A/N: I apologize to those hoping for a different first viewing. Let's start with a familiar world...
Chapter 1: A Lullaby of Woe
{Previously on While the World Heals...}
The red crystal enlarged in the middle of the screen and a bar appeared below it. The words 'loading' displayed as the bar began to get 'filled-up'.
"An alternate universe? This should be interesting…" Ren spoke as he ordered some popcorn for Nora.
"Wonder what it's like… an alternate universe…" Pyrrha stared at the screen though her mind and heart were still worried for their leader.
The people in the theatre did not know what to expect. Some imagined an alien world. Some imagined a parallel world.
[Loading Complete. Initiating Universe Viewing]
"The viewing is about to start. Please make yourselves comfortable."
[Error encountered. Parallel events to Argent Prime Universe detected. Show Prime version? Y/N]
"What happened?" People looked amongst the others then to the Woman.
"Oh dear… it seems a similar event has happened to your universe. The device's algorithms are still quite new but I can assure you all that what's being shown is accurate."
"What do we do?" Ruby asked.
"The conflict triggered the choice option. You may choose to view either your universe's event or view the current universe. Open your hologram prompts. And select either yes or no. All your choices shall be tallied and it will go through a voting system."
People began to make their choices.
[Prime Version cancelled. Beginning Alternate Universe. Please enjoy.]
"Seems like people are curious about this alternate universe." Blake said as she looked at the screen.
] ] ] ]
The sound of wind and the rustling of leaves was heard. A scenic view of a lake and a far away castle was seen. The light from the moon illuminated the surroundings. In this serene night a lullaby was heard.
"Wait a minute. Guys look!" Sun exclaimed and pointed at the screen.
"Dude what are you talking about?" Neptune, who sat beside him, asked.
"The moon!" Another person from behind yelled.
All of them looked closely at the moon and realized that it was whole. It was also larger than theirs.
"Wolves asleep amidst the trees…bats all aswayin' in the leaves." The voice of a woman was heard. So gentle and so serene.
"But one soul lies anxious, wide awake…" a woman walked into view. She had auburn hair that was kept into a bun.
"She looks familiar" Glynda looked closely at the woman. She was sure that she'd met her before.
Port's eyes widened but remained quiet.
"Fearing all manners of ghouls hags and wraiths." The camera panned to show the woman's face.
Everyone watched quietly. Wondering what was going on in this scene.
"I have a bad feeling about this for some reason." Yang stared at the woman on the screen.
"Is anyone feeling cold?" Weiss asked to noone in particular. She does feel something chilly though. She can't describe it.
"Nice tune… been awhile since I heard it last." A voice called out from behind the woman. A shadow figure could be seen in the shadows of the trees.
"Wait. I know that voice!" Nora yelled.
"Folk have forgotten it…" the woman smiled and reached down to grab something. The woman smiled at her find. A small doll belonging to a child.
"Got… other things on their mind." The figure walked out into the moonlight. His blonde hair was tied to a ponytail. His blue eyes looked hardened. A large scar was seen on his left eye he was wearing leather-like armor. Two swords were sheathed on his back.
"Jaune!" His friends smiled.
"He looks older." Glynda looked at her student's alternate self.
"Wew… he ages like fine wine…" Yang whistled earning some deadpan looks. Though some of the women can't deny how Jaune in his prime looked attractive.
The woman smiled and dropped the doll. She then let her hair loose.
"Things like me?..." The woman smiled sweetly at him.
Jaune sighed. He unsheathed his sword reluctantly.
"They paid me for you." Jaune's eyes glowed in the dark revealing cat-like irises.
"Paid?... Wait. Is he some kind of bounty hunter?" Qrow from the back asked.
"His eyes. They remind me of a cat's. Is he faunus here?" Blake noticed the cat-like eyes.
"No. Faunus don't exist in this world. And to answer 's question… in a sense he is a bounty hunter. Just not for humans.""
"What? What do you mean faunus don't exist in this world?!"
"This is a different universe Miss Belladonna. Faunus don't exist in this world but other races do. Like elves and dwarves... both are suffering the same discriminations as you do..."
"Hmm~ times passed...no amount of coin would've convinced a witcher to take this contract." The woman began disrobing in front of him and spoke the words, her voice becoming more and more bestial. Her eyes could faintly be seen glowing yellow.
