"He just...sort of appeared. Just a few days ago," Oscar had explained awkwardly. The five of us sat at a table In a nearby village having a relatively peaceful lunch, sandwiches and fried potato wedges all around. I still had plenty of Lien from when I came back from Atlas after the mission a while after the Breach. Ironwood had set me up with my own account with much more Lien, some of which I 'd used to buy a few dozen meters of rope to tie the boxes against the hoverboard or more securely than I could with my neural Dust.
Oscar and Reese were sitting across from Emerald and I, and Roman sat at the end of the table. We were all listening to Oscar talk, and none of us were surprised. I'd warned them of what to expect, after all. "Like...he just went 'Hello, my name is Professor Ozpin' out of nowhere?" I said as I finished my own sandwich, wiping my hands off with a napkin.
"That...was exactly what happened?" Oscar said as he munched down on his own food. Swallowing afterwards, he kept talking. "I thought I was going crazy, some voice in my head telling me to abandon the farm and save the world, and he said someone he knows will pick me up, and then you come along and call me out by name, and-"
He stopped, and he sighed. "You might as well have told me to abandon the farm! You specifically said that we had to go and not come back!" he hissed, no doubt talking to Ozpin and his rebuke of the usage of the word 'abandon'. Emerald and Roman watched in amusement, while Reese watched in awe.
"Mind if I speak to Oz?" I asked. "He can take control for a bit, if I recall. It shouldn't hurt." Oscar looked down, his expression mixed between confusion and conflict before sighing. "Ozpin was just confirming everything I just said, huh?"
"Yeah. I don't know how to just hand over control or whatever, so-" Oscar said before he froze. His eyes flashed, and his nervous expression gave way to a calm and composed expression that only felt so familiar. "It's so good to see you again, Mister Onissa."
Roman's cigar almost fell out of his mouth, and Emerald and Reese gawked. I laughed a bit and reached to my belt, unclipping and taking Long Memory out. "Good to see you too," I said, handing his cane over to the boy.
Ozpin's grin widened and he held his weapon. "Ah, I dearly missed you, old friend," he sighed contentedly before clipping it on Oscar's overalls. "Ah, Mister Torchwick. Miss Sustrai. I'm surprised you two decided to accompany Mister Onissa on his mission."
"I don't care about all that. I'm just here to get my partner out of that bitch's clutches," Roman said, fixing the positioning of his cigar. "And little Emmy here is in denial, won't believe Cinder abandoned her so we're gonna prove that she has indeed left her."
"Shut up," Emerald said, but there was no real bite, just her tone portraying annoyance. Perhaps she'd mellowed out? Who am I kidding, she mellowed out before this since she was willing to save Reese a while ago. She had always been the most sympathetic when it came to caring. She just cared very little, until now at least.
The former headmaster of Beacon looked to Reese, who just waved awkwardly. "I...just tagged along. I know everything though," she said.
Ozpin chuckled before looking at me. "I do believe we have a destination in mind. Haven Academy," he said.
"Well...not quite," I said, scratching the back of my head. "We need to visit an old student of yours. Raven Branwen has the Spring Maiden."
"Oh?" Ozpin said as he fell deep into thought. "We haven't been able to locate her for over ten years now. I do suppose a nomadic tribe of bandits may be ideal for her to hide. Though if Raven Branwen has trained the child-"
"Not...exactly," I said awkwardly, realizing my mistake. "Sorry, I should've been more specific. Raven has the maiden power. The...child is dead. By her hand."
Ozpin's face was unreadable, before he sighed and buried his face in his hands in clear disapproval of what he'd just heard. "Raven...where did I go wrong?" he lamented, his distress seemingly as calm as he always was. Judging by the minor change in tone, he wasn't surprised. And that scared me. Has Raven murdered children before? Or would she really have no qualms of doing so?
