RECAP:
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Gnawing

"He's right. It's... all the death you've caused to get here. You feed on it, and you grow stronger. You're like Malachor... it's in you, it's what you are now. You must have noticed as you've fought across all these planets, killing hundreds — only to become more and more powerful. Why do you think that was?"

— Jedi Master Zez-Kai Ell to the Jedi Exile Meetra Surik.

Glynda tells Ozpin's group about what she learned from Jaune's Sarcastic Confession in the previous chapter. Jaune witnesses Nihilus's first meeting with Darth Traya and Sion through his dreams.

Tropes in this chapter include:

Big Word Shout: Nihilus does this in the flashback depicting his first meeting with Darth Traya after being transformed into a Power Parasite. When Nihilus demands to know what has happened to his body, Traya simply tells him that it's the will of the Force, leading to this reaction:
Nihilus: THE FORCE!?
Body Horror: During the flashback depicting the aftermath of the Battle of Malachor V, Nihilus is shown to be in constant pain as his body slowly fades out of existence. Also, while contemplating Traya's offer to become a Sith, Nihilus looks at his hands, which had become rotted and decayed due to his transformation.
Call-Forward: In the flashback where Nihilus first met Darth Traya, she mention her plan to build a new Sith academy on Malachor V, which was the final dungeon in Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords.
Catapult Nightmare: Downplayed. After dreaming about Nihilus's first meeting with Traya and Sion, Jaune wakes up drenched in sweat.
Composite Character: Ozpin lampshades how Jaune's claim of being possessed by the ghost of a magic warlord who turned into a Grimm sounds almost like a combination of his and Salem's backstories.
Declaration of Protection: After assuring Jaune that, together, they can stop Nihilus, Pyrrha promises him that she won't leave him and will do whatever it takes to protect him.
Dreaming of Times Gone By: Jaune once again has a dream where he witnesses a moment from Nihilus's past. This time, it's how Nihilus first met the Sith and joined them.
Evil Counterpart: In-universe, Ozpin's group comment on the similarities Jaune/Nihilus shares with Ozpin/Ozma. Qrow goes so far as to nickname Jaune "nega-Ozpin".
Evil Tainted the Place: In the flashback, it's revealed that entire planet of Malachor V was corrupted by the Dark Side as a result of massive amount of death caused by the mass shadow generator's activation.
Darth Traya: The battle on this world resulted in far more than the deaths of the many thousands that now orbit it. The war the Mandalorians wrought has corrupted this place, a corruption borne of the Dark Side of the Force, a corruption that has suffused your very being.
Exhausted Eye Bags: Jaune has dark bags under his eyes, indicating that he hasn't been sleeping and is spending more time with the mask. It's the first thing that Pyrrha notices when she tries to talk to him.
Face–Monster Turn: After being transformed into a living wound in the Force, Nihilus is convinced to join the Sith by Darth Traya and abandon his life as a Jedi.
Ghost Planet: Malachor V is revealed to have been reduced to a graveyard world in the aftermath of the Mandalorian Wars, the planet's surface is a rocky wasteland decorated with the corpses of wrecked starships and countless soldiers.
Given Name Reveal: Subverted. Right as Nihilus is about to reveal his true name in the flashback, Darth Traya stops him from doing so and tells him that his given name no longer matters.
Good Hurts Evil: Downplayed. Jaune is nearly blinded by the pure innocence and wholesomeness that Ruby radiates through the Force.
How the Mighty Have Fallen: During another dream that Jaune has of Nihilus's past, he sees Nihilus shortly after he was transformed by the mass shadow generator. Nihilus is shown to have been reduced to a near-empty husk barely clinging to life, a mere shadow of the formidable warrior who struck fear in the hearts of his enemies from the previous flashbacks.
Internal Reveal:
- Ironwood is brought into the loop about Jaune's mysterious powers. Much to Ozpin's surprise, Glynda is the one who decides to tell him.
- Jaune discovers that contrary to what he previously thought, Nihilus did survive the Battle of Malachor V. He also learns the reason he's been feeling so hungry and how he can make the pain go away from draining the life force out of living beings by overhearing Traya's conversation with Nihilus.
- Both Jaune and Pyrrha finally learn that the man who has been haunting Jaune's dreams is named Nihilus.
