RWBY: The Tenno of Remnant
Ch. 1 – The Exalted Knight I: The Gift
-Present Day-
Pyrrha had been leading Jaune through the woods of the Emerald Forest for a few minutes since they had started off. With Milὀ and Akoὐo in her hands, she was well-prepared for any Grimm assaulting their front, while her senses kept track of their flanks.
They had just gotten through a series of bushes when an explosion and a single gunshot cracked out into the air, causing them to stop and look towards the sound.
"Did you hear that?" asked the knight, hoping he had heard wrong.
"Gunfire." The Spartan replied. From the sound of it, it was probably a high-caliber rifle. Perhaps the little red-headed girl? "It seems some of our comrades have encountered the enemy." Pyrrha continued onward, the blonde following close behind.
The Champion of Mistral pushed a branch up and away for herself to pass by. When she let go of the branch, she failed to see her partner had been looking back at the noise instead of watching his step.
Or rather, in this case, his face.
The boy let out an undignified "Blugh!" as he was knocked flat to the ground by the impact to the front of his face. The red and gold Mistralian turned back to see her teammate holding his head with one hand, groaning from the pain.
"Jaune!" she cried out, worried for his condition. She then realized what hit him, and embarrassment crept to her face. "I'm sorry!" came out immediately after.
"Heh, it's ok." The Arc said, moving his hand away from his face to see the blood on the glove. "It's just a scratch." He proceeded to pick himself off the dirt.
Curious, Pyrrha approached her partner and expressed her thoughts. "Why didn't you activate your Aura?"
"Huh?" was Jaune's natural reply. He began to freeze up, worried she'd ask about-
"Your Aura?" his partner asked again.
"Gesundheit." Jaune answered, hoping his dumb joke would stop her line of questions.
"Jaune…" Pyrrha said straight-faced, undeterred by his goofy humor. "Do you…know what Aura is?"
The Knight scoffed. "Tsk! Of course I do!" was his hasty response, sweat beading at the back of his neck. "Do you know what Aura is?" His pathetic comeback was ruined by his voice cracking halfway though. 'She's gonna find out! She's gonna figure it out!' He screamed in his mind.
Instead of getting mad like he feared she would, Pyrrha's visage softened. 'Is that why he has been so worried?'
A soft smile coming to her face. 'He's a late bloomer?'
'Late bloomer' was an old term used for young teens who had yet to go through puberty, but nowadays it was used to tease young huntsman who passed Introductory Academics without their Aura unlocked or a known Semblance.
Well, if Jaune had gotten into Beacon without his Aura unlocked, then…
What would he be like with it?
She imagined her White Knight, a single swing of his blade felling a hundred Grimm easily, he would turn towards her with that charming smile of his, claiming victory for her, his Goddess of Victory…
"Aura is the manifestation of our soul." She began to explain, a blush powdering her cheeks. "It bears our burdens, and shields our hearts."
"Have you ever felt like you're being watched, without knowing that someone is there?" the red-head inquired of the blonde-head, leaning in slightly.
"U-uh… yeah." The blonde boy blushed, concerned for their sudden closeness.
'The Invincible Girl' grinned at his embarrassment. She began to circle him, continuing her lecture. "With practice, our Aura can be our shield. Everyone has it, even animals."
"What about monsters?" 'The Fake Knight' asked, turning his body to follow her movement. So far, she hadn't admonished his lack of Aura; She just started explaining it. In fact, it seemed like she might just…
"No." Pyrrha broke off from her circling and started to walk away from her partner. "The monsters we fight lack a soul. They are creatures of Grimm, the manifestation of anonymity." Her look became one of determination. "They are the Darkness, and we are the Light."
"Right." Jaune said, nodding in affirmation. "That's why we fight them." 'Is she…?'
"It's not about 'why', it's about knowing." She continued. "Understanding both Dark and Light helps us manifest our Aura. Everyone has some of both." Placing a hand over her heart, she lowered her head and closed her eyes, smiling at the warm sensation of her Aura encompassing her.
