Julius enjoyed a quiet moment with his son.
The boat rocked gently on the surface of the water, the sun barely beginning to peak over the horizon, glimmering on the rippling water's surface. Jaune's pole bobbed, signifying the presence of a fish.
Without words he leaned over to his son's side in case Jaune needed his assistance.
He felt his Adam's apple bob as he saw Jaune grin and pull back, feet planting against the edge of the boat, near effortlessly pulling the trout out of the water with three sharp jerks, his hand spinning the reel with a bit of only minor effort.
His son had grown without him.
That much was clear.
Befuddlingly... Inexplianably… Heart breakingly…
It didn't make sense at all. But he didn't have the right to complain. It was his fault, after all.
"Dad! I caught one!" Jaune held up the flopping fish excitedly, his ears flickering in happiness.
He placed his hand on his son's head and gently ruffled his hair, feeling the velvet ears in his palms as his son giggled.
He couldn't help but to guiltily recall when he had first seen Jaune's new ears and he had roughly grasped them and had tried to pull them off thinking it to be nothing more than a prank. That he still wished that they'd never appeared on his son's head.
He choked down the dark memory as he felt his chest tighten in the guilt.
"You did great, Jaune." He smiled softly, feeling a hint of his teeth flash as his lips parted. "That's a big one."
Jaune happily put the fish in the small tub of water in the boat, locking the clear lit on top to keep the large fish from jumping out.
His hands felt a tug as well, the tip of his fishing pole beginning to bob.
"Dad you got one too!"
Julius grinned, activating his Semblance as the Aura around his arms began to glow in orange light.
Perhaps he hadn't been the best dad of late. Actually he'd just been a sort of bad father to specifically his son in general, being as restrictive of his interests and having never had the intent on giving him any Huntsman training. That was… well, that was undoubtedly on him.
With a short, strong grunt, he pulled up, Aura extending to cover the length of the fishing pole. It leapt across the wire as it whipped up, pulling the large fish out of the water in a single motion, sending a spray of lake water into the air, forming a small rainbow in the air as the fish flung towards them.
A hand lazily stretched out to grab the slippery critter, pulling back and bending at the elbow as it killed the momentum, assisted by his Aura, as the trout struggled in his grip.
He could feel his fingers already beginning to slip against the slimy scales, but he did his best to hold it in place as he basked in the cheering of his son. His one and precious baby boy. Less a baby now.
"That was awesome!"
"No, it'll taste awesome when we get it back to the house." He grinned conspiratorially. "That was nothing."
"How'd you do that so easily?"
Julius grinned as he passed the trout into Jaune's arms, the boy bearing the weight effortlessly, but struggling against its slippery body.
"Half of it's cuz your old man's the strongest Huntsman ever," He boasted with a grin.
"What's the other half?"
"I gotta show off to my son."
Jaune's eyes watered faintly. And for a moment he recalled the last words he had spoken to Jaune before the boy had run away.
"You might not even be my son!"
The echo of the words still choked his throat from within. How had he been so utterly stupid? So cruel and hateful? He'd never once doubted Noelle's love for him. They were… well. Prolifically affectionate. In every sense.
He'd always known it was never the Faunus' fault for the loss of his parents. Not really. It was their choice to fight for their Kingdom, despite disagreeing with their practices. But he had loved them. Loved them and lost them.
He missed them. When he worked part time in construction in Mount Glenn to put himself through Beacon, he missed them. When he'd graduated, despite being a few years older than his peers he'd missed them. When he'd married Noelle he'd missed them.
It was… so easy to hate and blame someone when he didn't have to look them in the face every day. Even when he worked with the odd Faunus, he didn't spend extended periods of time with them and could still stay professional.
His son awakening as one was something he didn't know how to handle.
He watched as Jaune placed the second trout in the fishing tub, sputtering as the first trout tried to leap out, slapping water in his face. Jaune made a face of comical discomfort as he spat out the fishy lake water.
