Jaune didn't react with any fear to the creature's attack. He expended a little aura, waved a hand, and summoned up a wall of solid rock between them. He had the power here, and wouldn't be threatened by—

A hole opened up in the rock, and the creature surged through.

"What!?"

He fell back and kicked off, escaping the sharp slash of claws by flying into the air – only to see a rope swing out of nowhere and catch his foot. The creature hauled on it, pulling Jaune back down to the ground with a mighty crash. No pain, of course, as none of this was real.

Jaune threw out a hand and cast a ball of fire at the creature, as if he were some fantasy wizard. The creature opened its mouth and spat a ball of flame the exact same size back at him. The two collided and splashed across the area, snuffing one another out.

The bipedal, feline creature cocked its head and smiled in a human-like manner. "Curious. Isn't it?"

Jaune summed Crocea Mors as a floating sword and shot it at the cat like a bullet.

An exact replica of Crocea Mors appeared above the cat's shoulder to fire out and deflect it. Jaune summoned a hundred weapons, including replicas of Crescent Rose, Gambol Shroud and Myrtenaster.

All of which were summoned against him.

It was mimicking him.

Was that its ability? To do whatever he did? Jaune fired a ball of fire at his own feet, seeing if the cat would do the same and injure itself. It did not. Jaune was blasted away but backflipped lazily in the air, gravity having a debatable hold on him, to land back on his feet.

"Close," the cat taunted. "But not close enough. Here, let me give you an idea."

Dirt and clay rose up around it to form the shape of three Beowolves. Instead of black with bone plates, they were purple, with neon patterns in checker formations running up and down their arms. Their roars were high-pitched and staggered like an electric guitar being strangled. Their movements as they lunged were very much normal, however.

"Rarghhh!"

Salem lashed out at one with her sword and cut its head clean off. Instead of blood, confetti and sparklers popped out. Jaune simply pointed at one and caused it to explode, then picked up the other with his mind and hurled it back at the cat as Miss Goodwitch might have. The airborne Beowolf shrank and shrank until it was the size of a marble. The cat caught it in its palm and held it up. The tiny beast roared before the cat clenched its hand and crushed it.

Jaune had a sinking suspicion he knew what this was.

But, to be sure, he had to test it. He reached out with both hands and took the very environment around the creature, pulling apart with his hands and sucking the oxygen out the air. He created a vacuum, a void in space that threatened to tear the body apart.

The feline snapped its fingers – the sound echoing despite it being in a vacuum.

Air popped back into existence.

"Less of that, thank you," it said. "That was awfully rude. And ultimately quite pointless, don't you think? Our battle is a futile affair in itself. I wonder if you've started to piece together quite why. Or if you need a few more hints."

He didn't.

"You're like me. You have the same Semblance I do. You're a dream walker."

Hundreds of hands clapped in concert, an invisible audience applauding him like he'd just finished some grand performance on stage. "Bravo. Bravo," the cat mocked. "But, ah, you have the gist of it but also have a fatal lack of understanding. Not your fault, I suppose, since yours is a world of order and rules. You simply cannot fathom the existence of any other."

"Other... worlds... You mean in space...?"

"Ah, ah, ah. Space is a concept of your world. As is time, distance and speed. They are not constants everywhere else. In fact, the whole idea of constant is in flux in other worlds. Or dimensions, I suppose you would call them."

The cat summoned two orbs above his head. One was the planet of Remnant and the other... the other was not a planet at all, but some strange ball of interconnected puzzle pieces with a tree on top of it.

"Your world of Remnant." He nodded to theirs. "Is a world of order. I come from the world of the ever after – which is a world of chaos. Not to say order is good or chaos is bad, of course. They are simple two sides of the same coin. Order represents rules: rules of physics, biology, chemistry, gravity, reality. And ours is of chaos: immaterialism, inconsistency, magic."

"Magic exists here," Salem interrupted. "The Brother Gods."

"No, no, my dear. Magic does not exist here. Magic travelled here. Magic was brought here to your realm."

"By the Gods...?"

The applause sounded again. The cat laughed. "Indeed. You have it in one. Two beings born from the great tree in the ever after, who indulged in rampant creation and destruction with no sense of order or purpose. They created wildly, without planning or forethought, and gave birth to our realm. A realm of chaotic madness where every law you hold dear is more of a suggestion than a reality. Then, upon realising the chaotic mess they had created with their random gestures, they left out world to start anew – this time with a plan."

