NeoShadows here and back at it again!

I know, I know- Me updating for the RWBY sect is a surprise and not expected in the slightest, huh? The last time I uploaded a RWBY fic was when I updated A Huntsman's Awakening months ago. And that was just on a whim due to already having the finished chapter sitting on the back shelf. I made no promises at the time that I would be back to working on any RWBY stories due to not having the time to focus on my stories. And I hadn't been planning on doing any work on RWBY fics due to how busy I already am.

But I'd be lying if Volume 9 hadn't sparked anything in me at the time. With all that's happened to Rooster Teeth since WB ended them, it's a wonder I'm even publishing anything.

At some point, at the end of the volume's finale, I couldn't help but mull over a new story. An idea was born against my wishes and it just kept bouncing around in the old noggin like a super ball. And eventually, I found myself opening up a document and typing up the first chapter out of boredom. Arcs came forth, character development was thought up, and new fight scenes began flashing wildly. Until I found myself with close to four chapters completed.

Like many other things, it's only because of Darkbetrayer that I decided to go ahead and crack my knuckles and seriously edit the story for publishing. Ya can thank that taskmaster for the fic.

I've got a few other things to say at the end, but first, how about you give the small prologue a taste? Got to say, it does feel nice to be writing a story for RWBY again.

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY. All rights are reserved to Rooster Teeth.

Prologue: What False Fantasies You Tell, Storyteller.

Sweet_Knave_Lullabies.

[-]

"Let's see, let's see; where were we again?"

"Chapter 4, Chapter 4! That's where he appears!"

Saphron patted the excited mop of sunny yellow hair excitedly jumping about their bed. The bright blue-eyed boy always grew hyperactive at the page flipped over, always knowing what the chapter to the large leather brown book with forest green and gold accents would reveal. This was a normal habit, one she was always happy to repeat with her younger brother.

It was Thursday night. All of her sisters were already asleep. Their mother was resting in the other room, having exhausted herself with taking care of the newborn twins and joining the two needy bundles of joy in sleep. Other than Saphron and the runt of the Arc family, no one else was awake.

As for their father…

Saphron bit her bottom lip, quashing whatever worries or paranoia would usually surface at times like this.

The Arc patriarch was away on another mission. A long one. Something about dealing with a sudden surge of Grimm in a neighboring village that had asked for his help in culling the creatures of death. Not a word about his progress or his return had been heard since he left four days ago.

As the oldest of the litter of Arcs at fifteen, she had a responsibility to hold down the fort. To support her mother. To take care of the younger children. To continue assuring them that everything was fine and there was no need to worry with a smile on her beautiful face.

Reading little Jaune his favorite bedtime story to keep his eyes from being glued to the window in hopes of catching a glimpse of his father, even at this late at night, was the least she could do.

She patted Jaune's mop of blond hair, easing him into calming down and sitting back on his bed. The stuffed bear in his arms was hugged tighter in his chest as the only son of the Arcs was on the edge of his seat.

The Girl Who Fell Through The World was a classic. Every child underneath Remnant's stars had at least heard of the famous children's story. Even those on the frontier or those who made a life in the harsh desolate deserts had come across the magical adventures of a petulant girl named Alyx and her time in a fantasy world known as The Ever After.

And even though her baby brother had heard its story countless times, the childish gleam in his eyes never dimmed whenever he saw the book's cover. Were he able to read properly, he would have snatched the book off their bookshelf to read every night. Too bad not even the thought of being able to read his favorite story by himself was enough motivation for that overly excited child to learn his ABCs.

Brother's help him when he began school the next year. He was a real pushover. Probably didn't help that he was the only son in a family of mostly females and a father always absent due to Huntsman missions. He was already a scrawny little child and was easy to cry.

Hefty leather-bound book in hand, she went on to continue the tale of the ever-curious and trouble-seeking Alxy in a world of fantasy. Last they left off, the girl had reached a large clearing after escaping The Hunter Mice chasing her for stealing a few of their cheese berries and found a murky shadow slithering from the shivering bushes. They were at a cliffhanger, the telltale of danger on the horizon, and she cleared her throat to better get into character.

"Eat. Swallow. Chew. Munch. Chomp. Tear. Bite. Gnaw. Rip!"

Saphron spoke in a low growl, her blue eyes narrowing maliciously over the top of the book, casting a looming shadow over the silent and shivering Jaune. A flip of the book to show the very detailed stencil illustration of the monster now crawling out of the deep jungle's foliage made her younger brother jump in fright.

The Jabberwock.

A Demon.

A Monster.

