Beta: Jefardi

Cover Art: Natzo

Spectrum

Jaune vs Rouge

"Jaune... those glyphs on your hands are special. Do you understand that? I know the pain from the inscription is still excruciating but it was an important ritual. Even if the day never comes when you have to use them it is still imperative that someone has those glyphs inscribed on their hands.

"Shatter Glyphs. That's their proper title. We call them that because they have the ability to shatter the Seven Sacred Arc Swords and anything they create. It's not an ability to use lightly but it gives you a distinct advantage over everyone else in the world when facing one of the swords."

"How does it do that? Hmm... well, I guess it's because they're living weapons.

"Living weapons are different than ordinary ones. All living things on Remnant except for the Grimm have an Aura. Most weapons utilize Dust to enhance their capabilities. The Seven Sacred Arc Swords though don't use Dust because they have their own Aura, or Ambience as it is called for them. Your Shatter Glyphs react to that Ambience and kill it.

"You must be careful though. The older someone, or in this case, something is, the larger its Aura reserves become and the Seven Sacred Arc Swords have hundreds of years of Ambient energy stored inside of them now. You have one glyph in each hand. If you use one it is going to be thirty seconds before you can use it again. That's why you have two. Use your first glyph to break through their attack and the second to shatter the blade.

"At least that's the strategy that has been passed down. No one has ever actually been in a situation where they had to put it into practice. Hopefully you aren't either. If you ever arem there's no guarantee it will go that smoothly.

"Just be prepared, Jaune. You may have to... improvise."

Improvise? Just how had his father expected him to improvise around this?

A wall of fire was incinerating everything in its path as it surged right for him. He was going to die... by his own sister's hand. Why? What reason did she have to do this? And the way she had said that? Only his sister could say something so evil like "Burst into flames for me!" and make it look absolutely adorable.

Their whole village was on fire. All of it caused by his youngest sister. The one person he thought could never hurt anyone. She always looked so innocent. Her yellow eyes were always filled with such sincerity, such kindness. He could still remember her earlier today, smiling brightly while he pat her head and caused those red pigtails to bounce. Bad people didn't wear bright pink sweatshirts as they sent a torrent of flame flying in your direction.

The searing heat was so unbearable he was pretty sure he would turn into ashes far before the actual flames reached him. At least, that was what he thought... until bright white light began to surge out from his outstretched hand, slipping out from in-between the wraps that concealed his skin. The raging inferno in front of him continued forward and just as it struck his hand-

It vanished.

With a loud noise that he could only compare to an electrical guitar, the wall of fire vanished as if it had never even been there. Taking away all the heat that had come with it. The glowing from his hand had also disappeared where the high pitched scream had originated from.

Did the Shatter Glyph... do that? It was the only thing that made sense, but this was the first time he had ever been forced to use that power. It might be the first time anyone had used this power.

Rouge stood completely still, a look of bewilderment on her face. The rapier, Fia Vesta, was still pointed directly at him. So he had destroyed the flames being immediately generated by her sword, but not the weapon itself? He had thirty seconds before he could use the glyph in his right hand again which meant if he charged now he would only have the one in his left hand to work with.

But before that... should he really even be attacking his sister? He still didn't understand what was going on. He couldn't just run forward without knowing anything. Maybe there was a way to fix this? He couldn't just go breaking the sword at the first sign of trouble. Every effort should be made to secure it instead.

"Why…?" Rouge stumbled forward. He took a step away from her. The look in her yellow eyes frightened him. "Why didn't you burst into flames? You were supposed to make the world a brighter place!" She waved her rapier in place and another blast of fire shot out from the tip. This time toward one of the flaming houses instead. That house exploded into pieces. Hunks of flaming debris shot in all directions.

Jaune didn't have time to dodge.

Even with a glyph charge still active, he couldn't block this. Collateral damage wasn't something his glyphs could destroy. Only things directly generated by the sword itself. He attempted to twist out of the way but was still incapable of not being hit by several hunks of the burning wood. Searing pain fried his ribs, shoulder and knee and he was blasted off his feet. With a barely audible thump, he crashed onto the ground and gasped for breath. The only thing he was able to inhale was smoke, sending him into a fit of wretched coughs.

