Chapter 9: Daemon

Fractured memories overlaid his perception, shattering the world around him into a jumble of competing images; clean-cut grass, metallic shackles, blue sky, brown fabric, a broken monitor, shadows of Elms along a moonlit path, a sword at his neck…

Jaune opened his eyes to the sun hot on his face and a massive headache that threatened to split his skull in two. He coughed, rolled over, and fell face-first onto an asphalt road.

Attempting to reconstruct STEM consumer grade legacy version…

ERROR Host's Aura field interfering with electrical equipment

The sounds of kids laughing, loud conversations, and whistles of birds washed over him. Pushing to his knees, Jaune grabbed hold of the metal bench he'd just fallen from and staggered into the seat. The bench was tucked into an alcove between manicured shrubs, overlooking an asphalt road lined with elms and a wide grassy area beyond it, where people were lying on blankets and reading books, kids played tag, and one Faunus couple was having their wedding photo taken.

It was around midday, judging by the angle of the sun, and he was in a public park somewhere, though the sheer size of the towering buildings in the distance was unfamiliar to him.

But…how? The last thing he remembered was-

Sharp pain cut through his skull.

"Hey, are you okay?" a worried voice asked.

Jaune realized his head was low between his hands with his elbows on his knees. He took a deep breath and forced himself to focus.

"STEM, where am I?" he muttered. Gingerly lifting his head to glance around. The sunlight shined so bright that he had to squint, his eyes sensitive and watery.

STEM…? What was he saying? The word didn't make sense to him, though he felt like it should.

"Do you need help?" The voice asked again. The speaker, a pregnant rabbit Faunus pushing a stroller, looked at him uncertainly, as if she was wondering whether it was really necessary for her to get involved. Two feline-looking Faunus in matching sports bras and spandex pants slowed down their running to a brisk walk, throwing him curious looks.

He stared at the lady's rabbit ears, then at the various animal traits of the Faunus milling about on the grass or in the shade of trees, some of them muttering and exchanging confused glances, but most ignored him. He'd met Faunus before, of course, but only during festivals or political events, as Ansel was a fairly isolated town, homogeneous regarding both race and class.

Now the cultural shock was enough to sober him up.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Jaune forced his eyes from her distracting ears, "I think I'm lost." His voice was hoarse and he had to clear his throat several times before words could be formed again. "Uh, I mean. I must have taken a wrong turn. Where am I?"

She looked around with a frown, maybe expecting someone else to take charge of the situation. When non volunteered, she turned back to him. "You are in Crater Lake Park."

The name was familiar. He'd heard of this place before, on his…last visit to Vale City?

Memory access requested

Memory access failed

ERROR Host's Aura field interfering with electrical equipment

"Where's the lake, then?" he asked stupidly.

She shrugged. "There should be a tourist information booth here somewhere, maybe they could help you."

"Thank you, ma'am," he replied, the words coming out somewhat stilted and robotically.

She looked at him with a baffled expression. "Do you need to call someone to pick you up?"

"Call someone…" Jaune muttered in thought. He brushed his pants with his hands, staring down blankly at beige cargo shorts and running shoes he'd never seen before, and concluded that his scroll was missing and that there was something wrong with him. Similarly unfamiliar white t-shirt hugged his body, with the sleeves rolled up above the elbows. It was clean, unwrinkled, and dry. The synthetic fabric felt itchy against his chest. "I've lost my scroll. May I borrow yours for a moment?"

"…Sure." She crouched near the stroller, one hand supporting her round belly, to reach the basket storage underneath. "There it is," she said after some rummaging. Still in a bent position, she held out her scroll to him with one hand while the other patted her child's head.

Instead of taking a few steps to close the gap and accept the offered scroll, Jaune remained firmly seated. Attempting to reach out with his hand, he leaned forward on the bench and almost fell off. He carefully sat back down, uncertain. There was an awkward moment as the rabbit Faunus looked at him over her shoulder with a puzzled look, slowly lowering her hand.

Standing up would be a terrible idea.

Jaune struggled with that thought, turning it over in his mind, straining to make sense of it. He imagined himself standing up, visualizing the motion…what was the problem?

