A/N: Here's a double upload for y'all. Hope you enjoy it.

Also, I don't know if you know but alerts are not working for some, so you might not even know some of your followed/favorited stories have been updated.

How long has he been falling into this empty void? Minutes? Hours? Days? Weeks? There was nothing that showed where Jaune was. It was just him and darkness. The fear that had gripped him when the bridge faded away was now gone, as nothing had happened since then. Were the others in the same predicament as him?

To test this theory, he pulled his scroll from his pocket, keeping a steady grip, and tried to dial Weiss's number. The tune made no echo, causing it to sound strangely flat. Soon enough, an automatic voice told him the number was not available. He did the same with the rest of his friends and got the same results.

He was alone. A thought that struck dread in his heart. Would he remain like this forever? Would he be forced to exist in this featureless nothingness for as long as he could live? No. He didn't want that. He couldn't live like that. It terrified him to be eternally cut off from everything he knew. Jaune could never see his home, his family, or anything again.

As if in response, the void subtly changed. Where there was once nothing, there were now twinkles in the dark like stars in the night sky. He stared in surprise as this realm became filled with those stars, each a different color from the last. Then, in the blink of an eye, those stars became entire systems, then galaxies, and finally universes. He was afloat amongst the beauty of the emptiness that lay beyond Remnant. In pure wonder, he reached out to the closet of these universes, and it shocked him when it moved. The part he touched dissipated into glittering dust and, like a chain reaction, the rest of the whole followed suit.

Jaune wondered if the head had somehow destroyed a universe, but this line of thought stopped as that dust stopped moving before coalescing into a single point. It gathered and gathered until a star was born once again. The young man watched, unraptured, as the cycle went on without his intervention and he realized that all the other universes did the same. The process sped up as the stars flashed through their different stages, and he felt like he was having an out-of-body experience.

He brought his hands in view and squinted as he noticed his aura suddenly appear. Yet his aura was different, as it was a kaleidoscope of color all across him. It never settled for a single shape. Slowly the truth revealed itself as something, or rather multiple somethings, moved away from him in different directions. It was like an afterimage of him that completely copied his movements and posture. They all moved away from him, following his head movements, as Jaune tried to grasp this trippy experience.

"What's going on!?" He yelled aloud. The first time he's spoken since falling into this void. The afterimages followed suit, as Jaune heard his voice come from all around him. More and more afterimages emerged from him as the universes went through their cycles at an imperceptible pace. Light suddenly shone from behind Jaune, and he turned his body around to see that he was heading straight for it. He fell closer and closer until-

Jaune's eyes snapped open and a gasp burst from his mouth. Instead of a bright light, he was staring up at a wooden ceiling. His body felt sore, particularly his leg and shoulder, but not as sore as it was before. The blonde man felt warm and looked down to see he was lying on a futon. When he raised the blank, he blanched bandage-covered body. He was almost naked aside from his underwear.

He pushed himself up, groaning painfully as his body protested, to get a better look at where he was. The walls were plain white, and there was a black double sliding door adorned with white sakura petals. Crates and furniture filled the left side of the room, while his side remained empty. A glint of metal in his periphery caught his attention, and he turned his gaze to see the battered remains of his clothing and armor. They were left on the wall, along with his sheathed sword. He felt queasy looking at the weapon, so instead turned his attention to the clothes neatly folded next to him. A white slip of paper was on top of it, and he reached out for it carefully. He didn't want to upset his injuries any further. Jaune picked up the note and unfolded it, only to gape at the simple message.

'Wear this.'

"Seriously?" Jaune uttered in disbelief, but seeing no other option followed the order as he slowly stood up.

Jaune recognized the style of clothing, and he wondered if he had fallen into Mistral or something. He didn't know the name of the clothing, nor did he know how to tie the sash that came with it correctly. There were socks and sandals that he placed on his feet. In the end, he ended up with white robes that were slightly too tight and a haphazardly tied blue sash around his waist. The warrior was sure that he had done it wrong, and he hoped that whoever had saved him would spare him the embarrassment.

As Jaune finished, his eyes naturally turned to Croce Mors, and he wondered if he should take it with him. That queasy feeling returned as he stared, but he tried to put it to the side as he approached the sword. His heartbeat picked up as he got closer, and he couldn't help but gulp anxiously. What is wrong with him? He's had this blade by his side for over three years; why is he so scared of it now?

He futilely forced his way through his feelings as he reached out for the sword, and when he faintly touched the hilt, the image of plunging his sword into Penny flashed in his mind. He gasped as he fell backward, and a flash of pain pulsed through his body.

"You've gotta be kidding…"

So what happened before wasn't a one-time thing. He wasn't able to pick up his sword. Not only that, the memories and emotions of what happened caught up to him and he couldn't help the tears that welled up in the corner of his eyes. He stamped it down. This wasn't the time or place. He wouldn't break down in the middle of some stranger's house. So instead he stood up and turned his back on Crocea Mors. Not daring to turn around again, he walked to the doors and slid them open.

Jaune walked out onto a veranda that led into a courtyard. Opposite him was a building identical to the one he walked out of, which had a design reminiscent of what he saw in Mistral. He walked into the courtyard and took notice of another building to his right, which had an opening where someone could stand like a store clerk. Yet what caught his eye and wonder was a large Sakura tree to his left.

