Chapter XI

Singing of the Dark Moon

The deep woods of the Stained Coast Line were green oceans of plants and trees. It was impressive how a simple walk was all it took to go from the green pastures to a cold jungle. Massive and ancient trees as far as the eye could see, to the adventurous spirits it was an enchanted forest ripped straight from the pages of any fairy tale, but to the unaware explores it was an emerald maze where nothing was as it seemed. The country of the lost some called it, of course those were the words of the most superstitious ones, in truth it only took a good map, a compass and a sharp mind to travel across the deep woods, and no one had a sharper and more focus mind than our two heroes.

"What I'm saying is that I didn't see any romantic interaction between them, ok!?".

"They couldn't have been more into each other! Don, their relationship is what the book is all about!".

"Pff! No is not! The princess wanted to prove she was a great warrior, all she had with the stable boy was a strong friendship! Plus, he rejected her!".

"For the last time! He did not reject her; he didn't give her a straight answer, there is a difference! Why are you so stubborn?!".

"Why do you want to see romance everywhere?!"

"I don't! but it was so on the nose!".

"What's on the nose is that you are still a hopeless romantic!".

"And you are a bitter old man who doesn't believe in love!"

"How dare you?! Of course, I believe in love! I just don't like your precious little ship!".

"Aha! So you admit it!….wait…Don, we lost the path, where are we going?".

"What? You are following me? I was following you!".

"You have the map!".

"But you have the compass!".

"We don't have a compass!".

"Don't you kids always have a fancy scroll now?!".

"With what towers you think that's going to work?!".

"What use are those damn things then?!".

"You know…video games and…That's not the point!".

Jaune and Don found themselves surrounded by the green landscape, a massive maze of trees. The two had been walking since dawn right after spending a night camping, discussing the lasted book they read and of course drinking their hearts out…in hindsight maybe the beer didn't help their orientation but who knows?

Jaune picked up the map, placed it on a large rock and tried his best to figure out just where exactly they were, a task easier said than done, reading a map is hard enough, reading a map full of silly drawings courtesy of the 6-year-old he had as a mentor was even worse.

"For the love of….Ok, the sun came out from…" Jaune tried his best but the forest was just too dense, it was hard to even see where the sun was. "Eh….that way! No, wait….that way!...I think…arg!". The boy tried as hard as he could to remember the lessons from Professor Goodwitch's survivor class…a class he spent a lot of his time sleeping in, trying to hit on Weiss or running away from wasps, "I hate you past me".

The heroes kept on walking, and walking and walking for hours until both of them just couldn't walk anymore. As usual Jaune began to become frustrated and annoyed while the jolly old man kept his cheery attitude.

"Come on lad, it isn't a trek in the woods if your feet don't feel like fire!" Don said with a big smile.

"Just…let's take a rest…please".

"Rest? Huh! A true knight can march for days without a single drop of water, my boy! Let me tell you a story. When I was 23, I ventured the deserts of Vacuo with nothing but a walking stick and a bag of dried plumbs! I then faced the horrible…." And so, Don kept going and going with another of his famous stories. Jaune had grown use to them by now but that didn't make them any less annoying at times, then again a part of him actually enjoyed them, Don could go on for hours telling the tales of his grandiose adventures, all the damsels he rescued, all the beasts he slayed, every journey more epic than the last.

"And in that lost island, the mermaid faunus surrounded me, they took turns trying to seduce me, but I'm a man of 1 woman, kid, I hated to break their hearts but my sweet Maria is a hundred times more beautiful than any of them!".

A few more hours passed and Don had lost himself in his tales again. Smiling at his proclamations of true greatness.

"But when the Manticore was getting ready to shoot its flames, I drew my shield and bravely protected the orphanage, they were so thankful, they even renamed it in my name!".

They climbed mountains, crossed rivers and walked through mud and Don just kept going and going.

"The Grimm surrounded me and the bastards had me unarmed, Oh hoho, but they soon learned to fear the might of my fists!".

Another hour passed and the two had grown exhausted, but that didn't decrease Don's enthusiasm, the same couldn't be said about Jaune though.

"And that's! why they call me 'pants of steel' Cervantes! What you think about that, boy?".

Jaune had an irritated look on his face, he was walking with the motions and had his arms dangling in defeat. "Yeah, another good one, Don…".

"Of course, it is, now this reminds me of the time".

"HOW about with take a break?!" Jaune begged with daggers in his eyes as if he was one story away from killing his mentor…they were in the middle of the forest…no one had to know…

"Fine, fine. Look there is a rock we can sit on and rest a bit, you baby".

With a sigh of relief, Jaune sat on the rock and pulled out the map again, desperately trying to figure out where they were, meanwhile Don was doing the smart thing and waste the little water they had left refreshing his armpits.

"Don what are you…sigh, forget it". Jaune just let it be, if they didn't find a way out of this forest, they were dead anyways, he wasn't going to find the path by getting upset. Don sat next to him, all refreshed and with his trademark smile.

"Anything yet, lad?".

"No. I don't get it. The mountain was here and we saw the sun, there should be a village east of the mountain and the map says we are on the road…but there is nothing, no signs, no road, I mean, the forest should have ended here". Jaune explained, frustrated and concerned but he did his best to try to relax.

Throughout his journey he had come to understand that he needed to calm down, frustration was never the way he could reach his goals. His master was the one to teach him that. A positive attitude could take you a long way. Jaune took a deep breath and did just that, calm down, think positive and just enjoy the ride, he was standing in a gorgeous forest after all, an experience many just dream about. His master had taken the map and tried to help out, always with that bright smile and childlike enthusiasm. Jaune smiled at the sight of his mentor turning the map upside down trying to figure out a path. He had been hearing all those stories of heroism, tales of adventure that he himself always dreamed about. The story of a brave knight traveling the world rescuing damsels, fighting monsters and saving the people, it was childish, he came to see it pretty quickly on his first day at Beacon…but it was also magical in a way, chasing a dream and making it true. Jaune did enjoy the stories from time to time, no matter how impossible they sounded they were all entertaining. He soon got an idea, maybe another story could help him relax if he tried to enjoy it. He took a quick look and saw Don's shield resting on a tree, its emblem interested him enough to want to hear that story.

"Don, can I ask you something?".

"Shoot".

"Why is your emblem like that? Why a burning windmill?".

Jaune sat there waiting for the epic tale of glory behind the shield's emblem….but only got silence. He turned to see his master and to his surprise, the cheery smile had banished and a dead gaze fixed in the shield took its place.

"D-Don?"

"W-What?...Oh, right". Don snapped out of it; it was as if he was lost in his own thoughts for a moment. He chuckled a bit awkwardly while rubbing the back of his neck with some anxiety. "That ah…well, is not that good of a story, really, hehe. Maybe I'll tell it to you later".

"I mean, why not now?". Jaune pushed, he was insistent but bugging his mentor wasn't his intentions, he was just a bit curious. "Did something happen?".

Don sat with a serious look, staring straight at the shield. "No, no, it's just….We all have our demons, lad. Mine…I rather keep them behind me, that's all". He said before walking towards the shield and picking it up, almost as if trying to hide it from his apprentice.

"Maybe we should get going. Look, the river passes near the village, if we follow it, we can get there without a path. Come on" Don answered much to Jaune's confusion. The old man called for his apprentice again to continue their journey…and the smile was still gone.

