Sup guys? Welcome to a brand new story of mine. It has been a long damn while since I've written both a new story and on this site. Lot of things that came in my way, both real life and health related. But, that's all mostly gone. I'm back to writing once more. So, i hope you guys enjoy reading this story. If you have any questions, please ask either in the reviews or send me a PM. I'll answer your question in the next chapter, though i won't be giving any spoilers. On with the chapter then.

Chapter 1: The soul that broke.

"I'll always be here for you Jaune."

What a lie that turned out to be.

Jaune shook his head. He shouldn't be thinking like that. He owed so much to Pyrrha.

She left me. All alone.

Again, he shook his head. He wasn't alone. He had his team and Team RWBY with him. He wasn't alone.

I am. Pyrrha was the reason i wasn't sent to an early grave. She was the one that taught me how to fight.

He couldn't argue with that. It was the truth after all.

You should leave them behind. They wouldn't mind. They don't need a failure like you to lead them. They have Ruby. She's better than you in everything.

He disagreed. If he left, Nora would probably search the entirety of Remnant to find him, break his legs and drag his sorry carcass back to them. That made him smile a bit. Same goes for Ren, though without the leg breaking. Team RWBY though, he guessed that only Ruby would care enough to search for him. He wasn't close enough to Blake to even consider her a friend. Yang only talked to him cause he was friends with Ruby. And most times she just teased him to no ends. It felt like she was a second Cardin. And Weiss?

Jaune let out a snort.

Lets not get him started. The amount of times he annoyed her, the times he tried to get her to go out on a date with him. Even if he did save her life and made Neptune go and talk to her back at the dance, he still hasn't even received a 'thank you.'

That made him beyond angry. He dug his fingernails into his palms, his nails long enough and strong enough to push through the flesh and into the muscle within. Blood slowly dripped on the floor, his fingers being coated in his blood.

Jaune snapped his eyes open as he came back to reality from his self loathing. He unclenched his hands and looked at his palms, seeing four thin red lines, all still bleeding. He closed his eyes and focused his Aura into his hands, which began to glow white. After a few seconds, the light from Jaune's Aura disappeared. He opened his eyes and saw that his self made wounds were all healed.

He's never done that before. He never managed to hurt himself like this. He's never felt this angry at someone.

That was a lie. Cinder.

He wanted to kill her. He wanted revenge. She took something away from him. Something he didn't know if he would be able to gain it back.

His happiness.

Every laugh that escaped his throat was hollow.

Every time he smiled at someone it looked forced.

Every time he talked, you could her the sadness and regret oozing out of him.

His jokes became cynical. He became cynical.

Jaune looked at the destroyed training dummy that he was practicing on a while ago. He imagined that it was Cinder. He imagined that he beat her. That it was him humiliating her and not the other way around.

Oh, how he wished that all that wasn't just petty fantasy.

"Jaune...? What are you doing down here this late?" A high pitched voice whispered to him.

He turned around and saw Ruby in her pyjamas, staring at him with sleepy eyes, but the concern was there as well.

He looked back at the dummy, silent anger blazing in his eyes, but he managed to answer her calmly.

"Nothing much Rubes, just couldn't sleep so I decided to train a bit. I'll go back to bed soon. Just... give me some time alone." He said, trying to keep the facade alive.

Unfortunately, he wasn't Weiss. He didn't know if he could keep this going for much longer.

"Are... Are you sure? You look... angry. Like, Yang level angry. And there's blood on the floor. You alright?" She asked as she took a small step closer to Jaune.

"Oh, the blood... just had a bit of a training accident with Crocea Mors. You know, good ol' clumsy Jaune, back at it again." He said, hoping to distract her with a bit of humour.

Ruby however, wasn't buying it.

"Jaune, you know better than to lie to me. We're besties. If there's something bothering you i want to be there to help you. Like when you helped me when i was doubting myself in Kuroyuri. So, let me help you." Ruby said as she got closer to Jaune, touching his shoulder in comfort.

Jaune briefly turned his head around and stared at her coldly. Why couldn't she see that he wanted to be alone? Why didn't she see that he wanted to suffer all by himself?!

I let Pyrrha die after all. I deserve this. I deserve all of this...

"Ruby. Go back to bed. Don't waste your time with me. I'll be alright. I just..want to be alone for a bit. I promise to talk to you about this tomorrow. Just... not right now." Jaune said, turning back to face forward, shrugging off Ruby's hand as he did so.

Ruby looked conflicted. She wanted to comfort him. She wanted to help him get better. She wanted to help the same way he did. But at the same time, he looked like he would snap at her if she dared push on.

The final decision was not easy for her.

"F-fine. I-I'll go back to bed then. And you better talk to me about this tomorrow! If you don't, I'll make sure Nora puts you through one of her rough training schedules!" Ruby said, puffing out her cheek in fake anger and she stomped up the stairs.

Despite that, Jaune couldn't help but smile at the young girls attitude. She was always like this, bless her innocent heart. But, she couldn't help him.

