Chapter 6 [Betrayal]

Jaune walked outside at night, with no particular destination, nothing in particular on his mind.

He felt lost and scared. He could admit that, if only in the privacy of his own head. It was no different than daydreaming, for he had already seen what would happen next and many variations, but still, part of him couldn't stop what he already knew from happening again.

When you were moving forward in step with time, time did not exist, it was like the wind blowing around you.

When you were trapped in time, like he was, you couldn't help but see it as a huge wall. He wanted to smash it with his own hands and open the way to whatever lay beyond, be it heaven or hell. But he was just a man, not a hero. A miracle was asking too much.

He stared absentmindedly at the stars, lost in his own thoughts. Was there a better world beyond the stars? Something other than an eternity of war against an enemy that could not die, or was the outside the same as the inside? Darkness and death. The cold emptiness of space, denying all life.

He chuckled, mocking himself for these thoughts. Dreaming of other worlds was of little use to him. He couldn't reach them even if he put all his strength into his arms and reached out. It wasn't that simple. In the real world, few things were.

He hadn't been able to sleep. That's why he was wandering around the academy grounds at this hour.

The big day was approaching, the greatest day, the one that would undoubtedly decide the fate of the world, and as expected he couldn't calm down. Not for the world, he had stopped caring about it a long time ago, but for his friends. If only they lived to see another day, he would accept any outcome. Even his own death.

He didn't feel very attached to this bag of skin and bones anymore, anyway.

He entered the garden and knelt down in the middle, hands on his knees. Meditating. He didn't expect to be able to go back to sleep, but he had to at least try to clear his head so the night would pass quickly.

It didn't work.

Instead, he dove into the sea of ​​his memory.

Like a fool, he drowned in it.

The Battle of Beacon was over, in practical terms.

The academy was in ruins, the ruins littered with the corpses of students and teachers. He and Ruby were among the few left alive, but they were just waiting for the inevitable end. They were surrounded on all sides, and there was no longer a reason to fight, even if they could overcome it.

They had lost everything.

Jaune grabbed her shoulder. A futile gesture, more for him than for her. He felt ashamed of himself for his weakness.

"We did everything we could, and that was the worst, the last nail in the grave. What did that matter?"

They had failed, period. Positive thinking would not bring the dead back to life.

"It wasn't enough."

He wondered what kind of expression she had on her face. What expression he had, even. Any possibility would be ridiculous.

How could he encapsulate the despair, anger, frustration, and pain he felt in a single expression? He was filled to the brim with feelings, all of them bad, so his expression remained blank, as if he were already dead. And his voice was like the voices of the dead. Cold and meaningless.

They had failed, and this time for real. Ruby's power hadn't activated, for some reason. That was why they were in this situation.

"Jaune?"

"Yes?"

"I think… no, I'm sure I've fallen in love with you."

It was so sudden that he didn't know how to react. He gulped.

"I love you too."

Ruby turned around. Despite what he expected, her eyes weren't filled with tears. Her eyes were filled with power and determination, as always. As if what was around them wasn't real.

She kissed him, and Jaune did his best to return it, even though it was his first time kissing anyone. He was desperate for her.

He felt her trembling in his arms.

"Calm down," he said when she pulled away to catch her breath, then claimed her lips once more. "I'm here with you. I'm not going to abandon you. We will die, but we will die together."

"No," Ruby replied, shaking her head gently. "Nothing like that."

"I'm sorry, I... I don't understand what you mean."

She grabbed the hand holding his sword and lifted it up, the blade grazing the fabric of her dress as it rose toward her chest.

"Kill me before they get to us. Please."

"I can't. You can't ask that of me."

"I know it's unfair, but you're the only one who can do this for me. And I'm not strong enough to do it with my own hands. I'm begging you, Jaune. I don't want to die like this. I'm scared."

Jaune clenched the hilt of his sword until his knuckles turned white.

He pierced her chest through her back, easily, the blade coming out the other side, soaked in blood.

"Thank you," she said, and spat out blood. "Thank you."

With one hand behind her back, he gently lowered her to the ground. He couldn't look away from her eyes. He had been trapped, cursed.

Ruby raised a hand to his face and caressed it, not noticing the blood marks she was leaving on his cheeks, perhaps.

Dejected, Jaune lowered his head.

"Forgive me. It had to be this way. It was… our last chance."

"What do you mean?"

"Seeing your pain… I was hoping for your pain… But it was useless. I made you kill me for nothing. Kiss me. Kiss me for the last time."

[T/N: Huh...If someone can find a better way to word this please let me know.]

