[RWBY] RWBY Shorts

Despite being a born and bred Atlas native Dexter Watts hated the cold.

Well it wasn't very cold in Atlas right now. What with about a quarter of it being on fire.

Dexter lit up a cigar while he watched his home burn from the top of the biggest building still standing in Atlas.

His father always hated cigars and cigarettes. It made the drag of nicotine hit all the sweeter.

"Come to sit with me cousin?"

She always knew where to find him. In the entire world nobody knew him better than her.

He hopes he won't have to kill her.

"Dexter."

"Penny."

"Why?"

"You will have to be a bit more specific with your questioning dear cousin."

"Why are you burning Atlas?"

Dexter thought about if he should tell her. His father being a traitor to humanity and working with that pathetic creature Salem, and for what? A ego stroke?

He thought about Atlas and Vale being just as bad. Assassinations and lives ruined just for the tiniest advantage against Salem. People enslaved just to keep the dust flowing.

Nobody deserves to win. Not like this.

"It needed to be done."

No. Best not to tell her. Let her remain blissfully ignorant a little bit longer.

Tears well up in the corner of her eyes (a saline solution his uncle whipped up to help sell the illusion of flesh) before her eyes harden.

"Specialist Dexter Watts of the Atlas Research and Development division you are accused of grand treason and terrorism. Do not resist arrest or lethal force will be deployed."

Always the good girl. Happily following orders (well maybe not in this case).

What a shame.

Dexter stood up and dropped his cigar over the edge. One more fire wouldn't hurt.

"I do not wish to fight you cousin."

The backpack he wore (so similar and yet so different to her own) unfolded and flowed down his arms with plates of shifting metal before turning into a pair of gauntlets.

"But I will dismantle you if I must."

---

Meet Dexter Watts.

Another artificial human, but from a completely different path.

Arthur watts the mad bastard made computer code into DNA.

He wrote Dexter's genetics from the ground up making him as perfect as he could.

And then abandoned him when he fucked off to mommy salami.

Dexter has through his own genius ferreted out most of the big secrets of both factions and is disgusted with them both.

So he plans to tear both factions apart. Step 1 of his plan is to make them all lose.

He's going to try to get his hands on the sword and use it to destroy any of the other relics.

Here's a fun idea: Jaune's Semblance is sort of The Gamer, but it uses the elements of one particular game for his abilities. In this case, Resident Evil.

Jaune: "Hang on... Combine herbs... Water... And there! Healing potion!"

Pyrrha: "Thanks Jaune!"

Weiss: "W-Wait, how does that work?! Random herbs just show up and you can make a healing concoction out of it?!"

Jaune: "Pretty much!"

Ruby: "Now we need to get into this locked room!"

Jaune: "Hang on, we gotta do a puzzle!"

Weiss: "Wha-WHEN DID THAT SHOW UP?!"

Jaune: "Don't know, but if we align the shadows..."

A key pops out of nowhere.

Jaune: "There we go!"

Weiss: "Buh... Wha... WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?! There's NO WAY that could-"

Jaune unlocks the door.

Yang: "Heh. That's pretty handy, Ladykiller! You're not gonna use that to spy on me in the locker room, are you?"

Jaune: "H-Huh? N-No!"

Yang: "Shame~."

Nora: "OOH! OOH! Be careful Jaune, or you'll end up... A Jaune sandwich!"

Jaune: "Huh? How does that make sense?"

Nora: winks at the audience "Oh, it's not for you."

Weiss: frothing at the mouth

The Knight Who Defied Fate, and the Seven Who Followed Him

Jaune Arc dragged his sword through the scorched remains of Vale.

What used to be a city.
What used to be laughter.
What used to be home.

The sky overhead had split into two jagged wounds, one of searing white light, one of endless black smoke, where the Brother Gods tore at reality out of boredom, cruelty, or some combination of both.

Jaune's armor steamed from divine strikes. His Aura flickered like a dying star. Every motion was pain. But he kept walking. He had watched everyone die... It should have been him.

Ruby burned out her silver eyes stopping a wave of divine Grimm. Weiss froze protecting thousands, and shattered like glass. Blake died fighting to protect the Faunus homeland one last time. Yang went down swinging, taking a Titan with her. Ren and Nora died together, protecting their daughter. And Pyrrha, gods, Pyrrha, fell saving a village that no longer existed.

