Hey everyone! Bet you weren't expecting this. Well, of course you weren't, up until yesterday not even I knew I was going to write this. Anyway, this is a commission for azuring-galaxy, a reaction fic for his story The Sins of the Past. Although I know nothing about Warhammer 40k, it's a nice story that will probably be continued, despite currently being labelled as complete.

No more words, onto the story! (that's made of words, but ignore me)

Up until that night, everything had been shaping up to be a normal day at Beacon Academy.

Ozpin had been… well, Ozpin, that meant he had skimmed through his paperwork and wisely chosen to take a relaxing walk instead, his trusty cane and even more trusty mug of coffee in his hands. Goodwitch had repaired three walls and seven doors, actually a very low number for Beacon's standards, and had of course done Ozpin's paperwork. Port had told his tall tales, and Oobleck had, as usual, dazed the students with his speeches at hyper-speed.

Team RWBY had suffered from the utter normality of the day as well. Ruby had cleaned Crescent Rose and managed to get Blake to do her homework, bribing her with some tune she had stolen from the kitchens. Weiss and Yang had played poker for hours, with the heiress getting poorer and poorer as the rounds went by. And Blake, their resident cat Faunus, had read her books all day long, even if the White Fang issue was still bothering her. After all, it had just been a couple of days since they stopped the Fang at the docks of Vale.

Team JNPR hadn't fared any better against the normalcy. Jaune had been, as usual, annihilated in combat class, even though his training with Pyrrha was slowly starting to show results. Nora had been the usual chaotic hammer maiden she always was, and she was responsible for two of the three broken walls and three of the doors. Pyrrha had been mostly with Jaune, either training him or studying with him. And finally Ren had chased after Nora the entire time, trying to stop her from doing too much damage to the school's buildings, and failing spectacularly at that.

Even far away, in Atlas, James Ironwood had had a normal day, filled with military procedures and school paperwork.

But that was going to change.

At exactly four sixty-seven -a hour no one even knew existed before that moment-, nine lights shone in Remnant, unseen by everyone and fairly unimportant. One of them shone in Atlas, over Atlas Academy. Eight of them shone in Vale, over Beacon Academy. Nine lights shone, and nine people's day suddenly turned definitely not normal.

At the same time, somewhere in the Multiverse, other nine lights shone, this time grouped in the same room.

With nine identical thumps, nine people fell on the room's floor.

The first to get back up was Ironwood, dusting himself off as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Almost instantly alert, he was shocked to see that he was no more in his bed, even if he was still clad the black pants and grey shirt that were his pyjama, but instead in a large room with violet walls, nine silvering couches and a large black screen.

Ozpin got up immediately after the cyborg, eyes narrowing as he took in their surroundings. He too was still clad in the green long pants and black shirt he used as pyjamas, but he had somehow managed to snatch a mug of coffee from… somewhere. "This is… peculiar," he commented lightly.

One by one, all the other people scrambled to their feet, all of them still in their pyjamas.

"W-What happened?" asked Ruby, looking around at the foreign room. "Where are we?"

"And where are our weapons?" added Yang, holding her hands up in a boxer stance. "And how did we get here?"

"Oh, maybe we're dreaming all together!" exclaimed Nora, trying to focus to make the dream bend to her will. "Oh… nope, it's not my dream. Maybe it's someone else's?"

"Nora, I don't think we're in a dream," Ren stated slowly, senses alert. "We appear to have somehow been dropped into a room… maybe in the Beacon basement? But then, why would Professor Ozpin be here, especially still in his nightwear?"

"I can assure you, this is no dream," stated Ironwood. "Besides, I was in Atlas mere seconds ago. There aren't any recorded Semblances that enable such displacement in such a short amount of time."

"How can you know it was seconds ago?" asked Ruby. "For all we know, it might've been days ago!"

"I pride myself to be extremely alert even when sleeping. I'm a Huntsman, after all." The man then looked at the third redhead, who seemed to be panicking. He recognized her immediately, and soured up a little at the reminder that she'd chosen Beacon over Atlas. "Ms Nikos, is something the matter?"

"W-Where is he?" The girl wrought her hands together in worry. "Where is Jaune? Have you seen him as we landed? I-I can't find him anywhere!"

Other six sets of eyes widened and began looking around for the blond knight, but the room offered very little hiding spots, so they searched it in a very short time. Ironwood could only stand confused, while Ozpin quietly filled him in.

