Disclaimer: RWBY was created by Monty Oum-may he forever live within our hearts-and is owned by RoosterTeeth. I in no way own any of it's content...And I'm pretty sure that if I did, I'd...Actually, I'm pretty sure anything I'd say here would be flamed on by the general public, so i'll keep my mouth shut.
Hi there everyone, It's me again. And we left the last chapter off on a bit of a cliffhanger, and I'm sorry about that. So here is where the continuation of that cliffhanger is concluded. And on another note, The new story that I proposed is going to be getting off the ground! Yay! So expect the first chapter of that to be out within the next two months. Anyway, lets get right into this chapter!
There were no words that could have been clearer in Amber's ears than when Jaune shouted to get down. So with a suddenness that even she was surprised by, she ducked sown to the ground and rolled to the side, barely having a...whatever the hell kind of insect that was aimed for her head to miss. It had only went just past where her face would have been before being retracted to where it came from. She turned around to see who just tried to assassinate her before she was met with a glass sword heading for her torso. Her eyes widened as she reached for her spear, Barely bringing it out of it's sheath when the offending weapon was already a few inches away from contact. She went to use her Maiden powers, but was stopped by a gust of wind that knocked both her and the offender away. Luckily, she was able to keep a grip on her own weapon. Unluckily, she had hit a pretty sturdy tree, and was kind of disorientated. She knew that whatever was happening was obviously an attack at her specifically, and that if they targeted her instead of Jaune who would look weaker upon first glance since he was a child. And speaking of which, She should probably find out what happened to him. It's not like he was going to be killed or anything. That much she was sure of. But it she was sure that if they teamed up, then whoever was stupid enough to attack them would be sent packing...or be sent to the morgue. If they knew about the Maiden powers, then obviously, they were out to kill her. But of course, that would all be speculation. She didn't know that they were trying to kill her for her powers. They could just be a few bandits that were looking for an easy loot. Or Oum forbid, an easy...'score'. Bleh, even the thought of it made her want to vomit.
"Amber, are you okay?" Jaune's voice asked, breaking through her haze. She looked up at him and noticed that he was looking at her with worried eyes. It was an adorable trait that he had. Like a little sibling really...hm, that was a thought. Probably not one she should be entertaining right now due to the circumstances, but one that couldn't leave her alone. Throughout their time traveling along this dirt path, She had grown to really like Jaune. But not in a romantic sense mind you. I mean, come on, she was already going to be eighteen and he was only eight himself. That was just wrong. But it was more of a paternal affection. One that she felt for her father as well. She hasn't seen him in well over five years, that much was certain, but she still remembers him vividly. He was a shoemaker. Not the most flattering job out there, yeah, but he was good at what he did. He's most often hired by Hunters to make their combat boots. His prices were fair, He made good, quality shoes and he was happy where he was with both her and her mother.
Her mother...she doesn't know much about her. Other than what she looked like from old photos and a few letters she wrote from her Hunter missions. Though, one day, Her mother left the house, and never came back. She didn't understand that It was common for Hunters to die on missions back then, but she lost her all the same. And the next day, there was a sort of wisp of energy that flew into her when she was outside playing. It was so foreign to her that she didn't know what to do with herself when it happened, but at the same time, It felt strangely...familiar, somehow. It just felt like her mother was somehow connected to whatever power was bestowed upon her. It wasn't until a few weeks later that Ozpin and his group came around and told her that she had inherited the Fall Maiden's powers. She as told that her mother had been the previous Maiden, and she was one of four. She was also told of the tale of the four seasons. But by this time, she had already tested out what these powers could do. She was...actually awed by it. She had the power to help people. The power to find the people that attacked her mother and avenge her. That was her initial thought of course. But when she was told the full extent of what a Maiden was and what they could do, She became much more down to Remnant. It was also on that day that her childhood was ruined.
She was whisked away from her home village to train her new powers. She was also told that she would most likely never see her father again. She was heartbroken. She wanted to protest, she wanted to fight for it...but after a few days, she realized that if she stayed with him, then there was the possibility of Salem and her cohorts coming after her. So she agreed to keep whatever family she had left safe. She was assured that her father would be put under protection. So even if she could never see her father again, she would at least know that she was fighting to protect her family. Speaking of which, there was something about Jaune that was like family to her. Maybe it was the years without someone to really connect with, or maybe even the fact that he was one of the only people outside of Ozpin's group that cared about her and treated her like a normal girl. Even then though, some of Ozpin's members are a bit cynical about everything. Like if she'll turn on them and work for the Queen and all that. And while she does not hold the greatest opinion of the Council or it's many questionable decisions, she would put everything on the line to protect what she holds dear. And one of things right now, was Jaune.
