Disclaimer: I own neither the characters not the series itself.
Jaune tried not to cringe as he heard a sigh for the fourth time that day.
He turned his gaze to the other side of the room to find Light sweeping up some autumn leaves that had flown in. Her cleaning was amazingly effortless as always but he could tell something was wrong.
Light, the normally upbeat goddess, had been down for a while. She still acted like it when they did their requests but when she was cleaning by herself, Jaune could sometimes spot a melancholic look on her face. The sighs too were something she rarely did in the past.
The worst part was that Jaune knew it was all his fault.
It was because he had spent all the shrine's money on an antenna that allowed his phone to get signal. He had told himself it was to make emergencies like the last time easier to handle but he knew it was just so he could browse the net at the shrine.
Who could blame him? The fall ambiance matched the shrine perfectly. The cool winds, the falling red leaves, the soft orange glow of the sun. It was such a perfect place to laze around he had even stored a mattress in a spare room.
The only complaint were the seemingly endless leaves that needed sweeping every day.
But now wasn't the time to enjoy the atmosphere. Now, was the time to help a girl in need.
He'd be lying if her attitude hadn't been bothering him but he really didn't have it in him to ask a goddess what was wrong. Perhaps, it was something a mortal like him couldn't understand. Thus Jaune hatched a plan that would not only cheer Light up but also regain some of those funds he may have misused.
"Look here. I found some leftover wood and made this myself." Jaune presented a wooden cylinder. It had eight sharp sides and was as long as his arm. "I think this will help us get more visitors."
Seeing Light's blank look, Jaune got to explaining himself. First, he held up the cylinder and started shaking it. The sounds of wood rattling of many objects from the insides could be heard.
"It's for drawing fortunes. You shake the container like so until a number comes out. Here, it's number one." Out of the pillar box, a piece of wood with a 1 at the top stood. Jaune then reached over to a piece of paper with a list of numbers.
"Then you check which fortune it indicates and hand it to the visitor. I haven't written them yet but I think people would like to carry proof around. I'm thinking we can do it for five lien a draw."
"..."
Light just continued to stare at him. No, rather, her gaze was on the box. She looked at it as if she had reunited with an old friend. Things immediately felt too awkward for Jaune so he simply handed it over to her
"Uh, you can take it if you want to."
The creator goddess took the box as gently as a mother would hold a child. She stared as if it had given her the answer to a lifelong question that had plagued her for too long.
"Jaune...this is amazing."
"It is? I mean, I'm no handyman but it'd be a lie to say I haven't been getting any better at wood shop..."
Jaune continued to trail off about other things but his words couldn't reach the goddess anymore as she examined the hexagon-shaped box. The wood was old and dry yet it was familiar. She'd recognize the past shrine's old wood anywhere.
For the past week, Light had been bothered by the way the old shrine had burnt down. Even if she didn't want to admit it, she had grown fond of the past building even if she enjoyed its current architecture.
More than that, it was the first time in a long while the deity had become attached to anything. She had been so used to destruction that she had unconsciously stopped letting herself get attached.
After all, she could just make new things that could replace it.
But the recent burning had shaken this belief. While she could replace a shrine, what about things she couldn't? The town and its people. Jaune. Darkness.
Through the box, Jaune had reminder her that there were other aspects of Creation she had put to the way side. If things were to end, then she'd at least preserve a part of them. That was another way things could continue to live. after all.
"This is a great way to preserve its memory." Light happily approved the box. Hugging it even. "I have to commend you, Jaune."
"Well, I'm happy you liked it." Jaune really didn't understand why she was so happy with the thing but it was nice to see her spirits lifted. "If you want, you can do the honors of doing the first roll."
"Can I? If so, then allow me." Her ruby eyes sparkling, the goddess shook the wooden container until a long piece of wood peeped out of the hole at the bottom.
Without looking, Jaune already knew how it would go. Everyone loved Light, almost comically so. He swore he's seen wild animals bow when she passed by them. It wouldn't surprise him if Lady Luck did so to.
The number four stuck out.
Jaune felt his stomach drop. Hard. He double checked the fortune once more, a bad foreboding feeling creeping up his spine. The same feeling he got when his aura broke.
A sharp noise was heard. His phone.
As the Arc son stood up to answer the call, Light checked which fortune the number indicated. According to Jaune's list, it was for the Worst Luck possible in every aspect.
The goddess wasn't surprised. Luck and Destiny were Darkness' domains after all.
The phone call turned out to be nothing. Just his mom asking him to swing by the house to pick up some things.
It was the announcement playing on the home television that proved Jaune's intuition right.
The weather station in Vale had picked up a rather large tornado headed their way. According to their calculations, it would reach the town within the next few weeks. Already, talks of evacuation and other preventive measures were being passed around.
It didn't worry Jaune too much. His town got hit by tornadoes regularly. The small farming based community was used to it, whether they liked it or not. The biggest problems with tornadoes were not the twisters themselves but the Grimm that followed after. But unlike before, Jaune didn't mind facing some Grimm for training.
Unfortunately, this all set his plans to gain more faith and money moot.
Due to the coming dangers, less people traveled into the town. Merchants stuck to the kingdom while travelers avoided their path. Even the townspeople were too busy to visit the shrine. Crops needed to be harvested before they'd be blown away, shelters needed to be cleaned, and many other preventive measures the town was used to doing.
At least on the faith side, requests were piling up, mostly centered on the tornado. He and Light had spent most of the week boarding up houses and helping stock up food.
He had even been approached by the town mayor if he wanted to make the new shrine a tourist attraction. It would help boost the town's economy and help Jaune spread his religion's name even wider. For now, the town needed to concentrate on damage control for the coming storm over tourism but they could talk after.
Still, all this meant they were getting the usual amount of faith and Jaune had the feeling they needed much more than usual.
That was why the two had finished up with the day's requests early to start preparing one of the spare rooms of the shrine. The blonde had spent most of the time just cleaning it up and painting the walls a pure white.
Jaune had also moved in a table and some chairs where the two were now currently sitting across each other. His old laptop was laid on the table as well as a mouse. Currently, it was only running on battery.
The teenager was looking at the bottom of the walls, dejectedly. His eyes kept looking as if he'd miraculously missed what he was searching for.
Meanwhile, Light was silently tinkering with something. Before her was a wooden model that resembled the old shrine, patched up and all. She was uncharacteristically absorbed in the task, which suited Jaune just fine while he was preparing everything.