An awkward silence plagued the forest, the cheerful stories were gone, no jokes or songs, Jaune just couldn't understand. He had seen Don upset before…but this was different. A simple mention of the emblem was enough to shut him down like that? How? It was so uncharacteristic of Don to lose his smile and cheerfulness. Jaune knew for a fact that his master was a man of positive attitude, not many things could bring him down, that was just the sort of man he was….or at least, that's what he thought. In truth, there was a lot of things Jaune didn't know about his mentor, he soon came to realize that the two had been traveling for months together and still there was so little he knew about him. He admired that smile of his even if it was a bit annoying at times, but he barely knew the man behind it, all he had of his past were those stories of adventure and glory…and they weren't that reliable either.

The two kept on walking in silence following the river for half an hour. It was pass midday when they finally reached the place the village was supposed to be…and to their surprise, there was nothing at a first glance. The river itself was covered with vegetation; vines had grown over it.

"I don't get it; the village should be here". Jaune said, perplexed. Had they read the map wrong? It didn't seem likely, a few landmarks were still clearly visible, like the nearby mountain they had climbed earlier and river they had been following. It didn't make any sense.

Jaune tried to figure things out on the map when he heard Don's voice.

"Kid, come here, now!".

As the boy approached, he saw how his master had cut some vines with his sword, exposing what laid underneath.

"That's…a wall".

Don kept cutting vines revealing more, "It's a whole building, the vines are even crawling through the windows".

Jaune ran ahead a bit, trying to check the surrounding area. To his horror, his fear was confirmed, there were more and more buildings all covered in vines, the streets had grass, vines and moss everywhere. The entire village had been claimed by nature.

"It's…It's gone…" Jaune said with sadness in his voice. It wasn't the first time he had seen a village like this. Ren's home town was the same, a shadow of its former self after the Grimm ravaged everything in sight.

Don put his hand on his apprentice's shoulder, trying his best to comfort him. There was nothing to be done but he was still not willing to let sorrow take his protégé back into a dark place. "Come on, lad. Maybe if we follow the river, we coul…HOLY CRAP WHAT'S THAT?!".

The two brave heroes got startled by the sight of a figure coming out of one of the buildings. Was it a Grimm? An animal?...not, it was something a bit more….disturbing.

An old man walked out of the shadows holding a basket of what seemed to be expired bread. He had an empty look on his face and walked dragging his feet. His clothes were all in rags and an agonizing lament came out of his mouth. What was more bizarre was that he was covered in vines, they were tied around his arms, legs, torso, neck and head and he kept dragging them on the floor as he walked aimlessly. He began to hit himself against a wall, walking back and forward against it as if trying to find the door.

Jaune and Don rushed at him, trying to see if the man was ok.

"Sir! Stop! Stop!". Jaune tried to hold the man to stop him from hurting himself, a foul smell came from both the rotten moldy bread and the man himself but Jaune had to help him. As he shook the old man, he dropped the bread basket and Jaune began to inspect him. "Don, look at this!".

Jaune sat the man down and the two took a closer look, the man had a blank stare and didn't even acknowledge the two travelers.

Jaune grabbed the vines tied to the man and showed them to his mentor. "What is this?". At first glance the vines seemed completely normal, green vines with heart shaped leaves, but a closer look showed an odd black color merged with the vine and through it, small bits of light traveled like an electrical current.

They began to take the vines off, starting with the neck and head and quickly cutting vines from the rest of his body until every bit was gone. The vines had left marks on the man's skin. He was free… but he was still in a trance. The blank stare remained and his lament kept going. Jaune quickly gave him water before trying to use his semblance on him, but it was to no avail. The man had so little aura left, even after unlocking it, Jaune's boost barely did anything.

"Come on, Come on!" Jaune said as he desperately tried to help the man, he was so focused he didn't notice the movement coming from the building behind him. Don drew his sword and quickly alerted his apprentice "Kid! Watch out!".

A hand reached and grabbed Jaune's shoulder but Don managed to take it off him and quickly got ready to strike the creature down….just to soon realize the hand belonged to a young woman who just like the old man was covered in vines with a blank stare and making a lamenting sound. The woman laid on her back and weakly tried to reach as if begging for help.

The situation continued to escalate over time. Jaune and Don kept finding the villagers, all under the same conditions. Covered in vines, barely responsive, all malnourished and dehydrated and with their aura levels dangerously low. Many were still alive, thankfully…but not all were that fortunate. Men, women and children, the vines seemed to only spare the animals, only the humans and faunus of the village were being targeted by them. Don kept on bringing water for the survivors, while Jaune made a makeshift nursery in what seemed to once had been a bar, gathering as many people as they could find. It was all they could do, the victims kept being unresponsive, they drank the water but any food they put on their mouths just stayed there as the villagers remained in their trance. They ended up having to tie them as they kept on standing or crawling and moving aimlessly.

"We have to take them out of here, this place isn't safe". Jaune said.

"I saw a carriage but there are too many to take them all and where could we even take them?".

"I don't know, but Don, anywhere is better than here, look". Jaune pointed at the ground as a few vines began to move really slowly, as if searching for something to lash on to. Jaune and Don wasted no time to rush outside and cut as many vines as they could to clear the nursery of any threat. But this was nothing but a temporary measure, the entire village was covered in vines, they could have spent all day cutting every single one of them and still it wouldn't have mattered, the vines kept growing and lurking.

"This is impossible. Maybe if we put them on a boat, we could travel the river", Jaune suggested, it was a fair plan but still had its risks, the fact that they didn't know the river, how dangerous it could be or even where it headed. Don considered it…until a detail he noticed gave him light to another option.

"Kid, come here. Look at this" Don called for his apprentice, "Look at the pattern. The vines all come from one direction, look", he pointed out, showing Jaune how all vines seemed to come from uphill, it was as if they spilled down the village. "I bet you that's the point of origin".

"What are you suggesting?".

"Lad, we can't take this people somewhere else on our own, but, if we follow the vines we might find where they start, cut them from the root and get rid of them. If we can't take this people somewhere safe then let's make this a safe place".

Jaune gave it a thought, it really seemed like the only viable option, even though it was clearly the riskiest, but they were huntsmen after all, risking their lives for those that needed them was their job. "Ok, let's do it".

With a mission on mind, Jaune and Don barricaded the nursery with the victims inside. It wouldn't keep them safe forever but it would buy them time to eradicate the vines. With the people safe, the two headed up hill to face the source of this threat.

It didn't take them long to walk uphill, but it wasn't an easy task either. The road was covered in vines and they had to walk carefully as to not get themselves tangled on them, as they got higher, they began to notice how the vines were becoming blacker the closer they got. Cutting their way uphill they finally made it to the top and were greeted with the sight of a ruined mansion. The building had vines coming out of its windows, white walls and even from over the roof. The vines were larger the closer they got to the mansion and trees had grown from under it, damaging many sections. It was the sort of damage a building would get after decades of abandonment, but Jaune noticed that if that was case, the villagers wouldn't have been alive, whatever happened to this place was fairly recent.

"That place gives me the creeps" Don said, the creepy sight of the abandoned mansion was enough so send shivers to the bravest souls.

Jaune took a quick glance at it, inspecting it before they were to approach, "Going around it will be hard, the forest is too thick, but maybe…." He began to say until he noticed something. The front wooden door of the abandoned mansion…slowly opened on its own, and from behind it, Jaune could see something, a small hand. "Don, there is someone there! Hey!".

