The sound of furious thunder roared in the distance.

Jaune gazed upon the relentless Tempest that continued to rage just beyond the shores of Vytal. He watched as torrential rains effectively obscured the horizon beyond a few hundred meters from the shore. He watched as lightning bolts came down every few seconds to strike anything and everything on the water. He watched as dangerous waves crashed unto Vytalian shores, unto the very base of the cliff he sat upon.

The Tempest was terrifying at first. It came suddenly and without warning and even to the bravest of the Sanusians that mustered at Vytal, such a raw display of nature's power was sure to put fear in their hearts. However, when it became apparent that the Tempest would not inch any closer to Vytal proper, people wondered and became awe inspired. The Witch, Salem, had informed them that the Tempest was a product of blood magic, likely performed by the Wizard, Ozpin, to prevent their journey across the Vytal Channel. She also said that such magic would have needed a mortal sacrifice, which served to disgust the Sanusians, Jaune included, of the Atlesian-Mistralian Coalition.

Still, as days turned into weeks, more and more Sanusians grew less awed by the Tempest and invigorated about the coming war. They had been promised a grand battlefield and of glorious battles in the feasts Cardin held to welcome them but being forced to idleness by the storm created by the enemy sapped at their morale. While Salem promised that at the end of the month, the magic of Remnant would allow even her immortal soul as a price to counteract Ozpin's magic, the soldiers nonetheless counted the time in hours and days lost.

For Jaune however, as soon as he understood the nature of the Tempest, he quickly became accustomed to it. What once was the deafening claps of thunder and the constant roar of howling winds, was made like a simple lullaby to his mind. What were once fatal waves threatening to sweep him away from the beach became a familiar sensation as he walked the sands.

Jaune always remembered the words his father gave to his sisters before they left to carve out their own dominions: "Do not seek glories, for there will be plenty. Do not seek riches, for you will be rewarded. Seek instead for peace, for it is rare enough in war, and rarer still for a good peace."

Jaune understood that when the Tempest subsides, the war will break out. So, in the chaos and dangers of the Tempest, Jaune found some peace.

"We meet again, young Prince of Arcadia."

Jaune quickly rose up from the cliff's edge, hand on his hilt as he turned to see…

Red eyes.

"Lady Salem, you startled me." Jaune greeted as he slightly relaxed his body.

Salem. The Immortal Witch of Remnant. Immortal both in the sense that she could not die and that none knew how far back in history she originally came from. Jaune has heard of the Salem even before she joined the Sanusian Coalition, but only of what was already being told about her. He only first saw her in the flesh when he arrived in Vytal with the other Sanusians, and he knew this because that was the only time he connected her eyes to his red dreams.

Those dreams began just shortly after he began his adventure outside of Arcadia, and just before Vytal, he made no sense of them. They felt like visions, but even with clear images, he could not distinguish anything from them. They were sometimes ominous, sometimes comforting, sometimes terrifying but always confusing. The only real thing he could extract from them was the color red. And just recently, Salem's red eyes specifically.

"Do you have need for me?" Jaune inquired as he took a few steps away from the edge and towards the pale woman.

"On the contrary, I believe it is you that has need of me." Salem responded with a slight, mysterious smile on her lips. This unnerved Jaune.

"I beg your pardon, my lady?" Jaune replied, not wanting to assume anything about Salem regarding his dreams.

"Do not play the fool, child, especially not before me." Salem admonished like a strict mother which made Jaune wince.

"I can see it in your eyes. You have something you want – no, something you need to ask me. Go ahead, child. Ask, and I shall answer." Salem said in a tone that did not allow for any disagreements. Jaune gulped involuntarily.

"Your red eyes. I see them in my dreams for years but only when I saw you did I realize they were yours. There are more in my dreams that I do not recognize, but they are all red as well. Do you have any idea of what it is about?" Jaune relented and asked the question burdening him since his arrival.

When he finished speaking, Salem gave a short, amused laugh, as if she realized something humorous. It was objectively beautiful, but to Jaune, he could only feel dread.

"Why do you laugh?" Jaune asked, his arm tensing on his hilt once again.

"I find your confusion amusing." Salem replied with her smile back on her lips.

"Allow me to give clarity to your thoughts, Prince of Arcadia. In the simplest terms, I am your savior." Salem answered Jaune, which only further confused him.

"What do you mean? We have not met face to face prior to just now. Have we?" Jaune asked, suddenly unsure about his memories.

"It is no wonder you do not remember me. You were but a babe when I saw you. An especially weak one at that." Salem explained. Jaune's eyes furrowed and listened intently as he has never heard of this story before.

"You had strong willpower for a mere infant to survive past your birth in that condition, but it was inevitable that you would perish before a fortnight passed. Or at least you would have, if not for me." Salem continued, her smile growing just slightly as she mentioned herself.

