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Chapter Two: The Boy Who's Light Shines Brightest!
And just like that the white-haired girl and the dark-haired girl with crimson tips had departed and it looked like there was no hope in sight for himself. Of all the dastardly situations he could've landed himself in...Well, he supposed this was what he got for daring to fake his transcripts. All alone, to be hanging around and waiting for death. Oh, what rotten luck did he have this Jaune Arc. No matter how much the blond struggled, it seemed that these efforts were to be to no avail. He was stuck here and unless some poor unfortunate soul came to get him down then this was the end.
"This is it, Jaune," he said aloud, "The end of the road. Man, there was so much I wanted to do with my life, yet here I am, awaiting death...pinned to a tree."
"Jaune?" a voice asked slightly in the distance, "I was wondering if you had any spots left on your team?"
"Yeah, very funny," Jaune threw back at the young woman, he vaguely remembered meeting her in the locker room before the start of initiation, Pyrrha? that was her name, at least that's what he thought. The only thing he really recalled about her was that she'd been on the cover of his favorite cereal, "Look, mind helping down from here?"
"Anything to help you, partner."
"Yeah, yeah, that's great."
The bitter sound in Jaune's voice was undoubtedly a counter to the bright happiness that Pyrrha found in hers, but given the blond's current predicament she could hardly blame him for being frustrated. Was it potentially her fault for pinning him to a tree to make sure that she got the partner she wanted when she'd told the Schnee girl she was planning on merely 'letting the chips fall where they may?' that, Pyrrha Nikos thought, was hardly a relevant question and she would deny this fact until the end of her days. With a flex of her fingertips Miló was retracted into her grip and Jaune slid comedically down the trunk of the tree back down to the ground.
"What a menace," Jaune complained under his breath.
"What did you say?"
"N-nothing," Jaune quickly got back to his feet, made sure that Crocea Mors was still safely attached to his belt and then stepped in line beside Pyrrha, "So, we're partners then?"
"Yup, what's say we move along and find our relic, Jaune?"
"Y-yeah, course."
Well, he'd survived the so-called 'landing strategy', what was that headmaster thinking throwing them all off a cliff like that on their first day? The looks of confidence on his fellow first years' faces had done nothing to spur his own. Perhaps having gone to real training academies before Beacon they were prepared for this in advance in contrast to him who hadn't been to one so there'd been no chance he'd have that knowledge prior to entering Beacon? Well, there was nothing he could do about it now and he'd survived it so he wasn't about to start questioning things, instead he slowly drew Crocea Mors from its scabbard and silently advanced, the blade of the weapon trembling slightly in time with the one that came from the hand gripped around it.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Pyrrha asked, noticing this.
"I'm just fine," Jaune responded, "As you say, let's move along."
"R-right you are!"
The two walked on in silence for quite some time, Jaune due to his focus on the situation at hand and Pyrrha due to not really knowing what to say. She'd wanted him as a Partner for more than a few reasons but he seemed to be much further behind in his trainig than she'd originally anticipated. Sure, the first years aren't likely to be on the level of some of the people she'd competed with back at Mistral in the Tournaments, but she at least expected they'd be able to hold their own, but this Jaune, whilst nice enough, didn't look like he'd had a day of battle in his entire life.
"Hold on a sec," Jaune interrupted Pyrrha's train of thought, "Did you hear that? Sounded like gunfire."
"It appears that some of our comrades have encountered the enemy."
"Then we'd best go and-"
The two continued advancing, only for a branch to kick up and whack Jaune across the face. He stumbled backward, tripped over his own feet and ended up on the ground, a loud groan of discontent escaping the young man's mouth.
"D-dammit," He muttered.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Pyrrha exclaimed, rushing over to help the Arc back to his feet. She was definitely concerned for Jaune's well-being now, not just because of his apparent lack of any sort of skill since they'd been dropped off that cliff, but also because of how much a small injury seemed to derail him.
"It's fine, just a scratch," Jaune said, once he was back on his feet. Indeed it seemed as though the branch that had caused the blond's fall was also responsible for leaving a rather small gash to the side of Jaune's cheek.
"Why didn't you activate your Aura?"
"Huh?"
"Your Aura."
"Geshundeit."
"Jaune...do you know what Aura is?"
Jaune released a sheepish laugh, his hand rose to the back of his head and he rubbed there a few times, nervousness evident on the young man's face, "Of course I do, do you know what Aura is?"
Pyrrha smiles at him, fondness clear in her eyes, "Aura is the manifestation of our souls. It bears our burdens and shields our hearts. Have you ever felt like you were being watched without knowing someone was there?"
"...Now that you mentioned it, yeah..."
"With practice," Pyrrha continued her instruction, "our Aura can be our shield. Everyone has it even animals."
"What about monsters?" Jaune asked her.