"Kid, where are you going?!".

Jaune rushed to the mansion, driven only by his desire to help the person inside, he was afraid they were another victim trapped inside the building, he had to help them. He ran until he managed to reach the door but as soon as he opened it…something grabbed him and pulled him inside, slamming the door behind him.

"JAUNE!" Don ran as fast as he could to his apprentice's aid, sword in hand he pulled the door open and rushed inside the mansion….and everything went dark. Don kept running and running and running…but the inside of the mansion was nothing but pitch-blackness, he could feel the floor though, grass everywhere. Don turned around confused but even the door was gone. He couldn't understand, it was around 3pm and still darkness covered his entire surroundings, he was disorientated, not a light anywhere, just the smell and sensation of grass under his feet. Suddenly…a beacon of light in the distance. It was impossible, the light was miles away yet he was supposed to be inside a building, but it was the only guide he had so he went to it, rushing worried for Jaune's safety.

As he approached, Don could see a bit better his surroundings, somehow, he had ended in an open field during a pitch-black night and the smell of smoke grew stronger as he approached the light. He kept on running and running and running for what seemed an eternity….and then he saw it. Don slowed down and began to walk slowly as he laid his eyes on a far too familiar sight…"No…it….it cant be….no, no, no….". He fell to his knees with his eyes wide open, stunned by the sight…of a burning windmill.

Jaune slammed his chin on the floor, he quickly sat shaking his arms in a panic, trying to take off whatever was it that grabbed him.

"AH! Get it off! Get it….off", There was nothing on his arm…but even more confusing…there weren't gauntlets either, just a pair of leather gloves he hadn't seen in a long, long time. "What the…". Jaune sat there in confusion, inspecting himself further he notices that his armor was also replaced, he was wearing that old gear he used to have, that chest plate that barely fit him, that low grade huntsmen outfit he put together himself with things he found in his house. It was the armor he use to wear back in….And then it hit him, Jaune looked around, he was disoriented, the door he come from was gone, he sat in a hallway with many doors, it took him a moment to recognize it, "This is….no".

Jaune stood up, the sound of laughter coming from the door in front of him sent shivers to his skin, he knew those laughs. He quickly opened the door and rushed inside. His eyes were blinded by the sun light coming from the window, but once his vision cleared, he saw it. It was his dorm. Somehow, someway, Jaune was standing in a place he thought he would never see again, Beacon Academy. "It's….no, this can't be…Don. DON! Where are y…".

"Eh…do you mind not yelling? I'll like to study for Oobleck's test, please".

Jaune turned around, the room was empty a second ago, but now, someone was sitting on one of the beds. "R-Ren?".

"Ugh! Boring! I say we YELL MORE! WOHO! COME ON, JAUNE! YELL WITH ME!".

"Please, I need to focus".

Jaune stood there in shock, "Nora?…how? When? Where did you come from?".

Ren and Nora shared a confused look, "Eh…Mistral?" Ren answered, raising his brow at the odd question.

"Oh, I think he wants to talk about the bird and bees. Ok, look, when mama Lancer and papa Nevermore love each other very much…".

"Please, stop".

"No! You are not getting it! You are not supposed to be here!" Jaune yelled in anger, he couldn't understand, this couldn't be possible, they couldn't be there, he couldn't be there.

Ren and Nora looked at each other again, Nora began to chuckle and soon that chuckle turned into a laugh. "Hahahah. Well, of course we shouldn't be here, silly. Why would we?...after all…you left us".

The light coming from the windows soon began to deem. A rapid sunset began to make the room dark. Nora smiled at Jaune and tears began to come from her wide eyes. "It just took an old crazy man for you to forget about us?".

Jaune's breath began to rise as Ren stood up. "I guess a life of adventure is more important. Tell me, are we that worthless to you? Do you even care to know if we made it to Vale? As far as you know we could have died on our way there".

Jaune slowly walked backwards towards the door as Ren and Nora moved towards him one step at the time.

"How will you protect us, Jaune? When you aren't even there?".

"He ditched us like nothing, Nora. That's how much he cares, that's how much he wants to protect us".

"But we were family, weren't we, Jaune? So why send us away?".

"Why Jaune?".

"Why Jaune?".

"Why Jaune?".

"Why JAunE?".

Jaune finally reached the door, desperately trying to open it as Ren and Nora slowly approached him.

"Answer, Jaune".

"Are you going to let us die too?".

"Just like you did…her?".

Jaune stopped…. paralyzed…those things were getting closer and he stood there, immobile.

Don was mesmerized by the flames. Tears of sorrow had covered his face but he didn't realize it, he just knelt there in shock. "No….".

He could hear every wood plank cracking, every window breaking and the rage of the flames growing. He covered his ears and tried to look away, the memories were far too painful…but even with his ear covered, he could hear it clearly.

"Help!". Don's eyes got wide; he was surprised by that voice. It couldn't be.

The old man ran as fast as he could towards the fiery inferno, kicking the door open he entered the windmill. "MIGUEL!", He yelled as the flames ate the interior and blazing wood fell from the ceiling. "MARGARITA! MIGUEL!", he kept calling rushing through the building in a panic, the smoke began to affect him, he found it hard to breath and the heat just kept building up. The wooden columns around him collapsed under their own weight, the flame's rage consumed everything on its path.

Don kept going deeper into the burning windmill, he rushed to every room, every corner, getting burned many times in the process. The fire kept growing more and more out of control. He ran upstairs as the staircase quickly turned into embers, his cape began to catch fire but he didn't pay mind to it, he was lost in his despair. "MIGUEL! MARGARI…",

"Help!". Don heard the voice again coming from a room, he rushed as fast as he could, his cape slowly burning.

He finally reached the room, "Margarita! MARGARITA!" He yelled, trying to see amongst the smoke cloud, but it was too late, a burning column laid a top a body and a burning lifeless hand rested on the floor. "No…no, no, PLEASE NO!", Don fell to his knees in despair, losing his hat in the process, the flames slowly crawling up his cape but once again, he didn't notice, what caught his attention though…was the cry of a baby coming from behind him.

Don turned around slowly, facing the baby cradle, he struggled to stand up but he did as quickly as he could. The cries came from inside a lump of blankets, Don whimpered and cried as he slowly unwrapped the baby to see her little face.

"She is beautiful, isn't she?".

That voice sent shivers to Don's spine, his hands were shaking as he slowly stood up and turned around.

"And yet…look what you did to her".

The figure was a man, covered in flames with his flesh melting, he had his face down and covered by Don's hat.

"You made a promise to me….That you would protect her. That you would always be there for her…You would be her hero, her brave knight…bunch of lies again, Donny?".

Don kept shaking, he struggled to talk, "Mi-Miguel….I…".

"You can't escape from who you are, Dominique" Miguel lifted his face, his skull could be seen clearly amongst the melted flesh and only one good eye was left, looking at Don, judging the soul of his little brother. "Sooner or later, your ghosts will catch up…and drag you to hell with the rest us".

The flames on Don's cape finally accelerated, quickly engulfing him in fire, Don tried to put it out unsuccessfully. Miguel just pulled a stool and sat there, watching as Don kept screaming.

"AHHHHHH!".

Ren and Nora kept walking towards Jaune, their hands now wielded their weapons. Jaune kept standing still with his back towards them. They were smiling, enjoying his fear, that crippling guilt that had him paralyzed…or at least, that's what they thought.

