Coeur Al'Aran was the beta for the original Auburn and helped me immensely during a period when we were both just getting started. Cover Art drawn by confections101 and a link to it is on my profile page. Jefardi is the one who finally kicked my butt into gear to do something about this story I had almost given up on.
Auburn
Arc Link
This was it.
He was dead.
Jaune Arc was absolutely, beyond a shadow of a doubt... dead.
So if he was dead... why the Hell did it still hurt so much?
He thought that when you died the pain was supposed to just stop.
Either death wasn't actually that merciful or... dare he even tempt the thought, he was alive?
Blue eyes cracked open and the world swam into focus. He was... on his back. Okay, that made sense. Kind of. Maybe not? He wasn't sure anymore. His head was killing him and that made it really hard to form coherent thoughts. Although, now that he considered it, he hurt all over. Which was only natural. He had just been put through the ringer... or had he? What had even happened? He wasn't sure about that either.
He gave up on the why and how for now and instead focused on his limbs. In order to get to the bottom of this he needed to be able to move and feel first. His hands opened and closed on command and he felt his toes curl. That was a good sign. All his extremities were still in place. They also felt really... cold? In fact, he was completely soaked all the way through and he realized then that he was partially submerged. With a start he shot straight up and into a sitting position, splashing water everywhere.
His head was not a fan of such sudden movements and his vision blanked out. Warning bells went off inside of his brain, deafening him. Both hands came up and held his throbbing head as he willed himself not to lose consciousness. It seemed like a lost cause and he was afraid oblivion was going to claim him once again but by some miracle he held out. His vision returned and the ringing subsided as the ache dulled.
"Ughh…" He groaned aloud and the noise echoed across the cavern or wherever he was. Hearing his own voice caused him to give pause for several moments. There was no way... he was actually alive? How was that even possible?
Slowly, he began to take in his surroundings, despite being terrified of what he might see. In the end, there wasn't much. He was sitting in ankle-deep water that was somehow glowing a bright blue color and illuminated the entire cavern. He peered a little more ahead and saw the water was much deeper only about a couple feet over.
Assuming he was alive, that meant he was somewhere in Razor Canyon, right? How did he get down here? What had happened? He remembered engaging Shirou in combat. Penny was injured. Then lots of panic and then nothing. What the heck was going on? Did he suffer some kind of head injury?
Very carefully, he prodded the back of his head. There was definitely some kind of swelling and he felt something else odd too. He pulled his hand back to see dried blood caked onto his fingertips. At least he wasn't going crazy. Maybe a solid blow to the head had just caused him to lose the last few minutes? As he considered this, he rubbed the wound on his right arm he received from Shirou. Both scars were still there, the katana having gone straight through. Sure that they were just scars, he moved on, this time brushing his sore stomach and his fingers grazed across skin. Wait... what?
With a horrified gaze, he turned his attention down to that spot. His hoodie and armor were gone and he only had his orange t-shirt on. On the right side of his t-shirt was a big gaping hole that exposed his completely unharmed flesh. Finally, he remembered what happened. The Cackler. It had speared him right in the gut. Then something hit him on the head, probably a rock from the wall. So that meant he had fallen right?
Actually, there was something more disconcerting than that first. Just beneath the hole and trailing down his right pant-leg was heaps of blood. His blood. There was so much of it. How was he even possibly alive?
"Did my Aura do this?" He asked aloud, if only to hear his own voice. It was rough around the edges and his throat stung some from the use, but it was worth it just to know he could speak.
Back to his own question, it was almost impossible to think Aura was capable of this much. What's more, it still felt like it was fine. His reserves didn't feel full but by no means felt even close to low. Just what in the Hell was going on? Someone must have saved him, right? It was the only logical conclusion.
"You're not entirely wrong, you know?" He yelped at the feminine, crystalline voice that came from just behind him. Splashing to his feet, he fumbled for Crocea Mors which wasn't even there. So instead he put up both fists and whirled around to see possibly the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes upon.
She had long blonde hair, twirled into a ponytail and deep blue eyes that were like looking into a mirror of his own. She wore a slender blue blouse that gave way to equally eloquent skirt which trailed to bare feet, giving the appearance of a princess right out of one of his fantasy tales.
A soft, chime-like giggle slipped past her lips and he relaxed the rest of the way. It didn't appear that she meant him any harm.
"Who are you? Did you save me?" He averted his gaze as he asked these questions. She was so beautiful that he almost felt like he was dirtying her just by staring.
"I didn't do anything. You saved yourself." She answered before making a soft humming noise. "As for who I am, well, that's a little more difficult to answer. The most truthful answer is a memory. However, that probably doesn't make much sense to you, am I correct?"
