Hello dear readers, and welcome to second chapter of the Choice of Redeemer. I thank all the people who read, followed, liked and commented so far. I hope you will stick with me till the end.

For now, let us begin :)

No one could answer the question Weiss asked. Hell, Jaune wasn't sure he could, even after everything he had seen.

Still, he accepted the applause of crowd, and moved back to his seat.

His team and Team RWBY slowly returned back to their places and looked at each other. They were not sure who would speak first, and finally all gaze turned on Pyrrha who took the message and cleared her throat. "So, Jaune…"

"Hmm?" Jaune said lifting his head, a half-eaten pancake was hanging from his mouth. Seeing at least some things still the same, Pyrrha smiled "You look different somehow, is it because of your semblance?"

Jaune blinked and finished his pancake before answering the question. "I don't understand, what you mean Pyr?"

"Well you seem more…"

"Confident?" Blake intervened.

"Mature?" Ren contributed.

"Less foolish?" Weiss mumbled.

Jaune looked at the faces of his friends. Who he loved as family who—

A sudden flashback of an intense battle, few highly dramatic scenes from a few abused childhoods, hard choices.

He closed his eyes.

"I suppose you can say that the confidence is a byproduct of my semblance…" Jaune answered after he though a little. He did not speak further while attacking the rest of his breakfast.

After waited a little Pyrrha called him again "Umm, Jaune?"

"Yeah?" he answered while slicing his cheese.

"Won't you tell us what your semblance do?"

Jaune stopped and looked at them again. His gaze swept over them, but stayed on Weiss a little longer.

"I will, but later." He answered before turning to his breakfast once again.

"But why?" this time it was Nora asking in a desperate voice.

"Because Weiss would mock me."

Weiss scowled "What are you saying Arc?"

Jaune shrugged without lifting his head from his plate. "It was based on a choice. I made one with high risk, high reward. If I say what it is, she would probably say what a big idiot I am and how I should choose one of the other options because they were safer."

"Now that you said why, she can still mock you." Ren pointed.

"I wouldn't do that!" Weiss exclaimed, then focused on the blond once more. "If this is another elaborate game for—"

A kiss. Desperate, knowing it would be their first and the last, before—

"No."

Certainty of the statement cut Weiss' argument. His hair was shadowing his eyes, giving him the appearance of a much older man for a moment.

Then that moment is gone and Jaune turned to them, his smile was replaced with a calm seriousness for the first time. "I was actually wanted to that where it would more private, but I guess this suits too."

Every movement is watched, every action is judged. Even a caged bird is freer, a puppet under the ultimate puppeteer.

"But first, who should I do this to? To Weiss, or to Heiress Schnee?"

His question seemed to have puzzled her. She remained silent for a second before saying "What are you talking about, idiot?"

Jaune looked at her for moment, then he sighed. "Okay, so it will be like this…" he raised to his feet and stood in attention before raising his arm like a knightly salute. "Miss Schnee, as the heir of the Glorious family of Arc, I apologize for my conduct against you. I was foolish, and I was naïve. With that, I promise on the good name of my family that I will never, under any circumstances will commit the same mistake. I hope this formal apology to you, and by the extension to your father for my misconduct will alleviate some of the animosity you feel against me and my family."

Weiss seemed shocked while Yang just shook her head "Okay, I am numb already. What is happening?"

"A formal apology for everything I did…" Jaune answered while sitting back. "Meaning: I'm done trying to get you."

Weiss was still in shock while Ruby raised her hand "Umm, Jaune? Why are you acting all knightly?"

Jaune smiled once more "Because of my semblance."

"And that is…?"

"Nice try Ruby, but I won't tell it in here."

"Oh, come on—"

"But…" Jaune interrupted her before leaning forward. "I will need your help in something that I think you will find it just as enjoyable."

Ruby frowned "Like…?"

Jaune winked "Surprise."

Nora gave a knowing look to Pyrrha while Jaune was laughing to Ruby's antics, who were looking at Jaune with a hopeful gaze since he said he was done trying to get Weiss.

And she could swear that Jaune had given her a brief glance just as he said those words.

Ozpin was looking to the files in front of him. Things were calm for a while, but after what happened at the beginning of the week? He had doubts that things would stay the same.

"Still no signs from the attackers?" he asked before taking another sip from his coffee. Qrow shook his head near the window "No, Oz. The trail's got pretty cold, I think they have left Vale."