"Like her? What are you talking about?".

They stopped, surprised by the response.

Jaune smiled and chuckled a bit. "I didn't abandon her; I would have gone with her if I could have. But she protected me…The same way I want to protect you".

Ren and Nora stepped back with surprise on their faces.

"Of course I worry about you, and I miss you more than you can imagine. There isn't a day in which I don't wonder how are you guys doing. I wonder in which trouble Nora got herself into while having fun, or if Ren has been taking care of her, haha, I'm sure he tried to talk her out of it but when Nora has an idea, well, no one can stop her. I wonder if my sisters are treating them well, I bet they are playing with Ren's hair but they better let Nora join in, hehe".

The two began to get angry, clenching their teeth and grabbing their weapons tighter.

"I do feel bad for leaving, but every time I do, I remember how much support they gave me. In my darkest times, I know I can count on them, they are my teammates…my family".

The two lowered their weapons, the thing that looked like Nora smiled and began to taunt him. "Ha! Family!? The family you abandoned!? We can't count on you. You are weak, you are a pathetic excuse for a huntsman that got where he is through lies and the sacrifice of others! Hehehehe, HAHAHAH! What will you even do when you see her again?! Will you be able to protect us from her?!". She pointed behind him and as he turned, the wall was pull from outside, the debris turned to ember, scorched into a dark void. The entire dorm slowly faded with the embers until Jaune stood in a pitch-black room by himself.

From the darkness, a bright amber eye shinned and a shadowy figure slowly approached. He heard a laugh before a ring of fire surrounded him. Jaune reached for his sword but it was gone, banished. From the flames, the shadowy figure emerged, the closer she got the clearer he could see her.

"They are right you know? You are still nothing but a pathetic kid playing hero". She walked closer and closer to him. "Protect them? You can't even protect yourself".

Jaune was nervous, he even stepped back but Cinder was already at arm's reach. Her Grimm arm caressed his chin with her claws. "You know far too well that I will take everything and everyone from you…and there is nothing you can do about it. Your beloved friends, that family you love so much, Ruby, I will turn every single one of them to ash and you…"

"I will fight her and stop her".

Cinder was surprised by the response. "No, you will die like the pathetic…".

"We will fight her and stop her…me, my friends, my family, Ruby, all the ones I love, I'll stand with them to stop her…and we will stop her".

Cinder was enraged, she leaped back into the shadows and just as fast as they emerged, the flames banished. Jaune was once again standing in a pitch-black room, but not for long, as the view shifted once more, he was now standing on Beacon Academy's courtyard, the place was in ruins, the scene was far too familiar, it was the place he last saw her.

"But stopping Cinder won't bring me back, now would it?".

Jaune clenched his fist at the sound…of Pyrrha's voice. "You can go wild on all those monsters and get your precious revenge, but that won't bring me back". She began to walk around him in circles, her sword in hand, "You may think Cinder is responsible for what happened to me, but it was you, you are responsible….".

Jaune was angered and frustrated….but frustration will never let you reach your goals, Jaune took a deep breath and calmed down. "I'm not".

"Yes, you are. Had you…".

"Had I gone to her, everything would have been the same or worse".

"It was your fault".

"It wasn't. She chose to fight and save my life, whose fault was that doesn't matter, that's not the point of what she did".

"You couldn't help her".

"No, but thanks to her I lived and I will continue to live helping as many as I can, no one will suffer like she did as long as I stand!".

"You are useless!".

"I'm not".

"You got her killed!".

"I did not".

"It should have been you!".

"It shouldn't have been anyone".

The creature launched at him, going for a backstab. "You'll never get her back!".

Jaune turned quickly and grabbed the blade, stopping it with his bare hand. The creature was shocked as the hand didn't even bleed.

"But I'll always have her in my heart. Her memory lives through me. She is alive as long as I remember her….but you….how dare you wear her face", with anger in his eyes, Jaune broke the blade with his hand which shattered as if made of glass. The cracks extended quickly over the shocked creature's body and even faster on the surrounding area and soon enough, everything around Jaune just collapsed into millions of pieces, shattering and banishing.

Jaune was laying on his back, his arm extended up as if reaching for the ceiling of the mansion. He sat quickly and looked around. They entered the mansion at around 3pm, but now sunset was approaching, what seemed like a couple of minutes was actually a few hours. He grabbed his head in pain while he kept looking around. Near his hand, some vines were now withered. Jaune stood up worried about his old mentor, "Don! DON!".

As he called for him he took a quick glance at the staircase of the mansion and on a corner of it, he saw something odd…it was a little girl hiding behind the railings, as soon as she noticed she had been spotted, she ran away through a hallway in fear.

"Hey! Wait!".

Don opened his eyes, breathing heavily in a panic, fear filled him completely and he immediately checked his body trying to extinguish the flames…but they were gone, he was intact. He was baffled, he was even more disoriented than before. The windmill had banished as well, not even the smell of smoke was left and he was sitting on a patch of grass.

"I…I don't…I gotta get out of here, I gotta get out of here, I GOTTA…".

"Hahahaha. Always the coward, eh? Cervantes?".

A voice came out of the shadows, startling Don, making him shiver and increasing his panic. He turned around in all directions trying to find the source but all he could see was darkness. Don stood up, stumbling a little and continued turning.

"W-WHERE ARE YOU?!".

"It was always the same with you. Another excuse for being a lazy moron. Always a new story, always another lie, always blaming others for your own failures, when the one you should have blamed….".

Don saw a figure, his fear turned to anger and he rushed towards it, but as soon as he reached it, he smashed his face against a surface, falling to the ground on his back. When he lifted his head once more…he saw his reflection on a massive mirror.

"…Was yourself.".

Don was in shock seeing his own reflection in the mirror as the voice kept taunting him.

"You see it now? That decrepit old man? That is the face of a scum. That is the face of a liar, the face of a selfish, lazy idiot who brings nothing but pain to those stupid enough to care about him. You see it now? This is who you are Cervantes".

Tears ran from Don's eyes as he crawled towards the mirror, he was startled a bit when a figure emerged from behind it. It was soon clear that the mirror wasn't such thing, it was a shield and its wielder was a knight. The knight wore an armor so shiny, even in this darkness it was a beacon of blinding light. The knight took off his helm, tossing it to the side and revealing his face to Don.

"Ro-Roberto?".

"Hello, Cervantes. Still a useless moron I see". The knight said before smashing Don's face with the might of his fist, making him fall on his back again.

"You really thought you could just leave everything behind!? Betray your loved ones and that somehow you'll be a hero?!". He kicked him in the face, his steel boot caused him to spit blood.

"Run away as much as you want, Cervantes. You were always a coward! Even as a useless old man you are still a scared child running from the big scary real world!".

Don struggled to stand up, his legs were shaking but he still found the strength to stand and wash off the blood from his mouth. "She…She meant the world to me".

"Ha! Is that why you left her to rot?".

Don was filled with anger, he rushed with all his hate placed in fist and punched as hard as he could, but the knight blocked the punch with his shield and what was more, suddenly Don felt the damage himself, it was as if an invisible fist punched him in the stomach. Don fell to his knees, struggling to breath.

The knight walked towards him and Don raised his face, pained, exhausted, ashamed.

"You can't escape from who you are, Cervantes".

