Summary: 'After leaps and bounds, it wasn't enough,' he thought to himself, counting the stars above, as Pyrrha and he lay dying. Beacon's tower missing from the horizon, airships falling like meteors, and the howls of the Grimm swirled under the light of the shattered moon. He prayed, because that's all that was left to do. "Save us." And so they did. With the roads that opened in front of them leading nowhere but to all out war, he wondered which was worse, dying as a martyred son or living to tell the tale after, as all between mortal, god and Grimm convened upon his neck.

All copyright for canon goes to RoosterTeeth. I do not own any characters, their likenesses, nor sell or maintain this work of fan fiction for profit or material gains. All spoilers for RWBY are unmarked. All publicly available canon is used as source material.

This work is rated for mature audiences. This work is not family friendly. All characters, due to the nature of the involved circumstances (war, war crimes including rape and sexual enslavement, trauma, death, PTSD, soldiery and similar themes), are not to be perceived as children. No characters under the age of 15 will be depicted in a sex or sex adjacent act. No characters under the age of 15 will be sexualized in any manner. This author does not support or tolerate pedophilia, or "minor attracted persons". Assume all sex acts that are indirectly depicted are consensual. Violence will not be tagged or trigger marked. There is no NTR, pornography, or flagrant disregard for lasting mental health issues.

This is your global trigger warning. It will not be repeated. If you are sensitive to the above themes and topics as well as topics on their peripheries such as mental health, crime and general worldsuck, please do not read. Continue at your own risk.

This work is canon derivative. This work is not loyal to the sanitary depiction of events in canon. This work is not loyal to the plotholes in canon.

Forgive me for the clarifications, I was here when the deep magic was written. Please comment if modes of communication are unclear:

"Speech." 'Thought.' "Alternative Language"

Fauni: The collective race. The Language of the Faunus. Both Exonyms.

Faunus/Fauna: The singular/The feminine singular of the above.

Hunter/Huntsman/Huntress: Synonyms.

Jaune laid unable to sleep.

Dawn's rosy fingers crawled through the window at last, and the early birds rose with it, tripping over classmates and their own feet. Some took to morning ablutions, others to brief workout regiments. Two surprisingly large groups made their way to divergent corners of the ballroom, with altars set up to the Gods of Humanity and Fauni. Darkness was slowly consumed by small candles and daybreak. Not that it mattered when he could see everything, including the couple that decided that they did not want to die virgins making quick and hushed work of the matter.

He crawled out of his tired cot, and into the bathrooms, freshened himself, pulled on his aging armor and waited for the airship rumble overhead. And so it did, rattling the rest of the ballroom to wakefulness and complaint.

Ruby, the blonde girl and the white haired beauty all milled in and out of the anxious din, the hurried brushing of teeth and frantic calls home flooded the floor in dread and anticipation.

He pretended not to hear some girl having a panic attack over her pancakes, pretended not to have a headache from a cloud of sweet pea perfume and pretended that this would be over with quickly.

After a spring loaded spear nearly killed him, he knew it would not be.

-.-.-.-. * -.-.-.-.

"Good morning. I trust that you all slept well," the blonde woman who introduced herself as Ms. Goodwitch began, tapping at her clipboard, voice amplified by dust. "As of today, you are no longer students, civilians, or bystanders. You are now initiates. Please refer to your clipboard." A great shuffle occurred as 567 children took the time to pay attention.

"The first form is a waiver declaring your emancipation from parental and-slash-or your ancestral custody, establishing you as adults under the law. Your signature indicates that you accept these terms. The second form is for personal data relating to your home address and similar demographics as well as any religious affiliation. This is important in the case of your death, by Grimm, friendly fire, or other injuries. The final form is a form indicating that you do understand the risks and complications of entering training to become a Hunter. Read and fill out all applicable information. Do not sign it. If you are incapable of understanding these instructions, written or verbal, you are advised to dismiss yourself at this time."

And the forms crossed Jaune's eyes thrice before he made it through the other side. Written not only in legalese, but in Common, it was hopeless for fifty four prospects, who handed back the blank form and selected greener pastures.

The remainder filed into lines like cattle, with aides checking for understanding and penmanship. Of the long and winding list before him, ten filled out the form in Fauni. Two in Old Mistrali. Eighteen in languages indecipherable. They, too, were sent away for reasons unheard among the chatter and laughter. It wasn't long before it was Jaune's clipboard in the hands of a man with thick glasses and a tremor. "Excellent! How excellent, your penmanship is spectacular! But, you have indicated that you have F-"

"That is correct! Thank you!" He near bit his tongue to spit that out, the green haired man sipped at his beverage. "Alright, it will be kept in confidentiality. Sign all forms and place your clipboard into the chest. Next~"

The process came to a bottleneck and once again, he was placed in vicinity of a ginger haired girl with more energy than seemed sense, a quiet raven haired boy, Ruby, a girl with golden hair, the recluse, Weiss and Pyrrha. Others filed in, taking up the thirty two platforms. Many more waited in the wings to hear the headmaster's speech.

