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Scene 7:

Nightmares

A/n: This is my present for somehow reaching 2,000 views in less than a week with my second story ever

Turns out, surprise, its not shit.

Yea

This is also my Happy New Years present, even though I feel like new years is more annoying than happy

I have to remember to write a different year for everything, which I had finally gotten used to after a year of doing it.

Whatever.

In any case, like last chapter, I want to give you gore warnings.

All of the Gore warnings

Also Suicide warnings.

And finally, Mind Eraser by the Black Keys is one hell of a song to listen to while reading this.

Enjoy


Jaune pov

You know, this isn't so bad I thought as I wandered through the forest.

After what Ozpin saying about having to fight with our all or die, I was worried the Grimm would get me. After all, it's not like I really belong here. I kinda thought we'd actually learn how to kill Grimm before we, well, killed Grimm.

After all, that's why I decided to use those fake transcripts to get in, I wanted to learn how to fight Grimm, to be a hunter, to be a Hero.

Then it turned out, surprise, you have to already know how to kill Grimm. Here they just refine it. My general thoughts when I found that out could be summed up with one word.

FUCK

Which was then followed by the word

ME

But, surprisingly enough, the forest had been quite nice and, better yet, devoid of Grimm. I mean, there was that odd buzzing sound in the background, I had long since blocked it out. It wasn't exactly loud or annoying. Hell, if you weren't concentrating on it you wouldn't even notice it.

In any case, while the forest may be surprisingly nice, the fact was, I needed a partner. Well, I didn't get much choice in the matter, I was getting one whether I wanted one or not. No, the real problem was who I would be getting. I hadn't exactly made friends yesterday. Hell, I hadn't even met anyone yesterday, I knew absolutely no one at this school.

Well, except Lilith.

Speaking of which, there she is.

Wait, there was a problem with that sentence I thought, noticing that there was a problem, but not sure what it was.

Then it hit me.

"Lilith! What are you doing here!?" I exclaimed in shock and surprise.

Lilith turned to me, looking at me with that same blank look, and wearing that same tattered red cloak. As usual the hood was up, covering her hair. I had learned yesterday, that looking at her face wasn't the best way to read her emotions, instead, the secret lay in her eyes.

Her eyes were hollow, yet expressive. I don't really know a good way to explain it really, but her silver eyes, despite their cold detachment, usually portrayed what little emotion she was capable of expressing. And right now they were looking at me with mild surprise.

"Hi Juane." She replied calmly.

"What are you doing here?" I questioned again as I walked up to her, concern filling me. After all, Lilith was a young girl, all alone, in a forest that was supposed to be filled with Grimm.

In response she continued to stare at me, tilting her head in confusion.

"I come here all the time?" She responded, a question on her lips, as if she was confused about why I would even ask that.

"Why would you care?" She asked

"Why would I care?!" I exclaimed, mystified at the odd ways of this young girl.

"I care because this forest is supposed to be filled with Grimm, and you're just a little girl!" I tried to explain

"I can defend myself." She countered, the smallest of frowns gracing her face.

Then, as if to prove her point, a bush next to us shuttered and shook. In a flash, something leaped out of the bush, running our way. It rushed forward, it's long white teeth glinting in the light as it lunged toward us, hunger in its-

BOOM!

And then, in an explosion of blood, guts, and gore, it turned into a cloud of crimson mist.

I stared at the cloud for a second or two before turning back to Lilith. She was holding up her monster of a gun, the Thorn, which was now smoking from its enormous barrel.

"…You know that was just a rabbit, right?" I questioned.

"Bastards want my cookies." She muttered darkly under her breath.

"How do you even lift that?" I muttered, noting how it seemed incredible that a girl with tiny little stick arms could lift the behemoth.

Shaking my head, I got myself back on track.

"That's not the point! You could get hurt here! Killed even! And I don't want to see that happen to you!" I argued, concern filling my voice as I kneeled down to get on her level.

Her eyes widened a fraction as her mouth opened ever so slightly, a sure sign I had absolutely stunned her with my declaration. Looking at her like this reminded me a little of my little sister. That being said…

She didn't blow up rabbits for taking her cookies

…that I know of.

I sighed, realizing I had allowed myself to get all riled up by this. I let out a breath, trying to let all the frustration, frantic concern, and fear out with it.

"Look, Lilith. I care about you. You're my friend, and I don't want anything bad to happen to you." I said to her sincerely, looking her straight in the eyes.

The doll-like girl only stared at me, not even knowing what to say.

Then, the strange buzzing static I heard earlier came back, but louder. It increased in volume and intensity. It grew into a loud, deafening, hum. It seemed to vibrate the very bones in my body. Finally, it ended with a loud, deafening THOOM!

It was like the sound of thunder, an explosion of sound. Following it came a massive shockwave that passed through the forest, shaking everything.

I opened my eyes again, taking my hands off my still ringing ears, and looked around to try and see what that was. What I saw, was that the sky was now covered in dark, almost black, storm clouds, blocking out the sun. I looked down at Lilith to see if she had anything to say about that.

I found that she was already looking up at me, her normal blank expression on, as if what just happened was a common occurrence.

"We should leave." She spoke to me before she turned around, and walked further into the forest.

I stood there, just staring at the odd girl for a couple seconds, wondering what I got myself into be befriending her. Then I shook my head once more, a small smile gracing my face.

