Author's Note
My first story in the RWBY category, I hope you guys enjoy reading it! The world that Jaune lived first is completely AU than remnant. More of that will be explained as the story goes on. Remnant will be slight AU. Similar to the last statement, this will be showed as the story goes on.
/-/Reincarnated in Remnant/-/
Blood covered every inch of his body. He was so exhausted. Jaune just wanted to close his eyes to let it all end. Why did all of his comrades deserve their tragic fates? All they wanted to do was to save the world from ending. Wasn't that a noble goal? God deemed it otherwise. They were all killed slowly throughout the journey.
One by one, year by year, they were picked off in battle. It came to the point where he was the only one left now. Only Jaune was left to oppose the king of demons. Jaune was fighting the final battle of his life and the fate of the world depended on his shoulders.
In the battle, Jaune had defeated the army of demons by himself. Blood poured out of his wounds, mixing with the blood of the demons that was smeared across his stained skin. Using his sword as support, Jaune slowly trudged towards the king of demons. It was the final enemy he had to defeat.
The sacrifice of his comrades, the suffering of the people, every damn thing was caused by the demon in front of him. Jaune snarled as he slowly advanced. The demon began to laugh as he saw the pathetic state of Jaune.
"Do you seriously think you'll be able to win?" The words dripped with overconfidence. Looking up, Jaune met the eyes of the Demon. The king was condescending him. The demon had every right to. Even Jaune himself knew the battle would most likely end with his defeat. What drove him forward was not the belief in success, but the sacrifices of others. He would fight to his last breath. It was the least he could do to respect the fallen people.
Jaune could barely exert strength on his body. He roared as he ran forward with all his might. Sword swinging down towards him, the king raised his hands effortlessly to block the attack. Using his supernatural power, the king swung his arm to the side. A force of wind slammed into Jaune's battered body, causing him to tumble sideways like a ragdoll.
His body convulsed as it made contact with the ground. Jaune gasped for air, but was interrupted as a foot slammed into his and vertigo filled his body. His head was getting crushed between the ground and the foot of the demon.
"It's over, Hero. Everything is over for you." Jaune gritted his teeth as he felt tears well up.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!" Jaune roared as he could do nothing but wither in pain. A new wound must have formed on his head. Blood was trickling down into his eyes.
Jaune begged the heavens for power. He begged any celestial, supernatural, or upper being. He needed to win the fight. Maybe it was his desperation. Maybe the angels didn't want the demon king to win. A miracle occurred in front of Jaune.
His body was enveloped with white light. The king backed away as he stuttered in shock. Pain still resonated throughout Jaune's body. The light didn't cure his wounds. The light only provided him with minor strength. Would it be enough to defeat the demon in front of him? Not likely. Still, it was something he had to work with.
Jaune gritted his teeth as he stood up. His body was heaving with every breath. Once again, Jaune charged forward to kill the demon. The demon deflected every swing that Jaune made. Jaune didn't slow down, continuing his barrage of futile attacks.
"Like I said hero, it's over." It was the final words Jaune could hear before his chest exploded with pain. He looked down towards his chest to see that it was impaled. The hand of the demon was embedded into his chest.
"Kuh!" Blood erupted from his mouth. He felt his consciousness fade. The lack of blood, the fatigue, and the mere fact that he should be dead from the wounds was finally bearing the result. If he closed his eyes right now, it would mean his death. Instead of giving himself to death, Jaune bit his teeth into his tongue. His nerves were burning, but he didn't give a shit. The extra pain allowed him to stay awake.
With his left hand, Jaune grabbed the arm that was embedded into his chest. The demon looked at him with surprise. With his right hand, Jaune raised his sword.
"Haah… hahh..." Every breath hurt. The king raised his hand to deflect the blow again. His eyes widened as the sword was shining with white light. It was the counter force to his own powers. He wouldn't be able to block the attack. Was this the final gift that the angels were going to give to the hero?
For this first time in years, a smile formed on Jaune's face as he saw fear on the demon king's face. The king thrashed around to free the hand that was in Jaune's body.
"I'm never letting go." Jaune whispered as he gripped the king's arm tighter. He roared afterwards, swinging his arm to deliver the final blow. As the blow was about to make contact, his twenty years of life flashed on his mind.
The child that dreamed of being a hero. The child that believed that heroes were noble. The child that wanted to go on quests with his party of friends. The child that learned that heroes weren't noble.
The child that was Jaune.