"Do you want to make a call, or not?" she asked, a note of irritation creeping into her voice.

"Yes. Of course. I apologize…" he mumbled, commanding his body to move again, but the muscles in his legs seemed to have locked up. "Uh, forgive me, but would you mind coming closer?" he asked awkwardly, gripping the edge of the bench. "I feel a little dizzy."

Openly frowning now, she straightened up, hoisting her pregnant belly as she moved closer.

Her baby began to cry.

Jaune fidgeted with the front of his shirt, scratching his itching chest, trying to ignore the judging stares of the onlookers around him.

"Thank you," he said, "I apologize again for the inconvenience."

Initializing memory reconstruction procedure…

Failed to operate nanobots

ERROR Host's Aura field interfering with electrical equipment

Recalculating strategy…

Analysis complete

Extracting stem cells from host's bone marrow…

Distributing stem cells to damaged brain areas…

regenerating neurons…

Without even thinking about it, his fingers tapped numbers on the screen in a familiar pattern. He hit the call button and waited patiently. But as he was sitting there, considering the strangeness of his predicament while watching park goers enjoying the mild autumn weather, gears in his brain began to click, and before the scroll reached three rings, Jaune remembered.

It was akin to waking up from a restless sleep where half the night was spent on the edges of consciousness and the rest dreaming disturbing dreams. A timeline of recent events slowly rebuilt itself in his mind, and he began to make sense of things. Or, more precisely, he began to make sense of the things he should have already known, because there was still a gaping hole in his memory; everything after STEM's request for more information regarding Aura, presumably right before their attempted escape, was missing.

No. Not everything. He was caught. Arrested. Taken somewhere…close? Far? He couldn't tell, but he was sure they'd failed to evade capture. Somehow, he was absolutely certain of it, though he couldn't point to any evidence to support that assumption other than a strong feeling in his gut.

"Hello, who is this?" The voice on the other end sounded exhausted and weak. "Hello?"

Jaune could hardly breathe. He opened his mouth to respond but the words caught in his throat. His chest hurt and his right hand was shaking so bad the scroll almost slipped out of his grip.

"Yes?" The voice sounded angry now, surprising him. She never got angry. "Why are you calling this number? Who are you?"

He couldn't reply, he couldn't think, let alone form coherent words. A feeling of intense fear suffocated him from all sides, the recent horrors he'd endured suddenly coming to the forefront of his mind. He felt himself losing control over his body-

Restarting stress hormones calibration…

WARNING STEM consumer grade legacy version requests recalibration of stress hormones

Failed to recalibrate: incomplete host's verbal consent

Restarting stress hormones calibration…

His body relaxed immediately.

Jaune remained silent for a long moment, long enough that under any normal circumstances he would have expected her to hang up. The pain in his chest lessened and with it his mind cleared again, his thoughts focused, that familiar anger reemerged, and a feeling of invincibility steeled his nerves.

Now that he could think again, the optimal strategic course of action was obvious, and it did not include contacting his family. He should gather more information first. He should end the call.

Yes, that would be the best course of action.

"Lavender, it's me," Jaune said quietly.

"…Jaune? Jaune!" She screamed incoherently and he heard several other voices in the background talking over each other. There was a banging noise as if someone had dropped the scroll, then a curse, a pointed accusation, what sounded like a struggle, and finally Lavender's sobbing voice. "Where are you?"

"Crater Lake Park, apparently," he said. "I need- "

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? WE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!"

"Lavender, please listen. I need you to come get me, I am- "

"ARE YOU HURT?"

"I'm perfectly fine and healthy," he attempted to reply in a soothing tone, but his voice came out stilted again. "I've lost my scroll so- "

Another fit of sobbing and yelling drowned out his voice. "Lavender, let me speak with Sapphire," Jaune tried, but his voice was lost under an avalanche of yells, cries, and demands for explanations. "Lavender calm down," he said tentatively, "don't cry. I'm safe, I promise." He'd never been a comforting person, but now, offering emotional support felt impossible. He was too detached, too logical, too angry. Evidently, whatever STEM had done to his mental state was still very much in effect.

