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He was doing this. He was so fucking doing this.

When he finally shared everything with Beli, he was taken by surprise when she immediately asked him out on a date. He wasn't quite sure if she was serious or just teasing him, but he couldn't forget that this was Beli Lapran he was going out with! Besides Ashley, she's truly the most calm and open-minded person in the house. The way she agreed to support him in his endeavor and placed her trust in him to handle things with the others really spoke volumes about how much she believed in him.

Talk about pressure, right? Jaune felt like he had to meet expectations now when he was worried about not being found out or sharing too much about his past. But now that she knew about that, it was not worth hiding things anymore.

So, that is how he found himself in the park of Bella Dia, waiting for her. Despite living in the same house, Beli insisted he go on ahead while she got ready. Honestly? He didn't know what she was planning, but he reckoned it was going to be something tame. Like a walk through the park, with no such thing as extra drama.

"Jaune, over here!" Beli called out to him from behind, so Jaune turned around to greet her. His eyes widened as he saw someone with her. "Sorry if we kept you waiting."

"Yeah, sorry, Beli told me at the last minute, and it took me a bit to change," Aiko explained.

"I-it's alright, really. However, when Beli invited me, she made it sound more like this was going to be a walk between her and me. Didn't expect the extra company." Jaune said honestly.

"Am I being a third wheel?" Aiko asked, feeling unsure about her role there.

"Not at all!" Beli said quickly, trying to reassure Aiko.

"Y-yeah!" Jaune said quickly, correcting himself. "I didn't mean it to sound rude or anything. I am just a bit surprised, that's all."

"Well, as long as the two of you are all right with it. So, what are the plans for today?" Aiko asked.

"Well…" Beli trailed off, and so, their day began.

Beli pretty much had them go through various things, all of which they enjoyed. First, she proposed they walk through the park, likely for her, and said that later they could visit the botanical gardens where they keep rarer plants from outside kingdom walls. Aiko had no objection to that, and neither did Jaune. However, Kyu was closely watching the situation.

Jaune didn't tell Beli about Kyu's judgmental gaze since he didn't want to stress her out. So, they just kept going around, the next stop being a Mistrali restaurant. It turns out that this place was one of Aiko's favorites, and she didn't hold back when ordering. Jaune got to try out some new things as well, and while some stuff went down a bit hard, some delicacies proved to be almost addictive to the tongue.

And the next stop? The arcade! Of all places, this was where Jaune felt at home. Beli considered it, given his age - a soft subject, seeing how he was basically dating two older women - and added the place on the list. However, when he excused himself to go to the bathroom, she took the chance to follow, leaving Aiko to battle a game that had her hooked.

"Ok, I waited until now. How come you invited Aiko?" Jaune asked her, but Beli retained her calm.

"It is part of my plan, Jaune." She replied. "If you wish to establish a harem, then you need to ensure we all get along with one another. By taking Aiko with us, I can also test her reactions and see if she gets jealous of anything."

"Jealous? Beli, no offense, but so far, we've done almost nothing worth drawing jealousy." Jaune pointed out, but that made Beli blush.

"Not yet, but I planned everything! Trust me."

"Look, it's not that I don't trust you, Beli, but this is a bit strange to me. Or rather, I was not mentally prepared enough to be going out with both you and Aiko at once." Jaune confessed. "What about Aiko? What does she think of this?"

"She thinks it is more or less a platonic outing. But that can change…" Beli said, dropping a subtle hint. "Let's go back to her. We don't want her to find some game that feeds her gambling addiction."

"Right behind you!" Jaune followed, and they found Aiko pretty quickly. And just in time, there was a luck-based game, and she found it. She almost got hooked, and despite it being less hurtful than actual casinos, it was still not good for her. After the arcade, the group headed to the botanical gardens, as Beli said they might, and Jaune had to admit…The place was a true beauty.

"Woah…" He said, amazed by the various plants. "I never saw such plants before."

"Most of those are from seeds brought back by Huntsmen from the depths of Grimm-infested wilderness," Beli said, admiring a literal wall of blue roses. "It reminds us how little of our world we actually know and how much there is still there."

"I must admit, this beats grading papers," Aiko remarked, admiring the plants as well. However…"But aren't the tickets a bit pricey?"

