The shine of the moonlight illuminated what appeared to be a porch. Two figures sat there, calm and silent. Behind them, the distinct walls of a castle were seen, displaying upon its grey, tempered bricks the Arc symbol.
This is a story from winter, 10 years ago.

"That's the Arc castle of Arcadia." Said Ozpin, recognizing the structure.
Raven nodded, "A superb fortification. It is said that a thousand soldiers could march on the castle, and a thousand soldiers would be repelled."
Ruby cooed in awe, "Is it really that amazing? It looks like a simple castle to me."
"Indeed, the castle was made with materials, unlike anything we use. While the secrets of this building technique were lost to time for others, the Arcs and their family still keep the secret to making such legendary fortifications."
"Indispensable for the fight against the darkness. " Said Qrow.

The night and the stars were beautiful. A young Jaune Arc thought. He was seated next to his grandfather. The wind was chilly but not cold enough to bother him. He sat there with his grandfather in a comfortable silence. It was a good night to enjoy the moon.

"Hey, It's Jauney Boy!" Said Cardin.
"Indeed." Replied Weiss. "He must be 7 at the time. This is something that happened 10 years ago after all."
He looks so cute and small! Thought Pyrrha.

Back then, Jaune's grandfather didn't leave the house at all. Not going outside. He would just laze around the house. Jaune regrets thinking about it. He did not realize that those were the actions of an animal that knew it was dying.
"I wanted to be a hero of justice when I was a child."
The man said suddenly. The man that Jaune considered a hero said so, his eyes yearning for it.
"What?" Jaune replied. "What do you mean you wanted to? Did you give up?"
His grandfather simply laughed and said; "Yeah. Unfortunately, being a hero is a limited time thing. It becomes hard to call yourself one once you grow up. I wish I found that out earlier."

The adults nodded. In defense of humanity, they shed the blood of the people they wanted to protect. They stained their hands just so the next generations would know peace. Ozpin swallowed hard. He vowed to never forget the sacrifices he made to ensure peace.
Raven simply scoffed. "A hero?"
Yang, waiting for an opportunity to insult her biological mother said with a shrug of her shoulders "Yeah. It's a pretty beautiful dream. It's not like an inhuman monster like you would understand anything about dreams anyway."
"Yang…" Her father admonished her.
Raven simply scoffed at her and continued watching.

The boy smiled. He believed what his grandfather was saying simply because he was saying it.
"Then I guess it couldn't be helped." The boy said with a smile.
The old man laughed. "Yeah. It really couldn't be helped."
"It can't be helped, so I'll take your place." The boy said with confidence. "It's impossible since you are old, but it should be alright for me. I'll take on your dream. I'll make it come true!"
The old man laughed. He made a peaceful face. After breathing in he said "Yeah. I'm relieved." He quietly closed his eyes. "The moon is beautiful tonight."
He closed his eyes and never opened them again.
Jaune did not cry out for him because his grandfather looked so calm as if he would wake up the next morning.
There were no sounds. All was silent. In the bright night, Jaune Arc remembered his eyes burning. But he did not cry out, nor did he feel sad.
He could only wait until the moon sank, with tears in his eyes.

"Awww." Nora said, sniffing. Ren closed his eyes in respect.
"That was touching." Velvet said, her expression solemn.
"Yeah. So this is why Jauney-boy wants to be a hero huh?" Cardin said.
"Uwaaaah" Coco cried out, her eyes burning with tears, comically complaining to Blue, who laughed. "Why do you show us such a sad scene! Ugh, I'm crying now! I'm such a girl!"
"Forgive her, she's.." Velvet sighed, "A fan of soap operas."
Team RWBY and JNPR simply laughed at the antics of their upperclassman.

"Since then," The voice of Jaune echoed, "He was the subject of my admiration. I wanted it so badly. To be a hero. That is why I decided to be like him. Become a hero of justice, so that I could save people and let no one be killed or cry, just like him."

"You gotta admire his devotion to that dream." Taiyang commented.
"To follow a dream that isn't even your own?" Raven asked, "To be influenced by mere sentimentality. What a weak mind."
"It's a good dream." Said Blake, "There are worse dreams and aspirations in the world."