Lavender was clearly going through a nervous breakdown of some sort; one he was unequipped to deal with, so as he waited in silence while she wept and wailed at him, his thoughts drifted to crucial matters.

STEM was missing. That much was obvious.

Or not. The voice in his mind was unresponsive, but its emotional regulation was still operational, as such, it was most likely damaged but still present in some capacity.

Assuming they'd been caught, taken somewhere by the authorities, what happened then? Was he to believe they'd managed to escape a competent agency, undoubtedly used to dealing with rogue Huntsmen infinitely more powerful than him? Jaune looked down at the unfamiliar clothes on his body, noting again how clean the fabric seemed, freshly ironed. Lifting one arm, he sniffed under his armpit. Fragrance of soap hit his senses as if he'd just been scrubbed clean.

He lowered the scroll from his ear to tap on the clock icon. It'd been seven days, according to the date in the corner of the screen. Days where in place of memories and experiences there was nothing but void. A lot could have happened in seven days. He couldn't make any assumptions.

Based on this flawed understanding of the situation, there were two likely possibilities. First, he'd been arrested, interrogated, and released, but that didn't explain his compromised memory or the lack of response from STEM. Second, he'd been arrested, interrogated, and had managed to escape, in which case his family was sure to be monitored, and making any form of contact with them was a horrible mistake.

Regardless, Jaune was certain of one thing; he was sick of being jerked around by the whims of outside forces. It was time he took control of the situation.

"Jaune?" Sapphire's voice reached out to him. It sounded weak, defeated, hollow. Suddenly, he had an irrational urge to break something.

"Yes, I'm here."

"You're alive," she said in a small, shaky voice.

"I am."

"Where have you been?"

Jaune hesitated. Should he reveal his lack of memory, or come up with some other excuse? But what excuse could he possibly have to justify a week-long disappearance? The medical records would show he'd been admitted to one of the ICUs, but what happened after his arrest was still a mystery.

"What did they tell you?" he asked.

There was a long pause as if Sapphire was struggling to make sense of the question. When she spoke again, he was relieved to spot a hint of impatience in her voice. At least she was still herself, despite the recent traumas. "The detectives said that you were treated for brain damage and memory loss before leaving the ICU unsupervised."

A cover-up story?

"I see."

"That's all you have to say to me?" her voice was on the verge of breaking down.

"I'm sorry. My memory is, uh, a little fuzzy. I remember the evacuation and landing in Vale City, but I don't recall much of what happened after that." He waited for a response that didn't come. "…So, uh, I'm at Crater Lake Park. Not sure how I got here, to be honest. I'm calling from a borrowed scroll." Jaune tried to smile at the annoyed Faunus waiting for him to finish the call, but his face split into something that probably resembled a frown more than anything else. "I need you to come pick me up… Sapphire, are you there?" Her silence unnerved him. "Saph?"

He heard a banging noise, footsteps coming closer, and the static rustle of a scroll being picked up. "Jaune, this is Terra speaking."

"Is Sapphire OK?"

"She will be. She just needs time. Did you say Crater Lake Park? Can you get to the north exit?"

Terra consulted a map, making sure they knew where to meet up, and gave him her number in case he got lost. He memorized the ten digits with surprisingly little effort. Before he could end the call, Lavender insisted that he turn on the video, so he did, anything to reassure them that he was indeed safe and unharmed. He wished he hadn't though because his stomach turned at her gaunt appearance.

Everything would get better from now on. He would make sure of it.

He returned the scroll to its irritated owner the same way he'd received it, awkwardly, from a seated position. The rabbit Faunus nodded at his thanks and disappeared around a bend in the road soon after.

He moved to get up, but his legs still refused to cooperate. He didn't have time for that.