"And created Remnant."

"Hmm. Close but not quite. You see – and this is a secret so keep it close." He winked, laughing all the while. "The secret the Brother Gods don't want you to know is that Remnant was not created. It was found. It existed before."

The cat brought the orb representing Remnant in front of it.

"The Gods could have created Remnant if they wished it, but, you see, they were immature creatures lacking in creativity. Their efforts before had been akin to a child of your world randomly splashing paint on a canvass. It would be a little suspicious to graduate from finger-painting to structural engineering, don't you think? To go from no laws to a fully functioning system of physics, chemistry and more."

"Why, look at the human body," he said. "A billion tiny organisms working in perfect coordination. Microbes in every part of you, some working with you, some against, some not even aware of what they're doing. The means by which you eat and digest food alone are a biological marvel, and a level of complexity quite beyond what two newborn beings could ever be capable of."

"That doesn't make sense," Salem accused. "They are gods. All-knowing."

"My dear. If they were truly all-knowing then how were they tricked, betrayed and overthrown by one grieving woman...?"

Jaune and Salem remained silent. It was a shocking idea, but far more shocking was the simple logic behind it. And the point was a good one. The human language tended to attribute the word "god" to perfect beings, and maybe they'd gotten wrapped up in that. The Brother Gods called themselves that, and the people who worshipped them also used the word, but people were called titles all the time. Not all of them were deserved.

"Of course, they created us," the cat continued. "In a way, we are the children of the gods and you're our adopted siblings. Curiosities the gods decided to pick up and win over, all so they could experiment with a more structured format."

"And that makes you bitter toward humanity..."

The applause was replaced with a chorus of "boos".

"No. No. No. Bitter? Not at all. And of what? Our Gods abandoned you the same as they did us. If anything, we are kindred spirits. And besides, you're a curiosity. And I do so enjoy those. The Gods created me to be curious, you see. They even called me the Curious Cat. My name and keepsake, and also the iron chain around my neck."

"I was created to be curious, to seek knowledge, and that keeps me from feeling angry. Yes, it does. No matter how cruel you may be, you're still objects of curiosity to me. I cannot help but know more. I have no choice. I am a slave to my creation. Do you know how that feels? To have a purpose so overriding that free will does not come into it?"

There was a note of hysteria in him now. Jaune held his ground but Salem edged closer to him, finding comfort in an unknown man over an unknown and potentially crazed beast with magical powers.

"I have let larger creatures consume me. Rip my body apart and feast on my flesh. Why? Because I was curious of what it means to be eaten! I have won the trust and love of those around me and betrayed them. Why? Because I must. Because I was created to be curious of what their expressions would be as I turned on them."

"That's disgusting."

"Yes. Yes, it is. Isn't it? Would that I had a choice; I'd have done differently. You see, the discovery is not always a good one. I wept at that discovery. The result was not worth my curiosity, nor the loss of ones I held dear. But I do not have a choice, you see. I was created to be this. I was created with rules. Rules in a world that has none! I, alone with one other who was to be my counterpart, exist as chained beings in a world of unchained reality. It's quite the prison."

"That doesn't explain how you can do the same things I can. Enter dreams."

"Ah, of course. We're getting there. Let's jump ahead a little, shall we? You humans who existed before were suffused – or perhaps corrupted is the word – with the energies of the Brother Gods. Chaos intermingled your bodies formed of order, but they were careful not to do is too quickly and tear you apart. They had learned from us, you see. Instead, they created an outlet for the corruptive and wild energy they put into you. Reality-warping and chaotic energies that are anathema to your ordered structure. That outlet would activate when you slumber."

Jaune's eyes widened. "Dreams..."

"Yes. Dreams and nightmares. Each as bizarre and chaotic as the other. Of course, they put in some safeguards too. Lucky for your race they did. You forget them soon after they pass and they cannot change or harm your physical body. To achieve that, however, the gods needed to make sure the energies are siphoned off away from your physical body. Even if they didn't harm you, the energies would seep into your world and influence the environment. Think of it like waste from one of your factories. It needed somewhere to go where it wouldn't be a problem. That somewhere..." He brought the two orbs together so their edges overlapped like a Venn diagram, "— was the ever after. A crossover point between our worlds. Protected by a barrier, of course, but your dreams happen in our world and thus bleed off energy that isn't dangerous to us. Your waste is the material of our existence so, in a way, it's a gift to us."

