Looks like I, again, have some explaining to do. This will be the third time I have tried to start this story. First time must have been in 2017. However my account got hacked shortly after and had to start this new account. I then posted this chapter so I could continue with the story in late 2018. I did fully intend on continuing with the story. However life got in the way. Got married with kids, and finally finished school. Planned on continuing early last year but then the pandemic started and it made me completely forget about it. However i recently decided to get back to reading fanfics and it made me fall in love with the idea of writing again. So i decided to take a look back at this old story. And I suddenly realized one simple thing...
It sucked. I dont know what in the hell was with me three years ago but the story i submitted was just awful. Not because of the plot, but because i made so many mistakes when writing. Note to self, never submit a chapter without editing it about 4 or 5 times. I also noticed that the direction i had originally planned on the story going was inconsistent with canon. So i decided to re-write this chapter to fix the stupid mistakes I made as well as change a few minor details to make things more consistent with canon.
Now that we have all that out of the way, welcome to Vampire Arc! This will be a Jaune-centered story. This is NOT, and i repeat, NOT an AU. This will be taking place in the canon universe. Assume that everything we know about the world of Remnant and the characters will be more or less the same as it is in canon. However there is one detail that i want to address before you read. I DID play with the timeline slightly. In canon, the great war took place about 80 years prior to the start of Beacon i believe. In my story, the great war starts 217 years before the beginning of episode 1 of RWBY.
I will try to keep each chapter around 5000 words and upload about once a week. The first time around I tried to make each chapter around 10 thousand words and with the benefit of hindsight i realize i was shooting myself in the foot. This prologue will probably be the only chapter of this length.
I think thats all i have to say for now. Thank you for checking out my story and feel free to leave a review. I know my writing is probably awful, but I haven't written in 3 years so I have a lot to learn.
Prologue
200 years before the start of Beacon
The Great War. Over the last 17 years, that is all the world of Remnant has known. Vale and Vacuo on one side, with Mantle and Mistral on the other. It is not known who struck first. All that is really known is that before the start of the war, tensions had been building for nearly 100 years. So when a battle erupted between two groups of settlers, one from Vale and one from Mistral, it resulted in a blood bath. This is the first known battle of The Great War. Immediately Mistral ordered their troops in and requested the aid from Mantle. The king of Vale had no choice but to order his troops to fight and requested the aid of Vacuo. Before anyone knew what was going on, there was fighting all over the world.
This has been the deadliest war in Remnant's history. Thousands of villages and settlements have been left in ruins. Millions of people have perished. Both soldier, and civilian. With so much death and destruction, negativity is at its peak. With so much negativity the grimm were stronger and more prevalent than ever before. The growing threat of the grimm made things especially hard on the villages that were located outside of the kingdom of Vale's walls. Konora was one of these villages.
The village of Konora has been relatively empty the last 20 years. Almost all able-bodied men of the have all gone off to fight, leaving behind only the women, children, and the elderly. Only a few huntsman stayed to defend the village from the increasing numbers of grimm. All hope seemed lost, and with the grimm growing stronger the village feared it would not last much longer.
Today was the day that things turned around. A courier rode to town. He came bearing great news. It was in no time before all the townsfolk heard the best news they had heard in nearly 20 years. The Great War of Remnant has finally come to an end.
"It's over!"
"Did you hear the news?"
"The great war is over!"
"We can finally have peace!"
Shouts of the end of the war were spreading through the town like wildfire. The town was filled with cheers and celebrations. Children danced in the streets, excited for their fathers to return home. Women were anxious, hoping to once again see the faces of their male loved ones. Many had not seen their fathers, husbans, brothers or sons in almost 20 years. Many had given up hope that they would ever see them again.
While many still had fear that they would never see their family members again, there was no denying the relief they felt that the war was finally over. In perfect timing as well, as there was only a handful of huntsman in the village. With the growing threat of grimm, they would need as many able-bodied men as they could get. With only a few huntsman left to protect the village, many teenage boys had been put to the task of protecting the village from grimm One of these teenage boys, being one of the first to hear the news, is currently sprinting home to inform his mother and sisters. His blond hair whipping back as he used all the strength in his legs to propel himself further. Jaune Arc has never been so excited in his life.
They are going to be so happy! It's been 5 years since the last time father visited home! Now he will get to stay with us for good!Jaune Arc could barely contain his excitement as he sprinted up the road to his family's house. As he grew near, he saw his mother hanging laundry on the clothesline in their front yard.
"Mother!" Jaune yelled happily, hopping over the gate to the yard in his excitement. His mother, Serena Arc, whipped her head around to look at her son. She hasnt seen him this excited in years.
Serena Arc was a middle-aged woman of 50 years old. She was 5'5" with a slim figure. Her normally long black hair was tied up in a bun to keep from getting wet from the laundry. Despite being 50, her complexion made her look as if she was 20 years younger. The only hint to her age was the few grey hairs that are starting to appear on her head. Her bright blue eyes widened as her son approached.
"Jaune? What's wrong? Shouldn't you be helping guard the gates? You normally aren't home until the sun starts to -" Serena never got the chance to finish before Jaune swept her up in a warm embrace, laughing in his excitement
"Mother! A courier rode into town this morning with a letter from father! The mayor announced from the plaza that the war is over! He will be home within the week!" Jaune explained, tears starting to blurr his vision as he picked up and spun his mother around.
Serena's eyes widened before she found herself returning the hug from her son. Before she could say anything, tears begun to fall as she closed her eyes. Life had been hard without her husband. She had only seen her husband a handful of times in the last 17 years. He left to fight not long after the birth of Jaune and his twin sister, Joan. He was only able to return home once, maybe twice a year. When he did visit, he could only stay for a couple of weeks, a month at the most. His visits continued for the first 12 years of the war, but once he was made a general five years ago, he had not been able to return home. Raising eight children practically by herself has been challenging.
"Oh my. Jaune, this is wonderful news!" Serena cried out as she broke from the embrace. "We must go tell your sisters!"
Before Jaune could agree, Serena grabbed onto his hand and she dragged him inside. Luckily, all seven of the Arc sisters were already inside and sitting around the fireplace.
The eldest daughter at 25 was Saphron, who was sitting closest to the fire, adding more logs to the blaze. Saphron was 5'8", making her the second tallest of the Arc children next to Jaune. She had long blonde hair, though not as bright as Jaune's, that reached the center of her back. She had dark blue eyes and a bright smile.
Sitting on the floor a few feet from the fire was the twins Violet and Sarah. They were the second and third oldest at 23. They both had long brown hair that had a slight curl to it. Each wore a red handkerchief around their right arms. At 5'2", they were shorter than the rest of the Arc children. They were both slim in figure. The only way to tell the difference between the two is that Sarah was much more well-endowed than Violet (which Violet would never admit that she was jealous of).
In one of the rocking chairs sat Gwendolyn, who was the fourth eldest daughter at 21. While all the Arc daughters had a resemblance to their mother, Gwendolyn was almost a spitting image to Serena. There were barely any differences to them except the obvious age difference and a difference in style. Her black hair was let down, opposed to the bun that her mother kept her hair in. She was slightly taller than her mother at 5'6".