Are you just gonna stand there while a little girl shows you up? I thought to myself.

"Hey, Lilith! Wait up!" I shouted to her as I ran after the young girl.

Besides, she is my friend. I shouldn't let her be alone.


? 4

Ren's probably fine I thought dismissively before bringing my attention back to the horde in front of me.

Soon I would run out of grenades and then the horde would finally be able to descend upon me like an oncoming flood of hungering darkness.

That's fine with me I thought with a smile Magnhild and I will take them all on!

At this point, the bloody mist was so thick around the tree line that I actually couldn't see the Grimm. That didn't stop me from killing them, though.

I didn't really need to see them for Magnhild's grenades to wipe them from existence.

Click, THUMP!

.BOOM!

Click, THUMP!

BOOM!

Click, THUMP!

.BOOM!

Click, THUMP!

BOOM!

Click, THUMP!

.BOOM!

Click, THUMP!

BOOM!

Click, THUMP!

.BOOM!

Click, THUMP!

BOOM!

Click…

Click…

Click, Click, Click

Magnhild's trigger mechanism clicked uselessly as the hammer swung at nothing, no longer having any grenades to launch

"Awe…" I pouted as I looked at my empty grenade launcher, sad that there would be no more explosions.

I looked back up at the bloody clouds surrounding me in a crimson mist, shrouding the Grimm from view.

"Oh well..." I sighed,

"At least I can still go Hammer Time!" I cheered, my pout growing back into a grin as I eagerly awaited the fun to begin.

Finally, they charged through the smoke and blood, rushing at me from all sides.

Somewhere deep inside me, I felt something, I felt…fear. I tried to quash it down with the joy at the bloody carnage that lay ahead of me, but I couldn't help but be worried.

I charged at the first Ursa before me. It attempted to hit me with a lazy, angry, swipe of its massive paw. Instead, I crushed its jaw and snapped its spine with a powerful uppercut from my hammer, sending it flying into the air.

I spun as I brought Magnhild down, slamming down onto an unsuspecting Beowolf who tried to get behind me, implanting the shattered, bloodied remains of its skull into the ground in an explosion of blood, spraying me with it.

A Boarbatusk tried to launch a spinning attack from behind me, and in return I spun again. I swung Magnhild into its side, sending it flying deep into the forest with an audible CRACK as I crushed its armor.

Suddenly, I felt something hit me in the back, scratching my aura.

I spun around, swinging my hammer at whatever managed to hit me, and in the process, crushing another Beowolf in the process.

I heard a hiss coming from behind me. I turned around, coming face to face with a King Taijitu charging at me with the hopes of devouring me. At just the right time, I sidestepped its attack. I used the motion of spinning around the giant snake to aid in my swing of Magnhild.

I brought down Magnhild on its head like the fist of god, obliterating its head in a geyser of blood and gore. The extermination of the white head of the snake coated me in its scarlet juices, momentarily blinding me.

A moment was all they needed.

An Ursa lunged, tackling me to the ground before it began to strike at me, beating me with its huge clawed paws. As it tried to beat me senseless I struggled to get my legs under it. Finally succeeding, I used my impressive strength to kick the large bear off me.

Angered, I struck back attempting to swing Magnhild down on the stunned bear.

I was interrupted by a Beowolf tackling me to the ground. The force of his tackle threw Magnhild from my hands, leaving me without a weapon.

But that didn't mean I was defenseless.

It hung over me, snapping its jaw at me in an attempt to get through my Aura, to devour me. In response I grabbed its head, one hand on the lower jaw, the other on its head. I used my strength to pull at it, stretching it beyond where it was supposed to go.

Finally, with a wet, crunchy, slick CRRRAAAACK! I removed its jaw from its head. I finished off the foul Grimm by sending my fist flying into it's now wide open mouth, reaching inside, and pulling on the inside of its throat.

With a wet POP, a spray of blood fell onto me. The action killed the large beast, and with a large heave, I pushed it off me. I got up, my legs still shaking, and looked around for Magnhild.

Instead I was staring face to face with the black half of the King Taijitu.

"H-hey." I said, chuckling nervously.

In way of response it coiled around me in a flash, constricting me. It tightened itself as I strained against it, trying to force it to release me with my own strength. In response, it only constricted even tighter, choking the life from me, cracking, snapping, and crushing my bones with audible Cracks, Snaps, and Crunches.

No no no! I can still fight! I thought defiantly as I struggled for life.

It loomed above me, looking victorious.

It can't end like this!

Victorious…and hungry.

I won't let it!

It opened its mouth, tasting the air around me with its forked tongue.

No… I thought in despair as I realized it was hopeless, that death would claim me.

Then, in a flash, it lunged.

I'm sorry Ren, I messed up again.

And then there was nothing.


? 3 pov

This is not good I thought worriedly.

I was officially out of Dust in Myrtenaster.

I turned around to look at the carnage before me. Fields of ice, charred corpses, all caused by the Dust in my weapon, and it's all that kept me alive. The beowolves were easy, but then Ursa joined the fray. That had made it harder, but I could handle it.

Then came…that sound…

It sounded like a loud bell ringing over an old, static filled radio. After that, everything got harder. Boarbatusks joined the fray, and they got a few shots in on me.

The Grimm got faster, stronger, more numerous. They got smarter too, they stopped coming at me one at a time. Instead they surged at me, not giving me any time to rest.

