This story has gotten some attention, so I'm glad people are enjoying the premise. I know some people might think I'm rushing a little with this one, but there's a reason. I didn't feel a shopping trip for Jaune would be all that exciting. Maybe he could have met someone from the main cast, but it felt forced to me. Instead, it's time for him to meet another god and get moving on his destiny to save the world. He won't meet gods that fast, but this one kind of had to be done earlier. After all, Jaune needs to know gods come in all shapes and sizes. Also, some people are getting a little too close in their predictions. Won't tell you who to keep it interesting.

Special thanks to Cawme for Betaing.

If you enjoy my stories and feel like tossing a few bucks my way for expenses, please see my P a treon below.

P a treon . com (Slash) Darkbetrayer

"Seriously?" Yatagarasu asked. "Are you going to throw up the entire trip?"

Leaning over a trash can, Jaune was currently emptying what was left in his stomach after they had landed. The trip out of Vale had been a nightmare. Not that they were attacked or anything. They managed to get all of the needed supplies including a current map of Vale before setting out. Best of all, they had money to board Bullheads to their destination. The problem was not long into the flight, Jaune's stomach started feeling queasy. At first he thought it was nerves, but when everything started to churn and come up, he rushed to the nearby trash can and emptied his stomach.

And the smell was horrendous in the small Bullhead.

"I thought you rode on those metal flyers before?"

"I… gah… have!" Jaune protested and looked up. "It's motion sickness… last time, I was… just too distracted to realize it." He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and straightened up. He still felt a little sick, but it was clearing up. After puking once in the ship and now once after they landed, there was nothing left to throw up. He felt bad for everyone on the Bullhead who had to smell it. "I'll be good in a minute. Maybe after a drink."

"Ah, you wish to go to a tavern and have a beer?"

"I'm too young for alcohol."

"That's strange. Those younger than you used to drink often in the past."

"I don't want to hear what we do is strange from you!" Jaune hissed as Yatagarasu flew from the bench it had been sitting on his shoulder, not that Jaune was standing up right. "You better be right about there being ruins nearby. I only packed so much."

Jaune wished he had more time to prepare. He hadn't expected to leave Vale so soon after arriving. When he woke up the next morning after the night at the club, Yatagarasu was already on his case about leading him to the next domain. Jaune barely had any time to buy supplies before getting into the Bullhead to head to their next destination. Not that he didn't understand why the crow god was in a hurry, but he hoped to spend a few more days in the city to rest and recharge.

"It's not far." Yatagarasu assured him. "There should be those who live here who can tell you about it. What was this town again?"

"Brana." Jaune sighed. "That's the fifth time I've told you."

"Right, I suppose it's not that important." The god flapped its wings. "You should get going."

"Going? Like just heading out of the city?" Jaune whispered in shock. "Shouldn't I go around and gather information? Talk to people?" That's what heroes did in movies and stories before setting out on adventures.

"Why?" Yatagarasu titled his head. "You have me as your guide. What could another human provide that I can not?"

"Er…" Jaune thought fast, trying not to offend the god, which was tough as he was so arrogant. "You've been asleep for a long time. The people here have lived here all their lives. They probably know the area in case anything has changed."

"Hmm, I should still be able to guide you to the domain, as we aren't very far, but very well." Yatagarasu relented and Jaune mentally sighed in relief. "Do what you think you need to accomplish. Just don't take forever."

"Aren't you immortal? What's a day or two?"

That smart mouthed remark got him a painful peck on his head.

After getting a map, Yatagarasu had indicated the location of the next god's domain. It was supposed to be located in some old ruins outside of the town of Brana. Outside the capital city, Vale was dotted with small to medium size towns. Due to the threat of Grimm, it was hard to get actual settlements established. Those that were got resources from Vale to help keep them functioning. Due to population growth, humanity needed more room to grow. Many groups of people tried to establish new cities, but most couldn't even last a year. Jaune's hometown of Ansel was one such place that did survive. History classes back home taught him all about it.

"Excuse me!" Jaune waved to an older man who was reading a newspaper. "Can you help me?"

"With what?" The man looked up and his eyes paused on the black crow on Jaune's shoulder.

"I'm interested in going to the nearby ruins," Jaune replied, trying to keep his voice light and friendly. "Can you tell me how far away they are?"

"Oh, a tourist." The man scoffed and raised his newspaper back up. "Town hall, down the road, the big building. Can't miss it. They can tell you about them."

"Thanks a lot!" Jaune exclaimed gratefully and turned toward the direction of the town hall. The guy was right about it. It wasn't hard to spot. First the hall was a large, two-story building. Second, there was a large sign that said Town Hall in big letters. Walking in, Jaune appreciated the simple design; wooden chairs in the waiting room with a large wooden desk ahead of him where a secretary sat working on a computer. Out here, they didn't have a lot of luxuries it seemed like.