"Your parents believed themselves fortunate for me to be in Arcadia at the time. To me, it was more by the operation of Fate that I was there. They begged me to save you from such an early death, and I obliged. Thus, you lived past your infanthood, your weakness long forgotten." Salem finished, giving a last gesture towards Jaune at her final sentence.

Jaune didn't know whether to believe the story or not. He did not want to think that his parents would willfully neglect to share such a major point of his life to him. However, he also did not feel any form of deceit from Salem as she told the tale.

"If what you have told me is true, then I am at your service, Lady Salem, for the life debt I owe you." Jaune sincerely offered, moving to kneel before the pale witch before he was stopped.

"As much as it would be… interesting to have a knight such as yourself at my service, you have no debt owed to me." Salem said.

Jaune was once again confused but before he could voice it out, Salem continued.

"What was gained, will be taken. What was taken, will be gained. You did not escape death, child. You merely delayed it. Fate will have its due from you and a death delayed more often results in a death tragic." Salem explained, now expressionless.

Anxiety and fear unlike before quickly filled the heart of Jaune. His death was certain, and apparently it would be tragic.

"W-when?" Jaune shakily asked, though he knew deep down already what the answer would be.

"Back then, it was vague and foggy so I could provide a riddle. But now, with the magics at their height and everything else aligning, I can see that if you choose to go to Atlas, you will not return." Salem answered, her smile once again returning.

Jaune took in a deep breath and closed his eyes in knowing acceptance of the answer.

"Goodbye, Prince of Arcadia. May you find favor with Fate."

"No, wait!" Jaune called out but as he opened his eyes, Salem was gone. He was left alone, alone with the knowledge of his imminent death.

Jaune clenched his teeth in frustration as he violently turned towards the sea. He could feel his fingernails dig deep into palms as he tightened his hands into fists. He felt frustration take over him. He felt anger. He felt fear. He wanted to scream out. He wanted to cry.

"Jaune?"

Jaune forced himself to calm down and relax.

"Hey Saph, what are you doing out here?" Jaune asked evenly as he turned to face his eldest sister, careful not to let the raw feelings he was just feeling show in his voice.

Saphron was Jaune's eldest sister. She was a protector of her siblings when she was still in Arcadia, but she was also the first one that left to carve out her own dominion. She is also known for her both unconventional and conventional method of gaining her dominion. She challenged the reigning monarch of a dominion to single combat, which was conventional. For her to marry the one she defeated, who was also a woman, was unconventional. Still, while people raised an eyebrow at the unusual circumstances of such a conquest, they all accepted the matter and considered her and Terra the Diarchs of Lesbos.

"I know you come here every night and I wanted to speak with you before they lift the Tempest, and we leave for Atlas." Saphron answered, concern lacing her voice.

"Well, it has been a long time since we last saw each other." Jaune tried to lighten the mood, but Saphron was not having it.

"Five years Jaune. You left Arcadia and never returned to any of us for five years. Mother's been worried sick and constantly writes to us to keep track of you. Father's angry at you but he's mostly angry at himself because he blames himself for your departure." Saphron ranted, anger quickly taking hold of her.

Jaune momentarily forgot his fears just before and felt shame in himself for putting his family through what Saphron shared. But he also felt the frustration that piled up from back then that led to that decision five years ago.

"I'm sorry for what I put you all through. I didn't want to worry any of you. But what else could I do? Father would not let me go to forge my own kingdom. It was my birthright, like it was also all of yours, to make my name in the world." Jaune responded, his frustrations slightly seeping out.

A tense silence persisted between the two as they stared at each other, the only sound being the violent Tempest behind Jaune.

Suddenly, Saphron launched herself towards Jaune into a tight hug. Jaune was surprised but almost immediately returned the hug with full force.

"I know, Jaune. I know." Saphron said through slight sobs.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Jaune repeated as well through his own soft cries, the emotions from reuniting with each other finally overpowering everything else.

They broke off from each other after a few minutes, each one smiling at the other, letting the calm of their surrounding calm them as well.

"I won't make you meet the others right now; it would probably be too much for you." Saphron commented with a small laugh which Jaune shared.

"But you better meet with them. And father." Saphron more ordered Jaune, which Jaune nodded in agreement.

"And after everything in Atlas is over, you can visit mother and Adrian."
At that mention, Jaune felt his smile tighten. He was once again reminded of his impending death in the war. He would not be able to see his mother nor Adrian again.

"Of course." Jaune answered with a crack in his voice and tears welling up again in his eyes. But Saphron did not notice.

"Look Jaune." Saphron called out, her hand pointing towards behind Jaune.

Jaune followed where she pointed…

and saw a clear, blue sky over the horizon.


Yup, I put you all in the deep end. I think I simultaneously gave too much and too little lore in this. Funny. Anyways, hope it still somehow works out and that you all enjoy. Until next time. Thanks.