Chapter 26 – Dark Souls

"That's not going to happen. What's to say that this Salem person won't harm Jaune?" Ruby asked.

"Salem has been locked in there for many years. There is no telling what kind of person she may be now. However, placing this fellow into the abyss will benefit both him and the world." The old man said.

"It doesn't sound like it will help Jaune at all. It seems you just want to imprison him with whatever is inside. I am not going to let that happen."

"Ruby… wait." Jaune stayed where he was, not allowing Ruby to pull him outside.

"What's in the abyss?"

"Inside the Mausoleum lie 2 doors. The first door when you entered locks you in a single room that has another door for you to enter. The room is meant for any individual that is not overtaken by the dark to be safely stored. The person then has the choice whether to enter to the next door where all of the world's darkness is at… or to return to the world where he or she came."

"And how exactly will this help me with my problem?"

"Like I said before, the abyss will reveal your nature when you are conscious. You will be able to hear, see, and face what was causing others harm."

"…" Jaune clenched his fist tightly; afraid of what he will see when he enters inside.

"Don't be frightened young man. I can tell that you don't want to change who you are, but there are times that you must change for the greater good. Allowing these negative thoughts, these negative emotions overcome you is what is controlling you. If you can stop doubting yourself, stop questioning your actions, then and only then will you be able to regain control over your own body and mind."

"I hope you're right." Jaune said. Three other watchers led the knight to the Mausoleum where two others stood guarding over it. They signaled the two to lower their weapons to allow Jaune to enter inside. Surprised by what Jaune was about to do they stepped away from the door and watched as Jaune was about to enter inside.

"Jaune you don't have to do this." Ruby said, gripping her hands tightly around his arm, hoping that he will change his mind and leave this place together.

"I can't Ruby. By doing this, it will allow me to help humanity in some way. If I can't control myself, there's no point for me to be here in this world. I would rather lock myself away knowing that I will never hurt another person again." Jaune stood in front of the door and looked back once more at the others.

"We will be waiting for you right here young man. I know that you have the will power to fight it off and the person you care so much about will be safe here with us until you return." Jaune smiled at the old man and now had nothing to worry about during his disappearance. He pushed the doors open and slowly walked inside. He heard the doors behind him slowly close and his heart stopped when he heard them fully shut. The room where he stood was very familiar to Jaune. It was a somewhat old home with multiple rooms which had no doors.

"This place is… home." Jaune walked around the house where he once lived with his entire family. He noticed that it was night time and noticed a bright light at the living room. He walked down the stairs and looked at his entire family enjoying a warm meal together. His father, his mother, and the rest of his sisters were together and smiling. Jaune walked over to them and stood there in silence.

"Dad?" No one turned to see Jaune who was standing there with mixed emotions.

"Jaune! Your food is going to get cold! You better come down here or else you won't be able to get dessert!" Jaune's mom yelled. A little boy came running down the steps and ran right through Jaune who was still paralyzed. Jaune then looked at the little boy who sat down next to his father and ate his food.

"That's…" Jaune blinked and the room was now empty and uninhabited by his family. He placed his hand over his head and tried to comprehend what was going on. He looked towards the exit of the house and walked towards it. Upon reaching the other side he noticed where he was at now. He could hear the sound of music playing and a large group of students watching and laughing at someone who wore a white dress. He then realized that this was the day of the dance back at Beacon. He watched as he and his team danced together with laughter and smiles all around. Jaune felt relaxed and calm and didn't seem to realize that these were all memories. He walked back into the empty room just to see that it was now the infirmary of the school. He walked over to an open window to see the night sky which held a white shattered moon. Thousands of stars could be seen all around the sky and it was then he heard footsteps approaching him from behind.

"You should be asleep Ruby."

"I should, but it's hard to do that when someone close to you is in pain." Ruby walked towards the knight who continued to watch the sky. These were memories that Jaune was able to witness once again. These memories were very accurate and it wasn't until the conversation changed when he realized that none of this is real.

"These are all memories right?" Jaune asked. Ruby continued talking as if she didn't hear his question and continued responding the same way she during that night. Jaune looked over to where Ruby walked in and now noticed an iron door. This was the first door Jaune had seen during his trip on memory lane. He walked towards and inspected it. The door was very old and had engraving on it which was still visible to the naked eye. He slowly pulled the door open and a powerful gush of wind blew it open which pushed Jaune back. He looked inside the door and saw a dark red barren land which he had never seen in his life.