"Please! Wait!". Jaune yelled as he ran up stares chasing the little girl. He was quick enough to reach the top and see her entering a room. The hallway was covered in vines coming from all sides, crawling from the planks on the floor, the walls and the ceiling, but Jaune charged forward. He made it to the room but to his surprise, the door was locked, he could have sworn the girl went through it and he didn't see it close but still, it was shut. He wasted no time and forced his way in, smashing the door down with his raw strength.

He was expecting to find the little girl there, hiding somewhere…but the room was empty. Just some furniture covered in dust and vegetation growing everywhere. He was confused but he saw the girl coming in that room, he was certain. The room was an old office, he explored a bit, trying to see if he could find some place she could be hidden. He couldn't shake from his head the way the girl acted. She wasn't walking aimlessly, she reacted to him, she even ran, that was the complete opposite of how the villagers acted.

"Please, come out. I won't hurt you, you can trust me", He tried to call but was met with only silence. Jaune began to check a bookcase, trying to see if there was a hidden passage or something behind it. As he tried to move the bookcase the entire thing shook loudly and some books began to fall, one hit the desk next to it and Jaune's attention was caught by the sound of broken glass from a fallen picture frame. He knelt to pick it up, breaking the picture frame to get a better look at the picture, it depicted a wealthy family, a man with a big mustache, an elegant woman and a baby in her arms. He stood up slowly and noticed that the picture was taken in the mansion's main hall where he had just woken up. This family must have lived here.

"Who are you?" He began to wonder until a voice behind him startled him.

"How did you do it?".

"HOLY CRA…", He jumped surprised but soon recovered his composure at the sight of a little girl with chocolate hair and green eyes hiding behind a chair, "Oh, Oh there you are, hehe. You scared me".

"How did you do it?", the girl asked again.

Jaune got a little bit closer, he was a bit confused by the question, "How did I do what?".

"How you got free?". The girl asked.

Jaune stood there, he reflected for a few seconds and then gave the little girl his honest answer, "I…I guess, it's because I made peace with my past…No one can use it to hurt me, it doesn't haunt me anymore". He answered, smiling as he caressed Pyrrha's scarf with nostalgia, not haunted by the terrible guilt, but treasuring those beautiful memories that give him strength to keep going.

The girl came out from her hiding spot a little, she was curious yet cautious.

"Oh, it's ok, I'm here to help, don't be afraid, come". Jaune approached the little girl slowly, offering his hand kindly. The girl was still afraid but she was starting to grow more confident, slowly coming out from behind the chair and moving towards Jaune.

As he got closer, Jaune began to notice something peculiar, the little girl…was a bit translucent, it was as if she was a hologram, he got distracted trying to wrap his head around what he was seeing when suddenly, her hand grabbed his wrist and pulled him aggressively.

"Hey! What are you…" He stopped, the girl was gone once more, but what was more, the entire room was different. The office looked brand new, no dust, no plants, everything was well organized and clean. Jaune looked around and noticed that not even the books he threw were on the floor anymore. The desk even had a turned-on lamp which meant the house even had electricity. Jaune was a bit shocked, but he didn't have time to understand his position when two men entered the room.

"I told you we are busy, Petunia! Take a sit, Oakley".

"Thank you, Mr. Woodberry".

The two men walked around the office, not even noticing Jaune's presence even though he was standing right in front of them. Jaune tried to get their attention, but one of them even walked through him as if he was a ghost. He was unable to do anything but watch. Jaune was confused but soon realized he still had the picture in his hand and a quick look made him notice that the man with the mustache was the same one siting right in front of him, the man referred to as Mr. Woodberry.

"Whiskey?".

"Oh, no, I couldn't".

"Come on, I really need a drink after the few months I had, drink up".

"Ok, thank you, sir".

"Otis!"

"I said, NOT NOW, PETUNIA!". The man yelled before addressing his guest as if nothing had happened. "Come on Oakley, I'm counting on you, the whole village is counting on you!".

"I-I understand, Mr. Woodberry. But the seed you are looking for, I just don't think it exists".

"It's been months without a good harvest, you know as well as I do that not even plant dust is growing anymore in that soil. I need you to find the Mother's Seed".

"I'm telling you; It's a myth, a fairy tale, it doesn't exist!".

"IT HAS TO!...It's this town's only hope. Oakley, the soil isn't fertile anymore, but with the Mother's Seed, we can grow anywhere at any season". Mr. Woodberry said with a bit of hope in his voice. Jaune stood there listening carefully, but he also noticed something, what seemed to be the shadow of a little kid hiding behind's Woodberry's desk.

"If the plantation goes bankrupt the entire village will suffer and I can't let that happen…Please, I'm begging you, just keep loo…".

The door was slammed open as a woman entered, Jaune immediately recognized her as the woman in the picture.

"Otis!".

"Damnit, Petunia! What do you want?!".

"The baby!".

The two men stood up immediately and ran out of the office with the woman.

A flash of light brough the place back to its ruined state, Jaune stood there trying to get a grasp of what just happened. He soon noticed a vine withering near his arm. The girl was nowhere to be found.

Don woke up once more. He was sitting on a wooden chair. At this point he didn't even bothered to check where he was, it didn't concern him anymore. His spirt was shattering, his will was broken. The unbearable guilt, it was torture, it was more painful than even the flames that burned him earlier. The words of the ghosts of his past stabbed him over and over again…and probably the worst part…was that they we right.

The door in front of him opened and the first thing Don saw was a platter of food, the smell was mesmerizing so he lifted his head…but the person holding it…was the one he feared the most to see.

"Oh, you woke up, uncle Don! Good, just in time for supper".

Don began to whimper at the sight of a young girl of around 14 years old, with dark brown hair and a face covered in freckles. "Amatista…".

"I made your favorite! My famous rabbit casserole!".

Don began to cry as the girl hummed a tune with a big smile in her face, smelling the casserole she proudly made.

"Oh, what it is? If it's because it doesn't have pepper, it's kind of your fault for not getting groceries".

Don sat there crying, remorse consumed him. Amatista walked towards him. "You really think those tears mean anything?".

He was shocked, he had his head down but she wasn't going to let him hide his shame. "Look at me, you coward". She grabbed his face and lifted it, "When will you learn to stop running away from your shame?". She shook his head violently before letting him go and walking away, sitting on a bed.

"I-I'm sorry".

"Well, here is the thing, haha…you are not. You knew exactly what you were doing. Leaving the way you did, leaving me behind, abandoning me like I was nothing. What was that you said? That I mean the world to you?".

"You do! I love you as if you were my own daughter!".

"STOP IT WITH YOUR LIES!". She threw the platter to a wall and the room shattered like glass, leaving the two standing in the dark void.

"You made a promise to my father, didn't you? That you would protect me, that you would always be there for me, well guess what?! The moment I needed you the most you ran away like the rat you are! Blaming me for all your frustrations. You lied to your own brother, you lied to my mother, you lied to me AND FOR WHAT?! To go live in a fantasy world? To go around playing hero?! How many people have you lied to all this time? Tens? Dozens? Hundreds?! Have you ever said any truths?"

Don grabbed his head is agony and despair as Amatista continued.

"Your life is nothing but lie, after lie, after more selfish lies. Ha! I wonder…What would Jaune think, when he knows the truth?".

Don's eye got wide, his breath got heavier and the tears came back.

