When the vision finally ends, Jaune stumbles backwards with his breath caught in his throat; grasping at the nearest surface to save himself from collapsing to the ground. His chest heaves, eyes wide as he can feel his knees buckling beneath his weight-- letting his head hang heavy as the images play in his memory over, and over again.
What.. was that? Was that actually real? When he saw those drifting lights hanging in the air, he thought.. he never thought they'd contain something like this. He was reminded, at first, of the liminal space where he and the others had fell-- illuminated by remnants of magic, watching them slip between his fingers as he plummeted through nothingness.
But these.. weren't the same. Not at all. They held something that Jaune was physically able to feel as one fell into his palms this time-- the hurt, the anger, the unbridled rage of the person it belonged to still pulsating in his veins. Though he was too disoriented at first to realize what he was witnessing-- once more in Vale, fighting for his life to keep his friends and Beacon safe-- the hat that appeared in his hands gave away the identity of who he was supposed to be, finally lifting his head to find her visage watching him from the shadows; revealed by the light that escaped his grasp.
And the sight of her-- it made Jaune sick. Wrought with disgust not only over the misplaced hatred she had of someone he cared for so dearly.. but over the fact that her feelings over Cinder almost mirrored his own.
"Neo..!"
☽☽*; – ( @sweetretribution )
