Jaune groggily opened his eyes as he came back to consciousness.
"Morning," a woman's voice echoed.
Jaune raised his head, face caked with bruises. Smiling at him was a woman wearing a dark blue zip-up jacket with a high collar, matching black pants and black boots. Her eyes were covered up with a black blindfold and her face was framed by black hair with red tips.
Yang and Ruby jerked in their spots at the familiar voice booming from the speaker. Mom? Their friends hadn't noticed their reaction so they stayed put. Perhaps it may end up being nothing, they reasoned.
"Holy shit," Nora swore. "You look like you just went ten rounds against an Ursa, Jaune."
"Tell me about it." Jaune visibly cringed at the sorry state his counterpart was in. He barely noticed Pyrrha tensing from her spot beside him.
Jaune finally took note of his strange surroundings. The room they were in appeared to be covered with talismans, pieces of paper with strange writing and symbols, at every corner. Yellow lamps illuminated the room in a soft glow. His vision returned to the woman in the room.
"So which one are you right now?" the woman asked, arms crossed over her chair.
Pyrrha's eyebrows pinched in confusion. "Which one...? What sort of question is that?"
Ruby and Yang once again couldn't help but note the similarities between Summer's voice and the woman onscreen. That they had the same hair colour didn't help matters.
"Aren't you…" Jaune replied slowly.
"Summer Gojo," she introduced herself. "I'm in charge of the first years at Jujutsu Tech."
"Mom?!" the sisters yelled in unison, their suspicions now cleared.
"Wait, Mom?" Nora stared back and forth between the frozen image onscreen and the sisters. It was hard to tell with the blindfold on Gojo's face but she could see the similarities between hers and Ruby's hair colour.
Sensing the confusion brewing among their friends, Yang elaborated. "By now, you all know that Ruby and I are half-sisters. Well, we share the same father, but different mothers. Summer here is Ruby's biological mother. Of course, Summer was still more of a mom to me than Raven ever was." Her explanation finished with that bitter acknowledgment at the end.
Sensing that this was a rather sensitive topic for both girls, they all left it at that.
"Gojo though?" Ruby piped up, half in genuine confusion and half in an effort to distract Yang from her dark thoughts. "Weird. I prefer Rose."
"Jujutsu…" Jaune parroted, slowly coming out of his daze. "Ren…Senpai!" He jerked forward but was held back by the restraints keeping him bound. His arms were tied behind the chair with the two ends splitting off and connected to two metal spikes staked to the floor. The binds were riddled with talismans as well.
"What is this?"
"Why's Jaune-Jaune all tied up? What are those paper things attached to the ropes and on the walls? Why does he look all beat up? And what do you have to do with it?" Nora fired off question after question at Ren, shaking the poor teen.
"Now Nora, I'm sure we'll receive more information on that soon enough," Pyrrha said to placate Nora and free poor Ren from her clutches. He was going dizzy from all the shaking.
"I'm not sure you should be worrying about others, Jaune Arc. It's been decided that you'll be secretly executed," Gojo said nonchalantly, much to the teen's horror.
Everyone in the room was stunned by that revelation. For a few seconds there was absolute silence, and like a countdown to a bomb going off, the room exploded into a cacophony of noise.
"The hell?!" Yang and Nora yelled.
"What could he possibly have done to warrant an execution?" Blake asked, mirroring Weiss' dumbfounded expression.
Jaune stared at the screen in horror akin to that of his counterpart's. Beside him, Pyrrha's nervous grip threatened to crush her soda can.
(Opening Theme: Kaikai Kitan by Eve) [1]
The opening theme opens up with a visual of Jaune waking up from a nap and sitting alone on a train. The car appears to be filled with water nearly up to his waist. A fish swims close by.
"Huh? You can't just cut after that reveal!" Ruby yelled at the screen, clicking on pause.
Nora backed her up. "Yeah! Why's Jaune about to be executed?"
"And what even is this?" Blake asked, staring at the visuals and musical number in confusion.
Weiss smacked her forehead in realization. "I can't believe I forgot that. The letter said that our counterpart's lives was arranged and edited together like an actual TV show. This…" She gestured to the visuals on the screen. "would be some kind of opening theme."
"Huh." Yang hummed. "If our counterparts' lives are a show, I wonder who the protagonist is."
"It's Jaune," Blake said immediately.
The speed of her reply drew questioning looks from her friends.
"Why me?" Jaune asked, surprised that he was Blake's first choice.
"Think about it," she began, "in less than a minute into the episode, we're not only introduced to Jaune but also told that he is about to be executed. He looks younger than our Jaune, about 15 or 16 years old, so telling us that he is about to be executed will keep us hooked about how he got there."
Pyrrha shuddered at the reminder of Jaune's execution.
Blake continued. "It's a technique used in writing or film production. In medias res which literally translates to 'in the midst of things'. It's a literary term used to describe when a story opens up with the character(s) already in the middle of things."
"Like a car chase," Yang piped up.
"Exactly," Blake said. "It's a narrative technique that captures the audience's attention, bringing them front and center into the thick of things."
"It certainly worked because I cannot fathom what Jaune could have done to warrant an execution," Pyrrha said, gripping said teen's hand tightly.
"Well, we won't learn anything if we keep talking. Let's carry on," Ren said.
Ruby clicked on play and the opening resumed.
An overhead shot of Japan is shown as the title of the show fades into view in blood-red ink: Jujutsu Kaisen. [2]
Uzou muzou hito no nari
[Revealing their true hidden colours]
Kyosei shinshou jingai mononoke mitai da
[The masses form like an army of vengeful wights]
Ren squats below a road tunnel, inspecting something on the ground. Seemingly done, he gets up and leaves.
Kyoshin tankai inochi yadoshi
[Some hearts are kind, foolishly living life]
Ato wa pappara pa na nakami naki ningen
[Different names but the same vain, worthless people]
Nora walks out of the shadow of a building, stepping into the sunlight.
Yoseru kitai fubyoudou na jinsei
[Life's so unfair, expectations everywhere]
Sainou mo nai daijou hi nichijou ga
[But out of reach 'cause life taunts the talentless]
Blake takes an escalator down, hands in her pockets. Panda watches another panda through a window while Qrow is lounging in a fancy lobby, reading a book.
Onshin byoudou ni botsu kosei
[Treat equally both friend and enemy]
Tadoru kioku boku ni ibasho nado nai kara
[I truly believe that there is no place for me]
Weiss cleans her glasses against her uniform and places them back on her face. Their lenses reveal a curse climbing out of a pond.
Yume no hazama de naitenaide
[I wanna cry in the gaps of my dreams]
Gojo stands on the railing of a tower. She is smiling into the distance, eyes still blindfolded and hair billowing in the wind.
Donna kao sureba ii ka wakatteru
[I'm holding out for an answer please]
Dakedo mada...
[Won't someone ever reply to me? 'Cause...]
The train enters a tunnel, blanketing the train car in the darkness. The window opposite Jaune reveals his reflection now with red eyes, an extra set of eyes below his normal ones, and facial markings.
...kotaete kure yo
[...I don't know what to believe]
Jaune stares at the fish listlessly. The screen briefly flashes to an image of Oscar, a glowing jellyfish floating behind him. The fish leaps up at Jaune just as his cheeks deform, forming a mouth adorned with fangs.
Yami wo haratte, yami wo haratte
[We'll light up the darkness, we'll light up the darkness]
Jaune charges at a massive curse, punching it in the face. Qrow uses a blade to cut into its skin.
Yoru no tobari ga oritara aizu da
[The curtain of night will lift blessing us with a sign]
Summer fires Cursed Technique Reversal: Red into the distance.
