Well, this is it people. The chapter that will make you all brand me as a heretic.

*click* "Did someone say heretic?"

"Oh, put down the Bolt pistol, Commissar. The fans will kill me just as well as you. Save the bolt for yourself."

Oh, and we get some shameless Arkos. Man, I did not build up that bit of romance at all now did I? It will come across as quite forced and rushed.

The scent of coffee filled the teacher's break room.
So far only Goodwitch and Oobleck had arrived. They were having coffee as they conversed.
It was the usual stuff: students' grades, schedules, lost paperwork and the problem with bullying at the school and how the teachers were trying to deal with it.

Then there was of course Arc's journal. It had certainly peeked Oobleck's interest.

"Well Oobleck?"

"It is my professional opinion that…" the man trailed off.

"Yes?"

"... I have no idea as to what Arc is writing." admitted Oobleck.

"I am serious Glynda. The language may have superficial similarities with Valean but otherwise there is nothing for me to go on."

"Really, not even a-"

"Nothing. Not a reference, not a single footnote of our history that could help. Whatever this language is it is it is like it fell from the sky."

Glynda sighed.
"So it is just gibberish then. Just some random ramblings from a troubled mind."

"Not so." the doctor said taking a sip of his special brew.
"He does use some some Valean at time. Also there clearly is a grammar to what he writes. We just don't understand what it means. It really is a mystery until we have more data to work with."

Yes, a mystery. That meant that Glynda had turned to the wrong person. If there was something mysterious on Remnant there was one man who usually knew about it: Ozpin.

And he was not being very forthcoming about this. As he was with anything.

"Thank you Bartholomew, for what it's worth. Is there anything you can tell me at all?"

"Not much. But recently he has written a lot about a "Red Thirst" He seems to have been conversing with someone about it. Maybe about 'fixing' it."

"Do you think it is anything significant?"

"Might be. It is the only time his penmanship slips up and from what little text is in Valean it seems pretty darn bad."

Pyrrha had practically dragged Jaune to the rooftop to spar. He had tried to convince her to wait a while longer with their training. His thirst had yet not subsided from what he had seen in combat class.

He couldn't just tell her to wait because he wanted to tear out her throat and gorge on her blood, so she had pulled him along anyway. She had simply said that the more they waited the less time they would have to train.

She did not go easy on him that day, not that she ever did.
Jaune was pushed to his limits. His arms were tired and he was sore. Not to mention his mind. It took all the willpower he could muster to answer Pyrrha when she talked to him.

"Mind your footing." she said and to drive the point home she struck out at his right foot, forcing him to pull it back.

"Will try." Jaune panted.

"Keep your shield up."
He complied. He could see her coming in from the left. It was a feint. He bashed with his shield, keeping her at bay for a brief moment. Like usual Pyr did not relent.

"Don't just defend. Attack."

He tried to but he was too slow. He swung Crocea Mors over his head, trying to put power behind the swing. All he got for his efforts was Pyrrha's shield slammed in his face. He could feel how his fangs bit into his lip in frustration, drawing blood.
Only it was not the blood he wanted. He wanted hers.

For a moment he forgot to restrain himself and the thirst. Free of doubt and worries Jaune turned towards Pyrrha and attacked with a snarl. He trusted with Crocea Mors only to feel it be pushed away. He followed up with a with from his shield but it was knocked from his hand, leaving him open. She struck but he let his aura take the hit like he often did.

"You can't always rely on your aur-"
Pyrrha did not expect what happened next.

In his frustration he let The thirst run wild for but a moment.

He did something Pyrrha had not seen him do before. And under the influence of the thirst he did not hesitate in the execution. And he did it with a strength and speed neither of them knew he had.

Pyrrha had not expected him to let go of his shield only to push hers away with his bare hand, leaving her open. He then grab her sword arm and pulled her close.
Before she managed to react he spun her around, placing his sword was at her throat.

Pyrrha yelped as she felt him yank her hair backwards, leaving her throat exposed.
With every breath he hissed.

'Is it from exhaustion? Can't be. We have not been at it for that long.' thought Pyrrha.

