Chapter 8: Ripping off the Bandage
Beta: ZH_Steven
He was the greatest swimmer in the world. No, in human history. Yeah, that sounded right.
It was with the most pristine grace that Neptune Vasilias promenaded down the isle of fame. Two great rows of people parted away. Deferent, awed, salivating. And how could he blame them? He was amazing. Of that, there could be no doubts.
The world was a shuddering roar, a rocking peal of thrill that even Neptune himself wasn't immune to. Cameras burst in flashes of white, posts and posters were in the air, and men and women alike shrieked his name like they were tipping the edge of an orgasm.
"Emperor! I love you!"
"Marry me!"
"You're the man, Emperor Neptune!"
The carpet he strutted on was a wide stretching tongue of red, leading right into the mighty castle of a stadium built solely for him. Fireworks whistled high in the sky, unleashed sprays of assorted color, let fire dance high in the sky. Neptune might have feared that they'd fall toward him, but on a second glance, he chuckled at his silliness. Why, it was only the billions of lien that dozens of helicopters were dropping on him. What could be more fitting for a man of his stature?
The stadium bled a scale of epic, a seat fit for a pantheon of gods. None of the crowd seats were left unfilled, and the mighty symphony of cheering people never ceased to amaze Neptune even now. Could they really all be here for him? To praise the skills that he'd poured his blood and sweat into? Did he even deserve it?
Even his parents up in the ViP seats watched down at him with omnipresently proud smiles, hand-hand as they were meant to be. Loving him. Supporting him. Weiss even blew a kiss at him from his father's other side, as radiant and flawless as ever. How much luckier could a man be to have a woman like her? He should marry her. Yes, that was a brilliant idea. Propose to her under the stars, let her see how dedicated he was to her. Then, she'd finally be free of her tyrannical father. He would save her. Then they could make a perfect life together. As it was supposed to be.
The giant pool called to him. A massive lane of deep blue kissed by the shining sunlight. No dividers at all, just one big water field, and all for his taking. No one could compete with him anymore. He'd defeated every challenger, won every contest, and came out on top with skill and bravery. As he always did,
What was today if not another day to celebrate that?
Neptune stretched his legs—the crowd gasping with every minute movement, every drop of sweat—before perching himself at the edge of the pool. His home away from home. The one place he could be himself no matter what happened.
He lined himself up, targeted his point of entry like the scope of a sniper rifle. He could already feel the rush of cool water shooting through his skin, the exciting tingle it gave him, the surging motivation to push himself harder and harder every time he made the dive. This time would be no different.
The water's embrace was gentle, coaxing, almost begged him to trust it to sweep him into paradise. This was freedom. This was flight. Chainless. Unbound and unlimited even by death. Neptune Vasilias, Emperor of the Sea, King of the Ocean, Master of the Water. That was him. That was his entire world. What more could a man ever need? Air, perhaps. And with that. Neptune swam to the surface, burst up and took a long, satisfying suck of breath.
Only… was it supposed to taste like chlorine?
It was like a punch in the face with a brick. His eyes bulged, water rushed down his nose and throat, burned like he was swallowing fire instead. Neptune floundered, kicked, thrashed. Clawing at the water for control. But no matter how far he swam up, there was only more water to meet him. His vision was getting dark. Needed to breathe. Needed to get out. To escape.
Surely someone was coming to save him, right? Lifeguards would be on the way. No way would his family sit by either. Any moment his mom would jump in and rescue him. Any moment.
The world got darker.
O-or Sun, yeah he'd come rescue him. Right? Weiss, too. Any second.
It felt like he was sinking. His arms had grown weak, burned with overexertion, began to stiffen like they were turning to stone. Before long, he couldn't move anymore. And the darkness got deeper.
Dad? Would he come?
There, a shape, a figure coming toward him. Neptune tried to reach out, tried to grab the hand that came for him. He didn't need to. It secured around his, but it wasn't warm or inviting. Instead everything turned cold. The water, his body, and especially his rescuer. The shadows revealed him.
Dad.
"Sink or swim, boy." He said, soullessly. "Prove that you aren't a loser."
"No, no please…" Neptune fought to reach for him as his father let go, began to swim away, up and up until he was a faint black dot. All around him, darkness began to swallow everything. He couldn't feel anything, he was trapped in his stone of a body, forever sinking, forever draining.
Someone help. He didn't want to die. Please. Please, someone. Anyone.