Finally, it was Ren who stopped the search. "We have to assume he's not here, but that doesn't mean anything bad has happened to him," he told the others, not without a vein of worry in his voice. "Look at ourselves: we're all still in our nightwear. No, Yang, I'm not trying to peek at you. Whatever took us here, it must've done so in our sleep. Maybe Jaune was simply not kidnapped."

"I certainly hope so," interjected the Headmaster. "Despite his shortcomings in combat class, he's a promising student. I'd hate to discover anything bad has befallen him."

"Oh, don't worry, he's fine," a disembodied voice rang out, startling them all, despite a few of them not showing the scare. "He's just sleeping at the moment. And you'll still find him asleep when you'll be sent back."

"Who are you?" asked Yang, looking around. "Where are you? Are you the one who took us here?!"

"To answer your questions one by one, my name is Khor, I'm currently talking through some sort of microphone since I'm in another room, and yes I am." A small chuckle was heard. "Don't worry, I didn't bring you here to harm you. It's not in my style and it's also against the rules."

Weiss narrowed her eyes and stepped forwards with an arrogant expression. "I, Weiss Schnee of the Schnee Dust Company, order you to let us go!"

"And I, Khor, am graciously going to ignore that order. Now, moving on…" The owner of the voice pointedly ignored Weiss's fuming and protests. "You might be asking yourselves why I brought you here. The answer is simple. See those couches? Take a seat and make yourselves comfortable. See that screen? I'm gonna show you something on that screen, and you'll have to watch it. As you can see there's no way out of the room you're in. I apologize for the clothes I caught you wearing, I'll exchanged them for your normal outfits soon."

More than a few blushed slightly at being reminded of their dress condition, but Ironwood crossed his arms. "You somehow brought us here, which is something I'd have thought impossible before, just to make us watch a movie?"

"It's not a movie. Tell me, are you familiar with the theory of the Multiverse?" A few nodded, but most just looked puzzled. "Let me sum it up for you. The universe you live in is just one of the infinite possible universes of Remnant. All these universes are grouped together into what we call a Dimension, and as you can guess there are infinite dimensions of different universes. All these dimensions are grouped up into… try and guess… the Multiverse. That's the gist of the Theory."

"Are you saying there are other Remnants out there?" asked Ruby, pointing to a general `out there` behind her. "Many others?"

"Infinite others, I believe. And yes, there are. Each of them is unique in some way, even if many look extremely similar. I am one of the beings who's earned the power of Wandering, and can thus walk between the universes and document what's happening in them." A polite cough stopped them from inquiring further. "Please, let's leave it at that. It's too complicated to explain. I've brought you all here to watch another of the Remnant universes, through that screen."

"Through a screen? Like a movie?" asked Yang.

"Dropping you off on another universe could cause untold damage to the fabric of space-time and the Matter Between Universes. I'm not the most knowledgeable in this field so don't ask. It's just a very bad idea, allowed only for the utmost emergencies." They nodded, and the voice continued. "As for why I didn't bring Jaune Arc here… well, let's just say it might've had some serious repercussions on his psyche, and that's not in my wishes."

"Psychological repercussions?" repeated Weiss.

"It's better if I just showed you. I hope you enjoy your time here in my fortress." There was a tap of something, likely a can, against something hard, likely the floor. Nine flashes of light later, everyone was back in their usual outfits, minus their weaponry. "You will notice how none of you feel tired. Don't worry, lack of sleep will kick in once you'll be sent back. And now, if you may, take a seat: the screen's about to start up."

The nine exchanged glances, and for once even the unflappable Ozpin seemed puzzled. One by one they took their seats on the couches and turned to the screen, that appeared to be activating. After a few more seconds of static, images started to appear, shocking them with their familiarity.

"Jaune!" exclaimed Ruby. "We're looking into JNPR's room!"

"What is the dolt doing?" asked Weiss, peering at the screen.

"Am I still human?" The thought mused in his head while he cleaned his helmet. Looking it over, every dent and scrape brought memories back. He was trying to forget about todays events, he did something incredibly stupid. He hurt his friend. He yelled at Ruby for something so stupid. The guilt was eating him and he would apologize soon, when things were more calmer. His snapped out of his thought when he turned it over to face him, he stopped cleaning and stared at the metal face mask fashioned into a skull. This was common for those that survived long enough in the Death Korps. He sighed and put it down, he walked over to his desk to grab some more cleaning spray but stopped when he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He was wearing a greyish tank top with his usual pants, he looked at himself. From his neck length blonde hair to the various scars that adorned his body and face. He ran his finger over the scars on his face, some were small and barely visible while others were long and somewhat deep. It had only been 6 months since he vanished but to him, it was five years.

