"AHH!" Jaune violently woke up, he frantically looked around, his eyes darted around and he was panicking as if the shadows themselves were monsters out to eat him. He breathed in and out, in and out, and he finally noticed he was sitting on his bed back in the castle.
With a sword leaning against his bed, familiar sword.
"What?" Jaune froze looking at the blade, it was the blade no, Caliburn, the sword of his ancestors, the sword that was used by kings in his family. The very same sword that was supposed to be stuck, but here it is, next to his bed, though it didn't shine, its splendor is still on full display.
"Am I still dreaming?" he reached out and touched Caliburn
"Really Jaune? Stroking your hard sword this early? My, my~ I have such a perverse nephew" Morgana called out and made Jaune jump.
"Wah!" "Gao!"
He fell on the floor and he realized that Neo was on the bed with him, "Ouch, sorry Neo, Aunt Morg! Your alive!" Jaune quickly got up and rushed towards Morgana, he hugged the woman tightly as he sobbed happily.
"Your alive, your alive…" Jaune repeated over and over "I'm so glad"
Morgana smiled and caressed Jaune's head "There, there, Jaune, it's alright, everything Is alright" she hugged the blond knight who still cried in their embrace, even Neo got up and joined the family hug, rubbing his fluffy cheeks against Jaune head.
In took a few more moments but Jaune eventually broke the embrace and asked "It all felt so real…"
Morgana gave a guilty smile "I'm Sorry Jaune, but I had to do what I did, the sword was calling you, but your resolve was not yet able to lift the blade."
Jaune, a bit angry at what his aunt put him through sighed "It's fine, but you have to make it up to me, I think I'll be traumatized after the ordeal" Morgana nodded
"Aunt Morg" Jaune spoke "I saw someone, I kept seeing people since I fell from that bullhead, wait no, I think it was further than that. I saw a man march to his death and yet still fought for his loyalty, an archer that used his every life in an arrow that brough down a monster, a martial artist whose body was a weapon that cleave hundreds of thousands of Grimm to smile at the end and say he was human."
Then Jaune looked at the sword "Then a king who assured the survival of his people and blood"
"It's my semblance… I can experience people's lives"
Morgana nodded "Yes, but there's more it's called resonance, it's one of our family's legacies, it lets the user view, experience and absorb both the power, knowledge and skill of who they view" Jaune's eyes widen and Morgana smirked "Don't get any ideas young man, you still need to train your body to actually handle all that power"
Jaune slumped, his ideas of being an overpowered Knight dashed with cold reality "Still, it's pretty neat to have as a semblance, and Family legacies? Sounds like a bloodline semblance"
Morgana nodded "Yup, but it only shows once a generation, so you having resonance means that either your children or one of your sister's children will awaken one of the legacies"
Jaune then asked "I haven't read too much on what our family can do"
Morgana nodded, after all Jaune has only been reading on the auric arts and the Arduin swords style, with a sprinkle of the Magical and Grim Bestiary and family history.
"Listen up my dear nephew, there are 7 Arduin legacies, one is Resonance, or 'the viewer of the past'. Retainer 'The repository of knowledge' the ability to understand everything they see and able to construct them into reality" Jaunes eyes widen and Morgana chuckled "Overpowered, eh? Moving on"
"Resurgence" Morgana smiled sadly "The legacy my big brother and the 25th king of Camlann, Antalos inherited" Morgana chuckled at the memory "Funnily enough it's the least flashy of the legacies, all it does is indomitable will or in other words 'too stubborn to die'" Morgana was out right laughing even Jaune chuckled "every time the user is on the brink, Resurgence activates and reverts the body back to 100%"
Jaune's mouth hung open at what Resurgence does "That's totally unfair!" Just imagine, your about to win after a long and hard battle with your foe, then suddenly he glows like a light bulb then he's back and ready for another scrap!
Morgana nodded "It was, just put into perspective how powerful our enemies were that Antalos fell and Lumen in ruins…" she said sadly
"Any who! Moving on, Riposte, now that's a stupid power, 'the absolute counter' any attack both physical, aura, magical or anything really is redirected back to the aggressor at double the power my mother had it, she walked off a Bijudama from one of the ancient beasts like it was nothing! Blew the top off the mountain in the process but hey" Morgana shrugged and Jaune and Neo just nodded, simple accepting whatever broken ability his family surprisingly has in their blood.
But another question popped up in his head
"Wait, then why hasn't these legacies manifested in the 'modern day Arcs' then? I mean all of the legacies you described till now will make anyone famous" Jaune reasoned, after all, if each generation of Arcs have one of these legacies, they will be so famous that the Arc name would've been venerated everywhere on remnant.
"Easy, remember our little 'hand shake' that ripped my spirit out of that dusty old book?" Jaune nodded "in doing so reignited the dormant spark of the Arduins within you, after all thousands of years will dilute any families blood, Arduins not excluded! So yeah, you meeting me, ended up awaking the dormant Arduin genes in the modern-day Arcs"
Morgana then winked "Any Arc by blood whose Aura has yet to be unlocked or semblance unknow will now have a chance awakening a legacy!"
