Wraith
Chapter Nineteen
Beta: Smithrooks
Even Dead Gods Dream
Beacon, many years ago…
Once upon a time, Jaune might have found this enjoyable.
But… now it was more of a slap in the face, really.
The school dance was in full swing and most everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, though Jaune himself just sat quietly off to the side with a cup of punch to keep him company. Before he may have joined in with all the dancing, but that wasn't something he was willing to try now. Disregarding his general ugliness, he didn't think he'd be able to dance like he used to…
That, and the general discomfort he felt from being in the same room as that… thing.
The monster from the docks, what had Ruby said its name was? Pen? Penny? Something like that. The… freak… was on the opposite side of the room from him, her inhuman shards of broken aura doing a little jig in time to the overly loud music that permeated the hall. Jaune didn't even bother hiding the stab of revulsion as he looked at the monstrosity. 'She' was wrong.
Whatever that emerald-green aura had belonged to before was dead, that much was clear to Jaune. Penny… whatever it said its name was, had a broken aura. Like someone had taken a knife to a painting and slashed it to ribbons, or if a sculptor tried to make a statue using only a sledgehammer. It was just… wrong.
And worse still was the lack of a soul behind it. The absence where the most fundamental aspect of a person should be, the scathing nothingness that was achingly painful to look at.
"It's rude to stare, you know."
Dear Ruby, just as socially awkward as he was. She'd been hovering around for a while now; apparently no one had been quite insane enough to brave Yang's response to asking Ruby to the dance. Not that Jaune could particularly blame anyone in that regard; he'd had to spar Yang once in Goodwitch's class, and his jaw hurt just thinking about it… apparently girls dislike being set on fire, who knew?
"I don't think you have any right to comment," Jaune muttered, "miss 'oh god Jaune, your face…'"
Let it be known that men have long memories too, and can keep grudges just as well as any woman.
"Hey!" Ruby squawked in a distinctly unladylike fashion, "I already apologised for that!"
Hmm… sure she did. But there was something to be said about petty vengeance.
Really, this whole thing was kind of dull. Jaune had only attended because Ruby had told him that he had to 'be there or be square!' Really… Jaune had other things to do.
Like spending more time thinking - not brooding as Cardin and the others called it - about his father's letter. At least he'd finally accepted that Jaune wanted to be a hunter, even if he was still obviously grouchy about it. John Arc wasn't typically a man that took no for an answer when it came to his children - not that any of them had ever seriously rebelled before.
Really, John would have been happy if Jaune had done pretty much anything else. At least his sisters were fairly meh on the subject; the eldest, Violet, had always supported Jaune in pretty much whatever he had set his mind to - even if he flunked out only a couple of days later.
"Well Ruby," Jaune said as he stood up, "I think I'm gonna make like a banana and split."
Comedic gold, right there.
The younger girl waved somewhat half-heartedly as Jaune made his great escape, her reddish aura gently swirling around in what Jaune knew to be boredom.
Cool air blasted Jaune's face as he stepped out the doors, a refreshing change to the stifling heat in the hall. Quietly, he made his way away from the partygoers, heading towards his dorm at a fairly casual pace. There were a few others out and about too; a couple that had snuck off to do… things... in an empty classroom, the Atlesian headmaster wandering about, a couple of unconscious guys around the CCT-
Wait… what?
Jaune stopped walking, his wide vision narrowing onto the still forms of a dozen or so guards around the CCT. They were hurt quite badly too, not just passed out… broken ribs, cracked skull… nasty. Add to that the hazy red aura that was currently ascending the tower? Trouble.
Now, Jaune knew he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but even he didn't particularly fancy just rushing up and fighting someone who had just plowed through a bunch of armed soldiers. But! But Jaune liked to think of himself as someone who could twist the game to favour him a little more. And what better back up was there than one of the four most powerful hunters in Remnant?
With little hesitation, Jaune ran towards where the Atlesian headmaster was, slipping a little gravity Dust into his hand along the way so he could move faster.
"Headmaster!" Jaune shouted as he came closer, eyeing the, frankly, massive silvery-blue aura of Ironwood, "General!"
The man turned towards Jaune, his aura stirring slightly. Though oddly enough, it moved rather sluggishly around the right half of his body. "Student?" he asked, voice firm, "What's the matter?"
Jaune let the power of his gravity Dust slide off him, immensely thankful for his rings preventing any of the discomfort. "The CCT!" he rushed out, "Someone is attacking it!"
