RWBY: The New King of Darkness

Salem betrayed the Old King long ago for power. But before he was banished from her side, he swore vengeance that someone will take his place and cast her from the world of the living. But to do so, he would need a successor, someone willing to embrace the Darkness and forever forsake the Light. But who would be so willing to embrace the Darkness and for what reason would he do so?

A/N Sorry for the misleading title for this chapter, but I realised I need a full chapter for the Temple of Fire. So, this chapter focuses more on Jaune growing power, his place in this world as the New King of Darkness and how he will use these powers. As well as seeing how his presence has affected Salem.

Chapter V: What Lurks in the Shadows

Takefu Village – a village located roughly two day's travel from Shion Village and famous for its small but well-made craftsmanship. It was here that travelling Huntsman and Huntress would often stop and have their weapons and armour repaired. The village was small but a kind place as they – like Shion – welcomed travellers with open arms.

So, imagine their surprise when the remains of Shion came wandering into the village escorted by a bare-chested, jean-clad boy with dark hair and blood-red eyes.

The surviving Huntsman explained to the mayor exactly what happened and how the boy before them saved the surviving villagers from both Bandits and Grimm. They left out the parts of Jaune's dark powers as they owed it to him to keep it a secret.

In gratitude, the huntsman asked the mayor of the town to have some armour commissioned for him to replace Jaune's damaged and broken clothes.

However, there was a condition.

Recently there had been a Geist roaming around the village, killing any traveller that crossed its path and causing trouble for the town. So, a deal was stuck, Jaune would deal with the Grimm and the blacksmith would forge his new armour.

Jaune agreed as he felt he needed to get himself some new gear and protect the village.

Which is where we currently find Jaune Arc now, as he was engaged with a battle with a gigantic stone monster.

The Petra Gigas roared as its massive stone body shook the earth with each step and charged at the new King. It reeled its arm back to squish the boy, only for him to grab it within his hand and hold back the creature. Momentarily stunned, Jaune grinned as he punched the creature in the arm with full force and shattered the stone to pieces.

"Ha! Got ya!" he grinned only for the former King to appear beside him.

"Not exactly~"

From the body, a long skeletal arm appeared from the stone and sunk itself into a tree. The stone creature pulling the wooden appendage from the earth as it now possessed a long arm made of wood.

"Told ya, Geist's don't go down that easily. Especially when they are inhabiting an artificial body," the King explained as the Petra Gigas swung the large arm.

"Yeah, now you tell me."

He jumped high above the swing, hovering briefly before unloading a couple of rounds into the creature's face only for its stone arm to block the projectiles and shield its bone-like face. This did not go unnoticed by Jaune.

"It doesn't care about its body, only the face…so that's how it is," the Gigas roared as it swung a fist towards the new king, only for the boy vault over the arm in mid-air and land on the forest clearing. He looked back at the creature.

"I see you've figured it out?" Jaune looked to the King as he nodded.

"It's doesn't care about its body, only the face, that's where the real thing is. I need to get rid of all its limbs and force it out before I can kill it…But I'm guessing you already knew that didn't you?" he accused the King as he grinned.

"Yeah, but you need to figure things out on your own. I can't hold your hand forever…not that I can anyway" he joked as Jaune growled. "Also, look out," Jaune blinked before a large fist slammed into him and sent him straight into a tree. The tree snapped in half as the New King slowly got up and groaned in annoyance before glaring at the spectre.

"…I told you to look out," he claimed as Jaune growled and charged at the beast.

The muscles in his body bulging as he summoned dark aura into the rest of his body, amplifying his strength and speed. He ducked and weaved past the swinging limbs as he jumped and came face-to-face with the Grimm's chest. His arm bulged slightly as he swung his fist and exploded the Gigas' body.

Piles of rock and wood shattered onto the ground as the Petra Gigas crumbled into rubble.

From the remains of the destroyed body came the ghostly figure of the Geist as it looked to the glaring boy and attempted to run away, only for a bullet to shatter its mask and end its existence. Its body turning into smoke as it slowly drifted into the air. However, this time Jaune noticed some of the smoke slither away from the Grimm and slithered into his skin.

"What the heck was that about?" he asked as the Former King appeared beside him.