Then there was Olivia, who was standing by the stove preparing dinner for the family. She was 20 and at 5'5" was the same height as her mother. She had light green hair that was tied up in a bun like her mother's. Her eyes were a dark brown.
Next, sitting in one of the other chairs, was Tyra, who was two years older than Jaune at 19. She had shoulder-length blonde hair and green eyes. She was 5'3" and cut a similar figure to the rest of her sisters.
Lastly there was the youngest Arc sister, Joan. She was 17 and was Jaune's twin sister. She looked almost exactly like a female version of Jaune. Same scraggly, but more feminine, figure and same shade of blonde with similar eye colors. Her hair was much longer and was kept in a ponytail, as opposed to Jaune's short messy hairstyle. She was also shorter at 5'7" compared to Jaune's 6'1".
As soon as Jaune and Serena burst through the door, it immediately caught the attention of the girls. Violet was the first to say something. "Mother? Jaune? What's going on?"
"Your father is coming home!" Serena cheered, barely containing how happy she was. "We just got the news today!"
The girls all perked up at the news, they looked at each other and then back to their mother. They couldn't believe what they just heard. Gwendolyn was the next to speak, asking the inevitable question. "Is he relieved from duty? What about the war?"
"That's just it, the war was over!" Jaune explained. "A courier came into town this morning. Both sides called for an immediate ceasefire and have decided to call for a treaty. There will finally be peace, and all the soldiers will be returning home!"
If they weren't happy before, they certainly were now. A weight that had been on their shoulders for most of their lives had been lifted. Violet and Sarah hugged each other, unable to contain their happiness, Saphron tried, and failed, to keep tears from forming. Joan got up from her chair and almost tackled her brother out of excitement, Jaune was barely able to stay standing when she collided into him.
After their moment of excitement, the stream of questions that Jaune was unprepared for came crashing upon him
"W-Where is he? When will he be back?" Gwendolyn asked, wondering why their father had not return with the news himself.
"Who won the war?!" Tyra asked, hoping that it was Vale.
"Was father injured?! Is he safe?!" Violet and Sarah asked at the same time.
Jaune's eyes widened as he was constantly bombarded with questions. Luckily his mother was there to hold the girls back.
"GIRLS!" Serena yelled, causing everyone to go silent.
"Thank you, mother." Jaune whispered, happy to be able to get the situation back under control. He looked around the room at the eight pairs of eyes that were watching him. He knew he would have explain things carefully to avoid another stream of questions.
"Father will be back at the end of the week. He is a general and was at the front lines, so I imagine he is trying to make sure everything is finished before he comes home. As for who won I would say no one did…" Saphron, Violet, and Joan's eyes all turned sharper at that bit, angry that the nearly 20 years of fighting had been for nothing. "…but at least the tensions between the kingdoms will be over. As for how father is… I do not know. All the mayor said was that 'General Arc writes that the war is over and that there shall be peace' It didn't say anything else." Jaune finished.
Some of their faces fell, they hadn't heard much from their father for the past five years. It had been an entire year since their father had even written to home and hearing him being mentioned made them hopeful he was already home. Seeing their faces, Serena decided to try and lift their spirits back up.
"Now, now, it will just be another week. We waited this long, we can wait just seven more days." She reassured, bringing the smiles back to their faces. "That gives us seven days to prepare for his arrival. He will no doubt be tired for the journey, and maybe the rest of the town will want to throw a celebration for the returning soldiers."
"Really?" Olivia asked, excited for the idea of a party. She hadn't seen any positive events in the town since she was a little girl.
"You bet." Jaune added. "I'm going to do whatever I can do prepare for their return."
True to their prediction, the next week the whole town was in a frenzy. Every citizen, from the youngest child to the oldest elder, was pitching in to prepare the town for the return of the soldiers. The town plaza had ribbons and freshly-sown flags plastered around. Newly-constructed long tables were set around parallel to each other to make room for the whole town. Huge fire pits were filled with logs in order to cook the livestock that were being prepared for the feast. Things had been better than they have been in a long time. In fact the guards had not seen a single grimm throughout the entire week after the war had ended.
The only thing that was needed now were the people, which at the moment were all centered around the gates, waiting for the faintest hint of people at the edge of the horizon. At the very front of the crowd stood the Arc family, who had been waiting since the crack of dawn.
"I sure hope they get here without any trouble." Olivia wondered aloud.
"I'm sure he will be okay. You know how strong father is. He could destroy a hundred grimm with one arm tied behind his back." Joan countered, though more ease her own concern than to convince her sister.
Saphron put a hand on both of their shoulders. "Things will be okay, girls. Besides, he won't be traveling alone. All the survivors will be with him."
She didn't realize it when she said it, but she said survivors instead of soldiers. Their faces all turned down at the thought. Over the time of the war, 200 men of Konora left to fight. While they did have reports of casualties over the last 17 years, it was unknown just how many, and they rarely had names tied to those casualties. It was unknown just how many would be returning from the fight.
Jaune wanted to interject in their conversation, but he was too lost in his own thoughts. He had absolute faith that his father would get home. His father was the strongest huntsman in the village. His aura reserves were massive and his semblance was beyond powerful, it being the ability to turn his body into a metal as strong as titanium. No, his safety wasn't what Jaune was worried about right now. It was something else entirely.
Will… Will Father be proud of me?Jaune wondered.
Jaune was 12 years old the last time he saw his father. Ever since he left, Jaune had been trying to mold himself into someone his father would be proud of. He could still remember the last words his father had spoken to him the day he left.
"Goodbye, my son. You are the man of the house, now. Take care of your mother and sisters for me. Things in the war are getting worse, so I might not come back. Whether I do or do not return, you will need to be there for them."
Jaune gripped the hilt of the sword he had strapped to his side. It was nothing compared to the blade that his father uses, but it was sturdy and reliable, and gripping it made him feel more like the man his father wanted him to be. Someone who could fight to protect his family in a moment's notice. He never had much training and was nothing compared to a soldier or a huntsman, but he could hold his own against grimm and the occasional.
Sensing his nervousness, he felt a comforting hand placed on his shoulder. He looked over to see Joan looking at him worryingly. "Jaune, Are you okay?"
Jaune felt the tension in him slip away slightly. He closed his eyes, letting out a sigh and placed his hand on top of his sister's. "I'm fine. I just hope I'm everything he expects."
"Don't worry so much, little brother." Saphron commented. "You know what father is like, as soon as he sees us he is going to wrap all nine of us in a bone crushing hug."
Correction, YOU know what father is like. You spent more time with him than any of us.Jaune thought. Joan's face showed that she was thinking the same thing. As much as he loves his father, he can't say the man has been that much of a part of his life. Jaune and Joan were born only a couple of months before the war started, so for most of his life he only saw his father between battles when he was allowed to return home, which was only twice maybe three times a year if they were lucky. Jaune knows it wasn't his father's fault that he wasn't around, and he has nothing but respect and pride for the man because of his choice to defend the kingdom. Still, he wishes that he could have spent more time with him.
Most of the Arc siblings could admit that they haven't spent much time with their father. Even Olivia, who usually doesn't want to spend time with anyone, wished to be closer to him. The rest of the Arcs were shocked to see how intently she was watching the road, never seeing her be so focused on something that wasn't a book. She didn't even look away when Violet and Sarah teased her about being a big softy.