Ozpin was thoughtful. "We must double our efforts. Whoever attacked her would want to finish the job they started." He said before turning his head to the newspapers. "The question is are they coming with a bang or will they prefer a silent approach?"

His eyes wandered on the pages, searching for something he might have missed in the first place. It wasn't easy to fool the ever-vigilant Huntsman, considering how long it had been since he was fighting in this shadow war against his ex-wife, something unfortunately he couldn't take to the court for divorce. Still, the idea put a smile on his face on how it would play out.

A smile that disappeared soon after, considering what had happened at the beginning of this week.

He sighed. He needed more men in this war, but there is a few that remained. Past decade had cost him too much, of the four promising warriors, only one had remained. One had lost her life, one had lost his will and the last one had abandoned them entirely.

"Qrow, we need a better lookout on the situation. I will leave you a higher degree of freedom, look into anything that you think as interesting. I am still expecting reports frequently however, but I have no other idea at the moment to find what is going on."

Qrow looked to Ozpin surprised. He opened the lid of his flask before saying "You've never given me such degree of freedom before. Do you think the situation is really that desperate?" He took a swig from his flask "Or serious?"

Ozpin closed his eyes. He didn't, actually. If it was up to him, he would think before giving such an order. Sure, there were a few signs of abnormalities in the city, but he had learned throughout in that shadow war, he could not jump at every shadow. In a few instances where he did intervene with the fear that Salem may interfering with them, only the situation went worse. But this time, it wasn't the paranoia of an old man, or the usual violence in the city.

There was another thing to consider it in here.

"I have my reasons, Qrow. Now, I'm afraid I have to ask you to leave, I am expecting another guest in short. Take care and please notify me of any developments."

Qrow took another swig and nodded. Then, his body transformed to that of a crow and he left the room through the window. At the same time, someone knocked on the door.

'Right on time…' Ozpin thought before gathering the papers in front of him and put them in front of him "Please come in."

Door opened, and Jaune Arc entered his room.

"Welcome Mr. Arc, please take a seat. Would you like something to drink?"

Jaune smiled nervously "Coffee please."

Ozpin raised a brow with an amused smile "I'm surprised. Most students either doesn't want anything or they would choose juice. Why coffee?" he asked while pouring a cup of coffee for the young man. Jaune's smile turned into a genuine one while accepting the drink "Well, there is a rumor in the school that you found a way to live by only using the coffee. So, I wanted to see how you are doing it."

"You wanted to see how I only live with coffee?"

"No, how you do your coffee. You must be an expert on it already."

"That I do," Ozpin chuckled before taking a sip of the aforementioned drink. "I find it a drink with a lot of potential and uses."

Jaune also took a sip "How so?"

"It has a variety of ways to make, all with different tastes. Also it can be used to awake in the mornings, or with some sugar it can be used as a sweet drink. I know it will sound unrelated, but as a teacher I find it quite similar to what we are trying to achieve here in Beacon."

Jaune nodded "It sounds interesting."

"It is, but I don't want to bore you with details of why I love coffee more than needed…" Ozpin said then he took one more sip and put the cup aside. "I called you here today to discuss what happened to you at the beginning of the week."

Jaune's expression became serious. "How can I help you, sir?"

"You will probably guess that everything that happened in the infirmary, from the moment you were taken to there until you left were recorded, along with the records of what you screamed on the first night…" he leaned forward while Juane bowed his head. "Whatever happened to you was unique. No one in the known history suddenly lost his aura only to regain it back with his own hands. Whatever happened to you, was an anomaly. So, I would be happy that if you would share in the case of someone else would live through such an experience."

Then he waited. He knew he had asked Jaune a though thing, but if —

"I am sorry, sir. But I don't recall anything from that night."

An apparent lie, if Ozpin had ever seen one. But he wasn't the one to call on him, not yet. He was regularly criticized for his teaching methods, but over the lives he lived he had seen that children were not naïve or useless as other people think, hell he wasn't sure he could call them children seeing they were only one year away from being eighteen. He suspected Jaune has a reason for this lie, and he hoped that in time he would be more forthcoming to admit it.

"I see. It is unfortunate, but there is nothing to do. May I ask did you notice anything different since the event?"

