Thanks for the support and comments as always everyone!
I actually have something controversial written for the next chapter and I hope you all let me at least finish a few more chapters so we can explain how that piece of writing came to be. I'm saying this not to beg you for support or loyalty or anything like that but because of something I have noticed for some time now.
Some people in the reviews/comments say that they dropped the story because of this or that or because what I wrote was factually wrong. Now I'm not saying you can't do that or anything, it is your right and I won't infringe on it but I implore you to at least stay for a while because remember, I am writing from the perspective of the characters.
We, as readers, are already privy to more information and knowledge than the characters themselves. This means some characters know less about a certain person and might draw the wrong conclusions. Or perhaps their way of thinking or ambition is tweaked about so they might take actions that seem illogical to us. Regardless, whether you drop my story because of my way writing or not, I hope you at least enjoyed it as it is and I hope you enjoy more of my chapters.
Peace out,
Mr. Lightbringer
Cinder gasped in pain as power burned within her veins.
She remembers she was speaking to Emerald and Mercury in the privacy of their own room when all of a sudden she felt the Maiden's power flare up uncontrollably.
She gritted her teeth as her eye suddenly blazed brightly and the next thing she knew she was being blinded in a flash of white.
One moment she was staring into Emerald's wide eyes and then the next moment she was staring into the blonde hair and blue eyes of a too bright face.
It lasted only for a moment but Cinder immediately committed the face to her memory. The face looked familiar but she would have to remember it later because of whatever happened next.
Cinder was used to pain but there was nothing quite like having a part of your Aura, your soul, starting to separate from you from the inside out. She felt part of her Maiden powers pull away from her before sheer willpower put it back in place.
"Cinder, are you okay?" Emerald asks worriedly as she puts a hand on her shoulder, snapping Cinder back to reality.
But before Cinder could even reprimand Emerald for her audacity to look at her as if she were weak, a sudden wave of pleasure crashed into her body.
It felt like a warm heavy blanket embracing her in the middle of winter. It was soothing, relaxing, and comforting as something….caressed and smoothened out her very soul through her link with the other Maiden. Different from a warm blanket however, this….thing was electrifying, energizing, as well as titillating.
Only years of training and discipline stopped the moan from coming out of her mouth as her body shivered in pleasure.
As it is, heated breaths come out of her mouth as her body starts to relax. She blushed as she felt that breaths weren't the only thing to come out of her body however.
As ashamed as she was to admit it, something wet and sticky just came out of her lower body as she literally felt magic bloom inside of her.
Not to be poetic, but it was literally magical before she managed to get ahold of her senses as the feeling started dying back down.
Cinder winced however as she felt the Grimm inside her prick her skin as it squirmed in discomfort. Reminding her that whatever that was, it left her weak and breathless as she slumped on her seat on their shared table.
Because of it however, she knew one thing. Ozpin and his lackeys were trying to heal the Maiden. It was only a feeling admittedly but what else could it be when something magical just shot through her from her bond with the Half-Maiden.
"What….was that?" Mercury asked slowly as he looked at Cinder with a gobsmacked expression.
Cinder turned red in fury as she glared at him. Bad enough she was left feeling weak, she just had to be seen by Mercury and Emerald in a vulnerable state.
"Shut up." She growls as she straightens herself up, slapping Emerald's concerned hands away from her.
"Woah, woah, woah. I'm just asking what that was." Mercury immediately tilts his chair back while waving his hands defensively in front of him.
"And you will never ask again." She scowls as she takes a deep breath to gather herself.
"What happened though?"
"What part of shut up and never ask again do you not understand, Mercury? Did your father fail to teach you the meaning of those words? If so, allow me to educate you." She scowled as she lit a fire on her hand, taking pleasure at the flinch she elicits from him at the mention of his father.
Emerald at least had the presence of mind not to speak even if the way she was looking at Cinder grated at her.
"Now where were we?" Cinder growled as she tried to take back control of the situation.