"Come on, girls." Serena said. "Don't tease Olivia for missing her father."
Olivia's cheeks turned red, finally realizing the attention of everyone was on her, she huffed and turned her head away, trying to avoid the attention.
The back and forth continued on like that for the next hour. The teasing and jokes helped distract them from how nervous they really were. They had been waiting ever since dawn, which was 12 hours ago, and they only had about an hour of sunlight left.
They should be back by now. Jaune wondered, trying but failing to stay positive.
"Look! The soldiers are heading this way!" A guard on top of the gates yelled out. This caused the crowd to go silent, and any and all doubts ceased immediately.
In the distance they saw what they had been waiting to see all day. A huge group of at least 130 soldiers. Not as many as they would like, but considering how long the war had lasted, it was lucky that that many remained. They couldn't distinguish any faces, considering the distance, but It was obvious they had been to a war. Most of the soldiers were riding huge, armored horses. Some horses were being used to pull wagons filled with supplies for the journey. Some wagons were being used to pull injured soldiers, but luckily it looked like it was only two of those wagons. Flags of Vale were being carried by some of the soldiers, the bright green colors being visible from the distance.
As they got closer, the person at the lead of the troop became more apparent, and on sight filled the Arc family with more joy than they have ever felt. Riding on top of a large, white horse was none other than the head of the Arc family. Cornelius Arc.
Seeing his father again reminded Jaune of just how powerful the man looked. He was a hulk of a man at 6'7", his broad shoulders adding to his already intimidating figure. He had shoulder length bright-blonde hair and a beard do match, slight hints of grey in some places revealing his age of 53. The steel suit of armor with two golden Arc's molten onto the chest plate further added to his size. A flowing red cape was attached to his shoulders, standing him out from the rest. His warm smile and stern glare screamed of confidence and pride. Attached to his trusted sword, set in its polished sheathe, Crocea Mors.
It was unknown who started it, but as the troop drew closer to the town gates, the townsfolk erupted into cheers and applause. Some women were shredding tears of joy at seeing their sons or husbands were still alive. Some were shredding tears of anguish and despair for not being able to spot their family, however.
It wasn't till the troop was right in front of them that anyone made a move.
"Dismount!" Cornelius commanded. The disciplined soldiers did what they were told and dismounted their steeds. Cornelius was the first to dismount, and right as his foot touched the ground, he heard what he knew was coming.
"FATHER!" Eight voices cried out.
Before he even had the chance to turn around, he was tackled in a monstrous hug from his eight children. He suddenly became very thankful he was wearing armor as the force of 1000 boarbatusks barreled into and collapsed on top of him. As much as it hurt, his face softened as he did his best to try and wrap his own arms around the tangle of limbs that was his family, but Sarah and Tyra were currently wrapped around each of his arms, so he couldn't move.
"It's okay, children. I'm here now." He whispered. The Arcs were so lost in the moment that they all didn't even want to correct them about how they weren't children anymore.
"Cornelius?" He heard a feminine voice whisper from above him. He looked up from the pile of his offspring to look at the smiling face of his wife. His face teared up at seeing the love of his life once again. She may have gotten older, but to him his wife was just as beautiful as the day he met her at 17.
"H-Hello beautiful." Cornelius struggled to say, both from the tears and from the few hundred pounds of Arc sitting on his chest. "M-Mind helping me with these?"
Serena wiped the tears from her face as she nodded. Cornelius sighed in relief, happy that he will be able to breathe once more… Until his wife's face turned into a devilish smile as she jumped high in the air and landed at the top of the pile, doing her best to try and join in to the hug. "Ow…" All the Arc's groaned in pain at the additional weight.
The outburst of the Arc family had prompted the rest of the crowd to rush the soldiers as well. There were laughs and cheers, and even the wounded that were seated on the wagons were supporting warm smiles. This had continued for the next hour before the town retreated to the plaza so the feast could start.
The whole town was seated at the large oak tables placed in the plaza. The fire pits were now lit, and growing blazes were cooking the pigs and deer that were suspended over the fire. The smell of the meat filling the noses of every citizen. On every table were fresh berries and vegetables were toppled onto large plates. Large tankards full of wine, beer, and mead were passed around. Music filled the air from the bards that were singing and playing flutes and violins.
Seated at a table by themselves, due to the overwhelming size of the family, were the Arcs. Cornelius was seated at the center of the table, his arm around Serena's shoulders as she rested her head on his shoulder. He had taken off his suit of armor in favor of a pair of leather pants and a bright blue tunic that barely fit over his muscular frame. The rest of the Arcs had dressed in similar colors. The Arc sisters were wearing matching dresses that were yellow on the torso and was blue around the legs. Jaune was wearing a black shirt and brown wool pants.
"I can't tell you how happy I am to see you all again." Cornelius said, pulling his wife closer to his chest.
"We missed you so much, father." Saphron blurted out, not being able to wipe the smile off her face.
"And I missed you too, more than you could ever know." He answered back, reaching across the table to put a comforting hand on top of her own.
Cornelius and Saphron looked into each other's eyes for a moment, a smile conveying everything that needed to be said. He then fixed his gaze to his two youngest children, Jaune and Joan.
"It has certainly been so long since I've seen you two. You were 12 the last time we saw each other, and both could barely come up to my waist." Cornelius's face turned into a slight frown, no doubt thinking of how much of his children's lives he had missed. He quickly dismissed those thoughts, not wanting to ruin the mood of the party. Instead he focused on some of the happy memories he DID have of his children. His face turned into an amused chuckle a moment later when one of the few memories he did have had come back to him. "I remember when Jaune used to play with a wooden sword and pretend to be a 'knight in shining armor' trying to defeat the 'evil dragon Joan' In the backyard."
Jaune and Joan blushed at the comment, unprepared for the embarrassing comments. "Father!" Joan and Jaune whined simultaneously, making Cornelius laugh.
"We were only 6." Jaune pouted as he crossed his arms.
"And you made for a very brave knight." Cornelius reached up and ruffled his son's hair, much to the protest of the boy.
Everyone, except Jaune and Joan, broke out into laughter at their expense. As much as Jaune was embarrassed, he couldn't say he didn't like it. If he was being honest with himself, he was happy his father was embarrassing him. It was times like this that remind him that his family is whole now. It was moments like this that he remembers the most.
"Just you watch. When I get older I'm going to get stronger than you ever were." Jaune huffed in a joking manner.
"Damn right you will." Cornelius answered back, surprising everyone as his tone went from joking to serious.
"W-what do you mean?"
Cornelius looked around to his wife and daughters, seeing that they were all paying attention to the turn the conversation the men were having. He looked back to Jaune before whispering to him. "This conversation might be best had in private. Come with me, son."
Cornelius and Jaune stood up from the table and walked away from the plaza. They passed by the houses and shops before finally walking outside the gates. They walked for a minute until Cornelius was confident they were alone. The music from the feast could still be heard, but they were still far enough to where they had some privacy. Cornelius turned around and leaned against a tree and started to address his son. Jaune didn't want it to show, but he was pretty nervous. He couldn't remember the last time he had a moment alone with his father.
"You… wanted to talk to me?" Jaune asked, nervously scratching the back of his head.