"Jaune, are you okay?" She felt him pull harder, forcing her to tilt her head backwards. His hot breath was on her skin and it felt like there was something at her neck, like needles.

'His teeth!' she thought. She remembered how Jaune had looked at Cardin in the Forever Fall and how he had looked during combat class. Both times had his fangs been gleaming.

"Jaune, what are you doing?"

There was no answer. Just a snarl.
"Are you okay? Answer me, please!"

They stood still for a moment. Pyrrha knew she could easily free herself but there was no need. He was already loosening his grip on her.

She could hear his slow breathing. She recognized it. It was the breathing novices did before a match as they tried to calm themselves.

With a grunt the sword was removed from her throat and Jaune let go of her hair. She heard the sound of metal clattering on the floor. She turned around to face her partner. She wanted to know what just had happened. She only saw how Jaune turned a corner running.

"Oh bother, and here I thought we were starting to make real progress."

She picked up Crocea Mors and Jaune's shield. Family heirlooms, hailing from his great-great-grandfather, Jaune had told his team.
They were a great source of family honour and pride. What had made him throw them away like this?

She sheathed the sword in the shield like she had seen him do countless times already. The old mechanism still running smoothly as the shield changed. They had been made to last.

With her partner's weapons in hand she made for the dorms.

It was time to have a talk.

And Pyrrha was not looking forward to it.

Pyrrha found herself at the door to team JNPR's dorm. It was not even closed properly.

She could hear him inside at his bed doing something while whimpering.

Pyrrha braced herself. She was not good at counselling others. People usually believed her too above them to care about their problems and thus didn't bother her with such things. Jaune was not like that but still, this was not something she had ever expected herself to deal with.

She opened the door to see hear team leader sitting on his bed. Sleeve rolled up he held his wrist to his lips and with his other hand held it in place. There was blood running down his arm but more importantly, from his mouth. His fangs were stained red as he drove them again and again into his arm. He was crying and shaking.

Jaune flinched and turned when Pyrrha dropped Jaune's weapons on the floor and walked into the room. He tried to make for the door but a black shine on his armour held him in place.

He looked to Pyrrha. She was holding up her hand, also glowing with the dark light. Without breaking stride Pyrrha took out the teams first-aid kit from the closet, hand still raised to stop any more attempts of escape. She sat down next to him.

"Give me your arm, Jaune."
It was not a request. Without hesitation Pyrrha grabbed the wounded arm and began cleaning the wounds.

Jaune was confused. Why was she helping him? He had tried to bite into her with his fangs like some freak. She should be trying to put him down like some rabid animal or just turn him away!

He wanted to bolt. He wanted to say he was sorry. He wanted that the thirst would go away. He wanted to drink. he wanted blood. Jaune buried the fingers of his free hand into the bed sheets.
He tried to control himself but his lips curled back to expose his fangs.
She was so close, he could see the veins on her neck.

The thirst was getting stronger, stronger than ever, stronger than him.

"Pyrrha, please don't. Just leave." His voice was shaking. He stared at her, fangs gleaming.

"No, I won't. Not until we have talked about this."

"Pyrrha, please, I don't want to..."
He didn't want to believe himself.
Just a sip, that would be all he needed. Then all of this could go away like a bad dream.

No! he couldn't trust himself with this! It would not just be a sip. He would gorge himself if he let himself go.

"Don't want to talk about it? Why?"

"I don't want to hurt you!" He pulled his arm back and pressed it to his lips again. The fangs broke skin again. Better it was his than hers.

"I almost did it on the roof. I am not taking any more risks."

He stifled as he pulled away from her. He would leave Beacon, leave Vale.

"Please just stay away."

She didn't.

Once again she sat down next to him and took his arm. This time she held on tighter. She cleaned up the two new puncture wounds. They had already stopped bleeding. She was happy to see that the old ones were already closing, though it was not like when his aura had healed his cheek in Forever Fall forest.

'Not important. Not now.'

"It is the Red Thirst, right?" Pyrrha said, still holding his arm firmly.

"Yes." he said weakly.
"How did you know?"

"We…. no, I have been reading your journal for a while now. I wanted to see if there was something there that would let me help you. Is the Thirst really that bad? All the time?"