"By bearing your soul outward as a force, you can deflect harm. All of our tools and equipment are conduits for Aura." Pyrrha then clenched her fist, feeling her Semblance flow through her arm.
"You project yourself and your soul when fighting."
The knight had closed his eyes during her explanation, trying to feel out his own Aura. He had known the basics of Aura, but still…
"…It's like a force field!"
A young adult with an overactive imagination certainly simplified some things.
'It's just SO COOL!' said young adult exclaimed internally. Years of comic books about superheroes had opened his mind to a lot of ideas on understanding the inner workings of their Huntsman counterparts. Perhaps 'X-Ray and Vav' were based off real Huntsman at some point? Now that he was learning the real thing from an experience Huntress (-in-Training), his inner-child was squealing with joy.
The crimson warrior turned to her partner, grinning at his childish remark. "Yes… if you want to look at it that way." She saw the look on his face. It was that of a young boy who had just discovered that fairy tales were real. She walked towards Jaune until she stood in front of him again.
She was determined to prove that boy right.
"Now, close your eyes and concentrate." Pyrrha raised her braced hand and placed it on her knight's scratched cheek. He immediately began blushing at the contact. She smiled at his reaction to her touch, a small heat spreading across her face as well.
"Uhhh…Ok…" Jaune tried to fight his increasing embarrassment and listen to her instructions. 'She really is! She's going to unlock my Aura!'
When he finally closed his eyes, Pyrrha then too closed hers, only to open them for a second, wide and unseeing as she flared her Aura. A black energy, void of light, encompassed the pair. As she began the process of channeling her Aura into her partner, she began reciting the words her mother had said to her when her own Aura was unlocked, not unlike an incantation.
"For it is in passing that we achieve Immortality,"
Unbeknownst to the Champion, however, there was another voice speaking to the knight as well.
~#~#~#~#~
…ne Arc? Can you hear me, Jau-
The voice was garbled, the words were broken; almost like an old dust radio. The voice sounded firm and masculine. Not unlike Ozpin, but also like his father. It sounded worried, like this was the only time it could speak.
He reached out to the voice. '…Yes, I can hear you. Who are you?' The words then became clearer, if only slightly.
I am someone who has been watching you for a while now. I am very happy to finally speak with you.He could almost hear relief in the Voice's words, thankful that he listened.
'Ok…Why did you want to talk to me?' Jaune asked, wondering if this was some Huntsman with a Telepathy Semblance. The Voice was silent for a moment before speaking again.
To offer you a choice…
Jaune realized he could still hear his partner's voice.
"Through this we become a Paragon of Virtue and Glory to rise above all,"
'What kind of choice?' he asked, curious.
I have been watching you. I have seen your potential, what you aspire to become. If you continue down your current path, with determination and perseverance, I believe you will find your happiness, your dreams; all will happen as they should in the years to come.
But… the Voice paused, letting tension sink into the boy.
Within you, I see the spark of something more…something greater than even your wildest dreams. Something very few people could ever achieve.
With that Spark, I can give you the power to make your dreams a reality; the power to safeguard your happiness now.
Jaune was amazed. If the Voice spoke the truth… all that power…
He thought of Pyrrha: powerful, confident…and stuck with a weakling like him. He was holding his partner back. She had to know that, without his Aura…
He thought of the promise he made her.
What would it be like to be by her side instead of dragging her down?
He wanted to say yes, but…
'What's the catch?' he asked, becoming worried of its answer. There was always a catch to stuff like this in the comics.
Power does not come without a price… The Voice began. Jaune could feel the weight of its words become heavier.
With it, you will attract attention to yourself: both by those who want to become you…and those who wish to take what you have become. They will hunt you down any way they can. They will go after your friends, your family, anything they can if they think it gets them closer to you and your gift.
You will also be held to a higher responsibility; greater than that of your aspirations or your Huntsman duties. There are things coming that your… world is not ready for…things it could never be ready for. You would be their Shield, the only true line of defense between them and Remnant.