"Wait, what?" asked Nora, confused. "I get this is a different universe but… why did he yell at Ruby if then he says it was something stupid, and how can six months turn into five years for anyone?"

"I don't care, I just want to punch his face in," grumbled Yang. "Nobody hurts Ruby."

"You idiot, you hear and see something like this and you focus on him yelling at Ruby? Besides, he obviously regrets what he did, so something must've happened to make him yell at her. Jaune would never yell at any of us." Weiss coldly berated her. "I don't know what the Death Korps are but they don't seem anything pleasant. His scars tell a scary story, especially since he should've had Aura, but the most worrisome detail is what he said. He doubted his own humanity… I may not be the most knowledgeable in the field of philosophy, but I'm pretty sure only a severe trauma can make you doubt something as basilar as that."

"Ms Schnee is right," agreed Ironwood. "From his eyes, the way he moves and especially the mention of these `Death Korps`, I believe your friend has been through a war, and a terrible one at that. There are only two reasons to doubt your humanity, and he obviously isn't one of them."

"What are those reasons?" asked Ruby, worried for her friend's health, both physical and psychological.

"One of them is needing prosthetics or cybernetics, aka machines implanted into your body either to keep you alive or just to allow you to live a normal life." He pulled off his right glove to show his robotic arm and hand. "But becoming a cyborg can be extremely taxing on the mind of the cybernetics' owner. That's why they are only implanted in emergencies, or with the full permission of the patient."

"And what about the other reason?" asked Ren.

"The other reason is seeing and causing too much death without being an assassin," sighed the man, and several people stiffened. "Causing death is easy for some, but for someone as young as your friend is, and to a kind-hearted soul, it has devastating effects on their psyche. To the point of leading them to consider suicide or, as in your friend's case, doubting your own humanity."

"And you think it's the second." Blake wanted to phrase it as a question, but it came out as a statement.

"I believe so, yes," nodded the man.

"But let's not forget that this Jaune Arc is not our own," interjected Ozpin. "Feeling for him is natural, but keep in mind that whatever you do, it won't change his future. Reign your emotions, students."

"I was a sacrifice, just like the others. To atone for a past sin that we didn't do." he mumbled, staring back at the metal skull face plate, previous battles flashed into his mind the more he stared.

(Years Earlier in Imperial space)

A massive gunship flew overhead as hundreds of soldiers ran across a battlefield, evading artillery and gunfire coming from a massive walled city. The battlefield was littered with bodies from both sides as a tank like vehicle exploded from being hit. A soldier fell out of it as fire engulfed his body, he screamed as he tried to put himself. Other soldiers ran past him, one shooting him with a weird rifle that fired a red beam at him, killing him. The soldier wore a gas mask like respirator that covered his entire face with a black helmet on top. His uniform consisted of heavy trench coat with metal chest armor and shoulder pauldrons. His heavy boots made it easy for him cross the blood drench battlefield as he tried his best not to trip over the hundreds of body of his fellow Kriegsman. What made him stand out was his black metal skull face mask, it made him appear menacing to the enemy soldiers.

"Oh my…"

"That is what I was talking about," Ironwood stated grimly. "And this is just one battle. In five years, there are a lot of battles you can fight."

"Where is Jaune?" asked Pyrrha, anxiously trying to spot the blond in the carnage. She knew he had to have survive that battle, but she couldn't help but worry about his health.

"This is Valkyrie-14, I've s-sustained h-heavy damage. D-don't know if i can s-stay in the a-air…" a voice said over the radio. The soldier placed his finger near his ear and clicking sound was heard,

"Titus! You need to get out of here!" pleaded the soldier to the pilot. He looked in the sky, ignoring the bullets and explosions as he watched smoke emit from the gunship. It was evading the anti-air flak while shooting at the enemy soldiers below, ripping them apart into chunks with its cannon.

More than a student felt sick at the images of butchery, but others gasped as they recognized the soldier to be Jaune.

"Can't do that Arc...t-too much damage. W-won't make it back to base. Flak got me as well, b-bleeding out in here." the valkyrie took another hit as fire erupted from one its back engines. "A Kriegsman never retreats. You know this brother." he said between labored breaths. Jaune couldn't help but still plead but it fell on deaf ears. "To all my fellow Kriegsman, fight on for the God-Emperor! Fight on for Krieg!" he yelled into the Radio as the gunship flew low, all weapons firing at the fortified city gates. Jaune knew what he was doing and looked away in sadness

"What is he…"

"A suicide charge, Ms Rose," Ozpin explained with a sigh. "He knows he's already a dead man. He can't get back, and he's getting shot down. He's taking as many enemies as he can with him."