Jaune stopped once again, which made Ozpin think. Something must have happened for Jaune to weigh what he must and must not say to him. He had an idea, considering the omens, but he wasn't sure why he of all things would warn Jaune against him.

"I… I think that unlocked my semblance, sir."

Ozpin raised a brow.

"Interesting. Have you discovered its capabilities yet?"

Another wait. He watched as Jaune gathered up his courage to say something to him while taking another sip of his coffee.

"That's what I want to see, and I think I know how, sir…"

Ozpin nodded "Go on…"

Jaune took a deep breath "Sir, the transcripts that I have used to apply to Beacon were…" he gulped "fake."

He knew, but he allowed Jaune to go on.

"It was foolish of me, and over the past days, thanks to all that I have lived through, I see that was indeed a stupid mistake that endangered both mine and my friends' lives. To be honest, if it wasn't for what happened on Monday, I would probably need to pack up and leave soon. But now, I think there is a way to both answer your question and ease my conscience."

Ozpin took another sip "You want to take an entrance exam of sorts?"

"If you accept, sir…" Jaune said while bowing his head. "I assure you I know the full weight of the crime I committed, and if you find my performance unsatisfactory, I will leave the Beacon immediately. If things go well…" he shrugged "We both will get what we want."

Ozpin looked into the eyes of his student. "Why now, Mr. Arc? What has tempted you to do this?"

"It is just something that I accepted when I unlocked my semblance, sir."

Ozpin closed his eyes.

There wasn't much to think in here. He knew all along that Jaune was a fraud, it was hard not to after being subjected to almost every known fraud throughout his lives. Little things ranging from absence of any details from his records to his knowledge of almost every prep school had helped him in that regard, but he was willing to let it go, for the role he was unknowingly playing in both Ruby's and potential Fall Maiden's lives. But this, this was forcing his hand. Could this be a deliberate move? Could he force his hand to learn something from him? Or the child was simply regretful as he said.

He sighed. He really wished to know if he told Jaune to speak like this.

"I see you are aware of the weight of your crime, Mr. Arc…" he began to speak. After a brief stop he pulled a paper from his stack "I pardon you from all of your lessons today, and I will wait you at training ground 4 at eight pm at latest. I will be bringing another expert Huntsman with me, someone I trust to evaluate your skills. If you pass, there will be no problem, you may continue your life as the same. However, if you fail, you will leave Beacon tomorrow morning, and I will notify your father about what you did. Do you accept this?"

Jaune nodded, then suddenly as if he remembered something he raised a hand, which Ozpin gestured he can speak "One more question. Can I use a borrowed weapon from school for the evaluation? I was… working on another weapon style, and I want to try it rather than sword and shield. I think I will perform better with it."

Ozpin nodded "Plausible." He pulled another form "What will it be?"

"A rapier and a short sword."

Ozpin looked intrigued "If this is what I think, then it has been a long time since I saw that style. Are you sure?"

"Yes sir. And I may need armor to show something. It will probably become useless after, so a cheap one would suffice."

Ozpin nodded and signed all of the forms. "Here are the forms. Training ground 4, at 8. Don't forget," he said while handing out the forms to Jaune who stood up and took them.

"Mr. Arc…" he said at the moment Jaune touched the forms "I wish you good luck."

Thanks to Ozpin's permit, Jaune directly headed for the training ground 4 as soon as he finished the talk.

This was important. He needed to prepare adequately to be really accepted into Beacon. Even after all that happened if he's still a pathetic weakling, then he cannot imagine accomplishing rest of his dreams. This was the first roadblock he had to cross.

One, two, three, slash… Again, and again.

"This one is just for you, but this one… It is time for humanity to remember it…"

He closed his eyes.

"Even after all these gifts, I am still worthless…"

"I won't lie to you. You were not the only choice, but the most convenient one. The one who would—"

"Jaune?"

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted with voice of his partner, and Jaune's heart began to beat faster once more. He thanked his Lord that his back was turned, and stopped a few seconds to calm himself before turning to his partner.

"Hi there, Pyr. How is it going?"

"Fine, but what are you doing here?" Pyrrha asked. Oh Lord, this is harder than he thought. Had Pyrrha always let her hair loose from the right side of her face? Wait, was that the same tone she always used, or had she dyed her hair?

"…Jaune?"

There was no need for that, she was already perfect! Of course, since he was the known world's greatest idiot, she must have thought a little change could attract his attention. If he wasn't blinded by Weiss, or his sheer stupidity, he could have seen it far earlier.

