A/N: Barroom looks like such a weird word. I just noticed that. Hm. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter... Gods know I enjoyed writing it :)
Guest 1: Thanks!
That guy: You're not wrong there XD Hei's more of a 'I'm sure I can get one person to a panic room if anything happens' kind of guy when it comes to 'protecting' XD
Guest 2: Thanks ^-^, yeah, Jaune's kind of separated from main storyline… except the ones that really affect all of Vale :P
Guest 3: Hahaha, hey, keep writing, that's how you improve. That's how I do it :)
Guest 4: Thanks!
"Jaune, whatever happens, I need you to stay in the bar."
Jaune couldn't see where Glynda was, but he could tell that she was going somewhere fast, at least with the way that the background seemed to speed along on the scroll screen.
"I wasn't really planning on leaving, really." Jaune answered back, nodding at the woman. He had already done enough heroics for a lifetime, he wasn't going to go back out there and fight Grimm that he knew he couldn't fight. That wasn't brave. That was suicide.
Still, it didn't stop his hands from tightening, his heart from beating a little harder, his body wanting to jump into any sort of action, if only to save civilians from getting hurt. It took more effort than Jaune would have thought to convince his body to slow down, reminding himself that they were in the middle of Vale, where there were dozens of Huntsmen, and hundreds of Hunters-in-training that would do a much better job at rescuing anyone in need without someone like him clumsily trying to help people and endanger his own life to do so.
No, the best thing for him to do right now is to barricade the doors and wait it out. For extra measure, Jaune reached behind the bar counter, bringing out a shotgun and pumping it, making sure that it was ready just in case a Grimm was able to make its way into the bar. Jaune handled the weapon a little clumsily, having never really operated the weapon except for the few times that he pulled it out to discourage anything rowdy from happening, and it showed when an unused shell propelled itself out of the chamber as Jaune pulled back the forestock, having forgotten that the shotgun was always loaded.
The waiter picked up the shell and flipped the shotgun over, loading it in slowly and hoping that he had put it in the right way, placing the gun down and moving to place a few stools against the door entrance, sitting down in the middle of the bar again after he finished.
He wasn't sure how many minutes passed by with him just sitting there. Jaune fidgeted a little with his scroll, opening and closing it repeatedly, answering any calls that people seemed to make as the news of what people called the 'Breach' spread through Vale.
Jaune could hear a lot of running and screaming outside, but he didn't hear any roars, or footsteps heavier than what a human could've made. Just the news of the Grimm being so close had so many people in a panic, and it was obvious that some of the less reputable chose to strike now as well, taking advantage of the confusion to break windows and loot stores, if the sound of breaking glass was any indication.
The blond boy shook his head, not able to understand how anyone could be doing something so terrible in a time like this. Why would you waste time getting to a safe place to steal something that wouldn't have any value if you were dead? It was stupid, Jaune thought to himself.
But even as he thought those words, he flushed a little with shame, realizing that what he had done a little less than a week ago was pretty much the same thing. When he tried to fight wild Grimm without any training, what had he been thinking? Was he really that suicidal? The boy sighed and wandered off towards the bar nozzles, pouring himself a drink—that lemon-lime soda that he was trying to use to replace the taste of whiskey—and deciding to pace, using the whole room as a way to keep his minds off the screaming outside.
It was another ten or so minutes when he heard any evidence of nonhuman activity. The glasses in the bar shook as footsteps got closer and closer. A Grimm with suitable mass more than likely, probably a large Ursa. When the screaming was cut off by an echoing roar, Jaune's hand shot out to grab his only protection, lifting it and holding it towards the entrance, eyes wide as he looked at both windows as well. His presence there had been enough for looters to back away, seeing the weapon that he was sporting beside him, but Grimm had no reservations about something like a small shotgun. Metal was metal when the monsters were chewing on it after all.
His hands were shaking.
No matter how hard he tried, his hands shook visibly, the thought of a Grimm breaking into his haven something that made him feel sick to his stomach. It hadn't been obvious until he saw the first sign of Grimm, but he wasn't over the trauma of nearly dying to the Beowulf back then. Hiding wouldn't have done anything either, Jaune knowing firsthand how easy it was for the monsters to find a human when they caught scent of him.
Jaune was absolutely terrified.