The teenage huntsmen in training briefly blushed as the woman began to disrobe but stopped when her voice changed. The girls still glared at the boys though.
"What's a witcher?" Ruby looked at the mysterious woman. Which reminded her. They didn't ask for her name.
"Monster hunters."
"Monster hunters? Like Huntsmen?" Yang asked as she ate her popcorn.
"In a sense. Grimm don't exist in this world." The blindfolded woman spoke. This surprised everyone. A world without monsters?
"Preposterous. How can grimm not exist?" Weiss crossed her arms. Skeptical of such a world.
"This is an alternate universe Miss Schnee. Grimm don't exist in this world but monsters do. Not the metaphorical kind. The literal kind. Vampires, werewolves, dragons and such…. But I suppose mortals such as humans and human-like natives that are worse than monsters exist as well."
"Intriguing…" Ooblek stared intently at the screen.
"Times have changed." Jaune tensed as he glared at the 'woman'.
The woman merely smiled at him for a brief moment before turning into a wisp of smoke and entering a dilapidated barn.
"Wait. Is that chick some kind of monster?" Sun asked.
"Please watch. And find out for yourself." The mysterious woman said sternly.
"Kind of obvious when her voice went all demony bro." Neptune rolled his eyes.
"Wait a minute… it said that there was a parallel event that happened in our universe." Blake looked at the woman.
The rest of her team except Ruby looked at each other and NPR did the same.
"Yes. There will be an option to view it after this viewing." The woman nodded.
Jaune stopped at the entrance of the barn. He checked his surroundings first before he opened a waist bag that he brought. He pulled out various vials of noxious liquid.
"I wonder what's inside those vials…" Bartholomew Oobleck stared intently at the screen.
Port was uncharacteristically quiet for some reason.
Jaune began to coat his sword with one of the vials and then drank another vial.
"He drank that?..." Weiss looked disgusted.
"Blech…" Yang cringed.
As soon as he swallowed the liquid he convulsed as if he was struggling with immense pain.
"Jaune!" His friends exclaimed. Ruby dug her nails on the arm of the chair and Pyrrha held her chest.
His convulsions quickly ended and a single drop of blood dropped from his nose. He opened his eyes to reveal cat-like eyes. His face now pale white and veins could be seen around his face. His hair had turned platinum blonde as well showing a ghastly visage.
With a huff he stood up and gripped his sword firmly.
"What did he do to himself?..." Glynda looked shaken. Just a few seconds ago her student looked like he was in so much pain.
"He temporarily enhanced himself." The woman answered.
"Temporarily Enhanced?" General Ironwood looked at the woman questioningly.
"Witchers, which Jaune is, enhance themselves to match the strength, speed and durability of the monsters that they fight."
"Doesn't Aura provide sufficient enough enhancements?" Oobleck asked.
"Aura does not exist in this world."
Everyone was surprised.
"...they don't have souls?..." Ren looked at the woman with wide eyes.
"They do. They can't just manifest it like you do." The woman assured them.
"Aura does not exist in this world but aura-like abilities can be achieved. Either through magic or mutation."
"Magic? As in actual magic?" Winter looked confused.
"Mutation?" Oobleck looked intrigued
"Yes."
Jaune opened the barn doors. He cautiously entered the barn. His eyes adjusted to the darkness, the potion taking effect, the surroundings brightened.
Mutation…" Oobleck's eyes widened.
"Witcher potions provide enhancements to the body which varies in effects. However all of them are potent poisons to regular humans and humanoid folk. The mutations in their bodies help mitigate these poisons."
"Jaune is a mutant?" Their eyes widened.
"How did he turn into a mutant?" Nora asked concerned for their leader
"Through a horrific process called the trials of the grasses. A fancy name for an initiation that involves ingesting several toxic chemicals hoping the body reacts non-fatally. Most of the initiates die within the first 30 minutes. Most survive with their minds broken, leaving them a mumbling, drooling husk of a person. These witchers... they're still human in mind though. But they're trained to fight monsters so they're trained to be deadly and cold as some monsters are as cold and calculating as humans. You don't know how lucky you all are to have aura to fight monsters. In other universes, they subject themselves to torture to gain strength that you have." The woman had no emotion in her voice when she spoke yet some could feel the empathy from her towards the people of the universes that have normal people fighting against monsters.
The audience were quiet. The woman noticed this.
"I apologize… I let my emotions take hold." The woman bowed.
