What is this? A Sunday without interruptions?

It cannot be…

Well, actually I have a family do to attend but that's tonight and not so much an issue as a result.

Cover Art: GWBrex

Chapter 54

The two Chosen – Pyrrha and Coco, he had come to learn the other was called – had been granted freedom to lodge on land alongside Sienna. They kept to her for the most part, except when they were asked to go out and deal with Grimm. Sienna took full advantage of that and ran them ragged, which Jaune was sure was a calculated move to keep them too busy and too tired to search for him. So far, they hadn't.

"It's not such a complicated arrangement," said Sienna. The tiger faunus looked tired and had probably been working just as hard as anyone else. "I can't say no to the church without having to answer why. As for those two, I have something in mind to cast a little doubt in their minds."

"Enough to turn them against the goddess? I doubt that."

"Not to turn them. No. More… to open their minds a little. It might even give you a little wriggle room, though I'm not confident there. You did publicly attack Salem at the tournament. It's going to be hard to explain that one away."

"Dare I ask what you have in mind?"

"You'll see." Sienna rubbed her hands together. "Honestly, it'd be a relief if they up and died to the Grimm but I don't see that happening."

Killing them would be too dangerous, and he wasn't sure Sienna would go that far for him anyway. Her agreement had been to shelter him, not to wage war on his behalf and kill his enemies.

"I'll need you close by, though," said Sienna. "In case things get violent. At which point the gloves will be off."

"That doesn't sound good. Are you expecting it to?"

"Common sense says no but how often do the fanatically religious act with common sense when their doctrines explicitly say to do the opposite? How far along is Adam and your boy, Ren, on the whole aura and magic thing?"

"You want to reveal them to the Chosen? Are you mad? They'll be killed."

"Not mad. I hope. Look, aura in men is impossible – or it's supposed to be. Maybe someone up top is lying to keep it hidden like you say, but how likely are they to know about that? From their point of view proving that men can use aura, and that said men definitely aren't the ones who attacked Salem in Vale, will be a big deal. It'll prove that not every man who uses magic is, or was, the Dark Lord."

That might have been a bigger help if he hadn't gone and made a scene in Vale. If he could put the ideas in their heads that men could use aura, then he could claim he was just one of them. That wasn't going to work now. "I see how that exonerates Ren and Adam, but how does that help me?"

"Mostly, it puts them off balance and keeps them distracted. I'm thinking it'll be a shock for them to tell the next ship that comes, and that might buy us even more time. Plus, there's always the chance we can have them sent away to spread the word and replace them with a pair that don't know your face. A disguise, or colouring your hair, would be enough to fool most people – especially if the idea of aura-imbued men isn't suddenly an indicator of guilt." Sienna shrugged and added, "But for the most part I want to cover our own asses for when they inevitably find out about men using magic here. We don't need them bringing down hellfire on the camp."

"And you think this'll do that?"

"We've got two young women who aren't going to be as set in their ways as that old priest they came with. Maybe it won't work, but it's our best bet, and quite frankly I'm not prepared to stop you teaching more men how to use aura."

And the more men they had to occupy their attention, the easier a time he'd have staying out of view. Sighing, Jaune accepted.

/-/

Sienna didn't have a house to her own but there was a small central command post that they used for important meeting and, in most cases, storage of key resources like medicine and perishable food. Jaune found a cramped spot behind some barrels stacked taller than he was, from which no one would have a chance of spotting him or vice versa. He settled down with his back to the barrels and his legs on straw. The many felines brought on the ships to Menagerie had made sure there were no rats around, and had apparently been brought on the ships for just that reason. One was curled up and sleeping between his knees.

On the other side of the barrels, a small party of people waited, including Adam and Ren, still blindfolded, who were flanked by Taiyang, Blake, and a bevy of White Fang members most loyal to Sienna. Handpicked in all cases. They would, if needs be, fight to protect the two of them. Many were close friends of Adam and Blake especially. Ruby had wanted to attend but Taiyang refused, afraid they might detect her aura and demand she leave to Vale. They might well detect Blake's, but she was confident enough in her skills to reject them and dare them to take action.

He wondered if the Chosen would feel intimidated by the numbers. Probably not. Pyrrha had shown no fear in Ansel when she fought the Grimm, and he doubted they'd see this arrangement of people as being any more capable.

"Welcome." Sienna announced their arrival loudly, and pointedly, so that he knew to be quiet. "How were the borders of the settlement? Any trouble?"

"A few Grimm here and there," said the girl that wasn't Pyrrha. Coco, he believed. An odd name. "Nothing we couldn't deal with. You're lucky we're here – I'm not sure how you managed before with so many around."

"That's something we felt we should explain to you today," said Sienna. "I told the priest it was due to our militia. This was the truth, though not all of it."