Aitai shite mawaru kanjousen
[Face me and admit, this loop is infinite]
Zaregoto nado wa hakisute ike to
[This isn't the time for us to give life to lies]
Two inhuman individuals are shown briefly. One appeared to have tree stalks as eyes while the other possessed a single eye. A tiny curse floating with its eyes above the water is also briefly shown. The scene changes to civilians going about their daily activities, unaware of the curse among them; what looked like Cinder with a patchwork face, licking her lips with a sadistic smile on her face.
Mada tomenaide mada tomenaide
[Don't ever hold me back, don't ever hold me back]
Nora levitates three nails with cursed energy, Weiss readies her naginata and Blake opens up her high collar, revealing the Snake and Fangs seal of the Belladonna clan on her tongue and cheeks.
Dare yori mo satoku aru machi ni umareshi kono shoutai wo
[My soul it was born for more than anyone else in this city
Was capable of more than just existing]
Panda parkours on rooftops, Velvet attends to Headmaster Lionheart, and Sun is prepared for a fight. A revolver is reloaded by an unknown individual, Ren charges up his cursed energy for an attack while Jaune hangs out with Oscar by a river.
Ima wa tada noroi norowareta boku no mirai wo souzou shite
[But now I can't imagine there's a future for a cursed man like me]
The screen shows briefly, the image of two pairs of hands forming hand seals inside of a mouth. Tsumiki smiles at the camera and a flashback of Nora and Saori by a train track is shown.
The scene then changes to Raven resting beside a tatami window while Summer moves to lift her blindfold.
Hashitte koronde
[Fell again but I intend]
Kienai itami daite wa
[To fight through all the pain till the end]
The scene shows Jaune valiantly trying to push back against a wave of cursed energy that burns off his fingertips. The memory of his grandfather smiling flashes by.
Sekai ga matteru
[The world's been waiting for]
Kono isshun wo
[This final moment]
Jaune, Ren, Summer and Oscar appear to be at a picnic together. The kids were all dressed in Jujutsu Tech uniforms, smiling at one another.
Like static, the scene shifts to Jaune standing opposite a carbon copy of himself, but with tattooed markings across his face and dressed in a kimono, who was sitting in what looked like a shrine. His copy smirked darkly at him and he glared right back.
A brown, clawed finger with a branch growing out of it was shown floating in the water. Then the scene went back to the start with Jaune going back to sleep, the markings from earlier fading away.
"That was awesome!" Nora and Ruby cheered, dancing around the room with Penny who looked confused by their excitement but was just as happy to be carried along. Their cheerful sentiments were echoed by their friends.
"It was better than I expected," Weiss muttered through a mouthful of popcorn. Blake hummed in agreement.
"Why do I have an evil twin?" Unlike his friends, Jaune was not left in a good mood after seeing the weird things happening to him. That he was about to be secretly executed right before the intro played did not help matters. "And mouths on my face?!"
Ren was quick to alleviate his concerns, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Do not fret, Jaune. I'm sure the reason for the images in the intro will be revealed soon enough."
"It may not even matter," Yang assured her fellow blond. "A lot of shows make use of crazy imagery in their intros all the time."
Blake decided to join the conversation, reaching for the snack bowl as she added her two cents. "Didn't Ms. Gojo ask 'which one are you now' earlier? Maybe that ties into the 'evil twin' in the intro."
"It could be metaphorical, not literal," Weiss commented.
Pyrrha noticed that the blonde knight still didn't look convinced. She squeezed his hand gently, smiling gently. "It's okay, Jaune. Try not to fret, okay?"
He nodded, squeezing her hand in gratitude as he turned back to the screen, oblivious to the tiny blush that graced her cheeks.
"Is everyone ignoring the panda that was running across the rooftops?" Penny murmured to herself. She wondered if there was something in her new friends' beverages that caused them to ignore it. No one seemed to bring it up so the android kept her thoughts to herself. Perhaps it was metaphorical like Weiss said.
Episode 1: Ryomen Salem
The group stared at the odd title in silence, before ultimately shrugging.
'Arc' was written on a rusty house plate, and a telephone rang in the background. "Hello, Sugisawa Hospital."
"Oh, this is Arc," the teen replied. Jaune stood in the hallway of his home, telephone in hand. He was dressed in his usual Pumpkin Pete hood, jeans that were rolled up to his shins and a pair of socks.
Weiss grimaced. "Still wearing that crime against fashion even in another universe?"
"Hey!" Jaune yelled, indignant. "Take that back!"
"No."
"I just called earlier. Yes. I'm sorry to keep calling, but how is my grandpa doing?"
Jaune perked up. "Grandpa? He's still alive in this universe?" Sensing the questioning looks his friends sent him, he quickly elaborated. "It's just, I never met him. According to my father, he was a Huntsman before he died on a mission..." He awkwardly trailed off.
"Huh? I thought they already told you," the nurse replied. "Oh, please hold on. I'll go ask myself." She dropped the phone on her desk, leaving to check on Jaune's grandfather.
"Mr. Arc never uses his call button," another nurse commented.
"It's actually scary that he doesn't."
"Mr. Arc, you have a call." The nurse who picked up the phone peered into the room. "Jaune's asking if you want him to bring any-"
"Leave me alone!" the old man yelled, startling the nurse and others in the corridor. "Tell him not to come!" he said, yelling into the call station beside his bed. Nurse 3 from the reception flinched at the man's shout over the phone. "He should go to his club! His club!"
Blake quirked an eyebrow. "Your grandfather is... eccentric," she finished lamely, unsure of how to word her thoughts in an inoffensive manner.
Jaune opened his mouth to fire back a retort but thought better of it. She wasn't wrong.
On his end, Jaune stared at the phone impassively. "What? What's going on?" Nurse 2 asked. "You heard him. What club are you in Jaune?" the first nurse asked.
"I heard. I'll come by tomorrow evening," Jaune said, calmly dismissing her and hanging up.
"You shouldn't just dismiss a lady like that, Jauney boy," Yang teased.
"Bite me," he sniped. He regretted it immediately when Yang wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at his comment.
The scene switched to Miyashiro Prefectural Sugisawa Third High School at night. Footsteps echoed in the darkness as Ren walked up to the school.
"Renny, it's you!" Nora said.
"I can see that, Nora." Ren's reply was delivered, as usual when concerning his partner, with the patience of a saint.
He looked the same but was dressed in the standard Jujutsu High uniform with a dark blue jacket. His uniform pants matched his jacket and only reached just above his shins. He wore long black socks that cover his exposed ankles and finished his outfit with low-top brown shoes.
Ren walked up to the small cabinet, stopping a few feet away from it. "They're keeping a cursed object in a place like this? Could they be any dumber?"
"Cursed object?" Weiss asked.
"Just keep watching Ice Queen." Ruby's comment drew an icy glare from the aforementioned ice queen.
Ren approached the cabinet and hesitated when he noticed the latch was undone. "Hm?" He opened the latch to the small cabinet only to pause on finding it empty. He frantically searched all around the cabinet, even closing and reopening it.
Jaune snorted. "Your face!" Nora cackled as well, fishing out her scroll to take a quick picture. Not even Pyrrha could hide her grin.
Ren shrunk in embarrassment while everyone chuckled.
He dialed a number on his phone. "There's nothing here."
"Huh?" A voice recognizable as Gojo's could be heard from the other end..
"The Stevenson screen's empty."
"For real? That's hilarious! Maybe it took a nighttime stroll."
"I'll punch you."
The group chuckled at the deadpan delivery of his threat. Like it was a daily occurrence.
"Well, no going home until it's recovered, okay?" Gojo abruptly hung up.
"I'm seriously going to punch her next time," Ren said, unamused.
"Y'know, it just hit me. Why did Ren call Mom?" Yang asked. "What's their connection to each other?"