"Can I help you?" The woman asked. Like most people, her eyes darted toward Yatagarasu perched on Jaune's shoulder. Noone really commented on it except kids, who pointed at the god eagerly. Their parents usually dragged them away quickly afterwards.

"Yes," Jaune took a seat across from her. "I want to visit the nearby ruins, and I wanted to get some information on the location and how long it would take to get there."

"Ah, I see." She began to type on the computer. "Name?"

"Jaune Arc."

"Purpose of the visit?"

"Educational?" Jaune threw out, not entirely sure what to say.

"How long do you plan to be at the ruins?"

"Just during the day? Maybe a couple days at most."

"Okay," The secretary looked him up and down. "I see you have a sword. Are you trained in combat?"

"I… you could say that." Jaune put a hand on his sword as he answered. This wasn't a lie. The woman did say that. It was too embarrassing to say he wasn't while still carrying around his family's heirloom weapon. Maybe if people thought he was strong, he could avoid problems like robbers. "I don't think there will be any problems."

"We haven't had any Grimm sightings lately, so you're probably right." The woman agreed with a slight nod. "It's just a question on this form."

"Are the ruins protected or something?" Jaune asked.

"Sort of," The secretary looked up. "Outside the town is dangerous due to possible Grimm sightings. We keep track of those that leave on foot in case people go missing. It helps us limit injuries if we can discover any problems before they get out of hand. The ruins are protected space and you will need to sign this document stating that you won't cause damage to them or risk being fined. Also to keep them clean and avoid leaving any trash behind."

"Is that common?"

"Sadly, many kids have no respect for historical sites." The woman sighed and rubbed her nose before handing over the form. "Read and sign this." The form was long, boring, and gave Jaune a headache so he signed it after pretending to read. It seemed pretty standard from the parts that did register. "Thank you." She handed him a yellow pass card. "Just let the gates scan this when you leave and return."

"Thanks." Jaune took the card. "So is there any information on the ruins readily available for the public I can read?"

"Yes, here you go." Taking a pamphlet out of the desk, the secretary handed it to him. "It's a popular tourist location. It's not the largest settlement, but one of the earliest in Vale. It's theorized that our ancestors started to live here but were forced out by Grimm until they finally founded Vale proper."

"Hopefully I find some more information about it when I go." Jaune laughed, keeping his spirits up as he took the pamphlet.

"It's been pretty heavily researched, but if you find anything, let us know." She smiled at him. "There might be a reward for discoveries. But do avoid touching the main areas. They have been blocked off due to instability. If you encounter a Grimm, please, please do everything you can to fight them outside the ruins., though your own life takes precedence."

"I'll be careful." Jaune promised. He had a god as a guide so how much trouble could he get into? Waving goodbye, the boy left the townhall and scanned the pamphlet. "Hmm, not a lot of stuff to go by, just some basic information. So it used to be a human settlement?"

"Most likely," Yatagarasu whispered from his side once he had made sure no one was close enough to listen. "It was common during our reign that humans would live under a god's protection."

"So why didn't they stay?" Jaune wondered. "If they were chased out, does that mean the god didn't do his job or was defeated?"

"There were a lot of things going on, but it's mostly a blur." Yatagarasu yawned. "Don't worry about it right now."

"…Right." Jaune's eyes narrowed for a moment before turning back to the map. "It's only an hour walk or so. Compared to the first hike we did together, this will be a cakewalk." He checked the time and saw it was a little after noon. "How long will it take for us to wake up the first god? Do we just… enter his lair?"

"That should be fine," Yatagarasu informed him. "Our domains are sensitive and intruders would instantly be noticed. Never try to sneak into a god's territory with ill intentions."

"Aren't we sneaking in now?" Jaune asked, surprised.

"No, we're marching in through the front." Yatagarasu chuckled. "Now are you done asking pointless questions? We should get going. Once inside the territory, it shouldn't take long to wake him up. You'll be back before nightfall."

"What's the god's name?" Jaune was curious as they began heading to the town's gate.

"Umm… I'll recall that when we get there." Yatagarasu answered, looking away from him. "It's easier to remember them when in their presence."

"I see…" Jaune was beginning to doubt his guide's memory. While Yatagarasu could guide him safely, he couldn't remember a lot of information. Though that made sense after being asleep for centuries or maybe even longer. Jaune hoped the god would remember more the longer he was awake. "Well, I guess we'll see then. This will only be my second time meeting a god."

"Most humans never get to meet one. You should consider yourself fortunate."

The hike was so incredibly easy, Jaune was shocked. It was only about an hour's walk away from the town but felt like a brief walk down the street to a friend's house. Even carrying a pack of supplies, his body didn't feel tired or sore. Whatever Aura was really improved his physique. Jaune felt stronger, had better endurance, and when he tripped on a rock and face planted on the road, it didn't hurt at all. Physically at least. Mentally, he was glad no one was around to laugh at him. Yatagarasu just told him to get up and keep moving since he wasn't hurt.

