Author's note: "Edgelord future cyborg Jaune" Hah, that's too good! I love it!

Chapter VIII

Arc found himself standing in an unusual silence. Normally, he lapsed into silence to either not waste words or to consciously process everything his neural matrix system logged and formulated. But now, out of all the things he had endured and done, Arc found himself rendered into silence by hesitancy. His mind had already sifted through his future memories of Pyrrha and compiled everything he needed to tell her, but Arc found himself unable to speak. He felt numb to the world.

Vaguely, Arc could feel the wind tousle his scruffy hair and brush across his face. He could feel his cognitive grasp begin to wane. He had been able to discuss everyone's futures so clearly before. Why was it now he was unable to speak?

Arc felt his systems quickly dampen his emotions and sap them away. The mental clamp that muted his synthesized voice dissipated and the constricted feeling in his chest left him. Drawing his cognitive attention forward, Arc regarded the warrior girl across from him.

Pyrrha looked at him unwavering, patiently waiting for him to begin. Yet for all of her bravery, Arc knew she was nervous. He had known her too well.

What came next had to be done.

His synthesized voice activated, "If you haven't realized it by now, what I'm about to say cannot be repeated to the others."

"I figured," Pyrrha replied solemnly.

"Good," Arc said, "are you familiar with the fairy tale of the Seasons?"

"Y-yes?" Pyrrha said, her expression bearing confusion. "I'm sorry, but what does this have to do with my future?"

"The fairy tale is true," Arc pushed on, "So is the unimaginable power wielded by the Maidens—and in my future, you become the next Fall Maiden."

Pyrrha's mouth hung open, "What?"

"Ozpin and his colleagues chose you to become the next Fall Maiden during the Vytal Festival. At first, I was bitter at the decision being forced upon you, but time and analysis have since revealed to me that it was for the best. Your skills, mindset and capabilities were unmatched. You were the perfect candidate to become the Fall Maiden. Naturally, you needed time to process and decide whether or not to wield this godly power. Unfortunately, time was not on our side. During the Vytal Festival, you are manipulated into killing Ruby's friend, Penny, which then incites the Battle of Beacon and the Grimm invasion of Vale."

Arc paused for a moment when he realized Pyrrha's expression changed from confusion to petrified shock.

Pyrrha's hands slowly covered her mouth, "I…kill…Penny?"

"You were manipulated; it was not your fault," Arc clarified, never breaking eye contact with her, "but the Battle of Beacon forces you to make a choice, and you chose to receive the power of the Fall Maiden."

Arc could see Pyrrha's eyes falter with the words he was speaking, but he couldn't stop now.

"Deep beneath Beacon Academy lies a vault with the comatose Fall Maiden. In the thick of the Battle of Beacon, both of us and Ozpin descend into the depths and begin to transfer the remaining half of the Fall Maiden's power into you. It is here when Cinder, the one who had stolen the other half of the Fall Maiden's power and put her in a comatose state, follows and attempts to take the remaining Fall Maiden's power. Ozpin and I hold her off in time for the power transfer to be completed, and then you, harboring your newfound powers, force her to retreat. We travel to the surface and you use your Maiden powers to drive off the invading Grimm.

"Thanks to live footage of the Battle of Beacon, the world of Remnant witnesses the destruction of Vale, the damaging of the CCT and the revelation of magic due to your usage of the Fall Maiden's power. With the Council of Vale no more, the people began to unite underneath Pyrrha Nikos, the new Fall Maiden, and thus the Autumn Empire is born."

"The Autumn Empire?" Pyrrha choked out.

"A kingdom like no other," Arc said, his gaze becoming distant and looking to the sky, "Humanity had witnessed your power and became enthralled by it. The entirety of Vale and the other kingdoms succeeded and submitted to you: the Regent of the Autumn Empire."

"Regent?" Pyrrha murmured solemnly, "Was that what everyone saw me as?"

"It was your official title," Arc explained, "You were like a living goddess that people rallied beneath to fight against the darkness of Grimm; a champion with immeasurable powers."

