[RWBY] A Character Arc: Jaune Arc RWBY SI BS Revised

[AJ_Talon]

[RWBY] Jaune BS Self Insert

A Jaune Arc self insert. How original.

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---

Everyone knows the story of an isekai. Some loser gets transported to another world where he can be a hero. It's a tale that's over a century old, from The Wizard of Oz and A Princess of Mars to modern-day Japan. And it can be a hell of a lot of fun, or terrible, or brilliant.

This? I don't even know what the hell kind of story this is, because the original never finished in my world… and frankly? It kind of sucked.

I do know how it began. With a loser.

Well, not a total loser. Okay, I was a thirty-something American man who didn't have a wife or kids yet because of a number of reasons. Being a socially awkward nerd who obsessed too much over anime and science fiction (and struggled to be a novelist while writing a lot of fanfiction) was definitely one of those. But I did have a good job, good friends, and had dodged a bullet by not marrying some illegal immigrant after a green card. So no, I wasn't some awkward Japanese high schooler or businessman.

I had admittedly struggled a lot in life for various reasons—some my fault, some the fault of genetics, some the fault of this twenty-first-century hellscape we call civilization—but I was a proud American, a (mostly) good Christian, and I tried to be a good, kind person. Nothing really out of the ordinary.

So when I saw a kid from the daycare at the college campus I worked on rushing into traffic in front of a speeding Uber… what else was I supposed to do but try to save him?

I wasn't really thinking about anything other than saving the kid. I winced when I felt the car hit me, cried out… and everything went black.

When I came to, I was hanging from a tree in a huge forest in a truly magnificent valley. I blinked.

What.

I looked at my hands… hands wearing gloves with white greaves.

WHAT.

I rummaged around. I had… a cellphone that unfurled? I did so, saw a lot of messages and apps I didn't understand… hesitated… then checked the one I could make sense of—the camera.

I stared into it.

Jaune Arc from RWBY stared back.

"…WHAT THE HELL?!"

I gaped at… My face. Opened and closed my mouth. Turned my face back and forth.

Reached up to ruffle my hair. Yeah… Yeah… That was me. This was me.

This was all me.

"WHAT?! WHAT?! WHAT?!" I screamed again, panting desperately. "Nonononononono…!"

How… Why… What in… WHAT?!

I saw a sliver of white below. I focused. A beautiful, white haired girl in white picked through the forest. She looked up at me, her gorgeous blue eyes staring up at me. Even with a slight scar over her left eye didn't diminish her beauty-Enhanced it, really.

The jumble in my brain of memories and emotions managed to crystallize. Weiss Schnee.

From RWBY too… Just as she was in Volume 1… In Initiation…

I held up a hand and waved frantically.

"H-Hey! HEY! Help me! Help! Get me down!"

The girl's nose wrinkled like she'd smelled something foul. She shook her head.

"Nope," she stated succinctly, before turning and walking right back.

I gaped at her. The jumble of my memories and feelings pulled together.

"WHAT THE ACTUAL FU-?! ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!"

---

Pyrrha Nikos moved through the forest with the quiet confidence of someone who had already decided the outcome of the day. The trees were dense here, the canopy thick enough that the midday sun only filtered through in scattered gold. She had thrown her spear with perfect accuracy, pinning a boy to the trunk of a massive oak before he could hit the ground. That should have been the end of it—simple rescue, simple team formation. Instead, the boy was still up there when she arrived, and the look on his face was not the usual mix of gratitude and embarrassment she expected from him.

He looked terrified. Like his world had collapsed around him.

She tilted her head, offering the same small, practiced smile she used on cameras and interviewers. "Hello, Jaune… Is there still room for me on your team?"

The answer came out strained. "…Yes."

Pyrrha's smile faltered. She stepped closer, reached up, and carefully pulled the spear free with her Semblance. The boy dropped to the ground and immediately folded, hands on his knees, breathing hard. His whole body shook.

Pyrrha's frowned deepened in concern.

"Um… Sorry about the—"

"Saving me?" He cut her off, voice cracking. "No, thanks, that was great. Holy shit, what was this idiot thinking?! That was terrifying! And why do I have sneakers?! WHAT FUCKER BECOMES A HERO IN SNEAKERS?!"

Pyrrha blinked. He kept muttering under his breath, words tumbling out too fast for her to catch all of them. Something about Hell. Something about God's punishment. Something about starting over in a show. Then he groaned, both hands flying to his head as if something had just slammed into the inside of his skull.