"So, you've finally noticed. It's an ability you gained as the New King of Darkness. Whenever you kill a Grimm, you absorb a fraction of its being into yourself, making you stronger and helping you recover your lost power quicker. Once you have killed enough Grimm a new ability will be returned to you. It works the same when you kill a human. But I'm guessing when you kill a human you will gain…other abilities."

Jaune grew curious about this. "New abilities, like what?" the King smirked as he shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know. Like I said you are the first being of Darkness that has ever possessed a soul. Your powers could be limitless, and I'm not even sure the full extent of what you can become." Jaune looked down at his hands as he gripped his fist.

"I noticed during the fight I wasn't as strong as I usually was. I still feel strong, but it feels weakened slightly, any idea about that?" the Grimm king looked to the sun as he pointed.

"It's the sun. The sunlight is dampening your abilities slightly. Grimm have been mostly known to attack humans during the night, correct?" he asked as Jaune nodded. "That is because we Grimm are born from Darkness, which means the Light is our natural enemy. The sun cannot kill us, but we prefer to fight at night when our strength is at its peak. You are basically the same. The Light will weaken you, but it cannot kill you. On the plus side, you've awakened a new ability" Jaune raised an eyebrow.

"After absorbing that Geist, it seems that the shadow manipulation ability has returned. You can now merge yourself with the shadows and sneak your way into almost anywhere, give it a try. Just think of yourself becoming one with the shadows and you shall do so," he instructed as the boy looked at his hands and then the shadow.

He imagined himself sinking into the shadows. Becoming one with the darkness that sheltered those from the light and hid in the dark depths. His body became a mass of shadows before flattening to the ground and slithering across the surface before finally resurfacing near the treeline of the forest.

"That was…odd, but kind of cool" he said as the Former King grinned.

"Glad you liked it. But we've wasted enough time here. We need to grab your gear and get out of here. Salem's head is still attached to her body and I would like to rectify it of that. And you wouldn't want to keep your little human friend waiting." He had told him before fading away with a grin.

Jaune glared as he knew he was talking about.

The small girl he saved had taken a keen interest in him as she and the other children were curious of him. Whereas the adults still looked at him with suspicion. But the children seemed to like him as Integra spent most her time trying to get him to play with her or asked him many questions.

He answered what he could and entertained them enough.

In the past, he was good with kids, mostly because had to help babysit some of the kids in his home villages. But now that he was the King of Darkness he was afraid that a simple touch from him would corrupt them. They were innocent after all, they had not seen the horrors he had done. Yet they still wanted to know of him, and asked if he was a super-strong Huntsman…

Once he would have said he was…now…he just hoped they would never know what he truly was and fear him like so many would.

Later at the Forge

The New King sat in the forge as he idly sketched on a piece of paper, a hobby he used to do before he came to Beacon. It used to be a way of distracting him from the problems he used to face with Cardin's bullying, and with all that happened he had little time to practise. His pencil etching into the paper as figures and shapes began to form into coherent images and faces.

Long hair, grinning smiles and happy auras basking in peace as the boy sketched from memory.

He looked at his work as he smiled softly at the forming image, a peaceful memory of a time he doubts he could ever reclaim. "What are you doing?" a small voice asked as he turned to see Integra looking at him curiously. He folded the piece of paper as he set it aside.

"Drawing, just something I usually do when I'm bored."

"Can I have a look?" she asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"You're awfully invasive, aren't you?" he asked the girl as she nodded.

"Well you don't talk much, and you look like you were really happy drawing whatever it is you're drawing." She leaned over to see the picture only for the boy to grab it and keep it away. She then looked at him with large puppy dog eyes as she tried to trick him into showing her the drawing.

"Nice try, but I grew up with seven sisters, I am immune to puppy dog eyes." He drawled as the small girl pouted and crossed her arms while looking away. Jaune almost chuckled at this as he was reminded of his sisters when they failed to get him to do something for them.

…Which then brought him back to his current situation and what his family would think of him.

The black and red aura circulated around his fingers as he practised manipulating the dark aura. What he had become was something neither Grimm nor Human. He would be considered to most – if not all – an abomination on this earth. What would his family think of him?

Would they still see him as their son? Would they even want to see him anymore?