"Y-yeah." Jaune turned his eyes towards her bare feet. She was sitting on top of a small rock and her toes dangled in the air just above the water.
"Hmm…" The mysterious girl tapped her fingers against the rock as she considered how best to answer. "...I suppose you could call me your predecessor?"
"That doesn't make it much more clear." He shook his head. "Maybe you should start from something I can actually understand?"
The girl giggled again. God, but he loved the sound of her laugh already. "My bad, my bad. I'm still trying to get acclimated with your memories. I understand your confusion now. You're not even aware of your own Semblance, are you?"
"My... Semblance?" His head throbbed in pain and he gripped the right side of his face.
"That's right. Your Semblance. Put simply, you have the power to link to the past and harness the power of your memories." Maybe it was because his head still hurt, but that had also made zero sense to him. It most definitely wasn't because he was too stupid to get it.
"Umm, I didn't understand that either. Is there maybe an instruction manual or something I can flip through? That way I can learn at my own pace?" He wasn't sure why, but he held out a hand as if expecting her to actually magically produce a little booklet for him to do just that.
"You're a troublesome one to please, you know? I said that was put simply." Despite her words, she didn't sound frustrated. Instead, she rather sounded amused and like everything he did was incredibly funny somehow.
Okay, so maybe he just had to analyze this for a second. This girl said she was acclimating herself with his memories. Which meant what exactly? She also said she was a memory. If he took memory to have another meaning along with calling herself his predecessor, some things started to fall in line.
"So when you said you were my predecessor, you meant that you had this Semblance when you were alive?" She nodded and he felt a little proud of himself for having to be able to piece at least that much out. "How long ago are we talking about? I feel like I'd have heard of someone like you in all the stories I've been told."
She rested a finger on her cheek and tilted her head, blonde ponytail falling around the side. "Hmm... it would've been several centuries at least. I must say, you've all come a long way since my time. I wasn't from a large village so it's maybe no surprise all records of me have been lost." That sounded... a little sad actually.
"Not a single person… remembers you?" That was true death right there, having lost not just your life but all knowledge and any proof of your existence.
She shrugged and smiled. "You remember me now. That's good enough."
"So our Semblance- it have a name?" He didn't think most did, but he still wanted to give it one.
"Arc Link." Except she already had one. "That's what I always called it."
"Arc Link." He tested it, feeling the way it sounded leaving his lips. Yeah, he liked it. "That sounds pretty cool."
"Thank you."
"So I'm able to see you right now because we're linked together? That just makes you a ghost or something?" He considered trying to touch her for a second before the idea caused his face to go beet-red.
"I prefer to think of myself as a memory." She pouted, which only made her more adorable than she already was. "Arc Link is very much a Semblance of memories, so it only makes sense that it's what I would be."
"Why memories?" He finally brought his eyes up to meet hers again. Once he did, he found it almost impossible to look away.
"Of course it would be memories. There is nothing that bonds people together more powerfully than the memories you share with them, wouldn't you agree?"
"How did I wind up with this Semblance?" He revised his previous question. "I'm not really all that great at bonding with people and if I'm being honest, I'm usually pretty awkward around others. It doesn't seem like this Semblance makes much sense for someone like me."
The girl gave him a small, amused smile. "Semblances are many things. Sometimes those things are a reflection of your deepest desire. You, Jaune Arc, want nothing more in the world to be useful to someone. Blake Belladonna, who unlocked your Aura, wanted nothing more than someone she could trust. You two had just formed one of the most powerful memories of your combined lives. It's only natural that this would be the outcome, isn't it?"
"I suppose so?" All this thinking was really starting to make his head hurt. Not that his head had yet to stop hurting since he woke up. He was honestly still flabbergasted he was alive at all. "So uhh... what can I do with this memory power?"
The girl opened her mouth to respond but a loud bubbling in the distance interrupted them. He turned to see a rather large rippling had started in the middle of the lake. Something was about to emerge and he had no desire to know what.
"I suppose this is about all the time we have to talk." The girl's smile turned melancholy. "I was having so much fun too. It's been so long since I've gotten to have a conversation with someone."
"Wait, where are you going?" She couldn't leave, he still had way too many questions. "What's that thing over there? How am I supposed to get out from here? Where exactly is here?"
"Calm down, I didn't say I was going anywhere." She didn't quite snap, but it was the closest to exasperation she had come to yet. "However, our conversation is going to have to wait for later. You need to survive first and I don't have the time to explain how to harness your memories into Aurora. We need to get you somewhere safe."
"What about your name!?" She could at least give him that.
