Reincarnation Sucks... Sometimes

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot. Jaune x Harem(fem!Ozpin/Ozma, good!Salem, etc.) M for a reason

Somethin somethin File corrupted could not retrieve

I hate this computer.

OBLIGATORY: Subjects/fetishes written in this fic do not reflect my personal feelings about them in real life. Fiction is a whole different story.


RS...S


"What is your favorite fairy tale?"

The question echoed throughout the living room, almost emptying it with the unseen weight carried behind the ominous inquiry. The air stilled as Jaune's query hung in the silence, the world seemingly holding its breath.

"...What?"

Jaz's confused response broke the heavy aura that came over the room, the tips of her hair lighting up once more, the scent of burning pine filling the air.

"What does this have to do with your... predicament?"

Unlike her skeptical sister, Jeanne choked down the slices of French toast in her mouth and raised her hand, waving it around. "Ooh! Ooh! I've got one," The older sister carefully set her plate down on an adjacent table before continuing. "I remember that one story that mom always used to tell, it was- crap what was it... Jaz d'you know what it was? The one with those girls with the powers?"

Jaz rolled her eyes at her sister's question, wondering how the person a decade older than her was more childish than her at times. "It was The Four Maidens, the one with the old wizard and the four maidens that showed him kindness and-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that one! That's my favorite." Jeanne crossed her arms under her sizable bust and turned back to Jaune whose expression hadn't changed as he flipped through Fairy Tales of Remnant, ending on the page depicting four young women representing the four seasons, an old wizard granting them powers as a reward for the compassion they showed him. It was a children's story mostly used to teach the younger ones to be compassionate and kind, but in it lay some slight modicum of truth.

'That's not what happened...' Jaune's thoughts were in a whirlwind, rapidly connecting the dots between the four maidens and the wizard that gave them their powers. 'The fall maiden... Autumn. The winter maiden... Sapphire. Spring, Verdant. Summer, Sunny. My little girls...' A solitary tear slipped out of his eye and dropped into the center of the page.

Jaz saw this, becoming concerned. "Uhm, Jaune? What's wrong? You're kinda-"

"I'm fine," Interrupted Jaune. The reply came too quickly, too terse to be sincere. He sighed as he forced himself to relax, pushing painful memories away for the time being. "Sorry, I just... I should start somewhere earlier before I get into that." He mumbled the last part, not intending either of his sisters to hear him. They still heard him, though.

"Alright, stop dancing around it!" Embers sparked off of Jaz's head, disappearing as quickly as they came as she crossed her arms, glaring hotly. The gesture would have been serious had it been coming from anybody not 5'6'' and without an adorable pout.

The sentiment was shared by Jeanne, who 'awwed' and scooped her younger sister up in a tight hug that she struggled in before relenting, realizing she could not break the hold Jeanne had on her.

Jaune sighed again before looking forward, gathering all of his confidence for the outrageous claim he was about to make. Realizing the shift in the atmosphere, Jeanne let go of Jaz, and the two looked at him expectantly.

"You two know me as Jaune Arc, your weak, pushover of a brother who didn't even have his Aura unlocked, a guy who got himself killed in a fit of stupidity," He raised his hand, silencing the protests before they could start, signaling him to let him continue. "That is not all I am, though. As much as I am Jaune Arc, I am also Aurelius Aurea d'Arc, first and only King of Remnant."

A wave of invisible power reverberated through the room following Jaune's claim. In front of his sisters' eyes, an apparition formed over Jaune, a towering man stood at 6'8'', clad in medieval knight's armor, an equally massive claymore held in one hand, his helmet in the other. The man's face resembled Jaune in almost every way, from the blue eyes to the chin and cheekbone structure, it was like looking in an older, more rugged mirror.

Jeanne's mouth went dry as she took in what appeared to be the older and more mature version of her brother, her mind immediately picturing herself and the larger blonde in bed, his passionat-

Jaz smacked her sister's arm, already seeing Jeanne's mind immediately circling the gutter as she beheld the older version of Jaune.

The two sisters watched in shock as the apparition flashed a large smile, slinging the claymore onto its back before his hand ignited into gold. The King raised the radiant hand, offering it to the siblings.

Glancing at each other in bewilderment, the two didn't move, shocked at the claim and distrustful of the hand being offered.

His smile not wilting, the Jaune lookalike only chuckled softly, lowering the hand. "It's still me," He started. The deep baritone slid over them like warm honey, the confident and reassuring voice still definitely their brother, just... grown up? "I don't think I can show you everything, but I can show you most of it." His smile finally fell, looking the other two blondes in the eye carefully.

"Now then," Energy diffused through the air, and the apparition wavered like mist, straightening up. "Don't blink."

Blue eyes blazed into gold, a flash enveloping the living room.


Flashback: Ozlyn and Jaune


A brunette woman clad in silver and green armor walked down a forested path. She possessed caramel-colored skin, her eyes similarly colored. Her hair hung down to her shoulders in curled rivulets and her mouth was set in determination. Her armor-clad bodice could not cover the flare of her hips as they widened into a very ample and generous derriere, a short cape coming just to the small of her back, leaving her behind uncovered.

In the woman's hands was a long, ornate scepter topped with a large emerald that possessed a soft internal glow. This was one of the most renowned magical conduits of the current era, Undying Curiosity, and was in the possession of the greatest Sorceress of the current era, Ozlyn the White.