Emerald and Mercury shot each other with an unsure look that grated on Cinder's nerves. Pulling on a bit of Maiden powers, Cinder lets her eye glow for a moment to snap them back into attention.
"Right, sorry Ma'am. We were speaking about Adam Taurus arriving in Mountain Glenn before you….." Emerald answered promptly before looking away nervously.
Cinder nods brusquely at that. No need to say out loud that she literally cummed her brains out.
"Yes, good. As for my end, it seems Ozpin and his cohorts are attempting to heal the Maiden."
Emerald and Mercury straightened at that as grave looks were passed around them. They knew if the Maiden was healed then there was a chance they could be outed and all their preparations would be for naught.
"Is that what happened-" Mercury starts but Cinder puts a stop to it.
"Mercury, you are testing my patience." She snarled as she let a finger tap the wood of the table periodically.
"Right, shutting up now." Mercury winced and Cinder nods in approval.
"A wise choice. What about your own missions here in Vale?" She asks as she turns to look at Emerald.
If there was a danger of being found out then Cinder had to know what they could achieve while considering the risks. Cinder at least wants to infect the CCT Network with Watts' virus before pulling out if need be.
"Not good." Emerald winces and Cinder feels her blood boil at that.
Credit where credit is due, Mercury was at least brave enough to look at her and say it how it is in order to cover for Emerald.
"Hey, We're being honest here. Infiltrating Jaune Arc's friend group is not as easy as you'd like."
"What?" She asks absently as Cinder's thoughts suddenly snap into focus.
Mercury might have taken it as a question for clarification but Cinder was too caught up in her thoughts to truly listen as Mercury launched into an explanation on how Jaune Arc was always hanging out with others.
Jaune Arc
The face from before flashes into her mind. Blonde hair and blue eyes but with features so bright that it almost felt blinding to her. Was it him? Was it truly Jaune Arc? His Semblance certainly affects Aura considering it allowed him to reach Aura High but can he actually use it on others?
Cinder doesn't know the answer to that but she wouldn't think it past Ozpin to have the boy try regardless if he could or not.
Considering how delicate Cinder's situation was right now however, she had to adapt whether Jaune Arc was involved or not. Regardless, she needed to think about the CCT right now and not Jaune Arc.
It wasn't an easy thing to do because like it or not, it is a distinct possibility that Jaune Arc just made her cum with his Semblance through a bond with the other Maiden.
She wonders how she would react if she had the complete power of the Fall Maiden while he used his Semblance on her and for a moment, she imagines herself in the place of the Half-Maiden. The lucky bitch-
No!
Cinder cast such thoughts out of her mind. The Half-Maiden was not lucky. Not one bit.
"What about the CCT?" She immediately asks loudly, interrupting Mercury's excuse as she tries to get Jaune Arc off of her mind.
Try as she might however, her body heats up and her heartbeat quickens as a blush forms on her face. She could only hope that Mercury was seeing it as her reddening in fury at their failure instead of something else.
Mercury's unsure look however successfully takes her mind off of Jaune Arc as he looks at Emerald.
"What CCT?"
That was it. Cinder was going to strangle him with her bare hands as her fury overtook her embarrassment. He was about to die no matter how problematic his sudden disappearance could be. Before she could however, Emerald saves Mercury a painful death as she rolls her eyes exasperatedly.
"The plan to infect the CCT with a virus, you idiot."
At least one of them was not an idiot as Emerald preens when Cinder shoots her an approving look.
"Ohhhh that, right. I thought the boss lady was on it?" Mercury tilts his head and Cinder lets Emerald answer for her as she tries her best to calm down.
"She is but we have to make sure nobody notices her."
"Don't we just need to go to the dance next week? That is, if we're still here next week considering the Maiden is getting some healing now?" Mercury asks before looking at her wonderingly.
"We'll see in the coming days but right now, I want you to prepare for our operation to infect the CCT. Take into account that you need to distract high profile people like General Ironwood and Winter Schnee as well now that Atlas has arrived." Cinder answers with a nod.
