Hello everyone! How are you doing? I hope you are all doing well! Chapter 40 is here and as always I hope you all enjoy it!

Once more, thank you all for keeping up with the story. You are the best!

Once more, the scene played in front of him.

Vivid, scarlet hair like the flames of the morning sun, clad in bronze armor. And a black, merciless arrow shooting right through her.

"No! PYRRHA!" she evaporated, just before he could touch her; again. He couldn't even hold her hand; offer her some small comfort in her final moments.

She vanished before his very eyes once more. Once more he was too weak to save the very first person that actually believed in him. "I am sorry, Pyrrha."

He knelt down. How many times had he done that already? "I am sorry. I was too weak to save you. I was too weak to help you. I was too busy with my self-pity to support you! I am sorry; this is my fault!"

"I always knew it" a voice sounded from behind him. Of course, he should have been expecting it. It had happened so many times already he should be expecting her following up.

Or perhaps it was exactly because of how many times this had happened, that he didn't care to get ready for what was coming to him.

He knew all these were Emerald's fault. She wanted to torture him; turn him mad. And if he hadn't already lost his mind, Jaune was sure he was at least halfway there.

How many hours has it been? I have to get out. Ruby and the others must be fighting Salem now! I have to help them!

"I always was a rebound for Pyrrha, wasn't I?" the tones of sadness in her voice made his frail nerves crush. He instinctively turned around, like he had countless times.

There she was, standing in front of him. Silver eyes, red-tipped brown hair and a smile big enough to purge all sadness from his world. His girlfriend, his first friend, his lover. Ruby Rose.

Or at least that was what she should have been. This cheap illusion of Ruby was not smiling, she was crying. Like always. The sadness in her voice was powerful enough to hurt him, even after he had realized he was trapped in an illusion.

"Ruby, you know this is not true." Why was he answering as if it mattered? "I love you; you know that. Pyrrha was my partner, my trusted friend. She was important to me, but not the way you are."

"Lies" he didn't even jump this time, despite the creeping feeling rising up his spine. "I was never important to you, Jaune. I was only a fool you tricked into being your partner."

He didn't even turn to acknowledge her. He knelt and hugged his head. Tears threatened to start, but he should remain strong. This was only the beginning.

He just braced for what was coming next- that was the worst part. "You used me to survive and when I needed you, you let me die."

No, I cherished our bond more than I ever let you know.

Ruby stood in front of him, eyes wide and hollow. "If she had lived, you would have never noticed me. I am only a substitute for her. A powerful warrior. The next in line."

Please, don't say such things with so much sorrow in her voice! She has to be happy! She deserves to be happy! I want to make her happy!

"You cheated your way in. You weren't ready for anything. You were always a dead weight supported by others. You led us only because Ozpin took pity on you."

"That's right! Even now, you are stuck here while we may be dying up there, talking to yourself. I thought you would man up some time, but I was wrong. And everyone will die for that."

Ren, Nora, please stop it! He cried. You have always been so kind to me; I know this is not what you believe!

"You don't belong here. You will only drag us down. You should have been the one to die in Beacon, not Pyrrha."

Weiss, don't do that. I know you are a better person than what you let others see!

"Why did Velvet have to deal with this? Why did she have to lose everyone and you are still here because of them?"

Because I was too weak to save them! I am sorry Blake!

"You don't deserve Ruby."

I know that. But I still want to make your sister happy, Yang!

"Please, stop!" he begged, despite knowing no one would listen to him.

"You don't deserve me" Ruby said.

"You never deserved me" Pyrhha added.

Everyone swarmed over him. Pyrrha, Ruby and her team, teams SSSN, LEAD, Ren, Nora, even Oscar.

"You don't deserve us. You don't deserve to live! It's a joke; thinking you can stand next to us!"

Jaune fell on the floor and started crying and screaming. His body convulsed and the entire scene washed away. How many times has it been already?

"Make it stop, I beg you! EMERALD! DON'T BRING THEM BACK!"