"Jaune, are you there?"

Quick, he needed to show her that he was done with the Weiss. Maybe he should find a nickname for Pyrrha? Hmm, obviously he cannot use the Red Angel or Blood Angel, former because it would seem like he was trying to her into Weiss' place, and the latter due to copyright claim problem, it would be better to not have a problem with Battleblade 70K's creators, he didn't think he could find time for this among everything. How about—

He felt a touch on his shoulder.

"Jaune, are you alright? You were staring into space for a few seconds now."

Jaune blinked "Yeah sorry… I just suddenly zoned out. Did you dye your hair, by the way?"

Pyrrha looked at him for a few seconds before averting her gaze. "D-Did you notice?"

Did he ever… Not only that, but now, looking at Pyrrha Jaune could see other minute details that he would be oblivious to before he re-unlocked his aura. Pyrrha seemed slightly tired, and he was sure that she was very slightly thinner than before (not that she had any problem with her weight or whatsoever!). Her hands were at her hair, and her body language was slightly stiff.

He smiled, he was truly a man that didn't deserve to be that lucky. "Of course, I did. It is similar to a red lily's…" he said before joking "If you go out to tournaments like that they will call you Flaming Lily in no time."

Okay, he may be laying it a bit thick, she was furiously blushing right now. It is time to put his team leader persona forward. "But I also noticed that you seemed tired and I think I know the team leader that caused it."

Pyrrha's bashful state suddenly disappeared "It was my choice, you don't need to feel guilty about it."

"But I do…" Jaune insisted. "I am lucky that I have such a caring partner. But you don't need to worry anymore, I am okay."

"Oh…" said Pyrrha, once again blushing. "You didn't show up for the classes after headmaster called you, so I thought..."

"I am sorry to make you worry…" Jaune said. Lord, he really wanted to hug her right now, but he needed to be patient. "But headmaster just wanted to test my combat prowess after such an event. You know, our field trips are slowly approaching, so I must be ready for duty. So, he pardoned me from lessons to give me some time to train, and he said he would be testing me at 8 pm."

Great, that only seemed to make her worry more, great job there, hero, top quality…

At that moment, Pyrrha's eyes slid towards the weapons he was using. "Jaune, what are these? Where is Crocea Mors? Did something happened to it?"

Jaune sighed "No, just I think that style no longer suits me."

"What do you mean? Is this about your Semblance?"

"You can say that…" Jaune said and gestured towards the seats. He continued to speak while they were heading there "I… I have realized that I used a shield in my combat style because I was afraid. It was not about my style, but my psyche behind it. I am actually pretty nimble and hell of a dancer, so I think this will suit me better with my new psyche."

"So, you are not afraid, anymore?" Pyrrha asked.

Not afraid? He could bet all of his aura and his love for Pyrrha that no one on the Remnant was more scared than him. He may have made one of the stupidest decisions in the history and doomed the Remnant with it. But sure, compared to everything that could happen, what was a Beowolf or Ursa?

"You can say that I think." Jaune answered in a roundabout way.

They sat in the seats and stood silently for a few seconds. Then Pyrrha turned to him "So, can you tell me what your semblance is?"

Jaune nodded and thought how to explain this for a few more seconds. "Pyr, have you ever heard of Paladins?"

Pyrrha seemed surprised, but she answered his question nonetheless. "Yeah, I heard of them. They are the knights that bound to their lords or kings by an oath."

"This is true…" Jaune nodded. "But this is more of a historical version. What do you know about them from fairy tales?"

Pyrrha frowned and stood silent for a few seconds "They are the knights of an ideal. They…" she closed her eyes "They draw their powers from their ideals and they stand strong as long as they do not betray this ideal."

"Do you remember, how many ideals or oaths they stand for?"

Pyrrha sighed "Jaune, why are you asking me all of these? How are paladins related to your semblance?" Then her eyes went wide. "Wait a minute…"

"Yeah…" Jaune nodded. "I suppose you were there when I swore my oath. Pyr, my Semblance is called 'Paladin's Oath'. I was presented with a choice, choosing one of them to gain their powers while upholding their believes."

Pyrrha looked confused "But Jaune, of all the known oaths from history and tales, I've never heard of your oath of redemption?"

Jaune nodded with a bitter smile. "Yes. Pyrrha Nikos, right now, you are looking at the first and only paladin of redemption."

