"You were deafened."

"At last you could hear."

"You were broken."

"You were whole."

"You were blinded."

"And at last, you saw."

-The Jedi Council and Kreia to the Jedi Exile Meetra Surik.

Chapter 16: Destiny

Pyrrha nervously twiddled her thumbs as she rode the elevator up to Professor Ozpin's office. She wasn't sure why, but Pyrrha felt nervous, much like she did before her first ever tournament fight. As the elevator opened up she spotted Professor Ozpin sitting behind his desk. On the right side of the room she saw a man she had never seen before, a disheveled man with spiky black hair and crimson red eyes. On the left was Professor Goodwitch and General Ironwood. Pyrrha caught Glynda's eyes as she entered, and the professor gave her a comforting nod and smile which Pyrrha returned. The office itself was tinted with a dull, orange haze as the many open windows gave a majestic view of the currently occurring sunset.

"Ah Miss Nikos. Please, take a seat." the headmaster greeted with a smile as he gestured to the open chair in front of his desk.

Pyrrha gave another small smile in return and took a seat. She glanced at the stranger standing there, but he made no motion to introduce himself, instead opting to take a drink from his flask. The action somewhat disconcerted Pyrrha, but Ozpin didn't seem to mind his presence so she decided to ignore him. Meanwhile Professor Goodwitch and the General were content to let Ozpin do the talking.

"I'm sorry to have called you up so suddenly, Miss Nikos." Ozpin began. "I hear your match in the semi-finals went well. I assume your team is sending you to the finals?"

Pyrrha gave an awkward chuckle, "Well we still need to talk about that. We weren't sure who to send, myself or Jaune."

"Sure, sending an attack dog to the finals is a real good look." Qrow snarked.

Turning at the interruption and rude insult at her teammate and leader, Pyrrha stood and glared at the stranger, an action that was mirrored by Glynda. "I'm sorry, who are you?" she asked, voice devoid of its usually politeness.

"The name's Qrow." he growled back.

"Qrow is a trusted colleague of mine." Ozpin intervened before any incident could occur between the two of them.

Pyrrha maintained her glare on Qrow for a beat longer, before returning to the headmaster. "Professor, why did you call me here?"

Still smiling, Ozpin said. "Please take a seat." And when Pyrrha did so, he continued. "Tell me, what is your favorite fairy tale?"

Pyrrha stood nervously in the elevator as she rode it down surrounded by Ozpin, Qrow, Glynda, and Ironwood.

"Where are we going?" Pyrrha apprehensively asked.

"The vault, under the school." Ozpin responded calmly.

The elevator dinged open, revealing a massive, underground tunnel lined with dim, green lights.

"So these Maidens…" Pyrrha began as she exited the elevator with the professors, taking in all of the sights around her. "You say I can be next in line to take their powers, but how does the power choose?"

"Through a series of bullshit rules." Qrow drawled out.

"Qrow." Glynda snapped, before turning to Pyrrha. "As we understand it, when a Maiden dies, whoever is in her final thoughts is the first candidate to inherit her power."

"Unless it's a dude or an old hag. Then it goes to someone random." Qrow chimed in once more. "Then our job gets a whole lot harder." As Qrow finished speaking, he turned back ahead as they had arrived at their destination.

And that's when Pyrrha saw her. The Fall Maiden, her beautiful dark skin burned and scarred, currently held in some sort of stasis pod connected to a large machine, with a second pod on the opposite side.

"Is that…" Pyrrha whispered out as she hesitantly stepped forward.

"The current Fall Maiden. Amber." Ozpin sighed and let his head hang at his failure to protect her.

Pyrrha watched in abject horror as Amber's chest slowly rose up and down. "And she's still alive?"

"For now." Ironwood answered. "We're using Atlas technology to keep her stable, but there's a lot about this situation that's unprecedented. Normally when she passes, the power would transfer over to the next host. But it's not uncommon for the last thoughts of the slain to be of their attacker. And to make matters worse, her power has been split, it's more than possible it will seek out her other half."

"Which her assailant has." Pyrrha connected the dots.

"And none of us want that." Ozpin added on. "The worst case scenario is someone who would abuse this power becoming or controlling a Maiden. It's why our organization hid the Maidens away, letting them fade into legend hundreds of years ago. In doing so we prevent war and panic the mere existence of the Maidens would cause."

"And you want me to inherit this power." Pyrrha murmured to herself more than anything.