"B-But that… that is…" Yang couldn't finish as Ironwood interrupted her.

"Yes, it is. But war is never pretty." His face was set in a dark scowl. "Humanity may have the Grimm as a common enemy, but they always find time to kill each other. As long as there will be at least two people close to each other, peace will never be attained. Sooner or later, they will wage war to each other."

"That's not true!" exclaimed Nora. "If I and Renny were to alone on Remnant we would never fight!"

"Fine. But with more people, it happens," relented the General.

"All Guardsmen that can hear me. Charge at the Enemy Gates! Don't allow Titus sacrifice be for not!" Jaune yelled into his radio as the other Death Korps charged with renewed vigor. The gunship kept firing, taking on more flak damage but still flying, straight into the gates. A massive explosion covered the large doors, killing most of the defenders. Once the smoke cleared, the gates were breached, a gone thanks to the explosion.

"PUSH FORWARD! THE CITY GATES HAVE FALLEN!" yelled a voice over the radio as more Death Korps guardsmen ran to the breach, Jaune was one of the first to enter the city and witnessed the massacre of the civilians.

To say that the students were shocked by the brutality and blood would've been an understatement.

"B-But… But I thought…" Ruby swallowed dryly. "I-I thought it was j-just a military base… w-why are they killing c-civilians? Isn't Jaune t-the good guy?"

"The world is never black and white, Ms Rose, no matter how much we can wish it that way," sighed Ozpin. "Murdering civilians is not the right way… but it could've been the only way."

Blake took a deep silent breath, remembering how Adam had justified all his violence. "Then it's better to lose than to win by becoming monsters," she stated.

"That's not so simple," countered Ironwood. "If you had to kill a hundred civilians to save a thousand of your people, would you do it? If you had to become a monster to save innocent people, would it still matter?"

"I…" Blake looked down. "I… I don't know."

(present; in JNPR's room)

"Titus…" he solemnly thought as he cleaned the other parts to his Death Korps uniform. As he cleaned the chest armor, more memories of that battle flashed before him. He kept cleaning though, he didn't care if he remembered. It could be punishment for what he did earlier, along with whatever Yang does to him. He didn't care, he deserved it.

(In the city within Imperial space)

"Open fire! Kill these traitors!" Yelled his fellow guardsman as they stormed the hive city. Opening fire on the civilians that tried to run. Traitors. That's what they were told. Filthy traitors and heretics that have turned away from the God-Emperor's light and allied themselves with the filthy Xenos of the Tau Empire. He watched as the horrified people tried to run for safety, some trying to leave in ships, only to be shot down. His fellow Death Korps gunned them down with no hesitation or mercy. Some used their mono knives attached to the barrels of their rifles to stab some. Grenadiers, the same rank Jaune was, blew up homes and set fire to others with their flamethrowers. The light from the fire reflected off their respirator lenses and their metal skull face plates, giving them a much more grim appearance. The Death Korps of Krieg were earning their name this day.

Ruby was forced to turn by Yang, but she had already seen the carnage. No one felt fine, and a few were feeling sick. Traitors or not, killing civilians like that was something only a monster would do.

Pleas for forgiveness were answered with the sounds of Lasguns. "In death, atonement." Death was the only way to be forgiven. He stood there, his lasgun aimed at a small group of people, crying as they held each other. A family he had cornered. He was shaking a bit as he held his weapon at them. His breathing heavy as he gulped.

"Please! You don't have to do this!" Yelled an Elderly man, stepping in front of the group. "Take me instead but let my family go! They will be loyal to the imperium, I was the one who betrayed it!" He pleaded, Jaune stared at him and the others. Could he kill them, have them also pay for the sin another committed? He was slowly lowering his weapon when a voice came from behind him.

"S-So he isn't the bad guy?" Ruby asked, her voice trembling. "H-He wants to s-spare them…"

"We cannot be sure of Mr Arc's intention," said Ironwood. "But yes, I think so as well."

"Arc! What are you doing? kill these traitors!" Yelled his Watchmaster as he stepped forward. Five more Kriegsmen walked behind him, rifles raised as the slaughter was still being carried out around them.