Pyrrha stood there silently, her eyes filled with worry (dammit!). Jaune could guess the coming question and waited. "But… Why? What do you seek redemption for?"

"For being a fraud." Jaune begin. "For being a coward. For being weak…" He looked to Pyrrha "For being blind and naïve."

Pyrrha was speechless.

"It doesn't matter. I will rise above them. I have seen the errors of my way, and I will work to correct them." Jaune rose up determined to move forward. Then he looked and smiled warmly to Pyrrha "Not only for me. Also, for the people that didn't cross the line. For the desperate, for the weak. I will seek redemption for all."

"Jaune…" Pyrrha could only say.

Jaune took a deep breath. "Hey Pyr?"

"Yes?"

Jaune scratched the back of his head and that seemed to give Pyrrha a sense of comfort. Good.

"I was wondering…"

"Yes?" Pyrrha said one more time, her voice was tinged with a little hope.

"Umm, so I gave you a lot of trouble during the week. As a thanks for that, would you like to go to cinema t-tomorrow?"

Pyrrha blinked "Of course. Should I tell this to Nora and Ren too?"

Well, that was clever. She was checking whether this was a friendly invitation or a date.

'Alright Nikos, you win this round…'

"Umm, I have only two tickets…" Jaune said embarrassedly. Alright, he could swear he saw a light in Pyrrha's eyes, he may well be further in affection meter than he thought. Yes!

"Okay then," Pyrrha said, Jaune could see her crimson cheeks. "I wish you good luck in your test."

Jaune nodded, unaware that his cheeks were red too.

Great, now he had another reason to work hard for tonight's test.

It was 7:50.

Ozpin only could hope that the boy had used the time he had given him for a serious training. Though, if not something miraculous had happened on Monday night, this was it. He had seen the boy himself and he knew about his grades from Glynda.

The boy was a hopeless case.

A potential was there, that was certain. He had seen the wit of the boy, but he was far from ready to become a Huntsman. He shook his head, he well understood the worry of Nicholas, who himself was forced to this life by his father. But in trying to stop his sun from becoming a huntsman, he only forced Jaune to a path that he didn't want, much like his own father did to Nicholas.

'Such stubbornness, we may lose many things…' Ozpin sighed but a knock on his door interrupted his thoughts. "Come in."

"Hello there, Oz. Did you want to see me?"

Another lost potential, Taiyang Xiao Long entered the room. Truly, he had lost so many capable huntsmen when Summer died. Tai was a good huntsman and a good teacher. Sure, he wasn't exactly wasted, but he wished Tai to be working in Beacon. He shook his head, now was not the time for those idle thoughts.

"Welcome Tai. I'm glad you have managed to arrive in time."

"No problem Oz, but I was kinda surprised. Why have you called? Has something happened to Ruby or Yang Or did they wreaked havoc again?"

"No, nothing of sorts." Ozpin calmed him before gesturing back the door, he too stood up and began to walk. "I called you here because of an… unexpected situation that requires your expertise."

"Such as…?" Tai asked, arching one of his eyebrows.

"Deciding whether a student is fit to be graduated from Signal."

Tai suddenly stopped while Ozpin took a few more steps. "You are kidding right?"

"I certainly am not, Tai…" Ozpin sighed. "It would be a very bad joke to bring you here for."

"But… How?"

"Fake transcripts." Ozpin explained simply, meanwhile Tai had begun to walk again. "He had admitted that he used fake transcripts to apply to Beacon."

"Then why am I here? Call the police."

"I would, but something unexpected happened."

"And that is…?"

"He unlocked his semblance…" Ozpin explained while they began to descend through stairs. "And in a rather… spectacular fashion, to be honest. I wonder if it is a game changer for his career, and actually he himself asked for this chance."

"I don't know, Oz…" Tai said with a serious tone. "It is impressive that he awakened his semblance, but for that semblance to be a guarantee for his stay in Beacon, it must be something extraordinary.

"We are here…" Ozpin answered before opening the door.

He wasn't sure what he would expecting to see, but this was different. Jaune Arc was kneeling in a meditative position, the borrowed weapons were at his right and left sides but interestingly he was reading a book. The burrowed armor was on him. He seemed… Calm.