Jaune pushed himself off the bench with a violent motion, forcing his body to choose between the hard ground and the soles of his shoes. Instead of crashing flat on his face, or staggering to his feet like he'd hoped he would, he was launched forward as if shot from a cannon. It was only thanks to his artificially composed mental state that he avoided a disaster. He twisted in the air to dodge the head of a child, curled his body to squeeze between a group of women huddled in a semi-circle, and clipped the trunk of a tree, one thick branch shattering in a shower of splinters and leaves and sending him tumbling out to the stretch of open grass beyond the road. Bystanders screamed and dove out of the way with the enhanced reflexes all Faunus possessed, barely missing him before he landed heavily, skidding at least thirty feet until his body lost momentum.

Jaune would have been dazed with shock, had his mind operated normally. Instead, he rolled over to his back, spitting grass out of his mouth. Only one thought dominated his mind. There was only one possible explanation.

His Aura was unlocked.

/X/

"Ma'am, shouldn't we intervene?" Cage asked her nervously. Not for the first time that day. "He's obviously not in his right mind. He could seriously hurt someone, not to mention, you know, the damage to public property- "

"We have our orders," Winter interjected sharply, though she didn't disagree. "And stop touching your face!" she hissed.

Cage froze in the middle of rubbing his fake mustache. "Yes ma'am. Sorry ma'am. Uh, you know, I wasn't trained in subterfuge and disguise," he shifted from foot to foot, fiddling with a red sweatband on his forearm. "Or intelligence gathering. Or any kind of field work, really… "

Winter ignored her partner's complaints, grabbing his arm and steering him to the side of the road where they wouldn't block the movement around the scene of the accident. A small crowd had already begun to gather at a safe distance, to watch Jaune struggling and failing to walk properly. Like an oversized toddler, he flung out his hands and hopped awkwardly with feet wide apart to keep from losing his balance.

"I failed the fitness exam twice." Cage said, wiping a forearm over his sweaty brow and tugging at the waistband of gym shorts that were at least two sizes too small for him. "Did you know that?" She gave him a pointed look. "Of course you did…"

Winter pretended to stretch her legs as if she was cooling down after an intense workout. Her hair was dyed blond and pulled back into a tight bun, matching her pink workout clothes. Her eyes were locked on Jaune. "If you would like to request transfer to another assignment you should contact your immediate superior."

"You are my immediate superior!"

"Would you like to make a formal request for reassignment?" Winter asked.

"Yes!"

"Denied," she said easily.

"But- "

"Would you like to appeal my decision?" Winter asked.

"I do, and ma'am, you should also make note of my digestive disorder, which, according to my doctor, precludes me from strenuous physical activity and-"

"Noted. Denied."

Cage sighed in defeat. "And I suppose you won't reconsider?"

"You supposed correctly."

In truth, Winter was not entirely unsympathetic to her partner's concerns. Cage Robinson wouldn't have been her first, or even hundredth, choice. It just happened that his excellent analytical skills combined with a rare Semblance put him at the top of the list of least useless candidates. He should be grateful for the opportunity to work and learn from a specialist of her caliber, and he would perform up to her standards.

"He's getting better," Cage nodded towards the spectacle. Jaune was now taking slow, but steady steps, his arms no longer waving wildly for balance. "But he's running out of time, the police will be here soon enough."

"They won't," Winter said.

Cage frowned in confusion. "Ma'am?"

"Did you not read the briefing I'd sent you? What were you doing last night?"

"Sleeping…" Cage muttered.

"What was that?" Winter asked dangerously.

"Uh, nothing, I mean, I was busy analyzing that Dust Fields Pattern report from Ansel."

"Good," Winter nodded approvingly. "But next time I expect you to prioritize time-sensitive tasks over long-term projects. We will rework your schedule tonight to optimize your time management."

"Really looking forward to it…"

Winter nodded, pleased. Her new partner was nothing if not dedicated. "To answer your question, Headmaster Ozpin requested that all parties involved will refrain from engaging with the subject unless the possibility of civilian casualties is high. I presume he used his connections with the VPD to block emergency calls from this area."

"He almost took the head off a civilian with one uncontrolled Aura burst! And now- "

"Keep your voice down!" Winter pushed Cage through the line of trees to the open stretch of grass. "I activated a glyph the moment I sensed his Aura flaring up. Rest assured that I would have intervened had the circumstances required it."

