Okay, this took very long because I needed to get it right, and... I still don't feel like I got it all the way there. I just settled on this because I can't come up with any other way to make the concepts flow.
This chapter might be pretty dark for some, lots of strong themes and the sort, and even then I tried to water it down as much as possible. Like I actually couldn't sleep due to my own dreadful imagination, so you can only imagine what I was seeing in my head.
Chapter 59: Shady Nights in Wintery Gloom
"I'm sorry… who are you?" Pyrrha said with a tear leaking down her right eye.
Jaune stood stock still, frozen in place with disbelief plastered across his face as if his ears were deceiving him. He'd known, in the back of his mind, that his happy end would never be so simple. Cursed and forsaken by the man that caused this all, Jaune instinctively knew that Pyrrha wasn't lying... still he tried.
"Pyrrha… it's me, Jaune? Team JNPR? Beacon Academy?" Jaune said almost despairingly.
She shook her head regretfully, "I'm sorry, um...Jaune. I… don't remember much of anything. It's all hazy and practically blank…"
Cris walked into the room with Nova trailing closely behind her. They both wore worried expressions and uneasy smiles.
"Oh! Mom! I… didn't expect you to be here at this hour…" Pyrrha said looking toward her mother, the woman held a smile and nodded.
"Well, two very important people happened to show up at your statue, figured they'd want to know you were okay," Cris gestured to the two boys.
"Very important people?" Pyrrha looked at Nova and Jaune in confusion.
Nova flinched but kept his negativity repressed, "Come on Pyrrha! How could you forget your favourite rival?" he said with a laugh, "and here I thought I was pretty memorable."
His light and joking tone seemed to ease her mind and lift her spirits, in truth she barely remembered anything besides who she was and her family. It was as if there was a huge chunk of her life missing, and she hated it. She wished she could remember but whenever she tried, her mind would be flooded with painful screams and dark emotions.
Gazing upon the blonde boy before her, her heart ached, as if it was begging her to remember something important as if he meant something to her. Addressing Jaune she said, "I… feel like I'm supposed to know you especially… c-can you tell me…how exactly do we know each other?" she wanted to know... no, she felt like she needed to know.
Jaune felt his breath hitch in his throat as the pain of the thought struck at his inner being like a sharp knife, twisting in his gut, refusing to let him die and keeping him eternally in pain.
Nova saw the blonde's face, for a split second, just for a mere fraction, the boy's face was agonizing pain, but to the normal and distant eye, no one would've picked up on it, instead, Jaune lifted his head. With a smile forged of fragility and sadness, Jaune flashed her a grin so horribly bright, Nova knew he was faking it.
"I was your team leader at Beacon Academy. We were…" Jaune chose his words very carefully, "… really good friends…"
The dragon felt his own heart tear looking at him.
"T-The rest of our team is here too, maybe… bringing everyone around might help you remember," Jaune continued with his charade of cheer. He was making it believable, really believable, so much so, Nova was having a hard time seeing through it now.
Still, it was there, as Jaune described some of their stories, the cracks in his face, the little chips in the glass fell through. Pyrrha didn't seem to notice, and it was probably because Jaune knew how to hide it from her. The red-head giggled and laughed as Jaune reminisced.
"Well, Mr. Arc, you and your team sound like wonderful people. I'm sad I can't remember…" her face began to fall.
Jaune was ready, "Oh don't worry about it. Whether you remember or not doesn't matter. You're our precious friend and teammate, and nothing will change that. If you remember its just a bonus, the real gift is knowing you're okay."
"Oh, Jaune… what are you doing to yourself…" Nova thought as he stared at the blonde.
Cris looked at the clock on the wall, "It's getting late boys. I think my daughter needs some rest," she said. She could see they wanted to stay more, but even she could see that the one called Jaune was beginning to falter by the minute, and staying like that wouldn't be healthy… for both of them.
Nova waved to Pyrrha, "See yah Nikos, when you're feeling better we should spar sometime again. I guarantee I'm not the same person I used to be."
Pyrrha giggled and waved back, "I barely remember how to fight!"
Jaune smiled back sadly, "We'll swing by tomorrow… I'll bring the rest of the gang."
"I can't wait to meet them," she replied cheerfully.
The blonde winced again, "Reunite Pyrrha… not meet…" he thought solemnly.
As the trio walked out of the hospital, it was the dark of night. The sun had long set and all that was left was a cloudless cold night sky, speckled with countless stars.
"Jaune Arc, right?" Cris said turning to the blonde.
"Yes Ma'am?"
"You're in love with my daughter aren't you." It wasn't a question.
Both boys almost choked, "How'd you know?" Jaune asked.
Cris held a sad smile, "Only someone who truly loves someone else would look that broken when they weren't remembered."
Jaune's face had a flash of deep-rooted sadness, but recovered, "I… more than anything… she means the world to me…"
"Then why didn't you tell her?" Cris asked as if knowing the answer but she wanted to hear it herself. Nova sulked as well, for he knew he would do the same if it was Ruby.
Jaune inhaled deeply, "Because…" he started, the ghost of a smile gracing his lips, "… you can't just tell someone they love you."
Jaune and Nova returned to the house to find it dark and desolate, a feeling of dreariness hanging around the air like a thick invisible veil. The Cotta-Arcs weren't home, a note was left on the table stating that Tera was at work and wouldn't be home until late, and Saphron was out getting some extra groceries with Adrien and Elain.
Nova sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "If it was any cheerier there'd be streamers and balloons… where the hell is everyone?"
"Hey?! Anyone home?!" Jaune yelled loudly.
"We're here..." sounded a rather, despondent response. Nora and Ren came down from upstairs, their faces weren't anywhere near happiness but they at least looked somewhat better than before. Luna came out from the kitchen looking worried.
"Jaune, fill them in on the… semi-good news. I wanna go check on Ruby in the back," Nova said patting the blonde on the back before exiting through the back door. He wanted to stay but this was something Jaune needed to tell them himself, it was only right.
They all looked at Jaune curiously. "What's good about this shitty situation…" Nora said uncharacteristically.
Jaune inhaled deeply, "Guys…" he said with a sad smile on his face, "Pyrrha's here, and she's awake."
All their faces lit up with bright smiles, "REALLY?!" Nora squealed jumping up, the light returning to her eyes.
Jaune hung his head, a sad expression playing on his face, "It's not that simple…"
"What's the problem…?" Ren asked.
"She… has amnesia."
