I didn't put up a poll. Why? Because the thoughts of what I wanted kept swirling in my head. I kept reading things over and over again until the ideas stuck firmly.

I am going to write this fanfic.

Why? Because it wouldn't leave my head. So here it is.

Now I will delve into more backstory later, as most of you can see this is just a very extended version of the preview in chapter 21 of Theater, however, as you will see there will be changes. I have the actual plot and story in my head now. I just need to fill in the details. And I want you guys to enjoy this ride with me!

WARNING: There will be some dark thoughts in this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or anything that I will eventually reference in this story!

Bleary blue eyes open at the sound of metal clanging. Jaune Arc, age seventeen, looked around the room he was in. It was dark, dank, and very dreary. All he had was the cot he was on and a toilet and sink, but even that was terrible. The cot was made of straw and the blanket was moth ridden, barely protecting from the cold. The sink gave out terrible water that wasn't even safe enough to drink. Heck, he wasn't sure that it was clean.

It was still better than eating with hands that had touched his butt.

But that didn't matter for the moment. No, what mattered right now was his captors coming in.

Getting to his feet, Jaune prepared himself. Even with what little Aura he had, braced himself as two metallic men entered, Atlesian Knights-2000's. However, instead of the white or grey color that is usually associated with Mantle's security force, these were colored black with a stylized M on it.

"Fellas," Jaune greeted. Sure, his bravado would usually get him hurt even more but he was just so tired of their shit. He braced himself with his Aura as a fist collided with his face. One thing the blonde had figured out was that even with the small amount of Aura he could recover during this torture, it was enough to put up more than a decent shield.

So when the metallic hand collided with it, he may have felt the impact but it was the robot that had a dented fist. However, because he flared it around his face the second one got his stomach making him lose his focus. Spittle came out of his mouth, as he was forced onto his knees and a third punch connected to his face this time.

The beating went on for a few minutes before his bruised body was dragged out of the cell and tossed onto the ground. "Jaune!" a feminine voice called out. His unbruised eye looked above him as someone gently grabbed his head. It was a woman who looked so eerily like his former partner Pyrrha. Red hair, green eyes, soft worried eyes.

"No, that's wrong. Pyrrha lost those," Jaune thought to himself. "I hadn't noticed until my expulsion but Pyrrha lost those caring eyes."

This one was Atalanta Nikos, the younger twin sister of Pyrrha Nikos. And much to her own words, the forgotten child. The two had met during the last few days at Beacon. When his dream fell apart, she had supported him in any way she can.

Namely, because she was so baffled as to why her loving sister would betray his trust and affection for his bully instead. Yes, Pyrrha had suddenly had fallen in love with Cardin Winchester, much to the bafflement of those around them. That was a big blow to his pride and joy. Jaune thought that they cared for one another. It seemed like it was only one-sided on his end.

That was when he met Atlanta. She was there to visit for the Vytal festival under her parents' request. Safe to say she was not happy, both at her sister's actions and her being there only to be ignored again. So for those last few days, it was Jaune, Atlanta, Nora and Ren that hung out. Pyrrha was too busy with Cardin to even join them in their farewell activities for Jaune.

Then of course on the Bullhead back home had been hijacked by some people. They didn't say who they were but that they were on a detour. The said detour took them into the Land of Darkness and the whole ordeal started.

A man with a mustache that can only that could only be matched by Prof. Port had stood before them. He didn't give his name but did say what would happen.

They were test subjects to a very dark experiment. Those who resist would get tortured even more than those who didn't. Of course, those who were Hunters were beaten down as an example. Legs broken, as was their arms, it was to make sure the people would not fight back.

Jaune didn't do that for a single reason. Atlanta was with him. He would have shown some anger at the whole thing if he was on his own, but there was someone with him on this trip. He didn't want to risk it.

"Jaune," Atlanta said to him holding his head. Her voice bringing him back to the present.

"You shouldn't be helping me," Jaune replied as he slowly got up. "Last time you did, they beat you up even more." He gently pushed the redhead away but she refused to move.

"Jaune they can't do any worse than what they've been doing to me," Atlanta replied as she stood near him. "Thankfully they haven't done something that is….unspeakable." The redhead frowned. "I'm surprised no one had been raped for this."