Only two had survived with him the longest:
Neo, who stepped in front of a killing blow meant for him, her eyes wide with a final, genuine emotion he had never seen before.
Cinder, who spent every drop of Maiden power she had ever stolen to pin the God of Darkness to the ground so Jaune's sword could strike true.

He held their bodies until the winds turned their ashes to nothing. He had nothing left to lose.
And a single man with nothing left to lose was the most dangerous thing in existence.

Jaune charged the gods, and their cowards of servants Salem and Ozpin. The battle lasted days. Or minutes. Time bent and twisted under their power. But in the end: Jaune Arc, the Rusty Knight, the last man on Remnant…killed the gods. The world ended with him standing alone amidst divine corpses.

A crack in the world opened behind him. Reality, exhausted, began collapsing. He closed his eyes finally thinking its over and he can be with them. He fell through ..into the Ever After.

The air of the Ever After was impossible warm. Gentle. Comforting.Which only made Jaune's trembling worse. He's thinking why he is here. He hasnt been here since so many years ago. Why cant he just die. His sword slipped from his hand as he collapsed near the Tree. He dug his fingers into the grass, panting, trying to breathe past the crushing grief.

A shadow fell over him.
"You have come far," the Blacksmith murmured, kneeling beside him. "Farther than any mortal has ever walked." Jaune coughed, blood staining the grass. "I don't… I don't want to keep going. They're all gone. Every one of them."
The Blacksmith placed a cool hand against the cracked heartplate of his armor.

"Loss defines a blade's edge. But you..."
Her eyes softened. "You have been sharpened beyond endurance." Jaune clenched his jaw.
"I couldn't save Ruby. Or Weiss. Or..."
"You saved them all," she said firmly. "Just not in the world you began in."

Seven threads materialized around her, frayed yet glowing. "These are the echoes of the ones you love, in other timelines, other endings." Jaune stared, breath trembling. "I… I died for them, didn't I?" "Yes," she said. "In every timeline but your own." A pause.

"They would do anything to change that."
The threads brightened, showing him glimpse
Ruby, broken and alone.,Weiss, sinking with Atlas.,Blake, half-Grimm, sobbing.Yang, lost in the dark.Pyrrha, collapsing in the ruins of Beacon.Neo, screaming silently over his dead body.Cinder, weeping beside his corpse on her ash throne.

The Blacksmith whispered: "Watch. Remember. And prepare." jaune states intently as the Blacksmith shows him their fate in the other timeliness.

Ruby : the broken Hero
Storm clouds swallowed Vacuo. Grimm swarmed endlessly. Ruby stumbled on shaking legs, Crescent Rose snapped in half, her silver eyes flickering weakly.

She collapsed next to a broken Huntsman statue, tears streaking through soot.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I tried… I really tried…" Shadows closed in, and a golden explosion ripped the Grimm apart. "Ruby!"

Jaune dropped beside her, one arm around her back, the other raising his shield to block a hail of claws and teeth. "Stay with me," he whispered. "I'm not letting the world take you too." Ruby sobbed into his chest. "I don't want to fight anymore…"

"Then don't," Jaune murmured. "Just let me protect you." He expanded his shield. Aura sparked violently. His heartbeat slowed.
As the light consumed the Grimm, Ruby clutched his armor and felt him fall still. Then a blindly light surged out of his body and she closed her eyes. When she opened her eyes again, she lay beneath a familiar Tree.
As she gets her bearing and starts to realize what happens, the blacksmith appears.

The Blacksmith asked softly: "Do you wish to change the ending you refused to accept?"
Ruby forced herself to her feet. "Yes."




Weiss Schnee : The Princess of a fallen kingdom.

Atlas was falling. The entire kingdom collapsed in slow motion, a tidal wave of ice, metal, fire, and smoke. Weiss struggled to summon a glyph, but Salem's corruption burned across her arm. She slipped off the edge.
Wind roared. Then, "Got you!" Jaune caught her, glyphs exploding under his boots from pure Aura as he pinned them to a piece of falling debris. He notices an escape pod in the debris they are clinging to.

