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Jaune sat in the middle of the camp, looking entirely unaware of the war brewing around him. He was just trying to enjoy some peace after all the chaos. But no, apparently, the universe had other plans.

Ruby, Velvet, and a very high Weiss sat nearby, all staring at him with varying levels of intensity.

"Jaune," Weiss drawled, swaying slightly, "you're... so symmetrical. Like a perfect rectangle."

Jaune blinked. "Uh. Thanks?"

Velvet cleared her throat, shifting uncomfortably. "I mean, you know, Jaune's been, uh, really... responsible. A good leader."

Ruby nodded quickly. "Yeah! Like, totally dependable. I mean, dorky, sure, but in a, uh, reliable way. Not that I think about that or anything. Nope."

Weiss flopped onto Jaune's shoulder, sighing dreamily. "Mm. You smell like justice."

Jaune coughed. "Weiss, I think you should—"

"Shhh, rectangle man. I'm talking."

Winter, watching from a short distance, facepalmed. This was getting ridiculous.

Ruby fidgeted. "Anyway, point is, Jaune's... great. Like, if someone were to, you know, spend more time with him, it should be someone who understands his leadership."

Velvet crossed her arms. "I do understand his leadership."

"Oh yeah?" Ruby challenged. "Who was the first person he fought?"

Velvet's ears twitched. "...Okay, that was you, but—"

"Hah! See?" Ruby smirked.

Velvet huffed. "Jaune helped me. Saved me. He trusts me with strategy."

"Uh, I trust all of you," Jaune said, trying to defuse whatever this was turning into.

Weiss suddenly giggled. "I should get Jaune!"

The other two stopped and stared at her.

"...Whyt?" Ruby asked flatly.

Weiss grinned, poking Jaune's cheek. "Because I hated him before! And that means... character development!"

Winter groaned, already regretting letting Weiss anywhere near alcohol—or whatever weird drug had made its way into her system.

Ruby pinched the bridge of her nose. "Weiss, you are drugged, out of equation, that's not how it works—"

"Yes it is!" Weiss waved a finger dramatically. "Enemies-to-lovers. A classic trope!"

Velvet raised an eyebrow. "Enemies? Weiss, the worst thing Jaune ever did to you was exist."

"And it pissed me off!" Weiss declared. "And now he doesn't! That means growth!"

Ruby and Velvet exchanged a look.

Winter sighed and started walking away. She really didn't want to hear the rest of this.

Jaune, blissfully unaware of the chaos about to unfold, walked off to build a windmill using his Wood Release. His hands moved smoothly as roots and branches twisted into structure, his mind at ease, thinking, Finally, some peace.

Ruby, Velvet, and Weiss stood in a tense triangle, each side trying to assert dominance over an argument that had spiraled far beyond reason.

"Look," Ruby said, crossing her arms. "All I'm saying is, Jaune needs someone who understands his true nature."

Velvet scoffed. "And you think that's you?"

Weiss smirked, still high but coherent enough to be dangerous. "It's obviously me."

Ruby groaned. "Weiss, you literally hated Jaune forever."

"That was before I saw his true potential!" Weiss flipped her hair dramatically. "Now I have matured! And my maturity means I should be with Jaune!"

Velvet narrowed her eyes. "Oh? So now you suddenly appreciate him? That's convenient."

Weiss smirked. "Yes. Convenient for me."

Ruby took a step forward. "Well, I actually fought by his side since day one."

Velvet stepped up too. "And I supported him when nobody else did."

Weiss leaned in, eyes sharp. "And I was the only one he proved himself to!"

A silent, unspoken declaration of war filled the air.

Then Ruby nudged Velvet. Not hard, just a little push.

Velvet nudged back.

Weiss shoved Ruby.

Ruby shoved Weiss harder.

Velvet, not wanting to be left out, shoved them both.

Then, like a chain reaction of inevitability—

Weiss slapped Ruby.

Ruby kicked Velvet.

