Jaune was… A dreamer of sorts.
Jaune has always had the dream of becoming a Huntsman, a hero, just like his ancestors, including his great-great grandfather who fought in the war. Just like his father was.
Jaune was a nerd. A dork, someone whose parents fought so hard to avoid him becoming a Huntsman that Jaune wound up reaching seventeen, the age to apply to Beacon, without any of the credentials needed.
Or the training.
Or anything else that he would need to apply.
He even tried contacting Signal once a few months ago, but he was rejected due to being too old to enter a classroom. He said he understood before hanging up. Understanding didn't help much when he cried himself to sleep that night, but at least they tried to be gentle when delivering the bad news.
Maybe Fate was toying with him. All the lost time he could have used improving himself… So many regrets. Yet he knew all he needed was a chance. If he could enter Beacon he would work himself to the bone, twice - no, thrice- as hard as the hardest worker there, to make up for all the lost time.
All he needed was a chance.
And seemingly Fate wanted to grant him one.
\-\
"This is Lisa Lavender, reporting for the Vale News Network." The woman in the screen said in a calm and professional tone. "Tonight, Beacon Academy reported the passing of Headmaster Ozpin, the youngest Huntsman to become a headmaster in history. We at VNN express our deepest condolences towards the loss of a great huntsman tonight." A brief pause. "The Vale Council agreed that the Deputy Headmistress Glynda Goodwitch is to assume the position left open by Professor Ozpin's unfortunate passing. More updates are to be expected tomorr-"
She was cut mid-sentence when Jaune Arc sighed and turned his scroll off. He got up from the small couch on the small flat he rented just for a couple days, enough time for him to get some real transcripts (but not real-real, just… Real enough to assure him a spot), and left the small living room, entering the bathroom and turning the lights on.
He sighed as he looked into the mirror.
His reflection seemed abnormally tired, with bags under his eyes and his hair even messier than normal.
Jaune didn't know the first thing of how things should be done. He didn't have a plan. He just… Was there. Jaune thought that just stealing Crocea Mors and taking the first Bullhead that went to Vale was going to be enough to cut it. That he would then magically be able to enter Beacon and become the hero he always wanted to be. The hero that every man in the Arc family was… Even his father was a Huntsman. It was almost a family tradition…
One that would seemingly end with his father, Jacques.
But Jaune couldn't allow that. He couldn't let the chance slip by. He would work harder than anyone else and would show that he was worthy of entering Beacon. All he needed was a chance. Just one chance…
"Good evening."
He let out a manly scream that completely did not sound like a girl squeal.
"I'm… Is this tiredness…?" He asked to himself. He could swear he heard a voice inside his head. It wasn't nothing, probably. Most likely he was just tired or just heard one of his neighbors…
"I'm afraid you are wrong on that front, Jaune. You're not hearing things nor was that your neighbors. I'm, as you would say, literally inside your head."
"Okay…" Jaune gulped. "I'm won't freak out, I won't freak out… H-holy shit I'm freaking out!" Jaune said while his hands started trembling a bit.
"Jaune, please. I need you to hear me." The voice said. "Right now, we have enemies. Enemies willing to find and do unspeakable things to you. And I need you to cooperate with me."
Oh great. Not only he had voices on his head, but they were also paranoid. Jaune sighed as he washed his face, trying to convince himself that the voice would just go away like that.
"I've been in your place before" The voice replied. "I know how you feel. The fear. The confusion. But I assure you. The dangers we must face are very real, Jaune, and I need your help."
"And now you can read my thoughts too?!" Jaune protested, powerlessly, rubbing his head with his hands.
"Technically, they are our thoughts now. Our souls, our auras, have merged together and now, we are one and the same." The voice replied. As if Jaune would believe this sort of crazy talk. It was sheer madness!
"I assure you, Jaune, this isn't madness. You are complete and perfectly sane."
"I'm talking to a voice in my head!" He scolded. "How does that make me normal?!"
"I said you're sane, not normal." The voice replied. "You're special, Jaune."
"My mother said that to me all the time when I was a kid…" Jaune said with sarcasm. "Specially whenever I got beaten at school."
"And she's not wrong per se, but your specialness derives from a different angle compared to the one she was aiming for."
"Wow. I feel so special now." Jaune rolled his eyes while groaning.
"Sarcasm doesn't fit you, Jaune."
"Talking to a voice inside my head doesn't either!" Jaune lashed out. "Who the fuck are you?!"
"Oh, my apologies. In my haste I forgot to introduce myself." The voice said and Jaune could somewhat imagine someone straightening themselves. The mental image was surprisingly clear for him for some reason.
