Bit of a shorter chapter this time folks. Lets take a trip inside Jaune's head for a bit shall we? As always, thank you all for the feedback and the favorites.
The world of shadow was waiting for him once again. But it was different now, sharper, more defined. He smelled things. Old leather. Musty paper. Seasoned Oak. Mistralian pipe tobacco. A roaring fire crackling in his ears. He was in a room...the painful level of detail coalescing until...he knew this room. It was...his father's study. Shelves of old leather bound books lined the walls. The fire billowed in a towering fireplace that took up an entire wall. Oil put to canvas by a master painter to depict a proud soldier bearing a...his sword, Jaune noticed and just as he recognized his family heirloom, so too did he have a sense of familiarity to the painting. He had seen it before, but...where had he seen it?
He hesitantly walked forward. He wasn't supposed to be here. This room had always been the sole domain of his father. He researched here, had guests here...he brooded here...spent hours just looking out onto the massive front yard, down the winding path that led to the house. So many times had Jaune looked up to see his father's silhouette looming in the great bay window. So many memories. So many winter mornings playing out in the front yard with his mother and sisters...yet never his father. Always looking out at them, aloof, apart, never joining the rest of the family in their activities. The lord of the house and all he surveyed and yet seemingly trapped, as if this study was his prison.
Putting aside the memories of the past Jaune tried to think what was going on, why was here? He was home, he had wanted to be home, but not like this, not in this room. Anywhere but this forbidden room. He turned to leave. Have to leave before he sees... Only...there was no door. How had he come in if there was no door? His heartbeat quickening he looked around for an exit. Instead he found himself facing two high backed chairs. Standing before the fireplace they cast long, flickering shadows across the room. Facing away from him, he couldn't see anyone seated there. But with each passing moment he was even more certain that there definitely was someone there. He could feel the presence before he heard the restrained, yet commanding voice slice through the room.
"Welcome Boy...it is time we talked." Stepping from behind one of the great chairs rose the shadowy nightmare of Charlemagne Arc. Though smaller than the massive giant from his prior dream, the man's presence easily filled the room. Unchanged from his last nightmare were the eyes, the same burning red eyes were there, staring through him with intensity to make Ozpin himself flinch.
He felt the familiar sense of metal bands tightening against his chest but only barely. This was different than before. The voice was everywhere but he could breathe and it didn't assault him like a weapon like the last time. Slowly the echoes softened and he realized that it was waiting for a response. This thing...wanted to talk? Why now? What was this?
"What...what are you? Who...w-what do you...?"
"Do not stutter boy. It does not befit your heritage. Now sit!" The shadow flared with irritation and grew slightly in size as it jerked a shadowy finger at the high backed chair across from it.
Jaune gulped, his world narrowed as he saw no other option. He was trapped here in this room. With this...thing. He comforted himself that it hadn't attacked him this time...maybe it really did want to just talk? He sat down in the chair, the old leather creaked with his weight.
As he sat down, he could see his ghostly answer up close for the first time. The figure's shadowy form billowed, details sliding in and out of focus. An ornate battle-dress uniform. Armor plates covered the figure almost identically to the set he wore, only simpler, more primitive. Countless medals and ribbons bedecked the breastplate, shimmering and glinting of their own accord, reforming themselves into different icons and colors as he tried to make sense of all of them.
The figure regally sat down on the chair like a lord, back erect, head up, and hands steepled together. For several long moments it said nothing. It simply considered Jaune with those bright, burning eyes. Against the backdrop of its darkness their intensity was like staring into twin suns, nearly blinding him with their radiance.
Now then...what are we to do with you...?" the shadow spoke, the barest trace of a taunting smirk making Jaune shrink in his chair.
"Here you sit, the only male born of your generation, the latest in a venerated line, bearer of my blood and my name. You should be the subject of the next great chapter in the book that is my family's legacy...and yet as I look upon you I see you are shaping up to be, at best, a footnote, possibly even an ignoble end if you prove incapable of siring a more worthy successor"
Clinical in its cruelty the voice was not loud, more reflective than anything else, but the harsh words still reverberated through Jaune's head like a Bullhead gunship. He shifted uncomfortably attempting once again to focus on the figure in front of him, the shadowy figure continuing to morph and slide out of focus the more he tried to concentrate upon its words.