"And in pursuit of my dream., I met the greatest people in the world."
Flashes of images appeared briefly. Memories. However, the memories soon had a focus. Jaune's friends. Meditating with Ren. Blowing up illegal fireworks with Nora. Talking and laughing with Yang. Studying with Weiss. Sparring with Pyrrha.
Meeting Ruby. Laughing with Ruby.
"My mom was the best!" Jaune recalled Ruby saying so once. "She gave her life fighting for the little guys. Sometimes it feels like she left me. But-" Her eyes were moist with tears, "I'll be just like her. So that everyone gets a happy ending."
He embraced her. As she silently cried on his shoulder. Her mom was a touchy subject. The conversation had started with Jaune venting his frustrations about being weak, and Ruby having a heart to heart with him.
That is when he understood. The girl that smiled for others, cried alone.

Ruby sighed. Her mom… She died to protect others from the nightmares of the Grimm. She wants to be like her so much, yet she always felt alone after that. She felt as if she left her, alone in the world.
Weiss looked over Ruby with amazement. Ruby scarcely talked about her mom. It was a very touchy subject for her.
"Summer…" Qrow sighed. The old huntsman could only remember what he once had, and what lost.
Pyrrha felt guilty over feeling jealous. The memories of Jaune were more and more about Ruby than her. She shook her head.

The scene changed instantly. An alarm clock beeped. With a groan, Jaune Arc slammed his palm into it, disabling the incessant beeping.
He opened his eyes. The beds of his team were already tidied up and cleaned. He was the last one to wake up. His eyes darted to the small note in his night drawer.
We figured we would let you sleep in. we'll be at the library.
-Pyrrha

"Ugh." He groaned. His arms and legs felt like lead. "Pyrrha really needs to chill out with training."
He made the comment to himself, with mirth in his voice. He really appreciated his partner and the help she offered, but something about her style of fighting isn't right with him.
Maybe I'll discover my style when I get my semblance? He thought.


"Hey! Its Beacon." Ruby said excitedly. She was interested in experiencing what Jaune went through during his days at Beacon. A new perspective, so to speak.
"Yes. Though it appears we have left Jaune in the dorm. Again" Said Ren comically.
"It's Pyr's and Jaune-Jaune's fault for staying up so late sparring." Said Nora, smiling.
"Training is fine, but that dolt really needs to take academics more seriously!" Complained Weiss, her sister nodding.
"Strength will only get you so far. But a strong and cultured mind cuts deeper than any blade." Said Winter.

Jaune closed his eyes for a moment, and the world burned.
The flames spread as far as the eye could see. The stench of burning human flesh and death present through the macabre memory.
In the middle of the disaster, Jaune stood.
"It was so senseless,"
Jaune said. "People dying for nothing."
The flames covered everything. People burned to death.
I am not allowed to wallow in memories
Jaune thought. I will never let that tragedy happen again!

They all sat, without words.
"W-what's happening?" asked Ruby.
"There was a fire 10 years ago, in the village next to the Arc fortress. Jaune was in the middle of it, and was only saved due to the timely intervention of his family." Said Blue.
"He watched people burn to death at 7 years old?" Asked Winter, incredulous. "That's….."
"That's fucked." Said Cardin.
"I cannot imagine the trauma that event would have created…" Said Glynda.

"Jaune?"
He opened his eyes again. Sat next to him, Ruby Rose smiled down upon him. "What are you doing? This is our day off!" She smiled at him.
"Oh, Good morning Rubes." The boy said.
Jaune smiled at the pint-sized huntress.
They walked through the halls in silence. Ruby smiled fondly at her friend and Jaune was grateful for forgetting about the fire of 10 years ago.
Every time I close my eyes, I remember it. He thought.
They reached the cafeteria. Jaune sat down next to Team RWBY as they were just starting to plan out their day. He said hello to each of them. Yang was the same as always, cheerful and social. Blake had a book in her hands and was reading it intensely, sometimes breaking off from the reading to answer a question or not. Ruby was going on and on about the plans of fun she drew up in class. Weiss tried to calm her partner and sighed when she realized it was impossible, but in her lips was a fond smile.

They all laughed and talked. Jaune sat there and laughed with them as well. He messaged Pyrrha quickly, telling her where he was.
"It's going to be the coolest day ever!" Ruby bellowed happily.
Weiss giggled to herself, "I'm surprised you managed to even come up with a coherent schedule." She said with mirth.
"I'll take that as a compliment." Ruby replied, puffing her chest in pride.