She admits Mercury's concern is valid but it is something that will really depend on whether they do actually manage to heal the Half-Maiden or not.
Did they succeed or not? It was something they'll only know with how Ozpin and his group reacts these coming days..
"Well, that didn't work." Qrow speaks as the group returns to Ozpin's office after letting Jaune Arc go with a warning not to share what he just went through tonight.
James kept his thoughts to himself even as he shook his head disappointedly. While he and Qrow have many disagreements, this is one issue they were both in agreement on.
"Calm down, Qrow. We never said Jaune could wake Amber up. We just hoped it would." Glynda sighs out as she pinches the bridge of her nose.
"Glynda is right. There were never any guarantees Amber would wake up even if Mr. Arc used his Semblance on her." James nods resignedly at that, sitting on one of the seats in front of Ozpin's table.
As much as he didn't like Jaune Arc, James knew that it was not Mr. Arc's fault Amber didn't wake up.
"I know, I know. I'm calm. It's just that your message really made me think that something was going to be better." Qrow rolls his eyes before plopping into the other seat opposite of James.
"Something did get better. Mr. Arc's Semblance has improved Amber's health. While she is still in a coma, her condition is now stable as she no longer needs to be attached to life-support. I believe this is still a win for us." Ozpin reports as he took his own seat at the office table.
"Yeah, that's good enough I guess. It's certainly better than nothing." Qrow sighs back with acceptance before taking a gulp from his flask.
James shakes his head at Qrows behavior before piping in with his thoughts.
"For her safety however, I would still recommend leaving Amber under Beacon's Vault just so we have a place to safely transfer the Maiden's powers."
"You won't hear a no from me." Qrow replies while waving his flask at him, almost causing the drink to spill out to Glynda's displeasure.
"Ugh, do you really have to do that here?" Glynda scowls irritatedly at Qrow.
"No, but I want to." Qrow burps before smirking at Glynda.
Ozpin chuckles amusedly at their interaction before nodding in agreement to James' recommendation.
"It is decided then. We all agree that it is better to keep Amber hidden under the vault than transfer her somewhere else our enemies could find."
"Speaking of keeping her hidden, are we sure your student can keep this a secret?" James asks carefully, staring at Ozpin and valiantly ignoring Qrow's misbehavior.
"This again, James?" Ozpin sighs exasperatedly.
Yes, this again. Calling on Jaune Arc to attempt to heal Amber was one thing, the boy had a Semblance possibly helpful for her after all, but letting him know her location is another thing. At the very least, they should make sure Jaune Arc does not leak the information out to anyone.
"I'm only concerned about Amber's security, Ozpin. It is imperative we restrict knowledge about her location."
"What exactly are you proposing, James?"
His stare hardens at the question and he calls on his Semblance, Mettle, to fortify him.
"I propose we isolate him and-"
"Out of the question, James!" Glynda snaps and James flinches for a moment before his Semblance kicks in.
"Let me finish, Glynda." He replies steadily as he stares at her with steely eyes before continuing. "The boy has given us no reason he can be trusted with information like this. At the very least, we need a hold on him."
"I don't suppose you believe the threat of expulsion because of his fake transcripts is enough?" Ozpin sighs exasperatedly while rubbing his forehead and James nods at that.
"You would be correct, Ozpin. What good is the threat of expulsion if he was a spy and already planning on leaving with the information in the first place?"
"Fine, what do you propose we do about Mr. Arc then?" Ozpin asks after taking a deep breath and James smiles at that.
"I-"
"Except detainment, James."
Well now, so much for that plan. James smiled wryly at that before clearing his throat.
"You must think me paranoid, Ozpin, but one of us needs to be. We cannot afford to be careless. One wrong move and Salem might have a Maiden at her disposal. We cannot risk that happening."
