Greetings everyone,

Welcome back to the sixteenth chapter of "The Knight The Wizard".

Once again, I want to send my thanks to everyone who has been so understanding of my recent change in uploading chapters. I know it can feel like a pain in the ass and I'm so thankful to all of you.

I'd also like to say that this chapter goes a little more off-Book from the original because, while I still liked the episode this chapter came from, I still felt as if it could be so much better. And just another note that the next chapter will also be going off book in order to better fit the narrative I'm creating.

Once again, I'd like to point out that the following will be the order of stories that I'll be working on into the near future...

1. The Knight The Wizard

2. Operation: Jaune's Dastardly Revenge (A/N: I'm still looking for ideas on Yang's punishment so if anyone wants any credit please visit that story and post your idea or PM me if you'd like.)

3. The Master Huntsman

4. The Arcful Dodger

5. A Bright Future (A/N: Set to release later into the year)

Make sure to Favorite, Follow, and leave a Review.

Till next time.

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Chapter Sixteen

It was hard to imagine that just a few months ago I'd met the enigmas that were Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie for the first time. To see two people who were so drastically different from one another have a bond so close that one could mistake the two for being a couple. Whereas Ren was calm and collected under pressure Nora was rambunctious and hyperactive. Where Nora had an unnatural fascination with all things pancakes and sloths Ren was more interested in meditating and herbal teas. And from the very moment I first met these two a bond formed between us and with Pyrrha by our side our bond was only strengthened. And it was from that bond that friendship bloomed between the four us and from the friendship sparked a fire that burned brighter than the sun. We were more than just friends. We were a family that would do anything to protect one another no matter the cost to ourselves. After all, we were Team JNPR.

Well, we WERE Team JNPR...

But, sadly, our family was shattered when one of our own perished in the Fall of Beacon. Our friend and loved one, Pyrrha Nikos, was taken from us by some power-hungry bitch with an inferiority complex. It was on that day that a rift began to form between the three of us. No longer were we a family that would be willing to fight to the ends of the earth for one another. Now we were nothing more than three individuals all seeking vengeance for our fallen comrade. However, deep down we all desperately wished for that rift between us to close and once again the bond that formed between us could one day return to full bloom. We could finally go back to how things used to be.

I knew my teammates... No, my family... could be unconventional. But there was no way I wanted them to be anything else. That was what made Team JNPR what it was. A hyperactive girl whose dream was to play wack-a-Grimm with her explosive hammer. A boy who simply wanted to sleep his troubles away. A girl who was tired of living on a pedestal. And a boy who acted like the glue that held them all together. I wanted us to go back to those early days where nothing mattered and we could just be a family. It was why I knew to expect anger from my remaining teammates when I revealed the truth about Ozpin, Salem, and, of course, my time limit.

What I hadn't expected was the one who held the most rage within themselves as my brother-in-arms, Lie Ren, his face contorted in rage as his body twisted on it's axis, delivering a fearsome punch into the wall of my sister's home. The force of Ren's punch caused the wall to crack and splinter was chips of wood flew off before scattering onto the floor. And all the while Nora, myself, and the others watched a furious Ren in silence. After he pulled his fist away from the wall, causing more wood chips to plummet to the floor I slowly made my way to his side.

"Ren..." said Nora, speaking softly as I slowly placed my hand on Ren's left shoulder only for him to violently shove me away from him.

I knew he held no ill will towards me but I also knew that to him, hearing that the one person that felt like a brother to him would be overwritten by another's own personality would no doubt be infuriating. If it was me in Ren's shoes I would be all the more furious at how everything we'd done meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. All of our hard work and perseverance meant nothing. And all the pain and hardships we'd each endured to get to where we were meant even less so.

"You're lying..." said Ren, clearly speaking to me even though his back was turned to me.

"Ren." I said, causing him to turn towards me ever so slightly but the words I wished to say refused to vocalize themselves as I found myself unable to speak as my friend - my brother - stared at me with the tiniest glimmer of hope. As if he was silently begging me to admit that my words were nothing but lies. That I wouldn't be taken over by Ozpin's spirit and that everything that had happened to all of us did matter. But I couldn't lie to him... And I think he hated that I wasn't lying even more than he would've if I had been.