The Ursa outside his window turned to him, its red eyes almost glowing brighter as it spotted the boy, the creature rearing up on its hind legs and giving out a deafening roar, one of its paws smashing through the window. Of course, as with all Grimm, the accompanying Ursa followed suit, ramming its shoulder into the door, an audible crack echoing through the barroom. Jaune screamed, something high pitched that was drowned out by the Grimm roars, and without thinking he pulled the shotgun trigger, the blast striking the first Ursa across its mask, ricochet audible as some of the pellets were deflected.
The hit enraged the Grimm more than it hurt it, and the monster decided that it had spent enough time smashing the window, forcing its mass through the frame, brick and plaster giving way under the size and weight of the bear Grimm.
Jaune struggled to pump another shell into the chamber, the foregrip harder to pull back than he imagined. Barely managing it, Jaune blasted another shot into the Ursa, this time striking its shoulder, causing the creature to stagger back.
The second Grimm burst into the room, the doors that held the bar entrance shut splintering into pieces and flying all over the place, making Jaune jump and reactively fire another shot, missing the second Ursa by a mile.
The bear that was closest to him was given time to recover, and raised itself on its hind legs, arms raised in fury, ready to smash the human in front of him into fine paste against the ground. Jaune screamed again, this one much more feral, a primal will to live flowing through his body as he cocked the shotgun again, letting another shell loose. It knocked the Grimm over onto its back, and the blond waiter took a step closer, firing another shot, and another shot, and another shot.
A giddy feeling bubbled up Jaune's chest and escaped in quiet giggles of relief as the Ursa started to dissipate, the clear sign that he had killed it. The adrenaline in his body seemed to subside for a second before going into overtime, as the second bear reminded Jaune that it was still there, and still very angry.
Jaune swung the barrel around and actually gave himself some time to aim, making sure that the next shot was going to hit the Ursa full in its exposed jaw, hopefully killing him. Letting the bear Grimm get a little closer, Jaune squeezed the trigger, bracing himself for the recoil that was to come.
And not finding it.
How many shots had I taken?!
The end of Jaune was nigh as the Ursa lunged forwards, no theatrics as it bared its fangs, ready to tear Jaune's throat out. What was strange was how the velocity of the bear wasn't going straight at the blond though, its mass seemingly floating sideways… oh wait, it was going sideways.
The Ursa had been struck solidly with something powerfully enough that it had died on impact, the disintegration process starting before the monster had even touched the ground.
Jaune stared at the dead carcasses, legs finally giving away as he fell onto his legs, shotgun clattering to the ground as he let go, his heartbeat so strong that it felt like it was in his head, the pounding heard in between his ears.
A hand reached over and picked up the shotgun beside him, inspecting it, eyes showing a sliver of respect.
"I see that at least you aren't willing to just lie there and die." Cinder commented, letting the gun slide from her fingers. "It was impressive, seeing you defend yourself."
"W-what are you doing here?" Sure, it wasn't the most polite of words for someone who had just saved his life, but it was the only ones that were on his mind, the image of the flashing teeth and endless void that was the Ursa's throat still frozen in his mind. Nevertheless, the woman standing in front of him didn't seem to take offense, in fact actually looking to the side and breaking eye contact first, the moment brief before her haughty mask slid back and she eyed the boy carefully.
"I was just… helping out around the area. I heard the gunshots and decided to investigate, fortunately for you."
Jaune let out a breath, the release of air seemingly helping Jaune collect his thoughts.
"Thank you." Jaune said simply, not going to be so petty as to deny Cinder something so simple. The dark-haired woman nodded, before turning towards the destroyed front of the bar.
"Come. I have a safe place for you." Cinder turned, offering her hand.
Jaune looked at the slim fingers placed in front of him. He reached up to grab them, his body almost flying up as the unexpected strength of Cinder became apparent. The blond let go of her hand though, and backed away, looking a little sheepish.
"Thank you, but I… I can't. Gl- Professor Goodwitch made me promise to stay here. I'm sure she'll be here any moment."
Cinder raised a single eyebrow, looking at the boy doubtfully.
"I think she may be indisposed at the moment. I'm sure I saw her leading a few… civilians to safety." She rested a hand on Jaune's shoulder, looking deep into his eyes. "I think that the Headmistress would prefer you safe and her take a little longer to find you than finding you torn apart by the Grimm." Again she raised an eyebrow. "What do you think?"
"That… sounds reasonable." Jaune said slowly, nodding as the woman turned and led him outside, the boy wincing a little at the sunlight overhead.
Funny, for an event so disastrous, Jaune would've thought it would occur when it was dark, not in broad daylight.
