Late night upload, or rather, early morning upload.

This chapter was uh... it took me down a path I never thought would've been possible. Frankly, I was amazed by the experience and what I was managed to pull out (not bragging just... shocked).

This chapter is HEAVY with lot's of things. By that I mean it introduces a plan which me and Chad have pinned onto the board but also foreshadows/loosely mention some other elements in the story. Don't wanna ruin the surprise obviosly but gahd dayum!

Theorists are the bane of this chapter, I say. There's just too much stuff in it.

Anyways, some may be confused on a specific part (You'll know when you read it) and you may assume it to not make any sense, but that is one of the elements I'm talking about. It is a hint towards the future.

I've said enough, let's get into it.

Ah, a slight suggestion before we do so actually.

If you're an average slow reader, play 'Affection' (from Fate/Apocrypha) at the line "Your resolve is weak". If the timing is correct, it should line up with a little surprise. You don't have to, it's just something that happened to me and it was an experience indeed.

Anyways, onto the chapter.

" You plague ridden rat!" – Memory/Blood Echo Memory

"Away! Away!" - Yharnam

"You fiend"- Remnant

Quietus in Sleep: Aloe (Affection/Grief)

Location: Remnant, Dom, Village Centre

Orange.

That was the colour of the sky.

Yellow.

That was how bright the village was.

Red.

That was what death looked like.

And Black.

The sign of destruction.

In the centre of the village, the buildings which surrounded its main trade route was lit up in yellow and red, with black permeating from them as the primordial death that was the scorching flames burn the people and the buildings asunder. The corpses of the village locals are now but mere shadows within the orange and yellow.

Cinders and ashes flew by as the hot winds blew through the incinerating light show. He felt a strange swirl of emotions running within him in a chaotic manner. Anguish, rage, sadness, regret and more. Odd, these emotions… they weren't his.

The sound of screaming reached Jaune's ear. When he turned to the source, he found a morbid sight.

There was a man. He approached a person who cradled a baby in their arms, and he yelled while the infant cried. In the hands of the man who approached them were a crooked sword and a pistol of sorts. And although the man and baby were crying, he laughed.

But why? Jaune had wondered. What is so funny about all of this? What could've been so funny that this man had laughed?

He continued to wonder as he stared at the horrid expression of the man, who currently laid on the floor with a deep red spread around him. The crooked sword, embedded into his heart.

It matters little now. Those who kill for the sake of killing are nothing more than beasts.

There was the sound of a crying infant behind him.

"It's okay." Jaune said, addressing the man and the baby. "You're safe now."

Kale was the man's name. He was a single father who farmed and sold vegetables for a living. His wife had died giving birth to their daughter a year before. That was all Jaune knew about the man that stood before him. He was the same person that he had heard screaming in the inferno of a village when Jaune was by the village gates.

"You saved us." Kale coughed out before bowing.

He only nodded back in response.

Jaune faced the corpse once more and took the pistol the man dropped and began marching off into the direction of his home. If there was any place that he would be able to find his family, it would be his home. Or he would've at least assumed it would be.

He coughed into his elbow.

'This stupid smoke…' He thought, clicking his tongue.

The deeper he went into the village, the thicker the black smoke got.

His eyes watered and his coughing occurred more often. As of the moment, it mattered little to him when he had to find his family in this burning village. His breathing was hastier now and he could see very little with how much smoke there was. It was even harder breathing as his nose was unusually sensitive since the week before he attended therapy.

"Wait!"

Jaune turned around to see who called to him. But the smoke made it hard.

It was then he saw a silhouette through the black smog. It seemed familiar.

He readied the crooked sword in case the one in front of him was an enemy. And kept his eyes narrowed to see more clearly.

When the figure broke through the smog. He was surprised to find the man he saved running up to him. On his face however was a large bundle of clothing, meanwhile the infant his arms was a small mask of sorts.

A look of concerned passed over Jaune's face as he eyed the infant. Although it didn't seem like he needed to worry as the baby appears to be in a state of sleep.