Without Grimm, bad weather, or the aches and pain of being a normal person, the ruins came into view without issue.

"Huh," Jaune tilted his head. "I expected… more?"

Broken stone walls of buildings littered the landscape. A pathway of what might have resembled cobblestone at some point led into the town. Time had not been kind to this area. Roofs had pretty much decayed into nothing. Walls had crumbled down to less than half of what they once were. Vines covered everything and grass was overgrown. Trees were pushing up stones as their roots began to spread. Tall metal fences had been erected along the road to prevent people from going into the destroyed buildings. For safety purposes and to protect the historical remains.

Signs explained it all. Due to possible Grimm activity, there weren't guards set up around the ruins. Most people wouldn't leave the safety of the city to come this far out. Those that did, did it for research purposes. Only authorized individuals were allowed past the fences. Jaune stepped onto the path and continued his way into the small abandoned village. While the sights were fascinating, it hardly looked like a spot where a god would live. So run down, small, and not nearly as majestic as the clearing where he had encountered Yatagarasu.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Jaune looked at his guide on his shoulder. "It doesn't look like much."

"You can't sense the divinity in the air," Yatagarasu chuckled. "Humans were rarely good at that. Those that could were called… prophets? Clerics? Many weird names over the years. For now, just keep moving forward. Our target is the large temple at the end of the road."

"Temple… okay?"

The reason Jaune was a little cautious was the large stone structure at the end of the stone path could hardly be considered impressive. Compared to the other buildings, it had weathered the years slightly better. Large enough that Jaune could tell the temple had been larger than a single family house back home. Being made entirely of stone, only a section of the roof and side of the building had collapsed into a pile of rubble. Like all the other structures, vines and other plant life had reclaimed the area and the stone was weathered, cracked, and looked like it could start collapsing again any moment.

The fence blocking the temple even had a warning sign about it being unsafe. There was also some information in a laminated post attached to the fence. Jaune took a moment to read it.

"It was a temple, but it's so worn out, historians don't know the specific god worshiped."

"Hmm, maybe I was asleep longer than I thought." Yatagarasu considered. "Or humanity's intelligence had declined." Jaune's lips pressed tightly as he held back a remark of his own. "No matter. This will be resolved shortly. Climb this barrier and approach the temple."

"I'm not supposed to go in there though." Jaune pointed to the metal fence. "I even signed a form saying I wouldn't."

"That's just human nonsense for children." The god scoffed and ruffled his feathers. "I give you permission to ignore it."

"I don't think that will fly with the city's security." Jaune mumbled, hesitant to bypass the metal barrier.

"A god's order carries more weight than a silly human law." Yatagarasu reminded him sternly. "This is what you agreed to when I offered this path. Getting cold feet now will make everything you have done so far pointless. Would you like to go back to your hometown as someone who accomplished nothing?"

"Ouch…You really know how to hurt me." Jaune took a deep breath and had to admit the bird god was right. He was giving up already? In front of a single gate with no one else around? His hands gripped the cold metal for a moment before his right foot rose and pushed into the chain links. Hefting himself up, Jaune effortlessly pulled himself over the fence and landed on the other side with a thud. "Huh, that was easy…"

CLANG!

The fence fell over with a loud metallic bang and the boy flinched. Then several more panels down each side began to fall, creating a chain of clanging for a few moments. Echo's rang around him making the noise last even longer than it should. A few birds in the distance cawed indignantly and flew off. Finally, everything grew quiet again and Jaune let out a sigh of relief.

"...oops?"

"It matters not." Yatagarasu brushed off the accident. "At this point, even if you damage the surrounding structures, they are not important. You'll be going into the temple to meet the god of this land."

"But it looks empty!" Jaune drew close and peeked inside. A simple rectangular building with holes in the ceiling to let light in was all that greeted him. Whatever drawings or writings on the walls had long faded away, leaving behind faint shades. "Is there a hidden passage or something?" His hand touched the open stone door. Contrary to its look, it was pretty firm and didn't move at all.

"You could say that." Yatagarasu flapped his wings as if he was about to take off. "He's here, but also not here. Understand?"

"No. Not at all."

"Our domains occupy the same location as the material world." Yatagarasu elaborated. "Layers within layers. Normally, one can not enter a domain without permission or divine power, though there are rare occasions." The bird glanced at Jaune for a second.

"So how do I enter?" Jaune asked, looking around for some kind of sign. "Crawl under a rock? I've felt that way about myself a lot recently."

"Your negativity helps no one." Yatagarasu pecked his head and pushed off his shoulder into the sky. It flapped up and stepped onto a ceiling ledge above him. 'Stand at the entrance of the doorway."