The scepter swept forward in a lazy sweep, a short blast of blue magic launching out of the tip and disintegrating a figure skulking in the underbrush, the Grimm disappearing before it could realize what happened.

"Auuuurie, how far are we?"

Ozlyn's companion sighed softly. Equally renowned as the greatest warrior and knight in the land of Remnant, the latest scion of the honored and venerable d'Arc clan, the most recent wielder of the legendary blade Crocea Mors, and childhood friend of Ozlyn, Aurelius Aurea d'Arc was approaching his limit with his usually vast patience.

"Oz, that is the twenty-third time you've asked me that these past five miles, can you please just have a little more patience?"

Ozlyn pouted at him, idly blasting another grim to smithereens before pulling a letter out from... somewhere. "We need to hurry! We need to rescue Salem before her dad realizes she's sending the letters."

Aurelius quirked an eyebrow, grabbing the letter from his friend and reading it over once again. The elegant handwriting was loopy but rushed as if the writer had been raised in nobility but under duress to write the letter. It was stamped with a golden seal depicting two crescent arcs, one larger over a smaller one.

To whom it may concern,

My name is Salem Sable, princess of the Sable kingdom. My father has gone mad with grief, my mother having died years previous. He has trapped me inside a tower, not permitting me to interact with anyone as the kingdom outside is neglected. It has been three years since I've been allowed to write these letters, the barrier surrounding my tower only allows inanimate objects to pass through, and I only receive a couple of sheets of parchment a year and I am desperate to be freed.

To my knowledge, the Sable kingdom has fallen into disrepair under my father's tyranny, and he must be stopped. My tower is hidden in the Grove of Mists, concealed behind towering stone outcroppings with numerous magical defenses. From my caretaker, I know my father maintains a small army dedicated just to keeping me imprisoned so please be prepared for everything. I've no clue if any of these letters reliably reach anybody with the power to make a difference, I like to believe that I would be rescued eventually. I can only-

The letter was heavily scribbled out from there, the ink blotched slightly indicating she had been crying. A few lines down, the message continued.

I long to see the world again, and experience a life outside of this wretched prison. Please, help me.

He sighed softly, the message tugging at his heartstrings and igniting his heroic instinct to come to her aid immediately. Only, there was one problem.

"I know I've explained this to you before, and you've told me you understand, but the Sable kingdom has been dead to the world for the past six years. Scouts can't get near because of the amount of Grimm that have overrun the area, let alone the actual kingdom proper. We could be chasing a ghost for all we know," The sound logic did not deter the Sorceress in the slightest.

"It would make sense to at least find some closure, right? We could even clear out the Grimm, and create a new settlement. Besides, if this Salem really does exist, and still is imprisoned and hoping to be released one day, we've gotta do something, right?"

Aurelius hummed in thought, a brief flash of silver shooting from a leveled hand turning another Grimm to stone. "I guess you're right. Regardless, we should exercise caution, the Sable kingdom is more than likely overrun with Grimm. If by some miracle it isn't, and the guards are for whatever reason hostile, we must be ready."

He received a flat stare in response to his words of warning.

The d'Arc scion's eyebrows furrowed at the look his friend sent him. "What? What's that look for?"

Ozlyn rolled her eyes, slowly twirling Undying Curiosity while side-eying her companion. "Oh, nothing. That's just rich coming from you."

"I'm not that bad!"

"The hell you aren't! You used yourself as a cannonball to breach the seal of an ancient cave! That had a Wyvern in it!"

"You agreed to launch me in the first place!"

"I told you it was a stupid idea!"

"You still went through with it!"

"You idiot! Just- c'mere!"

Ozlyn lunged forward, slamming her lips against his. Aurelius' eyes widened before shutting as he lost himself in the liplock, Ozlyn's momentum bringing the two of them to the ground. The Sorceress' hands circled around his neck, tangling her fingers in the blonde locks of her lover. The knight's own hands reached around her waist, firmly gripping her large behind through the lighter travel gear.

Pulling apart a minute later, the two looked at each other, love and desire mirrored through each other's eyes as they panted softly.

Ozlyn broke the silence a moment later. "This has got to be the worst time to do this."

Aurelius' roguish grin only made her desire burn hotter, sheer lust overwhelming her logical thought process.

"I don't care, and I know you don't care, either."

"You're goddamn right I don't."

Ozlyn closed the gap again, her lips pushing against the blonde's as their thoughts became hazy with lust.


Sable Kingdom


The two living legends came to a stop in front of what appeared to be an abandoned gatehouse, swaths of Grimm dissolving into smoke behind them. Ozlyn peered forward, looking for any semblance of life while Aurelius scanned the wall for any active guards or watchmen. There were none on both fronts.

Sharing a brief glance, the two continued past the abandoned gate, scaling it easily and walking toward the empty main plaza.

"H-Halt!"

The two spun immediately, Undying Curiosity and Crocea Mors held aloft as their eyes landed upon an emaciated guard. The man was dressed in what amounted to rags, filth clinging to it like glue. Haphazard pieces of armor clung to random spots, mismatched and slightly rusty. In the guard's hand was a halberd, similarly rusted and starting to become dull.

"T-The two of you trespass on the grounds of- Oh who the hell am I kidding, please help us!"

Ozlyn stepped forward as the guard dropped his weapon and fell to his knees, prostrating himself before the two of them.

"The king, he's sealed everything off, the food stores have been depleted, trade isn't coming in or going out, we're running out of fresh water and the Grimm get closer every day! We lose more and more people to famine and disease, and that Sable bastard sits on his gilded throne and shuns us!"

