A/N: This is based on my Autumn Knight theory, but also as a sorta wish-fulfillment for the start of season 6 next month, so I wanted to write this before the new season starts. Also because I wish Jaune's fight with Cinder left her with more permanent wounds than that little scratch (though nothing like what will happen to her to in this one-shot). Plus, it's still Arkos-related because of a little hopeful wish I have that Jaune has a couple voices in his head, if you catch my drift.
The Autumn Knight
Repairing Mistral has been progressing well in the coming weeks since the attack. Team JNPR has been helping in the process while Team RWBY, Qrow, and Oscar went on to Atlas to find the Winter Maiden and the Relic of Creation. It was Jaune himself who made the decision to stay; his mission was to go to Mistral for information on Pyrrha's killer, and he found the woman responsible, but he failed in taking her down, and of that, Jaune felt ashamed of himself. Part of him––thought he knew he should not––wished that Cinder had survived her fight with Raven so he be given a second chance to kill her, as he felt he deserves the right to.
In the time they spent helping repair Mistral and helping Ghira and Kali dismantle the current White Fang and set up a new Faunus movement, now called the Human-Faunus Coalition, Jaune also took time to go find Pyrrha's home in Mistral.
There, he met with her only family, her mother, Thetis Nikos. Jaune delivered the news of Pyrrha's death, though he withheld the truth regarding Ozpin and his secret plan to transfer the Fall magic to her, telling her that Pyrrha was killed when she attempted to confront Cinder during the Fall of Vale. Thetis was silent as he explained everything before falling into his arms in tears.
After that, Thetis offered Jaune and his team her home for them to stay, of which the young knight accepted, though he could tell that she needed someone to be with her now. With his business done, he chose to head back to Haven where Ren and Nora were to tell them the news of their new dwelling.
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Deep beneath Haven Academy, down in the dark depths of the hidden chamber that once held the Relic of Knowledge, Cinder Fall had recovered from her icy prison and was currently climbing out of the dark pit, her head filled with desires to kill Ruby and Raven, but the first thing she wanted to do was raze Mistral to the ground.
However, her appearance had drastically changed since her fight with Raven; her face was now covered in black skin, with a white skeletal bone covering her cheek. Her remaining arm was black as well, with the back of her hand bearing a gleaming golden gem upon it. It is a clear sign that the Grimm Scarab that rests within her is gaining more influence over her body, and her humanity itself is diminishing more and more as a result.
Upon reaching the platform, she blasted the elevator gate to pieces and began the flight up to ground level, her remaining eye glowing brightly with the Fall magic.
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Jaune met with his teammates back at Haven, where he notified them of their new living arrangement.
At that moment, the roof to Haven Academy burst open in a massive explosion of fire and splinters that shook the ground for miles around, of which Team JNPR felt. Jaune raced to the window and he lost his breath when he saw Cinder hovering above Haven. "It's her…" He grit his teeth and took off with his sword in hand, his determination to kill her himself stronger than ever.
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Cinder wasted no time in destroying Haven as much as she could, burning fleeing citizens into dust with her Fall magic with a psychotic grin on her face. Authorities were quick to respond, already arriving on the scene and attempted to shoot her down, of which she easily avoided their gun blasts and incinerated them instead.
"CINDER!" yelled Jaune from down below. Cinder ceased her destruction to gaze down at the young knight with her burning eye.
"Ah, you again…" she remarked before descending down to the ground to meet him. "I remember you…the boy who doesn't know when to quit…who thought he could stand up to me…very well then, entertain me, boy." With that, Cinder threw up a ring of fire around the two of them, barring the authorities, Nora, and Ren from entering.
Jaune took one look at the bastard Maiden and saw the changes to her body, but he did not back away. She's looking more and more like the monster she really is, he thought as he drew Crocea Mors and deployed its shield. As Pyrrha had taught him, he planted his feet wide and took a low stance. Cinder let loose a chuckle and materialized a sword carved of fire and dust from thin air. At once, a small airship of Mistral police passed by, where several officers with swords, spears, and guns dropped down, pointing them at Cinder. "Drop your weapon and surrender!" one of them ordered. Cinder gave them a cold stare before waving her hand and conjuring fire pillars below all of them, engulfing them completely with their screams. She conjured one below Jaune as well, but he was quick to dodge it in time.
Cinder rushed at him with her blade in hand, where they both clashed multiple times. They broke apart, swinging swords at one another and Jaune himself defending with his shield. Cinder dropped her sword and conjured a ball of fire in hand aimed for Jaune, but he was quick to bash her with his shield, which took the blast instead. Cinder jumped backwards and conjured tiny pellets of fire in midair with a wicked grin on her face as her eye burned bright. One by one, she launched each pellet at Jaune, who swatted them with his sword or blocked them with his shield, making them explode in tiny explosions that made him recoil from them, giving Cinder the chance to fly forward and snatch the boy up from his neck, lifting him into the air. Cinder grinned again as her hand began to slowly burn at his skin, making him cry out in pain.
At that moment, a massive grenade struck Cinder's backside, making her recoil and cease burning Jaune. Down below, Nora had Magnhild out with a smirk on her face. "Pathetic child…" Cinder grumbled.
