seemed to have keen hearing.

The stony expression of the black-haired teen was cracked by intense and frightened eyes. Her body moved with a combination of shock and intensity, preparing to run if need be. She hurriedly backed up, desperately clutching the books and box closer to her chest.

"Who are you? H-How do you know that name?" She hissed.

"I-It's okay! Calm down," he pronounced each word slowly and carefully. "I know who you are, and your secret is safe with me."

She took a moment to inspect him, amber eyes still lingered with caution and distrust. He could've worded that better, now that he thought about it. All that matters is to make sure she understands that he's her ally.

The awkwardness of the scene increased as the silence kept going. He made sure to give his most friendliest smile, and that his arms weren't near the sword on his hips.

"So, c-can I help you with something?"

"I still have no idea who you are."

Ah. That makes sense.

Jaune fixed himself in quick haste, ignoring how the girl flinched as he did so, and took a bow. He will not make this chance into another disastrous first impression, or else he'd make another enemy of a fellow Sin. Time for the ol' razzle dazzle.

"My name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue. Ladies love it!"

The supposed Fox Sin held still. "Arc...? As in the Arc Clan?" She sounded at awe, hopeful even.

"You know my of family?"

Her face brightened. "Of course! After all, you're family helped my own during the Fau-" She stopped herself, and coughed to her fist. "Sorry, but... let's continue after initiation. Please understand."

"Wait a second-!" The mysterious cat-like girl dashed out of his reach before he could stop her. Her body swiftly trailing through the tiny open spaces of the still roaring crowd like a shadow, books and box still at hand.

Jaune groaned and covered his face to hide his failed attempt. Why is it that when he wants to talk to someone, they would leave as soon as they can?

He shook away the thought.

Is she Ban's descendant? If she has a Sacred Treasure, then she has to be! No one else can wield a weapon like that so easily! Well she wasn't exactly wielding it, per se, but she still has it in her possession! AND she knows about the Arcs! No doubt something she learned from reading Ban's journal!

Jaune would've jumped for joy if not for the sudden back pain, and opted to smile instead.

Two out of six Sins found, and I haven't even graduated yet! Woohoo!

He pumped his fist to the air. If this keeps up, then they'll go save the world by the time they're second year!

"I'm sorry, I'm not giving out any autographs at the moment! Please understand!" Pyrrha begged, but her fans showed now signs of stopping.

But first things first, time to save his friend.

-/-/-

"Sorry that you had to see that..." The Mistralian gladiator slumped against the large pillow of her sleeping bag. Her orange pajamas wrinkled beneath the warm blanket. "If I knew, I would've tried to-"

"Nah, it's alright, Pyr." Jaune unfolded his blanket, exposing an image of a Y-pose knight and a sun above it. "You're a mascot, so being recognized isn't something unusual. But I never expected that so many people like Pumpkin Pete's cereal so much."

He stood on his own bag where he'd set up near the window, the moonlight painting his body. The simple, clean vest he wore was replaced with his Pumpkin Pete's limited edition hoodie-which Pyrrha cooed at his expense-and simple black sweatpants.

He took the moment to follow up his nightly stretching routine. He arched his back, twisted his torso, and flexed his tired arms and chest. Every single movement would cause the fabric to stretch and stick to his body, all the more to him feeling fresh and sleepy once he'd finished getting all the pops and tension out.

He never noticed the attention he was gaining from onlookers of the opposite gender in the entire room.

"So what happened when you were dragged away?" Pyrrha asked, taking out her scroll that flashed every few seconds.

"Nothing worrying. Just another fan who thought they grabbed you but got me instead." He bent back to avoid meeting her gaze. He hated to lie to his first friend, but it's the best for now. "If it weren't for Goodwitch, I bet we wouldn't have made it out alive!"

Said strict woman was still continuing to discipline the students in the hallways. He couldn't hear what she was saying when the two of them were pulled away from the clutches of those fans, but whatever it is had sent shivers down the poor souls' spines.

Sucks to be them.

To his far right was Ruby in her own adorable pajamas writing something down in a diary, and Yang was there lying down next to her. The brawler chose to wear a loose fitting orange tank-top.

He made note of the lavender cloth covering her tattoo. Then there's that black-haired girl he met not too long ago. She was sitting against a wall, her outfit changed into a yukata that revealed her legs.

In her arms was a book, though not Ban's Journal seeing the ninja cover, and he assumed she'd hidden the Sacred Treasure somewhere else from prying eyes.

He'll talk to her again, sure, but so far he's known her-which isn't saying much-she's very...

Quiet?

Isolated?

Mysterious?

She knows his family and has some knowledge of the Seven Deadly Sins, reacting to the name Courechouse and her security levels rising to the max. Was she given the same mission as he did? She's taking up initiation, so do they both share the general idea to search the world and find the others?

He wanted to walk up to her, to make her tell him the answers to all of his questions and vice versa, but he stopped himself just before he sunk in his desperation.

It can wait. He can wait.

He won't act like a needy child. Being impatient would ruin his chances of befriending her and gain her trust. If she wants to talk after initiation, then he'll respect her wishes. Besides, it looks like Yang and Ruby already made their move to talk to her. Although the latter was being dragged by the former, and she moved in an awkward, if not rigid, style in her step.

Ruby managed to recover and introduced herself to...

to...

uh...

I don't even know her name.

"Hello! What's your name? Wow you're tall! How tall are you? I like your hoodie!"

He blinked once. Twice. Thrice as his head tilted down to discover someone jumping in front of him with a look that states 'I like sugar! A LOT of sugar with a side of Pepschnee!'

Her orange-hair and light-blue eyes focused with childlike wonder, and an amulet of a brown war-hammer rested over her chest.

"Nora, I thought I told you not to disturb others." Another person walked in. A girl-no no, a guy, definitely a guy- with a single streak of pink in his hair wearing green flower pajamas. "We don't want to be kicked out before we even attend Beacon."

"Aw~, but Reeeen! I have a good feeling with him! My legs don't lie!" Nora patted the upper thigh of her short pink leggings. "If I got a good feeling then you must've got it too!"

"That still doesn't mean we should act on it at a moments notice." Ren dragged the hyperactive girl away and turned to him. "Sorry, I hope we weren't being rude."

"Oh no, you weren't!" Jaune waved off. "A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. I'm Jaune Arc."

"Lie Ren," he bowed. "And she is-"

"Noraaaaa Valkyrie! Boop!" Nora pounced on his back out of nowhere, clinging onto his shoulders like a sloth. She then moved on to poke at his arms and back. "You're tall, but you feel like rock! We should train together! Ooh! We should be gym buddies! But wait, Renny is already my gym buddy, so how about-"

Jaune made no move to shake her away, kindly choosing to tune her out and talk to her more calmer companion.

"Can't wait for tomorrow?" He asked.

"I've heard initiation for Beacon was very difficult, so I wanted to sleep early," Ren let out a long yawn. "Which reminds me, Nora come down."

"Nope! If I do that I'd fall!" She swayed around his neck and hopped on his shoulders. "You gotta try this, Renny! I can see everyone in the room from here!"

"I'm not that tall."

"Not from my point-of-view you are!"

"Excuse me! Don't you realize some of us are trying to sleep!?"

The trio-quartet if you include Pyrrha who was simply witnessing the scene-faced a very frustrated snow-white haired Schnee. The blue nightgown she wore sparkled in the room.

"Snow Angel!" Jaune welcomed her with open arms and face crushed between two thighs.

"Oh not you again! Stay away from me!"

"Another person you met recently?" Pyrrha guessed. "You've surely been right with meeting a lot of people today."

"Oh, Pyrrha Nikos!" Weiss fixed herself and flashed an innocent smile at the cereal girl. "I apologize if I disturbed you, but it seems these reckless hooligans won't let anyone nearby have some peace and quiet."

"Hey! Get your facts straight. I ain't no hooligan! I'm not trying to be an owl!"

"What? That doesn't make any sense-why would owls-"

"Don't challenge the Queen, child!"

"Correction, I'm a Heiress not a child-wait why am I arguing with-ugh, this is getting ridiculous!"

"Nora, stop, or no hugging Sir Scrabbleton ever again." Ren lifted up a large green pillow with pink lotus patterns.

This, miraculously, ceased the ginger to continue her reign of backtalk. With a grunt, she hopped off of Jaune and crossed her arms.