"Weren't you listening earlier?" Weiss asked. "Your mother is a teacher in this world. More than likely, Ren is one of the first years she mentioned being in charge of."
"Oh."
The next day, in the same school, students mingled around for club activities.
"Ready to go?" Jaune asked his seniors together with him in the Occult Phenomenon Research Club. "Are you really sure, Sasaki-senpai?"
She grunted in affirmation.
"Iguchi-senpai?"
He also grunted in affirmation.
"Okay, here we go!"
They each placed a finger on the Ouija board on the table. "Spirits, spirits, please tell us. Which creature is the council president just barely weaker than?!"
"Hey, I remember that!" Yang exclaimed. It had been a while since she'd last played with an Ouija board. Memories of sleepovers with Ruby and/or her friends sprung to the forefront of her mind. Fun times spent trying to overcome their fear of ghosts, talking to the dead and whatnot.
"I am unfamiliar with this contraption. What is it and what are they doing?" Penny inquired.
"They're trying to talk to spirits." Blake explained. "An Ouija board, or spirit board as it is also known, is a device that many believe to be used as a tool for divination. Things like talking to the dead, summoning demons, etc."
Pyrrha, who was just as in the dark as Penny, cocked her head in confusion. "Talk to the dead? Does it actually work?"
"Wait, you've never played with an Ouija board before?" Jaune cut in, looking at his partner in surprise. His mouth dropped even further when she, as well as Ren and Nora, shook their heads in negative.
Jaune and Ruby locked eyes and nodded. An unspoken message was conveyed in a single look; expose their friends to any childhood experiences they missed out on, whether due to childhood trauma or awkward upbringing.
"I'd answer your question but it looks like our team leaders have something planned for later." Blake said with a small smile.
The Ouija marker began to move. "Oh? Se-a an-gel?"
The trio burst into laughter. "A sea angel can beat him?! What a small fry!" Jaune cackled.
Ruby huffed in amusement.
Just then, the council president slammed the door open. "Occult club!"
"Hey, Plankton President! What's up?" Jaune greeted much to Sasaki's amusement.
"Pfft! Good one!" Nora cackled together with Yang.
The student council president slammed a paper onto the table. "As you were previously informed, a research club with no real activities must forfeit its club room," he said as the three read through the notice. "So vacate this room at once!"
"You shouldn't underestimate our members, President," Jaune told him with a smirk. Meanwhile, Sasaki stood up, grabbed a ledger titled Mysterious Events: File 9, and slammed it onto the table.
"What is that?" the president asked.
Jaune, Sasaki and Iguchi smirked darkly.
Weiss shuddered. "Creepy."
Sasaki turned to the president. "You know about our rugby field being closed down, right?"
"Yes," he replied. "Some of the students who fell ill were actually hospitalized."
"Don't you think that's strange?" she asked, pointing a finger at him. "We're talking about tough rugby players here. Truth is, the players said they started hearing…" Rugby players jumped at a mysterious banging sound on the goalpost. "…mysterious sounds and voices right before they fell ill." A rugby player was shown shivering at the whispers and murmurs coming from the ball.
"That's when we found this newspaper article from 30 years ago." Sasaki held up a newspaper clipping displayed in the ledger. "It talks about the disappearance of Yoshida-san, who worked with the construction company…" She turned a page, revealing more information. "…and it mentions he was last sighted here at Sugisawa Third High School during construction."
"Hm?" While the information was intriguing, the president still had his doubts.
"Yoshida-san was struggling to make ends meet, so he turned to loan sharks, and those organizations were after him. Which means!" Sasaki declared. "The whole disaster at the rugby field was caused by the vengeful spirit of Yoshida-san, who is buried there!" she finished with a flourish, Jaune and Iguchi twirling their hands behind her on their successful investigation.
Jaune and Ruby comically joined in the hand twirling much to the amusement of their friends.
"Hey, let's form our own occult club!" Nora announced.
Ren stalled any further conversation before she could pull others into her scheme. "Let's save this conversation for after we watch the show."
The president was quick to shut them down. "No, it was caused by ticks," he deadpanned.
"…"
The three were stunned to silence.
"Hard ticks. A large, blood-sucking bug."
Information about ticks filled the screen with subtitles 'If one bites you and infects you with SFTS, it can be fatal, so be very careful.'
"Way to suck the fun out of everything, Plankton President," Nora grumbled, crossing her arms.
"So what?! The occult club is trying to uncover occult activity, so it's still a proper club activity report!" Jaune reasoned, smacking the file.
"This isn't some kid's game! Besides, the biggest problem is you, Jaune Arc!" The council president declared. "You're registered with track and field, not the occult club, so this club doesn't even have the three members required for any club!"
Face smacks rang out in the room.
Weiss had just one statement for him. "You are an idiot, Arc. No matter the universe."
Jaune slumped at his crush's insult causing Pyrrha to level a stern look at the heiress.
"Huh?"
"Arc…" Sasaki growled, herself and Iguchi glaring at Jaune.
"No, I know I wrote down the occult club."
"I rewrote it!" a man declared.
"The track and field coach, Takagi!" Jaune yelled, clenching his fists.
"Arc, we need you so you can conquer the nationals!"
"Whoa! He's that good?" Nora asked.
Yang snorted. "That's definitely an improvement from our Jaune."
"Hey!" Jaune yelled, indignant. "I wasn't that bad..." He trailed off, gulping at the deadpan looks from team RWBY, Nora and Ren. Pyrrha avoided his gaze, finding the ceiling more interesting all of a sudden.
The council president gaped at the coach. A teacher more problematic than the students just showed up…
Blake perked up. "We're going to see their thoughts?"
"Hehehe!" Nora rubbed her hands together while cackling like a cartoon villain. "Now we'll have access to their innermost thoughts."
"Isn't this an invasion of privacy?" Weiss wasn't completely sold on the idea.
Yang waved off her worries. "We're already watching their lives, some of which I'm sure will be very personal. It's fine."
"Give it a rest!" Jaune complained. "How many times do I have to tell you I refuse?"
"You can't!"
"Why can't I?!"
"However, I'm not some demon. If you can beat me, then I'll give up on you. Let's settle it fair and square on the track!" Takagi challenged.
Jaune grinned. "Now it's interesting! You're on!"
"Oh? Is Jaune challenging a teacher?" Yang rubbed her hands together. This was gonna be fun!
"Go Jaune/Me!" Ruby, Nora and Jaune cheered. Pyrrha was more reserved but she was quietly rooting for her leader/friend/crush.
Large words covered them, writing 'Track and Field Coach Takagi vs Arc. Sasaki and Iguchi cheered Jaune on, the council president forgotten in the background.
Is it "fair and square" to rewrite a student's club application? was his only thought.
Ren walked through the school's rugby field. What's with this rugby field? When he looked down, a hideous monster came out of the grass, seemingly swimming through it.
"Holy shi-!" Nora's swear was cut off by Pyrrha's sharp "Language!".
Yang had no such reservations. "What the fuck was that?" Pyrrha tossed her a dirty look which she ignored.
"Is that supposed to be a type of Grimm?" Blake wondered. In their Grimm studies classes with Professor Port, they had learned that just as there were a a vast number of Grimm of different shapes and sizes, many Grimm had adaptations and abilities specific to their kind. Such as Blind Worms and their ability to spit acid or Geist and their power of possession. Nowhere in their studies was it shown that Grimm could 'swim' through solid surfaces.
"Maybe it's a type of Grimm specific to this universe?" Ren said. "This is an alternate reality so we shouldn't expect that things between our worlds will be perfectly aligned."
"I hope so because the last thing Remnant needs are Grimm that can phase through solid matter," Penny said.
Is there a dead body buried here or something? Even if there is, I'm surprised to see one this high-leveled. Ren watched as curse climbed up the goal pole, growling. That's probably a grade 2 curse. Must be that cursed object's influence.
