Following the fateful encounter with Blake, Jet found it increasingly hard to slog through the next day of classes. Even combat class was distinctly uneventful compared to his own thoughts.

Why had Blake been so determined to find his secret?

Did someone put her up to that?

He felt an elbow in the ribs, and hissed indignantly at Izzet, who pointed to Goodwitch.

"Jet, you are required for this next exercise. Please come forward." she instructed. It was another combat training class, and he felt eyes on his back as he leaped upwards before allowing his wings to catch and soaring down to where Goodwitch was, landing gracefully at her side before turning to face the class.

"This exercise will focus on your agility." Goodwitch explained to the class. "You must evade Jet's attacks for one minute. You cannot retaliate."

Jet gave her a sideways glance.

"That won't last long." he murmured, causing her to steal a glance at him.

"You will not be able to move." she replied. "You must focus on using your ranged attacks. Is that possible?"

"Of course." Jet replied with a grin.

Ruby watched from the stands as Jet and Goodwitch had their conversation. She wondered briefly if Jet was in trouble, but then reconsidered when she saw his grin.

"Now then, we will determine two teams to demonstrate the importance of agility." Goodwitch announced. "To succeed, you must evade Jet's powerful attacks for one minute. He will not be able to move, but bear in mind that you cannot retaliate. You will need to focus on evasion."

Goodwitch then took out her scroll as Jet took his position in the center of the training arena. Ruby focussed on him as he stretched upwards, before that purple fire surrounded him once more. Barely a second later, his shield and lance appeared with a howling shriek that threatened the death of any that came in contact with them.

He really did look like an angel of darkness now. And yet Ruby was surprised. Not one single person except Ozpin had found out about them. Though she couldn't shrug off the nagging feeling about the glances Blake stole of her from time to time, looking away when Ruby met her eyes. Did she know?

It seemed that Team JNPR had been first to be chosen to face Jet's trial.

Ruby saw Jaune, Pyrrha and Ren walk up from the entrance to the arena.

"Where's Nora?" Ruby asked Yang, who was sat beside her.

"She's got a fever." Yang replied sideways.

A laugh from Jet brought Ruby's attention back to the field.

"So you think you can evade me so easily can you, Pyrrha?" he asked. "We'll see about that."

His aura indicator assumed its golden hue, and Goodwitch hit the start button on her stopwatch.

"Pay attention." Weiss' voice came from her immediate left. "We might be able to learn something by watching his movements."

"What is there to learn?" Ruby muttered to herself as Jet immediately blasted Jaune backwards with a laser originally meant for Ren.

"What was that, Ruby?" Yang asked, drawing her attention away for a brief moment, in which Jet had fired another laser. Her sister looked troubled.

"Nothing. Nothing." Ruby said, quickly, but Yang's narrowed eyes indicated her disbelief. "Okay, fine." she grumbled. "What is there to learn?"

"What do you mean by that?" Weiss asked from across Yang. "He's clearly a lot stronger than us. We can pick up something from his technique."

Ruby looked back just in time to see Jet plunge his lance into the ground, sending a pulse outward that shocked and stunned Ren, leaving him easy prey for another laser attack. She turned back to Weiss.

"All I really see is how strong my boyfriend is." Ruby replied. Weiss gave her an affronted look, but her response was cut off with a giggle from Yang.

"Boyfriend? That's a first." Yang laughed. "I thought he was the one giving the pet names."

Before Ruby could reply, Goodwitch ended the test. As Ruby had predicted beforehand, not one of JNPR had survived that minute. Jet was just too powerful right now.

It was almost boring.

She noticed Blake shooting her a rather odd look, a twist between knowing and apprehension. Did she know?

As Jet resumed his position next to Goodwitch, he let his power dissipate. It was getting too easy. The immortality, the unlimited power, the ability to simply end someone on the spot.

He tucked his wings in, mentally punching himself.

'You can't get complacent, fool.' Jet berated himself. 'Remember your purpose.'

His purpose was… was…

Jet found his thoughts were becoming fainter and fainter. The fire inside him was getting hotter and hotter. It was beginning to burn him. His head was beginning to ache. What was going on?

"Professor?" Jet asked sideways at Goodwitch. "May I be excused?"

It was five minutes before the end of class anyway, but knowing Goodwitch, she would need a reason.

"Why, may I ask?" she responded, giving him an appraising look. He put a hand to his forehead, which he now realised was covered with sweat.

"Imminent migraine, only just realised its coming." Jet replied. He had no idea what this was, but he wasn't going to find out here, in the middle of class, in front of everyone. To his surprise, Goodwitch's expression softened a little.

"Fly out and straight to your dorm room. I will report this to your team. Go now." Goodwitch instructed, an almost pitying expression on her face.

It was one of those things where you didn't question it. You just go with it.

Jet immediately leaped into the air and took flight, but while he soared in the direction of the dorm rooms, he was not really heading there.