"You're Jaune right? Jaune Arc?" Kale coughed out, his eyes watering just like Jaune's.

Jaune nodded.

"If-*cough* if you're trying to find your family, they won't be at their home."

He then took him to a spot which was a bit clearer of smoke and pointed towards a building that overshadowed all the other buildings in the village. Placed atop the point of the building was a symbol of two dragons circling each other.

"The church. They're held up in the church with the other survivors. I was gonna go there but… the place was surrounded with bandits, and I was caught." He turned to Jaune. "Obviously, you know happened next."

He adjusted his grip on the infant and reached into his back pocket.

"I won't stop you from going there after seeing what you did. But at least take this." He said, handing Jaune a piece of cloth which encircled on itself. "It's nothing much but it'll at least protect you a bit from the smoke."

"I see. Thank you." Jaune said.

"No, it's me who needs to thank you. You saved us after all." Kale said looking at the sleeping baby. "Good luck then. I hope that you and your family come out safe."

With that said, Kale then ran off towards the village gates, disappearing behind the black smog as he covered the masked infant's mouth.

"Thanks, huh?" Jaune muttered, looking at the mask in his hand.

He coughed again as the smoke got a little thicker and quickly wore the mask.

He picked up his stolen armaments and marched off towards the church of the brother gods.

'Don't worry. I'm coming to save you.'

Because even through all this slaughter, this savagery.

A hunter's goal is to protect.

Location: Remnant, Dom, Village Gates (12 Minutes before)

"Jaune, listen to me." His mother said, grasping his shoulders. "I need you to stay out here while me and your father go and look for your sisters, okay?"

Jaune wasn't listening, he was only staring at the smoke coming from the burning village. The walls prevented him from seeing the fire, but the light from it made as though there was a second horizon in the sky.

"Jaune." His father called to him. "Listen to your mother."

Augustus, his father stood by a hole within the gate to the village, blocking him from seeing the flames consuming his home.

"Jaune… please." His mother begged, tears in her eyes.

The young Arc, seeing this only nodded and looked down.

"We'll come back. Don't worry." She said, kissing his forehead.

She stood and left him before following his father into the village.

He looked up once more and saw their figures shadowed by the beastly flames as they ran towards the direction of their home.

'I should be following them. I should be with them. I should be helping.' Jaune thought as he stared into the flames. 'I should… I should trust them… shouldn't I?'

With that in his mind, he huddle into a fetal position and waited. He waited and counted.

It has been seven minutes then.

Why… why aren't they out yet? Sure, they might be helping the other villagers, but they should've at least been out by now in case. So why?

Something welled up inside Jaune's stomache.

He should trust them. He needs to trust them. It's only right.

'But what if they don't make it out?'

"Are you going to let them die too?"

His head snapped upwards, and he saw three figures, three familiar figures.

Gascoigne, Viola and… Henryk.

That shouldn't be possible. It should be impossible for them to be here. And yet they are? But are they? They feel tangible, they feel real, but something tells him they're not. They feel… almost like an echo.

"You can save them." Gascoigne said, even though his mouth was shut, his voice echoing through his head. "You have the power to do so. You know that."

"I know… I know damn it!" He shouted at the older hunter.

"Then why do you not take action, boy?" Henryk's voice echoed in his mind this time.

"My parents… they told me to stay. I have to trust them too." Jaune replied. "I-I've pushed them away for too long, it was time that I trust them."

"Even at the cost of their life? Your family's life?" Viola's voice echoed solemnly.

He didn't answer. He couldn't answer.

"Your resolve is weak. You don't have the will to act." Gascoigne voice now boomed in his head.

"You speak of trust, and yet what we hear is the guilt of a young boy, the guilt which you've clung onto even now." Henryk boomed along with Gascoigne.

Meanwhile Viola can only gaze pitifully at him.

"They're huntsmen… they know what needs to be done to save the village." Jaune replied pathetically. "They're not me… they're saviours, heroes."