He did not want to.

He was afraid of that pale face and dying eyes, which seemed to say that nothing mattered and there was no hope.

He wanted to do it.

He loved her above all else and still saw the same kindness as always in her eyes, and saw her love.

Jaune kissed her.

It was a soft, chaste kiss. Just a brush of his lips against her cold lips with only the warmth of blood.

A flash of light. When her eyes snapped open, her mind caught what her heart already knew. From Ruby's eyes and mouth came that light, one that soon grew, taking on the intensity of a shooting star.

Being so close to that terrifying storm of power, he felt as if he was going to disintegrate, just like that. He felt very human and vulnerable.

When he woke up in bed relaxed, as if he had spent the entire night sleeping peacefully, Jaune rolled over, hid his head in his hands, and began to cry silently. His shoulders shook slightly, but that was all that could give him away.

When he came to, Jaune realized that the tears weren't just in his memories. They were streaming down his cheeks, and he couldn't stop them. Not that he wanted to. He was tired of keeping it all inside, well protected, so that no one could see who he really was.

The truth is, he had been foolish to think he would be able to clear his mind.

The only way to escape the future was to retreat into the past. But he had no past and no future, so relief would always be out of reach. Until it was all over, or he was over it all.

Luckily, he didn't have to find a way to distract himself on his own. Someone provided it for him.

He heard a noise in the darkness.

"Who's there?" He asked.

Before the words were out of his mouth, he regretted speaking. If it was just another sleep-deprived student out for a stroll, then that would be fine. But he couldn't be sure. If it was someone who was after him, someone who wanted him dead, then all he'd done was give away his position.

He stood up, looking around. He couldn't see badly in the darkness, his eyes had already adjusted, but he still didn't see anything or anyone. That made him more tense, not less. It had confirmed to him that there was someone out there, and that they didn't have any good intentions towards him.

He grabbed the pommel of his sword, which was strapped to his back, and unsheathed it, to prevent it from making noise as he left.

He was prepared for what awaited him.

He couldn't find a reason for Cinder or any of her minions to attack, but logic and reason were of no importance. Facts were above all else.

He advanced silently, sword in hand, like a cat.

Whoever they are, he would kill them.

When had he begun to anticipate battle, rather than fear it? He was sure it had been an important and momentous moment for him, but he no longer even knew the answer. That memory had been lost in time, like others.

Seeing what awaited him on the other side of the garden of green trees, his heart sank.

It was Ruby. She was curled up, one hand clutching her stomach. Her feet were in a bad position, and she looked like she could fall at any moment.

[T/N: F*CK!]

Jaune approached her, afraid to confirm what he already knew, not letting go of his sword. Unaware that he was armed, even.

"Ruby?" For some reason, the sound of his own voice in the stillness of the darkness sent a violent chill through him.

He took another step forward, and his legs finally gave out. He fell to one knee, panting and grunting.

Another one happened.

"I'm dreaming. I'm dreaming."

She raised her head to look at him, her face streaked with sweat, those silver eyes dark with the pain that shone in them.

And the blood.

There was blood in her mouth. She had spat out blood. And the reason she was clutching her stomach was because she was hurt, of course.

"I think I'm dying," she said thoughtfully, as if she herself believed she was dreaming.

He knelt down to her level, touched her shoulder, and squeezed it in a poor attempt to calm her down. Panic, especially, because he couldn't hide the fear he felt, nor the pain.

There was so much blood. Looking ahead, he saw that she had left a trail.

At this point, he doubted anyone could save her.

He would have to watch her die again, and unlike all the other times, this time it wouldn't be reversed by his powers before it happened. And without her, no more safety net, no more second chances.

Everything would have come to an end, the future a victim of having lost sight of the goal in his pain.

Ruby fell against him, breathing heavily. She was dying. She would die in his arms.

"Jaune… help me" from her voice, she was on the verge of tears "I don't want to die like this. Not like this. It was supposed to… make things better."

"Don't waste your strength."

"Please don't let me die like this. I beg you, Jaune."

He screamed like a dying animal, as if he were the one losing warmth and life. He wanted to call for help but the only sounds his throat produced were those howls, something that came from the depths of his soul, from the beginning, or perhaps before the beginning, when the human race was nothing more than another animal species among animals.

He may have been breathing after that, but a part of him had died. There was no doubt about it.

Tears fell.

Did he really deserve this? Over and over again, the same thing, the same pain? And the pain of waking up again, as if nothing had happened, as if it had all been a dream, until the things and people around him lost reality and became mirages and fantasies that had nothing to do with him?