He was a orphan. Jaune didn't know who his parents were, nor did he know what a family was. He lived with other children during a time of despair. Wars were breaking out throughout the entire continent. Food was scarce, and soldiers were dying every day.
The lack of soldiers needed to be accounted for. The kingdom turned its sight towards orphanages to grow soldiers. At twelve years of age, Jaune and the other orphans were drafted and underwent training. The ways to kill demons and humans. The ways of swordsmanship. The kingdom had resorted to sending children to the battlefield.
At first, he was excited. His dreams of being a hero were flowering. He focused on his training with delight, happy that he was able to help the country. It all fell apart with their first expedition.
It was a living nightmare. The rotten smell of dead flesh resonated everywhere. He could barely keep his eyes open as they stung from the smoke on the battlefield. The dismembered body parts of the army, the emotionless faces that were placed upon his diseased comrades. His body froze at the first sight of the demons. Jaune didn't know how he survived. Most likely, it was from the natural instinct to survive. Without intention, he killed the demons that attacked.
He was the only person from the orphanage that survived the first battle.
One battle became two, two became three, and Jaune was forced to fight in every battles. At that point, it wasn't the instinct to survive that drove him. It was pure craziness. All the soldiers had lost their mental grasp. They laughed like a maniac when they entered the war zones.
By surviving every confrontation with the demons and coming out victorious, Jaune's name spread. He was the orphan who slayed demons without mercy. The icon of victory. The soldier who never lost. Soon enough, the kingdom had entrusted the title of hero to him. He wasn't honored to receive the title. Even when soldiers looked up to him, Jaune hated being the hero. Instead of joy and pride, he felt the weight of expectations.
The worst came after. The enemies he faced were not limited to demons. Much to his horror, he was deployed to conquer other kingdoms. He had to kill humans. Weren't the demons their common enemy? Why were they fighting one another? All he felt was despair. The only thing he could do was to follow the orders of the kingdom.
However, his views changed when he made his first genuine comrades. They weren't people who blindly hailed him as a hero. They were the ones who saw his flaws and helped correct them. From his hell, they were the only positives that existed, even if he was forced to carry out immoral orders. Hope sparked again in Jaune's heart as he fought with them. But of course, the world was cruel. His comrades faded one after another, and he was alone again. Alone to face the demon king, as he was doing now. Jaune glanced upwards one final time to the demon.
"Fuck you." Jaune whispered as his sword impaled the demon. The king screeched as the holy light entered his body. The light would kill the demon, the battle was done. Jaune fell forwards and leaned on the burning body of the demon. His head was bathed in red by the blood that was pouring out of the demon. Jaune didn't care.
Instead, he closed his eyes to sleep. All he wanted was rest. He deserved it now, didn't he?
/-/Reincarnated in Remnant/-/
"It's time to wake up." A soft voice entered his ears. Jaune growled in response as he covered his ears. He wanted more sleep. Another growl rumbled from his throat as he felt a finger poke at his cheeks.
"What the fuck do you-!" Jaune yelled as he sat up. He stopped himself as he surveyed his surrounding. There was nothing. Quite literally, he was standing on nothing. The only thing he could see was the color of white, as well as the person that was standing in front of him.
Jaune closed his eyes, opening them again after a moment. The environment remained the same. Confused, he used different tactics. He rubbed his eyes and blinked rapidly. Still, nothing changed.
"Hello child." The voice sounded again. Jaune faced towards the stranger in front of him. Although he had never seen one before, Jaune could immediately understand who the person in front of him was. It was an angel. White clothing, pure flowing hair, the white feathered wings.
"I'm dead aren't I?" He asked. The angel chuckled.
"Not surprised, are you?" Jaune snorted at the response.
"A bit off tongue, probably a cracked skull, a hole in my chest with my heart most likely destroyed. No, I am very surprised that I am dead." He rolled his eyes.
"We thank you for your actions, hero. You saved the world that we watch over. It may not mean much, but is there anything that you wish for as a reward? It's the least that we can offer." The angel asked. Jaune stared cautiously as he thought. Was this his reward for saving the world? His eyes darkened at the thought of getting rewarded.
He pillaged, killed and destroyed the lives of innocent people. He didn't deserve any reward.
"My friends. My comrades. Can you do anything about them? Revive them or something?" He asked desperately. He felt tears well up in his eyes as he saw the angel frown.
"We cannot do anything about the dead. If it does anything to appease you, we made sure to give them the proper afterlife." Jaune gritted his teeth at the response.
