"Thank you for using Schnee Dustroads System. Please rest easy until we reach our destination. Next destination : Kingdom of Vale. I repeat. Next destination ..."
Robotic voice of a lady, or ladylike voice of a robot, could be heared inside the train. Jaune however could barely focus on it as the events happened a few hours ago was still replaying in front of his eyes. The joy over wounding grimm and the instant death after his cranium got crushed against the tree trunk. He had no illusions about it just being a dream. He spent around an hour collecting his brain and bits of skull from the area, not to mention he found left side of his face on the branches of a bush with his one eye staring at him with horror. He decided it would somewhat effect his chances if someone found remains of his head and tried his best to clean the blood off from forest. Not that he succeed. He later dug holes to hide his own remains and threw some into nearby river, hoping fishes would like his white matter.
Jaune would be right to think these were just him going mad but he felt every second of death and albeitly short afterlife. His tired mind and body didn't managed to last any longer to the stress he was going through though and Jaune fallen asleep on the spot he was sitting.
At least that was what Jaune thought when he felt the sleep claim his sensations but he was standing in a white room that clearly wasn't a part of the train. Room was decent sized. Decently sized but only in height and width. The lenght of room just kept going until his eyes couldn't detect the lines between floor and walls. The only furniture seemed to be the chair he was sitting on and the business like in front of him. After waiting for a while he decided to get up and inspect the desk. It was less boring than gazing eternity. Desk was fairly average though it seemed like expensive. It also had a black box on top if it with a white sticky note on it saying "To Jaune".
Holding box and opening it was a simple move but Jaune couldn't bring himself to do it. It seemed like an action he can never take back. It was feeling mixed with dread, sadness and sorrow yet he raised his hands and opened the box only to see nothing. The box wasn't empty. Yet it had nothing in it. It was hard to grasp. Jaune was looking at nothing but the box was not empty. The box was not empty it just had nothing. Nothing was inside the box but box was not empty. Jaune could feel a small headache starting. He could simply close the box or look at something else but he just couldn't bring himself to not observe the box. As he stared deep into nothing he felt the headache worsening yet he kept looking. Jaune kept looking into box even if the pain consumed entirety of his head he kept looking. Then the pain was simply nothing. Jaune unbothered by nothing kept staring the nothing.
Jaune wake up. He was feeling numb and sweaty. It seemed like he passed out while sitting. Shaking his head at his actions he left for bathroom near his train seat. After washing his hands and face he checked his handsome reflection to fix his hair. After putting it into the shape he likes he checked mirror one last time to see if he missed anything. It was as usual. Blonde hair, youthfull skin, slightly scrawny look and his blu- Ah no black his eyes were black for some reason and not blue. Jaune Arc stared at mirror for a few more minutes and did what every sane man would do in his position. Jaune Arc punched the mirror.
After a long and miserable hour of getting lectured by the people working in train about how seeing a spider as big as his hand wasn't a good reason to ruin a perfectly good mirror Jaune managed to turn back to his seat and silently wait for train to reach the Vale. He simply had to not glance at any reflective surface so he would not have a panic attack. Simple. His irises being black is completely fine. He heard some rumors about people who can change their eye colors, surely it was just a genetics thing. He just had to ignore the fact his new black irises didn't reflect any light and the fact he clearly knew there was nothing behind his eyes. He simply had to ignore it. Just go with the flow. It was however harder than he thought so Jaune , after reaching the Vale, went to a club so he could drink his fears away. Just for once. He had a few beers before when he was helpinhg city guards at Ansel and he was sure he could handle stronger stuff. Jaune had however underestimated the pricing in this new place and was trying to figure out how to explain the big dude behind the counter he was slightly short on cash, just a few hundred liens, without vomiting or passing out. Easy stuff.
Yang didn't spare too much of a glance to mumbling blonde who seemed like he had more drinks than he could handle. Maybe if he was more buff or looked like he had a little bit more spine she could be interested but she was busy anyway. She had to find more information about a certain someone. So she approached the Junior. Man behind the counter for the information she needed.
She presented the picture on her scroll and asked for the information she needed and ordered a drink too, strawberry sunshine, to not look like desperate. The man, who is now near Yang and gave the duty of mixing drinks to one of the men working for the place, approached her rather arrogant, belittling way.
-Aren't you little young to be in this club,blondie?
-Aren't you a little old to be called Junior?
-So you know who I am? You got a name sweetheart?
