This has been in my draft folder for too long. After looking through some drafts for While the World Heals I found this. This idea came when I wondered what would happen if Jaune WAS a relic of the past.
This will still be an underdog story though... I love stories like that.
Think it'll be interesting?
Prologue:
Age of the Gods
He was just a soldier. A town guard. Having only a meager amount of innate magic. He was a failure and a disappointment to his family. A failing knight household... He was sent to a knight academy so that he could reclaim his family's honor... only to fail despite his hard work and conscripted to serve as a low wage guard after he was disowned...
In his youth he had dreamed of becoming an Arcknight… paladins who serve the gods and uphold justice. Ascended heroes who become chosen by the gods through their achievements and power. The Dawn Guard of Light and the Night Sentinels of Darkness... Slayers of the tyrannical Dragons. Protectors of the innocent…
A youthful dream of becoming a hero. A dream not meant to be reality.
Most of his days, he patrols the streets wearing standard iron armor. Occasionally break up fights and keep the peace. Monsters sometimes wander into towns… the occasional giant rats, rabid wolves and stray goblins. He was expected to deal with them and deal with them he did as long as it was inside the town itself. Adventurers were the ones who deal with the more dangerous types. Wielding powerful magic and enchanted weapons, they hunt down monsters for glory and gold. And truth be told, he was glad… he was weaker than them. He'd die if he were to face monsters like werewolves, cyclopes, orcs and more. After all… he was a failure wasn't he?
So why… why was he the only one standing left?
His breaths were ragged. His armor covered in blood. His breaths fogged through his army helmet as the cold air of coming winter began to freeze the land. On his hand was a broken spear. And on the other was a long sword. Both drenched in blood.
He stood there in the bodies of countless warriors. Brothers and enemies. Mages, Adventurers and Arcknights... All dead. They were all more skilled. More powerful than him… why?...
They all were fighting on a once beautiful plain. Clashed in a place that could only be described as an eden. Blessed by the god of light. Now it was a graveyard. Marred by the blood of countless men and women. Jaune remembered the start of this bloody heretical campaign… this blasphemous campaign to overthrow the brother gods…
Jaune cursed the king. The call to arms was sudden. The people and the soldiers didn't get a say. Destroy the gods? Freedom from Divinity? These people were insane…
He sobbed in his helmet. He dropped the broken spear and used the longsword as support as he knelt to the ground and cried.
"Why?..."
Those were the only words that came out.
A loud thunder crack grabbed his attention. He turned his head to see the mountain itself… the mountain of the god of light. Lumena.
That was where the kings and generals converged to when they left them all to fight against the holy defenders…
He then glanced at his hands… with these hands he had slain the Arcknights… too weary and outnumbered… they were all but wiped out.
He never wanted this.
He never wanted any of this.
Why?...WHY?!
Once again he looked at the mountain…
He wanted answers. He needed answers.
Painfully, he made his way up the mountain. He could still hear people fighting up there.
He was tired, wounded…
Magical explosions, sounds of battle cries and screaming. Those sounds became louder and louder.
How long have they been fighting….
Those above…
What drove them to rebel against the gods?
He didn't know how long he'd been walking up the stairs to the top. It was night when he began at the bottom… the sun was rising… hours. Hours have passed…
Yet they were still fighting...
The dead bodies that he passed began to lessen as few managed to actually reach the top.
Eventually though he did reach the top…
It was beautiful… normally only the preists and priestesses were allowed to convene with the gods… a beautiful tree stood in the middle. Surrounded by a large lake.
He shook his head. He was getting distracted.
He didn't come here to admire its beauty… he came here for answers.
He could see them.
...it wasn't the first time that he had seen the gods. They often grace certain kingdoms when the kingdoms hold great feasts and celebrate their name.
The God Of Light. The God of Darkness.
They were here...
Jaune looked around and saw that only several people were left as the majority died along the way. Rulers, great adventurers, several powerful Mages… they all had their weapons and magic pointed at the gods.
On the front her could see a woman. Conversing with the gods. She had blonde hair and was wearing a light blue robe fit for nobles…
Her. It must be her. She must be the one who started all this…
He walked towards the front. Dragging his blood encrusted longsword. He limped. He coughed out blood. He was shaking. But he did not stop. He ignored the calls of the people around him. Passing by angry shouts… yet none stopped him.
The woman turned around to see him. The gods turned to him.
He just walked. Walked in between them. The gods and the people…
He stabbed his sword to the ground and used it to balance himself. He turned to the woman in the front…
"WHY?!" He roared to the woman. The entire area went silent.
"Why are you doing this?!" His voice cracked as tears dripped down his helmet.
"Thousands dead… Millions suffering… why?..."
The woman had a cold stare when she looked down upon this broken man…
"And who are you to question me?"
A fireball was suddenly cast towards him. He let go of the sword to let himself fall to the ground enabling the fireball to miss him. The fireball however almost hit the god of darkness, who watched curiously.
Jaune looked upon the gods… their majesty… even in the heresy that these people showed… they were still willing to listen. How can they attack such benevolent beings?...
With a deep breath Jaune stood up. He tried his hardest to stand straight, facing the heretics.
An Arcknight… that was his childhood dream.
A protector of the innocent…
A saviour of the people…
"You didn't answer my question… My name is Jaune… a failed knight. A town guard… a disgraced son of a noble and now a lowly commoner. On behalf of all the people whose lives you've ruined.."