"Good evening, Jaune Arc. I'm professor Ozpin of Beacon and I need your help in my quest to vanquish the forces of evil from the face of Remnant."
Jaune groaned.
\-\
"This is madness!" Jaune yelled. "Madness! So you're telling me I have a centuries old wizard inside my head that also happened to be the headmaster of Beacon that is also an immortal soul-hopper and now I'm your next meat bag?!"
"Those terms are harsh, Jaune." Ozpin replied. "But you still do not believe me. It's understandable. I went through the same things. However it is imperative for us to start your training and get you into Beacon as soon as possible."
The last phrase caught Jaune's interest.
"I see your desire to enter Beacon, Jaune. And your will to fight is also admirable as well. In fact, I believe that… Well, we might reach an agreement of sorts."
"W-which agreement?" Jaune asked, trying to sound indifferent. He was willing to do anything, to go any lenghts to enter Beacon. If helping a disembodied voice that claimed to be Professor Ozpin's was going to do the trick… So be it.
"First, I need you to send a message to someone. I'll give you her contact information. And for the message itself…"
\-\
Glynda Goodwitch really needed a good night sleep.
The Council of Vale was shaken with Ozpin's death. And by "shaken", read "willing to throw anyone under the bus as long as their positions can be kept". No wonder Ozpin hated dealing with them. And now she had to deal with them because she's the new headmistress… Glorious. She sighed heavily as she entered her lodge inside Beacon: a small apartment of sorts, with a small living room with a couch, a rug, a table, and a bookcase; to her right, a door that led to the kitchenette and to her left a small corridor with a door that led to her bedroom.
Glynda was snapped out of her thoughts when her Scroll blarred, informing her of a videocall. She raised an eyebrow. Who could it be? There wasn't many people that knew her personal number, normally reserved to the members of Ozpin's group, her family and a couple intimate friends. Her thoughts went to Ironwood. COuld the Headmaster of Atlas already be wanting to discuss the retrieval of Ozpin's new body? Or was it Qrow?
Her mind dismissed that train of thought as pointless. The only way to know was to answer. So she took her scroll and pressed the button, which prompted the appearance of an unfamiliar face. Blonde, messy hair, blue eyes and a face that informed that he was on his late teens.
"H-hi!" He said, gulping due to his nervousness. "Are you headmistress Glynda?"
She almost rolled her eyes. It was said in the news not forty minutes ago! Sincerely where was this boy from?
"Yes I am." Glynda replied fixing the position of her glasses. "And you are…?"
"Jaune… Jaune Arc." The name made Glynda remember someone she met some time ago but whose name eluded her... A relative, perhaps? Her mind dismissed the thought as pointless while her green eyes focused into the screen and the image of the scraggly teen in front of her.
"And what would you like, Mr. Arc?"
He took a deep sigh.
"I… I'd like you to return my cane, if possible."
\-\
When the call was over, Jaune felt a complex mix of feelings that he couldn't properly wrap his head around.
He was going to Beacon. He was going to become a Huntsman.
He was going to be a hero!
"Jaune." Ozpin called. "While I understand your joy, we must leave as soon as possible. Now that we are… Together, in a sense, there is no safe haven for us savefor Beacon."
"Uhm…" Jaune gulped. "Are… Are you sure that we can just waltz in? It isn't the start of the semester yet and people may ask questions…"
"Glynda is now fully aware of our situation. Plus, we must start your training as soon as possible. You'll need it to survive the Initiation. And Beacon may serve as a temporary residence for tired or wounded huntsmen without a place to stay. No wonder it's way bigger than what it should have any right to be."
Huh. That made sense.
"And we got another thing to use in our favor." Ozpin added. "Glynda can say she wanted to personally interview you after seeing your transcripts and she wanted to make sure you are the man they painted you to be."
"Except I'm not." Jaune hissed. "I'm someone else… Or rather, something else."
"Jaune. We are someone else." Ozpin said. "As I said, we are one and the same. Eventually, we will completely merge together as one. But our top priority is to train your body. My muscle memory and overall skill are more than enough to engage against most opponents, however your levels of endurance, stamina and overall resistance to trauma are… lacking."
"Gee thanks, sorry my body wasn't ready to host you."
"I believe I said sarcasm does not fit you, Jaune."
Jaune rolled his eyes.
\-\
The next day, the Bullhead trip was awkward, to say the least. Ozpin wasn't… Acquainted with Jaune's motion sickness, which came as a surprise to the ex-headmaster after Jaune vomited the entire content of their breakfast into the nearest garbage can he could find.
"MBRLLLLL!"