Those men could die if left untreated for long, actually some of them had died… their aura was disconnected, like a puppet with its strings cut. The aura was still there, it was just… empty. Sort of similar to that Penny thing, Jaune didn't exactly have time to stop and actually look at whatever was left of their souls - assuming there was anything left, that was. Hopefully they had gone on to a better place… a kinder place.
"What?!" the good general gasped, his face snapping towards the nearby tower. "Student, arm yourself and come with me! We're going to get to the bottom of this!"
Jaune was always armed; paranoia at it's best. Dust crystals were so much easier to hide than say, a sword.
Ironwood didn't wait for Jaune to say anything; instead he just ran off at a dizzying speed towards the CCT tower. With a jerk of his hand Jaune pushed a little power into the gravity Dust once again, and even then he struggled to keep pace with the frankly ridiculous speed of the good general.
Within moments, they reached the base of the tower; the unconscious and dead soldiers on the ground were a stark reminder of the seriousness of the situation at hand. "There's someone at the top of the tower!" Jaune shouted to the general, perhaps a fraction louder than was strictly necessary. "She's-" and it was a she, "-doing something to the computers!"
The silvery aura of the general fluctuated slightly in agitation, not that Jaune could particularly blame him. "How do you know? A semblance?" As he spoke, Ironwood drew out a heavy pistol, the startling amount of Dust in each round apparent to Jaune at even just a glance.
"Aura sight," Jaune muttered quickly, ignoring the surprised flicker in Ironwood's aura. "We need to hurry!"
The general didn't say anything else; he just ploughed his way into the CCT proper. Neither of them bothered with the slowness of the elevator, instead opting for the stairs, once again at a pace where Jaune was forced to gently tap into the power of his gravity Dust.
With not even a grunt of exertion or pain, Ironwood punched the door off its hinges as they reached the top floor - quite the achievement since the door was made of solid steel. The general stormed into the room with his gun raised and ready while Jaune came in a moment later, his aura sight locked onto the hazy red being that stood on the other side of the room.
"Unmask yourself!" Ironwood ordered, "Now!"
The red aura flickered, amusement perhaps? Or merely derision? Maybe-
The wave of fire came out of nowhere; one moment there was nothing, and the next there was a flood of searing heat washing over Jaune in the blink of an eye. Vaguely, Jaune could hear Ironwood gasp and fire off a few rounds of his pistol, but that was distant compared to the all-encompassing heat of the fire that now threatened to overwhelm him.
It all burned, every inch of Jaune felt like he was being melted away into ashes. This fire was far stronger than anything he'd ever produced, far hotter and more powerful… it would kill him. The flames clung to his body like a cancer, as if Jaune were the only thing in the world…
And it was so hot. The immolating power of these flames were brutal and unforgiving, they would be the death of him.
But… Jaune didn't want to die. He had so much more to do; so many people to meet, family to apologise to… he didn't want to join his mother in the afterlife just yet.
The fire burned so hotly and brightly… but Jaune burned hotter. Rage and determination to survive pooled within him. Dying? Screw that! He had things to do!
With a roar, Jaune pushed outwards, the flames bending to his command as if they had always served him. His aura was heavily depleted, but that didn't stop him. The hazy red aura of The Bitchwas there, her attention locked onto Ironwood as he shot at her.
Time to fix that.
It felt like he was on fire, and perhaps he still was, but Jaune hurled the wave of fire at the foul woman with all his dwindling might. Jaune couldn't help but fall to his knees afterwards, his aura depleted and gasping for breath. Was this the level of a fully trained hunter? If so, then he still had a long way to go.
The fire struck true, utterly immolating anything in its path to the hazy red aura.
But then it was just… waved aside.
Jaune couldn't help but gape as the intruder coiled the flames around her and twisted them to shoot at Ironwood. It was like the intense heat had meant absolutely nothing to her; that, or she was just so used to working with fire Dust that her skill and power with it eclipsed Jaune's in every way imaginable.
Ironwood cried out in pain as the heat struck him. His aura managed to put up an impressive front to stop any real damage, but obviously it didn't do much for the pain.
The interloper chuckled lightly as she retreated towards the far window. Jaune tried to move and stop her, but his body felt weak and sluggish - too tired from dealing with the fire to be able to do much else.
"W-wait!" he gasped, but a moment later she leapt through a window - the sound of shattering glass signalling her passage.