"I don't know why I was expecting sockets." Jaune sighed. In his head, he knew it wasn't possible yet he still hoped. He did have some spare dust crystals but it would have made things a lot easier and cheaper. Then again, with requests taking up all of morning, he wouldn't be needing that much power as Light, the centerpiece of his idea, could only last until late afternoon.
Still, it would have been nice to not need to go back and forth from his house just to charge things. Jaune knew he should've gotten that power line installed first. The worst part was that he couldn't even do anything about it until the tornado had passed. He doubted anyone would be willing to set it up for him in the face of a calamity.
As Jaune wondered just how much would it cost to put the shrine on the grid, an excited voice spoke up.
"It is finally complete." Light beamed as she finished tweaking her model. She then pushed it in front of the prophet with expectant eyes. "I believe this could help out our energy issues."
Uncertain, Jaune moved the shrine closer so he could look at it better. It was actually rather well made. Accurate where Jaune could recognize each patch they had done together. He almost felt a bit of nostalgia for the old building.
"I had taken your words into account. This will be my own way to preserve the memory of our past shrine. Its memory shall remain a source of power for this new one. Quite literally." Light nodded and pointed to the top of the building "Look inside, Jaune."
He did as she said and looked into the hole in the ceiling of the mini shrine to find the inside full of moving parts made of wood. Gears. flaps, mini-levers and pulleys were all moving inside the miniature building.
"Unfortunately, it does not have unlimited energy much like a relic of creation." Light said, her tone disappointed in something Jaune was sure was not supposed to work at all. "My limited power could not create anything like that however I do believe this may work just as well."
Jaune stared at the doohickey. It was made up of many moving parts that moved other moving parts. When he tried to follow how one section moved another, he'd find himself going in a circle as the whole thing didn't seem to have a start nor an end.
The worst part was that it was only going faster and faster.
"Compared to having unlimited power, perpetual motion machines need to constantly release their energy else their materials will start to break under the strain of moving too fast."
Without another word, Jaune plugged his computer into the socket located at the back of the model. The moving parts that were speeding up at an alarming rate slowed down into a more stable one. They weren't getting faster but didn't look like they'd be stopping at all.
He checked, and, yes, it was charging perfectly.
The more Jaune stared, the more his head hurt.
"How is this related to light again?"
While Jaune just hand waved a lot of what the gods could do due to being, well, gods. But there were times he needed to put his foot down. Especially when the laws of thermodynamics were on the line.
The goddess scrunched up her eyebrows, a pensive look on her face. Eventually she spoke up once more.
"I suppose it was about time I've explained our abilities. The best way to know a God would be through their authorities, after all." Light took a moment to compose herself and think up the best way to begin. Oddly enough, she removed the mirror she always wore and placed it on the table between the two of them.
"Jaune, do you know of the beginning of time?"
He obviously didn't personally but he's heard some common ideas in the media he'd consumed. Comics were full of that kind of stuff.
"You mean the big bang?" replied Jaune. There were other theories but that was the most popular. Many a final spell or finishing move was based on it.
"Correct." It was then an image of what looked to be a ball of light was projected above the mirror. It looked like the holograms he'd see on the occasion he visited the city of Vale.
"The introduction of light to the emptiness of reality, a burst of energy that became the first matter. Just as matter can become energy, so too, can energy become matter. Light is both and thus link the two together."
The ball of light dispersed to reveal multiple tinier balls. Some were also glowing, others held spirals of dust swirling around them.
"That was the start for the accumulation of information. The first inscription on the records of reality. The moment for when what you humans describe as time began to move."
More and more soon followed as the projection expanded to reveal a full cosmos. Star clusters that held fiery balls of different colors. Galaxies which took prismatic shapes. Planets of gas and satellites of ice.
And at the very edge of his vision, that he may have just been imagining, was a pale blue dot. Barely a pixel on the matrix of the heavens shown to him but, somehow, Jaune knew what it represented. He also knew that Light did too along with the name of every other pixel he'd point to.
"This single event is why I, God of Light, have authority over Energy and Matter (Creation) as well as the flow of Time (Knowledge)." The girl who had been building a cutesy replica of an old shrine sounded more of a the higher being she was. "The same could be said for Darkness as her powers were also defined by the same origin as my own, what you called the big bang. That is the reason we call ourselves siblings."
The projection shifted as everything was absorbed back into a single shining ball. Two other balls appeared to the left and the right, both pitch black.
Light gestured to each one, as she spoke next.
"If the timeline of all existence were to be simplified to the minimal possible amount, there would only be three states of reality: The initial void of darkness before time had begun, the whole timeline of existence, and finally, the inevitable void after all is gone."
That sounded too nihilistic for Light to say yet Jaune believed it. Besides, that surely would still come billions of years after his death.
"This means Darkness has authority over the Fate of all things to end (Destruction) as well as the Destiny for the path to get there (Choice)."
With her last words, the projection faded away and the glow of her mirror disappeared. Yet, the goddess continued to speak, her words heavy with meaning.
"In the beginning, there was light. Before the beginning and after the end there will always be darkness. She is the Alpha and Omega and I am all that is in between. Omnipresence and Omniscience. Choice and Knowledge. Destruction and Creation...
"...Darkness and Light" Jaune finished. He released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Why couldn't his town's school be this immersive?
His mind was blank, too blown away to fully process everything but even through the haze of digesting the information given to him a question he had locked away in his head came to the forefront once more.
Just how did his ancestor seal these two?
In his mind, a vague female figure raised a peace sign next to an exaggerated wink.
"Well, enough of that..." Light coughed. It seemed she had gotten a bit embarrassed acting "god-like" for once. "I believe we are here to find a way to gain more faith and funds, yes? What will be doing today, Jaune?"
"To be honest, it's a long shot but now that we have some electricity I think it could work out pretty well." Jaune then took out a camera as well as his old laptop from the bag. "Have you heard of streaming?"
In one of the most secure places on Remnant, a man sat on his seat with eyes glued to the computer.
The man was one of the most powerful and influential men on the planet. In his office, large gears turned much like the mechanisms in his mind.
The man may have been the only one in the room but he was never by his lonesome. With eyes that had groomed the strongest Hunstmen in Vale, he stared at the figure on his monitor with great focus and scrutiny.
"Everyone, I won again!"
A large portion of his monitor was showing a popular shooting game. Even Ozpin had dabbled in it, winning the faculty's tournament quite handily. Only a small portion showed a figure of a young girl, no older than fourteen, with dark hair that barely reached her shoulders.
Ozpin was watching, what the kids called, a streamer.
Currently, he was watching a rising star. She had suddenly popped up and taken the attention of just about everyone even him, the headmaster of Beacon.
