A/N: Hey everyone! Got another chapter for this story for you. I was really happy that this got a good number of reviews, as well as a decent number of favs and likes. I can only hope you guys continue to like it, and help with any advice in how to write the next chapter, which you will explain in PM, to avoid spoilers.

Anyhow, if you guys haven't yet, I suggest checking out my Arkos Child Challenge Forum. If you want to adopt the idea, let me know in the forum.

Now then let's continue.

P.S. Disclaimer: All rights to RWBY belong to Rooster Teeth and Mounty Oum...the latter, may heaven rest his soul. Support the initial release...Arkos Forever!

Chapter One: Rewriting Destiny

10 Years since the Fall of Beacon

Dark Future

Ruins of Beacon Academy

He could only look around him, the sight making his heart ache in agonizing nostalgia.

The man could remember the time he first came here...back to before this became what it was now.

Jaune could only give a mournful sigh.

It had been ten years since that day everything changed for himself. And over the course of those ten years, things just got worse, and worse.

The first being the loss of Pyrrha, and how her death hit him hard, with the pain in his heart still there after all this time.

Even now, he still couldn't forgive himself for what happened to her, especially the unintentional part he played.

His fist tightened at that, as he gritted his teeth.

'Why did you have to say that of all things you idiot!,' he thought accusingly to himself, 'You should've just given her a hug and told her it was going to be alright! But no, you HAD to say that!'

He took a deep breath to calm himself, though it was still difficult.

He had lost the woman he failed to love, his team, his friends, his family, EVERYTHING.

Humanity and Faunus kind had dwindled to a miniscule 2,000 people, as a result of the long devastating war waged by Salem. Though they managed to kill the Grimm Queen bitch, the Grimm still continued to roam the land, but became more savage and violent without Salem to hold their leash.

Even Team RWBY, the best group of Huntresses in training that had ever entered Beacon, didn't survive. But that didn't mean that they went down without a fight.

Now, it was just him...alone, demoralized, disillusioned...and angry.

"Why?" he said out loud, "Why did it have to be this way?"

He walked through the shattered courtyard, until he arrived at what remained of the Hunter Memorial statue. Both the Huntsman and the Huntress statues were smashed to pieces, while the statue of the Beowolf was still standing.

Jaune's eyes narrowed at the Grimm before, in the blink of an eye, Crocea left it's shield/sheath, and cleanly sliced diagonally through the stone statue. The top part slowly slid off before crashing to the ground.

His sword arm then fell limply to the side, before he let the modified ancestral sword of his family slip through his fingers, as it clanged loudly on the stone path.

He immediately followed as he dropped to his knees in complete exhaustion, both mentally and physically.

The smiling faces of all his friends, and the girl he failed to protect, kept flashing in his head, as he tightened his fists, his eyes closed shut as he tried to will it away. But, no matter how hard he tried, he gust couldn't.

"Why?...WHY~!?"

His shout echoed throughout the ruins of Beacon, as his anger and despair increased. The Grimm would've come in droves towards the single source of negative emotions in the area in order to feast on the tasty morsel that is Jaune Arc, last of the Arc Family.

However...they never show.

Jaune continued to wallow in his grief, while unbeknownst to the presence coming toward the White Knight...

...Until they spoke.

"You know, if you keep this up, any Grimm in these ruins will take the opportunity at a free meal of Arc,"

Jaune slowly turned and saw what looked like a person wearing a hooded grey cloak that did well to hide their features. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the man (he heard his voice, and immediately deduced it was a man), as he approached him. Though, he was curious at how the man knew he was an Arc, he honestly didn't care at this point and time.

"If it means leaving this life to be with the people I cared about, then yes," He said, before a sad sigh was heard.

"So, you resigned yourself to death, eh?" the man said, as he proceeded to kneel next the man, "Not exactly sure how your friends and could've been lover would react to that,"

Jaune's eyes burned with anger, especially the part about Pyrrha, as his hands clenched into fists again.

"And who the fuck are you to speak of them as if you know them!?" he demanded.

The man only chuckled which only served as fuel to Jaune's ire.

"I know a lot about you Jaune Arc, since the day when you first entered Beacon Academy...," he began to say, as a smirk formed, "...on fake transcripts no less,"

Jaune's eyes slightly widen at that. The man continued before he could ask.