"This can't be another memory." Jaune walked inside the door and into the massive wasteland. The area was massive and many dark violet crystals can be seen connected to the ground. The winds of the vast area made it somewhat hard for Jaune to look around.

"When I think of Dark and Abyss, I expected it to be black… pitch black, but this place… this place is equally creepy. I need to be careful where I walk." Jaune noticed that his dark aura was radiating from his entire body. It seems that the place was drawing out the darkness inside of him without him feeling the full effects of it. Jaune crouched and observed the crystals that were near him.

"Jaune."

"What?" Jaune immediately turned around after hearing a woman's voice near his ear.

"Where is this voice coming from?" Jaune turned in front of him and noticed a woman a few feet away from him. He drew his sword and took his stance just in case she attacked.

"Who are you?"

"It's nice to finally meet you in person… Jaune Arc."

"How… how do you know my name?"

"Let's just say that I have been watching you for some time now and I must say that you really caught my interest."

"She's been… watching me? Wait… that voice… that voice sounds very familiar, yet… I can't place my finger on it. I can't remember where I heard that very same voice before."

"I will not ask again… who the hell are you?" Jaune noticed the black veins that were connected to her eyes. It looked very similar to his and can only think that whoever this woman is, she was just like him. Her hair was as white as Weiss's, but her eyes were covered in darkness and only her red glowing iris remained.

"I haven't done anything at all and you are already eager to kill me. It seems you really are a killer in the inside aren't you? Tell me, do you find pleasure in harming other people?"

"Wait... wha…" Salem walked closer to Jaune and placed her hand on his cheek. Jaune's body froze and he was unable to move. The black veins appeared on Jaune's face and his mind was removed of all thoughts. Every negative thought was gone, everything that he ever thought about that would stress him out was completely decreased to the point of him not remembering what he was stressing about. Jaune gazed into Salem's gleaming red eyes and didn't feel the need to kill, to fight, to struggle, or to feel concerned about the problems of the outside world.

"It seems that you have been through quite a lot Jaune. You can call me Salem."

"Salem…" Jaune said, still mesmerized by here soft hand absorbing every negative thought he had and it wasn't until a few seconds later did he figure out what Salem was doing. Jaune immediately jumped away from her and made sure he kept her distance.

"You… you were absorbing my aura weren't you."

"You arrived here to seek help didn't you? That was exactly what I was doing."

"How is absorbing my aura help in any way!?"

"You have been obtaining more aura than your body can hold and now it is overtaking you. I had that same problem and I found a way to fix it. You should be thanking me for saving your sanity."

"Wh… why should I believe you? For all I know you could have brainwashed me!"

"Brainwash you? You should be grateful. You turned out to be just like Cinder.

"You know Cinder."

"Well I don't see the harm in telling you this, but Cinder was one of my followers. However her thirst for power clouded her judgement and she became just like one of those dark wraiths that use to walk among the people on remnant.'

"So… you worked with Cinder!" Jaune pulled out his sword and swung it towards Salem who had no problem avoiding it and grabbed Jaune by the arm.

"Calm down Jaune. I'm trying to help you."

"You were working with Cinder. She is the reason why I turned out like this. She is the reason why Pyrrha is dead!"

"You've got it all wrong. I admit that Cinder and I have been working together, but our goals differed. The incident was her plan, not mine Jaune. You see, I'm just like you."

"Just like me?" Jaune understood that she had the dark aura like him, but there was something more to it than that.

"Like you I aimed to help humanity with this gift that was placed on me, however the ones I trusted, the ones that I would sacrifice myself for… betrayed me. You already know one of them and heard of the other."

"And who exactly are these two people? Why should this be any concern to me?" Salem smiled at Jaune.

"This should be a concern to you because the person who betrayed me was your headmaster from your school."

"…Ozpin?"

"I wanted to help humanity which would be considered inhumane, but I knew that was the only way. However, Ozpin became afraid of what I was becoming and decided it would be best for the world to lock me in here with the help with that absurd knight who calls himself the abyss walker."

"He… he locked you in here? If he did wouldn't he be stuck here as well? Wouldn't the abyss over power him since he doesn't have the dark with him?"