"I had the high ground..."

"Finally! Took you long enough to listen to some logic." Weiss sighed. "Be fortunate that I don't have to call Professor Goodwitch over to settle this idiotic commotion. Goodnight." She flicked her hair and strutted off.

"She's really something, huh?" Jaune said.

Very commanding, authoritative, and knows how to express herself in a conversation.

Mom and Auntie Olivier would love her!

"She was honestly quite harsh with her words," Pyrrha commented. "But she's right, it's late and we need our sleep for tomorrow."

Jaune sat down in his bed and bid the two teens goodnight. "It was nice to meet you guys! Good luck in initiation."

"Good luck as well. Have a good night." Ren bowed.

"Don't let the Grimm-bugs bite!" Nora waved as she hugged the giant green pillow.

The lights of the room dimmed until only the moonlight was left in its wake. Jaune stared at the window, and he briefly touched the journal tucked inside his hoodie.

There are so many unique people here at Beacon, so much to protect, so much to do, so much to see.

He'll do what he can to make sure their future is safe. That, he swears.

-/-/-

*Beep Beep*

"This will be the day we've waited for~! This will be the day we open up the door~!"

*Click*

I should change the alarm clock.

Jaune was the first to wake up, the sky still pitch black. He did some of his early morning stretches and carefully packed up his bed as to not interrupt the other sleeping students. He did find it strange that Pyrrha was eerily closer to his bed than it was last night.

Morning breakfast came by fast-the pancakes aren't good as mom's-and he made his way to the lockers.

"Alright, the papers say it was locker number 636..." Jaune fumbled with the sheet, twisting and turning the piece of paper. "Towards area-J22, section 19-81, then make a left from... here?"

Ugh, why is this so complicated to search for a single locker-?

"Watch where you're looking, nerd!"

A guy with burnt-orange hair, that by no means wasn't in front of him before, bumped against his shoulder like a speeding truck. Jaune flinched, but didn't fall nor stumble from the rough impact.

He checked to see the guy rubbing his shoulder, letting out a regrettable and pained groan as he walked.

Well, that happened. Now the locker should be... aha!

A few feet away, he saw the glowing blue locker number on its door. And it's right behind...

Snow Angel~

She's still dauntingly beautiful as ever, graciously smiling and her hair swinging hypnotically.

Her outfit was still the same as the first time they've met, a mix of chilling white on the outside and fiery red on the inside. Strapped to her side was a silver weapon, a fencing sword with a gun barrel atop of its handle.

Then there's Pyrrha chatting with her, wearing her battle outfit and perfectly ready for initiation. He acknowledged the weapon strapped to her back, a fellow sword and shield user. For some reason her face seemed mildly annoyed and tired. Snow Angel doesn't seem to notice it, either.

Seeing as they're both pretty well-prepared, he should be as well. But it's quite difficult when the white beauty is in the way...

"Excuse me, Snow Angel?" Jaune tapped her shoulder. The polite expression she wore flipped to a scorned gaze.

"Are you trying to ruin my mornings as well?" Weiss spun around with hands on her hips. "I'm having a polite conversation with Pyrrha Nikos, and you just have the gall to come here and be rude to us!"

His eyes widened, hands shaking in the air. "N-No, please don't misunderstand! I'm just trying to-"

"To what? Ask for me to be your partner? I will have to decline. That spot is already filled in, right Pyrrha?" Weiss smirked.

Pyrrha glanced to the side. "Well I'm not quite sure about that, I was planning on letting the chips fall where they may."

"Partners?" Jaune tilted his head. "I thought we'll be in teams of four?"

An annoyed scoff left the Snow Angel's lips. "Teams are comprised of four students each, but only after initiation! Today is for when we decide who to partner up before teams are assigned."

"Oh, that makes sense." Jaune moved his attention to Pyrrha. "Want to be partners, Pyr?"

She nodded. "Of co-"

"Who are you to speak so freely towards Pyrrha Nikos?" Weiss interrupted. "Do you have any idea who you're actually talking to?"

"Well, I know I'm her friend." That fact is true. "And I know that Pyr's a very famous athletic poster girl."

Famous and pretty enough to be recognized by everyone at Beacon and to be on Pumpkin Pete's cereal.

"Poster girl?" Weiss repeated, mouth agape. "She isn't just some poster girl! She's-!"

"Uh, Weiss!" Pyrrha pointed over her shoulder. "I think Jaune wants to open his locker!"

The Heiress, unfazed by the sudden interruption, looked at the locker and back to him, then back to the locker.

"Oh."

With a dignified cough and a slight hue of red on her face, Weiss gave him access to the metallic box. "You should've said so earlier."

Nodding his thanks to Pyrrha, Jaune entered his password and opened the locker. "What the-?"

*Clshshshsh*

Crashing down like a waterfall, a surprising amount of ALL of his stuff that was sent to Beacon reached up to his knees. Clothes, books, Lien cards, armor and all. "I was wondering where they've placed these..." Leave it to Beacon to find a way to somehow shove all of this in a single box.

"W-What are you doing?!" Weiss yelled.

"Hm?" Jaune faced her, stopping his shirt just above his chest. "I'm changing."

"In public?! Have some sense of decency!" The Schnee turned away.

"My sisters told me it's normal for Huntsmen to change outfits with other Huntsmen," He tried to reason.

Chasteté was the one who said it's perfectly fine-ignoring the weird mention that most guys would do it to impress the ladies-and Uncle Alex was there to back up her statement. What followed after was a strong punch to the head by Gentilesse and Auntie Olivier upon the two blondes.

"If you like, I could do it quick."

"Go change in one of the changing rooms!"

"But that's going to take too long." With a pull, the hoodie was off. Only his front was facing the two Huntresses. "Everyone is already in their gear, so I need to change right now."

Weiss averted her eyes. "Pyrrha, help me here!" She hoped the Mistralian champion would bring some sense to this dolt's head-

"I'm fine with this," Pyrrha stated, her face frozen and lips thinned. "As he says, it's perfectly normal for us future Huntsman."

"This kind of behavior should not be encouraged!"

"I'm done." They two girls turned their attention back to the tall blonde, icy blue slightly observant and emerald green impressed.

The ancient armor that was displayed at the Arc Vault many years ago was given a few modernized upgrades.

The left shoulder pauldron, right gauntlet, and greaves were given a new shining white paint job and a brighter rose gold trim. The Arc emblem on the pauldron was slightly changed personally for him, displaying a giant axe slicing through the two crescent moons.

The black pants he wore was made by Lapatience with a special material she created called 'Flex String': thin fabric that can patch, bond, seal, and repair itself every time it's torn.

Then the belt-given to him by Charité-was added in to piece the look all together. He could remember her laughing when she managed to find a buckle that says 'Shine' in bold cursive.

One of the new additions to the armor was the new plated pieces that go up to his torso, covering his sides and lower back whilst exposing only his abs. This was an addition that Genti said was to protect his ribs, and a nice way to emphasize his 'Infamous Arc Pecs and Abs'.

But the last and his most favorite upgrade was the new function that Lapatience designed into the cape.

Pulling his arms back in the fabric and making sure he found the two holes, he pushed his arms through and the dark green cape transformed into a stylish jacket! The white fur pelt and outlining helped accentuating his form. Adjusting his glasses, Jaune flexed an arm as Uncle Alex taught him.

"Does it looks nice?" He wasn't too shy to not proudly display the reworked outfit to others.

"Hmph. I have to admit, the one who tailored it is quite skilled." Weiss noted.

A compliment! Snow Angel complimented him!

"Shame it's being wasted by a dolt."

Something in his chest broke.

"Now then, I shall take my leave" Weiss strutted away.

"I think it suits you, Jaune." Pyrrha comforted him, a gesture he gladly appreciated. Strapping Crocea Mors to his hip, Jaune changed the red jacket back to a cape.

I didn't even had a chance to show off my Lion...

"Attention, all first year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately. Attention." The speakers announced.

Well, that will be a matter he'll care for another time. Time to show the world what he can do!

-/-/-

"The task is simple. Make you way to the ruins in the center of the forest and collect only one relic," the headmaster said as he faced them. The sky still dark, and the moon began to show signs of going down. "Take note, that even though the Grimm are in less numbers than they were for the past few years, the strongest of their kind remains."