"Seems like beatings, druggings and whatever else they do to us," Jaune frowned. His tired blue eyes looked around and saw that rogue robots stood at attention, guns at the ready. From what he learned, they didn't want to kill any of them. Broken and bloody yes, but not dead. However, there was no limit to what they can do to hurt them.

More clanging could be heard and Jaune looked up. From the ceiling, tiny droids dropped down, placing tiny rations and plastic bottles of water in front of them. At least these seemed cleaner than the ones that water pumped into their rooms. He took the tiny piece of bread, protein and whatever else was in that bar of nutrition.

He took a couple of bites before turning to Atlanta who had already finished her bar. Jaune held out his bar to her while drinking his water. "Take it," the blonde said. Green eyes turned to him and she frowned.

"You need to eat too," she replied. Jaune carefully placed it into her hand.

"You and I both know that I don't need that much," he replied. "I haven't needed a lot for a long time."

His mind went back to another revelation that came about in the last few weeks He finally understood why his mother and sisters treated him just out of arms reach. A single Scroll call had broken him of his delusions of family.

Saphron had told him, that after running away, his family finally felt at peace. That with his leaving, the rest of the Arcs felt happy. When asked why Saphron stated the obvious.

He was shocked to hear the disdain and dismissal in her voice. When he called his other sisters and mother, they didn't even speak to him. The Arc matriarch was the same, no words were spoken. When he tried calling his father, Jaune had felt hurt that he wasn't there to help out the situation.

It made sense as to why he was always given less food when his father wasn't there. Why they seemed to not like him and they belittled him. It also explained why he was treated more like a girl than a boy. It seemed that the women in his family did not like him.

Now he'll never get to know. Jaune was sure he would die here.

Back in reality, he felt Atlanta take his portion and gave a small smile. She began to nibble on it as she sat on the dirty floor in this prison. Jaune wished he could do more for the people here, but how could he? The actual Hunters were being beaten, what can he, a failed academy student do?

A few minutes later they were herded back into their rooms, where the next phase of their day would begin.

The would-be hero was barely able to gain any Aura from the rest he had during breakfast, nor the food. He wouldn't be able to protect himself as he did this morning. So when three of the Errants, yes he'll call them that because those things were no longer knights, entered he was given a harsh beating.

He could always feel his Aura take the first hit but immediately go into the red after. He would be on the ground as the metal men would rain down punch after punch, kick after kick onto him. They even threw him around and beat him into the ground.

He was pretty sure that he had lost a couple of teeth. Not to mention the either cracked or bruising ribs, his broken left arm, and once again swollen eye. The young man didn't even have the energy to drag himself to the cot after that.

So he laid there on the dirty stone floor, dreading the next part of the day. It only took moments before Jaune fell unconscious from the pain.

He awoke to the sound of skittering and some growling. The blonde could feel his Aura having kicked in again as it slowly started to mend itself. However, that didn't matter. The thing in his room didn't need to hurt him physically.

No, this Grimm attacked its prey mentally.

"No...please no…" Jaune begged, but like the robots, the Grimm didn't care. Having no strength, he couldn't even get up. "I hate Ansi."

"And they hate you as much as we do," a voice called out. He focused on the person standing off to the side. Standing there was none other than his older sister Saphron. She had a smirk on her face as she leaned against the wall.

"You're not real...go away…" he said. "They're not real."

"We're very much real Jaune," a second voice said. He saw Pyrrha standing there, in a pretty red dress. The one she showed off to him that she would be wearing to the dance. The one where he was originally going to go with her until all of this just threw a wrench in his plans. The love of his life was squatting, giving him a teasing view up the dress but showed nothing. "And you know it. You know how no one cares."

"Shut up," Jaune tried to block out the voice, but it was a futile effort. After all, this was all in his head.

"No one cares for the poor Vomit Boy," a third voice continued. The last one was his former best friend, Ruby Rose. The one who threw him away as soon as Pyrrha revealed her love for Cardin. The one who left him with a hurting heart.

"It's not real," Jaune repeated to himself. "It's not real." He felt someone touch his face, but he knew it wasn't happening but this was worse than the beatings.

"You will never be enough Jaune," Ruby whispered into his ear. "Never a good enough friend."

"Never a good enough lover," Pyrrha laughed as she pressed a heel into his chest.

"And never a good enough brother," Saphron grinned as she towered over him.

