And I'm back. Little late but I've been dealing with somethings. My dad was admitted to the hospital with high blood pressure and my grandpa just got diagnosed with cancer. Been kinda hard recently so it took a bit longer.

Enough of that right now. I gotta ask something about the pairing. If I did the Supergirl paring than I would need almost entirely get rid of her run in the comics to make her relevant in this story, so if you want her that's what I'll have to do.

Another note. If I did a harem would everyone be okay with that or not. The way I would spin it is that Remnant does have polygamy, it's just not that spread. More than here on Earth, but not enough that it's something you'll see every day.

Alright now onto the story.

Light of Remnant

Ch. 9

Homecoming

I've been up here for probably half an hour now. The breeze flows though my jacket. It seemed like a better idea to show up in regular attire than decked out in full body armor. The time it took to get here from Vacuo was only a few minutes. The ring never ceases to amaze me. Continuing my observing of the place that I called home for so many years, it feels like forever since I last saw it when it's only been a few months.

The house is rather large compared to the neighboring home in the village. A three-story tall behemoth. The area surrounding the home is clear, except for a large rock embedded in the ground close to the edge of the forest.

Memories of my time here begin to come back. Familiar sounds resonate on my head. The sound of footsteps echoing through the halls as the children ran across them. The noise of cheering and laughter of a family enjoying the company of one another. The scent of fresh baked pies, cakes, cookies, and other assorted baked goods.

Of course, along with the good memories, comes the bad. The disappointed look of my father as I fail to meet his expectations. The celebration of my sister's acceptance to various combat schools. While I remain in the shadows, free to join them, but to bitter to partake in the merrymaking.

Bitter sweet memories continue to play out. A voice from below rouses me from my memory stupor. A young pale blonde, almost silver haired woman, looking no older than her early twenties calls out to a little girl playing close to the path leading to the homestead. The child is a mirror image of the older woman, except for a tint of purple at the in her hair. Quickly, the girl joins the older woman inside.

'Mom… Violette.'

As the forms of my mother and sister disappear, a pit grows in my stomach. This entire situation suddenly became so much harder. I know they're my family. Of course, they would accept me.

On the other hand, I left them without saying a word. Leaving them behind while I selfishly started my path to a hero. None of them wanted me to be a Huntsman. A part of me hated them for that. A family should support each other's desire to become a Huntsman. Instead they choose to bar my path. Telling me to give up and look for something else.

The knuckles of my hand crack as I tighten my fist. Red energy begins to seep from my body and my vision begins to turn into a similar color. The only thing that saves me are they good memories of our time together.

This was another reason I'm hesitant to see them. The ring influences my emotions. Anything they do could trigger me. In my anger, I have no idea what I might do. Scenarios of me brutally beating my father to death, stabbing my mother through the chest, spewing my sisters in red plasma. Every single one of them fills my heart with Fear.

The hesitation lingers for a bit longer as I weigh the situation. On one hand, they need to know that I'm okay. Give them some peace of mind. Before I probably leave them forever. But if I do that, then it'll just cause more pain. To gain their loved one back, only to lose him the next minute.

I take the silent approach and decide to look in the living room window to see how they're doing. Peering inside I see that not just the youngest, but even the older siblings, which left to live their own lives. The sullen expressions of Dore and Marron tells me that they were probably called in by my parents and told about what they believe happened to me. Even the usual stern Argente has cracks in her usual neutral expression.

The younger sisters continue to play with one another for the most part. The only one that seems different is Verte. With her being the oldest after me, it's safe to assume that she's probably been told the same thing as the others.

Leaving the window, I move to the door. My fist hangs in the air before it. The moment I knock on that door, there's no going back. No, this must happen. They need to know I'm alright. If they continue with the belief that I'm dead, it'll scar them.

The sudden knocking on the door startles me. Not realizing that my hand had moved on its own. Perhaps I did it subconsciously to stop myself from turning back. Rustling can be heard from inside as someone makes their way to answer the door.