So as she took his outstretched hands, she quickly extended her dagger into it's spear form, ready to defend against whatever attacked her and Jaune. Jaune himself had pressed his back into hers, scoping the area around them, the previous caring look he gave Amber was replaced with a stone cold, analytical glare. That was something that Raven and Qrow taught him. Always be vigilant whenever you are in a fight. Always treat each fight as if they were life or death. You never know if your enemy has something hiding up their sleeve. So the best option is to take out the enemy as quick and efficient as possible. Never know if there are going to be more hostiles on the way. Their training was mostly along those lines when it came to a combat mindset: Always be prepared for war. It was something that he didn't like knowing. That the world as it was now, was very tense and that if there was a big enough event from one of the Kingdoms, there was a high probability that war would break out. He wanted to try and change that. That was the other thing that he wanted to do as he traveled the world. See what was wrong and to observe what the people wanted so that when he finally tries to insert himself as an activist in civil rights for everyone, he'd be taking a foot in the right direction. But for now, he'd have to hold off on that. Right now was the battle between them and whoever tried to kill Amber. That in and of itself was making his blood boil. Nobody hurts his friends and gets away with it. No one.
"Jaune, I don't know whats happening, but could you fill me in?" Amber asked as she also scoped the area. All she knew was that something was going to do something to her and that Jaune had been able to warn her about in time to dodge. Then someone had tried to gut her when she tried grabbing her own weapon. And again, Jaune had probably done something to cast her and the other person to the side and saver her once more. She truly was grateful of Jaune. Who knows what could have happened if she hadn't had him with her when this happened...
"Three bogies, one male, two females. One of the females seems to be in her early twenties, the other two in their late teens." Jaune explained, looking around to make sure that none of the assailants came back from the gale of wind that he produced. He was able to make some real progress in controlling the elements. Where as before he could only control them to the extent of making a small breeze, a trickle of water, a decent ball of plasma, some small tremors along with great spires of earth to do as he wishes and a small amount of fire, he could now make nearly a lakes amount of water with some difficulty, a gale strong enough to uproot trees, an onslaught of scorching hot plasma, bend the earth itself to his will, and fire...well, as there was still that problem of keeping it in the same place would suffocate itsel-...oh son of a...biscuit. He just realized that the problem wasn't that Fire wouldn't allow itself to be controlled, but the fact that he was trying to control it in the first place was the problem. He just needs it to go freely and feed it more and more oxygen to become stronger. He just needs to give it a general mold to follow. It was so simple that he wanted to slap himself for not realizing it sooner. But one of his most useful moves in his arsenal is the ability to stop time itself. Where before, he could only stop time for a brief second before everything would start to slowly go back to normal, he could now stop time for a whole ten seconds in real time. There were some interesting things about stopping time though. Where he could move freely however he wants, and there shouldn't be anything else that should be in the little fold of time he can make for himself, there was one other presence that he could sense was also moving. It was almost concerning. Who else in this world would be able to control time to such a degree? Questions, questions, questions...
"What the hell just hit me? A god damn freight train!?"
Oh yeah, those guys were a thing. Nearly forgot about them for a second. But then again, those three did seem to be after Amber for some reason...might be because of something with her family or something. He doesn't really know. But still, the fact that they tried to kill her was still unforgivable.
So as he faced them, he analyzed each of their persons to see what he was dealing with. The obvious leader of the trio, if her age was anything to go by, had raven black hair that went down to her waist. She wore some rather provocative clothing consisting of nothing but a crimson dress that had some intricate designs running along it. He could tell that they were used for some thing to boost her fighting prowess. Ger eyes were of a dangerous shade of yellow, telling of how much hatred lied behind them. She made his very being light up with anger. She has killed. And she has done so many things that he could tell were used in so many hellish plans. He could sense that she wanted to take something that was dear to him. And the scary part is that deep down inside, he knows that somewhere along the line...
She'll succeed.
