A/N: You know what I've been forgetting to do? Respond to comments. For example, Guest left me this little gem:

WOOOOOO! LET'S GOOOOO! And yeah, I am a HUGE Silent Knight fan XD Sorry I didnt reply in the previous chapter. Anyways, Aw man, I was hoping that she'd at least have a sibling cuz i was thinking how hilarious itd be for Argent to have 3 half sister triplets who have Neo's personality. The teasing would be hilarious and for shits and giggles, it'd piss of Yang as a remembrance to the train fight.

Regardless though, it is your story and I respect and love it anyway XD Keep it up dude. Excited for the next chapter _

This absolutely deserves a response. Funny thing is, when I thought of Anita's sisters, they didn't have Neo's personality. . . THEY HAD UZAKI AND NAGATORO'S! Whoo, that would be WAY too mean for me to make into reality! But the comedy gold that would ensue. The Uzaki sister would tease her father, himbo that he is.

"Pfft, hahaha! You didn't know that mama had three pretty daughters?! That so lame, papa!"

"Hey, your mom keeps secrets from!"

"Nice excuse to not raise your kids. Oh, woe is me and my sisters, not getting to spend time with our dear papa. You're so mean, papa," she said as she gives Jaune a smug smile, the hero slumping over in defeat.

As for the Nagatoro sister, she would tease Argent, calling him cute whenever she can, knowing full well he hates being called cute.

"Hahaha! You want to be as cool as our dad, but you're just too cute. You're almost cuter than I am."

"I'M NOT CUTE!"

"You're right. You're adorable. Like a little puppy," she says as she pokes his cheek. Argent then tries to bite her finger, but she was too fast. "Whoo! Fiesty! I LIKE it!" She then hugs Argent. "That's my adorable baby brother."

"I'm not adorable," he mutters, blushing since he really was enjoying the hug from his big sister.

Sorry, Guest, but that's the best you're gonna get from the Vanille Triplets. No one can handle the triple threat of Neo, Uzaki, and Nagatoro. NO ONE! Two Trivia's is more than enough for the world to handle. It shall remain mother-und-daughter!

Well, with that out of the way, onto the story.


Jaune was falling within the silvery light. Slowly and weakly, he opened his eyes, his hair flowing freely as he fell. He then held up his hand... and smiled.

He watched as black smoke floated from his hand, his white skin now back to its original color. His hand was human again.

His smile quickly went away as he watched his hand quickly turn back to white.

'Jinn was right. I can't be fully human anymore. I'm stuck like this. I'm a Grimm until the day I die.'

He then looked at what was left of the Elder King Ice Dragon, his smile returning. Its top half was totally gone, its remaining body fading away as black smoke. Jaune chuckled at the sight. 'Mission Objective: Protect New Mantle from the SSS-Class Grimm. Requirements for completion: Slay the Grimm. Additional Objectives: Keep the Titans alive. Eleven Titans were sent to help me, but two were destroyed. Because of that, I'd give myself an A. Had all of them survived, it would have been an S.' Jaune sighed. 'Aw, well. In the end... it's still. . . Mission Accomplish.'

With that last thought, Jaune released a final sigh before he fell into the silvery void.


Ruby was frantically typing in the code for Jaune's communicator. "Jaune! JAUNE! RESPOND!" She typed his code again. "DAMMIT, ARC! TALK TO ME! SAY SOMETHING, DAMN YOU," she yelled as tears ran down her cheeks. "JAUNE!"

"RUBY! HE'S GONE," Qrow yelled as he appeared on one of Ruby's side screens.

"NO! HE'S ALIVE! HE'S JAUNE ARC! THE VALE KNIGHT! HE ALWAYS SURVIVES!"

"Stop it, Ruby," Elm said, her eyes shadowed, but tears falling. "Not even he could survive that."

"SHUT UP! HE'S ALIVE! RESPOND AND PROVE ME RIGHT, ARC!"

"ENOUGH, RUBY," Harriet yelled, tears falling down her cheeks. "He's gone."

"STOP SAYING THAT! HE'S ALIVE!"

"Ruby, that much Silver Dust would have put even Salem under commission for a while," Qrow said.