As he shut the lid again, locking both fish in place, he reached over with his arms, lifting up his son, spinning him around with a whoop, ignoring the rocking of the boat as he pulled his son into his arms with a laugh, not caring about the scent of fish now reeking on the both of them.
Jaune giggled into his ear as he held his son in a big hug as the sun rose by their side.
"So… why'd Prof Ozpin and General Ironwood order so much wine last week?"
Jaune flinched in his grip, and he could feel the wagging of his son's tail slow down.
"Uhhhhhh…"
Julius laughed as he put his son back down.
"I'm not mad, you know. But your old man's still running it all fine. You didn't have to do that."
"I know, but I just wanted to. My dad makes the best wine in Mistral." Jaune quietly pouted, not quite meeting his eyes.
Julius laughed.
"Not the world?"
Jaune shrugged.
"Not like I was drinking in Vale or Atlas." He cheekily grinned.
Julius rolled his eyes, sitting back down and grasping the oars, beginning to paddle themselves back to the docks.
"Well once you're grown enough to enjoy a drink, we'll go and sample wine from all over. Prove your old man can swing with the best."
"Shouldn't you be proving yourself against what's in Mistral first?"
"You already said that your old man's the best in Mistral. No take backs."
Jaune giggled.
"That's true. Where do we even ship out to in Mistral?"
"Ah, all over. Why? Interested in more of the family business?"
"Mmmm. Yes and no. I just think I caught the travel bug. Can I go with you on your next delivery? I'll behave, I promise."
Julius nodded with a smile.
"You can swing by with me on this month's caravan. A few arrangements shifted, so we'll be headed down a different route from normal, but it should be totally safe. It'll be a few days down towards the, uh, south western coast. It'll end in Oniyuri where some of the Idealist Faction are trying to build a new city."
Jaune seemed to perk up in interest at that, his left ear perking in a weird sideways motion like it did sometimes when his son talked to his new imaginary friend Juniper. That made him worry sometimes, but it seemed to be just a part of his subconscious that helped give his son good advice, so it was no consequence. Hopefully.
"That sounds cool! Are we, uh, stopping by Kuroyuri on the way down?"
"Actually, yes. Visiting a friend too. I didn't know he'd been living there until this week, actually. Sort of… lost touch. Sounds like you've been brushing up on your geography, eh?"
Jaune giggled nervously, his right foot tapping/stamping rapidly the way he'd begun to do when he was hiding something.
"S-something like that."
Julius leaned over to pat his son on the head.
It didn't matter why, he was just happy his son wanted to spend more time with him. Even if he was hiding something. He'd probably find out why anyways later.
Julius just wanted to make everything right. His fingers gripped at the oars almost hard enough to indent his grip into the wood.
He'd make it all right. Somehow. Starting with this new trade deal.
Shipping to Oniyuri would be a gamble, but it would pay off if it all came together well. If not, then at least Julius would be able to say he'd tried and look for another new trade deal. There was no need to rush.
Spending time with his son mattered more.
Lie Ren gazed peacefully at a pink lotus floating in the water.
It was a lazy Sunday morning, peaceful and tranquil. He wished there was a pond or pool in town that would allow him to swim and enjoy the water. Summer was over, but Mistral still tended to stay on the warmer end until later in the Fall.
How he'd like to drift like the lotus. Where had it come from anyways?
A familiar woman's giggle interrupted his line of thought.
"Well hello there, little Lie." He looked up to see his mother who had a big basket of food in her arm. He remembered that they'd be having guests over that night, someone that dad knew when he'd used to be an active Huntsman. "Trying to catch a fish?"
"I found a flower on the water!" He pointed excitedly, looking at the pretty pink lotus and back to her.
"Oh I see." Mom grinned with a little smirk, as he turned and walked over.
He kept a polite stride, making sure not to run too quickly to cause a fuss in public.
"Can we take it home and plant it in the garden?"
Mom's brows knit together as she gave him a wry smile.
"Oh, no sweetheart. That flower lives here. Lotuses need to be in the water to grow. They'd wither in the garden."