"I'm not good with numbers." Ruby said sheepishly.
Weiss laughed, her sister surprised to see such a reaction out of her sister, but smiled nonetheless. She had her doubts about her sister attending Beacon, however, she is happy now, as her sister has a good team and good friends.

After reuniting with team JNPR. The group of teenagers went down to the airship bay to head down to Vale and start their best day ever. The plan consisted of arcade games, a reasonably expensive restaurant paid by Weiss and Pyrrha, as they had the most amount of money and didn't particularly care about spending.

They spent the day together. Laughing and enjoying each other's company. They played all kinds of games, and Jaune was surprised that Weiss and Blake were familiar with video games.
After that, they ate together in a semi-classy restaurant. The food was good, so much so that Nora ended up making the restaurant run out of steak.

As they walked through the streets of Vale, happily chatting with each other. Nora and Yang happily discussing who would slay the most Grimm in a contest while Weiss was talking with Blake about the geopolitical situation in Menagerie. In that moment, Jaune felt a presence he hadn't ever felt before. The darkness of the streets hid the figure from view, but Jaune felt a chill run up his spine. He felt as if something that shouldn't exist is right in front of him. He turned, still walking.
"If you don't kill her now. Everyone will die, Big bro…"
He stopped, dead in his tracks. He wheezed.
What the hell was that? He thought, his mind scrambling to process the information. The ominous message played again and again in his mind. Ren noticed that his leader was looking alarmed, and spoke up, "Jaune?"
"R-Ren…" Jaune croaked out, "Did you see that?"
Ren tilted his head to the side, "See what?" He asked.
Even Ren hasn't seen that thing? Then that means that whatever that thing was, it deliberately showed itself to me. Not even Blake's ears are picking up anything…. Jaune thought.
"A-Ah haha Its nothing. Just my mind playing tricks haha…" Jaune said, trying to channel his inner dorkiness.
Ren, eyebrow raised, simply nodded and ran after Nora.

"Creepy." Commented Cardin.
"Yeah. Did you guys hear what the voice said?" Asked Velvet.
"It said to kill someone? The voice sounded distorted." Replied Glynda.
"If you don't kill her soon, everyone will die." Said Ozpin. "That is what the voice said. As cryptic as messages go I'm afraid."
"Without context, we cannot be certain of what the voice meant." Said Blake.
"It was creepy as hell though." Coco jested.
Winter coughed, "Y-yeah." The young specialist wasn't a big fan of spooky ghost stories.

They all halted to a stop. Ruby separated from the group, in search of drinks from the vending machine down at the alley. In the dimly illuminated corner of the alley, Ruby Rose inserted her Lien card into the machine, when she was approached by a passing figure. The man with gold hair simply grinned. As he passed Ruby, he spoke.
"You should go and die before it's too late."
His voice was like a taunt. A sneer escaped his lips. Ruby's eyes widened like saucers.
"W-Wha?"
She turned instantly to the voice but found nothing but air. The man was gone.

"Whoa!" Nora bellowed "Bad touch! Stranger danger!"
Yang's eyes were red, "What the hell does that even mean?"
The rest of the viewing party was silent.
"Could this be related to the voice and presence Jaune felt?" Asked Pyrrha, concerned for the safety of her friends.
Qrow was seething. This blonde fuck comes out of nowhere and tells my niece to die? He thought bitterly as he grinded his teeth together.

"Guys!" Ruby ran out to meet her friends, her face full of worry. "There was-"
She never finished her sentence. The group of teenagers stood still. Jaune looked absolutely terrified. They all were frozen in place, looking on with fear at the figure that was standing at the end of the street. The monster was undoubtedly human but bounded in thick muscle.
"
▂▃▄▅▆▇█▓█▓█ "
The scream was inhumane. A deafening roar that was out of this world.

Ozpin's eyes widened in fear. That thing was a monster unlike any he has seen before
"What the fuck is that?" Cardin said, clearly afraid.
"Look at that muscle!" Coco said, amazed.
Glynda bit her lip. The chill of death that she felt down her spine telling her that her students have found themselves in another dangerous situation.