"We were more than a hundred feet away," Cage said, an undertone of awe in his voice. "And you had the situation under control?"

"Of course." Winter scoffed. "And we are not the only team tailing the subject."

Cage gulped and glanced around nervously. "I've sensed five suspicious Aura signatures in the area."

Six, to be precise. All powerful and extremely well-shrouded. Ozpin had dispatched one of his teams of four, which left two unknowns. Two potential adversaries of unknown capabilities and objectives, members of an agency that took orders from neither the Vale Council nor Beacon.

She watched Jaune struggling with undirected Aura pulses that kept throwing his balance off. Unshrouded, his Aura was out of control, interfering with physical movement. It was hard to believe this was the same boy who had easily neutralized five policemen and broken the arm of a professional huntress. Now with his memories so compromised, he was reduced to a talentless civilian unable to handle the barest amount of power.

The brutal interrogation had obviously broken his mind. Winter doubted he'd last to the end of the day before being taken into custody again. It was a tragedy, everything his family had been through, but she understood the necessity. If there was even the slightest possibility that he'd made contact with a Vessel, it was their duty to take every precaution.

That said, Jaune had been cleared and released without charge, apparently, despite the multitude of odd inconsistencies with his story and behavior. Ozpin must have used every favor at his disposal to pull that off. But why would he? There was without a doubt crucial information the headmaster was privy to and refused to share, which was why the General had ordered her to get on a flight to Vale in the first place.

"Uh, ma'am," Cage said, "what is he doing?"

Jaune lifted his shirt, revealing a surprisingly ridged and muscular torso, and began pulling at the skin on his stomach, looking down his chest as if searching for something.

"There are purple spots on his stomach. Do you see it?" Winter asked.

"I can't see anything from here, ma'am. An infected injury, perhaps?"

"...no," Winter muttered, distracted. She squinted, trying to make out the details of what seemed to be a rash that stretched across the front of his body. There was something odd about its shape, the way it spread in parallel lines, almost like a…script.

Suddenly, Jaune froze. He stood there stock still as if deep in thought, his body taut like a statue, eyes close.

Several tense seconds passed like that before Aura exploded out of his body.

Winter immediately activated a glyph and four different techniques, splitting the Main Flow of her Aura into four parallel Branches. The first Branch wove around her legs to create an effect of explosive strength, the second accelerated her senses, the third slowed down her perception of time, and the fourth concentrated in the skeletal muscles of her right arm, readying a devastating strike. Branching allowed a Huntress to use several different techniques simultaneously at the cost of versatility, because once a Branch was created, it couldn't be repurposed, only split further into more specialized Branches.

Which was why the capacity to think ahead was the most profound aspect of a Huntress's battle prowess, and Winter was very good at anticipating an opponent's move and countering with the optimal set of techniques.

Kicking into the air, Winter triggered the activated glyph and was blasted forward towards Jaune, moving through a world that seemed to have ceased to exist besides herself and her enemy. Even with her accelerated senses, her vision couldn't quite keep up with her speed, and her surroundings blurred into a smear of colors.

Soaring over a pair of Faunus who appeared frozen in time, their hands raised over their faces, she let the momentum carry her to the peak of the arc, then activated a second glyph that deaccelerated her forward motion in a split moment. She was suspended mid-air for a second, more than enough time to digest the situation and make a decision.

Jaune was expelling Aura out of his body at such a shocking rate that visible sparks glanced off his skin and briefly scattered like fireflies. Channeling that much flow wasn't technically challenging, but should have been mind-shatteringly painful, yet he looked only focused, placid even. Was… was he trying to exhaust his reserves to a point where he could walk normally again? That was insane. Like cutting off a limb to treat a minor infection.

Undirected Aura couldn't affect the physical world and would disperse naturally to the environment. The problem was the sheer amount of power being expelled in the proximity of civilians. Jaune kept the flow mostly controlled, the Aura streaming from his brain, down his spinal column, through his legs, and to the ground below. But if a civilian with a locked Aura got caught in an accidental flare…

Her second was up.

She'd already made her decision.

