Angela looked at nowhere in particular, she was still thinking about that viewing containing that boy and the Vermillion Arrow.

"Look at you, thinking like a philosopher." Smirked Binah.

Angela snapped out of it, a bit annoyed. "You yourself know better than anyone else how much this viewing can affect me."

"Of course, such atrocities that I've seen as a previous Arbitrer certainly understand the effects an utopia may give to those who wished for a better life." She said as she took a sip of her tea.

"And yet, we dare to dig deeper, to see a world that can never come for us." She finished.

She then looked at Angela. "That is human nature after all, you may not know this, but perhaps almost becoming human gave you an understanding of how some humans suddenly become unable to act rationally."

Angela nodded. "Perhaps it will indeed help me reach a more human form than I thought."

"Is your ambition suddenly manifesting itself again?" Binah smiled.

"Maybe, maybe not, I gave up on it, yet it seems like the past continues to haunt me, even when I believed I had accepted and buried it." Admitted Angela.

Roland walked up to the two as he then said. "You'll find a day where you get your answer."

"The habitants of Remnant want to go back to seeing the blonde boy being the Black Silence." He mentioned.

"I see." Sighed Angela. "If that's the case, I'd like to try an hypothesis for myself."

"You mean the one that affects the viewing based on the people in the room?" Asked Roland.

"Yes, we have a decent amount of proof to support this idea, and I'd like to see how much further it can be pushed." She said.

Angela then looked at Binah. "You're coming with us."

"Ah, I see, if she were to come with us, it is likely that they will see the Floor of Philosophy." Roland said as he put his fist into his palm.

The former Arbitrer put her cup down. "Surely you'll allow me to prepare some more tea first, no?"

"Take your time, I do expect you to appear though." Angela warned.

"As a librarian, that is my duty." She answered.

_-_

"It's good to see you, miss Angela." Ozpin greeted.

"Likewise, I assume that everyone is here to watch this reality?" Angela asked.

"Indeed, they are curious about the world you live in." Ozpin said as he looked at Ironwood. "Some are a bit more skeptical than others."

The man looked away, Winter with a notebook in hand.

"Well, it will certainly be quite eventful." Admitted Roland.

"Why do you say that?" Asked Weiss.

Roland pointed at Binah.

"According to the notes that you have given us, this can certainly turn out to be very interesting." Pyrrha admitted.

"I still can't believe I was in front of someone with such a cool name..." Ruby whispered, still thinking about the revelation that he was a Color Fixer.

"Then let's see what this boy has to offer, no? What sort of character does this boy have in that world? And does he follow his own philosophy?" Binah asked as she went inside the room.

Jaune felt a bit nervous, perhaps because they were going to see another version of him yet again.

And knowing a bit more about Roland and what he did, it certainly clashed with what he believed.

Adam grunted, begrudgingly entering the room as Sienna calmly joined with Ghira and Kali.

How Sienna got Adam to agree to this, no one knew.

Seeing everyone enter, even hearing Nora mention how the Red Mist had the same name as Blake's mom, Jaune decided to finally enter.

Words that the owner of the hotel told him really made him question what traits of him could appear.

And who those of the Charles' Office truly were.

The room started to change.

"Floor of Philosophy, where its Patron Librarian is called Sathariel..." Jaune said as he opened the door.

"Mmm, the room certainly looks different to the Floor of Philosophy." Muttered Angela.

"Still not enough information to disprove the hypothesis?" Binah added. "You don't seem like someone who would confirm certain information through the material world."

"This place..." Ghira muttered, sensing a feeling of familiarity.

"Dang, Jaune, you look good in a suit." Complimented Sun.

"Ah... thanks." He awkwardly thanked.

"Mmm... this is quite different from Agshekeloh's farm place... this is more..." Jaune commented.

"Familial, is it not?" Kali said as she put down her cup.

"M-mom?!" Blake yelled out, not expecting to see her mom be the one to appear.

"Oh my, this is surprising." Kali giggled.

Sienna sighed, in a way, she wondered for what reason her acquaintance was doing there.

And knowing who Binah was, it certainly meant trouble.

"It's quite cozy I must say, certainly a place where I would like to live in." Jaune complimented.

"Indeed, however, the boy below seems to not understand such a clean and traditional room from the looks of it." Added Kali.

"It's different from what I'd expect of a place known as the Floor of Philosophy." Jaune pointed out. "I thought it would be more convoluted."

"Complicated to understand, and very somber for its questions on life."

"That is how most people see it, but philosophy can be smaller than that, your own philosophy doesn't need to be as difficult as those of others." Kali responded.

"But if you want it to be as overbearing as you'd expect, let me ask you..."

"What is the Library to you?" She asked.

"Here we start with the questions." Roland groaned.

"You still don't like them, do you?" Binah smiled.

"It's not that I don't like them, it's more because you continue to ask the same ones." He said with a bit of annoyance.

"Opinions change over time, they are never the same, just like rivers flowing down the stream."

"My hatred against humans doesn't change at all." Adam grumbled.

Binah looked at him. "Then, is such hate constant? Do you not hate humans more than before?"

Adam took a deep breath. "You got me there, you're lucky you're a machine instead of a human."

"Human, faunus, machine, they are all inherently not so different at the core." Binah mentioned. "I think, therefore I am."

"We are all beings that can think for ourselves."

"Comparing me to disgusting humans... preposterous." Adam whispered in annoyance.

"The thought is shared, terrorist." Spat Ironwood.

"Now now, there's no need for some racial drama, I'm all for it, but I have a show I want to watch." Roman said as took popcorn out of his bucket.

Neo simply took popcorn from said bucket.

"The Library to me?" Repeated Jaune.

"Is it an evil lair where the librarians reap the lives of others?"

"A fair dungeon where both parties know what they get themselves into?"

"Or a place where you can leave behind your past?"

"The Library is... an interesting addition to the City." Responded Jaune. "All of you appear to have left behind your life, yet you continue to push forward... in this case, to help Winter gain her wish."

"A group of interest just like any other, like the Syndicates or Fixer Offices, all of you are all the same."

"But, what do you think? What does it entail to you, someone outside of this group?" Kali inquired.

"For me... it's a prison where people, be it you or I, work to regain freedom." Jaune responded.

"Is that truly what you believe in? Or are you giving me a fake answer?" Kali questioned. "In fact, I believe you are waiting for the right moment."

Jaune shrugged. "I live by my saying, one time, one meeting."

"I'll get out of here one day, be it inside a body bag, or alone, it won't matter." Jaune finished.

"That's not a reassuring thought." Shivered Jaune.

"Don't worry, I'm alive." Roland said jokingly.

"Yes, but we are exiled from the City." Mentioned Angela.

"One time, one meeting... What an interesting saying." Ozpin muttered.

"You only have one chance." Raven explained. "How interesting, it is far more true than I expected."

"I see, I believe I now know what you are looking for." Kali concluded.

"I don't know who you are, but you seem quite sure of yourself. Who are you exactly?" Jaune asked warily. "You act like you know everything."

"I am simply Sathariel, the new form that Kali took as she left behind her family." She answered.

"Leave behind my family?" Kali said with a saddened expression. "Surely it wasn't voluntarily, no?"

"A family you say?" Binah said with interest. "To have a family is to have a link that can be exploited.

"That's quite cruel to say, no?" Taiyang mentioned.

"No, she's right." Ravel agreed.

"Of course you would say that." Yang said with hatred.

"Family isn't a weakness, it's a way to push you further to try and make you stronger, as you have something you want to protect!" Retorted Ruby.

"You're... half right there, Ruby." Weiss whispered as she glanced at Winter.

"Renny, now that I think of it, isn't Winter replacing Angela?" Nora asked.

"You're right, now that you say that, we haven't truly explained the scenario of which Jaune and Winter are in that world." Ren mentioned.

"No need to mention, I can correlate the data given by the Library and the small bits of information you have given." Reassured Winter.

"Uhm, regarding something that got me interested." Neptune tried to change the topic. "Did any of the Librarians previously have a family?"

"That is irrelevant, the only relevant segment of your question related to me, who had been replaced with Miss Belladonna, and to that I say, no, any past that I knew as an arbiter or not, is no longer relevant." Binah explained.

"There's more to you that meets the eye, just being a mother doesn't make you able to understand what every kid thinks, it only works on your actual kid as far as I know." Jaune refuted.

"You must have known someone who could, someone who took care of you, I assume?" Kali inquired.

"You'd be right, but don't change the subject, just who are you?" Jaune asked again.

"I am an Arbiter of the Head, my husband worked as a Claw." Answered Kali.

"Oh, a family serving the Head? That might be a story worth telling." Roland smirked.

Binah's tea was getting cold as she thought a bit about it. "How curious, I wonder if any other Arbitrer or Claw has ended up in such a disadvantageous scenario."

"Does that mean that Blake's parents worked under the head?" Nora mentioned.

"Yes, Nora." Confirmed Ren. "But then, what would be of Blake?"

"I assume she would be replacing her mother as an Arbiter." Suspected Angela.

"If so, Baral would be replaced by Mr. Belladonna and Zena by Blake Belladonna." Suggested Binah.

"You... didn't have any relationships with the Claw, right?" Roland asked purely out of curiosity.

"It is not professional to have a workplace romance, no?" Smirked Binah.

"Keeping it a family business, ay? How cute." Mercury joked.

"... This place is nuts." Jaune said with a stupefied face.

"It hasn't been long since I have awoken from my slumber." Kali continued like nothing. "I'll be making some tea, if you want, you can stay as we continue talking, this should calm the nerves."

"Each time you bring some books, I'll invite you to a cup of tea." Kali smiled.

"... I'll consider it." Jaune said as he sighed.

"Man, it looks like I got the short end of the stick." Facepalmed Roland.

"Why do you say that?" Asked Ruby.

"It's just Binah being annoying to deal with." Roland admitted.

"Yet you continued to visit me time and time again." Binah pointed out.

"Well duh, I have a job to do." He mentioned.

"Ah, now that I think about it, I didn't really try any tea." Said Jaune.

"There's Renny's tea, but it's too bitter." Nora suggested while putting her tongue out, perhaps from remembering the taste.

"I'll make some later, I hope it will be to your liking." Kali insisted.

"Ah, I'll be looking forward to it."

"It is an acquired taste, so give it a few tries before your final verdict." Advised Kali.

The scene changed.

"You seem curious about me." Said Kali with a giggle.

"Take a seat, I will pour you a cup of tea."

"I appreciate it, though I'm not used to such occasions." Jaune commented.

"You'll grow accustomed to it, normalcy comes from the repetition of the same acts after all." Kali assured.

"Let me ask you again, what is the Library like to you?" She asked again.

"That question again... you're looking to see what my true motive is, no?" Spoke Jaune.

"Not at all, I simply believe that answers change all the time, perhaps you'll give me a different excuse." Kali smirked.

"... You're certainly planning something."

"There's no need to be so wary." Reassured Kali.

"Though friendlier, the ulterior motives exist." Roland pointed out.