A sinister and violent thing of fantasy, locked away in the pages of a century-old story. For just being a make-believe beast meant to scare children, it held the same presence and threat as actual Grimm would in the hearts of those naive little boys and girls tucked into their beds. Between actual creatures of death incarnate and a fairy tale monster found only in an old book, Saphron had a feeling Jaune was far more terrified of the Jabberwalker than a Beowolf scratching its claws outside his window.

The oldest of the Arcs had to swallow an amused grin as her little brother cowered.

"Alxy shivered in fright as the deep shadow stretched and opened wide like the maw of an abyssal beast like a Goliath surfacing from the waves. It wasn't a Grimm. The thing crawling out of the foliage wasn't a tar black, a bone white, an eerie yellow, or a seething red. Its pigments were a deep nebula purple, ashen yellow, and mud gray. The monster's form was tall and lanky with long thin arms to better reach its prey, skewering claws like Rapier stingers for gouging and slashing, a cable thin tail lazily swishing about with a blunt tail tip stripped with purple and yellow streaks, and curved Imp like horns atop its head. Its face was that of an ashen mask reminiscent of a lizard crossed with a wolf, its face and eyes seemingly carved out of stone and unable to move like a statue's permanent expression."

Saphron turned the page, sharing the full-bodied illustration of the encounter between a lost girl and a bizarre beast. Even if she was already in her teens, she couldn't help but shiver a bit at how well the artists of the childish book had drawn the Jabberwalker. It was like a more twisted form of an Imp. Such attention to detail was eerie. As if the writer had seen it for themselves.

"The monster crawled on all fours, slowly approaching Alxy as she stepped back and gulped anxiously. All the while the creature continued to mutter a string of words as it salivated, 'Hunting. Approaching. Creeping. Stalking. Observing. Looming.' The monster stood on its lanky legs, its terrifying form casting a shadow to devour Alxy's tiny silhouette as its joints let out disturbing cracks. Over and over again, every joint on its body flexed and released crack after crack but never once twisted its eyes or mouth. It did not run at her, rush towards her, or leap at her. It merely stalked over to her slowly as if knowing its mere presence was enough to freeze Alxy in place like a mouse caught in the corner by a giant cat."

A small whimper was heard from the little blond boy and the illusion cast by the writer's description combined with Saphron's storytelling.

"Alyx couldn't run. Her legs wouldn't stop knocking into one another and found herself tripping back. She fell with a cry. And that was the signal the monster had needed to finally pounce. A sick snap was heard as the monster's mask cracked, its mouth opening to seep with saliva as it jumped high into the air. Its hornet-like claws were raised high, and all four of the ashen yellow blades flashed out like a fan to sever even stone apart in one swipe. Petrified with fear, hands sweating, heart beating rapidly, and eyes swimming with tears, all Alxy could do was scream out, 'Someone save me!'"

Despite shielding himself with his baby blue covers in fear, Jaune's eyes grew wide with excitement. Because the runt of the family knew what came next.

"CLANG!"

The sound effect of striking metal made her brother jump up.

"As if answering her cry, before the monster's salivating maw or slashing claws could touch a hair on her head, something had interrupted the monster's attack. A broken sword, its once gleaming silver fang now rusted and faded, struck the mask of the monster like a javelin. Cracks bleed from the monster's face as the force of the striking blade changed the direction of its attack. Its body was sent crashing to the far side of the frozen lost girl and caused a powerful gust to sway her dark brown locks. In a single moment, the hopeless and terrifying situation had been overturned. All because of a-"

"Rusted Knight!"

"Just as the monster recovered from the sudden attack and rushed back to swing its claws at Alxy, a suit of rusted armor appeared in front of her! The knight stood tall to match the bizarre beast's shadow, his body made of scratched and dented armor from head to toe like he were a machine rather than a man. Clashing with the monster's colors, the knight's pigments were of gray silver, bronze gold, and night black. And with a flourish of what she believed was originally a weathered metal sheath, the Rusted Knight blocked the sharp claws with a crack of his expanding shield! No words were said by the silent Rusted Knight as he seemed to blast the snarling monster with a burst of magic from the face of his shield. Only the wounded monster spoke in a grave tone, 'Rusted. Knight.'"

The fight between the Jabberwalker and The Rusted Knight was spoken of with sound effects, dramatic pauses, and even a few fun poses for the awe-eyed blond boy's entertainment. With any luck, her baby brother would be spent and forget about staring out the window in the hope of catching even a glimpse of their father. Jaune had soon abandoned the safety of his bed sheets and had even begun mimicking the actions of The Rusted Knight. With a pillow and a plastic toy sword in hand, the small boy swung at an invisible monster.

Just as the final blow was delivered to drive away the Jabberwalker, breathless little Jaune was back to sitting on his bed. Out of the corner of her eye, Saphron noticed the clock on the nightstand read 10:43 pm; midnight was close. She felt her own eyes growing heavy and threatening to shutter. It was time to wrap this up. Even the bundle of sunshine that was her baby brother was yawning.

