Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Blood.

Pouring from my mouth, leaking out my stomach, covering my entire body.

All around me was blood. Some of it mine, some of it not. My comrades lay on the ground nearby, holding their wounds as blood leaked from their bodies too.

Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang. All of them my close friends, all of whom I'd thrown to the sides to protect them. The wounds they had results of me being too slow, always too slow. I never seemed to be fast enough when I wanted to save the people I care about.

The least I could do would be take their wounds onto my body.

"Futile," came her voice. The voice of the one who had started all this pain and agony. Those cold crimson eyes stared down at me furiously, black blood leaked along her form, but the wounds were sealing shut, even as I saw the blood flowing down her body. Her hair, a dirty white, flowed down her body as she glared at me.

"I don't know," I quipped weakly, despite the fact I was on my knees, knowing my life was fading. "I seem to have pissed you off, I wouldn't call that-!"

Pain.

I was cut off as her foot hit my jaw, sending me crashing into the wall as my friends cried out my name, making me cough up blood. She also knocked a tooth out, which I spat out to the side. "… Thank you, sir," I croaked out. "May I have another?"

"You are just begging for it, boy," Salem snarled at me. "Still living in some delusion that you are a hero, I see. Wake up, and face reality. You are no hero, you're just a weak little boy who dreamed of becoming something bigger. And look where it's led you: Your death. All dreamers must wake up, and it is time for you to reach your awakening, boy…" It was clear from her tone she was trying to get a reaction out of me. Maybe break my spirit?

"Don't listen to her, Jaune!" Ruby called out, shakily rising to her feet. One hand grasped Crescent Rose, the other on her stomach. "We haven't lost this yet! We can still-!"

"I know," I cut her off, forcefully dragging myself out of the wall, a small sigh coming from my lips as I closed my eyes. All dreamers must wake up.

My eyes snapped open as I looked at Salem. "I know what you are," I told her. "I'll admit, it took a while, but I know what you are. I know what it is you really want."

"Jaune…?" Ruby questioned.

"Is that so?" Salem looked amused. "Pray tell, boy, what am I?"

"Just a dream…" My voice was barely above her a whisper. "All of this, everything. It's just a dream, it's always just been a dream. I knew the whole time."

There was silence…

And then Salem hissed. "You knew?"

"I knew," I admitted. "But even knowing, even knowing what it is I should… No, what I need to do, I can't let myself wake yet."

"Why!?" Salem screamed, and the girls looked between the two of us in worry. "Why do you refuse to wake!? Why do you deny your reality!?"

"Because this is their reality," I gestured to the girls. "This may just be a dream. None of this may be real… But even so, why should they suffer for it? Why should they live in this world, while I live my life away? The answer is simple; they shouldn't."

"You…" She looked furious now, but also… Pleading. "For such a reason… For a world that will fade away when you wake!?"

I shook my head. "You don't understand. I don't think you've ever understood… But I do…" I lifted my sword. "Maybe this world is just a fantasy… But who's to say it will fade away once I wake? I don't think it will… I can always come back here, always come visit again… Whenever I close my eyes."

"Jaune…" Weiss's voice came, and I glanced at her. "What are you-?"

"Sorry, Snow Angel," I smiled sadly, before I turned to Salem and took a deep breath as my body was flooded with power. My semblance went into overdrive, my wounds sealing shut, my blood pumping and circulating faster in my body.

"You would deny it… For a world that may or may not fade away when you wake!?" Salem cried angrily; her body surrounded by a black aura. "Every dreamer must wake! It is long past time for you to stop indulging in fantasy, and to wake up!"

"Not yet," I told her. "Until you are gone, I won't be able to wake up. Because that's what you are, Salem. You are the reason I refuse to accept reality…"

There was a beat of silence and we charged at each other once again, knowing that- one way or another- this battle would finally reach its conclusion.

Every swing, every stab, every punch, every kick. Every blow was heavy, and made my body scream in agony.

But the weight beyond each of Salem's hurt more.

Let it end, her blows screamed at me. Wake up. Let it end, please wake up!

Not yet, my own screamed back at her. Not until we've seen the ending.

And then, there was a flash of light that blinded both of our eyes…

The next thing I knew, she was sat on her throne, my sword through her chest… Only, the wound wasn't healing. By the blissful smile on her face, I could tell; she was finally dying. She was finally going to see the other side.

"Hey, Jaune…" Salem said softly. "What was I…? All this time…?"

"… You were my fear," I told her. "My fear to face reality. That's the reason I couldn't let myself wake yet. Because, if you were around, I would wake up in fear and deny the truth. That is the truth of your existence."

"And now without me… That fear will be gone…?"

"No," I shook my head. "Because I accept you. Thank you, for trying to help me wake to the truth, even if it was in a twisted way. But there's no need any longer, I won't run from you anymore."

"And we will be there, every step of the way," Ruby's voice came, and I looked back.

They all stood there. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang. But all were healed and smiling. They crowded around Salem and I, placing their hands on both of us.

"You've come so far, Jaune," Ruby- Naivety and Childishness- spoke. "We're so proud that you made it all this way, even when some of us doubted you."

"I suppose there are worse things we could have been," Weiss- Pride and Disgust- said to me, gently rubbing my back. "We've been so worried, but you came through. Somehow, you dunce."

"It's been such a long journey," Blake- Sloth and Hope- whispered. "But we're at the end now… It's kind of sad."

"Heh, all of you are wimps!" Yang- Lust and excitement- laughed loudly. "I knew Jaune had this the whole time!"

"Thank you for making this journey with me to the end," I told them softly.

That was the truth. This world was fake, just a dream. Every person was an emotion, a feeling, a thought. All of them belonging to me. And, at the end of my journey, I now stood with those who had followed me every step of the way.

"Thank you…" Salem whispered. "Thank you, for accepting me…"

I only nodded, closing my eyes as I felt tears streaking down my cheeks. I could feel it, the world around me slowly starting to fade away. The ending of a story.

"Hey, Jaune…" Ruby said softly. "Will you come visit us…?"

"What are you talking about…?" I asked her. "Don't be silly… You're all part of me. We'll always be together. Forever."

Though my eyes were closed, I know they were all smiling, and the six of us embraced in a group hug.

"Wake up." Ruby

"Wake up." Weiss.

"Wake up." Blake.

"Wake up." Yang.

"Wake up." Salem.

"… I'm waking up now," I smiled. "… Thank you. And goodbye."

The world faded away into white…

~~Ephemeral Dream~~

My eyes slowly opened, greeted with a familiar white ceiling. It was the ceiling of my room, a ceiling I saw every time I woke up. Except, this time was different. And I knew why.

Because, for once, I remembered.

I remembered my dreams. I remembered all the death I had seen, the friends I had made, the people I had lost. A tear streaked down my cheek, which I quickly wiped away as I climbed out of bed and headed to my bathroom.

For once, I remembered my dreams. And I would never let myself forget the experiences I had gone through. And I also resolved to change myself. I was fifteen, but I only recalled complaining to myself about how my parents deemed me a lost cause and wouldn't train me.

Where was it written I couldn't train myself for Beacon? I had two years, and I would use that time wisely. Who cared if my family deemed me a lost cause, I would-!

All my present thoughts went out the window when I saw something in the mirror that could not, should not, be there.

[Lv. 0]

[Jaune Arc]

"… W- What?" I stuttered in shock at the sight of something that should not- could not- be there. What in the hell? Why was there a text box floating over my head…?

… Why was I level zero!?

[Welcome, Player. Would you like to start the tutorial?]
Yes/No

My mouth dropped open. I rubbed my eyes several times, just to assure what I was seeing wasn't some kind of hallucination…

Nope. It was real.

"Okay, let's review," I said to myself aloud. "For the last 2 years, every time I go to sleep, I've been dreaming of a future where I'm a Huntsman and save the world. I finally settled the dream and have decided to face reality head on… And now, I see a text box like I'd see in a video game floating in front of my eyes, which is now asking me if I'd like to start the tutorial…"

I shook my head. "Yep, I've gone insane…"

Deciding I didn't really have much to lose, I just let out a sigh and tapped 'Yes.'

[Welcome to the Game. As you, the Player, have no doubt noticed your life has been turned into a Video Game. This is the result of the planet's blessing upon you, as the chosen one to guide humanity into the new age.]

"… What?"

[But more on that later. The kind of game your life has become is an RPG, which means you have various stats, a title and job system, along with a race and your name. You can view all these things by saying or thinking the word 'Status.' Please say or think 'Status' to proceed with the tutorial.]

I rubbed the sides of my head very slowly. Yep, this was definitely not a prank. And I was definitely not hallucinating either. I don't like to insult myself, but I wasn't smart enough to hallucinate something like this.

"Oh, what the hell," I groaned. "I've dived this far down the rabbit hole. Status!" Instantly, a new text box opened before my eyes.

[Status]

Name: Jaune Arc
Level: 0
Race: Human
Job: None
Main Title: None
Sub Title: None
HP: 100
MP: 100
Strength: 10
Vitality: 10
Dexterity: 10
Intelligence: 10
Luck: 10
Sense: 10
Remaining Points: 0

"… Okay, this is interesting," I admitted, rubbing my chin. "My stats are all at a solid ten across the board. Most video games start with the stats at least half of that, sometimes lower…" My eyes narrowed. "Which means, the game is setting me up to intentionally make me far stronger than would be expected. How interesting..."

[As you can see, you are currently at Level 0. This is because if you were not, the Levelling system would be unbalanced due to how it works. Every time you level up, you will receive +100 to your base HP, and +50 to your base MP. You will also receive and additional +10 to your HP for every stat in Vitality, and +10 MP for every stat in Intelligence, as well as six unallocated stat points to do with as you please. You will now be given a description of every stat.]

Strength – The stat representing a person's physical strength. Increases damage dealt from physical attacks, and aids in reducing damage when blocking.

Vitality – The stat representing a person's overall health, as well as determining their growth. Aids in reducing damage from physical attacks and increasing the amount of health the player has.

Dexterity – The stat representing a person's nimbleness. Increases the player's speed, aim, and reaction time.

Intelligence – The stat representing how smart someone is. Increases damage dealt by magical attacks, how quickly the player learns, how fast they can solve problems, and increases the overall mana pool.

Luck – The stat representing the force that seems to operate for good or ill in a person's life. Used to determine the chances of problems arising during events, gambling, card games, and so on. It also increases the chance of getting higher ranking loot from enemy drops.

Sense – The stat representing someone's awareness of their surroundings. Increases one's spatial awareness, and aids in determining the strength of the enemy.

I rubbed my chin in contemplation as I read the descriptions of each stat… It was a bit unusual, the formation of stats that is. There was no 'Wisdom,' and no 'Charisma' stat. Instead, intelligence seemed to cover both wisdom and intelligence in one, and Charisma wasn't around at all. Perhaps it was a skill rather than a stat?

Sense also seemed like it should be a skill rather than a stat, but it wasn't. Why? I suppose I'd have to find out later.

[We will now move onto Skills. As it stands, the player currently only has two skills available to them, however it is better than nothing. Please say or think the word 'Skills' in order to bring up the menu, and to continue the tutorial.]

"Skills," I muttered.

[Skills]

[Blessing of the Planet (Passive) – RANK EX – Lv. MAX]

You are just a normal man. And yet sometimes that is all the world needs, and the planet has blessed you. The Planet's Blessing will assure you will always be strong and healthy throughout your lifetime.

Permanent Effect "Longevity": All diseases, poisons, and status effects are healed, and sleeping will explosively increase regeneration ability.

Permanent Effect "The Game": Allows the player to live their life like a Video Game.

[Cooking (Passive) – Rank EX – Lv. MAX]

Your cooking has transcended humans and gods and become something of legend. You never fail when cooking any meal, and all meals you cook have their taste multiplied by 10,000%.

I blinked at the sight of my skills… Blessing of the Planet… As in, the planet itself had blessed me? It had turned my life into a video game? But why? For what reason would it do that?

And there was no way my cooking was that good, I was calling bullshit.

"What's with these ranks too?" I wondered aloud. "I've never seen this kind of ranking system before…"

[We will now explain about skills and the game's ranking system. Skills are created when the player either reads a Skill Book or performs a special action. Each skill starts at Level 1, with some exceptions to this rule, and must be levelled up. They will increase in Rank as the player levels up their skills.]

[Ranks are judged in the following order, from weakest to best: E – D – C – B – A – EX. Some ranks may have a 'plus' or 'minus' symbol on them, indicating special circumstances in which the ranked item or skill do will do more or less damage in certain situations. Please note that 'EX' does not mean absolute strength, but that the power or worth of the item or skill cannot be accurately quantified. Some weapons or skills of 'EX' Rank may do more damage than others of the same ranking.]

"I'm sorry… Is this game trying to tell me my cooking skill is so good that it cannot be quantified or judged accurately?" I asked thin air, completely bewildered. "You… You've got to be kidding me, there's no way that's a thing."

The game ignored my disbelief and, instead, another text box opened in front of me.

[Moving on, next is your Inventory. As you know, the Inventory works as a storage space for your items. It also acts as the store, letting you spend your money to buy items. The store, however, is locked until the player reaches Level 15. Please say or think 'Inventory' to open the Inventory Menu and proceed with the tutorial.]

I help up a hand, ready to protest more about my cooking skill, before sighing. "Inventory," I grumbled in annoyance.

[Inventory] {Store (LOCKED)}

You currently have no items in your inventory.

Gold: 0

"Oh gee, thanks game," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes. Though I shouldn't have been surprised.

[Items can be stored infinitely in the inventory, and identical or similar items can be stacked an infinite number of times. When the store becomes available, the player will be able to convert gold into other kinds of currency. 1 Gold = 10 Lien]

"… Okay, that's admittedly useful," I nodded to myself, glancing at the mirror. The game windows weren't reflected in it, telling me they really could only be seen by me. Even though my doubts of this being a hallucination were gone, I was still checking.

"That should be everything though… What's left?"

[Finally, to finish the tutorial, we shall be moving onto the 'Perks' Menu. Perks are special/unique abilities that are often like a Semblance in nature. Perks can be obtained through special circumstances, but more often than not, the only way to obtain them is to buy them from the store. Please say or think 'Perks' to open up the Perks menu.]

I raised an eye… Semblance-like abilities? How interesting, and useful… It also cemented in my mind that the game was definitely trying to make me overpowered for some reason. Like I was going to complain though, I would exploit this for all it was worth.

"Perks."

[Perks]

Perk Points: 1

[Owned Perks]

None

[Available Perks]

And the list of available perks had my jaw dropping as I scrolled through a seemingly bottomless list. Some things were very strong, like the Rinnegan from the Naruto series, and costed two perk points. Most things were only one Perk point, however.

[As you can see, there are many perks available for you to buy. To finish the tutorial, please buy a perk.]

"Oh, my brothers, the game is serious," I whispered in shock, looking through all the options available to me. So many choices, so many choices… And yet, I already knew what I wanted to buy.

[Are you sure you wish to buy 'Magic Circuits?']
Yes/No

I tapped yes without even thinking twice.

[You have purchased the perk 'Magic Circuits.' A random number of magic circuits shall now be generated.]

Generating… Generating…

Congratulations. You have received 58 Magic Circuits.

Just like that, I felt something slot into place inside of me. Something settling in, in the depths of my very soul. Despite myself, I couldn't help but smile as I received my magic circuits.

[You have learned the skill 'Magecraft.']

[You have learned the skill 'Magic Circuits Quality.']

[You have learned the skill 'Gradation Air.']

[You have learned the skill 'Structural Analysis.']

[You have learned the skill 'Reinforcement.']

My jaw dropped and I had to shake my head and look twice, just to be sure I wasn't seeing things.

Five skills. By picking Magic Circuits as my perk, I had unlocked five skills. I resigned myself to master all of these, especially Reinforcement and Structural Analysis.

[Congratulations for clearing the tutorial. As a reward, you have received a two Skill Books, and 100 EXP.]

[You have levelled up.]
+200 HP
+150 HP
+6 Stat Points

[Please, enjoy the game.]

And with that, the text boxes faded away and left me to my own devices. I shook my head in shock, unable to believe this was really happening, and decided I needed proof.

Instead of going straight to my inventory, I first decided to work on my Magecraft. If I remembered correctly, each magus had a trigger in order to channel their magical energy. Shiro Emiya's was a gun cocking and firing, Rin's as a knife stabbing her heart.

I took a breath and closed my eyes, concentrating on something to try and trigger my circuits…

… And a searing kiss as the city burned around us filled my mind.

"Accelerate," I whispered, and felt the rush of energy that surged through me. My eyes snapped open and I looked down at my arms, seeing the blue glow emanating from my arms, the physical representation of my magic circuits on my body.

This wasn't an illusion. This was real.

I cut the flow- I somehow instinctually knew how to do so- and yelped when another text box opened in front of me.

[Magic Circuits Quality has levelled up by 1.]

[Magecraft has levelled up by 1.]

I stared at the screen, curious… So just using my circuits increased the quality of them? I raked my brained for memories on it… If I remembered, the amount of magic circuits you were born with couldn't be changed, but the quality of them could be increased over time.

But I didn't think it should be this fast. Was the fact my life was a game helping me cheat a little in that regard? I suppose I couldn't complain, I'd take what I could get. And I should probably investigate my new skills, so I opened the skill menu.

[Magecraft (Passive) – Rank E – Lv. 2]

The practise of Magecraft. Grants the player the ability to utilise both Mana and Od. Number of Magic Circuits: 58

[Magic Circuits Quality (Passive) – Rank E – Lv. 2]

The quality of the Magic Circuits in the body. Currently, the player only has a channelling capacity of 10 units, though this can be increased over time.

[Gradation Air (Active) – Rank E – Lv. 1]

Recreation of objects the user has seen. Though the objects re-created are hollow and are worthless. And yet… It holds the potential of something great. Cost: 10MP

[Structural Analysis (Active) – Rank E – Lv. 1]

To learn about an object, its history and functions, through touch. Cost: 10MP

[Reinforcement (Active) – Rank E – Lv. 1]

The power to strengthen an object, or the user's own body. WARNING: Not recommended to strengthen the user's body until Reinforcement has reached C Rank. Cost: 10MP per minute.

I winced lightly at that. Yeah, not going to be reinforcing my body unless I absolutely must. I was just going to assume C Rank meant the game would compensate and make sure it was done safely, whereas I'd have to be very careful otherwise.

I then decided to open my inventory and look at the skill books that the tutorial had given me. I'll admit, I was very curious as to just what else the game could give. And I wasn't disappointed.

[Skill Book: Aura – The Light in Our Souls]
Would you like to learn this skill?
Yes/No

I tapped yes and watched as the skill book vanished from my inventory, only for white energy to flow into me and empower me, words filling my mind.

For it is in dreaming that we attain immortality, a symbol of hope and prosperity for all those who live. Infinite in distance, and unbound by fate, I remove your chains. And by my hand, set thee free.

[You have learned the skill 'Aura.']

[You have learned the skill 'Unlock Aura.]

I took a deep breath as a familiar feeling from my dreams surged up within me. I didn't realise just how much I'd missed this feeling, even if before it had been in a dream. It was… Good, it felt so good to have this strength surging through me again.

I shook it off, instead looking to the second skill book in my inventory.

[Skill Book: Hei Long's 2000 Years.]
Would you like to learn this skill?
Yes/No

This one was new to me, but curiosity won me over and I hit yes. It was a tutorial item, surely it wasn't going to give me a lot of skills-!

[You have learned the skill 'Hei Long's 2000 Years.']

[You have learned the skill 'Black Dragon's Seismic Steps: Advance.']

[You have learned the skill 'Black Dragon's Seismic Steps: Retreat.']

[You have learned the skill 'Black Dragon's Seismic Steps: Evade.']

Wait-!

[You have learned the skill 'Black Dragon's Seismic Steps: Attack.']

[You have learned the skill 'Black Dragon's Seismic Steps: Clone.']

[You have learned the skill 'Black Dragon's Round Kick.]

[You have learned the skill 'Black Dragon's Sickle Kick.']

H- Hold on a second-!

[You have learned the skill 'Black Dragon's Fangs.']

[You have learned the skill 'Black Dragon's Pulse Breath.']

[You have learned the skill 'Black Dragon's Upper Thrust Kick.']

How many skills was I getting!?

[You have learned the skill 'Black Dragon's Shockwave Fist.']

[You have learned the skill 'Black Dragon's Rising Back Kick.']

[You have learned the skill 'Black Dragon's Enlightenment (LOCKED).']

I shook my head in disbelief as the skills finally stopped clogging up my vision, unable to believe it.

Fourteen.

Including the locked skill, I obtained fourteen skills from that one skill book. What in the actual hell!? Why would they give me something like that for a bloody tutorial!?

This game really was trying to make me overpowered.

I quickly opened my skills list, just to see my new skills.

[Aura (Passive) – Rank D – Lv. 1]

The light within the souls of all mankind, given form as a barrier to block out the evil of the Grimm. Passively increases Strength, Dexterity, and Vitality by 30%, and reduced damage received. Cost: 1MP per 10 damage.

[Unlock Aura (Active) – Rank D – Lv. 1]

The power to awaken another person's aura. While you always succeed in doing so, the cost is hefty. Though it can be reduced with experience. Cost: 50% of total MP.

[Hei Long's 2000 Years (Passive) – Rank E – Lv. 1]

Two Thousand Years ago, there was a man who was said to be a demon upon the battlefield. Unshakable, undefeatable, unkillable. The fearsome stance of the undefeated Black Dragon. Increases damage of 'Black Dragon' Skills by 10%.

[Black Dragon's Seismic Steps: Advance (Active) – Rank E – Lv. 1]

[Black Dragon's Seismic Steps: Retreat (Active) – Rank E – Lv. 1]

[Black Dragon's Seismic Steps: Evade (Active) – Rank D – Lv. 1]

[Black Dragon's Seismic Steps: Attack (Active) – Rank D – Lv. 1]

[Black Dragon's Seismic Steps: Clone (Active) – Rank C – Lv. 1]

[Black Dragon's Round Kick (Active) – Rank E– Lv. 1]

[Black Dragon's Sickle Kick (Active) – Rank E– Lv. 1]

[Black Dragon's Fangs (Active) – Rank E – Lv. 1]

[Black Dragon's Pulse Breath (Active) – Rank E – Lv. 1]

[Black Dragon's Upper Thrust Kick (Active) – Rank E – Lv. 1]

[Black Dragon's Shockwave Fist (Active) – Rank D – Lv. 1]

[Black Dragon's Rising Back Kick (Active) – Rank E – Lv. 1]

[Black Dragon's Enlightenment (Active) – Rank B – Lv. 1] (LOCKED)

I just shook my head again, closing the skill list, and opening my status. I wasted no time as I allocated my stat points. I placed 3 points in Intelligence, and one point each in Strength, Vitality, and Dexterity.

When the changed occurred, I could feel it. It was like a fog in my mind I'd never known about had cleared slightly, and I felt my muscles squirming, changing. The changes on my body weren't as drastic as those on my mind, though that was likely because I'd used more points on my intelligence.

I looked in the mirror… And I couldn't help but grin to myself. Somehow, for some reason, the planet had chosen to bless me. To 'Bring a new age' for man. I wasn't sure I was the right guy for the job. I was only fifteen. But if the planet thought I was worth something, then I would use this gift from it and abuse it to become as strong as possible.

I swore to become a hero, and train really hard-!

Grrrrrrooooowwwwl!

… Right after I'd gone downstairs and made some breakfast. I was hungry.

Chapter Text

I was completely and totally focused upon my cooking. It was nice and early, meaning none of my siblings nor my parents were awake yet. It meant I had the whole kitchen to myself.

It was glorious.

The kitchen was my sanctuary. During the two years of closing myself off from the world, the kitchen was the only place I ever truly felt alive. Cooking, to me, was more than just a profession or a hobby. It was an artform, a craft unto itself that deserved respect!

… Huh, maybe that's why my cooking skill was maxed out. I was still calling bullshit on it being so high, but maybe it was an explanation at the very least.

Evidentially the smell of my cooking began to waft through the house and rouse my family from their slumber, since I could hear movement from upstairs.

I took that as my cue and began to set the table with the meal I'd made, unable to help but chuckling quietly at the names of each food I placed on the table.

[Heavenly Pork Sausages – Rank EX]

[Heavenly Scrambled Eggs – Rank EX]

[Heavenly Toast – Rank EX]

[Heavenly Baked Beans – Rank EX]

[Heavenly Fried Mushrooms – Rank EX]

[Heavenly Hash Browns – Rank EX]

[Heavenly Bacon Strips – Rank EX]

[Heavenly Fried Tomatoes – Rank EX]

Okay, seriously? It was just a standard Vale-style breakfast, nothing 'heavenly' about it. And how in the heck did toast get to an EX ranking!? It's just toast! I literally just put it in the toaster for a couple of minutes, how did that alone make it EX rank!?

I just shook my head as I took a seat at the table, waiting for the rest of my family to come down.

Saphron was the first, yawning. "Morning," she said… Before she looked at me and did a double take. "J- Jaune?"

"Good Morning, Saph," I responded. "Come on, take a seat, don't want the food to get cold, right?"

"You're… Erm… Up early," she said, and I felt a pang of bitterness within myself.

The last two years, ever since my family and friends alike told me to give up being a Huntsman, I had completely shut myself off from the world. It wasn't a case of ignoring them, I did still speak to them, but I was so torn up by their words that I ended up completely locking up my emotions and withdrawing from reality.

Which was why I'd dreamt up that world. A world where I was a Huntsman. Even though it was just a dream, I was still determined to one day turn it into a reality.

… Err, minus all the people dying.

"I had a nice dream and woke up refreshed," I told her, before lightly smacking her hands as I saw her reach for a bacon strip.

"Ow!" She moved her hand away, shaking it lightly. "Why'd you do that?"

"I'm the one who cooked this meal, so you can damn well wait for everyone else to come down," I told her firmly.

"… You cooked this?" She asked, surprise on her face.

"No need to sound so shocked," I gave her a small smile, hiding the flinch that came when she recoiled in surprise from the sight of my smile.

Damn it, had I really become so emotionless and closed off that my smile was now considered rare?

"A- Anyway, take a seat," I told her. "I can hear the others coming down now."

Saphron hesitated, but slowly took a seat on my left side, staring at me as if she couldn't believe this was real.

Slowly, but surely, the rest of the family joined. I greeted every single one of them and was given shocked looks every single time I gave them a greeting and a smile.

Seriously, I know I may have been closed off, but I still had feelings. Maybe I'd have been less emotionless if you guys hadn't taken a shit on my dream to be a Huntsman! Eh, I digress…

My father was the last one to come down the stairs, whistling. "Woah," he grinned as he took a seat. "A full Vale Breakfast eh?" He looked to my mother, Marigold Arc (though everyone called her Mary). "What's the occasion?"

"Dear, I didn't cook this," she shook her head in denial and pointed at me. "Jaune did."

My father's gaze instantly locked onto me with wide eyes. "… You did?" He sounded shocked, but at this point I'd seen that look and heard that question eight times, so it only made me groan.

"Yes," I grumbled. "Honestly, I can cook. Not like it's all that hard. Well, now that everyone's here, feel free to dig in."

They all hesitated, but slowly filled their plates with food. I didn't appreciate the looks of doubt on their faces and grumbled about getting no respect.

Saphron, every the most adventurous of the family, took a bite of one of the sausages. Her eyes widened and she gasped, making everyone look at her. She chewed slowly, and then swallowed.

With a serious expression, she turned to me right as I was taking a sip of water. "Jaune, please marry me."

I did a spit take. It was a good thing nobody was sitting opposite me, or they'd have gotten sprayed. I banged my chest and coughed hard in shock, quickly taking a swig of water to wash down what tried to come back up.

"Saphron!" My mother exclaimed, sounding scandalised. "What are you saying!?"

"Just take a bite of the food, and you will find that I am perfectly justified!" Saphron snapped at them, still looking at me with an expectant look.

Did she honestly expect me to say yes!?

"I- Incest is illegal," was the only thing I could say, making Saphron go 'tsk' as she turned back to her meal, though her frown went away as soon as she began eating again.

The rest of my family all exchanged looks before they began eating the breakfast, that I'd lovingly made for them all.

I received six more marriage proposals. All of them from my sisters.

In total, I had to point out incest was illegal seven times before I'd even changed into my school uniform. Though I think my sisters were joking about it, despite how serious they looked. I'm like… Ninety percent sure.

Shaking it off, I headed upstairs after finishing my meal, knowing my mother would insist upon doing the dishes, and changed into my school uniform. It was a simple suit and tie with the School Logo on it, 'Signal Academy' and its emblem stitched into the breast pocket.

'But wait,' some of you reading this are asking, 'Wasn't Signal Academy a prep school for huntsmen?'

And to that I say, it was… In my dream. In reality, signal is just a normal school I attend. Huntsman Academies have no prep schools as precursors to get in. You train, you take the entrance exam, and you either pass or fail.

'Friends…' I thought to myself, shaking my head sadly. 'Can I really call them that anymore?'

It had been two years ago when I had been training to be a Huntsman. But I had shown no aptitude for it, not enough to warrant my aura being unlocked. My family decided to put a stop to it and convinced my friends to join the intervention.

I hadn't spoken so much as a word to any of my friends or their parents since that day, hurt as I was by the betrayal. Two years of self-inflicted isolation… Brothers, I'm such an asshole.

I sighed and looked in the mirror on my wall. God, my hair was such a mess. By chance, I saw the case for Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition laying around, with Vergil's slicked back hair on the cover.

"… I'm pretty sure I have some hair gel," I murmured to myself, unable to believe I was about to slick my hair back like that…

To my pleasant surprise, I ended up receiving something once I was done slicking my hair back with hair gel.

[You have received 'Slicked Back Hairstyle (Cosmetic).']

Long story short, I could now change my hair back and forth from this without hair gel. But the changes were, as stated in the name of the item (yes, it was classified as an item), purely cosmetic.

After some internal debate, I decided to stick with the slicked back hair for the day. I went through the trouble of slicking it back in the first place, might as well keep it this way.

I stuffed my books in my bag, after double checking I'd remembered to do my homework for my history class and headed downstairs. "I'm going to school!" I called into the house.

"Take care!" I heard one of my sisters, Auburn, call out. She was always quick to adapt to new situations, so she'd quickly adapted to the fact I wasn't closed off and emotionless any longer. The rest were still adjusting, and I couldn't blame them for that.

It was going to take quite a long time to be able to fully reconnect with my family, I was certain of that much.

The walk to school was calm, and I took the time to look around as I walked. The world, which had once been dulled by my lack of emotion, now looked and felt like it was full of colour again. The trees seemed greener; the sky seemed bluer. The spring breeze felt wonderful against my skin.

Then, I spotted a familiar head of black hair with red tips.

My heart froze in my chest.

Ruby, unlike in my dreams, wasn't actually some kind of super prodigy. I mean, she was smart and skilled, but skipping two years? No, not that kind. She was, in actuality, my age, only about a month or two younger than Yang was. Her mother was in a polygamous relationship with Yang's mother and their respective father.

How long had it been since I'd last spoken to her? How many times had she begged and pleaded for forgiveness, only to be coldly ignored at every turn?

How many times did I spot those silver eyes look at me, filled with tears that would later be shed when she thought nobody was around to see or hear?

I took a deep breath as quickened my pace, my heart set on my next course of action. Every journey starts with a single step.

With that in mind, I walked beside her, and spoke. "Morning, Ruby."

I watched her entire body stiffen, her head whipping to the side to look at me. I saw the hints of bags under her eyes, carefully concealed with make-up.

My fault, I thought. Those are my fault.

"J- Jaune?" Ruby asked in shock, no doubt surprised I was talking to her.

"That is my name, unless you know another Jaune," I joked lightly, but quickly grew sombre. "Ruby, I'm sorry," I told her, watching her eyes widen further. "I shouldn't have ignored you these past two years, you were only doing what you thought was best for me, talked into it by my family. I'm sorry for ignoring you… And I forgive you."

There was silence… And the next thing I knew, those dainty arms of hers were wrapped around my chest, and she cried into me. "I- I'm showwy…" She babbled, stumbling over her words like a child. "I- I'm sho showwy…!"

I hesitated, before gently wrapping my around her and stroking her hair. "There, there…" I said softly. "I'm sorry too, Ruby… Do you think we could be friends again…?"

I felt her nodding rapidly against my chest. "Mn!"

Relief flooded me, and a single tear fell down my own cheek as we stood on the sidewalk, just hugging and basking in the moment.

A friendship closed off two years ago, finally rekindled.

~~Ephemeral Dream~~

It took some time for Ruby to stop crying, though her make-up was still immaculate. It wasn't a stretch to assume the one she'd applied was waterproof, god knows how many times she'd cried because of me.

"You good?" I asked.

"Y- yeah," she hiccupped lightly, wiping her eyes carefully. "I- I'm good…"

"Good," I gently pat her on the back, and the two of us began our trek to school. "Where's Yang?"

"She went on ahead," Ruby said, slowly regaining her childish excitement. "She saw some of her friends and promised to hang out with me during lunch."

"So, she ditched you?"

"… Yeah."

I let out a soft sigh. It was a poor habit of Yang's to ditch Ruby to hang out with her friends. It wasn't as big of an issue two years ago, because Ruby would just come over to my house and play video games with me.

"How lonely have you been these past 2 years?" I asked softly.

Ruby didn't answer, but the sad look in her eyes panged at my heart, and I realised something. "Nobody knows, do they?" I asked her. "Nobody knows how alone you've been; you've been hiding it all this time?"

"… I didn't want them to worry," she told me. "I'd already hurt you and pushed our friendship to a bad point, I didn't want them to find out how badly it had affected me and to blame you for it."

I grimaced and gave Ruby a serious look. "This Saturday, we're going out," I said. "We're going hang out like we used to, and we're going to do anything you want at all."

"Anything?" Ruby looked up at me, eyes sparkling. "Even go to a Weapon's exhibit?"

"Even that."

"Even go to my favourite bakery?"

"Even that."

"Even hang out afterwards and play games while eating strawberries and cookie dough ice cream?"

I snorted lightly and nodded. "Yes Ruby, even that."

"Awesome!" She cheered, and I couldn't help but feel some relief as I saw her smile. It was a real smile, a true smile. I knew, someday, the girl would become a great huntress.

[Quest: A day with Ruby!]

For two years, you've been a husk a human. Now you have finally regained yourself, and it's time to reconnect with your friends!

Objective: Spend a fun day out with Ruby!

Reward: 1000 EXP, 5 Random Dust Shards, +3 Dexterity, unlock 'Bonds' Questline

Failure: 100 EXP, 'Bonds' Questline is forever locked.

Do you want to accept this quest?
Yes

I stared at the screen in front of me, frowning lightly. There was no option to reject the quest, but at least the consequences of the quest weren't the worst thing in the world.

Thankfully, I didn't need to interact with the screen in the real world. Just thinking the word 'Yes' caused the quest to be accepted, and the screen to vanish.

"How about we go out for lunch on Saturday?" I asked. "That can be the start of our day."

"Oo, oo, can we go for all you can eat Mistralian?" She asked, sounding very excited. I nodded and she let out another excited cheer. Well, I was just glad that she was looking forward to her Saturday now. Hopefully, re-forging my friendships with the others would be this easy.

Haa… If only I could believe it really would be that easy.

Considering the walk to school wasn't very far, we made it there with plenty of time to spare.

"Refresh my memory, what's our first class today?" I asked her, just wanting to be sure my memories from the dream weren't conflicting with my real-life memories. I had basically lived in that dream world for 2 years, I just wanted to be sure things weren't conflicting.

"History," she chirped as she took her history books out of her locker. "And then it's a double gym session with my dad!"

I grimaced lightly… Gym, huh? Well, at least I'd upped all my physical stats at least one point. I was sure I could handle it… Hopefully.

"Should be easy enough," I said. "Did you remember to do your history homework?"

She paused. "Uh…"

I let out a soft sigh. "We have time," I pulled my own homework out of my bag. "Here, you can copy off me. But make sure to change words up and write it how you would instead of just totally copying off me. Don't want the teacher to get suspicious."

"You're a life saver," she said in relief, gingerly taking my homework as the two of us headed towards History class, using the back of one of her books to quickly copy and change it as we walked together.

As we approached the classroom, I heard a familiar voice… And a very familiar bad joke, "And I said 'Well, it seems we've kicked this off with a Yang!'"

"I want to go back to being a social recluse already," I told Ruby. "Anything to avoid your sister's awful puns."

"I'll get the rations," she agreed, shaking her head in exasperation.

I gave a soft chuckle at that and let out a sigh before I pushed open the door, walking in with Ruby and heading to my seat. It was right between Yang's and Ruby's.

"Oh great, you're here," Yang grumbled at me, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Yang had been of the opinion I was childish these last two years, to lock myself off and ignore her and the rest of my friends.

Admittedly, it was kind of a dick move on my part. A month or two, maybe. Two years? That was far beyond pushing the boundaries.

"Good morning, Yang," I responded promptly. I won't lie; I took great pleasure in seeing her freeze in shock and whip her head around to look at me.

"D- Did you just talk to me?" She asked in shock, as if unable to believe it.

"Is there another Yang?" I asked, before looking at Ruby. "Ruby, do you have another sister called Yang?"

She snorted lightly and shook her head with an amused smile. "Not as far as I'm aware."

I turned to look at Yang. "Then yes, I was definitely talking to you."

Her mouth opened and closed several times… She really couldn't believe I was talking to her again, especially after all this time. She might have said something, except the teacher walked in at that moment and asked us to sit down.

Ruby quickly handed me back my homework when the teacher wasn't looking, of course. Didn't want her catching onto the fact I'd technically helped Ruby cheat.

The class felt boring, honestly. Kind of… Slow. So, I decided to use the opportunity to read about the Black Dragon Skills more thoroughly.

[Black Dragon's Seismic Steps: Advance (Active) – Rank E – Lv. 1]

Draws the user closer to his opponent. The move is so fast that it appears the practitioner moved toward the opponent instantaneously within the blink of an eye. Cost: 10MP for 10 Meters.

[Black Dragon's Seismic Steps: Retreat (Active) – Rank E – Lv. 1]

Allows the user to retreat or create distance between user and opponent. This move is also instantaneously with in the blink of eye. Cost: 10MP for 10 Meters.

[Black Dragon's Seismic Steps: Evade (Active) – Rank D – Lv. 1]

Allows the user to avoid the opponents attack and gaze. This move allows the practitioner to instantaneously disappear from the opponent's sights. Cost: 15MP

[Black Dragon's Seismic Steps: Attack (Active) – Rank D – Lv. 1]

Attacks the opponent. One cannot just simply use 'Attack' however they want. It's a skill that allows the practitioner to read an enemy's foot technique and change its movement to neutralize the opponent. The user reads the opponent's movement and by giving a slight change to that movement he can neutralize it. Cost: 15MP

[Black Dragon's Seismic Steps: Clone (Active) – Rank C – Lv. 1]

A secret technique that affects the enemy's mind and willpower. This technique creates the effect of the practitioner being in multiple places at once to distract the opponent. Cost: 25MP

[Black Dragon's Round Kick (Active) – Rank E– Lv. 1]

A kick that has gathered force through rapidly spinning on a central point. 120% Damage. Cost: 10MP

[Black Dragon's Sickle Kick (Active) – Rank E– Lv. 1]

A kick used to grab an opponent in a lock position. The fighter faints a reverse kick with one leg and uses that leg to hold the arm of the opponent. It is mainly used to break an enemy's guard. 110% Damage, Guard Breaker. Cost: 10MP

[Black Dragon's Fangs (Active) – Rank E – Lv. 1]

A technique performed by attacking with the elbows. 110% Damage. Cost: 10MP

[Black Dragon's Pulse Breath (Active) – Rank E – Lv. 1]

A technique that sends pulse of energy/mana to damage the opponent. First the user positions their hand(s) to their target and unleashes the energy/mana. When used a print of the user's hand briefly forms on the point of contact, sending them flying away. 90% Damage and sends the enemy flying. Cost: 10MP

[Black Dragon's Upper Thrust Kick (Active) – Rank E – Lv. 1]

A type of push kick, an upward kick which use bottom of the foot as the striking surface. Unlike typical push kick however, this technique bringing the legs up high and straight, pushing the target into the air. 120% Damage. Cost: 10MP

[Black Dragon's Shockwave Fist (Active) – Rank D – Lv. 1]

A technique that uses a powerful punch to interrupt the opponent's attack. Outside of disrupting an opponent's attack, it also causes a shockwave to emanate through the area to catch the opponent off guard. 130% Damage, 80% Damage AOE (5M all directions in front of user.) Cost: 20MP

[Black Dragon's Rising Back Kick (Active) – Rank E – Lv. 1]

A technique that is performed when the user turns their back on their opponent. The user, while their back is facing the opponent, turns while kicking the opponent in the head. 120% Damage. Cost: 10MP

[Black Dragon's Enlightenment (Active) – Rank B – Lv. 1] (LOCKED)

I resisted the urge to whistle at the description of the skills before me. They were all insane! Though the MP costs had me quickly realising I'd need to invest a lot in my intelligence. I'd planned to do so anyway, but the MP costs for the skills were pushing me to make sure I invested plenty into my intelligence stat. And each skill was incredibly useful in their own situations.

It was also making me feel much more obligated to fighting bare-handed, rather than with a sword. Which I was fine with. As much as I'd loved Crocea Mors in my dream, I knew it wasn't the sword I'd want to use in the real world. If I had a sword, I would make one myself.

Out of curiosity, I also opened my Perks Menu.

[Perks]

Perk Points: 0

[Owned Perks]

[Magic Circuits]

Pathways lain upon the soul that allow the owner to access and channel their Magecraft.

[Available Perks]

And then I began to read through them, before I noticed a small star on the left side of the perks. It didn't take long to realise that it was a 'bookmark' feature, to put perks at the top of the list for later when I had perk points to spend.

I absentmindedly took notes in class and read through the history book. Class was boring in comparison and, while I'd love to be fiddling with the game, there wasn't really anything I could do. The store wasn't accessible, I'd already bookmarked the perks that initially seemed interesting to me, and I had no stat points to use.

I couldn't help but stretch and yawn lightly once History class was over. I tried to pay attention, but I hadn't really felt like I'd taken anything on board during it, at all.

"I hate history class," I murmured, holding the side of my head as a light headache hit. I quickly pulled out my water bottle and took a quick swig from it. It helped stem the headache, I was sure I'd feel better once gym class started and I got the blood circulating a bit more.

"Come on, Jaune," Ruby said cheerfully. "It's time for gym class with my dad!"

"Better your dad than Qrow," I grumbled, recalling a time last year when Qrow had filled in for Tai. Bloody slave driver, pushing us all like we were Huntsman in training rather than students.

"Tell me about it," she nodded. "Come on, let's go-!"

"Woah, woah, woah!" Yang said, standing in front of us and staring. "Where is all this coming from!? Why is Jaune talking to us again, and why are you not making this out like it's a big deal!?"

"Yang, we're going to be late," I told her as I stood up. "Look, we can walk and talk on the way to the changing rooms, how's that sound?"

Yang just stared at me before grumbling and nodding, slinging her bag over her shoulder. I did the same, as did Ruby, and the three of us began to make our way towards the changing rooms.

"Talk, now," Yang all but ordered.

"It's a long story," I sighed. "The short of it is I came out of the slump I was in and 'regained' myself, for lack of a better term. I also unlocked my aura and-."

"Wait, wait, you unlocked your aura?" Yang blinked in surprise. "Who did it?"

"Nobody, I unlocked it on my own."

Her jaw dropped, and I saw Ruby looking at me with surprise out the corner of my eye. "That's impossible," Yang said. "There's no way-!"

"How do you think aura was discovered?" I raised an eye at her. "Someone out there unlocked their aura by themselves, and then unlocked someone else's. And so on, and so forth."

Yang paused, frowning as she considered that. "But I thought we all agreed-!"

"Yang," I cut her off as I gave her a serious look. "If you are about to say that my dream of being a Huntsman is silly, and spout the same words that my family told you to say while saying 'it's for his own good,' then walk away now."

She stopped what she was saying right then. "But I-!"

"Did you not see what our actions did?" Ruby cut in, glaring at Yang. "I lost my best friend for two. Years. All because his family talked us into that intervention. We were his friends, we never should have done that to him, damn what his family said! How would you feel, Yang, if me, our moms, dad, and Uncle Qrow all sat you down and told you to quit being a huntress, that you showed no aptitude, and then got all your friends to say the same thing?"

The blonde fell silent… And suddenly looked horrified. I didn't blame her for not realising. She had probably told herself over and over again that it was for my own good, using that to console herself that she'd done nothing wrong.

By stepping into my shoes, she was realising just how badly their words had affected me.

"Oh my god," she said. "Jaune, I-!"

"It's okay," I smiled. "I already forgive you. I won't quit being a Huntsman, but I forgive you for what you said. I know your intentions were good. How about we just move past it, okay?" I offered her a hand. "Blonde Buddies?" I asked her, using the childish name we'd given to describe our friendship while we were children.

She looked at my hand once before snorting and giggling, covering her mouth with one hand while grasping mine with the other. "Blonde buddies," she agreed.

I smiled, and saw we were at the changing rooms. "See you out there," I told them, slipping into the male changing rooms and hurrying to change into my uniform and get out quickly.

In my dreams, and in the real world, Cardin existed. And, much like in my dreams, he was real. In my dreams, he was the manifestation of mildly darker parts of my psyche. Parts that enjoyed mocking others and seeing them suffer.

The Cardin in my dreams wasn't racist, he just respected power, and hated those who didn't flaunt it. That was why he'd picked on Velvet. Because she had power but refused to show it off.