"Given the fact that we already know what the Black Silence has done, is it foolproof to conclude that Mr. Arc will do the same?" Winter asked.

"No, I think not." Angela mentioned. "There are still plenty of variables that may lead to a different purpose for Jaune's existence in the Library."

"So is it possible that Jaune isn't there to get revenge?" Asked Ruby.

"It is possible, however... for what reason?" Weiss wondered.

"Fine, I'll bite." Sighed Jaune.

"The Library is all the same in the City, it's just another place that people dread."

"Though... if this place were truly that, a library, I am pretty sure people would be flocking here, especially with the black tea you just prepared." Complimented Jaune.

"You flatter me, the tea leaf infused into the cup gives it a very intense taste." Kali responded.

"I still can't believe you were an Arbiter, I expected them to be less friendly, but instead you're quite amicable." Jaune continued.

"My foes would disagree." She added.

"Indeed." Binah agreed as she took a sip of her tea.

"Uhm... I'm not sure how I feel about knowing my mom was truly feared in another world..." Commented Blake.

"She certainly was during the early days of the White Fang, all because she was well acquaintanced with Ghira." Sienna mentioned.

"Respected would be the correct word however." Ghira added as he smiled at his wife.

"There are many questions that I have for an Arbiter, just as many as I had for the Red Hood."

"And do you believe I will spill the tea?" Kali smiled.

"Mom, please never say that ever." Blake said, cringing.

"You wound me dear." Kali expressed dramatically.

Jaune frowned. "I didn't ever expect an Arbiter to ever say that."

He recovered from the initial surprise. "But I would say no, the Head is secretive, and I am sure you're playful enough to not say any of them."

"You would be right, dear." Kali said as she softly laughed.

"Mmm, a few aspects do seem to transfer between worlds." Hummed Ozpin.

"Truthfully, Kali in that world does seem to act the same way as the one I know." Admitted Sienna. "Though it appears that she is far more powerful there than here."

"I am assuming that there is also a reason as to why you haven't broken away from the Library either." Continued Jaune.

"I am simply watching from afar." Kali responded. "The job of an Arbiter is no longer my calling."

"In a way, I have retired from that position, albeit forcefully."

"For someone who watches, you take an active role in helping Winter obtain her dream." Jaune pointed out.

"I continue the tasks that she gives me, nothing more and nothing less." She declared.

"And if she were to ask you to say every single secret of the Head?" Jaune asked.

"She has made no such petition, she knows that I wouldn't respond regardless." She said as she took a sip of her cup. "But... perhaps she already tried before I even knew it."

"And in the case that I were to kill you and turn you into a book, that would also give me your secrets, right?" Asked Jaune again.

"Woah, slow down there, that escalated quickly!" Neptune said with surprise.

"An effective strategy however." Added Roman. "If they don't cough up, then make them do that yourself."

"As much as I wish to think otherwise, I believe he is right." Cinder agreed, feigning to still be on Beacon Academy's side. "It is better to have any sort of information than no information."

Qrow nodded. "Being cruel sometimes is the only choice you have."

"Man, being a huntsman seems more complicated than I thought." Whispered Jaune.

"You're still in training, Mr. Arc, as such, it is understandable to be overwhelmed with such extreme measures." Ozpin comforted.

"If just that is enough to make you think twice or become hesitant, then I believe there's no point for you being a huntsman." Boldly expressed Raven.

"That's not true, Raven." Taiyang said. "There are huntsmen who specialize with dealing with grimms and those who are better with criminals."

"Quite a bold statement. Hostile indeed, yet an interesting way to resolve this question." Kali concluded. "Such a response is what may differentiate you from any of us."

"I have no respect for those who supervise the City." Jaune declared.

"And such a man also existed, one who I ruined the dreams of." She suddenly said. "Yes, his hatred wasn't directed to me, but rather, those that were beyond me."

"That man always looked four steps further, he never thought of the current situation, but rather the consequences of his actions."

Angela looked around for a minute, wondering who might replace Ayin in this world.

However, she didn't have enough information to say exactly who, just a few guesses.

Ozpin took a sip from his cup as he glanced at the residents of the City... or rather ex-residents

To him, Ayin was someone who caught his attention, how could he not? It was literally someone who did what he did out of love.

Yet something that he didn't accept was the fact that this mastermind treated his allies as tools.

He himself was secretive, but never in a way that would be used to maliciously hurt them.

As such, to him, it was to be expected that Ayin's plan would fail.

Being stabbed in the back, it was coming sooner or later.

"Don't change the topic now." Warned Jaune.

"You are sharp indeed, I see you've been trained thoroughly." Kali complimented.

"I have someone to thank for that." Sighed Jaune. "She taught me everything I know after all."

"And who may that be?"

"Again, stop changing the subject."

"I'm not going to lie, I want to know what this special someone is to train Vomit Boy." Joked Yang.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "I know well who you think it is."

"So do you, no? Weiss Cream?" She taunted.

Both of them looked at Pyrrha.

"Though that may be the most likely candidate, there are times where the unexpected is more likely." Reminded Binah.

"You wanna bet on that?" Yang retorted.

"Not at all, it is futile to bet on something that has too many possibilities."

Kali took a sip from her tea. "You are a plague that affects others, one that may symbiotically live with those who cooperate, yet they do not notice."

"Perhaps even more however, but that's as far as I am willing to let on." Kali stopped. "I know your kind, but you do not know mine."

"I am a mere spectator of this play Winter has created." She stated. "And you're an improviser who will spice up this play."

"Then... I won't need to worry about you." Sighed Jaune.

"I live, I die, I burn, I drown... I endure at once chill and cold" Recited Kali.

"Life is at once too soft and too hard... I have sore troubles mingled with joys" Continued Jaune as he stood up from his seat.

"Jaune seems to be quoting a poem again, we've seen another part of it when he was defeated by my other self, right?" Asked Ruby.

"Yeah, it appears so." Pyrrha responded. "It seems to be very important."

"In my case, the poem that I always used was one that Angelica quoted quite a bit." Roland mentioned.

"It is also one that I find myself reminiscing from time to time." Added Binah.

"In any case, the poem must be important to Jaune." Weiss theorized.

"Are you leaving now?" Kali asked. "You can stay here as long as you want." She welcomed.

"I'll come back later, I need to get to work now." Explained Jaune.

"She's certainly more friendly than Binah." Smirked Roland.

"As if I don't allow you to come, you simply decide not to join." Binah retorted.

"Come back later if you need a break, I appreciate your company. Our conversations are quite amusing." Reassured Kali.

"Well, they are for you..." Murmured Jaune.

Kali giggled looking at the situation.

"Dear, you have been quite smiley for a while now." Mentioned Ghira.

"Oh, it's nothing, I simply like the clothes my other self is wearing."

"Surely you'll give me a copy of them, no?"

Ghira sighed as he smiled." I'll see what I can do."

Neo snapped her fingers to get the attention of the two of them, she then pointed ar Roland.

Roland looked confused for a moment.

It then dawned on him. "Why you little-"

Roman bursted out laughing.

The scene changed

"Here are some new books." Jaune said.

"Have you perhaps gotten used to using Abnormalities?" Questioned Kali.

"I wield them, yet I do not control them. Would that be enough for an answer?" Responded Jaune.

"You're skilled with them."

"It's not that I am skilled with them, I am simply using them as they are supposed to."

"Either way, your use of them could lead to your own E.G.O. manifesting."

"My own E.G.O.? I wonder what sort of weapon I would have in that world." Jaune wondered.

"Oh, oh! We've gone through this before!" Nora said as she jumped up and down.

"Yes Nora, I do think that Jaune would gain a cool new sword." Ren agreed. "And you would get a pancake launcher that explodes upon impact."

"I still find it interesting how Ruby had a copy of Mimicry even in another world." Blake mentioned.

"Some events just don't change from the looks of it." Roland sighed.

"If so, what other events are still constant between that world and yours?" Ironwood asked.

Ozpin cleared his throat as he looked at his ally.

It then dawned on Ironwood the rigid look Roland had on his face as he looked away.

"I apologize, I believe I have delved into sensitive territory." He apologized.

"Nah, it's all good, just... thinking about what cruel situation the boy may have gone through in that world..."

"That unjust death done to the boy still remains in my head, it certainly has had a strong impression."

Winter looked at Weiss for a moment, the unease in her younger sister was visible, and hearing what had happened in that world and the demise she had certainly left her speechless.

But the fact that they weren't related in that world... who would be the one to truly aid her when her entire family was unable to?

Only watching more of this world would reveal such a reality.

"Yet that would mean I could also distort and become an Abnormality myself."

"No power comes without its responsibilities."

"At this point, it doesn't really matter if I turn or not." Admitted Jaune. "I have no path in front of me, I have nothing to look forward to."

"You let go of many things, yet you continue to live on." Kali insinuated. "And that response doesn't seem like what you're truly trying."

"Robbed would be the correct answer." He corrected. "And as for the other question, interpret it as you will."

"Actually, the correct term would be that I continue to live without knowing a reason to die." Added Jaune. "I've been caught in so many events that have yet to be resolved, and I have no plans of leaving behind an unfinished play."

"Just what has this boy gone through in that world?" Wondered Emerald.

Not even the streets were that hostile to her, yes there were certainly many close calls, but given the fact that the Backstreets acted like... a place abandoned by authorities...

She didn't want to think about what other atrocities happened within.

"Unfinished business, uh?" Roman hummed. "No, an unfinished play? My, this boy wishes to go out with a bang!"

"And you believe the City is responsible, right?" Kali asked again. "That the City stole away your normal and peaceful life."

"Maybe, maybe not, it could also be because I realized that I couldn't do anything to change the outcome." Jaune sighed. "This world simply doesn't want me to be happy, it always wants to make me suffer."

"The City isn't the only one who does that, you must have done the same to others, no?"

"Of course I have." Admitted Jaune. "If the City wishes me to suffer, I will deliver it back tenfold."

"An interesting justification." Commented Kali. "Revenge only brews back revenge, are you sure you do not wish to break the cycle?"

"Yet that's a cycle you still haven't broken against your vendetta towards N Corp." Kali reminded.

"N Corporation again?" Roland muttered.

He then sighed. "Is this a regret he has instead of pure unadulterated rage?"

Ghira frowned, this sort of revenge cycle was certainly one he saw quite a bit back when he was part of the White Fang.

When a fellow faunus had everything take away from him, he went on to do the same, and the cycle continued.

He knew how dangerous it could be, and he wondered just how many loops the boy had already gone through.

"I'm... not liking this version of me." Softly admitted Jaune.

"Don't worry, Jaune, we know you wouldn't turn that way." Reassured Pyrrha.

"Even so... why does he simply accept that he's done many atrocities? Shouldn't there be a bit of guilt?" He wondered.

Raven then intervened. "There is no time to wonder if you're in the right or not, only that you did it at the time to continue on."

"Were you even paying attention?!" Yang yelled in annoyance. "He didn't do it to survive, he did it because he was blinded by rage!"