Lie Ren felt sad at that knowledge. It was a shame. Lotuses were pretty. Maybe one day he could convince dad to dig a pond so they'd keep one? That seemed like it'd be difficult though.
He pouted.
Mom seemed to fluster just a bit as she pat his head briefly.
"But I'll tell you what you can do." She pulled out a Lien card out from her wrist wallet. She used to live in Mistal and said it was a habit that helped prevent pickpocketing. "Take this Lien and go find something nice for your father's return. He's been out hunting for quite some time. I bet the journey's been very tiring, don't you?"
Lie grinned a bit at the thought of seeing his dad again as he took the card.
"Yes." He replied, thinking of what to get for dad.
"Do you think you'll know what he wants?"
"I think… he'll want a lotus in the garden." He grinned, joking as he got a giggle from his mom.
She gave him a light smack on the bottom as she sent Lie on his way.
"Why did you have to inherit my sass?" They laughed together as Lie began to walk away with a slight jog, crossing over the waterway where a few planks had been secured together in his way into central Kuroyuri.
Lie headed into town, walking past stands peddling teriyaki chicken skewers, the smell of the blooming elder myrtle tree in the central square, sending soft pink petals scattering in the autumn breeze. He pet the local cat waiting in the storefront by Old Jin's pub, the lazy tabby purring in the sunlight as he giggled at the ticklish feeling of the cat's whiskers on his fingers.
The sight of blacksmith stalls caught his eye.
His grandfather had been a Huntsman and Lie had grown up on stories of him from his mom An.
He wanted to be just like him when he grew up, so Lie found himself excitedly running over to the stalls, eyes glittering with curiosity as he gazed over the various weaponry.
Everything smelt of ash and steel, oil too.
"What can I buy with this?" He asked, holding up his Lien card in the air.
The blacksmith chuckled, his ponytail catching the wind as he crouched down and produced a small wooden sword and mallet.
"Well, that could get you something just your size."
Lie groaned sadly before walking away dejected.
He'd known the answer before he'd even asked, but he still held out the hope that someone would offer him at least a dagger.
He walked down the market square to a different vendor, this one discussing words with a tall blond man in a white tunic and thick plate armor down his right arm. Lie's eyes glimmered with curiosity.
"A Huntsman?" He muttered curiously, wanting it to be true.
There was a short blond faunus boy next to him, long rabbit ears swaying lazily in the wind as a dog tail unconsciously wiggled left and right.
Animal traits aside, they looked alike. Probably father and son.
"I'm just saying that this is more upscale. You're really better off at least keeping it in some shade."
"I said I'll deal with my product my way. I've already paid you for it, why does it matter?"
"Professional pride."
"Yeah," He glanced down at the Faunus boy and leveled an unkind look, making Lie begin to back away, rethinking the idea of trying to buy some sake for his dad, "professional."
The blond Huntsman's voice was colder than the winter frost.
"If you've got a problem with my son-"
Lie quickly shuffled away in case they began a fight, not noticing the Faunus boy turn in his direction from the prompting of a voice that only he could hear.
The window of a bakery caught his attention next, an adorable trio of bread loafs with the ends decorated like cat's head drawing his attention.
Lie excitedly placed his hands on the window, looking at the adorable loaves of bread, only noticing the Faunus boy's reflection behind him as his face got close to the window.
"Whoa!" Lie turned around surprised.
"Hi!" The golden ears on his head perked up, "I'm-"
The echo of an older angry boy's voice interrupted them.
"Hey!" It growled out, "Get back here!"
Both boys turned to the sound of that voice, their eyes narrowing.
They both began heading in the direction, but the Faunus boy was fast despite being a bit shorter than Lie. He had to run a little to catch up even though the blond was only walking. Lie knew running in public wasn't proper, so he was glad mom wasn't there to warn him.
Mean laughter echoed, one, two, three.
A taller boy, Gren Do, a neighborhood bully stood proud, accompanied by his little brother Falan and a darker skinned boy that Lie didn't recognize. They stood in a half circle around a crouching girl hunched in a squat holding a loaf of bread in her hands close to her chest. Dusty orange hair matted against her head as her sky blue eyes flickered in fear.