The students raised their weapons, some excited to face such fears monsters.

"It is ill advised to face them head on with your current experience, and though the night is almost over, it still brings the creatures of darkness challenging strength. We don't wish to send any families with what's left over of you."

A few weapons lowered, except one hammer raised even higher.

"As for the matters of partners," Goodwitch began. "It is a vital choice to which will affect the next four years of your training. You will be with them and them to you, coinciding together for perhaps even beyond what you expected."

"With that said," Ozpin sipped his cup. "The first person you make eye contact with will be your partner."

Jaune heard an incomprehensible shout, followed by a desolated whimper. Sounded like it came from Ruby.

They witnessed the headmaster whispering some instructions to the stern, blonde woman and with a confirming nod, she presses the buttons of her pad.

He saw Snow Angel being launched off from the platform, Nora trailing behind and Ren seemingly floating through the air with his guns and... a pillow?

The student next to him was launched, marking him the next. Taking his position, Jaune unsheathed his sword and opened his shield. He won't be needing magic for this one!

The ground launched him through the air, and his face met the rushing feeling of the wind whipping at his body.

"Wahooo~!"

His heart kept pumping faster with the adrenaline, and he couldn't help but raise his sword forward like a soaring hero!

To his left he saw Yang-wearing a pilot's helmet?- boosting herself with her shotgun gauntlets. Impressive. And Snow Angel is gracefully falling down with some sort of platform. It eerily looks like... magic-?

He sensed something coming close. Something aimed at him. Something flying alarmingly fast! Changing his angle in mid-air and sheathing his sword, Jaune immediately grabbed the unknown flying projectile before it could hit his cape.

It was a spear, and from the color scheme he was confident on who threw it at him. With a knowing grin, Jaune saw its user waving at him on a tree branch, motioning for him to hold on to it. She must have a plan, trusting him enough with her weapon.

He'll trust her, too, assuming the weapon has some sort of tracking device implanted.

His focus paid back to the ever closing ground, and he shielded himself from the leaves and small branches. With the spear, he spun the weapon and drilled his path straight through the thick tree trunks like they were paper!

As soon as his feet reached the ground, he rolled and flipped his body to a low crouch, his cape billowing to the wind. Lesson Number Two, I love you.

Jaune stood up, checking his surroundings. Large grassy area, small boulders scattered everywhere, a few bushes here and there. No signs of... anyone really.

*Snap*

He raised his shield and pointed the spear at the noise. Someone nearby? No, too large for a human, and bigger than a normal animal.

Just his luck, he was unfortunately right.

The shadow emerged from behind the bushes, a pair of glowing yellow eyes sunken in a bony masked growled right back him. Then another pair appeared. Then another. The same pairs of creatures are coming out from all sides, forcing him to stand at the center of it all. They growled, snapping their jaws wildly at him, and began to crawl around him in a tight circle.

A pack of Beowolves. Average in size, not much bone plating. No signs of a leader nearby, but they're cautious. Unnaturally so.

They all stopped. Each one a fair distance from another, and they all took position to pounce.

Organized too.

They have him completely surrounded. Feet firmly on the ground, back arched, shield and spear raised, he waited.

A single black feather fell from the sky.

They all watched it reaching down ever so slowly.

Closer, and closer to the grass.

And once it touched the single green blade...

"ROAAAAR!"

With an earsplitting roar, the Grimm all leaped at him with insane haste. Jaune jumped straight up, managing to avoid a barrage of razor sharp claws. On his way down, he speared through three that were pouncing and passed through the ash. With a swift foot, he managed to bounce off of one of the Grimm's back, and blocked another bony claw as he reached the ground. He pushed away the soulless creature and stabbed its chest. The beast let out a pained cry.

He kept repeating the same pattern. Always etched into his memory.

Observe.

Dodge.

Attack.

Repeat.

More Beowolves continued to attack, their killing intent increasing and lashes more desperate. The boulders around them were destroyed by Grimm being slammed to them, causing rubble to spill everywhere.

Ugh, did these Grimm appear just to annoy him-? "Woah!" Jaune leaned back from another claw, but slipped over the pieces of rubble. Great, he's losing more footing, and it's getting increasingly difficult to take them down.

Attacking with a spear is very much different than a sword!

Time for a change of tactics. Jaune changed the shield back to its scabbard and unsheathed the sword, pouring a large flow of Aura through the handle. The sudden white shine blinded the crying Grimm, causing them to back away. Yeah! Fear the light!

He took advantage of their moment of weakness and swung a full arch at the group! Their heads cut cleaned from their bodies by a powerful slice of Aura. They all crumbled down like broken statues. But another row of Grimm had taken their place.

Even that wasn't enough to stop their numbers?! Why are there still more!?

The more he kept killing one Beowolf, three more would filled its place. He was starting to feel strained with these powered up monsters...

Ozpin said the Grimm population is low, so he assumed he would be facing only one or two on his way to the relics.

Then why, again, were there waves of Beowolves attacking him!? And they're all too keen on killing him!

"Jaune! I'm here!" Pyrrha called out from above a tree. She held out a hand, and the spear was pulled away from his grasp. She jumped down and landed at his side. Their backs touched, each one facing their own half of the circle.

Whipping out his shield, Jaune readied his sword. Pyrrha mirroring the same.

He was the first to attack, flashing another blinding light. Pyrrha shifted her spear into a rifle, cleanly shooting the heads before they could recover. Jaune flipped to the air and landed a solid dropkick directly on a Beowolf's face, hearing its mask cracking open and knocking the beast down! He glanced at his newfound partner.

"Watch out from-!"

"The left?" Pyrrha smacked away a pouncing Grimm with her shield, the metal resounding a gong as it connected. "Two more from-!"

"Behind!" They both pushed against two Beowolves, and in perfect unison they crashed the creatures into each other, followed up with a slice down and beheaded them. "That should... be enough..." Jaune heaved between breaths.

Pyrrha, with half lidded eyes, grinned merrily at him. "We make a pretty good-"

"Team?" Jaune nodded confidently. "Yeah, we really do, don't we?"

A long sigh had escaped from her lips. His messy blonde of mop hair flowed from the wind, sweat running down his neck and exposed muscles. Before Pyrrha knew it, she felt her body leaning in, closing her eyes, lips preparing to-

"We need to find the relics soon before more Grimm show up," Jaune said, kneeling down to observe the disintegrating corpses.

"Uh, y-yeah. The relics..." Pyrrha snapped back to reality, faking a cough to hide an embarrassed flush threatening to reveal itself. Curse her wild thoughts of her imagination. It took most of her strength to prevent more blood from rushing in to her face. She paid no mind of the grumbling disappointed laid in her gut.

Oblivious to this, Jaune noticed the ashes of the fallen Grimm weren't evaporating away like normal. "This is... different." He shined the light at the scene. The black particles were being pulled by some force, forming a trail of ash to a single direction in the air.

"Where do you think it leads to?" Pyrrha asked.

"I'm not sure," he felt his spine tingling, urging him to follow the trail. "But this is something we can't just ignore. Let's go."

-/-/-

They kept following the swirling ash, where, even more strangely, the Grimm were nowhere to be seen. Soon, they stumbled upon the entrance of a massive cave. The long trial kept flowing continuously inside. If that wasn't ominous enough, the painted markings on the side of the wall's entrance signaled a foreboding danger from deep within.

Jaune spun the sword in hand. "Pyrrha, keep watch. I'll go in." He concentrated some Aura to his sword, the glow growing brighter.

"Alone? I don't think that's a good idea," the gladiator stood close. "I'll go with you."

"It'll be fine, Pyr. I'll shout if I'm in trouble," he ushered her to stay at the entrance. "There could be a relic in there, you never know." If this cave leads to what he think it leads, it could provide a way to prevent the Demons from being summoned.

Pyrrha had an unsure look in her eye, but nodded somewhat begrudgingly. "Just be careful in there, Jaune..."

Entering the cave, he made sure to keep a constant hand on the wall, using the bright sword to show his path. He checked back to see that the light of the entrance is gone. Only the darkness of the cave enclosing him.

M-Maybe I should've brought Pyrrha after all... He nervously poured in more Aura to his only source of light, feeling a lot more safer as the light shows more of the cave. Hm? What's this?