He examined it with a sense of admiration and curiosity. Like all Sakura trees, it had the signature pink petals, yet what caught his eye the most was the blue light that glowed from underneath the barks and the fox-like head that seemed to be a part of the tree itself. How such a thing could be possible was beyond him, as it looked all natural. Overall, the place was rather tranquil and he couldn't help but feel calm.

"What a fascinating creature you are."

Jaune perked up and turned around to see a pink-haired lady standing behind him. She was wearing a modified shrine maiden outfit that still comprised the usual white and red. He saw something twitch, and he realized she had furry ears poking out of the side of her head, angling down; both ears had a golden earring adorned with a purple gem in the center. There was also a golden head accessory peaking out from behind her head.

"I'm sorry?" Jaune asked in confusion as the beautiful lady looked him up and down with an analyzing and reserved stare. She walked around him, observing every inch of him like he was some type of zoo animal.

"A creature who cannot wear their clothes right," she uttered, completely ignoring his words. Suddenly, she was in his personal space as she grabbed his sash and messed around with it.

"H-Hey! What are you doing-"

"There. All fixed."

The woman stepped back, giving him a once with her purple eyes, and nodded to herself in satisfaction.

"Good. Looks tight, but it's the biggest I had on hand."

"Right, thanks for that," Jaune said impatiently as he tired of her ignoring him. "Do you mind telling me where I am and who you are?"

Instead of answering him, she gave him a teasing smile, which displayed just how much she knew she was getting on his nerves. "My~ so impatient. Where are people's manners these days? You'd think they'd be polite to someone who saved their life."

"Yeah, well, all manners went out the window when you called me a 'creature.'" Jaune quipped back.

"Ooh, and it has some bite. How amusing."

"I'm not an 'it' I'm a human for crying out loud-" Jaune stopped his emotions from rising too high, and from giving the woman the amusement she so clearly was seeking, "Look, I appreciate you helping me out, but I'd like to know where I am and who you are. So if you could just tell me…please."

The lady sighed as she shook her head. "You're no fun, but very well."

She stood between him and the tree as she formally curtsied.

"I am Yae Miko. Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine, and editor-in-chief of the Yae Publishing House."

Jaune didn't know what 'Guuji' meant, but he assumed it meant a leader or something. Either way, he was relieved that they were finally getting somewhere. "Jaune. Jaune Arc. Huntsman."

"Just a hunter? I would've thought someone who fell out of the sky would have a more illustrious role than hunting animals."

He tilted his head in confusion, "I…don't? I hunt Grimm. Y'know, big, black skin or fur, and bone plating all over them."

Miko looked intrigued. "This is the first I've heard of them."

Jaune was shocked and looked at the woman in disbelief, "How can you not know what the Grimm are? They're all over the place!"

"Sorry boy, but I've never seen such a creature here in Inazuma, nor have I ever heard of it."

"Wait, Inazuma? That's where we are?" Jaune tried to rack his brain to figure out if he's ever heard of such a place, "Where's that in relation to the other Kingdoms?"

"Kingdoms? Are you referring to the other nations of Teyvat?"

"No, I mean-" Jaune paused, "Wait, what do you mean 'nations of Teyvat?' What's Teyvat?"

"The continent that Inazuma is a part of," she responded as she looked at him strangely. "Did you hit your head on that fall?"

Jaune didn't answer as he tried to parse out what was occurring. There was no continent called Teyvat on Remnant, and Inzauma wasn't ringing any bells either. It was impossible for another land mass to appear suddenly on Remnant since all the existing ones were already discovered and named. Unless… he wasn't on Remnant. Could it be that falling into that void caused him to be transported to another world entirely? Did this have to do with the hundreds of universes he saw when he fell?

If this was true, then…then he needed to find a way back. Even if he wasn't able to handle his sword correctly, he needed to get back and help the others stop Salem. He needed-

'What happens if you're forced to kill a friend once again?'

A small voice that sounded like him echoed at the back of his mind, and his train of thought halted. He wouldn't allow anyone to force him to do that. He'd make sure nothing like that would ever happen again. He'd-

'And how do you know you won't be put into a situation like that? Don't you remember the Hound? What if one of your friends became a monster like that?'

The voice was louder now, and the doubt within him grew. What if his doubts were right? What if-

*SNAP* *SNAP*

The noise drew him out of his thoughts, and he realized Yae now had her hand in front of his face.

"It's rude to ignore someone, you know."

"Sorry, I was just…" Jaune uttered with a troubled look on his face, "What was it you said?"

She didn't seem concerned with his internal plight as she continued, "I was asking where you fell from. It's not every day someone falls from the sky, and I'm intrigued to know where you fell from."

Jaune grimaced. "That's a long story."

"That's not a problem. I want to hear everything, down to the last detail."

The blonde wondered why she was so insistent on learning about what happened, but he relented. She might help him figure out how he was supposed to get back home if he ended up not being on Remnant.

"Very well, but you might want to sit down for this."

"That's no problem. I have the perfect place where we could talk." The shrine maiden held her chin with her hand and said, "I wish I had some fried tofu to go with your story…oh well, follow me and explain what happened to you."

Miko walked towards the building opposite where he woke up, and Jaune trailed after her. He hoped that this exchange of information included knowledge about the place he fell into.