"That's my friend you're insulting, witch!" Jaune cried out. His left hand lashed out at Cinder and he jammed his metal-covered thumb into her eye, causing it to bleed and making her scream, causing her to drop him to the ground, though his Aura protected him. He quickly retrieved his weapons and poised himself for combat once again. Cinder descended and glared the boy down, now with a face full of anger and a swollen eye with blood stained down her face.
"You never know when to give up, do you?!" the Fall Witch shrieked.
"Never. Always been a problem of mine," Jaune spoke with confidence.
"Well, it will spell your death today!" Cinder's left side grew a Grimm arm that stretched out for Jaune, latching itself onto his chest and halting him in place. She grinned as it sapped away at his life energy, but she was taken aback when Jaune's body suddenly glowed with a bright white light and he regained movement again; he raised his blade and hacked off the Grimm arm, forcing it to retreat back into Cinder's body. The light surrounding Jaune vanished as suddenly as it had appeared, but Jaune did not take notice of it. "You are a persistent fool to oppose me, your Fall Maiden, but if you will not die so easily…" Cinder's eyes surveyed the location of their battle, noticing Ren and Nora, but also the dozens of citizens and Haven students who watching the battle unfold as police forces stood poised, ready to move in, but unable to with Cinder already have killed several already. "…maybe the people of Mistral shall…"
With that, Cinder flew up into the air and conjured a giant ball of fire in her hand. Multiple police took aim and fired, but their bullets exploded before they could touch her. "ALL OF MISTRAL WILL BURN AT MY COMMAND!" Cinder declared. "
"NO! THE PEOPLE ARE INNOCENT! DON'T HURT THEM!" Jaune desperately called out. "NORA! REN! GET EVERYONE OUT OF HERE!"
"YOU TOLD ME ONCE BEFORE THAT THOSE AROUND YOU ARE THE ONES YOU CARE ABOUT! KNOW THAT THEY WILL ALL BURN IN AGONY WITH YOU!" With that, Cinder dropped her colossal fireball onto the people below. Jaune held his shield up, despite knowing that it would do nothing to protect him as the massive fireball hit them and engulfed the landscape in fire, destroying half of Haven Academy and the surrounding trees and buildings. Watching the destruction from above, Cinder chuckled to herself before exploding in a loud cackle, feeling victory sweep over her. "What a pitiful bug, thinking that he could kill me…" Cinder watched as the fire dispersed and faded, but she was shocked by what she saw below.
Down below, the entire landscape was surrounded in a humongous white shield that coated everyone below like spider webbing, completely protecting them from her fire, and the source of it came from Jaune, who was once again glowing with that white light again. The shield faded away and Jaune ceased glowing, but he seemed confused as to what had happened. Is this his Semblance? What kind of power does he wield to protect everyone like that? Cinder wondered, but she quickly brushed it off to lower herself down to the ground. She threw up another wave of fire to keep Ren and Nora from aiding Jaune again.
"I'm impressed that you have such a power to wield," she complimented seriously. "Let's see how long your Aura can hold up after expending so much to protect everyone." With that, she shot a blast of fire at the young knight, who did not react in time, but before the blast made contact, Jaune glowed brightly again and the the white webbing around him absorbed the fire blast and rebounded it back at Cinder, who had barely avoided it in time to see it explode into a nearby tree stump.
This was Jaune's Semblance: the Aegis Shield. A force field he can conjured made of his own Aura that can rebound projectile attacks back at its wielder and allow him to protect himself and other with it.
"You finally discovered your Semblance…I'm so proud of you…" Jaune flinched at the sound of the voice, but he did not know where it came from. He glanced behind him, but the only ones near was Ren and Nora, but the voice was not theirs.
"JAUNE, LOOK OUT!" cried Nora.
Jaune snapped out of his daze to see Cinder already upon him, a wicked grin stretched across her lips. She swatted away his sword and shield and slapped her hand upon his left shoulder, searing the flesh and burning it. His remaining Aura withstood the worst of the damage, but it still burned his flesh and making him scream in agony. He glowed again, this time his Aura finally gave out, unleashing a short burst of energy that knocked Cinder backwards, but it was clear that Jaune's Aura was fully depleted. He fell to the ground in pain, a permanent burn scar left upon his left shoulder and arm, the clothes and armor burned away.
"You're finished…" Cinder scooped up a spear from one of the dead police and made her way for the wounded knight.
"Concentrate, Jaune…it's not over yet!" said the voice again. "Control the spear…channel your Aura into your left hand and block the spear with it! It's metal! It'll work!"
"I have…no Aura…left…" he groaned as he tried crawling away.
"None of yours, no, but mine…"
Jaune's eyes shot open with a gasp. He remembers the voice now, even if it's been months since he last heard it. He rolled over in time to see Cinder standing over him with the spear aimed for his heart. "Now die!" she yelled before thrusting downward.