The darkness swirled in his vision, consuming it in a great spiral until one last hole of light was left for Neptune to try and grasp. But it was too far now. It was too late.
The darkness swallowed it, and him, whole.
Neptune snapped awake, and was immediately thankful he hadn't screamed.
The first thing he saw was the blinking light of the TV, his game still running, the sound of the Gamestation motor spinning itself to overheating. The only thing louder than that was Sun, snoring loud enough that it damn near seemed intentional. But at least that meant he wasn't drowning. That he was there in case Neptune had screamed.
He tried to calm his heart. Emphasis on tried. The dreams didn't happen often, but they were starting to persist more regularly. Neptune wiped the moisture out of his eyes, unfortunately took the groggy ness with it, and found himself now wide awake.
He could just ignore it. Go back to sleep. But the images were still fresh and he could see that careless scowl on his dad's face painfully clearly. A scowl he didn't have to see if he just stayed up.
He picked up the controller and resumed playing his game.
~A Game of Hearts~
Jaune had never been able to do a flip before. Now he was doing several before touching the ground.
The buildings were a mess of blur. Dark shapes twisting up like charred towers, spreading infinitely into the horizon. Jaune kicked off a wall, then off another, zipping up higher and higher until he snapped the ledge with his free hand, yoinked himself up with one surge of muscle, and flipped onto the rooftop. Not a wink of wasted breath, but the Sabyr were not far behind.
Or behind at all, considering they were right above him.
Their claws screeched as they landed; heavy, hulking, bodies crouched low red lights shined through white masks, saliva oozing off their giant teeth. The air vibrated as one let out a roar, and Jaune was almost inclined to roar back. Dramatic? Yes. Optimal? Hardly. And when it came down to the choice between the two, you chose the one that kept you alive.
He sensed it right away, the very moment the Sabyr behind him sprang. That was how they hunted. It was like a rock bursting apart against a wall, the sound of his shield blasting the Sabyr's mask into a thousand spraying shards. With more than enough strength to send the beast flying off the side of the building.
Two more rushed him, and Jaune met the closest. He swerved aside, its claw catching air, then again, and again. An opening. With an overhead swing, he flattened its head into the ground, made its back legs kick like a springless poppet into the air. He reversed his momentum, brought his shield up so he caught the third Sabyr bite. Thing was bigger than a full grown tiger, and yet Jaune did not struggle against its weight. One-armed, he flung it away, watched it fumble at the ground for purchase before sliding off the edge with a final howl.
More began to spring into existence from pools of darkness, and Jaune swallowed to steady his breath. Bring them on. Bring them on!
He put speed into it, chased down the Sabyr's before they could fully form, flattened one's head, before spinning around to catch the second's face on the edge of his shield. The kite shield was an unwieldy thing, and wholly unsuited to delivering killing blows. It forced him to rely on raw strength—which the Heartworld had generously donated—to finish the job. And hell if that didn't make destroying the Grimm feel that much more paramount. That much more personal.
He almost smiled at his good fortune as the Sabyr abandoned their patient methods of attack in favor of rushing him. Jaune stepped back so one flew right by, back again from another, scraped the claw swipe of a third aside, then jerked one's neck to snap with a boot to the face. Bones met steel as the paw of one Sabyr scraped his chestplate with enough force to spin him around, right into the descending jaws of its cohort, Jaune fell backward, used his shield as a cushion, then kicked both feet up to launch it away.
Parry, block, strike, parry, block, strike. A sequence. Like memorizing a puzzle. The Sabyr were no longer a mental challenge, and so long his body could keep up, they were fodder. And that was oddly… exciting.
I am so cool! Jaune swung his left hand—not even his dominant hand—backward to quite literally pimp slap a Sabyr into the floor. He was so strong, he felt like he could lift a building or something. He spun, so smooth, so quick that the next Grimm nearly lost track of him. Faster than a cheetah, he felt like. Crashing, smashing, crushing, bones and pieces and limp monster bodies flying any and everywhere like a shower of gore. An orchestra of mayhem by his very own design. Brought to reality with his own power.
Five sprang out of the darkness, descending on him as the big blue eye of the moon shined its eerie light on the dark world. Jaune feared he'd grown a bit cocky.
But who wouldn't if they could do this?
"Reflect."
Pale-blue. Damn near white. Solidified light or energy or whatever the fuck, clumped together in hexagonal blocks when Jaune crossed his forearms in front of him and burst the energy inside of him outward. He could feel the impact of the five Grimm crash against his ethereal barrier, a full three-hundred-sixty degree field, halting them in motion.