"The knight was the one who brought me inside. I don't know what happened to him. For some reason I was never able to see what his future turned out to be."

"What did you do that was the only way to save humanity?" Jaune asked, curious about what dire situation would force Ozpin to lock her in here.

"I rather not say… however, it's something that will be similar to you in the near future."

"What makes you think that? It's not like you can see the future or anything."

"You're right I can't see the future, but the road you are taking is no different than mine. It will lead to the same destination that I have reached and then you will realize why humanity is far from being saved."

Jaune looked around the vast area. Taking one good look of the possibility of where his choices could lead him one day. Could it be possible that he will end up here with her? Locked inside forever? Never to die? Never to be at peace?

"What you are seeing now was created by me. Before I was here, it was simply darkness, a giant void. However overtime I was able to make this place change. You could say that I am the god of this world."

"If you were to escape this place… where would you go? What would you do?" Jaune asked.

"What would I do? I would get back at Ozpin for locking me away in this dreadful place. I would get back at humanity for turning their backs on me."

"… I'm not you."

"What?" Salem asked.

"I said I'm nothing like you. Unlike you, I would never harm the peace that is left. If by causing mass murder is your way of getting revenge then it's something that is very different between you and me." It seems that whatever she told him, it was all true. She did not seem the type of person who would lie. However, Jaune knew he had to be wary of her. A trait like that is something that he doesn't come by these days.

"That is what I like about you Jaune. You never give up on what you believe in. Your determination is what got you through this world, but that will only get you so far." A gaping whole appeared beside Salem which Jaune responded with his sword drawn. A woman came right outside of it, wearing a white mask.

"One of your followers I take it."

"Salem, it seems that everyone is looking for him. The SRT is currently stationed at the school waiting for the boy's arrival." Raven said.

"I see. Then I guess we should send him on his way now."

"Wait… what's going on? Who is that woman and what school are you talking about?"

"You already know that you're wanted across Remnant correct? The people who want you are currently waiting to capture you at your school." Salem told the student with a sinister smile on her face.

"Dammit. What am I going to do about that? If I just turn myself in there's no telling how long I am going to be held in a god forsaken prison cell. There is also no telling what kind of people I will find there that could pose a problem. I'm drawing a blank!"

"Who's the woman?" Jaune asked.

"Pay no attention to her. She is just a messenger."

"How can she teleport in here? How's that possible?"

"You ask too many questions Jaune. It's better to keep you in the dark… for now." Raven removed her mask and looked at Jaune who seemed a bit shock when he looked at her. To Jaune, she looked very similar to Yang, but he didn't know that she was actually Yang's mother.

"Why do you continue staring? Do you like what you see?" Raven asked the blonde student.

"What!? No!? You just… you remind me of someone that's all." Jaune said, blushing at the question he was asked. Jaune walked over to a boulder and sat in front of it. He decided to rest again since he has yet to sleep.

"What are you doing?" Salem asked.

"I'm going to sleep. I haven't slept for quite a while and I am feeling really tired. If what you did to me helped, I shouldn't go on a killing spree during my sleep." Salem and Raven stared at the student who slowly drifted away.

"What do you think we should do with him?" Raven asked Salem.

"We're not doing anything. The people of Remnant will do it for us."

"How?"

"You'll see. He's going to leave here soon, but he will return here and when he does… he'll let me out of here and the destruction of Remnant will begin and he… he will help us do it."

Hours Later…

After sleeping for a few hours, Jaune woke up and stretch his arms and legs. He noticed that Salem was sitting on a rock staring at the shattered moon in the sky. He walked over to her and decided to look at the moon with her.

"You know… I always admired the moon. Every night I would go outside and look at the sky just to gaze at the stars and the moon. It was something that kept me calm and motivated to continue to strive for something greater." Jaune couldn't stop himself from feeling sorry for her. She was all alone in the place other than the other masked woman who appeared earlier, but to be here away from civilization, away from friends and family must feel terrible for her.

"I would ask you to help me get out of here, but I already know the answer you would give me." Salem said.

"Thanks for helping me with my problem, but getting you out would put everyone's lives in jeopardy and I can't have that."

"That's understandable, but I know one day you'll come back here and maybe then I will never be alone." This emotion that Jaune could sense was overwhelming him. He knew he had to leave now before he decides to do something drastic that could cause a catastrophe in Remnant. He walked towards the door that remained closed and looked back once more at Salem who remained seated, watching at the bright moon in the sky.