Such a power offered was terrifying, as was the responsibility that came with it. But regardless of how they tried to hide it, Pyrrha could tell that Ozpin and the others were desperate for her aid, her abilities. If she had the capability to do good, was it not her duty to do so? But such power, what would it do to her?

Seeing her internally struggle, Ozpin felt compelled to tell her one more piece of information. "Yes, but that is not all. Given Amber's condition, you cannot inherit her powers naturally. But General Ironwood believes he has a solution."

"We in Atlas have been studying Aura from a more scientific standpoint; how it works, what it's made of, how it can be used. We've made significant strides, and we believe we've found a way to capture it." The general answered. "Capture it and transfer it into something, or someone else."

Pyrrha's face fell at that revelation. "That's... wrong!" she cried out.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures." James countered. "But there is a catch. We can't transfer Amber's power to you, but we can give you what those powers are bound to."

Pyrrha's sense of dread deepened. "... Her Aura."

"Her life…" Ozpin added on. "Would become intertwined with yours. Fusing your soul with hers. The question is..."

"What's that going to do to you?" Qrow finished.

As the gravity of the choice weighed upon her, Ozpin nodded and said. "And even then, there is no guarantee the transfer will work. And if it does, there's no telling if you will be the same person after."

That's when the parallels of this situation clicked in Pyrrha's head. Everything they talked about sounded similar to what was happening with Jaune. His constantly growing abilities, his drastic change in personality. Jaune's power made him far stronger than anyone else, but it changed him for the worse.

"That…" Pyrrha held her tongue for a brief second, wondering if it was her place to tell them about Jaune.

She looked the faculty over, and while she did not know either Qrow or the General enough to properly read them, she could tell at least professor Goodwitch and Ozpin were sympathetic to her plight. She also knew that Jaune was closer to professor Goodwitch more than any of the other faculty member. And despite all of her words, Pyrrha didn't really know how to help Jaune other than being there for him.

Resolving herself, Pyrrha spoke. "That sounds ominously familiar." The teachers had a small look of surprise, but didn't interrupt as she kept speaking. "Jaune… he's been having… dreams. Memories even, of another man he's never seen before. A warrior that Jaune believes gave him his powers. And not just his power… Jaune, he thinks the man's memories or personality may be overriding or merging with his own. Anyone could tell that Jaune is different now. He's..." Pyrrha's mouth dried as she said the next words. "He's becoming dangerous, both to himself and to others.

It hurt Pyrrha's heart to speak of this, to reveal the secrets of someone so close to her without their permission. But Pyrrha said she would do what she had to to make sure Jaune got help. The teachers all glanced at each other, their faces a mixture of concern and alarm, however muted.

Glynda stepped forward towards Pyrrha and said in a hushed tone, "I noticed something similar, Pyrrha. While I was not aware of the dreams, Jaune did imply something about this happening to me. That combined with his newfound abilities…"

"Yeah the power to shoot lightning from his fingertips and drain the life force out of Grimm ain't exactly natural." Qrow grumbled out, earning another glare from Glynda.

"Drain Grimm of their life force?" Pyrrha parotted, confused.

Glynda cast her a sympathetic look. "He didn't tell you." she whispered more to confirm it to herself than to inform the redhead. "During the Breach, Jaune displayed the ability to, as Qrow put it, drain the life from the Grimm, leaving them withered husks. Ever since then we have become aware of Jaune's changes. We believe that Jaune may have undergone a similar process such as this, most likely between the time he left home and when he arrived at Beacon."

"Do you know what will happen to him?" Pyrrha pleaded with the teachers.

Glynda bit her lip, unsure of what to say, causing Ozpin to step forward, "That we are not entirely sure about. We are dealing with powerful, ancient magics that go beyond our current scientific understanding. What is currently happening to Jaune may be more of a contest of his individual will than anything else. He may be able to wrest control from this spirit, or he may be absorbed by the spirit, disappearing into its subconscious." A fate that befell many of Ozma's hosts. "And should he fail to contain this other soul he is fighting, then a being of similar power may be the only thing capable of stopping him."

Pyrrha opened her mouth to protest, saying that Jaune wouldn't lose, but she knew that would've been a lie. She had literally just said Jaune was becoming more and more dangerous. But even so, in her heart she believed that Jaune was still a good person. That he could take control of his powers and the changes happening to him. It was a desperate hope, fleeting and fading with every moment, but still clinging to life nonetheless.