Indeed, to get in, the price was 150 Lien a ticket. Jaune covered the bill, of course, but that didn't mean the place was cheap just because he was rich. "I admit, it does cost a bit to come here. Before, I couldn't afford to come here whenever I wanted, and I mostly came when I got a bonus from work. Now, with Sun Rock Gym shut down and me still trying to find employment elsewhere, I am not really able to come here as much."

"Right…Man, I still feel like shit for borrowing money from you at the time." Aiko said, showing remorse for her actions. "Had I known you were in dire straits, I wouldn't have asked you for a dime."

"It's alright. You didn't know, and if anything, I am equally guilty for not telling you anything." Beli replied. "Plus, we were lucky."

"Yeah, lucky we knew a rich boy," Aiko remarked, catching Jaune's attention.

"And lucky you decided to try and sell your ass to me," Jaune said, making Aiko blush madly and glare at him.

"Dude! Not in public…"

Beli giggled. "Relax, this place is pretty empty at this time of the day." She told Aiko. "But as Jaune said, you must have been desperate if you were willing to sell your body for money."

"Yeah, I was…I had a pretty huge debt, so I was really desperate to pay it off. Then I essentially switched my job to being Jaune's investor agent." Aiko said, recounting events. "Now I have a roof over my head, rent-free, and a stable job with an actual paycheck. Well, more or less, he is just depositing money into my account."

"He saved you," Beli remarked. "Gave you stability."

"That he did…And I guess I did give him some pretty hefty rewards." She blushed, recalling not only the reward she gave him after he won big and paid her debt off but also the nights they spent going over Sex-Ed. "Gods, what is wrong with me? The dude's ten years younger than me!"

By now, Jaune had wandered off among the plants, leaving the girls by themselves. "And five years mine." Beli pointed out. "Still, he is a good man, wouldn't you agree?"

"I do agree." Aiko sighed. "He is too good for someone like me, really."

"Don't say that," Beli replied, seeing how Aiko was getting herself down. "You are a wonderful person, Aiko. Jaune's fortune wouldn't have grown into the billions had it not been for your talent for investing."

"Talent? Yeah, right. More like luck." Aiko corrected. "I am just doing what I think is appropriate with those, selling when the value grows and buying when it drops. Nothing more to it, really. I don't know; sometimes, it seems weird to me. My luck sucked at the casino, but now it seems to be going great. Too bad it ain't in my direct benefit."

"But it is," Beli argued. "You are helping Jaune, and in turn, he keeps you away from gambling."

"Oh yeah." Aiko agreed, inhaling deeply. "Since my last slip-up, I haven't touched any form of gambling, trying to keep myself clean and off that shit. I don't want to do something stupid such as betting his fortune on a slot machine, you know?"

"That would be extremely selfish and possibly illegal." Beli pointed out.

"It would be. But you get my point: I am a ticking time bomb, and sooner or later, I am afraid I might harm his finances with my problem." She looked to the side, trying to find Jaune. "Damn, he wandered off."

"Say, Aiko…Jaune has a big…apendage, right?" Beli asked her, which surprised Aiko.

"Woah there, asking some really personal stuff there, Beli." Aiko pointed out.

"I know, I know, but…I want to know. I…I think he might be the one." Beli said, which immediately had Aiko on high alert.

"Hold on! Do you mean the one to pop your cherry, or…With rings and dresses?" Aiko asked, trying to get a clearer picture.

"Cherry!" Beli replied quickly. "I am unsure if I am ready for marriage. Granted, Jaune seems like he'd make for a great husband."

"Ok…" Aiko said slowly, inhaling slowly. "Oh boy, how do I go about this? Umm. He is above average, for sure, especially for his age. But then again, I don't think you know what the average is, either. Just…Promise me you will do a lot of foreplay before going in, ok?"

"Can you join us?" Beli asked, which really put Aiko on the spot.

"Join you?!" She gasped, surprised by such a proposal. "Woah there, such a thing is not really meant to be-. I mean, we could, but with this being your first time and all, I thought you might want more privacy with him."

"Aiko, you are more experienced than I am." Beli pointed out the truth. "Besides, having you there might help me calm my nerves."