"Thanks again for what you did. Know this, by helping… you're helping humanity."

"Helping humanity? The only person I'm helping is you. You'll come back here again and while you're facing the people who you hoped to save I'll be here… watching over you."

Jaune reached for the door's handle, but the doors automatically unlocked and opened, allowing Jaune to walk through it. Jaune entered inside and realized he was inside a crypt. The crypt was dark but had torches that lit the area. He looked around to figure out where exactly where he was. He had never been to a place like this nor did he ever remember seeing images, yet here he was in an unfamiliar place. He walked over to a room that held hundreds of caskets. The room was massive and Jaune couldn't believe such a room this big could exist, let alone have this many caskets. He walked over to each one that had names of people engraved in front of each of the caskets. Each casket had a weapon in front on top of them that Jaune looked at it carefully. Each weapon was unique to the other and each of them looked very different compared to the next one. Jaune reached a casket with a name that looked very familiar but spelled differently.

"Rubia?" Jaune wiped the dirt off the hid the last name of the person's casket. He was shocked to find out what the last name of the person was.

"Arc?" Jaune looked at the weapon on top of the casket and noticed that it looked very similar to Ruby's scythe, but the color was different. Jaune tried to open the casket, but he couldn't, it was way too heavy for him to push open and decided to check out the names of the caskets before this person and the ones after it. Surprisingly, each of the caskets was placed alphabetically and Jaune quickly walked towards the lane where his name fell in. He found one with his exact name and just like the others, it was closed shut. Jaune's sword Crocea Mors lay on top of it and unlike the current one he has, that one was old and worn. While Jaune was looking at the casket, a grey ghostly figure that appeared as a human slowly made itself visible from across the room.

"Hello?" Jaune said, no answer was heard from it, the figure continued on walking and looking as if it didn't realize Jaune was there. Two others appeared shortly after and the same thing had occurred, neither one noticed Jaune who was standing near them.

"What the hell is going on here?" Jaune noticed another grey figure that had a hooded cape similar to Ruby's running down the aisle and disappearing into the darkness. Jaune placed his hand on his forehead and tried to think of a possible explanation for this. He decided to head back to where he appeared and continued seeing these apparitions come and go which made Jaune a bit uneasy. Jaune continued looking around for a door that looked similar to the one he had opened when he entered this dream world, but instead he continued to find himself inside another room full of caskets, but this time it was a different letter of the alphabet. He turned back around and decided to look someplace else. He walked a set of stairs that led to more rooms that had no doors, but found something entirely different. It was a room that was actually a library, a library that had a fireplace in the center of it. Jaune entered inside and looked around a bit, pulling out a few books each with a person's name as the title. There were so many that it would take years for Jaune to look at every book it had. Jaune decided to take a seat on a comfy sofa that was placed by the fireplace. Jaune sat and looked at the grey figures walk past him and disappear into the library.

"How am I going to leave this place? Man, the old man could have at least given me an instruction manual on how to get out of here." After a few minutes of pondering, Jaune heard a loud bang from across the hallway in the library. He quickly got up and ran towards the sound where it came and found the doors which exited this dream world. Without hesitation Jaune pushed open the iron doors and finally made it out and entered the real world. The doors behind him shut and he was approached by two of the watchers who stood guard outside the entrance.

"I never thought I would say this… but I'm glad to see you guys again."

"So that's what she told you?" The old man asked Jaune.

"Yeah, and the way she said it… sounds like she is certain that I will come back."

"That sounds very problematic and this woman that appeared… how did she manage to get in without going through the front entrance?" One of the watchers asked.

"I… I don't know. A hole appeared in the air and out she came. It's almost like my semblance that I use to stop projectiles from getting towards me. Jaune activated his semblance to show them an example of how similar it looked.

"What do you think we should do?" The watcher asked the elder.

"Well if that is true then Salem would have already left if she wanted to, but something tells me she is bound to the place."

"What do you mean?" Jaune asked.

"You said that the woman somehow teleported inside yet Salem remained inside and did not bother leaving with the woman. Something tells me that something is causing her not to leave. It could be the mausoleum itself or it could be something entirely different. In any case we should worry about this woman who appeared inside with her. Do you have any clue how she looked like?"