"Shatter."
Like shattering glass, the shell burst into explosions of white energy, reducing the Sabyr pack to smoldering ashes, to black smoke swimming in the air. Jaune's body rapidly began to cool—he barely noticed how he warmed up as he fought anymore. And the sweat almost felt like it was being blown on by a fan. He readied himself quickly enough, looking around for any remaining Grimm.
Instead he heard clapping.
Aunt Peach was sitting on a water tank showing her applause, and Jaune couldn't help but preen a little.
"This was your best run yet. The previous ones aren't even close." She looked him over. "And few injuries to boot. How do you feel?"
"Awesome." Jaune looked at his hands. "I don't really know how to explain it."
"It just means you're getting used to your new body in this world. The first few weeks are the hardest because its hard to differentiate what you can do going between both worlds. I still get confused even now. Your training's been an uphill climb so far… but I think past this point, you'll start seeing more steady growth so long as you're diligent."
He was past the hardest part? He'd get even stronger? He could already fight several, admittedly low-level Grimm on his own. How many would he be able to face once he had a few years on him?
Then another question, one that made his smile slip away.
"Do the Grimm get stronger than this too?"
Peach nodded. "You could say its a natural facet of this world for humans to have some immediate advantages, because the Grimm you're facing now are the scraps of a five-star buffet. You feel powerful now. But you won't be for long."
Jaune deflated almost immediately. "That doesn't take the wind out of my sails."
She nudged him in the side. "But cheer up, right now you've proved that you can at least hold your own against whatever you come up against. Especially with those neat little tricks you've developed."
That brought the smile back to his face. Truthfully, it was just Reflect that he'd created, and it had sort of been an accident. One moment in panic against a Beowolf, and next its reduced to cinders several feet away. It was trial and error from there and considering the drain it put on his aura, it wasn't a technique he could use willy-nilly, yet anyway. And it still wasn't strong enough to tank the blow of an Ursa Major—it could still just bust straight through and the knockback of the attack did practically nothing to it.
From feeling like level on-hundred against Beowolves and Sabyrs to level one against the Ursa. It was humbling. Especially when he wondered just what kinds of other Grimm there were.
Jaune looked at the black pools that summoned the Grimm as they faded away. Recalled the monstrous hands that tried to snatch him into them during his first visit. Peach called it Despair, if he remembered it correctly. And that brought about a question.
"So, what is Despair?" Jaune asked her.
"Its what occurs to the final stage of an Alter. Either when its defeated or the real person succumbs to their trauma, the Alter is consumed by the Despair inside their heart. I know that sounds very pseudo-philosophical so think of it as if incredible sadness manifested as a literal black hole."
An actual abyss of misery. It sounded far worse than dying. "Then, how exactly do we rescue people from it?
"Remember how I said we defeat Alter's rather than kill them? Its because the Alter is what fights back the Despair, if unconsciously. If the Alter is killed, then the heart has no more defense against being consumed. When an Alter is defeated, the Despair will try to consume it and the Alter is forced to face the possibility of oblivion." And she gave him a hard look, "And I'm telling you this now, Jaune: do not physically help them."
Jaune blinked. "Why not?"
"Because the Despair can affect you too if you touch it. And when you're inside another person's heart, its easier for the despair to latch on and consume you. As long as you've done your job right, the Alter will be strong enough to pull itself out of the despair regardless of how defeated it may seem. That's the whole point. To convince the Alter, and the real person as a result, to pull themselves out of what's troubling them."
Jaune nodded slowly. It was a strange rule, but who was he to question it further?
"Good. Then let's get home," The world shattered, but Jaune no longer felt disoriented by it. Heck, it all passed by in a second. Barely enough time to remember it, and he was sitting on his couch as easily as he'd been standing on the rooftop. Peach was at her desk, already getting back to work on her laptop. "Any luck on finding Neptune's key?"
"None," Jaune shook his head. He'd even snuck back in Neptune's house to try whatever he could and came up with nothing. Seemed like with every leap forward he made, there was some kind of setback, "Its not his journal or his swimming equipment or even any of the awards in his dad's room."
Peach tapped her cheek with her pen. "That is odd. Of all things, not the journal?"
"Probably because its a recent thing. He hasn't had the journal for very long."
"So that poses the question: What is very precious to him that he's had for a long time that you haven't tried yet?"