To his surprise there are more paintings on the walls, this time portraying some kind of story. Tiny figures wielding weapons are encircling some giant shadow. The further he walks, the more the markings unravel a fierce battle of the tiny figures-knights, seeing their shape-against the dark humanoid figure.

One figure-one with a large axe-swung down its chest, weakening the creature. Then white lines, which he assumes is some kind of rope, were thrown over the giant and was pulled down, forcing the shadow to kneel. They roughly dragged the shadow into a small cave, and another figure-with four white wings-had sealed it with a white circle, baring the symbol of-

The Goddess Clan?

He stopped before a giant wall. No, not a wall. A large stone gate. Large enough to fit a horde of Goliaths. On that gate was a huge black mark, a swirl with spikes, splashed against the surface. Pulsating a beating rhythm.

D-Demon Clan...

The long flow of ash particles are seeping into the cracks and entering whats on the other side. His hand lightly touched the concrete surface, an uneasy feeling rose up to his chest.

Something is in there. Something very old and alive. This is going to be something he'll be regretting pretty soon, isn't it? Raising Crocea Mors, he placed the sharp tip between the gate and sliced down, easily opening the thick entrance.

Here goes nothing.

Jaune cautiously walked in head first, shield up and weapon pointed at what dangers may await.

"Achoo! S-So cold!" He kept his composure. The atmosphere in this secluded room really was cold, unnaturally so. He can barely see a thing, despite having the light of the sword. Pouring even more Aura to the handle, the room became somewhat clearer. The light reflected off of some glass

He looked up.

And the soulless eyes of a monstrous metallic skull met his face.

"HOLY OUM!" Jaune tripped in shock, unceremoniously landing on his back. He steadied Crocea Mors and covered himself with the white shield. "I-I'm not afraid of you! Come at me!"

The skull didn't move an inch.

"Uh, hello?" He waved his blade at its face.

It still didn't move.

Okay... Glad nobody's here to see that.

He moved to stand, keeping his eyes on the creature. He shined in more light and sighed in relief.

It was encased in transparent brown glass, arms crossed over its chest and head tilted lifelessly. The thing was wearing full plating armor, spikes and bone sprouting out the exposed cracks. There was a sword next to the Demon, too. Almost a meter in length and equally gruesome as the armor itself.

What kind of Demon is this? A purple one? Clearly a completely different type, and it's attracting the ash-

A gust of wind went past his feet. He lowered the light, and he froze at the sight.

The floor is completely covered in a sea of ash, spinning and flying like a hive of wasps. This isn't good. The black particles were being absorbed into the Demon, completely bypassing its glass container.

*Ba-Bump*

Then he heard it. A deep, empty pulse.

*Ba-Bump, Ba-Bump*

Two bright purple flames lit up in the eye sockets of the skull, floating down to stare. Not at him, but through. All the way to his soul. W-what is this...! His stomach churned against the overwhelming darkness that poured out from every inch of its body, and felt his own heart stop for a second.

This pressure... so powerful...!

*C-CRSH!*

Wide cracks form upon the glass.

*CRSH! CRSHCSH!*

His legs are shaking, refusing to move against his will. His breath hitched as pebbles of cracks fell at his feet.

This feeling is completely unlike the Grimm.

It was on a whole other level, the sheer difference in strength was drowning him, choking him.

The top of the glass crumbled down, the upper torso of the Purple Demon finally freed from its prison. Shallow breaths echoed through its wolf-like snout.

"Y...Youuuu..." The Demon sounded desolate, reverberating the walls like an endless abyss. The head leaned close to his shield. "...A...Arrrrrrrrrc...?"

It knows his family name.

It recognizes his symbol.

Though the skull never moved, the unbridled fury bubbling beneath exploded.

"AAAAAAAAAARC!" With new found rage, the glass kept breaking more and more. The massive skeletal hand stretched out. Reaching to grip his very soul.

He needs to run.

Run!

RUN!

Jaune made a mad dash out of the room, careful to not trip on any rocks and letting the sword guide his way. He heard monster's roar echoed the cave walls behind him, further increasing his desperation to escape. As soon as he spotted red hair, he shouted out. "Pyrrha, we gotta go!"

"What? What happened in there!" Pyrrha called back.

"On a count of three, run! Ready?" He was almost out, just a few more feet. He can see her puzzled face clearly as day.

"Um-"

"RUUUN! RUN LIKE YOU MEAN IT!"

He grabbed her by the hand and ran to a random direction. He didn't care where they'd go, as long as they're far away from that cave then they're fine. Sounds of stone being crushed and pushed reached their ears, and Pyrrha looked back. She gasped.

Out of the small cave, a large purple Grimm forced its way through, wildly thrashing out with sword in hand. It spotted them dead in the night.

"AAAAAAAARC!"

"Jaune, what is that thing?!"

"I don't know! Just run and find the others before it catches us!"

The monster was following them on all fours like a savage animal, only one arm swinging around its sword to slice up nearby boulders. They maneuvered around the trees, hoping it would lose their tail, but they ducked as the sword simply cut through them like nothing.

"ROOOOOOAAAAR!"

"It's gaining on us!" Jaune cursed. He can't believe he's running away from his first Demon encounter. A Demon that was never seen before no less! No tactics came up in his mind, no thoughts of lessons popped up, only a single instinct to run away is what he's listening to.

Coward.

He's such a coward!

On his hip, the familiar weight of Crocea Mors gave him an idea to slow down the monster. It might not be much, but it should do the trick. He gripped the hilt tightly.

"Take this!"

He aimed a perfect slice of Aura directly at its face, the Purple Demon stopped in its tracks and let out an agonizing cry.

Looks like they managed to lose it for now.

In the distance, he was relieved to see Yang and the black-haired girl gathering near pillars of chest pieces.

Then a girlish scream came from above. From the corner of his eye, a red blur landed on a tree, and not soon after a sparkling white was falling straight down.

Snow Angel!

"Pyrrha, boost!" He sprung to the air. Without a word, Pyrrha raised her shield. Concentrating whatever much Aura to his legs, he ricochet off of the shield and launched to Weiss with open arms.

Like a true hero straight out of a fairy tale, he successfully caught her in a bridal hold.

"I never expected to catch a real falling angel in this world." Jaune made sure to wink, a wise move from Uncle Alex. Though the move was smooth, thee ice princess was focused on more important details of their situation.

"Quit the compliments and watch where you're landing, fool!"

"Oh, right!" Carefully landing on his feet-and by careful he meant sloppily- he tripped over a patch of dirt and skidded across the grass face first. Weiss landed on his back not soon after.

"Ugh, at least you are useful at being a cushion," the Schnee hopped off, leaving him in the dirt.

My back... He groaned. Pyrrha helped him up, and he spat out leftover grass lingering on his tongue.

Yang stifled a laugh. "I didn't know you were so down to earth, Bar Boy!" He chose to ignore the female Sin, and opted to talk to her black-haired partner.

"You guys seen the others yet?"

"Is one of them an energetic ginger with a hammer?" She asked.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"She's riding an Ursa," she pointed at the trees. True to her word, there was Nora having the time of her life on the back of a giant Grimm like a rodeo machine. Though it was short lived as bolts of pink electricity shocked the Ursa, its limp body falling down right in front of the group.

"Aww, it broke..." Nora pouted. She hopped off the motionless beast. "I knew I should've let Renny let me use Sir Scrabbleton."

"Nora!" Ren caught up to them out of breath. The large green pillow he had was strapped to his back. "Don't... ever do that... again!" He panted between words.

"ATTENTION." They raised their heads to speaker above the pillars. "All students within the vicinity MUST evacuate to the hills immediately, regardless if they have a relic or not. An unknown and potentially dangerous Grimm has appeared within the forest. ATTENTION."

Without wasting time, they all collected their individual chest pieces.

"An unknown Grimm?" Ruby repeated atop of a tree branch. "What did they mean by-?"

"ROAAAAAAAAR!"

Emerging from the forest with a swinging sword, the Purple Demon stood up on its hind legs. Its skeletal face scarred, but showed no signs of blindness. Its warped armor shone in what's left of the moonlight.

"That's the unknown Grimm!?" Weiss held up her rapier, disgusted by its appearance. "It must be a type of Geist, one that must have possessed an ancient suit of armor!"

"No, it isn't," Jaune positioned to a guard stance. "It's ancient, but that's no Geist. Look!"

