Things weren't going well. Grimm had attacked, the train was derailed, and now they were stuck in the wilds of Mistral, halfway to Argus. To make matters worse, the Relic Ozpin had been carrying apparently attracted Grimm.
Ruby was holding the relic now, but Ozpin was trying to convince her to return it. He sounded almost… desperate. "Please, hand it over."
Something in Ozpin's voice made Ruby pause. "Don't you trust me? All those times you talked about having faith in humanity, was that just for everyone else? Besides, you told us it couldn't do anything right now."
Rather than placating Ozpin, Ruby's argument only seemed to make him more insistent. "I need you to listen to me," he began. But then he froze, and for a moment it was Oscar, not Ozpin, who was in control.
"Hurry... he's... trying to stop you! He's afraid... you'll find out what he's... hiding! Her name is Jinn. Say her name to summon her."
"Jinn?" Ruby said the name reflexively, not really understanding what Oscar was trying to tell her. As soon as she uttered the word, the Relic lept from her hand, billowing cyan smoke.
A moment later, the smoke coalesced into the form of a woman, floating before them. She turned to Ruby and asked, "Tell me, what knowledge do you seek? I am Jinn, a being created by the God of Light to aid Humanity in its pursuit of knowledge. I've been graced with the ability to answer three questions every one hundred years. You're in luck, as I am still able to answer-"
"That's enough!" The tone of voice and the look on Oscar's face would have been intimidating had it come from the old Ozpin, but from Oscar, it was simply a grim reminder that Oscar had lost the fight for control of his own body.
"... two questions this era."
Two questions. Ozpin had said that the questions had all been used. But clearly, that was not the case. He had lied about the relic- more than once. He had lied about Lionheart. He was controlling, no, possessing Oscar. And he didn't trust Ruby- at least not with the Relic. Ozpin was far more than just the Headmaster of her old school. And so, Ruby turned back to Jinn and asked her question.
"What is Ozpin hiding from us?"
As soon as Ruby asked the question, the world around them faded away as Jinn began her story.
"Locked away by her overprotective father, Salem was a girl who had everything she could ever want, except for her freedom. Her mother had been killed when Salem was merely a baby, and her father, in his grief, had never let her leave his castle lest she suffer the same fate.
"She lived in a time when kings and their Kingdoms were plentiful, when men and women were capable of greatness, and magic was a gift from the Gods that all could wield. And yet, there she sat within her tower.
"Until one day, a man named Ozma came to visit her father. Ozma was a strong man, and a brave one, but above all, he had the power of words. The power to persuade, convince, and manipulate. Upon learning of Salem's plight, Ozma turned her father's worries against him, regaling him of all the terrible things that could happen to his daughter, trapped and defenseless as she was inside her home.
"He convinced Salem's father that Salem needed a guide, a mentor, to train her so she would become strong enough to keep herself safe. And so, reluctantly, Salem's father let her go with Ozma. For whom else would be strong or wise enough to train someone as precious as she?
"And Ozma kept his promise. He trained Salem in the ways of magic, of fieldcraft, and of battle. Mighty did she become, his partner in all things. It was a wonderful time for them both, and they fell deeply in love.
"But it was not to last. Ozma, the infallible hero of legend, fell ill. And where all the beasts and blades of the world had fallen short, a single sickness prevailed.
"Salem was heartbroken in her grief. But she was not the same girl she had been when she was trapped in her tower. No, she was a woman of action, and she would not allow Ozma's death to go unchallenged.
"She travelled to the domain of the God of Light himself. She beseeched the brother God for his assistance, but he refused. No matter how much she pleaded, or begged, or offered, the God of Light could not be swayed.
"In desperation, she turned instead to the God of Darkness. He was not used to receiving pleas for mercy nor devotion or worship. So he, unlike his brother, took pity upon Salem and granted her request. For a brief, fleeting moment Salem and Ozma were reunited.
"And then the God of Light appeared. Furious, he smote Ozma and then turned on his brother. Light and Dark fought over Salem's request and Ozma's soul. Time and again, Ozma was summoned and banished until at last the God of Light convinced his brother that Ozma must remain dead.