"Sir. This old man is saying that he was the traitor, not his family." He said, looking at the old man then to his Watchmaster. "Sir, they don't need to pay for the sins of another." Jaune pleaded, if the Watchmaster could see under his respirator, he would see Jaune's eyes filled with hope. Hope that he would listen allow these people to live. The family watched on with horror as the Watchmaster quickly raised his laspistol and shot the old man in the head.

A few students gasped at the sudden death, but both adults were still. They had expected it.

"You are Krieg Guardsman," he looked back at Jaune while one of the people knelt down to the body. "Loyal only to the God-Emperor and his imperium! You, like the rest of us, must atone for the past sins our planet has done. These people must pay for they have done!" he said, looking at them then back at Jaune. He stood stoic as his Watchmaster yelled at him, though under that respirator was a terrified boy. He was trained to fight the enemies of man, but unarmed civilians? People who were most likely innocent? No he couldn't bring himself to do it. He wouldn't! He knows the penalty for disobeying orders but he would rather die than do this.

"Is he going to spare them?" asked Nora, eyes full of hope.

"He might, but they will be killed by the other Death Korps," replied Ironwood. "Apparently, he survived, so they won't kill him for insubordination."

"I refuse to kill them." he said, placing his rifle to his side as he closed his eyes, waiting for his death. But instead, the Watchmaster looked at him.

"What the High Lords want with you is beyond me. But i can't kill you despite wanting to, so let's do this." he said as he signaled the other Krieg guardsmen to aim their weapons at the family, ensuring they couldn't escape. A gunship flew in the sky, dropping bombs near by as more screams filled the air. "Jaune Arc, War is all you know," he said as Jaune looked at him confused. A began to feel a headache coming on as the watchmaster spoke. "You are a soldier of Krieg. A soldier of the Imperium. A sacrifice for the sins of Krieg." he continue as the headache worsened and Jaune fell to his knees. He clutched his the sides of his head in pain as he threw off his helmet. His respirator keeping his gloves from making contact with his flesh.

"What's happening?" asked Pyrrha, gazing at the screen with worry.

"If I had to guess, torture." Several heads turned to the General, the expert in the field. "Since they can't kill him, they're punishing him in another way."

"Agh whats g-going o-on?!" he demanded as the pain got worse.

"In life, war. For that is all you will know. In death, peace. For that is only when duty ends. In life, shame. For you carry the sins of Krieg's past. In death, atonement. For only then can you be forgiven and only then can Krieg be forgiven. That is the duty of The Death Korps of Krieg! Your duty!" he yelled as the pain suddenly stopped and Jaune stood up at attention.

"Grenadier Jaune Alexandros Arc." his voice stern and devoid of any emotion. "I'm ready to fulfill my duty as a Death Korps of Krieg sir." he said as the Watchmaster looked to his men and waved them away. They stood back.

"W-What…" Weiss could barely stutter out a word before Ozpin explained tensely.

"Some sort of mind control," he stated, clearly angry. "Since they can't kill him, they are forcing him to obey."

"So, he is really going to…"

"I fear so, Ms Valkyrie."

"Arc, I order you to execute these traitors. They have betrayed the holy God of mankind and joined a heretical Xenos empire." he told the soldier before him.

"Of course Sir." he said as he stepped forward and raised his lasgun. "No wait whats going on?!" he internally screamed as he aimed at the family, who were begging to be spared. "Why can't I stop? Please!" he thought. "In Death, atonement." he told them

"Body control, not mind control," Ozpin corrected himself, his tone even grimmer. "He can clearly see what he's doing and think of his own will, but his body will only respond to his `Watchmaster`'s orders."

"That's…" Yang couldn't even find the words.

"That's the most horrible of tortures," stated Ren, eyes narrowed. "Forced to become a murderer."

"Is that why Jaune looked so horrible at the start?" asked Blake.

"There might be more to it," replied Ironwood. "But I think this played a large part in his problem."

"PLE-" one begged but was cut short as Jaune opened fire. Under his respirator was a face devoid of all emotions as he fired at the family, but tears slowly began to build up and stream down his face as he finished firing. The family laid dead, smoke emitting from their seared wounds as Jaune lowered his rifle. The last thing they saw was that skull face plate as they were mercilessly gunned down.

"What are my orders now Sir?" he asked as the Watchmaster looked at him.