Looking back at Amber's unconscious body, a thought came to her. "Wait, if this machine is able to transfer Amber's powers to me, can't we use it to transfer whatever spirit is in Jaune out of him?"

The professors were surprised by Pyrrha's idea, and Ironwood brought his hand to his chin, thinking about this. "It's… possible. But remember this machine does not transfer powers, but aura. It would literally rip Jaune's soul out, most likely killing him."

"Then what about the person who tried to steal the Maiden's power in the first place?" Pyrrha frantically asked. "They obviously have some way of stealing magic."

"No!" Ozpin snapped at her, slamming his cane onto the ground, shocking everyone present. "I'm sorry, but it is imperative that those we fight never get their hands on a power such as Jaune's. They only seek war and destruction, and they would rather let the spirit take Jaune over completely than try and save him.

"Miss Nikos, I understand what you are going through, believe me. Sometimes… there are those we cannot save, no matter how much we want to." Pyrrha looked absolutely shattered at Ozpin's refusal, causing him to sigh.

"But…" Ironwood interrupted, drawing all eyes to him. "Were we to have enough time to study Jaune and his powers, perhaps we could gain a better understanding of what is happening to him, and how to save him."

Pyrrha lit up at this, while Ozpin glared disapprovingly at general. "Really?" Pyrrha excitedly asked.

Ironwood put up a hand, causing her to pause. "I can offer no guarantees. Only that Atlas has made many strides in the study of not only aura, but of the Maidens as well. If there is someone who can figure out what is going on, it is my science team." Ironwood then scowled at Pyrrha. "But even then, would your team leader want to give up his abilities? Power is corrupting, and as Ozpin said, only a being of similar capabilities would be able to stop him. Would you be able to fight him even if it was to save him?"

"I'll… need to think about this." Pyrrha said, deflating a bit. She needed to truly see how far Jaune has fallen. But if Jaune were to lose control, could she fight him? Was she strong enough to do that?

"You have an important decision before you." Ozpin nodded. "Both for yourself and for the fate of your leader. I advise that you take time to think on this matter. But understand that before the Vytal Festival is over, we will need your answer."

Pyrrha didn't respond. Instead, she placed a hand on the pod containing Amber, and stared deeply at the sleeping maiden. She didn't know what the best choice was, or if there even was an option, to save Jaune.

It was the following day and the crowds of Amity Arena were roaring as the singles matches began. Eight fighters stood side by side along the colosseum floor, the most important being Penny, Sun, Mercury, Yang, and Jaune. It was a shock to many, including Jaune himself, for him to be picked for the singles matches, but Pyrrha had said she was not feeling 100% and that Jaune would stand a better chance than she would.

Jaune knew that was a lie, but didn't call her out on it. Jaune could sense something was wrong with Pyrrha; indecision, fear, and anxiety bled off her. With his empathetic senses it was impossible for him not to notice. Especially because all of these emotions were specifically directed towards him. Jaune didn't know what occurred yesterday, but something happened during her talk with the headmaster to affect her this badly.

Scowling, Jaune wondered what the headmaster said to her, if he hurt her at all. That sent another spike of anger through him. If the headmaster thinks he can play games with Pyrrha he was mistaken. Pyrrha was his, and he would destroy anything that would take her from him.

Before Jaune could continue on this train of thought, the holographic screens of the area selected the next match up.

"Mercury Black and Yang Xiao Long!" Professor Port boomed over the speakers.

With that Jaune began to make his way off the stage, until he sensed something strange once more. Glancing at Mercury, he felt the same smug, deceptive aura that he radiated during their fight in combat class. The boy was planning something. Jaune considered going to Yang to warn her, but ultimately decided not to.

Yang always had a terrible habit of running head first into an issue and paying for it later. Mt. Glenn, the Breach, there were multiple examples of her nearly getting taken out because she couldn't control her anger. Passion gave strength, yes, but only if one can control their passion, not the other way around. Either Yang would overcome this challenge, and grow from it. Or she would fail, and due to the decidedly non lethal measures of the school, learn from the failure.

And so, Jaune swiftly made his way to his team, all sitting in their own front row seats. He could still sense the apprehension from Pyrrha as he sat down with his team, but he didn't say anything. He sighed, and hoped the fight would be a good diversion.

"Yang Xiao Long, stand down!" The Atlesian soldiers ordered, rifles trained on the huntress.

"What!? Why!?" Yang called out as Mercury began screaming, his leg bent the wrong way from Yang's Ember Cecilia.