The collective gasp and looks of horror that simultaneously flashed across all their faces spoke volumes. Luna tugged on the blonde's shirt, "Are... you okay?" she asked, quick to determine the extent of the damage.
Jaune gave her a sad smile and ruffled the shorter girl's hair, "I'll live, it's just nice to know she's alright..."
Suddenly there was a loud scream and a flash of silver light that came from the backyard.
Hours before in the backyard, Ruby sat with her knees folded under her, patiently listening to the instructions of the Calavera sisters. The silence of the house was worrying but also gratifying as it gave her room to properly concentrate.
"Tell me, Ruby, what do you know about your silver eyes, besides being able to turn Grimm to stone?" Raisa asked studying the girl.
Ruby took a moment to ponder, "Um… well Ozpin did say they were a rare trait…"
Maria shook her head, "It's hopeless, the kid knows nothing… well not that we know that much anyway…"
"Not that you know that much," Raisa scoffed earning a grunt from her sister. "Look kid, the Silver Eyes never used to be a rare trait. A century ago, people like us were more common than you'd think. It's what I'd call, the Silver Age." Raisa explained. "It was a period in time where Humanity and Faunus alike were booming, we didn't fear the Grimm because we had warriors like us."
"If there were so many… about what happened?" Ruby asked looking anxious.
The sisters glanced at each other, "Well kid… we were hunted."
"Hunted?! By whom?! Wait… just how old are you…?"
"That's… not important. What I can tell you is that someone or something out there orchestrated a mass manhunt for every single Silver-Eyed warrior on the face of Remnant, and, as powerful as we were… there are things that even we can't do." Raisa continued on.
"What do you mean…?"
"Kid, people like us tend to have a certain… disposition towards people. To put it simply, we care too much to wish harm upon them. I don't know if it's the eyes that make us this way, or if it's because we're like this, that the eyes wield their power. It was hard for many of our kind to wield a blade, even in self defence, against another Human or Faunus, to kill. In a life or death situation, where incapacitation isn't an option, our kindness proved to be our weakness…" this time it was Maria who sad it sadly.
"I tried to give up that mentality… that weakness… but the further I strayed, the less powerful my eyes became, so I tried to find balance. In the end, it was my own weakness that blinded me. I won a battle that took my eyes at the hands of my own incapability. If I was stronger back then, I would've never had to pay such a heavy price for victory..." The mechanical eyed Calavera sister said, clutching her staff as she recalled her painful memory.
Ruby was silent for a moment before piping up again, "Why would they hunt you down? Weren't you guys the best thing that ever happened to the world?"
"Why does anyone do anything kid?" Raisa asked darkly. Ruby was unable to answer so Raisa continued, "Money for sure was a big promoter. It certainly lured in the bounty hunters… but the real kicker was jealousy. Many thought we were too powerful, that such abilities don't belong to mere humans. Our very existence began to instill in humanity a deep-seated inferiority complex as if normal people were just not as good as the Silver Eyed warriors, and there wasn't even a point to being a Huntsman."
"Slowly but surely, these dark desires wormed their ways into the hearts of people, firmly taking hold of their desires. This brought on Grimm, Grimm made us exhausted, and someone began feeding their jealousy. All it took was a little spark to ignite the flames that eventually burned us all… well almost all." Maria finished for her.
Ruby grimaced. She knew exactly what they were talking about. Humans and Faunus were susceptible to all forms of darkness, and no one was an exception… not even the great Ozpin.
"What can you teach me about my eyes? How do I use them?" Ruby asked, with hope burning in them.
The older women were impressed by her ability to recover from that darkness as if the girl refused to be tainted.
"We know very little… our father taught us, he had Silver Eyes as well but… he never got to finish his tutelage. There's not much I can teach you… not without demonstration, but I can offer you some guidance, and from there, maybe we can work something out…" Raisa said.
Ruby smiled, excited to learn, but then frowned, "Wait… what happened to your eyes…?" she looked at Raisa.
The woman chuckled, "I never said anything happened to them," she then opened her lids to reveal a pair of silver eyes, though they were faded and not as shimmering as Ruby's.
"Old age caught up to me, I can't make them work like I used to, so you'll have to settle with just my word of mouth."
Ruby nodded and sat down, quietly.
"Alright now, the eyes hold more than just the power to turn Grimm to stone." Maria started walking back and forth with her stick, "The Grimm are creatures of pure darkness, your eyes, are the opposite. They are weapons of pure light. True, light."
"There isn't a set trigger for them, it's not as simple as going 'Vwoosh' and shooting a beam out of your eyes like lasers. It's more complex than that," Raisa followed up.
"Remember what I told you back at the village?" Maria asked.
Ruby nodded, her eyes closed, "My emotions right? My desire to protect is what triggers it?"
"Only in times of desperation do you draw on your emotions in such a raw form. What you need to do is visualize it."
"Huh?" Ruby was confused.
"Your desire to protect. Find the one thing, or multiple if that exists, that illicit a strong desire to care and protect within your mind. Something that you're so passionate about that it would literally kill you to not be able to do."
Ruby sat in silence, thinking about her experiences. There were so many things that she wanted to protect. Her team, her dog Zwei, Crescent Rose, the world.
"You seem to be having a hard time… I guess it's because of your experiences…" Raisa hummed. In truth, it took people months just to form a visual, but they didn't have months, and she wasn't sure they even had days, so she needed to speed things along. "I hate using this method but… think about everyone you love, everything you hold dear, each instance individually, being destroyed in the most brutal way possible…"
Ruby was shocked, the worried and hurt expression began forming on her face.
Maria realized what her sister was doing and shot her a dirty glare, "This could scar her… the mind of a person with Silver eyes is far more powerful than any normal person… if she visualizes too strongly, it could have long-lasting trauma!" she whispers harshly.
"I know… but we don't have the option of going slowly."
Maria cursed but eventually relented. She turned to Ruby and began following up on her sister, "That blonde girl, Yang, your sister. Her weapons backfire and blow off both of her arms. She's surrounded by Grimm, her girlfriend, the purple one, she's badly injured and on death's door. How do you feel?"
Ruby shook as she sat, visibly in discomfort, "Scared… worried, but… I can protect them…"
"Hmm… not good enough. What about that Schnee girl and the little one you're so fond of? A gun to their heads, no aura, no escape. They're bloody and bruised, how do you feel."
Ruby's body began to shake violently, she was scared, beads of sweat began to form on her face and a single tear was leaking down her left eye, "No… no!"
They were getting closer, but not enough.
