Jaune sat, his back resting against a tree. The sun filtered through the dense canopy to cast dappled light onto the forest floor. He pulled his knees to his chest, his body still sore.
He didn't understand how. Even now, he didn't understand anything that had happened since last night.
Growlings of Beowolves—his killers. Their snarlings as they feast on his body, tongue wet with blood, faces smeared with his flesh.
Flashes of Grimm, the pain of his wounds, and then... and then her.
Suesor was an unknown. Her nightly body, her golden tattoos, the way she floated just above the ground as if gravity itself were optional. There was a weird serenity about her, like she could be curious, but nothing in this world—or any other—could surprise her.
She had saved him, and taught him how to fight, and now, she was guiding him across Anima in search of his family, even though Jaune had no idea how far they'd gone or how long he'd been separated.
She stood a short distance away, scanning the treetops as she could see something beyond them. She was always watching. To Jaune, she was a mystery—an angel of blackness, perhaps. Someone sent to help him or maybe to guide him. He didn't know.
But he needed her. More than he wanted to admit.
"Are we going to keep moving?" Jaune asked, his voice small, barely a whisper. It was the first thing he'd said after they left Shion's boundary, his throat still dry from the long silence that had passed between them.
She turned to him slowly with her eyes gentle yet searching. "Not yet, child. We are safe here for the nonce. Thou must rest." Her voice held something that both comforted and unnerved him.
He didn't know what 'nonce' is, but nodded anyway. The memory of the Grimm—their shrieks, their claws—clung to him like a second skin. He couldn't stop thinking about what had happened.
She moved closer, and knelt beside him, her long, flowing hair glinting like strands of gold in the sunlight. "Thou art troubled, young one."
Jaune hugged his knees tighter. "I… I don't understand. Why am I still here? I should be dead. That... thing," he stammered, his hands shaking as they hovered over where the hole in his stomach had once been. His damaged shirt had a gap in it, with a reddened abdomen. "I can still feel it. It's inside me, isn't it?"
A hellish shriek resounded.
Suesor's gaze softened, and for a moment, a shadow passed across her face. Unlike the confused boy before her, she knew the truth. She had seen it from a distance, even briefly.
The form of the indestructible creature, now a mere flesh, on its way to grant itself a new body.
Being with him for a short range and feeling the dark presence lurking within him merely confirms the horrifying truth. It had been weakened, yes, but its hatred... it was impossible to fully contain.
She exhaled slowly, measuring her words carefully. "Verily, there is something within you. An evil unlike any this world hath ever encountered."
Sweat dripped. "What... what is it? Is it a Grimm?"
"No," she said softly, shaking her head. "It is far more old. A creature born not of darkness, but of hatred so profound, it seeketh to extinguish all life, no matter its form."
"Do you... do you think it'll break out?" He asked quietly, looking down at the ground. "The thing inside me, I mean."
Her voice held an edge of warning. "Not whilst I am here. But you must remain observant. That creature is an image of unparalleled destruction. If it escapeth... it shall be the end of this world. And others."
Jaune suddenly felt a cold sweat break across his forehead.
His gazes widened, his breath quickening. "Then why... why didn't it kill me?"
This, she hesitated, unsure how to explain the truth. "It sought to consume thee, to make thy mortal shell its vessel. But thy... soul, say, rejected it. You art stronger than thou knowest, Jaune Arc."
Jaune blinked, attempting to comprehend her words. Strong? No. He wasn't strong. How? He was just a kid, a scared kid who had been lost and separated from his family.
"I don't feel strong," he muttered, his voice barely audible, but heard by her.
She tilted her head slightly, her golden eyes observing him with a tenderness that Jaune had never seen before. "Strength doth not always reveal itself in the manner thou expectest. Thou hast endured more than most, and yet, thou still standest."
The boy looked away, feeling the weight of her words press down on him. He didn't want to feel strong. He didn't want to be different. He just wanted to go home.
Home.
The thought hit him like a blow to the chest. His family. His parents, his sisters—they were still out there somewhere, probably worried sick. He'd been separated from them after the Grimm attack, and now...
"Why wast thou away from thy family, child?" Suesor's voice pulled him from his thoughts. It was gentle but direct.
Jaune's lips trembled, and for a moment, he couldn't speak.