"Oz, it wasn't your fault. The maiden was scared, she ran away. No one could've predicted that. If I were here like ten or twelve years earlier, I might've been able to intervene. But...she was unlucky enough to come across Raven. And you know Raven wouldn't hesitate to have her tribe get more powerful."
"So she slaughtered a child?" Ozpin demanded, though still calm.
"...no. I don't think so," I said. "Raven said that she tried to train her. Tried to make her stronger, braver, but she never learned. She said she killed her out of mercy before something worse could get her. I don't know if mercy really is something Raven can comprehend but...I don't think she was lying."
"Still, Raven as a maiden is a terrifying thought. She's already an incredibly powerful warrior," Ozpin said. "Perhaps we should continue this discussion on the road. The train station to the main populace of Mistral isn't too far. We can continue our planning there."
"Heh, not sure I'm on board with that," Roman said. I looked at him in confusion before I remembered. "Right...the Spiders."
"The Spiders?" Reese asked. "That gang?"
"Yep," I said. "Roman's old gang. Before he backstabbed them and made a living in Vale. We can try to find a way around them then. I'm not too sure how to deal with it, but best to keep Roman out of the public eye."
"I know," Reese said, reaching in her pocket and pulling out a spray can of quick dry green hair spray. Minutes later, Roman looked exactly the same, albeit with hair the same shade of Reese's.
"I despise you," the thief said, crossing his arms. He had a rather angry pout, which didn't make him look cute. It only made him look weirder.
"I thought your hair was naturally green," I said to Reese, a bit surprised.
"Hah, nah," Reese said, spinning up the spray can in her hand like it was a revolver in a western movie. "My natural hair color is brown."
"Very well. I shall take a backseat now, allowing Oscar to ask a few questions of his own. Oh, and be aware that Oscar has been eyeing Miss Sustrai's breasts for the past minute we've been talking. Dear girl, please remember to zip up your jacket," Ozpin said a split second before his eyes became Oscar's, which flickered to Emerald's chest for a split second before looking away. "I'm sorry," he croaked.
Emerald flushed and looked angrily away while Roman and Reese started laughing at the scene. I simply rolled my eyes as I kept eating. A few hours later, we reached the train station, where I bought us all train tickets that would lead to Mistral Central Station. It was relatively dark now, and we would reach the main city of Mistral by midnight.
"Honestly, this is all very new to me," Oscar said, rambling nervously as we waited. "Magic is real, the Grimm have a queen, and I have a man in my head that will merge with me in a few years, meaning I'll no longer exist."
I was gonna have to tell Oscar the truth between Salem and Ozpin - or Ozma, but for now, I'd focus on easing him up. "Yeah, it was overwhelming when I first learned it long ago. But if you think about it, it's like those hero stories you read when you're a kid," I said.
"What do you mean?" Oscar asked.
"You know, stories where the world is under threat by a secret enemy, monsters, terrorists, etcetera. And only a handful of people know and fight that threat. The heroes who keep everyone safe from the shadows," I explained. "You're a part of that now."
"I...am?" Oscar asked, a bit less nervous and a little bit more excited now. Well, excited wouldn't be the best word to use. Perhaps anxious. Not that that was any better.
"Yeah. and when we get you to Mistral, we'll need to train you up. We all had to learn how to fight. But with a wizard and thousands of years of training in your head, you'll gain more and more of his muscle memory as time goes on," I said. "You'll be one of the best fighters on Remnant."
"I don't really know," Oscar mumbled. "It's kind of scary."
"Life's scary, kid. From what I know, the world is cruel, and doesn't care who it takes as long as it takes what it wants. I grew up fighting some nasty gangs to survive. Emerald grew up stealing to survive," Roman chimed in semi-helpfully.
"You grew up stealing too," Emerald pointed out, but Roman kept on going.
"See kid, my point is you have to get strong. Strong and smart, like me. How do you think I've been doing so well?" Roman asked.