"Hold on," he said, once he had calmed down a bit. "Help is on the way."

With renewed strength, she pushed him away and stood up on shaky legs.

He tripped on the blood, somehow managed to keep his balance, and ran in the opposite direction.

"Ruby!" He shouted, as he went after her " What are you doing? You have to calm down and stay still, or you could make your condition worse. Don't you understand that you could die? Ruby, don't make me…!"

She disappeared before his eyes, leaving only her signature trail of rose petals floating in the air.

No. Not missing, of course.

Her Semblance was speed, not teleportation. She was on the other side, and he trudged around the corner.

He continued running after her, he turned the corner, and nothing. No sign of her.

Was he finally losing his mind? Was that it, after all? In a sense, it was a comforting thought, but reality did not allow him to take refuge in it for too long.

He saw the blood.

With his heart in his mouth, he followed the trail of blood. He was so afraid of finding her dead. That fear was more powerful than him, too powerful.

It led him to a tool shed.

The door was ajar. He pushed it open to enter. Blindly, he searched for the light switch.

Before that, he felt something. A shift in the air. Maybe something else.

Instinctively, he lunged back, still holding his sword. Something passed where his neck had been a second before.

Upon detecting a threat, his Aura activated, shielding his body.

Lying there, he saw that the one who had attacked him was Emerald. One of Cinder's minions.

[T/N: Oh thank F*CK!]

Jaune rolled backwards, and before making a second complete turn he stood up naturally, without any intermediate steps, in a combat stance.

"Where's Ruby?"

Emerald laughed.

"Back there, dying like a mangy bitch. Don't worry, this will be quick. And then I'll let you join her. Let you look into each other's eyes as you leave this world. I'm not that cruel."

A deep growl from the back of his throat.

"And I'm not so kind as to not kill you," Jaune said, very still and very cold. Like a shard of ice.

From one moment to the next, like a flash of lightning, like two different frames instead of real movement, he sprang into action.

If Emerald had been a fraction of a second slower, and if her Aura hadn't been in the way, she would have had her head separated from her shoulders, sending her flying like a ball, before she even realized anything.

As it happened, however, she simply lost ground. She dodged his blow, circling him in the process, exchanging positions.

Jaune kicked open the shed doors.

He saw her there, lying on the ground, her dead eyes fixed on the roof of the shed. Stunned, he couldn't take his eyes off her.

He opened and closed his eyes.

She… her corpse was still there.

He felt a burst of pain in his back. By letting his guard down, his Aura had not been kept at full power, and Emerald had not hesitated to seize the opportunity. The assassin.

Jaune screamed once more. Not in pain, but in rage.

He grabbed the sword that was buried in his body, and with the other, he attacked, without moving. His sword cut through the air.

For a moment, illuminated by the fragmented moon, it seemed like just another fragment of it.

The blow sent her flying, and the sword violently separated from her torso, worsening her injuries. Jaune gritted his teeth and tried to ignore the pain. It was temporary. His Semblance had activated, and was working to heal his wounds, as always.

"You killed her."

"Yes. I'm a thief and a liar, you know. You shouldn't trust my promises."

"Then I will also go back on the promise I made you. You will die here."

He lunged at her. A little faster this time, and with a little more force. The clash of their swords sounded like the bang of a gun in the stillness of the night.

Emerald transformed one of the swords into a shotgun and shot him at point-blank range.

He didn't try to dodge or even block it with his sword. His Aura received it, and held on, of course. Now he was ready to do whatever it took.

Emerald was a slippery opponent.

He wasn't just saying this because of her Semblance, but because of her entire fighting style. She wasn't very aggressive, she just dodged around, doing flips, rolling, waiting for the opportunity to break his guard. She would tease him, poke him, in an attempt to create that opportunity.

As she had said, she was a thief and a liar. He had no doubt that she understood people well and how to take advantage of them.

But he wasn't going to fall for her dirty tricks.

He would kill her. He would kill her.

"You should have run when you had the chance," Jaune said, although talking during combat was a waste of oxygen and could very well cost you your life.

"Very funny."

It wasn't funny at all.

However, when he took one weapon from her and then the other within seconds, he found her surprised expression quite comical. But only for an instant.

The blade passed through her, revealing herself to be the illusion she was.

He noticed something wrapped around his ankle. The chain attached to one of Emerald's swords.

He tried to break it with his sword, but with one pull Emerald knocked him down and dragged him towards her, through the dirt and grass, with all her strength.

"Disgusting whore!"

Jaune grabbed the shield, unfolded it, and threw it at her, as if it were one of those discs that children played with.