Velvet tackled Weiss.

And just like that—

The battle royale began.

Weiss summoned a line of ice, tripping Velvet while dodging Ruby's scythe swing. Velvet flipped midair, landing like a cat, then mimicked Weiss' ice powers with her semblance, throwing Weiss' own ice back at her.

Ruby zipped through the battlefield with her speed semblance, slashing at Weiss—who blocked with an ice wall—then backflipped, dodging Velvet's copied gunfire.

Weiss fired a barrage of ice shards. Ruby spun Crescent Rose, deflecting them like a whirlwind. Velvet copied Ruby's speed for a moment, dashing to the side, then lunged with a perfect imitation of Weiss' rapier skills.

Weiss grinned. "Hah! Nice copy, but—"

Velvet's strike landed.

"Ow!" Weiss yelped. "Okay, rude!"

Ruby reappeared above, swinging Crescent Rose down. Weiss barely dodged, summoning a glyph beneath her to shoot into the air.

Velvet copied that too, launching herself after Weiss.

Weiss, now very annoyed, summoned a circle of ice spikes.

Velvet copied it.

Now there were double the ice spikes.

Weiss frowned. "...Okay, your semblance is really annoying."

Ruby, taking advantage of the chaos, slashed down between them, forcing them apart. "Alright, enough messing around! It's time we—"

Velvet grabbed Ruby and threw her at Weiss.

Weiss screamed. "WHY?!"

Ruby screamed. "WHY ME?!"

They crashed into the ice wall, tumbling into a heap.

Velvet dusted her hands. "Okay, I think I win."

Weiss groaned, pushing Ruby off her. "Absolutely not!"

Ruby rolled away and got to her feet, glaring. "Okay. No more nice Huntress."

Weiss raised her rapier. Velvet cracked her knuckles.

Then—

Jaune's voice rang out. "Hey! What's with all the yelling?"

The three froze.

Jaune stood a few feet away, dirt on his hands from his construction, looking genuinely concerned.

The girls exchanged glances. Then, in eerie synchronization—

"Nothing!"

Jaune squinted. "...Then why are you all bruised?"

Weiss dusted off her dress. "Training, sweetheart!"

Velvet nodded aggressively. "Yep! Just, uh, friendly sparring!"

Ruby tried to hide Crescent Rose behind her back. "Totally normal Huntress stuff!"

Jaune raised an eyebrow but decided he was way too tired to question it. "Uh, okay. Well, I built a windmill, so... dinner's in an hour?"

They all nodded way too quickly.

Jaune left.

The moment he was gone, the three turned back to each other.

Ruby pouted. "This isn't over."

Weiss flipped her hair. "Not by a long shot."

Velvet cracked her knuckles. "Same time tomorrow?"

They all agreed.

And just like that, the battle was postponed. For now.

—X~X—

Jaune Arc stood in the clearing, hands on his hips, surveying the materials in front of him. Logs, wooden planks, a few metal scraps—yeah, this would work. The village needed a windmill for water distribution, and by Oum, he was going to build it.

"Alright, Jaune, think. How does one make a windmill?"

A wise voice echoed in his mind. "First, you need a solid foundation."

Jaune nodded sagely. "Right. Foundation first." He summoned his Wood Release, and roots burst from the ground, weaving together into a sturdy base.

The voice hummed. "Good. Now, the central column. It must be strong enough to withstand Vacuo's desert winds."

Jaune focused, and a thick wooden pillar rose, branches twisting tightly to reinforce it. He grinned. "Oh yeah. I got this."

But then came the tricky part—the blades. They had to be lightweight yet durable.

The voice sighed. "Perhaps… consider using layered wood, reinforced with chakra?"

Jaune smirked. "I was just about to say that."

"...Sure you were."

With careful movements, he shaped four massive blades, infusing them with chakra to make them resistant to wear and tear. He attached them to the central hub and, with a final push, connected them to the axle.