"What about your boyfriend? He's pinned down, practically lifeless before his worst enemy and you're powerless to stop him… your father's there too, your mother! All at the mercy of the Grimm and you can't do anything! You're weak! Powerless!" Maria said waving her stick.
Ruby's lip began to quiver, as tears flowed from both of her eyes. In her mind she saw Nova, his body cold and dying, Taiyang was being crushed to the floor by Onyx and Salem held her mother in her clutches, a sick grin playing on her lips. Summer Rose turned to Ruby with a fading smile.
Ruby envisions every single event with resentful detail, Summer opens her mouth to speak but Salem just squeezes harder, still the words, barely a whisper echo out of her mouth, "Stay…strong… my little one…" she says before her windpipe is crushed, her lifeless body flung next to Nova's. Suddenly the bodies begin to pile up, Yang, Weiss, Luna, Elain, Hex, Nitro, Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, Ren… even Zwei…
"No… no! NO PLEASE YOU CAN'T! DON'T HURT THEM ANYMORE!" Ruby cried out in pain, sobbing uncontrollably. "If only… I was stronger I could… protect you…"
Raisa and Maria began to regret their methods, the sheer pain on the girl's face was horrifying.
"That's it, Ruby! That feeling! That desire to protect! HOLD ON TO IT AND DON'T LET IT GO!" Raisa egged her on.
Ruby was stock still for a moment, the crying died down and her body was unmoving. They were afraid they'd broken her, panic washing over the two older women.
Suddenly Ruby's eyes shot open and a blaze of silver light beamed out like the sun, wrapping the whole area in blinding brightness. It was much more powerful than when she'd vaporized the Apathy, as the light physically stung and felt tangible, like white beams of white flames that saught out every bit of darkness, erasing it from existence. When the light died, Raisa and Maria were caught in awe.
"This girl… is… incredible…" Maria said with amazement, "In all my years I've never seen anyone this powerful… with so much potential…"
Ruby was quietly sobbing now, her palms over her face.
"Well done kid! You did impressively for your first try…" Maria started hesitantly, but Ruby continued to cry.
"Hey… it's all in your head, it's not real…" Raisa tried to appease her but Ruby flinched as she drew near.
At that moment Nova burst through the door looking worried and panicked, "WHAT'S GOING ON?! RUBY! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!" his eyes landed on the crying form of the girl, the two older women looking exasperated.
"What happened?" he asked darkly, ready to erase anyone that would harm the love of his life.
"Visual training. We tried to get her to establish a mental trigger for her powers… but it seems her mind was too vivid for her own good…"
Nova softened and approached Ruby carefully, "Ruby…? Love… are you…" he was cut off when the moment he was within arm's length she launched herself at him, clutching his shirt for dear life, burying her face in the fabric and breathing in his scent.
Slowly she peeled open hear teary eyes to see his worried face.
He tenderly placed a hand around her cheek and wiped away the tears, "It's okay, Ruby… I'm here… I'm okay…"
Ruby sniffed, "I… saw you dead… and Yang and Zwei… and Weiss and the others… Mom… oh god… Mom…" she shook violently and Nova hugged her tightly, rubbing her back and using his other hand to pet her hair.
"Shhh, it's alright… none of it was real… I'm alive, I'm okay. Tai is doing just fine back home and Zwei is healthy as always. The others are fine… even Pyrrha. She's here in town by the way, awake and looking as good as new," Nova said with a smile.
Ruby's sniffling began to subside, "Pyrrha? Really?"
"Yup! We can go see her tomorrow if you like… though right now I think you need to relax."
Ruby turned slowly to the Calavera sisters, "I… I'm sorry for that outburst… I…."
Raisa softened, "No worries dear… it's our fault for driving you so hard… but you exceeded expectations…"
"I-Is it alright if we pick back up tomorrow? I'm… a little…"
Raisa was about to object but Maria held her back, "Perfectly fine, that must've been quite the mental toll on you. Just go rest up."
Nova took Ruby back inside leaving the two older women outside.
"We don't have time to take breaks!" Raisa hissed.
"She's not a robot hermana! She's just a sixteen-year-old girl with a lot of weight on her shoulders and a lot of trauma. She will break if we force her too hard!" Maria pinched her older sister by the ear.
"OW! Okay yeesh…" Raisa swatted away her sister, "She's a special brat, even among those chosen by the Silver Heart."
Maria's face heard the words and slowly morphed into wonder, "No... you... you're kidding right?"
Raisa shook her head, "Not in the slightest... she wears it with her at all times... or have you not noticed the necklace beneath her cloak."
Maria hummed, thinking deeply, "This might turn out greater than I previously expected... she might be able to succeed where we failed..."
Nova took a firm hold of Ruby's hand, she was strong, he knew that, but seeing her shaken like that had sent his protective instincts into overdrive, and at the current moment, he didn't want to be separated from her, and from the look she gave him, he could safely assume she reciprocated the sentiment.
The living room was more populated now, Yang and Hex had come back from their walk, their spirits weren't down but they still needed a few moments away from the imminent source of distress.
"You guys okay? What was that loud scream?" the blonde brawler asked concerned.
Ruby had an embarrassed smile, "Visual training... don't worry about it..."
Yang wanted to protest against whatever training would cause such pain when the door handle turned with the distinctive sound of keys jingling.
"Woah... what happened while we were gone?" Saphron asked as she walked through the door with Adrien in her arms, Elain followed closely behind. The Arc sister could feel the negative energy they were giving off and it made her worried... particularly for her little brother. The blonde boy had a regular expression but her sisterly instincts told her he was hurting in ways words could never describe.
They all regarded her with embarrassed smiles, "Oh it's nothing... just a few minor setbacks..." Nora said politely.
"Doesn't seem very minor to me..." she hummed as she set down the bags of groceries, "I won't pry because I feel like it's Huntsman business, but you know what always makes me feel better?"
Jaune lifted his head curiously, "What...?"
"Macaroons!" she chirped as she began rummaging for ingredients. "Nothing beats the Jaune Arc family recipe! A favourite of a certain someone I know..."
A light smile played on Jaune's lips, some vigour returning to his body, "I haven't had those since we were kids..."
"We used to gouge on these whenever mom made them. With the amount of us in one house, it was chaos for every single one, even the burnt ones. Of course, Mom always did sneak a few extra for her only son..." Saphron teased causing Jaune to groan and hide his head in shame.
"Come on, where are my kitchen helpers? I'm going to need a few extra hands," she gestured at Ren and Nora who shook themselves out of their sulking and joined her and Elain in the kitchen.