"…Holy shit… So that's canon. I don't even know what the hell to think about that… Or that… Or… Wha…?"

"Um, Jaune?"

He jerked upright like she'd startled him out of a dream. For a second he just stared at her, eyes wide and a little wild. Then the panic settled into something quieter and more exhausted.

"Ummm… Look. I know we just met and I was kind of a douche, but… Can I please have a hug?"

Pyrrha felt heat climb her neck. She had been hugged by fans, by teammates, by her parents. This felt different—raw, almost desperate. She hesitated only a heartbeat before stepping in and wrapping her arms around him. He was taller than she expected up close, and he smelled like forest and fear and something faintly metallic she couldn't place. He relaxed the moment she held him, a long, shaky breath leaving his body.

"Thanks…" He pulled back carefully, looking suddenly self-conscious. "Oh crap, now this feels creepy."

"Why?" Pyrrha asked, "Did I-?" Jaune shook his head rapidly.

"Nonono! This is… Ugh… Um…"

He cleared his throat, straightened, and met her eyes with deliberate seriousness. "An-Anyway… Um… Pyrrha? I'm gonna level with you here… My Aura is not unlocked."

That stopped her cold. She had suspected, of course… But for him to come right out and say it…

"Oh?"

"Yeah. My mom was… Holy shit, that's canon too?! I just made that up! How—Questions for later. Anyway! My mom was going to unlock it for me when I went to medical school… Which is where I'm supposed to be right now, but I wanted to be a Hunter and so, uh… Here I am."

He winced.

"You… Can probably guess a lot of the rest… And if you want to blow me in… I get it."

Pyrrha studied him. Defying parents was something she understood more than most people realized. She'd defied hers to come here.

She nodded slowly. "I… I see. Defying your parents is… Is difficult."

"Yup…" He looked almost hopeful. "You do have parents, right? Like, you know their names? Faces? History?"

The question was strange enough that concern flickered through her again. "Yes?"

"Oh thank God…" Relief washed over his face so strongly it was almost painful to watch. "Anyway! If you could do me a solid and unlock my Aura, I promise I will not slow you down. I just… I really want to be a Hunter and help people, like my family before me. Can you help me, please?"

Something in the way he asked—honest, almost pleading without being pathetic—made her smile for real this time. "I'd be happy to, Jaune."

He smiled back, and for the first time since she found him, the terror in his eyes eased.

She pressed her hand to his chest, and recited the chant she knew by heat, surging her Aura into Jaune's. Their souls briefly touched:

"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee…"

Strange… For a moment it felt like two souls inside him… Yet the power unleashed was unmistakable. She released her hold over his chest, as he panted for breath.

"I… W-Wow… That… That is a rush," he murmured. He smiled so warmly it made her heart pound, just a little. "Pyrrha… Thanks. I promise… I won't let you down."

Pyrrha smiled back, the warmth of their soul connection lightly pinking her cheeks.

"I know you won't."

---

Sooo… I was Jaune Arc. Jaune. Fucking. ARC.

The accidental main character of the (at best) mid CGI action anime-esque show.

Created by the talented and sadly deceased Monty Oum. In a world written by idiots and with the most radioactive and toxic fandom that ever existed until Hazbin Hotel came along.

The guy who was the first choice for a generic harem lead in RWBY fanfic.

(Which I was familiar with because I had written more than a few of them. And maybe 2 percent of them weren't terrible!)

Holy shit… How? Why?!

I had no idea… But I wasn't just me anymore. I was him.

I mean… I had this Jaune's memories.

And the memories of the universe were merged with my fanfiction worldbuilding. Or at least some of it. Maybe? I wasn't sure about all the details, and just based on my memory I couldn't make any assumptions.

(It wasn't hard to fill up worldbuilding when Rooster Teeth had only done the bare minimum-And the dumbest possible way.)

That said… Damn… I hadn't expected this after death. Not some kind of weird isekai…

"Jaune?"

Shit, at least I didn't have a cellphone. Well I did, in the form of a Scroll. Shit…

"Jaune?"

Maybe I was more like Kazuma from Konosuba? Lucky but also unlucky?

"JAUNE!"

I started and looked over at Pyrrha, who looked concerned and was pointing her weapon to my left. I looked where she was pointing.

