Jaune Arc stood before the massive, intricate structure that now dominated the center of the Land of Darkness, the Conduit. It was Salem's castle, but with the help of the Staff, it became the Conduit. Constructed through the combined ingenuity of Merlot's engineering and the limitless power of the Staff of Creation, it was a towering monolith of technology and mysticism. A machine designed to rewrite the very nature of Grimm.

If it worked.

Jaune tightened his grip on Crocea Mors, the reforged blade with the vorpal essence of the Jabberwalker, as he regarded the pulsating energy coursing through the machine. The conduit's spires crackled with an eerie luminescence, feeding off the boundless power Merlot had designed it to harness.

"Fascinating, isn't it?" Merlot's voice echoed in the hollow space, smug and self-satisfied. "What you've witnessed until now, Arc, is nothing but an archaic, stagnant cycle, one where the Grimm remain mindless beasts of destruction. This machine, my machine, will change that."

Jaune exhaled slowly, his helmet tucked under his arm. "You say that like it's a good thing."

Merlot scoffed, arms crossed as he gazed at the conduit with the pride of a sculptor admiring his masterpiece. "Oh, but it is. Tell me, Knight, what do you think would happen if humanity no longer had an enemy like the Grimm?"

Jaune frowned. "We'd… be free to live."

Merlot laughed, a sharp, biting sound. "Oh, how naïve! I suppose that's expected from one of Ozpin's pawns or perhaps, given your unique circumstances, a former one. No.. can you even be called one?"

Jaune didn't take the bait. He'd long learned how men like Merlot worked. He let the scientist continue.

"Humanity, left to its own devices, would devour itself in war. You see, Arc, conflict is a fundamental truth, Grimm are merely the convenient monsters we've externalized our hatred onto. Without them, who do you think the kingdoms would turn their weapons on?" Merlot's grin was razor-sharp. "Atlas? Mistral? Vacuo? The same petty power struggles will persist, just with different enemies."

Jaune clenched his jaw. The worst part? He wasn't entirely wrong.

For centuries, the Grimm had been an ever-present threat, keeping humanity unified out of necessity. But if Merlot's plan succeeded, if the Grimm no longer hunted people, if they became something… else... what then?

Would peace follow? Or would humanity fall back into its own cycle of violence?

Merlot gestured grandly to the conduit, its core humming with an unnatural pulse. "And yet, rather than eradicate the Grimm, I've found a better way. A new evolutionary pathway."

Jaune frowned. "You want to make them sentient. I get it."

"Ah!" Merlot pointed a gloved finger at him. "See? Even you grasp it! But no, not just sentient—self-sustaining. You think the Grimm are monsters because they devour souls. But what if that wasn't their function? What if they could change? What if they didn't need to destroy life to sustain themselves?"

Jaune shook his head. "So you think rewrite the fundamental nature of Grimm?"

Merlot smirked. "And why not? Everything can evolve. The difference between a parasite and a symbiote is simply its purpose. What I offer is control — a new equilibrium. The Grimm, transformed, would no longer be creatures of destruction but an integrated part of Remnant's ecosystem."

Jaune exhaled. "And Menagerie?" His voice was dangerously quiet.

Merlot met his gaze evenly, unflinching. "A necessary tragedy."

Jaune's fingers twitched against Crocea Mors' hilt.

"You knew what would happen," Jaune continued, his voice slow, measured, but heavy with restrained fury. "You used an entire island just to see if the Grimm would turn into something worse — to see if they'd infect people... their soul..."

Merlot sighed, rubbing his temples as if speaking to a particularly slow student. "Arc, do you know why science progresses? Risk. Experimentation. Sacrifice. Everything you enjoy today, the advancements in technology, the security your precious kingdoms bask in, was built upon those principles. Do you think Atlas became powerful through kindness? No, it was through innovation, steel, and willpower."

Jaune felt his pulse hammering against his temples. He was so close to running this man through.

"Do you regret it?" he asked instead, his voice like a blade's edge.

Merlot's eyes gleamed. "Not in the slightest."

Jaune looked away, his fingers flexing over his sword. "Then you're still a monster."

Merlot chuckled, unbothered. "And yet, you are here, working with me. What does that make you?"

Jaune didn't answer. Because he already knew.

He was someone who understood that, for all of Merlot's crimes, the man was right about one thing.

Change had to happen.

And like it or not, this was the only way forward.