"NOW, JAUNE!" At the voice's command, Jaune channeled Aura into his left hand, making it glow black, and threw it up to meet the spear, halting it in midair, but it failed to pierce his skin. Cinder was shocked, but she merely lifted the spear again and brought it down again, and again Jaune stopped it with his hand, now capable of controlling metal objects. "Now draw that sword towards you." Jaune obeyed and with his right hand, he made another police sword skid across the ground and fly into his hand, which he swung at Cinder, forcing her to jump back to avoid it.
Jaune jumped to his feet and drew his shield back into his hand, though he winced at the pain in his left arm, which he knew he had to ignore. Now on the offensive, Jaune moved forward with sword in hand, swinging at Cinder, who dropped her spear to conjure a flaming sword in hand, but she was already losing now. Jaune blocked every strike from her, but his sword failed to hit her. He quickly dropped it and made a spear fly into his hand, giving him more reach. He lunged and the spearhead struck Cinder in the stomach, drawing blood. He dropped the spear, leaving it dangling in her wound, and made Crocea Mors fly into his hand, where he lead with a stabbing strike, but Cinder deflected it and swung to strike at his head, but Jaune had no time to dodge it. "Remember how I raised your shield against your will?" Jaune channeled Aura into his shield and forcibly raised it––making him winch in pain at the jerking motion––and Cinder's blade struck and glided down Jaune's shield and fell at her side at the end of her swing, allowing Jaune to strike again, this time with a stab that finds its target. Steel pierced flesh and bone, and Cinder coughed up blood, her eye widened in horror at what had happened.
Cinder ceased trying and let her sword vanish into dust as she staggered backwards, the sword still plunged into her stomach. "How…?" she gurgled. The ring of fire faded, allowing Ren, Nora, and the police to move in, but the two young Huntsmen motioned for the police to stay back.
"You lost because you killed someone I love, and in turn, it turned me into the one person you should've feared most," Jaune told her.
Cinder gazed upon him as she fell to her knees. "That Pyrrha Nikos girl…" Jaune withdrew his blade, forcing blood to pour out of Cinder's open wounds, where he then transformed it into its bastard sword form.
"I want you to remember her and regret the day you killed her, as well as everyone else you killed in Vale in your pursuit for power, because it ends today," Jaune declared as he raised his sword high.
"…Nikos…" Cinder mumbled as she looked upon her greatest enemy as he brought his sword down, cleaving her head clean off. Cinder's head tumbled from her neck and fell in a pool of her blood––her eye forever frozen open––then her body crumbled to the ground.
"JAUNE!" cried Nora. The two rushed for their friend, and soon a third joined them, it being Thetis Nikos, who saw the events unfold on the TV networks. Above, a news helicopter hovered over the scene of the fight, having recorded everything that had transpired.
"Jaune, are you okay?" Thetis asked him, taking him into her arms like a mother would for their child. She released him once he mumbled out that he was okay.
The people of Mistral gathered around Jaune, all of them singing praises of him, but everyone quickly hushed up at a strange sight: Cinder Fall's body was glowing with a bright orange light.
Jaune, Ren, and Nora recognized the sight though: the sign of a Maiden's magic about to transfer to a successor. Three beams of orange light burst from Cinder's dead body and flew into the air, but they returned to fly directly for Jaune, where they vanished into his chest, making him glow orange all over. Jaune let out a painful cry as his weapons fell from his hands and he fell onto all fours.
"JAUNE!" cried Ren.
"JAUNE!" cried Nora.
"WHAT IS HAPPENING?!" shrieked Thetis.
"JAUNE!"
Jaune writhed about on the ground, his body glowing brightly with the Fall magic, until he suddenly went still, himself looking up at the sky with his eyes closed.
No man can become a Maiden, not through the inheritance cycle that has existed for over a thousand years, but just as Cinder had stolen the magic for her own purposes, there are always other means of acquiring such power. For Jaune Arc, all it took was a woman named Pyrrha Nikos. Pyrrha Nikos, who transferred some of her own Aura to him, would not know that Jaune Arc would unknowingly keep her Aura until it had melded and mixed with his own, yet remaining separate and unusable until he had gained mastery over his own Aura. It also took Jaune's own efforts in killing the false Maiden Cinder Fall and making her think of Pyrrha Nikos in her last moments, but with Pyrrha Nikos dead, the only place the Fall Magic could go would be to the only bit of Pyrrha Nikos that remains in the world of the living, and that was in Jaune Arc himself, who houses a piece of her soul within himself.
From above, the Gods watched all this unfold. They were all satisfied seeing the false Maiden finally meet her end and for the magic to find a worthy successor, though being the most unlikely of them all. They knew how important Jaune Arc will be in ending the war that Ozpin and Salem have waged with each other for over a thousand years, and for a boy who wished to be like his predecessors and the heroes in stories, to fight alongside the last Silver-Eyed Warriors and Ozpin as the first ever male Maiden, who could wish for a greater role to serve as a hero of Remnant?
"Jaune…?" went Nora, who booped him in the nose.
"Jaune…" went Ren, who stayed still.
"Are you okay, Jaune?" mumbled Thetis Nikos.
"Wake up, Jaune…" said the voice of Pyrrha Nikos within him.
Jaune's eyes opened, now engulfed in the fires of the Fall magic.
The Autumn Knight, a man with two souls, has awakened.