Eyeballs threatened to pop out of their sockets at the sight of the curse.
"What sort of Grimm is that?" Weiss asked, face twisting in revulsion.
Blake shook her head. "That is not a Grimm. He called it a…curse."
"Maybe that's what the Grimm are called in their universe?" Ruby said.
"I am in agreement with friend Blake that this is not a Grimm. For one thing, it exhibits none of the standard behavioral traits normally associated with one," Penny stated.
Ren hummed, thoughts racing as he picked up what the android was talking about. "She's right. For instance, why is it so docile? A normal Grimm would have attacked my counterpart already. Matter of fact, it should have attacked the school. Yet other me looks so…unbothered by it."
"Great," Yang drawled, popping a can of cola. "Now we're just left with more questions than answers."
Pyrrha shrugged, unbothered. She took the opportunity to snuggle closer to her oblivious partner. "Questions that will be answered as we keep watching."
He continued his walk. Damn it, he cursed. Its presence is too strong to pin down. It feels like it's close by, but it could still be far away, too. He ascended the stairs while staring at his phone's screen. This special-grade cursed object is a serious pain. The image on the phone screen was of the cursed object. It looked cylindrical and wrapped in sheets of paper with strange markings on it. It was placed in a wooden box, the insides lined with red cloth.
"That's it? That's the 'cursed object' he's been making a fuss about?" Nora asked, unimpressed. She shoved a handful of popcorn int
"Hey, you know what they say. Good things come in small packages," Jaune said.
Weiss gave him an arched look. "I doubt there's anything good about a cursed object."
Who could have moved it? Where is it now? He placed his phone in his pocket and continued his trek.
"Over here!" a student yelled. "Coach Takagi is taking on Arc from West Middle!"
"Wow, what are they competing in?" another asked.
Ren followed them to another field with a small crowd.
At the field, Takagi threw a shot-put.
"Yeah!" he shouted, striking a pose.
"Fourteen meters!" a student called out, even as Takagi struck another pose. The screen displayed 'Mistral's National Record: 18m85cm'.
"Wow, Takagi's still got it!"
"Arc! Arc!" other students cheered.
"What are you gonna do, Arc?"
"Hey, is Jaune famous or something?" Sasaki whispered to Iguchi.
"That's what I'd like to know, too," Jaune muttered. While he was far from a social outcast in his old school but he was nowhere near as famous as his counterpart.
Iguchi leaned in to reply. "They're probably tall tales, but I heard he beat all stages of Ninja Warrior and that he's the reincarnation of a Mirko Cro Cop."
Jaune accepted the shot from Takagi, the unexpected weight nearly dragging him to the ground.
"But Mirko's not even dead yet," Sasaki argued. In the background, Ren pulled up to the scene.
"Still, he earned the nickname 'Tiger of West Middle'."
"Lame," Sasaki said, unimpressed.
"Agreed." Weiss raised an eyebrow.
"Hey! It's cool!" Ruby argued.
Jaune grinned. "You tell her, Ruby!" The two shared a high-five.
"Hey, can I just throw this however I want?" Jaune asked Takagi.
Takagi was all smiles, confident in his supposed victory. "Yep. I won't call any fouls, so throw however you please." Jaune turned to throw the shot even as the coach kept talking. "Sorry. I wanted to demonstrate how serious I am by intentionally choosing something that isn't your forte…"
Ignoring the man's spiel, Jaune flung the ball, causing it to sail in the air over the students' heads and dent the soccer goal.
"Uh, roughly thirty meters," the same student who measured Takagi's shot called out. Another display showed 'World Record: 23m 12cm'.
Yang whistled, impressed. "Holy shit, this Jaune is good. Makes me wonder how far I can throw."
"Now I wanna fight him to test how strong he is!" Nora's challenging grin sent a chill down Jaune's spine.
Weiss scoffed, nose upturned. "It's not that impressive."
"Correction, it is an impressive feat," Penny interjected. "A shot put's weight isn't particularly significant for an athletic adult but it is still a heavy object for a high school student. And while alternate Jaune used a pitcher's throw over a standard shot put stance, that is still a lot of power behind the ball; enough to surpass the world record using a standard stance."
Weiss pointedly ignored the shit-eating grins on her friends' faces and resumed the episode.
"Yeah, I win!" Jaune pumped his fist in victory while Takagi and the other students stared wide-eyed at the astonishing feat.
"He's more gorilla than tiger, isn't he?" Sasaki commented.
"That was a pitcher's throw."
Jaune approached them, hands in his hoodie pockets. The coach remained in his wide-eyed state, seemingly catatonic.
"Jaune, you'd do well on a sports team," Sasaki told him. "You don't have to force yourself to stay in our occult club, y'know."
"Huh? But as much as you two love scary things, you couldn't go to haunted places without me, could you?" The screen split to show a flashback of 3 days ago; Jaune holding up a flashlight while Iguchi and Sasaki trembled, clinging to him.
Sasaki pouted. "We're scared because we like it."
Behind Jaune, students were taking pictures with the shell-shocked Takagi.
"Besides, this school requires everyone to be in a club, right?" Jaune jokingly gestured towards the frozen coach. "I couldn't keep up with this."
Another flashback of Sasaki and Iguchi pitching the idea of the occult club to Jaune. "You don't have to do anything! You can be a ghost member! We're the occult club after all!" Flashback Jaune gave a thumbs up.
"Ha!" Yang barked a laugh. "Ghost member, that's a good one!"
"I did say that," Sasaki said in embarrassment.
"I want to be able to go home by 5pm for my own reasons," he continued. The students were now testing how many shots they could balance on Takagi's head. "So if it's okay with you, I'd like to stay. I like the atmosphere of the occult club a lot."
Sasaki and Iguchi blushed at the praise. "Well, if that's how it is, we don't mind."
"Yeah," Iguchi agreed and Sasaki laughed diabolically.
"I get the feeling that she's just happy that their muscle isn't gone," Jaune muttered, drawing a silent chuckle from Pyrrha.
Ren walked by and stopped to stare at Jaune. That guy's incredible. He pulled that off without any cursed energy. I wonder if he's like Zenin-senpai… He moved to continue his search.
"Oh, it's already half past four!" Jaune hastily strapped on his backpack. "Well, Coach, I've got stuff to do! Later!" That snapped him out of his funk, unbalancing the shots.
Ren looked back, noticing Jaune running in his direction. Just as Jaune ran past him, Ren froze, sensing the overwhelming presence of the cursed object.
The presence of a cursed object! "Hey, you!" Ren called out as Jaune sprinted off. "He's way too fast!"
"I heard he can run 50 meters in three seconds," a nearby student said, shocking Ren. The world record was displayed as 5.47 seconds.
Nora guffawed at the funny look plastered on Ren's face.
"Wait, what?! No way he's that fast!" Yang stared at the screen in disbelief.
Blake was just as surprised although she hid it better than her partner. "This goes beyond just athleticism."
"Vroom vroom!" Ruby mimed with a laugh.
"Is he a car?"
Jaune stood at a flower shop, purchasing some to take to the hospital. At a road crossing, he attempted to keep the flowers away from the grabbing hands of an infant. Finally, he reached Sugisawa Hospital.
"I told you not to come," his grandfather chided. "Stop buying flowers to bring with you all the time."
"You always give me that," Jaune said, ignoring his grandfather's complaints. "Besides, these aren't for you. They're for the nurses."
"That's cold, Arc," Weiss stated.
"This is coming from the Ice Queen herself?" Yang smirked.
"All the more reason not to, you fool! And what about your club? Go to your club! Your club!"
"Oh, chill out," Jaune sighed, exasperated. "It ends before 5pm. I wouldn't be visiting you if I didn't have the free time."