"Shut up…" his voice had less bite to it and his breath hitched. Even after all these days, this was his biggest fear and pain.

"You are just never enough," Ruby told him. "You'll always be a loser."

"A loner," Pyrrha continued.

"And a leftover no one wants," Saphron taunted. Jaune was panting and tears were going down his face.

"Please stop," Jaune begged. "Just stop it." He wanted to curl up into a ball, to hide away from all of this, but he was too hurt to do os.

"Why don't you just give up Jaune," Ruby told him. "You have friends."

"You don't have a chance at fucking anyone," Pyrrha laughed as her hand dragged itself against his stomach. Going closer and closer to his crotch but never get there.

"And your family has no fondness for you," Saphron mockingly cooed.

"Just give up." The three women chanted. "Give up. Give up."

The young man had cried himself to unconsciousness once more. Those three women were...used to be the closest people he had to him. To hear them repeat the greatest hits of his worst moments, it always hurt his heart. It hurt more than the beatings and the starving they did.

After all, why would food and his body matter?

Why should he care for himself, when no one else did?

Dinner was a similar affair to breakfast, just without the false bravado. Dragging himself into the middle of the prison, he sat down and waited for his food. When he didn't hear the familiar sound of Atlanta's voice, Jaune took a quick look around. He didn't spot the redhead anywhere. "Oh, that's not good," he frowned.

Getting up, he made his way to the cell he knew was hers. Looking inside, he saw her sobbing and curred up in a ball. The Errants didn't look at him as he entered. Jaune knew that he shouldn't, that it could just cause more pain for either of them, but Brothers damn it, how can he say he was aspiring to be a Hunter if he can't console one person?

Going inside, Jaune slowly grabbed Atlanta and slowly hugged her.

"This hurts," he thinks to himself as his friend hugged him back and sobbed even harder. "A girl who looks like the one who broke my heart is crying in my lap for who knows what reason? What did we do to deserve this?"

All he could think of was they were on the wrong Bullhead at the wrong time.

"I want to go home Jaune," Atlanta cried. "Even if my parents don't know I'm there, I want to go home…" He could feel her shaking in his arms. The girl who looked like the Invincible

He wanted to say the same, Jaune truly did. That he wanted to go home, but...he didn't have a place to call home. Beacon wasn't, Ansel wasn't, and he really couldn't think of a place that he can consider a safe place for him. And that made him tear up too.

"I know Atlanta, I know," Jaune whispered back.

"Well, isn't this an endearing sight," someone said from the door. Standing there was the Mustache man. He didn't even remember his name, but Jaune didn't care. This was the guy who caused all their misery. This asshole…

"Good, good. Experiment number 01145. Not only do you show good reactions to despair, but you have a good reaction to rage," the man said to his Errant next to him. "And it's fine for you to be holding on to Experiment number 10122. These last few minutes won't matter. Drag them out."

The Errants entered the room and grabbed Atlanta who started screaming as she was dragged by her hair. Jaune meanwhile was grabbed by the throat as he tried to tackle the robot.

"Let her go damn it!" he shouted at the Mustache Man.

"Once we get outside I will," the Mustache Man replied before he walked off.

Jaune meanwhile started to struggle against the metal fingers around his throat. He was losing air and quick. Blue eyes frantically looked around and saw that Atlanta was just ahead of him in the hallway still being dragged.

Before he could run out of air, he was tossed from the second-story window onto the, surprisingly, soft ground. Jaune took long, deep breaths, before quickly looking around. The Land of Darkness was exactly how it sounded.

Much like the prison that was in the lands, it was dark, dreary and dank. It was mostly dark and arid too. It was akin to a desert. It was cloudy despite the sun being out. There were far more people on that Bullhead than he had thought too. That or there were more than just the Bullhead that he and Atlanta were on.

"Shit! Atlanta!" he shouted. Jaune looked around and saw that she was freaking out. "Atlanta!" Running to her, he took her by the shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Me? Are you?" she asked. Her green eyes landed on his neck and saw the bruises.

"I'm fine. Why do you think they let us out?" The blonde looked around and saw that many people were having panic attacks, others were running away, and...some people were just sitting there already broken.

"Attention, please," the Mustache Man said and everyone looked up and saw that he was standing atop the prison...which was taller than he had expected. "Thank you for these two months of service all of you have done for me and my lady."