The two of them wasted no time, Cinder leading Jaune towards the safe house, only stopping when there were too many Grimm to avoid, and the woman was forced to deal with them, quickly and brutally.
During one of these stops, Jaune and Cinder were close to a burning building, which Jaune wasn't sure how that happened, seeing as how Grimm weren't really cognizant enough to really start fires. At least on purpose.
Like with many disasters, most of the people that ran past didn't spare a second glance, too busy trying to find safety for them and their families to start worrying about other people. But there were a few that stood there. Some of them just staring at the building, probably residents, wondering what to do now that their home was turning into a charred husk. Others were on their knees, crying for the same reason. Out of the small group in front of the building though, there was only one person who seemed to want to run back in, tears streaming down her face, screaming as two men stood in her way, holding her back. Getting closer, Jaune could hear the desperation in her voice, the raw fear.
"My child's in there! Please, let me go in, let me go in!" She screamed, punching, shoving, doing anything that would get her past the two standing in front of her. "I don't care if I die, please, let me save my son!"
Cinder touched Jaune's shoulder, turning him away from the scene. "I've cleared the path for us," She said softly, not even glancing at the scene in front of her. Jaune pointed at the woman, his heart calling out for her.
"We should help her." Jaune murmured, finally bringing Cinder's attention towards the wailing in front of her. The long-haired woman shook her head, a visible frown on her face.
"There's no time for that. We need to get you to saf-"
"No time to save someone's life?" Jaune interrupted, looking up at Cinder, who visibly flinched when she saw his eyes. "That's... stupid." Jaune struggled to find words that could reflect what he wanted to say, but couldn't, the broiling emotions making it hard for him to think of anything at that moment. Cinder grit her teeth, knowing what was on the blond boy's mind. Jaune ignored the emotion on the woman's face, more focused on the mother's face, the look of anguish, the reckless selflessness that she was ready to do just to save her child.
Would my mother have been the same? Jaune wondered to himself, heartstrings constantly being tugged at the display. If it had been reversed, if she had found me underneath the Grimm... would she have dived in to save me?
"We can't." She repeated, one hand reaching out to grab Jaune's wrist. The boy jerked his arm away, taking a step back from her. "It's probably too late as it is," Cinder said calmly, trying to bring Jaune's emotions down. "We can't just risk our lives for someone who might already be... too far gone." For a brief second, Cinder thought that she had won Jaune over, a small flash of emotion appearing in his eyes before he shook his head, his chin almost dropping onto his chest.
"That doesn't mean we can't try." Jaune whispered, before turning around and taking off, running into the burning building.
"Jaune!" Cinder called out, anger and frustration mixed into the tone of her voice, taking a step forwards before the door frame collapsed, blocking her entrance. The woman was stuck outside of the building, left to scream in anger before taking off, not wanting to be seen by the authorities.
The whole building was on fire, and Jaune couldn't see a damned thing. With so many light sources, one would think that Jaune would have a better time navigating through the maze of broken halls and stairways, but found himself bumping into anything that wasn't on fire.
The only thing that the fire helped to do was really point to Jaune that he shouldn't be hitting those parts of the wall.
The smoke was suffocating too, making it hard for Jaune to pull in more than a half lungful of air, before coughing and losing it all over again. His eyes kept watering from the smoke as well, making it harder and harder to get through the higher and higher he got.
By the time he was on the third floor of the building, Jaune probably had a dozen bruises, and more than a fair share of burns, which he stopped counting when he stopped being able to feel the heat.
At this point, Jaune was feeling like he was ready to give up. The weight of the fire around him was so suffocating, and it didn't help that it was getting harder and harder for Jaune to function. Every time he blinked, it took a little longer for his eyes to focus, and with every step that he took, his legs seemed to want to give in.
The gentlest touch on his shoulder brought his head up ever so slightly, as he found the image of one of his sisters, dark blonde hair framing her face as she smiled gently at him. Jaune tried to call out her name, but started to cough, the soot clogging up his throat making it difficult to do anything but breathe and swallow. The ghostly apparition shook her head, stroking her brother's head gently, trying to reassure him, trying to tell him that he didn't need to talk. Instead, she took his hand and lifted him to his feet, leading him into a room. As he got closer and closer, he began to hear the soft crying, and with that in mind, Jaune strode forward, his sister disappearing into smoke as he walked through her.
The child was sniffling as he lay on the floor, his chest rising and falling much slower than it should've. Without wasting any time, Jaune touched the little boy's shoulder, making him scream in surprise before breaking out into heavier sobs, knowing that someone had come for him.