Gren lunged, swiping at the loaf in the girl's hands.
"Hey, where'd you get that bread? I didn't see you-"
Lie felt a breeze next to him as the Faunus boy bounced forwards.
"Heads up, jerk!"
And planted his foot into Gren's face as the older boy turned to face him.
Weirdly the bottom of his boot made contact, but instead of knocking the bully backwards, the Faunus boy twisted his torso, somehow pulling his foot forwards and sending Gren tumbling away from the girl, placing himself between them.
"What the heck did you do to my brother!"
The Faunus boy just stepped back and held out a foot, tripping Falan and making the boy fall on the ground with a loud oof.
The dark skinned boy glared.
"What, you're going to defend this thief? She probably stole that moldy bread from the trash! She's dressed all weird and dirty."
Gren stood up as Lie nervously began to approach.
"I bet she's been abandoned. Like a dog or something. You sticking up for her because she's a freak like you, Faunus?"
The Faunus boy glared, his blue eyes narrowing as he clenched a hand.
"Yeah, I bet she's dirty, but you have rabies." Falan jeered, rubbing his nose on the back of his hand as he got up.
"No, I'm clean. But you've got a big mouth for such a small brain."
Lie could feel the tension shift and grew nervous. If three boys beat up a Faunus, nobody would help if he didn't get help. That was why he was turning to run, not because his knees were wobbling or he was beginning to panic.
He turned to run for help, only to slam face first into a hard knee and fall back on his back.
Slightly in pain, he squinted seeing a familiar outline against the bright blue sky.
"Father?"
His dad, Li Ren, looking as always like a samurai from old Mistralian war stories, was standing next to that blond Huntsman from the sake stall, the one with the white tunic and armored right arm.
"What," His dad's voice was unmistakable, honorable but gruff from spending much of his time in the wild, "is happening here?"
The three boys looked nervous.
"Bullies." The Faunus boy spat angrily. "Same as anywhere."
Behind him the dirty haired girl began to turn to run.
"Huh? Hey wait!" The Faunus boy called out to her, but she was already sprinting away as fast as her little legs could take her.
The other three boys took the moment to split and run as well, disappearing down an alleyway.
Lie got up nervously, ashamed that his dad caught him in a moment of weakness.
He looked up to see his dad looking down at him, a hint of disappointment in his eyes that made him want to crawl into a hole.
"Do you wish to run with the rest of them?"
"Li, come on. Isn't that your kid?" The blond Huntsman frowned. "A little gentleness wouldn't-"
"I do not need lectures on rearing children from you, Julius." Li Ren cut him off as he knelt one knee down to try to meet Lie's eyes, but he just felt his cheeks burn from shame.
"Son, sometimes the worst action to take is taking no action at all."
"That seems hardly fair." The Faunus boy protested from behind Lie, trying to save him from his dad's lecture. "I have Aura. I had it handled."
"So you did." His dad acknowledged. "Minimal harm was done. That was very well in hand."
He turned to the blond Huntsman with a soft smile.
"It seems you trained your son well."
"Ah." Julius, the blond Huntsman scratched the back of his head. "Well, Jaune here didn't exactly learn it from me per say…"
"Noelle then? Regardless." He turned to Lie, "Go home, Lie. I need to speak with the mayor. Jaune, might I ask you to accompany my son? I'd like to make a request of your father."
"Sure!" Jaune chirped from behind, walking forwards to brush shoulders with Lie.
He was so fast.
"I'll be right back, Jaune. Stay with Lie here and be nice, make a friend. We'll be spending the night at their home."
"Mkay, dad!"
Lie watched his dad walk off with Jaune's dad in tow.
"Uh, I think you know by this point but…" Jaune held out his hand in greetings. "I'm Jaune. Jaune Arc."
"L-lie Ren." He stuttered, blushing in embarrassment as he stuttered.