"I see you are here early, Mr. Arc…" Ozpin commented. Jaune raised his head and without rush he stood up and Ozpin saw the name of the book, Making Unheard Hearable: Diaspora Examples From History. 'Curious' Ozpin thought as Jaune put the book in his bag at the corner of the training field, then he returned to his place. Soon he was standing before them, his weapons are at his hands. Ozpin turned and gestured Tai "This is Taiyang Xiao Long. He is an instructor in Signal Academy and will determine whether you are fit to be in Beacon or not."

Jaune nodded and smiled to man "It is a pleasure to see you sir."

"You speak too early kid," Tai answered, there was an edge in his voice. "Be thankful to Ozpin. If it was up to me, I would send you directly to prison."

Jaune didn't answer while Ozpin chose not to comment. He knew why Taiyang was especially harsh to Jaune.

Tai looked for a few more seconds before sighing. "Okay, that's how we will do. First, I will test your theoretical skills about Grimm, survival and first aid. Finally, we will be conducting a combat test and if you pass all of it, you will approximately have three weeks to craft your own weapon. If you fail that, even if you become successful today, you will be counted as failed and will be thrown out of Beacon."

"I understand, sir." Jaune replied calmly once again.

"Okay…" Tai pinched his nose and sighed, before standing straight, his arms crossed. "Let's start with something simple: What would you do if you find yourself without clear water in the middle of a forest?"

Ozpin just watched while the test is commenced.

Taiyang was coming hard on Jaune, in a few times had asked questions that so situational which Ozpin was sure only a few huntsmen have encountered them throughout whole history, and he knew this because some of those huntsmen were him.

Despite his fear, however, Jaune answered most of the question correctly. He had no problem in basic survival craft (though he had some problems in a few advanced ones), he answered the first aid questions and he had a good understanding of Grimm. It wasn't the best, but he was far from some of the students who came here directly from Signal.

"Okay, good enough." Tai admitted after one hour of verbal exam. Ozpin stood up and moved closer to them "Alright, let's have a ten minute break before the combat exam. Meanwhile, Mr. Arc, can you tell me about your semblance?"

Jaune nodded while Taiyang stepped aside. "What do you want to know, sir?"

"First, do you have a name for it?"

"Paladin's Oath, sir."

Ozpin raised his brow "An interesting name, might I ask why you chose it?"

Jaune looked to the ground "It… It was intelligent, at least for a moment. It said to me that it was within its power to grant me a huge power, albeit no power came without a price. Then asked me to tie my power to an oath."

"Oath?" Taiyang asked.

"He means Paladin Oaths…" Ozpin answered before Jaune. "In the ancient times there were seven paladin oaths that were sworn upon. They were said to empower the paladins as long as obeyed their tenets."

"Actually, it is eight sir." Jaune corrected Ozpin. "One of them just didn't found any believers." He averted his gaze "Until today, that is…"

Ozpin raised both of his brows. "Really? Might I ask the reason of your decision?"

"Okay, can you explain to me as well?" Taiyang asked from the rear. "What are these oaths exactly?"

Ozpin sighed "There are seven Paladin Oaths in the history, Tai. These are Ancients, Devotion, Vengeance, Conquest, Crown, Watchers and Glory. Devotion is the knight of fairytales, Vengeance is easy to interpret as you can imagine. Ancients… Well, they are folk heroes. "Upholding the light by enjoying the life and standing against darkness," is their motto. Crown Paladins are bound to a lord and Conquest are sworn to carry the ideals they believe through wars and conquest. Watchers are very similar to Huntsman and finally Glory Paladins are after everything that would gain them fame."

Taiyang nodded "I see. But what about that eighth oath?"

Both looked at the Jaune, who had bowed his head. "Redemption."

Taiyang arched one of his eyebrows. "What?"

"I have heard of this oath in theory, but I have never seen a believer of it, until today…" Ozpin said. "What were the tenets? Ah right; Peace, Innocence, Patience and Wisdom." Taiyang continued to look at him with question, so Ozpin explained "Peace means violence must be a last resort. A longer peace can be achieved through talking and mutual understanding. Innocence stresses out that no person starts their life as criminal or evil. The circumstances, or dark forces pushes them to it and it is possible to pull them back to light by setting a good example—"

"Some require more than good examples."