Murmurs broke out within the crowd, even those that were running stopped for a moment.

"And in her spectacular gratitude, she would like to give you all a speech. Beholder, Lady Salem," the Mustache Man finished. Screams of horror erupted. Joining the Mustache Man on the balcony was a woman who was in a black dress. Her skin was all white, but the black veins on her face, sclera and the red eyes.

"She looks like-" Atlanta gasped.

"-a Grimm…" Jaune whispered. The sight of her was scary, to say the least, but everyone shouting in fear or a craze.

"Silence," her voice echoed throughout the lands. "I am Salem. And as my associate Merlot said, I would like to thank you for your services." Jaune instinctively took a step in front of Atlanta, who had grabbed his arm. "For you see, these two months were all for one purpose, for one goal."

"Oh, yeah? And what is that!?" a man shouted from the crowd. He was one of the few Hunter's Jaune had seen.

"To bring forth a new species! To show the world that even in their advancements, humans and those beasts are nothing before the Grimm." Salem raised her hands. "All the things you were put through, all the pain, and torture were all for this moment."

"Jaune I'm scared," Atlanta whispered. He was too and Jaune could feel his heart hammering in his chest.

"What moment is that?" Jaune shouted. Salem's eyes snapped to him and it felt like he was going to die when she looked at him.

"Your evolution from those mortal shells," Salem grinned. "To become a new kind of Grimm." Everyone started shouting, at her even in their fear. "Behold and be born!"

As she spoke the clouds parted and the slightly bright sky darkened. Everyone looked up as they saw the fractured moon eclipse the sun.

Jaune felt his chest hurt and felt the sensation of falling. Or was he falling? Because in the next moment, he was on his knees and it felt like his insides were being torn apart. Next to him, Atlanta was screaming.

Or was it him?

He was pretty sure it was both, since his throat felt like it was on fire. His eyes were all blurry as he slowly collapsed even more. Jaune could hear some odd chanting coming from somewhere. And then the damn scuttling and growling.

Why were the Ansi here?

More and more shouting filled the air as the eclipse loomed over them.

The hallucinations reappeared once more. Ruby, Pyrrha, and Saphron all surrounding his form. Upon seeing them, Jaune felt something...break. Looking down he saw purple cracks appearing at his chest. Slowly, the began to spread.

"You are nothing," the three said in unison. Jaune grit his teeth and clenched his fists. The cracks went from his chest down to his abs, slowly wrapping around his body.

"I don't understand why mom and dad even had you," Saphron sneered. Jaune yelled in pain as the cracks covered his legs and arms now, slowly getting more and more closer to his head.

"I'm sorry, Jaune, but...I love Cardin. I never loved you," Pyrrha taunted as an illusory Cardin appeared and she draped herself on the bully's shoulders. He couldn't see it but his eyes had turned red. Next to him, Atlanta was very much the same. Flecks of white bone began to appear around his face.

"Jaune, stop talking to me," Ruby said before turning away. He couldn't feel his throat any more at this point. Jaune couldn't even think straight. Why did everything hurt? His body, his heart, his mind? Why did everything hurt!?

"You are hereby expelled Mr. Arc," a vision of Ozpin said as he remembered the day that ended his dream. His goals, his ambitions, everything came crashing down with those words. Jaune gasped as he felt something from his back.

"What the point?" Jaune thought to himself as the pain was about to overcome him. "Why try to fight? Nothing I did mattered? Maybe...maybe this is my end? There is no hope. Nothing for me? Why should I go on?"

Jaune felt himself falling deeper into his mind, as the darkness was swallowing him. There was no point in continuing, everything was hopeless after all. Especially for a nobody like him. "Why did I even think I had a chance to be a Hunter?" As he was about to be swallowed by the ever-encroaching shadows, a speck of gold shined before him.

"A Hunter?" a voice asked, sounding jovial. It sounded familiar and warm. "Why did I become a Hunter? Is that what you're asking son?"

"Dad?" Jaune thought as he stared at the golden light.

"Yeah, dad! Why did you become one?" a younger voice asked. Th-That was his voice! "Is it because you want to kill Grimm?"

"No. I don't want that Jaune. While it's part of it, killing Grimm is not what I want to do as a Hunter." The voiced sounded so sure and so bright? Didn't his father...didnot his father hate him too? Wasn't that the reason he didn't pick up the phone calls?