"You have women with aura," said Pyrrha. It was less an accusation and more of a statement. Sienna simply chuckled.

"You're half-right. Tell me. Pyrrha, was it? You've met the Dark Lord, haven't you?"

"I have. Yes. Are you saying he is here?"

"That's not what I'm saying at all. I'm saying you have met him, and as such you'd be able to recognise him in an instant. Correct?" There must have been some silent response because Sienna continued. "Then what of these two men here? This is Lie Ren of Mistral and Adam Taurus, who was born into the White Fang. Look at them. I trust you'll say they are not the Dark Lord."

There was a moment's silence, perhaps as Pyrrha did look, before she said, "I'll freely admit that. Their faces are completely different, and Taurus is a faunus. There's no doubt they're not the same person. Is this going somewhere?"

"It will be," said Sienna. "Gentlemen. If you will."

Jaune sensed the build up of aura before the magic occurred. He was sure the Chosen did as well, and their gasps confirmed it. His own senses had grown under Ozma's constant control that he could tell Ren had more of a solid grasp of it, whereas Adam's aura wavered and trembled like a drunk struggling to stay on their feet. It wasn't pretty but it didn't have to be. The simple fact it happened at all was convincing enough.

Metal hissed, and Jaune tensed.

"Put that away!" snapped Sienna, as a chair rocked back. "Sheathe your weapon now, huntress, or you will be arrested."

"Are you mad!?" howled Coco. "You can't-"

"Coco, please." Pyrrha stepped in. "They're not him. I know they're not. You know it, too. Though… I'm not sure what this means. Only the Dark Lord may have magic. Unless Jaune Arc died…? But no, that wouldn't explain how there are two of them."

"Pyrrha-"

"They're not him, Coco. Put it away."

The sword was sheathed and Jaune settled back down again. He heard several other clicks as the various guards let loose their tense grips. It had been close. He'd thought he might need to jump in there for a second.

"As you can see," said Sienna. "The notion that only the Dark Lord has access to aura is incorrect. Wrong. I won't call it a lie because maybe it was just never known. Maybe it's just rare. Ren is from Mistral and Adam was born in Atlas, of parents from Menagerie."

"That might be it," said Pyrrha. She sounded nervous. "An exceptionally rare occurrence. Or perhaps the men who did have it simply never realised."

"Or," said Taiyang, "perhaps they were accused of something they're not and lynched."

The silence was damning. Jaune wished he could see the Chosen's faces.

"We're informing you of this not to startle you but to make you aware," said Sienna. "So that if you hear rumours of men using magic, you don't jump to any hasty conclusions."

"I see. That does make sense. We thank you for this… eye-opening demonstration."

"But why didn't you tell the priest?" asked Coco.

"Too much confusion and too many people often lead to arguments and misunderstanding. I wouldn't put it past them to react without thinking as well, especially with all those soldiers around." Sienna lied easily. "Telling you two is easier than telling over thirty people at once. A single loose accusation, a moment's madness, and we'd have had bloodshed. This way, you can inform those who come after of your findings. The words of two of the Goddess' Chosen will be taken far more seriously than the claims of someone like myself."

"I suppose that is true. This is… It's still a shock, but I've seen the Dark Lord with my own eyes, and he was confirmed alive in Mistral. Even if he wasn't, to see two…" she trailed off for the longest time. "I wonder what this means. Only the Goddess knows. I wish I could bring this to the church for answers."

"We'd love answers as well but what we'd love more is to not have any overreactions," said Sienna. "These are good men who we value dearly, and we won't give them up because someone at the church is spooked and thinks it's better safe than sorry to kill both. I hope you understand."

"We won't lie on your behalf," said Coco.

"I'm not asking you to. Instead, I'd like to ask you to interact with them. Get to know them. Train with them if you wish, or even see if your aura is the same as theirs." This was new. Jaune wasn't sure he liked it, even if he could see the logic. "It will be your report on them that the church cares for most, and I'd rather it be a detailed and thorough one. We have weeks yet before they return. Let us make sure we're all well-informed before that happens, because the last thing either of our sides want is pointless friction."

"I agree. Coco does, too." It didn't sound like it. "And I'm happy to accept your suggestion, Sienna. It would not do for fear to rule us, and if there might be a future where men can serve the Goddess as faithfully as we do then that is a future we should all strive toward."

"I'm pleased we're in agreement. Ren. Adam. Why don't you go answer some of their questions. Nikos, Adel." Sienna's voice dropped an octave. "I am placing trust in you but know this. If you harm them, whatever your justifications, then we will deliver your bodies back to the church." There was a sucked-in breath that Sienna spoke over. "Call that blasphemy if you will, but I will call any attempt on their lives murder, and as the one who currently rules Menagerie, you will answer for such a crime."