"JAUNE ISN'T SALEM! HE'S STRONGER THAN HER! HE AND I BEAT HER TOGETHER! HE WOULDN'T DIE FORM-"

"THAT'S ENOUGH, RUBY," Qrow yelled. "NONE OF US WOULD HAVE SURVIVED THAT EXPLOSION, LET ALONE A MAN WITH GRIMM BLOOD FLOWING THROUGH HIM!" Ruby's eyes widened at what Qrow said, not being able to refute him. "He's gone. I'm sorry."

Ruby stared at the screen, Jaune's code still searching until the words SIGNAL NOT FOUND popped up again. Ruby stared at the flashing words before her head fell. She then began to wail, crying her heart out. Even if the comms were not on, everyone would have been able to hear her cries of anguish.

Neon was also crying alongside Ruby, the Faunus wiping the tears from her eyes as she sobbed. May and Joanna were holding back their tears, but just barely. Elm ripped her communicator from her ear before angrily throwing it away... before she began to cry. Harriet just had her hand over her eyes, tears falling past a quivering lip.

Flynt's fedora covered his eyes, but a single tear fell down his cheek. He then slammed a fist on his control panel. 'Dammit, hero. There's such a thing as too gutsy. What am I supposed to play for a number like this,' he thought.

Qrow walked up and placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder, not caring that it was just a robot trying to comfort a robot. "Ruby, come on. We need to tell Winter."

Ruby was quiet for a bit. "Winter? I don't care about Winter, Qrow." She then looked up, her eyes still flowing with tears. "What am I supposed to tell my son?" Qrow's hand twitched on his controls. "How am I supposed to tell my little Cookie that his father is dead?" Qrow looked away from the screen, unable to answer his grieving niece.

Then, everyone's attention was grabbed by the sound of a screech. A Nevermore's screech.

Ruby immediately aimed her camera in its direction. "Neverflame?!"

The enhanced Grimm screeched before it looked down, looking at the petrified Nevermores in its talons. It then released the smaller Grimm, not caring as its stone-encased species shattered onto the frozen tundra below.

Ruby immediately ran towards the burning bird as she held out an arm for it to perch on, which it did. She then ran out through her Titan's hatch, stepping onto its shoulder where Neverflame was waiting for her. She immediately noticed how it was standing with its back flattened. She used her Semblance to get onto its back.

She was flooded with relief and joy when she saw the reason for the Grimm's posture.

"JAUNE," she screamed happily as she ran towards the man, practically sliding to his side.

"HE SURVIVED," Elm asked with relief booming in her voice.

Harriet chuckled. "What is that guy MADE of," she asked with a cracked voice.

"Tougher stuff than Grimm," Flynt said.

Ruby held up the unconscious man before placing her ear on his bare chest. She then smiled as she began to cry tears of joy. "He's alive. It's not even a faint heartbeat. He's alive," she said softly.

"He won't be for long if we stay out here," Joanna said. Everyone looked at her as if she killed the mood. "His Aura shattered, didn't it? It's below thirty out here. Unless we want to bring back a human-sized popsicle, we need to get him back home immediately.

Ruby's eyes widened. "She's right. Everyone, back to base!"

"Right," they all went as they turned home.

Ruby then rubbed Neverflame's back, getting the Grimm's attention. "Thank you. Thank you for saving him."

The Grimm stared at her before it gave what she thought was a cute squeak. Ruby then used her Semblance to get back into the robot. "You can ride on my shoulder, pretty bird." Neverflame then cawed, as if responding to Ruby before it stepped into a more comfortable position.

Ruby then piloted the Titan back home.

She didn't want Jaune out of her sight now. It may have looked awkward for a man as large as Jaune to be on the lap of a woman Ruby's size, but she didn't care right now.

Then, Jaune groaned. "Ru... by?"

"I'm here, Jaune."

"Thought... so. Only... you... smell this nice."

Ruby blushed. "W-Weird thing to say."

"You... smell like roses."

"Roses?"

"Wild, pure, nature-loved roses. Argent... loves their smell... as much as I do."

Her blush deepened. "I... guess I don't mind smelling like that."

"Ruby. . . I'm glad you're safe."

Ruby looked at Jaune before she smiled. Then... she kissed him. "That's my line, hero."

She looked back to see they were approaching New Mantle.