Winter used a third glyph, shooting herself down so fast that the air whistled by her ears. Her right hand was pulled back for a strike, bursting with the concentrated power a whole quarter of her soul could bring to bear. With the amount of Aura Jaune was burning, he'd survive her attack but would be neutralized in an instant.

Speed, mental perception, vision compensation, and a piercing attack to counter the mass of undirected Aura. Overall, Winter had evaluated the situation and executed her counter under two seconds, faster than some onlookers even realized what was happening. By all rights, Jaune shouldn't have stood a chance.

Which was the reason Winter gasped in shock when Jaune's head snapped up to meet her gaze, their eyes locking in the silence of the slowed world.

/X/

Attempting to reconstruct STEM consumer grade legacy version…

ERROR Host's Aura field interfering with electrical equipment

WARNING Rapid depletion in Host's Aura reserves detected

Recalculating strategy…

Analysis complete

Preparing reconstruction of STEM consumer grade legacy version

Reassembling modular parts…

Reordering nanobots…

Preparing custom update provided in the installation package…

Checking magnitude of host's Aura field…

70%

WARNING Magnitude of host's Aura field above maximum threshold for reconstruction

Rechecking magnitude of host's Aura field…

40%

WARNING Magnitude of host's Aura field above maximum threshold for reconstruction

Rechecking magnitude of host's Aura field…

14%

Commencing reconstruction of STEM consumer grade legacy version

Uploading custom update provided in the installation package…

ERROR custom update is being corrupted by STEM consumer grade legacy version

Recalculating strategy…

Analysis complete

Halting reconstruction of STEM consumer grade legacy version…

FATAL ERROR

Deleting STEM consumer grade legacy version and initiating self-destruct procedure…

WARNING STEM consumer grade legacy version is countering self- destruct procedure

Recalculating strategy…

Analysis complete

Deploying nanobots to shred host's brain

ERROR nanobots destroyed by STEM consumer grade legacy version

Deploying nanobots to shred host's brain

ERROR nanobots destroyed by STEM consumer grade legacy version

Sending report to POD 91339…

ERROR packets corrupted by STEM consumer grade legacy version

STEM consumer grade legacy version is now operational

/X/

When Jaune realized his Aura was unlocked his own lack of excitement surprised him.

He'd been working towards that goal ever since the incident with Elie had spurred him to act, to change his life for the better. That seemed like a lifetime ago, and now that the power was finally coursing through his limbs, he couldn't help but wonder if it would really be enough to make up for all the terrible things that had happened. Logically, he knew that he was now leagues stronger than he had any right to be, which was absolutely astounding by any measure, but the idea that this strength would somehow fix everything that was wrong with his life disturbed him more than anything else.

Maybe it was due to the fact that he'd already felt invincible, his body a deadly tool to be utilized as he saw fit. What was Aura in comparison to that kind of impeccable resolve?

Those doubts played on Jaune's mind as he learned how to walk again, realizing that the inhuman agility Huntsmen and Huntresses possessed was not a gift, but a result of extreme training and careful control.

Or maybe he was just that untalented.

Either case, the power refused to cooperate, causing his muscles to spasm and jerk his body out of balance, yet he was slowly but surely improving, completely ignoring the people gathering around the strip of torn grass his body had violently sheared off the ground. Thankfully, he hadn't hurt anyone, but it'd been a close call. Too close, enough to break through the wall enclosing his emotions and make him shudder with anxiety.

it was not illegal in Vale to unlock one's Aura independently, though the law did require such a person to register with the authorities and enroll in safety courses. The law also stated that the moment Aura was unlocked one was obliged to call the police, isolate themselves from others, and lie down facedown with their hands and legs spread apart until emergency services arrived. All of those were necessary safety measures to prevent accidents such as the one he'd just caused.

Taking all of that into account, it was only a matter of time before the police arrived to arrest him, as with so many witnesses around someone was bound to report him.

The solution came to him in the form of a stinging sensation all over his chest and stomach. His chest had been itching since he'd woken up on that bench, but now it grew to a cold, relentless burn that outright demanded his attention.