The wind picked up. The blades turned.

Jaune wiped his forehead and grinned. "Heh. Not bad for a goofy dork, huh?"

The voice chuckled. "Indeed. Perhaps you're not so hopeless after all."

—X~X—

Weiss hiccupped, her vision swimming as she blinked blearily at her surroundings. Where… was she? Wasn't she supposed to be helping rescue Yang? And why was she wrapped around something warm and—

She looked down.

Her arms were wrapped around a broad chest. A very familiar broad chest.

Her stomach dropped.

"Jaune Arc?!" she shrieked, attempting to slap him but only managing a weak swat before scrambling away like he was some sort of plague-ridden animal. "What in the gods' name have you done to me, you wretched buffoon?!"

Jaune, who had been enjoying the rare peace and quiet of the morning, blinked at the sudden chaos. The room, which had been filled with a soft buzz of conversation just moments before, fell silent.

And then he noticed something else.

"…Winter? What the hell are you doing here?"

Winter, who had been sipping tea, calmly placed her cup down. She stared at Weiss like she had just started barking like a dog. "Is this some kind of new joke, Weiss?"

"Joke?!" Weiss snapped, still fumbling with her bearings. "I am being molested by Jaune Arc, and you think this is a joke?!"

"Molesting?"

Ruby, who had been sitting nearby and—Jaune was 90% sure—had been completely brainwashed, stepped forward with her arms crossed. "Jaune isn't molesting anybody, Weiss. You were the one clinging to him for two days straight."

Weiss froze.

Two days?

That wasn't possible. That had to be some kind of horrible prank.

She turned to Jaune, accusingly. "You brainwashed me, didn't you?!"

Jaune let out the longest sigh in human history. "No."

"Then surely—"

Before she could concoct another wild theory, Winter strode forward, grabbed Weiss by the collar, and yanked her to eye level.

"I don't know what ridiculous game you're playing, little sister, but the fact remains that you are engaged to Jaune Arc," she said coolly. "And you will not go back on your word."

The words barely registered. Weiss felt like she had just been hit in the face with a frozen trout.

"…What do you mean engaged to Jaune?" she asked weakly.

"You're his fiancée."

This time, the voice came from Velvet, who looked entirely unamused. "Unfortunately."

Silence.

Weiss's brain flatlined.

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat—?!

—X~X—

Jaune Arc was having what he considered a relatively peaceful day.

Which, in his life, meant that nobody was trying to stab, burn, or politically assassinate him at that exact moment.

He had spent the morning tending to the villagers—some needed medical care, others just wanted reassurance that their very questionable Hokage wasn't about to get himself killed doing something ridiculous. Again.

And then Winter Schnee walked up to him with a very specific, very dangerous expression.

"You have a phone call," she said, her voice unnervingly neutral as she handed him her scroll.

Jaune blinked. "Who?"

Winter said nothing.

He glanced down at the caller ID.

Arc's Home.

Oh.

Oh no.

A cold sweat ran down his back as he reluctantly answered. He barely had time to open his mouth before—

"JAUNE ARC!"

He winced. The sheer power of his mother's voice could probably be classified as a high-tier Semblance.

"UH—HI, MOM—"

"DO NOT 'HI, MOM' ME, YOUNG MAN!" Juniper Arc's voice blasted through the scroll's speaker, loud enough that Winter actually took a polite step back. "I SWEAR TO THE GODS, I AM 'THIS CLOSE' TO FLYING TO VACUO AND DRAGGING YOU BACK HOME MYSELF! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!"

Jaune took a breath. He could handle this. He had fought Grimm, warlords, and eldritch horrors. He could handle a little—

"I RAISED YOU TO BE A GOOD, DECENT YOUNG MAN—NOT A PSYCHOPATHIC WARLORD WHO DECLARED WAR AGAINST AN ENTIRE PLANET!"

—Okay, nope, he was not ready.

