Chapter Four: Introspections

Glynda was not at all surprised when – confronted with a hysterical, traumatized child – Ozpin moved immediately to comfort said child. After all, his soft spot for children was well known amongst the staff at Beacon. She had worked with him for close to twenty years at this point and had seen him counsel students about their future careers as Huntsmen and Huntresses, offer guidance on relationships, and discuss prejudice and bullying with both victim and abuser more than once. His soft tone and ability to empathize with others usually won through where someone else's more authoritarian nature wouldn't, and the fact that he made sure his office was always open when someone needed to talk earned him the trust of others without him having to do anything more than make a simple offer.

In fact, she had always known him to be an enigma to others. The headmaster had the ability for being able to be many different things at the same time, depending on who he was interacting with. Whether this was a side effect of the many lives he had lived – a holdover from all the memories and vast experience he possessed – or simply a talent of who he was in this incarnation, Ozpin had a near-flawless ability to present whatever front people most needed to see at any given moment.

To the other three Kingdoms, he was a well-known public figure. His appointment to Headmaster at the age of twenty-five – making him the youngest Headmaster ever – demonstrated his intelligence and his skill as a Master Huntsman and caused the rest of the world to view him as a prodigy. Under his leadership, Vale had always done well at the Vytal Festival Tournaments. Beacon didn't win every time, but they always had multiple competitors in the final round of the tournament and usually placed high in the rankings by the end. He also worked closely with all four Kingdoms, making himself available to the other three Kingdoms as an ambassador of sorts from the Vale Council, which gave him the reputation of someone who cared about everyone, and not just the citizens of his own Kingdom.

As far as the citizens of Vale were concerned, Ozpin was not only Beacon's Headmaster, but he was also a politician who tended to lean on the moderate side of issues. As the holder of the only Council seat not determined by an election, he was careful to present an appearance of compromise – he didn't vocally advocate on any position, since he didn't want people to think he was trying to use his position as Headmaster to seize power. Instead, he listened to proposals, evaluated any evidence presented, and solicited opinions from others on both sides of the issue before quietly making his own stance known. As there were usually few issues that were completely black and white or cut and dry, he was usually the first one on the Council to offer a middle ground that would satisfy everyone. Of course, he did tend to favor proposals that would benefit all of the people of Vale and not just a select few.

While he was favored by the citizens of Vale for his moderate stances, to the rest of the Council, Ozpin was an irritant. He was good at settling debates and helping to bring about compromises – all of which gave the impression that the Council was effective in doing its job – but he also had a habit of exposing the self-serving interests of the other Council members in the process. The fact that he had not been elected to his seat and it had been granted by virtue of the fact that he was Beacon's Headmaster only rubbed salt into the wound. Glynda knew there was more than one Council member who would prefer to see Ozpin removed from his position as Headmaster, but they couldn't openly make that move because of how popular Ozpin was. Without some sort of scandal to blame on him, the Headmaster's seat was secure. Of course, having the memories and life experiences of hundreds of previous incarnations was certainly a benefit when it came to playing the game of politics, and the fact that one of his previous incarnations was the last King of Vale – the man who had established the Council system and decreed that one seat would be held by the Academy Headmasters in each Kingdom – didn't hurt either.

To the students of Beacon, he was a wise mentor, an inspiring leader, and a quirky intellectual with a gift for teaching. He had a talent for coaxing even students who struggled the most in the academic side of the school into excelling, and although he didn't play favorites with any of his classes, he was one of the most respected teachers at the Academy – and that had nothing to do with his position as Headmaster and everything to do with the way he handled the students, Glynda knew. Rumors and speculations about what Ozpin may be capable of as a fighter abounded on the campus, and the honor of facing him in a sparring match was something granted only to the best of the best of the fourth-year students. It was because of all of this that Beacon was considered to be the best of all the Huntsman Academies – Ozpin's reputation had enhanced the school's reputation.

Of course, there was also his inner circle. To their small group, Ozpin was the glue that held them together, the one who provided their reason for fighting. On their own, they were a mishmash of personalities and skills that would likely never have been able to work together without constantly being at each other's throats, unified ideals or not. Under Ozpin's leadership however, they were able to work past their differences and serve Remnant in opposition to Salem and her Grimm forces. Eminently calm and experienced thanks to his many incarnations, he was the rock they relied upon. He trusted them to be his eyes and ears in the field, while they trusted him to provide orders and guidance. The amount of respect he engendered for enduring his long fight against Salem and her forces was… immense.

Glynda stayed back, out of the way, as Ozpin left her side and moved back over to the bed. Perching on the edge of the bed, he gathered the boy up into his arms and rocked him gently, murmuring reassurances into his ear and coaxing him through a breathing exercise, trying to calm the child down before the doctor could sedate him. The thing that struck her the most as she watched the two of them was how natural the Headmaster's actions seemed. Although he had indicated no desire to marry or have children of his own in this incarnation, it was evident that he had experience in dealing with frightened or injured children, as his actions calmed the boy much more rapidly than she would have expected, considering how upset he'd been only moments ago.

"Oz… why… why?" the boy mumbled into Ozpin's chest, his words barely audible beneath his hiccupping sobs and the amount of pain in his voice.

"I don't know why this has happened to you, Oscar," Ozpin said softly, "but we're going to figure it out, and we're going to help you." He brought one hand up, gently carding it through Oscar's dark hair as the boy's breathing continued to slow.

Glynda gave the doctor and the nurses a significant look over the top of her glasses and nodded towards the door, indicating that the Headmaster had the situation under control. The doctor frowned but nodded and waved the nurses out of the room before following them, leaving the three of them alone.