But she was gone, the burnt red aura disappearing into the crowd of others quietly and quickly. Jaune would still be able to spot her of course… but not right now. He… he just wanted to sleep… God, why was he so tired?
"Student?!" Was that Ironwood? Why did he sound so far away? "Can you hear me?"
Oh… why was he lying on the floor? It was nice; the cool metal was comforting after dealing with the heat of the fire…
Maybe he could have a little rest? Yeah, just a quick little nap…
Vale, present day…
Jaune had to admit he was getting pretty sick of this…
All of it. Ever since Nihilus had shown up in his life, what, three days ago now, everything had gone to shit. Things had been simple before; just little pointless things like eating breakfast and playing video games had been his life. The biggest hardship he'd ever had to face before coming to Beacon was trying to get any attention from his parents - which just seemed so pointless now.
His sisters… would they hate what he'd become? Hate the murderer that was their brother? He'd killed… killed so many… the Arcs weren't meant to be like that. John Arc was a man of honour, of conviction and morals. But Jaune was less than that now. Jaune had betrayed everything his father had ever taught him… sure he could say that he wasn't really in control of himself when he unleashed that fiery hell, but that would be a shallow comfort to the families of those he had murdered.
At least his mother wasn't around to see what he'd become. That might've driven her over the edge… but she was gone. Had been for years…
"Usurper!" Nihilus cackled as he hoisted the despairing Arc to his eye level, utterly ignoring the sharp winds their flight was causing. "Does it hurt? Does it hurt? You deserve it!" He just kept laughing…
Jaune couldn't help but cringe. He knew what Nihilus was referring to; the bullet hole Jaune now had that went clean through his shoulder and out the back. Yes, that had hurt terribly. But either thanks to his aura, or thanks to the cold Jaune felt in his spirit, the bullet wound was just… there. It didn't bother him. Hell, he probably deserved it really. It was as good a punishment as any for now…
"Jaune!" Pyrrha shouted over the wind, her green eyes darting between Nihilus and Jaune himself, "Are you okay!? How bad is the bleeding?"
Couldn't she tell it didn't matter anymore? Nothing about him mattered. Jaune was wrong. Polluted by whatever Nihilus had done to that ring, that vile, poisonous ring. He could feel it now; like an invisible stain that he couldn't remove, a smear on his soul that had ruined him so thoroughly he was no longer the same person.
"I'm fine," Jaune muttered, not caring that the wind probably muffled his words.
Pyrrha opened her mouth to speak again, but she was cut off by Nihilus suddenly cackling madly. "He's here! The raging bull, and the black cat together again. So sweet, so sweet…"
As per usual, Nihilus made no sense. But that was pretty much par for the course now; Jaune might get worried if the nutty older version of himself suddenly started speaking sense - that would probably mean the end of the world or something.
What was more concerning however, was the fact that they were descending.
Jaune had heard, and seen on television, what Nihilus had done last time he was out and about in Vale. It had been a massacre, about a dozen hunters dead and an entire city block levelled in the chaos.
Within moments they were dumped on the hard concrete ground, the smell of salty water lingering in Jaune's nose as he slumped where he was. The docks, then. Who was Nihilus talking about before, and why were they at the docks? And more importantly, how did Nihilus know them?
"Hello!" the robed lord practically sang as he pranced around on the concrete, utterly unheeding of the echo-y noise made by the abandoned warehouses nearby. "Come on then!" he shouted, mad grin on his face, "Don't keep me waiting! You were so prompt last time! You tasted so hot, but we were surrounded by ice… yes we were, so cold… so cold…"
There was a moment of silence, the empty feeling of the docks painfully clear.
"Nihilus," Pyrrha tried, but she looked so tired… so weary, "I don't think anyone is here."
Jaune dully noted that Nihilus' eyes were that sickly yellow once again. Maybe they went that colour only when his semblance was active? An interesting thought. That would make things easier; let Jaune know when he had his guard down so he could find the right time to attack him, to burn him. To hear his screams of agony and torment as his skin bubbled and popped from the intense heat-
No.
Calm.
That… that wasn't who he was. That was the ring. It had to be the ring… the memory of Nihilus hadn't said whether the effects would bleed into all of who Jaune was, but the mere thought of it...
"Where is she?!"
The voice cut through Jaune's self-deprecating thoughts like a razor blade, and in that instant Jaune's ocean blue eyes locked onto the new man that stood before them.
Tall, well dressed, and wearing a White Fang mask.