"What can you do then? You claim that you watch over the land, yet you can't do anything to help? You watch as millions of people die in the war. You watch from the sidelines as people fight with one another. You can't revive the people that die, you didn't even help in the fights, just what the fuck can you do then!" Jaune growled as he felt anger build up.
The more he thought about it. The more angry he got. They fought the war that the angels were supposed to fight. Yet, the angels only watched from the heavens, doing nothing to help. Now they thank him for actions, saying that they can grant one wish, only to find that they couldn't grant him his one wish.
"Well then. All I want to do is sleep." He replied as he lied down again. He was still seething, but he couldn't do anything. Blaming the angels wouldn't bring his dead friends back.
"Excuse me?" The angel asked.
"All I want is rest. I'm tired of all the fighting. I just want to lie down on a field with green grass with cool air. When I wake up, I want to see fresh food beside me that I can eat. Once I eat my share, I'll sleep again, rinse and repeat. I'm never going to hold a weapon ever again. That's what I wish for." Jaune replied.
The angel smiled sadly at the request. The adolescent in front was scarred from the result of war. A child that never was able to live a peaceful life. Wait. An idea appeared to the angel. They would give him the opportunity to live a fulfilling life. It wasn't the sleep only lifestyle that Jaune wanted, but it would be close.
"I hope you make the most of this second chance." The angel whispered as magic was casted. Jaune turned his head as he heard the whisper. He winced his eyes at the sudden light that entered his vision.
"What the fuck?" It was the last words that Jaune muttered before he disappeared.
Only the angel was left as Jaune vanished from their realm. Even if they were higher beings, they didn't have the ability to dictate someone's fate. The most they could do was to let a soul be born in an environment of their choosing. The angel had made sure to choose a loving and caring family. The problem was fate.
Whatever fate had in store for Jaune, the angel prayed that it wasn't filled with any violence.
/-/Reincarnated in Remnant/-/
He was blinded again by the light that entered his vision. Once his eyes adjusted, he jerked his body in panic.
"What the fuck!" He yelled as he saw the towering figure hovering over him. It was a large man with blonde hair. The man was too big, this wasn't normal. Was he a giant? Jaune looked around in panic and gasped as he saw the vast space of the room.
More confusion filled him as he heard the man speak gibberish. It was a foreign language to him. He moved his body in an attempt to escape from the grasp of the man. His eyes widened in shock as he understood the situation.
His arms and legs weren't developed at all. He was stark naked, his small fingers raised in the air. He gasped as he tried to calm himself.
He was a baby.
The question was why? The answer hit him after. It was the fucking angel. Didn't he ask for a peaceful field he could sleep on? Why the fuck did they reincarnate him? He noticed that all noises from him came out as the whine of a baby. If he could, he would slap himself in the forehead.
Instead, all he could do was whine like a baby would. At this instant, Jaune made a vow. He would kill the angel that reincarnated him the next time he saw the angel. This was a vow he would keep no matter what.
/-/Reincarnated in Remnant/-/
Fifteen Years Later
"Wake up! Wake up!" He let out a groan in response.
"Hurry up you lazy ass!" He let out another groan.
"How do you even sleep this much everyday? You sleep almost immediately after dinner. You probably sleep twelve hours every day, not even counting your naps." He grunted as he felt a light punch hit his ribs. Jaune covered the blankets tighter over his body in response. His eyebrows furrowed in anger as he felt the blanket get tugged away from him.
No! Not his sacred blanket!
He tugged back at the holy creation, wrapping it over his head. Why couldn't they just leave him alone? All he wanted was some sleep. He wasn't harming anyone.
"Alyssa, I think we have to resort to physical violence." A small voice rang out.
"Just like Every. Single. Freaking. Day." A louder voice yelled out as Jaune felt another elbow dig into his stomach. A loud sigh echoed throughout the room as Jaune finally decided to leave the bed. He sat up, rubbing his sore stomach with one hand. With his other hand, he scratched his head lazily.
He was about to yawn, but Jaune yelped in pain instead as he felt two hands pull his hair.
"Ow! Alyssa, are you trying to make me bald or something!" Jaune said as he felt his body get dragged downstairs. He glared at the eldest as she continued to tug at his hair. They soon arrived to the dining table.
He expertly turned his head away to avoid the chastising glare that his father was sending him. His dad let out a large sigh instead as he pinched the bridge of his eyebrows.