When the door opens it reveals the youngest siblings. The twins Blanche and Noire. Blanche is the older twin by a minute, but that doesn't change the fact that they look the same, save for a slight difference in the tint of their hair. Blanche was born with pale, almost bleach white hair. Noire has a dark tint on the tips of her hair that looks black in certain lighting. Even with them being twins, all the Arc sisters look the same for the most part. The only way someone can tell the difference between all of them is the way their hair is styled and the color. Some even dyed it to be more distinct from their siblings. Overall, each one looks like a younger version of my mother, who herself can pass for one of my sisters.

"Look look!"

"Big brothers back!"

The twins bounce in excitement over my return. Each latch onto a separate leg before letting go. Neither have changed a bit. Though I suppose it hasn't been that long. Blanche and Noire are sorta like those twins you see in movies, or books. The kind that always seem to be connected at the him, finishing each other's sentences, sharing the same interests. Usually kids like to try and have something different from their siblings, but not these two. They take pride in how close they are.

A stampede of footsteps travels down the hallway. The first to arrive was my mother, Isabelle Arc. Her short stature seemed more pronounced than I last remembered. She might only come up to my chest, but it seems different now. Growing up she always babied me the most. Maybe it was because I was her only baby boy. Her blue eyes stare at me in disbelief. It was the kind of look that begged for something that she knew would never come.

Dad's the next to show up. Michael Arc was a rather imposing man. Standing a little over six-and-a half feet. Most of my looks I got from my mom. His hair, for instance, was shorter, and darker than my own, cut like someone who served in the military. He used to say it was best to keep it short. That way it made it harder for Grimm and other opponents to grab it. His eyes were different too, having more of a green tint. There appear to be bags growing under his eye's, along with a five o'clock shadow on his chin.

The oldest come in next. Argente keeps a neutral expression, though a small twitch on the corner of her lips tells me that she's glad to see I'm safe. It doesn't mean that she isn't happy to see me. She's never been one to show much emotion. The role of the strict older sister can be personified with how she acts within the family. Explains why she decided to go into the Atlas military. Last I heard, she was close to obtaining the position of the youngest General ever.

Dore was always the coolest of my sisters. Opposite of Argente's silver hair, her's is almost golden. If you needed help with anything, whether it be choosing the right clothes for a date, or playing a prank on the others, she was the sister you would call.

Apart of me wants to compare her to Yang, but I stop myself. While the two share similarities, in the end Dore always makes sure any problem we have, we fix with our own two hands. She'll give you a push in the right direction, but you must carry the problem on your own. Break a vase while playing inside, she'll help you clean up the mess, but it's up to you to tell mom and dad that you did it.

Yang, on the other hand, seemed to baby Ruby to much when it came to the harder problems. If she looked like she was struggling than she'd help her do half the work, whether she wanted it or not. While this seems like a good thing, it creates a sense of dependency. Never letting her truly fail. Dore would let us fail to understand that not everything works out.

After seeing that being a Huntress wasn't for her, she decided to go into the field of entertainment. For a few years she worked at bar in Vale. Never heard the name of it though, but mom said that I shouldn't go there. Recently she left the place and opened her own bar. It's nothing extravagant yet but give her some time and I'm sure it'll be the biggest night time hangout in the city.

Despite being one of the oldest, Marron's always been the most emotional of the family. She's always been one to smother someone if they seem down. If she heard you had a bad day, then you better expect something extravagant coming your way. Scrape your knee on something and she'll cry more than you will.

Like Dore, after finishing combat school, she gave up on being a Huntress. It didn't sit right with her considering most of the time Huntsman and Huntress' seem more like glorified bounty hunters than saviors. Her words not mine. Instead she chose to get a career in education, looking to teach younger generations and open-up her own pre-school when she developed enough experience.

If Marron uses her emotions to show how much she cares, then Verte would be her opposite. Her hair the most distinct from the others, being only just past her hair and dyed a bright green. While she's four years younger than I am, her attitude is a lot rougher than anyone else's in the family. The only one that can handle her abrasive personality is my dad and I, mostly because she tends to get physical when she's angry.