Luckily the chapter was almost done, so they could stop there.

"And with a mighty bash of his shield, The Rusted Knight sent the Jabberwalker scurrying off with a screech of the wounded monster's cracked jaw. The suit of rusting armor did not give chase, instead twisting around to look back at Alxy, his broken blade slipping into his sheath with a metal rasp. Alyx, despite being rescued by the stranger, still took a step back in the face of the dark shadows of the knight's visor. Was he human? A machine? A puppet of metal armor pieces? She had no idea who the knight was or what he wanted, so she had to prepare herself to run away if need be. She gulped anxiously as the rusted warrior approached her, his every movement creaking and groaning like un-oiled metal joints. Just like the Jabberwalker, she found herself frozen until the tall metal man loomed over her, silent and cold."

"Are you hurt, my lady?"

"The Rusted Knight's voice was deep yet gentle. For a brief moment, Alxy was reminded of her father's tone. She nodded nervously, still hesitant of the rusted suit of armor. The Rusted Knight knelt to better meet her gaze, the darkness obscuring of his visor obscuring the man's eyes even from a short distance. She flinched both from the eerie suit of rust and pain. She had scrapped her knee earlier and the sting of the bloody wound made her whimper. With a clang of metal, The Rusted Knight reached for a pouch on his waist and wasted no time cleaning the wound with a cloth. A lovely red cloth was pressed against the wound and tied firmly around her knee.

Even if she was still wary of the stranger, Alxy nodded thankfully.

"Thank you, Sir Rusted Knight."

Revealing his chivalrous spirit, the Rusted Knight knocked a metal fist against his chest like he was striking a gong.

"Of course, fair lady! A knight would never turn a blind eye to a damsel in distress, no matter the beast. You should be wary of walking about the Acres on your lonesome, my lady. The Jabberwalker is a walking embodiment of death itself and grows ever-hungry. One must be vigilante and armed if they are traversing the ends of the Acres. Are you lost?"

With the support of the knight's strong arm, Alxy was back on her feet. The Rusted Knight gingerly held her small hand in his metal grip, reminding her of the picture of chivalrous knights of long ago.

Alyx nodded her head. The Rusted Knight stood straighter, his left hand resting on his metal chest and his right hand continuing to gingerly hold her small hand.

"My fair lady! Allow I, The Rusted Knight, to guide you and protect you! The Ever After is a treacherous and bizarre world, full of twists and turns at every corner, with many a dangerous beast lurking in the underbrush and colorful tricksters eager to steal the happiest of memories you treasure. I know not what it is you seek or desire, but I promise, I will protect you. For that is the duty of a knight!"

"I want to go home." Said Alxy softly, "I want to return to my friends and family!"

The Rusted Knight's body creaked. The weathered hand clasping her own grew tight for a second.

"You as well, I see."

"?"

"Then I swear, I will help you find your way home. Will you allow me to guide your way-"

"Alxy."

She felt the man beneath the cold and old armor smile.

"Fair Alxy. Will you do be the honor of I being your sword and shield, and be your stalwart knight?"

The lost girl of Remnant regarded the faded metal suit carefully but did not step back or let go of the strong hand. She had no idea where she was going. She had just barely escaped the Hunter's Mice and had dropped her small knife in the jungle. She was all alone in a strange world where even the weather seemed to come to life. And she had just been attacked by a frightening monster.

She was scared. She didn't want to be alone.

So, the young maiden nodded and smiled up at the Rusted Knight.

"I would be grateful to have you guide me, Rusted Knight."

Ahead of the lost maiden and a rusted warrior was an elegant bridge of gold stretching over a deep ravine. Scarlet leaves decorated every tree and carpeted the ground. Looming over the next acre tree line was a beautiful castle with banners of red hearts and gilded with gold. And far above the scarlet land, rising to stretch out to the heavens and beyond, was a great and mighty tree with multi-colored leaves. A new acre awaited the duo.

The Rusted Knight tugged on Alxy's hand, beckoning her to take the next step. Scarlet leaves danced and twirled, following the wind to fall around the rusted warrior patiently waiting for the girl to follow along.

Alyx was anxious but found herself hopeful too. She was no longer alone. She found a friend.

So, with a brave step forward, the girl followed after the Rusted Knight and found herself grinning excitedly.

As the duo crossed the bridge to the scarlet acre, a pair of mischievous and curious slitted eyes peeked out of the jungle brush, following their back.

"The Curious Cat." Jaune mouthed excitedly even as his heavy eyes began to shutter.