All those times he's rushed ahead in Yharnam plagued his mind. He remembered of how he spared no thought into heading into battle, only that he needed to escape from the nightmare, killing those that opposed him. He spared no thoughts on those he killed, treating them as mere animals. And look where that got him, the death of a family, no, probably the deaths of more than one family.

"It's time that I… leave it to those that know more than me." Jaune cried sorrowfully.

"Your family." Gascoigne kneeled in front of him. "Do you not care?"

"Of course, I fucking care!" He roared at the hunter, the echo.

"Then stand." Viola echoed softly.

"…I can't." Jaune hid his face in his hands. "I shouldn't be the one to do this. I can't…"

"Then we will." Henryk grunted.

"W-what?" Jaune looked up and was given a shock.

Behind the trio, were… all the Yharnamites he's slain and… a hunter of the church, the cleric beast. All of which we're looking down on him. The family trio then turned and the crowd of Yharnamites split apart and made way for them, as they walked towards the gate of the burning village.

"Each and everyone of us here." Gascoigne pointed to the crowd of echoes. "We all had something to protect. Whether we have gone mad in hatred or gone mad from the blood. We all had something which we sought to protect."

"Even if we've gone blood drunk. At least we were able to protect our loved ones, even if it were for just a moment." Henryk stated, looking up into the sky.

"I'm no hero, I'm no hunter. But where my husband goes now, I shall follow. For his sake and my daughter's sake." Viola said, placing her hands near her heart. "I may not be strong; I may not have skills. But at the very least, I have my resolve."

The three echoes walked towards the gate, as the crowd vanishes and fades into mists, never to be seen again.

"W-wait." Jaune called to them as he reached out. "What are you doing?"

"Standing, fighting and saving." Gascoigne replied.

"Even through all that slaughter, through all this savagery." Henryk echoed.

"A hunter's goal, will always be to protect those who are innocent of this slaughter." Viola finished.

The three vanishes before him, into mist.

Just like the rest.

…

…

What makes a hero? A hero is someone who is pure-hearted, a hero is someone who in the face of danger will never falter, a hero is someone who will save all even without reason.

Jaune Arc is none of these. No bravery, no courage and certainly not pure-hearted. He does, however, have one goal. To save people.

Jaune rose onto his feet and began to walk towards the blazing village he called home.

He's no hero.

Right now, there's only one thing he can be.

A Hunter.

"My grandpa, he's not waking up. Please save him!"

"My son! Please just help him!"

"My wife… my wife you have to save her."

She was surrounded by people, desperate people. They were all covered in soot and blood, blood of their loved ones. But there were also those who are suffering from pain, so much pain that they just want an end to it in any way possible. And then there are those who are grieving about the loss of their loved ones.

What pains her even more though, was that those that surrounded her, their loved ones were already gone. There was no saving them.

"Back off already!" Her third oldest daughter, Valerie was holding most of them off as she began to speed up the healing process of five people at once. "She's doing her best saving people who need her help right now! So back off!"

"Why do they get help when my wife is dying?!"

"My son, please!"

Her daughter's response was to point the blade of spear at them.

"They're gone… I'm sorry but they're gone." Valerie said with shaky voice. "Please… let her help the ones that need her help."

With that said, the crowd dispersed, going off into their own corners of the church.

"Thank you." Jeanne thanked her daughter.

"It's alright." She said falling onto the floor.

Jeanne then placed her focus onto the five people she was healing.

Her semblance, 'Divine Light', allows her to coat other people in her aura, even those who didn't have their unlocked. It shields them from damage and even accelerates their body's healing process almost as if they have their own aura unlocked. However, the restrictions that come with this semblance is that she could only use on five people at once and that she must sacrifice her own aura to do so.

"Are you okay?"

Jeanne turned to see her second oldest daughter Maya sitting next to Valerie.

Her whole family, minus her husband was currently sitting by her. All the young ones huddled together meanwhile the remaining older sisters sat together, a bit away from them.

"Could've been better." Valerie only replied.

With that, the sound of silence overtook them.

Jeanne took the time to look around the church to see that state that the locals are in. Needless to say, it was a miserable to sight to look at. She doesn't even want to describe it.

