Author's Notes: I wrote this around the time of vol 3 when Ozpin told the story of The Wizard and Maidens. I at the time was also inspired by SpookyNoodle's 'Old Man' so this is my take on what if Jaune was The Wizard in the fairytale. Back then I was very enthusiastic with this premise I actually wrote 13 chapters for this story each 3000 words plus but lost steam in the turmoil that was school.

So hear you go, the first three chapters

The Arc Wizard

Old Man Jaune

My name is Jaune Arc, I am six years old. I lived in the town settlement of Arcadia which was founded by my ancestors centuries ago. I lived with my family a mother, a father and 7 sisters. My dream is to one day become a hero like the men and women in the stories my parent used to read to me at bedtime.

….

'Wait, what!?'

Blue eyes blinked dumbly "that can't be right" he looked at his hands then he glanced beside him at the decrepit corpse which used to be his body.

My real name is Oscar Zorastor Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkell Emmannuel Ambriose Dig. I am more than a few centuries old, my home has long since been forgotten and discarded by time. I had no family and was raised by monks and thought the magical arts which I have dedicated my life to researching. My dream is to see to the end of darkness that has plagued this world.

'At least that's what I remembered it to be.'

"What the bloody hell is going on here?"

The boy(?) was in a room 'in one of my many safehouses across Remnant'.

Beside him lay his old body, old and grey 'it served its purpose well'

He swung his legs off the bed and dropped "whoa!" his legs bent "was the bed always that high?"

His eyes landed on the full wardrobe mirror to see an innocent looking, blonde haired child with blue eyes.

Oh yeah, he was a child….again.

He sighed before holding his head in pain, a wave of memories washed over him, memories of a child who had witnessed his family being massacred. A few moments later the pain stopped and he slowly looked to the mirror to see tears streaming down his face. No matter how he tried the tears wouldn't stop.

"What's happening to me" he spoke before breaking down into uncontrolled sobs.

\\

Later a now red eyed boy dragged the body down a flight of stairs into the basement. The body was stripped of all clothes sans the underwear and wrapped in a white sheet. The boy grunted as he dragged the body down. This was perhaps his least favorite activity and he made a mental note to invest in a garbage shoot.

"This would be so much easier if I could use magic"

But that would be too good to be true, one does not just up and use magic. Much like Aura magic needs to be honed and the body matured to grow accustomed to be properly wielded. In other words despite having near limitless knowledge of magic, he's too young to use most of them. The best he could do at such a young age is sleight of hand or low level illusions.

In other words parlor tricks.

He would have to train his body 'ugh' it is a long process that is slightly aggravating at best and downright tedious at worst.

'Speaking of tedious'

It appeared that the sheet covering the body was snagged by a loose nail in the floor board "ah what now?" he tugged but with his weak form he couldn't budge it.

With another hard tug the body finally broke free but he underestimated his strength and was sent sprawling on the ground. The worst part was that the 170 pound body landed on top of his small form effectively trapping him.

"DAMMIT! Okay calm down Jaune-OSCAR I meant Oscar" he let out a long groan of frustration before crawling out from under the body.

Once out he looked in the basement until his eyes landed on the incinerator, already burning "at least I had the foresight to turn it on beforehand"

It wasn't very far from the stairs but his five year old body was already tired. He glared at the corpse

There's no way I can carry it all the way up there. I'm too tired'

*Growl*

'And Hungry'

He glanced between the body and incinerator for a few dreary moments before muttering some words and glaring at the body as if willing it suddenly levitate….which it did.

"What the deuce?"

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth he easily guided the body towards the incinerator. The panel slid forward and the body was placed on the slab which then moved back inside.

He stared at the incinerator for a long while before he smiled widely "cool~"

'What's wrong with me' he shook his head.

\

Soul transfer; an ancient, high level and forbidden spell that actually transfers the soul of the castor into another. Of all the spells used to prolong life, soul transfer is considered to be the least favorable method with the least payoff. There are actually spells for immortality or prolonged youth, he'd already performed one many years ago. However those are not an option, he simply did not have the power he once did.

Soul transfer just happens to be the only spell he could do at this time to extend his life, though he wouldn't consider it extending his life so much as restarting it. By transferring your soul into another being you assume that person's life.

In this case he is assuming Jaune Arc's life.

What usually happens is that when he transfers his soul the recipients soul goes into his other body (which is usually seconds away from death) so they can die peacefully. It isn't the most moral thing to do especially since it's the reason why he always chooses an orphaned child no one would miss but it's all for the greater good.

Jaune was supposed to be another orphan no one missed, his family was massacred by the creatures of Grimm before his very eyes and his village was razed in flames. Something happened though and the boy's soul wasn't transferred to the old body

It stayed.

"…I always wondered if two souls could actually share a body without destroying each other" the boy mused as he ate a grilled cheese sandwich and chocolate milk.

The answer was no, two souls can't share a body, that's the reason why Jaune's consciousness isn't gone, its' still there and the only reason why he could even tell was because of the conflicting memories. The longer he waited the more its influence grew.

In layman's terms The Wizard is Jaune Arc and Jaune Arc is the Wizard.

Actually the latter might be prudent since it's what he was leaning to. He didn't feel like he was in another body, more like he felt that someone dumped several lifetimes worth of memories in Jaune Arc's brain.

He finished his meal and swallowed 'maybe it's for the best'

He looked to the sky "I guess I'll be going as Jaune Arc now"

It wasn't so bad now that he thought about it Jaune's goal although simple and idealistic coincides with what Oscar wanted. The boy had a substantial amount of Aura reserved, though unrefined but that is the least and could be remedied with training. The most obvious advantage Jaune had was his apparent affinity for magic.