Jaune sighed 'well… food for the future at least'
Suddenly Jaune's stomach growled
"Dang, um, how long have I been out?" Jaune asked
"Eh, a week, why?" Morgana replied
"A WEEK?!"
'No wonder he felt like eating a whole cow!'
Morgana patted his back "well come on then, Neo drag your partner and get something to eat, I still have some things left to do"
The feline nodded and began pulling Jaune's pants
"Yeah, wait" Jaune bent down and picked up Neo
"Gao~!"
"you've been eating my share of food for the last week Neo, I'm hungrier than you"
"Gao!"
"What do you mean 'a security fee'?! all you did after I pass out was sleep!"
"Gao! Gao!"
As the two partners made their way to grab a bite to eat Morgana watched with a smile, she then looked at Jaune's room and saw Caliburn, it glowed and there was this hum in the air.
Morgana smiled even more "Heh, don't cha worry Bro" she looked back to Jaune and Neo rounding a corner "Caliburn is in good hands…" a single drop of water fell onto the floor.
XXX
Jaune's POV
"Huh, has it really been 2 months Neo?" I asked petting my now larger partner, he was about the same size of a Great Dane! The jewel on his forehead also grew and now it looks like he has a crown of ruby gems, I looked around the Bestiary and saw that the more prominent the gems are on a protector, the more powerful they become, something about the gems being the focus of their power.
"GAO!"
His roar is actually sounding like roars now, instead of the cute mews before
I looked around it was like looking at the top of a cloud, all around me were white roses and the sight made me smile 'I wonder how strong they all have gotten? They for sure burned my shroud already, how many attended I wonder? how long did mom cry? Andy, Amber and Nyx, I hope they'll feeling better, Guin and Saphron are probably the only two besides dad holding the family together in the wake of my 'death''
I sighed 'don't worry everyone, I'm coming home every soon' "Come on Neo, Aunt Morg said we're about to learn about magic! Can you believe it? wonder if I'll be able to throw fire balls, or summon lightning!" I was excited, and what young adult wouldn't?
"Gao!"
I arrived at the place where I summoned Neo, it no longer had an alter at the center instead I saw more books lining the circular room and what I think are floating… targets?
"Good timing Jaune, today we are going to know about your affinity" Aunt morg said appearing next to me. I flinched a bit but greeted her back.
"Morning aunty, and affinity? I read about it, all I have to do is channel magic on a stone?"
Aunt morg nodded her head "in summary? Yes, but there is more to it than that" she manifested a staff and tapped the floor twice, at the center of the room, the floor opened up and a smooth crystal ball ascended on top of a marble pillar, it was about 4 meters in diameter, and had a blue hue to it.
I looked at my aunt "A crystal ball? How cliché are we going to get?" I joked but my aunt slapped me on the head.
"Can it brat, and it's called 'the Palantere 'anyways, just channel your magic on your hand as you place It on the ball, if it glows, you got some magic, if it glows brighter, you got a hell lot of it. It glows any shade of a rainbow then you got an affinity, if not you're a good with all of the elements but not a master in any of them"
Jaune nodded and placed his hand on the ball, he felt for his magic, it was there, much like his aura, but instead of it coating him like a burrito, it was concentrated in his stomach, like a well spring of mystic energy.
He urged it to surfaced, goading it to rise, to show itself finally after so many years regarded as nothing more than a fairy tale and a parlor trick on some child's birthday party.
It answered, and it roared with a fury of a dragon.
Unknown to him his aunt erected a barrier that weathered the storm of energy unleashed by him 'Ehh~? Quiet the reserves Jaune' she looked at the room, it was being washed away by golden light, as if tinted by the divine that has long passed from their world.
The crystal ball was saturated by the magic of a young knight, it glowed, glowed, glowed so bright like a sun descended upon a lightless sky.
Then it turned red
Then blue
And finally, a hue of purple
A kaleidoscope of color mixed and separated withing the crystal like am abstract painting and Jaune is the painter.
Jaune then felt someone tap his shoulder and opened his eyes, and basked in awe at what he saw, it was as if the universe was laid bare before him, like a lover presenting themselves for their most precious person. Jaune marveled at his magic, his power, this is him, all him and no other, the months of practice, of control and the gnawing at the back of his head that demanded he return to his family, friends and Ruby.
"Majestic sight aye? Now" Morgana then quiz Jaune "red, blues, and a hint of purple. Not to mention the rather blinding amount of golden light, care to tell me what it all means?"
Jaune chuckled "You sound like someone being told their fortune in some scam carnival"
The two laughed "Well… red is easy, fire, forge, passion. I have affinity with making anything from the flames, swords, shields, crowns and fire is self-explanatory, passion however…" Jaune scrunched up his face, trying to recall what that means, while Morgana waited patiently for him to answer.
"… I forgot, I know I read it somewhere but I thing I flew pass my head" Jaune rubbed the back of his head "Um.. care to tell Aunty?"