Then, she turned as red as her cloak as steam shot from her head. "What did I just do?"


The Titans docked safely, the pilots leaving the giant robots.

"Uh, Elm?" She looked toward Ruby. "A little help?"

Elm stifled a snicker. Seeing a huge guy like Jaune draped over Ruby's shoulder like that was a pretty funny sight. She then walked over and lifted Jaune.

"Really? Princess carry," Ruby asked with a twitching eyebrow.

"What? It works. Besides, put him in a nice dress, shave his goatee, comb his long hair, and he'd look pretty."

"Yes. Yes, he would."

"You agreed to that pretty quickly, Schnee-Rose," Elm went with half-lidded eyes and a sly smile.

Ruby's eyes widened before she looked away with a blush. "Shut up. Just, please, get him to a medic. He's been through a lot."

Elm giggled before she sighed. "That he has," she said before walking away with the unconscious hero.

"Ah, Special Operative Ederne!"

"Hm? What is it, soldier?"

"If it is fine, ma'am, we've been asked to retrieve the Sword of Destruction."

Elm looked at the sword dangling from Jaune's hip. "Isn't that kinda dangerous? Without a lot of Aura, just touching this thing could possibly kill you."

"We have contingencies, ma'am," he said with a salute as a large chamber was rolled up, with two soldiers holding grabbers next to it.

"Okay, then. Permission granted. Though, it's not really for me to say," she mumbled at the end.

The soldiers then carefully grabbed the Relic by its handle. They then gently placed the powerful weapon into the container, the sword floating in midair. They then wheeled it away.

Elm shrugged before walking away with Jaune in her arms.

"Mrs. Schnee-Rose?"

"Hm," Ruby went as she looked behind her to see a nervous-looking soldier. "Yes? Do you have something to report?"

The woman was looking down before she took a deep breath and sighed, looking at Ruby with worry in her eyes. "Y-Yes, ma'am. It's best if you saw for yourself." Ruby raised an eyebrow.

Later, her eyes were wide and blank, unable to believe what she was seeing.

Weiss walked up to her wife, looking nervous. "R-Ruby?"

"Weiss, I'm going to ask this as calmly as I possibly can." She then looked over towards Weiss with an intensity that frightened even the Schnee Dust Company CEO. "Why... is my son... in the medical bay?"

Argent was in a bed, unconscious, with dark bruises on him.

Weiss looked down, and bit her lip before she begrudgingly explained what happened.

"He fought a WHAT?! HOW DID A HOUND GET INTO ATLAS TOWER?! HOW DOES A HOUND EVEN EXIST!? SALEM IS DEAD! THERE'S NO WAY THEY SHOULD EXIST ANYMORE! AND WHY HIM?! WHY MY SON?!"

"Ruby, calm down," Weiss said.

"CALM DOWN?! WEISS SCHNEE, THAT'S MY SON! MY FLESH AND BLOOD! THE CHILD I GAVE BIRTH TO! THE CHILD I-" Ruby looked at Weiss angrily... before tears fell down her cheeks. "The child I abandoned."

"Honey, you didn't abandon him. You were still in his life."

"As an aunt. He needed a mother, and where was I? Living happily in New Mantle, barely in his life while I raised my daughter. Now that I have the chance to be an actual parent to him, look what happens."

"Ruby, you can't blame yourself."

"Then who can I blame, Weiss?! I wasn't there to raise him. I wasn't there to train him. I wasn't there to teach him. . ." She then grabbed the rails, hanging her head down in shame. "And I sure as hell wasn't there to protect him. What kind of mother can't protect her own baby boy?"

"You were protecting New Mantle with Jaune, who wasn't here to protect him either."

"And I almost killed him."

Weiss's eyes widened. "What?"

Ruby looked up at Weiss, sniffling. "He almost died today, Weiss. Argent was this close to losing his father. He ordered everyone with Silver Dust Ammunition to shoot the Elder King Ice Dragon while he held its mouth open. He was in the blast, Weiss."

"T-That's insane. That explosion was visible from the Tower. Even without being a Grimm, that blast would have been fatal."

"And he knew it. But he kept giving us the order. HE KEPT TELLING US TO SHOOT," she yelled as she punched the wall with each word, making sure not to hit the glass so as to not disturb Argent.