"I—it's not war, exactly—"

"NOT WAR?!" Juniper screeched. "NOT WAR?! YOU TRIED TO KILL OZPIN!"

Jaune flinched. "Technically—"

"YOU ALSO KILLED A MAN!"

"…Okay, that one is true."

"AND NOT JUST ANY MAN—ADAM TAURUS! DO YOU KNOW HOW DANGEROUS HE WAS?!"

Jaune squinted. "Yes, that's why I killed him! But it was an accident!"

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT, YOUNG MAN!"

Jaune rubbed his temple. "Kinda feels like it is, though—"

"AND WHAT'S THIS ABOUT YOU FIGHTING THOUSANDS OF GRIMM ALONE IN VACUO?!"

"Exaggeration," Jaune muttered.

Winter coughed.

Jaune scowled at her.

Juniper was not done. "AND DON'T THINK I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOUR VILLAGE!"

Jaune felt like he should've seen this coming. "What about it?"

"WHAT ABOUT IT?! YOU—YOU—YOU CREATED A WHOLE FOREST IN THE MIDDLE OF A DESERT! YOU ARE NOT THE GOD, JAUNE!"

Jaune hesitated. "…Technically, I didn't do it. The trees just—sort of listened to me—"

"Oh, so now you're a forest whisperer, too?!"

"…Maybe?"

"AND DON'T THINK I HAVEN'T HEARD ABOUT VALE!"

Jaune froze. "…What about Vale?"

"YOU TRIED TO KILL INNOCENT PEOPLE!"

Jaune groaned. "It was misinformation! And technically, I didn't kill them—"

"BUT YOU TRIED!"

Jaune sighed. "I was desperate—"

"DESPERATE?! YOU WERE DESPERATE?! JAUNE, WHEN I GET DESPERATE, I BAKE COOKIES. YOU DECLARE WAR!"

Jaune opened his mouth.

No. No, she had a point. He had nothing.

Juniper took a deep breath. Jaune hoped, for one merciful second, that the storm was passing.

It was not.

"And," she exhaled, calmer now. "After all of this—after ALL the chaos you've caused—you still managed to somehow get engaged."

Jaune blinked.

"...Wait, that part isn't bad, right?"

Juniper sighed dramatically. "At least you're finally in a relationship. I was starting to think you'd spend your entire life just watching hentai."

Jaune turned bright red. "MOM!"

Winter turned away, politely coughing into her hand.

Juniper continued, completely unfazed. "Of course I know about that, Jaune, I always check your browser history."

Jaune stared blankly at the scroll. "…Really?"

"Of course. I also deleted your viruses."

Jaune was going to die.

Juniper sniffed. "Anyway. Take good care of my future daughter-in-law, you hear me? And I expect at least eight grandchildren."

Jaune opened his mouth, then closed it. Then opened it again.

Then the call hung up.

Jaune just stood there.

Winter, after a long silence, finally turned to him.

"...Eight children, huh?"

Jaune buried his face in his hands.

Weiss seethed, her fingers twitching at her sides like she was debating whether to pull out Myrtenaster and end everyone in a ten-foot radius.

Her face was still red—though whether from rage or embarrassment, even she wasn't sure anymore. "Eight children," she hissed under her breath. "Eight. What kind of lowly brute thinks he can saddle me with eight brats? I will not let my family name be tainted by—"

Then her glare snapped toward Ruby.

"—and why in the world are you interested in Jaune?!"

Ruby blinked, looking every bit like an innocent, clueless angel. "What do you mean?"

Weiss squinted.

Velvet smirked. "Yeah, what do you mean, Weiss?"

Weiss took a breath. "Ruby," she started carefully, "do you even know where babies come from?"

Ruby beamed. "Duh! A bird with a big beak delivers them!"

Silence.

Weiss closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

Jaune muttered, "I am so done with today."

Velvet snorted. "Oh, you are definitely the right age to be a father."

Jaune gave her a flat look. "I will drown you in a lake."