Black swarmed his vision and Pyrrha appeared once more, kneeling in front of Cinder. The woman smiled devilishly as she unleashed an arrow-

"NO! PLEASE, NO! STOP IT! HAVEN'T YOU TORTURED ME ENOUGH ALREADY? PLEASE JUST KILL ME!"

The arrow flew ahead straight for her spine- and vanished.

Jaune held his breath, and sniffed his running nose. This had never happened again. He stood up and looked around, as Cinder and Pyrrha started melting away, consumed by black goo.

Did Emerald decide to finally kill me?

"That would be quite unfortunate, I believe."

Jaune's heart skipped a beat. This voice was something totally new. Not only it didn't belong to any of his friends or enemies, it also sounded weird. Like, ancient. And really, really powerful.

"I appreciate the flattery. But it is not the reason I came here, huntsman."

"Who, or what, are you?" he asked. "I can't even see you!" There was no reply, only a small shiver in the shadows in front of him. And then, it materialized, making him narrow his eyes.

The form it had selected was of Ruby's. It perfectly resembled her style, but unlike the previous ones it had a huge beaming smile on her face. For some reason it unnerved him even more.

"Is this better?" it even resembled her mannerism near perfectly, giving him a bright, cheerful giggle to accompany the question. "Of course it is perfect- I drew this image out of your memory after all."

"You… why are you doing this?" he gritted his teeth. "Ooooh?" a surprised pouty face met his harsh glare.

"Are you unsatisfied with my choice? I selected the image closest to your heart, hoping you would enjoy it."

"Forgive me for not appreciating being mentally tortured from someone donning the face of the girl I love."

Jaune was on edge. He had no idea why Emerald had changed tactic; or if she was behind it to begin with. "No, she isn't. I don't even know who this Emerald girl is" it nonchalantly announced.

"All right; let me ask again, before I completely lose it. Who are you?" he stepped forward, trying his best to fake confidence. At least make it respect him enough to-

"There is no need to be afraid. I am not here to hurt you." His shoulders sagged in disappointment. Sometimes I wonder why I even try. "Why are you here then, if not to torment or kill me?"

"I am here to strike a deal with you." Okay, that surprised him. "What sort of deal? And why me?" he asked, almost reflexively.

"From what I can see, you have been trapped inside a repetitive illusion that aims into making your brain collapse and therefore cause your actual body to die along. A fascinating ability, albeit a little crude."

"Ehm, whatever you say." Hearing these words coming out of Ruby's mouth seemed so weird. He didn't know if he wanted to scream, or to panic. Yes, he knew both options were bad.

"So, I want to offer you a chance out of this place. I can break the illusion blighting your mind and save you from the slow and certain death that you are walking towards, huntsman."

"That sounds amazing. It actually sounds so amazing, it makes me really suspicious. What do I have to give you in exchange for that favor?"

"A promise" Ruby gave a haughty smile. The absurd thing was it looked very, very good on her. "Only that?" he asked again, trying to clear his mind of unnecessary thoughts.

"Yes, only that. You will promise to owe me a favor and will do your best to see it fulfilled when I appear again to claim it. Nothing more, nothing less."

He stood there for a while, motionless. On the one hand, if this thing could help him out of here, it was practically saving his life. And possibly, the lives of many ones he could still help out there.

On the other hand… owing a favor to an unknown, powerful thing infiltrating my mind sounds such a bad idea, there is no reason to even think about it.

"Be careful" it flatly announced, the melodious voice having now vanished. "You will die if you refuse- and I can't wait here forever, you know."

"Can I ask you one thing?" he said, gulping. "Sure, but only one." "Does this favor have to do with hurting people? Because if this is the case, I refuse. I would rather die instead."

"Huntsmen…" it said. "Always the wannabe heroes…" "Please answer me! Will it-" "No. I promise I won't have you hurting anyone, Mr. Arc. Are you satisfied?"

"Yes." He was still not completely convinced, but at least if this thing intended to break its promise, he could always deny the favor. That was the best choice he could do at this point. Or at least he hoped it was.