It was several more minutes before the flow of tears stopped and Oscar let out a shuddering sigh against Ozpin's chest. Ozpin pulled back slightly, but kept one arm wrapped around the boy, while he put one of his long fingers beneath Oscar's chin and tipped the boy's head up so he could meet his eyes. "Are you feeling better now?"

The boy sniffed. He looked utterly wretched, between the bruises and cuts on his face and his black eye, and now the puffy redness of his other eye from crying so hard, but he was at least able to meet Ozpin's gaze, even though he still seemed nervous and was still feeling quite a bit of pain, if the tightness around his eyes was any indication. "I – it hurts," he whispered, his voice ragged and thick. "S-she…" he shuddered violently, unable to finish the sentence.

"I know," Ozpin murmured softly, his voice sympathetic, but firm. "I know what she is capable of, but she won't hurt you again."

Glynda felt her lips twitch involuntarily into a slight frown. Ozpin never spoke much about his prior incarnations, but there was one simple command he had given them – above anything else he had asked of them, even guarding the Relics and the Maidens – 'Do not let her take me again.' Glynda had never asked for details about why that was so important to him, but she believed that she knew enough about Ozpin to be able to deduce quite a bit. What that order implied about Ozpin's previous lives and his past interactions with Salem…

Ozpin reached for the damp cloth on the tray table and – moving slowly so the boy could track his movements – gently wiped at his eyes again. "There. Would you like another drink?" When Oscar nodded, he placed the cloth down and picked up the cup, holding it carefully so the boy could take a few sips of the cool water, before he pulled it away and replaced it. "Now, Oscar, do you think you can answer a few questions for me?"

The boy nodded, his head barely moving – no doubt because of whatever pain he was feeling – and Glynda took that as her cue to open her tablet and begin a new file so she could make notes on anything that Oscar might say that could help them figure out the puzzle that he represented.

"Good. I know you told me that your name is Oscar, but what's your last name?" Ozpin asked gently. "We'd like to be able to contact your family and let them know that you're safe."

The boy looked up at him, blinking, before a strange, confused expression crossed his face. "Y-you k-know. D-did you f-f'rget?" His words were still a bit slurred, but distinctive enough, probably due to the pain medicine and his emotional state.

The question perturbed her in a way that Glynda couldn't explain. Why was Oscar assuming that Ozpin knew him? Ozpin had said that he'd never met the boy before, after all, and there was no reason to doubt the Headmaster's word on the matter.

"I'm not sure what you mean," Ozpin replied, keeping his voice soft. "You and I hadn't met before you appeared in my office in Beacon Tower yesterday."

More confusion on the boy's face, along with… fear? Glynda watched him closely, trying to read his body language as he shook his head slowly. "N-no, that's not…" he trailed off, one hand coming up to rub his forehead. "T-that's not right. Y-you… the farm… we… H-Haven, a-and A-Atlas…"

A farm? Haven? Atlas? Glynda noted those pieces of information on her tablet, but her eyes never left the boy on the bed. Both James and Leonardo had replied to her inquiries yesterday, and both had confirmed that they didn't have any missing students from their respective Academies, as well as confirming that neither had a student named Oscar, nor one fitting the child's description.

"Oscar, it's alright," Ozpin began. "We can figure this out, just…"

The boy shook his head again, his breathing rate beginning to increase as the confusion faded and fear and stress became more prevalent in his expression. "S-she c-came… the Hound… y-you promised… y-you…"

"She won't hurt you again, Oscar," Ozpin insisted. "I won't let her."

The boy's right hand came up and threaded into his dark hair, tugging on the locks anxiously. "D-did she m-make you forget?" he whispered, his eyes widening in horror. He had been pale before, due to the pain and the emotional stress, but now his face took on a worryingly ashen tone as he began to struggle against Ozpin's hold. "C-can she do that? C-can she make us f-forget things?" He twisted and pushed against Ozpin, breaking free, since the Headmaster wasn't the type to forcibly restrain a panicking child, and curled into himself, clutching at his hair with a shaking fist. "I… I d-don't… I d-don't r-remember…"

"Oscar," Ozpin interjected, resting one hand on the boy's shoulder. "We want to help you, but we need you to talk to us…"

"N-no…" Oscar gasped, jerking away again, despite the way pain flashed across his face as the violent motion jarred his injuries. "T-this is a t-trick! I – I w-won't t-tell…" He tugged harder against the locks of dark hair. "W-what-ever you d-do to me, I won't g-give you the p-password for t-the Lamp."

Tension shot through Glynda's spine. The Lamp? The Relic of Knowledge? How did this boy know about the Relics? Her eyes went straight to Ozpin, who's outward reaction was only a slight stiffening of his shoulders at the boy's words. To anyone who didn't know him as well as she did, it would have been imperceptible. He kept his tone calm and even as he replied. "Oscar, it's okay. We know all about the Lamp. The Relic is safe in its Vault."

But was it? Glynda made a few more notes on her tablet, including one to contact Leonardo. Only the Haven Headmaster had the key to access the Maiden Chamber, and only he and Ozpin knew how to use that key. The Spring Maiden had been missing for nearly a decade at this point, so there was the possibility that she or her power could have fallen into Salem's hands. If something had happened to the Relic and Leonardo had failed to let the rest of them know…

"Y-you're lying. I – I l-lost it," Oscar continued to tug at his hair, more violently. "C-couldn't e-even do that r-right. Oz… y-you p-promised…"

"Oscar, stop," Ozpin said firmly, but gently. "You're going to hurt yourself." He reached towards the boy, clearly intending to pull his hand away from his hair, but Oscar continued to pull away as much as his wounds and the confines of the bed would allow.