"Yes Pyrrha-?"

A dark, monstrous-looking wolf thing lunged out of the underbrush and snapped onto my wrist.

"What the-?!"

Oh, that's a Grimm, a part of my brain pointed out. It looked… Way scarier than I thought it would. A monstrous parody of a wolf all in black, little… Ethereal bites waving from its fur, its red eyes glowing in the white bone mask. Its razor sharp teeth digging into my gauntlet.

I expected pain, agony…

Only for it to just… Gnaw at my wrist, an energy field glowing against it around my skin, like glass. I felt… A warmth in my chest, that was also my arm…?

Woah… Aura… I felt a little detached. Like it was happening to someone else.

"JAUNE!" Pyrrha shouted urgently.

Oh… I need to deal with that… What do my instincts say?

I beat the Grim in the face as hard as I could with the pommel of my sword. Then again, and again, and again-

"MOTHERFUCKER! LET! GO! YOU! GODDAMNED! ASSHOLE!"

The bonemask shattered. The damn thing kept holding on. I smashed it again, and again, until the braincase shattered. The Beowulf dissolved into smoke and ashes, blown away in the wind.

I took deep breaths, glaring at the remnants. Pyrrha rested a hand on my wrist.

"Jaune? Are you okay?"

I shook my head.

"WHY THE FUCK DO THEY LOOK SO MUCH SCARIER?! IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE FREAKING ANIME CGI!"

Pyrrha blinked, staring at me like I was insane. Which, from her perspective, was pretty much the case. I slowly nodded.

"I'm fine… Fine… Just uh… I'm… I'm okay." I paused.

"... Pointy end goes into the Grimm, right?"

"Well," Pyrrha smiled, nodding at the pommel of my sword, "That works too?"

I sighed.

"Right, right…"

More Grimm roared out of the underbrush. I held up my shield and sword.

I knew what I was. Even with Aura unlocked… I was not much more than a target. Especially compared to Pyrrha. The Grimm couldn't hurt me as easily (At least the small ones) and I could hurt them… But that was it.

Well then… There was only one role my gamer ass could play.

"I'll draw them to me, you knock them down!" I shouted. "And let's keep moving!"

Pyrrha smiled and nodded. "Yes!"

It wasn't much, but it was a plan. And that's better than nothing.

I'd have my existential freak out later. There were monsters to slay.

---

 

[AJ_Talon]

We made it to the cave where in the show, Jaune had woken up a Deathstalker. That wasn't intentional, we'd had to go towards the mountains due to the terrain. The moment I spotted the cave though, I detoured hard. I could just barely make out the temple dome some distance away.

"Sorry for the roundabout way," I whispered to Pyrrha. Pyrrha smiled and shook her head.

"It's all right. It is beautiful around here, isn't it?"

"Uh, yeah, sure," I nodded, "It is at that."

Of course our surroundings were beautiful but the horrible soulless monsters around were a bit of a bummer. Still! We avoided the worst of it. I was feeling pretty good, too-We'd run into a fair number of weak Grimm, but me as the bait/tank and Pyrrha as the competent one had dealt with them.

I felt moderately less useless and less terrified. Moderately.

I stumbled again over some rocks and cursed.

"I need boots," I muttered, "First thing."

"Couldn't hurt," Pyrrha advised as we got to the cliff overlooking the

Now, as for looks… Well… It was all "real". Like, actually real. Not like being in a video game. And Pyrrha… Yeah, she was absolutely beautiful. Tall, curvy and athletic, like a goddess come to life.

So naturally I kept my eyes on her eyes as much as possible, no matter how distracting she was. Damn…

Not something to focus on! Focus on survival!

Geez, teenaged hormones were something else.

I really didn't want to ruminate on the metaphysics of this situation. Brooding over stuff would just get me killed. Definitely me killed because I was a scrub.

I mean I was tall, strong, and the Aura let me take hits… But Pyrrha? She was a creature of grace. Of speed and power, she walked like a panther. A sexy panther-DAMNIT HORMONES!

We made it to the temple, hopping over the stone pillars to the domed structure.

Yang was… Okay, wow. Again, her smile just made me catch my breath. Blake… Yeah, okay. She was hot. Probably knew it. I looked around as Yang laughed.

"Guess we're the first here, VB and Cereal Girl!"