"Kahaha!" Rouge gave a small chortle and spun around spreading her arms wide as a huge grin plastered itself across her face. "Brighter! Brighter! I want the whole world to see how bright it is!"

"Now's our chance!" Two adult huntsmen sprinted past the downed blond. He hadn't even seen where they came from. "She's used far too Dust! She must be about out!"

Panic filled Jaune. "No! Don't!" They didn't understand. That sword didn't use Dust. None of them did. They used Ambient energy and there was no way Fia Vesta was out on just that paltry display. It was like the sword had a Semblance of its own and that gave it the ability to rapidly heat the air and manipulate fire at the user's will.

"She's killed people! We're putting an end to her right here!" The Huntsmen apparently misunderstood his warning shout, but now he had another concern. These men intended to harm Rouge. Maybe even kill her. They didn't care about her at all. They were just trying to stop the threat in front of them.

"No! Stop! She's my sister! There has to be another way!" Jaune stumbled to his feet. The pain from his burns immediately brought him back down. Dammit! He tried to swear aloud, instead only succeeding in spitting dirt.

Why was he so weak now of all times!? These men intended to kill his sister and he was just going to lay on the ground and let it happen?

Of course, he was forgetting one thing. Rouge didn't need his help. The Huntsmen leapt in the air. Their weapons unloaded rounds of powerful Dust bullets. Rouge merely waved Fia Vesta and a wall of fire protected her.

The Huntsmen burst through the flames, their Aura shielding them from any real damage. They landed directly in front of his youngest sister, their weapons raised high in the air. Rouge skipped back but there was no way she could escape in time. The weapons came down, aiming to kill.

The tip of Fia Vesta exploded outwards in a violent tornado of fire that engulfed all three of them. Jaune couldn't tell if anyone got out in time, the spinning vortex far too bright.

The roaring destructive force sent searing wind ripping through the village, tearing houses apart and further spreading the flames. Finally the unnatural flaming tornado slowed to a stop and only a wave of rolling smoke was left in its place. Jaune spread himself lower on the ground to keep from inhaling the residual smoke and did his best to see through it. It was no good. He still couldn't see anything.

He crawled against the dirt, his right leg still partially limp, but Aura working on patching it back up. It would only be another couple seconds before he could walk again. Until the smoke cleared, he was restricted to the ground anyways.

As he got close, a rancid smell reached his nose and caused him to gag. The smoke was just now beginning to clear from the area and only one person was standing about five feet away.

Rouge was alive. Of course she was. That sword should have scorched her too, but her Semblance had prevented that. Her Semblance was a shield that gave her unique protection against extreme temperatures. Perhaps that was why the sword choose her to begin with? Because she could use it without risk to herself.

He could see her yellow eyes clearly now. They were glazed over, and staring at the ground just next to him. He had been crawling across a rut in the ground created by one of her blasts of fire. Peaking just over the top of it, he saw two still smoking bodies. The huntsmen.

They were dead. And yet he felt like that was putting it lightly.

Their limbs had been reduced to nothing but ashes. Only their torsos and weapons remained, but even those things were charred black and crumbling apart. In a single attack, his sixteen-year-old sister had incinerated two powerful Huntsmen like they were flies. Such was the power of Fia Vesta, even in the hands of a child its power was beyond compare.

Rouge gave a small snort. "Kaha! Kahahaha!" She grabbed her side and threw her head back as she let out a loud laughter that filled the air. The burning buildings around them reacted to it. One of them collapsed, the fire inside cackling and spitting.

Jaune grit his hands together so hard the scars on them ached. He ignored the pain and glared at only one thing, his focus shifting to that and that alone.

Fia Vesta.

That rapier had to go. He had been hesitant to destroy something with so much history to his family but now he had witnessed it murder two people, turning them to ash, and making it so no one would ever recognize them again.

He pushed himself off the ground and stood firmly in front of his sister, leg having been completely healed by Aura. "Rouge. Hand over that sword." He extended his hand and held it open in front of him.