The young girl was actually good. Exceedingly good. It was to the point some of the discourse on her was if she was some sort of experimental AI. Her reaction speed and adaptability was simply inhuman even to the man who had overseen grown huntsmen graduate.
She did not only finish any game thrown at her the first time she played it but the finish times were also within world record speeds. It wasn't always the fastest time as randomness sometimes was taken into account but it was always the most efficient. Tool-assisted runs couldn't hold a candle to her.
Not to mention, this extended to practically any game.
In shooters, she was basically an aimbot. Fghting games had her show off frame data knowledge that most AIs couldn't follow. Ozpin particularly enjoyed her efficiency in large strategy games where she never once slowed down, as if the information was loading directly in her mind.
Her only weakness were luck based games but she was great at working around her luck, as if knowing she'd be bad at it.
It was all made more impressive that she looked to still be a child. Yet her childish looks only made her mature and reserved personality shine even more. He knew some of his older students who were acted more childish than her.
Although, the biggest draw of this girl was undoubtedly her eyes. These were not simple silver ones but the opposite, the most abstruse reds he'd seen. They were pools that spoke of an immense amount of knowledge and knowing that Ozpin found even himself drowning in them.
Worse was it felt as if she was always looking at him. Not as a viewer but as if they were face-to-face.
And not just him.
Her eyes looked as if she was also staring at every single person across every screen watching her. Not as a collective but as thousands of individuals all at ounce.
Above all that, Ozpin couldn't help but find her familiar. The feeling wasn't uncommon for someone like him but what made it more aggravating was felt as if the memory was from one of his older incarnations that laid deep within his collective soul.
This only made her "character" more suspicious. She played herself as a caretaker of an abandoned shrine. Her tag name was in fact Made in Light, no doubt a pun for her occupation as a shrine maiden. It also matched her reaction times being "light speed".
Some were even starting to call her "Goddess". She didn't encourage them but she never stopped it either. Ozpin didn't have good experience with women who thought of themselves as such.
And the gods of the shrine she looked after? The Two Brothers.
It was such a large red flag Ozpin had no idea on how to deal with it. The headmaster did hope she was as innocent as she looked but his worst suspicions were along the lines that she was trying to revive the once dead Two Brothers Cult.
This meant he would need to keep tabs on this young prepubescent girl personally. One among many he had already started to keep notes on.
He had already spent quite a substantial amount of his own personal funds on getting into her inner circle through large donations. Nothing cult-y so far besides the alarming way some adults were giving attention and money to a minor but who knew just how deep he needed to go if it really was a cult revival.
The hardest part would be if the girl herself was innocent but was being used by the remains of the seedy cult to gain influence once more though he would then have to give them credit for such a novelty method.
For a girl with such potential, he couldn't let that happen. Her talents would be more appropriately used in serving a better purpose: defeating Salem.
Her abilities would prove to be useful especially with how adept her reactions were. There were even those that wondered if the girl did not have light speed reflexes but had a semblance that could peek into the future much like a certain crown Ozpin knew about too well.
Made in Light had claimed she did not have her aura unlocked. Such a thing was hard to tell if true but he had heard of even not fully formed fetus in their mother's womb to have unlocked semblances so having one without unlocking one's aura wasn't out of the question.
She may have also lacked any combat experience but Ozpin felt that even if a student somehow sneaked into Beacon and passed initiation without any combat experience and aura, they'd still be able to stay with a supporting team member.
Ozpin had a full list of them . In particular, there was a girl he had an invested interest in that was just about the same age.
And on the off chance, if she was a cultist? Ozpin would accept even reformed bandits and terrorists if it meant they'd join the war against Salem.
He was definitely going to the offline meeting once the travel bans were lifted and the storm had passed. Already, many of her fans had sent inquiries on her safety since she mentioned she was in the way of the tornado's calculated trajectory.
That was right. He needed to show his support too. Ozpin then moved his mouse to donate a rather large sum of lien.
The girl paused (Not in the game. She was still somehow playing as she took her attention away from it) hearing the donation pop-in.
"Oh. Thank you very much, Ozinity! I really appreciate your continued support."
Ozpin felt a hitch in his throat but managed to catch himself. That was another thing. When she acknowledged a donation, her thank you resonated within his soul. It was the feeling a child got when their parent acknowledged them.
He wanted to say it was magic but he KNEW magic and whatever she had wasn't it.
It almost felt like something that was etched into his very being. The closest feeling that was similiar was humanity's instinctual fear of the Grimm and he was sure the Grimm psycho-abilities like the Apathy couldn't be done over a monitor.
In relation, video reactions of grown men and women breaking down in tears having her acknowledge them had become quite popular.
There was a notification.
"I hate these rich guys that simp to get closer to our goddess."
Just as he was about to type out a lengthy reply to deny such an accusation, a blonde woman burst into his office. With the messiest he'd ever seen her hair, Glynda Goodwich looked as if she had just taken on a twister and had a house land on her.
From her following report, it seemed he wasn't too far off the mark.
As a being that heralded over Destruction, Darkness knew the tension that came before total annihilation of an area.
It was always the stillness of the world, as if it was taking a moment to engrave the image before it was all gone. The humans called it "the calm before the storm".
Darkness thought otherwise. Destruction was always calm. It was a great equalizer that removed all life, all energy, from an area. The storm was always beforehand, that which revealed the truth of man.
Desperate to cling to life, that was when humanity would always be the most chaotic and unpredictable.
There would be those that tried to enjoy themselves, resigned to their fate. Others would do whatever it took to survive. Some would fight, some took flight. One way or another, destruction would find a way.
She had seen it all.
Ever since the expected tornado headed there way had suddenly increased in exponential size and strength, the people had begun to panic. Apparently, it had picked up speed as it traveled forward and soon became much stronger than anticipated.
Already, conservative estimations were saying it was about to introduce another tier of tornado speeds. And this super class twister was heading straight to Vale with the town they resided in as its first stop.
As the people of Vale prepared for the storm in the coming morn, another fight was brewing at a lone shrine as a young boy faced a single Grimm.
Tonight was the furthest he had gotten. His best run yet. Perhaps it was the threat of impending destruction tomorrow that motivated Jaune but he'd like to think he was just getting better at this.
It was not the fifth Grimm of the night. Far from it as he had many unsuccessful runs beforehand. But it was the first one tonight he had gotten to after beating four others.
He wasn't fresh. Exhaustion from the previous fights and the pressure of the next day weighed heavily on his mind.
Yet he was not too worried. He was nervous, sure, but not frightened. The excitement to succeed was outweighing the risk of failure.
Besides, Jaune Arc could see it.