I had to pull out all the stops, push myself to the edge to survive. And even then, it's only by God's mercy I did.

Then I noticed something…odd

Wait, when did it get dark? I wondered, looking up.

It wasn't actually night, I noticed, but instead the entire sky was filled with thick, dark, thunder clouds.

When did this happen? I thought

Everything was cast into the dark shadows of the clouds. There was still enough light to see, barely, but the shadows of the forest became pitch black.

Then I heard a sound that filled my soul with despair and fear.

GGGGGRRRRR

I looked around, and everywhere I looked, tiny pairs of red dots appeared in the dark forest.

No I thought, horrified.

I was tired, no, exhausted. My Aura was almost completely depleted. I was out of Dust. My breaths were short and shallow. Every move felt sluggish and forced.

Stop it I thought, shaking those thoughts of despair away.

I couldn't give up. Not now. I was a proud Schnee, and I wouldn't fail. I couldn't fail. I still had my faithful weapon with me. It may be out of Dust, but it was still sharp.

I will do this I thought as I forced my body to move, digging into reserves I didn't think I had.

With a silent signal, they charged.

A Beowolf charged at me and I ducked under its swipe. In my counter-attack I speared it through the bottom of its jaw, impaling its skull. I spun around, pulling my rapier from its dead form.

A Boarbatusk charged at me. At first, they were hard, but I've since learned how to deal with them. I used a glyph to knock it up into the air. In a swift move I speared it through its vulnerable underbelly.

I withdrew Myrtenaster from the dead boar, not even bothering to wipe the blood coating it any more, it was a waste of precious time.

Seeing an Ursa coming at me, I prepared my next move. Just as it rose up to lunge at me, I used a glyph to boost me out of the way. It landed with a loud, ground shaking THUD, kicking up a cloud of dust. I took it as my time to strike.

While it was still reeling from the force of the impact I used another glyph to launch me into its neck. It's a technique that I've done over and over again, without fail. This time was no different as I heard Myrtenaster slickly slide into its neck, killing the beast. I moved to withdraw Myrtenaster from its corpse.

Suddenly I was violently thrown from the dead bear. A loud, sickeningly wet CRACK and SNAP occurred just as I was thrown from the evaporating Grimm. I was thrown to the ground roughly, sending stars exploding in my vision from the impact. I shook my head, trying to get my bearings again.

Then I noticed it. Still stuck to the corpse of the Ursa was Myrtenaster, several yards away from me. And wrapped around the handle of my rapier, was….

My bloody, lower, right arm.

It was still clenching Myrtenaster tightly as blood poured from the bony stump.

W-what? I thought in horror, unable to comprehend what I was seeing.

Seeking comfort, I looked down to my own arm and saw none.

I looked at my new stump in horror and saw that it had been violently, and messily, detached just below the elbow. Blood poured from the wound, skin was rent from my muscles, and bones were shattered and fragmented, sticking out. My bare muscles and sinew twitched violently as they struggled to realize that something that had always been there was gone now.

Frozen in shock and horror I could only look back up at my sword and arm.

Instead, I saw a large black claw heading straight for my head. Somehow, in my shocked state, I managed to dodge it by stumbling backwards.

All traces of my previous courage left my system. In its place, grew fear. Terror took root in my soul, filling me with its paralyzing power. Fueled by that terror, I turned to run.

No no no, this can't be happening. I thought, denial working its way through my mind.

I didn't make it far before another Beowolf intervened. It lunged forward with its claw, slashing at my legs. With a sickening, crunchy, bloody and wet SNAP! I felt myself lose my balance.

I fell to the ground roughly with a thud. I looked behind me to see to, and to my further horror, the Grimm had ripped off my lower left leg. All that was left was another bloody, gory, bony, stump of a leg, pouring my life giving blood onto the ground.

No no no, this isn't supposed to be what happened! I thought, drowning in fear.

Equal parts terror and horror filled my being now. I so desperately wanted to live, I didn't care about being the best anymore. I didn't care about being perfect, or even being a Schnee. I just wanted to live.

I tried to crawl away, to do something that prolong my life for even a moment longer. I dragged my once beautiful white dress, something I once cared about immensely, through the mud and dirt in my struggle to survive.

My progress was halted by a pressure on the back of my head. Something held my head still, something with claws. Then I felt a wet, hot breath, on the back of my neck, accompanied by the sound of sniffing.

I'm going to die I thought in horror as tears fell down my face.

It picked me up by my head, pulling me up to face it. I gazed into red, hate and hunger filled eyes, as the Beowolf gazed back at me. One of its claws had a vice grip on my head, and the other around my neck.

I'm sorry dad…I failed

And then, with a loud, wet, crunchy, CRACK, there was nothing but darkness.


? 2 pov

Shit shit shit I thought as I continued to run.

While things hadn't exactly been going great beforehand, after the…thunder…came, everything changed.

Thick, dark, storm clouds filled the sky, shrouding everything in darkness. With my night vision, it wasn't that much of a hindrance.

That being said, it was certainly a mood-setter.

What with the fact that suddenly endless hordes of Grimm started coming after me. Eventually I ran low on rounds for Gambol Shroud's pistol form. I was growing tired, and my Aura was weakening. Instead of fighting, I decided to run and try to find…something, anything. Things were certainly looking bleak.

What can I do now? I questioned, thinking about how I could survive.