"What do you mean? How am I not doing enough? I made it to Beacon, I'm the leader of my own team. What else do you want?" While technically all true the way he avoided mentioning his school troubles made the boast sound hollow and feeble, even by his own standards.
"Accomplishments built on a foundation of lies and deception." It responded with a snort while shaking its head... tendrils of smoke trailing its movements like contrails in the air. "You have been coddled for too long, a consequence of being surrounded by coddling females perhaps, it matters not at this point. What matters now is how to correct it. You never developed the skills or the strength necessary to truly be worthy of that academy..." It paused then cocked its head in reflection. "Still... cunning and guile have their place in the world, and I will grant you have certainly employed them well enough."
Jaune reddened in embarrassment. Of course it would know about the falsified records he had used to get into Beacon. The recognition of Jaune's past deciept showed on his face and the shadow cracked a grin at Jaune's visible shame.
"Come now, accept the compliment. Practically high praise coming from the likes of me. Without your deception you would not have amounted to anything, doomed to a life of ignominy and...irrelevance. Yet you seized an opportunity, changed the rules, and gave yourself one last chance to make your mark. That stubborn tenacity alone is admirable given everything else you lack."
Jaune tightened his fists. A burning anger seeped through him like smoke from a stirring dragon, a harbinger of white hot rage. "What...do I lack exactly?" he said through gritted teeth.
The shadow laughed heartily. The sound was as mocking as it was mirthful, each sharp bark making Jaune's skin crawl, a dead sound, devoid of warmth or humanity. "Oh you silly little boy are you serious...? Would you like the unabridged version or the executive summary?" The shadow continued to shake its head at the obvious stupidity of the question. "If you have to ask, then you are worse than off than I thought..."
"That's not true!" he shouted back at the shadow. "I'm still at Beacon! Sure I may not be at the top of my class, but I'm still there, I haven't been expelled, I've fought actual Grimm-"
"-In the martial equivalent of not shooting off your own foot with a dust rifle." the shadow interrupted smoothly. "Those are not accomplishments boy, they are merely results of luck and circumstance. While both are certainly a boon in battle they are not to be relied upon. They can be harsh and fickle mistresses, sooner to be arrayed against you the moment you most need them than supporting your efforts."
The figure pointed in accusation as it continued. "You need to realize your own potential. And soon. Your livelihood, your legacy, your very life depends on it."
"Why is this so urgent? Why now? I'm only in my first year, why should I be worrying about my legacy as just a freshman hunter?" Jaune asked plaintively. This made no sense, was the demon trying to help him? To warn him?
"It matters because you lack the necessary skills to be a proper leader." it replied simply. "No soldier will follow a commander who shows himself incapable of fighting alongside directing his troops. No platoon will follow a sergeant into the heat of battle if they have no faith in their ability to steer them through the chaos of battle."
"What do you mean? You're saying my team has lost faith in me?" Jaune leaned forward aggressively, the meaning behind the shadow's comments suddenly dawning on him.
"Did they ever have faith in you boy? I dare say you got along for awhile with them humoring you but now? You're in the midst of a full on mutiny and you're too stupid to notice. Hell, have they not already usurped your role as team leader?"
"That...that's not true, they just want to...make sure I'm ok is all..." The comment cut deep as Jaune both wondered at its truth, while shamefully reflecting that perhaps such a shift would be for the best.
"Did they now? I know much has changed since my day, but am I to take it that it is now standard procedure for a team to take over decision making for their leader just to...'help'...him get through a rough patch?" The narrowed eyes flashed with a sarcasm that highlighted the rhetorical nature of the question.
"You are a deluded fool. Your team has betrayed you. They have reduced you to nothing more than a figurehead without your realization."
Jaune's anger flared again, scorching the leather backed chair where he sat. "That's not true! They'd never do that! I've led them several times already! We've studied together, shared meals together, we've fought Grimm-!"
The shadow roared back just as angrily matching the fiery manifestation of Jaune's rage with large tendrils of black flame. "DO NOT SPEAK TO ME OF FIGHTING GRIMM!" It shouted, stabbing an accusatory finger at him. "You know nothing of war! Of leadership! Your team mates succeeded while you were carried along on the wave of their success. A remora to their shark." The figure rose, looming impossibly high above Jaune's still-seated position.