Regardless, I was able to quickly change into my gym uniform and head into the gym for class. It was a double session today, which meant we'd likely have four twenty-five-minute training sessions, with a five-minute break between each one to help us regain our breath or energy.

I started doing a couple light stretched, just to warm up, spotting others starting to come out of the changing rooms. Yang and Ruby were among the first, with Yang's hair tied back in a ponytail, with various other boys and girls coming out soon after and doing some light stretching.

I know what some of you reading this are thinking right now. 'Were the girls wearing bloomers?'

No, they weren't. They were wearing exactly what I was: black shorts, black tee shirt, and sneakers with white socks. The school had a designed 'Gym uniform' that we all had to wear, and bloomers were most certainly not on the list of alternative clothing we could wear.

"Is dad around yet?" Yang asked as she joined me in doing stretches.

"No," I yawned lightly as I continued stretching, shaking my head as I began running in place once I was done to try and get the blood circulating a bit faster. "Any ideas what your dad is doing with us today?"

"No," she shook her head. "He doesn't talk about lesson preparations at home. He doesn't want to give us an unfair advantage, and we don't peek at his stuff. Somehow, he always knows, and then changes up the lesson so we're not prepared for it."

I nodded mutely at her words, finding the sense in them, before I grimaced as I heard a whistle as Taiyang entered.

"Good morning class!" He spoke up. "Nothing like some good exercise early in the way to get the blood pumping," he grinned at us all. "Now, we're going to be doing something a little different today. As many of you know, some of the people here are training to be Huntsman. While there is no such 'prep school' for Huntsman Academies, it's now that we are going to begin training those with aspirations to be Huntsman in basic hand-to-hand combat, just to help them get a grasp on the basics for when they start at their chosen Academy. Now, would everyone with their Aura unlocked please raise their hand?"

Several students began to raise their hands, and my own was amongst them.

One by one, Tai went down the line of students and asked them to flare their aura to prove they really did have it unlocked and didn't just want to fight. He caught out two students that didn't have their aura unlocked that way.

When he came to me, he gave me a look. "You had your aura unlocked?" He asked. "Who unlocked it?" He was no doubt curious since my family made their stance very clear on me not wanting to be a Huntsman.

"Nobody," I told him. "I unlocked it on my own."

Tai sighed, as if he'd heard such bragging before. "Well, I'm going to need to see some proof."

I just nodded and inhaled deeply… And then exhaled as I let my aura flow, covering my body in a white light.

[Through a special action, you have created the skill 'Aura Channelling.']

[Aura has levelled up by 1.]

I was surprised by the creation of a new skill, but not as surprised by the fact one of my skills levelled up so easily. They were all low levelled, so levelling them up early one would be very easy. It would be later that I would struggle.

Tai honestly looked surprised that I'd flared my aura like that, before telling me to go stand with the rest of the aura group. As I did, I opened my skills to look at my newly created one.

[Aura Channelling (Active) – Rank E – Lv. 1]

Usually, Aura is a shield. But, with proper usage, it can be channelled to be a sword too. Increases Strength, Dexterity, and Vitality by 5%. Cost: 10 MP every 10 seconds.

I gave a slight nod as I read it. A good skill, for sure. The skill kind of seemed a bit like reinforcement, in a way, but less dangerous.

… What would happen if I combined the two?

Questions for later.

"Your aura is pure white, huh?" Yang questioned. "I would have thought yellow, like mine, or maybe even more of a gold. You really trying to go for the whole 'White Knight' thing?"

"I don't control the colour of my aura, Yang," I told her, smirking in mild amusement.

She didn't look convinced.

Tai made his way over to us. "Now, while the non-aura students do a lap or five around the gym, you are going to be fighting one another in one-on-one fights. This is so I can get a basic feel for what kind of fighting style works best for you and give you recommendations of books to pursue later. I've already written the fight pairings."

And he began to list them off slowly and concisely so we could hear. Ruby would be fighting a girl called Violet. Yang would be fighting Dove. And I… Suppressed an annoyed sigh as Tai said I would be fighting against Cardin.

'Of course,' I thought to myself. 'Of fucking course.'

"Don't worry, Arc," Cardin said arrogantly. "I won't hurt you… Too much."

… Just for those words, I decided I wasn't even going to entertain holding back when it was my turn to fight against him. Prick didn't deserve it.

Ruby didn't win her fight against Violet, but that was to be expected. Ruby didn't like fighting bare-handed, she'd always expressed as such when we were younger. She always said she'd fight like a super cool hero with a sword, or a scythe, or a hammer.

… Or any kind of weapon, really.

Yang's fight against Dove, on the other hand, didn't take too long at all. Yang was always a brawler kind of girl and had a solid foundation in hand-to-hand combat. Her berserker fighting style was still a bit wild, she left a few too many openings from what I saw, but it was still enough to overwhelm Dove.

And then… Came my fight against Cardin. The two of us stood on either side of the large circle Tai had made, mats on the ground beneath and around us to make sure we didn't hit the ground too hard. The circle was twenty meters in diameter.

"Now, once again, I'll go over the rules of the fight," he told them. "Both of your aura levels are synchronised to my scroll, and I'll be monitoring them carefully. If you are knocked out of the circle, you lose. If your aura drops into the red, you lose. If you are knocked unconscious, you lose. Are you both ready?"

"Yeah I am!" Cardin smirked, cracking his knuckles as he looked at me.

"Yes, sir," I responded, body tense as I already had a game plan in mind.

"Begin!"

Cardin immediately began to charge forwards, like a reckless fool. I, on the other hand, didn't move. Instead I watched him charge forwards carefully… Waiting…

'Seismic Steps: Advance!'

I vanished in a blur, re-appearing only a meter away from Cardin, exactly at the 10-meter mark of the circle.

"What-!" Cardin exclaimed as he tried to slow down and failed.

'Upper Thrust Kick!'

My leg moved into motion, shooting straight up and hitting Cardin right in the jaw as it sent him up a couple feet into the air. I heard exclamations of shock from those watching, but I wasn't done yet, lowering my leg and shifting my stance back slightly as I prepared to deal the next blow.

'Round Kick!'

As Cardin fell back to the ground, his descent was stopped as my foot hit against his side, sending him crashing to the ground and rolling out of the circle.

I took a deep breath and exhaled, a satisfied look no doubt plastered on my face as I relished in the shocked silence from my very brief fight against Cardin.

[Black Dragon's Seismic Steps: Advance has levelled up by 1.]

[Black Dragon's Upper Thrust Kick has levelled up by 1.]

[Black Dragon's Round Kick has levelled up by 1.]

[You have levelled up.]
+210 HP
+180 MP
+6 Stat Points

I blinked in surprise as I found myself going up a level but decided to focus on it later as I mentally dispelled the screen and turned my head towards Tai. He also seemed to have been shocked into silence, but he quickly recovered and declared me the winner.

I made my way back over to the group, taking a seat between Yang and Ruby.

"That… Was… Awesome!" Ruby whisper shouted at me. "That was so cool! You were like 'fwoosh!' And then 'wham!' And then 'hiyah!'"

I snorted in mild amusement. "Thank you, Ruby."

"And you have a speed semblance," she squealed. "We can be speed buddies!"

"Sorry to disappoint you," I shook my head. "I don't have a Speed Semblance."

"What?" Yang voiced, finally snapping out of her shock. "But how did you-?"

"You thought I sat around for the last two years, doing nothing?" I asked her, omitting that was exactly what I'd done. "There's a lot more to me than meets the eye, you know."

She just stared at me, as she fell back into shock while Ruby kept exaggerating about my fight with Cardin.

I just laughed.

Chapter Text

After my beat down of Cardin, the class went smoothly. Everyone finished up their spars and then, while the people without aura played basketball, Tai instructed us on basic hand-to-hand combat. I didn't get any skills out of it, though I wasn't too surprised about that.

Honestly, I was grateful. If I ended up with too many skills too soon, I'd have no time to actually master the skills I did have. I had enough skills that I needed to work on as was, there was no need for me to get even more just yet.

As a bonus for the beat down I gave him, Cardin was now going out of his way to avoid me in the locker rooms once we changed back into our uniforms. I was fine with it; Cardin was kind of an ass anyway.

As I changed my clothes, I willed my status menu to appear. Since I'd levelled up, it meant I had six more stat points to spend. I didn't hesitate putting three of those points into intelligence, and as well as two into sense, and one into luck.

Sense wasn't a skill I was used to in games but it seemed dead useful and worth investing in. Luck was also not to be underestimated. It was why I slapped my last stat for the level up in there.

From this point on, however, I'd be a bit more careful with my stat points since the game seemed to hand out stats for clearing quests, as evident by the fact one of my rewards for my day with Ruby would be three points in dexterity.

I waited outside of the changing rooms for Yang and Ruby, so we could eat lunch together. And, as I waited, I thought about the last friend I had in school outside of the two.

Admittedly, outside of Yang and Ruby, I didn't really have any friends. There were plenty of people with whom I would have liked to be friends but… I just didn't have the courage to approach them. I guess that's why I ended up befriending so many of them in my dreams.

The only friend I had outside of them was a faunus girl called Hikage. She was a snake faunus, her feature being her slit yellow eyes. She also had green hair and a body that could give Yang a run for her money.

Hikage was an orphan, nobody really knew what happened to her parents. She was just found on the doorstep of an orphanage one day in a basket, with a blanket that had her name on it. She was adopted at six by a nice woman called Hinata, and things seemed to look up for her… Until Hinata was killed when a peaceful faunus protest rally turned violent when Hikage was 10.

Hikage went back to the orphanage after that, and she displayed very little emotion from then on. It would be more accurate to say she'd seemed like she'd forgotten how to properly feel emotions all together.

I met her in my last year of primary school, shortly after the incident when her mother died. We, unbelievably, became fast friends. My family was a bit concerned by her lack of emotion, but they came to like her well enough and she was accepted.

And then… Came the day they all told me to stop being a Huntsman. I think, of all of them, Hikage's words had hurt the most when she told me to give up. At the time, I felt like a knife had been twisted in my stomach by her. I had slowly helped her start to feel emotions again, to start to move on from her mother's death, and then she'd gone and told me to give up my dream.

Of course, now I could think rationally and realise that when my parents spoke to her, they had likely mentioned my chances of dying were high and she couldn't bear to see me die like Hinata had.

"I love my parents, but some things are just too cruel to use against people…" I muttered to myself.

I didn't care if I was insulted or hurt, I was used to it. Both in the real world, and in my dreams. But to use Hikage's past and indirectly bring up her mother's death and use it to turn her against me? That was too far.

I loved my parents, but I wouldn't forgive them for that.

"… aune. Jaune!"

I shook my head, snapping my eyes to Ruby. "Huh?"

"You okay?" She asked me, and I saw Yang standing behind her looking at me concerned. "We've been here for a couple minutes, but you looked like you'd completely zoned out."

"Ah, sorry," I shook my head again. "Was thinking…" I looked at them. "… Where's Hikage?"

Both girls grew silent, and I felt as if something crawled up my throat.

Apparently Ruby noticed my expression because she flailed her arms. "Oh no, it's not like that! It's just…" Ruby hesitated.

"It's just what?"

"She's…" Yang gulped. "Jaune, I'm not going to sugar coat this at all. She doesn't believe she did anything wrong. She 100% believes that she did what she did for your sake, and nothing Ruby has said to her over the years has changed her mind, at all."

"… What…?" I couldn't believe it. Not even a bit of regret? She didn't believe she'd done anything wrong?

"I'm sorry," Ruby said quietly.

"… Well then…" I breathed out. "There is only one thing I can do."

"What's that?"

"I'll prove her wrong."

[Quest: Prove Them Wrong]

Two years of solitude have passed, but Hikage does not believe she did anything wrong by berating your dream. Now, it is time for you to train, rise up, and show her she was wrong.

Objectives: Beat Hikage in a spar

OR

Reach Level 20

Reward 1 (Objective 1): 30 Stat Points, Dagger Mastery Skill, New Questline Unlocked, Hikage Apologises

Reward 2 (Objective 2): 20 Stat Points, 1 Perk Point, Hikage Apologises

Failure: Bonds Questline Locked until Beacon, further relationships with Hikage locked until Beacon, Family does not support your dream

Time Limit: 6 Months

Note: It is possible to claim both rewards, but you only have one chance. To obtain both rewards, you must reach Level 20 and then challenge Hikage to a spar. If you lose the spar, the Quest will end if you are Level 20 or above.

Do you want to accept this quest?
Yes

I blinked in surprise at yet another Quest Dialogue box, the second one today. I'd already planned to prove Hikage wrong, but it seemed the System was telling me how' to go about doing that. With a firm nod, I mentally selected 'Yes.' There wasn't a no option anyway, so I had no choice, but I would have chosen yes anyway.

"Come on," I told them, trying for a smile. "Let's go and eat lunch. As an apology for bringing down the mood, I'll let you both have a pork ball from my lunch!"

"Hell yeah!" Yang fist pumped. "I love pork balls!"

I gave them both a smile, and we began our trek to the cafeteria.

"So," Ruby spoke up. "What are the plans for Saturday?"

"I figured we can meet up for lunch, and then go from there," Jaune replied.

"Sounds good!" She nodded. "What about after that?"

"I'll leave our plans up to you."

"Awesome!"

"Woah, woah," Yang cut in. "What are you two talking about?"

"Ruby and I are going out on Saturday," I told Yang. "Since we haven't hung out in two years, I thought it'd be nice if we could spend a day just chilling."

"… So, you're going on a date?"

"No!" Ruby exclaimed, and I saw her face turning red. "W- We aren't going on a date, it's just as friends!"

"Which restaurant are you going to go to?" Yang asked with a wry grin.

"None of your business," I cut in firmly. "Yang, Ruby and I went out all the time back then. We're just further rekindling our friendship, that's all. Now stop embarrassing her and attempting to embarrass me."

Yang pouted as we made to the mess hall. "Party pooper."

"I will crap all over your party when you start teasing," I rolled my eyes. Yang's teasing was unbearable sometimes, and she didn't really have an idea of when to stop. She usually only stopped, from what I recalled, when Ruby was about to tear up from embarrassment. I was hoping she'd changed in the time I'd been ignoring her, but I had my doubts.

I led the pair of them over to a table, pulling out my lunch jar and setting it on the table, opening it up and starting to take out the small compartments with my food in them.

"What's that?" Yang asked as she plopped into place opposite me.

"It's a Lunch Jar," I told her. "It's specifically made to retain the heat of the food. You cook something in the morning, put it in the jar, and it should still be warm when you take it out later. That way I can have a warm meal for lunch instead of a cold one. It can keep food at a nice warm temperature for up to nine hours. Works with cold food too, keeping it nice and cold for around sixteen or so."

"Oh… That's cool," she nodded. "How much was it?"

"Uh… I think like, 34 Lien?" I responded. "It was pretty expensive."

Yang's eyes widened. "That much!? Why would you spend that much!?"

"… Because I wanted a warm homemade lunch," I told her. "Anyway…" I removed a compartment holding three pork balls. "There. One for both of you, and leave the last one."

"Awesome!" Yang cheered, taking her pork ball, and taking a bite out of it as Ruby grabbed hers.

[Through a special action, you have obtained the skill 'Charisma.']

Wait what?

"Oh my god…" Yang said, her gaze glazed over as she licked her lips. "Jaune, who made that?"

… I had a bad feeling. A terrible, awful feeling.

I ignored it, because I'm an idiot.

"I did," I told her. "Why?"

She stared at me with… W- Was that hunger? "Marry me."

"What- Yang!" Ruby squawked in shock.

I was pretty stunned too, my cheeks felt like they were burning and I looked away.

"You can't marry him," Ruby said firmly.

"But Rubes, his food is so good!" She whined. "Just eat your pork ball and you'll see!"

Ruby looked doubtful, before taking a bite out of her pork ball.

[Charisma has levelled up by one.]

Ruby looked at me with the same gaze Yang had in her eyes.

I could only gulp.

~~Ephemeral Dream~~

I managed to convince the girls to not try and get me to marry them by promising to make a bit more food for them to enjoy from then on.

On the plus side, I discovered the System had an alarm system that would help remind me of important events. Apparently, the promise to make food counted. It also confirmed for me that my sisters weren't serious when they asked me to marry them, which was a huge relief to find out they hadn't been serious.

Classes went on slowly through the day, to the point I tuned out and took the notes more absentmindedly as I began to make my plans for the short term.

I was currently half way through my second year at Signal. That gave me 6 months to reach level twenty. If I wanted to do that, I would need to start the classic game trope that was grinding. And the best way to do that was to fight mobs.

In other words, I had to fight Grimm.

Which meant I needed weapons. I may have aura, but that was mostly a shield. I needed weapons, be it gauntlets, a sword, anything.

But where was I going to get that?

I mean, I could borrow Crocea Mors from the basement, but I didn't want to do something like that. Crocea Mors was a family treasure, to take it for any reason- no matter what it was- would be… Wrong. It would be so wrong of me to dare do something like that.

But how was I going to get a weapon then?

I had no money, no weapon, and no way to…

Gradation Air.

The answer hit me like a truck.

Gradation Air was the answer! At the moment, yes, it was useless to me as it could only create hollow copies of objects… But if I trained it up, that could change! It could create real replicas rather than fake one!

I quickly brought up my stats page and my skill page. Currently, my MP was sitting at 430. And Gradation Air cost me 10 MP per use. That meant I could use it forty-three times a day. Surely, I could get some good levels with that. Though I would have to wait until late at night before doing so, just in case I needed MP for the rest of the day.

Yes! I could work with this!

Clearly the game thought so too.

[Quest: Projection]

You desire to grow stronger, but you have no weapon with which to fight. But you have found a solution, now all you can do is stick with it and gather the weapons you'll need to get stronger.

Objective: Get Gradation Air to Level 50.

Reward: Gradation Air evolves into 'Projection' Skill, 1,000 EXP, +10 Intelligence

Failure: Forever unable to use 'Projection,' must wait until Beacon to use a proper weapon.

Bonus Objective: Get Projection to Level 100 in 2 weeks.

Bonus Reward: Revealed upon clearing bonus objective.

Time Limit: 1 Month

Upon reaching level 50, you will automatically clear the quest and obtain the 'Projection' Skill. The Timer will then automatically change to 2 weeks for the player to clear the bonus objective. (This means that, if the player doesn't reach level 50 in Gradation Air until right at the end of the time limit, the quest will then extend to 2 weeks from the moment the player reaches level 50 and obtains the 'Projection' skill.)

Do you want to accept this quest?
Yes/No

I stared at the screen in front of me. That was a pretty hefty reward, and the bonus objective- while tough- certainly didn't seem impossible to me.

What also stuck out to me was the fact that I could say no. This was the first quest I'd been given that I could say no to, which meant this was more like a side quest than a main quest like the other two quests seemed to me. It meant that, while I didn't need to do this quest, the system was telling me that doing this quest would make my life easier in the long-term.

With that in mind, I accepted. Of course, I did! This might be my only chance of getting weapons that I could use before Beacon and the quest made it all too obvious; I wasn't going to be getting one until or right before I started attending. It was a no brainer!

If there was anything that I'd learned from playing games, it was that you should complete any and all side quests. They gave you the crazy good stuff that would make late game much easier than if you hadn't done them. Be it just the extra experience, the weapons you could get that would make fights easier for a short while, side quests were the place to go!

School passed by faster than I expected. I enjoyed a chat with Ruby and Yang on the way home, promising to make them something tomorrow, before I broke off from them and headed to my house.

"I'm home!" I called out as I made my way inside.

"Welcome home!" I heard Saphron's voice call out, stepping out to meet me in the hall. "How was school?"

"It was fine," I told her as I took my shoes off. "Managed to make up with Ruby and Yang. Ruby and I are going to hang out on Saturday."

"Oh, like a date?"

"It's not a date!" I snapped, a warmth rushing to my cheeks. Yes, Ruby was an attractive young woman. Yes, she was fun to be around and a good person. But it didn't mean the two of us were going to be going on a date or anything!

Saphron only laughed at my expression, while I grumbled. "Well, I'm sure you'll have lots of fun on your date, Jaune."

"Shut up," I grumble, deciding it wasn't worth the energy to try and argue about it. "Call me down when it's time for dinner, I've got some homework to do."

"Okay," she nodded, I walked past her, going into the kitchen and grabbing a simple butter knife, before I headed up to my room.

I closed the door behind me firmly, sitting on my head and setting the knife on my bed. "Right… Time to get started…" I held my hand out, letting my magic circuits thrum with energy, a kiss and a city burning filling my mind. "Accelerate. [Gradation Air.]"

I felt a rush through my magic circuits, before I was suddenly holding a knife just like the one on my bed.

[Gradation Air has levelled up by 1.]

[Magecraft has levelled up by 1.]

[Magic Circuits Quality has levelled up by 1.]

I observed the butter knife carefully, before deciding to see if I could check its stats. I could.

[Butter Knife (Fake)]

[Type: Weapon]

[Class: E-]

[Attack: +0.5]

[Duration: 1 Year]

[A butter knife made through Gradation Air. It is worthless.]

Well that was blunt, but not inaccurate. I cast a look at my H.U.D, and saw my MP had gone down to 420. That meant I could only use Gradation Air forty-two more times today until-

Wait! Earlier I used three Black Dragon Attacks, so my MP should be lower, but it was at the maximum amount when I got home. Why was that?

Did my MP recharge on its own? If so, by how much? I really needed to know that; it would mean I could do this much more efficiently! For example, it meant I could do my 43 projections in the morning, then go to school and do everything that had to be done that day, and have recovered it by the time I got home to do another 43!

"Come on, games have a help menu, don't they?" I muttered aloud to myself. "Come on, there's got to be something... Options!" I tried.

I was surprised that it worked.

[Options]

Help

Sound

Cheats (Disabled)

Clock - Off

Mini-Map – Off

Current Quests

Okay, that was pretty useful. I immediately turned on the Clock and the Mini-Map, seeing them show up on my H.U.D. The clock was to the right of my status bar in the form of a digital clock, and the Mini-Map was in the top right of my vision. They were all partially see-through, so that they weren't obscuring my vision.

I then mentally selected 'Help.'

[What is your question?]

"Oh wow, I can ask?" I blinked. That was much more useful than games I'd known, you could just ask questions and get an answer. I wasn't going to look a gift in the horse's mouth though. "Okay then… What rate does my MP recover at?"

[The Player's MP recovers at a rate equal to their base Intelligence stat every five minutes. E.g. The Player's stat is at 20. The player recovers 20MP every five minutes. The player's recovery time is lowered by 30 seconds every 50 levels. This caps at 1-minute minimum wait time. The Player's HP also recovers in the same way, but using the player's base vitality.]

I stared.

The screen didn't disappear or change.

".. Holy crap, that's crazy good…" I said quietly to myself.

That was beyond good! My current intelligence stat was sitting at sixteen. That meant I recovered sixteen MP every five minutes. That meant, currently, I recovered 192 MP every hour! It also meant the more I invested in my intelligence, the more MP I recovered!

Intelligence and vitality just became two of the most important stats in the game to me. I'd, without a doubt, be investing a huge amount of my stat points into those two stats! If I'd known about that sooner, I'd have invested so much more into vitality already!

"Oh well," I sighed. "I guess I should have checked everything out fully before I started… It's my own fault, but at least I've learned for the future…"

I began to do math in my head. If I recovered 192 MP every hour, that meant it only took around two hours and fifteen minutes for me to be back at my max MP.

I saw the help menu floating there, and grew curious. "Do I need to sleep?"

[The player does not require sleep, though it is recommended they do as sleep explosively increases recovery. However, the player will suffer no negative repercussion if they do not sleep.]

"Fuck…" I breathed, my mind racing as the implications hit me.

If I didn't need to sleep, that changed a lot of things. After some quick math, I found out that, if my MP recovered every 2 hours and 15 minutes, that meant I could create a few more than 430 fake knives a day.

With that huge number, level fifty in Gradation Air would surely be no problem at all! Plus, it would increase my levels in my Magic Circuit Quality and my Magecraft!

"Wait…" I frowned lightly. "Surely the System would notice something like this… Why allow me such an obvious exploit?"

I hesitated, before I firmed myself up.

If the system wasn't going to deal with such an exploit, then I was going to abuse it for all it was worth. I wanted… No, I needed to get stronger. The System said the planet chose me. That must mean that I had some great task ahead of me I had to fulfil.

If that was the case, I wouldn't hold back. I would abuse every exploit, every bug, every damn thing I could in order to get as strong as possible.

My continued survival depended on it.

~~Ephemeral Dream~~

I didn't sleep that night.

I was up all night, creating fake butter knives with Gradation air. When my MP ran out, I occupied myself. Either with a book, a game, homework, anything I could think of in order to distract me until my MP recovered and I could keep going.

And… Well…

[Gradation Air (Active) – Rank D – Lv. 25]

[Magic Circuits Quality (Passive) – Rank D – Lv. 20]

[Magecraft (Passive) – Rank E – Lv. 10]

… It paid off.

It paid off in a way I'd never even thought it could! I may have had a lot of butter knives in my inventory now – three-hundred-and-one to be exact – but it was so worth it! If I managed to keep up this pace, I'd be at level fifty in Gradation air in only two more days, maybe four more at worst!

That in mind, I also had to account for the time I wouldn't be able to use Gradation Air while at school…

But could I?

It only took a couple of seconds to create something, and it was silent when I did so. If I held my hand under the table, I could even create things during class, then store them in my inventory.

I would probably have Gradation Air at level fifty by the time it was Saturday for mine and Ruby's day out!

I was giddy to begin, before I calmed down and continued to plan things out.

Once Magecraft hit level ten, it didn't go any higher. I think that was because Magecraft stopped progressing after a certain point once you reached a certain amount of mastery with a spell. To increase its level further, and get it above Rank E, I would have to practice other spells, or start creating other spells.

I looked through my skill list to find out which one I should work on. Reinforcement seemed like a fairly important one, but my eyes were drawn more to Structural Analysis. I didn't know why, but I couldn't help but feel like it had untapped potential. It said, at the moment, I could only use it through touch. But what if I got it to a high enough level? Could that change to only needing to see something?

In battle, something like that would be useful. To see someone's weapon or an object, and instantly know what it was, and how it worked.

Of course, this was only me guessing. It was a gamble, but I felt like the game wouldn't give me this skill unless it was potentially useful to me.

I decided that, as soon as I was done with Gradation Air that my next focus would be Structural Analysis.

It was fairly early in the morning now, around 8 or so, so I was going to go downstairs to cook breakfast and prepare my lunch… Before I hesitated as a thought rang through my mind.

I didn't want to take Crocea Mors, and I wouldn't dare do that to a family heirloom… But I wanted to see it. I wanted to understand it, and use Structural Analysis on it to see if I could gain a better understanding of the weapon.

I clenched my fist before I made my way into the basement, quieter than I ever remembered being able to be. I walked down step by step, turning the light on, and began to walk around and by the various boxes, covering my mouth so the dust wouldn't give me a coughing fit…

It didn't take long to find it. It was on a stand, the shield resting in front of it as if defending the blade from those unworthy.

Though it had been down here for many years, unpolished and not properly maintained, the blade nor shield had a single sign of rust on them. The blade still looked as sharp as the day it was forged, not a single chip on the blade.

I took step after step towards it, slowly reaching out… And pressing my fingers against the sword and shield. I took a deep breath… "[Structural Analysis.]"

I felt information rush into my mind, but it was only a small amount. A longsword and shield forged together from the same piece of metal; the shield modified to be able to shift into a sheath. The blade had taken countless lives during the Civil War, most of the lives being taken during the faunus rebellion where it cut down an entire army of faunus in just 3 hours.

Sadly, I could not see more than that. I couldn't tell what materials were used, or even who else had used it besides my Great-Great-Grandfather, as I know it was used by a few people sans him.

I pulled my hand away, staring at the blade and shield.

This… This was my legacy.

This was the legacy of the Arc Family… Just laid in a basement, to never be used again.

I couldn't help but feel sad for the sword. I was sad for the fact it would never see battle again, never would it be able to taste the glory of victory or the bitterness of defeat again.

It would lay here, forever.

I clenched my fist as I turned around and walked up.

I made a firm resolution at that time.

I would master Gradation Air.

I would master Projection.

I would master any and every skill I had.

I would increase my level like crazy, ascend to new heights that no huntsman ever reached, nor dared to try.

I swore… That I would become a legend…

… And I would defeat anybody who stood in my path.

[ Charisma (Passive) – Rank E – Lv. 2]

A skill consisting of a person's charm as well as the natural talent to command or unify an army or country. Increases the ability of allies during group battles. Increases how others perceive the user's attractiveness.

Chapter Text

[Gradation Air has levelled up by one.]

[Quest: Projection has been cleared! Bonus Objective has now been unlocked. Time Limit: 2 Weeks]

[Rewards]
Gradation Air has evolved into Projection.
+10 Intelligence
+1,000 EXP

[Projection is now Rank B.]

[Due to gaining [Skill: Projection], you have obtained Alteration.]

[You have levelled up.]
+210HP
+310MP
+6 Stat Points

It was late on Friday night that I finally got that notification, and I had to stop myself from screaming with joy.

Three days. In just three days of non-stop creation, and storing in my inventory, without sleep, that I finally managed to get Gradation Air to Level 50 and clear the initial step of the quest!

Thankfully I hadn't been caught when doing so. It would have been a bit awkward to answer questions like that, but I managed to do my work without Ruby, Yang, or anyone else noticing what I was doing for three days.

I won't lie and say the process wasn't tedious and didn't give me a headache just from how long the process was taking, but I was done! And, it meant that I could, finally, get some actual level grinding done! I quickly brought up Projection to read about it, as well as the new skill I'd obtained in Alteration.

[Projection (Active) – Rank B – Lv. 50]

Recreation of objects the user has seen. Imperfect copies, but who said a fake cannot beat the original? No longer are the copies hollow and worthless, now they are true weapons that can be used in battle!

Weapons Projected will be 1 Rank lower than their originals. Cannot project weapons of a higher rank than Projection. Cost: 10MP

[Alteration (Active) – Rank E – Lv. 1]

The power to give an object a property or effect that it originally didn't have, as well as change the structure of the object. Some objects cannot have their structure altered. Cost: 10MP

I gave a nod and a grin as I read the description, before I brought up my stats page. I wasted no time investing two points into intelligence, two into vitality, and then one into strength and one into dexterity. That would give me more MP when I next levelled up, more health, and I'd be a bit faster with more strength.

Hopefully, that would be enough when I started the grind. The extra levels I'd gotten in my Magic Circuits Quality was also very good, as it was Level Forty and was considered C Rank.

At the moment, I had more pressing matters… Like where the hell I was going to get the money for my day out with Ruby. I didn't want to make her pay for everything, that was just a dick move on so many levels. Especially since it was my idea.

I looked towards my inventory, but there was nothing in there save the cosmetic I'd unlocked and over a thousand fake butter knives…

I paused.

… Could I sell these knives?

Sure, the story was locked until I hit a higher level, but was I at least allowed to sell things?

I decided it couldn't hurt, and decided to verbalise the command. "Sell 1,225 [Butter Knife (Fake)]!"

Instantly, a screen popped up in front of me.

[Are you sure you want to sell [Butter Knife (Fake)] x1225 for 1,225 Gold?]

My eyes bugged out. One Gold was ten Lien, that means I'd have over twelve-thousand Lien in this one transaction!

"Yes!" I said excitedly.

[You have sold [Butter Knife (Fake)] x1225. You have obtained 1,225 Gold.]

I grinned widely as I saw the amount of gold I now had! That was the easiest twelve-thousand Lien I'd ever made!

My elation soon faded as I recalled from the tutorial that the store would have to be unlocked first for me to convert currency…

… So why could I sell if the store wasn't unlocked?

"is there some kind of bug in the system that lets me do so now, despite the store not being unlocked?" I mused to myself.

Deciding to test it, I mentally asked the System to convert all the gold to Lien.

Nothing happened.

I frowned lightly… Maybe if I said it out loud? "Convert 1,225 Gold to Lien."

[You are about to convert 1,225 Gold to 12,250 Lien. You cannot undo this. Are you sure you want to proceed?]

There was a bug! Usually, the game responded to my mental commands. But it seemed like it registered mental and verbal commands as different, and let me slip past certain mechanics and do things, at least with the store. If any other new mechanics popped up later, I'd have to test it out.

"Yes."

[You have converted your Gold to Lien. 12,250 Lien has been placed into your Inventory.]

I fist pumped. And just like that, my money problems were solved! I had plenty of money for my day out tomorrow with Ruby.

I was determined to make sure it was a good day. Not just for the quest, but because I wanted Ruby to be happy. So, I was willing to do anything she wanted all day, be it going to her favourite bakery, going to a weapons shop so she could look at everything, or even just chilling at her place or mine all day and playing games.

I was hoping she would take us to a weapon store, honestly. Now that I had projection, it meant I could finally get to grinding levels. And the best way to do that was fight. The problem was I didn't have any weapons I could think of except Crocea Mors. And something told me that weapon was definitely Ranked A or higher, so I couldn't use that.

Which meant going to a weapons store and using Structural Analysis on as many weapons as I could was going to be my best bet. I was willing to guess that my better my understanding of the weapon, the better I could project it.

With that in mind, my MP was fully restored thanks to the level up. So, I decided to take my time and level up structural analysis.

I assumed that the higher the level, the more information I would get out of something. That meant I'd better be able to project the weapon at a later date due to a better understanding of it.

Which meant Structural Analysis was almost required for me to level up as high as I could. It went hand in hand with projection.

"The System sure does enjoy making a crappy plot," I muttered with a bitter smirk on my lips.

I let my smirk fade as I continued to plan for the future. More specifically, what skills I was going to level up next.

Projection and Structural Analysis were currently at the top of my list. After that, I would work on Alteration, and then I would work on Reinforcement. Then, if I didn't obtain any other skills, I would start working on my 'Black Dragon' Skills… I'd also see if I could find some gauntlets and some good boots to help compliment the skills.

The System clearly wanted me to have the skills for a reason. Which meant I should use them, and level them up.

With my plans for the future set in my mind, I took a seat, placed my hand on a chair… And set to work.

~~Ephemeral Dream~~

Saturday, 12PM.

The day of mine and Ruby's day out.

I'd actually made sure to get a good night of sleep last night. Once I ran out of MP and couldn't use Structural Analysis, I decided that was enough for the night. Every time it levelled up, the information I received was just a bit more detailed than before. I managed to reach Level 23 with Structural Analysis, increasing its Rank to D.

Interestingly, when I reached Level Ten and Twenty respectively, the MP cost for it dropped by one each time. I hoped that meant when it reached the max level that the MP cost would be zero.

I'd woken up early and enjoyed a nice breakfast, before I'd headed to my room and gotten ready for my day with Ruby. I'd decided that I wasn't going to bother with any extra Magecraft today. No Structural Analysis, no Projection, no nothing.

Just a day with my best friend.

"Jaune!" I heard Ruby's voice call out, and I turned my head to look at her.

It had been a long time since I'd seen Ruby in something so casual. She looked good. She was dressed in a red sundress and flip-flops, her handbag hanging across her body so that it couldn't be snatched away so easily. I could tell there was a very light amount of make-up on her face, but I couldn't fathom why.

Regardless, Ruby looked damn good; to the point that I found myself blushing as I looked at her.

"Sorry if I'm a bit late," she apologised. "Did I keep you waiting long?"

"Not at all," I shook my head. I'd arrived five minutes early before our agreed meeting time just in case. "I haven't been waiting too long at all… Nice dress, it looks good on you."

[Charisma has levelled up by one.]

My eye twitched lightly at the notification as I saw Ruby blush warmly, twirling a lock of her hair around one of her fingers. "Thanks…" She mumbled quietly, before shaking her head and giving me a smile. "So, where do you wanna go for lunch?"

"Well we could go somewhere somewhat fancy like Olive Garden," he told her. "Or we could go total trash and junk food like McDonald's."

"McDonald's," Ruby said without even hesitating.

I gave her a small smile. I'd have suggested that too. "McDonald's it is," I nodded, and the pair of us began to walk side by side. "So, what are our plans for the day?"

I saw her eyes light up with excitement. "I thought we could go check out my favourite weapon store!" She said, and I mentally thanked whichever multiverse deity came up with this plot. "Then, I was thinking we could stop by my favourite bakery, and then have dinner and play games at my place!"

"… You do know Yang is going to tease us the entire time we're there?"

"Not if she wants mum's cookies," she said with a vicious grin. "When mum heard we were going out, she squealed and said that if Yang did anything to ruin today, she wouldn't make Yang cookies for a month."

Oh great, so even Ruby's mother thought this was a date! "How did Tai and Raven react?"

"Dad looked like he was a bit strangled, but mum gave him a look and he settled down," Ruby told me. "Then Raven just gave Yang this weird knowing look and grinned. It made Yang a bit angry."

I blinked. "Huh, weird…" I shrugged, before McDonald's finally came into view.

We headed inside and used the machine to buy our food, before grabbing one of the small stands with a number on it and finding an empty table to sit at.

"So," I spoke up. "Did you ever decide what weapon you want to use? Sword, spear, mace?"

"Yeah, it took a while though," she admitted. "I took inspiration from Raven's Weapon, Omen! I'm going to use Sword!"

I tilted my head. "I thought you were leaning towards Scythe? Since your mum uses one."

"I was," she nodded freely. "But, after thinking about it, I changed my mind and asked Raven to teach me how to use a sword. I'm looking for something similar to her sword, but I wanna add my own flair!"

"Your own flair?" I raised an eye. "What do you have in mind for that?"

"I want the blade to have a wire running through it," she explained. "And I want the blade to segment and separate so that I can use it as a serrated whip."

"What about mid to long range?"

"That one I haven't figured out," she admitted. "I'm thinking of also having a dagger that can turn into a pistol, or maybe a second collapsible sword that turns into an Assault Rifle that also acts as a backup in case my sword is taken from me."

I gave a nod. Knowing Ruby, she'd somehow find out a way to fuse those two things together by the time Beacon rolled around.

"What about you?" Ruby asked. "What weapons are you going to use?"

"Gauntlets and boots," I said confidently. "I'm thinking the boots can double as shotguns for an extra 'oomph' to my attacks, not entirely sure about the gauntlets at the moment though."

"Oh, are you going for a martial arts style?" She asked eagerly. "Those moves looked so fluid when you fought Cardin! Where did you learn that? How did you move that fast when you fought him? Can I help you make your weapons?"

"Easy Rubes, one question at a time," I told her, laughing at her eagerness. "I moved that fast by using my aura to augment my speed. It only works for short bursts, but it lets me move at incredible speeds, like you saw. I'll let you help me design the weapons, but I want to make them myself. As for where I learned it…"

I paused. Obviously, I couldn't tell Ruby the truth. Not only did it sound ridiculous, but it would lead to questions about various things like quests. And I didn't know how she'd react if I accidentally let slip that my day out with her was a quest.

So, I had to lie.

"I need you to promise to keep this a secret," I told her. "I don't want anyone finding out about it, especially my family."

Ruby hesitated, but she nodded.

"Over the past two years, I've been learning that fighting style from a Faunus," I told her. "He called himself Hei Long. Not sure if he's related to your dad or anything, but that's the name he gave me. He saw I was upset, and asked why. I explained things to him, and we made an agreement. In exchange for not telling anybody about him, he would train me in his special fighting style. He trained me and only left town recently. I decided that, with his departure, I should open up to you all again."

Ruby's eyes widened as she stared at me… I also noticed a trace amount of worry when the name Hei Long was mentioned, but it was gone so fast I wasn't sure if I imagined it or not.

"Well, I'm glad you got the training you deserved," she told me.

"I didn't," I told her. "Not exactly. He only showed me the stances, and then observed and corrected me each time I ran through one. He didn't have me do any exercise besides stretching and then running through the stances. He said he wouldn't stand for anything less than perfect. Once I'd gotten each one perfect, that's when he left."

There. That would explain how I knew how to fight so well, but would also explain away why I wasn't as physically strong.

"Oh, got it!" She nodded. "Don't worry, your secret is completely safe with me. I won't breathe a word of this to anyone. Not Yang, my mum, dad, or Raven. Nobody at all will discover this secret, I promise you-!"

"Okay I get it!" I cut her off. "You'll keep the secret, thank you. You can stop worrying about it."

I saw her blush before she gave a quick nod. She opened her mouth to ask another question, but it was at that point our food arrived. "Alright!" She cheered and began to dig in.

I smiled and began to eat my twenty chicken nuggets one by one as Ruby tore into her double bacon cheese burger.

"So," I spoke up. "How is your training going?"

She looked up at me, swallowing the food in her mouth. "Pretty good," she responded. "My mum is training me to be more flexible, and Raven trains me in her personal sword style. Yang trains with dad, since she wants to go for a boxer style and dad has a similar one."

I gave a nod at her words, taking a moment to chew on one of my nuggets. "Do you think you could teach me a few moves?"

She tilted her head. "But you're going for a martial arts style, aren't you?"

"It doesn't hurt to be prepared," I responded. "Never know when I might need to pick up a sword for whatever reason."

"Well…" She frowned as she thought about it. "I can teach you the basics, but I can't teach you anything else. Raven made me promise not to teach her personal style to anyone else except other family members."

"Fair enough, the basics will be fine," I told her with a smile. "Thanks Ruby."

"No problem!" She gave me a wide grin; one so infectious I couldn't help but grin back. "But you totally have to call me teacher while I'm teaching you!"

I couldn't stop the snort that came out of my mouth. "I'll think about it."

"You'll see! You're totally going to call me teacher before our training sessions are done!"

"Sure, I will," I chuckled softly, picking up my chocolate milkshake and drinking from it, the rest of my food now firmly in my stomach. I hadn't even realised I'd eaten so quickly until I was lifting up my milkshake. I saw Ruby looking down at her own tray with surprise visible on her fae, before she lifted up her strawberry milkshake.

"So, you wanna go and drink these milkshakes on the way to your favourite weapon shop, or sit here and relax for a bit?"

"First one," she said with a grin, and I chuckled. "Like there was any question of that, but I appreciate you being courteous."

I gave a laugh as I stood up, lifting up my tray and chucking everything on it into the trash before stacking it to the side. Ruby followed suit, and the two of us began our trek to her favourite weapon store 'Gun Gale.'

Despite the name, it sold more than just guns; it was just that most of the weapons there were also a gun in one form or another.

We enjoyed some idle chat about weapons on the way to the store, enjoying our milkshakes. We finished them off right as we arrived, tossing them in the trash as we went in.

"Welcome to Gun Gale, where a storm of bullets is what awaits you!" A voice called out from behind the counter. I looked over, and was surprised by the appearance of a rather attractive young woman. She had pale blue hair with part of it tied in ribbons running down either side of her face, and cut short in the back. Her eyes matched her hair, but she seemed to have a thin band of green running around her slightly vertical pupil. She looked rather young, only about sixteen or seventeen.

"Hey Sinon!" Ruby chirped happily. "I brought my friend with me!"

"I see that," the now named Sinon eyed me. "So, you're the famous Jaune Arc I've heard about?"

"I wouldn't call myself famous, but I don't know anyone called Jaune besides me," I told her. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Sinon."

"None of that miss stuff," she laughed. "I'm only sixteen, you know. Any friend of Ruby's is a friend of mine! So," she shifted her gaze to the girl beside me. "You here to talk weapons again?"

"More here to look with my friend," she told Sinon.

"I'd like to try holding some," I said. "Wanna learn how to hold them, see if any of them suit me as far as a weapon goes."

"No problem with that," she nodded. "Just don't swing them too close to anyone. No need to worry about accidentally pulling triggers either, none of them are loaded for obvious reasons."

"I'll be careful," I promised her. I didn't want to use any of the weapons, I only wanted to examine them with Structural Analysis so I could project them better.

"Then feel free," she waved around. "Ruby will probably talk your ear off about them, you sure you're ready for that?"

"I'm used to it," I chuckled softly. "See you around," I told her before Ruby grabbed my hand and began to drag me over and show me weapons, chatting happily about them as I took them off their stands or the wall one by one and examined them with Structural Analysis.

If I could, she and I would be going through every weapon in here before we left. That way, I would have plenty of options for grinding.

~~Ephemeral Dream~~

We spent several hours in Gun Gale, looking through various weapons. There were a lot of weapons, more than I'd thought there would be. Enough for Structural Analysis to hit Level 25.

I did just want to go from weapon to weapon quickly, but I didn't want to be rude to Ruby by doing that as she always spoke so passionately about weapons. It would have been rude to cut her off, though I did end up having to do it several times when I felt an appropriate amount of time had passed.

"Um, sorry…" She mumbled; her face was red as we headed to her house.

We'd spent so long in Gun Gale that, by the time we left, the bakery was already past closing time and we were heading straight to her place for dinner.

"It's cool," I promised her. "I'm sure if we ask your mum nicely, she'll make us some cookies to eat."

"Even so, I'm still sorry…" She was clearly embarrassed by her blunder.

"Apology accepted," I told her, deciding the best thing to do was just accept her apology. "Now do your best to calm down before we get back. Do you really think Yang will be able to hold back from teasing, even with the threat of no cookies, if we get to your place and your face is red like that?"

Ruby only groaned at the thought. Yang's teasing was already bad enough, she'd done a lot of it over Thursday and Friday. If we came back and Ruby had a red face? No amount of threats would stop Yang from teasing her into oblivion.

"Well talk about something else," she muttered. "To distract me!"