In the meantime, everyone else was relaxing on the couches, Yang opted to tidy up the place and Hex desperately tried to fix the crack in the wall made by Jaune earlier. The boy noticed it and felt the gnawing sense of guilt, eating away at his soul. He was emotionally damaged, but he could recover... still it didn't mean he needed to have acted that way. Just the mere thought that Pyrrha was hurt for no reason made him want to strange Ozpin... but he didn't need to vent that anger onto young Oscar.
Luna was nervous, and anxiously glancing at the door. She began toying with the hem of her jacket, a nervous tick influenced by her older brother.
The older dragon noticed his sister's anxiety, "Luna... what's wrong? You look... out of it."
"I-It's Oscar he..." she started.
At the mention of the name, Jaune shot up, "Yeah, Oscar! Where is he? I need to apologize for earlier..."
"That's just it... he's... not here," Luna said with worry in her voice.
"What happened? Where is he?!" Nova asked, now very alert. Someone with an emotional state such as his should never be left alone...
"We talked about what happened and... Jaune, he doesn't blame you, but he said he needed to figure himself out, so he went for a walk. I wanted to go after him but... that look in his eyes said he needed to be alone..." she explained, glancing at the floor.
Nova folded his hands over his mouth in a thinking position, "He's a good kid... strong... and a lot more mature than he should be for his age, so I'm not worried that he'd do something stupid... he's probably just out cooling his head." he tried to rationalize Oscar's thought process but the more he thought on the vulnerabilities of the young adolescent mind, the more he began to worry.
"About that... he left... just after you guys... and he hasn't been back yet..."
"Now that's cause for concern..." Nova muttered under his breath.
"What should we do?" Jaune turned to the dragon for guidance.
"Don't tell Saphron or Tera if she comes back. They don't need this worry over their heads. You can tell the others but try not to make a scene. I'll go out looking for him," he replied getting up from the couch and picking up Helios from its resting place at the side of the furniture.
Ruby, who was practically falling asleep on herself shot up, "I'm coming with you. Oscar is our friend and you might need some backup."
"I think you need a mental breather love. I'm fine on my own."
"Nuh-uh. I don't need you worrying about me. I can handle myself," she said glaring at him, "And besides, if I was stuck here I'd be worried about him. I'd get no rest either way."
Nova suppressed the urge to chuckle, even when she was being stubborn she was cute, "I know you can, Red, and if you think you're up for it then I can't stop you... but..."
Ruby could see the worry in his eyes that would not leave, so she leaned up and pecked him on the lips with a smile, "I'm fine. Now move your ass before I move it for you."
"I want to join you as well..." Yang said looking worried. Hex joined her in her stance.
Nova shook his head, "No... if too many of us leave then Jaune's sister might suspect something. If it's just me and Ruby we can play it off as couple stuff."
"Let me come with you... please..." it was Jaune who insisted this time. "This is my fault... I need to help fix this."
Nova glared at him in the eyes but Jaune refused to back down. After a moment of intense staring, the dragon sighed heavily, "FINE! Luna!" he called to his sister.
She glanced at him, "Hm?"
"Tell Jaune's sister that the three of us went to meet Oscar at the park, the rest of you were too tired to join us. Under no circumstances are they to know what's going on!" he semi-yelled back as the trio left through the door.
-Several Hours Earlier-
Oscar was wandering the streets lost in his own mind. His thoughts distracting him as he aimlessly walked through the streets of Argus, anger, and self-loathing disconnected him from the world. Dragged through and far beyond the reaches of reality, the festering words of vile malcontent ravaged his head like diseased rats.
Ozpin or Oscar, who was he really? The eternal paradox that was his thought process continued to echo the repeated questions. Who was he really? Caught in a curious case of a confusing conundrum, the boy was a victim of the worst identity crisis the face of Remnant had ever seen. It was one thing to not know yourself, but it was another to mistrust your own thoughts' source. Had the line between Ozpin and Oscar so thoroughly greyed itself during his connection with the older spirit that even his own head wasn't safe.
Oscar began laughing aloud, it was laughable, to think that man who'd long since died, who'd chosen cowardice and lies over his own mission, was the cause of more problems. He often wondered what boys his age worried about. He never had any friends so he wasn't sure, but he assumed their worries were on school grades, or fleeting crushes on popular girls, maybe what food they'd eat the next day, as the television would have him believe. His problems seemed leagues beyond anything he'd dream about a month ago.
He didn't have time to worry about food, he only worried about whether he'd live to see the next morning. With all the problems ruling his mind, he found one similarity, he did have his own problems concerning his crush on a popular girl, and while it may not be a school hierarchy, he was definitely staring up at the mountain of social standing. He just didn't feel worthy to stand on the same ground as her some days. She was warm and caring, silly, and shy but she was a semblance of clarity to him.
If there was one thing he knew for a fact was his own thoughts, were that his attraction to the dragon princess was his own feelings. There was no denying in his mind or his heart that it was influenced by Ozpin, for that man only held feelings for Salem.
He observed the passing people, in their seemingly blissful ignorance, carrying about their lives in peace. It seemed like no one in this town was unhappy... except for a woman looking frantic and worried. She kept approaching various people but they all shook their heads and moved on. He dreaded the moment she neared him as she turned to him with a wild look on her eyes, "My son... you seen my son?!" she asked desperately, he could see the tears beginning to form in her eyes.
"Ma'am, I don't know what he looks like," Oscar replied awkwardly.
"He's short, eight years old, black hair and green eyes, please... if you see him... tell him I'm right here okay?" she pointed at a bench on the pavement. It was then he realized he was at the main street junction, quite a ways from the Cotta-Arc household. It wasn't far enough for his liking.
"A-Alright... sure thing ma'am," he responded shakily.
The woman bowed before proceeding to the next person. Oscar felt bad for her, he would help but he had his own problems to deal with. He didn't even know where to begin looking for the kid so he just kept walking, and hoped he'd come across him. It was interesting to see a little chaos in the seemingly unblemished town, in all its transparency, and that was all it took to drag his mind back into the spiral of depression.
Oscar didn't notice when the sky became darker when the sun set and the chill of the night flowed in. He never noticed that the bricks that lined the path, so clean they were before, were now dirty and mossy as if they'd been neglected for some time. It wasn't until the smell of rotting food permeated his nostrils did he finally wring his mind out of the labyrinth of thoughts and gauged his surroundings.