That is perhaps one of the key differences between Magic and Aura. Everyone's Aura can be unlocked, it is after all a representation of their soul and everyone on Remnant has a soul except the Grimm of course. Magic on the other hand can only be wielded by someone who has the aptitude for it. Luckily there are ways of finding out if a person has that aptitude.

Jaune Arc may have the largest Oscar has seen yet, in fact he had the potential to become as powerful as Oscar if he was given the training. Now it was guaranteed he would become a powerful wizard with all of Oscar's knowledge and experience firmly rooted in his being.

'Maybe this time I can finish what I started'

With those final thoughts he went to take a bath.

\\6 months later\\

It's been six months, not enough time to properly learn how to fight but enough time to know the limitations on the level of spells he could perform. Thankfully he could perform battle magic so he's not useless in a fight but there is a reliance on Dust. A problem because his stocks are limited and he's too young to be buying them in the first place.

Child safety and all that.

But now that he can use magic early that won't have to be a problem, however he will have to relocate. This safehouse was designed specifically for him to spend his childhood years preparing his body to house magic. He did it in six months, now he'll have learn how to fight which he has another safehouse located on the island of Patch.

Actually he had four but since he's in Valean territory the one on Patch is the closest one. Clad in knee length shorts sneakers and a hoodie he filled a messenger bag with essentials before heading off. He stopped once his eyes landed on something familiar yet foreign. In the corner of the room a sheathed sword laid. He approached the weapon harmlessly placed next to the nightstand and picked it up.

He inspected the weapon which was almost as tall as he was "Crocea Mors"

The once legendary sword belonging to the Arcs, he's known it by another name from another time. The reason why Oscar even bothered to take it was because it is one of the legendary swords of old. Though simple in design the steel was nigh indestructible as is the shield. Back in Oscar's time when the sword belonged to a King, it was said to have been blessed by a high ranked wizard so the blade will never dull even if left unattended.

This sword's last user was Jaune Arc's father Jonah Arc and Jaune hadn't really paid attention to it while he was training. He drew the sword and like the legends say, the sword looked as polished and sharp as if it was new. He sheathed the sword and began to ponder about what to do about it. This wasn't the first time he came across a legendary weapon with magical properties.

He had a storage safehouse for them where he would choose to wield at a later date "but I already made a choice."

He strapped the weapon over his back 'it only makes sense for Jaune Arc to use the Arc ancestral weapon.'

He turned into a hallway of doors all with a different plaque "alright let's see, ah Vale" he stood before the door and opened it only to lock it again "stupid rain."

After getting his umbrella and pulling up the hoodie he went through the door and into the storm. While it looked like he went through a door he actually came through a brick wall in a dark corner which opened like a door. The rain was falling pretty hard and Jaune wondered if he should have come another time.

'No better I get this over with, I don't plan on doing this a second time'

He made sure to keep his head down, a lot of unsavory types live on this side of the Kingdom, the so-called rats of society Faunus and human alike. He looked around and in a way he was thankful for the rain. The streets were empty as the water beat down like the longest drumroll in history.

'Well almost empty'

Across the street Jaune spied what looked like a person huddled under the meager building in front for shelter with nothing but a newspaper held over their head. Jaune felt a pang of pity from his position but soldiered on, sometimes things happen, he couldn't help everyone.

His trek lead him to a Dust shop almost on the other side of Vale 'From Dust Till Dawn' a modest Dust store not at all affiliated with the SDC. The reason for this was because he was the one supplying the store with Dust. It was one of a few ventures he started 50 years ago along with his partner before leaving the management of the store and several other businesses to said partner while he tried to quell the Faunus wars.

While he didn't succeed he at least managed to help get them out of Menagerie but that is a story for another time. He was pleasantly surprised to see that not only was his little company still active it was actually standing up to giants like the SDC or maybe it isn't perceived as a threat. Either way it's a lucky break, he didn't like the SDC not the Schnees but the fact that their Dust comes from what basically amounts to slave labor is appalling to him.

He was tempted on multiple occasions to break them out but it would result in more problems. As much as he hated it, it was a necessary evil. Without Dust to supply Hunters they wouldn't be able to defend the kingdoms from the Grimm. Worse since everyone practically depended on the stuff and the ignorant masses don't care where the Dust comes from.

He shook his head of the depressing thoughts before casting an illusion spell on himself and entered 'by the gods'

It was him, his old partner, he had gotten frail and weak. His hair was in the final stages of greying and balding but he could recognize him anywhere. A smile graced his lips, it's so nice to see a familiar face after all this time, even if he currently didn't look like himself. If he knew the man was alive he would have made himself look like his old form so they could talk but as it stood he was there to conduct business.

\\

"Well that was productive" Jaune smiled as he exited the store.

His old friend was doing good for himself, very professional and strong despite his age. He wouldn't expect any less from him. The Dust should be delivered to an address in Patch which he will then pick up and deliver to his safehouse personally.

It went so well not even the rain could bring his mood down in fact Jaune was humming a tune has he walked down the wet street. He spied a small ice-cream shop and thought 'why not' he could go for some sweet, his 6 year old brain practically demanded it. So it was that Jaune exited the parlor ten minutes later with five drums of Neapolitan ice-cream.

He went down his usual route until he came across a familiar sight which managed to dampen his mood a little. It was the homeless person he saw earlier from across the street only this time he was close enough to see them clearly. He spared a glance at the person as he passed and the sight made him stop in his tracks. He didn't even cover up the fact that he was staring, the sight was so unnatural he didn't think he had ever seen it before.

The girl was small and probably as young as he was, she was dirty, wet and he could smell her even with the rain. Her skin was pale making the dirt that much more pronounced she had black hair but she held her head down so he couldn't see her face.