Or would they try and hunt him down in order to restore honour to their family name now that he was a demon?

Whatever they thought of him now, he could never return to them. Not unless he found a way to free himself from the powers of the King of Darkness. But he needed this power, he needed to stop this 'Salem' that threatened the balance of the world.

He needed the Darkness to save those that resided in the Light.

"Hey, are you okay?" Integra's voice broke through his thoughts as he turned to the young blond-haired girl. "You've been staring at your hands for like nearly an hour now. I thought you were dead for a second!" she exaggerated as she threw her arms up to emphasise her point.

A quick look at the clock on the wall and the blacksmith staring at the boy confirmed that he had drifted off. He chuckled as he stood up and patted the small girl on the head.

"Sorry, got a little distracted. It's all good now."

She opened her mouth to say something, but he beat her to the punch. "And no, I don't want to talk about it," she huffed as she puffed her cheeks and folded her arms. "Sorry about that," he apologised to the blacksmith who shook his head.

"It's all right, happens all the time. Anyway here's the new gear you ordered. It's a little heavy but it should provide the defence that you need considering you aren't wearing anything at the moment." He chuckled as he gestured to his ripped jeans.

"Thanks to those materials you got from the Bandit the armour came out pretty good. Which once again thank you for dealing with, they've been a menace in these lands for too long. I'm glad that we don't have to worry about them anymore."

Jaune nodded as he thought about all those bandits he killed, the ones he mutilated afterwards on pikes and the shocking revelation that Yang's mother was the leader of them. Not to mention that she was a Maiden herself like Cinder, something he would have to ask Ozpin about if he ever saw him again. He still had no idea where she went or if she would come back for revenge. But in any case, at least he avenged all the people that died at Shion.

Not that he felt proud of doing it, but life wasn't all black and white.

"It's no problem, I'm just glad that this place is safe now. Is it all right if I change in here?" he asked as the man nodded and gestured to a small changing room in the back. After a small amount of time, the boy emerged in his new armour and clothing.

He wore black pants and mid-calf high boots with the pants tucked into the boots. Around his waist was his crisscrossing belts with a dark grey buckle on the front of his pants. He wore a blood-red button-up shirt with the first two buttons undone and a black t-shirt underneath. In addition, he wore a black vest over the top and a black hooded coat with the left sleeve removed, while the interior of the coat had a red silk material sewed into the fabric that looked smooth to the touch.

On top of that, he equipped a blood-red chest plate with a black trim that covered his chest and back with blood-red armour on his left arm from his shoulder to his wrist. On the pauldron of his left arm was the same symbol he carved into the bandit's camp in black.

"Red's not really my colour, but at least this way I won't forget about Pyrrha and the others…" he commented to himself as he stared at the mirror placed in the corner of the room.

"It's a good look on you, kid. It really matches your hair and blood-red eyes. By the way, what's so important about that symbol you asked me to carve on the shoulder?" he asked as Jaune he placed his hand on the new symbol.

"If what everyone's saying is true, then the Branwen Tribe that I killed was the largest bandit group in the region. Which means they will have a lot of competitors looking to claim their turf and won't let innocent people stand in their way. So, when I killed those bandits I left this symbol on their camp to let them know who was responsible for their destruction. To serve as a warning to anyone who wants to do harm to innocent people and that they will not escape my judgment…or my wrath," he commented as his eyes momentarily flashed with the Kings power.

The blacksmith looked concerned at the boy but ultimately knew that there was nothing he could do. "In any case are you sure you don't want to stay here? The village could really do with a strong huntsman like yourself."

"No, the less you people know about me the better. There's going to be some…dangerous people out there looking for me and the last thing I want is to bring harm to anyone here. If anyone does ask I was never here," he instructed the man who sighed but nodded.

"No problem kid, but the Mayor will want to see you off before you go," he nodded as he left the forge and made his way to find the mayor, only to discover him and the Huntsman he saved standing outside the forge.

"Mister Arc," he said as he held out a hand. "I would like to thank you for dealing with that Geist. Thanks to you the roads between here and Mistral should be a bit safer now." Jaune nodded as he shook hands.