"You-" began coco.

"We understand and agree," interrupted Pyrrha. "I swear on my faith and my aura that no harm shall come to them from myself or Coco excepting in self-defence. You have my oath, Sienna. And my thanks for informing us of this so quickly. Coco. A word, please. Outside."

/-/

"I don't trust them."

Ruby said it as if she expected him to argue back, or that she'd have to hold her ground, but she was preaching to Jaune and Taiyang, neither of whom would trust the Chosen as far as they could throw them. "Good," said Taiyang, and Jaune nodded. "I don't want you going near them anyway. They'll try and drag you off to Vale. Your mother made me promise I wouldn't let that happen."

Ruby nodded, then looked pleadingly at Jaune.

"What do you want me to say?" asked Jaune. "Of course I don't trust them. That's why I'm doing my best to stay hidden."

"Then why are you letting Ren and Adam talk to them?"

"Because they're their own people. I can't tell them what to do." He could, both as their teacher and as the Dark Lord, but if he stepped upon that pedestal then he wasn't sure if he'd be able to step off again. "This is Sienna's plan more than mine."

"It's a short-term plan," said Taiyang. "I don't know if she's given any thought to what the response from the church will be. Those two Chosen might be shocked, but it's possible the higher-ups in the church have always known men can unlock aura, and that they've been stamping down on it on the Goddess' orders. Even if they don't, it's in their interests not to let this get out – or to poison it. Imagine if they invited them to Vale to learn more, killed them en route, then claimed they had gone mad and had to be put down."

"It would look like male aura is tainted or poisoned somehow," said Jaune. His stomach fell. "That'd be a perfect way to rally more people against the Dark Lord, and it'd stop men wanting to unlock their aura. Back to square one."

"Exactly. This keeps those two busy for now, but I dread what comes later." Taiyang sighed. "Though, it's hard to say what other option Sienna had. Enough people are aware of Adam and Ren's magic that the news would have reached them eventually. Better we be in charge of how that's delivered."

Ren and Adam were still with the huntresses even an hour later; he didn't doubt they were being put through tests, but maybe they were even being taught a few things. He knew Nora had gone with them, and he was confident she'd side with Ren against anyone. The same for Blake with Adam. Menagerie wasn't so blindly faithful as the Chosen might have imagined.

"Still," said Ruby, "Expecting Jaune to be able to stay hidden for the rest of time is just stupid. I hope she has a plan beyond just clearing herself of having male aura users."

"I think the plan is to distract them and hope for the best," said Taiyang. "Though if you hadn't attacked Salem once before, and if you hadn't up and admitted who you are to the Schnee siblings, then you might have been able to pretend you were just another man who unlocked aura."

A knock came at the door of the shack they were sheltering in, followed by Nora's voice. "It's us. We're alone. Can we come in?" Her and Ren entered, with Adam and Blake nowhere to be seen. "They went to report to Sienna," she said by way of explanation. "Ren said we should come back and tell you how it went."

"And how did it go?"

Nora touched Ren's arm to tell him to answer and took a seat cross-legged on the floor. Ren followed and set the thin staff he'd been using lately to test his footing down across his lap. He looked tired, and Jaune could sense the faint traces of aura around him that suggested intense usage.

"It took them a while to accept what they were seeing, but once they did, they immediately started trying to convince us we would need to travel to Vale to be shown to the Church of Salem, and that we would likely need to swear ourselves in as huntsmen."

"Typical," snarked Taiyang. "What did you say?"

"Nothing. I thought it best to let them believe what they want and decide how to answer later. They have invited us to train with them in the mornings and – in their own words – to learn more about the majesty of the Goddess, and what it means to be in her service." Ren let out a long sigh. "I'm not sure I can avoid that one. I've half a mind to tell them it was someone in service to that goddess that took my eyes, my family, and my country."

"It was the same with Adam," said Nora, "Though he was firmer on saying he would never leave Menagerie. The brunette didn't like that one and told him he wouldn't have a choice. It took the other to calm them both down before anything could happen."

A fight between Blake and Adam against Coco and Pyrrha was bound to end in the Chosen's favour, so it was a good job they'd cut it short. That said, it would have added even more chaos for him to hide inside of. I'm not sacrificing people for the sake of hiding. That's not the right thing to do. But I need some way of concealing myself. As Ren and Nora went on talking about the various topics the Chosen covered, he considered the situation as a whole. The Chosen were prioritising the two of them for now because they were men with aura, and as long as they had them to focus on he'd be able to slip by – not unnoticed, but less important. That would count for as long as he didn't use magic or aura around them.