"Jaune,you'll fall too!"
He smiled sadly. "Then I'll fall protecting you."
He grabbed and shoved her into the escape pod, slammed the door "Weiss, live. For all of us." He hit the eject, and as the pod escapes all she sees is jaune jumping off and slamming his sword into a Grimm Titan forced them to fall to their death. As weiss sees all this she starts to feel something and before she faints she sees in the corner of her eye a flash of gold.

Weiss awoke at the Tree, sobbing. But once she hears the offer. "I won't let him die again."

Blake Belladonna: the Beauty cursed to be a beast.

Blake crouched in the ruins of Menagerie, claws dripping Grimm ichor, half-feral. Her shadow clones wavered; her humanity flickered. A Grimm pounced. A golden blade split it in two.
"Blake," Jaune whispered, stepping toward her cautiously. "You're still in there."

"I'll hurt you," she growled, voice warping. "Stay back..." He walked up and wrapped his arms around her. "Then hurt me," he whispered. "If that's what it takes." She trembled. Claws retracted. Tears hit his armor. "Why… why save me…?" "Because you deserve to be saved."

He purged the Grimm corruption using every drop of Aura he had. He died doing it. A flash of gold and Blake woke beneath the Tree and whispered: "Please… don't take him from me again."
All the blacksmith just gives a simple nod.


Yang Xiao Long : the lost dragon

Yang wandered the void, a silent, infinite nothing. No color. No gravity. No direction.
Her aura barely flickered. Then a beacon of gold flashed beside her. "Yang! Grab my hand!" Jaune pulled her upward, muscles straining, cracks spreading through his aura like shattering glass.

"Jaune, don't, The Void. it's pulling you in!" she cried. Jaune only smiled sadly. "I know," he said. "But if you go back… the others still have a chance." The darkness swallowed him up to the chest. "JAUNE!" His eyes softened. "Tell Ruby… tell everyone… I never stopped believing."
He shoved her upward with a final burst.
Yang awoke under the Tree, fists shaking, eyes red. "No more. I'm getting him back."

Pyrrha Nikos : The Champion that finally lost.

Pyrrha wandered Beacon's ruins, guilt devouring her. She lived. Thousands didn't. She touched the cracked floor where Cinder struck her years ago. "Why… why did I survive…?" she whispered.
Footsteps. Heavy, familiar. "Pyrrha."
She turned, and broke down, collapsing into Jaune's arms. "I failed everyone," she sobbed.

"No," he whispered. "You were forced to live in a world that didn't deserve you." He held her as Grimm closed in. "I'll get you out." He waves a staff and shoved her through a relic portal he created and slammed it shut behind her. She screamed his name as the light consumed her.

At the Tree, she rose shakily. Pyrrha goes and listens to the blacksmith offer and accepts it
"This time… I protect him."

Neo : The Silent Comfort of a Knight's Sacrifice

Neo had no one left to hate. Revenge turned to loneliness. She wandered destroyed kingdoms, hunted by Salem's forces. A Grimm lunged.
A golden sword impaled it. Jaune knelt beside her, wounded badly. Neo signed shakily:
Why save me after everything? "Because you deserved better than the person I used to be," he murmured.

He carried her to safety, bleeding heavily the whole way. He died at her side. Neo awoke at the Tree, biting her lip until it bled. She chose the doorway instantly.

Cinder Fall: : the Queen of Ashes.
Cinder sat on her throne of ash. She had killed Salem. She had conquered the world. And she had never felt more empty. A lone figure staggered into her hall. Jaune. Barely standing.

"Come to kill me?Please do it!" she asked and pleades softly. "No," he said. "its to save you."

A divine Grimm Titan burst from the wall.

Cinder raised a hand, but Jaune moved first, tackling her to the ground, shielding her with his own body. "NO!" she screamed as his armor cracked. He died whispering her name.
She woke sobbing at the Tree. "…I want to change," she whispered. "Please."
The Blacksmith opened the doorway.

"They walk because you crawled." Back in the Ever After, Jaune trembled. They died for me… in every timeline?" The Blacksmith nodded. "You inspire sacrifice. And now, sacrifice inspires return." Seven portals pulsed behind her.

"They have chosen to walk backward through fate." Jaune swallowed. "What… what do they want?" The Blacksmith touched his heartplate.
"You." A long pause. "And a world where you live."