"It's alright. We understand." Ruby smiled at her. She understood that watching people suffer in these universes must hurt.
The woman looked at Ruby and smiled. "Thank you."
His medallion began to vibrate. His body tensed. His senses flared up. He reached his hand down to his waist pack and pulled out an object shaped like a ball. He then heard a slight shifting of the wooden floor. With a quick swipe. He threw the ball to an unseen figure. The ball exploded scattering dust everywhere.
"Glitter?" Nora asked.
"No. Silver." The woman corrected her.
"Silver dust." Weiss's eyes widened.
"What is it for?" Weiss turned to the woman.
"Monsters in this world have a weakness to silver. It causes a type of violent allergic reaction in them."
Weiss nodded.
The silver dust began to settle on an invisible figure.
With a roar the figure revealed itself. It looked emaciated. It's auburn hair turned into a shaggy mess. The face contorted resembling that of an old woman. It's teeth were like that of a shark.
Port tensed at the scene and closed his eyes. This didn't go unnoticed by Oobleck. Oobleck decided to ask after this screening.
The others visibly shook. It was their first time seeing something monstrous other than grimm.
"What in the brother's name… is THAT?" They all heard a rather accented voice from the back seats.
"Wait. Is that Velvet?" Nora stood up and looked for the owner. She then saw Velvet covering her mouth and going red in embarrassment due to her outburst.
"It is Velvet! Hey Velvet!" Nora waved at her. The others were surprised to see the bunny faunus amongst them. They all greeted her from their seats to which Velvet smiled and waved.
"Wait... Velvet? I thought people who got into contact with Jaune the most could get here." Weiss wondered why the bunny faunus was here furthermore without Coco Adel too.
A holoscreen suddenly popped up in front of them with an envelope flashing along with a cutely drawn 2d version of Velvet's face. Team RWBY and NPR opened it.
"We'll talk later." Was what was written.
"To answer your question . that is a Vampire." The woman answered.
"A vampire? It doesn't look like a vampire." Blake commented.
"Yeah. Don't vampires brood and sparkle? Like those ones in Blake's books!" Nora yelled.
"Nora!" Blake yelled as she turned red.
"Those vampires are a different kind and another iteration. This iteration is more… in-line with old views on vampires."
"A quick note though… in this world there are different species of Vampires. This particular one… is a bruxa."
Jaune slashed with his sword but the vampire dodged. The two began trading blows though it had seemed that the vampire was getting more hits in than him. The vampire got close to his face and jabbed her fingers into his chest but the armor protected him. He used the chance to grab it's arm and slam it to the ground.
"Come on Jaune…" Ruby and a few others hoped.
Slice. Punch. Dodge. The monster was durable and cunning. A testament to it's age. Bruxas were supposed to be lesser vampires... barely able to control their urges and form complex thoughts. This one was an ancient Bruxa. One that had survived through the years earning power and knowledge.
"Like grimm..." Blake whispered under her breath.
"It isn't looking good for Vomit Boy..." Yang commented.
"This has a parallel to our world... What happened in ours?" Glynda was a veteran. She had slew countless Grimm and criminals. But the creature on the screen disturbed her. It was something that was not meant to be... at least in their world. There was a fine line between literal monsters and evil men. This thing was... completely alien to her.
Port stared at the screen and looked down onto his hand. He stared onto his ring finger. A gold ring engraved with a vow...
"Is something wrong?" Bart asked beside him.
"You'll soon see..." Port spoke in a somber tone.
Jaune was pushed back as it kicked him. The Bruxa retreated into the shadows. It was toying with him.
Breathing heavily, He once again looked around sword ready. Then suddenly the monster appeared behind a broken cart. It lifted the cart and threw it at him.
"Look out!" His friends cried.
In a split second he made a gesture with his fingers and from his hands a bubble of yellow energy surrounded him. The oncoming cart hit the bubble and shattered. Splinters flew everywhere. He was staggering due to his wounds not noticing the creature walking behind him. It grabbed his shoulders and bit him in the neck.
"No!" Ruby, Nora and Pyrrha cried. The others gripped their armchairs.
"Oh no..." Glynda gasped.
'Was that?...' Ozpin thought. That gesture he did was somewhat familiar.
The creature let go, face bloody with his blood. It grinned as it watched the Witcher kneel down in pain.
"Is going to turn into one of them?" Ozpin asked. He knew what vampires were due to their worlds' depiction.