Her loud laughter slowed down to an occasional giggle. She looked him directly in the eyes and continued to grin wickedly. "Are you finally ready to turn into fire, big brother?"

"You are not my little sister." Her smile faltered. "I don't know who you are, but the sweet, little girl I know would never hurt anyone, let alone laugh at their deaths. Now give me that sword so I can break it."

"I'm... not your sister?" Her head tilted and he saw her eyes flicker as the glazed looked vanished and reappeared. Her mouth twisted and she looked down at the sword in her hand. "Ah... ah, ah, ah." Realization seemed to dawn on her, voice going up several octaves. "That's right. That's right. I'm not Rouge. Why did I forget that? What... happened?" She paused, looking back up at Jaune, eyes imploring him for answers.

He had none to give her.

Those yellow eyes than settled on his hands and slowly her expression changed again. This time taking the shape of murderous rage completely unfit for the face of the sweet girl who wore it. "You think you can destroy me?" She snarled. "Just try it!" There was a shift.

Another twister of fire burst from the tip of the rapier.

The moment the flames reached his hand it began glowing with a bright light.

There was another loud scream like before, originating from his glyphs.

The fire sputtered out of existence. Rouge's eyes widened and Jaune lunged forward with his other hand extended. She jumped backwards and just barely managed to keep him from coming into contact with her sword. "No! Stay away from me!" In a desperate attempt she blasted him with another wave of fire.

He raised his left hand and once more cancelled out her flame. No glyph charges left, he bent his head low and tackled into her gut. They tumbled and both were sent sprawling to the ground. Fia Vesta slipped from her grip, clattering only a couple feet away. He pushed off her and dove for it.

He touched the hilt of the sword but nothing happened.

His Glyphs were both still on cooldown.

He had another twenty-five seconds before he was going to be able to destroy the sword.

"Get away from me!" Rouge shrieked and picked up a burning piece of wood. His eyes widened in terror as she swung it down at him. He rolled out of the way and barely managed to dodge. It smashed the ground and heat from the end singed his hair. "Give me back! Give me back! Give me back!" Rouge continued to shout, each time swinging the burning piece of wood like a club, attempting to bash his brains in. Each time he barely dodged by rolling just a couple inches left or right.

Twenty seconds until he could use a glyph again.

He kicked and by some miracle caught her in the shin. She stumbled to her knee and he rolled forward, swinging Fia Vesta. It knocked the piece of wood from Rouge's hand but the force of the clash caused his own hand to seize with pain. His grip on Fia Vesta loosened and it fell, hitting the ground and rolling away.

Fifteen seconds.

"It's mine!" Rouge roared as they both dove for it at the same time, grabbing the hilt simultaneously. "Get your hands off of me!" She elbowed him in the ribs but he refused to let go again, despite the horrid pain surging through his hands just to maintain a grip. He stumbled to his knees and pulled the sword to him, his superior bodyweight pulling Rouge up with him. "I said let me go!"

Ten seconds.

A spark flashed from the tip. Then a pillar of fire erupted and shot skywards. The heat from the flames burned his hands and face, but still he did not let go. The pillar reached far above the buildings before it split into dozens of smaller streaks that all angled and bent back down towards the earth.

Five seconds.

The first streak struck the ground fifteen feet away and caused a minor explosion. Then another one hit a house and caused it to collapse. Another fell a street over. They continued to rain down all over their tiny village.

One second.

He was going to do it! His glyph was about to activate and he could destroy the sword. Just as that thought formed, one of the streaks struck right next to their feet. The explosion knocked both of them sideways and broke his grip on Fia Vesta.

He fell face first into the dirt. Ringing filled his ears and white boxed in the sides of his vision. He shook his head and pushed himself off the ground. Rouge was doing the same, once more shouting things that he could no longer hear.

She was close. He could still do this. His first glyph was active. He had just another three seconds before his other was.