Dad can take the hits no problem. I, on the other hand, had to sit there until she's done with her tantrum. Not the healthiest relationship, but for some reason I'm the only one that can talk her down. Maybe it's because I raised her the most. The others tried to help, but ever since she was a baby she's been like this, only ever calming down when I was holding her, or sleeping in the same bed as her. For some reason she stopped doing this a couple years back after she entered middle school. Probably just finally growing up.

Last, but not least, is Violette. Growing up it was hard to tell who the older sibling between us was with how mature she acts. It's sad to say, but I've come home more than once to tell her how a girl I tried to ask out turned me down. It wasn't my fault most of the time. I used Dore's pick-up lines. She guaranteed that they would work on any girl.

Whenever I got bullied, she'd lend me a shoulder to cry on. Marron was too soft to deal with me being black and blue in the face. She'd probably have a heart attack if she saw blood running down my nose. Violette could keep herself composed during these times and gave me someone to talk to. Our relationship really is backwards, isn't it?

With the entire family packed into the entryway it begins to feel a little cramped. Surprisingly, the first to move is Verte. She runs forward before latching onto me. Her tiny arms wrap around my torso as her hands grab ahold of my jacket in a death grip.

"I knew they were lying. I knew you weren't dead. I-I—" Through her tears and muffled voice I can make out what she's saying. They did tell her after all it seems. Eventually she lets go. Before punching me right in the stomach. "HOW COULD YOU JUST LEAVE WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING, YOU JERK?!"

And right there, she went from happy to see me, to angry and violent. Looks like she's fine now. Ordinarily the ring would put up a barrier to block the punch on reflex, but my subconscious must've stopped that from happening. Didn't want to damage her hand.

Before the little fighter can land another blow my mother steps in. She pulls back her daughter and stands before me. Slowly, she reaches out with both hands for my face. With both hands now on my cheek she looks into my eyes.

"Is it… Is it really you?"

The corner of her eyes begins to tear up as she continues to stare at me. Taking hold of both her hands I look at her with a reassuring smile. "Ya mom, it's me. I'm home." She immediately falls into my chest in a burst of tears. Her muffled cries can be heard from the others as they seemed to smile for the most part.

Looking at the group I notice the only one not smiling is my father. His eyes are set in a dead stare as my mother continues to cry in my arms. The man steps forward after the crying woman gets some time with her recently returned son.

"Why don't we move this to the living room. It's starting to get crowded in here."

Agreeing with the patriarch's advice we convene to the next room. My sisters take the seating on the large 'L' shaped sofa while my parents take the two-seater near the fire place. It was strange to see my father not sitting in his usual recliner. That's when I realize what they did. There's nowhere for me to sit except the single chair facing the others at the center.

Taking my place in the solitary chair I notice the others looking at me with missed expressions. My father stares at me with the usual stern look he had when he needed to discipline us. To make the situation seem bigger he would make us sit in his recliner. That was everyone could see us.

Silence hangs in the air for what seems like an eternity. Everyone waits for my father to speak-up first. "Now then, I have very much to say about your decision to leave this house without our consent. You had the gull to run away from your family." Marron, Blanche, and Noire shake at the implications of his words. I prepare myself for the scolding of a life time. "But, you've returned home. We can hold off on any punishment until later."

He gets up from his seat and makes his way across the room to place his hand on my shoulder. "For now, I'm just glad that you're home safe." Kneeling to look at me at eye level he pulls me into a tight hug. Something wet drips onto my shoulder that his head is resting on. He doesn't want to show the others his current state. At the very least I can honor that for what I've put him through.

The hug ends as he stands back up. His eyes are dry again and a jovial smile adorns his lips. "We were just about to eat dinner. Your mother will set another place at the dinner table. I'll get the food ready."

The family all cheer before heading into the dining room to eat. A long table stretches across the room. It's big enough to fit a group of people twice our size, and rightfully so. Whenever family or company would come over it would be rude for them to have to sit on one of the couches while everyone else sat at the table. We wait for a few minutes as our parents grab dinner from the kitchen. Small talk is passed around as the younger siblings ask their big sisters what living by themselves is like.