"I have no idea, but I overhead them talking about my school in Vale. Apparently she has been watching the place for a while now and it is currently occupied by officers of the kingdom."

"Do you have any idea why?" Jaune hesitated to tell them, but if he wants to step forward to the right direction then by telling the truth they will surely understand his reasons for doing such things. He explained why he became a wanted man and why they were occupying the school and was relieved when they understood the reasons why he did such things.

"We understand why you would go to great lengths to prevent a disaster in the near future. Although the events in Mistral was a disaster, that doesn't mean you are at wrong here. Nothing could have been to prevent that under your circumstances at the time. All I can do is to send a few watchers to find this masked woman around your school and search for any person that matches the description you told us."

"I… I see. Then I can leave the masked woman to you guys. I need to clear my name first and the only person who could do that is Rhett." Jaune walked over to the room where Ruby stayed for the week. Apparently Jaune had been gone for a week since he entered inside the Mausoleum. He entered the room and realized that Ruby was asleep and he didn't want to wake up the tired girl and decided to stay here for the night so that she can get the rest she needed. He returned to living room and asked one of the watchers if he wanted to spar. Jaune wanted to see whether he still had control over his dark aura after the incident with Salem absorbing some aura. He agreed and told him to meet him in a structure that was across the house. Unlike the house he was in, the structure was the biggest in the area and actually had a bell on top of it. At first glance it looked like a church, but upon entering inside, it was actually a battle arena where the abyss watchers sparred. There you could see the many seats where people would sit down to enjoy each knight battle it out and to Jaune it seemed kind of similar to that of Beacon. As Jaune stretched and got ready, the bell above the structure rang and when a few minutes passed, every watcher in the vicinity entered inside to watch the two knights duke it out.

"So that bell is used to draw a crowd?"

"It has always been a tradition of ours to ring the bell when a battle was about commence." The Abyss watcher aimed his Greatsword towards Jaune and placed his hand that held the dagger over his opposite arm.

"What are you doing?" Jaune asked.

"It's a gesture we use to show politeness to our challenger no matter what they are before we engage in battle."

"Oh." Jaune did the same although he did look silly compared to the abyss watcher that just did it and once he did that battle between the two commenced.

"Are you ready to go Jaune?" Ruby asked.

"Yup I'm ready. Let's get going." Jaune grabbed his stuff and headed towards the exit of the home. One of the watchers walked over to Jaune and gave him something wrapped in a cloth.

"Here's a present from us. We hope that it will aid you in your journey."

"Thanks… I appreciate the gift. I hope everything works out for the both of us." The watcher nodded and Jaune, Ruby and Zwei were now on their way back to Beacon where Jaune will face the people he helped.

"What do we do about Mistral?"

"The Dark was indeed stopped by the boy, but there is not telling what the after effects of it could have done. You know what all of you need to do about it. We can't allow something dangerous be born from it."

"I understand."

One Week Later…

"Put your hands in the air!" Jaune placed his hands over his head and obeyed at the orders he was given. The officers placed him behind the cruiser and took him to the airport where he would return to Mistral and face the law of the kingdom. Ruby and her friends had to be stopped by Ozpin who made sure they did not do anything that would risk them getting imprisoned as well. After Jaune's departure, they immediately stormed to Ozpin's office, enraged that he did absolutely nothing to help him.

"Why don't you say something? Can't you go to Mistral and explain to them that he is innocent!?" Ruby yelled.

"Calm down Ms. Rose, I could, but the things he did here in Vale will be sufficient enough to get him imprisoned here. At the moment we need to see whether they have sufficient evidence to convict him. Of course none of you have any idea how the law works so I suggest you all return to your dorm room and allow me to fix this mess." Ozpin was different now compared to his usual self. He didn't remain in one spot and instead was walking back and forth without sipping into his signature mug. Ruby and the others did what he asked and returned to their dorm rooms where they remained for the rest of the day, whereas Ozpin left to the detention center where Emerald was being kept. When he arrived, he stumbled upon Yang who was waiting for his arrival.

"Ms. Xiao Long, what bring you here?"

"You already know professor Ozpin. While you remained at your office all this time doing who knows what, I have been trying to make Emerald tell me where Rhett has been hiding. With what has been going on, I wouldn't be surprised that you are here because of what happened to Jaune."