A terrorist, then.
Nihilus didn't seem to mind that though.
"Oh… that's easy, my dear Adam!" the blind man sang, "She's spying on us from the warehouse behind me!"
Jaune turned his head sharply to look, and sure enough there was one of the armoured huntresses perched on the roof of one of the nearby buildings - not doing anything, just standing there.
"Out of my way!" the new man, Adam apparently, shouted, "Move, or you'll suffer the same as her!"
Jaune couldn't help but cringe as Nihilus grinned; the full toothy smile was more than a little disheartening.
"You already feel it, don't you?" the pale man purred, "Just like last time, you are the single most resistant meal I have ever devoured… except for her, that is."
Adam snarled, the mask on his face utterly failing to hide the hateful expression that crossed his features. "So that's you draining my aura?" His fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword, "Then I will deal with you first, then her."
Jaune had barely a second to register that Adam had moved; one moment he was there, and the next he was gone - only a blinding flash of red indicated movement.
And then with a crash and a snap it all stopped.
The red sword was lodged so deeply in Nihilus' body that it had cut down through his shoulder and into his chest, Adam's face twisted halfway between a smirk and a frown.
Yet despite the terrible wound, Nihilus was smiling.
"W-what?!" Adam cried as he tried to jerk the sword free, to no avail, "Why didn't it cut all the way through?"
Jaune couldn't help but gape in shock as Nihilus casually backhanded Adam away - punting the man through the wall of a nearby warehouse with absolute nonchalance.
With his grin still firmly in place, Nihilus pulled the sword free of his chest, utterly uncaring to the spurt of blood that accompanied its removal. "I did so enjoy that semblance of yours," he chuckled, "and even now your soul is so feisty!"
Jaune and Pyrrha could only blink as Nihilus' wounded flesh knit itself back together, his robes following suit only a moment later.
Adam staggered to his feet, his mask long gone and a deep cut on his forehead as he stumbled towards Nihilus again. "Wha… what are you doing to me?"
Nihilus' grin only widened. "Just adding you to my collection," a bubble of laughter escaped his pale lips, "find peace in the embrace of thousands of souls just like yourself…"
Adam staggered up to Nihilus, his hand lashing out weakly in an attempt to punch the robed lord.
The blow just bounced off his aura, the unmovable body of Nihilus' crushing will forcing Adam to his knees.
"I wonder," the false Arc whispered, "will you be like last time? Will you be the first and only?"
"Stop!" Pyrrha cried suddenly, her weary expression hidden under righteous anger, "You're killing him!"
Nihilus ignored her.
Pyrrha should know better by now… Nihilus didn't do mercy. He was a being of rage and pain - not pity.
"I…" Adam's skin began to rot on his bones, necrosis aging him decades in mere seconds. "I will not die kneeling to a human…" with what must have been herculean strength of will, Adam forced himself to his feet, uncaring that his body was decomposing. "I will die standing…"
Nihilus only nodded, as if he expected this.
Even as his body crumbled into dust, Adam stared into Nihilus' sickly yellow eyes, his will absolutely resolute in the face of his death.
"Thank… you…"
And just like that the man before them crumpled to dust, his soul gone and his body destroyed.
"You're a murderer," Pyrrha hissed to Nihilus after a moment of silence. "How could you ever learn to be this way? You were never Jaune Arc, you… you're foul."
Nihilus ignored her, his unseeing gaze locking onto Jaune suddenly. "Dodge."
Dodge? What did he-
There she was again, Violet. The little girl with the bloodstained snowsuit… but something was wrong. Her expressive purple eyes held only panic and fear - her mouth moved, but he heard no words, she screamed and shouted only for silence to escape her. What was wrong? Why was she-
BANG!
Jaune felt the explosive pain shear through his chest all in a single instant, his heart bursting into unimaginable agony as pain tore through him.
"Jaune!"
He wasn't sure who said that, he had less than a second to comprehend someone had even spoken. Before he could even look down to see what had happened to him, Jaune suddenly found himself flying backwards into the wall of one of the nearby warehouses. Without explanation, his chest started hurting way worse, like something was terribly wrong...
With a start, Jaune noted that the armoured huntress that had been spying on them was standing before him, her dark armour dully gleaming in the light of the sun. Jaune tilted his head down to look at his chest; with mild surprise, he noted that the armoured huntress had run him through with her sword, and that there was a gaping hole over where his heart was meant to be. Had someone shot him? Was that what happened…?