Jaune was suddenly overwhelmed. For a kid who cheated his way to success, this was too much to take in. Too much responsibility…
He thought of his partner, then his little reaper friend. Then thoughts of the reaper's sister, then the 'snow angel' appeared. Then his family came to mind. Could he really put them in danger like that? For a selfish wish?
"Infinite in distance and unbound by death,"
'Will my power hurt my friends? My family?' the knight continued his questions.
Only if you fail. Your power is yours to use. I trust you to make the right choice with this gift. But whether you accept or not, everyone will be in danger of the coming storm. I only wish to give you the chance to protect them, like the hero you dreamed of being.
"I release your soul,"
So the choice I offer you: Will you accept my Gift, and all the burdens that will come of it?
Jaune 'Scraggly Blonde' Arc was afraid. He, in some abstract way, held the fate of Remnant in his hands. If he refused, there would be nothing to stop…whatever was coming.
You must decide soon. I cannot hold this connection for much longer… Jaune could hear the worry in the Voice, the static from before slowly creeping into its words.
He again thought of the promise he made with Pyrrha… the promise he made with himself.
At the very least…
"And by my shoulder,"
He would try. For their sakes.
'I accept your Gift.' He answered, his determination fierce in his mind.
"Protect thee"
The Voice was quiet once again. When it finally replied, the words were fading away. Their connection finally ending.
…Very well…
Be prepared…the First Transference is not gentle…
And then, a warm, white light filled Jaune, bringing him back to reality.
But not before he heard the Voice one last time.
I only hope… you are strong enough… to bear my burden, Sir Jaune…
~#~#~#~#~
When Jaune finally opened his eyes, he saw Pyrrha stepping back from him, slightly slumped over and weariness on her face. "Pyrrha!?" Casting out the words the Voice said, concerned for her condition overriding them, Jaune reached out to his partner with a glowing white hand.
"It's alright." The crimson Spartan replied immediately, slowly fixing her posture and attempting to hide her exhaustion. "I used my Aura to unlock yours, but the energy that protects you now is your own." A tired smile came to her face as she examined the cut on her partner's face mend itself together. 'Rather quickly, I might add.' "You have a lot of it." She commented out loud.
The knight looked down at his body, watching the white Aura flow over him.
"Wow" was an apt response to the sight. 'It's so warm.'
But, instead of his Aura fading after its initial flare-up, it slowly began to get brighter.
"Uhhh, Pyrrha…?" Jaune began, confused.
And warmer…
"Is this supposed to happen?" Confusion became Worry.
And warmer…
"P-Pyrrha…?!" Worry grew to Panic.
And painful…
Jaune's legs were becoming too weak to hold him up anymore. He fell to his knees as the fire within him consumed his strength.
"Something's. Wrong!" Jaune cried through grit teeth. He shut his eyes and had started curling into a ball, as if to somehow hide from the pain.
Pyrrha, who was stunned initially by the sheer shining strength of his Aura, immediately snapped out of her shock and knelt by Jaune's side.
"I-I've never seen this before! Just stay calm, I'm right here!" she tried to soothe his panic. As she took his hands in hers to calm him, she could hear her gloves sizzling from the contact with him.
She could feel the heat coming through her gloves now. But she refused to let go. She tried to hide the pain that was coming through on her face as the fire she was holding began to burn her. Her Aura would protect her from damage, but it did nothing for the pain.
"I'm…right here, Jaune…"
She would have tried calling for one of the teachers to help, but they were told before that they were on their own for this test. Hopefully, they were still watching over them just in case.
She choked back a whimper, trying to ignore the scalding sensation in her palms, staying strong for Jaune.
This was all her fault. He was suffering because she tried to change him.
She was his partner.
She would stay by his side until help came. If help came.
No matter what.
#~#~#~#~#
Though the burning sensation on his whole body hurt, it felt like it hadn't gone past the pain of a hot coffee burn for the last minute. As Jaune began adjusting to the pain, he opened his eyes, he saw his partner quivering, biting her lip, trying to stop from crying out as she held him. Tears had begun trickling past her clenched eyes down her cheek. "P-Pyrrha…" he called to her. She wouldn't open her eyes.