"Beli…Wait, I just remembered something. Don't you come from a culture where men fuck more than one woman a night?" Aiko asked, making Beli flinch slightly as she feared Aiko had caught on to her little scheme.

"Yes? My father, for one, had more than one wife." Beli confirmed.

"And are you sure this is not some weird, awakening fetish where you like threesomes or something?" Aiko continued with her questions.

"I don't know. Huh. I couldn't tell you for sure." Beli replied, blushing somewhat. "B-but, even so, would you be willing to walk me through this? You could also help Jaune with a few extra tips during the act to help him along."

Aiko sighed, looking around for a bit before she gave Beli a reply. "Fine. I will have a threesome with you and Jaune. Who knows? Might be fun!"

"That's the spirit," Beli said, pleased with Aiko's reaction. "Now, how about we find Jaune and continue with our outing?"

"Tell me, though…This is not really a platonic outing, is it? It feels somewhat like a date of some kind." Aiko said, and Beli gave only a slight smile.

"Maybe."

"Oh, you sly nymph!"

"Man…" Jaune sighed as he and the girls began walking back home, the moon shining high in the night sky over the island. This would have been a more comfortable walk, but the thing was that both Beli and Aiko decided to cling to his arms. It started with Beli, but then Aiko did the same.

Was this what Beli was saying about testing Aiko for jealous responses? He didn't know. Things were out of his arms, and right now, he was just playing along, trying to understand.

"Quite the day, huh?" Aiko said, saying what was on Jaune's mind. "We walked around quite a bit. Gods, my feet are killing me."

Beli smiled. "Should have chosen something more comfortable." True that, Beli's choice of footwear was the kind that didn't torture your foot if you walked a lot. Likely a preference she developed since she liked to take walks through parks so much. Jaune reckoned walking so much with heels was a real foot killer.

"Not everyone prefers sandals." Aiko pointed out. "What about you, Jaune? How'd you find today?"

"It was great, girls. I mean, going out is not something new for us, but I never…I don't know how to say it."

"Never imagined you'd be walking with two beautiful women back home?" Beli said, surprising Aiko.

"Where was this Beli hiding?" Aiko asked, utterly taken aback by Beli's behavior today. "You are usually more…No offense, but prudish. You are not as playful or do not make such comments. What changed to make you open up? Jaune?"

"What? Why are you- Hold up! I haven't done anything with Beli recently! Why are you assuming I did anything?"

"Recently?" Aiko caught on.

"Ok, let me clarify: I haven't done the deed with Beli!" Jaune clarified, but then Beli cut in.

"Why are you acting so strongly, though, Aiko? Something you wish to say?" Beli asked, and Aiko was swift to catch on.

"Oh, I don't mean to- Hold on. Beli? Is this some attempt to see if I would join a harem with you?" Aiko asked, which surprised Beli. "It is! Oh, Dust, I cannot believe you! Jaune, were you aware of Beli's idea?"

"Not really, no," Jaune replied with as much honesty as he could. "I mean, she asked me out yesterday evening, and I had no idea you'd join us, Aiko."

"Beli!"

"Look, I won't make excuses, but Aiko…Tell me, how good is Jaune?"

"What?! You are not changing the subject to that!" Aiko said sternly. "First, explain yourself, then you can ask me questions about his dick skill!"

"Hey, now, I am right here! Can you girls NOT speak about private matters with me around?" Jaune joined the argument.

"Private? Dude, are you forgetting that this private business was between you and ME? As far as I am concerned, I have the right to tell. But I won't! I am not about to tell people how you fuck."

"And I am grateful for that." He added.

"Ok, I admit, I could have gone about this better than probe. Honestly, I am surprised you figured out my little ploy, Aiko." Beli said.

"Beli, for real now…All you had to do was ask!" Aiko said, which surprised Jaune. "Oh, sorry, I guess this is a bit of a shock. Look, Jaune, I don't know how to tell you, but…You might want to consider long-term living conditions."

"Huh?" He was still confused.

"Financially speaking, living with you allows us to cut down on a lot of costs," Beli explained. "And if being a good company is the only form of rent, then why not?"

"Though, being as friendly as you were? Sheesh, dude, you are lucky you are not an actual landlord! There are laws about sleeping with your tenants, you know?" Aiko added.