The request made her smirk. She opened her mouth and he saw her form the words but the sound of her voice never reached his ears as whatever it was burst from the water with a mighty roar. However, he did somehow feel the words enter his mind, her voice resonating inside him like a divine angel. "My name is Charlotte."
Five serpent-like heads thrashed wildly and sent water spraying in all directions. He gulped as the terrifying red eyes of every head turned their undivided attention towards him. He recognized this creature from the stories of his ancestors.
It was a freaking Hydra.
"What the Hell am I supposed to do against that thing?" He chuckled and took several floundering steps back. When Charlotte gave no response he glanced toward where she had been.
She was gone.
"I recommend you run." He gave a startled yelp as she appeared on the opposite side, standing on top of the water like it was only natural.
The sound of the Hydra swimming brought his attention back to the problem at hand and suddenly her suggestion sounded like a really good idea.
Directly above him was nothing but open air where he had probably fallen from. The walls were smooth and would be impossible for him to climb. The pillar that undoubtedly had Shirou at the top was to his right and it was no better. He looked behind him. A large cavern cut into the wall of the canyon and continued farther than he could see.
The alternative was stay and fight this thing with nothing to use for cover and no weapon… which probably didn't leave him with the best of odds. Several of the heads roared and he knew he only had about another two seconds to make a decision or it would be made for him.
"Dammit!" He spun around and kicked water in all directions as he struggled to run efficiently through the ankle-deep pond. It was hardly an easy task and he heard the Hydra's feet touch down on the ground just behind him.
The good news was it was probably slower at running than swimming. The bad news was that he still wasn't exactly very fast and that thing was much bigger than him. Still, he liked his odds better fleeing as opposed to fighting. That thing had five heads for crying out loud!
How was he supposed to combat that with nothing at all? He had a Semblance now... kind of. He had no idea how it worked and she said it harnessed memories. The vagueness of which wasn't super helpful given his present circumstance.
Wait a second... his scroll! He could call for help! Surely they all thought he was dead. He could let them know otherwise. While still struggling to run he began fumbling in his pocket for the device. He finally got it and raised it to his mouth. "Pyrrha! Can you hear me?"
Nothing. In fact, he hadn't even heard the mic click on. He stole a glance at it to see the screen was cracked and the device powered-off. Of course it was broken. Why would something actually work when he needed it to?
He was officially on his own. Kind of.
"I'm sure you already know this, but it's gaining on you." Charlotte pointed out not so helpfully, walking with ease atop the water and still keeping pace with him.
Despite his better judgement, he checked behind him. Oh yeah, the Hydra was closing in on him quick. The body of that thing alone was as tall as he was. Two powerful claw-like legs propelled it forward at faster than he would be capable unhindered.
The walls of the cavern he had sprinted into were smooth and formed an almost perfect half-circle around him. There was still nothing for him to use as cover. At least not that he saw. Charlotte must have. "There's a crack ahead and to your right. I think it might be big enough for you to fit in." His head immediately whirled, eyes darting for this miracle crack she spoke of.
There! And as promised, looking just big enough for him to fit inside which meant there was no way the Hydra could follow after him with its bulky size.
Next concern: What was the plan after he got in there? He could worry about that later. Getting in there and surviving at all was obviously the more important first step. Not that he liked his odds for making it there.
It was still a solid ten yards away and the Hydra was on him now. As in, right now. If he didn't do something it was going to rip him in half.
No sooner did he think that than his toe caught on a jagged rock and he stumbled and fell, flailing madly in an attempt to prevent the inevitable. With a loud splash he landed face-first just beneath the water's surface. Immediately after, the Hydra lunged.
Was this a joke? He was going to die because of a small rock and clumsy balance? How was that even right?
He had been through way too much for this to be the way he went. He finally had a Semblance and he wasn't even going to get to use it. Just how much did life want to screw with him before it was done? Seeing as he was about to die, he guessed this was the answer.
On instinct, he curled in on himself as the heads descended. Then he waited. Waited for the immense feeling of pain as the creatures ripped apart his limbs and the undoubtedly gruesome noises they would make while they enjoyed their bloody feast.
It was the sound of flesh being ripped apart that came before the immense pain he expected. Had he gone into immediate shock and simply couldn't feel anything anymore? No, that wasn't right. He could definitely still feel all his limbs and he hadn't been yanked into the air as the five heads pulled him apart and fought amongst themselves for his more juicier parts.
Instead something heavy hit the ground and sent a wave of water rolling over him. He coughed and sputtered while trying to open his eyes but something else fell and he was once again blasted by the glowing liquid which forced him to keep them closed.