"So, you are the child we were told about. How interesting. Hazel has told us quite a bit about you. That we shouldn't take you lightly. Though, if you try to get in the way of our plans, then I suppose you'll be another enemy to crush in our wake." The older woman said coyly. Jaune narrowed his eyes at her. She was part of Hazel's group huh? Then That meant that she was here for him too. And because of that, Amber was a target too...
'Damn it! I keep getting people into trouble! Am I really that much of a nuisance?' Jaune thought to himself, balling his fists. He looked to Amber and saw that she was confused as to how they might have known him. He frowned and looked away. He hoped that he wouldn't cause her any trouble for the short amount of time that he spent with her. Yet this woman and her cohorts decided to destroy that hope and set it ablaze. He looked to the three with hard eyes. A fire in his heart set anew as his fighting spirit was rekindled.
'Fine then. If life is going to try and destroy what I love, then I'm just going to have to be strong enough to stop that from happening! I will stop at nothing to make sure that whatever or whoever tries to kill me or the ones I hold dear are dealt with!' Jaune thought resolutely. A certain fire building up within him. His determination manifesting itself into a green blaze from his chest, engulfing-but not burning-his shirt in a coat of transparent green fire. It's Opaque only being strong enough to show it's primary color, but nothing else.
Yet despite this, Amber looked shocked at this revelation. That energy...It looked like a Maiden's Energy! But that was impossible, He'd have to be a woman, for one. for another, he's just a kid. There's no way that he would have been able to kill someone...but, he was unnaturally strong...and it was strange that he was the only one that she had encountered while traveling...was he...was he out to get her too? What would even happen if a person with Maiden powers were to kill another? The thought alone frightened her and she started to back away from him before he suddenly made a declaration.
"I will not allow you to take what I love away from me! You may have come close last time, but I will not allow you to do so again! I don't know why you're so persistent on following me, but I will do everything in my power to protect what's Important to me!" Jaune bellowed, His Aura and flames thrashing wildly.
Cinder's smirk faded from her face immediately upon seeing those green flames. This wasn't in the mission files. All Hazel informed her of was his immense speed and strength. There were ways of getting around that. Which was why Emerald was here. To cast an illusion on him and be able to back stab him while he was distracted. Then they would be able to take down the Fall maiden with ease. But this was not something that they were anticipating. And Cinder absolutely hated when things don't go the way she planned. So she did the only thing she could do...fight.
"Emerald, 'distract' him. Mercury, on the Maiden. The child is mine." Cinder ordered, not looking away at a now riled up Jaune. Emerald nodded before her eyes glowed, her Aura flaring up, indicating the use of her Semblance. Mercury bolted towards Amber. Cinder thought that while the unexpected outburst was troublesome, was not going to change the fact that she would get what she rightfully deserved. She fully expected Jaune to be tricked by Emeralds Semblance. No other has been before, so this wouldn't be any different. Emerald would make him think that Cinder was flipping over him to catch him off guard and try to turn around to combat her, giving her a chance to drive one of her glass swords into his back, through his heart and out his chest. What she didn't expect was Jaune looking strait into her eyes with a fury that rivaled some of the best. She quickly had to jump back from a punch that sent a compressed wave of air in her direction. She effectively dodged it, but realized that the attack was now heading towards a now stunned Emerald.
Emerald herself was reeling from the fact that Jaune had seemingly been unaffected by her Semblance. She was so shocked in fact, that she didn't notice that Jaune's attack was heading towards her. When it impacted her, a noticeable indent was shown in her gut. Her eyes widened, and she coughed up some spittle and vomit before she was thrown back twenty feet.
Jaune looked from the collapsed form of Emerald to a now scowling Cinder. The green flames on his body still flickering about. He stared at her for merely a moment before turning around and practically teleporting in front of Mercury as he was about to deliver a thrust kick to a still shocked Amber. Jaune then grabbed the offending leg and started swinging him around.
"Woah! Put! Me! Down! Right! Now! Or! I'm! Gonna! Hurp!" Mercury tried to threaten before he felt his lunch try to come up. He was starting to look a bit green when Jaune tossed him to a barely recuperating Emerald, causing both of them to be put out of commission. He then stepped forward and gave a fierce stare towards Cinder.
Cinder was annoyed that her two lackeys couldn't do their jobs, and was positively infuriated that a mere child was the one to take them down. But nothing compared to the amount of fear that she felt knowing that if she returned to Salem empty handed, then she would be punished to the highest severity. So she really only had two options here, either retreat with nothing and face the consequences, or stay, fight and have a chance at attaining what she has sought after for so long.