Saphron warmly smiled down at the little blond, shutting the leather book with an audible clap. That was enough for tonight. Her little brother was ready to fall asleep. Tucking the big book underneath her arm(otherwise her little brother would stay up even later), she flicked the lights in her brother's room off.

Just before she stepped out, she heard the rustle of covers.

"Hey, Saph?"

"Yes, Jauney?"

She could picture the young boy sitting up, hugging his beloved stuffed bear close to his chest as he spoke.

"Do you think...I can be a brave knight like the Rusted Knight? Do you think I can be a strong warrior like Dad? And Grandpa?"

Saphron bitterly bit her lower lip. She could feel those hopeful, childish, big naive blue eyes on her back. She heard the true question hidden beneath: Do you think I can be a Huntsman too?

Jaune wanted to be a Huntsman like her father, her grandfather, her great-grandfather, her great-great-grandfather. And so on. Her little brother wished with all his heart to follow after the steps of the warriors spoken of with pride and reverie in stories going back before even the Great War. To be another warrior remembered for his bravery, strength, valor, and loyalty.

Another empty spot.

Another figure rarely seen.

Another tombstone.

Another name only ever spoken of in passing.

Another person to be worrying about in the late hours of the night.

Her nails dug into the side of the doorway. Her shoulders trembled.

"Y-Yeah! I'm sure you'll be a strong and cool Huntsman like Dad and The Rusted Knight!"

She was happy to be facing away from her little brother. She wasn't sure what kind of face she was making but it hurt.

Children dreamed naive dreams. It was not evil to fantasize about such things without deeply understanding the true meaning and weight behind such sweet dreams. To crush such innocent buds would be cruel.

She wasn't the only one to share such thoughts. Her mother would always try to get Jaune to try out all sorts of different hobbies, hoping the young boy would eventually grow attached to a new dream. Every time Jaune would ask their father to start training him, or even play make-believe Huntsman, their father would say he was too busy or too young, even going as far as to never mention anything Huntsman-related like Aura or Semblances.

Even their father understood what fate would await their only son if he became a Huntsman. Not even the strong and proud Huntsman desired such struggles, hardships, bloodshed, death, and stress on his only beloved son.

For now, it was better to let such dreams be dreams. Leave stories as stories. Nothing was wrong with leaving a sweet boy to play pretend.

"Good night, Jaune. Sweet dreams."

Just a little longer.

These innocent and naive times. Just a little longer.

For as long as possible, she just wanted the scene of her baby brother snuggling into bed, muttering fantasies of being a great and respected hero like his childhood idol and his father, to remain for just a bit longer.

[-]

"Saphron?"

The dirty blond mother blinked once.

For whatever reason, she found she had frozen still and her fingers had grown stiff as stone. She had begun to tremble from head to toe. Her breath had caught in her throat like a quivering frog. For a good minute or two, she felt as if she had forgotten where she was. As if she had been swept up in some kind of spell.

A glance at the window nearby told her it was night. Stars and remnants of the moon glowed a ghostly white to illuminate the darkened sky and cast a shade of light upon the city of Argus. For many of its citizens, it would spell time for rest before the next day peeked over the horizon. And like many, she was only up to put her restless child to sleep.

She must have thought the cure for his restlessness was a good story. Even in this day and age of the modern world where small screens can be found in every household to entertain energetic children, she still found no better form of entertainment for her son than a good old book. As she had put her sweet son to bed, she had gone over to the bookshelf she kept in his room and began searching for a good story to read. Finger glossing over the many children's titles she and her wife had bought for Adrian, she had stopped as she felt an all too familiar golden font title kissing her finger.

Saphron sucked in her bottom lip, warm tears swimming up to blur her vision.

The Girl Who Fell Through The World.

Footsteps approached and soon, she felt her wife, Terra, hug her from behind. Her wife's loving arms embraced her and brought her deep into her chest as her body was wracked with emotions. Tears swam down her cheeks as she fought not to make another scene in front of the slightly frowning Adrian.

It had only been two months.

Two months since Atlas had plummeted to Mantle.

Two months since the announcement of Salem.

Two months since another academy of Huntsman had been had been swallowed by chilling waters in the Atlas Crater.

...Two months since the list of those deceased in the Fall of Atlas had been publicity released to the remaining Kingdoms.

Despite the Huntsman and Huntresses' miraculous efforts to evacuate an entire kingdom's population in a matter of an hour, there had still been losses. Compared to the hundreds of thousandths saved, the people who had perished were nothing more than a mere drop of a reservoir. All in all, it was a complete success in the eyes of many. The evacuation was labeled one of the greatest miraculous of this generation. Possibly all of history!

But a small, tiny, minuscule minority couldn't sing such praises.

