Okay! RGQC here and it's nice to be back making another chapter after taking a week break during the holidays and this one will be an interlude to the previous chapter before a planned time skip of at least three years. So, expect it to be shorter than previous chapters.

In addition, I may make references to certain scenes that happened between the time skips down the line, perhaps.

Or should I progress the time skip more slowly?

Eh, there's still time to see where it goes from there. Anyway, review time!

BrimazKing: Well, everyone's not going to react well for sure, I can tell you. Some react worse than others, but why spoil it now?

Fenrir's Fang96: As I said to Brimza, neither of them will take this news very well. Nor is Jade, as you can see from the foreshadowed quote of him. As for his Semblance when he unlocks it? You're going somewhere with that that is relatively similar to what I had in mind. But why spoil it now when I can show it down the line, eh? Thanks! Though since this story is more like a remake of the original, I plan to change some stuff up, but I think you'll like what I planned.

With that done, we're done with the comments, and It's time we get this chapter on the roll! As usual, I do not own RWBY, only my OCs in this story. RWBY belongs to Viz Media now.

Hours.

That's how long it has been since Harl had defeated his dear partner in combat. Honestly, it pains him to do this to his partner since he knows the outcome thanks to Semblance revealing the aftermath in his mind. The amount of emotional pain that would be felt would be tremendous. But it is for the good of Remnant that he plays his part as the devil to see the world he calls home free from the hidden darkness.

Shuffling sluggishly through the forest, the smoke trails of his camp loom far above in the skies, with the walls of his base seen not too far away while Harl sighs exhaustively before glancing at the bloodied shattered remains of Alpha in his hand. "Never thought I'd see you fight this hard before, Melo. You would've had me in the back seat if it weren't for my semblance…" Harl mutters softly.

At times, his clairvoyance Semblance is both a blessing and a curse, since he knows what could happen next, he knows clearly what his actions will do. Especially with what he is going to do next. Shuffling past the gates of his camp and witnessing his men all greeting or asking questions about what happened and why he is covered in blood, Harl simply ignores them and heads straight for his tent.

While no doubt, his guys will be ecstatic to have their food supplies no longer disrupted thanks to Melo's efforts, this is still painful for the bandit leader to accept that he had to 'put down' is partner and lie to his face that his child is dead when in fact, he is still alive all this time. Though there is some truth that the Jade Melo knew was fading away day by day, with the progress little cat Faunus was adapting in regards his training.

"It pains me for what I must do, but it must be done."

With a single shove, Harl pushed the tent door aside and walked straight towards his pet, still cross-legged on the floor in his cage while meditating. Though the little cat Faunus didn't acknowledge him immediately, his feline ears twitched in response to his footsteps, which was enough for the Bandit leader to know that his 'pet' was paying attention despite his closed eye. Though that didn't last long before Jade scrunched up at the stench of blood flooding into his nose.

Instantly, the little cat Faunuses eye shot open while getting into his feet only to see his bloodied master standing before him. But soon, he felt himself freeze. It wasn't because of the metallic smell which began to fill the tent, nor is it the state his master was in, he couldn't care less about that. It was what was in his hand that took most of Jade's attention.

The shattered remains of a very familiar blade that he saw and knew who it belonged to.

With silence that lasts for minutes, Harl casually tosses the remains of Alpha as it clatters on the floor before uttering. "Your father tried to stop me and would have got me, unfortunately, he is not as strong as he believed and paid the price for challenging me." And his words were like knives that stabbed deep into Jade's heart. With horror on the little cat Faunuses face, Jade felt his legs weaken before he stumbled back and fell onto the floor on his backside.

His breath becoming more erratic and where was once stoicism to mask how he felt, Jade felt his whole world fall apart around him. Despair and grief soon overtook the cat Faunus as his ears were pinned to his head and tears began to pour from his eye. Though still muted from the trauma he underwent, this was too much for him and soon, Jade began to tremble and sob on the floor, uncaring that he's doing it in front of his master.

Or the consequences of it.