"Mo-ommy," The little boy hiccupped, rubbing his eyes with his sooty hands. "Mommy!" He bawled, before quieting down as Jaune calmly rubbed his back, whispering for the boy to be strong, and that Jaune'll get him to his mother.
After getting the boy to calm down, Jaune led him towards the stairs, holding his hand the whole time. The blond attempted to draw the little kid's attention away from the fire around him, asking him simple questions about his friends and family.
"You have any brothers and sisters? No? How about aunts and uncles? Three? Wow, that's a lot there. They all treat you well? Good, I'm glad."
The talking wasn't just for the boy. As time progressed, Jaune found that it was getting harder and harder for him to breathe, his questions getting cut. Not only that, but even he felt... warm. Not hot, not like it should've been because he was in the middle of the fire, but warm, as if he was getting tucked into bed. The sleepy kind of warm.
It was only when the little boy jostled Jaune that he realized that he had almost dozed off. A long look to the side of Jaune revealed the boy, eyes drooping as well, but awake enough to know that they shouldn't be standing here. The sight of the little boy trying to brave through was enough to reinvigorate Jaune just enough to force his limbs to move a little more, getting past that one collapsed wall and finding the stairs that would lead to the ground floor.
Reaching out, Jaune touched the railing, half-running half-walking down the stairs with the boy in hand, intent on reaching the last floor.
One second, he was halfway down the stairs. The next second, he was falling off of them, the railing crumbling underneath his touch, sending him and the boy he was holding plummeting down towards the floor, the comfort of the stairs transforming into a death trap that Jaune wasn't prepared for.
Hugging the boy tight, Jaune closed his eyes, twisting himself impossibly so that he could cover the child, taking all of the damage along his back, sliding, bumping, smashing into the stairs over and over again until they landed at the bottom, Jaune sure that he had broken a rib or two in the process.
Still they tried to push on, Jaune practically hyperventilating as much as he was breathing. They went towards the back of the building, as he knew that the front door had collapsed the moment he entered the building, a bit of bad luck compounding the already bleak day.
Reaching the exit was a blessing, Jaune thought to himself, not sure if he would be able to hold out much longer. Sure, the door was collapsing in on itself as well, but there was a sizable hole, enough for the both of them to get through.
"Your mommy's waiting for you right outside, ok? Make sure you give her a big hug." Jaune said quietly, smiling encouragingly to the little boy.
Jaune gestured for the little boy to crawl through first, which he did, right after he stood up on his toes and hugged the waiter around his waist, murmuring a soft thanks. The blond smiled, watching to make sure that none of the debris would fall on top of the boy, and breathed a sigh of relief when he was sure that the child had gone all the way through. Jaune fell to his knees, half out of the need to crawl through the hole, and half out of the fact that he was so exhausted that he wasn't sure he could stand for much longer.
He got halfway through the crevice when he felt something grab his ankle, dragging him right back into the fires. Passing through one of the flames was brief, but even his dulled senses could tell that something was wrong, and Jaune screamed, the fire eating every breath he exhaled.
And suddenly, it was gone.
Everything stopped burning, and Jaune was lying on bare floor, gasping for breath, but actually being able to take in the precious oxygen that he needed to survive. The walls around him were still coated in flames, but in a perfect circle around him, there was nothing. No heat, no fire, almost no sound, as if someone had isolated him inside a perfect bubble.
And someone had. Someone who was standing over him, curious eyes looking straight at his prone body. Raising himself a little further, he saw details that should've never been on a face of a human.
The face was pale white, eyes were red, as if every single blood vessel inside had burst. Veins seemed to wrap themselves around her cheeks, sickly pulsing, almost framing the diamond between her eyes.
In an odd way, she was a beautiful sight. In a more normal way, she was frightening, and imposing, and remembering how she had pulled him out of safety and practically roasted him for a few seconds, she was something very much not human.
The woman approached Jaune slowly, making him scramble and sit up, before wincing and realizing that standing was probably out of the cards at the moment. Instead, she knelt down, her hand flowing out from under her and caressing Jaune's face, her pitch black eyes depthless. Jaune had the strangest feeling that if he stared too long into her eyes, he would find himself lost, and not in a good way.
"Such a strange child."
The quiet whisper seemed to penetrate into Jaune, making him shiver as she talked. His eyes snapped off of hers, darting left and right, before settling on her nose, which was definitely a safer sight than her soulless eyes.