"Ozpin says dumb luck and incompetence," Oscar said, seemingly automatically causing Emerald and I to laugh briefly. Roman grumbled as he put out his cigar. Reese was asleep against me on the bench, mumbling and shifting.
"Hey. Reese," I whispered, and Reese's eyes bolted awake. "Nightmare again?"
"Sorry," Reese said. "It's just...it's hard to handle the dark nowadays..."
"What does she mean?" Oscar asked.
"A week ago...we came across the White Fang," I said. "She was captured and blindfolded for hours before she was almost executed. We rescued her, but closing her eyes reminds her of being blindfolded and...memories."
"Nightmares started a day after I got rescued," Reese mumbled, her face red.
"Oh. I'm...sorry," Oscar said.
"Not your fault," Reese said. "I'll get over it."
The train arrived, and we all got onboard, finding our seats and relaxing in a relatively comfortable interior setting. Roman had taken up a whole side of the booth to lie down, with Emerald and Reese fooling around on their scrolls. Oscar leaned against the wall and I sat against the window.
The train moved a few minutes later, and the countryside began to pass by at a relatively high speed, the light rumbling of the wheels on tracks a soothing ambience. I was ready to doze off when my scroll rang. "Huh? Who could it be?" I mumbled.
I answered the scroll. "Hello?" I asked.
"Markus?" Taiyang asked.
"Tai? Why're you calling me?" I asked.
"Yang asked me to," Taiyang said. The moment I heard her name, I almost hung up, though I immediately held myself back. "She's a bit...nervous about talking to you."
"I should hope so," I said darkly before shaking my head. "Sorry, I'm just..."
"I know about your prosthetic. Ironwood told me about it," Taiyang said. "Yang doesn't know."
I blinked, unexpected surprise and clear confusion overtaking my features. "She...doesn't remember blasting my arm off at the elbow in a fit of rage?" I asked, confused.
"Yang told me she didn't remember much other than punching you across the cafeteria," Taiyang said. "And I doubt the others stuck around to look at your arm. Still can't believe they left you there. You could've bled out!"
"Yeah..." I said. Could Yang really have done this over a blinded rage? It seemed unlikely...I guess I'll find out when I see her again. "Do the others know?"
"The Arc and Nikos kids do," Taiyang said. "Ruby and the others haven't talked about it, and I didn't wanna bring up a sore topic when Beacon just fell..."
"Don't worry about it. I'll have to deal with it sooner or later. We'll all end up at Haven anyway, so we'll get therapy then," I said. "Anyways, I'm not ready to call Yang yet. Is there anything else?"
"Just wanted to check up on you. Yang was pretty beat up over hurting you, as well as her arm. But given what you had to go through, even with Ironwood's help...are you alright?" the older Xiao Long asked.
I smiled. "I'm fine. I have a few distractions and...well, the world for me to help save," I said. "But thanks."
"Alright..." Taiyang said. "If you say so. Just...promise me you'll hear Yang out when you eventually talk."
"I will," I said, not at all certain if I really could. I hung up before calling up James Ironwood. It rang for a few seconds longer than I expected, before the general answered.
"Markus. It's been a while, how's the journey?" the military cybernetic general said. He clearly seemed tired, no doubt from dealing with nobles and all sorts of political bullcrap such as Jacques Schnee.
"Good. I found the new Ozpin," I said.
"You did? That's great!" Ironwood said, a sudden energy in his voice. "Who is he?"
"A farm boy by the name of Oscar Pine," I said before yawning. "Wanna talk to him?"
"Of course," Ironwood said. "Thank you, Markus."
I looked over at Oscar. "Hey, Oscar. Mind if Ozpin comes out?" I asked.
"Oh, uhh, sure?" Oscar said. And with that, Ozpin came out. "Mister Onissa. Is there an issue?" the old wizard asked.
"An old friend wants to talk with you," I said, tossing my scroll over to Ozpin. As Ozpin and Ironwood began to talk, I leaned on the seat between Emerald and Reese.