"No… g-go away…" His breath was becoming harsh as his hand fisted tightly in his hair, the strands tangled around his fingers. "I – I w-won't listen to you. It's a l-lie. T-this is j-just a tr-trick." The monitors began to beep loudly as the boy's heartrate increased, which brought the doctor and a nurse back into the room.

The doctor look one look at the situation before pointing firmly at the door. "Out," she ordered. "Both of you. This level of stress is not good for him." She was holding a syringe, which she injected into Oscar's IV port as she spoke. "He needs more time to recover before you submit him to an interrogation."

The boy whimpered again at her words, but as Ozpin moved away from the bed, he at least allowed the nurse to help him untangle his hand from his hair and slide back down into the bed. The nurse quietly fussed over him, soothing him as the sedative began to take effect. With no other choice, Ozpin gathered up his things and joined Glynda near the door.

"I w-won't tell, Oz… I-I p-promise," Oscar murmured. "T-they'll find us…" His voice was beginning to slur more as the sedative pulled him closer to sleep. "T-they'll f-find us… f-find L-long M-mem…"

Glynda stiffened again and shifted her gaze quickly to Ozpin, who was staring at Oscar with equal amounts of surprise.

"Long Memory?" she hissed, glancing at the cane Ozpin was holding in his left hand.

"Indeed…" Ozpin's voice was grimly determined, but thoughtful at the same time. "But how…?"

Beacon Academy… Ozpin's Office…

Ozpin paced slowly in front of his desk, deep in thought as he considered the problem that Oscar represented. Glynda had – with her usual brisk efficiency – made sure that his office had been tidied up from the chaos left behind after the boy's mysterious appearance the day before. There was no sign left that anything out of the ordinary had happened in this room, and the clockwork gears ticking all around him were a familiar backdrop to his racing thoughts.

Oscar knew something. Something important. At the very least, he knew about Salem, as his words implied that she had imprisoned him and tortured him in some way, for reasons that Ozpin couldn't quite deduce. Why did she have an interest in a teenage boy? It was an important question, and one that he needed to know the answer to, but equally as important was the fact that Oscar seemed to know about the Relics. If his hysterical words could be taken as absolute truth, he knew not only that the Lamp existed but also how to use it.

The problem lay in the fact that it wasn't possible. No one had the information about the Lamp's password except for him. Even the members of his inner circle didn't know everything about the Relics and what they could do. They only knew what they needed to know – that the Relics were powerful and had to be kept away from Salem. They were content with that status quo. As James had put it when Ozpin had brought him in – "Better to compartmentalize the information so that no one person other than you has all the pieces. That's simply good strategy, because then no one in the group can betray the others."

He wished it worked like that – there had been plenty of betrayals in his many lifetimes, after all. One didn't need to know everything in order to betray, after all. But he hadn't wanted to contradict James at that time – undermining his newest ally's opinions wouldn't present the right image, after all.

He had to speak to Oscar. The boy represented many things – and right now it didn't look like any of them were good. But if he continued to panic each time they tried to speak to him…

He sighed and took a sip from his mug, rounding his desk and moving to stand at one of the windows, looking out at the courtyard. Oscar's appearance didn't bode well – whatever Salem had meant to do with the boy, it meant that she was making plans of some kind. While the Great War had been terrible and lasted far too long, it's end had at least had the benefit of helping to forward his mission of uniting humanity, even if he hadn't made any progress on dealing with Salem herself. Since then, she'd been quiet – but for an immortal, nearly eighty years wasn't that long to wait.

A beep from his desk heralded an incoming video call. He moved over to his seat and placed his mug on the desk before accepting the call, taking the precaution of securing the line at the same time. The holographic screen sprang to life, revealing Leonardo Lionheart.

"Hello, Ozpin." The Faunus Headmaster's deep voice was warm with what sounded like genuine pleasure.

"Hello, Leo," Ozpin replied. "How are things at Haven?"

"All is well," Leo replied with a chuckle. "Although, the fact that Beacon did so well at the Tournament last month still has some of my younger students twisted into knots. They're already re-dedicating themselves to their training and planning on how they'll take the trophy at the next Festival, especially since Beacon is hosting it."

The implied friendly challenge would normally have been enough to bring a smile to his face, were it not for the current situation and the thoughts weighing on him. He reached for his mug, wrapping his hand around the warm ceramic, and allowing the heat to seep into his palms, but he didn't raise it to his lips this time. "Leo, as much as I would love to reminisce about the Tournament…"

His tone caught the other Headmaster's attention and the friendly smile fell away. "You didn't request a secure video call simply to chat, did you?"

"No," Ozpin admitted. He started to sip from his mug as he considered how to ask the question that was weighing on him, but the rim of his mug only made it halfway to his lips before he lowered it again. "Is the Relic secure?" he finally said, deciding that it was better to simply ask the question than beat around the bush.

Lionheart blinked in surprise several times. It was clear that whatever he had thought Ozpin wanted to talk to him about, the safety of the Relic wasn't it. "O-of course. Why wouldn't it be?" There was a flash of something in his eyes – fear, maybe? Concern? "Is there… is she making a move?"

"Of that I am uncertain," Ozpin replied solemnly. "There have been some… recent events that could be indicating that possibility, but nothing concrete yet. According to my agents in the field, nothing seems out of the norm."

Lionheart frowned slightly. "If nothing is out of the norm, what events have been happening, Ozpin?"

Ozpin considered how much to say. Oscar represented a potential vulnerability, but his words spoke of the Lamp of Knowledge, and guarding that Relic was Leonardo's primary charge. "Glynda assured me that all of your students were accounted for?"

The expression on Leonardo's face didn't change. "Yes. After she called yesterday, we called the entire student body together for a head count. Everyone was accounted for, but she didn't explain why she wanted to know. What does this have to do with the Relic?"

