LOVE IS (NOT) DEAD

Chapter 1: DEATH IS (NOT) THE END - 1

Jaune staggered, and as he collapsed over the edge of the platform and into the void, his eyes drifted downward to the deep gash in his stomach—the wound Cinder had dealt him. It wasn't meant for him, though; it was meant for Penny.

He had thrown himself into the path of that deadly strike, saving her.

As the pain flared, Jaune's mind flickered back to that moment, to the shock on Cinder's face when Weiss had severed the Grimm arm she'd grafted onto herself.

Cinder's fury and desperation as she reached for the Winter Maiden's powers, only to fail—Jaune couldn't help but chuckle despite the agony coursing through his body. It was a small, bitter victory, but one that brought a fleeting sense of pride.

He didn't hold too much anger about what was happening to him. He had done something that mattered. Penny's life was far more important than his own, and she had the Winter Maiden's powers. They had all fought so hard to keep her safe. He couldn't let Cinder walk away with her powers, not after everything they had done to stop her. His death—his sacrifice—was a price worth paying if it meant denying Cinder that satisfaction. He just wished he had more time.

"Nora and Ren are gonna be so pissed at me..." Jaune muttered weakly as his body began to lose its fight. His voice trembled with a mixture of regret and sorrow. "Damn it..."

As he continued to fall, Jaune's thoughts drifted to Ren, Nora, Oscar—all of them. His heart ached. He was angry, not just at Cinder, but at himself. He was leaving them behind, abandoning them to fight the battles they should have been fighting together. They had already lost so much, and now they would lose him too. He didn't want them to mourn another teammate, didn't want to add to their grief.

But this was it.

He had made his choice, and now they would have to live with it.

He only hoped they would understand. He would rather it be him than Penny. Cinder would never get her hands on the Winter Maiden's power—not as long as Jaune Arc had anything to say about it.

The world around him began to blur, the edges of his vision darkening. It felt like everything was slipping away. Then, just as the darkness threatened to consume him entirely, something unexpected happened.

A flash.

White.

Pure and blinding.

Everything faded into nothingness, and in that moment of silence, Jaune felt a strange sensation... like the world itself had shifted around him.

Suddenly, the world around Jaune shifted. The bridge, the endless black void he had been falling through, disappeared. In its place was a brilliant blue sky stretching above him, vast and endless. The warmth of the sun had kissed his skin, but his body was still frozen in agony. He tried to move, but the searing pain in his stomach was overwhelming. His muscles felt weak and unresponsive, and the deep wound Cinder had given him still throbbed with every shallow breath. He could barely keep his eyes open as they slowly drifted around, taking in his surroundings.

He wasn't on a bridge anymore, nor falling through a void. Instead, he lay at the bottom of a large crater, its jagged edges looming above him. The earth beneath him felt rough, as though some massive force had slammed him into the ground, leaving him buried within this hollow.

"W-Where...?" Jaune croaked, his voice a fragile rasp that barely escaped his lips.

Before he could process anything, figures began to materialize at the edge of the crater. One by one, they appeared out of thin air, like shadows converging from nothingness. They moved with unnatural speed and precision, their forms blending into the scenery with an effortless grace that Jaune could barely comprehend. Ninjas. That was the only word that came to mind as he watched them appear, clad in dark, sleek attire that concealed their features and weapons.