"But also a weakness," Jaune guessed. "A spot where an enterprising and curious creature could see a means to cross between one world to another."

"Ah! He has it!" The applause returned and this time the cat joined in, smacking its palms together. Its eyes shone bright blue. "Clever human. Though, it must be said, I had to do a lot of leading to help you figure it out. And, of course, the barrier would be located at a place where there is a lot of chaotic energy. Here. The Gods did their best to keep it from your world but they lashed out in petulance when they were betrayed, throwing aside their own rules and unleashing a lot of chaotic energy. Energy that I believe birthed not only your Semblances, but the creatures you call Grimm as well. Existences like those are really more our kind of thing."

"You're welcome to have them back."

"Not my choice. Not my say. I'm a slave to my own curiosity. I'd love to know more. No, I need to know more." He rasped the last but out hungrily, an edge of raw pain to his voice. "But that's not by choice. I need answers as you need food. It gnaws at me. A hunger that can never be filled. One that will never go away." He let out a hiss, forcing his tone back to its mocking one. "Further proof if any were needed that the Brother Gods were not all-knowing or wise. They had no real capability for forethought, and didn't even consider the ramifications of my creation."

It could have all been lies. Salem looked shocked and Ozpin had never mentioned this, but then they might not have known. Jaune wasn't sure why he believed it. Not out of trust for this creature, that was for sure. Maybe it was the simple fact it made sense. All those textbooks on dream theory he and Oobleck had mulled over had always claimed things about dreams didn't make sense. They were theories on how and why dreams existed. Even those proposing them admitted they couldn't be sure.

"So, let me hazard a guess..." Jaune began. "You crossed over at the weakest point of the barrier because your God-given curiosity compelled you to. However, you found you couldn't exist here any more than a human could in your world. The chaotic energies within you began to pull at your shell, threatening to burst out like you were caught in a vacuum. You needed a vessel. Something to hide within. And then you saw a helpless woman. Saw the pools. Saw a chance to create a vessel that also meshed the best of order and chaos."

"Very good." The cat laughed. "Very vague, but close enough. I could tell you how falling into the pools created a momentary destabilisation in her mind, but that would all be technical knowledge above your understanding. You have the meat and bones of it, as your kind would say."

"You're trapped in Salem, then."

"Not trapped. No. You cannot trap with rules that which is made of the antithesis of rules. You can exist in one place at one time, but the Curious Cat can exist in two places at one time – or two places at two times. Or even one place at two times."

Jaune had to wrap his head around that. "Then you're conscious in both your world and ours...?"

"In a sense. Though you're the same. We are the same, you see. The things you call Semblances are, for lack of a better word, recycled. The Brother Gods lacked drastically in imagination, so instead of coming up with new powers and abilities they simply borrowed from our world. A Semblance to conjure fire from a fire creature, and so on. You are mimicries in a sense. Though it is flattering, all the same. You don't steal our power. Even borrowing is the wrong word. You're more... based off it. Inspired by it. Blatant plagiarism, but for the owner of the copyright allowing it."

"I have your power."

"You have an imitation of my power," the cat corrected. "Ironically, a very thorough one – to the point that your power is shackled by accident. You see, my power to shape reality in the ever after is quite obviously a big thing. If the Gods had planned it fully, you'd have power to shape your reality. Albeit in a limited sense. But they didn't plan it. They didn't think it through."

He chuckled and waved a paw, rolling his eyes at yet more shortsightedness from his creators.

"What you ended up with was the ability to shape reality like me, but also the same condition: that you can only shape it in the ever after. Quite the ridiculous constraint given you could never normally cross into it! A power that should for all intents and purposes be utterly useless but for one loophole."

"A loophole the gods failed to see."

"You're getting it now. I love them for creating me, of course, but my nature as the Curious Cat means I have to learn, and the more I learn the more I realise how utterly foolish they were. Yes, you have the loophole that you can alter reality within the ever after, which is reached when someone dreams. Your power isn't to enter the minds of people as you think it is. Your power is actually to alter reality in the ever after. You and I can weaken the barriers and cross over. Or send our consciousness over. I've done it to the one you know as Salem, and you do it to the ones around you. The only difference is you're inexperienced and jumping across the barrier without intent, whereas I can control it. But for all other intents and purposes? We're two sides of the same coin."

Jaune stepped back. "This is... This is crazy."