But the better question was, why was this happening?

Did the headmaster actually expect us to survive this?

I know for a fact if it wasn't for the training and experience I gained in the White Fang I would be dead by now. Most people would probably keep fighting this out until the end, not knowing when they should run instead of fight.

Maybe that's the point of this? To weed out the fools? I considered as I continued to run.

I shook my head.

No, Beacon is supposed to prestigious, not vicious. Using tactics like this would significantly drop graduation rates if 80% of the entering class died in initiation. I realized.

Then what is going on here? Is this an anomaly? I continued, trying to think this out.

Then there's the fact that I haven't met anyone else despite the fact that 80 other people, all probably using loud and noisy tactics to kill the Grimm, are supposed to be here. If that's true, then why haven't I even heard anybody else?

I was torn from my thoughts when a Beowolf managed to intercept me. I was able to escape with a clone before it actually hit me, but it still knocked me off balance enough to halt my sprint

Shit! I need to get going before they slow me down I thought desperately.

Unfortunately, I was too late.

Three more Beowolves landed around me. Apparently they had been chasing me down, not entirely surprising considering how fast they were. They were probably the only ones that could catch me.

I sighed, realizing that I would have to kill them in order to get away.

Still…

Something unsettled me about this whole thing.

Shaking that thought away from me, I drew Gambol and its sheath, holding both in front of me as I waited for their attack.

The one on the left came at me first, lunging for my head. I easily ducked under its swing, then followed up by impaling its head from below with Gambol's more narrow blade, killing it.

I quickly pulled it out, not wanting it to get stuck in there.

No sooner had I done this than another Beowolf got in front of me, preparing to eviscerate me with its claws. I used another clone to evade its attack, pushing off the clone to jump and flip away.

When I landed I was about to draw Gambol again and lunge at it. Its friend had other ideas.

A third Beowolf got the jump on me the second I landed, biting down on my left shoulder with an audible, wet, and bloody CRUNCH!

I screamed in pain and surprise, dropping Gambol's sheath, but managed to push past it.

Before the others could use my time of vulnerability, I plunged Gambol's blade into the Grimm's eye, stabbing it in the brain. It howled, dropped me from its jaws, and dropped to the ground, dead.

In a burst of adrenaline fueled energy and fury, I ignored my eviscerated shoulder, and charged the Beowolf closest to me. In a flash I had decapitated the Grimm, leaving it to decompose with its brethren.

The final Beowolf looked to me and roared in fury. Having had enough of this, I simply threw Gambol in kusarigama form, impaling it in the head.

I yanked Gambol from the dead wolf, catching my weapon in my still functional hand.

Now that the fight was over, my adrenalin left me, and I felt more tired than ever. I knew I couldn't keep running anymore, I didn't have the energy. I looked to my shoulder, which more closely resembled bloody ground beef then a shoulder anymore. It felt numb as the blood poured from the gaping wound.

That's not a good sign I sighed, losing the energy to keep going.

I heard more howls in the distance, signaling my impending doom. Rather than stand and fight, I just felt like giving up. I had no energy, no fight left in me anymore. I didn't want to go out in a blaze of glory, hell, I didn't want to go out at all.

So, instead of running, I turned around and plopped down on the ground, resting up against a tree trunk.

So this is it huh? And here I was hoping to make a difference, to make up for what I did in the White Fang. I thought in somber acceptance.

I guess not I thought with a sad smile as I closed my eyes and embraced the growing darkness.


? Pov

I had long run out of ammunition for Milo. My body was starting to feel heavy, and my blade was growing dull. I was covered from head to toe in the crimson blood and gore of the countless Grimm I had killed.

But I refused to stop.

I kept going, kept killing. I was sure that if the Grimm didn't evaporate upon death then I would be standing on a mountain of corpses. I had long lost count of how many of the monsters I had slain.

I impaled another Ursa with my javelin and attempted to kick the dead beast away from me. Before I could get Milo free from the corpse, another Grimm tackled me away from my trusty weapon.

The Beowolf that did it tried to take a bite out of me, but instead got the sharpened edge of Akuou in its brain for its trouble. I pushed it away and searched for my javelin.

Instead I saw an Ursa charging at me.

I dodged to the side and delivered a vicious left hook enhanced by the sharpened edge of Akuou. The blow hit hard enough to cut its front right leg off, causing more blood to spray on my shield. Just for good measure I gave the bear and Aura enhanced kick to the skull to push it away from me.

The blow caved in the bear's skull and sent it rolling several feet away.

Sensing impending danger from behind me I spun around, holding up my shield defensively. I was just in time to block a spinning Boarbatusk, deflecting it. It landed on its back, struggling to right itself. Instead I cut off its head, covering myself in arterial spray.

And so I kept going, killing more and more Grimm with Akuou, staining myself in blood once more.

Until finally, I encountered something too much for me.

The Deathstalker's stinger bounced off Akuou, leaving it reeling. Taking my chance, I attempted jumped up to the large scorpion and cut its stinger off with Akuou. Instead, it swatted me with its claw, slamming into a tree.

I looked up, fighting away the fatigue, and saw it swinging its other claw at me. I raised Akuou again and attempted to block. The result was Akuou being violently torn from my arm with a resounding SNAP, the durable leather straps snapping under the extreme force of the impact.

I looked off at Akuou flying away from me, stunned.