"Alright, alright," I nodded, raking my brain as I tried to think of something that would successfully distract Ruby. It couldn't be weapons now, she was embarrassed because of them. So…

"Did you see Glynda Goodwitch is going to be a teacher at Beacon starting next year?" I asked her.

She looked at me with wide eyes. "Wait what!? Glynda Goodwitch!? As in, 'Witch Queen' Glynda Goodwitch!? She's going to be a teacher at Beacon!?"

I gave a nod. "Yeah, I read it in a news Article. She was personally scouted by Headmaster Ozpin for the position."

"That's so cool!" She said in shock and awe, and it wasn't hard to see why.

Huntsmen and Huntresses had a ranking system to them. The higher your rank, the more likely you were to be requested for missions, and the more likely you were to be respected. F was the lowest rank, and it went up to A. S Rank was above A, being reserved for the best of the best.

Glynda Goodwitch had skipped several years at Beacon, becoming a fully qualified Huntress at just eighteen-years-old, graduating with a solid A-Rank to her name. In just two years after that, she had risen to an S Ranking, the youngest Huntress in history to do so!

She was only twenty-five years of age at the moment, and was now going to be spending a few years teaching at Beacon! She was practically a legend already, and it would no doubt be a great honour to train under her tutelage.

"Now I'm even more determined to get into Beacon!" Ruby squealed, a fire burning in her eyes. "To be taught by the Witch Queen would be so awesome!"

"Right!?" I exclaimed with her, giving her a grin…

The fact Glynda was also voted one of the most attractive Huntresses on active duty had nothing to do with my eagerness, I swear.

"When did this info come out?" She asked me.

"It was right before I went to bed," I told her. "A breaking news kind of thing, I think it was also on the news this morning too? I wasn't really paying attention; I was more focused on getting ready for our day today."

She gave a nod. "Do you uh… Think she'd give me her autograph?"

"Probably, but only if you manage to impress her with your skills."

"Then I'm going to make sure I do just that!" She said, pumping her fist. "I'll wow and dazzle her, so that she'll give me her autograph for sure!"

"Good luck, I know you can do it," I told her with an encouraging smile.

A couple of minutes later we were at her house, and she took a deep breath. "Just let me… Mentally prepare myself for this," Ruby told him. "I just know mum is going embarrass me… Again."

I rubbed her back comfortingly. "There, there. You can endure it."

"As long as she doesn't bust out the baby pictures," Ruby muttered in annoyance.

I winced. Summer always had a habit of bringing out the baby pictures whenever any kind of guests were around. It also meant Yang would be embarrassed, but I really didn't want to wish that on Ruby.

"Don't worry, when she tries bringing it out, just say that we're going to your room to play games," I offered as a solution.

She just gave a nod, looking resigned to her fate, before she took out her key and opened the door, heading inside. "I'm home!" She called into the house, and I winced since she was a bit loud and I was right beside her. "And I brought Jaune with me!"

There was some movement, before Raven stepped out of the living room. Her hair was tied back, as usual, and she was clad in a pair of sweat pants and a red shirt that said 'Best Mum' in big black letters. "Welcome back Ruby," she greeted, shifting her gaze to me. "Jaune, it's been awhile."

"Miss Branwen," I said, referring to her formally. It was an odd thing, that neither Raven nor Summer had changed their last names when they married Taiyang. I'd asked about it before, and Raven just said she and Summer thought having 'Xiao Long' as their last names would feel weird.

"None of that," she waved it off. "I'm not mad about you ignoring my daughters, and neither is Summer. We gave them both a stern talking to after what they did, though Yang only recently seems to have realised what she did was wrong. Sure, I think two years was a bit excessive, but Summer and I know you are a bit sensitive to things like that."

"Erm… Right," I nodded. "Thanks for understanding, Raven."

"No problem," she said with a small smile. "Dinner is almost ready, so head straight through to the dining room."

"Right," Ruby nodded and grabbed my hand, leading me there. I saw Raven smirk a little as she left my view, a sight that left me feeling a bit confused.

The table was already set when we got there, Taiyang sitting at the head of the table, and Yang sitting in the middle on the left.

"Welcome home, Ruby," Tai greeted us. "Hello, Jaune. Nice to have you visit again."

"It's nice to visit you again, Professor Xiao Long- I mean, Tai," I corrected myself. In school, Taiyang liked to keep things formal. Outside of school, he was much laxer and more preferred to be called by his nickname.

"Hey Jaune," Yang grinned. "So, how was your date-?"

"Yang," Summer's voice came from the kitchen, clear and filled with warning.

Yang's grin faded and she grumbled, crossing her arms and pouting like a petulant child.

I would kill to learn how Summer got a voice like that down. The power to stop Yang's teasing just by saying her name? If it could stop her puns too, I'd pay Summer as much as needed to learn how!

"Do you think I could get your mom to teach me how to do that?" I muttered to Ruby.

"She hasn't even taught Raven," Ruby responded, and I slumped in disappointment.

"Don't just stand there, take a seat," Tai insisted.

Ruby and I slipped into the middle seats on the right, leaving the seats on Tai's left and right open. Those were Raven and Summer's seats respectively.

"So, what's for dinner?" Ruby asked.

"Lasagne," Yang spoke up. "We were going to have apple pie for dinner, but we're out of apples and, by the time mum noticed, it was too late to get started on it."

"Aw nuts," Ruby said in dismay. "I love apple pie!"

"I'm on the fence about it," I threw my two-lien in. "I mean, it's okay, but it's not really for me."

"I'm with Jaune on that one," Tai agreed. "Only reason I eat it is because Summer can make any food taste amazing. What she did with the brussels sprouts at Christmas last year… Just amazing."

"Ew," Yang wrinkled her nose. "I'm never eating brussels sprouts, they're so gross."

"Same," Ruby grumbled, her face scrunching up in disgust at the thought of it.

I didn't say anything, but I was on Tai's side. If you made brussels sprouts right, they could be pretty damned good.

After a few minutes, Raven slipped into the room and sat on Tai's left, giving him a kiss on the cheek, before Summer came in with the lasagne and a bowl of peas, set it in the middle of the table along with a spoon to serve it, and then sat on Tai's right.

"Jaune," Summer smiled at me, starting to serve the food onto everyone's plates one by one. "It's lovely to see you again. How have you been?"

"I've been okay, thank you," I nodded, trying not to blush as I looked at her.

I'd always had a crush on Summer as a child. She was so kind, and so nice, and was a very attractive woman. She was dressed in a knee length skirt and a white shirt that said 'Kitchen Queen' at the moment. Her hair was slightly longer than Ruby's, and her eyes twinkled with love for everyone.

I had to shift my gaze away from her and, thankfully, nobody noticed my cheeks were slightly red thanks to the room's yellow lighting.

The lasagne was served and we began to eat. I took a bite and smiled. It was good, really good. It was like Tai said, Summer just had some way of making almost any food taste delicious, even some of the vilest foods could become bearable with her cooking.

"This is delicious, Summer," I said to her. "You're an amazing cook, I think you're better than the last time I ate your cooking."

"Oh Jaune, you're so sweet," she laughed softly, placing a hand on her cheek. "I just learned how to cook while I was at Beacon, none of my team –" she gave a pointed look to a sheepish Tai and Raven – "could cook very well, so I had to pick up the slack."

"Jaune's a pretty good cook too," Yang said between bites, and I felt my blood run cold as an ominous feeling overcame me.

"Oh?"

"Yeah!" Ruby nodded rapidly. "On Wednesday we gave us some of his lunch that he made, and it was amazing! The food was perfect in every single way!"

"Is that so?" Summer looked at me, but I didn't feel any warmth in that gaze at the moment.

Please stop talking, please stop talking, please stop talking!

"Yep!" Yang nodded, ignorant to my internal pleading. "He promised to make us a bit extra from now on. On Thursday and Friday, he made some incredible stuff! I never knew it was possible to make egg salad taste that incredible!"

"Interesting…" I saw a glint in Summer's eyes that worried me. "You cook, Jaune?"

"Um… Y- yeah…" There was no way out of this. "I uh, I cook a bit. I wouldn't call myself a professional or anything, but I know my way around the kitchen."

"Well then…" She gave me a smile… It was one of the most horrifying things I'd ever seen. "What would you say to a cooking contest sometime?"

"… There's no way I can talk you out of this, can I?"

"Nope!"

I slumped down in my seat. "… Okay."

"Wonderful!" She clapped her hands together, and the foreboding feeling went away. "I'll have Ruby or Yang tell you when I have an appropriate time to do so, okay?"

"… Y- Yeah, got it," I nodded, turning my head away from her to hide how terrified I was.

Who knew Summer could be so damned scary?

"On another note," Raven spoke up, making us shift our gaze to her. "I hear you unlocked your aura, Jaune."

I didn't respond, waiting for her to ask a question.

"How did you do it?"

"I unlocked it myself," I responded. It was the truth, sort of.

"How?" She repeated.

"That's my secret," I told her.

She raised an eyebrow at me, and it was clear she was going to persist until I gave her an answer.

"Look," I sighed. "I'm not really sure how either. I just woke up a while ago, and suddenly my aura is unlocked. As far as I know, none of my family unlocked it, so I'm stumped. The only conclusion I have is that somehow, in my sleep, I unlocked my own aura."

She scanned my face for any sign of a lie, before she just nodded and returned to her food.

I had to stop myself from visibly slumping in relief.

"So, you're going to attend Beacon then?" Raven asked.

I nodded. "Yes. I might be behind on training and knowledge, but I have two years to get ready for the entrance exam. I plan to get a job and build up enough money over the next two years to pay for my attendance there, and then get a part-time job while I'm attending to keep paying for it since I know my family won't be chipping in."

"Your weapon?"

"Ruby is going to help me design gauntlets and boots to compliment martial arts, as that's the direction I want to take my way of fighting. The boots will also be shotguns for a bit of extra kick- pardon the pun- and I'm not entirely sure on if I want any extra features on the gauntlets."

"If you need any help, don't be afraid to come to us," Raven told me sternly. "I know your parents and siblings aren't very supportive of your dreams, but we won't smother your dreams here. If you need help for anything, training, money, studying, you are always welcome to come here. And you're always welcome to stay over if you're feeling a bit overwhelmed by your family."

I felt my throat close a bit at Raven's words, getting a little bit choked up.

That was one of the best things about Raven. She was definitely stern, a bit teasing, and sometimes a bit of a hard ass, but she always believed that you should do whatever you wanted to do. It really touched me that she was so willing to support my dream like this.

"Raven's right," Tai nodded. "You are always welcome here, and you shouldn't be afraid to ask for help. I'm only sorry we didn't offer you this in the last two years."

"And I agree too," Summer smiled at me. "You are already family to us, Jaune. So, don't be afraid to ask us for help."

I looked around the table and, seeing those encouraging smiles, I couldn't help but feel tears welling in my eyes.

"… Th… Thank you…"

~~Ephemeral Dream~~

After that, Dinner was a pretty chill affair. Yang and Raven did the dishes while Tai and Summer cleared the table. I offered to help, but Summer waved us off and told Ruby and I to go have fun playing our video games.

Ruby and I played for almost two hours straight in various games, with a pretty even split between us as far as wins and losses went. It was the most fun I remembered having in the last two years, and probably the happiest I'd felt in that time too.

I wanted to play for long, but I noticed the time. "Woah, it's getting late," I told Ruby. "I need to get home before my family starts to worry."

Ruby noticed the time and blinked too. "Huh… That's crazy," she laughed. "I guess time does fly when you're having fun!"

We both hoped up and she walked me to the door. I said bye to the family on the way out, taking a step outside the door and facing Ruby as she stood inside.

"Today was a lot of fun," she smiled at me. "I missed stuff like this, so thanks for suggesting we hang out again."

"I had fun too," I smiled at her. "The last two years of my life were dull, really dull. To be able to do this kind of stuff with you again… It's made me realise that wallowing in my own depression was so dumb. I missed all the good things in life. I'm going to go crazy trying to make up for last time."

Ruby giggled. "I'm sure you'll figure out how to do it, Jaune."

"Maybe, maybe not," I gave her a small grin. "But we're definitely going to hang out more again, count on it."

"I will," she smiled. She stepped forwards, wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug.

I was surprised, but I wrapped mine around her body and rubbed her back.

"… Thank you," she said softly. "Thank you for forgiving me, and for being my friend."

"… Thank you for forgiving me, and for being my friend," I shot right back at her.

She pulled back with a small giggle as she gave me a radiant smile.

That was right. That was how Ruby should look. Smiling. A smile on her face was the only thing that should be there.

"See you on Monday," she told me.

"See you on Monday," I said right back, and she slowly closed the door.

I stood by the closed door for a few minutes, before I turned around and walked away from the house, a smile on my face as I did so.

[Quest: A Day with Ruby has been cleared!]

[Rewards]
+3 Dexterity
+1,000 EXP
+3 Ice Dust Shards
+2 Burn Dust Shards
Bonds Questline has been unlocked.

[You have levelled up.]
+330 HP
+330 MP
+6 Stat Points

I only smiled as the screen popped up, waving them away as I continued my walk home.

Today has been a good day. I'd fully rekindled and reaffirmed my friendship with Ruby, her family had offered to help me with my training, and I'd managed to use Structural Analysis on my weapons.

Nothing could go wrong from here!

[Quest: Bonds – The Great Escape]

Objective: Escape your Kidnappers

I froze mid-step, eyes widening as I saw the objective of my new quest.

I barely had time to read past the objective before I felt something covering my mouth. I tried to fight back, before I suddenly felt light-headed… And then the world around me faded to black.

Chapter Text

My eyes snapped open and I sat up bolt right, immediately noticing several things upon doing so.

Firstly, I was in a dark room. Pitch black, I could barely see anything in front of my face.

Second, I was in some kind of cage, I could faintly see the outlines of the bars around me.

Third, my hands were tied firmly behind by back by rope.

Fourth, however, was the screen floating in front of me.

[Quest: Bonds – The Great Escape]

Objective: Escape your kidnappers

Reward: 500 EXP, 500 EXP for each other person you free, 15 Stat Points

Failure: You are sold as a slave.

Time Limit: 1 Day

Do you want to accept this quest?
Yes

The option to say no was greyed out, for obvious reasons, and I had little choice but to accept.

The fifth thing I noticed was that I wasn't in the cage alone.

Looking to my right, I could see in the very faint light of the room a young girl. She had long, black hair that reached half way down her back, dressed in torn up black and white clothes. She looked a bit thin, giving me the feeling that she'd been here for a while.

What mostly caught my attention, however, were the two cat ears on top of her head.

"Seems like you're awake," she said to me quietly once she noticed I was up.

"Who… Are you?" I asked her. "Where am I- we?"

"Blake," she told him. "Blake Belladonna."

My eye widened in shock.

Blake Belladonna was the daughter of Ghira Belladonna, who was essentially the King of all faunus, if only in spirit. His family had been considered all but royalty ever since they managed to win the faunus rights revolution, and obtain true equality for faunus. All Kingdoms had laws against racism purely thanks to the great efforts of the Belladonna family.

"As for where we are," she continued. "I have no idea…" She looked down. "All I know for sure is that we've been kidnapped… I was just sleeping in my bed one day. Next thing I know, I'm waking up here. I know this is some kind of slave ring though. They find attractive people, anywhere from ages thirteen to eighteen, and kidnap them, and then sell them to the highest bidder…"

"… No offence, how come you haven't sold?" I asked quietly. "You're Ghira Belladonna's daughter, surely you'd fetch a high price?"

"They're keeping me for some big event coming up," she told me. "The 'highest quality' slaves to be sold off all at once, for an absolute huge sum of profit. All of us in here are being kept for that purpose."

I gulped. "… Well, nice to meet you, though these are shit circumstances," I grunted. "I'm Jaune. Jaune Arc."

Her eyes widened and she backed away from me. "A- Arc?"

I grimaced lightly… I should have expected that response.

A few years after the Great War was the Faunus rights revolution. My Great-Great-Grandfather fought in that war, not because he was racist, but because he was ordered to by his superiors. He slaughtered hundreds, if not thousands, of faunus with Crocea Mors at his side. That was how Crocea Mors obtained its name of 'Yellow Death.'

"I understand you're afraid of me," I told her. "But we're not a position to be afraid… I might be able to get us out of here, but I'm going to need your help."

Blake stared at me, clearly doubtful and suspicious… But she didn't really have much choice, and I saw she realised that as she slumped. "What do you need?"

"I'm able to create weapons," I told her. "Guns, swords, knives, name it. What I need you to do is use your night vision to keep an eye on me so I don't slit my wrist when I'm cutting myself free."

"You can't," she told me. "There are aura dampeners in this room, our semblances can't be used… They're next to useless because of that. I've tried getting out countless times, but I can't."

I only closed my eyes and focused, a kiss filling my mind as my circuits thrummed. "Accelerate…" I muttered my mantra. I could practically feel Blake's eyes widened as a blue light came from my hands, unveiling a small knife.

"How…?" She breathed out in shock.

I didn't respond. "Just warn me if I'm about to cut my wrist," I told her, and began to slowly drag the knife across the rope to get free.

As I cut, my mind drifted as I tried to wonder why the Blessing of the Planet didn't prevent Chloroform from working on me, since I was sure that was what was used on me.

I raked my brain for why, before I remembered the wording of the skill exactly. All diseases, poisons, and status effects are healed. For something to be healed, it needs to take place in the first place.

Which meant the chloroform must have affected me and knocked me out before it could be healed! At that point, it didn't matter that it was healed because I was already unconscious.

It was effectively a system exploit that could be used against me, and that was dangerous. I was going to need to find some way around that in the future, I couldn't risk something like this happening again.

"Left," Blake murmured, and I immediately shifted the blade. "What's your plan once we're out of these bonds," she asked me.

"I'm still working on that," I muttered back, glancing at the time on my Hud. It was around five in the morning, meaning I'd been out for several hours.

I opened up my stats page. Under normal circumstances I would have invested in Intelligence and Vitality, but I needed more strength right now. I invested two points into strength and dexterity, and the other two into luck. Because god knew I needed that right about now!

After five solid minutes of cutting, I felt my bonds loosen enough for me to wiggle my hands free. I immediately grabbed the knife and moved in behind Blake, starting to cut at her bonds. "How long until they come to check on us?" I asked her quietly.

"If I'm right…" She mumbled quietly. "About four or five more hours."

"How many cages are in the room?"

"Four, including ours."

I glanced at my mini-map. We were still in Vale, but we were under a bar I'd seen when walking around called 'Junior's.' I'd heard it was a sketchy place, but it seemed they dabbled in slavery… Good to know, but bad right now.

I mentally enlarged the mini-map, and I'd clearly gotten lucky with the system. It was showing me blueprints for the entirety of the underground, as well as a secret exit that popped up a place nearby.

"Okay, here's the plan…" I told her quietly. "When I cut you free, I want you to lead me to all the cages one by one. I'll open up the locks, and give you a knife. You go and free any other faunus captives in here, and then give them a knife to help cut the others free. If we all work together, it should only take us about twenty minutes or so… Then, I'll arm us as much as possible, and we'll bust out of this room. After that, I need you to all follow me and I'll lead us out of here, got it?"

"Got it," she said right back.

I nodded and, with a few more minutes, finally managed to cut her free. I immediately headed to the front of the cage, reaching through the bar and grabbing the lock. I used structural analysis to check the lock. More specifically, just what kind of key I would need.

"Right, time to hope this works…"

I projected a simple, bronze key. Then I took a breath, with the head of the key I needed clear in my mind. "[Alteration.]"

I watched as the head of the key morphed slowly, until it matched what I had in my mind.

[Alteration has levelled up by one.]

I waved away the notification, and slipped the key into lock, turning it slowly… Before I felt the door shift, and I carefully pushed it open.

Blake gasped softly. "You did it…!" She whispered in shock.

"Not yet, we've still got work to do," I told her quietly. "Come on, let's get to work…"

[Charisma has levelled up by three.]

I banished the notification, and Blake and I set to work.

One by one, I carefully analysed and unlocked each of the cages one by one, and then I projected a few knives for Blake.

I immediately dove into one of the cages and walked up to someone, slowly starting to cut her bonds. I felt her wake up and start to struggle. "Easy, easy," I said quietly. "I'm here to help! I'm cutting you free!"

She froze, and I saw her look back at me with disbelief… And hope. She looked tired, ragged, hungry. Her mismatched pink and brown eyes showed such a lack of faith that I felt a stinging pain in my heart just from looking.

"I'm cutting you free," I repeated quietly as I went at her bonds with a knife. "I'm going to do my best to help us all escape, but I need you to co-operate. Can you do that for me?"

She stared at me… Before nodding silently.

"Good," I muttered and kept cutting her bonds. After a bit of work, they snapped, and I saw her immediately rub her wrists. "Are you a faunus?"

She shook her head.

"Then just get out of the cage and stand beside it, okay?"

She nodded and crawled out of the cage. As she stood up, I heard her let out a soft noise as her bones creaked and cracked as they finally moved. I was worried to find out how long she had been locked up in here.

After freeing her cellmate, who was also not a faunus, it didn't take long until everyone else was freed and we were standing by the door, which I'd already unlocked.

One by one, I armed them. I gave them short swords, and guns. I couldn't give them the more complex weapons, but I could at least arm them for in case we got into a fight. Short swords and guns were the best possible things to use right now.

"Right, I don't know what we're going to encounter out there," I told the seven of them. "But we are going to escape this place, and live our lives free. Then, we're going to make sure this place gets shut down and nobody has to suffer like we have. Are you all ready?"

Each of them gave a firm nod.

[Charisma has levelled up by 14.]

[Due to reaching level 20, Charisma has become D – Rank.]

I felt my eye twitch lightly, before mentally banishing the notifications. I did NOT need this right now.

"Right then," I told them. "Let's get to work…"

I unlocked the door to the room and opened it very slowly and quietly, peeking around to make sure nobody was there, before I gestured for the group to follow me out. Once the eight of us were out, I closed and locked the door behind me. It would be suspicious if they came across it and saw it open.

I checked the mini-map, before I looked at them. "Right, who here has aura, raise your hands?"

I saw only Blake and the girl with mismatched eyes and hair raise their hands.

Two was better than I'd initially hoped for.

"Blake, you stand at the back," I told her. "Split hair, you stand in the middle. If you can use your semblance to help us at all, do it now."

I saw the girl nod, before she closed her eyes and concentrated. I instantly felt a shift around us, and a faint scent tickle my nostrils. I didn't know how to describe it, but the best I could put it to was… Mist.

It smelled like the mist.

"Did you do something?" I asked the girl, who nodded. "Did you… Cloak us? Make us invisible?"

She gave a thumbs up.

Dear lord, I'd lucked out…

"Right, follow me," I told them, and began to quietly and carefully lead them through the base. I didn't know the limitations of the girl's semblance, but I didn't want to test it out!

"Are you sure this is the right way?" I heard Blake from the back.

"Guess work at best," I told her. "But I feel a very faint breeze this way, I'm hoping that means fresh air and a way out."

"Are we gonna be okay?" I heard a boy- a wolf faunus- say quietly from behind.

"I'm not going to lie and say yes, kid," I told him. "But I'll do my damned best to get us out of here alive…" I paused as I checked my mini-map, seeing small red blips on it.

Enemies.

"Faster," I hissed back. "People are starting to patrol through the area!" I began to speed up my walk, and the other kids followed behind me.

"I smell them nearby," Blake hissed out. "Are you sure this is the right way?"

"I said I'm guessing!" I hissed back. "I'm 90% sure though!"

We jogged through the base in silence, doing our best to avoid guards, even though the girl with mismatched eyes had cloaked us, you couldn't be too safe after all.

It took time, but finally the end goal was in sight…

… And then it all went to shit.

Right as the elevator that would take us to the surface came into view, I heard someone stumble behind me, and then a loud shattering sound like glass was heard.

In front of me, I saw the eyes of the two guards watching the elevator widen their eyes as they saw us.

One of them snatched a walkie talkie from their waist. "The slaves have escaped!" He yelled. "They're at Elevator C! Requesting back up!"

"Open fire!" I yelled at the kids behind me, lifting up my pistol and shooting at them.

My dexterity stat let me hit one of them in the arm, and the other in the leg, but my shots were still inaccurate. The kids behind me were doing their best, but their shots either strayed, or missed completely!

As I heard movement behind us, I knew I had no choice.

"Accelerate! [Projection!]"

Weapons began to form above and around me, aiming at the guards in front of us, aiming behind us.

More…

Pale blue light began to shine as more and more formed.

More…!

My circuits burned with heat as I used every drop of MP I could to create as many weapons as possible.

I screamed, and the weapons fired. I heard yelling behind me and gunshots, as well as the sounds of steal tearing into flesh and steel hitting concrete and steel as my weapons scraped the walls and tore through a huge amount of the guards, including the two in front of us. I fell to one knee, breathing hard as I felt my circuits burn, but I ignored the pain as I kept firing. More, more, I had to fire as many as possible before…!

It was like a sudden snap, as I placed a hand on the ground and my circuits stopped working.

I hazard a glance at my MP.

Zero.

"Keep up the fire and get to the elevator!" I looked back at them. "Get in, now!"

"What about you!?" Blake demanded.

"Forget about me, go!" I heard scrambling as the kids headed to the elevator.

"M- Mr…" I looked up in front of me, and saw the wolf faunus boy. "Come on, come with us!"

"Kid don't worry about me, just go-!"

My eyes widened as I heard a gunshot…

… And suddenly there was a hole in the kid's head, his eyes wide as if he was surprised. Blood trailed down his forehead… And he fell forwards into my arms.

Something within me snapped.

~~Ephemeral Dream~~

"You're back," Salem said to me as she sat on her throne, giving me a soft expression as I was on my knees in front of her.

The throne room of her palace looked the same as before, but different in that there were now four more thrones, two on either side of her.

On her left was Ruby and Weiss. On her right: Blake and Yang.

"… Why am I here?" I asked them.

"No," Salem shook her head. "That isn't the question."

"… How am I here?"

How indeed.

My dreams should have been just that: a dream. Sure, every person, building, and object represented part of me, but that didn't change the fact it was still all a dream. There was no reason this place should still exist, no reason I should be on my knees in Salem's throne room right now, speaking to her and my four friends.

So, how was I?

"Don't be stupid, you dunce," Weiss sniffed. "You dreamt this world for two years. For you, this was your life for two years. Did you truly think such an integral part of you would disappear so easily?"

I didn't know how to respond to that. A small part of me had always hoped that everything I'd done hadn't been for nothing. That this world would truly remain, even after I'd finally woken up and accepted reality. But, for the most part, I had been resigned to never find my way back here.

"… Why am I here?" I asked them. "What about the real world?"

"The system is most helpful in that aspect," Salem said to me. "So long as you remain here, time does not move outside. Of course, the only real benefit is to have an internal talk with yourself and create a plan in a small amount of time, but it is most helpful for this situation."

"That's not what I meant!" I snapped, before I looked down at my hands. "I… I failed… That kid… He…"

"He died," Ruby said softly. "You'd really hoped you could save them all… Jaune, it wasn't your fault."

"How is it not my fault!?" I snapped at her. "I… I'm the one who made that half-assed plan to escape, thinking the system would make sure I succeeded since it seemed to want me to! I'm the one who was so careless and didn't check on that girl with mismatched eyes to see if her aura was fine and she could keep going! I… I'm the reason that kid…"

"And what are you going to do about it?" Blake asked me, causing my eyes to snap to her. "Are you just going to wail away in self-pity and depression again? Are you going to let yourself be subjected to staying here for all eternity? Or will you use what you've learned to make sure you never let yourself grow arrogant and careless again."

"Are you seriously expecting me to shrug off his death like it was nothing!?"

"Of course not," Blake chided me. "Accept his death, but never forget. Use this death to learn, to make sure you don't make the same mistake again…"

"Jaune," Yang spoke up, unnaturally serious. "You've faced the harsh reality of people who will stop your dream. You've now faced the reality that you can't save everyone that, no matter how hard you try, you cannot save every person in front of you.

"Knowing what you know now, what will you do?"

"I…"

What was I going to do?

Could I really just accept the kid's death? Could I really just try and use his death as a way to teach myself a lesson?

Or was the System trying to teach me a lesson?

Was it trying to teach me that my desire to be a hero was false? That my idea to save people was stupid?

Was this the system's way of trying to tell me that the way to 'lead humanity into a new age' was going to be filled with blood, dead bodies, and regrets?

I saw my friends in the real-world flashing before my eyes. Ruby, Yang, Hikage. I saw my family, Ruby and Yang's family…

I saw the kids that were still alive. I saw Blake, I saw the girl with mismatched eyes, I saw the countless other people in my school.

Was this the system's way of telling me that they would all die if it thought it was needed for the sake of humanity's progression?

Well, fuck that!

I wouldn't accept that!

I didn't care what it took.

I didn't care what I needed to do.

I didn't care how hard I needed to push myself.

I didn't care about how much I would tear my body and soul apart.

If the System was trying to push me down… If the System was trying to tell me 'You can't…'

Then I would prove it wrong!

I would walk forwards, I would surpass it, I would ascend!

I would devour even the System itself!

"Well?" Yang raised an eyebrow. "What will you do?"

"What will I do…?" I growl, slowly rising off of my knees as I stood tall. "Isn't it obvious!?"

"I'm going to get stronger!"

"I'm going to survive!"

"I'm going to save everyone I can!"

"I'm going to prove my family wrong!"

"I'm going to make sure something like this never happens again!"

"And I am going to save the world!"

With my eyes filled with determination, I saw all five of them smile at me.

"There is a price to possessing such power," Salem said softly. "Are you willing to pay for it? Are you willing to go through with your ideals, even to death?"

"I am," I nodded.

"Then go now," they said as one. "And be the person you truly want to be. And never forget, no matter how bad things get… We shall be with you. Forever."

~~Ephemeral Dream~~

[You have found your resolution.]

As I stared down at the wolf boy in my arms, blood pouring down his face, I felt a heat rising up within my body.

It was soft, but I could feel it rising…

Higher…

Hotter…

More intense…

And then I threw my head back… And screamed.

[Through the force of your determination and will, you have unlocked the Perk 'Soul Fire.']

[You have obtained 'Dying Will Flames.']

[You have unlocked 'Sky Flames.']

[Due to inborn advantages, Sky Flames will begin at Level 50, Rank B.]

[Due to the influence of awakened Sky Flames, Charisma has levelled up to Level 50.]

[Charisma is now Rank B.]

[You have obtained 'Hyper Intuition.']

[Due to inborn advantages, Hyper Intuition will begin at Lv. MAX, Rank A.]

[You have obtained 'Dying Will Mode.']

[You have obtained 'Hyper Dying Will Mode.]

Flames.

All around me, I could see flames burning, covering me and the young wolf boy in my arms.

And I could feel an overwhelming sense of calm overtake me, my body slowly relaxing as the felt the flames caressing my skin tenderly.

I slowly set the deceased boy down and turned around, glaring at the guards who were panicking as they saw the flames and now firing wildly.

When the bullets made contact, they melted as soon as they touched the flames. Nothing would get past them; I wouldn't let them kill anyone else.

Even without the notifications in front of my eyes, I could instinctually tell: these flames were mine.

And if they were mine… Then they would follow my will.

I let out a roar as I pushed my hands forwards.

The flames obeyed my commands as they surged forwards, enveloping the guards, rushing through every hall, every doorway, of the entire facility. Screams and shouts echoed through the halls as people died… As I killed them.

More…!

The flames grew hotter.

Everyone here… Everyone involved in this… Will die!

I let out a scream, watching as the flames burned through anything and everything, melted concrete and steel, melted flesh and bones… And as the burning scent of flesh reached my nose, I realised one thing.

This was hell.

A hell I had created.

'There is a price to possessing such power…' Salem had told me…

This was the price.

The knowledge that I had killed dozens of people today… That I would shoulder these deaths, carry them with me, for the rest of my life.

Abruptly, the flames were snuffed out. Now, only trace amounts of them lingered as people screamed and shouted, their bodies alight.

I felt myself collapse, the world around me growing dull and my vision getting blurry.

I felt arms wrap around me and lift me up, looking up weakly into the golden eyes of Blake Belladonna.

I couldn't see the expression she was making, so blurry was my vision… But I couldn't help but feel as if the face she was making was important.

I felt her rush to the elevator, yelling something I couldn't quite hear, before I felt it moving up.

Before the world faded away, I heard her voice, "You'll be safe, Jaune… I promise."

[You have forged a Guardian Bond with Blake Belladonna.]

[Dying Will Flames]

[Sky Flames (Active) – Rank B – Lv. 50]

Dying Will Flames of the Sky. The rarest type of flames, determining the one who holds them as a natural born leader. Sky Flames possess the factor of Harmony. The stronger the user's will, the more intense the flames.

[Rain Flames (Active)] (LOCKED)

[Cloud Flames (Active)] (LOCKED)

[Mist Flames (Active)] (LOCKED)

[Sun Flames (Active)] (LOCKED]

[Storm Flames (Active)] (LOCKED)

[Lightning Flames (Active)] (LOCKED)

[Night Flames (Active)] (LOCKED)

[Hyper Intuition (Passive) – Rank A – Lv. MAX]

A power that can see through all. An insane level of precognition, to instantly know or have a feeling that something is wrong, as well as the ability to see attacks almost before they happen.

[Dying Will Mode (Active) – Rank D – Lv. 1]

A mode signifying the user's great will. The determination to fulfil something they ordinarily would be unable to do, the determination to fulfil it even if it means their death. This mode forcibly removes the body's limiters, and only lasts 4-5 minutes.

[Hyper Dying Will Mode (Active) – Rank C – Lv. 1]

A mode signifying the user's great will. The determination to fulfil something they ordinarily would be unable to do, even prepared to die for it. This mode increases the user's senses, allowing them to remain calm when they fight. Extended use leads to exhaustion.

[Soul Fire]

The flames that burn within your soul, given form through the resolve to fulfil their desire, even to death.

[Bonds]

Blake Belladonna – Cloud – Rank D

Chapter Text

When I woke up, it was to a dimly lit room and a white ceiling. The only light present in the room was that from the moon and the lights outside, shining in through the windows. At the very least, I could clearly look around the room.

My initial focus moved onto the screens hovering in front of me.

[Quest: Bonds – The Great Escape has been cleared. Hidden Objective: Unlock Dying Will Flames has been cleared.]

[Rewards]
+500 EXP
+2,000 EXP (500 for each person saved)
+15 Stat Points

[Hidden Objective Rewards]
+2,500 EXP
+20 Stat Points
Able to unlock all Dying Will Flames

[You have levelled up by six.]
+2,440HP
+2,920MP
+48 Stat Points
+1 Perk Point

Before, I would have been happy to see the rewards I'd obtained.

Now though?

Now I could only glare at them.

I'd gotten arrogant, and a bit full of myself. And because of that, I'd cost a young boy, barely twelve or thirteen, his life. All because I'd put so much faith in the System. I thought it would never fail me, but it had… No, it was my fault.

I felt disgusted.

The rewards in front of me were things I didn't feel like I deserved. I didn't deserve this power; I didn't deserve these rewards!

I didn't deserve it.

[Would the player like to delete the System?]
Yes/No

My eyes widened in shock at the box in front of me.

It seemed the system had heard my thoughts and… Was offering to get rid of itself.

I could pick yes.

I could select yes right now, and bring the system to an end right here and now. I could move past this, and train on my own, without the System's help…

But then what?

Who was to say that would truly be its end?

Who was to say that the System wouldn't find someone else, find another person to 'lead humanity to the new age?'

I couldn't let someone else go through this.

I couldn't let the System corrupt someone else like it was already corrupting me…

And the System knew that.

"You bastard…" I growled.

[Are you sure you would like to delete the System? The player will never be able to access the System again if it is deleted. If the player selects no, the System will be bonded to the player forever, even after death.]
Yes/No

So, that was the ultimatum? Either delete the system and never have its power again, where it could attach itself to some other poor sap… Or let it stay with me forever, even after I died…

"… You're a cruel bastard…" I spat at the System…

… But I already knew that there was no other choice for me.

"… No."

[The System will not be deleted. The System has now bonded to the Player Permanently.]

"You sick fuck…" I spat at the screen.

I didn't get a response.

I was left with little choice but to press on. "Stats."

[Status]

Name: Jaune Arc
Level: 10
Race: Human
Job: None
Main Title: None
Sub Title: None
HP: 3,490
MP: 4,060
Strength: 14 + 30% = 18
Vitality: 13 + 30% = 17
Dexterity: 14 + 30% = 18
Intelligence: 28
Luck: 13
Sense: 12
Remaining Points: 83

Well, at the very least, the rewards would help me along the way. I was Level Ten, my HP and MP were now over double what they were previously, and I had plenty of stat points to invest.

"Put two points into Luck, twenty-two into intelligence, twenty-two into vitality, fifteen into strength and dexterity, and seven into sense," I grunted out.

[Status]

Name: Jaune Arc
Level: 10
Race: Human
Job: None
Main Title: None
Sub Title: None
HP: 3,490
MP: 4,060
Strength: 25 + 30% = 33
Vitality: 35 + 30% = 46
Dexterity: 25 + 30% = 33
Intelligence: 50
Luck: 15
Sense: 19

I let out a sigh as I saw my stats change, now looking more accurate to my level ten status, before a new window formed in front of me.

[Due to the player forming a Guardian Bond with Blake Belladonna, the Bonds Menu is now available. Would you like to view the tutorial?]

"Of course, I want to view the fucking tutorial," I spat out in annoyance.

[The bonds menu determines the player's friendliness with other people, and are ranked from E to EX, much like the player's skills and items. The higher the bond, the better teamwork the player and their bond partner can perform in battle together, and the more likely they are to get along without issues. Say or think 'Bonds' to open the menu.]

"Bonds," I muttered.

[Bonds]

Guardian Bond – Blake Belladonna – Cloud – Rank D
Friendship Bond – Ruby Rose – Rank B
Friendship Bond – Yang Xiao Long – Rank C
Friendship Bond – Neopolitan – Rank D
Friendship Bond – Hikage – Rank D
Bond – Raven Branwen – Rank C
Bond – Summer Rose – Rank B
Bond – Taiyang Xiao Long- Rank C

[As the player can see, there are different type of bonds. The level of bond goes like this: Bond – Friendship Bond – Romantic Bond – Marriage Bond.]

"And what about the guardian bond?" I raised an eye when I didn't see it listed… And who the hell was Neo?

[Guardian bond is a special bond unlocked by the player unlocking their Sky Flames. The player is able to harmonise their Sky Flames with the flames of others, and create 'Guardian' bonds. The Guardian Bond creates a mutual feeling in the player and the recipient, the desire to protect the other and make them happy, to aid them when they are suffering, to get revenge on those that are the source of their pain, etc.]

My eyes bugged out of my skull.

"How the hell are guardian bonds formed?" I asked rather urgently. How did I form such a bond with Blake? I barely knew her, I only tried to help her escape! How did such a bond form?

[Guardian Bonds can be formed one of two ways. First; the player spends a long time in the presence of another person, with small amounts of exposure to the player's flames (Sky, Cloud, etc.). Second; the player unleashes a huge amount of their flames all at once, forcibly creating the bond between themselves and the recipient.]

I could only stare…

So back when I'd unlocked my flames and unleashed them, the exposure forced a Guardian Bond between Blake and myself!? How was that fair to her or myself! I hadn't done it on purpose!

"How do I break a Guardian Bond!?" I asked frantically.

[To break a Guardian Bond, the player must completely betray the trust of their Guardian, or either the Guardian or the player must die.]

[You have completed the Bond Menu tutorial.]

I stared at the screen in front of me with a horrified gaze.

In order to break the bond, I had to do something to completely betray Blake's trust… Or one of us had to die.

The System… It was pure evil.

It was twisted, disgusting, to force me to keep this bond by making those the only options to breaking it. I wouldn't let myself die, I wouldn't let Blake die if I could help it- she didn't deserve that- and I certainly wasn't going to deliberately do something to completely and utterly betray Blake's trust.

"Well, there's no changing it now…" I muttered bitterly to myself. In that case, I needed to adapt.

As I was done using the menu, I began to survey my surroundings… In hindsight, I probably should have been doing that right away considering last time the world faded to black and I woke up, I was in a cage with no way of escape, but it wasn't too hard to tell that I was currently in a hospital.

The walls and ground were white, which was an awful colour to have all around you. A light blue would have been more pleasant to look at, less of a headache.

Glancing at the clock on my H.U.D, I could see it was around two in the morning… Logically, I should go back to sleep, but I needed more information. So, I focused on my surroundings.

I was in a room with three beds other than mine. One of the beds had a young boy on it, one I vaguely recognised as being one of the kids who was locked up down there with us. On the bed next to his, I saw the girl with multi-coloured hair from before.

She looked very similar to the Neopolitan in my dreams… Was it possible that the System had been influencing my dreams slightly, and some of the people that represented my thoughts and emotions were real people the System put in there?

It was a possibility I couldn't discount.

I shifted my gaze to the left. There, on the bed, was Blake… She looked so peaceful as she slept, I was almost jealous she could look so peaceful… Were it not for the fact the system made sleep feel so short, and didn't give me dreams unless I wanted them, I was sure that I'd be having nightmares in her place…

Hell, I didn't know how long she ended up in that cage. She probably had frequent nightmares, perhaps tonight was just one night when she was okay.

Other than that, there was nothing initially threatening about my surroundings. So, I let out a sigh and opened up my quest menu, intending to open up my Projection quest and used the time limit to see how long I'd been out.

Time Limit: 10 Days

I let out a groan… I'd unlocked the bonus objective a day before my day with Ruby. That explained one day away… I was only out for a few hours before I was up in that cage, which meant… I must have been unconscious for three days at this point.

"I've been out for three days…" I muttered. "And I don't know how much longer I'm going to be here… So, the only choice I have..." I clenched my fist. "Is to grind… I need to get stronger… So that something like this never happens again."

I took a breath… And the grind began anew.

~~Ephemeral Dream~~

[Projection has levelled up by one.]

[Magic Circuit Quality has levelled up by one.]

[Due to reaching Level 50, Magic Circuit Quality has become Rank B.]

I let out a small sigh as I stored yet another gun into my inventory. I knew grinding would be faster at the lower levels, but it was taking a while. I also took notice of something… Due to the MP recovery rate, and my MP pool, it was now inefficient for me to stay up all night and do the grind. It was better for me to do my projections early in the morning, do them throughout the day, do them one time before I slept, and then just sleep for eight hours and wake up to full MP to start it over again.

Until I reached the higher levels and managed to lower my MP recovery time, that was just going to be a fact. One I had to deal with.

As I stored the last gun into my inventory, I turned my attention to something I'd noticed when I stored the first gun in there.

The store was, finally, available.

So, I decided to take a look and…

[Store]

[Knight Slayer] – Rank C – 1,000,000 Gold

… The prices were ridiculous. A C Rank weapon cost a million gold! And it just wasn't worth it in my eyes to spend that much, especially when I knew you could make a quality weapon for a fair deal cheaper in Lien. Of course, I imagine the weapons in the store such as [Knight Slayer] probably had some special bonuses on them that put them above other weapons.

Still, I wasn't just going to recklessly spend money unless I was left no choice.

There were a few other options available though. There was an armour options, which did have some nice-looking pieces, and there was also a potions menu. It had HP potions, MP potions, and even status healing potions. It wasn't hard to figure out the store was also for me to help others.

What was most interesting was the clothing option. Clothes were pretty dirt cheap, but they had some pretty nice clothes in there, so I'd probably be spending some gold on some nicer clothes.

Oh, and I also sold all of guns I'd projected in my inventory. They were all D Rank, and cost five thousand gold each. Which meant, by selling 538, I got…

[You have obtained 2,690,000 Gold.]

… A lot of gold.

I may not have been the happiest camper with the System… But if it had obvious exploits that all but broke the money system, then I was going to abuse the shit out of it.

I heard groaning to my left, shifting my gaze over as I saw Blake slowly waking up. She sat up slowly, reaching her hand up and rubbing her eyes, before she looked around the room with a clearly tired gaze… And then her eyes landed on me.

I gave her a small wave as her eyes widened. "Morning Blake."

"Jaune…?" She asked quietly.

"That is my name," I told her.

"Thank goodness you're okay…" She sighed in clear relief… I couldn't imagine how stressed the Guardian Bond had made her feel. "You've been out for three days."

"Three days, huh…" I already knew that, but it would be a bit difficult to explain how I knew. "What's happened in the three days I've been out?"

"Well…" She paused, wondering where to begin. "After you passed out, we took the elevator up. It came up into an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. We headed to someone's house and asked them to call the police, and an ambulance. The police showed up first, and I took the lead and told them about how we'd all been kidnapped and were being sold off as slaves, and how you showed up and managed to get us free, but Kyle was killed during the escape."

I nodded softly, committing the name Kyle to my memory as it was obviously the wolf faunus boy. "Then what?"

"The ambulance arrived shortly after," she said. "We were all piled into the ambulance, and Kyle's body was carefully taken away. They checked on all of us and said that, besides being malnourished, most of us were completely fine, but they still wanted us to stay in the hospital for a while just in case. They asked us for our names, and the names of our parents so they could contact them… That's where complications started."

"How so?"

"First off, three of the kids were orphans," she said. "So, blood tests were taken to find out who their closest family members were… The results are a bit personal, but two of them are bastard children from members of the Vale Council…"

I winced. If that ever got out, it would lead to a hell of a lot of drama. Many of the members would probably get booted off the council for even the possibility of abuse of power, and the scandal that would no doubt happen because of that. A huge political power play would probably be made as soon as that information came out. And it would, secrets like this never stayed secret.

