Flying over the emerald forest, Jaune Arc knew one thing.

He was about to die.

"Ahhhhhh!"

Screaming as he careened through the air, he wondered what kind of madman the headmaster must have been to think launching a bunch of kids into a grimm infested forest was a good idea!

'Ok! I can do this! He said we all would use a landing strategy! Maybe if I straighten out a bit?"

The increase in velocity as a result forced Jaune to continue his useless flailing in a desperate attempt to reduce his speed.

'This is it!'

Closing his eyes, he thought back to his family. The people who lacked any kind of faith in his ability to be a huntsman. Regardless of that, he knew they loved him all the same.

What he wouldn't give to-

"Ack!"

A crimson javelin pierced his hoodie with a speed he almost couldn't register, the velocity tightening its pull against his neck. He choked as he flew, his eyes watering as he impacted a tree.

Feeling the wind leave his lungs with the impact, he glanced up to see the red and gold javelin, his savior from what he knew to be certain death.

"Thank you!" yelled Jaune as a sharp pain immediately pierced his right side, the side that took the majority of the impromptu landing.

Barely registering a distant "I'm sorry!", Jaune attempted to grasp for the spear. As he reached up to grab it, his ribs cried out in protest. He grit his teeth opting to just hang there for the time being.

Hearing a rustle from the bushes, he glanced up and dared to hope. He couldn't exactly tell the time, but he felt he had been dangling there for at least fifteen minutes. Some blood had already caked over his left eye, and if he were being honest with himself it was taking every ounce of willpower he had not to freak out right now.

His fears abated, as he saw Weiss walk into the clearing. Her icy gaze swept the clearing as she met his gaze.

Deciding to try his luck, he offered up a winning smile.

"Hey snow angel. A..little help?"

He allowed his hope to swell as he watched her stare at him for a second longer, before she wordlessly turned and walked away.

'What the actual fuck was that?!'

"Jaune!"

As he glanced down, he saw his red haired savior enter the clearing.

"So...do you still have some spots on team Jaune? I suppose I'd be interested if you did." spoke Pyrrha, her coy tone helping to put Jaune at ease.

"Very funny…" his sardonic tone didn't quite match the smile he shared with Pyrrha. At the very least he knew he could count on her here.

An invisible force seemingly ripped the spear from the tree, causing Jaune to plummet to the ground, a sickening crack summoning a cry of pain from his lips as his right foot made contact with the ground ever so slightly before the left.

Folding to the ground he barely registered as his newfound partner ran over to him, cradling him as he whimpered. Looking down he felt bile rise in his throat. His leg was bent at an odd angle, destroying any chance he had of walking out of this forest intact.

"Oh my god Jaune! Why didn't you activate your aura?!"

"My what?"

Glancing down, Pyrrha winced.

His leg was obviously broken, and his soft whimpers of pain were sure to draw grimm to them any moment now. The fact that grimm weren't upon them already was a miracle all its own.

"Jaune, close your eyes."

Closing his eyes, he wondered what was about to happen. A cynical part of him idly wondered if she was maybe going to put him out of his misery. Deciding that she was too nice of a person to do something like that, he decided to simply roll with it.

"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."

"Interesting…"

Jaune's eyes shot open as he heard the transition; Pyrrha's sweet voice replaced by something dark and haunting. Jumping to his feet he took note of the sickly purple glow that surrounded him, it's presence as soothing as it was harrowing.

He also noted that his leg and ribs had made a miraculous recovery.

Frantically looking for the voice, he froze as he saw the most peculiar thing he had ever seen.

A lone butterfly, halted in time hovered before him. It's wings mid flap, it appeared to simply be in stasis, defying gravity and remaining suspended by nothing. Reaching out, he gave it a gentle nudge only to gasp as it listlessly glided through the air, further and further until it disappeared into the shrubbery up ahead.

"Despite your transgressions, you humans never quite seem to bore me."

Looking towards the origin of the voice, Jaune froze as his throat constricted in abject terror.