Nobody could. The only way, would be to bring back Pyrrha. But, he could only dream. After all...

No magic in the world can raise the dead.

"How sure are you about that, Arc?"

A woman's smooth voice whispered in his mind. His eyes widened in surprise at the sudden presence. He began to look around, only to see nothing, aside the training equipment that their temporary home here in Mistral came with.

Suddenly, he heard some sort of clicking coming from behind him. He slowly turned around, and was pretty freaked out at what he saw. It was some kind of weird Grimm. It had six long tentacles that had spears on their tips. Its head was a sphere made of glass, but it had a weird black mist inside the sphere-head. On the sides of the sphere were the trademark bones that the Grimm were covered by.

It slowly came close to Jaune, though it didn't seem to posses any kind of real threat. He could easily take the thing down in one blow, unless its tentacles managed to wrap around him. So he still had to be cautious.

"You have nothing to fear Jaune Arc. I come only bearing an olive branch. I have only come to talk, not fight." The woman's voice came out of the Grimm that was levitating in front of Jaune. It sent a shiver down his spine.

"W-what do you want with me? H-how can a Grimm talk?" Jaune stuttered out, cursing at himself whilst doing so. He couldn't show that he was scared, to a Grimm of all things.

There was a soft chuckle.

"Let me introduce myself. Ozpin must have told you a lot about me, i figure?" The woman asked rhetorically.

Jaune's eyes widened.

"You're... you're Salem."

He could feel the woman smile.

"You would be correct, Arc. I am Salem. Queen of the Grimm." She said, the Grimm letting out a few clicks.

Jaune gulped and put his hand on the hilt of his sword. Of course, Salem let out another chuckle at the boy. She could smell his fear like she was drinking Sweet Nectar. It was intoxicating, and in a good way. Never the less, she held back the urge to kill the boy right then.

"W-what do you want with me? Why are you h-here?" Jaune asked, the fear inside him quickly growing.

"As i said, i came to talk." She said.

"Came to talk about w-what?" He asked back, tightening his hold on the hilt of the sword.

"I just so happen to be in the area, after you and your friends meddled with my plans and stole the Relic from me, and i just so happen to smell the depression coming out of you. So, i came to ask. Why are you depressed?" Salem asked, fake concern in her voice.

Jaune allowed a small growl to escape his throat.

"You already know what's wrong. You're the one that ordered the whole thing. You're the one Cinder was following all along!" Jaune couldn't help but to raise his voice a notch as he was done talking.

Despite that, Jaune heard her chuckle in amusement.

"I'm afraid i don't know what you're talking about. Would you like to enlighten me?" She said, the Grimm in front of Jaune clicking a few more times in amusement, like it was laughing at him.

Jaune clenched and bared his teeth, the grip on his sword so strong that his hand could bleed once more.

"You're the one that took Pyrrha from us! From me! You and that bitch Cinder! Cinder is already dead, how long will it take for that to happen to you?!" Jaune shouted, finally unsheathing his sword and extending his shield.

A few tense moments of silence passed before the clicking of the Grimm began once more.

"What if i told you she wasn't gone?" She asked.

Jaune looked at the Grimm, anger still radiating out of him, but with enough self-control.

"What are you saying?" He couldn't help but ask.

"What if i told you that your dear lady friend still has a chance of coming back?" She explained.

This almost caused Jaune to drop his shield and sword, but thankfully for him, he held on to them.

"A-are you trying to make fun of me? This all a sick, twisted game to you?! Pyrrha's dead! No amount of want, no amount of love and certainly no amount of magic can bring back the dead! So stop messing with me!" Jaune shouted.

Salem only chuckled at the amount of misery oozing off the poor boy.

"And if i told you that there was a form of magic out there that could resurrect the dead?" She said.

"No such thing is possible!" Jaune said back.

"Boy, you live in a world where Maidens exist, a man that has been cursed by two gods to walk Remnant until the day he bring me to justice lives, where ancient Relics that possess unyielding power exist as a trial left by the two gods, and many more that you will all learn as you traverse through this world. Anything is possible." Salem said.

Jaune's eyes widened as he realized there may be some truth in her words.

"Alright, lets say i believe whatever nonsense you're saying. How do i know that you're not trying to pull a fast one on me? How do i know you're not trying to trick me?" Jaune asked, pointing his sword towards the Grimm.

Salem hummed and responded.

"Foolish child, what would i have to gain by just tricking only one of you? If i wanted to truly manipulate you, i would have brought not only your entire team into this meeting, but the entirety of the Silver Eyed Warriors team as well. I don't have anything to gain, nor do i have to lose. I just feel like helping a lost man find his way once more." Salem said, though Jaune couldn't help but imagine a smile on her lips.

"Alright... and we say again that i believe all this resurrection nonsense. How would that work?" Jaune asked as he sheathed his blade and crossed his arms over his chest.

Salem chuckled once more.

"That, is what the Relic of Creation for."

And we're done with the first chapter of this story. I hope you guys enjoy what i wrote. So, until next time, ill see ya when you're older, don't go changing