Everyone around Jaune sported looks of surprise, horror, and even hatred towards Yang for crippling the silver-haired boy. Even the rest of team JNPR were horrified by their friend's action.

Jaune's reaction was far less animated than everyone else.

"Pathetic." Jaune mumbled out, quiet enough that only Pyrrha beside him heard.

His partner turned to him, her mouth agape in horror at what Jaune just said. "What?" she was barely able to whisper out.

Jaune's gaze quickly flickered to his partner, before turning back to the scene in front of them. "Yang had already proven herself the victor. I had hoped she would have better mastery of her passion than this. Such feelings would be better served elsewhere." An image of the old woman Traya from his dream appeared in his mind as he recited the philosophy. "Psychotic urges like this have no purpose. Cruelty begets cruelty, actions like this will reverberate and have more far reaching repercussions than we know."

Briefly, Jaune wondered if this still would've occurred if he decided to warn Yang that Mercury was planning something, but he shunted those thoughts from his mind. Aside from the pointlessness of pondering "what if's," whatever machinations Black was planning most likely ended when Yang maimed him.

Ultimately feeling curious, Jaune extended his senses out to the fighters to gauge Yang's thoughts. Strangely enough, Yang was not expressing the overt passion and rage he was expecting, but instead bled fear and confusion. Meanwhile Mercury continued to emanate his smug, confident aura.

That was curious. Was this part of Mercury's plan? If so, why would he want to cripple himself? What purpose would that serve? Before Jaune could dive any deeper, he felt pain once more. The echoes of anger, fear, and condemnation from the audience began to overwhelm his empathetic senses. All of this negative emotion was making him hungry. Growling, Jaune stood and began to make his way out of the arena.

"Jaune!" He heard Pyrrha call out behind him, but Jaune didn't stop.

Conflicted, Pyrrha turned to see the Atlas soldiers leading Yang off the stage while a pair of medics moved Mercury onto a stretcher. Seeing nothing she could really do here, she stood and made for her partner, the rest of her team following as well.

As Pyrrha followed Jaune out of the arena, her mind was racing with a thousand thoughts a minute, replaying the scene that just happened, and Jaune's response to it. Yang was impulsive and violent, but she'd never been so... needlessly cruel before. And Jaune, Jaune had no empathy for either Yang or Mercury. No care for the fact that their friend may have just committed a crime or that a fellow student was crippled.

He didn't even seem to regret his words, like when he allows his emotions get the better of him while talking to his team. Pyrrha sighed. Was Jaune really so far fallen? Was he really losing the battle against Nihilus so badly? While Pyrrha was lost in her thoughts, team JNPR eventually made their way off of the arena, and to Beacon's fairgrounds.

Jaune, now sufficiently away from the crowd, was able to regain control of his inner emotions and hunger. Reaching a rather isolated spot by the cafeteria exterior, Jaune allowed himself to stop moving as his team finally caught up with him.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha called out. "What happened, why did you leave so suddenly?"

Turning to his team, Jaune crossed his arms and said, "There was nothing we could've done there. My match isn't until later tonight, and Atlas is going to be watching Yang like a hawk."

"One has to wonder what they plan to do with her." Ren commented. "That was a very public display. One that could even get the entire tournament cancelled."

"I doubt it." Nora shrugged. "I mean, accidents happen all the time right? And we all know what we're getting into every time we get into a fight. Besides the festival is too big for it to be cancelled after one incident." she then turned to face her leader, "And that's why Jaune, you gotta be in tip top shape for tonight's match!"

"What happened with Yang is a shame, but do not let your concern for her hold you back. You're now fighting for Beacon's honor." Ren nodded in agreement, misconstruing Jaune's actions for one of concern for their friend.

"Ren, Nora." Pyrrha interrupted. "I'm sorry but, could I speak with Jaune for a moment. Alone." she emphasized.

Ren raised a confused eyebrow, while Nora excitedly gasped. She grabbed Ren by the arm and started dragging him away. "Sure thing! Come on, Ren, let's go back to the fairgrounds. I'll win you another stuffed animal."

Before the Mistralian boy could protest, Nora dragged him away, leaving Jaune and Pyrrha together alone. The two stared at one another, not saying anything as an uncomfortable silence fell down around them.

After several seconds of waiting for Pyrrha to work up the nerve to say something, Jaune lost his patience and spoke first. "Something's bothering you." He stated, not asked.