'It's happening again… damn it.' Jeanne thought, tears forming in her eyes.

Images of an old incident flashed by her as she placed more focus into accelerating the healing process on the gravely wounded unconscious people who laid in front of her.

Minutes passed by as she continued to heal them. Their wounds are now slowly closing as she consumed even more of her aura to keep up the pace. She then disabled her semblance once they're fully healed.

"Maya." She called to her daughter. "I need you to find any other wounded people and bring them to me. These five should be fine now."

She nodded and began to walk around the church finding those who are more wounded than others to bring to her mother.

"Tch."

Jeanne looked towards Valeria who was baring her teeth as she gripped her spear tightly.

"What's wrong, Val?" She asked.

"I should be out there…" She growled. "I should be out there with dad. He's out there by himself defending the church and here I am sitting doing nothing to help him!"

"…I know what you mean." Jeanne said, looking at her rapier. "But you know what he wants. We have to stay in case they… in case they break through."

…

…

"Damn it!... Damn it! Damn it!" Valerie growled.

A few seconds went by, and Maya came back with two children, a boy and a girl The boy had one arm in an improvised cast and the girl with a bandaged forward who appeared dizzy.

"Siblings." Maya said as she looked at them. "They're the only ones that needed help. Everyone else they… they refused."

Jeanne looked at the two. The boy appeared to be around the age of 11 while the girl at least 8. A look of pity passed by her face, and she looked to her daughter, asking her an unsaid question.

She only shook her head.

Jeanne breathed out shakily. She quickly composed herself and put on a caring mother's air and told the siblings to sit by her. The brother nodded with hollow eyes and followed her request. Jeanne's eyes began to tear up even more as she activated her semblance.

"I just hope that Jaune's safe right now." Maya said as she sat by Valeria once again.

'Jaune…' She thought, thinking back of her leaving him by the gates.

Numerous situations flew by as she thought about what could've happened to her only son. All of which leading to the same fate that is his death.

'Jaune… I'm… sorry.' She cried internally.

~~AMONGST US~~

Outside, the sky had already turned dark. The only light there is, is from the burning fires of the village, the stars and the shattered moon. The sky was then coloured red for but a moment, as blood flew through the open air.

Augustus dodged a strike from one of the invaders, kicking away the man he killed. He returned the gesture by stabbing him through the heart with Crocea Mors.

The scene of another bandit running at him while he was distracted forced Augustus to kick the corpse off of him. The corpse landed on a bandit that was about to run him through the corpse of his own comrade.

The sound of a thunderous roar came from his left and Augustus swung the shield behind him to block a round from one of the bandits.

They were toying with him.

They surrounded him in a ring in front of the church and instead of just rushing in all at once, the bandits would come in small groups to see who would beat him first. They would occasionally fire a bullet at him, but it was just to distract him and spice things up as the stress continues to wear at him.

As of currently, there at least over eighteen bodies around him. He stopped counting after that.

The scene of the same man from moments before, lunging at him with a dagger prompted Augustus to swing around again with Crocea Mors to slice the head off the bandit who was about to tackle and stab him.

'At this rate… my mind will wear down before my body does.' He thought, scanning his surroundings as another group of bandits – three this time – walked into the ring of humans.

The three grinned at him and drew their weapons.

He clicked his tongue and got into a stance.

There was a loud groan behind the group of three and a loud thud.

A man with an impressive build wearing only a feathered vest and rugged pants and boots joined.

"Listen, if we don't hurry, Grimm are gonna start converging and we're going to be trapped with these fools." He grunted.

The large man pushed away the three bandits and stood before Augustus.

"Listen, huntsman." The large man. "We haven't found many goods in this village ever since we've come here."

"So?" Augustus grunted.

"So… I'll cut you a deal." The large bandit replied. "Hand over your weapons and any goods left, and we'll leave and let you live."

"And subject my people and I as Grimm bait? No thanks." Augustus scoffed. "I got a better deal. Leave."