"Perfect. Then we have a deal" it rushed in front of him. It even has her enthusiasm and speed! "S-so, what do I have to do?" he asked, slightly trembling.

'Ruby' hugged him and he immediately felt a deep burn in his back. "Stand still. And marvel at my power, mortal."

Before he could even comment on the whole creepiness of the entire procedure, the darkness started getting washed away. His consciousness drifted and his beloved scent of roses overwhelmed him.

-o—

He opened his eyes. And shut them again. They were burning; his eyelids were heavy as rocks. His head was throbbing and pulsing. He tried to rub it, but his arms felt so weak they barely reacted to his will.

And it wasn't only his arms. His entire body felt stiff. He opened his eyes a second time- and then closed them again. The light hurt him so much. How many hours have I been like this?

Jaune tried to move his arms and legs once more, but to no avail. Maybe he was trapped somehow? Maybe they lost and were captured? Tons of horrible ideas passed through his mind and started picking at his conscience.

Nononono… that's wrong. Chill out man, just focus on opening your eyes before you start panic. Let's go. One, two, three!

After a few tries, his eyelashes finally managed to remain open enough to start taking in his surroundings. He was in some sort of warehouse, dimly-lit and half-covered in fog, filled in wreckage.

The atmosphere was heavy and oppressive, like the Grimmlands, but not in the same manner. There was no scorching heat and deadly staleness. The place was humid and he could smell the distinct saltiness of the ocean.

His hearing took quite some time to adjust, but he immediately welcomed the sound. Hammering, pounding and cutting; it seemed some people were working outside.

"Damn it Weiss! There is a limit at how much you can suck at handiwork, baby!" Ok, that was definitely Yang. And she sounded chipper enough to ease his anxiety.

He licked his lips. His mouth was so dry and parched, he could barely open it. Ok, this is not normal. He tried to call for help, but no sound came out of his mouth, save for a slow 'aaaaaaaaaaaaa'.

And then, immediately, the sound of something falling to the ground on his left cut him off. Jaune barely managed to move his neck and eyes to see. And as he did, his heart skipped a beat.

Ruby was standing in front of him, above a pile of wood planks she had just dropped. Her clothes were damaged, her cape ragged and tattered and she looked badly beat and sloppily bandaged.

But these didn't matter; Ruby was there. Despite her wounds, she was alive. That was all that mattered. All that remained was to see why she was looking at him as if he had grown two heads.

"Is… this…" she walked next to him; silver pools wide open in shock. "…a dream? Have I gone mad?" Ruby, what are you talking about? You are creeping me out!

She knelt next to him. It might have been only for a few hours, but he had missed her so much. He wanted nothing more than to see her happy and now she was crying because of him.

I must have scared you a lot, didn't I? I am so sorry, Crater Face. But of course she couldn't hear him, since his mouth still refused to obey. What did Emerald do to me?

"Jaune?" the whimper nearly tore his heart apart. Almost as much as the tears running down Ruby's cheeks. She caressed his hair and he internally shivered in her gentle touch. "Is it truly you?" she cried.

He did the only think he could to answer her. Jaune nodded slightly. "Promise?" she asked again, barely holding herself back any more. Jaune nodded once more.

Ruby cupped his head and crashed her lips at his, tenderly pressing him down. The boy didn't even consider trying to react, realizing at once how much he had missed his girlfriend.

Ruby stopped and looked at him, shooting a teary, happy smile that made his entire ordeal worth it. Then she kissed him again, more fiercely. Her lips were chapped, swollen and filled with tears, mud and caked blood. It was the best sensation in the world.

At some point, she broke the kiss. "I love you" she said, barely managing to word it before she broke crying in his motionless arms. "Ru…by…" FINALLY! SOMETHING CAME OUT!

"I… love you too…" he smiled. "MHM!" she burst in tears and loud whines, as she hugged him tightly. He decided to not break the moment by asking anything for now.