He pushed off his feet and extended his hand. Rouge blasted him with fire. His right hand cancelled it out. He extended his other hand. Rouge thrust Fia Vesta forward. It pierced the palm, ripping through his wraps and popping out the other side. He grit his teeth and pushed past the pain, shoving his hand halfway down the blade. Blood stained the whole of the sword, flowing freely from the hole in his hand.

Rouge's eyes widened and she tried to pull the sword free. It was no good, his hand too far in. Through the pain he let out a big grin. The glyph on his left hand reactivated and began to glow a bright light.

There was a bright flash and another ear-piercing shriek.

The sword was also enveloped in the same white light before it shattered apart into thousands of tiny little light fragments, some of them flying out from the now empty hole in his hand.

Just like that, he broke the indestructible.

The light fragments dangled in the air for several seconds, he and Rouge watching them as they faded out of existence one by one. In a matter of seconds, no trace was left of Fia Vesta.

Now there were only Six Sacred Arc Swords.

For the first time since their creation, one of them had been broken. Jaune was the first one in a long line of descendents to have to use the power inscribed onto his hands.

Rouge let out a small moan and collapsed forward. He reached forward and caught her with his right hand, his left hand still to sore to properly support her. Her head rolled against his shoulder and as gently as possible he lowered to their knees. "Uhh... w-what happened?" She lifted her head off his shoulder and her clear, yellow eyes looked up at him. "Big brother? Where am I?"

"Rouge…?" He didn't understand what was going on. Just a second ago she had been screaming angrily and lashing out violently, and before that laughing like a maniac while burning down everything in sight. Now... she reminded him exactly of the little sister he always knew.

She looked around and let out a loud gasp before attempting to get to her feet. She barely got halfway up before she collapsed again. "Rouge! Slow down! What's going on?"

"T-that is what I want to know…" Rouge grimaced and gripped the side of her face as if she had a horrible headache. Despite himself, he soothingly tousled her red hair, causing her pigtails to bounce. "Why is our village on fire?"

She really didn't know? "Rouge... you did this." He regretted saying those words the moment they left his mouth. Rouge's eyes widened and she completely took in the desolate scene around them.

"No... no, no, no." She shook her head. "No, I didn't do this. I couldn't have done this. I was just with the rest of our sisters... we were showing off our swords' powers…" The words died on her lips as she caught sight of the two smoking corpses. "That... was not me." Her breathing became ragged and irregular. She doubled over and brought her hands to her mouth before giving a disgusting wretch and emptying the contents of her stomach.

Jaune tightened his grip around her and tears formed in the corner of his eyes. There was no way Rouge had truly done this. How could he believe she had meant for any of this looking at her now? Something had happened to her. Something must have.

"Fia Vesta... where is my sword?" She wiped her mouth in an attempt to get rid of the remaining vomit while reaching instinctively for her hip where she normally kept her rapier.

"I... destroyed it. I didn't have a choice, Rouge." He would have died if he hadn't. More people would have died. Rouge would have had that many more lives on her conscious.

She shook her head and gripped the front of his shirt. For the first time she looked at him and her eyes darted over him. He was covered in burns and soot, not to mention his Aura still hadn't managed to fix the hole in his hand. "Big brother... I did this to you? I did all this?" He felt his heart break. Her voice cracked and tears freely rolled down her cheeks.

His little sister was hurting right now. She was in so much pain being faced with the reality in front of her. He had to comfort her. He couldn't let her believe this was her fault. No one needed that kind of weight on their shoulders, let alone a sixteen-year-old girl. Especially one as innocent and kind as her. "No! This wasn't you! It was…"

What was it then? What caused her to do this? Think, dammit! Think! Why would she do something so twisted and evil? She hadn't stopped until he had broken her sword-

...wait a second! Had her sword caused this? They were living weapons with a soul of their own, after all. Was it possible that the soul in her sword had taken over her body? If that was the case-

"Where are the others?" He asked.

"W-what?" Rouge flinched, his grip on her arms tightened.

"Our sisters? Do you remember where they went?" Several more explosions originating from different parts of the village shook the ground.