The Purple Demon raised its sword. The black metal hummed loudly as the nearby Ursa corpse disintegrated and absorbed into the weapon. The Demon grew in proportion, and the armor's cracks disappearing.

"Don't forget about the flying Nevermore in the sky!" Ruby aimed up her sniper rifle. The bird Grimm was cawing dangerously from above.

"K-Kill... you..." The Demon's voice was hoarse, its weapon pointed at the group.

Nora gasped. "Oh my gosh! Renny, this one talks! That's so cool!"

"I don't think a creature of Grimm talking is a good thing," Pyrrha commented.

"Whatever it is," Yang raised her fists, gauntlets armed. "I'm gonna destroy it!" Blasting at high speeds, Yang sent an array of Dust shots point-blank at the Demon's thick skull head. Ruby was acting as support, shooting the Purple Demon as well as the closing Nevermore.

"I can't shoot both at the same time! Weiss, help me!" Ruby reloaded another shot.

"Don't order me what to do!"

Despite her harsh tone, a glyph of swords formed behind her. Aiming her rapier at the Nevermore, the glyph shot out a swarm of ice wasps that each left a piercing sting on the flying monster's bone. The creature retreated back to the skies.

Whoa, they're good... Jaune shook his head and focused on the Purple Demon. Yang managed to avoid its swings, but was struggling to wear down the armor.

"Come on! We can take it together!" He called to the others. They all agreed, and with haste they dashed to help the brawler. The black-haired girl managed to tie down the feet of the Demon with a rope from her weapon, immobilizing it to one place. Ren, despite the oversize pillow, easily kept up and shot the arms with green dual pistols, preventing it to swing effectively.

Then there's Nora swinging her hammer like a maniac at its legs.

The Demon let out an ear-piercing cry, its movements becoming more wild and unpredictable. One of its swings was going towards Pyrrha.

"Watch out!" Jaune pushed her away just in time. The swing was going fast, and he quickly focused on shielding his body with a coat of Aura.

Only to feel nothing.

No, not now! I know I have some left in me!

*Thwack!*

"GAH!" It was too late, the attack connected at his chest. The strength was enough to fly him across the air and skid across the earth like a rag doll, a trail of blood painting the soil.

His glasses fell to the side, but he made no motion to grab them.

"Shit, Bar Boy!" Yang ducked the heavy swing.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha cried, only to shield herself from bladed feathers of the Nevermore.

-/-/-

"Ozpin, we must intervene! They can not survive against such an abomination, let alone with another dangerous Grimm from above!"

Glynda watched the footage of the group doing their best to slay the unknown Grimm. Her worries became clear as Rouge's only son was hit by its weapon.

"Though this was unexpected, you have no need to grow concern, Glynda," Ozpin sipped his cup, not a sight of distress on his composed expression. "But for the meanwhile, can you tell me what time it is?"

"What?" The woman was perplexed by the sudden question. "It should be dawn, but why does that matter?!"

"Let us watch and see."

-/-/-

There was pain. Excruciating pain across his chest.

He cared not.

He can feel the stinging grass against his body. His wound opening from his breaths and becoming fatal.

He cared not.

A massive wave of shame washed over him. He embraced the waves of shame and disgust with welcoming arms.

It was unfair.

He finally had his first encounter against a real life Demon, and ran away from it like a scared kitten. He was the first one to get hit, and now the first one to die.

Was all of his training for naught? Did he already fail to save anyone before he even began?

The thought alone was unbearable... at least... give him the strength to hold his sword-

A glint caught in his eye.

Which grew to a rising shine.

Then to a bright beam.

It brought warmth to his skin, the coldness melting away like a glacier. The transparent warmth transformed into solid heat, spreading throughout his spine to to his limbs.

It feels so... comforting. It feels...

"So... pleasant..."

The night sky succumbed to the rising sun, the hue becoming a mad orange. His muscles grew in surprising proportions, and the fur of his cape stood on end. The fatal wound on his chest had already healed, leaving not a single scar.

What perfect timing.

He stood up from his crater. There was a mountain of courage swelling in his chest, and the fears he had harbored have subsided into nothingness. As more and more power grows within him, the more he straightens up.

What was he so scared of again? What was he fearing his life for?

Ah, that's right.

Patiently, like a lion treading its path towards its prey, Jaune strode to the Demon. Each step upon the grass burned to a crisp beneath his feet.

The Purple Demon stopped its tracks as he enters its vision. Not soon after, the group, too, stopped their tracks. A growing surge of heat came near, sweat beginning to slide down their necks.

"Uh, I feel so hot and bothered! What's going on?!"

"Keep it in your pants, Blake!" Yang wiped off the sweat from her brow. She knew this heat from somewhere...

Pyrrha was the first to figure out where the source of the sudden heat came from.

"This is..."

Everyone watched as the towering form of Jaune Arc took his time to shift his cape into a jacket. Then, as if like magic, the fabric's colors turned from forest green to a fiery white, revealing a red roaring lion on his back.

As each second passes, his grin grew ever higher.

"Hello there." His voice was so deep and so full of pride that it almost seems to be emanating from the sun itself.

The Demon clenched its weapon, an animalistic snarl escaped from its jaws that shook the trees.

"ESCANOOOOOOOOR!"

Jaune flipped his air. "Ho? It seems you are confusing me with someone else."

The Demon, in unbridled rage, sliced off the black rope and closed the distance between them in an instant. Skeletal arm pulled back, the sword charged a thrust for his head.

It was a thrust that was on par with lightning, in terms of speed. Perhaps even exceeding way beyond. Certainly, to the naked eye, such an attack cannot be avoided no matter how much one would train.

But to Jaune, as his power grows, he could only think of one thing...

So slow.

A slight tilt of his head, like a simple cracking of the neck, was enough to dodge the ever sharp jet-black blade. The force behind it releasing a powerful gust of wind that nearly blew everyone away, even reached all the way up to Beacon Hill.

Hmph. A pretty strong thrust for a Demon.

Before, when he was in the cave, the monster was easily double-no, thrice the size of his height. It was already leagues above him in comparison to his embarrassing, sunless form.

Until the praiseful sun shined upon him.

Now the difference was gone, both being of equal height.

And he's still showing signs of growing.

Wrapping the double edged blade with a muscular hand, Jaune laughed at the memory that he found the Demon so terrifying in the first place. Such unfortunate luck, this creature has. After all the centuries of being sealed in that tomb, it has come all the way here to finally brace death.

With little to no effort, the blade melted into black mush in his palm. Then with the other hand, he punched at its chest, sending the Demon in a bloody trail.

But it doesn't seem to be enough to finish the vile monster.

Blood splattered at the Demon's feet, it pressed a heavy hand over its heart.

What else will it do? Thought Jaune. It's disarmed and weakened, only the handle was left its grip. Perhaps encouraging it would help it move.

-/-/-

The group of teens present witnessed the bizarre scene in front of them. Most are confused, some thought nothing else and could only shake in place, and others in complete awe.

"I-is that Jaune?" Ruby gawked at the muscled blonde. That is not the Glasses that she knows.

"That's Bar Boy alright," Yang made sure of it. Face is the same, but he's different from before, a complete one-eighty in his body and personality.

Nora bounced. "See, Renny! I told you so! I told you he's the real deal!"

"I never said he wasn't, Nora."

-/-/-

Goodwitch faced the screen with eyes the size of dinner plates.

"Ozpin, how is this even..."

"As a warrior of sunlight in an old tale once said, 'Praise the sun', Glynda."

Ozpin gazed at the horizon, letting the orange painting over him.

"'Praise the sun.'"

-/-/-

With a flip of his collared mane, Jaune presented himself like that of a king.

"Escanor has long since passed this world. I am the current [Lion's Sin of Pride] of the Seven Deadly Sins, Lord Jaune!"

"AAAAAAAAARC!"

The Purple Demon released a shrieking cry, but not one that was aimed at him. Rather, the Nevermore in the sky cawed in response, listening to the command from the Demon. The Grimm flew straight and latched on the jet black pauldrons, then shielded themselves with its wings.

Ho? How interesting.

It has the ability to command the Grimm. Which makes sense. Then was it the Demon that commanded the pack of Beowolves to attack him, seeing as he is similar enough to Escanor?

