Y/N exhaled in frustration when the villagers told him what happened.
Y/N: And here I thought Grimm were bad. But no, you would rather have people who are barely considered adults, forbidden from entering the walls.
Guard: W-well, yes.
Y/N: And the only time you opened the gate to let them in. And this is after they killed a Grimm that was attacking you, and after a girl in red gave you a berating speech.
Guard: Yes...
Y/N: And let me guess, they just walked away in the pouring rain.
Guard: ...
Y/N: I thought so. Someone initiates an attack, I show who did it, yet anyone from Beacon gets blamed.
Guard: Y-you revealed them?
Y/N: I am The Shadow Rose, or did no one even listen.
Y/N stood up from his chair and exited the barracks. Shadows surrounded him and he teleported outside of the walls.
Y/N: You people don't deserve the kindness my Rose gives you.
Y/N exhaled as he calmed himself down. He closed his eyes and sensed the Aura in Ruby's ring. He then vanished into the ground as the sky echoed with thunder.
Elsewhere
Ruby was looking at a map turning it different directions.
Ruby: So the next town is... uh-huh... uh-huh... We're lost.
Jaune: We're not lost. The next town is Shion. My family used to visit it all the time.
Ruby: Oh yeah. Don't you have, like, four sisters?
Jaune: Uh, seven.
Neo: Holy shit... Seven?!
Nora: You know, that actually explains a lot.
Jaune: Wait, what do you mean?
Vernde: Shion huh? I think I been there before.
Ren: Really?
Vernde: Yeah, I think that was the place that had a guy wearing a large hat and had a pair of maracas.
Neo: A large hat and maracas?
Vernde: Yeah, and he spoke in a weird language...
Jaune: Oh yeah, I remember that guy. I think his name was, Lopez La Pesado?
Nora: Lopez La Pesado..? Man what a mouthful.
Ruby: Well maybe we can... Oh no...
Jaune looked up from the map. Everyone's eyes widen and jaws drop. In front of them was a desolated village. The sky was gray and two columns of smoke rose into the air. A gazebo had a broken tower and lampposts were askew from the ground. At least one dead body was seen on the side of the road approaching the town. They all ran to the town entrance and looked around.
Vernde: What happened here?
Neo: We should check for survivors.
Ren: Over here!
The others rushed to where Ren was leading them. On the ground, sitting propped against a broken building wall is a young man in armor. He breathed heavily and held his hand against a bleeding wound in his abdomen. Ren dropped by his side and puts his hand on his shoulder.
Vernde: Huntsman, what happened? Who killed all these people?
Huntsman: *cough* Bandits. The whole tribe... Then, with all the panic...
The Huntsman didn't finish and coughed repeatedly.
Ren: Grimm.
Ren stood up and walked a few paces away, placing his hands atop his head. Ruby, Jaune, and Nora step away to confer.
Ruby: Alright, we can get him to the next village and try to find a doctor there!
Jaune: Yeah. Ren and I can take turns carrying him there.
Nora: I don't know if he'll make it.
Jaune: He will. He has to.
Vernde and Neo stood up and walked away from the Huntsman.
Ruby: If we get going now, our chances will be better. I can run ahead and look for help!
Vernde: It would be pointless to waste your energy.
Ruby, Jaune, Nora, and Ren turned and saw the Huntsman had already passed.
Neo: We should keep moving.
Nora: Shouldn't we bury him?
Vernde shook his head as he walked away with Neo close behind.
Ren: We should go. It's not safe here.
Nora: Ren...
Nora and Ren followed Vernde and Neo. Ruby put her hand on Jaune's arm. He was looking stressed and sad to the silver eyed girl.
Ruby: It'll be okay.
Jaune: I'm just tired of losing everything.
Ren stopped and looked at something on the ground, his eyes widening. A cloven hoofprint is impressed into the ground. Nora comes up to his side. She saw the same mark and her eyes also widen in recognition. The two of them silently make eye contact.
Ren: *whisper* we can't go back.
Nora: *whisper* I know...
Later that night
???: *echo* Jaune!
A sound of a sword being drawn echoed throughout the darkness.
???: *echo* Jaune! Jaune!
Ruby opened her eyes slowly and breathed slowly, letting her eyelids drift shut. Her eyes open wide when, from nearby, she hears the same voice, speaking calmly. It sounded so familiar to her.
???: Jaune.
Ruby sat up and looked around. There were little will-o-the-wisps floating around, looking very similar to the white circles in her dream. The campfire was still burning but had died down. Ren and Nora were sleeping while their weapons are once again at their sides. Neo was propped up against a tree covered by Vernde's Alpha Beowolf cloak, and Vernde was wide awake writing in a notebook. Jaune's sleeping bag, however, was empty.
Ruby: Vernde? Where's Jaune?
Vernde didn't answer as he pointed towards the trees next to Jaune's sleeping bag. Ruby got up and walked to the trees and the voice got louder.
???: Alright, Jaune, just like we practiced. Follow these instructions.
Two of the words become louder and echoed like in Ruby's dreams, making it sound like the voice was saying "Follow me".