"No."
"Doesn't make things better. He's bleeding bad." Qrow commented.
It sauntered towards him... however it stopped. It felt it's limbs go numb. It looked at its own arms and saw black veins spreading. He knew that he wasn't going to beat this ancient bruxa easily... not after hunting a royal wyvern. He was tired when he confronted her. There was only one way to gain the upper hand.
"Wait what?" Nora's eyes widened.
Poison.
He smiled. The bruxa roared in anger but its limbs had already begun to paralyze.
"That potion... that was poison!" Weiss yelled.
"Kick her ass fearless leader!" Nora cheered.
He made another gesture creating a ball of telekenetic energy that shot out of his hand. One of his magical signs. A simple spell that lets the user shoot out a telekenetic force.
"Spell?" Weiss's eyes looked in curiousity.
"Magic!" Sun excitedly yelled.
"Yes... in this world magic exists. Mages and sorcerers exist. Only those gifted with it and adept with understanding it can use it properly. Witchers can use simple and basic spells that range from basic telekenesis to Aura-like shields."
"Amazing... " The teachers except Ozpin awed.
Jaune attacked with more force. The bruxa unable to dodge and protect itself properly. It's arm was cut off and it suffered dozens of lacerations. The vampire crawled on the ground now frantically trying to run away from the witcher.
"How the turn tables..." Neptune Joked.
"Dude..." Sun deadpanned.
It began to crawl quickly to the exit but it was too late... the poison began to worsen in it's body... It's skin began to sizzle and smoke and veins have become more and more black. It crawled forward slowly. A crossbow bolt shot out of the barn and impaled it's back followed by another.
~Birds are silent for the night...~
"This song again... a continuation?" Pyrrha asked.
"This lullaby..." Ruby looked at the monster on the screen.
"Her last thoughts..." The woman said somberly.
~cows turned in as daylight dies...~
Jaune injured and tired walked out of the barn and fell beside the monster.
~But one soul lies anxious wide awake...~
He turned to his side and faced the monster only to see a hamn face with a tear streaming down her face. Finally he lost consciousness...
The screen black out...
~for the witcher brave and bold, paid in coin of gold.~
[ Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt ]
~He'll chop and slice he'll cut and dice~
Jaune woke up. It was already morning. He turned to his side once again to see that the vampire had burnt out in the sun. His wounds have all healed. A sound of a horse was heard behind him. His trusted steed, Roach... He stood up with a groan and grabbed his sword...
~He'll eat you up whole...~
The last scene was him riding to a kingdom with the head of several monsters strapped to the saddle of the horse.
~Eat you whole...~
"It was a trailer." Sun commented.
"We didn't see much though..." Neptune followed.
"Indeed. This universe is large... very large. That was just one small event. A very smalll event." The woman nodded.
"That lullaby was about witchers..." Ruby wondered why the lullaby talk about witchers being these merciless killers.
"Witchers are different from the common folk. They tend to fear what they can't understand or what they deem unnatural. Like how some villages treat huntsmen and faunus."
Blake's ears flattened in sadness.
"But... we protect them." Nora reasoned.
"Yes... but what protects them from you?" The woman looked to Qrow.
"I believe you have encountered these type of people..."
Qrow nodded.
"There are villages in the frontier towns all over the four kingdoms that hate Huntsmen. They see us as monsters. Can't really blame them though. There are a lot of abusive and rogue huntsmen out there. People who like to lord over regular people. The world outside the kingdoms are much harsher and a different place. Law barely exists in some of these towns..."
"People like Cardin..." Velvet spoke.
"Alot of huntsmen see themselves superior to the common folk. Many disregard them all together. Like destroying a nightclub because the owner wouldn't give information regarding what a certain student wanted..." Glynda spoke in a cold tone.
Yang gulped.
"You really need to hold your standards Ozpin. Discipline is how you keep huntsmen from going rogue." Ironwood shook his head and sighed.
"A tighter leash? Pretty sure that'd make things worse." Qrow scoffed.
"But why enroll people like Cardin?" Blake looked to Ozpin.
"There have been many times I've wanted to expel him Ms. Belladonna... many times. It is unfortunate that he is the son of one of Vale's Council members... though due to recent events I don't think that'll matter anymore..." Ozpin answered.
Ruby sighed.
"Look let's just relax and watch what happened in our Universe. It'll give us more insight to events that lead to our situation."