"A man with two souls, huh?" Reese said. "Sounds like one of those crappy romance novels."
"Or a fairy tale," I remarked as I stretched my legs on the floor. "Either way, it's real. Unless Oscar is extremely sick and bipolar and I got us all fooled."
"Hmm. That's something that's definitely possible. A time traveler and a wizard that lives rent free in the minds of little boys," Emerald said as she swiped her finger through the news on her scroll.
"That sounds very wrong, dude," Reese commented before her stomach growled.
"Seriously? It wasn't that long since we ate," Emerald said.
"Come on, I'm a growing girl!" Reese whined.
"You're growing alright," Emerald snarked, poking Reese's belly. Reese gasped before she tackled Emerald, howling for repentance for her hurt feelings. I looked around me, a young boy talking like an adult on my scroll, a gentleman thief sleeping on the seat across, and two green haired girls wrestling around the train car room.
I think it's safe to say that I was in an odd group. At least Ruby and the others all knew each other for months on end. A real gang of misfits on this train car.
I laughed for a bit, before looking back out the window. It was nice, seeing the landscape pass by. Reminded me of days after school, where I'd be taken home after being picked up. I'd try to count trees as they zipped by, never making it past ten or eleven before I lost count due to the speed.
"Hey, dude. You alright?"
I looked towards Reese before realizing I had begun crying. Wiping my tears with my gloved prosthetic, I chuckled. "I'm fine. Just...thinking," I muttered.
- several hours later, near midnight -
Oscar looked around, awed at the sight of the city of Mistral's main train station. Unlike the small set of buildings and train tracks, this place was enormous. The massive mall-like location was home to several food courts, gift shops, and much much more.
"Wow. I've never been here before," Oscar said, voice somewhat quiet due to his excitement.
"We made it," I said as I stretched my arms. "You guys hungry?"
"Yeah, the train didn't have a food car," Reese whined. "Should we get dinner now?"
"I dunno, it's super late. Heard it's bad to eat before bed," Roman said.
"Why not?" I said as I looked over a map of the station. "There's a buffet on the second story."
"All you can eat?!" Reese cried.
"Uhh, we still have our stuff. You know, the supplies that should last us months? Should we really just waste Lien?" Emerald said. Reese turned the puppy eyes on me, hands clasped together. I could imagine a pair of literal puppy ears under that beanie wilting as she silently begged me.
"Eh, why not?" I asked. "I bet Oscar hasn't even heard of much of this stuff."
"Oh, I have. We just could never afford it," Oscar said. His expression changed for a second, before Oscar chuckled. "Ozpin just recommended the buffet. He says he and Goodwitch go there whenever they have business in Mistral."
"Yeah, I'm pretty famished too, not gonna lie," Roman said, changing his stance on the matter of food near midnight.
"Well, let's go! Come on, come on, come on!" Reese giggled, racing up the stairs with her hoverboard in tow, as well as all the boxes on it. Sighing, the rest of us followed suit. Like most buildings in Mistral, they gave off an Eastern aesthetic or vibe, mixing old fashioned and traditional, while being advanced thanks to holographic tech and Dust. The buffet offered all sorts of Mistralian foods, which seemed to be a mix of Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Vietnamese foods. I, personally, liked Pho style noodle bowls.
Oscar was perhaps as eager as Reese was when it came to trying new foods. He and Reese had gone straight to the buffet line the moment I'd paid for all five of us - and it wasn't exactly cheap. They got a bit of everything from the line, egg rolls, four kinds of dumplings, chicken, fish, and so on. Roman didn't eat as much, settling for a few burgers and chicken legs. Emerald didn't hold back either, getting plenty of food as well before coming back to the table.
Soon, it was the five of us munching away at the loads of food we cumulatively gathered on several plates. Oscar ate slower than the rest of us, no doubt due to Ozpin chastising the farm boy and soon to be huntsman in training for his sloppy eating habits. Reese and Emerald ate like there was no tomorrow, Emerald having gotten ravenous due to the amount of food that was offered.