To her the choice was obvious.
So with a call of her Aura, and the application of her Semblance, she created a bow and drew forth a glass arrow. Quickly taking aim, she fired, smirking to herself as her arrows were able to bypass any and all aura, regardless of the size.
Jaune stepped forward and made a pushing gesture with his right hand, which drew forth a spike of earth from the ground, destroying the arrow in the process. Once again, Cinder and Amber were shocked. At first, they thought that the boy's Semblance was Pyrokinesis, or that he had somehow gotten a hold of one of the Maiden's powers. Now he could control earth? Now either he had more than one Maiden power, or his Semblance was to control the Elements. Either way, things were going south fast. But nothing was going to stop her from fulfilling her mission. It didn't even matter if she died here, she would rather be killed than go back to her master empty handed.
"Damn brat, you don't know when to quit, do you?" Cinder spat out. Jaune simply started walking towards her with his hair shadowing his eyes. The flames slowly spreading to the rest of his body. Cinder, not wasting an opportunity, started throwing more arrows in his direction, but each one broke against his skin. And the ones that Cinder tried to fire at Amber were caught and crushed within his hands.
Cinder was backpedaling now, walking backwards while firing arrow after arrow at the boy. Not a single scratch on his body was seen. She got to a point where her heel touched upon the downed forms of her lackeys. She cursed under her breath before dissipating her bow to create two glass blades. Jaune was now half way between her and Amber, who by now had recuperated and was watching the scene in front of her with eyes full of wonder. Jaune had stopped group of people that tried to assassinate her by himself and was now walking towards the head of the trio without fear. She felt that by now, Jaune had done enough for her, and was now determined to take the woman down herself.
Jaune was now gathering air into his palm, condensing it and started to heat it up into plasma when he felt a presence beside him. he turned his head to see Amber looking at him with hardened eyes. He stared at her for a few seconds before nodding. The plasma in his palms dissipating and the flames surrounding him receded into his form. Amber smiled in thanks before facing Cinder, who was almost shaking in anger. It was then that Amber's own power rose from her skin, covering her in an orange aura. Jaune looked to her with a raised eyebrow.
"I assume you'll tell me what that is when this is over?" Jaune asked as he crossed his arms. Amber gave him a quick glance before turning her attention to the still Cinder.
"I will if you tell me what you were using back there." Amber responded, referencing the green flames and the earth bending he did with his skirmish with Cinder. Jaune nodded as he closed his eyes. He supposed that he would have to tell someone eventually. And if spending time with Amber has told him anything, she can certainly hold a secret if she has to. And her as a character was very nice to be around. She was kind, funny, and although was very sensitive when it came to her family, was very strong willed. He would gladly call her his sister. And as family, there shouldn't be any secrets between them.
He thought about Ruby, Yang, Summer, Tai, Raven and even Qrow and promised to himself that the next time he sees them is when he'll tell them of his actual past and history. But for now, he'd have to stand back and see how Amber's powers were in combat.
Amber then took the initiative and charged, the spear head of her weapon glowing with the same energy that she was emitting. She started with a thrust of her spear, forcing the wanna-be Maiden to jump back. From there, Amber took notice of the still downed forms of Emerald and Mercury, and picked them up with one had before making a full circle turn and chucking them in Cinder's direction. Cinder had to drop her swords in able to effectively bat them away without killing them. Though she would have like to seeing as how they couldn't do one thing right. She still needed them alive. With how well trained Mercury was and how useful Emerald's Semblance would be, they were quintessential to her plans in the long run. So she swatted them to the ground with little effort on her part. Though, the two lackeys groaned in an almost comical matter on their part. But back to the battle, Cinder looked up to see that Amber had closed in on her while she was distracted and was barely able to create another pair of blades before Amber brought down her spear, making a small crater beneath the two.
They glared into each others eyes, one filled with confidence and the others filled with anger and fear. When Cinder was about to try and push back against the spear, Amber suddenly retracted it into it's dagger form, making Cinder stumble. This gave Amber the opportunity to blast her with a beam concentrated from her gem-like blade and send her sprawling across the dirt path. When cinder was able to recuperate herself, she found that Amber was already on top of her again, ready to finish the fight. That was, until Cinder shot out her hand.
In a desperate and frantic move, Cinder opted to try and send the Grim parasite on Amber once more to try and eliminate her altogether. However, what she had forgotten while being pummeled by the Fall Maiden, was that Amber was not alone.