Everyone nodded. Though others were surprised at how mature Ruby was. Was she really 15?
"Shall we begin?" The blindfolded woman asked.
"Yes." Ruby answered.
"Wait." Port from behind stood up.
"I'd like to sit on the front for this." Port asked the woman and she nodded. They had barely noticed him when the screening began. He was so uncharistically quiet.
[Loading Prime Universe...]
[Mission Log initiating...]
[Loading complete.]
[Date March 4, xxxx ]
[ Location: Port town: Saadia, Sanus Continent 12:09 A.M. ]
The bell of the boats rang as the waves softly rocked them. Dozens of boats were tied to posts. The light of several Dust lamps faintly illuminated parts of the docks. It was a calm night.
I stood there sword in hand... A lighthouse was seen on a cliff that overlooked the town. A black figure running towards it could be seen.
After a deep breath I began making my way to the light house. As I walked My mind went to what happened hours prior.
"Is that Jaune narrating?" Ren asked.
"Yes. Prime universe screening will mostly be in first person and in his perspective." The woman answered.
"Port Saadia? isn't that Peter's Hometown?" Ironwood rubbed his chin. He looked at a quiet Port in the front and wondered what happened in that town to make him act like this.
Port town Saadia... a small town just west of Vale. Reports from the headmaster stated that many of the people here have been disappearing. Huntsmen in the area reported no sightings of grimm near the town.
Sheriff reports state that they've been finding melted remains of people all over the place. At first they thought that it was just chum.
[ Screen changes to day time with Jaune with a few sheriff deputys looking at a puddle of blood and meat. He grabbed a stick and poked around until he found something shimmer in the sun. A gold ring. ]
"Good gods..." Bart gasped.
"I think I'm gonna be sick..." Weiss turned green.
"What in the world..." Winter was wide-eyed. She had met Jaune Arc before and most often of time criticized him for his lack of tact. She surmised that he prefered force over grace and tact.
I asked the sheriff if he could recognize the ring. He did. The ring belonged to a recently married girl who's husband had died quite recently... in the same manner too.
When I asked the local towns folk they outright refused to talk to me. They looked scared. It was there that I found out that the one who reported it was the girl after investigting her and her husband's house.
Might be looking at another potential cult here...
"Oh no..." Pyrrha whispered.
Red held Nora's hand.
I took a deep breath as I stared at a large lighthouse over the hill that overlooked the town. The people actively tried to stop me from approaching it. It was hella suspicious.
"Obviously." Neptune rolled his eyes.
I even saw someone clutching a machete as they blocked my path. I gave up trying to get to the light house as I'd rather not fight civilians.
I regrouped with Professor Port at the inn and told him what happened.
"Professor Port?" They all said in unison.
"Yes. I was there... I was there to just supervise him."
The Professor seemed to act strangely the moment we arrived in town. I told him that something really was happening here. Something anomalous.
Something worth noting that the Professor had been acting quite odd since we landed.
But there was work to be done. I'll ask him later.
I kept investigating that afternoon. More and more people became hostile as I pestered them with questions. I need to know. Noone needs to die.
I went to the local hospital to see the medical records of the victims. A temporary huntsman license gave me enough authority to snoop around some documents.
Nothing. Nothing connects them all other than the previous victims were all male in their late 30s... the girl was the only female killed. Though part of me suspects that she died because she reported the deaths of the people here.
The more I investigated the town the more I noticed how the men were somewhat verbally cruel to the women. They would berate them left to right. Looking down at them.
"Disgusting..." Winter glared and Glynda nodded. The women and girls in the audience also glared at the scene.
I tried to ask the women why were they letting it happen to them on for them to immidiately leave in fear. From the corner of my eye, I could spot several men peeking at me.
I sighed.
The sun finally set down. All of this had warning signs of a spreading 'cognito hazard' as Professor Peach calls it...
"Cognito Hazard?" the students looked to the teachers.
"Dangers to the thought. It's the thing that makes people insane when encountering anomalies. Professor Peach coined the term." Glynda answered.
People stared at me as I rested on a bench. The sun had set and the moon hung in the sky. Might've been a great night to spend with Ruby... A nice trip to the arcade..maybe to the comic book shops... I couldn't believe I almost gave it all up...
The audience turned their heads to Ruby who went red.
"Eheheh..." She laughed and cleared her throat. The gazes of subtle jealousy was unnoticed.