"It seems you catch on easily Ms. Xiao Long. In any case, we should hurry to Emerald and try to find out Rhett's whereabouts." The two headed towards the room where Emerald was being held for questioning and the two started their interrogation.

"I see you brought your headmaster to this conversation of ours." Emerald said.

"How about we get back to the part where you tell us where Rhett is hiding?"

"Like I said before I don't know where he hides. The last time we saw him was the day you and your friend were caught which by the way must be really depressing. How did you handle it? Surely you're not upset anymore right?" Yang clenched her fists at the response she was given.

"You aren't allowed to talk about Jay."
"I'm not? Well I think I am entitled to talk about him since I was the one who knew him more than you ever did."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Yang asked, ready to punch Emerald across the face if she did not shut her mouth.

"I think it's best if you wait outside Ms. Xiao Long." Professor Ozpin said.

"No! She needs to hear this. You see, the reason why I knew him better is because I was the one who messed his head up pretty bad."

"Shut your mouth." Yang said, grinding her teeth.

"Oh are you upset? Don't tell me you actually had feeling for the guy?" Yang not holding back, punched Emerald across the face which left a very distinctive mark on her cheek.

"Ms. Xiao Long! Calm yourself! I think it's better if you wait outside and let me handle this!"

"No Ozpin! It's her fault that we're in this mess and she deserves everything that is coming to her!" Yang grabbed emerald by the hair and threatened her.

"If you don't tell me what I want to know, I will be sure that you will feel the same pain that I have been feeling all this time." Yang's eyes was surrounded by a bright yellow flame which Emerald already knew first glance that it was one of the Maiden's powers. Emerald could feel the back of her head starting to burn up which scared her.

"Okay, okay! I'll tell you! Just let me go!" Yang let go of the girl's hair and listened to what she was about to say.

"He… he moves time to time depending on what's going on around him."

"What do you mean by that?" Ozpin asked.

"Take the problem at Mistral for example. Rhett enjoys watching people suffer and with what has been going on in Mistral as of late, he has been hanging around there more often than usual. If you want to find him, he has a small base of operation by the industrial part of Mistral. It's in a warehouse that is owned under a different person's name."

"And what name is that?" Yang asked.

"JAUNE JAUNE JAUNE JAUNE!" These word were continuously being repeated by the large crowd that were outside the airport holding up signs that read "We're with you knight!" and "The Dark Knight is Innocent!" The large crowd was something that Jaune did not expect. He couldn't believe his news of being captured and arriving into the airport would spread so quickly. The officers had to push the raging fans away in order to allow the other officers to take Jaune inside. The sounds of gunshots rang out and he could see the people who were angry at the officers scatter the area. Jaune saw a bystander next to one of the officer's shoulder fall to the ground which caused the officers around them to panic. Whoever took the shot made the officers duck for cover. The officers that were escorting Jaune hurried him to the airship that was waiting for him. Jaune could only look back at the officers who were looking for the direction of where the shot was taken. After a few minutes of hurrying, they made it to the airship and managed to take off. Jaune sat inside a cell within the airship and waited for them to drop him off in Mistral where he would be kept and wait for his trial. After an hour of flying, Jaune was visited by a woman who apparently had met Jaune once.

"No I don't recognize you. Should I?"

"Of course you should. I mean, you did take me hostage during the incident in Mistral." Jaune tried to remember, but couldn't.

"You know, when you tried escaping in that Medical facility." Jaune then remembered who she was and what he had done.

"Oh… now I remember. Listen I didn't mean to harm you. All I wanted was to leave unscathed and not get arrested for a crime I did not commit."

"Oh sure… a crime that you did not commit. However the video evidence proves otherwise."

"I'm telling you it's not my doing. It was the white fang that was behind that attacked."

"I'm not going to believe a criminal like you. Oh by the way I never had the time to repay for the humiliation you put me through."

"Humilia…" Shots rang and those shots were directed towards Jaune who luckily had his aura to protect him from getting serious injuries, but nonetheless it still hurt really badly.

"What the hell was that for?! Are you crazy!?" A couple of people came running down the stairs to find out what the shooting was.

"Hey! Are you crazy!? We aren't supposed to hurt him!" One of the guys said.

"Relax… it is payback. You can return to drinking your beer." They returned to the cockpit and she continued putting rounds to Jaune.