The guard continued to babble on about the tyranny of the Sable king and how they'd been suffering for the past three years under the grief-stricken king.

Moved with pity, Ozlyn offered soothing words and promised to make everything right while Aurelius surveyed the people trapped within the walls of the kingdom. There were few people actually out of their houses at the moment, the people he could see were covered in grime and shuffled aimlessly. It felt as if all the life had been sucked out of this kingdom, the oppressive rule holding them in an iron grip.

The knight was shaken out of his thoughts by Ozlyn, her gently tugging on his hand and wordlessly pointing out the fortified palace that sat above the small castle town. With his superior eyesight, he could see numerous active royal guards and patrols constantly on watch.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Ozlyn asked.

Aurelius pondered the question briefly. "Probably not but if it's along the lines of, 'let's commit regicide' then I'm in."

Ozlyn shook her head slightly before taking off at a brisk pace, directly towards the palace.

Aurelius' eyes immediately snapped to her swaying behind as she walked further away. Shaking his head, he dispelled those amorous thoughts and made to follow her.

Facing zero resistance from the rather pathetic-looking guards who took a tired vigil over the town, the two stood at the front gate of the small palace that housed the mad king.

The gate was tall, the walls topped with patrolling guards, a few slowing down to observe the two strangers that had walked up closer to the portcullis. Atop the walls were small balistas, aimed and primed directly at the entrance while lit braziers crackled with smokeless heat. Idly, Aurelius wondered why the braziers were lit at this time, considering it was the middle of the Spring cycle and midday to boot.

Ozlyn glanced at her lover, silently urging him to continue forward, not worried about the defenses knowing he could deal with them easily.

He sighed to himself and approached the barrier, looking up to try and get a patrol's attention.

"Hello there, we would-"

Without warning, glowing sigils sparked to life on the criss-cross pattern of the portcullis, a jet of electricity blasting out of it. The lightning magic reached a glowing, armored hand, sucked up into it like a vacuum.

Alarmed, the guards on the walls immediately took out their manner of ranged weaponry, some brandishing bows, others small staves while the rest armed the ballista.

"Wait! There's no need to-"

The d'Arc's words went unheeded as the first volley of projectiles and magic was launched, consisting of javelins, arrows, and small glints of magic pebbles. All of it was halted in midair with a wave of Ozlyn's scepter, a light blue glow surrounding it.

"So much for diplomacy," Muttered Aurelius. He clenched his magically charged fist, forcefully draining the runes on the portcullis of the rest of its stored magic. Gauntlet now sparking with stored energy, he leveled it at the gate and released his hold on it. A massive blast shattered the gate and the surrounding wall, knocking the guards off and opening the entrance.

The knight turned and gave a low bow, holding his arm out to the created entrance. "After you, milady," He joked.

Ozlyn giggled slightly, adopting a posh tone as she turned her nose up, flipping her curly hair. "Why thank you, my dear, how generous of you," They both burst into small chuckles as they walked through, ignoring the injured and unconscious men.

Behind them, the knocked-over brazier continued to burn, shifting from a warm orange to a bright flashing red, all the other braziers topping the walls following suit.

Continuing into the palace, they encountered no resistance, all the guards seemingly having disappeared or a part of the original force that got incapacitated in their entry. Looking around, it seemed incredibly empty, walls barren, usual decorative pieces gone leaving only empty spots of undisturbed dust.

Had it not been for the hostile response, it would be a rather lavish and abandoned building.

"Oz, could you check for any signatures, magical or otherwise." Aurelius broke the awkward silence that had descended upon them.

"Sure," The Sorceress agreed. She lifted Undying Curiosity before tapping it against the floor twice. The gem blinked once before flashing red.

Ozlyn frowned, repeating the scan and getting the same result. Her eyebrows furrowed in thought, her gait slowing as she pondered the data that she had gotten back.

"Well? Anything of note?" Aurelius silently asked.

Confused, Ozlyn spoke, "I tried for signs of magic and it came back negative. I tried for signs of life and it came back with only one and I can't even pinpoint it properly. My scan enveloped the entire palace, including the gates. It should be impossible for there to be only one signature, all of those guards on the wall shouldn't have-"

She came to an abrupt stop, scanning the walls as her face grew grim. Sensing his lover's change in caution, Aurelius got closer, drawing Crocea Mors in its sword and shield form.

Ozlyn gripped her scepter in two hands before slamming it on the ground, the emerald flashing a bright green. The walls of the palace in turn flashed white, runes scrawled across them greedily eating her expelled magic. Scowling, she repeated the slam, this time removing the tight leash of control over her mana.

The room became heavy with magical energy, the Sorceress' presence permeating the space and choking it with pure unrelenting energy. Immediately the sigils flashed red before burning out, overwhelmed by the excess magic and unable to absorb it all.

"We've been under a subtle illusion, we've been walking in circles," She explained, gesturing to the door they had entered just a few feet behind them. "These runes were designed to slowly drain us dry while making us think we've been advancing. This is... unnatural. These sigils shouldn't behave like this."

She frowned in frustration, tracing the sigils with her scepter while analyzing the lingering magic.

Aurelius approached the wall next to her, raising his hand and running it over the burnt-out sigils. Immediately, his eyes widened as he jerked his hand back, a sticky tar-like substance attempting to cling to it. The burnt-out sigils started to seep a black substance, the hall quickly filling with the fluid.