I haven't seen the Professor the entire afternoon too. I fear that the cognito hazard might've got to him too...
But that can't be right... the sheriff showed no signs of being affected... No. It actually makes sense. The sheriff is stationed far away from this town to monitor bandit activity so it would make sense. The guards on the other hand...
I looked around briefly. I almost chuckled. They're really making this obvious aren't they?
"They kinda are." Yang nodded.
This is good... that means I'm a target...
"Wait wha?..."
"Damn it. He's doing it again." Ren cursed.
"What are you talking about?" Weiss asked Ren
"He always makes himself bait." Nora looked angry. Weiss stared at the screen wide eyed and worried. Same with Blake. Winter didn't miss her sister's face.
"I thought I told him to stop tha- ohhh... this was before I found out." Ruby remembered the time she found out about his fool proof plan. She didn't think she had the lungs for that kind of scolding.
"Don't worry. I already scolded him for that. He has since never done that ever again." Ruby turned to her friends.
"I made sure of it." Her voice kinda went dark that moment which made her friends flinch
It didn't take long for me to encounter it. I was just walking around the area in an attempt to clear my head when I heard a scream. I quickly ran to it. A few corners here and there and I finally reached where the scream came from.
I saw some thing. A silhouette of a person standing over another person. I quickly ran towards it and it ran away. I gave chase. Into the dark woods with my sword in-hand. It kept making this weird mumbling sound. The back of my spine tingled... this thing was trying to get to my head. Likely how it got the villagers so anxious and hostile. The sensation made me remember Nora. Her crying face etched onto my mind. Fear? anxiety? there was only rage in my mind. The more it made that mumbling sound the more angrier I became.
"Oh Jaune..." Pyrrha began to pray for his safety.
"Jaune..." Nora teared up.
I roared as I caught up to the creature. I slammed into it making it fall to the ground. A swipe with my sword made blood splatter. I could only see a silhouette but I could make out a thin figure. The creature shrieked as I rushed it only for me to suddenly fall down. I heard a sound of gunfire and my shoulder burned with pain.
Port tensed and gripped his armchair. "I'm sorry..."
Everyone looked confused but then something clicked.
"You..." Ruby stared at him with wide eyes.
"DO NOT HURT MY WIFE!" A man screamed in anger.
I looked to the creature to find it gone. I looked to the one who shot me only to see Professor Port with a flashlight and his weapon smoking.
"WHAT?!" Everyone exclaimed.
"Peter what is going on?!" Glynda angrily asked.
"The report stated that it went smoothly. Care to explain Peter?" Ozpin glared at Port.
"Why did he shoot Jaune?!" Blake screamed.
The others were just as surprised.
"What?..." I grunted as I stood up. "Professor what are you talking about?"
"I WILL NOT LET YOU HURT HER!" He aimed his gun at me and I dove to a nearby bush. The shells missing as he pulled the trigger.
I ran away.
His screams were that of a madman. "He must've been affected by the anomaly..."
"Let's hope so." Pyrrha glared at her teacher.
"Stop this! Professor!" I yelled in vain as he kept shooting his weapon.
"I CANNOT LOSE HER AGAIN!"
"NOT AGAIN! NOT AGAIN!"
I cursed. I decided to end this. I stopped and made a quickturn. He stopped and shot his gun to me but I managed to dodge grabbing a fistfull of dirt and threw it in his eyes making him stunned for a bit. I unbuckled my belt and used the opportunity to choke him with it. I used the buckle to fasten the belt onto his neck and pulled. He struggled. Boy he struggled. I kept my hold. Aura is useless against choking. I kept wishing for him to lose consciousness.
"That wasn't much of a fight. He's just running around and cheating" Neptune yelled.
"He's against an insane professional. Would you fight fairly if you were in his position?" Ruby glared at the blue haired boy... not just her but the others too glared and the boy's insensitivity.
"I'm impressed. I always thought he'd use force against force." Winter commented.
"What?" Weiss looked to her sister.
"He always seemed to be a guy who lets his actions do the talking contrary to the letters you've been sending me." Winter looked at her sister.
"He wasn't always like this. He was... a dolt before all this happened..." Weiss looked sad. She missed his carefree attitude despite everything that happened between him.
Finally... he did. I breathed raggedly as the man fell unconscious to the ground. I wiped my sweat off my brow and carried the unconscious man to our inn.
It was here that I made my choice.