There sitting in a tree was a purple figure; a forgery of a man, it's wicked horns spiraled atop it's head and betrayed a hidden malice. Even as it angled it's head at Jaune, making no overt movements, it still gave off a foreboding sense of power.

"Hmmm, yes it's been quite some time since I have been drawn to this...wretched place."

It's body seemingly elongated, a harrowing series of snaps and cracks seemed to be elicited with every move. It slithered down the tree as it slowly made its way to Jaune, erecting itself into a formal posture with one final crack.

'Move...move!'

Mentally sparring with himself, Jaune desperately tried to move. He needed to get away from this...thing!

As if sensing his thoughts, the thing waved it's arm in a gesture of peace.

"Be still mortal, I do not come here bearing ill will. You are Jaune Arc yes?"

"Y-yes I am. Wh-what are you?"

"What I am is of no concern to you. No, what matters is what you are or rather WHO you are. A lowly human steeped in his pride, yet you've somehow managed to inspire and change thousands of other timelines. Each story different than the last. Impressive."

Mutely accepting the backhanded compliment, Jaune took a shaky breath. He wasn't sure what the heck this thing meant when it spoke of other timelines but he was slowly calming down with the knowledge that this...thing meant him no harm.

"Umm thank you? If I could ask...what do you want with me? Why am I here?"

"You are here because of her." stated the creature, it's gnarled finger pointing at his partner, her eyes still closed as she sat frozen in time.

"When she unlocked your aura, I felt it resonate with my own energy. I've never encountered a human with a natural resonance resembling my own. It intrigued me. As for what I want with you, I've come to bestow a blessing upon you."

"A...blessing?"

"Yes child. No one person has come anywhere near having an aptitude for energy such as mine. With my brother leaving behind a legacy of his own, it is pleasing to know some of my power has stood the test of time in my creation. It shall be most amusing to watch you progress . Now, speak your desire and I will grant it accordingly."

Nonplussed, Jaune stood there watching the purple being as it remained unmoving. It's gaunt faceless features lacked the ability to betray its thoughts but Jaune knew for a fact he didn't appreciate the phrase "most amusing" when it came to his life.

With his mouth running faster than his mind, he spoke.

"My life's not a cartoon you know."

His sarcastic voice gave way to a nervous laugh as he watched the shade tilt its head, a vicious crack tearing through the air as a result.

"Not that I don't appreciate the offer Mr. scary death god...sir."

"So impetuous. You don't appreciate the notion of me using your life for entertainment? Why? Because you believe yourself better than a...cartoon? Very well, may your pride bear fruit. Perhaps when you remember me next, you will thank me for viewing you as a 'cartoon'."

Upon opening his eyes, he was greeted with the glowing emerald eyes of his partner. Sitting up, only to feel the world spin, he fell back to his partners lap eliciting a soft giggle from her as he blankly stared into the forest canopy.

"What happened?"

"I unlocked your aura."

Hearing this, Jaune opted to look down only to see his once broken leg had been completely healed. His ribs had seemingly healed too if the lack of pain during breathing was anything to go by.

"You have a lot of it."

Trudging through the forest, the two partners wandered upon a cave. Cautiously approaching, Pyrrha read the warning engraved onto the side of the cave.

"If you value your life, don't go into this cave. Love, Peter Port."

"The relic has to be in there!"

Pyrrha watched with apprehension as Jaune hastily made a torch and boldy marched into the cave. Her concern for her partner override her intuition as she trudged in after him.

Making their way into the damp cave, Pyrrha was becoming increasingly agitated. She cautiously scanned the cave as her partner stomped ahead, his determination palpable even as he began slowing down.

Bumping into him, she decided it was time to air her concern.

"I'm not sure this is it."

"Pyrrha, I made the torch. Could you at least humor me for five more feet?"

Stumbling not a moment later, Jaune's once proud torch lay doused in an errant puddle.

"Great...now it's dark."

"Shhh Jaune do you feel that?"

"Soul crushing embarrassment and disappointment?"

"No...it feels...warm."