"Oh the great hero, Dominque Cervantes!...Except, you are not a hero…you are not a knight…You aren't even a huntsman. All you are is a liar, a charlatan, a delusional old man following a stupid dream not giving a damn about who he hurts in the process. What will Jaune think when he learns that the only reason you wanted to travel with him was because you were jealous that Maria had an apprentice and you didn't!?".

"That's not true! I saw a flame in him!".

"Flame!? You saw yourself in him! You saw another pathetic kid with a dream and decided to ruin his life like you ruined yours!".

"That kid has potential for greatness! Way more than anyone I've ever met!".

"Thank the Gods! Otherwise you would have gotten him killed on day 1! You sold yourself as this great and wise warrior, but he probably has done greater things than you! You are nothing but dead weight!".

"Please stop".

"You wasted your life!".

"No".

"You abandoned me!".

"Stop!".

"You'll get him kill!".

"STOP!".

"AND ALL. TO LIVE. A STUPID. LIE!".

"AHHHHHHHHHH!".

Jaune searched the house as fast as he could, looking for both the girl and his lost mentor. The wooden floor kept cracking with every step. Sunset was almost there and the vines were becoming a little bit more active.

He ran back down to the first floor, searching everywhere he could. The building was severely damaged, puddles of water with vegetation blocked some of the areas and even massive holes on the floor were obstacles to his path. After a few minutes of exploring the mansion, finally, Jaune saw signs of life, the little girl was peaking from a doorway, calling for him with her hand.

When Jaune made it to the room, he found a studio with more books and a fireplace. He didn't see the little girl though, but what he saw was a vine. Unlike the other ones that either dangled from the ceiling or crawled on the floor and walls, this vine was rising from a desk, as if it was a tiny tree sprout. The vine twitched with a motion similar to the one the little girl was doing before; it was as if calling to him. The vines had showed him visions earlier…these things were dangerous, but if he wanted to stop them, he had to do a leap of faith. Taking a deep breath, Jaune offered his arm to the vine which lashes on to him and once again, the room around him changed in the blink of an eye.

Mr. Woodberry sat on his couch, smoking a cigar as he watched the flamed in the fire place. He had bags on his eyes and his clothes were messy, a far cry from the well-dressed man Jaune saw before.

"Mr. Woodberry" a maid said, trying to get his attention, but he didn't answer. "You have a visitor".

"I don't want visitors" he answered with an uncaring tone.

Oakley entered the studio, holding a box in his hands.

"Eh…it's you". He answered when he saw his supposed friend.

"Mr. Woodberry…I have great news".

"Oh, really? Is it bullet to end it all? I could really use one of those right now".

Oakley got more determine as he got closer to his friend. "I found it. I found the Mother's Seed. We can save the plantation now!".

Woodberry saw him without a care in the world, "Yay. Save the plantation, tell me, if I chocked on that seed you think it would be painful?".

"Otis, that's not funny".

"It wasn't a joke".

"It's been a year already. You can't live like this, look at you!".

Woodberry grabbed him by the neck collar, making him drop the box. "The day you lose your son you can tell me how I should feel". He looked at him for a few seconds before letting him go.

"I'm sorry about Oliver…but its time to move on, you and Petunia, you can't keep hurting yourself, think of your dau….".

"Get the hell out of my house". Woodberry had daggers on his eyes and Oakley didn't say anything else, he just saw as his friend sat back down and opened another bottle of whiskey, without a care in the world. He took his hat and left.

Jaune saw with sadness as Woodberry fell in a dark place he once knew himself, but maybe this man was far too deeper into it than he ever was. His attention was quickly caught by movement from behind the couch, a tiny hand grabbed the wooden box before a flash brought him back to reality.

"Wait…if the baby died…", Jaune pulled out the photo again but he noticed something curious, the picture only depicted 3 people, the father, the mother and the son…but not the daughter…until he moved his thumb. From behind her mother's leg, a little face could be seen hiding from the world, just taking a small peak, there she was, the little girl.

Jaune pondered for a bit, trying to understand. The Mother's Seed had something to do with the vines, but where was it? Where was the box?.

He kept searching, following the vines to their point of origin, he noticed that they all came from the backside of the mansion, but they had grown so thick, it was almost impossible to access the area.

Night was approaching and the vines were getting more and more active, some even began try to reach for him, just to met his blade. The place was becoming more dangerous by the second and Jaune still had no idea where Don even was.

He ran upstairs, trying to find a way to get to the backyard, but even the windows on the second floor were blocked by the vines. He was getting a bit desperate until finally, he saw a deemed light coming from under a door.

The young huntsman entered the room, finding it full of vegetation. It was a bedroom with pink walls, a few dolls and stuffed animals. He entered it slowly, to his fortune, the light he saw came from a window that wasn't blocked by the vines, from it he had perfect view of the backyard, the vegetation was dense but he was able to see, a massive bulb.

"What is that thing?". When trying to take a closer look, Jaune rested his hands on a drawer but one thing caught his attention, a little golden heart shaped pendant. He opened it and saw the inside, as he did, a vine rose from the window, calling for him once more. He offered his arm and again, the room changed before his eyes.

"Petunia! Where is my box!".

"The hell do I know!? What box?!".

"Don't play with me, woman!".

"Sir, Ma'am, please, not in front of the little lady's room".

"Who!?" They both answered at the same time.

The maid was horrified, "You…Your daughter…".

"…Ah, yeah…". Woodberry answered as if he just remembered a pair of socks, he forgot he had.

"Wasn't she in school?". Petunia asked without a shred of irony.

"Ma'am. Is the middle of the night!".

"Well she should be in school!".

The maid lashed in frustration, it was clear she had been enduring this couple for far too long, but this was the drop that spilled the glass. "It's the night! School is over! How dare you brush off your daughter like that?! Do you even know her name!?".

"I don't care, just where is my box!?".

"You are going to pay for speaking to me like that! Take your stuff and leave! NOW!".

The maid stomped her feet and scoffed at them before leaving in anger. Otis and Petunia turned the other way and just kept going with their fight.

Jaune stood in the middle of the room, horrified at how heated things got that fast. He soon heard a cry coming from a corner…there she was, the little girl. She was holding the box tightly, she put it in a small backpack and opened the window, climbing down an ivy fence until she reached the backyard. The entire room changed was more, Jaune was now standing in the middle of the garden, hedges circumvented two fountains and, in the middle, a long stone walkway went form the house to a grassy area.

The girl ran across the walkway as fast as she could until she finally reached the end. She quickly knelt on the ground and pulled a little hand shovel from her backpack, quickly digging a small hole. She tossed the shovel and took out the box, opening it, she found herself with a black seed with white, red and yellow stripes covering it. Wasting no time, the girl put the seed in the hole and covered it quickly and after pouring water on it…she knelt there and waited, breathing heavily. Nothing happened, which was understandable but the little girl insisted, she kept pouring water over and over and over again and her desperation kept growing. She finally ran out of water, tossing the watering can before embracing herself, she reached her breaking point, and cried her eyes out, her tears falling on the moved soil.

Jaune stood there unsure of what to do, he couldn't help her, all he could do was stand there and watch as the poor girl reached for a tiny bit of hope to have the love of her parents. He tried to approach her, he wanted to help her…and then the ground began to move.

The tears of sorrow and desperation of a young soul…such delicious negative emotions. A black sprout emerged form the soil and caught the girl's attention. At first, she found it cute, it was tiny and moved playfully. She tried to touch it…and everything went wrong. The sprout reached for her finger and stung it with a sharp stinger, drawing a drop of blood.