"Yes. It is, isn't it? Imagine the long odds that would bring us together like this! Well, not so much random chance, I'm afraid. Once I learned of you in her dreams, I began bombarding her with dreams of what she could do with your power."

"You... You orchestrated all this...?"

The cat bounced down onto all fours, shrinking to the size of a normal housecat. "That's a bit much. I couldn't predict someone would have my power, let alone that it'd be you. Salem was already curious about your abilities. I just kept her focused on you."

"For what purpose?"

"Can't you guess?"

"..." Jaune frowned. "To take over my body...?"

The audience booed once more. "Have you even been listening to me...?"

"It's because he's curious," Salem said. The audience stopped, then cheered. "It's because it's in his nature to want to know more."

"Exactly. Wonderful. Well done."

"You're curious... about me... Why? Because my Semblance mimics your power? Wouldn't that mean you already know everything about it?"

"I'm curious about everything. I can't help it. I'm curious how your flesh tastes, how you would be as a friend, how you would act if I killed your friends, and even how you would treat me if I were your pet, your lover, your enemy, your closest ally." He cut off with a frustrated hiss. "My life is a constant barrage of curiosity I cannot control."

He sighed and set himself down on his haunches.

"But I believe that is an area in which we can help one another. We each have our problems. Your problem is that Salem yearns to abduct you, kill your friends and destroy your world. Mine is that I am lost in curiosity with little freedom to be myself. I need to reach the gods that created me and convince them to fix their mistake. Ease my restraints a little. Your world has a way to accomplish this while mine does not."

"The relics..." Salem whispered. Her tone was deeper, and when Jaune glanced over he noticed she was white of skin and hair again. In her Grimm form. It looked like all the talk of gods and his Semblance had caused her to become lucid again. "No," she whispered. "The Gods said they would judge Remnant when they returned and destroy it if the people had not proven to be sorry for their mistakes. The people don't even know the gods existed. Ozma keeps it from them. Remnant will be destroyed if the relics are gathered. He simply doesn't care because he's not of our world."

The cat flicked its tail. "Of course she would say that. She who betrayed the gods in the first place. Remind me again. Didn't she mislead an entire race of people into attacking them? It can't be hard to mislead one more."

"The Gods will judge humanity. They despise us."

"It seems obvious to me that if they gave you a way to bring them back, they don't hate your species," the cat pointed out. "They want you to call them back. They're childish. What they want more than anything is for your species to come crawling back, apologise, and tell them that they were right all along. That's what they want. Salem and Ozma don't want it because they know they will be the ones on the chopping block."

Jaune didn't know what to say. He'd gone from being Salem's victim to her defender to a neutral arbiter deciding who lived and who died. They were competing to have him on their side. The Curious Cat couldn't kill Salem because his and the cat's powers would cancel one another out, and Salem couldn't do it because she was powerless here. Salem needed him on her side, and the Curious Cat needed him to step aside.

"In control of her body I would have little interest in continuing her reign of terror. There's so much to see and do in your world. My curiosity would be sated for a thousand lifetimes at least. You'd live in an era of unparalleled peace."

"He just admitted to not being able to control his urges!" Salem barked. "He would betray you just to find out what your reactions to Grimm tearing you apart would be. I am – or was – human. I'm your enemy, but at least you can predict me. He's as alien as they come! And far more powerful."

"I might turn on you in time," the cat admitted, "But not before I've sated my curiosity in other ways. And I might as well wait for you to die of old age first. No need to run headlong into my own power used against me. Besides, my need to fulfil my curiosity will only last as long as it takes to summon the gods. Collect the relics and summon them if you're wary of me. I'm hardly going to intervene when that's what I want. Hell, I'll help you find them."

"There's no guarantee the gods will grant his wish."

"Of course not. But their chosen champion, Ozma, betrayed them and refused to deal with you. I will petition them and hand you over, asking a boon in return. I'll gladly say Ozma and Salem misled humanity against the gods. There won't be any reason for me to betray you. Once my curiosity is removed, I'll even return home. This world is horrible to me. All these rules, all this structure and order." He shuddered theatrically. "If not for my curiosity, I wouldn't be here at all. Remove that and I'll gladly be gone."

"Don't be a fool!" Salem raged. "You'd unleash a failed creation of the gods on our world and give him my body and power! That is a recipe for disaster!"

The cat shrugged. "Let her live and she'll kill your friends and then take you away. I'd think the choice obvious, friend. The lives of your loved ones are at stake."

The two of them turned on him, waiting for his answer.