"Neo," Blake continued, gesturing to the girl with pink and brown hair, confirming that she was the Neo in my Bonds menu, "Couldn't have her parents properly identified, which means they're either not from Vale, or her parents were from the wilds, I don't know which it is…" She shifted about uncomfortably.

"What?" I asked, noticing it immediately.

"W- Well…" She hesitated. "They called my parents, and they came as fast as they could. They fret over me, and promised they'd make sure I was feeling better and get me home as soon as I was safe to do so. But I…" She looked down. "… I don't want to go."

I froze. "… Beg pardon?"

"I- I don't want to go," she repeated. "I was hoping I could… Stay with you."

"… Why?"

She frowned. "I don't really know. I just have this desire to be near you, to be close to you. I don't think it's love, I was told I would know if I was in love. I'm fairly sure I'm not, but I don't know what it is. While it hasn't officially been diagnosed, the doctor thinks I'm in the first stages of Stockholm Syndrome."

"Wait, isn't that when you fall in love with the person who held you hostage or something?"

"There are multiple forms of it," she explained. "One is when you gain a strong emotional attachment to the person who saved you… The Doctor thinks I may be in the early stages of that, which is why they have you and I so close to each other. They don't want me to freak out because you aren't there."

This… Was troubling. So, not only did I and Blake have a Guardian Bond that couldn't be broken… But she may or may not also be in the early stages of Stockholm Syndrome. Or perhaps the Guardian Bond simply appeared as the first stages of Stockholm Syndrome at first glance…

With a start, I realised that Blake's desire to stay with me wasn't just her. I was, to a lesser extent, experiencing that same thing. I wanted her to stay, I wanted to get closer to her, know her better… It must have been the Guardian Bond, at least… I figured it was.

"Well…" I sighed. "This is a Dilemma… What about my family?"

"They came to visit," Blake told me. "It was kind of weird though. Your parents took one look at you and nodded, as if that had confirmed something for them. They looked shocked when they found out you were the one who managed to get us out of there, almost in disbelief really."

I felt a stab of irritation. Did my parents truly believe I wasn't cut out for the Huntsman lifestyle? That annoyed me, it annoyed me a lot. Right then and there, I made a decision: I wasn't going to tell them about applying to Beacon. If they would just look at me in a clearly weakened state and just assume that I wasn't cut out for being a huntsman without listening to the details, then they could fuck off and I would do things my way.

"Your sisters stopped by, and they just look concerned," Blake continued, unaware to my internal thoughts. "They've come by to visit every day. So did your parents, though I noticed a couple of times your mum tried to do something weird to you, and I heard her mumbling something under her breath. She looked satisfied for a moment, before then looking shocked moments later."

I frowned… And then my eyes widened in horror as I realised what she'd been trying to do.

She was trying to seal my Aura.

It was a horrific thing to try and do, and I was feeling sick to my stomach at the thought my mother would try and do that to me. That wasn't something you did to a child; it could damage their minds and their souls!

There were several recorded tragedies where children had their aura sealed… One of them happened when I was only seven-years-old in Atlas, where a young girl's aura was sealed by her mother. Doing so did something to the girl's mind, giving her an obsession to 'return to the womb,' and she killed her mother, and many other women- mostly prostitutes. She was eventually stopped and put in prison.

They called her 'Jack the Ripper.'

At that moment, as I came to realise that, I began to hate my mother. She knew, she knew, that sealing a child's aura was wrong. It was a capital offence to seal a child's aura, it instantly led to life in prison for doing such a thing.

The only reason she'd failed was because of the Planet's Blessing on me that healed all abnormal conditions. That… That… Bitch!

Sure, I was fifteen, and the youngest someone had kept their sanity intact was also fifteen when their aura was sealed… But even so, it was asinine to do such a thing! By all accounts, I should have been crazy! And Blake made it sound like she'd done it multiple times!

Why the hell was my mum trying to cripple me!?

"Are you okay?" Blake asked. She must have noticed my distressed look.

"I'm… Fine," I told her. "Just… Processing…" I took a deep breath.

"Uh…" She tilted her head. "Another family came to visit you. One girl had blonde hair, and made a lot of bad cat-based puns at me, the other was more concerned with you. Their parents were nice though… Uh, speaking of, why do they have 2 moms and a dad?"

"Half-Siblings," I told her. "Raven is Yang's mom, Summer is Ruby's."

"But why are they all… Together?"

I stared at her, tilting my head. "… Because he's married to both of them?"

Her eyes shot wide open. "That's legal!?"

"Um… Yes," I nodded. "It was made legal after the faunus rights revolution, to account for alpha natured faunus that had instincts driving them to have more than one lover. Of course, it started out with just those exceptions, but it eventually became legal for anyone to do so. It's not just men to women either. Women are allowed to have multiple husbands too… Did you not get taught that or something?"

Her cheeks pinked and she turned her head away. "I'm home schooled by my mum. She doesn't like talking about the aftermath of the Rights Revolution very much, so it must not have been brought up…"

I just gave a nod, before I cleared my throat. "Look, Blake, you can't stay with me."

She whipped her head to me, and the hurt look in her eyes made my heart ache a bit. "Why? Do you hate me?"

"What? No, no!" I waved my arms. "It's not that at all! It's just…" I looked to the side. "… Look, Blake. There's some drama going on with my family at the moment, my mum and dad being the main cause of it. I don't want you to be caught up in my family drama… I also don't know how long you were gone for; it would be selfish of you to try and stay with me when your parents have been so worried."

"… I know it would be unfair to my parents, and selfish of me…" She sighed. "But…"

"Okay, look," I said. "Your aura is unlocked. That means you're training to be a huntress, right?"

"Yeah?" She tilted her head, wondering where I was going with this.

"Well, I'm going to be a Huntsman," he told her. "So how about this? I'll give you my scroll number, and we can stay in contact. In two years, we'll both be attending Beacon. That's four years right there where we can hang out."

Blake frowned as she considered it. "… Can I come visit?"

… Okay, maybe she did have some form of Stockholm Syndrome.

~~Ephemeral Dream~~

After that, Blake and I just chat about small things. Likes, dislikes, dreams for the future, etcetera, etcetera. We didn't talk about any heavier stuff, though I did tell her my scroll number, which she committed to memory and said she'd come and visit me a few more times before she left town with her parents.

Eventually, the Doctor came in, immediately calling a few nurses and asking me to lay down so they could check me over. I complied, and let them check me over.

"Miss Belladonna," the Doctor turned to her. "You are now cleared to go. Your parents will be here to sign you out soon. We suggest you arrange some meetings to discuss what I said to you the last time we spoke."

"It's fine," she grumbled. "I don't have Stockholm Syndrome; I was just a bit panicked. I'll go with my parents without a problem."

"Even so, I'll be giving this same suggestion to your parents," he told her. "One of the nurses will take you to help you get cleaned up before your parents get here to take you home."

"Right, I understand," she nodded.

The Doctor gave a firm nod before turning to Jaune. "Nurse, how is Mister Arc?"

"He's physically fine," one of them told the Doctor. "But I'm a bit confused, Doctor. His Aura, for some reason, is showing signs of someone sealing it…"

I winced, and I heard gasps. From the Doctor, the nurses, and Blake especially.

"Showing signs," the Doctor repeated. "What do you mean?"

"That is what has me confused," the nurse frowned. "He's showing signs of his aura being sealed, but it isn't. You know how aura sealing works: it does, or it doesn't. The fact he's showing signs means it must have taken hold, and yet his aura is completely fine."

"Young man," the Doctor turned to me. "Do you know who could have possibly done that to you?"

"No," I said, doing my best to keep a straight face.

I wanted to deal with my mother myself, I didn't want outsiders getting involved.

"Do you know anyone who is unsupportive of you being a Huntsman?" The Doctor pressed.

… Charisma, don't fail me now.

"I don't think that's very important," I said as smoothly as I could. "Or relevant. My aura is fine, we should just leave it at that and never speak of it again."

It was so strange to watch, as the Doctor, nurses, and Blake all nodded along to my words as if they made perfect sense. "I suppose you're right," the Doctor nodded. "I will need to report this, however-!"

"I don't think there's a need for that," I cut in. "No harm done, and it sounds so unbelievable, doesn't it? Better to just leave it out, they may think you're crazy."

This time, the Doctor hesitated… Before nodding as if my words made sense. "Well, Mister Arc, I can find nothing wrong with you whatsoever. I would say you're good to go, but we'd like to keep you here another night just to be safe, is that alright with you?"

I nodded. "Doctor's orders are absolute; I have no complaints."

He nodded firmly, before he had the nurses wake up the other two occupants of the room, and another go and get some breakfast for all of us.

Oh right, food.

Ever since I obtained the System, I didn't need to eat food any more, I just ate more out of habit than anything else…

Wait, did food actually give any bonuses? I'd have to check later… I really needed to pay better attention to the System and the things it did, or else I might really die just from not being careful.

After breakfast, a nurse took Blake away to get cleaned up, and I spoke up as the Doctor was about to leave. "Excuse me, Doctor?"

He looked back. "Yes?"

"I don't want to receive any visitors today," I told him. "I just need a bit more time to process everything, if that's okay."

"I understand completely," the Doctor nodded. "I'll make sure the reception desk knows and makes it clear to anyone who comes to visit you'd like to be left alone today."

"Thank you…"

The Doctor gave a sharp nod before leaving the room, likely to tell Blake's parents his recommendation for her, and to check on his other patients.

I let out a small sigh, staring down at my hands and clenching them into fists.

How did everything get to be like this?

My mother was trying to seal my aura, I was in a bond with Blake that made us both want to be close to one another, I now had so much blood on my hands that I felt sick to my stomach, and the System had finally shown itself to be a manipulative bastard.

I turned my hand lifting it up in front of my face… And let the orange flame flicker forth into life, blazing across my palm.

Calling forth the Sky Flames was all too easy, as if it had always been part of me and had just been waiting for the day it would be called out.

My senses suddenly tingled and I jerked my head to the side, greeted by the sight of Neo. She was staring at the flame in my hand as if fascinated, I could see the orange reflected in her pink and brown eyes.

I closed my hand, snuffing out the flame. "Hello… Neo, right?"

She pouted as the flame went away, before she looked at me and nodded.

"Well… Nice to meet you. I'm Jaune Arc…" I offered my hand hesitantly.

She stared at my hand, and then at my face. She reached out and shook my hand gently…

Before she tugged on my hand, pulling me in as she leaned in and kissed my cheek.

I felt my eyes go wide.

[Your Bond with Neopolitan has changed from Friendship to Guardian. Your bond with Neopolitan has become Rank C.]

My eyes widened in further shock as I stared at her.

She was smiling at me adoringly, before she climbed onto my bed and cuddled into me, letting out a content sounding sigh. Her pink and brown hair sprawled out on the sheets as she looked up at me… As if I was her reason for living.

I felt my blood run cold.

It seemed Blake wasn't the only one with Stockholm Syndrome…

Chapter Text

I couldn't stop myself from staring at Neo as she lay on my bed, staring up at me with that almost star struck gaze, while mentally kicking myself.

How could I have been so stupid? I knew exposure to my Sky Flames could forge a Guardian Bond! Neo had already been exposed to one huge burst back underground; the small flame I'd used just now to observe it must have finished it off!

I grimaced, knowing this one was completely on me. I really needed to be more careful in the future.

"Okay…" I took a breath. "Okay… First things first… Can you talk, or are you mute?"

Neo stared at me, before raising a single finger.

"You can talk?" I asked just to clarify.

She nodded.

"… Are you going to?"

She shook her head.

"Right… Okay…" That was going to make things more annoying… "Can you use your illusions to make words in the air so you can respond to my questions?"

She tilted her head, as if contemplating such a thing, before bright pink words appeared in front of my face.

'Yes.'

"Okay, that makes things easier…" I looked at her. "What are you doing?" I asked her.

'I'm lying on your bed with my head on your lap… Was that not obvious?'

"Let me change the question," I said. "Why are you doing this?"

She stared at me… And then the cutest, most horrifying smile I'd ever seen came to her face.

'Because you saved me… I was so cold in that dark place… But then you appeared… My light in the darkness… You saved me…'

If my blood was cold before, it all but froze now.

Do not go full Yandere, do not go full Yandere!

"What do you want?"

'I want to stay with you. Can I?'

I hid a grimace.

Technically speaking, Neo could stay with me. If I turned all my Gold to Lien, I'd have twenty million. That was enough to buy a house, get Neo a new wardrobe, make her a good weapon, and hire some tutors for her to catch up and enrol in Signal next year. With more than enough money left over for other things.

But should she stay with me?

I bit my lip as I thought about it… Before I took a breath and made my choice.

"Neo…" I said slowly. "I can't give you a concrete answer right now. I've got a lot of family drama to deal with tomorrow, before I can make a commitment like taking you in, so I'll make you a deal. How many more days are you going to be here?"

I watched her frown at my lack of a solid answer, before she became contemplative. 'Three or four days… I was living on the streets before I was kidnapped, so I have lots of damages from there that the Doctors are taking care of before I can leave.'

"If you wait those three to four days, I can give you a more solid answer on if you can stay with me. Is that acceptable?"

'… You promise I'll get an answer in three to four days?'

I nodded. "I'll do you one better. I promise, even if I don't let you stay with me, that I'll still be around so you never have to be alone again…" I wanted to bite my tongue as I said that, as I could feel that was the influence of the Guardian Bond affecting me.

I couldn't even feel mad that I'd said it, it was the right thing to do.

Her eyes lit up and she nodded. 'Okay! Just remember, you promised!' She leaned up and kissed my cheek again, causing me to turn my head away as I blushed.

Well, this was one promise I wasn't going to break… I may not be pleased with my family, but I was still an Arc. And an Arc never goes back on their word… Unless it was made under false believes and pretences, then it was fine.

As Neo snuggled into my lap and got comfortable, I opened up the Perk menu.

[Perks]

[Owned Perks]

[Magic Circuits]

Pathways lain upon the soul that allow the owner to access and channel their Magecraft.

[Soul Fire]

The flames that burn within your soul, given form through the resolve to fulfil your desire, even to death.

Perk Points: 1

Two perks. One was obtained by spending a perk point, and the other was obtained through natural means. That told me that just because something was in the Perks menu, didn't mean I couldn't obtain it on my own.

Where there was a will, there was a way. But it didn't hurt to be prepared, and I filtered through the perks for perks only costing a single point.

[Sharingan]

A special ocular eye. One who possesses this eye will always remember what they see while it is active, be able to cast illusions more easily through eye contact, and may even be able to see a few moments into the future. This eye contains untold potential, just waiting to be unleashed

Cost: 1 Perk Point

[Curse of the Revenant]

A being similar in nature to a vampire, but more specialised. You drink blood to survive and by drinking the blood of certain individuals, you can gain access to the powers and abilities of others. Be warned, however, as the Queen awaits a new awakening…

Cost: 1 Perk Point

[Power of the General]

The power of the Great General that leads Samurai into battle. By kissing those of the opposite gender, they obtain the power of a Master Samurai, beyond normal human comprehension. Be warned, however, that the General finds themselves restricted when their Samurai do battle.

Cost: 1 Perk Point

I blushed as I read [Power of the General] and was glad that Neo was more focused on relaxing on me than staring at my face. The hell kind of Perk was that!? By kissing me, women suddenly get a huge power boost!? That was one of the most embarrassing powers I'd ever read in my life!

The other two were also interesting, so I decided to bookmark those for later. The next one I read, however, caught my attention.

[Contracted Servant]

A Sacred Covenant contracting a Hero from the past to their master. A sacred partnership, enforced by the power of command seals.

Cost: 1 Perk Point per Servant

Hero from the past? As in… I could summon a great figure from the past to help me fight?

That was… That was…

That was so fucking cool! There were so many awesome heroes I would love to summon! I bookmarked it for later, who knows who the heck I could summon if I picked that!?

I continued to scroll through the list of available perks for one point, but only one of them caught my eye.

[Majin]

The Majin are a race from another world, known as a demonic people that are amongst the most powerful beings in the Universe. Now, you walk amongst the stars as a member of the Majin: one of the strongest beings to ever exist.

Cost: 1 Perk Point

… That one was tempting. Walking amongst the stars was a tempting line, but the fact they were known as a 'Demonic People' had me hesitating.

Ultimately, I decided to bookmark that one too. I never knew when I might need something like that, after all.

I blinked when I felt my nose get poked, banishing the screens and locking eyes with Neo.

'You were staring into space,' she spelt out for me. 'Were you thinking of something?'

"Was just lost in thought," I told her… It wasn't a lie; I was thinking about which perk I should take.

She just nodded, continuing to stare at me. 'Could you… Show me that fire again?'

I raised an eye, confused… But she was already locked in a Guardian Bond with me, it wouldn't hurt to bring it out at this point. I lifted my hand, letting the Sky Flames blaze to life in my palm.

I noticed that she seemed to visibly relax in the orange glow of the flame, snuggling against me more firmly as she stared at it, seemingly in awe.

I raised an eye, opening up my skill list to read about the flames.

[Sky Flames (Active) – Rank B – Lv. 50]

Dying Will Flames of the Sky. The rarest type of flames, determining the one who holds them as a natural born leader. Sky Flames possess the factor of Harmony. The stronger the user's will, the more intense the flames.

Harmony? What did it mean that Sky Flames possessed the factor of Harmony…?

As in… Balance?

Wait!

I stared at the other flames that were locked, but available. There were eight flames… Did that mean each flame possessed a different factor? And sky flames brought balance to them?

I opened my bonds menu to look at my relationship with Neo.

Guardian Bond – Neopolitan – Mist – Rank C

Mist.

Blake's bond listed Cloud. I hadn't thought anything of it before, but they lined up with the Dying Will Flames. Neo was listed as Mist Flames; Blake was listed as Cloud Flames.

Did that mean that they both possessed those kinds of flames?

… I had to know.

"Do you want to know how to do this?" I asked Neo.

Her eyes lit up and she looked at me, an excited smile on her face… But she tiled her head, curious.

"I'm not really sure how to describe this," I told her, my mind flashing to how the perk was described. "But these are called Dying Will Flames. They are born from my resolve, and are given form through my determination to fulfil my desire… Even if it means my death."

She stared at me for a short while… 'So… I have to find my resolve, and be determined to follow through with it, even if it means I die?'

"Well… That's how I awoke my flames," I told her. "It could work differently for everyone, but it doesn't hurt to try right?"

She let out a soft humming noise in the back of her throat, before she nodded and lifted her hand, closing her eyes.

Moments later, I felt my eyes widen as indigo flames burst to life on her hands, getting whiter the closer to the flame got to the centre. Neo's own eyes widened, and I watched her eyes visibly widen before she gave me a brilliant grin.

I couldn't stop myself from smiling back.

Maybe this Guardian bond wasn't as bad as I was making it out to be. At the very least, it made sure I had more friends… Friends I knew wouldn't discourage me from my dream.

~~Ephemeral Dream~~

The next day, I met Saphron at the reception. She was smiling in relief when she saw me. I wasn't.

"Saph," I greeted her curtly.

Her smile faded. "Jaune, are you okay?" She asked, put off by my tone.

"That remains to be seen," I told her.

"… Jaune, did something happen?"

I gave her a look that told her how insensitive and stupid that statement was.

She winced as she realised it. "W- Well… L- Let's go home…" She said, finishing filling out the paperwork, before placing her hand on my shoulder and beginning to lead me home.

We walked home in silence.

The entire walk there, I ran over possible scenarios in my mind for what was to come. I was going to confront my mother over what she'd tried to do to me, and I was going to get my answers whether she liked it or not.

I would do anything I had to for the answers I was deserved.

Saphron opened the door, letting me in first, before she closed the door behind her.

I made my way to the living area, where my siblings and parents were waiting. My siblings all looked relieved, as did my father. My mother appeared relieved… But there was something in her gaze that made me angry.

"Mother," I spat. "Care to tell me why you tried to seal my aura?"

I heard gasps from everyone.

"Son," my father spoke in shock… Was it because she was caught? "Why would you even suggest she'd do such a thing?"

"During the three days I was unconscious, Blake was woken up several times. Both in the early hours of the morning, and in the later hours of the night. She said she saw mum with her hands on me, mumbling something under her breath. She then pulled her hands back and look satisfied, before looking shocked."

"That could be-!" My dad tried, before I cut him off.

"The Doctor's said my aura showed signs of being sealed," I said, making everyone's eyes widened… Except my mother's. She just looked annoyed. "Considering my aura has been completely fine until just after that kidnapping, and my mother is the only one outside of the Doctor and Nurses that laid hands on me in that time…" I glared at her. "I'll ask you again, mother:

"Why did you try to seal my aura?"

There was silence…

And then my mother laughed. My father shot a confused look at her, backing away. My sisters did the same, looking at her in concern, and worry.

"It was for your sake," she said. "I told you, didn't I? You don't have the aptitude to be a Huntsman. We held that intervention for you, to make sure you wouldn't go down that cursed path. You could live a normal life, and get a normal job like your father, like me, like your sisters! But no, you were so determined to be a Huntsman!"

"And what's wrong with me following my dream?" I demanded.

"It will lead only to your death," she spat. "I had a sister once, you know! She was my best friend, my light in the darkness! I could rely on her for anything and everything! When she went to become a Huntress, I was so happy for her! My big sister was great, and now she was going to be even cooler since she was training to be a Huntress! I never saw her again after she left for Beacon, because she died! I grew to hate Huntsman and Huntresses, they're stupid façade of being perfect, of not having issues, is what drove my sister to such a 'perfect' life and caused her death!"

"You're wrong!" I argued, stepping forwards. "Your sister chose that life because she wanted to help people! You're just pushing your anger and sadness at her death onto others!"

… Much like what I was doing with the System.

I wasn't stupid. I was well aware I was pushing my anger at my arrogance towards the System, when it should be aimed solely at myself.

… I suppose I wasn't so different than my mother in some ways.

"Don't speak in that tone with me," she growled. "Everything I'm doing is for your sake! But for some reason, I can't seal your blasted aura!"

"It would cripple him!" My father yelled. "It would damage both his mind and soul, why on earth would you do that to our son!? I don't want him to be a Huntsman, yes, but to this extent!? You're pushing things too far!"

"I. Don't. Care!" She hissed. "I would rather have a crippled son than a dead one!"

I couldn't contain my rage, as my flames burst to life all around me, making my family yelp and stumble back.

"So, you're saying I'd be better off living with a fractured mind and a broken soul!?" I yelled at her. "You'd rather I become another Jack the Ripper than be a Huntsman!? Well, fuck you then! I don't need you! I don't need this!" I marched towards the stairs.

"Where are you going!?" My mother demanded.

"I'm going to pack my shit!" I told her. "I'm leaving!"

"Oh no, you aren't!" She growled. "I, Aurelia Celestine Arc, invoke the Covenant!"

There was a flash of white, and I felt my blood run cold as I turned to her.

She had a smug smile on her face. I could see, over her shoulder, the family looked equally as horrified.

The Arc Covenant. In the days of the first Arcs, one possessed a powerful semblance. Using it, they bound the Arc Covenant to his bloodline. It was essentially a battle, to the death or until one couldn't continue, to settle disputes.

A wager was set for both sides. The loser would be compelled by their blood to follow through on their side of the deal, it would be impossible to disobey. Nobody could interfere, it would just be the two.

"Name your terms," I grit my teeth.

"Aurelia, this is too much!" My dad yelled.

"He's right, mum!" Saphron yelled. "This is way too far!"

"Silence!" She snapped back at them, before turning to me. "If I win, you will never follow the path of a Huntsman, or anything even remotely similar!"

"And if I win," I snarled at her. "You will never interfere with my wishes or desires ever again."

There was another flash of white light, sealing the terms of battle.

She smirked victoriously, as if she had won the battle before it had even begun.

It didn't take long for all of us to be standing out in the backyard. It was large enough for us to fight, hopefully without damaging the house. My siblings and father watched from nearby, all of them looking incredibly worried at what was going to happen.

"You should just give up," my mother said to me. "You'll never win."

"Never," I growled at her. "Accelerate! [Projection!]"

I heard gasps, and took satisfaction from my mother's eyes widening as a sword appeared in my hands. It was only D Rank, but it would hopefully last long enough for the fight.

"How is that possible?" She frowned. "Is your semblance not those flames?"

"Who knows?" I asked. "Now, draw your weapon."

She scowled at me once again, before she held her hand to the side. It rippled into nothing, before she pulled out a sword.

That was my mother's semblance: Dimensional Storage. It was similar in nature to the inventory, but she had a limit on what she could store in there. I had no such limit.

"You should have given up-!" She began to yell, but I was done talking.

[Aura Channelling has been activated.]

'Seismic Steps: Advance!'

I vanished, appearing in front of her and swinging my sword down.

Her eyes widened, but she quickly brought her own weapon up to block my sword.

"How did-!" She began to say… But like I said, I was done talking.

'Seismic Steps: Advance!'

I vanished from in front of her, rounding behind her as I swung my sword down towards her again.

Clearly my mother had been holding back a bit of her own training, before she turned around and blocked my swing before spinning and kicking me in the stomach, sending my skidding a few feet away.

She didn't waste her chance and charged in, going for a stab at my stomach.

'Seismic Steps: Evade!'

I swerved out of the way of her swing, once again ending up behind her.

'Pulse Breath!'

I slammed my hand against her back, satisfied with the yell of pain she gave as a shockwave rippled through her body, sending her flying forwards.

Still, she managed to somehow twist in mid-air and recover, rubbing her back as the other hand held her sword ready. "Okay…" She frowned. "Maybe I underestimated you a bit, son."

"Don't call me that," I told her. "My mother was a kind, gentle woman. Not the kind who would try to cripple her own flesh and blood."

She growled. "You'll understand some day, when you're a parent!" She charged right back in, bringing her sword down in an overhead swing.

'Shockwave Fist!'

I punched the air, a shockwave rippling from my hand and spreading around me in a 5-meter radius, causing my mum to exclaim and raise her arms to defend herself from it, her sword going flying in the process.

'Advance! Sickle Kick!'

I closed the gap with Advance, before I threw a feint with a reverse kick, using that leg to snake into her guard, before giving the leg a sharp tug, forcing her arms down.

'Round Kick!'

I did a full spin, lifting my leg high as I landed a solid roundhouse kick right against my mother's cheek, sending her spiralling to the side where she crashed into the ground, a small dust cloud kicking up around her.

Even so, I didn't drop my guard for even an instant, staying in a ready stance for when she- inevitably- got up and came out of that dust cloud.

I didn't have to wait long as she rushed out, except now she was wearing gauntlets on her arms.

Not wanting to get into close combat, I projected a dozen swords and fired them at her, only for her to bat them aside with her gauntlets as if they were sponge balls thrown underarm.

'Retreat!'

I tried to back up but she suddenly got a boost in speed and closed the gap- 'Aura Channelling,' I thought absentmindedly- before she grabbed me by my throat.

I let out a gasp, dropping my sword in surprise, before coughing up spit as she punched me hard in the stomach.

"I was trying to be nice," she growled. "I was trying to take it easy on you! And here you are, being a stubborn brat and forcing me to use everything I have to make sure I can keep you safe in the end!"

She landed another blow to my stomach, making me cough harder from the pain, clawing at her hands to try and free myself from her grasp. I could feel myself starting to choke as I lost Oxygen.

"Just pass out," she said solemnly. "This is for your own sake, son. You aren't going to be a Huntsman. You are going to have a normal job, away from that awful life, and you are going to be happy with it."

"N- Nev… Er…" I choked out. "I… Am going… To… B- be a Hunt… Sman… And I… Am going to… S- Save… The World!"

I forced a scream from my throat as I unleashed my fire, causing her to yelp in surprise and loosed her grip on my throat. The intake of oxygen let me quickly know what to do.

I pressed my hand against the side of her arm. 'Pulse Breath!'

Her arm jerked to the side, her looser grip causing her to accidentally toss me to the side, where I landed on my arm but shakily got up, greedily breathing in for more air.

"You stubborn…!" She growled, her aura manifesting around her in a bright golden glow. "Fine then! I'll just have to knock you out with one punch!" She charged forwards, her arms glowing a brilliant gold.

I began to rapidly use Evade, weaving in and out of her attacks. I was hoping I could outlast her using evade… But it wasn't meant to be.

When using evade, I slipped as I prepared to use the next one, and that was when it hit me. A powerful blow on my stomach that knocked the wind right out of me, sending me flying across our back yard and crashing against the fence with a hard thud, falling forwards onto my torso.

The force of that blow was beginning to cause the world around me to fade to black, my consciousness starting to slip away.

'Is this it…?' I thought to myself. 'Is this the end for me…? Is my dream… Going to die here…? Before I've even had the System for a full week…?'

For a moment, I almost succumb to the darkness. I almost gave up, and almost ended the tale of my journey before it could even begin, right then and there…

"We shall always be with you. Forever."

… Almost.

'No…' I told myself. 'I won't let it end here… I can't… If… If I can't beat my mother as I am now… Then… What about… A hero…?'

The Perk Menu opened in front of my eyes, my eyes groggily zeroing in on the bookmark.

[Are you sure you want to buy Contracted Servant?]

[You have received the Perk 'Contracted Servant.']

[You have learned the skill 'Servant Summon.']

'Servant… Summon huh…?'

I slowly rose up to my knees, able to see my mother approaching calmly as she no doubt believed she had already one.

"Silver… And Iron to Origin…" I whispered. "Gem and Archduke… Cornerstone…"

Words filled my mind, and I could do nothing but repeat them in the broken manner I already was.

"Alighted Winds… Become a wall… Four Gates… Shut… Three-Forked Road… Leading to the Kingdom…!"

I slammed my fist on the ground as I shakily began to rise.

"Give up, Jaune," my mother said, as she got closer. "You can't beat me; you should know that by now."

"Shut… Shut… Shut… Shut… Shut…" I breathed. "Five… Times… Shatter… Set…"

I slowly rose to my feed, a trail of blood falling from my mouth.

"You are… Under me… My fate… Is your sword… If you abide… By this feeling… then answer…!"

My mother frowned, stopping. "What are you mumbling about?"

"I swear... An oath!" I exclaimed, slapping myself across the face to keep myself awake. I wouldn't let myself pass out. I would stay up, and finish this!

"You…!" My mother growled, but didn't move. "Fine! You must be charging some kind of attack! I'll let you do so, and I'll show you how futile your dream is!"

"I will be… All good in the world…! I shall destroy… All Evil…! Seven clad… In three words of power…!"

I gripped my chest, feeling a burning on the back of my hand… And I reached the end of the incantation.

"Arrive… Keeper of the Balance!"

There was a blinding flash of light.

… And, when it faded, a figure stood there with their back to me. I barely got to get a good look at them before they vanished from view, and I heard my mother yell in pain and fall to the ground, unconscious.

There was a golden glow over my mother, before it was overwhelmed by light as the Covenant took hold.

I cast my gaze to the figure, my vision still blurry… But I could make out some features.

They wore a laced-waist cinder over a long blue tunic with a dark grey hemline that fell over a dark teal shirt that also had the same grey hue. A hood was over their head, obscuring her hair from view, and in either of their hands were weapons, short scythes…

But what caught my attention was the ornate skull mask that covered their face save their lower jaw…

And the silver eyes that stared from behind it.

"In accordance with your wishes," she spoke up. "Servant Lancer has answered your call…" I almost swore I could see a smirk on her face. "Nice to meet you, Master."

I could barely nod before I fell forwards, the world fading around me…

True Name: Maria Calavera

Class: Lancer/Assassin (Dual Class)

Alias: "Grim Reaper"

Gender: Female

Height: 5'9

Weight: 156lbs

Origins

Region: Mistral

Source: Mistral, Embellished Stories

Alignment: True Neutral

Parameters

Strength: B

Endurance: B

Agility: A+

Mana: C

Luck: E

N.P: C

Skills

Magic Resistance: D

Aura is a natural shield. As such, Maria has a natural resistance to many forms of attacks, though it isn't as high as it could be as her aura capacity is fairly average.

Presence Concealment: B

Befitting of one called the 'Grim Reaper,' Maria possesses the power to hide her presence incredibly well, and thus conceal her presence for when she must strike.

Preflexes: A+

Maria's semblance, granting her almost superhuman instincts and allowing her to sense everything better than most people, often letting her react to attacks almost before they have even happened!

Grim Reaper: B

A fierce reputation that turned her into a legend, merely the mention of the Grim Reaper is enough to send shudders down people's spines. When faced with the living legend herself, people feel an overwhelming sense of fear overcome them.

Silver Eyes: C

An ocular ability she has possessed from birth, Maria holds an intimate understanding of the power of Silver Eyes and how to use them far beyond others understanding, making her the greatest enemy of the Grimm. Against normal humans, however, the eyes are next to useless save for a brief flash to blind them.

Noble Phantasms

Reaper's Touch – Kneel Before Death: D

Renown for her incredible use of Gravity Dust, it sprouted forth a legend that in the presence of the Grimm Reaper, you will kneel and be helpless before her. By blanketing the area with mana, Maria can force those around her to kneel and bow to her strength, though those with a powerful enough will or a high enough resistance can stay standing and fight.

Life and Death (Weapons): C

Dual Kamas that can combine into a scythe and fire bullets from them. The weapons are attracted to one another, able to physically drag people along with them if they are holding onto one of them.

Death's Incarnation – The Embrace of the End: B

The Noble Phantasm of Maria Calavera. Not a weapon or ability, but a technique that ended many man and beasts alike. None who bear witness to this attack live through it. An almighty technique that cannot be dodged, and cannot be blocked. The very incarnation of death, given form to reap souls.

Chapter Text

It was the second time in such a short period that I found myself feeling a bit groggy as I woke up. I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes and surveying my surroundings.

I was in my room. Exactly as I'd left it before I'd gone out for my day with Ruby, though that hadn't been too long ago so it wasn't too much of a surprise.

What caught me off guard was the woman sitting beside by bed, one leg crossed over the other. She had dark skin, smooth and beautiful, with silver eyes staring straight at me. She quirked an eye as she observed me, an amused smile on her face.

"Are you finally awake now, Master?" She asked me, sending a small shudder down my spine.

"… Lancer…?" I asked a bit wearily, able to recall the ending of my fight against my mother when I summoned her.

"Indeed," she nodded. "I am Lancer."

It was a bit hard to believe. When I'd summoned her, she'd had this… Presence to her. As if Death itself was coiling around her, ready to strike at anyone. I didn't feel that now. Instead, she just felt like any other person, continuing to smirk at me.

"Take a picture," she told me. "It will last longer."

I blushed warmly, turning my gaze away from her, before my eyes focused on the screens in front of me.

[You have defeated Aurelia Arc in a Covenant Duel.]
+10,000 EXP
+1 Perk Points
+10 Luck

[You have levelled up by five.]
+3,000HP
+3,650MP
+36 Stat Points

My eyes widened as I stared at the screens in front of me. The five levels were a shock in and of itself from the EXP, but why the hell did I just get a perk point!?

[When the player faces an enemy of a higher level than themselves, if the enemy is at least twenty levels higher than them, they will receive 1 Perk Point for defeating them.]

Okay… So, my mother was at least Level 30 possibly higher, so I got a Perk Point for winning. That was… Actually, very useful to know. It meant that I now had access to another perk should I need it. Though I planned to keep this perk point safe unless I absolutely, truly had no choice but to use it.

Why did I win though? Didn't Lancer interfere…?

Wait… Was it because I'd summoned her? Did the duel count her as part of me, or an extension of my power and therefore skirt around the rules of the duel?

God, I was lucky… My mind was so filled with desperation at that point, that I hadn't even considered the fact that the Covenant could have taken that as interference and had me lose.

"Master, why are you staring into space?" Lancer's voice shook me out of my stupor. "Is something the matter?"

"Ah… No, Lancer," I told her. "Just… I wasn't expecting to summon so pretty…" Why did I say that!?

A light red hue dusted Lancer's cheeks. "Oh… That's sweet of you, Master. Don't think that flirting with me will get me to do anything you want though."

"I… Didn't think it would…" I looked at her, a bit confused, before shaking my head. "So… Lancer? That's not your real name, right? Mind explaining that to me?"

The red hue left her face as she raised an eye at me, before shrugging. "Servant, or Heroic Spirits, are summoned- usually- into one of seven main classes; Saber, Archer, Lancer, Assassin, Rider, Caster, Berserker. Almost always, a Heroic Spirit will be summoned under one of those."

"How is an Assassin a hero?" I asked her, tilting my head in confusion. "And a Berserker?"

"Assassins who became famous because of their assassinations," she responded. "Berserkers are heroes that fell to madness, usually through betrayal or treasons done against them. There are some Berserkers that are people who are simply crazy in some form or another, but most Berserkers usually qualify for other classes, with those 'other classes' being the hero they were before the madness."

I nodded slowly, following her words. "So, your class is Lancer?"

"Correct," she nodded. "More specifically, I'm a rare servant; A Dual Class. I possess the characteristics and trains of both Lancer and Assassins, due to embellished tales of my legend. Though I've been primarily summoned as a Lancer, with Assassin as the secondary."

"How does making your story fanciful change things?"

"Human imagination is a powerful thing," she said patiently. "You ever hear stories about the old days? How heroes had swords that were said to shoot beams of light and destroy all in their path? Well, most of the time the swords couldn't actually do that. But human imagination is able to influence legends, and turn the swords into weapons capable of unleashing such power. We call such things Noble Phantasms, the objects or concept that make the Hero who they are. Such as Argent Arc's Crocea Mors, as an example."

I nodded along slowly… I didn't really understand it, but I would just take her word for it.

"With those answered, I have a question for you, master," she looked at me.

"Huh?" I frowned. "What is it?"

"What is your goal?"

"My goal?"

"Yes," she nodded firmly. "Most Heroic Spirits have a wish to achieve; a goal we want to accomplish. If the master's goals do not line up with the Servant's, often we will kill that master. So, I ask you bluntly, what is your goal?"

I froze up as she said she would kill me, body tensed and ready for another fight despite the fact I'd lose.

"Calm down," she told me. "I have no intention of killing you. I wouldn't have saved you if I did… So, I'll ask again… What is your goal?"

I looked at her a bit wearily… Before I answered, "I'm going to save the world."

She blinked in surprise and stared at me. "… Save the world?"

"Yes," I nodded. "I… The current state of the world may seem peaceful, but it's more like a cold war. People are just waiting for the war to kick off again… I want to make sure that never happens. I will do what has never been done; I will unite the Kingdoms and lead humanity into a new age, a new era. I will save the world."

She continued to stare at me… Before she smiled. "Well then, I'm quite fortunate your wish coincides with my own."

"What?"

"In life," she said. "I felt like I didn't do enough. Though people call me a legend, a hero, I consider myself a disgrace. I did not do enough in my life, did not do what should have been my part in saving the planet. When I was summoned by you, my wish was already fulfilled: a second chance to do what I didn't do back then."

"Oh… Um… You're welcome?" I was a bit confused, but I'd take her word for it.

She only smirked. "So… What do you plan to do now, master?" She tilted her head. "I don't really understand what your family was trying to tell me, but I understand you and your mother had a fight and you summoned me and I won it for you. So, what do you plan to do now?"

I paused as I considered that…

The Covenant was sealed, I'd seen as such when Lancer had knocked out my mother. Never again would she be able to interfere with my dream of being a huntsman; never again would she be able to try and stop me from doing as I liked…

But she would try to find a loophole. I knew she would. As long as I stayed in this house, I would never be free.

I got up and walked over to my closet. I opened it up and, under Lancer's curious gaze, I began to put everything I owned into my inventory.

"Is that your semblance or something?" Lancer asked me.

"Or something," I responded.

"Well…" She chuckled. "I suppose a man who wants to change the world wouldn't be normal, would he? You are a practitioner of magic, then?"

"Not magic," I told her. "Magecraft."

"What's the difference?"

"Magecraft can only do what humans are already able to do. I could make a fireball with a spell, but I could also do that with burn dust. I could make a weapon, but I could do that with enough metal, a suitable forge, and time. Magecraft only speeds up the natural process."

She just nodded, getting the simple explanation. "If you aren't a magic practitioner, how did you summon me?"

I paused and looked back at her. "… Magic is real?"

"Eh, not that important," she shrugged. "The chances of you running into one is incredibly low. I'll give you a crash course in case you run into one later."

"… Alright," I said, not really pleased by that… But I wasn't going to try and push the person that could probably snap my neck with her bare hands.

"So, what's the plan, Master?" She asked, steering the conversation back on track.

"I'm doing what I said I would do before you were summoned and I got in that fight," he told her. "I'm moving out."

"Do you have a home set up?"

"I'll stay with a family friend, and I'll ask their dad to buy a house under his name since I'm a kid and can't buy one. I'll pay him back."

"How much money do you have?"

"Twenty million lien, though I'll only use Ten Million."

"What-!" I heard the chair fall down as she stood up, looking back to see her staring at me in shock. "How do you have that much money?"

"I can't tell you."

Her eyes narrowed. "Can't, or won't?"

"Won't," I told her. "The fewer people know about it, the better. Let's just say… The best way to describe my semblance is one that lets me do things that nobody else can and leave it at that."

I focused on storing my things in my inventory, mentally bringing up the stats page and allocating my thirty-six points.

[Status]

Name: Jaune Arc
Level: 15
Race: Human
Job: None
Main Title: None
Sub Title: None
HP: 6,490
MP: 7,710
Strength: 30 + 30% = 39
Vitality: 45 + 30% = 60
Dexterity: 30 + 30% = 39
Intelligence: 55
Luck: 25
Sense:  30

Eleven points in sense, five in strength and dexterity, ten in vitality, and five in intelligence. Altogether, that was thirty-six points spent. Vitality was now by highest stat thanks to my aura, but intelligence was still my most valuable stat.

I let out a sigh as I finished storing my things in my inventory. Looking at the time, I saw it was ten in the morning. "… Come on, Lancer," I sighed, "Time to face the music."

"Should I be ready for a fight?"

"… Probably best to be just in case…"

She nodded, her mask appearing on her face as her eyes let off a light glow. "Ready."

I gave a nod, casting one final glance around the room… Before I walked out, heading downstairs.

The house was dead silent as Lancer and I made our way down the stairs. As if prepared, everyone was already waiting in the dining room around the table. No doubt they'd all taken a day off of work in order to be here.

"Jaune," my father said. "We have some questions we'd like you to-."

"No."

He blinked in surprise. "… Pardon?"

"No," I repeated. "You don't get to ask me any questions. Not after what you pulled two years ago. Having an intervention and telling me to give up on my dream was one thing. But you pushed too far. You got my friends involved; you destroyed my friendship for two years. Hell, my friendship with Hikage still isn't repaired because you and mother convinced her that I would die if I became a Huntsman. You used the loss of her adoptive mother to put the fear in her regarding me.

"So, no. You don't get to ask me any questions."

"Jaune," Saphron said softly. "We just want to know how you did all those things. That's not just one semblance you showed off."

I let out a sigh. "All you need to know are two things. One, I'm able to use a variety of abilities thanks to my semblance. And two: I'm moving out."

"No!" My mother screamed. "I won't allow-!"

"My moving out is related to me being a huntsman," I said without a care.

Instantly, my mother seemed to get choked up, unable to say anything further on the matter.

"Jaune…" My father gave me a mourning look. "Is there really a need for this?"

"Yes," I frowned. "Mum won't give up with just this, she'll look for a loophole. You won't support my dream… I love all of you…" I threw my mother a scornful look. "Even you. But I'm done. I'm leaving, and I have no plans on coming back. I'm going to go stay with the Xiao Long family."

"Jaune…" Jasmine, my younger sister, looked at me with tear filled eyes. "Are you going to be gone forever?"

"Of course not, Jaz," I said softly, rubbing her head. "I'll still be in town, and you can come visit whenever you want… But I can't live here anymore… I'm sorry."

She only stared at me before she nodded, and then ran up to her room while sobbing.

I turned to look at the rest of my sisters, who only had guilty looks on their faces.

"… Goodbye," I walked towards the door with Lancer at my back…

And stepped outside.

~~Ephemeral Dream~~

The walk towards the Xiao Long's family house was liberating, in a way. With every step I took, I almost felt like the links of invisible chains were rising off of me one by one. A weight lifted from my shoulders; it took me a moment to realise just what this feeling was.

Freedom.

This was what freedom was. The freedom to be who I wanted, to go where I pleased… A freedom available to me now that I'd left my home.

"So… Lancer…"

"Yes?"

"You called yourself a Heroic Spirit. That means that you don't need sleep, right?"

"Nope."

"… Are you able to hide yourself somehow?"

"Yes," she nodded, and I felt myself slump with relief. "With a few exceptions, Servants are able to 'astralise' themselves. Doing so lessens the mana burden on the master, and allows us to always be present by the master without anyone being the wiser."

"Mana burden?"

"Servant's require a constant upkeep of Mana from the master," she told me. "… Don't you feel it?"

I cast a glance towards my H.U.D and looked at my MP… Nope, it was still full.

"Not really," I told her.

"Hm…" She rubbed her chin. "That must mean you have a truly incredible amount of mana, to not be able to even feel the burden of sustaining a Servant… Impressive."

I didn't respond to that, instead I let her make assumptions about the amount of power at my disposal. She may be my 'Servant,' but it didn't mean I trusted her despite what she told me her dream was. I was going to be very cautious.

"Could I ask you to astralise?"

She offered a shrug, glancing around. There were a few people walking around town, so we cut through a back alley and she astralised before we'd left. I went in one side with her, I came out the other side seemingly without her.

'We also share a mental link,' I heard her voice in my mind, causing me to jump lightly. 'Don't worry, it's not like I can see your thoughts. I can't see what you don't show me, and vice versa.'

'Well… That's useful…' I told her.