He'd accidentally walked into a back alley. Judging by the buildings, and the faint smell of salt in the air, he was near the port. What really stood out was the contrast between where he stood and the rest of the town. It was like looking at the comparison between a clean white cloth and a brown dirty one, such was the state of the area.
"Guess even Argus has its bad side... a part of the city they wanted to hide," he muttered under his breath. It was a strange feeling, seeing himself in the ghetto of the city, it felt like a reflection of his mental state, muddled, damaged, and shunned.
He knew he shouldn't linger, the uneasiness of this part of town was as clear as day, but the lack of any forms of life seemed to distract his danger sense. *CLANG* came the sound of a heavy, hollow metal object as it slammed into the back of Oscar's head. He wasn't able to fully register what was happening until his vision began to blur, the dull throbbing behind his head as he faded to black.
"He's a bit bigger than what I'm used to... but he's a mighty pretty one..." a hoarse voice said as the last things Oscar heard before he passed out on the cold stone.
Oscar was awakened to the smell of rot and a distinct metallic scent lingering in the air. There was a dreadful throbbing and intense pain coming from the back of his head. Slowly Oscar lifted himself into a sitting position and peeled open his eyelids that felt practically glued together. The room was dark, shadows cascaded around nearly every corner, with the only source of light being a dull white light hanging from the ceiling, a singular door stood facing him on the far north of the room. The floor was cold and smooth with little bumps of sharp steel in various places. Surrounding him was a series of iron bars that encircled him on all sides. He tried to stand but was met with a harsh tap on his head where he hit a metal ceiling. Oscar was trapped in a cage, unlikely built for someone his size.
A cold chill drifted in and froze him to his bones, it was then he realized he was only clothed in his undershirt and boxers. His... or rather Ozpin's cane, along with his clothes were gone. As his mind finally drew itself out of the haze it was in, he could finally assess his situation.
"Shit..." he cursed under his breath as he attempted to push at what he assumed was the front of the cage, only to have it move slightly but remain locked. The distinct rattle of a chain was heard to his left suggesting it was bolted there. He began searching the floor of his cage for any hint at weakness that he could force open. As his hands roamed the small area, they brushed up against something smooth and dry. At first thinking it was a key or some sort of leverage, he grasped hold of it and brought it into the light only to find out... it was a bone. Too large to be a chicken he dropped it and scrambled around to see the scattered bones of various shapes and sizes...
"AH!" he gasped loudly, startled by the array.
"I-Is someone there?" a small voice asked from the darkness. "H-Hello?"
Oscar calmed himself down and hesitantly replied, "Who's there?"
There was the sound of rattling chains from his right, and Oscar turned to see another cage, with only the part facing him cast in light.
"A-Are you trapped here too?" the voice asked.
"Yeah... my name is Oscar. Do you know where we are?"
There was more shuffling before Oscar saw a hand in the light of the adjacent cage. The person was now in full view and Oscar could see it was a little boy with short black hair. The light was too dim to determine the colour of his eyes but he looked about eight or nine years old. He was wearing nothing but a light white undershirt and shorts. Oscar could clearly see that the boy's fingers were stiff and the skin looked damaged suggesting he'd been in the cold for a while. The boy looked tired, with bruise marks on his cheeks suggesting he was hit there.
"M-My name is Nicholas... I don't know where we are," he said shakily. The quivering of his lips suggested he was very cold.
"How did you get here Nicholas?"
"I... was with my mommy when we got separated... a man offered to help me find her but instead he beat me and brought me here... I... don't know how long I've been here..." the boy replied.
Oscar inhaled sharply as he studied the bruising on the boy. Extreme violence was clearly used, the dark splotches on his skin definitely insinuated it. To think that someone out there would kidnap a young boy like this and use such harsh methods... it made his blood boil.
"Don't worry Nicholas, I'll get us out of here..." Oscar vowed with resolve in his eyes. "Are there any more of you here?"
The boy nodded, "Mhm... w-when I came in there was a girl, she was here... in my cage. The man took her out and threw me in here... and I think there's another boy in the cage over there..." he pointed to the far left of the room. Oscar could barely make out in the dim lighting, the outline of a cage.
There was the loud sound of footsteps and heavy chains dragging that alerted Oscar.
"Shhh! He's coming!" the boy hissed.
Oscar whipped his head to the door as it creaked open to reveal a grotesquely shapen man. He was wide at the lower half and it sloped him with thin shoulders but beefy arms, a thin long neck, and a head that seemed too large for it. He wore a dirty blue jumper and an apron over it, covered in a dark red substance that Oscar assumed was blood. Various tools and chains hung from a tool belt around his waist, clanging as he waddled toward them.
Upon seeing the awakened Oscar, he spread his lips in a grin that displayed two rows of rotten teeth and approached the cage.
"Oh good you're awake," he said in a hoarse voice, "I was afraid I'd hit you too hard... can't have another valuable piece expiring on me before I get to use them kekekeke..." he laughed throatily.
Oscar shuddered at the eyes he was staring into, they were yellow and warped. The smell this man gave off was even worse, like rotten meat. "Let me out of this cage you vile piece of..."
"Oh no no no..." he shoved a greasy finger into Oscar's face silencing him. The boy almost heaved his stomach from the contact. "Such words are not welcome in front of children."
"Who are you?! What do you want?!" Oscar spat out, gagging in the process.
The man looked offended, "What do I want? I simply want to fill the world with colour!" he said gesturing to the red stains on his apron. He then strut over to the cage on the far left and tapped on the top, "Hello~ little one... awake in there?"
He only received silence in response, causing his face to morph into anger, "Fuck... another one expired..."
Oscar's eyes widened, "YOU MURDERER!" he thrashed in anger, rattling the cage.
"Murderer? My boy... I'm not a murderer... I'm an artist~"
"What kind of art involves that much blood?!" he seethed.
"Only the best kind~" he began toying with a knife in his hands, "If you're curious... oh no it's not ready for you... soon, however... very soon." the man then looked around the room before heaving a sigh, "This simply won't do... I need more!"
Oscar sat back and grit his teeth. Before him stood a man that was a blatant kidnapper and murderer and all he could do was sit in the cage, helpless. If it was Ozpin he could just magic his way out, or break the lock or something, but he didn't have that power. A thought that both brought him grievance and reassurance.
It was a bitter-sweet feeling, having your own identity assured through your own incapability, but at this point, his own mind complexities were the least of his worries.
"You just sit tight and wait, I'll be back with the right colours soon..." the man said with a sinister smile, before exiting through the door.