"That's..." Weiss tried to say, knowing full well Yang wasn't the best individual to point that out.

"Both of you... please..." Taiyang tried to calm things down.

"Regardless, that world is cruel, right and wrong mean nothing." Raven concluded. "And let this be a warning to you, boy."

"Just because you try to atone for your atrocities does not mean they are erased."

Ozpin knew that part of that was directed to him as well.

"Of course, they killed her after all, it would be foolish of me not to bring that place down after what they've done to hurt me." Jaune gritted his teeth.

"No, it goes far deeper than that." Kali mentioned. "You've been at war against that place since the day you saw how cruel the City was."

Roland shook his head. "Damnit, I wished it wasn't like that..."

"Why do you say so, Roland?" Angela asked.

"This kid didn't go after N Corp. because they killed his lover, but because he's been suffering because of them since the beginning."

"You mean..."

"It's like that boy Sinclair." He mentioned. "But they are different, while the sinner escaped from guilt and fear, Arc decided to retaliate."

"And that mentality is dangerous, because if he's been doing it since he was young, that means that he can even try to challenge anyone, even those over his abilities."

"A fearless Fixer..." Whispered Angela.

"So is he truly a fearless leader?" Nora said with excitement, not understanding the mood.

"Nora..." Ren muttered.

"Come on now! N Corp surely is the bad guy here!" She objected.

"I guess I can't hide from an arbiter." Sighed Jaune. "Yes, I've burnt down the entire district before I created Charles Office."

"But that's it, they hurt me first, I hurt them, then they hurt me again, and I then hurt them again."

"See? They hurt him first!" Nora pointed out.

"An eye for an eye." Cinder quoted.

"Burn down an entire district? Sheesh man, that's really something." Sun commented.

"You don't say, that's like opening the gates for the grimm." Emerald said.

"I can see that you believe yourself not to be justified, but rather, you know full well that you're doing something horrible." Kali analyzed.

"My pain will be mine, the pain of others will be theirs, however, that pain can be a collective thought of many."

"But... part of the reason why I see how I am not justified is because of..."

"Gharab Tzerek, right?" Kali mentioned.

"He was a victim of what I did to N Corp." Admitted Jaune

"Netzach's counterpart." Muttered Roland.

"Relationships and backgrounds of the Sephira are also changed." Concluded Angela.

"Oooof..." Cringed Neptune. "That certainly would be an awkward interaction."

"Yeah, as if going, 'yo what's up, I'm the killed of your town', wasn't bad enough." Mercury joked.

"Not the time, Mercury." Warned Emerald.

"When I first met him on his floor, I knew he recognized me, it took me a while before it dawned on me that he was the son of a mayor in one of the towns of District 14." Recounted Jaune.

"Yet, he didn't blame me or become hostile..."

"He simply let it pass, like it meant nothing to him."

Kali then added. "Here, we are no longer the people we were, as such, we no longer truly care about our past lives."

"How can he let go so easily? Does he have no worth for himself?" Growled Adam.

"I agree, Adam." Admitted Sienna. "To let go of such atrocities, I could never do that."

"Son of the mayor... then... Jaune really went after civilians?" Asked Ruby.

Jaune gritted his teeth, disappointed with his other version.

"Listen kid, sometimes life isn't all black and white." Qrow advised. "Such hatred can originate from dark traumas."

"Trying to soften the blow now, are we, brother?" Chuckled Raven. "The kid is a murderer through and through, he'd fit with the tribe."

"As if!" Nora said as she put herself in between Jaune and Raven.

"Not this one, he's too soft." Raven specified.

"Now, back to the topic I wished to touch on." Kali murmured. "Do you believe in destiny? That every pain you've felt has a meaning behind it? That such a pain that you share with others, was part of a grand scheme of things?"

"Or do you think that it is all a coincidence that united many together? You have the choice to turn a blind eye to it, yet you continue to push forward, even when you know it is wrong."

"Do you believe yourself to be the hero?"

"A hero in the city is the same as a delusional human being." Mentioned Binah.

"The City does not receive kindness with kindness most of the time."

"I hope my other self doesn't say he sees himself as one." Jaune expressed.

He started to really dislike his other version, he didn't understand how he could be so nonchalant to the stuff he had done.

There was no way he could become a hero like he wished through this path.

"Such a way of thinking is not common in the City, to put your pain along with others instead of trampling theirs to satiate your own relief."

"Even if you believe your own pain to be less, that very same pain, if left untreated, can turn you into a distortion, like a wound that slowly gets infected."

"So you even knew about what I was trying to do..." Jaune then downcasted. "The pain of the City is a culmination of the pain of the many civilians."

"Those very same individuals are hurt, both emotionally and physically."

"To relieve that pain, they decide to hurt others."

"However, that is an injury inflicted to the City itself."

"As such, the City hurts itself to distress themselves from their pain and emotions."

"In other words, the City continues to inflict self-harm just to cope with the high array of emotions."

"Now, that's an interesting way of putting it." Binah smiled.

"Quite the literary master here." Roman joked. "Truly, this is how the streets of Vale also work."

Neo nodded as Roman continued. "Time and time again, there are people who will suffer, yet what do they do with that suffering?"

"Blame it on faunus." Adam responded.

"Now, that's indeed one of the excuses, but in reality, people use it to hurt others." Roman continued.

"I don't believe so." Disagreed Ozpin.

"Someone as prestigious as you wouldn't know what it's like to live in the streets." Roman said dryly.

"Oh, but I do Mr. Torchwick." Ozpin admitted. "Yet people will use one another, even when it is used to take advantage of each other, they continue to work together."

"How do you think society has evolved up to this point?"

"Mmm, how shameful, to take my spotlight." Roman said as he crossed his arms in frustration.

Ruby looked at her father. "Dad?"

Taiyang looked at her daughter, expecting something he didn't want to respond to.

"Are all humans truly like that? A-and what about huntsmen? Are they also just looking for benefits?"

He knew that his daughter had a few ideas of bad people, but the idea of everyone being scum never truly went through her head, and the fact that even Ozpin admitted that humans only helped one another to meet their own interests didn't help either.

He sighed. "There are still people who are selfless to help others, but at the end of the day, you need to be selfish if you want to live."

"Don't be too kind to others, because you also need to treat yourself well." He advised.

"An interesting way of looking at it." Kali concluded. "Is that how you feel about the City then?"

"Who knows except me, but I assume you know the answer already." Responded Jaune. "Sooner or later, the others will see what I truly feel."

"I am patient, I will be there to witness it."

"I will not be looking forward to that day." Jaune said as he sighed. "I'm leaving now."

"One moment." Interrupted Kali.

"What may it be?"

"Here, take this." Kali said as she took out a bag.

"And what's this for?"

"It's a bag of black tea leaves, have some if you feel the situation getting to you."

"... Thanks..." Jaune uttered.

"Wow, you really like that tea?" Roland asked.

"Now, Roland, what may be wrong with black tea?" Binah asked.

"... Nothing in particular, just not a taste most people have for when first trying it."

"Which is why I am going to give this boy a bit of black tea." Binah declared.

"Wait what?" Jaune said in confusion, only to be given a cup of hot black tea.

Hesitating, he ended up taking a small sip from.

He physically recoiled upon tasting it.

"Remember, become accustomed to it by normalizing it." She reminded.

"Mind giving me a bit?" Ren asked. "I'd like to see how it tastes as well."

"S-sure thing, Ren."

The scene changed.

"Each time I visit you, I see you sipping on tea." Jaune pointed out.

"We live in a time where humans are the only threat to humans, just as boredom is a disease that kills." Kali mentioned.

"Even if the creatures of the Outskirts exist, they are perhaps less scary than those within the City."

"Are we humans being protected by the walls of the City? Or are the monsters outside of our comprehension being protected?"

"Humanity must be less populated than the creatures in the Outskirts, right?" Jaune asked. "As such, we must be protected by the City."

"Yet distortions are creatures that many do not know, and even then, humanity finds ways to defeat them." Kali pointed out. "Be it through the form of an E.G.O. or their sheer determination, humanity's will to survive overpowers even all odds."

"What about you Jaune, what are your true colors? Are you as monstrous as the so-called Distortions, or are you more human than any person alive?"

"What are you insinuating with that?" Jaune asked.

"Even if you said you have nothing else to hold onto, you continue to live, you're a human who still lives even when everything you knew before was taken from you."

"Then, what about you?" Countered Jaune. "You're a spectator who continues to interact with the actors, once this play is over, what is it that you want to do?"

Kali took a sip of her tea. "That is a problem for me in the future, all I can do in the present is simply plan for the unknown."

"To you, is a man a greedy entity? Or is it someone who wishes to live?" Kali asked.

"A man to me is a sociable animal, they cannot live without others, yet they continue to hurt one another." Jaune responded. "They can't do everything alone, they need the help of others to prosper, and yet, they act as if they don't need anyone."

Yet again, that description made Ruby uneasy.

While most of those present in the room had their own opinions regarding this matter.

They all decided to keep quiet.

Perhaps knowing the chaos it would create and the unnecessary arguments that may lead to loss of information through the scenes.

As such, Cinder continued to glare at Roman, which he caught on quickly.

Angela on the other hand found the situation interesting. Seeing humans work together for a common goal for once, not through devotion, belief or duty.

But through cooperation.

Though... perhaps that is what this hotel is doing.

But for what finality?

"If you're saying that to try and gain intellect regarding the Head, that is not going to work." Kali refuted.

"It was worth a try." Jaune sighed.

"All I will say it that my mind has been blanked from all information that you may find useful, I am no longer a human, therefore, I do not fall into such a definition you've expressed."

"Arche. All matter originates from a first principle." Stated Kali. "All humans are mortal, I am not human, therefore, I am not mortal."

"Yet you continue to ask me such questions, be it for the sake of philosophy, or for a deeper meaning that I do not know." Jaune mentioned.

"I wish to know why you continue such a path." Kali asked. "Though I may know what you're trying to do, the purpose behind it is still dark to me."

"You know what my answer will be."

"One time, one meeting." Kali quoted. "Worth a shot to try and make such an impressive act, no?"

"I've said that I have no path to walk on, but either way, you know my answer." Jaune declared.

"Because of fate?"

"Indeed."

"See things not for what they are now, look back to their origins, and you will realize that everything comes from the main root." Kali explained. "The suffering of the City all comes from a single place, just as you and I are the same in the beginning."

"As such, we were predetermined from the start." Jaune finished.

"And yet, the fate of the Sephirah was not the one that man envisioned." Kali pointed out

"Though was that not your fate at all? Instead, could this be your fate?" Jaune asked.

"We may never know, we simply need to continue on." Kali concluded.

Jaune remained silent for a moment. "You wish me to carry on my path then..."

"Did you not say you didn't know what your path was?"

"I knew that you were trying to make me talk through this questioning, guess I let a bit of what I truly thought slip." Jauned sighed.

"Those are some interrogation tactics I didn't realize until he pointed them out." Winter said with a bit of surprise.

"Philosophy seems to show bits of our true character from the looks of it." Commented Ozpin.