As I walked towards the lighthouse a couple of men followed holding various farming tools and knives. I didnt spare them a single look. that thing was in the lighthouse. I need to kill it...
More and more men followed him, makeshift weapons in their hands.
"Stay out of this outsider." One man spoke angrily. Soon they all surrounded me.
"Move out of my way. Or die." I didn't mean it of course... I just needed them to back off. Normally I would've just asked them nicely to let me pass... But the looks they gave me made me reconsider it. They looked downright murderous. I had to remind myself that they were just affected by the cognito hazard. Intimidation was my only choice right now.
Instead they all attacked. I made quick work of them. knocking them out with basic hand to hand. These were farmers and fishermen after all...
I continued to the lighthouse. Just as I was to enter a voice yelled... which made me groan.
"Stop!"
"Oh god damn it!" Yang cursed.
"Why should I Professor? In there is a monster." I turned and glared at my teacher.
"Don't you dare speak to my wife like that!" He shouted.
"I'll show you!" Peter Port shoved me away as he clambered to the door and went inside.
I didn't really know what to expect when I waited outside.
"Why didn't he go inside with him?" Glynda asked.
"It might be a trap." Winter figured.
I waited for a bit before he walked out of the lighthouse. What came out made my eyes widen.
A woman in a white summer dress with auburn hair and green eyes. there was a ring on her finger matching that on the professor's finger. She was beautiful... Very beautiful...
Peter Port in his seat began sobbing. "I'm so sorry..."
The audience were speechless... especially Bart.
"Melissa?..."
"What..." I was speechless at that moment. This was a first one. My spine tingled and my instincts flared up. I had to put an effort not to attack it.
"This is my wife... Melissa Verdante Port!" He introduced the smiling woman. Port was smiling ear to ear. So blissfully happy.
"His wife?... but she's..." Glynda put a hand on her mouth.
Qrow took a long hard swig off the bottle.
"Dear, this is my student, Jaune Arc. Forgive him for his actions earlier. He's quite the hot bloodied young man! He must've mistaken you for a grimm! Ho ho!"
I... I didn't know what to do...
"Let me speak to the young man dear." She smiled and caressed his face.
"Oh gods it even has her voice..." Glynda teared up remembering her 'big sis'. Winter who was beside her rubbed her back as she sobbed.
"This is sick..." Ironwood grit his teeth.
"O-of course dear! But do be careful, he's quite the rascal. Why he reminds me of myself so many years ago. Back when we first met.
"Hmhm~ yes. You were so strapping back then... as you are now. You used to wear this long expensive looking coat carrying that large blunderbuss in your arms. You looked like a hero..." She smiled so lovingly at her husband.
"Now let me speak to the young man okay? I'll be right back. You forget that I was a huntress too." She winked at him playfully. Port nodded.
She walked towards me. As soon as her face was out of her husband's view her face changed to that of sadness...
She stopped in front of me. She was short. Roughly the same height as Ruby. She looked up at me with tearful eyes.
"Don't get tricked Jaune!" His friends cried. But for some reason both Pyrrha and Ruby had second doubts.
"Please... please kill me..."
"What?" a majority of people gasped...
Glynda stared at the screen.
"It can't be..."
"It's no monster... that... was my wife." Port spoke sullenly.
I was still so stunned. I've already encountered a dozen horrific anomalies... yet none like this.
"I-I cannot control it... please you have to end me right now!" She begged.
"Are you really..." Jaune asked.
"Yes... I am. I don't know how this all happened. I'm supposed to be dead. Please forgive my husband... please. He does not know what he is doing. I tried to explain what was happening night after night. He wouldn't listen... like the others he could not listen. It was like he was hearing different things."
"The cognito hazard..." Winter's eyes widened.
"This changes things... this anomaly doesn't even know tht she's affecting the people around her." Ironwood began to look into documented versions of Jaune's reports on his holoscreen.
"The last thing I could remember before waking up was when I died to the plague. Next think I know it's 20 years into the future... oh gods... I was so hungry back then...so hungry..." She began to clutch her arms and started to shiver.
"Are you alright?..." I asked in vain. It was more of a reflex.
"Time's running out... Please you have to kill me! More people will die down there!" She grabbed his arms and pleaded.
"He won't let me. I can't beat him as of now. You overestimate my capabilities."