Pyrrha sighed, unsurprised that Jaune knew something was wrong. "Yes." she responded sadly.

It was Jaune's turn to sigh, running his hand through his unkempt hair. "Look Pyr, I know that I've been… difficult lately. But despite everything, you've still been there for me. And it's only fair that I be there for you. So, tell me what's wrong."

Pyrrha stepped to the side, breaking eye contact with Jaune and instead looked to a tree full of orange leaves, currently succumbing to Fall.

"Jaune… do you believe in destiny?" she asked.

Jaune stepped beside her and glanced at the tree as well as he considered his answer. But Jaune felt his stomach start to drop. He had a bad feeling about this conversation. "I would like to think that as individuals, we have a choice, that we have free will. But now? With everything that's happened, I can't help but think that there's something more. Something pulling the strings, and we are all beholden to its will."

Pyrrha nodded in agreement. "I used to think that destiny wasn't a kind of inescapable fate, but rather a final goal that one worked to their whole life. But recently, I've started to see destiny in a way similar to you. So many things have been happening, falling into place in such a way that there's no way it can be just luck or coincidence."

The sinking feeling in Jaune's stomach worsened as Pyrrha continued on.

"I used to think it was my destiny to become a huntress. To protect the world. But for a little while now, I haven't cared about that goal." she then turned to face her leader once more, eyes conflicted. "I have a new goal. To save you.." She said she would do anything to save Jaune, even if that meant stopping him by force.

Jaune's senses went into overdrive as he put together what was happening. Pyrrha was now standing against him. "What did Ozpin say to you?" he growled out. He was going to tear Ozpin apart for this.

Pyrrha shook her head. "It's not about what Ozpin said, Jaune. It's about what you've said. What you've done! Jaune, do you not even realize that you never stopped to ask yourself if Yang was ok? She's our friend Jaune and you don't even care!"

Why should he care, was all Jaune thought in response. Yang was a fool who refused to learn.

Jaune's thoughts were cut off as Pyrrha cried out once more. "And it's not just that. Jaune… were you ever actually planning on telling me that your powers could drain Grimm?"

Jaune opened his mouth to protest, but no words came out. He hadn't planned on telling Pyrrha about it. His mouth shut closed, and he broke eye contact with her. That was enough of an answer for Pyrrha.

"Tell me Jaune, how much haven't you told me? How much of what you told me was a lie?" Pyrrha pleaded, but Jaune still had no answer. "Jaune don't you see what your power has done to you? Don't you remember what happened to Nihilus in your dreams?! The same exact thing is happening to you now! You need help Jaune, and I don't know if I alone can help you. If you really, truly, want to stop Nihilus, then you should come with me to speak with General Ironwood! The General thinks he may be able to help you, Jaune!"

For the briefest of moments, Jaune's surprise took over all other emotions. Would… would the General actually be able to help him? To get this hunger under control?

She lies…

The voice of Nihilus spoke within Jaune's mind.

What? Jaune thought back. No, she wouldn't. Pyrrha said she would help me.

She has betrayed you. The voice pushed. They do not want to help you. They want to use you. Make you into their slave.

Visions flashed within Jaune's mind. Images of what is, what was, and what has yet come to pass. He saw images of Ozpin, Ironwood, Glynda, and an unknown man with spiky black hair and red eyes speaking in Ozpin's office. They spoke of Jaune, and how they could use him. How they could manipulate him into fighting a grand war against a timeless enemy.

Jaune saw flashes of a possible future, fighting against hordes of Grimm alongside Pyrrha and the others, hacking their way into the deepest parts of Grimm controlled territory, to fight a being as suffused in the Dark Side as he was.

Then flashed another possibility. One where Jaune was in a cell in Atlas, placed in some kind of coma while scientists examined him. They poked and prodded him, tearing apart his insides for insight into his power. All the while, the mask of Darth Nihilus was held in the hands of General Ironwood and Professor Ozpin, who contemplated what to do with such a terrible thing.

This only made him rage. Who were Ozpin and his cohorts to try and put him in bondage? To use and manipulate him. To wrap him in chains. That was unforgivable. This power was his, and his alone. He would not give it up to someone who was more machine than man.

"NO!" Jaune viciously snapped at his partner, causing her to recoil. "You just want to sell me out to Ozpin! To Ironwood!"

"No Jaune, please! This is only to help you!" Pyrrha cried out. How could he not see this? It's like she didn't even know who he was anymore.

"Liar!" He roared out, reaching out with the Force at the same time.