"Okay, then what?" Jaune asked as he stood right at the entrance of the temple. As he looked up at Yatagarasu, he could swear the bird's eyes were glowing blue, but it was probably his imagination.

Wasn't it?

"Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and trust me as you take a step forward."

"That's it?" Jaune for some reason expected more, then remembered he broke into Yatagarasu's domain by crawling under a root.

"That's it."

The boy shrugged and looked at the rundown temple ahead of him. Taking a deep breath, he shut his eyes and took a step forward. Believing in Yatagarasu was both hard and easy to do. Jaune had seen enough crazy things with that self-proclaimed god to realize he wasn't a normal bird. However, there was still some doubt because Yatagarasu couldn't answer all his questions and seemed evasive half the time. For now, if Jaune wanted to see where this led, he would have to believe.

It felt like a cold egg hit his head and ran down his entire body, causing him to shiver. Jaune instantly opened his eyes and a loud gasp escaped him.

He was still standing in a temple, but not the same temple he had been in originally. No longer aged and decrepit, the pure white walls and ceilings shined brightly, completely smooth as if they had just been built and polished. It couldn't have been changed to marble, as this stone was literally glowing, providing light to the inside of the temple. Turning around, Jaune found the heavy stone doors firmly closed. He never heard them shut. Slowly his eyes began to move around the temple. The walls were no longer bare, but full of writing and pictures. Not that he could read anything, as it was in another language. Jaune placed a hand on one of the pictures that looked like a group of humans fighting Beowolves and Ursai. The stone was cool, but not cold, just like the air.

"Come, human." Yatagarasu's words interrupted the boy's astonishment at his predicament. "We must go deeper."

It was only then that Jaune noticed stairs in the middle of the floor leading deep underground. Hah, he was right! There was a secret passageway. Moving and stopping at the top step, Jaune stared down into the passage.

"It's dark down there though." Jaune pointed out. "Am I going in…" Torches on the wall suddenly flickered to life in rows down the staircase. "Never mind."

"Let's go." Yatagarasu flew down and perched back on Jaune's shoulder. "Only a little further to go and the first step of your journey will be complete."

"Wasn't getting back to Vale my first step?" Jaune tried to use humor to hide his nervousness as he descended the stone steps.

"First important step."

"Fine. Then tell me, what's at the bottom?"

"The god of this domain."

"And their name is…?"

Yatagarasu didn't answer and Jaune's eyes narrowed, but he didn't stop descending. At this point, he couldn't deny the bird was a god. It was able to change the entire temple in a moment when his eyes were closed. Even if this was an illusion of some kind, the fact a bird could do even that proved it wasn't normal. There really was no turning around just because Yatagarasu couldn't or wouldn't answer a question. Of course, if there was an evil god or something, Jaune was going to book it like his butt was on fire. The walls also had the same strange writing that Jaune couldn't read and the more he looked at them, the more his head began to hurt.

"Woah… weren't we underground?!" Sunlight blinded him when he reached the bottom most step. Blinking rapidly and raising his arm to shield his eyes, Jaune spun around…

Only to find the stairs gone.

Instead, Jaune was in a beautiful field of flowers that stretched as far as he could see in every direction. Trees dotted the landscape but otherwise was a mostly open space. Unlike Yatagarasu's domain, which had a single pink leaf tree in a clearing surrounded by a wall of trees forming a barrier. Yatagarasu took off from his shoulder and began to circle above him. Jaune took the moment to reach down and touch some yellow flowers by his feet. They appeared to be daffodils, but their shape was slightly off. Red rose-like flowers right next to them were also slightly distorted. One of his sisters loved flowers, so Jaune knew what they were supposed to look like.

"This way." Yatagarasu started flying in one direction. As the blazing sun was right above them, it was impossible to tell which cardinal direction they were going. "He's not far."

"Are you going to tell me who this god is?" Jaune asked, picking up his pace so he could keep up with his flying guide.

"Cernunnos, the God of Territories."

"What's that mean?" Jaune asked as he started to jog to keep up with Yatagarasu.

"The domains of gods were originally created by him. You will need his blessing so we can break into other god's domains without waiting for them to weaken."

"How did we get into his domain then?" Jaune asked, panting a bit as he was running through the endless fields of flowers. No matter how far they traveled, it felt like they were barely moving. "Shouldn't his be the most powerful then?" Jaune had no idea about the hierarchy of gods.

"Traveling anywhere is my specialty, but I had to use my remaining power to slip us in." Yatagarasu answered and it was then Jaune heard the exhaustion in his voice. "Which is why we need to find him quickly… ah, there he is."

"About time-…" Jaune started to mumble before a large shape in front of him came into view as if fog suddenly split in half to reveal the being before him. There hadn't been any, but how else could something that big suddenly appear out of nowhere? The boy took in the sight of the creature in front of him before freezing and gaping in stunned silence.