Verte keeps passing glances at me. Some are sweet, others are angry and bitter. "That's a fancy lookin ring ya got there, little bro." Dore takes notice of the ring on my right hand. I haven't given much consideration to what I'd say about that. Even with all the time I took getting here I still couldn't think of something. No real way to say that I have an alien piece of technology stuck to my finger, is there?

"I, Uhhh won it in a cereal box raffle." Nice save me. Thinking on the fly like that. Maybe I'm a lot smarter than I thought?

My family shares a laugh over my excuse for how I got this thing. "You've always been rather childish, little brother. I suppose this might have been why you thought it was a wise decision to run away from home."

Ouch Argente, did you really have to word it like that? Not pulling any punches, are you? I suppose I should've expected something like this. She's never been the subtlest of us.

Dinner is finally served as our parents join us. The evening is as loud as I remember. Dore usually has a story to tell us about something she saw while in town, Argente attempts to quiet her down, saying that the dinner table is a place for etiquette. It usually ends with the usual insults of having a stick in an uncomfortable place.

Mom seems happy as she always does. It's been awhile since all of us have been together like this. Kinda sucks that the only reason is because of some idiot decided to go and get himself killed. Oh, wait. That's me.


The evening continues for another hour before everyone's finished up. The twins are beginning to fall asleep at their chairs. Violette helps them to bed before heading off to the land of dreams herself.

All that's left in awake are My parent's, older sisters, Verte, and myself. Mom sends Verte off to bed, reminding her that she has school tomorrow. The green haired tomboy tries to argue, but dad steps in to stop the argument. She gives one last look at me before huffing off to bed.

And then there were fewer. It was finally the time to have that scolding. No words are said. We each take our place in the living room. I take my place in the recliner and wait for someone to speak up.

My father is of course the to lead the interrogation. "So, where do you wanna start? Maybe on why you though it was a good idea to leave without saying anything? Or how about taking the family sword? How about when we got the call that you had been killed on a mission?"

Opening and closing my had helps to keep me from letting my anger out. It's childish to be angry from getting a scolding, but I'm still young. And very brash if my past decisions are any indication.

"Please son, just tell us why. Why did you leave?" My mother pleads for me to explain my actions. I can see it's hurting her to not know why I left. Or maybe she does know, and she just wants to hear it from me.

I take a deep breath before I begin to explain myself. "I left because no one would allow me to follow my dream. You all kept me from chasing what I wanted to become. The excuses of being too weak, or not having enough talent could only work for so long. If I couldn't find my path here then I would leave to chase after it somewhere else."

"So, you decided to act like a child. You couldn't talk to us and left on your own? Do you know how much that selfish act affected this family?" The patriarch of the Arc family's voice begins to raise with each question.

"I tried talking to you. I tried for years to get through to you that I wanted to be a Huntsman, but no matter what I said you denied me every time."

"That's because you didn't have the proper training. I couldn't send you to an Academy without it. They wouldn't have let you in. Though it seems Oz used his usual closed-door actions to get you in."

"I would have had the training if you let me. You said I wasn't allowed to train because I didn't have the talent for it, but that doesn't make sense! Even if I didn't have talent I could make up for it with hard work! You didn't want to take the time to train me because you thought it would just be a waste of time!"

"What did you expect me to do?! Did you want me to send you out there with only grit and will?! Are you really that stupid?! Just how badly do you wanna die, Enzo?!" He seems stunned by what he just said. I have no idea why he called me by my middle name, he's never done that before.

The silence from before returns. Except this time, it was an awkward kind that made everyone feel uneasy. Mom stands up and takes my dad's hand in hers. "Honey, I think it's time you told him."

That might be one of the foreboding things I've heard in a while. And that's saying something. Dad sits back down, putting his head in his hands. He gives mom a nod in confirmation to continue with whatever she was talking about.

"Jaune, do you know why your middle name is Enzo?"

"No, I thought it was just a name you picked out of a baby book. Why, where does it come from?"