'Way to state the obvious, Master.'

'What is your true name anyway?'

'That is something I'm keeping to myself,' she told me. 'No offence, Master, but a Servant's True Name can tell you everything about them. More importantly, it exposes their weaknesses. If I tell you my true name, you might slip up and use it around others. So, I'm going to have to opt out on telling you.'

'For now?'

'For now,' she agreed. 'Can't keep it from you forever, after all. I just want to observe how the world has changed since my time before I give you leave to use my name around others.'

'Well… That's your right, I won't stop you.'

I continued to my walk towards the Xiao Long house, knowing it wasn't too far now. I brought up the store, converting a million gold into ten million Lien. And, while I did that, I began to plan.

I was going to need to limit my interactions with Ruby and Yang. I didn't want to put them into a Guardian Bond, which also meant I'd need to limit the usage of Sky Flames around them. I would train them in my own time, but I would make sure I didn't use them around Ruby and Yang unless I absolutely had to.

Lancer was going to be a lost cause as far as that went. I didn't know if I could form a Guardian Bond with her, but she was something I wouldn't be able to not use the flames around, even when training. Which meant she was going to become a guardian, whether I liked it or not.

Speaking of Guardian bonds…

I reached into my pocket, pulling out my scroll… I had quite a few missed messages and, upon opening the first, I found out that they were almost all from Blake. She must have been really worried when I didn't respond yesterday… I didn't know if that was the Guardian Bond, or something else, but I couldn't just leave her hanging like that.

I typed in her number, saving it, before I called her.

Burr… Burr… Burr- Click!

"Jaune?"

"Hey, Blake," I responded and I heard her sigh with relief on the other end.

"Thank god, you didn't respond all day yesterday. I got worried something happened."

"Sorry…" I sighed. "Family drama, it was so stressful I ended up passing out in my bed just after I got home, and I didn't wake up again until this morning. Enough of that though, how are you doing?"

"I'm doing okay," she responded. "My parents are pretty relieved that I've agreed to go back home but…" She sighed. "They're signing me up for counselling sessions to help deal with my 'Stockholm Syndrome.'"

"They're just concerned about you Blake," I told her. "They don't want to leave any stone unturned when it comes to making sure you are safe and healthy: both mentally and physically."

"I know… It's just about the only reason I haven't snapped at them, because that's not fair to them…" She muttered, before she changed the topic, "You're out of the hospital now, right? Do you want to hang out before I have to leave?"

I paused… What else could I do but agree?

"Sure," I told her. "When do you leave?"

"In about a week," she told me.

I quickly did some math. My day with Ruby was on Saturday. I woke up Sunday morning and helped them escape, then was out three days. Then I stayed in the hospital another day, and fought with my mum which meant today was… Friday. Which meant I'd have to pick up Neo in two to three days…

"Does tomorrow work?" I asked her. I'd need to check in at the Hospital on Sunday at least, so I couldn't do that. And I had school Monday to Friday, which left that out. So, Saturday was the only free day I had.

"Tomorrow is just fine," she responded. "… I just want to clarify; this is not a date."

"I didn't say it was," I told her.

"Just making sure we're on the same page here."

"It's not like anybody is gonna believe me if I told them 'I went on a date with what basically amounts to the Princess of all Faunus-kind.'"

"… Well, it just sounds silly if you phrase it like that."

"Just saying it how it is," I told her. "… Which reminds me, actually, how was the news about what happened?"

"My dad managed to contain it," she told him. "I'd been missing for a couple of weeks, but they were keeps it hush so as to not alert the masses and were doing everything they could to look for me. I know the world is accepting of faunus, but there are still a lot of racists out there, especially in high up places. If they found out I went missing…"

"They'd use the distraction and weakness to attack, I understand," I told her. "What about Social Media side?"

"Only a couple pictures," she responded. "It was dark out, so they didn't really get a good look at us. If memory serves, I think your family gave the excuse of you having come down with a severe flu to explain your week-long absence, so it shouldn't be linked back to you."

I hid a small sigh of relief at that. I didn't need to be looked at with Pity… More importantly, I didn't want to see Hikage and for her to look at me with a mourning look as if to say 'His parents were right after all.'

"So, tomorrow?" I steered the conversation back on track. "Meet up at the town centre by the fountain at Twelve?"

"Sounds good to me," she responded. "See you then?"

"See you then," I responded, before I pulled the scroll from my ear and hung up the call.

Good timing too, as the Xiao Long household was coming into view.

I could feel my nerves starting to affect me as I walked along the footpath to the door, stopping in front of it and staring for a moment…

… Why was my hand trembling?

… Why were my legs trembling?

Was I… Afraid?

My left hand grabbed my right, trying to stop the trembling…

I already knew why… I didn't know why I was asking stupid questions…

I was afraid of rejection.

To be turned away… And betrayed again.

'Are you going to be a coward, Master?' Lancer asked me, almost as if she was reading my mind. 'Or are you going to man up, and knock?'

… I clapped my hands against my cheeks, the sting snapping me out of it.

I didn't have time to deal in what ifs and possibilities. I had to deal with the here, and now.

I lifted my hand, and gave three sharp knocks.

There was silence…

And then the door opened, revealing a relieved Summer standing there.

"Jaune-!"

"Summer," I cut her off, looking into her eyes. "… C- Can I stay here?"

She stared down at me in surprise, with an equally surprised Raven over her shoulder staring at me.

They looked at each other… And nodded.

"Of course, you can," Summer smiled at me, gently taking my hand and pulling me inside.

Home.

~~Ephemeral Dream~~

I explained the situation to Summer and Raven.

They both looked shocked, appalled, disgusted and, above all else, angry.

"How dare she," Raven muttered. "Sealing someone's aura is something only done to criminals… To try and do it to a fifteen-year-old out of some form of misplaced hatred…? How long as she been hiding that side of her?"

"We should report her to the police," Summer said adamantly.

"No," I said quickly, making both look at me in disbelief. "Please, I don't want this spreading around. I appreciate you not asking how my aura is fine, that's an uncomfortable topic, but I don't want you to report her. For one, my aura only shows signs of it. There's no definitive proof that it was her, and it would raise a lot of uncomfortable questions like why my aura is fine, can other criminals do the same… Worst case scenario is Atlas gets involved and try to haul me off like some sort of lab experiment."

Raven let out a sigh at that. "… Sadly, Summer, Jaune is right about that. As much as I'd love to have Aurelia locked up for this, it would raise too many questions that we don't have answers to. And the less said about Atlas, the better."

Summer let out a noise of displeasure, but didn't say anything further on the matter. "Well, I suppose…" She turned her gaze to me. "Well, you're free to stay as long as you like, Jaune."

"I… Can't," I sighed, making both look concerned. "I mean, I'm going to stay here, yes, but it can't be for… Too long. I… Need a favour?"

"And that is?" Raven asked, leaning forwards.

"I… Kind of need to buy a house."

"… I'll bite, why?"

I grimaced. "Right, I need you to understand something and to just… Not get too close, okay?"

They raised an eye, before nodding.

I lifted my hand… Before my sky flames burst to life in my hands.

They both jumped. "… How did you do that?" Raven demanded. "You're controlling one of nature's wrath without dust… How is that possible?"

"It's not quite nature's wrath," I responded. "These are called Dying Will Flames. By using your resolution, something you'd follow even to death, and turning it into flames you can create them. These are called Sky Flames; they possess a factor of 'Harmony.' But there's… A problem."

"What?" Summer asked, moving closer to the flames.

I quickly dispelled them. No way I was gonna accidentally Guardian Bond the two of them. "Sky Flames are special; in that it lets me form something of a bond between someone else and I when they're exposed to the flames for a prolonged period, or a huge amount in one sharp burst. A mutual desire forms to be near the other, to help make them happy, aid them when they're suffering, get revenge on those who hurt them… The problem is, I can't help but feel such a bond is forced."

Both looked a bit worried, and swallowed. "I'm not sure why this is relevant yet," Raven said.

"Well…" I hesitated. "When I was escaping, I awoke my flames for the first time, in a huge amount. Such a huge burst caused two bonds to form to me. The first was Blake Belladonna… And the other was girl with multi-coloured hair called Neo."

"… Blake Belladonna…" Raven repeated. "As in… The Princess of Faunus, Blake Belladonna?"

"… The very same, yes."

Raven groaned and covered her face.

"Blake isn't a problem," I said quickly. "I managed to convince her to go back to her parents, and said she was free to visit whenever. The problem is Neo. She's an orphan, she doesn't have anywhere to stay. And she wants to stay with me, and I'm not really in a position to say no to her, you know? Unlike Blake, she doesn't have any family waiting for her. And I don't want to impose on you that much… So, I was hoping I could buy a house and have it under one of your names, or Tai's, while Neo and I lived there?"

"How are you going to pay for a house?" Summer asked.

"… I have a lot of money," I told her. "More than enough to buy a house, and do more with it than I really know what."

"How much?"

"Ten Million Lien."

"WHAT!?" They both exclaimed, standing up in shock, and I blushed in embarrassment.

"How do you have Ten Million Lien?" Raven asked in disbelief.

"I… Can't tell you," I sighed. "I didn't get it through doing anything illegal though, I can promise you that much. And I didn't take it from the family or anything, it's all legit."

They looked between one another, seeming to have a mental conversation, before Summer sighed and relented, and Raven turned to me.

"A few conditions," she said. "First, you're to come over for Dinner every two or three days."

I nodded. That was fine by me.

"Second, Summer and I get spare keys so we can drop in and make sure you two aren't doing things you shouldn't be doing, and are taking care of yourselves properly."

I blushed a little at the implications, but gave a nod. I didn't have a problem with that either.

"Third, you'll have a cooking match against Summer every Friday night."

I saw a glint in Summer's eyes that made me nervous… But gave a nod. "Can I get tonight off?"

"Sure," she nodded. "And Fourth, you let us buy a house that's nearby ours to make it easier to visit."

"I don't have a problem with that," I told her. "Those are all pretty reasonable… But I actually have some requests to go with that."

"Oh?" Raven raised an eye at me.

"I'd like you to teach Neo," I told her. "To catch her up to where she needs to be, and to teach her how to fight so she can defend herself since I've got no doubt that she'll want to attend Beacon with me."

Raven rubbed her chin, thinking about it. "Summer can teach her book stuff; I'll teach her how to fight. But I won't go easy on her."

"I wouldn't ask you to," I said firmly.

She nodded. "The house next door is on sale for about eight-hundred-thousand Lien, fully furbished. Will that do?"

I nodded. "Can you get me a briefcase to put all the money into?"

Summer hurried upstairs, coming down with a suitcase.

… Sure, that worked too.

I pulled out eight-hundred-thousand Lien and dumped it into the suitcase… Huh, the System had put it all in a nice, organised pile like you'd see in movies. Neat.

Raven zipped the suitcase closed after double-checking the money. "I'll go make a call," she said. "Make yourself at home, you know where the guest room is."

"Thank you…"

"Don't thank us," Summer smiled. "You're practically family to us already, Jaune, so you don't need to thank us for helping you. That's what family does."

I gave a small smile at that. "… Thank you," I repeated again, softer this time, before I headed upstairs to the guest room.

'That went well,' Lancer told me.

'Yep… Thanks for the metaphorical push.'

'No problem… Say, can anyone unlock those Dying Will Flames?'

'I mean, Neo could do it pretty easily… Why, hoping to do it yourself?'

'Who knows?'

I couldn't help but roll my eyes as I made it to the guest room, closing the door behind me and sitting on the bed. I wanted a nap, that was pretty emotionally stressful for me… But first, I began to project various weapons again to raise the level of Projection.

'You can make weapons out of thin air?'

'Yes, but they're not great right now,' I responded. 'I can only make weapons that I've analysed before, and they aren't great since my analysis spell isn't perfected yet. Once it is, I think I'll be able to make even better ones, near perfect.'

'Hm… Well, you do that,' she told me. 'I'm going to go explore Vale while astralised. Never came here in my original lifetime, and I want to see how technology advanced.'

'Have fun,' I responded, getting an affirmative from her back before she left.

I managed to pick up another ten levels on Projection, putting it to Level 77. I had eight days left to get it to one-hundred… But with the amount of mana I had, I had a feeling it wasn't going to take that long, so long as there weren't more interruptions.

With my tracing done, I stripped to my underwear, took out my pyjamas from my inventory and put them on, before slipping into bed and fading into the realm of dreams.

Suddenly, I was outside a jail cell. It had all the basic things expected of a cell: a bed, a sink, a toilet… But, more importantly than that, it had a resident.

She had long, white hair reaching down to her waist, a scar running over her left eye, and what looked like a stitch on her right cheek. She was a pretty figure, but something about her screamed at me about how dangerous she was…

Suddenly, her green eyes snapped to me… And she gave a loving, if not crazed smile.

"Big brother…" She said happily. "Don't worry… I'll see you soon…"

I was gone, now in a forest somewhere. A girl was sitting on a stump of a tree, dressed in a red and black frilled dress, her black hair in twin tails with a big crimson net bow to hold them in place, and a red and black collar around her neck.

Her left eye was covered by one of her bangs, preventing me from seeing it at the moment, but her right eye was blood red… An eerily familiar shade of red…

A soft chuckle emanated from her, unveiling a sweet voice as she twirled her Flintlock pistol in one hand, a musket resting on the ground nearby. "I think it's about time I started to pay a visit to my dear family…" Her head tilted, and the bang covering her eye moved…

To reveal a golden eye, looking like an inorganic clock face.

"It's time I met the rest of the Branwen Family," she licked along her flintlock pistol slowly. "I wonder if Aunt Raven will accept or reject me? Ah! I can't wait to find out!"

She threw her head back, laughing twistedly.

And then I was in a dark palace, a throne room. It was lined with torches, very old style with no signs of electricity present… It was dusty and almost in ruins, as if it hadn't been cared for in thousands upon thousands of years…

I heard the clinking and clanking of armour, turning my head to face the corner of the room as a figure stepped out of the shadows…

Armour of blood red, eyes of crimson, it walked to the steps in front of the throne…

And stared at me.

"The game…" A voice I couldn't identify whispered to me. "Has only just begun, Jaune Arc."

I woke up suddenly. No panic, no fear, just… Awake. I sat up, holding my head.

I was sure I'd had a dream… But, for the life of me, I couldn't remember what it was. Yet I felt like it was important, very important.

"Jaune!" Summer's voice came from behind my door with a knock. "Dinner is almost ready!"

"Ah, right! Just let me change!" I told her, getting up and doing just that…

With that distraction, the dream lay in the back of my mind, forgotten…

But not gone.

Chapter Text

As I followed Summer down the stairs, my eyes moved to my MP that I'd exhausted right before going to sleep. It was back at full. Casting a glance at the time, I saw it was 6 P.M.

That meant 8 hours of sleep was definitely enough to restore my MP from zero to one-hundred percent. Doing some quick math in my mind, I concluded sleep really did explosively increase my recovery time. If I'd been awake for eight hours without using mana, my MP would be sitting at around five-thousand, not the almost eight-thousand it was at now.

An unintentional experiment, but an important one for the future.

"What's for dinner?" I asked Summer.

"Fish and chips," she said. "I wanted to make something simple tonight…" She pouted. "I was really excited when Raven said you'd have to face me in cooking contests every Friday, but I understand why you'd ask for tonight off."

I laughed sheepishly. "Thank you."

"… Are you really planning on living on your own?" She asked me softly, stopping at the bottom of the stairs and looking back at me.

"Yes," I nodded. "I understand you're concern, but I know how to do household chores. I can cook and stuff… Neo is the one I'm worried about."

She didn't say anything.

"She's lived her life in an orphanage, or even on the streets," I told her. "She probably doesn't know much about doing chores or things like that, which is why I want you to teach her. Not just school stuff, but also how to do things like chores, how to cook, all those sorts of things. So that, even if I'm not around, she'll be able to live on her own."

"Can I ask something?" She asked after listening.

"Huh? Sure."

"Why do you care so much?" She said. "I understand you saved her, and you sympathise with her due to her being kidnapped like you were… But why are you doing this much? Is it something to do with the Guardian Bond?"

"… I don't know," I told her truthfully. "I've… Thought about the Guardian Bond. I truthfully feel like it's a forced bond, created from being exposed to my Sky Flames too much… But something inside of me is telling me otherwise. Something tells me that this bond isn't unnatural, that this was meant to happen…" I shook my head. "Eh, don't worry about it."

She gave me a look I couldn't identify, before nodding. "Alright, Jaune… I won't push you any further on this, but don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it, alright?"

"I won't be," I promised. "Afraid I mean, I'll ask for help if I really think I need it."

She smiled and nodded, before leading me through to the dining room. "Girls! Look who's here!"

I saw Ruby and Yang turn their eyes to me, before their eyes widened in surprise. "Jaune!" Ruby cheered as she jumped off her chair, running over to me and giving me a tight hug.

I smiled and returned the hug, rubbing her back. "Hey Ruby."

"You're out of the Hospital now?" Yang asked, looking relieved. "I mean, we were told you got released, but it's damn good to see you looking okay."

"Yeah, never felt better," I smiled at her, continuing to rub Ruby's back. "So, I guess I'll be in your care for a short while."

"Huh?" Yang tilted her head, and Ruby looked up at me. "What do you mean?"

"It means Jaune is going to be living here for a couple of days," Raven said from her place at the table.

"What!?" Yang and Ruby exclaimed as they whipped their heads around to Raven.

"You heard her," Tai looked amused at their reaction, resting a hand on his cheek.

Ruby looked back to me. "Why?"

I felt my smile become slightly strained. "Well… I got into a big argument with my mother and father. A huge one. I decided that I'm moving out, and I'm going to stay here for a couple of days before moving into my new place."

"You have a house?" Yang asked in surprise.

I cast my gaze over to Raven, who gave the slightest of nods, before I shifted it back to Yang. She didn't notice our exchange. "Yep. I'm the proud owner of the house next door to this one, so it looks like we're going to be neighbours from now on. It's under Raven's name for predominantly legal reasons, but otherwise it's pretty much mine."

"Awesome!" Ruby cheered. "This is gonna be so awesome! But…" She paused and stepped back from me. "… You're going to live alone?"

"Ah… No," I shook my head. "I grew close to one of the victims, an orphan called Neo. I don't want to see her go back to the streets, so she's going to live with me. I've asked Summer and Raven to help teach her while we're out at school, I'm hoping once she catches up enough, she'll be able to transfer in for our third year."

"Oh!" Ruby blinked. "She's a new friend you made?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I'll head to the Hospital to check in on her on Sunday. If she's allowed to leave, I'll bring her to my new house and we'll get settled in. If not, then I'll stop by after school on Monday."

"So, we'll be seeing your new friend around a lot then?" Yang asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, pretty much… Ah, fair warning though, she doesn't speak."

"… As in, she can't speak?" Yang asked for clarification.

"No, she doesn't want to," I told her. "I don't really know why, but I know that she can speak, she just doesn't want to for whatever reason. She has some kind of illusion semblance which lets her make words in the air though…"

She also had Mist Flames. I couldn't help but wonder exactly what it was Mist Flames could do? Since I only had Sky Flames, I only knew what they would do… I guessed I'd have to wait until Neo herself began experimenting with them and I saw what they could do with my own two eyes.

"Anyway," I shook my head. "That's that. I'm staying here for a few days, and then I'll be moving next door. I've already got my stuff in a safe place, ready to move in, just wanna give the house a once over before I move in on Sunday."

They both stared at me suspiciously, but I guess they found only honesty in my expression because they both nodded.

"Enough talk," Summer said, gesturing to the table. "All of you sit, it's time for us to enjoy dinner!"

I nodded and took a seat at the table, Ruby slipping into the seat beside me as Summer served our meal. It smelt delicious and, after a small prayer, we began to eat.

"So," Yang spoke up. "What are your immediate plans for the future, Jaune?"

"For the long-term, I'm going to train my ass off," I told her. "Gonna train until I've mastered my fighting style, and then make some gauntlets and boots to augment it… Might do that later one sooner though."

"Ah, yes…" Tai frowned. "I've been meaning to ask you about that. Where did you learn that fighting style?"

I paused, noticing a concerned look on Ruby's face… No, Ruby didn't tell her father. It told me that Ruby's worried look back then hadn't been a trick of my imagination.

"Two years ago," I spoke up. "In the depths of my despair, a man approached me. A faunus with reptilian eyes. Seeing I was upset, he asked me what was wrong. I, a sad kid, dropped my emotions onto him. After hearing my story, we made a deal. In exchange for not telling anybody he was in town; he would teach me his personal fighting style to help me along and left town recently saying 'My work is now done.'"

"… Did he give you a name?"

"Hei Long."

Tai's eyes widened and he stood up, his chair falling back. "Are you sure?"

I cast a look at him, seeing Raven and Summer's surprise, as well as Yang's. "Who is Hei Long to your family, Tai? And…" I looked at Ruby. "Why don't you looked so concerned, Ruby?"

Tai's gaze snapped to Ruby, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"I… I read the family scrolls…" She muttered quietly.

"You did what!?" Tai exclaimed, horrified. "Ruby, you weren't supposed to read those until you were 18! Even Yang hasn't read those yet!"

"I was a kid, and I was curious!" Ruby shot right back. "You should have hidden them better!"

Tai took a deep breath, and began pacing back and forth.

"Who is Hei Long to your family, Tai?"

Tai stared at me… And then he sighed in defeat, picking up the chair and sitting down. "… Two-thousand years ago," he said softly. "Back in the old days before the Kingdoms existed, there were groups of clans, people all part of one big family, who lived in villages together. The Xiao Long family, back then, were only known as the 'Long' family, Long being a word that meant 'Dragon.' A powerful family in their time.

"There were two men set to inherit the seat of family head: Yang Long, whom I named Yang after, and… Hei Long…"

All of us leaned forwards, listening to his story carefully.

Tai took a sip of water before continuing, "To prove which one of them was to inherit the family, the current clan head gave both of them a task to create a fighting style. Each brother chose to focus on a different part of the brother to create their style. Yang Long created the style that we've used for two-thousand years, even I use it to this day, and I've been teaching it to Yang without letting her know of its origins."

Yang looked surprised by that. "Two-thousand years!? We've been using it that long!? And you taught it to me without telling me?"

"Yes," Tai nodded. "I tried to tell you, but you said, 'Dad, I don't care about that boring history stuff! Let's get to training!' So, instead, I just kept it to myself until you were more mature."

Yang blushed in embarrassment, looking down at her plate.

"So, Yang Long created a style with fists," I tried to steer things back on track. "So, Hei Long…?"

"Created a style with his legs," Tai nodded. "He called it the Black Dragon Stance. The Clan Head watched the two show off their styles in a spar… And the Black Dragon Style was vastly superior compared to Yang Long's. Despite that, however, the Clan Head chose Yang Long to lead the family. When asked why by Hei Long, he said his style was too vicious and filled with too much anger and aggression, and that such a thing would lead the family to ruin.

"Hei Long was not pleased," Tai sighed. "He left the family, and travelled… He became a monster on the battlefield, killing anyone and everyone in his path, no matter who they were. Yang Long tried to stop him, but he failed. Hei Long never killed his brother as he didn't hate him, but their father. The last words Yang Long wrote was a warning: 'Beware those who use the style of the Black Dragon, the inheritors of Hei Long's Will.'"

We all slowly sat back in our seats, and I felt all of them looking at me. "… Don't look at me like that," I rolled my eyes. "I haven't inherited anybody's will. The only will I follow is my own. This style is useful, so I'll use it to fight. End of story."

"Just be careful with it," Tai said, just a bit concerned.

"Sure, sure," I waved off his concerns.

Many years later, Tai confessed to me about how stupid he felt about those superstitions of his.

"So…" Ruby said, trying to diffuse the tension. "Do you wanna hang out tomorrow, Jaune?"

"I can't," I told her. "I have plans for tomorrow."

"Oh?" Yang raised an eye. "What are you doing?"

"I'm hanging out with Blake."

They both stared at me. "… Blake? Blake who?"

"The faunus girl who was in the bed next to mine when you visited," I told them. "Blake Belladonna, she's a friend of mine now. She's leaving next week, so the two of us are gonna hang out on Saturday before she has to leave. We're meeting up by the fountain in the middle of town tomorrow."

Yang stared at me. "You're going on a date with the princess of faunus!?"

"It's not a date," I grunted. "She's just a friend. She even said it wasn't a date to me firmly when we discussed it over the phone. We're just two friends that are hanging out before she has to go back home with her parents."

"… I'm going to tell everyone about this."

"You tell people about it, and I'll tell them about the Mario Party incident."

Yang froze, and everyone else looked confused. "… You wouldn't dare…"

"Hey guys, did you know when Yang and I were playing-!"

"Okay, okay!" She waved her hands frantically. "My lips are sealed!"

I only nodded as I kept eating.

"… What the heck is the Mario Party incident, and why is Yang's face now bright red?" Ruby asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"That, Ruby, is a secret," I smirked as I enjoyed the confusion in their eyes… And the red face of Yang as she stared down at her plate.

~~Ephemeral Dream~~

The next morning, I woke up bright and early and immediate used Projection 771 times to make a bunch of D-Rank weapons, which I then promptly sold to the store for five thousand gold apiece, along with the other 1,542 that I hadn't sold yet.

After dinner last night, I'd projected once again and the skill had hit Level 86. After a quick check in the morning, I now saw I was sitting at Level 94.

"Just six more levels…" I muttered, before dismissing the screen and opening up the store, looking at just how much money I was sitting at now.

[Gold: 13,255,000]

… Exploits, I truly loved you.

That in mind, I scrolled though the store for useful items… And stumbled across potions. With the money I had, I didn't hesitate in buying the ones of the highest grade: Mythic Potions.

[Mythic Potion of Healing]

[Item Class: A+]

[Item Type: Potion]

[A Mythic Level Healing Potion. Drinking it heals all abnormal effects, and restores the player's HP by 50%. Health cannot be restored if HP is below 10%.]

Cost: 80,000 Gold

[Mythic Potion of Mana Recovery]

[Item Class: A+]

[Item Type: Potion}

[A Mythic Level Mana Recovery Potion. Drinking it restores the Player's MP by 40%.]

Cost: 80,000 gold

I didn't hesitate in buying fifty of each, spending a total of 8 million gold in a matter of moments…

I just spent eighty-million Lien in a few seconds. Holy hell, that was crazy! Were rich people like this? Spending such an insane amount of money in just a few seconds? Jeez, I really hoped I didn't end up like those kinds of people…

I cast a glance at my MP… And shook my head.

No! I was not going to turn this game into one of those 'Pay to Play' things where I maxed out my skills by just constantly drinking mana potions and using the skills! I would save these potions for combat scenarios only, or for when I needed a quick boost for something.

'Master, I've returned!' I heard Maria's voice in my mind, turning my gaze to see her appearing in front of me as she de-astralised.

"Welcome back," I told her. "Were you out all night?"

"Yes," she nodded. "Vale was very fascinating, and I didn't even see all of it. Technology has progressed a long, long way since my time. It's nice to see people living in such peace… For now, anyway."

I only gave a nod of agreement at her words, bringing up my inventory and equipping a pair of jeans, a shirt, and some sneakers. My clothing rippled with blue light before changing to what I'd equipped, my pyjamas now back in my inventory.

That was something I'd discovered when messing around last night: I was able to equip clothing straight to my inventory. Apparently, all clothing was considered cosmetic on some level, I wasn't sure about armour though. Considering I had multiple slots on my equipment screen, that told me I could probably equip multiple layers at once.

"… Did you just change your clothes in an instant," she asked, her jaw dropping slightly.

"You can turn invisible, you know I can unleash flames from my hands, and you've seen me create weapons out of thin air… And changing my clothes in an instant is what has your jaw dropping?"

She had the decency to look somewhat sheepish at that. "Well… When you put it like that, it sounds kind of silly."

I only smiled lightly… I found Lancer's personality, from what I'd seen, a bit interesting. She looked to be in her early twenties, maybe twenty-one, but she was acting like she was a fair bit younger. It was… Refreshing, in a way.

"So, you've got a date if I recall right," Lancer grinned at me.

"It's not a date," I protested. "We're just two friends hanging out. She even told me it wasn't a date."

"Denial is only the first stage!"

" Oh, shut up," I grumbled, only earning a laugh from her in turn.

"It's still pretty early though," she noted. "So, what are you going to do to pass the time?"

I put a hand on my chin…

She made a fair point. It was only 6 AM, and I knew I wasn't going to be getting any more sleep. Six hours until I had to meet up with Blake, what to do…

Training was out of the question at the moment. For one, I was now lacking the MP to use any of my skills, and I refused to drink mana potions…

Wait, could I use the skills without MP?

Usually, I used the skills with verbal or mental commands… But was that needed? When I summoned out my Dying Will Flames, I hadn't thought about using my Sky Flames, at least not in the way I usually used my skills. They just came out due to my resolve.

Was it possible for me to use my Martial Arts skills without using any of my MP? Martial Artists, to my knowledge, didn't need to use their aura to use any of their techniques, so why should I be any different?

"I want to test something out," I told her, changing my clothes to a tracksuit as I made my way out back. I sensed Lancer astralise and follow behind me, no doubt curious to see just what exactly it was I had in mind.

Once I was out, I glanced at my MP. Because five minutes had passed, it was now sitting at fifty-five, which was perfect. My plan was to use one of my Martial Arts skills only once, but this time to really concentrate on the stance, and how the kick was done.

'Round Kick!'

I felt my body moving on its own as it performed the Roundhouse Kick, a small gust of wind following from the force behind the blow.

As my body moved, I focused carefully on it. How it moved, the stance I took, how it felt to do that kick. I lowered myself one the kick was done, concentrating on that feeling.

"So, like this…" I took a breath as I let my body move, performing the round kick without calling out for the skill.

[You have performed [Black Dragon's Round Kick] without the aid of the System. Double Proficiency will be rewarded.]

[Black Dragon's Round Kick has levelled up by one.]

[Hidden Quest: Black Dragon's Legacy has been discovered.]

I resisted the urge to yell with joy as I knew Lancer was watching me, and I opened up the quest.

[Hidden Quest: Black Dragon's Legacy]

Two-Thousand Years Ago, the Black Dragon- Hei Long- ran rampant as the most powerful and feared warrior to ever exist. Now Hei Long is dead, and you are the only one who can remind the world what the Black Dragon can do. Master the Stance of the Black Dragon, and embrace the legacy.

Objective: Get all Black Dragon Skills to Level Max.

Reward: Title 'Black Sun in the Morning Sky,' +50 Strength, +50 Dexterity, +30 Vitality, +100,000 EXP

Failure: Nothing

Time Limit: None

Progress: 0/14

Hidden Quests cannot be rejected, Quest has been added to Quest Menu.

… This was…

This shit was so fucking broken!

A quest I couldn't fail, with rewards so good it wasn't even funny! And I was on the fast track thanks to the double proficiency I got for not using the System's aid to use the skills!

Who the hell made the system with exploits like this!? And unlimited money exploit, a quick martial arts mastery exploit, the hell was going to be next!?

Well, it didn't matter to me! If whoever made this System, be it the planet, a god, or whatever, made it with such amazing exploits then I was going to abuse the ever-living fuck out of it!

'Um… Master, why are you cackling?'

I didn't respond.

~~Ephemeral Dream~~

[Black Dragon's Round Kick has levelled up by one.]

[Black Dragon's Round Kick has levelled up by one.]

[Black Dragon's Round Kick is now Level MAX.]

[Due to reaching Level MAX, Black Dragon's Round Kick has become Rank A.]

[Hei Long's 2000 Years has levelled up by one.]

Fifty minutes.

That was how long it took for me to max out just one of my Black Dragon Skills. And, thanks to that, I was able to do some math.

I did an average of twenty-five kicks every thirty seconds. That meant fifty kicks in a minute. So, in fifty minutes, I'd done two-thousand-five-hundred kicks.

Since my kicks had double proficiency, that meant I'd done it in half the time needed. What this meant was that I needed to use a skill around five-thousand times in order to get it to the highest possible level.

I wasn't entirely certain, but I wiped the sweat from my forehead. Despite the sweat, I wasn't actually feeling very tired. My body didn't ache at all, in fact I felt just fine. 'Lancer!'

'Yes, Master?'

'I need a favour.'

'Oh?'

'I need you to keep track of how many times I perform a specific Martial Arts technique. When I ask you, I need you to tell me how many times I did it. Can you do that for me?'

'I mean… Not like I have anything better to do, but I want something in return.'

'What do you want?'

'Video Games. I never got to play any in my first life, I'd like to indulge this time around.'

'Deal!'

'I'll start counting once you start.'

I nodded, and opened my skill list to find a skill that was Level One, finding it in [Black Dragon's Rising Back Kick.]

I cast a glance at the time, seeing it was 6:50 AM. With that in mind, I used Rising Back Kick once with the aid of the System, to see how to do it myself, and then I began training it without the System's aid.

[Black Dragon's Rising Back Kick has levelled up by one.]

[Black Dragon's Rising Back Kick has levelled up by one.]

[Black Dragon's Rising Back Kick is now Level MAX.]

[Due to reaching Level MAX, Black Dragon's Rising Back Kick has become Rank A.]

[Hei Long's 2000 years has levelled up by one.]

I immediately stopped upon getting the notifications, wiping my forehead. 'How many?'

'Twenty-Five-Hundred exactly.'

I couldn't help but grin, shifting my gaze to the time. 7:45 AM. Just like I'd thought, around fifty minutes to an hour was all I needed to max level my Black Dragon Skills with the double proficiency exploit!

Two skills were now mastered. That meant, if I rounded up, I would only need a total of twelve more hours to master the rest of my skills!

Due to the System, I didn't get tired in the same way normal people did. That meant I could train non-stop. That meant, after breakfast- which would take about an hour to prepare, eat, and wash up- I could master three more skills before I had to go meet up with Blake!

I grinned, making my way back to the house. "Right, I think I'll cook breakfast before Summer gets the chance to. I wanna thank them for letting me stay, this seems like a nice way to do it…" I slid off my jacket, wrapping it around my waist and unveiling the muscle shirt I was wearing off of it.

'Oh my!' I heard Lancer's voice in my mind.

'What is it, Lancer?'

'I didn't notice before because of how baggy your clothes are… But you're quite muscled, aren't you master?'

I blinked when she said that, seeing my own reflection in one of the mirrors in the living room… And my jaw promptly dropped.

I was… Holy crap, I was fit! My arms were nice and muscled! My face was more angular than I remembered it being, more mature and sharper…

I hesitantly lifted my shirt up a bit, and my eyes widened. I had a fucking six-pack! My body was way more toned and defined than before! I was… I was…

'Holy crap, I'm hot!'

'… Did you not notice?' Lancer asked, a bit bewildered by my surprise.

'No! I usually wear baggy clothes since they're more comfortable, and I sure as hell didn't look like this even a week ago! And I'm not really vain, so I don't look in the mirror at all except for when I'm brushing my teeth.'

'… Are you telling me you got THAT body in a week?'

'Um… I think so, yeah.'

'… I know people who have killed to try and get a body like that.'

I blushed in embarrassment, quickly making my way into the kitchen. Summer wasn't there, so I rolled my arms and focused on the task at hand. I was going to cook breakfast for the Xiao Long's, and promptly blow their minds!

'Do you want something to eat too, Lancer?'

'Huh? Servants don't need to eat, Master,' she told me.

'Okay, enough of this master stuff first off!' I told her. I dealt with it the day before, but it was just so weird to be called that, uncomfortable. 'I don't care if that's what our contract is, just call me Jaune!'

'Uh… Okay, Ma- Jaune.'

'Second, I don't care if you don't need to eat. Do you want to eat?'

She was silent for a while. 'I'd like that, thank you.'

I smiled, and opened the fridge. I was beginning to take out the ingredients, before I looked at the eggs… And, suddenly, I felt a strange urge. It wasn't one I could quite explain, but I suddenly had the urge to put five of them in the freezer.

'Okay, why the hell are my instincts telling me to do this?' I thought to myself in confusion, mentally bringing up my Skill List… And then my eyes landed on the answer.

[Hyper Intuition (Passive) – Rank A – Lv. MAX]

A power that can see through all. An insane level of precognition, to instantly know or have a feeling that something is wrong or if something must be done, as well as the ability to see attacks almost before they happen.

'… Right, I have a crazy level of intuition now… So, why the hell is it telling me to put eggs in the damned freezer!?'

I stared at the eggs a moment longer, before I sighed, grabbing an empty Tupperware bowl from the fridge and placing the eggs in it, before closing it and putting them in the freezer, and then taking the rest of the ingredients out of the fridge to cook breakfast for everyone.

Pushing that weird moment out of my mind, I focused on making breakfast. Much like I'd made for my family around a week ago, I decided on a Vale Style Breakfast. But this time, I focused on the descriptions of the food I cooked.

[Heavenly Pork Sausages – Rank EX]

[Pork Sausages cooked by a chef beyond the level of master, and one that has stepped into the realm of the heavens themselves. So delicious, that no mortal dish can compare to its splendour.]

… On second thought, I didn't want to know.

I heard a little gasp behind me, and looked back to see Summer standing there with a slightly wide-eyed look on her face.

"Morning, Summer!" I chirped as I kept cooking.

"Good Morning… Jaune," she said slowly. "What, er, what are you doing?"

"I'm making breakfast," I told her. "I'm not gonna be here long, but I wanted to thank you and the others for what you've done for me. So, I thought I'd whip something up for you. Give you a sample of what'll come in our cooking contests."

She stared at me, nodding slowly. "Mind if I have one of the sausages? I'd like a taste of the food before the others."

I offered a shrug, moving one of the sausages onto a plate, before I handed it over to her.

She stabbed it with a fork, blowing on it to cool it… Before she opened her mouth and bit into it.

I watched her eyes widen as she chewed, an expression coming over her face that I could only describe as euphoria.

She quickly ate the rest of it and looked at me… I felt a chill run down my spine.

"I very much look forwards to our cooking contests, Jaune," she said with a radiant smile on her face.

"… Y- Yeah, me too…"

I wanted to move into my new home now, rather than tomorrow…

Chapter Text

Summer left the kitchen, going upstairs to wake everyone up. While she did that, I grabbed a plate and set it up with food. "Take it to my room, make sure Summer doesn't see you, and enjoy eating," I told Lancer.

She nodded, grabbing the plate and astralising with it before she headed upstairs to go and eat.

With that done, I finished up making breakfast, and began to set the table for the six of us to eat. As I set it, I heard a gasp of surprise. Turning my gaze, I saw Ruby standing there, cheeks burning red as I stared at me.

"J- Jaune…?"

"That is my name," I told her.

"Y- You… Y- You're…" She didn't quite seem to be able to get the words out.

"I'm what?"

She kept spluttering and stuttering, unable to speak. Yang came up behind her, yawning. "Ruby, why are you standing in the way…" She trailed off as she saw me, eyes widening. "Holy crap, Jaune got hot!"

I blushed warmly, shifting my gaze away from them. It was one thing for me to think I was attractive, it was another for one of my close, personal, female friends to say the same thing.

"The heck happened to you!?" Yang said as she moved closer, reaching out and grabbing my arm. I snatched it away, but Yang's eyes were wide. "Holy hell, that's solid muscle! You did not look like this in the gym uniform last week, how did you get so fit in that time!?"

"… Push-ups, sit-ups, and plenty of juice," I told her with as serious of a face as I could, though I felt it was diminished slightly by my red cheeks.

"… What kind of juice?" She asked… Did my Charisma make her take me seriously?

"Apple, though you can use any," I told her, before I finished setting the table and took a seat. I cast a glance to the doorway, seeing Tai, Raven, and Summer making their way in together.

"Woah!" Tai blinked. "Quite a spread you made for us today, Summer! We haven't had a standard Vale Breakfast in forever!"

Summer shook her head, taking a seat. "I didn't make this, Jaune did."

Ruby and Yang's eyes lit up. "Aw yes!" Ruby fist pumped. "More of Jaune's delicious food!"

Tai looked at them before looking at me, silently asking a question.

I rubbed the back of my head. "Well after I re-kindled my friendship with Yang and Ruby, I sort of brought the mood down with some depressing talk. So, to make up for it, I let them have one of the pork balls I'd brought along for lunch. They liked them so much, that I had to promise to make a bit extra for them to eat with their lunch."

"Well, now you've hyped up your cooking," Tai laughed. "Better hope it lives up to it."

I only smiled. "Please, feel free to eat," I told them, before I dug in myself, carefully watching their reaction.

Ruby and Yang dug in with a gusto, wide smiles on their faces. Summer smiled, pleased with what she was eating. Tai and Raven's eyes both shot wide, and they began to devour their food like it was going to vanish if they didn't eat it fast enough.

I only smiled; glad they were enjoying my cooking. I finished off my own meal and relaxed in my seat, crossing one leg over the other as I observed them.

'Jaune!'

I blinked. 'Yes, Lancer?'

'This food is amazing! You're definitely cooking for me every single day once you move into your new house!'

I held back a chuckle. 'Sure. I'm already going to be cooking for myself and Neo, what's one more mouth?'

I could feel her joy through our link, before I focused on reality as everyone else began to finish eating their meals.

"… That," Tai said. "Was one of the most delicious meals I've ever had in my life… No offence Summer."

"None taken," she said with a smile. "I'll freely admit that I don't think I'll ever be able to make a breakfast that tastes this good…" Her eyes lit up. "I'm very much looking forward to our cooking matches in the future, Jaune. I haven't been pushed to try my hardest for a cooking match since back at Beacon."

"Well… I'll try to live up to your expectations."

She only smiled, before gathering the plates and going to wash up.

"Ah, wait, I was going to-!"

"No, no!" She wagged her finger. "You already took cooking breakfast from me; you won't take my dishes!"

I held my hands up in surrender. "Fine, fine. In that case, I'm going back out to keep training."

"Oh, what are you training in?" Yang asked.

"My fighting style," I told her. "I already decided that I'm going to use Gauntlets and Boots as my primary weapons at Beacon, so I'm training my fighting style so that they are more relevant once I have them."

"Oh, fair enough," Yang nodded. "Mind if I train with you?"

"Sure," I shrugged.

"I'll train too!" Ruby stood up.

"No swords," I told her. "Only Hands and Feet."

Ruby pouted and sat down. "… On second thought, I'll just play Video Games."

I only chuckled and nodded, slowly getting up. "You can let your food process and change into more fitting workout clothes," I told Yang. "I'm gonna go out and get to training."

"Shouldn't you let your food go down too?" She asked me.

"Nope," I waved them off as I made my way back outside, checking the time on my H.U.D. Around 8:45 AM. I could master three more skills, then I'd have a quick shower and put on some clothes before going to meet Blake in town.

I didn't waste any time as I set to work on training, not even slowing down or stopping when Yang came out to join me. Even when Yang suggested I take a break, I politely turned her down and kept training. I wanted to be as strong as possible, and prepared for anything that was going to come in the future.

[Black Dragon's Upper Thrust Kick is now Level MAX.]

[Due to reaching Level Max, Black Dragon's Upper Thrust Kick is now Rank A.]

[Hei Long's 2000 Years has levelled up.]

[Due to reaching Level 20, Hei Long's 2000 Years is now Rank D.]

[Black Dragon's Shockwave Fist is now Level MAX.]

[Due to reaching Level Max, Black Dragon's Shockwave Fist is now Rank A+.]

[Black Dragon's Fangs is now Level MAX.]

[Due to reaching Level Max, Black Dragon's Fangs is now Rank A.]

I exhaled heavily as I finally stopped training, sweat covering my form. While I didn't get tired in the traditional sense any more, I was starting to feel a bit exhausted. Three skills trained to Level Max in only around two and a half hours!

I wiped sweat from my forehead as I slowly made my way back inside, heading through the living room to get to the kitchen. Raven took one look at me and whistled, "Cold bottles are in the fridge."

"Ah, thank you," I told her, opening the fridge and grabbing a cold bottle of water, before closing it and heading to the living room, opening it up and drinking it slowly.

Ah… That was refreshing…

"Training hard I see," Raven noted. "How long until you have that fighting style mastered?"

I lowered the water bottle from my lips. "Due to some hefty advantages," exploits, how I loved them, "Probably… Sunday Night at the latest."

Raven snapped her gaze to me, eyes widening. "… How?"

I debated on what to say… Before going with a half-truth. "My semblance is a bit multi-purpose," I told her. "One of the things it does is let me learn various techniques faster than others. It only started kicking in recently, but because of that I'm learning incredibly fast."

"… That's impressive," she noted. "… Beyond impressive. It's always the smaller semblance that have the biggest effects… Tai's is a good example of that."

I nodded, but didn't pry. I didn't know what Tai's semblance was and, while I was curious, it wasn't an immediate concern so I decided not to get into it.

"Thank you again for buying the house in your name," I told her.

"It's no trouble," she waved it off. "This way the girls can see you more often, you get away from your family, and Summer, Tai, and I are able to keep a close eye on you to make sure you're doing okay. Plus, it'll give us something to do while the girls are at school thanks to that Neo girl. Win for everybody."

I only nodded, taking another swig from the bottle. "… Be straight with me, how much is Yang going to flirt now that I look like this?"

Raven looked at me with a serious expression. "Yes."

I stared at her… And then groaned.

~~Ephemeral Dream~~

After a shower and a change of clothes, I headed to the meeting point for my day with Blake. I sat on one of the benches, relaxing as I waited. I was going to wear something more conservative, but it was such a nice day and, as I recently discovered, I had a hot body so I decided to go with something to show off just a bit.

I was dressed in a pair of tight jeans, and a simple white t-shirt that clung to my chest and showed off my now muscular arms. I hadn't equipped the slicked back hair cosmetic, instead deciding to let it sit naturally.