"That's about enough of that." Jaune said, suddenly appearing between the two. He then grabbed the insect, crushed it between his hands and made a gale of wind between the two women. When they both separated, Jaune brought his hand up to inspect what was left of the insect. He could only imagine what those things could do if they were to ever do what they were intended to do. But, he was determined to make sure that it never happened. He didn't even want to try and experiment with them. He would never need them in the long run, and he's already got the nano-machines to worry about, not to mention his own powers to train back to full strength. So he shook his hand to get rid of the black liquid that was quickly dissolving. He then looked to Cinder before speaking.
"Amber, as much as I know you are capable of handling yourself, and that you were going to burn that insect alive before I stepped in, there is a pressing matter that needs to be taken care of." Jaune said cryptically, a serious expression on his face. Amber looked confused. Was that sweat building up on his brow? this morning was actually fairly chilly, and he hasn't exerted himself all that much today, other than fighting these guys. But even then, that shouldn't have tuckered him out at all. But he did seem tense. So it might have been a cold sweat. However, Amber couldn't understand what might have made him so nervous in the first place.
"Jaune, what are you talking about? We've got this in the bag. All we have to do is finish her off before she can get away." Amber said coldly, glaring daggers at the disheveled and angry Cinder. She looked to Jaune for an answer, all she saw was his side profile. His eyes were focused and his mouth set in a deep frown, yet his body almost shook in...fear? That was what set Amber on edge. What could have caused Jaune of all people to start shaking in fear? It was at this thought that Jaune decided to respond to her.
"I'm afraid it isn't that simple anymore." Jaune said in a grim voice. Looking beyond Cinder and at something that was behind her. He could sense someone was there, but they were concealing themselves. But now that person wasn't what he was focusing on, instead, he looked above and noticed someone, or...something.
"That would be right. I can't have you killing off the entertainment just yet." Said a new voice that caught Amber off guard. she also looked up to see...
"Father." Jaune said, revealing the floating figure to be no one but Dux Omnium!
His arms were crossed as he descended from the air onto the ground. Cinder turned around and was shocked to see such a thing to appear, and was going to rais her blades to him, but was promptly stopped when her swords disintegrated into nothingness. She also noticed that she couldn't move her body at all. Omnium turned his head in her direction and to the unconscious forms of her subordinates, he sighed and brought up his hand, snapped, and each of them were teleported to his "feet". There was another moment and the duo started getting up with no bruises or scratches on their forms whatsoever. Jaune furrowed his eyebrows at this and clenched his fists.
"No need to be so hostile. I have not come here to fight any of you. Though it was amusing to see you peons piddle with each other, I have more important matters to attend to. Such as protecting the followers of the "Queen". Though they seem to be severely lacking when it comes to combat skills." Omnium stated as he turned his head from the trio of baddies and to Jaune, who was still staring at him in anger. He was going to say something snarky, but stopped when he noticed that Amber was walking up next to Jaune. It was then that he started chuckling before blowing onto full blown boisterous laughter. It sounded weird though. as if his voice was coming from every angle possible. His laughter died down after a few moments and looked to the two in amusement.
"Well then, It would seem my little boy has already made a new friend. Oh they grow up so fast." Omnium stated, with the last bit dripping with sarcasm. Jaune clenched his jaw tight and tightened his fist more. Amber looked between the two and was confused about all this. Jaune said that his father had died along with the rest of his village. So what was this being of pure energy doing calling itself his dad? There had to have been something that Jaune didn't tell her or was lying to her about.
"Father...what do you want this time? I never expected you to show up again so soon." Jaune said, not knowing what the hell he was talking about with the whole "Queen" business. But he thought that prying for more info wouldn't hurt. Besides, he was genuinely curious and concerned about what his father wanted from him and Amber. Dux tilted his head and stayed there for a moment before answering.
"Well, to be frank, I never did intend on coming down here, but then a little witch caught my eye. She had a very dormant power within her that resembled our own. And wouldn't you know it? She was made from the residue of our God energy." Omnium explained, shocking Jaune and severely confusing Amber. Jaune stood there, thinking about how that could have happened. The only way that could have happened, was if...