"Yeah, yeah, that's us," I said, rubbing the back of my head, "Sooo… Grab the relics, wait for everyone else, and get out of dodge. That's my plan, you're free to use it too."

Yang grins. "Aw, initiation already too much for you, Vomit Boy?"

"No, I just want to get back and out of the man eating monster infested forest. Grab a shower, chill out," I said. I nodded to Blake. "Yo. I'm Jaune Arc, that's Pyrrha Nikos, nice to meet you-Blake right?"

The not so well hidden cat Faunus blinked at me and nodded slightly. Or maybe it was a trick of the light. I nodded back.

"Cool, cool…"

Not even going to mess with that hot mess. No sir. Not at all.

"Nice to meet you," Pyrrha contributed, "Both of you! But I agree, let's get going as soon as everyone else arrives."

"Guess you don't have the stomach for a long fight," Yang deadpanned. I winced-Okay, I totally remembered throwing up on her… Or Jaune throwing up-Him-Me-Problem for another time! I walked into the temple proper and looked at the stone table.

I found the rook piece, and grabbed it off the table. I sighed and swung around as I tucked it into one of my saddlebags. I would have preferred the knight but what can you do?

"Again, very sorry for that. I will buy you new boots," I said. Yang blinked.

"Wait, really?"

"Yes, really," I said. I held up a hand as her face lit up. "At the same price as your current ones. I have seven sisters, I know how you can find loopholes in promises."

Yang made an innocent look. "Would I do that-?"

"Yes," I stated flatly, "Yes you would."

Yang gave me a scowl.

"How do you know that-?"

"Seven. Sisters," I stated flatly. "Also Ruby is a blabbermouth," I added quickly to try and cover my tracks. Yang sighed.

"Yeah, she is…" She shook her head and smirked, which… Did things to my stomach. "Deal."

"Cool, cool," I said with a nod. "We can take Ruby along, buy her cookies."

Yang scowled.

"Why do we need to bring Ruby along?"

"Oh, well," I hesitated. It had been a flippant remark, why was she upset?

"Ya know… Um-"

Thankfully, there was a rumble in the distance. A Grimm Ursa burst into view, an orange haired girl and a black haired boy in green riding it. The orange haired girl was whooping happily, before she slammed the Ursa face first into one of the stone pillars, and it stopped moving. It slowly began to dissolve.

"Aw, it broke!" The girl whined. She looked up and grinned. "Hey new friends!"

I smiled and waved.

"Hey Nora, hey Ren," I greeted. Nora blinked.

"How does he know our names?" She whispered. "Does he know the future?"

"Why are you whispering like that, I can hear you," I deadpanned back. Nora gasped.

"HE'S PSYCHIC! Oh look, old shaped rocks!"

Nora jumped off the dissolving Grimm and bounced around the temple, chattering excitedly. I looked at Ren, who shrugged.

"Nice to meet you," Ren said with a bow, "I am Ren Lie. That is Nora Valkyrie."

"How did you know?" Pyrrha asked, curious. I shrugged, trying to look casual.

"I just… Eavesdrop a lot. Ya know. Remember the most random things, like the kissing number of a sombrero-shaped universe."

Much staring. I shrugged again, waving my hand vaguely.

"It's eleven. In case you wanted to know… If the universe was shaped like a sombrero that's… It's number…" I shook my head and put my hand down. "Nevermind."

Nora hummed. "A sombrero shaped universe? I guess I could live with that… Ooh! Or a fedora!"

"Too complex mathematically," I deadpanned.

Nora scowled.

"You're too complex mathematically!"

"Probably," I agreed. "Anyway! I guess we're just waiting on Ruby and Weiss-"

"GERONIMOOOOO!"

"RUBYYYYYY!"

We looked up. Ruby and Weiss fell from above. Ruby managed to use her Semblance to stall out her momentum and landed roughly but safely. I sighed, spread my feet and opened up my arms.

"OOF!"

Weiss landed in my arms. Ruby waved weakly at me.

"Hey Jaune!"

"Oh, hey Ruby." I looked at the furiously red girl in my arms. "Hey, bitch who left me to die."

Weiss's eyes went wide. "Wha—Excuse you—?!"

I let go. She hit the ground in an undignified heap. I stepped over her without slowing down.

"ACK! HEY!"

"Sooo," I said, ignoring the sputtering heiress, "we've got the Relics. I vote we all run for it. Any objections?"

Yang grinned. "Nope!"