"Hold on! I am confused. Ok! Is this a harem where you are both my women or just the two of you living under my roof?" Jaune asked, trying to get clarification. "Because honestly? I cannot tell."

"Well, you are good-looking," Aiko admitted.

"Reliable," Beli added.

"Very good personality." Aiko continued.

"The fact you grew up with so many sisters seems also to let you understand women better to some degree. Always a plus." Beli added.

"And your skill in the sack, while lacking in some areas, is improving rapidly," Aiko added further. "So, rich, good-looking, good personality, and a great fuck. Like a four-leaf clover, you got it all."

"I think I need to sit down to process this." Jaune sighed, but then a chill ran down his spine. A feeling…Which he knew all too well. "Girls, how about you continue onward to the house? It should be a ten-minute walk from here. I will be with you soon. I have to do some thinking about this."

"Ok? Strange to say it all of a sudden, but we won't argue. Come on, Beli! I also want more details as to what drove you to do this crazy ploy!" Aiko said as she and Beli went away, but Beli looked back at Jaune just enough to relay her message. She figured it was him.

"Eros…" Jaune called out to the deity, and sure enough, the sand morphed into a humanoid shape.

"You do not seem surprised to see me again, human," Eros said, eyes narrowed at Jaune in clear annoyance. "Twice you survived my wrath. Twice, you humiliated me. You might escape this time as well, but I am not one to fail to see worth. Tell me your name, human! Officially so. So I may remember the name of the human who gave me such a headache."

"Jaune Arc," Jaune replied, making sure he checked his pockets. He was prepared. He was always prepared, knowing Eros might come outta nowhere to attack him again.

"You best remember him, Eros! He will kick your ass this time as well!" Kyu declared, not afraid to speak against the deity anymore.

But Eros laughed. "Maybe before, but now? I have the aid of a fellow deity in this."

"What?" Jaune gasped, same as Kyu. Another deity was aiding Eros? "What do you mean by that?!"

"Oh, you will see…Now, let's start this game, shall we? I am not in the mood for senseless chatter." Eros declared, and just like that, the world's color faded once again.

Jaune knew where he was - another realm of punishment. He and Kyu stood in the same spot they were at previously, but he knew this was Eros's illusion. Still, he didn't dare linger and began rushing to seek the heart of the place. "Kyu!"

"I got nothing!" Kyu said. Then Jaune began glowing, using Flash Strike to close a large distance instantly. However, as Jaune was going through the streets, his enemies made themselves known. Grimm came out from the buildings, Beowolves and Ravagers of various sizes. But this time, he was not as scared.

"Find me now." He said and focused, summoning forth Ren's semblance. Before, he and Kyu were the only ones with color in this realm, but now, their color drained, and the Grimm seemed to be confused by this. They looked around, trying to locate Jaune and Kyu, but were unable to find them.

"This is outrageous?! More abilities?! What is this?" Eros asked angrily, the fairy next to him replying.

"It seems to be a way to mask his emotions. The Grimm primarily sense and track beings by the negative emotions they produce, such as fear." The fairy replied. "That ability seems to be able to hide him perfectly from the Grimm, Sir."

"So it'd seem…" Eros said slowly, but then he laughed. "This time, I am the one a step ahead of him!"

As Jaune and Kyu walked around, trying to find the orb that held the realm together, the two failed to notice the ground shaking under their feet. Jaune was so confident this time, having Ren's semblance to hide them from the Grimm, that he failed to account for a critical detail.

What if the Grimm didn't require its eyes to track its prey?

"What?" He began to notice the tremors, and then, realizing something was underground, he jumped up.

"Watch out!" Kyu yelled as the Grimm surged forth, and Jaune's eyes widened at seeing it. A Blind Worm. It was a Vacuo-specific Grimm, thriving among the dunes. The Grimm had a long, worm-like body for the most part, black as the night, with several bone plates here and there. But the main part was the head. It lacked eyes, having a beak of some kind made of three large sections. Whenever it opened, however, it revealed the Grimm's mouth, layered with rows upon rows of teeth.

