Jaune had reached the gate to Vale, the threshold between peace and entropy, the fine line of Heaven and Hell.

"Cinder, I promise I'll find you." He said and stepped past the checkpoint and followed the signal that Ozpin had given him.

The woods were silent as Jaune raced through them, crossing ravines by jumping from the tops of trees and landing with a roll. His sword on his back felt natural as it moved with him. He was running in harmony with the world around him. It had been twenty six hours since he last slept, his instinct guided him, following the trail the bullhead had left of burnt tree canopies.

He trailed behind the bullhead by only a few hours, he could do it, he could catch up to her.

"C'mon, keep going." Jaune said to himself as he heard a growl to the side, then a massive paw struck him.

The strike sent him flying, his back colliding into a tree, the bones cracking and healing rapidly. Blood leaked from his lips as he climbed to his knee, it was like getting hit by a truck. The massive ursa he saw when he looked up stared down at him with malevolent eyes.

"Dammit all." Jaune said, his words seemed to have no effect on the beast as he drew his sword from his back. He raised the blade and the beast charged.

Jaune was forced to dodge, the monster slammed into the trees behind him with a reverberating thrum. The noise shocked Jaune and he flinched at the sound, his blade faltered for but a second as the beast rushed again.

The ursa stood at its full height as it charged, threatening to crush the human. Jaune held up his blade and could feel his aura react, as if it had a mind of its own. The strike held as Jaune blocked, he could feel heat coming from his hand and as he looked at his sword hand, he saw a mark burning itself onto his index finger. The mark was a simple flame, three wavy lines that shaped a flame. Steel caught flame and the forest was alight as the huntsman slashed the grimm. Flames clung to the beasts body, heat ran from the wounds of the human, Jaune barely dodged a blow then returned with a brutal stab through the shoulder, the steel hummed as he turned it, the wound wrenching and splitting deeper.

The two were locked in a clash, a combat of life or death. Of Life and Death. Crocea screamed in an inferno as the huntsman slashed his own scream matching the weapon's. Blood sprayed on both sides, black viscera spread across emerald grass, red blood spattered a tree. Jaune looked down at the grievous wound that had been inflicted upon him. Jaune dropped to a single knee, his eyes looking back up at the ursa, both on their last legs. The battle had reached its climax the two warriors, one of light, one of dark. Facing the other both seemed to bow their heads, despite the ursa being a grimm it seemed to show the huntsman some semblance of respect.

The grass shuddered as the ursa stood and the human propped himself up on his weapon, their eyes locked in a constant stare. The catlike eyes of the human seemed to tighten and the pupil contracted as he lifted his weapon. Ash fell from the burning trees that were struck by the first blow of Crocea Mors. The battlefield was littered with the scars of their skirmish, and the human spoke.

"I cannot die here, I hope you understand. I care little for killing you, but you are in my way. I have someone who needs me." Jaune said and lifted his weapon overhead. A scream of steel sang as the blade swung down and the ursa charged at the human, steel met bone and claw met tender flesh. Blood coated the both of the combatants, ash seeped into the dripping blood of both and the ursa collapsed as the human dropped his armament. The tip pierced the dirt and stuck as the human fell forward, breathing more labored as he tried his best to channel what little aura he had to his wounds.

His breath kicked up dust and ash, death reigned in this forest and Jaune was reminded of the cloaked figure he saw.

"I'm sorry, dear Reaper. My soul has a job to do. I cannot die yet." Jaune said softly and his aura came back to life. In his mind, Jaune imagined burning a piece of his very soul to jumpstart the process, he could feel the pain in his chest bloom and then with a surge his aura coated him. His eyes burned and his very blood boiled, like lava and acid flowed into him he screamed, his aura kept getting stronger and he felt something different, something distinctly foreign in his body.

Something other than aura burned in him, his hand that had the brand on it burned and he stared as it caught fire. He could feel the very muscle in his body shift, like something crawling beneath his flesh. He yelled as he fought to suppress his aura and eventually it gave way and the pain subsided.

More power than ever before flowed through Jaune, his eyes were focused, his wounds healed. Like a man possessed, he stood and drew Crocea Mors from the dirt and swung it. The dirt that caked it flew off and he slung the blade over his shoulder and felt it nest itself in his sheath. He pulled the weapon off of his shoulder and stared at the shield-sheath. It felt so wrong, using a shield, like a totally foreign body, not unlike the blade itself.

Jaune shook his head and looked forthrightly, the sun was beginning to set and he found his way back to the path. He would follow the path, as the voice that had yet to lead him astray told him.

"I'm coming. I promise, I won't stop." Jaune said to himself, his words exhausted but still holding the resolute steel that they had before. Over the coming miles he found a village, small out of the way and he could hear his stomach grumble as he approached. As he walked close to the gates, two men atop the walls looked at him and nodded then opened the gates.

Jaune stepped through the gates and saw three things immediately, several people dancing around a courtyard. Carts of merchants littered the outer edges of what looked like a festival, and twenty feet ahead of it, a board that had a single word.

'Bounty' was scrawled in off-white paint above the wooden board, there were multiple sheets of dried skin parchment that were posted on the board. Jaune approached and saw one bounty that stuck out more than others.

'Kuvar, The One-Eyed: Beowolf, Apex. Age: Approx. 135 years.' Jaune read the bounty and saw the reward. 'Two-hundred twenty five groschen', a currency of various metals, comprised generally of copper, silver and gold. It was one gold to a hundred, one silver to ten, one to one on coppers.

He looked around at some of the prices that the carts had and nodded, it was a lot of money, and it was the only available bounty. The rest were notices of grimm in the area, bandits or the state of the world. This place had no connection to the rest of the world outside of the roving traders that visited occasionally.

Jaune bit his lip and nodded, then he ripped the bounty off the board, and folded it into his pocket. He turned toward the gates again and started marching toward the woods again.

Today, Jaune started his first hunt.