'You sure cleaned up nicely for what's just friends hanging out, Jaune,' Lancer said in a teasing voice.

'Lancer.'

'Yes?'

'Shut up.'

Her laughs rang in my mind, making me blush lightly as I stared down at my lap.

It was the first time I'd been able to consider myself as attractive, so I wanted to show off. Before, I looked maybe slightly above average, but still not high enough to be called that. Now though, I was much more attractive, to the point where I wanted to show off my appearance a little bit.

I didn't think there was anything wrong with that.

'So, what do you have planned for your little day out?' Lancer asked me.

'Nothing, really,' I responded. 'I don't really know too much about what Blake likes, besides ninjas, reading, and tuna.'

'… Tuna?'

'She's a cat faunus.'

'That's a bit of a stereotype she's following. What, does she hate dogs too?'

I didn't respond.

'… Oh my god, she hates dogs? Even puppies?'

'… Especially puppies.'

'What in the fuck is wrong with her? Puppies are cute and cuddly; how can you hate puppies?'

'I didn't really ask, Lancer. It didn't seem too important at the time.'

'Jaune, I don't think you should date this girl.'

'This isn't a date, Lancer!'

'Your blush when I call it a date says otherwise!'

'Lancer, I swear I will-!'

'She's here- oh wow, she looks good!'

I shifted my gaze up, and felt my eyes widen at the sight of the cat faunus.

Blake looked… Good. She was dressed in a pair of black pants that hugged her legs, a black crop top that showed off her midriff, and a white jacket was wrapped around her waist for if it got a bit too cold.

Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, and I had to admit that it looked very good on her. She was also wearing a light amount of makeup that really helped enhance her looks.

Forget good; she looked downright gorgeous.

'She's certainly dressed up nice for a not date.'

'Shut up, Lancer!' I snapped, feeling a bit flustered. I saw her looking around… Was she looking for me? But I was right here…

Oh right, new physique… I couldn't entirely blame her; the System had certainly helped me out there. I wasn't entirely sure how it worked, but I believe the system changed my body to match my stats once they reached a certain point. With such good stats in strength, dexterity, and vitality, I was now ripped with a balanced build.

I got up and made my way over to her. "Hey, Blake."

She looked at me, and her eyes widened, a hue of red coming to her cheeks. "J- Jaune?"

"That is my name," I told her with a small grin.

"Y- You look…"

"Different?" I answered. "Yeah… I guess my semblance made a few changes to my body."

"Your semblance?" She tilted her head. "You mean the swords, or the flames?"

"My semblance is a bit more complicated than that," I told her. "I don't know how to explain it, but it seems to have changed my body a bit so… I look like this now. Not a fan of the new look?"

She rapidly shook her head. "N- No, not at all! I was just caught off guard! You look… G- Good."

I gave a small smile. "You're looking pretty good yourself."

That red hue grew brighter as she turned her gaze away.

"So," I steered the conversation. "What have you got planned for our day today?"

She looked at me, clearly trying to stop herself from blushing with limited success. "Well…" She rubbed the back of her head as she took deep breaths. "I was thinking we could go check out that new Sushi place in town. After that… I was thinking we could both pick an activity to do for an hour or two."

"Ah, so split the day evenly so we're both satisfied," I told her. "Smart. What do you wanna do?"

"Book store to read," she said. "If possible, I'd like for us to discuss things like books, our favourites. Ig we share a favourite, we can talk about fun theories, stuff like that."

"Sounds like a plan," I nodded. "For me, I think going for a walk sounds good. Just a nice walk around town, we can make small talk and such, discuss plans for the future."

"Deal," she smiled.

I gave her a teasing smile. "Well 'Princess,' lead the way."

She shot me a minorly annoyed look, but I could see a bit of amusement in her eyes, before she led me through the town.

As we walked through town, we got a lot of looks and I swore I saw several men and women blushing as they looked at us, as well as some jealous looks from others.

'Oh, of course,' I thought to myself. 'We're two attractive people walking through town together, a man and a woman. They're probably thinking we're dating or something.'

"Let's walk a bit faster, I hate being stared at," Blake told me.

"Hm? Sure," I nodded as we picked up the pace a bit. "You don't like being stared at?"

"No," she shook her head. "I hate it. I'm usually stared at because of my ears, and I don't like it…"

"I think you're being stared at because you're an attractive young woman wearing clothes that compliment your figure," I told her, before my hand slapped over my mouth as my eyes widened and my cheeks burned.

Why did I say that!? I mean, it was true, but still!

Thankfully, Blake didn't seem to take offence. Instead, she just blushed and looked away from me. "Oh um… Thank you. That's very sweet of you."

I uncovered my mouth, clearing my throat. "So, um… I never really asked, but where does your family live?"

"Mistral," she said, taking a breath. "We used to live on Menagerie, but my dad's company lifted off the ground in a major way so we moved to Mistral as our new main area of operations."

"Oh, that's cool," I said. "Must suck that you had to leave your friends behind though."

"It wasn't great," she sighed. "It was hard making friends, since I didn't know if they wanted to be friends with me or if they wanted to be friends with 'The Princess of Faunus.' Eventually, though, I did manage to find a friend in Pyrrha. She knows what it's like to be famous, so she's been a great friend to me."

My eyes snapped to her. "Pyrrha… As in… Pyrrha Nikos? The Prodigy?"

Blake looked back at me with a small grin. "Yep, that's her."

Pyrrha Nikos. A Huntress Prodigy. At thirteen years old, she graduated from her education, and then applied for and was accepted at Beacon Academy. She hadn't skipped any grades since, but she was going to have graduated from Beacon by the time I was seventeen in just two years!

There were news articles about her prodigious skill. As only a first-year student at Beacon, she won the Vytal Festival almost single-handedly! She'd no doubt gotten better since then, and people fully expected her to win when the Festival came around again the following year!

"How are there not news articles about that?" I asked. I was sure the media would have been all over that if Blake and Pyrrha knew each other.

"Dad doesn't like news about me getting out," she told me. "He has a pretty firm hold over the newspaper, and makes sure no news gets out. He's very well respected, and has a lot of power, so they make sure not to do anything to make him angry. Pyrrha's family also hired agents to make sure they could control what was posted about Pyrrha, didn't want people to be hating on their daughter."

I gave a nod of understanding, before Blake led me into a nice-looking restaurant. As soon as we came in, we were led to a table, told it was all you can eat Sushi place and asked what we'd like to drink. Blake asked for a cola, I asked for water.

"So, all you can eat huh?" I grinned at her. "I think someone wanted Sushi a bit too much, don't you?"

She gave a small blush. "Um… Yeah, sorry. They don't just have sushi though. They also have other stuff like fries, chicken nuggets, things like that. It gives them a wider range of customers by doing that, which means more money."

I gave a nod of understanding. "Right," I stood up. "Let's go grab some food, I'm pretty hungry myself!"

~~Ephemeral Dream~~

After our admittedly good buffet, we made our way to the local library, grabbed some books and began to read while making idle chitchat.

As it turned out, both Blake and I particularly liked Rick Riordan's alternate world settings and the entire mythos he'd created for his books. The 'Percy Jackson' series and 'The Kane Chronicles' were both book series we enjoyed, and we spent almost the full two hours talking about them.

Blake was a big fan of the Hunters of Artemis, though she wasn't a fan of the 'No dating' rule, even if she understood why Artemis did it. It was, for that reason, she preferred the Amazon's from the Heroes of Olympus over Artemis's hunters. They had a similar 'all girls' rule, but they did see the importance of men… Though she thought the whole collaring them thing was a bit much.

"I understand wanting people to know to leave your man be," she'd said. "But a collar is just not okay, it's more like they're slaves than their lovers. Very much not cool."

I'd responded with that I appreciated that, despite Artemis being a notorious man-hater according to the mythos Rick had created- which he'd written a completely separate book about for all the myths and legends he'd created- she didn't actually seem to hate boys as much as it seemed. She obviously didn't like them a lot or anything, but she didn't exactly seem to dislike them either. I thought she seemed a bit wearier of them than anything, which I chalked up to her past experiences with Orion.

After reading and discussing, we put the books back into place and began a walk through the park, still discussing the books for a while as we walked.

"I'm just saying," she said. "The age gap between Walt and Sadie is just a bit concerning since Sadie is like, thirteen to fourteen by the end of the series, while Walt is around seventeen to eighteen or at least implied to be. It's just a bit of a worrying age gap, know what I mean?"

"No, I get it," I told her with a nod. "The age gap is a bit of a worry, though I don't think he's actually seventeen to eighteen, I think he's meant to be more fifteen to sixteen, he's just tall for his age."

"Still just a bit concerning, that's all I'm saying," she grumbled. "I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on this one."

"Seems so," I nodded.

There was a stretch of silene.

"… Could you show me your flames again?"

I shifted my gaze to her, raising an eyebrow. "… Why?"

"… The first time I saw them," she said softly. "It was a bit scary, but I felt so… Peaceful. Warm… I don't really know how to describe it, but I felt… Complete, if that makes sense. I felt like something I was missing was back, I felt whole."

"And you want to see if you'll get that feeling again."

"Yes," she nodded, clearly not ashamed to admit that.

I hesitated for a moment… Before I decided it couldn't hurt. Blake was already in a Guardian Bond with me, and it couldn't be broken unless I deliberately did something to betray her trust, or one of us died. There was no good reason why I should turn down her request to see my Sky Flames.

I looked around to make sure nobody was too close, before I lifted my hand… And let the orange flames come to life.

I watched Blake's reaction, the flames reflected in her amber eyes as she stared at them, completely captivated.

"… So warm…" She said softly. "So… Good…" She leaned against me, her head moving a bit closer to the flames.

I closed my hand quickly, snuffing the flames out. "I can teach you how to create your own, if you like?"

Her eyes snapped to me, widening. "How?"

"Those flames aren't my semblance," I told her. "They're called 'Dying Will Flames,' or Soul Fire. From what I can tell, they're born from the resolution to do something even to death, and to bring it forth as a flame. There are eight types of flames; Sky, Storm, Cloud, Mist, Rain, Lightning, Sun, and Night. Each flame possesses a different factor that has its own advantages. My flames, Sky Flames, possess the factor of Harmony."

Her eyes widened. "That's why I felt whole! The flames were portraying a feeling of harmony, balance!"

I nodded. "Precisely. Why don't you give it a shot? Think of something you would fight for, even to death… And then turn it into flames."

Blake stopped walking, prompting me to do the same. Her eyes glazed over as she thought, bringing her palm up. We stood there in silence for a short while, her eyes misty and her mind elsewhere…

Before flames of deep purple burst to life on her hand, making her yelp, before she stared at them. "I… I did it!" She smiled, staring at the purple flames on her hands. "What kind of flames are these?"

"Cloud Flames," I told her, recalling it from the Bond Menu. "Sadly, I don't know the factor of those flames. You'll need to experiment with them in your own time, but be careful. Dying Will Flames are very dangerous, as I'm sure you saw back then."

A sombre look overcame her face at the reminder of what we'd both been through, and she gave a nod. She closed her hand, the flames snuffing out. "I will be…" She smiled. "But it will be fun to train with them, at least. Just you watch, by the time Beacon starts, I'll have these flames mastered."

"Don't be afraid to call me," I told her. "Or text me about them, I'll do my best to help you over any roadblocks you might find yourself going through with them. I'm learning about them as I go too, so we're in this together. You got that?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I got it…"

She then surprised me by wrapping me in a hug. I blinked in surprise and hesitated before I returned it, gently rubbing her back.

"… Thank you," she said.

"Huh?"

"For being my friend," she said. "For not making a big deal out of my fame. For… For saving me from that place, and for giving me another way to increase my strength. Thank you, Jaune."

I gave a small smile as I pat her back. "Hey, what are friends for?"

[Your Bond Rank with Blake Belladonna has increased to C.]

I banished the notification, not letting it ruin the moment Blake and I were having.

We stood there for a bit before she pulled away, a warm blush on her cheeks before we began to walk again.

Right as I turned, whoever, I let out a grunt as I felt someone bump into me. I heard a yelp in front of me, and reached a hand out while looking at them. "Oh jeez, sorry about that-!"

Beautiful.

I stopped talking the instant I saw her face, hand outstretched to help her up.

Eyes of ocean blue, pale and beautiful skin like snow, contrasted by her long, silky black hair, as if the beauty of a starry sky had been used as inspiration when she was created.

She wore a simple white dress, the band of her handbag resting on her shoulder, and white flipflops to match her attire. She was the very incarnation of beauty, of purity, given form before me right now.

She looked up at me… And gave me a gentle smile that made my heart skip a beat as she took my hand.

"No, I'm sorry," she said. Even her voice was beautiful, the sweet sound lingering in my ears. "I was just so fascinated by Vale; I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

"No, it- it's fine…" I stuttered softly as I helped her up. "I'm uh… I'm Jaune Arc…" I gestured to Blake, who was also staring at the girl in front of us with slightly red cheeks, just as captivated by her beauty as I was. "This is my friend, Blake."

The girl gave the both of us a pretty smile. "My name is Miyuki Shiba, I'll be attending Signal Academy starting on Monday. It's lovely to meet you, Blake, Jaune."

"Do you need a guide around Vale?" Blake blurted out suddenly. "We'll um… We'll show you around."

Her blue eyes lit up, and both Blake and I felt ourselves blushing as she brought her hands together. "Oh, that would be wonderful! Thank you ever so much for your kindness! I'll make sure to repay you somehow!"

"… Don't even worry about it," I told her.

[You have forged a Friendship Bond with Miyuki Shiba.]

At that time, staring at the beauty in front of me, I had no idea that my flames were burning inside of my soul, coaxing the wonderful rain into my sky…

Chapter Text

I was flustered.

I would freely admit it. I was feeling incredibly flustered as I walked with Miyuki, showing her around town. And, based on her expression, so was Blake.

The girl was just so beautiful. I would call it unnatural if her beauty just wasn't so very natural.

Miyuki had a radiant smile on her face as she looked around, taking in the sights of Vale. I'd lived in the area my whole life, so I didn't get the fascination, but Miyuki was looking at everything as if they were all things she'd never seen before.

"So…" I cleared my throat. "This is your first time in Vale, right Miyuki?"

She looked at me and kept that smile on her face. "Yes, I only arrived yesterday. I thought I would familiarise myself with the town today and tomorrow, though having guides certainly helps!"

I fought down the blush that was rising to my cheeks. Damn it, calm down Jaune! She was just a very gorgeous girl; you were around Yang and Ruby all the time now!

Wait, where did that last thought come from?

I shook my head to clear those thoughts from my head. "If you don't mind me asking, where are you from?"

"I'm from Mantle, or Atlas as it is better known," she told us. "My father got promoted from his job, and is heading the Vale Branch of the company, so I had to move. I was happy to do so, I don't have too many friends in Atlas, so I'm hoping moving to Vale will let me make plenty of them."

I nodded at her words, my blush dying down as we began a proper conversation. "You said you were going to be attending Signal starting Monday? Well, I hope we end up in the same class if that's the case."

Her eyes lit up as she looked at me. "Oh, you're a student at Signal too? What year are you in?"

"Second year."

She smiled. "So am I! Oh, I hope we end up being classmates! It will be nice to have a friend in class with me!"

I felt the blush rise onto my face, shaking my head. "Yeah, it would be nice to have you in class too."

Miyuki looked at Blake. "What about you? Do you attend Signal?"

"Ah, no," she finally found her voice, shaking her head. "No, I live in Mistral. I'm just visiting with my family right now; I'm heading back next week. I attend Sanctum Academy."

"Oh…" She frowned. "That's a shame, I would have liked to attend with both of you."

Blake's blush got hotter. "But I uh… I do plan to attend Beacon around the same time as you and Jaune, and Jaune is a good friend so I'm planning to visit Vale when I can and catch up with him. It'd be nice to see you too."

Miyuki's eyes lit up. "That's wonderful! I wish you the best in your studies and I look forward to seeing you during school breaks, Blake!"

Blake only nodded, looking down at her feet. I could tell she didn't trust herself to say any more.

"So, where do you want to visit first, Miyuki?" I asked her, trying to take the attention off of Blake.

"I was wondering if you show me the way to Signal first," she told me. "Then, I'd like to know where the grocery store is for shopping!"

I raised an eye. "Forgive me if I sound a bit insensitive, do you not live with your dad?"

"I don't," she admitted. "My father is very dedicated to his work, especially since my mother and brother passed away in an accident. He truthfully has another house in Vale that he plans to live in, and I'll be living on my own. He used the reason that I 'needed to learn to be independent for when I attend Beacon,' but I know it's truthfully because it hurts for him to look at me because I'm so similar to my mother."

"Oh, I'm… Sorry to hear that," I told her. "I apologise for bringing up bad memories."

"It's fine," she smiled at me. "I know my mother loved me very much, and I know my older brother wouldn't want me to be sad over his death. I know they're both watching over me, so I'm not upset at all."

… This girl was too precious, and too kind. I couldn't really argue against her living alone either, I was going to be living with Neo starting on Sunday or Monday.

"Well, if you ever need any help, don't be afraid to ask," I told her.

She smiled. "Thank you for the offer," she said.

I nodded, and took the lead as I began to lead us to Signal.

"If you don't mind me asking," Miyuki spoke up. "What are your semblances?"

My mind froze… I didn't want to lie to Miyuki, she was so pure and innocent that my mind told me it was wrong to. But I was not going to pour my guts out to someone I just met.

"Shadows," Blake said, prompting us both to look at her. "My semblance is Shadows. I can sink into shadows, create temporary clones, things like that. It's a great semblance for stealth."

"That's lovely," Miyuki smiled. "I'm sure you'll be a fantastic huntress with a semblance like that!"

Blake blushed and looked away.

"What about you?" She looked at me.

I glanced away for a moment… And decided on what I should tell her, and others, what my semblance was.

"My semblance is called Creation," I told her. "So long as I do not go into the boundaries of Nature's Wrath, my semblance allows me to create more semblance that I can use."

Both Miyuki and Blake gasped as they stared at me, eyes wide at the prospect of such a power.

"That's…" Miyuki said. "A power like that is incredible! You could essentially create any semblance you like, or copy any semblance!"

"Not so," I told her. "It does have a few more limits. For one, the more powerful the semblance I create, the longer I have to wait until I can create another one. All of my semblance I create also start from zero, so I have to train them up. Up until recently, the Semblance I've created have been internal things. Things like my body adapting faster when I learn, allowing me to master things faster, or my brain being able to retain and take in more information at once. One of the first Semblance I created was a complete and total immunity to all forms of poison… Though it takes a moment to remove it from my system…" I'd need to find a way around that, I didn't want to get chloroformed again.

They both stared at me in complete shock.

"Is that how you got so fit in just a few days?" Blake asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. Body adapts faster, helps me train faster and for longer, and gave me the body you see in front of you."

"And the swords?"

"A semblance I made to give me weapons," I told her. "It works together with a semblance that lets me know a lot about a weapon via touch. The more I know about a weapon, the better I can replicate it… Though it's weaker than the original."

"Any weapon you've touched?" Miyuki said in awe. "That's an incredible power! Your semblance is simply amazing! What other Semblance have you created?"

"Besides the ones I've mentioned, none," I told her. "I haven't had access to my semblance for that long, so I just haven't had enough time to create any other semblance because of the cooldown for the weapon creating semblance."

"Even so, Miyuki is right," Blake said. "A semblance like that… That's beyond broken."

I only smiled, trying to hide my guilt for lying to them. It was for the best nobody knew of the System if it could be helped. "What about you, Miyuki? What's your semblance?"

"Oh, well I don't think it is as impressive as both of yours," she said. "But my semblance is Temperature Manipulation. I can control the temperature of my surroundings, and my internal body temperature. It's called Thermokinesis for short."

I felt my eyes widen as she told us her semblance… That was a powerful semblance, the potential for it was incredibly high. Manipulating heat, cold, possibly even infrared perception… She could even possibly create and manipulate plasma. A semblance like that was bordering on Nature's Wrath, if it wasn't already part of it…

People said semblances could be anything, but one like Miyuki’s was one of those that people said couldn’t be a semblance. A powerful one, one that people would literally kill to have for themselves.

"That is a powerful semblance," I said to her. "Ideal for being a Huntress. There's no doubt in my mind, you're going to be one of the best with a semblance like that as long as you train it, and know how to use it."

She smiled at me. "Thank you."

I only smiled in return, though I knew there was definitely a blush rising to my cheeks as she gave me a smile. I quickly turned my gaze away, clearing my throat. "Well, Signal isn't too far now," I told them. "Come on."

We picked up the pace, soon arriving at Signal's gates. It wasn't a towering building like Beacon, sitting at only three stories, but it had many smaller buildings and was very wide and long to make up for that fact.

"Oh wow!" Miyuki's eyes lit up. "So, this is the school I'll be attending! It looks nothing like Atlas Academy!"

That caught my attention. "Atlas Academy?" I looked at her. "Isn't that the Combat School?"

"It's a bit complicated," she said. "Mantle, for some reason, has Atlas Academy as all of the schools in one: combat school, civilian school, and the like. Only kindergarten and the younger schools have a separate one, but even that's fairly nearby. Atlas Academy also contains the military base."

I felt a bit concerned at that… It certainly sounded like Atlas was doing their best to train child soldiers. There were enough shady rumours about Atlas as it was, and this was coming from someone that had spent their life in Atlas until recently.

'Note to self, do some investigation into Atlas at some point…' I thought to myself, though I doubt that would ever come to pass any time soon. Maybe once I was an official Huntsman but, until then, I didn't want to get involved with Atlas in any capacity unless I had to.

"It's probably going to be a bit tough adapting to a new school," I told Miyuki. "I'll say it again, Miyuki. If you ever need any help at all, don't be afraid to ask me, alright?"

She nodded with a smile. "I will. Thank you."

~~Ephemeral Dream~~

After Miyuki took her time admiring Signal, we headed to the Grocery store. Part way there, Blake got a call from her parents that she had to take, stepping aside for a moment. I watched as her face flashed through a few emotions, mostly embarrassment, before she nodded and then hung up.

"Sorry," she said once she made her way back over. "I'd love to spend a bit more time with you both, but my mum just called. She doesn't want me out before dark, so she asked me to go back home. I don't really want to worry her, so…"

"It's okay," I told her. "I get it, just be safe on the way back, alright?"

"Indeed," Miyuki smiled. "I understand completely, Blake…" She held up her scroll. "Can we exchange numbers first? I'd like to stay in contact."

Blake only smiled as she took out her scroll, swapping numbers with Miyuki. Well, good to see she'd gotten over her… No, never mind, she was still blushing.

"I'll talk to you both later," she said. "Be safe, you hear?"

"I hear," I gave her a smile. "See you."

"Goodbye!" Miyuki chirped.

Blake gave one last smile, before she turned and walked away.

Miyuki and I watched her walk away for a short while, before I turned my gaze back to her. "So, grocery store?"

She gave a nod and we made our way into the store.

As I helped Miyuki with her grocery shopping, we made small talk. Nothing major, we avoided topics of our respective families, instead focusing on things like our favourite books, favourite foods, and things like that.

Once we got her groceries, I decided it would be best that I walked her home, and she used the GPS on her scroll to find it.

As we walked, I couldn't help but frown… We were walking in the direction of my new home, as well as the Xiao Long's. "Are you sure this is the right way?"

"Positive! Why do you ask?"

"Because this is the direction of my house," I told her.

"Really?" She looked at me. "Do you happen to live on Moonlight Avenue?"

"Yes!"

Her eyes lit up excitedly. "Oh, how wonderful! That means we're going to be neighbours! This is so exciting!" She gave me another beautiful smile, my heart skipping a beat once again when faced with it.

"Y- Yeah, I guess so," I responded, taking the lead as I already knew the way.

"Thank you for taking your time to show me around and help me with my groceries," Miyuki said to me.

"It's no problem," I said to her. "We're friends now, after all."

I could practically feel her eyes lighting up with joy. "Yes! Yes, we are! And friends help one another!"

"Exactly," I responded, flashing her a smile, before I turned the corner and headed onto the street that we both lived on. "Which house is yours?"

"Number 6."

"Ah, I live at Number 8, and my friend's family lives at Number 10," I told her as we walked down a few houses. "This is our stop. I don't want to be that guy, but can you handle the groceries on your own? I'm staying with my friends right now, so I don't want them to worry if I'm out too late."

"I understand," she smiled at me as we took the footpath up to her house. She opened the door, and I set the bags just inside.

"It was nice meeting you," I told her.

"And you as well!" She told me. "Um… If it isn't too much trouble, could I ask you to walk with me to school on Monday? I'd like to walk with a familiar face nearby, if that isn't a problem."

I gave her a small smile. "Sure, no problem. I hope you won't mind if my friends walk with us?"

"Not at all! The more the merrier!"

I smiled and pulled out my scroll. "Wanna change numbers?"

She nodded, pulling out her own as we exchanged numbers. "What time do you want to meet?"

"Eight works," I told her. "It's about a half hour walk to school, arriving half an hour early never hurt anybody, right?"

She gave a nod of agreement. "I'll see you Monday morning then! See you then!"

I smiled and nodded. "See you then," I said right back, before I walked back down the path, hearing the door close behind me.

[A New Quest has been unlocked!]

I froze, eyes widening as the notification screen appeared in front of me.

[Quest: Bounty Hunter Crisis]

Miyuki Shiba is a beauty beyond beauties, an angel in appearance and personality that cannot be denied. Many desire this angel for themselves, and will do anything in their power to keep such beauty for their own… You are charged with the task of protecting this angel from what is to come…

Objective: Protect Miyuki from the people trying to kidnap her.

Reward: 20,000 EXP, 20 Stat Points, 'Stealth' Skill, Title 'The Angel's Guardian.'

Failure: Miyuki is kidnapped and you never see her again.

Bounty Hunters Killed: 0/?

Will you accept this quest?
Yes/No

WARNING! If you do not accept this quest, Miyuki will be kidnapped and you will not be able to anything about it or interfere in any way.

I stared in horror at the screen in front of me…

I was hoping, desperately hoping, it would go away… But it didn't. The blue screen hung there, almost taunting in a way.

The System… Was expecting me to kill.

Yes, I had killed before, but I hadn't truly been in my right mind so, while the deaths did weigh on my mind, they didn't weigh on my mind was heavily as they could…

Right now, the System was telling me that it was expecting me to kill people… Or Miyuki would be kidnapped, and who knew what sort of horrible things would be done to her!

Right now, I had a choice… No, it wasn't a choice. It was an ultimatum. Either I killed the Bounty Hunters so Miyuki would be safe, or I did nothing and they took her away…

As if it wasn't obvious what I would do.

'Lancer,' I spoke to the Servant that had been mostly silent once Blake had shown up.

'Yes, Jaune?'

'From now on, I want you to watch over and protect Miyuki.'

'Oh? Is master interested in the girl? I must admit, she is quite attractive, did you get a crush already?'

'Lancer!' I snapped at her. 'This is serious. I need you to watch over and protect her, can you do that for me?'

'… May I ask why?'

'… As you heard, my Semblance allows me to create other semblance. One of those is a form of super precognition, Hyper Intuition if you will. When I looked at Miyuki, I had a horrible feeling that something bad is going to happen to her. I need you to watch over and protect her. Can you do that?'

'That's an impressive semblance…' I could almost feel her frown. 'Very well, Master. I'll protect her.'

'Thank you…'

'Any time. But I expect a LOT of Video Games for this!'

'I'll see about setting up my console tomorrow,' I responded, before I made my way two houses down, opening the door to Tai's house.

"I'm back!" I called out, only to pause as Summer stepped out of the dining room, arms crossed and a grin on her face.

"Perfect timing, Jaune!" She chirped. "It's time for our cooking contest!"

I only stared at her. "… I thought it was every Friday," I said. "And that I was exempt right now."

"Oh, come on!" She said. "You can't cook a delicious meal like you did this morning and then expect me to wait for next Friday! No way, we're doing this right now! Everyone is already in the dining room waiting for us!"

I stared at her… Before I let out a sigh. There was no way of getting out of this, huh?

"Fine, fine," I grumbled as I followed her into the dining room, where I was greeted to three sheepish smiles- Tai, Raven, and Yang- and an excited smile from Ruby.

"This is gonna be awesome," Ruby said excitedly.

"We have very different definitions of awesome," I said drily as I stepped into the kitchen, grabbing an apron and putting it on, before I stepped out. "So, how is this gonna work?"

"Raven, Yang, and I are going to be the judges," Tai told me.

"Mostly because Ruby started having a mental break down on how she didn't want you or mum upset with her," Yang muttered, causing me to crack a smirk.

"What you've got to do is simple," Tai continued. "We've written a bunch of different food ingredients and themes down on small bits of paper, rolled them up, and put them in this top hat," he gestured to said hat. "We'll shake up the hat, and then I'll take out one piece of paper and unfold it. That will be the theme of the dish. You both then have thirty minutes to cook a dish for each of us to eat. Once we've eaten both of your meals, we'll then push forward the plate of the meal we found the most delicious."

"Sounds reasonable," I nodded, glancing at the kitchen… Huh, they must have bought this house with cooking contests in mind, I hadn't noticed there were a lot of kitchen appliances in there before.

"Ready!" Summer grinned eagerly, clearly excited for this.

"Right, the theme of this match is…" Tai shook up the hat and pulled out a ball of paper. He unrolled it, and then turned it. "Eggs! Your half an hour begins now!" He hit the timer on his scroll to begin.

Summer immediately headed into the kitchen. I followed behind, putting a hand on my chin and frowning…

Eggs? That was a bit of a random theme, but it did mean we'd have to make a dish to bring out how delicious eggs could be… Hundreds of ideas ran through my mind now that the contest was on, and I couldn't help but find myself panicking…

I stared at the eggs a moment longer, before I sighed, grabbing an empty Tupperware bowl from the fridge and placing the eggs in it, before closing it and putting them in the freezer, and then taking the rest of the ingredients out of the fridge to cook breakfast for everyone.

My eyes widened in shock as my head snapped to look at the freezer.

'That weird moment… Was for this!?'

My intuition was scary…

But now I knew exactly what dish I was going to be making. I gathered the ingredients I would need, and took the eggs out of the freezer as I set to work, setting some rice to start cooking and heating up the deep fryer.

First, I unpeeled the five frozen eggs, setting them off to the side for a moment. I then put twelve and a half tablespoons of flour, and two and a half tablespoons of potato starch into a bowl. Adding cold water slowly, I whisked the mixture together until it was a smooth batter.

Turning my attention back to the eggs, I dusted them in flour and then dipped them into the batter one by one, before I put them into the deep fryer, starting a timer so I took them out as soon as they were done. I also dipped the faces of five shiso leaves in the mixture, letting them deep-fry too.

While the eggs were deep-frying, I poured 250ml of Bonito Broth, 7 and a half table spoons of soy sauce, and five tablespoons of both mirin and sugar into a saucepan, mixing it together and letting it simmer.

As I was taking the eggs out of the deep-fryer, I heard Summer's voice. "And done!" She said, stepping forward with a tray on either hand and large steel lids covering the food from view as she set them in front of the others.

I didn't allow myself to be distracted as I filled five bowls with rice, pouring a dash of the sauce I'd made over it, before I then arranged the eggs and shiso leaves on top of the rice, and then poured the sauce over the top of it all.

"Done!" I called out, arranging my food on two trays and then covering them with steel lids to retain the heat. I stepped into the dining room, where I got my first good look at Summer's food… And the five she'd prepared.

"You prepared one for me?" I asked her.

She gave a small smile. "Yep! Just because we're having a contest, doesn't mean I shouldn't make something for you to eat!"

"What a coincidence," I told her, setting the trays holding my food down. "I prepared one for you as well…" My eyes locked onto her food.

It was… Beautiful to look at.

Delicious looking buns, smooth and delicious looking bacon, and a pure yellow egg draped over the top of it, and I caught a hint of white filling.

"How kind of you," Summer smiled.

"Well then," Tai cleared his throat. "We'll try Summer's first since she served it first…"

All of us sans Summer took one of the plates. I observed the meal, sniffing it first. It smelled delicious, there was no doubt about that.

"Well then… Here goes!"

We all take a bite…

And my eyes widened as my mouth was filled with the flavour of egg, chewing and swallowing it.

"Woah!" Yang's eyes widened. "This is fricking amazing!" She said as she devoured her meal.

"I must agree!" Raven's eyes were just as wide. "I haven't had Summer make something this good in years!"

"Mum's cooking is sho guud!" Ruby said as she ate.

"How did you make this, Summer?" Tai asked her.

She opened her mouth to speak, but I was the one who answered. "You used Karasumi powder, didn't you?" I accused.

Summer gave a grin at me. "Correct! I poured water and vinegar into a pot, and brought it to boil. Then I reduced the heat, and stirred it with a spoon to create a swirl, cracking an egg into that swirl. After exactly 2 minutes, I scooped the egg out with a slotted spoon and doused it in cool water, repeating with each egg.

"Then I made a special Hollandaise sauce using egg yolks, lemon juice, melted butter, salt and pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. After that, I cut the bacon and cooked it, and sliced a Vale Muffin in half, toasted it, and spread butter, topping it with the Bacon. Then all I had to do was dry the poached egg, place it on the muffin, drizzle the hollandaise sauce, and then sprinkle chopped parsley and grated karasumi!"

She gave me a grin. "The result is a dish that fully brings out the flavour of eggs in a delicious way! This is my Eggs Benedict!"

As she spoke, the rest of us couldn't help eating the food until there was nothing left… It was far too delicious not to.

"I… Don't know how Jaune can come back from this," Yang said. "That dish was way too good."

"I'm going to have to agree," Tai looked at me. "How can you top… That?"

"Like this…" I lifted the steel lid off of my dish, watching in satisfaction as everyone's eyes widened. The steam cleared to unveil my finished dish. "This is my Chicken Egg Tempura Dish. Please, eat it while it's hot."

"Did you say Egg Tempura?" Summer looked at me. "You deep-fried an egg?"

"Huh?" Everyone looked at me.

I only smiled at them innocently.

I watched Summer frown as she picked up chopsticks- since I had clearly made the dish with Mistral inspiration- and pushed them to the egg, splitting it open.

Her eyes widening was very satisfying to see.

"This is…!" She gasped. "The white has only just begun settling, and the yolk is perfectly soft boiled!" She looked at me. "How did you-!?"

I only smiled. "The secret is freezing the eggs."

"Freezing them?"

I nodded. "That's right. By freezing them, I can peel the shell off, since freezing them expands their internal volume and breaks the shell. Plus, normally chicken eggs only last about three weeks. But, by freezing them, they can last upwards of fifty days.

"To prepare the dish, you peel the shell, then batter them and fry them until it's crispy. Then take steaming hot rice and pour plenty of sauce over it. You place the deep-fried egg on top, and pour over more sauce with a fried shiso leaf. Simple, but I promise it's delicious," I grinned. "Go ahead, try it. Be fast about it too, if it gets cold it won't be as good. I promise, there's no other secret here."

Summer looked at me disbelieving on that front, but everyone gathered the food with their chopsticks and took a bite.

Chew…

Chew…

Chew…

Swallow.

"This is…" Raven said.

"This is amazing!" Yang exclaimed as she began to dig in. "This taste's fantastic! The flavour is deep but almost delicate!"

"But where is it coming from!?" Summer muttered as she ate. "If the dish as simple as you say, Jaune, it shouldn't have a taste like this!"

"Ah, there is one thing I left out," I admitted, prompting them to look at me. "When you freeze the yolk… It concentrates its flavour immensely!"

"Concentrates… The flavour!?"

I nodded. "By being frozen, the egg's proteins seize up quite firmly and become almost like jelly! It gives them a springy, jiggly, creamy mouthfeel! And their flavour becomes especially rich. Freezing them is the most important part of this dish! I also added a sauce I made using bonito dashi stock, soy sauce, and mirin for a savoury taste. It goes perfectly with the egg and the rice."

"That's… Ingenious!" Summer stared at me in shock, as if unable to believe I'd come up with such a brilliant idea.

I only grinned. "Come on, you don't want it to get cold like I said… Please, eat it all up."

They needed no further prompting as they devoured the meal with gusto!

I only smiled as I watched them, pleased that they were enjoying it.

They all took a breath as they set the bowls down, all of them thoroughly satisfied with the meal.

Tai cleared his throat. "Right then, it's time for us to vote on who's dish was the best. Push forward the dish you enjoyed the most. And remember, this is only a friendly competition. No hard feelings no matter who wins or loses."

There was silence…

And then the sound of dishes being pushed forwards filled the air around us.

"It's unanimous!" Tai declared. "The winner of this cooking match is Jaune!"

I only smiled. "I hope you all enjoyed it," I said simply.

Summer let out a sigh, but her wide smile was hard to miss. "Well done, Jaune," she said to me. "It was a good match. I wasn't expecting that kind of dish out of you. It was a bit of a crazy dish I never would have thought of."

I only smiled. "Trial and error, that's how I learned. It was a fun match though."

It was very fun…

I turned away from them, going to the kitchen and doing the dishes as the smile faded from my face.

Unfortunately, I didn't have time for fun.

I had to get stronger as fast as possible. It was going to be a sleepless night…

Chapter Text

[Black Dragon's Seismic Steps: Advance is now Level MAX.]

[Black Dragon's Seismic Steps: Retreat is now Level MAX.]

[Black Dragon's Seismic Steps: Evade is now Level MAX.]

[Black Dragon's Seismic Steps: Attack is now Level MAX.]

[Black Dragon's Seismic Steps: Clone is now Level MAX.]

[Black Dragon's Sickle Kick is now Level MAX.]

[Black Dragon's Pulse Breath is now Level MAX.]

[Due to reaching Level MAX, Hei Long's 2000 years is now Rank A++.]

[Due to reaching Level MAX with Hei Long's 2000 Years, you have unlocked Black Dragon's Enlightenment.]

[Due to mastery of other Black Dragon Skills, Black Dragon's Enlightenment is now Level MAX and Rank A++.]

I stared in satisfaction at the string of notifications in front of me as I finally sat down. As soon as it hit 10PM and everyone else was asleep, I snuck out and immediately began training.

Over six and a half hours of non-stop training… But it was worth it as I mastered all of my Black Dragon Skills… And sure enough…

[Hidden Quest: Black Dragon's Legacy has been cleared.]

[Rewards]
+50 Strength
+50 Dexterity
+30 Vitality
100,000 EXP
Title 'The Black Sun in the Morning Sky'

[You have levelled up twelve times.]
+12,500 HP
+8,700 MP
+84 Stat Points
+1 Perk Point

[You have fulfilled the conditions to clear Objective 1 of Quest: Prove Them Wrong.]

I only grinned widely as my level shot up twelve times thanks to the experience boost from the hidden quest. "Status!"

[Status]

Name: Jaune Arc
Level: 27
Race: Human
Job: None
Main Title: None
Sub Title: None
HP: 18,990
MP: 16,510
Strength: 80 + 30% = 104
Vitality: 75 + 30% = 98
Dexterity: 80 + 30% = 104
Intelligence: 55
Luck: 25
Sense: 30
Remaining Points: 84
Perk Points: 2

I only nodded, pleased with what I was looking at, before I allocated my points without waiting a beat. 45 to Intelligence, 20 to sense, and the remaining 19 to luck. My reasoning behind that was I was trying to balance the rest of my stats to my now huge Strength, Dexterity, and Vitality.

[Status]

Name: Jaune Arc
Level: 27
Race: Human
Job: None
Main Title: None
Sub Title: None
HP: 18,990
MP: 16,510
Strength: 80 + 30% = 104
Vitality: 75 + 30% = 98
Dexterity: 80 + 30% = 104
Intelligence: 100
Luck: 44
Sense: 50
Remaining Points: 0
Perk Points: 2

With my MP sitting at a monstrous amount, and the quest cleared, I began projecting weapons. And, after a little over 5,000 MP spent…

[Projection is now Level MAX.]

[Due to reaching Level Max, Projection is now Rank A+.]

[Quest: Projection's bonus objective has been cleared.]

[Rewards]
+50,000 EXP
Reality Marble (LOCKED) has been added to Skill List
Blessed Random Box

[You have levelled up three times.]
+3,700 HP
+4,350 MP
+24 Stat Points
+1 Perk Point

My eyes widened as I levelled up three times, though I was curious about my new skill, quickly bringing up my Skill Menu to look at it.

[Reality Marble (Nameless) – Rank Unknown – Lv. MAX] (LOCKED)

The inner world born of one's soul, given form. The pinnacle of the soul's power, denying the reality of the world and projecting the user's own world onto reality, thereby overwriting the world with their own. Currently, the player's Reality Marble is empty and without name, and thus cannot be used.

…

Oh my god.

I didn't know the benefit for clearing the bonus objective would be so huge!

A world of my own. My soul given form…

I couldn't help but wonder what form the world would take.

It was likely a day far in the future, so I decided to put it out of my mind for the moment.

I also decided not to buy any more perks for the moment. I wanted to save those for either when I'd mastered ALL of my current skills, or for when I most needed them. Having three perk points was pretty nice though, I wasn't going to deny that.

With that decided, I opened my Inventory to check out the last item I'd received.

[Blessed Random Box]

[Item Class: EX]

[Item Type: Loot Box]

[A box said to be blessed by the gods. Opening it will provide the player with an item they desire.]

That was… Good, very good. It could give me a powerful weapon, possibly a skill book, or anything like that!

But what I wanted wasn't any of those things… What I wanted was an item that would help me level up quickly. Sure, I was Level 30, but I wanted to be an even higher level. I wanted to be as strong as possible, as fast as possible.

"Open [Blessed Random Box.]"

There was a glow of light from the box as the ribbon came undone and it opened…

And in my hands was a key.

[Palace of Heaven Key]

[Item Class: EX]

[Type: Key]

[A Key that allows you to enter Dungeon: Palace of Heaven. It can be used at Signal Academy.]

My eyes widened in shock as I stared down at the golden key in my hands.

And EX-Ranked Item. More than that, it was my first ever Dungeon Key. I hadn't known of dungeons existed within the System, though now I knew they did. That was interesting to know, very interesting.

Still, that was a pretty high rank… EX was a rank that couldn't be properly quantified… That meant the Dungeon was above A, and possibly beyond crazy in strength. Did I really want to risk going into a Dungeon like that when I was only Level 30?

The immediate answer was no, of course not. But the box provided me with an item I desired. A dungeon key, a sure-fire way to level up faster. Would the System really give me something that was useless to me unless I levelled up more?

I frowned, but stored the key into my Inventory for the time being.

I wiped my forehead and checked the time. It was around ten to five in the morning, meaning I had plenty of time before I had to go to the Hospital and check on Neo.

I opened my inventory, selling all the D-Rank weapons I'd created for around two and a half million gold this time, before opening up my status. With another twenty-four points available to me, it was time for a bit more investment in other stats.

I slapped five to vitality, ten to sense, five to intelligence, and the remaining four to my luck.

With that done, I decided to finally check out the title the Hidden Quest had given me.

[The Black Sun in the Morning Sky]
One who has mastered the Black Dragon Style. Feared by man, beast, and god alike; let all who see you tremble before the might of the undefeated Black Dragon.

Effect: Changes Player's race to Faunus (Dragon) while equipped.

My eyes bugged out of my skull, and I swallowed.

I suspected that certain titles would provide effects but… Turning me into a faunus?

And yes, that was surprising to me! It's one thing to give me bullshit magical powers, it's a completely different thing to literally change my race!

I shook my head, getting over my amazement as I dismissed the screen. I couldn't find any other immediate use for the title other than to change my species to faunus, I guess having it hide my identity could be useful? I'd have to think on it.

I took a seat on the ground, and began to think, my focus shifting back to the Dungeon Key.

A Dungeon Key. A Dungeon Key to the god damned Palace of Heaven! It was a chance to level up like crazy! Did I really want to pass this up?

I clenched my fist, looking down at it… before I opened up the Store.

[Are you sure you want to buy Scaled Gloves & Obsidian Treads for 5,000,000 Gold?]

[You have purchased Scaled Gloves & Obsidian Treads.]

[Scaled Gloves]

[Item Class: B]

[Type: Weapon/Armour]

[+75 Attack]

[Sturdy Gloves made from Alligator Hide. Protects the user's hands from taking damage. Armour will slow down the player if their Strength is below 80.]

[Obsidian Treads]

[Item Class: B]

[Type: Weapon/Armour]

[+75 Attack]

[Strong boots made from fine leather and obsidian. Protects the user's feet from taking damage. Armour will slow down the player if their Strength is below 80.]

I equipped my two new weapons, clenched my fists as I stood up… And made my way towards Signal.

~~Ephemeral Dream~~

I stood outside the gates of Signal, lifting up the Dungeon Key and staring at it.

It was my last chance to back out. Nobody would blame me for doing so, it was a ranked EX Dungeon. If I turned away and decided to wait until I was stronger, nobody would blame or hold it against me.

Despite that, I didn't turn. If I didn't take this chance now, when would I? Probably when the Dungeon itself was obsolete to me, no longer needed to be used… I couldn't allow a chance like this to pass me by. I wouldn't allow it to pass me by.

I lifted the key and pushed it forwards, causing a golden portal to crackle in the air in front of me. I twisted the key, and a huge golden gateway appeared before me.

I took a deep breath… And stepped through the gate, the world being covered by light.

[First time entering a Dungeon! A Hearthstone has been placed into the Player's Inventory to escape if needed.]

The light faded, revealing to me that I was standing on what seemed like a cloud. I looked around, gasping in awe. Below the clouds, far below them, was the planet. It was truly as if I were thousands of miles up, standing over Remnant and making my way to the Palace of Heaven.