..wait

His eyes went to the bag of ice-cream he held

*Growl*

That sound confirmed what he suspected and so Jaune sighed and steeled himself as he approached her.

The girl shifted and Jaune saw her head slowly went up to reveal dull emerald eyes. Jaune felt a pang of sympathy in his heart at the sight, the boy had never seen an actual orphan before and he very much wanted to help her. What stopped him was Oscar's experience with this particular situation.

Jaune looked around and frowned, no one was on the street and he doubted anyone would even bat an eye towards the girl. He didn't doubt orphans like her were common probably mostly Faunus but this girl is certainly no Faunus.

His gaze turned to the girl who was looking at him in silent confusion 'well this is awkward'

He coughed "um, hi there" he nervously greeted.

She gave him a once over and Jaune realized that he'd just been standing there with an umbrella over his head while she only had a soaked newspaper to shelter her from the rain. He went closer and offered her shelter, the umbrella was designed for adults and he was short enough for it to cover two people.

"Better?"

"…." The girl didn't reply but slowly nodded taking the newspaper from her head.

"My name is Jaune Arc"

"…"

"What's yours?"

Her eyes trailed to the Ice-cream he held and just seemed to stare and he could actually see a bit of drool, or it could just be the rain. Her eyes went to his but she remained silent. The silence permeated between them only the sound of rain drops hitting the street and umbrella sounded.

*Growl*

Both of them blinked and the girl seemed to stare at his ice-cream again almost longingly "are you hungry?"

*Growl*

"I thought so" he looked at the girl and swallowed "I have a lot of food at my house"

Her eyes snapped to his wide, confused and hopeful.

'What am I doing?'

Oscar didn't pick up strays, not anymore, they would usually slow him down and the last time he picked up a stray he ended up regretting it...immensely. But he wasn't Oscar not anymore, he was Jaune Arc a boy who was raised to see the best in people and to do right by them. Not because it would suite his goal in the future but because it is the right thing to do.

He held out his hand towards her "come on I'll share some of my ice-cream"

The girl looked flabbergasted; she glanced between his hand and his face before tentatively taking it. Jaune pulled her up but had to step back, she was a few inches taller than him which made for an awkward walk since he was the one holding the umbrella. That is until she took it from him, Jaune looked up to her, she returned the stare before silently urging him to lead the way.

They made it into the familiar alley and stood before a brick wall much to the girl's confusion. Jaune turned to her with a small grin and chuckled nervously "heh, heh, uh listen I'm going to do something and its going to look really weird so please don't freak out."

Her response was to stare at him in confusion "do you promise not to freak out?"

She nodded.

"Okay here goes" he mumbled something under his breath and traced a rectangle over the brick wall.

There was an actual outline before the wall opened like a door "follow me" he said completely ignorant of the girl's shocked expression.

The girl looked back and forth to see if anyone was looking before slowly edging her way inside. The brick door closed behind her.

"So what's your name?" Jaune spoke as he walked into a hallway.

The girl didn't follow at first, too shocked to comprehend what just happened. She eventually did walk when he stopped and gave her answer

"It's Neo"

\

The Apprentice

Emerald eyes opened but the first thing she picked up was the scent. She blinked, cardboard never felt this soft before and the streets never smelled so good.

*Growl*

The sound of her stomach growling finally made her realize a few things. First of all she wasn't on the streets anymore, she was in a house and she wasn't lying on cardboard or cold concrete but a bed that might as well be clouds.

How did she end up there?

The memories started flooding in, she was approached by a boy who offered her a place to stay out of the rain. She accepted and he led her to his house through a secret door hidden as a brick wall. Well that certainly made more sense than what he told her it was.

She scoffed 'like magic was real.'

She may be young but she wasn't naïve and there is no way she would be fooled by some kid three years her junior. She humored him though, he did offer her a place to stay, Oum knows why but who was she to question the decision of some rich kid.

The best she could do was enjoy it until his parents come home and kick her out.

She slowly sat up and stretched while releasing a silent yawn. She didn't know what time it was but considering that the sun was peeking through the blinds it was safe to say it was morning.

Morning…

Soon the smell of whatever that was cooking wafted into her nostrils and her stomach alerted her to its presence. She kicked the covers away and proceeded to the bathroom for a shower. Her shower came fully stocked with everything a girl would want to maintain herself, most notably were the hair care products.

There was a portable step for her to look in the mirror which she will get to in a moment but first she turned on the shower head and felt the temperature. Warm, as it always is but she couldn't help but check. Last night he assured her that there will always be warm water, food and clothing.

She didn't believe him, especially considering he lived alone but how could she dispute all that she had seen so far. She remembered a time when she regularly bathe, it was a long time ago but she could remember. Her eyes surveyed the numerous collections of soap, shampoos, conditioners and dental products. Judging by the look they were the good stuff not any of the cheap brands.

How could he afford it? Wait how could he not? He was living in a mansion for Oum's sake. The better question is how did he manage to get them in the room overnight? She certainly didn't see all this stuff there last night.

And neither was that.

She approached the pile of neatly folded clothes and took the note attached to them which read

I didn't know what you wanted to wear so I just picked something that would fit you. I also didn't know what brand of soap or hair care products you wanted so I got one of everything.

P.S. There are more clothes in the closet.

Signed Jaune Arc

Jaune Arc…wait did he do this? She was under the impression his butler or maid did it...or maybe they did and he's just taking credit. Taking a look at the clothes she decided the latter was more truthful.

After the shower and subsequent washing of her hair Neo went downstairs wearing a black dress and shoes. She had a troubled expression, it didn't take a genius to know what a girl can wear but how did he choose it in such a way that it was actually decent to wear?