He nodded.
"It is there all the time. And it is only getting stronger."

"When did it start?" She already had a hunch but she wanted to be sure.

"Same time as these." he said and pointed at his fangs.
"I tried to quench it. I tried every drink I could think of but nothing works. I knew it wouldn't help but I kept trying anyway."

Pyrrha remembered that. He must have downed several gallons of fluid each day back then. All the cans and bottles spread out everywhere. His bag had been filled with them during classes.
There had even been booze he had asked Yang to smuggle into Beacon for him. But always he would just take a sip and throw away the rest and try something else.

"Why did you keep going then?"

"I didn't want to admit it. I wanted to find a way out."

"What didn't you want to admit?"

"That there is no way out!"
He turned to her. Shame was written on his face and his eyes glistened with tears.
"It is blood, Pyr. I ache for the taste of blood! I'm a freak! First I grow fangs and now I thirst for blood!"

She tried to comfort him.
"You are not a freak, Jaune. You are just going through some problems. Like the nightmares."

"This is not like some nightmares, Pyr! it is not in my head! It is- it's in my blood! I can't make it stop. It is like my own own blood is screaming at me to drink. It cries out for blood. And there is never enough. I can't let it happen!" he shouted but then he shrank back.

"It doesn't let up, Pyr. From the moment I wake up it's there. It is there when I eat. It is there when I train. It is there when I try to fight."

His latest spar with Pyrrha came to mind. It had been close, too close. He turned to her.

"I am scarred, Pyr. Scared of what I might do. Scared of what would happen if I let go. Scared what you would do in response."

"Jaune, I have seen that you struggle during training. I saw it today. But why didn't it seem to bother you when you saved Cardin from those Ursai?"

"I don't know. Maybe it is because they don't count. Because they are not people."

He tried to remember that moment of clarity after he had fought off those grimm. When he had turned to Cardin the thirst was been there, he had almost let it happen.

"I almost lost it with Cardin." He admitted.
"If anyone would deserve it, it would be him I thought. You must have seen it, didn't you?"

"I saw it Jaune, but you didn't do it. Not even to someone as bad as Cardin. You are not a monster. I know that no matter what, you would never let yourself do such a thing."

He smiled. It was a weak smile but a smile nonetheless. "Thanks Pyr, but I can't-"

She shut him up with a finger to his lips.
"Jaune, if you were to drink, would…"

She paused taking a deep breath. She was about to suggest something that he would resist fiercely against.

"...Would you be able to think clearly again?"

"I suppose." he said, contemplating what it would mean.

Realization hit Jaune like a hammer.

"No! No! No! Pyrrha, you can't. I wouldn't be able to stop! I would hurt you!"

"Jaune!" Pyrrha's voice was hard.

"Jaune, you can't keep going on like this. If what you said is true and it is in your blood, then denying it won't help anyone. It would not help you and it won't help your team."

"I would rather suffer than to hurt my team."

"Your team is already hurting!" she yelled at him, making him shrink down.
"Jaune, you can't lead like this. We may have barely managed this far but if this continues someone will get hurt or you will end up losing it. If you won't do it for yourself do it for us, for your family."

She took his hand in both of hers and held it to her heart.

"...For me. Please."

For her? Why would she want him to do it? Did she not understand the danger?

Pyrrha saw the confusion on Jaune's face.
"Jaune, you mean a lot to me. You were my first friend here at Beacon, my first real friend ever in fact. I like you and I like to think you like me as well."

She smiled.

"Why else would you push yourself so hard during our training? You are not the type to turn his back on those he cares for."

Her hold on his hand tightened.
"I will not lose my friend even if it means I have to make a small sacrifice."

Jaune looked at her. How could he refuse her now? It was true, he couldn't turn his back on his friends. If the thought of him leaving troubled her this much he would have no choice but to stay, regardless of the consequences.

"Okay Pyr. I will do it."

He was shaking.

The thirst was getting stronger again. He just hoped that he would be able to restrain himself from going too far.