"Losing Pyrrha... It nearly destroyed us... And now you're telling us that we're going to lose you too?" asked Ren as Blake stepped forward with a determined expression.

"That's not true." she said defiantly as Nora rose from the cough, her fists clenching at her sides as she glared in Blake's direction.

"Really? Cuz' it sure does sound like it." Nora responded angrily, causing Blake's tongue to become numb as she attempted to find the right words.

But there were no right words for a moment like this.

It was silent as Ren glared at the crack he'd made in the wall. "You said that the only way to break the curse placed on Ozpin and Jaune was to destroy the one called Salem, right? But if Salem can't be killed, then how are we supposed to save you? How are we supposed to win this?" asked Ren as he finally turned full circle as he pleaded us for answers.

But once again we had no answers to give. And even if we had I doubt they'd be the answers they wanted. So, instead we answered with silence causing Nora, who'd sat back down on the couch to release an agitated sigh.

"Wow... Great plan everyone!" she shouted angrily in a sarcastic tone of voice as she finally rose from the couch to face me with a furious expression on her face. "And just how can you be okay with all of this?" she asked me as her eyes slowly became red as her eyes slowly began to pool with tears.

"You think I wanted any of this?" I retorted back as my own anger seemed to boil over. "That I wanted to lose Pyrrha? That I wanted to be fused with an immortal liar? That I wanted to lose everything about myself? I never wanted any of this!" I shouted back, causing Nora's eyebrows to furrow.

"Then why are you still insisting we go to Atlas if at the end you're not going to be there!?" She shouted, clenching her fists at her sides.

"Because if there's even the tiniest chance that I can make sure nothing happens to my friends or my family then I'll gladly give myself up for it! I'm doing this not because I want to but because it's the only way that I can keep you, Ren, and everyone else I love safe." I responded, finally sniffing out the raging fire in her chest as she hung her head downward, allowing her tears to splash on the floor.

And as her as tears began to stream down he face she finally raised her head to look into my eyes "Then promise me that you won't disappear if we go to Atlas. Promise me that... that we won't lose the only family we have left..." she pleaded in choked up sobs as she looked into my eyes.

But I couldn't make that kind of promise to Nora. I couldn't lie to her and say that if still be the same fearless leader she once knew. Because I knew that deep down my time as Jaune was growing shorter and shorter the longer I took. And judging by my silence the heart that was in Nora's chest finally shattered as more tears streamed down her cheeks before she turned on her heel as she made a break up the stairs and into a nearby bedroom, leaving the rest of us in silent contemplation.

Suddenly, Ren, my friend and brother in all but blood, turned towards the rest of us with a sorrowful expression. Neither one of us spoke to the other was we allowed the silence and subsequent rift between us grow with every passing second. Until, finally, Ren turned his back on me as he silently made his way towards the stairs to follow in his crying partner's footsteps.

Silently, I reached out for him "Ren, I-"

"I think it would be for the best if Nora and I had some time to ourselves..." he said as he took his first step up the stairs.

"Ren." I said sternly, finally causing him to stop with his right foot still clinging to the next step as he slowly turned his head towards me with a regretful expression. I wanted to tell him that everything would be alright. That we would find a way to beat Salem and everything would go back to normal. I wanted to tell him that he and Nora wouldn't lose me. That the bond between the three of us wouldn't be broken. I wanted to say all of that and more... But I couldn't... I couldn't lie to them... Not about about this. "I'm sorry..." I said softly as Ren turned his head away from me as the rift between us grew once more before he then retreated to the same room Nora had gone to. The rest of us stood in silence as the weight of what Nora and Ren had said to us finally made itself known.

Finally, Ruby, my light in the darkness, approached my side but as she went to place her hand in my own, I reluctantly pulled away from her as Ren's words weighed on me like a bag of bricks. I knew that to Ren and Nora that Team JNPR was as much as their family as it was mine. And to find out that that famly would be torn asunder by the very same monster that caused their new family to become splintered was too much to handle. Maybe they were right... Maybe the bonds that once held our team together were no longer there... Maybe this was the end of our family.