As Jaune landed, the Grimm did the same, going back underground. Not wanting to wait for another attack, he broke out into a sprint, trying to put distance between himself and the creature, but this was a poor choice. The tremors were getting stronger, but not because a bigger Blind Worm was chasing him.

"To your right!" Kyu shouted as a worm leaped from the ground, but Jaune managed to roll forward and dodge its attack. "Why isn't this stupid semblance working?! Shouldn't we be hidden from the Grimm?"

"We should," Jaune said softly, and then he took notice of the ground rising. A worm was charging right at him, but as soon as it got out of the ground, he used Cold Breath to freeze it solid. The Grimm fell to the ground, breaking in two. "But those Grimm are blind."

"So?"

"They don't hunt using their sight…" Jaune continued, but then he did something that confused Kyu. He leaped on top of a car, and suddenly, the worms vanished. No more tremors, no nothing. "They use vibrations to seek us out." He dropped Ren's semblance.

"Why are you dropping your mask? The other Grimm are going to-"

A howl cut Kyu short as the beowolves began attacking, charging at Jaune with reckless abandon. But Jaune knew what he was doing. The worms returned, but this time, they attacked the beowolves, swallowing them under the ground. The ravagers were met with Jaune's cold breath, which froze them in the air, but the land Grimm found difficulty getting close.

Of course, Kyu was surprised by this turn of events. "Care to explain?" She asked.

"Blind Worms cannot see, Kyu. They rely on sensing vibrations in the ground." Jaune replied. "That being said, they are unable to distinguish between foe or friend and attack everything they can sense."

"Really? Damn, so that means - WATCH OUT!" Kyu's warning came in time as Jaune saw a large ravager dive-bombing right for him, which had him act quickly and use an amplified version of his Cold Breath semblance to freeze it solid, making the Grimm drop to the ground before him. "Fuck! Forget what I said; that solved only half the issue! We are still dealing with flying Grimm!"

"That we are…" Jaune said as he took notice of a chilling fact. "And they are growing in number."

"What do we do?" Kyu asked, to which Jaune had a simple reply: Running away. He was jumping from car to car, and eventually, he jumped inside a shop through the window, the shards of glass falling to the ground. However, that caused vibrations, which attracted the attention of the worms, which stopped attacking the beowolves. But Jaune wasn't going to stand still. He kept going through the store, running out through the back.

Once he was there, he saw a fire escape ladder and climbed up, just in time to avoid a worm leaping up, but he couldn't prevent the next part. The worm spat corrosive acid from its mouth, striking the side of the ladder. Jaune climbed faster and jumped just in time as the ladder fell. Still, he kept climbing higher, trying to reach the top of the building. He might be making himself an easy target for the ravagers there, but at least the worms could not get so high without rendering themselves truly blind!

Still, as he reached all the way up, he saw a sight that he did not expect. Boarbatusk, a quadruped with boar-like features, including cloven feet, a line of hair sprouting from its spine, a snub snout, and tusks. The Boarbatusk had four eyes and a bone-like mask that seemed to be strapped to its face by a black vein-like organic tether. It also had a series of plates along its back and on its thighs and two extra sets of tusks, including two large, curving tusks.

But this one was not normal. It had the orb on its forehead, and it was absolutely massive. "How did it get up here?" Kyu asked, terrified of the giant Grimm.

"Moreover, how come you didn't sense it?" Jaune asked, backing away slowly. The Grimm wasn't attacking yet. But he could see it. It was just waiting for the right moment to strike. This was no simple modified Grimm by Eros. This was an older Grimm. A Grimm who was smarter than the others.

A Grimm who could lead other Grimm.

"We need to run!" Using Flash Strike, Jaune went right past the Grimm, but this sent it into a rage, and it immediately began to roll at high speed toward him. Even as Jaune jumped from building to building, it kept following him. It didn't help that the ravagers were catching up, same with the beowolves that were reaching the rooftops.

Still, Jaune kept going, but something happened that he really should have expected. When he jumped over a gap, his semblance fell short. He was out of aura. Due to this, he lacked the necessary momentum to make it across, and he ended up falling into the alley. Luck alone made it so that he landed inside a dumpster, and the thrash broke his fall considerably.