And I ate at a steady pace. I'd never been one for shoveling food like a kid on a sugar high, I preferred to savor what was clearly one of the few luxuries we could afford at this time, with a battle most likely on the verge of our arrival in Mistral. It was an hour of silent eating, no talking other than remarks about the food.
Oscar let Ozpin take over every once in a while to let him taste some food, before he gave Oscar the reins again. It was odd to see a child go from messy eating with his hands to clean and refined eating with utensils back and forth. Plus, Ozpin cut a sandwich into bite sized portions with a fork and knife, which was incredibly cursed to watch.
After we finished eating, stuffed to the brim with food, all of us made our way out of the massive train station to be exposed to the incredible capital of the kingdom that was Mistral. The mountains were extremely high, and we could see Haven Academy from below. We weren't nearly halfway up the mountain, but we were still high up, since the Argus Limited rail network from Argus to Mistral ran on the side of the smaller adjacent mountains.
We came across several houses and booths as we walked, exposed to the Eastern inspired culture of the kingdom. Almost everyone dressed similarly, in casual tunics and pants, dresses, more or less older styles of comfortable clothing. We even came across many huntsmen and huntresses as we walked. Near the train station was a large market of stalls and booths that was closed due to being late, but it was extensive and seemed to promise lots of business whenever it was open.
We reached a hotel that wasn't too far from the train station, merely a fifteen minute walk. That walk was an agonizing forty minutes due to all of us being full and having to stop, especially Oscar. I checked into a family suite at the hotel for all of us. It was a relatively large hotel, and it wasn't too expensive. I had enough Lien in the account Ironwood set me up with for us all to stay a few months in Mistral, which was perfect since we had to prepare for Haven's impending attack.
Roman said he'd go silent for a bit, likely meaning he'd stay in the shadows - not before washing out that green hair dye. Oscar told us that Ozpin would like us all to focus on training, recommending a private gym for Ozpin to train Emerald, Reese, and me while waiting.
Reese had originally wanted to go back to Haven, but when I convinced her that Headmaster Lionheart was not to be trusted, she relented. Plus it wasn't like she could go back to the dorms anyway: all students were at their homes due to the semester not starting up just yet. I'd ask when the semester starts tomorrow morning.
The family suite was rather large, with four beds, a large bathroom, television, and a few more accommodations. We didn't change or bathe - none of us had any spare clothes, nor did we have the energy to bathe. Emerald, Oscar, and Roman each took a bed, and Reese elected to share with me.
"Uhh, why?" I asked when she told me. I had been shrugging off my jacket and detached my prosthetic arm, setting it aside on the dresser next to the bed. My boots sat at the base of the bed.
"Well...the nightmares have been getting rough," Reese admitted as she shuffled into place next to me. "And I really don't wanna be alone. Plus, no one gets to sleep on the floor!"
"Just don't start shagging," Roman commented. Reese went bright red and I shrugged.
"Sure," I said. "You can pet my ears if you want. If it'll help."
Reese grinned shyly at me, a far cry from the normally boisterous and outgoing skater girl from before. I wondered if she'd ever fully recover from that experience in the White Fang main base, nearly being killed. Then again, she fought at the battle of Beacon, and that day had been tough on all of us.
I just looked down at my arm before resting on the pillows, pulling the covers over Reese and me. The lamp clicked off and I turned onto my side. "Good night," I whispered. Reese pressed her front against my back, spooning me with one arm around my torso as the other stroked my ears. Purring, I fell asleep with ease as Reese petted and rubbed my caracal ears,
...
...
I woke up refreshed around ten in the morning. Emerald and Roman were already up, Roman on his scroll by the window with the transparent curtains closed, light shining through them. Oscar was still asleep, and the sound of running water suggested Emerald was showering.
