Trigger warning: Nightmares, claustrophobia, burning alive, character death

Oscar's POV

Dreamscape

He could see the darkened corridor of the Vault under Beacon. Only flashes of green and vermilion are illuminated in the darkness. More flashes are shown as Ozpin and Cinder Fall clash weapons against each other. Heat danced across his skin. Part of him wanted to scream but he couldn't make a sound.

After a clash, Cinder slides back, using her hand to melt the floor below her, and summons ice crystals from the newly-formed substance, hurling them towards Ozpin. Ozpin deflects them all by moving at superhuman speed, and then darts forward and delivers a bunch of strikes at Cinder with his cane. All he could do was watch in fear and awe. Parts of his body screamed as flames licked up them.

With the last blow launching her back. Cinder then floats mid air by unleashing her Maiden power. Ozpin then slams his cane into the floor, forming a spherical force-field around him. Cinder then unleashes a powerful fire blast, with Ozpin leaping into the attack with the barrier protecting him. As he closes in on her, the two forces clashed again.

Ozpin was thrown back into the wall of the Vault. Cinder was also thrown but she was able to recover where as Ozpin was not. The wall crumbled and buried him under plenty of stone. He was further buried as Cinder burst through the ceiling.

Oscar felt the same fire and claustrophobic feeling that Ozpin did. It didn't take long for the lingering flames and smoke to kill the ancient wizard. Oscar tried desperately to scream. To pull more oxygen into his lungs.

End of Dreamscape

"Oscar!" Came a forceful voice scaring him into wakefulness.

The shout had pulled him out the memory of fire. Instinctively he jumped up and away heading towards the corner of his room at Atlas. Corners were the best way to prevent anyone from sneaking up on him.

"Oscar," tried the voice again. This time it was softer and familiar.

Instead of hitting the corner as he intended he hit a wall and stumbled. There was a flash of pain in his shoulder. Still he reached for Long Memory. His weapon was not there much to his horror. As an after thought he reached for his aura which sluggishly responded.

What the hell? Why was his aura so slow to respond? It hadn't been like this since Ozpin first unlocked his aura.

He looked around the room it was dark and unfamiliar. This was not his room at Atlas Academy. In fact the night sky wasn't even from Atlas at all.

Fear gripped him. Was he kidnapped? If he was did the others know already? Could he fight off his kidnapper until they arrived?

Oscar was a lot of things but he was still learning the art of battle. Most of his skill lay in using Long Memory as he was gaining Ozpin's muscle memory. His hand to hand combat was less than stellar. It was taking far longer to master it versus using Long Memory.

"Oscar please," that voice.

It was Ozpin. That's why it was so familiar but wasnt he dead. The voice was most certainly not in his head. Not the way he was used to hearing Ozpin.

Looking up he found himself looking into the warm but concerned eyes of the tired man. Dark bags hung under his eyes but were less prominent than in his memory. As Oscar's heart began to slow the memories of the last day came back. All the adrenaline left him leaving him feeling exhausted.

He was at Beacon. Vaguely he could remember landing but fell asleep soon after. Ozpin or Qrow must have carried him here.

Part of him was still reeling from the revelation of how Ozpin had died. It was little wonder the man had been reluctant to talk about it. He had been burned and buried alive.

Gentle hands touched his shoulders. They were cool against his skin still warm from the nightmare. The memory. But it wasn't like he could tell Ozpin that. How was one supposed to tell their newfound father that they were supposed to be his next reincarnation? They weren't. He wasn't even supposed to be here.

In the previous timeline he hadn't left the farm for more than a few hours. Now here he was on an entirely different continent. They never knew that they were father and son. Even when Ozpin in his head.

Ozpin gently pushed him back towards the bed. Once in front of it he was pushed so that he was sitting on the bed.

After a moment the man asked gently, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Oscar mutely he shook his head. No he couldn't talk about the memory. It wouldn't make sense to his father. Explaining the memory that shouldn't be there would only confuse things.

Ozpin said after a moment, "We all get nightmares. Very few people in this world are able to claim such a peaceful existence where they don't have them. It doesn't make you weak Oscar."

Oscar still shook his head mutely. Ozpin sighed but didn't push any further. So they sat their in silence. Oscar, his fingers tapping a pattern on the outside of his leg. A coping mechanism he had started after his parents death. It had stuck with him even years later.

Ozpin stood after a moment stretching as he did so. He said not looking at Oscar as he did so, "I'm going to make some hot chocolate. If you're anything like me then you won't go back to sleep after a nightmare."

Oscar gave a small cautious smile as he nodded. The two went out of his room and down the hallway into a living room with a kitchen attached. There was a table in between the two. In the living room was a couch and two chairs that circled a TV screen. The kitchen he could see was modern and had many amenities that his own at the farm house did not.

While the Pine family was struggling to survive but they lived a modest life style. As such when he saw how some other families lived he was surprised. Things like hot chocolate were a treat that he only had a few times.

It only took a few moments and Ozpin to his surprise added whipped cream on top to both mugs. There was a soft smile on the man's face that kept him from asking why. Better to not bring up his lack of experience with the drink. So he took it and the two fell into a kind of easy silence.