"But what was I to you, Jaune?"

Arc took notice of the distraught in her voice and the tears welling in her eyes.
Somewhere in his heart, he momentarily felt a trembling grief rattle his core at the use of his first name. Momentarily.

Arc focused his eye back on Pyrrha, "You were my partner, Pyrrha, and my best friend. But above all else, you were my Regent."

Arc watched Pyrrha's resolve break in her eyes. The redhead girl buried her face in her hands and turned away from Arc, quietly sobbing.

A part of Arc urged him to close the distance between them. He could feel his own emotions stinging his heart and begin to take over his mind with every decibel detected from Pyrrha's sobbing.
But against all his urges, Arc could not bring himself to take the first step.

It wasn't his place. The Pyrrha Nikos in front of him was not the same Pyrrha Nikos that Arc once knew. That Pyrrha Nikos, his Regent, had died years ago.

Unwilling to see the sight of Pyrrha crying, he slowly shifted himself, staring off at the landscape around them. He still had to tell this past version of Pyrrha the rest of what happened. Replaying the words exchanged a few moments ago, Arc decided on the next dialogue that would put their conversation back on track; or at least, help Pyrrha regain her focus.

"I am aware of your love for me, Pyrrha," Arc said.

Pyrrha ceased to sob and froze in her place. Realizing the implications in his words, Arc hastily clarified himself.

"For Jaune, I mean; I know you are in love with your partner. By the time I realized your feelings, it was already too late."

"What do you mean?" she asked, not bothering to face him.

Arc reoriented himself so that it wasn't just his mask piece looking at her, "We were close, but reciprocating your feelings fully wasn't my priority; your protection was. That was why Nora, Ren and I created the Praetorians: to protect you. While many gathered under the Autumn Empire, there were those who sought the power of the Fall Maiden for themselves, and the only way of acquiring it was through your death, and assassination attempts were frequent."

Arc briefly glanced downward at the roof he stood on, "Love felt trivial when compared to the duty of protecting the Autumn Empire, much less all of Remnant."

Pyrrha finally turned back around. Through her tear-stricken face, she somehow found enough courage to meet his cerulean gaze.

"What happens to this Autumn Empire?" she asked.

"After a second Grimm invasion destroys Vale and Beacon, and we retreat to the island of Vytal. The other three kingdoms relinquish control to you and form the Autumn Empire. Its capitol is established within the ruins at Vytal. From there we wage a mass war against the Grimm across Remnant: the Autumn Empire versus the forces of darkness. Unlike the Great War long before, this war is for survival and ensuring that we, humans and faunus alike, may live to see another day in Remnant."

Arc paused, "The war costs us all greatly. Millions join the armies of the Autumn Empire to fight the Grimm, and millions are killed under its banner. Eventually, the hordes of Grimm attack Vytal to kill you and take your Maiden powers, but we repel them at great costs. In addition to the losses we sustained in the attack, Nora and Ren are killed and I am destroyed beyond what my immense aura can heal. As a result, I am turned into the cyborg you see me as today."

Arc reached up and grasped the charred piece of metal that hung from his neck, mentally bracing himself for his next words. Pyrrha noticed the action, but remained silent.

"A year or so would go by before the Grimm attack Vytal a second time. And though we repel the Grimm, you are killed. Without you, the Autumn Empire collapses and all that's left are the shattered kingdoms of Atlas, Mistral and Vacuo. Years later, Project: Continuum is complete…and you know the rest."

Arc concluded his words. It felt odd to remember his past while presently trying to erase it.

An exhale left his nose and he released the piece metal from his hand. A part of him wanted to tell Pyrrha its significance, but Arc speculated it might be a bit too much for her to handle. Especially since said item was directly related to Pyrrha.

"That item around your neck…that's my circlet, isn't it?" the redhead asked quietly.

Arc froze. He should have been paying more conscientious attention to where her eyes were staring. But the item strung around his neck was already the center of focus, and who was Arc to deny her when she was right?

"Yes." he replied.