"Cool! I love democracy!" I cheered.

We ran.
Unfortunately… There was a familiar rumble behind us. As well as a horrible screeching overhead. I looked back over my shoulder, and a gigantic horrific Grimm scorpion was charging after us.

"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, WHERE DID THAT THING COME FROM?!" I shouted.

I had avoided the damn cave for that very reason!

"I'm sure we can handle it!" Pyrrha shouted. Ruby grinned, even as she dodged several feather missiles fired at us from above.

"TOTALLY!"

We made it out to the bridges… But the damn Nevermore spitfully took out our route with several feather missiles, cutting a hole in the bridge.

"What the hell did you do to piss that thing off, Ruby?!" I shouted, as we spun around to face the two attacking Grimm. Ruby blushed and coughed.

"Um… Well… Ya know…"

"Forget it. You kill the bird, we'll handle the nightmare made flesh," I stated, drawing my sword and opening my shield. "I'll buy us all donuts after we survive."

"... With extra sprinkles?" Ruby asked.

Goddamn, she really was adorable… Also kind of hot-FIFTEEN! SHE IS FIFTEEN RIGHT NOW! SHUT UP TEENAGED LIBIDO!

"Extra sprinkles!" I shouted. "You good with that, Nora?"

"Totally good, Captain!" Nora shouted. I nodded to Ren.

"Okay!"

"Who put you in charge?!" Weiss demanded. I shrugged.

"Fight now, talk later! GO!" I shouted, charging with Pyrrha, Ren and Nora against the Deathstalker. Weiss scowled after.

"What are you-?!" She narrowly dodged a feather missile. "ACK!"

"COME ON WEISS! LET'S KILL THIS THING! KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BIRDY!" Yang shouted.

Weiss scowled angrily. "Oh-FINE!"

The Deathstalker charged. Pyrrha met it head-on, spear and shield flashing in practiced rhythm, while I—Aura freshly unlocked and still raw—threw myself between the creature and the others with more courage than skill. My shield took a blow that should have folded a normal person in half. The impact drove me back three full steps, boots carving trenches in the dirt, but I held.

I struck furiously at the damn thing's eyes and pedipalps, as hard and angrily as I could. Audacity could do many things that just taking it wouldn't.

It was all I could do… Well, that and bark orders.

"PYRRHA, REN, FLANK IT! NORA! HAMMER ITS DAMN STINGER INTO ITS HEAD! I'LL KEEP IT PINNED!!"

Nora arrived like a thunderclap, hammer already swinging. "CAN DO VIOLENT LEADER!"

The four of us—Pyrrha's precision, Nora's pure destructive joy, Ren's quiet support, and my stubborn refusal to stay down—drove the Deathstalker back. Every time the stinger came down, I was there with Crocea Mors raised, yelling like I was trying to be brave.

"COME ON MOTHERFUCKER! COME ON!"

We finally lured it into open ground. Pyrrha and Ren, working together, knocked the stringer into the right angle. Nora's hammer came down with a crack that echoed for miles. The Deathstalker shattered into black mist and bone fragments that dissolved before they hit the ground.

We stood, panting for breath. I let out a nervous little laugh. Nora giggled. Pyrrha laughed softly, almost politely. Ren actually smiled.

"Haaa… Let's go see RWBY, help them out," I said, "Glad they're dealing with that thing instead of us."

"Can do, Violent Leader!" Nora cried with a salute.

"That's… That's not going to get old any time soon," I chuckled, but the same fondness I had for the character was in my voice. She grinned happily.

"There are worse nicknames," Ren counseled, but he still had his soft smile. Pyrrha nodded.

"Yes!"


---

I stood a little apart from the others once the immediate danger had passed, one hand pressed to the fading burn of Aura stress across my shoulder. The forest smelled like ozone and scorched feathers and the copper tang of fear-sweat. Somewhere behind me Ruby was already talking too fast about how cool everything had been. Nora was laughing. Yang was cracking her knuckles like she hadn't just helped drop a flying nightmare.

I still couldn't quite make the world settle into place.

This was supposed to be a mid cartoon. A show I'd half-watched, half-skipped through, rated somewhere between "entertaining enough" and "not worth the time." Especially after poor Monty's death, and the 'creators' behind it turned it into a Tumbler poisoned nightmare.