She dodged it easily, moving to the side.

If anyone had gained anything from this, it was her, something to smash his face in with once she had him under her control.

He hit the chain once and twice, with the sword.

The chain snapped. Part of it remained tied to his ankle, but it was not too heavy, and at least he had freed himself, as he had hoped.

He went on the attack.

She realized he was overwhelming her. She was trying to stay strong, but it showed in the way she moved, in her eyes, everything. With each cut he inflicted, she gave herself away more and more, her strength escaping with the blood.

Jaune kicked her. His foot missed her, but the chain went behind her head. That caught Emerald by surprise.

Then another blow with his sword, and although her Aura was not broken, it was not strong enough to stop him from stabbing her in the heart.

Emerald gasped, her hands on her chest. Her hands filled to the brim with blood.

She coughed twice, and blood splashed onto his face.

Jaune didn't flinch, as if it had been a sudden rain. This time, he was sure it wasn't an illusion.

"Cinder…"

Jaune pulled it out. With that, Emerald collapsed and lay bleeding out on the ground. Though her eyes were clouded over, she didn't take her eyes off him.

He knelt down beside her.

"What's wrong? This shouldn't be anything to you. After all, you've survived until now by killing and ruining other people's lives. You've seen enough death, you should be intimately familiar with it. There's only one difference now. That you're the victim of your own decisions, as it should have been from the beginning, not others."

"You don't understand... you can't understand. I didn't keep fighting... to survive. I, I was already dead, do you understand? Inside. But Cinder gave me a purpose, a meaning to my life. You might think it's too little, but to me it's everything."

He looked up at the night sky.

"Cinder," she repeated, very slowly and carefully, as if she wanted to burn the name into her memory, or a memory she kept deep in her heart.

It did not matter.

He couldn't allow himself to feel sympathy for her, and there was no reason to. She was nothing more than a murderer. A common murderer.

"It seems that from the beginning to the end, you were the one living in an illusion. Tell me, why did you attack me? Tell me and I will at least give you a clean death."

Emerald laughed dryly. Otherwise, her response was silence.

"Whatever you want."

Jaune pierced her heart with his sword, finishing her off.

It wasn't instant death, but close. She squirmed like a bug on a stick for a few seconds, and that was it.

He left her where she was and went into the shed.

Ruby was still there, contrary to what he had expected since he learned that Emerald was his opponent. She had truly killed her.

He swallowed hard.

He approached her and knelt down.

When he tried to touch her, his hands passed through her. The image of her corpse flickered two or three times and then dissipated like fog being absorbed by the atmosphere.

In relief, Jaune burst out laughing like a maniac. It had been one of her tricks all along.

All of this made him realize something more important, he loved Ruby Rose. Not Pyrrha or Weiss, but her.

Just not entirely.

Even though they shared the same name and the same past, they were fundamentally different people, weren't they? After all, accumulated memories were what defined a person. He had fallen in love with a person who was already dead, deep down, if you looked at it objectively.

But what was it that had moved his heart?

Huddled in the shed, shivering in the impenetrable darkness, he found no answer.

In that state, he wasn't even equipped to search for her.

By the time he managed to calm down, more or less, a lot of time had passed. And from all that torment, something had remained in his head, which had crystallized into a fact that he could not change, Cinder knew everything.

The reason didn't matter, the fact was that his greatest enemy knew they were after her. They had lost their only advantage. If you could even call it an advantage, after failing so many times even with that.

Jaune started laughing like a maniac, unable to contain himself.

Yes, one way or another, they were doomed.

But seeing Ruby die again, even though it had only been an illusion, had awakened something in him. A losing battle wasn't worth fighting, but at least he didn't want to see that pain and fear on her face again. So he would fight. With everything he had, without reservation, instead of just playing along with her and the others.

Breathing in the night air, he felt a little more alive than before. More like he should be, rather than like he was.

Jaune walked out of the shed.

Emerald's corpse was still there. For a second, he had feared it was just an illusion, like Ruby's, and now that bitch was on her way to report what had happened to her leader. But no.

He had to get rid of the body before anyone saw it.

[T/N: BOO FUCKING YEAH!! My boys gonna go APE SHIT! Anyway, why don't you leave a comment, write a review for this new book, and drop some stones. If you don't know I've got a few good books I'm busy with right now so why not check them out, just go to my profile, or search for the books, Invisible-A Harry Potter FanFic, and A Gamer in Game of Thrones. Or if you want to read some advanced chapters then check out the P@treon, or the Ko-fi.]

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