Oh no. Why? Why? Why? It hadn't just been Rouge this had happened to, had it? All his sisters had been affected. That's why they hadn't tried to stop her. That's why other Huntsmen weren't converging on this spot. They were fighting his other sisters.

He had to hurry. This was his job. It was up to him to end this. That was why he had these hands. However, he had one more job to do before that. He was also Rouge's big brother. He couldn't just abandon her when she was like this. "Rouge... you didn't do this. None of this was you."

"B-but you said-"

"Forget what I said! Listen to what I'm saying now." He pulled her into him and stroked her hair. The way he held her brought up a memory from a long time ago, one in which Violet held him this exact same way and whispered soothing words into his ears. She told him he would never have to use these hands for battle. Now he told Rouge she hadn't brought about this calamity. "You aren't the one at fault. I promise you that none of this is your fault." He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "I'm going to go bring back the rest of our sisters... you have to go hide."

She pulled back. "No! Don't leave me! I don't want to be left alone!"

"Rouge…" He cupped her cheek and continued to whisper in a calm but stern voice, doing his best to emulate Violet. "...go hide. Somewhere no one will find you. Don't come out for anyone except me. No matter who they are or what they say. It's not safe for you." He had no idea if other Huntsmen would still try to kill her and his own sisters' were now unpredictable.

"You... you will come back for me, right?" She clung desperately to his shirt.

"Of course I will. I'll come back with all our sisters." He patted her head once more and got to his feet. "Now go hide. I'll come find you."

She nodded vigorously as she scrambled to her own feet. Giving him one last look, she took off running down the burning street. He watched her go until she disappeared into the smoke and night. Once she was out of sight, fatigue and pain hit him all at once. His burns ached and the hole in his hand throbbed.

Could he still really keep fighting? Rouge was the youngest and arguably weakest of his seven sisters. Yet even then she had worn him out this much. Now that he thought about it, it was a miracle he had lived at all. She had murdered two Huntsmen without batting an eye. The only reason he had pulled that off were the glyphs in his hands. It had been pure luck.

It would be an impossible task to repeat that another six times against stronger opponents. Yet, he couldn't back down now. His sisters needed him. For the first time in their whole lives it was they who depended on him. This was the reason he had been born. If he couldn't even do this then he was worthless.

He gripped his hands and felt the wraps constrict around his fingers. Several more explosions rocked their little village and he took off running towards the closest one. He couldn't linger any longer just to catch his breath. People died every second he wasted. If he wasn't quick, one of them could be his sisters. The Huntsmen weren't holding back and trying to spare their lives like he was. Even if they were near invincible, that didn't make them unkillable. All it took was one unlucky move and they could die. He couldn't bear the thought of one of his sisters dying. They were the only thing he had in this world. Without them he wouldn't know what to do.

He arrived in the town centre to find the tent had collapsed, burned to the ground by Rouge's attacks. The tables were scattered and broken and the main stage where his sisters had once been was in pieces. Dozens of corpses littered the ground, some of them charred, others dismembered. He could see signs of death from all seven of his sisters' blades. So it was true, they had all been possessed after all.

Some small part of him had held out hope, but these corpses were visual proof that they had all gone crazy. The swords had made them crazy. He still didn't understand how or why that had happened, but now wasn't the time for him to worry about it. The only thing that mattered was bringing them back.

He continued further into the centre, stepping over the corpses and burning debris scattering the crowd, holding one hand over his mouth in a feeble attempt not to breathe in the smoke.

"So you've finally arrived, Jaune." He stopped when a familiar voice called out to him and turned to see Violet sitting on one of the few undisturbed chairs.

Her arms rested on her knees and hands dangled in the air as she leaned forward. Her katana, Ostrum Tempus, was stabbed in the ground just next to her. "Violet…" He didn't understand. Why was she here right now? He thought she would be going on some crazy killing spree like Rouge had been. Was she not possessed in the same way? Was that even the proper way to call it?

"I've been waiting for you, I figured you would show up eventually." She stood up and grabbed her katana, pulling it out from the ground before she began to pace around him in a wide circle.

"Violet... give me your sword." He extended his hand out towards her the same way he had offered Rouge earlier. It hadn't worked then, but maybe Violet had more control than she did?