The monster did something baffling to them, it leaped. Leaped at them with a stone sword in hand. The blow carried so much force that any normal non-aura user would be blown to pieces.
Pyrrha was the first to react, trusting her instincts, she unsheathed her weapons and planted her feet firmly on the ground. The shield intended to defend against the blow.
The blow struck true. The shield stood, undamaged by the attack, yet the sickening crunch of bones rang in their ears.
Pyrrha Nikos screamed.
Everyone scrambled. Ren emptied his magazine into the giant. Blake did the same thing.
Ruby and Yang went in for the strike while Jaune went to Pyrrha. The blow had broken her arm. Her face looked aghast with pain. The arm that supported the shield tangled like a wet noodle. It was unsightly.

"Pyrrha!" Nora screamed at the mirrors.
Pyrrha winced at the sound of her arm snapping in two.
Velvet paled, "To be able to break through aura with a single blow. That power is-"
"Too fucking strong! Champion-girl had her arm broken by simply blocking. Imagine what that force would do to you if you took an attack head-on." Cardin blanched, his face pale.
The rest of the viewing party felt cold chills. The Winchester man was right. Any attack from that stone sword could be fatal even to seasoned huntsmen. The power in those blows was out of this world.
Raven was extremely disturbed, she craved power like this but part of her, tugging at her chest, felt afraid. Deathly afraid for her daughter. What she and her friends faced was a monster.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune called out to her. She collapsed but used her sword as a cane. The blood seeped from where the skin broke. It was a mess.
The mad giant swung wildly. Yang managed to escape a blow that would have certainly killed her and struck. The buckshot dug deep into the mad giant, yet the warrior stopped mid swing and delivered a devastating kick to her stomach. The blow crunched her ribcage as she was sent flying through the air, crashing into a convenience store, bloodied and broke.
Amber eyes followed the fall of the golden fighter. "Yang!" The cat Faunus screamed.

Raven gasped. A momentary moment of weakness. The image of her bloodied and broken daughter made her seethe with rage. Qrow took notice of this, and stared at his sister.
"My baby!" Taiyang screamed but calmed down when he realized his own daughter was safe.
"Is Yang—" Ruby couldn't finish the sentence.
Yang smiled at her. "Don't worry Rubes, I'm pretty strong. I won't leave you."
Ruby smiled back, but the smile was troubled and doubtful.

Nora capitalized on the delay of the giant's kick to strike. Using as much power as she could, she struck with her hammer, blowing a chunk off the mad warrior's face. But it wasn't enough. Amidst the smoke that covered his face, red eyes peered at her, his arm reached out to grab her.
"Nora!" Ren screamed.
The giant caught her. In between his fingers, he squeezed the life out of her. The screams of the Valkyrie were horrifying. The muscled hand was crushing her spine. She will be dead in seconds.
Weiss, out of desperation, dashed at the berserker and used ice dust to flash freeze him in an instant. Ren followed through with a strike of his blades, severing the arm that held his childhood friend.

"Oum…" Winter gasped in shock. The brutality of the battle was weighing down on her. The thought of Weiss being broken or killed by this monster made her gut twist like a snake.
Ren shook wildly, his hand reaching out to Nora. She buried her head in his shoulder and comforted him.
"How can they win this?" Asked Taiyang, anxious.
"I-I don't think they can…" Ozpin croaked out. His gut was an empty well. He felt dread at the prospect of such a monster waiting for his students back in their home universe.
"Oz!" Qrow snapped at the headmaster, but he himself recoiled back when he saw the old man's eyes.

The monster in grey turned at the white heiress. Ruby, seeing her friend in imminent danger, used her semblance and tackled her.
"Ruby!" Weiss screamed.
Ruby Rose turned. She took aim and fired. A .50 FMJ sniper round. It punched through the monster's skull and blew its head off completely. Ruby realized that the bullet couldn't have punched through on its own, she aimed at the spot in which Nora had previously dealt damage and shot.
Jaune stood dumbfounded. The monster was without a head. Blood was spurting out the bloody stump like a fountain.