"I had to go back to training because of you and I became the laughing stock in the team. You know how bad that was? Well do you?" Another shot was placed on Jaune's leg.

"You can't do this!"

"Sure I can." Another shot rang out, this time it was directed towards Jaune's chest.

"As long as I make sure your aura doesn't diminish, I can continue shooting you without having any physical signs that can prove that I did anything to you." After a few minutes, she stopped and returned with the others and Jaune was left to rub the pain that was left by her.

"What a sick bastard." After another hour of flying, they finally made it to Mistral and unlike reaching this place in the first place, it looked terrible. From high above you could see the parts of Mistral that were abandoned due to the Grimm attack. Upon landing, Jaune was escorted out by the same woman who continuously shot at him. After making it out of the airport, this time Jaune was greeted by people who hated Jaune for what they thought he did. They believed that he was a reason for the tragedy here at Mistral. They berated him, cursed at him, and even throw stuff at him. All of this was something that Jaune expected to happen. With what the media had been putting out and what the people of Mistral were left to believe, Jaune didn't blame any of them for not knowing the truth. He was placed inside the armored vehicle and was immediately taken to the local jail where he would await his trail from there.

An Hour Later…

"Admit it! You're the reason why the kingdom is going through this mess and you should take responsibility and accept the punishment that will be given to you!"

"I'm telling you I didn't do it."

"I'm going to tell you once more… admit i…" A tall swollen man entered the room where Jaune was being kept and interrupted the group of people who were interrogating Jaune.

"I am this boy's lawyer and you do not have the authority to question him. I want you all to clear the room right now!" Everyone in the room sighed and walked out.

"Umm… thanks for that. They wouldn't let me talk at all without having them interrupt me every second."

"Well that won't be an issue now. Well as I said before, I'm your appointed lawyer. I will help you get out of this mess by whatever means."

"Thanks, but I want you to know as my appointed lawyer that I really didn't do it."

"Don't worry young man I already know you didn't do it."

"Really?"

"Of course. You were only trying to help the kingdom by trying to stop Adam Taurus from letting go of the switch, but I doubt the people here at Mistral will think the same way.

"Oh… I… I guess you're right."

"But don't worry! I Burgundy will make sure you get out of this place as a free man!"

"Great! I really hope you can pull this off. I really want to help this kingdom out, but I can't do it behind bars." Burgundy sat in the other side and placed his briefcase on top of the table. He pulled out a bunch of information about Jaune, past missions, affiliations, and his team. Everything you wanted to know about Jaune, Burgundy had it in his disposal.

"Where did you get all of that?"

"Well, when you have been working as a lawyer for decades, you end up finding easier ways to get things without having to put so much effort in doing so."

"By illegal means?"

"No! Heavens no! I have plenty of good friends across the kingdoms that work close with the government and have authorization to get information for me. All of these are all legal of course."

"Oh… okay I guess." Half an hour passed and Burgundy was still looking through the information he had.

"Umm… Burgundy."

"Hmm…"

"Burgundy."

"Mmmm…"

"Burgundy!"

"Oh! Sorry I was absorbed in thought. I'm amazed that you've had gone through these entire dangerous mission at your age. I have never met someone who was as gifted as you are. Your parents must be proud.

"I'm pretty sure they aren't at the moment."

"Oh! Sorry about that. Now let's see here. It will be very difficult for the Prosecutor to convict you of terrorism."

"TERRORISM!?" Jaune yelled. Surprised at what they are accusing him of.

"Well you need to understand that this incident caused thousands of lives here at Mistral and this is something really serious that I feel will be punishable by…"

"Punishable by what Burgundy?"

"Well… by death."

Hey everyone! Sorry for the really late upload. I had finals week and I didn't really have time to make a chapter to upload. I wanted some time to relax and you know, not do anything that involved thinking. However, now that I'm done with testing, I can hopefully return to making chapters. If you haven't noticed already, I named this chapter dark souls because it has so many references of dark souls that if I didn't know any better, this could be a cross between dark souls and Rwby, but I am keeping the dark souls part to a minimum because this is more heavily on Rwby than dark souls. Anyways thanks for reading this chapter and I hope you continue reading future ones as well. Oh and one more thing... time is convoluted inside the Mausoleum.

The next chapter will be called "Behind the Dark Mask" so look forward to that.