"Good. Then listen to me, since I've got some free time, too."
"Not interested." Jaune shot him down instantly, causing the old man to scowl.
"Just listen well." His voice was uncharacteristically low and level. "There's something I want to tell you before the end. It's about your parents."
"I said I'm not interested," Jaune said while he filled a blue jar with water. "Grandpa, could you stop trying to act all cool before you die?"
"Just listen, dude. This may be important," Jaune said.
"Every man wants to go out in style, you know!" his grandfather yelled. "Get a clue, you useless grandson!"
Jaune placed the water-filled jar on the windowsill and placed the flowers inside. "Quit snapping over everything. You can just be yourself."
His grandfather scoffed. " Lax upbringing." He turned over to his side, slowly closing his eyes. "Jaune."
"Hmm?"
"You're a strong kid, so help others. Even if it's only those closest to you, just save the people you can," he advised. "It's okay if you lose your way, and don't worry about whether they'll thank you or not. Just save as many people as you can, even if it's only one. When you die, you should be surrounded by people. Don't end up like me."
His words of advise touched everyone in the room. Although it was meant for alternate Jaune, everyone of them silently swore to follow the old man's advise.
Penny didn't think she could ever fully understand the concept of death as a result of her nature but all the same, she etched Mr. Arc's advise deep within her artificial soul.
Jaune stared at his grandfather for a moment of silence. "Grandpa?"
The phone to Jaune's grandfather's room rang in the nurses' office. A nurse picked up the phone. "Yes, what's the matter?"
"Hello?" She paused, giving another nurse her file. "Mr. Arc?!"
Jaune sniffled, overwhelmed with sadness.
"Hello?"
"My grandpa…is dead."
Quiet gasps rang out in the silence of the room.
Despite not knowing the man, and only going off of the little they saw of him onscreen, Jaune still fought to hold back tears. His teammates huddled close to him in silent comfort and support.
Everyone else lowered their heads in respect for the knowledge of the man's death.
Jaune stood silently, watching over his grandfather's body, even as the nurses came in and wheeled it out of the room. He then went about packing his belongings in a bag and filling out the necessary paperwork at the front desk.
"Okay, that's all of the necessary paperwork," a nurse said, collecting the filled forms.
"Okay. Thank you for everything," Jaune said.
The nurse looked concerned for him. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked.
Jaune looked down as his lips quirked up into a small smile. "Well, this is my first time dealing with something like this, so it doesn't feel real yet. Grandpa would snap if I kept moping around forever, though, so I'll just have to laugh as I roast him up."
"Phrasing!"
"Jaune!" Pyrrha gasped, also scandalized by his choice of words.
The blond knight had the grace to look sheepish on his alter's behalf.
Jaune turned to the left, sensing the presence of another individual standing in the shadows of the hallway.
"Jaune Arc, right?" Ren asked. Both Jaune and the nurse looked confused, the former for how this stranger knew him and the latter for his relation with Jaune. "I'm Lie Ren from Jujutsu Tech. I'd like to have a word with you. Now."
Jaune and Ren moved to the waiting area to continue the discussion.
"Um, I'm in mourning right now," Jaune said.
"Sorry, but there isn't time," Ren stated bluntly. "The cursed object you possess is very dangerous. Hand it over to me right now."
"Dude, he just told you he's in mourning. Have a bit of empathy, will you?" Yang scowled, eyes flashing red.
"Cursed object?"
Ren lifted his phone, showing Jaune the image of the cursed object. "This."
"Oh, yeah, yeah. I found that," Jaune said. "I don't mind either way, but my senpai took a liking to it." He casually leaned back to rest on a chair. "What do you mean, 'dangerous'?"
"The number of unexplained deaths and missing persons within Mistral exceeds 10,000 a year on average," Ren explained. "Most of those are the result of curses."
"Whoa," Ruby gasped. "That many?"
"Finally we're getting some answers about this 'curse' business," Weiss noted after her initial surprise at the high death toll subsided.
"Curses?" Jaune asked, sounding sceptical.
Unfortunately, Ren was in a hurry and did not have time to assuage his doubts and scepticism. "I don't care if you believe in them or not. They're real," he said matter-of-factly. "I'll go on."
"Large pools of negative energy form especially easily in schools, hospitals, and so on. Hardship, regret, shame…The negative emotions of mankind become the source of curses." Imagery of a swirling pool of inky reddish black energy appeared on screen. "That's why most schools secretly keep a cursed object such as a protective talisman. The object you found is one of them."
There was a moment of silence as the group processed this new information.
"Magic?" Weiss' tone was one of disbelief. "That's what all this is about?"
"I did not expect that, if I'm being honest," Yang admitted before her mouth split into a grin. "That's awesome, though."
Weiss rounded on Yang, look of disbelief still plastered on her face. "Don't tell me you actually believe this?"
"We're watching the lives of alternate versions of ourselves in another universe using the power of an eldritch god and magic is where you draw the line?" Blake arched a brow at the heiress.
Weiss's mouth opened and closed multiple times but was unable to form a retort.
"Just give up, Weiss." Nora rolled her eyes. "Now can we keep watching? I wanna see where this all goes!" Her body vibrated in excitement.
"Same here!" Without further ado, Ruby resumed the episode.
Jaune raised a hand, halting Ren's explanation. "If it's protecting us, shouldn't we be grateful for it?"
"Let me finish. Placing an object of greater evil is a deadly poison that keeps other curses away." An analogy of a spider talisman protecting its web from a caterpillar curse is displayed onscreen. "It's a bad practice that only claims to protect. Over the years, its seal weakens, and then it becomes bait to lure in and fatten up other curses." A gang of caterpillar curses now ganged up on the spider.
"The object you found is a dangerous one, classified as special-grade. Hand it over before people start dying."
"Hey, I already said I don't mind that." Jaune fished the box out of his pocket and tossed it at Ren. "So go tell it to my senpai." The transaction now completed, Jaune made to leave while Ren checked its contents.
"What is a 'senpai'?" Ruby asked. "He's been saying it since the start of the episode but I can't figure out what it is."
"Senpai is a term mostly used in Eastern Mistral. It roughly translates to 'mentor' or 'upperclassman'. It can also be used when referring to someone older than you," Ren explained. [3]
It's empty? Ren had the box opened in his hands, revealing the empty space where the cursed object was placed. I was just following the taint clinging to the box?!
"How powerful is this cursed object if he didn't notice he stopped following it?" Pyrrha wondered.
Ren released an empathetic at his counterpart's terrible luck.
Ren grabbed Jaune by his shoulder. "Where are the contents?!" he demanded, holding up the empty box.
Jaune was now starting to get annoyed by Ren's constant pestering. His grandfather had just died and now he found out ghosts are real. Give a guy time to process it all, damn it! He shrugged the dark-haired boy's hand off his shoulder.
"I already told you, my senpai…have…it…" It slowly dawned on him that he had given away the object to his seniors. The implications of that epiphany were lost on Jaune, not realizing just how much danger Iguchi and Sasaki were in.
"What?" Ren asked, noticing the look on his face.
"Actually, they were talking about removing the talisman from it tonight at the school," Jaune informed him.
Ren was horrified, the realization of the danger they were in dawning on him. Jaune unfortunately didn't get the memo.
"What?" he asked, watching Ren take a few steps back, shock written all over his face. "Is that bad?"
"It's worse than bad." Ren's tone was grim. "They're going to die."
"What?!" The room collectively yelled.
"Let us hope that they haven't succeeded in removing the talisman, yet," Pyrrha muttered, biting her lip and trying to still her shaking legs.
Back at the now empty school, the other two members of the occult club sat in their club room. A candle was lit on the table in between them, casting a dull glow that barely lit up the room. Sasaki fiddled with the seal, trying to peel it away.