"I have a plan..." She looked determined. She pulled out what looked like a cassette tape with the words 'To my Beloved Bear...'. She gave it to me. It doesn't take a genius to know what this is.
"Melissa..." Glynda's voice trembled.
I nodded... She went back to her husband. They spoke for a bit. A hug and a kiss...
"I don't deserve you..." Peter sighed as he looked at his wife.
"No. We deserve each other... Stay strong. Stay righteous... Please remain that funny big bear that made people smile and gave them hope..." Her tears came out.
"Melissa what are you-"
"I love you... I will always be watching over you..." Her hand elongated and pricked her lover with a sharpened nail.
Peter Port fell unconscious and was gently laid down to the ground.
The audience began to tear up. Others were horrified of the thought of becoming a monster after their death and still keeping consciousness as they hunted their fellow humans and faunus.
Peter stared at the screen. "So those were her final words... My love..." His tears flowed in tandem with his wife on the screen.
"I will my love... I will..."
The wind blew... a breeze touched her face and her hair flowed beautifully.
"Hmm..Hmmhmhmmm~..." She began to hum as her form began to change.
"Nice tune... my grandmother used to sing that to me..."
The time was now... I could see that she has made her peace. I could only imagine the torture she must've been though as she walked in this earth like that.
A kind woman like her deserves her rest...
"Thank you Jaune. Thank you Jaune my boy!" Peter smiled at Jaune as his tears kept flowing.
The others too smiled. Accepting the reality and the bittersweet ending.
"I thought folk have forgotten it..." She smiled at me.
"Some have. You underestimate the power of classics..." I smiled at her.
...
...
"Thank you..." She knelt down barely controlling her transformation.
"Be at peace..."
I raised my sword as she held her head down. A smile of satisfaction on her face...
[The screen blacks out as a sound of a slash was heard]
...
[Mission log designation: Succubus]
[Mission status: Complete]
[Mission complications...]
[None.]
[Full Written Report Available in Database]
[Bestiary Updated]
"You may of have noticed that the parallel events are not 100% copies of the scene. This is natural as it being a parallel only means that, in a sense, a similar enough event happened in your universe... some may have more than a simple fight or some may have less of it... either way it's not a perfect carbon copy of the other universe's event." The blindfolded woman spoke.
"I hope you all enjoyed this viewing. I will leave you to rest and speak amongst each other freely. I will return in awhile. Hopefully, the next screening will be more lighthearted." The woman walked to the exit leaving a speechless audience.
...
/ To Be Continued /
AN: Okay that took longer than I thought. As you can see the term Parallel event is used loosely here. The events on the AU would either slightly or totally differ in the events that transpire in their universe. It just needs a few key factors to have a parallel event. I did this so it wouldn't just be a rewrite of the screening.
An example would be like if in the AU Jaune and Weiss have a relationship. The parallel would be that there are a few key events in their universe that matches the AU that resembles their universe's event.
Oh yeah I'm borrowing a few terms from SCP... I hope ya'll don't mind.
I'll have to end it here for now. Aftermath and more details will be shown in the next chapter with a new screening.
Thank you for the kind comments! Now to reply to them:
Achen5041: I haven't seen Kara No Kyoukai. Might consider it once I get to watching it, see if it clicks enough. I have time with all the quarantine and whatnot...
Delekmaster: Resident Evil is Definintely at the top of the que. Especially when it perfectly goes with the theme I'm going for here.
rwbyfan0071: I'll consider it. Don't watch much Fate but I'll take it into consideration. See if others would like to see it.
Cultivator: Oh the chimera is deffinitely gonna be a mission log. Definitely. Jaune has to take on the madness after all.
Write n Wrong: Ehh... I'll see what I can do.
Warhammer Guest: I'll have to do more research otherwise I'll just have to stick to the Spacehulk trailers and form a story with those.
X3runner: I'll take those into consideration especially the LoL and Megaman Zero ones. I'm gonna have to read about the Oarall RWBYverse though... still thank you for PMing me!
Zathol: Thank you so much! Don't worry he only starts out to be this overly serious person due to being done with how he ws being treated. You can see in the prologue that he actually progresses and gets out of this phase.. with the help of a certain rose of course. More of his self-healing would be shown in future chapters. To answer about perspectives, yes there will be other perspectives but very minor in the viewings. But I've set a rule that no other perspective is to be shown in [Mission Logs]. Thank you again!
p.s. Pirate Jaune does sound cool.