"Salem broke. She had saved Ozma, brought him back, only for the God of Light to take him away again. In her rage, she attacked the brother God with all the magic she possessed. But the God of Light was not to be denied. He rushed forward and swallowed Salem whole. When she awoke, she found herself back in the God of Light's domain, with both the brother Gods watching her.
"The God of Light punished Salem for her insolence by making her immortal. Never would she be able to join Ozma in the afterlife. Forever was she doomed to walk the world, always separate from her love.
"Salem was devastated. For years, she wandered the world, depressed and alone. But then, one day, fate intervened to give her new hope. The kingdom she was staying in was attacked and nearly overrun. Salem fought the invaders, and protected the king, but not without suffering what should have been a mortal wound. When the king discovered Salem's immortality, he demanded the secret of it for himself.
"Salem had learned much from Ozma. And that included the ability to sway others to her side with mere words. Hoping for vengeance against the Gods, she convinced the king that the power of immortality could be taken from the God of Light. Salem traveled from one Kingdom to another, telling tales of how she stole immortality from the Gods, welcomed any swordsman to cut her down, and demonstrated her powers. With the kings and queens in awe, she pulled them deeper into her plan. She painted them pictures of a time when they would no longer have to watch their loved ones wither and die, when they could claim the powers of their creators for themselves, and in turn, perfect their own design. All they needed to do was destroy their old masters.
"But the brother Gods would not be defeated. Not by the magic and the skill they themselves had given to Humanity. Salem's plan failed, and in retaliation, the brother Gods destroyed all of humanity before departing the world. And for the first time, Salem was truly alone.
"Anger turned to grief, and grief to despair. In her madness and her desperation, Salem tried everything she could to end her own existence. Eventually, that led her to the Land of Darkness and the pools of black from whence the Grimm came. She threw herself into the pools, hoping that the darkness would overcome her curse.
"Alas, it was not to be. The darkness did not end her, but it did change her. No longer fair and beautiful, Salem now was terrible to behold, pale and deadly. But still she lived. For time uncounted, Salem walked alone in the world. But the time was not wasted. For Salem discovered that the creatures of Grimm now feared her, respected her… obeyed her. She grew in strength, and her grief and anger kept her sane.
"And then, one day, Salem came across a small band of humans. In her shock, she almost did not notice the Grimm that attacked them. But before the Grimm could finish off the small tribe, Salem commanded them to depart.
"The humans feared Salem. Feared her, but respected her. For in her they found safety. In them, Salem found hope. Determined to spite the brother Gods, she decided to help Humanity rise again so that she would never be alone. She would uplift these new people - both humans and the new faunus - and she would teach them the dangerous truth about the vengeful Gods that had created and destroyed their world.
"But the God of Light was not pleased with what Salem was doing in his world. Abandoned or not, the world was his creation, and the people in it would give their respect to him, not Salem. He had cursed Salem with immortality, but that had failed to change her. He destroyed all of humanity around her, but still she persevered. So he chose, instead, to take away her new hope, to destroy her dream of a world without Gods. He might be absent, but his influence could still be made known.
"And so the God of Light created four Relics with which to uplift humanity: a Staff, a Sword, a Crown, and a Lamp. Creation, destruction, choice, and knowledge. Relics of power to be used to reshape the world in his image. And with these Relics, he brought back Ozma. His instructions were simple. Use the relics to uplift the people. Unite the relics to end Salem's curse and her existence. Until Salem was at rest, Ozma would never die, but unlike Salem, he would never be alone.
"Ozma returned to a world he did not recognize. Humans and Fanus lived together, and fought off the Grimm not with magic, but with Aura, and Semblance, and Dust. His body, too, was unfamiliar, and he realized in horror that he would truly never be alone. Instead of seeking out the relics, Ozma instead sought out Salem, determined to find his lost love.
"And find her he did. Though she had been corrupted by the pools of darkness, and he was trapped, possessing the body of another, their love was true. Together, they raised a kingdom, and eventually, a family.
"Finally, after all they had been through, Ozma and Salem had the life they had always wanted. But it was not to last. Ozma was growing old, and Salem remained unchanged- almost unchanged. Her anger at the Gods was gone, for her love had been returned. Her despair and grief had given way to pride, as humanity and faunus-kind grew in power and wisdom. She had won, defeated the Gods, but she still could not rest. Having accomplished all she wanted, Salem was once again ready to die.