"Ah!". The girl yelled in fear, she tried to run away back to the safety of her house, but the plant grew larger in a matter of seconds, a quick vine launched at the little girl, stabbing her in the back and splitting her body from her aura.

"NO!" Jaune yelled as he rushed to the girl's aid, but the vision had ended and he was back at the bedroom. At the doorway though…the little girl stood, embracing herself.

Jaune turned at her, seeing her with eyes of sadness. "You…no, it's ok". Jaune walked towards the girl who didn't run away this time, she just stood there whimpering and ashamed, consumed by guilt. "It wasn't your fault. You just wanted to help. You heard the seed could help your parents and the village; you couldn't have known".

He tried to caress her hair to calm her down, but his hand went through her, Jaune realized what happened, the being in front of him was the girl's aura, it was her soul. The girl began to cry, "I'm so sorry".

The sun had set, night had fallen, a night of new moon called upon the rise of the dormant creature. The girl gasped as she realized what was about to happen. The vines once slow began to move aggressively with life and rage. The mansion began to shake as the vines grew larger and larger.

"What's going on?!".

The girl looked at him, her eye pleaded for help, "It's awake", she said before a vine pulled her out of the room at high speed.

"NO!". Jaune shouted, he ran to the hallway to try to help her but she was already gone. The hallway was infested with active vines that launched at the nearest victim they could find. Jaune rushed back at the bedroom and locked the door behind him but it was useless, the vines outside where too strong and the vines inside where just as vicious. With no choice, Jaune drew his shield and jumped off the window, nearly getting caught by the vines after him. He rolled as he landed to mitigate the fall and soon found himself in the backyard. The vines were bigger and stronger in this place, but Jaune was in the source and this was the only option he had left. If he wanted to save the village, Don and the little girl, he had to make a stand.

A massive vine whipped at him but he managed to avoid it, the vine instead hit a wall with force and opened a hole on it.

Jaune ran as fast as he could, blocking the vines with his shield or cutting them with his sword, but the sheer number of them was overwhelming, he couldn't even stand in something that weren't plants. Soon a vine managed to grab his leg and raise him in the air, slamming him against the floor a couple times before he managed to cut it and free himself.

In pain, he didn't have time to stand up before multiple vines began to whip him from all directions, all he could do was endure the hits, try to block them and keep moving. A vine whipped him from the right, launching him over the hedges and in the fountain's water, Jaune struggled to recover when another vine wrapped itself around him and lift him in the air again, throwing him. He flew in the air until another vine grabbed him, he managed to free himself from it but fell from two stories high, he was quick enough to stab his sword on a vine and slow down his fall while splitting it in half. Jaune now stood right at the start of the walkway and right in front of him rose the creature.

The Grimm was a massive flower, its bulb rose and opened into yellow and red petals with white barks that looked like fangs, from the middle, multiple tongue like tentacles moved frenetically, and a single small vine rose in front of it, having on its end the soul of the little girl, dangling her as it let out an imponent roar.

"GRRAAAAAAARAHHHHH!".

The roar forced Jaune to cover his ears, it was that powerful. The vines resumed their assault, whipping him and pushing him before going for a stab, the Grimm tried to impale him from above, he was quick enough to dodge the vines which crushed the floor beneath them.

The relentless assault continued, Jaune ran as fast as he could towards the flower Grimm, but the vines kept coming from all directions, he blocked a strike from the left and quickly cut a vine from the right, trying to keep moving, but the environment belonged to the Grimm, the floor began to move and wave and Jaune realized he was running on top of a massive vine, he kept going as much as he could but the terrain was too erratic and the assault from other vines was too overwhelming. He ended up losing balance and falling off the vine face first to the ground, no time to waste, he rolled to the side to avoid the vines as they tried to smash him like a bug.

He stood up and immediately got caught, a vine grabbed him by the leg and swung him around. Jaune swung his sword trying to get free, the situation was sending him into a panic…but he couldn't lose himself, he realized that to beat this creature, he needed to keep a cold mind even in the most heated of situation and think fast. He waited for the right moment, the vine swung at the right angle and he sliced it, launching himself in the air.

From the sky, Jaune looked at the swarming vines, the forest inferno below him. It was a mouth of horrors…and he was willing to dive into it, to protect those that needed him. In midair, he managed to activate his spear and aimed at a vine. He used the bladed cross guard and stabbed the vine, using it as support to swing forward towards the flower. The little girl saw in awe as the huntsman flew through the air with the intent of stabbing and ending this creature of nightmares…but the beast wouldn't go down that easily.

Jaune managed to reach the flower, stabbing it with speed and strength, he had turned himself into an arrow…and still it wasn't enough. The spear bounced off the Grimm and so did Jaune. The hide was just too strong, the spear didn't even scratch it. Jaune fell to the ground again, his spear flying far from his reach. Another vine tried to slam him but he avoided it, running towards his weapon to try again and keep on fighting, something that the Grimm wasn't going to allow. Right before he could grab his weapon, a vine lashed around his neck, strangling him and soon other vines began to grab his arms, legs, and torso. Jaune was moved to face the Grimm and the captive little girl as if the creature wanted her to see the fall of the hero that tried to save her.

Jaune struggled to get free until the vines flashed with light…and everything went dark…the void…the darkness had returned.

He laid paralyzed and in pain, struggling to even breath. He couldn't see the vines anymore, all he saw was the little girl floating in the void, holding her heart and crying in despair as every last bit of hope left her heart.

Jaune felt an embrace from his back that at first, he thought were the vines but soon realized they were arms, a human one, a Grimm one, but red hair fell in his shoulder and a sweet voice whispered in his ear.

"See, my love? What did we tell you? How did you want to save her if you can't even save yourself?", The monstrosity wearing Pyrrha's face kept taunting him.

"Let me go!".

"Shhhh. Just relax. Let yourself go. Just…give up. Let us take care of everything…Let us end it for you…Let us…consume….".

Jaune began to stop struggling and just calmed down. He stopped fighting to get free.

"Good, you finally understood how worthless you really are. You can't save anyone. Even if you save a life, what exactly does that accomplish? They will just live another day haunted by regret…hehe, if you think about it, we are doing them a favor. We are giving them that sweet release from this torment of a life…all we want in return…is that pain…that guilt…that delicious regret. Give it to us…and we will set you free…".

"….You don't have to live with regret".

"What?".

"We all make mistakes. We all fail at some point. We all make our own demons but we don't have to live with them".

"Hahahaha. You can't escape from your past, sweetheart. Sooner or later, your ghosts will comeback".

"I never said I wanted to run from them. I rather greet them, I rather face them, I rather fight them…and make peace with them. Living without moving on…that's not a life at all".

"If only it were that simple, right? But what about her? Don't you think she wants that sweet release? Oh but she committed the greatest sin..she brought us here, her punishment? To be a ghost haunted by ghosts. You think she can face her past? You think she can be at peace?".

"Hehehe".

"Why are you laughing?!" The abomination tightened her grip on his neck in frustration.

"Yes, she can be at peace…she just needs someone to support her…someone to care for her…I never said you had to fight your ghosts alone…".

"No one will stand with her! She belongs to u…". Jaune grabbed the abomination's face with his hand.

"I will". He closed his fist and smashed the creature into million pieces, shattering the illusion.

Jaune fell to the ground on one knee as all the vines withered and let him free. The little girl was in awe and shocked while the hero stood much to the creature's rage.