People had died- they wouldn't come back. No matter how miraculous those efforts were or how much praises were made, that fact could not be denied.

One name among the dozens who had unfortunately lost their lives in Atlas's Fall struck her and made her chest clench to the point tears stung her eyes.

"J-Jaune…"

Saphron choked up. A few tears fell as she felt her wife hug her tighter. Behind her, she could picture her puzzled son staring at her, wondering why his mother was shaking so much.

Terra tried to comfort her, stroking her hair as she did her best to not break down again. It had been months since they had gotten the news. She thought she had gotten better. Unlike those first two months, she had collapsed in tears. For her family, she had to be strong.

Even if her mother had taken it just as hard and been unresponsive for an entire month.

Even if her sisters had grieved and grieved.

Even if her father had blamed himself, raged, and went on a rampage of slaughtering the local Grimm population drawn by his negativity.

She couldn't allow herself to crumble. Not now. Not when Adrian still couldn't comprehend why his favorite Uncle Jaune would no longer visit and tell him amazing stories of his adventures.

Her son would no longer try to imitate his Uncle swinging a sword like Jaune had done so when he was at that age. Her son would no longer grow wide-eyed as his Uncle made strange hand motions to better illustrate to the young boy of his time in Beacon and his travels through the Kingdoms. Her son would no longer point to figures of knights and Huntsman and call them out as Jaune in his babbles. Her son would no longer jump up and down excitedly when his Uncle called to wish him Happy Birthday.

Her son was too young to feel the full impact of the loss. Instead, it was Saphron who had found herself taking the pain in his place as her grief was doubled.

The beloved fairy tale book was pushed back.

She didn't have the heart to open it.

How could she?

With a deep breath and a small nod to her worried-faced wife, Saphron grabbed a random book. The name didn't matter. The message didn't matter. The characters didn't matter.

Smiling at her slightly frowning baby boy, her eyes shut to hide any more tears, Saphron sat down at the foot of Adrian's bed.

"I-It's alright, Adrian! Huh? No! Mommy wasn't crying. She was just...trying to find a good story to read you!" she said brightly with a crack in her voice. A second later, Terra joined her as the small family cuddled together.

Before she could read the title of the random book, Saphron noticed her son pointing his chubby little finger out. To the bookshelf.

To a specific book, his young mind had grown to recognize and come to adore as well.

The Girl Who Fell Through The World.

Saphron bit her lower lip. Bitter. Instead of tasting the iron flavor of blood, all she could taste was foul bitterness.

"No, Adrian. Not...not tonight, o-okay. Maybe...tomorrow. I promise."

The slight quiver on her baby's face and the hurt in his eyes at being denied his favorite story nearly broke her. Thanks only to Terra's hand in her own could she swallow the grief. Smoothing over Adrian's dark hair and giving him a sweet kiss atop his head, she went on to crack open the book, never bothering to even read the title as she flipped to the first page of illustrations.

That...that book.

Not again.

Never again.

"Do you think...I can be a brave knight like the Rusted Knight? Do you think I can be a strong warrior like Dad? And Grandpa?"

"Do you think I can be a brave knight like the Rusted Knight? Do you think I can be a strong warrior like Grandpa? And Uncle?"

Saphron would never again allow the sweet child in her arms to be deluded into such toxic fantasies. She would not allow there to be another missing spot in her life. No more heroes. No more lies.

Adrian would not follow the same doomed path as her younger brother.

[-]

Jaune awoke with a start.

"Gah! I'm late! Shit, no! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!"

The now 27, or was it 30(?), year-old blond knight leaped out of bed with a terrified gasp on his lips. He never slept with covers- it made it harder to get out of bed when they were coiled around him- so he landed on the floor with little need to do much else but grab Crocea Mors. There was no need to get his armor off either. He couldn't remember the last time he had taken even a single piece of metal off.

Showering and personal hygiene had...kinda not been his top priority these past few years.

With little more than a quick check that his weapon was still working, the nearly middle-aged knight scrambled out of the room.

"Sun's not up just yet! Let's see, let's see! I finally got the timing right this time! Meaning I have just enough time to stop Yang from 'accidentally' setting the first fire!"

Red.

Green.

Purple.

Gold.

Violet.

Black.

Yellow.

Baby blue.

Various colored paper mache decorations were seen as he rushed out of his home, of which was made of the same paper material as everything else in the village. By now, he had gotten used to bizarre colors that had once stung his eyes. The beautifully designed homes, furniture, and landscape, all of which were made of slightly tough paper, were ignored as the fully-suited knight ran through the streets.

He gave a slight wave to a tangerine-colored starfish also made of paper, who waved back happily. Mental note: make sure Nora wasn't hiding a metal rod like last time. If he was reading the clouds right, there would be a storm later tonight.