I was vulnerable now, I had nothing. My trusty sword and shield gone. I was defenseless.

The Deathstalker took advantage of my stunned state to pick me up with its right claw. It hoisted me into the air and began to crush me, draining my Aura faster and faster as the pressure increased. It soon became difficult to even breathe.

NO! I can't stop, I can't die here! Not Now! I thought defiantly as it moved me in front of its "face"

Its stinger twitched dangerously and reared back, preparing to strike me.

I continued to struggle in its grasp. I tried to think of anything I could use to win, anything I could use to survive. My mind felt foggy and sluggish as the fatigue began to get to me.

But I also felt a…pressure…in my mind. Like some kind of stress was building up and threatening to break out.

I refuse to die! I will not fail Sahib! I will Not fail here!

The stinger twitched once more, before flying forward. Time seemed to slow as it approached me slowly.

I will not stop!

It inched forward, ever closer.

I will not Fail!

The stinger touched my nose, breaking the skin and producing a small trickle of blood. And then…

My mind cracked.


? 2

Wait. I thought, realizing something

Just when I was giving up, about to accept death, I connected the dots.

Is this? I considered.

In a way, it made complete sense, in another, it could just be a fanciful, hopeful, work of fiction I was trying to convince myself was true.

And yet… I thought as I stared at my wounded shoulder.

This doesn't hurt like it's supposed to. I thought.

While I can't say I've ever had a Grimm take a bit out of my shoulder before, I have suffered extreme injuries during my time with the White Fang, and even with the blood loss, they still hurt.

This…this didn't.

So my best piece of evidence is something that could just be explained away by shock or something. I sighed, realizing it wasn't much to go on.

Still… My instincts were saying something was off about this whole thing.

So…if this is a dream…how do I get out? I wondered

Well, according some works…I have to die…

That's unsettling, but I suppose it makes sense. I thought, considering everything again.

Then I heard the Beowolves howl once more as they came for me.

Well, I'm probably going to die anyway I thought, accepting my fate.

So I laid back down again, relaxing as I realized that one way or another, I'd find out soon

But…what if I'm wrong? I thought.

What if this is real. If it is, dying by the hands of Grimm isn't going to be very pleasant, or painless. Hell, even if it wasn't real, and this was all a dream, being eaten by Grimm wouldn't be very pleasant.

Then I had another thought, one that bypassed all of this, and went to the root of it.

But…if I'm going to die…I guess I want to do it on my terms. I thought, my drive coming back.

I don't want to die, just lying against a tree, waiting for death. If this is a dream, I want to get out of it my own way, I want to get out myself, not just let the time run out.

I want to go out with a bang.


Juane pov

I want to go back to the boring forest I thought as I ran for my life along with Lilith.

Soon after the…blast of sound, everything went wrong. Grimm started coming out and attacking us. Lilith seemed to want to stand and fight, she seemed…well, not confident, exactly, but she seemed to not consider it much of a problem.

So in response I picked her up and ran.

I ran as long and far as my legs would take me. Even if I thought I could take them on, which I doubted, I didn't want to see Lilith get hurt. If running like a coward was the best way to do that, then I'd sacrifice my pride for it.

So, I ran. I ran and ran and ran. I ran with everything I could, hoping I could make it back to Beacon, or at the least, find someone who actually knew what they were doing.

Unfortunately, as I soon found out, nothing lasts forever.

As I ran, I tripped over a root, falling and stumbling to the ground, brining Lilith with me on my way down.

I groaned, rubbing my sore leg as I got up, cursing under my breath. I looked back up to Lilith to see if she was fine. Instead, I saw her looking at something behind me with a slight frown, which for her is practically a grimace.

GGGRRR

When I heard that, I knew. I didn't want to look, because I knew what I would see, but I did it anyway. I turned my head around slowly, fear resisting every movement I made. But I did it, and I saw what was behind me, to my ever increasing horror.

Behind me were four Beowolves and an Ursa, five Grimm. Five more than I've ever fought before in my entire life.

I'm not ready for this. I'm not trained for this. How am I supposed to fight these things?! I thought frantically, fear giving way to terror and doubt.

I doubted myself, my abilities. I may have my sword and shield, but I've never done anything like this before. I don't know what I'm doing, I'll just make a fool of myself when I die.

"Juane." I heard a small, quiet, voice say, and a presence on my shoulder.

I turned my head to look at the source and found Lilith giving me a serious, firm, and ironclad look. Her hand was on my shoulder, as her silent way of support. I looked into her eyes and found no fear, instead…expectation. She expected me to take care of this, she believed in me, believed that I could do it.

A large part of my mind said, Well, Lilith, sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not the hero you think I am. I'm not a knight in shining armor. I'm just a boy playing dress-up. We're going to die here, because I thought I could be something I'm not

It spoke despair and truth to me. It knew we wouldn't be making it out of this alive. It knew I was a failure, that I would never live up to my family name. That I would die here, a disappointment to my family for generation to come. But…

Then a different part of my mind spoke. The one that told me to come here to Beacon, to cheat my way in.

But…even if I am a failure to my family, to myself. I began to think before taking another look at Lilith.

I can't be a failure for her. She believes in me. I thought, embers of my courage lighting up in the dark void of my doubt and fear. I can't let her down like everyone else in my life, not without a fight.