Darkness actually approved Jaune's method of fighting. She would even claim that it was her full intentions to do so (It was not). There were many reasons for her preference in this style.
First, it allowed him to not rely on his minimal aura. Every hit counted and would lead to his death. When dealing with gods, that was all that mattered. No amount of aura would save any mortal from true divine wrath.
His small amount of aura even made it harder for the Grimm to take notice of him...apparently. Darkness heard it was negative emotions but, according to the human's book, aura was also a beacon for her once creations.
Once more, Darkness had to wonder who kept changing the mechanisms of her agents of destruction. They were meant to be indiscriminate destroyers, an overwhelming force that drowned out all life, so why did their focus keep changing? Whoever was in charge clearly did not think things through which gave her more reason to wipe these NuGrimm out and start anew.
Since he had fought that bear Grimm, he had been able to see it.
Most hunters trained and sparred with their aura's up. This was to not only gain a better understanding of their aura reserves and output but also to straighten the efficiency they burned. For example, instead of constantly keeping aura up through the whole body, it was better to apply it the most to whatever limb was being used; with the legs when running or kicking or the arms for punching and slashing.
So when hunters fought each other, they preferred to stop once their aura started flashing, indicating low reserves, over actually breaking it. It was a good thing such a convenient mechanism existed within a manifested soul.
Jaune had no such thing. He had the very minimum amount, what constituted a single unit. For the past few months, he had broken his aura more times than most hunstmen would in their (admittedly short) lifespans.
When a person's aura was broken, the chill of death would always creep up their spine. Aura was a person's soul manifested and it was now all gone.
An old defunct proverb went 'a faunus that had tasted freedom would take to slavery worse than those born into it'. Hunters, too used to having a personal shield and the power it brought, were even more sensitive to the exhaustion of losing the strengths they gained.
One common rumor to scare new students was to tell them how a broken aura may one day never return. Many studies had debunked it yet such a rumor persisted as the very possibility frightened all Huntsmen.
Yet, for Jaune Arc, death's whisper had become a mundane greeting. He barely felt any exhaustion when it broke (it barely boosted him anyways). Yet every time it did from a single hit, his body still told him how exposed his existence was; his broken soul still declared how fragile continuation would be.
The feeling of creeping death had become trained into his body and soul so much that...
He could see it.
Just by looking at the still Grimm before him, he could almost see its next moves. Although, it would be more accurate to say he could sense where his death approached. Veteran hunstmen gained something similar thanks to years of battle experience and heightened survival instinct.
Yet none of them needed to thread so close to death every time they stepped into a fight.
Unknown to Jaune, his still developing skill was also supplemented at night by the authorities of Destruction and Choice. Combined with such a mindset, sense transcended into something bordering precognition
Thus, he could see it.
Not sense it or feel it.
He could actually see it
The moment he would "die".
Second, the style reflected the essence of darkness. The dark was not active yet omnipresent, simply biding its time until the light was absent. Yet the moment the light dimmed, it crept up before one even noticed. An unending tide much like the scorn of humanity.
Destruction begets destruction. To fight Grimm, Jaune needed to fight likewise.
Radiating out of the Grimm before him were red threads of destiny that pierced his whole body. When death came, Jaune almost felt a pull in such a direction.
The problem was that he didn't always react quickly enough plus...
Right Arm. Lower left leg. Chest. Foot. Head. Back.
...they weren't one at a time. Never one at a time, really.
Already, Jaune shifted his stance to one with a lower center of gravity, tossing his sword onto his other hand.
A few strings detached themselves yet different ones only took their place.
This was the reason why he had also started to favor a more passive and defensive approach. Not only was he still trying to get the hang of fighting after all these months, he now had to deal with this information overload.
The Goo's low growl was the only signal he got before his death started to pull his body nine different ways.
A dark cannonball shot forward, faster than anything he had fought in the past.
The final reason was the simplest. With this style of fighting, there was minimum use of a shield. The style prioritized dodging and evading. Sure, a shield helped but it only halted the flow of battle. This meant she could spend more time in human form.
Jaune chose to embrace death itself, grabbing the cannonball that crashed into his chest. His body flashed white as his aura broke but it didn't matter. He didn't need aura to use his sword and stab it straight through the Goo.
Most hunstmen would have needed a weapon to be coated with their Aura to harm a Grimm. As long as they had aura, anything could be their weapon.
The sword that was the God of Light went through it with no resistance.
"So you've succeeded." It was easy to think of Darkness' words as dismissive of his efforts but Jaune knew her lack of any snacks in hand said otherwise. He had all her attention.
"While I do not want you to foster the habit of using your aura as a one time shield, you did well in finishing my challenge." The blonde wasn't too bothered by it. His aura actually reformed rather quickly after breaking. Sure he knew it wasn't good in the long run, but was just too excited to finally learn magic to care.
He imagined that he'd be able to make walls of whatever element he wanted in the future anyways.
"...If you do need a shield, I am also always here."
"Huh?"
"Allow me to acknowledge your efforts."
Floating close to him, Darkness pushed his forehead with her finger, sending a jolt through Jaune's whole body, no, his very soul. She then stepped back, satisfied. Besides the soul shaking, it felt pretty anticlimactic compared to when she even announced the challenge.
"You have now received that I had once taken. Be proud, human." A single Goo approached the long haired goddess. Darkness reached down and took the item it had been balancing on its head before passing it to Jaune.
"Much like Aura, you must find within yourself the potential of magic. I have prepared this for you to use. Concentrate, not your aura, but your magical reserves into this object."
Jaune took the object into his hands and tried to follow her instructions. It was just like how he first learnt how to use aura, first he needed to find the unused muscle that needed flexing. Thankfully, it didn't take too long to find. His tiny aura had actually made Jaune quite familiar with the inner workings of his very limited soul supply so he could immediately pinpoint if something was different.
It was an odd feeling. The closest Jaune could get to describing it would be as if he had never used his right hand his whole life, never knew it even existed, until one day, someone pointed it out which made him feel like an idiot for never noticing something so obvious.
If having aura was like having an extra organ in his body, then having magic was like having another appendage attached to him. One required for him to know where it was while the other needed him to activate the "muscle" behind it.
Was this how faunus felt with their own extra parts?
A trickle of something was filling his palms as he pushed whatever it was into the object in his hands. Whatever it was, Jaune tried to remember the feeling and origin of said feeling. He definitely needed more practice but he knew something was happening to the object.
His wands were getting hot, no doubt from the magic flowing into them.
The teenager had actually started reading up on stories in magical settings after hearing about it from Darkness. If he was going to be learning magic, he needed to know what was possible.