"I also want you to thank you for saving my life. If you hadn't arrived I would be dead right now…with the rest of my team." The Huntsman said as all three of them looked towards the graveyard as three new piles of dirt now bearing handmade crosses marked the graves. Two of which held actual bodies while the third grave was empty.

"I'm sorry I didn't get there fast enough if I had your team would be-" the man shook his head.

"It all right, it's part of the job after all. I'll mourn for them, but they wouldn't want me to wallow forever. Besides, if you hadn't arrived all those people would be dead right now. Your intervention saved those lives and avenged their deaths. Thank you for helping us complete our mission." He shook the boy's hand as he returned it in turn.

"If you say so."

"If I may be bold, where are you headed? The roads aren't safe to be travelling alone and the next town after is a couple of weeks away on foot. If you are headed to Mistral we can contact the next town over and send a shuttle, I heard they have one and I know the mayor, who owes me a favour. It wouldn't be too much to ask?" the Mayor asked as Jaune shook his head.

As it turned out three months after the invasion Atlas managed to retake Vale and repair the Communication's system. It seemed that Jaune's actions in the taking of the Grimm Kings power had changed the whole invasion with the Grimm staying far away from the city.

However, footage of his rampage had leaked unto the network and the Kingdom of Atlas cried out for blood.

It was fortunate that the CCT didn't fully cover this area of Anima. Otherwise, they'd learn of the bounty placed on his head – even though it had been five months since the invasion. Not that Jaune was fully aware of it either, but even he reckoned killing atlas personal would have consequences sooner or later.

"I'm looking for a temple that not a lot of people would visit. It's supposed to be in the same direction as Mistral but that's all I know. You wouldn't happen to have heard anything about places where Grimm won't go?" he asked as the mayor and the Huntsman looked confused.

"A place where even Grimm won't go? If such a place was to exist I can assure that everyone on Remnant would be headed there," the Mayor said as Jaune nodded.

"Although," the Huntsman said as Jaune turned to him.

"I heard a rumour of this one place south of Mistral back when I was at Haven Academy. An old superstition the kids would hear from travellers. Apparently, the number of Grimm in that area is surprising low, like really low which is bizarre. But anyone who ever ventures in there has never returned. Some say that entering that place will drive mad with rage and you kill anyone close to you…But it's just a rumour, sorry I can't be much help?" the Huntsman said unaware of the Grimm King materializing behind him.

"That sounds like the place, the temple must be in that direction. We should get moving" he vanished as Jaune subtly nodded.

"Thank you, I hope you all stay safe and that we meet again under better circumstances?" Jaune bowed to the two men who replied in turn. But just as he was about to turn and leave the village a small hand grabbed his own. He looked down to see Integra as she looked up sadly at the teen.

"Do you really have to go?" he nodded as he kneeled down to her.

"Sorry, Integra. But this is something I have to do, sorry I can't stay." She hung her head with a sad expression. "But I promise I'll come to visit when my business in Anima is done," she looked up with joy as she smiled.

"You promise!?" she asked as he chuckled.

"I promise," he told her as she then hugged the teen who was shocked but smiled as he returned the hug. The spectre of the Grimm King watching from his spectral plain as he gagged at the heartfelt moment.

"I swear you humans are too emotional. It's a wonder I managed to lose to you years ago?" he commented while the New King only tuned him out.

Turning around he pulled the hood over his head as he left the village, the eyes of the townspeople watching as the one who saved them walked away into the sunset. Never knowing what he truly was, nor care for it either way.

To the survivors of Shion, he was their saviour in their darkest hour. To Takefu he was a brave huntsman that stopped the Geist that had harassed them for months.

But to the world he was the New King of Darkness…and his reign was about to begin.

Meanwhile at Salem's Fortress.

Red with black eyes glanced out at the umbral plains of her domain as Salem cast her gaze upon the many Grimm that were taking shape in the pools of black. However, while her eyes were set to the present her mind was cast into the past as she thought about the Former King she betrayed centuries ago. A being that Ozpin himself had no knowledge about, for he only ever faced herself or his Grimm minions.

The Grimm King preferred to move from the shadows, only ever directing his forces through his bond with the Grimm. But when his presence was required he would leave no witness in his wake. Annihilating his foes with unyielding force and power. It was the reason that those of the Silver Eyes were close to extinction with only the young to barely remember his face or name.