Was the ceiling above them collapsing? He really hoped not. He had already filled his life quota of running out of collapsing caves. Regardless, he didn't know what else it could be and brought his hands above his head in order to protect himself.
Three more large objects hit the ground before he heard the Hydra in front of him collapse. He waited several seconds for more to happen but it seemed like it was over. Carefully, he peeked around the edge of his raised arm. All five of the Hydra's heads, right down to the base of the necks, had been severed and were lying in the shallow river around him. Blood oozed out and dyed the immediate vicinity a sickly purple color as it mixed in with the glowing blue water.
His eyes trailed to the body of the Hydra which was collapsed right in front of him. As his eyes continued to follow it upwards they landed on a pair of feet standing on the back of the now deceased Grimm.
Those eyes widened as he stared at the pair of black heels that he would recognize anywhere. There was just no way. It wasn't possible.
He continued upwards and took in the amazing sight of the girl that couldn't possibly be standing before him. Blue met with her equally disbelieving yellow.
"Blake…" His mouth breathlessly uttered the name of the girl that had just saved him from certain doom. Gambol Shroud still dripped with the blood of the beheadings it had performed.
She gave a small start at the sound of his voice. Her eyes broke contact with his and began to dart all over him as if they were trying to convince herself that he really was there at all. He noticed each time they lingered on one of his former injuries, which wasn't surprising.
He looked like Hell, he imagined. His armor was missing, the back of his head was matted with blood, a scar on his right forearm, a gaping hole in his shirt and the whole right-side of his pants were dyed red with even more blood.
In short, it had been a rough day.
Blake's eyes finally looked back into his own and several awkward moments passed as he waited for her to say something and she the same. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and struggled to his feet, splashing water everywhere and creating the first sound either had heard since he had whispered her name.
As he was standing he gave his shirt a couple shakes in an attempt to get some of the water out before looking up to her and grinning awkwardly. "Hey." He mumbled, unsure of what else there was to say. How could he possibly express his gratitude to her in words? Whenever it seemed like he was down and out she pulled through for him. She really was the best partner in the world.
Blake's eyes flashed between so many emotions there was no way he could've possibly registered them all and with a small hop she landed a couple steps away. "You…" For the first time in what felt like forever she spoke to him. It was such a relief for him to hear too. How he had missed it! He had been afraid since this whole excursion started that he would never get to again.
"You…" She repeated, legs trembling and eyes obscured by black bangs. She took a shaky step towards him and her breathing become more erratic. Was she going to be okay? She took another step, and then another. Now she stood directly in front of him, yet he still couldn't see into her eyes.
Her shoulders were hunched and she was shaking so violently it looked like she was ready to explode. Should he say something? Probably. She was starting to worry him now. "Uh-" Just as he opened his mouth and began to stutter something out, the dam broke.
"You fucking jerk!" She shrieked at the top of her lungs and he recoiled on pure instinct. It wasn't just the volume in her voice but the look of pure rage in her eyes as she finally tilted her head up to glare at him. Before he could so much as stumble away, his vision flashed white and he was knocked back onto his butt as his partner undoubtedly sucker-punched him in the nose.
"Ah! What the hell Blake!?" He cupped both hands around his face. Blood trickled into his palms as he turned to glare up at her, tears obscuring his vision. "I think you broke my nose!" What kind of a greeting was that? He had expected a hug or something but definitely not this.
"Your nose?" Blake yelled in a strange mix of exasperation and still enraged undertones. "You fell off a cliff! A Grimm put a hole in your stomach! And you are worried. about. your. nose!?" She finished the last sentence with short, enunciated pauses between each word.
"It was my nose that just got sucker-punched, thanks for that by the way!" Which he thought gave him reason to mark it as his most pressing concern.
"Jaune! We thought you were dead! Everyone thinks you are dead!" She vaguely gestured behind her, voice cracking and lips beginning to quiver.
"Blake, I'm sorry." He whispered as he stared directly into her eyes, trying to convey how much he really meant that. He had never wanted this to happen. His glare softened and he lowered his hands to his sides, allowing the blood to fall freely from his face and further stain his shirt.
The anger in her own eyes dissipated and she slumped to her knees. "I thought you were dead." She choked out before giving a small heave. Tears threatened to fall and almost on instinct he raised his hand up to her face to wipe them away. He stopped just short however, unsure of himself.
Blake gave another choked sob and finally the tears began to roll. Jaune had to mentally kick himself. There wasn't any time for hesitation. His partner needed him right now. "Hey... it's alright." He brought his thumb just next to her eye and wiped the latest tears away, careful to keep his still bloody palm from contacting her face. "I'm alive. You know I'm alive."
There was another brief silence.