Now the trees were real. The blood on my lip tasted real. The girl who had unlocked my Aura—the invincible champion of Mistral—was real and standing only a few feet away, looking at me with quiet concern like I was someone worth worrying about.

A girl who would die… For me.

The knowledge sat in my chest like a cold stone. I had the body of a seventeen-year-old farm boy who'd never unlocked his Aura until five minutes ago. I had the mind of a man who had already lived a full life, made adult mistakes, buried people, and walked away from the kind of future these kids were still dreaming about. Standing here among them felt like wearing someone else's skin. Every time Pyrrha smiled at me, every time Ruby bounced on her toes, every time Yang clapped me on the shoulder, something in the back of my head whispered you have to save them, desperate and sure.

So much pain. So much death. So much loss and… Stupidity and… What could I do to stop it? Could I do anything? Anything at all? The Deathstalker had still attacked, after all.

Was there nothing I could do? Was this Hell? My punishment…?

I forced the thought down. I was here. The show had become the world. The mid cartoon had teeth and blood and people who would die if I treated them like pixels. I could either spiral about how wrong it all felt… or I could do the only useful thing left.

I straightened, adjusted the strap of my shield, and walked back toward the group before anyone could ask why I was standing alone.

Whatever this was—isekai, punishment, second chance—I was going to treat it like it mattered.

Because it did… And for better or worse? I was in a position to save this world.

Which was a good thing since I happened to be living here now.

---

Later, after the teams were selected and we were assigned our classes, we went to our dorms. I sat on the edge of one of the beds with my head in my hands.

"Ohhh geez… How did I end up the leader? Ohhh we are so fucked… I couldn't even handle being a supervisor at Amazon. How's this gonna work out…?"

Yeah, my determination had lasted only so long.

Soft footsteps. Ruby hovered in the doorway, silver eyes big with concern.

"Hey Jaune! You okay?"

I looked up and managed a tired smile. "Just… rethinking my life choices. Or death choices."

"Oh…" She stepped closer. "Can I help?"

"I don't really know… But thanks for being here for me. You're just as sweet and kind as… uh… I thought you'd be."

Ruby beamed like I'd handed her the moon. "Awww…!"

She launched herself at me in a full-body hug. The impact drove the air out of my lungs.

"HURK—Ruby… loosen your grip a little?"

"Sure!"

She did, but only a little. I patted her back awkwardly and tried not to think about how young she still was.

---

Night settled over Beacon. The others had claimed beds and started settling in. I slipped into the bathroom to splash water on my face and try to get my head on straight.

Okay… so there are two almost-legal, super-hot girls on my team. One is Nora, and she's with Ren. And just because I'm stuck in a teenager's body doesn't mean I'm a horny idiot, right?

Right. Plus, he's my bro. Bro code applies. But unfortunately, that leaves…

I stepped out.

Pyrrha was already in her pajamas—a very tight T-shirt and panties—standing by her bed with that same bright, earnest smile she'd worn in the forest.

"Ready for bed, Jaune?"

I stared for half a second too long, then forced my eyes to the floor.

"…Sure."

I am so going to hell, I thought as I crossed to my own bed. Or maybe I'm already there.

---

Later that week I finally managed to force a meeting with Ozpin. The Headmaster was clearly busy, but I pressed until he agreed to see me in his office high above Beacon.

The elevator ride up was quiet enough that I could hear my own heartbeat. When the doors opened, the office stretched out in a wide circle of polished wood and glass. Floor-to-ceiling windows wrapped the room, showing Vale far below under a late-afternoon sky the color of bruised peaches. The air smelled faintly of old books, polished metal, and the rich, sweet scent of chocolate. Ozpin was already seated behind the wide desk, a steaming mug cradled in both hands. Soft light from the windows caught the silver in his hair and the green of his eyes.

"Please, have some hot chocolate, Mister Arc."

"Thanks, but I just had breakfast."

"Suit yourself." He lifted the mug and took a slow sip. Steam curled past his face. The sound of him swallowing was oddly loud in the quiet room. "Mm. I find it better than coffee."

"Depends on the coffee, I suppose. And how it's prepared."

Ozpin's eyes crinkled slightly at the corners. "Mmm. To each their own, but my personal experience is that humans just keep trying to make coffee and alcohol taste better just to make the experience of imbibing it more pleasant."

I met his gaze and smiled, though my palms felt damp against my jeans. "I suppose you would know best, sir. After all, you were around when it was invented."