Curled up in a large bed of thick lush green bushes decorated with bright red berries, was a moose. Unlike Yatagarasu who was around the size of a normal crow, this moose was easily two to three times larger than a normal one, which was saying something as they were large as is. Then the color of the moose's fur was different. Rather than shades of brown and black, the fur was laced with silver and blues that shimmered in the sunlight, but that wasn't what drew Jaune's full attention either. It was the antlers on its head. They were not made of bone. Far from it.

They seemed to be made of the Aurora Borealis solidified in the shape of antlers. Greens, blues, and purple lights were sparkling like it was a screen directly to the night sky of the far north in Atlas. The colors weren't painted on anything though, because as Jaune stared at them, the lights moved and shifted as if they really were the Aurora. Pure lights that were crafted into the Moose's antlers. They were captivating and all the boy could do was stare at them as he felt himself being drawn deep into the mystic colors.

A sharp rap on his head snapped him back to reality.

"Don't get distracted." Yatagarasu warned. "Cernunnos can be… temperamental."

"S-Sorry," Jaune apologized, rubbing his sore head. "He's just so… amazing. That's what I expected a god to look like."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Yatagarasu asked, his words laced with displeasure.

"Ah! I m-mean… you know?" Jaune stammered, realizing what he did.

"No. I don't. Explain it to me."

"Just look at him!" Jaune gestured both hands toward the moose god.

"Yes, that's what Cernunnos looks like." Yatagarasu became annoyed. "Just like this is how I look."

"You closely resemble a normal bird though, besides the whole talking thing, while he…" Jaune gestured some more. "His antlers are literally multicolored lights shaped into it. That doesn't exist in normal animals!" Yatagarasu stared for a moment.

"I see…" The bird hummed in thought. "Unlike the others, I spend most of my time in the mortal realm, which requires me to take a more passive form. If I presented myself as a god while guiding others, they would attract unwanted attention. Thus I resemble a typical bird in your world."

"But that made it harder to believe you were a god." Jaune pointed out quickly. "A talking bird is one thing, but it's hard for most people to instantly believe that an animal is a god without it looking like that." His eyes fell on the being known as Cernunnos. "So how do we wake him up?"

"Just like you wake anyone up." Yatagarasu swooped down and spiraled above Cernunnos. "It is I, Yatagarasu! Awaken from your slumber, Cernunnos!"

Jaune blinked and stared as the moose began to move and the ground shook slightly. If all it took to wake the god up was for Yatagarasu to go and yell at them, why the heck was he here then? Just like always, he wasn't needed and someone else was always a better option. Beacon kicked him out and now it looked like Yatagarasu would leave him behind. Jaune supposed it was still somewhat cool to see a god's domain. Most people would never get to experience this.

Not like anyone would believe him if he told them though.

Cernunnos continued to rise, his enormous body dwarfing Jaune and easily surpassing the height of a house. Jaune could only stare at the majesty of the god. Unlike Yatagarasu, this one truly felt like a god. The air grew heavy and Jaune began to feel like he was being suffocated just being in the creature's presence. Unable to move and feeling so small, it was all he could do just to move his head upwards and stare at the moose god. The great animal god shook his head back and forth, like it was shaking the last vestiges of sleep. Looking up, eyes that shone like green and blue gems focused on the bird above him.

"Yata… garasu?" Cernunnos had a deep, commanding voice that reverberated through Jaune's bones.

"It is I!" Yatagarasu answered. "We require your assistance. Too much time has passed and the darkness threatens to swallow the world!"

"The darkness…?" Cernunnos' voice boomed out, his eyes flashing red. The anger washed over Jaune and he trembled instinctively. This being really portrayed the irritated, powerful god perfectly. Towering over Jaune only amplified that persona. It was then Cernunnos' eyes fell on him.

Warning lights ran through Jaune a millisecond before the god roared in anger.

"INTRUDER!"

Cernunnos slammed a massive hoof down on the ground and sent a shockwave through the earth, causing Jaune to stumble and nearly fall on his butt. Fear overcame his shock and Jaune was able to move again. Backing up quickly, he was desperate to put space between himself and the raging god. Why was Cernunnos so angry at him? He wasn't an intruder. Yatagarasu brought him along and that god was welcomed. Were humans forbidden from entering a god's domain and Yatagarasu didn't remember? That bird did forget a lot of important details.

"W-Wait!" Jaune held up a hand. "I was allow-...!"

He wasn't able to finish his sentence because the poor blonde was forced to run away and dive as Cernunnos attempted to crush him with his hoof. The ground shook once more with a loud thud. Jaune could only imagine what his remains would look like as a puddle of goo if that blow had connected. Panic rose up within Jaune and he started scrambling up to his feet and ran.

"A little help, Yatagarasu!"

"Cernunnos!" Yatagarasu shouted, flying above him. "What are you doing?! He's with me!"