The moment he was gone, soft sobbing was heard from the cage to his right.
"He... talked to me... just a while ago... the boy in the cage... he sounded soft but he said that he was okay... he... he..." Nicholas sniffled uncontrollably. "I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" he cried loudly.
Oscar cursed under his breath, "Listen... it's going to be okay. I know it's sad but I'm going to get us out of here. If I can get to my clothes I have a scroll that I can contact my friends. They're Huntsmen and Huntresses, they'll come to save us for sure!"
The boy's sniffling slowed, "How are we going to get out of these cages...?"
Oscar inhaled deeply and placed his hands on the bars of the cage door. His earlier thrashings weren't just out of frustration, he was hoping to weaken the chainlinks that bound the lock. He pulled as hard as he could but the chains still wouldn't budge.
Instead of giving up, Oscar tugged and tugged, begging his aura to give him strength, but it was disobeying him. For some reason, he couldn't muster aura to aid him, and it would explain how he was incapacitated so easily. It was as if his aura just refused to listen to him. When his strength began to wain he sighed and slumped back into the cage, cursing his own weakness.
Who was he kidding? Oscar Pine, breaking metal bars? The idea was laughable. If it was Nova stuck in this cage he would have melted the bars or ripped it apart with his bare strength, even Luna could distort and break the chains. He knew it was unfair to compare himself to the dragon siblings but the fact of the matter remained, Oscar was nothing without Ozpin, he was nothing without the experience or knowledge in his head. He was just a weak, helpless teenager with nothing to contribute, nothing but a burden.
The thought hit him like Nora's hammer. He wasn't constantly afraid of being overtaken by Ozpin, sure the concept made his skin crawl and it did contribute to a great deal of his worry and pain, but the reality was that he was afraid of being a burden. Compared to the others he was nothing, he had no special power or formal training. He was afraid that his only identity was being a shell for Ozpin, and the world, no his friends, didn't need Oscar.
He would've begun to spiral into his mind again had it not been for the quiet crying of Nicholas next to him. Right now, at this moment in time, there was only Oscar Pine. The only thing standing between that little boy and bloody murder was himself. There was no Nova Flareheart to save the day, no Ruby Rose to guide him, no Luna to be his support.
Nicholas was an innocent little boy with his whole life ahead of him and he'd be damned if he couldn't protect even a single child.
Oscar placed his hands on the bars and gripped tightly, "Oz... I don't give a fuck about what your problems are, I don't care about me... just don't let this kid pay the price for it. Please... I need to save him..." as the words left his mouth, Oscar felt a surge of power flowing through him. He felt his strength regaining as a bright green aura surrounded him.
At first, he thought it was Ozpin's help... but this power didn't feel like magic, and this colour wasn't his usual shade of green. It was brilliantly shining like luminescent forest green, near neon. Compared to his aura before, this was a shining upgrade from the dull shade that he emanated before.
The power felt... comfortable, like a second skin. His previous aura didn't feel like anything, whether he used it or not, it didn't feel like him. Oscar recalled something Nova said while training, "Aura is the projection of the soul..."
Power surged through him as he willed his strength, the aura brightly glowing as Oscar screamed out, tearing the bars apart, shattering the chain, and creating an opening wide enough for him to fit through.
Nicholas watched in awe as the older boy shattered the iron cage like it was made of glass.
"You're a Huntsman?! That was so cool!" he chirped through a tear-stained face.
Oscar smiled, "Alright stand back..."
The boy did as he was told and once again, Oscar glowed bright green before shattering the lock.
"Alright, now let's find our clothes and get out of here, before that man gets back," Oscar instructed.
As they made for the door, the passed by the cage on the left, the one where the other boy was supposed to be. Oscar saw inside the cage, the body of a skinny and malnourished boy. Skin tapered to his bones making him almost skeletal, his limbs blue and falling apart from frostbite. The sight made Oscar want to throw up as he hid Nicholas' eyes from the horrid display.
They were now in a corridor that split off in two directions. To their left seemed to be another door, it looked to be a fire escape of sorts, with a push lever to open it, and to their right was a long hall that cornered again. Sitting just outside the door was a small wardrobe, and upon opening it, Oscar found his clothes hung neatly on a rack. It seemed the man fancied them if they were kept so clean, but there were no signs of the boy's clothes or Ozpin's cane.
After donning his pants, gloves, and boots, he wrapped his jacket around the boy. It was rather large but it would at least keep the boy somewhat warm.
"Nicholas, before he gets back I think you should make a break for it, through that fire escape." Oscar gestured to the exit.
"But what about you Mister?"
"Don't worry about me, I still need to..."
"And where do you think you're going?" the distinct voice of the man echoed down the corridor from the opposite end. They both turned around to see the fat murderer waddling toward them at inhuman speeds.
"You can't leave now! NOT WHEN I HAVEN'T GOTTEN THE CHANCE TO USE YOU YET!" he roared and broke out into a sprint. Thankfully the corridor was too narrow for him to maneuver and forced him to stick to a single charge route. Oscar pushed Nicholas out of the way and toward the fire escape.
"KID RUN! I'LL DISTRACT HIM! YOU GET OUT OF HERE!" Oscar yelled as he clashed with the fat man directly, holding him back physically. It felt like he was pushing against a giant wall of meat.
"But..."
"NOW NICHOLAS!"
The boy sniffled before turning and running, barging through the door and scrambling out of sight.
"Oh... that prize escaped... HOW DARE YOU INTERFERE WITH MY ART!" the man roared, spit flying in wads toward Oscar who had to duck to avoid it.
The man swiped at Oscar with a punch that, if it had connected, would've probably broken a bone or two, Aura or not. Instead, the fist hit the concrete wall, cracking it in the process.
Oscar was too nimble for the large man, ducking out of his punches and throwing a few of his own. Even with aura empowered fists, the man's fat seemed to absorb the majority of the impact. Oscar needed something to take him down... an edge...
The man tried to lunge at Oscar but the boy, having sparred with Nova and Yang, was accustomed to much faster speeds, so to him, it seemed the man was moving in slow motion. It was a simple task to vault over the chubby body and scramble toward the other side of the room. Due to the width of the room, the man struggled to properly turn, this gave Oscar time to disengage the fight and run.
Once Oscar rounded the corner he was faced with another door. He threw it open and scrambled inside, desperate to put as much distance between him and the man before coming up with a plan to take him down.