Reese was still asleep against me, having wrapped her legs around my torso in the middle of the night. She was drooling against my neck, and her hands were in my shirt.
"Mmmm..." I mumbled. "Reese...lemme get up."
"Nu," Reese moaned tiredly in reply, burying her face in my neck.
"Reese..."
"Nope," Reese said, still extremely drowsy. It was clear that she was awake, albeit drowsy. The sound of the shower switching off was heard across the room.
"Come on," I groaned before realizing this scene felt familiar. The memory of Yang and I sitting on her bunk, cuddling for hours on end, Yang petting me all the while, filled my mind, and I shook my head out of the clouds for a moment.
"I need to use the bathroom," I mumbled. Reese reluctantly let me go, and I slipped out of bed, letting Reese snuggle up under the covers. After attaching my arm, I made my way to the bathroom. I opened it up, getting struck by a wave of hot air. Emerald was looking at a hair dryer, curiously flipping it over as she attempted to figure out how it worked. She was wearing nothing but a towel, with another towel draped over her hair, not properly wrapped like most towels tended to be.
"Something the matter?" I asked. Emerald jolted before glaring at me, before sighing.
"Dunno how to use this stupid thing," Emerald said in annoyance, back to the hair dryer. It looked like something made by Atlas, silver and sleek with a keypad and all sorts of attachments to make whoever held it look rich. "Some late model that decided to add a dozen other buttons just to screw with everyone."
"I just dry my hair with a towel," I said.
"Of course you do," Emerald grumbled before pressing a button. The hair dryer went on, and blew hot air right into her face, her hair blowing back as the towel was shot off her head and against the wall with a splat. "Guh!" she gasped once she pointed it away, coughing at the sudden inhalation of air likely hot enough to burn.
"Let me," I mumbled, taking the hair dryer and beginning to dry Emerald's hair for her. After a few minutes, I switched it off. "How's that?"
Emerald ran a hand through her smooth green hair. "Eh, it'll do," she said. "Mind getting out? I need to get dressed."
"Well I gotta shower, so..." I said before walking to the other side of the bathroom. It was quite large now that I think about it, with a large sink close to the door and the shower at the far end of the room. Stripping off my shirt, I looked down at my prosthetic. Shaking nervously, I twitched the arm and unlatched the sleek metal limb from my body. The socket was waterproof and was fused to my skin without any nerve damage, so I could shower with that. The arm was waterproof as well if I recall, but I really didn't want to risk it.
"Can you only shower with one hand?" Emerald asked. I turned to face her in order to answer her question, and I looked away immediately, as she was pulling a pair of panties up from under her towel when I turned around. I was used to changing around my partner, so this wasn't too big an issue for me - but I didn't know if Emerald would be alright with it.
"Uhh...I can manage," I said awkwardly. "I'll probably soap up the wall and rub my back against it or something. Plus I'm right handed so it's not like I'm too handicapped."
Emerald shrugged. "Sure," she said. As I unbuckled my pants, Emerald spoke up again. "Thanks," she added. "For being nice. And taking me with you. I'd probably be rotting in that battleship if you didn't."
"No need to thank me for that," I said as I finished undressing, stepping into the shower. "You're important. And...you deserve a chance at a real life." Emerald didn't say anything, and I was pretty sure she left. When I turned on the shower, I was struck by freezing water. "Fuck!" I yelped.
I could barely hear a light giggling across the bathroom as I agonizingly waited for the water to slowly heat up again.
We were all prepared by half past ten, most of us leaving the hotel for the day to get ready. Hotel breakfast had closed around nine, so we decided to just skip breakfast and focus on getting Oscar trained up. Roman stayed behind in the room to relax, as well as stay hidden from any of the gangs he'd screwed over when he was younger.
"The Spiders operate in the slums. Doesn't mean they don't have little spies scurrying around in the richer districts of the city," Roman had said when we asked. "I'll play it safe for a few days."