Cornelius crossed his arms as he eyed his son for a moment before finally speaking up "Jaune, starting tomorrow I am going to start your huntsman training"
Jaune immediately perked up at this statement. "R-Really?"
"Yes. I only wished I could have been around to train you sooner. I was half your age when my father started to train me. I wasn't there for you, Jaune, and I'm sorry about that. As much as I wish things could have been different, I can't. But I'm here now, and I will do my best to be the father that you and the girls deserve."
Jaune's eyes widened, finding himself suddenly speechless. Cornelius paused and flashed a small smile to his son before continuing. "For what it's worth, I am proud of you. You were just a boy, but you were able to take good care of the girls. Also, I heard from your mother that you had volunteered to man the gates. I know it means that at most you can handle a beowolf or a small ursa, but still it's a good first step in your training. I vow to you as an Arc and as your father that I will make you fulfill your promise of becoming stronger than me. It is always a father's dream for his son to become a better man than he, and so far, I can say you are on your way."
Cornelius pushed himself off the tree and put a comforting hand on Jaune's shoulders. "I may not have been here to teach you how to be a man, but I am proud to see that you were able to figure it out on your own."
"I... I don't know what to say." Jaune was completely speechless. It was always his dream for his father to be proud of him, but to know that this was what his father thought of him was a huge weight off his shoulders.
Cornelius looked at his son for a moment before getting lost in thought. For a moment he made a determined face, deciding on something that he should have done before he left. "Don't say anything, just close your eyes and concentrate."
Jaune got confused "What?"
"Just do it son." He said as he rolled his eyes.
As Jaune closed his eyes he felt the grip his father had on his shoulder tighten, and his father placed his other hand on his forehead before whispering some sort of incantation.
"For it is through peace that we achieve true victory. Through this, we protect life and befriend our enemies. Strong in spirit and determined in will. I release your soul and through my words, strengthen thee."
As soon as his father was finished, Jaune felt a strange energy deep inside him. First it was just a small feeling, just a tiny spark in the back of his mind. Then, his eyes shot open as he felt this energy surge throughout his body. He backed away from his father's grip and looked down as his arms. He saw that his body was shining in a brilliant white glow.
"W-What?! What's happening?!" Jaune asked, both amazed and scared.
He saw his father stagger a bit, as if exhausted. Once he recovered, his eyes widened as he looked upon his son, as if shocked himself. He shook his head a moment later before standing upright, smirking as if amused by his son's reaction.
"I remembered that your aura has yet to be unlocked, so I used my aura to unlock yours. It will protect you now, and we will be able to start your real training. Your aura will serve you well son, in fact you have a larger pool of aura than anyone else I've ever met. You can't exactly measure aura, but from what I can tell my aura reserves are easily dwarfed by yours. Mine didn't glow like yours did when it was unlocked."
Jaune barely heard him, watching his aura fade away. "Wow… It feels incredible. It feels like I'm more than what I was."
"I remember the feeling, though that isn't exactly how it works though. Your aura is just the physical embodiment of your soul. You aren't becoming more, you are just recognizing the presence of what you have always had within you. It's a link between your body and your soul. You can usually tell a lot about a man's character by the size of the aura. The strength of their character, the strength of their soul, will determine how much aura someone has. That's why I'm happy for how large your aura reserves are, it shows how great of a man you will grow up to be."
"I sort of understand. I still have one question though. What do you mean by you unlocked my aura? I thought we all just had aura." Jaune asked. He knew about aura, but all he knew was that it was some sort of shield. He had not been taught how it worked or how one could get it.
"Well, technically anyone CAN produce an aura, but most have to have it unlocked by someone who already has aura. It is possible for someone to unlock it naturally, but it is beyond rare. I certainly don't know anyone who has unlocked theirs naturally. I myself had my aura unlocked by my father, and his father unlocked his and so on. One day you shall unlock your son's aura."
"H-How do I do that?" Jaune asked, still amazed and eager to learn.
"You make physical contact with him and flood your own aura through his body, and this will ignite their own aura. You have to say an incantation of course, though each incantation is different. The words you say must match your own aura, and thus your own soul. If you don't say words that are true to your soul, it will not work. Sometimes it might even cause you pain, as a wrong incantation is a direct violation of who you are"
"What words would I say then? I'm not sure what words match my soul." Jaune asked. Cornelius chuckled at his son's question, remembering when he had asked his own father the exact same thing.
"That, my son, is for you to figure out. It took me years to figure mine out." Jaune deflated at the answer, though he understood the reasoning.
Jaune remembered what his father said earlier before punched his father in the shoulder playfully. "You said I would become a better man than you, but you spent almost 20 years fighting for your kingdom. No one will ever be a better man than you. You're a hero!"
His father's face turned into a frown, his eyes closed in both anger and remorse. "Don't… Don't call me a hero son."
"But Fa- "
"I said don't call me a hero." Cornelius interrupted as opened his eyes, fixing his glare to his son. He sighed a moment later. "I'm sorry, son. I just got back from war, and when you are fighting a war long enough there is something that you learn. The true heroes are not the ones that stand on the stage to receive praise. The true heroes who sacrificed everything. The true heroes are the ones that don't come back."
No words were said after that. Jaune could tell that his father was feeling guilty. Jaune was happy to see his father, but he had been so focused on spending time with him today that he hadn't really been considering what his father must be feeling.
Looking at his father's face, realization dawned on him. Survivor's guilt
"Father, the war is over now. No more fighting or death. You need to remember you were a part of that." Jaune reassured.
"I-I know son. I am proud of myself for being a part of the end of the war, but I am not proud of myself because I didn't do much actual fighting in the last five years. Yes, I commanded troops, but I hadn't done much actual fighting myself. Truthfully, I hate fighting, and had been so focused on trying to find a way to end the war without bloodshed. I spent almost half the war just trying to get in contact with the kings of Mistral and Mantal to arrange a meeting."
"What do you mean you were trying to get in contact with the enemy kingdoms?!" Jaune asked, getting visually angry. Cornelius wasn't fazed by his son's sudden outburst, however.
"Jaune I understand why you are angry, but the only way to truly have peace is not to kill our enemy, but to shake hands with them. Through compromise and negotiation. Our king, King Ozman, wasnt happy with me at first. Not because I was trying to find a peaceful solution to the war, but because I went rogue. I went behind the scenes to try and arrange a meeting between the kings of all four kingdoms. Turns out both sides were tired of the fighting. We spent the last month on an island outside of the four kingdoms to try and negotiate a truce. We didn't come out clean, but on the bright side we were able to end faunus slavery in Mantal and Mistral. In fact the island we were on is now a safe haven for the faunus. It isn't much but it's a start."
"F-Father! That's great! You told us that you were there to see the end of the war. You didn't say anything about being responsible for the end of the war itself!"
"Because I'm not. All I did was get the four kings to agree to a meeting and offer the king advice on the war. I didn't do anything else. I also didn't know what getting the kings to agree to a meeting would lead to. It could have gone completely wrong and potentially even led to the war becoming even deadlier than ever. It was honestly a stupid risk." Cornelius finished with a slight chuckle.