"I want to help create a world, one that cherishes love and peace above all else." Jaune saw the smiling image of his father, a man in his thirties at that time with short blonde hair and a beard. "Your mom and her family may think it's a stupid dream but...I want to make a world where my kids would be accepted and be happy."

"Really?" a young Jaune asked before pouting. "Mom and my sisters don't seem to like me very much." His father...Louis...was his name, smiled at him.

"They'll come to love you soon enough son," he said kissing his forehead. "Be patient with them. They don't want you going down the same path I and my family do, they love you but they are very scared for you."

"I don't remember this...why don't I remember this?" Jaune thought to himself as the golden light began to grown. "It feels so real. Dad...dad did love me."

"Now listen here Jaune my boy," an old man said to Jaune. He was even younger then, as he looked up at...Charles Arc. "Never lose hope, my child. In this world, only hope and willpower that will push us through the darkest of times. To inspire these feelings in others, that is what it means to be a Hunter."

"Gramps? I...I remember this one! I was crying and Grampa Charles told me stories about his adventures Hunters and the people he helped. It was what made me want to be a hero in the first place!"

The golden shine grew brighter.

"Who's picture is that Grandpa?" the young Jaune asked. The grey-haired man was looking at an old photo.

"This? It's my father, Karl Arc. He fought in the Great War all those years ago. He didn't want to fight but he did anyway," Charles sighed.

"Then why did he?" Jaune asked innocently.

"As stupid as it sounded, he fought to end the fighting," Charles sighed in the memory. "He wanted to make a paradise for the world alongside his associates. Sadly, his dream couldn't come true. Humans and Faunus didn't understand each other, and they still don't want to try. The same goes for humans and other humans. But...he helped all those he can. My father was a hero."

"Wow! Great-Grandpa was a hero!? I want to be one too!" Charles laughed.

"Maybe when you're older I can teach you some things?"

"That day never came because he died. But our lineage…full of heroes." The golden glow that he saw was now bright. "Damn it! I can't just lie down and not do anything! I may be turning into a Grimm but I'm not going to give up damn it! My great-grandfather, my grandfather, and my dad wouldn't give up right here. They'd fight to the end. So I'll do just that. If I'm going to die, I'm doing it on my terms!"

From the balcony above, Salem frowned. While yes the experiment was a resounding success, it was not what she expected. She wanted more people like her. Not these...humanoid Grimm. Alas, she may have to wait until another batch to try different things. After all, she had new toys to play with.

"It seems like most of them have turned my Lady," Merlot told her. "Only a few are left, while those have are inspecting their new bodies."

"That is good. I shall speak to them when they are all done. I shall show them their place as my warriors. Anywho oppose me shall be terminated and turned back into the Essence," she replied.

"Of course, my Lady." He was about to continue when Salem paused and her breath hitched. The feeling she got was something she hadn't felt in a long time. It was a pulsating energy that made her hair stand on edge and her own corrupted heart to quicken.

She could feel magic oozing off something. No, someone.

Her red eyes landed on the blonde who was shouting in pain, only for the process to stop. The large wings that had erupted from his back covered his form as a golden light shone from him. "What is happening?" Merlot asked, very confused.

Salem didn't respond. Instead, she kept watch. She was wondering what was happening with that being there, why he suddenly had magic and Aura. She wasn't the only one, the red-haired girl who was next to him was entranced by the golden light. From the wings, a scaled claw reached out and grabbed the woman's hand her cracking form was picked up by the being that stood before them.

No words were said as he suddenly jumped up and flew away at a breakneck pace. "Damn." Merlot said as he watched the two beings fly away. "They'll be dead by morning without a stabilizer. Those would have been a dragon and a chimera. I'm sorry for such failures, my Lady."

"Chase after them, I want the boy alive," Salem said a grin on her face.

"My Lady?" Merlot asked.

"I think...we may have found the one I am looking for." After all, the draconic looking kept his blue eyes. An interesting development if she did say so herself.

So that's the first chapter. I'm going to run this alongside Theater alternating chapter updates. This one is going to be a doozy of a ride and I am very much open to critique! As I said above, more backstory will be revealed as the story goes on. And I would very much appreciate some constructive feedback!