Heck if he knew, Jaune had just about exhausted every option in Neptune's house he could. Which was why now he wanted to try outside of it. "Sun's place is practically Neptune's second home. Maybe its something there." And it was the perfect time to talk to Neptune anyway.
"Well, once you do find it, don't explore it alone, understand? Most trainees need a guide the first time around so get back to me about it and we'll tackle his heart together."
Jaune wouldn't object to that, not when it was clear he still had a lot to learn. "Trainees?" It didn't just sound like she was talking about her own apprentices.
But if she heard his question, she ignored it. "Bed time. Don't forget to brush your teeth."
Jaune rolled his eyes, but headed off to his room anyway.
"Door's unlocked. Just come on in. Parents are on a trip."
Considering his recent track record of breaking and entering, this was a nice change of pace. Pausing outside of Sun's quaint home left Jaune reflecting on why he was here. What he even hoped to accomplish.
Neptune would never talk to him about his situation, not when he even bottled it from the people he had the most reason to trust. It hardly needed to be said that he was overstepping, and he hadn't stopped wondering if the risk was even worth it. There was still no guarantee Neptune's heart was under threat of despair—of which there was no way to know until he found his key. Which he wouldn't be able to figure out unless he got Neptune to talk and possibly drop a clue. Possibly.
But he'd already promised Weiss, and more importantly, he'd promised himself. There was no turning back now.
Weird thing though, walking into a house that wasn't his own so casually. Sun didn't seem perturbed by this though—mostly because he was too busy with someone else.
She looked familiar, but he couldn't quite recall her name. Blair, or something. She and Sun were whispering on the couch, both looking pretty unhappy, but when the girl's amber eyes found Jaune's—and Jaune didn't miss how their fingers had been touching before.
"Uh, hey man." Sun greeted, though the enthusiasm was lacking. He'd never have thought Sun was capable of feeling embarrassed—just seemed like the type of guy to laugh at himself before angsting over it.
"I'm not interrupting, am I?" The most common thing people said when they damn well knew they were interrupting.
"No, I was just going." The girl said. The most common response to such a question too.
Sun tried to reach out to her. "Blake, look—"
"No, its fine. I'll call you later," Blake said, grabbing her things and heading out. Jaune stepped out of the way, couldn't help but watch her pass. Once she was gone, he wondered if she'd ever been there. Slinked out so quietly she was like a shadow.
Sun had his face buried in one hand, and Jaune stood unsure of what to say, so he winged it. "Girlfriend?"
"If only I'd gotten the chance," Sun sighed. "Though sometimes I feel like I'm lucky things never went that far. Gimme a minute. My room's upstairs at the end of the hall."
Jaune lingered for a second, wondered if he should insist on hearing out what was going on. But today would likely be a handful just getting Neptune to talk. Best to take it one person at a time.
~A Game of Hearts~
"Hey, Jaune. What are you doing here?"
It surprised Neptune how happy he was to see him. There was nothing wrong with Blake—er, scratch that, there were many things wrong with Blake, but her quietness wasn't one of them. But she didn't make for very stimulating conversation, it had to be said. Then again, Jaune was slightly better than her in that regard.
"Came to see you," Jaune said. "Uh, what're you doing?"
"Playing games, duh. Wanna join?" Neptune waved the second controller at him.
"I'll pass," Jaune nodded his head at him. "You do some interior painting?"
Neptune looked down at his t-shirt, plain white just like many of the others. Except for the loads of stains of course. Cheesy puff residue, ketchup, soda strains—he almost felt like a giant canvas had been taken to by a blind artist. But there was no beautiful, deeply subtextual abstract art here, only the evidence of bum. Didn't help that his hair was a tangled mess, he was still wearing the same shorts he wore two days ago, and he sat in a pool of empty snack packages. "Um, something like that.
"This all you've been doing?"
"Pretty much, yeah." Neptune shrugged.
"You don't think you're imposing a bit?"
"Sun said I could stay as long as I want."
And he wasn't intent on leaving any time soon. It was great at Sun's. His parents liked him, sometimes their friends came over, and the best part, no dad. Neptune went back to playing his game, but could feel Jaune's eyes on him. In disbelief at what he was seeing? Perhaps no surprise at all? Curiosity? Occasionally he'd glance back, catch his eye, then go back right back to business, but no words were exchanged for what might have been hours. But that was just the game's internal time tricking him.
"What's this?"