"He almost died, and I couldn't do anything to stop it! I just followed his order! I should have done more! I should have used my eyes instead of staying in a sniping position! I should have been more involved in the fight! I should have-! I should have-! I should have..." Ruby fell to her knees, beginning to cry.

Weiss knelt down and hugged her wife, tears in her eyes as well.

"Why? Why them? Why is it always Jaune and our son? First Adam turns him into a Grimm, then he gets attacked by Tyrian and his cult, and now this? Jaune fighting off a Kingdom-Threat level Grimm and my Cookie being attacked by a Hound? And I couldn't keep either of them safe. They're both comatose and I couldn't do anything to protect them. I couldn't do anything," she sobbed as she hugged her wife.

"Shh, shh-shh. There, there. Let it out, Ruby. Let it all out," Weiss said as tears fell down her cheeks. She then opened her eyes. "I'm sorry. I was there. I was even in front of Argent, between him and the Hound at one point... but I couldn't protect him either. I'm sorry."

Ruby then tightened her hug. "But you were there, Weiss. You were there to try. You tried to protect him while his mother was... was..."

"While she was being a Huntress. While she was being a hero. If I know Argent as well as I think I do... then I know he'd be proud of you."

Ruby sniffled. "Thank you. I love you. I love you so much," Ruby said as she buried herself deeper into Weiss's embrace.

"I love you, too," Weiss said as she tightened her hug around her sobbing wife.


Meanwhile.

"It's what," Winter went.

"You didn't misinterpret his words, General," Maria said as she and Dante were standing before a large monitor, Winter standing behind them with wide eyes.

Everyone was looking at a computer screen.

"The soldier who was forced to turn into a Hound's compositional DNA... is a near exact matches of Jaune's. Their blood, their genetics, their very molecular structure. It's an exact match."

"A-Are you saying..." Winter began.

Dante then looked back at the General with a rare, serious expression. "Jaune could, or rather should have turned into the same creature this poor soul became."

Winter stared at the screen, unable to believe the data she was seeing.

"We've been able to run tests using the victim's blood and Jaune's blood. Their similarities are at ninety percent."

Winter looked at Maria. "Ninety?"

She nodded. "The other ten percent involves the blood's reaction to none mutated human and Faunus blood." She typed away and showed the videos. "This is what happens when human blood is mixed with the Hound's blood." Everyone watched as the moment the red liquid was placed in the vicinity of the black liquid, the darker goop lunged at it, looking as if it devoured it until there was nothing but darkness, before a flash of red occurred, obviously being fire.

"This is what happened with Faunus blood."

"It's the exact same reaction," Winter observed.

"And now... this is the reaction to the last bit of human blood from Jaune."

Winter's eyes widened. "It's like... they're willingly mixing together."

"Violently, but still willingly," Dante said. "I'd compare it to a whirlpool. As you can see, the end result is a bit of a more purplish color, not too dissimilar to the Sword of Destruction's blade."

"So... Jaune is special."

Dante and Maria looked at each other before Maria cleared her throat. "Not just Jaune, General."

"What?"

Dante then pressed a button, the screen changes. "This was our fourth mixing experiment. The subject... was Argent's blood."

"YOU EXPERIEMENTED ON ARGENT," Winter roared in rage.

"Ma'am, I assure you, we had Jaune's consent," Dante pleaded.

"BULLSHIT!"

Dante then pushed a button. 'You want to run tests on my son?' Winter looked up to see a video recording of Dante speaking with Jaune.

'Not on the boy directly. Just his blood samples. He's your son. He could be at risk of becoming... you. Besides, if we have healthy samples of untainted Arc blood, we may very well find a way to cure you.'

Jaune looked down, thinking for a bit, before looking up. 'Blood samples only. I don't want to hear anything about him participating in any tests. You're my friend, Dante, but don't think I won't hurt you if anything happens to my kid.'

'Perish the thought, old friend. Nothing will befall dear Arie. You have my word,' Dante said with a salute.

The video ended.

Winter gritted her teeth. "Fine," she hissed.

"Now, pay attention, General. You're going to want to see this."

Winter looked; her angry gaze replaced with one of astonishment. "They bonded even more smoothly. Why?"

"We did some experiments using Ruby's blood as well," Maria said.