The hours passed in silent efficiency. Jaune, despite himself, helped finalize the conduit's systems, ensuring that the Staff of Creation continued to fuel the machinery without overloading. The machine was a delicate balance between science and magic, its mechanics incomprehensible to even the most brilliant minds. But with the Blacksmith's knowledge embedded in him, Jaune understood enough to make it work.

At least, he hoped it would work.

Merlot, ever the perfectionist, supervised each calculation, adjusting the energy outputs with maddening precision. He worked with an almost childlike glee, marveling at the prospect of rewriting Remnant's greatest nightmare.

"We are on the precipice of a new era, Mr. Arc," he murmured as he studied the energy currents flowing through the machine. "And yet, you still hesitate."

Jaune, tightening the last set of stabilizers, sighed. "Because I know that nothing ever goes as planned."

Merlot laughed, a deep and amused chuckle. "Ah, but that is what makes it exciting!" He stepped back, surveying their work. "You should be proud, Arc. You're helping shape history."

Jaune didn't respond. He only stared at the conduit, its golden energy swirling like a storm contained in glass.

Was this right?

Was this wrong?

Did it matter?

He had already chosen his path.

There was no turning back now.

As the last adjustments were made, Merlot stepped beside Jaune, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Now, Arc, the real question is..."

Jaune turned his head slightly, meeting the scientist's unreadable gaze.

"When the Grimm awakens as something more, what will you do?"

Jaune didn't answer.

The air in the Land of Darkness was thick, not with malice, not with decay, but with the quiet hum of change. The land was no longer just a barren wasteland; the spires of Merlot's constructs loomed over the darkened soil, their metallic skeletons merging with the Grimm that hauled steel and stone. It was grotesque, a contradiction of life and death, nature and industry. Yet, amidst it all, something new had begun to take root.

Jaune Arc, clad in his Everafter-forged armor, stood at the center of it, staring at the Grimm before him, a creature resembling a Jackalope, its crimson eyes blinking with something beyond mere instinct. It was no longer just a being of destruction, no longer mindless hunger wrapped in black and bone. It was something else. Something more.

It was the first creature they tried on.

Merlot stood beside him, arms crossed, his cybernetic eyes flickering with curiosity as he studied the Grimm-turned-beast. "Fascinating… truly fascinating," he murmured, his voice a mix of scientific fascination and lingering skepticism. "They're no longer bound by their former hunger, yet they still possess their natural ferocity. Are you certain this is the will of your 'gods' and not some accidental byproduct of your meddling?"

Jaune's grip tightened on the Staff of Creation, the relic humming softly in his grasp. He wasn't here to debate theology, he was here to set things right. "The trees," he said, turning his gaze toward the sky where, far beyond, the colossal pillars of life, the trees he had planted in Vale, Vacuo, Mistral, and Atlas, stood as monuments of change. Their branches stretched beyond the clouds, connecting realms, linking fates. "They aren't just trees. They are doorways, paths to the Everafter. And soon, they will open."

Merlot narrowed his eyes. "And what exactly will happen then, oh wise Rusted Knight?" His tone was mocking, but there was no cruelty, just intrigue, the hunger for knowledge that had always driven him.

Jaune exhaled, watching the wind stir the sands at their feet. "A Mass Ascension," he answered. His voice carried no hesitation. "A rebirth. Those bound by Remnant's cycle will have the choice to move forward, to be renewed, to become part of something greater."

Merlot chuckled.

Jaune knelt in front of the Grimm-Jackalope, placing a steady hand on its head. The creature did not recoil. It did not attack. It merely watched him.

"They were made broken," Jaune said softly, his voice carrying the weight of ages, of sacrifice. "Their hunger was never natural. They were created as weapons — tools for destruction. But what if they could be more?" His blue eyes lifted, piercing into Merlot's gaze. "What if the Grimm had souls?" What if they are simply... animals?"

Merlot blinked once. Then twice. For a moment, he said nothing.

Then he laughed — a genuine, hearty laugh.

"Ah, I see now. So that's your game," he mused, rubbing his chin. "You aren't just trying to neutralize the Grimm, you're trying to redeem them." His mechanical fingers flexed. "You think that by giving them souls, you'll make them less of a threat? That they'll simply choose to exist in harmony with humanity? Or are you that naïve, Mr. Arc?"

Jaune shook his head. "I know they will still be dangerous. There will still be attacks. Death. Conflict. But they will no longer be mindless. They will act out of instinct, out of survival, not because they were programmed to consume."