"It could have but didn't." Jaune pointed out. "You may deny it, but to me if it wasn't for you doing that, then the war would still be going on, and countless more lives would have been lost. I don't care what you think, father, I am proud of you."
While it didn't completely make him feel better, his son's words did lift his spirits slightly. "T-thank you, son. Now, let's go back to the party. No doubt they are getting worried about us."
Jaune nodded in agreement before they headed back to the village.
The Arc's stayed at the feast for three more hours, and while the party would most likely go on for a few more hours, the Arc's had gotten tired and decided to retire for the night. They bid farewell to some friends of the family and now they were walking back to the Arc household. Well… most of them were walking. Olivia and Gwendolyn were stumbling and needed help walking, due to the generous amounts of alcohol they drank over the last few hours. Saphron was supporting Gwen while Jaune had Olivia.
"You didn't have to drink THAT much wine, Gwendolyn." Saphron grunted, barely able to keep her sister from falling.
"I..." *HICCUP* "Didn't drunk anything, urrr drunk." Gwendolyn slurred out before breaking out into a fit of giggles.
"N-No Gwenny…" *Hic* "Saphhh's right. U drink too much. Drinking is bad. You need to not get drunk, like us!" Olivia told her equally drunk sister before tripping over herself. She would not have fallen if not for Jaune catching her at the last second. Cornelius laughed at the behavior of his daughters while Serena just rolled her eyes. She isn't the biggest fan of her children drinking. She didn't care how old they were, they were still her babies.
Jaune let out a grunt "Remind me to never let you drink ever again."
"Trust me, son. In the morning when they wake up they won't ever want to drink again." Cornelius added, remembering the monstrous hangovers he has had in the past.
"Is there any way to get them to sober up?" Saphron asked, getting increasingly annoyed at the drunk girl who keeps poking her in the cheek.
"Nope."
"Damn." Saphron groaned.
It took them 20 minutes to finally get back to the Arc house, as it was towards the outskirts of the village. By the time the family walked through the front door the girls had sobered up enough to walk on their own. Cornelius walked in and grabbed a couple cups of water.
"Here, drink this. It will help." Cornelius said as he shoved the cups of water into the hands of his drunk daughters. The girls walked over to the rocking chairs and sat down, taking small sips of water as a slight headache started to form. Serena walked over to the fireplace and started to light a fire to keep them warm.
"Well, I'm going to go to bed." Saphron yawned before heading up the stairs. Violet and Sarah didn't so much as walk as they did drift up the stairs in a half-asleep trance. Tyra, Olivia, and Gwendolyn Joined their parents by the fire, not wanting to leave their father's side as well as taking in the comfortable warmth of the flames.
"I think I'm gonna go to bed to. Are you coming too, Jaune?" Joan asked, referencing their shared bedroom while trying to contain her yawn. As much as Jaune wished he could have his own room, he was not fortunate enough for there to be enough. There were only six bedrooms, meaning that each set of twins had to share one.
"No, I think I'm going to stay up for a little while and help the girls up the stairs later." Jaune explained as he looked over to the fireplace. Joan shrugged and headed up the stairs.
Jaune walked over to the fireplace with the rest of the arcs and sat down on the floor. It had gotten colder outside, so feeling the warmth was a huge relief. He looked over to his father, who was sitting down in his favorite chair. He looked exhausted, but at the same time he looked happy and comfortable. He had been traveling for the past week. This is likely the first chance he has had to sit back and relax.Jaune thought.
With a smile, Jaune turned back to the flames. Despite the frustration of carrying his drunk sister for half a mile, this has truly been one of the best days of his life. He doubted anything could ruin the mood he was in.
*CRASH* The sound of glass shattering broke through the house.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" A terrified scream came from upstairs.
Jaune and Cornelius shot to their feet immediately. Cornelius reached for Crocea Mors, which had been mounted on the wall above the fireplace. He readied the sword and turned the sheathe into a shield. Jaune pulled out his sword which had still been attached to his belt.
"Girls, stay down here. Jaune, follow me!" Cornelius commanded, handing his shield to his wife. Serena, Tyra, Gwendolyn, and Olivia had already cowered into a corner, hugging themselves and trying to keep their fear in control. Cornelius and Jaune rushed up the stairs.
When they reached the top, they came to a hallway with six doors. Saphron, Violet, and Sarah were standing in front of one of the doors, frantically knocking on it.
"Joan!? Joan, are you okay?!" Saphron yelled. Jaune's face paled as he ran, scared that his twin sister was in danger.
"HELP ME! HEL- "Joan's voice screamed out, before being interrupted by the unmistakable loud and hungry growl of a beowolf.
"GIRLS! MOVE!" Cornelius's voice boomed as he activated his semblance, turning his body into metal as he charged forward. The girls barely had time to get out of the way before Cornelius's body crashed through the door, destroying it easily and causing chunks of the wood to explode all over the room.
Cornelius deactivated his semblance and looked at the scene in front of him. He saw his daughter cowering underneath the bed, trying to hide herself from view. The window was shattered, and there was a beowolf trying to crawl through. The window wasn't big enough for it to fit its whole body through, but its head, upper torso and arms were through, and it was desperately trying to scratch at the wood of the window frame, trying to tear its way through. Its burning red eyes were fixed on Joan, its intentions entirely clear.
It would never have a chance. As soon as he saw the beowolf, Crocea Mors was tearing through the hide and flesh of the grimm, killing it without a second's hesitation. Jaune had rushed over to aid his sister, who was trembling in absolute terror. She tried to talk, but she was shaking so much that it just came out as a jumbling mess.
"Joan. Joan, listen to me. It's going to be okay, we are here now." Jaune whispered into his twin's ear as he wrapped his arms around here. "We aren't going to let anything happen to you."
Cornelius pulled his blade free, letting the body of the beowolf slump down before evaporating into black smoke.
"Jaune, take your sister downstairs with the rest of the girls." Jaune nodded and helped his twin out of the room. Cornelius walked over to the window and peeked his head out. He saw claw marks trailing from the ground to the window where the grimm had climbed up, but other than that everything looked normal. The damage to his home wasn't what bothered him though. He was perplexed by another issue. How the hell did a damn beowolf get inside the village? The entire place is surrounded by walls, and the only way in is guarded by huntsman. He inspected outside for a moment before running downstairs.
Almost everything was calmed down. Serena had Joan sit down on one of the chairs and she draped a blanket over her. Joan had her face in her hands and was letting out choked sobs, still terrified about what just happened to her. The rest of the girls were trying to hug her to calm her down. Jaune had sheathed his sword but was gripping the hilt in anger. As soon as Cornelius reached the ground floor, everyone looked up to him. "It's safe now, I don't think there was any more."
"W-What happened? There isn't any more of what?" Tyra shakily asked.
"There was a beowolf. It somehow got within the walls."
"How is that possible?" Jaune asked. "The walls are 30 feet high and are spiked at the top, there's no way it could have gotten in. The last time one has gotten in was when there was a massive pack had broken through the gates at the entrance to the village, but the guards would have rung the bells if that happened. There hasn't been a single grimm sighting here in a week."
That seemed to have gotten his father's attention. "Wait, there hasn't been a grimm around here in a week? Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. I walked along the walls myself during my shifts. Why? What's going on?"