"Why Ruby," Winter asked. "Why not my blood?"

"Aside from the fact that Ruby's his mother and you never gave us permission to experiment on your blood? We have a working theory," Maria said.

"Which would be?"

"Which would INVOLVE the Silver Eyes."

"What?"

"According to what Ruby told us she learned from Lady Jinn; the Silver Eyed Warriors were basically given the power of the God of Light himself through the eyes. Those eyes are the ultimate bane to the Grimm, surpassed only by Lady Nimueh herself. In short, much like the Grimm are the creations of the God of Darkness, the Silver Eyed Warriors-"

"Are the creations of the God of Light," Winter finished for Maria.

"And in those regards, the blood of a Silver-Eyed Warrior mixing with the blood of a Grimm is mixing light and darkness together," Dante said. "However," he began as he switched to a new video. "This is what happens with Ruby's blood."

Winter watched the video intently. She saw nothing wrong with the sample until her keen eyes noticed a small detail. "It's... getting smaller. . . It's degrading, isn't it."

"Indeed. As time passes, and without a sustainable source, the mix will slowly melt away into nothing," Maria explained as the sample did just that. "I would surmise that process for the Silver-Eyed victim is a slow and agonizing process. It would be like being eaten alive for who knows how long. It's possibly a far worse fate than what that soldier went through to become a Hound. From what we've gathered, that man would have died maybe a day later, the Hound dying not too long after without having a fuel source. In short, the Hound is a tragic parasite victim," Maria said as she shook her head sadly.

Winter stared at the screen, seeing the repeat of the disappearance before looking over at Argent's video, the sample still there and unchanged, just like his father's. Then, her eyes widened in horror. "Complete the boy."

"That's what the Hound continuously repeated as it fought Argent," Dante sighed.

"No. No, no, no, NO! It's bad enough his father has to suffer that curse but to want to force it on a child?! I will do everything in my power to prevent such a thing!" Winter then growled. "WHY?! WHY THE ARCS TO BEGIN WITH!? WHY JAUNE?! WHY HIS SON!? WHY THOSE TWO OF EVERY SINGLE BEING ON THIS CURSED WORLD?!"

"General." She looked at Dante. "You do remember who his ancestor is, don't you?"

Winter's eyes widened before she looked down, tightening her grip in rage. "Even in death, she torments us. Damn you, Salem. How dare you leave behind such a curse?" Winter then looked back at the screen. "We need to protect them."

"What," Maria went.

"He most certainly won't approve of it, but we need to protect Jaune and Argent Arc."

"Are you suggesting we keep them here in New Mantle... AGAINST their will," Dante asked.

"I am."

"With all due respect, General, Jaune Arc is the most powerful man in the world. Even before this transformation, he was able to fight on par against you and emerge victorious in more than one of your sparring matches. It's true that you let him win when you were using your powers, but he was still one of the few Huntsmen in the world who can fight on par with a Maiden," Maria said.

"I'm well aware. Still, we must do everything in our power to keep them safe. Something is very wrong with the world right now. The Grimm have been more active as of late. More so than when they were under Salem's rule. If that's not enough, there are rumors that they are evolving. Growing stronger, greater, and even smarter than before. Now, we are being attacked by parasitic Grimm that should have only been able to be created by Salem. Something is coming, and it's after the Arc Family. I will be damned before I let anything happen to either of those two. Bring up a footage of both rooms!"

Dante stared at Winter, seeing the determined look in her eyes, before sighing and complying.

Winter looked at the screen, seeing both members of the Arc in their beds, still unconscious, medical equipment helping with their recovery. "I will protect you," Winter said with steely resolve.

"Head Researcher Dante?"

"Hm?"

"We're ready, sir."

"Ready," Winter went in curiosity.

She became really curious when she saw Dante's smile. "Time to awaken the queen."


Jaune was on his back, face clear of any damage, his hair all around him before he groaned. He looked up to see endless white. He stood up, looking down to see he only had his pants on before looking around. "Where am I?"

"Greetings, Jaune." He looked behind him to see a bright figure with antlers. "It is time for us to finally meet... Champion."


Winter watched as the Sword was being carefully placed in a large machine. "I don't like this. It's still in the experimental phase."

