RECAP:
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Aftermath

"It is such a quiet thing to fall... but far more terrible is to admit it."

— Kreia

Following the events of the Breach, Ozpin is in his office having a meeting on video call with General Ironwood and the Valean Council. The councilors inform Ozpin that in light of Ironwood's recent reports, they will be appointing the general as the head of security for the Vytal Festival. One of the councilors ends the video chat with the implication that Ozpin is going to lose his job due to his handling of the Breach, although Ozpin isn't intimidated.

After the meeting ends, Ozpin talks with a disheveled Glynda about the damage caused by the Grimm's incursion into Vale. The topic of discussion then shifts to Glynda's new apprentice Jaune, as the two watch security footage showing Jaune firing out lightning from his fingertips and draining the Grimm of their lifeforce. Glynda tells Ozpin that she's never seen Jaune use these abilities before and finds it similar to the magic wielded by the Maidens. Ozpin asks Glynda to try and find out where Jaune got his new powers from while he sends a message to Qrow, asking him to do a background check on the boy.

Meanwhile, Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury are standing atop one of Vale's abandoned buildings overlooking the town square where the Breach had occurred. Cinder is absolutely furious, ranting about how it should be impossible for Jaune to possess the type of power that he showed off during the Breach. She decides to keep an eye on Jaune as she moves forward with her plans for the Vytal Festival, confident that Jaune won't stand a chance against her once she has the rest of the Fall Maiden's powers.

The next day, Jaune visits his teammates, who had been recovering from their injuries sustained during the Breach at Vale General Hospital. Jaune blames himself for his friends nearly getting killed and assures them that he will make sure they never get hurt again. Having fallen completely under the Dark Side's thrall, Jaune talks about how he's come to the realization that trying to control his powers is foolish and the only way for him to get stronger is to embrace them. Remembering how the man from Jaune's dreams had turned into a monster from overusing his powers, Pyrrha attempts to talk some sense into Jaune. However, this enrages Jaune, who yells that they have no right to tell him how to use his powers. Jaune's eyes then turn yellow as he uses the Jedi mind trick to erase his team's memories of ever having this conversation. After that is done, Jaune bids them farewell as Pyrrha can't help but feel as though she has forgotten something.

Tropes in this chapter include:

Ask a Stupid Question...: When Cinder rants about how her plans for the Breach are ruined, Mercury asks the obvious question of if it's because of Jaune, leading to the exchange below.
Cinder: Today... Today, should be called a success. But I can't do THAT!
Mercury: Is it because of the Arc boy?
Cinder: No, it's because it's a little humid. YES IT'S BECAUSE OF THE ARC BOY!
Backing Away Slowly: When Mercury asks a stupid question to Cinder while she's in the middle of a Villainous Breakdown, Emerald gapes in shock at his stupidity before quietly stepping away in preparation for the expected outburst from Cinder.
Breather Episode: This chapter is much less intense than the chapter that came before it and focuses on the different reactions characters have to the events of the previous chapter.
Burning with Anger: Cinder is so angered by Jaune interfering during the Breach that she causes a ring of fire to burst around her while she's having a Villainous Breakdown.
Captain Obvious: While Cinder is starting to undergo a Villainous Breakdown and rants about how her plans for the Breach are foiled, Mercury asks if it's because of "the Arc boy".
Cry into Chest: Played for Laughs. Nora is bawling her eyes out while clinging to Jaune's chest because she's upset that the hospital's staff fed her applesauce.
Does Not Like Spam: Nora hates the taste of applesauce to the point of Inelegant Blubbering.
Dramatic Irony: Part of Ozpin's POV involves him trying to figure out the source of Jaune's power and going through various theories in his head from a plot by Salem to a resurgence of magic. Of course, the readers already know what's happening to Jaune.
Evil Feels Good: Jaune has come to this realization during the Breach, deciding that he likes the power the Dark Side gives him and believes that it was a mistake for him to try and control it rather than embrace it.
Jaune: I...came to a realization during the Breach. Everything that we've been doing, the mediation, the training, it's been doing more harm than good. We've been suffocating my powers. All I needed to do was embrace them, let the power flow through me, and it gives me the power to do...anything.
Exhausted Eye Bags: While talking to Ozpin, Glynda has heavy bags under her eyes due to overworking herself to exhaustion during the Breach.
Faux Horrific: Nora cries into Jaune's chest and begs him to get her out of the hospital... because the hospital tried to feed her vegetables and applesauce.
The Glomp: When Jaune visits his team in the hospital, Nora immediately leapts at him and latches onto his body despite being hooked up to an IV drip and a heart monitor.
Laser-Guided Amnesia: Jaune uses his Force powers to make his team forget the conversation they just had when they attempt to pull an intervention with him concerning his powers.
Pragmatic Villainy: When Emerald suggest simply killing Jaune since he's proven to be such a Spanner in the Works, Cinder refuses because of this trope. She notes that trying to take on Jaune without understanding how his powers work is risky and would draw unwanted attention from the authorities. She's also concerned that Ironwood might use the murder of a student as justification to cancel the Vytal Festival, throwing her whole plan into shambles.
Right for the Wrong Reasons: Ozpin briefly considers the possibility of Jaune being a spy for Salem, noting that he wouldn't put it past her to infiltrate his school using subverted teenagers. While he is wrong about Jaune, he is right to think that Salem would have her followers infiltrate Beacon disguised as students since that precisely what Cinder and her cronies are doing.
Season Finale: This chapter marks the end of the second Story Arc right around the same time as the Volume 2 finale in canon.
Suddenly Shouting: Cinder abruptly raises her voice while in the middle of her Villainous Breakdown, causing Emerald and Mercury to jump back in surprise and fear.
Switching P.O.V.: The chapter's perspective switches from Ozpin, to Cinder, to Pyrrha.
This Cannot Be!: Cinder is in utter disbelief upon witnessing Jaune's Force powers and she refuses to accept that a person who has power comparable to the Maidens exists.
Cinder: (whispering to herself) It has to be impossible. It has to...
Too Dumb to Live: Yes Mercury, why don't you interrupt your Hair-Trigger Temper boss while she's in the middle of a Villainous Breakdown and is so angry that fire is literally forming around her feet?
Villain Takes an Interest: Cinder has taken an even bigger interest in Jaune after seeing him display his Force powers during the Breach. She decides that he will be the first person she eliminates after she steals the rest of the Fall Maiden's powers.
Villainous Breakdown: Cinder experiences one as a result of witnessing Jaune's powers and seeing him take down most of the Grimm during the Breach.
Wistful Amnesia: After Jaune erases Pyrrha's memories when she gets into an argument with him over the instability of his powers, Pyrrha feels a pang of regret when she sees Jaune leave her hospital room, yet she doesn't know why.
Wrong Context Magic: Jaune's Force powers garner this reaction from both Ozpin and Cinder. Neither knows what to make of it. The closest comparison Ozpin can make with Jaune's abilities is with that of ancient humanity, back when everyone could wield magic.