Where there was once a burning resistance and defiance to keep fighting for hopes to be free from this prison, now it has become nothing more than fading embers and flickering hopes of resistance. Harl may have realised it at that moment, but he had broken the will of his pet to resist further. Enduring so much pain and suffering in the past few months had taken its toll on Jade, and the 'supposed' death of his father proves to be the final strike that breaks him fully.

From now on, Jade would be much easier to mould, thanks to his shattered willpower to resist.

Still in the room, and the aftermath of it all, Harl turns and leaves to wash up and address his band that the threat has been dealt with. Though they still have to evacuate the vicinity and migrate elsewhere with the Kingdom of Mistral soon on their tracks. But little did he realise, a certain Raven crawled into his tent through a small gap before the Branwen leader herself made an appearance before the grieving cat Faunus.

"So, this is it?" Raven mutters out before kneeling and picking up the remains of Alpha, still stained with the fresh blood of its wielder. "You're just going to lie down and let him get away with this?" She rhetorically asked, while Jade would only give a glance with his only eye and continue whimpering in loss.

The Branwen leader glares beneath her mask at the pitiful sight before her before throwing Alpha full force into the cage and embedding it just in front of Jade's head. "Pathetic. You are much stronger than you think you are, why else would insist you remain in this cage and not free to roam around? Harl may claim otherwise, but beneath all that bravado, is a man afraid of you. Sees something in you." Raven then took her mask off her face, while Jade finally brought his attention to her.

"There is a saying out here, blood will be paid in blood. He hurt you and took your father away. Thus, he is due for payment." As if able to understand what was on Jade's face, Raven continues. "You can be so much more if only you are willing. His 'lessons' only make you stronger and give you power. Power to eventually break free and avenge your father's death."

Silence permeates the tent before Raven gives one final response. "How long do you intend to let him decide your fate? After all, he has ruined your life, has he? Think through it and decide, does he truly deserve to live after everything he has done to you? Does he deserve to control your life? Your fate?" And with that, Raven leaves the tent the same way she came.

Now alone and a moment of silence, Jade finally bears enough will to wipe the pain from his face and reaches out for his father's sword, and upon holding it in his hand, his arms tremble again from grief, but the thoughts of revenge and the very idea of payback for everything he has done festered in the little cat Faunuses mind.

Harl did ruin his life on what was supposed to be a happy holiday outside of Menagerie with his family. He nearly put his newborn sister at risk of death when he attacked his grandmother's place. He took his eye and made him partially blind on one side, while leaving a scar that will never fade away on his face.

Yes…

Still clutching onto his father's sword, and seeing his reflection through it, Jade's grief was burned away by a brewing desire for payback. Harl's time is not now. But he will get his due, no matter how long it takes for that opportunity to show to light. And when it is time, Jade will pay Harl back for the pain he caused him and his family and killing his father.

Blood will be paid with blood.

When the time comes, retribution will be his sword.

And yet, a part of him cries from within at the eventual journey he will walk into. Knowing that the path he will take will not bring any peace to him.

Months later…

In Kuo Kuana, it was like any other day for the people who call that town home, fisherman coming back after their recent catch, shopkeepers selling goods, guards patrolling the crowded streets to ensure peace and many more to say. But even as the day looks well, a man covered in a cloak walks through its streets with unfamiliarity. It has been some time since he'd been here, ever since he went looking for his son.

But that doesn't matter anymore. Jade is dead and Melo is still recovering from his wounds after his failure to defeat Harl in single combat. There is no point searching any more… In fact, he had been fortunate that there were people nearby to rescue him less he bled himself to death from a major wound, though it still didn't stop the pain and grief of his failure and son's death after that. Letting out another soft sigh, Melo continues heading towards the Belladonna mansion with news of failure.

It is for sure that this will be received badly by everyone, not just for his and the Belladonna family, but mostly for Blake.

He doesn't want to imagine how badly she would take the news, and the very idea of what she would do next sends dread through his soul. The fact that both Jade and Blake are close to becoming eleven years old only makes him worried about her more. She's just a child, and she's not ready to bear the burden of knowing that her childhood friend she knew and loved since they were just kittens was dead.