With a short grunt of exertion, he forced Crocea Mors' blade into the floor and sent a pulse of silver magic directly into his surroundings. In response to the purifying energy, the liquid recoiled and petrified, turning an inert gray. The room continued to fill, however, the rest of the walls cried more of the ebony liquid.

With a flourish, Undying Curiosity lit up with silver, turning into a beacon of purity and creating a bubble of protection as the liquid started to bubble, coming alive in response to their emotions. Ozlyn grimaced in disgust, the glow of her scepter brightening to blinding levels before the hallway was filled with silver.

Once the flash died down, the two lovers surveyed the hall. It was completely encased in a thin sheen layer of stone, the Grimm substance having been petrified in contact with the light magic.

"We should hurry, this reeks of a trap and I plan to spring it before anybody else gets hurt," Stated the blonde knight.

Silently agreeing with him, they continued at a much more brisk pace, wary of any more traps that may be waiting for them. Fortunately, there appeared to be none left in the hall. Approaching the ornate and rather gaudy set of doors that led to the throne room, Ozlyn silently shrouded herself in protective layers of magic. Likewise, Aurelius donned his helmet, Crocea Mors' shield shining softly as it filled with mana.

The knight's booted foot slammed into the doors. With a crack, they flew open, streaming light into the darkened room. Large curtains had been drawn over the windows, drowning it in darkness.

On the far side of the room sat two thrones, one empty and pristine, the other occupied by a hunched figure. Along the walls were smokeless torches, emitting no heat but flashing a worrying red. As the two walked into the room, the torches suddenly extinguished, casting the room into further darkness.

Aurelius channeled more Aura into his armor and weapons, bathing himself in a soft golden glow that separated him from the inky darkness. Ozlyn did the same, her armor shining a soft blue, the scepter clenched in her hands lighting up as well.

As the light illuminated the room, they could see the Sable king more clearly. The man was hunched over, looking as if he'd become stuck to the throne. At his feet lay a large bastard sword, decorated with bones of Grimm. The king wore a dull cuirass with his insignia on it, a gem split in twain via a sword, and two crescent arcs imposed above it. His vambraces were mottled with brown and black, his gauntlets in a similar state. The armored graves he wore were similarly stained, though they had begun to rust.

Oily and unkempt hair hung from his head, shadowing his face. Just above his brow sat a gilded band inlaid with jewels, three spiked spires jutting out the sides. The crown hung tilted, almost as if it were about to fall off. Had it not been for Ozlyn's senses telling the two of them he was the singular alive entity, they'd have assumed he was a sitting corpse.

Gathering his courage, Aurelius stepped forward. "King Sable, pardon our intrusion but we've come on behalf of your maltreated subjects who have expressed their contempt for your rule," The confident remark was met with an oppressive silence. "So uh, could you please surrender and all that?" He was once more met with silence.

Glancing at Ozlyn in trepidation, the two slowly moved forward. Once he was in a little more than arm's reach, Aurelius stopped. The Sable king seemed to hunch even more when confronted with the glow of the Aura and magic.

"...leave."

The command broke the awkward silence, black fluid dripping from the monarch's mouth and onto the floor where it writhed in the light of Aurelius' Aura.

Narrowing his eyes, the knight took a step forward, intending to-

The Sable king's head shot up, a wave of sheer wrongness permeating the room as his bones cracked and shifted unnaturally. The tyrant's face was gaunt and sallow, bleached into a pasty white. What was once handsome and rugged features had deteriorated into an unhealthy visage riddled with black veins. Instead of eyes, the creature had two pools of pitch, the sockets leaking black trails across the pale skin.

The monarch's body twisted horrifically, the king's head staying in place as its arms reached to the ground to lift the bastard sword. With a heave, the large blade swung into empty space as Aurelius dodged backward.

Jumping back closer to Ozlyn, Aurelius regarded the new enemy in front of him. It seemed like King Sable had been overtaken by some horrific Grimm possession, not unlike the Chill used in bedtime stories to scare children away from wandering around alone in the woods.

The possessed body slowly lifted the sword in front of itself, black liquid leaking from its mouth and staining the blade. Ozlyn, wanting to finish off this new unknown quickly, gathered silver light on the end of her scepter, releasing it as soon as it charged.

With a nauseating crack of bones and tearing muscles, the blast hit the Aberration's sword as it shifted the blade in an invisible flash of speed.

Frowning in frustration, the Sorceress repeated the blast, meeting the same result. Changing her strategy, Ozlyn raised Undying Curiosity and channeled a huge amount of magic through it, making the gem glow a bright white. She swept it in a wide circle and the darkness of the room was dispelled in a wave of silver, the curtains disintegrated in the onslaught.

In response, the creature let out an ear-piercing and completely unnatural shriek, black spittle flying in large globs out of its mouth. The day had already been overcast but it appeared that the sun had already gone down in the time they had reached the throne room.

'How long were we trapped in that hall?' Was the thought on both of their minds as they beheld the twilit sky that was rapidly turning into night.

The possessed body lunged forward with another swipe, only to meet the unmoving shield of Crocea Mors. With a counter that almost wrenched the arms off of the Sable king, Aurelius took advantage of the unprotected body of the Aberration. The heirloom blade sunk deep into the chest of the possessed body as it screeched in agony, veins of silver light running up its body as purifying magic was pumped through it.

With an anticlimactic finish, the tyrant slid off of the sword and collapsed into a boneless heap, a puppet having its strings cut. Poking the body with his foot and seeing no reaction, the knight came to the conclusion it was now dead.