"There was an interesting occurrence yesterday," Ozpin said carefully. "A young boy appeared in my office after my classes – he was savagely beaten and terribly wounded as a result, and he said some things about the Relics and implied that she was behind his injuries. I suspect he has some sort of teleportation Semblance, but none of the Vale combat schools were able to identify him."

Leonardo blinked again. "He… appeared? How?"

What to tell him? He trusted the members of his inner circle, and they all knew about magic, but with the little Oscar had said… "I have yet to determine that although I suspect it has something to do with his Semblance," he prevaricated. "When we tried to question him at the hospital, he became quite distraught, but the few things he managed to say raised some concerns."

"I… see why you're asking about the Relic, then." Leonardo reached into his pocket and pulled out his pocket watch, holding it up. "It never leaves my side, and no one except for you and I know how to use it to open the door to the Maiden's Chamber. Anyone wanting to get to the Relic would also need the Spring Maiden, of course, and we both know that she hasn't been seen in some time, unless…" he trailed off and a look of dismay crossed his face. "You don't think that Spring might be in her hands?"

"I hope not, but I cannot discount the possibility either, which means the Relic may be in danger. Once the boy is more able to talk, I intend to ask him for more details about what he knows," Ozpin replied. The Spring Maiden – Cerelia – had long been a concern for him ever since she ran off. Qrow had been searching for her between his other missions for some time, but the girl had apparently vanished.

But if Salem had managed to capture the Spring Maiden, maybe she had been held in the same place where Oscar had been held. Maybe he had overheard something about the Relic or Salem's plans. If true and they could get Cerelia back…

Leonardo's words both comforted him – that the Relic was still safe – and worried him. He knew Salem wanted the Relics, and he knew why. That was the reason he had gone to so much effort to hide them, after all. The last time any of the Relics had been out in the open had been during that final battle in the Vacuo campaign during the Great War – not a day he cared to remember.

"What are you going to do about the boy?"

Ozpin refocused his attention. "For now, I'm going to give him a few days to recover. His aura was completely shattered and his wounds were severe, Leo. It's possible he was speaking in a delirium, but…"

"But you don't think so."

"No, I don't." Ozpin sighed and finally took a sip from his mug, frowning a little at the fact that it had cooled. "Unfortunately, he's been through a great deal, and I don't think he's physically, mentally, or emotionally stable enough to answer any of my questions right now. Until we locate his family, I've taken custody of him, and the hospital will notify me when he's fit to answer some more questions."

"Well, if there's anything more I can do to help, please let me know."

"I will," Ozpin promised. "Thank you, Leonardo. And…" he almost didn't want to finish what he was going to say, not wanting to come across as paranoid or untrusting to one of his closest allies.

Leonardo had always been the most empathetic and gentle of his inner circle, however. Where Glynda was efficient and brisk, and James was blunt and strategic, and Theodore serving as a strange contradiction of cautious and enthusiastic – careful not to rush in without a plan, but then throwing his support whole-heartedly behind said plan – Leonardo was the most similar to Ozpin in temperament. Both of them shared a love of knowledge, respect for everyone, be they Faunus or Human, and a desire for peace and a united Remnant.

"I'll keep the Vault and the Relic safe, Ozpin."

"Thank you," Ozpin repeated. He leaned back in his chair as Leonardo ended the call, musing on what to do next. Old memories of previous interactions with Salem stirred as he considered what could happen if the worst had come to pass and she did, in fact, have the Spring Maiden under her control. Part of him wanted to make a trip out to each of the other Academies to physically verify that the Relics were still safe, but that would only make it appear that he didn't trust the members of his circle to do their jobs properly.

The elevator beeped, heralding Glynda's arrival. She entered the room briskly, already tapping on her scroll as she walked across the room. "James has been sending messages all morning, wanting more information about my inquiries from yesterday," she said without any preamble.

"I'm sure he does," Ozpin replied dryly, knowing from her expression what form those inquires had probably taken. "I was just about to call him, in fact. Given what young Oscar said about the Lamp, I feel the need to ensure that all of the Relics are still secure."

Glynda looked up at him for the first time since she'd entered the office. "You're worried they're not?"

Ozpin turned his chair away from his desk, his gaze fastened on the clockwork along the curved wall, rather than out the window behind his desk. "I wouldn't say that worried is the emotion I'm feeling. But at the same time, I cannot deny that I do have some… concerns. Other than Salem and her… associates… the only ones who should know about the Relics are our group. Yet…" he trailed off for a moment, puzzling the problem through," …somehow a teenage boy knows enough about them to not only know the Relic of Knowledge is a lamp, but that it requires a password to function. And he apparently knows that password – which is something I've never shared with anyone except my partners when I reincarnate."

"He also mentioned Long Memory," Glynda reminded him, flicking her gaze to the silver handle where it was leaning against the edge of the desk, within easy reach. "There aren't that many people who know your cane's name, are there?"

Ozpin shrugged. "Not many, no. I made a point of never formally registering it in the Huntsman's Registry, because it gets handed down to my future incarnations, and that sort of trail is best avoided for someone in my situation. Of those who currently know in this incarnation, well I believe it would be you, Leonardo, James, Theodore, Qrow, Taiyang, and Raven. Fria, perhaps, depending on how her memory is faring these days. There may be a few others still around from one of my last two incarnations who remember, but that is all."

"And that doesn't concern you either?" Glynda asked.

"It's less of a concern to me than that of the Relics," he corrected. "It certainly implies that this boy knows more about me than the general public should."

"So, what options are we looking at?"

Ozpin closed his eyes, running the possibilities through his mind. He raised his mug and took another sip, his lips twisting at the now-cold cocoa as he set the mug aside on his desk. "He could be a descendant of mine from a previous incarnation, but it would have to be a distant connection, from several incarnations ago."