"This is all too complicated for me..." Nora said, trying to wrap her head around all this information.

"I see." Ren said with his eyes closed. "That is quite a straightforward way of living life, one that I may not agree with."

"You understood all that?" Yang said with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course, and I too understood it." Weiss admitted.

"Same here." Neptune agreed.

"Some people are just too deep I guess." Sun shrugged.

"Yeah, some of you guys are fucking nerds."Mercury laughed.

"Intellectuals." Corrected Neptune.

"Mmm, erm, yesh, acshually." Mocked Mercury.

"Mercury." Cinder called.

"Right, ma'am." He quickly shut up.

Emerald had the most shit-eating grin on her face as she looked at Mercury.

"If this is what you believe your fate to be, I won't stop you, I will simply stay as a spectator." Kali assured.

"Know this, the path you are taking may not be the one you want to tread." She warned.

"It's not one that I want to tread, but rather, one that I have to continue." Corrected Jaune.

"Because of fate again, right?"

"Correct, I will continue for as long as I can until I reach the end."

"Then tread carefully, you may stray from that path."

"I assure you I won't, because it is a single road."

"Maybe so, but not all roads are always straight."

Kali then reminded. "Though your fate may not be able to be rewritten, the way to reach it can."

"Is there truly no way to break from fate?" Ruby wondered.

Fate, a concept Ozpin pondered from time to time.

Has everything that happened since they were born prefixed? Was their entire life a mere play composed by the two gods?

His life seemed like that, yet he came to believe that it would one day finally end.

Just like the words of the Sephira, he believed that the way to his end was his own to choose.

The scene changed.

"Jaune, do you know who Winter is based after?" Inquired Kali.

"I never bothered asking, I am neither interested in either her backstory or her wrath."

Ozpin frowned, knowing a bit about the setting of the world.

"Winter was created in the image of Salem. She sought change in the City."

Those in the group that knew turned to a serious expression.

Cinder on the other hand, perked up, interested to attain more information.

"The very same Salem who recruited people in her quest to cure humanity?"

"She craved for a world where conflict didn't exist." Explained Kali. "An utopia where everyone didn't have to hurt, where everyone could understand one another."

"A place where people could reach their dreams."

"Reach their dreams..." Jaune whispered.

Jaune knew that his other self was dreaming of becoming a hero.

But to him, that was no longer possible, not after everything he has done to make others suffer.

He gave him the benefit of the doubt when he went on a blind rage before, because he was out of his senses. Something that he probably didn't intend.

Yet now, knowing he had destroyed a place full of civilians...

He refused to turn into such a monster.

"She was unable to reach it, however, she perished before the fruits of her labor could truly bloom. Only after her death did the research she took part finally progressed."

"The Head saw it as their time to act, right?"

"Her ideal was an insult to the Head, that wasn't the last of it though." Kali confirmed. "Winter, who was meant to be a replacement for Salem... and the man who used her to carry out his plan... He did all of that just to fulfill the wish of his beloved."

"He never wished to gain anything from this."

"...." Ozpin looked down.

It was him, wasn't it?

Of course, who else would know her any better than him?

Two individuals cursed with eternity, and in another world, they were mere mortals who truly respected each other.

Yet even then, they were not allowed to rest.

Life was full of surprises, and this was one of them.

"A mysterious man, unknown to many, but known by everyone."

"The one who understood him left the poor soul, it was bound to cause such an effect on him."

Jaune looked annoyed. "You're telling me that Winter was created just to be a replacement for that person?"

"A mixture of many emotions, created in the image of someone else. Pain, sadness, self-hatred and so many other feelings were used to try and fix what was left." Kali explained.

"An ironic twist, where what was created to be loved, turned out to be loathed."

A few members of Beacon looked at Angela for a moment, many felt sympathy, yet none of them truly spoke.

It was a silent viewing this time, the defined deep thoughts that this scene evoked certainly made them all think rather than talk.

Yet they continued, perhaps awaiting a moment where they could finally speak without having to think of their purpose.

"An attempt to copy what was perfect to him, only to unsurprisingly not be satisfied with the results."

"It ended with a being akin to him, instead of her."

"An amalgamation of hypocrisy and laments."

"Just to cast her into a loop of insanity, where a human being could never truly live after experiencing."

"Tragic, is it not?"

"Tragic for Winter, but an absolute insult to Salem." Jaune said with frustration. "That man is an absolute asshole."

"That's certainly harsh language." Mentioned Kali.

"Sympathy I see." Binah commented. "Certainly, Roland and this boy do have a few common traits."

"We've seen them before, but yes, I do wonder just how similar this version is to me and the boy." Roland admitted.

"If he truly loved her, he would have respected her death."

"When Weiss died... I didn't seek to bring her back from the dead."

"I wished to assure she was at peace, I chased after any possible culprit and made their lives miserable, just so she could rest knowing that every guilty bastard was dead, and that there was at least someone out there that cared about her."

"He who did that to Winter, didn't truly love Salem."

Ozpin glanced at Jaune for a moment.

This boy had potential, and this other world was showing it to him, not through battle or skills, but through speech.

Someone so determined and willing to give their opinion, someone so honest, yet secretive.

It resonated with him, to find someone whose ways were what he usually did.

Taiyang looked a bit melancholic, the pain this boy expressed was one that he could understand, yet the way he said it...

It was as if he was truly over her death.

Strong indeed, both mentally and physically.

it took him years to finally move on, and even then, the scars were visible...

Yet that version of the boy had traversed through the pain and let it become a mere memory of the past.

"It is quite hypocritical of you to say that." Kali pointed out.

"Ah? I've told you, I've accepted Weiss' death long ago." Refuted Jaune. "If you dare utter that I disrespected her, then I wi-"

"I don't mean you specifically." She said. "Someone you know in particular..."

"Someone that may or may not become an actor on this stage."

"..."

"Indeed, someone you decided to show empathy to."

Roland rubbed his chin. "Was he talking about Argalia?"

No, perhaps it was... Jae Heon.

Showing empathy to someone who had a loss, and pushing them to continue onward.

If so, what would the final act truly look like?

Unlike him, who hurt the members of the Ensemble one way or another, what happened between him and the members in that world?

This mere difference in how he interacted previously with them was enough to change the foundation and purpose of such a group.

He went to the Library not for revenge, and the boy had already gotten over the death of his lover...

So why was he there? An actual mere coincidence? Another purpose?

He needed to know, he needed to understand.

Because after all, this could have been him had he shown a different attitude.

Kali then continued "In the eyes of others, he was a man who represented so much."

"Good does not exist, only what society perceives it as."

"It is impossible to be a judge that is completely objective."

"You are right about that."

"Humans will always have prejudices, whether they like it or not."

"And you and I are no exceptions." She finished.

"Prejudice indeed exists in every human, be it small or big, there will always be an opinion regarding faunus." Sienna added.

"Not all humans are like that." Ghira refuted.

"If that were the case, we wouldn't have needed to take such violent decisions." Sienna shot back.

"Diplomacy and non confrontational tactics have done the White Fang no good, had they heeded to our requests, we wouldn't have needed to resort to such tactics." She reminded.

The room turned to black as Jaune started narrating.

"I grew up after my parents and sisters died, memories of them became blurry, as the one who I truly saw as family was a woman who took care of me in the backstreets."

"My parents and sisters... died?" Jaune said with a bit of despair.

Pyrrha held onto Jaune's arm to try and calm him down.

Roland frowned. He never got to know his family, yet he understood that knowing them before they disappeared was probably worse.

Raven looked at the boy, not understanding why he would care for another version of him.

"I held her dearly, yet that warmth didn't last forever, not after she perished."

"In her memory, I became a Fixer, I owned her for everything she taught me, her equipment, as well as the weapon she left behind."

"She left behind more than what my gran left me." Roland pointed out. "But to think he would take everything she had..."

"You didn't do the same?" Angela asked.

"No, when she died, I didn't take any of her stuff... though that was mostly because she lacked anything that was of use to me." He mentioned. "The Backstreets are cutthroat, so I don't blame the kid for taking everything he had within his disposal."

"I spent my early days doing errands and petitions from others, not knowing what my path was."

"But slowly, that voice slowly showed me what I needed to do."

"Mr. Arc, you're not the same by any chance, right?" Ozpin asked with a smile.

"No, headmaster." He responded. "I don't think I am schizophrenic."

"Could that voice perhaps be that woman simply guiding him?" Asked Nora.

Many others looked at her.

"What? The City has a lot of stuff, so I wouldn't be surprised."

"That's preposterous." Denied Weiss. "If anything, it is more than likely Salem telling him what to do next."

"I disagree." Binah refuted. "The timeline itself does not allow such a possibility to exist."

"We don't know that for certain, the events could be different as well." Ironwood interjected.

"I needed to do something for myself, I needed to be the tiniest bit selfish."

"Because heroic acts weren't always supposed to be made selflessly."

"But isn't the point of being a hero doing good things for others?" Ruby asked.

"Being selfless by itself is non-existent." Roland mentioned. "Philip learned this the hard way."

"The guy whose face is completely morphed?" Blake asked. "That individual sounded so defeated whenever I had the chance to see him wandering through the corridors."

"In the City, selfless acts were looked down upon, usually because they usually had a hidden purpose." Roland explained.

"Even if it was an actual selfless act, people would try to dissuade you from doing them, as in a way, what you're looking is for a selfish satisfaction that can also be dangerous for others."

"But what's so wrong with being heroic?" Jaune asked, a bit devastated by the information.

"There really isn't anything wrong, but going around helping people is the same as slowly killing yourself."

Roland then looked at Jaune. "Listen, your world isn't the same as ours, I want to believe that in your world, heroes can exist, but you must always remember that being a hero can be too much, a single mistake and the others will be more critical than usual."

"You need to be someone who people can rely on, but not depend on." He finished.

"I... I understand." Jaune agreed in the end.

"My dream of being a hero was delusional, especially in the City."

"And yet, I ended up creating that Fixer Office with that dream in mind."

"In a way, I always had a path in front of me, it just took too long for me to finally start walking on it."

"Living in a Nest would have been nice though."

"But I remember that day, the smoke coming out of the buildings as a war torn battlefield could be seen."

"It made me realize that I was never meant for the Nest life."

"A war veteran as well from the looks of it." Muttered Ironwood.

"Servicing the City... yet it appears that such wars are far more gruesome than the usual ones in Remnant." Winter analyzed.

"Piss off, this one's mine." A younger Jaune said.

"Quite the strong language you got there." The other man chuckled. "Nice mask though."

Cinder widened her eyes, recognizing that voice.

"R-Rhodes?" She whispered with nervousness.

The only ones who could hear her were Emerald and Mercury- Emerald decided to ask. "Someone you know?"

"... There's no need to ask such questions." Cinder whispered back.

"So it's just somebody you used to know?" Asked Mercury.

Cinder glared at her two subordinates, making both of them stop talking.

To think she would be able to hear that man's voice again...

"Just stay away, this is my kill."