Three rocks were taken out of his pouch pocket and flicked, knocking a pair of sharp scissors out of the arms(or stubs, really) of the early morning troublemakers running about the bazaar: Sun, Cardin, and Coco. Damn it, had that damn peddling raccoon paid the village a visit when he wasn't around? What had those 3 idiots traded in for those big scissors anyway?!

High above, overhead all the paper roofs, Jaune's darkened blue eyes spotted a long wooden stick waving around aimlessly. At the tip was a wick of flaring flames. And just out of reach was a paper mache lamp shaped like a mini-sun, waiting to be lit.

"Oh! Hello, Mr. Rusted Knight!"

"Not now, Ren! And what did I say about staying clear of the fountain!? Don't make me have to put you in time out alongside Emerald again!"

"Aww."

A swift scolding to the now deflated green/pink styled origami starfish aside, Jaune quickly jumped over several crates that just so happened to have been left out in the middle of the road and finally spotted the troublemaker he was looking for.

Sunny bright yellow with a hint of curling flames on the edges of each side. Tasked by all the villagers to light the fake sun above every morning and put it out every night. Very flammable like all the rest, kinda irresponsible, clumsy, and a big fan of making tasty pastries. The starfish made of paper was affectionately called Yang and...well, she had every intention to set the fake sun above their heads on fire and let it crash down upon the village so that they would all be consumed in a searing red inferno that would make a murderous psychopath like Cinder grin like a school girl.

"Damn it, Yang! Stop waving that fire around! I told you, I can do it!" he shouted in panic as he reached his hand out to grab the stick.

Yang paid the old knight now mind, innocently waving the long candle stick up to tap the very edge of the fake paper sun, intentionally desiring to miss the wick inside. Jaune was just a foot away, arm failing to reach just as the giddy flame was ready to kiss the paper sun.

Flat teeth chomped down on the long wooden candle stick. Being made of paper, Yang was unable to take back the pole from the majestic white-haired antler rabbit/horse/deer appearing from behind. Yang deflated, disappointed as the paper being watched as the strange beast carefully lit the sun's wick with ease.

"Thank you, Juniper," Yang mumbled dejectedly. If the origami starfish had facial expressions, Jaune was sure he would have seen a puffy pout.

Jaune let out a giant sigh of relief as his trusty stead, Juniper, carefully set down the burning pole into the nearby fountain. Oh, Brothers, was he getting too old for this? He'd just woke up and he was already feeling kinda winded. Or maybe it was the whole having only 4-5 hours of sleep as of late.

Turns out that making your own maps wasn't easy. He was still getting used to properly surveying his surroundings and making appropriate markers for landmarks he would understand. Not to mention taking note of all the strange and wacky environmental phenomena that would occasionally pass by each Arcre of the Ever After. All of which was typically done at night when those careless little paper brats were asleep.

Walking over to his mount, Jaune gave the jackalope an affectionate rub of her head, earning him a pleased whine, before turning his gaze down at Yang. The troublemaker was staring down, twiddling their little stumps like any child would when they found themselves up to no good.

Really, what was this now? The 19th? 23rd? Or had it already been 30 times that he had stopped the fire starter from burning everything down?

In the back of his mind, he was kinda starting to worry about how easily he was starting to lose count of these everyday problems. Timesheet of shenanigans aside, it was getting harder and harder to remember the number of times these kinds of things happened. It wasn't important but he didn't like how even something so normal was slipping from his mind.

Like his age.

"You would think such adorable and harmless Afterans would be easier to handle, but you Paper Pleasers are starting to try my patience," Jaune grumbled as he massaged his aching temple.

Despite his frustration with the little Paper Pleaser, who was kicking a pebble aside dejectedly at failing to consume them all in flames, Jaune patted Yang's head like he would to his younger sister.

A face came to mind. Fuzzy, hazy, as if corrupted by some kind of mist he couldn't see though. Someone's name came on the tip of his tongue but fell away before the first letter could be tasted. He scratched his head, his gauntlet fingers brushing aside several white hairs that were beginning to become a lot more noticeable as the days passed him.

Was it Verne? Was that someone he had known? Hadn't he named any of the other Paper Pleasers after his own family just so he could avoid this very situation?

"Go on. The first lantern has been lit, meaning you have to continue with your chores. I'm sure Winter's waiting for you by the cleaning shed."

"Yes, Rusted Knight!" With a cute little salute, the fiery Paper Pleaser waddled off to join a frost-pattern paper starfish waving at them from a distance with brooms.