When he turned around, however... Oscar was met with the most atrocious sight he'd ever seen. He'd managed to hold in his lunch for the bones and the starved kid, but what he saw in the room was the final straw that made him heave everything onto the floor, clutching his nose from the vile stench of rot and blood.
The room was medium-sized, with a single hospital bed in the center, bloodstained and dirty, various tools lay on the table at the far end of the room, rusty and stained from constant use. The tools ranged from saws and scissors to butcher knives, cattle prods, and blowtorches. What made him throw up, however, was the sheer number of bodies.
Various bodies, in the most warped and grotesque forms. Hung from meat hooks that extended from the ceiling where even a few children's corpses, flayed open to reveal their insides, seemingly preserved in a plastic that sealed them up preventing spillage. Adult bodies had their bones broken and reattached in odd shapes, spidery limbs, and even a man with multiple heads sewn to one neck. It was like someone was playing patchwork with human bodies. The worst of the mall was a singular body in the corner of the room, a white lamp shining over the gruesome figure. It was seemingly a man, with the face and head skin peeled like a banana around his neck, one eye was removed and the jaw was broken, unhinged and stretched open, the lungs were dragged through the throat and hung out of the mouth like a dangling attachment.
Oscar spotted Ozpin's cane on the tool table, and he carefully walked around the various 'artworks' to retrieve it. The cane felt at home in his hands, and he hated it.
"Oh! You've found my workshop~" the murderer said as he opened the door, sweating heavily. "Do you like my work~ I think my artistic talent far surpasses anything you've seen before~"
Oscar couldn't bring himself to open his mouth for fear of puking again, still, he couldn't keep his anger in, "YOU FUCKING MONSTER!" he choked out, "THIS ISN'T ART! THIS IS HORRIFYING!"
The man didn't seem to take the criticism lightly, "How dare you insult my work... you... BLIND FOOL! NO ONE UNDERSTANDS MY GENIUS! NO ONE!" he screeched before rushing toward Oscar, barreling through the trays and colliding with the bed.
Oscar sidestepped and thrust the cane forward, knocking the man off balance into the table of tools. Knives and saws scattered across the floor.
The man recovered and lunged at Oscar again, this time Oscar didn't have room to react as he was no forced into a grappling contest with a man who was clearly physically superior. The man's strength crunched Oscar's fist as the two collided and he pulled Oscar into a restrain, crushing him with his arms.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Oscar screamed out in pain as his bones and joints cracked under the pressure.
"DIE! DIE AND BECOME PART OF MY MASTERPIECES!" the man roared.
The pain of his bones being compressed was too much for the young boy to handle, but the sheer anger and adrenaline that coursed through his veins overpowered the state. He wanted nothing more than to bash this man's head in, but he was trapped in the meaty clutches of a deformed goblin of a man. If only he could break free... if only his arm was... an idea struck him like a chord, he didn't like it but what choice did he have?
"No... thanks..." Oscar choked out. He then did something he didn't think he'd ever have the resolve to do, and let the man's force dislocate his shoulder allowing him to slip his arm out. Then with the dislocated arm free, he as able to slip out from under the man's grasp and roll away.
Oscar grit his teeth and bit down on the cane as he realigned the shoulder and slammed it hard into the nearby wall, popping it back into place. How he knew to do that, he didn't care, even if it was Ozpin's aid, it didn't matter so long as he stood true to himself in the end.
The man charged at Oscar again, but Oscar was ready, ducked down, and swept the man off his already poor balance, knocking him against the far table again, hitting the man's head harshly, disorienting him.
"Why'd you do it? Why all these people? These were living, breathing people, with families and lives... why?" Oscar asked, wincing in pain as he approached the man and pinned him to the floor.
The man began to throatily laugh, "FOR THE GLORY OF ART!"
"That's it?!" Oscar was furious, "To just satisfy your own selfishness, you killed all these people?!"
The man continued to laugh, "You will never understand, no one appreciates my genius!"
"You're right... I'll never understand, and I hope I never do..." he addressed him. Oscar reached onto the ground and picked up a long knife, "I think I get it now... what Nova meant when he said that some people are beyond redemption... that not all lives are meant to be spared.."
Oscar took the knife and plunged it down into the man's leg, stabbing right through the bone and snapping it to the floor. The man screamed out in anguish and pain as the knife embedded itself in his leg.
"Not so fun now that you're the one being, is it?" Oscar muttered darkly, picking up another knife and stabbing it through his other leg.
Oscar was done with this, all of it. Originally he'd hoped the police would get here in time so the man could be caught and brought to justice... but seeing this room, it triggered something within him, and Oscar knew what he had to do. Lying in the corner of the room was a container of gasoline, most likely used to burn the unused... materials... from the man's 'art'. He took up the canister and began layering the room with the fuel, covering the bleeding, screaming murderer with it as well. He picked up a blow torch and as he left the room the man came to the realization of what was about to happen.
"Please... don't! I... I regret everything, please! DON'T KILL ME!"
"Did you listen to them when they begged for their lives?" Oscar grimly gestured to the hanging bodies.
The man's lip began to quiver, but Oscar was unperturbed, he stared him dead in the eye before flicking the blowtorch on and setting the trail of gasoline on fire. The only thing that filled the air after that was the smoke, ash, and desperate screams of a man being burned alive. In the end, he was just a coward, and cowards always got what they deserved.
Oscar had killed before, in a way. While he had delivered the final blow to Hazel Rainhart, he had a hand in the man's death, but to the man screaming behind him as he limped through the corridor, he wanted to feel nothing, he desperately wanted to... but in him was still a shred of remorse, regret for taking a life. Now Oscar truly understood how Nova felt that day, the true weight of his actions, and while he didn't regret what he did, he wasn't proud of it either. Perhaps that's what Luna meant when she said he had a heart... that he would feel even a sliver of sympathy for a murderous psychopath...
Nova, Ruby, and Jaune wandered the streets of Argus, desperately trying to find their friend. They'd scoured every inch of the nearby area and came up empty. The night was dragging on and it was only a matter of time before the Cotta-Arc's got suspicious.
"UGH! OSCAR WHERE ARE YOU!" Nova yelled, exasperatedly into the night.
"I hope nothing's happened to him..." Ruby said worriedly as they made their way further into town, passing by the docks.
Jaune shuddered, "I hope he didn't get lost in this part of town... this place is awful..." he said gesturing to the grimy surroundings.
Just then they heard the pitter-patter of rapidly approaching footsteps. They turned to see, out of an alleyway came a little boy, running toward them with a desperate look on his face. The most notable thing was the jacket around his shoulders.