"The darkness intrudes upon my land!" The moose god roared, shaking his head and stomping his feet.

"Darkness? What are you talking…?!" Yatagarasu paused. "Are you still half asleep?!"

"THEN WAKE HIM UP!" Jaune cried as he ran as fast as he could before ducking behind a tree. "I don't want to die!"

"He's always been slow to react and wake up," Yatagarasu explained. "We need to jolt him out of his daze. He thinks you're part of the darkness and trespassing in his domain."

"Funny enough… I WORKED THAT OUT!" Jaune yelled, peeking out from behind the tree. "Do something…. AHHHH!"

Cernunnos had charged at him and Jaune deduced immediately that a normal tree was not going to do anything to stop that creature. Bolting out from behind his cover, he darted to the side as the huge moose barreled through the trunk as if it wasn't even there. There wasn't much of a crash as the trunk nearly exploded into nothing from the impact. Moose were powerful, but god's had powers far beyond their animal counterparts. Nothing would be left of him if he got hit, even with his shield.

"Stop!" Yatagarasu cried out. "He's on our side!"

It didn't look like Cernunnos could understand his words. The moose turned around and began to charge once more at Jaune's location. Though it was insanely powerful, his size wouldn't let him turn on a dime and Jaune was able to dodge to the side once more to avoid being flattened. Still, Jaune was hardly skilled in this kind of thing and sooner or later, he would trip or misjudge the timing. Panic was overwhelming any strategic thinking though and instead of putting himself in an advantageous position, he turned and ran directly away from Cernunnos.

Not the smartest idea.

"To the left!" Yatagarasu warned loudly and Jaune immediately followed the order. It was easier than thinking for himself. Thank god, no pun intended, he did or he would have been flattened. "Cernunnos! Stop this now!"

"He's not going to listen!" Jaune yelled. "Can't you do anything else! Like… GET ME OUT OF HERE?!"

"We need his permission to leave!"

"WHY?!"

Jaune ducked behind the bushes that Cernunnos had been sleeping in. His heart was pounding, his body sweating, and panic was following through every part of him. Yatagarasu was small and close enough to a real bird that he didn't strike fear into the boy. Cernunnos on the other hand would strike fear into anyone. Jaune's hands covered his mouth to avoid making any sounds. Now that the adrenaline wore off, the full impact of the situation he found himself in weighed on Jaune's mind. If Yatagarasu couldn't calm Cernunnos down, what else could they do?

Loud sniffs and snorts, followed by heavy hooves thudding on the ground, indicated the moose god had not given up. Without seeing Jaune at least, Cernunnos wasn't raging.

"We need to draw him out of anger," Yatagarasu announced from the sky. For whatever reason, Cernunnos didn't consider him a threat, which meant he was free to speak and draw attention. "You need to figure out how."

Jaune would have shouted out in indignation if his hands weren't covering his mouth. Again, what the hell was he supposed to do? Give the moose a hug? Slap it? Climb on its back and shout in his ear? Even if Jaune was capable of something like that, he doubted it would work. His shaking legs didn't want to move at all, so standing back up seemed impossible. Terror washed over him as he cowardly hid behind the shrub.

'This was a mistake! I should have had Yatagarasu take me home!'

"My friend, you need to stop and think!" Yatagarasu shouted, still trying to reach the other god.

A powerful roar was the only response from Cernunnos and followed by a thunderous slam of his hoof. This didn't make any sense? Was the moose god stuck in a dream and was sleep walking or something? If that was the case, then waking him up might be a bad thing. You weren't supposed to wake up sleep walkers. All Jaune could come up with in his panic inspired state was maybe to tire out Cernunnos. Make him run around all over the place. Gods could get tired because they had to sleep and Yatagarasu admitted he used up most of his power.

The uncertainty was how long it would take this particular god.

Jaune wasn't keen on this strategy.

"Human!" Yatagarasu yelled out. "You really need to come up with something to snap him out of his current state!"

FInally, Jaune snapped. The stress and fear already threatened to overwhelm him into a sobbing mess on the ground as he begged for his mommy. Now anger flooded through him as a god told him he had to be the one to somehow think of a plan to stop a raging god the boy knew nothing about. Maybe if the god was small and harmless, but not THIS! Jaune was not thinking clearly and blurted out a retort.

"HOW?! Unlike you, Cernunnos is a god who looks and acts the part!"

Yatagarasu was stunned into silence as he stumbled in midair. The god probably never had a human speak to him that way. Of course, by giving in to his impatience, fear, and anger, Jaune had given up his hiding place and now Cernunnos turned his large head to face him. All the blood rushed out of Jaune's face and his skin turned ashen white. The green and blue eyes of Cernunnos were now laced with red, but as they stared into Jaune's blue ones, There was something more than just anger.

Curiosity?