"Ruby really misses you." Blake's voice cracked as she got to her feet, pulling her face away from his hand. The action left a small sting in the heart. It was almost like the only physical contact she was willing to tolerate right now was if she was blasting him in the face.
"Yeah?" Despite that, he tried to put some level of joy into his response, at the very least glad she was talking to him instead of yelling. "I miss her too." He even missed Weiss right now. He couldn't wait to see the two of them again. It felt like it had been forever but in truth it had only been a few hours. Constantly fighting for your life could do that to you.
"Shall we g-" Blake's voice was cut off as the headless Grimm behind her lurched to life. Before either of them were capable of reacting, ten heads sprouted from the decapitated sections and one of them grabbed his partner between massive jaws.
"Blake!" Jaune screamed and dove for her just a second too late. The Hydra got to its feet and the head yanked her into the air even as the other nine lunged at him. She let out a horrendous scream and blood flew through the air. The Grimm held her high as if claiming its prize.
He saw red and anger dictated every move. He didn't dare pull away from the heads or retreat to safety while his partner and most important friend was in mortal peril. Instead he charged the revived Hydra with only his bare fists; Crocea Mors still in parts unknown. "Give her back you ugly bastard!" He screamed at the top of his lungs as he dodged and swung viciously at any head that got even close to him, battering some aside and slipping under the others.
He jumped onto the neck of the head that was holding Blake. Swinging himself onto the back, he began to shimmy up. The other heads froze. They couldn't strike him without risking mauling itself. This allowed him to get to the top without resistance. Once there, he pulled his fist back and punched the Hydra directly in the eye.
It let out a roar and began swinging crazily from side to side, letting Blake go as it did. She flew across the cavern and smacked into the wall next to the crack Jaune had originally been running for. He jumped to a crouch while still on the swinging Hydra head and kicked off with all his might, flying over the other heads and landing a couple yards away.
He hit the ground sprinting and without even pausing scooped Blake up and dove for the crack. Just as he did he heard one of the heads smash into the wall where they had been. The Hydra roared and screamed as it tried to find a way to pursue them. He completely ignored it, holding Blake up in the cramped confines of the tiny crevice.
She gave ragged gasps for breath and blood oozed from the numerous wounds caused by the Hydra's teeth. "Blake! Hey, Blake! Talk to me! What can I do? Please, you've gotta be okay!" He placed his palm on her cheek. It was ice cold.
Her scroll was beeping from somewhere and he fumbled for the device to inspect her Aura levels. His heart fell when he saw them. It was empty. There wasn't possibly enough left to heal her and if she didn't get medical attention soon she would die.
Blake was going to die.
No, no! She couldn't die! He absolutely wouldn't let her die! There had to be something he could do! Blake gave a ragged cough and her eyes opened wide enough for him to look into. He could see the pain clearly reflected in them but he also saw a little bit of mirth.
"It's not…" Blake gave another gasp combined with a small chortle. "...such a good feeling... being on that side... is it?" Was this really the pain she felt every time she thought he was going to die? How much pain must she have been in thinking he was actually dead? He didn't even want to fathom it. This hurt far too much as it was.
"I won't let you die, Blake. I promise I won't." He tried to sound determined but even he could hear the desperation in his voice. She was losing blood incredibly quickly and without an Aura it was over.
Aura…
...his Semblance!
"About time you remembered me. I know that reunion of yours was shocking and all, but seriously... being forgotten is no fun." Charlotte was suddenly in the crevice with them, hunched over and looking down at Blake, her crystal blue eyes an exact replica of his own, right down to the distress currently in them.
"Charlotte! That memory power. It healed me, right?" He gestured to the gaping hole in his shirt. "It healed this? Right?"
"You can save her, yes. There's still time." She nodded, reaching a hand up and tapping two fingers against the base of his forehead. He didn't feel anything at all, yet her hand stopped like it hit a solid object. It was strange, he couldn't feel it, yet he knew she touched him. How was that? "Remember, Jaune." Her mouth didn't move, but he heard her voice ring out like a bell inside him. "The happiest moment you and Blake have. Remember that. Draw on it, conceptualize it."
Happiest? He didn't even know if there was such a memory with Blake he considered... happy. If they weren't fighting for their lives, they weren't doing much of anything. Eating or reading, mostly. Still, if he had to chose a moment, it would without a doubt be that one time. Not that he was sure you could call it happy, per se. Still, his first kiss had been unlike anything he ever experienced. All the adrenaline from surviving up to that moment. Bonding with someone over those two days. It wasn't happy... but more exhilarating.
"That one will do, now hurry."