"Grimm log number eighty-three, new entry. Aurelius and I came into contact with what appeared to be the evolved form of a Chill, I've come to name an Aberration. It appears to be a possession type Grimm, capable of..."

Aurelius tuned out his lover as she wrote their most recent experience down while also orating the entry. This was a familiar sight for the two of them and their adventures, discovering all sorts of new species of Grimm and the abilities they had.

His head snapped towards the Sable king's body as its finger twitched. Eyes narrowing behind his helmet, the d'Arc scion readied Crocea Mors once again. Seeing him get into a combat stance, Ozlyn put her entry on hold and got similarly ready.

A minute passed and nothing happened. Right when Aurelius was about to relax a loud crash rang throughout the room accompanied by the sound of shattering glass. From the now open window climbed in one of the guards from earlier, only this time their helmet was knocked off, revealing a familiar visage. Gaunt, sallow, inky-eyed, and very much possessed.

The possessed guard shakily unsheathed a sword from its side before rushing forward in a burst of speed.

Aurelius reacted immediately, darting past Ozlyn, deflecting the blow, and decapitating the guard in a flash of silver, all in one movement. The body fell to the floor, oozing black blood.

Turning around, Ozlyn was inspecting the corpse of King Sable. With wide eyes, she watched as the wound that was crusted with stone began to heal over, black strands reaching across each other in a patchwork as it regenerated the stab wound.

At the same time, Aurelius watched as the stone-covered stumps of the guard's neck sprouted black tendrils through the purified stone and grabbed at one another, pulling the head back onto the bloody stump as it sewed it back on. With a jerk, both of the bodies wrenched upward, touting their blades once more.

Shaking his head in disgust, the knight stepped out of the way of a clumsy swing before hoisting the Abberation around the waist and chucking it out of the window it came through. As if in response, two more windows on the opposite side of the room were smashed in and more possessed bodies came pouring in. Each and every one of them had the same visage and pitch-black eyes leaking dark ichor. Most were guards but some of them were just civilians that had seemingly gotten drawn to the palace.

"Aurie, the king is the source. I need you to really and thoroughly exorcise his soul of the Aberration's influence, the rest should follow suit!" Ozlyn had conjured a barrier around the crowd of possessed bodies with a flourish of her scepter, stemming the tide of shambling undead.

"Cover me while I do that, good luck," Came his swift reply, trusting her wholeheartedly. Aurelius shifted Crocea Mors into a longsword, the shield and blade combining into a much larger form.

Without hesitation, he rammed it all the way through the chest of the Sable king, lifting him off the floor before immediately sinking the blade into the earth, pinning the lead Aberration to the floor. The knight's hands ignited in gold as he placed them over the possessed eyes of the possessed monarch.

Meanwhile, Ozlyn had dropped the barriers on the windows, instead focusing one around Aurelius as he worked. The Sorceress had decided to cut loose on some of her more destructive spells. With a wave of her scepter, a tornado of slicing winds was conjured, another wave and an isolated blizzard blasted from her hand. Forks of lightning that charred the undead into ash and tongues of flame that disintegrated them instantly.

As quick as she blasted them back, more came pouring through the open windows, some more coming through the door they had first entered through. If four of them fell to a blast of vaporizing light, another eight would file in behind it, the vaporized pieces falling to the ground and melting back together into a shadowy form.

Ozlyn let one get close, idly sending a burst of kinetic energy in a ring around herself, allowing her to study the subject in front of her. Waving her hand, she restrained the possessed civilian with mana bindings, brushing her brunette locks out of her eyes as she inspected the void where the Aberration's eyes were supposed to be.

'It's a body-snatching parasite, first feeding off of the host's negative emotions before trapping them inside their mind, more than likely subjecting them to a form of mental torture. Through this, it maintains a feedback loop of negative emotions and a body that it can now pilot. From there it can spread like a plague into others in the form of the possessed, a hivemind of horrific proportions.'

The body snarled as it struggled against the magic rope now binding it. Nodding her head in satisfaction from her analysis, with another flick of the scepter, the Grimm imploded on itself and banished outside the window.

Meanwhile, behind the barrier, four shackles of purple light pinned the Sable king's limbs to the ground as Aurelius inspected the tarnished soul. Souls were a rather recent discovery, only being truly confirmed when he pioneered the usage of Aura and discovered the latent abilities that occur when one uses it.

From his limited research, Souls could come in all types of colors, usually reflective of a person's personality or magical abilities. His was a radiant gold, blinding in its intensity and bottomless in its amount. Ozlyn possessed a wonderous shade of emerald, reflective of her favored magical manipulation.

Unlike those, however, the Soul of the Sable king was a murky orange, covered almost completely in inky tar, two red eyes overlaying the king's. And they were narrowed in anger staring directly at Aurelius. The body jerked violently, one of the hands briefly lifting off of the floor before being slammed back into the ground, pulverizing the wrist.

Scowling, Aurelius' hands ignited in gold, forcing veins of purifying Aura and magic directly into the Aberration. In response, the creature let out an unholy screech that rippled through the rest of the bodies it had possessed.

Outside of the barrier, all of the bodies stumbled to an abrupt stop. For a single second, the crowded throne room was completely still. And then the horde erupted into frenzied movement.

With renewed desperation, waves of the Aberrations moved forward, attempting to breach the barrier around Aurelius and rescue the head of the hivemind. Huge swaths were destroyed and pushed back by Ozlyn's magic, though the sheer amount of a kingdom's worth of possessed bodies was beginning to overwhelm her.