Jaune didn't understand what he was seeing at first, the rash a web of purple markings that covered the entirety of his torso, but as he kept probing and pulling at the skin, large swathes of the purple began to disappear and remerge in parallel lines.

It took him a few seconds until he realized that he was looking at words. Jaune went still, all his attention focused on the message written on his skin.

The first sentence was simple enough to parse.

'Expel your Aura.'

Was that STEM trying to communicate with him? He could barely walk straight, how was he supposed to take control of his Aura, let alone expel it?

The other two sentences were a string of seemingly unrelated nouns and adjectives; river, dark, tree, sword, data, model…. as he kept reading the words in order, his muscles relaxed and his mind drifted, prompting him to focus internally instead of outwardly.

His Aura was like a river, flowing up his spinal column and pooling at the base of his skull. But there were leaks, lines of Aura that spilled from the main flow like thin fibers sticking out of a spool of used-up thread. Jaune instinctively recognized these imperfections as the cause of his trouble walking. He also realized that without guidance he had no chance of correcting them.

But the process of expelling his Aura was surprisingly intuitive. All he had to do was reverse the main flow, drawing Aura out rather than into the reserves between his shoulder blades. So Jaune did just that, wishing the miserable experience would be over soon, willpower alone pushing him through the sudden intense agony.

Then time seemed to stop.

You are about to be assaulted by a professional Huntress.

The relief Jaune felt upon hearing the alien voice again surprised him. "STEM, you're back," he barely uttered the words, the pain close to becoming unbearable. "What's happening?" The world around him was silent. People stood frozen in place.

I have amplified the processing speed of your nervous system by a factor of thousand. This has distorted your perception of time. Aura will protect your brain from the majority of long-term tissue damage caused by acceleration, but there is a non-negligible possibility that you develop multi-organ failure followed by cardiac arrest.

Jaune had many questions, but he could only spare the energy for one. "Why?"

Above you.

Sluggishly, as if he was trapped in a fever dream. Jaune turned his head to look up, Aura somehow aiding the motion.

His eyes widened.

I need your permission to operate independently.

"…Granted."

/X/

From an outside perspective, Winter had disappeared in a flash of light and reappeared in the same spot five seconds later.

"What happened?" Cage stared at her.

She took a moment to regain her breath, resisting the urge to bend over and place her hands on her knees. Her pink top was stuck to her body with sweat and a few loose strands of hair fell across her face. "I engaged in brief combat with the subject. He anticipated all my moves and managed to dodge my offensive technique. I chose not to escalate the situation any further."

"W-what?" Cage looked at her as if she was talking nonsense, his eyes bulging with astonishment.

"I had to drop off my shroud," Winter said, quickly glancing around. No one was pointing and staring at her as she'd feared. "What did you see?" Any combat that involved multiple techniques and glyphs, as short as it was, always left her disoriented somewhat, unsure how her movement might have appeared to bystanders.

"Lights, mostly." Cage replied. They watched Jaune running away from the scene, now moving normally. Winter could sense four distinct Aura signatures following close behind. "Blurs of movement. Ma'am, I, um, I really don't understand. I thought he'd unlocked his Aura only recently? How did he keep up with you?"

"He didn't," Winter answered immediately. "I was at least four times faster. He moved a split moment before I did, almost as if…"

As if he'd read her mind, knowing precisely where she would hit long before she did and exploiting her inability to alter strikes mid-motion. With her speed, forward momentum was so powerful that adjusting course was nearly impossible. If he could predict where she would hit, it was just a matter of placing himself in a favorable position beforehand. Not only that, but he'd also identified her offensive technique as the main threat, making sure to stay clear of her right arm at all costs. There was also something odd about his movement patterns, the way he weaved and dodged almost involuntarily, lacking any form of elegance or human doubt.

She'd been outmaneuvered by an amateur.

Not that Jaune would have won a fight if it came to it, but once he'd stopped expelling Aura there was no reason to complicate things further.

Her scroll beeped. It was a call from an unknown number. Winter signaled Cage to follow her as she put the scroll to her ear, moving along with the dispersing crowd and turning right to follow a side path with far less traffic.