Jaune scratched at his chin while watching to make sure the fire starter didn't cause any more trouble, noting what was once a rather trimmed beard he had tried to keep maintained since the first fuzz showed up, was becoming kinda bushy. Maybe the next time he went out to the market, he could pick up some small blades to act as razors. The problem was he would have to carefully conceal them, less the very fragile and suicidal Afteran's stole them. For Afterans who were very kind, sweet, gentle, and generous to everyone they met, they had the terrible habits of troubled teenagers seeking self-destruction.

Cool breezes swept by, flicking a few long strands of his dulling sunny blond hair and the warrior's wolf tail he had been maintaining for the last few years. Without even looking, his right hand snapped up and clenched shut like the jaws of an irritated viper.

Leaves. An everyday leaf you could find on just about any tree and Acre- even the harsh and desolate Acres made of magma, ice, and crushed earth. It was colored an odd splash of purple, green, gold, and hints of red.

Resentment could be seen in the frigid blue eyes of the rusted man as he kept his gaze forward, staring only at the large behemoth of a tree topped with countless psychedelic leaves that were always found wherever he traveled in this strange world. With an audible crunch, the three leaves in his hand were crushed and scattered aside like dirt.

"Still up to your usual tricks. Seriously, it's too early in the morning for your games."

With a parting glare at the Great Tree centered at the Ever After, Jaune turned his back to return to his morning duties, Juniper falling in step beside him. The day's first incident had been settled, so that should leave him just enough time to grab breakfast and do some inventory. Who was cooking today? If he remembered correctly, it was Qrow's turn to take over kitchen duties alongside Neptune. Meaning there was going to be a messy disaster left over by the silly pair.

He made a mental note to task Blake with monitoring those clumsy idiots. She was the most responsible of the entire village and the most reasonable(despite also wishing death), and knew how to keep the most rambunctious of the Paper Pleasers in line. Even the purple star had shaken her head in exasperation alongside him when he had found Ren, Scarlet, and Glynda stuffing Neptune into the kitchen oven with cheers of 'Cook, cook, cook!'.

It was the start of another day. Another wacky, weird, stressful, odd, and strange day in the Ever After. And just like always, Jaune continued forward with a clank of rusting metal echoing with every step

...What day was today? Tuesday? Or was it already Saturday? Had he remembered to mark down what day of the week it was?

Idly, he wondered if he simply decided to give that up too. At some point, the number of years he had spent in this maybe-not-maybe afterlife had stopped mattering. Same as the month. Hell, he was honestly surprised he hadn't already just given up on keeping track of the day. Not like any of those concepts mattered in The Ever After. Even time itself could be screwy depending on which Acre you were in. Time would literally fly by.

Or...fly back.

"I wonder...if I'll ever see you all again," he said somberly.

One day.

So long as he kept going like this, kept exploring the other Acres, survived, endured, and didn't give up then one day he would see them again.

Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang.

When time rewound itself to that very moment he had idiotically picked the mechanical clock fruit that had called out to him, then he would see his friends again. Together, surely if they were all together, they would find a way out of this topsy-turvy hell. They would return to Remnant and…

And…

A-And…

Orange hair.

A freckled face, bright and always cheerful.

Green eyes wide with wonder at the world like a child.

'Salutations, Friend Jaune!'

An incredibly heavy weight nearly tripped him over, one settled on his back where Crocea Mors' collapsed shield now rested. Jaune breathed in and out, shutting his eyes as he waited for his heart to stop seizing up. It had been years now, so at the very least, his hands weren't shaking anymore. He could draw his broken blade now too without breaking down in a panic attack like the first year he'd been stranded in the Ever After.

Still, the random pangs of guilt, remorse, grief, and pain were as powerful as ever. Maybe it was for the best. To forget what he did to...t-to.

"Penny."

He spoke that bright girl's name in a shudder, her grinning face once again flashing through his thoughts.

The first year had nearly broken him.

The second year he had tried to forget.

The third year he had tried to justify it.

The fourth year he had blamed Cinder, Ozpin, General Ironwood, everyone.

The fifth year was a haze of slashing, slashing, slashing, slashing everything around him.

And the sixth year he couldn't remember. Everything had become a blur, years bleeding together as he wandered aimlessly for who knows how long, until he found himself sitting on a rock at the beach he had fallen into at the start. Mind going silent, vision fading, body locking up like a statue, he simply sat perfectly still in one spot for an unknown amount of days, weeks, maybe even months.

It wasn't until his blurred eyes caught the faint hue of blue streaking through the sky above, that the rusted suit of armor finally felt his heart light up.

Another familiar emotion arose to swallow the grief as a different face came to mind.

Anger.

Hatred.

Bitterness.

The Girl Who Fell Through The World.

Alyx.

To think he ever adored that fucking story.