But the world is cruel to take his son away, and there's nothing Melo could do now but ensure that nothing else happens now. He's tired of this. Continuing his path towards the mansion, the ever-growing dread and shame becomes almost suffocating for the Snake Faunus. If news broke out about this, it would no doubt cause the White Fang faction under Sienna Khan to become ever more emboldened that Ghira's nonviolent ways had cost him his friend's son.

And if she achieves enough public support, she might be politically powerful enough to challenge Ghira for leadership of the White Fang and take it to a much darker path. Now at the entrance of the Belladonna Mansion. Melo could only take a breath in and knock on the door before a moment of silence except the shuddering of the leaves from the leaves and noises from the rest of town.

Soon enough, the door opens and Ghira can be seen behind it. "Melo? Is that you? What happened and where is Jade?" The Chieftain of Kuo Kuana asked, only to see guilt in his friend's eyes.

"Dead… I failed him…"

Ghira's eyes could only widen in shock, followed by horror at the revelation dropped on him. "What? Please come in, you must tell us what happened." He says before pulling the door widely to make space for his dear friend to enter, though Melo asked one thing first.

"Are the… others there?"

"Amaranth is there with Bianca and Leathad in the dining room with my family."

"Blake?" Melo then asked with dread.

"There too. She is not going to take the news well." Ghira closes his eyes for a second to process. "While you were away finding your son, she has been avoiding everyone upon learning of his capture and only been much better recently thanks to that Bull Faunus over their shared pain. Adam Taurus is his name, if I recall correctly. In addition to her leaving around midnight for a while now to attend the White Fang rallies under Sienna."

"Shit… It's worse than I thought, isn't it?"

"Indeed." Ghira concurs before Melo finally walks in. "Will you tell us everything about what happened?"
"I will… But I don't think this will be good for any of us."

"It will not. But I prefer to be transparent than hiding the truth."

…

"Very well, let us go and may whatever Gods above help us." The Grayson Patriarch mutters while brushing his hair aside and soon, Ghira escorts his friend back to the dining room and things move fast. Amranth was ecstatic to see her dear husband back, but immediately noticed that something was off when Melo came alone without Jade. The same could be said for everyone who had a foreboding feeling that the news will be disastrous.

Including Blake, who had become deathly silent, all the while giving a lifeless look at Melo.

And then came the news about what happened.

How Melo met an old friend to help him find Jade before launching a one-man crusade to save his son, which nearly works until the end. When he learned first-hand in the midst of his duel with Harl that his dear son was dead because he was weak to live and not strong enough to survive. Even more than that, that revaluation left Melo vulnerable enough for a short period of time that Harl took advantage of it and landed an almost fatal blow on him that would have killed him if he weren't lucky.

To be expected, nobody reacted to this well, but the worst was Blake herself, who just stood up with tears in her eyes and ran off.

"Blake!" Kali called her daughter out, but by the time she and the others went onto their feet again, she was gone and had already left. Amranth as well, couldn't take it any more and began to cry into her hands at the thought that her baby kitten was gone. All the while, her daughter was held by Leathad who bears her own sorrow about the situation.

His life taken too soon, all because of a single mistake leaving Menagerie to begin with.

"I'll… I'll talk to her." Ghira says his intentions before he left the dining room to find his daughter, while the rest could only think about what they could do next among Amranth's sobbing.

Elsewhere, Blake ran.

With tears blurring her vision, the little cat Faunus could only run somewhere. Anywhere that is not here. She had hoped, even prayed, that Jade would come back home safe, but now? Hearing what Melo had just told everyone? Her whole world feels as if it is collapsing on itself. Jade. The boy who she has known since she was just a baby? The one who had always been by her side and even had her confessing her love for her despite both of them only being ten years old?

It was too much to bear.

Eventually, Blake found a quiet place in the forest away from everyone, and then she let it out and lamented her loss.

"Why?!" Blake could only wonder out loud amidst her sobbing's. "Why did this happen to me? Why is this world so cruel?"

Fortunately, her sobbing was loud enough that it attracted Ghira to her before they hugged. "Blake. Please…" He begged right as his daughter began to cry more loudly into his chest. "It's not safe out here, especially alone."