Pyrrha yelped as Jaune yanked her forward, right into his grasp. Jaune's hands gripped onto Pyrrha's upper arms like a vice, sending waves of pain even through her aura.

"You won't turn against me!" Jaune snarled as Pyrrha watched his eyes shift yellow. "I won't let them take you away from me! You are mine!"

Pyrrha's shock at what was happening was quickly replaced by fear and pain as Jaune's grip tightened even more on her. "Jaune, stop! Let go, you're hurting me!" she begged as tears formed at the corners of her eyes.

It was at that moment, staring into Jaune's face of pure hatred and anger, that Pyrrha started to feel her aura drain as black and red lightning started to crackle where Jaune held her. Sheer terror flooded Pyrrha's system as her survival and combat instinct kicked in.

"LET GO!" Pyrrha screamed back as her semblance grabbed onto what metal she could find, primarily the belts of his black assassin outfit.

It wasn't much, but it was enough metal to allow Pyrrha to fling Jaune backwards. Not expecting the attack, Jaune's hands slipped off of Pyrrha as he went flying, right into a stone pillar. Pyrrha threw him back hard enough that the column cracked as Jaune flopped to the ground, barely moving.

There was a brief moment of shocked silence as Pyrrha tried to comprehend what just happened. As she did, Jaune unsteadily pushed himself to his knees, barely able to support himself. Pyrrha saw that he was shaking.

"Ja-Jaune?" the redhead meekly called out. While she didn't want to admit it, Pyrrha wanted to just leave him right then and there. He attacked her... and she was scared of him.

Jaune's head slowly rose, and she saw that tears were now pouring down his face. Jaune's eyes were unfocused, but saw both of the dark, purple bruises Pyrrha sported on her arms where he grabbed her..

You hurt her. The voice inside his head spoke once more. She was going to leave you, so you hurt her.

"I… I didn't mean to." Jaune sputtered out, horrified by what he had done. As he pushed himself up, he took one step towards Pyrrha with his hand extended, causing her to flinch and take a step back. He then saw the look of pure terror she had when she looked at him, and it broke his heart. "I'm… I'm sorry. Oh dust I'm sorry."

Jaune turned and immediately began sprinting away. He didn't know where he was running, and he didn't care who saw him. He just needed to get away.

Jaune didn't care about the random Haven student he knocked to ground as he continued to sprint through the fairgrounds. He ignored their startled cries, as well as the calls of condemnation and confusion from other bystanders. He didn't even care as he plowed through an unfortunate student who was acting as a waiter for one of the food stalls, sending plates of food crashing to the ground.

Meanwhile Pyrrha sprinted after Jaune, trying to chase her partner down, deftly dancing around the trail of destruction that Jaune left behind. She may have been scared, but stopping a rampaging Jaune was more important. As she ran after him, Ren and Nora, who were in the middle of walking around the fair, saw the commotion surrounding their teammates and immediately burst into action as well.

It didn't take long for them to catch up to Pyrrha as she continued to run after their leader. They didn't even have time to ask what was going on when Jaune bowled into a familiar black and white themed faunus. RWB of team RWBY along with Ruby's uncle Qrow were currently walking through the fairgrounds as well as they decided to give Yang space following her match.

Blake didn't even have time to react as Jaune slammed full force into her, taking her straight to the ground. The Whiterose duo jumped back in surprise as Jaune and Blake hit the floor, their aura absorbing any actual damage.

"Argh! Jaune what the Hell!?" Blake snapped as she regained her bearings, looking up at Jaune who was currently on top of her. Her anger quickly gave way to confusion as she saw Jaune's face, one of fear and stained with tears. "Jaune? Are you o-"

Jaune didn't let the faunus finish as he stood up once more and started running again.

"Jaune stop!" Pyrrha called out as she and the rest of team JNPR ran after him, causing the RWB trio to join in as well.

Unknown to them however, the scene also attracted the attention of two specific students. A pair of bright amber eyes and a pair of heterochromatic pink and brown eyes watched with interest as Cinder and Neo, both currently hidden thanks to Neo's semblance, as they waited until they could push to the next phase of their plan.

Soon enough Jaune's flight reached its end as he ended up at Beacon's airdock, with nowhere to go except for a long dive down to the river below. All nearby students were giving the blonde a wide berth, with Atlas soldiers and droids moved to form a perimeter around him to keep him from making any more of a disturbance.