"Gods…" He groaned as he got up, getting out of the dumpster. He tried to flare his aura and sense how much he had left as well, but when he checked his scroll, it was confirmed. He was at 3% aura left. He overused his semblances too much, and now he was totally tapped out.

"Dude, you need to move," Kyu told him since the Grimm were not far behind. Looking around quickly, they went inside a building through the backdoor and went to the second floor. There, Jaune used the little aure he had left to mask themselves, but it was not bound to last long.

"This is bad…" Jaune said, keeping his scroll on his aura percentage. "I don't have the aura to keep Ren's semblance up for long. I think we have a few minutes before the Grimm come knocking."

"This is bad…This is so fucking bad…" Kyu said, realizing the shit they were in. If Jaune was out of aura, that meant he couldn't do much. "What if we found a Dust shop and rigged it to blow like that one time?"

"We cannot get past the Grimm, Kyu," Jaune told her, or rather, reminded her of their current situation. "Shit, I should have invested into a weapon. Here I am, swimming in cash, yet I cannot purchase a simple gun for my defense."

"Something to look into once we get out of here," Kyu told him.

"If we get out of here." He replied negatively so. "Kyu, I think…I think our luck ran out this time."

"YES! FUCK YEAH!" Eros rejoiced, seeing Jaune running on fumes and losing hope. "Soon, that annoying cover of his will fall, and when it does, the Grimm will tear him to shreds! Then, nothing will prevent me from going there to claim Kyu!"

"Sir, the Grimm are looking for him. They are entering the same building. It is only a matter of time until they get found." The fairy informed him.

"Good! Very good! Soon, Kyu will bow to me."

"Enjoying the show, Eros?" The God of Love jumped, spooked by Nocturian's arrival.

"Lord Nocturian! I- Well, I guess this is good. A thousand words of gratitude for your aid in enhancing the realm of punishment, making it able to fulfill its purpose in full." Eros said, bowing to Nocturian to appease him.

"The boy seems quite down," Nocturian said, ignoring Eros' attempts to lick his boot. "So young. What a shame that his life had to end like this."

"Y-yeah, a true shame." Eros pretended to agree with Nocturian. "But he stood against our divine will! Such a crime is unforgivable to us, especially if the one that disrespected us is mortal."

"Our will?" Nocturian caught on, giving Eros the stink eye.

"Err. My will, Lord Nocturian." Eros corrected himself. "Still, this is a joyous day! Finally, I will be rid of this thorn in my side!"

"I wouldn't count my chickens until they all hatched, Eros," Nocturian said, which got Eros's attention. "That boy has a strange aura surrounding him."

"It is indeed called Aura, a power unique to his world which is an extension of-"

"I was not speaking of that aura." Nocturian interrupted the fairy. "That boy has the same aura as a man I once knew. A very lucky man. A man loved by fate, if I dare say so myself."

"Lord Nocturian?" Eros called out to him, confused but also scared of what his words might mean. "You don't mean to say there is a way for him to escape, do you?"

"Escape? Maybe." Nocturian replied, which irritated Eros. "After all, I had difficulties with the realm of punishment."

"Difficulties?!" Eros gasped, shocked to hear such words. "But you are the mastermind behind their very conception! It was you who created this spell so we may punish mortals without risking collateral damage! How could you encounter difficulties with a spell you created?"

"To be effective, the realm of punishment must be attuned to the world it is being deployed in, Eros. That part is not by design." Nocturian pointed out, not even lying to the deity about this specific detail. "And Remnant has given me grief."

"No…You! Check the surrounding area around the boy!"

"Y-yes, Sir!"

"Eros…" Nocturian's dangerous tone of voice stopped both of them in their tracks. "If you think you can go after people who unfortunately fell through the cracks of the realm without facing severe consequences, I ought to remind you that you stand on thin clouds. Drag anyone else aside from Jaune Arc and Kyu Sugardust into this, and I won't hesitate to report everything."

"Y-yes." Eros knew he had no grounds to argue against Nocturan. So he just watched and cursed internally.

"Surely, this apartment must have something." Kyu began to look around, flying from place to place to see if there was anything of use around there. But what she found was better. "Dude, check this out!"