Blake's eyes rolled back into her head and she went limp in his arms. No, no, no! Please, he needed just a little more time. He didn't care if it emptied his reserves! He just didn't want lose her! She was the last person in the world he wanted to lose! Just please save her!
He didn't know what else to do but focus in on that memory, closing his eyes to picture every fragment of it. The taste of Blake's lips. The smell of sweat and blood that clung to them both. The feel of the sand beneath them. The roar of the Chimera before them. It was like the scene itself came to life. He could see it perfectly now, but the whole scene was glowing in a way it hadn't before.
He sat on the beach again as if he was actually there. Blake sat next to him, completely unharmed. Dirty and worse for wear, sure, but not punctured with Grimm teeth marks. There was a certain glow to her as well and he craned his neck to look at the sky. Lights of red, green, and purple stretched across the vast, starry night. It was just like the Northern Lights in Atlas he had read about, their glow covering everything. "Aurora." The word Charlotte spoke earlier echoed.
He opened his eyes and the cut on either side of his right arm when Shirou stabbed him right through began to glow. The wound opened back up and with his blood, the same light from in the memory came forth.
He waited with baited breath for something to happen, yet to his annoyance the light just hovered in place, like ribbons fluttering the wind. He tried to force them to move but got nothing. "How does this thing work?" Time was ticking and Blake was still dying.
"Don't force it to do something." Charlotte chided, her tone still somehow able to carry with it urgency but remaining soft. "Aurora- it's not like a tool or a weapon. It's born from memories so it has thoughts and feelings just like you and I. Ask it for help, and it probably will."
Probably!?
He almost shouted, but didn't bother wasting his breath or time. Instead he just did as instructed and beseeched the Aurora pouring from his would to save his partner. To save his friend. The ribbons suddenly sprung forth as if alive - which according to Charlotte, they were - writhing, bending and twisting as they elongated and drifted towards Blake. They grazed against her gently, as if probing for the wounds. One at a time, the ribbon found the deep teeth-marks left by the Hydra. Once it did, the ribbon would split from itself, leaving a copy behind while it searched for another.
After what felt like forever, it found them all.
Blake was still drenched in blood and the holes in her clothes were there. However, the wounds were clearly gone. She had been completely healed! It had... it had really worked. Her chest gently rose and fell as her breathing returned to normal and was no longer ragged. As gently as he could he lowered her to the ground. The glowing water here wasn't any deeper than outside of their small crevice and even on her back she wasn't completely submerged.
The Hydra was still roaring wildly outside but he chose to ignore it for a while longer as he washed the blood off of Blake and dyed the water purple once again. Blake's clothes were littered in holes, a couple of them right around her chest, and when he washed away the blood he had to avert his eyes in embarrassment as her creamy, pale skin was revealed.
"That was amazing." He said aloud, not that Blake was conscious enough to hear him, he didn't think.
"Aurora can be." Charlotte agreed before her voice took on a sudden edge. "It can also be very frightening."
Jaune turned to see a flash of the Hydra scales, the creature still trying to get in. He understood her intent clearly. "I can use it to kill that thing?"
"You can."
"Good." He was going to make it pay for what it did to Blake. "How?"
"Same as before, only this time you need a powerful memory directing your anger at it." Charlotte gave him a lopsided grin. "Say, one of it hurting your best friend?"
That wasn't something he ever wanted to remember and even the thought of it made his blood boil. Which appeared to affect the Aurora as well, the ribbons twisting as if angry. He focused in on the memory, recalling with perfect detail the fear and helplessness that overwhelmed him as the Hydra lifted Blake away and threatened to steal her forever. The raw, seething heat that caused to fester in his gut was unimaginable.
The Aurora which had mostly consisted of greens and purple before was suddenly very red, leaving only fragments of the other two colors, and felt hot against his skin. It wasn't a terrible heat, however, but rather comforting. It made him feel strong. Confident.
Suddenly, he no longer had any questions what it was he needed to do. It was like he could feel the Aurora itself speaking to him, guiding him and his movements. He lifted his wounded arm and held it out, hand hanging limb and fingers curled. The glowing ribbons convulsed violently, straightening into a hard edge and lunging forward like spears. The hissing from the Hydra changed, transforming from rage and frustration to agony and fear. It had no idea what had just happened.
Jaune walked towards exit, slipping out and rising to full height on the outside. The Hydra had at least enough sense to retreat. Twenty red eyes narrowed at him and the glowing energy hanging off his arm.
"You need to hurry and finish it, Jaune." Charlotte appeared next to him, her eyes looking down at the base of where the Aurora was coming from. He followed her gaze just in time for a wave of light-headedness to hit him like a freight train. The wound. It was still bleeding. Using Aurora was causing him to bleed out. "Aurora can only exit from open wounds. It is much more limited than Aura in that way."