Blasting a circle around herself to gain breathing room the Sorceress began to gather her mana once more, shaping it into her favored form of manipulation.

"Aurelius, I'm giving you a window, take it now!"

Following her command, the knight waited for the signal. Ozlyn leaped directly into the air, hanging there as she raised Undying Curiosity. Mana permeated the air, filling the crowded room with intoxicating power. It continued to build, climbing higher and higher as a verdant glow consumed her scepter.

And then the world stopped.

A singular pulse stilled the entire room, a ring of green freezing the horde in its tracks.

In that moment, the universe bowed its head to the command of a mortal, ceasing the function of one of its oldest concepts.

Ozlyn sighed in relief, sweat staining her brow as she maintained the stasis. Shooting a pointed look over her shoulder at her lover, she urged him to hurry.

The original Aberration was similarly frozen, all the extensions of its influence being frozen had sent it into a state of shock. Capitalizing on the moment of absence, Aurelius flooded the Aberration with gold once more, trying to eradicate the parasite.

The power speared through it without resistance, a black cloud lifting off the Sable king's body as it was exorcised from him. The black pools in his eyes faded away, the last vestiges of the Aberration forced from his soul and freeing his mind.

The immobilized forms of the possessed shivered slightly. Ozlyn released her hold over time, dropping to the ground, her breathing slightly uneven. The bodies fell over in unison, the gaunt visage and black eyes fading away as a black fog funneled out of their mouths.

The central cloud that housed the original Aberration floated upward, the other dark clouds spiraling around it as more came funneling in through the windows and doors. A large dark pall hung over the room, the Aberration's presence gathering itself out of its hosts. And then it poofed.

In an anticlimactic display, the fog of darkness flashed gray, turning into fine dust as it rained down on the room.

"...was that it? Did we do it?"

Ozlyn's question went unanswered as a wet cough sounded out behind them. Turning around they saw the still alive Sable monarch.

Approaching warily, Aurelius pointed Crocea Mors at him.

Barely clinging to life, blood slowly dribbled down the dying king's lips, looking as if his soul had been sucked out of him.

"My... Salem..." Another set of wracking coughs shook him. Frowning slightly, Ozlyn moved past her lover in order to heal the king.

Sensing her intentions the king reacted negatively. "N-No! Allow me this... peace. Tell Salem-" A worrying amount of blood came spilling out of his mouth, staining the ground and the front of his Cuirass red. "I'm... sorry."

The king stilled, finally allowed rest.

Aurelius silently closed the king's eyelids.

"It is in passing we gain true immortality. Through this, I release you from this world, depriving you of these earthly bonds as you ascend amongst your ancestors. Nigh unending and impossible to understand, may you find rest in the beyond. In this, we honor your memory."

The king's body glowed a light orange, the color disappearing as quickly as it came.

Allowing another moment of silence for the dead monarch, the two stood up and turned to the gathered bodies. Ozlyn approached one of the prone forms of a live guard and tapped them on the head with her scepter.

With a jerk, the guard's eyes shot open and he started coughing, flecks of black leaking from his mouth. Once the coughing fit was done, he looked over at the two adventures, before his head swiveled back over the bodies of the civilians and other guards.

A beat passed as Ozlyn and the guard stared at one another.

The guard slowly got up onto his knees, a look of wonder on his face as his eyes darted to the form of the dead Sable king and the figure standing over him and then to the beautiful woman who had awakened him.

The man fell forward, prostrating himself to the two of them, head hung low and tears falling from his face.

"Milord and Lady, I thank you for your saving grace!"

Aurelius and Ozlyn shared a look, one thought running between the two of them.

'What?'


Grove of Mists


The two lovers had made their way to the forest adjacent to the recently liberated kingdom with the intent of finding the tower that jailed the princess who brought them here in the first place.

The one guard who had begun to wake everybody else up and by then it was too late to prevent their exploits from spreading. Having essentially been declared the new rulers of the almost destitute kingdom, the new monarchs had deposed the possessed king and freed all of the denizens from their mental entrapments. This sort of attention, while not something they were unused to, was overwhelming.

They had then beat a hasty retreat into the Grove of Mists, claiming that they still had a princess to rescue. Even then the newly freed people were in awe of their bravery, the woods being home to fearsome and ancient Grimm as well as numerous magical wards. They had wholeheartedly believed that the two adventurers had gone into the grove to free the princess who had been officially declared dead by the former monarch.

It seems that when the queen had fallen ill and died, the Sable king decided to claim that the princess died with her, withholding the information that she instead was imprisoned in a tower in a fit of grief.

Marching through the eerily quiet woods had done little to assuage the frazzled senses of the two, the shotgun coronation/declaration of allegiance had left the pair spinning.

In time they had come across what appeared to be an abandoned guard house. A look inside indicated it was in fact not abandoned but more like the denizens were slain by the Grimm inhabiting the forest. While the significantly better-kept armor and weapons indicated that the owners were experienced, being stuck on guard duty for years would leave anyone feeling negative.

Though it wasn't even the Grimm that took the last few. In a show of primal human instinct, the last survivors killed each other fighting over the last bit of rations, the skeletons still impaled into the floor of the gatehouse indicating as such as well as a small box of rations clutched in the hands of a corpse.

Aurelius attempted to make a joke about prying it from his cold, dead hands. Ozlyn was not amused.