"I can't get it off," she said.
"Did we really need to sneak in to do this?" Iguchi questioned, the nerves getting to him. "I'll turn on the lights."
"No! The atmosphere's important!" Sasaki stopped him, not pausing in her efforts. "Enjoying the thrill is in the spirit of the occult club, isn't it? It's not like anything's going to happen, anyway."
"How are you an occult club that doubts the existence of the supernatural?" Penny was confused.
Weiss waved the question away. "Most people that claim to dabble in the occult don't actually believe in it, they just do it for the suspense and thrill."
Penny wasn't sure she understood what the heiress meant but decided it was probably a normal thing if her new friends weren't hung up on it.
A part of the seal pealed off.
"Oh, it came off!" Sasaki began carefully and methodically unraveling the seal until it all came off, falling into a bundle on the table. The object inside was revealed to be a clawed finger, that looked brown and mouldy.
The teens grimaced in unison at the ugly sight.
Blake eyed the finger with distaste and a small measure of curiosity "Is it just me or have we seen this finger somewhere else?" she asked.
"It was at the end of the opening theme," Penny said, recalling seeing a clawed finger in the water.
"A human finger?" Iguchi said in surprise.
"Is it real?" The two were at a loss for what to do.
All of a sudden, the candle's flame flickered out, drawing shocked gasps from them. They turned back to the finger, now effectively spooked.
"Is this…" Sasaki held up the finger when a large explosion rocked the room, causing her to drop the finger.
Sasaki hastily picked it up, bundling it up with the unraveled seal. "What is this?" They were so preoccupied staring at the finger that they failed to notice the curse phasing through the ceiling above their heads.
The sudden appearance of the curse jolted some from their positions.
"Crap," Yang swore.
"Get out of there!" Ruby yelled.
On the streets, Jaune and Ren ran to the school.
"Do talismans come off that easily?" Jaune asked.
"No, it's impossible for people who lack cursed energy. Normally."
"Cursed energy?" Nora parroted.
"Explanations will come later," Pyrrha said, interrupting his train of thought.
"Go right! It's a shortcut." Jaune took the lead, Ren following him.
Hurry! Ruby mentally urged.
"This time the object itself is too strong." Ren continued his explanation. "The seal is ancient. It might as well be plain paper."
"I still don't get all this stuff about curses," Jaune admitted.
"Where are they?" Ren demanded, not in a chatty mood. They had reached the school.
"Fourth floor!"
Jaune was suddenly hit with a wave of pressure, forcing him to halt. "What is this pressure?" he asked. The aura of negativity was so concentrated that it was like a physical barrier.
"You stay here," Ren ordered, moving past him to enter the school premises. He jumped on top of the gate.
"I'm coming, too! It's dangerous, right? I've only known them for a few months, but they're my friends. I can't just stand by!"
Ren could understand why the boy would want to help. Still, he was unwilling to involve an untrained civilian in matters of jujutsu. "Stay here," he ordered again and moved in.
"He can help," Jaune sulked, unhappy with being sidelined.
"I'm sure it's nothing personal. My counterpart is trained to handle this sort of thing while yours isn't," Ren said, placating his sulky teammate.
In the school, the door to the occult club's classroom was torn apart.
"WhAt TiMe Is It?" a shaky voice, undoubtedly a curse, asked.
Sasaki muffled her fearful whimpers.
"Poor girl," Blake uttered. She didn't envy Sasaki and Iguchi's position one bit.
A monstrous curse with a lumpy human shape and mane wandered the hallways, walking past her hiding place. "ThE hOuR hAnD iS aT eLeVeN."
"Blegh!" Nora grimaced. "That is one ugly motherfu-"
"Language!"
Nora stubbornly stuck her tongue out at Pyrrha.
What is that monster? she thought.
"S-Sasaki…" Iguchi groaned, slowly approaching.
"Iguchi? Thank goodness!" she said in relief. "Where have you-" Her words died in her throat when Iguchi came into the light, revealing another curse clamped around his head, pulling painfully at his mouth.
"Help me…" he pleaded.
"Holy shit!"
"Make a run for it!"
Ruby looked incredulously at Nora. " And abandon her friend?!"
"She might have to if she wants to survive," Ren said with a grimace.
"WhAt TiMe Is It?" the curse that passed Sasaki earlier reappeared, grabbing her as she screamed in terror.
Ren scaled the stairs quickly. The curse has been unleashed. Its presence is still all over the place! He burst out into a hallway and found a curse in his path. It was shaped like a worm with eyeballs all over it.
"SLuRp, SlUrP," it gurgled.
"Out of my way!" He slid to a stop, clasping his hands together and forming the shadow puppet of a dog's head. "Divine Dogs!" Out of his shadows formed a pair of twin wolves. One hound was white while the other was black, and both had red dots on their forehead of the opposite colour. They growled menacingly at the curse. [4]
"Whoa!"
The room burst into a cacophony of noise and cheers.
"That was badass!" Nora yelled, shaking her best friend/partner enthusiastically. "Is that your other you's Semblance? Or is it a spell anyone can do? Can he summon just dogs or other animals? Oh my God, can he summon a sloth?!"
Ren, with some effort, broke out of Nora's tight grasp. "Yes, probably. I don't know, I don't know, and I don't know." As always, Ren answered with the patience of a saint.
Weiss couldn't help but draw similarities with her family's ability to summon past foes with Glyphs. "I wonder if it's similar," she mused.
Blake was torn between finding the ability badass and backing away from the dogs onscreen. In a moment of fright, she glanced around the room looking for Zwei before she remembered that team CFVY agreed to dog-sit him for the night.
"SlUrP!"
"You can eat it."
"Eat it?" Jaune gagged.
Still waiting outside the school, Jaune stared at the gate. Am I just going to wait here like he told me to? What am I so afraid of?
"They're going to die." Ren's words returned to the forefront of his mind.
That's right. I can sense death all the way out here. I'm afraid of dying. Was I afraid of it then? He remembered the moment his grandfather died. It didn't feel like I was, though. I didn't cry because I was scared. I was just a little sad. But my grandpa's death and the death I'm facing now… How are they any different?
His grandfather's words came back to him. "You're a strong kid, so help others." He was wracked by fright and indecision.
You know what you have to do. You won't stand for doing nothing when you can do something to help others, Pyrrha thought, confident in her trust in his judgement.
Ren ran alongside his Divine Dogs, destroying curses as they came across them.
"The curses are growing in number. They're close." They turned a corner and slid to a halt. The hounds growled at the curse in front of them.
It looked like a collection of curses fused to form an big monstrous abomination. It had Iguchi halfway into one of its mouths while multiple hands fondled and slowly absorbed an unconscious Sasaki for the finger.
The girls' gagged, fighting to still their queasy stomachs.
"Found them."
Jaune grabbed onto the gate. He was short-tempered and stubborn. No one but me ever paid him a visit. "Don't end up like me," huh? He reminisced on his grandfather's last words. That's true. He steeled his resolve.
"Damn it!" Ren cursed. "Is it trying to swallow her along with the cursed object?" Sasaki was slowly being absorbed into the curse with the cursed object still in her possession. "I'm not gonna make it!"
The curse let out a chilling giggle, eyes curling in victory. Before it could eat the students, its eyes widened when it noticed Jaune in the air outside the window, readying a kick.
"What the hell?"
"Did he just leap four stories into the air?" Weiss gaped. Every jaw in the room dropped at the superhuman feat.
He kicked in the window, sending glass shards everywhere, grabbed the sill and flipped in midair till he was facing the curse below him.
"Arc!" Ren shouted, surprised and concerned.
I think you had a proper death, Grandpa. But… He buried his fist deep within the curse's face, disorienting it and causing it to lose its grip on Sasaki and Iguchi. This death… Jaune took the opportunity to grab them both and leap to safety. …is wrong!