Ruby walked toward the voice. She took a moment to play with one of the wisps as she looks around, uncertain. Moving forward, she spots something and her mouth falls open. Gazing with concern, Ruby moves next to a tree and watched from there.
A slight distance in front of Ruby, but facing away, Jaune draws his sword. He posed with it and the shield, before dropping his shoulders and turning to his right. His Scroll is set up on a stump. Ruby's eyes widened as she saw Pyrrha on the Scroll.
Pyrrha: Alright, Jaune, just like we practiced. Follow these instructions. Shield up.
Jaune lifted his shield so that only his eyes up are not protected.
Pyrrha: Keep your grip tight.
Jaune tightens his hand on Crocea Mors.
Pyrrha: Don't forget to keep your front foot forward.
Jaune didn't move and awaited the next set of instructions.
Pyrrha: Ready? Go.
Jaune swung his sword in the air again and again after Pyrrha's command. He swung the blade in a circle and began to breath heavily.
Pyrrha: Okay. Now, hehe, assuming you aren't cheating, we can take a break.
Jaune stood upright and let his head fall forward a bit, closing his eyes.
Pyrrha: I know this can be frustrating...
Jaune turned toward Pyrrha's image on his Scroll.
Pyrrha: ...and it can feel like so much effort to progress such a small amount, but I want you to know that I'm proud of you. I've never met someone so determined to better themselves. You've grown so much since we started training.
The green lights of the once tall and unbroken Beacon Tower shone behind Pyrrha as she continued her message.
Pyrrha: And I know this is just the beginning. Jaune, I-I... I want you to know that I'm just happy to be a part of your life. I'll always be here for you, Jaune.
The message rewound to the beginning and started to play again.
Jaune sighed in pain before belatedly re-following the instructions. He resumed the exercise once more, Ruby watched with pained eyes before turning away.
Meanwhile
Y/N looked around the destroyed village as he finished burying the last body.
Y/N: So much death...
???2: T҉h҉e҉ ҉B҉r҉a҉n҉w҉e҉n҉ ҉T҉r҉i҉b҉e҉.҉
Y/N: The Branwen Tribe? Oh boy Raven. You really do want to piss me off. Attacking Shion because of your philosophy.
Y/N started to leave when he noticed the hoofprint in the ground. His eyes widened as he slowly backed away.
Y/N: N-no... It can't be...
Y/N quickly ran out of the town and tried to follow Ruby's ring, he was stopped by a man with green hair and a vested bar uniform.
???3: So, your one of the people I'm supposed to stop. You are very interesting Y/N L/N.
Y/N: Do you work for Salem? Are you here to kill me?
???3: Oh, I don't work for her, she is just merely a helping hand. No, I answer to only one person. And he is back in my Universe.
Y/N: A dimension hopper?
???3: No, just increasing my tactics of taking down heroes, with the help of Necrosis.
Y/N: Who are you? You seem to know who I am.
Deku: Where are my manners, my name is Izuku Midoriya. But everyone just calls me Deku.
Y/N: So, how are you going to stop me?
Deku: You see, I have been studying you for a while now.
Y/N: So, you think you have enough-
Y/N was interrupted as a knife sailed passed his cheek, barely grazing him. He touched his cheek and looked at the blood on his fingers.
Y/N: You're quick.
Deku: I had a really good and insane teacher.
Y/N cracked his neck as a red mist surrounded his arms.
Y/N: Let's see how you are in a fight.
Deku: Fear, you use it to disorient your opponents.
???4: Enough Y/N, let me handle this.
Y/N and Deku turned and saw Drake standing in front of a green portal.
Deku: Gramzon Drake Dragon.
Drake: While I do have the title, it's just Drake.
Deku: Necross is very interested in killing you.
Drake: Don't I know it. Now get going Y/N, I'll handle him.
Y/N nodded as he vanished into the shadows. Deku glared at Y/N.
Deku: You let my target get away.
Drake didn't say anything as the portal behind him closed.
Deku: So, what are you here for? To try and tell me that I shouldn't be a Villian?
Drake: No.
Drake stepped aside and Deku's eyes widened.
Deku: U-Uraraka?
Uraraka: H-hi Izuku.
Meanwhile
*Crash*
Samantha L/N gripped the counter as she tried to calm her ragged breathing.
Tai: Is everything okay in here?
Samantha looked up and saw Tai enter the kitchen.
Samantha: Yeah, I'm fine. Just my head hurting.
Samantha began to clean up the glass shards as a voice echoed in her mind.
???: You will never be free.
Tai: Are you sure?
Samantha: Yes, I just need some rest.
Samantha threw the glass shards in the trash and headed up the stairs to the room she was staying in. Unbeknownst to her, her left hand had turned black before returning back to normal.
A/N
And there we have it, sorry I haven't been working on this story as often as I did. New job, laptop still being fixed, the usual works of life. And not that I don't mind, most writers don't like it when you ask them when a story will be updated. They do have a life, just saying.
So vote, comment, and leave your support for the story.