"Why is that?" Glynda asked.

"The most recent incarnation that I've lived that had children was when I was the King of Vale," he said slowly. "However, I've been keeping a discreet eyes on my son's descendants from that incarnation, and none of that bloodline are named Oscar. I supposed it's possible there was a child out there I don't know about, but I don't believe that to be likely. The last incarnation before that to have children was…" he did some quick mental math before shaking his head, "at least six incarnations back. If there are still any remaining descendants from that incarnation, they wouldn't have information that specific about me in this lifetime."

Glynda was taking notes, given the slight – but familiar – sound of her nails against her scroll and the faint beeps he heard coming from her direction. "There is also the possibility that he is one of Salem's agents, and he was beaten with the express purpose of inserting a spy into my ranks, to gain my sympathy," he continued. "It wouldn't be the first time she's tried to use a child against me, but given his utter fear of her, I don't think that likely unless he is also a world-class actor and manipulator."

"But it is an avenue that we can investigate if we can find any information about him," Glynda mused. "However, even the name 'Oscar' could be fake."

"Indeed." He opened his eyes and turned his chair to face the desk again. "Then – and I do think this is the most likely possibility, however unlikely it is – he is just an innocent in all of this. Maybe she did attempt to turn him to her cause and failed, or perhaps he simply overheard something he shouldn't have – from one of her associates, maybe – and was taken prisoner as a result. If he learned about me or the Relics that way, I could have been in his thoughts when his Semblance triggered and that's why he was brought to me, if I'm right and he has some sort of teleportation or portal Semblance."

"But that wouldn't explain the magic shielding," Glynda pointed out.

"No, it wouldn't," Ozpin agreed. "Which is why I still think that theory to be extremely unlikely."

Silence fell between them as they each pondered the problem. It was another familiar, comforting thing and welcome after the last few days, along with the steady sound of the clockwork ticking off the seconds and minutes.

"You said Salem was the one causing the lightning…" Glynda said slowly, breaking the silence.

"Yes."

"Then the shield… could it have been one of the Maidens?"

"Possible, but I doubt it," Ozpin replied. "Leo asked me something similar – given what the boy said about the Relic, he was wondering if Salem could have somehow found Spring. While I won't deny the possibility exists, I don't feel it fully fits with the facts we do have. There's a…" how to explain this? "…a tint, a shading if you will, to the Maidens' magic that resonates with the elemental magic I bestowed on them when I gave my magic to the first Maidens. It allows me to tell which Maiden used the magic, and that shield didn't feel like a Maiden's magic."

"But that would just leave…" Glynda trailed off as she came to the same conclusion that he had after probing those magic traces that had been clinging to Oscar. "You?"

"That was my conclusion as well."

"But you said you'd never seen the boy before."

"I hadn't. But I also didn't cast that shield after he appeared. He arrived with it already protecting him. But her magic is as distinct to me as the Maidens' magic is, so I could tell that she didn't cast the shield. Since she was attacking him, she wouldn't have any reason to also shield him," Ozpin explained carefully. Magic was difficult to explain, even to his inner circle. It had it's own set of rules and methods that someone who had only grown up knowing about Dust couldn't always comprehend.

"Unless it's a deception, like you said," Glynda ventured.

"Salem's magic is tainted." Of that he was certain. "Before… before the gods cursed me and my first reincarnation, it was different. But the first time I came back, something about her magic had already changed. She wouldn't be able to cast a protective shield with that level of purity and light to it," Ozpin said firmly. "That shield was clearly of my own magic, yet I did not cast it. There are only six people capable of using magic in Remnant – myself, Salem, and the Maidens."

"Could you be wrong?" Glynda wondered. "Could Oscar also be capable of using magic? If he is a descendant of one of your past incarnations, could that skill have been passed down to him?"

Ozpin closed his eyes again, both to consider her words and to hide the pain that the question brought as old memories – painful ones – of his daughters surfaced. It was a logical question, and he didn't want Glynda to know how much that question hurt.

"Heed this warning. Where you seek comfort, you will only find pain."

After he had been brought back and reunited with Salem, both of them had believed that they were the only ones left in Remnant with the ability to use the old magic that humanity had once possessed. Upon discovering that their eldest daughter could use magic, there had been pride, but also fear. He had been troubled by what the discovery could mean for the future and for his mission for the God of Light. Salem had told him that it had been the God of Darkness who had taken the old magic away, right before the humanity they had known had been utterly destroyed. Would the God take offense to the fact that their children had inherited a gift that had been taken away? What would it mean for their family?

Of course, shortly after that was when it had all fallen apart, so the fear had become… of less importance. Salem had killed him, and he had found himself in a new host, with a new life. For quite a while after that, he had been lost in grief over losing his daughters and the fallout from his fight with Salem. He'd also slowly been coming to realize what the God of Light had meant when he'd said that he would never be alone when he reincarnated.

The fear had returned the first time one of his partners had become a father after they had merged, although it had become more of a distant fear each time he had children and no sign of any of them inheriting magic had appeared. But after what had happened with his daughters, it had always been something that he watched for, wondering if his and Salem's daughters had inherited the magic because one of their parents had magic, or only because both he and Salem had magic.

Assuming that Oscar was indeed one of his descendants, it was just barely possible that Oscar could have magic of his own but based on everything he knew about how magic worked in Remnant now, he didn't see it as likely. His prior partners had access to his magic because of the soul merger, but once more than a generation or two had passed, there was no reason to believe that the magic continued to remain within the bloodlines of his partners. If so, he was sure he would have seen evidence of it over the last several millennia.