The sound of a sword being swung can then be heard.

"Be careful about declaring kills, remember that it's more important to get the job done than to get more merits."

"Thanks I guess." Jaune sighed.

"No problem, let's work together if you want."

"The ones I kill will be under my name, alright?" Jaune warned.

"No need to tell me again." Rhodes chuckled. "Tell me, what are you doing here? You're a new Fixer I assume?"

"It's because of Noneya."

"Noneya?"

"None ya damn business."

"Pfft." Yang tried to hold her laughter before she erupted. "That's a good one!"

"That's some sass I never knew he had." Sun commented.

"Ah ah! You got me there, but I'm assuming you want a Nest permit from this."

"You got me, what about you?"

"Money to take care of my daughter."

Cinder's fists clenched, hearing Rhodes again and hearing him say that, he knew full well what was going on.

The others started to notice her behavior, a few of the Beacon students were sort of surprised to see the usually composed huntress in training act so emotional, while Neo and Roman chuckled as they smugly looked at their boss act so sentimental.

However, none of them decided to intervene, as it was obvious to them that she had a connection with this huntsman.

"I wonder, did old man Salvador think of Philip as his son?" Roland asked himself.

Well, then again, at that point, he was sure that Philip hadn't become a Fixer yet.

"I see... it would be a shame if you died here and left your daughter behind."

"Hey, hey, no need to make such a dark joke man." Rhodes nervously laughed.

"I'm not saying sorry, I just don't understand what's so good about a family."

Yang glared at Raven for a moment. This was certainly something her mother would say.

Raven noticed the glance, yet decided to ignore it. "I see that the boy understands how to survive."

Kali and Ghira frowned at the claim, yet they decided to keep quiet.

Taiyang on the other hand simply sighed as he looked down.

"You'll soon find out, I'm assuming you didn't have a good relationship with them or didn't know them well enough?"

"They died, each one of them left me here alone, if that's what connections do, then I want none of them."

Raven's mouth slowly turned into a smile as she started to respect this Fixer.

"I see now." Ozpin spoke. "I believe he's still traumatized over the event."

"You don't say." Mercury commented as he rolled his eyes.

"That's quite disrespectful of you, young man." Ironwood glared.

"Oh please, it's obvious."

"Dude, even if it's obvious, you don't have to point that out." Sun refuted.

"That's true, some things are better left unsaid." Agreed Neptune.

Mercury sighed, not caring enough to end up arguing with them.

"I'm sorry for asking then." Rhodes apologized. "Hey, if yo-"

"I'm not getting adopted by you." Jaune quickly shut down.

Roman laughed. "Oh that's rich!"

"That was quick." Blake said with a deadpan expression.

Having that boy as a brother? Cinder wondered what it was like to have siblings...

Well, someone who actually acted like a normal sibling at least.

Rhodes sighed. "Well, either way, I'm curious about what's even happening here."

"Supposedly, some sort of creature was spotted in this district."

"And that's all that they told us, they expect us to kill it and get this done with."

"But that's life as a Fixer in the City for you."

"Say, how's your score going?"

"Thirty."

"Niiiiiice." Rhodes said. "Thankfully it ain't people but monsters instead."

Roland started sweating a bit, the reason was because they would slowly get to the thing that he saw during the Smoke War.

Actually, perhaps this wasn't that war, perhaps it was something entirely different.

After all, this version of the boy attacked N Corp. instead of anyone he could find.

"My life is worth the same as any human." Jaune pointed out. "But we as humans crave to continue living like any other animal."

"Yet it appears that others believe otherwise." Rhodes sighed.

Sienna looked at Adam. "Not a single word."

"But it's true." Adam still continued. "Humans believe that their lives are worth more than that of a faunus."

"Yet you believe that a faunus' life is worth more than a human's, no?"

Adam's mouth shut itself as he became frustrated.

"Exactly, Adam, that sort of mentality will bring us nowhere closer to being seen as equals to humans." Sienna explained.

"Believing that we, faunus, are worth more than humans will be no different to the same humans that continue to trample us."

Adam sneered in frustration as he looked away.

"That must be the source of all this destruction." Rhodes said. "Looks powerful, doesn't it?"

"... I can see it ignoring us." Whispered Jaune.

"It must think we're not worth it."

"Wait... is it perhaps sentient?"

"If so... do you think life is worth as much as ours?" Rhodes mentioned. "Even so... you've said it before, we must kill it as humans that wish to survive."

"Can we even call it 'it'?" Jaune asked. "No... this isn't a monster..."

"This is a living being like any other human."

"Yet another difference." Muttered Roland.

"What did this boy see?" He wondered.

"It's not the thing you saw in the Smoke War, right?" Binah asked.

"It's not, but... though he doesn't have to see that monstrosity..."

"I think he is in front of a moral dilemma, one that usually tells you if someone is fit to be a Fixer or not."

Jaune simply continued looking at it.

"Is this what the City does? Crushing others so that it can continue to shine?"

"They couldn't think of a better solution? To try and be diplomatic about this?"

"The city doesn't work like that I'm afraid." Rhodes lamented.

Sienna hummed for a moment. In a way, she wondered what it was that they saw.

If anything, it sounded as if the City was discriminating against this entity.

She couldn't stop herself from drawing connections between the faunus and these creatures.

And she knew well that it wasn't the case of faunus discrimination, as at the very least they were allowed to live without being hunted down, even if still being seen as inferior.

"I can still remember that time perfectly."

"And the screams they made continue to haunt me."

"It is sickening, and I am taking part in it."

"I am a hypocrite for not objecting, and I accept that reality."

"Those in the Nest must not know that the world we live in is built upon the sacrifice of others."

"And I am sure they would rather live in complete ignorance."

Ghira respected this version of the boy, in fact, he could sympathize with his actions.

Unlike in Remnant, the world was much more cutthroat, and there was no common enemy.

The boy was just trying to survive in a cruel place, there was no point on moral decisions.

As for Sienna, those words were ones that she wanted to hear.

She had met a few humans that cried wolf when there was cruelty against faunus, yet they didn't act or try anything to change or help.

It didn't mean that they had to really help them to prove that they were on their side, but rather call out someone who was picking on a faunus or simply give help to those in need.

Hearing someone admit to it... it felt refreshing.

"After that eventful moment, I spent my time as a Fixer, trying to ignore what happened that day."

"People came, and people left my side."

"After so much time traversing hardships, I created Charles' Office, where those who remained by my side would also join."

A panicking Jaune then said. "Don't go... please... you still need to teach me more..."

His voice trembled as he gasped for air.

"Can you be quiet? Some of the others just woke up." A female voice said.

"Oh! Weiss finally appears!" Nora said as she pointed at the girl with her finger.

"And it seems like Jaune had a nightmare about the woman who took care of him." Blake commented.

"Abandonment issues perhaps?" Suggested Pyrrha.

"That appears to be the case." Weiss concluded.

"Yeah, seeing people not stick around for long probably creates a sense of yearning for a close one." Yang agreed.

"You must be the new member." Jaune simply said.

"I assume you already know what this job entails, right?"

"I should be free now, I should be fine. But the life I fought for, still isn't mine." Weiss quoted.

Winter recognized those lines, she looked at her sister and saw the face she was making.

"That line specifically..." Weiss sighed, not liking the implications.

"I take that as a yes." Deadpanned Jaune.

Weiss then hit him on the head.

Jaune let out a loud yelp.

"What was that for?" Jaune said as he rubbed his head.

"Just to make sure you're wide awake." She explained.

"Ouch." Jaune said, feeling the pain his other version was going through.

"That is very unprofessional of me." Weiss said, a bit flustered.

"You almost crushed my skull with that hit, what are you? Made out of ice?" Jaune questioned.

He was then hit on the back.

"Doesn't this Weiss seem... more aggressive?" Ruby said, a bit scared at the brutal punch.

Roland sighed. He didn't really miss those punches, but it gave him a bit of nostalgia.

"Mention anything relating to the cold again, and I will make sure your head makes a 180 degree turn." She warned.

Sun looked at Neptune. "Surely she wouldn't, right?"

"Not our version at least." Neptune chuckled nervously, praying that it wouldn't be the case for him.

Winter sighed. "Seems like they got up with the wrong foot."

Jaune looked at his team nervously.

"You can do it, I believe in you fearless leader." Cheered Nora.

"I wish your other self, the best of luck." Ren hoped.

"Surely it will get better." Nervously laughed Pyrrha.

"And you seem to always keep the white mask on, I don't like it. But I heard you're the most skilled and the director of the Office."

"I keep it because I want to, remember the rules of Fixers, we don't pry into each other's lives, especially as Grade 1 Fixers."

"Complete professionalism." Raven said as she nodded. "Not allowing emotions and connections to intervene into the work."

Qrow groaned. He certainly disagreed with his sister, but there was no point in trying to refute her.

"That will certainly lead to getting stabbed in the back." Mercury mentioned. "Some sort of professionalism is needed, but knowing who your allies are will give you an edge compared to none."

Roland then cleared. "Working at an Office means that you at the very least know who you're working with, the problem arises when you start getting attached to them."

"Of course I know them."

"It didn't seem like it a few moments ago though." Jaune mentioned. "Be warned, I always return the shit people do to me, so beware of it as I will make sure to pay it back before your contract with Charles' Office ends."

"Then add one more to the tab."

"Uh?" Jaune couldn't say anything else as he was hit by Weiss again.

"You absolute witch-" Said Jaune in pain.

"You could have just sworn at her there, Jaune." Yang pointed out.

"I met Weiss the first time while taking the job of looking into a Star of the City."

"And given how long the missions usually took, it didn't surprise either of us that we ended up talking to each other."

"That interaction was enough to break the ice."

"N-ice." Yang said. Her team groaned as Taiyang smirked.

She then looked at Jaune. "I like your sense of comedy."

"That's not even me." Jaune pointed out.

"Still, surely a bit from him is part of you."

"And if that's the case, I think you're cool."

"Can we stop with the cold jokes?" Weiss said, annoyed.

Jaune didn't want that to be true, this version of him whose methods he questioned.

"Perhaps I thought that I could have one more person by my side."

"I might have started becoming happy for once in my career as a Fixer."

"But it changed nothing, I talked to her, and from there everything started to become complicated."

"Ah, the tragedy that is finding you chose the wrong career." Ozpin said as he sipped his coffee.

"I lived in a Nest before." Weiss mentioned.

"My father was actually the founder of a Wing."

"Even so, I didn't have a close relationship with him."

"In fact, I don't really remember him at all, I never truly saw him at any time."

Weiss clenched her fist, her father was someone who she didn't like, and it seemed as if this version of her didn't have to deal with him.

"A founder of a Wing? Oh, this won't go well." Sienna sighed, feeling bad for the people who had to live in that district.

"Wouldn't that create a few problems as you grew?" Asked Jaune.

"I'm strong, I can take care of myself." She assured.

"..." Jaune simply kept quiet.

"It comes off as a cliche character though, a mean girl with daddy issues, don't you think?" Smirked Weiss.