"We Arcs, WE are meant to be the sharks, teeth bared, rending whatever is in our path be it monster or man, the youngest grim or the eldest god, if they stand before us they are prey, and we the hunter. But you..." The disgust in its voice was palatable, a claw-like finger pointing into the depths of Jaune's soul. "You. Are. Nothing." Each word was punctuated with an angry lance of shadow, the dark lightning arcing out from the creature's fingertip to hit Jaune like a kick to the chest.
He gasped in pain. No. Not again. He felt the pressure build on his chest, and fought to suppress it. Warring for each constricted breath he angrily stared back at the shadow above him.
"So then...if you're so smart...what...should I do?" he gasped back.
As the final word passed his lips, the pressure lessened. Still gasping for air, he looked up to find the shadow changed once again. Its eyes were alight with malicious glee, it's mouth cracked wide in a fang-filled smile.
"Ahhh...good. You've finally come to your senses." Reminiscent of the shark it had moments ago likened itself, it smiled even more broadly as the tendrils of shadow retreated back into its body . "It's quite simple. You are already a failure as a leader. Stop denying it, or making excuses for it. Accept the folly of your actions and resolve correct this aberration."
"How am I already a failure? I've made some mistakes, sure, but just because my team is helping me recover doesn't mean-"
"-They are simply too polite to take your leadership from you by force." It interrupted again. "Some misguided sense of loyalty or honor, admirable if it was in any way deserved. It is only a matter of time, however; by the end of this week with your ultimate failure at this upcoming sparring exam, they will orchestrate your removal as a team leader. They will betray you, and you will have to come to terms with your new lot in life, whether with the same team or not. It is probably for the best, really...your team can only carry you so far..."
He shook his head. "This doesn't make sense...you invented the whole idea of hunter teams... you wrote the book on hunter-tactics!...the books describe you as having a team and working with them and winning battles...!"
"Do you mean this?" Jaune's borrowed copy of A History of the Arc Bloodline materialized from thin air in its shadowy palm. "Yes, the history books always seem to spin things a certain way to fit the narrative don't they?"
The book burned to ashes before the crature grinned. "You need to brush up on your required reading my boy. I'd recommend reading the book a little more deeply to better understand what I truly was. I did not have teammates. I had Subordinates. Associates. Underlings. I created teams for the purpose of allowing weak fools like yourself the opportunity to cover for your failings in combat so that you would have a life expectancy of more than 10 seconds in battle against the Grimm."
It spat the last words out with disgust. "If you want to be seen as anything but a failure, you must prove that you are worthy of their respect. Of their fear. You must win that match. And you must do so decisively and completely. Anything less is to encourage their further mutiny."
How? How can I do that?" Jaune asked desperately. "I haven't won a single match this whole year...and it's only in a few days!"
"My dear foolish boy..." It leaned forward to within inches of his face, its eyes suddenly flashing into acid green fire. "...you already have the key to victory running through your very veins! You need only to discover how to utilize it properly."
"I...I don't understand...what are you-?"
It hissed, its words coming swifter in irritation. "For once in your miserable existence, stop being so dense!" The shadow jabbed forward and plunged its claw into his torso. He screamed in horror before the shadow pulled back with a violent jerk. Trailing from his finger to the center of his stomach, is a long barbed chain covered in undulating green slime.
"Look at how much of it you have within you!" The shadow spoke with whispered reverence. "I don't believe there has ever been a living creature that has absorbed so much and yet lived!"
With a jab of its other claw, it pulled another chain from Jaune's heart. This one was livelier, writhing as it dangled between them.
"What! W-what is this!?" He screamed trying to pull himself away. His efforts were for naught, however, as the chains held him bound to the nightmare's claws.
"Like I said boy, this is the key to your victory. It is bonded to you more fully than you even realize. You have already tasted a portion of it's power, you only need to push just a bit further to-"
"NO!" Jaune He jerked himself free from the shadow's clutches, stumbling out of his chair and over towards the giant window on the opposite wall. The creature hissed angrily as the chains slipped from its grasp. "Are you insane? I nearly died because of this stuff! I have to get rid of it!" The chains were oily-slick and cold in between his fingers as he took hold and tried to yank them out of his body. The desperate effort caused him to double up in agony as a wave of agonizing fire seemed exploded within him.