"Thank you Jaune." She gave him a smile. "I'm sure it will be all rig-"

Pyrrha was taken by surprise. She had believed they would take some time to prepare. That they maybe would draw blood with a knife. Instead Jaune pushed her down on her back and put his teeth to her skin. Pyrrha did not even have time to get up her aura when Jaune drove his teeth through the skin at her shoulder.

She stifled a yelp.
'That stung.' she thought but she gritted her teeth. She had suffered worse during training.

All and all it was not as bad as Jaune had made it out to be.
Even now he was restraining himself, like she had thought he would.
Even so he drank a lot and Pyrrha was getting light headed from blood loss. Her body felt weak and cold.

She put her hand at his head and nudged him, signaling him to stop. He stopped and was still for a while. Then he pulled back away from her.

Jaune hunched on the floor. His mind was clearing up. With his thirst satisfied his thoughts and memories were falling into place. Pieces of the last few weeks that had been a blurring haze was falling into place. The lectures, the talks, the training with Pyrrha.

"Pyrrha!"

He bolted up from the floor to her and saw a fine line of blood running from the puncture wounds.

"No, no, no, no, no! Pyrrha!"

Had he drawn too much? Was she okay?

"I'm fine Jaune." she said weakly. "Just a little lightheaded."

"No, you're not! You are wounded! Just stay put. I will help."

He started to grab things from the first-aid kit.

"It's my fault. It's all my fault."

He heard Pyrrha sigh. It was the same sigh she used when he was being stubborn during training.

"Jaune, you do remember I have aura, right? I will be fine. The wound is already closing. And you didn't drink that much." she said and pushed herself up only for the lightheadedness to get worse. She fell back down.

'Okay, maybe Jaune had been a bit greedy after all.' she thought.

"Pyr!" Jaune exclaimed.

He grabbed her feet and placed the first-aid bag under them. Pyrrha's feet did not need blood as much as her head did right now. He moved over to inspect the wounds. She had said that they were healing but she could have been wrong with the loss of blood messing with her head.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit! Why did I go along with this? I'm sorry. I will not do it again, I swear. I won't let myself hurt anyone els-"

He was cut of as Pyrrha grabbed him by the armor and pulled him to her. The champion from Mistral was not going to let a little bit of blood loss keep her from calming down her partner. With a little help from her semblance she put the panicking Jaune next to her on the bed so she could look him in the eye without straining herself too much.

Face to face she gently touched the side of his face, gently ruffling his hair whilst calming him down.

"It's fine. I was just taken by surprise, that's all. I'm sure you will give me a moment to prepare next time I help you."

Jaune was stunned. Next time? Help him? He tried to formulate a sentence he had trouble finding the right words.

"Why would you?" was the only words he managed to utter.

She gave him a smile. "For that is what partners do."

It was not the whole truth. There was more to her reasons but she could wait with that for now. Getting Jaune calm and functional took priority at the moment.

"Pyr, you shouldn't have to. I'm team leader! I should look after you, not the other way around!"

"And who looks out for the team leader?"
Jaune had no answer for that.

"So, how is your head? Did it help at all." she asked.

"Yes, I think so. He he he. Think. I can finally think! Thank you Pyrrha! Thank you for everything!"

"It was nothing Jaune."

"No. that was not just nothing. You helped me Pyr, and I owe you for that. Don't argue, please." He leaned over to her, grasping her hands.
"If there is anything I can do for you, anything at all, I will do it."

Pyrrha was surprised. She had expected gratitude but this? Her mind was already coming up with an idea but now was not the time. She was tired and asking Jaune for a favor in his current state of mind would simply be exploiting him.

"I will keep you to that, Jaune. But for now all I need is a bit of rest."

"Okay, uh, should I help you to your bed?"

"Actually" she said, "I have just gotten comfortable here."

She pulled him closer, a slightly embarrassed smile on her face. One of her arms wrapped around him.

"What's this for?"

"I'm a bit cold."

"Wouldn't a blanket be better?" Jaune asked but he got no answer.

Pyrrha was already falling asleep. Jaune did not blame her as he had probably drawn more blood than she had expected. She looked a bit pale and did feel a bit cold.
He considered getting up for a blanket for her but she seemed content as she was.

Jaune considered getting up but seeing as Pyrrha had just given him his sanity back he decided to let her be instead of bothering her further.