Ozpin audibly exhaled in relief. The danger had apparently passed, or so he thought.
Blue turned to Raven and said "You ok there Bandit? You look as if you're about to turn coal into diamonds with your sphincter."
Raven growled in response. She would never admit to anyone that she was worried for her daughter and that Summer-looking midget.
"That was a nice move, Pipsqueak." Complimented Cardin, visibly relaxed now.
"Indeed." Praised Winter. "You took advantage of your friend's earlier blow and used it to further damage that monster. It was tactically sound. I'm impressed."
Weiss nodded.
Qrow whistled, "That's high praise coming from the Ice Queen herself. I'm proud of you, kiddo." He smiled at his niece warmly.
"Uh, guys?" Coco asked, worried.

"Is everyone al-"
The blonde boy never finished his answer. Blake, who was tending to a broken Yang screamed Ruby's name.
Weiss gasped and ran at her leader.
Jaune realized it too. The ground shook, throwing Weiss off balance, she fell face first into the pavement.
The headless body was glowing a demonic red. The steam rose out of the monster's stump until the distinct appearance of a skeleton appeared.
It was regenerating.
It raised its giant sword.
Ruby Rose saw her own death.
Jaune Arc ran.
Using his own body as a shield, he blocked the attack that was meant for the Rose huntress.
Ruby looked on, terrified. Her hair and cape stained with blood. The body of her first friend at Beacon flew through the air and landed with a heavy thud.
The blood seeped through the large gash on his stomach. The whiteness of his spine could be seen amidst the gore of his torn and hanging entrails.

"Gods." Glynda covered her mouth with a hand and looked on in shock
Raven was no stranger to such gory injuries, but she was still amazed at the force of the monster, enough to cleave an aura enhanced human in two.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha screamed. Her eyes dart over to the gruesome wound. It is undoubtedly fatal.
"Oh Oum…" Velvet looked away. She buried her head into Cardin's shoulder. He would've blushed if he wasn't so concerned of the gory image of his friend bleeding to death on the ground, his entrails ripped and hanging out. He felt sick, bile rising out of his throat, but managed to quench down the need to barf.
Ren was silent. The scene was horrifying. The friend he considers a brother ripped open like a fruit. The blood and viscera made him gag.
Weiss almost fainted. The blood and gore were unlike any she had seen before. She always assumed she would be exposed to gruesome scenes, being a huntress and all, but nothing like this.
Winter and Qrow look on, eyes wide. Qrow realized that if the kid hadn't shielded Ruby, her brains would've been splattered on the floor, his gut twists painfully for just thinking about it.

Weiss was crying. The reality of their situation hit her like a truck.
They were going to die.
Just hours ago they were enjoying their day, and now they laid broken and bloodied, about to be killed by a monster.
"Please, anyone….."
She begged. Her sister would have known what to do, she thought. Her strong sister would have summoned a thousand Beowolves and overwhelmed the monster.
Her eyes widened in realization.
Summon.
The white heiress concentrated. It was a prayer more than a demand. She prayed to be able to use her semblance.
I need to save my friends!
The white of her aura flared to life, and the monster immediately recognized her as a threat.
It dashed at her wildly. She had 5 seconds to live.
Something made a connection to her soul. She could feel it. A force connected through.
"H-heed my words." Her mouth moved. She felt as if she knew these words, but her mouth was not her own.
"My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny. If you hear my plea and obey my will and reason, Then answer my summoning!"

"Weiss?" Winter croaked in surprised. She knew about the summoning semblance of their family. But she had never seen such a bizarre and completely different summoning.
Everyone held their breath.

The white heiress stood alone in a hill of swords. Her mind linked to the presence beyond. The presence in the throne that was answering her heartfelt prayer!
"I hereby swear, that I will be all good in the world! That I shall defeat all evil in the world! Answer my call!"
The giant was looming over her now. It would all be over soon.
The world flashed white. The beast howled in pain. The action took less than a second, yet when Weiss Schnee opened her eyes, she was staring at the back of a red-cloaked figure. The beast, now without arms, flailed wildly until disappearing.
"I see. So the girl managed to tap into the Throne…."
A voice boomed. It was certainly female. It held caution against this new development.
"Return to me at once, Berserker. It is too risky to continue this fight."
The voice commanded.

Ozpin's face grew pale. That voice…..

Weiss couldn't stop herself from shaking. She looked up at the knight in red that had saved her.
He turned. His hair was chalk white and his jaw defined. His swords were married ones, ying and yang.
"Archer-class servant. I have come in accordance with your summons."