"You idiot! It is bonded to you! You would as well rip off an arm than to remove those gifts within your body. They are your victory! Do you not see that?" The figure loomed over him once more,a great shape swelling through the room, its eyes had gone back to those red blazing pools of lava.
"No! I'm not using this! This is wrong. It's...it's toxic! This stuff will kill me, I need to purge it...get it all out of me!"
"Then you have already failed!" The creature roared, completely filling the room now with its dark presence. "You will fail the upcoming match. Your team will abandon you! You will lose everything. EVERYTHING, down to your worthless life!"
Still clutching the writhing chains in his hands Jaune pulled himself to his feet, momentarily standing his ground. "No...there is another way. I can't...I can't be dependent on this! It's not part of me!" Gritting his teeth and bracing himself, he pulled as hard as he could. His vision exploded in violent colors. Waves of pain assaulted every fiber of his being as slowly, agonizingly slowly, the chains began to separate. As the pain threatened to overwhelm something caught his attention outside of the window. There were people there...they were...
"Guys..." Distracted, he suddenly slackened his grip. The sinewy chains began to slither back, wrapping around his arms and body. Just outside the window stood his team. Pyrrha...Ren...Nora. They all stood there staring at him with empty eyes and vacant expressions. Perhaps it was a distortion of the glass but...they looked vaguely inhuman, mannequin-like in their stiffness... He pressed himself against the window, his struggle against the chains forgotten as they silently continued to wrap themselves around him, their tight grip now almost tender, a seductive embrace to contrast the agony of his attempt at removal.
Guys! What are you doing here!? What's going on!?" Beyond the window the figures made no indication of response, simply continuing to stare blankly at him through the frosted glass.
"It has begun boy..." The shadow proclaimed behind him. "...the era of your leadership is ending."
As if commanded, one by one, they stiffly turned around and began to walk down the path leading away from his house. Jaune pounded his fists against the glass, desperate to get their attention as they crossed the giant front lawn.
"Guys! NO! Don't leave me! Where are you going! What is this!? Ren! Nora! PYRRHA!" Screaming himself hoarse he began to beat his fists against the glass panes. The chains seemed to quiver and tighten around his arms, lending weight to his blows even as they tried to slow him down...
They did not seem to hear him. Slowly they continued to navigate their way along the winding path, backs turned to him as he continued to assault the window that stood between him and his team. They were leaving him. They were abandoning him. He could not stop it. No matter how hard he beat his fists against the glass, it did not yield. Mad with panic he began to slam his head against the window in crazed hope that it would succeed where his fists had failed him. The chains were around his neck now... choking him, pulling him back into the room and preventing him from making clean contact with the glass.
"Look how right I was boy...your refusal to accept those gifts has led to your end. Worry not for your friends, for if you look now you can see that they have already found a replacement..."
Stars in his eyes, Jaune's attention snapped away from the shadow, staring through the window once again. There, at the end of the path. The large gate that marked the end of their property. A shadowy figure stood waiting for them. As one they all seemed to raise their hands in greeting to the interloper. It wasn't him, it was someone else. Jaune cried out in despair, he should be there. That was HIS team! It was stealing his team! Its arms spread in a welcoming embrace and they vanished in a puff of smoke as they made contact with the it. For a moment the figure stood there, turned its head and cast its gaze back towards the house. Glowing eyes momentarily locked with Jaune's own across the yard. Jaune tried to stare it down, still fighting against the chains that pulled him deeper into the room. Straining he blinked, his eyes closed for but a moment but when he looked once more, it was gone, vanished along with his team.
He tried to scream with anguish, but the sound was choked in his throat by the tightening jagged chain. His arms were almost completely bound now, yet he still tried to push forwards, to try one last time to break through the impassable glass. Why wouldn't this thing budge?! It was only glass, it couldn't be that strong! More and more chains spooled around him, pulling him away from the window. No! He had to save them! He had to be with them! Even now he felt them calling to him. He heard their voices! He looked around, the room dissolving as their voices grew louder...
"Jaune! Jaune! Please stop!" That was Pyrrha!, he thought. Where was she? It sounded like she was right next to him Why couldn't he reach out to her!? He had to break free!
"JAUNE! WAKE UP!" Nora this time, Closer...they were so close...
"JAUNE!"
The final chain wrapped around him, mummifying him within dripping metal and his world exploded in a flash of light and pain.