The recollection of that day—his decision to prove himself, to try and protect his family—felt so foolish now. Oh, how he had run ahead, thinking he could help, that he could fight the Grimm like a true Huntsman, like in the stories read by his grandfather.
How stupid. How desperate. What a fool he was.
Instead, he had gotten lost, cornered, and...
"I… I wanted to help," Jaune whispered. "I wanted to be brave. I thought... maybe if I fought the Grimm, my dad would see I could be a Huntsman. That I wasn't just a burden."
She remained silent, letting the boy's words hang in the air. There was no judgment in her eyes, only a quiet understanding.
After all, she herself had struggled with her own demons when she'd lived in the village of a time long forgotten before becoming who she is now. When she'd learned of the danger, she had chosen to leave, rather than stay and endure the wrath of Destruction. Yet she had found peace, somehow, in being able to walk amongst humans once again.
She was no longer alone. For the first time in many years, she didn't have to bear the weight of being an oddity—she had found companionship.
So, she too understood why this child had wanted so badly to be a hero.
"And yet, thy parent refused to recognize that, despite thy valiant attempts at combat, thy ambition has ended."
A sob rose in his throat. He pressed the heel of his hand to his mouth to muffle it, but his heart wouldn't let him hold it in anymore. Hot tears streamed from his eyes, and his breath caught in his throat. He sniffed loudly.
"Shh…" She put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "There's no need to cry."
Jaune shook his head furiously, trying to deny the fact that he felt like crying. Crying made things worse. Crying hurt.
The boy took in a shaky, painful breath. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't—"
"Quiet," Suesor instructed, reaching up to gently cup his cheek. With surprising strength, she leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "Be silent, young one. I have watched over you this day."
With a shudder, he tried to swallow down his grief, to get some semblance of control, but it escaped him nonetheless.
"I thought I could do it," Jaune continued, his voice breaking.
"I wasn't ready. I got lost, and then the Grimm found me. I tried to run away from them, but I... I wasn't fast enough. And then everything hurt, then everything went dark."
They were surrounding him, sniffing and looking straight at him. Every single one of them was staring at him. Some more intensely than others. Their eyes shone like red coals in the darkness, sending shivers down his spine. They bared their teeth and hissed menacingly.
It was too late—
"Thou sought to protect those thou lovest," she speaks softly. "That is not weakness, Jaune. You are not a burden."
The boy's shoulders slumped as he buried his face in his hands. He wanted to believe her, but how could he? He had failed.
He had been too weak, and now, according to her, something far worse than any Grimm had wormed its way inside him.
She continued.
"Regret is an inevitable companion on any journey. But you art not the same being who left thy kin behind. Thou carriest a burden now, and it is not one thou canst flee from."
She rose gracefully to her feet and extended a hand toward him. "Come, Jaune. We must continue."
Jaune looked up at her, confusion etched across his face. "Continue? To where?"
"To thy family," she said, her voice filled with quiet decision. "I did said I shall aid thee in finding them. We are in the continent of Anima, but it is vast. I know of this kingdom—Mistral—but thou also said thy family is nomadic, correct? So before we go further, I must teach thee how to control the power that stirs within thee. It will not be easy, but it is necessary."
Jaune was unsure of what to say. "You're going to train me?"
"In a sense, yes," she replied, a faint smile touching her lips. "Thou art not the same as thou once wast, and you must learn to harness my blessing thou now possessest. It is the only way to keep the creature inside thee at bay."
The mention sent a shiver down his spine. The creature—whatever it was—was still there, lurking, waiting for an opportunity to break free. Jaune didn't understand it, didn't know how to control it, but if she was offering to help...
He swallowed hard and took her hand, letting her pull him to his feet.
"How do I stop it?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.
He hated sounding so small, so pitiful, but there was no other choice. He was completely helpless to stop the beast inside himself.
She turned, her eyes fixed on the horizon. "You must first learn to master your very own self, Jaune Arc. Only then can thou ever hope to contain the deep, scowling darkness that lies within."
The sound of the waves rolling against the shore grew fainter and fainter as Jaune ran down the beach, struggling to ignore the growing pain in his side and the ache in his limbs.
What he wouldn't give for the safety of his house, for him to return to his family safe and sound. To wrap his arms around them and hug them until they cried. To hear his mother's laughter, to kiss his little sisters goodnight, to look over at them curled together on the couch.