"Sorry huntsman. No can do." The bandit sighed. "We've been picking bits and pieces as of late and every scrap counts now."

"You've already got the lien from the mayor's safe." Augustus countered. "Isn't that enough?"

"If our little tribe wasn't this big, I would agree with ya." The bandit sighed again. "But that lien will be gone in a manner of few days, and we need everything that's valuable. And boss will kill me if I don't do that."

'Hmm, at least he seems more reasonable than the others.' Augustus mused.

The bandit scratched his head for a few seconds before his eyes lit up.

"How about this? Your weapon." The reasonable bandit suggested. "It's a mechashift right? And an old one too. From the great war? That thing should fetch a valuable price. Give it to us and we'll leave."

…

…

"I can't do that." Augustus' eyes narrowed, his grip on the Crocea Mors tightening.

The bandit saw the glint in the huntsman's eyes and knew that he wouldn't back down, and that he may have struck something that he shouldn't have.

"Then I'm sorry about this then." The bandit sighed, downtrodden. "Enough dilly dallying. Just kill him. After that, take his weapon then we leave before the Grimm comes."

The bandits all smiled in a feral manner before the ring of humans enclosed on the lone huntsman.

'Well… I guess we won't be having that celebration any time soon huh. Jeanne?'

Augustus doesn't need his semblance to tell what all of them were already going to do. It was quite obvious. He sighed in resignation of his death and readied Crocea Mors as the ring grew closer.

'At least that reasonable one is going to let the people and my family alone after I die.' Augustus thought. 'He seems nice. Too bad he's on the enemy's side.'

It was then, there was the sound of six gunshots. This prompted Augustus to hold out the shield. There was no impact and he looked to see the bandits frozen, staring behind them.

'Rescue?' He thought.

It was through a small gap in the ring, did he see who it was that fired those six shots.

'Jaune?!'

"Six shots huh?" Jaune said, his voice echoing towards the group. "Oh well. I've already grown used to fighting without a firearm anyways."

In front of his son, were two bodies, each with three shots in their chest.

"That thing packed a lot more punch than I thought, definitely better than the blunderbuss." Jaune mused, dropping the firearm he held. "You guys wouldn't mind…" He walked towards the group. "If I take yours too… right?"

"YOU LITTLE FUCKER!" A bandit shouted before rushing for him.

His son effortlessly snaked through the strike from the bandit and sliced open the man's throat.

His son… he killed him, and he barely showed any reaction to it. This… this is…

"You son of a bitch!" Another bandit yelled.

After that, the rest shouted along with him before they began to approach him.

'No!'

Augustus immediately attacked the nearest bandit, spilling blood among the group, before he continued onto the next.

He won't let them near him, he can't.

The bandits soon realized what was happening and roared at each of the Arcs. Cursing them and splitting among themselves to attack them.

"Jaune!" Augustus shouted as the other half of the group targeted his son.

Rage overtook Augustus and he roared back. He began to slice through the group with the Crocea Mors, coating himself and the Arc heirloom in even more blood. Their screams of anguish and anger did not stop him. All he could think of, was the harm that they could bring to his son.

He cut down another bandit and was approached by another. He gazed at the man in rage, only to find the reasonable bandit standing between him and his son whom he has no idea as to whether he's safe or not. The numerous gunshots did not help.

"Move." Augustus growled.

The large bandit's eyes closed.

Wasting no time, Augustus began to swing, only for him to stop as the man moved away.

"Sorry about that." The man replied. "Was just thinking on whether to fight you or not. No need to worry, I won't."

With that said, the man walked away, away from the slaughter, away from them.

'He's… leaving?' Augustus shook his head from the thought. 'No, my son matters more!'

He sprinted towards the group targeting Jaune, or rather, was targeting him. Only for him to find a single lone bandit crawling away from the young Arc, who was very much coated in blood like him. Augustus could only look in shock as Jaune approached the cowering man, his grip on Crocea Mors weakening at the sight.

"Jaune?" He muttered.

"L-listen kid." The bandit stuttered. "I-I'll leave alright. I'll never come back to this place ever again. You won't find a single hair of me after this alright? Please just let me go."

