Hey guys, first fic' I created. Did a lot of thinking before posting it but since i'm inexperienced I'll gladly take advice from anyone. Reviews will help so don't hesitate.
Excuse me for the grammar, kinda hard since I'm French. I'll stop bothering you now!
Jaune Arc wasn't a guy for books.
Books were usually for quiet people or secretly big nerds. Jaune was more of a console type or outgoing one in his honest opinion, even if by being 'outgoing' he had hard times with others often leading to awkward moments.
Anyways, the point is, comics are better.
That's why Jaune never visited the glorious or dusty Arc library. It was one of the hidden rooms in the basement, full of spiders and cobwebs in every corner - with books written during multiple Arc generations explaining swordsmanship and tomes witnessing the ascension of Heroes.
The third most important rooms in the Arc household, just behind the kitchen and the armory where old Arc relics were kept inside.
Seemed pretty epic and all…
Well, that's a LIE. Jaune hated this room. He never despised anything as much as that room before! Every step taken inside was answered with a creaking floor, just waiting for it to open in two to swallow someone entirely like a horror movie. Breathing in the library was… ugh, oh and the cobwebs, did we mentioned about the cobwebs!?
Jaune hated this place, but couldn't deny the fact that it was the perfect room to hide someone's inside. Hiding as in, hiding from your parents because you forgot to do things…
"This sucks." Jaune whispered to himself, grumbling from his hiding places - lying underneath a desk covered in old non-interesting dusts.
How long was he hiding there? Surely long enough. With one last sigh, begrudgingly stretching his legs for making his blood flow he stood up-
THUMP
"Ow, my head" He rubbed the top of his hair, eyes closed instinctively. "Heck…" Jaune mumbled, he opened his eyes to see a book that had fallen on his stretched legs, sliding under the desk to stand up next, he grabbed the book to examine it's cover.
It was a plain looking book with a brown cover, on it was written in black `Sulyvahn's Notebook'.
He turned the book to look at the back cover. Same brown color as the front, but no text or words this time. Jaune opened the notebook to its first page, idly noticing the scratches or barren words before the introduction.
"Heeds my words, the one who would read this. My name is Sulyvahn, Pontiff of our holy Brother Gods and this is a warning since I'll start explaining to you, the readers, my story…"
-o-
After getting an earful from his parents - mostly from his mom - Jaune was reading the notebook he founded earlier from the library during dinner.
It was a weird sight for every other Arc family member and they didn't hide their confused expression as Jaune Arc ate another sausage and dived back into the book he held in one hand. It seemed and it was likely he was glued onto it for a long moment. Fool he thought in a deep imaginary voice and chuckled internally, repeating the word Sulyvahn used to describe everything.
Jaune had seen pretty amazing games with interesting folklore stories, but in seriousness, none could beat this… This shenanigan he was reading.
First off, apparently this man named Sulyvahn was a sorcerer, a wielder of magic, but also a double-greatswords wielding fighter.
He was also a tree! (And something of a 'Pope')
A religious humanoid-tree sorcerer who fight with two greatswords? Damn, there was no sense in it, but it was intimidating.
Jaune flipped another page of his book.
Sulyvahn was from what he'd read, someone very ambitious about his goal. Once a sorcerer, he went on a journey visiting every land surfacing the world to learn from others. He excelled in the arts of magics and sorcery, but still shone his swordsman's skill.
Rising in the hierarchy of humanity as a scholar, Sulyvahn showed doubts about the corrupting mentality of everyone - even himself.
Seeking wisdom and guidance he went to the Domain of Light, where one could meet the God of Light himself. There, Sulyvahn asked to the God, clarifications about rulings and Choice.
In the notebook, Sulyvahn noted that the Gods gave gifts to humanity, so long as they didn't go for each other's throats. If the balance was to be broken, everyone would've lost everything. Magics, peace or wisdom…
They would be but a remnant of before.
Jaune oohed at this part, wondering if any section of this story was something real or related to Remnant. This story was very… wow. Giant tree man? Magic? Humanity living among Gods!? Awesome, disbelieving and scary at the same time to think.