-Yes Junior, I have got several, but you can call me ... Sir
With saying that Yang attacked his most vulnarable spot, and squezed said area rather strongly. Then she proceeded her talk. She pulled out a picture , it had a black haired women with a sword in her hand.
-People say you know everything Junior, tell me where she is and I will let you go.
-I have never seen her , I swear.
Yang raised her eyebrow and strengtened her grip.
-I swear, sir.
Said Junior, clearly in pain. Yang glanced at the crowd of people wearing black suit and ties witbh multiple weapons in hand approach her to save their boss. Before she could make a witty remark however she got sucker punched by a hand coming near Junior. She had to let go of the Junior from her grasp. She quickly turned back to see the earlier, weak looking blondes standing there with an out streched punch. He looked like he was only now realising what he had done but it was too late. Yang struck back to him with a punch enough to fracture asphalt and Jaune's skull.
Jaune was not regretting from saving the bartender. Girl was clearly bullying him. And he hated bullies. But anger and several alcoholic drinks were a bad mix he quickly realised that as punch connected his face and throw him to the wall. Suprisingly, while it was stronger than the grimm's claw, it didn't splatter his face to ground. A flash of light erupted when punch hit his nose and another from his back when he hit the wall. Despite his pain he tried to see if people realised that. Ever since his death weird stuff was happening to him, first all that dark and eye change now this? He looked up back to fight only to see the blond girl getting hit by a sword and flashing where she got hit and resuming the fight. No one looked suprised. He quickly decided whatever this flash was, it was more widely accepted compared to coming back from death. He rose back up, knees shaking. And run back to the fight. As he run he drew his sword and wore his sheath on his free hand. If he remembered correctly his family heirloom had a neat trick on its sleeve. Unfortunately for Jaune he figured his current opponent had a much more suiting weapon for the joke he made on her sleeve as her gauntlet turned into a shotgun filled with fire dust and sent him back to wall he crashed before.
The crash was as painfull as before but much more managable when Jaune knew he could shrug it off this time. He felt drained for some reason, not exactly tired but still felt his energy was not at its peak. Deciding it is not a time to worry about it he jumped back on the fight as blonde maniac punched multiple people wearing black suits within mere seconds. As much scared as Jaune was, he simply couldn't let a person like this get away with this unschatched. He seized the momentary stop she made after punching a suit harder than usual and swing his sword with all of the strenght he could gather from his upper body. Which resulted in his swing looking more like someone swinging a baseball bat and not a skilled swordsman slash against a fiery demon but it still did its work.
Yang didn't expected the hit she took to her face, she was sure she beaten up every opponent , without damaging them too much. She accidentally used too much strenght on her first hit but to her suprise he had aura and saved her from killing someone but it seemed his aura also saved him from getting knocked out. The sword that hit her face and threw her into a table proved that much. Yang get back up with a back flip. The hit was decent but she still had a lot of Aura to spent since no one in the club, bar the twins and maybe the drunk blonde wasn't even a fight. With a smug smile she decided to taunt them and ready her next move. But her smile died before it was fully formed as she saw a clearly blonde and shiny hair strand, much like her own, lay on the ground with wood splinters. And Yang Xia Long roared.
Jaune was thinking he might get a few bone of his broken when he saw the girl back flip away from her fall, proving his hit didn't do a lasting damage, but he was now sure he was gonna be dead. Even his new power that shined and protected him from the damage felt not enough to negate the next hit he was going to get. He barely had any time to register the speed blond girl moved in front of him and swing her. The only thought he had was the fact his previous death scene that was very similar to this death he will be experiencing in next second. Not wanting to relieve the same disgusting feeling of death, Jaune tightened his grip on the handle of his sword and tried to swing it. But it was too slow. Too weak to stop her. Jaune wanted to do something, anything. But Jaune could do nothing. And so the fist of the girl punched through his aura and through his face. Unlike before though, it didn't hurt. Infact he was sure he didn't evel feel it connect on his face. He saw the girl not stop after punch and went through him. It confused Jaune, he was sure she would at least stumble after hitting him with whole body, not just pass through him. He saw her raised eyebrow as she looked back to him. Looking at his reflection from a broken glass, possibly happened during her fight before, he understood. After all it was rare to see your opponent turn during a bar fight a mist after loosing a fight , much like the grimm do.
Authors note:
Not exactly satisfied with this chapter. It was hard to decide the gift Jaune was granted after his death. Don't worry it will be more than just smoke but not too over powered