"Didja know who that girl was?"
Lie shook his head.
"N-no. She must be a refugee. I've never seen her before."
"Oh…" Jaune's voice was soft, one of his ears flicking to the side as he looked up into the empty sky. His right leg began to tap softly, repeatedly, on the ground.
"...Think we should find her and make sure she's ok?"
"Dad said to go home."
"He also said to do nothing is worse than doing something, right?" Jaune argued, "Let's go and make sure she's ok. I think… I think your dad would be proud if you did that."
Jaune's words drove a small spark of courage in Lie.
"Yeah… ok, yeah. We can, we can go home after! It'll be fine."
Jaune led the way, bouncing up effortlessly onto the branch of a tree as he looked around, occasionally onto a fence, even outright walking up the side of a building like it was normal for him, ignoring the occasional stare or mean words whispered his way.
Jaune was shorter than him by a centimeter or two, but how was he so much… more confident? Braver?
"I can't find her." He frowned, "Have you seen her anywhere?"
Lie shook his head.
"No. Maybe we should just head back?"
Jaune looked nervous, his right foot tapping against the stone hexagonal cobblestones of Kuroyuri.
"...I guess. She probably doesn't want to be found. I don't have a way of finding her either. I just…" Jaune sighed, looking as if he'd let down a friend, his ears drooping. "...I was hoping to at least give her some Lien."
Lie nodded. She probably could have used it.
"Let me take you to my house. Mom's preparing a small feast. I guess you and your dad are the people she was expecting?"
"Probably, yeah." Jaune gave him a shy smile back. "Wh-what's your favorite food?"
"I… I like my mom's sweet-spicy pork stir fry."
Jaune smiled brightly, his tail wagging a bit behind him.
"That sounds yummy."
"It's the best!" Lie smiled back.
They didn't notice a pair of nervous blue eyes from underneath a shrub just a few feet from where they were speaking following the shape of their figures as they left.
Dinner was quiet but tense. There was definitely some more festivity than normal as he chatted with Jaune who seemed more than happy to call Lie a friend. Julius, Jaune's dad, talked animatedly about how Li was the first person to help him out when he had taken the wrong boat to Mistral for the Vytal Festival when he was still a student back in Beacon.
How they chased a boar for two nights for food, only to lose it when a large Nevermore attacked.
"You recall that very differently than I do." Li Ren smiled softly.
"I remember you threading that arrow through that bird's eye."
"That I do recall." His dad laughed shortly.
But after a few happy stories, Julius sharing a bottle of wine from his family's vineyard, Lie remembered seeing the two dads share a quiet moment outside of the house, talking in hushed voices.
Jaune also seemed a bit tense, even as they played a game of cards together as their dads had a discussion outside. Eventually they headed back inside.
"Jaune? We're going to leave a bit earlier than expected."
Jaune weirdly stood firm against his dad.
"No. We need to stay the night."
Julius's expression was tense.
"Jaune."
"Dad. Please. I-I know you don't believe me-"
"No, Jaune." Julius knelt by Jaune quickly, "I'll believe anything you say. I promise. But-"
"We have to stay tonight." Jaune whispered desperately.
"...Were you listening in on us?"
"I didn't have to. Juniper says we have to stay the night. That it's important. Please! I know you don't believe me, but I trust him." Jaune begged, "I… the reason I'm here. Right now. With you. It's because he helped me. Big Brother Juniper says this is important. I can't… I can't let him down. I have to try."
"You don't need to try anything! I- that… One night. We just stay one night. No more. No matter what happens."
"I promise. We can't sleep though. We have to be ready."
"No, you're not doing anything, Jau-"
A flash of gold and black appeared, a beautiful spear, like a work of art, appeared in Jaune's hands.
"Dad."
Julius shook his head.
"No, not you-"
"Dad. Just you won't be enough."
"You're not even traine-"
"You said you would trust anything I said."
"That's not fair, bud. That's not-"
"I can do this. I… my Semblance isn't just storing items, dad. It's complicated. But I promise I can do this."