"Jaune what's going on!?" Ruby huffed as they were finally able to stop their sprint, teams RWB, NPR, and Qrow joining the Atlas soldiers in a circle around Jaune.

But Jaune was incoherent, clutching his head as between his wails he was barely able to cry out. "I didn't! I didn't mean to!" eliciting only looks of confusion from everyone.

"Jaune lost control and attacked me." Pyrrha supplied, causing those nearby to look and see the deep bruises on her arms. Ruby, Nora, and Ren gasped in horror, while Weiss and Blake turned their spiteful gazes back to Jaune. Ignoring their looks, Pyrha yelled out to her leader once more, "Jaune please, calm down and we can talk about this!"

But Jaune didn't hear her as he continued to break down. All Jaune could focus on was the one phrase repeating in his head. He didn't mean to. He didn't mean to. He would never hurt Pyrrha. Never her.

But you did hurt her. The voice inside his head hissed out once more. You were to protect her, but instead you hurt her. All because you were too weak.

"Shut up!" Jaune roared as the voice spoke, causing him to stumble closer to the edge of the airdock. Everyone gasped as he Jaune almost slipped off the cliff.

"Jaune!" this time it was Ruby who called out. "Get away from the edge! Please just listen to us!"

But this only had the opposite effect as Jaune inched even closer to the precipice. "I just…" Jaune blubbered out. "I just want the voice to stop."

Everyone except for Pyrrha and Qrow only looked at him with further confused looks as he spoke.

"Voice? What voice?" Weiss was the one to ask.

Pyrrha however ignored the question as she spoke once more. "Do you hear him now Jaune?"

This caused Jaune to look at his friends for the first time since this episode started, his eyes yellow and stained with tears. Jaune didn't answer Pyrrha's question as he looked over his friends, his vision eventually fixing itself on Qrow, the scruffy old man with spiky black hair and red eyes from his vision, who was currently standing beside Pyrrha.

"You!" Jaune howled at him, causing Qrow to fall into a defensive stance. "You turned her against me!"

Qrow's vision quickly flickered to Pyrrha before returning to Jaune. "Kid…" he began as his hand reached for Harbinger on his back. "Believe me when I say, you have done that yourself."

Jaune's hand returned to his head once more as he screamed. Once that bout had passed, Jaune's eyes shot back up at everyone around him, wildly darting around. "You all just want it! You're all here to take it, but this power is mine!"

"Jaune what in the name of the Brothers are you talking about!?" Ruby yelled back.

It was at that moment that Jaune's hand reached into his jacket. With a weak, fumbling grip, Jaune pulled out the Mask of Darth Nihilus.

No one said anything as the mask appeared before them. Even just looking at the bone mask, they could feel it was… wrong. The mask was terrifying. Unnatural.

"Jaune… what is that?" Pyrrha barely whispered, her eyes never leaving the mask.

But Jaune ignored her. He just stared deep into the eyes of the Mask, much like he did when he first discovered it. All other noise around him had vanished as he looked. He could only hear the voice of Darth Nihilus as it said, You know what you must do to no longer be weak.

Knowing what he had to do, Jaune looked up at his friends, the family he made at Beacon. His eyes locked on Pyrrha, and could only smile sadly at her while tears continued to pour as he said, "I just… I just wanted to be a hero."

And then Jaune Arc put on the mask.

...

"RAAAAAHH!" Jaune's shrill scream rang out over the campus, overtaking all other sounds.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha screamed as she ran forward to stop him.

But before she could make any meaningful distance, she was blasted backwards by a wave of invisible force. The wave then hit everyone else, knocking them off of their feet and onto the ground. Staggered, the students began to slowly pick themselves up, when a black miasma enveloped the area. RWB and NPR looked around in confusion at the smoke's sudden appearance. Just as sudden as it appeared, the miasma shifted, flying all in a single direction. Following its movement, they saw with wide eyed horror as the smoke coalesced around Jaune, coating him in a pitch black tar.

The shadows spread all over Jaune, completely covering his clothing and his face, only leaving a vaguely human shaped mass of darkness before them. The darkness soon began to refine, shifting and twisting as the details filled in. From Jaune's body came long, flowing black robes, his limbs wrapped similarly in all black. A matching hood covered Jaune's head, in fact the only part of Jaune that wasn't jet black was the white and red mask on his face. Jaune's new form fell to one knee, as if he wasn't used to standing.

