Professor Arc

Chapter 52

It sounded ridiculous. Jaune had to force down his disbelief as he listened to Pyrrha explain. The young girl sat on one seat, warm mug in hand as she recounted what happened to her and the tale Ozpin shared. If it weren't for his own hint from Roman, he wasn't sure he would have believed her, tearful expression or not.

"That's when I decided to come here," Pyrrha finished. She looked down at the hot chocolate in her hands and took a long sip.

Maidens, ancient power, an attack... it sounded ridiculous, but then again, that was the point of fairy tales. Jaune would have loved to dismiss it all, but the pieces clicked together with frightening clarity the moment she stopped speaking. The maiden – this was the power Cinder wanted. This was why she'd come to Beacon and what she was looking for, what her favours from him led towards. For so long, he'd assumed she was after political gain or a chance to steal some trinket, when in fact, the only reason she was here at all was because this maiden was.

That means she must have been the one to attack the maiden, he thought. If Ozpin interrupted and rescued her, Cinder would have no chance but to follow and finish her off.

A dark thought entered his mind; one that that made him sick to his stomach. Could he help Cinder complete her plan? Once she had the maiden, she would leave Beacon and be gone, right? It would mean the loss of that power, but if this maiden could be taken out, then surely Cinder could at some later time as well. Beacon would be safe; his secret would be maintained – perhaps even bolstered if he earned her as an ally. On top of that all, Pyrrha wouldn't need to make this difficult choice.

It was a tempting thought. Selfish beyond belief, even if he could pretend it was for everyone else... but tempting nonetheless. All it would take was convincing Pyrrha to tell him where the maiden was and a quick visit to Cinder. She'd probably not trust him enough to accompany her... this could all be over by morning and he wouldn't have to lift a finger. Hell, he would even have the perfect alibi from his date with Glynda. He wouldn't, though, and for one simple reason.

He had no idea what Cinder intended to do with that power.

Frustration bubbled beneath the surface as he tried to convince himself it didn't matter, that whatever she did, someone else could deal with. You're not a real huntsman... you're a teacher and a fake at best. Let the real people handle this. Your job is to protect the students! Such words flashed through his mind, their promise of inaction and security more alluring than he dared admit.

The real huntsman and huntresses, however, would be his students... his friends. If he let Cinder get away with this and it turned out she wanted to use it for nefarious purposes – which felt like a pretty safe bet – then it was Team RWBY and RVNN who would have to deal with the consequences. They would fight her, whether that was one year or ten from now, and Cinder would be powerful beyond measure. If this was as big a power-up as all the hush-hush suggested, then the last person he wanted with such was someone like her. To take it out of her hands, though...

"Pyrrha... did Ozpin explain how the process might be dangerous?"

The redheaded girl looked up at him, a surprised expression on her face. It honestly tore at him how she looked betrayed for a second, but the guilt was nothing compared to the trusting smile she sent him a moment later. It looked as though she would do whatever he suggested, and that made the weight on his shoulders feel even larger.

"He didn't explain everything," she said. "The technology is from Atlas, or the machine itself. Apparently, it would transfer the aura from her into me, but because aura is the soul, there's a chance certain aspects of her might come across as well."

"It hasn't ever been tested?"

"Not from what I gathered. I don't... aura is sacred, professor. I don't think anyone would play around with that. It's a person's soul; their very being. I don't know if there's life after death, but if someone else were to devour your aura?" Pyrrha cut off, her face twisted in displeasure. He could fill in the rest. If someone devoured the soul of another, then surely that person would cease to exist.