All they would remember was a large Grimm that was far too strong for them.

But it was also because of the Silver Eyes that she took her chance to dethrone him. In his final battle with the elders of the clan, they weakened him and brought him down to a vulnerable state. She used that to sever his bond with his brethren and took control of the source. She became the new ruler of the Grimm and started her war with Ozpin for the relics he guarded.

However, while she had control over the Grimm she did not have the powers that the King possessed. Those were of the Kings own cultivation from tapping into the Pure Power of Darkness. Powers that no mere Grimm should possess, powers that were close to that of the God who created them. Powers that she wanted for herself. Unfortunately, they were tied to his being and to kill him would destroy all trace of connecting to the Dark Powers he wielded.

They would be forever lost to the void and the knowledge to access them would die with him.

Which was why she offered to let him live in servitude in exchange for the Powers of pure Darkness. Of course, she knew the King was stubborn and would never part with them willingly, he would rather die than do so. But she figured that eventually he would see reason and give her the powers he wielded. He threatened to find a successor but scoffed at the idea. He would never give his powers to a human and even if not, then she would continue with what she had and claim the Relics for herself.

However, she had never foreseen him actually giving his powers to someone else. A human for that matter and that now terrified her.

It meant that now the fury and rage of the New King of Darkness would be focused on her. Not the White Fang over petty difference, not the enemies of the Kingdom that stole from innocent to quench their own selfish desires. Not even on a war that had been raging for centuries in the shadows for pieces of power left by the Gods. No, it would be over a grudge from a man she betrayed long ago, a being whose power could topple any kingdom that stood in his path.

And that terrified her.

For the first time in her immortal life, Salem actually felt fear. She feared the man that now wielded the power of Darkness. She feared the man that once took her in when she had lost everything. She feared the man she betrayed for power and greed. She feared the man and the power of the true King of Darkness…

She feared his successor

She gripped the edge of the window sill and clenched her teeth.

Why she wondered, why would he do this? Why would the King of Darkness give his powers to a lowly mortal instead of surrendering to her? Was his hatred for her betrayal really that deep that he would give his own life to quench it? Was he really that stubborn as to deny what should be rightfully hers? Or was this just a way to mock her for not killing him when she had the chance?

"Mistress?" she was shaken from her thought, as she turned to see the perplexed gaze of her subordinates – Arthur Watts, Tyrian Callow and Hazel Rainart. "Is something wrong, you've been-!"

"I'm fine," the men flinched when she spoke as her voice cut through the air like a knife. So sharp and deadly that they felt a brief flash of fear through in their core. "I was simply evaluating our situation, no need for concern. Arthur, report, what have you learned?"

He coughed in his hand to clear his throat before he stood behind her.

"My contacts within the Atlas Military have managed to identify the man who stopped the Beacon Invasion." He drew open his scroll and handed it to her. "His name is Jaune Arc, eighth born to the Arc Family - a once prestigious Huntsman clan - now retired within Mistral." she held the scroll in her hand as she cycled through the images and reports gathered by Arthurs spies.

"From what they've gathered…he's the one you're looking for, my Queen." Hazel finished as she stared into the screen.

She narrowed her eyes as the screen was frozen upon the glowing red eyes of Jaune Arc as he stared into the camera of the Atlas Specialist who died to confront him. She instantly knew that this was the one that the former King had made his successor. The one who denied her the King's power, Beacon, the Fall Maiden and the Relic that lay beneath the school.

"This is whom he left it to? Some mortal bumpkin from the sticks that now possess the power of the King of Darkness? Is he mocking me or was it intentional?"

"My Queen," Tyrian interrupted as she glared at him. "If I may be as bold to ask but who is this King you referred to five months ago? Why is he a threat to the plan? Because it seems like he was someone you knew?" Salem turned to the man as her red eyes glared into him before she turned back to outskirts.

"…Before myself the Grimm had a ruler known only as the King of Darkness, the rightful King of the Grimm. I'm not exactly sure what he was myself, but from what I knew he was a powerful Grimm that had the intelligence of man and the fury of the Grimm. Back in those days, no one could stand before his might, not even the Silver Eyes in all their strength." She looked down to the ground where the former King escaped.