"You get the name Enzo from your uncle, Enzo Arc. Your father's younger brother."

"I have an uncle? How come I've never met him?"

I've never seen him at a family reunion, or even heard of him for that matter. Now that I think about it, grandpa Arc would sometimes call me Enzo when he was asking for me. Grandma would correct him with a look of sadness. I just thought it was because he was starting to lose his memory.

"The reason why you've never met him….. was because he passed away during a mission while he was at Beacon Academy."

He died? …. I see. That makes sense I suppose. "What does that have to do with me though?"

My dad finally picks himself up from his pitiful state. "When you were born I had this odd feeling of nostalgia. It reminded me of when I was younger, and I saw my little brother for the first time. He was a small thing. The trademark blonde hair and blue eyes of the Arc family. He looked so fragile."

A few moments of silence pass as he tries to catch his breath. "You reminded me so much of him that I decided to name your middle name after him. I thought of it as a good way to remember him. I didn't realize until later that you didn't just look like him, you were pretty much the spitting image of him in both looks and personality. The resemblance felt like too much of a coincidence."

"Watching you grow up felt so like watching him through the years that I couldn't let things end the same. Your uncle didn't have any talent, just like you. But you two also shared that odd drive to want to push yourselves, even though you had no hope of ever becoming a Huntsman. He did countless hours of training on his own to be good enough to attend Beacon. In the end, he made it through initiation by the skin of his teeth."

"The years went by, and he continued to improve. He made it a lot farther than anyone believed was even possible for someone like him. Then came the mission he took with his team during his third year." Tears can be seen at the corner of his eyes before he wipes them away.

"It was a search and kill mission to hunt down an odd Grimm that had been seen recently. Any info they had said that it shouldn't be that much of a problem. While on the mission they encountered the Grimm. After killing the beast, it turns out that the thing belonged to a nest. The other Grimm swarmed when their guard was down. A fall back was called from the leader. In ten minutes, a Bullhead arrived to extract them from the area."

"They didn't have the ability to get out of there with how bad the swarm was. My brother decided to stay behind and hold them off, so the others could get away. They didn't have time to argue. The leader ordered the others to leave. After getting into the airship the swarm was close behind them, they left immediately. Several Huntsman were called in after what remained of the team returned. Nothing was left behind of Enzo."

"When I heard from Ozpin how you were reported dead during a similar mission, I believed that some God out there hated our family. I never wanted you to be a Huntsman because of that exact thing. You two were so similar that I knew something similar would happen. I couldn't bear to see the same events playout again in this family."

So that's it. That's the reason why he never trained me. He saw his younger brother in me and he didn't want to lose him again. That's… that's… "Bullshit."

The curse words cause everyone to look at me with shocked expressions. I was never one to curse as a child. Even after I got this ring I haven't cursed to much after the first couple of days, it never made me feel very comfortable. This time however it had the weight I needed for my words.

"So, what if I remind you of your little brother. That doesn't change the fact that you still thought it was a good idea to deny me of what I wanted to be. I get that you didn't want to see the same thing happen, but you forget one thing. I am not your little brother. We may look the same, we may act the same, we may even have the same ambition in life. That doesn't mean a thing to me. I'm not Enzo. I'm me."

Everyone turns to my dad to see how he'll react to my declaration. He looks like he's trying to come up with a response, but all that comes out of his mouth is air. He closes his jaw and grits his teeth for a bit. I think he's about to punch.

While I was preparing for the attack, a sigh escapes his lips. "… You're right. I have been looking at you just like him, haven't I? I'm sorry." The father accepts his mistake. Mom grabs his hand again in forces him to look her in the eyes.

"It's alright honey. You wanted to protect our son. It may not have been the best idea, but you cared in your own way."

The married couple has a moment to themselves before I speak up. "Even if you admit your mistake, it doesn't mean I forgive you. I had to live most of my life being told that I should give up by you. An apology won't fix that."

"And I don't expect you to."

Coming to our own agreement brings the conversation to a close. "Well, now that that's out of the way we can go back to the way things were."

"… No, we can't."