The portals burst open in a circle around him.
Ruby stumbled out first, eyes widening. Her voice cracked:"…Jaune?"Weiss covered her mouth, tears spilling instantly. "He's alive…"
Blake froze, hands shaking, as if afraid he'd vanish. Yang whispered, "Holy… you look like you fought God." Jaune forced a sad smile, while coughing up abit of blood.
"I did."

Pyrrha fell to her knees, hand over her heart.
"Fate brought me back to you…" Neo ran to him, hugging his leg, refusing to let go. Cinder stared at him, amber eyes trembling. "You… you died in my arms…"Jaune looked at them all, breath trembling.

"You shouldn't be here." Ruby stepped forward, determination blazing. "We're here because you never gave up on us." Pyrrha nodded. "Now it's our turn." Yang cracked her knuckles. "We're saving you whether you like it or not."

Neo nodded sharply. Cinder whispered, voice soft as ash: "This time… you live."
Jaune swallowed hard. "…All of you came back… for me?" Ruby smiled through tears.
"No, Jaune. We came back with you." After that The Blacksmith lifted her hammer. Each world followed by a clanging of metal on metal, "The past awaits, Rewrite it.Together."

As she says this, a blast of light appears from the anvil where she was hitting. It moved as if it was dancing to unheard music. It slowly shrunk down with each movement until it got to the size of a person. It then formed a golden portal.
The golden portal opened, leading anyone willing to go, back in time.

Jaune stepped forward, surrounded by seven women who had walked through hell to reach him.

It would surprise many to know that Cardin has a few things in common with Qrow.

Both are fans of piano bars, both are allergic to rhubarb, and both of them have always active semblances.

Cardins isn't quite as metaphysical as probabilities manipulation to negative outcomes.

Cardins semblance is called Combustion and is the reason he always wears his armor.

Rather than for defending him the armor is actually one giant shock absorber.

---

Cardin hates being weak. He'd strained and trained and done everything he could to not need his semblance.

He hated his semblance. Since the moment he unlocked his aura ist all any of his instructors talked about or focused on.

He wouldn't need to train his semblance would make him great, who needs tactics or teammates when you're a walking bomb?

Nobody saw cardin they just saw Combustion.

So he saved up some money, quite a bit of it actually, from any allowance or odd jobs he could find, even sold some of his stuff.

He then commissioned some crazy engineer in patch he heard about on a message board to make his armor.

It's gonna be a bitch getting this thing repaired if it ever breaks since he heard whiterosewarrior passed away.

But right now the armor didn't matter, since he was about to have to take it off.

This thing that ambushed his team was strong. Too strong. There was something wrong with it.

It had at one point been a beringal. No mistaking that ugly monkey. The extra four arms and spider jaw were new. So were the webs and whatever the fuck that green stuff leaking from its body was.

His team was already down, and wasn't that worrying that it wasn't killing them, wrapped in cocoons of silk stronger than steel (he knows. He tried breaking it.).

He couldn't beat this thing. Not with his mace.

So cardin laid his palm on the bird on the front of his breastplate and channeled aura in a very specific pattern.

The armor fell apart like a house of cards in a windstorm and for the first time in a long time combustion could sing.

It didn't take long to adjust, hate it or not combustion was a part of him.

The softest of steps, practically just the tips of his toes touching the soil was enough to trigger explosions that launched him at the beast at speeds comparable to a sports car.

But cardin didn't slam into it, instead he flowed around it the smallest taps to the ground and trees surrounding them enough to keep him circling the monster.

Cardin almost looked delicate dealing with the beast. Small touches and pokes, no longer than a second, no more force than a baby would use.

Each touch blasting chunks out of the beast like it had been hit by artillery fire.

They'd fought the beast for thirty minutes before this.

Cardin killed it in four.

With combustion.

Something bitter settled in his gut.

Next part for my the knight defiled fate.

The Ever After had no sun, yet the clearing around the Tree glowed with a soft, perpetual gold. Seven figures stood in a loose circle around Jaune, some cautious, some defiant, some too overwhelmed to speak. None of them trusted each other. Not Yet! Even though they know who each other are its still not their friend, their families. They dont have their memories of the highs and the lows.

The Blacksmith had given them rest, food, repaired clothes and armor shaped from their memories. But nothing she did could soften the tension coiling between the group like a hidden tripwire. "Alright…" Jaune exhaled. "If we're going back in time together, we need to train. Sync. Talk."