"No, the creatures of Grimm are monsters of anonymity. They are the darkness and we are the light. However, that doesn't mean they don't have somewhat of an aura about them. It's more of a sense rather than what we create. It's a feeling, a vibe, that could possibly only be described one way. Pure evil."
"And that's why we fight them, right?" Jaune pressed.
Pyrrah shook her head, "It's not about why, it's about knowing. Unerstanding both light and dark helps us manifest our Aura. By baring your soul outward as a force, you can deflect harm. All of our tools and equipment are conduits for Aura. You protect yourself and your soul when fighting."
Jaune's eyes burst open, the realization hitting him all at once, "You mean it's like a force-field!?"
Unable to help herself, Pyrrha smiled at the young man opposite her, "I suppose that's one way of looking at it," Pyrrha agreed, "Now, close your eyes and concentrate."
Confusion written all over his face, Jaune did as the young woman before him asked a little hesitantly, "Uhhh...okay."
Pyrrha smiles and closes her own eyes, opening them as her skin glows and her irises shrink before shutting them again. The two stand there, now with Pyrrha glowing a faint red and Jaune a bright white, "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death." Pyrrha places a hand on Jaune's chest, trying to control the flow of the energy she was producing, "I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee."
Once she'd finished the statements, the red-head hunched over slightly, the strain from what she'd just done very clearly written all over Pyrrha's face. The still-glowing blond shot her a look of concern from in front of her but he was just met with a tired smile from the girl who'd just managed to get herself back to her full height.
"It's all right," Pyrrha divulges, "I used my Aura to unlock yours, but the energy that protects you now is your own. You have a lot of it."
The smile on Pyrrha's face never fades as the glow around the young man's body heals the gash caused by the tree-branch in no time at all. For someone so obviously inexperienced, perhaps his vast pool of aura was going to be what carried him through. However, Pyrrha was privately looking forward to being partnered with him. She could help him grow on the battlefield and in turn, Jaune could help her by teaching her what it was like to have someone in her life that wasn't after her influence, fame or money.
"Wow..." Jaune muttered, looking down at himself right until the glow that had formed finally dissipated. The blond didn't notice this, but the moment Jaune's aura had activated there was a small tremble from his belt, more specifically the scabbard attached to it. The slightest of trembles that would likely even be missed by all except the eyes of those trained to detect such things.
Back up on the cliffs overlooking the Emerald Forest, Professor Ozpin and Miss Goodwitch are watching the events transpire through the use of their scrolls. Ozpin takes a sip of the liquid contained within his mug and Miss Goodwitch speaks, "Our last pair has been formed, Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren. Poor Boy, I can't possibly imagine those two getting along. Still, he's probably better off than Miss Nikos...I don't care what that boy's transcripts say, he's clearly not ready for this level of combat."
"Hmm, give it a while," Ozpin said quietly, "I think you'll find that given the chance, Young Mr. Arc is going to surprise you."
"What makes you so insistent about this, Headmaster?"
"The hatred of wasted potential," Ozpin said in a very final sort of way.
Back with Jaune and Pyrrha, the two were advancing towards the mouth of an open cave. However, the red-head and the blond both shared looks of concern by the fact neither of them could see into it. Jaune went to take a step forward but Pyrrha grabbed him by the shoulder, preventing him from advancing any further.
"What?"
"I'm not sure this is the right way," she said, "That cavemouth doesn't look like it's attached to the temple and we may find something more sinister within."
"How d'you suppose we get through here then? I don't see any alternative routes, Pyrrha."
"It's rather simple actually," she said, a smile gracing her features once more, "We go over it."
Jaune turned his head slightly and noticed the incline beside the cave. How had he not seen that before? Though, should they really be skipping out on seeing if the relics were inside? Jaune kept thinking back to Ozpin's words about a Forest Temple and this cave right here looked unlike any temple he'd ever seen before. Pyrrha was probably right. They needed to avoid conflict if they co- He suddenly felt a vibration against his leg, one that shook him entirely to the core.
Why...Why was Crocea Mors reacting like this?
"Jaune are you okay?"
"I think so, come on, let's keep moving."
"Good idea."
Together, Jaune and Pyrrha approached the hill beside the cave and ascended it through the trees as best they could. At times there were some tight squeezes but in the end they managed to break through an enter into a clearing. The clearing was mostly barren save for a few flowers splattered throughout the space and a rather large tower that looked as though it'd seen better days right at the end of it. Jaune thought they might've been the first ones to arrive, but instead they were greeted by the sight of a golden-haired girl and a raven-haired girl standing by the plinths already.
"The relics are here!" Yang called to them both, "Come choose one!"