Just what could this be? Was it some sort of stone that read his proficiency in a certain element? A special dust that would give him access to another world? Maybe, even an egg for a magical familiar?
"You've surprised me, once more. Hand it back to me." Darkness suddenly spoke up, a small glimmer of wonder in her green eyes. Jaune handed the hot object back to the goddess who took it in her tiny hands. To his surprise, the goddess peeled back the shiny skin of the object to reveal a hidden layer underneath.
He had never seen the goddess look so impressed before.
"Well done, Human!" Darkness raised the steaming object up, examining it closely. The hot air emanating from within was visible in the cold autumn night. A nostalgic feeling assaulted Jaune's senses, most especially his nose.
She then took a bite out of it.
"Delicious," whispered the goddess to herself as she took another bite of the baked potato. She had heard from the humans it was "required" food during this season but she didn't think it'd be so tasty.
It could have been sweeter but it was a nice change of pace for now.
After a few more bites, she finally noticed the human had yet to say a word as he was just blankly staring at her.
"I see. Very well. You can have your own piece." Without giving him time to react, the goddess broke the piece in half and tossed it to the dumbfounded boy.
Whether it was thanks to all the training he had gone through or simply the shock of Darkness actually sharing her food, Jaune handily caught the piece and immediately realized why Hot Potato was a thing.
"Hot...hot...cool..."
He juggled the steaming piece of food for a moment, wishing it to cool. To his surprise, it did. The flashes of hot pain in his palms dampened until he was able to hold the object. It even felt as if the heat was being absorbed into his palms.
"Oh, you did it." Jaune turned away from his hands to Darkness who had already finished her own potato. "Congratulations, human. You've rediscovered the long art of magic."
"That was magic?"
"You heated up a potato then cooled with with your own palms. I don't see the problem here."
"I guess..."
"Disappointed?"
"I just expected more..." Jaune waved his hands, as if that was enough to illustrate his points on his lackluster display of his new abilities. It really wasn't but the goddess at least understood such gestures somehow.
"Much like your own combat training, one does not become an expert sorcerer on their first go." Darkness then raised her own hands. The left started to glow an icy white while the other radiated a hot red.
"Even the simple manipulation of temperature can cause a breeze." From between the two glowing palms, a strong gust blew past Jaune's face. "Take that ability to its maximum potential and you may create something on par with why you humans have been scurrying about so much recently."
Jaune nodded in understanding. She was right. It also aligned with his talk with Light on the subject. Just because he was given the ability to do more didn't mean he knew how to yet. He had yet to tap into his own potential. Besides, wasn't it amazing enough that he could use magic at all?
Sure, it seemed lame at the moment but in the future he'd learn how to do much more. It wasn't like this was the only spell he'd learn. Speaking of which...
"I guess its not so bad...I can do some killer massages now. But what about spells? You can at least teach me how to do a fireball spell, right?"
"Incantations? That's a bit too advanced at the moment."
Jaune cheered at the words. At least, that meant there was more to learn than hot-cold hands.
"Besides, I'm surprised you had any magical aptitude at all," admitted Darkness with a shrug. "It has been too long since humanity had wielded magic so I hadn't expected even a single spark. You may have actually more aptitude in such an area."
"Which is?"
"Heating my food? Keeping others refrigerated? I do not know how the humans in the past classified such a thing." Darkness' lackluster reply had Jaune release another sigh, although this may have been more resigned than actual disappointment.
He still wasn't sure on the battle applications yet but Darkness did give him a hint on the possibilities. He'd need to read up on it more. Those encyclopedias were really starting to come in handy.
In truth, the deity had some idea on why Jaune was able to do what he did but was't ready to share it. Magic was actually fairly simple as long as the user knew what they were doing. It was imposing one's soul unto the world, giving one more choices or possibilities than before.
However, some things came more natural than others did much like a dominant hand. She'd even thought about how semblances were some remnants of the gift she had taken back.
For Jaune, it was something that seemed rather minor yet Darkness wondered if there was something more to it.
To heat and to cool.
Energy and Entropy.
Light and Darkness.
Perhaps, the human had more potential that she had believed.
Dispelling such thoughts for now, she turned back to the blonde boy staring at his open palms. He looked almost giddy, like a boy who had found a new toy. It was as if a colossal storm was not about to blow through his town.
She could even feel the supply of belief and faith surging within, no doubt the other humans of the town desperately praying for a miracle. Yet here he was with a face no man should have when they faced possible death. Darkness would know.
In the back of her mind, she remembered how he acted in the forest all those nights ago. The boy had been nervous, tense, and worst of all, dismissive of her. His current mood was in stark contrast to back then. An odd flicker of an emotion surged past her and the words came out of her mouth before she could stop herself.
"Son of man, are you not worried about tomorrow?"
"What do you mean?"
"Another trial awaits you. You are acting too...I believe the term is goofy. Are you not overestimating yourself or perhaps underestimating what is to come?"
"Well, maybe? I'm not stupid enough to underestimate the strongest storm in the planet's history. Besides, I know now there really are things I can't do by myself. Plus, I don't think anyone can do much against a natural disaster."
Jaune laughed, looking away. His words sounded dismissive but there was something between recognition and resignation within his eyes. Darkness was about to inquire further but was stopped by the way his blue eyes lit up as he turned his gaze back to her.
"Besides, I have the two of you, right? If I can't do it by myself, then we can do it together."
This caused Darkness to pause. It was as if he had spoken to her in a foreign language that took her moments to decipher before it finally registered.
His words held a feeling that was foreign to the goddess. It was neither the belief to a higher being nor the faith to a god. Something beyond the reliability of power or the security of might.
Perhaps this was what humans called trust? It was odd, a feeling she didn't know she wanted yet wasn't unwelcome either.
Darkness tried to stare back into his eyes to confirm it but found her own traitorously averting themselves.
"...What is the saying? A broken clock is right twice a day?" Darkness mumbled into her hand, hoping it hid the shamefulness on her face. Truly, the one thing she missed about her past form was that it didn't have an expression to show.
She hoped goofy was not contagious.
"Now then, who said we were done with today's training? I still have quite a few more treats that need heating."
Darkness did encourage Jaune to buy out most of the stores during their "End-of-the-world Everything must go!" sales.
The day of judgment had arrived.
Just off the coast of Vale, a large tornado had formed. Some wouldn't even have called it such a mundane thing as it closer personified divine judgment that sought to cleanse the land. Its height reached the heavens with speeds of winds that reached over three hundred miles per hour, maybe even more so.