"How am I supposed to kill this thing then?" It already had ten heads and if he cut one off, two more would take its place. How did you kill something that just kept coming back stronger than before on a limited timeframe? His confidence was starting to vanish now that he knew he was fighting on a ticking clock. The Hydra wasn't his only opponent. It was also his own body he had to hold out to. Not like he could just give up either. This thing had hurt Blake and he was going to make it pay one-hundred fold for that. The Aurora glowed as if in agreement.
The Hydra seemed to realize that it had nothing to fear from him, taking two lumbering steps forward that shook the cave and sloshed water against the walls. The ten heads rose up and hung menacingly in the air, its eyes looking down at him as if he was already nothing more than a bloody stain on the wall. Which if he didn't come up with a better way to fight back, he might be.
"You don't have to come up with anything. Let the Aurora give the Hydra a taste of its own medicine. You already gave it the memory to fight with." That was all well and good, but he really wished the Aurora strands would act already then. It knew it was killing him, right? Surely it didn't want to let him die, considering if he went it did too.
The Hydra let out ten simultaneous hisses, their noise merging together like a symphony from Hell. It then charged, which meant only taking about three leaping stomps before the heads were within range to descend upon him. Jaune started to take a step back when Charlotte's voice cut through him on the inside and out. "Don't retreat! Let your Aurora handle it."
He would really like to hear her say that if she was alive and had a giant Grimm right in front of her. Still, the commanding order in her tone was enough for his body to listen and lock up, despite the warning signals his brain was sending. The unusual glow on his arm shone more brightly before two streaks bent and curved away from him in a jagged pattern and merging together just between him and lunging heads. They created a pulsing orb upon mixing and the moment a single head struck, the orb exploded outwards in a shimmering wall of green, red, and purple that effortlessly repelled all of them, staggering the massive Grimm in the process.
That didn't seem to deter the nightmarish creature at all and it was only a second before it leapt back in for another round. Jaune didn't need Charlotte's encouragement again to stand his ground. The Aurora surged to life to protect him. The shimmering energy once more streaked out in a jagged line to meet the Hydra head on. When the streaks merged together, they formed a massive pool of energy that contorted into what appeared to him as a giant beast's head.
The Aurora Beast sprung forward and around like a massive cobra, biting down into the back of the Grimm. It let out a scream and blood flew out from the wound created by the Aurora Beast's bite. In what could have only been desperation, it lifted one of its clawed feet, kicking at the stretching neck of the Aurora Beast, successfully destroying it and causing the head to fade from existence.
Instead of using the opening to charge, it retreated.
The Aurora in front of him continued to dance, twisting and splitting into fragments that grew in size before forming maws of their own. Individually they were only about half the size of each head of the Hydra's and it still outnumbered his forces two to one. The heads extended towards the Hydra anyways, growing in length rapidly. As they got longer they formed multiple joints each time they twisted, turned, and bent.
What followed was a gruesome show of carnage that was almost unbearable to watch. The numerous heads from both sides collided in a series of echoing snaps, hisses, and screeching. The teeth of the Aurora Beasts sunk into the Hydra's flesh and pulled out full hunks of it at a time. Loud tearing noises followed by fountains of blood as the black meat was pulled free from the Grimm's bones nearly caused him to retch.
His Aurora knew from the memory he had provided not to cut off the heads completely. So instead it ripped off hunks here and there from the necks, one of the Beasts tearing a jugular clean out. Clean wasn't the correct word. It was messy and disgusting. That head of the Hydra fell limp, dangling like a broken arm might have.
The Hydra wasn't as intelligent. With increasingly ferocity, it tried to rip the Aurora Beasts away from the base connect to his arm. For every head they ripped off, the Beasts would sprout two more in perfect mimicry of the memory where the Hydra had done the same. The Grimm was quickly outnumbered and three more necks went limp.
The remaining heads of the Grimm gave a weakened roar and it was no longer capable of fighting back. The skin around its knees and ankles ripped away too, it collapsed to the ground where it gave a final whimper of pain.
That should have been enough. The Grimm was beyond saving anymore. It would die even if he left it alone. If Jaune or Charlotte had been in control, they would have moved on already. However, that wasn't the principle by which Aurora worked. It acted to save and protect them... and by a will of its own it sought to finish out that task with the utmost efficiency and brutality. That was the type of power that it was.
So even with the Grimm dying on the ground, the Aurora Beasts didn't stop. They descended upon it, continuing to tear it apart. They spat flesh, bones, and blood in every direction and caused it to rain down upon the glowing river. Finally, the Grimm ceased any breathing and died. Only remnants of its former monstrous self were left. It was amazing it had survived as long as it had, a true testament to its overwhelming power and tenacity.