"I also know about your...interesting start during your initiation, your partnering with your red headed champion, said person unlocking your aura, you becoming the Leader of your team, and the dance night where you wore a dress, which was hilarious by the way, as not only a way to honor a bet, but as a way to cheer up your partner when you saw how lonely and sad she was." he said, as Jaune remembered one of his most favorite moments with Pyrrha, especially dancing with her, "Then there was your team's first matches, and then finally showing your concern for your partner after she was chosen, quite foolishly I might add, by Ozpin to be the next Fall Maiden, after failing miserably to protect the previous one...,"

Jaune's anger came back, this time at the mention of how Ozpin just recklessly involved Pyrrha. Sure, they gave her a choice, but it not only messed with her emotions, but also her focus.

"...Of course, I think the words you've used to comfort her could've been a little, and by little I mean a LOT, better..." he said with a deadpanned tone, "...I mean seriously: Worst. Comforting. Words. Ever. ...Of all time,"

That did it for Jaune as he delivered a right hook to the man's face, making the hood fall off his head, revealing his dark brown grey streaked hair, weathered bearded face, and his grey eyes. But Jaune didn't care about that as he continued to punch the man's face.

"SHUT UP!"

*punch!*

"YOU KNOW NOTHING..."

*SLAM!*

"...OF WHAT I FELT..."

*Crunch*

"...AFTER THAT!"

He punched the stranger ten more times before stopping, breathing heavily as he stood up, the man on the ground still conscious, but now sporting a black eye, a few welts on his face, and a bloody nose.

"I wanted to apologize to her after the Vytal Tournament was over," he said, not knowing why he was letting his feelings out to a man who he just met, but right now, he just felt he wanted to get it out, "I wanted to just hold her and tell her how sorry I was for hurting her. That what I meant was that she was the bravest girl I knew! That was all! I didn't mean for her to go and get herself killed! I didn't want to lose the only person that ever believed in me, who cared about me, who lo...who loved me..."

He then turned around as he pulled off the sheath of Crocea Mors, and opened it up to shield form before placing it at the base of the statue. His gaze landed on the bottom part of his shield, where Pyrrha's circlet now was.

It still hurt him that he had to let the piece of jewellry go and be used for the modifications of his shield.

"I wanted to make it up to her. Take her to meet my family, take her on a date, anything to see her smile again," he said, before his face turned into a snarl, "But...the Fall happened, and she was taken...by that bitch in the red dress!"

The man managed to sit up, listening to Jaune let all his sorrow and anger out.

"And if I had the power to go back in time, I would do it! I'd save her! ...But I don't...and now I'll live with that mistake, for the rest of my life." he said.

It was then quiet as Jaune continued to look at his shield, while the man looked at him from his prone position.

Then the Arc Knight heard the man sigh.

"What if I was to tell you, that there is a way," he said, making Jaune perk up, "And not just to save Pyrrha, but to give Remnant a fighting chance."

Those words, made Jaune snap his head back toward the man, his eyes wide. Though there was suspicion in those blue eyes, but there was also something that many had assumed had long ago died in them... a glimmer of hope.

"...How?"

The man only gave a small smile, before he stood up as his aura healed the injuries Jaune gave him.

"Meet me at the docks of Vale, and then we'll go to Mantle," the man said, "Trust me on this, if this works, the destiny of your champion, as well as the rest of Remnant will change for the better."

With that, he turned and left the stunned man to think on what was just said to them.

He was unsure of what he heard was true. But unfortunately, with the current status of the world right now, he was desperate for anything, ANYTHING, to change things from the way they are now.

Turning toward the ruined tower, which was now served as Pyrrha's grave marker, the weight of what was said to him weighing down on his soul.

"Pyrrha...," he said softly, "...what should I do?"

As he thought on his options, he suddenly felt the sensation of a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Do what you think is right, Jaune. Because it is right,"

Jaune's eyes widened, as the words entered his mind.

He unconsciously raised a hand toward his shoulder in order to grasp the one comforting him, but to his disappointment and sadness, he only touched thin air.

His eyes glistened with tears, as his face morphed into a determined frown.

"I don't care what happens to me. I don't care if I die or fade away from existence. One way or the other, everything will change,"

Present

CCTS tower

Jaune ran into the lobby of the CCT tower, the entire place was completely demolished, from both the battles in the vault and outside.

He looked to the elevators, and spotted a few that haven't fallen down into the vault, and immediately went to one of them. As soon as he entered, he looked around the inside of the elevator car, before he closed his eyes and held his hands out.

And if anyone were watching him, they would've seen them glowing a familiar black glow.

With a grunt of effort, he manipulated the steel elevator to shoot up toward the top floor where Ozpin's office was located.

The ride took a few minutes, before it crashed into the roof.

The White Knight took a few breaths before he looked ahead toward his goal, his eyes hardening, as his thoughts said one thing.