Everyone around Jaune felt a chill go up their spines as they stared at Jaune. The sheer amount of negative energy flowing off of him caused anyone who wasn't a trained huntsman or soldier to immediately turn and flee the scene. Malice, terror, and hunger radiated off of Jaune.

"J-Jaune!" Ruby yelled out, shoving down her fear as she took a step towards her friend.

But before she could go any further, a hand on her shoulder stopped. She turned and saw her Uncle Qrow, his focused gaze not leaving Jaune, keeping her from advancing. Qrow shook his head slightly as he drew Harbinger.

It was then that Jaune began to rise. He stood slowly, still unsteady as if he were learning how to move once more. Once he finished standing, Jaune moved his hand in front of his face, examining his fingers and the back of his hand as he made a few experimental fists. Seemingly satisfied, Jaune then looked up at his friends, nearly causing them to jump back in terror. Pyrrha stared into the pitch black void of Jaune's eyes, and she understood. This wasn't Jaune in front of her. This was Nihilus.

Nihilus took in the scene around him with a grim satisfaction. The Lord of Hunger did not know how many years he spent in that infernal prison, waiting until the Force would drive a potential host to him. And even after he found one, it had taken months more for Nihilus to turn Jaune into a suitable host. Months of subtle manipulation, corruption, all to strengthen the boy and increase his connection to the Dark Side of the Force so he could become a vessel strong enough to hold Nihilus's soul.

But now, the process was complete. The weak boy known as Jaune Arc was gone, and only Darth Nihilus remained.

A/N 11/28/20: Boy oh boy, Jaune Arc putting on the mask was the first scene I thought up of when I first came up with this fic a little more than a year ago. Glad to have finally reached it. Now we'll get to see what happens now that the Lord of Hunger is free on Remnant.

Review Responses:

Reven228: Glad you enjoy the story. And another antithesis is a good idea.

MeteorElDrago: Funnily enough Pyrrha was the first one he actually attacked with his powers.

Shadowwolf of Phantasms: Yeah for this story, I didn't just want to keep things canon compliant if it didn't make sense logically, and I knew that the existence of Jaune would've affected Ozpin and his group's choice of Maiden. But I also still wanted Pyrrha to get the Maiden offer, so I'm glad Ozpin's reasoning landed.

Cyricist001: Thanks! And it's too bad that Jaune didn't think to go looking for possibly caged grimm.

UnlawfulGentleman: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you think so highly of the dark side corruption I've written. I've always felt that lots of Star Wars media doesn't go into how utterly terrifying the Dark Side corruption is, especially when one is completely ignorant of the Force. And I tried to make Ozpin's decisions as logical as it could be with the data they had, but unfortunately their sheer ignorance of what Jaune is came around to bite them.

Colossus Bridger: Thanks! And I guess this chapter answered your questions.

Nexus4123: Glad you enjoyed it. And I was actually not aware that "Grimm" was a proper noun. Thanks!

Falskor: I'm glad you enjoy it. And yeah the issue with a lot of "dark" fics is that they tend to focus on being power trip rather than trying to tell a story. That being said, people can read/write whatever they want, but it can be pretty obvious when the author just wants to make a power fantasy, which can get tedious to read.

TalonIbnlaAhad: Thanks for enjoying it! And don't worry, I try not to abandon any fics I write, at most just hiatus for a bit. And for your predictions… uh no comment.

BrutusPrimus: Thanks!

MM Browsing: Glad you're enjoying it. Yeah, the mask actually unlocked Jaune's aura when he picked it up for the first time.

Greer123: Glad you liked the chapter! Thanks!

General Mcuyver: Thanks!

X3runner: Pretty dead on on your prediction that Ozpin trying to force the situation for his favor was the trigger for everything.

Cyricist001: Man you were pretty spot on on some of your analysis.

8-bit pirate: Sorry the story didn't go that way but I hope you still enjoy it!

Limited Imagination: Thanks!

Mr ChubbySnorlax619: Hubris in thinking that they can control the Dark Side was the first step for the temptation of many Jedi, but too many underestimate its addictive and insidious nature. Jaune doesn't have any of the training to resist it, so it's doubly worse for him. Glad you like the story.

Edward M. Keller: I'm glad you liked the story! And yeah lots of people like an anti-hero that can control evil powers for good, but the Dark Side isn't like that. It's addictive and corrupting, and twists a person's perceptions. LIke you said, lots of power fantasies turned up to 11. Thanks!

And with that, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Stay safe out there, and a little teaser, the next chapter is titled: Legends.