"You are to join the others and ensure not a single soul is left alive in this city! Shoot them, Stab them, Burn them! Do what must done to ensure the enemies of man are gone." he ordered as Jaune saluted and made his way past them. His weapon drawn as he aimed at a running woman. For three days, he followed his orders without question. His expression never changing under his respirator as he spilled more blood. If anyone could see under that respirator, they would see a face devoid of emotion but his eyes bloodshot as his eyes had run out of tears to spill. Jaune completed his mission, but not of his own free will.

"Run out of tears…" repeated Ironwood, a bitter grimace stretching his lips down. "Something I don't want to live ever again." A few looked at him strangely, to which he replied with a humourless laugh. "I'm not made of steel. I've cried more tears than all of you students put together, all of them in war. War takes its toll in tears, blood and haunting memories."

(Present; JNPR's Room)

"No. Not anymore." he told himself as he continued cleaning the rest of his armor. His Death Korps uniform laid out on his bed, the burn and bullet holes present on the fabric of the trench coat. The flak armor laid out neatly next to it. He continued to inspect every piece, looking at every scratch and dent, continuing to remember what caused all of them. He was still trying to get his mind off from earlier. Before he could continue on, his door flung open.

"Arc!" Came an angry voice. He didn't bother looking up, while surprised a bit on who it was, he still didn't want to face her. "Look at me!" She demanded, the anger in her voice rising. He sighed, placing the skull helm respirator down as he looked at her. Weiss was standing in his doorway, an angry scowl on her face as she narrowed her eyes at him. "Would you mind explaining your actions earlier?" Crossing her arms. "Your outburst at Ruby was uncalled for."

"Why do I have the feeling this won't end well?" asked Yang.

"Because it's true. This can only end tragically," explained the General. "Ms Schnee has no idea what he's been through, or she would've left him alone. And if she can't understand him, then she is bound to say something that will make him yell at her too, and shut himself off even further."

"I hope that won't happen, only if he talks with us he'll lighten his burden," stated Ren.

"That's not so easy," sighed Ozpin. "Sometimes, you don't want to lighten your burden, because you feel like you deserve to carry it, and because you feel that lightening it would dishonour the memories of who's fallen by your side."

"I know. I will apologize for it and make things right. I shouldn't have yelled at her." He answered, looking at her in the eye, hoping she would be satisfied and leave. But that didn't happen. No she pressed the issue.

"That still doesn't explain why. I wasn't present as to what caused it but I saw the pain on her face. I'm sure Yang would have beaten you if not for Ruby intervening on your behalf." She said, still staring at him with that scowl. It was annoying him at this point.

"It doesn't matter. What's done is done. Now please leave me alone." He requested, looking at her. Weiss didn't move but got more annoyed at the lack of an answer. Yes Jaune did go through something bad in the 6 months he was missing. Found in Emerald forest in that strange armor and covered in scars raised many questions. But he didn't provide much answers. He just said he went somewhere and had to fight, that was all he gave them. Weiss wanted to know more, where was he? What did he do? What caused him to he injured like so? But also why did he blow up at Ruby? Jaune wasn't the kind of person to lose his temper. Infact, before he disappeared, he was patient and happy. Always had a smile on his face and was there for his friends. Never once had she seen him angry at any of them, not even her when she turned him down everytime he asked her out. But now? He was different. Closed off and quiet. He kept to himself and tried to lead his team as best as he could. He didn't smile much anymore nor did he call her that ridiculous name. She needed to know what happened, maybe it will prevent future outbursts.

"This is where she makes a faux pas," claimed Nora, looking unusually serious. "He's about to lose his temper again, but knowing Weiss she'll want answers, and she'll press the issue until she'll get them… or she'll actually realize what he's been through."

"I just hope we will be able to help him," murmured Ruby.

"After so much death, if he shuts himself off, he'll never be able to live again," noted Pyrrha. "He needs us…"

"But maybe he doesn't want to live again," whispered Blake, so quietly no one heard her.

"No I will not. You need to understand that such outbursts can have a negative effects on the receiver. Ruby was heartbroken!" She stated. Looking at him, she saw he was hurt that he hurt the young reaper. She looked away from him."Look, i understand you went through something bad. You have this weight on your shoulders, I can see that. But that does-"

"Shut up." He told her. She was surprised by this. There was anger in that response. When she looked at him, she was taken aback by the clear angry expression on his face.

"And she did it," remarked the General. "Now it's just a matter of time before they address the elephant in the room. He's no more the Jaune Arc they knew, he's changed so much he's unrecognisable, but Ms Schnee seems not to care about that."

"I… I was just defending Ruby, for once," she meekly defended herself. "I… How could I have known?"