"Ozpin?" Glynda's voice interrupted his reflections. "Are you alright?"

He opened his eyes and met her bright green eyes with his own. He sighed and started to reach for his mug out of habit before remembering that his cocoa had gone cold. He didn't feel like getting up at the moment to make a fresh batch, and instead rested his hand against the top of his desk. "I'll call James and take care of his inquiries. In the meantime, we need to speak to Oscar again – as soon as possible. We need to know where he's from, who he is, what he knows."

"I'll contact the hospital," Glynda said, "and see if he can have visitors yet." She began tapping on her scroll again. "What about Theodore and Qrow?"

"Qrow's still on his mission, so I'll brief him when he gets back to Vale next," Ozpin replied. "Has Theodore made any inquiries in response to yours?"

"No. He responded to my questions, but he hasn't followed up yet."

Not surprising. Theodore rarely asked questions himself. He preferred to take what he had been given and let it sit at the back of his mind while he absorbed whatever he had been told. If he were going to ask anything, it would probably be a few days or more before he did.

"Thank you Glynda," he replied, eyeing his mug, and contemplating if he wanted to get up and make another, fresh batch.

"You didn't answer my question."

He blinked and looked up at her again. "I'm sorry?"

"You didn't answer my question. I asked if you were alright."

"Oh. Yes, I'm fine. Just… concerned about what Oscar's presence could mean for us."

Glynda shook her head, her blonde waves bouncing. "Your expression said that it looked much more personal than that."

"Well, my ongoing conflict with Salem is rather personal, wouldn't you say?" he asked lightly, trying for some levity, but she merely eyed him over the top of her thin, oval-frame lenses, and he sighed. "Just… memories. Children being in danger is a rather… sensitive topic for me. It hits closer to home than I would prefer."

While his inner circle knew at least a little about his ongoing war with Salem, they didn't know exactly how close the two of them had once been, since he always told his allies that he had been cursed with reincarnation due to his failure to stop Salem. None of allies knew that he had once – longer ago than most people could conceive of – been married to her or that he had fathered her children.

She eyed him suspiciously – the same way she would look at a student who had caused some sort of chaos – well, more chaos than merely being a young adult with access to explosives and firearms would cause, anyway – before she nodded and turned towards the elevator. "I'll let you know what the hospital says."

"Thank you," he repeated, allowing his tone to flavor what he wouldn't say aloud. Thank you for taking care of that. Thank you for being so efficient. Thank you for not pressing for more information than he was willing to share. He eyed his mug again before pushing it aside and activating his terminal, sending a message to James requesting a secure video call, much as he had with Leonardo. Now he just had to figure out how to explain Oscar's appearance in a way that wouldn't arouse the General's overly cautious and suspicious nature.

If only there were times when James' opinions and attitudes weren't as ironclad as his name implied.

His whole body hurt. Dull, throbbing pains were the first thing he was aware of as he drifted towards the faint pinprick of light above him. His mind felt like it was burning, but it felt sluggish and detached at the same time. The contradiction made sense, somehow, even though he'd never be able to vocalize the sensation.

He wanted to retreat back into the darkness and leave the pain behind – just push it away so that it couldn't touch him anymore and drop back into that simple darkness where he didn't have to think or feel, but the light drifted closer and closer.

His right eye opened a slit and he hissed at the light, closing his eye tightly again, even as he became fully aware of just how much pain he was in. The throbbing pain seemed to be coming in time with his heartbeat, and every breath pulled against his chest in a way that made him want to scream. But somehow, he knew that screaming would only make him hurt more. What had he done to himself to make it hurt this much? Why hadn't Oz stopped him…?

He tried to open his eyes again, but only the right one opened fully. The left only opened a small slit, and it felt puffy and sore. He tried to bring his hand up to rub it but hissed again as the action pulled painfully on his chest and arm muscles. This… was familiar, somehow, but also worse than anything he'd felt before.

His brain still felt sluggish, but ever so slowly, he began to recall hazy memories – a large, meaty fist hitting him in the face several times, the sight of red walls and floors with a strange flesh-like texture, bone spires protruding from the floors and walls…

His left arm hurt when he tried to raise it, so – after forcing his brain to cooperate – he managed to raise his right hand and probe carefully at his cheek and eye. A gentle touch was enough to make it flare with pain, but that was enough for him to determine that it was badly swollen. Probably a black eye, like the time he accidentally stepped on a rake and hit himself in the face with the handle. It had taken a few days to heal enough that he could open his eye without it hurting.

Okay, that was reasonable enough. Black eye, not the end of the world. What else did he remember?"

"My long lost Ozma. Found at last."

"Well, perhaps you and I can have a better working relationship. Oscar, was it?"

Everything else after that was distant and fuzzy. He remembered lots of pain, and being afraid of… something? Someone? Someone big, with a permanent scowl etched into his face… Hazel?

The sluggish feeling wasn't going away as quickly as he would have liked, so he took a moment to look around, hoping it might trigger some memories. He was in a smallish room, but still larger than his room at his aunt's house, which was tucked up under the eaves of the house. The walls were plaster, painted a soothing, if bland ivory color. To his left he could see a medium sized window with cream-colored curtains tied off to the side, letting warm sunlight into the room. He was lying in a bed, on a mattress, a blanket covering him and a pillow under his head. It reminded him of a… hospital?

What… what had happened? Why was he remembering those things? He thought he remembered waking up here before, but it had hurt so much, and there had been a man in a black suit and green turtleneck, with silver hair…

Maybe Yang, Ren, and Jaune had come after him? That would make sense, but it didn't explain the silver-haired man. A doctor?

If anyone would know, it would be his cohabitant. Oz? What's going on?