"I know what you're thinking, and...yes, It was indeed when you were plummeting towards this ball you call a planet. Fragments of you...or, of your divine energy splintered off and landed all across the globe. however, Even I am unaware of where they are. They have somehow hidden themselves away from my grasp. I must commend you for that though, even when at your weakest, you were still able to piss me off." Omnium said with a grimace at the end before pointing a finger at Jaune. In an instant, a hole appeared within Jaune's chest where his heart would be. There was no beam of energy or any trace of movement from Omnium. It was simply that he wished it to happen.
Jaune stood there with wide eyes. He tried to choke out something, anything, but was unable to. Amber was quick enough to catch him as he fell backwards. Blood was seeping out of the hole, quickly making a pool of his own blood beneath him. Amber was clamoring to see if she could help him in any way. To maybe save him from dying. But at this point he had already lost most of his blood. His eyes were starting to lose their life now, not even being able to breath now.
'No. Is this how I die? Not even a year into this life? Damn It! I needed to protect them!...but, I couldn't. All because I was too weak.' Jaune thought to to feel his life leave him. The sounds of Amber's voice fading from his ears as his senses were starting to fail. He let out his last breath before leaving this world and into the next...
"Oh, stop the waterworks, like I'd end it here and now. Not when I've already invested in this plan of mine." Omnium suddenly said, waving a hand and suddenly closing Jaune's wound and restoring his blood.
Jaune woke with a start and gasped for air. Amber looked relieved beyond comprehension. She may have been clueless as to what the fuck was going on, but she would be damned if she let a small boy die on her watch. Jaune was still in shock from what just happened and was not at all prepared for what happened earlier. That could have been It. His father could have just let him die like that and destroyed the planet afterwards. This was...concerning on a number of levels. If they could do that, what was stopping him from doing the same to the planet out right? Why was he so keen on making this so needlessly complicated.
"Why?" Jaune choked out, looking right at Omnium for an answer. His father looked at him and rolled his neck as if he were rolling his eyes. Though, it would be hard to tell since he doesn't have any eyes, or any facial features for that matter.
"I simply needed to let off some steam, and wouldn't you know it? You seemed like a good target. Seeing as how you are the source of my anger in the first place. But, since I kind of need you to finish this whole thing, I also needed you alive. But seeing you dying was like a masterpiece to me." He said with the utmost pleased voice. Jaune snarled and glared at him as he was held in Amber's arms. He still felt too weak to lift himself up. But then his father spoke up again.
"Now as I was saying before; This energy, from what I have gathered, has taken form in these things called Relics. Now, mind you, When your fragments fell and formed into these things, they lost almost all of their power, leaving nothing but residue in it's place. but two fragments in particular intrigued me." Dux said, bringing up his two hands, then manifested two orbs of pure God Essence. One black, the other white. "Your core of truth and Unity" He said as he gestured to the black one. "And the core of Deceit and Death." This time, he gestured to the white one. The two orbs receded back into his hands and he shook his head in what seemed to be fascination.
"They seemed to mold with two organisms on this planet. They were each given immortality as a result. And the side effect of giving them magic. One could drain powers, while the other could gift them. It astonished me how our energy could mesh so chaotically with the likes of mortals. While you were still slumbering, I watched with fascination how the two went to war with each other. The death tolls were in the millions up until recently. The both of them are waiting patiently, biding their time and gathering their forces, presumably to engage in a final bout to decide who will come through in the end." Omnium explained, detailing what has happened while Jaune was slumbering. Jaune himself was taking the information as best he could. trying to wrap his head around it all. He was told that his powers were used to create that much conflict. Whoever was using those powers were fighting each other and costing countless amounts of lives. He would not and will not stand for this! When he finds those two bastards, he's going to tear them a new one!
Before Jaune could get back up to even stand, Amber kept him down, making him realize just how weak he felt at the moment. Omnium chuckled before continuing once more.
"They are amusing in their own right, and I almost want to stay as an observer to see what that would look like if they fought. I will admit, these...humans were they? They were much more entertaining than I might have anticipated. However, they must still be eradicated." Omnium stated, looking directly at Jaune. Amber tensed up and activated her Maiden powers again, being ready for combat if the need arose. She was once again unsure on how to handle all of the information that was coming from this divine entity. For all she knew, this guy could be one of the two brothers that created their world. However, what she needed right now was to get out of this alive along with Jaune, who had a lot to explain if that thing was saying that he was his son. But as she was going to stand and fight him in hopes of giving Jaune enough time to get away, the divine father shook his head and turned to Cinder's frozen form.