He was thrown towards his seat. He let out a small smile as he saw the hefty amount of food that was placed on the table. It was filled with mostly breakfast dishes. Golden colored eggs were gathered onto one plate, with grilled ham on another. A straw woven basket held pastries that were hand made. He reached forward with his fork to take a bite, but his hand was slapped by his mother who playfully glared at him.
She patted his hair to calm his bed hair. Jaune sat calmly in his chair as the morning antics of his 'family' began again. He frowned a little as he used the word family. It still felt somewhat awkward to him, even if he lived with them for fifteen years.
He rested his head on top of his elbow as he saw his seven sisters roam around the table. Seriously, seven sisters? By the time he was born, he only had one older sister. Year after year somehow, the amount of siblings he had increased. He prayed to dear god that his parents wouldn't spring any more pregnant news on him anymore.
It was a weird sight to see. In some way, it was funny. In another way, it was strangely freaky. Seeing eight children who had the same shade of blonde hair and blue eyes. Yet, even with the similar features, his sisters each had a distinguishing feature.
His interaction with the new world had been somewhat interesting so far. The hardest thing was learning the new language that they used. Although it was difficult, he was able to learn the language after a few years. By some form of luck, his name was the same as his last life's name. The next hardest thing, arguably tied with the hardest, was adapting to his family.
Luckily, his family was one that showered each and every one of them with love and equality. They didn't treat one any different than the other. He could talk to his parents just fine. It was the younger siblings he had trouble with.
He was never one that interacted with others in the other world, let alone talk to children. He was too bloodstained to interact with them. Whenever his younger siblings talked to him, he would freeze up. Thankfully, his older sister and mother would come to his rescue. 'It's because he's a male.' It was the excuse that his mother told his sisters.
After spending fifteen years with them, he got… better. It was still difficult without a doubt. Hell, he still sometimes had problems acting normally with his parents. It just didn't feel right, considering that he still had his memories of his past life. No matter how much time he spent with his new family, there would be some kind of barrier. Thankfully, progress was made. At least, with his parents. He could have friendly banter with them and feel natural with them. It was that there will still some rare times where he would feel awkward.
Living with his family was a gift. Jaune begrudgingly thanked the angel that reincarnated him over the years. He was able to spend fifteen years with a loving family. Thanks to them, his personality had changed. His cynical and rude manners were shifted. Although there were still some traces, he was more light-hearted now. He was still reserved, but he wasn't stuck in his own shell like he was before.
"Hmm?" Jaune hummed as a loaf of bread was stuck out towards his face. He turned his head to the side, meeting the wide eyes of Phoebe, the third youngest. He sighed as he understood the message. He grabbed a knife before spreading some butter over the bread. He handed the butter covered bread to his sister, who happily accepted. He quickly began to eat himself as he noticed that the family had already started to eat.
Phoebe was the sixth child in the family, being ten years old. Yet, she was more childish than the youngest at many times. She wasn't exactly spoiled, but she was someone who avoided doing work herself. In some ways, she was similar to himself in that aspect.
Jaune chewed on his food quickly, helping his mother clean the plates when they all finished. He was about to go back towards his room before she stopped him.
"Your dad has something to talk to you about. He's waiting in the backyard." His mother said. He raised his eyebrows in curiosity, wondering what his dad needed. He marched outside towards the backyard, noticing that his sisters were sitting on the porch. He stared suspiciously at his sisters. Was he in trouble? Were they there just to enjoy the scolding he was going to get?
"You called for me dad?" He asked as he walked towards his father. The man just silently stared at him. Jaune gulped nervously as he waited for a response. His dad Nicola was very muscular. The man had an abnormally large height too, allowing him to tower over others.
"It's time for a talk." His dad said in a deep voice. In the background, Jaune could identify Alyssa groaning.
"That's it? Damn I'm disappointed. Okay everyone, go inside, there's nothing interesting to see here." She said as she playfully pushed her sisters inside. Jaune let out a sigh of relief. It seemed that it was nothing serious. If only Alyssa knew, it was probably a talk that his dad did with everyone once they turned to a certain age.
His mother walked out after, and it seemed that it was the action to signify the start.
"Jaune, what do you want to be?" His dad asked.
"Ohhhhhhhhh." Jaune moaned understandingly. No wonder Alyssa was disappointed. It was this talk. He dismissed his current thoughts as he began to think seriously. An answer formed instantly. It was an answer that he knew would anger his dad.