The wings spread open, uncovering the transformed Demon. It was more disgusting than ever before. The Nevermore fused into the armor, the head acting as its helmet and wings becoming a part of its back. All of its injuries disappeared.

"Sacrificing your comrades as a way to save your own miserable life?" Jaune sighed. "How expected."

The Demon roared in response.

"If this is your last resort, then I, too, will be serious for you."

The jet black wings shot out a gatling of razor sharp feathers faster than a Dust bullet. Hmph. Why must he dodge?

"「Lion's Mane」!" His collar flared with intense heat, coating him with pure fire. When the feathers reached, they instantly disintegrated into ash. With a commanding voice and a raised arm, he called.

"Heed my will! Come to me! Divine Axe Rhitta!"

-/-/-

"And here is the most gorgeous weapon you will ever see in all of Mistral," a female tourist guide motioned at the weapon.

"Not long ago, the Arcs have left this weapon here to see who is worthy of lifting this mighty weapon. It is said that the person who wields it will become a god. Which one of you will be the one, I wonder?"

*Kchk.*

"Uh, ma'am?" A little boy held up a hand.

"Yes?"

*Kchk. kchk.*

"Is it supposed to be shaking like that?"

"What do you mean shak-?"

*BOOM*

The intricate golden axe flew away from its crater like a rocket. The tourists and the guide were nearly knocked over by the strength of the launch.

The female guide blinked.

"I'm gonna be so fired..."

-/-/-

"...!"

Everyone, even the Demon, sensed a presence approaching in alarming speeds.

No matter the distance, no matter the place, the ancient weapon will go any length to reach the call. It crossed over the oceans, through thick clouds, only to reach the grasp of its master.

If no one was able to feel the surge of sheer strength oozing from his muscled body and prideful voice the first time, then the weapon in his arms was drowning them with heavy power.

The earth below him was cracked by the sheer weight of the ornate golden axe. He hefted the shining weapon on his shoulder with ease.

"Fall before my might."

Then he swung.

He didn't move from his spot, didn't close the distance, but swung. The winged Demon made an attempt to fly away, but was too slow to react.

The swing sliced through air, traveling even faster than the Demon's thrust, and made a clear cut through its arm.

The Demon writhed in pain as it clenched a hand over the bleeding wound. The fallen limb disintegrated on the ground.

"It seems I have gotten rusty. That missed your neck just a tad bit, though it doesn't matter."

Jaune strode in a gentle pace, the heat growing tenfold as he draws near. The jet black wings began to set aflame, coating its back with fire.

It was helpless to escape, the Demon knew.

"I will finish what my ancestor has left for me." He prepared another attack. One that would annihilate every speck of its being. "Begone."

"NOOOOOOO!" The lit wings sprouted, but made no attempt to fly. They pulled back and aimed, but not at him. Following its gaze, Jaune realized who.

"Move away!" The wings let out one final shot, the man-sized flaming feathers aiming directly at-

"Ruby!"

-/-/-

The little redhead reacted quickly when super muscly Jaune called, her Semblance activated on instinct. She managed to avoid three, but in spite of her increased speed, it wasn't enough to dodge them all.

Ruby watched as one of the feathers were inches away from her face, as if time slowed down to let her see clearly. She raised her arms to protect herself, despite knowing it won't work to stop it. She heard Yang swearing and reach out to push her away.

But it was too late.

She's... she's going to die, isn't she-?

"Spirit Spear Chastiefol,「Second Form: Guardian」."

A very long and mossy green arm obscured her vision and collided against her. The flaming feathers that should've sliced through them both were bouncing off its cuddly body of fur.

Wait. Body of fur?

Ruby lifted her head, meeting face to face with some sort of... stuffed sloth Grimm animal thingy?

She peeked around, and everyone, even Jaune, was just as confused as she was.

"Have no fear! For Sir Scrabbleton is here!" Nora cheered. Beside her, Ren motioned his hands to an embrace, and the sloth copied and hugged her like a baby.

"She's safe. Go help him, Nora."

"Gasp! You mean I can-? Yippee!" Nora clutched her amulet in one hand and performed multiple hand signs with the other. "「Pancake and Syrup」!"

Two boulder sized figures emerged behind her, taking the shape of bears. "Break that bad Demon's legs into batter!"

The golems sprang into action. They rushed and pinned down atop of the burning Demon and proceeded to follow Nora's basic order.

-/-/-

Were his eyes deceiving him? His ears? Both!?

Surely it is an illusion! An unlikely and very realistic illusion!

Ren... has King's Sacred Treasure. And Nora... was able to create golems from the earth.

No way in his life could he believe this is real. But seeing Ruby being hugged by the guardian form of Spirit Spear Chastiefol, and the golems crushing the Demon in front of him, he was proven wrong.

He found them. He actually did.

King's and Diane's descendants...!

The golems finished their assault, leaving the withered Demon wriggling for everyone to see. He waved away the fire as he looked down on the once fearsome monster.

"Truly an unfortunate ending, Demon," Jaune spoke with pity. He took note of the surrounding grass and trees burning, and let Rhitta absorb his heat. Once the temperature around him returned to normal, his attention then went to the others approaching. He grinned.

"I would have handled this all by myself, you know."

Nora pouted. "Then you would have all the attention! It's not fair for us who want to look cool!" She shook her silver hammer in the air like a grumpy old woman. Ren expressed a kind smirk to him.

"I didn't want to stand still and do nothing. It was lucky that I managed to shield Ruby just in time."

"Thank you for that, by the way," said red-hooded girl replied.

"What the hell was that?" Yang stood before the three Sins. She crossed her arms over her bosom. "You just healed from a fatal wound that should've killed you the moment you hit the ground! But you just suddenly grew more muscles than me in a span of a few seconds and chopped up that Grimm like minced meat!"

She then presumed to point at Ren and Nora. "This guy has a morphing teddy bear weapon pillow thing that is by no means made of some metal like a normal mecha-shift weapon, and she just made rock minions that beat up this new Grimm monster in a wrestle match! What's going on here?!"

"Is it really that hard to imagine?" Jaune rolled his eyes like she asked an idiotic question. His face scrunched up to a sneer. "It seems I overestimated your knowledge of this matter, little dragon."

"Why you son of a-!"

"Such insolence you have," Weiss shot a suspicious glare at him. "Who are you, really? How come you hide such absurd strength and still be unknown?"

His sour-full expression changed into a gentlemanly smile towards the Snow Angel.

"If I must explain, I am one who's existence has surpassed any other. The one who bears the blessing that will save the lives of the defenseless..." He hefted the axe over his shoulder once more, proudly showcasing his muscles and abs. The sun shone behind him as if Oum himself wanted to add a few more touches of his canvas.

"[Sunshine]! That is my glorious Semblance!"

"...so much pride." Pyrrha and Blake whispered. One scroll was raised between them, flashing every few seconds.

"Sinners of Pride... Sloth... and Envy..." They jumped back and aimed their weapons at the Demon. But the creature has made no moves. Lifting what's left of its only limb, the Demon's voice clear. "You... know... nothing... heheheheh..."

Cackling away, the Demon had turned to dust before they could think. The armor, sword, everything gone.

There was an ominous silence in the air. Everyone wondering what the Grimm was saying.

Ruby, being the brave soul she is, broke the tension. "So... last one to the bullhead gets to explain this to Goodwitch!"

PHEW! Should I limit myself to a set amount of words? This chapter was over 10k! I can type the chapters faster if I can do 5k-6k, if you guys want, but that would mean less quality and storytelling. Or I take my time to type longer chapters and make good quality, but at the cost of chapter posting monthly?

So please, for my busy conscious, tell me of what you think of this chapter! I try to type in 200-500 words as each day passes on this chapter since I don't have much free time anymore. So the quality is a mix of good or bad.

This could be the last chapter for a while, since I wanted to start up my SVTFOE fanfic with Ocram Ziad (I will always love the show, all the way from 2015 to the end. Though it was not what I expected, I'm glad Marco and Star are at peace). And maybe Hero Academia. I want to make my goal of posting at least one chapter of a few of my story ideas that I've had since last year.

Again, I'm sorry for the longer waits, but I hope you all understand. I wish there was any other way to make a clone of myself and use that clone to do the real-life stuff for me.

LEAVE A REVIEW! GUEST OR NOT!

Until then, enjoy the omake! I wanted to add this before we went into Beacon, but eh, as you guys said it would take too long. So here's a 'what-if' ex chapter!