Ruby nodded quickly, forcing optimism into her tired voice. "Y-yeah. Totally. Team… meeting?"
Yang muttered under her breath, "Feels more like babysitting a powder keg." Her eyes slid toward Cinder.

Cinder didn't react outwardly, only crossing her arms and keeping a careful distance from the circle. The Maiden fire coiled faintly around her fingers, restrained but ready. Neo simply stood beside Jaune like a silent shadow, refusing to let anyone close.

Weiss took a step back from Neo. Blake took a step back from Cinder. Pyrrha stood perfectly still, scanning every movement like a battlefield.
Jaune could feel it all.

"Then let's start with this," he said quietly.
"Everyone needs to tell the truth about their timeline. Everything. So we know who we're trusting." "Or who we're not," Blake muttered.
A flicker of pain crossed Cinder's eyes.

Ruby inhaled, trembling.
"i'll start first....My timeline… Vacuo fell first. Then the Grimm came nonstop. I thought...I lost everyone. I burned out my Silver Eyes saving people who didn't even make it five minutes after." Yang flinched.

"I fought until Crescent Rose snapped. And then I…" Ruby swallowed. "I gave up. Jaune didn't."
She wiped her cheeks. "He died protecting me after I couldn't protect anyone."

Her gaze slid to Cinder and Neo, steel-hard, her newly recovered eyes glowly with a sliverly flame. "I don't forget. But I'm here to change the ending. That means everyone works together."

Cinder looked away.
"My Atlas collapsed," Weiss said softly.
"Piece by piece. Salem's corruption spread through the central tower like frostbite. My arm..." She touched the faint scar the Blacksmith had left as a reminder.

"I couldn't fight anymore. Jaune caught me as the city fell. Then he forced me into an escape pod and… ngh…" She forced herself to breathe.
"I woke up alive only because he wasn't."
Blake's ears flattened. Yang put a hand on Weiss' shoulder. Neo looked down, unreadable.
Cinder stared at the ground.

"My Menagerie was consumed by Grimm," Blake whispered, voice warping with remembered pain. "Adam released something he didn't understand. I tried to save everyone. Failed. I became… wrong. Corrupted." Her hands shook, claws flickering in and out.

"I attacked anyone who came near me. Anyone… except him." She looked directly at Jaune.
"You let me hurt you until I remembered I was human." Jaune frowned, aching. "I'm sorry, Blake." "No," she said quietly.
"You sacrifice your life to saved what was left of me. Even after I couldn't save myself."
Blake starts to go a little teary-eyed and gives a little smile. "Thank you"
Weiss and Yang exchanged a guilty glance.
Cinder looked shaken.

Yang crossed her arms tightly.
"My timeline started normal. Chaos, fighting, same old. Then… something happened to the Ever After door. I got dragged into the Void."
She shivered. "You don't feel. You don't see. You don't exist. I was stuck there forever." Her voice cracked.
"Jaune pulled me out. But he couldn't pull himself back."

Ruby touched her arm.
Yang didn't move, jaw tight.


"I lived," Pyrrha whispered.
"For years after Beacon. I lived with knowing I shouldn't have. That Jaune died for me at Haven. That so many others died because I wasn't there to stop it." No one breathed.

"I lost myself in guilt. I dont know how but he brought me back just long enough to save me again." Her eyes softened painfully when they found Jaune. "I won't fail you a third time."
Ruby looked down. Weiss squeezed Jaune's arm. Cinder looked nauseous.

Neo stepped forward, tapping Jaune's arm softly. When he nodded, she used her Semblance to project simple words in the air:
"I had no one left. No revenge. No purpose."
A second line shimmered beside it.
"He was the only one who didn't try to kill me.
Even after everything." Neo's throat bobbed with a silent swallow.
"I won't hurt Ruby. Or Weiss.Or Blake.Or Pyrrha.
Or Yang."

Then the last line appeared.
"Not if it means losing him again."
Ruby stared, stunned. Yang narrowed her eyes.
Blake looked wary but unsure. Weiss looked relieved but skeptical. Cinder watched Neo for a long, unreadable moment.

When it was her turn, Cinder didn't speak at first.
The Maiden fire crackled faintly behind her eyes.
She looked at Jaune. Then away. Then back.
"My timeline…" She swallowed hard.
"I killed Salem. Burned the world down. Took everything. Won everything."
Her voice broke. "And it meant nothing."