He knew he was going to die here. But at least he got to pretend to be one of his heroes…
"You shall not pass…"
With shaking hands… he pointed his sword at the woman…
The woman only glared at him. The people in the back laughed.
The woman walked towards him. Unsheathing a blade made of pure magic.
The two gods looked at each other.
Jaune steeled himself despite the pain and fatigue.
He charged at the woman and swiped his sword at her. The woman dodged back and countered with a thrust. Jaune managed to angle his body and dodge the magic blade.
The woman quickly slashed her sword but Jaune managed to backhand her wrist making her drop the magic blade. The magic blade disappeared. Jaune found an opening as she reeled back her hand due to the pain he caused. Just as soon as he attempted to slash her she unleashed a burst of magical flame from her hand causing him to get blown back.
It hurt. It hurt so bad… he struggled to stand up.
But he did. He stood up.
Once again he was hit by a fire blast, yet again causing him to fall to his back.
He stood up again. Another fire blast.
It hurt to breath now… but he still managed to get himself up.
The woman was annoyed.
"You're quite tenacious for a town guard." The woman spoke. She walked towards him and picked up his sword.
"You wanna know why this all happened?..." She stood in front of him. She looked back and saw that they were both far away from the people.
She turned to him and scowled...
"This is why." She suddenly stabbed herself with his sword.
Jaune was taken aback by this.
She then pulled out the sword. No blood came out. And it seemed like she was unaffected by it.
"They cursed me of eternal life. As punishment for wishing to be with a dead loved one. They cursed a grieving woman after wishing to see her loved one again."
What? They… cursed her?...
No…
The gods must've had a reason…
"That doesn't warrant the suffering of so many people. Don't you realize what you're doing?..." He painfully spoke.
"I'm simply wanting for my wish to be fulfilled. Like those behind me."
Jaune looked past her to see the greed filled faces along with those who had sadness and anger.
They all wished for something. Some good and some bad. But this was wrong…
"It is human to wish for another chance. It is human to wish for something that benefits them. It is human to wish for power." The woman clenched her fists.
"Selfish."
"What was that?..." The woman glared.
"You're all just a bunch of selfish assholes!" He roared.
"Kings who force their people to suffer in their whims. Lords who make us slaves in the guise of protection. Adventurers who only want glory and fame. Mages who look down upon the magically challenged. And selfish individuals who can't accept the loss of something precious."
He walked with his tired broken legs.
"People have suffered because of you. What gives you the right to demand from the gods that gave us freedom?! Gods that didn't make us slaves! Gods that took care of our ancestors! Gods that want nothing more than to worship them!"
He breathed with his failing lungs.
"It wasn't them that made our lives worse...no. It was us that made it worse… after I lost my nobility. I learned the true meaning of freedom. Freedom is suffering. But it also gives us the choice to rise above suffering. The gods could've made us their pets. Taking care of our needs… in a cage. Unable to choose for ourselves. I'd rather die a free man than die a pet..."
He finally lost all his strength in his legs. He knelt to the ground in pain.
"It wasn't the gods that made us toil in mines. It wasn't the gods that gave us impossible taxes. It wasn't the gods that made us give up our food so that the nobles could eat. It wasn't the gods that forced us to fight them…"
He reached to his head and removed his helmet showing the tear stained face of a young man with blonde hair and blue eyes. His face was marred with scars and blood was trickling from his forehead, mouth and nose. He knew that this was it. His last moments...
"It was you…"
Finally… he fell to the ground.
The woman cursed under her breath as she stared at the man.
The gods looked upon the body of the simple town guard. They heard his words that regarded them with such devotion and respect.
The woman scoffed and walked past him. The others followed. And there they confronted the gods.
It was here… at this moment when the gods trully punished them.
With just one moment.
Every trace of humanity… was gone.
Darkness….
There was only Darkness…
Was this the afterlife?...
Was he sent to the void?...
It was so dark… but for some reason… he was at peace.
"[Woah what is this place?... We're still inside mount Glenn right?]"
A woman's voice? Could it be a memory of his?... But he didn't understand what they were saying…
"[Yo! Summer look at this!]"
A male voice… in the same language that he was not familiar with.
"[Is… is that a stone coffin?]" Another woman's voice spoke.
"[Think there'll be treasure inside?]" A different male voice joined in.
Who were these people?...
He wanted to open his eyes but he couldn't…
"[Look at these markings… they look like runes… we should show this to Professor Ozpin.]" The first female voice he heard spoke.
He was becoming tired…
Sleep…
He needs to sleep…
More voices...
"[Doctor!... DOCTOR! There's signs of life inside this!…]"
"[What?... That's impossible. This sarcophagus dates back before written history!]"
"[If only we could open it. Dr. Merot, you said something about a powerful dust laser?]"
"[We already tried… it didn't even scratch it.]"...
Sleep….
He could hear screams outside… but he was just so tired right now…
Sleep….
"[We found it. Preparing for extraction…]"
"[Headmaster...Team STRQ is on their way…]"
"[Good. Prepare for transport to Patch.]"
"[As you wish headmaster.]"
"I don't know who you are… but I hope you're on our side…"
These words he could understand…
He shifted his body… but he couldn't move…
"It is not yet time… sleep for now…"
Yes… sleep… that sounds nice…
He heard giggling.
Giggling of a child.
"[Ruby get back here! We're not supposed to be in here!]"
"[Is K! Yan!]"
"[Hewwo mistah boks]"