"Ozma, however, was not eager to return to the domain of the God of Light. Unwilling to part from Salem, he hid from her the secret of the Relics. For if they were both immortal, why should they not stay here, in the world they shaped? True, he would have to be reborn in another body- consume another soul- but surely they had earned their right to more time together.
"To protect the Relics and prevent their use, Ozma created four vaults scattered across the world. Four vaults, keyed to the unique magic of his four daughters. Without their help, the Relics would remain forever sealed away, and Ozma and Salem could have their happily ever after.
"But Ozma's daughters saw their mother's pain, and revealed Ozma's secrets to her. Salem convinced them to help her find peace, and they set off to retrieve the Relics, intending to unite them so Salem could finally pass on.
"What the four girls did not know was that the vaults were not the only protection for the Relics. So strong was Ozma's desire for immortality, that he created traps against the use of magic in the vaults. Only magic could open the vaults, but only magic would trigger the traps. Without Ozma himself disabling the traps, the relics would be safe forever.
"Alas, the girls did not know about Ozma's protections and one-by-one, they triggered the traps as they sought to retrieve the relics. Tragically, instead of sealing their magic as Ozma intended, the traps instead stripped their magic away, and with it, their souls. His traps, intended to protect his family, had instead destroyed it.
"When their daughters did not return, Salem confronted Ozma. He revealed everything- the true purpose of the Relics, the vaults, and his traps. Together, they traveled each of the vaults in turn, searching for their daughters. But no trace was found.
"Despite all her love for Ozma, Salem could not reconcile with the fact that his desired for immortality had cost her the loss of her daughters. Everything she had worked for and gained had been taken away from her again, and all because of the curse of immortality of the God of Light. She fled their kingdom, back to the Land of Darkness, and lost herself in her grief.
"In her absence, the kingdom slowly collapsed. Without her presence, the uncontrolled Grimm constantly attacked. Ozma was but one man, and aging. Despite his magic, he could not protect the Kingdom alone. He needed the help of the people of his kingdom. So he turned once again to his strongest weapon, his words. He convinced the kingdom that Salem had turned on them, had deliberately brought the Grimm to their doorstep. And in convincing his people, he convinced himself. Ozma did not blame himself for the loss of his daughters or the attacks of the Grimm. No, he blamed Salem for sending his daughters to their deaths instead of being content to rule by his side forever. And so Ozma passed away, bitter and alone, and his kingdom followed shortly thereafter.
"If that was the end of the story, it would be tragic indeed. But the truth is much worse. For Ozma resurrected again and again, and his bitterness grew and grew until his love was long forgotten. Salem became nothing but evil in his mind. And so when he discovered the four Maidens, four women with the magic and the very souls of his daughters, he did not correct his long forgotten mistakes. He did not at last unite the relics, seek out Salem, and offer her peace. No. He, like the God of Light before him, chose to punish Salem with immortality. He chose to punish her by keeping from her the one thing she truly wanted- death. From the four Maidens, he hid the truth and the past, and forever did he work to keep them separate.
"Eventually, Salem too learned of the existence of the Maidens and their true nature. Hope once again grew in her heart. For if the Maidens could retrieve the relics, she could finally be at peace. But when Salem returned into the world to seek the Maidens, she found it much changed. Where she had once been revered and worshipped, she was now unknown. Those few who did know of her feared her, having been corrupted by Ozma's bitter words. To them, she was a harbinger of doom, a monster who would destroy the world. And so Ozma and Salem were locked in a never-ending struggle over the Maidens and the Relics. To this day, Salem seeks her release, and Ozma seeks to prevent it, using and discarding brave warriors that he has deceived into fighting for his cause.
As Jinn finished her tale, the group struggled to reconcile what they had just been told with what they thought they knew. Ruby turned to Yang, and in a voice barely louder than a whisper, asked, "Are we on the wrong side?"
AN: Just an ideal that popped into my head more or less fully formed. I don't see a lot (ie any) Ozpin is evil stories, even though I think there is definitely some opportunity there. I think a lot of what happens in the early seasons of RWBY can be easily explained through this lens, and I think it creates a lot of opportunity for new story ideas. I intend this as a one-shot, just because I don't have the time to write a full-fledged story, but if you'd like to adopt the idea, just let me know.