'Thanks...Pyrrha,'

The reason why he had the same semblance as his beloved partner, was due to the day when the said Champion unlocked his aura.

Unknown to them however, a portion of hers was absorbed by his own Aura, and during a training regimen with Qrow, he accidentally activated it, much to his shock and grief.

For a week, he didn't speak to anyone, nor tried to use it again, feeling he didn't deserve this gift from Pyrrha after the pain he caused her. Soon though, and after a good talk from Qrow, he accepted the gift from his deceased love, and along with his own semblance, used it well in the war against Salem.

He shook those thoughts aside, as he drew the modified Crocea, and placed the shield on his and began marching into the office.

Cinder smirked as victory was now within her grasp. And she didn't even need help from the likes of that pompous fool Watts, or that psychotic maniac Tyrian to help her do it. She managed to bring the downfall of Beacon, claimed the rest of the Fall Maiden powers before they could transfer them into their candidate, the so-called 'Invincible Girl', Pyrrha Nikos. Of course, her greatest triumph was her defeat of that fool Ozpin.

Because of his unwillingness to trust even those among his inner circle, and the inability of him and Ironwood working a more cooperative plan, his plans have failed, and now with him out of the way, doubt will begin to fester in the minds of the people of Remnant, which will soon turn to fear, and then turn to anger, and finally...turn to chaos.

Of course, she's expecting Ozpin's candidate coming up the tower to stop her, due to her warrior spirit and her destiny to stop her. Of course, the girl will be greatly weakened after her match with the robot girl Penny, and fighting all the Grimm during the invasion. Which in turn, will make it easier for Cinder to deal with the Champion. And by dealt with, she plans to kill the girl, in order to make sure she doesn't gain the Fall Maiden powers, while demoralizing the pathetic fools who believed her to be invincible.

Of course, part of her was just doing it for the fun.

Before she could continue her musing, she heard a crash where the elevators were, as she just finished calming the Grimm Dragon down. She smirked, already knowing who it was.

'Well, speak of the devil,' she thought, as she looked at the elevator doors, before an object flew right toward her. She used her new power to bat it away, but then blinked in confusion to see that the object was not Nikos' shield like she expected, but instead was a heater type shield, colored white with a gold trim, with two golden arches on the face, with signs of battle damage. She also took notice of what looked to be the Champion's circlet on the bottom of the shield.

The shield went flying back before it was caught by it's owner. Who, to Cinder's surprise, was not Pyrrha Nikos, but instead was someone she was not expecting.

"Hello Cinder," came the voice of the person, which she noted had a tinge of malice, as he walked out of the smoke, Crocea Mors and shield in hand, "Sorry about Pyrrha not being here...she's already been through enough today, so I decided to let her get some much needed rest,"

The Fallen Maide blinked as she looked at the man before her, seeing it was the fake of a loser, Jaune Arc. But something was greatly different about this Arc from the boy she easily batted away down in the vault before she fought Ozpin..

This one looked much older, more confident, and had a more stronger stance than the Jaune Arc she knew and wrote off as not even worth killing. What also made her question if this was the same weak boy was the look in his eyes.

They held more experience, more weariness, and from what else she could see...the pain of loss.

Her eyes only narrowed. This man couldn't possibly be him! The very thought of it was preposterous!

"Who are you?" she demanded with suspicion and curiosity, "You look like the Arc boy, but he's a weakling compared to you,"

The man just glared in response, as his grip tightened on the sword's handle.

"Oh I am him," he growled out, "Just not the one you're talking about."

The new Fall Maiden only scoffed, "Whatever, do you honestly that you can-,"

She was interrupted as the man suddenly rushed at her, and in just a few strides, was right in front of her before slashing forward with his sword, with Cinder barely having time to dodge away from the strike.

"You talk too damn much," he said, "You were much quieter when we last met thanks to Ruby,"

Cinder blinked in confusion at that, but Jaune didn't give her time to think as he attacked her again, with Cinder forming two glass swords, which she crossed in order to block the overhead strike coming down at her. Sparks fly as the swords clash, as the two looked at each other, with one determined to kill this fool and claim her rightful victory, and the other with steadfast determination to put the said woman in the ground.

A/N: Yup, I did Elder Canon Jaune's flashback to his future, where he lost everything. I know it's been done before, but hey, it's the best explanation, despite it being so sad. Anyways, reviews, constructive criticism, and ideas for the next chapter are welcomed, though remember Flaming Troll comments will be erased.

Thank you for reading

Until then my friends. Later!