"You could've listened when he told you to go away," replied Blake. "But now it's too late to take that back. In your defence, probably no one of us would've been able to speak with him about that without him blowing up."

"E-excuse me?!" She responded, she was livid at this point. Yes she was angry when she came in here but that's because he had yelled at her partner, his friend and she wasn't gonna stand for it. "How dare you Ar-"

"I said shut up!" He stepped forward and stepped back. She'd never seen him like this. It was starting to scare her but she wouldn't back down. "You understand? Is that what you think?" He asked her. "That you can relate to what I experienced and did? That you can understand the blood that's on my hands?" That last response startled her. Blood? Did he- but she wasn't able to finish that thought when he threw some of his flak armor on the ground. The heavy metal hitting the wooden floor was loud.

"You need to calm down Arc!" She demanded, she stepped forward a bit as they stared each other down. "Don't let this go to your head, I understand you have a lot on your mind. Believe when I say I can relate. Sometimes the pressure of being the Heiress to my family's company eats at me but I don't let it get like this. You can't le-"

"And that is the nail on the coffin." Everyone turned to Ozpin, who was grimacing openly. "He probably didn't tell you about the Death Korps to keep you in the blissful ignorance, but after everything he's been through, comparing it to the responsibilities of being a Huntsman will just enrage him. Not only it insults him, but it also belittles all the people who've died in those wars."

Weiss sagged further as Yang put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Blake's right, you couldn't have known. Besides, if he never told us, we only had his scars and armour to base our guesses on."

"It doesn't make it any less hurtful to watch," was the heiress's meek reply.

"You have no idea! You can't possibly relate to what I've been through!"

"Then enlighten me Jaune, instead of being childish and lashing out at your friends who simply want to help." Her anger was seething at this point. She clenched her fists a bit as she looked at him, waiting for answer.

"Do you know what it's like to watch your friends die Weiss? Do you understand the feeling of walking into a home after a battle and see the remains of a family you were unable to save?" He said bluntly. She was caught completely off guard by his response. The anger on her face was fading, replaced by shock.

"Is he…"

"No, Ms Nikos, I don't think he's talking about that particular battle," said the General. "He said he fought for five years. That was just one battle. It might've happened anywhere."

"But why?" Everyone turned to Ruby, who was shaking in her seat. "I-I mean, Jaune is the kindest person I've ever met, w-what did he do to d-deserve such pain?"

"The world is never fair. The best people are the ones who suffer most." Ozpin's voice sounded empty and pained. "In a way, the saying `the strong lives, the weak dies` is true. This is an unforgiving world, Ms Rose, that will take advantage of your naivety to strike you in the most painful possible way."

Ruby lowered her head to hide the tears that had been building up since the first images of carnage had been shown. But when she spoke again, her voice was firm and determined. "Then we'll make it better."

"W-what?" Was her only response.

"Or how about the feeling of helplessness as I walked miles with the body of a boy in my arms to the nearest stronghold because you were presumed dead and left behind? He was a new recruit in the Death Korps and I promised him he would be alright. But when I get to the doors of that base you know what I realized?" He looked at her, anger still present on his face as she was starting to tremble.

"I-i-"

"He was dead Weiss. He died hours before I reached the base and I didnt even know it. Maybe I did but didn't want to face that reality." She was quiet. She was a loss for words. If what he was saying was true, then Jaune went through something worse than they thought.

Ironwood had to look away for a moment as memories of a similar event replayed in his mind. His right hand curled into a tight fist, but he couldn't fight off the flashbacks of snowy landscapes and utter despair. Those events had forever scarred his soul, and nothing could change that.

"I promised my squad mate, my friend and brother! That I would bring him home to his family. I cradled him as he died and I was forced to abandon his body." His hands shook. He turned around and picked up the skull helm respirator, looking it over. "After the battle, I tried to find his body. But there were so many bodies. As far as they eye can see." He said turning around looking at her. Helmet still in hand. "I never found him. I never kept my promise." There was no anger now. Only pain. He stepped forward as she stepped back. "For Gods sake Weiss, I slaughtered a Family! I killed so many innocent people and I couldn't stop myself!" continued

Pyrrha brought her hands to cover her mouth, horrified. She knew perfectly well just how much Jaune valued his promises, from the most honourable to the silliest of them all. Breaking one so important must've broken his heart in two… or at least what remained of his already broken heart. She choked back a sob as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. In that universe, Jaune had gone through something none of them wished to ever experience.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't know. You never told us what happened to you." She was trembling, visibly disturbed by this information.