Maybe this was the end of Team JNPR...

Without speaking another word, I turned on my heel and made my way towards the front door of my sister's home, ignoring the call of my name from the others as I twisted the door handle and exited the house. I knew that I should've stayed but I couldn't do it... I needed to get away from everything. And so, I left into the night to wander the streets of Argus alone, leaving my girlfriend, my friends, and my family alone to wonder about my whereabouts.

Honestly, I had no idea where I was going nor did I realize just how far I'd gone until the sight of the shattered moon that hung in the night sky made me notice the change in scenery. Of course there were still people all going about their daily business as they, too, wondered the streets of Argus. The lights that were powered by Dust illuminated the otherwise dark streets while the stars in the night sky twinkled like fireflies.

My heart felt heavy with guilt and regret as I continued to walk aimlessly deeper into Argus. How had it all gone so wrong? Should I've kept my fate a secret from them? No, it would've only made things worse and it would've made me no better than the one who was eventually going to control over me. I wasn't like Ozpin. I wasn't going to hide things from my friends just because the truth was bad. But the fact of the matter was that now they knew the truth. About Salem. About Ozpin's past. About my fate.

How could I have been so stupid? Did I honestly believe that they'd just go along with us knowing that I'd be taken over by Ozpin? That they wouldn't have a problem and just go along with what I said? Of fucking course they wouldn't. They're angry, furious even, at me. Not because they hated me or that they despised me but because they loved me and cherished me. To them, me explaining that I wouldn't be the same Jaune they'd met at initiation was like saying that I was going to die right in front of them. It's no wonder they'd be mad at me.

Now what was I supposed to do?

My foot falls became heavy and tempered as I slowed my walk to a crawl before eventually stopping dead before a park's main entrance. I tilted my head upward to gaze into the great beyond, my heart felt heavy with guilt and regret as memories of my time spent with Pyrrha filled my vision.

"I can't do this without, Pyrrha." I thought to myself as more memories of my time spent with my friends came to mind. Such fond memories like the time we chased Nora for entire day after she drank from Dr. Oobleck's thermos. Or the time I actually managed to beat Pyrrha at the one thing she was terrible at... Video games. Or the time Ren and I bonded over our mutual appreciation of sleeping in on a warm Sunday morning. And as much as these memories came with a certain fondness they also came with a hint of despondency because now they would always be missing her... And eventually me. "Why did you have to be so stupid? How could you just leave us all alone? Do you understand the hell we had to go through without you? And now Ren and Nora are both angry at me because of Ozpin and his idiotic mistakes! You once told me that I was the glue that held our team together... But I don't think that's true... you were the reason I kept going. Why I kept fighting even when things were stacked against me.. I-I can't do this without you..." I thought to myself when the sight of an orange maple leaf fluttering on the cold night air caught my attention and putting an end to my momentary depression.

But it was as my eyes followed the fluttering maple leaf's gentle flight that my attention was pulled away from me once more as they locked onto a familiar figure whose hair was the color of fire that cascaded down before hanging just above their shoulders like a waterfall.

Suddenly, I found myself walking towards them as they, too, walked further into the park as more maple leaves fell all around me. Was she a vision? Another phantom of my past? Trepidation and hope swirled within my chest like a tornado as I continued to follow in their footsteps.

That is until they finally stopped before a large statue carved out of stone. My heart rose into my neck as the air in lungs left my body as I stared at the lifeless face of my former partner. Even as a statue I still felt as if she could beat my ass into the ground. But she didn't have to do that as I had already fallen onto my hands and knees thus allowing the tears that pooled in my eyes to fall to the ground, creating wet spots on the concrete. My heart ached with pain, as if someone was stabbing it with a thousand needles. How could she be here? Even in death she was still with me... Haunting me... Reminding me that no matter what I did I would always and forever be nothing but a failure.

But then I felt a hand gently place itself on my shoulder, causing me to lift my head up, my eyes ,red from crying, gazed into the same familiar emerald that I once gazed into so many months ago. That same expression of worried for my wellbeing filled my heart with stones. But it was when the woman kneeling before me asked if I was alright that all of my willpower fell to pieces. Thus I allowed the tears to fall from my eyes as the woman watched over me in silence.