Oscar, Reese, Emerald, and I walked through the busy streets of Mistral to find a place to train. We were near the edges of the city, which meant there had to be some decent empty fields at the borders. "You sure we can't just rent a dojo or something?" I asked. "A closed room?"
"We could," Ozpin said. "But the best kind of training is out in nature. The landscape is quite nice, and I find it beneficial to train in a peaceful and open environment. And until the others get here, it's going to be like this for long periods of time."
"Sounds boring," Emerald said.
"And you believe an empty room would be more entertaining?" Ozpin asked, amused. "I've already unlocked Oscar's aura, which means he must master the basics of maintaining and controlling his aura." Ozpin turned to face me. "Mister Onissa, I believe you had no prior training with aura and combat when we first met. Now that you've mastered your own aura control, you must train Oscar to do so."
"Why not you?" I asked. "You have a lot of experience and you know way more about magic and aura than...well, anyone in the world."
"This is true, but I believe someone mortal who mastered their aura recently will be a much more...relatable and reliable teacher than I could," Ozpin said. "And I don't believe that a voice in Oscar's head will be too useful of an educator."
"So you're taking a backseat to all this, huh?" Reese asked, stretching her arms as we continued.
Ozpin grinned. "Of course not. After all, you could all take the time to further improve and expand your capabilities. Miss Chloris, what is your semblance?" he asked.
"Oh. Heads up," Reese said as she cracked her neck and knuckles. "I can detect and dodge incoming hits a split second before it happens. But only if I can see it coming. It's passive, active all the time."
I pondered Reese's semblance for a few seconds. No doubt, she was a very capable fighter, but she did lose to Blake's shadow clones in the show. Maybe because her semblance gets fooled as well as her? And the sniper shot over a week ago. She did react in time when she turned, barely.
Reese's semblance was no doubt most ideal for direct head on fights, where her opponent is in front of her. This also seemed to make her poor at adapting to much else in combat.
"And you, Mister Onissa," Ozpin said. "Your semblance lets you copy other people's semblances. There is no doubt that it's very powerful, but you do not rely on it enough from what I've seen in combat class when you unlock it."
"I can really only use it once before my aura breaks," I admitted. "Takes a lot out of me. I'd rather not use a trump card and leave myself vulnerable."
"Ah, but did you also forget that semblances can be limited as well?" Ozpin brought up. "When you copy a semblance, you can use it briefly, as well as partially. Take the semblance of Miss Nora Valkyrie, if you will. Nora likes to charge up as much energy as possible before dishing it out. While it's no doubt the most effective way to take down an opponent, it's not the only option available."
"You mean just absorbing and sending out only a little bit of lightning?" I asked.
"Correct. You have lightning Dust as part of your arsenal, do you not? Miss Valkyrie's semblance may be of great use to you in battle, should you decide to use it, and master limiting it to safe levels. Only store up a small amount to distribute to your muscles, in order to deal a precise blow rather than heavy damage," Ozpin said. "Like with aura, semblances can be mastered and evolved, possibly even perfected when it comes to training. Patience, meditation, and constant training are key."
"Got it," I said. "Want me to get to that after training Oscar?"
"Actually, I could do that," Reese offered, "I know the basics much better than Markus from what you've told me."
Ozpin pondered this for a few seconds before chuckling. "Oscar agrees wholeheartedly. No offense to you, Mister Onissa." I just chuckled before sighing.
"What about me?" Emerald asked.
"You can meditate with me if you want," I said. "Just sit and enjoy the quiet. Well, as quiet as it can be."
"Again, it sounds boring," Emerald said.
"We have four months until the start of the new semester. If what young Onissa's suggestions are accurate, it's safe to assume they'll attack right before Haven Academy resumes their classes," Ozpin said. "And so, we cannot hold back in training."