Everyone froze. Cinder continued, staring at her hands as if seeing old blood. "The throne of ash was cold. And I was alone. I thought… I thought that was what I deserved." She exhaled shakily.
"Then he walked into my throne room. Not to punish me. Not to kill me. But to save me."
Ruby stiffened. Weiss clenched her jaw.
Blake's hand hovered near Gambol Shroud.
Cinder's voice fell to a whisper. "He died protecting me instead of letting a monster die alone."

She looked up, eyes wet,not with fire, but grief.
"That is why I am here. Not to hurt you."
She hesitated. "But because… I want to change who I become. So i ca be better for you."
She looks at jaune. Silence. Heavy. Tense. Fragile.

Then Pyrrha, of all people—spoke first.
"We don't have to forgive each other today," she said gently. "But we do have to fight together."
Ruby nodded.Yang huffed. "I'll tolerate her. For now." Cinder dipped her head, accepting.
Neo blinked and signed something quick.
Jaune translated: "She says, 'Fine. Just don't betray us.'"

Cinder nodded again, slower.
Weiss was the one who finally asked:
"Jaune… what was different in your timeline?"
Jaune inhaled… then let out a long, exhausted sigh. "Amber," he said. Cinder flinched. "In your worlds… she survived Beacon long enough for the Fall of Beacon to happen normally."

Blake and Yang nodded slowly. Jaune shook his head. "In mine… she died two weeks earlier, before i went to beacon." Everyone froze.
Ruby: "H-how?" Jaune's expression darkened.
"She was found behind the school. Badly injured. No one knew who attacked her. She passed that night."

Cinder's eyes widened in horror—real horror.
"I… I didn't…? Beacon was supposed to happen much later... I wasn't even strong enough then..."
"I know," Jaune said quietly.
"In my timeline, Amber wasn't killed by you."

Cinder staggered back as if struck. Pyrrha looked ill. Weiss covered her mouth.
Yang whispered, "Then who...?" Jaune's voice softened. "I never found out." Ruby trembled.
"And without a Maiden to take… Cinder stayed hidden. Salem moved slower. Beacon never fell. Everything changed."

Cinder looked shaken to her core. Neo's eyes narrowed, calculating.Jaune exhaled heavily.
"That's why we need training. We're not just rewriting history, we're landing in a world where the wrong person killed Amber. And if that is wrong who knows what else is wrong that i never saw."

The group shivered at the implications. Ruby lifted her chin. "Then we train. We get stronger. Together." Yang smirked faintly. "Yeah. Let's go punch destiny in the face."

Blake nodded. Weiss took a fighting stance.
Pyrrha stepped closer to Jaune, warm and steady. Neo summoned her weapon. Cinder inhaled deeply, flames settling behind her eyes.

Jaune smiled softly, brokenly, but with a spark returning. "Alright," he said, raising his sword.
"Let's begin."

Training had only just begun, but Jaune's footsteps drifted toward the Tree.
He sat on a smooth root, staring across the golden clearing with a hollow, distant expression.

Ruby noticed first. She jogged over. "Jaune? What's wrong?" One by one, the others followed, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Pyrrha, Neo, and Cinder, forming a loose half-circle around him. Their breaths steadied. Their eyes fixed on him.
Jaune exhaled slowly. "There's more I need to tell you. The Blacksmith explained the things all your timelines share… the constants. The crossroads."

He glanced at each of them. "Beacon always falls. Ozpin and Salem's war always spirals out of control. And…" His voice cracked. "…I always die protecting one—or all—of you."

Ruby flinched. Weiss swallowed. Blake's ears wilted. Yang's fists tightened. Pyrrha lowered her gaze. Neo grabbed Jaune's cloak and didn't let go. Cinder looked away, pain sharp and quiet.

"And then there's the big difference," Jaune continued, voice low. "Amber." Blake's ears twitched. Cinder's hands curled slightly.
Ruby asked softly, "What happened in your timeline?" Jaune leaned forward, elbows on his knees.

"In your worlds… Amber survived Beacon long enough for her powers to matter. In mine… she didn't." Cinder's head snapped up, shocked.

"In my timeline," Jaune said steadily, "Amber was found behind Beacon. Behind the gardens. Critical condition. No witnesses. No suspects."
Weiss covered her mouth.

