The Knights of Grimm - Act 3 - Shattered Memory

Chapter 37 - The Hall of Fears

Jaune

Jaune looks around the halls of the Beacon Dormitories; it looks so familiar but feels so different at the exact same time. He stands up carefully, helping Pyrrha up with him as he keeps her close in his arms. She still has her hands onto his torso as she keeps her body close to his, large emerald green eyes scanning the hall that stretches out before them. They look around, seeing that they are in a cross-section of the hallways.

I don't remember the hallway looking like this...

A cold breeze travels down the halls as they both stand tall inside, Jaune draws Crocea Mors when Pyrrha is able to stand without his help. She too draws Milo and Akuou, ready to fight whatever lurks inside of these doors. Inside of these room – and they need to find out how to get out of this damned place. Jaune walks forward, and he looks back at Pyrrha, she is still quite terrified of being here, trapped in the realms created by the one that tormented her. It is said that Vir Nominis Umbra will honour his end of the bargain if his challenger wins – the issue is...nobody has beaten him, and thus those words just feel completely void and hollow.

Jaune walks over to her, hearing the chinking of the metal in her weapons as she shakes. She stops though, when he stands with her. "We can't stay too long, Pyrrha. We need to keep moving, stay ahead of the Lord of the Wood while we still can." Jaune whispers to her, she sighs and nods her head, walking with him down the familiar yet different halls. There are so many doors in this hallway, and they can hear the faint caws of the Lord of the Wood in the distance.

"I don't like this." Pyrrha stammers, his eyes turn to her and he looks back ahead as he asks his question.

"Did he – did he put you in here, once?" Jaune inquires, and she looks at him as they walk down the hallway cautiously. Anything could be lurking in this layer of his cruel little game of realms.

"Not this one...this is new." Pyrrha tells him, and Jaune catches onto her description there.

"This one?" He asks, and she sighs.

"The last one? That was the Charred Forest, just a different part of it." She explains with a nervous voice. It appears the Charred Forest is much larger than they actually realise. It is not just a forest, there are hills and fields that are charred as well. Are there cities reduced to the same state? Is the Charred Forest an Alternate Version of Remnant right now?

Before he can wonder any more on these thoughts, they both stop and turn to a door. They are not fools, they know that they are bound to come across their fears sooner or later, and they cannot just keep walking in the halls. Clearly the hallways are infinite, just stretching on for miles before them until they start opening up more and more doors. Jaune raises Crocea Mors up in his hand, cautiously reaching towards the doorknob of this door. He looks at her, nervously breathing as he stares at her.

She looks just as nervous.

"Here goes nothing." He exhales, twisting the doorknob and unlocking the door. He pulls it open ever so slowly, the creaking of the door seems to be extra loud than physically possible. Jaune would be scared of what is inside, but he just rolls his eyes with annoyance and – somewhat – disappointment. Because Vir Nominis Umbra is in the Dormitory, in the form of Weiss once again with a guitar in his hand as he strikes the fingers with the sweeping action of his hand.

"Jauuuuuuuuuuuuuuuune!" Umbra playfully sings as he stands there, just as he did to Weiss when he was swooning for her. Jaune sighs, slamming the door shut in his face with an annoyed expression, turning to Pyrrha who cannot help but giggle. Despite how evil Vir Nominis Umbra really is, one cannot deny his sense of humour is on point – in a sick way – but still pretty entertaining.