"Rubes?" Yang's voice sounded closer than before. "What is it, why are you screaming? Did something- HOLY MOTHER OF DUST!" Jaune barely managed to see a bandaged Yang standing in the entrance of the building.

She was looking at him exactly the same way Ruby did before. Ok, I am starting to get worried now. "Hey…Yang. How… are you doing?"

She didn't reply, her mouth hanging open. The blonde girl just turned and shouted outside. "BLAKEY! WEISS! VOMIT BOY WOKE UP!"

There was a stifled gasp and a sound of equipment being tossed on the ground. And then footsteps, followed by Blake and Weiss entering the scene.

Before he could even comment on how horribly wounded Weiss looked, she covered her mouth with her hands in shock. Blake was less expressive, but even she couldn't hide her awe at- staring at him?

"Ok, I am sorry" he said, mustering as much energy as he could "but why are you… all looking at me like this? It… creeps me out; seriously."

"Well, Vomit Boy" Yang scratched her head. "How can I put this, we hoped you would wake up, but after all this time, we didn't really expect it, to be honest."

Cold water ran down Jaune's spine. He locked eyes at the top of Ruby's head who was still bawling her eyes out in his chest. He really wanted to hug her, but his hands still felt weak. Unnaturally weak.

So, it was more than just a few hours; then it makes sense for them to worry like this. At least it seems like we won; or escaped.

He took a deep breath and looked back at the three girls, now barely composed. "You said 'after all this time' Yang. How many days have I been off? And where is everyone else?"

-o—

"More than a year?!" the voice was barely a normal shout, but in his condition it was the best he could do. They had just finished briefly explaining what had transpired after he had lost his mind to Emerald back then.

"Exactly" Yang said. All five of them were on a small, hastily repaired rowboat, moving away from the accursed, bloodstained island, cutting through the dense fog.

Ruby and Blake were manning the oars, after Weiss had threatened to throw Yang in the ocean if she overexerted her broken rib even more.

"You gave us all a huge scare, Jaune" the little reaper smiled at him. "I am pretty sure. And from the looks of it, I got all of you into danger, too. I am really sorry, every-"

"Oh, I can't believe it. You two dolts totally deserve each other!" Weiss, seated at the back of the boat cut him off with a look of fake disdain. "No, Weiss. This is not what I mean-"

"I don't care what you mean, Arc! How many times do we have to almost die along each other for you and that idiot of a partner I have to understand?" she smacked the top of Ruby's head. "Ouch!"

"Weiss…" he whispered. "We are not only friends. Since you decided to add your stupidity to hers, we are something even stronger. We are family; and there is nothing we wouldn't do for each other, stupid dense blockhead!"

Jaune smiled softly at the alabaster girl who merely humphed and averted her eyes. "You are right, I am sorry for acting stupid" he said.

"It matches your idiot beard- it really doesn't suit you" she nonchalantly remarked, still pouting in fake anger.

"Why? I was thinking-""I second Weiss' opinion" Blake said with a weak smile. "You need to go have a make-over Vomit Boy; can't let you take my sis out looking like this."

His eyes went to Ruby's, who sheepishly giggled. "I will have Erik take you to his barber; but not before we check you up in Nanko Hospital" she calmly added.

"I agree" the ex-heiress commented. "You should have a check-up. Your recovery is nothing sort of a god-sent miracle."

His smiled dropped. God-sent miracle? For some reason, he had almost forgotten about It, but the pale woman's remark surfaced that semi-locked memory.

"Now that you mention it, Weiss" he announced, getting everyone's attention. "I have something I want to discuss with you all. It may have to do with my recovery."

His eyes narrowed. He was sure if he could, he would be scratching his beard right now. "And the more I think about it, the more worried I become" he ominously added.

RWBY vol. 7 is near its end and so does the Grimmwater Arc. There is only one chapter left, its epilogue, before we proceed to the next arc of the story. I hope I managed to do justice to the characters so far and properly delivered the atmosphere I had in mind. In case I failed, please let me know! Thank you once more and I will see you all next week!