Lie felt like he was intruding. He could see his dad look relieved, but conflicted. What were they talking about?
"...if it comes to it we run."
"Only if it comes to it."
Maybe it was the strange dialogue between Jaune and his dad that Lie couldn't sleep that night. His mom kept him company, having fallen asleep with Lie in her arms, but Lie couldn't fall asleep.
Eventually there was screaming in the night.
His dad was outside with Julius somewhere, but Jaune had stayed by Lie's side, hands not leaving the beautiful spear, the golden blade glinting in the moonlight, as he sat against a wall.
"We need to move." Jaune said, getting up. "Mrs. Ren, wake up! We need to move."
She awoke and quickly began pulling Lie by the hand.
"You were right. Oh gods. We have to go. We have to go."
"What's happening?" Lie was scared, clinging to his mother's side as they entered the living room.
The front door opened as his dad burst inside, a limp in his left leg, Julius was behind him looking furious, sword drawn and a white shield in his left hand, the Arc family symbol painted on the front.
"Dammit! Dammit!"
Li Ren was only slightly more calm than his old friend.
"We need to hurry! I should have had you evacuate early. It was a mistake!"
"Li!" His mother spoke, but Jaune pushed her and Lie from behind.
"Outside!" Jaune warned, as if he sensed something coming. "There's a boulder incoming GET OUTSIDE!"
They burst out the front door, only to hear another roar in the distance, like a phantom screeching as a boulder the size of a large dog fell through the roof of their home.
"Oh gods. What do we do?" His mother clutched at Lie's hand so hard he thought it'd fall off. "Do we go to the safehouse?"
"I- yes. Julius is here. We have a Huntsman-"
"I'm not enough for that! That thing needs at least a whole team! Jaune! We have to-"
Jaune was already running. But running towards the sound of the screaming.
"DAMMIT! JAUNE! COME BACK!" Julius bolted after him, not quite fast enough to somehow catch up to his seven year old son. How was he so fast?
"Jaune! Julius!" His dad shouted, he turned to his wife and son. "You two, head for the safehouse. If there is anyone in need, take them with you. I'm going to go help them."
"Li, no! You're just a hunter, you-"
"Everything we love will be lost if good men do nothing, An. Stay safe. Keep Lie safe… I love you."
His father limped off and Lie could feel the tears spilling from his eyes.
"Dad, no…"
His dad turned back, giving him a sad, determined smile.
"I'll be back, Lie." He lied.
"DAD!" He screamed, but his mom pulled him away, running in a different direction.
As they ran, Lie didn't remember when, but he caught a glimpse of dirty orange hair hiding in the crawlspace under a home.
He stumbled and fell, skinning his knee and crying out in pain.
"Lie!" His mother quickly pulled him up.
"Mom! We-" He turned and pointed at the house. "We have to help! The girl! The bread and bullies, I-"
His father's words echoed in his mind and spilled from his lips.
"...sometimes the worst action to take is taking no action at all."
His breath caught in his lungs, he gasped for air, but suddenly there was a coolness under his skin. His heartbeat slowed and his breath felt cold, but not.
He caught a glimmer of pink on his and his mother's hands.
"Your Aura." His mom whispered almost serenely. "Go. Bring her here."
His legs pumped under him, the tears still wet on his face, but they didn't spill further from his eyes.
"Hey." He placed a hand calmly on the orange girl's shoulder, smiling despite the fear in the back of his mind. "It's ok. You have to be brave. Come with me, my mom and I have a safehouse we're headed to."
Lie looked to point at his mother.
A screech and thud followed as a giant Nevermore the size of a house landed behind her. Its beak flashed, clamping, snapping and tore her in two, splashing crimson upon the streets and wetting its black beak and white mask.
The girl screamed and threw herself into his arms, but Lie was numb, his arm outstretched.
His Aura rumbled angrily, but it was utterly cold and serene at the same time. It was the scent of a lotus blooming upon cool spring water. Cold but bright.