Merlot's amusement faded into something more solemn. He glanced at the Grimm-Jackalope, watching as it twitches its ears, alert yet… calm. "You're creating something that was never meant to exist. Something the gods never intended."

Jaune exhaled, his expression unreadable. "The gods had changed their minds."

For the first time, Merlot looked uncertain.

They turned to face the towering trees that now dotted the kingdoms, their multicolored leaves shimmering like an aurora beneath the dark skies. Jaune had planted them with his own hands, watched them rise, living conduits that would bridge Remnant and the Everafter.

"They will change everything," Jaune said, almost to himself. "When the time comes, those who wish to be reborn will pass through. They will shed what they were, and be created anew. Not as monsters, not as hunters or prey, but as something balanced."

Merlot scoffed. "You mean to say you are overseeing the next stage of evolution? That is… ambitious." He turned, his coat swaying as he paced. "And these trees will supervise this process? "

Jaune gave a small, knowing smile. "Everything in the Everafter is alive."

Merlot paused. For once, he had no rebuttal.

Jaune took a step forward, hand resting on the Staff of Creation. "You and I both know that if we turned the Grimm into nothing more than meek creatures, they'd become easy prey. They would become extinct. But this? This maintains the balance. It allows them to be more without removing their place in the world. And whether we like it or not, Remnant needs them."

Merlot arched a brow. "You mean to say that you aren't eliminating the enemy, but giving it agency?"

Jaune nodded. "There have always been wars. Even without the Grimm, Remnant fought itself. Humans versus Faunus. Kingdoms versus Kingdoms. Without a common enemy, there will still be bloodshed. But at least, this way, the Grimm will not be pawns of destruction. They will not be drawn to suffering and death as mindless beasts."

Merlot exhaled sharply, running a hand through his silver-streaked hair. "I must admit… this is the most compelling argument I've heard against total eradication." His lips curled. "And here I thought you were a fool who simply carried a blade and a fairy tale on your back."

Jaune smirked. "A very tired fool too, but a fool nonetheless."

The scientist huffed a laugh, folding his arms. "And what of the Huntsmen, then? Without the Grimm as an eternal enemy, won't they become obsolete?"

Jaune's expression didn't waver. "Perhaps. But that's not for me to decide. It's for them." He turned back to the trees, watching as the golden, silver, and crimson leaves rustled in the wind. "They'll find their place in this new world, just as I have."

For a long time, there was silence.

Merlot tapped a gloved finger against his arm, watching Jaune with something akin to respect. "Well, this is certainly a grand experiment," he muttered. "I wonder how history will remember you, Jaune Arc. As a hero? A madman? Or merely as a footnote in the gods' ever-changing game?"

Jaune's eyes softened. "I don't care how history remembers me," he said simply. "As long as the world is better than before."

Merlot gave him one last long look, then grinned. "Very well, Rusted Knight. Let's see if your fairy tale has a happy ending."

The warship's engines hummed beneath them, a steady vibration that pulsed through the steel floors of Weiss's private cabin. Outside, the Land of Darkness loomed, its grotesque blend of organic Grimm structures and industrial machinery sprawling for miles, stretching toward the blackened horizon.

The air was heavy with the unshakable feeling of something monumental about to happen.

Jaune stood in the center of the cabin. His helmet rested on the table beside him, next to a half-full cup of coffee he had barely touched.

Across from him sat Ruby, Penny, Weiss, and Pyrrha, each absorbed in their own thoughts, each reacting differently to what they had just heard.

Jaune had told them the truth.

That the machine, the conduit, would be completed soon.

That the Mass Ascension was inevitable.

That everything they had known about Remnant's natural order would soon be rewritten.

Weiss leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, legs elegantly crossed at the knee. She exhaled sharply, shaking her head with mild irritation. "I was ready to stay months in this awful place," she muttered. "But no, of course not. If you have a relic literally made by the gods, then suddenly we're on fast-track mode."

Jaune tilted his head slightly. "Would you rather stay?"

Weiss shot him a glare. "No, Jaune, I would rather not stay. This place is horrid." She gestured vaguely toward the window, where in the distance, Grimm were hauling massive chunks of steel, aiding in the construction of something far too unnatural. "I hate that he's using Grimm to build things. I hate that this place even exists. And I especially hate that Merlot is the one leading this insanity."

Pyrrha, sitting beside Weiss, nodded in agreement. "That's what bothers me the most," she admitted. "Even if this plan succeeds, even if the Grimm change, what happens to Merlot? He can't just get away with this. With what he did in Menagerie."