"My Mistress, if someone that powerful existed then why is he not on our side? With power like that the humans should have been wiped out centuries ago." Arthur asked as she shook her head.

"The King was powerful but not unbeatable. I overthrew him centuries ago in order to take control of the Grimm when he lost the first War on Darkness. He was a stubborn man who refused to bow to me. I gave him an ultimatum, live under me in servitude or die like a fool…obviously he chose the latter." She looked down as she grasped the window sill.

"But if he is dead, then what does this Arc boy have to do with him?" Hazel inquired as Salem once again looked off into memory.

"Before he departed he swore that he would find a successor to carry on his vengeance, to take back the Grimm and make me suffer for betraying him. At the time I took no heed of it and proceed with my own plans to take over this planet...I honestly believed he would never stoop so low as to give his powers to a mortal… Clearly, he has chosen his successor and now plans to carry out his predecessors will and rid me of my life."

"Mistress, why has he taken so long to interfere now? If this King is bent on dethroning you, then why did he decide now to interfere in our plans?" Arthur asked as Salem narrowed her eyes to the mental image of the smirking King.

"I had placed a cursed seal on him long ago to cut him off from his powers and tied them to his lifeforce, should he give his power to another. He was no stronger than an average Huntsman with the inability to die unless he gave his powers. He was supposed to give up his will in order to serve me, but instead, he chose to give his powers to another. The timing must have just been coincidental." The odds of finding a successor during the invasion were too low.

"But even now his presence threatens the plan and I have no idea where his allegiance will lie. But I know one thing for certain…he will be coming here…and he will face me." The members of her circle stared at each other as they subtly detected the hint of fear that hid in her words

"But…if he is supposed to carry out his predecessors will then why hasn't he come here them? If the boy now possesses the power you've described, then why has he not fulfilled that purpose and used it?" Hazel asked as Salem pondered this.

"...I do not know…It's been over a thousand years, so I have no idea what the King has planned for his successor. This could be an attempt to rile me up and make me unfocused, catch me off guard or toy with me as I did with him centuries ago. Or…perhaps something happened neither of us could predict."

"Which is another thing my Queen," Arthur stated as he brought up images of Ruby. "This girl, she clearly possesses the powers of the Silver Eyes." Tyrian scoffed at this.

"I thought we took care of the last Silver eyes years ago?"

"Clearly we missed one," Hazel noted. "But it does seem that she had something to do with the boy disappearing," the images showed Ruby's powers activating and blasting the area with white light before static took over the screen.

Salem pondered this. Could this girl have had something to do with the New King disappearing? If so then how could they use this to their advantage?

"In any case, we could not afford to be hasty. The new King was out there, somewhere in the world and we have no idea of his motives or his plans. We need to be cautious and carry on with the plan."

"But how my Queen, with Cinder dead we don't have access to Fall Maiden and there's been no sign of her inheritor. Even Cinders cohorts have vanished without a trace." Arthur asked as Hazel looked at the images of Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black.

"It's not like they knew where we live. Cinder was supposed to bring the kiddies here for an introduction…but got a little sidetracked with death," Tyrian grinned a little but stopped when Salem glared at him.

"Is it possible that her associate Emerald inherited the power? That was her true purpose after all in case Cinder was ever defeated. A back up in case something was to happen." Hazel shrugged his shoulders.

"Unknown, but from Cinder, reports indicate this girl was highly infatuated with her. Idolised her even. Her death may have had an adverse effect on her psyche. There is no telling what state she could be in when we find her if we can find her." Arthur nodded as he looked over the reports of Cinders known associates.

"Agreed, but in either case, we need to locate them and get a full report on what happened. If she did manage to inherit the Maidens power, then we can plan another attack on Vale. Until then we must focus on gaining the other Maidens. Arthur, contact our spy in Mistral and double our efforts in locating the Spring Maiden. Hazel will head off to meet with Adam and ensure the continued co-operation of the White Fang. Tyrian." Salem instructed as Tyrian grinned as he looked at her.

"I want you to dig up anything you can find on this Jaune Arc, see if his name pops up anywhere with your contacts. As soon as you have located him contact me immediately and I will send every available Grimm to dispose of him." Tyrian nodded as he bowed to his Queen.