"I want to live a peaceful life, sleeping under the shade of an apple tree. The cool breeze would lull me to sleep. When I awake, I would climb up the apple trees to pick one off to eat. After, I would fall asleep again, rinse and repeat." Jaune answered confidently. It was the answer he gave to the angel.
He saw his dad twitch in annoyance.
"So you have no idea what you want to be?" Nicola sighed expectantly.
"Well, I basically just told you that I want to be a freeload-" Jaune started
"So you have no idea what you want to be." His dad interrupted. Nicola sighed. He loved his son dearly, but he really wanted to beat that lazy side of his son. It was expected that a child didn't have a designated dream at his age. His son was… unique to put it politely. He spent most of the days doing nothing, staring absently into space. At first, Nicola thought that Jaune was doing it to just pass the time. When he went close, Nicola noticed that Jaune was deep in his own thoughts.
Jaune stared silently at his dad who seemed to be deep in thought. He crouched down into the floor as he waited. Few minutes passed without a sound. Jaune was jerked out of his stupor as Nicola coughed a few times to clear his throat.
"Well, I'll think of something. The second reason I called you here was to talk about unlocking your aura." Nicola stated. Jaune stared at Nicola. He had no clue what aura was. Jaune focused his life on adapting to his family, period. He didn't care about the world. Aura didn't exist in his previous life, so it was the first time that he heard of the term.
"If you don't mind me asking, what's aura?" Jaune asked absent mindedly. He glanced upwards when he was greeted with silence. Nicola's face was filled with shock.
"Didn't you learn at school?" Nicola asked back.
Jaune scratched his cheeks as he tried to recall. In his previous life, school was something that he longed for. Meeting people that were similar of age, being able to interact and befriend them, it was something that was beyond reach for Jaune who was an orphan. Instead, he spent his time in an orphanage. The closest thing that came to a school was the training camps that he received when they were drafted into the army.
No sane person would consider that a school.
In his current life, he was initially filled with surprise when he was sent to school at a young age. Often, Jaune forgot that he was a child again. His surprise was replaced with nervousness at the thought of finally going to school. However, his expectations were shattered instantly. It wasn't that school was boring or wasn't fun, it was that he would never have a chance to properly experience school.
If you thought about it for a moment, it was technically a twenty some year old adult going through elementary school. Spending many years at school, he was now technically a late twenty year old adult going through highschool.
He couldn't get along with his 'peers' at all. Seriously, how could he when they were all innocent and immature? Their minds worked completely differently. His mental state was fucked up from experiencing war. Not to mention the technical age gap. He was attending class with children.
At least classes were easy. He wasn't exactly the most educated person in his previous life. Rather than having knowledge of literature or any other subjects of the same matter, he had knowledge in strategy. How to take advantage of the terrain, how to identify the weakness of the enemy. You know, those that would help win wars?
The result of all the factors resulted in something rather obvious. He was isolated. His classmates didn't interact much with him, and he didn't try to interact with them. Both sides avoided each other. In all honesty, Jaune would rather not go to school at all.
Of course, there was no way that he could avoid school. Even if he displayed his intelligence, it would result in him skipping grades. His parents treasured education. So instead of dragging attention to himself and actually learning difficult materials, Jaune decided to just chill and act as if he possessed the average intelligence. Through his decision, he was able to get a lot of sleep. He could breeze through the homework, and he didn't have to study at all.
"Well dad, the school I go to specializes in teaching students how to live a commoner's life. Basic arithmetic, literature, those of the sort. If the teacher talks about something that doesn't have to relate to the topic at hand, I ignore and forget about it. Considering that I have no clue what aura is, I assume that I forgot about it because it wasn't relating to the topic at the time." Jaune yawned as he replied. He really wanted to sleep more. Nicola groaned as he listened.
"I'm going to teach you what aura is Jaune. There's no exact explanation as to what it is, but we consider it as the manifestation of our soul. It is an ability that we can use. Aura heals us from wounds, protects us from damage, and strengthens us." Nicola explained.
Jaune felt his eyebrows twitch as he listened. Well, wasn't that an ability that would have been fucking useful in his previous life. To heal from injuries? That would have been a godsend. Instead, even the smallest injury threatened their lives due to diseases. If they had such a thing called aura in his previous life, maybe his comrades would have been alive to see the end…
"What else can it do?" Jaune asked as he got rid of the thought. They were gone. He was in a different world. Thinking about them wouldn't help him in any way.
