Wraith
Chapter Six
Beta: Smithrooks
Twin Souls
Beacon, many years ago…
The world was so colourful now.
Jaune followed the deep, emerald-green glow of the headmaster through the corridors of Beacon, the winding path alight with the glow of hundreds of past students that had walked these corridors since the school was built.
It had been just over a week since he had woken up, and in that time the headmaster had been teaching Jaune to see using aura rather than his ruined eyes. It was strange, in a way; he could now see for miles… but everything was indistinct. He could see a person standing in front of him, but he'd have no idea what they looked like beyond their physical proportions.
He didn't even know what he looked like anymore. Ozpin had told him that he carried deep scars from initiation that would stay with him forever, but beyond rubbing his hand across his face he would never find out how he looked. He could feel three long, pitted lines across his face, a faint pain that resonated deep within his being as he stared at himself. He had begun to wonder, did he still look like Jaune Arc? Were his eyes still blue? Was he freakish now? Would his parents still recognise him? They probably wouldn't care anymore; he had run away and stolen the family sword just to come to Beacon.
For all the good it did.
Another weird thing that he was struggling to get used to was his new field of vision. His new aura sight didn't really use his eyes; it was more of a general sight in every direction. Even when his now near-sightless eyes were shut as tight as he could the world was a mess of colours, and when his eyes were open he was greeted by a blurry mess that was impossible to decipher.
Everything looked so different too; everyone had their own unique colour that shined in ways he could never express in words. Every inch of Beacon was illuminated by the steps of hunters that had walked through here; every animal had a resonating shine that was their souls, every plant thrummed with life…
Even the cobblestones of the courtyard had a dash of aura in them, just a little mark left by whoever had placed each stone there. Like a shadow of something that was gone, but the image of it still lingered despite the absence.
Even now as Jaune followed the deep green light of Ozpin, he saw everything around him. The curious souls of other students within their rooms, the shining auras peeking out of their rooms to take a glance at the duo as they moved towards where Jaune's new teammates were.
Teammates. Jaune wasn't really sure what to think of that. Ozpin had told him that he had been placed in team WASB, or Wasp for short. The aged headmaster had explained that they had refused to visit him, more interested in other matters.
But that was okay, Jaune had already met his new team leader Cardin and he seemed like a nice enough guy. Maybe a little rough around the edges, but still a nice dude.
The headmaster came to a stop outside a door that glowed vibrantly with faded life. Beyond the door, Jaune saw three brilliantly coloured souls milling about. All seemed to be of a more male shape, but that was okay; living a life with seven sisters does tend to rob one of their masculinity, so it would be nice be around other guys for a change.
The headmaster tapped his cane against the door instead of knocking, and within a moment the wood was moved aside and a tall, bulky soul stood before them. "Headmaster?" Jaune recognized the voice; it was Cardin. "And Jaune? Man… you look messed up."
Jaune lowered his head in shame. He was ugly now, the scars disfiguring him must be awful to look at.
"Now, now, Mr. Winchester, there is no need for that." The calm voice of Ozpin cut through the dark mood that had settled in Jaune's spirit. "I just came to deliver your teammate to you, I believe he was quite sick of the infirmary."
More like the doctor was sick of him. Despite his new disability, Jaune could never stop staring at all the colours that seeped into every inch of Beacon; even in the cold infirmary there were so many things he could never put into words, colours that the eye could never understand but the mind was always blind to until shown the way…
The doctor had ended up getting quite sick of Jaune's constant questioning and admittedly reasonable complaints about the poor food. The doctor had near begged Ozpin to let Jaune leave, just so he wouldn't be bothered by questions he had no answers to.
"Cardin?" Jaune said lowly, using the words he had planned all week. "I'm sorry I was so useless in the forest…"
Jaune couldn't see whatever the larger boy's expression was, but he did see the silvery soul shift slightly. "Whatever, Jauney boy. Come in and meet your teammates."
The headmaster cleared his throat, making his presence known once more, "I will take my leave then. Good day, gentlemen."
The deep emerald aura that Jaune knew to be Ozpin slowly walked away, only the gentle clicking of his cane on the ground giving away that the powerful man had left.
Cardin reached out and grabbed Jaune by the shoulder, the now scarred one actually, and pulled him into the room where the other two souls lay on what Jaune assumed to be beds. "Guys, this is Jaune, our late teammate."