"I hadn't seen any grimm activity in the last week either, which should be impossible. Grimm activity and aggression has risen dramatically over the course of the war. There were times when the negativity from the war had attracted so many grimm during a battle that there had to be a ceasefire on both sides to try and deal with the grimm threat. The day that the war was ended at the signing of the treaty though, grimm activity had all but ceased. Almost like they disappeared. I didn't see a single one on the trip home. The only reason we were able to think of was that with the war over, the negativity has declined. That should make the grimm weaker and less prevalent, but that doesn't explain why there were no grimm whatsoever." His father finished, his mind running wild at what could be going on.
Jaune's eyes widened in realization. He had originally thought that the end of the war effected the negativity, but there is no way that it would case a complete disappearance of grim to take place. Why would one appear now? Jaune thought
*CRASH*
Cornelius and Jaune whipped their heads to the parlor window, where a clawed black arm crashed through it, causing glass to explode outwards. A low, hungry growl could be heard as the black silhouette of a beowolf could be seen.
Another one?!Jaune readied his sword as the women of the Arc family all screamed.
Cornelius rushed to go it, but before his sword could strike the grimm, wood exploded throughout the room as a second beowolf crashed through the front door. Time seemed to slow down as Cornelius eyed the beowolf sticking its head through the window and the beowolf standing at the door eyeing his family.
The first one to make a move was the beowolf at the door. It got down on all fours and rushed forward towards Jaune and the girls.
Jaune moved forwards to try to intercept it, but his father beat him to it. Cornelius moved so fast it looked like teleported in front of them. He slashed Crocea Mors down, cleaving the beowolf in two. He then wrenched it free and threw the sword at the window, imbedding it in the head of the second beowolf.
As the two beowolves started to turn to mist Cornelius let out an annoyed sigh. This was his first day off in years, and this is what happens? His thoughts were cut off as another sound of claws scraping against wood came from where the front door used to be.
"Oh shit…" He whispered as he turned his head towards the door, seeing it replaced by two more beowolves, each widening the doorway by crashing their large bodies through it.
As he moved to try and take care of the beowolves at the doorway he heard something else. The faint sound of glass shattering from upstairs. Immediately afterword's the sound of paws hitting the floor could be heard.
*THUMP* The sound of something landing on the roof could be heard. Footsteps could be heard running to the chimney. Dust could be seen falling from the fireplace as the sound something scraping down it. Then the black clawed paws of another beowolf landed on the fire. It screeched in pain, but its large paws were able to extinguish the flame as it landed, casting the room in darkness.
"M-More of them?!" Gwendolyn could be heard yelling.
Before they knew it, they were surrounded. Jaune and Cornelius backed away so that they were standing in front of their family, ready to fight to the death to prevent the girls from being hurt. During this time more and more beowolves, at least 20, were able to pool into the living room. Cornelius and Jaune wanted to start attacking, but if they did then the grimm would rush and attack the girls from another angle. The girls were screaming, terrified. The rest of the town would have been able to hear it if it wasn't from the loud music coming from the plaza.
"Cornelius! Do something!" Serena cried, desperately clutching to her daughters, prepared to jump in the way and sacrifice herself if the grimm rushed. Cornelius grit his teeth, not seeing any way where he could get his family out of harms way. If they were outside he might have been able to, but in the strict confines of the living room he was too constricted.
Time moved on for another five minutes, the beowolves and the Arc family staring each other down, daring each other to try and make a move. It wasn't long before someone spoke up.
"Why aren't they attacking?!" Tyra cried out. The men didn't let their guard down, but they did notice what she was talking about. There were easily over 20 beowolves in the house at the moment, and light growls hinted for more being outside, but they weren't attacking. They were… watching. Hungerly opening their mouths as drool pooled out of their maw. Each time one of the arcs would even twitch, a beowolf would growl louder and get lower to the ground, prepared to lunge if need be.
Then, after what felt like an eternity, something changed. The temperature in the air dropped like the cold of winter. A strange weight settled on everything, like the pressure of the air had gotten heavier. It was almost disorienting.
"Don't worry, they won't hurt you. I won't let them… for now." A smooth, feminine voice broke the silence.
Hearing the voice chilled them all to the bone. The beowolves seems to get lower, not as a sign of aggression, but almost as if they were bowing to the voice. As if they were subservient to the voice.
"Show yourself!" Cornelius growled, feeling the dark presence but still not backing down.
For a moment, nothing happened. No one made a sound, not even the pack of beowolves. Each second made the room growing colder and more tense.
Then the voice could be heard again "As you wish."
Then, the beowolves that were guarding the door parted. Darkness crept from outside, as if the light from the moon and stars had vanished. Nothing could be seen… but footsteps could be heard. A dark silhouette could be seen approaching from the darkness. As it got close, the air in the room became colder and more intense. The Arcs had grown more on edge. Whatever this thing was, there was one thing that Cornelius was certain of. It was evil. Beyond evil.
It wasn't long before the figure crept through the doorway. The sight of this monster made all the Arc's tremble with fear. Whatever it was, it had the figure of a human, but nobody would even dare calling it one. It had the figure of a woman, but its skin was white. A deathly white. Most of its body was hid from view by a silk black dress, a black cloak hung off its shoulders. Covered all over her arms and face were thick black and purple veins, making her look completely inhuman. Her eyes were pure black with glowing red irises, which were currently fixed upon them all with both amusement and undeniable hatred. Sharp claws were coming out of its fingertips, each one the same shade of black as its dress. Its pale white hair was tied up in a thick bun, one that was almost the size of her head itself. In the center of her forehead was a black diamond.
The Arcs were terrified, so much so that they couldn't even find itself to cry in fear anymore. Jaune had long sensed back down, feeling completely hopeless. The only one who still stood in defiance was Cornelius, who was the only one standing between this monster and his family. He activated his semblance to make himself metal once again, ready to fight.
"Get back, demon!" He roared, gripping his sword even tighter, ignoring his fear. He didn't care what it was. He didn't care if it was the devil itself. If it took a single step towards its family, he would fight to his last dying breath.
The monster looked throughout the room, looking very unimpressed with her surroundings. Her eyes glazed over the Arc children but didn't really care enough to linger on them. After a few minutes of observation, her eyes snapped over to Cornelius.
"Ah. You must be Cornelius Arc. It is nice to finally meet you."
"Who the hell are you?! How the hell do you know my name!" Cornelius growled as he raised his blade at the monster.
"I have many names." The monster spoke, not at all phased by the sight of the blade pointed at her nor from the hostility. In fact, it looked like she relished in it.
"Demon, monster, Queen, Goddess. If you must call me something, then you may call me Salem. And who doesn't know who you are?" Her eyes twisted from the moment, her smile turning into one of distain. "The great Cornelius Arc. One of the generals of the Vale army, and the cause of the end of the war. No doubt a hero to many."
"Stop!" Cornelius roared. "I'm sure you didn't come here to give me praise. What do you want from me, demon?!"
Salem tilted her head ever so slightly as she let out the faintest hint of a chuckle. Her eyes started to glow more, making her appear even more sinister.
"You think that was praise? No, it is no praise. Praise would mean I approve of your actions, but in reality, its anything but. In fact, you had become quite a thorn in my side." Her eyes glowed even more, her voice becoming loud with anger. "You had ruined everything."