"Right now, everything we've worked for is at risk of failing because of a mistake I made long ago in the past. But this will not stop us from completing our ultimate goal. We will reclaim the Falls power, we will steal the Relics that slumber under the Kingdoms of this world. And we will create a new world where we will rule…" she looked towards the window as the fractured moon hung over the plains of Remnant.

'Still…his presence has tipped the scales into the unknown…I have no idea what this 'New King' will do. But I doubt he will join us…then again…' she looked darkly at the world. 'I highly doubt he will join Ozpin once he finds out the truth of this war…and what the price has cost him'

One Week Later – Anima Forest – Near the Temple

The soft sound of leaves crunching and dirt shifting echoed quietly amongst the forest as Jaune walked silently amongst the shaded canopy of the large trees. His black cloak lightly shifted in the wind as blood-red eyes peered out from the darkness of his hood. A small rustle caught his attention as he stopped in the middle of the road. The soft chatter of birds and animals scurried around him as he stood still in the forest.

"I know you're there, so come out already" he spoke to the seemingly empty woods.

That was until several figures emerged from the woods as all of them brandished the gleaming steel and the stench of blood. Wicked grins and smug aura surrounded the men as they circled the man. A large bald man grinned as he looked at the hooded Jaune.

"Hehe I'm impressed, not many travellers detect us so quickly until it's too late. From what I can guess you're probably a Huntsman, right? Pretty stupid to be wandering by yourself though, never know when you could run into some…unsavoury characters." Red eyes narrowed as the men slowly drew their blades.

"So how about this, you give us all you got, and we may consider letting you provided that you actually have something of value to offer?" the man said smugly as he hefted a large battle axe upon his shoulder. The young man merely narrowed his eyes as he looked at all the men around him.

"…Are you really going to do this?" The looked confused as this was not the usual response they got from their potential victims.

"Are you really going to try and rob me, even kill me if I don't give you what you want? No offence but you guys don't look very intimating, let alone well organised if you ask me. From what I guess you guys are small-time crooks that take advantage of small groups rather than large towns if I can judge accurately from the state of your gear."

He looked over as most of them had patched up cloaks, rusted metal or even mismatching clothes and armour. The Bald man growled as he planted his axe into the ground for dramatic effect, not that it even fazed him.

"Shut it, boy! Besides, since the Branwen Tribe got wiped out a week ago all their territory just became up for grabs. Don't know who was brave enough to take on those bastards, but it's left a large vacuum for groups like us to swoop in to take what they left behind." He grinned as he leaned into the boy. "I saw what became of them, brutal if you ask me. But if I ever did meet the guys who manage to do it I'd probably thank them for the new opportunities we have." He placed his hand on the boy's shoulder roughly as he squeezed.

"Now we're going to try this again. You are going to give us everything you have, and we might just let you live. Play nice and we'll let you walk away with a shred of dignity left in you. What do you say?" the man slowly turned his head he stared at him.

"…For your own safety, you have five seconds to remove your hand. Trust me, you don't want this to happen." The bald man blinked before he laughed followed by his cohorts as their voices echoed out amongst the forest. All the while the hooded man just stared at them. The bald man gripped tighter on his shoulder as he got right up in his face.

"Oh yea, and what will happen if I don't?"

Crack! Crunch!

What followed next was the sickening sound of broken bone and torn flesh as the man only managed to blink before he looked over to his arm, only to find that it was no longer attached to his elbow and held in the young man's hand.

"ARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!" he let out a horrifying wail that startled and scared his men, only for him to suddenly fly all the way back and slam into a tree.

The others quickly spun back to the hooded man as he held their leader's arm in his own as red eyes glared out from the darkness of his hood. One of them was braver than the others as he roared and tried to attack the man from behind. But all that did was get him a boot to the face and a quick flight to the nearest tree. Two more screamed as they charged at the man with swords drawn, only for the swords to miss as he backhanded both of them into the ground.

Dust flying through the air as one of the gang members with a gauntlet loaded with dust launched a large barrage of ice across the ground hoping to freeze their attacker. But Jaune merely produced his sword and with a powerful slash stopped the ice in its track and scattered it into dust. The bandit only had seconds to register this before the black blade flew out of his hands, through the air and severed the man's arm from his body.