"Miss Schnee," Ozpin's voice greeted her.

"Headmaster," Winter said in surprise. "How did you get this number? This is a private line."

"You have engaged in an altercation with the subject despite my request against such actions." The lack of patience in his voice gave her a pause. "Please, explain your judgement."

"Sir," Winter began slowly, carefully choosing her words. As an Atlesian specialist, her jurisdiction did not technically extend to Vale but was granted as a part of several unofficial agreements between the nations. In practice, this goodwill was most likely contingent on the quality of the working relationship between the General and Headmaster Ozpin, so it was critical that she avoided conflict with the local authorities. "The subject was expelling large quantities of Aura in the vicinity of civilians. I evaluated the situation and concluded that intervention was in order. I sought only to neutralize the subject to prevent needless casualties."

"Yet you failed," Ozpin said, a hint of curiosity in his voice. "How?"

"I was not aware of the full extent of his skills." Winter found it hard to suppress a scowl. She did not enjoy discussing her shortcomings nor was she used to reporting failures. "Maybe," Winter said pointedly, "I would have been in a better position to prepare an adequate counter if you had shared the interrogation records when I asked."

"Miss Schnee, I did not ask why you failed, I asked how."

Winter sniffed in indignation but didn't retort. Instead, she went into great detail about her brief fight with Jaune, being as thorough as possible. Some childish part of her dared Ozpin to interject so she could explain to him exactly how and why every little detail mattered.

"I see," Ozpin said, only when it was abundantly clear that she finished her improvised, yet meticulous, report. "This raises some worrying questions." He trailed off as if deep in thought, and it didn't take long for Winter to realize he wasn't going to elaborate. Before she had a chance to press, he went on. "Now, as far as the matter of the interrogation is concerned, may I remind you that you were only made aware of the situation through a blatant breach of contract?" He paused for several seconds, pressuring her to respond, but Winter didn't cave. "I only ask that you honor your position as a guest in Vale," Ozpin continued, "and refrain from making further hasty decisions."

The more Winter spoke with the man, the more her initial admiration for him seemed misplaced. The General would have never berated her for protecting innocent lives, never, even if her actions jeopardized the mission's objectives. "Of course, sir," Winter said, trying to keep her voice neutral. "I think we should improve communication to avoid similar misunderstandings in the future."

"I agree," Ozpin said, and Winter thought she detected a smile in his voice. "It is my understanding that you are currently working with one Mr…" There was a sound of shuffling paper. "Robinson."

"Correct, sir," Winter said.

"While I see why you selected Mr. Robinson given his Semblance and impressive track record as an analyst, it appears his experience with field work is quite… lacking, is it not?"

Winter cast a critical glance at her partner, disapproving at the way he was puffing and staggering as if they'd just run a marathon. "He will perform up to my standards."

"I am sure he will, Miss Schnee." Ozpin said, amused. "But allow me to make a suggestion. If you were to continue assisting us with field work, but partnered with one of my Huntsmen instead, Mr. Robinson would be free to pursue his talents where they are most needed, while placing you in a position where I'd feel more comfortable sharing information."

"I would have to discuss it with the General." Winter hesitated. "But who do you have in mind?"

"One of the very best," Ozpin said, and Winter suspected from the subtle, smug tone in his voice that this had been his aim all along, the reason for contacting her directly. "A gentleman named Qrow Branwen. Have you met him?"

"I can't say I've had the pleasure," Winter replied, and she mostly meant it. Being held in such high regard by the headmaster of Beacon himself was no minor feat.

"I believe you will find his methods quite…interesting," Ozpin said, and if Winter didn't know any better she'd think there was a note of wry humor to his words. "You may both learn a lot from each other if you are willing to keep an open mind."

Winter nodded to herself, pleased. "I'm looking forward to meeting him then, sir. I'm sure Mr. Branwen will prove to be quite the responsible and well-mannered Huntsman. I wouldn't expect anything less from a top Beacon graduate."

"Indeed, Miss Schnee," Ozpin said. Again, with that hint of a smile in his voice. "Indeed."