Feeling a wet nose nudge his cheek, Jaune was reeled out of those painful memories by a worried Juniper. He smiled gratefully to his trusted companion, scratching the back of her ear in thanks. Good girl.

"You're right, breakfast will get cold if I continue rooting myself in the past. There's still a lot to do before we have to stop the pebble tower from falling over."

Jaune continued going forward, set on returning to his little home to enjoy a hot meal while he could. He only had a good twenty or so minutes before the next disaster occurred- if his newly made time sheet was correct. It still needed a few tweaks here and there though.

The wind brushed against his fading blond locks one more time as if some unseen force was calling him back. Were he to glance back, he was sure to face that brightly colored psychedelic-leafed great tree ever on the horizon.

"I don't need you."

He was done believing in fairy tales.

Fairy Tales are a means for naive boys and girls to imagine fantastic adventures and dream of silly dreams only children could ever come up with. Sweet, lovely, warm, fun, and childish illusions one should never be ashamed of once believing with all their heart.

One day, such cherished stories must be put to rest. Do not cling to fairy tales.

Grow up.

The world is not a fairy tale. White armor can only shine for so long until the rust sets in.

Time is a cruel a mistress. Resist it all you like, it will pass you by with no regard to your broken heart. But maybe time will heal those aching wounds and haunting regrets.

Or will the accumulating rust stall the gears in your metal body and leave you a weathered old fool who can only creak and moan in lament?

And that's a wrap for the Prologue!

Funny thing is, I had the 1st Chapter completed before the Prologue. Like many things concerning my works, the idea was sparked during conversations on Discord. I think it was at the time Volume 9 was out and I was busy working on edits for Darkbetrayer's Dream Weaver. Working on a RWBY story rekindled my love of RWBY again after leaving my own RWBY stories behind to focus on ToAru fics. Feeling the passion back, and loving what they were doing with Volume 9 and Jaune's character, I couldn't help but type something up.

But what? I knew I wanted to write something while the Volume was going but I didn't what that would be. I knew for a fact I wanted it to center on an older Jaune and focus on the kind of man he had become due to the Ever After and Alyx. At the time I just didn't know how to go about doing that or what I wanted the story to go as it would progress. It wasn't until we hit the final episode of V9 that I found my answer.

Many people have different things to say about V9, and RWBY in general, and I try not to listen to a lot of the negatives people spot. But I will say there was one thing I wished they hadn't done: revert Jaune's age.

To me, and others, there was just a lot of missed potential with Older Jaune coming back to Remnant after his time in the Ever After and so much to be explored. I know the whole age reversal thing may be explored in V10(before, sadly, Rooster Teeth was shut down) but I had been hoping we would see more of gruff Jaune interacting with the others in Remnant and having to overcome his trauma and grief with the help of others.

Since that didn't happen, I thought- why not? And boom, the first chapter was typed up after downing lots, and lots, and lots, and lots, of coffee and whiskey. It's my process- don't judge.

The Prologue is just a small taste. I wanted to write a scene to show off young and naive Jaune, still bright-eyed and dreaming of being a super cool hero. A contrast to when we move forward to get an idea of what a grizzled Jaune's daily routine might be. If I wanted to, I would have made an entire chapter of what Jaune's daily life would be like when going about the Ever After but I didn't want to go overboard with the prologue. Hell, it's weird as it is to be writing up a chapter that's not over 10-15K in length.

You know, the hardest part to write up was the title. I don't know why but a story's title is usually the most difficult thing for me to think up and be satisfied with. I originally thought to call it Rust: A Knight's Tale. A few people had already beaten me to the title, so I wanted something that wasn't similar. After some mulling, I couldn't think of any better fit for the title of this story than a spin on the story that started it all: The Girl Who Fell Through The World.

The Knight Who Fell Back Into The World- has a nice ring to it, huh? And it's like a sequel of sorts.

Now for how we will go about updating this story.

When writing this story, I wanted to go with 6 chapters per story arc. Of which I'm about done writing. I even have the titles of the chapters to be released ready to go:

Prologue: What False Fantasies You Tell, Storyteller/Sweet_Knave_Lullabies.

Chapter 1: The One Who Waited/Ever_Back.

Chapter 2: Once Upon A Hot Vacuan Desert/Amplify_The_Hype.

Chapter 3: Welcome To The Kingdom of Vacuo/Remnants_Made_Whole.

Chapter 4: Clinging Rust/Stubborn_Old_Fools.

Epilogue: Those Who Continue Struggling For A Happy Ever After/Preparations_For_War.

The next chapter will be up in a week or so once the final edits are complete. For news on updates, and other RWBY content that I never uploaded, just check out my P a treon for news.

Remember to Read and Review.

NeoShadows fading in and out.

P a treon . com (slash) NeoShadows.