"It's ARC!" Nora said, happily.
"Indeed," Glynda replied, smiling. "And just in the nick of time."
"Yes! Hell yeah!" Yang said. "Whew, I was worried for a second there…"
"ARC?" asked Velvet.
Pyrrha nodded, "That's Jaune. Or I should say Heroic Spirit ARC. I do not know how to explain it."
"What? But Jauney-boy is right there!" Cardin said, confused, "How can there be two Jauney-boys?"
"The Throne of Heroes." Said Blue, "It records hero's from every time period. It is like a database, but this one exists outside of time and space. Therefore it is feasible to assume that someone from the future or an alternate future exists inside the Throne."
"That makes sense. So Weiss somehow taped into the Throne and summoned Jaune Arc from the future?" Asked Winter.
"That is the gist of it, yes." Replied Ozpin.
"Wow." Taiyang cooed, "I wonder if I'm a heroic spirit?"
"Heroic Spirit Loser." Qrow snorted. Raven simply scoffed at the childish jape.
"Arc must've done some really badass shit to be a Heroic Spirit." Said Coco.
"Yeah!" Nora nodded excitedly, "He has this power that creates a WORLD OF SWORDS!"
The new arrivals shared a confused look.
"Don't worry. It will all be explained in due time." Blue assured them.

Weiss breathed through her nose erratically. She was still in shock. Sensing impending death is not something that one can recover from quickly.
The eyes of the heiress looked over her friends. Nora laid, alive but unconscious. Ren holding her head and praying in what she assumed was a foreign language.
Blake carried over Yang. The blonde brawler was alive but barely.
Ruby sat on the floor. Her eyes were blank and scared. She was looking directly at-
Weiss's gut churned.
Dragging herself to him, Pyrrha Nikos reached the red figure of Jaune Arc.
Weiss felt the stinging of tears. He was probably dead.
"Hm. It appears that Jaune Arc is still alive. Indeed, such a blow wouldn't have killed him, unless it destroyed his brain."
The man in red said so with a bored and disinterested tone.
"J-Jaune is alive?" Weiss asked, shyly.
"Correct, however, your friends and teammates are another story. Tch!" The man in red clucked his tongue in annoyance. "It seems I cannot make my move now. So be it. Master!"
The word "master" felt strangely familiar to Weiss. She turned to the red man.
"There is a place where you can lick your wounds. It is a church, not far from here. However, I would advise caution when dealing with the Priest that resides in it."
The red man offers help.
In their current condition, the damage could be very bad. Nora was spared from the worst of it but Yang needs medical attention immediately, or she would surely have lasting damage.
"Please help us, Um-"
"Archer. My name is Archer."

"That was a very astute observation sister. In the middle of the night, with the transport systems down, you wouldn't have been able to return to Beacon for medical attention. You did well." Winter said, smiling at her sister.
"He said to advise caution when dealing with a priest." Raven said, "They are liable to get into trouble regardless. There is no safe choice."
Taiyang growled, "You don't need to be so negative."
"I agree with Rav here. Never met a priest I could trust." Qrow said.
"It seems they have no other choice now." Glynda said, worried for her students, "We should be happy that they managed to survive, even Jaune, with his terrible injuries."

With a nod, Archer grabbed a hold of Yang. Blake hesitated at first, not letting the blonde hair go, but a nod from Weiss deterred her.
Ren carried Nora, following behind the red man and Weiss, sparing glances at Jaune, whose abdomen had regenerated magically.
"I'll take him." Said Blake, holding Jaune Arc tightly. Pyrrha nodded her thanks and stood up, her arm slowly healing itself due to aura, though it would be a full day before she could use it again.
Weiss slowly approached Ruby.
"Hey…" She said, unsure of how to proceed.
Ruby turned to face her, her eyes were moist with tears.
"We cannot stay here, Ruby. We need to go." Weiss said. Gently caressing the cheek of her best friend.
"Jaune got hurt….my fault." Ruby managed to squeak out.
Weiss was upon her, she embraced the hooded huntress and softly held her as she whimpered.
"No. It's not your fault." She cooed.
Weiss stood up and offered a hand to Ruby. The pint-sized huntress taking it.
The red and white of team RWBY walked side by side, following behind the man in red and their friends. Their destination, a church.
Despite the darkness of the night, Weiss swore she saw Ruby's shadow twist and move.