Yang covered her mouth trying to hold her laughter.

"You really are one, aren't you?" Taunted Mercury as he laughed.

"Looks like she's self aware." Roman added salt to the wound.

"Unreal." Weiss said as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"What about you though? What's the tale behind the mask?"

"You should just mind your own business and ask others, in fact, I never asked you to tell me about your life." Jaune said annoyed.

"And you call me the cold one." Weiss said as she rolled her eyes.

"Just focus on the work." Jaune said as he sighed.

"Hey, doesn't it feel like their roles are switched?" Ruby asked.

"Why do you say that?" Blake inquired.

"Well... Jaune first tried to get closer to Weiss, and that didn't work, but in this version, Weiss seems to be trying to get closer to Jaune which isn't working." Ruby explained.

"Hey, you're right!" Nora agreed.

"Oh, how the tables have turned." Sun smiled.

"I first started using this mask because of the woman who took care of me."

"I thought that it would be to make sure not to show your enemies your face..."

"But she said that it was to not show your emotions during battle."

"Yet I took that advice too far, I used it no matter the situation."

"I just didn't want to truly connect with the others, not when they could die at any moment."

"The mask became a selfish act of pretended apathy."

"Oh boho." Roman said while rolling his eyes. "How sad."

"This lady really seems to be important to the boy." Kali added.

"It is interesting to see however." Ghira spoke. "How some bonds that aren't tied by blood can be this important."

Angela looked at Roland. "Were you that close to the elderly woman who took care of you?"

"I cherish her, but I've gotten over it for years now." Roland responded.

"Although... I'm not sure if the boy has."

The scene changed.

"It's cold... Why is it so cold?" Weiss whispered as she crouched in a corner. "Why are you standing there..."

"Why did you have to do that brother... Why?!"

The atmosphere dampened as Weiss looked uncomfortable at her other self.

"What has my brother done to make me react like that?" She questioned.

"I'm not sure Weiss, but it seems to be very impactful to you." Winter said as she grabbed her sister's shoulder to reassure her she wasn't alone.

Ironwood rubbed his chin. "This sort of reactions only appears from traumatic events, it might possibly be PTSD of some sort activated by cold environments."

Jaune then hit her on the head.

"Ouch!" She yelped.

"Focus on the mission." Instructed Jaune. "That's the first one from the tab, two more to go."

"That hurt a lot..." Weiss softly said.

"The next two will be more painful, I assure you." Jaune said nonchalantly.

Weiss sighed. "I remembered my past for a moment. I'm sorry for my unprofessionalism."

"You talked a bit about it before, though I never knew you had a brother." Mentioned Jaune

"And you? I know nothing about you, I think it's time you tell me a bit of your past." Refuted Weiss

"My entire family died." He bluntly said.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"They all died because of the Black Scavenger." Jaune recounted. "They told me to run away, and I did just that, all while looking back to see her killing them one by one."

"I can still remember her, that black hair and red eyes..."

Qrow and Taiyang looked at Raven.

"What?" She said, annoyed about the fact she was being put into the spotlight.

"It's you." Ironwood declared. "There is no other possibility."

"What makes you so sure?" Raven inquired.

"Black hair... red eyes... and the fact that scavenger is a term usually attached to birds like vultures, crows and... ravens." Qrow explained.

"So what? Do you want me to apologize to the boy for killing his family in another world?" Raven said with annoyance.

"To this day I still wonder if I will ever meet that woman, just so that I can kill her with my own hands."

"Something is telling me that one day, I will finally meet her again."

"Are you perhaps wearing that mask so that she doesn't recognize you?"

"Fair warning. The objective is up ahead." Gilles said through the radio.

"Let's get this mission done with, we're reaching the end of it." Jaune said. "Gilles says that we're close."

"Who was Gilles again?" Sun asked.

"Someone we don't know about, but who seems to be related to Jaune in one way or another." Explained Blake.

"I still wonder how I met them or when I will meet them." Jaune said anxiously.

"The target we were looking for was none other than the Pitch-Black Hunter." Explained Jaune

"She was a remnant of my past, of when I took that mission where I met Rhodes."

"Her victims were any sort of human that were unlucky to meet her."

"Those same victims turned into the same entity as her."

"A harmless change of appearance, one that is so virulent, the Head had to put a rally against it."

"Just an appearance change?" Roland said exasperated. "This City sure is cruel sometimes..."

"So this is prejudice against those who are racially different?" Kali said a bit disappointed.

"Misunderstood victims, said to be dangerous when they aren't..." SIenna said with anger.

"None of them truly changed, all that made them different was an unusual characteristic."

"And that little difference was enough to make the citizens of the City become hostile to this change."

"She only saw the status of Star of the City because of how rapid the so-called disease spread through the districts."

"This is like N Corp." Roland said. "That boy, Sinclair, saw his entire family be killed because his family used prosthetics..."

"This is the same, but at a more extreme rate."

"I wouldn't say this is more extreme than what he had to go through." Binah pointed out.

"The lives of innocent people are being taken out, all because they are scared of the unknown." Ozpin explained.

"Rather than understand, they fear, it is human nature to fear what is unknown after all."

"This is her bedroom, we have her cornered." Jaune declared.

"It is said that her atrocities have killed many through the spread of her power." Weiss mentioned.

"And here we both are, a few steps from her presence."

"Should that be considered lucky? Or unlucky?"

"Unlucky for her, and lucky for those who don't know the truth."

"Indeed, it appears that I have been cursed to run for my life for the past few years." The voice of a woman could be heard.

The faunus in the room recognized her immediately.

"Sienna?" Ghira said, surprised to see her there.

"I seem to be a victim of discrimination, even in another world." She sighed.

"It appears that I will continue to be unrelentlessly chased without catching a break. Sienna sighed.

"Two years to chase you down, all because you weren't human." Jaune sighed.

"Disgusting." Adam growled in anger. "This is the sort of people you wish to make us see as equals?!"

Blake wanted to speak up against him, but couldn't.

Kali on the other hand decided to refute the claims.

"I understand your feelings, Mr. Taurus... but change doesn't happen all of the sudden."

"Change will slowly but surely progress as faunus kind ends up being seen as an equal, we may not be able to live to see when that day comes, but we can simply help so that the next generation doesn't go through what we or many others have gone through."

Adam gritted his teeth, a phantom pain on where he had the SDC brand became apparent. "Yet why... why is it that we as faunus have to go through this?!"

"Is such a minuscule change to how we are so damn important to be treated like pure garbage?!" He said as he looked at the Atlas inhabitants specifically.

Weiss then spoke out. "I attempt to make a change! I know that my father has done so many atrocities, and I condemn him for them... but faulting those who had nothing to do with your upbringing is not the way to fix this issue!"

"You Schnee know nothing of what happened in the mines!" He yelled. "The hours and hours of torture we had to go through while the higher ups did jack shit and taunted and mocked us!"

"Such hatred doesn't have the justification to hurt those that are not part of the problem." Roland said as he stepped up in front of him.

"This rage and hatred that you're feeling should be directed to the cause of it, not to the bystanders that had nothing to do with your pain."

"I know how you're feeling, I've done the same as you... and I want to tell you that... it will only hurt you more."

Jaune then decided to speak. "My mother used to teach me a few sayings..."

"And I think this one fits for this moment."

"Cycles are built collaboratively, just as they can be destroyed together."

"I can't understand your pain, but even if you're trying to do good, you're simply going deeper into this cycle."

"If you truly want to take revenge against the SCD, going against those who are trying to break the cycle themselves isn't going to work."

"Are you saying I work with the damn Schnee?!" Adam yelled.

"No, he means that he wants you to work with your fellow faunus for equality, not for superiority." Blake said nervously.

"That's rich coming from you, you who decided to abandon the White Fang." Adam spat.

Yet after that, he didn't scream any more, he simply kept his thoughts to himself.

Sienna then looked at the Beacon students. "I'm sorry for Adam, I can see that all of you see no problem with faunus, and in fact even defended them."

"As such, I want to explain that Adam... saw the darkest parts of humanity, which to this day, still has a mark on him."

"That still doesn't excuse him for what he's doing to humans." Blake said, remembering everything he did back then.

"Be careful, we do not know what she can do." Weiss warned.

"She's been contacting people and changing them into what she is." Jaune explained.

"Those people we saw before weren't controlled, they simply fought for their survival, or because they believed in the Pitch-Black Hunter." He continued.

"They wished to live, yes, but this City appears to want to shut them down, all so that it can continue to live on brightly as a so-called pure land." Sienna spat." There is no room for us it seems."

"Whatever it may be that you feel, life isn't fair, and you need to die." Weiss pointed out.

"Tonight, a Star of the City shall fall." She declared

"What a way to bluntly say that you don't care and just go die." Snorted Roman.

The scene changed

"Dammit, she's persistent." Weiss said with exhaustion.

"Just a bit more." Jaune wasn't in any better state.

"Hey! Watch out!" Weiss called out, only to be struck by the attack instead.

A few of those present flinched at the sudden sound.

Some of those present were worried, those acquaintanced with her being the most vocal about it.

Some of them even went to ask her specifically.

"You imbeciles! I'm not hurt at all! It's the one in this scene that got hurt!" She yelled in annoyance.

Winter looked worried about Weiss' other version.

"She'll live." Reassured Ironwood. "Remember that her cause of death was burning."

The specialist nodded, albeit still worried.

"Why'd you take the hit for me?!"

"If only the City was as kind to my kind as both of you are to one another." Sighed Sienna.

"You're not innocent either!" Jaune growled as he swung his sword against her.

"We'll meet again one day." She warned. "But for now, I need to regain power."

"Night will come again, and I will make sure to take you as a trophy." She promised.

Kali had a cheeky smile as she looked at Sienna.

"Oh please, do not think so dirty minded now." She groaned.

Roland shivered imagining Elena saying it instead. "No thank you."

"If a trophy is what you want, I will make sure that victory you so wish is a pyrrhic one!" He shouted.

Yang smirked hearing that.

"Don't." Blake said as she put a hand on the shoulder of her partner.

"Oh come on now Blake! It's just too perfect!" She argued.

"I felt sympathy for a Star of the City."

Roland let out an incredulous blow of air as he heard that.

"How are you even alive at this point?" He said.

The worst mistake someone could make was to align themselves with Stars of the City. The very entities that they were supposed to kill.

No, perhaps this boy was more gone than he thought.

He could be as dangerous if not more than Argalia.

"I could never understand the pain she went through, but I could at the very least try and show her that I tried."

"In a way, Weiss was similar to me, yet she only did so for those she truly cared about."

"I, on the other hand, only wished to be a hero."

"It's impressive the boy survived up to this point." Commented Binah. "Such a mindset would have killed anyone at that point."

"But perhaps... fate decided otherwise."

"My pain is my own, but it is not the biggest in the world."

"Could I share and embrace the pain of others however"

"Weiss! Are you still there?!" Jaune said desperately.

"... Save me from the things I see. I can keep it from the world. Why won't you let me hide from me?" Quoted Weiss.