"Pause!" Weiss hit the pause icon before anyone could object. She then took deep breaths to steady her racing thoughts. "Sorry, I'm just trying to process everything that has happened…"
"Other me climbing four stories without using stairs?" Jaune was in just as much disbelief as the Schnee heiress. "It's…"
"Impossible," Pyrrha finished with a gasp. The normally reserved champion couldn't disguise the surprise in her voice. "No ordinary teenager should be capable of anything we've seen other Jaune do so far."
"Maybe he uses cursed energy? Whatever that is," Nora offered her two cents.
Ren shook his head. "No, other me said he threw the ball without cursed energy, remember?"
"Right." Blake nodded, thoughts racing with a multitude of ideas and hypotheses. "As far as we can tell, other Jaune has had no encounters with curses or anything related to them. He just learned about their existence this very evening."
"But that would mean everything he's done so far is his own strength," Ruby argued. "Pitching a shot put nearly 30meters, running at speeds comparable to a car, leaping to extreme heights; no ordinary human can do that!"
"I find it funny how everyone around just accepts that other Jaune is superhuman but don't try to follow up on why that is," Yang shook her head in amusement.
Penny chose that moment to butt into the conversation. "We've raised tangible points but constantly talking about it won't get us any closer to the truth. Let us keep watching."
With a unanimous agreement, they resumed the episode.
Jaune gently placed his seniors in comfortable positions. Iguchi was bleeding from his mouth and nostrils but otherwise appeared to be fine. Jaune cradled Sasaki in his arms, ensuring she was fine before turning back to face the curse.
"So this is a curse? Not what I was expecting."
A wave of pressure hit the curse, blowing it into chunks. Most of it disintegrated with the stragglers being picked up and eaten by the hounds. Ren rounded the corner, comfortable letting his Divine Dogs take care of the rest.
"I want to ask what you're doing here, but good job." Ren complimented him.
"Why so haughty?" Jaune tilted his head to see the dogs behind Ren. "By the way, what's that munching on the curse?"
"My shikigami," he replied. "You can see them, then? Normally a curse can't be seen. Not unless you're on the verge of death and in special places like this."
"Definitely not Grimm," Weiss noted.
"It's a bit terrifying that an entire class of monsters exist that majority of people can't see," Jaune commented, a chill running down his spine.
"At least there appears to be a secret organization whose job is tackling such monsters." Penny allowed herself to wonder if there existed such a cabal in their world.
"Yeah, that makes sense. I've never seen a ghost or anything before tonight."
Ren was taken aback by the boy's casual acceptance of everything. "You're not scared, are you?"
"Well, I was scared for a bit," Jaune admitted. "But did you know? People really can die."
"Yeah, and the sun rises in the east and sets in the west." Yang's dry comment elicited chuckles from her friends.
"Huh?"
"So I at least want the people I know to have proper deaths. Not that I really get it myself," he confessed. Rising to his feet with Sasaki in his arms, the cursed object and now useless seal slipped out of her pocket. He caught it before it hit the floor.
"Whoa. This it?"
"Yeah." Ren was relieved that his mission was now complete. "That's the special-grade cursed object, Ryomen Salem's finger. It's a miracle it didn't get swallowed."
Jaune scrutinized the finger. "Why would anything eat it? Does it taste good?"
"…"
Ruby turned to Jaune with a blank stare. "Your counterpart is an idiot, Jaune."
An imaginary cloud of doom hung over his head at the insult to his counterpart.
"Don't be stupid. You'd do it to gain stronger cursed energy. It's dangerous so hand it over already."
"Sure, sure." Jaune extended the finger to Ren. Unfortunately, more curses were still drawn to the finger. A curse's hand appeared through the ceiling above Jaune.
"Look out!"
Ren noticed the attack coming and shoved Jaune out of the way. "Run!" he yelled just as the ceiling came crashing down. The force of the explosion threw Jaune with Sasaki still in his arms, backwards. The Divine Dogs dragged Iguchi out of danger.
The large curse from earlier that day appeared from the dust, holding Ren in its grasp.
"Ren!"
Ren clapped his hands together forming a bird shape. "Nue!" he called out.
Unfortunately, the curse gave him no leeway to summon his shikigami. It threw him into a wall with so much force that he spat out blood. The lapse in concentration caused by the pain caused his Divine Dogs to dissipate.
"Ren!" Nora cried out in alarm.
The boy in question squeezed her hand gently. A soft reminder that he was alive and well.
He had barely gotten his bearings before the curse descended upon him. From outside the building, there were three flashes of light before a wide hole was blown in the wall. Dust and debris flew everywhere as Ren landed painfully on the overhead walkway, the curse following right behind him.
Blood dripped down his face as Ren shakily tried to form the necessary hand signs for his technique. "Damn it, I can't think straight."
Just as the curse was about to crush him, Jaune leaped in, throwing a punch to distract the curse.
"Arc! Why can't you understand to take those two and run?!" Ren chided.
"You're in big trouble yourself!" Jaune grabbed onto the curse's arm but it flung him around, dragging his body on the tiles and throwing him into the air.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha called out in worry. Her worries were shared by everyone else.
"Only curses can exorcise other curses! You can't beat it!"
"Is this the time to be saying that?!" He acrobatically dodged the curse's wild attacks. "You're going to die at this rate!" Jaune grabbed an arm and broke it over the railing. Running up the length of its arm, he flipped over its head, grabbing its hair and using the leverage to gouge out one eye with its foot. "If I went home now, I'd be having nightmares! Besides…"
The curse regenerated its eye and moved for Jaune again, forcing him to dodge. "I have my own…" "Help others." "…troublesome curse already!"
He moved out its downward fist that shattered the ground but was unable to dodge the second that had him coughing out blood and flying into the air. Salem's finger slipped from his grasp. On his way down, Jaune was captured by the curse. Noticing the air-borne cursed object, he grabbed the finger with his teeth.
"Shit, shit, shit, shit," Nora bit down on her nails, foot tapping erratically.
Even Weiss, for all that she would forever deny seeing Jaune as a friend, was visibly worried for him. "Is he crazy?! Don't bother fighting it! Only curses can exorcise other curses. Just take Ren and run!"
Blake shook her head in disagreement. "He can't. His upperclassmen are still in the building. What's stopping other curses from going after them? Even if there aren't any, they still need medical treatment for their wounds."
"And there's the matter of Salem's finger," Ren interjected. "It's a beacon that's drawing other curses to it meaning that as long as it is within his possession, curses won't stop coming after him."
"You idiot! Hand it over to me or you'll be eaten too!"
Before he fell into the curse's mouth, Jaune caught himself on the curse's teeth. The curse grabbed Jaune and tried to force him into its mouth. In this precarious position, Jaune remembered his prior conversation with Ren.
"Why would anything eat it? Does it taste good?"
"Don't be stupid. You'd do it to gain stronger cursed energy."
"He's not doing what I think he's about to, right?" Pyrrha stressed.
Jaune turned green as he caught onto the implications of what she meant.
Jaune tossed the finger into the air. "There's a way to save everyone! I just need some cursed energy, right, Ren?!"
Horror dawned on Ren's face when he realized what the boy was about to do. "Don't! Don't do it!" he screamed.
It was all for nought as Jaune ate the finger in one bite.
Ruby, Weiss, and Nora retched while their friends' faces twisted with horror and disgust.
Ryomen Salem's finger! Ren's expression was one of horror. That's a special-grade cursed object! It's a deadly poison! He'll die for sure! But there's a one-in-a-million… a one-in-a-million chance…
Jaune limp body sprung to life, blasting off the curse's arms. Unseen by Ren, two dark bands formed on Jaune's wrists. The curse rushed toward Jaune as he landed but with one flick of his arm, the curse exploded.