With the task accomplished, the Aurora beasts shrunk back to his forearm where it shimmered for another several seconds. Then it just melted away, blinking out like a firefly's light. Left in its place was the reopened gash on either side of his arm that was now bleeding profusely. It should've hurt, in fact, he knew it did hurt. But after watching the torture that Grimm had been put through he couldn't bring himself to complain about the pain.
It just felt insignificant in comparison.
He had been so angry at it for what it did to Blake. Yet he hadn't wished that on it. Nothing, not even a creature of Grimm deserved something like that. The thing was, he had given it that memory to work with, the one of it trying to tear Blake apart. So that was what Charlotte had meant. He understood now.
"Seal the wound, Jaune." Charlotte whispered into his ear, her hands hovering over the two bleeding gashs on his forearm.
"Huh?" He looked down and only then registered the fact that he was still bleeding out. "Oh, right."
"It's scary... I know." Charlotte tried to smile, but it just didn't have any strength to it. "That such a power can come from a memory you have. That's why you have to be careful with what you draw on. Use the wrong memory and it could come back on you." He thought about asking if she had ever made that mistake before brutally crushing the thought. He didn't want to know.
"What did you just do?" Both blondes started at the unexpected voice. They turned to see Blake standing there, having only just emerged from the crevice and staring with wide yellow eyes at the carnage in front of them. How much had she seen? All of it? Just the end? It was hard to tell which would be worse.
"I-uhh..." He looked at Charlotte who only shrugged, just as much at a loss as he. "I discovered my Semblance?" His voice raised an octave at the end, giving the impression he was asking the question rather than answering one.
Blake blinked. That was all she did. It was probably all she was able to do.
"I don't really get how it works either." Jaune chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. He flinched when his fingers brushed over the wound from the rock that had previously knocked him out. "Charlotte can explain it better than I. Why don't you try and catch her up?" He hiked a thumb at his fellow blonde and gestured for her to take over. Instead of saying anything, Charlotte was looking at him with suddenly wide blue eyes and shaking her head vigorously back and forth. "What? What's wrong?" He didn't get it.
"Jaune... how hard did that rock hit your head?" Blake was next to him now, bending his head over to inspect the injury.
"Ow- knock it off!" He knocked her hands away and pulled his head back, holding his hands around the still sore spot. "It's fine, okay? What's wrong with you?"
"What's wrong with me?" She pointed at herself and then gestured vaguely around the cavern. "You're talking to people that aren't there. It's just you and me, Jaune."
"...What?" He didn't get it. Once again he looked back to Charlotte for answers and this time it was she who wouldn't meet his gaze, staring aimlessly at some spot between the both of them.
"Blake cannot see me." She practically sighed while saying this. "I told you earlier, but I'm just a memory. A by-product of Arc Link."
"Oh..." He clamped his mouth shut when Blake gave him another curious look, her eyes trying to follow his line of sight but of course seeing nothing. Just an empty cave. He was the only one that could see Charlotte. The only one who would ever be able to see Charlotte.
"I'm sorry." He pushed that thought through mentally, just like she had been doing, hoping she would get it.
"It's okay." Charlotte gave him another lackluster smile. To him it was still radiant. "Even having just one person that can remember me is infinity better than the empty loneliness that came from being forgotten. You're doing more for me than you could ever know just by acknowledging my existence. For that reason, I will do everything in my power to help you, what little that may be."
"Thank you." He wanted to reach out to her. Right now and first, he had other things to take care of. So instead he turned back to Blake who looked more concerned than ever. "I'll try and explain later. Right now, I've got a new Semblance and if I'm guessing right, there's a crazy headmaster somewhere that needs his ass kicked."
The mention of the one that put them all in this predicament was enough to get Blake to perk up and put aside whatever concerns she had for his mental health as a sinister smirk spread across her face. "You can use that power against him?" Jaune glanced at Charlotte and she nodded.
He smirked back. "Oh yeah, I can use it against him alright."
Shirou Schnee had better watch out.
Because Jaune Arc was ready for round two.
Chapter End
AN: Charlotte and Aurora.
I based Charlotte's appearance on Ruler (Jeanne D'Arc) from the Fate series. Seemed appropriate since Jaune is also based on her. I don't remember why I ended up naming her what I did. I'm sure it's relevant, somehow.
Aurora was based on the ability Tennouji Kotarou has in the series Rewrite (It actually has an anime now and is not just a visual novel), but it ended up having many different characteristics.
Next time, the battle against Shirou continues.