"Try breathing in, Jaune." Ozpin recommended. "Breathe deep and slowly. It'll help calm your stomach down."
"Mrbl." Was the sound Jaune uttered in response.
"We'll be getting in Beacon in a couple minutes, ma'am". The pilot said. "Just… Just, uh, try to stay calm, okay?"
"I feel terrible…"
"Bear with it, Jaune. It'll be over soon."
"Easy for you to say…" Jaune replied. "My stomach feels like it grew legs and now is squatting inside me…"
"Are… Are you alright sir?" The pilot asked. "If you want we can stop for a couple minutes and then you can breathe a little… Is this okay?"
"N-no…" Jaune answered. "I… I'll be better as soon as we get to Beacon…"
"Okay sir, as you wish..." The man shrugged and decided to just trust Jaune's words as the flight continued.
\-\
It didn't take too long for the Bullhead to land. Yes! Land! Oh glorious firm land that didn't make strange moves all of a sudden, how had Jaune missed thee!
The fact that he was now stepping on land was such a good signal that Jaune didn't even vomit after leaving the Bullhead!
That or he had already threw up everything on his stomach. Regardless, Jaune felt overjoyed when he saw the familiar castle-like structure that was the Beacon Academy.
Wait, familiar? Was that a… Wait, how was it called… A déjà vu?
"Yes." Ozpin responded. "Our memories are bleeding into one another, uniting themselves as we slowly become one. You must have recognized Beacon from my memories, making you feel as if you are in a déjà vu. It's nothing to worry about."
"Okay…" Jaune said feeling slightly uncomfortable with how Ozpin just… Knew everything. Not only going on his mind, but also under every nook and cranny of Remnant.
"I told you, Jaune. It's not the first time. Plus, we have no time to waste. It's imperative for us to meet Glynda as soon as possible before she makes contact with the others…"
"Others?" Jaune questioned as he started walking into Beacon, fastening his backpack as he walked around as if he knew the entire school from the inside out by heart.
"I have made a number of contacts and friends over the years, Jaune."Ozpin explained. "They are aware of my… Condition and we must reveal to them that, until we merge, you are my host. The sooner this information is relayed, the sooner we can continue our fight."
"Right…" Jaune said and he kept walking silently, while Ozpin seemingly hummed inside of his head until he saw himself in front of a door.
"It's here." Ozpin confirmed. "My old office. Please knock. We already kept Glynda waiting for too long, Jaune."
"It's only a few hours." Jaune replied.
"Which is a few hours we can't go back and retrieve, a few hours that our enemies might have used for their advantage."
Talk about paranoid.
"Paranoia is a necessary trait. It helps keep us alive. You'll understand in time."
Jaune merely groaned before knocking on the door, opening it after hearing an educated "please enter" from the other side.
After he opened the door, Jaune felt a mixture of different feelings swelling inside of him: awe, déjà vu, familiarity and the kind of homesickness that can only be healed when you enter a place you consider home. And he felt like that office was… Home.
It was round and spacious. There was a glass floor and a glass ceiling which allowed him to see the gears spinning in perfect harmony. Jaune walked in, looking around and recognizing all the little details. The windows. The desk. H-his. His desk. The way he could look at the students of Beacon from there, being a literal beacon of light to guide their path.
"It's… Great to be back."
"Yes." Jaune said with a smile that he couldn't say when exactly took over his face.
"Ozpin?" A voice that Jaune was already familiar with called, snapping him back into reality.
It was the same woman as yestarday and the best of the ten years she worked with h- Ozpin. The same severe green eyes, blonde hair tied into a bun and squared glasses that gave her a strange, disciplinarian charm while also keeping her entirely professional.
"He… He's kinda…" Jaune started saying before gulping down. "I-I'm Jaune. Jaune Arc. It's, uh… It's a pleasure to meet you personally, Glynda."
"Pleasure's mine." Glynda Goodwitch replied. "I'm sorry Jaune, but could you allow me to talk to Ozpin? It won't be long I swear."
"O-oh, ok." Jaune nodded before feeling like the wheel of his body was taken from him. It felt like entering a dream, one of those where you can't control your body, but Jaune remained completely alert and able to see and hear everything.
"Glynda." Jaune said, but it wasn't him. If not the voice, the intonation was different, slightly changed, calmer, older, stronger.
"Your death was-"
"Yes, it was unexpected and unfortunate. To die so close to the start of the semester…" Ozpin sighed. "Luckily, my soul merged with Jaune's, which means I have not lost too much time, and having you positioned as Headmistress is another victory for us as we are still in a strategic position within Beacon."