How did he know what she liked?

His maid maybe?

The black haired girl walked in the kitchen to see breakfast already made and the boy in question eating. Neo looked around the room expecting to see someone else but he was the only one in the room.

"No one else is here" she looked to him "I wasn't lying when I said I lived alone" her eyes trailed to the breakfast then back to him. Jaune rolled his eyes "yes I made breakfast by myself, it was really hard and I would like it if it was eaten while it's hot"

Neo blinked before complying hesitantly "don't worry its edible" to prove his point he bit into the bacon.

Neo was still hesitant, until her stomach growled again. She silently sat down and took a bite of the food. Jaune paused to observe her reaction and was quite pleased once she started eating like the starved little girl she was.

"See I told you" he smiled.

Neo tossed him a glare but predictably said nothing and Jaune sat back to observe her. Neo was so caught up with the food she didn't notice him staring until she was almost finished. She tilted her head as if asking 'what?'

"You don't really talk much do you?"

She shook her head

"Can you speak?"

She swallowed and drank some of the milk "I can"

Jaune's eyebrow quirked up until now he honestly thought she was mute "why didn't you say something before?"

She shrugged picking at the remainder of her food.

"Did you think a mute girl would have a better chance of staying than a normal girl?"

This caused her to look at him in surprise and it only grew once she saw how sharp his eyes had become. She didn't think a kid could ever have eyes like those, it was a little disconcerting.

"I'm going to ask you a question and I want you to answer it honestly. Can you do that?"

Neo could only nod. She wasn't even sure she was hearing a child anymore.

"What is it you're going to do after this?"

"Huh?"

"I know you don't plan on staying here for the rest of your life. Though you can if you want to" he added "but I'm sure you must have some dream or something to aspire to be in the future, right?"

Neo stared at him long and hard before looking down to glare at the plate. She didn't have any long term plans, hell she didn't even think she would have been alive long enough.

Jaune kept silent as she pondered "I guess you wouldn't have an answer right now since you're, you know, so young but as for me" he leaned on the table and interlaced his fingers "I want to save this world."

"…what?"

"Have you ever wondered why Remnant is the way it is?" he asked mysteriously.

Neo shook her head "not really."

"Oh, well never mind then" he rubbed the back of his head and left the table "I'll be in the third door on the right of the hallway if you need me. Don't open any of the other doors and if you can't help yourself, make sure you bring a 'key' with you" he gestured to one of the five keys hung up on the wall.

'What was I thinking? She's too young to wonder about the philosophical questions of the world. Great now she'll think I'm weird.'

Neo watched the boy go with a questioning glance "what was that all about?"

\\\

Neo found herself wandering around the mansion utterly bored. Throughout the entire walk she noted the absence of…well anyone. For all intents and purposes there was no one else in the mansion. Yet at the same time it looked clean, like it was being cleaned regularly.

The mansion itself was old, like really old in fact Neo felt like she was in a different time period. So far the area she'd been in was fairly modern like something she could see in a family setting but this part of the mansion was ancient.

Not for the first time she wondered if she was in the same place.

She also noted that not all the doors were unlocked even though she used the key to try and open it. Eventually she came to a closed door with the words library written on a gold plaque. Neo wasn't one to read but she was bored enough to look anywhere that was not an oddly clean yet creepy hallway.

She tried the door but it didn't budge 'why did I even try?' she glanced at the key and figured why not.

To her surprise there was a click and she could literally hear the mechanisms echo in the hallway very slowly, too slowly. It actually took five minutes before the door opened by itself to reveal the largest most extravagant library she has ever seen. The room actually looked a lot larger than the hallway- how was that even possible?

\\\

Sweat rolled down his face as he glared at his opponent. In his hands he held a three pronged knife in his hand, the other one was currently on the ground as his free hand clutched his side where a bit of blood seeped through.

"I remember this being a lot easier" he grunted "stupid doll."

The golem didn't respond, it had deactivated the moment Jaune's Aura was low enough to not protect him from damage.

Jaune sighed "I guess it's not your fault" he lamented and groaned to pick up the other sai.

He exited the door and limped down the hallway to the medical room to get some healing salve.

'That was an utter disaster'

Jaune found that there is nothing more exasperating than to find that you have overestimated yourself. In his case he overestimated how his prowess in battle would go in his current form, even with some muscle memory and his abnormally large Aura reserves (for a child) he didn't last long against the combat golem.

He may have jumped the gun in his decision but in his defense he wasn't as weak as a normal boy. He already spent a number of months refining his Aura control and he was fairly competent in a fight but-yeah if he were older that spar would have gone a lot more in his favor.

The scent of sterility hit his nostrils as he entered the makeshift infirmary and headed straight for the medicine cabinet.

"Okay, healing salve, healing salve, healing…" he trailed off and looked up only to immediate groan in frustration and exasperation "of course they'd be up there" he sighed.

After getting a small chair to stand up on he opened the clear cabinet filled with several bottles of red liquid. Jaune took it and climbed down and went to a table. He lifted his shirt to see the cut he received, it was hardly fatal but it still stung, especially since his Aura was too low and basic healing magic was beyond him.

Luckily he had other archaic means of healing injuries.

Case in point, he drank the potion and watched as it healed almost instantly.

"Ah~ magic"

Well not magic but he might be the only one on Remnant who knew how to use Remnant's natural resources to make those things. Most if not all of Remnant's modern healing technology revolves around Dust.

For a moment he wondered just what they would do if all the Dust was suddenly gone.