A super hurricane that would blow all that was in its path with the kingdom of Vale within trajectory. Not to mention all the small villages that littered the way to the kingdom.
Worse was that the Grimm were being picked up by the hundreds, turning the ominous twister of gray into a dark storm of ruin. On the off chance that the hurricane passed them or even dispersed, all the Grimm within would literally rain down on the world below.
Evacuations had begun weeks ago since the council had learnt of the impeding disaster but the question was just where would the people go? No one knew as the kingdom's own survival wasn't guaranteed. Already, many were flocking to the other three kingdoms for safe haven as the trajectory of the storm made itself known.
Hunters were dispatched help with the evacuation and to fend off any Grimm during the process. It was all they could do as Grimm levels were skyrocketing from the anxiety caused by just the knowledge of the tornado.
And yet, some remained stubborn. There were those that wanted to remain in their small towns even if there was no escape. They'd board up their houses, stock up on food, and dig up underground bunkers. Yet even if they'd survive, would they even be able to leave? The ruin left behind would have to be taken back from the Grimm one more.
Even at the very first town that was the to be run over by the heavy storm, there remained people. Those too old to go anywhere else, those too attached to imagine leaving the place they grew up in, and those that loved the place too much to die anywhere else.
Unfortunately for the hunters and volunteers, most of the town consisted of such people. This bothered them as they too needed to leave or risk the wrath of the super disaster about to befall them.
Yet, they just couldn't leave these people. Not because of some sense of duty but because, oddly enough, the townspeople looked so sure that they'd survive. None knew why except that the people were all mentioning an old fairy tale.
The villagers all stood their ground, ready to die within the small town.
All besides one.
At the top of the tallest hill that looked over the town, a single blonde stood. He held nothing but a simple sword and shield. He didn't look the least bit impressive. Even he knew, there was nothing he could do by himself to change his situation no matter how hard he wished for it.
Thankfully, he wasn't alone.
Around him, numerous wooden plaques were placed on the ground, each one holding a wish directed to them. They all held different words yet the same intention: Please save this town.
"Brothers, your people are in need and look to you both for help." Jaune imagined reaching for the circuit in his aura. There were two live currents attached and only he held the bridge to link them together.
"Let us give them an answer. Show them why humanity still needs their gods."
Jaune hit the switch that was his soul.
His aura flashed dangerously as it took in the brunt of two live wires. It felt as if he was being stuffed until he burst at the seams yet also drained until nothing was left. Power arrived and left, swirling until it reached an equilibrium of faith.
The young prophet fell to his knees, releasing everything in his stomach. He had almost blacked out like before but he didn't, couldn't afford to. Slowly, he got up with shaking legs and his eyes met a brilliant shade of green.
"You're not done here, are you, son of man?" Darkness' words may have barely hinted concern yet it was what filled Jaune with relief the most. The night goddess stood in the middle of the sunny day. He had done it.
"Not even." Jaune replied with a grin. He turned to the two goddess, Light and Darkness, standing side by side. With these two together, he knew saving the town was possible. "So do you girls have a plan in mind? I don't suppose you can just poof away the tornado, huh?"
"The Grimm are the main source of concern." Not denying such a claim, Light answered Jaune. "Such a large amount would run over any resistance. Especially from all the negative energies surrounding this area."
"Your silver light could work if we can release a large enough burst but that would not stop the hurricane. It may also cause a rain of Grimm statues that would resemble a meteor bombardment." Darkness paused for a moment as she turned to Jaune.
"That's definitely not okay." Jaune vetoed the suggestion immediately. "What about making a tornado of the same size but its spinning in the opposite direction?"
"That's not how such things work. They may absorb each other. It must be neutralized or dispersed."
"Then a bomb?"
"Human, you can't -Ugh." Darkness' retort paused as she raised a hand over her head,annoyed. She squinted into the sky. "I've forgotten the annoyance of that sun above. Has it always been this bright?"
"I got it!" Light suddenly spoke up, excited. "I may have found an answer to our predicament thanks to both of your suggestions."
The goddess explained the plan to the two. It was a rather bold plan but Darkness agreed from the supposed benefits while Jaune was just happy he was able to contribute.
The three then got into position to enact the plan. The tornado was already on point to the village. Estimated time was still in an hour yet it felt as if the whole world was screaming with the strength of the winds around them. Trees were being uprooted and Jaune swore he saw his family cow sail past him.
Taking a breath, Jaune took one last look at the sight below. This was the town he grew up in, the town he met the gods and found his purpose. Nearby, their shrine was still standing and, after this, it will still continue in the future. No tornado was going to stop them here.
"I pray to the two Brothers. Save this town!"
A light shone from his body as the cycle of power within him started to move.
Closing her eyes, the God of Light drew her hands close to her chest. Her palms faced each other, a few inches apart. They encircled the sides of the mirror that always hung down her neck.
From within the mirror, a silver light radiated forward. Amazingly, the light rays did not go past her hands, bending and weaving around until there was a translucent silver ball of light held between the goddess' palms.
For how impressive it looked, the contents within was simply a cloud of gas and dust. Not even the Dust those found in Remnant, simple dust that the goddess swept from the shrine every day.
Across Light, her sibling joined in, holding her own pale hands in front of the silver orb. The silver halo above the long haired goddess vibrated as its owner also concentrated her own powers.
Within the orb, impossible to be seen unless one was close enough, the center started to swirl. No, it was more accurate to say it was beginning to compress within itself. Within the silver orb, a visible spiral began to spin.
"Match me, Darkness." Light's eyes flashed silver as she created more and more dust and gas within the orb. She had already created enough gas and dust to fill many orbs of the same size yet the one before her was never filled.
"That's my line," retorted back Darkness, never taking her eyes off her work. Her purple eyes seemed to glow brighter as she willed the gravity within the center of the orb to bring the ever increasing amount of matter even impossibly closer together.
The two goddesses worked in tandem, pushing their power into the tiny ball that was barely larger than their own tiny hands.
From within the center of the cloud of dust and gas, two pillars of red light shot out reaching the edge of the silver. The whole spiral then exploded, expanding outward until it was nothing but a glowing ball.
Barely contained by a border of silver, it was a mass of pure plasma. The mass shone red, yellow, white, then settled on a sapphire bluish tinge.
It was the only light that could shine in the eternal darkness of space.
By the end, sweat was flowing down the goddess' foreheads, both from effort and the pure heat radiating from the orb floating between them.
Creation accomplished; Destruction following.
"Hydrostatic Equilibrium confirmed," murmured Light. She then redirected the flow of power to the silver light keeping the hot mass and the luminosity it radiated contained.