Am I just going to lie down and die? Am I just going to stand by and let these monsters kill this girl because I was too scared to even move? Am I going to be the same Juane that failed at everything and disappointed everyone? Asked myself as I got up, turned around, and brought my shield and sword to bare, my courage growing from a small ember, into small, burning flame.

A Beowolf ran at me, charging me with its claws outstretched. I did my best to block with my shield, trying to deflect the blow. It worked, to a degree, as the blow bounced off my shield. The recoil, however, surprised me, stunning me for a moment.

For a couple seconds all I could do was block. Each time I did, I barely recovered enough to block the next blow. I quickly began to feel soreness in my arm as it was repeatedly battered with the force of the repetitive blows.

Once again that doubt grew, taking hold in my soul as it devoured the fire again. I can't keep this up. I don't know how to fight back. I don't know what I'm doing. What if I die?

Then I shook my head again, shaking away the doubt, as a new, more empowering thought took hold.

What if Lilith dies?

I couldn't let that happen, I wouldn't let that happen. I would fight with every fiber of my being to keep her safe, to protect the ones I care about.

I would rather die than let her get hurt. I thought with conviction.

And with that, that spark of courage, that dying ember, surged back even stronger, growing into a strong, burning, flame. It burned proudly, filling me with strength and fueling my will.

With that renewed courage, I finally made my move. In a fit of adrenaline fueled energy, I deflected the next blow perfectly, sending the Beowolf claw high into the air and leaving it wide open for my counter-attack.

With a cry of focused aggression, I threw my sword arm forward, plunging my blade of Crocea Mors deep into the throat of the Grimm. Blood sputtered and poured from the mouth of the Grimm as more of it spilled form its throat. With a wet, slick, SHICKT, I withdrew my sword from its throat, allowing it to fall to the ground dead.

I…I actually did it I thought, staring at the dead Grimm in wonder. Maybe I'm not such a failure

Then something slammed into my back, knocking me to the ground. My grip on Crocea Mors held, but I still tumbled and rolled on the ground. I struggled to get up, to see what knocked me down. What I saw almost completely snuffed out my flame of courage.

The Ursa I saw before stood over me now. Up close and personal, it looked a whole lot more intimidating. I looked around for Lilith, desperately trying to see if she was alright, to see if my screw up had gotten her hurt.

Then I heard it.

The resounding, thunderous, yet quickly comforting BOOM! Of her Thorn, followed by the SHICKT of something get sliced by her scythe. I felt safer knowing she was okay, I felt like I could do this again.

I should have known better.

"Jaune!" She cried out in pain, followed by a hungry, angry, growl of a Beowolf.

And with that, horror exploded within me, filling me completely

No…


? 2 Pov

I want to go out with a bang I thought, looking down at Gambol Shroud.

I hit the mag release, allowing the magazine to fall from the gun and into my waiting hand. I still had three bullets left. Two more than I needed.

Well, it would be instant, painless. I thought, doubt creeping in as I seriously thought about what I was going to do.

I slid the magazine back into Gambol, pulled the slide back, chambered a round, released the safety, and considered what I was about to do.

My aura's basically gone, the Grimm that bite a chunk out of me certainly saw to that. I thought, looking at my eviscerated shoulder.

So, there's nothing to deflect the bullet. I continued.

I felt panic build in me again. I didn't want to die, I wanted to live. Besides, what if it didn't kill me, just left me crippled, perfect for the Grimm to devour.

I let out a shaky breath, trying to leave the doubt behind. But it was hard. I really didn't want to die. Suicide went against everything I believed in, everything I lived for. Normally, I would never consider it.

But it's not suicide, its waking up. I thought, trying to rationalize it, to give myself the courage to do what I needed to wake up from this nightmare.

But…what if it's not a dream?


Jaune pov

The sound of Lilith's cry came from behind the giant Ursa, so I did my best to look around it as I got up, trying to see what had happened to her.

Please, please God, let her be okay. I thought

But, it wasn't' to be.

To my ever increasing horror, I saw Lilith pinned to the ground by a Beowolf standing over her hungrily. Around her were her weapons, Rose and Thorn, as well two dead Beowolves. One was decapitated, and the other had a massive hole blown in its chest.

Lilith was trapped, there was no way she could get out of this by herself. The only way to save her, was to do it myself. It was all up to me, if I didn't do this, she would die. The only thing standing between myself and Lilith, was a massive Ursa.

That, and my even larger doubt and fear.

I stared at the scene, frozen in horror.

What could I do? I barely managed to take down one Beowolf, let alone an Ursa.

Doubt and horror filled my being, snuffing the fire in me down to nothing more than a spark, and ember, of light. It choked me down, held me up, and turned me to stone. I was petrified, I couldn't move, I couldn't think. I didn't know what to do, I didn't know how to get out of this I didn't know how to get out of this.

Then, for one second. One, traitorous second, I had a thought.

I could run, they'll spend their time trying to eat her instead of me, and I'll live. She'll die, and I'll live. My dark, weak, cowardly part of myself told me, trying to convince me to run and live.

But it made a mistake.

No I thought, defying it's will.

There were only four ways this could go, not an infinite. Either we both die, I run and let Lilith die. We both live, or I die while saving her, letting her live.

No I thought, realizing there were really only three possibilities. I wouldn't run from this. I'd been a coward all my life, wanting to be the hero, but always being too weak and scared to do it. For one moment, I gathered up the courage to do something about it. I got my way into Beacon, into a school that would teach me how to be a hero.