Jaune shook his head "I guess I'm not going to be training anytime soon" he mused "I wonder what Neo is up to"

\\

Neo has never been inside a library before but even she could tell that this was no ordinary library. Actually it was downright weird to say the least. Much like the hallways before the place was huge, old and if it weren't for the fact that it was oddly clean she would've thought the place was haunted.

Actually that would explain that the place is in fact haunted.

How else could she explain why every single candle in the room was lit, including the ones on the chandelier near the ceiling? The incredibly high ceiling with a painting she couldn't describe etched into the stonework. Even after ten whole minutes of staring she couldn't find the words to describe it, so she left it alone to explore.

Which brings her to the other weird part about the library – the books. Now granted that it's an old looking library she anticipated old books but she never expected this. As she looked in the book she came to an aggravated conclusion about it.

Blank

The pages in the book were blank as was all the other random books she skimmed through. Not that she would've understood what was written since all the titles were in a completely foreign language. What started as boredom turned into something of a mission which was to find a book with actual words in it.

After all there could be no way all the books in the library were blank, right? What would be the point of having them there in the first place?

"Argh" she tossed the book away

"Problems?"

Neo whirled around "no I was just…" she trailed off upon closer inspection of him "what happened?"

Jaune looked at himself, he really should have cleaned up but once he knew where she was he just had to make sure she didn't look at something she isn't supposed to.

"Just a training accident"

Neo blinked "training?"

"Yeah"

"Like to be a Huntsman?" she clarified.

'Not really' he thought.

"Yes" he answered slowly but paused "would you like to join me?"

Neo thought it over, if she had training she could be a Huntress 'I would never have to rely on people again'

"Sure" she tried to sound nonchalant.

Jaune found it amusing how she feigned lack of interest when it's clear she would love to do it. He could have called her out on it but won't look a gift horse in the mouth since this would benefit him as well as her.

"Great" he exclaimed "I'll get cleaned up and we can start later" he turned to leave.

"Wait"

"Yes?"

"How come these books don't have any words in them?" she held up a book and flip through the page to find them blank.

Jaune chuckled "that's because you need a library pass."

She stared blankly at him.

Jaune sighed and fished out a necklace with a tag from….somewhere and gave it to her "wear this and the words will appear."

Neo looked at the necklace skeptically before putting it on.

'She really has trust issues. Not that they are unfounded.'

He watched as she looked on the previously blank pages and her expression turned to shock as words began filling them.

She flipped through the pages then looked at him "how did you do that!" she said in awe.

Jaune smirked "magic" he did an over exaggerated wave with both hands.

The girl was not amused "magic isn't real."

This time Jaune frowned "just because you've never seen something before doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

At this she put down the book "then prove it."

Blue eyes narrowed at emerald and he abruptly turned "follow me"

\

They ended up in a long hallway of doors, the same one they came through when he brought her to his mansion. Now she was curious what he wanted to show her to prove magic existed.

"What is the weather like outside?" he asked.

She paused, the last she checked "it's sunny, why?" he stopped at a door and she noticed the plaque marked 'Atlas'

"Well you might want to wear these" he handed her a coat two gloves and a pair of black boots.

She raised an eyebrow but complied and soon they were both in clothes for the winter…in summer.

"Why are we dressed like this?"

"Because Atlas' warmest temperature is 21 degrees" he answered before using a key to unlock the door.

Neo couldn't quite contain the gasp that escaped her mouth once he opened the door.

Snow

It was snowing on the other side of the door he stepped aside as she approached closer with mouth agape. She reached her hand out to catch a falling snowflake, it melted against her gloved hand.

"It's real" she smiled widely and turned to Jaune "its real snow!" she shouted to his amusement but she didn't notice.

Jaune watched as the skeptical 9 year old who is older than him run out into the pile of snow and begin to play. Jaune leaned against the door frame to watch her romp as if it was the first time she had ever seen snow.

He frowned 'considering where she's been it wouldn't be farfetched'

He waited a few more minutes content to just watch her but then pushed off through the door. Jaune heard the door shut behind him and so did Neo who looked in his direction the smile still on her face. She scrambled to her feet to look at the snow angel she made in the snow.

"Are you finished playing?" he gave her an amused look.

Suddenly Neo's action dawned on her and she blushed furiously "y-yes"

She was supposed to be the older one here so why is it that he's so mature?

"Then I can show you around Atlas" he spoke walking off.

Neo followed "Atlas?"

"Yes, why do you think it's snowing even though Patch is still in the later part of summer?"

That's a good question actually. She took the time to look around and sure enough she saw buildings flying the Atlas flags, military men walked the streets and a whole lot of grey. Neo has never been to Atlas before but she's seen enough TV to know what an Atlesian looks like and this is definitely Atlesian.

So they were in Atlas.

"H-how?"

Jaune gave her a triumphant smirk "I told you before, it's magic" another phantasmal wave that managed to irritate her more than anything.

Jaune suppressed a laugh when she puffed her cheeks and looked away. They walked for another few minutes with Neo taking in the sights until they came upon a building. She didn't even notice when they stopped or how they even got there.

"Where are we?"

"I thought you might be hungry and this place serves a great hot chocolate."

A few minutes later they were seated at a table, the coffee house was warm, smelled of chestnuts and had an elegant flair to it. They both ordered hot chocolates and cake. Neo took the time from observing her surrounding to observing the boy across from her whose eyes had a distant look as he watched the cars pass by through the window.

Her eyes suddenly drifted to her surroundings there were a few people looking their way and whispering while giggling. Neo pouted because she was confused but chose to ignore them and bite into the delicious cake.

Jaune also noticed the whispers but wasn't really bothered by it. There were a few couples in the place and considering he was the one who lead her here it looked like they were on a date. To anyone with a heart seeing two kids not even old enough to know what a date is in a date-like setting would be cute, adorable even.