"I'll start with the basic. Every living thing with a soul has aura. An individual's aura looks different, mostly having a different color. Aura is widely used as a defensive measure. It can protect us from attacks that would normally pierce our bodies. Instead of getting pierced, It would be like a blunt attack. Unfortunately, aura doesn't stop us from feeling the pain still. If you want a really basic idea as to what aura is, think of it as an unnatural energy source that we can use." Nicola stated.
"You and mom must have a ton of aura then." Jaune started. His dad raised his eyebrows in question. "I mean, you guys keep going at each other even when you already have eight children. I understand that you guys love each other, but seriously, I don't want a ninth child to appear." His normally stoic dad choked on his own saliva in shock.
His mom was red from embarrassment as she tried to cover the ears of his younger sisters. Alyssa let out a loud sigh as she nodded her head in agreement. She couldn't handle another younger sibling.
"Jokes aside, what did you mean when you talked about unlocking aura?" Jaune tried to change the subject for his parents sake. Nicola coughed in response, jumping at the chance to talk about something else.
"To unlock aura, hard training and willpower is usually needed. Normally, hunters and huntresses are beings who can unlock aura on their own. For the commoner, it can be unlocked by someone else. As aura is an excellent defense to fall back to as a last resort, it is recommended that their aura gets unlocked." Jaune narrowed his eyes as he listened.
His father's explanation made it sound as if aura was meant for people trained for combat. Hunters and huntresses. Jaune deposited the two words in the back of his head. Without question, he was going to avoid meeting or becoming a hunter, whatever it was that they did. He was so fucking tired of fighting.
His eyes snapped back upwards as his father walked towards him. He felt the large muscular hand of his dad touch his chest. Jaune stared expectantly at his dad.
"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." Nicola chanted before stepping back.
Jaune's eyes widened in surprise as he felt a surge. It was difficult to explain exactly what the feeling was. If he could describe it in one word, it would be… comfortable. A soft white light enveloped his body.
"White?" His dad spoke in a whisper that was barely audible.
"What?" Jaune asked, wanting his dad to repeat his words.
"It's nothing." His dad said as he walked into the house. Jaune was left to stare at his dad's retreating form. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the mood changed suddenly. His mom didn't seem to know the reason either as she stared worryingly.
Nicola shivered as he walked upstairs to his bedroom. He sat on the bed as he exhaled. How was it that his son had white aura? He didn't know if he should be happy, excited, sad or worried. White aura was literally a myth, a legend that existed between the limited numbers of hunters and huntresses. A power that was said to be divine.
No, nothing was known yet. Whether his son really had a divine power, or whether it was just a lucky coincidence, nothing was set in stone. It didn't even matter if Jaune ended up living up to the myths. What mattered the most was his son's opinion. If he wanted to use his aura to help others in the frontlines of battle, then Nicola would grudgingly respect his choice. If Jaune decided not to become a hunter, then Nicola would drag this secret to his grave.
His attention was split as he saw someone enter his room. It was Joanne, his wife that he would give his life for any day. He let out a forced smile as she sat next to him.
"What's wrong?" Joanne asked.
"White aura," he began, "someone who has white aura is said to have a predetermined fate. They hold power that no one else can dream of. I don't want to go in in detail, as everything is just a legend. But to be sure, keep quiet about this dear, okay? I don't want any news of this to spread. Anything could happen." Joanne nodded at the explanation.
Nicola sighed as he rubbed his forehead to try and calm his headache. He didn't want to force anything on his children. He wanted them to grow up to be what they wanted to be. He would give them his full support, no matter what career path they chose.
Right now, Jaune was an exception. Although he wouldn't be forcing his son down a specific path, he would have to force him to choose a path earlier than others. Whether Jaune wanted to follow the path of a legend, whether Jaune wanted to be a commoner, a choice had to be made now.
"I'm gonna take a break and travel with Jaune." Nicola announced. Joanne stared with surprise. "This is a precaution that I'm taking. Let him get inspired off things that he sees, make him choose what he wants to be. Honestly speaking, I have no idea how long we'll be gone. It'll be a good family bonding time too. Maybe fix that boy's laziness." Nicola smiled as he finished.
Joanne nodded at the suggestion. She could handle the other children. She wanted to give Jaune the full support that he deserved.
/-/Reincarnated in Remnant/-/
"Excuse me, what?" Jaune asked as his dad announced the news. His sisters whined at the unfair news that was delivered. Jaune frowned. His dad wanted to travel with him? What was with the sudden development? His sisters were whining that they weren't being taken. His dad should replace him with one of his sisters! The amount of sleep that he would be missing…
"I get it. This is all a sick plan for you to try and get rid of my sleeping time, isn't it? Well let me tell you old man, it sure as hell ain't working." Jaune said as he jabbed a finger towards his dad. The man snorted in response at the accusation.