"I'm sorry..." I said through choked sobs. " I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough... She deserved better than someone like me."

But even despite my tears and truth in my sobbing voice the woman kneeling before me returned my cries with a gentle smile. One that expressed that she cared more about me than she did herself.

"You are strong." she said with a caring smile. "You can't blame yourself for what happened to Pyrrha."

Then without warning I felt the woman pull on my arm with me along with it until I was once again back on my own two feet. I looked at the woman in confusion before she pulled me towards the statue of my former partner. It was then that I noticed a small plaque on the bottom of the statue. There was the same symbol of a spear and shield that always brought me comfort whenever I saw it. And alongside that symbol was a series of words inscribed on the plaque. "In honor of Pyrrha Nikos, one of many students who fought valiantly at the Fall of Beacon."

After reading the inscription on the plaque my attention was then pulled away as the women standing beside me pulled away with a melancholic smile on her face. "It's really beautiful, isn't it?" She asked me, causing me to momentarily forget my sadness in favor of confusion as I gazed upon the statue.

"Yeah, it is... But why here? Why in Argus?" I asked in turn as the woman beside me glanced down with another melancholic smile at the bouquet of flowers still in her grasp.

"She trained here, Sanctum Academy." she said with a small giggle at what I could only assume was a fond memory. "Everyone was crushed when she chose Beacon over Haven. No one wanted to see her go but... it was where she wanted to be. I'm just glad she was surrounded by such amazing people like you." She said as she turned towards me with a smile on my face.

And it was then that it finally hit me like a dump truck going 95 down the street. It all made so much sense now; why this woman, whom I'd never met before, felt so familiar. Why it felt as if could trust her more than I trusted myself. And why everything just felt so... comforting. It was because she reminded me of Pyrrha... Then did that mean this woman was...

"Y-You're Pyrrha's mother..." I said as my eyes widened at the realization while the woman next to me merely smiled softly at me before returning her attention onto Pyrrha's statue. But once agin the realization that I was the reason her daughter was no longer with her fell back onto my heart like a bag of bricks.

"She told me a lot about you, Jaune." She said with a smile. "How you made her feel normal. How you became her first true love. And every time she's send me a message I'd always hear the chaos that went on in the background while she'd just continue to smile as if nothing was wrong. I'm happy that she made such great friends at Beacon."

"She should be standing here..." I said with guilt filling my chest after hearing her words.

"She is..." I heard her respond, causing me to turn my head towards her in confusion but she still continued to stare at her faughter's statue with a bittersweet smile on her face. "Pyrrha understood that she had a responsibility... to try. I don't think she would regret her choice, because a Huntress would understand that there really wasn't a choice to make. And a Huntress is what she always wanted to be." said Ms. Nikos as she continued to smile at the statue of her daughter one last time before turning her attention onto me. "So, please don't blame yourself because I know that Pyrrha wouldn't have regretted a single thing. Instead walk with your head held high and your heart full of hope because it's up to you now to carry Pyrrha's dream. And I know that even now she's watching you with a smile on her face and a heart filled with pride." said Ms. Nikos as she slowly pulled me into a tight embrace before moving her mouth towards my ear. "Thank you for giving Pyrrha a wonderful friendship and an even more wonderful first love." She said before slowly pulling away, leaving the bouquet of flowers in my arms as she turned to walk away, leaving me to stand before my partner's statue alone.

Suddenly, I felt a tingling sensation that then caused my body to twist only for it to then be forced to the ground by a teary-eyed Nora as she dive-tackled in my side. I was so caught off guard by her sudden appearance that I hadn't even noticed that by the time I'd registered it was really her, clinging to my armor and crying, Ren had already appeared before me with a worried expression that then shifted into relief as he released a sigh from his mouth. After thoroughly drenching my right shoulder with her tears, Nora then pulled her head away to look into my eyes.

"We're so sorry, Jaune!" She exclaimed as more tears streamed down her red cheeks. "We didn't mean what we said! It's just that we already lost our families and then Pyrrha and then when you told us about Ozpin and everything it was all just... Just..." said Nora, struggling to find the right word to use.