"As I have said before, I have not come here for a fight. As I see it, humans as of right now, are far from being able to harm me in any way. As for the reason I want them gone in the first place...is a trade secret. But for now, I will take miss Fall and her cohorts with me...oh, and Jaune..." Omnium called, turning his head before a line appeared where his mouth would be and spread across his face and opened to reveal a 'mouth' that was filled with some sort of static nothingness. Another smaller line appeared a bit higher and revealed two eyes of the same static nothingness. "I Look Forward To Our Next Meeting. I Do Enjoy Them So." He stated, his voice sounding distorted as a T.V. without reception. He then raised his hand, coating Cinder, Emerald and Mercury in white energy. Finally, they disappeared in a warp of space, leaving Amber and Jaune alone in the middle of the dirt road.
Amber turned her head from one side of the road to the other, making sure that the coast was clear. She then sighed before letting her powers recede onto her body. She turned her head to the small form of Jaune now sitting up, rubbing the spot where the hole was. He looked up to the approaching Amber and sighed, knowing that she would have a number of questions to ask and demand an explanation for everything that was told to them by his father. He had already agreed that he would explain everything to her when they finished the battle, but that was when she was trusting of him. And he would have been able to explain everything in a calm manor without anything to make her doubt him. But now that the scab had been viciously torn off, the wound was bleeding and would easily irritate if not handled carefully. So he made up his mind and went to tell her everything.
"Before you say anything; Yes, That man Is my father. As much as it is annoying and angering to admit. And...yes, I did lie to you about my past, but you must understand that telling just anyone of my true nature, I wouldn't have known what they would have responded with. Fear, anger, confusion...there is no telling. I didn't want to come to this world just to be met with countless amounts of people wanting to kill me for my powers...do you understand?" Jaune said somberly, hoping that Amber would let him explain himself for lying. He never intended to deceive anyone, but the secret of his former godhood would not bode well if he wanted to gain the trust of anyone. They'd either assume he was crazy, or someone to be feared. But when he saw that Amber had a pained expression that told of her understanding and experience in that regard, he felt a small bit relieved.
"...Alright, let's say that what you say is true...I'd like to know how you came to inhabit the body of an eight year old boy and how that...your 'father' has to do with this." Amber said, wanting the full explanation from him. He was able to get onto his own two feet, but was obviously still recovering his strength. He then looked to Amber and started to tell her everything.
"It all starts with how my father came to be. Back before the universe was created, a single particle manifested itself. That particle then started to rapidly duplicate itself at astronomical speeds, and kept getting faster as more of it was manifesting until it took the shape of what my father is today. From there, he wandered the vast emptiness of the void. Soon enough, his powers had been growing indefinitely and bordered close to infinite in growth and capacity. At one point, he decided to create the universe. Once he grew bored of even that, he gathered most of his energy and created the Multiverse. Where they overlap, yet live on different fields of existence. To this day they infinitely in numbers showcasing the different possibilities that might happen. to view these universes, you must be a god that understands what the 'ultimate truth' is. I myself have seemed to have forgotten what it was when I was banished to this world. Upon seeing nothing but rocks and suns and other inanimate objects, my father took a piece of his infinitely growing core, and used it to create me. He tasked me to create life on as many planets as I could. It went on like that for an indefinite amount of time. But it was when I came across a single planet that had survived the collision of another planet. That other planet ended up being the moon of that planet, so I decided to name it...Remnant." Jaune explained, catching Amber off guard. If he was the one that populated the world, then...he was...
"Yeah...I'm one of the 'Brothers' that your textbooks talk about. Though, I have no idea how the tale of me and my father became so diluted that it changed to a story of two brothers that created all the things that want to kill humanity and the weapons that protect it. But I digress. I reckon that the fragments that my father mentioned must have been what created your Aura and Dust. I don't know who has my Divine Cores, but I'm sure as hell going to make sure that they pay for what they've done. And as for why my father banished me, It was because he forbade me from creating humans. I will admit, I never intended for the human race to be so advanced. But in defiance, I gave them an extra push in intelligence and let them be on their way. That was when my father stripped me of my place in the heavens and banished me here. Though, I believe I have an idea as to why he never wanted my to create humans. It was because...he's scared of them." Jaune continued, looking into Amber's eyes, giving his origin and his hypothesis on why his father might have banished him in the first place. He only thought this, because while his father was right about the humans and that they were no threat to him or himself when he was still a god, they had the potential to be a threat to them, and that they might one day become greater than themselves. He himself knew what was going to happen when he gave the humans that spark of intelligence. That their souls would grow and grow. Becoming greater than their creator and eventually, greater than his father. He figured that his father allowed them to go on for now because of his insatiable need for entertainment that had developed as he created everything. He thought that it also contributed to the reason his father abandoned him as well; Because he grew bored of him.