He chuckled, a low, dry sound. "A crack about my age! And a very good one."

"No." I kept the smile in place even as my stomach tightened. "I mean that very literally, Ozma."

Dead silence filled the office. It was the kind of silence that pressed against the eardrums. Ozpin stared at me for a long moment, the steam from his mug still rising between us. Then he slowly, carefully set the mug down on the desk. The soft clink of ceramic against wood sounded final.

I continued before he could recover, forcing my voice to stay even. "I'm going to guess you're going for your cane, which is filled up with energy from you constantly doing stuff. You really should make better use of it."

"How could you possibly—?"

"I just hit my head and… I had a vision. A vision of the future. I know that the sword my Nana keeps in her closet is actual magic. I know that the moon wasn't fractured on accident. And I know about you… and Salem. I saw the Fall Maiden's powers taken by one of Salem's agents. Vale and Atlas, destroyed. And the Ever After." I shrugged, the motion feeling too sharp in the heavy quiet. "How? Got me. Maybe it's my Semblance. Maybe it's magic. You got any Arcs in your body-hopping family tree, Ozzy?"

Ozpin looked absolutely flabbergasted. The color had drained a little from his face. Outwardly I kept the smirk. Inwardly I was barely holding it together; my heart was hammering hard enough I was half-afraid he could hear it.

Shit shit shit… Why do I have to play it like an asshole Independent Harry Potter fic?! TONE IT DOWN!

Ozpin's voice, when it finally came, was very quiet, almost lost beneath the distant hum of the city far below. "…And what is it you intend to do with this information, Mister Arc?"

I dropped the smirk. The leather of the chair creaked as I leaned forward. "A lot of people I care about died in this future. A lot of it due to mistakes. Mistakes we could avoid. I want to avoid those mistakes, Headmaster. So… I'm going to give you as much information as I can to help you. But… I have to be careful about it. The second we use this information, the future changes and a lot of other things become worthless. And for all I know, I got a lot of things wrong."

I shook my head. The movement felt heavy.

"All I know is… I think I've got the memories of a much, much older man in my head. One who has seen horrors. Horrors beyond comprehension. If I can save my friends, my family… just people in general from it? Then it's worth it. So please, sir… I am asking you to help me."

Ozpin studied me for a long time. The light from the windows had shifted, painting one side of his face in gold and leaving the other in shadow. Then he inclined his head.

"…I will." He shook his head slowly, the motion almost weary. "…Thank you for surprising me for the first time in a long, long time. It's… a unique experience."

"I can imagine. Anyway, first off… I have some questions since the vision wasn't entirely clear. Can I ask some?"

"If it does not compromise anyone's safety, I can try to answer it."

"Don't worry, this is ancient history. Namely: why hasn't Salem steamrolled Remnant already? She's immortal and has incredible magic. She controls the Grimm. She should have already won."

Ozpin took another sip of his chocolate. The rich scent drifted across the desk again. "Did not the vision show you the moon breaking?"

"I mean, it did, but I saw a war between Salem and the Gods and… uh… stuff."

"Hmmm… Perhaps it interpreted things in a metaphorical sense. Something easier for your mind to comprehend." He set the mug down again; the ceramic gave a soft, precise sound. "Salem… well… you saw how we met and fell in love?"

"Rescued her from a tower, yeah."

He nodded. The light caught the green of his eyes. "Our magical abilities were so in tune, we revolutionized it. We brought about wonders… but even with all our power, I was still prone to mortal failings. I died from a disease. Salem… used all her magic, all her knowledge, to bring me back. But in doing so? She unleashed the greatest evil this world has ever known."

My jaw dropped. The words landed like cold water. "You don't mean… the Grimm?!"

"The story got twisted and altered over thousands of years in many religious traditions. The Table Breakers hold that Man brought forth the Grimm due to temptation by Evil herself to gain power over life and death. The Pathists believe that desperate desire, unchecked and unmanaged, brought forth a darkness to consume the light. The Dharmists believe it was a battle between the arrogant humans and the saddened gods as humanity sought to gain eternal life. In the end… they each have a piece of the truth. Salem brought forth the Grimm to save me."

"Holy shit…" The words came out barely above a whisper.