Jaune wasn't exactly expecting an overly warm reception; he had shown how weak he was during initiation after all. But he was still somewhat disappointed by the lackluster "Hey," and "Sup," the other two males granted him.
But Jaune was undeterred. "What are your names?" he asked, hoping to get a slightly better impression of himself across.
The pale blue aura of the boy closest to him rolled over, a deep relaxed voice reverberating from the spirit, "I'm Sky Lark. You look pretty messed up man."
Oh, like Jaune didn't already know that. He probably looked like a freak now. Maybe he should grow his hair out to help hide the scars? He'd need to give that some thought later…
The other boy on the far side of the room shifted, a coppery coloured aura that seemed to be slightly larger than that of Sky. "I'm Dove Bronzewing." The words were short and to the point, clipped in a way that made Jaune think that Dove didn't really want to talk to him.
Oh well, you can't win everything.
But Jaune wasn't really deterred by Dove being a bit stand-offish. All that mattered was that he was back on track to becoming the greatest hunter to ever live.
Jaune smiled, unaware of the pained grimaces his teammates gave upon seeing his face twist into an even uglier expression.
Vale, present day…
The city was in an uproar.
Sirens and alarms wailed throughout the streets, the calm calls of the civil protection computer system informing them that a level 6 Grimm incursion was about to crash into the city. Helpless civilians rushed around like headless chickens, frantically trying to get to their homes and away from the oncoming Grimm attack.
All this caused by the 'Lord of Hunger' that had rampaged through the streets just a few short hours before. The man hadn't been seen since, but that just made it worse in the minds of the average citizen, that just meant no one survived to report seeing him.
Hunters rushed around, some telling civilians to get out of the way and others ignoring the chaos entirely in favour of rushing to the city walls to defend against the horde of Grimm that now attacked them. Even students were tasked with protecting the city, the able young bodies doing the safer tasks like fetching more ammunition or helping the wounded while the elder hunters fought and died on the walls.
First and second year students had been sent out into Forever Fall instead of the walls, they were to be used as scouting parties to determine how many Grimm were moving towards the city.
The decision had been made by the Council; Headmaster Ozpin had been less than pleased, but had abided anyway. He was on rather thin ice after what the government saw as a failure to contain the beast that had come through the Rift, despite the sheer impossibility to actually stand against the self-proclaimed lord without specialised armour.
RWBY and JNPR had been travelling through the woods for just shy of two hours in near silence, too shocked by the suddenness of the Grimm incursion caused by the freak seen on the television. Their weapons were drawn and held ready, but they had yet to actually meet any resistance beyond a stray Beowolf; no doubt most of the Grimm in the area were too busy swarming Vale to bother with them.
Finally it was Ruby that broke the silence, her nerves frayed by the lack of noise. "So what do you guys think that thing on the news was? Ozpin said it was a rogue hunter."
The group continued walking, burnt-red coloured leaves crunching underfoot. Finally it was Jaune that answered, his voice timid and unsure, "I don't know Ruby, but I sure hope we never meet it… him."
"It looked a little like a Grimm…" Pyrrha muttered as she pushed through some foliage, "but Ozpin did say that it used to be a hunter that he had once met."
Weiss huffed, obviously not enjoying her time in the forest nor terribly pleased with the company. "That thing hardly looked human anymore, it may have been once but now it's just another monster for hunters to deal with."
"That's hardly fair," Blake scowled, "We know nothing about him, we have no context beyond him being dangerous. We can't call him a monster without knowing why he acts the way he does."
Weiss scoffed, "He killed several innocents in downtown Vale, murdered several huntsmen too. And you defend the creature? I thought you were the rational one on this team Belladonna."
The others watched the argument slowly unfold, JNPR reaching the unspoken decision to stay out of it lest they incite the anger of their new friends. Yang and Ruby had no such luxury however. "Come on guys," Yang tried to cool tempers, "let's not fight right now."
But Blake ignored her, more intent on glaring at her pale teammate. "Obviously I'm more rational than you, I don't call everything I fail to understand evil."
"How dare you!" Weiss hissed, pale blue eyes lighting up in indignation, "I am a Schnee, I am-"
Whatever else she was going to say was cut off when a terrible scream of fear tore through the woods, silencing the words that Weiss was about to say.