A relieved breath left Jaune's mouth, one that he didn't even know he was holding onto, "You go and choose for u-"
Suddenly, several crashing noises are heard in the forest ahead of them, and an Ursa comes out, claws swiping, just as a pink blast of energy hits it in the back and it crashes to the ground, depositing its rider. The rider, a young woman with bright orange hair makes an exclamation and happily hops down off the Grimm she was riding before turning back to it and poking its armored head with the barrel of her grenade launcher, "Aww no, I broke it."
Another person came staggering through the treeline behind her and bend forward slightly, gripping his knees and panting heavily, "Nora," he tried to admonish, "Please...don't ever do that again." The boy, Ren's, head turns all around the fallen Ursa's body but it seems that his new partner has rushed off into the unknown yet again. Nora, had in fact, rushed over and collected one of the relics, a golden castle, which she proudly sung, "I'm queen of the castle, I'm queen of the castle!" upon obtaining said relic and only departed with a loud cry of, "Nora!" from her partner to which she responded with, "Coming Ren!"
"Did that girl just ride in on an Ursa?" Blake asked, her question being thrown to no one in particular. Her attention was once again grabbed by a loud screech that emanated from the sky and it took all of Blake's effort not to cover her ears from the sheer force of the sound. She sighed some, then took a step back. Thanks to this she didn't notice the appearance of a rapidly incoming crimson projectile in the form of one Ruby Rose.
"Look out beloww!" the reaper shouted.
Ruby managed to be caught by Yang who'd launched herself with the help of her Gauntlets and she returned to ground level, happiness on her face, "Careful there, Rubes," she said, a grin on the blonde's face, "Wouldn't want to have to scrape you off the forest floor."
Crocea Mors was now trembling more furiously than before, almost to the point where Jaune was looking down at it in trepidation. He looked back up at the large bird-like Grimm just in time to hear the loud scream of Weiss Schnee erupting from the back of the creature.
"You left her up there?" Yang asked her sister incredulously.
"I told her to jump, she'll be fine," Ruby said defensively.
"She's falling," Ren immediately countered.
"Ruby," Jaune said, "catch Weiss, I'm going to take that things head off."
"And that Nevermore is swooping right in!" Pyrhha exclaimed, "Wait, Jaune, no!"
But Jaune wasn't listening, instead he'd already began his charge, sprinting forward across the clearing as fast as his legs would carry him. He didn't know what he was thinking by doing this. Out of all present, he was probably the lest qualified to deal with any battle, but the moment he'd heard the fear in the young woman's voice, his body had started carrying him forward of its own accord.
'It's Time, boy. Take up our sword and inherit the will of the Arc Family. Bound through blood, awakened by aura. You will take the strength of your forebearers and destroy all those who slither in the dark!'
On instinct alone, Jaune took the handle of Crocea Mors and hauled it from its scabbard. Once in position, he felt for the first time in his life that he held a steady grip on the weapon, He barely noticed the blitz of crimson confirming that Weiss had been caught by her partner. No, his focus was entirely on the battle before him.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha screamed again, making to go after him, but it was Yang's hand on her shoulder that acted as the stopping point, "Let me go!" the red-head demanded, "He's in danger!"
"We're all in danger," Yang said bluntly, "And the way he's charging in right now, you going in right behind him is going to do him no favors. Have some faith in him. Sure, he may be a pain in the ass and he did vomit on my shoes, but who knows, maybe he's hiding some real talent under all that dorkiness."
"Guys!" Nora exclaimed, "You're gonna miss the best part, blondey's sword is glowing!"
"What!?" Pyrrha and Yang exclaimed at the precise same second.
It was true. Crocea Mors had been bathed in a shimmering sapphire light that made the blade appear several times larger than it was in its base and Jaune's own body was coated in the aura that seemed to be feeding itself into the sword. The Nevermore screeched a second time and unleashed a veil of large feathers, shooting them down towards the earth as though they were projectiles. Jaune kicked off the ground, using the feathers as platforms on which he jumped up and across each one bouncing between them all flawlessly, adjusting his stance where needed until finally he was able to kick off one and ascend rapidly into the air. Jaune swung the mighty transformed Crocea Mors upward and cleaved the Nevermore's head clean from its body.
"Wait..." Blake breathed, clearly mystified by the performance the young man had just put on.
"That was the dork who threw up on me?" Yang asked, sure, she'd been the one to say have a little faith in the guy, but for him to prove them all wrong so quickly and so easily...it was incomprehensible. So then, how had he improved so much in such a short time?
Pyrrha Nikos was dumbfounded. Her initial worries for her partner had been completely miscalculated. To think all he'd really needed was his Aura unlocked to become a formidable fighter. Was that perhaps a part of his semblance? Though, a semblance coming this quickly was simply unheard of. It usually tooks months, sometimes even years after a person's aura was unlocked to discover and master it.
"Potential, hm?" Goodwitch asked Ozpin, her eyes never leaving the tablet infront of her.
Ozpin merely lifted his mug to his lips, trying to hide the smug smirk present.
End Chapter