"It was on the news," Jaune added. "Every channel. 'Transfer Student Amber Gravely Injured Behind Beacon Grounds.' No explanation. Just panic." He looked at Cinder.
"She died that night. From her injuries." Cinder staggered, whispering, "I… didn't do it? I wasn't even strong enough then, i was only able to defeat her by ambushing her alone. With emerald and mercury "

"I know," Jaune said gently. "Whatever killed her… wasn't you." The group fell silent. "And without a Maiden target," he continued, "what happened next was different for all of us. Beacon didn't fall right away. It… rotted."

The word hung heavy. "Ozpin broke," Jaune said. "The staff cracked under pressure, and some were replaced . Missions got worse. Grimm waves got bolder. Students left. Some came back in boxes."

Yang flinched. Blake's tail drooped.
Pyrrha held a shaking breath.
"But…" Jaune's eyes softened. "It wasn't all bad."
They blinked, startled. "In those ruins," Jaune continued, "some of the most beautiful things in my world happened."

He turned toward Neo and Cinder. "Because both of you ended up at Beacon." Neo's eyes widened, trembling. Cinder stared, confused. Ruby whispered, "You mean… they defected?"

"Not at first," Jaune said.
"They were lost. Hurt. Running." He pointed gently at Neo. "You arrived with Roman."
Neo froze, then shook her head vigorously, desperate to know more. Jaune's voice softened.

"He survived longer than anyone thought possible. Protected you when Vale started hunting anyone tied to Cinder's old operations. When Grimm were unleashed across the city, Roman drew them away, so you could escape."
Neo's lip trembled. A soundless sob escaped her. "He didn't make it," Jaune finished. "He died saving you."

Yang muttered, "Guess Torchwick wasn't all bad." Blake nodded sadly. Ruby blinked rapidly, touched despite everything. Neo leaned against Jaune, shaking. "And Cinder…" Jaune continued, turning to her. "You weren't alone either. Emerald and Mercury were with you."

Cinder stiffened. "They stayed when Salem decided you were a liability. They fought her agents. Tried to carry you to safety. Mercury held off Grimm until his Aura shattered. Emerald dragged you as far as she could." Jaune paused.

"They died trying to get you away." Cinder's knees nearly buckled. "…for me?" she whispered. "Yes," Jaune said softly. "Because they believed you still had a future." The clearing fell utterly silent. Slowly, Cinder wiped tears from her eyes, the kind she'd never let anyone see.

Ruby whispered, "You weren't alone. Not even then." Weiss nodded gently. "They saw something in you." Blake murmured, "Family isn't about what you were, it's about what you choose now." Neo signed shakily: "They loved us." Cinder whispered, "…I didn't deserve them."

Jaune put a hand on her shoulder. "You can deserve this second chance." He looked at both Neo and Cinder. "When you got to Beacon… you changed. Neo barely spoke. She stole my hoodie so many times I gave up trying to get it back." Neo smirked through wet eyes.

"And you, Cinder," Jaune continued, "you were angry, scared, and lost. But you tried. Every day. You fought the darkness. When Beacon finally fell, you stayed. You fought beside us." Cinder covered her mouth again, overwhelmed.
"You… believed in me," she whispered. "I believed in who you could be," Jaune corrected gently. He looked at the whole circle again.

"So yes, Amber's death broke everything. Beacon collapsed. The world fell apart."
He smiled faintly, warmly. "But the people who survived? The people who chose each other? They created something worth fighting for." The wind shimmered gold.

Ruby stepped forward. "Then let's honor them."
Yang cracked her knuckles. "Let's punch this timeline in the teeth." Weiss nodded. "We'll build a world where they didn't have to die." Blake murmured, "Where none of us have to."
Pyrrha smiled softly. "A world where you live, Jaune." Neo wiped her tears, signing: "For them." Cinder whispered: "…For all of us."

Jaune stood, lifting his sword. "Then let's train.
We've got a future to rewrite." And for the first time, the eight of them stepped forward together, not as enemies, not as strangers, but as a team forged by tragedy, sacrifice, love, and hope.

The Ever After shimmered with golden light as the eight of them, Knight, Huntresses, Champion, Thief, and former Queen, began training for the fight that would rewrite fate itself.