"What is it? Wait…No way." They found a weapon - a large double axe - hanging from the wall. It was old; that much was obvious. It was not a mechashift like most nowadays, and next to it was a pair of old revolvers as well. Jaune looked back, seeing an elderly couple who were likely watching TV when he was thrown in here. They were there as well…They slipped through a crack.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Kyu asked, and Jaune realized where they were. This apartment, where an elderly couple lived, was more than just that. Seeing a picture confirmed it. The same axe. The same revolvers. Those two were retired Huntsmen!

"I am low on aura…" Jaune reminded Kyu.

"If we do not gamble, we do not win, Jaune," Kyu told him. "We don't do anything-"

"-We die. We risk and lose. We die. But, if we gamble and win, we might have a chance to escape here." Jaune said, recalling their previous talk. Going over to the elderly couple, he gently touched their hands, letting Origin do its thing.

But there was something more there. Checking his scroll, Kyu saw it. "Your aura is going back up!" She exclaimed. "But how?"

"I am taking their aura," Jaune said, shocked by the realization. It must be one of the semblances he just copied! Having contact with now, he could feel it. It was like he had insight into their reserves, and right now, he was draining them. Yet, he could feel how much aura was left in both of them.

It didn't take long for him to reach 100% again, at which point the semblance seemed to turn itself off. He looked down at his hands, feeling himself back to 100%, then smiled at Kyu. "We gambled."

"And won." Kyu caught on, grabbing his scroll and flying to him with it. And just in time. The Grimm broke down the door, and as Jaune dropped Ren's semblance when he was absorbing aura, the Grimm immediately charged at him, making him jump back. Yet, when his palm made contact with the wall, something else happened.

A large ring of golden aura appeared, and somehow, it was like a hole was instantly created through the wall. Jaune and the beowolf fell right through, but as the Grimm went to him, he spun it around, using it to land softly on the ground. The Grimm didn't survive the fall, but Jaune did. Looking back up, he saw the hole closing. Yeah…That was his second semblance.

"You make holes through walls?! Oh, we lost the gamble!" Kyu said, disappointed in the semblance.

"Not just holes…' Jaune said softly, then saw more Grimm incoming. However, he touched the ground below him and vanished under it, closing the hole behind him before the Grimm could follow. 'It is like I am creating doors. All in all, by definition, a door is an entrance. But before we had the ones today, people just had holes in their homes. Same for the windows. Door. A good name for this semblance. "

"I'd have called it Gaping Hole, but whatever! You can name the other one later. Now, what is your plan?" Kyu asked Jaune, and sure enough, he had an idea. This new semblance of his gave him the perfect tool to deal with the giant Boarbatusk. The sewers were not safe from the worms, though. The tremors returned, but this time, Jaune was more prepared.

He took the lightning Dust crystal from his pocket and crushed it into his fist. Electricity coursed through him, and he felt High Voltage come into effect. Combined with Flash Strike, when a worm surfaced to attack, he dashed at it and shoved his arm in its open maw. He swung his arm into the wall, however, and utterly broke down the entire wall, with the impact being so strong it killed the Grimm.

And he kept going, killing the worms one by one as they came at him. No more stealth. He was going in.

"I can sense the orb…It is above us!" Kyu informed Jaune, who smiled and looked up.

"Here is something to know about boarbatusk Grimm, Kyu." A hole, small in size, appeared above Jaune. And right there, the orb stood. "They have exposed bellies!" And he jumped, using his fist to strike the orb that was embedded into the stomach of the Grimm. The boarbatusk felt it, too.

It screamed as the orb cracked in its stomach, and as the cracks spread, the realm itself began to collapse. Jaune felt the pull. As the Grimm thrashed, Jaune leaped up from the sewers. The Grimm charged at him, but he slid under the boarbatusk and delivered a finishing punch to the orb. The Grimm were all stopped, as if frozen in space, then yanked back violently. Jaune was also yanked back, taken back to where it all began, where the damages around the island were being fixed.

"BULLSHIT! I- HOW- WHERE DID HE- What were the odds of him ending up in the home of not one, but TWO individuals with powers he could copy?! HOW?!" Eros angrily punched the edge of the pool of water they were using to spy on Jaune, but in his rage, when he turned around, his arm swung wildly, and he ended up slamming Nocturian across the face. This immediately erased his rage, replaced by fear. "Lord Nocturian! A thousand apologies! I lost myself in my rage and dared lay my hand on your divine visage! I beg your forgiveness!"