There wasn't any response, which made him a little nervous. Was this some sort of trick? Oz had promised he wouldn't hide himself anymore…

There was a tapping sound on the door, and he turned his head, despite the protest of his neck muscles to see a woman in a nurse's uniform entering the room. "Oh, good. You're awake," she said softly, but cheerfully. "Doctor Ashburn will be pleased to know that. You were asleep a lot longer than we thought you would be with that sedative in you."

Dr. Ashburn? He didn't know that name. Oz? Why are we in a hospital?

Still no answer from the old wizard. Oscar swallowed nervously, eyeing the nurse as she studied some readouts on the monitors that he just realized were on the wall behind him. "W-where?" he coughed at the dryness in his throat, then groaned as the cough pulled on his aching chest muscles.

"You're at Vale General Hospital," the nurse replied, apparently interpreting his question as she poured water into a cup for him and slipped a straw into the cup, holding it for him so he could take a few swallows to soothe his throat. "How are you feeling?"

He was too stunned to answer her question. Vale? How had he gotten to Vale? Atlas, he could understand, or Mantle… but Vale?

Oz, what is going on? Why won't you answer me?

More footsteps drew his attention to the door, and he saw a doctor entering the room, but it wasn't the silver-haired man he remembered. She had sun-bleached blonde hair which was mostly confined in a low bun at the back of her neck, except for a few flyaway strands framing her face. She was studying a tablet and wore gold-framed glasses in front of her blue eyes.

"Good afternoon, Oscar," she said. "I'm glad to see that you're awake. I'm Doctor Ashburn."

"W-where?" He still couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that he was in Vale. It wasn't possible. "W-where's O-oz?"

She frowned slightly, before her expression lightened. "You mean Professor Ozpin? He went back to Beacon Academy to allow you to rest. If you'd like to see him, I can call him and tell him you're feeling strong enough for a visit."

Professor Ozpin…

"A proper introduction would seem to be in order. Hello. I'm Professor Ozpin of Beacon Academy."

That… had that been real?

No, it couldn't be. Ozpin had died at the Fall of Beacon and taken up residence in Oscar's head! He couldn't be walking around, alive! That wasn't how the curse worked!

Oz! Talk to me! You promised!

I'm doing what I must to keep you safe… I'm so sorry, Oscar. Goodbye…

His eyes burned as salty tears pooled in them. What was going on? He didn't understand any of this! He was hurting, his memories didn't feel like they were really real… and Oz wasn't talking to him. Why was the old wizard not talking to him?!

"Oscar, it's okay," the doctor was trying to calm him. "I know it's overwhelming, but you've been hurt. We're going to help you but getting worked up won't help you heal."

"Oz," he whimpered, squeezing his eyes shut, hot tears tracing down his cheeks. "Oz, you promised…"

"Oscar," the doctor tried again. "Just calm down. I don't want to have to sedate you again, but I will if you can't stay calm. You need to heal – your lungs took some damage, and you might make it worse if you're not careful."

"N-no, p-please," Oscar sniffed, choking back his sobs, even though it left him a little breathless. He managed a slow, shaky breath. "I'm… I'm alright."

"I know it's overwhelming," Doctor Ashburn said. "We're going to take good care of you, Oscar, and you'll be out of here and heading home as soon as we can."

Home…

Could he really have a chance to go home and see his aunt again? Oz was being silent – had they done it somehow? Had they stopped Salem, and completed Oz's mission from the God of Light? Was that why the old wizard wasn't talking to him now? Had he been given his reward of returning to the afterlife, never to reincarnate again?

I'm so sorry, Oscar. Goodbye…

Maybe he'd been too injured to reply to Oz's farewell? But no, that didn't make sense, since the doctor had mentioned that the silver-haired man he remembered was Professor Ozpin and that he'd returned to Beacon Academy… but Beacon had fallen almost a year ago. He squeezed his eyes shut, fighting to keep his breathing steady. He was so confused.

He lay quietly while the doctor checked his wounds, thinking as hard as his fuzzy memories would allow.

"Oscar?"

He opened his eyes and met Doctor Ashburn's. She smiled at him. "You're doing better than I thought you would be at this point. Have you had any training in aura healing?"

He nodded. "A little," he admitted.

"That's good. We had to give you an aura suppressant to give your aura a chance to recover, but it should wear off by the next time I come in to check on you. If it's recovered satisfactorily, you should be able to start working on healing some of your more severe wounds." She pulled out a tablet and began making some notes on what he presumed was his patient chart. "Can you tell me your full name, and someone we can contact? A family member, or where you attend school?"

"Oscar Pine," he said quietly. "I –" He hesitated. He wanted to see his aunt again, to go back to the farm… but he needed more information on what had happened. He'd left the farm without telling her, leaving only a letter of apology – she had to be worried about him, but he couldn't explain everything unless he knew what had happened. "C-could I talk with P-professor Ozpin?"

He needed to know.

The doctor nodded. "I can call to Beacon and let him know. He should be here soon – I know he was most anxious to talk to you. In the meantime, however, I want you to rest. You're recovering, but if you get worked up or try to move too much, you could still reopen your wounds."

Oscar nodded and closed his eyes, still trying to make sense of what he remembered… and wondering what he might have forgotten.

Ozpin's Office…

"Wait… you're saying that a boy just… appeared in your office yesterday?" The expression on James' face would have been amusing if the subject matter they were discussing weren't so serious. It wasn't often that something Ozpin said could befuddle the general enough to get him to break his habitual stern and stoic expression.

"Yes. It was quite a surprise," Ozpin agreed, leaning back slightly in his chair. He'd given in to the urge to have something warm in his hands and had made a fresh pot of cocoa while waiting for James' response to his request for a video call. He raised it to his lips and took a sip, enjoying the smooth warmth on his tongue.