"Then this is the perfect experiment," Dante said in excitement as he was typing away. "Of course, the portable model I'm planning on giving to Jaune is even more dangerous compared to this. The prototype barely left the development phase," he chuckled.

"Why do I fund your madness again?"

Maria sighed. "Because he's more successful than not," she went.

"Right," Winter went, matching Maria's tone.

"The Aura Storage Unite, A.S.U. Or what some have come to nickname it, the Mecha-Jaune," Dante laughed.

"THEY CALL IT THE AURA BATTERY," Maria yelled.

"Yeah, yeah. With some donated Aura, draining soldiers of Aura just before they reach the orange zone, we've found a way to store Aura itself. Once these things become truly portable, Huntsman all over the globe will be able to recharge their Aura in mere moments, or even regain their shattered Aura. It would be like carrying Jaune himself in your pocket."

"It took a lot of research to do this," Maria said. "It doesn't help that this machine is our most successful model. Twenty explosions later, and our most prominent design might be destroyed to give form to the most powerful weapon in the world," Maria sighed.

"Hey, if it explodes from bringing back Nimueh, then it just means I need to make some new calculations."

"Does this machine even have enough Aura," Winter asked. "It took Jaune years of filling Nimueh with his Aura to give her a human form."

"And we're hoping those years paid off. I mean, little Arie was able to summon his mother into physical form before, hasn't he," Dante shrugged. "If a ten-year-old can do it, why not the world's most advanced technical research facility?"

Winter sighed. "Is Qrow nearby," she asked a nearby soldier.

"No, ma'am. He's with Shiva at the moment.


Meanwhile.

"YOU HELPED FIGHT A WHAT?!"

Shiva shrugged. "It attacked Arie. I wasn't about to let some mutt hurt my cousin."

"As proud as I am of you, that was insanely reckless!"

"Hm, reckless. I wonder where I get that from," Shiva asked with a raised eyebrow, sly smile, and a cross of her legs.

Qrow was about to say something before he thought a bit... and snickered. "That's my girl."

"I'm a Branwen as much as I am a Schnee," she said with a proud smile.


"Alright. I still feel like I'll regret this... but do it."

Dante smirked. "ACTIVATE THE MECHA-JAUNE!"

"AURA BATTERY," Maria yelled.

Technicians all around started to type away and flip switches. As the Sword floated within the machine, the room it was with began to glow.

"Operation at ten percent."

"Aura steadily increasing."

"Increase the voltage," Dante ordered.

The machine grew brighter.

"Aura levels dropping."

"Relic charged at... twenty percent?!"

"But we're already nearing empty on the first tank," Maria went.

"Tch. Transfer Aura from tanks two through five," Dante ordered.

"But sir, we only have ten tanks!"

"I know! Just do it! Need I remind you who this is?! Who her HUSBAND is?! Besides, the moment he wakes up, he can refill those tanks! Move, move, move!"

The scientists were moving around frantically.

"Sir, the machine is beginning to overheat!"

"Initiate the Cooling Protocol!"

"It might not be enough, sir! These readings are off the chart! This isn't like when we had volunteers inside!"

"Dammit!" He sighed. "General, I'm sorry to ask for your assistance."

"Just tell me what you need," she said as her eyes were already aglow.

"See that cylinder that already looks like freshly mined Fire Dust," he asked as he pointed upward. "We need it to look like Ice Dust."

"Got it," she said as she flew up and began to cool it down with a stream of icy mist.

"Sword charged at fifty percent!"

"How are the tanks looking," Dante asked.

"We're already nearing the end of the fourth tank!"

Dante groaned. "AaaaaaaaaaaAAAAH! FUCK IT! PREPARE TANKS SIX THROUGH TEN! WE'RE GIVING THE QUEEN EVERY LAST DROP OF 'WINE' SHE CAN HANDLE! WE'LL PUT IT ON THE 'KING'S' TAB!"

"YES, SIR!"

"WHOA!"

"WHAT IS IT NOW!?"

"VIOLENT SPARKS SHOOTING FROM THE BATTERY, SIR! IT MIGHT BE OVERLOADING!"