"What the hell are you talking about?! I've never met you before in my life!" Cornelius relented. He was growing more and more worried. His confidence on his ability to kill this monster was dwindling fast.
"Tell me, do you know why there was a war?" Salem asked. She was calm and was smiling, but her eyes showed the true malice that was behind her words.
"What the hell does that have to do with anyth- "
"ENOUGH!" Salem boomed as her eyes exploded with red. All the beowolves in the house took a step back as they whimpered in fear. A second later the glow in her eyes faded. She closed her eyes to take a breath to calm herself down.
"I asked you a question. Do not make me ask again." She asked as she opened her eyes.
Cornelius grit his teeth, not wanting to give this monster the satisfaction of answering. He knew though that defying her would put his family in greater risk. He swallowed his pride and gave in to her demand.
"F-Fine. The war was caused because Mistral and Mantle tried to occupy land of Vale. Tensions were already high between the kingdoms over the last hundred years, maybe even longer, but that was the tipping point."
The monster chuckled, becoming even more amused.
"What a simplistic answer. Well, you're not wrong. That was the tipping point, and tensions had been built up over the last hundred years. What you did not know, nor was anyone of your pathetic human existence supposed to know, was that the tensions between the kingdoms came from me." The amusement in her face vanished, replaced with disgust and pure hatred.
"I had spent the last 400 years trying to build up the tensions between the kingdoms enough to start a war. Spent years gaining influence through my pawns so I can pin one kingdom towards the other. I caused slavery of faunus in mistral. I had pulled strings to make sure the right people were elected into politics, I had wiped out countless villages and settlements. Centuries of careful planning to try and cause a war unlike Remnant had ever seen. Because of you, all of it is for nothing."
"But why?!" A voice called out.
Salem's eyes narrowed, looking past Cornelius and to the rest of the Arc family. Somehow finding the will to stand, the boy who looked like a smaller and younger version of Cornelius yelled out. He looked very weak, and she would have dismissed him entirely if not for the overwhelming amount of aura she can sense from the boy. Hmm. Intriguing She thought to herself.
"Stay back!" Cornelius hissed towards Jaune. Serena tried to keep him down, but he shrugged her attempts off and let loose once more.
"Why would you cause this war?! Why would you cause so much pain and destruction?! What is to gain towards that?!" The boy screamed out, tears streaming down his face as he was burning with hatred.
Salem addressed him for a moment, finding him intriguing enough to speak too "That is the question, isn't it child?"
"If you must know, it's so I can finally place myself as the true Goddess of remnant. This world has been godless for tens of thousands of years." She growled, showing that the topic of gods angered her. "As queen of the grimm, I already control most of Remnant. About 80%. I have been trying to gain control of the last 20 in the last 3 thousand years, but I have not been able to make any progress. Your kingdoms are too strong. So, I figured that if I cannot destroy the kingdoms, I will simply have the kingdoms destroy eachother. So, I used my influence to start the war."
Her eyes started to grow red again, her hatred growing. "I was close. So close. The war was supposed to last another 10 years. After that, there would be enough negativity for my grimm to take down your pathetic little kingdoms. After that, I would have taken my rightful place as the Goddess of Remnant." She fixed her gaze from Jaune to Cornelius once more. "I would have, if not for your father."
Cornelius was about to retaliate, but the monster spoke once more. "You made the war end in less than 20. I had grown stronger, but not nearly strong enough to overwhelm mankind. No… you sought peace. You made the last 400 years be for nothing. I didn't come her to praise you. I came here to punish you."
Cornelius's eyes widened at the end of her explanation. He knew what this all meant. turned back to look at his family. They were all petrified. Not of the sight of Salem anymore. They were terrified of what she was going to do to Cornelius. He tried to look strong. He tried to look hopeful. He couldn't. He was sure of one thing. He was not going to survive the night. This might be the last time he could look upon his family.
"J-Jaune…" Cornelius choked out.
"F-Father…?" Jaune asked. Jaune's own face had turned white with fear. His father has always been a rock, but right now he sounded like a broken man.
"You became a good man. I wish we could have had more time. Take care of your mothers and sisters." He flashed one final smile as he looked to the girls, trying to at least try and look strong one final time for their sakes. "I love you all so much."
The girls all understood what he was hinting towards instantly, earning cries of outrage.
"Father, no!" They all yelled out. Hearing the cries of his wife and daughters broke his heart, but he knew this is what he had to do. They would understand someday.
"It's either you all or me. You will understand when you have kids of your own one day."
Cornelius did what pained him greatly, but he knew it might be able to get his family out of danger. He flipped his sword in the air and caught it by the blade, getting down on one knee. He then held the hilt towards Salem. "Take it. Take my blade and strike me down. Please, just take my life and spare my family."
Salem looked at the blade offered to her before thinking for a moment. She had come here to kill them. Slaughter the entire family personally before erasing this pathetic village from the history books. Now though, looking at the family, she had a better idea.
"Kill you?" she asked, before breaking out into a cruel laugh. "I'm not going to kill you. What would that solve? I would take your life, but you would feel peace. How would you suffer? No… I'm not going to kill you. I'm going to prison you. Prison you and your family."
Cornelius's eyes widened. His face went from one of remorse to one of pure rage. He flipped his sword back around and rushed Salem, swinging his sword with all his might in an overhead slash.
"YOU WONT TOUCH THEM!" He roared in a blind rage.
"Really, now?" Salem asked as she lazily flicked her wrist. An invisible force caused the sword to fly out of Cornelius's hands effortlessly. Cornelius's eyes widened as she moved her other hand forward and touched it to the center of his chest. Her hand glowed as a purple orb formed, striking him in the chest. The force of her blow was enough to deplete his aura and send him crashing down into the floorboards, almost breaking through the wood entirely. Serena and Violet rushed over to try and help him up. They couldn't lift him due to his weight, and from the way he winced as he was touched they could tell something was broken.
"You made a wish a moment ago." The demon spoke once more as she stepped closer "you wished that you and your family could have more time. You will be happy to know that I will be granting your wish. You WILL have time. All the time in the world, actually." She smirked, as if the final part was a sick joke to her.
Cornelius opened his eyes, still squinting in pain as he listened to the words the demon spoke.
Despite the pain from his broken ribs making it hard to breathe, he was able to ignore it and yell out once more.
"Don't grant me anything. Leave my family alone!"
"I'm afraid I can't do that." She spoke as she waved her hand, calling for something to come from behind her.
Some kind of grimm floated through the doorway and came into view next to its master. Whatever it was, it wasn't something either Jaune or Cornelius had ever seen before. Whatever it was it didn't have a torso, arms, or legs. The grimm's body, if you could call it a body, was nothing more than a floating eye that had bone plates on various parts of it. Underneath it there was several red tendrils that ended in a spike.
"This is a seer." Salem spoke. "There are only two in existence. I created them for my own personal uses. You will find it is different than most grimm. It allows me to see things that are blind to others. It allows me to spread my influence all over the world. Right now, though, it will allow me to give you and your family a curse."
Cornelius tried to stand, to do something to try and protect his family. A beowolf surged forward, pinning him to the floor. One paw was pressing down on the center of his chest while the other around his throat, threatening to claw his throat out If he tried to resist.