"—Patience…" Ozpin continued uninterrupted "states that change takes time, and you cannot suddenly turn a wicked man into a saint. You must work day and night for it. And finally, Wisdom says that…"

He looked to Jaune, and he understood "Your heart and mind must stay clear, for eventually you will be forced to admit defeat. While every creature can be redeemed, some are so far along the path of evil that you have no choice but to end their lives for the greater good. Any such action must be carefully weighed, and the consequences fully understood, but once you have made the decision, follow through with it knowing your path is just."

Taiyang nodded to their explanation "So, this is the path you chose. Is that why you have come clean about your fake transcripts?"

Jaune couldn't speak or look up, he just nodded.

Taiyang sighed "Look, Jaune. I will be honest with you. I've been a Huntsman for more than twenty years now and I hate that people think everyone can become a Huntsman. And you are lucky, very lucky, that you are not partnered up with Ruby or Yang. If that was the case, even if Ozpin wanted to give you a chance, I would beat you up and throw you to Vale myself." He approached Jaune a few more steps, Ozpin was watching him ready to intervene. "Your partner is someone that you must be able to trust with your life. You could easily cause the death of someone had your semblance was not unlocked. And if that someone would be one of my little girls, even your father wouldn't save you."

Jaune was still looking to ground, his eyes were shadowed by his hair. These were harsh words, but maybe they were needed.

"I know sir…" Jaune raised his head and his eyes were full of tears. "And if such a thing were to occur, you should know that either you would be too late do this, or the man you kicked to Vale would only be an empty husk."

Taiyang looked impassive, but Ozpin could tell he was feeling bad about the boy. "It does not lighten the weight of your mistake. But at least you are learning…" He closed his eyes. "Before we pass to the combat, tell us about your semblance's advantages."

Jaune nodded before wiping his tears with his sleeve. "It has several aura manipulation techniques. As far as I have discovered, I could send a distinct wave from my aura to other people's souls, this causes them to lose their interest in harming me, but similarly I cannot attack anyone. This is not a guaranteed effect and I don't think I am strong enough to do this on you or headmaster. I call this Sanctuary."

Taiyang nodded "Go on."

"I can channel my aura to a concentrated region, dense enough to be impenetrable even under heavy blows, but its coverage is low. I call it Shield of Faith."

And for the next ten minutes he continued to explain his ability, and Ozpin was impressed. Apparently Jaune could force enemies to attack only to him, allow his allies to hit harder, channel his aura through his weapons and can use his aura in burst to deal huge damages to his targets. Also he had shown them that whenever an ally of him received damage when near him, he could reflect the same damage to the attacker."

Yeah, that was all…

For now.

Tai threw his hands to air "This is bullshit. This semblance is way too—"

"Actually, it is not that Tai." Ozpin intervened. "As far as I understood, Mr. Arc's Semblance is giving him a very wide range of aura usages only. However, every one of those abilities drain huge amounts of aura and they are not guaranteed to work…" He turned to Jaune "Am I right?"

"Yes sir. I must be really careful, because I can suddenly find myself defenseless or worse. I am trying to limit my use of abilities for now because of it."

Ozpin nodded and gestured to Tai "I think we can start the combat test."

Instructor nodded and stood at the opposite of Jaune. Jaune straightened his back and held out his arms. The rapier was pointed to Tai, while the short sword was held in a reverse grip on top of the rapier.

Tai stood against him, his guard was raised as he held a staff in his hands. "I will begin at a level which we deem appropriate for a new Signal graduate. If you show a higher-than-expected performance, I will adjust myself accordingly. Is it clear?"

Jaune nodded, his expression was steeled.

"You may begin."

Jaune approached Tai with skipping. His footwork was not bad and he came into striking range without disrupting his stance. When he did…

Tai made an overhead slash with the upper end of the staff.

Jaune's reflexes were good, his left hand moved instantly and diverted the attack while the rapier thrusted to the right shoulder of Tai, who brought the lower end of the staff to counter it. Jaune quickly skipped back, seeing the advantage was lost and spun the short sword in his hand and put his left hand at his back.

Tai watched him doing it "Go."

Jaune came at him once again, rapier was pointed forward, and Tai answered it with held out staff this time. Jaune tried to knock it from right, but Tai stood firm and knocked the rapier to Jaune's right to create an opening, but his short sword once again came to his help to block a low attack. Jaune used the slight momentum to quickly perform a spin to release himself from any sort of a blade lock. When he stopped his feet were a shoulder width apart, his rapier was pointed forward and his left hand was protecting his abdomen.