"Fixing your damned sleep schedule is a priority, I admit that. It's not healthy to sleep as much as you do. Get ready to pack, we're leaving tomorrow. By the way, I'm not taking no for an answer." Nicola concluded before eating the dinner that was laid out.
Jaune stared at his dad with disbelief. Just, why? The question ran through his head multiple times before he gave up. He instead poked at the roast beef that was sitting on his plate. He excused himself from the dinner table and went to his room. He wanted to argue, but he didn't want to ruin the family dinner at the same time.
No matter what he did, he wouldn't be able to change his dad's mind anyways. He would bitch at his dad as they left tomorrow. Jaune would make the old man regret taking him on the trip. He collapsed on his bed, sleeping a few minutes later. This was most likely the last time that he would be able to sleep comfortably.
He was wrong.
His eyes opened drowsily as he felt a large hand shake him. Jaune was sure that he had fallen asleep. He reached towards his scroll, looking at the time. It was four am. Freaking four o' clock. Jaune glared at the person who woke him.
His dad loomed over him. Nicola raised his eyebrows as he slung a large bag over his shoulder. Jaune peeked to the side, noticing that the bag was filled with his belongings.
"I told you to pack yesterday, yet you didn't. I knew that this would happen, so I packed for you. Be thankful." Nicola grumbled as he slung Jaune over his shoulders.
"Wait, wait, dad, put me down! I can walk on my own!" Jaune yelled as he flailed his arms around to escape. His dad laughed as he dropped Jaune to the floor, causing him to grumble in response. Jaune slowly rose to his feet as he changed clothing.
"Just how are we traveling anyways?" Jaune inquired as he put on a jacket. He reached forward for his scroll, depositing the item with the charger inside a gray colored backpack. His dad watched silently as he tapped his foot.
"Train. We're already late on schedule, so we have to hurry there. We're going to jog there, alright?" Jaune scrunched his face up with disgust. Late his ass. His dad planned all this out. It seemed that his dad's plan on changing his lazy attitude started already. Jaune grumbled his complaints as he followed his dad outside. What kind of train ran at midnight?
"Is it alright to leave at this time? We won't even get to say goodbye." Jaune said as he stared at the house one last time.
"It's better this way. If we left while everyone was awake, your sisters would cry forever. I don't want your mother to handle that alone. If we leave while they sleep, the worst is that they whine for a few hours. We have our scrolls anyways, we can call each other whenever." Nicola answered. Jaune laughed halfheartedly as he understood. No doubt that his sisters would cry if they saw the two leave. Watching a person leave evoked more emotions.
"Hurry up, let's go!" Nicola cried as he began to run. Jaune sighed one final time before he began to follow. It didn't take long for Jaune to begin heaving with fatigue. He was a endurance monster in his previous life, but this life was different.
He didn't have the conditioning that he had before. His body was that of a frail, skinny and lazy fifteen year old. His stamina was abysmal. Six minutes of jogging and Jaune already felt like throwing up.
"No more. No more." Jaune desperately cried as he stopped his jogging, slowing down to a walk. His dad stared with a disappointed look. Jaune completely ignored it. A cry of anger left his mouth as he felt something push his back.
When he turned around, he saw his dad behind him. He was pushing him forward, forcing him to quicken his pace. If he slowed down for a moment, his dad would run over him. His dad would actually do it too, Jaune knew he would.
With a outraged cry, Jaune was forced to run against his will for the next hour. By the time they arrived, Jaune was lying down on the stone tiles that led to the entrance of the train station.
Closed. That was the sign that showed on the train station. Jaune shifted his position to look at the sign. His mouth twitched as he stared at his dad for an answer. When making eye contact, Jaune could only see mirth on his dad's eyes.
"What's the meaning of this?" Jaune asked.
"Stand up, let's have breakfast." Nicola replied as he offered his hand for support. Giving up on life, Jaune muttered curses as he grabbed the hand. He was lifted off the ground and the two made their way to the nearest restaurant that operated twenty four hours.
"I lied about being late, the station opens at six. We arrived early so we can enjoy breakfast." Nicola spoke nonchalantly as he sat himself down on one of the tables. Jaune glared at the man as he followed suit. He grumbled under his breath as he scanned the menu. They both decided on their choices, telling their order to the waiter.