The lesson Jaune had reminder her: it was not only important to create but also to preserve.
Creation shifted to Preservation. The silver light began to harden until it turned into a solid concrete gray. Now, the only thing that could be seen was what looked to be a rock.
"Darkness..."
"I'm on it."
Moving her floating halo off her head, Darkness positioned it to stand before her body. From the inside empty center of the halo, a green color shimmered into view. Light pushed the stone orb through the halo and into the green.
The stone orb rushed forward in the air until it was rushing down. Darkness had linked the space in front of her with the space above the calmest patch of grass within miles: the eye of the hurricane.
The orb floated up as cracks started to show on its rocky exterior. Within, the fusion process had accelerated, expansion was imminent yet the super gravity prevented it. The mass within was going through each of its elemental shells within seconds, with each finished shell releasing more and more energy. The increased density was only adding to the absolute heat within, desperate to escape. The stellar winds roared, having long passed the winds of the tornado outside.
Still keeping his semblance active, Jaune then brought forth the magic within him. The two goddesses had supplied him the energy, the instructions, and the ability to perform such a miracle. All he had to do was to provide the words to bring them all together.
With a low voice, Jaune spoke the incantation Darkness had taught him.
Extende ad astra,
Extende ad stellas,
As Astra Per Aspara.
Again and again, Jaune chanted the words as power built up within him. His aura that was white started to shift into a clashing yellow and purple.
The siblings then spoke to the world's realty before them, commanding it to listen and obey.
"Let Gods once more look down from the bright heavens."
"Let Humanity once more gaze up into the night sky."
"Bestow the pursuit for the unending knowledge found within the nebulas."
"Remind them of the infinite choices found outside this planet."
""Behold the light that races through the darkest horizons!""
As one, mortal and gods unleashed their spell. Light dispelled her preservation and extended it within the confines of the tornado. Darkness collapsed the gravitational equilibrium, pushing it as far as it could go.
Jaune simply took aim and fired.
[Realta Nua: The brilliance beyond the edge of the world]
In a second, a star was born.
In a second, a star died.
With its death throes, the immense heat and incandescence that had been held back was immediately released unto the world. A burst of solar flares fueled by stellar winds attacked the surrounding walls of the super tornado. The strong winds carrying numerous Grimm were buffeted from the inside by much fiercer hot gales that heat even the icy coldness of space.
A light so bright that it could only have come from the heavens themselves scorched the world around it. The earth below sizzled and melted into charred liquid. The air around evaporated into a hot vacuum.
It was only because of Light's silver light containing the heat within the spinning winds that the world had not turned into a burning hell. Instead, it was all directed to the mighty winds trying to keep it all contained.
Due to the immense heat, the whole tornado caught on fire creating a spinning flame pillar that dared to breach the skies above. All Grimm within were burned to ashes in an instant if they had not already been torn to shreds, filling the air with dark ash that mixed with the flames' smoke. The smog stained the air around it.
Not only was the tornado now untouchable due to the heat, it had become unreachable due to the smoke that ate away all the clean air.
The category five disaster had now gone past anything the scale had imagined possible.
The giant flame tornado panicked all that looked upon it. Every hunter in the area, every citizen wanting to live, the people in charge mitigating damage control, even a cloaked woman on horseback who had just arrived. All but one, a single blonde boy.
For he still had full faith in the goddesses before him.
"Jaune!" Darkness reached out a hand which the boy immediately took with his own. He pulled and, in a flash, instead of a girl, a shield was in his hand. Darkness was gone but her halo was still there and open. The only thing stopping the chaos from reaching them was Light blocking out the entrance with more silver light from her mirror.
Jaune took a stance as he lowered his hips and raised the shield in front of the halo. He grit his teeth, as he readied himself.
"Light, do it!"
At his signal, the goddess unsealed the halo, the only thing stopping the unimaginable flames and winds from reaching them. The moment she did so, the shield in Jaune's hand glowed purple and he braced himself for the impact.
Out of the halo, a large dark mass rushed out and smashed into the shield. The shield's glow intensified as it absorbed the dark matter leaking out of the halo. Thankfully, most of the momentum was being absorbed but that was still comparing being hit by a car instead of a train.
Jaune also still needed to keep it pointing to the halo and the force was strong enough to strain not just his arm but his whole body. Already, he could feel his body actually slipping back as the pure force was pushing him back.
After some time, he could feel his body about to fall back when something pushed his back.
"I'll help!"
"Light! Thanks!" The small goddess pushed his back with her own. It wasn't much but it was better than nothing. Besides, the added help gave Jaune renewed vigor as he willed himself to keep going.
All he needed to do was hold the shield up. One job.
Elsewhere, all the hunters and volunteers were amazed as the smoke started to clear to reveal a non-fiery tornado, one that was much smaller than the super tornado they had dreaded. Even more surprising, it looked to be slowly getting weaker and smaller. The winds were not as strong as before and were even starting to slow down.
Its very presence was still too hot to approach but, what was thought to be the cause for the fall of Vale, may have actually burned itself into the ground.
Another few minutes later, the tornado had started to disperse. Its body of twisting winds was already falling apart and it was clear to anyone else watching that it was about to die in less than half an hour. Before long, all that was left was only a few strong breezes.
In another hour, what should have been the end of Vale was entirely gone.
Not a single town had been destroyed. Not even the first one that had been in its path whose towns people were now currently cheering with glee with some even praising the Brothers. Families hugged each other, knowing they and their livelihoods were saved. People cried, pure relief and gratefulness rushing through them.
All the towns people flooded the streets with everyone calling to bring out the food and the drinks they had thought would be gone by the evening. A grand town-wide party was to be held in celebration of their survival. Grudges and rivalries did not exist at the moment as everyone made merry together. The hunters who had been worriedly stationed there to help them were also joining in on the fun.
Human, Faunus, and even farm animal was united from the pure joy of avoiding death.
"It's a much better reason than wanting to fight a common enemy." Light smiled as she took in the sight even from their current distance. Humanity united to wage war was something she'd never accept. This was about halfway there as it was in celebration of avoiding death. "Now, if only they can come together to preserve life."
"You said something, Light?"
"It's nothing." Light adjusted the head lying on her lap. This time it was her turn to do so as Jaune couldn't stand on his legs anymore. His aura had broken by the last minute so he had taken some injury and,worse, it wouldn't be coming back for a week. Nothing permanent but he wasn't going to be moving anytime soon.
He did have a very satisfied look on his face.
"Hey, Jaune. Are you sure this is okay?"
"What is?"
"You won't receive any acknowledgement for this. You will not gain any glory nor any honor from this accomplishment. If you want, I still have enough energy to get you to town if you need to explain."