And here was my chance.

I wanted to be a hero so bad, well here was my Fucking! Chance!

Is it everything I thought it would be? Is it fun? Is the adventure everything I read it would be? Is it fun yet?

No, it's not fun. It sucks, I hate it.

This isn't fun, its terrifying.

But…

I can't leave her. I can't think about leaving one girl behind, letting her die just because I was a weak little coward. I refuse to think like that, to let someone else die when I could do something about it.

I REFUSE to let her die!

And with that thought, that one thought, I felt something inside me break. That courage in me, that little fire that was nearly snuffed out, it flared.

No

It Roared.

It surged, growing, exploding into a massive, white hot, fireball, consuming my fear, doubt, and horror, using it as fuel to grow ever stronger. Something inside me grew with it, something in my soul exploded, breaking free. It filled my body, giving me strength I never knew I had.

I felt this power course through my veins, and for a moment, a second, the world around me shimmered.

I looked down at my arms and found, to my surprise, that I was glowing. I was covered in this…field…of glowing white energy. I pondered what it all meant for a moment, before shaking my head.

It didn't matter, I had something more important in front of me.

Not the Ursa

Not the Beowolf

But Lilith.

Lilith was the most important thing to me right now. Not even my own life mattered as much as Lilith's survival.

So, I looked at her, stared at her, and she stared right back, surprise and…hope…in her eyes.

Well, that settles that, I can't let her down now. I thought, steeling myself for the fight ahead. There was no turning back now.

There wasn't a shred of doubt of fear in me anymore. Just courage, determination, and acceptance. I might have been a failure before, but I couldn't afford to be one now.

So, with the path set before me, I looked to the Ursa once more. I stared in its big, red, hate filled eyes, and for a moment, just a moment, I saw something else. If I hadn't spent time around people who only really talked with their eyes, namely Lilith, I wouldn't have noticed it, but I did.

It was…surprise.

Not fear, I don't know if Grimm could feel fear, but…whatever…I had just done, I had surprised it. Apparently it hadn't expected me to do this either.

Shrugging it off as interesting, but something to worry about later, just like this weird…energy field… I focused back on the present.

So, with a battle cry that harnessed my pure, focused, raw courage and will, I charged the Bear. It matched me with a roar of its own, charging at me.

It raised its paw, ready to smash it down upon me, to crush me into a pile of bloody mush, to tear me into ribbons of meat. In response I raised my shield to block the blow.

When the Ursa hit it, I felt like I had been smacked by the Hand of God, I felt like I was going to falter, to fail. Then that energy surged forth again, filling my arm with power, with strength, and I held. Just when I was beginning to fail, my energy pushed back, giving me the strength I needed, the strength I always doubted I had.

So, when it swung down on me like the Hand of God, I responded in turn with his shield. I did more than block the blow, I deflected it, pushing back against the mountain of muscle, bone, and hate. I pushed my shield up, knocking its arm up and out, putting the Ursa off balance.

And then, with one more cry of force, I swung.

I swung my sword hard and fast, my white energy flowing through the blade itself, enhancing it. It connected with the Ursa's durable, meaty, neck, and kept going. It cut through the tendons, muscle, and bone like they weren't even there. It just kept going and going, until finally its work was done.

With one almighty swing, I decapitated the Ursa, sending its bloody head flying into the forest as blood erupted from its neck.

Without even stopping to admire my handiwork, I lunged toward the Beowolf standing over Lilith. Before it even had time know what was going on, I swung down with my glowing sword. In one swing, I liberated its head, shoulder, and the arm pinning Lilith to the ground from its body in another geyser of blood and gore.


? 2 pov

What if this wasn't a dream? I thought, doubt rising up once more.

I slowly raised the gun the side of my head, trying to fight against the doubt.

What if this is suicide. That's something I never want to do. I thought.

Suicide was supposed to be incredibly disgracing, the ultimate act of cowardice.

Is that what I was doing right now? Being a coward? Taking the easy way out instead of dying like a warrior?

Again?

I heard the howls sound off once more. The Grimm sounded even closer. If I didn't make up my mind soon, they would.

I put the gun up to my head before another thought crossed my mind.

What if…what if help's on the way? What if this is real, and a group of hunters are seconds away from saving me?

I continued to wonder and doubt, even as I felt the cold steel of my gun press against my temple.


Jaune pov

I looked down at a stunned Lilith, who in turn looked up at me in surprise. I held my hand down to her, gesturing for her to take it.

After a moment of staring she once again accepted my hand, allowing me to pull her up off the ground.

"Thanks Juane." She said in that same hollow voice as usual, but this time there was a measure of…something else in there.

"No problem. I won't let anything happen to you while I'm around." I declared

She just seemed to nod and accept that. Then she shifted her vision. Instead of looking at me, she looked at something…behind me.

"Uh…Lili-?" I asked before I felt something behind me.


? 2 pov

The cold, metal tip of Gambol's barrel pressed against the hot skin of my sweaty temple.

This is it. I have to make my decision know. I can't wait anymore. I thought as I began to see the Grimm chasing me at the other end of the clearing.

They ran toward me hungrily, ready to feast on my flesh, to rend me to pieces.

I'm sacred. I'm so so scared, but I have to make a decision.


Suddenly, I turned around to see a large, white…thing, staring down at me.