A luminescent glow appeared before the two, taunting the two with its proximity.

"The relic!"

"Jaune I don't think that's the relic."

Ignoring his partner, he grabbed for the relic as it hovered just out of reach. With a grunt of dissent he tried once more, as the relic once more danced just out of reach. With a mighty cry, he hurled his body at the relic, only barely managing to grab onto it with both arms.

"I got it Pyrrha! I-"

His celebration was cut short as a swarm of red eyes appeared from the darkness and a searing breath met his face.

'Oh…'

Letting out a girly shriek, Jaune held on for dear life as the deathstalker burst into the open air, it's massive stinger flailing in an attempt to dislocate his arms.

"It's not the relic Pyrrha! It's not the relic!"

"Jaune! Whatever you do don't let-"

With a crack of its whiplike tail, Jaune was sent flying. It turned its rage to Pyrrha who took a moment to assess the situation. Looking down to her shield and javelin she made her choice.

'Nope!'

Bolting in the direction Jaune flew, she heard the behemoth tearing through the forest behind her.

'I hope Jaune is ok.'

Jumping off of the back of a nevermore was not her most solid plan. Ruby frantically looked around for anything that could help slow her fall. With not a tree in sight, she closed her eyes bracing for the impact.

A distant scream that steadily grew closer and closer met her ears as she suddenly felt a mass collide with her. Tumbling end over end, she activated her aura as she impacted with a tree.

"What hit me?" asked a groggy Ruby as her head spun. Standing up, she stared in mute horror as she saw her first friend pressed impossibly flat against the bark. Everything from his sword to his hoodie lay thin as paper against the trunk of the tree as he let out a groan.

'Ok, don't panic Ruby! You may have killed your friend, but it was an accident!'

Her thoughts were interrupted as a paper thin hand reached up and peeled the rest of the body off of the tree. The flimsy arm came to the seemingly drawn on mouth. With his thumb outstretched, he blew.

Pop!

Ruby watched in rapt fascination as Jaune went from a flimsy caricature, to his standard three dimensional body. She didn't need to be well versed in anatomy to know that what she just saw was abnormal!

Before she could voice the thought, another scream sounded from above them. Looking up, she saw Weiss plummeting to the ground.

If she were being honest, she'd forgotten all about her.

"Snow angel!"

Once again, Ruby stared in disbelief as Jaune ran in midair. His feet somehow finding purchase on something she couldn't see.

'How the heck is he doing that?!'

Catching Weiss, he flashed her a smile. A smile reminiscent of the one he flashed her when he thought he was gonna die pinned to a tree.

"Just dropping in?"

Weiss blinked once. Then twice. Vaguely gesturing below them, she couldn't help but ask.

"How are you doing this?"

"Huh?"

Looking down caused Jaune to seemingly lose his grip on weightlessness. The two plummeted to the ground with Weiss using Jaune's back as her cushion.

"My hero." muttered Weiss, as she walked away, leaving Jaune twitching in a crater.

"My back."

"Yee haw!"

The ensemble turned towards the new voice as a red haired girl barreled into the clearing riding a massive Ursa. It fell over dead much to the girl's disappointment.

"Aww it broke…"

Another student ran out from behind the downed and dissolving Ursa, his short gasps for breath being the only form of communication he could muster at the moment.

Honestly, Jaune pitied the poor guy.

"Great! Now we can all die together!"

Yang's voice rang out in the clearing as the howling nevermore began circling once again. Taking a quick headcount, he realized only one person was missing.

"Actually Pyrrha's missi-"

Thwack!

The sound was followed by a red blur tumbling into the clearing with a deathstalker hot on its tail.

As the red blur skidded to a stop, the group realized it was Pyrrha, her still smoking body lying motionless on the ground.

"Pyrrha are you alright?!"

A shaky thumbs up was the only response he received.

With the deathstalker rapidly closing in and the nevermore circling above, Jaune let out a despondent sigh. Turning to Yang, he spoke.

"And now!" Spoke Jaune, drawing his sword and steadying his shield, "We can all die together!"