His musings were interrupted when Neo finally spoke "are you going to finish that?"

He looked at her staring at his cake, as a gentleman he would have just pushed it towards her but since he was a six year old with a notorious sweet tooth he pulled it closer

"Mine"

"But you didn't even eat any yet" she tried to swipe it but Jaune held it up and dragged his tongue across it "eww" she retracted her hands as if burned "you're gross"

Jaune laughed as he got up, now sure she wouldn't be able to eat his cake while he went to buy another one for his 'date.'

Neo didn't bother looking at him, her eyes trailed to the snowfall. Her gaze was interrupted when a plate was set down, she looked down to see not one but two slices of different cakes.

Neo looked to him "I bought the chocolate but the nice people gave me strawberry for free"

Neo went to dig in but paused to look at him "um, t-thanks"

"No problem just tell me anything else you need"

She paused at this and actually put down her spork "why?"

"Hmm?"

"Why are doing this for me?"

Well Jaune certainly expected this question sooner or later "would you believe me if I said it was because it's the right thing to do?" her expression told him the answer "you don't trust people easily do you?"

Neo looked down and took a bite from the cake then frowned, even the chocolate-y goodness didn't taste as good as before.

"That's a good thing" he assured and she met his gaze "you should never trust strangers easily. You never know what they could be planning."

"What are you planning?"

"I want to save Remnant" he said seriously.

There it was again, the child was gone.

"How?"

Jaune looked around "by destroying the enemy of man and Faunus-kind."

Everyone knows the enemy of mankind is the Grimm so that means "you want to be a Huntsman?" she tilted her head.

Jaune smiled "I don't have to be a Huntsman to do that."

"Then how are you going to fight the Grimm?"

Jaune chuckled "I didn't say I wanted to destroy the Grimm, although that's the end result of my mission."

Neo didn't fully understand what that meant but she did understand his next words "will you help me?"

She paused "what's in it for me?"

"You mean besides saving Remnant and everyone on it?"

She blinked at his bluntness but nonetheless nodded.

Jaune sighed "I can train you in combat and I'll sponsor you when you go to a combat school"

Her eyes widened "really?"

Jaune nodded "sure why not"

He could use someone on the inside anyway, although he found it a bit disappointing she didn't see the bigger picture. Then again she's 9 and being a Hunter is the only viable gateway out of the harsh life.

'Hopefully she'll come around in the future. Until then I'll enjoy the peace with my cute new apprentice'

\

Neo-Politan

Cerulean eyes stared at the taller girl before him a number of emotions ran through his expression namely the ones of shock, confusion but the most prevalent was anger.

"What did you do?" he spoke his voice harsh.

In the three years that they had been living together Neo had never seen him this mad before.

'You deserve it'

'You messed up'

She squeezed her eyes shut in a vain attempt to quiet them.

They were right though, she messed up royally, he trusted her and she took advantage of it and now here they were.

She opened her mouth to talk but no words came out

'Silly girl you can't talk that was part of the deal remember?'

"Neo?"

She tried to speak again but nothing came out and then realization dawned on him "you can't speak can you."

She nodded.

Jaune released an aggravated sigh and leveled a glare at her "it's your own fault you know? This" he gestured to her "all of it, you brought on yourself" he stated coldly.

Jaune hadn't realized how cold he was until he saw tears rolling down her eyes. She covered her face before collapsing on the ground with constant shaking gasps. Jaune cursed under his breath before enveloping her in a tight, reassuring hug.

"I'm sorry, it's not your fault"

She shook her head and looked at him through tear soaked eyes. Neo mouthed some words but to no avail. Still Jaune understood what she tried to convey

"I understand" he sighed Neo didn't stop sobbing.

Jaune looked down at the girl who had become something of a close friend to him he would even go as far to say she was like one of his seven sisters. He was lying, it wasn't her fault, it was his. He should've known just telling her not to touch that book wouldn't be enough. He should've placed a ward on it.

But he trusted her, they've been living under the same roof for years now. He thought she would understand, after everything she'd seen that when he said not to do something she would follow. But she didn't he didn't know what exactly possessed her to read that accursed book but it didn't matter the damage was done.

'Dammit Neo what were you thinking!?'

The sobbing girl he embraced thought the same thing as well.

\

At first she couldn't believe it the first time and even after months of living with him still couldn't believe it. The very notion made her scoffed but the evidence had been shoved in her face, sometimes literally, over and over and over again. The first time she saw it, she dismissed it, the second time she saw it she was too overwhelmed to notice it but there was no denying it now.

Magic is really a thing and Jaune despite his age was a master magician trapped in a child's body….literally!

Of course that revelation hadn't sit well with Neo, not at all she was nine years old and street smart while he was clearly a six year old boy yet it explained so much about him at the time. Why he always seemed so much mature, why he was smart and why it felt like he was the one taking care of her.

During that time he wasn't forthcoming with his past or circumstances, not that she cared and he only seemed willing to share if only she was interested. Eventually her naïve disinterest gave way to curiosity and she broached the subject of just what he wanted to accomplish. Yes she remembered, it was around the time she finally accepted magic as a thing.

He gave her a brief synopsis of what the world once was and should be. He spared her any details, though they would have just flown over her head considering his story was presented through a memory projector.

Neo's then eight year old mind was blown and she immediately wanted to learn. Unfortunately magic wasn't like Aura or Semblance and being a magician was clearly different than being a Hunter. She just didn't have the talent for magic and that hurt but she persevered.

She trained along with Jaune who had the edge because of his knowledge and prior conditioning. Neo had never thought to train while she was on the streets, the only thing that mattered was surviving. It took her weeks to fall into the same routine as Jaune and even then he was ahead of her.