"I'm sorry," the distorted and quiet voice whispered, "Jaune… I'm sorry."
Violet was there too, her small hand clutching at his trembling fingers so tightly… she didn't look panicked anymore, only sad - like she knew what was going to happen next, but also knew that there was nothing that could be done to stop it.
Jaune opened his mouth to speak, to reassure the girl that everything was fine - despite the fact that he knew it wasn't. But only a spatter of blood came out, the chaotic red splattering down his killer's armour. He tried to breathe, but no air came to him. Darkness crept into the edge of his vision as he stared at the sword that had impaled him… so familiar… where had he seen it before?
"Daddy…" Violet whispered,
That sword… it looked like…
"Say hello to mummy for me…"
Blake's. Blake… had killed him.
Darkness consumed his sight, and in that moment, Jaune Arc died.
A/N
Alas, so ends the life and struggles of Jaune Arc. Killed by Ruby and Blake before he ever managed to make something of himself… bummer for him I suppose. For those of you who are wondering, yes! That really did just happen. Jaune died. End of the line, game over, etc…
Anyone curious why his aura didn't protect him from the bullets? Or why Nihilus didn't bother to save him when it was well within his power? All those questions will be answered… if you ask! C'mon guys; help a guy out, leave a review!
Speaking of reviews:
Shaded Azure:
Thanks for reviewing.
An excellent point, but there a few issues with this suggestion: Most obviously perhaps would be that Jaune is one of those damn picky people who would whine and complain about having his arm lopped off. Ha...
Jokes aside though; even if they did do that the effect would be minimal. Jaune would no longer be able to use the ring as a catalyst for fire Dust (assuming he doesn't just find a way to put it onto his other hand) but he would still have all the negative emotional and psychological effects - just without the added bonus of having the means to... blow off some steam so to speak.
A good and fully logical suggestion, good job.
Yuligan101:
Thanks for reviewing.
Thank you! I do try to keep things interesting, particularly when I get to play with characters like Nihilus. Chaos is more fun to write, especially in the form of Nihilus - who, interestingly enough, has yet to actually lie about anything. Quite the achievement considering he has spouted a few pieces of contradicting information.
There are two answers to your question, as whenever Nihilus uses the term 'Hollow' he could mean two different things. Initially 'Hollow' was the word the young Nihilus used to describe the Ursa in Forever Fall - and he used it again in the present prior to capturing Jaune and Pyrrha. Basically, it was a block term for Grimm. But later in life (we haven't quite gotten to it yet, it's not far off though...) Nihilus started using the word hollow as both an insult and a way to describe particular people who have done... things. You'll see. As for telling which way Nihilus means it in conversation; if he's talking about people it's the latter definition, if it's Grimm then it's the former.
Great Question! The only other person who saw fit to ask is my Beta.
COOLER:
Thanks for reviewing.
The past scenes are deliciously ironic, especially considering how things turned out.
It is correct that there are three lifetimes worth of knowledge in the ring; the first is all the skill that Nihilus himself had before he became what he is now. The second is Cinder; all her skill and power over her life is there. Lastly is Amber (the weakest of the three in terms of skill with Dust) what little information she could add is thrown in there too.
Nihilus did put part of a soul into the ring - his own soul to be precise. However, unlike the apparition, the ring lacks any kind of consciousness or personality. The ring is two things alone; everything anyone could ever want to know about fire, and enough rage and hatred to burn the world down.
Mastermind:
Thanks for reviewing.
Thank you, I try.
Blake was sent to negotiate with the White Fang leaders - to see if they would provide any aid in dealing with Nihilus. Upon the failure of recruiting them, Ruby ordered Blake to kill the White Fang's best fighter and primary threat - Adam. Blake, already weakened from spending years fighting Nihilus, knows she can't win in a straight up fight. So she arranges to play dirty - however whatever plan she had was interrupted by Nihilus' arrival in this chapter.
The Pyrrha of Nihilus' world is irrevocably dead, I'm afraid. Violet is a special circumstance, technically it would be wrong to say that she died - she isn't dead, but she's also not really alive. Violet will exist for as long as Nihilus does, but Pyrrha does not suffer the same fate.
Big Smoke:
Thanks for reviewing.
Nope! Whatever floats your goat.
Thank you for reading, and please remember to leave a review!
EDIT: Re-uploaded since I finally started getting notifications again, hope everyone sees this.