He ran charging towards the creature. The Grimm had enough of this, it rose up its vines and created thorns on all of them before rushing for the assault.

Jaune ran avoiding the vines, jumping, leaping, ducking, he just kept moving. He finally reached his spear and immediately retuned it to his shield form, he needed all the defense he could have gotten as he approached the beast.

Thorn filled vines destroyed the walkway in front and behind him trying to stop his charge, but he didn't stop, he couldn't stop and he couldn't be stopped, there were people that needed him.

He slashed vines coming from the side as many as he could before losing his sword. He blocked with his shield as many stabs and whips as he could until he lost his shield, but by then he managed to reach his target. He ran on top of a vine to reach altitude and leaped in the air, grabbing the small vine connected to the little girl.

The tiny vine was weak enough for him to pull it to the ground with his weight, he stepped on it hard to avoid it from leaving. The girl couldn't understand, she was in shock she was in panic…and a warm embrace covered her with care and love.

Jaune held the girl tightly, "I'm so sorry. What happened to you..it wasn't fair". The vines whipped Jaune's back but he didn't stop. "You parents…they forgot about you, they forgot about the most important person in their lives and you just wanted to help!". The thorns of the whips began to bypass his aura and draw blood. "I lost someone important to me. I took her for granted until she was gone…BUT SHE LIVES ON THROUGH ME!", more whips hit him, "AH!". The little girl wanted it to stop, she didn't want another person to die because of her, but Jaune didn't let go…and soon, his aura began to glow. The whips didn't do as much damage anymore and Jaune began to speak more calmly. "She lives on because I keep her memory alive…and I can do the same for you, Mary". The girl's eyes got wide, it had been so long since she heard her own name, the name Jaune read on the golden pendant. "I promise you, that as long as I live, I will keep your memory alive..No one will forget your name again". Mary's face was covered in tears and she hugged Jaune tightly, her heart just needed someone to tell her..that they cared.

Jaune used his semblance on Mary, boosting a being made of raw aura. The vine going from her back began to glow intensely. The beast was done with games, aiming all its vines at the insolent mortal, it launched an assault aimed at impaling him, but when the vines were about to reach him, they suddenly stopped as if held by something or someone.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH".

The monster tried to move other vines but they all faced the same fate, they began to get paralyzed on the spot, the creature had lost control over its own vines. This was no longer its land, the Grimm now stood in Mary's garden, the princess of the country of the lost. The vines rose up and sharpened their thorns as the Grimm shook frenetically in rage.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!".

The Grimm let out a roar that was quickly silenced by a swarm of its own vines impaling it and ending its reign of terror.

As the Grimm banished, all the vines turned into dust, even the ones as far as the village just banished and as soon as they did, all the villagers began to recover their minds, seeing the real world for the first time in weeks.

Jaune released Mary and took a look at her, caressing her face as she smiled and snuggled his hand.

"Thank you". She said.

"I'll keep my promise".

"I know you will. You are a hero", She smiled with tears of joy in her eyes before banishing herself. Her soul finally freed.

It took Jaune a week of hard work but after days of dedicated care to the villagers, finally some had recovered their strength enough to lend him a hand. He became the villager's unofficial doctor, something Jaune had a bit of experience with.

The villagers were immensely grateful, their houses were heavily damaged, but they were alive thanks to the efforts of this young man.

Two weeks after the battle at Woodberry Mansion, most of the villagers had made a full recovery and reparations began to take place.

As he sat in the local school, Jaune chatted with the old man he helped the day he arrived at this cursed village.

"You sure you don't want help?".

"Haha! More? No, young man, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be here today, this is the least I can do", The old man turned out to be a teacher, he was looking for a book he mentioned to Jaune the night prior.

Jaune just laughed off the man's comment, he was just glad the village was safe.

"Good morning, you called for us?" A man and woman entered the school, they turned out to be Oakley and the Woodberry's maid, Jaune found them among the survivors.

"Oh, good morning, yeah, I wanted to discuss something with you two".

"Here is it", The old man put on a book on a table and opened on a specific page. The book was a Grimm encyclopedia and the page it had opened had artwork depicting a massive and familiar plant Grimm. "Was this the thing you saw?".

"Yeah, that's exactly it".

The old man read the description, "I see. It says here this thing is called a 'Sangrake'. They are extremely rare, less than 10 have been seen in recorded history. They have some sort of influence over plants, increasing their growth but also controlling them".

"Does it say anything about aura?". Jaune asked.

"Plenty. The Sangrake feeds of aura charged with negativity, it causes hallucinations to get the aura to its desired state, not only does it absorb it from the victim it torments, it also searches for particularly pained aura filled with negative emotions, it keeps it alive longer to use as a fertilizer".

Jaune became upset at the implication, "That's all it says?".

"Yeah, like I said, these things are extremely rare".

Jaune grabbed a pen, he wasn't going to leave things like this and proceeded to write everything he learned about how to kill the Sangrake, including the minor control the host has on the vines specially during the day and the possibility of freeing yourself from the illusion by coming to terms with your past.

Oakley and the maid grew curious. "But the Grimm is dead, right? Why does it matter now?".

"Because that fertilizer was Mary Woodberry". Jaune answered with sadness and a bit of anger.

"GASP! No! NOT the young lady!". The maid said horrified.

Jaune turned at the two of them, "That's why I brought you here. I didn't save this village, Mary did. She killed the Sangrake… but she also showed me where it came from, Mr. Oakley".

Oakley was shocked and began to sweat nervously, "…How?".

"It's complicated. But she showed me what happened at the Mansion and what happened to her family".

Oakley was overwhelmed, he couldn't even remain standing, he had to sit, "The Mother's Seed…It's my fault…I…I killed all those people".

"It was an accident, no one could have known what would happen…but if someone is responsible are the Woodberry".

The maid jumped in, "Please don't tarnish their names. The Woodberry built this village, they were good people, they just….it was difficult after they lost their child…it changed them…they were already under so much pressure, but after that day…it was as if their hearts withered".

"I don't want to tarnish their name, no matter what they did, Mary still loved them. But there is something I want you to do".

"I mean, we do owe you, so sure, ask for anything", the old man said, encouraging everyone to cooperate.

Jaune pulled from his pocket Mary's golden pendant. "Mr. Oakley, I understand you are a business man. You have a debt to this village. I want you to use some of your resources to repair Woodberry Mansion, open it to the public or make it a government building, I don't care. But I want you to put a monument in the garden with this pendant on it. As long as the village stands, I want everyone to keep the memory of Mary Woodberry alive. You are all here today because of her, never forget her name".

Oakley immediately accepted and Jaune placed the pendant on his hand.

The next day, the villagers began repairs at Woodberry Mansion. Jaune and Don stood in front of the building, each with completely opposite feelings about it. The two turned and walked away to resume their journey, but there was something Jaune had spent weeks without seeing. Don's smile was long gone…the things that he saw….the ghosts haunting him, they made his heart heavy and his mind a mess.

"Don? Are you ok?...Don?".

"Wha….Oh….yeah…I'm fine…".

Author's notes: Thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. As always any criticsm both possitive and negative would be really appreaciated.

Bit of Lore: The Sangrake is based of a mix of two plant cryptids, the Mandrake and the Nicaraguan Vampire Vine. The name comes from the words "Sangre" (spanish for blood) and "Mandrake".