Jaune was fiddling with a small medal sitting on Sun's desk. "My first medal. I won it back in freshman year." The year that started it all. He still looked back on it and it brought a smile to his face. At least for a moment. That was back when everything had been simpler. When mom was still around.
Jaune seemed to stare at it, long enough that Neptune quirked an eyebrow. It wasn't an impressive thing anymore. It had dents and scratches and the paint was flaking off. There was a kind of charm to that too. But nothing that'd matter to Jaune. He even muttered something to himself before putting it down. "What?" he said upon turning to him.
"Nothing," Jaune was just a weird guy, that's all it was. "Sure you don't want to play?"
"I'll watch." Jaune kicked aside some of the snacks and dropped down beside him. Neptune blinked. Had Jaune willingly decided to sit this close? He didn't know him that well, but intentionally or not, Jaune went out of his way to not sit close to people at all. Always at the edge of the classroom or as close to the window of the car as possible. Now he had all the space he could want and chose to sit beside him. Not that there was anything wrong with it, it was just strange. "What's this one called?"
"Uh… king of lizards." Neptune eventually fell back into playing, but Jaune seemed interested and kept asking questions. Strangely attentive too. They went on for a few minutes, talking about this or that, Jaune pestering him with questions about the game, but Neptune figured it might all come to a head with something. Jaune didn't disappoint.
"So why the surprise visit?"
Jaune shrugged. "Just making sure you're doing okay after… you know."
Of course it was that. Part of him wanted to be angry that it had been brought up, but he'd forgotten that Jaune had essentially been left in the dark, an awkward bystander to events he never should have seen. "I'm fine. He's just an asshole."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"When are you going home?"
"I… haven't decided yet." He didn't think he even wanted to decide.
"Well, you have to, right? At some point?"
"Not if I stay far enough away." Neptune repeated Jaune's own advice, earning himself an annoyed glare. But that's why you didn't set a mousetrap and then step on it yourself.
"You know that's not going to work. You have to go back at some point. Don't you think you should talk to him?"
Neptune's character was struck with a fireball he didn't see coming, and he put down the controller as the death screen came up. "He won't listen to me. He never does. What's the point in talking to him if all he's gonna do is keep calling me a loser?"
Its not like that was the first time, either. Passive-aggressive comments, ignoring his existence, blaming his mother for stuff he did. What was the point in indulging him like that anymore? Why let himself be hurt anymore? All he wanted to do was stay at Sun's for… however long he had to. Of course he knew he had to go back. But was he wrong for just not wanting to think about it?
"Well, you could try to make him understand. He's your dad. You owe it to yourself to—"
Neptune paused the game and gave him a look, and he swore he saw Jaune flinch back in fear. "Jaune, I appreciate it, but I didn't ask for your help. It's none of your business, alright? Drop it, man."
Neptune went back to the game, but he couldn't focus on it anymore, as much as he tried to make himself do so. Jaune didn't push it any further, thankfully, but he wasn't asking questions about the game anymore. The joy he'd felt to see him had all but melted away, and now Neptune wished he could walk out of the room and go somewhere alone. But after leaving Sun's house, where the hell else could he go?
It nagged at him. Chewed at his brain like a flesh-eating parasite. How often did he think about what he'd say if he talked to his dad? How often did he fantasize about it? So many times. Too many. Enough that the mere idea of it, the thought of either hurting him back or finally making him understand how he felt, was almost irresistible. Almost. Maybe Jaune was right, but Neptune didn't care. His heart was hurt enough.
A warmth swelled up in his chest, and Neptune pounded on his chest to ward off the feeling, let out a wheezing cough.
"You okay?" Jaune asked.
"Yeah I'm good."
"I'll get you some water."
"No its fine, I'm— "
Jaune didn't hear him through, already hurrying out the door. Neptune sighed.
This was probably going to be a long and awkward day.
Son of a bitch.
Jaune wanted to spike the medal into the bathroom floor. With how damaged it was already, he doubted it'd make a noticeable difference. Perhaps its value could have been savored, if it was the key to Neptune's Heartworld. But it wasn't.
Jaune shoved it back in his pocket, a sour taste in his mouth, and headed downstairs to grab that glass of water that Neptune didn't need. Was his bad mood just because of not finding the key? Or was it Neptune's staunch unwillingness to change his circumstances? A mix of both, most likely.