"You were blinded by rage, indeed. You are forgiven. But this is quite the development." Nocturian said, looking at Jaune. "That boy, I dare say, must have been born with the devil's luck!"

"Grrr. Luck or not, he won't be so lucky next time! I assure you…" Eros said ominously.

"Got something in store?" Nocturian asked, curiosity clear in his voice.

"We are working on a new kind of Grimm to send after him. A true hunter." Eros said with a smile. "Had the creatures done their job now, it'd have saved us much time. But alas, it wasn't to be…"

"Indeed…It was not to be." Nocturian said as he left.

"So, this boy is the only thing buying us time right now," Alorax said as he and Nocturian were in the latter's domain, the entire isle being covered in eternal night. Still, the stars above provided more than enough light to see and a dazzling show of splendor. "And you are telling me he can copy the powers of others?"

"Not something either of us bestowed upon him, either," Nocturian stated as one of his servants, not a fairy, but a being made of wood - a golem - brought them some drinks. "It is called Origin. So far, he has amassed a fair arsenal, and with my aid, he just added two useful abilities to it."

"Your aid? Nocturian, you mean to tell me you interfered?" Alorax asked, sounding quite surprised by this development.

"More than you know, old friend. I also made contact with someone from Jaune's world to provide him further support." Nocturian admitted. 'Even rewarded the man by healing one of his dear companions."

"Nocturian, don't you think you are exposing yourself to more backlash than Eros is? Interferences such as those are not seen kindly by Zakram. Should word of all of this get to him, and the fact you of all deities were involved…"

"You are too worried, old friend. Leave Zakram to me. After all, he and I go way back. More than just before the creation of Sky Garden." Nocturian said, reminding Alorax of who had been there since the start.

"I still worry. This is a dangerous game." Allorax voiced his worries once more, but then he decided to change the subject. "I also have something to report. I found something."

"Truly?"

"Yes. I was patrolling around the Isle of Passion, and I went to Venus's garden." He sighed. "The place has been left to deteriorate. The plants themselves feel her absence and have grown restless. However, in the heart of it, I found signs of a struggle." Alorax's words send alarms through Nocturian.

"A struggle? You don't think Eros would…His very own mother?!" Nocturian asked, leaning toward Alorax closely.

"I am not sure. However, I doubt he had done something as reckless as killing her. He rules over her domain now, yes, but when a deity does die, the domain they were embodying is lost until a new god is chosen. Had she been killed, we'd have noticed." Alorax pointed out. "That was before Eros took over. Luckily, Zakram made sure Venus remained important."

"How come?"

"She was given a domain in secret," Alorax stated, which further surprised Nocturian. But not in a good way.

"What?" He asked, a dangerous edge to his voice.

"She was given the domain of childbirth. Had she been gone, infants would have died at birth. But no such unnatural incident has occurred yet, meaning she is still alive." Alorax added, but that didn't satisfy Nocturian.

"Alorax…Who gave her a secret domain?" He asked.

"Zakram."

"WHY?!" Nocturian shouted, finally letting rare emotions surface. "I know I am not any holier now, but that is beyond reckless! Seems like when I go to Zakram now, I have some leverage at the very least…But how do you know of this?"

"Venus told me," Alorax admitted, not shaken by Nocturian's wrath. "And she told me the reason why she accepted this domain. It was in regard to a job done by one of her fairies, one that went too far."

"How far?"

"She didn't tell me. But, I can only guess it involved a child."

"A child…Impossible. Fairies cannot become pregnant. They are artificial beings created by us, and in their design, there is no such thing as the possibility of pregnancy. Reproduction is impossible." Nocturian stated with confidence. "Venus…What web you and your son have spun…But I like challenges."

"What now, Nocturian? Eros fears you! Why not force him to tell us the truth?"

"And risk the fact he might be lying? Or worse, have a backup plan that could jeopardize Venus? No, Aloraax. This requires us to play the long game. Besides…" He summoned forth a mirror and ran his hand over it, bringing forth the image of Jaune in it. "This is very entertaining."