He didn't need to tell her that it was all that was left of her after her fateful battle. He didn't have to tell the details of the battle either; about how Cinder gained the rest of the Fall Maiden's powers or the colossal battle against her and Ruby, Qrow and him. She didn't need to know that Qrow succumbed to his fatal wounds or that he lost half his helmet in the fight, nor the devestating aftermath.
The message of her death was as real as the charred metal around his neckpiece.

Pyrrha slowly hung her head and shut her eyes. Arc patiently waited. The two of them just stood on the rooftop, one conflicted with a burden of emotions and one feeling no emotions at all. Finally, one of them spoke.

"Why me?" Pyrrha asked, her voice barely holding together, "Why does this all revolve around me?"

Arc held his voice for a moment. Long ago, he would ask the same question time and time again. Time had since taught him to accept what was and continue moving forward, but Pyrrha's question echoed his own from so long ago. He could tell her every event and consequence that led up to what had happened in-depth, but Arc knew that wasn't what she was asking for.

"Perhaps it was destiny." Arc answered.

It was the only explanation that he could think of. The Pyrrha that Arc knew often believed in destiny and how it worked in mysterious ways. Fates that nobody could fight against.
It was a belief that he himself disagreed with, seeing as he had time traveled avert this destined future.
But the fact that said future, his past, had happened and accumulated to this present?
Maybe it was destined to do so.

His sensors detected an elevation in her heartbeat. He noticed that Pyrrha's hands were balled into fists. Something had stirred within the champion girl and now bore fiery determination in her eyes. Through her tears, Pyrrha glared at him with bitter resolution. Arc found himself slightly taken aback, he had never seen Pyrrha with that look before.

"I...used to believe that, but no," she spoke, her voice trembling with strength, "I believe…that my destiny…is mine to decide."

Arc said nothing as she turned and rapidly made her way to the rooftop exit. He remained standing there even when he could no longer detect her combat heels clicking against the floor. He even still stood unmoving when she was out of range for his scanners. Undoubtingly, she would've returned to her dorm with the rest of her teammates and wouldn't speak a word of what he had just revealed to her, that much he could trust her to do. Standing there alone on the rooftop training ground, Arc let his shoulders droop and he stared up into the night sky. The stars and shattered moon still orbited around Remnant just like always. Quietly, he replayed the memory in his head.

"Why me? Why does this all revolve around me?"

"Perhaps it was destiny."

"I...used to believe that, but no...I believe…that my destiny…is mine to decide."

Arc closed his eyes. He had to concentration on the present: he was here in the past working to guarantee an absolute safe future. For humanity. For faunus. For the sacrifices and lives of everyone lost. For Pyrrha. Here was his chance to change everything, but nothing was going to change unless he took the initiative.

Running the calculations in his head, Arc knew what he must do.

Pyrrha felt the tears cascading off her cheeks. Her heart was thrummed against her chest with every hurried stepped she took. Everything around her felt wrong.

Amidst her sobs, her mindset and very being were reeling from all that she was told. Remembering Arc's words brought up the wretched feeling of grief that overtook her too many times tonight. The first time the feeling came over her, when Arc revealed that she killed Ruby's friend Penny, made her want to tell Arc to stop.
Except her curiosity got the better of her and she blindly listened onward. Arc's words struck her harder than any Grimm or opponent ever had so far.

Rubbing her eyes, Pyrrha swallowed the bitter feeling and pressed on. The bitter feeling instead made its way to her gut and began to fester, fueled by the thoughts that plagued her. She paused for a moment to sift through everything and regain herself. It wasn't so much of the fact that the fairy tale of the Seasons actually was real that bothered her the most. It was that in the future that Arc hailed from, millions of people worshipped her. Millions of people placed her higher than any pedestal she could imagine. Pyrrha, the champion girl, became the goddess of an empire.

It was the exact opposite of what she wanted.

Even worse, those millions of people died for the very empire that she ruled. To Pyrrha, that made her responsible for all those deaths.