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Jaune. I won't let you destroy me the same way you destroyed Fia Vesta." What? She knew? "Don't look so surprised. We can sense one another. It's only natural that we would all know when one is broken. I had hoped to talk to you before that but you had gone and left the party. That wasn't something I had counted on."

"You're... not Violet, are you?" This girl sounded like Violet, and she looked like Violet, but like with Rouge, something was different.

"Not quite. You can call me Ostrum Tempus." The name of her sword. So he had been right. They had been possessed by their swords. Why was this so much different than Rouge though? "Fia Vesta is a little more impulsive, naive and trigger-happy then the rest of us so I suppose your confusion makes sense. Violet does not want to see you killed. And I wasn't sure of your intentions towards us swords. If possible, I had wanted to talk to you before there was any kind of clash. Yet it's too late for that, and you proved capable of killing Fia Vesta. I suppose that means you will do."

"I will do? What does that mean?" He had to slowly turned as Violet continued to walk in that large circle around him.

"Your power is rather troublesome for us swords. You're the only thing in the world that can break us. Yet your sisters hold you in high esteem. So I'm offering you the chance to help us. More specifically, to help me."

"Help you... do what?" Jaune asked.

"That's not important, is it?" Violet answered.

He had to agree. It wasn't important what they were going to do. "I've seen enough of what you've done. I don't care what your plans are. I'm going to shatter you right here and then I'm going to break the rest of the swords too."

Violet let out a small twisted smile. "Is that so... you think you've seen enough, huh? Well there is one more thing I want you to see. In fact, Violet wants you to see it." She reached the chair she had started at. Just behind it was an unbroken table. With a flick of her sword, she split it in half and kicked both sides away, revealing two bodies hidden behind it.

No. "Dad…" He took a step towards their bodies. His father's lay in a pool of blood. No. no. no. "Mom…" What was happening right now? There was no way. His mother's appeared unharmed, yet she wasn't breathing. No. no. no. no. no. no.

"They're dead, Jaune." Violet grinned.

Every last sense of reason inside Jaune nearly snapped. "Why!? What the Hell did you do!?" How could they do this? It was bad enough they were using his sisters to murder others, but to murder their own parents.

"Don't get so mad at me. Violet wanted to do this for a long time." She extended her leg and gently prodded their father's corpse with her toe. "Ever since he maimed your hands without a care in the world for your well-being. Your mother was equally if not more guilty, but you wouldn't understand why."

"You…" He was done. Done talking with her. Done letting people get killed. He was going to shatter all these swords. There was no more doubt that was the right thing to do. "...I'll destroy you!"

He sprint at her with all the power his feet possessed.

She merely smirked before flipping her purple ponytail. "It's far too early for you to think about challenging me, Jaune. I'm the final boss." She once more stabbed the katana in the ground and stepped in front of it.

He swung his fist for her stomach, determined to doubled her over. Against his will, his arm crooked to the side and swung into Violet's extended open palm.

"Violet's Semblance is quite handy." Ostrum Tempus continued to smirk down at him. "Being able to alter the direction of incoming attacks, however slightly. And it's more than enough to wipe the floor with some half-baked martial artist like you." Her other hand jabbed him in the nose.

His vision flashed white and head recoiled backwards from the impact. He stumbled back a couple steps, but somehow managed to stay standing. Blood oozed from his nose and stained his shirt red but he didn't pay that any mind and instead squinted at Violet through teary eyes.

That was right. Violet's Semblance. It could alter the trajectory of any attack thrown at her. Any fist, any bullet. Even light and gravity itself if his sister focused enough on it. In the heat of anger, he'd forgotten that. The Semblance wasn't infallible, but by himself Jaune didn't even know if he could get around it. Regardless, he had to try.

He took off running once more but this time he grabbed the chair just in front of him and threw it first. Violet's Semblance altered its trajectory slightly and it flew just over her shoulder. He swung at her anyways, but as before his hand bent and slipped right past her.