"Someone's in trouble!" Ruby cried, secretly glad that something had stopped the fight, "we need to go help them!"
All the others nodded with resolute looks on their faces, but Jaune had a nervous expression as he voiced his concerns. "Uh… guys? Only hunters are in these woods right now, only something really bad could make a hunter scream like that."
He was right, and the others all knew that, but they still needed to go help. "We know Jaune, but we're hunters and it's our job to help people in need." Ruby replied.
Jaune nodded as he silently scolded himself for his mild cowardice; what would his parents think if they saw him act like that? Well, their opinions of him were probably already pretty low after he stole Crocea Mors and ran away. It's not like it could get worse, right?
Jaune was shaken from his thoughts when Pyrrha tapped him on the shoulder and gestured for him to get moving; the others had already started to leave. Jaune and his partner quickly dashed to catch up with them in their mad sprint towards the source of the terrible scream.
The ground shuddered violently and a blast of fire shot above the trees. The young hunters-in-training didn't stop, although their gazes lingered on the flames as they ran. It must have been a Dust-mage that was in trouble, if the fire and the mini-earthquake was any indication.
Another scream, this time closer and the fear seemed more prevalent. The howls of Grimm could be heard too, the bestial rage of the soulless creatures all directed at one thing in particular.
The two teams burst into a clearing; a small horde of Beowolves and a dozen Ursai circled around a figure in black robes with ghostly white skin and hair.
The teams stopped once they saw the man surrounded by Grimm, it was the guy from the news! The 'Lord of Hunger'. A moment of indecision racked the young hunters, should they help him?
That was answered for them when he let out another scream of terror, his head darting around in every direction as he seemingly tried to keep his sickly yellow eyes on every noise in the clearing. Fear was streaked across his smooth pale face, yellow eyes wide and afraid.
The teams leapt into the fray, some with gusto like Ruby and Nora, others slightly more reserved like Weiss and Blake.
The Grimm fell upon them like a storm, the snarling and biting of their sick hunger trying to kill them with an animalistic fury that all bar Jaune were far too used to.
The man crouched down, his head tucked into his hands as he muttered unheard things and cried tears of pain.
Soon the Grimm were dead, but there were no triumphant grins or smiles; no joy was felt. Only… fatigue.
When the last of the Grimm hit the ground, all the young hunters except Jaune fell to one knee, their faces pained as a cold feeling slithered deep within their bodies.
"Guys?" Jaune questioned, moving closer to his new friends but still keeping the man in his line of sight. "What's wrong?" Surely they couldn't all be wounded? He couldn't see any blood…
"Jaune…!" Ruby whined, feeling the call of sloth on her body. "It's that guy, he's draining our aura…" she slumped to the ground, consciousness leaving her.
The Lord of Hunger shot to his feet, unseeing yellow eyes locking onto Jaune in an instant, "The hollows! They were here, empty things of the cold darkness… but the lights of the dead guided them to oblivion!"
Jaune gave what he hoped was an intimidating glare at the robed man, "Stop what you're doing! Your semblance is killing my friends!"
The pale man swooped past Jaune, his feet never touching the ground as his power supported him. "Friends? These are different. They are different…" his head snapped to look back into the empty clearing, "SHUT UP!" he roared to no-one, "NO! I WON'T!"
One by one the young hunters began to pass out, awareness finally leaving them as the power of the beast before them drained their souls away. "Jaune… stop him…" was the last thing Pyrrha said before she too faded into darkness.
Jaune stared aghast as his partner, the second strongest hunter he knew, passed out. With a cry of righteous anger, he swung his sword at the self-proclaimed lord.
The gleaming silver blade stopped.
The pale left hand of Nihilus gripped the sword delicately, and despite all the weight behind the attack Jaune felt and saw that the monster before him was hardly trying. He was indulging Jaune like one would a small child.
"Where did things change? Why are we different?" the man asked, sightless yellow eyes staring into Jaune's soul. "The silver and golden bird dominated the Beacon in my time… but you? I feel you… unbloodied, soft…"
Jaune shivered in disgust at the hungry look the creature was giving him, it was like he wanted something that only Jaune had.
"Why don't you wither like the other lights?" the lord suddenly asked, a feral grin splitting his features. "Their lights shine duller, and my appetite is whetted. But you stay, a delicious little morsel that has the strength to deny me my prize?"