Morgana shook in amusement "yeah, yeah, Passion, some say emotion isn't magic, oh how wrong they are, emotion is part of magic, without it, how can we will it to existence? Passionate mages and sorceress are one of the greatest in terms of power and conjuration precisely because they have passion to will their magic into existence easier than another"
"I myself is a mage of passion, I have power because passion is a powerful emotion meaning a fireball from me is magnitudes more potent than a mage that isn't passionate, and I have easier time in creating and conjuring.
Jaune nodded understanding just a bit more 'emotion is a potent tool for any magic user but-'
"But be wary, passion is also a flaw, too much passion means you are blind to things you do not believe in, and comes harder for you to let things go a double-edged sword that one must master to truly achieve their potential"
Jaune nodded and proceeded with the other colors "Blue is for… water, healing… but also wrath, for much like the oceans that give fish to the starving fisher man and his family, the ocean can also take the life of the fisher man and leave his family starving.
"And purple… shadow, darkness but also peace… for it is in the darkness under the moon light are all things silent and at peace.
Jaune then gazed at the near drowning tint of gold… "one of the rarest, growth, defense, and bonds. For a mage that wish to become something more… no affinity is greater than this, the fastest to learn the last to fall, they surround themselves with those they love and cherish above all, so they may be the shield that never falls…"
Jaune said, closing his eyes, the words in the book and the words he spoke, it somehow feels… different, once the words left his mouth it felt more… meaningful, like a promise of something.
Morgana patted his head, he opened his eyes as his aunt gave him a small smile "You have gone far Jaune, grew stronger than you were months ago like I said, maybe it is time for you journey to start…"
Jaune's eyes widen "But! You need to leave with the basics of your affinities, and what better way to start than to make you a new weapon?"
Jaune, for a moment was confused, he already has a new weapon in the magically powerfull- 'Ohh'
Morgana chuckled "You may be able to hid most of your magic now, but Caliburn different, once it leaves the sanctuary it will emit a light and power so vast that Salem wouldn't even need to look to find you, so promise me" Morgana held his shoulder.
"To never use Caliburn recklessly, use it as the last resort, only when you and yours's are in danger you cannot overcome yourself, promise me Jaune." Morgana looked deep into Jaune's blue orbs.
Jaune with resolution nodded, not breaking his gaze "I promise, Caliburn will be safe in my hands" Morgana nodded and hugged Jaune.
"Now then" she broke the embrace "Let's make you a weapon worthy of the future king, ehh?"
(…)
The two ventured deep into the mountain, the heat rising and rising, but bearable still for normal people. It when they passed two heavy obsidian doors, that took Jaune's all to open -Morgana said it was for training, but Jaune thinks it was that and she was lazy- and the heat nearly blasted him of to the wall.
Inside was molten lava, a river of heat surrounding a single raised circular area that held a blacksmiths wet dreams, Jaune looked further and saw literal lavafalls that came from the sides of the forge. He looked at his aunt and in the most blank voice asked "How pompous where my ancestors?"
Morgana chuckled nervously "To be fair, this was made before my grandfather was even born, and back then image was a big part in projecting how powerful a nation is, and I believe even now that holds true." Jaune continued to point at the lavafalls unamused "Look… even my brother thought this forge was too much, but it's the best place to train your affinity with fire, and having a forge is double great!"
Jaune continued to stare
"If you keep looking at me like that brat your first lesson is to swim in lava" Morgan's eyes twitched
"Do I just… fiddle around here? I don't even know what weapon to make honestly, and even though I can stumble my way around a forge, there is still the issue of what material I should use, and…" Jaune looked at some of the glimmering gems, odd looking rocks, and different colored stuff all around the forge.
"I don't even know what most of those things do, how malleable they are, how resistant they are or how much heat it takes to work them without compromising their composition and structure"
Morgana nodded "That is why I'll be educating you on types of minerals and metals you can use in the forge, I already took stock on what is left and it's around you"
Jaune once again looked at the rocks and gems, some was skimming the lava river below, he then looked at his aunt "You're a sadist, you know that?"
Morgana smirked "The best way to train fire is to become resistant to it, I may self… well may be a demonstration?"
She took a running start and dove straight into the lava!
Even though he knew his aunt was powerful, it was still his instinct, and just plain common sense to worry for someone who dove into lave like it was a damn pool!
Jaune looked over the edge and gave a deep exasperated sigh.
Morgana was causally swimming.
Swimming in lava, like she was in the beach, not even her clothes were harmed, not a smudge or burn, she reached one of the rocks and plucked one off and dove down the lava, and launched herself upwards.
She landed next to Jaune bits of cooling magma grazing him
"Ow!" Jaune took a step back "what the hell aunt Morg!"
Morgana giggled and held a rock; it was silvery and reflective "Moon silver, has the properties of the moon, can reflect any magical or aura based attacks, but on its own" she squeezed and the silvery rock crumbled "brittle and soft, lessons and conditioning starts now Jaune" she raised her hand and fire overcame it, she gave a wicked grin "Let's have some fun~ ehh? Nephew dearest?"
Jaune can only let out one unintelligible response
"Meep!"
(A/N there we go! my update for this, yeah its short, but still not having my own damn laptop, it's a pain to write, so yeah expect shorter chapters in your futures… sorry)