The world burned before Jaune Arc's eyes.

During his years as a Huntsman, he'd seen cities rise and fall, homes torn from their foundations and tossed by creatures hellbent on killing, and people falling victim to the cruelty he'd failed to defeat. But never on such a large scale or in such a dramatic display. This was not a small, contained incident—this was an entire kingdom being devoured by flames. It was a horrifying sight, one that sent chills down his spine.

At his side stood Ren and Nora, both with their weapons drawn and ready. While they'd grown in the three years since the beginning of their days on the field, he could tell the work was tearing them apart from the inside. Not the work itself—the failures that came along with it. The towns they'd lost to their own mistakes and the innocent people who'd succumbed to wounds they couldn't prevent. The friends who hadn't survived dangerous encounters, while they had. Upon arriving at Beacon, they'd been aware of the risks of hunting Grimm, but it was never easy seeing their friends and allies fall. The toll it had taken was written across their faces, etched in the newly formed lines that came from frowning and crying over their losses.

Jaune glanced at his friends. Over time, Nora had lost the bright-eyed look she'd kept throughout her time at Beacon, instead replacing it with a persistent frown. When she noticed him watching her, she tried for a smile. It was barely a fraction of her old one, a simple attempt to mask her sadness and pain, but he appreciated it nonetheless. When this was all over, she'd have the chance to live the life she deserved.

Next to Nora, Ren hadn't taken his eyes from the flames since they'd approached the blaze. He appeared much older than he was, his eyes dark and surrounded by deep shadows. Nightmares plagued him night after night, tearing him from his sleep. On the days following a large battle, he didn't bother trying to fall asleep. It weighed on him.

Ren stepped forward. "There are civilians in there," he said. He was quieter than usual. It was a familiar tone.

"What are you not telling me?" Nothing from his teammate, so he pushed further. "What aren't you telling me?"

There was a frown and a moment of hesitation that made Jaune worry. Whatever Ren was keeping from him, it was big. And something he needed to know.

Nora placed one hand on his arm and pulled Ren close with the other one. "You need to tell him," she murmured. "He deserves to know. This isn't something you can't tell him, Ren." She looked towards the flames, tears pooling in her eyes. In the light from the fire, the sharp lines of her face were oddly defined, the shadows contrasting with the bright planes of her cheeks. The lighting made her look older, more mature. And somehow, more haunted. "Tell him."

"Team RWBY sent a report earlier today. The cities on the outskirts of the kingdom were evacuated, the inhabitants brought to this town," Ren said with a defeated sigh, his eyes falling to the ground, "Including the one your family lives in. They weren't accounted for in the people brought over to the next town when the Grimm invaded this one. We think they're still in there. Your whole family."

His knees buckled.

No.

He thought of his sisters. Saphron, the eldest, encouraging him to go to Beacon and do what he wanted. Scarlette, just younger than him, forging his transcripts while he was busy worrying. Azura and Blanche, ten and eleven respectively, helping him pack for the trip. Carmina and Clementine, the twins, giving him cookies they'd baked as he was leaving. And Isra, only six years old, crying as she watched him walk down the path that led to the nearest big city.

They couldn't be in that city. They couldn't be caught in a burning house. He needed to get them out.

He wouldn't let them die.

Nora's hand tightened around his arm when he tried taking a step forwards. "There is no way you can go in there, Jaune. Please don't try," she pleaded. "There's already a team in there and you can't risk it. Please don't risk it."

With a shrug, he removed her hand from his arm. It took some effort to pry her fingers off but he managed and walked towards the burning city. "I can't risk my siblings. I can't take that chance. They're in there and I don't want to lose them. Not them too."

"If you insist, let us come as well," Ren said. "That's a big city, and we don't know where they are. We can cover more ground by splitting up."

Jaune shook his head. "Neither of you are following me," he told them. "You two needed elsewhere, and I need to help my family." He couldn't lose them as well, not like he'd lost Pyrrha. He couldn't let them slip away. He needed to try. All he could do was try.

Nora ran forwards and pulled him into a hug, her head reaching the top of his ribs. Ren joined in the hug, and they stood there like that. Seconds turned to minutes, but none let go.

Memories flooded him of their first day as a team. Of their training sessions, with Nora grinning brightly as she smashed training dummies to pieces. Of Ren cooking in their dorm while the other three gathered around and watched their favourite movies over and over. Of the obstacles they'd overcome, from Pyrrha's death to the first entire town they'd lost to Grimm. Memories he cherished about the people he loved the most. They were his family as well. He'd be lost without them.

"Stay safe," Nora murmured with a frown as she stepped away into Ren's arms, wiping at her face to hide the tears. "Come back to us."

With a nod, Jaune gripped his sword and ran towards the burning homes. The heat was almost unbearable, flames licking at his arms and legs the further he went into the city. Behind him, wooden beams from already crumbling houses fell and blocked his path. There was no going back now.

Picking up his pace, he listened for screams. Crying. Anything that would help him find his sisters in the blaze. The smoke made it difficult to breathe, forcing him to untie Pyrrha's sash from his waist and tie it back around his face. It wouldn't solve the problem but was better than nothing. He couldn't let smoke inhalation keep him from saving his family.

With every step into the rubble, he was losing hope. There was no indication of them anywhere, but out of nowhere, he heard a familiar voice calling his name.

"Saphron?" he called back. It had to be her. "Saphron, where are you?"

Again, his name. "On your right! We're all in the house on your right!"

Sure enough, in a flaming building on his right stood Saphron and the others. They were peering out the window, Isra in Saphron's arms and the rest huddled around them. The front door of the house was erupting with flames and he assumed the bottom floor was the same. There was only one possible exit, and he was going to get them out.

"Throw her out the window! I'll catch her," Jaune promised, stepping as close as he could without endangering himself. "It's your only chance!"

His eldest sister looked conflicted for a moment before sighing, murmuring something to Isra, and tossing her out of the window and towards the ground. Time seemed to slow and his heart beat faster and faster as the baby of the family came plummeting down, down, down, racing towards the ground and falling—

—into his waiting arms.

She threw her arms around his neck and coughed, cried, tried murmuring to him. With a shake of his head he kissed her forehead. "You're safe."

One after the other, the rest of his sisters jumped from the window. Clementine and Carmina and Blanche and Azure and Scarlette and finally, Saphron.

They were all safe for the time being, but he still needed to get them out.

Without speaking, he motioned for Saphron to lead them out as quickly as possible. She nodded and led them down side roads and through alleyways, past the most ruined parts of the city and places where Grimm still roamed. At last, a clearing appeared at the end of the road before them. They were almost there.

Each of his sisters passed him and ran towards the clearing. Ran to safety.

He paused on the road and glanced back at the city ablaze, wondering if anyone was left inside. He should've gone back to check, he should've tried helping more people—

"Jaune! The beam!" Saphron called, a split second too late.

Around him, the two nearest houses splintered and fell, their wooden frames crashing down and creating a barricade that blocked his path. As he turned to look at the houses, he saw one last beam falling and turned to run away.

Too late.

It caught him across the back and pinned him to the ground, the fire dancing across it. Soon, his clothes were ablaze and he felt nothing but excruciating pain.

"It'll be alright, Jaune." Pyrrha—he was hearing Pyrrha over the sound of his screams and the destruction. "You'll be okay. I'm here. I never left."

"I'm with you, now and forever. I love you."

And as he felt the pain overtake him, as he felt himself slipping away, he tried murmuring back, "I love you, too."