"HEY KID!" Nova called out as he ran up to meet the little boy. "That jacket, where'd you get that jacket?!"
The boy shivered violently, "I-I got it f-from a mister w-who r-rescued me. O-Oscar..."
"You know Oscar?!" Jaune said alarmed.
"P-Please! Y-You have to h-help him! H-He's in trouble!" the boy cried out pointing in the direction he came.
Nova nodded, "Lead the way kid," he said picking up the boy in his arms. He glanced at the boy's feet, they were bleeding and slightly blue, suggesting he'd been running non-stop in the freezing snow. This worried him to no end.
The boy guided them through the network of alleys until the came across a large two-story house, oddly shaped with a fire escape on the second floor, the door wide open. The windows were all barred shut and it looked dilapidated and abandoned.
"He's in there?" Nova asked pointing to the house.
The boy nodded slowly in confirmation.
Nova handed the boy to Ruby, "Alright I'm going in..." as he was about to rush in to the second floor of the house exploded in a fiery blaze, smoke billowing out of every window and the sound of a man screaming, echoing through the night.
"OSCAR!" Jaune cried out in horror, thinking that something happened to the boy.
"What's going on guys?" a voice said causing them to whip around.
Standing beside them, jacketless and covered in ashes, blood and bruises, was Oscar Pine. His face lip was cut and there were several lacerations on his upper body, but otherwise, he seemed fine. There was, however, something different about him.
"Oscar, oh thank Oum you're alive! We were so worried!" Ruby cried, placing Nicholas down. The small child also ran up and hugged Oscar around the waist tightly, the older boy returned the hug.
"Hey, you found my friends. Good job Nicholas," he smiled and tussled his hair.
Nicholas sniffled, "What about the bad man?"
Oscar's face turned grim, a look Nova knew all too well, "I... dealt with him..." he looked at Nova who observed him carefully.
"You're going to tell me everything," Nova said with a stern tone.
Oscar's face broke into a smile, "Sure... but first I think this one needs to find his mom."
The quartet found their way back to the main street junction where sitting on the bench in the freezing cold, was the anxious mother of Nicholas, desperately searching around and crying.
"MOMMY!" Nicholas yelled out as he scampered from Oscar's side to his mother. The moment her eyes fell on him she launched herself out of her bench and wrapped her arms around him.
"OH, MY BABY BOY! WHERE'VE YOU BEEN?!"
Oscar and the others approached the woman as Nicholas said, "I got... taken by a bad man, but this mister saved me!" he pointed at Oscar.
The woman turned and acknowledged Oscar with tears flowing from her face, recognizing the boy she'd spoken to earlier in the day, "OH THANK YOU! Thank you so much! You saved my son... I..."
"No thanks needed ma'am. I told you I'd find him, so there I did."
"There has to be something I can do... my son's life is not worth nothing!" she said, smiling through the tears.
Nova shook his head, "It's not customary of our team to accept payment for kindness, we're not..."
"Team? Are you Huntsmen?" the woman asked.
"Well... yeah... we are, why do you ask?" Ruby said nervously.
"My name is Amethyst Marianne, I run the local dust shop. Stop by anytime and you get free dust, on the house," she said adamantly, walking up and hugging Oscar.
"I..."
"I will not accept no. Do you hear me? I am forever in your debt."
As they left Jaune stopped Oscar, "Hey... listen. I'm sorry about what I said earlier, how I treated you. You don't deserve to be held accountable for Ozpin's actions, and if you're mad at me, I understand..."
"Jaune," Oscar addressed him, "Relax. I'm okay now... in fact... I feel better than ever. I realized something while I was out."
"Hmm? And What's that?" Nova asked curiously.
"I learned that it doesn't matter whether or not Ozpin influenced my earlier thoughts, all that matters now is that I strive to be as unique to myself as I possibly can, and if I believe in myself, I can do anything. I learned that I'm not just a shell for Ozpin. I'm my own person, with my own power, and I can be better than he ever was." Oscar said proudly.
Nova wrapped an arm around him and pulled him in for a hug, "I'm just glad you're okay..." it was the first sign of affection Nova had really shown the boy, and to say it caught him off guard, was an understatement. All Oscar could do was accept the hug and let his emotions flow through, the dam of pent-up feelings burst and Oscar cried into Nova's shoulder.
Once they got back to the house, they were met with the angry faces of Saphron and Tera, and the embarrassed faces of the rest of the team.
"You told them didn't you?" Nova sighed pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Well... it kinda... sorta... slipped out?" Hex opted with a head tilt.
"Slipped out? Or more like you guys suck at lying?"
"A bit of both?"
Saphron walked up and pinched Jaune and Nova by their ears, "You two better explain why you were out so late and where..." her face fell upon seeing the battered and bruised Oscar.
"H-Hey... guys..." he awkwardly waved to them.
Instantly Luna rushed forward and tackled him in a tight hug, "You're okay..." she sniffed, burying her face into his shirt.
Again, Oscar was caught off guard, "I... well... Okay is a relative term, I've been better but... for the most part, I should be fine..." he returned the embrace hesitantly. Had this been yesterday, Oscar would've recoiled and felt bad about hugging her with his ash-covered body, but, now he felt different, more confident, and sure of himself. He knew who he was now, and what he would become. "Thanks for worrying about me..."
She smacked him over his head, "Of course I worry you dumbass! It's what f-friends do..." she said the word quite shakily, knowing very that 'friends' didn't quite cut it anymore.
Elain walked up and placed a hand over Oscar's head, "Sit still... I swear you kids are so fucking reckless... what would you ever do without me..." she muttered as her aura enveloped Oscar, and his wounds began to heal themselves.
"Thanks, Mrs. Flareheart, I feel a lot better now," Oscar said gratefully.
Elain choked up, "Oh he's too cute, why can't my kids be so polite?" she glared at Nova and Luna who refused to meet her gaze, instead choosing to stare at opposite walls.
"Speaking of which," the doctor said to Nova, "Are you finally going to tell me why your body temperature isn't back to normal yet?"
Nova flinched and then sighed. He extended his left arm to show the dull Agniseki, "I think... something's seriously wrong with my powers..."
AND THERE WE GO!
Seriously, I had to toss out SO MANY different ideas for this chapter because either, I couldn't mesh it very well or I wanted to save it for later. Next chapter will be discussing Nova's powers and more development on Ruby before progressing the main storyline.
'Til next time ^-^