She then sighed. "You did a great job, Jaune."

"Hold on for a second! I know you can make it!" Jaune nervously said. "I can't have one more person die because of me!"

"Just stay awake damn it! Don't you dare close your eyes." He yelled as he gripped her hand.

Weiss then slapped him. "You're starting to hurt my hand, you dolt!"

Her team sighed in relief.

"Of course I wasn't going to die!" Weiss yelled, a bit in disbelief at the fact her team completely forgot about how she died in that world.

"I'm exhausted from this entire mission, just let me take a small nap will you?" She said with annoyance.

"Don't interrupt my beauty sleep."

Jaune sighed in relief. "Thank goodness..."

"Are you really relieved that I'm alive? Where's the cold hearted boy that I met the first time? I can't tell what you're truly feeling with that mask on."

"I've said it before, I don't want to show how I truly feel in battle..."

"I just couldn't risk the possibility of having my emotions being used against me."

"But.. we're no longer in battle." Weiss pointed out.

Jaune slowly took off his mask.

"That's the face that I was expecting." Weiss commented. "So you actually were crying for me?"

"Of course damnit, you're just as much of a member of Charles' Office as anyone else."

"Why must you always be worried about others? You even tried to speak with the Pitch-Black Hunter for some reason."

"Sympathy from a human... How curious..." Sienna muttered.

"No, all I see is pity." Refuted Adam. "That boy is playing a dangerous game, seeing Sienna as a lesser being."

"Even then, it's still good to see a human not see me as a monster in that world." Sienna added. "It is still annoying though."

"The burdens of the City and its pains aren't yours to know about."

"You said it before, you have to mind your own business."

Jaune sighed. "I'm a hypocrite, I know it."

"But... if there's just a chance, one single possible outcome that can avoid this sort of situation..."

"I'll take it..."

"One time, one meeting." He said.

"That quote again." Roland muttered. It was certainly the same as his own, but the purpose of it seemed different.

While he used this to justify his own pain and actions, Jaune's quote was used to justify only his actions.

"She was a pillar of my life, one that appeared out of nowhere."

"She became part of my daily routine."

"Though she tried to show that the pain of the City wasn't completely part of me."

"She forgot that part of me that wished to be heroic."

"Even if I could turn a blind eye to it, I believe that such meetings were fate."

"As such, I wished to deal with it, not to ignore it because..."

"I find my pain beginning all over once again."

"Such a mentality is indeed rare in the City." Angela mentioned. "It's incredible to see such a human try to make a difference without the support of such a big project."

To her, it was similar to Carmen, the unadulterated yearning of peace for others, a selfless thought with good intentions.

She wondered however, just how long it would take until it got corrupted, just how Ayin used everything at his disposal to get that dream that wasn't even his.

"So it appears that I must take up the role of an actor." Kali declared.

Jaune had turned into a statue made out of wood, robes covered him as he had his hand cupping his chin.

"Is your current form the true you in this reality? or are you waiting for the end so that you can return to your ideal form?"

"I do not know, but I can try to learn."

"I can't understand what you're saying, fearless leader." Nora said with sadness, she cursed not being able to perfectly grasp such questions in a short amount of time.

"Ideal..." Angela muttered, she remembered one of the sinners from Limbus Company muttering about ideals.

"How interesting, the birds are kept within their cages, yet the cage itself shall be my opponent in that world." Binah smiled with interest.

"Any idea about this one abnormality?" Roland asked, curious about this unknown abnormality.

"Just like the group of Apocalypse Bird, this is one part of a group known as the Fathers." Angela.

Roland frowned, had it been the abnormalities he resonated during the Floor of Philosophy, he knew why they would.

But it didn't really make sense for Jaune, surely he wasn't expecting to start a family, right?

"This one in particular is the Father of Logic." Explained Angela. "All of the fathers aside from the First Father are classified as WAW."

"The First Father on the other hand, is an ALEPH."

A bunch of creatures made out of different materials rise from the ground, Jaune snaps his fingers as their eyes glow blue.

Kali takes a stance as she then aims at Jaune. Black shards then make their way to Jaune, only for them to be blocked by the creatures.

One of the creatures then lunges towards Kali, but she crushes it with a pillar as she blocks the next incoming one.

She then creates black shards once again to clash against the lunge of another.

While doing so, she sees Jaune not acting at all, and instead allowing the creatures to continue their uncoordinated attack.

"Such a powerful attack, is this the power of an arbiter?" Ozpin said in awe as he saw such a display of power.

"Partial." Binah responded. "It is but a fragment of what I used to be capable of."

"Quite impressive."

Ironwood on the other hand frowned seeing Jaune's display of power. "Simply letting his subordinates attack without planning seems quite ineffective, I was expecting more from him."

"It is to be expected, an abnormality usually doesn't act as humans do, while they may retain one or two traits of humans, they are at the end of the day, simple pieces that can be contained." Spoke Angela.

She then casts a giant pillar that she then moves towards the creatures which pushes them backwards, only to then move another one to crush them as both pillars make contact.

The only one left now was Jaune as the five creatures had been killed.

"You are quite reckless to go up against a former Arbiter." Kali chuckled.

However she got no response. She decided to cut this one sided conversation short as she shoots a stream of shards towards Jaune, this time hitting him.

His form changes, instead of wood, he was now made out of glass which reflected everything.

He raised his hand, which then formed a copy of Kali.

"Father of Ideal." Angela mentioned. "This might be one that Yi Sang would love to investigate."

"I can see that." Roland nodded. A bit of information surrounding him had been revealed by Limbus Company while they shared information. It was scary how much of a coincidence the thoughts of the former wing researcher and this abnormality were.

"Two Kalis..." Ghira muttered.

"Oh you, what are you insinuating with that?" Kali teased, playfully punching her husband.

"Please..." Blake said with embarrassment. "I don't want you two saying anything explicit..."

"Funny coming from you, who has pornographic books hidden around our dorm." Yang called out.

"It's not porn! It's erotic literature!" She refuted.

"Oh yeah? And who even agrees with that?"

Blake looked away for a moment. "Issei Hyoudou does..."

"The pervert?!" The blonde girl said in surprise. "He's saying that to suck up to you and woo you!"

"Actually, no, the boy seems more normal than our initial impression." Blake defended. "Sure, he does from time to time let his gaze run wild, but he's genuinely appreciative of the plot."

"The plot, or PLOT?" Neptune asked.

"The actual story, he's the one who cares about a good story unlike his two other perverted friends, at least that's what he said."

Ghira cleared his throat. "Either way, I will make sure he doesn't try anything with my daughter." He said with a serious look.

Taiyang and Qrow nodded along.

"I wouldn't say that will be needed, he's been respectful enough when it came to talking... though his gaze can be felt." Angela said as she sighed.

"So he's a no touch, just look fellow?" Sun asked. To which Angela seemed to confirm.

"You've decided to defend that boy, why is that?" Roland asked.

"Fascination above all, the fact that he replaces and even seems to have met Ayin in another world peaks my curiosity."

Kali chuckled upon seeing a mirror of her standing besides Jaune, but that smile is cut short as the copy lunges itself against her.

She decides to cast chains which wrapped around the copy's feet. She then shot a stream of black shards.

The copy however formed a pillar in front of her, blocking the attack as she shot the chains, destroying them.

Kali however moved forward as she put her hand onto the copy's face, bringing her down to the ground.

She then casted her attack as the barrage hit the doppelganger straight in the face.

"Though you may look like me, you are not me." She uttered.

The false Kali broke free, her face unrecognizable as she casted a pillar once again.

She shot it towards the real one, who calmly dodged out of the way.

Kali then summoned chains, but this time she grabbed them as she swung said object against her enemy.

The copy jumped over the attack as she then casted black shards, however, another set of chains wrapped around the doppelganger.

Kali had summoned chains again before, which she grabbed with her free hand. By doing so, she then let go of the chains that had missed the targets and motioned her hand as a giant pillar shot straight towards the now-binded enemy.

The copy was utterly destroyed, leaving Jaune alone again.

"It's incredible how effective she's defeated the copy." Sienna mentioned with awe.

"It seems as Jaune doesn't have much luck when it comes to fighting in that world." Sun chuckled.

"Yeah, now that you mention it, didn't he also get dominated by Ruby?" Neptune said.

Taiyang blinked once after hearing that.

"What an interesting choice of words there." Mercury laughed.

"He means in battle, or at least I hope it means that." Emerald sighed

"I don't know why everyone has such a weird reaction... but yeah, when my other self fought him, it was a one-sided fight." Ruby confirmed.

His form changed again. This time he shined brighter than anything. His body had no form, and instead was a figure composed of four pillars.

"Father of Acceptance, of which was used as a base to evaluate the agents of Lobotomy Corporation." Angela revealed.

"Each pillar represents one of the four virtues."

Said pillars then broke free as four creatures came out of them.

Kali sighed. "I'm getting bored of this."

Locks formed on each one of them, she left no time for any of them to react as she then shot streams of black shards against each one of them.

She then summoned many pillars. Instead of throwing them against the enemy, she barricaded herself as each of the monsters rushed towards her.

They all clashed against the pillars, none of them were able to get through them.

Kali took her time to take advantage of openings the mindless creatures made.

"She's actually getting serious?" Roland muttered, surprised to see her go all out.

"Boredom is humanities' worst enemy after all." Binah stated. "As such, it is best to reduce the amount of time experiencing boredom, no?"

She then chained them all together, their feet were now connected one to another by a chain, which Kali then pulled, making all of them fall to the ground.

Kali then gripped the chains tighter as she lifted it, making the four monsters rise to the sky, only for Kali to slam the chains down as they all splattered to the ground.

"Dealing with mindless powerful creatures is easier than an intelligent weak one." She commented.

"Hence why most Grimm are so easy to handle most of the time." Ozpin explained.

"It's only when they come swarming when it gets difficult." Ironwood added. "Furthermore, the older ones are more likely to simply avoid civilizations."

"Mmm... they wouldn't say that if they knew about certain other Grimm.." Cinder muttered

This time, Jaune took a step forward, his form changed once again, only for him to turn into a storm of water.

"The First Father." Named Angela. "Said to be the very first abnormality to ever be created according to the agents, however, that is not true."

Binah then added. "It deems itself as such, and attempts to make others believe so, however, such actions are more proof that it is not."

The entire room started flooding as water spouted from each single side.

Kali reacted quickly as she then summoned a pillar and stood on top of it, making it so she had a place to stand on instead of having to swim.

She then summoned chains connected to the pillar, which made it so that the surface didn't move from side to side.

From there, she simply stood there for a moment.

"I think this is enough fun for you."

"Though I may have spoken to not interfere with your path, this is not the one you have chosen."

"As such, let me give you this gift."

She slowly raised her hand. Her hand was open for a moment.

And a second later, she clenched her fist.

Tremors resonated through the floor, the flood started to become more violent.

A giant wave then formed as it went towards Kali, but she seemed unfaced.

The wave slowly disappeared as it made it's way towards the former Arbiter until it no longer existed.