Ozpin's expression was grave. Shadows had deepened under his eyes. "This act made us both immortal, and powerful. We united man and Faunuskind together into a grand magical civilization. We fought the Grimm, made the world safe… but all the while, the price of ripping through the barriers of reality to the afterlife was paid by my wife. She was consumed by evil. She wanted to eliminate all death, all suffering… by making us all like her. Grimm."

I could only stare. The city lights far below had begun to flicker on, tiny and distant.

"I fought her. She gathered followers, promising them immortality. With the combined might of our armies? It was very much like a war between the gods. The world was devastated. She… she killed our daughters. I had only one chance: an ancient ritual to seal her away, as death had no hold on her. I managed to do it… sealed her away into what was our home on the Dragon Continent… but the backlash of it shattered the moon, destroyed almost all magic, and sealed most of my power away into the four souls of our daughters, and four other items of great power."

Holy shit… This is better than the original by leaps and bounds! How did this not get through to Monty?! Ah well…

I forced myself to stay on track. My mouth felt dry. "So, if Salem gets her hands on the Maidens and Relics—?"

"Her full power will be unleashed. Even as she is, after centuries, she can manipulate through dreams and at times, project her image. She can control the Grimm but not as she once did. Even so… she has kept up this war for thousands of years. If she were to be released with her full power, and in possession of mine…? Remnant would be doomed."

"Damn… so… yeah. We totally want to stop that from happening."

"There is another problem… her seal is weakening. There are still safeguards she cannot overcome without my power thanks to the ritual, but her power is growing. Enough that she's been able to take physical form in her castle for a few centuries. Even without her full strength she is formidable."

"And I guess we can't just nuke her into oblivion?"

Ozpin's mouth twitched, though there was no real humor in it. "I have considered it… but frankly, unleashing that much energy against the very thing keeping her sealed is probably not a good idea."

"I kind of have to agree… though I think General Ironwood still wants to try that strategy. Maybe you should tell him why it's not a good idea?"

"I have, though I didn't tell him the full details. However, if we're talking about the fate of billions, I may need to rethink that. Among other things."

I studied him for a moment. The last light of the day was fading from the windows, turning the glass into dark mirrors. "Wow… you're… uh… no offense, Headmaster, but you're way different from in the visions!"

"I am?"

"Yeah."

"How so?"

I told him. Ozpin listened without interrupting, fingers steepled, the cooling mug forgotten. When I finished he paused a long moment to digest everything. The only sound was the soft tick of some unseen clock and the distant wind against the glass. Finally he shook his head.

"If I did make such decisions, Jaune… no wonder we were losing in the future."

"Yeah, I kind of agree… I don't know if I got a bad transmission or something, but… even if only bits and pieces of it are true? I hope it helps."

"Prophecy has always been a difficult and complex subject, Jaune. Don't feel bad about not getting a complete picture. The future is always in motion."

I couldn't help the small snort that escaped. The sound felt too loud. "…Uh, sorry. Little in-joke."

Ozpin's eyes glinted with faint amusement. "Indeed. Also… rest assured that even if I did inhabit a teenaged body? I am unlikely to ever 'mack on' Miss Rose."

"Oh… that's good."

"Though do take care with your own romantic endeavours? Miss Xiao-Long would be most put out."

Heat crawled up the back of my neck. "Uh, n-no! I'm not—I'm totally not—!"

"Unless you intend to emulate your great-grandfather and go for a harem ending? It's not uncommon in the Arc line, you know—"

"WHAT?! NO! I—I didn't even know that was an option—!"

Ozpin's expression remained perfectly mild, but the corner of his mouth had lifted. "Of course it's an option. And if it gives us a better chance for survival, perhaps we should take it. I could give you some advice—"

"NO! NO! I AM GOOD! TOTALLY GOOD!"

He smirked and took another sip of his now-lukewarm chocolate. The smell of it still hung in the air between us.

I let out a long, suffering sigh that fogged faintly in the cooling room. "That's really not funny, Headmaster."

"Who said I was joking?"

"…Fuck. I am a terrible isekai protagonist."

"Language."

 

[vagabond_13th]

Good news you don't have to deal with the two horned dick heads. Bad news Mommy Salami is no longer suicidal.

 

[AJ_Talon]

Good news you don't have to deal with the two horned dick heads. Bad news Mommy Salami is no longer suicidal.

Click to shrink...

Oh... They're still around. You'll see.

 

[overmind]

Man, I don't usually hang around the SFW section, but this definetely has my attention going forward.