Jaune said nothing and continue to approach him, raising the bloody – most likely – stolen crooked sword. In accordance, the bandit continued to back away in fear.

"P-please man! Please I fucking b-beg you!" The bandit began to cry.

He then bumped against the leg of Augustus who was now staring at him and his son in disturbance.

"Y-you're his old man right?! Right?!" The bandit cried, grabbing his leg. "Please, I beg you! Just let me live alright?! I promise you won't see me ever after this, please!"

Augustus said nothing.

"I beg you"? This man had the FUCKING audacity to beg to him and his son to let him live? This man, who's a bandit, helped murder, steal and burn down the homes of his village had the audacity to even cower before them now and beg. So, he stared at him, into his eyes.

"Please, just this once, alright?!" The bandit continue to cry, his face now nothing more than a conglomerate of sweat, tears and blood. "I… I fucking beg you… I'll do anything *sniff*, please just-"

It was a simple squelch. A stab through the neck, piercing through the bones that held the body and head together. It was only the sound of burning wood after that.

Augustus looked at Jaune, and his son returned the gesture.

In his eyes, Jaune appeared almost hollow. No, it wasn't hollowness, rather a sense of apathy to everything around him.

He then looked around him, the corpses, the fire and the church and turned back to Jaune. Augustus grabbed his son's shoulders before pulling him in a hug.

"Damn it son. I thought we told you to stay." Augustus muttered through a shaky breathe. "You should've stayed outside the walls. Then… you wouldn't have to commit to this… this slaughter!"

…

…

"If I stayed." Jaune replied. "Then what would my sisters and mum have left?"

Augustus pulled away from the hug and kept him at arms distance, still holding onto the shoulders as he stared at Jaune.

"I couldn't lose anyone else." Jaune gritted his teeth. "I could lose any more families. I couldn't lose… another Violet."

He gazed into his son's eyes once more and found… resolve. He found strength, he found ambition and… regret.

'Jaune…'

Augustus stood from the spot before turning to the church.

"Come on." He called to his son. "Your sisters and mother are inside with the others."

He began to walk towards the church, the footsteps behind him, telling him that his son was following.

A scene flashed by Augustus mind stopping him in his tracks. He quickly snapped around, but it was already too late.

*BANG*

Time seemingly slowed as Augustus looked at the sight before him, the same sight that was shown to him.

Jaune's left backside, blated open. Blood was spraying from his front left abdomen as he slowly fell over. And the culprit for his state, a fatally wounded bandit holding a gun aimed at Jaune, his right eye gone, and neck slit.

Time sped up.

"Fucking… bas…tard." The bandit gurgled before succumbing to his wounds.

Augustus caught his son before he fell to the ground. And all he could do, was scream, as the light in Jaune's eyes slowly began to fade away.

His son then muttered the words.

"Oh…"

Yeah, yeah I just did that. I may or may not have killed Jaune.

Anyways, lots of foreshadowing in this chapter. SPEAKING OF FORESHADOWING! Remember those bandits from the 'A Song of Petals and Crows' interlude? Yeah, so boss may or may not have found out and thought that the Jaune's village would have valuables after what they did to the boys and raided. A case of mistaken identity I guess.

Alright, next chapter is going to be the last I upload to follow my three chapter rule. Sucks since Fragmented takes a lot of planning to pump out new chapters. I have to constantly worry about the lore changes and what I need to add and how the chapter will pan out and stuff which is a lot more different to this story since the media it takes from is already flesh out. Not to mention my schedule with all the work being dued mext week, with the dates so close to each other. Then I have to worry about the assignments for the "TERM BREAK". The only work I'm looking forward to is writing the chapters for my stories and my arts assignment (which is even funner this time).

Enough bitchin, I'll see yall next time. And- shit! I nearly forgot, Chad got a new chapter out a few months back, which I had no idea about! Check it out! It's a FateXBloodborne Merged world story! Chapters are short, but the concepts and everything are awesome and outweighs everything else in my opinion.