"Yes. I have informed Qrow and Ironwood about you. Ironwood can't come personally, but I heard he'll send an… Envoy. Qrow, on the other hand, said he is going to come as soon as he possibly can."
"Wait wait a minute."Jaune ringed. "Qrow? Ironwood? Just who are those guys?"
"I told you, Jaune. I have a group meant for dealing with our enemies. Qrow and general Ironwood are part of it and they have been great allies for years."
"General… Wait, is this that General Ironwood guy of Atlas? The guy who appears on TV every now and then to flaunt some gibberish about Atlas power or whatever?"
Ozpin raised an eyebrow.
"I'm honestly surprised, Jaune. I hadn't expected you to be familiar with General Ironwood. However, you are correct, although I wouldn't employ the term 'gibberish'."
"Ozpin…" Glynda waltzed in.
"Sorry." The former headmaster replied. "I got lost for a second in a discussion with Jaune. Do we got news from Leonardo or Theodore?"
"Leonardo said he'll be watchful. If they attacked you, the other headmasters might be the targets as well. From Theodore's end…" Glynda sighed. "We didn't get any response."
"Theodore was always… Hard." Ozpin agreed. "And this is unfortunate. Luckily, there won't be any disruptances and, if my identity is kept as a secret for now…"
"Our enemies will waste time trying to find you." Glynda completed the sentence. "Which gives us time for you to train your body and get ready for the next battles."
"Exactly." Ozpin smiled. "We have the edge now, and I feel that it's best for us to make use of it."
"Wait wait wait!" Jaune ringed. "So… Are you telling me that we are going to be hunted?!"
"Of course Jaune. We have powerful enemies. Enemies that want to destroy us. Being hunted is a natural part of such a cycle."
"You didn't warn me about any of this!"
"We had no time. In due time I'll explain everything to you. Our greatest priority is to train you. I doubt we'll achieve any results whatsoever before Initiation…"
"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence."
"... But with my expertise we'll be able to clear it with little to no problem."
"And, now that we're on Huntsmen topics, how about your Aura?" Glynda asked. "You'll need it unlocked as soon as possible."
"I was expecting you to do this for us if possible, Glynda." Ozpin smiled politely.
The Headmistress sighed lightly before straightening herself, closing her eyes and hold Jaune's shoulder.
"For it is in the future that we achieve immortality. Through the experience and hardship we become a beacon of hope to rise and guide those under us, infinite in reach and unbound by ignorance. I release thy soul and, by my shoulder, enlighten thee."
Jaune felt something weird It was like his body was all rested up, like all of his energy reserves were full and beyond while a faint greenish-white glimmer engulfed him completely.
"W-wow…" He said. "T-this… This feels amazing…"
Ozpin chuckled. "I know. And, if you allow me to say, your Aura reserves are impressive, Jaune. Truly remarkable. I'm sure that, even without me, you would have grown to become a great huntsman on your own right."
"O-oh…" Jaune said, feeling like he was blushing. Wait, was it even possible inside his own mind?! "uhh… Thanks, Ozpin."
"You're welcome." Ozpin chuckled once again. "Now Glynda… Please. My cane."
"Just a second…" Glynda said, turning her back to them and going to one of the cabinets before coming back with something enveloped in green cloth.
"Here." The Headmistress said, giving the pack to Ozpin. "I held on to it… I planned to give it to Qrow so he could scout for you but… There was no need."
"Thanks." Ozpin said before removing the cloth. "It sure feels good to have it back."
Jaune couldn't agree more even if it didn't seem impressive.
It was a silver handle with a mechanism similar to a doorknob. At the tip there were golden gears spinning lazily while the part he had his grip on had a floral motif. He could feel calmer while holding that. It was a weapon. It was his trusty weapon.
Ozpin pressed the mechanism and a black shaft emerged, with him holding The Long Memory as if it was nothing more than a perfectly common cane.
"Now, I believe that the best is to reserve a room for Jaune and his team's future use." Ozpin said. "Would you do that, Glynda?"
"Don't worry." Glynda nodded. "And you? What do you intend to do?"
Ozpin smiled.
"I plan on calling a few friends."
"I have no name
I am but two days old.—
What shall I call thee?
I happy am
Joy is my name,—
Sweet joy befall thee!
Pretty joy!
Sweet joy but two days old,
Sweet joy I call thee;
Thou dost smile.
I sing the while
Sweet joy befall thee."
(William Blake - "Infant Joy")
My first story here so I feel nervous. I think it's good to say that I blame Coeur Al'Aran for giving me the courage to to write and post even though I'm just a fan of his work. Seeing how he created amazing stories made me finally get up and start mine. Hope y'all enjoy this!