"I d-don't know what y-you're talking about…" Jaune stuttered, his fear of the creature before him corroding his will.
The smile grew wider, "I wonder what you taste like, let's find out!" The smile turned sinister as Jaune felt the monster's hand slam into his chest.
Nihilus smiled.
Nothing happened.
The smile faded.
Jaune's eyes opened hesitantly; the creature stared at his hand in utter befuddlement. "I feel the shards of your soul, but I can't taste you…
Confusion shifted to joy in an instant, "I can touch you, my dear mortal vessel… I can touch you…"
"Umm… yay?" Jaune hedged his bets; maybe the guy was just having performance issues, best not to really push him.
Crocea Mors was flicked out of his hand and Jaune suddenly found himself locked in a bear hug that would have shattered his ribs if not for aura. A shout of joy escaped the mouth of the monster that held him, utter elation that seemed out of place on the tainted man.
But thankfully, it ended soon; the lord pulled back and stared him in the eyes with an intensity that Jaune had never seen before. "My sweet little shell…" his head snapped to the side to glare at nothing in particular, "Why? She is gone…" his gaze turned to Pyrrha on the ground, sightless yellow eyes looking at the Spartan with envy. "Mine is gone… lost to the hollows, this is but a reflection of what she can't be!"
Nihilus spun to look at empty space once again, sickly yellow eyes narrowed on an unseen person. "But why?"
His gaze snapped to Jaune once again, "My shell… do you feel it? The ache in your chest? The pain?"
Jaune was at a loss, what the hell was this guy talking about? His chest did kind of ache from where Nihilus had put his hand… maybe that was what he was asking? "Uh… yeah?"
The self-proclaimed lord seemed to wilt for a moment, but soon his face turned resolute once more. "Grab her." He pointed to the prone form of Pyrrha on the ground; the command was simple.
Jaune, not wanting to piss off the creature that had totalled a city block in Vale, quickly complied. He picked up Pyrrha and stared slightly fearfully towards the black-clad monster. "What now?"
The blind monster took a deep breath, "She thinks that I shouldn't feast, that my hunger is sated for the time being… I'm always hungry." He pointed one long, bony finger towards where the others were passed out, "But for you, my dear shell, I will leave them. I will let their lights leave to shine in the Beacon once more."
Jaune sighed in relief. Thank god, he wasn't going to hurt them…
Suddenly Nihilus was behind him, a trail of blackened and withered rose petals the only indicator of his movement. Was that Ruby's semblance? Oh god, he absorbed semblances too… "Hold tight my dear shell, or the Spartan will become a bird…"
Jaune had no idea what that meant but held Pyrrha as tight as he could anyway, best not to test the crazy guy who probably had a dozen different semblances right now...
In an instant two cold and bony hands locked under Jaune's armpits, and less than a second later Jaune flew.
A/N
The Lord of Hunger is blind. But he can still see aura, a skill taught to him by Ozpin shortly after initiation… I love the irony in that.
So… Nihilus can't absorb Jaune, and he seems to hold some affection for Pyrrha; which is weird considering that his Pyrrha impaled him. I am curious however, can anyone really decipher what Nihilus was getting at when he spoke about Pyrrha? I know he speaks mostly in riddles and allegory but the meaning is still there, hidden under layers of pain and questionable sanity.
All that aside let's see the reviews:
Guest:
Thanks for reviewing.
No you don't, but I like to hear it anyway.
blaiseingfire:
Thanks for reviewing.
Thank you, very kind.
Smithrooks:
Thanks for reviewing.
Yeah Jaune's mood played a role in his injury, but the chances of something happening were already pretty high anyway - Grimm infested forest and all that.
Did Ozpin's teachings effect what Jaune became later? Without a doubt; Nihilus is a product of a dozen different things, but Ozpin teaching Jaune to see again was perhaps one of the single most important contributors to his semblance.
Tobi14:
Thanks for reviewing.
Saying he stepped into darkness is something of a misleading statement. Nihilus isn't 'evil', he certainly isn't a hero by any means, but he does everything for understandable reasons.
And yeah, the unlocking chants do have an effect though it's a subtle one. Not any world bending or story shattering changes mind you, just a mild effect on the emotions of the recipient as well as the bond with the unlocker.
Thanks again for reading, don't forget to leave a review!