"FATHER, NO!" Jaune screamed as he rushed forward, picking up his blade once more to try and free his father. Before he even got close a beowolf from behind him surged forward and knocked Jaune to the floor. Its jaw opened up wide enough so it could place Jaune's head within its mouth, threatening to crush his head.
The girls wanted to do something to free them, but they were afraid they would get them killed if they tried. Joan walked forward, fighting her fears to make eye contact with Salem. Tears fell from her eyes as she started to beg. "Please… Please let my father and brother go. We will do anything."
"I know you will, child." Salem spoke with a soft smile, showing sympathy for the first time "You all would. And what you are all going to do is accept this curse."
Cornelius, seemingly uncaring about the claw that threatened to open up his throat from ear to ear, spoke once more in defiance. "What is this curse?"
She smiled once more, this time much more sinister. "Your curse. Your prison…" her eyes glowed red staring into the eyes of Cornelius "IS ETERNITY!"
The seer drifted forwards so it was in the middle of the room. It raised each of its tendrils and menacingly extended each one so that a spiked tendril was in front of the face of each Arc. They all wanted to move but know that if they tried it could mean the death of one of their family members.
"AHHHHHH!" They all cried in pain as they were each stabbed in the neck by a tendril. They each felt some sort of poison flow from the tendril and into their necks. They all stayed like that for a moment before they were retracted, letting them all fall to the floor.
Jaune instantly felt weaker. All the strength he had in him vanished. He could barely even keep his eyes open. He felt everything he had leave him. His joy, his dreams, his happiness, everything. He was instantly filled with despair and dread. There was something else that was bothering him though. There was something else that he could physically feel leaving him. Something that mere hours ago filled him with power and strength. Something that made him feel everything he was. Something that made him realize who Jaune Arc really was. The embodiment of his soul. His aura, was leaving him.
"W-What did you do to us?! What happened to my aura?!" Jaune asked, using the last of his energy to ask his question.
The monster still had her smile. This time it was filled with glee. "I made you immortal, like me. Though, I never said that was all I would give you." She chuckled as if playing a sick game
"What I didn't tell you is that in order to do so I would have to kill you. In mere moments you will be dead, but you will wake up as my pawn. You will all become a vessel of the darkness. The Arc's known once as a family of huntsman, protectors of the innocent, will now become the hunters OF the innocent. As for your aura? Well… You can't have aura if you don't have a soul, now can you?"
"What the hell are you talking about?!" Saphron shrieked, feeling her life start to leave her.
"You will become monsters." She continued. "When you turn, you will be of the undead. You will no longer have souls. You're thirst for human blood will be insatiable. You will not be able to resist killing for the blood of those you hold dear. That, is your prison."
She saw the color leave the faces of the Arc family, both figuratively and literally. "You will be benefited in some ways, though. Once you wake you will have the strength 100 men. You will have the speed of the fastest nevermore. You will have the hearing and smell of an alpha-beowolf. You will become the ultimate weapon of the night. Deadlier than any grimm. A true apex predator."
She raised her arms as if presenting some grand gift that she had just gifted them. "Prepare to spend the rest of eternity as vampires!"
"AHHHHHHHHH!" The dying Arc's then felt an incredible pain shoot through every muscle in their body. It felt like millions of tiny daggers were attacking them from every angle.
Jaune felt all his muscles start to rip and tear. Jaune managed to raise his hands in front of his face. His eyes widened as they saw his normally warm and tan skin turn into a pale and dull. Claws started to form from the end of each fingertip. He was going to try and put his arms down but they quickly shot to his mouth as what he felt like two daggers start to come from inside his upper jaw. He pushed his tongue forward, only to regret it as he felt it get cut by two freshly grown fangs.
Jaune looked over to his family. His heart was instantly crushed. His family was writhing on the ground, each going through the changes themselves. Joan was staring at her hands, watching claws come out of her fingers. Violet and Sarah were each feeling the fangs come out of their teeth. Saphron and Tyra were having seizures from the muscle tearing. Everyone else was not moving. Panting heavily as the pain was overwhelming them. Their skin all turned pale. The hair of his blonde sisters and father started to become slightly muted. Something else he noticed is that each of their eyes turned from their normal color to a dark orange. He assumed his must have done the same.
The pain continued like that for another 20 minutes before abruptly stopping. The pain ended, and physically he felt normal. Mentally and spiritually? He felt empty. His soul was gone, which means so was his aura. He had just died. He felt like he just woke up from a nightmare, but in reality, he was just born into one.
He slowly stood up, watching the other Arcs do the same. The fear and pain they felt since Salem arrived was gone.
They looked around, seeing that all the beowolves and Salem were still standing. After a moment, Salem snapped her fingers. All the beowolves raised their own paws before raising them to their own throats, cutting them out. She had just forced them all to kill themselves. After a moment of all the beowolves evaporating, only Salem and the seer remained in front of the Arcs.
"WHAT DID YOU DO!" Cornelius growled. The Arc's all backed away, as his father literally did growl at the end of his words. The sound was unlike anything he had heard, almost a mix between a beowolf and an Ursa. Not nearly as loud, but definitely more intimidating. Whatever it was, it was animal-like.
"As I have told you, this is your curse now. This is your life. This is your existence. The burden of the cries and blood of the innocent will be your salvation." Her smile turned into a dangerous edge, feeling victorious. "You know, for thousands of years I have heard people say they wish they were immortal. They think eternal life is a gift. In reality, it is the worst torture you can ever imagine. For thousands of years the only immortals have been myself and Ozma. Now? Well, you know our torment."
The rest of the Arcs were glaring daggers at Salem now. Pure, unadulterated rage were filling their hearts. They were all growling like their father, letting their newly found instincts take over. Their claws and fangs were extended, wanting nothing more than to rip her to shreds.
Salem didn't seem intimidated in the slightest. Instead she turned around and walked out of the house without a word. The Arc's all ran after her. Cornelius was the first to catch up. He jumped after her, preparing to use his clawed hands to slash at her back. Right before he made contact, Salem put her hand upon the seer. In the blink of an eye, Salem and the seer disappeared. Cornelius landed a second later, staring at the spot the demon had once occupied.
Then something hit them. Something that overwhelmed all rational thought and emotions. Something they couldn't control. Thirst.
The Arc's all turned their heads in the air. Their instincts took over, taking in the smell of the air as their newly heightened senses overwhelmed them. Jaune snapped his head towards the direction of the plaza. A few seconds later the rest of the Arcs turned their heads the same way. Music could still be heard. There was more they could feel though. Another sense. Something that was foreign to them, but at the same time something they were able to name immediately. They could sense the emotions from the plaza
Joy
Happiness
Despair
Sadness
Loneliness
Loss
Before they knew what was coming over them, they were moving closer towards the plaza. A slow walk at first, but as they got closer they started to feel something else. A scent. A strong scent. An overwhelming scent. A delicious scent. A scent that made their eye's widen, having some lick their lips. Something that made them break from their slow walk to a maddening sprint.
Blood
It wasn't long before the happy songs of the plaza were replaced with terrified, blood-curdling screams.
Thanks for reading. Like I said, feel free to leave a review. I will try to get a new chapter up sometime in the next week or two.