Non-Residential Residence: While stranded on Malachor V following the activation of the mass shadow generator, Nihilus is shown using a crashed Hammerhead-class cruiser as his home, only venturing out to search for other survivors to feed off of.
Obviously Not Fine:
- When Pyrrha asks Jaune how he's feeling, he snaps that he's fine, despite looking worn down, having heavy bagged eyes, and looking like he's in a sour mood. He says the same thing to Ruby when she asks about his well-being as well.
- Ruby also notices this when she comes by Jaune and notes how he seems to be brooding.
  Jaune: I'm fine. And I don't brood.
  Ruby: Really? Because you look like Zwei after that one time he accidentally ate grapes. No offense.
Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Jaune and Pyrrha's tournament match against Teera and Seera Sun is never shown and we only see the aftermath.
Origins Episode: For Nihilus, as the flashback for this chapter shows how Nihilus first met Darth Traya and Sion, and the moment when he swore loyalty to the Sith.
Orphaned Etymology: Downplayed. Pyrrha comments on how the name Nihilus uses the word "nihil" which literally means means "nothing". Although she never outright identifies the word as Latin, nihil is a Latin word which translates to "nothing". Latin is a language that should not be present on Remnant, given that it originated from ancient Rome, a civilization that doesn't exist in-universe.
Please, Don't Leave Me: Said verbatim by Jaune as he is hugged by Pyrrha around three-fourths into the chapter.
Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: While sharing what information they've learned about Amber's attackers, Qrow and Ironwood get into yet another argument over their differing methods. Glynda, having reached her tolerance for their arguing, interjects and tells them to stay on topic while punctuating each word.
Glynda: Gentlemen! Stay. On. Topic.
Quizzical Tilt: When Darth Traya offers to help a recently-transformed Nihilus, Nihilus tilts his head in confusion before expressing skepticism that she is capable of doing anything to fix his endless hunger or fading body.
Self-Constructed Being: The flashback shows that after his transformation, Nihilus's body was fading away into the Force and he had to drain the Life Energy out of others in order to recreate and maintain a physical form.
That Man Is Dead: Played with. In the flashback, Darth Traya is the one to tell Nihilus that his old identity is dead and dubs him with his new name to symbolize that he's no longer the same person as before.
There Is Another: Glynda explaining her belief that Jaune is possessed by a magic spirit garners this reaction from Ozpin, who is surprised at the existence of an entity similar to himself.
The Unreveal: During the flashback, Nihilus is about to tell Darth Traya his real name...only to be cut off by her and told that his former identity no longer matters since That Man Is Dead.
Unseen No More: After fifteen chapters of total absence with nary a mention or cameo, Darth Traya, Nihilus' master and the woman who primarily narrates the epigraphs for each chapter, makes her debut during another of Jaune's flashback dreams.
What Is Evil?: Darth Traya makes this argument while convincing Nihilus to join the Sith.
Nihilus: You wish... to make me an apprentice? Into... a Sith?
Traya: That... is a mere label that limits what you can potentially become. I see much within you, of what you can possibly accomplish, should you shed the archaic preconceptions the Jedi have indoctrinated you with.
Who Are You?: When Nihilus meets Traya for the first time, he can sense that despite her appearance as a frail old woman, she's far more powerful than she seems. Being in a weakened state and having been isolated from human contact for so long, Nihilus struggles to speak before asking who she is.
You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Pyrrha to Jaune:
Pyrrha: Jaune I've watched you grow ever since the start of the year. I know just how strong you are, and I am proud of how far you've come. But you don't have to be stronger. You don't have to prove yourself to anyone. You're strong enough already. And together, we can stop [Nihilus].
You Are Not Alone: Ruby tells this to Jaune when she finds him brooding alone at the fairgrounds.
Jaune: I'm stronger than I have ever been. But it's coming at a cost. I know it is. I feel like I'm losing myself.
Ruby: Well, I can't exactly give any advice on mysterious powers, but if you're really struggling you don't have to do it alone. Me, your team, my team. [pauses] Maybe not my team. But regardless we're all here to help you out. So you don't need to be hiding around the fairgrounds alone like some creepy stalker.