Neo wasn't bothered by it though since she knew she would eventually catch up, it was still years before she would be eligible to enroll in a combat school. Fast forward three years later and she attempted to enroll in Signal. It was at that time she realized the reality of her situation, Neo failed her examination.

She simply wasn't strong enough despite training so hard over the years, despite trying her best it just wasn't good enough and she failed to make the cut. Once they reached home Jaune gave her some space and she drowned her sorrows in her room with her favorite comfort food, ice-cream.

Neapolitan ice-cream.

That was where it all started, with that stupid ice-cream brand.

She got the idea in a moment of self reflection that she'd never be able to go into a combat school at this rate. Signal wasn't possible now and she couldn't wait another year. Signal wasn't the only combat school available to her, just the closest and Sanctum wasn't starting enrollment for another week.

She still had time but there was no way she would be able to get good enough in combat within a one week time frame. No...there was actually another way but Jaune forbade her from even going near that place let alone using one of its books.

In the end Neo decided to do it despite what her friend told her about the consequences.

Deep within the library in a cordoned off section laid a book Jaune once told her about a book that actually granted people powers but at a cost. Well whatever the cost she was willing to pay, as long as it wasn't her soul or something.

It was a stupid decision in hindsight but she was desperate. She didn't do backbreaking training for three years just to give up now. She had to become a Huntress, Neo can't see herself doing anything else. Jaune's already got his affairs in order, he knows what he wants and for her there was no turning back.

Getting the book wasn't hard, she was disinterested in the library and Jaune gave her full access back when she was interested in learning magic. She brought it to her room where Jaune was expecting her to be. She didn't know what to expect, the book itself was old, with leather bindings in a language she couldn't understand.

That didn't stop her though, she undid the bindings and opened the book and a huge gust of wind blew through the room out of nowhere. Neo looked down at the book, she's familiar enough with the general weirdness of things like this to not freak out and drop it.

What do you desire?

Those were the words that suddenly appeared on the book page. She didn't speak she got the nearest pen and wrote her answer.

"I want to be stronger"

What are you willing to sacrifice?

That made her pause, exactly what was she willing to sacrifice for strength? Then she remembered the years before Jaune found her. The constant running, the scavenging, the worry that she wouldn't live through the cold, cruel nights. It was with those thoughts that she wrote her answer.

"Everything"

After she wrote that word she dropped the book when something sharp pierced through her Aura and drew blood, the book hit the nightstand where her half melted ice-cream sat and the bucket fell on top of the open pages mixing with the blood. Both the blood and the ice-cream soaked into the pages.

The book floated before her and the words slowly formed in a mixture of red, brown, pink and white.

Contract accepted ;)

Neo's eyes widened at the smiley face but she could say nothing as her vision became engulfed in white.

She woke up to the sound of banging on her door before Jaune came in her eyes glanced at the vanity and she saw firsthand the results of her action.

\

That was how Jaune found her, he sensed the spellwork happening and dropped what he was doing to go towards the other occupant of the house. He knew that spell though he wouldn't call it that, it was more of a sick joke and seeing what it did to Neo only confirmed that notion.

The book was made a long time ago, back when magic was more prevalent and one could actually communicate with other-worldly beings: spirits, demons and even gods. Not even he was sure about the origins of the book but knew of its properties. The book would use the powers of the gods to grant the desires of whoever opened its pages.

But with every wish the user would have to sacrifice something. It would vary depending on the desire but it would be something precious to the user. Upon discovering the book Oscar had tried to contact the source of its power to negotiate better terms of sacrifice so he would be able to rid the world of Grimm.

He learned two things that day, the first was the book's power was limited so long as the scope is narrowed to affect only him. The second thing he learned was that the spirit inside the book was malevolent, it took pleasure in watching whatever poor soul suffer when it takes something from them.

The thing is when it takes something from a user it leaves something like an imprint on their minds. What he learned was that anyone who uses the book would eventually lead a path to self destruction while bringing as many people down with them as they can.

Once her silent sobs stopped Jaune loosened his embrace "Neo" she slowly looked into his eyes and Jaune sighed "look everything's going to be alright"

She looked at him hopefully and he didn't need to hear her voice to know what she was asking. He almost looked away when he spoke

"You won't be able to go back to normal. Believe me I've tried"

He's tried to destroy the book but the magic was too strong and he may still have use for it. May the gods help him when he is ever desperate enough to use that book.

Wait

He momentarily let go of Neo to get the book "something's wrong" he flipped through the pages.

He couldn't feel it.

He would always be able to sense the spirit inhabiting the book but he couldn't feel anything.

'If it's not in the book then…' his thoughts trailed off and he slowly turned to the girl wiping away the tears.

"Neo, what did you ask from the book?" he questioned warily.

Neo blinked her now mismatched eyes were white-pink, she blinked and now they were pink-brown. Her head cocked to the side and a coy smirk spread across her face. A second later 'Neo' slammed into the wall with a very angry Jaune grabbing 'her' collar.

"Get out of her body…now! She's not yours to take demon!"

She simply raised an eyebrow before mouthing a questioning 'oh?'

The next thing Jaune knew she pushed him on his back and straddled him while pinning his arms to the floor. Her smile grew at seeing his bewildered expression and how could he not be, Neo was never that good. She mouthed some words which earned her a confused look, 'Neo' rolled her eyes and mouthed the words again her previous amusement gone.

'Can you hear me now?'

"Yes" Jaune answered tersely.

'Good, now then first of all don't blame me for this girl's action. She was the one who sought my book, she was the one who wrote her desire and what she would be willing to sacrifice.'