"No. You didn't. That's my fault but I wanted to spare you all the horrors I saw. The monsters that dwell out there make the grimm look like fucken insects. I've watched guardsmen ripped apart. Eaten. Burned alive. Every painful death imaginable, I've seen it Weiss." By this time she was against the wall outside team JNPR's room. She was trying to be calm but was starting to feel sick as to what he said.

"He is and forever will be scarred," stated Ozpin, his voice dead and emotionless as he stared at the hurting boy on the screen. "Nothing will ever change that… just like there won't ever be atonement."

"But he…"

"No, Ms Xiao Long. I said atonement, not acceptance. With time and with constant support and help, he might get over it, but atonement?" He sadly shook his head. "After so much death, even if not caused directly by him, nothing will ever atone for what he's done. Mind controlled or not."

"What does it mean for us?" asked Weiss.

"It might actually make you all become closer to him," noted Ironwood. "But that closeness would come at a high price. A price in hurt, tears, and pain."

"Jaune i-"

"You wanted to know why I blew up at Ruby? She saw the names on my armor. The names of my old squad." He explained, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. "She asked about them. I told her I missed them and she said that they are probably alright and maybe I'll see them again." He choked a bit. "I said it wasn't possible. She asked why and I told her I just knew. But she kept insisting I would. That's when I blew up. I told her I would never see them again. I shouldn't have yelled at her but how do I explain that I watched them be brutally slaughtered by monsters?" Tears ran down his face as Weiss was starting to develop tears. She saw his pain. He wasn't lying. No he watched them all die right before his eyes. "When I close my eyes, I can hear them calling out for help. Reaching for me and I reach for them, but I couldn't help them." He handed the helmet to her and turned his back towards her, walking to his door. "I regret for what I did to Ruby. She didn't deserve that. I'm sorry I yelled at you as well but I will not listen to someone who thinks they can relate and understand the pain and guilt I went through. Now, please Ms. Schnee. Leave me alone." He finished, walking into his room and slamming the door. Faint crying could be heard on the other side. Weiss. She was speechless. She had no words and retort to what he said. If she had words of comfort, well it was too late late now. If she did earlier, his constant interruption were keeping her from voicing it. He didn't want to hear her. She looked down at the helmet and cried. Tears falling down onto the metal skull face plate as she slid down the wall into a crouch. She saw the bullet holes and the small amount of dried blood. The dents and scratches. Parts that were patched closed or welded shut from battle after battle. His words lingered in her head. The Jaune Arc they all knew and considered a friend was gone. That happy, annoying but sweet boy was gone. Replaced by the broken shell that they found.

Everyone had reeled back during Jaune's explanation, but no one had looked away from the screen. No, they owed him at least that. Even if it was painful to watch, they watched until the screen turned black, traces of tears on every student's face.

"War leaves scar so deep they will mark you forever," repeated Ironwood. "Mark my words, because you might soon find out yourselves just how unfair the world can be."

"B-But… why?" Ruby dried her tears with the sleeve of her corset, but new ones formed again. "I mean… you said that the world's unfair… But that battle was not in Remnant. He went s-somewhere else to fight it… he was taken somewhere else to fight it. To f-fight for his `Krieg`… why him? W-Why wasn't someone else t-taken?"

"I fear we might never receive the answer to that question, Ms… Ruby." Ozpin looked around to see that a doorframe with no door had appeared on the side of the room, showing what appeared to be a living room with bookshelves and a kitchenette beyond the doorstep. There was a small note explaining how they could rest there until the next viewing, signed `K.` and affixed to the wall near the door. "But I suggest we take a little while to think about what we've seen and to clear our heads. Something tells me this won't be the only viewing we will be subjected to, so let's at least rest a little now."

"I don't think I'll be able to rest," muttered Pyrrha.

"You and me alike," agreed Yang. "You and me alike…"

Ironwood looked at them walk away before sighing. Memories continued to flash behind his closed eyes, each of them bringing pain and hurt to the General. He looked up as he felt a hand fall on his shoulder, and met Ozpin's gaze.

The two scarred men stood in silence, wordlessly supporting each other in the now empty room.

I hope you liked this chapter. I surely did. And my little brother surely did like trying to "write" something himself while I was working on this. -_-

Anyway, go and check out the original story, The Sins of the Past by azuring-galaxy. You don't need much Warhammer 40k knowledge to enjoy it, so... what are you doing still here? Go!

Until next time,

Khor Evik Vlakhavlakh