Jet landed on the roof of the cafeteria building and immediately pressed his hand to the tiles. A barrier, made from purple ice, shielded him from the light of the sun. The unnatural chill soothed his rapidly heating skin, and without warning, a practical thunderbolt of pain hit his head as the flames currently heating him burst outwards.

Jet hissed in pain as he curled up into a ball. The fire started to sear, and the headache became a full blown migraine. He groaned a little as he leaned against the ice, knowing that it wouldn't melt unless HE wanted it to melt, and closed his eyes, as the sensory input was causing his head to hurt worse.

"Jet? Jet?!"

Was that Ruby?

"What's happening?"

Yang too?

"Get away from me!" he yelled, and immediately regretted it as another jolt of pain wracked his brain. He had no idea where they were, but he knew his fire was starting to expand, bit by bit.

He felt a soft hand on his arm, and an 'Ow!' followed by its quick withdrawal told him that Yang had just touched him and burnt herself. If he wasn't in complete agony right now, he would have laughed at the irony.

As Jet curled up tighter, bearing the brunt of the stinging flames and terrible migraine, he recalled something that Deus had told him the first he'd seen him.

'REMEMBER, MORTAL, YOU ARE INFUSED WITH MY POWER. YOU WILL GROW STRONGER, BUT THERE IS A CHANCE YOUR BODY WILL DESTROY ITSELF EACH TIME IT HAPPENS.'

Is that what he meant?

The hateful flames billowed ever outwards. He could feel them growing in heat and size.

"Ruby, get away from him!" Yang yelled from somewhere. "He's white hot!"

"JET! LET GO, YANG!" Ruby screamed out. Everything was burning. The purple fire that had provided strength before was now causing torrential surges of agony, but he was starting to feel something else.

Pleasure.

He was feeling pleasure?

With a roar, he allowed the pain he'd been resisting to now dominate his body. The fires billowed around him, creating more terrible suffering but also… strength.

Had he won the gamble?

"Ahhh!" Jet shrieked as he rose to his feet, opening his eyes to see the blaze having spread outwards and forcing Yang and Ruby back. "Ultimate power… I have… POWER!"

The energy surrounding him now flowed inwards, drawing the fire into him. The feeling of sudden strength and a lightening of his body was the strongest so far. Bathing in ecstasy within this new feeling of power, he gave another roar, before it all stopped, and he fell to his arms and knees. His wings had burst from his clothes during this, and he panted as he heard tentative footsteps walking towards him.

He looked up to see Ruby and Yang kneeling down to look at him. He was still surrounded by flames, and a red glow within the purple told him that his eyes were red. He stood, wings outstretched, a grin spreading on his face as he looked at his hand, where flames curled around his fingers. The ice was gone.

"Are you okay? Say something!" Yang yelled, and were it not for Ruby next to her, she'd have probably been the one most worried for him.

"I'm more than okay." Jet said. "I feel… fantastic!"

He extinguished the flames as Yang and Ruby looked at one another with puzzled expressions. He reached out a hand to Ruby, and upon touching it, the poor girl ran to him and hugged him tightly. Jet hugged her back, glad to be alive.

"I-I… I…" Ruby said, speechless. Jet ruffled her hair, and kissed her softly on the forehead as she burst into tears, crying into his chest even as Yang walked towards him, a serious expression on her face.

"Is it over?" she asked, as Ruby shuddered.

"For now, at least." Jet panted, losing his breath momentarily. "Holy crud though, that power sure hurt."

"I'll leave you two. Get rid of anyone watching." Yang said, as she turned to go. "It's fine. You can tell me later."

Jet watched her go, then looked down at Ruby, who was still crying. He pushed her back a little so he could look her in the eye, and her face was flushed, red from her tears. Her lip trembled.

"I'm okay, Ruby. Deus warned me about this." he reassured, wiping a fresh tear from Ruby's eye. "I'm even stronger now."

Ruby stood back from him, then did the one thing he didn't expect.

She slapped him, hard, across the face.

Jet was so taken aback that he fell backwards, letting go of her. Ruby didn't stop though. She was on him immediately, punching him in the chest as she sobbed.

"Dummy, dummy, dummy!" she cried, hitting him again with every word, before she collapsed against him, tears flowing freely again. "I don't care how much stronger you get! Don't die getting it and leave me! You dumbass! You… you…"

Ruby's next words collapsed into high pitched gasps as she ran out of breath. Jet said nothing, reeling from that assault, he couldn't think of anything else to say. He wrapped both his hands and his wings around her, holding Ruby close as she cried out her last. Her warm body soothed his aching muscles, tired as they were from the ordeal he'd just gone through.

His fists clenched as he remembered the reason he was putting himself through this pain. Why he was sacrificing both his mind and body to destroy that threat.

Flux.

She was waiting for him.

She knew he'd come.

And when he did,

He'd end it.

End it all.

End… her.