"For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today your abilities will be evaluated in the emerald forest." The blonde woman intervened, words clipped with haste. "I assume many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Let me put a end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates. Today."

The white haired man, sipped at his coffee, cleared his throat and resumed his speech. "These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well. That being said, the first person you make contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years. After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path or you will die. You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. Do any at this time wish to recant their Initiation?"

Half peeled off. Others shuffled in to take their places.

"At this time forward, in the case of your death by any means, the protocol you indicated will be followed to the best extent possible. If you do not return to this cliff face, are not found, or do not reach the dust enforced barrier encasing this forest, you will be assumed deceased. No one is coming to get you, your body or your weapon in the case of your death. The persons or entities listed on your form will receive a certificate notifying them of your death, and in the case that your remains are retrieved by your fellow initiates, they will be handled as you have indicated. If no indication or preference is made as to whom to notify, where to deliver your remains, or what services to perform in the case of your death, you will be cremated and interred at the Tomb of the Fallen, located in central Vale. Any ambiguity will be decided by our cultural representatives, and if your indications or preferences continue to remain ambiguous, you will be cremated and interred at the Tomb of the Fallen. Do any, at this time, wish to recant their Initiation?"

A dozen more left.

"In the case that you survive your Initiation, you will be given lodging and food, and if necessary, medical treatment. If you are found to be greater or equal to the seventieth percentile of injuries endured with zero being perfect health and hundred being fatally wounded, you will be dismissed. If you are found to commit the crime of rape, unjustifiable murder, maiming, stalking of non-Grimm or non-animal entities, hate crimes, or any other heinous acts, you will be dismissed. If you are found to be traumatized beyond reasonable recovery, you will be dismissed and sent for treatment. If you are found to develop mental health issues beyond reasonable recovery and-slash-or become suicidal peri or post Initiation, you will be dismissed and sent for treatment. If you receive grievous or disabling wounds, you will be dismissed and sent for treatment. If, at any time, you are determined to be a unreasonable risk to yourself, fellow initiates, or any staff members peri or post Initiation, you will be dismissed."

He sipped his coffee. "Do any recant?" And more sloughed off.

The headmaster cleared his throat, apologized for his Vali accent, and recapitulated in Fauni, with a few extra flourishes. And even more fell off.

"For the final time. Do any recant?"

567 was now 204.

"Good. Let us begin."

"I'm sorrrrry...!" The crimson fall of her hair careened over the horizon, and her same spear that pinned him to a locker four hours ago held him safely aloft now.

57 leagues from home, nailed to the wall for the second time in twenty four hours, Jaune found himself awake.

'So much for confidence, for heroism, for being the cool guy for once. I should have stayed home! I should have went back home, and I sure as strife should not be-' Black fuzz crept into the outer edges of his vision. There was nothing that he could do but watch as the girl below broke her halberd, then her leg. Screaming and wailing, breaking off her nails, scraping the gravelly dirt, and losing limb after limb and finally her very life to a Ursa.

He swallowed his heart back into his chest. He would die here, with nothing to show for it. Just like Ozpin said.

Just like Father said.

The sun set a few degrees. The screams and howls of dead people or dead Grimm mixed and twisted into the air. The threads of his hoodie strained audibly. Something watched from the bushes and he was helpless and he couldn't even call hi-

"Jaune!"

'Pyrrha.'

"There you are," the girl from the cereal box emerged from the brush, covered in dust and someone's blood. Her chest heaved, as she recalled her spear, and Blondie fell on his ass. "...Jaune. I'm sorry. For stabbing you twice."

"That's me!" He patted himself off, shambling from foot to ankle. "I'm fine. Where's everyone else?" She couldn't catch his accent, with its open vowels and disappearing consonants, but she did catch that he was straining to speak. 'Curious.' You think that everyone's dead by now or-"

"Jaune. Why didn't you activate your Aura?" The light caused her emerald eyes to match the leaves and grasses, and weren't it for her shock of scarlet, perhaps in another life she could be a spring fairy, fit to dance about in the leaves above.

"What do you mean? Everything is going to plan, right? Just survive long to get a relic an-"

"...You... this isn't a tournament, we don't have time." Claws. Feet. "STOP PACING." She swallowed. Breathed. With a single fluid throw, Milo had gouged a hole through a Beowolf's spinal cord, returning to her hand as if haunted.

He stopped in mid-stride, mouth wide enough for a spiderweb.

"We have to move. Come here." He did, retrieving Crocea Mors from his belt, "I will explain, when we are not in mortal peril. This is unlike anything that they described previously. Forgive my shaking, the adrenaline is hitting me now."

And so she laid carmine hands on uncut quartz.

"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death. I release your soul and by my shoulder protect thee."