Ruby leaned forward, silver eyes sharp and serious. "I hate to say it, but I agree. The guy is a war criminal. We can't just let him pat himself on the back and walk away like a hero."

Penny, seated next to Ruby, nodded with a concerned expression. "It is illogical to assume that Merlot's actions will be forgotten," she said. "The damage he has caused cannot simply be erased by a single moment of 'scientific breakthrough.' There must be consequences."

Jaune remained calm, his fingers tapping lightly against the table. "Let him succeed," he said simply.

Silence fell over the room.

Weiss narrowed her eyes. "What?"

Jaune met her gaze, unwavering. "Let him bask in the glory," he repeated. "Let him have his moment."

Pyrrha frowned, brows furrowing. "Jaune, you can't be serious. You want to just let him get away with this?"

Jaune exhaled, shaking his head. "I'm not saying that. I'm saying we don't decide his fate. Let Remnant itself decide."

The response did not sit well with any of them.

Ruby's fingers curled into a fist. "So what, we let him finish his 'project' and then what? He just goes off into the sunset like some misunderstood genius?"

Jaune shook his head. "No. We let the world judge him. When the Grimm changes, when the Mass Ascension happens, Remnant will have its own opinions. Some will call him a savior. Others will call him a monster. But it's not up to us to be his executioners."

Weiss scoffed, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "You realize that without us, that 'judgment' won't happen, right? Atlas has already written him off as dead. Vacuo doesn't care. Mistral? Maybe. Vale? Maybe. But no one's going to go after him unless we push for it."

Jaune sighed. "And if we kill him now? If we 'handle' him ourselves? And we're in their territory, with every personnel and weapons pointed at us. Do not be stupid to think they'd let us walk away if we try to touch Merlot. What does that accomplish?"

Pyrrha's green eyes darkened. "Justice."

Jaune gave her a long look. "Or revenge?"

The tension was thick enough to cut.

Pyrrha held his gaze, but her expression softened, not because she agreed, but because she knew he wouldn't change his mind.

Weiss, however, was far less inclined to relent.

"I swear, you're so bullheaded sometimes," she muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Ten years later and you still refuse to listen."

Pyrrha sighed in exasperation. "It's frustrating."

Jaune offered a small, apologetic smile. "I know. But that's what I choose to do."

Ruby finally broke the silence, leaning back in her chair with an annoyed groan. "Alright, fine. Whatever. But explain it again. Why exactly do we need Merlot in the first place? Can't we just magic it all away?"

Jaune tapped the Staff of Creation on the ground, the relic humming with divine energy. "Because he had an idea," he admitted. "The knowledge to turn the Grimm into something new."

Weiss exhaled through her nose. "And this Mass Ascension? What's the actual process?"

Jaune turned toward the window, gazing at the darkened skyline. "The trees I planted in Vale, Vacuo, Mistral, and Atlas," he said, "they are more than just symbols. They are gateways. When the time comes, they will open… and those who wish to be reborn will pass through."

Pyrrha tilted her head. "Reborn into what?"

Jaune smiled faintly. "A chance at something different. Not as just Monsters, not a weapon bound by the past. But something more."

Ruby exhaled. "Okay, that actually sounds kinda cool."

Weiss, still skeptical, rubbed her temples. "That's good and all, but what about after? What about Remnant?"

Jaune met her gaze once more. "Then that's up to them."

Pyrrha leaned back, arms crossed. "You're making a lot of people very uncomfortable with this."

Jaune nodded. "I know."

Weiss sighed dramatically, then waved a dismissive hand. "Well, whatever. We'll deal with it later. Right now, we need to focus on the fact that we're sitting in the middle of enemy territory. So how long until this thing starts?"

Jaune glanced at the clock. "Soon. There's no time to waste."

The room fell into a thoughtful silence.

Outside, the Grimm continued their strange labor, unknowingly building toward the moment that would change everything.

Jaune just hoped that, when the time came, Remnant was ready.

It was time.

Everyone gathered.

The moment the machine roared to life, the very air of the Land of Darkness seemed to tremble.

Jaune stood at the center of it all, clad in his armor, the Staff of Creation resting in his grip. Around him, the warship's crew, Weiss, Pyrrha, Ruby, and Penny all watched in a mix of anticipation and apprehension.

Merlot, standing on a raised platform near the console, had a manic, gleeful glint in his eyes, his hands trembling over the control panel.