Omake: By Silent-Reaper

"If Jaune Participated the Mistral Region Tournament"

The Kingdom of Mistral. A kingdom full of arts, entertainment, fashion, and theater. Their bountiful pride for their people is equal to that of Atlas' ego. And to show their pride to the world, Mistral has created a special event for young Huntsmen/Huntresses known as-

"WEEEEEEEELCOME EVERYONE TO THE ANNUAL MISTRAL REGION TOURNAMENT~!" A flashy blonde man with orange-tinted sunglasses and a suit shouted at the audience. "IT'S YOUR MAN, HIZASHI YAMADA, HERE TO ANNOUNCE ANOTHER YEAR OF BATTLE FOR OUR PROUD KINGDOM!"

"YEAAAAAAAHHHH!" The crowd was on the edge of their seats, their excitement knowing no end of the battle soon to unfold.

The center of the stadium was a wide, flat area of tiled concrete blocks. There was no roof, only the iron walls where the crowd cheer behind. Every corner contains a camera, and a flying drone to broadcast the battleground.

"HERE COME OUR BELOVED CONTESTANTS~! IN THIS CORNER!"

On one side, a confident Mistralian girl, somewhere in her early teens, in bronze armor strode to the stage, an ankle-length sash as fiery as her hair billowed to the wind.

"OUR HOME GIRL, THE MAIDEN OF MISTRAL, THE ONE! THE ONLY! PYRRHA NIKOS OF THE NIKOS CLAAAAAAN!"

"PYRRHA! PYRRHA! PYRRHA! PYRRHA!"

The girl, as usual, flashed a smile and waved to her fans as they tossed their colorful flowers. Then on the other side, despite the sun being clear as day, a spotlight was shined over the entrance. The crowd watched curiously as several blonde animal-masked figures unrolled a red carpet that stopped all the way to the stadium.

"AND IN THIS CORNER!"

The entrance burst open, revealing a somewhat unassertive young boy who is the complete opposite of Nikos. Her body is trained to be athletic, small but defined; his built is more linear than hers, though on the average side. For she is armored, he is shirtless. For she wears a bronze circlet, he wears a silver helmet with a feather.

The one apparent thing they have in common was their choice of weaponry. Though she doubts the sword is capable of mecha-shifting like hers can.

"THE DARK-HORSE OF THIS TOURNAMENT! THE MYSTERIOUS CHALLENGER! THE WARRIOR OF THE SUN! SOLAIRE THE LIOOOOOOON!"

The crowd booed, tossing rotten tomatoes that Solaire had to dodge. Very few cheered for him, those few being seated in the VIP section; Rouge 'Crimson Lion' Arc of the Arc Clan, and the infamous Armstrong siblings of Atlas.

-/-/-

"Quite the splendid idea the girls have concocted, don't you agree, Rouge?" Lieutenant Alex Armstrong asked. His curled string of hair and mustache wiggling. "Though I prefer for him to use his real name instead of... where did you get it again?"

"From an old Arc story of darkened spirits," Rouge took a sip of her drink. "Besides, it was his suggestion to apply this tournament under an anonymous persona, and I fully support his decision."

"And the 'being-shirtless' part, do you also support that decision?" Major General Olivier Armstrong asked. She glanced at the bald man. "Or was it someone else's?"

"Eep! Uh, a stylistic choice of his, without a doubt!"

"Stop it Olivier, Jaune looks fine. Gentilesse was sure of it. 'He looks badass!' as she always say."

"I'm unsure if that's supposed to be reassuring or not..."

"You all sound as if you know this fodder personally," a fourth gruff voice spoke. Alexander Nikos was on the back row mingling with the other high-class families. He narrowed his eyes at the three. "Care to elaborate?"

"Xander." Rouge groaned. "Eavesdropping. How expected of the egotistic Nikos."

"Don't speak to me as if you're-!"

"Shush now! It's finally starting!"

-/-/-

And starting it has. Pyrrha and 'Solaire' stood on their respective spots, just meters apart, and the former already in a stance while the latter was fidgeting with his sword. The crowd laughed at the pathetic sight, but Pyrrha, having good sportsmanship, allowed him to prepare.

Father said to go full out once the round starts, use every single tool in her disposal in order to win immediately. Semblance included. He sounded desperate, frustrated even when he ordered her to do so. For a good reason.

Her head analyst said there wasn't any spec of information that they could find about this 'Solaire'. No attended schools, no matching identities, even his fighting style is unknown. A double, to triple, background check and still nothing. Her-no, father's- team went so far as to even use some favors from Atlas for info, but they were all denied.

All that's known of him is he was vouched by someone of higher class and somehow affiliated with the Arc Clan, if what Genti has warned her of him. 'Don't think it will be easy. Make it badass!'

Anything else, he's a complete enigma. Unpredictable. Unrecognizable.

She took the time to check his posture.

To be painfully honest, his stance is sloppy at best. The sword he held is one-handed, and yet he's using two as if he doesn't know what kind of sword it is. There was white wrapping on his arms, from harsh training perhaps. There was not much to say on his belt, only the hilt of the sword was attached to his left. It seems the only protected part of him was the helmet itself.

No. That can't be all of it. Is she overestimating him? Or is he underestimating her?

"YOU KNOW THE RULES! MAKE THE OPPONENT FORFEIT OR PUT THEIR AURA IN THE RED ZONE! ARE YOU READY?!"

She leaned low. All important vitals are exposed, the abdomen should be fine.

"ON YOUR MARK!"

He made a defensive stance. His helmet tilted slightly, not quite fitting his size.

"GET SET!"

They each held their breath.

"GO GO GOOOOO!"

She was quick to move. In a span of seconds the distance between them became a few feet apart. To be the first to move, she was first to notice something strange about him.

He's not doing anything?

She ignored that thought, focusing only on the first strike. He couldn't react fast enough with this amount of speed. The tip of her sword was perfectly aimed at his stomach-

Something clashed against her sword, deflecting her attack. She whizzed by his body, rolling to a crouch.

What was that? His sword didn't move. She'd sense it if it did. But her strike didn't land, so how did he...?

The hilt. It wasn't that big before. It was spread open like a thin white kite. It's a shield! How could she not notice it the first time? It was strange how it was made of the same material as the sword. Material so strong that not even Miló had left a single dent on the sturdy metal sheet.

Then she discovered another detail she hadn't noticed on him before.

On his back, there was a tattoo. A rather terrifying one that covered almost the entire proportion of his back.

A prideful lion. The mark was staring at her, jaws widening and eyes locked down on her like an insect. She shook away the momentary nervousness and waited to see his response.

"AND NIKOS WAS THE FIRST TO MOVE! BUT IT SEEMS SOLAIRE WAS ABLE TO DEFEND HIMSELF JUST IN TIME!"

Did he? He hasn't even reacted to her attack at all. He's still standing there without turning his back.

No time to wait. She made another attempt to aim at another vital point, directly at his kidneys. She saw the slight twist of his hip, so the shield would face her. He won't trick her twice.

Using a small ounce of her Semblance of polarity, she forced the shield to turn the opposite, much to his surprise. He's vulnerable! She shifted Miló into its javelin form, using the extended range to unleash a fury of jabs.

"OH THAT'S GOT TO HURT! LETS TAKE A SECOND TO LOOK AT HIS GAUGE!"

The crowd watched the screens changing to the contestants Aura gauges. Pyrrha is still in the green of one hundred percent, and Solaire at...

"WHAT'S THIS?! IS THE SYSTEM BUGGED?!" The announcer adjusted his specs. "IT SEEMS AFTER FACING HER UNSTOPPABLE ATTACK, SOLAIRE HAS ONLY LOST FIFTEEN PERCENT! WHAT KIND OF SORCERY IS THIS?!"

-/-/-

"Fifteen?! This is outrageous!" Alexander Nikos yelled at his seat. "Is this your doing, Rouge?"

"And still arrogant as ever, Xander," the Arc monarch waved a hand. "Whatever you accuse me of, I've done no part of it. This 'Solaire' is more durable than the average opponent your daughter usually faces."

"But to lose only fifteen after each perfect hit? That's impossible! Even for someone with Aura as much as you!"

"Then he simply has more Aura than her," Alex said. "This generation, I swear they keep surprising us."