I shifted my gaze, a set of huge golden gates catching my eye, bold and proud as if waiting to be opened and welcome the worthy behind them.

Standing in front of the gates was a literal angel.

He wore fine white robes, a book in one hand, and a halo above his head. He had a toned form, with blonde hair and a finely trimmed beard on his face. He reminded me of Taiyang, but only a little.

The man took one look at me… And snapped his book closed. It shimmered before my eyes, turning into a two-foot-long sword before my eyes, pure silver in colour.

I looked at the name hovering over his head.

[Heaven's Gatekeeper – Saint Peter]

His name was red in colour, it was the first time I'd seen something like it. Then again, this was my first time seeing something that could be classified as a 'mob' since I obtained the System. Perhaps if I'd gone into the forest to fight Grimm, I'd have something else to compare it too.

"So, you must be the Guardian," I said to him as I tightened my gloves.

He didn't respond.

I didn't know what I was expecting, dropping into my stance.

There was silence…

And then he was suddenly in front of me, sword swinging at my neck.

I dodged the swing by ducking down in the blink of an eye, his sword passing harmlessly over my head.

I glared up at him and shot up, my foot connecting with his jaw as I performed the upper thrust kick. He was sent into the air, but spread his wings and recovered, shooting right back down to hit me with a downward swing.

I brought my hands up, catching his sword against my glove. I winced a little from the pain, but my gloves prevented my hands from taking any damage.

My other hand snaked forwards, pressing against his stomach.

Pulse Breath!

Peter's stomach rippled before he was sent flying away from me, his back slamming against the gates, coughing hard from the impact.

I didn't let up for even a second, moving upon him with advance and hitting him hard in the jaw with Round Kick.

He was sent flying to the side, before flipping in mid-air as he spread his wings and glared at me.

Suddenly, his body was cloaked in a holy glow.

[Saint Peter is using God's Blessing.]

[Saint Peter's Stats will be doubled for three minutes.]

"Excuse you, and your entire race!?" I exclaimed as I got that notification.

He soared right back towards me, now twice as fast as he went for an overhead swing.

"Accelerate!" I exclaimed, blue motes of light burning in my hands, bring it overhead as I projected a nameless D – Rank sword.

Against Peter's weapon, it broke instantly, but I was able to use the force of my block to redirect his attack just enough to the side that it missed me.

Shockwave Fist!

I punched him hard in the stomach, making him double over as the attack hit him… And then the shockwave rippled through his body, making him throw his head back and yell in agony.

Attack!

I vanished from his sight, appearing behind him, before I placed my foot on his back, grabbing either of his wings. He turned his head back to me looking at me with… Was that fear?

Somehow, I relished in that look.

"You're quite attacked to these wings of yours, aren't you?" I growled. "It would be a shame if they were ripped out!"

[Aura Channelling has been activated.]

I let out a roar as I tugged on his wings…

Riiip- Fssssh!

Saint Peter screamed in pain as I tore out his wings, blood spraying from where they used to be and coating me in it as he was permanently grounded.

I felt a spark of sadism shoot through me as I lifted my arm.

Fang.

I brought my elbow down hard on the large wound where one of his wings used to be, causing the angel to scream in even greater pain as he writhed around on the ground.

"So, this is what an angel is reduced to when their wings are clipped…?" I asked as I stared down at him. "You're pathetic…" A nameless sword formed to my left.

Shink- Squelch!

A sickening sound was heard as the sword shot through Saint Peter's skull, causing him to slump over in place, dead.

[You have defeated Heaven's Gatekeeper – Saint Peter]
You have obtained [Gatekeeper's Sword.]
You have obtained [Gatekeeper's Bracelets.]
You have obtained [Palace Gate Key.]

[You have levelled up by two.]
+1,800 HP
+2,150 MP
+12 Stat Points

I stared down at his corpse… Before my eyes widened as I truly registered what I'd done.

I killed him.

I held my stomach as I began to feel queasy.

I killed him.

I doubled over, throwing up all over the angel's corpse.

I killed him.

Even if he was a mob, even if I had no choice… The fact remained he looked human, he looked like a man.

I had seen the fear in his eyes. I had heard him screaming in agony… And all I had done was add onto the pain instead of ending his suffering quickly.

I slapped myself across the cheek.

'Stop thinking like that!' A part of me told me. 'He was an enemy. It was his life or ours. Besides, he's not real. The System created him, nothing more and nothing less.'

'He was still alive, wasn't he?' Another part countered. 'Was he not living, breathing? Didn't he experience pain like I do, didn't he feel fear like I do? What right did I have to cause such pain to him instead of killing him painlessly…?'

I took a deep breath, wiping my looks as I looked down at his corpse…

A little part of me died at this time. While I'd killed before, it had never truly registered with me… This though… This was all me… And I had to live with the consequences of taking a life…

I took a breath, sitting down as I observed the drops that I'd obtained from killing him.

[Gatekeeper's Sword]

[Item Class: A]

[Type: Weapon]

[+100 Attack]

[A Weapon used by Heaven's Guardian – Saint Peter. Blessed by the One God, it deals extra damage to those aligned to evil.]

[Effect 'Slayer of Evil': Deals an additional 25% damage when facing one aligned with evil.]

[Gatekeeper's Bracelets]

[Item Class: A]

[Type: Bracelets]

[Bracelets worn by Heaven's Guardian – Saint Peter. Blessed by the lord, they grant a boost in speed and enhance the senses, as well as giving extra protection.]

[Dexterity +20, Sense +20]

[Effect 'Holy Barrier': Reduced Damage Taken by 50% when HP is 30% or below.]

[Palace Gate Key]

[Item Class: A]

[Type: Key]

[A Key that can open the Heaven's Palace Gates. Obtained by killing the Gatekeeper.]

I didn't hesitate in equipping the Bracelets, watching a pale gold glow cover my wrists, but they didn't actually appear. I raised an eye and checked, but they were definitely equipped. It was then I noticed an unticked box next to the Bracelets with the words 'Appears on person.'

"Oh…" I blinked. "So… When I equip non-weapons, they don't appear on me physically, but provide protection… That's kind of cool."

I brought up my status. I had above twenty-thousand HP and MP, and I was fully healed thanks to the Level Up. I looked at the time, seeing it was now 5:20AM…

I had time.

I stood up, pulling the Key out of my Inventory, also taking the time to look at the Hearthstone.

[Hearthstone]

[Used to escape a Dungeon. Randomly drops inside Dungeons.]

I nodded. So, if things got too tough for me, I could use the Hearthstone to escape the Dungeon…

"I have at best two hours," I muttered. "Then, I need to get back home before Summer starts cooking breakfast, or someone notices I'm not home…" I clenched the key in my hand…

And then I walked to the gates, pushing it into the key slot and twisting it, the gates opening in front of me.

I stepped through the golden gates, a bright light covering my vision. When it faded, I found my eyes widening.

I was standing at the entrance of what seemed to be a perfect copy of Vale, with mountain and forests, and the buildings bright white and gold in colour.

"A field-type dungeon," I said in shock. "I wasn't expecting something like this…"

[Quest: Collect Heavenly Souls! (Part 1)]

The Kingdom above is filled with Angels and Holy Beings. Hunt them down and collect their souls for a special reward.

Objective: Obtain 10,000 Heavenly Souls

Rewards: 1 Item of your choosing, +20 Stat Points, 3. Hidden Reward

Failure: None

Will you accept this quest?
Yes/No

"Obviously I'll accept," I muttered, the quest screen disappearing. "Still, ten-thousand…? That's kind of crazy…"

My eyes narrowed as angels began to appear in front of me. I tightened my gloves. "I don't have any intentions of collecting ten-thousand… But I'm sure as hell going to use this chance to level up as much as I can in the next two hours!"

I let out a battle cry as I charged forwards into battle, ready to tear the angels in front of me apart.

~~Ephemeral Dream~~

I'd freely admit it…

I was having fun killing all of those angels.

No matter how many came at me, I would viciously tear into them, killing them, destroying them without so much as a second thought as their blood splattered and covered me.

My face, my chest, my arms, my legs, no part of my body was clean of blood by the end of just the first floor.

It was clear to me that the Dungeon got progressively harder the higher I went up. On the first floor, the enemies were easy, almost pathetically so. I only got a single level by the time I obtained the permit to head to the next floor.

I had to be stronger. I had to be better. I needed to be as powerful as I possibly cloud.

And so, I killed.

I killed, and killed, and killed, and killed.

With so much death left behind me, it wasn't long until I was numb to the killing all together… And was starting to enjoy it.

I came to a halt on the fifth floor almost two hours later, breathing heavily as I sat on top of a white and gold version of my family's house.

[You have levelled up a total of eight times.]
+9,600 HP
+11,300 MP
+60 Stat Points
+1 Perk Point

I gave a pleased grin, ultimately deciding that coming into the palace had been the right choice. The mobs had been weak, but they gave out a decent chunk of EXP. By the time I reached floor five, I was actually getting some decent levels.

I wanted to continue, desperately, but I had to stop. If I was gone, they'd start to worry that I'd been kidnapped and I didn't want to put that pressure on them again.

I was caught by surprise as another screen appeared in front of my face.

[The Player has reached the required Level.]

[A Job Change Quest has been issued.]
Will you accept?

"Job change…?" I raised an eye… Before my eyes widened and I quickly opened my status.

Name: Jaune Arc
Level: 40
Race: Human
Job: None
Main Title: None
Sub Title: None
HP: 34,090
MP: 34,110
Strength: 80 + 30% = 104
Vitality: 80 + 30% = 104
Dexterity: 80 + 30% + 20 = 124
Intelligence: 105
Luck: 48
Sense: 60 + 20 = 80
Remaining Points: 72
Perk Points: 4

That was right… I didn't have a job. A job was a special class from the sounds of things, that granted me special bonuses and abilities.

Still…

"Help Menu," I called out, causing the screen to appear in front of me. "Is it possible for the player to obtain job specific skills by using perks?"

[It is impossible for the player to obtain Job Specific Skills if they are not part of that class.]

I put a hand on my chin…

In other words, my job was actually very important as I couldn't obtain job specific skills without the required job. And I didn't know if I'd be able to change classes later on, so this was a very important decision.

"Based on my current stats, something like a Warrior could be good…" I muttered. "But with my high intelligence stat, I could be a mage instead… My dexterity is pretty good too, so Assassin might be in my future… A Monk could also have huge benefits…"

I stood up. "Whatever, I won't do the job quest immediately. I don't want to worry them, and I plan to stop by to see if I can get Neo out of the hospital. I have no idea how long the quest takes anyway. I'll start it at around ten tonight instead…" I nodded with my reasoning, opening my Inventory and pulling out a Hearthstone.

I took one last look around the area, and the angels approaching me, before I closed my eyes and crushed it in my hands.

[Hearthstone has been used. Escaping from Dungeon.]

As soon as I was out of the Dungeon, I immediately began to spam using Advance to get back to the Xiao Long household. I was covered in blood, I didn't want to have people freaking out if they saw me, or being taken in by the police and having them ask where all the blood came from!

I didn't know why the blood didn't disappear, but I was going to need some hydrogen peroxide if I ever wanted to use the workout clothes ever again.

It didn't take too long to get back to the Xiao Long house. I headed inside, wiping my shoes on the dark mat so I didn't trek blood through the house, and quietly made my way upstairs.

As soon as I got into my room, I unequipped the bloody clothing I was wearing and headed into the shower to get the rest of it off my skin and out of my hair.

I opened up my status, and began to allocate my points yet again.

Twelve points in luck, ten in every other stat save intelligence, where I dropped in twenty points.

Name: Jaune Arc
Level: 40
Race: Human
Job: None
Main Title: None
Sub Title: None
HP: 34,090
MP: 34,110
Strength: 90 + 30% = 117
Vitality: 90 + 30% = 117
Dexterity: 90 + 30% + 20 = 137
Intelligence: 125
Luck: 60
Sense: 70 + 20 = 90
Remaining Points: 0
Perk Points: 4

I nodded in satisfaction at the sight of my new stats, continuing to wash the blood out of my hair, and mentally reviewed things I had to do.

I had to pick up Neo from the Hospital, beat Hikage in a spar, protect Miyuki from Bounty Hunters/Kidnappers, and do the job change quest, and conquer the Palace of Heaven. Not necessarily in that order.

With that in mind, I began to plan out what I'd do that day.

I'd have breakfast with everyone, then I'd start training structural analysis like I'd planned. Then I would pick up Neo from the Hospital if she was allowed out, if not then I'd just spend some time with her so she didn't feel neglected.

If she was allowed out, I would take her shopping for some proper clothing, as well as pick her up a scroll. I had so much Lien that it wasn't an issue for me to buy a wardrobe or twelve for her to wear, though I hoped she wasn't the kind of girl who wanted so many clothes that she'd probably never wear.

After that, I'd fully move into my new home with her and thank the Xiao Long family for letting me stay with them, making sure Neo was settling in.

Then, after dinner once Neo was asleep… I would go out into the forest, and begin the job change quest.

I turned off the shower, stepping out and drying myself up with a towel.

Today was going to be a long day… But it would be worth it.

I would come out even stronger than I'd already become after today, there was going to be no doubt about that.

Publish Date: 3rd October 2020

Word Count: 4,408

Chapter Text

After my shower, I took a seat and decided to buckle down and start grinding up Structural Analysis. I expected it was going to take about a day or two in order to get it done, so I thought I should just start now.

I was wrong.

[Structural Analysis is now Level MAX.]

[Due to reaching Level MAX, Structural Analysis is now Rank A+.]

[Due to reaching Level MAX with Structural Analysis, you have obtained 'Pure Eyes of Structural Analysis.']

[Due to reaching Level MAX with Structural Analysis and Projection, the Skill Projection has evolved to 'Projection (Tracing).']

As it turned out, Structural Analysis's Cost was reduced by 1MP every ten levels. With my huge MP stat, maxing out its level didn't take very long at all, and I still had MP to spare.

I opened up my new skills.

[Projection (Tracing) (Active) – Rank A+ – Lv. MAX]

Recreation of objects the user has seen. Not only are the objects replicated, but the entire history of the object is re-created. The user can tap into the history of the weapons, using them as if they were the original wielder.

Weapons Projected will be 1 Rank lower than their originals. Cannot project weapons of a higher rank than Projection. Cost: 10MP

[Structural Analysis (Active) – Rank A+ – Lv. MAX]

To learn about an object, its history and functions, the craft of its making, the materials used, everything, through touch. No MP Cost

[Mystic Eyes of Structural Analysis (Passive & Active) – Rank A+ - Lv. MAX]

Through relentless training of such a basic skill, it has now become part of the user as much as breathing. Passively allows the user to see the history, craft of making, materials used, and everything about weapons/armour seen. Actively allows the user to see the history, craft of making, materials used, and everything about other objects. No MP Cost.

I stared at the screens in front of me, then wiped my eyes and stared again, just to be sure I wasn't seeing thing.

… HACKS!

This shit was so god damn broken; it wasn't even funny! So, not only could I now create any weapons I'd seen, but I'd now know how the weapons were made, and I could use the techniques of the person when I used the weapon!

What was this shit!

And let's not forget the fact that both the Mystic Eyes and Structural Analysis now cost zero MP for me to use!

Broken, just so damn broken…

I dismissed the screens, rubbing the sides of my head, and decided to push that out of my mind for the time being. At least I would never need to worry about weapons again.

"Jaune!" I heard a knock on my door and Summer's voice. "It's time for breakfast!"

"Okay, I'll be down in a minute!" I called back, opening up my inventory and equipping a pair of jeans, a black shirt, and a white jacket.

I paused for a moment, opening up the store just to check something.

"… I can buy clothes with this thing?"

Very nice-looking designer clothes too…

I was one-hundred-thousand gold poorer as I made my way downstairs, feeling a bit embarrassed that I'd purchased an entire wardrobe of designer clothes for myself…

For those not keeping up, that meant I just spent one-million Lien on nothing but clothes… I didn't like to dig into stereotypes, but I sure felt like a girl right now…

I felt embarrassed as Yang and Ruby stared at me as I made my way into the dining room. I was clad in tight jeans, a form fitting black shirt, and long white and silver jacket that reached my ankles.

"… Aren't those clothes from the recently released Adele Designer Group?" Yang asked me, which only made my face turn a bright shade of red as I sat down.

"… I don't know what you're talking about," I responded as Summer set the table with the pancakes and the various things people put on their pancakes. I wasn't big about taste; I was fine with just plain sugar and lemon juice.

"So, what does everyone have planned for the day?" Summer asked as we all began to eat.

"I'm going to get some training done," Ruby said. "I want to practise the stances Raven showed me last week…" She shifted her gaze to Raven. "You promise to teach me the more advance stuff once I show I've mastered the basic stances?"

"I don't break my promises," Raven said. "The basics are important. Master those, and I'm fine with teaching you the more advanced techniques."

"What about you, Yang?" Summer asked.

"I'm going to tinker with the bike that dad said I could have when I turn sixteen," she responded. "Sure, I have to wait until next year, but I'm super excited to work on her!"

"Her?" I raised an eyebrow at Yang.

"Ruby treats weapons like they're people, don't judge me," Yang huffed. "Still need to think of a name, leaning Bumblebee… What do you think?"

"Is it because 'she' is going to be fast, and is primarily yellow and black?"

"… Shut up."

I only smirked at her.

"And you, Jaune?" Summer looked at me.

I paused, setting my knife and fork down. "I'm going to go to the hospital to check on Neo," I told her. "If she's well enough to leave, I'll take her shopping with me and then settle into my new home with her."

Silence reigned over the table, and I saw Ruby and Yang's smiles becoming slightly strained.

"It's only been a couple of days," Summer said softly. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," I nodded. "I know you wouldn't mind me living here, but I don't want to impose so much. Besides, Summer…" I gave her a small look. "I have a responsibility. You know this."

She gave a sad sigh of acknowledgement.

"What responsibility?" Yang frowned. "Why do you care about this Neo girl so much?"

"It's personal, Yang," I told her.

"No!" A surprising snap came from Ruby. "It isn't! You're just keeping it from us for some reason! Something must have happened between you and this girl to make you feel guilty, and now you're feeling like you have to take care of her for some reason!"

My eyes widened in shock as I stared at Ruby.

"How did you-?"

"I read comic books all the time, this stuff always happens," she said.

I slumped and groaned as I'd definitely just given myself away by responding… Of course, Ruby didn't know! Of course, she was just throwing out wild guesses!

Now I was left with the choice of coming clean, or coldly telling them to mind their own business, possibly damaging our friendship again.

… God damn it.

"Alright, I'll tell you both," I sighed, hoping the exposure to my Sky Flames wouldn't be enough to make them my Guardians. "But I want you both to keep this a secret, you got that?"

"Deal, now fess up," Yang said.

I sighed, lifting my hand… And letting my sky flames burst to life on my palm.

Tai, Yang, and Ruby all jumped in surprise, staring at the flames in my hand.

"These are called Dying Will Flames," I said. "The kind you see on my hand are known as Sky Flames. Every kind of Dying Will Flame contains a factor, a speciality. My Sky Flames possess the factor of harmony. However, they come with a downside. My flames can 'harmonise' with another person, creating a bond between us. It creates a mutual feeling in each other, to want to protect the other, to make them happy, to cause pain to those that hurt them…"

"And you harmonised with this Neo girl?" Yang asked, her eyes never leaving the flames in my hand.

I only nodded. "Yes. It wasn't on purpose… There are two ways to form the bond. Exposure to my flames overtime, or a huge amount of exposure in one burst… Considering what I went through, it shouldn't be a stretch to understand the second one is what happened to Neo."

"… I want one."

My eyes snapped towards Ruby. "What?"

"I wanna have a bond with you like Neo's," she said firmly. "I already want to make you happy and stuff, so it shouldn't make a difference!"

"I'm with Ruby on this," Yang said, making me look at her too. I was in such shock from their words, I completely forgot to stop using my flames. "Clearly, these flame things are a big deal. So, it's obvious we're gonna stand by you no matter what. To make sure we don't make the same mistake we did two years ago."

"This and that are completely different!" I exclaimed. "Summer, Raven, back me up here!"

"Actually, I don't think it's a bad idea," Raven said, making me look at her with betrayal. "Oh, don't look at me like that! You said everyone has these flames. With you and others starting to learn how to use them, it's only a matter of time until they start popping up everywhere. With that in mind, someone could easily force the bond onto Ruby or Yang. If they're going to bonded, I'd prefer they be bonded to someone who I know won't try and abuse it."

"She's got a point," Summer admitted.

"But… But…"

"Jaune," Tai spoke up. "You had to have known that, when you said this, the girls would react like this. That was why you decided to try and not mention this, right?"

"W- Well… Yes…" I nodded. "I don't want to force that kind of bond onto them."

"And yet, they're willing to share that bond with you," Tai said. "If I were to trust anyone to have that sort of bond with my daughters, you are at the top of the list. So, why are you hesitating?"

"I…"

Why was I hesitating?

Was it because I felt the bond was forced? Was it because I didn't want to get the girls involved?

… No, those were only the lies I was telling myself.

Of course, the bond wasn't forced. If it were, would Blake and Neo be nearly as happy to feel like they did. They would have more conflicted expressions, wondering why they were feeling the way they did.

The reason I was hesitating was because I'd still felt like I could protect them somehow. That I could protect them from the dangers of associating with me too much, the dangers the System would present before me.

I was being nothing but a fool in trying to do so.

Miyuki was a perfect example of that. I'd barely interacted with her, and yet the System had told me of Bounty Hunters and the like that were going to be coming to kidnap her.

If that happened after less than 24 hours of interacting with Miyuki, what would happen if I had extended interaction with Yang and Ruby?

The best way to protect them… Was to forge this bond, and help teach them how to use their own flames.

With that thought, the flames spread from my hand, wrapping around Yang and Ruby. The three adults quickly jumped up, but paused upon seeing that Yang and Ruby weren't in pain, and they weren't burning. Instead they looked… Happy, at peace.

[You have forged a Guardian Bond with Ruby Rose.]

[You have forged a Guardian Bond with Yang Xiao Long.]

[Your bond with Yang Xiao Long has increased to Rank B.]

[Due to finding your resolution, you have unlocked 'Sun Flames.']

[Due to finding your resolution, you have unlocked 'Storm Flames.']

The flames soon died down, Ruby and Yang looked at each other in surprise, and then back to me. "Is this feeling…" Yang asked softly.

"Yeah," I nodded. "That's the bond."

"It's…" Ruby looked lost for a moment. "It's wonderful. I feel… I feel complete."

I only nodded, opening my bonds menu to see just what type of flames they had.

Guardian Bond – Ruby Rose – Sun – Rank B
Guardian Bond – Yang Xiao Long – Storm – Rank B

… Huh, why did I have the weirdest feeling that had the potential of being the other way around?

I shook it off, opening up the skills describing the Sun and Storm Flames.

[Sun Flames (Active) – Rank E – Lv. 1]

Dying Will Flames of the Sun. Gentle flames that are often possessed by those with bright personalities. Sun flames possess the factor of Activation. The stronger the user's will, the more intense the flames.

[Storm Flames (Active) – Rank E – Lv. 1]

Dying Will Flames of the Storm. Rough flames often possessed by those with strong personalities or who are quick to anger. Storm flames possess the factor of 'Disintegration.' The stronger the user's will, the more intense the flames.

Interesting… In any case, Storm flames were clearly combat based. Sun Flames, that was confusing…

What did Activation mean? Did it mean activating the cells? That could mean they were made for healing…

Wait.

Activating the cells didn't just mean they could be used for healing. It could also mean activating the cells throughout the body, and improving the body. Like causing the heart to pump blood faster, or something along those lines.

I could only smile.

"Well then…" I said, making Ruby and Yang look at me. "If you're going to be in this with me, you should learn how to summon out your flames, right?"

~~Ephemeral Dream~~

After helping Ruby and Yang awaken their flames, I made them both promise to be careful with them when testing them out. Yang especially, as hers were more destructive than Ruby's.

In the process Summer, Tai, and Raven also awakened their flames. Tai had Sun Flames, Raven had Lightning Flames, and Summer had Rain Flames. I could only ask them to be careful, as I didn't know what Lightning and Rain Flames could do.

I then spent a few hours with Yang and Ruby, training with them in using my Storm and Sun flames. I tested out my theory on if Sun Flames could be used in combat, and they most certainly could. They made punches stronger, made the person using them faster, and allowed them to heal just a bit faster from hits.

In other words, Sun Flames were broken.

Storm flames were pretty destructive, as Yang found out when she fired a blast of them with a punch, completely destroying a nearby tree. I could see in her eyes light up as the tree was destroyed, and feared that I'd created a pyromaniac.

At 11AM, I began to head to the hospital. It was about a half hour or so walk, so I would get there at 11:30. Then, if Neo was allowed to leave, then the two of us could head to an all you can eat buffet and then do some shopping after. I'd have to stop by the grocery store and the supermarket to pick up food to fill the fridge and the cupboards, as well as cutlery, pots and pans…

I was so thankful for my inventory.

'Lancer,' I spoke through our mental link. 'How's Miyuki?'

'She's fine, Jaune,' Lancer responded. 'You were right to have me guard her. Late last night someone snuck into her room, and they didn't share any sort of resemblance to her. I killed them and then I disposed of the body.'

'Good,' I responded… Funny, I wonder why I didn't feel so bad about that person's death?

Eh, it was probably because they were going to kidnap Miyuki. I didn't dwell on it much.

'The people who want her must want her to be unharmed,' I told Lancer. 'The best way to do that is to try and take her when she's defenceless or asleep. Ideally, I'd prefer you there around the clock on Weekends, and you can have the daytime on school days off to play games and do other stuff, sound good?'

'Sounds like a plan!' She hummed in agreement. 'Make sure you buy plenty of video games while you're out today, got it? I'm gonna have a fucking marathon while you're out at school!'

I only gave a soft chuckle. 'You got it.'

As it turned out, Neo was free to leave the hospital. Thanks to my Charisma skill, it didn't take much convincing to let me sign the papers for her.

She was led to me by the Doctor that had taken care of me, dressed in a plain white dress. They'd thrown out the rags she'd worn in her cell, instead giving her a simple dress for now. I thanked the Doctor, and Neo gave me a smile.

"Sorry I didn't come visit in the last couple of days," I told her. "I've had a lot of things to do… But I've got us a house now."

Her eyes lit up in excitement.

"We're not going there yet," I told her. "First, how about we head to an all you can eat place and get some good food in you?"

The way her eyes widened and she nodded rapidly gave me the answer.

I smiled as I led the way to the restaurant, a small blush coming to my cheeks as I felt her arms looping around mine, hugging it against her chest.

I looked down at her, only to receive a bright smile aimed at me. "So, did you play with your flames at all in the hospital?"

She shook her head, and I felt a burst of relief rush through me. Good, so Neo was responsible enough to know to not play with fire in a Hospital.

"Good," I nodded at her. "We'll talk more at the buffet."

She only nodded.

Soon enough, we arrived at the buffet place. We were led to a table, and immediately I led her to the buffet table. The both of us piled our plates, before we headed back to our table and sat down, starting to eat.

"So," I spoke up. "Probably an obvious answer, but I hope you're glad to be out of the hospital."

'Well, obviously!'

I only chuckled at her answer. "Well I hope you won't mind, but I've arranged some people to tutor you."

She tilted her head. 'Tutor how?'

"Well, you grew up on the streets…" I said slowly, and she nodded. "So, you never got a proper education. And I don't doubt you can probably fight, but you need a more solid fighting style over what you have. So, I asked the parents of my friends to put you through an accelerated learning and training course during school days."

She frowned. 'Why though?'

"Because I plan to attend Beacon Academy, which is a boarding school," I told her. "I'd assumed you'd rather stay by my side and attend with me, was I wrong?'

'You aren't…'

"And I want you to experience living like a normal girl," I told her. "I want you to be able to make friends, attend school, do all of that stuff. You won't be able to join me this year, but I'm hoping half a year of tutoring and training will have you prepared to attend Signal with me starting next year… Is that okay?"

She stared at me… Before she flashed a smile and nodded. 'Okay, I'd like that… Though next time, please do talk about it with me beforehand?'

"Of course," I nodded. "I just did this one thing without you, because I wasn't sure you'd have thought of it. The sooner you can start your studying, the better you'll be."

She gave a nod of understanding. 'That's what I'll do on weekdays, what about Weekends?'

"Weekends…" I rubbed my chin. "That's up to you. I was thinking you could use Weekends to train your semblance and practise with your Mist Flames, see if you can use the two together or anything. Of course, you don't have to. If you want, you can just use the weekends as time off and that will be just fine."

She smiled widely and nodded. '… So, what are we doing after we eat?'

"We're going to buy you clothes," I told her. "A whole wardrobe, just for you. Then we'll go to the supermarket to buy a lot of things for the house. It's gonna be a lot, but I have a way to carry it all thankfully."

'You're cooking dinner?'

"Yes," I nodded. "Also, every two days, we'll go to our neighbours house and eat dinner with them. That was one of the conditions they gave in order for them to buy the house and put it in their name so we wouldn't have any legal troubles."

'I don't have a problem with that, so long as they don't try and push me into talking.'

"They won't," I promised. "They're all really nice, I promise.

She looked a bit doubtful, but nodded. I supposed that she would take my word for it, though she wouldn't hold many expectations.

~~Ephemeral Dream~~

Shopping took a long time.

Buying Neo's clothes alone took almost two full hours, though that was also because she wanted to try on all her clothes to be sure they fit. She was very short, so it was hard to find clothes that didn't look childish. That was also time consuming: finding clothes in her size that weren't childish.

Then grocery shopping took about two hours in and of itself because of just the sheer amount I had to buy. Pots and pans, cooking utensils, bowls, plates, jugs, everything. Then I had to buy at least two weeks' worth of food just to be safe. It didn't help that Neo didn't really know what food she liked and didn't liked… Though she would probably think anything was delicious considering she lived on the streets.

Then, finally, we went shopping for beds.

I didn't care if there were beds already in the house. I was going to have a god damn king-sized bed, and nobody was going to stop me! I didn't even care if it barely fit in my room, I would have it!

Shopping for beds took around an hour, but Neo and I managed to find what we were looking for. I found a nice King-Sized bed with a comfortable mattress, and Neo got a Queen-Sized one.

Then, after that, I bought three flat screens, two dressers, plenty of video games, two computers, two desks, and comfortable chairs.

Of course, I stored everything except Neo's clothes in my inventory. I explained it away as a semblance I created to Neo, giving her the same lie I told to Blake and Miyuki.

Why didn't I store her clothes in my inventory?

Because I didn't want to have even a chance of knowing just what underwear she'd decided to buy, that was why!

I walked up to the door of our new home, taking the key out of my inventory and unlocking it. I took a breath… And pushed the door open, stepping inside and starting to inspect mine and Neo's new home.

It was the same as the Xiao Long's. Well, not the exact same. The walls were a plain white, waiting to be painted, and the furniture was set up in different places, and were different brands and such. Otherwise, the house was almost like a mirror copy of the Xiao Long's house.

I only smiled. "Right," I looked at Neo, who was looking around with joy. "First, we'll leave the bags in the hall. We'll first take our time unpacking the groceries and packing away everything. It'll help you learn where things are packed, and you'll learn where to pack away the food. Is that fine?"

She nodded rapidly, and I led her to the kitchen. I took everything out of my inventory, and we set about packing.

Most of the talking done as we packed was me telling her where to pack certain things, and saying where I was putting things for her to know in future. I was hoping Summer also taught Neo how to cook a bit for if I couldn't make anything for her, or for if she wanted a small snack during the day.

Unpacking everything took a solid hour, that was just how much there was. We then headed upstairs and inspected the rooms. Besides a wardrobe, a bed, and a desk, the rooms were completely bare.

The first thing Neo and I did was decide the rooms. I claimed the room that was likely Taiyang's, while Neo took a slightly smaller room that likely belonged to Yang. I then stored the beds in my inventory, and took out our brand new King-sized and Queen-sized beds respectively.

We then set the bedding on the beds, and I taught Neo how to do it as we set the bedding on mine, then watched her set the bedding on hers to make sure she was doing it right. She was a bit confused about why we did that, and I had to explain that not using bedding could damage the mattress, and that we had to change the sheets at least every one to two weeks otherwise it was unhygienic.

Then, once that was done, I taught Neo how to pack her clothes in her wardrobe. I told her to store her underwear in the dresser, and she could also store her pants in there, while her shirts, jackets, coats and such should go in the wardrobe.

I then took out a desk and chair from my inventory, setting up the computer for her, and told her that I would teach her how to use it after dinner, and then removed one of the flatscreens and set it on top of her dresser, hooking it up so she could watch TV in her room.

With that done, I left Neo to pack away her clothes while I headed downstairs and began to cook dinner.

Today had been a very long, difficult day… One that wasn't even done yet for me. I still had to set up the TV downstairs, pack my clothes away, set up my computer, set up the TV in my room, teach Neo how to use a computer… And I was planning to take on the job change quest tonight!

'Huh… So, this is what it's like to be a parent…' I thought to myself.

I made an old favourite of mine for dinner, something that you couldn't really go wrong with: spaghetti bolognaise. There were many variations of the recipe, of course, but I went with a simple one. Didn't want to overload Neo's unexperienced tastebuds all at once.

"Neo!" I called upstairs. "Dinner is on the table!" With that done, I took a seat, taking no time at all to hear the hurrying of footsteps as Neo ran through the hall, rushing down the stairs, and hurrying into the dining room.

She stared at the food in awe as she slowly sat at the table, she looked at me with an expression of deep gratitude that I couldn't help but smile upon seeing.

"It's no trouble," I told her. I offered a small prayer and was about to eat, before I saw her reaching for the food with her hands.

That was how I taught Neo about knives and forks, and how to use them. More the fork than the knife for the time being.

The instant the food met her tongue, her eyes widened and an expression overcame her face. It could only be described as pure euphoria. I was surprised to see tears escaping her eyes as she looked down, letting out soft sounds as she sobbed.

I got up and walked around the table, wrapping my arms around her in a tight hug which she returned, beginning to cry into my chest.

It wasn't a surprise.

As I felt like I'd thought many times, Neo had grown up in the streets. She'd probably had to life off of expired food for a long time, or at least close to expired food. She probably never even dreamed the day would come she could eat a nice homecooked meal, especially one that tasted as good as mine.

"Thank… You…"

I paused as I heard a voice so sweet and gentle, so pure that I thought I was back in the Angel Dungeon and one of them had spoken.

I looked down, seeing Neo looking up at me with a blindingly bright smile.

"Thank… You… Jaune…" She said slowly.

[Your Bond with Neopolitan has increased to Rank B.]

I stared down at her, and hugged her a little tighter. "You have a beautiful voice."

She only blushed and looked away. 'Don't expect to hear it often…'

"I won't," I smiled, loosening my grip on her. She did the same, and we both enjoyed dinner together.

After that, I taught Neo how to do the dishes, and set up the TV downstairs, set up the TV in my room, my game consoles, my computer, and taught Neo how to use hers.

Thankfully she picked it up pretty quickly, so I didn't have to teach her too much… Though I did have to direct her to a website that would teach her how to type properly, she was no doubt going to spend a few hours on there.

With that done, I thought I could sit back and relax…

I was a fool.

You see, at around 8PM- an hour or so after I'd taught Neo how to use the computer and right after I'd finished setting up everything else- Neo came into my room.

"What is it, Neo?" I asked her.

'Where's the shower? And, um… How do I use it exactly?'

… And that was the next thirty minutes of my life, teaching Neo how to use the shower, the importance of washing her hands, how to use loofas, why she should wash her body thoroughly, the importance of shampoo…

"When I was in the shower this morning, I was not expecting the day to go like this," I mumbled to myself as I booted up a game.

Thankfully, Xenoblade took my mind off how long and tiring the day was. And Neo didn't come in again asking for help, though she did knock on the door and say goodnight at around 9:30, able to hear the yawn in her voice when she did so.

While she went to bed, I took out an MP recovery potion and drank it just to bring my MP to max in preparation for the job change quest. I saw my MP shoot up to max, and nodded.

I opened my inventory, equipping one of my tracksuits. Not the blood covered one, and not one of the new ones I'd just bought. A slightly older one with blue pants and a matching shirt, as well as equipping my boots and gloves.

Just to be safe, I waited until 10PM before I got up, ready to leave, before I looked back at the bed and frowned…

Neo was going to come into my bed tonight. My intuition was telling me that, if I didn't leave a note, then something bad would happen. I didn't hesitate in grabbing a pen and paper, writing a short note on it for her.

'I've gone out to do something important. I should be back before morning, sleep in my bed if it makes you feel better. Jaune.'

Satisfied with my note, I quietly opened my door and snuck through the house and down the stairs, before I opened the door and closed it behind me, heading out to the forest.

A few minutes later, and I was stood in a small clearing in the shallow part of the forest. I looked at the notification screen that had been up all day, one I hadn't closed.

[A Job Change Quest has been issued.]
Will you accept?

I chose yes.

The instant I did so, a crackling purple portal appeared in front of me. I did a few stretches, cracking my knuckles and my neck.

"Well then… Time to head in…" I gave a small grin. "Job Change… I sure hope it's fun…"

As I stepped through the portal, a vision assaulted me. A vision of a warrior dressed in blood red armour, menacing crimson eyes staring at me from under it.

At that time, my intuition put six simple words into my mind.

The game is only just beginning.

Publish Date: 4th October 2020

Word Count: 5,413

Chapter Text

You know, I thought the Job Change quest was going to be a breeze.

The notifications I got upon entering told me otherwise.

[You cannot leave this dungeon until you have cleared it.]

[In this area, your Potion and Store ability are restricted. On Level Up, you do not receive Status Healing.]

"Well… That sucks," I grumbled to myself, glancing around the dungeon.

Based on the structure, I seemed to be in some sort of old castle. There was a lit torch on the wall for me to carry through for light and many more hanging on the walls, cobwebs and rubble down the path as far as I could see.

I grabbed the torch off the wall, and began walking forwards through the halls, wondering what kind of enemies that I'd end up facing in this dungeon.

I didn't have to wait long to find out as I heard the clanking and banging of heavy armour as an armoured figure came into view, holding a sword.

[Knight]

That simple name hung above the monster's head in an orange colour.

"A knight," I hummed in thought. "So, the castle means this is a medieval-style dungeon after all… And all my enemies are going to be like knights from the old days when people still used castles…"

I couldn't help but grin at the thought of fighting against knights.

I dropped the torch as I charged forwards. The knight swing down at me, but I simply moved to the side, landing a solid punch on his stomach. His entire form rippled as I unleashed a shockwave, causing him to blast back and land on the ground hard.

[You have slain a Knight.]

"… Is that it?" I muttered as I snatched another torch off the wall. "I suppose my Martial Arts skills are making this easier on me… The Dungeon is clearly taking into account my level and stats, not the extra damage I can deal thanks to my Martial Arts techniques."

I walked forwards, cracking my neck… Before I heard more sound. Looking back, I saw there was a whole company of knights standing there with various weapons.

I grinned. "Now that's more like it!" I dropped the torch and charged into battle.

One knight swung at me with his mace, I dropped low to dodge, before hitting him in the chin hard with a rising kick, sending him up to the ceiling.

Two knights swung at me from the top and bottom, but I wasn't going to let that happen so easily. I did a small jump, flattening my body mid jump and dodging between the blades as they passed right where my head and legs were. I planted my hands on the ground, doing a split kick and hitting both of them into walls.

I pushed off the floor with my hands, spinning around and hitting another knight with a roundhouse against the side of his head, sending his helmet flying off and crashing into the wall.

A knight came up behind me, no doubt trying to catch me off guard. I only glanced back, lifting my leg up in the back-rising kick, hitting the helmet with such force it shot up into the ceiling as the knight died.

The final knight charged at me, but I only lifted my hand and caught the blade. I took a little damage, but my gloves prevented hand injuries. I pressed my hand against the knight's helmet. "Goodbye."

A pulse breath was unleashed right in the knight's head, blowing up the helmet as the body slumped over.

I took a breath, wiping away the notifications that I got telling me that I killed the knights, but did notice that I got some drops. I opened them up to observe them.

[High Knight's Chestplate]

[Item Class: B]

[Type: Armour]

[The Chestplate worn by a High Knight, providing good defence. +7% Physical Damage Reduction. Slows movement speed if your strength is below 80.]

I let out a whistle and a grin at that, equipping it without a moment of hesitation. Damage reduction was too good to pass up.

I looked down at myself, briefly seeing the outline of the chestplate, before it vanished. "I'm really glad that Armour-Type items don't force me to show their design," I chuckled softly…

Danger!

My right hand slammed over my right shoulder, grabbing the face of an enemy as I unleashed a pulse breath, blowing up their head once again.

I looked back in shock, seeing them dressed up in what looked to be robes. "Assassin Type enemy!? I couldn't even sense him until he'd almost gotten me…" I was more grateful than ever for my intuition right now. I'd have had a knife in my back otherwise.

"Seems I can't play around…" I said, snatching a torch off the wall as I began to walk through the halls once again.

My eyes widened as I saw a fireball hurtling towards me, quickly diving down as it sailed over me and impacted the ground, exploding upon doing so. I looked to the source, seeing a robed figure with an outstretched hand and holding a staff in the other.

"And magicians with fire magic!" I exclaimed. I'd honestly thought the Dungeon would only have knights, not assassins and magicians!

Clearly the dungeon was based on Medieval stories, where magicians ran rampant and knights served a king… As well as assassins that killed anyone for the right amount of money.

I closed the distance with Advance before the magician could cast another spell, grabbing his neck and snapping it to make sure he couldn't cast at me again.

I quickly jumped to the ceiling where I spotted another assassin, kicking him hard enough in the stomach that my foot when through it. I grabbed the body, turning and blocking the arrows fired by an archer with them.

I kicked off the ceiling, tossing the assassin's body into the archer, before my fist glowed white.

Shockwave Fist!

I punched down, sending a shockwave out from my fist, sending the enemies flying away from me.

"Accelerate!" I snapped out, forming swords in the air and sending them into the bodies of the archers and assassins, diving towards the knights as I began to snap their necks and crush their helmets against their heads.

[You have levelled up by one.]
+1,000 HP
+1,300 MP
+6 Stat Points

I took a breath as I dealt with them all, wiping a bead of sweat from my forehead. While I didn't get exhausted in the traditional sense, it was still a bit exhausting to do all of that at once.

I slowly took a breath as I sat down, deciding to take a moment to open my stats page and allocate my stats…

Only for my senses to scream as my hand shot up, catching an arrow before it could hit my face. I looked over with wide eyes as another group of knights starting to walk towards me.

"No rest for the wicked," I growled, crushing the arrow in my hand.

A dungeon with a constant mob of enemies, one that wouldn't end until I headed into the boss room…

I could only grin with excitement as I charged into battle.

From there, things began to blur as I went crazy with fighting.

Skulls were crushed, hands through stomach, using fallen enemies as shields. The more I fought, the more natural the stance of the Black Dragon became and I came to understand why Hei Long was undefeated.

The stance was monstrous.

Every single attack I did became deadly. Even ordinary punches and kicks became vicious when the stance was involved, it was almost like my entire body had been turned into a weapon of mass destruction.

Drops kept popping up, and I began to learn how to multi-task while fighting. As I levelled, I quickly brought up my stats page and allocated the stats where I thought they would work best, all while killing the knights. When I got drops, I quickly opened and read them as fast as I could before equipping them if I determined they were immediately useful.

I don't know how long I must have been fighting against them in those hallways on the way to the boss room but when I next glanced at the time right outside the doors, it was almost 3AM.

That meant I'd been fighting for five hours by the time I reached the boss room.

I looked at the equipment I was wearing after all that fighting.

[High Knight's Gauntlet]

[Item Class: B]

[Type: Armour]

[The gauntlet worn by a high knight. Provides 3% damage reduction and prevents hand injuries. Slows movement speed if your strength is below 80.]

[Assassin's Boots]

[Item Class: B]

[Type: Armour]

[The boots worn by an assassin. Provides 3% damage reduction, prevents feet injuries, and silences footsteps. Slows movement speed if your strength is below 80.]

[High Magician's Ring]

[Item Class: B]

[Type: Accessory]

[A ring worn by a high magician. Provides 5% damage reduction, and increases damage done by all spells under subcategory 'Magic' by 25%.]

I learned the fun fact that I could wear both my Obsidian Treads and my Assassin's Boots together for… Some reason. I didn't really get it, but I wasn't going to look a gift in the horse's mouth.

I looked at my stats. I'd levelled up five times during those five hours, but I was still faced with apprehension as I faced the door of the boss room.

My intuition was warning me. Telling me that I should remain on guard. That if I dropped it for even a split second…

I would die.

I placed both of my hands on the doors and pushed, walking forwards as they opened for me.

I was in a throne room. An empty chair was at the end of the room, torches hanging from the pillars and on the wall on either side of the throne.

The throne itself was empty, bare. Based on the cobwebs on the side, it must have been abandoned and left untouched for many years.

Step.

I felt a chill rush through my spine, all of my senses going into overdrive.

Step.

My eyes burned.

Step.

My ears trembled.

Step.

My fingertips began to twitch erratically.

Step.

It was the first time I'd felt like this. It was the first time I'd been overwhelmed by this feeling…

Step.

The feeling of fear.

Step.

He emerged from the shadows, clad in blood red armour. A crimson cape fastened onto his shoulders; a blade sheathed at his side. A red plume came from the back of his helmet as those vermillion eyes stared at me from behind the helmet.

Even the name over his head was a dark red in colour.