"W-who are you?" Jaune's croak was weaker than he thought, the smoke coating his throat in a way that made him feel like he had swallowed a bucket of sand. His throat definitely didn't appreciate the attempt in speaking, protesting by almost closing up after the first words.
The woman's eyes flashed, something that Jaune could see even while he wasn't looking directly at her, and her cupped hand gripped tighter, her nails digging into his cheek. Jaune's eyes watered, and this time not from the smoke.
"Me?" She said in a ominous voice. "I... am Salem. Mother of the Grimm... and enemy to life itself." Her other hand rose up and grabbed his chin, pulling him a little closer.
Mother of Grimm? In his half delirium, Jaune imagined the woman popping out baby Grimm, commanding them to attack Vale. Without being able to stop himself, the boy giggled, making the woman in front of him arch her brow.
"I'm surprised you can find your situation so amusing, child." She smiled back, a humorless thing that seemed more appropriate sewn onto a doll than on a moving face. "Most people would be losing control of their bodily functions that this point." She hummed a little bit, turning his face this way and that. "Cinder might be on to something."
"Cinder?" The mention of the woman in the red dress startled Jaune enough for him to croak the word out. She cast a wry glance at him, scoffing.
"Cinder. Such a weakling." The woman sighed, one of her hands leaving Jaune's face to rest on her cheek, a solitary finger tapping slowly away. "She loses conviction... much sooner than I had expected."
Suddenly his world spun upside down, righting itself as she lifted him up with one hand, her face twisted into a snarl.
"I guess I have you to thank for this." Jaune opened his mouth, struggling to say something, anything, but was interrupted when she tossed him to the side, his back hitting a nearby wall and making him scream in pain, his throat dying under the pressure.
She was on him again in an instant, straddling the boy, wrapping her hands around his throat.
"I usually don't like to get my hands dirty." She said conversationally, almost seeming to test out a squeeze on his throat, making him gasp. "Normally, I tend to let my children take care of my needs. But..." She frowned at his meager attempts to fight her off, kneeing him in the stomach to keep him down. "It seems you are very well protected. Even when you decide to wander into my territory... I find you out of my grasp." The woman tilted her head to the side a little, curiosity leaking through her stone visage. "Why?"
"I- I don't-" Jaune's hands flew up as he gasped the words out, trying to claw at the iron grip that she was holding, before he attempted to go for her eyes, desperately hoping that it would be enough to push her back or loosen her grip at the very least. Instead, she made a displeased sound in the back of her throat and lifted his head off the ground, before slamming it back down, making Jaune's vision flash white. Luckily, the blond waiter seemed to be in so much pain that the possible concussion didn't really faze him.
"I had thought it was strange," Salem continued talking, ignoring his protests. "How Cinder started to report to me less and less as she continued to infiltrate into Vale. Given, she was always secretive, but it's like she's completely clammed up in front of me." Her frown appeared again, her voice adopting a chiding tone. "And I allow for many things, but I do not approve of dissention in the ranks." She slammed Jaune's head against the ground again, making his hands drop to the floor.
"S-stop." Jaune whimpered out, tears forming in his eyes. "Please." Futilely, Jaune's hands rose up, fingers shaking. He was over wanting to die. He didn't want to leave his friends anymore. They were waiting for him. Professor... Glynda was waiting for him. Jaune had wanted to talk more with her, wanted to get closer to her. He wanted to get closer with everybody.
Salem stared at his pitiful face, her eyes flat as she seemed to document the boy's last moments.
"No."
Wood cracked and tore apart behind Salem, who turned around, eyes widening. The frown on her face got deeper and deeper with every noise, until she let go of his throat, letting him gasp in a lungful of sweet air as she hummed in displeasure.
"It seems someone is keeping a close eye on you, child." Salem raised a hand, gripping on a low support beam, wrenching it out. The ceiling groaned without the support, tearing itself apart and dropping on top of him, making Jaune scream in pain as parts of it flattened him, and other parts stabbed themselves through him.
A haze of minutes passed as Jaune's sight flickered in and out, Jaune having difficulty trying to keep himself conscious. For all the commotion that had driven Salem out, there didn't seem to be a person behind the noise. Every time his vision came to, he only saw the empty room around him, the exit so tantalizingly close, but too far for him to make it through.
Is this it? Jaune asked himself. Even the voice in his mind sounded feeble, taking too much effort to even form a coherent thought. Am I going to die here?
There were so many occasions in his life where he was so close to death, and managed to find a way through it. Although as he thought about it, every time he cheated death, it seemed he lost something that was close to him. His parents, his secrets, his job.