"I understand, James, but I hope you understand my position too. Mr. Arc is one of my students and it is my responsibility to guide and protect my students. He has given us no reason to doubt him so far." Ozpin nods gravely to which James couldn't prevent the scoff from leaving his mouth.
"No reason? Ozpin, I've told you this before but the boy is a natural infiltrator. He faked his transcripts to get into your own school. How can you trust such a person?"
"I can trust him because his actions have been a boon to our side. Not only has he been unwittingly hindering our enemies' plans but him joining Beacon has inspired his peers to train harder because of his massive improvements. Nobody wants to be left behind by the former deadlast after all."
"You should be able to see it, James. He went from a civilian to being able to defeat Weiss Schnee in a spar after training for a few months. Even I have to admit that Mr. Arc is putting in the work in his training if he can improve so rapidly."
"That does not answer the matter of trust. For all you know it was his plan all along to get you to share Amber's location." James answers even as he winces at the last part.
He knew his defense was weak but someone needed to take the role of the paranoid one in their group so they don't get compromised.
"That's easy then, Jimmy. You want to know if we can trust him? Then we test him." Qrow cuts in, wiping alcohol off of his lips.
He perks up at that as he mulls the idea in his mind.
Testing him? That's….reasonable.
In hindsight, it should have been a simple solution that he should have been able to think of and yet….he wasn't able to because he was focused on neutralizing a perceived threat. And James realizes now that that is how he has been viewing Jaune Arc for the past few weeks.
Is this…the effect of paranoia mixed with Mettle?
He frowns at that thought even as he returns to the conversation.
"A test…I'm listening." He nods absently.
"The kid told us earlier information about the White Fang. They allegedly have operations outside of Vale in the southeast direction." Qrow remarks as he positions his scroll to project a hologram of Vale and its surroundings.
"The way I see it, we scout the place and if we see any activity there then the kid is telling the truth. He is trustworthy." Qrow finishes as he highlights the southeast direction outside of the city.
Scattered towns and mountains. Those were the areas where they were looking at and yet one thing captures James' eyes.
Mountain Glenn. A defunct city dwelling overrun by Grimm and nature alike.
Yet just because an interesting place such as the Ruins of Mountain Glenn was in that direction, doesn't mean it was automatically the correct answer.
They would still need to spend time, effort, and manpower to search such a wide area owing to the vague information of southeast outside of Vale.
For all they knew, the White Fang could be making camp somewhere across the plains
That begs the question though…..
"What if it is a diversion to lead forces away from Vale in a fruitless search? Or a trap to diminish our forces?" James asks thoughtfully, getting everyone's attention as he projects a hologram of his troops leaving Vale only for Vale to be attacked from the inside.
After all, the White Fang have already proven they can cause a disturbance in Vale. A dedicated assault could overwhelm the local police force before help could arrive. Ozpin and Beacon would be able to put it down of course but the damage would be done by then. Damage that could have been prevented if his men stayed in Vale.
As the General among them, he knew best, other than Ozpin that is, how much effort, planning, and organization goes into conducting search and capture operations.
The cost of such an endeavor would certainly take men away from Vale. Men that he was already planning to station all around Beacon to protect the Maiden with the rest being dedicated to the defense of the city.
"But what if it was real? What if Mr. Arc was telling the truth? If we refuse to verify the information and the White Fang completes their operation in that area then we would have lost a chance to stop and capture them." Ozpin replies with questions of his own and those were certainly valid questions.
"You want to know if we can trust Jaune Arc? Then we need to do this." Qrow cuts in, pointing at the map.
Still…..James can't shake the feeling something was wrong.
Why did Jaune Arc wait until now to share this information about the White Fang? Why not share it to them immediately after the fight with the Paladin? Moreover, is he actually onto something or was his paranoia just being affected by his Semblance again?
"Look, Jimmy, I'll even make it easier for you. I'll scout the place myself and tell you the results when I get back next week. How's that sound for you?" Qrow adds as James organizes his thoughts.