[Blood-Red Commander Igris]

… The name was a bit edgy, but what can you do?

The knight walked along the steps of the throne, standing at the bottom of them as he faced me. He slowly drew that long sword of his, letting it hand ins his right arm.

I was about to summon forth the Gatekeeper's Sword, before my eyes landed on Igris's weapon…

And I saw it.

A knight that guarded the king. One who fought, and fought, and fought for the king they cared for so much. One who had slaughtered man, woman, and child, all for the sake of the one they cared for…

The knight who ultimately failed as their king was killed by poison of all things, before their very eyes.

The knight who lamented their failure.

The knight who fell into madness.

The knight who guarded an empty throne, waiting for the day their king would return…

For without a king, the knight had no purpose.

"Accelerate," I said before I could stop myself, blue light blazing to life in my hands… And I held a new weapon in them.

[Remorseful Reaver (Fake)]

[Item Rank: B+]

[Type: Weapon]

[+95 Attack]

[The Weapon used by the Blood-Red Commander Igris. A blade that has been with Igris for all of his life, that has witnessed all the sorrow and agony that he has gone through. The only faithful companion of the remorseful knight.]

There was a beat of silence…

Clang!

And then we clashed.

From the force of the impact alone, the entire room trembled, pillars shaking and dust falling from the ceiling.

I stepped back first, and Igris didn't hesitate to capitalise.

He brought his sword at me horizontally, attempting to cut me off at the head early.

I ducked down, a shockwave rippling behind me as the pillars were cut through as if they were butter.

I moved in, thrusting my sword towards his chest.

His back bent at an almost impossible angle, the blade not even grazing his chest or chin. He moved to the side, bringing his sword up and swinging down.

I kicked against the ground, shooting forwards into the air, a dust cloud kicking up behind me as my blade sunk into the wall above the throne.

I tugged it out of the wall, turning and bringing the blade up horizontally as I blocked his sword thrust.

I lifted my leg and brought it down in an axe kick on his head, sending him crashing to the ground.

I kicked off the wall, shooting down at him and stabbing into the dust cloud kicked up when he crashed in.

Shiiink!

My sword sunk all the way through concrete, Igris gone.

Move!

I rolled to the side as his blade crashed into the ground where my body was.

The Remorse Reaver vanished as I projected another into my hands, using advance to appear above him instantly, swinging down just like he'd done to me!

Clang- Boom!

Igris turned, blocking my swing as another shockwave was sent rippling through the room and causing it to shake once again.

"You are a tough bastard, huh!?" I growled. "Unfortunately for you…"

Storm flames blazed to life on my sword.

"I'm not going to lose here!"

I pressed down harder, Igris's blade trembling as it fought against the disintegration factor of the flames. The slight widening of his eyes and the hesitation as he looked at his sword was all I needed.

My foot lashed out, kicking him in the side of the head and sending him flying, crashing through a pillar and into the wall. I panted softly as I stood between him and his blade.

Crimson eyes glowed from inside the dust cloud, and I dodged to the side instantly, the blade on the ground shooting straight to Igris from where I'd been standing, the crimson knight catching the blade in his right hand once again.

"Are you kidding me…?" I breathed out. "He can summon that thing from anywhere he wants? So, I can't make it easier by disarming him…"

I glanced down at my sword… No, it must have been Igris's skill otherwise my sword would hold the same property.

In other words, a sword fight wasn't going to win me this battle.

I let the projection in my hands fade, hitting a fist against my open palm. "I'll admit, I lose in swordsmanship!" I said to him. "Let's see how you handle hand to hand now!"

Igris stared at me…

And then he stabbed his sword into the ground, undoing the fastens of his cape and letting it fall at his feet, and then he grabbed the daggers that had been hidden on the back of his waist, tossing them aside.

"The knight's code of chivalry then…" I said. "You won't fight against me with your sword while I'm unarmed…" I dropped down into my stance. "Come on!"

Igris dashed towards me, throwing a punch at my chest.

I dodged to the side, hitting his stomach with my open palm. A shockwave rippled through him, sending him flying backwards.

I moved behind him with attack, hitting him in his left side with a roundhouse.

As he was sent flying, Igris recovered by flipping and skidding to a halt, charging right back at me.

I threw another roundhouse, but he jumped over it, instead grabbing me by the back of my shirt and throwing me into the wall.

I let out a yell of pain as I crashed into it, a crater forming in it from the impact, before he was in front of me yet again, throwing a punch.

I quickly lifted both of my arms, blocking it!

Pain!

I let out a yell of pain as Igris followed through with the punch, forcing me deeper into the wall.

I managed to direct his arm to the side, getting away by using retreat, breathing hard as I lightly nursed my arm but remained ready for the next attack.

A quick glance at my health left me in shock.

That combination he'd hit me with took 3,000 of my health. Igris was far more powerful than I'd realised if he could do that much!

'I can't let him hit me too much…'

I saw him as a shadow in the dust cloud, walking towards me.

I took a breath… And felt a small flamer flicker to life on my head.

[Hyper Dying Will Mode has been activated.]

It was almost wonderous how I'd instantly calmed down; how my senses sharpened to such a degree.

Igris was in front of me again, throwing another punch.

I dodged left, my own fist meeting his face and sending a shockwave through his body that brought him to his knees.

I lifted my elbow and brought it down, hitting him on top of the head hard with Fang, before I spun and hit the side of his head with yet another roundhouse, sending him crashing into the wall.

He walked out of the dust, glaring at me. I glared right back.

We charged at each other, beginning to viciously exchange blow after blow.

Block. Punch. Kick. Duck. Punch. Hit. Hit. Hit. Dodge. Punch. Knee. Block. Kick.

On and on we went as we traded blows, neither one of us relenting…

Before I felt a punch land on my cheek, sending me spinning. I used the momentum of the spin and hit the side of his head with a vicious roundhouse kick…

But this time, Igris endured.

He grabbed my leg before throwing me hard, sending me crashing into the wall above the throne, causing a small crater as I yelled in pain.

I fell down in a heap, landing in a seated position on the throne as I breathed heavily.

My body was battered and bruised, blood in my mouth and dribbling down my chin.

I breathed heavily as I sat on the throne in a slump, body trembling lightly from the pain…

I heard footsteps as Igris approached the side of the throne, standing over me.

I heard the whistling of wind as his sword zipped through the air into his hand and he swung down…

[Black Dragon's Enlightenment has been activated.]

Clang- Fwoosh, shiiink!

I watched as Igris's eyes widened in shock as my foot hit his hand, sending the sword spiralling through the air and sinking into the wall.

[Due to Hyper Dying Will Mode, Black Dragon's Enlightenment, and Hyper Intuition all being activated at the same time, the Player has obtained the Passive & Active Skill 'Clairvoyance.']

[Clairvoyance is now Level MAX, Rank EX.]

And suddenly, I could see.

I could see Igris's hand going towards my throat as he recovered, closing around it and lifting me as he choked me, punching me in the stomach until my HP hit Zero.

I dodged to the side as Igris's hand lashed out at that unnatural speed, dodging it before his hand had even begun moving. My foot raised up, hitting him in the chin and sending him up to the ceiling.

The ground trembled as I directed all the power I had to my right leg, glaring up at Igris as he slowly began to fall.

[The player has created a new skill. What would you like to name it?]

"Black Dragon Impact."

A roar echoed through the air as I kicked upwards, a dragon emerging from my foot and shooting towards Igris, sending him crashing into the ceiling and earning a scream of pain from the Red Clad Warrior.

[You have slain Blood-Red Commander Igris].
You have obtained [Red Knight's Helmet].
You have obtained [Skill Book: Dominator's Touch].
You have obtained [Leather Pouch].
You have obtained [Hearthstone].

[You have levelled up by two.]
+2,200 HP
+2,800 MP
+12 Stat Points

I slumped in relief, falling back onto my ass as Igris's body dropped from the ceiling and crashed onto the floor.

I held the side of my head as I deactivated both Enlightenment and Hyper Mode.

"That… Was too close for comfort…" I breathed out. "At the end there, luck was a big factor… If I hadn't obtained Clairvoyance, I would have been screwed…"

I opened my inventory to look at the rewards.

[Item: Leather Pouch has been opened. You have received 3,000,000 Gold].

"Doubling my gold huh?" I grinned. "I'll take that…"

[Red Knight's Helmet]

[Item Class: EX]

[Type: Armour]

[The helmet worn by Blood-Red Commander Igris.]

[15% Physical Damage Reduction, +20 Vitality, +20 Strength]

"An EX-Ranked piece of armour," I grinned as I equipped it. "The stats from it are crazy. The 15% Damage Reduction would have been more than enough, but the plus twenty to both my vitality and strength is more than appreciated."

Plus, with the helmet, my damage reduction was now up to 36%. That meant I would only take a third of the damage from now on.

[Skill Book: Dominator's Touch]

[Type: Skill Book]

[Using this Skill Book grants the player the skill 'Dominator's Touch.']

"Dominator's touch, huh…" I rubbed my chin. "I wonder if it's that skill Igris used to bring his sword to him… I wouldn't complain about that. A skill like that could be useful, but I'll save it for when I'm out of the Dungeon…"

[Hearthstone]

[Type: Consumable]

[A quest-exclusive item. If you break the Hearthstone, you will instantly leave the dungeon. If the job quest ends, the Dungeon is automatically destroyed. Cannot be stored.]

Alarm bells ran in my mind.

Wasn't this the boss room? Why the hell was I now being given a Hearthstone? Unless…

I got up in a hurry.

Shit! The quest wasn't over!

I looked around as swirling dark portals, cracking with black energy began to form; six of them in total.

[The Job Change Quest will begin.]

"Are you fucking kidding me!?" I exclaimed in shock, dropping into my stance.

This was bad. My health was sitting at around 28,000, only two-thousand above half of my health. Hyper Dying Will Mode had left me breathless, and I still had a small headache from using Clairvoyance.

On top of that, my right leg was trembling from the force of using the Black Dragon's Impact skill, which meant I couldn't use it until the trembling had stopped!

[The longer you last, the more points you can collect that will place you into a higher-tier job.]

"The longer I last!?" I exclaimed. "Fuck you!"

[Good Luck.]

"I repeat, fuck you!"

I stared in horror as, from the portals, countless knights began to emerge. And they were moving in at me from every direction.

"You think this is enough to scare me…!?" I growled, cracking my neck as I reared my fist back.

Shockwave Fist!

I punched forwards, causing shockwaves to ripple around me, sending the enemies all around me flying away.

"Let's see you attack me when you don't know which one is real!"

Clone!

There was a shimmer in the air, as suddenly the knights were looking at five perfect copies of me.

They looked between all of us, confused, and I smirked as I hid behind a pillar using retreat.

'That's right, focus on the clones. I'll stay here and let my leg recover-!'

[Magician is using Skill: Detection.]

'Oh, come the fuck on!'

Above the head of one of the magicians, a giant eye opened up, shooting over to look at my hiding place.

The clones all vanished as the knights and magician were no longer tricked by the technique, instead beginning to converge on me again.

Two knights swung down at me, but I projected Remorseful Reaver and blocked their swings. I used the power of the sword to send them flying away, appearing above another knight and stabbing through his helmet like a hot knife going through butter, landing on the ground hard.

'I can do this!' I thought to myself as I began to cleave away at the knights relentlessly. 'Remorseful Reaver can cut through them like butter! No matter how many it takes, I will end them all!'

And so, I fought.

I cut, I slashed, I stabbed, I swiped.

Over and over again, never getting the chance to rest as more knights just kept pouring out of the portals.

But, over time, I began to notice something.

I wasn't levelling up.

No matter how much I killed, no matter how many knights I cut down, my level didn't rise at all. I didn't keep track of how long I fought for, but I knew I must have killed hundreds of them already!

So, why!?

My gaze turned to the magicians as I fought, and my intuition screamed at me.

Them!

I hurled my sword through the air, sending it straight through the magician's chest, causing it to slump to the floor… And with it, many knights simply collapsed into suits of armour.

[You have slain a Magician.]

I flashed over to my sword, picking it up. "So, that's it," I growled. "The reason the magicians seemed to be doing nothing… Those fucks are using summoning magic! That's why I'm not levelling up, I don't get anything from killing these bastards!"

Well then, if that's the way they wanted to play it…

Clone!

Then let's play!

[Magician is using Skill: Detection.]

I flashed over to the magician as soon as the eye appeared, swinging my sword down and cleaving him in two, glancing back to see four other eyes in the air.

[You have slain a Magician.]

"Four of you fucks left then," I growled.

I charged towards the magician, but knights blocked my way. I let out a roar as I began to cut them down ruthlessly, trying to reach the magician, but more just kept coming and coming.

I let out a growl as I jumped into the air. "How long are you gonna hide, you pussy!?"

A Remorseful Reaver formed above me, firing straight through the Magician's Skull.

[You have slain a Magician.]

"Three to go!"

I turned my head, eyes widening as I saw the three magicians had gathered together, placing their hands on the ground as a purple glow came from beneath them.

The ground trembled a huge amount of the remaining knights almost seemed to melt and join together beneath me, forming a huge golem with swords sticking out of it.

"Oh, fuck you!"

The Golem jumped straight up, trying to squish me into the ceiling. Unfortunately for it, I jumped right off, kicking off of its shoulder and shooting down, flipping forwards and landing on both of my feet.

I dodged to the side as it came down, slamming both of its fists into the ground and destroying a huge portion of the floor.

"You should have kept your huge numbers, idiots!"

I appeared in front of the Magicians and, with three rapid swings, they were all cut down.

[You have slain a Magician.]

[You have slain a Magician.]

[You have slain a Magician.]

[You have levelled up by one.]
+1,100 HP
+1,400 MP
+6 Stat Points

The golem and the remaining knights all crashed to the ground, harsh bangs sounding as the clanging rang in my ears, causing me to hold the side of my head in pain.

I looked up at how long I'd taken.

[01:28:46]

"Please tell me it's over now…"

[All the monsters in the room have been slain, the quest will end now.]

"Thank fucking god!" I fell down onto my ass, breathing hard. I wasn't sure how much longer I'd have been able to last, truthfully, until I was overwhelmed. My HP was sitting at twenty-seven-thousand… I was lucky I had intuition and so many dodging skills, or I'd be much lower.

[A Job will be granted after analysing the Player's Actions.]

"Huh?" I frowned, staring at the screen. "I don't get to choose?"

I tilted my head. "Shit, it could be any number of things… I could be a Warrior, a mage, an assassin… Fuck, I hope it's something I can actually use…"

[Wherever the Player goes, the Reaper follows.]

[The Player's path is littered with corpses and the smell of blood.]

I gave a wince at the reminder of how much death I'd caused amongst the angels. I still wasn't convinced I didn't smell of blood, I should have another shower when I got home.

"Still, that's dark… Am I a Berserker or something?"

[As the Player possesses strength, they prefer to not leave anything to their teammates and overcome everything with their own strength.]

[Your desire for strength burns strong enough to call those who wander the Valley of Death, and the Army of the Dead who follow your commands shall create a path where your voice will be law and you will never need another's help again.]

"W- Wait!" My eyes widened in shock. "Army of the dead!? You mean my class is…!"

[Your job is Necromancer.]

"Are you kidding me!?" I exclaimed. "Why a Necromancer of all things!?"

The Mage Sub-Class: Necromancer. A Grim Magician and the undead army that follows them. They always tended to leave the fighting to their minions, which wasn't my style.

"Calm down, Jaune," I said to myself, taking a deep breath. "Let me think about this… What are the pros of being a Necromancer…? I guess having my own personal army… But most of the time, such slaves are unable to get any stronger…"

I paused. "… But what if they can? With the System, your ability is dependent on skills, levels, and stats. Doesn't that mean that the summoned can also become stronger by fighting with me? Plus, I also have close-combat abilities. By leading my army… I'd be able to clear out hoards of Grimm no problem, I'd be able to crush anyone with such overwhelming power…"

I grinned. "I accept."

[Your job has been chosen.]

[Based on the mount of points you obtained, you will be given a chance to promote to a superior Class.]

My eyes widened as shadows began to rise up from the various dead forms around me.

[You reached the required play time.]

[Points will be added.]

[You did not use a Hearthstone.]

[Points will be added.]

[Final Health is above 50%.]

[Points will be added.]

[All Enemies have been slain.]

[Points will be added.]

[The total points have exceeded the feat limit.]

The shadows rushed towards me, before crashing into my body and I gasped as the rush of power running through me, darkness floating off of me.

[You have been promoted from Necromancer to Shadow Monarch.]

"A Promotion already!?" I exclaimed in shock, not expecting that.

[You have learned a Job Exclusive Skill.]

[You have obtained Bonus Stats.]

[You have obtained the Title 'The one Who Overcame Adversity.']

This was insane!

I gained the right to promote to the next class purely because of how well I did in the quest… I was glad I gave it my all, otherwise I'd likely have been stuck as a Necromancer for a good long while.

My ears twitched as I heard some sort of scream echoing in my ears. Looking around, I saw darkness lingering around the forms of the knights and magicians, and a text box hovering over their bodies.

[Shadow Extraction can be used on this target.]

"Shadow Extraction…?" My eyes widened. "Right, the power of a Necromancer, raising the dead!"

[Please select your command phrase for Shadow Extraction.]

"Command Phrase…"

…

"Arise."

A rush of wind was heard as the shadows danced around me, hands clawing out from the bodies of the knights and magicians surrounding me… And from them, came soldiers made of shadows.

[Shadow Extraction – Rank C – Lv. 1]

A job exclusive skill. A shadow soldier is created from a body without life by taking out its mana. The chance of failure increases the higher the targets stats are, and the more time passed since the target's death.
Shadows able to be extracted: 40/101

[Shadow Save – Rank C – Lv. 1]

A job exclusive skill. You absorb the created shadow soldiers and save them. Saved soldiers can be summoned and reabsorbed whenever and wherever the animator desires.
Saved Shadows: 0/80

"Woah…" I said in awe. "So, basically… I can turn anyone who's dead into a summonable being for me to use…" I glanced at the information I could see above their heads.

[Shadow Infantry Lv. 1]
Rank: Normal

[Shadow Magician Lv. 1]
Rank: Elite

"Thirty-four infantry, and six magicians," I noted. "Good thing I can save them all, they'll be useful in the coming times…"

A hint of red caught my eye and I looked, eyes widening.

Igris.

I gulped lightly as I made my way over to him. "Save all shadows."

[Saved Shadows: 40/80]

I stopped in front of the deceased warrior.

"Blood-Red Commander Igris…" I said his name softly as I stared down at him.

If I had to rate him on the level of a hunter… He'd be a high B, possibly even an A – Rank.

[Shadow Extraction can be used on this target.]

Having such a high ranked warrior on my team, there was no way I could pass up such an amazing opportunity.

"Arise."

Shadows began to rise from his body…

Before they burst, a screeching sound echoing as nothing happened otherwise.

"What!?"

[You failed to extract the shadow.]

[You still have two chances remaining.]

"Shit…" I bit my lip. "This is not great… He's been dead for an hour and a half, and his stats are monstrous… Two chances left… Luck, don't fail me now. Arise!"

Once again, the shadows began to rise from his body. And once again, they burst and let out a screeching sound as the soul refused to return.

[You still have one chance remaining.]

I stayed silent, glancing to the throne, before I looked back at him.

"Is this really what you want?" I asked him. "Do you really want it to end like this? For a King who took you for granted, who never truly understood what the loyalty you meant showed him?"

There was silence.

"Is that really how you want this story to end!?" I yelled at him. "Don't fuck with me! You are a great knight, probably the greatest I've ever known! How about you stop protecting the seat of someone who is gone and serve me, who is standing right here and willing to accept your loyalty!" I outstretched my hand.

"ARISE!"

A burst of mana was unleashed, accompanied by a violent rush of wind.

A shadowy hand emerged from the corpse, grasping my own as the loyal knight emerged, already kneeling before me as he held onto me like a lifeline.

[You have upgraded the shadow.]

[Shadow's level will be 7.]

[Shadows higher than Rank Knight can be named.]

"The Blood-Red Commander…" I shook my head. "Nah, that's a bit of a mouthful…" I stared down at him. "You are now… Igris."

[Igris Lv. 7]
Rank: Knight.

[You have successfully extracted the shadow.]

I looked back as every other knight and magician fell on one knee bowing to me…

I couldn't stop the grin coming to my face…

So, this was what it was like to be a King? No… A Monarch?

It felt damned good…

"Please take good care of me, okay?"

[The One Who Overcame Adversity]

A title given to those who overcame adversity heroically. Your stats increase proportionally to your missing health. (1% stat increase every 1% HP missing.)

Publish Date: 4th October 2020

Word Count: 6,005

Chapter Text

I was thrilled to finally be out of the dungeon, my shadow soldiers safely residing within my shadow, waiting to be called upon at a moment's notice.

A glance at the time told me it was now around five AM, meaning the fight against Igris and then doing the actual job change quest took around two hours… And I was tired as all hell.

I stumbled out of the forest, making my way back home… When I noticed shadowy figures heading in the direction of my house…

My blood ran cold as I followed behind them, feeling tired, irritated, but mostly worried as it was obvious who they were going after: Miyuki.

'Lancer, don't act until I tell you to.'

'Huh? What are you talking about, Jaune?'

'Just don't act unless I tell you to!'

'Okay, okay! Jeez…'

I followed close behind them, sticking to the shadows as I did so. I didn't have any kind of stealth skill, but the two were so focused on their objective that they didn't even notice me trailing them.

I managed to get close enough to overhear their conversation.

"… A lot of money for this job," one of them said to the other, a male from the sounds of it. "Why do you think the client wants this girl so bad?"

"Who knows?" The other, another male, grunted. "You know we don't ask questions in our line of work. We go in, we get paid, we leave. End of story."

"Still, you can't admit you're a little curious…" The male prompted as they approached Miyuki's house.

"Okay, I'm a little curious," he admitted as they began to scale the room. "But there's no way we can…"

They trailed off. I could tell they were looking into the room through Miyuki's window, and got a look at her beauty.

"… I get it," the second male said. "I totally get it now."

"You sure we can't just keep her for ourselves?" The first male said. "You know… Have some fun with her?"

"No way, man," the second one shook his head. "Jacques Schnee wants her, and I'm not messing with that crazy bastard."

[Quest updated!]

[Quest: Bounty Hunter Crisis]

Miyuki Shiba is a beauty beyond beauties, an angel in appearance and personality that cannot be denied. After witnessing her beauty at a gala, Jacques Schnee decided he would be the perfect bride for his son and has hired bounty hunters and assassins to kidnap her.

Objective: Protect Miyuki from the people trying to kidnap her until Jacques gives up.

OR

Kill Jacques Schnee

Reward: 20,000 EXP, 20 Stat Points, 'Stealth' Skill, Title 'The Angel's Guardian.'

Failure: Miyuki is kidnapped.

Time Until Jacques Gives up: 2 years and 6 months

Bounty Hunters Killed: 3/?

I saw red.

'Lancer. Kill them.'

Neither male got to so much as blind before they were beheaded, falling to the ground outside. I blurred over to their bodies, staring down at them.

[Shadow Extraction can be used on this target.]

So… Shadow Extraction did work on humans. I thought it might only work on mobs, but this confirmed it worked on normal human too…

That was a little scary.

'Lancer, I need you to not freak out.'

'Freak out? Why would I freak out?'

"Arise."

There was a rush of wind, and shadowy hands clawed out of the bodies, revealing the two forms of the males that Lancer had killed.

[Shadow Assassin Lv. 1]
Rank: Elite

'What the fuck?' Lancer exclaimed. 'Master… What did you just do?'

'What did it look like?'

'Let me rephrase then… Since when the hell could you revive the dead!?'

'Since about ten minutes ago… It's a long story, but the short answer is that it's part of my semblance.'

'What kind of soul do you have that it lets you revive those who have died!?'

'An awesome one.'

'… You aren't taking me seriously right now, are you?'

'Lancer. I've had a long day, I'm very tired, and all I want to do right now is sleep. On my way home from training, I see these two pieces of shit going to kidnap Miyuki. And now I find out that the person who is trying to kidnap her is none other than the head of the Schnee Dust Company; Jacques. Which means I have two choices protect Miyuki until probably Beacon… Or kill the head of the Schnee Dust Company.'

Jacques Schnee was an evil man, everyone knew this.

It was an open secret that, not only was he incredibly racist, he was the one who stopped a majority of laws passing in Atlas towards Faunus Equality as he liked the easy labour.

Everyone knew it, but nobody was truly in a position to stop it. It was a sickening abuse of power, and the biggest problem was that the Schnee Dust Company was the one that provided so much dust. If the company head died or went missing, who knew what would happen to the Dust economy?

Quite frankly though…

I didn't give a shit.

'The Schnee Dust Company is behind this?'

'Yep… My mood has gone from tired, to irritated, to pissed off, all in the span of around ten minutes…'

'… Master, you aren't seriously thinking about what I think you're thinking about, are you?'

'Lancer, how long would it take for you to go to Atlas and kill Jacques Schnee?'

She paused in serious contemplation. 'Probably a couple days… But would you really be satisfied with it unless you did the deed with your own hands?'

I couldn't help but pause at her words…

The truth was, I did want to kill Jacques myself. Call it wrong, call it twisted, but I was feeling tired. I was hungry. I was filled with anger at the fact that self-entitled, racist bastard would dare try and have someone as sweet, kind, and innocent as Miyuki kidnapped.

I was ready to make some bad decisions.

'You're right…' I admitted the Lancer. 'I won't be happy… Unless I kill him with my own two hands…' I moved up the side of the building, opening the window and quietly slipping into Miyuki's room.

'Master, what are you doing?'

'What my heart is telling me to do.'

I lifted my hand, orange flames blazing to life and swirling around Miyuki in a protective manner.

'Aren't those your flames?'

'Yes… Miyuki may hate me for this later… But this is to protect her.'

[You have forged a Guardian Bond with Miyuki Shiba.]

It was as I forged that bond with Miyuki, I truly came to understand something based on past experiences.

The bond of the guardian couldn't be forced. You could be tricked into accepting, your will could be beaten down until you gave in and accepted…

But you could not force the bond.

The fact Miyuki forged the bond with me in this manner meant that, even if she consciously did not accept it, she subconsciously did.

'Heh… Ironic…' I thought to myself. 'A few days ago, I loathed the guardian bond and thought it was forced… And now, here I am, creating a bond while someone cannot consciously accept…'

I smiled bitterly. 'I hope you'll understand and forgive me, Miyuki…'

I slid out through the window, closing it behind me. The two Shadow Assassins were still there, staring at me as they waited for orders.

"Reside within Miyuki's shadow," I told them. "You are to protect her from now on. If anyone besides myself or Lancer attacks her outside of school hours, your job is to protect her. Am I understood?"

The both of them nodded, jumping up to the room before sinking into the shadows, melding into Miyuki's as they began their new duty of watching over and protecting her.

"Go on home and relax," I told Lancer. "My shadows will protect her from now on."

'… Master,' she said. 'Are you okay?'

"… No…" I said softly. "No, I'm not okay…"

In the last few days, I'd killed over a thousand angels and started to like it, the thought of which made me feel a bit sick, obtained a class that let me revive the dead and, just now, I had ordered Lancer to take two human lives without even flinching.

Quite frankly, I was afraid.

Afraid of the corruption that I knew was starting to affect me.

Power corrupts.

I was someone who was weak, who longed for strength… And now, I had strength. But I wanted more. I was hungry for strength, for power. And I knew it was corrupting me.

'I'm going to sleep,' I told her. 'You take some time off and play games, alright? You've earned it. My handheld consoles are in a drawer in my room, go play one of those.'

'… If you need someone to talk to, you know that I am here for you, right? I may not have known you that long, but you are a friend to me. Don't doubt that.'

[You have forged a Friendship Bond with Lancer.]

"… Thank you…" I said softly, before I headed to my house.

I stumbled in, closing the door behind me before I made my way upstairs.

I took one look at Neo's open door on the way to my room and could tell that she wasn't in there.

Sure enough, when I opened my door, there she was. Asleep on my bed, dressed in a cute pink and white kitty onesie.

I felt myself relaxing as I saw her laying there, so at peace. I closed the door softly, equipped on my black pyjama bottoms and a matching shirt, before I gently climbed into bed next to her.

As soon as I was in, her arms wrapped around me, hugging me tightly as her face buried into my chest.

I only smiled as I wrapped my arms around her, rubbing her back slowly as I found myself drifting off.

I mentally told the System to wake me up at 7AM, before I finally allowed the darkness to take hold as I fell asleep.

I didn't notice at that time… I didn't notice how Miyuki's eyes opened as I left… I didn't notice how she caught a glimpse of my face… I didn't notice how she smiled at me…

And I didn't notice the 'thank you, big brother,' she said before she rolled over and went back to sleep…

All too soon, I'd come to realise many things…

~~Ephemeral Dream~~

I learned, painfully, that the way the System woke me up when I wanted it to was by forcing me from asleep to 100% awake.

It was not a pleasant feeling.

My eyes suddenly snapped wide open and I sat up, completely alert. Part of my mind was still groggy, leaving it in momentary discord as it tried to decide if I should be alert or groggy.

It took a moment for me to snap out of it, holding the side of my head as I was now fully alert… And, just like that, I decided I was never using that feature of the System again. Ever.

I looked down, seeing Neo still snuggled into my arms. I shook her lightly. "Neo," I said softly. "Time to wake up."

"Muu…" She buried her face into my chest, a voice so sweet and pure it should have been illegal filling the air. "Five more minutes…"

"Neo, I need to get up and get ready for school."

"Nu…"

I couldn't help but smile at her childishness. "So, you don't want breakfast?"

"… I want breakfast…"

"So, you're going to let me get up?"

"… Muu…" I heard her complaint against my chest, almost a whine, before she let go. "… I want to try pancakes…"

"Pancakes it is," I nodded, climbing out of bed and ruffling her hair, before I headed to the bathroom for a shower.

"Come out," I said, a single magician and two infantries rising from my shadow, just outside of the shower. "The girl in my room. Hide in her shadow and protect her."

I glanced at them as they sunk down into the shadows, going to obey my order…

I would have to spare shadows to protect the others. When I next saw Blake, I'd leave her with a magician and two infantries, while I'd leave Ruby and Yang with two infantries since their parents were professional Huntsman who could protect them.

I didn't know why the System chose a Necromancer, of all things, for my class…

But I had a feeling there was something important about it.

I only sighed as I stepped out of the shower and dried off. I equipped my school uniform, and then headed downstairs and began to cook breakfast.

Neo wanted pancakes, and pancakes she would receive!

I smiled softly as I cooked, glad to be back in the kitchen after the stressful night I'd had…

I wondered if I should be worried that I was starting to become numb to killing already?

I wondered if I should worry that the deaths of those two assassins hadn't affected me?

I wondered… What kind of monster was I turning into?

Suddenly, the thoughts were snuffed out, choked before they could linger further on my mind as I began to set the table with food.

I walked up to my room, opening the door and heading over to Neo, who was blinking the sleepiness out of her eyes. Good timing on my part. "Neo," I said. "Breakfast is on the table."

She sat up slowly, looking at me tiredly. "… Pancakes?"

"Pancakes," I confirmed.

She slowly climbed out of bed, still clad in that adorable onesie of hers. I rubbed her head and, almost as if she was a cut, she rubbed her head against my hand. I could have sworn she was about to purr…

And then I felt it.

A nub of… Something, on her head.

I froze.

"… Neo, please lower your hood."

Neo's eyes widened as she instantly became alert. 'Why?'

"Neo, please."

Neo hesitated… And then she stared at the ground, lowering the hood of her onesie.

I reached out, slowly running my hands through her hair… And then I froze as I felt it. I moved in for a closer look… And that was when I saw it.

Scars. Scars on top of her head… From where a pair of ears used to be.

I look at Neo with horror in my eyes. "Neo… Are you…?"

She said nothing…

I wrapped my arms around her, holding her tightly.

Now, all at once, it made sense to me.

Why Neo became so clingy to me so quickly.

Why she'd adored having her head rubbed like that.

Why I could feel the fear through the bond.

While the racism against faunus had mostly died down, it still existed.

Usually, people kept it to themselves. Some were less discreet about it, like Jacques Schnee, and others didn't care if they got arrested and boasted their racism proudly.

But most people kept it quiet… And, sometimes, they couldn't contain themselves.

I understood why Neo was living on the streets now. Why she'd preferred to do that over living at an orphanage.

Neo was a Faunus.

One who had grown up in an orphanage.

An orphanage with a racist caretaker.

One who could only endure looking at Neo's ears for so long, before they finally snapped and did something about it.

An incident that put a deep trauma into her- my mist- and led her to choosing not to talk…

I could feel a voice in the back of my mind, growling.

Someone hurt my mist. Someone mutilated my mist. Someone is a dead man walking!

Without even realising it, my flames had come out, curling around Neo as she began to sob into my chest. Emotions she'd never let out, feelings she'd tried to ignore…

A whisper came from our bond.

Thank you… For accepting me…

My hold on her tightened.

"You are part of my family," I told her softly. "Do you understand, Neo? If you ever have a problem… If you ever need someone to vent to, someone to hug you, a shoulder to cry on… You come to me… Understood?"

"… Yes…"

"Come on," I said softly. "Let's go eat those pancakes, okay?"

"… O- Okay…"

[Your Guardian Bond with Neopolitan has become B.]

Dinner was quiet as we ate. We sat side by side, and I kept my arm around her the whole time we ate. She didn't stop me, instead eating silently as she rested against me, like I was a lifeline.

She helped me do the dishes once we were done, and still we didn't speak.

There were no words we needed to say.

I opened the door at 7:55, Neo standing in the doorway.

I turned to face her. "… I'll see you when I get home."

"… Be safe, okay?"

"I will."

The door closed.

I walked down the path, taking the small path to Miyuki's house and knocking on the door.

Step step step step step step step-

I was greeted by Miyuki's beautiful smiling face. "Good morning, Jaune!"

I smiled at her. "Good morning, Miyuki. Sorry if I'm a bit early."

"It's no trouble at all," she told me. "I'm glad you arrived early… Ah, this is your first time seeing me in the school uniform," she smiled and did a small twirl. "How do I look?"

"You look beautiful," I told her. What else could I say? She always looked beautiful, she could probably wear a potato sack and still look like one of the most beautiful people on the planet.

"Thank you," she smiled. "We are meeting up with your friends, yes? Where?"

"They're in the house next to mine," I told her. "Follow me."

"Okay!"

We walked down two houses, and made our way up the footpath to the Xiao Long family's house.

"Please don't mind if my friends are a bit weird towards you," I told her. "We had a falling out two years back, and it was only resolved very recently. So, they might be a bit tense."

"It's no trouble at all," she smiled at me.

I nodded and knocked on the door. Moments later, it opened, revealing a smiling Summer. "Hello, Jaune. Here to pick up Yang and Ruby?"

"Sure am," I nodded.

"I'll go grab them," she smiled, heading to the kitchen.

"She was pretty," Miyuki said from behind me, obscured from view. "Who was she?"

"Summer Rose," I told her. "One of the two mothers of the Xiao Long house."

"Polygamous marriage?"

"From what I recall, they all married straight out of Beacon."

"Oh, that's nice!" I could feel her smile.

Ruby and Yang came out of the dining room, smiling at me. "Hey Jaune," Ruby chirped.

"Yang, Ruby," I said with a smile. "I'd like to meet someone…" I stepped aside.

"Hello!" Miyuki gave them a beautiful smile. "My name is Miyuki Shiba, I'll be your classmate from today onwards. It's lovely to meet you."

Yang and Ruby both stared at the girl… And then they began to blush.

Ah… Miyuki smile claimed two more victims… I wasn't even surprised by it.

The walk to school was mostly filled with a stuttering Ruby, and Yang flirting with Miyuki who only smiled at her and thanked her for her compliments, making the blonde blush hotly every time.

It was glorious.

Yang could barely tease Miyuki, because all Miyuki would do is say 'Thank you for the compliment, Yang,' and then Yang would turn into a blushing mess!

I repeat. It was glorious.

Once they managed to get over her beauty bit, I was sure they'd be able to talk like normal people and would be the best of friends.

As we approached the gates of the school, I stopped walking.

The others stopped too.

"Jaune?" Miyuki looked at me. "What's wrong?"

I barely heard her.

Because she was walking not far ahead.

Short green hair told me who she was before I saw her face… I would never forget that hair, the hair of one of my best friends…

"You aren't fit to be a Huntsman. You're weak, you're stupid, and you don't have the will to be one. You should just give up, Jaune. For your own safety."

I clenched my fist, my flames burning in my soul as I marched forwards at a faster pace. "Hikage!"

She paused in place, looking back at me. Only the slightest widening of her reptilian eyes told me she was surprised by the fact I'd called out to her. "Jaune," she said in a blank voice. "What do you want?"

Why are you talking to me now? Came the unspoken question.

"Two years ago," I said to her. "You told me. To give up. I'm here to ask you if you still think I should."

"Yes."

"… Meet me after school," I told her. "I'll prove you wrong."

Golden eyes narrowed. "You want to fight me?"

"Fight you? No… I'm going to make you say 'I was wrong.'"

It was time I got my snake girl back. Frankly, this was long overdue.

~~Ephemeral Dream~~

I was very tense. Everyone could tell I was throughout the day.

"May I ask what that was all about this morning?" Miyuki asked during lunch.

"It's a long story," I mumbled.

"Does it have a short version?"

"… Yes."

"Then I'd like to hear it."

… It was impossible to say no to this girl.

"Jaune, you don't have to," Ruby said softly.

"No, I don't mind," I sighed. "Ruby, Yang, Miyuki is a friend. Besides, I know she's probably going to want to watch the fight out of worry. She might as well have some context."

I turned my gaze to Miyuki. "About two years ago, my family gave up on my dream of being a Huntsman. They said I had no aptitude, and told me to give up. To really push it home and make me quit, my friends emotionally blackmailed my friends into joining the intervention, Ruby and Yang were victims of this but we've made up. Hikage, on the other hand, was targeted viciously. They went after her dead mother with her blackmail, who was killed several years ago. Because of that she doesn't believe she did anything wrong back then. If anything, she feels justified and glad I haven't stepped onto the Huntsman path… At least, not that she's seen."

Miyuki stared at me, horrified. "That… That's awful! Why would they do that?"

I sighed. "… I found out, recently, my mother manipulated the whole thing… She had a sister she looked up to, one she idolised, who was accepted at Beacon Academy. On a mission, said sister died. My mother, in her despair and anger, blamed the Huntsman as a whole for her sister's death. When she saw I was lacking in the department, she decided to manipulate my family into agreeing with her, and then turning my friends against me for the intervention… All because she hated Huntsman."

She stared at me, shocked, as did Ruby and Yang who were only just learning about this.

"Soon as I found out, I moved out," I told them. "I went to Ruby and Yang's moms and asked them for help. They bought the next-door house in their name, and I now live there."

"Well… It's good that you got away from them," Miyuki said. "Nothing bad happened, did it?"

I thought about how my mother had tried to seal my aura, how she'd tried to essentially cripple me and possibly end up turning me into a repeat of Jack the Ripper.

"No," I lied through my teeth. "Besides the argument, nothing happened. I'm just glad to be free of them."

Miyuki nodded. "Good… But I'll confess, I'm a bit confused. Why do you need to fight Hikage to prove she was wrong?"

"Hikage is the type of person who won't believe it if you tell her she's wrong," I told her. "You have to prove it to her. The only way to prove that I can be a Huntsman to her is by fighting her, and defeating her."

"… Why are you so willing to give someone who betrayed you another chance?" Miyuki asked softly.

"Because it wasn't her fault. She was manipulated, had her most traumatic memories used against her. What is driving her to say she was right is fear, pure and simple. Fear that I will die if I become a huntsman, something she can't bear to happen. Above all else, she's still my friend. Even now, I still think of her as my friend. Just one who needs to fully realise that what she did was wrong."

"… And you're prepared to do anything for that?"

I only smiled. "With my dying will."

…

"Pft… Hahahaha!" Miyuki couldn't help but throw her head back and laugh, and I couldn't stop myself from blushing at the sound of how melodic her laugh was. Ruby looked down at her food, cheeks burning, and Yang was looking at Miyuki with an even redder face.

"W- What's so funny!?" I demanded.

"You are," Miyuki giggled. "You're so silly!"

I stared at her with indignation. That only made her laugh harder.

She was giggling around me for the rest of the day.

Hikage waited for us at the school gates, staring with that eternally blank expression on her face. "Where."

"Follow me," I said simply as I took us towards the forest.

Silence reigned for the entirety of the walk, the air tense.

Of course, that was to be expected. Ruby and Yang hadn't spoken to Hikage in two years, I hadn't spoken to her in two years. The four of us hadn't been together in two years… And now, we were all together again, literally walking towards a fight.

We arrived at a small clearing in the forest, the one I'd been in when I'd stepped into the portal for the job change quest.

I slipped off my bag, letting it drop to the ground as I moved to one end of the clearing, cracking my neck.

"How are we doing this?" Hikage asked.

"The girls will be the judges," I tell her. "We fight until one of us gives up."

Until you tell me you're wrong, went unsaid.

"Weapons?"

"By all means."

She pulled her knife out of her pocket, ready to fight. "Prepare to give up."

I'll take you off this suicidal path.

"You'll try."

Hikage blurred as she charged, her knife aiming for my leg, likely to make it so I couldn't stand. She was going for the easy win.

I wouldn't let her.

Enlightenment.

The world around me sharpened, seeming to move in slow motion as all of my senses were pushed to their limits.

Right as Hikage neared, I took a single step to the left, my knee lifting. At the speed she was going, at the speed I dodged, she didn't even slow down as her gut slammed into my knee, coughing hard as her eyes widened in surprise.

I grabbed Hikage's hair, tossing her into a tree, causing it to break on impact.

Hikage got up, her expression suddenly much more serious.

"Finally taking me seriously, Hikage?"

Are you admitting I'm stronger than you thought?

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Jaune."

Don't walk down this path.

I slowly slid into my stance. "Come on."

She blurred as she charged again, this time with steadier footing so that she could dodge if need be.

Attack.

I vanished from place, causing Hikage to trip as I kicked her foot out from under her.

I watched her eyes widen in shock, but I didn't give her a chance to correct herself, as I brought my elbow up.

Fang.

I slammed my elbow down into her back hard, making her yell in pain, her grip on her knife loosening.

I kicked her hand, her knife flying into the air. I grabbed one of her arms, locking it behind her back, before I pinned her to the ground, catching her knife midfall.

"… You've lost."

I brought the fight to an end swiftly, not wanting to cause her unnecessary pain.

"How…" She grunted as she struggled. "How did you get so… Strong!?"

"Because people tried to stop me," I told her. "When someone pushes me down, and tries to say 'you can't,' all it does is motivate me; fuel me. It makes me want to prove them wrong, to say 'I can.' It's entirely because all of you told me I had no aptitude… That I worked my ass off so I could be here, now, and say that you were wrong. That I can do this…

"Are you willing to admit you were wrong now, Hikage, and be my friend again?"

There was silence…

"… Even after what I did…" She looked back at me, tears that couldn't be shed in her eyes. "You still want me…?"

I smiled at her. "Always…"

[You have cleared Quest: Prove Them Wrong! Both objectives cleared!]

[Rewards]
50 Stat Points
Dagger Mastery Skill
1 Perk Point

"I… I'm sorry…" Hikage said. "I'm so sorry, Jaune… I was wrong… I'm so sorry…"

[Your relationship with Hikage has become Rank D.]

I smiled at her, letting go. "So long as you understand, Hikage-!"

"Ararara…" I flinched as I felt a gun pointing at the back of my head, exclamations of shock coming from the girls.

"Who are you!?" Yang yelled as she quickly got into a fighting stance.

"Fufufu… So, you're Yang?" The girl asked. "I find myself… Disappointed… So very disappointed…"

"Hey!"

"So…" I swear I could hear the girl lick her lips. "It's been so long since I've seen you, big brother! I've been waiting for this day to come!"

I very slowly turned my head, so the girl behind me didn't get trigger happy, and looked at her.

Black hair in twin tails.

Her right eye, a blood red.

Her left eye… A golden, ornate clockface.

The girl only grinned, as my gaze shifted to her pistol, and my eyes widened in shock.

Storm flames.

Storm flames enveloped that pistol…

"I've been waiting so long to see you again, my sky," she purred out.

What-!

[You have forged a Guardian Bond with Kurumi Branwen.]

My eyes widened in shock. Both at the fact a bond had forged somehow, and at the last name I saw in front of me.

"Bran-!"

"Shh," I saw her smirk. "Bad big brother…" I heard her gun cock. "Spoilers…"

"NO-!" I heard Ruby scream.

Kurumi pulled the trigger.

My world faded to black…

~~Ephemeral Dream~~

When I came to, I was in a back alley. A completely filthy back alley, trash strewn everywhere…

The sound of a trigger being pulled filled my mind, and I shuddered…

How was I alive?

And where was I…?

By chance, I looked at a piece of trash on the floor… A newspaper.

Curious, I picked it up… Only to pale as I saw the date… And the headline.

Jack the Ripper, Still At Large.

I sucked in a deep breath.

[Quest: Bonds of the Past]

Kurumi has sent you back in time with the power of her semblance, and you're now in Atlas 8 years in the past. Find out why Kurumi sent you back in time, and find a way to get back home.

Objective: Do what must be done, and return to the present.

I didn't even read the reward as I stared at the blue screen, hanging in the air in front of me.

I was eight years in the past… With a serial killer at large.

… Fuck.

Publish Date: 6th October 2020

Word Count: 5,296