He felt a bit odd and was going through a mix of emotions.
On one hand he had failed to keep the thirst at bay and drunk of Pyrrha's blood. He thought he hadn't done something like that in his past life. Back then he had resisted it he believed but some memories still eluded him.

On the other hand was he able to think again. That was a huge plus.

And he had gotten to open up about it instead of dealing with it on his own. He had only done so to one person who was not of his blood - Horus. But that had been during a better time, before everything had gone to shit.

Jaune looked to the one who had helped him. He was just realizing how much he owed her.
Without her, maybe he would have ended up like Alotros - a mad, snarling animal with no sense of the person he once had been.

Their eyes met for a moment.
'Dust, have her eyes always been so pretty?' thought Jaune as they closed.
Soon Pyrrha was sleeping peacefully next to him. In fact, sleep seemed rather tempting for him as well. He had not slept well in a long time.

Careful not to wake his partner he pulled up part of the bed sheets around her as best he could to keep her warm. Then he closed his eyes and let consciousness drift away.

"Brother Aptotechary, did you feel that?" asked librarian Amaretto.

"I did." answered Deon.

They had all felt it just now. Even the Lamenters who were said to be without the mutation of the Red Thirst. Apparently that was not true.

The Red thirst that had been getting worse and worse had suddenly stopped as if they had all had drank blood to starve off the affliction.

The void crafts of the Lamenters and the Blood Angels were beginning to come alive again as the mortals began to scurry about. They had quickly busied themselves with their appointed tasks, tasks that they had not been able to carry out due to their masters' affliction.

As the Red Thirst had gotten worse all the serfs had to be sealed away from the astartes as there had been the risk of a battle brother losing himself to the thirst and attacking the mortals.

But without mortals there were be no Navigators. If there were no navigators warp travel would be insanity and the expedition impossible.

Now with the thirst gone Amaretto summoned his battle brothers to hold council.
Amaretto intended to get a grasp of just what and how much he and his brothers had been through.

It did not take long for the astartes to answer his summons. Soon he stood with his own battle brother from his own chapter and a small number of Lamenter.

The discussion was as Amaretto had expected it to be.
The Lamenters had suffered just as bad as the Blood Angels if not worse. It had been they who had sealed away their mortal companions first, out of concern for their safety.

The Blood Angels had followed suit shortly afterwards when they realized just how dire the situation was.

These last few weeks had been intense even as the astartes had not seen combat during that time.

The visions were getting stronger, just as the Thirst had. But unlike the Thirst that had subsided moments ago the visions did not relent.
There were new visions as well. Whereas before they had mostly seen the final moments of their primarch's life the space marines were now seeing more.

There were memories from the height of the great crusade. There were visions of Baal before The Emperor had been reunited with his son.
The Battle of Signus Prime had been witnessed by many of the astartes this last week. They had all seen what the daemon Ka'Bandha had gone to the legion and their Primarch.

Then there was the death of the space marine Alotros that had flashed before their eyes just after the Thirst had relented.
It had been a quick death - a snapped neck, a mercy kill by their gene father.
Maybe it was a sign for them. If so it was a dark one.

Plans were made to continue the expedition. As warp travel had been barred to them for so long they had fallen behind on their plans.
It was decided that once the warp became calm enough for travel again they would continue their journey.

Before the astartes could discuss the matter further one of the mortal servants had approached them bearing news.

"My lords, another Imperial vessel has just been detected at the limits of our augers. It it a Flesh Tearers vessel."

"Hail them." said Amaretto without concern. The Flesh Tearers were a fellow successor chapter to the Blood Angels. Amaretto had a good guess as to what they were doing here.

"But my lord, they are-"

"I said hail them. They are here for the same purpose as we are. Make haste."

Amaretto reached out with his psychic powers, intent on getting an idea of what to expect from the Flesh Tearers.
He first found the minds of his own battle brothers, then those of the Lamenters and finally those of the Flesh Tearers.

What he saw through them was not good.

"Change course for the Flesh Eaters vessel." Amaretto said.

"Brother librarian, what did you see?" asked Furion of the Lamenters.

"Bodies. A lot of them."