"But that's-! It's just-! Argh!" Alexander slammed his armchair. "Nevermind that, she will prevail. A Nikos always stands victorious."

"We shall see." Olivier watched on.

-/-/-

Fifteen. Only fifteen? He must have a monstrous amount of Aura if he managed lose only that much! Each strike had landed. To his ribs, his spine, even the back of his neck! After all of that, he still refused to turn around or made a single move.

"Why?" For the first time of the match, she spoke in a thin whisper. "Why are you doing nothing? Fight back!"

He must have been blackmailed or paid to not attack her, somebody that father hired. No sane person would just stand there and take it all without compensation. The entire time, was this match rigged from the start?

No. She won't let it go this way. She refuses to let her father manipulate her opponents like this. This isn't honorable. This isn't right!

"Please...!" she begged for him to understand. He needs to find the will to resist her father's temptation. The will of a warrior of Mistral! Take up your sword and fight back!

"Sorry," Solaire answered. His voice was kind, innocent even. A stark contrast of his appearance. The crowd was taken aback at how youthful he sounded.

He's... apologizing? So it's an offer that he even can't refuse? Father, why must you...

"I didn't get much sleep last night. Did the match started already?"

Eh?

"EHH?"

"EHHHHHHHH?!"

-/-/-

"Ahahahaha!" Alex slapped his knee. "The boy was sleeping the entire time! This is most hilarious!"

"Another thing to take note of..." Olivier wrote something on a notebook.

Rouge pondered. "He was too pumped up for the fight last night, so I don't suppose it deserves another kicking from you, Olivier."

Alexander, in the meanwhile, was fuming his head so hard it almost looks like a ripe tomato. "We will not tolerate this shameful act of downplay of a match!"

"Shut it, Nikos."

-/-/-

"Oh! I'm so sorry! Was it rude of me?" Solaire finally faced her, not quite brash but a more meekly action. "This is my first time in a match, so I don't remember much of how it works. What were we doing now?"

He's being completely genuine. Though the helmet covered his face, he was embarrassed. It wasn't a farce that would make her guard down, but he was honestly asking the question. "You, uh, lost fifteen percent of your total Aura. After I attacked you."

"Fifteen? I-is that bad?" No. Not bad. The complete opposite. Usually her opponents would lose at most fifty percent even if their guard is up.

"Yes?" She wasn't confident enough to answer the absurdity of the situation. "It's usually more, but..."

"Oh, let me fix it then." Solaire raised his sword right in front of her, and a blinding light shone from the metal.

A sneak attack?! She raised Akoúo̱ before she could be hit. What a fool she was. He managed to trick her-!

"Should that be enough?" He asked.

There wasn't a swing coming down at her, nor a tackle. He didn't attack? She lowered her shield. "What is?"

"The screen. Should that be a good amount of Aura loss?"

The screen? She gazed up, gasped. The crowd mirrored her reaction. On the screen, her gauge is still at an untouched green, but Solaire's was just one point away from being red.

"WHAT A TWIST! SOLAIRE SOMEHOW LOST A HUUUGE CHUNK OF HIS AURA AND IS NOW ON THE VERGE OF DEFEAT! IT MUST BE A GLITCH AFTER ALL! WILL THIS BE ANOTHER WIN FOR PYRRHA NIKOS?!"

Did he just...? He purposely decreased his gauge so her attack would look effective? How could he do it like it was no big deal?

Solaire's sword was raised, and she made no motion to defend herself. She exposed herself to him, Aura coating down, both javelin and shield on her sides. If he's willing to sacrifice that much, then she'll let him be the first opponent to ever hit her. If she gained a small scar from this, it will serve as a reminder for her that she fought fairly.

But the sword didn't slice at her. Rather, Solaire punctured his only weapon to the ground itself. It slid in smoothly like it was butter, and its glow subsided.

"This should be a fair fight now, right?"

Fair? This is not a fair fight at all! In fact, he's only making things more difficult on himself! "What are you trying to do? Do you not want to fight so badly?" She had to ask.

"Oh I do want to fight," Solaire shrugged. "You look like someone who's worthy enough for me to fight seriously with."

Worthy enough... so he wasn't serious before? All this is to make things only fair for her? "You're... handicapping yourself?"

"Of course I am! I'm an honored fighter at heart," Solaire bowed, the feather on his head bobbing with him. "Make sure you don't faint, please?"

He lifted his helmet, exposing a small fracture of his real face to her. She only got a glimpse of his jaw and mouth, before he reached under and took off... a pair of glasses?

Then she felt it.

The crowd felt it.

The higher ups in the VIP seats felt it.

A surging wave of heat, so unbearable that it stings, radiated from Solaire's own body.

"WHAT THE HECK IS THIS KIND OF NOISE?!" The fancy announcer pulled the collar of his suit, beads of sweat trailing down his skin. "THIS HEAT! I DON'T FEEL SO FUNKY! WHAT DID SOLAIRE DO?!"

So... hot...! She felt her body being pushed away by the force of the heat alone. The force was strong enough that she had lost her footing, and tripping to the floor. She tensed up, Aura flaring up to face the impact, but something large wrapped around her torso, preventing her from hitting the ground.

"My my, I did say for you to not faint before me, haven't I?" Solaire spoke. His tone is different moments before. The tender and sweet voice was replaced with a haughty, jubilant tone of a warrior. Not only his voice, but his body had changed drastically as well.

Not long ago he was as lean as a running athlete. What she, and everyone, witnesses now is a bodybuilder. Impossibly more built than her father! She felt what must be pure muscle, not an ounce of fat beneath the flesh, touching her body.

Solaire leaned in to her face, a small 'eep!' escaping from her lips. "Ho? How foolish have I been to not see your unique beauty."

"Uwah~!" He's so close! Is this what he wanted to do? Was it his plan to make her this unbalanced? How could she counter against such a strange strategy!

"As a crimson river flows through the air, emerald orbs shine galore, for a beauty laced in bronze and gold, will you be fair, and become mine forevermore?"

She listened to his voice, so empathetic and soothing. The words he just said, were those meant for her? It sounds so sweet. Sounds so...

"...Beautiful."

"A beautiful poem for a beautiful lady, I say." Solaire chuckled. The heat surrounding them both subsided, as if it never existed. His embraced softened around her, as if she's his princess. "I thank you, for not fearing me."

He let her down gently on the floor, facing the announcer. Voice filled with authority, he bellowed. "What say you of the results of this round?"

The announcer recoiled. "Ah. U-Uh, ahem. T-THE WINNER OF THE FIRST ROUND IS SOLAAAAAAAIRE!"

The audience recovered from their shocked states, though there wasn't much cheer nor clapping for the mysterious fighter. The seven masked figures from before were cheering and holding signs of Solaire, celebrating his win.

-/-/-

"His win? HIS WIN?! This is not an honorable battle at all!" The drink Alexander held was crushed in his hand, amber liquid slipping through his fingers. "This should have been Pyrrha's glorious victory! This cannot be acceptable! Rouge!"

From where he's pointing, the Arc monarch's and the Armstrong's seats were empty. On Olivier's seat, a single note was left on the cushion. Alexander picked it up, and read its contents.

"Arrogance is the camouflage of insecurity...?" He crushed the paper. "ROUGE AAAAAAAAARC!"

-/-/-

On seats near the side of the stadium, Pyrrha was looking forward to her second match with Solaire. She hadn't felt so tested before in her life. Her blood was singing, her heart was dancing! For so long, she had found the desire to test herself!

She won't be caught off-guard this time-

"Excuse me, Miss Nikos?" The announcer-Hizashi, wasn't it?-waved her attention.

Though exhausted, she kept up her smile. "Yes?"

"It seems your opponent has suddenly disappeared from the tournament. So by default, you get to continue on for your next match."

What...?

"Solaire's... gone?"

"Like a ghost, Miss Nikos." Hizashi confirmed. "Congratulations on the win!"

He just... left. Left her. Not even a single word of goodbye. She felt her chest aching, but there was no wound there. Why...?

A small note floated down slowly before her, and she caught it easily. On the back was a lion. His symbol. She flipped it to the other side.

"We will meet again, my Undefeated Maiden~" She hugged the tiny note close to her heart, a smile of contempt on her face.

They will meet again. Oum help her so.

Until then! Adios!

SILENT-REAPER HIBERNATES AGAIN!