"You are not strong enough to get into a power fight with me. Know the style you choose!" Taiyang shouted.

Jaune nodded without making a sound. He advanced, more carefully this time. Ozpin watched as the boy prodded the experienced huntsman's defenses for around half a minute before catching an opening that Tai intentionally left, and he exploited this advantage. His left hand at his back, he quickly thrusted his sword and brought his short sword to block Tai's potential counterattack.

Tai raised a hand, and they split once again. "Good. From what I see, you are not the best student that I graduated, but when your background is taken into consideration, this is quite well. However, if you want this chance, I will step up a notch. Put your arsenal into play, and fight!"

Jaune straightened up and exhaled. "As you wish, sir…"

And he hit the chest of his armor with his left hand.

Ozpin's eyes widened.

Runes… Lots of them were carved on the armor, from the looks of it they were carved by using the Aura. They were all shining on Jaune, and seeing the hit that boy's aura took after he activated those, they must be quite costly.

Taiyang seemed unaffected "Go."

Jaune attacked.

He was definitely faster and stronger, Ozpin could see it. Soon, Taiyang was forced to step up his game because Jaune was finding exploits in his defense even if they were not intended. His style was becoming more "directing the assault" than "stopping the assault", he supposed this was a habit from his sword and shield style. After a while, he was sure that even Taiyang had began to enjoy this fight. Jaune was using the momentum Taiyang's attacks create to turn all around the experienced fighter, and those runes were aiding him.

And finally…

Ozpin wasn't sure which of them happened first, the massive drop on child's aura or the sudden light that carried the smell of storms. Nevertheless, Jaune, after a lot of spinning around, had finally found a blind spot and used one of the abilities he mentioned to them, Smite.

Taiyang gritted his teeth while he was pushed for a good five meters. He had barely managed to block the strike, still the strength of the attack had pushed him. Despite this small victory, especially that last strike had cost Jaune much. The runes he activated were already draining his aura, and after this attack it was dropped below 30 percent. Ozpin stopped the spar.

"So Taiyang…" Ozpin asked after they took a short breather. "What do you say? What's the final verdict?"

Taiyang looked at Jaune, and for the first time he smiled a little. "As I said. I have graduated students that couldn't fight half of this from Signal…" His expression became serious for a second "I am still angry at you for this lie, Mr. Arc, but if I have to be fair…" he smiled again "I can say that you are fit to be a Beacon Student."

Jaune's eyes shone with childish happiness.

"I will return to Beacon in three weeks. Until that time, I hope you will be completed your weapon."

Jaune nodded, and even this little movement destroyed the armor he was wearing.

"Mr. Arc, what happened to armor? And where did you acquire those runes?"

"I saw them on an archeological book, sir…" Ozpin barely suppressed his sigh against another blatant lie. "I carved them with my aura, but the book had a warning that saying the runes would leave the item crippled after they would be used."

Ozpin was about to force Jaune for truth, but his eyes caught the metal symbol hanging from the Jaune's wrist. He must have forgotten to hide it after the spar, but it was all the confirmation he needed.

"I see. I congratulate you for discovering them, I hope you will share them with your friends?"

Jaune seemed to miss Ozpin's gaze to his symbol, but he still nodded "Yes sir."

"Alright. Then you may leave. For the next three weeks, I will write you several permissions to give you more time to forge your weapon."

Jaune stood at attention "Thank you sir!"

"Relax, Mr. Arc. This is not a military academy." Ozpin chuckled.

"Sorry sir, a side effect of the semblance. Thank you for giving me this chance!" Jaune said before quickly leaving the training area.

After he left, Ozpin turned to Tai "What is that you are not telling?"

"Its… scary, Oz," Tai said while leaning on the staff. "He was no one a week ago, and then he suddenly became capable of going toe to toe with a Huntsman-trainee-level fighter? This semblance is bullshit and you know better than me…"

"No power comes without a price." Ozpin completed Tai's sentence as he looked to the door Jaune left.

'We seemed to have averted this disaster. Good luck for the future, Mr. Arc and…'

Ozpin closed his eyes.

'… Remnant is grateful for your sacrifice.'

Aand we finished chapter 2! How you found the story so far? Please don't hesitate to share your thoughts, and I wish you well till we meet again! Oh, and if there are any typos left, I am sorry about them :)