The man's screams echoing in the forest as twin bandits swung their chains and threw them at Jaune, wrapping him up with chains. The bandits grinned when two more of their comrades drew their blades and ran their steel through his chest.

"Ha! Not so tough now you little shit!" one of the bandits boasted as he and his brother drove the blades in. But that smug turned to terror as Jaune looked up at them with no visible pain on his face, only a flash of red before his body morphed into shadows and he slipped away from their grasp.

"What in the-! Gah!" was all he could say before a fist punched his chest and threw his body into his brother before blasting them away with a punch. The remain bandits looked on in fear as he stood in the centre of the carnage. Broken chains, steel and blood scattered around him as he moved his head slowly towards the men. Red eyes flashed as bandits looked on in terror before he charged, and they screamed.

The bald man slowly regained conscious even as the world became a blur around him. Drowned voices echoed around him as he groaned groggily. His vision began to clear when he noticed a particular lack of feeling on his left arm.

Only to realise that he no longer had an arm from the elbow down.

His heart began to beat faster in his chest as he desperately grabbed on to the stump that was his arm. His aura did manage to stop the bleeding, but the pain felt still clawed at his nerves as he groaned in pain. Finally, his hearing returned, and he noticed a lack of sound that forced him to look up.

What he saw terrified him.

All around his men defeated, their bodies broken and twisted, their weapons destroyed, and any will of fighting long gone as they lay motionless on the ground. At the centre of it all was the man they tried to rob, not a single scratch on him as he held the last of his men by the neck. The man not moving before Jaune dropped him to the ground, alive but broken.

His gaze turned to the leader of the bandits as red eyes flashed in his direction.

It was then that the man noticed the mark on his armour, the mark of upside-down crescents with a blood-red eye and sword puncturing right through the middle. A mark he had seen a week ago.

"T-that mark! A-are you with the ones t-that killed the Branwen clan!?"

Jaune merely turned to him as he flinched back in fear of the boy. The red eyes of his attacker glaring into his soul as he feared of what would happen if he moved.

"No…I'm not with the ones that killed the clan…" his voice cut through the air as he glared. "…I am the one that killed the clan…"

The bald man flinched in fear when his eyes flashed red and the shadows began to move almost as if they were alive. His voice caught in his throat when he attempted to scream but nothing came out. His body frozen in place and refused to budge. Afraid that any slight movement would anger the boy-no the demon before him and end his miserable life. Jaune looked down before he turned away and pulled his hood back over his head.

"Relax, I'm going to let you all live…" a huge sigh of relief nearly exited his mouth before he spoke again.

"However, in exchange for letting you live and quitting your ways…" he pointed to the mark on his armour. "You tell everyone you meet, every bandit, every pirate, every low-life scum on this planet that if they ever see this Mark it means the end for those with wicked intents…" he turned back one last time and glared at the man.

"Understood?" his voice carried the power of the King as the bandit nodded rapidly in fear. In his moment of terror, he could have sworn to see the shadows move toward him and take the shape of Grimm with all their eyes glaring into him.

…in truth, he pissed himself.

He nodded before he walked away from the carnage that he unleashed upon the poor bandits; noticing that his personality had changed ever since he gained the King of Darkness's power. He was colder, crueller to his enemies and felt no remorse for what he did to these men.

But it was a price he had to pay for gaining the powers of Darkness, to save the ones he loved.

…the question was, how much of him would be left when the war was over?

And Scene. Well here is chapter V of The New King of Darkness. Sorry for the long, long, long, long loooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnggggggggg wait. But a lot of stuff happened in my life and I only had just enough time to write this chapter. I will continue, as well as some of my other stories such as Knight, Restart, Rider and Trials. I'm even working on the next chapter of Ascension as well. But good stories take time, so I appreciate your patience and hope you continue to read my works.

I would also like to thank loneonyxwolf for the inspiration for Jaune's new clothes. Sorry everyone, but Jaune isn't getting Alucard's look. Alucard's look belongs to Alucard and Jaune needs his own style.

Also, once again Paths of the Arc by Sixsamchaos has posted Chapter 2 of Knight and it is good. If you haven't read it already go and check it out. Thanks for reading and look forward to the real temple chapter in…

Chapter VI: Temple of Raging Fire