She uppercut him in the chin. Then kneed him in the stomach. He managed not to back up this time and raised his arms defensively in front of himself. "How cute…" Violet purred. She stepped in for a series of punches. He blocked the first two with his forearms and then ducked under the third. He spun around and brought his leg high in a spinning kick but again it was twisted out of the way.

Before his foot even touched the ground she went in for another uppercut. He grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm around so he was standing just behind her. She rocked her head back and caught him once more in the nose, her purple hair flicking him in the face. She reversed his grip and pulled him by the arm up and over her body, tossing him through the air.

He landed on the ground with a thump. Giving a loud groan he rolled to his stomach and glared up at Violet. Just then he realized her mistake. She had thrown him over her katana and now it was between them.

This was his one and best chance to destroy it. He hadn't expected Violet to be so well-versed in hand-to-hand combat but, he wasn't surprised either. She was naturally talented at a lot of things. There was a reason they all looked up to her.

Still, he didn't have time to worry about that. He scrambled to his feet and dove forward, outstretching his hand towards the sword. Time seemed to slow down. His hand underneath the wraps glowed as it got closer to the sword. Violet was still on the other end. He was going to do it, two swords down... just five to go.

At least, that's what should have happened. With impossible speed, Violet crossed the distance and appeared between him and the sword, the bottom of her foot arching upwards. It struck him in the chin and sent him flying. She twisted her body and brought her elbow around, striking him hard in the solar plexus. Blood flew from his mouth as his trajectory was changed from upwards to sideways. She then grabbed him by the neck and slammed him back into the ground, splintering it apart with the force.

"Hmph, you're not that impressive after all." Violet got to her feet and flipped her ponytail before walking over to the katana.

"W-wait…" The world was going dark. He could barely see anything as blackness settled in around the edges of his vision. He couldn't feel his arms nor his legs yet somehow he knew they were helping push him off the ground. He wasn't done yet. He couldn't allow himself to be done. He had to finish this.

"Oh my... you can still stand?" Her voice sounded really far away now, despite the fact that she was so close.

"Just finish him already, Violet." Out of the corner of his eye he saw his twin sister, Joan, walking up to the two of them. Crocea Mors was strapped to her hip. "He's pretty much standing up on will alone. A small breeze will knock him over."

"Leave this to me, Crocea Mors." That's right. These people weren't really his sisters. Even if they were using their bodies.

"Please don't call me by that drab name. I would much rather be referred to as Joan from here on out." He stumbled forward and nearly collapsed to the ground. His vision waved in and out as the darkness threatened to claim him.

"You cleared the village?" Violet picked up her sword and sheathed it on her hip.

"Just him and Rouge left." At least one thing was going right. "Oh... and that other guy. We might need you or Amy to deal with him."

"It doesn't matter." Violet shook her head. "Gather the others, we're leaving."

"Yes, ma'am." Joan gave a small mock salute as she skipped away.

He couldn't let her leave. He still had to break her sword. He had to break all their swords. What use was he if he couldn't even accomplish that?

"Go to sleep now, Jaune. I have high hopes for you." He hadn't even realized Violet had gotten in front of him again until her fist buried into his stomach. He doubled over and collapsed to the ground. As he lay there, cheek pressed into the dirt, the last thing he saw were the corpses of his parents.

Then darkness.

Chapter End

Post Chapter Author's Notes: There we go. First couple battles out of the way. For the record, because I know it's kind of unclear now, but Jaune in this story isn't as weak as he claims to be. It's kind of an unreliable narrator thing going on from him where his self-doubt causes him to think he hasn't taken things seriously. His sisters are just seriously that strong, but you'll probably get a better idea of that when other Canon characters get thrown into the mix.

So Jaune's abilities for this story are pretty heavily based on Kamijou Touma from the Index series. Only in this he has two... and it only works on the swords... and they have a cooldown. Okay, so they sound pretty different when I put it like that, but it's worth mentioning where the inspiration came from.

And with that, we should be able to actually move onto Beacon in the next chapter here, which means more characters y'all are actually familiar with and not just a whirlwind of OCs that you barely know yet.