"I don't see how she would sacrifice her voice and her appearance."

'She desired to be stronger and would sacrifice anything for her strength. Since she wasn't specific with either I chose what to take and how to fulfill her desire. I took her voice and as for her appearance; it was unfortunate she spilled ice-cream on the pages and mixed it with her blood.'

She looked thoughtful before eyeing the mirror.

'Although I must say it didn't turn out too badly, I would even call this new look an improvement. Pink and brown definitely suites her more than black.'

Jaune agreed but there was no way he would admit that so he scoffed at her making her redirect her attention to him again. She leaned down closer to his face until their noses were almost touching. Jaune's cheeks turned slightly red from the personal contact, Neo wasn't an ugly girl and the spirit knew it.

'Stupid hormones, aren't I too young to be interested in girls at this stage in my life!?' he mentally screamed but maintained the façade.

'Come now Jaune admit it, you think I look fabulous.'

Ignoring her words Jaune spoke "why are you in Neo's body anyway? That's not how you usually do things."

At this her expression turned serious and she came off of him to look in the vanity mirror.

'It's been a very long time since someone has opened my book, a lot has changed and I saw through the girl's eyes just how much this world has changed.'

Jaune was surprised at her somber expression "weren't you keeping track of world events through your magic?"

'That's just it I haven't, the magic all of it is gone'

"What do you mean gone? Sure there aren't many persons born with the talent for magic but it's still there."

'Yes it's there in the very few people born with it but as for everything else there is none. Something, someone is draining the world of its magic and you and I both know who it is.'

Jaune was floored, he knew she would have to be siphoning magic to keep summoning her pets to Remnant but he always assumed…..he would never think she would be draining magic from Remnant itself to do this. His thoughts were paused when she spun around to glare at him.

'I never realized this world was so deprived of magic. I wasn't even able to properly grant the girl her desire. Transferring into her body was not only the last act I could do with how limited the magic was. Part of it was because it was the only thing I could think of to grant her desire and the other reason…'

She approached Jaune and looked down at him before kneeling much to his shock.

'I wish to pledge my services to you. From the girl's memories I can only figure that this was all caused by the Witch.'

The shock at her declaration melted from his face "you know about her?"

'Of course I do, back then magic was flowing so freely I could monitor the outside world. You both caused quite the stir if I remembered it right, hey is it true that you two-'

"Don't even go there" Jaune interrupted with a scowl.

'Of course I didn't think of it back then but what she's doing now I can't let it go. I don't care about her vendetta against humanity but no one; nothing can mess with the natural order and get away with it. Jaune Arc you want to kill the Witch, I will help you achieve your goal.'

There was a pause as Jaune mulled over her words "well that's all well and good but I think Neo deserves to have a say in all this, it is her body, her life after all"

'Then I should leave you two to talk'

At this Neo blinked and her eyes shifted to white-brown 'Jaune?'

"Yeah I can hear you. Did you hear that conversation?"

She nodded 'yeah'

"What do you want to do? I mean I know the whole reason you did this was to try a different combat school..." he trailed off.

Her expression became sad 'I-I know and I don't want to go anymore' she bit back the tears 'everyone else worked their butts off to enroll just as much as is did, maybe even more. Even if I did get in it wouldn't be because of my own work I just took a shortcut. I don't deserve to be there.'

Jaune nodded in understanding "then you'll help me?" she nodded "it would be dangerous and I won't lie, it might not yield any results."

Neo shook her head 'it doesn't matter just-just promise me one thing'

"Anything" he said without thinking and almost fell over when she enveloped him in a tight hug.

'Promise me, no matter what you'll never leave me.'

Neo was oblivious to the stunned boy who could only numbly reply "o-okay then"

\\

Neo was nervous

She stood before an Ursa alone, well not alone Jaune was around..somewhere. It was suggested that she test out her supposed new found strength and both she and Jaune wanted to spar. The spirit who dubbed itself Politan wouldn't have any of that and wanted a challenge since it was her first fight and it was her body too.

So they came up with the idea of fighting Grimm instead which in hindsight was a very dumb, very dangerous idea. Before all this Neo could barely fight a Beowolf and now she's supposed to kill an Ursa!?

'Oh for the love of- would you calm down we can kill this thing without much effort.'

'We can? I can?'

'Isn't strength what you desired?'

'Well yeah but-'

'Then why isn't it dead yet? You have the power to kill it so get to it. Just do what comes naturally.'

'What comes naturally' she repeated before staring at the Ursa who began charging at her.

On the sidelines within the confines of a cloaking spell Jaune watched with worry as Neo's stance became lax, almost casual. She held her rapier off the side as the Ursa charged and once it opened its mouth to feast on her petite body she acted.

With grace he's never seen in her before Neo flipped over the Ursa performing a corkscrew and used the momentum to chop off its head. She landed in a crouch and stood, she looked over the vanishing corpse of the Beowolf and thought one thing.

'That's it?'

'That's it~'

Jaune de-cloaked himself and approached her "wow that was…wow" he had to hand it to her at his current level he wouldn't be able to beat an Ursa without magic.

'Now what?'

"Now, we plan our first move" he said sagely.

To Be Continued

Author's Notes: Bet none of you were expecting that were you. I've always wondered about Neo's appearance, sure some people chalked it up to her dying her hair but changing her eyes? Neo might just be the weirdest looking character in RWBY. I mean three color themes instead of the standard one? Monty must have been smoking a joint when he created her.

I'll admit, this story is kind of a parody to all the different characterization of Neo in other stories and also the general consensus that she's OP. So the most logical explanation for all that? Obviously she's an orphaned girl who made a deal with an evil spirit OP powers and became possessed by it.