Only thing Jaune knew for sure was that the god wasn't actively charging at him. Yatagarasu also seemed to have noticed this now. The bird slowly descended as it observed the situation. Something seemed to click in its mind.

"Whatever you did, keep doing it!" Yatagarasu called out to Jaune.

"I didn't do anything except say that he looks like a real god!" Jaune gestured to Cernunnos. The moose god tilted his head as it stared at him. It was like it actually heard his words. "Wait…" Something in Jaune's mind clicked. Though he only met Yatagarasu a short time ago, there were some traits that the bird showed that fit with legends from stories.

Arrogance.

Gods were always written and portrayed as arrogant and prideful beings. Yatagarasu got upset when Jaune didn't immediately bow and pay tribute to his glory. In stories, gods would smite humans who didn't show them respect. They would also compete against each other on who was the best and worshiped the most. Gods only wanted to be powerful and respected. Much like humans. Though many people believed that gods were always just created by human imagination, so they had similar tendencies to people, just far more powerful. Jaune remembered reading at least one adventure story about a hero challenging gods. Which was a pretty common trope.

But now Jaune knew gods were real and it seemed that even in a dream walking state, they wanted to be praised.

He could try that.

"Oh mighty Cernunnos!" Jaune bowed but kept his eyes up just in case the god decided to attack. "It's an honor to meet a god as majestic as yourself. Yatagarasu failed to mention how impressive you are. I'm in awe of your might and I apologize for waking you."

Taking a deep breath, Jaune waited to be crushed by the massive god, but nothing happened. A few moments passed and Jaune stared up at the god who was staring back at him. Eyes no longer carried red tints but were now back shades of blue and greens. The great head shook back and forth as if Cernunnos was getting rid of the last vestiges of sleep. He finally seemed to be aware of where he was and who was standing in front of him. Once more, Cernunnos spoke in its deep, rumbling voice that reverberated through Jaune's bones.

"Who are you, human?"

"You're awake!" Yatagarasu gasped as he flew down and landed on Cernunnos' antler. "Finally! You almost killed this human."

"Why did you bring him?" Cernunnos' eyes rolled up in Yatagarasu's direction.

"It's a long story…" Yatagarasu sighed. "His name is… Jane Arn."

"Jaune Arc!" Jaune corrected immediately. "Yatagarasu asked for my help to wake up the rest of the gods after I stumbled into his… domain."

"A human stumbled into your domain?" Cernunnos sounded surprised as his eyes moved up to see the bird on the tip of his antler. "How? Did you grow careless?"

"My domains are temporary in the mortal world," Yatagarasu huffed. "They weren't designed to be permanent and with the darkness slowly decaying the world, eventually all domains will collapse. We have been asleep too long and neglected our duties."

Cernunnos paused and seemed to stare off into the sky of his world.

"It has been too long." He eventually agreed. "I can tell the darkness has already sunk quite deep into the earth's blood. If we procrastinate, it will be too late to stand against it."

"That's why we have this human." Yatagarasu stated as he nodded his head and looked toward Jaune. "He's unique… or just lucky."

"I like to think unlucky myself." Jaune muttered and Cernunnos turned his head to stare at him as he stepped forward. The boy thought he might have said something strange.

"Well met, human." The moose greeted. "I apologize for startling you during our first meeting. After being asleep for so long, the nightmares can occasionally creep into our minds."

"From the Grimm?" Jaune asked and quickly elaborated as the gods didn't know what humans called the darkness now. "The darkness. How could it do that when you've been here all this time?"

"Gods are entangled into the natural world more than you could understand." Cernunnos huffed. "When the world is in pain, so are we. Being asleep has let the darkness sink its talon and claws into the veins and corrupt it. But now that we are awake, I will not let it come to pass." He slammed a hoof down and the world shook under Jaune's feet, causing him to fall back.

"Careful." Yatagarasu reprimanded. "Humans are smaller and more fragile than us."

"Indeed, but they can do more when pushed." The moose snorted. "I'll see what I can do until more of our brothers and sisters awaken. Though, once my full power returns, none of the darkness will be able to draw near." He slammed his foot down upon the ground once more, shaking the earth under Jaune's butt.

"I understand you aren't at full power," Yatagarasu admitted. "But the boy here needs your blessing. We can't wait for every domain to weaken so we can slip in and I used up the power I had saved to get us here. Can you allow him to bypass domain barriers so we can awaken the others?"

"Hmm, give my power to a human?" Cernunnos paused and looked between Jaune and Yatagarasu.

"Why can't you just give Yatagarasu the power to enter other god's domains?" Jaune couldn't resist asking. "Why does it need to be me? I never got a real explanation."

"Oil and water do not mix, human." The moose god answered. "Every god is vastly different. Not just in our appearances, but down to our very essence. Even you human's can't just give your blood and flesh to every other human without issue."