He needed to focus. This wasn't a game, and whatever happened next, he had to be careful.
As he approached the edge of the water, he reached into his leg.
His fingers wrapped around the handle of the knife strapped to his leg, and he quickly drew it forth before plunging it into the sand. He crouched low, peering through the shadows between two rocks, watching as the figure he'd seen earlier approached.
It was walking from the edge of the water, from the sea beyond.
Jaune tensed, preparing himself to spring up when it was closer when the shadow finally came into view.
It has red eyes glowing covered in a white armored mask and armor on its back, with large pincers and an antenna. He wasn't afraid. Instead, he held the knife firmly in his grasp. His eyes tightened as the wasp-like beast slowly stalked forward, its sharp snarl echoing throughout the sandy beach. The wind picked up, tossing his hair about in front of his face. He didn't care about how ridiculous he might be to appear to the monster before him, he was going to take Grimm down without hesitation.
It charged forward and threw itself toward the blonde with inhuman speed. It charged past him, almost knocking Jaune off his feet with its momentum. As soon as the creature passed him, the weapon he held was pierced to its side.
Its side was torn from the velocity, exposing black tar. The creature advanced upon him once more, a growl rising from its chest. A flash appeared in its sight and shot toward the Grimm, who instinctively tried to avert its direction. Jaune's punch connected to its defenseless face.
The impact knocked it backward, but as the creature recovered, Jaune was ready for it. He drove the tip of the blade into its gut, burying it deeper and deeper as he thrust it downward. The blade sank into the soft skin below the creature's armor and tore a chunk out of it.
Blood splattered, coating the blade with fluid. The creature screeched, turning towards him. He took a step back, pulling his blade free from the disintegrating corpse.
It fell onto the ground with a wet thud and writhed violently in agony. Its legs jerked wildly. A second later, a burst of flame hit it from above, sending sparks flying, momentarily blinding him.
Jaune rolled aside, avoiding the radius of harm. He picked up his knife and continued running on the beach.
He dodged another blast of fire, this time singed his shirt. Gritting his teeth, he threw himself backward, narrowly avoiding being hit by another flaming blast. His foot caught on a rock as he scrambled back and tripped.
He hit the sand hard, wincing as the force sent a spike of tiny pain into his abdomen with a brief shimmer of light. Before he could gather enough time to stand back up, another blast of flames landed inches from where he'd been lying moments ago. He rolled over on his stomach, immediately covering his head.
When his vision returned somewhat, he looked up to see what caused the damage. In the distance, a few feet away from him, Suesor's hands lit up in a blazing sphere.
She held the fireball aloft, using gravity to keep it afloat. The heat from her hands radiated across the beach, causing the sand near her to almost boil. She didn't seem to notice, continuing to watch his training.
Her gaze shifted over towards the blonde who was still lying prone, unable to escape.
She let go, dissipating the fireball and landing back to the ground. "Jaune. Thought you did quell the peril of one Grimm, take heed, for to lower your guard is folly. Yet more dangers like my flames may still abide."
She walked towards him and stopped when she noticed his body shaking over. Her eyes softened when she realized what he'd been through.
"Are you okay?" She called to him.
Jaune's lone left eye glanced over, meeting hers through the teary haze that clouded them. His mouth opened up, trying to speak, but all that emerged were gasps of air. The only thing he could do was shake his head. He didn't trust himself enough to say anything, so he simply nodded, knowing that would suffice to her.
She understood what he wanted, and moved over to the other side of him.
Suesor sat herself down beside him, leaning forward slightly as she placed her hand gently on the back of his neck. "Don't worry about it now," she said, voice gentle, as with her previous words, "Focus on breathing."
Jaune inhaled deeply, trying to calm his racing heart. The pressure on his back disappeared. The cool breeze against his skin told him she was gone, which meant she must have moved back. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
Sue Sor returned to her spot, sitting cross-legged in front of him and resting her chin atop her fists as she watched him struggle to regulate his breathing. When she felt he was stable enough, she knelt down next to him, wrapping him in a tight embrace. He clung to her like a baby koala as the world slowly faded back in.
The blonde closed his eyes.
Suesor's voice grew dimmer as she spoke again, but this time the words were unintelligible to Jaune as he lost consciousness.
"Do not fret, child," she said quietly. "There are many others that fear, but you prevail. Your strength will never falter, no matter how much you waver."