"GET IT UNDER CONTROL! GET THE RESERVE ICE DUST AND MAKE THIS ROOM AS COLD AS THE SOLITAS TUNDRA, IF YOU HAVE TO! GENERAL SCHNEE, MA'AM, PLEASE GO UP A LEVEL!"

"DON'T MAKE ME REGRET THIS, INFERNO," she yelled over the whirling machine as she unleashed colder air.

"AURA LEVELS AT 80%, SIR!"

Dante looked within the machine, seeing a glowing humanoid form out of purple light. "WE'RE ALMOST THERE, PEOPLE!"

BOOM

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"

"POWERCELL 9S IS GONE, SIR!"

"POWERCELLS 2B AND A2 MIGHT NOT BE FAR BEHIND!"

"DANTE, WE MAY NEED TO STOP THIS! THIS IS GETTING WAY MORE EXTREME THAN PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS," Maria yelled.

"OF COURSE IT'S MORE EXTREME! WE'RE TRYING TO REVIVE A LITERAL GODDESS! AND LAST I CHECKED, NONE OF US HAD ARC FOR A LAST NAME!" Dante looked towards the machine, seeing human limbs form on the glowing humanoid. "Jaune and his son might as well be monsters with Aura levels that high." He then smirked. "But that's what makes them so exciting, and what makes being a scientist so fun. The thought of me, a mere man, creating a machine that can surpass a monster like Jaune? MY KIND OF GAME! LET'S SHOW THE HERO OF REMNANT WHAT THE WORLD'S MOST BRILLIANT MEN AND WOMEN CAN DO!"

"SIR, YES, SIR!"

"UNLEASH EVERY BIT OF AURA WE'VE GOT RESERVED! LET'S RESURRECT OURSELVES A GODDESS!"

The scientists all but cheered before something awesome happened. The entire machine began to glow like a beacon. Then-

BOOM

Dante and Maria were blown back by the shock wave of the explosion. Many scientists covered themselves protectively, while others jumped to the floor or under something sturdy. One yelled out in surprise when a shard of the machine stabbed right in front of her face, while another man screamed shrilly when a shard lodged... beneath... his... jewels. He was so close to wetting himself.

Winter landed next to the Head Scientist and his Vice Director, helping the coughing scientists up before the three heard the clicking of boots.

They looked up towards the smoke, seeing Nimueh walk out and flip her hair out of her face in an unintentionally beautiful and sexy way. "Alright, color me amazed. Never thought anyone other than my husband or my son could get me to materialize," she said with a smile.

Dante looked at the beautiful Spirit of Destruction, who was in her fully human form, with no sign of her Spirit Form at all. He couldn't help but laugh before throwing both fists into the air. "SUCCESS! WE DID IT! WE BROUGHT BACK THE QUEEN HERSELF!"

The scientists cheered, some of them falling to the ground out of exhaustion, others out of pure relief at the success.

"Oh, so I'm a queen, am I," Nimueh asked with a smile and a raised eyebrow, arms crossed. "I thought people liked to call me a goddess." Nimueh then looked at Winter with a serious expression. "How is he?"

"He's in the medical wing."

"He's what? Winter, what happened to my son?"

"He... fought against a Hound." Even Winter winced at the look Nimueh gave. "I'm sorry. I should have done more to protect him."

Nimueh stared at her before she sighed. "Winter, my son is stubborn and brave. Not much you could have done, especially not in your situation. I'm just grateful you were able to save him from that thing. Now, mind leading me to his roo-" Nimueh's eyes widened.

"Nimueh," Winter asked in confusion.

Nimueh's grip then tightened. "How DARE he," she asked in a way that terrified everyone. She then stormed out of the room towards Jaune's room. "How DARE you involve yourself in MY family... uncle," she growled out as she sensed his presence.

The presence. . . of the God of Light.


A/N: And that's the end of this chapter, as well as the end of the first of many wars to come.

Wanna hear something funny? When a friend of mine read this to give me his criticism, he thought Dante was talking about Salem when he said "Time to awaken the Queen." He honestly thought Dante was a bad guy trying to revive Salem! Nope, this mad scientist is one of the good guys. He's no cultist.

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, because things won't be getting easier for ol' Jauney. It never gets easier.

Don't forget to leave a review.

Speaking of reviews, sorry about the triplets, Guest, but I hope you enjoyed their little What-If scene.

Until next time.