Would giving anyone dangerous power be wise? Not really he bitterly thought, but they've been living in a fairly peaceful world apparently so it proved the God's guidance was efficient enough.
Back on the book, when asked, the Brother of Light answered he noticed the behaviors of human plummeting. Light called Darkness and the two of them decided together to elect one representative in the mortal's world that would guide humanity on a more personal level than the Gods.
And it is how Sulyvahn became Pontiff of the Brother's God, bridge between humanity and the Gods.
So enthralled by the book, the days passed as a blur for Jaune as he flipped yet another page.
Jaune learnt the struggles of Sulyvahn in his task. He learnt as he had to make harsh decisions in life that would impact many, he learnt as he had to sharpen his sense to progress everyday. Jaune even learnt when Sulyvahn gave gifts himself to worthy followers of the Brother God.
He even knew the process to contact them…
To contact the Gods…
Realization dawned on him, his eyes grew so big they might as well have popped out of their sockets. A big idea went through his mind with a grin dignified to be called maniac.
There wasn't much else to do so, why not?
He flipped back pages to the aka 'Sacred Meeting process'. Hastily, he brought on his Pumpkin's Pete hoodies and attached his sneakers on before departing silently outside the house with two sharp objects and a flower.
Out in the open, cold air breezed as Jaune Arc went to a wooden hut near the Arc's homestead. Opening the hut's door much more brashly he dropped the objects of before in a corner - crouched and picked up every rock he could inside.
With enough rocks gattered, he brought them all together in the center of the room - roughly forming a destroyed and a very not good looking shrine. Sighing, he picked his book to glance at the page listing the process for being sure of not failing the attempt. Reading them again and again, he nodded to himself, went to the hut's corner where he dropped the stuff he took and walked toward the shrine with them in hands.
He did as instructed, bowing ridiculously in front of the shrine he dropped a flower on the piles of stones.
Firstly the flower connects one with the Brother of Light.
Next, he aligned a sharp knife he took from the kitchen, angling it next to the shrine.
After, the knife connects one with the Brother of Darkness.
Then he unsheathed Crocea Mors from his sheath and planted the shield next to the shrine with the flower and the knife.
One object, dear to yourself, will connect you with them.
Breathes in.
At last, one droplet of your own blood on the shrine will finalize the connection.
In his head, he saw himself cutting his hands fearlessly like some kind of badass who had gone through hell and wasn't scared of anything. Right now he wasn't scared he assured himself, he simply furiously shaking.
Just a little swing and…
"Ow." Jaune muttered under the breath he was holding in before a droplet of blood fell on the shrine. He sucked on the tip of his finger in order to dull the little sharp pain. He could faintly taste iron in his mouth.
Sucking his finger like a five-years old, he looked at his shrine and waited.
And waited some more in silence.
A little bit more…?
"Welp." Jaune said in between sucking his finger. "Can't say I didn't expect that."
His shoulder slumped and he stepped back right when the world exploded in a blinding light of matter shining from the shrine with sound blurring together. The hut's wall disintegrated in particles and the ground shattered in hundreds of pieces, leaving Jaune floating in space as the night and the moon disappeared.
The blonde kept a stone-face as he was flipping and floating in space while the world was aging and destroying itself at the speed of light in his eyes.
Then he was standing on nothing in a white realm.
Arms hanging loosely at his sides, a distant look on his face, he hesitated to vomit only because of the sight of two giant figures bickering to each other. The two of them were twice his height. One of them was a giant muscular being of light with a majestic crown of Antler while the other was a giant thin being of darkness with twisted horns on his head.
"What have you done!? Go back, go back! Remove this 'covid' you made!" The being of light cried in panic to his younger brother who was surprisingly also panicking.
"I can't! It's not that easy, plus, they are spreading it to anyone!" The Brother of Darkness replied, arms flailing everywhere as he was looking at a mirror reflecting a planet with green forest and blue oceans.
Was vomiting along Divine's presences deemed as heresy? Jaune didn't wish to find out so he restrained himself to be sent to the puppet dimensions as he gulped more loudly than he would have liked.
Startled by the noise, the two Gods turned slowly to the to see a blond human teenager standing awkwardly in their realm.
Jaune fidgeted in their literal divine gazes.