A scent hit him as he reached the bottom of the stairs. Seasoned ground turkey, tomato sauce. The sound of gurgling water. Sun was in the kitchen working at the stove with a few pots, and Jaune leaned against the entrance. "Want some help?"
"Nah," Sun said. And he certainly didn't look like he needed it either. "Don't worry, I'll be up in a bit."
"I just came to bring Neptune some water," Jaune said. "Has he been like this the whole time?"
"Yeah. Don't feel too bad if he won't talk about it. Weiss and I couldn't get him to spill, either."
"Weiss?" Jaune asked.
Sun grinned at him. "When I was little, I used to steal things from stores for pranks. Switch around people's phones,slip weird stuff into people's bags. Dumb kid stuff. But you never forget how to be a pickpocket—and you sure as hell don't miss it when someone tries to take your stuff."
So Sun let Weiss get his phone. Wouldn't be hard to figure out why either if he'd heard what happened in the cafeteria from the others. He was more perceptive than he thought. Jaune raised his hands like a burglar caught in the act. "Not like it amounted to much in the end."
Sun stirred the sauce with a weak smile. "I mean, I don't really blame him. I don't think there's really a right way to handle his situation."
"Yes there is. He has to talk to his dad—or at least try."
"I know, but its his dad. Try to understand that, Jaune. It can't be easy on anyone."
"Even so," Jaune persisted. "No, that's even more of a reason to confront him. Its not like he can stay with you forever. Eventually, he'll have to face him. And if his dad loves him, then he'll listen."
"Well, no offense Jaune. But its easy for a person looking in from the outside to say things like that. Sometimes the people we care about don't listen to us no matter how hard we try," Sun turned the burner down, then leaned against the counter with his arms crossed. "Sometimes they ruin what they have and leave the pieces for everyone else to pick up."
That was all of a sudden. Jaune stared at Sun for a bit before he shrugged with a smile. "But what do I know? Nep won't even talk to me about it anymore, so I'm not doing any better a job, am I?"
"You care enough to try. That's something."
"Trying won't make him listen. He just gets angry whenever I bring it up. I don't know what to say to get him to realize he'll have to go back to his dad at some point. If he doesn't confront him now, it could ruin their relationship forever. I know Neptune loves his dad… he's just afraid. Wouldn't anyone be?"
Jaune didn't think about that. He'd gotten into arguments, been angry to the point of yelling at his father before, and sometimes they wouldn't talk for a while. Eventually they came together and talked. Not always to the other's benefit though. Mostly he'd been on the receiving end of a reality check. Even now, it felt like Jaune was at another point like that with his dad, and had no idea what to say to him. Heck, when had he even last called him?
He understood it. Not wanting to talk about what bothered you, just wanting to tuck away and not worry and lose yourself in some mundane distraction. Wasn't that the whole reason he started talking to Mystery? The benefits of interaction and the safety of non-commitment and zero expectation. And above all, it was easier. It was a tough shell to crack.
Jaune stared at the stairs, and even now wondered what else there was to say to Neptune. He couldn't push him too hard—and he'd come pretty close already. But what option did he have left if he still hadn't found the key?
"I won't stop you from trying to talk to him," Sun said. "I can't tell you how many times I've tried. But its easier for me to get away with it. You might not. Neptune's always been sensitive… but it's been getting worse lately."
Sensitive. Seemed accurate considering how moody he was whenever the topic was brought up. Even earlier, he'd been quick to try and dismiss the problem. Sensitive… "Are you sure you're okay with me hounding him then?"
"Nothing else worked. Maybe you'll pull off a miracle or something."
Jaune scratched the back of his head. "More like I'll end up hurting his feelings."
"You don't seem like the type to care too much about that," Sun chuckled.
No, he wasn't. But with that, Jaune had an idea of what to do. It'd require finding an opening, but if he found one, then the bait would be irresistible. Neptune would have to bite.
Or punch, depending.
I know that I do the bulk of the writing, but my friend ZH_Steven is an awesome beta who hasn't just helped me out with this story, but TA and several others too. I thank him too much as it is, but I wanted to tell you guys too, he helps make the magic happen so he deserves a fair share of the credit. XD
Funnily, this chapter was gonna be longer, but I decided it'd be better to split it in half so it doesn't break the pacing too much. As for Jaune's new ability, I was replaying Kingdom Hearts 2 and there's a spell called Reflect and I was like... "Hey! That's a neat idea!" works pretty neatly in Jaune's arsenal in my opinion. In any case, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you in the next one.
ISA