"Why?! Why did Jade have to die?!" Blake continued to bawl into her father's chest, while Ghira himself couldn't give a proper answer before tears started to drip down his cheeks too.

"I do not know, my dear."

And thus, life moves on, as one can do in such situations. A small gravestone was built in the Belladonna's Garden remembering their friend's child and had an engraving on it. Even though there is nobody to bury, it is still necessary to have it set up to remember him.

Jade Grayson

"Gone from our sight, but never from our hearts."

"In the winds, in the stars, in the quiet of night, we remember you."

And every day since that news was brought in, flowers and gifts were offered to the gravestone as news of Melo's return and Jade's death spread throughout Kuo Kuana. Many were quick to offer their condolences for their loss, and many doubled their efforts to help the Grayson family with any help that is possible. But the damage was done. Jade's death had spiralled his mother into a deep depression to the point of refusing to leave the house and ensuring that her baby bird daughter never leaves her sight to an almost unhealthy degree.

It was only thanks to Leathad that the Grayson household remained functional, with Melo wounded and Amranth in a state of despair.

Melo, on the other hand, spent most of his time recovering from his still healing wounds, but even he is left with questions and doubts about what he can do now besides ensuring that his dear wife doesn't fall into suicidal thoughts. When his wounds were healed, Melo returned to train the local militia how to fight, but everyone could see that his fire and enthusiasm he once carried had burned out.

In fact, to all, it just looks as if he's just going with the flow with little motivation or life in him.

Moving on from the Grayson family, the Belladonna family weren't as well off either after Jade's death. While Ghira and Kali had done all they could to keep the political situation within the White Fang stable and prevent their daughter from doing something reckless, it hasn't been smooth sailing. Blake had spent most of her time by Jade's grave ever since it was built, mourning his death for most of the time alone and other times back in her room.

That wasn't all, she was becoming increasingly agitated by the day, but she still shows no sign of action right now. But both parents knew that it was only a matter of time before their daughter will make a decision, and that is what worried them the most. About what she would do next. Moving on, though it took months for news of Jade's death to spread to the White Fang, they eventually caught wind of it, and they were as loud as ever.

Of course, they weren't heartless to use a dead child to fuel their cause yet. However, Sienna did go public to offer condolences to the Grayson family for their loss of their first child and give something else to focus on the larger issue. How can they rely on Ghira to guide the White Fang in these troubling times?

Nothing has happened and change is needed or more will suffer due to inaction.

Moreover, more Faunus are getting impatient with the lack of progress for equal rights, and news of Jade's death has only caused more people to doubt Ghira's peaceful path. After all, the death of a child is no laughing matter, especially one who is close to the Belladonna family. At best, Ghira believed that he could maintain control of the White Fang for probably a year or two, but any more would be impossible with more people vocally showing their support for Sienna's more radical methods.

Eventually, her support would be large enough to challenge him for the position of leader of the White Fang with her ever-growing base of supporters. Though, many still show support for Ghira's more peaceful path and any resistance he might give against Sienna in the future might cause division within the White Fang, which is what they do not need right now.

Jade's supposed death is like a stone being thrown into a pond.

It may seem insignificant to the wider world at first, but soon revealed to have rippling consequences.

Only time will tell what will happen next.

And we are done!

I gotta admit, I've been distracted with other stuff (Totally not because I lost myself in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2) but it's good to be back, pumping out a new chapter for you all to enjoy. So yeah, Melo and Jade are unaware that the other side is still alive thanks to Harl's manipulations in addition to Raven joining the party and stoking the flames within our Cat Faunus protag.

I have some ideas for the next chapter, involving a year or two in which Blake officially joins the White Fang and Ghira stepping down and finally, Jade unleashing his wrath on Harl. And I fully intend to go all out on it once I get working on it down the line. Nevertheless, we're getting closer and closer to canon by the chapters, and I hope you all enjoy how the story has progressed.

So, if you enjoy this story and wish to show your support for more in the future, Follow and Favourite this story. While at it, do leave a review since I want to know how you all see the progress of the story so far, besides BrimazKing and Fenrir's Fang who comment on every chapter so far.

And so, I'll see you guys in the next chapter!