The God of Light did a double-take as he saw the unexpected visitor, he coughed in one fist, then remembered this wasn't godly standard etiquette and stood ramrod straight with his hands clasped behind his back.
"Human." He greeted the visitor with a bow. "This is… an unexpected visit. Pray tell me how you came here?" The God of Light said questioningly, his brother noticed the visitor, but didn't pay him more than a glance as he worked back on his 'mistake'.
"Hum," Wow, Jaune never felt that small before. And he felt small in every possible term right now. Still, he had to respond. Time for the good 'ol Arc charm. He cleared his throat before replying "Hello, my name is Jaune Arc, shor- Err, I mean. I was reading a book from a guy named Sulyvahn who wrote about how to contact the Gods and I wanted to try it out..."
"Sulyvahn…? As in, Sulyvahn the Pope of Nope?"
"...Pope of-? Oh yeah! That was one of his titles. Yeah, him." Jaune bobbed his head up and down.
The God of Light stared for a moment. Jaune's anxiety grew by the seconds, but vanished when the being of Light turned to whisper something to his brother who was working.
The two of them silently talked to each other, the Brother of Darkness seemed exasperated about some things and the Brother of Light nodded to a whisper of his brother. The two whispered, nodded and somehow, through their featureless face - Jaune could see a faint trace of hopeness in their non-visible eyes.
Jaune straightened when the Gods turned to look at him entirely. Fortunately, he didn't had to be victims of their silent gaze as they soon talked.
"Jaune Arc. You've read Sulyvahn's work." Light said, more matter-of-factly than quizzingly. The blond nodded nonetheless. "I can tell you that everything he's written was true." This time he simply gulped, unsure of announcing to everyone how he became crazy. "I have an offer for you, Jaune."
"Y-Yes?"
"Remnant is, but a fraction of what they once were. Now they've been overwhelmed by greed and corruption without our guidance. Answer me Jaune. Would you like Remnant to be at peace?" The Brother of Light said as he was slowly stomping toward Jaune.
"Yes…?"
"More clearly."
"Yes. Yes I want Remnant to be at peace!" The blond replied much more firmly with the confidence he had left.
The being of Light glanced back to his Brother, who nodded to him. He turned back to Jaune "Very well, Jaune. My Brother and I have decided on something. You know about the roles of a Pope. You've read Sulyvahn's work and I see no one better than to accomplish this task."
The Arc heartbeats quicken, realizing what would happen next. I-I am going to become!?
"Thou shalt be Remnant's Pope, in thy task you will be guided. Do not worry." No words could leave Jaune's mouth, he simply opened and closed his mouth multiple times, not knowing what to say. "You shall be trained and you will wield the same gift we gave to the last Pontiff."
Is he grinning? Wait… How can I even see that?
"After all, who better to train you than the last Pontiff himself?" Jaune's mind disconnected as the God of Light snapped his finger. The connection between Jaune and the Gods abruptly stopped just like how it started.
He groaned, shifted and tumbled. Slowly opening his eyes, he identified his surrounding as another realm! Only this time it wasn't white, but a sickly purple.
Groaning even more he slowly stood up as best as he could. Looking everywhere he was startled when was a big fraily looking hand grabbed his shoulder turning him to face a-
GIANT LANKY TREE MAN IN A ROBE.
Jaune Arc paled and yelled.
The tree man also yelled, surprised.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAA! FOOL!" The tree man yelled as he pushed back Jaune.
Tired and running on fumes, Jaune fell like a sack of potatoes on the floor? He stopped screaming and the tree-man also stopped yelling curses. They looked at one another's, awkward silences filling in.
…
"So," A beat. "You're the new guy?" The robed tree man asked after clearing his throat somehow.
Sprawled on the floor, he merely craned up his neck in order to see the tree humanoid. "Yeah, it's me." Another beat. "My name's Jaune Arc. You're Sulyvahn?"
"Pontiff Sulyvahn you fool." Sulyvahn automatically retorted. He sighed and ran a hand through his featureless-face composing of only roots in the middle of it. "All right, we'll be working a lot…" Walking to the sprawled Jaune on the floor, he hoisted him up with one hand.