The trees, the ones Jaune had planted across Vale, Vacuo, Mistral, and Atlas began to glow. Their roots pulsed, weaving together through unseen paths, stretching across oceans and continents to connect as one.

A deep, resonant hum filled the air.

Something divine was at work.

The Mass Ascension had begun.

A great wave of energy erupted from the machine, surging through the Land of Darkness like an unstoppable tide. The Grimm, those that had once been mindless beasts, driven by hunger and malice, stopped in place.

They shuddered.

From the smallest Beowolf to the largest Goliath, every Grimm within reach of the machine's power convulsed as if struck by an invisible force.

Then, it began.

Dark, bony armor that had once coated their forms cracked. The eerie, glowing red eyes that had haunted humanity for centuries dimmed.

And then, one by one, the Grimm began to cocoon themselves.

A bark-like shell wrapped around them, encasing their bodies in a wooden husk. Thick vines and roots coiled around them like nature itself was reclaiming them.

The process was eerily quiet.

No screams. No roars. Just the whisper of wind and the groan of shifting earth.

The horrific creatures of darkness were now nothing more than statues of wood and bark.

Merlot's breath hitched. His hands clenched into fists as he watched, standing frozen as if in disbelief.

And then the first one broke free.

A Goliath, the massive, elephant-like Grimm that had once ravaged villages was the first to emerge.

The bark peeled away, cracking open like an eggshell.

And stepping out of it was no longer a monster.

Its flesh was no longer that inky black, no longer armored with jagged bone. Instead, it had fur—thick, natural hide, dusted in shades of deep brown and gold.

It looked… normal.

A creature of nature, no longer of corruption.

And it was not alone.

All across the Land of Darkness, Grimm were breaking free from their wooden prisons, stepping out into the world anew.

Beowolves that once snarled and howled with blind hatred now padded forward like wolves, cautious, curious.

Nevermores, once winged nightmares, now looked like great eagles, feathers shimmering under the dim, eternal twilight of the Land of Darkness.

Taijitus, the twin-headed serpents, slithered forward, no longer pale and twisted, but sleek and graceful, their scales shimmering like liquid metal.

The process quickened. The machine's power surged, and soon, the transformation was no longer a slow trickle.

It was a flood.

Across Remnant, in every place where Jaune had planted the sacred trees, Grimm fell into their wooden slumber... only to rise as something else.

The Land of Darkness, once a place of death and despair, now held creatures that belonged to the world.

Merlot fell to his knees.

Dr. Merlot, the man who had spent years experimenting, manipulating, and forcing evolution, stared at the scene before him with wide, disbelieving eyes.

Tears fell freely down his face.

He looked at his hands, shaking violently, then back to the field of newborn creatures that had once been his subjects.

"I…" His voice trembled, raw with emotion. "I did it."

Weiss scoffed. "No. Jaune did it. You were just the tool."

Merlot didn't even acknowledge her words. His gaze remained locked onto the world before him.

Jaune watched him carefully, his own expression unreadable.

The scientist, once arrogant, cruel, and ruthless, was now nothing more than a man kneeling before the miracle he had spent his life chasing.

The Grimm were no longer monsters.

They were part of Remnant.

They would no longer be mindless weapons of destruction.

They had been given souls.

Merlot let out a breathless, broken laugh. "I did it…" His hands clenched into the dirt, shoulders trembling. "I… did it…"

For the first time in his life, Dr. Merlot was not laughing out of cruelty or malice.

He was laughing out of sheer, overwhelming relief.

Jaune exhaled, stepping forward, planting the Staff of Creation into the ground.

"It's done," he murmured.

Pyrrha, standing beside him, touched his arm gently. "Jaune…" She trailed off, unable to find the words.

Weiss simply shook her head, looking at the scene with both awe and unease.

Ruby stood silent, silver eyes reflecting the countless creatures awakening for the first time.

Penny, smiling warmly, clapped her hands together. "It worked."

Jaune nodded. Yes. It worked.

For the first time in thousands of years, the Grimm were no longer mindless.

They were no longer cursed.

The Grimm, once mindless monsters had transformed into creatures of nature, bound no longer by hunger but by a newfound existence. The world had changed, and with it, so had the war they had all been fighting for so long.

But for Jaune Arc, there was still one last thing to do.

He stood before Dr. Merlot, the man who had played both villain and visionary. Merlot, ever the scientist, had his arms crossed, staring out at the evolving creatures with a look of deep contemplation.

Jaune adjusted his helmet under his arm, stepping closer. "So. What happens now?"