Qrow was a veteran. He could take care of himself in the field with his numerous skills and abilities.
But more importantly…James trusted him.
Despite his rude behavior and disorderly conduct, Qrow was the reliable sort who James would trust his back to and that was all he needed.
"Fine. I agree as long as you scout the area yourself and tell us what you see." He finally nods in agreement and everyone smiles at that.
"Splendid. Are we all in agreement then? While he won't join the inner circle yet, if his information holds true, Jaune will now be treated as a trustworthy asset." Ozpin calls out and everyone nods at that even if James does so reluctantly with a sigh before raising an eyebrow.
"Yet? You plan on inviting him?" James asks as he parses through Ozpin's wording.
"I believe we have no choice but to do so if we want to consider Ms. Nikos as a candidate for the Fall Maiden's successor." Ozpin replies with a nod, causing James' brows to furrow.
"How so? This isn't the first time we've had a Maiden separate from their team to keep the secrecy. What makes their situation any different?"
The answer comes from an unexpected direction, however. Glynda clears her throat with a blush.
"I believe it is because Mr. Arc and Ms. Nikos are too entangled with each other."
Entangled….
James could feel the temperature rise under his collar as Glynda gives him a pointed look with a light blush on her face
Resisting the urge to unbutton his uniform, he nods slowly even as his ears turn red.
"I see. Good for him."
Glynda's half-lidded glare aimed at him for his remark however makes his heart skip a beat.
And to think it was all because they were talking about Jaune Arc.
But no. James shook his head to remove those thoughts from his mind. As pleasurable as this is, this is no time for distractions. Now that he knew Arc was entangled with Nikos, he had to know if the boy had any other ulterior motives in seducing one of their Maiden candidates.
It's a good thing he already had Winter investigating Jaune Arc even before the meeting started. James just needs to update Winter on another objective. How she does it though is up to her.
Jaune stumbled a step and it was only his Aura and honed reflexes that saved him from getting his head stabbed by Pyrrha's javelin.
Sparks flew between them as they danced against each other once again atop their dorm's rooftop. Crocea Mors repeatedly crashes against Milo as Jaune and Pyrrha finally get the time to train together once again.
Yet it doesn't take long for Pyrrha to notice an opening and sweep his legs from under him.
"Oof." He grunts as his back meets the floor and he finds himself staring up at the night sky above them.
"What's wrong, Jaune? You've been distracted ever since we started." Pyrrha frowned but Jaune only shook his head with a wry smile on his face.
"Nah, Pyr. You're just that good."
Pyrrha groaned at that as she stretched her hand to him. "Not you too, Jaune."
Jaune winced at that. He knew how sensitive Pyrrha was to being put on a pedestal and here he was doing just that.
"Sorry, you just caught me off guard is all." Jaune apologizes sincerely, grabbing Pyrrha's hand and pulling himself back up to stand.
"Admit it, Jaune. I caught you off guard because you were distracted." Pyrrha pokes him exasperatedly and Jaune smiles resignedly at her.
"You really know me, huh?"
"Of course, I'm your girlfriend after all, one of them anyway." Pyrrha smiles cheekily at him and Jaune laughs at that.
"You really like saying that, huh?"
"What can I say, I'm happy you and Blake are finally official as well but enough changing the subject. What's the problem, Jaune?"
Jaune sighed sadly at her before sheathing his sword and leaning on the railings of the rooftop. His thoughts turned to what just happened today as Pyrrha leaned beside him.
Professor Ozpin saying that they knew he faked his transcripts all along, sharing information about the White Fang to them, and finally being called to assist an injured woman by using his Semblance.
An injured woman he failed to help.
"I….don't think I can say." Jaune frowns as he remembers Professor Ozpin's warning not to share information of what he was just a part of.
"Is this about what you talked about with Professor Ozpin?"
Jaune nods with a cringe but Pyrrha only smiles at him.
"Then I understand."
Jaune reels back in surprise at that. His eyes wide as he gapes at Pyrrha.