We found a field a few minutes later, not as quiet as Ozpin would've liked due to the city still being rather close, but it was far enough away to eliminate direct distractions. Reese and Oscar began training with aura, while Emerald and I walked to a faraway patch of trees where it was quiet. Emerald climbed into a tree to doze off while I attempted meditation.
I tried what Ren did a few times on the show, legs crossed while closing my eyes and breathing softly. I did find some progress after a few minutes, feeling my senses enhanced without any distractions to see or hear. As I meditated, I decided to think about our next plan.
No doubt Qrow and Ironwood know of Lionheart's betrayal now that I told them. The fact that Cinder and her team originally faked their origins from Haven for the Vytal Festival proved that quite well. Ozpin knows now, and despite his sadness over what his old friend had done, he agreed that his reveal would best serve as a trap rather than a plan to directly and publicly confront him.
Then there was Raven Branwen to consider. She was the Spring Maiden, which meant she was the key to the relic that lay within the vault. Knowing Raven, she would be onboard with leaving it untouched and moving on elsewhere. Leaving it in the vault was not an option, as it would only put the entirety of Mistral on Salem's hit list. Removing and moving the Relic of Knowledge would keep Salem from endangering the kingdom, at the very least.
After that was Atlas. Without the CCT being destroyed, as well as my knowledge - now Ironwood's knowledge - of who the enemy is, he had no need to close the borders. And with Robyn Hill in the know of this whole situation, that meant Atlas and Mantle would maintain good relations with each other.
The CCT's safety in Beacon also meant that the Amity Colosseum's Communications Tower Project was also not needed, removing the need to reallocate resources from Mantle to Atlas for the project. Not to mention my own contributions to Atlas via the railguns and a ripped off Helicarrier design meant that if Salem attacked Atlas with Monstra, the kingdom would no doubt be able to hold off Grimm attacks from the skies with Atlas and on the ground with Mantle.
My thoughts were interrupted when my scroll rang. Taking it out of my pocket, I checked the caller ID to see who was contacting me.
Unknown.
I was unsure if I should be answering it or not. Nonetheless, I decided to press accept, just in case it was an important call. "Hello?" I asked.
Weiss Schnee's face came up on screen. "Markus! It's so good to see you!" she gasped when she saw me. I was rather surprised, why was she calling me? And why didn't she use her scroll.
"Yeah, it's been a while," I said. "What're you calling me for?"
Weiss's relieved expression fell into a nervous and - dare I say it - guilty expression. "I am so sorry about everything. I left you to die at Beacon, and you weren't even a villain, and-"
"Calm down ice queen," I said, as I could hear just how panicked she was. "Slowly."
"General Ironwood explained everything to me. He said you were never responsible for the attack, that you were trying everything you could to help, that you got hurt because of...me," Weiss said, wiping her eyes.
"I...I'd rather not talk about it. What's done is done," I mumbled. "Where are you?"
"Ironwood's office," Weiss said. "Father confiscated my scroll and deleted all my contacts. I've been unable to get in touch with Ruby or the others. Ironwood only has your contact information, and...I'm sorry, I shouldn't be complaining like this. Not after what we did to you..."
"You didn't do anything to me," I said.
"You're right. We didn't. We didn't do anything to help you. We were just...I was just so mad over everything that happened and...we abandoned you."
"That's in the past. And I'd really like to not talk about this. At least not until everyone's back together. We'll need everyone for what's coming next," I said.
"What do you mean what comes next?" Weiss asked.
"I'll get you the contact info of the others. But we only have around four months for all of us to regroup," I said. "You have to listen. If you don't believe anything that's said, you can ask General Ironwood about it."
And so, I explained everything to Weiss. About my coming here, about the gods being real, Ozpin's situation, and the true enemy. No doubt, Weiss was overwhelmed, which is why I didn't object when she hung up a few minutes after I was done explaining. She did promise to contact me again in the future, however.
Emerald peered over to look down at me. "Think everything will be fine?" she asked.
I smiled. "I think so. We have the future on our side. Here's hoping that doesn't change."