Ruby, still oblivious, tilted her head. "What?"

Weiss's left eye twitched. "I refuse to have my family name associated with this circus of imbeciles."

Jaune sighed. "Too late."

—X~X—

The young cadet sat atop the towering wall, his boots dangling over the edge as he gazed out at the vast, empty horizon. The great Grimmland stretched before him—dark, lifeless, and uninviting. When he'd first signed up for border duty, he'd imagined thrilling battles, heroic last stands, and legendary stories to tell the ladies at the bar.

Reality?

It sucked.

No monsters. No action. No damsels in distress. Just an empty wasteland and the occasional rustle of wind through dead trees.

Bored out of his mind, he took a sip from his tin cup, lazily setting it down on the railing beside him.

Then—

Plip.

A ripple.

His brow furrowed.

Another. Stronger.

His hand tightened around the cup as an uneasy feeling crawled up his spine.

What the hell—?

A shadow darkened the sky.

His stomach lurched as a massive Nevermore soared overhead, its wingspan so immense it cast a blanket of darkness over the entire wall. Feathers as black as ink gleamed under the dimming light, its red eyes locking onto the city beyond.

The cadet nearly dropped his radio.

"Shit."

Fumbling, he snatched it up and jammed his thumb against the button. "Captain! Emergency! A Nevermore just crossed Vale's border!"

Static crackled. "Repeat that, rookie?"

But then—

BOOM.

The ground trembled beneath him.

The cadet's blood ran cold.

Slowly, his gaze drifted back toward the horizon.

And his breath caught in his throat.

A wave of black. A moving shadow, stretching as far as the eye could see. Hulking beasts, writhing serpents, fanged monstrosities—all emerging from the Grimmland like an endless tide.

His fingers trembled. The radio nearly slipped from his grasp.

He swallowed hard, raising it again. His voice was barely above a whisper.

"C-Captain…?"

A sigh. "What now, rookie? Where's the Grimm headed?"

The cadet licked his dry lips, barely able to form the words.

"That's the thing, Captain…" His voice shook. "There's… there's multiple Grimm."

A pause. "How many? Which direction?"

The cadet's hands trembled violently.

"Uh…" He swallowed thickly. "It's an army, Captain… and they're headed—"

His voice cracked.

"—everywhere."

—X~X—

Ozpin's office was silent save for the rhythmic tapping of his fingers against his desk. The room, high above Vale, offered a clear view of the city—one that was now drowning in the wails of sirens and flashing emergency lights.

A red light blinked rapidly on his scroll. He tapped it. A security officer's panicked face filled the screen.

"Headmaster, it's begun."

Ozpin exhaled sharply. "How bad?"

The feed cut to a live aerial view. The city, usually bustling with life, had become a battleground. From the streets to the rooftops, Grimm poured in like a black tide, their monstrous forms slithering, stomping, and leaping across Vale.

"Full city lockdown," Ozpin ordered, voice cold and firm. "Initiate Red Alert. All civilians must remain indoors. Establish curfew."

"Yes, sir!"

He turned to the Huntress beside him. "Glynda, mobilize every available Huntsman and Huntress. I want defenses at every avenue, every square, every street. No Grimm can be allowed near the city center."

Glynda's expression was grim as she adjusted her glasses. "Already done." She swiped her tablet, bringing up the casualty report.

Ozpin barely glanced at it before shutting his eyes.

Damn it.

Even with the best efforts of their defenders, the numbers were staggering. Entire city blocks had been overrun in minutes. Some teams had gone dark. Hunters were fighting, but the Grimm kept coming.

Was it enough?

He stared at the flashing red screens, the panicked radio calls, the terrified civilians.

The answer clawed at his mind.

No.

—X~X—

Author Note: A lot happened and yes, Velvet's semblance is slightly different.

Thanks for reading this chapter. The next chapter will be released soon.

Drop your thoughts in the review section. Your words motivate me to write better, larger and with more depth.

Till next time!