Amber looked at him with wary eyes. This was indeed a lot to take in all at once. Though, not too far fetched considering that the world did have magic and that Ozpin himself had explained that every fairy tale had truth to them. So with a heavy breath, she nodded to herself and resigned to go believe him, as she has been for the pat decade or so. If there was one thing that would complain about now though, It would be that Being a Maiden was tiring work.
"Alright. I believe you. You're a...former god that was banished to this world. And your father wants to wipe humanity off the face of Remnant. Okay...And that you are one of the two brothers, but are not brothers and are instead father and son...To further that, you did not intentionally create everything we have now, but was rather by accident as you were falling towards the planet...did I get all that right?" Amber asked tiredly. Jaune nodded and started walking down the path to where they were going in the first place. He walked slowly for he feared that any more than that he would collapse to the ground.
"That about sums it all up, yeah. Though most of my powers are still with me, they are abysmally weak when compared to what they were before. I think that I may be able to get back to my full power by getting my fragments back...or at least some of them. Seeing as how most of them have ingrained themselves to the planet. I think that the bigger chunks might have manifested themselves around the world. It's a wild guess, but one that I'm willing to bank on. Though, none of that will matter if I cannot acquire my two Divine Cores. They are essential pieces to the puzzle that is becoming a god. No mere mortal can hold their power alone. The white Core would corrupt any soul beyond imagination. It should, theoretically, kill the host eventually by becoming one with the core...or becoming a new white Core all together. The black core would do nearly the opposite, but will still kill the host by fragmenting them into the different pieces of the core and come together, stronger than the original. Either way, the mortal soul will give in eventually, and become one with their respective Cores. And considering that my father said that they are gathering their forces for a final battle...that time is coming sooner than later. And Amber..." Jaune continued, looking back into her eyes. He gave her a small smile, trying to show her that he was still the boy she got to know these past few weeks. "I want you to know that I care for you. I truly do. And that everything that may come our way...I'll make sure that you stay safe, no matter what." Jaune said with as much sincerity as he could muster. Amber was silent, but the smile on her face told him that she felt the same way. She then walked up to him and gave him a hug which he returned as well. So they started going on to their destination, but Jaune then remembered that she would explain what her power was.
"Hey Amber?"
"Yeah Jaune?"
"Where did your power come from?"
"Oh, they originated from a wizard that gained immense power one day and decided to gift them to four young women. The powers would then transfer to a new host when the woman dies. That is where they come from...or, at least a short version of how they came to be. It also allows us to control magic."
"oh. Cool."
.
..
...
"Wait." Jaune said suddenly, thinking about how that sounded like how his father explained how the black core worked...
"Oh son of a bi-"
Omake: An...Alternate Ending
Dux Omnium had decided that while fun, the human race was indeed much too dangerous to keep around. So he decided that he would take care of the biggest threat there was right now and then kill the rest of them.
"Look son, I love the fact that you had such trust in me as to believe that I would give you enough time to make you a threat to me, I told you before when you made the humans in the first place." He started, dashing in front of the boy, and driving a hand through his heart. Jaune had widened eyes and a gaping mouth. Omnium let out a small chuckle before quoting himself. "You will die for that." He said with utmost confidence. But what stopped him was the small smile that Jaune gave him as well after a small grunt. He then brought up his left hand that was covered in a divine, energy. Omnium recognized the energy as a pure destructive spell that he had created himself. One that made him widen his eyes.
"You should have gone for the head."
"NO!"
*Snap*
Alright, so...lots of things happened in these past few months. Though, I will still be writing these chapters when I can. And...my grandfather died on the third...and his burial was yesterday. I will say again, while I am grieving, I can not allow that to affect my writing. I have seen too many authors leave many readers without a chapter for months, or even years without any updates to what happened to them. I can understand what they went through though, so it is not their fault either. After all, life is almost always out to get you. The only thing you can do is brace it and come out stronger than before. I plan to do that. I will still be active, and continue with my stories. Anyways, that is all there is for me today. Toodles.