"So, I'm sure you have some questions." Nicola started. Jaune snorted in response. Of course he had 'some' fucking questions.
"Alright, first off then. What's with the sudden trip?" Jaune began.
"Couple of reasons. The first is that I want to spend more time with you. I'm often away because of my job. Trust me when I say I know how to treat females more than how to treat males. I think that I treated you more like a daughter because of our situation." Nicola finished.
Jaune chewed on his lower lip as he accepted the explanation. True, sometimes his dad treated him carefully. Whether that was because of his maturity or because of having seven daughters, he couldn't tell. His dad was absent most of the times, usually gone for over half the week. That brought him to his next question.
"Nevermind the last question, what about your job then? Can you suddenly just take a break like this?" Jaune asked. His parents never spoke about his dad's job. In fact, Jaune almost had no clue as to what his dad did. Whenever he asked, his dad just avoided the question.
"I can because of some special privileges. I'm the oldest in the business. Hell, I can ask for retirement any day and they would have to accept." Nicola explained. Jaune scrutinized his dad's face. The man had no real reason to lie about it.
"Finally, what about our family? Why not take all of them?" Jaune asked as he took a sip of his drink that arrived.
"Like I said, I want this to be a father and son experience. Also, I'm not confident enough to keep track of eight children in foreign grounds. I know your mother, she can handle the children much better than I can at home. It's good to see you worry about them. You're acting like how a man should." His father said as he smiled. Jaune shrugged as he began to eat.
The two ate slowly as they made small talk. They still had some time before they had to ride the train, so they were able to take their time with the food. They stayed in the restaurant until they had to board the train.
His dad payed the bills as they stood up to leave. They left the restaurant, heading back towards the train station. It was now open, and they were able to enter. Jaune marveled at the sight of the station as he walked in. It wasn't any architectural masterpiece or anything. It was a basic station made out of stones and wood. The station had age.
Jaune waited as his dad went to buy the tickets. His final question appeared on his mind as his dad returned. The question was delayed as they walked towards the nearest train. Surprisingly, there were many people that were boarding the first train. The two walked inside, heading towards the back of the train.
Eyebrows raised, Jaune continued to follow his dad deeper into the train. Where were they sitting? The seats were mostly for the common passengers, as they were scrunched next to each other in order to fit as many passengers as they could. They opened a door to move to the next compartment of the train.
"What?" Jaune muttered as he saw the interior. No longer were seats lined up one after another. Instead, there was only one aisle that they could walk in. Next to the side of the aisles, there were rooms. Without a doubt, this was the sections made for the wealthy. His surprise was driven further as he saw his dad open one of the rooms, walking in. Jaune followed, eyes widening as he saw the spacious room.
There were two long benches that were placed across each other. The benches had cushions made of the softest material. He could barely feel the hard wood of the bench when he sat down. Under the windows was a small compartment where they could put their luggage. A large table was set in the middle.
As they deposited their luggage into the compartment, Jaune couldn't help but narrow his eyes as he saw the item his father put down. It was the a sword. Why the hell was his father carrying around a longsword? Self defence? He ignored his thoughts as he deposited his own luggage.
"Is it alright to spend money like this?" Jaune asked hesitantly. If he were to judge the wealth of their family based on their house, he would say that they were the definition of the middle class. They had enough money to support all their needs, but not enough to support their wants. Or, that was the impression he got from their belongings.
"I have more than enough money rotting away in my savings." Nicola stated. Nicola's job allowed him free access to the royal seats of the train. He had to travel to Vale many times because of his job. His son didn't need to know that.
Just what was his dad's job anyways? If he thought about it, he didn't know much of his dad at all. He only knew his personality. He didn't know about his dad's past or anything. Jaune sighed in pleasure as he sunk into the cushions.
"One more question. Where are we going first? The main city in Vale?" Jaune asked as he spread his legs out. They lived in the countryside of the Vale kingdom. It made sense for them to visit the location, considering their proximity.
"Vale is our last stop that we visit when we make our round trip back. I'll keep it a surprise. You can figure out where we arrive to when we get there." Nicola replied as he smiled. Jaune rested his head upon one of the cushions. He glanced outside the window as the train started to move. Without realizing, he slowly fell into slumber as he continued to watch the nature outside.
His journey in the new world had begun.
/-/Reincarnated in Remnant/-/
Afternote
Thank you for reading! Any constructive criticism is welcomed.
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