Both his and the orange girls breaths slowed as his Aura washed over them as the world seemed to lose all color.
The baleful four eyes of the Nevermore seemed to lose focus on them. As if no longer able to perceive their presence.
The giant Grimm avian screeched once more, leaving only the lower half of Lie's mother behind.
A single tear dripped from his eyes.
"We have to be brave." He spoke, almost mechanically. "We have to move."
They could not, however, as the body of Julius Arc was flung down the street, bouncing against the hexagonal cobblestone, his orange Aura flashed angrily as it engulfed his blade, grinding into the stonework to slow him back down into a resting state.
He tore the bastard sword from the ground, Aura extending hungrily over the blade, extending its length and width
"Damn Grimm! A Nuckelavee of all the cursed Grimm!" He roared angrily, a cracked shield on his left unarmored arm began to swallow all the Aura currently engulfing his blade as the Huntsman became a glowing wall of orange Aura. "Jaune! Hit it again with whatever the hell that was again! It's almost over!"
A stomping of hooves tore up the street as it rushed over to Julius Arc who screamed out a battle cry, his Aura flashed powerfully around his form as he held his ground. A single long black arm scraped against the ground, fluttering in the solo stampede as a white horse head lowered, crashing into the already cracked shield, the white metal splintering and creaking ominously.
Lie Ren couldn't see the state of the Grimm or what was happening, only the sight of a horse head grinding against Julius Arc's shield holding something in its maw. The lone arm suddenly came to life as it began to wail on Julius from both above, a scream so loud it threatened to split his eardrums tore apart the ringing of hardened flesh on Huntsman steel as the orange girl clutched at his torso.
But he could never forget.
The sound of Jaune's voice that night.
"Flames have burned to ash, yet the Regalia of the Moon remains. Thus a second oath under the Shattered Moonlight is made! By the power of this Command Seal, go not softly through the unending night!"
A golden light flooded the street, the source of it somewhere above the visibility of Lie as he witnessed the wailing upon Julius Arc cease, the arm rising as if to block a mighty blow.
Another screeching was cut apart by Jaune's words.
"A foe. 'Tis a most mighty, a most terrible foe! DURINDANA! SPADAAAAAAAAAA!"
Julius leapt away as Jaune descended like a comet, the shockwave tearing the house from the crawlspace above him away, though like a miracle, neither he nor the orange girl was sent flying.
Golden light spread through the streets like morning mist, glittering and sparkling like dew and stars, the form of Jaune visible, his golden and midnight black spear now a sword in his grip beautiful and deadly. The tip of the ethereally beautiful blade was still humming as it embedded in the stone streets of Kuroyuri.
The form of the mighty Grimm, with the torso of a twin horned man melting into the back of a demonic horse, was split down the middle. One of his horns was already half sheared off, glimmering gold at the edges. Further golden light lingered around the shoulder of a missing arm and a segment of torso, as if an attempt at its life had been already made once, but death had not yet taken its vengeance.
It began to dissolve in black tar-like smoke.
Lie saw the fletching of his father's arrow within the eye of its white mask as it crumbled away, a familiar bow shattered in the maw of the horse head as it began to blow into ash, a hand still clung to the weapon, bereft of its master as it dripped with blood.
"...Dad?"
His voice was weak and watery.
Jaune's blue eyes flashed upwards, meeting his own pink orbs.
He was horrified, ashamed.
"Lie? I… I'm sorry." He begged, pleaded. "I… tried. I… I tried. I'm so sorry…"
Tears fell from Jaune's eyes, ugly and bitter.
He walked forwards, feeling the orange girl holding his hand and follow him wordlessly and nervous.
"Lie… I… I…"
He wrapped his arms around Jaune, clutching his friend as he too began to cry. A sniffle followed as the orange girl also wrapped her arms around the two as she also began to bawl in long, traumatized gasps.
The night was filled with nothing but ash and tears as Julius approached. He extended his arms, holding the three children securely into the chest of his now dirty white tunic, covered in blood and ash, promising with white lies that everything would be ok.