"And you think that she had something to do with it?"

"It is the only theory I can devise that makes sense with th evidence I have at the moment," Ozpin replied. "Only the Maidens, she, and I have any degree of magic power, at least so far as I have been able to determine. Salem isn't the type to sacrifice her magic the way I have in the past – she wouldn't deign to lessen herself or her power in our conflict. I certainly didn't conjure the boy here, and the magic didn't have the elemental tint that would indicate one of the Maidens had sent him – especially considering that they shouldn't have the power or the ability to do such a thing."

He took another sip of his cocoa. "Leonardo did raise the possibility that Salem has somehow managed to find Spring and is planning some sort of move to acquire the Relic at Haven, so he will be on the alert for anything unusual, but he hasn't yet seen any indications that the Lamp may be in danger."

"All of this could be a trap, Ozpin," James said. "What if the boy was sent here as a spy or an assassin?"

"I've considered that as well," Ozpin replied. "I have every intention of taking precautions, James, but at the moment he is severely injured and hospitalized. He's safe enough there for the moment, and once he can speak to us, we'll begin looking into whatever story he has and trying to confirm the truth or falsehood of what he has to say."

"I don't like any of the implications of this, Oz," the General replied, folding his hands, and resting them against his chin thoughtfully. "What better way to infiltrate Beacon than by using a boy? Especially an injured one – it's a brilliant ploy, because although you're focused on the boy due to his injuries, you may not see what else he could be doing while you're not around. You can't watch him twenty-four seven and fulfill all your other responsibilities."

Ozpin would have been offended at the implication that he wasn't able to watch out for his own safety, or that he hadn't considered all of these possibilities already, if it weren't for the fact that he knew that James was mostly just thinking out loud and not taking Ozpin's vast years of experience into account. It was a failing of most of his allies at some point in each incarnation.

The idea of immortality, curses, and reincarnation was beyond the comprehension of most people outside of fiction, and his allies didn't tend to think in those terms without a reminder. First impressions and personal experience tended in influence the way his allies saw him, and he knew how he appeared to others in this lifetime. To most people he was an academic, with his head in the clouds up in Beacon Tower. Soft spoken and soft-hearted, especially where children were concerned. A middle-of-the-road politician, who preferred compromise to taking a stand on one side of the other of an issue. A Faunus sympathizer, who – in the eyes of so many prejudiced humans – cared more about making sure the animals received a forum to air their grievances.

But Ozpin's many lifetimes of experience and the many soul mergers he had gone through had changed him and influenced the way he viewed the world beyond his mission from the God of Light. He had practical experience as both a warrior and a diplomat, even if he didn't present himself that way to the world at large.

James had always been the most direct of his allies in this incarnation. Maybe it was because of his military training, or maybe he had been drawn to the military because of his personality, but his directness was something that Ozpin viewed as an asset, and it was why he had always made a point of having as many different personalities amongst his inner circles as he could manage in each incarnation. He was already bonded with a like-minded soul – surrounding himself with nothing but other like-minded individuals would result in an echo chamber. Having those with other viewpoints and personalities allowed flaws in his plans to be identified and corrected – and James was typically happy to serve that role, even if he didn't realize he was doing so. The rest of his group – Glynda, Qrow, Theodore, and Leonardo – served as checks against the General's blunt straightforwardness and preference for a direct fight.

"I appreciate what you're saying, James," Ozpin replied, favoring diplomacy over an argument in this case. "Rest assured, I have no intention of dropping my guard around the boy until we can verify the truth of whatever it is that he has to say. But at the same time, he is still a child, and I refuse to treat him like an enemy unless he says or does something that proves that to be the case. Children are impressionable – if Salem has managed to impress her cause on him, I may not be able to save him, but there is just as great an opportunity to sway him back to our side with a little kindness and compassion."

"I still don't like any of this, Oz," James said with a sigh, dropping his hands and sitting back in his chair. "If you leave yourself vulnerable…"

It wouldn't be the first time, Ozpin thought. He liked to think that he had grown wiser and more cautious over the millennia, but he wasn't all-knowing or all-seeing. He didn't want to be, even if it meant achieving his promise to the God of Light. He had pretended to be a god once before, with Salem at his side… and it hadn't resulted in anything good, for him or for Remnant.

Never again.

"At any rate," Ozpin decided to divert the subject away from Oscar, since that wasn't primarily why he had called James. "I am grateful to know that the Relic is still safe. Fria is well?"

James sighed. "She's… doing as well as she can, considering her age. I don't think she has too many years left, though. Her memory is becoming less reliable, and I'm afraid that it may mean that her power will end up going to someone random once she… passes."

"Well, as unfortunate as that may be, it isn't the first time that something like that has happened," Ozpin replied with a sigh of his own. "We will simply have to deal with it when it happens."

"Agreed."

"Thank you, James," Ozpin added as the elevator door slid open and Glynda entered his office again. "I will speak to you more about this soon, but I have other matters I still need to attend to today."

"Of course. I do as well. Goodbye, Oz."

The video feed cut out and Ozpin deactivated his terminal with a small sigh.

"It went that well?" Glynda asked.

"James can't help but be who he is. I knew that when I brought him into our circle," Ozpin replied. "I appreciate his viewpoints on the matter, even if his stubbornness does sometimes get the best of him."

"Well, you'll be glad to know that the hospital just called," Glynda responded. "Oscar is awake and asking to speak with you. Maybe now we can get some answers."

That definitely brought a new surge of energy. "Let's hope so. I don't like the idea of not knowing, and the idea that this could all be part of a larger conspiracy does not bode well for us." He drained the last of his mug before placing it on the desk and standing, taking Long Memory up as he did. "Let's go."