"What? Really? Just like that?!"
He would've thought she might have asked more questions or pushed him for answers but this was unexpected.
"Yes, Jaune. You have a Non Disclosure Agreement, don't you? An NDA, I mean."
"Uhhh, I guess you could say that but you really aren't curious? What if I was actually in trouble."
"Then that's that. If you were really in trouble then I would like to believe you will tell us."
Jaune gave her a small smile before answering.
"Ozpin knew about my transcripts."
Pyrrha gasped before grabbing his arm tightly with a worried look.
"Jaune, are you actually in trouble?"
He shook his head with a smile at that.
"Not in the slightest."
That is of course if he doesn't share any details about the injured woman at all. He has no doubts that if he did so then Professor Ozpin would have no trouble using his fake transcripts against him.
Not to mention the look General James Ironwood was giving him. He doesn't know why but Jaune feels the guy really has it out for him and he was not willing to find out what he would do to Jaune if given the chance.
"Then if not that…what's troubling you, Jaune?" Pyrrha asks with a cute tilt of her head that jolts Jaune out of his thoughts.
He sighs resignedly before answering Pyrrha.
"Have you ever had someone who needed your help but found yourself lacking? Like you couldn't do enough no matter what you did?"
He frowns as he remembers how trying to heal the injured woman felt.
When his Aura connected with hers, he felt her own soul was torn in two. If he were forced to describe it then he would say that her soul was scarred. Like there were jagged edges in her soul preventing her from regenerating on her own.
As someone who's Semblance dealt with Aura and soul, Jaune couldn't imagine how much pain she suffered through for her soul to become like that. So when Jaune identified the damage, he immediately pushed his Semblance into her.
He remembers seeing one of her eyes blaze like a fire before simmering down as he worked through her with his Semblance, amplifying her own regenerative abilities while trying to smoothen out the jagged edges of her soul.
He managed to remove the jagged edges but he wasn't able to make her soul whole no matter how much Aura he poured into her. It felt like no matter what he did there was a missing half that even Aura can't regenerate.
He looked at his hands as he remembered that feeling. It was the first time he felt something like that. He held her soul in his hands and he failed her. So much for being a hero. His hands clenched but Pyrrha was there to hold him.
Something wet gets stuck on his chest at that but he releases a shaky breath to lessen the stress.
"Sorry, just a bit stressed is all." He tries to lighten the mood with a laugh but Pyrrha softly caresses his hands open.
"Jaune, I don't know what Professor Ozpin asked of you but answer me this. You did your best, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then that's enough. You did everything you could and knowing you, you would've still been able to help that someone in need no matter how small you think you did."
"Thanks, Pyrrha."
"You're welcome, Jaune. Now are you ready for one more round? I actually want to see the results of your training, you know?"
"Alright, but you better be on your guard. I don't want you making an excuse for when I beat you."
Pyrrha gasped at that and Jaune clearly saw a blush grow on her face as she spoke breathlessly.
"I wouldn't dream of it, Jaune."
And then the fight was on.
This time though, Pyrrha wins while breathing heavily.
She gasped in pain as her brown eyes snapped open before immediately closing them back again because of a blinding headache..
"Ow, ow, ow, ow! What happened? Where am I?" She groans in pain before muttering to herself as she puts a hand to her head.
Gently opening her eyes, she sees clear glass right in front of her as she realizes she was stuck in a pod.
"Hello?! Is anybody there?!" She shouts but only the dull green eyes of the room outside this pod greets her.
Fighting through pain, she leans forward to try and push the glass open only for her to fall forward when she does.
Stumbling to her hands and knees, she looks at the floor while whispering to herself. "Okay, that's new."
Turning around….she sees the glass was intact with a body still inside it.
Amber Autumn blinks as she sees her own body.
"Fuck."
That was the last word she said before she suddenly felt being pulled back into her body.
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pa tr eon.c o m (slash) MrLightbringer0
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