"Wait." Everyone stopped as he spoke up. "You said they want to teach you how to use aura and try to convince you to leave Menagerie. How much time are they setting aside for that?"

"I'm not sure," said Ren. "It was about an hour here. Could be more or less in future."

"Was it in-depth? Did they focus one-on-one with you?"

"For the most part, yes. We practically needed the same for you. Why?"

Jaune snapped his fingers. "Because if they're having to spend that much time teaching just two men with aura, then I wonder how much harder it'll get for them if they're teaching twenty. Or two hundred."

Ruby caught on first. "They'd be swamped! Throw in a whole lot of aura unlocked women as well and they'd never have any spare time. It would be like they were buried under an avalanche."

"Hey! Hey!" interrupted Taiyang. "This is another short-term solution. What happens when the church comes and hears this? They'll assume Menagerie is the holy grail of aura and want to set up even more outposts here. Hell, if it's that profitable for them then they might start a whole chapter house for Chosen on the island."

That was true – if it were a lot, anyway. "Then we'll go slower. Five or six – enough to keep them busy, but not enough to warrant a huge reaction. I'm sure Adam or Sienna can find that many men who could be trusted. What about you, Taiyang?"

"No. Attention on me will draw attention to Ruby. I neither need nor want aura."

"The core idea has merit, though," said Ren. "The trick will be finding a balance. And making sure those whose aura you unlock don't betray you. Unless you want to teach us how to do it?"

"That'd be even worse," warned Taiyang. "Because then they'd say you need to be isolated from other people to stop the spread. Whomever he grants aura to, they need to be trusted enough to claim it unlocked naturally. And they'll need to stick to that story." He turned to Jaune. "You'll need to consult Adam and Sienna. They know their people best."

It wasn't hard to convince Sienna.

"You want to grant more of my people aura? Who am I to reject that kind of offer?" Sienna was smiling broadly, and why not-? This only benefited her. "It was always my hope you'd do this for more people, but I was waiting for them to feel confident enough to approach you. I'm sure Adam and I can find four or five more men who would be loyal – to us more than you. I hope you understand."

"As long as they keep my involvement a secret."

"They will. The church finding out about how this happened will want to lock them up as accomplices. I'll be sure that they know this. I'll also make sure they're the type who would refuse to ever leave Menagerie. We don't want them thinking we'll roll over and let them poach all our people."

/-/

Pyrrha Nikos could not believe what she was hearing.

"There's more of you!?" cried Coco, equally stunned. For good reason, too. What had once been two was now seven, all male, all showing the faintest beginnings of aura. They were not as advanced as the first two had been, but the signs were obvious to those trained in the art. "How? How have five appeared in one night!?"

"Actually," said one of the faunus, a man with bat wings, "I unlocked mine about eleven days ago. Nearly got killed by a Grimm and it protected me."

"None of them are new," said Adam. "Ren and I were the only ones willing to meet with you yesterday. There was still no telling how you'd react so the rest of us stayed hidden."

Pyrrha worried about him, and she knew Coco disliked him. He held more loyalty to an island than to the goddess, and while that was not so bad in a random person it was problematic in someone with aura. There was a reason they took people while they were young, loathe as Pyrrha was to admit it.

"You lied to us, you mean," said Coco.

"You did not specifically ask if we were the only men with aura," said Ren. He was blind as far as she could tell, but there was a simmering fire to him when he spoke to them. Pyrrha saw it also in his close friend, the orange-haired girl who he was never seen without. More reasons for concern. "And even if you had, why shouldn't we lie to you? We have little reason to trust your decisions."

"We're Chosen!"

"We weren't the ones who got to choose you," said Nora.

"It's okay, Coco," said Pyrrha. Her friend was worked up, which she thought was rather justified given the situation. They were young as Chosen went, and certainly not prepared for a situation like this. Everyone had thought this would be easy.

Go to Menagerie, impress upon the locals the need for guidance, and then covertly look to see if the Dark Lord had fled here after Mistral. Jaune Arc. Pyrrha still remembered him, almost fondly, which was why she had been sent. He'd seemed like such a normal boy, kind and brave and sweet, and she was sure he was just that when the monster, Ozma, wasn't in control of his mind and body. Jaune Arc needed to be saved, protected, and kept sealed away for his own safety.

But faced with seven men, each with aura, and all desperately needing guidance before they experimented on their own and caused further problems? It was all she could do not to fall to her knees and groan.

"R-Right," said Pyrrha, clapping her hands together. "We should begin with teaching you how to control your aura. Now, Coco and I are going to need to teach you some breathing exercises. These would normally be done before a grand statue of the Goddess, but we will have to make do…"

When am I supposed to have a chance to search for him?

Never. That's kind of the point.

Next Chapter: 12th March

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