Continuing onward, the adventures put the dead guards out of their minds and attempted to focus on the present objective: Save a princess who may or may not be dead. In the wake of their perturbed emotions, the Grimm had gotten bold. Flashes of black skirted their peripherals, and a feeling of constantly being watched enveloped the two.

Attempting to break and lighten the mood of the rather dreary forest, Ozlyn began to rhythmically pulse her mana through the air, gently enveloping Aurelius in a cocoon of her soft emerald. The green glow surrounded him briefly, wrapping around him like a warm hug.

The knight visibly relaxed, giving her a loving smile as he did the same to her, adding his radiant Aura to it as well. Ozlyn glowed a bright gold as her lover's magic and Soul surged around and through her, a blush coursing through her cheeks as her chest tightened in pleasant warmth.

The dark forest didn't seem so foreboding with the amount of love and affection being exchanged between the two.

Smiling brightly, the Sorceress grabbed her partner by the shoulder and pulled him down into a passionate kiss.

Grinning into it, Aurelius's hands circled her waist and dug into her sizable posterior, pulling her even closer.

Separating reluctantly, though now holding hands, they did a quick survey of their surroundings. In the wake of their influx of positive emotions, it cleared out a large majority of the Grimm that had been attempting to track them.

"Towering stone outcroppings, right?" Asked Aurelius.

"Yes, according to Salem's letter that is what she- how did we even miss that?"

To their immediate left was an unnatural collection of stone pillars, rising high above the treetops and piercing the canopy's gloom.

"She did mention magical defenses," Stated the d'Arc scion.

"Yes, well she also mentioned a small army waiting for us and see how that turned out. A majority of runes need to be resupplied with mana and constantly upkept in order to function correctly," Replied the Sorceress.

Letting go of her lover's hand, Ozlyn lifted Undying Curiosity and leveled it at the stone pillar. With a pulse reminiscent of a radar scan, the path of least resistance was revealed. A patch of weakened stone and thinner magical warding lit up in a lattice crosswork of blue.

"If you'd do the honors, good sir?"

"With pleasure, my lady."

Aurelius approached the glowing point and reared a fist back, it started to glow a bright white as it was filled with power.

With a bang and a pinpoint release of mana, Aura, and sheer physical might, cracks spider-webbed out of the place of impact, the sound of glass shattering indicating that a barrier ward had been smashed as well. Another fist reared back.

The cracks deepened, spreading even further outwards as the stone yielded to the knight's fist. The fist reared back one more time.

With a victorious crash, the stone gave way, blasting inwards as the armored gauntlet tore through it with the force of an explosion.

Waving the resulting dust away with a conjured gust of wind, the two were treated to the sight of a solitary stone spire rising into the sky, two windows facing the east and the west. No doors were visible to them, though it was easy to imagine it was completely sealed if not for the windows. It was set in the middle of a large clearing, almost perfectly circular in circumference. The glade was enchanted, with a clear blue sky and shining sun hanging in it as opposed to towering tree tops and gloomy fog. The air was crisp and clean, a light breeze rustling through the tall grass. It was picturesque almost and incredibly serene for something trapped in the middle of a Grimm-infested forest.

It was an isolationist's paradise and a cruel prison for the actual inhabitant. The two adventurers had blown a hole into the south wall, neither of the windows facing them.

Ozlyn sent out another pulse of mana. The wave had barely reached out toward the tower before abruptly ascending, highlighting a large dome that surrounded the spire in a field of energy.

Aurelius stepped forward, placing his gauntlet-clad hand against the barrier. Immediately it rejected him, a force pushing the hand away. Kneeling, he grabbed a small piece of debris from the destroyed wall and tossed it through the barrier. The rock sailed through with ease.

Ozlyn scoffed to herself, looking at the barrier with a critical eye.

"This rune work is rather shoddy. Instead of the standard incineration matrix, all it does is repel those not keyed into it. More than likely only animate objects in order to prevent a logic overload. If I were to break a couple of keystones it would cause a cascade of..."

She devolved into a series of mumbles, idly twirling a lock of her hair as Undying Curiosity glowed brightly.

Scowling slightly, the Sorceress continued to have a conversation with herself, tapping the scepter against the ground. In response, three chunks of earth were torn from the ground, small misshapen cubes covered in barrier and connector sigils. With an idle twist of the legendary weapon, the cubes exploded in a small flash of blue.

The entire barrier shook slightly as the rest of the underground keystones exploded in response to the critical failure of the rune matrix. The bubble surrounding the clearing shimmered before shattering like glass.

Smirking to herself Ozlyn glanced at her lover in triumph. Laughing to himself, Aurelius pulled her close for a short but passionate kiss.

Now giggling like drunken school girls, the two continued toward the spire unhindered.

As they neared, they circled around it looking for a door. It became apparent that there was one hidden in the stone brick architecture, once again sealed by small keystones that would reject anybody not keyed into it. Due to it being a much smaller formula, there was less mana stored in it. In the years of absence, it was empty, leaving the door inert and unable to open unless powered.

That is if it had been confronted with normal people who were incapable of punching through stone barefisted. With another powered strike from Aurelius, the door crumbled easily, revealing a spiraling stairway.

Moving forward with building trepidation, the two ascended the tower. There were no other outcroppings or smaller rooms, no other nooks that cut into the rest of the tower, it was all one staircase up.

Coming to the top of the staircase, they were met with a simple wooden door, a large slot to push food in as well as a small rectangular bar that uncovered an eyehole. Glancing at Ozlyn with a silent question, she raised her scepter and closed her eyes.