Jaune thought about it. She was right. In the past, that was all he wanted. Prestige and splendor should have awaited him. He'd be hailed as not just the hero of the town but maybe even of Vale altogether.
But that was in the past.
"Nah. It wouldn't be right. You and Darkness did most of the work. I can't take credit for that." Jaune shook his head. There surely would be more opportunities than this. "Besides, even if I were to go now, I can't introduce Darkness. It wouldn't be fair to her if it was only you."
Even if he couldn't move it any more, he felt a small warmth come from the shield attached to his arm.
"Well said, our Prophet." Light put a hand over Jaune's blonde hair as tired blue eyes stared up at her. Even with his faith, he hadn't been immune to worry. A comfortable wind blew past the two as Light watched the birds above finally take to the skies once more now that the winds had calmed.
Now was a time for rest but Light wanted one last thing.
"Jaune..."
"Yeah?"
"If things had not gone well, if anyone had died, what would you have done?"
"...to be honest, I don't know." Jaune admitted, From above, she could tell he was having a hard time keeping awake. "I hope we never have to find out."
That was all the boy could say before his eyes closed, no doubt for a well deserved rest.
It was a non-answer. For a being of Knowledge, it shouldn't have pleased Light but she felt oddly relieved to hear it. Then again, the first step to gaining knowledge was to admit to the lack of it.
But was such knowledge worth pursuing? For the first time, she, too, had no answer.
Left to herself, a lone goddess watched her prophet rest as her thoughts swirled around her as numerous as the autumn leaves in the wind.
It is done.
Good going, brother. Your divine winds were truly breathtaking.
Yet it was not enough. Their shrine still stands, much stronger than before.
No. This is exactly what we wanted. Humanity has remembered just how small and helpless they've always been. They can not rely on only themselves any more. Even now, throughout their merriment, there are those who are calling to a higher power. To names that have not been said for centuries.
To us. Their betters.
Indeed. There are those absent here that have already established footholds of faith among the humans. That's not to mention what this surge in Faith will awaken from the depths of their rest.
Then, perhaps, I too shall gather my own. My Authorities can still increase.
You do so, Brother. It is time for the experiment of Humanity to resume once more. The Age of Gods shall be restarted anew. And this time, may those humans believe in the right ones. For their own survival.
"This is quite warm."
"Delicious too. When I heard they were selling some hot cocoa, I knew I had to get some. The trip's been really cold."
Together, Jaune and Light took a sip from their paper cups. The hot cocoa was just sweet enough to remind him of the one served by his mom on certain rainy days. The only downside was that he could taste the artificial milk. Being raised on a farm, Jaune was spoiled with the fresh kind since a kid.
The two were standing by the railing of the ferry. There were a surprising amount of people around them but it wasn't to the point he'd call it crowded. Below them, the blue water of the sea remained calm as the boat threaded through it. Initially, Jaune had worried he'd get motion sickness when they had boarded but he had yet to feel queasy at all. It seemed his weakness did not extend to boats when it did to...everything else.
Winter was in full effect above them. Snowflakes fell from the sky and the air above fogged in a cold mist. It was a cold one this year and his mother had insisted he wear two layers of extra thick arc family sweater. It was matched with a pair of mittens so thick Jaune had no idea if he could even hold onto his sword.
If Jaune thought he had finished the family's wool supply, Light's thick white knitted poncho exemplified warm coziness matched with a white knitted cap that had flaps to cover her ears. He didn't even know where she got the boots. It was almost refreshing seeing the goddess in something that wasn't her usual shrine maiden attire but she did keep the mirror she always wore hanging by her neck.
Jaune finished his cup as he tried to keep his eyes away from the water below. "So you're sure its here?"
"The pool of light is definitely here. I can feel the connection to my power becoming stronger as we approach the island." Light next to him nodded. She then looked down. staring into her cup. "Was it really okay to leave the shrine?"
"It's been a few months since the fire and, besides the tornado, nothing has happened so far. Besides, Darkness said she left some defensive measures before we left." Despite his words, Jaune still looked uneasy. It was a risk but if this paid off, they wouldn't have to worry about such things anymore. "Besides, we're only here for a few days, at most."
Even after getting the funds, Jaune had to fight tooth and nail to convince his family to let him leave by himself. In the middle of the holiday season. For multiple nights too. It was only after Light had said she'd accompany him that he'd been given a strict deadline. He wasn't sure how a girl younger than him was able to convince his parents but he had a bad feeling there was a dangerous misunderstanding going on.
In fact, he was already starting to sweat just thinking about it.
No, wait. He was actually sweating. Was it him or did it suddenly become really hot? Under his two sweaters, what was a comfortable warmth was now what felt like a blazing inferno. Jaune raised his hands to his mouth, bit down, and forced off his mittens. His palms were covered in sweat.
"What's going on?" Jaune took a look at the other passengers to see if he was the only one feeling the heat. It seemed he wasn't as everyone else was taking off their winter apparel but, to his surprise, everyone else was actually wearing rather light clothing underneath.
Some were even starting to remove their tops and bottoms to reveal swimsuits. One guy even had a surfboard with him.
"Jaune." Jaune turned to Light, still wearing her winter get-up along with a sheen of sweat across her face. Although, he doubted her serious expression came from the heat. "It seems something is amiss. I can still detect the pool of light but there seems to be something else siphoning its power."
Off in the distance, Jaune could already see Patch.
Even though it was already in the middle of winter in Vale, just a boat ride away was an island with sandy beaches and a blaring hot sun.
It looked like a land of eternal summer.
AN: Finally, we're at Patch. I know, "filler" chapter. But I wanted it to be winter when they arrived but it seemed a waste to skip a whole season.
Tbh, I kinda just wanted Jaune to have magic before he goes to Patch but it kinda got off the rails. It was NOT meant to be this long.
Irish AND Latin? Don't think too hard on it. If you want, imagine they're just gibberish in the world of Remnant that just so happens to have meaning in ours.
And, no, Jaune won't be dropping stars any time he feels like it. The gods need faith and this was practically what all of Vale wanted even if it was just the town's requests he had. Light's followers helped. Gods do not fight, their humans do.
Aura flashing when low being different from aura flashing when breaking is one of the most annoying things I've learned recently. Just having one flash already didn't allow you to feel tension in fights because they still had aura. But now, you have to wait two times and hope you don't confuse them.
Also, if anyone has any names or ideas for gods, leave them in a review. I don't really want to just search up some random ones. Or I'll have to throw a word into a translator of a random language and hope it sounds good.