Not even a single drop of water had touched her.

"Impressive, to not even be hit once during this entire battle." Taiyang mentioned

"Hell, that was an ALEPH, right? How are you able to handle that so easily?" Roland asked.

"Hiding the strength, surely?" Raven suggested.

"That would not be my time to respond, as I am not her." Binah responded.

"Nor am I her, even if she had my name, looks and such." Giggled Kali.

"I'm just going to assume she's more powerful in that world and that's it, I'm not going to be heating my head over this." Qrow groaned.

Steps could be heard as Kali slowly made her way towards Jaune.

She extended her hand in front of her, sticking her thumb out.

Kali then turned her hand, signaling a thumbs down.

Pillars aggressively made their way to Jaune, crushing him without mercy.

"Yikes... that's too graphic." Neptune mentioned.

"What do you mean? That was sick!" Mercury disagreed.

"It's still quite disgusting." Emerald pointed out.

"Dying again... it's still surreal." Muttered Jaune.

The scene changed.

Then when I feel my joys certain

And my hour of greatest delight arrived

I find my pain beginning all over once again.

"Even though I've chosen this path, I am scared of where it may lead to." Jaune admitted.

"While that man you've been vigilant of has been a giant threat, I believe I am nothing compared to him."

"I am but a sympathetic nobody in this apathetic world."

"I am a hypocrite who does what I wish not to do."

"I preach about love, even when I have a knife in hand."

"I am scared of my fate, but if I can make a difference for everyone, it is more than worth it."

"Jaune..." Whispered Pyrrha, she felt bad for this other version of him.

Yet she knew they didn't need sympathy, they were accustomed to it.

"This is what makes humans so interesting." Binah mentioned. "They are never perfect, and yet, they are neither more valuable or less valuable, only when society deems them to be."

"Fate is such an interesting topic." Kali spoke

"But remember this."

"Though you may believe your fate to be unchanging, the path you take towards that fate can still be changed."

"Not everything is set in stone, paths are simply the most effective way to get to a place, there are more than one path that lead to your destination."

"I've brushed away so many possibilities, thinking that there is only one chance to do it." Jaune admitted. "Even though I realized that, it is far too late."

"I became ambitious, and so, I am paying for my ignorance."

"No one is at fault in this play but me, the one who created it." Jaune admitted. "Just as that man you spoke off is at fault for the suffering he made Winter go through."

"Though Winter had to pay for the sins of that man... I will pay for the sins of others."

"A martyr, he's dangerous." Frowned Ironwood.

"What's the point of paying for the sins of others?" Raven said, expecting better from him.

"You underestimate how damaged the mentality of most higher grade Fixers is." Said Roland. "Sometimes, all we have left is our principles."

"While others, their objectives..." Muttered Ozpin

"You'll be paying for the pain others have created, all to satiate that heroic wish of yours." Kali summarized.

"Though I may not be alone, in the end, I will die alone." He said with determination.

"And so, you will finally be at peace." Kali concluded. "You wish to break the cycle of pain."

"But unlike the Red Hood, you are taking extreme measures to get what you want."

"If a cycle can be broken once, what can be said about the other cycles?"

Adam looked away for a moment, hearing this talk about breaking the cycle was bringing him back to how the others continued to try and change his mind.

As if, there was no way he would forgive the bastards that made him what he was.

He'll get his revenge one day, but right now there is nothing he can do.

"I wish to support you." Kali admitted.

"Though I've already promised to be a spectator in this play, Winter has created."

"This unprecedented collaboration between two works will create a magnum opus not even that man can ever wish to accomplish for Salem."

"This boy will certainly be more dangerous to Winter than what I was to you." Roland said, chuckling as he looked at Angela.

"So it seems, I am surprised to hear her say that she's willing to help the boy." Admitted Angela.

Those in the unknown didn't understand what they meant.

"Uhm, excuse me, could you explain to us what you mean?" Ruby asked as she looked at Binah.

"I will remain silent, spoiling the fun would certainly be of no good." She smiled.

"Ooooooh, a surprise now? It'll certainly be something impactful, you have my attention." Roman said with glee.

"You are always welcome to come here." Said Kali. "I will greet you with open arms, even if the other Sephirah do not."

Jaune sighed. "It has been a long time since I've been able to talk to someone as an equal."

"... Come here for a moment." Kali said as she walked up to him.

"What are yo-"

Jaune felt himself being hugged by the former arbiter.

"It has been a long time since I've met someone so interesting, think of this as my way of telling you I support you." Admitted Kali.

"..." Jaune didn't say anything as he accepted the hug.

The room turned back to white.

"Man, why couldn't you be more friendly like her." Roland said jokingly.

"Do you wish to be hugged by this old fossil?" Asked Binah, her face had a sinister smile.

"N-no ma'am." He nervously responded.

"Hugging someone that isn't me or our daughter, am I to expect a new son?" Ghira joked.

"Dear, you know I would do that for children who have gone through so much." Kali smiled.

"I know, you're kind hearted, I know how much you feel for others."

Roman rolled his eyes upon seeing this. "Ugh, stop with the cheesy flirting, I'm so sick of this."

He then started walking towards the door.

"That being said, I'm looking forward to how this story continues. It is nice being able to taunt others when they can't do anything to me." He chuckled.

Ironwood glared. "You'll continue staying behind bars even when we go back, so enjoy this as much as you can."

"Hey, Jaune." Ren called.

"Yeah?"

"You've been quiet for the most part during this viewing."

"I could say the same for you, Ren." He nervously laughed.

"I understand that, but what I mean is that unlike the last few viewings, you seemed a bit... how do I say this."

"He means you've been a downer." Mercury interjected in the conversation. "I've noticed it, and I'm pretty sure everyone else did as well."

"Well... it's mostly because I... don't really agree with my other self."

Sun and Neptune then went up to him. "I can understand that, I also don't like how he does things." Sun agreed.

"Even then, you have to admit that he can do everything effectively albeit with errors through emotions." Neptune pointed out.

"That's more because of the nature of the City, if anything." Mentioned Sun.

Jaune downcasted, he wondered if he would end up the same way.

_-_

Adam had left that room and walked as far as possible from the other humans.

"Adam, wait." Sienna ordered, yet to her surprise, the man did not stop.

The bull faunus continued onward, not caring where he may end up, a all he wanted now was to get away from all these people who cared about humans.

His hatred for humans was far too deep, the horrors that he saw in that SDC mine marked him for life.

Seeing as Sienna was no longer following him, he took off his mask.

The SDC brand on his face reminded him of such dark days.

The urge to scratch and rip it off became more intense as he got angrier.

Yet he couldn't do anything, at the very least not in this space.

He laid down on the floor as he fummed from what he heard back then.

Indeed, he would never forgive humans for what they have done to him.

Steps could then be heard as Adam then looked up at who it was.

Kleine smiled as he then said. "Do you believe to have always hated humans?"

"What sort of dumb question is that? Of course I would hate humans no matter what! After what they've done to all faunus kind, there is no way to salvage them at all."

"You can cut the persona, I know full well you aim for something more selfish." Kleine said.

"What would you know? You don't even have to deal with discrimination." Adam sighed as he tried to walk past the owner of the hotel.

"Had you been saved by a human,or never had to deal with what you went through, do you believe to still have hated humans?"

Adam stopped for a moment. "I'm not an idiot, this rage originates from what happened back then, so of course, I would not hate them as much as I do now."

He sighed. "People see me as nothing but an extremist, and they are right, I'd rather they see me as such than an animal."

"Yet when you started as the White Fang recruit, you didn't kill any human, you instead finally killed for a noble cause."

"... What is your point? Killing is still killing, nothing would have changed had Ghira died, in fact, my plans would have hastened had I planned this before that happened." Adam asked as he glared at the man.

"You're an obsessive man, led by trauma, and all you have left is the White Fang." Kleine declared.

Adam gripped his weapon as he was about to unsheathe it out of anger.

"And yet, you are starting to lose that home."

"Adam, that is a name well known in other worlds, it is the name of the first human." Kleine explained while slowly walking around the faunus.

"Again, what is your point? Why do you want to talk to me?" He growled.

"Continue viewing, there will be times where you will see how you could have ended up, rather than this downward spiral of hatred." Kleine advised.

Adam looked away as he let go of his weapon. "You're simply wishing to nurture that boy, the blond one."

"Of course."

"Because in another world, he reaches that dream you wanted." Kleine revealed.

"In another, both of you share a drink at a bar."

"In one world that you've already seen, both of you are sworn brothers."

"The boy has many possible outcomes, but I simply want one of them, you won't get what you wished for in that version, but even then, you would have lived a fulfilling life."

Adam remained still as the owner of the hotel left him alone.

"What makes him so special?"

"No... why would this man want to change the boy?"

Adam's curiosity continued to take a hold of him. He decided that perhaps continuing to see the other realities, he would finally see what the bellboy was talking about.

"But... how would I have had a fulfilling life through that human? Just what the hell he is trying to do."

(A/N)

The initial scenes without reactions is almost 7k, if you saw that I cut the combat short, that's both because I really didn't want to make it long and because I don't like to write fight scenes. Since this is already 16k.

As you can see, a really different direction this Jaune is taking compared to Roland. Though he still sought to avenge Weiss, it appears that his reasons for coming to the Library are different to Roland...

The next part relating to this will be the final, where interactions between each single one of the versions of the Ensemble and Sephira will interact (No combats between them however).

A bit of changes made to Sienna and a bit more development for Adam, the Faunus related stuff always fascinated me, and I didn't like how RWBY dealt with it. I depicted Sienna as a more calm collected individual rather than a full on out extremist that isn't as far gone as Adam, like a middle between Ghira's and Adam's ideology.

As for Adam, I genuinely liked the potential he had as a character had he not been turned into an obsessive ex. His struggles and hatred could have been used much more to show just how much SDC has done, and he could have become a more complex character which further pushed the faunus racism sub plot that just disappeared.

Other than that, next up, we're finally going back to Sunny, who's been taking a well deserved break from watching any world.

The next two chapters should be shorter, and then we get the big one which is Canto VI featuring Michael Afton.

While quotes and a few elements from a book will be present, just like with Canto IV featuring Sunny, there won't be any major plot points from it.

And that's all, I'll see y'all next update.

DxD (Issei, Rias, Akeno, Kiba, Koneko, Asia, Sirzechs, Azazel, Irina, Xenovia, Michael, Vali, Cao Cao)

RWBY(RWBY, JNPR, Ozpin, Branwens, Cinder's group, Adam, Sienna, Roman, Neo, Blake's parents, Winter, Ironwood, Sun, Neptune, Taiyang )

Library of Ruina (The Library, Ensemble)

Limbus Company (Limbus Corporation Main Cast)

Omori (Sunny, Basil, Kel, Aubrey, Hero)

FNAF (Afton Family (Except mother), Henry and Charlie Emily)

Genshin Impact (All Playable Characters + Fatui Harbingers, Paimon, Lumine and Dainsleif)