Merlot chuckled, tired and uncharacteristically calm. "Isn't it obvious?" He gestured at the creatures before them. "I'll tell the world what I did, of course. They should know whose genius made this possible."

Jaune sighed. "Even now, you still have an ego."

Merlot smirked. "It's well-earned." Then, for the first time, his expression softened, the usual arrogance fading just slightly. "But honestly… I'd like to stay here. Study them. These new 'Grimm.' See how their biology has changed, what new instincts they develop. I may have succeeded, but my work isn't done."

Jaune nodded. "Then you'll stay."

Behind him, Weiss, Pyrrha, Ruby, and Penny were tense. They had spent years seeing Merlot as an enemy, and though he had helped accomplish something miraculous, that did not absolve him of what he had done before.

"You're just going to let him go?" Weiss asked, her arms crossed.

Pyrrha's eyes narrowed. "He still has to answer for Menagerie. For the people who died because of him."

Jaune turned, his face calm but resolute. "I never said he wouldn't be judged."

Merlot let out a dry laugh. "Yes, yes. I figured as much. Let the people of Remnant decide whether I should be hailed as a hero or condemned as a villain. I'm sure the debate will be fascinating."

Jaune didn't smile. "That's not up to us. It never was."

Weiss and Pyrrha still didn't look convinced. Ruby clenched her fists, but she wasn't arguing. Penny, though, looked at Merlot with an expression of quiet understanding.

"You're really going to stay?" Penny asked.

Merlot chuckled. "And miss the chance to study an entirely new species? Never."

At that moment, Hazel, Mercury, Emerald, and the rest of Merlot's forces stepped forward. Their hands were on their weapons, not drawn, but ready.

Jaune lifted his chin. He had made his choice, and now it was up to them whether they would fight or walk away.

Pyrrha stiffened. "Jaune, if we don't take him in now, we never will."

Jaune looked at her, his eyes steady. "I know."

Weiss gritted her teeth. "This is insane."

Jaune exhaled. "Maybe. But we all have our roles. And mine… isn't here anymore."

Jaune turned away from the tension, stepping back toward the Staff of Creation.

The artifact shimmered, responding to his will. He focused, channeling its power, crafting something that would change a life.

A beating heart formed in the air.

It pulsed with warmth and vitality, its glow almost hypnotic.

Everyone went silent.

Even Merlot looked intrigued, stepping forward to observe as Jaune turned to Penny.

"If you want it…" Jaune said quietly. "If you want to be human. This is yours."

Penny stared at it, eyes wide. Her hands slowly reached out but stopped just before touching it.

"I…" Penny whispered, looking between Jaune and the heart. "I am already myself. I am already Penny."

Jaune nodded. "I know. And I wouldn't change that. But this isn't about what I want. It's about choice."

Penny looked at the heart again, her expression uncertain but filled with wonder.

She had never been given a choice like this before.

She had always been told who she was, what she was.

Now… she had the power to decide.

To choose.

The room was silent, watching, waiting.

Then Penny smiled.

"…I think I will take it."

Jaune's lips curved into a small, warm smile. He gently placed the heart in her hands, watching her care for it diligently.

Then a portal opened behind Jaune.

Weiss and Pyrrha immediately tensed.

"Jaune—" Pyrrha's voice was sharp with alarm.

He turned, unshaken.

"I think it's time."

Weiss stepped forward, grabbing his wrist. "Is this goodbye?"

Jaune met her gaze, steady but soft. "I hope not."

"Promise," Pyrrha demanded. "Promise you'll come back."

Jaune hesitated.

Their eyes burned with unspoken emotions.

Then, finally, he sighed and nodded.

"I promise."

Pyrrha and Weiss didn't look convinced. Their dangerous, possessive glares made it clear that they would not let him break this promise.

But before they could argue, Penny stepped between them.

"Let him go."

Ruby stood beside her, arms crossed, watching Jaune carefully.

Weiss and Pyrrha's expressions darkened, but they relented.

"Fine," Weiss murmured, her grip loosening. "Just make sure you keep your promise."

Jaune smiled faintly.

He looked at Ruby and Penny, grateful.

"Take care of them," Jaune said.

Ruby gave a mock salute. "I'll make sure they don't kill anyone. No promises, though."

Penny beamed. "Goodbye, Friend Jaune. I hope to see you again soon!"

Jaune stepped toward the portal.

One last glance.

One last smile.

Then—

He stepped through.