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Jaune doesn’t know where he is. He remembers running along the disintegrating path towards the Vacuo portal, and then jumping just a little too late as the portal hub completely disappeared all together, causing him to tumble down into the void.
After that everything had gone dark until he eventually awoke to find that he had been brought to the shores of a sandy beach. At first upon seeing the sand he had assumed he had actually made it to Vacuo somehow, but once he saw the giant seashells, twisty palm trees, and the large and vibrant tree atop of the nearby cliff above he knew that assumption was incorrect.
He’s not in Vacuo, that kingdom had been bled dry of life years ago, and wherever he is, it’s definitely not somewhere in Remnant.
Jaune considers the fact that maybe he’s dead and this is what the afterlife looks like, but then his body starts to ache as the pain from having his aura broken and impacting with the ground finally catches up with him. Nope. He’s not dead, somehow.
With a grunt he drags himself on to his feet. He survived falling so it only stands to reason that the others who did must also be alive, and he needs to find them - make sure they’re okay.
As he makes his way down along the beach line he looks for any sign of his friends, but the already colourful surroundings make it hard for anything to really stand out. He begins to wonder if maybe he’s actually alone here....and he considers the fact that maybe he deserves that.
An image of Penny flashes into his mind and his footsteps still.
No.
She’s laying on the floor, three ugly and bloody holes in her chest and another in her abdomen where Cinder’s clawed hand punctured her.
Stop it.
Penny’s eyes are beginning to sink in as she bleeds out, yet she’s smiling at him. Of all things she’s smiling up at him as she requests this of him.
PLEASE STOP IT.
How can she ask him to do this?? How can this even be happening?? They just got her back. They just saved her and she could’ve lived a human life along with everyone.
“Let me choose this one thing...Trust me.”
This is her choice. Just like Pyrrha, she’s choosing to sacrifice herself.
Cinder can’t get the maiden powers and there’s only one way to prevent that. Penny can’t die by Cinder’s hands.
Jaune has to do this. He’s the only one who can. Weiss is still holding off Cinder.
He hesitantly draws Crocea Mors from its sheath and his eyes stare back at him in the reflection of the blade.
The blade that was passed down to him from a long line of heroes who fought to preserve life. His family’s legacy that was entrusted to him.
Penny closes her eyes. She’s fading fast and he needs to hurry.
He doesn’t want to do this. He doesn’t want to do this.
He raises the sword and —
The horrific memory ends as Jaune lets out an anguished scream and falls to his knees on the sand. Tears stream down his cheeks as he loudly sobs for a long while, lost in his own grief and guilt. The scene plays on loop inside his head.
It’s not until he hears movement over by the grove of palm trees that he snaps out of it and shakily scrambles to his feet.
Another much louder sound comes from the same area and out of pure instinct Jaune unsheathes his sword. Whatever this place is, it probably comes with its own dangers just like Remnant.
He waits with baited breath, but to both his surprise and current relief when something steps out of the trees it’s not some monster or animal.
It’s Ruby.
Her cloak is slightly torn, she looks slightly beat up, and her weapon is missing. All most likely due to her own fall into this world. The most important fact to Jaune though is that she’s alive.
Ruby herself looks just as surprised and relieved to see him.
“Jaune! You fell too?” The girl immediately starts as she walks closer to him. “What happened? Is every—“
Her silver eyes suddenly go wide in horror and she goes still.
“Why...what happened to your..?”
Jaune’s breath hitches as he instantly remembers what it is that he’s holding. He follows her line of sight until he sees his broken, blood stained blade.
“Why..is your sword broken?”
Jaune feels like he’s been punched in the gut. His hand begins to shake before he throws the cursed thing away from him, not being able to bare having it close to him.
Penny’s death starts to replay in his head again while at the same time Ruby continues to try and get answers from him.
“Jaune...who’s blood is that?”
How can he tell her? How can he tell Ruby that he killed one of her best friends?
“Jaune! Please just tell me! What happened?”
Fresh tears stream down Jaune’s face, blurring his vision slightly, but the memory is still crystal clear.
“Jaune! You’re scaring me..”
Ruby deserves to know. He has no right to keep this from her. But he’s just so scared. He’s so so scared of losing her too.
“I..I...Penny..”
It’s hard for him to see, but he makes out Ruby’s eyes widening again. “Penny? What happened to Penny? Did..Did she make it to Vacuo?”
Jaune chokes back a sob while shaking his head. “N-No...Ruby, I...”
He tells her everything that happened. Somehow he manages to tell her because she needs to know the truth even if she hates him for it.
“I-I killed her..I am so so sorry. I’m so sorry. I should’ve...I should’ve refused and just kept trying to heal her..” Because even if that wouldn’t have worked he thinks that at least he wouldn’t have killed his friend.
After hearing this Ruby’s hands clench into shaking fists. She stands silent while tears begin to pour out of her eyes and Jaune thinks that’s even worse than her yelling at him.
Several agonizing minutes of silence pass before Ruby begins to step closer towards him. Jaune fully expects for her to punch him or slap him. Hell, he even believes that he deserves it.
However that isn’t what happens. Once Ruby is standing right in front of him she suddenly wraps her arms tightly around of him and buries her head into his chest, catching the broken knight completely off guard. “I-It’s not your f-fault, Jaune.” She speaks softly, her voice trembling slightly from trying not to sob. “It’s not your fault..it..it was her choice.”
Jaune’s eyes flood with even more tears. “B-But..I..I..” He tries to protest, but Ruby stops him. “It was Cinder. She’s the one to blame.” Her voice has a slight edge to it now which makes Jaune not want to try and insist further. He still blames himself.
He still thinks he should of done something different. He still believes he doesn’t fully deserve forgiveness, but he sniffles and weakly raises his arms to return the embrace and buries his face into her hair.
“It’s not your fault..” Ruby states again like she knows what he’s thinking.
Immediately the two of them begin to sob in unison. Both from how unfair their lives have become and how things have crumbled into ruin around them.
Eventually they’ll have to pick themselves up and try to find the others because that’s what leaders do, but for now they both allow themselves to hold each other in their grief.