"Too much?" asked Ren, throwing out a suggestion that made Nora's eyes pop at the words.

"Yeah!" she shouted before managing to calm herself down enough to properly voice her feelings only for Ren to tap her left shoulder before directing her vision to the statue of Pyrrha standing above us, like a motherly protector.

And just like myself they, too, were left with mixed emotions as they gazed up at the immortalized figure of our friend and partner.

"I'm sorry, you guys." I said suddenly, causing the two of them to turn their attention back onto me. "I'm sorry about everything. About Salem. About Ozpin. About Pyrrha. I've been a terrible leader, and a terrible friend, and I-" But just before I could deeper into my apology I was then silenced by Ren, who placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Jaune, stop." he said sternly before turning towards Nora to continue.

"We... We heard what you said to Cinder... at Haven." said Nora, glancing off to the side with a frown before turning back to look into my eyes. "Jaune, you're not being fair to yourself. Ren and I, we love you, just like we loved Pyrrha. We're more than teammates. We're a family."

"We didn't want to lose you too." said Ren, stealing my attention away from Nora. "But when you told us the truth... About Ozpin and about Salem... it made us realize how true Qrow's words were when we first saw the backlash of your fusion with Ozpin. We don't know how long we may have left to spend time with you or of what will happen afterwards..."

"So that means we need to spend whatever time we've got left being together like a family." Said Nora, finally cracking a smile despite the tears in her eyes that warmed my heart to a near melting point.

"I think..." I began with reluctance as my shifted my eyes on the statue of my partner standing above me as a sensation of determination and hope swelled within me. "I think she knew she might not come out alive. But... I think she also knew she was the only one that could try."

"And so, she did. To protect all of us. To give us a chance to try as well." said Ren as he, too, gazed at Pyrrha's statue.

"Maybe... We should too." said Nora as she also gazed upon the statue.

"Yeah, we should." I said, the three of us all pulling our attention away from Pyrrha's statue to look upon each other. "I won't lie to you guys... There's a chance I might not make it out of this as... Myself."

"But that still means there's a chance." said Ren, smiling at me with a determined expression.

"Yeah! All we need to do is beat that Salem and break the curse! Pfft, easy as pancakes!" Nora proudly exclaimed while Ren brought his hand to his face with a sigh.

"Nora, it's supposed to be "easy as pie"." corrected Ren as he rolled his eyes at Nora's wave at his grammar correction.

"Whatever!" She exclaimed loudly before jumping upward back onto her feet before the two of them extended their hands outward to me.

And, unlike before when I stupidly turned Pyrrha away because of my pride, this time I took those hands with my own. And soon enough I, too, was back on my feet with my friends, nay, my family by my side. The bond between our team may be smaller now that Pyrrha was gone but it was far from being broken. It didn't matter what stood in our path because we knew that we'd face them all together.

As one.

And as we looked upon the immortalized statue of our fallen friend and loved one we all knew that no matter what Team JNPR was far from over.

"Pyrrha may not be by our side anymore." said Nora, placing her hand on my shoulder as she flashed me a brief smile. "But we can fight like she is."

"And in a way she will be... Fighting alongside us in spirit." agreed Ren as he, too, placed his hand on my other shoulder.

"Yeah." I said as Nora handed me a pipin hot drink that I took wholeheartedly.

"It's too bad that mean old lady won't listen to us otherwise we'd already be at Atlas by now." complained Nora.

Suddenly, I saw a flash before my eyes as another memory appeared before me. And with that memory came an idea. An idea so crazy that it had to work.

"Well, there is one person she'd be willing to listen to." I said as a determined smirk braced my face.

"Oooh, I like that look." said Nora as she hopped excitedly in place. "What's the plan, fearless leader?"

"First, we've gotta find Qrow." I said as I walked between my two friends with my head held high, my heart filled with hope, and a crazy idea in my head. I mean, honestly, it was crazy. And the odds of this plan working were astronomical at best. But, like Nora said, it meant that there was still a chance no matter how slim. "It's time I called in a favor."