"Did you teach the other gods how to make domains? I was told you were the God of Territories."

"Teaching is not the same as a blessing." Cernunnos snorted and stepped forward until he was right in front of Jaune. "God's can learn from other gods, but it is rare that humans can learn from us, so we instead give you our blessing. A small fraction of our power to carry out a task."

"You told me you wanted to be special instead of ordinary," Yatagarasu added seriously. "Few humans in the past ever received this honor. You are the first in this era and may be the last."

"Don't make it sound so ominous! Explain yourselves prop..er…ly…" Jaune trailed off as the head of Cernunnos leaned down so he was blocking Jaune's view of everything. The great nostrils were right in front of him as they widened and sniffed him.

Then without warning, hot air blasted Jaune off his feet and he landed on his ass as the powerful gust washed over him. For a brief moment, it felt like he was about to get fried by the sheet heat, but before any real pain could be registered, the temperature faded away almost instantly. Though his chest felt really itchy all of a sudden and he couldn't resist scratching it as he thought it was kind of rude for a god to just knock him down like that.

"It is done, human!" Cernunnos declared. "Rejoice in the honor of receiving my blessing. Now you can traverse any domain without difficulty."

"I don't feel any different." Jaune spun around a little as he examined his body to see if anything looked different.

"Do not doubt my gift." Cernunnos warned, his voice holding a tinge of annoyance. Unlike Yatagarasu, Jaune really did not want to upset him. "Now that your business is concluded, leave. I have matters to attend to."

"Wa….it!"

Jaune wanted more information, but the next moment, he found himself standing in front of the run-down temple. Blinking several times, even rubbing his eyes, the boy looked around the ancient ruins for some sign. All he saw was Yatagarasu perched on a half fallen, vine covered wall. The endless flower fields were gone and it was like he had never descended the steps into the temple. He was back at the beginning with no sign that anything could have transpired. It might even have been a dream, even if Jaune knew better than that.

It had been quite a trip. Going into the remains of an ancient town, only to find himself inside a brand new temple. Then going underground and landing in a wide open field with a blazing sun. Meeting Cernunnos had been quite a nerve wracking experience. That god was what Jaune would imagine an animal god to be. Though he wouldn't say it outloud again in front of Yatagarasu. With the bird's memory, he probably wouldn't remember what Jaune had said. No need to remind him and cause an argument.

Instead, Jaune rubbed his head and sighed.

"Cernunnos doesn't normally talk that much, so he must like you." Yatagarasu commented.

"That was talking a lot to him?" Jaune gaped at the bird.

"Yes. he's not much of a talker."

"Ugh, I had so many questions though and he booted us out."

"I've answered all your questions though." Yatagarasu pointed out.

"No… no you haven't." Jaune sighed and facepalmed. "You don't remember most of the specifics."

"Huh, weird." Yatagarasu pruned his wing with his beak for a moment. "Must not be important information then. You should ask questions that actually matter."

"I'll keep that in mind." Jaune mumbled and stretched. "At least I'm not at risk of being turned into a pancake. Never really liked them anyways. Was more of a waffles guy myself."

"What are waffles and pancakes?"

"They are a breakfast food unless we eat them for dinner, then they are even better. But we cover them in sweet syrup. You might like them."

"I will accept your tribute to these pancakes and waffles when we return to town." Yatagarasu flapped his wings and flew through the air to land on Jaune's shoulder. "I'll locate the next temple we need to visit. It might be rather far away"

"Don't you know all of them?" Jaune asked. "There were supposed to be a lot of you gods, right? So can't we just go to the closest one?"

"We need to awaken certain ones first." Yatagarasu answered. "Then the fact that some of the gods may have moved. The world felt Cernunnos' return and trembled. Balance must be preserved so I will locate the next god and then you will grant us access to their domain."

"Sure… but how do I use the blessing he gave me?" Jaune asked. "I wanted to ask but he kicked us-..."

Words caught in his throat as he saw something move in front of them.

From the entrance of the ruined town, a large black werewolf-like creature began to walk in. Its fur was thick and dark, with a white mask with red markings covering its wolflike head. Even while slouched over slightly, the beast stood on its hind legs and it was obvious it was taller than even Jaune was. Bone spikes poked out of the fur on its arms, legs, and back. Hands and feet were tipped with long, sharp, white claws. Blood red eyes were staring at Jaune and the boy froze as the Grimm saw him.

A Beowolf.

The Grimm threw its head back and let out a howl before it fell on all fours and charged at him.

Cawme: Hello! First time leaving a Beta Note. I hope Dark doesn't mind. Honestly I feel bad not having this finished sooner. I gave it a good read like 3-4 times and it felt good outside of like one paragraph I felt needed added and a few grammar fixes. I really hope you all like this. Dark has done an amazing job this chapter and I know you all will love it!

Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish to ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.