Then the Voice's words came back to him.
…the First Transference is not gentle…
Jaune had thought the warning had been for him. But, as he watched his partner squirm, struggling to keep from screaming out in agony, he knew his pain was nothing compared to hers. He tried to remove his hands from hers, but her grip was too strong. "Pyrrha, let go!"
"I won't!" She cried, finally voicing her pain.
"You're hurting yourself! Please!"
"I. Don't. Care!"
"Please, Pyrrha…" Jaune could feel the energy pooling in him, waiting to burst forth…
"Pyrrha, something's happening to me, please…" He struggled to speak. Just watching her harm herself for him made it hard to warn her past the lump in his throat.
"I don't want to hurt you anymore…"
Pyrrha opened her eyes, tears streaming down her face. "Jaune…" she gasped. At some point during their ordeal, the Aura surrounding Jaune had changed from a blinding white to a deep blue, matching its master's eyes. Her grip loosened in shock…
…Just enough for Jaune to pull one hand out of hers…
…And shove Pyrrha away from him…
Before he exploded in cobalt light.
All Pyrrha could do was scream his name as her world went dark, her body slamming into one of the small trees nearby.
~#~#~#~#~
…up…
…Pyrr…ha
…ease, wake up…
"Wake up, Pyrrha. Please wake up…"
Pyrrha began to come to when a cool hand started shaking her bare shoulder, her partner's words rousing her from unconsciousness.
"Jaune?" the Crimson Champion called carefully, still woozy and unfocused. Unlocking his Aura must have drained her more than she thought if a hit like that could knock her out. "What happened? I remember…your Aura flaring…it was hurting you, and it burned me…" As she became more lucid, her confusion became deep concern as her memory returned. "Are you oka-?"
Pyrrha Nikos, 'The Invincible Girl', gasped.
She did not recognize the hand on her shoulder.
Nor did she know the armored creature attached to it.
#~#~#~#~#
Pyrrha was correct in thinking that the teachers would not get involved in their trials, but that did not mean that they weren't watching. Headmaster Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch were still standing in the same spots from when the students were launched, and now watched over them through hidden cameras on their scrolls.
While Ozpin remained nonplussed by the current events, Glynda looked worried for the Mistralian Champion below; perhaps even a tad frightful. "Ozpin…" she started, hesitant to break the silence.
"Yes, Glynda?"
"You're seeing this right?"
"Of course."
"And you aren't worried?"
"Should I be?"
"Jaune Arc disappeared in a bright light, and this…thing…took his place."
"No. Ms. Nikos is in no danger. However…" Ozpin paused, taking a quick sip of his cooling coffee. If one were to look closely, you could see a faint smile on his face, hidden by his mug.
"It seems her 'White Knight' had found his 'Shining Armor'…"
And Here We Start. For Real this time.
Sorry for the long wait. Lot of life happened. If it wasn't one thing, then another would pop up. And another…and another. And then I was working, so there went another 5 weeks…
It's hard to write when all you want is a shower and a few hours of Warframe.
It's more annoying to not write after thinking about ToR for probably 6 hours just before said shower.
With how I write, and with the time I have to write, chapters of this size should be expected for at least a while. I mean, 'Better Days' took me 9 hours to write, from conception to upload. Chapter 0 included, I suppose. Hopefully, this will make a more consistent publishing schedule without months between updates.
Anyway!
To mention some Reviewers:
Congrats to Heinz and LeviathanTamer for accurately placing Warframe weapons and frames to RWBY characters. I'm very happy to see similar ideas pop up. Would definitely love to see more, see if anyone else gets it right. And if someone can get a whole character correct?
Well…
This is gonna be fun.
Just one last thought though:
Does anyone think the story of 'Asura's Wrath' would fit into the world of 'RWBY'?
Cause the other 4 hours were taken up with 'scene-writing' for that.
Reviews, questions, and answers are not expected, but always appreciated.
-The Villain