Shaking off his dizziness, the young Pontiff piped up. "What are we going to do first?"
Two gigantic ceremonial greatswords appeared in each of Jaune's hands with a burst of flame. One was a thick ultra-greatsword with runics embedded into it and the other was a much slimmer greatsword with even more runics fused inside the length of the blades.
Amazingly, the two greatswords were weightless in Jaune's hand, he waved them around just like some piece of paper even if they were his own size.
"We are going to condition your body, and sharpen your skill boy." Sulyvahn said with trepidation in his voice. He seemed to hesitate before asking.
"Does thou knoweth how to parry?"
"No...?"
Pontiff Sulyvahn grinned mischievously.
Omake :
"Brother?" The God of Light called out to his brother who was tiredly working on fixing Terran's conditions and problem. The God of Darkness turned to look at his big brother with a faceless-face representing his attitude.
Tired. Pain. Endless suffering.
"...Yes," He whispered, indicating he was fully listening when his brother leaned forward. "What do you want!? I'm working on this… This! Insufferable planet!" He spat out with venom in his tone, which could've been actually real venom dripping from his mouth if he had one.
"Wow, chill bro," Light brought his hands defensively. "Just asking, how's Earth doing?"
Darkness looked at his brother as if he was the biggest moron present in the multiverse - which could have maybe been the truth if he hadn't created the concept of 'Knowledge'. "Yes. Yes, Earth is in a perfect state," He waited for Light to react - spoiler, he didn't. "No, it's fucking not! When I said I wanted humans without magic, I didn't mean to say we would be forbidden to interact with them! Look at them! Without us they've been a fucktons more destructive and chaotic than ever!" Darkness pointed at the mirror.
"They do bad shits between each other, they're even destroying their own planet! Can you believe it!? It's slowly dying every hour and I have to maintain it from exploding every. Fucking. Times!" He emphasized his point by poking the mirror. "We should do just like their video game and drop in some grimms to see how they would 'fortnite dance' over their destroyed countries and egoes!" He poked the mirror, even harder and now glared at his brother. "By the way, this is the worst thing you created."
Gasp! "Brother! You can't say that! I don't criticize your weird grimms so don't criticize my dances!"
Deeply inhaling to calm himself - Darkness merely nodded in reluctance.
"Anyways…" Light drawled once his brother was serene again. "We both know that Earth kinda sucks right now, because of everything happening, right?" Darkness nodded again to Light's words. "What if! I got a solu-"
"YES." Darkness barked.
"I didn't even t-"
"I DON'T CARE! DO WHATEVER TO STOP THIS SUFFERING!"
"...Aight." Light conceded, he glanced at the blonde teenager in their realm and turned back to his brother. "We're going back to Remnant using this boy over there, he already knows Sulyvahn's stuff."
The God of Darkness looked to the guest with an unimpressed invisible eyebrow. He leaned in a bit more to his Brother of Light to whisper to him even though they most likely suppressed any sound inside their one meter radius. "Wasn't Ozma supposed to bring us back like uh… Three millenia ago?"
"He gave up when he realized his girlfriend became a grimm."
"Oh."
"Yeah, 'Oh'. I had the same reaction. By the way you also killed him once"
"Pfff. Excuse me but you!" Darkness pointed at Light. "Also killed him!"
"That's water under the bridge, don't worry." Light shrugged.
"Yeah, yeah. Back to the topic! Of me not working anymore like a chinese worker. You sure the kid will be able to bring us back? Seem… Y'know." Darkness gestured with his hand.
"Don't worry. I'll give him the same bullshit power we did to Suly'." Light dismissed his brother's worry with a flick of his wrist.
"Wasn't it stand power or infinite stam-"
"Don't. Worry. Now you wanna go back to Remnant or go back to work?" Light said. Darkness glanced back at the mirror, where he saw flame bursting inside - likely from him not overseeing some human's bullshit creation. He calculated the odds between helping them or abandoning them like some father searching for cigarettes.
The God of Darkness shrugged - Nodded and gave his brother a big thumb up.
"Y'know, grimm lady, power-hungry jackass, manipulative wizard and all that. I'm sure Remnant is redeemable. After all, we have that boy now!"