Opening them she looked at her lover, pulling out the letter that had miraculously not been lost in the earlier altercation.

"A singular life signature, idle, maybe reading a book or something like that. Can't imagine there's a lot to do here," Stated the Sorceress.

"Well, let's not keep her waiting," Came the confident reply.

Gripping the door handle, Aurelius dropped his shoulder and slammed it against the door, harshly breaking the locking mechanism of the door as he forced his weight against the door. With a crack of the frame, the door fell into the room with a bang.

Stumbling slightly over the broken door, the knight glanced around the room. A four-poster bed draped with vibrant silks sat on one side of the room. A large wardrobe stood next to it with an empty nightstand. On the other side of the room was a desk illuminated by the sun from an overhead window. On the desk was a single quill and inkpot, though no parchment to write on. Next to it was a small bookshelf, composed mostly of stories detailing the world and its landmarks as well as basic introductions to magic. Above it hung another banner of the Sable kingdom's symbol. A flash of blonde hair caught his attention next, a gasp falling from her lips as she eyed her savior.

Salem was beautiful. Pale blonde hair hung down to the middle of her back, bright blue eyes widening in shock. An oval face with aristocratic features, a sharp chin, and high cheekbones highlighting her royal heritage. A modest white dress wrapped around a luscious body, emphasizing the swell of her breasts and accentuating her womanly body.

Pale hands covered her mouth in shock, tears immediately pooling in her eyes. She scrambled to her feet, a desperate struggle forward to confirm that she was finally being rescued after years of solitude.

Silent tears tracked down her cheeks as she reached forward, stopping just before the knight's face.

"Are... are you real? Please tell me this isn't another dream," The voice was melodious, if a bit shaky and untrusting, half expecting this wonderful fantasy to fade away as quickly as it came.

Aurelius reached forward, gently wrapping her hands in his larger ones, ignoring the heartbreaking gasp of surprise as she finally touched another living being for the first time in years. With a sob, she threw her hands around him, pulling him into a tight hug as tears streaked down his pauldron.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou so much, please this is-" She cut off with another sob as she pulled back from the hug and broke down crying.

The knight simply held her in his arms as she let out year's worth of anguish and loneliness. Calming down after five minutes of attempting to control her emotions, Salem looked at the d'Arc scion with reverence and affection.

With a shaky, watery smile she declared one last heartfelt thank you.

"Please, there's no need to thank me. How about we get out of here, yeah?"

The bright smile eclipsed the previous weak one.

"I-If I may, I've a favor to bestow on you, brave knight."

Oh? A reward for-

Salem leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his neck once more and pressing her lips against his. Hesitating for a brief second, Aurelius responded immediately, kissing back in a display of affection for the touch-starved princess.

Ozlyn stood behind the pair, just out of sight as they made out. While understanding that her lover was a wonderful person and would no doubt always hold her close to his heart, there was always going to be room for more. Though she couldn't help but feel jealous. For both blondes involved. She could recognize beauty when it was presented to her, and though Salem was a literal shut-in for life, she was still a complete knockout.

Stepping forward, she cleared her throat awkwardly, the two separating hastily as Aurelius' face twisted in panic, turning around with an excuse already on his lips. Salem cut him off, though.

"Another savior?!" The sheer elation in her voice stopped them both short. Salem detangled herself from Aurelius and appeared in front of the brunette.

"I thank both of you for your part in my rescue. Allow me to bestow another favor on you, fair adventurer," said the blonde princess.

Salem threw her arms around Ozlyn in a tight hug, pulling her into a passionate lip-lock. Stunned, the Sorceress didn't react immediately. At that time, Salem had already deepened the kiss, her lips moving gently across the shocked pair.

Gathering her bearings, Ozlyn reciprocated immediately, wrapping her own arms around Salem and holding her close, restarting the passionate make-out with earnestness.

Behind the two, Aurelius' jaw dropped as he watched the two beautiful women passionately sucking each other's faces.

Releasing the kiss, leaving Ozlyn lightheaded and smiling like a loon, Salem turned towards the two before bowing low, a large smile of gratitude spreading across her lips.

"Thank you."


Present


Colors swirled out of the three siblings' vision as it ended, revealing the living room and a smiling Jaune.

"And that is how the fairy tale actually went, and how I met my future wife. Any questions?"

Jaz's shell-shocked look slowly morphed into surprise, and then into shock, the ends of her hair bursting into small flames. Jeanne on the other hand just stared at Jaune, gobsmacked with a large blush spreading across her face.

"Uhm, are you two okay?"

Jaune's question went unanswered as Jeanne started to giggle, her eyes hazy and rampant with naughty imagination. In an instant, a bright flash of realization struck her, her face twisting into shock.

"Wait! I wasn't your first?!"

Jaune deadpanned at his older sister. The question was asked with utmost urgency and seriousness, and he wondered if that was all she'd focus on until she got a proper answer.

"Well, you were my first, seeing as how the circumstances have changed significantly. You technically did 'pop my cherry' so to speak," Came the dry reply.

Jeanne's face fell into a pout, followed by a begrudging 'Yeah, I guess that's good enough..."

Jaz's hair ignited with an explosion of heat, charring the couch and nearly burning Jeanne had her Aura not flashed immediately.

"What. The. Fuck."


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srry for the wait but computer sucks and it trashed everything so yea

R&R

Have a nice day/night/week/life.

-Spice