"What do you mean? Do you wanna head back to Beacon? That I think about it you still haven't told us how you got back home, or even survived the Grimm encounter."

This is what I've been dreading. Telling them the truth about where I've been these past few days is gonna be hard. "When the Grimm horde began to come down on me, I was feeling a mixture of emotions. But the biggest one I felt was Rage. When I saw the Bullhead leaving me behind even though I could've made it before the horde got close enough, I got so angry. I thought that they left me. After my transcripts were found out my teammates and friends abandoned me. Now they were doing it in a more physical sense."

"The anger began to control me as I fought against the first few Grimm that began the attack. I was tearing through them one by one. After the first couple I lost my sword and shield. In my berserk state I used my fists to attack them. While I was pounding on an Ursa a red light shined down on me and I heard a voice."

I pull up my hand to show them the ring on my finger. "That's when this ring came floating down. I slipped onto my finger and then everything began to feel hot." I continue to recount the events of my fight with the Grimm. They seemed shocked to say the least when I told them that I beat back most of the horde my myself.

Apparently they didn't buy my story. Until I showed them the constructs I created and the napalm blood from my mouth. Gotta remember to buy mom a new coffee table after this. I continue to tell them the events that followed. From leaving the planet, to arriving on Ysmault, taking on the space pirates, fighting Relic, and liberating the planet of Kormorax from the tyranny of an evil dictator.

It takes the a few minutes to let the whole story sink in. I probably wouldn't believe it if someone told me this kinda junk either. Their reactions are all mixed. Marron pats my head, telling me that she's so proud of what I've done. "You're saying that life on other planets actually exists?" Argente is the first to question m story.

"Ya. I know it sounds hard to believe, considering that we haven't even traveled to the moon yet. But it's true. Aliens do exist."

"I see. That is rather informative." That's another thing about her. She's always could accept things if there's proper information to back it up. Suppose it makes it easier on me.

"Wow. My little brother's a space cop. That is so badass."

The curse word is received with a quick slap to the back of her head as mom disciplines Dore. "Young lady, I will not allow you to use such foul language in this household."

"That brings me to the last part. I'm sorta on temporary leave right now. I gotta get back in the next few days."

"You're leaving again already? We just got you back. Can't you stay a little bit longer? I wanna hold my little brother again after so long." Marron pulls me into a hug, rubbing my head and cooing to me.

"I can't, there's a whole sector of space that we have a responsibility over now. With the loose of Ratchet, we're down to six of us. It's gonna take some time to get word to spread that we're the law now so we need everyone on deck. I promise to stop by after things have settled down some."

"Not much we can do about that I suppose. Before you leave can you talk to Ozpin first? I know you probably wanna keep this all under wraps, but I feel that he should know about this. Especially if you return. It would be strange for a dead man to be walking around the kingdoms without an explanation." Dad's suggestion doesn't sound too bad.

He got it right that I wanted to keep this quiet. If the world knew about aliens it would freak them out. It wouldn't do to have the panic attract the Grimm. "Guess you're right. I'll leave it up to you to call him. I've had a long day and need the rest."

"I suppose your right. We'll call it a night for now."

And so, another long day ends.


Beacon Academy

It's another cold night here in Vale. The Vytal Festival preparations are under way. After a long day of discussing with The Council and going over documents I finally head off for the night. As I stand up from my desk my scroll begins to ring.

I notice that it's Michael calling. It's far too late into the night for him and his family to be arriving in Vale. I pick up the line and address my longtime friend.

"Hello Michael. I must say it's a surprise to receive a call from you this late into the night. What's the occasion?"

The patriarch of the Arc family looks to be in better shape than I would expect, considering the recent events. "I have something you should probably hear Oz. It's about my son."

"Jaune? Did something happen?"

"You could say that. He turned up at our front door. He's alive."

For once in a long time I'm stunned at the recent news. "How? I saw the site of the attack myself. With your son's level of combat, I doubt he could take them on by himself."

The father rubs his temple as he lets out a tired sigh. "I suggest you sit down, Oz. This is gonna be a long story."