I might have called it a Beowolf, but I couldn't be sure if it was. Unlike most Grimm, it was white, had eyes as black and as empty as night, and it looked a bit different than a Beowolf. Also, it was huge. Probably as big as that Ursa I killed, but 12 times meaner.

I wasn't sure, I didn't get a good look before it made a move.


I sighed, letting most of my fear and doubt leave me as I let what was left of my courage take hold.

I looked at the horde of Grimm before me, running toward me, and made my decision.

My finger twitched.


The last thought I had before the White Wolf ended me was simple.

Well…at least I could be a hero for a moment. I'm glad I was able to make a difference

CRACK!

And then, there was nothing but darkness.


I want to wake up from this nightmare I thought, closing my eyes as I slowly applied pressure to the trigger.

I hope I open my eyes again.

BANG!

And then I was thrown into the void.


A/n: Right

...

So

...

...

I'm still not sorry.

I mean, I'm actually kind of proud of what I've done.

I think I did a damn good job here.

Though, tell me if you think I did everyone's perspectives well.

Again, I had to do a shit ton of Povs and I'd like feedback on if you thought I did them well

If you don't remember, here's the key:

Key:

? : Pyrrah

? 2 : Blake

? 3 : Wiess

? 4 : Nora

? 5: Ren

Jaune : Jaune

So, anyway, this chapter took a lot of work to do.

And a lot of coffee

I think I'll be taking a break for a bit

This definitely going to be my last chapter of the year.

I know it ends on a pretty intense cliffhanger,

Sorry

But I felt like it was a good stopping point

Besides, you can feel happy knowing Ren's not alone anymore!

But yeah, that's about it.

Please, tell me where I can improve, and I'll see what it takes to do it.

I am comit-hold on...

wait...

...

...

oops...

Seems there's a bit more to go in this chapter after all.

Well in that case, here you go.


Nothing.

Nothing but darkness.

I was dead.

Then I wasn't


? 2 pov

It started with a twitch.

Then exploded into life.

I jolted awake, taking in fresh, real gulp of air as I gasped. My eyes flew open as realized that I was alive.

I got up from my sleeping mat and looked around. I was back in the ballroom. I had never left.

I was right. It was all a dream I thought as something grew in me.

It started as a small chuckle, before growing into a full blown laugh.

I had beaten death. I had found a way out of that dream, of the nightmare

Looks like suicide's the answer after all I thought dryly as I sobered up. I continued to look around the ballroom

It looks like almost everyone had already left. There were only a couple people still in here.

First, a blond boy in blue footie pajamas. It looked like he just got up to, based on the way he was blearily blinking, trying to understand what was going on, trying to remember where he was.

Second, two people. A boy in green with black hair with a stripe of pink in it. He was hugging a girl with orange hair who was crying in his arms. There was something in his eyes, concern, worry, fear, I couldn't be sure. Frankly he looked like he had had his own brush with death.

Third, the last two, while not together or even near each other, were in the same position.

One was a girl with a large mane of golden yellow hair.

The second, was a tall girl with deep, scarlet hair and a bronze head-piece.

Both of them were tossing and turning in their sleep.

Golden girl had a look of fear and loss on her face, like she was in some hellish nightmare and just wanted to escape. Scarlet, however…

Scarlet had a vicious snarl on her face. She looked as if she was literally battling her demons, fighting with tooth and nail.

I looked back to the blond boy, who had apparently noticed Scarlet's plight. He got up and walked his way over to her, a concerned look on his face. He reached down and was about too shaker her awake, to break her out of her nightmare.

It was a noble cause, but he must not have much experience with this kind of thing. When someone with combat training is having a nightmare that bad, you never want to be near them when you try to rouse them from their terrors. So, I watched from afar and simply thought one thing.

That's not going to end well.


A/n:

Yeah...

Yeah, I'm not apologizing.

So anyway, did you like my magic trick?

I've you've seen the Prestige, or know enough about it, you'd know what I was getting at in the beginning of the last chapter.

3 Parts to a magic trick

1. Show off something ordinary (The RWBY characters)

2. Do something extraordinary with it (Kill them all)

BUT, you can't stop there.

3. You have to bring them back (Was a dream/nightmare the whole time)

Yeah

That's right motherfuckers

I was in the mood for some crazy Christopher Nolan shenanigans

Combined the Presitge and Inception in this bitch.

Besides, at no point did I actually say Ren was dead.

In fact, I never said any of them were dead.

That being said, I am interested to know when you figured out it was all a dream.

And, if you can, give me some suggestions as to how to hide it better

I mean, apparently I hid it well enough, some people thought Ren actually died last chapter.

All according to plan of course.

Oh, also, what I said earlier still applies here.

This is definitely going to be my last chapter of the year.

I have some stuff I need to take care of before I post the next chapter, so yeah.

I also need some time to let my bloodied hands heal.

In any case, this is my first super chap

Yea

A super chap is any chapter with more than 8,000 words of actual content for me, they are rare and usually a pain for me to write.

They are also usually a very fun pain to write.

And writing the painful, fear filled deaths of the RWBY cast was very fun to write.

Oh, also, turns out the end of Initiation is going to be further away than I thought.

At first the emerald forest bit was only going to be like, two chapters.

Now it's going to be either 4 or 8 chapters.

We'll see

It depends on how I want to do it.

So, I hope you liked the chapter.

Please give me feedback

And goodbye for now.