The guilt she was experiencing pulsed through her psyche. Arc's words not only filled Pyrrha with guilt and solidified her fears, they goaded her belief in destiny. Was it her destiny to be placed on such a high pedestal, unapproachable by all? Was it the destiny of all those millions who rallied underneath her to perish? Was it her destiny to be killed merely for her power? Her future-self's circlet was right in front of her this whole time, testifying to her future self's destiny!

Yet somehow, amidst the storm of her emotions, Pyrrha discovered the raw strength to break through. She found the resolve to overcome her thoughts and shatter her belief in destiny. It was up to her to decide her own destiny.

Halting her steps, Pyrrha now found herself standing outside of JNPR's dorm door. Drawing from the simplicity of the door, Pyrrha closed her eyes and attempted to calm herself down. Her resolve lingered inside her, but she was beyond fatigued from everything. The grief and distraught that accompanied her knowledge continued to gnaw at her. Fragments of Arc's words kept echoing in her mind.

"...manipulated into killing Ruby's friend, Penny..."

"...Pyrrha Nikos, the new Fall Maiden..."

"A living goddess to the people who rallied beneath you."

"...Millions are killed..."

"...You are killed..."

"Perhaps it was destiny."

Pyrrha shoved her thoughts aside and opened the door. The room's lights were still on. Everything seemed the same as she had left it earlier. To her surprise, her teammates were awake. Jaune sat at the desk nearby with homework and a pencil, Nora lay flat on the floor with her headphones jamming away, and Ren had his back pressed against the bedframe while he read a book.

All three of them glanced to her at her entry, and their initial cheerful expressions immediately turned to shock. Pyrrha's concentration to hide her sadness broke with the sight of Ren and Nora. Looking at the two caused another horrid fact to resurface in Pyrrha's mind: her best friends died for her too.

She couldn't keep it together any longer. The walls inside her broke and her body swayed. She felt weak. The sobs and tears Pyrrha sought to hide from her friends poured out with no resistance.

The cries of her friends were distant to her ears. The redhead girl felt Jaune's firm hands grasp her shoulders to steady her and his voice ask her something. Instinctively, Pyrrha clung to his clothes and cry. Pyrrha dimly felt Jaune lower her to the floor, but she pressed her crying self into Jaune's warmth when she felt his arms cradle her. Nora and Ren had also ran up to her to comfort her too. She was a mess.

What did I do to deserve such amazing friends?

Her next thought, though, released another flood of grief.

Why did they deserve to die for me?

A minute or so passed before she began to regain awareness of the room around her.

"Pyrrha?"

Jaune's softened voice pierced through the dispersing fog in her mind. Sniveling, her teary emerald eyes met his. The deep cerulean eyes that cared for her so much in that moment. Pyrrha's breath silently hitched.

Despite it being Jaune's face that she gazed into, the boy who was the center of all her affections, her devastated mind flashed back to Arc.

A glowing mask piece covering his right side, an eyepiece encased over his left eye and a metallic jaw flashed over Jaune's face. She choked on another sob. How could this sweet, charming, dense, dorky boy she loved ever turn into the callous, cold-hearted machine that was Arc?

Pyrrha silently broke eye contact and buried her tears against Jaune. Without a word, Nora and Ren patiently waited and Jaune pulled the redheaded girl ever so closer.

Author's note: Woe... pardon the pun. I tried to execute this scene as best as I could in attempts to add what I believe was missing: relatable emotions. Because RWBY isn't just about awesome fight scenes and comedy, it's also about the emotions. Feels truly draw us in.

But then again, I cannot comprehend what it's like to know that your future-self is hailed as a goddess, ruled an empire, have millions die in your name against your wishes, have your best friends die so you may life, and ultimately die yourself because somebody killed you for power.

But yeah. RWBY Volume 5 is now over.
There were things I liked, disliked, and thought could be improved upon. That, however, is normal.
I do hope that Volume 6 focuses on the emotional impact over the events in Volume 5's Finale. Seriously, there are major character building opportunities that can be capitalized on here.

See yall in the next chapter. Thanks for stopping by.