Maybe it was time to just let Death take his bounty.
Again, something tugged on his sleeves, jolting Jaune from the sleep that he didn't know he was drifting off to.
Two of his sisters, the oldest ones, were pulling on him, the expressions on their faces startlingly real for ghosts. They didn't want him to give up just yet. And while their pulling didn't do much physically for Jaune, it reignited a flame inside of him. His sisters can't see him die here. It would devastate them, ghosts or not.
Drawing on a strength he had never drawn from before, Jaune opened his mouth and screamed, a sound of desperation and determination. Muscles contracted and expanded, and Jaune found himself clawing at the floor, dragging himself from under the rubble. Every inch that he found was excruciating, the pieces that had impaled themselves through him screeching, reminding him that doing something like this was insane. He didn't care though. If he was going to die, he wasn't going to do it lying down.
He pushed on, ignoring his body, which screamed that it was hurting in every place, in every form. He ignored his mind, which said that getting out was impossible, and commanded it to pull on his arms, to drag him through the opening that beckoned for him.
The only thing he listened to was the beating of his heart, something he used to pace himself, to help him slide along those precious inches, getting towards the only goal that was on his mind.
"Jaune!"
Hands wrapped around him, lifting him up and placing him onto something soft. His mind was in such a disarray that it wasn't until Glynda brushed the hair away from his temple that he realized that he had crawled out of the hellhole, where the blonde witch had come after hearing the scream.
"Oh, gods, I-are you alright? Jaune, please answer me." Her words were frantic, her clothes sooty and in disarray, which was a little strange, but not really the foremost thought in Jaune's mind. "Please tell me you're alright."
Jaune summoned the last vestiges of his strength and raised his hand, brushing the one tear that was forming under her eye.
"The... little... boy?" He gasped out, wanting to know if his efforts had paid off, if he had been able to save at least one life. Glynda smiled wetly, nodding jerkily at Jaune's question.
"He's fine." She whispered, continuing to cradle Jaune's head, resting him in her lap. "He's with his mother now." The thought of that made Jaune ridiculously happy, the widening smile on his face showing it.
"Good." Jaune said, the word barely audible.
The word sent shivers down the professor's spine, her arms starting to shake as she realized what was happening.
"No, Jaune, please stay with me." She pleaded, lifting him off of one of her arms, one of her fingers touching his forehead. "I- I can't. I don't want to see someone else die, least of all you. P-please."
Jaune's smile faltered, seeing the person who was practically his second mother's distraught face, not wanting that to be the last thing he saw while on Remnant. He wanted to comfort her. He wanted to tell her to smile. But he found himself, finally, at the end of his strength. Instead he lie there limp, as Professor Goodwitch closed her eyes and tried to calm herself, her fingers almost vibrating over Jaune's forehead.
"F- for it's peace that we- that's not it. No, no, no. For i-immortality-I, no. Dammit." Jaune wasn't sure what Professor Goodwitch was trying to say, but seeing her so shaken was a sight that he never would've thought would happen. At least that was something Jaune could remember in his dying moments. A side of her that Jaune had never seen.
"I-I can't." Tears were falling freely from Glynda's face now, as she leaned over Jaune's head, the droplets hitting the boy's face. "Oh god I can't."
It's okay. Jaune thought, hoping it would reach the woman. Really.
Suddenly the woman stood up, lifting Jaune up with a wave of her riding crop, making him float in the air. Her face transformed into a mask of rage as she sped off, faster than some vehicles on the road beside them.
Is she taking me to the hospital...?
Scenery blurred in front of his eyes, partially because of the speed that Glynda was at, and partially because it seemed like his vision was giving way, his sluggish mind slowly cutting out the nonessential parts of his body to keep his heart beating and his mind thinking.
Strangely, his sight restored itself for just a brief second after Glynda slowed herself down, revealing an office of some sort, Jaune resting on a large table. In front of him was a gray-haired man wearing spectacles, someone Jaune was sure he knew the name of, but couldn't remember at that moment.
The man gave one last glance to his side at someone Jaune couldn't see, before raising his cane, holding it up like a knight would hold his sword, before pointing it at Jaune, the tip getting closer and closer as the grayed man spoke.
"For it is in passing... that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become pillars of the world around us, to help raise... and protect those in need."
The rest of the words were lost to the boy, as the moment the cane touched Jaune's temple, he blacked out, the pain finally too much for him to bear.