"Oh my God!" Weiss and Ruby screamed.
"How did he do that?" Blake gasped, eyes wide open in disbelief.
Ren's eyes widened.
The clouds moved, allowing the moonlight to reveal Jaune's new look. His fingers now sported black claws. His face was covered with unique markings on his forehead, nose, and cheeks. A second pair of eyes appeared under his normal eyes, all four of which glowed red.
"Fufu… Hahaha… Hahaha… Hahahaha!" The incarnated curse roared with mad laughter. It was worth noting that Jaune's voice sounded intermingled with a feminine one. "Ah, I knew it! The light feels best in the flesh!" She began tearing off Jaune's Pumpkin Pete hoodie.
This is the worst! Ren looked on in horror. A one-in-a-million worst-case outcome! The special-grade cursed object has incarnated!
"Fuck."
Surprisingly, this came from Pyrrha's mouth. Unfortunately, everyone was too caught up in the episode to comment on it. Their horror at the realization of what the opening's visuals meant had finally dawned on them.
With the hoodie fully gone, the teens could see that the markings extended all over Jaune's body. Apart from the unique markings on his face and wrists, he also had two lines on his upper arms, circles on both his shoulders with a dot in each, two-segmented curve lines on his chest and two lines on his stomach.
"A cursed spirit's flesh is so boring. Where are the people? The women?!" Salem looked around, grinning maniacally. She stood on the rail of the walkway, arms splayed wide. "What a wonderful era to be in. Women and children are crawling everywhere like maggots. Marvelous! It'll be a massacre! Hahaha!"
Her celebration was cut short when her hand reached up to grab her chin. She stumbled back from the ledge.
"What do you think you're doing with my body? Give it back," Jaune said.
Hope welled in their chests. "He can control it?" Ruby asked, her mouth threatening to split into a grin.
"Come on, Jaune! Take your body back from that bitch!" Yang cheered.
"How are you able to move?" Salem asked, surprise evident in her tone.
"I mean, it's my body."
Salem's eyes widened as the realization hit her. "He's suppressing me?" The second pair of eyes closed as her consciousness receded. The tattoos hadn't receded but Jaune was in control once again.
"Don't move," Ren ordered, drawing Jaune's attention. "You're no longer human."
"Huh?"
Ren formed new hand signs, causing his shadows to swirl around him. "Under Jujutsu Regulations, Jaune Arc, I will exorcise you as a curse!"
"What?" was all Jaune could say. "Exorcise me as a curse? What's that about?"
"And what does he mean by 'no longer human'? Jaune still looked pretty human to me." Yang folded her arms. "Extra eyes and claws notwithstanding."
Blake bit her lip, trying to connect the dots with what little info they had. "I think it has less to do with his physical appearance and more about what is inside him."
"The special-grade cursed object, Ryomen Salem, right? I still don't see the connection."
Weiss pulled a notebook out of nowhere. "Okay, let's analyze everything we know so far."
"Curses are the result of the negative emotions of mankind pooling together, especially in schools and hospitals," Penny stated.
Nora stuffed her mouth with more snacks. "They can't be seen by normal people, except in extreme circumstances, usually involving death."
"However," Ren interjected to add to her point, "there exists those who can harness cursed energy, which we don't have a concrete explanation for, to exorcise curses. They can naturally see and interact with curses."
"Which brings us to the last scene in the episode. Ren threatening to exorcise Jaune as a curse." Pyrrha's brows furrowed in thought. "Assuming exorcise in this context means killing curses, that means…"
"He's going to kill me," Jaune finished with a frown. The atmosphere in the room noticeably plummeted
"Other Ren also said something. He said the special-grade cursed object had incarnated? What's up with that?" Ruby asked.
"It means it is now embodied in human form," Weiss replied, tapping the pen on her chin and skimming through her notes. "I think the finger contained the consciousness of a powerful curse which has now been resurrected in Arc's body."
Nora leaned over to look at Weiss's notes. "I don't get it, though. If the curse is so dangerous, why don't they exorcise it as a finger? Why seal it away? In fact, why doesn't the finger disintegrate like the other curses after they're killed?"
"Disintegrate?"
"Yeah. You didn't notice?" Jaune shook his head in negative. "After alternate-you got possessed and destroyed the curse, it slowly turned to dust. Like the Grimm."
Ruby rewound to the last few minutes of the episode.
"See the dust coming off of it?" Nora pointed out. Fast forwarding by a few seconds, she pointed at the now empty space where the carcass used to be. "It's not there anymore."
"Huh," was all Yang said. "You make a good point. What makes this cursed object different from others?"
"It probably has to do with why it is called a special-grade cursed object," Penny said. "Ren classified the field curse as a Grade 2, implying that there is a grading system to curses or curse-related objects." The android snatched the notebook out of Weiss's hand, much to her chagrin, to add her own notes.
"We have no knowledge of how the grading system works; it could be based on size, intelligence, or level of cursed energy. Maybe even a combination of all these factors. But the cursed object is classified as special-grade; by definition, it is better, greater, or otherwise different from normal curse-related matters."
They realized where she was going with this. Blake was the first to comment.
"You're suggesting that the curse was too powerful to be destroyed. Which is why it had to be sealed away."
"Precisely."
"That's…a pretty good idea. Way to go, Penny!" Penny beamed as Ruby pulled her in for a congratulatory side hug.
While Penny and Ruby hugged it out, with Yang jumping in to join them, Weiss retrieved her notebook.
"That explains a lot. Like why Arc is scheduled for an execution."
Jaune winced at the reminder. "Yeah. That sucks." Pyrrha stroked his hand softly to console him.
"And why Miss Gojo asked Jaune which one he was when he woke up. Himself or Salem," Blake added.
"Oh, I wonder when Mom will show up?" Ruby bounced excitedly in her seat. "I can't wait!"
"Let's start the next episode, shall we?" Ren said.
Weiss clicked on the next video and the episode played.
[1] The English translations for the opening were gotten from LeeandLie (AmaLee) on YouTube. Rather than just putting the literal translations to the opening, I searched for an English cover that can be sung with the same tune and beat of the original Japanese song. Check it out, it's really good.
[2] In this fic, Japan exists in their world as it does in ours; an island country in East Anima.
[3] This is obviously a simplified explanation. This actually brings me to a matter I've mulled over. Should I go full tilt with using Japanese naming formats and honorifics (e.g. using someone's last name to address them, using -kun, -san, -senpai, -sensei) or leave it Westernized like it is in RWBY but retain some Japanese mannerisms and/or honorifics such as -senpai, -sensei, etc. Or do I get rid of them entirely and find alternatives to those terms? I feel like I should got with the first or second option since I'm keeping the country as Japan, but moved to the world of RWBY. Let me know your thoughts in the reviews/comments, please! :D
[4] The manga calls them Divine Dogs. I don't know why the English sub translates it as Demon Dogs.
And there you have it. The teams have been introduced to the scary world of jujutsu. How will they react as they go further into this dark urban fantastical world?
With the opening revealing most of their identities, here are the character swaps so far:
1. Itadori Yuji: Jaune Arc
2. Fushiguro Megumi: Lie Ren
3. Kugisaki Nobara: Nora Valkyrie
4. Gojo Satoru: Summer Rose
5. Geto Suguru: Raven Branwen
6. Nanami Kento: Qrow Branwen
7. Zenin Maki: Weiss Schnee
8. Inumaki Toge: Blake Belladonna
9. Aoi Todo: Sun Wukong
10. Junpei Yoshino: Oscar Pine
11. Mahito: Cinder Fall
12. Ryomen Sukuna: Salem
Feel free to let me know your thoughts or constructive criticisms in the reviews/comments. Till next chapter!